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| Archives - Production Motorcycles |
Custom Bike Review: Custom 1976 Kawasaki KZ1000 Custom - From RoadBike Jan./Feb. 2008  Bo’s Revenge By Sam Whitehead, Photos by Bob Feather There’s a certain old-school, backstreet, choppers magazine that has a real problem with Shannon Gower, otherwise known as “Hotshoe” or simply “Shoe” for short. It seems the crew at the rag in question didn’t thoroughly appreciate Shoe’s presence at its annual notorious North Carolina hoedown, the Smoke Out. Shoe showed up at the bash and promptly staked his claim right at the entrance to the festivities. The weapon he came armed with was the blown, hardcore, Kawasaki KZl000-based creation you see here, not exactly the sort of scoot bound to warm the hearts of a few select editors and their band of believers. “You know those bobber guys with their 3" starched-cuff, Leave-It-To-Beaver jeans, their chained wallets, and their greasy hair,” laughs Shoe. “Man, when dealing with those posers it’s like, God forbid you show up with a bike that’s got some billet, a fat tire, and a turbocharger. They ain’t about to let you in on the fun.” And they didn’t, refusing to picture Shoe’s mad Kaw in their publication, instead relegating the man and his machine to a starring role in a blooper-rich DVD of the party. Later, the opposing factions even entered into a vicious flame war that eventually got shut down. All of which was fine with Shoe, since it takes plenty to faze him, and there were also a ton of other characters floating around who dug his hand-built, singular beast.
In all fairness, it could be argued that it wasn’t just Shoe’s bike that got under the skin of those bobber guys. To witness our hero’s colorful antics at the Smoke Out and elsewhere, one need only log onto YouTube and type in Hotshoe, then sit back and judge for yourself. Part rabid rodeo cowboy, part carnival barker, there’s no denying that Shoe is a breed apart. But he’s a funny guy, a generous soul, and genuinely talented builder who’s been in the game for most of his 39 years. Born and raised in Oklahoma (serious Oklahoma), the young Shannon spent his formative days hanging around his dad’s, “Uncle” Bob Gower’s, various motorcycle shops. By age 12 he was wrenching professionally, tuning, fabricating, and finding great success on the short track (hence the tag Hotshoe, given to him by his old man), the drag strip, and road courses. Right out of high school, he was recruited to tour Europe as a team tuner for Bodo Schmitt and the Bimota/0W01 Superbike crew. Upon his return from Europe (“I was living in West Germany, and the second they tore down the wall, I got tossed,” Shoe likes to say), Shoe banged around various bike shops and dealerships before making his way to New York City in pursuit of an always-elusive career. “I wanted be a musician, and I failed.” Once that reality sank in, he hustled across the Hudson River, found himself a shop in New Jersey, and opened up Hotshoe Customs. That was 16 years ago, and he’s been going guns-ablazin’ ever since. While many builders and shops are currently in a slump, Shoe appears to be okay. He’s got a huge sign in one of his store’s bay windows that reads “Closed to the public. We don’t take new contracts.” Word is, most people ignore it and come in anyway. Ka-ching. Although Shoe has obviously built customs for many people over the years, he hadn’t built one specifically for himself. “I never, ever build anything on spec,” Shoe says. “So, since I’m always doing bikes on other people’s dime, I thought the time had come to do one just for me, and make it something that most people wouldn’t want anyway.” Enter the mad Kaw, or turBodacious, affectionately called Bo by the man himself. As the Kaw’s heart was getting its quadruple bypass, Shoe was busy cobbling together the rest of it. Knowing he wanted to run an air shifter on the clutch lever, Shoe made an air-tight, mig-and-tig-welded, pressurized frame that runs the shifter. “You put a couple hundred pounds of air in the frame, and it will rock the air shifter for about 20 passes of sheer stupidity,” Shoe states. Ah, yes, there’s nothing quite like sheer stupidity — especially 280-plus horses of turbo-charged stupidity. The rear fender is a Russ Wernimont blank that’s been, in the words of our guy, “Shoed, just like everything else in my shop.” Those wild struts got Shoed as well. You do see those struts, don’t you? “They’re slotted so I can adjust the fender back and forth, which makes it easier when dealing with the tire or adjusting the chain. And that’s a good thing because this dog eats chains big time.” Occasionally resting on those struts (when not bouncing on a hidden Shoed shock) is one extremely special seat, actually a 100-year-old saddle that Shoe found in “my momma’s barn back in Salina, Oklahoma.” Look closely and you might spy another treasure plucked from momma’s barn: just below the front of the saddle is a rusty, antique cowbell, affixed to a Mikuni HSR carb, which serves as the air cleaner. “The bell’s still got the little handle on it so it looks like I snatched it off a dead cow.” Well, yee haw! Shoe’s got definite words for anyone wondering about Bo’s paint, or lack thereof. “Listen, this bike’s mine; I’ll paint yours.” Translation: There ain’t a speck of paint on Bo, and Shoe wouldn’t have it any other way. This baby is powdercoated from head to toe. It even comes complete with a few cracks, some scratches, and a couple of less-than-perfect fits. “That’s all part of its character.” There’s no denying that Bo hardly needs cracks, scratches, or other imperfections to lend it character. From its hidden electronics to its one-off PMFR wheels, from its one-off sub-backbone mounted gas tank to — oh, hell — to it’s nearly one-off everything, Bo is all about character. And who cares if it’s not a bobber? It’s one handmade, nasty, radical, vintage-based machine. In fact, maybe if Shoe just ditched the cowboy hat, and donned a pair of those 3" starched-cuff, Leave It to Beaver jeans, he’d be invited to the party. RB
Specifications OWNER Shannon "Hotshoe" Gower ENGINE DISPLACEMENT 1075cc Chassis FRAME Cycle One/Hotshoe Accessories HEADLIGHT Sportster/Hotshoe
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