It?s usually a long time between builds from Deus? L.A. workshop supremo Michael Woolaway?but they?re always worth the wait. Like this seriously hot rodded Harley cafe racer, the ?Bel Air 1200 Framer.? It?s got more curves than a racetrack, and enough grunt to spin the wheels at will.
?When I started this bike, I knew that my customer Peter wanted a copy of The American,? says Woolie. ?But building a bike with a Harley motor is a big deal to me.?

?I have only done it once before, and I wanted to be proud of the American heritage. I thought about what that meant to me, and what I loved about American design, and it hit me?the 1957 Chevy Bel Air!?
Woolie?s owned a few Bel Airs over the years, and once had a shop in Hood River, Oregon, where he restored them?along with straight-axle Corvettes. And that?s where the bodywork curves and the gorgeous paint come from. Shot by Matt at Anaheim Rod and Customs, it?s close to Chevrolet?s ?Tropical Turquoise? shade.
?We went shopping for the base colors to mix this color,? says Woolie. ?I have found it?s much better to mix your colors, as you can control it?and you are never surprised in the end.
The real action is in the frame, though. Never one to do things by halves, Woolie has built a custom chrome-moly, dual-feed oil-in-frame setup, with a 56.5-inch wheelbase. (That?s almost four inches shorter than a stock Harley Sportster.)

Rake is around five inches less than the showroom 1998 Sportster too, although trail is only a sm...