Bandit, after reading your article, I realize two things: I have been fortunate to take part in this ride with you. Two, more specifically towards the content of the state of the magazine article, we are in a great place…. Kinda!


I have watched the ups and downs of the motorcycle industry over nearly three decades now and understand that to make a living in this is totally possible, but to strike it rich, well, that’s a fool’s paradise.

Yeah, there are times that the motorcycle business may do better, other times way worse, but the constant that keeps us opening the door, turning the wrench, and tackling another deadline is the love affair we have with the subject matter.



In that, I remind myself that the original purveyors of motorcycle media were just that, enthusiasts. They did this just like your article points out, for the love of it. Names like Easyriders, Supercycle, Colors, American Iron and IronWorks, just to name a few, were driven by staff, if not a principal that was a diehard motorcycle nut. As long as there was some raisin pie and gas for the tank after paying the printer bills, all was good with the world, and they started working on the next issue.

As money poured into the American Custom Motorcycle segment, it became appealing for big publishers to buy up or launch a motorsports division with a title for our culture. Many of them employed people with the same passion I’m speaking of, but none were at the top.



The owners were a board of directors immune from the code, the culture, and the deeper meanings we all share. For me, telling the stories of the men and women in the motorcycle life has been my lifelong privilege. I can’t imagine doing anything else, nothing of a higher calling.

Now the corporate-owned publications, on the other hand, when things got challenging, well, they wouldn’t suffer a financial loss, so paper quality went down, they forced the good people that worked for them to shoulder the extra workload of smaller staffs and in the end, many pulled the plug in favor of a more viable business model.

So, when you asked me for a report on the status of Cycle Source, I was conflicted. On the one hand, I want to dive into our platform’s minutia and why I think incorporating live broadcasting every week with ShopTalk, a weekly video magazine, our event activations, and do-it-yourself approach towards tech and fabrication articles. Setting very strict standards for the newsstand and our performance on it, so there is less waste is critical. Or that we have included social media, the weekly show, our blog and video content as added value.



We’ve promoted opportunities to our advertisers rather than going to them with additional costs to buy into the part of what we do that works best. To that end, I want to tell you that some level of mastery has helped us navigate those waters, and while some of that is very true, it also requires I go to the other hand.

There, I have to say that it is only because we love this culture so much we sacrifice family time, personal time, and economic hardships more than you can ever explain to anyone outside of this business. Not in an attempt to get rich or to be canonized, but because this is what it takes.

I learned my way into this from people like you, Rogue, Dennis and Marilyn Stemp, Chris Maida, Howard Kelley, Balls and John Green. All of you did the work as rule number one. I can’t think of one of those people who are sitting on a yacht today reading this, thinking about what a solid financial investment they made through the motorcycle life.



Some may even have been looked over by posterity. All of them, however, have governed themselves, to one degree or another, by a tenant that I have decided to do with my life, and that’s being “In Service” to your community.

For me, that’s the motorcycle community and the people who make it what it is. I get to wake up every day and tell their stories, show their talents, defend their causes, and share their burdens. For a tenth-grade dropout with very few skills I possess today, I am the luckiest man in the world, not because I will ever be rich or famous but simply because I got to be part of the history of this life.



I got to do the thing I have loved for the past 25 years. I have met all my heroes and introduced them to other people. I’ve ridden the greatest roads in the country and some overseas. I’ve shown people where they are and what great spots are on the way to them. Someday, I’m sure, like many of my mentors, I will run out of the energy to go after all of this as feverishly as I have for the past quarter of a century, but I bought the ticket, and I’m taking the ride!

So yeah, at Cycle Source, we’ve had to learn terms like ROI and CPM. We’ve had to learn digital broadcasting and more than I ever wanted to about the greasy underbelly of the American Newsstand, but none of that is why print media will succeed or fail. It simply comes down to passion.



Those with that spark that keeps them up at night dreaming of building, riding, traveling on, rebuilding, painting, and sharing motorcycles, that’s who it has to be to keep this thing alive. Whether it’s a magazine, parts distributor, event promoter, or local motorcycle mechanic, start looking into their story, find those that are true enthusiasts and doing this all for the love of it, and support them. In doing that, you will ensure that our culture continues and will have good stewards of its storied history.

