They are called high definition motion mats. They not only look cool in your garage or showroom (in 12 different styles and 3 colors, black, grey orange) but are supposed to make both your bike and your wife very happy (no oil on the floor). Standard size is 48 (W) x 96 (L) for a total of 32 sq/ft. So, they will fit most standard size bikes including dressers. Bikes with extended forks may require a larger size (available by special order). Motion Floors.
In this business we all scratch our heads to imagine new custom parts fitting a variety of different bikes from different years – a complex task- hoping to make just enough money to continue to do the job we love. Then, somebody comes with a very simple and low tech idea and makes millions in just 1 month. Wow! How I didn’t think about this one? Relying on the fact that the unpopularity of our President is at an all time high here and abroad, no discussion about this, a genius put together this little key chain that countdown the days until America sworn in a new President. But be careful about who sees you wearing it. Except, of course, if you enjoy arguing politics with your neighbors, coworkers or boss. Bikers always need an extra key chain. So, it’s up to you. Backward Bush Key Chain.
Us, custom builders, we try all kind of new things, and each time we do it we create a new trend generating a new style of bikes. Remember the start of the fat tire kits craze with the 180 mm Avon tire? It’s not so long ago. Now, a 300 mm rear tire is quite common on custom bikes built from the ground up with custom after-market frames, but still rare installed on stock Harley Softails. Why? Because of technical issues too complex for the average garage builder or motorcycle shop. Until somebody like Michael Long from Zeel Design in Quebec Canada realizes that many stock Harley riders would ride fat if it was relatively simple and not prohibitive to install. Ditto this new release 300 mm left side drive kit (it means everything to do the conversion) with –here the merit and the beauty of the system- no offset and a price supposedly half of the one of the competition. Zeel Design Tel: 450-772-5962
A lawsuit has been filed in Federal Court in Los Angeles against Harley-Davidson for infringement of a patent for providing multi-colored lighting for speedometers and tachometers. The suit was filed by inventor and patent attorney Frank Weyer, who successfully sued Ford under the same patent for using a multi-colored instrument lighting system in the 2005 Ford Mustang. The suit seeks damages and an injunction prohibiting Harley from selling any more of its combination peedometer and tachometer with "color matched lighting," a $499 option available for some 2007 model year Harleys. In the Ford lawsuit, Ford decided to take a patent license early in the litigation. Patent litigation is extremely expensive, especially if large law firms are involved. ‘Running rates’ of $50,000 to $100,000 a month or more are not at all uncommon. Although law firms like litigation and the attorneys’ fees that are generated, lawsuits are bottomless money pits. There are usually 2 opportunities to settle lawsuits: at the very beginning, and at the very end, just before trial. The smart choice, when faced with a meritorious complaint, is to settle early. Ford did it. It would probably be to Harley’s benefit to do the same.
All reputable custom motorcycle designers and builders will tell you the same thing. Even when they build a bike commissioned by a client, they build the bike that they dream of. Simply because they are the designers and builders, not the client. Too much restrictions and control from a client and the bike will never be as good as it could be and should be. Roger Goldammer doesn’t build commissioned bikes anymore. He now designs customs to live up to his own taste, specifications and standards, and try financing his projects through the sales of his parts line. “ExperiMental” (notice the capital M in the name) the bike he built for a TV episode of Discovery channel Biker Build-Off, is a good example of what a great builder can do when he has no limitations placed front of him. “ExperiMental" is a two-stroke BRC 250cc super kart motor placed in a heavily modified Honda dirt bike frame. It’s an Aprilia Rotax designed Tandem-Twin, two cylinders, one in front of the other, and two crankshafts geared together. It features an electric water pump, ceramic composite brakes, and even carbon fiber wheels. It was built to dual out against Matt Hotch on the salt at the legendary Bonneville Speedway. On this unusual machine, Goldammer was able to wind out "ExperiMental" to 128.774 mph through the timed mile, besting rival on the salt and fellow builder Matt Hotch on his beautiful custom Vincent (Hotch’s bike was clocked out at 99.728 mph, which is also exceptional). ExperiMental is probably the most efficient dirt bike ever built. Roger Goldammer Cycle Works.
