SpeedKing Racing's Shovelhead

if you’ve been around as a reader of this fine magazine for any length of time, you can probably recognize a Jeff Cochran built bike at first glance. This fine Shovel is definitely no exception. I’ve been fortunate to call Jeff a friend for over 22 years. My nickname for Jeff has always been “The Renaissance Man” because of his numerous interests, including playing the guitar to photography and everything in between, and he does them all exceedingly well. We initially met when he had his company Sin Wear, which produced apparel and jewelry. It wasn’t long after when Cochran and Donny Loos formed Sucker Punch Sally’s and literally changed the landscape of the custom bike scene forever. They took a timeless formula of using stock and custom parts to create a functional and reliable bike that really stood out in a crowd. After Sucker Punch, Jeff struck out on his own and started building bikes one on one for customers as well as building what he calls a “Shop Truck,” which is basically a personal bike that he and his wife Beverly ride until a potential customer just has to have it, which usually doesn’t take long.

This particular build was done for Matt and Christine McCarthy and has a few extras that Jeff likes to use when he can. He begins every build with a factory Harley frame, so they have a clean Harley-Davidson VIN. Since he’s an authorized S&S dealer, he ordered up one of their 93” Shovelhead motors which came with a Super E carb. Jeff just a Stargazer air cleaner to round it out. For the

Article By: Roadside Marty Photos By: Jeff Cochran

transmission, he went with another industry leader, Baker Drivetrain, for one of their bulletproof 6 into 4 transmissions with a kickstart that’s got upgraded Baker kicker gears and their own beefy kicker arm and pedal. On the primary side, Jeff used a BDL electric start belt drive, which really flows with the bike’s lines. Again, BDL is another industry leader who stands behind their product which is why Jeff also used their forward and hand controls on this build. The oil tank is one of my favorite parts, and it happens to be one of Jeff’s SpeedKing parts known as the Torpedo tank. The 1977 stock Harley frame certainly got it’s fair share of Jeff’s attention. Cochran used one of his drop seat conversions which lowers the seat height by 1 inch. Some of you may not know that stock Harley swingarm frames from 1958 to 1964 had this provision, and with the introduction of electric start in 1965, it was discontinued. This modification, along with one of Jeff’s signature series adjustable swing arms allows the rider to lower the bike to a much lower stance than stock. Jeff actually had this frame stashed away for himself as a future personal build and worked on it off and on for months during his downtime smoothing out the sloppy, thick Factory welds and filling in the gouges along the bottom frame rails, but after having a few conversations with Mike, he realized they were both on the same page as far as the bike would be something cool that Jeff himself would be proud to ride. I know by now you’ve noticed the fender struts, and yes, they are another of Jeff’s products, his Sig Series Stainless Struts. They fit the SpeedKing 7.5” fender just right. The dual rear caliper bracket is another of Jeff’s signature series parts utilizing dual 4 piston Performance Machine calipers, with one being activated by the traditional rear brake pedal and the other by the hand lever brake,

which is pretty ingenious. The 39mm front end was shaved and uses a stock Harley single rotor 21” front wheel for a super clean, traditional look, while the Pro One triple tree is a modern look while an 18” rear wheel balances it out.

The SpeedKing narrow bars

Owner: MATT & CHRISTENE City/State: FLORIDA Builder:JEFF COCHRAN Year: 1977 Model: FLH Value: $$$$ Time: 100 DAYS ENGINE Year: 2021 Model: SHOVELHEAD Builder: S&S CYCLE Ignition: DYNA S Displacement: 93” Pistons: S&S Heads: S&S Carb: S&S Cam: S&S Air Cleaner: STARGAZER Exhaust: JEFF COCHRAN/SPEEDKING Primary: BDL ELECTRIC START TRANSMISSION Year: 2021 Make: BAKER Shifting: 6 IN 4 FRAME Year: 1977 HARLEY DAVIDSON/ SPEEDKING Model: DROPSEAT SHOVEL Rake: 30 Stretch: STOCK FORKS Builder: HD/JEFF COCHRAN T ype: 39MM Triple Trees: PRO ONE Extension: UNDER WHEELS Front Wheel: spoke Size:21X2.15 Tire: SCORPION Front Brake: PM/SPEEDKING Rear Wheel: spoke Size: 18X5.5 Tire: PODIUM Rear Brake: PM/SPEEDKING RUSH HOUR RACING PAINT Painter: RONNIE MELENDEZ Color: SPECIAL MIX Type: Graphics: RONNIE MELENDEZ Chroming: MECLAC ACCESSORIES Bars: SPEEDKING NARROW Z’S Risers: VINTAGE/SPEEDKING Hand Controls: BDL Foot Controls: BDL Gas Tank(s): SPEEDKING WASSEL Oil Tank: SPEEDKING TORPEDO Front fender: NA Rear Fender: SPEEDKING 7.5” Seat: RICH PHILLIPS Headlight: 5 3/4 Taillight: AFTERMARKET Speedo: NA Photographer: JEFF COCHRAN SPEEDKING PHOTO keep the profile tight and narrow and are a favorite of Jeff’s. The seat was handled by Rich Phillips out of St. Louis and has a slim profile that flows with the frame. That incredible paint was a special mix made by and laid down by Ronnie Melendez out of New York and just really pops out against the black powder coated frame.

Jeff says he has always built his bikes using a series of mathematics that has often been imitated but rarely duplicated. Since high school, Jeff has been riding Shovelheads and has the stance and correct, comfortable handling position pretty dialed in. I have to admit I’m a huge fan of this style and how smooth all of Jeff’s builds look. Jeff wanted to be sure to tell me how much this build helped him deal with the illness and passing of his older brother Jon with whom he was very close. Thank you for sharing this build with our readers Jeff and thank you for the years of friendship and guidance!