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Contents

Issue Twenty Four 36: LINCOLN GREEN

The Fuengirola winner is a high mileage HOG. Riding through the glen with Martin’s former Fat Boy.

43: 2007 BUELL XB12STT

The Super TT from East Troy: part Streetfighter, part Super Motard, all urban Buell and quite literally a blank canvas for the scrawl of the wild.

51: BUELL 2008

The biggest news from Buell since the launch of the Firebolt ... no make that the original Lightning or maybe even the RR1000. Blurring past a rear view mirror near you soon.

More than just a bike rally, more than just an American car show, more than just a music event, and more than all three of them together.

60: ZEEL’S BOBSTER

Canadian Biker Build-Off winner, and I think I’m right in saying the only trike to have won in any of the national series: you’ll have a barrel organ playing in your head for days.

67: CIDER RALLY 2007

Scrumpin’ with the Bridgewater boys (and girls).

70: XL883R VS XXL883R HEAD-TO-HEAD 4: NEWS & NEW PRODUCTS 12: REVIEWS

A couple of books and the perfect sunglasses for the summer of 2007.

16: 2007 NIGHT ROD SPECIAL

We finally get to play with Harley’s most desirable VR to date, just before they announce it’s getting a bigger engine for 2008 ... still, it makes the conclusion even more relevant.

28: HARLEY-DAVIDSON 2008

An in-depth analysis of the new models, and the evolutionary developments across the existing ranges.

31: LACONIA 2007

When you’re tired of bumping into other Brits at Daytona, when Sturgis seems too far away and you can’t face another day in the desert at Laughlin, there’s always Laconia.

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS APE Harrison Billet 35 Autoworld 15 B & H Motorcycles 35 Chop and Rod Show 29 Custom Chrome 100 CNT Distribution 29 GLF Engineering 92 Hood Jeans 92 Kitech Ltd 30 Krazy Horse 30 Motorcycle Storehouse 29 MTC Motorcycles 30 Nick Gale Customs 42 Preston Harley Davidson 92 S & S Cycles 13 S100 Cyclecare 35 Scorpion Racing 30 The Roadhouse Leeds 92 Three Spires Customs 15 Thundercity 99 Warr’s Harley Davidson 5 Zodiac International 2

Realising the potential within the EFI 883R’s cases with a big bore conversion: living up to expectations.

76: MAKIN’ BACON 2007

Steamed not fried, but without dampening the spirits.

78: BALLISTIC MUSCLE

A 2-litre, six-speed big twin that barely needs four to raise a traffic officer’s blood-pressure to boiling point.

84: FUENGIROLA 2007

The 16th European HOG Rally hits the south coast of Spain, and uses up an entire year’s worth of sunshine in a weekend.

93: SLAMMED SOFTAIL

Simon’s subtle Softail is one of those bikes that The Motor Company could, and really should have built for themselves.

98: RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS

Bee’s got a case of the courtesy bike blues, much to Arr’s delight.

www.american-v.co.uk

54: AMERICANA 2007

American-V American-V # ONE

News & Products

Editor: andy.hornsby@american-v.co.uk Features Editor: rich.king@american-v.co.uk Contributors this issue: Amanda Wright, Nitro, Friar Tuck, Mr MacHenry, Productions GPL, Gary, Paul Davies, Paul Bryant/Kinetic Images. Proofing: Amanda Wright (At last! Someone to blame!) Design: dean.cooper@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) American-V, PO Box 336, Crewe, Cheshire, CW2 7WY. Tel: 0207 993 8002 Fax: 01270 540111 (Ring first) Printed in the UK by Warners (Midlands) PLC, Bourne. Distribution by: Warners Group Publications Plc West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH Tel: 01778 391135 Now in its second year in the newsagents, its fourth year on paper, and its sixth year of continuous publication since launching on the Internet, American-V sets out to be the magazine that its founders actually want to work on ... and mostly succeeds. The full archive will remain on-line at www.american-v.co.uk and might even be brought up to date one day. Don’t hold your breath though.

E&OE

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CLEAR BUELL WATER No point having the pictures if we don’t use them, and use them big! See page 51 for the main details, but for now take the time to remark on just how different this is from the Indian in the same place last issue. American motorcycles haven’t enjoyed such diversity since the great depression, and massive

kudos to Buell’s uncompromising engineering team for the intelligence to design a new motor to work with their established, proven technologies, rather than sticking a VR motor in and finding a way to make it work. www.buell.com

XR1200 GETS THE GO AHEAD FOR SPRING 2008 As if it wouldn’t have done? The preproduction … sorry, the prototype XRs have drummed up the interest in a new Harley platform after twelve months of will we/won’t we preceded by two years of development. There’s nothing like offering people something they might want and then saying they can’t have it to make them want it more, and next year we’ll be able to see how many will put their hands in their pockets and shell out what is expected to be £8k for the not-a-Sportster XR. More, but not very much more yet because they’re not saying much, on page 24. www.harley-davidson.com

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American-V

EUROPEANISED NIGHTSTER AND DYNA FAT BOB ECLIPSED BY ‘ROCKER TAIL’

Four new models arrive for 2008, as a bullish Harley-Davidson continue to attract new customers. The anticipated Nightster gets few column inches being old news, but is actually a very different, more agile motorcycle than the low-slung broody US version; a new aggressive Fat Bob sits well in the budget big-twin Dyna range, but are both overshadowed by a new treatment for the back end of a revised Softail. Much more on page 24.

PRACTICAL INSENSITIVITY Someone’s got a very dark sense of humour, over at Ixon, and the catch line in the promotional material “Get noticed for all the right reasons” is a little close to the knuckle for a rucksack called an XPLODE. Bearing in mind that a Brazilian has already been shot for looking like someone of middle eastern origin, and Metallica’s James Hetfield was said to have been temporarily detained at Heathrow recently for possession of a beard, this might prove too much for nervous security officials and you’ve be strongly recommended not to consider using it as hand luggage, or carry it on the underground if it has its name on the side we can’t see in the picture. Shame, really because it is a useful piece of kit: a 25-litre rucksack designed to carry a full face helmet, waterproof internal and external pockets and a waterproof sealed bag included, a drawstring cargo retainer, camelback pouch and tube hole (which hopefully means more to you than me), and a camelback tube retainer on the strap, and a reinforced base. Or in short, a big waterproof bag in black and grey with lots of specialist pockets and flaps that you’d seldom find in a single rucksack, and all for a penny short of £30. Should go down a bomb. Watch out for their range of cordite insoles and semtex kidney belts. www.thunderchild.co.uk: 01923 772 273

www.harley-davidson.com

MINEHEAD REVISITED FOR 105TH BIRTHDAY BASH In celebration of 105 years of Harley-Davidson, and 25 years of HOG, Butlins on the North Somerset coast will once again be the venue for the biggest HOG even on mainland Britain in five years, and it’ll all be happening over the weekend of the 4-6th July 2008: don’t accuse of us not giving you enough advance warning. It’s a hell of a feat, securing the site in the early part of Butlins main season, but that’s what they’ve done in order to be able to accommodate 5,000 people with all the facilities that they have come to expect from an international HOG event, and it’s going to have to be a good draw because there’s no shortage of competition next year, not least from the main European HOG rally at Lake Garda, in Italy. Others? St Tropez on 22-24 May, Hamburg on the 19-21 June, Barcelona on the 18-20 July, Scandinavian Bike Meet in Denmark on the 14-16 August, then Faaker See in early September and Lake Garda on 25-27 September. It’s going to be a busy year. Well, there’s no point in buying a bike capable of covering continents just to follow everyone else to the local bike haunt on a dry Sunday. www.hog.com

American-V.co.uk

SAXON VIOLENCE Makes you wonder what influences are being brought to bear in the US of A these days, what with water-cooled Super Sport Buells, Flat-Tracking XRs for the streets and now this: Saxon’s Mad Jack, first seen at the Cincinatti trade show to critical acclaim. Designed by Gard Hollinger of LA County Choprods, this aggressive streetfighter is said to be ‘old school modernistic’ and you can see what they mean by checking out the styling cues and comparing them to the materials and production methods used. Whoever said that tightening EPA regs would lead to less imagination in custom motorcycling will be tucking into a second course of hasty words by now. www.saxonmotorcycles.com

VENHILL VACUUM PUMP KIT A what? A very versatile piece of kit that allows you to do many different things but which will end up primarily as a means of bleeding brakes. I don’t know anyone who actually enjoys bleeding brakes, which is largely because it is a pain in the backside, and one of the reasons is the lack of decent available kit outside the trade. Then there’s the wonderful joy of trying to do the impossible, and bleed a system where the caliper is higher than the master cylinder. For all those people, which includes me, this is a passport to properly working brakes and makes stuff like changing brake lines, or even flushing the entire system a doddle. Rather than relying on the pumping pressure of the master cylinder, which is great when the system is primed but next to useless when actually priming it, the VWK011 draws the brake fluid through the main system and out of the bleed nipple using a vacuum created by the hand pump. Nice and simple, it’s fully self contained and used correctly, will prevent you splashing nasty Dot 4 all over your paintwork. We’ll be using it to finally get Rich’s six-pot brakes on his Road King sorted out, after spending weeks getting the damn things to a position where they’re primed and do bite, but only properly on the second pump of the lever, and will report back. I’ll check the Vic too, after fitting the braided hoses to that; a mate round the corner has been wrestling with a similar problem on his Sportster too; and lens-man Derek has never been totally happy with the reverse-bled rear stopper on his FXR. You never know, we might even work out all those other things it does, which includes something to do with EFI regulators, and carburetor vacuum control systems: anything that uses a vacuum really. And all for £39.95, which is less than an hours labour, so should pay for itself over and over again, and would be a useful addition to a professional’s workshop.

DAVIDA MONO UNION JACK JET

You might be riding an American motorcycle in Europe, but if you want to fly the flag without being too obtrusive about it, there’s an easy, subtle and safe way of doing so, courtesy of the latest Davida open face helmet. Substituting red, white and blue for anthracite grey, silver and black respectively, you get a classic, coach-lined helmet that looks good on, is more obvious when removed and manages to be more subtle than the full colour flag – which is also available. Like all Davida helmets it features a shock absorbtion liner, designed to follow the contours of the head – enabling a more proportionally sized helmet – and is fully leather lined and quilted to provide a superb level of comfort, and exceptionally quiet ride: the importance of which is not to be underestimated when contemplating long distances. Designed and built by riders with years of experience, receiving the meticulous attention of people who care about what they’re doing, the Davida Jet meets the latest European Safety Standard, ECE R22-05, and is ACU approved for racing.

www.venhill.co.uk 01306 885111

www.davida.co.uk: 0151 647 2419

GODFATHER OF BRITISH CUSTOM SCENE GETS TIME OFF FOR GOOD BEHAVIOUR John Reed, for so long a designer and prototyper of proprietary parts for Custom Chrome, is back working on his own projects, in semi-retirement. His primary interests now will be to finish off the unfinished personal projects that he’s had around him for years, including the 1926 Royal Enfield outfit that he took with him when he left England, and a very complicated race bike that beat him a couple of years ago, but he doesn’t rule out taking on a project for someone else, if its interesting enough. I’ll let him finish off … “The only regret I have about my new lifestyle is that most of my friends are motorcycle people; which means that I only see them at

the rallies and shows during the year. I will miss them, and the time we spent together, dearly. Those of you who are friends, you know how to contact me. I have been blessed with an interesting career that has given me the opportunity to meet a lot of honorable people—as well as many with no honor. There were people who would give you their life, and others who thought nothing of destroying lives for another dollar. I have met people who have become true friends and others that use friendship for their own gain. Truth be told, I met a lot of really strange people, but then again, think of the person I am. Upon reflection I don’t think I would have changed a lot. John Reed”

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» VIC? THE SCREENS National Cycle have released a range of screens for Victory motorcycles. From Fly Screens to full Custom Heavy Duty Screens, they wrap round the original large round headlamp but don’t interfere with the new bullet headlamps fitted to everything except the Vegas 8-Ball. Available from Custom Cruisers UK, in Alfreton, Derbyshire as part of their Victory range. Trade enquiries welcome. Custom Cruisers UK Ltd: 01773 835666

HEMI HORSEPOWER! There’s been a revival in interest in the Hemi motor in the last coupe of years, and the number of revived muscle cars in the states that bear the Hemi badge is quite startling, so it should come as no surprise to hear that someone’s been doing exactly the same for Harley motors, and those people are RPM Hemi. They’ll sell you a pair of heads to bolt to your Evostyle motor or an FLTC

MERCH IS BACK Potted history time: Gerry Merchant, engineer with 30 years experience and founder of Merch Performance, left to set up Merch Motorcycles with Bob Burton, with the intention of using Merch engines in complete bikes. Merch Performance went bump two years later. By then Bob Burton had already started Merch Motorworkz to improve on the original Merch product with the R&D program that the original company lacked, and subsequently hired Gerry Merchant as an operations and engineering consultant. Are you following this? In the right place at the right time, Merch Motorworkz purchased most of the machinery auctioned from MP – but not the manufacturing and warranty rejects that were picked up by a Texan buyer – and supplemented it with new equipment and went into production of a new improved version of the Merch engine that they still intend to fit to Merch Motorcycles, but will also sell through dealers only to the riding public. These high-quality motors are now available in 100, 114, 120, 125, 131 and 145-inch capacities, together with a broad range of powertrain components including gearboxes, belt primaries and high volume oil pumps, and AR Harley are proud to be one of their International Dealers. Merch Motorworkz, at the insistence of Gerry Merchant, will also support existing MP motors and continue to manufacture parts, but that’s down to Merch Motorworkz themselves. For more information from retail and trade customers contact Alistair Harley. AR Harley & Son: www.harleycustom.co.uk +44 (0)1424 830542

Twin Cam, or else they can sell you a complete 100-incher fully equipped with their heads and trick manifold for between $8,995 and $10,795 depending on finish: there’ll be 107 and 114 inch motors ‘soon’. A Hemi engine is many things to many people, but the classic expectation is for a hemispherical (half a sphere, therefore domed) combustion chamber which could accommodate big valves and a correspondingly domed piston that fitted into it. Harleys up until the Shovel were that classic configuration, but were replaced on the Evo with a flat top piston and pent roof design. Today it is a flexible definition: Dodge’s ‘Magnum’ Hemi engine has two valves in a domed combustion chamber, and so has no space between the valves for a central spark plug so has two to get a twin flame front, cleaner burn and more power – just like a twin-plugged Shovel – but in the context of these heads, refers to the central spark plug in a 4-valve pent roof combustion chamber, not a domed one because the valve angles would render a 4-valve almost impossible. What’s the benefit? With a pent roof combustion chamber, 4-valves per cylinder and a centrally located spark plug, you’ve got a 50% increase in gas flow, a central start point for the flame front which allows less timing advance, and means it can run a high compression without knocking: the figures they quote are 90-100 hp from a motor that was delivering 70-80hp with the original 2-valve heads, with a torque curve that climbs when the original motor’s is starting to tail off. They claim 15% more torque at all engine speeds, but the big story is at speeds in excess of 3,500rpm, when it changes the dynamic completely. Some of that performance is down to the aforementioned trick manifold too, which is less a manifold and more a plenum chamber – the RAM Chamber – and a different ballgame entirely. Plenums are normally seen on turbo intakes, used to direct the air flow efficiently, and RPM’s are available in a variety of configurations. The one that will interest performance junkies allows a second carburettor: stick a slide carb on as a primary unit, and the oem CV carb on as a secondary carb, and get the best of both worlds: instant response from the primary and a self adjusting bolster to provide fuel right up to 7,000rpm. You have no idea how much I want a 100-inch Hemi motor and to resurrect my Aerocharger turbo right now: if only I had the first idea what the rest of the bike should be … and a spare £15k. Okay, so I know exactly what the bike would be, and I won’t sleep for days now. www.rpmhemi.com: 001 208 762 8515

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S&S ANNOUNCES 50TH ANNIVERSARY PLANS 2008 will mark the 50th Anniversary of S&S Cycle, and to celebrate the event, they’re putting together a hell of a show of talent and engineering: 50 builders using 50 special S&S engines to build 50 custom bikes, each competing with the other for a $50,000 grand prize! After seeing what was managed with half a dozen builders and the six Project-X bikes, that should be an interesting show. Drawing on their diverse range of available motors, the engines will come from any of six engine families: the SH (Shovel/Pan/Knucklehead-style), V (Evo-style), the SB (Sportster-style), T (Twin Cam-style), the all-new X-Wedge and a special engine to be announced on October 1st, 2007. Serially numbered from 1958 to 2008 to commemorate their place in the celebration, a 51st will go into an S&S special project bike. The unveiling will be at a three-day mini-festival to take place in La Crosse, Wisconsin with dates tentatively set for June 28th, 29th and 30th of 2008, with the support of the Mayors of La Crosse and neighbouring Onalaska, and will be a weekend full of events and excitement all around the La Crosse area, including the main festival area for the 50-bike show using the La Crosse Oktoberfest grounds. “It is a very humbling thought that we are preparing to celebrate our fiftieth Anniversary in 2008,” said S&S president, Brett Smith. “My grandparents founded an industry leader, the second generation grew the business to new heights, and my generation has been charged with the responsibility of guiding and stewarding this business into a new era of competition in the vtwin industry.” Adding, “The number of world-renown builders and industry peers willing to support this event, along with a fantastic, yet diverse group, of community leaders in the Seven Rivers Region will most certainly make this celebration a success.” S&S are hoping that you can start making plans now to join them for the celebration of 50 years of Proven Performance as the second and third generation of Smith family members honour the legacy of speed that founder George Smith started. Information about La Crosse and lodging in the area can be found at http:// www.explorelacrosse.com . www.sscycle.com

NEW GENERAL MANAGER AT CUSTOM CHROME EUROPE Having taken over as President of Custom Chrome, European Managing Director, Holger Mohr, has appointed his Director of Sales and Marketing to the coveted position of General Manager of Custom Chrome Europe on top of his existing duties. The appointment will allow Mohr to focus more on the company’s US operations and overall global approach, while remain the Managing Director of Global Motorsport GmbH, CCE’s parent company. “Starting June 1st, Andreas enjoys my full support and trust and I am sure that he – together with all of the dedicated team will continue to improve the excellent results coming from Europe,” said Mohr. While Scholz added “I am excited about my expanded role and look forward to continued growth in the European market. The team at Custom Chrome Europe is the best in the business and I am proud of our accomplishments.” www.customchrome. com, www.customchrome-europe.com, www.motorcycle stuff.com.

THE OTHER END OF THE ROAD

FORCE V-ROD MUFFLER END PIPES

There isn’t a massive selection of VR silencers around yet, but the aftermarket is catching up as these Streetfighter Bullet-series end pipes – which are available in chrome or ‘Hot Jet’ black ceramic – show. Silencer is perhaps the wrong word because there’s no baffle in them, they are designed to work with the stock headers which are apparently baffled – I know how they feel – and work well, being said to increase horsepower by up to 10% when used with a high-flow air filter and an ECM fuel modifier. www.mcseurope.nl

You might recall that the folk at W&W Cycles decided to go to the end of the World a couple of years ago on a trio of rigid frame Harleys from fifty or more years ago with back up in the form of a Sportster ridden by the photographer. Well, it looks like they’ve got wanderlust again, and “tattoo-sporting hairy biker scum have been busy welding, wrenching, painting and testing in our secret W&W Cycles labs to prepare for the next destination. To blaze new trails into the W&W Cycles forest of legends they’ll go to: THE OTHER END OF THE ROAD.” If the weather doesn’t let up here soon, that won’t necessarily be very far. www.wwag.com

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American-V

FREIGHT TRAIN, CCE BASE THEIR FREIGHT TRAIN NEW SALES REP NEAR LONDON.

Loud pipes save lives, but seeing as we’re not allowed such an indulgence, we’re going to need something a little more substantial to forewarn our fellow road users of our presence than the oem horn offers. So how about this? A 139db air horn that is three times louder than the original, but still small enough to fit on as a direct replacement: that should sort it. Made by Italian company Stebel, they come in a classic chrome or black finish. W&W 11-318 W&W 11-319

Stebel Air Horn, Black Stebel Air Horn, Classic Chrome

TUV SHOVELHEADS FROM S&S VIA W&W Any excuse to show a nice new 93-inch Shovel motor but W&W can now supply TuV compliant motors … up to a point. To conform to the letter of the law, with specific regard to noise regs, it must be fitted with a 2006-on exhaust system, which would require a different exhaust flange, and the drive ratios for the gearbox, in the accompanying notes must be observed – which of course we’ll all do. It comes with an E carburettor, a special 520 cam and certification and instructions.

The human face of Custom Chrome Europe to the trade, and to a surprising number of customers too, is changing. Long-time UK and Eire sales representative Gunnar Heinemeyer – seen on the left - is moving across to a role co-ordinating Custom Chrome’s Kit Bike program and all homologation issues at CCE’s Bad Kreuznach HQ, and his place will be taken by former Robinsons Foundry P&A and special projects manager, Andy Tozer – right - who will be based in Ashford, Kent once he’s completed his in-house training program.

W&W 69-047 TuV Alternator-style Shovel motor

www.wwag.com

SHD RELOCATE Having outgrown their workshop facilities and in need of new premises, long time business partners and friends, Steve and Tiny, have used the opportunity of a change in gear to go their separate ways: Tiny to concentrate his attentions on his other business while Steve Wheeler as SHD has moved to significantly larger premises with easier access just off the main A50 between Longton and Meir. The relocated SHD will have a smaller sales floor and continue to supply parts from the major catalogues, but will carry a smaller stock of accessories on the shelves focusing more on building, modification and servicing with three distinct bays as well as a welding and fabrication area. He’s effectively moved in, but at the time of going to press is awaiting phone lines, keep an eye on the website for new contact details as they emerge, or look up the postcode on Google maps to find them more easily. The new address is: SHD, Regent Works, Lawley Street, Longton, ST3 1LZ.

