The traditional method to turn a Harley Shovelhead into a rigid is to do a full bike disassembly, cutting the swingarm mounts, then welding a new tail section to the frame. Tim Anding at Papa Clutch Customs proposes a bolt-on rigid tail section which is a direct replacement of the stock swing-arm and shocks for […]
Archive for the 'Chassis' Category
Harley Shovelhead. From Swingarm To Hardtail Without Cutting And Welding.
Published by December 22nd, 2010 in Builders, Chassis, Customs and Editorial.Cast Steel Or Stainless Steel Frame Neck
Published by December 19th, 2010 in Builders, Chassis, Customs and Editorial.John Grant at Hardtail Choppers produces frames and sell all the individual components that you may need if your are building your own. This new neck is produced for builders wanting a single down tube neck with backbone and down tube holes already machined to accept 1 1/2″ frame tubes. Offered in 30-degree rake in […]
Front Wheel Size Matters. New 23″ And 26″ Front Fenders.
Published by November 28th, 2010 in Builders, Chassis, Customs, Editorial and Wheels.Builders have found a new way to rejuvenate and improve the overall look of their custom bikes. After focusing during years on the rear wheel and experimenting with diameter and width to the point of exhausting all possible rideable options, the new cool thing is to use taller front wheels. And in many cases, not […]
Harley-Davidson Saddlebag Organizers
Published by November 23rd, 2010 in Chassis, Customs and Editorial.If you are a Harley tourer and is as organized as I am, you need a pair of Saddlebag Organizer Trays to hold and protect all your road accessories and necessities, from registration to glasses, from cel. phone to iPad, from wallet to GPS and all the necessities you think you need to carry with […]
Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication. All Visions Welcomed.
Published by November 18th, 2010 in Chassis, Customs and Editorial.Many of the Custom Motorcycle and Car Builders you know by name, including your writer, have been helped bring their visions to life thanks to the skills of master fabricator Brendon Thmpson. He was mentored in the techniques of forming sheet metal by Don Baumunk the owner of Fat Katz where he spent 13 years. […]
Drop Your Harley-Davidson Bagger Seat 3 Inch With This Bolt-On Kit.
Published by November 17th, 2010 in Builders, Chassis, Customs and Editorial.You would prefer your bagger lower for looks and better control or you suffer from a short inseam and need to sit closer to the ground for better footing. This bolt-on drop seat conversion kit will easily drop the factory seat height by 3 inch without altering clearance and suspension. It works on all Harley-Davidson […]
Who said that a cylindric shaped oil tank must be installed horizontally? Vertically, it will add a very nice visual touch to your custom. But, please measure first especially if you want to install it under your seat and use an electric starter. This one is spun from .125″ thick aluminum and is 9″ tall […]
Arlen Ness Big Wheeler 21″ Front Fender
Published by November 12th, 2010 in Chassis, Customs and Editorial.You already know that the front of your Harley-Davidson FLT Bagger will be greatly improved if you switch your wheel to a 21″ x 3.50″. Of course, it will cost you a new tire and front fender. This one called the “Big Wheeler”is a direct stock replacement fender that you can install on FLT’s on […]
Harley® Hammock Rider and Passenger Touring Seat
Published by November 11th, 2010 in Builders, Chassis, Customs and Editorial.This new touring seat from Harley-Davidson® Genuine Motor Accessories® is designed to isolate both rider and passenger from harsh road conditions. The sling-like fabric suspension system that is integrated into the seat pan is manufactured from a unique blend of flexible, durable fibers. The fabric acts like a hammock, providing two inches of suspension above […]
Aluminum Ribbed Fenders. Natural, Brushed, Copper or Brass?
