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 with each step I took. The sand seemed unending and the beach extended my solitary walk with its expanding void. Lacking the means to get sober, I kept walking, determined that it would keep me awake, conscious and fearful. Waking up next to a dying man was not my idea of a relaxing weekend by the shores of Goa’s Palolem beach.

Wrong season, wrong place, wrong hour. Monsoon is a bad time to visit any location in India. The enigmatic and exotic beauty illustrated in art and cinema being a romanticized misrepresentation of the horrors of reality. The stench, the chaos, the disrepair of infrastructure, the unhygienic consumables, the dreary nature of all living things…it was enough to drive anyone to alcohol and self-gratification.



My escape from these incessant pains now confined me in a strange obligation. Should I leave him there, or what, drag a dead German tourist all the way back to civilization? I was too tired to wipe the sweat sticking to my face, trickling through my eyebrows, beside my eyes and then hanging by my itchy stubble. So, I looked up into the dark sky, letting the downpour clear them away. If I could help him I would have. Even as a dead man, I was doing all I could for him.

My morning began with the grogginess of languid pleasure, realizing it was actually noon when the tea-stall owner confirmed unavailability of morning tea – he was now offering fresh lime extract in iced water. Having found a McDonalds close enough, I dusted myself, swiped my hair by getting it wet, and went in to use the toilet to perform the morning rituals. These involved, scrubbing my face and chest with a rag. Then brushing my teeth with my index finger.

In between I managed to drink a lot of the tap water. Soon the bowels suggested to make good of the facility. The fresh roll of toilet paper also doubled as my final wet-towel wash of my shoulders, arm-pits and groin. You don’t wet the paper, instead wet your body parts and then use thick folds of the toilet paper to wipe yourself.

If by this time, no one knocks on the door, then I go ahead and puke in the ceramic washbasin. I never could puke in the commode. It would be a self-propelling effort if I tried to puke into the commode – making me puke endlessly at the sight of the potty. I would probably puke till I spilled my guts and liver and that tiny organ between the contracting muscles and the emptying stomach that gives spasms while puking. So, I puked in the washbasin. I made those spasms in the fleshy organ work. The diaphragm responded by practice rather than reflex. This ensured a feel-good factor for most of the day. The puking would drain all the toxins my bowels couldn’t extricate – or so I believed and practiced.



Now a haze of white smoke rose in the distance. Bonfires still burned into the wet night? I was certain they were the watchmen or some other morose breed of people, trying to burn the wet wood to keep themselves warm. Among the siesta and revelry of the tourist hub that is Goa, there were these people enabling everything. A varied bunch of people, with their occupational duties, looking into operations and maintenance with their dull eyes and depressing demeanor.



I could now see the lights from the ATM where the two watchmen shivered, slumped under a thick blanket, fanning the small fire in a metal bucket with yesterday’s newspaper. I kept walking steadily through the rain. The forced walk was now not just keeping me awake, but also keeping me from freezing despite being drenched in the rain.

A low warmth inside me. I felt my pulse by putting my left wrist to my ear; it was normal. It was diagnosed as pulsatile tinnitus by my psychiatrist. Never cared for his diagnosis of my ability to hear my pulse and heartbeat at will. I inferred from my normal pulse rate a calmness probably due to the alcohol working as a sedative. Yet, my mind was a confounded mess of images, sounds, thoughts, plans, explanations, and also a host of memories, which had nothing to do with my current predicament.

I felt my temples with my icy fingers, they were not throbbing, but I could sense my neck stiffening. My mind, trying to race like Atlas attempting to sprint with the weight of the world over his shoulders, suggested it was from snoozing in the mounds of sand. I stumbled past the few establishments adorned with hangers-on. Was it past midnight?

I kept walking. Unnoticed and weary, I wished to walk up to them and chat, hear them say they had a better night, so I could hope for better. Share my remaining jug of whiskey in exchange for a hot meal. Then I damned the idea and managed to lift the bottle to my lips. It held nothing, empty; the narrow tamper-proof mouth of the bottle disabled even the rain water from accumulating inside. So with scorched throat, aching muscles and a heavy head, I kept walking on the unending sandy beach, no track of time. No trail to my destination, somehow I didn’t let go of the empty bottle, it seemed too much of an effort to undo my frigid contorted fingers.

“Hello there, you ride that Enfield motorcycle!” he shook my hand firmly, giving it a shake, as if testing my frozen wrist.



I glimpsed in laziness at the tall figure in front of me, hunching to greet me.

“Have a seat,” I offered the dusty floor next to me.

“I need to get back to the city,” he sighed painfully, as if missing the crowded Panaji city of Goa over the serenity of this obscure end of the Palolem beach. “Help me get there fast.”

“Do you have a cigarette?”

It was a reflex. Whenever abruptly woken up from this drunken siesta, a puff would calm the nerves and put me to rest. He seemed to not take it well. A heavy European accent. I tried to place it, but he seemed to speak English well enough. He mumbled something, then decided he will indeed join me and crashed on the sand beside my mound.

“The city is quite a few kilometers, not worth a trek.” The hippie backpackers walked entire lengths of Goa. God knows why. They rented scooters or motorbikes, but still plenty of them would take in the rural settings with unending walks through beaches, across narrow paved roads, over hills and squatting bullocks, passing all the unconcerned village eyes, feeding stray dogs following them and strolling beyond into the city i.e. Panaji.

The man shuffled clumsily to pull out the cigarettes. Actually, he pulled out his fat wallet and the cigarettes were coincidentally dragged along into the dust.

“Thanks!”

I wiped the wet wrapping of the Davidoffs, unwrapped it, tapped out a Classic and fished for my lighter. He kept moaning as if he had too much to drink or probably had tried the Indian cuisines to the distaste of his complaining stomach. I let out a deep puff and sighed in agreement over the dreariness of monsoon and its effects.


“You German? What you need is to locate a reliable auto-rickshaw – the three-wheeled motorized nuisance. Tell him ‘Panjim’ – nothing more.” He listened intently and nodded. “If you say more than that, he will take you for a ride, drive you around to increase the fare on his meter. Act as if you have been here long enough and know your way around.”



I advised him as I would to anyone. Tourists are easy prey in any part of the world, as also Indian tourists visiting Goa or other destinations. He rolled over and his bloodied intestines left a splotch next to the pack of cigarettes.

It hit me then. A sudden surge of blood in the veins in my head. And I noticed that the wrapping of Davidoffs polished on my jeans had left a shimmering graffiti of blood. I sat up and saw the man dying next to me, stabbed; multiple times. He was a strong man to have managed to survive and have a coherent line of thought. His wallet was a sack of wet blood.

“Tell my wife I am here, the address is in here.” He could not point but his eyes strained to find the wallet he had pulled out onto the sandy surface in the dark evening.

“Who did this?”

The German relaxed; seemingly, visibly letting go of the pain. Allowing himself to escape into the unconsciousness. The initial adrenaline his body had pumped, now wearing off. His stiffened feet relaxed and fell to its sides. His breath came slower and was less intense.

As he drifted into semi-conscious sleep, I tried to comprehend the consequences, for me. I was as decrepit as the next bum. The fact that the messenger usually gets slammed down first by the cops made me wince at having to report this incident. I told my head to shut up, to save the man. He knew me. Probably from my Enfield motorcycle that chased the pickpocket in the winding, narrow, crowded flea market at Anjuna beach; three days ago. Will the cops believe me?

“I will get you to a hospital,” I promised him as I used his jacket to tie up his guts, “It’s not so bad.”

His eyes remained closed but he was alert. He grabbed my hand again, this time a final handshake, his firm palm grasped my forearm and I held on to his. He kept saying things. Voice and messages drowned by the crashing waves. I tried to calm him, but he was indeed calm. A man knowing his fate, wishing only peace for his family, who may not find his rotting corpse for days. He was at ease, his pain no longer registering in his tranquil mind.



The tides were still far from our mound of wet sand. I wished it would sweep away all the blood but then prayed it would stay away from snatching the remaining spirit of the brave man next to me. I didn’t waste a second when he let go of my arm. I shoved sand to bury his wallet resting next to him, took another cigarette and walked.

I have been walking since then, determined to locate the resort I think he mentioned. No point looking in the wallet. It was soaked in enough blood to melt the contents, whether it be currency or calling cards. I didn’t look back. I must have walked for hours. The German’s state unknown to me, but my heart knew he was dead when he let go of my arm.

The wind swayed the drizzle spraying me as I clung to my assigned task. The rain washed away my grime, but I felt stained forever. I knew the place, I was sure. Now in the sparse rain, with the resorts popping out in the horizon, the darkness seemed to fade. Hope is such an obsessive-compulsive disorder, makes us believe things will get better. Makes us aspire, strive, struggle to keep onwards, deluding us by suggesting the future is a waiting gift from Santa Claus which would materialize if we are good at present.

The is grass always greener at the other side of reality. My hope had assured me of my ability in fulfilling the German’s wish. That hope was a dual-edged sword – engaging me in wishful thinking while also fostering my perseverance. No wonder the Greeks listed Hope in the Pandora’s Box of maladies for humanity.



“Saw him last heading alongside the shoreline at Palolem beach,” I lied, “He may get lost, so do check it out.”

The German’s wife felt reassured. I wanted to stab myself for creating this false-ugly-cruel-demonic spawn of hope. She let out a deep breath and relaxed her tense shoulders. The resort’s staff members were awake to give company to the worried tourist – standing at the gate with her. They assured her of going there with a police constable to check on him.