HIGH MILEAGE CHAIN

American-V.co.uk

ZODIAC PRIMARY OFFSET FOR 6-SPEED BIG TWINS In case you didn’t notice, when HarleyDavidson changed the primary drives for 6-speed models, starting in 2006 with the FXDs, they changed the starter motor, main shaft and a whole host of other little bits and pieces, with the net result that all previous primary offset systems no longer fitted. It didn’t take long to catch up, though, and this 25mm offset kit for 6–speed Softails was designed by Ton Pels which allows up to a 250mm centrally mounted rear tyre on a normal left side drive. The kit comes with all required parts, produced to the required specification, or higher, and will work with a 2000-on Softail-style wide swing-arm. Check before you buy if you’re running an FLH/ FLT model because there’s no mention of the different primary drive gasket required by the shorter primary … and it’s 2 o’clock on Sunday morning and there’s no-one to ask. Zod. 701950 25mm offset primary kit for 2006-on 6-speed big twins

www.zodiac.nl

OVERDRIVE 6TH OR DIRECT DRIVE?

NEAT TANKTOP, RICK If you like the top of your fuel tank to be uncluttered by dashboards, and like the shape and style of the original tank, you’re going to be pretty fed up with EFI motors by now, what with its high-tech electronics beneath the dash, and enlarged access beneath that to get to the fuel pump. Ricks have the answer to all your problems, though, with this conversion that repositions the ECO beneath the tank, together with the fuel pump access, and even has a pre-cut sheet of metal to cover the original access point to give a clean top. Don’t even think about doing this at home, unless home is a fully equipped workshop and you have the specialist skills required to carry out such a conversion, but at least you now know you can specify it as a solution, and it’ll only be a matter of time before they’ll be available as exchange items, or people fit them to new steel. W&W 35-014

Rick’s Gas Tank Conversion EFI Clean

www.wwag.com

ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY?

If not, perhaps you might be happier on a Granucci seat. Custom Cruisers UK are pleased to tell us that they are now stocking the ever increasing range of fantastic Granucci Seats, for both metric cruisers and Harleys, including the 2007 model ranges. Give them a bell, or drop into their Alfreton shop for more details.

That’s a question that few have really answered, but Baker has just introduced their Direct Drive 6-speed Conversion and have taken the time to explain why. In simple terms, regular overdrive boxes have a taller top speed above the normal 1:1 fifth gear, while direct drive gearboxes have a 1:1 sixth, and increase their overall gearing by messing with the primary ratios – which is exactly what Harley did with their Cruise Drive 6-speed. And why would you want a 1:1 sixth gear? Because anything other than 1:1 saps power, and when you’re pulling top gear, you need every last bit of power your engine can call upon: that’s the big test of roll-on power. If, of course, your intention is to ride in first to fifth, and drop it into sixth only for cruising, dropping back to fifth for pulling away sharply, you want an overdrive box. If, however, you want to use the box to get to sixth and then let the torque of a big twin do the work – thought so – a direct drive is better. The Baker DD6 has helical cut gears on 4th, 5th and sixth for reduced noise in the main driving gears and easier shifting, and comes with a larger 28 tooth compensating sprocket. It offers a choice of first gear ratios – lower to make life easier on loaded dressers – and comes absolutely complete, although W&W recommend installation is performed by a qualified mechanic only. W&W 74-384

Baker DD6 Builder’s kit with 2.94:1 first gear

W&W 74-385

Baker DD6 Builder’s kit with 3.24:1 first gear

Custom Cruisers UK Ltd: 01773 835666

www.wwag.com

MOMO FIGHTER HELMET We’ve been wearing Momo helmets for a couple of years now, since Bikers Line were their distributor – Rich’s ‘Devil’ is almost his trademark now, and my Carbon ‘Komposite’ is my constant companion, replacing my flip in all but the nastiest weather – but they never really settled down in the UK market. But they’re back, and are using this limited edition metallic silver and hand-stitched tan leather model to try and lever themselves back into the UK. Comprising a lightweight shell, a

Dupont deluxe anti-allergenic/anti-sweat lining, quick release buckle and an optically excellent curved visor, that mimics the thermally shaped visors of the helicopter pilot helmets that inspired them, they come individually numbered, in sizes from XS to XL for £179.99 including a helmet bag. Presumably they also offer other models from their range: its worth asking. MomoDesign Helmets: 0800 369537

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Reviews

INDIAN HARLEYMOTORCYCLES DAVIDSON BY JERRY HATFIELD & HANS HALBERSTADT

BY DOUG MITCHEL

The history of the Indian Motocycle, from its origins as the Hendee Manufacturing Company in 1901 to the closure of the Springfield plant at the end of 1953, is a lesson in how to abuse your dominant position in the market through complacency and mismanagement, as well as demonstrating that it takes more than just money and enthusiasm to reverse that drift. Indian Motorcycles by Jerry Hatfield outlines that history, constantly cross-referencing it with that of the only other survivor of the The Great Depression, Harley-Davidson. Beautifully illustrated by the photography of Hans Halberstadt and contemporary advertising from the company’s chequered history, it gives the reader a greater insight into the life and times of the manufacturer that should, by rights, have been the stronger of the last two remaining manufacturers, and possibly could have been had co-founders Hendee and Hedstrom not cashed in their interests 1916 and 1913 respectively and retired as rich men. Hendee’s departure was far from the end of Indian’s success, as his departure coincided with the first of the side valve motors – the PowerPlus – which laid the foundations of everything that the 21st Century Indian rider holds sacred and the book outlines the evolution of early model ranges in great detail, From the trials and tribulations of the rapid pace of engineering development, to the phenomenal early success of the Indian race teams, and first hand testimonies from some of the most famous names in American competition of the times, Indian Motorcycles attempts to lay some myths to rest, clarify a number of points and reflect upon what might have been. I’ve no doubt there will be more learned people than I who will take great delight in picking holes in one man’s reading of the truth behind the myth, but it has the feeling of a well-researched piece and has a sense of authority. If there is a disappointment it is in an occasional historical flitting backwards and forwards in the text that can sometimes confuse, but more than that is a general scattergun approach as to where to place the stunning pictures within the text, which has you physically flitting backwards and forwards, cross-referencing the timeline to the images, and is sometimes further muddied by detailed captioning that often repeats the text, and in one case could actually be read as contradicting it. But while that does detract from the readability, and occasionally the sense, it doesn’t detract from the value of the book, which I read cover to cover.

A Motorbooks title in their Gallery Series, Harley-Davidson is a little small to be a proper photographic record which is unfortunate as the images are strong, clear and of some landmark models. Divided into seven chapters, the last five of which take the production years of specific big-twin engine as their frame of reference, it skims across the surface of a complicated history with a lightness of touch verging on the frothy, and shouldn’t be considered as a work of reference, more a coffee table book that will impress your friends with the classic engineering of your bike’s ancestors. Each chapter starts with the briefest of introduction to the period covered – not giving the author a chance to get any sense of its importance across – before giving way to a double page per model, usually two or three nicely composed pictures and fifty words which are little more than a lengthy caption. These range from informative, in areas where the author appears to have a detailed specialist knowledge, to misleading in the way the information is presented as we get closer to the present day, and finally plain wrong in areas where there is no room for misinterpreting the facts. Having become concerned within the first chapter, where my own knowledge is scant and relies on cross-referencing recognized authorities, I started skipping forward to check for accuracy and on discovering that the 1991 FXDB still had a twin drive belt system, and that the 1995 FXSTSB Bad Boy combined the FXD’s new platform with a Springer front end I stopped reading and started editing it. I’ve since learned that the Night Train apparently got the TC88B motor in 2002, the 2002 XL883R’s motor was tuned for maximum performance, and the dual-belt design fitted to the 1982 proved durable. After that I stopped taking it seriously and it is now gathering dust on a shelf in the reference library and will be referred to only as a source of images. I’m happy to acknowledge that I’m an anorak in such regards, and that spoilt the book for me. If you like your history watered down, you could thoroughly enjoy it, and I can wholeheartedly recommend it as a gift for someone who considers themselves to be an authority: you’ll soon find out how genuine their expertise is.

Published by Motorbooks. Price £16.99 / US $ 24.95 / CAN $29.95 ISBN-13: 978-0-7603-2966-5

Published by Motorbooks. Price £9.99 / US $14.95 / CAN $ 18.95 ISBN-13: 978-0-7603-2991-7

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BIKER GLASSES We have a strange regulatory system in this country, whereby visors are subject to stringest safety tests and sun glasses aren’t, which means you can wear the cheapest, nastiest seafront shades on your motorcycle, and they can even be sold as biker shades without fear of prosecution … just duck if you see a stone chip heading your way. All glasses aren’t created equal, you see, and many that are said to be shatterproof or unbreakable, or suitable for use on a motorcycle don’t live up to their billing. It’s not even that you can go on price, because some are priced to look kosher, but are krap. One company that stands by its quality is Biker Glasses, run by Steve and Avril Federanko, who I bumped into at Fuengirola, and I’ve been wearing a pair of their TR90s ever since. I’ve stopped short of trying to blow holes in them at point blank range with a shotgun – maybe he’ll might try that at Bisley – but that was only a minor consideration: his pitch, level of knowledge and attitude was enough to reassure me, as well as comments from return customers. I was more concerned with finding a pair of shades that would fit inside my open-face helmet without discomfort, and found them in the flat and flexible arms of these vented but not windproof shades. I opted for the high-contrast lenses because I’m completely converted to their practicality – even if it does make me look a little too much like I’ve got a thing for Bono – which

HOOD K7 ARAMIDLINED DENIM JACKET Last issue I was given the chance to test a couple of pairs of Hood’s armoured jeans: spring had been unusually mild – hot and dry – and I was already tired of sweating in my leathers, and it was great not to be carrying so much weight. And then, before the unexpected monsoon season started, I got the news that it was only going to get hotter, because I was off to Fuengirola with Harley-Davidson. I wondered what the chance of a matching K7 jacket was, and the answer arrived in the post a couple of days later. The seventies lived again, and I was denim man. It could’ve been worse, there could’ve been an Aramid lined suit jacket: at least I wasn’t Clarkson. Of course, I hadn’t previously considered this possibility because I couldn’t remember the last time I saw a grown man in brand new denim jacket and jeans: beaten up denim has a very different look to it. Did I care? Did I hell: I was going to be cooler than I would have been in my leathers, and that was the primary aim. And the joy of denim is that it develops a character of its own over time, depending on who’s using it. It could have been destined for a life of ironed creases and pressed panels, but these were going to grow old disgracefully with me as their clothes horse. They’ll be a little rough round the edges in time, and I can live with the ‘new denim look’ until that happens.

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have enough tint to reduce the glare of the sun, but come into their own at dusk and in the rain. I’ve sat on them, inadvertently used them as a pillow (inside my leather jacket), dropped them countless times, sometimes with a theatrical flounce, and they remain unmarked on frame or lens. And they fit inside my lid easily, and I’m barely aware that they’re there, which is a vast improvement over most of their predecessors. One of a full range of glasses to suit most peoples tastes, they’ll set you back £20 which compares very well against poorer quality competition, and come with a no-quibble warranty. Biker Glasses, 01278 420241 www.bikerglasses.co.uk

And it was cool, substantially cooler than my regular jacket would’ve been even with the inner jacket – an almost complete lining in Aramid weave. The same holds true of the debate between weave and knit as with the trousers, but the Jacket only comes in K7 form, so it’s a weave. Like the jeans, it’s not ‘a get out of jail free’ card, but it will provide significantly more protection than denim alone, and can be reinforced with Knox armour, like the jeans, to give greater protection at major joints – elbows and shoulders in this case – with the only omission being a back protector. If you’re concerned by that, Knox produce a protective vest but that starts to defeat the object of a lightweight, unrestrictive garmet. A lot of the appeal of armoured denim for me, however, is that it isn’t a suit of armour. If you hold with the concept of ‘Risk Compensation’, and I do, you’ll be aware that the safer you feel, the more chances you will take, and vice versa: it’s the reason why we hated Volvos in the eighties and nineties, reckoning their drivers took more chances than most others, secure in their steel coccoon. We got over it, and I’d argue fairly strongly that we did because we now assume that everyone in a car is trying to kill us and factor that in. Vulnerable riders are generally those who feel safe: they trust their fellow road-users’ competence, wear the most protective suits and ride technically advanced bikes with excellent brakes, ABS, traction control and super grippy tyres: they’re immortal right up until the unexpected happens. In armoured denim you don’t feel invulnerable and so you don’t take chances, but you are comfortable: that’s where I would rather be. ANDY

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What a difference a set of handlebars makes … and perhaps a change in attitude? It’s hard to tell which was the more inﬂuential in my appraisal of the Night Rod Special, but there is no doubt that I’d been looking forward to getting to grips with Harley’s crossover model since ﬁrst casting eager eyes on it at the back end of last year.

VRSCDX NIGHT ROD SPECIAL 16

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Roadtest: VRSCDX Night Rod Special

Even trying desperately hard to be objective, its stunning looks were hard to put out of my mind, but it had a mountain to climb. It would need to be good. I’d ridden the VRSCAW a few short weeks before and had come away singularly unimpressed. In the cold hard light of day, the Special was little more than a ’Rod with a coat of paint and a change in bars … but then so was the Night Train compared to the Softail Standard. Well, nearly. Harley-Davidson’s ability to magic a new model out of thin air and a parts bin is something that never fails to impress me. What could easily be a wheel or handlebar option combines with a different ﬁ nish to become a new bike that is seemingly worlds apart from the bike that spawned it, and is received as such. You haven’t got to look far back to recognise the principle in the allconquering Fat Boy, the aforementioned Night Train and the whole Road King

» American-V.co.uk

Roadtest: VRSCDX Night Rod Special

family, but the Night Rod was the fi rst serious attempt to use that sleight of hand on a VR with any degree of success and the Special builds upon that model’s promising start, but is a true hybrid of what is held to be good about both its parents. To call it a Night Rod Special is something of a misnomer that reflects little more than the choice of finish – black – because the only things it has in common with the cooking Night Rod are its headlamp and the tricky handlebar riser/speedo nacelle from the old ‘B’ that allows a wider range of handlebars. What it lacks are the Night Rod’s rear set footrests, inherited from the Street Rod, which were among the things I liked most about the VRSCD but which a lot of Rodders didn’t take to although it does retain the Night/Street Rods’ low-slung headers – pitched as straight shot dual exhausts – and so should allow the rearset footrests to be retro-fitted if you’re that way inclined,

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unlike the pure performance Screamin’ Eagle model which has the VRod headers: go figure, I believe is the expression. What we’re actually looking at here is a black V-Rod with a D’s headlamp and bikini fairing. It has the VRSCAW’s new-for-2007 240-section rear tyre – the VRSCD retains the original 180/55 – and slotted wheels as well as its forward controls. The choice of footrests means that the wider range of V-Rod exhausts will fit, providing there’s enough clearance past the wider wheel and tyre. And when I say black, I do mean black. Harley have out-Henry’d Ford, and any colour as long as it’s black has been expanded to any colour as long as it’s black-on-black, unless you want the alternative scheme of black-on-black: vivid on denim (shiny on matt to mere mortals), or vice versa. The black fi nish extends to the slotted disc wheels – the original solid discs have now been consigned to the museum having served their purpose – which don’t suffer from the usual problem of forming a single black mass when combined with the black of the tyres by the simple use of an orange pinstripe around the rim to defi ne their extent. Any other relief from the shadows on the Special is sparse but just enough, taking the form of perforated aluminium covers. Harley’s first use of an all-black VR motor – the Night Rod’s cases were black last year, but the Special gets black covers too – disguises the awkward belt cover that makes up most of the ‘primary’ side of the motor, leaving a simpler focal point of a small circular cover which I’ve never previously noticed, and a pulley cover with perforated aluminium detailing. Combined with the shaved fins of the DOHC cylinder heads and a blacked-out swing-arm, it conspires to create the best-looking VR primary side to date for my money. Having dealt with the difficult side beautifully, they’ve not scrimped on the traditionally interesting side either, with a perforated detail over the vertical cooling tower between the cylinders, and black heatshields over the stainless headers which tie the exhaust system into the overall style. The silencers are the most modern cans we’ve seen bolted to a stock Harley, wrapped in

a brushed aluminium sleeve, and gives an unapologetically modern twist to the whole thing, but the cadmium-plated bolts that hold the silencers to the headers are disappointing in their ability to deal with the British climate. The rear shocks behind the exhausts are described as minimalist by Harley but will undoubtedly be called budget by almost everyone else and aren’t obviously shorter than the regular V-Rod’s, but as the 20mm seat height reduction is echoed by 20mm less ground clearance, they must be. That puts the Special ﬁrmly into the ‘accessible for the vertically challenged’ bracket – it’s a millimetre lower in the saddle than an XL883 Low for heaven’s sake and no wider between the calves – but it never felt cramped in the way that, say,

SECOND OPINION: I’ve made no secret of wanting to ride the VRSCDX Night Rod Special. Ever since my first glimpse I knew that if one Revolution motored Harley could turn my head enough to actually consider owning an example then the Night Rod Special was it. It’s an absolute stunner and I know I’m not the only person to think so. Because it didn’t matter where I was while I had this VRSCDX Night Rod Special, people came to stare, to marvel and no matter whether they were bike lovers or no, try and get me to take them for a ride on it. A simply astounding response, and one I’ve not encountered with any other machine, ever.

the Softail DeLuxe does for a six-footer, and cornering clearances are either misquoted in the published speciﬁcation or else impressive. Usual VR braking is courtesy of the excellent Brembo 4-pots that get the perforated aluminium and black treatment, and the overall theme allows The Motor Company’s Department of Marketing Hyperbole to pitch rubber hoses as part of the colour scheme. C’mon guys? Either stick black braided hosing on and sell that, or keep a lid on it – especially when one of the features of the VRSCA has long been braided hoses. Something that did slip past my radar previously is that HarleyDavidson have reduced their rake adjustment on the custom VRs for 2007. Previously a 34-degree steering head with an extra 4-degrees in the yokes, it’s been wound back to an overall 36-degrees for the forklegs which has tightened-up the steering a little, but coincides with an increase to the wheelbase and an apparent rationalising of speciﬁcations across the VRSCA/D models. Judging by the specs of last year’s Night Rod, its increased trail points to these tighter yokes having been used on that model too, but short of a parts book I can’t qualify that. With the reduction in the raked yokes pulling the front

Sod books. If you want to make friends and influence people, buy one of these. The usual response from a non-biker when I tell them how much the current test machine would set them back is ‘You could buy a nice little car for that.’ When I told them how much the VRSCDX Night Rod Special was they were actually surprised, expecting Ferrari money or something the reaction to the just over twelve grand tag was ‘Is that all?’ or just ‘Wow, cool!’ More than one non-riding admirer then asked me about rider training and CBTs. Well if the VRSCDX Night Rod Special is the exotic bait to hook more young men and women into biking, then great. Meanwhile I’ve already got my licence and helped

set up American-V just so I could hoon around on ace motorcycles like this from time to time, so let’s go! I could write reams about how the VRSCDX Night Rod Special looks, but it’s pretty pointless really, you can see what it looks like, it looks like this. It reminds me of that evil queen in Barbarella, you know the one: ‘My pretty, pretty’ with an eye-patch, whip and black bikini. You know she’s really evil and bad and everything, but you just would, wouldn’t you? Couldn’t help yourself. Well the VRSCDX Night Rod Special looks like that. I guess you already suspect that the Night Rod Special would have had not to start at all, or melt

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Roadtest: VRSCDX Night Rod Special

wheel back at odds with a 15mm increase in the wheelbase and a 30mm in the overall length, there must have been some serious work done on the chassis and I’m going to stick my neck out and suggest that up to an inch is in front of the rear wheel to accommodate the 35% bigger under-seat fuel tank – now 18.9 litres instead of the paltry 14 litres previously. Does 15mm either way really matter? Yes, because moving the steering head relative to the axles has an effect on the handling which is more complicated than we need go into here, but I’m pleased to report that with its combination of forward-set, narrow ’bars and forward footrests – all of which affect the rider’s weight distribution – the Special handles better in my hands than any VR before it. Whatever the wisdom of combining the forward controls and narrower bars on shorter risers, if you’re six foot plus it sets you into an aggressive riding position familiar to anyone who loves their Night Train for its stance, and ﬂ icks a switch in your head marked ‘red mist’. I’d like to think I rode it hard – we had the weather for it, and the bike really demanded to be used properly – but I was nowhere near its limits: the wide but predictable rear tyre hadn’t been ridden off its broad shoulders, but neither had the footrests nor the exhaust heat-shield been scuffed before it arrived or when it left. Realising the full potential of the Special, cross country will only come with increased familiarity with its high-revving power delivery, and conﬁdence in its geometry, to a rider familiar with a traditional Harley-Davidson, and in that respect it differs from the Buell which combines astonishing agility with satisfying low-speed torque. But the VR does something that the Buell can’t do! I was talking to former journo, Howard Kelly, from S&S’ media relations department about my general misgivings about the ’07 V-Rod and he set me straight: it’s a mindset thing. Okay, so that much I already knew, but he expanded. In his previous life, he’d cultivated a reputation for saving wear on the front tyre by standing bikes on their rear, and on being given a VR as a long term loaner, the parting words from no less than Willie G, were along the lines of ‘we’ve built you a bike you can’t wheelie’. Over the course of the next

when it rains or something to have got a totally negative review from me at this stage and you’re not far wrong. Fortunately it does start and it actually does ride as well as it looks. While I’m no great fan of the 1130cc liquid-cooled Revolution motor, I can’t knock it either and in this machine, more than any other VR I’ve ridden, it makes serious sense. It’s possibly down to the riding position, the VRSCDX has narrow, flat ‘bars and forward set footpegs, an aggressive combination at odds with the much more passive, cruiser-like

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eighteen months he proved him wrong, but in doing so he learned a neat little technique and related that in a story. It was one of those days when you’re sitting at the lights and the opportunity arises to see what the bike you’re riding will do. In this case, he glanced in his mirror and saw a selection of hypersport bikes pull up behind and beside him. It was a warm Californian day, the roads were dry, the next set of trafﬁc lights were in sight and his tinted visor was down but not locked. Guessing how long he’d got before the lights would change, he took the time to glance across at the other riders, deliberately locked his visor down and having returned his hand to the throttle wound the bike up to 7k and held it there. It doesn’t take a genius to see that as a challenge, and that’s precisely how they interpreted it. The lights changed, he dumped the clutch and the VR leapt forward like a shot out of a gun … well, actually like a dragstrip-bred performance bike using its length and geometry to its advantage. The front wheel stayed in touch with terra-ﬁ rma and with little more than a modest squirm at the back as the tyre struggled for grip, he was gone with enough time and composure to be able to see mad wheelies from his rivals as they tried to keep their front ends down. By the time

V-Rods, or even the Night Rod for that matter. Some will label the Night Rod Special a powercruiser, but I’m sorry, it ain’t a cruiser. The riding position encourages you to lay down the power, to use the Revolution properly, to find out that, yes, it does have a rev-limiter and no, you can’t break it (unless you’re being really beligerent, which is why it took so long for us to get hold of one to test. Andy). The riding position also encourages you to throw the VRSCDX around: you’re low

down, almost in a cockpit, the bike is almost unshakeably stable and the huge rear tyre has tons of grip. Though the raked out front tyre still does feel a little remote, it steers true enough, also it has impressive grip and is backed up with twin 4-pot Brembo brakes. Confidence-inspiring isn’t the word, Mandie went from ‘terrified of VRods so I never want to ride one’ to ‘I want this bike, now!’ within a mile. After a 50-mile round trip she was ready to sell her beloved Sportster … and I suspect our dogs as well.

they could take up the chase for real, there wasn’t enough chance to lay down their prodigious power before the next lights, glowing red, drew them all to a halt. Unsurprisingly, he found himself surrounded by some very irate racetrack refugees, determined to demonstrate they wouldn’t be caught a second time, but Howard knew better. He wound it up to 7k again, looking dead ahead – well, as far as they could tell through his blacked-out visor – and when the lights changed did exactly the same again … as did they. The next set of lights pulled them up again – well, it was America it does explain how drag racing came about – ahead of the chasing pack, but it was a pack that held back from the line this time.

