9 771746 851003
10
Issue: 31 £4.95
0'9 <1&+#% SLIP-ON MUFFLERS for the latest models, including Fat Bob and Rocker. For example, a pair of mufflers starts at £ 183.-
CHROME BILLET ALUMINUM PRO-MAX HYPER STORAGE TUBES come in Smooth or Ball Milled and various length. Starts at £ 125.MUSTANG SEATS are available at your Zodiac dealer for most Harley’s. Solo seats start at £ 246.THE “TRICK BOX” puts YOU in control of the Active Exhaust System on 2007 and later Big Twin models. Easy to install, plugs in at the stock connectors. £ 74.-
CHROME PLATED OVAL BODIED SLIP-ON MUFFLER KITS Available for Sportsters and Big Twins at your Zodiac dealer from £ 317.- a pair.
THE “OVERRIDE” is a must when installing a complete exhaust system on 2007 and later Big Twin models. Plugs into the stock connector. £ 19.-
FORCEWINDER MUFFLERS slip onto the stock headers of your V-Rod. Long, short or staggered sets cost £ 401.- at your Zodiac dealer.
ARLEN NESS’S “BIG SHOT” is a load based fuel injection tuner. Great for bikes with a performance exhaust and/or air cleaner installed. Just plug in and roll. Starts at £ 220.-
CYCLE SHACK MUFFLER PIPES are real value for money. Your Zodiac dealer can supply this pair for the new Rocker and Rocker-C for £ 334.-
PAUL YAFFE DESIGNED THESE VERY EXCLUSIVE END CAPS for SuperTrapp SE series mufflers. Sold each starting at £ 90.-
PAUL YAFFE’S BAGGER NATION DASH KITS for Touring models. Start at £ 250.-
ZODIAC’S ACCUMATE BATTERY CHARGER keeps your battery fully charged so your bike will start when the spring arrives. Starting at £ 49.-
PAUL YAFFE’S BAGGER NATION SHIFTER RODS Paul calls them The Missing Link”. Available from £ 138.at your Zodiac dealer.
APEHANGER HANDLEBARS for FLHT and FLHX models from Paul Yaffe’s Bagger Nation are also available for 2008 to present models. Your Zodiac dealer has them for £ 187.-
HEATED HANDLEBAR GRIP SET Easy to install. Features a built-in off-warm-hot switch. Get the feeling at your Zodiac dealer for £ 142.-
ORDER YOUR OWN COPY OF THE LATEST ZODIAC CATALOG and find the latest, hottest and the coolest parts. The Bikers Book is available in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish: with over 25.000 parts & accessories for Harley-Davidson. Price £ 9.95 incl. postage.
PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS FOR HARLEY-DAVIDSON
YOUR GUARANTEE FOR: Perfect Fitment s Wide Product Range s Fast Delivery Quality & Excellence s No Nonsense Warranty
ZODIAC INTERNATIONAL UK, P.O. BOX 21, STROUD GL5 4YD. PHONE 01453 758 451, FAX 01453 752 939. ZODIAC INTERNATIONAL B.V., INDUSTRIEWEG 44, 3641 RM MIJDRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS. PHONE +31 297 288 621, FAX +31 297 288 226. SALES OFFICES IN: THE NETHERLANDS, GERMANY, ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, ITALY, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, HUNGARY.
Internet: www.zodiac.nl E-mail: sales@zodiac.nl Original Zodiac parts and accessories are only available through a Zodiac retailer (not directly from Zodiac by mail-order)
For all Harley’s and American V-Twins we recommend
Contents
Issue Thirty One
38: SHIPLEY RALLY 2008 42: OSWESTRY 2008
Harley-Davidson Riders Club Party on the Welsh borders.
46: SPEED DEMON II
What do you do when you’ve got a Pro-Street Custom and want to go Drag Racing? Obvious: build another one.
52: BULLDOG 2008
Fighting for the right to party in Shakespeare’s back yard.
58: WIN A DAVIDA
If you want to get ahead, get a hat. If you’ve got to wear a helmet, make sure it’s worth wearing.
62: 2008 FLHRC ROAD KING CLASSIC A last chance to see the outgoing touring chassis, so’s we know what the new one’s got to beat.