I couldn’t express my grief. I couldn’t console her while her husband was alive in her head. The speckles of rain cloaked the single teardrop one of my eyes gave up. My mind could recollect the hour-long discussion on cast iron engines, the hospitality in villages, the clutter in modern lifestyle, the busyness of man due to supposed progress of mankind, and I sang a ballad instead of an elegy.



I told the German’s wife of how wonderful it was to have met her man a few days ago, of his passion for fine workmanship, his honorable endeavors and sensitive words, of her husband’s fondness for the familial world, and his exploration and documentation. It was all true. She listened and grew restless. My burden was mine alone. We said goodbye. It wasn’t a good night.



For those interested in travelling to India including you, here is a reliable discussion forum and travelogue made by Europeans and Americans who have seen India by being here and being stranded.

http://www.indiamike.com/

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 him describing to me his vision for his bike.

He wanted something all aluminum with simple elegant lines, similar to the Porsche Speedster that James Dean drove. He also wanted a touch of Art Deco represented in the bike. I remember telling him, “to do this properly, we’ll need to machine the tanks and fenders”… and to my amazement he said, “well let’s do it then.”

Together we shot ideas back and forth. The creative brainstorming was invigorating with the possibilities of creating a truly unique and timeless bike.

The development of this bike has not been without its challenges. We encountered many, many hours of development and several disappointments before arriving at what we have today. And even what we have today is still a work in progress. We are always evolving. I don’t settle and consequently I’m always looking for ways to improve.

Stemming from our customer’s bike, we built our AMD competition bike, which subsequently won it’s class at the World Championships. We also built a Navy Tribute bike around the same design configuration. It was unveiled at the Rolling Thunder Washington D.C. event.

We’ve built several hundred bikes over the years and now have nine different models we offer. But I’d have to say the Rocketeer and our Brawler GT significantly differentiate us from any bike builder who uses off the shelf parts.

When designing and building a Brass Balls bike, my four guiding principals are safety, ride-ability, quality of construction, and timeless design.

I couldn’t have developed this bike (or any of our bikes frankly) without a customer who was willing to take a chance on me. I am forever grateful to my first F3 Rocketeer customer and all of our customers who have contributed to our business and our evolution.

On to the F3 Rocketeer and what makes it unique.

First thing most people notice are the tins… which are really not tins at all, or sheet metal, as customarily referred to. The tank and fender are machined from solid blocks of aircraft grade, 6061 billet aluminum. Essentially they start as an oversized block of aluminum and are sculpted to shape by a multiple axis CNC machine. The amount of programming is insane. The amount of hours the machine runs to finish a single part is also ridiculous. And once the parts are machined, then there is a substantial hand finishing process.

The fender is CNC machined in one piece. The tank is machined in four pieces. There are a left & right halves, the bottom tunnel, and the filler bung. The tank gets TIG welded together by our master welder. Once finished, we file the seams and pressure test each limited edition tank for leaks. We then reach out to our leather guy, Hix Design, who creates our leather tank and fender accent strip for the center ridge. We hand make the finishing elements holding the leather in place, fasten it all down and pressure check for leaks again.

At this point, we remove the leather straps and the parts are sent to our polisher, who removes any imperfections and polishes to a mirror finish. From there we can elect to keep it all polished, brush parts or do a combination of both. We again check for leaks.

The oil tank is also aluminum. It is a combination of tubing, machined end-caps and filler cap/bungs. They are all welded together, polished, and thoroughly tested.

Another important and unique feature of this limited edition model are the brakes. They are not just any brakes… in fact, they are not motorcycle brakes, at least not on the front of the bike. The front brakes are made at the aircraft division of Beringer Brakes in France. Their hub brake system is made for small aircraft.

We order the aircraft hub brake system and build a custom wheel around it. We adapt it to our motorcycle by machining custom parts as well as machining the lower legs of the front end to fit and work perfectly together. The finished product results in uncompromising braking combined with a very distinguishing visual appeal where the brakes are part of the wheel rather than a component competing visually with the wheel.

Rear braking is equally cool as we use a 3-Guyz sprotor which works very well and compliments the front wheel while bringing a visual balance to the bike.

The wheels are laced aluminum Apollo smooth lip rims wrapped in the customer’s choice of Avon or Continental tires.

The power train in this bike could not be ordinary. We preferred to use any one of the S&S vintage replica motors. My personal favorite is the Shovelhead. Even though I have the 103-inch Shovel in my AMD bike, I’ve come to prefer the 93-inch H Shovelhead. It’s a high compression motor, but is just a bit less violent then the 103-inch motor. The 93h is also a little easier on your battery.

The motor breathes through custom made exhaust built using Burns Stainless tubing and is finished with one of their reverse megaphone mufflers. Man this thing sounds mean.

Rounding out the drive train is a Baker 2.4-inch Synchronous primary drive and a Rivera Primo 6-speed transmission.

The F3 features adjustable hydraulic ISR controls from LA Choprods. We love the quality and feel of these controls as well as their simple & elegant switch housings, which offer varying options of versatility.

Lighting on the F3 comes in the form of our Brass Balls Cycles Performance headlight featuring a JW Speaker LED hi/lo beam light encased in our proprietary machined billet aluminum housing. The taillights are LED and machined into the tail section of the rear fender. Signal lights are a customer’s choice of specialty lights. We position them on both sides, just rear of the seat.

The seat pan is one of our Brass Balls perfect custom seat pans with the leather work handled by our talented friend, Kyle, at Hix Design. We attach the seat with a Biltwell seat pivot and Chopper Shox adjustable springs.

To ensure reliable, repetitive starting of the bike, we use an All Balls Racing starter, an Antigravity Lithium battery, and a Cycle Electric charging system.

The F3 Rocketeer is a not only a work of art, but it’s a real rider. We don’t make anything that is not a rider, and this is no exception. It runs, tracks, corners and delivers an exceptional riding experience.

The bike pictured in this article was contracted by our dealer in Shanghai, “Ace Of One.” When not being ridden by the owner, it graces the Darwin Motorcycles showroom floor.

I couldn’t be happier with the way this bike has evolved and what we’ve accomplished with it. To preserve the prestige of this unique bike, we are only building 15 numbered examples paying tribute to its win at the AMD World Championships. Select units have already been sold and delivered to special customers.

Some more models have been contracted and are currently in our production schedule. If you desire a truly unique, rolling work of art, the perfect integration of form & function, then you need to contact us to reserve yours today. Once all 15 are spoken for, there will be no more like this.

Regular Stuff

Owner: Ace Of One… Shanghai

Bike Name: F3 Rocketeer

Builder: Darwin Motorcycles (Brass Balls Cycles)

City/state: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Company Info:
Address: 401 S. Blackwelder Ave.
Phone: 405-270-0995

Web site: www.DarwinMotorcycles.com or www.BrassBallsCycles.com
E-mail: evolve@DarwinMotorcycles.com

Fabrication: Darwin Motorcycles crew.

Manufacturing: Darwin Motorcycles crew

Welding: Darwin Motorcycles crew

Machining: Orange County Choppers

 Engine

Year: 2015

Make: S&S

Model: Shovelhead Alt/Gen Billet

Displacement: 93-inch H (high compression)

Builder or Rebuilder: S&S

Cases: S&S

Case finish: silver/black

Barrels: S&S

Pistons: S&S

Barrel finish: silver/black

Lower end: S&S billet kidney bean

Rods: S&S

Heads: S&S Shovel

Head finish: Polished

Valves and springs: S&S

Pushrods: S&S

Cams: S&S

Lifters: S&S

Carburetion: S&S shorty E

Air cleaner: S&S with Razzle Dazzle

Exhaust: Custom made using Burns Stainless / ceramic coated

Mufflers: Burns Stainless reverse megaphone

Other: Inscription machined on lower cover, “1st Place, AMD World Championships, Rocketeer F3, Number 3 of 15.”

Transmission

Year: 2015

Make: Rivera

Gear configuration: 6-speed

Primary: Baker 2.4 Synchronous belt drive polished

Clutch: Baker

Final drive: Chain

Frame

Year: 2015

Builder: Innovative Frameworks

Style or Model: Darwin Rocketeer gooseneck

Stretch: 0 up, 1 inch out

Rake: 36 degrees

Front End

Make: Darwin Motorcycles

Model: Mid Glide

Year: 2015

Length: Stock

Mods: Machined lower legs (secret squirrel stuff) to work with the custom hub-brake system.

Sheet metal

Tanks: 6061 Billet aluminum, Machined by OCC, welded by Darwin Motorcycles

Fenders: 6061 Billet aluminum, Machined by OCC

Panels: no

Oil tank: 6061 Billet aluminum, Darwin Motorcycles

Other: If I told you, I’d have to kill you.

Paint

Sheet metal: high polished aluminum

Molding: none… These are a perfect sculpture

Base coat: ha!

Graphics: No way!