Last Minute Update 04/24/07.. Just talked to Roger. He told me the following: " I guess I must have got some salt in my blood because I am building another HD based machine that I plan to race at Bonneville before it ever sees a bike show, which I will do as well. I just want to meld the custom world and the performance world a little closer together"
Rikki Battistini is an Englishman with an Italian name who was building bikes in England, and became the main Arlen Ness distributor in Europe. Then he crossed the big pond moving to the San Francisco bay to become the # 3 at Arlen Ness Enterprises where he created a fine line of parts wearing his name. And now, Rikki just opened Battistinis USA (his brother manages Battistinis UK) where he will build new bikes and design new parts. Like this cool precision machined wheel from one piece 6061-T6 forged aluminum offered in the most popular sizes. You can complement this wheel with a matching pulley or chain sprocket and extend the “hole” theme all over your bike with matching grips, pegs, headlight, mirrors, etc. Rikki Battistinis USA Tel: 925-270-4211
For those who don’t know, to be a Color Designer in the automotive industry is a real job with lots of responsibilities. Which colors people would like for their next factory car or motorcycle? Color Designers are supposed to know, or at least guess. Right now, orange is increasing in popularity and should last. Copper-tinged oranges can be found on everything from the Chevrolet Corvette to the Ford Edge SUV to the new Range Rover to the Mini. Greens are expected to see a resurgence as sales of hybrid vehicles increase. People like to advertise their car’s "greenness" in a fairly literal way. Greens have been on the out lately as blues have become more popular. For some inexplicable reason, blue and green always alternate in popularity. Ford is working on a new black for all it’s 2008 line (yes, there are many different blacks), but it’s still a secret (a black using flakes? To produce another color when light reflects on sharp edges?). Looking ahead, the next frontier in automotive colors is dull paint. By the 2010 model year, car manufacturers hope to produce special car colors with no shine, as dull as a chalkboard. Owners will have to be educated as to how to take care of the vehicles without waxing. Us, motorcycle designers, did we know in advance that dull colors are cool to accentuate the lines and shapes of a vehicle? Yes, we knew, and already did a lot of flat paint jobs on custom motorcycles..
Jim Ziemer, president and chief executive officer of Harley-Davidson, Inc., has been appointed to a two-year term on the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN) by President George W. Bush. "I’m deeply honored to be appointed by President Bush to this Committee," and I look forward to the opportunities to share our Company’s perspectives on international trade matters, particularly as Harley-Davidson looks to grow our international presence." The ACTPN, established in 1974, is the President’s premier private-sector advisory panel on international trade and members play a critical role in providing advice to the President and the United States Trade Representative on matters related to international trade. Membership on this committee includes CEOs of large and small businesses, public policy makers, and leaders of major trade associations. The ACTPN, whose members volunteer their time as a public service, meets 2 to 3 times per year in Washington, D.C.
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As you can imagine, Taliban insurgents are not my favorite class of bikers. Since the Taliban regime was ousted in 2001 their motorcycles have become an emblem of swift and effective attacks. In 2003 their army was remobilizing in Pakistan and they bought 1,150 motorcycles. Their ride of choice? Chinese-built Honda 125cc motorcycles. They have become to the Taliban what the Humvees are to the American military. In 2002 the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, was reported to have fled from coalition forces on a motorcycle. A former Taliban commander, Mullah Abdul Salam Rocketi, was given his sobriquet for his ability to shoot down helicopters with shoulder-fired rockets while riding pillion on motorcycles. Journalist Soraya Nelson, the Afghanistan bureau chief for NPR (National Public Radio) traveled to Lashkargah, a city in the Taliban stronghold of Helmand, to talk to a mechanic who works on the motorcycles for the Taliban and find out what are the requests of the black-turbaned insurgents. What did she learned? 1- The mechanic is paid in cash (no surprise). 2- Each Taliban owned motorcycle breaks down at least 1 time a month (thank you China). 3- Taliban fighters have special custom requests like seats wrapped with thick blankets for smoother attacks and escapes, and strong headlights-a luxury-to find their way in the desert (yep, the guy is a custom builder). Please report to Homeland Security any black turbaned Afghan visiting the next Dealers V-Twin Expo.
