For most of us in this country who actually experience winter months,preparing your motorcycle for hibernation requires some action on yourpart. And that holds particularly true when it comes to batterymaintenance.

The first thing to always to remember is you should make or break abattery connection by using the negative cable. This ensures there won’tbe any voltage spikes. More important, if there is gas seeping from thebattery, it won’t ignite and explode. That’s much more than a personalpreference issue. It’s a safety concern.

Secondly, when you’re hooking up battery connections, it’s alwaysbetter to use dielectric grease on the connections and make sure youhave a tight connection in order to prevent corrosion. A contaminated orloose battery connection often results in high resistance, whichinterferes with the flow of electrical current.

The best method of keeping a battery fully charged is to hook it upto a battery tender. The battery tender will maintain the battery atfull charge and will not overcharge or overheat the battery. I alsorecommend you never charge a motorcycle battery with an automotive-typebattery charger. Why, you ask? Primarily because most automotivechargers are of the constant voltage, variable current type, which meansthey don’t shut off. And that could result in overcharging yourmotorcycle battery, causing big time damage.

Ifyou’re purchasing a brand new conventional battery, make sure you fillit with an acid pack — and follow the safety instructions. Once abattery is initially filled with the electrolyte solution (sulfuric acidand distilled water), you don’t have to add any more electrolytes tothe battery. That’s because over time, the distilled water evaporatesand the electrolytes collect on the plates inside the battery (calledsulfating). These electrolytes are released back into the solution whenthe battery becomes fully charged, so if the level is low, all is neededis to add distilled water until the level reaches the top fill line.

One thing you don’t want to do is use tap water, which containschlorine, iron and other contaminants that will damage and shorten yourbattery’s life. Once the battery is filled, leave it alone for a halfhour before charging. Then go ahead and charge the battery for one-tenthof the amp hour rating for 10 to 12 hours, after which you can installthe battery on your motorcycle.

If you get clumsy and spill any electrolyte solution, you canneutralize it with simple baking soda and water. Of course, if youpurchase a sealed/maintenance-free battery, it’s already been filledfrom with acid. You should charge this type of battery — also at 1/10amp hour rating for 10 to 12 hours — and then install the battery onyour bike.

Amp hour rating is defined as the discharge rate of the battery’samperes in hours. Here’s an example: A 12-amp/hour battery willdischarge fully if 1 amp of current is consistently discharged from thebattery for 12 hours. Motorcycle batteries are rated in ampere-hours, sothe larger the amp/hour numbers, the stronger the battery. But knowthis: Voltage does not change in relation to amp/hour ratings.

These tips should help you prepare your battery for the wintermonths. We’ll have more tips on battery maintenance once the weatherstarts to warm and you’re itching to get back out on the road again.

After much soul searching I have decided to sell the FXRX-Wedge built for S&S Cycle Inc. George Smith asked me to build this bike for the promotion of S&S products, including the X-Wedge Engine, during the 2010 Rally season. The bike toured the country with the S&S Road Show as can be seen in videos on the S&S Cycle website.

My original intention was to enjoy this bike for many years, however new opportunities have presented themselves, and as much as I’d like to keep this machine in my collection, the fact is the bike will sit in storage for the next few years, and it makes more sense to have the money to invest back into my business, rather than just collecting dust.

The FXRX-Wedge is the subject of a 4 page feature in the current – Jan/Feb 2012 issue of IronWorks Magazine, artfully photographed and tastefully written by Stephen Berner. It is considered to be a ‘Collectors item’ as it has the very FIRST 132 cubic inch X-Wedge engine ever produced as designated by the VIN number on the case – L5600001 – with the number 1 verifiable by S&S as the FIRST. It is also the only Twin Carbureted X-Wedge bike in existence.

This bike is not for the faint-of-heart. It is a lightweight bike with a motor that packs a helluva punch, and will get a rider in over their head quickly.

The asking price for this one-of-a-kind bike is $33,000.00.

Contact: DOUGZ Custom
2323 Palace St.
La Crosse, Wis. 54603
www.dougz.com
info@dougz.com
608-783-3684

Wiring is always a treat, unless you use one of those systems in a box like Phil’s speed shop systems. I ran one on my factory racer, and it was a breeze. I’ll try to find a photo. It was designed to mount to the frame seat post. Inside it contained the circuit breaker, the starter relay, the ignition switch, the starter button, high low beam, and horn button. Then a ream of wire rumbled out of a hole. I guided them to the appropriate spots and hook them up. Nothing to it.

