The Harley-Davidson Revolution engine, as good as it can be, was never favored by Custom Builders for their one-off bikes. I see the reason as their refusal to break with tradition and of course the fact that these last years saw the resurgence of the old school style using period correct, or at least look […]
Author Archive for cyrilhuze
The Debate About Fiberglass Versus PPO/PA Plastic Motorcycle Saddlebags
Published by May 19th, 2010 in Chassis, Customs and Editorial.Hey, when I published an article about Sinister Industries and its PPO/PA plastic material 4″ extended saddlebags, some wondered about the material used on their own stock and after-market motorcycle bags, and others in the industry producing fiberglass bags were not to happy that I ‘advertised” PPO/PA plastic. First let me mention again that Harley-Davidson […]
Strip Club Choppers Roadhouse 2010 Tour With Michele Smith And Jay Barbieri
Published by May 19th, 2010 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.Impossible that you didn’t see Johnny Lange’s Strip Club Choppers Roadhouse Tour in a rally near you. You know, the complete lounge with stages, pole dancers, video monitors, live web cams, music, bar tables and a couple of choppers, like the world famous Pole Bike (The only bike with a full size stripper pole through […]
Conrad Nicklus Launches Impressive Motorsports
Published by May 19th, 2010 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.What is going to happen if you belong to the custom motorcycle industry, take your young son on the road during years, let him wander in rallies to meet with vendors and custom builders who are going to become his new friends? As a teenager, and whatever your status or prestige in the biz, he […]
If you are riding old school you may already carry the road tools in a side solo bag. Keep the bag space for all the other necessities and just carry your tools where they belong. Lick Cycles offers these hand stitched high quality, rugged, kick ass tanned leather tool bags with piped flap edges, and […]
Inspired By 50’s Beach Cruiser Bicycles
Published by May 18th, 2010 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.Let’s talk about one of your favorite topics of conversation. What makes a custom builder a true custom builder? On the merit scale, the one who (with crew) is able to produce in-house as many parts as possible, still knowing that sometimes you are better off to call an expert when confronted with some one-off tricky […]
A simple and good looking design (always the best attributes) with a good conception to avoid a common problem with many mirrors, especially on very fast sport bikes: the loss of adjustment. These billet aluminum mirrors feature a stainless steel pivot that rides in a unique nylon bushing adding the advantage of no risk of […]
Myrtle Beach Bike Week just ended. Unfortunately, 2 years of efforts by the city of Myrtle Beach to curb the rally have left its toll. Attendance was much lower than last year and the economy is not to blame. Based on complaints of some residents regarding traffic and congestion the city passed ordinances to impose riding with […]
Some of you get bored by the neo-retro bike style and would like to see more high tech custom motorcycles. And the future of custom building you ask? How tomorrow’s bikes are going to look? Not sure, but this Swiss made machine fits the profile (pun intended), including the mechanical precision and intricacies for which […]
Your Motorcycle Brand Has Never Been On A Ride Like This…
Published by May 17th, 2010 in Builders, Editorial and Events.Your brand can get media exposure from coast to coast and well beyond. I received this letter from 3-time Motorcycle Hall of Fame Inductee Cris Sommer Simmons. “Hi, A few months ago I decided to enter the pre-1916 cross country motorcycle race/ride called the Motorcycle Cannonball. This historic 3,320 mile ride leaves Kitty Hawk, NC […]
Blue Face Engine Oil Pressure Check
Published by May 16th, 2010 in Customs, Editorial, Electrical and Engines.Monitor your engine vital sign with the new Digital Oil Pressure Gauge from Harley-Davidson Genuine Motor Accessories. Gauge mounts with a bracket to the rear-cylinder rocker box cover, and reads oil pressure in PSI or BAR with a brilliant blue digital display that appears through mirror-coated glass when the ignition is on. The read-out is […]
The California Scooter Co. Booming Small Motorcycle Market
Published by May 16th, 2010 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.We all know that in any struggling economy business opportunities still exist, if not abound. And the past is full of examples of new ventures whose successes have been amplified during recession times. I remember that in October 2009 just before I reported for the 1st time in my Blog on the new California Scooter […]
Glad That You Asked. Why Do Harley Davidson Motorcycle Shake More Than Other Brands.
