‘Project of passion’: Lil’ Evil tribute bike gains national notoriety

“It all started in November of 2013 – that’s when we found out just how ill Johnny was, and that he only had a limited time left with us,” explained Kurt Peterson, the owner of Lil’ Evil Inkorpor8ted in Perham, as he peered into the center of a magazine while at his shop last week. The magazine, the latest edition of American Bagger, contains a cover story feature on Kurt’s tribute to his long-time friend, Johnny ‘Rotten’ Werden. It was in November of 2013 that Johnny, knowing time was of the essence, approached Kurt to discuss his final wishes for his beloved Harley-Davidson motorcycle, thus beginning a tribute project that required much time, a lot of sweat, and many tears. The two talked about what the completed bike should look like, but the amount of work involved in the project required more than a simple conversation. Spending as much time together as possible before Johnny’s untimely passing gave Kurt the chance to get all the major and minor details hashed out before taking the bike apart and getting to work on it. “The goal all along was to get this bike done for the Donnie Smith Bike Show in St. Paul at the end of March (2014),” said Kurt. “I had already spoken with the guys (at the shop) and explained that this bike was now my top priority, so they really stepped up in getting all the other customers’ bikes done on schedule.” With spring being the busy season for motorcycle tune-ups, things were hectic at Lil’ Evil from the beginning of last year through March. Yet Kurt was able to get Johnny’s motorcycle done to its entirety before the show.
“We like to keep everything local if we can,” he said of the build process. “I get any printed materials done in Perham, all the painting and other personalizing was done in town, too. There were numerous people in Perham contributing to this bike; it really was a project of passion.” With the completion of the bike checked off their to-do list, the crew at Lil’ Evil headed to the Twin Cities to show off their work. The goal for the motorcycle wasn’t to win any awards, but simply to be shown as a project bike. The emphasis was more on the story, not the trophy. “As with most bikes, but this one especially, we aren’t really about the awards. The performance of each of our bikes is a much higher priority than it necessarily being the best looking one out there,” said Kurt. As the motorcycle was unveiled to the public for the first time last March at the Donnie Smith Bike Show, reactions were mixed. “I don’t think many people knew how to react to the bike,” explained Kurt. “The story of its inspiration is something we didn’t tell many people. We did have quite the crowd coming over to see the bike, but I only explained the story to a few more interested people.” Many subtle details incorporated into the bike had to be explained in order for people to fully understand that the motorcycle is much more than just an engine and two wheels. “The whiskey bottle and empty shot glasses turned over symbolize the issue Johnny had with alcohol; also, the cards show a dead man’s hand,” explained Kurt. In another symbolic move made with the paint scheme, smoke can be seen starting from the back end and continuing along the motorcycle to the gas tank, where it takes the shape of a woman. “The smoke changing into a gorgeous woman really symbolizes the evil that can be transformed into something beautiful,” said Kurt. The more people learned about the bike, the more they appreciated it, and that included the show’s judges. The bike, dubbed “Bottomz Up,” ended up claiming the top prize in numerous categories in its division, including the Ultimate Bagger and Baddest Bagger awards. Kurt was pleasantly surprised with the list of awards: “What was so shocking to all of us is the fact that this bike was built in Perham, a small town, and went up against the biggest companies and cities from California, Florida and everywhere else.” Since then, the bike has been in demand for professional photo shoots and magazine articles, including the recent feature in American Bagger magazine. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1477271","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"364","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"480"}}]] Currently, the bike is back in the shop for a tune-up and some more upgrades, including work on the exhaust and a larger front tire. “We probably have another 100 man hours left to finish up this bike the way I want,” said Kurt. “Add that to the 800 hours already spent on it, and yeah, it’s definitely been the most time-consuming bike I have ever built.” Once the upgrades are done, Bottomz Up will have a full schedule of shows and rides to take part in this year. Aside from the Donnie Smith Bike Show again in March, the motorcycle will be on display and ridden in a number of local rides. The bike is set to be in attendance at this summer’s Ronald McDonald House Ride in New York Mills, a ride for Hospice of the Red River Valley, and the Ride for Project New Hope. For each of these events, Kurt will be the one starting ‘er up and taking the motorcycle on the open road, just as his friend Johnny had envisioned.  “It all started in November of 2013 – that’s when we found out just how ill Johnny was, and that he only had a limited time left with us,” explained Kurt Peterson, the owner of Lil’ Evil Inkorpor8ted in Perham, as he peered into the center of a magazine while at his shop last week. The magazine, the latest edition of American Bagger, contains a cover story feature on Kurt’s tribute to his long-time friend, Johnny ‘Rotten’ Werden. It was in November of 2013 that Johnny, knowing time was of the essence, approached Kurt to discuss his final wishes for his beloved Harley-Davidson motorcycle, thus beginning a tribute project that required much time, a lot of sweat, and many tears. The two talked about what the completed bike should look like, but the amount of work involved in the project required more than a simple conversation. Spending as much time together as possible before Johnny’s untimely passing gave Kurt the chance to get all the major and minor details hashed out before taking the bike apart and getting to work on it. “The goal all along was to get this bike done for the Donnie Smith Bike Show in St. Paul at the end of March (2014),” said Kurt. “I had already spoken with the guys (at the shop) and explained that this bike was now my top priority, so they really stepped up in getting all the other customers’ bikes done on schedule.” With spring being the busy season for motorcycle tune-ups, things were hectic at Lil’ Evil from the beginning of last year through March. Yet Kurt was able to get Johnny’s motorcycle done to its entirety before the show. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1477269","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"320","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"480"}}]] “We like to keep everything local if we can,” he said of the build process. “I get any printed materials done in Perham, all the painting and other personalizing was done in town, too. There were numerous people in Perham contributing to this bike; it really was a project of passion.” With the completion of the bike checked off their to-do list, the crew at Lil’ Evil headed to the Twin Cities to show off their work. The goal for the motorcycle wasn’t to win any awards, but simply to be shown as a project bike. The emphasis was more on the story, not the trophy. “As with most bikes, but this one especially, we aren’t really about the awards. The performance of each of our bikes is a much higher priority than it necessarily being the best looking one out there,” said Kurt. As the motorcycle was unveiled to the public for the first time last March at the Donnie Smith Bike Show, reactions were mixed. “I don’t think many people knew how to react to the bike,” explained Kurt. “The story of its inspiration is something we didn’t tell many people. We did have quite the crowd coming over to see the bike, but I only explained the story to a few more interested people.” Many subtle details incorporated into the bike had to be explained in order for people to fully understand that the motorcycle is much more than just an engine and two wheels. “The whiskey bottle and empty shot glasses turned over symbolize the issue Johnny had with alcohol; also, the cards show a dead man’s hand,” explained Kurt. In another symbolic move made with the paint scheme, smoke can be seen starting from the back end and continuing along the motorcycle to the gas tank, where it takes the shape of a woman. “The smoke changing into a gorgeous woman really symbolizes the evil that can be transformed into something beautiful,” said Kurt. The more people learned about the bike, the more they appreciated it, and that included the show’s judges. The bike, dubbed “Bottomz Up,” ended up claiming the top prize in numerous categories in its division, including the Ultimate Bagger and Baddest Bagger awards. Kurt was pleasantly surprised with the list of awards: “What was so shocking to all of us is the fact that this bike was built in Perham, a small town, and went up against the biggest companies and cities from California, Florida and everywhere else.” Since then, the bike has been in demand for professional photo shoots and magazine articles, including the recent feature in American Bagger magazine.
