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Comanche Bike
The Comanche Bike
represents a novel design concept: a chopper modeled after a chopper!
But not just any old whilybird: For this project, Paulie sets out to
capture the character of the Army's sleek, mean recon machine.
This mission was conceived by a retired lieutenant colonel who saw the
aeronautically inspired Jet Bike on the Discovery Channel and thought,
why not take the idea and march a few steps further?
Paulie did his own
reconnaissance at test-flight headquarters in West Palm Beach, Florida,
where Col. Bob Birmingham, the copter's project manager, gave him an
up-close look at the amazing machine. As usual, Paulie took copious
mental notes before heading home to launch his two-wheeled version.
Also, as usual, the
Teutuls and crew will operate under a crushing deadline. The plan is to
unveil the Comanche Bike at an upcoming motorcycle rally in Myrtle
Beach, South Carolina. The project has to go from drawing board to
completion in just three weeks, with a measly 10 days for design and
fabrication. Paulie and Vinnie know they face a tough deadline, but they
can't foresee a last-minute, nail-biting catastrophe.
Easy Bake Burnout
Paulie and Vinnie
experiment with a "seat pan in a can," creating a mold from duct tape
and modeling clay, then filling it with liquid fiberglass resin. Great
idea? Not exactly. Overnight, their concoction sets up a little too
well. After struggling to remove it the following morning, the guys
finally turn to their tools of last resort: muscles and hammers.
"The whole 'Easy Bake
oven' seat pan idea didn't work out to well," Paulie admits. "It took so
much time to put it on, and even longer to get off." The experiment
sends them running back to conventional pan fabrication.
More than any other
element, the Comanche's paint scheme will proclaim the bike's (and the
copter's) guiding aesthetic: stealth. Paulie plans to use pitch black
and flat black. Senior isn't buying that idea. He suggests brushed
aluminum to provide better contrast--but to no avail.
"Sometimes when Paulie
gets something in his head, there's no changing his mind," Senior says.
Painter Justin Barnes does just that, however, when he opts to accent
the black with a military olive, keeping the stealth while adding some
flair.
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