Calendar Kitten Imogen Lethonen is featured in the FastDates.com 2020 Calendars.
Max Hazen
1936 JAP Speedway powered Board Track Replica
Photography and Story by Jim Gianatsis • Model Imogen Lethonen
Click on any Pictute to Enlarge, and Click / Control to Download as a Screensaver
Custom bike artisan Max Hazen, an LA Calendar Bike Building Championship Best of Show winner, has just created another jewel like masterpiece coveted by high-end celebrity collectors. This time it's an all hand fabricated board track replica in beautiful stainless steel, powered by a rare British 1936 JAP Speedway engine.
Max hand crated every component on the bike in his small 2nd floor workshop in downtown Los Angeles, from the hand welded stainless steel frame and springer front suspension, to the exotic 20-spoke 23-inch wheels. Max's creative ingenuity is amazing. The hand crafted springer front end is suspended by a rubber tie-down strap found at home depot
Like all 1930s era JAP Speedway engines this one runs a constant loss oil system, so Max built a an aluminum oil tank under the seat to store the oil with a tap valve to drip feed oil to the engine, and a side mounted hand pump (sourced from a bicycle tire air pump) to recirculate the engine oil, normally dripped onto the dirt speedway track, and now dripped into an under engine catch tank, then hand pumped back to the oil tank. So the rider becomes the oil re-circulation pump.
And because Speedway engines don't have transmissions, Max fitted a pre unit construction Triumph 4-speed gearbox with a foot operated clutch behind the JAP engine, with the transmission mounted90-degrees on its side. And if you look closely you can see the a hydraulic disc brake mounted to a disc behind clutch, used to stop the bike. This leaves the handlebars clean and uncluttered without levers, while the twist throttle employing a hidden pull cable inside the handlebar.
To prove his latest 2-wheel masterpiece is not just living room art, Max test rode it around Los Angeles for 200 miles before completion. The engine's heat blued open exhaust header is testament to being ridden hard and put up wet with oil dripping to the ground from the constant loss lubricant system.
Imogen tries the Mule Triumph Tracker on for size.
The Triumph Tracker frame comes from Panther in Canada.
Ron Wood modifed a Mule Street Tracker seat assembly
to fit the Panther frame.
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Unique case billet mount foot pegs.
Old school clutch cable operates the classic Triumhp engine's clutch, but the modern front and rear disc brakes are hydraulic.
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Shooting with the Max Haven Board Tracker in the FastDates.com Calendar studio with photographer Jim Gianatsis, is beautiful biker model Imogen Lethonen, also a custom jewelry designer at her store The Great Frog located on trendy Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California. Imogen's modeling and acting credits include having been featured riding motocross bikes in advertising videos for Fox Racing, and two YouTube.com videos for Ducati where she pulls off a bank heist and outruns the cops on city streets with a Ducati Scrambler motorcycle. Imogen also co-stared in an episode of "The Ride" with actor Norman Reeves of the popular TV Series "The Walking Dead", where they rode together up the Pacific Coast Highway One from Los Angeles to Santa Cruz, California. Imogen personally owns a custom Harley Softail and a Sportster, one of which she rides to work each day at The Great Frog through freeway and city traffic.
The Hazen Springer Front End uses a heavy duty rubber strap for spring action.
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There is a dic brakr and rotor hidden behind the open clutch.
The oil supply tank for engine's drop oil system utalizes a drip catch tank under the engine, with a conveted hand operated bicycle pump used to pump the catch oil back into the supply tank
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And because Speedway engines don't have transmissions, Max fitted a pre unit construction Triumph 4-speed gearbox with a foot operated clutch behind the JAP engine, with the transmission mounted90-degrees on its side. And if you look closely you can see the a hydraulic disc brake mounted to a disc behind clutch, used to stop the bike. This leaves the handlebars clean and uncluttered without levers, while the twist throttle employing a hidden pull cable inside the handlebar.
Imogen likes this beautiful piece of internal compution jewlery that will end up in some lucky guy's prized collection.
Builder: Max Haven
Hazen Motor Works
407 East Pico Avenue #200
Los Angeles, CA 90015 USA
Ph (01) 516 236 2619
https://www.hazanmotorworks.com
www.FastDates.com/IronLaceGarage.HTM
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