68: SOUTH OF ENGLAND RALLY 2008 6: NEWS & NEW PRODUCTS 14: REVIEWS
The Harley-Davidson Motor Co. Archive Collection, The Fine Art of the Motorcycle Engine, Riding with the Beast, and a selection of 2009 Calendars.
15: 2008 BUELL 1125R
We finally get to swing a leg over the bike that the mainstream market has been demanding from East Troy.
24: BUELL 25TH ANNIVERSARY Back to Mallory Park, but this time it’s party time!
28: BARNSHAKER
Born in a barn, but more than capable of blowing away more than just the cobwebs.
34: WIN A PANHEAD PHOTO COMPETITION ROUND 5 And a lesson in fakery. Editor: andy.hornsby@american-v.co.uk Features Editor: rich.king@american-v.co.uk Contributors this issue: Nitro, Steve Kelly, W&W Wreckin’ Crew, Tim Aston Proofing: Amanda Wright (At last! Someone to blame!) Design: design@american-v.co.uk All editorial enquiries to: editorial@american-v.co.uk Advertising Manager: Emma Howl EmmaHowl@warnersgroup.co.uk 01778 392443 Advertising Sales: Andy Fraser 01778 392054 Advertising Production: Joanne Osborn: 01778 391164 joanneo@warnersgroup.co.uk
Trade Sales: Natalie Cole: 01778 392404 nataliec@warnersgroup.co.uk Subscriptions: 01778 392484 Annual Subscriptions UK: £24.75 EU: £36.75 RoW Zone 1: £38.55 RoW Zone 2: £42.75 (all include postage) Published by American-V, PO Box 336, Crewe, Cheshire, CW2 7WY. Tel: 0207 993 8002 Printed in the UK by Warners (Midlands) PLC, Bourne. Distribution by: Warners Group Publications Plc West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH Tel: 01778 391135 Copyright 2008 American-V.
Bisley rocks to the sound of heavy weapons rather than small arms as HOG comes to town.
74: STURGIS 2008
Steve Kelly’s photo diary of one of American’s iconic events.
74: AMD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF CUSTOM BIKE BUILDING The state of the international custom builders’ art, as seen at Sturgis 2008.
83: SECOND CITY SOFTAIL
Modern performance Softail with a Vintage touch.
88: THE ICE ROAD COMETH
W&W’s Wreckin’ Crew take on their toughest challenge yet.
94: REMNANTS OF THE 2008 CALENDAR Time to start compiling the 2009 list, methinks.
98: RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
R and B set about liberating Europe on a pair of 45s.
www.american-v.co.uk
The longest running UK Harley-Davidson rally just keeps on going.
American-V American-V # ONE
News & Products
THOMAS-HARVEY BOARD-RACERS Now here’s a new thing from our good friend Benny Thomas. Seems the custom world is hooked on performance machines from previous eras, and the pro custom builders have telegraphed a rise in interest in the board track racer style that was dominant at the beginning of the last century – when motorcycles that had previously been used as pacemakers to racing cyclists, started to use their Velodromes, renamed ‘Motordromes’, for their own competitions. Created from planks of 2x4-inch wood laid on their edge – creating a 4-inch deep track – to form a steeply banked 1/6 or 1/4 mile oval track, they were all about speed in an age shortly after men lead railway trains with a red flag, and people believed you’d get a nose bleed if you travelled too quickly. It was all very exciting and extremely dangerous: the wooden board tracks were bad enough if you came off at bicycle speeds because of the way the grain in wood runs, and motorcycle racer ‘Slivers’ Boyd could attest to the perils of higher speeds, hence the nickname. In another incident, a bloke was decapitated by a bike while looking over guard rails at the top of the steep banking at one track, while an incident at Newark in 1914 that killed two riders and six spectators caused Arthur Davidson to condemn the sport in “Dealer” magazine. The bikes they rode – like pretty much all competition bikes until
fairings became popular – were pared down to the minimum and painted in the racing colours of their riders to create an easily identifiable machine, and this combination of high performance, mechanical simplicity and an occasionally flamboyant style has been given new life in a whole new generation of show-winning custom bikes. It’s a style that hasn’t hit the streets yet, although that could be all about to change. What you’re looking at here is the beginning of a new direction for ‘Boneshaker’ Benny who with his