Note: I’m not pretending that this is the definitive work on winding down your collection or living your life. But if it gets you to at least consider what steps should be taken, and how, the article will have done its job.

As motorcycle fanatics, we’ve all laid awake nights wondering how we could add to our collections. At some point in our lives, doing exactly the opposite probably makes more sense. The reason, of course, is advancing age while hanging onto a deeply misguided belief that our family shares our passions.

Two things often happen after we kick the bucket. First, our supposed bros come over and try to bully your family into selling them your prized possessions cheap. “He promised…”

“Sure pal, we’ve heard it all before,” Should be the Redhead’s response. “Now, hit the road.”

The second would likely come from the kids who put up with your 2-wheeled passion for 40 years. “Get rid of this shit,” said your favorite son or daughter, who’s only passion is video games. Get the picture?

John Stein produced this DVD on the history of motorcycle drag racing after he wrote the book. The book is sold out, but sometimes available on Ebay.

Okay, so where’s your current attitude? You could cherish every piece as a treasure that deserves respect and be must be highly valued. Or you could say, “Fuck it. I’m going to party with my stuff until I’m gone. Then it’s their problem.”

In this article, we are going to take the previous notion and treat everything as a treasure to be respected and valued.

Step 1
Inventory: Create a document inventorying all the motorcycles and parts you own. Include their condition, location, history and estimated value.

If you have units on display in museums, friend’s homes, offices or restaurants, make a list and keep it up to date. Wait, what about that 45 flathead in a shop 2,000 miles away. Write it down and include a photo.

As appropriate in your situation, give copies of the inventory to a trusted family member, attorney, financial planner, etc.

Document Storage: Make sure you have all documents, titles, and insurance papers stored in a secure location. Additional documentation could include photos with captions. A title is cool, but without a photo she might not know what the hell it looks like. It could be the vintage Indian in the bedroom.

Step 2:
Selling your bikes and parts. This info might be helpful to downsize your collection. Or it can help guide the beneficiaries of your collection when you’re gone.

Considering the obscurity of certain motorcycles, as well as the small pool of potential buyers for some of the more expensive ones, it can easily take years. Or you could find a buyer right away. Documentation and history is important, including memorabilia.

In all likelihood, selling off the parts will prove most challenging and time-consuming. You can’t easily donate them to charity or sell them at a Mecum’s-type auction as you can with a complete motorcycle. Your best bet then will be to sell them to another collector, and there’s always EBay as an obvious way to do so. This could be daunting or a fun learning experience. Each part is valuable to the right builder. There are also forums for various motorcycles where only the owners go looking. There are also places like Facebook Marketplace.

It is unlikely Museums will want parts, but art and memorabilia could be valuable.

When you put out feelers, make sure they include overseas markets as well. A friend of mine has an enormous collection of parts for early Yamaha road racers, which he’s found move very slowly in the states but really well in England and Australia. Uncollectible parts in the US can be extremely valuable to Japanese builders.

Keep an eye on the markets. If they are flooded with parts from a collection, suddenly your rare parts are not sought-after. On the other hand you might learn that complete, rebuilt Knucklehead engines are going for $19,000…

Never forget the code of the antique dealer. If you want to sell a used Linkert carb they aren’t worth a dime, maybe $25.00. But if you called the dealer the following week and needing to purchase a used Linkert carb and they’re suddenly rare as hen’s teeth. He might be able to find you one for $625.00.

It’s a game. You can advertise a garage sale on Craig’s list and sell everything to empty out of the precious shop. Now your kids can make a killer game room out of it. Bada bing.

Step 3:
Estate planning: We all need to visit an estate planning attorney and check all the boxes. A will is good, but your heirs will have to go thru probate and pay the piper.

Another tool in estate planning is to set up a revocable living trust. You put your assets into the trust and remain in full control of them as long as you are able. When you die or become unable to handle your affairs, the items in the trust easily get turned over to your designated beneficiaries.
If you decide to do a trust, make sure that you title each motorcycle to your trust so as not to get tangled up in probate.

Separation anxiety? Not really.

Having recently begun the process of paring down my own collection, I’ve discovered a few things. After having sold some motorcycles I’ve owned for decades, I expected to mourn their loss–which hasn’t been the case at all. And I just removed one annual registration, insurance and maintenance fee from the to-do list.

