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OK, SO IT WAS FRIDAY NIGHT AND WE WERE OUT AT OUR FAVORITE WATERING HOLE. GREAT NIGHT, GIRLS WERE HOT AND EVERYTHING SEEMED PERFECT. CLOSING TIME AND WE’RE OUTSIDE WARMING UP THE BIKES, A CROWD GATHERS AROUND, EXCITEMENT BUILDS, MARK STARTS TO TAKE OFF ON HIS CUSTOM BIKE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN WE SEE […]

This whole project conceptually began somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 months to two years ago. I'm not sure. Damn, time is going so bloody fast that I've got my foot on the hand brake just trying to slow life down a little. Anyways, Paul Cox, the leather master out of NY, was initially going

I recently had the opportunity to customize my 2005 Softail Springer Classic with a Heartland 180 kit for my bike. Now if you have ever seen one of these kits, you recognize them from a mile away. They give the H-D Softail line a longer, lower, cleaner look. While H-D has gone to great lengths

PICTURE OF THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT SKETCH BY TIM CONDER Motorcycles are a special brand of transportation and style combined to give the best of both worlds. The bikes usually tell the world what kind of rider owns it as well as the use of the bike. For example, you can see two identical Fatboy’s parked

Ten years ago we installed this Morris mag on the Milwaukee Iron Dicey Knuckle. It still starts on the third kick. This is one of those features Bandit complains about then hands to me. He gets all the complete features and I get ones with shots and not text, or text and no shots. Or

Because I live in Texas, we have relatively mild elevation and temperature changes, so I never considered a fuel injected bike when I went shopping for my next ride. While I definitely saw the benefits in fuel injection, I just didn’t think it was necessary for me. Then I started making road trips. When I

Editor's Note: The Following is a special tech piece by our great friend and fellow Bikernet contributor Anson “Knucklehead” Alexander. You may have read about his 95” upgrade on his bagger a few months back. Well, it seems some guys just aren’t happy having just one bike to tinker with and build for a national

This could be the product of the year, a braking system within the wheel of a hub. At last we could see those bitchin’ wheels. But as our Bikernet investigation continued the benefits of this new system expanded.“It’s called the “360 Brake” and it is revolutionizing the braking industry,” said Chet Burozski, of Baldwin Wilson

Doherty Machine has just released their latest version of the performance proven Power PACC intake system for all Delphi EFI equipped machines. This upgraded version incorporates numerous improvements that provide increased efficiency and longevity. Doherty's snap in venture has been updated and machined specifically for the EFI application. This specially designed venturi creates an induction

Editor's Note:Here's another tech taken from a chapter of a WolfGang Publication book–How To Build A Cheap Chopper. This covers frame basics, but there's more in the book. Check it out.–BanditFrank Pedersen from Motorcycle Works in Olathe, Kansas (just south of Kansas City if you’re wondering) likes to compare the motorcycle frame with the foundation

S&S of Lacrosse, Wisconsin, sells 8500 large V-Twin engines a year—to producers of specialty motorcycles, the aftermarket and private individuals. Indeed, the phrase, “100-inch S&S engine,” has become a mainstay of this market.In producing so many engines, and in the large displacements demanded by their market, S&S has identified some limits, some weak points, in

Editor’s note:We’re working with Chris, the editor of Cycle Source to bring you even more current tech material. Let us know what you think. This is a semi-automatic clutch system. In some respects they are very helpful, especially for jockey-shift bikes, but they have their dangerous drawbacks. I know Mike Phillips of Grandeur makes a

Another evil saga from the Houston Bikernet Bastard. Many of you know that the first thing you do when you get a bike is to customize it in some way, shape, or form. To some degree this is simple, usually starting with a few chrome doo-dads, lens covers and flash accessories. One of the most

Here's the Sun Valley Motorcycle Product Headquarters.“You won’t believe this,” Wilburn Roach said during a Bikernet Editorial meeting. “Johnny Humble nearly finished his bike when he discovered he forgot to mount a taillight. I’m not kidding. He didn’t want to drill holes in his new fangled rear fender.”Johnny sat at the end of the cell

Check Them Out. Setting Ring Gaps:One of the most frequently asked question we get is: How do you install rings properly? So here goes. Top Rings : Molybdenum faced, barrel lapped, ductile spheroidal graphite iron. Phosphate coated, or gas nitrite steel barrel faced. Second Rings :Grey cast iron, reverse torsional twist, taper faced, zinc phosphate

She’s a master photographer and working on a sealed batter with her hands…First, if you plan to do any work to your bike you need to disconnect the battery so you don’t accidentally create a short, burn your wiring or engage the starter and lose a finger. I didn’t plan on giving welding lessons in

There’s a rumor that over one million Swingarm Shovelheads still roam the highways. I say, “Bullshit.” Let’s count ‘em. That’s beside the point here. Ben Kudon, the marketing directors of Rivera/Primo came up with this hair-brained scheme. “Let’s fix all Shovelheads,” Ben said. “We can do it for a decent price and give Shovelhead riders

“Heel Hammer” Shift Levers (patent pending)There’s this monster of a madman in New Mexico who came up with this heel/toe shifter for custom applications. At first I thought, “I’m an outlaw, building a rigid. What the fuck can I do with this?” So it hung around a year, just shinning on one bench or another.

I fucked up, but that’s not out of the ordinary. I’ll cover a couple of oblique building philosophies in this simple tech. Choppers are rolling art in a constant transitional stage. As soon as I ride a rumored completed bike, I discover shit I want to improve on. In this case the seat, to name

Jesse Jurrens calls the Lowlife Chassis Kit the “next generation of custom motorcycles, a ground-breaking package for anyone seeking something slightly to the left of insanity.” He could be right. Take a look at what Tank Ewsichek did with this package. It’s the base for one of the bikes on this issue’s cover and on

There I was on the shores of Australia riding on the left side of the road, with Glenn Priddle, and wondering how to turn. The highbar Evo Road King rumbled along the curvy roads like butter. We cruised along the same cliffs Captain Cook gawked at as he pulled up to Noosa, on the Australian

Roger, with his bike, on the salt in 2006.We’ve been scrambling on our own 2007 Bonneville project, but a note burnt brightly on my Panhead desk, “Call Roger Goldammer.” I’ve known Roger and respected his craftsmanship for years, but we experienced the salt together last year and again I was impressed with the level of

“Back to Basics Bagger” After over two decades in the motorcycle industry I decided it was time to go back to the roots of customizing. Over the years I have gone from bolting on items to stock motorcycles to taking the stock bike and cutting up the frame stretching and raking pulling motors apart rebuilding

S&S Cycle opened their doors in 1958. At that time, the performance motorcycle business was a lot different. George Smith figured out how a few lighter parts could make a bike go faster and everyone wanted them. Soon he was rebuilding stock engines into drag strip monsters and setting new records at Bonneville. Tuning a