I was expecting the 240 section Dunlop rear tyre to throw up some handling issues, but I’m beginning to think that fat tyres and handling issues can be firmly put in the past. Andy and I were able to give the Night Rod Special and a Victory Hammer-S a good long blast out over the hills, pegs were ground on some bends and the suspension coped admirably with uneven road surfaces even under spirited acceleration or braking. While the narrow ‘bars were neat, tidy and aggressive, not unexpectedly, I did find that

There was no antagonistic revving of motors this time, and Howard didn’t see the need to shame them a third time. And anyway, he knew that he was at the last set of lights for a few miles and that once they’d grounded their front wheels and got into the thick of their Jap multis’ powerband, they’d leave the ’Rod for dead … but they didn’t know that. Bet there was a few stories in the bar that night. He suggested I try it, and I suggested that I might and use the experience to get some moving shots. Did I? I could’ve let the clutch out quicker with more practice, but I was keen not to hurt the bike or myself in satisfying my curiosity: what exactly constituted a modest squirm at the back? Compared to what? That said, I did build up towards it on a clear, straight and dry road. I can tell you that seven thousand revs at a standstill makes an awesome noise, even through the standard pipes, and that how quickly you dump the clutch is proportional to how low the engine speed drops as it takes up the strain. I reckon that much less than 7k will make you more likely to stall if you release it instantly, and much more will probably make getting traction more difﬁcult. My initial concern was that dropping the clutch would make for an immediate release of power to the rear wheel, but I got the impression that the clutch took a moment to fully engage after releasing it, which was less brutal than I expected … but not enough to convince me I could just let go. That could’ve been down to the speciﬁc bike but perhaps an element of slip might be built-in to protect the drive-train from the likes of Howard. It is well-worth noting that Howard’s long termer would have been running the lower American gearing, so maybe I should’ve been starting from 7,500 or even 8k? In any event, there was never a suggestion of the front end getting light. Was it quick?

I’d have to move an arm or dip a shoulder to get a clear look into the mirrors. Long distance comfort was better than expected too. A day long 360-mile trip proved no problem, I was able to adjust my seating position on the generous saddle and the forward set pegs were close enough so that I could move my legs around too. Despite the handlebars being more forward my 6’1” frame could reach them easily without cricking my back, so I could sit upright and the little fairing around the headlight was surprisingly

effective allowing me to maintain high speeds on the motorways with little or no interference from the wind. Also welcome for the rider is the large step in the seat, which I found supported the lower back over distance and provided a secure bumstop when the going got more interesting. For an odd couple of days soon after I took temporary possession of the Night Rod Special the fuel gauge threw a complete wobbler. As the tank emptied, the needle was more inclined to go up than down. Unless some cornucopian miracle

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Roadtest: VRSCDX Night Rod Special

That’s hard to say, really, without timing lights or someone else to measure against. It was quick enough, but it still felt a little like it was winding itself up more than actually laying down its power, although it could be an indication of how well set-up the VR is that there was no drama or dilemma. Nice party piece, and one that could be worked on with a lock-up clutch and lower gearing and there is fun to be had in embarrassing sportbike riders, but does it make the VR a one trick pony? That depends on what you’re looking for, or what you expect. There is absolutely no question that there are people out there who will buy a VR – any VR – to cruise on, although it is fair to say, invoking a sweeping generalism, that such people tend to be new to riding HarleyDavidsons. Having not experienced the lazy torque of the big twin, they won’t know what

was happening, which I seriously doubted, I had absolutely no idea how much fuel I had and with no back-up in the form of a reserve tank on these fuel injected models I tried to keep the tank topped up. Even so, during a long run with few garages, I had to resort to riding it as economically as possible – highest gear, roll carefully up to a modest cruising speed and then do my best to hold the bike at that speed. I made it home thankfully, but in the morning the gauge had reset itself and I had been running on fumes those last few miles. I couldn’t trust the gauge after that experience and despite the fact

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they’ve missed. They could easily be wooed by the easy nature of the water Hog, but then they’ll be likely to be comfortable with spinning a motor round relatively quickly, because that is the nature of the modern engine in just about anything else on the planet these days. To an increasing percentage of people, a VR says Harley-Davidson on the side of the tank and is seen as just a different style of Harley. And it isn’t purely incoming riders: I noted that Rich thoroughly enjoyed pootling around on the same VRSCAW that disappointed me last issue, and Rich is at the old school biker end of Harley’s spectrum. We’re getting used to them. We’re starting to accept them for what they are rather than damning them for what they’re not, and it’s good to see the range of styles increasing accordingly. Set in that context, the Special is the VR version of the Night Train, at least in part. Feet-ﬁrst, ﬁsts in the wind motorcycles are typically not the most comfortable bikes in the world to ride but they are some of the most engaging, and the Special is no exception. Locked into the riding position that can only be described as aggressive, you ride it differently. It’s not the kind of bike for a canter through the hills,

that it did look like it was working accurately for at least most of the time that I had the Special, I preferred to fill the under-seat tank to the top, do a hundred miles and then find a garage. So, lying fuel gauge aside, was the VRSCDX Night Rod Special special enough for me to cast aside air-cooled Harleys and actually buy one? It’s very close. At £12,195 the VRSCDX Night Rod Special isn’t silly money, it’s comfy, very quick, handles and stops and really does press all the right buttons for me in the looks department. It is certainly the very first Revolution-motored Harley I feel I could live

with. I’m not sure that over time I’d get enough feedback from the motor for me to engage completely with the machine, I’m not sure if the VRSCDX Night Rod Special would ever feel like my bike. Sure I could make it louder and faster, but would that modern, efficient motor designed in association with Porsche ever captivate me like a 96-inch Big Twin? Aargh, don’t know! I’m going to have to cop out here, I absolutely loved the VRSCDX Night Rod Special, it was everything I hoped it would be when I first saw one – so I’ll let Mandie buy hers and ride that. Rich

SPECIFICATIONS: Engine Displacement Bore x Stroke Torque Fuel System Compression Ratio Length Seat Height Ground Clearance Rake / Trail Wheelbase Fuel Capacity Oil Capacity Weight Wheels:

Tyres: Electronics Instruments

Indicator lamps

Brakes Lean Angle Exhaust System

COLOURS

PRICE:

gazing upon the wonder of nature and speculating on its creation; it’s more a seeker of hills and valleys for the bends, dips and crests they put into the roads that traverse them. If you want a VR to ride hard and look good while doing it, forget the Street Rod: this is the weapon of choice! If only it had the 1,250cc motor from the ‘X’. It is THE cross-over Harley that will bring in Jap bike riders in larger numbers for its looks and real-world performance – it won’t do 180mph, but then neither will very many Hayabusa riders more than once – but will also entice a few existing Harley riders from their traditional bikes, and will engage them in a way that the V-Rod will struggle to. It is as close to the perfect VR as we’ve yet seen, in its ability to attract a broad cross-section of people and offering it with optional mid-set footrests and the 1,250cc Screamin’ Eagle motor would counter the only criticisms that I can raise. But then, just when you think you’ve got it nailed, you see the sort of people who are riding the Special – especially abroad – and a high percentage are women. It makes sense, in a logical way. Forgive the lack of political correctness, but the Special’s actually quite small, signiﬁcantly easier to handle than a Night Train with impeccable road manners and is sexy as hell. Stick a bearded, Jet-helmeted, ragged-arsed Bro on it and the VRSCDX is a lifestyle statement that is all snarling and malevolent; replace him with a member of the fairer sex with beaming smile, all tanned skin and tight leather, and you get ﬂashbacks to Emma Peel and Purdy with undertones of a dominatrix having tamed the savage beast … Nurse! The screens! The Special appears to be perfectly proportioned for both riders. The ergonomics that demand an aggressive stretched-out stance for taller riders seems to create a natural comfortable riding position for

Liquid-cooled, Revolution 1130cc 100mm x 72mm 80 ftlb / 108nm @ 7000rpm ESPFI 11.3:1 2460mm 640mm 107mm 34-degrees / 115mm 1715mm 18.9l 4.3l 292kg Front 19-inch black machined slotted disc Rear 18-inch black machined slotted disc Front 120/70ZR-19 60W Rear 240/40R-18 79V Security system Electronic speedometer with odometer, time-of-day clock on odometer, resettable tripmeter, fuel gauge with low fuel warning light, low oil pressure indicator light, diagnostics readout, brighter/ balanced LED lights, tachometer; solid-state, tell-tale indicator module High beam; neutral; low oil pressure; turn signals; engine diagnostics; security system; coolant temperature; low fuel warnings Front 300mm dual Rear 300mm 32-degrees / 32-degrees Straight-shot dual pipes: brushed mufﬂers with black end caps and black shields Two-tone black denim and vivid black, two-tone vivid black and black denim £12,195

the smaller physique. A larger framed rider serves to demonstrate just how long and low the VRSCDX is – and you need a body to set that context – but doesn’t overpower its slammed seat height because of its length; a smaller rider is in better proportion to the height, and the impression of that length seems to vanish. Neat trick. As I’m not five foot six and have never been described as petite, and as my only feminine attributes are those cruel twists of fate that affl ict men of a certain age – which I’m sure are only there to prevent us shaving our greying chest hair for fear of a sexual identity crisis – I’m not in a position to judge how well the Special works for the smaller rider, but I can only imagine it makes it more fl ickable, and quicker off the line, with the only potential caveat being the leverage on the narrower bars adding weight to the steering. So, in conclusion, what of the Night Rod Special? Having dismissed the VRSCAW as an expensive, underpowered, and overcomplicated – the unacceptable face of the 21st Century HarleyDavidson – how can I justify praising the VRSCDX? Easily: because it is the right bike. Or, at least, that it is more right. At £12,195 for a 1,130cc motorcycle it’s still expensive compared to a 1,584cc Dyna, it still lacks the stomp of the new big twin big twin motor – 108nm@7,000 plays 123nm@3,125 – and it is still a pig to develop beyond its normal, albeit relatively high state of tune beyond converting it to US fi nal drive gearing. But it is engaging. It is substantially more engaging to me than the new V-Rod was, which isn’t difficult, but it is even more so than the Night Rod which was my favourite VR until now. In case I don’t get time to rewrite this test – which was written a fortnight before we got the 2008 model news – if Harley announced an increase to 1,250cc across the board for VRs, I’ll restrict myself to recommending mid-set footrests and a switch to the American gearing. If they announce a 1,130cc V-Bob at a sub-Dyna price I will take my hat off to them, but I’ll reserve final judgement until I’ve ridden one. And I closed last issue’s Hammer-S piece by wondering how it would stack up at a regular biker haunt alongside the DX, so we blagged the ‘S’ again and called in at Matlock Bath on the way back from Phil and Sandi Piper’s wedding. Parking the two side-by-side, the Hammer had the best of the attention, but it was marginal. Both attracted plenty of attention, and perhaps the recognition of the Night Rod Special counted against it: it wasn’t quite so rare a sighting as Victory’s flagship streetbike. Words: Andy Hornsby Pics: Andy Hornsby & Phil Ashley

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Xl1200C Vs Dyna Low Rider An eerie silence from Milwaukee’s marketing machine around June time is invariably a sign that they haven’t got to shout about what’s coming for next season for fear of it going unnoticed, and for the second year running, you could’ve heard a pin drop in the halls of hyperbole. In 2007 we got a bigger engine for all big twins, together with a roll-out of 6-speed boxes and trick pipes, and Fuel Injected Sportsters: how would they follow that?

2008HARLEYDAVIDSONS With an anniversary – well, the number of years since 1903 divisible by five – but more importantly with new models and a couple of significant departures. We’ll get the anniversary stuff out of the way first, which is easy enough when compared to the all model, five colour scheme centenary range: for 2008, there is a single two-tone colour scheme of copper and black – okay, Anniversary Copper and Vivid Black – with copper inserts in the seats and pillions, a new cloisonné 105th anniversary tank badge in copper, a copper trim on the air filter, serialized plate and gloss black wheels. There will be a total production of about 41,000 bikes, comprising fourteen models in the full stable, or twelve for us. The fourteen are the Ultra Glide, Road King Classic, Road Glide, Street Glide, Heritage Softail, Softail Custom, FatBoy, Softail Classic, Dyna Custom, Low Rider, Wide Glide, XL1200 Custom, XL1200L and the VRSCAW. You’ll already know that we don’t get the FLTR Road Glide, so I’ll let you speculate a while as to which other is no longer coming to these shores. Other across-the-range changes are minimal. There’s a side-stand switch to stop people from being able to pull away with their side-stand down, which is now a European requirement. The side or ‘jiffy’ stand will still lock when the weight of the bike is on it, and upright and unlocked would still flick back at first contact with the ground should you attempt to pull away with it down, as it was designed to do. But rules is rules and we will have the same problem that every other modern motorcyclist faces at some point or other, when the switch gets dirty and doesn’t make full contact with the stand retracted and it’ll cut out as though it was down. Progress, eh? I’ve long thought it was far better to teach people to think, than to protect them when they don’t, removing any ability or incentive to learn from mistakes. Sorry, I’ll get back in my pram. A 25mm wheel bearing, the same as currently used on Softail front axles except Springers will be common to everything now, and the axle that it acts on will now be hollow, which will lead to modified torque settings on some models. And we get new rubber shift pegs.

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Not a whole hill of beans: that’s reserved for speciﬁc models and a couple of families. Price adjustments are generally up with a few welcome trend-buckers, but we’ll deal with those in the next sections.

XL Sportster. We’re off to a flying start with the first new model, and the least unexpected one. The US has had the new Nightster for a few months now, and they’re settling in nicely but we couldn’t have them over here because Harley fitted their first ever side-mount number plate, and that falls foul of European type approval (and even SVA): single track vehicles have got to have a central or symmetrical tail-light(s) and registration plate(s). Once the bike’s yours you can do what you like, as long as you’re prepared to take the consequences, but Harley had to redesign their

News: 2008 Harley-Davidsons

moody Nightster for us otherwise we couldn’t have it. The resulting bike is the same classic Sportster profile, but whereas the American model was slammed as though for unofficial US street racing, they’ve tailored ours for the sort of street racing we indulge in, which involves throwing it round bends, and have slotted a pair of XL883R shocks in the back to give better cornering clearance. The tail-light is mounted beneath the same cropped rear mudguard, and is like no other tail-light we’ve seen before. It actually looks like the bit of ABS that you’d bolt the number plate to, and I mistakenly thought someone had fitted the one in the press shots in the wrong place, but it seems to be a textured ABS cheese grater through which shines six LEDs for stop and tail, and I can only presume that the law considers the six tiny LEDs to represent a single lamp, and therefore be of a sufficient radius to be legal. The LED indicators look more conventional, but while Harley are bullish about how radical the new taillight is – the first of its kind – I predict a healthy trade in side-mounts from American models once they’ve cleared the dealers’ floor. Other changes to the Sportster clan are minimal: the 883R gets black highlights on its otherwise plain silver wheels, and there’s a new coachline on the 1200C’s fuel tank. Casualties? None, the Sportster is riding high. Price? Business as usual across the XL range, with only the new Nightster to consider, which is a very attractive £6,695 – a last minute £300 drop – in vivid black, which should make the 2-tone variant £6,995. SPORTSTER XL883 Sportster XL883 Sportster Low XL883R Sportster 883R XL883C Sportster Custom XL1200N Sportster Nightster XL1200L Sportster Low XL1200R Sportster Roadster XL1200C Sportster Custom

Solid 5,195 5,195 5,695 5,995 6,695 6,995 6,995 7,495

Pearl 5,295 5,295 5,795 6,095 n/a 7,095 7,095 7,595

2-tone n/a n/a n/a 6,295 6,995 7,295 n/a 7,795

and there is never a mention of ‘Sportster’ in any communications relating to the XR1200 so whether this will signal a new family or just a standalone model remains to be seen. It’s worth saying one more time that an XRCR Café Racer would be an obvious next step if they were to develop the platform further, just in case someone in the R&D department is receiving subliminal messages. Alternatively, they could always give a future XR the Night Rod Special treatment, and they’d be most of the way towards creating a 21st century Café Racer. Casualties? Sportbike riders’ perception of Harley-Davidson as a manufacturer of slow, heavy motorcycles. Price? Speculative only, because Harley haven’t released their retail prices yet, but it’s expected it will be around the £8k mark. XR XR1200

No colours announced yet. Estimated to be in the region of £8k

Anniversary n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 7,495 n/a 7,995

FXD Dyna.