There’s actually something therapeutic about it. Not only
will you have more money in the bank, but fewer things to step over in the garage. And not to belabor the point but there’s the very real satisfaction that comes with removing a tremendous future burden on your family. Plus, what about the fees for storage buildings?

That said, you may want to keep certain motorcycles in your estate even if you’re not around to enjoy them. If you have the good fortune to own a particularly famous motorcycle, you may want to stipulate that it stay in the family. (It would be a purely emotional decision but aren’t we allowed one or two of those?)

All in all, the subject isn’t something we really want to think about but sooner or later, we have to. Such is life.

I was recently bought a new 2022 Harley-Davidson Ultra Limited.

So far, I like the motorcycle, but… I rode so long using a Klock Flare Windshield on my previous motorcycle, I missed it.  I needed to quickly install one on my new Ultra.

I went to the Klock Werks website to order a new windshield. Good thing I took the time to watch the video about how to decide the correct height windshield for me. I strongly suggest you watch the video as well.

I never thought about the height differences in the fairings with and without vents.

https://getklocked.com/flaretm-for-2014-2021-flh

I also took the time to read their comments.

Klock Werks Flare™ is the ORIGINAL windshield of its kind. It surprised riders everywhere with not only how great it looks, but also with how well it performs. The innovative, patented, design features “hips” at the outer edge of the shield that re-route the air to add downforce to the front of the bike, improving stability vs. riding with a stock shield. The “flip” at the top of the Flare™ is designed to kick the air up and back, to form clean less turbulent air for the rider and passenger. Made from hard-coated polycarbonate material for added durability.

• In most cases, Klock Werks recommends you choose a Flare™ size that you can look over comfortably.
• Black color versions are opaque and cannot be seen through. These may not be suitable for shorter riders.
• Windshield bags WILL work with our Flare™. Harley-Davidson sells a three-pouch windshield bag designed for vents that will work with the 6.5″, 8.5″, 10.5″ and 11.5″ Flare™ Windshields.

 

Installing it is very simple.

Because I was also installing the trim, I needed to remove the 3 bolts holding the windshield in place.

https://getklocked.com/flh-windshield-trim

 

 This is Not Necessary If Just Replacing the Windshield. In that case you would just loosen the bolts enough to remove the old one and slide the new one into place.

The only tool used was a ¼ drive ratchet a T-27 Torex.

CAUTION The Torque On The Windshield Bolts Is 3-5 INCH POUNDS

That means pretty much just run them down until they touch and tweak if you do not have a torque wrench.

I have been riding the motorcycle while I work on this article and YES, I DO NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE. Give It A try.

  

EPISODE 3: BUILD VIDEO: https://youtu.be/8X00ZjElisE

Episode 2: Design (Noise Cycles): HERE
https://youtu.be/1Ct-659VuJI

Episode 1: Planning (Noise Cycles): HERE
https://youtu.be/9fhyoQji5dk

Full video playlist including planning and design found HERE
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDcKnjZUAr9Rk5yLtAEcijgeoY-3FNXBK

BUILD LIST AND SPECS:

• Build & Fabrication – Zach Hindes
• Engine – Stock 111ci
• Transmission – Stock 6 speed
• Exhaust – Custom Stainless Steel by Zach Hindes
• Muffler – Racefit
• Frame – Modified rear section from twin shocks to mono shock & modified swing arm by Zach Hindes
• Front Forks – Modified from single disc to to dual disc by Zach Hindes
• Wheels – Custom by Roland Sands Design – 17 inch rear / 19 inch front
• Tires – Dunlop
• Brakes – Beringer
• Gas Tank – Custom by Zach Hindes
• Footpeg mounts – Custom by Roland Sands Design
• Racing Fairing – Vintage 1970’s modified by Zach Hindes
• Seat Pan – Vintage 1970’s modified by Zach Hindes

I could resist no more and bought Tom Cotter’s Best Barn-Find Collector Car Tales (Sep 2018) and his latest mentioned by NMM, Secrets of the Barn Find Hunter (May 2022). Both Hardcovers, sitting pretty, reminding me to get outdoors & cruise like a windsock. Any direction the wind / mood takes you — new corners, strange turns on the highways, wide open spaces…. discovering cool things & places.