oppo, Harvey, who are creating a range of options for those who love the style of the old machines but want a relatively practical bike ... at least in mechanical terms. It’s based round the same concept as the Flyrite Sportsters and indeed harnesses the XL motor, which means you can buy a rolling chassis or frame and do it yourself or take it right up to a complete bike built to order, typically based round one of two base models: the ThomasHarvey ‘Racer’, a hard core 1915-ish board-tracker which starts, stops and steers courtesy of a pair of 45pattern Springers and has a gearbox, tank, handlebars and a seat but very little else; and the Thomas-Harvey ‘Flyer’ with swoopier tank, leafspring front suspension and a rear mudguard. In both cases they’re not intended as custom bikes or replicas so much as affectionate tributes to those bikes of yore for people who want the experience of a vintage ride without manual oil pumps, scary
NESS LAUNCHES LOWLINER V Ness Motorcycles – set up by Arlen and Cory Ness to manufacturer production motorcycles – has launched a new model, and the big news is that it’s based around the Victory 106-inch Freedom motor, taking their contribution to the design of ‘The New American Motorcycle’ to the next logical stage. There are inescapable similarities with the Vegas Jackpot models that Ness were involved in, but they take those flowing curves to new extremes with all new bodywork complemented by more radical wheel fitments – a 23-inch front and 20-inch rear in four different designs – and even a new monoshock frame. The Lowliner V is an extension of the range launched at Sturgis in 2005 which comprised the Lowliner, Speedliner and
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Highliner, all of which use S&S motors in Ness’s Y2K rubber-mount frames and represents the first production bike based round a Victory motor that didn’t originate in Victory’s own factory. Interesting times. www.arlenness.com
brakes and a spare parts issue. Details are still a little sketchy at the moment but the Racer alludes to the 1915 KT Board Racer, which may or may not have been a factory offering, while the Flyer will be closer to a contemporary Indian. For those with a sense of adventure bordering on the reckless, there is also talk of a high performance Wall-of-Death limited edition of the Racer. For full details as they emerge, see www.thomas-harvey.com
XR1200 GETS A BOOST OF ADRENALIN
BAG A BULLDOG There was a time when an Electra was a Geezer Glide: the motorcycling equivalent of a bus pass, but time change. To start with, we’re all a lot closer to our bus passes, but then baggers have become cool too: Ness has been building them for a while now, Harley continue to raise their game, and the Street Glide is where that’s at currently and now Big Dog have announced the 2009 Bulldog Bagger: eight and a half feet of custom bagger and one that I can’t show you a picture of. Bummer!
We mentioned last issue that Matt and Debbie Purdy at Adrenalin Moto had welcomed the new Euro-Hog with open arms and, barring a bellypan that is due any day now, this is why! Dripping with carbon fibre, with a simpler locally-made two-into-one exhaust and breathing through a larger air-scoop feeding a piper-cross filter, Adrenalin Moto active air valve eliminator and Nightrider XIED in-line enrichening device, it also features Bitubo rear suspension on 2-inch riser blocks to raise the rear ride height, braided hoses, Kellerman micro indicators, a twin LED taillight, and a custom headlamp hidden behind the QD racing number and represents what long-time Buell-specialist Matt has wanted to do to a Sportster for over ten years. He’s looking forward to getting a few more miles on it so he can stick it on a Dyno, but reckons it should be good for another 5-8bhp, which when combined with a 25kg weight saving (25kg!!) that should make it good and lively. Watch this space: I’ll be welding up the Buell’s Yoshi and heading North to Darlington before the next issue, hoping to have a play. www. adrenalinmoto. co.uk
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Roadtest: Buell 1125R
For twenty-five years now, the mainstream motorcycle world has wondered what the innovative designer who harnessed an anachronistic engine in a ridiculously engaging sport bike could do if given a ‘proper’ engine to play with. In 2008 they got their answer. The Helicon-engined 1125R.
BUELL1125R At a stroke, the specialist sport bike arm of Harley-Davidson swapped their traditional engine for state of the art engineering, combined it with the proven chassis technology that has been begrudgingly acknowledged as outstanding and has produced a bike that will fi nally make the mainstream motorcycle world sit up and take notice. Or at least it would do except that for some inexplicable reason, a Buell will have to be measurably twice as good as a Japanese sportbike to be considered for deserved honours by a misguided market and press whose Top-Trumps mentality has lead to the production of the most irrelevant motorcycles to ever grace the road network of this or any other country.
