How I made the Custom Eagle Ferring.

Excerpts from Sep 2009 article in Biking Life Magazine about how Tom built this trike then converted it to a National Treasure.

There was a lot of awesome iron on display at The Biking Life Bike Show held recently in Belleville, Illinois. However, one seemed to attract more people than some of the others, a trike. Its genesis was a 1983 Oldsmobile Toronado chassis, but you would certainly never recognize it unless someone told you. The person who told us is the owner and craftsman behind this vehicle, Tom Compton. If the name sounds familiar, it is because Tom is a local DJ and the track announcer at several motorcycle racing venues in the area including B.E.T. (Belleville Enduro Team). Tom started riding minibikes around the age of 10 and has been around bikes ever since.

SPACE EAGLE

His first passion was dirt bikes, but later the sport of hill climbing caught his attention., He bought a 250 Ossa, stripped it down, lengthened the swing arm and hit the hills. It seems fabrication and design are also two of his talents and Tom is always thinking about new ways to do things. Tom started on the trike five years ago with the Toronado, 500 pounds of scrap steel and 80 pounds of aluminum.

In his work as a DJ, Tom has done many charity functions and developed an affinity for the disabled, so in its original form the trike was made accessible for those with disabilities. He tried to sell the vehicle in that configuration, but was unsuccessful. He then cut it down and kept it for himself. Did I mention Tom is a thinker? He wanted a theme for his trike and pondered what that should be, finally like a vision, it came to him in August 2006. That is how the Eagle came to be. Tom says he started the project and worked on it almost nonstop for the next two weeks paying little attention to sleeping or eating during that time. That was the basic Eagle, but since then he has added more than 500 LED lights to it. At night the red, white and blue lights reflect off the highly polished aluminum making this a sight to see.

One of the most rewarding aspects of this project is people’s reaction to it according to Mr. Compton. It does truly represent a lot of what America is about with the red, white and blue paint, the Eagle which is our Nation’s symbol and, of course, the red, white and blue LED lights. Tom told how well the trike was received during the Vietnam Veterans Poker Run earlier this year. It seems it strikes a special chord with those who have served our nation. In addition to that run, he also was among the riders who escorted the Traveling Wall from Effingham, Illinois, to Troy, Illinois, this year. He said the recognition it received from the many folks who stood on overpasses to pay homage to what the Wall symbolizes as it made its journey across Illinois was both gratifying and humbling.

Tom truly appreciates the effect that his trike has on others and he never ceases to be amazed at how his creation touches people’s lives. If you haven’t seen it in person, you need to get out more. If you do see it out, ask Tom about it. He can share even more of the story with you and maybe, if you are really lucky, he will share the DVD he has made of how he built it.

Eagle Trike gets hit by some lightning.

Tom’s Custom Air Brushed Lightning