I remember the time when riding a 80 cubic inch Evolution Harley-Davidson on the South Florida I 95, I always feared not being able to have enough engine power to escape caged old ladies confusing right & left turn signals. I also remember that during Sturgis Bike Week, I always got frustrated of not being [...]
Hank Young was a well known hot rodder at the time he appeared on the motorcycle scene with a famous bike called the "Flying Pan" that all custom builders remember well. His strong hot rod influence can be seen not only in his bikes but also in all his new motorcycle parts. Here a perfect [...]
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 [...]
Why would I talk about Hot Rod clothing in a Blog devoted to all things custom motorcycles? For several good reasons. First you could have seen me and many of my fellow builders wearing their threads (sometimes we can get tired of ours). Second, Hot Rod guys, like us, are beating steel and burning rubber [...]
I regret that Jesse James doesn’t design more custom parts. But from time to time his Long Beach WCC company manufactures a brand new item and it’s always all good and beautiful. Everybody knows the meaning of FTW. In this case it is FTW of billet aluminum. These hard core foot controls are unusually made [...]
What a better time than the holidays to watch or watch again a biker movie. Here some of the best. The Wild One (1953): The granddaddy of biker movies. It focuses on youth confusion. A gang rides into a little town on their mean machines (scene shot front of a blue screen). Engines are roaring [...]
You all know that the bikes of the past, pre and post WW2, are today the main inspiration of the works of many well known custom builders. We can take inspiration for appearance and build these bikes with new parts having the look of the past, or faithfully reproduce or restore antiques. Easy for me to know when a style [...]
I hope that all major motorcycle manufacturers know this. I am pretty sure they know. A high percentage of soldiers returning from tours of duty abroad (not only in Iraq) buy motorcycles to help burn off adrenaline & boredom. I am sure it was exactly the same after WW2, the Korea & Vietnam wars. These soldiers have months [...]
Deep Cut Rotors offers the most radical, custom motorcycle brake rotors on the market today. All their rotors are custom manufactured utilizing 420 stainless steel because it prevents rust, unusual wear and provides superior braking performance. They are cut with an Omega laser utilizing nitrogen gas, providing the ability to carve out the most cutting-edge design patterns. Then [...]
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 [...]
It was a quiet weekend. So, I had time to visit my favorite Bookstore. No, I don’t go there to buy motorcycle magazines (I receive them all at the shop), but just to pick up a few new books I like to keep by my bedside in case of insomnia (I have quite a few). So, [...]
In a country with a grim lifestyle of deprivation, North Korea President Kim Jong and his communist elites have become quite accustomed to a lifestyle that includes the finest goods in the world from expensive cars, Harleys, French cognac, Rolex watches and Apple iPods. Kim and the 600 loyalist families that run North Korea seem [...]
Governor Jim Doyle today announced that Harley-Davidson Motor Company will receive $4.5 million in enterprise zone jobs tax credits from the Department of Commerce to support an expansion of its Menomonee Falls facility, ongoing workforce training and development, and the continued growth of Harley-Davidson in Wisconsin. "A few weeks ago, many thought these additional jobs [...]
MAXIMUM METALWORKS is announcing its new product line, the MAX Series Rigid Drop Seat. These frames with oil tank are offered in any rake, stretch, and up stretch you want, in single or double curved down tube (without paying extra). Made out of .120 and .188 = 1 1/4 &1 3/4 inch diameter, 100% DOM. Built [...]
Westside Motorcycle Expo is a new 3-day event to take place at the University Of Phoenix Stadium from March 30th to April 1st. The organizers tell me that the show will be different from anything else before, but didn’t give me any specifics. It is supposed to be the largest indoor (air conditioned) event in [...]
An S&S guitar? Why not, since the proceeds of this auction will go to the S&S Scholarship Fund, a program where S&S can give the future leaders of our country a head start on their education. It seems like the S&S staff includes some very talented individuals excelling not only at V-Twin engine tuning but [...]
There are many spoke wheels manufacturers and assemblers. Quite a few are ready to offer you rim powder coating in the color of your choice. But there is only one that I know who will deliver your wheels with custom spoke patterns, spokes in color(s) and now your own artwork powder coated on the rims. [...]
I rarely drink sodas (just a lot of coffee, orange juice and a couple of glasses of Bordeaux red wine when in a nice restaurant). But I have a passion for everything 50’s style, including soda vending machines. This one is a small replica to keep up to 10 cans of anything you want. A [...]
The way it goes, soon we will have as many belt drive system designs as we have frames to build ground up bikes. Difficult to innovate in the black belt business. Is this one Techno? Retro? Techno retro? I think it could be both. Reason why I like it. This monster 4” belt drive can handle [...]
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 [...]
Few mass produced exhaust systems that I like. First because they are mass produced. Second because they never look as good as I want when installed on my built from the ground up bikes.There are a few exceptions, like these 2 into 1 Big Radius from Vance & Hines. If you don’t mind seeing them on [...]
Recent Comments