Published by May 15th, 2010 in Builders, Editorial and Engines.Harley-Davidson uses a common crank pin, meaning that both pistons travel up and down together at the same time. So all the weight is being thrown back and forth causing vibrations and the very particular “proprietary” sound or rumble. The Twin Cam engine has a chain driven counter balancer creating less vibrations. As far as […]
New Roland Sands Design Turbo Wheels
Published by May 15th, 2010 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Wheels.One more wheel design in the line up. Roland Sands is launching the Turbo forged wheel mixing both modern and hot rod style in the same donut. Lightening pockets are more than just an eye-catching detail, they are also a way to remove mass from the rim, therefore increasing performance. Offered in both chrome and […]
Milwaukee Police Department Celebrating 100 Years Of Service On A Harley-Davidson
Published by May 15th, 2010 in Builders, Editorial and Events.This week Milwaukee Sergeant Mike Edwards took his mounted police department to the Harley-Davidson Museum where it was received by Willie G. and Bill Davidson to celebrate a century of collaboration on 2 wheels. I don’t know if the Milwaukee PD has the longest collaboration with Harley-Davidson, but what I know is that the first […]
Designed by Nash Motorcycles and fabricated by John Grant, the creator of the clever Swift Kick this old school style rigid frame is sold in the basic geometry 30-degree rake, 1″ backbone stretch, 1″ up stretch up with a cool seat height of 20″ can also be custom ordered in different configurations. Neck, axle plates, […]
Flash Back. Arlen Ness 1977 “Harley Hauler”
Published by May 14th, 2010 in Chassis, Customs and Editorial.Since this year Arlen Ness is celebrating his 40th Anniversary in the biz, a short flash back to show the industry younger cats how it was in the 70’s. No Semi to trail custom bikes and parts to shows around the country. Arlen had this van customized for him for his long, long miles on […]
David Uhl is releasing “Baby Doll”. This new painting is the second in the ongoing Nose Art/Pin-Up series (following “Miss Behaven”). As with David’s other series (Women of Harley, Vintage Pin-Up, etc), matching numbers are available for those who wish to collect each piece. You are even given a first right of refusal on future […]
Harley-Davidson Touring Model Turn Signal Eliminators
Published by May 13th, 2010 in Customs, Editorial and Electrical.Very few custom motorcycles keep the front Harley turn signals. Gone somewhere else on the bike… or to the “you never know it can be used later” trash bin. What do you do after you sacrificed the legal stock bike indicators? Now you embellish the place with new billet covers conceived by Jerry Covington. Will […]
Men, what are your dreams? What you would love to do that you never done before? Harley-Davidson is convinced that riding one of their bikes is one of the secret dreams of many men. So they launch a huge campaign to incite all those as young as 18 to 55 to participate in the sport […]
At the shop or in your garage, this new small footprint wheel balancer is easier to use than a conventional balancer, and more compact to store away between tire changes. With this balancer and a couple of tire irons (plus a bead breaker for tubeless tires) anyone can get a precision balanced tire in a […]
Custom OCC Burgers And Chopped Fried Chicken Coming Near You. Really?
Published by May 12th, 2010 in Builders, Editorial and Events.Fans of Orange County Choppers are not reading my Blog. Or are they doing it discreetly and remain silent? They must be somewhere or The Learning Channel will not continue to renew the America Chopper Show and Advent Entertainment (a very successful company in the theme restaurant biz) would not have acquired the exclusive international […]
Your Shoes Best Friend. Your Exhaust Pipes Too.
Published by May 12th, 2010 in Controls, Customs and Editorial.Whatever your footwear style when you ride, it is not supposed to go in contact with your pipes. Nor your skin… So, a heel guard is the best thing to avoid the big Ouch drama. New for Harley-Davidson 2009 and later Softail Heritage Classic or Softail Cross Bones, heel guards to fit the stock floorboards with a very […]
Beginning this short post I have to underscore again the fact that the percentage of heavily customized factory bikes versus the percentage of custom bikes built from the ground up continue to increase. Using as a platform a motorcycle (or part of it) with a title making it road legal and insurable before starting any […]
Harley-Davidson Drag Racing. The Book To Get A Nitro Fix.
Published by May 12th, 2010 in Books, Builders, Editorial and Events.You follow or not drag racing events, but you are the type of guy who has a need for speed and would enjoy a nitro fix. Now you can do it outside the track just by reading at home this new book about Harley Drag Racing.
