Located in San Diego, California, is the workshop of Pete Aardema.  He is better known as “The Cam Man.”  The moniker comes simple enough, for it has been Pete’s quest to see just how many different pushrod engines he can convert to using overhead cams!  When we talked to Pete, we found that his interests and his work are purely aesthetic.  He told us, “I don’t do this for a living or for the money.  I want to do it the way I want to do it.”  In addition, Pete is incredibly humble about his achievements and ideas as he adds, “Nothing I do is completely new or different.  I just take oddball stuff off one engine and then put it on another.”  Pete also notes that his biggest attraction to working with cars and bikes is that there are no rules and you can do anything you want!
Pete’s big break for his ideas and innovations came in 1994 when he met legendary designer and builder, Arlen Ness.  Pete said that during this meeting he told Arlen that he always wanted to put an overhead cam on a Harley-Davidson Evo engine.  Later, Pete said that Arlen sent him some parts (with no strings attached) in order to help with the process.  After a couple of years of figuring, he produced seven of the engines.
Pete has several projects that are in various stages of production.  However, one that is complete is his bike named “Hardly A. Davidson.”  The bike is equipped with a Scat engine, a motor that is often used to power midget racecars.  The easiest way to describe the engine is that it is “one half of a 350 Chevy.”  The engine is water-cooled and 180 cubic inches.  With some tweaking, this aluminum block power plant will make around 200 horsepower.  This is more than double the horsepower of a stock cruiser!  One of the most amazing aspects of this bike is that it weighs approximately 625 pounds, almost the same as a stock motorcycle of its class.  Currently, Pete’s new project combines a new generation of the push-rod aluminum V-4 mounted on the latest Arlen Ness frame design.  Pete says that the bike should be lighter and faster than its predecessor!

Pete Aardema is truly an original in the world of custom motorcycles.  “I always wanted to build a weird engine,” he told us.  Pete says that when he produces a bike and takes it out, it is the ultimate compliment when people take the time to stop and look at it.  “That makes it all worthwhile,” he noted proudly.  We have the feeling that wherever Pete goes, and whatever he builds, people will definitely keep on noticing.  If you would like to learn more about the work of Pete Aardema, you can find him on the web at www.aardemasohc.net.  That’s it from sunny San Diego, California.  So until our next ride, “Keep the shiny side up and Ride On!”

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