Ray and I are planning to attend the Bub Motorcycle Speed Trials in Bonneville this coming September with two motorcycles. Ray rode his touring 2004 Dyna Glide for 50,000 miles and rode from San Jose to Bonneville in 2009 and set two records with saddlebags on his bike. Then he got serious and added a Aerocharger turbo charger and rode another 30,000 miles before returning to Hardtails, in San Jose, California, for a tune-up. His engine was toast.

The Bikernet.com 5-Ball Racing Team convinced Ray to pull the 124-inch monster and put it in a Bonneville-dedicated chassis for 2012. So what was he going to do with his touring Dyna? He replaced his highly modified stock cases with S&S racing cases. Randy at Hyperformance, in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, repaired the Harley-Davidson cases and sent them to our headquarters. We went to work with Eric Bennett to build him a calm, long-distance, Dyna hot rod street motorcycle.




We ordered a brand new Revtech big bore kit. It would take his stock 88-incher to 97 inches. We grabbed a Screamin’ Eagle hydraulic cam tensioner plate for the longest lasting durability. Then we started to search for a lower end and found out that there are two reputable Twin Cam lower end rebuilders, and one is Dark Horse, in Newton, Wisconsin, who replaced the no-race stock rods with I-beam rods with races for much improved heat dissipation and longevity. Plus they replaced and TIG-welded the crank pin into place to remove the chances of flex and slippage, and balanced the engine to their secret balance factor for this engine configuration, for smooth running, less vibration, and longer lasting engines.




Ray, our hot rod nut, slipped in a nefarious phone call to John, the master builder at Dark Horse, and tried to jack the stroke order from 4 inches for an 88-incher (97 inches with the CCI kit) to 4 3/8 for a 96-cubic inch configuration (or 106 with the same RevTech big bore kit). We’re not exactly sure whether he succeeded or not–Hang on. The Harley cam drive system also comes with a larger capacity oil pump, which lends to the overall durability of any Twin Cam configuration.




This engine, designed for long distance, reliable touring, was coming together with the absolute best-of-the-best components. Eric volunteered a set of worn, stock heads to be rebuilt next door at the nirvana of flow, Branch/O’Keefe command center. The pristine machine shop is lined with heads destined to be shipped to locations all over the country, Europe and Japan. John keeps an inventory of over 100 sets of heads and offers a trade-out for pre-rebuilt heads, for faster turn-around, or he will perform his magic on your set of heads and have them back in the mail within two weeks.



Jerry Branch opened his shop in 1969 and was recently inducted into the Trail Blazers hall of fame. He’s improved the breathing side of champion race team engines ever since. One of his early employees was the young John O’Keefe, who joined the team in 1975, and is still marveled by the energetic 88-year old Jerry Branch. Jerry is currently working with Dan Gurney to build faster cars. John took over the business seven years ago and has kept the high-flow fires burning.



Their heads are much more than tried and true porting or even welding up and enlarging valve pockets for large valves, reshaping combustion chambers, or shaving heads for added compression. They replace every head-related component with endurance-tested, state-of-the-art titanium valve collars. In the case of late model TwinCams, they replace the leaky, spindly, stock valves with stronger 5/16 nitrate valves.

Twin cam heads from Branch flow about 30 percent better than stock heads across the valve opening range. Actually, stock heads flatten out in one position and don’t flow any additional capacity throughout the remaining valve opening sequence. In that area, Branch heads kick ass.




They reshaped the heads through years of trial and error to allow for larger, better flowing valves in the optimum position, since the stock heads didn’t burn all the fuel, impeding efficiency in the factory engines. The area around the valves became smaller, but they were able to speed up the velocity of the air passing through. In a smaller area, they were able to add more space around the valve.

John squeezed in a 1.94-inch intake into the combustion chamber, compared to the 1.85-inch stock valve. They were able to design in a larger valve with more functioning space around it. The crest in each port allows for more valve guide support and still enhances the port flow.




John replaced the edgy stock cast iron valve guides with bronze magnesium components.



“I like these work-hardened valves and guides, because I can run a much tighter valve stem-to-guide tolerance,” John said.

The tighter tolerance affords heat dissipation from the valve through the guide. The enhanced grain structure in the guides acts as a heat sync pulling blistering temps off the valves. All these elements make for a longer lasting valve train.

These amazing aerodynamic guides come with Viton seals built into the structure of the guides. They also run a thicker, more robust exhaust guide for additional heat dissipation.



For Evo heads, the Branch team installs one-piece stainless valves with chromed stems and stellite tops where the valve meets the rocker for additional hardened strength. For twin cams and baggers, John recommends black nitrate valves with a Teflon coating.

“I use the stainless valves in Evos because the guys don’t lug them,” John said.

Their valve seats are nickel chromium and capable of running valves up to 2 inches. The biggest valve you can put on a stock seat is 1.90. The Branch O’Keefe seats are machined with an interference fit of .007-inch so they will never rattle in the heads or ever fall out. Factory seats are only .0025-.003 larger than the hole in the head. He heats the heads to 300 degrees, and freezes the seats before assembly. The nickel chromium seat material will take any unleaded fuel and won’t pit.



Each valve seat is cut at 45-60-30 degrees, three angles. With porting, it is the equivalent to a 5-6-angle valve job. Each valve is ground to 45 degrees, and John uses a special carbide-honing bit to ream the guides. It is designed with a reverse spiral so it runs clockwise and it is set to slip fully into the guide before it begins cutting, for an absolute straight ream. Each bit costs over $200.00.




John and the Branch team hand-lap each head. “We can modify heads for any performance application,” John said. “It is no longer a one-size-fits-all world.”

The master in the clean room is Paul, a former Honda race tuner. “He’s great at tech support,” John said, and I could tell he wanted to talk to the milling machine more than me.



“We like to find out what a guy rides, and how he rides,” Paul said. “It helps to find out what they have in their engine, what kind of intake, and carb.”




Sometimes, they polish intakes and Paul can make carb configuration recommendations and carb tuning. Even their valve springs are top of the line. “We have a five-year track record, of no failures or pressure drop,” John said. “Some springs drop 20-30 pounds of pressure in a race bike after just 50 dyno pulls.”



The springs are shot-peened, stress-relieved and they test at 180 on the seat.They are refined and capable of .675 cam lift. John uses only chrome moly collars and retainers. Branch heads are offered to a couple of configurations:




#4 Heads for Twin Cams and Evos

This performance head is designed to fit a variety of engine configurations and riding styles. Branch #4 heads work with both the Twin Cam or Evo applications of varying displacements. Compression ratios for these heads are 9.6-1 for the Twin Cam and 8.9-1 for the Evo. This results in a head that performs much higher than its stock counterpart.




The Branch PT head is specifically designed for touring riders with 88-inch or 95-inch Twin Cam engines. The benefit of this design is that it provides low-end torque that is so often required for heavily loaded, long-distance motorcycles. Compression ratio is based around a figure of 9.5-1 when used with Branch flat top pistons. The result is power where it’s most needed: in the 2000-4000 rpm range.




In the next chapter on the 5-Ball Bonneville Raycer we will bring you another tech on the completion on this motor with Crane roller rockers, manufactured by S&S, Fueling cams, lifters, easy-to-adjust pushrods, and a brand new Yankee Ingenuity EFI throttle body that is sure to rock the fuel injected world.







Crane-Roller Rockers
Toll-Free: 1-866-584-3750
Toll-Free International: 00-1-866-584-3750
Fax: 608-627-0480
E-mail: MCtech@cranecams.com





JIMS Machine
555 Dawson Drive, Camarillo, CA 93012
Phone 805-482-6913 FAX 805-482-7422
www.jimsusa.com


Samson Exhaust
655 Tamarack Ave, Brea
California
92821
1.888.572.6766
Fax: 1.714.518.2466
http://www.samsonusa.com/

Today I’m going to becovering on your ride, how to see things better — and more importantly —how motorcycle light bulbs can help you see and be seen better. But in order todo that, I’m going to have to toss around a few electrical terms. You know,like watts and volts and amperage.

Wait! Don’t hit the Back button,because I’m going to try and make this as easy to comprehend as possible.A watt is a unit of measure that takes into consideration themathematical relationship of volts and amperage. What it looks like is this:Watts = Volts X Amps.

The standard motorcycleheadlight that comes attached to most of today’s models has a rating of 55/60.That means the low beam draws 55 watts (12 V X 4.5 A), while the high beamdraws 60 watts (12 V X 5 A). The higher the wattage, the more light issupplied.

