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  When you need a pro, you need a pro. There is no part of a motorcycle that can be overlooked if you truly want to go “custom”. A real builder knows when a job requires an outside craftsman held in high esteem. Randy Aron from Cycle Visions needed someone he could count on to […]

Photos: Brian J. Nelson, Harley-Davidson, Ben Lamboeuf  Positioned between the entry-level Sportster line and the wildly popular touring bikes, Harley-Davidson’s Dynas include models like the Street Bob, Lowrider, Wide Glide, and even a touring bike in disguise, the Switchback. Another notable member of the Dyna family, the Fat Bob we tested for Bikernet features a

      What is the price of freedom?     First you have to define freedom. You have to strip away all the rules and regulations, all the bureaucracy and start with one man by himself in the wilderness. He can hunt, fish, grow his own food. He will only take from the land

  In the ultimate expression of human creative skill and imagination, custom motorcycle builders create incredible beauty, sweeping lines that beg for the wind paired perfectly with precise feats of mechanical engineering. The Sturgis Buffalo Chip’s 2015 Motorcycles as Art Exhibition presents famed photographer Michael Lichter’s “The Naked Truth – 35 Customs / 35 Years

Like California, the city of Bombay gets pretty high temperatures. I was looking for an all purpose leather jacket which I can use everyday for most of the year. With denims already providing basic protection, I was looking for a real a good deal on leather for rough highway and country riding. The Crank &

It all started with a Redondo Beach school district employee and a wife who said, “Pick one.” Ron (who wouldn’t give up his last name) lived in Santa Clarita with his three kids and his soon to be gone wife. He worked on bikes in his garage and for the school district, 50 miles away,

Paternalism is a control over others, like a father attempts to control his children (Pater; Latin for father). Some control and protection are necessary because children sometimes lack the ability to make rational choices. As we mature, we learn life lessons that will hopefully protect us as adults. In other words, we take control of

The changing tides didn’t mean a thing. The moon was as gloomy as ever. The dark skies were darkening ever more as the monsoon clouds converged. The faint chirping of the sparrows in dusk were muted by the patter of rain against palm leaves. My slippers dragged on, its rubber inner-sole slapping against my foor

Where does inspiration come from? It’s all around us. What encourages someone to push the boundries of what is the norm? I continually look for those opportunities. A few years ago, a very special customer walked into my life who had a vision of a bike that did not fit the norm. I still remember

    You know it, I know it, the whole two-wheeled world knows it. Motorcycle oil takes a real beating. Especially motorcycle oil used in air-cooled engines. Especially motorcycle oil used in air-cooled engines when you’re riding through the Mohave Desert in mid-July and the red mark at the three-story high thermometer in the middle

An old friend, who I wrote a book about recently, Terry the Tramp, just rebuilt an Evo Engine and we made sure to incorporate some S&S products including the cylinders, the pistons, and the lower end. Plus, it was fitted with an S&S Super E carb. Recently S&S kicked off Viola V-Twin, which fits into

  It all kicked off at a local shop, McQuiston’s Custom Cycles. We’ve featured Ryan and his gang a couple of times in Cycle Source Magazine. They are as close to the notion of an old school shop as possible in this age of over regulation and vast and unrelenting technology. Ryan still bangs away

  A March 25, 2015, story informed the public that anyone who has registered a motorcycle in the United States between 1994 and 2015 has been placed on a classified FBI gang list. The reasoning behind creating such a list is the fact that motorcycle owners are 67 percent more likely to be involved in

When it was time to give the KZ440 bobber the superior airflow and superior performance it deserved, Todd built a carbon fiber topped dual flange K&N air filter of his own design K&N Air Filters employee Todd White transformed a run-of-the-mill 1981 Kawasaki KZ440 LTD into a Ryan Villopoto inspired bobber taking Bikernet’s Editor’s Choice

It had been weeks since my arrival in New Orleans and by now waking at camp in the tiny bamboo infested backyard of B.B.’s little house in the French Quarter seemed perfectly normal. After the coffee she’d soon bring to my tent-door on this sunny morning I’d laze a few hours away before walking through

You can view Part 2 here.   Jeremiah wanted to change out the rear shocks on his 2009 Dyna upgrade to some Progressive units. Progressive recently contacted us about their Monotube front end cartridge solutions and Jeremian decided to upgrade his front and rear suspension. There are a couple of significant factors playing in this

And it’s amazing, and with anything artistic, motorcycle, or quality configured endeavor there’s a story. Here’s the heartfelt story behind the company Une Belle Vie: Early in 2009, entrepreneur Mike Jamali was touched by a story on the national news about the growing need for custom, artistic urns. He and his son, 21-year-old Eric, began

  I’m a nut about regulation. I see it as a negative to the human spirit. Others see it as dollar signs, control issues, power struggles, all in the name of safety, or in this case, saving the planet. The most recent regulatory threat is climate change. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to

What a crazy year. We’ve been scrambling in several directions. Plus, once I sent all the parts to Kent Weeks at Lucky Devil MetalWorks, in Houston, Texas, the project took on a long distance relationship. Distance can create obstacles and distractions as you will see.  I’ve been working with Kent Weeks for years, almost a

  Photos: Harley-Davidson and Brian J. Nelson   In early December, yours truly was invited to test a new suspension upgrade now available on Harley-Davidson’s Dyna line. Designed and developed on the Harley-Davidson Arizona Proving Grounds test track, new Premium Ride suspension components for Harley-Davidson Dyna motorcycle models work together to deliver enhanced handling performance

    Over the last few years, we’ve seen and heard a lot about police officers using deadly force on civilians. Most often the ruling comes down as “justifiable use of force.”   Police are protected by something known as qualified immunity when they injure or kill someone while attempting an arrest. This immunity protects

    THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. If you’ve been involved in any kind of accident, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com.      

In the first article on the most magnificent ARCH driveline, I mentioned Gard Hollinger’s motorcycle mantra, his two-wheeled mission, once he became the keeper of the ARCH. It’s one thing to build the coolest one-off custom motorcycle on the planet, if that’s even possible, but turn it into a world class production motorcycle, and now