Soon in Sturgis Billy Lane will ride around town on his new custom-built Crocker motorcycle. For his seat, Billy worked with master seat maker Adam Croft at Last Ride Customs. Here the gorgeous result. Because of the extensive hand tooling work involved (wish I could show you a larger picture to demonstrate the intricate details) […]
Archive for July, 2009
Best 2009 Custom Hand-Tooled Motorcycle Seat
Published by July 20th, 2009 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Seats.V-Twin Magazine Names Its 10 Preferred Production Motorcycles Of Year 09
Published by July 19th, 2009 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.In its just released August issue V-Twin Magazine names its preferred 10 production bikes for the year 2009. The magazine explains that what qualifies a production motorcycle to be featured in the list is that it is obviously currently available for purchase through a dealer or from the factory and that journalists of the mag. […]
Motorcycle Paint. Once You Go Flat You’ll Never Go Back…
Published by July 19th, 2009 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Painters.Flat paint on bikes is back. At least since year 2000. To the point that manufacturers like Harley-Davidson & Indian Motorcycles (among others) noticed and are now offering respectively the Harley Dark Series models (since 1 year) and the Indian Dark Chief (for 2010). And no, today’s right way to do a nice/long lasting scratch […]
Café Society. A Documentary About Rockers, Ton-Up Boys, Mods, Low Handlebars And High Speeds
Published by July 18th, 2009 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Videos.Café Society”, a 60-minute documentary on the men, the machines and the legends of the Café Racer is a fascinating 60 minutes ride into a vibrant motorsports subculture that continues to grow even today. The movie includes never-before seen historical footage, interviews with legendary cafe racer builders including Dave Degens of Dresda Tritons, Ian Kennedy, […]
Jesse James Is A Dead Man. Sidecar Racing.
Published by July 18th, 2009 in Builders, Customs and Videos.Sidecar racing is a combination of a motorcar racing and motorcycle racing with an element of teamwork that has to be precise.. It is not only one of the most difficult forms of motorcycle racing, it is arguably one of the most dangerous. Crashes are frequent and due to the open cockpit, a road burn […]
New 2010 Harley-Davidson Models Here July 25th And In Sturgis August 1st
Published by July 18th, 2009 in Builders, Editorial and Events.As you know it’s during Sturgis that Harley-Davidson shows its new models line-up, new Genuine Motor Parts & Accessories and MotorClothes® merchandise. Those in Sturgis will be able to have a close-up look at what’s new for 2010 and also test ride from August 1st to 7th at the Rapid City Civic Center. But stay […]
Last Wednesday 6.00 pm. Lift-off of the Endaevour Shuttle from the Kennedy Space Center 220 miles north from where I live and work. I hear the news while driving in my South Florida city of Boca Raton. I feel that I am still one of the few Floridians still amazed by the technology involved, one of the […]
Performance Machine Launches Team PM Sport Bike Marketing Program
Published by July 17th, 2009 in Brakes, Controls, Editorial and Wheels.You are one of the leading manufacturers of motorcycle forged wheels, brakes, discs and related accessories. You know that you need to diversify your parts line-up from American Bikes to Metrics to Sport Bikes. So, you showcase your parts on a selection of custom bikes of the best builders. Then feature these bikes in your catalogs. Gve […]
Build Something New. Like A Modern Triumph Bonneville.
Published by July 17th, 2009 in Builders, Chassis, Customs and Editorial.Like Triumph’s marketing strategy of exploiting demand for retro motorcycles with modern engineering. More than one time, attracted by their look and sound I turned around the new Triumph Bonneville and Thruxton thinking that maybe…I should get one of them and give it my own cosmetic/mechanical treatment.
Former Indian Motorcycle CEO (Gilroy era) Rey Sotelo pleaded guilty Thursday in a federal racketeering case, according to lawyers involved. Sotelo, 52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic in stolen motorcycle parts, a charge he brushed off last summer when a federal indictment accused him of helping a central California chop shop send a stolen […]
Rebel Rousers. Michael Lichter’s 9th Sturgis Art Exhibition
Published by July 16th, 2009 in Builders, Customs, Editorial, Events and Videos.The exhibit titled “Rebel Rousers- Motorcycle Icons that Inspired Us to Ride” is a must-see at this year’s Sturgis festivities. In the brand-new 6,500 square foot Lichter Exhibition Hall at the Legendary Buffalo Chip, the exhibit will be showcasing a number of revered images and sacred memorabilia central to the biker culture. The exhibit will […]
Harley-Davidson Disappointing Results And News
Published by July 16th, 2009 in Builders and Editorial.No good news on my computer when I woke-up today at 6 AM ET. Harley-Davidson was announcing its second-quarter results and the numbers are quite disappointing. Although the underlying fundamentals of the Harley-Davidson brand remain strong and the dealers’ retail motorcycle sales declined less than the main competitors, comparing to the same year-ago period demonstrates […]
Motorcycle Industry. The Good The Bad And The Ugly.
