You never know what can come from just sending a simple letter. Sometimes it can lead to a surprise visit from Ed McMahon and an oversized check for $10 million. Other times it might lead to litigation and court fees. When Joseph Castrova sent a picture of his '02 custom Softail to our offices in 2003, he was hoping for a mention in our Readers' Rides section at the back of the book. But when we saw the bike, we knew it was worthy of a lot more than just one shot and a quick paragraph.
We met up with Joe soon after at the Etiwanda Roadhouse in Rancho Cucamonga, California. After shooting five rolls of film and hanging out with Joe, we headed back to our air-conditioned Orange County offices. The bike sat in our files for a while, long enough for Joe's friends to start thinking he must have imagined the photo shoot. Three years and one name change later, Joe's bike has finally made it into the pages of this magazine.
Joe bought the bike off of a guy who had it built at Thunder Eagle (TE) in Carson, California. After making his purchase, Joe went back to Thunder Eagle for a couple of changes. The guys at TE were more than happy to help out Joe when they found out he was the new owner. Let's just say that the guy who originally had the bike built had rubbed the crew the wrong way.
Thunder Eagle got right to work, starting out by changing out the front tire, which Joe felt was too low-profile, and the seat, which was switched to one from Bitchin' Seat Co. The crew at TE left the 100-inch RevTech alone, since it was more than enough to send the bike flying. Even though Joe had spent the last 20 or so years riding Yamahas, Kawasakis, and Hondas, this bike kept the same smile glued to his face.
The paint was also left alone. Joe loved the black and silver marble base and the translucent green flames laid down by Paintworx. The 16-inch Flanders apes, VDO gauges, and Pro-One taillights also stayed put. The first time Joe saw the bike, he found little he actually wanted to change. "I just loved it," remembered Joe.
This story started with a letter, one picture, and a 37-cent stamp. But with a bike like Joe's, it turned into a lot more.