XR The XR1200 has finally been given the go-ahead and will go into production next Spring. Details are scant beyond the actual impending production, but it would seem that the final bike will be close to the prototype in style and equipment, although perhaps without the lovely “Sportster” branded primary cover, which really deserved to be fitted to the flagship XL models this year. The US market hasn’t officially been informed yet of the news, but reaction from there was very positive for the motorcycle that owes a lot of its development to a product planning collaboration between Milwaukee and Harley’s European arm, so I don’t think they’ll have to wait long. That international collaboration was recently responsible for the Night Rod Special, which has subsequently become one of the topselling models in Europe, so expectations are high. When we last spoke to Harley at length about the XR, they were keen to put clear blue water between the XR and XL Sportster models,

One in, and one out. I’ll put you out of your misery and tell you that the Dyna Wide Glide hasn’t got a seat on the boat this year although it is still available in the US, but even then only in its Anniversary guise which it looks like it might be its last hurrah. Its withdrawal finally separates the Dyna and Softail ranges in terms of cost and leaves the Dyna family firmly in the ‘Street’ camp as opposed to the serious custom bracket. In its place we’ve got the FXDF Fat Bob, which references an old friend that we’ve not seen since the Shovelhead, but is in fact something between the old FXE/F and what a Dyna Fat Boy would be if Harley ever dared to undercut their ever-popular custom Softail. I’ve been looking at the Fat Bob for the best part of a week now, and I’m still not absolutely sure about its state of completion. It could quite easily be made into one of three bikes, any of which would perhaps jar less, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We’ve talked about blank canvases a lot in the past, with specific references to the cooking Super Glide and the old Softail Custom, and this is a step beyond that: this is painting by numbers with a range of alternative sets of lines that you can use, obscuring the ones you don’t need with the fi nal paint. Is that an analogy too far? I’ll explain. It’s an aggressive Streetfighter – it’s got the stance, the brakes,

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News: 2008 Xl1200C VsHarley-Davidsons Dyna Low Rider

badlander seat and the frame geometry, having the common 29-degree headstock which has been reduced in the yokes to 28, and it even has the option of mid-set rootrests afforded by the Street-Rod style exhaust … but it’s lacking a tacho and needs a nineteen, or even an eighteen inch front wheel matched to the same seventeen inch rear as the rest of the Dyna range, and the cropped, XL-style back end. It’s a stunning cruiser – it’s a Wide Glide from the taillight to the clean minimal instrument panel, with the added bonus of a stunning, overdue departure from shorty mufflers harking back to the earliest FXS models … but that’s at odds with its sharp rake, aggressive stance and lively handling, but nothing that you couldn’t work out with the raked yokes of the Low Rider, and perhaps longer forklegs. It’s the nearest thing so far to an FLD – with its heavyweight running gear and shrouded shocks it is the first FX to carry a 16-inch front wheel and while it hasn’t got the chunky FL forks it has got even chunkier 49mm VR forklegs … with a cut-down rear mudguard, or Fat Boy mudguards front and back, it’d be a very different animal. It’s only a short hop to any one of those three styles, with a more traditional integrity of line, but there’s every chance that it looks better in the metal and will be readily accepted for what it is. In any event, it’s good to see bold thinking. Changes across the Dyna family are new, redesigned yokes across the range – the Street Bob getting integral risers on the top yoke to prevent the free play at the top of its high bars that was inevitable with the previous bushings – and the frame gets redesigned top shock mountings and mudguard bracket forgings to accommodate wider tyres and mudguards. There are new brakes – a new 4-pot caliper that pulls them back off the rotors when the brakes are released physically holds the brake pads and pulls them back off the rotors when the brakes are released, and a new floating 2-pot caliper and bracket for the rear. The most visible change however is to a new teardrop air filter that is unique to the Dyna family. There is a missed opportunity with the Dynas, in that it’s arguably the 30th anniversary year of the Low Rider, which is probably as important a model as any in Harley’s evolution: the first factory custom, and an immediate sales success. It’s doubly disappointing as the Fat Bob’s sweeping exhaust is as close to the original model’s exhaust header as we’ve seen since: a paint job, old-style logo and drag bars on pullback risers would almost be enough. Maybe an XL1200R front end with twin disks and the return of the headlamp eyelid for one last curtain call on an FX, or perhaps a new eyelid designed to fit the current generation of front ends, which would be an interesting addition to the P&A for the nostalgic. Casualties: The Dyna Wide Glide, which never really recovered from losing its comfy pillion seat and backrest. Prices? There is no longer anything in the Dyna range that tops the £11k mark with the Wide Glide gone, the Low Rider has dropped by a whopping £765, which more than makes up for the £40 increase on Super Glide Customs and Street Bobs. The new Fat Bob comes in as the new flagship model for another £195. DYNA FXDB Dyna Street Bob FXDC Dyna Super Glide Custom FXDL Dyna Low Rider FXDF Dyna Fat Bob

Solid 9,135 9,835 10,330 10,525

Pearl 9,285 9,985 10,480 10,675

2-tone 9,585 10,285 10,780 n/a

Anniversary n/a 10,530 n/a n/a

Softail Serious changes are afoot within the Softail family and it’s going to make life more complicated in the alphabet soup of model designations: we have a new sub family and a new concept lurking in the pseudo-rigid cupboard. It’s called the Rocker Tail, and will henceforth be known as the FXCW for reasons best known to someone else. The touring 4-speed FXR has been out of production for long enough to recycle its FXRT tag, but CW it is: perhaps Jonathan Ross interviewed Willie G and mentioned a Custom Wocker? It’s probably Custom Wide, though. Lower, sleeker, fatter and trickier than the classic Softails, the CW has few common components with the Softail whose name it takes. It’s based around a new frame with a shallower headstock – 36.5 degrees at the headstock, with an extra 2-degrees in the yokes – it would get away with being described as having new 49mm forks if they weren’t the VR forks already in use on the Dyna family: nothing wrong with

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that, they’re good forks. They’re topped off with internally wired, twopiece handlebars on adjustable risers The Softail-style swing-arm has been revised too, and acts as the mounting point for the rear mudguard, which sits signiﬁcantly closer to the rear tyre, safe in the knowledge that it can’t ever get any closer. It makes it very clean, but it has a fundamental limitation, in that the cantilever-mounted mudguards cannot be loaded in any way. No pillion seat or phantom pad, no rack and no throw-overs: this isn’t going to be a rallying custom in stock trim. It’s only be a matter of time before someone makes a pair of rear stays to provide enough extra support for some luggage, but you have been warned. The mudguard does, however, provide a mounting point for the indicators and a brand new and very sleek central number plate bracket. Much like the Nightster, Harley have had to make allowances for the EU market here, and the US model’s bracket is purely a mounting bracket and reﬂector holder, using the red-lenses of the indicators as both tail-lights and indicators. We get an LED light within the casting of the number plate bracket, and I can’t help but think that it would have been the better solution for the Nightster too: certainly a more elegant solution. There is an obvious question in the air right now, which is that if you can’t put a pillion seat on the rear mudguard, where does a passenger sit? In the case of the FXCW, they sit on another motorcycle alongside you – the main growth in motorcycle sales will comes from spouses wanting their own bikes, so why not encourage it a little, eh? If you want an FXCW and a pillion seat, it means your’re looking at the FXCWC which, among other things, has a neat little trick, which is a

lined up for launch – but they might have a longer honeymoon period currently as the aftermarket is currently going through a shake down, and will probably look on to see whether the Rocker Tail eats into the core Softail market before committing to it. There is massive potential within the Rocker Tail, but then there still is in the Softail that spawned it. The rest of the Softail range has felt the hand of change at its collar too, with the same improvements to the brakes as the Dyna; a new, stiffer Softail swing-arm of its own; changes to the rear mudguard struts to make it easier to assemble loosely on the bench, and a few upgrades to the frame – the upshot of which will prevent seats and paint kits from pre-’08 models fitting post-’08s and vice versa. Casualties? The Softail Springer Classic, but it has been dropped before only to re-emerge by popular demand, which makes the only UK-spec Springer the 110-inch CVO model. Price? An increase across the board with the odd inter-model adjustment, but the news is where the FXCWs fit into the food chain. Priced at a premium as the big new thing, the plain Rocker slips between the Sofatail and Fat Boy, which seems little steep for a silver motor and solo saddle, while the CWC with its Trick Seat and chrome breathes the rarified atmosphere that used to the domain of the Deuce.

forward pivoting saddle, the reveals a fold-out pillion seat. Seat? Tray! I’m looking forward to the expression on Amanda’s face when I invite her to sit on one, and haven’t got to think too hard to imagine what her response will be. The hope is that it is more comfortable than it looks because when folded out and unladen it looks more than a little bit odd, which suggests that an accessory seat with enough padding to prevent a divorce will look similarly unwieldy. Mind you, I’m not sure about the gap between the deep bucket seat and the rear mudguard either on the solo version, or with the pillion folded away. I think Harley have missed a trick, and a quick glance at pre-1958 hardtails shows how much neater a floating saddle, or even a buddy seat looks when dealing with the same problem, assuming that the area beneath the seat is uncluttered enough to be left on view. A custom, minimally padded pre-formed solo and buddy seat can’t be beyond the gift of Harley’s R&D people, and done properly it could be a simple tool-less operation to switch between the two versions. That, and pannier brackets on the Rocker Tail swing-arm, would address my only major problems with the CW which I reckon will otherwise take the world by storm. Both frame and swing arm are wider at their interface than Softail equivalents because the CW takes the 240/40x18 tyre profile that we’ve seen on a couple of V-Rods this year, albeit with a different tread pattern and speed rating. That proved to be a good, neutral tyre without any really nasty habits and if the new Dunlop D407 variant is as good, it’ll ride well, although it looks, on paper, as though the Night Train will get the better of it in corners. The extra width means that some work must have been done on the motor too, to allow the drive belt to clear the tyre. It has, and the Rocker has a new wide primary. Stylistically, it nods in the direction of the Deuce but takes it further. The horizontal line of the FXSTD’s tank is there, but the speedo mount is brand new; the deep dish headlamp on better-looking forks is there, but the forks are more purposeful, and the stylized headlamp is purported to have been influenced by a fire engine. Having mentioned that the FXCWC is more than just a pillion away from the FXCW, I’d best cover that really, and that can be done in almost one word: chrome. The base model gets a lot of stainless-steel painted components – by which I mean steel painted to look like stainless steel – and the C gets proper shiny stuff as well as a black and chrome motor, colour matched horseshoe oil tank – a new, wider cast aluminium item – and the Rocker Tail swing-arm is the same colour as the frame. In the Rocker, Harley-Davidson have built a motorcycle that few existing aftermarket parts will fit onto without modification. Barring the Twin Cam 96B motor and 6-speed Cruise Drive gearbox, very little is carried over: even the exhausts need to account for the wider tyre. That will give them twelve months, typically, to capitalise on their position in the market – you can be sure that they’ll have accessories

SOFTAIL FXSTB Night Train FXSTC Softail Custom FXCW Rocker FLSTF Fat Boy FLSTC Heritage Softail FLSTN Softail Deluxe FXCW Rocker C

Solid 11,865 12,075 12,755 13,375 13,865 13,960 14,255

Pearl 12,015 12,225 12,905 13,525 14,015 14,110 14,405

2-tone n/a 12,525 n/a 13,825 14,315 14,410 n/a

Anniversary n/a 12,775 n/a 14,075 14,565 n/a n/a

Tourers No new models but plenty of significant changes: the ones that will make most difference to you if you’re on the verge of buying one being a bigger, six US gallon fuel tank, Brembo 4-pot calipers on 300mm semi-floating rotors up front, and a two-piece caliper and mount at the back, and ABS as standard on All Ultras – CVO, Anniversary and regular – Anniversary Road King Classics and CVO Road King models, and optional on the rest. You need to know that having said earlier that they’ve standardised on wheel bearings, that ABS models have a different bearing which is integral to the wheel sensor, as are the spacers. But there’s more. The scary bit is that throttle cables are a thing of the past on Tourers. All the push-pull cables have done recently, in effect, is to control the ECU that runs the engine anyway, so what Harley have done is to make that link electronic further up. This is what is being called ‘fly-bywire’. Once you’ve bitten the bullet and accepted Fuel Injection, you’ll

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News: 2008 Xl1200C VsHarley-Davidsons Dyna Low Rider

VR Models

recognise that without functioning electronics you’re knackered anyway, so it can probably be seen as a good thing. Twelve months down the road, once it has proven itself as a technology, the high-tech custom boys will be adopting electronic throttles to keep the clutter down. There have been some subtle frame mods: not the sort of stuff you’ll spot unless you’re looking for it, but movement of ancillary brackets largely. They’ve also redesigned the front motor mount, and moved the front stabiliser link in order to limit travel on the rubber mounts. The drive train has had a shock absorber introduced at the rear wheel pulley, which Harley refer to as an Isolated Drive System. They run a similar system on VR models, and it effectively absorbs any sudden shocks to the drive train, smoothing out the ride: a nice thing to have on a tourer, but probably the sort of thing you won’t realise you haven’t got until you ride the new model. While they were messing around with the bigger fuel tank, Harley took the opportunity to lose the front balance pipe and replace it with one at the rear, which will make removing the tank a whole lot easier – as will the revised fuel take off line to the injector. It’s also been treated to a new fuel pump module and fuel level sender. Cosmetically, it’s been treated to a narrower and low-profile, Deuce-like console which is said to have given them chance to redesign the saddle for greater comfort. I’ve saved the best ’til last: well I think it’s funny. How long have those deflectors on the lower edge of batwing fairings been called Willie Wings? I’ve got terrible visions of Claire Raynor lurching towards me extolling the virtues of playing tennis, in whites, regardless of what the calendar says. Well, anyway, they’re now adjustable. Casualties? The Road King Custom, the tourer without a screen, which was never a massive seller in the UK. Price? Another across-the-board increase for the FLH family, but you do get the opportunity to decide whether you want to pay the extra £650 for ABS on everything except the Ultra which gets a major price hike as a result, or the Anniversary Road King Classic. I suspect that next year, having let us know just how much extra it costs, they’ll fit ABS as standard as a safety feature. TOURER FLHT Electra Glide Standard (ABS +£650) FLHR Road King (ABS +£650) FLHRC Road King Classic FLHRC Road King Classic (inc ABS) FLHX Street Glide (ABS +£650) FLHTCU Ultra Classic Electra Glide (inc ABS)

Solid

Pearl

2-tone

Anniversary

12,325 13,425 13,995

12,475 13,575 14,145

n/a 13,875 14,445

n/a n/a n/a

14,645

14,795

15,095

15,375

14,825

14,975

n/a

16,995

17,145

17,445

17,725

And then there were two. There are three in the US because they still get the regular Night Rod as well, but you’ll only see Night Rod Specials and VRSCAWs on the floors of UK dealers from now on. The Street Rod is destined to become a mythical figure – maybe even the XLCR of the 21st Century: misunderstood and ahead of its time. If you want one, now is probably your best chance to pick one up cheap: before people go misty eyed and while dealers want rid. The good – no, the great news is that 2008 VR models will have 1250cc motors, complete with the high-flow cast cylinder heads used on the ’06 CVO V-Rod and last year’s VRSCX. It’s overdue. I can understand the wisdom of offering a big bore kit on the 96-inch Twin Cams or 883 Sportsters because it’s a bolt on modification and offers an improvement that not everyone will want or need, but that was never the case with the 1130cc motor. The bad news is that we are still beaten up by drive-by noise tests and so we get a couple of teeth more on the gearbox pulley of the final drive which raises the overall gearing by just over 6.5% higher across the board, trading blistering take-off acceleration for an irrelevant top speed. On the bright side, that is relatively easy to modify with a smaller front pulley and a download. With the new motor, power is up from 117hp@8,500rpm to 123hp@8,250rpm: worth having for free but not worth ripping your motor down for and a better reason for looking at a VR. Apart from that the bikes remain the same in terms of dimensions and cycle parts with one notable exception: the VRSCX lives on through the normal V-Rod’s adoption of a brushed aluminium laced Profi le front wheel. Well, that and the optional ABS on both models, a relocated voltage regulator that’s now tucked into the radiator cover, closed loop injection and a slipper clutch which is more forgiving of rapid downshifting, and should make catapulting yourself off the line easier. Casualties? The Street Rod, which was on borrowed time from the beginning; the VRSCX, which was only ever a limited edition; and the Night Rod, which was the water HOG that stopped the rot and deserves to be missed. Price? Buoyed up by the success of the Night Rod Special, Harley seem to be bullish enough about the VRs to increase the prices of the two remaining models, again giving you the opportunity to dig deeper for ABS. VRSC Solid VRSCAW V-Rod (ABS +£650) 12,075 VRSCDX Night Rod Special (ABS +£650) n/a

Pearl 12,225

2-tone 12,475

Anniversary n/a

n/a

12,325

n/a

CVO Models A carbon copy of last year’s round-up: a Dyna, Springer Softail, Road King and an Ultra. New colours – two each plus the Anniversary Scheme – and odd details including ABS on the Ultra Glide and the Road King, and a more sensible 19-inch front wheel on the Springer, beyond which it’s too irrelevant for a mainstream round-up. CVO FXDSE2 Screamin’ Eagle Dyna FXSTSSE2 Screamin’ Eagle Softail Springer FLHRSE4 Screamin’ Eagle Road King (inc ABS) FLHTCUSE3 Screamin’ Eagle Ultra Classic Electra Glide (inc ABS)

2-tone 18,025 19,025 20,225 23,925

Words: Andy Hornsby (e&oe) Pics: Harley-Davidson inc.

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Event: Laconia Bike Week 2007

“Hey look at that!” Busy day down at the Roadhouse.

New Hampshire hills and forests makes for great riding country. Roads were good and wide, and traffic was light: I think I want to move there …

Weir’s Beach is where all the action is.

LACONIA

BIKE WEEK 2007 You’ll have heard of, or even been to Daytona Bike Week, and you’ve certainly heard of Sturgis, but how many people in the UK have heard of Laconia Bike Week? This year I had an opportunity to find out what it was like, when, in the company of a dozen or so Rainy City HDC Members and, of course, my Better Half, I flew into New Jersey and rode a rented 2007 Road King the 350 miles north to this popular event. »

The “Ride to the Sky” toll road takes you to the 6,000 ft high summit of Mount Washington. Monday and Thursday it was “bikes only”. The route is about 40% unmetalled surface.

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Event: Laconia Bike Week 2007

Weir’s Beach at the quiet end of the week. If you wanted to avoid the traffic jams that build up on the Thursday and Friday you can always take the privately run railway up to Meridith.

Billed as the oldest of the big American rallies, Laconia Bike Week is centred in the Lake Winnipesaukee area of New Hampshire, and every June upwards of 300,000 bikers make the trip to enjoy the events and scenery. Most of the action takes place at Weir’s Beach – like Bowness-on-Windermere without the Lock Baker, of Eastern Fabrications, based out crowds of tourists – a few miles away from in Branford, Connecticut is relatively new on the Laconia town. There you’ll fi nd bikes parked custom scene, but deserves to be better known. up at the sides and centre of the street, Sturgis-style; more T-shirt vendors than you could shake an adjustable Interesting use of metal. Girders fabricated from sheet aluminium and push-rod at, other vendors selling luggage, food, badges (“pins”), huge spine tube make for a unique look. A pity it wasn’t finished. patches and all the usual bike culture stuff that you’ll fi nd at this type of event. Just like Sturgis and Daytona, there are live bands, custom shows and loads of V-twins with deafening exhaust pipes all over the place. There are plenty of events to see, including the Gunstock Hillclimb, a sprint up a grassy ski slope for everything from Motocross bikes to lairy-looking Snowmobiles, and road racing out at the New Hampshire International Raceway. And just like the Sturgis and Daytona there is way too much to fit in one location, so some of the well-known names like Kuryakyn, S&S, Victory and … er, Aprilia(?), are out at places like The Turkey Farm restaurant’s car park and the Fun Spot water park out towards Meredith, while Harley-Davidson had their travelling museum and test fleet somewhat out on a limb in down-town Laconia, where they

Low is good.

Plenty of bare hand-fabricated metal on display on this Eastern Fabrications custom Panhead. Unsurprisingly, builder Lock Baker has a background in arts and antiques. Dig those 4-spoke steel wheels!

No moose is good news! You don’t want to run into one of these huge beasties...

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Sunny day at Weir’s Beach. Crowds are down from when estimated attendance peaked 5 years ago. Locals blame “gas prices” of almost $3 a gallon!

Plenty of food stalls in the Lobster Pound. You could get everything from burgers to Greek food. I recommend the lobster rolls.

No, that’s not a half-sized Harley: it’s a double-sized American!

Huge armchair-like seat is very comfortable but why do I feel I should be wearing a space suit?

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Event: Laconia Bike Week 2007

Wot no snow? Horsepower overcomes this minor problem at Gunstock hill climb.

America’s other V-twin. Ridley produce these neat little chops with fully automatic CVT gearboxes. The 750cc engine looks like it has industrial origins, usually said to be a Briggs and Stratton lawnmower motor.

Matt black and gold metalflake makes for a distinctive chop. The trend seems to be moving away from wide tyre bikes to something simpler.

Found lurking in an official dealer in Auburn, Massachusetts, this “1903 Single” is apparently one of only three in existence, but who made it and why is less clear: it certainly wasn’t HarleyDavidson, and it wasn’t in 1903.

were offering beef jerky tasting – which was much better, it has to be said, than the usual shoe-leather substitute you can get from petrol stations. There was more fun to be had at Acme Choppers, who had some more vendors and a swapmeet, and there were branches of the Broken Spoke and Boot Hill saloons for some night-time fun. So far, so familiar. What makes Laconia different is the scenery. New Hampshire makes for fantastic riding, with plenty of quiet roads and rolling, wooded hills interspersed with beautiful lakes. It was this scenery that attracted me when I ﬁrst saw the event on the American Thunder TV show, and it is this that makes it stand out. It’s deﬁ nitely worth having a bike out there. You’re only half a day’s ride from Vermont – bigger than England with a population of just half a million living in little clapboard and picket fence towns straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting – and a couple of hours away from the Maine coast. This year the area was blessed with warm, sunny weather, and we enjoyed some long rides into the White Mountain area, and a stunning ride up to the summit of Mount Washington on one of the designated “motorcycle only” days. New Hampshire is a great centre for touring New England, and there are several bike rental places in the North East to help you take advantage of the scenery. With easy access from British airports we were surprised that we didn’t meet anyone else – not one – from the UK during our week there, and can report having had a great time. It made a nice change from Daytona’s beaches and Sturgis’ badlands, so if you’re looking for something a little different, yet another side of America, why not give Laconia a try? Words & pics: Nitro

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Xl1200C Vs Dyna Low Rider

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Custom: Lincoln Green

Harley-Davidson must be cock-a-hoop. The new generation Fat Boy with its fatter back end, reworked sheet metal and 1584cc motor has revitalized an already successful motorcycle, and it must make their hearts sing when an existing owner, like Martin Dickinson, trades in their older bike for the new model.

LINCOLN

GREEN I don’t suppose they thought for a minute that there would be a hacksaw through the frame before the ink was dry on the receipt though, nor that the registration number wouldn’t see the upright bracket that we all know so well before it was unbolted and cast aside. But that’s exactly what happened when Martin took his bike straight from Sycamore to Nick Gale’s workshop off the North Circular Road. He had a pretty good idea of what he wanted and knew that Nick could put it together having seen his show-winning bikes at the previous three European HOG rallies, especially Remembrance – as you’ll see as soon as you notice the forks. Notice them? You can’t miss ’em! Martin wanted a classic high neck chopper, and he wanted long American Suspension Dragon Springer forks in the front which is precisely what he got, and seven months later, two days before the run to Fuengirola, it was ready. It’s easy when you say it quickly, can I go home now? No? Okay.

