The 1990 Harley Davidson FXR-P named IRIS began life as a stock police bike purchased by Brian Klock in the fall of the same year from J-L Harley Davidson in Sioux Falls.
“It was my first new bike,” comments Brian. “Jim Betlach who worked for Drag Specialties at the time said I could buy a police model cheaper and why not if I was really going to update or change all the parts. Jim Enteman was riding this as his demo bike that year and it was the right deal for me. I will never forget the look at my dad’s face when he learned that I had taken it apart down to the bare frame! A perfectly good brand new bike…, he said.”
That fall Brian took the frame to Donnie Smith’s shop in Minneapolis to have it raked- upon the advice of another local legend, Leo Hess- of Full Blast Engineering. Since that time, Brian has been fortunate to be able to call on Donnie for advice. This year marks the 20th Anniversary of their meeting. Plans call for the annual Klock Werks Pre-Sturgis open house, on August 5th, to feature some of Donnie’s bikes on display and of course alongside IRIS, that purple FXR. Klock Werks wants to say thanks to those who have paved the way for 20 years of kustom bikes already as we prepare for the next generation.
“We won shows from Daytona to Sturgis with that bike and it was never featured in a magazine till now because I didn’t want to get famous to fast and disappoint my customers. To this day, backorders on our custom parts haunt me, so much for not being well known. It was as we grew the business that I finally had to let go. Luckily as IRIS changed hands, she stayed in town and is still the same, as Max Ellefson cares for her right here in Mitchell,” said Brian.
Dan Cheeseman is Klock Werks first employee and is still with the company. He remembers the day he saw IRIS in the local car show at Hitchcock park. It was then, he too became infatuated with custom Harley’s. Years later, in his first year with Klock Werks, he entered it in the biggest show of Sturgis, the Rat’s Hole show in city park. You can imagine the announcer as he called out Mr. Cheeseman as the winner of the Rat’s Hole. He thought this young kid made that name up; regardless IRIS had once again wowed them with her simple timeless design and deep purple House of Kolor paint.
This year (2010) Brian, Dan and the crew at Klock Werks are building another FXR that is slated to wear a single color that will highlight the kustom tricks and simplicity in detail they have become known for. They are paired with Donnie Smith during Michael Lichter’s exhibit called Eternal Combustion. The exhibit will be located at the entrance to Buffalo Chip Campground. 30 builders are building 30 bikes for this museumtype setting that pairs teachers with their students as a tribute to Lichter’s 30 years of famous bike photography.
Credit- The Motor Market, August 2010 edition