I love motorcycles but some things need a car. As in one of Tom’s YouTube episodes, I wish to find a classic design car and put a modern ICE engine & transmission in it. Meet the safety, pollution and VIN requirements while at it.

His YouTube Series: click here to see complete Playlist

I personally believe you can apply his principles to motorcycles if you think hard (and fast when you find a collectible).

An old gem from my Author Signed First Edition Hardcover, the plot of Disclosure (1994) by Michael Crichton, concerns protagonist Tom Sanders and his struggle to prove that he was sexually harassed by his female employer. Politically Incorrect till date!

After release it sold 765,000 copies (big number at that ‘Me? No!’ era). Had a 19 weeks run on the booksellers’ charts. Wonder if it will be banned, if this article gets popular (insert suitable facepalm emoji?).

In pop-culture, I got myself the first novel on Sons Of Anarchy, titled ‘Bratva’, released after the last season ended (2014). It is the first and last book on SOA (allegedly funding disappeared). The novelization of a less popular adventure, Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. A personalized message on Chuck’s legendary Fightclub novel that was made into a super-hit movie.

Riding on!
Ujjwal Dey

As a kid growing up in Oklahoma in the ‘60s I was crazy about hot rods and motorcycles. My father passed away when I was 14. Mom didn’t drive. It was legal for a 14-year-old to ride a motor scooter of five horsepower or less. Mom bought me a Cushman Eagle to ride to school and run errands on. I got a job at the local root beer stand and rode every day. I read hot rod magazines. Sometimes they’d feature a stripped-down custom motorcycle.

The summer of 1964 I worked at Freeburgers lawnmower shop on the corner of 23rd and Prospect in Oklahoma City. I was 17. It was my first commission mechanic job. I learned a lot about small engines there. They charged 8 dollars an hour to work on lawnmowers. I got half.

It was right in the middle of the darkest part of town. I got along great with everyone there. Freeburger was an old white guy. He worked behind the counter. The service manager was a black guy with three fingers missing from his right hand. He wore a big rubber band around that hand to help him hold things.

There was another black guy who did everything. He had six fingers on his right hand and six toes on his left foot. They all worked normally. I never noticed till one day he held up his hand and said, “When five ain’t five.” I did a double take and said, “Wow!” Then he showed me his foot.

I would like to say that summer of 64 on the north east side of OKC I never experienced any sort of racism. Our customers were about half white. There were no drug dealers or gangsters around there then. It was the best place in the city to get your lawnmower fixed. We also worked on outboard motors. The main mechanic there was a white guy that was around sixty years old.

He worked all through the ‘50s at John Zink’s race car shop in Tulsa. He had lots of great stories to tell. He had a fifty Pontiac with a straight-8 in it. You could just take your foot off the clutch and it pulled away like it was an automatic, but the clutched slipped that bad. I wonder if he ever put a new clutch in that car.

I turned 16 and got a car but I was still interested in motorcycles. I finished my junior year in high school. I took auto mechanics the whole year and rebuilt the engine in my ‘58 Ford six-cylinder. I traded a nice ‘56 Ford Victoria 2-door hardtop for my friend’s ‘58 because it was red and had a three on the floor with overdrive. It was the cheapest ‘58 Ford they made, but it was cool.

Two black guys down the street would ride by on these outrageous choppers. They were stripped Panheads with high handlebars and sissybars. Chrome was everywhere on those old bikes. It lit a fire in me. I wanted one.

The black guys with Harleys lived down on prospect St. Now and then they would blast up the street on those things and turn on 23rd street and head east out of town. That was right by the Oklahoma capitol building. They were either Pans or Knuckleheads. At least one had a chrome Springer. They were not extended though.

They had chrome pipes and a high sissybars. The pipes on one followed the sissybar to the top. I learned many years later it was BOBo Pope. He had gone into drag bikes in the ‘70s. I met him in 1980 while working at Alan Merrell Chevrolet in Yukon, Oklahoma. We worked on his Corvette. He owned BoBo’s BarBQ back then.

Those bikes really excited me. I knew I had to have one someday. As soon as I graduated from high school, I joined the Navy. It was 1965. Biker movies were starting to come out. I didn’t care about the silly plots; I just liked the bikes. Those movies actually influenced the actual lifestyle of the so-called bike gangs that were forming around that time.