How we doing so far? Still with me?Good. Now a great number of halogen headlamps are using a two-piece system thathas a reflector with a changeable bulb. These changeable bulbs are givennumbers like H3, H4, H7 and H13. There are higher wattage bulbs available inthis type that can provide even more illumination.

For instance, J&P Cycles offersGerman Rally bulbs in 55/60, 80/100 and 100/130 wattages. But I digress. Goingback to our formula, a 100W low-beam bulb draws 8.3 amps (12V X 8.3 A = 100W)while a 130W high-beam bulb draws a whopping 10.8 amps (12V X 10.8 A = 130W).

These bulbs add new meaning to theterm bright! However, this is acceptable up to a point. Higher wattages requireheavier components to handle the higher current load. These higher wattagesincrease the amount of heat produced and require a metallic or glass reflector.Some lower-priced halogen reflectors are made of plastic, and these high-outputbulbs can easily melt the unit. In addition, the wiring on your bike is onlydesigned to handle a specific amount of power.

Changing to one of these Rallybulbs will most likely require an increase in the size of the wire going to thelamp in order to keep it from melting or burning up. Sounds like a lot ofeffort in order to get a brighter lamp.

But this brings us toa neat solution engineered by the PIAA Corporation. What PIAA has done, isincrease the light output, without increasing the wattage required. These bulbsare a bit more expensive, but modifications to your bike are not required. Andthat’s a good tradeoff, if you’re asking my opinion.

Another thing to consider withthese super bright bulbs is the effect they have on the bike’s charging system.All ’66-’84 Shovelheads come with 15-,17- and 22-amp alternators, and  ’84-’88 Evo Big Twins have 22-ampalternators.’67-’79s Sportsters have 10-amp charging;’80-’84s have 13 amps;’84=-’90s have 19 amps; and bikes between ’91 and ’05 have 22-amp systems.

Upgrading to thehigher-wattage bulb is impossible on the smaller-amp charging systems. Toupgrade, the 22-amp system would be the lowest amp output recommended. Therejust isn’t enough current output to run everything required, and keep yourmotorcycle battery charged. Big Twins built from ’89 and onward have a healthy32-amp alternator, so this isn’t a challenge.

Now, what’s your opinion of LEDlighting? This acronym stands for Light Emitting Diode, and these little guysprovide a lot of light with minimal wattage requirements. Used as a taillight/brakelight on our bikes, no changes are required. However, when used as a turnsignal, we’ve got issues.

In applications that have aself-canceling turn signal, a load equalizer is required. Since the LED lightchanges the wattage in the circuit, the difference in current draw will confusethe original processor into thinking that the bulb is burned out.

This can cause a no-flash ordouble-flash condition and believe me, we get a ton of calls about this. A loadequalizer, like those from Badlands, will correct this condition by fooling theprocessor into thinking the stock bulb is still in the circuit. Your new LEDturn signal will flash and cancel normally. A load equalizer is also requiredif a small, marker light is used as a four-way flasher.

Due to possible heat buildup in theunit over a longer period of time, it’s a good idea to keep usage down to aminimum. And just a reminder: While these small, marker lights look good on ashow bike, they should not be used on the street, because they can’t be seen aseasily as a DOT-approved light, especially in the daytime.

I certainly hope this sheds somelight on today’s subject, and hope I set things out in an understandablemanner. If not, the friendly and savvy tech staff at J&P Cycles is alwaysavailable to answer any questions that you may have.

We were recently called into the vast Metalsport Wheels conference room in the complex of businesses owned by Ron Loynds. I reached out to shake his hand and he pulled back. “We’ve got a mission,” Ron said. “Besides I have a cold.”

I immediately moved to the other end of the polished oak conference table.

“Would you like something to drink?” Ron asked.

“Not from you,” I said and reached for my Bikernet bandana.

“There’s a serious misconception in the industry,” Ron said, as he tried to smother a cough.

I could tell his eyes watered up and he swallowed hard. Ron owns several machine shops and metal treatment facilities, but he’s a biker at heart. He builds equipment for the oil industry and aerospace, but wakes up in the morning dreaming of custom wheels. He also manufacturers axles, kickstands, and forward controls for other names in the industry.

Plus, now he distribute VeeRubber tires west of the Mississippi. VeeRubber employes 6000 folks in Thailand and is the only manufacturer of those 26- and 30-inch tires. It is the largest employer in Thailand and manufactures tires for offroad vehicles, quads, cars, and OEM motorcycles, but we’ll get into that at a later date.

“Stay focused,” Ron said and stifling another cough.

He designed and manufactured the first 26-inch wheel with Matt Hotch for his Vincent, while coupled to a biker build-off.

“True 3D wheels cost three times what a 2D wheel costs to manufacture,” Ron said and looked at Jason Kidd, who is handling sales for Ron. “Jason receives complaining calls. They say they can buy 3D wheels for a third of the cost of ours.”

“I’ll show you the process,” Jason said, and all three of us jumped to our feet abruptly, leaving Ron on the verge of sneezing at the other end of the table.

I was with Ray C. Wheeler, the Bikernet Performance Editor. We followed Jason into the clean machine shop where he showed us the massive chunks of solid billet aluminum used for cutting 3D wheels. The notion of 3D, or three dimensional space is defined by Wikipedia as follows: Three-dimensional space is a geometric 3-parameter model of the physical universe (without considering time) in which we live. These three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth (or height), although any three directions can be chosen, provided that they do not lie in the same plane.

The notion in the wheel manufacturing process includes how 3D can you can go and at what cost. All 2D wheels are cut from forged blanks. They reduce the price considerably by limiting the amount of machining time and by narrowing the dimensions of the spokes or wheel interior between the rim and the hub to a maximum of 0.74 inch, whereas 3D wheel spokes can reach as wide as the rim, or 5-12 inches.

As we roamed around the shop, we began to put a visual definition together:

2D Wheels: Are wheels with a flat spoke surface, containing various cut-out configurations.

2.5D Wheels: Are wheels using the maximum width of the forged blank to create some level of protrusion, with the minimum of cost.

3D Wheels: Are wheels manufactured out of solid chunks of billet aluminum allowing the design to reach the outer limits of the rim width and beyond.

As you review these photos, you will begin to see the severe differences in cost of base material, design cost, computer-aided design (CAD) costs, machining time, hand sanding, polishing time, and chroming or powder coating. Every cost element is enhanced, sometimes three or four times as much, because of the depth and severity of the 3D design. Some 3D wheels require as much as 40 solid hours of machining. Many 2D wheels can be machined in less than an hour.

All Metalsport rotors are made of polished stainless steel. Even rotor 3D designs are more complex than their 2D sisters. The 2D version is machined from a pre-cut and drilled blank, whereas the 3D counterpart is machined from blank cuts of stainless, then drilled to enhance the design elements.

So, there you have it. Metalsport also offers a unique service. If you buy a set of custom wheels from them, for a fee, they will mount VeeRubber tires and you will receive your wheels ready to rock. Not bad. We will cover VeeRubber tires more in depth in the near future. They are the only maker of 26 and 30-inch rubbers, and many whitewall-injected sizes.

Author’s note:
This event took place sometime in the mid, or maybe late, ’90s I think. To date (2009) I still maintain no permanent address and have stayed nowhere longer than two months.

The motorcycle rally in Daytona, Florida had been a good time but it was over now. It was still early March which, as anyone knows, is much too early a season for riding a bike into the north. The money in my pocket was running dangerously low ($230) and my high mileage FLT (full dress Harley Davidson) had a multitude of mechanical problems in need of attention very soon. Knowing almost no one in the Sunshine State I decided to just enjoy a slow ride south and see what happened next.

If one visits either coast of Florida he will find himself mostly immersed in city traffic. The center of the state, however, offers an abundance of small towns and lush backcountry roads. The choice was obvious. In Florida, pine and palm trees often grow side by side in the thick forests that lined the small secondary highways I chose.

The winter had been long and cold for a man who lives outside and travels by motorcycle, and as the air grew warmer with each days ride south, so did my excitement and anticipation of the coming spring-time travels.

Eventually I arrived in alligator alley (many ’gators) and the seemingly endless swamplands of the southern Florida Everglades. Besides overpriced Airboat swamp tour rides, a modest roadside town offered a small gas station. There, a man told of a free campground located on the shore of a little ’gator filled lake only a mile from where we stood. I decided to check it out.

