Ask anyone what a hot rod is, and they’ll all come up with something similar: usually a 30s American coupe with a chopped roof and wide rear tires. But how does the term apply to motorcycles? Is it a chopper with a 2000cc motor in it? Or a 160 horsepower superbike that you can buy off the showroom floor? Or maybe a compromise between the complexity (and performance) of a sportbike and the simplicity of an air-cooled motor.

Von Ripoff, the bike seen here, is one of the latter. The sheetmetal, frame and paint were done, exactly the way Lucky’s Choppers owner AJ Magnesi wanted it done, to please nobody but himself.