Redonkulous 30″ Front Wheel Custom Motorcycle

Readers, I know you pretty well and can guess most of your reactions on any post I publish, especially when featuring extreme custom motorcycles pushing the boundaries of what is perceived as acceptable, aesthetically or technologically. Don’t have to explain why Custom Builder Dana Hallberg called this bike Redonkulous. Like me, he knew that reactions would be split in 2 camps. Those qualifying his work as ridiculous at defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary: silly & unreasonable. And those who will use the word ridiculous as explained in the Urban Dictionary: unbelievable, something at the top level of greatness, insanity, or beauty.  

“I want to be the first to do this” is the credo of all Custom Builders each time they start a new project. Before the last Sturgis, Dana Hallberg wanted to put his shop Deadline Customs on the map, and to do so wanted to be the first shop, non-wheel manufacturer, to build a bike with a 30″x 4″ front wheel from Metal Sport fitted with the Vee Rubber 300/18 tire on a standard length front end installed on a 51-degree rake and 13″ stretch Lowlife frame! Do you think extreme or ridiculous?

And yes, Dana made it happen, being the 1st in the world, as far as I know, to compete at the Sturgis AMD World Championship with such a setup. To be as Redonkulous as possible, motor is a gorgeous finish treatment 155″ monster from R&R Engines working with a Legend Rivera transmission. Frame was cut under the transmission and a completely new rear section was fabricated to accept a custom swingarm fitted with a modified air ride handling smoothly the suspension of the 18″ x 10.5″ rear wheel. Front end was provided by MeanStreet (Brawler model) and brakes by JayBrake (J Series). After getting honors in Sturgis, this bike just won 2 times in a row  the Freestyle Class during the Progressive International Mortorcycle Championship of Minneapolis and Chicago. Redonkulous results, too. Deadline Customs. (Photography courtesy and copyright  Horst Roesler and Frank Sander)

49 Responses to “Redonkulous 30″ Front Wheel Custom Motorcycle”


  1. 1 broadwaylee Mar 7th, 2011 at 8:37 am

    i threw up in my mouth a little and had flash backs to pics of guys in handlebar mustaches and funny suits riding those old bikes :} then i get nervous that mama would see this and want me to build her one { no joke }

  2. 2 2Low Mar 7th, 2011 at 8:43 am

    The builder got exactly what he wanted. Fee publicity for his shop. It’s a winner.

  3. 3 Richie Mar 7th, 2011 at 8:43 am

    You have to admire the fab work.

  4. 4 Kemper Mar 7th, 2011 at 8:44 am

    A show winner. The objective…

  5. 5 Larry R Mar 7th, 2011 at 9:09 am

    It looks really stupid!!

  6. 6 Manny Mar 7th, 2011 at 9:21 am

    Saw this bike at the Ultimate Builder Competition Bike Show at IMS. The fit, finish, & build quality is supurb.

  7. 7 Patrick Mar 7th, 2011 at 9:28 am

    Anyone has the right to dislike the 30″ front wheel. Just question of taste, but you can’t critic the rest. Looks flawless.

  8. 8 zyon Mar 7th, 2011 at 9:35 am

    I’m a bit confused. Why does it look like it has a belt primary drive on one side and a chain drive on the other?

  9. 9 James @ Open Road Biker Mar 7th, 2011 at 9:36 am

    I’ll give ’em credit, I am sure it draws attention. Heck, it may even bring in bussiness and I am sure it was no easy feat to build. That said if I hadn’t heard other people say they have saw it in real life I would think it was a photoshop job gone wrong. I just wonder how it rides and handles.

  10. 10 666 Mar 7th, 2011 at 9:51 am

    Nice work…Not really a bike to go out ridin with your friends but the work looks excellent. More like a scupture than a motorcycle

  11. 11 dannyb278 Mar 7th, 2011 at 10:19 am

    it this machine is more art than motorcycle, than it is not a motorcycle at all. Once a machine is designed in such a way as to be unable to correctly serve its real purpose, than it loses all intrensic value. While some might consider this “art,” I’m not sure how anybody could call it a real motorcycle. two wheels and an engine due not make it so.

    Plus i thought this style of bike went the way of the dinosaur like 5 years ago.

  12. 12 sidewinder Mar 7th, 2011 at 10:33 am

    The bike itself is really nice. Very clean. Nice lines. The big wheel, not so much. It looks like it blocks the beam of the headlight.

  13. 13 Mike Mar 7th, 2011 at 10:46 am

    Zyon,

    I believe there is a jackshaft in the middle to extend the driveline.