The dirt road that led to this isolated lake circled its sandy shores before turning back on itself. The friendly camp-host who greeted my arrival said to pick any spot, enjoy myself, and stop by his camper for coffee in the morning if I liked. I thanked him kindly then fired up the old Harley to circle the lake in search of a good camp-spot. Besides a few alligators, the campground was home to only a handful of RV and tent campers.

On the first pass I was stopped at a very large, primitive, and yet somehow elaborate camp to become quickly acquainted with a big family of hillbillies who told me (and I believed them) they were from the back woods of Arkansas. They numbered seven strong, and all agreed that I would have to stay as their honored guest.

Thirty-something was the approximate age of the oldest son—the obvious leader—and his word seemed as law among the rest of the family. Everything about this guy reminded me of Brad Pitt’s character as a trailer-trash psycho-killer in the movie “Kalifornia”. Nevertheless, they all treated me as family and cooked up a big dinner of steaks and freshly caught trout over their open fire in celebration of my visit. A strange sort of fame to be sure; but undeniably fun as well. I put up a tent against the mosquitoes that night and slept on the bank of the little ‘gator filled lake.

Next morning psycho boy took his mini truck and headed into town for supplies. The family remained behind. His wife was a woman crippled by a rare condition that promotes severe curvature of the spine. Although her mind was clear (well, sort of), her body was a torturous thing of obvious pain and disfigurement.

Before long she and Brad’s mom handed me their camera and asked if I’d take a few pictures of them perched on my bike. When the amateur photo shoot was over, I bent down to help the sweet natured, handicapped woman from the motorcycle seat. Just when I had her lifted a foot in the air the family mutt decided to move on this opportunity. So there I stood bent over my bike with a cripple in my arms and a dog latched onto my ass screaming like a woman in labor! Too bad no one got a picture of that.

When Brad returned, and with the promise of some great pictures, he asked me to move my bike to the waters edge. I did. He then produced a fishing pole and started casting a lead sinker at the noggin of an innocent alligator who was minding his own business way out in the lake. Once Brad had pissed the big lizard off sufficiently, he reeled the line in as the toothy beast followed his lour to the bank beside my bike. When the ’gator arrived, psycho boy began beating him with the pole while yelling, “Shoot the picture now!”

His mother’s voice quivered with obvious fear as she begged him to stop or at least be careful.

“Oh Maw,” Brad replied as the alligator snapped yet again at the pole he continued to beat it with, “it’s just an ol’ gator being a ’gator.”

Next morning my new friends cooked up a tasty breakfast for which they insisted I stay. But the little campground lay in the middle of nowhere and I was ready to move on. When the food was gone, I said goodbye then returned to the little highway and my slow ride across alligator alley.

The landmass of southern Florida rests atop a bed of ancient coral. This prehistoric coral bed extends beneath the oceans surface for many miles beyond the southern most coastline. The result is a chain of small coral based islands known as the Florida Keys. They extend beyond the southern shores of the mainland and are surrounded by a sea of exceptionally shallow water. It’s these shallow waters enabling 130 some-odd miles of bridges connecting this string of islands to be built.

Eventually I pulled onto Highway-1, which led south across these magnificent concrete structures. The mid-March air temperature was in the middle 80s, as I cast my gaze to the changing scenery all around. Aside from the shops and houses, the islands were made up mostly of thick forests under a clear blue sky. But the water…

Sweat ran from my brow as a carefree breeze blew me from island to island. To my left was the Atlantic and to the right the Gulf of Mexico. The seafloor lay just below the surface of the very shallow salt water contained a dark, military green vegetation. Still other areas were a white color where the bottom was only finely ground sand. From high atop the bridges, the water below just looked like a huge patchwork quilt that continued on forever. Smaller islands could be seen on both sides with an occasional boat thrown in, to break the monotony. With very few cares in the world to interrupt this experience, I rode on.

Hwy-1 ended at the exceptionally crowded island of Key West (90 nautical-miles from Cuba), and it was just after sunset as I entered the Tourist Info Center to pick up a free map and ask directions to the action. The sweet young receptionist sent me to Duval Street. This narrow street starts at the Gulf of Mexico and runs all the way to the Atlantic Ocean (about 2 miles). I was soon to learned their huge tourist trade is the mainstay of the Key West economy. Duval Street (lined with restaurants and dinner places, tittie bars and extravagant nightclubs offered live bands and dancing every night, coffee houses, and an array of T-shirt and other souvenir shops) is a major south Atlantic party zone/tourist trap.

The crowd was thick and live music poured into the street as I backed the FLT against the Duval Street curb and leaned her onto the kickstand. Before long a big guy pulled an old Superglide into the parking space beside mine and quickly struck up a conversation. Doc stated that he owned THE PIRATE’S DEN; the island’s only biker friendly tittie-bar. He invited me to stop by later for a complimentary lap dance. With a promise to show, I thanked him kindly before he rode off.

Not ten minutes later four drunken tourist chicks materialized from the Duval Street crowd to snatch me from the parked FLT’s pilot seat. After an hour of dancing they invited me for a dip in the Jacuzzi that bubbled among the thick foliage of tropical plants in the beautifully landscaped, yet very private, pool area of their luxury hotel.

It was late when I arrived at The Pirates Den. As closing time approached, Doc offered use of the bar’s side yard to make camp in if I liked. I did.

The first order of business on that sunny, tropical-island morning in Doc’s yard was food. After locating an inexpensive breakfast, I decided it wise to search out a more permanent home.

The small island of Key West was much too crowded for a traveling vagabond to successfully hide his camp. Obviously, the solution could only be found on one of the other islands. Boca Chica Key was two islands north and still only six miles from downtown Duval Street. With exception of a large military base, the land was mostly vacant. Shooting into the woods just off Hwy 1, a well hidden walking (or riding in my case) trail led to a beautiful clearing only a short distance in. The place was completely surrounded by pine, mangrove, palm, and other tropical trees. Perfect!

In the swamp 30-feet from my camp an old refrigerator lay on its back rusting. On the fourth day, I began to use the hollow compartment inside as a closet. The Key West locals just smile at the constant parade of “Tourons”, as some like to call them, and politely take their money. The great piles of gear bungee-corded to my bike had made it clear to everyone that I was a tourist. Time and again, the locals had greeted me with scant interest or even contempt. It’s just the way the island people are. The newfound ability to stash my gear at home helped to change their attitude toward me almost immediately.

After some negotiations I worked out a window cleaning trade with a local health club owner. That deal granted complete access to their facilities including weight room and hot showers.

The island was mine now. I could stay as long as I liked.

I began to settle in. Being a stranger in a strange land, I’d come to this place alone and the constant festivity of Duval Street attracted me like a moth to flame.

It was a lazy afternoon as I sat drinking Java on the front porch of one Duval Street coffee shop. In casual conversation I mentioned my background as roofing contractor in a former life. A big family man named Scott (easy to remember) quickly told of a very bad leak that had been watering his bedroom for years. He said that no roofer (he’d hired many) had been able to fix it.

The next day I checked his leak then said, “It’s no problem Scott. I want $250 labor, plus materials which we haul over here in your car.”

“You got it,” he replied.

The job took only three hours and the garden hose test proved that the problem had been corrected. We were both happy guys.

Four days later my clutch cable broke. After calling around I ended up at ADVENTURE SCOOTER—a motorcycle and mostly scooter repair shop.

Many who live on tropical islands these days drive only scooters or even bicycles and Key West was no exception to this rule. The island is 2 x 4 miles across and there’s no road capable of allowing speeds in excess of 35mph here. The weather is almost always good. Roads are small and these mini bikes are compact, maneuverable, and squeeze easily through the sometimes heavy traffic. The tiny roads were littered with them.

Adventure Scooter was one of the local companies that rented these mini, munchkin machines to tourists. However, their repair shop was separate from the rental department, and the boys there were well equipped to handle motorcycles too. The manager was a Harley rider named John. There’s an unwritten law adhered to by all old-school bikers that insists one never leave another—even a perfect stranger—broken down alongside the road unless extenuating circumstances take unavoidable precedence. For many, this law is etched in blood upon the very walls of their hearts. John was no exception. Seeing my need he got the parts then agreed to let me wrench on my old battle-wagon in his shop.

When the dust finally settled, I handed him the cash, shook his hand and said, “I need a job John. You need a wrench?”

He looked me over thoughtfully for only a moment then said, “You might be in luck. I just lost a man last week. Seems like you know your way around machines well enough… Tell you what; be here Monday, 8 a.m. sharp. See you then.” It was Wednesday.