Frame: Candy Red powder coat

Molding: none

Base coat: Chrome powder coat

Type: secret sauce I’m told

Wheels

Front

Make: Apallo smooth lip aluminum custom

Size: 19 x 3-inch

Brake calipers: Beringer 6-piston Aircraft calipers

Brake rotor(s): Beringer Aircraft hub with floating rotors

Tire: Avon Distanza

Rear

Make: Apallo smooth lip aluminum custom

Size: 17 x 4.5-inch

Brake calipers: 3 Guyz sprotor

Brake rotor: 3-Guyz sprotor

Pulley: no

Tire: Avon Distanza

Controls

Foot controls: Darwin Motorcycles

Finish: polished

Master cylinder: Darwin Motorcycles

Brake lines: Goodridge

Handlebar controls: ISR Adjustable

Finish: Black ano

Clutch Cable: ISR Adjustable

Brake Lines: Goodridge

Shifting: smooth

Kickstand: custom by Darwin Motorcycles

Electrical

Ignition: S&S

Ignition switch: Darwin Motorcycles

Coils: Drag

Regulator: Cycle Electric

Charging: Cycle Electric

Starter: All Balls Racing

Wiring: Darwin Motorcycles

Harness: Wire Plus

Headlight: Brass Balls Performance / JW Speaker

Taillight: Darwin Motorcycle LED’s flush mounted in rear fender

Accessory lights: Rapide signal lights

Electrical accessories:

Switches: ISR

Battery: Antigravity Lithium Ion

What’s Left

Seat: Custom solo seat using our “Perfect Seat Pan” and upholstered by Hix Design

Mirror(s): Billet aluminum machined bar end mirrors

Gas caps: Billet aluminum machined Brass Balls Worldwide cap

Handlebars: Tracker Bars

Grips: Aluminum and rubber wrapped

Pegs: Darwin Motorcycles polished aluminum/rubber

Oil filter: Drag

Oil cooler: n/a

Oil lines: Good Year

Fuel filter: pingle

Fuel Lines: Goodyear

Throttle: Joker Machine

Throttle cables: Motion Pro

Fasteners: Gardner Wescot

Specialty items:
The tank & fender are a highlight of the bike. I have to give huge props and thanks to Jim Quinn at Orange County Choppers for seeing my vision and making it happen. Not only did he work with me to get it perfect, but the professionalism of the OCC team made it easy to do business with them.

Comments:
For me, it’s about creating a vision and having a great team to execute the vision. There are many skilled craftsmen and great vendors who collectively contribute to our bikes. I am mindful that you are only as good as the people you put around you.

Credits:
Thanks to my original customer who shared his vision with me and made it possible to develop what became the F3 Rocketeer. Thanks to my team for helping me go from vision to reality on this bike. It has been thrilling to bring this organic piece of rolling art to life.

 

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 of Baker, California has topped out at 120.

Especially motorcycle oil when it’s called upon to drench drip-dried pistons and cylinder walls during a cold start after a bike’s been sitting for a few days.

Lucas Motorcycle Oil simply doesn’t fail, but that doesn’t mean adding a can of Lucas Motorcycle Oil Stabilizer to your oil bag won’t produce results you’ll feel under your butt (higher performance) and in your back pocket (better mileage.) And if you are one of the unenlightened who hasn’t yet switched to one of Lucas’ High-Performance motorcycle engine oils, adding a shot of Lucas Motorcycle Oil Stabilizer to the oil you do use might just save you from needing an engine rebuild once the weather turns hot and you’re right smack dab in the middle of riding season.

OK, here’s the 25 words or less (actually 25 words and a lot more) version of What Makes Oil Go Away For Dummies.

Both extreme heat (and for that matter extreme cold) cause all lubricating and hydraulic fluids to become unstable. (Duh … that must be why Lucas called their additive a stabilizer.) Water or other fluid-cooled motors tend to operate at a fairly constant temperature because they’re based on heat-exchange … the circulating fluid picks up heat from the exterior of the motor, cools itself off by running through a radiator and recirculates to pick up more heat. Use of thermostats and, sometimes, cooling fans normally keeps this constant temperature below that at which a good oil will start to break down.

Air-cooled engines also use heat exchanging to prevent oil breakdown … hot air is radiated away from the engine by cooling fins and exposed to and cooled by the hundreds of degrees cooler ambient air. Though usually effective, air-cooling cannot keep the oil circulating in the motor at anything like a constant temperature because of variables like the outside ambient temperature and the amount of cooling air being forced through the fins by the bike’s speed.

With an air-cooled scooter, sitting motionless at a red light or two in Baker on that 120-plus degree day can degrade the performance and life expectancy of even the best motor oils, with an average oil (say a good-quality oil intended for cars) it can lead to a catastrophic failure. As for cheapshit generic oils, don’t bother to even think about it … you wouldn’t have gotten as far into the desert as Baker no matter what direction you were riding in from.

Even when high oil temps don’t cause anything to go wrong with your motor immediately, they can significantly and permanently reduce your oil’s effectiveness and lead to increased and totally avoidable (avoidable if you use Lucas lubricants throughout your bike) engine wear. Why? For one thing, overheating destroys most of the essential “anti” — anti-wear, anti-foam, anti-rust, anti-oxidant – additives inherent in all oils that meet motorcycle manufacturers’ standards. Another insidious way that overheating compromises an oil’s future performance is by something the chemistry textbooks call “thermal decomposition of organic molecules.”

Truth is, if you want to know what that really means, you’ll have to ask somebody like a Lucas engineer. However, for our purposes, a simple definition is good enough: Oil starts to go south at lower temperatures after it has already been overheated a time or two.

“How” Lucas Motorcycle Oil Stabilizer solves all these problems is, of course, magic. Or, at least, it’s magic to anyone who hasn’t spent 25 years learning how to refine, blend, test and perfect petroleum lubricants. (For the record, the Stabilizer is an all-petroleum product and will not void your warranty when used as directed.)

“What” the Stabilizer does, on the other hand, is no secret at all. It blends with and works with your existing motor oil to control heat and wear by increasing your oil’s resistance to overheating and loss of critical surface tension with moving parts, reducing friction (friction is the number one cause of heat buildup) and raising your oil pressure under even extreme operating conditions.

But wait, as the Ginsu knife hawkers like to say, there’s more. Lucas MC Oil Stabilizer also eliminates dry starts (the major cause of MC engine wear), slows blow-by, seals worn cylinders, makes cold starts easier, extends oil life up to 50 percent (in large part by making the oil more heat resistant) and increases power and gas mileage (thanks to its friction-reducing properties.) It even works hand in hand with synthetic oil, ATF and — ready for some hi-tech laxative, anyone? — mineral oil. Just kidding, folks, the Stabilizer is absolutely not for human – or even hardcore biker – consumption. Our guts simply don’t run hot enough for it.

One last thing. If you just can’t get through the rest of the day without a Manny, Moe and Jack fix, click on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgwb-D41bQM and watch the Pep Boys tell you how great this stuff is.

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 this mix.

The whole idea of Viola V-Twin is to give independent shops access to the parts they need to service their customer’s bikes easily and readily. Sometimes it’s hard for a non-franchised shop to find quality parts at a reasonable price without access to multiple catalogs and credit lines.

You may notice that the pages of the VVT catalog are very much like a stock parts catalog. People are used to that format and it makes it easy for them to find what they need. It also serves as a handy cross-reference to stock and VVT/S&S part numbers. If S&S doesn’t have a particular part, there won’t be a part number in the VVT column.

The customer can see that they don’t have that part, but has the stock part number to make it easier to search elsewhere for it. Also if the S&S team happens to add the part to the product line, they just have to plop the new part number into that column and are good to go in next year’s catalog or on line immediately.

The cases, heads, and oil pump of Terry’s rebuild were stock Harley-Davidson. The cases, early Evo, were in horrible shape when he got them. They had been sitting out in the elements, back east, for years. He had them machined, so the two halves matched on the seams for a leak-proof bound.

Terry had an oil filter housing mount welded onto the right case. He also turned the bottom breather (early Evos) into a top breather, and ran later model heads for better oiling. It has a stock cam and a Dynotech electronic ignition. Terry is very happy with the way it all came together in the end.

We decided to take this opportunity, since we didn’t have a complete photographic rundown of the rebuild to point out some of the benefits of S&S products, and the S&S Viola Rebuild program with their components and services.

S&S LOWER ENDS FOR 1984–‘99 big twins

FEATURES AND BENEFITS:

Drive side flywheels have special keyed 6° large diameter taper that provides more contact area, increasing strength

Standard S&S tapered crankpin and pinion shaft are used for ease of service.

Flywheels for EFI applications are machined with timing notches compatible with factory crank position sensors.

Made of high strength forged steel, S&S flywheels are recommended for both stock replacement and high performance custom applications alike.

S&S rods are made of high strength forged steel. S&S flywheels are recommended for both stock replacement and high performance custom applications alike.

S&S Pistons

S&S cast, 3-1/2-inch bore replacement pistons for S&S 89-inch Hot Set Up Kits. These pistons fit 1984 – ‘ 99 Harley-Davidson big twins with 4-5/8-inch stroke, 89-inch engines. 9.25:1 compression, standard size.

Check the S&S catalog for any piston needs.

S&S Camshafts for Evos

Recommended Applications for S&S camshafts:
Original Equipment Specification (OES) A bolt-in replacement cam with stock cam timing is designed for riders with stock engines. Does not require tuning.

490HP: Hydraulic Bolt-In. Designed for speed or touring. Works well with engine modifications. Works best with 9.5:1 compression ratio. Can be used with stock compression in lighter bikes. Basic rpm 1800-5800.

490MR: Hydraulic Bolt-In Street performance for heavier bikes that are slightly modified. Can be used with stock compression or increased up to 9.5:1. Complements exhaust and intake modifica- tions. No valve spring change required. Basic rpm 1500-5500.

