Custom Ironhead Draws Inspiration from a Lake

Perfect Location

Dirt bikes have long been considered the gateway to future motorcycle ownership. This is the exact scenario that played out for Josh Derringer. As a resident of Lake Elsinore, he was also in the perfect location. The lake and its surrounding rugged terrain were a key influence in the building of his custom 1974 XLH Ironhead.

Photos courtesy of Alexa Diserio.

Immensely Popular

Once a getaway for Hollywood celebrities, Lake Elsinore is the largest body of fresh water in Southern California. More importantly, the resort city of the same name was the backdrop in one of the most influential motorcycle movies of all time. Released in 1971, On Any Sunday featured the Lake Elsinore Grand Prix, an immensely popular off-road race dating back to the early 1960s.

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Host Race

Derringer's motorcycle journey starts with his father, Ben. Around the same time that Bruce Brown released his seminal work, Honda was wrapping up its soon-to-be dominant two-stroke racing concept. In 1973, they unveiled their game-changing machine. Known globally as the CR250M, and popularized by the likes of actor Steve McQueen, it was dubbed Elsinore in North America, after the race and its host city.

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Riding Skills

Derringer senior owned and rode a CR250M long before starting a family. Wishing to imbue his progeny with an appreciation for two-wheels, Ben gifted Josh a 1976 Honda XR75 when he turned three years old. Over the years, and under his father's tutelage, Josh developed his riding skills. He went on to buy bigger bikes but never parted with his XR75.

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Bobber Legend

There is yet another layer to the Ironhead's making. Derringer was inspired by his childhood friend, Brian Petronchak of Revelry Custom Cycles. Taking a page out of Petronchak's build book, Derringer sourced a numbers matching XLH that had already been hard-tailed. He then devised a plan for combining the bobber with some of his favorite aspects of the Elsinore motocross legend.

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Raw Aesthetic

The most noticeable tribute touch is the Ironhead's distinctive paint job. When the CR250M was first released, it had a minimal appearance reinforced by magnesium-coated engine cases, a satin-finished aluminum gas tank, and a distinct green oval number plate. That same aesthetic is evident with the Ironhead's dished Wassell peanut tank and extends to the raw aluminum finish of its engine.

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Business End

The bike's smooth lines and knobby off-road tires on wire-laced wheels bring Derringer's vision of a Harley-Davidson-infused dirt bike together in one clean package. A set of polished 'dump' exhaust pipes and a functional K&N air filter on the stock Keihin carburetor defines the business end of the Milwaukee motor. A Corvette seat belt buckle doubles nicely as a battery hold down.

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Namesake Bike

When padre Juan Santiago first spotted Lake Elsinore in 1797, it was little more than a mile-long swamp. Now 3,000 acres of freshwater, history flows from the lake. The resort town that became a city, the race they sponsor, and its namesake bike, all lead to a gateway that Derringer rode through at an early but inspired age.

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