Currently, the bike is back in the shop for a tune-up and some more upgrades, including work on the exhaust and a larger front tire. “We probably have another 100 man hours left to finish up this bike the way I want,” said Kurt. “Add that to the 800 hours already spent on it, and yeah, it’s definitely been the most time-consuming bike I have ever built.” Once the upgrades are done, Bottomz Up will have a full schedule of shows and rides to take part in this year. Aside from the Donnie Smith Bike Show again in March, the motorcycle will be on display and ridden in a number of local rides. The bike is set to be in attendance at this summer’s Ronald McDonald House Ride in New York Mills, a ride for Hospice of the Red River Valley, and the Ride for Project New Hope. For each of these events, Kurt will be the one starting ‘er up and taking the motorcycle on the open road, just as his friend Johnny had envisioned.  “It all started in November of 2013 – that’s when we found out just how ill Johnny was, and that he only had a limited time left with us,” explained Kurt Peterson, the owner of Lil’ Evil Inkorpor8ted in Perham, as he peered into the center of a magazine while at his shop last week.The magazine, the latest edition of American Bagger, contains a cover story feature on Kurt’s tribute to his long-time friend, Johnny ‘Rotten’ Werden.It was in November of 2013 that Johnny, knowing time was of the essence, approached Kurt to discuss his final wishes for his beloved Harley-Davidson motorcycle, thus beginning a tribute project that required much time, a lot of sweat, and many tears.The two talked about what the completed bike should look like, but the amount of work involved in the project required more than a simple conversation. Spending as much time together as possible before Johnny’s untimely passing gave Kurt the chance to get all the major and minor details hashed out before taking the bike apart and getting to work on it.“The goal all along was to get this bike done for the Donnie Smith Bike Show in St. Paul at the end of March (2014),” said Kurt. “I had already spoken with the guys (at the shop) and explained that this bike was now my top priority, so they really stepped up in getting all the other customers’ bikes done on schedule.”With spring being the busy season for motorcycle tune-ups, things were hectic at Lil’ Evil from the beginning of last year through March. Yet Kurt was able to get Johnny’s motorcycle done to its entirety before the show.
“We like to keep everything local if we can,” he said of the build process. “I get any printed materials done in Perham, all the painting and other personalizing was done in town, too. There were numerous people in Perham contributing to this bike; it really was a project of passion.”With the completion of the bike checked off their to-do list, the crew at Lil’ Evil headed to the Twin Cities to show off their work. The goal for the motorcycle wasn’t to win any awards, but simply to be shown as a project bike. The emphasis was more on the story, not the trophy.“As with most bikes, but this one especially, we aren’t really about the awards. The performance of each of our bikes is a much higher priority than it necessarily being the best looking one out there,” said Kurt.As the motorcycle was unveiled to the public for the first time last March at the Donnie Smith Bike Show, reactions were mixed.“I don’t think many people knew how to react to the bike,” explained Kurt. “The story of its inspiration is something we didn’t tell many people. We did have quite the crowd coming over to see the bike, but I only explained the story to a few more interested people.”Many subtle details incorporated into the bike had to be explained in order for people to fully understand that the motorcycle is much more than just an engine and two wheels.“The whiskey bottle and empty shot glasses turned over symbolize the issue Johnny had with alcohol; also, the cards show a dead man’s hand,” explained Kurt.In another symbolic move made with the paint scheme, smoke can be seen starting from the back end and continuing along the motorcycle to the gas tank, where it takes the shape of a woman.“The smoke changing into a gorgeous woman really symbolizes the evil that can be transformed into something beautiful,” said Kurt.The more people learned about the bike, the more they appreciated it, and that included the show’s judges. The bike, dubbed “Bottomz Up,” ended up claiming the top prize in numerous categories in its division, including the Ultimate Bagger and Baddest Bagger awards.Kurt was pleasantly surprised with the list of awards: “What was so shocking to all of us is the fact that this bike was built in Perham, a small town, and went up against the biggest companies and cities from California, Florida and everywhere else.”Since then, the bike has been in demand for professional photo shoots and magazine articles, including the recent feature in American Bagger magazine.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1477271","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"364","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"480"}}]]Currently, the bike is back in the shop for a tune-up and some more upgrades, including work on the exhaust and a larger front tire.