Tech

Brake fluids are notorious. When I started in this industry, DOT 3 brake fluids were used everywhere, but they had a terrible reputation for damaging paint. For custom guys that was the kiss of death. Just the mention of bleeding brakes would raise eyebrows and cause skin to crawl. Then suddenly we were saved. Somebody […]

Editor’s Note: Commander Edge of the SmokeOut knows the Chopper Code. He knows what it’s like to ride a minimalist chopper on the long road, and he is constantly studying the mission. Last time he wrote a piece about the smallest tool bag possible. http://www.bikernet.com/pages/5Ball_Racing_Bagger_ProjectPart_7.aspx Let’s see how he does with camping. Carpe diem, a

As you know the “Big Wheel Craze” is still going strong. Metasport’s new 34-inch 3D Wheels are now available along with New 18-inch rotor and caliper sets. Ron Loynds, President of Metalsport, and the Metalsport crew have always maintained the cutting edge of innovation within their product lines. They were first to create the really

Okay, a lot has happened since the last episode. We installed the new CCE Dyna motor mounts. It was easy except for the placement of the jack. We needed to keep the jack clear so the old units would drop out easily. A chunk of 2 by 4 did the trick. We had a discussion

I asked the Bikernet readers if I should chop the 1928 Shovelhead. They said, “Yes, definitely.” So, I called the master of the chopper world forever, Paughco. I spoke to Steve Massicotte about changing the bars, the gas tank and the oil tank. I was going to attempt to leave everything else in tack. Then,

A wild project, the 23-year-old tattoo artist said he lost control of his ’05 Dyna and went down on a slippery street in trendy West Los Angeles. He wasn’t injured much, but his girlfriend, at the time, was severely broken with a busted shoulder, pelvis, ribs; you name it, lucky to survive. As you can

Bike not charging? The problem could come from many sources. Fortunately if you take the right steps diagnosing the issue can easily be done in your own garage. Join Pauly and Chris from Cycle Source as they walk through charging system diagnostics.    

    Motorscan now offers smartphone diagnostics adapters for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Featuring a patent-pending design, Motorscan adapters are the first devices of their kind. The tiny plug and play adapters work on the majority of Harley-Davidson motorcycles manufactured from 2001 to 2015. Future software updates will extend the compatibility to newer models. The free smartphone

My grandson wrecked his Dyna. He thinks he went down on a slippery west side boulevard, but the bike looks like he was rear-ended, which launched his girlfriend. She was seriously damaged, but survived. He got scuffed and walked away. He needed a place and some guidance with his ’05 Dyna. He could have sold

It’s so interesting. About ten years ago we published an article from the madman in Hawaii, Deacon, on how to make a cone-motor Shovelheads run as well as an Evolution. JIMS also makes a kit to make your Shovel engine oil more effectively through the pushrods, but Merch has a system to turn a regular

The Smoke Out is three weeks away and people all over this great US of A are preparing to ride to Rockingham, NC for the festivities June 16-17, 2017. The gravitational pull of the Smoke Out as the epicenter of the chopper universe has chopper jockeys everywhere preparing for the ride. I thought I would

A Southern California show, Born Free, is just six weeks away and there is a very special aspect to this show, the FXR competition. Eric Bennett is busting his ass to build the ultimate FXR for this show and the Hamster FXR Show in Sturgis this year. Bennett’s Performance will post no less than seven

  We are rolling into a series of articles regarding oil and lubricants using the Spectro experts as our library of data. I’m beginning to find out a great deal about the quality of lubricants, during just a couple of conversations. A lot of what you see on the market is smoke and mirrors. In

  Less is more because less is faster. That was the simple philosophy of the original café racers – bikers in 1960’s England who stripped motorcycles down to the bare essentials and put their machines to the test street-racing from coffee shop to coffee shop. The bikes became known as “café racers” and the stripped-down

Shops around the country were super-hard hit when the economy crashed. A bunch dropped out of business, but immediately they started coming back, if only out of garages. Harley-Davidson didn’t help much. They sent a memo to all their dealers cutting the number of aftermarket parts they could carry and forcing dealers not to sell

    Lowbrow Customs created a simple and trouble-saving work stand for use while maintaining or completely rebuilding your 1936 to 1985 Harley-Davidson four-speed transmission.        Lowbrow Customs has added to their growing line of motorcycle engine stands and specialty tools with the addition of this purpose-built work stand for use with Harley-Davidson

  My wife and I were recently exploring options to add toour new 2016 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra (FLTRU) and we were reallyimpressed and curious with the quality of Windvest Motorcycle Products out ofMorgan Hill, Ca. We observed thousands of bikes at the recent Lone Star Rallyand the number of options for what shield to

Editor’s Note: When the new M-8 hit the news, we were all curious as hell. Would Harley buckle to some government regulation and build a liquid-cooled engine? Weren’t they still dialing in the Twin Cam? Would the new engine deal with Twin Cam issues? And finally, wow, how time flies. Seems like yesterday, the Twin

  Learn how to install the new Tension Reliever Manual Primary Chain Adjuster. Twin Power has added an instructional video to their website to show you how to install the part and this simple installation can result in longer component life. Brand Manager James Simonelli shows you how to install the part. “An overtightened primary

This year, for my annual trip to Sturgis, I took my 2015 Harley Street Gilde FLHXS. I was excited to ride my new black Street Glide special, which has the worst stock suspension of a modern day motorcycle, let alone any other $25,000 bike I’ve ridden. I will save my rant on this subject and

  Three times recently, I’ve come face-to-face with a new world of motorcycle seat technology. I recently stopped by Saddlemen and saw their new line of café-styled seats and rear fenders. During the conversation, we looked at seats designed for flat track racing and how they worked to keep racers in position, yet allowed them

  Today I’m gonna talk about the Baker 6 speed transmission gear set I recently installed into my old evo bagger. Since the quality of different aftermarket six speed manufacturers has already been covered quite completely in various other articles, I’m not going to get into that here. Instead I’ll try to answer those questions

The journey back to life for one fine 1989 FXST/S. It sat idle in a garage for around 10 years. The classic springer Softail chopper was basically stock with a few classic mods, like the bars, and new seat with a backrest. It belonged to Ray Wheeler’s longtime friend, Rusty Hawk who recently passed away,

FXRs are hot property these days. We’ve been talking FXRs for some time. Kevin Alsop from Big Bear Choppers picked up the vibe and ran with it, developing new components and stronger frames to support more horsepower. Yaniv from Power Plant recently shifted from bobbers to FXRs. They are the street warriors’ ride for crazed,