M & M Choppers wishes to thank Biker Magazine for allowing us the use of this article.

We have retyped the article for easier reading. Please scroll down to see pictures from magazine article and the Brothers and Sisters Lost article.

BABE

OX PLATNER'S MIGHTY HUNK OF MIDWEST PRIDE

Pick any small town in Kansas, and the surrounding territory will provide exclusive clues of times and places in our history and how America was carved by our Forefathers. I've ridden most of Kansas and the back territories several times, and constantly gain knowledge of how the Old West played such an important role in the development, trade, transportation and treaties of the West.

Kansas bikers are as active as those in any state in America at keeping old school Harley-Davidsons alive. Ox's machine spent nearly 12 months being hammered on, bent into shape and designed to run strong against Kansas winds. This hidden-shock pan is the brainchild of both Ox and the multi-talented Matt Hanson of M&M Choppers (www.mmchoppers.com). This build worked well because of Matt's extensive experience at this type of engineering, Panhead, knucklehead and shovelhead motors are M&M's claim to fame---and shovelheads are his specialty. Dyno runs made by many of their customers prove they ain't just braggin', Matt, with the very hot Melanie at his side (or she's riding on her own kickstart shovel), has shovels with 70,000 to 100,000 miles on them. When asked how he does that, Matt just smiles and goes right back to grinding on his next project.

This Road Warrior is all brand-new and built from scratch. She runs with a five-speed tranny with Matt also keeping her a kickstart, but giving in a bit by adding an electric start. She is a fire-breathing, hidden-shock panhead.

The frame has a 41-degree rake with two inches of stretch, and the six-inches-over tubes complete the wide glide front end. The engine is special with S&S custom-build cases to meet Matt's specs. The engine also has STD custom build heads with M&M degreed cams to suit the size and compression ratio of the size and compression ratio of the panhead. The cylinders and heads have M&M's exclusive handling. Making Ox's kick-ass 96-cubic-inch panhead a sleeper, pumping out serious horsepower.

Ox has the same “run 'em hard all day” mentality with this pan. This shop is old-school, and so are those who ride and hang with M&M. Ox is a over-the-road truck driver who is either motoring in his truck or riding this pan. He has no ol' lady, no kids, no dogs, no toilet paper or added responsibilities 'cept the panhead, and that's why the pan has several thousand miles on her since this summer shoot.

Ox has earned a reputation for pulling up to a biker hangout in the middle of sleet and snow and rain when there are no other motorcycles on the road. He defines the same toughness that generated the taming of the West.

M&M Choppers can be found in Galva, Kansas. Galva is a stone's throw away from the legendary Santa Fe Trail. The Santa Fe Trail was established in 1821, and ran from the Missouri River all the way to New Mexico, almost 800 miles. Its purpose was so that early American settlers could trade with the Spanish, and today's ride on the Santa Fe on a motorcycle is spectacular.

The M&M team brings lots of fresh air back into clean, simple, fast motorcycles that run and run.....and then run some more. The old-school-type riders are those who, when and if the bike breaks down, get off and fix the fuckin' machine right there on the side of the road.

I appreciate that mentality, and especially appreciate Ox's “Babe the Blue Bike.” It's a Biker-bike out of the Kansas Territory that belongs riding the Santa Fe Trail.

Be careful out there.......

-----Balls

SPEC'S