In August 2001, while swapping bike tales with some friends, one of them said that he knew the man who had built the Captain America replica for the Otis Chandler Museum. That bike was later sold to the Guggenheim and put on display in their "Art of the Motorcycle" exhibit. He had also built a second replica for the Harley Davidson Museum. While sharing their deep awe of the Captain America chopper, one thing led to another and Sam ended up talking seriously with his buddy about asking the fabricator to build another replica.
Sam heard nothing until February 2002 when his friend called to say "Jim" was willing to talk to him. The very next weekend, Sam drove 100-plus miles up to San Bernardino to discuss the details with master metal man Jim Grasius, and the gentlemen had come to terms by the following week. "I got the bike in late July, just in time to put it on a trailer and have a friend tow it to Sturgis [South Dakota] for the big Harley rally. I rode the '01 Fat Boy."
Sam's new Captain is an exact duplicate of the quintessential chopper, and it's based around a '59 FL "Panhead" motor. Chrome adorns nearly every piece of the bike, including its rigid frame, rear fender, and the now classic upswept fishtail exhaust. Elsewhere we have a tall chrome sissy bar, chrome hubs, chrome oil tank, chrome foot pegs, chrome buttons on the black leather seat, chrome... well, just about everything. It also correctly sports four bullet taillights and two sets of risers-the first a section of straight bar that, in turn, has a set of dog-bone risers attached that leads up to the ape hangar handlebars. The tiny "peanut" gas tank is adorned with several lustrous coats of candy apple red paint, with whites stars and stripes added next, followed by the field of blue. Naturally, Sam has a helmet done up to match.
Sam's replica is stylish and accurate enough that it took First in the Glenco Antique Bike Show at Sturgis, and then it proceeded to take Best of Show. The Captain has won several more awards since then, plus "I have loaned it to the San Diego Automotive Museum for their three-week motorcycle exhibit and ridden it around the San Diego area (short rides only-it's not very comfortable)." Despite the minimalist approach on the '60s-style rolling work of art, which lacks such comforts and safety items as a front fender, front brakes, turn signals, and has absolutely no rear suspension nor seat springs, Sam has about 700 miles on his Captain so far. And he intends to keep showing the chopper, "to share it with others. Everyone reacts so positively when they see it, either because it brings back memories or because they like the flag." As a replica of the most recognizable "custom bike" ever built, Sam's Captain America is truly an American Icon!