Strong words? Yes, but truer than most dare to admit. Mere mortals have now got access to the sort of hardware that would have tested the skills of racing’s greats on closed circuits with full marshalling and medical resources on tap, with the inevitable consequence that leisure motorcyclists are riding bikes that they are terrified of using to a fraction of their capability; bikes that are starting to need traction control to make them even remotely safe in the wet. Worse than that, manufacturers are being goaded into delivering still more power for fear of being branded dull. Power that will only ever be used in three locations: on a closed circuit; on an empty motorway, and sitting at the end of a bar … and the fi rst will only American-V.co.uk
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It doesn’t sound like very long, from the vantage point of having celebrated HarleyDavidson’s 105th anniversary this year, but quarter of a century of motorcycle production is something to be celebrated too and that’s where Buell are currently at.
BUELL AT 25 Yes folks, it was twenty-five years ago that Erik Buell, then trading as Pittsburgh Performance Products designed and built the barking mad RW750: a square four two-stroke race bike which competed in the AMA Formula One class. The RW750 engine was based on a Barton, which was a Welshbuilt racing motor, itself derived from Suzuki parts, whose main claim to fame was that it powered the bike used in David Essex’s Silver Dream Racer from the fi lm of the same name. It was also the bike that Erik Buell campaigned in AMA F1 in 1982 and a monumentally powerful piece of kit by the time Buell coaxed 178mph and 163hp out of it. Barton shut up shop when main man Barry Hart was offered a job by British motorcycle manufacturer Armstrong, but Buell was offered the rights to produce the motor, and the rest is history … As it happens it’s interesting history: the AMA abandoned F1 racing in favour of Superbikes, for which the RW750 wasn’t eligible, but the motor was fitted into D-sports racing cars with some success, and it continued to power Nigel Rollason’s sidecar outfit, which it had done since 1979, continuing throughout the period when Barton handed over to Buell. It was later known as the
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BARN SHAKER Hands up those of you who havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t secretly wished to be the lucky sod who discovers a long forgotten barn, with a tarpaulincovered shape leaning against one wall. Liar!
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Custom: Barn Shaker
They are out there, these bikes, somewhere, but it is possibly to our eternal good fortune that we’re not the ones to chance upon them: what would you do with it? How could you possibly not want to ride it? How much is in your bank balance? Are you mad? I’ve lost track of the hours I’ve wasted in the expectation that one day I will fi nd that elusive Indian Chief tucked away at the bottom of a garden, but I know that the chance of being able to afford to put it back on the road will be slender, and would dread it not living up to my expectations of it. But then, like most folk I’m actually in love with the idea of fi nding hidden treasure more than the practical reality of what would come next. The vast majority of us actually want quick, reliable, rideable, press-the-button-and-go motorcycles, leaving real classics to those who understand them, empathise with them and ride them accordingly. It doesn’t stop us dreaming that dream though. Tone dreamed that dream too, but he was luckier than most: he found that barn fi nd, but then he made his own luck; it’s often the easiest way. So, how did he do that, then? Did he go round every barn within a hundred miles of his Pontypridd home in search of his treasure? Did he advertise? Did he volunteer for canteen duties at the local care home cajoling old stories from likely-looking inmates? No, sadly not – otherwise we’d all be doing it – because Tone’s barn fi nd only qualifies as such if he parks it in front of a barn, walks away, forgets where he left it until he turns round and hey presto! There it is! You see, Tone knew what we wanted, but he also knew that he wanted it to be practical everyday transport. He wanted simple and uncluttered: bobber meets vintage racer kind of thing, with a few choice genuinely ancient parts lending their timeworn patina. And he didn’t want to go and find something and restore it: he’d already done that with his other ride, which went from a bare frame to rideable classic in two years, aided and abetted by a friend, although that was an entirely different kind of bike: a scooter … a 1959 Series 1 Lambretta. Tone wanted something different, something unique, and was happy to trust in the creativity of Boneshaker Benny, giving him a free hand to interpret his instructions intelligently. And that’s what he’s got. American-V.co.uk
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American-V # ONE
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American-V: Photo Competition
Photo competition 5 r-up e n Run Ian Thoburn
Winner: Sunset pic by Neil Rosati Runner Up: Kickstarting ironhead sportster chop, Ian Thoburn Runner Up: Tim Eaglefield Sportster and sky Full details of all entries to date are on http:// picasaweb.google.co.uk/AmV.Photocompetition – which is easily accessed from our website from the “Win a Panhead” link. You will be invited to join Picasa, which is part of Google, but as a free service that allows you to store photos you want to mshare, as well as private ones – viewable by invitation only – I’ve got no qualms abut making that recommendation.