It’ll never cease to amaze me the way the road will take care of a man if he is willing. He need only walk through his fears of destitution (easier said than done), be prepared to exchange some of his pampers (luxuries) for real-life adventure, trust the Highway God unquestioningly, remain honest, and do his best.

There was nothing left to do but enjoy island life and wait.

Key West is a tough place to make a living and for insult-to-injury housing prices are astronomical as well (not much land). It’s for this reason that many of the locals live on boats. To moor a boat offshore costs nothing. Cast your gaze across the emerald green waters that gently pelt the sandy shoreline and you’ll see a small city of boats anchored there. Some are beautiful while others are rough; some are sinking or sunk in the chest deep water, and many are no more than pontoons with a wooden box built atop them that serves as house. If one’s not in the mood to row his dinghy to shore, there’s a water taxi that’ll take him to and from his ocean estate for a small fee. Many of the friends I made on the island were boat dwellers.

I settled in some more.

Scooters are simple mechanisms and I took to fixing the micro machines like fish to water. After the first week John gave me a raise.

The lead mechanic was a tall guy from North Carolina. Steve’s accent had never truly left and he remained a constant reminder that I was a very long way from where I’d begun. We took a fast liking to one another and on most weekends went bombing around town on scooters together. In the evenings we’d just hang out wherever or sometimes help to close the Duval Street bars.

Part of Steve’s job as lead mechanic was to maintain the Sea Doos for a local water-toy, rental company. On occasion we’d head for the dock, grab a couple of King Neptune’s crotch rockets and head for the open sea. Being the mechanics for these elaborate toys, we rode for free. For me this was a new experience. After getting over the apprehension of the first ride, I soon found that the overpowered mini-craft act more like a dirt bike than a boat. In this light, it took about ten minutes practice before I was bouncing across the tops of the large swells at a conservative full throttle with Steve in the background yelling, “Slow down you ungrateful fuck!”

Sometimes I’d stop and look across the emerald sea of huge rolling swells to the island shore beyond. There I could see the clowns, jugglers, acrobats, food vendors, and other assorted circus acts performed by a variety of freelance entertainers. Most of them come from the north to spend the winter entertaining the great crowds of tourists that gather on the shore in anticipation of the show at sunset.

Jeff worked in the Adventure Scooter rental department. He and best buddy Peter where hardcore sailors. They spent many hours on the water either racing or just enjoying the wind in their sails and I was always invited. The shallow sea seemed to go on forever as we’d cruise round the islands. Many times I saw dolphins’ jumping the ocean swells in their eternal search for food.

Every man has his own reality. You know his job, woman, friends, family, and home. The things he loves and things he only tolerates in his world. In this way a man’s life is forged of the people and objects around him. One of the strangest facets of a drifter’s life is that he has almost no permanent reality of his own. In my case the only things that remain familiar are my bike and body. Everything around these two staples is in a state of almost constant change. Life had become a perpetual visit into other people’s worlds. Looking across the bow of Jeff’s reality to the brilliant colors of the setting sun beyond, I wondered at the beauty of his world. What an interesting life.

My bike still needed work. After four weeks of collecting regular paychecks the parts John had ordered for me at a considerable discount finally showed up. I promptly put my FLT on the lift then quit my job. For the following week I came in everyday to wrench on my own bike. In the meantime, John lent me a scooter to get around on. At week’s end my Electra Glide was roadworthy again, and by Monday I’d been rehired back to spinning wrenches on mini-bikes.

It was 2 a.m. at my home in the Boca Chica mangrove jungle when I came awake to the blinding glare of a high output flashlight centered on the door of my tent. Then, in a tone commanding great authority, a voice boomed, “Island police. Step outside please.”

After unzipping the door I squinted into the blinding beam. A glance beyond the cop to the highway in the distance revealed the moonlit image of five patrol cars. Must’ve been 15 cops surrounding my little home. Looking flashlight man in the eye I said, “All this for little old me?”

It’s always the same with these guys. Being unsure if they’ve stumbled across an armed convict or something, they always start with a bad attitude. Then, after realizing my paperwork’s clean, I ain’t drunk or belligerent and in general am a sorta nice guy, they invariably mellow out. More often than not they just say goodnight and split. After all, sleeping alongside the road is not a felony. Generally, it isn’t even a big deal. In the case of these boys though, my camp was too close to their military base. I had ’a go.

As I slowly broke camp a few cops stood around holding flashlights on me and asking questions. Once they learned of my slightly eccentricity lifestyle the men got real curious. Then, at their insistent prodding, I told a few stories (not unlike the one I’m telling now) while sleepily rolling up camp. When finished, they compared me to an old Key West resident named Ernest Hemmingway. Very flattering. In the end they called me friend, shook my hand, and then threw me the fuck out. Very strange.

I soon showed up on the porch of a doublewide trailer located on Stock Island just one mile to the south. A well built and dark haired, German girl opened the door and invited me inside. We’d been friends for over a month and had spent some time cruising the islands aboard my bike and talking. In a heavy accent Coral had told me that Germany is no place for a sun worshipper like her. Said she’d known she was born in the wrong place even as a little girl. At the age of 20, Carol had left Germany and had lived in many parts of the world since—always traveling alone. She spoke four languages fluently and was only 36 years old. I found her fascinating. But love had presented itself here on the islands, and along with it, Carol decided on a few college courses as well. She’d been settled here for over two years now. But graduation had come and gone some time ago, and the man had been in prison (I never asked) for almost as long. Carol was kind of in limbo.

Recently she’d offered me the use of a spare room at her place if I’d cared to use it. I hadn’t…till now. The tiny room was hot and stuffy. In recent years freedom and the wide-open outdoors had become my almost constant companion, and by now a room often felt as only a box. Four sides and a lid. Suffocating. I made camp in the yard.

Next day I became acquainted with my new housemate. Kelly was an old fisherman with failing health whom Carol allowed to stay free and seemed to care for very much. For the better part of a lifetime the old man had worked aboard the many old and beat up commercial fishing boats that line the Stock Island harbor. I was told the job is hard and that drug addiction runs ramped there. And although an undeniably nice fellow, of Kelly’s plight he talked little. And I did not ask.

In the two weeks that followed Carol and I spent much time together. Our constant babble of far off lands and the adventure that goes with them only added fuel to each other’s fires. Carol bought a one-way ticket to Cancun, Mexico then sold or gave away all her worldly possessions. She left the house to Kelly and me, stating that the rent was good for three weeks more and we could stay till they threw us out for all she cared.

It was mid May now and the southern air was growing hot. The Myrtle Beach Rally was scheduled to begin soon in South Carolina and I had planned to crash that party on my slow migration north. The Keys had been good to me but it was time to go.

After collecting my last paycheck from Adventure Scooter, I turned my back to the island and twisted the throttle.

–Scooter Tramp Scotty

What is it about this motorcycle, or maybe it was 2010, a year from hell? No, it had to be the motorcycle. There was nothing wrong with the calendar year. We actually started building the Bonne Belle 45-inch flathead in 2006, after I made a snowbound run to Salt lake to buy this basket case. We started to work with Lee Clemens, the boss of Departure Bike Works, on the engine rebuild, while I refurbished the rolling chassis with Rick Krost of U.S. Choppers.

The last time I owned a 45 was about 1970, when I bought a 45-trike basket case. I built it, traded it for a Honda 750 and sold that bastard quick. Now Wayne Ballard would love to get his hands on it. I couldn’t sell the 45-trike because folks were looking for more speed.

Those flatties were the most abundantly produced H-D engine in history. Harley started building them in 1929, the first 45-inch side valve configuration during the VL era. They were designated D and DL for high compression. In 1930 they sported VL I-beam front ends. By ’33 the name changed to R, RS (sidecar), RL, and RLD. Then in 1935, the Servicar was introduced (45-trike). The 45 side valve flathead was the mainstay of the war effort as the WLA model. Around 1952 the 45 motorcycle configuration was cut from the squad, and in ’53 the K-model arrived, but the servi-car continued into the ’70s, mostly as a police parking patrol vehicle.

“I believe they killed them in 1972,” Dr. Willie said as I was trying to confirm the departure date.