508: Bolt-in cam intended for stock engines with less than 10:1 compression ratio. Quiet valve- train with excellent low/mid range torque for touring and 2 up riding.

510V: Bolt-in cam that works well with stock or ported heads. Improved ramp design results in low valve train noise. Meant for engines up to 96″ and 10:1 compression ratio. 3000-5000 rpm. 520: A replacement part for S&S emissions certified engines, this is a short duration emissions cam with very little overlap to reduce emissions of unburned hydrocarbons. Requires high lift springs and normal clearance checks. 1000-4500 rpm (80″-96″).

585V: A versatile cam for 80″ to 96″ engines with 10:1-10.5:1 compression, and larger engines with 9.5:1-10:1 compression ratios. 3500-6000 rpm.

600: An exceptional cam in any large displacement engine with 9.5:1 to 10.5:1 compression. 3500- 6000 rpm. According to Bruce Tessmer, of S&S, this cam would be okay if the owner decked the heads and raised compression, otherwise he might have a weak response at the low end.

REBUILDING EVO OIL PUMPS–Nobody Likes A Leaky Pump

You can often get a real bargain on an older Harley-Davidson motorcycle with an Evolution engine, but those motors are getting long in the tooth, and lots of them need some TLC. If you’re rebuilding a venerable 80-incher, you’ll certainly want to inspect the oil pump. Even if the pump checks out fine, when it goes back together, you’ll need new gaskets.

Viola V-Twin, S&S Cycle’s line of service parts for stock engines, now includes premium quality Cometic oil pump gaskets for 1984 to 1999 Evolution engines. Don’t settle for anything less! Gaskets are available individually, as gasket kits, and combined with select S&S components as master rebuild kits for stock oil pumps.

Needless to say the gasket kits and master rebuild kits make it easy to get all the parts you need by ordering one part number. The master kit includes gaskets, seals, check ball and spring, relieve valve and spring, keys, and retaining rings. What, no gears? Let’s put it this way: If your gears are damaged, your oil pump body is probably all garfed up, and you need a new oil pump. (We’ve got them too)

Oil Pump Rebuild kits are also available in Viola V-Twin Complete Service Kits. Everything that you need to do the job!

S&S SERVICE AND SPEED CENTER

Did you know the S&S Service and Speed Center is ready to take care of your machine shop, performance upgrade, and custom engine needs. With experienced and knowledge technicians, and state of the art equipment and tools, we can get the job done…guaranteed. The Service and Speed Center is a service provided through S&S Dealers. Locate a dealer near you.
Speed!

S&S REMANUFACTURING AND REPAIR PROGRAM

S&S went way beyond the factory re-man program. They will remanufacture individual components to high performance stroker motors, including:

Remanufacture S&S engines to original factory specs
Remanufacture S&S Carburetors
Remanufacture S&S cylinder heads
Remanufacture S&S flywheel assemblies – Rebuild rods, install thrust washers, rebalance, and replace unserviceable parts
Stock engine rebuilds 1966 – present big twin
Rebuild stock flywheels for 1948-’99 big twin and 1957-85 Sportster models.
Rebuild stock cylinder heads for 1966-present big twin

Performance Upgrades

Install an S&S Hot Set Up Kit in stock 1966-present big twin crankcases including late model “A” and “B” big twin engines
Update stock heads for Harley-Davidson 883cc Sportster models to 1200cc size valves
Compression ratio increase – Machine gasket surfaces of cylinder heads, cylinders, or cases, and installation of high compression piston

Machine Shop Services

Bore stock engine cases to accept big bore cylinders
Hone S&S or stock Harley-Davidson cylinders to fit new pistons
Timken bearing conversions on 2003 – Up stock Harley-Davidson “A” and “B” crankcases

Custom Engine Building

Non standard configurations – engines we don’t offer in the catalog
Custom cosmetic treatments – powder coating (available colors only), polishing, diamond cutting, and nonstandard combinations

S&S REBUILDS STOCK ENGINES!

You may have heard that Harley-Davidson no longer offers the factory remanufacturing program, but not to worry! S&S has been offering a similar service for years. We still do, and the S&S Engine Rebuild Program offers a lot of extras the factory didn’t.

S&S Rebuild Program Features

Fast turn-around – 10 working days from delivery to S&S

Engines are rebuilt with Viola V-Twin quality service parts

Full machine shop service for repairs and performance upgrades

30-day labor and 1 year parts warranty
You get the same engine back – keep your original VIN

Keep any performance upgrades you’ve made – if serviceable

If you want your used parts back, just pay the shipping costs

S&S Rebuild Program Benefits

Competitive Pricing

Dealers! Offer engine rebuild service without tying up your service dept

Expert workmanship using premium Viola V-Twin components

Free Shipping to S&S and back to your dealer (in the lower 48 states) – No hidden charges

Options

Same as Stock Rebuilds
Performance Upgrades

How The Program Works

The S&S Engine Rebuild Program is available only through participating dealers, and is not available directly to retail customers.

When your dealer places an order for the desired rebuild package, S&S will send detailed instructions. In the lower 48 United States, S&S will send a free call tag/pick up order. Dealers outside the lower 48 states are responsible for shipping.

As a highly recommended option, S&S can send a shipping carton to ensure that the engine is properly packaged to avoid damage in shipping. S&S does not recommend using UPS.

When an engine is received, it will be disassembled, and the parts cleaned and inspected. If any part that is normally reusable or is normally refurbished, is not serviceable, the dealer will be contacted. These parts can be replaced with S&S or Viola V-Twin parts, but there will be an additional charge since they are not included in the basic package.

If a performance package is chosen over the Basic Rebuild, the difference in price will reflect the difference in product and related labor costs. For example, if an S&S Hot Set Up Kit is chosen, you won’t be charged for rebuilding your stock heads, since they will be replaced with S&S Super Stock heads. A pretty sweet deal!

Sending An Engine For Rebuild

Attention Do-It-Yourselfers! If you prefer to remove your engine yourself and have your S&S Dealer send it to S&S for rebuilding, please remove the fuel system, ignition system, charging system, and any engine sensors or electronics. Package the engine securely to prevent damage in shipping. We suggest that an S&S engine carton be used. See your S&S Dealer for full details.

Basic Package

We have basic rebuild packages for 1984-’99 Evolution big twin engines and for 1999-present big twin A and B style engines except CVO engines*. If you want your engine to run just like it did when your bike rolled off the showroom floor and be street legal, the basic package is the one for you.

The basic package includes the automatic replacement of certain wear items such as pistons, valves, valve springs, bearings, etc. and all other parts will be inspected and repaired if needed to ensure that they are within factory specifications.

Rebuilds for 1999-later engines automatically include an S&S 3-piece flywheel assembly. If an engine has more than normal wear and tear, and there are unserviceable parts that normally could be reused or rebuilt, the dealer will be contacted to discuss the options.

*CVO engines, as well as vintage big twins not covered by this program, can be rebuilt on a custom basis. Just contact the S&S Service & Speed Center for a personalized quote. 608-627-0763

S&S Basic Engine Rebuild Packages For Stock
Harley-Davidson Big Twins

Engine Type **Part Number ** MSRP

2001-2015 Twin Cam 88B 96B, and 103B 600-0003 $3,995.00

1999-2015 Twin Cam 88, 96, and 103 600-0002 $3,695.00

1984-1999 Evolution Big Twin 600-0001 $3,495.00

Performance Upgrades

While your engine is out of the bike and taken apart, it’s a great time to upgrade performance with minimal additional cost. S&S offers a wide variety of performance upgrades.

Just look at the S&S catalog or visit the S&S website at www.sscycle.com to see what we have available for your engine. We can install anything you see in the catalog, but here are some suggested upgrade packages. Other upgrades will be installed and charged according to time and materials.

Big Twin Engines Option

Performance Cam Upgrade 600-0010 $50.00

Easy Start Cams 600-0011 $100.00

Gear Drive Cams 600-0012 $400.00

98 or 107-inch Big Bore Kit 600-0013 $600.00

CNC Ported Heads 600-0014 $650.00

124-inch Hot Set Up Kit 600-0015 $3,400.00

Performance Upgrade Options for 1984-1999
Harley-Davidson Evolution Big Twin Engines

Bolt-in Performance Cams 600-0004 $50.00

Oil Pump 600-0005 $328.00

Performance Heads 600-0006 $700.00

S&S Flywheels 600-0007 $900.00

89-inch Stroker Kit 600-0008 $1,400.00

96-inch Hot Set Up Kit 600-0009 $2,800.00

How The S&S Engine Rebuild Program Works

The S&S Engine Rebuild Program is available only through participating dealers, and is not available directly to retail customers.

Your dealer will place an order for the desired rebuild package.

S&S will send detailed instructions along with a call tag/pick up order. The call tag allows the dealer to take advantage of S&S’ contracted lower shipping rates.

As an option S&S can send a shipping crate to ensure that the engine is properly packaged to avoid damage in shipping. This is highly recommended. Note: S&S is not responsible for shipping damage. We recommend that engines be insured and packaged properly.

When the engine is received by S&S, it will be disassembled and the parts will be cleaned and inspected. Note: If any part that is normally reusable or is normally refurbished is not serviceable, the dealer will be contacted. These parts can be replaced with S&S or Viola V-Twin parts, but there will be an additional charge since they are not included in the basic package.