Wendy Guile
1st
Neil Rosati
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THE 29th AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY BAILDON VILLAGE HARLEY RALLY, SHIPLEY, WEST YORKSHIRE
SHIPLEY2008 Regular readers will already know I have a soft spot for this rally, and after having to miss the event last year through work, I was bleedin’ delighted when Griff and Roly sent me an invite to this year’s get-together. 38
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In the second consecutive soaking wet summer, set against a backdrop of cancellations and disappointments, the opportunity to catch up with good friends is never more welcome, and this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HDRCGB National Rally at Oswestry served to emphasise the point.
OSWESTRY 2008 42
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SPEED D 46
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Classic: Speed Demon II
It was always going to happen – revisiting a bike we’ve shot previously – because any custom bike is never truly finished but keeps on evolving. »
DEMONII American-V.co.uk
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BULLDOG BASH Whatever else you might choose to forget from the ‘summer’ of 2008, be it the weather, political indecision, economic crisis or the god-awful weather again, if you ventured to Stratford On Avon on the second weekend in August, you certainly won’t forget the 22nd annual Bulldog Bash.
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Event: Bulldog Bash 2008
Unofficially billed as “the fight for your right to party”, the 2008 Bulldog Bash represented a victory for common sense against the knee-jerk reaction of senior police officers, and it was interesting to see where the lines were drawn and who was on which side. I’m sure there will have been very few on the police authority’s side of the debate, arguing public safety in the face of undisclosed intelligence,
who would have expected the council and locals of Stratfordon-Avon to have come down on the side of the Hells Angels MC, but in the end that was the only battle that would be fought. Thanks to a very robust legal case put together by the Hells Angels, the Police not only failed to have the license application refused both on application and at appeal, but the district council authorities issued a ten year license, chairwoman Councillor Gillian Roache pointing out that “What goes on miles away from the premises is not the responsibility of people running operations on the site.”. She continued “The licensee is not responsible for activities beyond the perimeter of the premises that’s a police responsibility.” There will obviously be the opportunity for an appeal each time, but after the costly over-reaction at this year’s event it is hoped that common sense will prevail for 2009-on and it is encouraging that Mr D Patterson of Warwickshire Police stated at the regular safety meeting that “There was nothing negative towards the organisation and the relationship between the Police and the Bulldog Bash has continued intact.” Having lost that case, however, it’s hard not to see the police operation as being a demonstration of their authority and they pulled out all the stops with stop and search powers being randomly exercised by armed officers – many of who saw the whole exercise as a complete waste of time, according to anecdotal information – although that only really served to keep the vast majority of people on site rather than running the gauntlet twice in order to visit Stratford. That could have broken a commercial link with Stratford’s businesses, but combined with what were often seen as irrational local road closures which only served to inconvenience local residents, any blame was laid squarely at the door of the police operation and not the Bulldog which still enjoys popular support, judging by local news reports. And having extended an invitation for many years to locals in the immediate area affected by the increased activity created by the show, the Hells Angels have made sure that they’ve been able to see what the Bulldog Bash is for themselves, and it paid dividends this year. It was obviously all related to the murder of Hells Angel Gerry Tobin, one of the organisers of the custom bike show, on his way
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ROAD KING CLASSIC
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Roadtest: Road King Classic
We now know that next year we’ll be getting a brand new touring chassis underpinning the FLHT/FLHR – and to be fair, having seen one, we needed to be told otherwise we could easily have missed it – but does that mean the outgoing chassis should be consigned to the dustbin of history? We’ve not paid the Road Kings much attention since we OD’d on the tenth anniversary of the FLHR way way back before we hit the newstrade, but remaking its acquaintance in the form of the FLHRC Classic shows that to have been a mistake, and while the 2009 bike will have as-yet untested improvements over the bike seen on these pages, there’s much merit in taking what will be our last long look at the current touring platform in the context of a new bike. Quietly, behind the scenes, while the flagship UItra has been getting all the accolades in terms of the improvements in its technology, and the Street Glide has come through as that family’s street bagger, the Road King Classic has been keeping pace with evolution, has inherited many of those bikes’ bells and whistles, and has put an increasing amount of space between itself and the base Road King with its hard panniers – especially in this guise with the optional ABS braking system that will be rolled out as standard across next year’s Tourers. Don’t let the full height whitewalls and hand-tooled leather fool you, this only looks like an anachronistic throwback to the dawn of the original Electra – an illusion it manages quite well – when that model was an altogether simpler proposition too, being but a Buddy Seat and regular Road King’s slantbags away from being a full-on tribute. Underneath those classic lines beats a twenty-first century motorcycle and six hundred miles in its company gives me cause to wonder just how much better the 2009 model can be without actually compromising the charm of its character. American-V.co.uk
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SOUTH OF ENGLAND RALLY2008 It was more curiosity than anything else that drew us to last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sofer rally â&#x20AC;Ś well, that and a cordial invitation from Scouse, then at Thames Valley, but after an intended late afternoon and early evening finally saw us point the Victory testbike back North at close to midnight, and it was pencilled in for an extended visit this year.