In this case, we worked with Wire Plus since they are the masters of wiring kits, Speedos and assorted equipment. They sent me a complete wiring harness with a starter relay, flasher system for turn signals, a 30-amp circuit breaker with mounting strap and rivets. They also included an installation and operator manual for model Wp192, Mid Frame Mount System, with Chopper style harness, with or without turns.

Their manual affords the reader a lighting circuit flow chart, an ignition flow chart, and an accessory flow chart. It demonstrates several ignition switch wiring circuits and handlebar circuits. It even comes with a Wp143 lighting control system for auto-canceling style harness. Actually, I checked the Wire Plus web site and they do make a seat post ignition switch wiring system unit, in a coffin shape, classic, and old school. They also make a cylindrical shaped engine mounted ignition switch housing, and ignition and toggle switches. They have systems that include compression releases–Amazing.

Wire Plus also makes individual wiring products, like their lighting control modules, power modules, plus custom power ports, for plugging in accessories. There’s a reason for going on and on about Wire Plus. Wiring can be a nightmare, and I’m a lazy. I want to be as minimal as possible, for ease and reliability, but I’m fulla shit. Just about the time I think I need to cut turn signals out of my system, someone is wiring in heated grips, or a heated seat, a some sound system, or neon lights under the engine. I avoid anything extra, like the plague. Hell, wire plus make engine mounted electrical port systems, so you can plug in your heated vest, helmet sound system, or whatever.

This is going to be a terrific test. My son’s bike will contain more bells and whistles, and Grip Ace controls in the bars. Tim from Grip Ace from Rivera is coming over to show us how easy it is. On Frank’s bike, we will install turn signals, so anything is possible. We will also wire a metric bike, the XS Yamaha bobber. So, over the next couple of months you will witness three variations, with Wire Plus products.

I start wiring by finding all the components and placing them somewhat in position. Then I search for a place to hide the circuit breaker and a circuit board, or bank of connections. First, we made a trip to the local Marine store and ordered an ignition switch. This included a starter switch, but we were using the Spyke push-button starter mounted to the solenoid. It eliminated the starter relay and any starter switches.

Once I determined a handy location behind one of the Mudfap Girl FXR panels, I drew up a wiring schematic, while referring to the Wire Plus handy manual for guidance. I came up with this nuts notion of hiding the ignition switch under the seat nose, which would position it perfectly for some of the wiring, and run some of it through the backbone of the frame. I grappled with a mounting notion, but Danny came up with the final notion, which took a lot of work, but was highly secure.

Wire plus makes several digital speedos, and several mounting systems for different applications. It was a breeze to mount and wire once I found the mysterious neutral switch connectors, which I ordered from the factory. The WP speedo mounted like a dream on the bars, once I plugged the wiring harness into the rear of the unit, ran the wires under the tank, back to the nerve center for power, then to the speedo sensor, and the neutral switch. Nothing to that one, although I wouldn’t mind running the wire loom through the frame in the future.

Since I was thinking about the rear brake pressure switch, I started to work out my GMA brake systems, and we made some measurements. I ran over to Baker Performance products and in five minutes we had new brake lines cut to size. This was probably the easiest bleeding process I have ever encountered. They were bled and working in no-time. Unfortunately, GMA doesn’t make a clutch lever to match.

On rubber-mounted bikes, I run two grounds. I welded one to the frame and I use one of the Spyke starter mounting bolts as an auxiliary ground. I don’t want to take any chances with the charging system, or the ignition system missing a grounding connection.

I needed to mount an On-On switch in the headlight bucket. It took some hunting for the correct sized switch, then a headlight seal beam from Biker’s Choice, and a lot of digging for a three blade connector. My headlight came from a spot on a police car in the ’30s.

Almost all of my electrical components came from Spyke or Compu-Fire. The Compu-fire ignition system is a breeze. This time I’m running a Compu-Fire single fire ignition system, with their single, dual wound coil, which mounts between the heads, in the standard stock position. It’s all too tight and convenient. Two wires to the coil and one to power and the system is good to go. It’s about that easy to time.

My son showed up with the missing parts for his Bub Bare exhaust system, and we started mounting it. I wish the exhaust guys would make kits with the flanges and retainer spring rings. Some systems come complete, but it’s a drag to run to the dealership, when you’re ready to rock. I understand why they don’t supply them with many system. If the system is replacing a stock system, we just switch out the parts. And these four pieces would jack up the price, but give the customer the option, and the manufacturer could make an extra buck and save the builder time and hassle.