Any extra parts or performance products will be added to the order as separate line items. If a Performance Upgrade is chosen over the Basic Rebuild, the difference in price will reflect the difference in product and related labor costs. For example, if an S&S Hot Set Up Kit is chosen, you won’t be charged for rebuilding your stock heads, since they will be replaced with S&S Super Stock heads. A pretty sweet deal!

All work for Basic Packages and Performance Upgrades will be done by the technicians at the S&S Service and Speed Center in LaCrosse, WI using either Viola V-Twin service parts or S&S Proven Performance parts.

Sending An Engine For Rebuild

Dealers! When sending and engine to S&S for rebuilding, please remove the fuel system, ignition system, charging system, and any engine sensors or electronics. Package the engine securely to prevent damage in shipping. We suggest that an S&S engine carton be used.

Notes

At this time S&S does not offer any cosmetic or finishing options. The S&S engine rebuilding program is for functional repair only.

Engines receiving the full basic rebuild package have stock performance and are emissions legal.

Engines rebuilt with S&S performance products, or performance products installed in the engine when received, are intended only for closed course competition use and are not legal for vehicles used on the street.

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 on old Triumphs, Ironhead Sportsters, and Shovelheads. He’s been busted by the man, the Port Authority, city inspectors, Long Beach cops, OSHA, and the EPA. Oh, and building and safety, sorry.

I was at his shop interviewing him while welders buzzed, grinders sparked, and the cell phones rang. In the midst of metal dust upheaval stood a tall brunette bombshell painting a fine art skull and rose on the side of a chipped and scratched helmet. She painted with acrylics and brushes in her day-of-the-dead style. I was completely caught off guard. What the hell is a fine artist in skin-tight denims doing here, and what the hell is fine art doing on a motorcycle helmet. We started talking.

“My foundation secured in the historic tradition of portrait painting originated at Cal State University Long Beach,” Jessica said. “My unique style blossomed in my graduate program at Cal State University Fullerton, and manifested itself with technical prowess and sensitive attention, which I lavish on the anatomy, with expression and the detail of light, as it delicately illuminates a figure. My work is an amalgamation of both surrealism and symbolism. I love to create visual metaphors for and about my subjects. I also want to morph those figures and scenes to create my own ultra-reality landscape.”

I didn’t know whether to fall in love or run. The more involved I became with McQuiston’s, the more the notion of starving artists surfaced. With her masters in fine art, the reality of real-world survival continued to be daunting. Even in Los Angeles the struggle for artists, the competition, and the who-you-know mentality is tough, and she looked for alternative pallets. She found one in a dank, back street, custom motorcycle shop.

“I found a recent life-saving muse in custom motorcycle painting,” said Jessica. “I touched my first helmet for Ryan McQuiston at McQuiston’s Choppers in Long Beach. Ryan has been my friend and mentor, and I owe him a lot for helping me and encouraging me in this slick metal-flake industry.” She painted her first tank for Babes Ride Out, the largest gathering of All Women Motorcycle riders. “As one of the featured artists, I painted a tank donated by Lowbrow Customs, which was raffled at the event.”

The custom motorcycle world opened a fresh pallet for her talents. “My art is finding homes on many gas tanks and helmets prowling the streets of L.A. and abroad,” Jessica said. “I just recently won the helmet design contest for 21 helmets. It will be featured in the 21 Helmets collection and hopefully featured in some publications.”

So I coerced Jessica into coming to the Bikernet Interplanetary Headquarters to view my vast collection of eerie etchings and finger paintings by the Master, Jon Towle. In a warm moment of grace and artistic inspiration, we discussed a commission. We have highly secure metal doors on all of the Bikernet prison cells, er, I meant facility doors. It became a natural, a metal door sporting a Chinese dragon and a porthole. What the hell could be better? Here’s how it went down:

1. Brainstorming on ideas with Bandit and created some initial drawings before deciding on the Dragon lady design.

This actually brings to light another sordid story. Dr Feng, the Bikernet Certified Welder and Feng Shui Master fell in lust recently to a mermaid. Originally Jessica suggested a mermaid for the door. We couldn’t go there. The good doctor’s experience with the mermaid went seriously south, so much so, the mere mention of a mer… was disastrous. I encouraged Jessica in the direction of a dragon and of course chasing a 5-Ball, for the Chinese fireball, and 5-Ball Racing. We need all the spiritual help we can get.

2. Measuring the door, Jessica created a line drawing of the design and had it printed to size in order to trace it on the door. She backed it with Saral paper to transfer the sketch to the door.

 

4. She returned to the scene over and over, adding details such as pinks in the cheeks and shadows in her hair.

5. Jessica used an amalgam of different reference photos. For the 5-ball, “I used a real 5-ball given to me by the most auspicious and protective Bandit.”

6. Jessica wanted to make sure she had a strong, yet feminine facial expression and movement. Bandit said, “Attitude!”

7. Jessica hand-painted all of her scales with gold paint. “I also added metallic gold in her tail and wings.”

8. Jessica’s last few details included adding tiny orange specks in the dragon lady’s eyes, as she reaches for the glowing and auspiciously grand 5-Ball, the mascot of the 5-Ball Racing Team and 5-Ball Apparel Company.

The talented Mr. McQuiston rolled to the Bikernet nerve center ivory tower in the port ghetto this morning with his spray equipment to clear this magnificent thing of beauty. He worked quickly and respectfully, and peeled out in less than an hour. Jessica isn’t standing around. She’s about to throw her first art exhibit at the Attic, a certified dive bar (wait, in the interest of absolute transparency, we must make a correction. “The Attic is a nice restaurant,” Jessica corrected, “with an outdoor gallery.”) in Long Beach from April 7th to April 28th.

We’ll keep you posted on her artistic progress.

Jessica Fife
jessica_fife@mac.com
(562) 773-8863

And as the world turns, we continue to imprison more people each year. We have 5 percent of the world’s population and 25 percent of the world’s known prison population. We incarcerate about 730 out of every 100,000 citizens; more than Mexico, Hungary, Turkey, England, Australia, and every other country in the world. Why is there such a high rate of incarceration, especially for nonviolent or minor infractions? It might be because prisons are big money enterprises. The more people locked up, the more money they make, and many prisons are being privatized, meaning more incentives to call for harsher minimum sentences.

Tony “Pan” Sanfelipo is the senior investigator at Hupy and Abraham, S.C.
For more articles of interest to bikers, www.hupy.com/news/current-news-for-bikers/

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 Award in IMS biker build off

A few years back K&N employee Todd White and his good friend Matt Dawson spent six months transforming a stock 1999 Harley-Davidson XL1200C Sportster into a one of a kind bobber. The build was described as a melding of Matt’s vision and skills, with Todd’s hard work and money.

The duo was influenced by post World War II era motorcycles, and attempted to create a nostalgic looking motorcycle out of a modern machine. Bobbers trace their roots to the late 1940s and can be considered some of the earliest custom motorcycles. A bobber usually retains stock frame geometry, unlike a chopper, and takes a stripped down, minimalist approach to styling.

The 1999 Sportster bobber was Todd’s first custom bike build, and he did such an excellent job that the bike earned him and Matt a first place trophy at the Grand National Roadster Show in the bobber class. Still fresh off that build, and full of excitement about all they had achieved, Todd already had plans to build a custom vintage Triumph motorcycle and a classic Ford pickup truck. As it often happens, life threw a curve ball in the duo’s direction. Matt suffered some dramatic health challenges and Todd took a timeout to start a family with his wife.

In recent years, vintage Triumph twins, known for their parallel twin cylinder engines, have become increasingly popular thus becoming hard to find and expensive when they do pop up. This has led many custom bike builders to pursue other options such as the Yamaha XS650 twin, or in Todd’s case a 1981 Kawasaki KZ440 LTD-A. The Kawasaki KZ400, and later KZ440, falls under the classic “Universal Japanese Motorcycle” or UJM classification common in the early days of Japanese motorcycles.

“I got this bike from a buddy,” said Todd. “It was rotting on the side of his house. I was looking for a project, so I asked if I could take it off his hands and he happily agreed.”

The UJM Kawasaki wasn’t designed to excel in any particular category, especially good looks, but simply intended to be a good all-around motorcycle. Keeping this in mind only helps to appreciate all the hard work and effort Todd put into his custom Kawasaki KZ440.

Todd completely rebuilt the 1981 KZ440 engine, which was blacked out using high-temp paint with the exception of the side and valve covers, which were powder coated in a root beer brown.

“The entire motor I went thru,” said Todd. “I replaced only a center shifter fork in tranny and sandblasted existing pistons with 8-gauge glass and used a fresh ring set. I honed cylinders and did some mild porting.”

Todd White’s custom 1981 Kawasaki KZ440 LTD-A features many one off custom parts that he fabricated himself. Because most post World War II era motorcycles did not feature rear suspension Todd designed a custom rear hard tail section married to the stock front half of the frame for that nostalgic bobber look.

“All frame tubing is DOM .120 wall cold rolled,” said Todd. “The plate behind the motor I designed to support lower frame tubes, down tube and give motor more mounting options.”

The custom support plate fitted to the frame behind the engine added support and a faux oil tank was installed underneath the seat. Vintage Triumph twins, as well as American made Harley-Davidson motorcycles, feature a dry sump engine design with a remote oil tank.

“I machined all the spacers on the bike out of brass,” said Todd.