There were a few clubs that went back to the late forties but they weren’t criminals. I never saw the connection between a motorcycle club and organized crime or more likely disorganized… If you watched Sons of Anarchy, you could see most of those guys could have made a great living at an honest job and not dodged bullets and stuff. But that’s show business.

The actual antics of the HAs, Mongols, Banditos and Outlaws have made the lifestyle attractive to some and repulsive to others. I just liked the bikes. Still do.

In ‘68 I was able to buy a ‘51 61-inch Panhead in Reno for 300 dollars. I rode it home and took all the dresser stuff off it. I traded a guy out of a nice chrome 18-inch front wheel and a peanut tank. That was my first chopper. I loved riding it. I rode it everywhere. It wasn’t very fast but it always got me where I was going if I kept gas in it.

I’m kind of small and was never into any kind of sports but I learned that cool cars, choppers and music would help with the girls. I played trumpet in junior high, but when I started high school, I got a guitar. I have been playing ever since then. I should be a lot better than I am but I still get to jam with people here in Nashville and I am writing songs now. Maybe I can get a hit soon and buy a house lol.

When I got out of the Navy and came riding back to Oklahoma City I hooked up with a local club and had loads of fun. Girls were attracted to our parties. We would have a party out by a lake or in a member’s house and all kinds of people would show up.

I think those little high school girls just used us to lose their virginity, because by then we mostly knew our way around a girl and we didn’t talk about it to anyone outside the club. That shit is a two-way street. I never took advantage of any female. It was always their idea. I’m still that way. I never could understand rape. It’s no fun at all if the girl isn’t into it. Anyway, girls are definitely attracted to bad boys.

That ’51 Pan was just the first in a long line of choppers I have built. In the late ‘60s you could buy old dressers for around $500. I found if you stripped them down and extended the front end a little and put a pretty paint job on one you could sell it as much as $2000. When I got out of the Navy in ‘69 that is mainly what I did for extra money.

I usually had a job too, but always wanted something I couldn’t afford so I would turn a bike. I must have owned about 50 Panheads during that period. Over the years I learned a lot and became pretty skilled at welding, building engines and transmissions and painting and bodywork. It must be an addiction because at 75 I am still doing it. Why do I do it? Because I love it.

One more little thing to say, I don’t get these big motorcycle clubs riding huge heavy baggers with 500-watt sound systems on them. I guess we are all brothers of the wheel, but those guys are in a different world than me. But wait, I run a windshield because my shoulders are trash and they hurt when the wind is pushing my chest. I run some kind of bags to haul a few tools and rain gear and such. I did that on the last few choppers I rode, so I guess…

Keep the shiny side up.

–Bill May

Like most people I know, I wanted to change the exhaust on my new motorcycle.

For now, I have decided that would only be the mufflers, but there are so many to choose from.

 

When I was doing my research, I looked at mufflers that had sound with the advertisement.

I ended up choosing the Firebrand Monarch. To hear what it sounds like go to.

https://firebrandmotorcycle.com/collections/mufflers/products/muffler-kit-slip-on-monarch-tip-4-5-black-shell-17-21m8-touring

 

The Asphalt Black finish works well with the rest of the factory exhaust.

Firebrand is claiming an increase in power in their advertisement, and though I did not dyno the motorcycle I do feel some.

 

 One of the things that finalized my decision was the baffles. I have run many different exhaust systems over the years with and without or modified baffles. The size and angle of louvers as well as other factors make a difference. As it turns out the Firebrand Monarch produced what I was looking for.

Oh, and they are made in the Heartland of the United States of what I think is good quality material which I observed before installing them.

 

The install is easy and I feel that people who do work on their motorcycle would not have a problem installing a set.

 

Basic hand tools are needed

5/16” socket (I prefer 1/4” drive or screwdriver to remove heat shields

1/2” drive ratchet

3/8” drive ratchet

 9/16” Deep socket to remove left side muffler clamp

15 MM Deep socket to remove the right-side muffler clamp

 1/2 “socket to remove 2 bolts on muffler

Square or other measuring device for setting muffler depth on pipe

 

3/8” and 1/2” Torque wrench recommended.

 

 

Start of by removing the saddlebags

 

Loosen and or remove the heat shield to get at the muffler clamps.