This system slices damn close to $350 and you paint it with whatever heat paint, or heat wrap you like. It’s very similar to my D&D system.

Sources:

Spitfire

Biker’s Choice

JIMS Machine

MetalSport

BDL/GMA

Wire Plus

Branch O’Keefe

Bennett’s Performance

Custom Cycle Engineering

Saddlemen

Bub

One of the world’s premier off-road motorcycle racers, Malcolm has participated in races all over the world – mostly off-road and endurance races. He won eight gold medals between 1966 and 1976 in the International Six Day Trials, the European cross-country event considered the Olympics of motorcycling. This motorcycle is the one that carried Malcolm to the gold medal in 1967. It’s a 1967 Husqvarna 250 that was built for Malcolm to ride in that race.

Husqvarna was originally a Swedish arms manufacturer that also built bicycles. The company started building motorcycles using NSU and FN engines in 1903, then began designing and building its own engines in 1920. Following World War II, Husqvarna concentrated on making small displacement off-road motorcycles using a two-stroke engine it developed in the 1930s. Husqvarna is now a division of BMW.

Malcolm Smith’s talent on two-wheels earned him a co-starring role in Bruce Brown’s 1970’s classic motorcycle epic, On Any Sunday with Steve McQueen. The movie showed people just how fun motorcycling could be and helped launch an explosion in the popularity of off-road motorcycling in America.

Malcolm now splits his time between Malcolm Smith Motorsports, a large motorcycle dealership and off-road accessory store in his hometown of Riverside, California, and his Sunshine Ranch high in the mountains of Colorado near St. Elmo.

THE AIM/NCOM MOTORCYCLE E-NEWS SERVICE is brought to you by Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) and the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM), and is sponsored by the Law Offices of Richard M. Lester. If you’ve been involved in any kind of accident, call us at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE or visit www.ON-A-BIKE.com.

COAST TO COAST BIKER NEWS
Compiled & Edited by Bill Bish,
National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM)

FEDERAL HELMET LEGISLATION NARROWLY AVERTED
Due to the quick actions of concerned motorcyclists across the country, a major federal transportation measure narrowly avoided becoming a bill to encourage states to enact helmet laws nationwide.

On Monday, December 12 Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) filed an amendment to S.1449 the “Motor Vehicle and Highway Safety Improvement Act of 2011” that would call for mandatory helmet laws nationwide and could jeopardize funding for Motorcycle Safety programs across America.

By Tuesday the motorcycle community was alerted to Lautenburg’s efforts by national and state motorcyclists’ rights organizations, including the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (NCOM) and numerous NCOM Member Groups, and riders were urgently urged to contact their U.S. Senators to oppose the amendment — and time was of the essence because a Senate committee was to vote on the bill the following day!

Wednesday, Dec 14, during the hearing held by the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee to “mark-up” the bill, Senator Lautenburg decided not to introduce his amendment.

Not only did motorcyclists’ prompt response help avoid another federal helmet law battle and preserve federal funding for motorcycle safety programs, but the committee also voted to accept two amendments by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) that removed language in the bill that would have lifted the current ban on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from lobbying states to enact universal helmet laws for all riders.

S.1449 passed the committee by voice vote and now goes to the Senate floor for further action, while riders remain ever vigilant.

JUDGE UPHOLDS N.Y. MOTORCYCLE-ONLY CHECKPOINTS
A federal judge rejected motorcyclists’ claims that their Constitutional rights were violated by New York State Police motorcycle-only “safety checkpoints” that detained thousands of riders en route to large N.Y. rallies and ticketed many of them for mostly non-safety violations.

Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) Attorney Mitch Proner of NYC sued troopers on behalf of four motorcyclists who claimed that safety was a mere pretext in looking for criminals and that the practice was intrusive and unfair to motorcycle riders as a group.

But Judge Gary Sharpe concluded that safety was indeed the main focus of the initiative, which distinguishes the checkpoints from “a general interest in crime control” that could have amounted to unconstitutional seizures when there’s no “individualized suspicion of wrongdoing.”

“The court concludes the checkpoints were enacted to promote motorcycle safety, a manifest public interest; they were effective in addressing this interest; and that any interference with individual liberties was not only minimal, but also grossly outweighed by the interest advanced,” Sharpe wrote in his ruling.

