jinelson
11-24-06, 08:32 PM
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Lance Cpl. Nicole A. LaVine - Donald Drake’s 1993 Softtail sits on display at the 1st Tanks Battalion’s birthday ceremony at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field Nov. 1.
Former Devil Dog builds ‘Devil Hogs’
Lance Cpl. Nicole A. LaVine
Combat Correspondent
Donald Drake, a former Marine who came to the Combat Center for the 1st Tank Battalion birthday Nov.1 at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray’s Field, brought his most recent project with him; a beautiful 1993 Heritage Softtail motorcycle, which he scraped and rebuilt with the help of his fianc/.
The bike had a giant wooden Eagle, Globe and Anchor on the right side of the bike with mirrors shaped like horns, and a wood-impression gas tank with the Company C seal of another faded image of an Eagle, Globe and Anchor, gradually growing sharper as the image frayed outward. The seat was genuine brown leather and the kickstand was shaped like an M16A2 service rifle with a belt of ammunition attaching it to the bike. Across the handle bars read the letters USMC. It’s a very personal piece of work to Drake.
Drake has been building his own motorcycles for almost two-and-a-half years now. Before that, he served four years with Company C, 1st Tank Battalion. Drake joined the Marine Corps Aug. 16, 1998.
“I joined because we were about to get evicted from our apartment, I didn’t want to go home, and my job was pretty much shot,” Drake said. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do with life.”
“If there is one thing I learned from the Corps, it’s whatever can go wrong, will go wrong,” he added. “But you just have to suck it up and keep moving along.”
Drake spent his entire enlistment in Twentynine Palms before getting a job as a survey technician for railroads around the United States.
After transitioning back into the civilian world, he discovered his new passion and hobby.
Drake bought his first bike with $55,000 he saved up from his time in the Corps. His friends, most of which are also former Marines, owned their own hogs. They constantly pressured Drake to buy one of his own so he could go riding with them.
Drake, deciding it was money well-spent, gave into the pressure of his former Marine friends and bought a 1993 ‘01 Harley Davidso Fatboy off Ebay in July 2004.
“It looked like everyone else’s bike at first,” said Drake. “But then I started putting my own personal touches on it.”
It wasn’t long after that Drake found himself hooked on the prospect of bike-building and repair.
Donald, a native of Paonia, Colo., met his fianc/, Althea Hatfield, before he began his hobby as a bike builder. She was around when he bought his first bike, and she was a witness to his growing passion for the hobby. Hatfield became drake’s co-worker and helped Drake strip the bikes down to their skeletal frames, where they were then re-constructed. Hatfield is also Drakes’ parts manager.
After his first bike, Drake said his buddies helped him get started with another project.
“Three other of my jarhead friends helped me with the next one,” Drake said. “I was pretty much hooked at that point.”
Hatfield, who rode dirt bikes as a kid, shares her love for Drake’s projects. “It’s something that is very relaxing to me,” said Hatfield. “I have a pretty stressful job, so it’s really cool how I can just come home and tear down a bike.”
Because Hatfield is Drake’s parts manager, she is responsible for the ordering of parts and negotiating prices. “Negotiating is part of my job in real estate, so that’s not hard,” said Hatfield.
She revealed finding the right parts is another story.
“There are so many things that go into the performance of a bike,” said Hatfield. “You need to find the best parts for the best engine and see how it all works together.”
“Sometimes I do get lost,” she added with a laugh.
The parts, although ordered separately, make an ensemble of metal, chrome and leather.
Drake said he gets most ideas for his bike designs from magazines, TV shows, and other bikes he sees driving around. “I don’t want my bikes to look like anyone else’s,” said Drake.
Despite Drake’s passion for his bike projects, he said he won’t make a career out of it because of time and money limitations. “This is my fifth bike, but it might be my last one for a while,” said Drake.
Drake and Hatfield are about to buy a house, so that is where all their money will be going for a while, Drake said. In addition to limited funds, Drake’s job requires much traveling, so his time is also limited.
If Drake sells one of his bikes, however, he said he will use that money to fund another project.
