Best in Show Turbo Shovelhead Goes Gold

Mining Creation

As the gateway to Glacier National Park, the town of Kalispell, Montana, seems an unlikely place for award-winning custom bikes. Yet, locally-based Vintage Technologies, owned by accomplished builder Hawke Lawshe, has been mining a bygone era of bikes and striking gold in the process. His latest creation is a newly-minted, Arlen Ness-inspired, Shovelhead show-bike.

Photos courtesy of Michael Lichter Photography

Factory Convert

Lawshe's far-out creation began with a gift from Cory Ness—Arlen's son. The front 'gooseneck' section was once available through the Arlen Ness catalog, listed as a way to “convert your factory frame to a custom.” In its finished gilded-form, the bike won 'Best in Show' at the 2021 Born-Free Motorcycle Show, sharing the title with CT Newman's equally stunning 1939 Flathead.

Top Events

Dubbed 'PURE nasty NESS,' the bike was slated for an appearance at the 2021 Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show until global pandemic complications changed those plans. Still gold, however, the machine made a round of domestic shows. Lawshe's dedication to custom Harley-Davidsons is an understatement. His impressive portfolio of builds has taken him to Europe and top events across America.

Hometown Focus

Lawshe has been wrenching on bikes for close to thirty years. In a 2018 interview with a local news service, the Daily Inter Lake, he stated “I was born with a wrench in my hand.” It might possibly be true. He originally started his business in Columbia Falls but moved back to his hometown of Kalispell to focus on building customs for motorcycle shows.

Original Builder

Vintage Technologies has earned a solid reputation for working on vintage bikes. Lawshe is also credited for his ability to source and even make hard-to-find parts. Part of that skill set is his approach to fabrication. The Daily Inter Lake called Lawshe “a builder’s builder,” someone who is “in it for the love and the craftsmanship of creating an original work of art on wheels.”

Passion Painter

Lawshe's first bike was a 1953 Panhead which he still rides. It was built from parts at age sixteen with his father's help. He credits his father for bestowing a passion for motorcycles and artistic acuity. The late Hank Lawshe was a renowned painter whose western art was widely acclaimed and earned him Best of Show at the 1977 C.M. Russell Art Show.

Primary Illusion

Even though 'PURE nasty NESS' is built for show, it does a good job of delivering the illusion of speed in more ways than one. Wrapped around the 96 cubic-inch motor is a custom turbocharger system driven off the primary drive via the clutch basket. Adding to the fantasy are the cutaway rocker boxes that expose the mechanical workings of the valves.

Final Reminder

The tiny, molded-in gas tank is another visual cue that Lawshe's creation is more form than function. 'PURE nasty NESS' is well-deserved artistic liberty from someone who has dedicated their life to keeping vintage Harley-Davidsons on the road. The lack of a seat is the final 'showbike' reminder. No explanation is offered either—art can be confusing at times.

>>Join in the conversation about this custom golden Shovelhead right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.

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