» »

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Custom: Green Xl1200CLincoln Vs Dyna Low Rider

By the time they were through, there was an amazing lack of Fat Boy left: a black and chrome engine; the tank, which had been stretched; and … oh yes: the frame. Yes, honestly, that is an FLSTF frame. Well, the main bit is, the swing-arm obviously isn’t. Okay, so it’s just the back of the front loop because it has been raked and stretched: the original headstock is fourteen inches higher than originally intended, and it has been punted forward by another eight inches and is now raked at 45degrees. Using the original headstock has kept the VIN intact, which confirms it as being a 2007 Fat Boy and as such it could even qualify for ‘Best Fat Boy’ in an official competition where it would stand headstock and shoulders above its contemporaries, regardless of the fact it no longer bears even a passing resemblance to its former self. The fi rst time I saw it, it was sitting within the elevated walls of a Spanish castle where it had just taken Best Custom and Best in Show at the European HOG rally. It was baking in the heat of a mid afternoon reserved for mad dogs and Englishmen, beneath a relentless sun on what had once been a cannon platform, and which was memorable for a complete lack of shade. I know what you’re thinking, and it’s beneath you. You’re muttering under your breath about a recent build being trailered down to the south of Spain and then paraded up and down the seafront before being parked up at a ride in show. I know you are. I would’ve been, but we’d have been wrong, because Martin is a rider, and after the quickest of shake-down runs, bike and rider faced the most demanding of tests as they rode to Fuengirola, covering 2,000 miles in six days. They weren’t alone, riding with the NGCC crew, and the only casualty was a single nut coming undone, which was replaced as a running repair. I’m not letting anyone off the hook here, as I know that there were bikes in the show that weren’t ridden – a whole truckload outside our hotel, a stone’s throw from the show – but I was pleased to note that they weren’t Brits, and that they didn’t win. To be fair, there was a chance that they needed to arrive fresh, so they were better equipped to put their towels out on the nicer sun-loungers round the pool. Discretion and a reluctance to descend into xenophobia prevents me from saying where they might have been from … because they might not have a sense of humour. I fi nally met Martin at Americana, and he was as keen for us to feature it as I was to shoot an ’07-based chop, especially one that was so obviously rideable and I knew would be ridden round the shows, so we scratched our heads in an attempt to think of a suitable location somewhere between Lincoln and Cheshire, and agreed to get in touch the following week. With the Luis Royo artwork by Khameleon Custom on the tank, coupled with the imposing front end which struck me as gothic, the obvious choice for me was one of Nottingham’s hidden jewels:

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Newstead Abbey – home to Byron, with the ruined Abbey’s West Front providing a suitably fantastical backdrop – especially with the muchpromised leaden skies of another glorious 2007 summer’s day behind. Sadly I hadn’t figured on the difference in attitude between the Spanish authorities’ happiness to let HOG park a motorcycle show on their 10th Century Castle, and those of the Nottingham City Council’s servants’ fi rm refusal to allow the crumbling façade of a 13th Century Priory’s West Front to be used as a backdrop behind a single motorcycle. The difference is manifested in the fact that the once crumbling Sohail Castle was taken over by the council in 1989, is now stable and makes a positive contribution to its surroundings, while the West Front of the Abbey is close to collapse, is netted to catch any falling debris and the foot of the wall protected by crowd control barriers, and few people know or care about its plight. The staff were proud to inform us that the council had been custodians of the site since 1911 (actually 1931), which only underlines the scale of their dereliction of duty, in failing to protect a local landmark and significant historical monument over the last seventy-five years. Apparently, even if you book the remaining chapel for a wedding you can’t use the façade for the pictures without paying a hefty price – £500 was mentioned – although you can take as many photographs of the remains, even with your friends in front of it, as long as they’re

not wearing wedding attire, or sitting on a motorbike – oh, and a bunch of octogenarian ladies we met in the car park were told they weren’t allowed to sketch inside the house: someone somewhere needs to think about the PR beneﬁts of actively raising the proﬁ le of its plight. Massive digression I know, but you need a rant now and again. I would recommend that you go to Newstead Abbey if you’ve got an interest in old stuff, the romantic movement, Byron or just winding up jobsworths, but make sure you ask the bloke on the gate whether the £3 entry goes to Nottingham City Council or Newstead Abbey, park your bike right out at the front and see how quickly the green-jumpered ones arrive, and make sure you ask permission if you decide to take a photograph

of the Abbey’s West Front, because they do like to be asked. And make sure you go soon: it might not have long left. It was doubly unfortunate because had I known how precious they were about the damage that publicity could bring, we could have saved Martin the job of cleaning the bike after riding down the mile-long, speed-humped, drenched and dirty access road, but that is something that he’s resigned to: when you haven’t got a front mudguard you take the consequences. Incidentally, you also get very wet at about 15mph, but are okay at speed. We did get to use the mature trees in the surrounding woodlands, however, and Martin is a member of HOG’s Sherwood chapter, sponsored by Robin Hood Harley-Davidson, which has a certain elegance about it. And guess who the ceremonial head of Nottingham City Council is? Yes, it’s still the bloody Sheriff! So, the bike. Martin’s ﬁrst custom Harley had been a Fat Boy back in 2000, which he ﬁtted with a W&F fat back end, treated to a Stars and Stripes paint job and won with at the 100th Anniversary party at Minehead in 2003, but when he started seeing his wife, Victoria, he did what most bright people would do. Unsure how she’d take to the motorcycle lifestyle, he traded the Fat Boy for a CVO Electra Glide, giving her a better perch from which to form a positive opinion. It worked and she’s just passed her test, so the Electra had done its job, and part of the deal in her learning to ride was that he could return to a custom bike. Told you he was bright. A Fat Boy is a strange choice for so radical a remodelling job, being

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Custom: Green Xl1200CLincoln Vs Dyna Low Rider

one of Harley’s most popular models in its own right, but Martin’s primary criteria was that it had to be a Softail, and while both the Custom and the Heritage would both have provided the parts he needed, he reckoned he’d probably get more for the take-off parts from a new FLSTF than the others, and they’ve since found their way to new homes courtesy of ebay. There were a couple of other criteria it had to meet too: he wanted low ’bars that had the perception of high ’bars, which is a tough one to get your head around at first, but makes sense quite quickly. They look high – they actually are high – but they feel low: that is largely because the headstock is high, but also because the stretched tank is high and takes the air pressure off your chest when you’re getting a move on. After many happy hours in fabrication, sitting on the fi nished frame and on the proper saddle – much better than guessing – he’s delighted with the result. The way they interact with the top yoke of the 22-inch over Dragon Springers is nothing short of stunning, and they even give him the perfect position for his SatNav, and it’s just a shame that the Garmin’s plastic box doesn’t integrate quite so well. He reports that he’s got a clear line of sight over the top of the Headwinds ‘Vampire Concours Rocket’ headlamp at the start of the journey but confesses that a couple of hours in, as the inevitable long-distance slouch sets in, he has to peer around it. It hasn’t stopped him covering the miles, and you’re never short of something to look at when you’ve got the back of a chrome headlamp in your line of sight: a kind of infi nity fish-eye lens To fi nish the detail of the front end we’ve got to hurtle round to the back, to where the new Fat Boy rear wheel and 200-section tyre would be, and something else that was on Martin’s wish-list. His first Fat Boy run a W&F back end which he really liked, but while Harley have followed the trend even the new 200 just wasn’t wide enough and he wanted just that little bit more … although nothing too

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excessive. Even so, a 240 won’t just slot into a stock back end, even the new one, but which of the many solutions on offer should he take? There are two ways to go, realistically: an easy kit solution with every part from a single source, and a mix and match set-up, and work out how best to fit it all together. Martin and Nick chose the simple route, but when the simple route is as complete as that offered by Hawg Halters Inc, comprising the wheel, matching pulley, drive side brake, swing-arm and a strutless rear mudguard, and all fi rst class quality, it’s not a hard decision. It is an odd one in some ways bearing in mind that Martin had specified a Softail, as the HHI kit comes with a conventional-looking swingarm, but it’s one that uses the underslung shocks and that’s what he was actually looking for: Martin wanted a Shotgun air-shock, and is looking forward to its return after an early failure. HHI make everything but the wheels and pulleys, which they source from Renegade, and the 18x8.5-inch Renegade Vegas at the back is matched up to a 21x3.25 Vegas wheel with matching disc up front in the black and chrome Dragon Springers, which comes with its own neat ‘Padlock’ brake caliper.

SPECIFICATIONS: Owner Year & Make Assembly Time Engine Air Cleaner Pipes Transmission Frame Modiﬁcations Rake Shocks Swing Arm Forks

Length Yokes Wheel: Tyre: Brake

Bars Controls Headlight Front Indicators Taillight Speedo Forward Controls Rear Pegs Electrics Seat & Pillion Sissy Bar Gas Tank

Mirrors LED Lighting Grips Paint Colour

The rear brake is equally neat, and is part of the HHI kit. You’ll have come across sprocket/rotors – Sprotors – and their belt drive equivalents before, but this is different in that it separates the brake rotor from the drive pulley so isolating the pulley from any heat build-up from braking, and keeps the belt mercifully clear of any corrosive dust from the brake pads. More than a clever engineering solution, it is designed to keep one side of your expensive billet wheel free of clutter so you can better appreciate the shape of the spokes without compromising performance. As a side beneﬁt it offers a side-

Martin Dickinson 2007 EFI Harley Davidson Fat Boy Nick Gale Customs Seven Months 2007 96 Cubic inch Twin Cam ‘B’ Twin D&M Customs Twisted Spikes V&H Big Radius Stock 6-speed 2007 HD Fat Boy 14-inches up, 8-inches out 45-degrees Shotgun Air Hawg Halters Inc American Suspension Dragon Springer with Sabre Teeth, in black and chrome 22-inches over American Suspension Front: 21 x 3.25 Renegade Vegas Rear: 18 x 8.5 Renegade Vegas Front: 120/70 x 21 Avon Rear: 240/40x18 Metzeler Front Renegade Vegas with American Suspension Padlock caliper Rear Renegade Vegas with Hawg Halters Inc caliper P&D Custom Bikes HD Chrome Headwinds – Vampire Concours Rocket Smooth In Mirrors Hawg Halters Inc HD Supreme Legend Supreme Legend HD P&D Custom Bikes P&D Custom Bikes Stretched with ﬂush-mounted, pop-up fuel cap and repositioned fuel supply Maxim Sabre Nick Gale HD Keith @ Khameleon Custom Black with Louis Royo Dragon & Flames

mount number plate bracket as an extension to the caliper mounting bracket, and it goes without saying that the HHI Driveside In-Board Brake System works with the Renegade pulley. Surprisingly, the vast majority of the rest is the original bike but by now ‘the rest’ is the powertrain and the controls. There are still a few tricky bits, like the indicators in the mirrors, but the handlebar switchgear is stock Harley in chromed housings, the speedo and dash – and all the associated gubbins therein – came with the original bike and have been bolted back onto the stretched tank. He did draw the line, however, at retaining the Fat Boy’s footboards, which have been replaced by Supreme Legends’ footpegs and controls. The heart of the bike, its motor, however is mechanically untouched. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the performance of the 96-inch Twin Cam, and barring a set of Vance & Hines Big Radius and a mad but good-looking pair of air filters on a one-off manifold filling the gap where the front of the tank should be – not forgetting the bits needed to stop the ECM from whining about being unable to find the active control valve mechanism and the intake spinnaker – it’s very much as it left the factory … so Harley-Davidson can take some solace there. Look and learn: you can build a radical custom bike and ride it every day; if you relied on weather forecasts you’d never ride anywhere; and the tales of Robin Hood were probably written by Lord Byron in retaliation for being told he’d only be getting a biweekly rubbish collection service alternating with recycled waste. Words and pics: Friar Tuck

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Roadtest: Buell XB12STT

BUELL XB12STT

It’s an obvious step for Harley’s specialist arm and capitalises on a wealth of pre-existing parts without falling into the trap of being ‘just’ a 1200 CityX or an undressed Ulysses. In this anniversary year of the Isle of Man’s prestigious TT races, its model designation could confuse those who aren’t aware that the Manx course provided the inspiration for what was to be called Miniature TT Racing, which found favour both in the US and Australasia. America’s version goes back to the days when racing was either on board tracks or at country fair horse tracks, and differed from the main oval track events by having at least one right hand corner and one jump: it doesn’t sound like a lot of difference, but it required a different sort of machine to one designed to ride in continuous left-hand circuits on compacted dirt – and the TT

There’s another winged horse on the block with the arrival of the Super-TT: a bridgehead between the Lightning Long and the Ulysses, and the ﬁrst proper stab at a Supermoto from the company whose regular street bikes have long been competitive, unofﬁcially, in that racing class.

event still exists today in a bewildering panoply of AMA-recognised racing classes. How bewildering? Having taken the time to check it out – and it took some digging – you didn’t think you were going to get away without at least a list, did you? Don’t worry I’ll keep it brief. On tarmac you’ve got Road Racing, obviously, and Drag Racing, but then you leave tarmac behind. Deep breath: Motorcross, on natural rough terrain; Arenacross, on specially constructed indoor circuits; Dirt Track, which includes short track, half-mile and mile ovals as well as the aforementioned TT; Enduros, over unmarked off-road trails determined by check points, with riders starting at one minute intervals attempting to maintain a designated average speed; Hare Scrambles, over long, marked forest and rugged American-V.co.uk

Roadtest: Buell XB12STT

natural terrain circuits for a given number of laps or else a preset length of time, like two hours; Hare and Hound, enduro with a mass start, racing against each other, often referred to as desert races; Hillclimbs, drag-racing up impossible hills; Dirt Drags, drag racing on dirt; Observed Trails, the familiar picking through impossibly complicated off-road courses; Speedway, short shale ovals, much the same as over here; Ice Racing, dirt-track racing on ice; and Supermoto, a recently imported class where motorcross meets TT on tarmac and dirt, with bikes running road tyres. By comparison with the UK, Road Racing is almost a fringe sport and there are bigger followings for the off-road disciplines. Interestingly, SuperMoto is the new rising star of the AMA circuit and the natural stamping for the new Buell, but TT is better established and dirt ovals have been dominated by Harley-Davidson for decades now, so the XB12STT it is. And if you think you’ve heard of TT racing before, you can either go back to British singles and twins of the ﬁfties and sixties – BSA did especially well – or else the Yamaha XT500TT and Honda FT500 Ascot singles of the seventies and eighties.

SECOND OPINION: Sometimes I get a test bike for a week or two but it feels like I had the Buell Lightning Super TT XB12STT for not much longer than it took me to type out its name. To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what the Super TT was before Andy dropped it off and assumed it would be a little like the Ulysses, but a bit more motard. That’s more or less what turned up, but I still wasn’t absolutely sure what Buell were getting at here so checked out their site to find out more. There Buell assured me that what I had for the next day or so was a ‘defiant urban assault machine’: well that cleared that one up.

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TT and Supermoto both provide an obvious backdrop and new niche for Buell but it might have been the right time to differentiate between the US and international markets, as far as model designations go, as TT racing on this side of the Atlantic means only one thing to 99% of the population. Some of that suggests that it was a model name in search of a specification, which is unlikely. Since the arrival of the CityX, with its off-road styling cues, there has been a temptation to consider what a CountryX might be, perhaps even more than what a CityX would be with the bigger, torquier motor. The Ulysses announcement suggested we might be about to fi nd out, but the extra equipment of the big adventure trail, capitalising on the increased profi le afforded by Messrs Boorman and McGregor, meant it would be down to individual owners to fi nd out for themselves. The Ulysses was as excellent bike as far as it went, but for many Buelligans, it went too far. It was more than the ballsy streetbike they expected from Erik’s team, and in some respect the compromises it had had to make, in order to compete with the likes of BMW’s GS and Triumph’s Tiger, had left it too tall for some, and a little inaccessible.

Much too much was made of the ability to customise the Super TT and I couldn’t quite see where or how until I checked out the gallery and saw that Buell meant you could scrawl over the white plastic bodywork with marker pens, you know, like graffiti style. As you can imagine, at first I wasn’t that impressed: it felt a little desperate, a little ‘Hey, let’s get hip with the kids.’ But the more I thought about it, the more I liked the concept. Buell were seemingly saying ‘We’re not precious about this bike, it’s big and hard enough to look after itself.’ Despite my initial misconception, the Super TT had no pretensions as a hybrid crosser, it is intended to be a city bike: a working bike that

doesn’t just see sunny Sundays. It’s going to get dirty and dinged, so don’t sit there and polish it, blast it with a hose and draw on it. Cool. Buell and Harley-Davidson are to all intents and purposes the same company, yet how different a concept of their own products is that? The first ride out on it was going to be two up, but that stalled at the first hurdle. Despite the length of the seat, the Super TT is intended to be a solo bike and doesn’t sport a set of pillion pegs. Buell suggest that the size of the seat is to allow the rider space to move around a lot when the going gets interesting, though personally I tend to sit as close into the tank as I can, but I do see where they’re coming from. I would have

Often seen with luggage, to underline its potential, its brilliant triple-tail rack-cum-backrest was far too sensible for a streetfightin’ mudplugger and even with the optional, more rounded seat it was still teeteringly high for all but the most confident. The XB12STT is a very different animal indeed, and while it looks like it has a lot in common with the XB12X, it is actually a very clever addition to the Lightning family. The cleverest part of all is that it looks like it’s going to be priced between the Lightning and the Ulysses, but is actually the cheapest XB12 in Buell’s range, positioned perfectly in terms of price between the CityX and the Ulysses. The saddle – nicely upholstered, but flat as a plank – serves to keep the seat height up within 10mm of the current Ulysses, but the 30mm reduction in ground clearance – albeit 20mm up on a regular Lightning – picks the TT out as not a stripped-down Ulysses as much as a pumped up Lightning, and that is what it is. I could plant both feet firmly on the deck, and while I readily acknowledge that I’m taller than the average, a lower seat would be an easy upgrade and wouldn’t eat into the extra clearance of the longer suspension. Look again, and you’ll see the economies: the Arctic White covers won’t have cost a fortune to produce, and only the number plate is a new moulding. It’s sold as a blank canvas for the urban scrawl, and

it certainly looks well in press shots when subjected to that treatment, but don’t expect it to look as good if you get your old spray cans out and try to reproduce it unless you’ve got mates in the tagging game: random is a very hard effect to achieve. The number plates disguise the lack of pillion footrests even if the length of the seat might accommodate a passenger, and a graphic detail in its textured top suggests they’re not welcome. With pillion pegs and a pedantic policeman, you could have fun explaining that it’s just a graphic with no legal precedent – as long as the footrests are fitted – but then there’s no reason why the lower seat from something like the ‘Long’ couldn’t give more shape and a lower saddle to the TT to make it even more streetable. The only other economy – apart from an unperforated basting-spoon rear subframe detail – as far as I could determine, was the plain black fi nish of the wheels, but as lovely as the colour-matched wheels of regular XB12S models are, it’s a compromise I could live with. How much do these economies save you? At £7,295 it compares very favourably with the Lightning’s £7,745 and the Ulysses’ £8,195, and starts making the CityX’s bargain basement £6,495 less attractive. You can get a lot of paint for five hundred quid, and the temptation to use your imagination is fed by the factory’s urban scrawl. Urban camouflage, denim or leather – painted-on or stretched over the panels – will easily take it one way, while bold racing graphics will create a wholly different form, and it’s only a matter of time before the people behind shrink-wrapped sign-written body panels for Smart cars spot a new opportunity: nothing lends itself to being wrapped-up more than the bodywork than an XB, and hiding the Arctic White is easier to justify than covering the high-status translucent panels of its siblings. Otherwise you get the same 100hp/110nm 1203cc motor and 5speed gearbox as any other Buell, you get the same fully-adjustable Showa upside-down forks, the same ZTL rim-mounted front disc with 6-pot caliper, the same Pirelli Scorpion Sync tyres as the CityX and Ulysses. You get the same fuel-bearing frame – protected by ‘pucks’ to protect it from an embarrassing low-speed tumble – and oil-bearing swing arm technologies as any other XB-series Buell: they have a reputation for being uncompromising at East Troy, and the TT lives up to that. In use, it is exactly as you feel it should be: take the impeccable road manners of the Buell street bikes and combine them with increased ground clearance, Supermoto-style bars with their increased leverage for more precise control, if greater wind-

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Roadtest: Buell XB12STT

resistance, and add a pair of sticky combination tyres and you’ve got an astonishing if unconventional sport bike. If any proof were needed of its handling prowess, take a look at the tyres of the test bike. I’m not going to try and convince you that we rode them off their shoulders – that would almost certainly have been a track-day jockey – but they bear testament to someone’s heroics, while the unblemished tell-tales on the rider’s footpegs graphically demonstrate that there’s more to go. In the saddle, the expectation is that there is a hell of a lot further to go, and it would be a very capable rider who would worry a Super-TT’s hero blobs on the street. There is something of a caveat that needs adding here, which is that I’m a Buell convert and have been for years. I was convinced by the tubers, and each subsequent incarnation has represented a further ﬁ ne-tuning of an already lively chassis, even if they did seem determined to squeeze me into increasingly cramped riding positions until the recent additions of the Long, Ulysses and this. Coming straight from a normal bike onto a TT, or any XB, can be a different story – or at least it was for Amanda, who really did not get on with it. Actually, more than that, she hated it. Thankfully on the occasion when she realised that, I was on my Cyclone and she readily switched bikes, and was marginally more comfortable on a bike that feels like a lorry in comparison. The TT was too light, too high, too short in the wheelbase, too taut and too precise, but more importantly, psychologically, as far as she was concerned, there was

preferred, however, to see less seat at the back and a big hefty rack instead: it’s not like there isn’t room and it would have really pushed the practical side of their urban beast. The seat height didn’t feel as extreme as the Ulysses, but the Super TT is no bike for those of you with ‘Sooty legs’. I could touch toes on the ground both sides with 33 inch inside legs, any less and it would have been the loads less secure feeling dabbing down one foot one side or the other. I can find a Buell ignition easily enough nowadays, situated on the left hand side of the clock module, just in front of the ‘bars. A simple turn of the key unlocks the steering head and then turns on the ignition, locking the key in, but

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no substance to it: she really needed to see the front wheel. As a lover of analogies, the nearest I can come up with is the difference between a normal motorcycle and a Buell is like that between a Luge and a Skeleton. If you’re not familiar with competitively sliding down icy mountains beyond the spectacle of the Four Man Bob, which equates to a sports car for our purposes, a motorcycle is akin to the Luge where you lie flat on your back on a greased tea-tray and slide down feet fi rst and will surely get the adrenalin pumping, but an XB Buell is a Skeleton, where you lie on your belly and hurtle downhill head fi rst – which must be an excellent cure for constipation. Not that I’ve any first hand of any of them: I might be stupid but I’m not mad! You do need to lock into a Buell mindset to get comfortable with it. If you can’t it will be anything from confusing to terrifying, but then if you’re not looking for a finely honed, precise motorcycle there is little point in looking too closely at a Buell because while you will probably never be as safe on any other motorcycle – I’ve never ridden a more forgiving bike – you will never realise its potential. That it sticks to the road as though it weighs twice as much, that it will stop in its own length without drama and will have you hurtling round corners significantly faster than you would have dared to on a lesser machine, and will do so without your being conscious of the speed, can be quite disconcerting – not least because you’ll question how quickly you will have been able to stop if you’d needed to – but the safety margin is massive. You’ll stop more quickly because the tyres will be in more complete contact with the ground more often, because the low unsprung weight of the wheels makes the job of the suspension easier, which is also what gives it its ‘planted’ feel, and you will have more feedback through the bars because the braking effect is directly fed back from the tyres to the lever courtesy of the massive rim-mounted rotor. And the overall balance of the machine is so well distributed – especially if you take the time to set up the suspension – that it feels stable beneath you … once you’ve got used to the fact that its there at all. It is not so uncompromising that you can’t use one to cover distances comfortably, but it is much more of a secondary function when compared to doing what it was designed to do.