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Event: South of England Rally 2008
Laid on by the combined HOG chapters of Surrey, Invicta, 1066, Thames Valley and Oxford, it doesn’t just cross county borders but Harley dealer networks and under the watchful eye of David Lewis, demonstrates just what can be achieved with cooperation. The original intention back in 2003 was to pool the experience and resources of a wider group of people to put on a bigger rally – the fi rst multi-chapter in the UK – and the choice of location, at Bisley, was inspired. Five years on, to say it’s going strong would be a massive understatement and the only questions that I was considering were whether it would be impacted by Harley’s combined 105th / 25th Anniversary celebrations at Minehead, or indeed whether Minehead would be affected by Sofer? Suffice to say, the problems at Minehead were less to do with the numbers than the weather and venue, and Sofer stands out in 2008 as the only event I attended that wasn’t adversely affected by the political backdrop or the rain. Having turned up late and unexpected on a Victory last year, I couldn’t let a judges invitation and Buell 1125R make things too easy and managed to leave my ticket behind with Amanda but it did give me the chance to put a face to a name with David Lewis stopping by check-in to confi rm my credentials, while Amanda read the number off the ticket a hundred and fifty miles to the north. I was already running to a fairly tight schedule, having informally arranged to join the Ladies of Harley ‘Top Gun’ ride-out, but I had just enough time to check in, dump my waterproofs in my luxuriously appointed Crawford’s Cabin and get back out to the still very warm Buell, breaking all my personal rules about protective clothing and turning up in a long sleeved t-shirt and my Hood jeans. American-V.co.uk
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Event: Sturgis 2008
STURGIS2008 One of the oldest established events in the bike calendar – first held in 1938 – or home to the final of the world’s most prestigious pro-custom show, Sturgis is always a big draw. Countless thousands of words have been written about it, and the more I write the less space there is for the pictures so I’ll shut up and let you feast your eyes on the 68th Anniversary event, and AMD’s 2008 World Championship of Bike Building.
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Pics: Main Sturgis event: Steve Kelly AMD Show: Horst Rosler and Frank Sander
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Custom: Second City Sands
Say what you like about the professional show bike scene, but like the contribution that F1 makes to road vehicles a few generations later, the inspired creations of a small number of brilliant designers will continue to push back boundaries in terms of what we see as possible, probable and desireable.
SECOND CITY SANDS Without show bikes we’d still think a 160-section tyre was fat, the Softail frame would probably never have happened, Springer forks would have stayed as pictures in a history book and we might never have seen the original Low Riders and Wide Glides let alone the Fat Boy, Rocker C, Street Bob or Sportster Low. It’s all a very healthy cross-fertilisation that’s going on and every generation has had its star designers who’ve made a major
contribution to the mainstream. Ness and Victory is a case in point, and while Harley-Davidson keep their design in-house they are known to respond to external influences, but there is such a strong commercial aspect to building a successful custom bike business, that the bigger names are starting to gain the same kind of recognition that used to be the preserve of manufacturers. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be courted by the likes of the Motor
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So there you are. You feel prepared with heavy duty arctic parkas and thermo socks; sports underwear to wick away any sweat and woollen undies to catch some warmth; gloves that promise wind-breaking superness; woollen balaclavas and woollen knitted caps. You put absolutely everything on, and then you wonder. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lurking out there? There are no thermometers in sight, but they wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be much help anyway: people round here know the weather conditions: cold.