Italy has produced some of the best designs in the world. And it’s still happening because Italians are born with an extra designer gene. I love to go there and always keep an eye on everything new on their motorcycle scene and beyond. Alessandro Pacelli (ex OMP) from Kustom Tech based in beautiful Firenze just released a new line of brass parts to make every vintage bike look at its best. The brass spinner gas cap can be screwed in on 1982 and up gas tanks. A matching side fill oil tank plug is also available. Mid Controls include a set of weld-on tabs to be welded symmetrically to the frame. They are designed to work with a hand shift and hydraulic clutch (a 14 mm bore master cylinder is available). Matching these parts is a hot rod style chrome & brass shift lever with a bracket to attach to most motor mount types. Kustom Tech Italy.
It’s not a joke, and I guess it’s what happens when your ideas are growing and growing and growing inside your mind. In Germany there is a guy called Clemens Leonhardt with crazy ideas about what a motorcycle should be and how it should look. And I don’t say one-off motorcycle because he intends to build small series looking exactly like this one! He states that he already received many requests, including a sidecar version. The project could not start before the right giant tires were discovered. Initially, Clemens thought he would use tires of a Boeing 767 but found out about a company called Rigdon willing to manufacture a set of 42” (D) x 15” (W) for the rear, and 38” (D) x 11” (W) for the front with the right rounded profile for the road. This bike 2 cylinders are out of an old 9 cylinder radial aero engine. With custom made cases it’s now a 350 HP, fuel injected, 6728 cc / 410 cubic inch engine. Speed will be electronically limited to 155 mph. It’s fitted with a 3-speed transmission with reverse (I agree that it must be quite difficult to walk backward while rolling this one). The motorcycle is 134 inch long and weight 870 pounds with a very reasonable seat height of only 31.5”, which is lower than some factory bikes. I am telling you, it is the one to win gold in the class “most usual” in the next Daytona Rat’s Hole Show. Clemens Leonhardt via TheKneeSlider
I guess you know that China & India are the 2 fastest growing economies in the world and that the US cannot prosper without these 2 countries as trading partners. But fair trade is the rule of the game. Logically, Harley Davidson wants to enter the Indian market , one the world’s largest for motorbikes. And India wants to sell its mangoes (it is the world’s largest producer) to the United States. But the US banned mangoes from India 18 years ago over concerns that Indian farmers used too many pesticides. So here the deal. Indian farmers will irradiate the fruit to kill any pests. In exchange Harley-Davidson will be able to export motorcycles under Euro 3 emission standards (the standard adopted by the European Community). Bilateral trade in goods and services could hit $50 billion this year, on track to hit goals set during Bush’s visit of doubling trade in three years. No word to know if an Indian farmer will be able to go to his local Harley dealer and pay his new bike with mangoes, and if yes, how many he will need for each model.
The new Indian Motorcycle Company wants you to reserve the new 2008 Indian Chief. It will cost you only $1,000 to get on the waiting list. But as of today no information is officially released about how the bike will look, its features, performance and of course price. But don’t worry. I read for you the contract of reservation and you don’t take much risk reserving one. Your deposit will go in an escrow account and is 100% refundable or transferable to another person if you would not want to proceed with your purchase. Indian Motorcycle (IMC) reserves the right to set MSRP and Chief specifications which may be amended from time to time without notice. You can fill out online the reservation contract and even pay your $1000 deposit with a credit card.