    As for the bike… It’s not a bad looking bike, but I can’t give him credit for innovation or anything like that. It’s not like he invented big wheels, or came up with anything special. His achievement is no more than the guy who comes along and makes a 31″ wheel, then the guy who makes a 32″ wheel, then the guy who makes a 33″ wheel.

    How about using some of that machining ability to make something that is actually innovative? Or has innovation completely exited the aftermarket motorcycle industry?

  14. 14 les Mar 7th, 2011 at 11:04 am

    IT definately achieved its goal..
    Im with Zyon here, Whats going on with chain drive/belt drive/chain drive?
    anyone know what setup this is?

  15. 15 MikesHawgPaint Mar 7th, 2011 at 11:58 am

    Its a very nice styling exersize, if you look closely you can see some nice engineering touches, I also like the color combination and design, very clean!

  16. 16 Chief Waldo Mar 7th, 2011 at 11:59 am

    I guess he misses the Big Wheel he had as a kid.

  17. 17 American-V magazine Mar 7th, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    @Les & Zyon.

    I’d take a reasonable guess that split drive train serves about four purposes: it means the primary drive doesn’t need offsetting to clear the 300-section rear tyre; it keeps the drive train on the primary side, so keeping the rear wheel clear when viewed from the timing side; it allows a lower-than-low seat thanks to the extended drive train that Mike mentioned; and I’d be amazed if he hasn’t got it running through the swing-arm spindle, so making the final section a constant tension, so he hasn’t had to factor that into the equation when the air-ride is slammed on the floor, although there’s enough slack in the final drive chain which suggest he might not have done, although that might be exaggerated by the angle of the shot.

    Would love to see it with the suspension – front and back – pumped up.

  18. 18 fluke Mar 7th, 2011 at 12:34 pm

    video of bike rollin’

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oieXE3R-Uuw

    I think the bike is for sale BTW, 55 grand. Or was a week or so ago.

  19. 19 Jeff Nicklus Mar 7th, 2011 at 12:40 pm

    While I am not a fan of the large front wheel …. the rest of the bike is killer! Good job.

    Over & Out,

    Jeff

  20. 20 zyon Mar 7th, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    American-V magazine,

    Thanks, makes a lot of sense. It’s an interesting concept but it seems like one more thing that could snap under heavy torque.

  21. 21 Fred Mar 7th, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    Looks like it would have approximately zero travel in the front suspension. Nice non-rideable show bike.

  22. 22 1550tc Mar 7th, 2011 at 2:51 pm

    Nice bike and i love these low lean Low life frame ?? bikes

    I ts a 30 inch from wheel copy of one Matt Hotch’s low life single swing arm framed bikes like his “El Rey” & Stugots or the one he won the biker build off with

    evrything old is new 🙂 and this is still an iconic bike for this type of build and frame

    http://www.sturgistravels.com/matt.hotch/matt.hotch.htm

  23. 23 Racer Mar 7th, 2011 at 3:33 pm

    I can’t imagine actually riding that. It’s beautiful though.

  24. 24 RUB Mar 7th, 2011 at 4:30 pm

    the big front wheel just looks odd .

  25. 25 chopmonster66 Mar 7th, 2011 at 4:57 pm

    it has a right side tranny , but he made it left side drive with a jackshaft just to be difrent , i guess ?
    the primary connects the motor to the tranny not to the wheel it is chain finel drive ..

  26. 26 Bigd Mar 7th, 2011 at 6:50 pm

    Yes I built the bike and to answer some of your questions I didn’t copy matt or anyone else. This bike can and has Been rode I had it in sturgis for the amd worlds and drove around town after the show. As far as the jack shaft system i built it and have used it on others and works great. The bike has a full air ride height of four inches. If you know anything about pivot points the bike lays frame and aired up chain is tight. No one likes every bike out there so if you don’t I could care less, this thing is known in the industry to be one of the most bad ass bikes build . Any other info needed feel free to call

  27. 27 chopperfreak29 Mar 7th, 2011 at 7:39 pm

    I dunno about everyone who builds a motorcycle wanting to be the first to do crazy crap. I mean, just because something’s supposedly never been done before doesn’t mean it should be done. No one’s ever torn open a black hole in my living room before……but that doesn’t mean someone should come on over and try it out. lol If you take a look at some of the motorcycle museums out there you’ll understand that some things are better left undone.

  28. 28 1550tc Mar 7th, 2011 at 7:43 pm

    Bigd

    Can i ask you if it a low life frame from ICE and if it is, i like the clean lines of your swing arm 🙂

    I dint mean that as shot with the reference to Matt, ever since these bikes/frames came onto the market ive seen so many cool bikes on that frame

    like i said i love these low life frame, slammed long bikes

  29. 29 kber45 Mar 7th, 2011 at 9:24 pm

    I threw up in my mouth a little……true, too true.

