A new exhibit called “The Early Days” focusing on the earliest motorcycles – from what is commonly recognized as the first motorcycle through those machines produced in 1915 -. just opened at the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. “The Early Days Exhibit is designed to show our visitors what those early machines were like, and to tell […]
Archive for the 'Editorial' Category
Motorcycle Early Days Exhibit At Sturgis Motorcycle Museum
Published by March 25th, 2011 in Builders, Editorial and Events.Panhead Engine Finned Dishpan Covers
Published by March 25th, 2011 in Customs, Editorial and Engines.One of the first aftermarket engine products introduced in 1968 by Randy Smith, these Panhead Covers are out of retirement and produced again at the original foundry with using the same original tooling and castings with A-356-T6 aluminum. They were designed to eliminate oil seepage associated with the stock tin rocker covers and to dampen […]
Like many I am on Twitter exchanging 140-character limit tweets with many friends and followers belonging or not to the motorcycle industry. Yesterday, Jesses James tweeted this image of the West Coast Choppers sign being removed from the roof of his ex Long Beach shop closed since October 16, 2010. Jesse sent this image with the following […]
Spectro Oils Team Up With Ferracci For 2011 AMA Pro Racing Daytona Sportbike/Celtic Racing Team Program.
Published by March 25th, 2011 in Editorial and Events.Spectro Oils is proud to once again team up with World Superbike and AMA Superbike winning tuner Eraldo Ferracci, who will apply his considerable expertise in support of Celtic Racing and the talented young rider, P.J. Jacobsen. “Spectro has become the ‘oil of choice’ for the Ferracci team in 2011, and will be recommended and […]
Custom Dirt Track Style Harley Sportster
Published by March 24th, 2011 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.Because customizing stock Harley models, instead of building new bikes from the ground up, is big again and because all Sportster models are big sellers, I introduce you to another nice custom project by Steve Willis the man in charge of Speed and Custom, the custom division of Brighton, UK based Shaw Harley-Davidson. The XLST3 […]
New Fork Seal Driver With Split Design
Published by March 24th, 2011 in Accessories, Customs and Editorial.Fortunately, tools are getting smarter. Anything making our mechanical tasks easier is worth mentioning. Last weekend at the CCI Dealer Expo I saw this new Fork Seal Driver with an innovative split design making it easier and safer to use than old fashioned pin aligned drivers. It features a knurled finish for a secure no-slip grip […]
Celtic Chopper. Everything Is Backward.
Published by March 23rd, 2011 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.If you have been to Ireland, you know that driving and road rules are different from those of the US and of the rest of Europe, e.g. drive on the left and yield to the right on roundabout (similar to rules of the United Kingdom). Well, on his new build, Irish Ger Conlon from C&C […]
Bikers Don’t Cry. Visormatic For Any 3/4 Helmet..
Published by March 23rd, 2011 in Accessories, Customs and Editorial.Bikers don’t cry. Yes, they do, at least when they don’t wear a good face/eye protection. Lick’s Cycles has released a new face/eye protection designed for quick and easy installation to any ¾ open face helmet. Rubber retention tabs fitted to the lens simply slide into place between the helmet shell and lining. So glasses […]
Harley-Davidson Donates $250,000 To Support Japan Relief Efforts
Published by March 23rd, 2011 in Editorial and Events.Harley-Davidson, Inc. announced a $250,000 donation from The Harley-Davidson Foundation to support relief efforts following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. “Our hearts go out to all the people in Japan who have been impacted by these tragic events,” said Foundation President Gail Lione. “It is important to all of us at Harley-Davidson to support […]
Sporty look often implies mid-shift controls. Another option from Top Shelf Customs is these Smasher Mid Controls available to work with major brands of open primary systems: BDL, Primo-Rivera and Ultima. They are available in polished ($729.00) or black anodizing ($799.00). Order at 714-903-8042 Top Shelf Customs.