I already gave you a couple of good addresses to have your seat hand tooled. Here is another one. As always, the roster of clients says a lot about the quality of work you can expect. Duane Ballard custom makes seats for some of the best motorcycle builders of the industry: Dave Perewitz, Hank Young, Cole Foster, and Greg Westbury to name a few. Now, remember that if distance from your location is never an issue (Duane is based in New Hampshire), no upholstery shop will be able to work on your seat without you providing a seat pan. It doesn’t matter if your pan is in steal, fiberglass, plastic, carbon fiber, polypan, etc. Then you will need to talk to Duane himself since all his seats are one-off and done by himself. Duane Ballard Custom Leather.
The biggest topic of conversation, in & out of the industry, is the slow down of motorcycle sales. We all know that the housing boom from 2000 to 2005 has created a wealth effect with the mortgage equity withdrawals (MEW) being a cash cow providing home owners 100’s of billions of dollars going into consumer spending. On an annualized basis MEW soared from about $100 billion in 2000 to $780 billion at the peak in the 3rd quarter of 2005. From that point it has already dropped by about 55% to $350 billion. Harley Davidson and its clone companies (Big Dog Motorcycles, American Iron Horse, etc…) were some of the benefactors. Harley stock price (HOG) outperformed the S&P 500 by 130% from 2000-2006. This so-called “wealth effect” has been an extremely important factor to fuel consumer spending as real consumption growth has far outpaced real income growth in recent years. With MEW no longer providing households with a substantial amount of extra cash, and jobs not rising as fast, consumer spending growth has slowed down significantly. Add to this vanishing wealth effect the fact that Harley-Davidson was financing about 50% of its sales with 15% of these loans being subprime loans, and you begin to understand why motorcycle loans & sales are hitting a pothole. Wall Street analysts state that Harley-Davidson books show a pattern of deterioration of loans, growing credit losses and over 30-day delinquencies. These loans can be sold to another company, but because of risk, at a big discount. Dealers inventories are also balooning. Based on a survey conducted: Harley Davidson dealers are now carrying between 2.5x – 3.5x more inventory then they were in Q1 2004.The lesson? Excessively easy credit is always costly in the long run.. Economists are debating to which point the end of the housing boom will ripple through the rest of the economy. Will we have a soft or hard landing, or quite possibly a recession? . Yesterday a poll of 1,373 adults conducted for the Los Angeles Times and financial news wire Bloomberg found that 60 percent of those surveyed said recession was somewhat or very likely within the next year, Of course nobody knows for sure. For those who can, it’s a very good time to buy a house with one or two motorcycles in the garage.
I already had the opportunity to introduce to you Doc’s custom chopper & lowrider bicycles. But you never saw them being ridden by pretty girls on Ocean Avenue a.k.a. Deco Drive (the trendiest place in South Beach Miami). Here a TV clip to make you regret not owning yet one of Doc’s cool rides.
I didn’t know. Probably because I live in a State (Florida) where there is no helmet law. So, do you know how often should a helmet be replaced and how snug should it really fit? These are two key questions to which few are able to correctly answer. Of course, Harley-Davidson would like you to go to your dealership to show your helmet and get advice. Based on helmet manufacturer and SNELL Memorial Foundation recommendations, helmets should be replaced every 3 to 5 years, depending on use and wear (may I add smell?). This info and more is also available in “The Heads-Up on Helmets” brochure which is available at your HD dealership. Starting this month, dealers are adhering Purchased-On Date Stickers at the time of purchase on the inside of helmets under the comfort liner. This provides customers with an accurate date of purchase and a useful reminder for when to replace their helmets.
I wrote this article at the request of Chris Callen, Editor In Chief of Cycle Source Magazine. It is published in the current issue.
"We all know that after quite a few years of exuberance, our V-Twin after-market industry has slowed down and that at the same time, coincidence or not, Asia produced motorcycle parts have invaded our showrooms and found their place on our American motorcycles. In reaction to this invasion, “Team America” is the theme of a collective ad campaign regrouping major American manufacturers and running now in motorcycle magazines. It aims at convincing bikers to purchase only American Made Products.