Published by November 9th, 2010 in Builders, Chassis, Customs and Editorial.These Brit-Style aluminum ribbed Chopper Fenders look extremely good on a custom, either a Harley, Triumph, BSA, Honda, Yamaha etc. What about sturdiness to avoid cracking with vibrations? Most steel fenders are .035″ thick, most aluminum are .060″ and these aluminum ones are .090″ are less than half the weight of comparable steel fenders (meaning […]
Give A Chin To Your Harley Sportster
Published by November 5th, 2010 in Builders, Chassis and Editorial.For 2011 Harley-Davidson offers no less than 6 different Sportster models: 883 Low, 883 N Iron, 1200 Low, 1200 Nighster, XL Forty-Eight and XR1200X. Sportsters also represent the segment with the largest number of units sold. All models begging for custom after-market components. Something that Doug Wozney noticed. Hence this new Pro-Tour “S” Chin Fairing bolting […]
Harley-Davidson Pan Neck & Knuckle Neck
Published by October 26th, 2010 in Chassis, Customs and Editorial.Just out of John Grant’s foundry and ready for machining. several cast necks in different flavors. Top left is replica stock Harley Panhead neck. Top right is Panhead neck with lock removed to look like late Knucklehead necks. Bottom left is steel neck raked to 56 degrees (custom order) and a replica Panhead neck in […]
Fat Tire Conversion Kit For Harley-Davidson Rocker Models
Published by October 23rd, 2010 in Builders, Chassis, Customs and Editorial.Heartland USA specializes in wide tire conversion systems for stock Harley-Davidson models. And because some continue to like it fat in the rear, the company has addressed the issue for those owning a Rocker and Rocker C wishing to go from a “small” 240 mm stock rear tire to a more beefy 280 mm, Heartland proposes a […]
If you want to know what kind of radical custom motorcycle you could legally ride in the US, just look at Europe, a continent where each country has very strict automotive regulations and in addition must respect euro emission standards. Although the custom bike you are looking at is still in the final stage of […]
Bracing For The Vikings
Published by October 18th, 2010 in Builders, Chassis, Customs and Editorial.From the fertile imagination of John Grant who must have Viking ancestors, this rear fender brace in cast stainless steel. Not for every bike or biker, far from it, but it can inspire some of you for some customizing work. It will work on rear fenders from 6″ to 7 1/4″ total width. This is […]
The new 26″ front wheel that so many are adopting on Harley-Davidson touring bikes and of course on custom motorcycles built front the ground up deserved a cool front fender. Fat Katz Inc. delivers again with the introduction of the Laredo 26” STEEL front fender.
The Classic Harley-Davidson Royalite Bublebags Are Back.
Published by September 25th, 2010 in Builders, Chassis, Customs and Editorial.Remember the classic Harley-Davidson/Royalite saddlebags of the 50’s and 60’s. They appeared in 1952 on the Harley K models and in 1954 on Panheads and were also popular on Duo-Glides and Sportsters.
Building a motorcycle by putting a Vincent engine into a Norton wideline frame has been done by the Brits since a long time. It’s called a NORVIN. And now, coming again from England, putting an American Sportster engine in a Norton looking frame will create a NORLEY motorcycle.
Discounted Gas Tanks And Fenders From An American Metal Forming Company
Published by August 24th, 2010 in Builders, Chassis, Customs and Editorial.CAD Works Inc. is an American metal forming company which specializes in deep draw forming and stamping of motorcycle parts, including gas tanks and fenders, for many V-Twin companies. They tell me that they have some inventory of parts from their collection of fenders and gas tanks that they can sell to the public at […]
Coming From The East. Speedy G Bobber.
Published by August 2nd, 2010 in Builders, Chassis and Customs.In less than one week, exactly August 8th in Sturgis, a lot of new creations are going to be unveiled during the 2010 AMD World Championship Of Bike Building. So, it’s time for me to finish my European tour of the custom motorcycles scene with this bike built in Slovakia, a small 5 million people […]
New Rick’s Conversion Kits For Harley-Davidson Dyna And Street Bob
Published by July 17th, 2010 in Builders, Chassis, Customs and Editorial.A few companies in the US already offer some conversion kits for the most popular Harley-Davidson models. Because people have less money to spend on a custom built from the ground up and also may prefer to customize an existing Harley to avoid the red tape of registering a “new motorcycle assembled from parts”, many […]
Cast Aluminum Motorcycle Solo Seat Pan
Published by June 30th, 2010 in Chassis, Customs, Editorial and Seats.Most sold solo seat pans are made of steel. Lowbrow Customs now propose a cast aluminum version offering both lightness and durability. It is made in small batches of 10, and shows a great shape with a nice kick up in the rear to keep you from sliding off of your seat. With measurements of 11.5″ […]
Gas Or Oil Tank Knuckle Cap
Published by June 27th, 2010 in Accessories, Chassis, Customs and Editorial.The proof again that you don’t need to do in the complicated to get a nice design. For all those readers who are ready and able to weld-on a simple but still custom gas cap, the Mooneyes Knuckle model is a good choice that will never go out of custom building fashion. Of course the […]
Battistinis New Fork Boots. What Do You Think?
Published by June 14th, 2010 in Chassis, Customs, Editorial and Suspension.Rikki Battistini sent a few pros of the industry, including myself, a few pictures of his new fork boots whose design is conceived to complete its already extended line of “hole” parts. He wants our honest opinion. So why not also ask yours? Keep in mind that these fork boots are raw aluminum prototypes, just off the CNC […]
Arlen Ness Cafe Fairing for Harley-Davidson Sportster™
Published by June 9th, 2010 in Chassis, Customs and Editorial.Harley-Davidson is pushing the sales of its Sportster line (of course Nightster models included), the Cafe Racer look is making a come back, and of course Arlen Ness noticed. The company just started offering a direct bolt-on fairing kit to fit any Sportster equipped with a 39 mm front end, top mount headlight and Nighster […]