I was caught out a couple of times when turning the TT off as the full sequence turns off, locks and then engages parking lights, which then sometimes requires the embarrassing return to the locked machine to switch the parking lights off. Ignition on, starting as ever is a simple press of the button, rain or shine, and the electronic management of the fuel injection takes over from there. Having had experience of the Ulysses, I wasn’t unduly worried by the seat height and appreciated the mid-bike siting of the foot pegs, so selecting first I launched up the street and felt confident, secure and at home. Mandie would follow me on my first ride out on her own Sportster so I wasn’t going to go

Such is true of all XB Lightnings. How the hell it can be almost as true of the TT as the rapier-like Firebolt bears testament to the practical realisation of Buell’s theory and it would be six of one, and half a dozen of the other as to which would come out on top between this and the standard Lightning: any difference over any road I can think of would highlight the skills and experiences of two riders rather than the bikes, or possibly the tyres. Neither will keep up on curves with a Firebolt, but neither will anything else so that’s no major disappointment. Having drawn attention to the tyres, don’t go away with the impression that they lost grip at any point in the test. I mention them purely on the basis that if combination tyres gripped as well as the more road-oriented Diablo Ts that are fitted to the Lightning, there’d be no point in Pirelli making two types. Any differences would be more noticeable in the wet, particularly each tyre’s ability to channel the maximum amount of water through their respective tread patterns while retaining the maximum of rubber in contact with the road. In that contest the pure road tyres would win, but if that were to be an issue the tyre sizes are identical, and fitting the Diablos to the TT would plant it more fi rmly in the Supermoto class.

Conversely, if you are planning on doing some on-off road work, the Sync is the better proposition for getting traction on loose surfaces. As a taller rider, I was glad of the extra scale of the TT. If the Lightning Long hadn’t been introduced last year, it would have been welcomed even more readily. As it is, I’d be on the horns of a dilemma if I were in the market to replace my M2. Off the shelf, the Long is the more attractive proposition as a ﬁ nished bike, but the saving – the XB12Ss is another hundred quid on top of the regular Lightning – and knowing how easy it would be to change the

bonkers, just ride it normally within the speed limits, but the Super TT is so utterly capable and blisteringly quick that even riding the machine normally meant that I left the Sportster standing. It would simply flick through a bend that Mandie behind would have to prepare for, and threw out gobfulls of easy power even at the lowest revs in the highest gears. The Buell simply glided through the city traffic, my high perch too enabling me to see well ahead, giving me plenty of time to spot a potential situation or snarl-up well before it happened. The long travel motard-like suspension wasn’t sloppy and didn’t rock around like a skiff in a squall, instead I didn’t notice it at all, with the TT soaking up potholes and raised cats eyes, bad

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Roadtest: Buell XB12STT

dominant colour of the Super-TT, I reckon the new model would win by a neck. More than that, as every piece of bodywork is little more than a cover, it wouldn’t take much to get a spare set and switch between them – which could include the translucent parts fitted to other bikes and carbon fibre from the aftermarket, which doesn’t come cheap but will feel less expensive if you’ve saved half the cost in the original purchase price of the bike. Buell offers a range of carbon bits and pieces for the XB but they don’t extend to bodywork beyond a stock Lightning-style front mudguard, and I’m not sure if that can be fitted in place of the XB12C-like duckbill item: it specifically doesn’t fit the Ulysses, which might be a clue, but it might just be that the mounts for the fork slider shields are in the way, in which case they’d be sacrificed. On the Ulysses they combine with a secondary front mudguard that protects the front of the engine from mud, but that’s missing from the TT. I reckon I’d dispense with the number plates too, trading them for a set of pillion rests and maybe a lower two-up saddle, lose the handlebar guards which are a little bit tacky and irrelevant to me, and then perhaps run a pinstripe round the “Designer Black” wheels, Harleystyle, to better separate the wheels and tyres, and that’d be me. That would be my XB12SX – SuperX or Super Cross – being very careful not to hyphenate it for fear of upsetting Excelsior-Henderson fans. I didn’t find it compromised compared to the Lightning Long although, in fairness, it’s been a few months since I rode the XB12Ss. That, in turn, didn’t feel too shabby compared to my recollection of the regular Lightning, which will be going back almost two years. I could rectify that by riding them back-to-back, but I’m not losing any sleep over making the assertion because the proof of any Buell is in its ability to go where you put it, when you want it to be there, and none have disappointed me so far. Okay, so the steering head is lazy compared to the original XB12R and S and the wheelbase has grown as a result by 45mm, but it’s still ahead of the game compared to just about anything else bigger than a 250GP bike, and the low unsprung weight, mass centralisation and stiff chassis means it’ll still give a good account of itself on demanding roads. It’ll be blown into the gutter on a motorway

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by current generation Japanese sport bikes, but that’s not what any Buell is about. As already mentioned, at relevant speeds on demanding roads, the differences between the TT and the Lightning will be down to the rider as much as the bike, leaving the rest down to personal preference, but the differences between a sensible, safe rider on a TT and all but the best set-up and properly ridden sport bikes will be signiﬁcantly easier to measure, and a well-ridden Buell will skip off into the middle distance while a previously highly-regarded specialist sportsbike will be untangling its forks and wheels, trying to lay down up to 50% more power so it can try to keep up. But the TT is about more than performance, because with the XB12STT Buell have done what Harley have been doing for generations now, and provided a basis with which to work, to let you create the bike you want, and that tips the scales in favour of the TT for me. And as with Harleys of old, the base bike is so good by itself that there’s no hurry to get the spanners out. At £7,295, it’s close enough to the 1200 Sportster Roadster to

make it a closer decision, but it is against the new XR1200 that it has now got to make its mark – as have all Buells. The XR will be the big test for Buell as they have often done well with Harley riders prepared to forego the classic style from Milwaukee in order to get the additional power they seek. It remains to be seen whether the promise of extra power and handling will detract from Buell sales, or whet the appetite of those who will realise that the increased power and handling that the XR has over their beloved XLs, the XB has more again in both departments. On the other hand, the XR might provide another reason for sportsbike riders who have been suspicious of Buell to look again, having taken an XR out for a demo: it’ll come down to dealers to pitch the new generation 4-cam motors against each other, using each to demonstrate the strengths of the other, and the TT will make for an interesting comparison. In the meantime, it makes an excellent multi-purpose, practical and enormously rewarding motorcycle in its own right, that works on very many different levels. Words and pics: Andy Hornsby

road surfaces and slick road markings as if it were cruising around Donington Park. I’ve mentioned before that roads seem to widen and shorten while riding a Buell and the same effect was present here with the Super TT. The machine was so deceptively capable that even ridden gently I was slowing on a sixpence, flicking around obstacles and clearing traffic lights long before other vehicles had reacted. I could understand where Buell were going with this machine now, commuting on a Super TT would never become a bind, it would more likely be something to look forward to every morning and evening. If there was one gripe about the riding experience it would be the hand shields around the handlebar ends which occasionally fouled my gloves. Slightly bigger shields or removing them

SPECIFICATIONS: Engine Valve train Bore x Stroke: Displacement: Compression Ratio: Fuel Delivery: Exhaust:

Air/oil/fan-cooled, 4-stroke, 45° V-Twin OHV, two valves per cylinder, self-adjusting 88.9 x 96.8mm 1203 cc 10.0:1 49 mm down draft DDFI II fuel injection Tuned, tri-pass resonance chamber with InterActive valve and mass-centralised mounting Torque: (EU standard EC95/1) 81ftlbs / 110Nm @ 6000rpm Horsepower: (EU standard EC95/1) 100hp @ 6600 pm Lubrication: Dry-sump Oil Capacity: (Lubrication for Blast®) 2.4l Primary Drive: Duplex Chain Final Drive (7): Constant path, 14 mm pitch aramid reinforced belt Transmission: Five-speed, Helical gears Overall Length: 2080 mm Overall Width: 820mm Seat height: 798 mm Ground Clearance: 139 mm Rake : at Steering Head 23,5° Fork Angle (4) 22° Wheelbase: 1365 mm Fuel Capacity: 16,7l Reserve Fuel Capacity: 3,1l Weight: 179 kg Frame: Aluminium beam frame containing fuel cell Front Fork: Fully adjustable 43mm Showa inverted fork Rear Shock: Fully adjustable Showa coil-over monoshock Wheels: Front 6-spoke, 3.5x17-inch ZTL cast aluminium Rear: 6-spoke, 5.5x17-inch cast aluminium Tyres: Front Pirelli Scorpion Sync 120/70 ZR-17 Rear: Pirelli Scorpion Sync 180/55 ZR-17 Brakes: Front 6-piston caliper, 375mm rim-mounted ﬂoating rotor Rear Single-piston caliper; 240mm ﬁxed rotor Instruments Electronic speedometer, tachometer, odometer; dual resettable tripmeter; high beam, neutral, oil, low fuel (plus, odometer shows miles travelled on reserve), turn signal and engine diagnostic indicator lamps; clock Colours: Arctic White with Designer Black wheels RRP: £7,295 Warranty: 24 months, unlimited mileage

entirely would sort that out for me. Pulling up at a set of lights near a motorway, I made room for Mandie and let her know I was going to take the motorway option. She understood what I meant: I needed to know what the Super TT was like used spiritedly, so I’d see her at our destination. No slight was intended to either her or her very nicely set-up 883, it’s a cracking piece of kit, but, despite the genetics, however you look at it, a seventeen year old Sporty isn’t a modern Buell. The lights changed and I wound up the SuperTT as I entered the motorway. I got nowhere near the red-line in any of the gears yet the Buell flew onto the broad free-flowing tarmac, and was already travelling faster than most other vehicles which already inhabited it before I needed to join

the carriageway, making filtering into the traffic stream a doddle, and it didn’t break a sweat keeping pace in the fast lane. The Super TT, however, is no high speed cruiser, it’d be no fun on a long run without a screen for instance, but for short-ish urban hops around the orbitals I could think of little better. Coming in at £7,295 in just the one colour option, ‘draw on it’ Arctic White, the Super TT isn’t too expensive to consider for a stylish, quirky and capable commuter. It’s aimed I guess at the same people who’d look at Ducati Monsters or Sportsters as their choice of cool urban runabouts previously and I’d definitely suggest that a test ride on the Super TT should be booked before making any final decision if you’re looking for the same. Rich

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Issue 1 Elvis’ Panhead • FXST Softail Standard • Tech: tyres • H-D History: 1903-1954 • XL1200C vs FXDL • Screamin’ Eagle Stroker Conversions • Heart and Soul Rally 2002 • Rear-engined trike • Indian 101 racer • Victory V92C • Dyna Custom • Indian Riders Rally 2002.

Issue 2 FLHRCI Road King Classic • H-D History: 1955-1978 • Tech: Back to Black • Evo streetfighter • VRSCA vs XB9S • FLHS Sport Electra Glide • Daytona Bike Week • European Bike Week • Tech: Steering Committee. • XL883R Sportster • American-V Launch at The Ace.

Issue 3 Victory Vegas • H-D History: 1979-2002 • Ape Cam • Evo Lo'svelte • CCE Show • German bobber •

FLSTF vs FLSTC • K-Series flathead • The Fat Boy that never was • FXDX-T • Tech: Injecting enthusiasm for EFI • Living with a Walz Hardcore Lowrider • Minehead revisited.

Issue 4 Buell Tube Frames • Bad Boy • Dutch Evo • VINs / Model IDs • Indian Despatch Tow • H-D 2004 • XLH883 vs FXD • The Farmyard Party • Tech: Wheels • FXD Super Wide • FXDL • Two Buell S’s • Eustis show • Daytona 2003 • Northern Harley Riders Club Rally.

Issue 5 1957 XL Sportster • 2003 XL1200S • Milan: Italian International Bike Show • Rock n’ Blues 2003 • Bren’s chop • Milwaukee’s 100th Celebration • Stage One Deuce vs Stage One Vegas • Tech: Staging • Jay Springsteen's XR • Long-stroke Buell evolution • Bulldog Bash 2003 • Prototype Vee from John Reed and CCI.

Issue 6 Evel Knievel’s XR750 Jump Bike • XB9R Vs XB12R Buell Firebolts • Shovelhead Low Rider • Biketoberfest 2003 • Grant’s Twin Cam, Twin Carb Fat Boy • Vikings Show, Eire • Loveless Lost • Partying with the catalogue boys: US and EU • Cornish Cream Panhead • Tech: SVA • 40’s factory trike and its

2005 FLSTNI Softail Deluxe • Richard Sansone’s S1 Low Rider • Suck Squeeze Bang Blow • Binnzy’s Updated Ironhead • Moto Salon, Paris • Snob’s Buell • Inside the Victory V92 • Harley tourers head-to-head • 2005 Doncaster Pro Custom Show • 1940 Indian Chief • Oatcake County Chopper • Death and Taxis.

Issue 12 2005 XL883R Sportster • Devil’s Own Custom Show • Gilroy Indian PowerPlus Chief • Fightin’ Torque: SE V-Rod vs VRSCA • Long Term Victory Vegas • Shovelhead FXR Custom • Buell S1 Lightning • 124inches of All American Motorcycle • Hoggin’ the French Riviera • Confederate F113 Hellcat • Synister Rumblings.

Issue 13 2005 FXSTSC Springer Classic • Rainy Daze II • Suck Squeeze Bang Blow • 2005 XL1200R PandA Special • 1996 Rubber-Mount Sportster • Harley-Davidson 2006 model news • Buell 2006 model news • Victory 2006 model news • Rosso Corsa Ferrari Bike • 1938 Harley-Davidson ULH • Kit Bike Round-Up 2006 • Speed Demon • DVD Reviews.

Issue 14 2006 FXDBI Street Bob • NEC International Bike Show • Victory Vegas Long Term • Turkey’s Shovelhead Chop • Shipley 2005 • “Bonneville Special” Buell • Stop! Rich’s Road King does now • Zeel’s “Phenom” • Brightona • Krazy Horse’s “Zeroesque” • 2005 VRSCR Street Rod • Suck Squeeze Bang Blow: Combustion pt2 • The Electra Glide that never was.

Issue 15 Buell XB12X Ulysses • MotorSale 2005 • Best in Show: Charly’s Revenge • Suck Squeeze Bang Blow: Bore and Stroke • Gunboat Diplomacy: Army FL • Project Victory: AmV Vegas • Jeez Louise – proper Bobber • Low Rider vs Low Rider: ’04 v ’06 • Viva Las Vegas: AMD’s ProShow • Freestyle Winner: Goldammer • Speedliner: Wizard’s Gee Bee • Dynamic Choppers’ Ruthless 360 • ’06 Heritage Softail • International Events Calendar

Issue 16 ’06 FLHX Street Glide • 1981 FLTC Tour Glide • Suck Squeeze Bang Blow: Bore and Stroke cont.d • Scotty’s Acid Monster • Sturgis 2006 • ’06 Wide Glide vs 2003 Vegas • Thundercity’s repatriated Exile • DVD Reviews: Fix my HOG, US Biker Build-Off boxset, Duke’s Muscle Bikes • Project: Fat Boy on Steroids • New York City Chopper’s Knucklehead • ’06 FXST Softail Standard • International Events Calendar.

Issue 17 DVD Reviews: Choppertown; Building a Chopper Chassis • ’06 VRSCD Night Rod • Last Year’s Model • 1982 FXB Sturgis • Suck Squeeze Bang Blow: Exhausts • Sin City Steel Cycle • Laughlin 2006 • Boss Hoss 350 • Project Victory: Slamming the back end • Mainz 2006 • OldsCool: Tony’s Patrick-engined bobber • Project Fat Boy: installing the steroids • Oscar’s Evo • ’06 XL1200L Sportster Low • International Events Calendar.

Issue 18 RIP John Davey • ’06 Victory 100/6 Hammer • Australian Rules Dyna • Harley-Davidson 2007 news • Buell 2007 news • Victory 2007 news • ProCustom 2006 • Maria’s Mischief • Project Fat Boy: porting for the Supercharger • Makin’ Bacon • Head to Head: FLHS and FLHR Dressers • Americana 2006 • Pepe le Pew • Project Victory: Reassembly with air-ride • Drakey’s FXR • Thundercity / CCI Spirit Bobber roadtested.

Issue 19 2007 H-D Models • Big Beautiful Doll • Surrey HOG 15th • Roger Allmond’s XYZ Victory • FXWG • Rainy Daze III • ’06 vs ’07 Fat Boy • Shipley 2006 • Jack’s HardAss • Bulldog Bash 2006 • The Springster • HDRCGB’s Oz 2006 • 92ci vs 100ci Vegas • AMD World Championshop 2006 • Gary’s hot S1

forty-five friend • Roadtest: XL1200R • Tech: Helmets.

Issue 20

Issue 7

News and New Products • Christmas Gift Ideas • ’06 XB12Ss Lightning Long • NEC2006 • Killarney 2006 Winner • Brightona 2006 • ’06 Victory Jackpot • Dave’s Shovel • Quickspin on ’07 Night Train • The Ecosse Heretic • XL883 to 1200 Conversion on 2007 EFI • Thunder in the Glens • Special KHK • AMW Bagger Cam Conversion for TC88 • Krazy Horse’s 10th Anniversary • World Tour Pt1: Northern Ireland • La Cucaracha – CCI’s new kit for ’07?

Ten years of the Road King • Tech: Building your own – the basics • Muck n Bullets: proper chopper • Excelsior Henderson and Mk1 Victory • Hot Rod VRSCA • FLHRSI Road King Custom • Interview with Erik Buell • Tuned XL1200R vs XB12S Lightning • FXR Road Rocket • FLHRI Road King.

Issue 8 Running-in the new King Pin • Grub’s Shovel • Dennnis’ 1948 Panhead • FXSTB Night Train • Tech: Engines • XL1200 Metisse • Harley Night at the Ace • Indian Motocycle Company History • Devil’s Own Custom Show • New Sportsters head-to-head • Well-sorted Sportster custom • Pro Custom Show, Doncaster • Cal Rayborn-inspired XB9R Firebolt • FXDI Super Glide.

Issue 9 FXDWG Dyna Wide Glide • Sally’s XL Chop • Tech: Brakes • NEC Bike Show 2004 • Long Term King Pin: opening it up • VRSCB V-Rod - the budget option • 2004 Bulldog Bash. • Tweaked FXDX Super Glide Sports: One stroked, One blown • Jeff’s Softail • W&W’s End of the World Tour. • 2004 Rock n Blues.

Issue 10 2005 XL883C Sportster Custom • Hank’s Softail • 2006 VRSCR Street Rod • Men of Iron: pair of preEvo XLs • 2005 Buell XB9SX City-X • Yabba Dabba Doo: Jamie’s Fatboy • Dealer Days – quick round-up • Dyna Street Customs: FXDC vs FXDL • Reno Street Vibes • Crazy George’s Bagger • CCI/AMD ProShow, Morgan Hill • Long Term: Victory Vegas.

If you don’t wish to cut the magazine, a photocopy is fine. If you’re as confused as I am right now, order by phone on 0207 993 8002. tick boxes as appropriate

Issue 11

Issue 21 News and New Products • ’07 EFI Sportsters • Book Reviews: Motorcycle Electrical Systems / The Harley Reader • S&S X-Wedge engine • Tosh's Parts Bin Special • STAGED ’07s: Fast Boy Vs Heroic Softail • Choppershack/Exile Dragster • Project Victory • 2007 Softail Custom • Nu-Ness - Radical Custom • XLCR Cafe Racer • Fat-tyred German XB Buell • STAGED ’07s: Night Train vs Overnight Express • Suicide King • 2007 Events • Readers Rides

Issue 22 News and New Products • ’07 Street Bob • CCE Show, Mainz • XL1000 • Road Kong: 103 or 113? • Hot Rod • FXR4 first generation CVO • Black Bear Bagger • Panhead and Shovel FLs • Ernie’s Pan • Walzing with Horses: Phil Power’s Supercharged Hardcore and Krazy Horse Waltster • S&S X-Wedge pt2

Issue 23 News and New Products • Reviews: Weisse / Hood / Tailsafe / i-Nek / P&KG magazine • ’07 Hammer-S • ‘59 Panhead • Daytona ’07 • ’07 VRSCAW V-Rod • Supercharged Night-Rod • Victory Open Day at Arrow Mill • Thundercity's Screamin' Demon • HDRCGB Talgarth Rally • Will's 1926 J • Night Train Chop • Project Vegas • Evil Twin from Le Rock • Northern Harley Club kickstarts summer

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News: 2008 Buell

The uncompromising technician of motorcycle design and development has just dropped a bombshell, and if the 2008 Buell 1125R lives up to expectations, the world of sporting motorcycles might never be the same again.