THE RIDE TO THE OTHER END OF THE THERMOMETER
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Roadtrip: The Ride To The Other End Of The Thermometer
And then the first step outside. There’s this thought creeping up: Hey, it’s not as cold as I … bamm! That’s when it hits you: the full impact of minus 35-degrees Celsius. Right in your face, biting your skin in a blink. Your lungs react irritably with short, dry coughs, but hey, we all wanted it and knew where we were going. Today is the fi rst day and the big one as well: today we get the bikes on the road. We’re at the other end of the road, if this can be called a road: Tuktoyaktuk in Canada’s, Northwest Territories can only be reached by road going vehicles if the weather conditions are right, which they start to be in December. That’s when it’s cold enough for the Mackenzie River to freeze up, so that’s when they plough a road on the river up to Tuktoyaktuk. Along the Mackenzie river, through the delta, out to the Beaufort sea. Yes, The Sea. Big Salty: a frozen bay to ride on. It’s like doing Miami-Havana on a bike. Tuktoyaktuk. Population 1,000, gas stations: 1; Supermarkets: 1; and yes, one cemetery. Plus one precinct of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We pay them a short visit, just to let them know we’re here in case someone can’t stand the prattle-prattle of the bikes. That’s another reason why we have Edward on our side. Edward is from Inuvik and he grew up in this area, his sister still lives in Tuk and the people here know and respect him. We realise this as we are waiting for our chicken sticks and fries in the local supermarket. Edward gets a warm welcome and a little chat from whoever comes in.
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SIT DOWN AND ENJOY THE RIDE
SANTEE â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;PEGASUSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; SEAT FOR STREET GLIDE 08+ FOR EXAMPLE FOR ALL OTHER MODELS CHECK THE CCE SUMMER UPDATE.
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SANTEE BACKREST FOR PEGASUS SEATS
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SANTEE â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;PHOENIXâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; SEATS FOR FXD 06+ FOR EXAMPLE FOR ALL OTHER MODELS CHECK THE CCE SUMMER UPDATE.
SANTEE HYDRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;SEAT FOR FXST 06+/FLSTF 07+ FOR EXAMPLE FOR ALL OTHER MODELS CHECK THE CCE SUMMER UPDATE.
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SANTEE BACKREST FOR HYDRA SEATS
SANTEE PILLION PADS FOR â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;HYDRAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; SEATS FOR FLH 08+, LARGE FOR EXAMPLE FOR ALL OTHER MODELS CHECK THE CCE SUMMER UPDATE.
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SINGLE MOUNTING BRACKET KIT - SOLO SEAT
DUAL MOUNTING BRACKET KIT - SOLO SEAT
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MINI SHOCK - SOLO SEAT 4²
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MINI SHOCK - SOLO SEAT 5²
MINI SHOCK - SOLO SEAT 6²
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THE RIGIDAIREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;PNEUMATIC MOTORCYCLE SEATING SYSTEM FITS CUSTOM RIGID FRAMES
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TAKE A SEAT CCE CATALOG + SUMMER UPDATE
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RUBBER CUSHION SHOCK 4² LONG
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ELKA SHOCKS FOR XL 883/1200, PRELOAD ADJUSTABLE ,5â&#x20AC;? STANDARD VERSION FOR EXAMPLE FOR ALL OTHER MODELS CHECK THE CCE SUMMER UPDATE.
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ELKA SHOCKS FOR DYNA REBOUND/ PRELOAD ADJUSTABLE 13,5â&#x20AC;? HEAVY DUTY VERSION FOR EXAMPLE FOR ALL OTHER MODELS CHECK THE CCE SUMMER UPDATE.
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Custom Chrome Europe is a manufacturer and a wholesale distributor and does not retail. To find your local Custom Chrome Europe dealer call +49 (0) 671 88888 0 or see www.custom-chrome-europe.com.
*Suggested retail prices including 17,5% V.A.T. Custom Chrome Europe Planiger Strasse 154 55543 Bad Kreuznach, Germany
Phone:+49 (0) 6 71 - 8 88 88 - 0 Fax: +49 (0) 6 71 - 8 88 88 -100
e-mail: info@customchrome.de www.custom-chrome-europe.com