If I agree with any endeavor supporting the economy of my country, I think that this campaign doesn’t address clearly enough a couple of essential points. First, let me ask you. What are the 2 main reasons why, as a biker, you buy an American motorcycle part? Probably because it is of superior quality, of its beautiful design and because deep inside it makes you feel good to own the genuine part (by the same token rewarding financially the original inventor/designer/manufacturer). In the copy of the Team America ads I didn’t see anywhere any justification given to buy American. Why? This campaign is signed by a group of the best American companies of our industry. So, why don’t they promote their creativity, their engineering as the main justifications of buying their products?
Let me tell you right away: I am in favor of free trade. The relative costs, benefits of free trade are debated since centuries by governments and trade groups. Nearly all economists support the proposition that free trade is a net gain to both trading partners and that the gains from free trade outweigh the losses. Practically it means that if there is a superior genuine foreign product at a reasonable price, I don’t feel guilty to buy it. Nor you. And it can be whatever you buy: motorcycle part, TV, car, etc. So, can an American manufacturer convince you to blindly buy its products because they are made in America? I don’t think so. The real issue affecting negatively most of us in the industry is not free trade, the fair competition from foreign corporations trying to outsmart us. It is the unfair competition from low cost labor Asian countries whose business is to steal our designs & engineering, repackaging everything in knock-off products to be sold back to our clients in the US.
Our industry is made of small corporations and craftsmen producing parts in very small quantities. The cost of research & development being the same whatever the final number of parts produced, our custom parts are expensive and at the same time are always on the lower end of profitability. And I don’t think it will change soon. Almost none of us have the financial means and time to apply for a US patent, which anyway would not protect us from copies produced abroad. As a custom builder, I know (and I experienced) that it will take only 3 to 6 months for a foreign corporation to copy and market back here poor copies of my own parts at 25% of my manufacturing cost. Even more disappointing is the fact that a large number of foreign born knock-off parts are marketed through US catalogs belonging to US corporations.
As I stated before, I am against protectionism, tariff barriers and taxes. I favor competition in the frame of fair trade. I believe in the system of hard work & merit. Since there is no way that we can avoid cheap and poor manufactured copies of our parts, the only solution to help and protect our V-Twin industry is education, education, education of our clients. But it seems to me that the V-Twin industry acts more as a group than as a team. Everybody is whining but very few are acting. And a group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team linked in the same purpose. We must all act daily and individually with our clients to explain the reasons why to buy our genuine products. It must not be so difficult to explain to bikers that motorcycles being dangerous by nature, it is never wise to equip them with unreliable mechanichal components and with unfit and poorly designed accessories, which at the end of the day will cost much more than the original parts. All well known Custom Builders are having a large fans base. So it must not be too difficult when we meet our admirers to tell them that if they love so much our bikes they should reward the original designers by buying parts from them. Since we are never going to become the cheapest producer of motorcycle parts, at least we can demonstrate that we provide top design, engineering, and manufacturing skills for a very good value. In addition, we provide assistance for installation and services after sales. Nobody is going to support Team America only because it is called Team America. Bikers will support us only because we remind them and demonstrate that without us there is no more innovation, creativity and technological progress to benefit their bikes and their lifestyle. Maybe the next collective ad campaign should be on a more practical theme. For example on the theme: “Why And How To Support Your America Team”. Cyril Huze
Don’t confuse the new old school and the original old school bikes. Alan Mayes is the managing editor of The Horse Backstreet Choppers magazine, and few could explain as well as he does the attitude (both innovative & rebellious) behind the original choppers & bobbers. It’s what he does with his new book called “Old School Choppers”. It’s a beautifully illustrated reference to these old machines and to the men who produced them. In the book, 400 pictures of 25 bikes are an excellent source of inspiration for all those who want to recreate the style of the 60’s & 70’s. Alan Mayes also covers the whole history and evolution of bobbers and choppers. Useful, there is also a section giving the reader advice on what to look for in a chopper builder. Old School Choppers.
