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Easy Street
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Independent Cycle
Brenda Fox
03/01/2006
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Photography by Cordero Studios/corderostudios.com
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If a motorcycle looks clean, simple, and is designed so that
functional parts are not visible, there is, without a doubt, a huge amount of
thought and hard work that went in to that achievement. Michael Prugh’s
product-driven, award-winning motorcycle is precisely that.
Prugh, head
designer of Independent Cycle Inc. (ICI) has designed, shaped, and welded his
way into the upper echelon of bike builders, with his custom machines repeatedly
earning top honors. Based in Rapid City, S.D., ICI became an industry player
with its revolutionary Legend Air suspension system, cementing the foundation
for its groundbreaking product line.
As company founder Jesse Jurrens
explains, “The goal of ICI is to manufacture every component necessary for any
customer with mechanical skills—the best components available to complete a
high-quality build.” On this machine, one-off parts were kept to an absolute
minimum with the focus kept on using production parts by ICI.
Prugh began
with several thumbnail designs, then with sketches, to create the profile of the
bike. He emphasizes that, to him, stance is a crucial design aspect. “The bike
must make a statement while sitting on the kickstand, as well as flying down the
road,” Prugh explains. “The air-adjustable front end gives it attitude, and the
frame generates the look and foundation.” (Click images to enlarge)
After the frame, Prugh turns to the motor/primary/transmission triad. Prugh
collaborated with engine expert Mike Garrison on one of his 120 cu in Engenuity
engines, a beautiful piece in its own right. “I took the motor’s original head
profile and brought the shape straight up the rocker box ledge location. Instead
of the naturally offset-looking Evo engine, I brought the outer profile of the
cylinder to the head straight up,” Prugh says. “This gave the motor a more
symmetrical look, especially sitting in the frame.”
That permitted two major design cues, Prugh explains. The first
was to attach the rocker box by running fasteners from the bottom side of the
lower box, making the top box totally clean of any visible fasteners. That, in
turn, meant the spark plug could be moved to the center of the head. By running
a small channel for the plug wire below the lower rocker box, down the center of
the head, and then dropping the compression ratio, Prugh was able to eliminate
compression release buttons and achieve a totally clean look on the topside of
the motor.
 “I modified a Baker Drivetrain DSSC transmission and was able to
make an enclosed primary quite narrow, that made the exterior lines flow well
with the lines of our frames,” Prugh says. The front forks started out as a
Perse Performance front end and were converted to an air system with internal
valves and fittings. The fittings are hidden on top of the fork tube nuts and
the lines are hidden by running them through the top triple tree. The compressor
is mounted underneath the backbone, inside the tunnel.” (Click image to enlarge)
The rear fender
external struts are full-length pieces machined from billet 6061-T6 aluminum
that incorporate hidden fasteners. The external design incorporates the same
offset step as seen in the wheels and maintains a clear, anodized finish. Both
the front and back hubs were designed so there are no visible fasteners bolting
the hubs together, along with no visible fasteners that bolt the brake centers
or rear drive pulley. The smaller-diameter front hubs give the 23-inch front
wheel the illusion of being even larger in diameter than it really is.
With
talent, effort, and Zen-like patience, ICI customers can create their own custom
builds. “Designing for manufacturing purposes can limit creativity to a point,”
Prugh relates. “It is up to a designer to continually develop paths around that
limit. Form follows function, or could it be function follows form?”
www.independentcycleinc.com
| 605.737.4200
FRAME
2005 ICI HardLife DropNeck
SUSPENSION
Front fork: Perse Performance/ICI
ENGINE
2005 Engenuity 120”
PRIMARY DRIVE
ICI/Baker Drivetrain
WHEELS
Front: 23”x3.5” ICI Wagon Wheel Rear: 18”x9” ICI Wagon
Wheel
TIRES
Front: Vee Rubber
Rear: Metzler 260
PAINT & GRAPHICS
Garner Custom Cycles/Tim Garner
GAS TANK
Hotmatch/Andy Palmer
SEAT
Slim’s Auto Trim/Brian Powell
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