The Kawasaki KZ440 is actually a wet sump design, however Todd added the faux oil tank to give his bobber that vintage look as well as give him a place to house the bike’s electronics. The custom seat pan, wrapped in a bold gripper seat cover from Enjoy Manufacturing, rests on urethane bumpers and flips up to reveal a hidden storage compartment for personal effects and allow access to wiring.

“Under the seat I made brass housings for urethane bump stops to add for a more comfortable ride,” said Todd.

The compact Ballistic battery was left in plain sight with custom a machined mount keeping it in place, while the number 2 plate was inspired by 4-time Supercross champ Ryan Villopoto

Todd’s crown jewel in this custom bike build is the one-off springer front end with trunnion style rockers. When Todd couldn’t find a springer fork that he liked, the decision was made to build his own springer front end from scratch.

“The springer front end I made at work, took existing stem from old lower tree and press fitted it into new lower tree and finished up front end around the ride height,” said Todd. “I made old style trunnions for the rockers out of 1-inch cold rolled steel. Front caliper is off YZF 450 and machined access to run cable reverse direction. Bought cables from J&J aircraft supply. Turned down the rotor .050 thou to allow for more clearance.”

The stock Kawasaki KZ440 gas tank was retained; however Todd sectioned and stretched the tank an additional three inches. A Russ Wernimont Designs rear fender hugs the nostalgic looking Duro Tires. Because the Ballistic Performance Components Lithium battery is almost a work of art in and of itself; Todd left the compact battery in plain sight and instead machined a custom mount to keep it in place.

“Carbs were sand-blasted with glass and completely rebuilt using Sigma Jets out of Arizona,” said Todd. “The air filter was my own design I made two filters, one with cotton media and the other with a dry flow media. Both filters come with the sale of the bike and are the ONLY style of its kind. Also made carbon fiber tops to give it a different look.”

When it was time to choose the color Todd went with Kawasaki Flo Green paint, a traditional blocky Kawasaki logo, and custom striping to give it some additional flair. The bike’s hand and foot controls were all borrowed from a Motocross bike, and the KZ440 bobber proudly wears the number 2 plate after the now retired 4-time Supercross / 3-time Motocross champion and Factory Kawasaki racer Ryan Villopoto.

Todd would like to thank all the sponsors who helped out during this year and a half long custom bike build; such as Ballistic Performance Components, Russ Wernimont Designs, Enjoy Manufacturing, Biltwell Inc. and of course K&N air filters.

All of Todd’s hard work paid off when he entered the KZ440 bobber in the Ultimate Builder Show biker build-off in Long Beach, California. Todd was again fortunate enough to be recognized for his creativity, this time with the Bikernet Editor’s Choice award. When asked if he had any plans to build another bike Todd stated that he planned to take some time off from building to spend as much of his free time as possible with family.

Bike Name: Lunch Box Special
Fabricator: Todd White
City/state: Sun City, CA.
Time to build: 1-1/2

Owner: Todd White
Phone: 951-375-6353
E-mail: todd.the.builder.77@gmail.com

Year: 1981
Make: Kawasaki
Model: Z440 LTD-A
Displacement: 27.03 cubic inches

Year: 1981
Builder: Fabricated by Todd White
Style or Model: Bobber
Modifications: One off hard tail married to stock front half

Make: Custom built by Todd White
Model: Springer
Mods: Used existing stem and married to one off springer front end

Tanks: Slims Fab Farm
Fenders: RWD Designs
Oil tank: Todd White

Paint: My buddy Chip
Frame: Gloss black powder coat

Front: 19” Stock
Rear: 16” Stock

Carburetion: Stock with custom jet kit from Sigma Jets
Air cleaner: Dual Flanged K&N Filter w/ carbon fiber top
Exhaust: Stock pipes that were sectioned and stretched with fishtail exhaust

Foot controls: Biltwell
Handlebar controls: MSR
Clutch Cable: Motion Pro
Brake Lines: Custom
Front caliper: YZF 450 (machined to fit)
Shifting: Smooth as silk

Seat: Slims Fab Farm
Gas caps: Parts Unlimited
Handlebars: Biltwell
Grips: Biltwell
Oil filter: K&N Performance
Fuel Lines: Hanks Hardware
Throttle: Biltwell
Throttle cables: Motion Pro
All spacers/washers: Todd White ( made from brass)
Kickstand: Todd White

Ignition switch: Parts Unlimited
Wiring: Matt Dawson
Headlight: Bates
Taillight: Zero Engineering
Battery: Ballistic Battery Components

Credits: Thank all my Sponsors, KN filters, Biltwell, RWD Designs, Ballistic, Enjoy Seats. And everyone who helped in the build.

Comment: This bike took me about 1-1/2 years to build and I literally have gone thru every square inch of this bike. I named it “The Lunch Box Special” because I built it every day at work on my ten minute breaks and my lunches.

It’s a ton of fun to ride but have to sell it and provide for the family.

K&N contact: Johnny Jump
Powersports Brand Manager – K&N ENGINEERING, INC. – T: (951) 826-4000 Ext. 4338 – F: (951) 826-4003 – WWW.KNFILTERS.COM

The grinning face of an older white girl, her long dreadlocks weighted towards the ground, soon appeared at my tent door. As I offered a return smile and reached for the steaming mug she offered, thoughts of yesterdays adventure with her came to my mind.

B.B. at the wheel, I had ridden in her police van as we’d visited the hospital to pick up an 80-year-old man. I’d then sat in the backseat listening to his seemingly deluded story of how the power company had shut off his home until eventually he’d simply wondered away. Now the man no longer knew where he lived. In his pocket was a check for $7,000.

The shelter to which we delivered him was a crowded place and most seemed genuinely happy to see B.B. Three staff members hugged her. Once she’d told of the old man’s plight he was admitted.

This place was filled with the city’s ragged people and many of their faces lit up at the sight of my host. For although B.B. works for the police, wears a cop suit (I kid her that she smells like bacon) and drives a cop van, she is technically not a cop. B.B. carries no gun and her only job is to help those unfortunate or homeless people who occupy this city. It’s a job in which she seems to exude great passion and because she’d helped so many, most vie constantly for her attention and it took quite some time get out of there.

Days later, B.B.’s research confirmed that, without family, the old man resided alone and had outlived most of his friends. Although he did have money with which to pay utility bills, this senior had simply forgotten that such things exists. Dementia maybe. In time they’d find him a home in which to finish out his years.

So is the daily routine of this city’s happy little Mother Teresa (whom I often kid, “Sister Teresa”). Yet in her off-time B.B. is into motorcycles, parties, and other things that the real Mother Teresa would never have considered. Still, B.B.’s the most altruistic person I’d known and this opportunity to spend time in her presence was a unique and wonderful experience.

After two sips and a groggy, “Good morning”, I promised to be down at the cop-shop soon. B.B. headed off to work.

Eventually, I arrived at the station. It seemed strange that I should have become so familiar with this place. But I’d been coming and going for quite some time and most of the police knew me by face, if not name. They’d become familiar to me as well.

Under B.B.’s influence to community service, I’d offered to help set up the big metal Christmas tree that’s traditionally erected in the N.O.P.D.’s yard at this time of year. I was told that a parade (oh, how New Orleans loves its parades) of children, proceeded by cops on horseback and a brass band, would soon be coming to place their homemade decorations on the tree.

Made little sense to me at the time but over the course of four days, I’d spend considerable time getting that damn tree ready. The afternoon passed easily as I worked with two other volunteers.

Three days later a famous New Orleans musician stopped by B.B.’s home. Ten years ago she’d traveled the world, acting as this man’s road manager and B.B. knew him well. I’d been listening to his music on the radio since boyhood, and had seen him on TV only last week. Dr. John walked slowly into the house and took a seat. In this most personal setting I enjoyed the great pleasure of spending time in his company, and took a liking to this guy right away. I think the feeling was mutual. He seemed an easy going, shit talkin’ type of dude with very kind eyes. In fact, his whole demeanor felt kind. B.B. later confirmed that this observation was correct.

At the age of 73, Dr. John’s still touring the world playing music, and still sells the house out at almost every concert. Truth is Dr. John doesn’t know if he’s 73 or 74. He told me that long ago the governor got in trouble with a woman and burned the House of Records down—and Dr. John’s birth certificate with it—to cover his tracks. When I asked if he ever gets tired of traveling, Dr. John said, “No. But it’s best when we’re on the tour bus.” I got the feeling airports were kind of a drag for him. Like myself, this man seemed a chronic case of wonder-lust.

Originally from New Orleans, Dr. John carries only a modest 10th grade education. He told me that, in those early years, he’d play two gigs a night in the French Quarter, or its vicinity, then be too tired for school in the mornings. He said that back then these nightclubs were really fronts for prostitution taking place in back rooms. Customers would hang in the bar drinking and listening to music until their turn came up.

Then, in 1962, a new District Attorney closed these places down or, “Padlocked the joints” as Dr. John put it. This pretty much wiped out the New Orleans music scene and probably 90% of the musicians left the city. Dr. John went to California, New York, and ultimately on to play around the world.

Turning to B.B., he told her that Bonnie Raitt said, “Hi.” I guess they all used to work together. Dr. John then told me he knows many people who say that B.B. saved their lives. I’d heard this from so many others who live in this city as well. I think that living in the company of Mother Teresa for those two years really influenced her. In fact, B.B. later told me that Mother Teresa and Dr. John have been her biggest mentors.

In case I ever wrote something about him, Dr. John said to tell you guys, “Fuck it.”