“The intrusion on civil liberties is something that shouldn’t be countenanced,” Proner told the Associated Press, adding that the discriminatory roadblocks have been ongoing since 2008 even though motorcycles, like other vehicles in New York, are already subject to annual safety inspections, and no other vehicles are stopped for roadside safety checks.

“It’s obvious just from their own internal documents they’re looking for criminal activity,” said Attorney Proner, citing a checkpoint near Buffalo’s Peace Bridge that included border patrol agents, and one in central New York near a rally sponsored by a motorcycle club included gang task force officers.

“The fact they didn’t find crime doesn’t mean that wasn’t what they’re fishing for,” he said. “That just shows you’ve got law abiding citizens on motorcycles primarily being inconvenienced.”

Proner told the AP news agency that motorcyclists across the country are interested in this case, the only such federal lawsuit nationally though some other states have similar checkpoint programs, and that he will appeal.

SAFETY BOARD SEEKS BAN ON CELL PHONE USE WHILE DRIVING
States should ban all driver use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices (PEDs), except in emergencies, urges the National Transportation Board. The NTSB recommendation, unanimously agreed to by the five-member board, applies to both hands-free and hand-held phones and significantly exceeds any existing state laws restricting texting and cellphone use by drivers.

The board made the safety recommendation in connection with their investigation of a deadly highway pileup in Missouri last year that was caused by the inattention of a 19 year-old-pickup driver who sent or received 11 texts in the 11 minutes immediately before the tragic crash that involved a semi and two school busses.

The accident is a “big red flag for all drivers,” NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman said at a meeting to determine the cause of the accident and make safety recommendations. “No call, no text, no update is worth a human life.”

The board has previously recommended bans on texting and cell phone use by commercial truck and bus drivers and beginning drivers, but it has stopped short of calling for a ban on the use of the devices by adults behind the wheel of passenger cars. While the NTSB doesn’t have the power to impose restrictions, its recommendations carry significant weight with federal regulators and congressional and state lawmakers.

In November, Pennsylvania became the 35th state to forbid texting while driving, but despite such laws the problem is continuing to get worse according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that reports nearly 20% of drivers admit to texting or e-mailing, and at any given moment last year almost 1 in every 100 car drivers was texting, emailing, surfing the Web or otherwise using a handheld electronic device, up 50% over the previous year.

Joining in the campaign to curb distracted driving, Aid to Injured Motorcyclists (A.I.M.) has produced a color vinyl bumper sticker that reads; ‘HANG UP AND DRIVE!” that is available free by calling A.I.M. at 1-(800) ON-A-BIKE.

US TRAFFIC DEATHS HIT LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 1949
Annual traffic deaths in the U.S. have fallen to their lowest level in six decades, reports the U.S. Department of Transportation. Despite the fact that Americans drove almost 46 billion more miles during the year, highway deaths fell by nearly a thousand to 32,885 in 2010, representing a 2.9% drop from 2009 (33,883) and the lowest number of fatalities since 1949.

“While we have more work to do to continue to protect American motorists, these numbers show we’re making historic progress when it comes to improving safety on our nation’s roadways,” said DOT Secretary Ray LaHood.

According to DOT statistics, deaths in crashes involving drunk drivers dropped 4.9% in 2010, resulting in 10,228 fatalities compared to 10,759 in 2009. Fatalities declined in most categories in 2010, including for occupants of passenger cars and light trucks, but fatalities rose among motorcycle riders (4,469 in 2009 to 4,502 in 2010, an increase of 33, or less than 1%), pedestrians (up 4% from 4,109 to 4,280), occupants in medium and heavy trucks (499 to 529, +6%) and buses (26 to 44, +41%).

The latest figures also include a new measure of fatalities caused by distracted driving, essentially a refinement of existing data that focuses more directly on situations where dialing a phone, sending a text or the activities of another person or event are likely to lead to a crash. The DOT reports that 3,092 fatalities were the result of such “distraction-affected crashes.”

FEDS PROPOSE ADDITIONAL MOTORCYCLE SAFETY STUDY
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing to launch a study program equipping 160 motorcycle riders with cameras, GPS, and other data recording devices in order to track riding behavior and how riders avoid — or fail to avoid — crashes.

“Knowledge of both how riders successfully avoid crashes and of behaviors that correlate with and contribute to crash risk is crucial to developing effective countermeasures to reduce motorcycle crashes and fatalities,” says the NHTSA study proposal.

