It’s called S.A.S. and it stands for “Simplified Air Suspension”. And it comes from the people of CCCS (Custom Cycle Control Systems, Inc), the ones who designed and created the first concealed handlebar controls with hidden master cylinders & cables inside good looking bars. The name “Simplified Air Suspension” says it all & CCCS does […]
Archive for November, 2006
Exclusive: New Air Suspension With No Compressor To Hide. No Hose To Run. Wow.
Published by November 30th, 2006 in Controls, Editorial and Frames.Recently, I was talking of the difficulty that custom builders have to position the fuel valve at the right place to use all the gas of a custom made gas tank. It’s one thing to hand make a gorgeous tank. It is another thing to make it give all its fuel almost to the last […]
2007 S&S Catalog. The First To Land On My Desk
Published by November 30th, 2006 in Editorial and Engines.Confidence: I love December. Not only because I enjoy seeing Christmas lights in palm trees (for those who don’t know, home & shop are in South Florida), but because it’s new catalogs season for our motorcycle industry. They go from ½ pound to 10 pounds or more, smell fresh ink, wear the number 07, oblige me to […]
Did you notice? Since 4/5 years more & more professional & garage builders use an old Iron Sportster or a new Sportster/Buell powerplant to build their custom choppers. Since 1 year, we even see more Sportster drivetrains installed on new built Bobbers. But there were few people in the industry building cool aftermarket Sportster frames. […]
Big Twin West will partner with Manheim to host the first-ever custom bike auction on December 3, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev. The auction will be available through Manheim Simulcast, which allows dealers to participate in the live auction online. The auction is being held in conjunction with the Big […]
I absolutely love it when people comment in this Blog. This one written by Marilyn Stemp, Executive Editor of Iron Works Magazine. Marilyn sent this picture to me: 27 builders together in this picture shot in Sturgis. Wow! She also comments on Tom Zimberoff post. "Cyril, It may be of interest to note that I photographed 27 […]
In reaction to my former post, this one written by Tom Zimberoff, author, writer & photographer of the 2 best selling hard cover books Art Of The Chopper 1 and Art Of The Chopper 2. You can visit his website to buy his books and some collectibles from your favorite builder. "Cyril, Happy to see all of […]
Why is it that you rarely see a picture of more than 3 well known builders together? It’s not because we don’t like each other. As a matter of fact, we have a lot of respect for anyone who pursue a passion to the point to make it a way a life, and who is […]
Nothing wrong with kicking, kicking & kicking again your Panhead. But I know quite a few Pan Guys who don’t really enjoy doing it. Hey, there is another way to start your Pan. At first click, no more at the 10th kick. With a Twister Electric Start Kit from Tech Cycle. This Twister kit mounts […]
Like Lighting Your Cigarette With A Molotov Cocktail
Published by November 25th, 2006 in Editorial and Electrical.These words are from Bert Baker himself. It’s the way he describes his new starter named the Firestarter. Building custom bikes with big engines, I learned a long time ago that so called performance starters have notorious reliability issues. With smaller engines, Harley-Davidson starters do fine. But it seems that some performance starters sold as new […]
A few weeks ago I posted my comments on the come back of Indian Motorcycles with new models to be released summer 2007. The two Harvard Business School classmates who resurrected Chris-Craft have a new plan to bring Indian back from the brink. Can this icon be saved? Yesterday, I found this very interesting article by […]
Bikes have always attracted celebrities. Here a list of a few of them who rode or ride because they love it. Roy Rogers : the late king of the Cowboys’ movies rode motorcycles into his late years. Clark Gable: he had a 1938 Harley Knucklehead. He made the cover of a 1942 issue of Harley’s The Enthusiast. Elvis […]
Harley Night Rod Special The Blackest Sheep Of Them All.
Published by November 22nd, 2006 in Customs and Editorial.I get this question all the time. “If you would ride a Harley every day, which one it would be?” 15 years ago, a black Fat Boy was my answer. Then nothing to my taste or very exciting during all these years. And now? Without hesitation the new V Rod called the Night Rod Special. […]
New Brake Fittings: No Ferrules. No Wrenching, No Nothing.
