He rode out to Calabasas on the 1936 Indian Sport Scout,
with hopes of finding the legendary Von Dutch in the right mood to stripe out
the new flame paint job he had just put on the bike. The quirky painter was at
work striping a car when the kid pulled up. He turned the bike off, preparing to
wait awhile. He watched for 10 or 15 minutes and pretty soon Von Dutch put down
his palette, a Yellow Pages phone book, and went in the house. He had heard that
the painter was touchy, and, if he didn’t like you, wouldn’t even consider
creating for you, and guessed it just wasn’t his day.
He retarded the spark on the Scout and stood the bike
up preparatory to kicking it. The screen door swung open and the painter strode
down the steps with a couple of cold ones in one hand and photo albums under his
arm. “Hey, where you going?” he wanted to know. “Sit down and have a beer; I’ll
be through in a few minutes.” The kid poured over the albums containing photos
of Von Dutch paint jobs and Von Dutch-created motorcycles. It seemed the painter
had a fondness for Indians and had done some amazing customization and engine
work. It really was his day after all.
He was a self-proclaimed directionless kid until the
day he found the ’36 Scout and convinced his grandmother to loan him the money
for the purchase. And, as cool as that is, the plan forming in the kid’s head
was even cooler. He really wanted something bigger than the Scout’s 45-inch
engine and would fix it up and sell it to get a 74-inch flathead Indian that was
much faster. He did some motor work on the Scout and wanted to dress up the
flames he had just painted on it; really trick it out to get the best price he
could. Speed had become a dominant factor in the kid’s life, and he was no
longer directionless.
Micah McCloskey still has the third Indian that he
acquired in the coolest possible way, piecing it together from parts. “Until
you’ve built your own bike you haven’t arrived,” advises the baby boomer bike
builder and San Fernando Valley sultan of speed. The 1940 Chief remains a prized
possession.
In 1970, the 20 year old kid answered an ad for a
full-time employee with Indian experience who owned his own tools and would come
to work on time. He told Sammy Pierce, proprietor of American Indian Motorcycle
in Monrovia, that he had no motorcycle experience and didn’t own any tools, but
he wanted full-time work and he would come to work on time. He got the job
cleaning up the shop during the week and doing chains and tires on Saturdays.
After six months Sam switched him to motor work.
In 1971 Micah moved on to Sporter Motors
Harley-Davidson in Canoga Park, and a series of other jobs until he went to work
for Joe Scarber’s Custom Cycles, also in Canoga Park. Joe Scarber had bought out
Gary Bang, and in 1979 Micah bought the business from him. This was essentially
in the same Sherman Way location as McCloskey’s Custom Cycles is located now,
except that in 1993 Micah moved across the street to a larger, 5,000-square-foot
facility, where he is currently located.
Building motors to go faster has always been what Micah
is best known for. In the ’70s he was experimenting with fuel injection on
Indians with primitive gravity-fed injectors. He has always sought most
up-to-date engine trends go faster or to help his customers in their quest for
speed. When he changed to Harley-Davidson he had “more stuff to choose from.”
As well as becoming immersed in the world of motorcycle
mechanics, Micah was also becoming familiar with the world of motorcycling and
bikers. He developed a sense that this was a world that he could be a part of,
one of honesty, loyalty and respect. In one experience that Micah relates, he
had crashed badly one day in 1972 or ’73, and found himself sitting on a curb in
Kernville wondering how he would get home. He was all busted up and looking at
his busted-up bike, when a member of the Marauders MC named Chris stopped to
find out if he was OK. The biker loaded rider and bike in his truck and
delivered them home to Micah’s garage.
Anything having to do with speed or a challenge was of
great interest to Micah. In 1976 he and some friends rode the Three Flags
Classic. Two hundred ten riders started from Tijuana and 31 hours later the trio
of Bill Reed on a Harley-Davidson Chopper, Rick Beaty on a Kawasaki and Micah on
his Indian Chief finished in Vancouver six hours ahead of the nearest
competitors.
Micah participated in the Easyriders Rodeo, competing
in the barrel race on his Indian. He also did the sled pull on a nitrous trike.
He was a technical advisor and mechanic on an episode of
“Rockford Files” involving a biker as one of the characters, and has written
technical articles on how to build motorcycle engines for Street Chopper and
Choppers magazines.
In 1989 Micah was assistant crew chief on the
Streamliner Project, working with Keith Ruxton onthe motor and transmission. In
1989 the Streamliner set the Harley Davidson land speed record at 284.55 mph,
and in 1990 the crew was proud to set the land speed record for all makes of
motorcycles at 322.150 mph. The record was previously held by a Kawasaki.
In the ’90s Micah became involved in drag racing street
bikes in the Southwest Drag Racing Association, Drag Bike, another racing
association, and the AHDRA. He currently works pit crew for Keith Ruxton when he
drags his Pro Fuel bike.
In 1992 Micah was exploring the possibilities of getting
involved with charity work at the same time that Art Nadour and Fred Wilson were
starting up a motorcycle event to benefit the Exceptional Children’s Foundation.
They called him pursuing promotional possibilities and looking for a kickoff
location for the first Beach Ride to San Buenaventura State Beach in Ventura.
The call proved to be a fateful one for all involved, as the event grew to
become the second largest motorcycle charity event in Southern California, and
Micah met Carmela, the woman who would become his wife.
On a daily basis Micah is still involved in going
faster and helping others do the same. When Micah is asked to build a bike or
work on a motor for a customer his first concern is always functionality. What
can be done depends on what the bike is to be used for. What are the
priorities? Looks? Speed? Handling? What is the customer looking to do with the
bike? Where do they want the power: On the top end? On the half-mile? With
that knowledge he can customize the bike and engine to their needs.
Never diverging from the direction he found as a 20
year old kid, Micah can be said to have arrived. An accomplished 50-something
businessman with a penchant for golf, a game that he finds curiously difficult,
Micah reflects that his role models in the industry are Sam Pierce, his first
boss, and Gary Bang. He is proud to provide good service to the motorcycling
community with honest advice and honest repairs. Micah currently rides a
Road Glide with stretched bags, fenders and tank, a custom flame paint job, but he still has his Indian Chief. And, he will still personally work on Indian motorcycles, his first inspiration.
