Behind The Scenes

“India Shining!” said the Tourism Advertisement in international magazines. Then came the popular government in 2014 launching “Make in India” campaign. The major objective behind the initiative focused on job creation and skill enhancement in 25 sectors of the economy. Ray-Ban sunglasses has a manufacturing unit in India. Microsoft is building “smart-city” in India. IBM […]

Sitting alone at my steaming computer at midnight, slamming keys like the Hell on Wheels crew with sledgehammers against railroad spikes in the 1880s. I was pissed, when the phone rang and a gravely voice from far away started to drill questions into me. “Where’s Atomic Bob?” the voice coughed. “How the hell would I

The Past Has no Precedent over the Present   If this statement is true, then why do we hold on to the past and in many cases repeat the same situation over and over again. One of my teachers Arlene Bump used to say “same song, a different verse, a little bit louder, a little

    How do you boost shop inventory when money is tight? For William “Bill” Cottom, a young bike shop owner with a penchant for riding fast but who was short on cash, the solution came naturally: He raced other riders for pink slips and fortunately—for him—he won most of the time! That was in

Ryan McQuiston was raised by a single mom who worked nights. He grew up on the streets of Long Beach trying to survive. You know the drill. As he skated home from school, she packed her shit and peeled into the neon night. He had the streets of Long Beach to himself until 3:00 a.m.

    My job is promoting companies in the Powersports Industry through promotions and publicity, as well as by producing custom shows. Last week I flew to LAX to produce the J&P Cycles Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show, installed down the center isle and on the red carpet of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show.  

    I hear bikers say they grew up riding, or riding has been in their family for generations. It is something to be proud of, and arguably more sincere than a recipe book, or a fishing spot. Those motorcycles carry memories and family legacy, not just the rider.  With a name like Youngblood Kustomz,

In an unprecedented expansion move that is sure to have a resounding and positive impact on Hot Rod and other automotive enthusiasts worldwide Belt Drives Limited (BDL) in Anaheim California has announced the purchase of Blower Drive Service (BDS). The purchase is a natural extension of the BDL family of companies as Steve Yetzke, BDL

  EDITOR’S NOTE: I stumbled into a little classy shop on Melrose, in Hollywood one day a few years back. It contained a half dozen Whizzer-styled bicycles with two-stroke motors attached. The bikes were designed to look like something out of the ‘30s. They had a style Whizzer missed, details, and looked very clean. The

Gard Hollinger built a custom, almost sport bike 106-inch H-D Twin Cam (engine modified by Bennett’s Performance), with a Baker transmission and all the best goods for Keanu Reeves a couple of years ago, but after riding it around the Hollywood Hills, Keanu said, “Let’s make more.” Here are the words from the Arch web

  I rolled over to the Saddlemen headquarters, in Rancho Dominquez, California, not far from the Bikernet Interplanetary Ivory Tower. We planned a lunch, but it was Friday and the staff, on Hawaiian Shirt Day, was throwing their annual Father’s Day Bash. Saddlemen’s facility reeks of a family and employee friendly atmosphere. They set the

Just when you thought the Indian saga was finally over, it surfaced again. Indian is like that old girlfriend you wished had worked out, but you knew never would. She had the best rack on the planet, but her engine was missing a cylinder and her world overflowed with drama. That’s the Indian legacy in

Late last January, during a blizzard on a Sunday night in New York City, I met Rob Camardo at the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show while he was promoting his Garage Leathers’ saddlebags. I was talking with him about becoming a sponsor of the Smoke Out Rally, the Choppafest of the East Coast, and while

I knew Kevin and Mona Alsop when their primary business was the Chopper-in-a-Box, build-it-yourself kits. Buyers ordered them by the dozen and actually built ‘em themselves. I thought that was so cool. Big Bear Choppers pioneered that concept. Suddenly, custom American choppers became the gold standard for cool worldwide and BBC was in the eye

I peeled over to Gard Hollinger’s new 20,000 square foot facility near the Los Angeles Airport recently. He has a motorcyclist partner, Keanu Reeves, who doesn’t own cars just rides. Together they collaborated on this bike for five years, and it just might become the prototype for the next, American motorcycle manufacturer. Over the next

I.INTRODUCTION The parties’ License Agreement had two crucial components: (1) it required KSLB&D to name its bar and restaurant enterprise in Sturgis the “Easyriders Saloon;” and (2) it barred KSLB&D from using any other name. KSLB&D has now (1) stopped using the name “Easyriders Saloon” and (2) is instead using another name. Unless KSLB&D can

Natch, I was intrigued when I saw the cover for the new Baker Calendar. Any excuse to grab some shot of girls and motorcycles for Bikernet. It’s my job. I reached out to Trish, the tattooed Baker marketing queen. “There’s just one shot of a girl on our calendar,” Trish said. “We devoted the entire

It’s hard to say where the cotton actually came from, but suffice it to say that the quality was excellent. It was woven into a rich piece of material and dyed black. The material was selected by a very astute and discriminating buyer looking for only the best to represent their brand. The purchase included

Harley-Davidson fans in India include people across the demography of this vibrant diverse country. Erstwhile, these big bad-boys of Motorcycle Kingdom were exclusive to the elite and rich who could pay the ridiculously exorbitant import duty to get the Harleys into India, mostly through Asian dealerships in Dubai (UAE), Hong-Kong, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan. Now,

I flew into Detroit to meet with builders in Michigan a day before the kick-off of the Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show in Novi, a suburb of Detroit. Biker Pros produces a custom bike show at all 12 Progressive International Motorcycle Shows across the country. The custom bike show is designed for builders of choppers,

Several years ago, Matt Hotch approached Ron Loynds to build the first 26-inch wheel. Matt also needed tires for his Discovery Channel Biker Build-Off Vincent Custom called the “Vinnie.” He came in contact with Vee Rubber, a Thailand-based tire manufacturer (with 10,000 employees). Vee Rubber is known for being able to develop new tires quickly.

The firestorm of social change that was burning across America in the 1960s was flaming its hottest in 1967. “The Summer of Love,” the Vietnam War, daily new waves of sex-drugs-and-rock’n’roll and so many other cultural U-turns were pounding this country and its traditions. One of those U-turns, however, wasn’t so new. It was a

1981 hit motorcycling and Sturgis Bike Week like 00-buck against a roadside sign. The raucous city park heart of the party closed and a young Sturgis resident, who grew up around High School keg parties, wanted to give bikers a place to camp out and party away from both the Man and the city fathers.