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 […]
Archive for the 'Editorial' Category
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.
A Mexican, an Arab, and an Arizona girl are in the same bar. When the Mexican finishes his beer, he throws his glass in the air, pulls out his pistol and shoots the glass to pieces. He says, ‘In Mexico our glasses are so cheap we don’t need to drink with the same one twice.’ […]
Motorcycle Manufacturers Under Brake Pressure
Published by May 11th, 2010 in Brakes, Builders, Editorial and Events.Expect the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require very soon antilock brakes (ABS) on all new motorcycles, all this under the pressure of insurance companies. Because some motorcycle manufacturers were reluctant to make the systems standard, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (representing insurance companies) ordered a study whose main conclusion is that motorcycles […]
Freaking Motorcycle News. The Teutuls Divorce.
Published by May 11th, 2010 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.Almost live from the Bench, below are the legal details of the OCC divorce between Paul Senior and Paul Junior. As you can see the humorous arguments (for some) of the American Chopper show have turned into a full fledged legal battle. When OCC was founded in 1999, Senior owned 80% and Junior 20% of […]
Mayhem For Harley-Davidson Touring Bikes
Published by May 11th, 2010 in Customs, Editorial and Exhaust.There are a lot of good working and fine looking exhaust systems available for Harley-Davidson touring bikes. Ronnie Hacker who has 40 years of experience working on bikes, engines and exhaust systems is offering this “Mayhem” collected header system with the objective of offering bagger riders with a design up one notch up the customization […]
Exclusive. The Falcon Krestrel Custom Motorcycle By Ian Barry.
Published by May 10th, 2010 in Builders, Customs, Editorial and Events.As I announced a few days ago on May 6, Ian Barry and Amaryllis Knight, founders of Falcon Motorcycles, went last weekend to Carmel, CA to unveil their new creation at the Quail Motorcycle Gathering. The event is a world class international motor sport event building on the success of its Automobile Gathering counterpart. It’s […]
Custom Motorcycle Frame Builder And Beyond.
Published by May 9th, 2010 in Chassis, Driveline, Editorial and Engines.You know that a motorcycle frame is the first critical part on which to never sacrifice quality and integrity. Better work with experts who work on frame tables, use professional jigs, know about tubing bends, cross members and braces, and have the welding know-how to get a straight frame with a safe geometry. After that, […]
Glad That You Asked. What Years Did AMF Own Harley-Davidson?
Published by May 9th, 2010 in Builders and Editorial.AMF (American Machinery And Foundry) bought Harley-Davidson in 1969, and sold it in 1981 to a group of thirteen investors led by Vaughn Beals and Willie G. Davidson for $80 million. During the AMF ownership bikes were of so poor quality (versus Japanese motorcycles) that Harleys were nicknamed “Hardly Ableson”, “Hardly Driveable,” and “Hogly Ferguson”