Published by July 16th, 2009 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.A new (and justified) big rant written especially for you my readers by Chris Callen, Editor in Chief of Cycle Source Magazine. Thinning Of The Herd Hurts All Of The Industry. I remember a few years ago, as motorcycling started its “Downward Trend” hearing so many people spout off about the effects they believed this change […]
69th Sturgis Rally. Where Will Be The Best Female Entertainment?
Published by July 16th, 2009 in Editorial and Events.Broken Spoke Saloon , Buffalo Chip, Monkey Rock. During the Sturgis Rally, all these great places compete aggressively to offer you the best vendors, the best builders, the best drinks, the best food, the best live concerts…and the best looking waitresses and female entertainers…Good for you. My recommendation? Visit them all several times. My job is […]
Sorensen Performance Billet Heads For Harley Shovelhead Engines
Published by July 15th, 2009 in Customs, Editorial and Engines.Love Harley-Davidson Shovelheads and owned a couple. But their engines have quite a few well-known and documented mechanical issues. In addition you may want to bring your Shovel into the 21st century with not only improved performance but the ability to make power equivalent to the more recent Evo and Twin Cam engines. Out of […]
Death Of Custom Motorcycle Builder Brad Ruel
Published by July 15th, 2009 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.It is with sadness that I report that Custom Builder Brad Ruel has died yesterday of a heart attack. His shop “The Wrench” in Sarasota, Florida has been around since 1995 and Brad has been building radical custom bikes since 2000. He became a familiar name in the industry through his custom work and custom […]
Milwaukee Iron Live And Online Auction
Published by July 15th, 2009 in Builders, Customs and Events.As I told you a few days ago, after 26 years as the Boss Man (and Steel Man) of Milwaukee Iron fellow Builder and Parts Manufacturer Randy Simpson is closing the doors of his custom motorcycle and machine shop in Lynchburg, VA. Ready to move to a new venture and to spend more time socializing […]
Easy Rider And Captain America Turn 40
Published by July 15th, 2009 in Editorial, Events and Videos.Is it a western movie with bikes replacing horses or just a male-bonding LSD joy ride across the USA? It doesn’t matter. the way you see or live it. Today, the road movie Easy Rider turns 40 and the quite simple story of 2 bikers traveling the country and enjoying their freedom has be deemed […]
Dennis Santopietro via his company Fix My Hog produces some of the best videos in the business to help you maintain your bike. Since there is almost no limit to what somebody can learn, he just released a new DVD featuring new mechanical topics to help you complete your Touring Bike maintenance. This video covers […]
I tell you right away. This photographic history of early women motorcyclists is a treasure. Cristine Sommer-Simmons spent years collecting a wealth of impressive period pictures of the true pioneers of motorcycling. Women such as Bessie Stringfield and Dot robinson who were brave enough to ride all over the country, braving all weather conditions, defying […]
Harley-Davidson Sportster Ride Free Guarantee
Published by July 14th, 2009 in Builders, Editorial and Events.To sell more bikes and get more repeat customers Harley-Davidson created at the end of last year a program called “Ride Free Guarantee” expiring in March. Must work well because Harley decided to renew this program. How does it work is simple. If you buy a new Sportster 883 or 1200 (a total of 7 […]
By Colleen Swartz, Motorcycle Writer/Photographer at Digital Magic Shots What I have noticed over the years is that there are all kinds of women but only certain ones deserve the title of “biker chick”. Let me run through my experience with some categories of women that I come across. 1) Desperate Housewife: This woman has […]
Los Angeles Calendar Show Is July 18th-19th
Published by July 14th, 2009 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.Held every year the 3rd weekend of July in the beautiful setting of the Queen Mary Event Park in Long Beach/Los Angeles, the LA Calendar Show is much more than a bike show (have been there, done it). It’s also a music…and calendar girl festival. About 200 major manufacturers, exhibitors and builders are ready to […]
Aeromach, manufacturer of after-market tricky mirrors and other billet custom accessories for both American (since 1992) & Metric motorcycles since 1996), was acquired by Paul Aiken and relocated to North Carolina. Aeromach’s founder Richard Fouhy started manufacturing by making parts for M-1 tanks, helicopters and space shuttle components. When the aerospace industry started to slow […]
Breaking News. First Pictures Of The 2010 Indian Motorcycle Chief Dark Horse
Published by July 13th, 2009 in Builders, Customs and Events.You see them here first. Hot off the Indian Motorcycle photographer camera, these are the first 2 pictures of the new 2010 Indian Chief Dark Horse. As you can see, the Chief Dark Horse is a dark, sinister, mechanical looking motorcycle with a smoke “matte” finish and will be also available in Thunder Black, Indian Red […]