It just hit me again. We originally started to work on this bike in 2006, good god. Well, 2012 is a good year to introduce this puppy to the Salt. I apologize to every sponsor who has supported this effort. I’m just learning how a project slips off the desk, and years pass, before it jumps back onto the lift. I know there are brothers all over the country, who start bikes and never complete them. When I went to work for Hot Bike, the staff had five project bikes in various shops. None of them were completed. In the short time I was there, we made every effort to wrap up projects, mostly for the readers. So, I feel like shit about this, but there is a minor excuse. Any time you’re dealing with modified vintage iron, it takes time.

But wait, maybe the vintage aspect is not a factor. Maybe the Bonne Belle is certifiably evil. Just after the power plant landed at Departure Bike Works, the IRS attacked Lee’s shop. Then the economy tanked. Maybe the flathead was a bad omen.

As of a few months ago, the flywheels were in the cases. Duncan Keller, of Yankee Engineuity was much help coaching Lee’s team on how to modify the wheels and cases to capture the Timken bearings and be able to close the cases.

“We had to machine .080-inch off each flywheel,” Lee said. “The image of the case with the cam cover shows one case .053 away from the cover.”

In the other image shows the Timken race sticking .175 out of case. “Also we took a like skim off the inside of the cam chest case,” Lee said.

We were curious about the oil pump and asked Duncan. Lee’s team altered the breather gear for additional scavenging.

“I suggest using Sportster gears (same diameter but thicker) on the stock 45 scavenge pump,” said Duncan. “Breather gear rework is good and will work well with increased sump scavenging. Lee will have to make a spacer plate for the scavenge pump.”

Here are some links to previous tech articles regarding the engine:

http://www.bikernet.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=554 FRAME AND ENGINE

http://www.bikernet.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=558 PM BRAKES

http://www.bikernet.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=555 ENGINE MODS

Okay, so Lee and the Departure Bike Works team faced serious tough times, like much of the rest of the country. I considered a project shift for the sake of the Bonne Belle. Plus, it would take some pressure off Lee. I asked him to ship the rolling chassis portion of the project back to this side of the country.

Over the holidays, a piece at a time stumbled into the shop until my Mudflap Girl FXR was pulled off of my lift, and we could start the Bonne Belle build process around the new Paughco frame. Then we were introduced to Paul Wideman from Bare Knuckle Choppers. He started spinning fenders and we ordered a set for the Bonne Belle.

I stole my son’s Spitfire tank off of his Mudflap Girl FXR, cut the tabs off it, and mounted the slender tank to the Paughco frame. It was a natural. Ray ground the tabs carefully off the frame, so Frank wouldn’t notice we stole it.

Then we needed to align the rear fender, the wheel, the used 5-speed Softail transmission, the BDL belt drive system, and the 45 flathead engine, but we didn’t have an engine, and none of the tranny plates I had lying around, fit.

First I reached out to Jason Rickman, the Paughco frame and front end specialist. He informed me that the new Paughco 45 frames were configured to allow 4-speed transmission fitment. Okay, so at least our 5-Ball Racing crew wasn’t nuts. Then we needed a set of 45 crankcases so we could try to line up our 5-speed with the engine.

Ray C. Wheeler and I jumped into his new Ford Ranger pickup and peeled across Long Beach, where we stumbled into a Di Vinci bicycle replica, and it ended up in the back of his truck. Then we drove over to Bennett’s Performance to ask about the cases, and the crew at Bennett’s was flying around the shop helping customers. We ask Bob, Eric’s dad, if he knew of any 45 cases, and he looked at me as if I was asking for a pound of crank. We just raised our hands in the surrender mode and backed out of the shop.

Since we were on the edge of Signal Hill, once the home of the Long Beach oil industry, we drove around looking for Pacific Coast Cycles, which was located just a couple of blocks from Royal Machine shop. I broke my first milling machine tools at Royal Machine when I worked there, part time, in High School.

We knocked on a couple of doors, and drove around a few of blocks before we found Pacific Coast Cycles. Mike’s shop is always busy, but he never hesitates to step away from a project to shoot the shit. I asked abound the cases.

“I’m going in for open heart surgery tomorrow,” Mike said and lifted his shirt to reveal previous scars. He’s been through hell and back, physically.

“I don’t believe I have a set of cases,” Mike said, but I do have this and he pointed at a completely rebuilt 45 flathead mounted to an engine stand. “Take it. I won’t be messing with it for awhile.”

[page break]

We were caught completely off guard, but the next thing we knew, we were loading a milk crate housing the 1942 45 flathead engine, set to be reinstalled in a military 45 restoration, into the back of the Performance Editor’s truck. We finally had all the elements and hauled ass back to the shop.

Wait, I needed one more measurement. I needed to know how far the Sportster sprocket shaft would extend from the left case. Lee Clemens sent me the information and a photo or two. It’s tough to guesstimate without the real deal, but with some help from Jeremiah Soto and Ray, we were able to align and modify the 5-speed transmission plate, and modify the Paughco right-side tranny bracket.

We installed a JIMS ¼-inch offset 23-tooth sprocket, spaced out the wheel sprocket, and we lined up the entire driveline.

[photo 27923

In the meantime, we’ve had a new shop helper, my grandson, Frankie. He helped me draw up an oil tank fitment map for Jules and Gary Maurer at Kustoms Ink. They make custom oval oil tanks to almost any configuration, we hope.

Then we started working with the Bare Knuckle Chopper’s fenders. I was going to install Custom Cycle Engineering 5/8-inch narrower trees for the 39 mm Sportster front end, but they would have eliminated the PM front brake. That’s not a major problem at Bonneville, but shorter courses might pose an obstacle. Rick Whitehead tried to talk me out of them, but I was focused on aerodynamics and limited 45-cubic-inch power–the narrower the better.

Plus the CCE narrow trees come with a steering damper, eliminating another project from the mix. One the other side of the coin, I might need to find another wheel with a narrower hub to replace the PM job I had. I ultimately stayed with the existing stock trees, and may use a standard Storz steering damper. We mounted the front fender without much trouble.

The rear fender was a chore, as we wanted to cover most of it, but ran into problems. We decided to install a chain tensioning system to deal with chain adjustment, so the fender could be locked into place. Frankie helped me to install additional axle adjusters.

Lee sent me more shots of the engine head porting, the Ross piston with .150 added to the top for shaping, and the K-model cylinders. He pointed out how the spark plug resides directly over the slightly larger intake valve (235 Chevy valve). “The combustion chamber does not explode when fired,” Lee explained. “It’s like lighting a fire at the corner of a wheat field. The flame propagates across the field building pressure.”

I was beginning to understand the awkward aspects of the side valve engine and how it pushes the piston awkwardly down the cylinder. Lee is currently on a hunt for low tension rings for these Ross pistons. The compression won’t push beyond 7:1. The rings are 1/16 for the top two, and the oil ring is 3/16-inch, while the piston size is 2.280-2.285. Maybe Hastings rings will do the trick.

His team also coated the inside of the case with glyptal, because the early cast cases were extremely porous sand castings. This coating prevents leaks and makes ’em slick. The top of the cylinder and the head mating surfaces have been machined so no gasket will be necessary.

“We will have the engine fired by May,” Lee said and we celebrated.

Here’s my list for this coming weekend: We will create a mount from the back of the BDL inner primary to the engine and frame. We will install a Low Brow chain tensioner from MasterCraftsman, or a stock adjustable primary Teflon shoe. We will make a chain guard, mount the rear fender to the rear of the frame, adjust the Berry Wardlaw slippery seat, and modify the bars to be narrower. If we are motivated, we will mount the fairing from Terry at Street Walker exhaust, and find a way to install the Wire Plus speedo. Hang on for the next installment to the evil haunted flathead, Bonne Belle. We will also look into ceramic wheel bearings.

Accurate Engineering

BDL

Departure Bike Works

Paughco

Performance Machine

Street Walker Exhaust

Wire Plus

And yes, it’s licensed for the road!

At the recent 63rd annual National Roadster Show held near Los Angeles, the premiere custom car show in the U.S., two wheels nearly outshone all the four wheelers. It was a pair of motorcycles that went by the name “Nitemare,” a twist on the spelling of the word and an even greater spin on the term “radical custom.” Joining it was another bike called “Nasty.” It turned out to be a nasty nightmare for the rest of the competition as nothing came remotely close to their mind-boggled design and fabrication.