“We probably have another 100 man hours left to finish up this bike the way I want,” said Kurt. “Add that to the 800 hours already spent on it, and yeah, it’s definitely been the most time-consuming bike I have ever built.”Once the upgrades are done, Bottomz Up will have a full schedule of shows and rides to take part in this year. Aside from the Donnie Smith Bike Show again in March, the motorcycle will be on display and ridden in a number of local rides. The bike is set to be in attendance at this summer’s Ronald McDonald House Ride in New York Mills, a ride for Hospice of the Red River Valley, and the Ride for Project New Hope.For each of these events, Kurt will be the one starting ‘er up and taking the motorcycle on the open road, just as his friend Johnny had envisioned. “It all started in November of 2013 – that’s when we found out just how ill Johnny was, and that he only had a limited time left with us,” explained Kurt Peterson, the owner of Lil’ Evil Inkorpor8ted in Perham, as he peered into the center of a magazine while at his shop last week.The magazine, the latest edition of American Bagger, contains a cover story feature on Kurt’s tribute to his long-time friend, Johnny ‘Rotten’ Werden.It was in November of 2013 that Johnny, knowing time was of the essence, approached Kurt to discuss his final wishes for his beloved Harley-Davidson motorcycle, thus beginning a tribute project that required much time, a lot of sweat, and many tears.The two talked about what the completed bike should look like, but the amount of work involved in the project required more than a simple conversation. Spending as much time together as possible before Johnny’s untimely passing gave Kurt the chance to get all the major and minor details hashed out before taking the bike apart and getting to work on it.“The goal all along was to get this bike done for the Donnie Smith Bike Show in St. Paul at the end of March (2014),” said Kurt. “I had already spoken with the guys (at the shop) and explained that this bike was now my top priority, so they really stepped up in getting all the other customers’ bikes done on schedule.”With spring being the busy season for motorcycle tune-ups, things were hectic at Lil’ Evil from the beginning of last year through March. Yet Kurt was able to get Johnny’s motorcycle done to its entirety before the show.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"1477269","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"320","typeof":"foaf:Image","width":"480"}}]]“We like to keep everything local if we can,” he said of the build process. “I get any printed materials done in Perham, all the painting and other personalizing was done in town, too. There were numerous people in Perham contributing to this bike; it really was a project of passion.”With the completion of the bike checked off their to-do list, the crew at Lil’ Evil headed to the Twin Cities to show off their work. The goal for the motorcycle wasn’t to win any awards, but simply to be shown as a project bike. The emphasis was more on the story, not the trophy.“As with most bikes, but this one especially, we aren’t really about the awards. The performance of each of our bikes is a much higher priority than it necessarily being the best looking one out there,” said Kurt.As the motorcycle was unveiled to the public for the first time last March at the Donnie Smith Bike Show, reactions were mixed.“I don’t think many people knew how to react to the bike,” explained Kurt. “The story of its inspiration is something we didn’t tell many people. We did have quite the crowd coming over to see the bike, but I only explained the story to a few more interested people.”Many subtle details incorporated into the bike had to be explained in order for people to fully understand that the motorcycle is much more than just an engine and two wheels.“The whiskey bottle and empty shot glasses turned over symbolize the issue Johnny had with alcohol; also, the cards show a dead man’s hand,” explained Kurt.In another symbolic move made with the paint scheme, smoke can be seen starting from the back end and continuing along the motorcycle to the gas tank, where it takes the shape of a woman.“The smoke changing into a gorgeous woman really symbolizes the evil that can be transformed into something beautiful,” said Kurt.The more people learned about the bike, the more they appreciated it, and that included the show’s judges. The bike, dubbed “Bottomz Up,” ended up claiming the top prize in numerous categories in its division, including the Ultimate Bagger and Baddest Bagger awards.Kurt was pleasantly surprised with the list of awards: “What was so shocking to all of us is the fact that this bike was built in Perham, a small town, and went up against the biggest companies and cities from California, Florida and everywhere else.”Since then, the bike has been in demand for professional photo shoots and magazine articles, including the recent feature in American Bagger magazine.
Currently, the bike is back in the shop for a tune-up and some more upgrades, including work on the exhaust and a larger front tire.“We probably have another 100 man hours left to finish up this bike the way I want,” said Kurt. “Add that to the 800 hours already spent on it, and yeah, it’s definitely been the most time-consuming bike I have ever built.”Once the upgrades are done, Bottomz Up will have a full schedule of shows and rides to take part in this year. Aside from the Donnie Smith Bike Show again in March, the motorcycle will be on display and ridden in a number of local rides. The bike is set to be in attendance at this summer’s Ronald McDonald House Ride in New York Mills, a ride for Hospice of the Red River Valley, and the Ride for Project New Hope.For each of these events, Kurt will be the one starting ‘er up and taking the motorcycle on the open road, just as his friend Johnny had envisioned.