An interesting note is that, both being dropouts, it was somehow arranged that Tulane University would grant Dr. John and the Dalai Lama honorary degrees and a graduation ceremony on the same day. After only a few hours Dr. John left us. For me, it had been a very interesting afternoon.

With the nearing of Christmas it was decided we’d make a local toy run. Although I’ve attended a million toy runs and seldom write of them, this event was unique.

I pulled the old FL into the truck stop/casino some miles from town. The day’s cold air hindered attendance and only a smallish crowd of motorcycles graced the lot. I threw down the kickstand and we ambled inside to grab coffee.

Once back outside with the others, B.B. told the story of this run’s origin. The original founder of Louisiana ABATE—B.B.’s late husband Pops—had started this run to place a direct contribution into the hands of those in need. And although he’d been gone for over 20 years, the rally still lived. In fact, for his relentless service to the community in years past, there’s still a public park dedicated Pops name.

Another old Electra Glide sat among the bikes and I moved to make conversation with its owner. Evan Delahoussaye is a serious gear-head and this shared interest granted us plenty of fuel for conversation. Evan had boxes of old FL parts at his home and said I should come check them out. He also offered the use of his garage/shop for any maintenance Betsy might need. I took his phone number.

Eventually a police escort led the bike procession onto the highway. The ride seemed long as it wound slowly along the Mississippi riverbank. It was fun to watch, besides the riders, the cops were having a great time playing with their sirens and otherwise entertaining the crowds, and their children, who lined the streets to watch us roll by.

In time we entered the driveway of Magnolia School and I noted a most unusual sight. Near the front entrance Santa and Mrs Clause stood beside their decorated bagger with sidecar full of toys. But it was the unusual crowd that caught our attention. For there, among a few staff members, one young man stood wearing a leather vest and helmet as he jumped around screaming and shaking his hands with great exuberance. Beside him a girl sat in her wheelchair grinning excitedly as we rode by. There were others too. Magnolia School is home to the mentally retarded and, although ages ranged from young to 60, there was hardly a mentality among them beyond the age of six.

Bikes were parked in the lot and we ambled inside to meet a huge room filled with “children” of a similar description. Some seemed stoic while others were overcome with joy at the sight of so many bikes and bikers in their midst and the coming of Santa Clause too! All believed in Santa. Why should they not? And here he was in the flesh! A thing I really enjoyed about these “kids” was their complete inability to temper emotional expression; and the happiness that beamed from many was surely contagious.

After passing through the line to retrieve drinks from the CMA’s display and jambalaya from the staff, we sat at a table to eat and watch the action. Before long Santa, Mrs. Clause, and three elves took the stage beside a huge pile of presents. Long before the run each child had made a list of the items he or she most wanted from Santa. These lists were then distributed among the CMA, ABATE members, and a few others. In this way each kid would receive exactly what they asked for. When Santa called a name that kid would approach the stage to receive his/her present. Some were so excited they ran and, on two occasions, hit Santa with a big hug that I thought might knock him over. What great fun it was!

When the last present was handed out we ambled outside. It was there, among what was left of the crowd, that I ran into friends I’d known since that first trip to N.O. back in the ‘90s. After catching up on old times, we all took a ride together.

A week went by

I looked through the window of my little French Quarter coffee shop in time to see a parade of children pass by. They could only be going to my tree! After grabbing the camera I started after them.

In the cop-shop yard a card table, staffed presumably by parents, offered drinks and donuts. Near the fence a four-man brass band played as the children hung their handmade decorations upon the tree. Of course, Santa was in attendance to take present requests. Everyone seemed to be having such a great time as I observed quietly from the sidelines. And although I’d only worked that Christmas tree in service to B.B., my emotion at the happiness the outcome produced was far more powerful than expected.

With donuts in hand, the children then settled upon the ground at yard’s center while an officer stood beside my tree to give his safety speech on the dangers of strangers. After the band had played some more, all began to filter out and I, the last to leave, returned to the coffee shop.

Although I seldom stay in one place for longer than a month, it was approaching the seventh week since arrival in the city of New Orleans. It was time to go. But there was motorcycle maintenance to consider so I called my new gear-head friend, Evan Delahoussaye. Although Evan used to build and race cars, he’d grown tired of the expense and pressure associated with racing and took to building rat-rods. Evan built his own Harleys as well. This weekend however, Evan and best friend Ralph would lock themselves in the garage to work on the latest rat-rod project and I’d been invited to join that party.

I slept in Evan’s garage that night and the work began by morning. Betsy got a new clutch cable, oil change, and a few other odds and ends while the boys labored on the new car. These two grease monkeys love nothing more than garage projects and the atmosphere was that of excited children with a new toy.

Starting with an old V8, some ancient, rusted out, auto body, and two double wide semi truck wheels, the car, frame included, was sculpted together from scrap metal and other junk. I found it fascinating how anyone could actually build such a thing.

For the entire weekend that garage was my home. Evan’s wife, Gwen, fed us amazingly well and by evening Evan and I hung in the living room watching the tube. In this way I made a few very good friends and would be seeing them again in future. And of course it’s always good to know a tool laden garage junky when one is a homeless vagabond with an old motorcycle.

The air grew cold this late in the year, and it was to the promised land of southern Florida I pointed my front wheel. I was to meet with a man who’d recently moved aboard his motorcycle. We’d already ridden together in Idaho some months ago, and would hook up to tour the Sunshine State for a while then hang in the intense heat of Key West through the hardest months of this uncommonly cold winter.

But then, that’s another story.

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 riding realm for today’s enthusiast. Rumor has it that some stock bikes come with substandard shocks and their lifetime doesn’t exceed six months. So here’s a new rider blazing around town and not feeling the love; maybe he shuts down his riding time, but then after six months, his bike is becoming uncomfortable and insecure in the handling category. These elements could hamper or end a young man’s riding career if he didn’t know better.

Rubber-mounted Harleys faced significant handling issues, so tuning the handling package is as critical as the driveline performance statement. Or substantially more significant, even dangerous, if not addressed. Consequently, this critical maneuver for Jeremiah’s ride came at just the right time. And actually, it is was best to start with the    

True high performance front suspension is finally available for the H-D Dyna line. Progressive Suspension returned to the drawing board and created a state of the art Fork Cartridge Kit designed to outperform everything on the market. Their new asymmetrical design placed a preload adjuster over a progressive rate spring in one leg and an aluminum-bodied, sealed cartridge damper on the other. The result is superior damping and ride control combined with tunable preload and a new benchmark for high performance suspension on the Dyna platform. It can be installed in either configuration, standard or 1-inch low available for 2006-2014 Dyna applications.

FROM: $399.95

Jeremiah introduced us to Rick Miele, who owns Peak Performance Customs in Harbor City. Rick worked for Westminster H-D for four years, and when the dealership moved he started his own shop near his home.

We jacked up Jeremiah’s Dyna at the Bikernet headquarters, removed the front axle, the front wheel, the caliper, front fender, and we slipped the legs out of the triple trees. Then it was off to Peak Performance.

Removing and replacing fork internal components
must be performed by a qualified mechanic or according to steps outlined in a factory authorized professional service manual that relates to your particular make, model and year motorcycle.

This is good advice. It’s always important to have a factory manual for reference.

Here’s some of the fine print from the Progressive instructions with our comments:

The vehicle must be securely blocked to prevent it from dropping or tipping when the forks are removed. Failure to do so can cause serious damage and/or injury.

For maximum performance, we highly recommend that the forks be disassembled, thoroughly cleaned, and inspected. When installing the Progressive Suspension Monotube Cartridge fork kit, only a small amount (300cc standard, 200cc lowered) of type “E” or 10wt. fork oil is required in each fork for lubricating the internal moving parts – the cartridge damper is sealed. Changing the volume or viscosity of
the oil is not recommended and could cause damage and/or loss of
control.

This is interesting. The fluid in the forks is no longer needed, because the stock dampening system has been removed. The Lucas lubrication will prevent noise in the forks and lubricates the slider bushings. Don’t over fill, because you don’t want to damage the seals.

This kit replaces your stock fork caps, preload spacers (if present), fork springs, and damper rods. Remove these components and drain the oil out of your forks per the procedure outlined in your factory authorized service manual.

We started this procedure by tapping the dust shield with a punch, but in this case it wasn’t needed. This low-mileage Dyna was clean as a whistle inside, and we didn’t need to remove the sliders at all, so the dust shield could remain in place.

Usually, when Rick performs this function on a used motorcycle, he would replace the seals, for a complete fork rebuild.

Using a JIMS tool for a smaller diameter front end, we were able to carefully clamp the center-ground tubes to the installation and draining the forks. “It’s seriously important not to scratch the fork tubes,” Rick said. “If scratched within range of the sliders the forks will immediately start to leak. Also make sure to replace the copper washer on the stock lower fork bolt.” It’s the only item that could cause the forks to leaks.

Rick used the fender and the brake caliper bracket to note which fork tube was right and left. He used blue masking tape and a marker to code each leg, since we started with the right leg. Rick carefully used masking tape to coat the top of the fork caps to prevent damage, although these would not be used again.

He used another JIMS tool for removing the cap, then carefully removed the stock preload spacer, the fork spring, the stock damper rod, and the bottoming cup, which would be replaced.

Also note that this kit contains components for two different fork configurations – standard length and approximately 1-inch lowered. Decide which configuration you prefer before installing, and follow the instructions carefully for that configuration.

