I?ve always had a soft spot for the machines built by James Roper-Caldbeck. Back in 2009, when Bike EXIF was only a few months old and still a casual side project, we started featuring Jamesville bikes?which were a breath of fresh air compared to the blinged-out choppers that still dominated the western Harley scene at the time.
James and I have kept in touch over the years. So I had mixed feelings when he dropped me a line the other day to say he was closing the custom side of his business, and was going to focus on restorations and traditional bob-jobs only.

Fortunately, the Denmark-based Englishman has built one last custom to sign off with, and he?s going out with a bang.
?This ?42 flathead came to me as an engine and transmission stuffed into a frame, rolling around on an old wooden dolly,? James says. ?It was followed by ten boxes full of crappy old parts. I guess it was some kind of chopper back in the day.?
James? client wanted something very different?a custom bobber. ?He was in love with the first bike I built under the Jamesville name, a 1942 WLC flathead.?
James is coming up to his tenth anniversary in the motorcycle business, and this would be his 25th complete build. So he figured it would be fitting if he built a WLA flathead using the first Jamesville creation as a muse.

?Out of the ten boxes, I gave nine of them back to the client,? he says. ?All I?ve used from the original basket case are the frame, forks, engine, transmission, wheel hubs and p...