2008BUELL Having spent longer than I care to remember explaining to people that I didn’t think Buell would fit a VR motor to his bikes, or a TL, Ducati or any other motor they could come up with, I’ve got mixed feeling about the big news for 2008. I like my motors low revving, torquey and simple and love my Buell for that, but I’m delighted that Erik and his team haven’t buckled and taken the ‘easy’ route to gain the approval of bar-room experts by slotting an existing motor into to their extraordinary chassis, but have actually developed the engine that they want to deliver the power they need to be competitive in a very crowded market, and have been as uncompromising in its design as everywhere else. This will be the year when complacent manufacturers who have viewed Harley’s specialist sportbike subsidiary as a sideshow, and dismissed the technology that Buell has been steadily rolling out over the last twenty-five years as being on the fringe, will see how the bike that would show a fat back tyre to their products on challenging roads when powered by an air-cooled, pushrod, 2-valve Harley-based motor will work when equipped with a brand-new, modern engine designed specifically for the purpose. This is going to be fun. Buell have even managed to get away from any accusation of not being an established engine manufacturer – and there will be those who will go to great lengths to rubbish the new

model without ever riding it, just as they’ve done with previous models – by developing the new “Helicon” motor in partnership with BRP-Rotax, whose track record includes engines for Aprilia and BMW, but don’t go getting the impression that this is a reworked Mille motor, it’s very different. We’ll get into the absolute minutiae of the machine when we get to swing a leg across one, but it’s worth putting a bit of ﬂesh on the bones in to give you a taster, and give you the opportunity to enlighten the terminally bigoted. A 72-degree water cooled, DOHC, short stroke motor, it’s compact enough to provide a forward weight bias as well as reduce vibration: a ninety-degree v-twin is the optimum for a balanced motor, but is too big. Residual vibration is countered by three balance shafts: two for cancelling the primary rotating imbalance and a third to counter the rocking couple. Smoothed out, the motor is bolted directly to a frame – the ‘Intuitive Response Chassis, or IRC – that borrows much from the XB series, and acts as a stressed member. The swing-arm pivot is located in the engine cases, as close to the output pulley as possible for optimum anti-squat – which is the battle between the bike’s suspension, weight transfer and drive belt tension under acceleration. With the fuel in the frame, as per XB practice, the down-draft fuel injection draws from an airbox where the tank would be on a conventional bike, and the 72-degree angle

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News: 2008 Xl1200C VsBuell Dyna Low Rider

provides a straight path for the intake system. The airbox itself is pressurised by a ram air system, fed from an intake between the fork legs, beneath the fairing, which gives a peak performance gain of up to 5%. The DOHC motor is a damn clever piece of kit: the inlet cam is driven by a self-adjusting chain, and the exhaust cam is gear driven from the inlet, which reduces the size of the cylinder heads and helps to keep the motor small, and the weight and rotational mass of the valve train low. The valves themselves are actuated by ﬁ ngerfollowers and adjusted by shims – designs from F1 engine technology – and are designed to enable quick shim replacement. Finger followers reduce friction, permit a quicker valve opening – important with a 10,500 redline – and eliminate valve ﬂoat. The steep valve angle they allow also aids the down-draft fuel system. A classic dry sump motor, it feeds oil to where it’s needed before being returned to a tank, rather than it sloshing around in the sump, where it can lead to windage losses. The tank is no longer in the swingarm, but is in a tank within the lower left side of the crankcase: even lower and more central, and actually helps to keep the engine compact as well as losing the external oil lines. That can’t be too far away from the obliquely stacked six-speed gearbox that is shoe-horned into the compact cases. There is no escaping the additional plumbing of the water-cooling, however, but ever the innovator, Buell has opted for twin radiators, one each side of the motor within aerodynamic cowls which conform

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to his centralised mass principles, lower the centre of gravity and allow the short wheelbase. Designed on a computational fluid dynamic modelling system, the system is said to optimise air flow at all speeds, creating a pressure differential around the radiator to pull air through its core, before exhausting it away from the rider. And it wouldn’t be a Buell without a radical exhaust solution tucked beneath the motor. The large volume muffler is in the right place for weight, contains a Helmholtz chamber to reduce noise, and is tuned to provide a linear horsepower and torque curve without needing an active exhaust system. The twin brushed stainless outlets are more than cosmetic, and produce less exhaust noise. Buell are saying the new motor produces 146hp @ 10,000rpm, with peak torque of 82ftlbs (111nm) at around 8,000rpm, which is a marked improvement over Buell’s Firebolt

sportﬁghter – almost 50% more power, and the same torque albeit further round the dial – which has been replaced in the UK by the new model. Slowing down this most modern of Buells since the RW750 is the second incarnation of the rimmounted ZTL brake, which uses the XBRR’s 8-piston, 4-pad caliper to grip the 375mm rotor and promises a more even pressure distribution over a greater friction area. A new dash offers much more information than previously – including current and average fuel consumption – on an instrument panel with a huge analogue tacho and digital speedo, to ﬁ nish off an utterly modern motorcycle that should make a few people sit up and take notice. In other news, all 2008 Buells celebrate their 25th Anniversary with badges on the top yoke, or handlebar clamp. 1203cc Thunderstorm-engined Buells have new pistons that have raised the red-line by 300rpm to 6,800rpm, and will be able to sustain 6,800 rather than the 6400rpm as previously. They’ve fitted a larger capacity oil cooler – changing from 6 to 8-rows – with a new bracket and cowling, which could be useful when people learn that the engine was designed to sustain those sorts of speeds.

Everything gets a new twin Gerotor oil pump located in the cam cover, driven directly by flats on extended shafts on the third and fourth camshafts. All four camshafts have now got hollow shafts designed to provide pressurized oil to the camshaft bores, and are now known as K cams: the profi les are unchanged from the previous E cams. There’s a new Crankshaft Position Sensor which talks to a new flywheel calibrated for the purpose, which in turn has a larger crankpin, stronger con-rods and larger drive sprocket splines at the drive side, which obviously means a revised drive sprocket in the primary. There’s a new one-piece induction module that loses the idle speed adjustment cable for good and has a faster throttle action. And the Ulysses gets 47mm USD forks in place of the 43mm originals, and heated grips as standard – an industry fi rst – while all other XB models get an auxiliary plug so they can be easily fitted on them too. Words: Andy Hornsby (e&oe) Pics: Harley-Davidson inc. Prices: XB9SX City-X: XB12S Lightning: XB12Sg Lightning Low: XB12Ss Lightning Long: XB12STT Super TT: XB12X Ulysses: 1125R:

Solid colour n/a £7,445 £7,445 £7,545 £7,295 £8,195 £8,495

Translucid £6,495 £7,745 £7,745 £7,845 n/a n/a n/a

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Xl1200C Vs Dyna Low Rider

With incessant rain, there was only one topic of conversation being asked in advance of every show through the summer of 2007, no matter how well-established, and the umpteenth Americana would be as vulnerable as any other: would the weather affect the attendance. Would it put off those regulars who returned year after year for this four day spectacular?

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Event: Americana International

AMERICANA INTERNATIONAL NEWARK, ENGLAND. 6-9TH JULY 2007

There was only one way to ﬁ nd out, and more in hope than expectation – using the need to carry magazines as an excuse to cop out and use the car – we struck out for Nottinghamshire, where we were greeted with torrential rain in Nottingham itself, and then blue skies beyond. Better than that, arriving on site to see no shortage of people were milling around. In the advertising literature, Americana is billed as being “Europes #1 American Lifestyle Event”, and it is perhaps that status as the premier event in a relatively sparse calendar that meant people would probably have turned out in the snow. It was to be my ﬁ rst experience, however, of a celebration of all things American and I was unprepared for just what to expect, and I found the spectacle

quite awe-inspiring as we crossed the site, blown away by the visual stimulation. What struck me immediately, bizarrely and almost unwitthingly, was that the site seemed to be laid out in a grid format, similar to those of American towns with their city blocks, which was of course just the way the road system in the Newark County Showground had been laid out, but it did fuel my imagination. Were we in America, Milton Keynes or Newark? Is that a concrete cow I see over yonder, or is it the bucking bronco stall? We had opted to take bundles of magazines for our stand (trestle table) in the main hall on the site which is where the custom bike show would be situated, more to the point, the main hall was the custom bike show. More on that later. Our ﬁ rst port of call was the camping area in search of our friends from the Bike Show organising team, comprising key members of Rainy City HDC and a deputation from Bridgwater HOG, who organize and judge the custom bike show that takes over the modern George Stephenson Exhibition Hall. After one wrong turning and a complete second circuit of the site, we eventually found their camp established in one of the grassed cattle pens where livestock is kept during the county shows. The camping facilities were excellent, with many areas to choose from, all of which are well kept, clean and close to the toilets and shower blocks. Oh, by the way, we actually managed to erect our tent between the two of us without too much of a problem. No, wait, there was a problem, it came in the guise of Barry who insisted on laughing at us erecting it – it did make me wonder if he actually knew how to put one up himself having arrived in his ancient motorhome.

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Event: Americana International

Wandering back towards the custom show hall, we retraced our journey through the stalls, rows of classic American cars and trucks, past the ‘Dodgems’, stopping off for a welcoming brew at the Victory Motorcycle stand en-route (it was next to the hall) and then into the hall to see what was happening with the custom bike show. Inside the hall were a few bike-related stalls and a tattooist, and a few bikes were starting to assemble but as the main custom event did not take place until Saturday, it wasn’t bustling yet and no-one was overly concerned by the lack of entrants. The size of a small aircraft hanger with huge roller-shutter doors at either end, the hall served as the main public thoroughfare between the entrance by the second stage and main auditorium and food court until the doors were closed at around 11pm so that the traders could get some sleep and bikes secured. I was impressed by the sensible attitude of the bike riders who were parking their rides up in the hall for people to come and look at – a good example of a self-governing community, albeit it a transitory community. Outside the hall, a site map is a good thing to have until you get your bearings, because the show covers quite a vast area: it must be close to half of the main 84 acre triangular showground area, with the other half given over the camping. Going in search of food, we went over to the main arena, which was largely given over to Country and Western, which really isn’t as

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predictable as it might sound. I did a few double-takes in order to get my head around the plethora of images we were met with. On the one side of me were cowboys kitted out with guns, spurs and Duster coats, Mariachis and the odd war-bonneted redskin, while on the other were rockers sporting quiffs and rockabillies in dungarees! Looking over at the stage area there was a sea of deck-chairs occupied by folk in cowboy hats and picnicking party goers – it was like being at some ‘classics in the park’ party! While I’m not especially a Country and Western music fan, I was genuinely fascinated by the very chilled-out atmosphere and the quality of the music erupting from the very large main stage, and have been informed since that there were some highly celebrated acts headlining here, from both the USA and UK. The main arena

was surrounded by the majority of the site’s food stands offering a wide selection to suit all tastes, and stalls selling all manner of stuff, from cowboy hats to native Indian jewellery and Betty Boop memorabilia: all things American. When the bands weren’t playing, there was a Country Music Radio Station supplying sounds and entertainment, and it wasn’t just limited to the evenings with entertainment almost round the clock for those who sought it. Well, not quite around the clock: all of the outside stages packed up for the night around 11.30pm, which is when people would either turn in or go off in search of the live music on offer on any one of the four indoor stages. And country music wasn’t the only sound to be heard: the second outdoor stage played host to the likes of T-Rextasy and The Hamsters as well as numerous other rock and roll, swing, hillbilly and blues bands of a universally exceptional quality. While deckchairs still played their part in the audience, this stage attracted a much livelier, younger crowd than the C&W faithful, and tended to be the one that we gravitated to. And I have to make mention of the insane Master of Ceremonies – the appropriately-named Loony Chris Heath, resplendent in his black bowler and kaftan, or else appearing in full desert sheik garb – who kept the audience bemused and dare I say captivated (?) with his ramblings – and who, by the time he came to sing with his band, on the Sunday, was hoarse from all his prattlings. Bless. Drawing on the rock and roll side of festivities, complimenting an indoor country stage, there were two halls with bands dedicated to keeping folk tapping their feet … they were very intimate gigs when we visited. There might’ve been bopping and jiving going on too, except that they were too intimate, and their popularity meant that they were full to bursting point. The quality of bands was once again very impressive and you could pick and choose who you wanted to watch, and where, if you’d had the foresight to pick up a program on the way in. It was an incredible extravaganza of music celebrating and catering for so many different tastes, and I certainly hadn’t experienced anything like it before. I began to realise how unique this event really is in today’s mass of festivals and music events to choose from, and I can only congratulate the organisers for their inventiveness in creating such an experience. It’s not an especially cheap event for the whole five days, but looking at what you get for the money – up to £70 for four days of live entertainment, but less if you attend as an exhibitor – it is worth every penny. It could be that you attend only to watch the music on offer, for the custom bike show, to see the sheer number of American cars and trucks, for the carnival like atmosphere or that you have a strange passion for ‘fifth wheels’ and motorhomes – American ones of course. Realistically, it doesn’t matter a damn what your reasoning is for joining in, just the fact that you are there means that you will have a great time. There is something to amuse kids of all sizes and ages, from the bouncy castle and the dodgems through to a surreal car chase around the showground at a death-defying 10mph. I nearly wet myself laughing at the two American police cars chasing each other with sirens whirring and lights flashing: it was just like the real thing, but in very, very slow motion. There is a strict rule that people adhere to or they are instantly frog marched to the nearest exit with no room or time for excuses; the speed limit is 10mph. Years ago I remember falling in love with a poster that a friend had on his wall, it was a montage of grills from American classic cars, I spent

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Event: Americana International

ages looking for that poster in shops, but never did ﬁ nd one. I don’t need that poster anymore as Americana is verging on overload with demonstrations of fantastically overthe-top grills resting in aggressive pride on the front of cars and trucks: they’re deﬁ nitely works of art, undervalued to a broader, modern society. I found it a huge privilege to be able to view so many classic cars and trucks on display that weren’t wrapped up in cotton wool in some automobile museum, but were there and being driven, being admired by young and old alike, being polished and loved and being the subject of many a conversation and impassioned “I want one of those and one of those and that and that and …” Fantastic!! Classic cars from the 40’s to the 60’s, muscle cars from the 60’s to the 80’s, Hotrods and Ratrods, Big Foot 4x4’s and Winnebagos, about the only thing that was missing was the all-American Addams Family’s Duesenberg. Retracing our steps to Saturday and the custom bike show, the bikes slowly but surely began to arrive and line up in the custom hall. Ranging from stock Harleys, to S&S-powered customs, Buells, Kawasakis in the guise of Indian Chiefs (don’t ask, I didn’t!) to the award winning XYZ Victory engined creation of Roger Allmond, now owned by Gary – there was near to a hundred bikes parked up and posing for a winners trophy. The Bike Show team swung into action like a well-oiled machine, marshalling and documenting what turned out to be a real good show – attested to by the reaction of a general public obviously enjoying every minute of it. The main show and prize-giving took place on the Saturday while we all went back again on the Sunday for the AmV-sponsored ‘peoples choice’, the success of which can be measured by the number of times that voting slips needed to be replenished, even if there was some confusion in some quarters about it being held. I must make mention here of Stevie and his one Man(dolin) show, with his unprecedented passion and endless energy in providing his wonderful music and song in the custom bike show hall. Hopefully next year we will see him on one of the main stages, where he truly deserves to be: up there with the rest of the main bands. You’ll see and hear him at many bike rallies throughout the year, but you can also catch him on his website at www.stevie.me.uk, where you can support him through the purchase of his CD’s. Not only can he sing

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Bike Show results: BEST HARLEY DAVIDSON CLASS WINNERS: Best Sportster Jane Jones,Essex Best Dyna G eoff Brown, Gt Yarmouth Best Softail Tony Buckingham, Cambridgshire Best V Rod Ted Whelan, Marple Best Dressed Rob Hilary & Oliver the dog Best Classic HD Paul Wilkins, Essex BEST ALL MAKES: Best custom Martin Dickinson, Lincoln Best Trike Susan Allan, Chesterﬁeld

Best Custom Cruiser Louise Bradley, Oldham Best British Classic Ray Whale, Tamworth BEST IN SHOW: Winner Runner-Up

Simon Hodgson, Shefﬁeld, 07796 851073 Rob, Hilary & Oliver the dog

PEOPLES CHOICE: Winner Darren Fawthrop Runner Up Russ Allan 2nd Runner Up Rob, Hilary & Oliver the dog

and play like a natural genius, he is a really nice bloke too. An honourable mention too for a food stand that wasn’t in the C&W quarter: the Funnel Cake stand, where you will be surprised to hear they made and sold Funnel Cakes. A cross between a dough nut, a wafﬂe and a pastry, it get its name from being poured from a funnel into hot oil, and when cooked can be topped with caster sugar or all manner of other goodies. It was my birthday and Andy had forgotten to get me the obligatory cake … so, I treated myself. Twice. Big mistake, I didn’t get beyond the caster sugar version on either occasion but they were delicious! You can visit them at Funnelcakes.co.uk. Philosophically speaking, Americana is a great demonstration of the broad tolerance that communities of people can have for each other, and over the few days we were there, many of the faces in the crowds of thousands became familiar to us. The most remarkable observation for a ﬁ rst time visitor, and an extremely positive one, was that even at 2.30am after a long day on their feet and a night of fun and partying, drunk revellers apologised to each other if they lost their balance and bumped into each other.

Family groups and couples alike are catered for, and it’s a rally where it is safe for people of all ages to be – which is a must in this day and age, though seldom realised in so large and so diverse a group. And having only been there for three days this time, we missed so much of what was going on that I’m angling for the whole four days next year, and going on the bikes. The show offers so much by way of free entertainment that you can afford to make it into a mini holiday. Oh, by the way, the weather turned out to be beautiful sunny days, much as summer should be. Cheers, Americana for such a blast of a weekend! Best Birthday present I could’ve had. Words: Amanda Wright Pics: Andy Hornsby

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Xl1200C Vs Dyna Low Rider

Âť 60

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Custom: Zeel Bobster

ZEEL BOBSTER

If you’re anywhere between the ages of thirty-five and fifty-five, there is a strong possibility that you won’t be able to look at the trike on these pages without the name “Mr MacHenry” popping into your mind … assuming you had a telly when you were growing up: times were hard back then.

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Custom: BobsterLow Rider Xl1200CZeel Vs Dyna

The genius of Zeel Design means that the bearded, straw-hat wearing tricyclist never crosses their minds … okay, so that’s largely because they didn’t show The Magic Roundabout in Canada, or else they didn’t have a telly, or maybe they were busy honing their engineering skills when it was on, and the whole thing passed them by. But let’s not get hung up on Dougal, Dylan and the gang, even if it would’ve tied in really nicely, what with it being French originally and dubbed into English by Emma Thompson’s dad, who subverted the script a little on the way. The only common thread that joins them is a common inspiration: a classic children’s tricycle from 1915 with tiny rear wheels and a big front one, which in turn owes much to the pre-safety bicycle ‘Big Wheel’ bikes, which we’d call a Penny Farthing over here. I was going to suggest the style was an exclusively French one, but I have the vaguest recollections of one from my childhood – entirely from the memory of a steel tricycle that had a platform over the rear axle to stand on, but this isn’t getting us any further forward. You will have heard of Zeel from 2005’s International Motorcycle and Scooter Show at the NEC, when Michael Long brought the amazing Phenom over. In case you need reminding, it was … where the hell do I start? A Harley motor running through a CVT (a modern Variomatic) gearbox with streamlined bodywork and hub-less wheels front and back. And it was red, and it was on the cover of AmV14. You might also have heard of them if you’ve caught the Canadian version of The Discovery Channel’s Biker Build-Off series, because they’ve been enormously successful on that – indeed, this trike is one of their winning entries, which makes it all the more special because the rules in the Canadian competition is to build the bike in 10 days, and that’s where it all gets a little scary. Taking nothing away from competitors in any other series, to turn round something of this complexity in less than two weeks is nothing short of amazing, because almost every part was built speciﬁcally for the bike in-house … but then the hardware that is available in-house at Zeel is rather more sophisticated that a hacksaw and a vice. That’s because Michael and Ben are not full time custom bike builders but well-regarded development engineers in real life, and working at that level, the right kit is nearly as important as the ability to use it properly. Consequently, there’s not a lot they can’t do themselves, and it extends beyond a little fabrication here and there.

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How far do their skills extend? They’ve long been associated with Bombardier, who in turn are partnered with Rotax, and played a part in the design of the motor for the Aprilia Mille. Given that background it is perhaps surprising that they stuck with a Sportster motor for the Bobster … until you remember they had ten days to complete it. Their design method isn’t your normal Zen-like sitting on an upturned bucket with a few bits of metal and a motor for company: the Bobster existed in virtual 3D space long before the ﬁ rst piece of metal was selected, and the drawings that exist for the project show how much work was done at the design stage. And what a piece of work: an original design that tears up the rule book. I’m going to stick my neck out and suggest that the Vee Rubber front tyre had a part to play in its inception, because purely it’s one of those things that will either work well within a clever design, or else overpower a shoddy one. Not a 21-inch, not even the 23-incher that was introduced alongside the whopping 360-section rear, but a truly barking mad 120/50x26 inch that lives up to its “The Monster” billing. The small rear wheels are nothing like as adventurous, being a pair of modest 200/70x15s. There aren’t too many wheel

manufacturers who make a 26-inch billet wheel, and fewer still who would offer a matching 15-inch rear but that doesn’t much matter when you have the facility to make your own, and Zeel have produced a set speciﬁcally for the project: thin willowy spokes alluding to radially laced wheels, and copper-plated to conjure up a bygone age. It’s amazing what you do with a monster front tyre and a kid’s tricycle in your head, and the realisation of the ﬁ nal bike is a result of tangential thinking and pure technical ability.

