Cyclops Monster Drag Bike

“The name came to me while I was mocking it up… it looked like a bit of a monster… a one-eyed monster.”

THIS STORY BEGINS a few years back, about 10 years actually, while I was working at TwinTech Motorcycles. One of our regulars, Billy, came in on his ’92 Softail which was very shiny and well loved. He asked Richard (the boss/owner) to order him a S&S 124 engine from the Australian distributor. It had to be fully polished to keep the shiny thing going.

The question was asked, “Why would you want all that power?”

He replied, “I am going drag-racing.”

Wow! My ears pricked up and that was it… our friendship began. Friendships like this are long lasting. We were a great combo; he had the bucks and I had the skills!

The Softail had many changes over the years. First, the shiny 124 cu in monster, followed by the Brute Force primary belt drive after smashing two wet inner primary housings.

Then the poor old stock five-speed exploded into pieces after way too many hard launches. The decision was made to purchase a Baker Torque Box, fully polished, of course.

While you’re at it, how about some B2 race heads from S&S and a D-series carby as well.

This guy was getting serious and spending lots of bucks; those two ‘10 second club’ S&S shirts were costing him a small fortune. But he was bitten hard by the drag-racing bug and loved going up, showing off, and showing up the Wacker Race Team.

It was about this time that I mentioned a proper lay-down-frame with his running gear would be the shit.

He said, “Yeah, but not just yet. Get me some of those wheelie-bar things though ’cos that front wheel won’t stay on the bloody ground.”

Did I mention I made a set of 2 1/4 inch pipes for it, drag style, and fitted a set of struts to eliminate the rear suspension?

It was pretty awesome to ride on the street as it was still registered and was ridden every now and again for the odd pint of milk, along with me road testing it of course. Yee ha, big skids and wheel stands around Southport!

Now the story takes a turn. Very low 10’s were pretty good for Billy until he came into work to get me do some maintenance on the bike and saw my recent purchase — a hardtail roller with Marchesini wheels and wheelie bars. I had my boss’s 117 cu in S&S motor with polished, diamond-cut engine (very bloody shiny) sitting in it.

The bling caught Billy’s eye and he screamed, “Who’s is that?”

“Mine,” I said. “I just bought it off my mate, Spanners. It had a 120 cu in Shovel motor in it and was a unfinished project he had lying around.”

Truth was, it was started as a project in my shop a few years back but Spanners lost interest, with kids and mortgages getting priority. He was sad to see it go but knew it was in good hands.

Guess what? Billy jumped up and down and said, “I want it, I want it and I want you to build it with my running gear from the Softail.”

Wow, good idea, why didn’t I think of that!? A deal was struck; the Softie was stripped and the roller was on my bench at home.

Fast forward. After many hours of fabrication, skinned knuckles, cursing and tantrums, the frame is finished, all mocked up, then stripped, painted and this puppy is going together.

My Easter break resulted in the birth of Cyclops! The name came to me while I was mocking it up. I had a visit from my mate Paulie who I had built a tough Busa drag bike for last year. He saw it and reckoned it looked like a bit of a monster. I agreed — a one eyed monster. Cyclops sprung to mind.

Bike Specs:

124 cu in B2 race heads.
D series carby with three Thunderjets.
Baker five-speed Torque Box, modified shift drum neutral at bottom
Brute Force belt drive by Rivera.
Sporty triple trees modified to take 41 mm Yamaha forks, shortened internals.
Four-pot Jap calliper.
Sports bike front master cylinder and hydraulic clutch.
V-Rod headlight, bucket modified and reversed for eyeball.
Custom dash.
Adjustable clip-ons.
Custom frame and foot pegs.
Marchesini Deadcat wheels with modified cush drive to solid.
Custom axle and sprocket with drag chain.
Carbon seat and rear seat pod.
Custom air shifter shifts up and down for riding back on the return road.
Sporty peanut tank with modified tap.
Plus heaps of other stuff I have forgotten.
All fabrication/machining and assembly by me.

Big shout out to the following: Phil at A1 Motorcycle Paint; some machining by Mark Barnes Engineering; my boss Shane at Bikesales Qld is our major sponsor; he has been great with all the consumables and picking up the tab for lots of the parts needed. Another big shout out to Rod, Sue and Jack from Ozbike for their hospitality during the photoshoot. To Billy for letting me build him a real drag bike after all. Finally my wife Maree for putting up with me living in my garage for a few months and helping to hold things when needed and critiquing my work.

We are hoping for mid to high 9’s on the 1/4 and Billy is keen to run the local 1/8th mile series in South East Queensland.