The federal agency is currently seeking comments on their proposed motorcycle safety study, which is very similar to a “naturalistic study” being conducted by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) tracking 100 specially-equipped motorcycles for one year to compile data on rider behavior.

NOISE CAMERA TO MUFFLE LOUD VEHICLES
First came red-light cameras, followed closely by speed-cameras, and now Calgary will soon become the first municipality to introduce noise cameras to the motoring public.

“Motorcycle riders and hotrod enthusiasts beware: the Noise Snare is one step closer to squelching your high-decibel expressions of mechanical masculinity,” reported the Calgary Herald about the pilot project that pairs a noise-reader with a camera to catch law breakers.

The $112,500 device was offered to Calgary for free as the first city to test the gadget, and if all goes well the city expects to be handing out $200 tickets by summer.

“This is something that will allow municipalities across North America to start enforcing (noise) bylaws. The fact that now it’s been proven to be an accurate test is very, very important,” said Bill Bruce, the city’s director of bylaw services.

Electrical engineer Mark Nesdoly invented the “Noise Snare” after a loud motorcycle awoke his sleeping daughter one night.

SHOOTINGS PROMPT HONDURAN CONGRESS TO BAN MOTORCYCLE PASSENGERS
Following two recent high-profile killings, legislators in Honduras approved a decree banning motorcyclists from carrying passengers. It took the deaths of a radio journalist and a former government advisor to convince the National Congress of the need to restrict the number of riders on a motorcycle to one — the driver. Suspects in both cases were passengers on motorcycles, who got away.

The legislation is being hailed as a common sense approach to fighting crime that will help discourage drive-by shootings, which have been one of the most common murder tactics in this Central American country because it makes it nearly impossible to identify and catch the helmeted killers who quickly flee the crime scene. Now, any motorcycle with two people will be suspect and can be pulled over by the police.

NIGERIA RESTRICTS MOTORCYCLES TO CURB BOMBINGS
Restrictions have been imposed on the operations of commercial motorcycles in Nigeria to check bombing incidences. The restrictions on the motorcycles, popularly called okada, were announced by the Special Task Force (STF) after a deadly triple bomb blast rocked three television viewing centers was attributed to the Islamic sect Boko Haram.

“The general public should be informed that no motorcycle will be allowed to operate beyond 7pm within the Jos-Bukuru metropolis. Riding of motorcycles is only permitted from 6am – 7pm, the enforcement of this ban will be strictly enforced,” said Ikemefuna Okafor, an officer of STF.

WEIRD NEWS: MOTORCYCLISTS TAKE BITE OUT OF SNAKE VENOM DEATHS
In rural Nepal, volunteer motorcyclists are getting snakebite victims to help soon enough to cut deaths by 95%, reports Scientific American.

Snake bites are still a big concern for much of the world’s population, and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 100,000 people die from poisonous snakebites each year. Many more people become paralyzed or permanently disabled.

Most victims live too far from clinics that could provide them with anti-venom. In Nepal, where more than 10% of bite victims die, an experimental program uses volunteer motorcyclists to save residents. Since the program launched 2003, only about 5% of victims who got a ride died. These findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

QUOTABLE QUOTE: “To sin by silence, when they should protest, makes cowards of men.“
~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919), American author & poet

A Note from the Photographer: I came across this bike when I was shooting cars for a Norwegian magazine this summer. I was driving all over the west coast of Norway with my two daughters. We ran out of bread one night, and I meet Kristina by the bread shelves, in a store at 9 pm. The next afternoon she was in front of my camera, the first time of her life. And you know, Norwegian fjords are full of pretty girls like this. Following is the owner’s story –Peter

I’ve always loved old custom Harleys, ever since the early ’80s when I was on a family vacation in my father’s 1972 Pontiac Firebird and a big gang of bikers blasted past us on their Choppers.

I even passed my motorcycle license test before my car license, but I never got around to owning a Harley until last year. The main reason for that is that I have used all my spare time on old American muscle cars. I’ve been more of a car guy than a biker. Not so strange maybe, since I grew up around old American cars.

I wasn’t really in the market for buying a bike, but one night I was surfing around on the Internet, I came across an add of this particular bike. I really loved the way the bike looked. It was “love at first sight”. Since I wasn’t planning on buying a bike or even had the money for it, I didn’t do anything about it, except for printing out of the add.