You are looking at a Norley 2, a Cafe Racer built from the ground up using a Norton looking frame in which was cradled a Sportster engine and transmission. The frame, swingarm with bearings and spindle plus rear engine mounts is provided by UK manufacturer JW Motorcycles and offered in the US as a kit […]
Sturgis Pre-Booking Discount At Broken Spoke Campground
Published by March 22nd, 2011 in Editorial and Events.Daytona Bike Week is over, and the next big rally is of course in Sturgis (August 1 to 14h). And this one needs some well thought advance planning. For the Sturgis Rally 71th edition the Broken Spoke Campground in Sturgis offers early bird discount rates. For example, camping rates are $119/person plus tax and include […]
Long and tough economic times almost always bring a taste for everything retro, a trend that you can perceive in many areas like fashion, architecture and of course the automotive industry. Another example of this trend towards retro designs is this Imperia, a car brand name that’s been dead for over half a century. To the pleasure of […]
The Custom Motorcycle King Of Seattle
Published by March 21st, 2011 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.Seattle gave us music legend Jimi Hendrix, alternative rock “grumge” music style (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam), Starbucks Coffee and now a group of creative local Custom Builders like RedSoul Motorcycles. RedSoul? Curious, I wanted to know the origin of the shop name, and as answer the only thing I could get was […]
Custom Chrome International Bike Show Series. North American Championship. (Part 3)
Published by March 20th, 2011 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.Today Sunday March 20th, 2011 for the fist time ever, the famous Custom Chrome Dealer Show opened its doors to the public. Not only to visit 75 of the V-Twin industry’s leading manufacturers, but also to admire world class custom bikes from top builders and customizers competing in the Custom Chrome International Bike Show Series, […]
2011 Custom Chrome International Dealer Show (Part 2)
Published by March 20th, 2011 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.People at the Custom Chrome Dealer Show. from top to bottom. Kirk taylor (Custom Design Studios) – Cory Ness (Arlen Ness Ent) – Holger Mohr (CCI) with Sukoshi Fahey (Avon Tyres) – Lisa and Bert Baker (Baker Drivetrain) – Rod Woodruff (Buffalo Chip) with Mike Prugh (Prugh Design) – Gerald Rinehart (Rinehart Racing) – Lisa Taylor (Kirk’s wife) – Pascal Richard (Revolution Magazine) […]
1- Zero Motorcycles. To boost its international growth and support the development of its electrical vehicle technology, Zero Motorcycles has secured a $26 million financing deal. The deal with Invus LP, the company’s principal investor group, closed March 3, just days before the company’s co-founder Neal Saiki retired from his daily operations as chief technology […]
The Best That Can Happen To A 08-Up Harley-Davidson Tourer
Published by March 19th, 2011 in Customs, Editorial, Engines and Exhaust.No new factory motorcycle responds to simple intake and exhaust upgrades like a Harley®! That’s why Zipper’s Performance Products developed the Zip Kit for throttle-by-wire Touring models. Included in the Zip Kit is a Zipper’s MaxFlow performance air cleaner, performance exhaust of your choice and the cutting-edge ThunderMax with AutoTune EFI Controller for throttle-by-wire models. […]
2011 Custom Chrome International Dealer Show (Part 1)
Published by March 19th, 2011 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.I am in Santa Clara, CA in the Silicon Valley, the leading hub for high-tech innovation and development (Google, Amazon, Apple, eBay, Intuit, Netflix and many others are just around), for the 2011 Custom Chrome Dealer Show. The venue is minutes away from the CCI headquarters at the beautiful Santa Clara Convention Center. Over 75 of the […]
Motorcycle Industry Raises over $11,000 at Daytona Biker Fusion
Published by March 19th, 2011 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.As I reported last week, the 4th annual Seminole Hard Rock Roadhouse Biker Fusion event was one of the most attended charity events during this year’s Bike Week with the donations to prove it, The prominent gathering, organized by Carrie Repp of R&R Promotions and Ken Conte of Rise Above Consulting, is known for bringing […]
Mansory Impressive Looking Carbon Fiber Cruiser
Published by March 18th, 2011 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.Since 1989, Kourosh Mansory, the owner and namesake of Mansory in Bavaria Germany is a maestro at fulfilling the custom dreams – engine, body, interior improvements – of his clientele of owners of high end cars like Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Aston Martins, Porsches and Ferraris. He is famous for his tricked out Bugatti Veyrons and […]
Lots of original Harley Shovelhead engines (manufactured from 1966 to 1984) and 3rd party Shovelhead type engines in a variety of bores are running today’s bikes. A favorite way to customize them has always been to split the rocker boxes. A new choice comes from Bare Knuckle Choppers who designed them not only to look […]
A balding, white haired man from Chebacco Lake in Florida, walked into a jewelry store this past Friday evening with a beautiful much younger gal at his side. He told the jeweler he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend. The jeweler looked through his stock and brought out a $5,000 ring. The man […]
Win An Ultimate Biker Makeover At Carlisle Bike Fest
Published by March 18th, 2011 in Editorial and Events.The 9th edition of Carlisle Bike Fest, PA a premier motorcycle event with over 40,000 in attendance, is set for July 22-24th, 2011. Men and ladies who intend to be present should enter their chance to win an Ultimate Biker Makeover. Contestants (both guys and girls) must email by May 10, 2011 to bikermakeover@garage-girls.com a […]
Cicero deGuzman of Godspeed 45/06 sent me this video he shot of Tim Vander from the Death Science Blog riding in Brooklyn.his 1949 Panhead in a 1936 frame. Of course in B&W…
From Harley Cross Bones To Ol’ Bone
Published by March 17th, 2011 in Builders, Customs and Editorial.Harley-Davidson, like many competitors, has embraced the look of days long gone promoted by independent custom builders with their one-off machines. The Cross Bones model is a perfect example of a manufacturer trying to recapture the old school look while offering today’s technology and reliability. Put this model in the hands of a reputable custom […]
