CT Newman's ULH

maybe you’ve seen this bike at an event or a show. Perhaps you even took the time to kneel down beside it and study the mechanical wizardry of it. No matter what the case, I guarantee you have yet to understand the level of craftsmanship that sits before you here, a condition I will humbly try to adjust in this short offering. Christian Newman has been on the scene for a while, his first significant build being a turbo Shovel he built for Greasy Dozen that we featured in these pages a few years back. His work constantly defies convention and somehow still manages to keep the old school soul while doing it. His need to present people with a puzzle of sorts that they could solve through motorbike gazing comes from the early days when his old man found a CB500 on the side of the road. He brought the bike home, set it up on the back porch with tools, and told Christian to tear it apart. That first-hand knowledge of how things work has carried him far in life and has given him the ability to inspire other people the same way. He expects you to sit beside his builds and wonder, “how does this work?”.

Through the years, he worked on dirt bikes, fixed an old tractor transmission on the family property, married snowmobiles in various states of disrepair to achieve one good running machine, and even stretched out into cars while he was in college for mechanical engineering. So when he finally got back into bikes, he had already built up knowledge in welding, machining, and fabrication, but none of this was taught. CT goes after knowledge when he wants it and learns through failure until he gets it right. The result is a builder who is not afraid to take chances and push the limits

Article By: Chris Callen Photos By: Michael Lichter

on design; that is no small proposition. There are things on a motorcycle that are good to keep the same, says CT, so you have to pick and choose where and when to break out of the mold. He says his goal is to build a bike that has traditional lines from ten feet away but then just blow your mind as you get closer.

That brings us to this little gem right here. CT wanted to build this bike for some time but realized that everything in the chopper world is defined by what heads it has, you know, Panhead, Knucklehead, Shovelhead. So for this build, he wanted to start by building his own heads, a four-valve configuration to boot. He felt it would be more interesting to use a Flathead bottom end and, at the same time, found it to have better pushrod angles, which comes into play shortly. With little time for R&D that would see a dozen prototypes, he decided to start off with a known subject. Something that would have the four valves, a similar stroke and bore to a V-Twin, and give him a quick foundation. It turns out that example was a 2.5 liter Ford Fusion. Newman took one from a junkyard and promptly put it on his band saw. He found that everything was in line. Even the pistons were close in dome height to an Evo. The big challenge came in the four valves. They were very close together on the Fusion, and with a 20-degree valve angle of an overhead cam design, they could be. To accommodate the 45-degree angle of the pushrods coming up from the Harley bottom end, he invented his own cross-over rocker arms that let them be close and provide the correct angle. Yeah, if you are reading this and trying to imagine how you can keep pace with this cat, don’t. He is a genius on so many levels.

So many of the other great features of this machine were built from scratch. Even the power delivery runs AC Voltage, not DC. 14 Volts AC, to be exact. To achieve this, he made his own alternator / Magneto combination that runs a gear reduction for the mag. This ended up being a bolt-on product he offered as well. The oil runs through the frame to clear up oil line clutter, and even the stainless parts were made that way to give the ability to finish it entirely inhouse. Now the most obvious thing that everyone comments about are the twin turbos. As it is, this was a little one-finger salute to BMW, who had contracted him to build an R9T. Unfortunately, after the paperwork was drawn up, Christian went about making a plan and ordering parts, which included the entire twin turbo system seen here. For whatever reason, they stopped communication and left him holding all those parts. Not to let a good idea sit on the drawing table, Newman

Owner: Christian Newman City/State: Buffalo, NY Builder: Christian Newman Year: 1939/2021 Model: ULH Value: $1 Time: 3500 Hrs ENGINE Year: 1939 Model: ULH Builder: CT Newman Ignition: CT magneto/alternator utilizing Morris Magneto Displacement: 76 Cu In (3.5 Bore X 3-31/32 stroke) Pistons: 3.500” Bore Wiseco Forged Heads: CT One-off 4 valve/cylinder exposed rockers that cross over eachother (the outside pushrods actuate the intake valves) Carb: 2x Smart Carb 36mm Cam: Leineweber custom Air Cleaner: Unknown Exhaust: CT 1.75” one-off stainless Primary: BDL Clutch, CT front pulley, CT kickstart mechanism TRANSMISSION Year: unknown Make: Baker/ CT Newman Shifting: Hand (jockey). CT arm and knob FRAME Year: 2021 Model: CT one-off stainless Rake: 35 Stretch: 4 up, zero out Forks: CT Newman one off stainless springer Builder: CT Newman Type: Stainless single loop, oil-thru frame and integrated oil cooler in engine cradle Triple Trees: unknown Extension: UNKNOWN WHEELS Front Wheel: Borani hoop on CT hub, Buchanan Spokes Size:23x1.6 Tire: Mefo Ice Racing Front Brake: unknown Rear Wheel: Borani hoop on CT hub, Buchanan Spokes Size: 19 x 2.15 Tire: 19 x 3.5 Cooper Rear Brake: Twin leading shoe, CT built PAINT Painter: Krossover Customs Color: Black /Purple? Type: Unknown Graphics: Unknown Chroming: DGM Chrome (jugs and fork springs, all else polished) ACCESSORIES Bars: CT 7/8 Risers: unknown Hand Controls: Bikers Choice internal throttle/CT Newman Foot Controls: CT custom Stainless Gas Tank(s): CT/Sosa Metalworks Oil Tank: CT Front fender: unknown Rear Fender: CT newman /Sosa Metalworks Seat: CT/NewChurchMoto Headlight: CT Newman Tail light: CT Newman Speedo: unknown Photographer: michael lichter simply moved all of that over to this project and put the icing on the cake.

The front fork is another place where he went the second and third step above. Taking the simple Harmon Girder design and fixing what he felt was a design flaw, he added a bridge up by the triple trees. Newman commented that it makes it like a springer rather than a girder, but one where the front legs run inside the rear. The oil routing on the engine was his design, the kicker that is not on the transmission and also acts as the brake pedal is also his own. Born out of the idea of keeping it skinny, but then that added twist to make it even more complex.

In the end, it added up to 3500 hours of build time, 500 of which were spent in design and research before he ever touched a piece of metal. That’s dedication to your craft! Because if you think that kind of work will ever make it to an invoice, you’re wrong. For the love of it and the ability to challenge himself has got to be the reason why CT Newman does that thing he does. And boy, are we all glad he does.

In closing, I asked Christian how he could possibly make a plan to top a build with this much work in it, this much innovation. His answer came almost before I finished asking the question, “My next bike will have a motor that I build entirely myself. Based on a V-Twin but like nothing that has ever been done before.” And that, my friends, is what it takes to exist at that level. Look him up. He is unparalleled to date!