Road Scholar: Hog Wild

RUSSELL MITCHELL BRINGS NEW/OLD-LOOK CHOPPER TO LAS VEGAS BIKE FEST

By Newt Briggs

The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.

-- Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Of all the world's artistic disciplines, custom motorcycle fabrication seems the least likely to undergo a crisis of aesthetics. One could argue, perhaps, that an airbrushed portrait of a bare-breasted she-devil might better complement a certain bike than a pair of revolvers with dead roses stuck in the barrels, but there's hardly any debate about the elements that go into a kick-ass custom chopper: loud pipes, big displacement, high handlebars and chrome--lots and lots of chrome.

Leave it to the Europeans to fuck up a good thing.

Refusing to kowtow to the gaudy excesses of American motorcycle craftsmanship, transplanted Brit Russell Mitchell has brought a stark European sensibility to modern chopper design and resurrected an asphalt-melting style as old as Harley-Davidson's Shovelhead engine. Although Mitchell's imposing frame and sleeves of tattoos might make him look like the typical, bigger-is-better gearhead, he is in fact an aesthetic minimalist, stripping the classic cruiser down to its elemental form and function.

"I was never into the flashy paint or the chrome," says Mitchell, 41, who founded Exile Cycles almost a decade ago. "I was sucked into the cleanliness of the motorcycle as a whole. To me, so many of the modern custom bikes look like a pile of parts held together with a magnet. The thing doesn't work. It doesn't have any merit as a complete motorcycle."

As proof, Mitchell points to the radical rakes and angles and absurd chrome accessories--chains, claws, spiderwebs, 8-balls, etc.--that have become the hallmarks of the American chopper. "The domestic scene does seem to be very strongly rooted in the belief that it's all about expensive paintwork and chrome and flash and as many doodads as you can attach to the motorcycle," he says. "But if the lines aren't there, if the overall bike doesn't work, I could care less how realistic the woman in the mural looks. I'm only about the bike and not about the paint job."

Mitchell's workmanship is evident from the supple curve of his polished aluminum exhaust pipes to the simple grace of his trademark handlebars, which are usually devoid of any obvious controls. Conceding that he's always "been obsessed with completely clean handlebars," Mitchell has accomplished his goal in two ways: one, a twist-grip clutch that works like a traditional motorcycle throttle and two, a foot-operated clutch that works in tandem with a hand shift. His elegant designs and throwback touch have attracted buyers such as George Clooney and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell. Bruce Springsteen and David Letterman have also expressed interest in his cycles but have yet to pony up the dough--up to $50,000, depending on the bike.

"Our customers do tend to be the more sophisticated end of the motorcycle spectrum," Mitchell says. "I guess part of it is the price, but I like to think that we appeal to a more refined palate. We're completely over the head of 90 percent of the public, and that's just fine. We want to be the only show in town for the 10 percent that we care about. You either love us or you couldn't care less about us."

Either way, Mitchell's bikes will be on display at the fourth annual Las Vegas Bike Fest, slated to begin Thursday and run through Sunday. He, along with two dozen other professional fabricators, will compete in the Artistry in Iron bike competition, which will take place from noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Cashman Center. His main competition will likely come from superstar builders Paul Yaffe and Matt Hotch, winner of this year's World Biker Build-Off.

"It's become so mainstream for people to be into motorcycles and choppers and the custom builders," says Harry Schwartz, president of Full Throttle Events, one of the organizing partners behind Las Vegas Bike Fest. "This show is a chance for them to come down and actually see it firsthand and meet the builders that they've seen on TV."

One such builder will be Mitchell, who has not only appeared on the Discovery Channel but is ironing out details for a series on Fox. Chances are, he'll be straddling a uniform black chopper--the only one in a Technicolor sea of chrome and flames and sparkling neon paint.

"Rigid bikes have such a bad reputation amongst people who have never ridden them," Mitchell says. "Our bikes are totally rideable. I always strove to achieve the perfect compromise between a bad-ass-looking bike, and one you could do 300 miles on before lunchtime without having to pack a suitcase full of tools and spare parts. Our toolkit consists of a Leatherman on your belt, and that's more for opening beer than anything else."