Loosen muffler clamps, different sockets needed for each side

Remove the two bolts holding the muffler to the rear bracket.

 

Remove the muffler from the exhaust pipe. This may take some wiggling and maybe even some penetrating oil if they have been on the motorcycle for some time. In some cases, it helps to have someone hold the pipe while the muffler is being removed so as not to have pressure on pipe at the exhaust port.

It is always a good idea to clean the exhaust pipe before installing the new mufflers.

You will notice with this system there is a right and left muffler, different size pipe and axle nut dimples.

Install the clamp on the muffler paying attention to the position of the tightening nut in the down position

For this particular installation I recommend installing the RIGHT-SIDE MUFFLER FIRST The reason for this is that this muffler will only go on so far while the other has much more adjustment.

Slide the muffler on to the pipe to the length you want (At least the width of the clamp or more)

Align the muffler so that the two back bolts can be installed. It is recommended these bolts be torqued to 15-18 Foot Pounds.

When front clamp is lined up tighten to 40-45 Foot Pounds.

Reinstall heat shields

Repeat on other side of motorcycle.

When done wipe off any fingerprints and start motorcycle

 

For more information on other mufflers, exhaust systems and products go to

https://firebrandmotorcycle.com/

 

It has more classes than I can remember, but there is no shortage of motorcycles in each class.

There were also a couple of Indian motorcycles that came from Australia to compete in the Sons Of Speed Race. Sadly, the race had to be cancelled because of a hurricane.

While the motorcycles on display are all great, Roadside Marty the MC is always a hit with the mic.

 

Numerous Motorcycle Publications show up to cover the action.

 

And a band rocked the joint, plus plenty of adult beverages, food, vendors and of course wild folks making new friends.

To top things off the profits go to help veterans. Bikers have all kinds of events and functions to help our veterans because the Federal Government is Not Doing A Good Job of it. Fundraisers like this make all the difference in the world to our Veterans.

 LINK TO Disabled American Veterans    https://www.dav.org/

The Feuling Billet Dipsticks are made In America and they vent excessive crankcase pressure from the oil tank on Harley Touring Models through a PCV style breather.  Blow-by is pressure that is forced past the rings and cylinder walls and ends up in the crankcase and then into the oil tank. All internal combustion engines have a certain amount of crankcase pressure and it does increase with miles. Large cubic inch engines have a tendency to have more blow by as well.    The Vented Dipstick is easy to install, but I still suggest reading the sheet of instructions that come with it before starting installing this product.           There are two ways that this system can work. One is with an internal porous filter element. Though this element gives a clean look it can produce an oil misting residue on the top of the dipstick.  The other option is with a quick disconnect fitting and line with a filter element on the end of it. This is the recommended method.   TOOLS NEEDED            ASSEMBLY      Remove the stock dipstick and make sure the oil tank is full. If not add oil.     The breather consists of a perforated disc, replaceable filter element and umbrella flapper valve.     The cap is screwed on to the dipstick using a little 545 Loctite, which comes with the kit, this will help prevent leaking. Loctite is also added to the small 0.050 hex Allen screw in the side of the cover to lock the cap so it does not unscrew when the dipstick is removed.   The quick disconnect fitting was installed using thread sealer.    The assembly screws into factory fill spout just like a stock part. Lubricate the O-ring on the Feuling dipstick with O-ring lube or engine oil.          The line is run inside the frame rail, up under the seat then back down with the element resting between the engine and transmission mating area neatly out of the way. The line is secured in a couple of spots to hold it in place making sure the plastic wire ties did Not Pinch the Breather Line    The line will need to be disconnected to remove the dipstick to check or ad oil but it does like the name implies disconnects quickly.  CAUTION WHEN CHECKING OIL LEVEL THE DIPSTICK WILL BE HOT IF ENGINE HAS BEEN RUN For more information on this and other fine Feuling products go to www.FeulingParts.com

This mess started with a ride to a tribute concert in Hollywood, one of the rare times the whole staff of ER rode together. A brother, Lee Selwin, was run down on the streets near Sunset Boulevard, and we rode to the rock concert at the Palace Theater. Turned into a nostalgic night club, I stepped back stage where I met Markus Cuff who photographed the event.

With the encouragement of artist, Robert Kalafut, I started to work with Markus on tech articles and ultimately bike features. Hell, I’m still working with Markus who also became one of our main tattoo photographers.

