Tech

It’s time to feature the 1928Shovelhead and American Iron said theywould take it on. They’re the only bookthat accepts antique bikes. I’ve writtenabout four features for them on rare, very coolhistoric models. No the ’28 Shovel doesn’t fallinto that catagory, but what the hell, it’sgot class. We needed to complete a couple ofdetail mods before […]

Jose I receive many e-mails about the Bikernet fiberglass seat tech. In reality we're working on bikes every single day, so I'll shoot stuff getting done. We make as much as possible, instead of buying parts, but in this case I asked someone to make a special part. Many of you have asked on Your

We’re getting right down to the bottom line. Harold Ponteralli, our painter called, “If I deliver the paint can you make it to the show.” I assembled bikes overnight for run deadlines in the past, so we went for it. We installed the new sheet metal, ran the oil lines and picked up a few

We often get calls for basic wiring diagrams. Here's one that was taken from an old Easyriders and expanded by the wizards of Hard Core Chopper Magazine in Japan. Take your time. Keep those copper strands away from sharp edges, moving stuff (like chains) and hot items. Cover everything with shrink wrap. Use extra layers

I was making a couple seat pans a few days ago, so I thought, what the hell, I'll share 'em with you. This is the first part, since there's some work left. I'll finish soon, so you won't have to wait too long.There's lot's of people who make their own seat pans. A lot are

I have been riding Harleys for 25 years with your basic hand-clutch and foot-shifter. Now due to all the bikes featured in the HORSE and a really clean bracket that Lucky Devil Metal Works created in Houston, I decided it was time for R.F.R. to move into the world of suicide clutches and jockey shifters.

This tech is really, really simple, but as everything else in life, we just try to make things easier on ourselves and this will solve a big pain in the ass. Yes, I'm talking about the clips that hold the pipe flanges. I'm sure the devil had a pretty good agenda when he decided to

I've learned a lot about building handmade exhaust systems for the last couple of months. I flat screwed up the first tech on tools, but returned to Home Depot, found the correct parts and went back to work. I picked up a couple of 4-inch C-clamps, and the proper diameter goofball plumbing clamp. I'm still

The stock tranny linkage cut to work as our brake linkage. A week ago I worked on the brake controls with some success. After fabricating a mastercylinder bracket and actually drilling the holes in the proper location, it wouldn’t work. I needed to turn the master cylinder upside down. I called Frank Kaisler to confirm

This is Big Boar's custom battery of choice. It's capable of providing 350 Cold Cranking Amps in a relatively small package. The coolest bikes have always been the stripped down. Whether stock or custom, the less crap the better. So long as the engines weren't too big, or you were running a kick-starter, you could

You made up your mind. It wasn’t easy, but you’re ready to pull the trigger and write a check to get a new bike this week. You’ve done a ton of research and soul-searching to decide on exactly what kind of motorcycle you want to buy. First you thought you wanted to buy a Harley,

Routing the oil lines from the oil tank to the engine is simple task. There are only three oil lines needed to make your bike run: the feed from the oil tank to the oil pump which is located on the engine, the return line from the engine to the oil tank, and the breather

Helluva weekend. Anytime there's lots of motorcycle carnage,sex, whiskey and writing, I'm all for it. Maybe it's Valentines Daycreeping up. Make a note. Here's the deal on the Sturgis Shovelhead. Sincethe engine was in and mounted I went to work on the exhaust system,then seat mounting, position and played with the bars. I made a

Here's an update on the Shovelhead. I picked up the engine from Phil's Speed Shop in Anaheim. He rebuilt the battered heads and lifter stools, installed new JIMS lifters, S&S roller rockers and CCI Black Diamond Valves. He welded and repaired cracks and exhaust manifold threads. Old used Shovelheads can be fragile. I installed studs

The oiling system on overhead valve (OHV) big twin engines from 1936 through 1999 depends on an externally mounted, gear driven oil pump. The oil pump is located in the same spot on the rear, vertical face of the right-hand engine crankcase and as long as it is given a diet of clean motor oil,

A few installments back, I felt like I had run the gamut of topics for these Tech-Tips. I hit the bottom of the barrel with my highly informative, How to Tie a Doo- Rag tip, and figured the powers that be over at the mega-conglomerate motorcycle publishing empire in San Pedro would just cut me

This will begin the ongoing bike build for Kevin Baas’s 2005 Class Build here on Bikernet.com. I’ll be posting updates from Kevin so check back periodically for the progress and help out if you can by donating any old parts.CHOPPER CLASS WITH MR. BAAS 2005 The Kennedy Manufacturing Technology students atKennedy High school in Bloomington

We've developed a working relationship with S&S, and I was concerned about the 105-inch Shovelhead Richard Kranzler scored for my Sturgis Chop project. His motorcycle ran like a raped-ape, but the 105 tore the livin' shit out of his old school chassis. The mirrors became frisbies, the footpegs vibrated lose and ditched him at 125

First off is to go over all the tools and materials and where I found them. You’re going to need a good tubing bender and the best one I found was this one at Eastwood.Tube Bender From Eastwood They’ve got two different sizes and you’ll probably want them both if you like the hard line

David Covington's 103-inch Pan engine built by Berry Wardlow. The motorcycle show circuit has always been very competitive and it continues to be hot to the touch. The top builders in the country continue to show their new creations and young builders are building names for themselves. But we're not rowing that boat currently. We're

Illustration by Tim Conder. I'm attempting to build the ultimate handling chopper. It's not designed to be a show winning, bitchin looking, artistic masterpiece. I'm going another direction, attempting to build a righteous, old school, performance, handling, and reliable machine. No, it's not a Martin Bros job, and from an artistic standpoint I believe they

I've been riding and wrenching on Panheads since 1972 when I got my first 1950 EL. In 2000, I picked up a brand new Harley EFI Road King. I still have my old trusty ‘50 Pan but felt I needed a trusty cruiser to get me where I had to go reliably. I swore I

After the success of the Hot Bike/S&S Cycle 124-inch VFI Challenge project, S&S President, Brett Smith, felt it was time to form an S&S specific sportsman class in the AHDRA. The Sunday after the shootout in Earlville, IA, on July 10th, Brett called Craig Tharpe and Colbert Seagraves of the AHDRA with a proposal. They

DO THE DOO I'll admit it, I've been writing tech tips for three years and I'm running thin on new interesting topics that aren't too esoteric. In the attempt to elaborate tech topics, I've even stretched my vocabulary to include the mind numbing word “circumlocution,” Which, by the way, created quite a debate among the