The creations of designer Ben Beck and his partner/builder Scott Laitinen from their shop appropriately enough called Sic Chops, “Nitemare” got its name thanks to all the trouble that went into his build. The project started with a 1600 Yamaha Roadstar. Why not a Harley motor as is the custom in custom bikes? Says Scott, speaking from the shop located in Lake Havasu, “Everybody takes a Harley or any other American engine and builds customs with it, but I thought, ‘Why not a Yamaha for a change? So we took a Yamaha Roadstar 1600 engine and started to build something crazy around it. We knew that the bike would not have a kick stand so it sits on Independent Air Suspension, front and rear, which can be raised up to five-inches.”

That was just the beginning of the Yamaha’s metamorphosis. Ben then designed the wheels, a 26-incher in the front and 17-inch “fat” 330 series in the rear, then sent the design off to be cut by a wheel builder. Here starts the “nightmare” part. The wheels came back less than hoped for, so Ben tried again, sending the complex design off to another fabricator. When the second effort returned, it also didn’t meet his standards, so off they went again. Eight months and $15,000 later they finally turned out right. And that was just for the two wheels part of the project, but worth the effort since they are truly one of a kinds in the industry.

Ben came up with a unique design for the air intake system, the dramatic intake scoop seen extending over the top of the gas tank that was plumbed through the tank itself. Meanwhile is partner Scott said, hey, if we’re stepping way out of the box, why not run the exhaust underneath the seat, then into an air chamber and then exit out the rear fender? Ben replied, let’s go for it, but then added another off the charts idea.

“How about an alien tentacle like eyeball for the headlamp, and something looks like it’s attached to the front fender and really gets people guessing. And let’s make it out of polished copper along with a bunch of other copper parts. They’ll look great against the black paint job.” It went from the drawing board into reality. And while the long copper stack with the small, high intensity light at the end looks like it’s part of the fender and thereby you can’t turn the fender, the bike is seen lowered to the ground via one of its two onboard air suspension systems. When the bike is brought up to its riding height, the headlamp stock separates from its resting place on the fender and all is “normal” again.

After the bike was completed and taken to a couple shows, it blew people away but for some reason the judges just shook their collective heads and couldn’t figure out what it was. The spectators however all agreed it was the best of the best. Soon after, Nitemare started getting recognized including trophy wins at famous the Rat’s Hole in Sturgis. The biggest win, so far, came when Nitemare won the People’s Choice Award at the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building. And as you can see, Nitemare is not a static piece of garage furniture or living room art, and was built as a real world get up and ride it bike, so has a street license plate and registration.

Bike #2 – Getting “Nasty”

Ben and Scott then got invited to compete in the annual Rat’s Hole Biker-Build- off competition and went to work on an all new bike, one they call “Nasty.” This “green monster” is powered by a 127 cubic inch American Racing engine with its carburetor integrated into the gas tank. As far as a headlight, instead you’ll find an iPad that can both film the road ahead as the bike cruises along and then, when the bike is on display, the iPad can replay the ride. The real headlight is embedded in the lower part of the front frame and also serves to dramatically light up the front wheel, specially powdercoated so that it glows when spinning around in motion.

It really gets peoples’ attention at night.

Says Ben, “We are going to take the new bike to the AMD World Championship and we think we have a good chance of winning in the Performance Class. There is another absolutely crazy bike that we think will like Nitemare blow everybody away.”

By the way SIC Chops does not only build custom bikes, they also transform cars into equally radical “sick” machines.”

NEWS FLASH!
CLEAN SWEEP AT DAYTONA BEACH RAT’S HOLE SHOW!!

Ben’s Bobber Wins the Cafe Racer biker build off in Daytona at the Rats Hole!!

Nitemare wins best of Show at the Boardwalk Classics!

Nasty wins Judges Choice!

Nitemare wins her class at the Rats Hole World Championship and misses the Overall Best of Show win by a half point!

In March 2012 at the famous Bike Week celebration in Daytona Beach, Florida, Ben and Sic Cycles took top honors in a three-way winning spree. Their truly radical designs were recognized as the leading edge in today’s custom bike building. Congratulations Ben and Scott.

The Three Winners – “Recycled Rat,” “Nitemare,” and “Nasty.”

Ben’s “Bobber” Took First Place at the Biker’s Build-off Competition. He’s named it the “Recycled Rat.”

Describing the competition Ben says, “The Cafe Racer was a special build for the Showdown in Daytona. Only the four best bike builders were invited to go head to head and the outcome was determent by Peoples’ Choice voting. We won by a mile and than some. The theme of the bike was the Rats Hole so we took all the colors from the Rat and integrated the first year of the Rats Hole (1973) into the bike and called it “Recycled Rat.”

The project began with a 2004 Yamaha Virago which Scott completely disassembled apart. In the process he cut the gas tank in half and made the rear section out of it. A turbo charger was added to the performance upgrades but almost all the parts were pieces lying around the shop in keeping with the “Recycle Rat” theme. Says Ben, “Scott has this great vision making a kick ass bike out of nothing. He had only four weeks from start to finish, and it is 100% Scotts baby. How good was it? Besides winning the competition it was bought by the Rats Hole owner Ted Smith the same day.”

Scott, Rat’s Hole Owner Ted Smith and Ben with Biker Build-off Winner. Ted liked the bike so much that he bought it the same of the competition.

Prior to building bikes Ben has for many years been involved in the body building , a specialist in individual training programs, many of his clients Hollywood celebrities.

SIC CHOPS can be reached at 928-230-3265(BEN) or 928-486-7068 (SCOTT) or for more info, visit their website at www.sicchops.com.

Editor’s Note: Ray left this chapter out, but it’s a helluva story about the final run on his Dyna Glide. He rode this hot rod for 175,000 and into two records at Bonneville:

We’re seriously backing up for this installment. Ya see, before we tore into my Dyna hot rod, the men at Hardtailz, San Jose, serviced my Dyna for a short road trip to Phoenix.

2/12/2011, Forecast Thursday evening

Weather folks predicted a massive rainstorm gaining speed and punch in the Pacific, rumbling our direction at a rapid rate.
Not to worry, piece-of-cake, my throw-over-zippered-soft-bags have water-proof covers, ya right.

Methodically packed during the relaxed evening for a fine week on the road, destination Phoenix, alone with my therapist (the Dyna). Made a mental note just prior to passin’ out that night, set the trusty internal alarm for an early morning get-up. Rain or shine.

Friday, Feb.11, 2011

Up at the crack of Dawn after a restless night of earth shattering dreams, landed on both feet running, hit the hot morning shower, then glimpsed outside.

Son-of-a-bitch, buckets of RAIN with strong winds.

WTF? Might has well slide into my warm, dry (at the moment), rain proof riding gear? No such thing is there? A break in the clouds, according to the weather map was headed toward San Jose. Here we go, 101 South, I-5 South, sunshine and warmth, Phoenix next stop.

Rolled out of my warm-as-a-bug bungalow, quietly latched the gate behind me, rolled to the curb, lit-the-wick and hauled ass straight to the corner petrol station for a hit-the-road-top-off. Patches of clear sky were visible to the West, good sign, maybe. I blended into five lanes packed with relentless, bumper-to-bumper, Southbound 101, early morning traffic.

Traffic on 101 generally rolls at about 70 mph minimum in large packs. One of my survival techniques includes riding through the pack, and staying in between the masses whenever possible.

No less than 30 miles down the road, just after making the left turn that leads over the Pacheco Pass to the I-5 corridor, heavy clouds appeared once again, and the gods opened the petcocks in the sky. The rain started fairly easy, progressing into a blinding, monsoon-type downpour. Hydro-plaining in the middle of traffic, I was slippin-n-sliddin in the wind and the pounding rain. The K&N air cleaner protecting the Aerocharger variable pitch vanes from small animals, dirt and road hazards, sucked more water than air, which caused the Twin Tech computer to add more fuel. My therapist was not happy.

Found a safe turn-around on the mountain pass outside of a storming Hollister. I immediately headed toward my warm bungalow, 2-hours later, much wetter and wiser.

Saturday, 2/12/2011

I changed the fouled spark plugs after a thoroughly-soaking, aborted ride.

Santa Cruzzzzzzzin!

Destination the next morning, 100 miles of seat time in the high and dry local mountains, no traffic, just twisties, spark-the-foot-peg, and exhaust tip scratching corners, chasin’ the elusive adrenaline rush. Discovered the perfect hot spots that day, nothin like predictable turbo boost lifting the front wheel sky high, exiting a tight corner while looking under the clutch lever and planning my next life-saving, lightning quick move.

Hang the fuck on, aim it, and peek into your future, or not?

