Fabrication skills and a soul for originality are prized attributes among motorcycle builders, and the energetic fireball behind Slim’s Fabrication effuses both. At his cluttered shop/home interesting one-offs roll out the door regularly. Ironically, nothing Slim builds for his customers or his personal collection of trikes, two-strokes and wheelie-popping dragsters is more interesting or original than the man himself.  

Because he’s a fabricator, Slim understands the power heat and pressure wields over materials like tin and steel. When he isn’t bending metal, however, Slim uses his equally strong powers of persuasion to twist tales and stretch the truth for the entertainment of people around him. I’ve been a spectator during many of Slim’s enthusiastic rap sessions, and the stuff that comes out of his mouth is even wilder than the monsters in his garage. Slim’s ebullience trickles out on his blog periodically, but it flows full-throttle in a live crowd. Some examples*:

I grafted a Holley double-pumper onto an old RM390 Suzuki. Travis Pastrana wanted to jump it over the Grand Canyon, but I couldn’t get it jetted for high altitude.

My mid-engine Dodge van had a blown Mopar 360 and a driveshaft transfer case out of a drag boat. When I saw a dude flip his hydroplane on Lake Puddingstone I borrowed some SCUBA gear and salvaged the wreckage.

My dad races BMX in the 50-over cruiser class. He’s a national champion. I stopped racing a long time ago to take up free diving. One time I held my breath underwater for 87 minutes. Actually I didn’t hold my breath—I buddy-breathed out of a narwhal’s blowhole. Whale skin is a lot softer than you think.

I like using a TIG welder, but I’ve fixed broken frames with jumper cables and a toaster oven in a pinch.

America. Fuck yeah!

Not everything Slim conjures in the fertile mind beneath his well-groomed Mohawk is bat-shit crazy. Slim’s bolt-on sissy bar for rubber-mount Sportsters is simple, functional and easy to install—hallmarks of any great product design. His weld-on hardtails for ‘86–’03 XL’s require only mild fine-tuning depending on the model year, and guys we know who own one love their stance and build quality. In terms of their shape and size Slim’s gas tanks are also things of beauty, if you can overlook their diminutive volume. Slim usually trucks his art bikes to SoCal events, so fuel capacity isn’t a part of his chopper aesthetic.

To climb deeper into the mind of this American original, visit Slim’s blog. To speak personally about custom parts and fabrication services, call Slim at (951) 217-8814.

*Like the subject of this ChopCult feature, its writer is also a fabricator. Several Slim quotes may be customized for dramatic effect.