Fortune Tends To Follow Fame, But One Optimistic Bike Owner Didn't Realize He Had Neither When He Commissioned This ZX-14.
Rockers, supermodels and movie stars all have one thing in common-they're only hot until the spotlight fizzles out. Most realize that the lifespan of their lavish lifestyle might be short, so they live it up while the going is good. Enormous mansions, vacation villas and ultra-fast rides usually top off their opulent lifestyles. But what happens when the bubble bursts? The repo man comes collecting, naturally. Just ask MC Hammer about that.
When Roaring Toyz' Bob Fisher was tapped by a hot rising TV actor to put together a fully customized bike for island riding at his tropical getaway, Fisher jumped at the opportunity. The Hollywood hero came in, excited about recently being picked up for a new TV series and wanted to treat himself to a new toy in celebration.
Fisher noted: "He was totally naive about bikes. He said that he rode a dirt bike once at a neighbor's farm, but he had no idea what today's customs were all about. He didn't even have a bike for me to work with-instead he brought me a picture of a ZX-14 that he'd pulled off the Internet.
"Roaring Toyz actually bought the bike and rolled the price into the overall cost of the build. Come to think of it I should have charged him a 'celebrity rate' and gotten away with it, but I put together a package at the same price I would charge anyone walking in off the street."
Roaring Toyz got right to work on the ZX-14 that was commissioned to be "mean but sexy." Since cruising would be the bike's main use, Fisher decided to mix together some shiny bits, a shot of hardcore and a splash of style to make the perfect tropical treat.
The paint immediately gave the bike an island feel. First came a heavily metal-flaked blue base coat that would camouflage a speedboat so well in the sparkling Florida waters that even Miami Vice's Crockett and Tubbs would be confused.
Then came the mean streak: an edgy and angular set of tribal banding accented the long lines of the ZX-14. Skulls, claws and ghosted flames take the tropical breeze and give it a vicious twist.
Accenting the fresh paint and stretch are a few chrome-dipped pieces offset by anodized black accessories. Shiny rearsets, blackened windscreen spikes, glossy grips and a burly black kickstand maintain the balance of tough yet sexy.
The fat stance of the big Ninja was complemented with a wide wheel out back. The 10-inch-over 300mm rear end fills out the backside and gives the bike a custom look. Rolling on an RC Components "Havoc" wheel in front and "Assassin" out back, the bike quickly turned into a rolling slasher.
During the build, the customer would pop in (with entourage in tow) to catch a glimpse of his soon-to-be sick new ride. Fisher recalled that, "He would bounce in here with his giant sunglasses, talking on his cell phone, wanting to check out his bike. He liked what he saw and was always fascinated with the shiny stuff, but it was a little annoying."
But soon the frequency of his visits started to taper. Happy to be distraction free, Fisher pressed on, blinging the bike, but in the back of his mind he felt something was wrong.
When the financier stopped visiting altogether, Fisher began to think that he had lost interest in the project. Soon he got a call with a bit of bad news. The recent writers' strike had resulted in the cancellation of the actor's new show. With no income and no prospect of new work, the cash was getting tight, and our young star had to default on the build. Fisher laughed as he recalled, "He actually asked me if I would just give him the built bike with the promise that he'd pay me when the TV market came back around and he landed another show."