The pros at Hardtailz, Ron (master mechanic, tuner), Jeff (pro-rider, mechanic, tuner) and Kevin (axel-to-axel and more) have maintained my hot rod since 2004.

Thanks to a flawless tune up, we managed to set 2 Bonneville Land Speed Records in 2009, while rolling coast-to-coast, hitting drag strips and all points in between.

The chassis rolled over 175,000 nearly-trouble free miles, through Rain, Frigid Mountain Peaks, Skinny 2-mph rocky roads (Cripple Creek Lost Canyon Road), slippery sleet, slick snow, salty Bonneville Flats, deserts, sticky drag strips, smog and fog.

The bright red hot rod always seemed to run just a little crisper rollin’ in after a cross-country road trip. The closer to the dyno unit, located in the San Jose shop, the cleaner it seemed to run. The Daytona Twin Tech computer was a bit of a challenge in the beginning, but always performed flawlessly, even with the addition of the Turbo system.

Refurbish and Rebuild!

I made a left onto Senter Street, on drive pavement, peeled right on Umbarger road, checked traffic and lit it up. Hitting second I stood it on the back tire, leaned left into the tilt-up complex, bounced over the speed bump and into their shop stall.

Rolling in just before lunch, the men at Hardtailz, with good hearing, immediately discovered both head gaskets seeping small amounts of precious combustion.

“Ya got a head gasket leak,” Ron pointed out while the sweetheart still idled.

The Hardtailz crew cleaned a lift, drained the hot rod’s fluids, then tackled the Dyna with a well-executed plan after a hot taco lunch. Seemed like a re-run tune-up performed in the past.

But they tore into my baby like emergency room surgeons. They pulled the rocker boxes, and discovered a broken rocker-arm support under the front box. They pulled the heads and spotted a shifted valve seat. Things were beginning to happen, after 175,000. They kept digging.

Ron pulled the cylinders, and noticed excessive side-play in the rods. There was massive run-out on the pinion shaft. They didn’t hesitate to split the cases. I fired up the bubble machine and started cleaning parts.

They pulled the crank and discovered the shifting wheels, yet it still purred. At that point, we just looked at each other, wrapped all the parts, and shipped everything back to Randy, at High Performance, even the junk parts. Nothing was any good except the cases, and the S&S 640 gear-drive cams and Screamin’ Eagle pushrods and lifters.

My 2004 Dyna Twin Cam cases were stripped, thoroughly scrubbed, the worn out parts and pieces were carefully wrapped and packaged then shipped to Pleasant Hill, Iowa, where Randy and his one man crew hang out in a bad ass, clean, professional, motorcycle-engine-machine-shop.

The cases were deemed rebuildable to perfect, so we moved ahead with the project. Oh, a majority of the internal parts were paperweights.

Hang on for the next portion of the Bennett’s Performance 96-inch build that’s comin’ your way.

Haul Ass!
Ride for your Life!
–Ray c wheeler
Performance Editor
wheeler@bikernet.com

AEROCHARGER www.aerocharger.com

AIR TECH www.airtech-streamlining.com

AUTO METER www.autometer.com

BELL HELMETS www.bellhelmets.com

BENNETT’S PERFORMANCE www.bennettsperformance.com

BRANCH/O’KEEFE www.branchokeefe.com

DARKHORSE CRANK WORKS www.darkhorsecrankworks.com

DAYTONA TWIN TEC www.daytona-twintec.com

ET KRANKVENTS www.et-performance.com

FUELING www.fuelingparts.com

HARDTAILZ www.hardtailzhd.com

HPI www.horsepowerinc.net

HYPERFORMANCE www.kingofcubes.com

JIMS MACHINE www.jimsusa.com

PERFORMANCE MACHINE www.performancemachine.com

PURE POWER OIL FILTERS www.gopurepower.com

R&R CYCLE www.cart.rrcycles.com

RACE TECH www.racetech.com

RIVERA PRIMO www.riveraengineering.com

S&S CYCLE www.sscycle.com

SPYKE www.spykeinc.com

STROZ www.storzperf.com

VANSON LEATHERS www.vansonleathers.com

YANKEE ENGINEUITY www.yankeeengineuity.com

Here’s one of those products that I think is a great idea ifit’s done right. Motorcycle Armor is “armor” for your bike thatprotects the paint from scratches, scuffs, rock chips, and bug smashes that areinevitable over time The folks behind Motorcycle Armor have gone the extra mileto ensure that their paint-protecting film stays on and does what it’s supposedto.

I met the “inventor” of Motorcycle Armor, MichaelDetwiler, at the Sturgis Rally last year. Michael wants women riders to knowabout Motorcycle Armor because he’s aware of the influence they have in themarketplace. He told me that sticky film to protect motorcycle paint has beenaround for quite some time, but there have always been problems with it, suchas scuffs and dents penetrating the film, peeling of the film over time, anddiscoloration.

Michael said he went the extra mile to ensure his paintprotector does not do any of those things. His research and development tookhim to Europe, where he worked with a company that’s leading the way inmanufacturing optically clear paint protection film. Now made in the UnitedStates, Motorcycle Armor’s proprietary precision-cut film is almost invisiblebecause it is optically clear when installed and cut to fit each specific part.

Because each kit has to be cut to fit a specific model,Motorcycle Armor is available only for Harley-Davidson Touring models at thistime. Unfortunately, that eliminates a lot of women riders, as not many womenride the big touring “bagger” bikes. However, if Michael hears frompeople asking for Motorcycle Armor for other makes and models, he’ll work ongetting other versions cut and made available.   

I wasn’t sure if the paint on my Street Glide had a clearcoat, so I’ve yet to test the hard bag armor I was sent. However, I did testthe tank armor sample on my husband’s custom-painted Road King. Norm is a tallguy, so his knees rub on the sides of the tank. The stock paint on the sides ofthe tank was all scuffed up from his pants rubbing on it.  

Motorcycle Armor holds up when washing the bike and comeswith a lifetime replacement warranty. The price for armor for two-wheelersranges from $49.50 to $99.99, with trike armor running a little higher. You cansee more about Motorcycle Armor, including a list of all compatible models anda step-by-step installation video, at Motorcycle-Armor.com. And congratulationsto Motorcycle Armor for being awarded Powersports Business Nifty 50 Award, anindustry award recognizing innovative products. Hit the banner below to order yours today.

Natch, I was intrigued when I saw the cover for the new Baker Calendar. Any excuse to grab some shot of girls and motorcycles for Bikernet. It’s my job.

I reached out to Trish, the tattooed Baker marketing queen. “There’s just one shot of a girl on our calendar,” Trish said. “We devoted the entire calendar to our new replacement primary, the Bully. So what are you going to do about it?”

I scratched my old gray beard, and pondered my situation. Sin Wu leaned over my shoulder, and her soft bubbly, cleavage warmed my cheek. She slipped a Hamster orange post-it under my gaze. It read, “Don’t forget the Bikernet Mantra.”

I looked up at her soft features and knowing gaze. She sways through the headquarters like an oriental ivory chopper angel, always a couple of inches above the hardwood floors. She is the guardian of the castle, the seeker of truth, the calming elixir during conflicts, and she keeps the other broads in line. I knew immediately what she reminded me about. We look at Bikernet as the beacon of warmth and info sharing. In other words, if we can help, goddamnit, we will.

“Are there any other shots of the Calendar girl?” I asked. A man has his priorities. “And send me all you have on the new Bully Baker primary. We will have some fun with it.”

So that’s what Trish did. Then I met the designer in Cincinnati at the Easyriders V-Twin Dealer show. Andy Friar told me about more tech shots of his design effort, and I offered to interview him. Let’s kick this off with the basics on the Bully:

BE A BULLY…

BAKER understands that there are two main elements to making your stock bike stand out in the crowd:
form and function… We’ve been practicing this for years with our Function Formed styling on our
products, giving you style and top notch performance at the same time.

The Bully Primary Cover will add the style and cool factor to your 2007-Later touring model that the stock primary cover could not. With the introduction of the stock 6-speed on the 2007 Touring models also came a completely new primary assembly. This new primary design got smoother and more plain than the previous version. Being the biggest single piece of architecture on the left side of the motorcycle, it
is just begging to be upgraded and replaced.

Having cut our teeth on many designs using our Function Formed cues, we set out to make the primary cover assembly wrap the essential function components of the primary. We added a motor sprocket cover, inspection and what we call the bellhousing around the clutch to break up the large mushy surface area of the stock unit. Adding separate covers also opens up the possibilities when it comes to customizing the aesthetics to meet your demands.