Markus was forced into retirement over medical issues and issues with the magazine trade. He can’t cover tech articles and bike feature photography, but I continue to dive into his vast archives in search of motorcycle gems.

Jeremy is the System Groups Manager for Fuel and Styled Systems at Harley-Davidson Motor Company. He has been with H-D for 20 years working in Parts & Accessories, Systems Integration, NVH and as a Technical Platform Lead.

In this first chapter we delved into very nature of the gas tank, construction, shapes, sizes, manufacturing processes, mounting and materials. We also spoke with motorcycle restorers, bike builders and antique curators.

At one time a gas tank was just a fuel cell with a petcock mounted over a Briggs and Stratton engine. Remember?

Hell, tanks have gone from being soldered fuel cells, sometimes with lead, silver and or brass, to MiG and TIG welded, manual welding all the way to robotics.

Tanks were originally tin pounded over bucks or wooden forms and then pressed with solid steel molds and now hydraulically deep-drawn metal shapes.

As tank shapes slipped from utilitarian to lifestyle driven components, they became the “Cherry on top of the magnificent V-twin engine configuration,” said Brad. Prior to joining Harley-Davidson in February 2015, Richards was Chief Designer at Ford Motor Company and also responsible for managing the design of F-Series Truck products including the aluminum 2015 F-150 and the 2018 Ford Raptor.

With technological advances and more lifestyle demands tanks forced manufacturers to up their stylistic game with hidden welds. “We make the difficult, look simple,” said Brad.

I asked the factory guys about the two iconic tank shapes, Fatbob tanks and Sportster tanks.

“I was recently challenged to evolve Harley-Davidson’s product experience and to deliver a consistent Look, Sound and Feel of our motorcycles,” Brad added. He expanded his responsibilities in August 2022 to deliver an authentic Harley-Davidson user experience that builds a strong emotional connection between rider and machine that many of our customers desire in our products. Let’s see how his mission plays out in the future. It’s a tough one.

Brad pointed out that the new Sportster Nightster tank is not a tank at all but an air cleaner cover. The fuel tank is once again utilitarian fuel tank stashed under the seat.

One of Jeremy’s most proud work projects included the Technical Lead delivering Sportster S to production. “Collaborating with world class H-D employees and using world class tools to enable the visuals on the Sportster S was exhilarating,” said Jeremy.

Jeremy focused on another motorcycle design topic. Form grappling with function. The tank under the seat like oil tanks under transmissions lower the center of gravity and improves handling. Hell, all the tanks on EVs are fake, to make the bikes like we expect them to look.

There’s the on-going challenge of what we expect a bike to look like verses the physical experience,” said Brad. “With the tank under the seat the bike feels 60 pounds lighter.”

Jeremy added another major benefit to the new Revolution Max powertrain. “It afforded us a powerplant for numerous models,” including the new Pan America, all terrain Harley.

Back to tanks, Brad pointed out that each new model has a new tank logo design unlike many other brands. Harley-Davidson endeavors to watch the market and events like Born Free for new, trick and innovative tank art.

We also spoke to Don Whalen, motorcycle curator and founder of Sierra Madre Motorcycle Company, who pointed out that some early manufacturers positioned the fuel cells or gas tanks in pipes manufactured into the frames. Oil supplies also found themselves in frame tubing. He reminded me of repairs to vintage motorcycle tanks at radiator shops. The pressure tested tanks had seams or cracks sealed with lead.

It’s a constant challenge to manufacture a motorcycle in vast quantities and meet multiple criteria. But Jeremy, who has been riding since his uncle hoisted him onto an H-D gas tank for his first motorcycle ride, hit the nail on the head. “I’m drawn to winning,” he said. “Harley-Davidson designs, engineers the most desirable motorcycles in the world, and I just had to be a part of that.”

Hang on. With the next batch of tanks, we will cover the paint designs and materials from metal flake, flames, panels and candies with masterminds in the field like Dave Perewitz, the Emperor of House of Kolors, John Kosmoski, and helmet artist Atomic Bob. Hell, I toured the new factory paint facility back in the ‘90s.

–Bandit

Sources:

Harley-Davidson

Markus Cuff

ARCH Motorcycles

Sierra Madre Motorcycle Company