Custom Bikes by Jim Bortles
Jim has been building custom bikes for most of his life. He was the fabricator for Wyatt Fuller's Razorback Motorworks.
But building custom choppers was his real passion. He built the first 12 choppers produced by Thunder Cycle Designs in Florida, while he was their fabricator.
Now Jim is continuing that tradition at Click Baldwin's Carolina Harley Davidson of Gastonia, NC. Don't live in the Carolinas? The crew at Carolina HD are the motorcycle shipping experts. They ship all the bikes for the Kyle Petty Ride Across America Run. Carolina HD is a full service Harley Davidson dealership. They also offer Harley Davidson rentals. Carolina HD won best Fabricated Bike at the 2005 Vique Awards at the Easyriders Bikers Ball.They were also voted one of Easyriders magazines Top Ten Bike Builders of 2001.
Jim's work has been featured in Easyriders, American Iron, VQ, Big Twin, Biker, Ironworks, and Hot Bike.
The March 2000 Easyriders featured the blue softail below that Jim built. The orange chopper pictured below, was featured in the Sept 2000 issue of Easyriders.
The black bobber pictured below won a First Place Best of Show at 2006 Easyriders Bike Show. The Purple Haze Chopper won a 3rd Place Best of Show at the 2001 Easyriders Finals in addition to winning a First Place Radical at the Charlotte Easyriders Show. The purple and blue flamed chopper as well as the black bobber are currently for sale at Carolina Harley Davidson.This bike is featured in the April 2006 issue of American Iron magazine.
Take a look at the bikes featured below. Some of the bike photos are linked to pages about that particular bike. If you are looking to lower the seat area on your Road King or dresser, want to breathe some new life into your old custom, or are looking to build the bike of your dreams, this is the guy to see. Jim is known for his meticulous attention to detail. Check back in the next few months as more of his custom bike creations will be featured here. Call 704-867-2855 ext 111 and ask for Jim. Click here to contact Jim by email.