– All parts machined from 6061-T6 billet

– Direct bolt-on in place of the stock outer primary cover

– Comes standard as a complete outer primary cover assembly, including derby cover

– Clears all stock dimensionally equivalent clutches, chain tensioners and compensating sprockets

– Polished stainless steel fasteners standard

– Inspection Cover design for use with Attitude Manual Chain Adjuster Kit

– Stock fitting derby covers will bolt right up to the bellhousing

– Bully Derby Cover available for stock, 1999-later 5-hole derby cover, Big Twin models.

– Motor sprocket and bellhousing bolt to outer primary plate with blind threaded holes, no leaks

– Includes outer primary gasket, inspection cover gasket and derby cover rubber o-ring

– Backed by a 2 yr limited warranty

For more information and ordering – check out www.bakerdrivetrain.com or call 1-877-640-2004

Attitude Chain Adjuster

One of the big differences in the function of the Bully Primary cover when compared to the stock unit, is the inclusion of an inspection cover. With the stock auto adjust chain tensioner assembly installed, this inspection cover will never need to be removed. We included an inspection cover because we also offer a conventional manual adjust chain tensioner. The Attitude Chain Adjuster solves the issues associated with the stock auto tensioner.

The first moment the chain has enough slack into it to ratchet the shoe up another notch, and thus tightening the chain, it will. One notch tighter might not be an issue, but you don’t have any control of when this mechanism stops tightening the chain. The end result in many cases is the primary chain is so tight that it will start wearing out left side motor case bearings, inner primary bearings, clutch hub bearings and transmission output gear bearings.

Our manual chain tensioner allows you to adjust the chain to the proper 5/8-7/8-inch (cold) freeplay, and never have to worry about the chain getting too tight. The 28% finer teeth spacing, as compared to the 2001-06 ‘L-Bracket’ style, allows more accurate adjustments. We offer this chain adjuster for fitment with stock outer primary covers, as well as a package deal with the Bully Primary Cover.

Bully Primary Cover Kit Part Numbers

600-BLY Primary Kit, Wrinkle Black w/ Highlights 2007-Later Touring

600-BLY-M Primary Kit w/ Attitude Adjuster, Wrinkle Black w/ Highlights 2007-Later Touring

601-BLY Primary Kit, Chrome 2007-Later Touring

601-BLY-M Primary Kit w/ Attitude Adjuster, Chrome 2007-Later Touring

[Photo 28108]

Bully Derby Cover Kit

The Bully Primary Cover kit comes with the derby cover you see pictured on this page. A good looking part that will set off any style that you rock. We decided early on when developing this primary cover to make sure that the stock bolt pattern and diameter of the Derby Cover was maintained. This allows anyone to put their own special derby cover on our primary cover, or such that someone can buy just our Bully Derby Cover Kit and bolt it on their stock outer primary. Part numbers and fitment are listed below.

602-BLY Derby Cover Kit, Stock Primary, Chrome 1999-Later, Big Twin

603-BLY Derby Cover Kit, Stock Primary, Wrinkle Black w/ Highlights 1999-Later, Big Twin

– Cruise Drive Sprockets

– Cruise Drive Hydraulic Side Cover

– +1 Quart Oil Pan (2007-2008 FLH/ FLT Models)

– Inner Primary High Torque Bearing Kit (2007 Big Twin)

Recommended Fluid / Level Picking the right primary fluid ensures the life and durability of your primary, that’s why BAKER recommends a 85W primary oil. BAKER does not recommend the use of Syn3 (20W-50).

BAKER Bully Primary Cover Fluid Capacity Dry: 30-32 fl-oz

There you have all the basics, and now for our interview with Andy Friar, the designer behind this project:

Why design a replacement primary?

The primary is the biggest piece of architecture on the drivetrain. As a result it has the biggest impact on the look of a bike as far as the drivetrain is concerned. As the factory has evolved their designs, they have steadily lost style. The outer primary cover on the new stock 6 speeds models are mushy looking and without any real character. Replacing the outer primary cover is an easy job to gain a lot visual impact, without having to swap out any other parts. An added reason is that we are now selling manual chain adjusters for the new 6 speed models. (We offer the Attitude Chain Adjuster at a discount when buying a Bully Primary Cover) The factory auto tensioner never stops tightening the chain. When the chain reaches banjo string tightness, it will start taking out the clutch hub bearings, transmission main drive gear bearing, inner primary bearing and/or the left side motor case bearing. Our new Bully Primary Cover has an inspection cover in the middle to manage the chain adjustment, just like the TC 88 models.

Tell me about your background

I have worked at BAKER for 8 years. I started part time in college putting together sub assemblies and have been designing full time for the last 7 years. I grew up in Michigan with a Drag Racing, General Motors Engineer, father. I thought that everybody’s Dad had a 8 second dragster in their garage and could fix anything, because my Dad did and so did all of his friends. My Mom is the artist in the family and I get my creative abilities from her. You could say that I am truly a blend of my parents talents. I went to Michigan State for Product Design Engineering with a couple of internship stints at Detroit Speed & Engineering (High End Hot Rods & Road Race Cars) and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (F-22 Production & F-35 Pre-Production Manufacturing). My passion is all things with tires that haul ass.

Will you make other models of this configuration in the future?

Yes, outer primary covers for 1999-06 FL Touring Models are on the Bully Parts line agenda.

How about a vented model for belt drives?

That is an interesting one. Belt drive primaries on the 2007 & later Touring models do not seem to have the some popularity, yet, since the bikes are so new. So we probably won’t offer it as a regularly stocked part number to start with. That being said, we can and will modify parts for a customers individual tastes or needs. Most of the time for free too, unless it requires a lot of machining, and then we are still very reasonable. If we start getting lots of requests for them, we will of course make it a regularly stocked part number.

How does your design process take place.

We basically do a case study, including: What is the function of the part? What can we improve on? What are the accompanying parts both on the stock bike and available in the aftermarket that we want to make sure our parts works with? What is our target price based on what we think the market will accept? What do we think the annual sales will be? What finishes do we want to offer? Then we work backwards from there. The annual volume has the biggest factor on what way we will make the part. Either a forging, billet block machined, casting, or a machined billet extrusion. We will set the parameters of the part based on allowable footprint to its mated part, and height, then we start carving away all of the fat to leave the final part wrapped as much as possible to the mechanics underneath it.

We regularly will get one or all of the salesman involved when we are at a crossroads in the design process. To answer questions like, What do you think the customers would think about this look? Do you think that this design will be a pain in the ass for a seasoned tech to install? Our salesman hold a lot of the key facts about what our customers are asking for, or need tech help with, on a daily basis. We as designers here at BAKER, and being gearheads in general, are always on the hunt for cool aesthetics that we think we could incorporate into a design. Whether at a local swap meet, the drag races, on TV or in a magazine.

Did you do anything to the structure to make this unit stronger, longer lasting than stock?

We machine all of the Bully primary covers out of 6061-T6 billet, which is inherently stronger than die cast aluminum. We use Solidworks to double check the strength of the parts to ensure that we are always stronger than stock.

What’s next?

We are going to keep expanding the Bully Line of parts:
-Timing covers for TC88 bikes
-Horn covers
-Coil covers
-Primary covers for TC88 touring models
-Inspection covers and derby covers for stock primary TC88 models
-Derby covers that match BAKER transmission models
-DD6 Equipped,DD7 Equipped, OD6 equipped, etc.
-Transmission top covers

We will be able to offer a full Bully cover line before too long which will convert the look of a bike in a day by replacing all of the stock covers.

Feel free to throw in anything else, I may have missed.

We made the primary cover a 3-part assembly for multiples reasons, rather than machining it out of one 4” thick billet. First, is cost, both of the raw material and the machining time. Second we thought that having a ‘Bellhousing’ as we call it over the clutch, could be a benefit to the end user. You can change the clutch pack without having to take off the whole outer primary or footpegs/ floorboards. The same goes for the motor sprocket cover. We made it a separate bolt on piece to keep the mechanical fastener look of the bellhousing, but also so that someone could turn over the motor without having to take off the whole outer cover.

The Bully primary cover will work with all stock floorboards or pegs, or any aftermarket units that work on a stock bike. The outer cover also works with the stock auto chain tensioner unit, should someone not want to change it out.

To find out more about the Bully, click here:

http://bakerdrivetrain.com/bully-primary-cover

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