Half Harley. Half Hayabusa. It’s A Barley.

I admire people trying “crazy” new stuff, like fusing together the framework of a Harley-Davidson with the world-renowned styling of a Suzuki Hayabusa.  The concept of this bike was to develop a motorcycle that was Harley Evo motor based but with the functionality and style of a Suzuki Hayabusa. Never thought about this one.  And you? As Arnie explained to me when we met in Cincinnati, Tricky Air & Billet introduces you to a brand new Concept Bike called “The Barley”.  Tricky Air & Billet not only thought that this styling would be different for the V-Twin market; but then added to that, the adjustability of their front and rear air suspension in order to fine tune the handling and performance characteristics.  The objective of this bike is to introduce the V-Twin market to the urban styling of the aftermarket design of the Suzuki Hayabusa.  The endless possibilities of the front air suspension that Tricky Air and Billet just developed for the Suzuki Hayabusa opened the doors to many other design applications for the motorcycle industry. With the idea of their new front air suspension Tricky Air & Billet is currently working on other bike concepts. The “Barley” is supposed to give the Harley enthusiasts the ability to race down the street the same way the sport bike does, but still being true to his V-Twin power plant. The only missing feature on this concept bike is the turbo charger, which was part of the original thought, just not shown to you on this picture. The frame of the “Barley” bike is currently available through Maximum Motorcycles, Inc. Tricky Air & Billet will go into production of the gas tank and rear tail section, planning to make it available in carbon fiber.  Any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to contact Tricky Air & Billet at 1-866-922-3533 

18 Responses to “Half Harley. Half Hayabusa. It’s A Barley.”


  1. 1 Dave B. Feb 18th, 2008 at 6:41 pm

    Very ugly. Ugly swingarm, ugly profile in general. There is an attractive sportbike with a Harley engine already on the market anyway… the Buell. I see no purpose for this machine.

  2. 2 Phillip Davidson Feb 18th, 2008 at 10:14 pm

    I think a good name for it would be “F-POS” which stands for “FUGLY PIECE OF SHIT”

    come on guys, don’t you have anything better to do, like trim your nose hairs or something?

  3. 3 Nicker Feb 18th, 2008 at 11:12 pm

    Hmmmmmm….

    Is it a drag-bike or what……?

    Doesn’t look finished?

    Lets see how the finished product looks.

    -nicker-

  4. 4 Rodent Feb 19th, 2008 at 8:07 am

    Dumb, Stupid, Ugly, It’s an insult to Beef Barley Soup

  5. 5 Coluche Feb 19th, 2008 at 11:51 am

    I am amused at the comments above. Amused and concerned… They seem to confirm that many H-D enthusiasts still suffer greatly from a narrow mind.

    How different is this creation in its “idiocy,” than sticking long forks on a bike that previously handled just fine, turning it into a bloated death trap?

    These kids are having fun and are thinking a little bit outside the box fer crissakes. It was the same outside the box thinking, by the way, that brought us modern choppers sporting 300 rear tires. Probably not the most elegant lines on a bike either, but they sure were selling like hot cakes until recently (Big Dog).

    In closing I will say that I don’t care for this look either.

    Does your mind narrow with age?

  6. 6 saorijohn Feb 19th, 2008 at 12:26 pm

    Looks crazy and fantastic!

    No where near as ugly as that HD Rocker mess.

    It looks better than a lot of V-Rods that people try to chopperize. Take a 140mph bike and put apes and springers on it? Yeah. Great. Let go and embrace change.

    But hey, each to there own, we live in a democracy.

  7. 7 Coluche Feb 19th, 2008 at 12:54 pm

    Well said, saorijohn.

  8. 8 J Feb 20th, 2008 at 2:02 am

    Pretty trick- I’d like to see a version with a shorter swingarm, tho- there is a point where that extended look works on a Hayabusa, and then beyond that point where it gets cartoonish.

    LOL! Oh, I see- so we have a Buell, so we have all the sport bikes we need in Harley world, yet there is always room for one more cookie-cutter chopper?