I don’t like all the promotional junk that companies use to advertise their business. With a few exceptions, like the Zippo lighter, but only if it’s an authentic one (so many copies). Zippo lighters continue to be among collectors’ favorites and it may be the reason why you could be interested by owning a genuine one carrying a high laser etching of the S&S Proven Performance Logo. By the way, Zippo is celebrating its 75th anniversary, and the manufacturer website has very interesting information about the history of this other American Icon. S&S Proven Performance Zippo.
You probably noticed. Flush mount pop-up gas caps are getting out-dated because seen on so many radical high tech bikes. With the old school trend in full swing, gas caps & shift knobs are getting a new life with fancy shapes like stars, crowns, spinners, etc (check these ones). Here the the most simple design you can find, but you have to know where to buy it. Just a ball shape but with the advantage of working well on 4 of your bike components: gas tank, oil bag, shift knob and mirrors. Made out of solid aluminum and offered in polish, red or blue. Of course, you can anodize yours the color you want to match the color theme of your custom. Offered by David Anthony Customs.
Take it anywhere and everywhere. This portable PA system is useful for your backyard parties, for a musician gig, or to blast iPod loud music and your voice from your vendor booth. It offers high fidelity sound across 150 feet, so you better off to check first with law enforcement officials (especially in Daytona & Sturgis) that you don’t break local noise ordinances. It features high efficiency amplifier with 4 inputs for connecting microphones, instruments, CD/MP3 player and a docking station for your iPod, all this in a sturdy cool looking aluminum construction. Around 299.00. Ion Audio.
I am the only custom builder born in France, living and working in the US (FYI, I am naturalized US citizen) and still talking with a Parisian accent. So, I could have been upset by the fact that I was not picked by V-Twin Vineyards to be their spokesperson for their V-Twin Zin Red Wine for bikers. But I am not because 1- They didn’t pick anyone, yet. 2- They are not based in France but in the legendary Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County. The company states that their reasoning behind the launch of a wine for bikers is that most of them are now in their 40’s & 50’s with steady careers and families and some good money to enjoy the finer things in life, including good food and good wine. And to convince you that they know about our lifestyle they emblazoned their bottles with a label showing skulls and a flaming v-twin engine. Problem is that they didn’t send me a bottle for testing (I always volunteer for red wine testing and tasting). V-Twin Zin is currently available exclusively via the company website. In it, they even created a club, the “Easy Rider Wine Club,” allowing members to post photos of their bikes, share news and information. More about this wine as soon as I receive my testing (tasting) sample. V-Twin Vineyards.
The world of customs is full of amazing stories. Like the one of this WL 45 sent in 1942 to Europe and discovered 60 years later still sleeping in its original crate. Laurent Dutruel from Zen Motorcycles could have kept it original but dreamed it as a daily rider with high tech accessories and equipped…with a turbo. Laurent started by building an aluminum frame, a one-off front end, an aluminum gas tank (gas on one side, engine oil on the other), decided to associate a 1998 Sportster transmission to the WL 45 (I even don’t want to start the long list of modifications he had to do to make them work together), and welded a turbo compressor to the gear box. FYI, the WL 45 is now fitted with electric ignition, is breathing through a modified 32 mm Lectron carburetor, and rolls on a set of Avon Speedmaster MK2 (21” front, 18” rear). Of course, to arrive to the result you see there was much more complicated than described (1300 hours of labor), but it’s well worth it because it works fine and you will agree with me, it looks beautiful. Zen Motorcycles.
The Teutuls are making tons of money. I have nothing against since it is legal money paid by all those who enjoy what I call their “great entertainment value”. As it often happens, their celebrity created groups of “haters”. Some are intending to exploit the negative feelings toward OCC by making money selling gear making fun of the Teutul family. Here is an example. A guy called James Kerr created the brand “Orange County Crappers” to sell (like OCC) tee shirts, caps, mouse pads, bumper stickers, mugs, key chains, posters, etc. Better than OCC he offers a 30-day return policy. It’s your money. Spend it the way you want. Orange County Crappers.