While the installation of this Monotube Cartridge fork kit will not change the compressed length of the front forks, the Progressive team found that some bikes may not have adequate clearance between the fender, fairing or accessories. So they recommend, with the fork springs removed from both forks, that you re-install the forks, fender, wheel and anything else you may have removed and lift the front forks, or lower the bike to completely compress the front forks.

With the forks fully compressed, check for adequate clearance between the tire, fender, fairing, crash bar, accessories, etc., while turning left to right – lock to lock. You must correct any clearance issues prior to installing this kit to avoid vehicle damage and vehicle control problems.

Rick made a point to explain how critical it was to make sure the stock bottoming cup is in place properly.

Sticking with the right fork, first drop one of
the stock top-out springs (and one of the supplied top-out springs if you are installing in the lowered configuration) into the fork, then insert the Monotube cartridge assembly.

Make certain the bottoming cup is properly seated in the bottom of the fork – in the slider – and the bottom of the Monotube cartridge assembly is seated within said bottoming cup. Put a drop of thread locking agent on the bottom fork bolt and thread it (along with the copper sealing washer) into the bottom of the Monotube assembly. Torque the bolt to the factory recommended 106-159 in-lb. A 12 mm Allen key is used to tighten the lower fork bolt.

If the Monotube assembly tries to rotate, temporarily thread the Monotube assembly into the fork tube and try applying pressure to the assembly to keep it from rotating by pulling on the fork tube while torquing the bottom fork bolt.

No fork spring is installed in this (the right) fork assembly. Pour a small amount – 300cc for standard kit or 200cc for lowered configuration to be specific – of type “E” or 10wt. fork oil into the fork for lubricating purposes. We used Lucas fork oil, specifically engineered for Harley forks. Rick was very precise about measuring and pouring the fork oil, although it was not nearly as critical as in a stock dampening system.

Then using the supplied Progressive Monotube Installation Tool (p/n 5503-200) Rick threaded the Monotube assembly into Jeremiah’s right fork tube and torqued it to the recommended 16-43 ft-lb. This completed the right fork assembly.

Rick maintains a supply of blacked-out lowers and chrome lowers available, so he can offer a quick exterior coating upgrade anytime a customer comes in for a handling tune-up.

As Rick started to work on the left leg he pointed out how important it was to make sure the entire copper washer is removed from under the fork slider and the area cleaned for the new copper washer. He used a sealant on the lower fork bolt for additional leak security. Again, he removed all internal components and cleaned them. Again, the bottoming cup would be reused, and in the case of the left leg, the stock fork washer residing above the fork spring would also be replaced under the supplied preload spacer.

For the left fork, drop the other stock top-out spring into the fork tube -and one of the supplied top-out springs if you are installing in the lowered configuration- followed by the supplied top-out rod assembly.

Make certain the bottoming cup is properly seated in the bottom of the fork – in the slider – and the bottom of the top-out rod assembly is seated in the bottoming-cup. Put a drop of thread locking agent on the bottom fork bolt and thread it (along with the copper sealing washer) into the bottom of
the top-out rod assembly.

Torque the bolt to the factory recommended 106-159 in-lbs. If the top-out rod assembly tries to rotate, try applying pressure to the assembly with the fork spring. Keep it from rotating by pulling on the fork-tube while applying torque to the bottom fork bolt (same as you might, while installing a stock damper rod) or by using a long extension and 12mm socket on the hex atop the top-out rod assembly.

Next, pour a small amount – 300cc for standard, or 200cc for lowered configuration to be specific – of type “E” or 10wt. fork oil into the fork for lubricating purposes. Again, we used Lucas 10wt. fork oil. Then drop the supplied Progressive Suspension fork spring in the fork and stock washer. Rick used a burping technique to allow the oil to work its way into the slider. He slid the slider up and down gently, and you could hear the Lucas oil working its way in the front tubes.

Cut the supplied preload spacer to the recommended length appropriate for your make/model/year and intended configuration – standard or lowered kit.

After cutting the supplied preload spacer to the proper length, put it into the left
fork assembly.

Finally, with the fork either secured in the JIMS vice (or clamped back into the triple
clamps), install the supplied flat washer and, making sure the Progressive
Suspension preload cap is adjusted to its minimum (shortest) position, install the
cap and torque to 16-43 ft-lb using the supplied Monotube Installation Tool (p/n5503-200). Store this tool in a safe place for future fork maintenance.

We discovered another tip while installing fork springs. This can take some patience, depending on the pressure against the preload cap. Sean from Progressive recommended taking the spring out and starting the preload cap threads, then noting where they start with a marker on both the leg and the cap.

Then with the Progressive spring in place, the washer, then the preload spacer, and some pressure against the cap, the threads should start without much grappling.

This completes the left fork assembly

ADJUSTMENT

To adjust your preload, simply rotate the
center of your left fork cap – your adjustable
preload cap – with the supplied ½-inch Allen-wrench. Rotating it clockwise will increase your preload; counterclockwise will reduce it. NOTE: the adjusting portion of the cap does not extend or recede as an indication of how much preload is applied; it
simply stops rotating at either end of the adjustment range – when the end of
the range is felt, STOP ROTATING THE ADJUSTER.

Rick used a JIMS seal installation tool to replace the chrome factory dust shield, and we were in good shape. We will bring you the rear shock installation shortly.

“The combination of front and rear suspension work very well together,” said Jeremiah. “Handling in turns at a high rate of speed is real stable, no wobbles, giving you true confidence when you’re mashing into winding turns. Very easy to adjust shock settings according to rides and passenger weight. Overall, the ride is smoother and more responsive, compared to stock suspension.”

Sources:

Progressive Suspension Tech line
714.523.8700

Peak Performance Customs
310-325-5400
25017 Doble Avenue

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 research on a business to offer beautiful, one-of-a-kind urns, but time constraints ultimately put their project on hold.

In June 2009, Eric was tragically killed in an accident.

During an emotional and stressful time, Mike and his wife Melody Jamali felt rushed and pressured to buy an urn and literally picked one off of the funeral home wall. It was overpriced, uninspiring and didn’t reflect the life or spirit of their son.

In the weeks following Eric’s death, this business idea became a personal passion for the Jamali family.

On Eric’s birthday, February 25, 2010, Une Belle Vie officially launched online.

According to CANA (Cremation Association of North America), by 2025 there will be 1,409,490 cremations out of 3,235,000 deaths – approx 44%.

Laws on cremation vary by state, but in general, there are no laws that govern the actual vessel. Spreading ashes on public property, including inland bodies of water and mountains, is against the law. Some state parks will allow the scattering of ashes with a permit. On private property, approval in writing should be requested prior to spreading ashes.

Source for religious and ethnic beliefs on cremation: http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Cremation

Religions that primarily cremate: Scientology, Unitarianism, Indian religions (Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism).

Religions that forbid cremation: Islam, The Baha’i Faith, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches (Christian) except when circumstances warrant or demand it, such as during cases of epidemics, wherein cremation would be in the interest of public health, through the prevention of the additional spread of disease.

Melody Jamali’s the President of Une Belle Vie Memorial Urns, was kind enough to help us through the journey of building a completely custom URN. 

 
“At Une Belle Vie, we specialize in unique, fully custom cremation urns,” said Melody. “When we receive custom requests, we do everything we can to create the urn our customer envisions. For the motorcycle urns, we have been fortunate to find a woodworker who can create beautiful representations of some of the best motorcycle engines ever made.”
 
 
“We use artists from all over the United States to create our custom urns.  We find them via industry groups/publications, online and by word of mouth.”

 

Melody explained the process for ordering and ultimately building an old school URN. 

“When we receive a request, we request photos from the customers,” Melody explained. “Our wood carver then provides a basic sketch that the customer approves and carving moves forward from there. We need to ensure that the size will be large enough to fit the cremains of 1-2 people, depending on what the customer wants. For this one, they wanted it large enough for two people.

 

“We send production photos from time to time so the customer has a chance to be part of the process.  For these two, they are lining up the initial carvings with the basic sketch.
 

“In this photo, the artists is lining up components of the urn with the initial photograph of the motorcycle engine. Our artists are very detailed in how they create even inch of every urn.
 

“This shows how the urn is coming together. In order to make it an urn, there needs to be hollow areas for the cremains. Also, special attention is given to the design and carving.
 

“The urn, pre-stain is sent to the customer to ensure that it is what they envisioned.

 

“ The final product, a custom wood motorcycle urn that will fit two riders for eternity.” 
 

I asked Melody about ordering URNs and whether they have a stock of them.

 
“Since our urns are fully custom and made to customer specification, they are generally not ‘in stock.’  As they are custom made to order, the customer can provide us with a different motor design, provide size parameters (i.e., will the urn be for one rider or two) and discuss staining options. If you can imagine it, we can likely build it. We also offer custom painting, engraving and sculpture work for urns.”
 
The Belle Vie company can virtually make any type of URN for their customers.
 
“Une Belle Vie is an online retailer providing traditional, artistic and custom urns, with its primary focus on artistic and custom vessels,” Melody said. “We will sometimes design custom urns on our own and offer them through our Belle Vie Exclusives line or create them based on customer requests. As for what’s next, we anticipate more awesome custom urns that defy what people think a cremation urns would look like.”

Sort of amazing, and their company appears to be a class act. Make the most of everyday but if you need one of these bastards, now you know.

–Bandit

http://decorative-urns.com