Hey Bandit, what the hell is going on? I get to Daytona and call the office to find out the phone number's been changed. Okay, so then I call the new number and it doesn't work. Are you trying to avoid me . . . again. Then, on top of that, you move the headquarters while I'm out of town and only tell me that the new shack is in Wilmington. What happened? Did you score some waterfront property down by the oil docks?
If I remember correctly, you wanted me to focus on chicks, right? Here in Daytona, I mean. There was something else you wanted? Oh yeah, bikes.Ok, the babe photos speak for themselves.There were a bunch of bikes that caught my eye for one reason or another; here is a brief rundown on the ones that I could capture on the run.
Jim Nasi Customs, Phoenix, Arizona constructed this 124VFI Challenge bike on display at the S&S display truck on the grounds of the speedway. The 124 Super Side Winder engine is stuffed into a Daytec frame, sports an extended custom swingarm, and pushes the power through a Baker five-speed transmission. PMFR supplied the front end and wheels, Legends takes care of the rear suspension. The exhaust is fabbed in-house, paint is by Mike Learn Airbrush and the tires are from Michelin and Micky Thompson.
Rob Schopf out of Hal's Harley-Davidson in West Berlin, Wisconsin is another entrant into the S&S challenge with this good-looking Gambler FXR-style frame based bike. The 124VFI sits in front and a Hal's modified Baker six-speed transmission follows. Inverted Storz forks out front with Works Performance shocks controlling up-and-down movement out back. Performance Machine wheels and brakes rolling on Metzler rubber and paint by Jamie Strasser.
All three bikes above are all from the same builder.Dave Finn motorcycles out of Tappan, New York brought a great collection of bikes. This Sportster in Harley-Davidson racing colors just grabbed your attention. Dave also brought a couple of softail-styled bikes. Dave Perewitz stopped by to check 'em it out.
Above has got to be one of Bandit's favorite bikes, with that long sleek look, not overdone and with a short sissy bar the keeps him from sliding off the back of the bike, when he throttles up the gold plated Feuling W-3.
This bike is low, so low in fact that there's no kickstand. When the builder Richard Sansone of Norfolk, Massachusetts, shuts down he just drops the suspension fore-and-aft and the bike settles on the lower frame rails. The detail incorporated into this twin-cam “B” engine-powered motorcycle borders on a religious experience. Like we said, the suspension raises at the touch of a handlebar switch; one at a time, or both at once and the turn signals pop out the end of the bars (again, at the touch of a switch). The handle bar levers for the clutch are just that, levers. Richard concealed the pivot points and the rest of the hardware, again inside the bar. The wheels are a work of art by themselves. As you can see, they are a five-spoke radial design and the wheel hubs have the same design, where they bolt to the wheel center and topping it off, the hubs are inlet into the wheel center discs and bolted to the rim. Fuel tank and rear fender are carbon fiber. I could have spent hours checking out the detail, but, alas, I was on another mission.
We ran across this sharp-looking Sportster at the Harley-Davidson Ride-In-Show, which was held in front of the Ocean Center. The bike rolls on Buell wheels and front suspension, while the bright orange-and-black paint sure makes it stand out in a crowd. The engine breathes through a Force Winder air filter and out a set of stepped diameter black coated pipes.
Here's another Sportster, in the same show, parked against the same curb but a completely different world from the last bike. Rigid frame, homemade pipes, coffin tank, girder front end, drag bars and a solo seat-but look a little closer. The engine is a later model Ironhead, but the transmission is a big twin four speed. Check it out, no rear drive chain on the right side of the bike. You can bet there's some machine work in this bike.
We saw this silver, rigid Shovel several times in the same day and always going in the same direction, but it looked good each time it passed by. There was just something about the single color and the springer front end with the 19-inch front wheel drag bars, BDL three-inch belt drive and the couple riding it that seemed to fit it perfectly.
Another light Softail-styled custom that we liked. This Copper-colored Evo, with it's half-chrome, half-painted springer front end and black bars stood out.
The Coors bike was gracing the display at Strokers of Dallas out at the new Speedway vendor area. Rick Fairless, the owner of Strokers bike shop and bar in Dallas, Texas, proudly serves ice cold Coors at his establishment.
Helluva range of bikes this year, and the women–what can I say? Can I get back in the headquarters, now?