    Choppers have been in a rut for a long time now; When the biggest news on a new chopper is the relocation of the oil tank, there is problem; The builders are so freaking boring, they’ve turned to chopperizing baggers, for gods sake….. There are just too many builders churning out uninteresting work- not everyone can be a Monet.

    Nice to see a fresh idea- ANY fresh idea is welcome…….

  9. 9 Gareth Feb 20th, 2008 at 5:29 am

    I’m more of a Suzuki man myself in the first place and I’m not too keen on the design. apart from that looking at the picture i just wondering how the wheels go round i see no chain, belt of drive shaft to make the rear wheel move.

  10. 10 Dave Feb 20th, 2008 at 9:33 am

    I think they got it backwards. It should be somewhat of a cruiser frame with a busa engine, not the other way around. Seems that the only thing busa about it is the tail section. There are tons of bikes with wide rear tires. Where is the busa part?

  11. 11 burnout Feb 20th, 2008 at 11:10 am

    would like to see it sitting at ride height and would LOVE to ride it……… looks a bit front heavy. A Buell is way too much fun to ride so I would probably judge with prejudice. Different?…….most definitely a conversation piece. I ride long choppers every day (not for everyone!). The transition to a bike where I can’t see the front wheel is always an interesting ride! peace

  12. 12 Charlie Feb 20th, 2008 at 4:14 pm

    I’ve seen this project and the picture really doesn’t do it justice… This turned alot of heads in Cinci and I know the finished product will be something else!
    C.L. Chop Shop

  13. 13 Jake Feb 20th, 2008 at 7:56 pm

    But…they left out the best part of the ‘Busa!

    Why even bother?
    Jake

  14. 14 Pop Feb 23rd, 2008 at 11:16 am

    I have said it a zillion times. If I were thirty years less wore out I would have a ‘Busa tricked and smokin and the june bugs of the world best look out.

    Personally, if the grotesque is what is left to make the cut of “new”, then I would have gone 180 and dumped the monster Busa mill into a bagger.

    To paraphrase an ex-president “it’s the mill stupid”.

  15. 15 Rick Feb 23rd, 2008 at 2:09 pm

    It’s real easy to follow what everyone else is doing and mimic it. After all, everyone wants to fit in with the crowd- right? When I started riding Harley’s at 18 years of age, I liked the fact that the community had an air of individuality and an attitude of non compliance to the norms of society. This attitude fit me perfect. My first bike was a 67XLCH with home made forward controls (yes on the wrong sides- like stock) and a Cushman gas tank. I loved that bike- it was different…. I wanted to be different. At that time the only guys who would help me out and knew how to wrench were old scabby bikers that almost scared me….. I found out that they were the cream of society and didn’t have a fake bone in their body. There seemed to be a brotherhood- and yet everyone embraced their brothers bike and individual flair. Flash forward 20 years and now it’s turned glam biker/ computer renegade. 20 years ago, if I walked up to a biker and slammed his bike, my face would have been re-arranged, and I would have deserved it.

    Now, I suppose we can hide behind our computers and be tough without penalty. It’s a sad thing when a person pours his blood, sweat and tears into something and proudly reveals his “baby” and the first comment is negative.

    I say keep a spirit of freedom and individuality alive, lest we succumb to normalcy and complacency and a mundane life. I like the bike and the idea. It’s a twist and took some time to develop no doubt.

  16. 16 grumpy Feb 24th, 2008 at 11:02 am

    like alot of others , i would have put the busa mill on a flh an maybe added a wheelie bar, kinda like what i had before my flhtc , a 900 super sport honda , but this would truly be a beast for us older guys that can’t lean over that far to reach the handlebars

  17. 17 frank r ventura Dec 12th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

    why the hell would you use that motor for anything else other than sinking a sportster in the san francisco bay……………………………………………………..come on guys………………….

  18. 18 Robert Silvia Dec 24th, 2008 at 4:47 pm

    if it looks like Shit and drive like shit it must Be Shit,,,,,,,,,,,, so you Have Shit Buy a out house so you know where you shit is going,,,,,,,

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Cyril Huze