Nothing wrong with kicking, kicking & kicking again your Panhead. But I know quite a few Pan Guys who don’t really enjoy doing it. Hey, there is another way to start your Pan. At first click, no more at the 10th kick. With a Twister Electric Start Kit from Tech Cycle. This Twister kit mounts […]
Archive for the 'Editorial' Category
Like Lighting Your Cigarette With A Molotov Cocktail
Published by November 25th, 2006 in Editorial and Electrical.These words are from Bert Baker himself. It’s the way he describes his new starter named the Firestarter. Building custom bikes with big engines, I learned a long time ago that so called performance starters have notorious reliability issues. With smaller engines, Harley-Davidson starters do fine. But it seems that some performance starters sold as new […]
A few weeks ago I posted my comments on the come back of Indian Motorcycles with new models to be released summer 2007. The two Harvard Business School classmates who resurrected Chris-Craft have a new plan to bring Indian back from the brink. Can this icon be saved? Yesterday, I found this very interesting article by […]
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. […]
New Brake Fittings: No Ferrules. No Wrenching, No Nothing.
Published by November 21st, 2006 in Editorial.Streamline Designs introduces the cleanest and easiest pressure brake fittings on the market. Thread the 3/8-24 fitting into the brake or clutch and run your 3/16 kevlar reinforced tubing inside your frame or outside. Cut to length and push the hose in. that’s it No ferrules, no wrenching, no Nothing. And if you ever need […]
High Tech Hog Piggy Bank. Not From Harley.
Published by November 21st, 2006 in Accessories and Editorial.Nothing against the Hog Piggy Bank from Harley, but I prefer this one to teach a child, or myself, how to save money. First, The Pig Electronic Bank looks great all in chrome. It doesn’t wear the Milwaukee logo but it features an LCD screen to teach the value of money. Deposit coins (pennies, nickels, […]
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 […]
Look attentively at the picture and you will see that this exhaust system from Hooker is a four-into-one header. A low restriction reverse primary collector opens into four 1 3/8” pipes merging into a 3” four-into-one collector for awesome styling and aggressive sound (a removable baffle is included). Hooker states that this system adds 13 […]
Now you can ride and carry with you your biker’s music, your videos, and your Biker Build Off TV shows. The Brando watch is really a wild one and big like your bad ass bike. It packs some impressive features: you sync via your computer USB, can store 8 hours of music, MP3, WMA and […]
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. […]
When I read the story, I thought it was a joke. A good one. But it’s not. The news comes from Dubai, Arab Emirates. Retriever Motorcycles will be used to tow cars that break down on congested roads. I didn’t know that this service has already shown remarkable success in other countries such as Canada, […]
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 […]
Paint: Flat & Satin Black Are In. Glossy Black Is Out.
Published by November 15th, 2006 in Editorial and Painters.Motorcycle & car custom builders have used black primer for decades to log the progress of their fabrication work. Why? Because of the “flop”. A flat black has a beautiful “flop”, the contrast between the light side and dark side of a surface. For designers & fabricators, it’s the best way to appreciate the purity […]
Dakota Digital Gear Gauge. You Need One?
Published by November 15th, 2006 in Accessories and Editorial.I don’t know about you. But even when I ride a new bike he doesn’t take me a long time to learn & remember the music of my gear shifting. Yes, from time to time I may have difficulties finding the neutral and I can also miss a gear. But so what? I understand that […]
The Lethal Injection pipes are one of the nicest looking sets available. In addition to good looks, the pipes have features that I never saw before being offered by any custom exhaust manufacturers. First, the pipes are made of stainless steel and polished to a high shine. Second the Lethal Injection pipes have welded on exhaust flanges with […]
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 […]
KD Tool supplies derby covers, timing covers and access covers with your company logo or whatever design you would like on a cover. They manufacture the parts from 6061 aluminum, engrave them, and then fill in with paint to make your design stand out. The covers are buffed and polished before being sent to you. […]
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 […]
Custom builders are very familiar with this problem. We build custom bikes with hand built one-off custom gas tanks. Then we have to figure out where to position the fuel valve on the gas tank. And it never happens that the best position to install it (the lowest part of the tank to use all gas capacity) is […]
With 2 pipes, how many exhaust designs can you create? Well, it seems that there is no limit. A company in Miami called Wanted Choppers just released 5 interesting new designs for both left & right side applications for Evo & Twin Cam engine bikes from 96 to 07. The pipes are built from .065 […]
Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) is the official riding club of the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Founded in 1985 H.O.G. currently has more than one million members and nearly 1,400 chapters worldwide, making it the largest factory-sponsored motorcycle organization in the world. H.O.G. rallies are held around the globe to celebrate Harley-Davidson motorcycle riding. The 5 US […]
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 […]