As time went by I could not stop thinking about the bike, and of course I could not find any similar bikes for sale here in Norway. I had no time to build a bike, due to many car projects. Finally I found the old ad, and I got in contact with the seller. I was way too late, of course, the “Bobber” was long gone. I thought “oh well, at least I tried.”

Again, I could not get the bike off my mind. I managed to locate the new owner, and the bike was right here in Norway, just over 300 miles away. Anyway, I got a hold of his phone number and gave him a call to ask if there were any chance he was willing to sell. Unfortunately the bike was not for sale. We spoke again some time later, but he was still not willing to let the bike go.

Then one day, out of the blue, I got a text message from the owner. He wondered if I still was interested in buying the bike. He had got his wife pregnant and needed money to buy a new car. I got busy selling my cross bike and my ATV, jumped in my van and headed over the snowy mountains to pick up the bike.

When I saw the bike in real life, I didn’t get disappointed. Loved the style and the rough look of the bike, so cash and bike switched hands, and I was finally the lucky owner of a custom Harley.

The seller told me that the previous owner was the one that had bought the bike on e- bay and imported it to Norway. He had a hard time getting the bike registered on Norwegian plates, but luckily it worked out fine in the end.

When I got the bike home I was ready for my first real test drive, in pouring rain! It was a real blast, even though I got soaking wet and got my face full of gravel.

I’m really happy with the bike and love to take it out for a ride when the weather allows. It looks like other people like it as well. It turns a lot of heads. The bike has even won some awards in car/ bike shows I’ve attended.

The bike is a “keeper” and I’m going to enjoy riding it between the mountains and the fjords of the west coast of Norway for many years to come.

–Stian Juliebo

BIKERNET EXTREME NORWEGIAN TECH CHART

Owner: Stian Juliebø
City: Ørsta
State/ Zip: West Coast of Norway
C Phone: +4790159237
Website: http://www.brentdekk.com/medlemsbiler/stian.htm
E Mail: Chevelle396ss@hotmail.com

Make: Harley-Davidson
Year:1976
Model: FL/FLH
Type: “Bobber”
Name: “Shark Attack”

Builder: Andrew Levay, South Carolina (According to the papers I got with the bike.)

ENGINE:
Type: Shovelhead
Displacement: 1207cc
Year: 1976
Horsepower: Don`t know…
Heads: Chrome Shovel
Valves: H-D
Pistons: New 8.5/1 with new jugs
Cylinders: H-D
Camshaft: Andrews A cam
Lifters: Solid lifters
Carburetor/Injection: S&S Super E carb
Air Cleaner: Custom
Blower/Turbo: No
Ignition: Electronic, Super Coil
Exhaust: Custom
Mufflers: What mufflers???
Finish: Chrome
Fasteners/Hardware: Custom

Transmission:
Make: Harley-Davidson
Clutch: Sifton Diaphram Clutch Kit
Gear configuration: 4-Speed
Final drive: Chain
Primary: Primo belt drive
Clutch: Primo belt drive
Start: Kickstart

Frame:
Type: Rigid
Year: 2006
Builder: Global Motorsport Group
Shocks: None
Modifications: None
Finish: Painted in HotRod flat sublime, with a overspray of a custom mix darker green.

Forks:
Type: Springer
Year: Paughco
Builder: H-D
Finish: Chrome
Modifications: None

Sheet Metal:
Oil Tank: Custom handmade
Fuel Tank: Cole Foster – Salina Boys Customs

Wheels:
Front
Rim: 200 spoke H-D
Size: 21-inch
Hub: H-D
Builder: H-D
Finish: Chrome
Fender: None
Tire: Dunlop 89/90
Brake: GMA

Rear
Rim: 200 spoke H-D
Size: 16”
Hub: H-D
Builder: H-D
Finish: Chrome
Fender: Chica Custom
Tire: Dunlop 150/80
Brake: GMA

What Connects you to the bike:
Handlebars: Custom handmade
Risers: Custom handmade
Handcontrols: Arlen Ness retro
Seat: Custom handmade
Footrests: Chrome

Electrical:
Headlights: 1929 H-D model D with custom mount
Taillights: 1932 Ford model A with custom mount
Turn Signals F/R: No
Speedometer: Yes
Tachometer: No
Gauges: Oil temp in oil tank cap
Electrics: New by owner

Paint:
Colors: Clear over bare steel
Special Paint: One Shot pinstriping and graphics
The Painter: Andrew Levay, Alleyed Kustom Pinstriping

Sources:

Wrenching on Harley-Davidsons over the years has been more of a journey for me than anything else. It has been my good fortune to meet all kinds of people over the years while riding and working on bikes. I want to pass on a conversation that I had with one of my Bros.

