Tech

Before buying a new Master Cylinder from Performance Machine and plumbing it to the stock factory Caliper from that 1996 Sportster you have to consider the hydraulic ratio between the two components.To explain hydraulic ratios we have to re-visit high school physics. It all comes down to one formula: Pressure = Force/Area. So if you […]

This article doesn’t have a damn thing to do with the machine shop, but this illo sure helps. Just about the two top things on my “to-do” list are ride motorcycles and listen to music that rocks. Beth Orliss’s company, Hearing Dynamics, had me in mind when they developed custom radio headphones exclusively for motorcycle

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

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

This is a wild one. Ray Wheeler, the USA W8Less Rotor rep, busted his ass for two or three years promoting these mysterious and amazing rotors, while the engineers struggled to design the ultimate floating, light-as-a-feather rotors. Here's what the doctors of the Matrix have to say:W8LESS motorcycle disc brake rotors utilize advanced materials commonly

Finally-a fuel injection system that really works! Pegasus introduces the PFI-V Electronic Fuel Injection and Ignition Control System!Not just a replacement ECU but an ENTIRE engine management system for any V-Twin Engine!!! Kit includes everything you need for a turn-key system; throttle body, fuel injectors, ECU, sensors, fuel pump, ignition coils, wiring harness, and all

I recently received the following information regarding new Avon tyre technology. I was immediately lost, so I called Sukoshi Fahey at the esteemed Washington Avon headquarters. “There's so much more testing and technology available to tire construction,” Sukoshi said. She has an extensive background in the motorcycle tire world. “We're always searching for the perfect

Last episode I was hit hard with life's bullshit obstacles to freedom and creative expression, but that's how it goes. I generally build at least one bike a year and each one represents a milestone of sorts. Or each one represents another year in the life and times of Bandit. I'm not unique. This notion

It's resting on the tail end of June and I'm riding to Sturgis on 27th of July. I'm burnin' daylight. Assembly will begin this 4th of July weekend, if I don't party the whole weekend away. This tech will take you through all the final preparations for shipment to paint, since I'm avoiding chrome. In

How do you feel about your computer? I could easily take my old .357 Smith and Wesson revolver and blow this sonuvabitch into the briny harbor Pacific waters. I'd set the smoking gun down, go find a job driving a trash truck, and be able to hang out with the bros and drink beer until

Every custom motorcycle build is an adventure. It takes me from one crazed time in my wild life to another. Fortunately, I'm not spilling my guts about another woman I lost during a knuckle-busting build. But this build did represent turning points. I'm about to step off into my 62nd year and sign up for