Published by November 21st, 2006 in Editorial.Streamline Designs introduces the cleanest and easiest pressure brake fittings on the market. Thread the 3/8-24 fitting into the brake or clutch and run your 3/16 kevlar reinforced tubing inside your frame or outside. Cut to length and push the hose in. that’s it No ferrules, no wrenching, no Nothing. And if you ever need […]
High Tech Hog Piggy Bank. Not From Harley.
Published by November 21st, 2006 in Accessories and Editorial.Nothing against the Hog Piggy Bank from Harley, but I prefer this one to teach a child, or myself, how to save money. First, The Pig Electronic Bank looks great all in chrome. It doesn’t wear the Milwaukee logo but it features an LCD screen to teach the value of money. Deposit coins (pennies, nickels, […]
It’s no more necessary to ride a West Coast Choppers bike to own one of their original seats. Jesse James is now offering custom seats individually hand made in their Long Beach shop. Three designs are offered: West Coast Choppers, Pay Up Sucker and Choppers For Life logos. Customers can order the seat pan in plain […]
Look attentively at the picture and you will see that this exhaust system from Hooker is a four-into-one header. A low restriction reverse primary collector opens into four 1 3/8” pipes merging into a 3” four-into-one collector for awesome styling and aggressive sound (a removable baffle is included). Hooker states that this system adds 13 […]
Now you can ride and carry with you your biker’s music, your videos, and your Biker Build Off TV shows. The Brando watch is really a wild one and big like your bad ass bike. It packs some impressive features: you sync via your computer USB, can store 8 hours of music, MP3, WMA and […]
These sinners of O School Choppers in Vegas know how to build a chopper. They even found out a new way to do it. They hired 3 chicks to do it. How I didn’t think about this? They gave them freedom to create what they wanted, a bike lift, tools and parts. They let them […]
You are looking at the picture of the pride of Ray Wheeler. A ton of hours/dollars 159" bad boy bike made to go very fast at the Fun Drags of Sacramento. It did. With 0 traction, Ray made two 11 second passes at 125 miles per hour. Wow! Ray had a great day. But after spending the night in a […]
Harley-Davidson Night Rod Special Sells for $800,000
Published by November 17th, 2006 in Customs and Editorial.This evening, I really wonder if I should move my custom building business to Quatar, this small Arab Emirate in the Middle East. The reason? During a star-studded fundraising dinner in the city of Doha, a VRSCDX Night Rod Special, became one of the most expensive of its kind when it fetched a staggering $800,000. […]
When I read the story, I thought it was a joke. A good one. But it’s not. The news comes from Dubai, Arab Emirates. Retriever Motorcycles will be used to tow cars that break down on congested roads. I didn’t know that this service has already shown remarkable success in other countries such as Canada, […]
Custom builder Brian Klock will remember 2006 as an exceptional year for him & his dedicated crew. First, Brian was invited to participate in a Discovery Channel Biker Build Off. Second, he won this TV competition with a custom Bagger, which was very unusual since all competitors until now prefer to show their skills on […]
Paint: Flat & Satin Black Are In. Glossy Black Is Out.
Published by November 15th, 2006 in Editorial and Painters.Motorcycle & car custom builders have used black primer for decades to log the progress of their fabrication work. Why? Because of the “flop”. A flat black has a beautiful “flop”, the contrast between the light side and dark side of a surface. For designers & fabricators, it’s the best way to appreciate the purity […]
Dakota Digital Gear Gauge. You Need One?
Published by November 15th, 2006 in Accessories and Editorial.I don’t know about you. But even when I ride a new bike he doesn’t take me a long time to learn & remember the music of my gear shifting. Yes, from time to time I may have difficulties finding the neutral and I can also miss a gear. But so what? I understand that […]
The Lethal Injection pipes are one of the nicest looking sets available. In addition to good looks, the pipes have features that I never saw before being offered by any custom exhaust manufacturers. First, the pipes are made of stainless steel and polished to a high shine. Second the Lethal Injection pipes have welded on exhaust flanges with […]