Not all famous couples are in jeopardy. Harley-Davidson and Ford are still going strong and their union will be extended to at least 2009 (I believe in vows renewed by periods of 2 years). Since 2000, date of the union, 50,000 Harley-Davidson editions of the F-150 have been sold. Each year model has been different, […]
Archive for the 'Customs' Category
Harley-Davidson And Ford: Marriage Made In Hog Heaven
Published by December 28th, 2006 in Customs and Editorial.Board Track motorcycles from the 1st decades of the 20th century are the new inspiration of some custom builders. Some build reproductions as faithful as possible. Others like Roland Sand, from RSD, are not afraid to install a mind-boggling 200 + horsepower engine in a newly designed board-tracker body. And you have to know how […]
The Bravest. My Absolute Custom Vintage Bike.
Published by December 13th, 2006 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.I officially launched this Blog October 5th, my birthday (I believe in symbols when giving birth to new projects). At this date, I wrote 142 posts, blogging anywhere, anytime I can. Only 3 posts were related to me, my bikes or my parts. And it’s fine this way. But I warn you. This is the 4th […]
Arlen Ness wants you at his 1st Annual Bike Show & Parts Extravaganza to be held January 27/28 near San Francisco at the San Jose Mc Energy Convention Center. You with your Pro-Street, Chopper, Bobber and whatever custom sled you ride. You, vendors to show off your latest custom parts & accessories to a crowd […]
In American Iron Magazine, Adrian Blake wrote "I love the way Cyril Huze says the word Bobber. His heavy Parisian accent not only transforms the word, but insinuates itself into the very image of that now familiar symbol of Americana with an elegance and attitude suggestive of couture houses like Givenchy or Hermes". It’s all about a […]
New Confederate “Renovatio” Motorcycle
Published by December 1st, 2006 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.Say the truth. Like me, you stared at this picture. The "Renovatio", whose name is Latin for "Rebirth," will signal Confederate‘s return to alternative American motorcycle design and production when it goes on sale in 2007. I remember Confederate when they appeared on the motorcycle scene in the 90’s. Their first big showing was in […]
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. […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
Steve McQueen’s Crocker Motorcycle Sold For $276,500
Published by November 14th, 2006 in Customs and Editorial.Cars, trucks, motorcycles and memorabilia from McQueen’s widow Barbara and other collectors were put up for sale last Saturday at the Petersen Automotive Museum. A 1937 Crocker brought in $276,500, the biggest price of the day and a world record for a Crocker motorcycle. A 1934 Indian Sport Scout went for $177,500, and a 1920 […]
How To Sell Your Custom Motorcycle On eBay
Published by November 13th, 2006 in Customs and Editorial.First, let me say that according to research by Terapeak, Harley-Davidson merchandise on eBay this past year have topped $30,000,000 for parts and accessories alone, not counting Harley motorcycles and full blown custom bikes. Second, Harley-Davidson has consistently been the top ranked search term on eBay’s Pulse, which lists the top 10 search terms for […]
OCC Invests 13.5 Millions In Custom Motorcycles Plant
Published by November 12th, 2006 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.Seems like Orange County Choppers is going to capitalize on its brand name made famous by the TV reality series "American Chopper," They are going to invest 13.5 millions to build a plant and and should create 160 new jobs (up from just 12 now). The Teutul family’s business should be a 92,000 square foot […]
The cut-off date for motorcycle entries for the second annual Legend of the Motorcycle Concours d’Elegance is just weeks away. The entry deadline is DECEMBER 31st. Submissions received after the closing date will not be considered. All motorcycle makes and models (production, competition and custom) up to 1975 are eligible, and the featured marques will […]
E’Ville Twin Motorcycle Hoodlum Bobber
Published by November 3rd, 2006 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.I don’t know any custom builder with a household name who didn’t deserve the recognition of our industry. But I know a lot of custom builders, professionals or amateurs, who deserve more recognition than the one they acquired locally or among a circle of friends. In Alberta, Canada, there is a professional builder named Miles Brown (a.k.a Smiley) […]
VH1 Auctioning Ness/Def Leppard/Journey Custom Bike
Published by November 2nd, 2006 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.VH1 Classic has partnered with bands Def Leppard and Journey to auction off a custom bike, designed by Arlen & Cory Ness. The bike is autographed by each member of both bands. Now through Nov. 22 online users can visit VH1 Auctions to bid on this rock-n-roll machine. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to CAN […]
For years, Russ Austin, owner of Precious Metal Customs has been rigid about only building hardtail frames. But for those wishing to spend a lot of time in the solo seat, Russ has decided to offer the Softail version of his already successful Spoon Rigid style frames. Logically, it called it the Spoon Flex. The […]
What a Scooter is doing in this Blog? Read on. I stumbled on this info from Yamaha about a new 125 cc fuel cell powered scooter shown for the 1st time this week at the Fuel Cell Battery, Hybrid, and Electric Symposium & Exposition in Yokohama Japan. The Scooter has a secondary Lithium Ion battery […]
A Custom Victory With A Little Help From Ness
Published by October 20th, 2006 in Customs and Editorial.Taking online customization to a new level, Victory Motorcycles of Spirit Lake, Iowa has recently extended the option to trick-out any of four models—but only for a limited time. Until 31 October 2006, visit the Victory Website and let legendary bike builders Arlen and Cory Ness walk you through the slick interface to help you to design […]
Warning: shameless plug ahead. There are only 2 frames in existence with this configuration and a twisted curved downtube (look closer to see it). And you can only get this one because I keep the other one to build a custom bike for a (repeat) client. I know what to do with mine. A lot of different […]
In Cologne, Germany, Harley-Davidson just unveiled a new prototype inspired by the flat track scene that Harley dominates since so many years. Dressed in racing orange this XR1200 is powered by the European version of the 1200 V-Twin motor pounding out 90 bhp. This prototype is the result of a close collaboration between Harley factory […]
It’s 9 PM. Still at the shop listing the parts missing to finish on time a Bobber for Daytona Biketoberfest. Phone rings. A girl named Debra is on the phone asking me if I can identify any bike in less than 5 minutes. Huh, huh. Ask me to look right away at my email. I […]
Custom Builder Russ Tom Killed In Helicopter Crash
Published by October 9th, 2006 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.I am sad to learn that fellow custom builder Russ Tom passed away October 8th, 2006 while piloting a small helicopter. Russ Tom is best known for taking over his father motorcycle business Downtown Harley-Davidson in Seattle Washington in the late 1990’s. Russ Tom was a lover of motorcycles as well as other motor sports, especially […]