    This bike will never be ridden and will end up parted out. Waste of time and energy.

  30. 30 littleed Mar 7th, 2011 at 9:30 pm

    I threw up in my mouth a lot…..

  31. 31 Roscoe Mar 7th, 2011 at 9:36 pm

    I just watched the video about Royal Enfield, then I see this. It sure is crazy to see the extremes.

  32. 32 Rider2 Mar 7th, 2011 at 11:16 pm

    Nice coffee table. What the heck is this thing? The Low Life frame can only be driven by a 7 ft 3 guy with basketball player arm. That thing is butt ugly from the front wheel to the back. Is this a show winner? really? Maybe at the Easyrider show if the builder buys advertising in the mag. The paint job is decent though.

  33. 33 Woody Mar 7th, 2011 at 11:18 pm

    Guess it’s no different than the Munstermobile. Interesting exercise in doing something different.

  34. 34 RedBeardedWierdo Mar 8th, 2011 at 12:42 am

    I can respect a “just ’cause I could”.

    This scoot isnt my cup of tea though. I’d dig it more as a trike & with streamers/tassels on the end of the handle bars..

  35. 35 Fausto Mar 8th, 2011 at 6:00 am

    Cool custom Bike!

    Big wheels are cool-you can run over larger obstacles and go through deeper water.

  36. 36 rebel Mar 8th, 2011 at 8:25 am

    nice, at least it isn’t “friction drive”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  37. 37 Brad Whipp Mar 8th, 2011 at 9:50 am

    Nice Bike, Fab work is great.

  38. 38 1550tc Mar 8th, 2011 at 10:15 am

    The Low Life frame can only be driven by a 7 ft 3 guy with basketball player arm.

    OK Shack and not to be racist Yao Ming!!

    Micheal Prugh who designed the low & hard life frames and has ridden and built a few of these bikes is 5″ 8″, so after reading that i guess he was wearing porn star `19 inch stillethos???

  39. 39 Rick Lossner Mar 8th, 2011 at 11:47 am

    Hmmmmmmmmm.. there’s a market for this product? Nice ‘one off’ … hope he didn’t take out loans for the tooling though 🙂

  40. 40 Brock Mar 8th, 2011 at 5:24 pm

    Too bad it’s not the first 30″ custom bike. I saw one at the Vtwin Expo in 2010.

  41. 41 rich Mar 8th, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    to all the haters and people that think low long sexy bikes are dead have’nt ya ever been to an auto show to see what can be done to yesterdays models to make em interisting ? Wake up it dosent hafta be an everyday ride to be a nice bike sometimes ya gotta go with your own feelings and f*&^ everyone else

  42. 42 Andrewjb Mar 8th, 2011 at 9:07 pm

    I saw this bike in Sturgis and took lots of pics there an showed them to everyone when I got home most liked it some thought it looked goofy. I thought of it then and I think of it now the same as some of the crazy styling exercises that Detroit did years ago that started many a young mans mind thinking of all things mechanical. Great Bike!!

  43. 43 Bigd Mar 8th, 2011 at 9:43 pm

    Thanks rich , to each his own I have two 30” bikes and I love them.

  44. 44 maroco Mar 9th, 2011 at 3:08 pm

    Top bike, amazing gas tank, as for the wheel, if it work, wy not?

  45. 45 Rider2 Mar 10th, 2011 at 12:09 am

    Have you seen pictures of Micheal Prugh riding any of those? I remember when he was in bed with Jesse Jurrens on those…. those frames look soooo uncomfortable, even for big guys. But hey… some people like those so why not. At least it’s not another bagger with a big wheel and some stretched saddlebags… God knows we don’t see those on every corner now.

  46. 46 1550tc Mar 10th, 2011 at 11:10 am

    /\ /\ /\ /\ /\

    Have you seen pictures of Micheal Prugh riding any of those?

    http://prughdesign.com/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=1&Itemid=58

  47. 47 DC Mar 12th, 2011 at 11:24 pm

    Rider2,

    can you please refrain from commenting on this blog. Your remarks show ignorance. Thanks

  48. 48 Quint w/HogRadio.net Mar 13th, 2011 at 11:50 pm

    This evokes the led sleds of the 50s low riders. I still like that look.

  49. 49 Motorcycle Wheels Mar 16th, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    Great bike! Looks good, quality work!

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Cyril Huze