The Kiwi Caper
THE KIWI CAPER
American Flyer in a Strange Land
They said it was springtime, but climbing up the wet and steep Rimutaka Pass, switchback after switchback in fog and wind, it didn't feel like it. Surely, snow would soon start falling, If it did, at least I had a windshield to keep the flakes from clinging to my beard, big fenders to catch the icy rooster tails, and fat tires that worked hard to keep me on the road.
But what the hell was that big guy on a long chopper doing in front of me? He was running a big-inch motor, raked front end and a skinny tire with no fender whatsoever. A radical chopper in New Zealand? Now that’s crazy! Or was this just another day on the wrong side of the road (the left side, that is) for a self-professed picky-eatin’
Southern Redneck?
The rider in question is Kendall Johnson, a soft-spoken, hard-riding motorhead from North Carolina. At 38, this custom-bike builder loves to stay near home so much that before he started getting national recognition for his talents in 1999, he had never been north of Maryland, south of Daytona Beach, west of Knoxville or east of Myrtle Beach. These days, while he’d still rather be home wrenching on motors or bending metal, he’s learned to maneuver through airports as easily as he rides down to his own shop, Kendall Johnson Customs in Winston-Salem.
So what possessed this rising star of the custom-bike world to get his first passport so he could travel to a place that he only thought of as the land of
hobbits and wizards from The Lord of the Rings? Well, the businessman in him doesn’t mind a little more notoriety, and when Johnson was asked to join a Speed Channel film crew on a New Zealand motorcycle adventure for the first of an eight-part motorcycle series called “The Journey,” he quickly said yes. Besides, it sounded like fun.
The trip came thanks to the serendipitous meeting between Jay Allen, owner of the Broken Spoke Saloons chain, and Phil Josephs, a New Zealander and patron at the Sturgis “Spoke.” When Phil extended an invitation to come south for a visit, Allen, who also produces the TV series, saw an opportunity that couldn’t be passed up. And so it was an American chopper was set loose in New Zealand.
Johnson could easily have used a bike he’d already built, but wanted something new for this trip. What he needed was clear-a long, lean and simple chopper. What better bike for an American to ride overseas, and it was sure to get lots of attention.
Time was short, less than a month for the build and a good road test. The project came together on a stretched chassis with sheetmetal and pipes that Johnson and crew fabricated in-house.
To finish in the short timeframe, he
called in some favors from friends. Custom Chrome supplied a RevTech 110-inch motor Johnson had just designed for them, while Paucho contributed a handmade 14-inch-over springer fork that was built and shipped in less than 48 hours! A Baker right-side-drive six-speed transmission and recently released drop-starter primary were added. Somehow, Chad McCreary at Copperhead Graphics completed the gorgeous paint job in a record 18 hours. The bike was ready to fire up just 14 days after construction started!
After a flawless 3500-mile shakedown run by ex-racer Johnson to Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach and other points south, the bike was ready for New Zealand.
Upon arrival in Auckland, Kiwi Phil was waiting for us, Harley curbside, with a loose plan in place. A good part of these “Journeys” is to just go experience the country, so a lot of room was left for adjustments.
First things first: We had to pick up some bikes. Our rental Harleys were no problem, and Johnson’s chopper was supposed to be ready after clearing customs. Not so! Most of the first day was spent waiting for the customs bureaucracy-which had never before seen a bike that looked as if it broke so many regulations-to rubber stamp the necessary papers. The wait was worth it; the chopper was to become the centerpiece of the trip.
At 5 p.m., 10 hours after arrival, we headed southeast from Auckland, past Lake Taupo and through some beautiful scenery toward the Hawkes Bay region of the North Island. But our real taste of New Zealand biking came the following morning when
we met up with a group of riders at a local pub. Phil put the word out we were here filming, and about 100 bikers showed up in this little town.
As in the States, Harley folk have a reputation for riding at a relaxed, social pace with stops at pubs and such. We did indeed stop a lot (five pubs this day!), but these “relaxed” folk ride harder than any group of bikers I’ve ever ridden with stateside. They keep a tight formation even on twisty roads, and speeds ran 75-90 mph, despite the 60-mph limit, even on our partly rainy day. And they said they were taking it easy for us, their “Yank” guests!
Everywhere we went,
Kendall’s chopper was a magnet. Crowds formed instantly, and everyone knew this was something special. In true Johnson form, he let at least a dozen Kiwis jump on for test rides. Even a cop who stopped us for speeding looked like he might take a spin, but seemed to think sitting on it was cool enough. (We never did get issued tickets.) On the South Island, Johnson insisted Eric, owner of a Picton restaurant where we ate, take a cruise. The chopper seemed a bit threatening to someone who had been riding an Ariel Square Four for 25 years, but with a bit of coaxing, off he went. Johnson followed on the Ariel, but the custom builder was definitely happy to get back on his chop.
Before Johnson was on the radar screen as a custom builder,
I knew of him because of his engine work. While he still bolts together a mean motor, after turning out nearly 100 trick machines in 10 years, he is now equally famous for his talents as a customizer. After spending 12 great days getting to know this picky-eatin’ redneck, I can add he should also be known as one of the coolest, easiest-going guys in the business and a great riding partner. It was great watching him ride hard, burning donuts at every stop, making friends and talking motorcy-
cles all the while. He was out to have a good time in a foreign land, right down to getting a commemorative Kiwi tattoo on the last day. In a way, New Zealand left its mark on him, and Johnson and his chopper definitely left its mark on New Zealand. Big smoky black ones!
-Michael Lichter
Michael Lichter has made his name shooting the biker lifestyle and customs for the past 20 years. See more photos from the Kiwi Caper at www.lichter photo.com. Check your local TV listings or www.brokenspoke saloon.com for air times of Speed Channel’s “TheJourney.”