Lance Cpl. Nicole A. LaVine - Donald Drake’s 1993 Softtail sits on display at the 1st Tanks Battalion’s birthday ceremony at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray Field Nov. 1.
Former Devil Dog builds ‘Devil Hogs’
Lance Cpl. Nicole A. LaVine
Combat Correspondent
Donald Drake, a former Marine who came to the Combat Center for the 1st Tank Battalion birthday Nov.1 at Lance Cpl. Torrey L. Gray’s Field, brought his most recent project with him; a beautiful 1993 Heritage Softtail motorcycle, which he scraped and rebuilt with the help of his fianc/.
The bike had a giant wooden Eagle, Globe and Anchor on the right side of the bike with mirrors shaped like horns, and a wood-impression gas tank with the Company C seal of another faded image of an Eagle, Globe and Anchor, gradually growing sharper as the image frayed outward. The seat was genuine brown leather and the kickstand was shaped like an M16A2 service rifle with a belt of ammunition attaching it to the bike. Across the handle bars read the letters USMC. It’s a very personal piece of work to Drake.
Drake has been building his own motorcycles for almost two-and-a-half years now. Before that, he served four years with Company C, 1st Tank Battalion. Drake joined the Marine Corps Aug. 16, 1998.
“I joined because we were about to get evicted from our apartment, I didn’t want to go home, and my job was pretty much shot,” Drake said. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do with life.”
“If there is one thing I learned from the Corps, it’s whatever can go wrong, will go wrong,” he added. “But you just have to suck it up and keep moving along.”
Drake spent his entire enlistment in Twentynine Palms before getting a job as a survey technician for railroads around the United States.
After transitioning back into the civilian world, he discovered his new passion and hobby.
Drake bought his first bike with $55,000 he saved up from his time in the Corps. His friends, most of which are also former Marines, owned their own hogs. They constantly pressured Drake to buy one of his own so he could go riding with them.
Drake, deciding it was money well-spent, gave into the pressure of his former Marine friends and bought a 1993 ‘01 Harley Davidso Fatboy off Ebay in July 2004.
“It looked like everyone else’s bike at first,” said Drake. “But then I started putting my own personal touches on it.”
It wasn’t long after that Drake found himself hooked on the prospect of bike-building and repair.
Donald, a native of Paonia, Colo., met his fianc/, Althea Hatfield, before he began his hobby as a bike builder. She was around when he bought his first bike, and she was a witness to his growing passion for the hobby. Hatfield became drake’s co-worker and helped Drake strip the bikes down to their skeletal frames, where they were then re-constructed. Hatfield is also Drakes’ parts manager.
After his first bike, Drake said his buddies helped him get started with another project.
“Three other of my jarhead friends helped me with the next one,” Drake said. “I was pretty much hooked at that point.”
Hatfield, who rode dirt bikes as a kid, shares her love for Drake’s projects. “It’s something that is very relaxing to me,” said Hatfield. “I have a pretty stressful job, so it’s really cool how I can just come home and tear down a bike.”
Because Hatfield is Drake’s parts manager, she is responsible for the ordering of parts and negotiating prices. “Negotiating is part of my job in real estate, so that’s not hard,” said Hatfield.
She revealed finding the right parts is another story.
“There are so many things that go into the performance of a bike,” said Hatfield. “You need to find the best parts for the best engine and see how it all works together.”
“Sometimes I do get lost,” she added with a laugh.
The parts, although ordered separately, make an ensemble of metal, chrome and leather.
Drake said he gets most ideas for his bike designs from magazines, TV shows, and other bikes he sees driving around. “I don’t want my bikes to look like anyone else’s,” said Drake.
Despite Drake’s passion for his bike projects, he said he won’t make a career out of it because of time and money limitations. “This is my fifth bike, but it might be my last one for a while,” said Drake.
Drake and Hatfield are about to buy a house, so that is where all their money will be going for a while, Drake said. In addition to limited funds, Drake’s job requires much traveling, so his time is also limited.
If Drake sells one of his bikes, however, he said he will use that money to fund another project.