2025 People's Champ Contestant - Zach Gosteli

Who are you, where are you from, what is your day job?
Motorcycle enthusiast, Birmingham Alabama,
Air Force Recruiter and heavy equipment mechanic.

Point out some of your favorite details:
The mixture of unapologetically old parts with high polished new paint The motor is 80 years old with chrome likely dating back to the 60s/70s. Every part from the motor and trans was gathered from friends and swaps around the country and all had a history and story to tell at some point. The rocker boxes and scratch and chrome is flaking, exposing the copper and nickel underneath from who knows how far back. The magneto was chromed of cast aluminum of an old Morris magneto and is pitting and cracked that only comes from thousands of miles before we were born. The Flathead Power heads and cylinder were NOS high performance parts from a race era before most of us even had motorcycles or were born. The oil bag and primary covers are original late knuckle early pan era. A little rusty as little crusty but came from a Sasha on an adventure in Sturgis. The frame, is front 57 straight leg and rear 49 pan, came straight from a Berdoo Chopper and a good brother. I can go on and on… Every single part on the bike came from a friend and has a story or was built with friends nearby in the Haints Dojo. That’s what it’s all about. Nothing is better.You can buy parts all day, have them next day delivered or have the most talented people in the game make them for you but the heart and soul of this bike is from all the stories and years gathering this old junk up to build this forever bike. I’ll have til the day them put me in the ground. That’s my favorite detail.

What were some of your biggest struggles building the bike?
The cases first and foremost. After a few Decades of sitting in a Louisiana salt water swamp, The breather gear was rusted into the bore. Another decade in a Florida parts pile meant Slide hammering it out essential ruined them. Eventually the move was to bore it completely and resleeve it for a fresh bore. Welding it into into place and getting it to stick was an ongoing battle for the best aluminum welder I know. The paint was the most involved process of a job I’ve taken on. Full show house of kolor frame tank and fender. HOK Metallic black with gold and oranges filled with gold pearl. It was problem after problem and multiple redos before we got to the end product. Insanely stressful with the timeline but in the end it was worth it. I did my own paint rather than send it off and have someone else do it. 100 hours later and it’s the nicest thing I’ve ever painted. That’s what important to me. I’m very proud of it.

Did you learn any new skills building the bike?
Not necessarily new but definitely to a different level. A few good friends continually pushed me to get out of your comfort zone and build as much as possible outside of your skillset. I definitely took on more than I was originally intending and comfortable with but they came out good enough for who they’re for. Same mindset as before. A lot of it could be a lot nicer and nothing is perfect but I’m stoked to say that I did them in the shop. Ever seen porosity through fresh chrome?
The foot clutch through the primary set up, exhaust, handle bars, shifter, foot controls, narrowed chopped fender, bars and fender strut were all done in the world famous Haints Dojo. The seat was a whole new endear. I’d done seat pans out of fiberglass but doing a steel scratch made pan (with a spark plug socket as a seat post) was a new one. One less thing heavy thing in the tool roll. Foaming and the leather work was an all new experience. Heavily inspired by Tom Fugle, EFMC. It’s very thin, narrow and feels fantastically chopper. Get ready for “how comfortable is that seat?” At every gas station til forever. Either the leatherwork was exciting and all new. I stabbed my hands 100 times threading the leather lace and had to use an entire hide of bison to cover a seat the size of his nose. I guess I’ll be making more seats in the future.

How does it ride?
It’s so so fun. Offset springer on a straight leg makes it tight and nimble with a a little more ground clearance. It sits down in the pocket and still feels nice and tight. I’ve never had a short stock stance or a springer before but I love it. It’s starts first kick, rips around corners and actually almost kinda stops. A quarter turn internal throttle operating chrome linkert on a chrome Magneto fired knucklehead is an all new experience but it’s a different type of fun. Seek and Destroy shifting through a jockey top transmission is also just a much as I thought it would be. The most primal chopper Transmission just feels right on this old oil leaking dinosaur. I’m about 100 miles into the 40hp fire breathing motor and back road and 2 lane ripping through rural Alabama. Ready to ride the California coast, see the ocean on the left side again and then and get back to Birmingham and ride it back to the Florida beach with the boys. At the end of the day that’s what matters more than anything. When you’re rubbing elbows, packed up tight with the boys on the road, heading somewhere exciting with no plans but to get over the next hill and riding on old motorcycles that you built. Nothing is better.

Anyone you want to thank?
First and foremost my incredible wife Sarah. No one has or will ever support me like she does. Roadside Marty for enabling this project to even be possible. If it wasn’t for them, this project never would have come together. All of the SoCal swap meet crew that allowed me to get parts from their stash. AlBoy, Ryan, Oliver, Polgreen, Eric, Stopniks, Max, Tom, Fauser and Gilbert. Texas boys Brian and Joey. And the Southeners Nick, Moon, Rambo, Duane, Slim, FnA Eric, JoJo, Massey, Loaf, Derek. All of TEAM HAINTS . Anyone else I’m forgetting. I love you. Can’t say thank you enough.
C H O P P E R⚡️ FOREVER