I once worked with a guy who was from New York. Keith Wagner was a service writer at the dealership I worked at in North Carolina. We bullshited about bikes, travels, and other stuff. One overcast day we started talking about tattoos. Keith asked me about the Seabee tattoo on my right arm and where I had it done. I told him that Old Doc Webb, in Dago during my old Navy days, did it.

Then what he began to tell me in a quiet southern drawl just blew me away. Keith started unraveling a story about his grandfather Stephan Wagner. His grandfather was the brother of the famous tattooist Professor Charlie Wagner. Suddenly, I was all ears, as I have a great interest in Tattooing History.

The story got even better. He began telling me that his grandfather Stephan use to work in the Ringling Bro’s circus. This is before the Barnum & Bailey merger in 1919. Keith said he did a high-wire act and worked the “Slack Rope.” His brother the famous Professor Charlie Wagner crafted his tattoos.

Stephan Wagner also worked with his brother at the tattoo studio doing Flash and artwork. Keith told me that his grandfather Stephan was better than Charlie at all the artwork side of the business.

For years, Charlie wore long sleeve shirts buttoned up, all the time, even in the summer to hide his tattoos. Even after swimming at the beach, when he got out of the water, he would cover himself up right away so know body would see that he was tattooed.

Stephan met his future wife and she didn’t like what he was doing, tattooing, and he eventually went to work in the Brooklyn Navy shipyard. Keith told me that he didn’t even know his grandfather was tattooed till his death in 1976. He never saw his tattoos till then!

If you don’t know about Charlie Wagner, he is the Man, when it comes to tattooing history. He is one of America’s great tattoo legends. Wagner tattooed in New York City from the 1890s up until his death in 1953. Wagner did his apprenticeship with Samuel O’Reilly working on the Bowery in lower Manhattan. Wagner took over the shop space at 11 Chatham Square from Samuel O‘Reilly when O’Reilly died in 1908.

The first patent for a tattooing machine was in 1891 by Samuel O’Reilly (patent #464,801). Charlie Wagner improved the design and received his own patent in 1904 (768,413).

Wagner was 78 years old when he died in 1953. He was a professional tattoo artist for over sixty years. After he died all of his tattooing supplies, original artwork, etc. were taken to the city dump and destroyed!!

Times have changed since the early days of tattooing. Tattooing is considered a true art form in today’s world. Would have been cool if Charlie and Stephan Wagner were around to see the current world of tattooing.

Here are some pics of my ’74 850 Norton. It is for sale, my knee can’t take the kicking (I was concerned about that while I was building it). I would appreciate it if you would pass it on if you know any conissours looking for a display piece or a daily rider.

Everything on the bike works perfectly and it does not leak oil (I know, hard to believe on a Norton). The motor and trans are recently broke in.

All of the pics are with the original wheels except the two close ups of the wheels (Rim was back-ordered for 5 months, just put the new wheels on).

The bike is full show quality. Every nut, bolt washer is stainless, and I removed all flaws prior to polishing. I wired the bike with aircraft tefzel wire, it is wired to mil spec level (even the toggle switches are hermetically sealed mil spec units).

There are “my” details all over. The paint is perfect. My painter did a stellar job. All aluminum and stainless is show polished. Motor, primary, trans is perfect. It is a 1-2 kicks cold start-up procedure. It fires first kick once it’s warm.

 

–Wayne

 

 But from the beginning, I had a bad feeling that Paul Junior would win — not because he had the best bike, but because of what being a “biker” has become. I also knew Jesse James didn’t have a chance. Jessie pulled no punches and he made no excuses. He said what he thought and he cared not a lick what other people thought of him. That kind of honesty is rare in today’s environment. This competition was like pitting Justin Bieber against Led Zeppelin in an American Idol show. Like I said, Jesse never had a chance to win this.

If you’ve paid any attention at all to what I’ve written here over the years, you probably know what I think about the bikes, but I’m gonna tell you anyway. Paul Senior built something that isn’t a motorcycle at all, but at least he was trying to think outside the box — I think. Even though it wasn’t in serious contention, it still made me want to ride it and set stuff on fire.