That curving three-tube backbone might be more arched behind the headstock to accommodate the combined fuel and oil tank, but the line is immediately recognisable. Those three tubes, precisely fitting together to form a single entity, each has a specific purpose which becomes clear when the central top one splits off at the rear of the combined tank, flattening out to form the seat subframe, while the two beneath continue together for another eighteen inches or so before splaying out to meet either end of the fi xed rear axle, braced by a pair of plates that reference the platform of the tricycle. A fourth tube provides the anchor for the motor’s top mount, and passes beneath the tank before joining the main frame rails after the seat subframe peels away, culminating in a solid engine mount that uses the original swing-arm mount on the back of the XL’s cases. The forks fit tight to the oh-so tall front wheel and tyre, forming a bridge beneath the steering head which it passes through as a single tube, not only without yokes but with a suspension unit built into the headstock. A pair of RST calipers is bolted in place behind the decorated fork blades, leaving little trace of their existence beyond the twin rotors from Rick’s. The blades of the forks are removable from the central bridge-piece, presumably for ease of maintenance. The unsprung handlebars are pure indulgence. Why? Well, why not? Michael admits he was a little unsure how they would work, but reports that they are quite useable, maybe because the shocks will be absorbed in the pulled-back ‘bars. I’ve never seen inverted bars before, and they wouldn’t suit everything but they work well here almost creating a safety zone around the rider, and they take your attention so completely that you completely forget to notice the lack of levers and cables. The cables are easy enough to spot further forward, exiting from the front of the bars, denoting Exile internal

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Custom: BobsterLow Rider Xl1200CZeel Vs Dyna

twistgrips for throttle and clutch, adapted by Zeel to fit their needs. They won’t have been the fi rst to discover that a twistgrip clutch can be a handful – no pun intended – but while Thundercity have lined up a ridge of allen bolts to gain extra purchase on the grip, and Phil Piper has removed half his clutch springs without losing traction, Zeel have fitted a reduction lever mechanism to the lefthand forward control to lessen the effort needed at the handlebar – about 50% less looking at the gearing – and in doing so have dispensed with the need for a heavy clutch cable, making the internal routing through the perimeter bars easier. The in-house forward controls form part of a subframe bolted to the front engine mount, and seems to be using the rubber mounting point to good effect, as well as providing an anchor point for the regulator box: well, it might as well make itself useful because there’s no frame there. Electrical switches are easier: the starter button is integrated within the ignition key, while the indicators and horn are operated from the small metal plate on the left-hand downtube. Barring the covers, which have been engraved and then copper plated, the engine has been taken to black to reinforce the impression of age but not before it was set-about to make it breathe more easily. As with Phenom, which was sponsored by a local Harley-Davidson dealer, the motor doesn’t venture beyond the scope of The Motor Company’s catalogue, in this case running Screamin’ Eagle pistons, cams, inlet manifold, carb and ignition module make it go better. What makes it go at all, however, is the belt drive and axle, and a question: where’s the differential?

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Without a diff, both rear wheels will turn at the same speed constantly, which makes cornering difﬁcult on tarmac. On the original kiddie’s trike, the pedals are on a crank directly mounted to the front wheel, and on bigger, more sophisticated tricycles the chain only drives one of the rear wheels to get round the problem.

You can do that with one child-power, but with a 1200 Sportster’s horsepower you’d create unnecessary, unbalanced stresses not unlike those of a motorbike and sidecar. Obviously there is a differential there, it just doesn’t look like you’d expect a differential to look, because we’re used to seeing a cutdown conventional rear wheel drive casting in the back of a trike. If you’ve been around for a while, you might recall 5-speed clusters for 4-speed British twins, and the name associated with that was always Rod Quaife. Well, Quaife are still going – and indeed are still making 5-speed clusters and conversions for 4-speed boxes, and 6-speeds for Tridents and Nortons as well as other bike stuff

– but they expanded into cars in the 1980s and one of their main products is a limited slip diff – their ATB differential – for front wheel drive cars: a proper gear-driven diff rather than one that works on clutch technologies, it is sealed from the atmosphere and runs in grease rather than oil. Self-contained and compact, with the car’s crown wheel replaced by a belt drive pulley – in this case machined to match the spoke pattern on the wheels – you’ve got the neatest limited slip diff imaginable, and one that is proven in both competition and production, and is fitted by Ford, GM and Daimler/ Chrysler as original equipment. The pulley doubles up as the brake rotor, having a stainless steel friction surface bolted to either side of it which gripped by a widejawed RC Components caliper, and which keeps the rear wheels uncluttered and brake lines to a minimum. All three calipers – two at the front and one at the rear – are linked to form a single system, which is allowed in North America, which is operated by a stock Harley master cylinder on the right-hand forward footrest. Between the diff and the motor, embraced by the run of the belt, is what looks like an oil tank, and is painted up as though it was, but is in fact the electrics box. The oil lives in the fuel tank, as can be detected by the three lines existing at the rear, a few inches behind the fuel tap. The fuel tank itself must be a masterpiece of internal baffl ing, holding not only the fuel and oil but also providing a location for the warning lights and speedometer, quite apart from being a hell of a shape to have to achieve with very little margin for error without hitting the upper and lower frame members. Rider comfort is taken care of by front suspension and the sprung solo seat, in two-tone tooled leather – which is about the only conventional part of the whole trike – and weather protection is afforded by removable mudguards so it is a rideable proposition, and it is registered for the road. Conceptually, brilliant. In engineering terms, exceptional. In human terms I want to stand on the platforms at the back, my hands on the shoulders of the rider just to see what it feels like … and to see the expression on the arresting officer’s face when he tries to book us, completely baffled by what the charge might be. Words: Mr MacHenry Pics: www.ProductionsGPL.com SPECIFICATIONS: Engine: 2006 H-D 1200cc Sportster Mods: Screaming Eagle pistons, cams and intake. Fuel management: Screaming Eagle carb and ignition module Engine Builder: Rene Giroux / Zeel Design Exhaust: Zeel Design / Santee Engine Covers: Engraved by Danny Davidson Belt drive: Gates Rubber company Final Drive: Zeel Design / Quaife limited slip rear end Frame: Zeel Design Front forks and Zeel Design in suspension: frame design Front wheel: Zeel Design custom wheel (26x3.25”) Rear wheels: Zeel Design custom wheel (15x6.25”) Front brakes: Dual RST and Ricks Motorcycles set-up Rear brake: RC Components sprocket brake set-up Foot controls: H-D / Zeel Design Front tyre: Vee Rubber Monster 120/50x26 Rear tyres: Vee Rubber Monster 200/70x15 Front fender: Zeel Design Rear fenders: Zeel Design (removable) Fuel tank: Zeel Design fuel, oil and gauge set-up Painter: Alain Panneton / Air Design Oil tank: Zeel Design (actually holds electronics) Handle bars: Zeel Design / Exile internal clutch & throttle Seat: Sellerie Europeene Wiring: H-D 2006 Sportster / Zeel Design Copper Plating: Placage MM Polishing: Polissage PB

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Event: Cider Rally 2007

CIDER RALLY 2007 What is it you look forward most to in a Harley event? The company? The bikes? Bands? The riding? Or maybe all three. I specially look forward to getting all of these at one of the most popular events in the UK HOG calendar: Bridgewater Chapter’s Cider Rally.

Held on the May Bank Holiday, it is the ﬁ rst big event of the year for us and, now in its sixteenth year, it remains as popular as ever with around a thousand attendees from all over the UK, and indeed northern Europe: there often being some Dutch and Belgian attendees. I’ve been making this annual pilgrimage almost since it started, and one of the things I look forward to most is the ride down to Somerset. Sure, you get to meet up with people you’ve not seen over the winter months and get to plan where else you going to go, and then there’s the beautiful Somerset coast scenery, the fact that you don’t have to take the tent and much more, but the ride has always been the thing for me and Barbara. Rather than slogging all the way down the motorway from Cumbria, battling the dumbest drivers on the planet, we usually peel off at the M56 and pick up the A49, which takes us past Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Leominster and Hereford. From there we take

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Event: Cider Rally 2007

the fantastic A466 – usually empty, sometimes fast and always twisty – to Monmouth, then down the scenic Wye Valley past Tintern to Chepstow before rejoining the motorways for the Severn Bridge and the huge car park that is the A5 at Bristol. It isn’t the quickest route (usually), but it has the appeal of being our personal Route 66, and we’ve come to know all the best places to eat or stop for a stretch. Favourites include the Beeston Lock Café east of Chester, the New Raven Café just south of Whitchurch, Hereford’s Queenswood Country Park with its excellent bike parking area, and the idyllic Station Café at Tintern. This year the bizarre weather caught us out somewhat. With temperatures the previous week in the 20’s, we opted for the usual summer gear as we set off from sunny Cumbria, but by the time we got down to Charnock Richard services we were going through the saddlebags to see what else we could wear, and by the time we reached the Beeston Lock Café I was so cold I couldn’t stop shivering. Fortunately for her, Barbara had some of the excellent, if somewhat unreliable Harley heated grips on her bike, and for once they were working so she was OK. She wasn’t too keen on my suggestion we swap bikes for a while, however… By the time we arrived at the rally site at four in the afternoon, we were glad to get in the chalet for a shower and warm up. I’ve never been very keen on camping – a tent lacks en-suite facilities and the room service is terrible – and as I’ve got older and more decrepit I’m glad of getting a decent bed to sleep on: it’s not the years; it’s the mileage, you know … The Cider Rally is an example of that ﬁne invention: the “Chalet Rally”. Okay, you can camp if you must, or of the chalet accommodation is full, but if you book early the Sand Bay Holiday Village has plenty of accommodation at reasonable cost, especially if you are prepared to share. Also included in the cost of the rally is a cooked breakfast and evening meal served to your table, and there’s a good choice too, including a veggie option and curry option. Bridgewater HOG have been using Sand Bay for a few years now and it’s ideal, being situated a couple of miles outside Weston-SuperMare, just a short walk over the road from a nice sandy bay which has lots of driftwood for beach bonﬁ re opportunities. As the event has become more popular, it has become necessary to book increasingly earlier if you want to be sure of chalet accommodation, and the Rally really cannot expand more unless it moves to a larger venue, which it has done twice already, but I can understand why Bridgewater would rather not move from Sand Bay: any bigger and they would need more resources to run the event. It’s a good site too, with plenty of room; its own shops and amusement arcade, a quiet bar and the stage room.

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won what. Worthy of special mention is the “Great Escape” bike, with stunning paintwork depicting scenes from the film. It was one of those “how do they do that?” moments. The silly games was something of a Mancunian derby won by Hatters HOG Chapter, despite losing points for some good-humoured cheating, with Rainy City HDC coming a close second. Funniest of the games, for me, was the traditional stick race, where competitors had to rotate round broom handles with their forehead resting on its top, until they were dizzy, and then try to run to the finish line. The general effect was that they could barely stand up, and some ended up, to their surprise, in a nearby vendor’s marquee. Next day, not feeling too bad despite the previous night’s cider consumption, we had some sightseeing to look forward too. Bridgewater HOG had six different runs out organised, and by the looks of it they were well attended. We opted to have a run out by ourselves to Glastonbury but once there we bumped into some people we knew, joined them and ended up in Bath, where I spent half an hour entertaining local eccentrics who where queuing up to ask daft questions of the riders who had parked these big shiny machines for them to gawk at. Harley’s, as you will know are real granddad magnets. Park up in any town centre and within five minutes someone will come up to you and say either “Eee, they don’t make them like this any more”, or “I used to have one of these”. Not as funny as when I took delivery of my new Fatboy back in 1992: I had someone come up to me 20 minutes after I’d left the shop saying “You’ve looked after that well!” This time, however, we had the old lady: “saw one of these with two seats on the back once”, the old homeless guy with a zimmer frame: “I used to be in a club once”, the 16 year old female biker groupie in the Support your Local 81 shirt: “do you have to prospect for your club?” and the tallest, thinnest policeman in the world who wrote down the address of Riders Edge on his hand in Biro when he asked where he could learn to ride. Life is never dull on or off Harley, that’s for sure. Back at the site, it was time for more food and some of that brown stuff, what’s it called? Oh, yes, beer, and the last bands of the event, but all too soon it was Monday morning and time to head back up north. It had started raining so after our last breakfast in the site restaurant we pulled on the oversuits and headed off. Yes, we did the A49 route again, of course, and yes, we did enjoy it, despite the wind and rain. In fact, the rain The staff like us being there too, as we do less damage and spend had brought out the smells of the wild garlic and the oil seed rape plants more than, er, normal people. alongside the road and in the fields, and had the side-benefit of keeping Naturally, there are bands provided for entertainment in the main bar people at home, instead of clogging up the roads, so it was good. It wasn’t area, which has plenty of room in front of the stage for dancing: this too cold either. Every ride is different, and every time we’re glad to be on year there were two different bands on each night, with the Jack Daniels the bikes rather than stuck in a car somewhere … Experience and Rang-A-Tang on the Saturday going down particularly Once again, the Cider Rally lived up to expectations, and big thanks are well. Saturday was also fancy dress night with this year’s theme being due to Dave Holden and the Bridgewater crew for giving us an event to “Rumble in the Jungle”. Sadly, I didn’t see anyone dressed as Mohammed look forward to every year; long may it continue. Ali, but entire HOG chapters had entered into the spirit of the thing to Words & pics: Nitro an extraordinary degree. My favourite was the “I’m not a celebrity – get me out of here” crowd, all dressed in jungle explorer togs and dishing out bizarre “bush tucker” to all and sundry. The eyeballs were particularly disgusting. Too sweet. Should have been served in pastry… Fortunately, the weather warmed up a little on the Saturday and Sunday so the ride-outs were well attended. Saturday saw a huge if somewhat chaotic parade through Weston-super-Mare which, after deafening the locals in the town centre, ended parked on the grassy promenade area so we could wander into town and eat chips. Alternatively, you could walk out on the pier, eat ice cream and watch people ride donkeys. Weston is a very traditional seaside resort: real bucket and spade stuff that reminds you of family holidays before Easyjet. Having failed once again to find the Lambretta Museum, and only winning a toy penguin in the amusement arcade on the pier, we returned to the site for the ride-in bike show and the silly games. I’ll swear the standard of bikes gets higher each year, particularly paint. Being a HOG event, all but one of the bikes were modified Harley’s, with just one kit bike: a Big Bear Choppers Pro-Street in metal-flake orange. Unfortunately, I missed the prize giving so I can’t tell you who

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Xl1200C Vs Dyna Low Rider

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Head-to-head: XL883Rs

HEAD TO HEAD

XL883Rs Tweaking an 883 Sportster is a well-trodden path, not least because until 2007 and the advent of fuel injection you really needed to do something with your XL883 just to make it run like an 850cc motorcycle at the turn of the twenty-first century should.

That’s not to say that carbureted 883s aren’t good motorcycles, just that they are, err, lacking, shall we say, in standard trim. If you were patient, you could just ride the wheels off it within its limited parameters, and as it loosened up it just got better and better – smoother and quicker – but we’re not patient these days and that process was often accelerated by ﬁtting a Stage One almost immediately, and then a 1200cc big bore kit. The big difference with the fuel injected models is that you can ride one straight off the showroom ﬂoor and enjoy it immediately, almost without having to wait for it to warm up or bed in. We put an 883R through its paces in AmV21 in the company of an XL1200 Custom and were blown away with how useable it was compared to previous models. It revved more

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Head-to-head: XL883Rs

freely, it warmed through more readily, it didn’t rattle your teeth out, and it was perfectly happy at normal road speeds, and while we treated it’s new motor gently, could feel that it would even be coaxed up to three figures without written notice. You could get carried away with the notion that it was all good news, and it was if you were happy with the 883’s performance, but it has made the big bore conversion a little more complicated, which was a shame because that has long been a cheap way of getting a 1200 Sportster, unofficially, and even the Motor Company were ready to cater for such modifications. They stopped short of recommending that the easy way to create a 1200 is to buy an 883 and their upgrade kit, but they started to sell a very complete upgrade kit at around the same time as they stopped selling basic XL1200 models. There are a couple of good reasons for buying an 883 with the specific intention of fitting a 1200cc big bore kit: the cost of the work is less than the price difference between comparable models, and the finished 1200 is quicker off the line than a factory 1200 because the engine is in a slightly higher state of tune through a higher compression ratio, and because the lower gearing of the 883 makes it more lively, sacrificing top speed for acceleration. In broad terms, an XL883 is typically fifteen hundred quid cheaper than an XL1200 of a similar spec but the cost of the big bore kit, including labour, can be as little as £800, which will give you enough for a decent pipe in change, making it more than a match for a staged factory 1200 for the same price as a stocker. Incidentally, Harley’s Screamin’ Eagle kit retails at £1,055 plus vat for parts only and is actually the full 1200cc top end from a black and chrome XL1200, including the heads and an ECM recalibration. Is there a downside? Yes, one or two depending on your personal preferences and taste: the 883 motors in the regular 883, Low and Custom are plain silver rather than the high contrast black and chrome finish, the smaller customs are generally plainer than their 1200 equivalents and the blacked-out sportier 883R lacks the tacho of the 1200 Roadster. It’s the 883R that we’re especially interested in here, as you’ll have guessed from the pictures, which is £1,300 cheaper than the XL1200R Roadster that is actually a very different bike, visually. It gets the triple discs, long travel suspension and flattish bars, but it’s altogether more aggressive-looking. The chrome highlights on the 1200R’s blacked-out motor perversely dull its raw edge – and would arguably detract from the purposeful lines of the 883R if the factory big bore kit was fitted – the polished fork legs are too pretty for the track, and the Badlander-style seat is a stylish flourish more than a fastback alluding to a racing hump.

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There is no question: if you want an aggressive flat-track refugee, you should get yourself an 883 and overbore it, or wait until next Spring when the XR1200 hits the streets with an updated, more sophisticated slant on everyone’s favourite flat-tracker. Harley-Davidson haven’t announced a price for the XR yet, but there is some conjecture in the mainstream press that it might be another thousand quid on top of the XL1200R, so there’s still plenty to play for. We covered the upgrading of an 883R in AmV21, when Mayor’s Motorcycles did an early conversion, and barring the standard cams in the Mayors bike and the two-into-one Rinehart exhaust on this one from Thundercity in Leeds, there’s not a massive amount of difference in the hardware used. But we didn’t get the chance to throw a leg over that first bike and a dyno graph can only tell you so much. More importantly we didn’t get to switch between the modified model and a bog standard version to be able to qualify what the differences were in real terms, which is why we leapt at the opportunity offered by Andy and Paul. It’s worth a quick recap of what’s involved – and I do mean quick. Take one XL883R, strip the top end off, re-bore the barrels, fit bigger pistons and bolt it all back together again and think about the fuel/air mix … the complicated bit. In carburettor days you would get a dyno-jet kit for the carb and with a handful of jets you’d give the bigger motor chance to draw more fuel in, but EFI doesn’t work that way: EFI pushes the fuel down its throat, and you need to make sure you’re sending enough, relying on the O2 sensors in the closed loop injection system to handle any running adjustments. It sounds simpler

to the existing EFI map, fuellers can only ever add fuel to the motor, which is a good thing because no-one will ever accuse a stock Harley of running rich. Having increased the size of the motor, the 1200 big bore kit will certainly need more fuel than the 883’s map will supply, and that can be added to the existing configuration through three control buttons on the front of the unit – which modify five fuel circuits – or else Kitech can supply a fuel map that will give a more accurately tailored solution. The Thundercity big bore 1200 in this test has been set up with buttons and ninety minutes on a dyno, but it will be heading down to Kitech once we’ve finished with it for a full map solution which is more involved but more accurate: the Mayors bike had a map produced to account for the cams, which won’t be relevant to this conversion. It is a more elegant solution than a simple ECM calibration, which will be matched to a specific combination of air filter and exhaust, typically Harley items, and will be fixed. The fueller will allow you to continue tweaking it as you change the configuration, without going as far as the sophistication, or the expense of the Screamin’ Eagle Race Tuner. Thundercity’s big bore conversion is a pair of exchange barrels, Wiseco conversion pistons with a choice of 9.5:1 or 10:1 compression ratio, Cometic gaskets, a Kitech PowerPro Fueller, the uprated clutch spring from the XL1200, labour and vat for £850, and if booked it can be done on a same day ride-in, ride-out basis. That is only possible with the exchange barrels because the reboring process is taken care of out-of-house: if you really want your original barrels taking out you’ll need to account for that, but they are committed to exchange items being as good as, or better than the ones on your bike – and they will be in the original black of the 883R motor. Unlike the test bike, they’ll also be current generation barrels: these are a pair from a pre-rubbermount motor that happened to be hanging around, and were an easy way of testing the theory. There are a few more toys on this model, like an Arlen Ness Big Sucker air filter and manifold adapted to receive the original air filter cover, and the deeply wonderful Bub Rinehart 2-into-1 exhaust which adds almost £600 by itself, but you can specify what you want, to suit your taste or your pocket. It also had the added bonus of Progressive shocks front and rear. On the downside, it didn’t have the 1200 clutch spring. To give an idea of what has been achieved so far, the original bike was run in and Dyno’d to give a base reading specific to this bike. It was given a Stage One tune – D&D slashcut slip-ons, Big Sucker air filter and the Kitech PowerPro – and put back on the Dyno again before being torn-down and reassembled as a 1200 with the Rinehart pipe, and a final reading taken before it was shipped to us, see table below. than it is, because while a carb has physically got jets that you can see, remove and replace, the standard electronic system has a fuel map that is programmed into a black box with no external adjustments. You can download a new map – an ECM calibration – but they don’t come cheap and unless it accounts for all the tuning bits inside and outside your motor, it’s not going to do the best possible job. But there is an alternative route: a fueller. There are a few of these out there, mainly derived from Techlusion’s TFI, sometimes referred to as a DFO, but the one that seems to be doing good business in the UK is the PowerPro developed for and by Kitech, and it is worth being aware that fuel maps between the UK and US need to account for very different operating temperatures and fuel octane ratings. Working in addition Reflecting on my past experience of Sportsters, my earliest memory is from around twenty years ago when I knew a guy who owned one, and like many contemporaries I bought into the urban myth that ‘883s’ were out and out “girlies bikes”. Okay, so at the time I hadn’t ridden a Harley, and didn’t even possess a full-bike licence so who was I to formulate such an opinion based on rumour and supposition? But, recalling the words of other Harley riders at the time, it seemed that these Sportsters were frowned upon not only by the uninitiated, but those who knew, too. As a small bike from a manufacturer famous for their big ones, the 883 was very much the runt of the litter and got negative press as a consequence, and still does in certain quarters. In spite of that, however, the stock 883 is still here, earning respect and winning friends from those who want a motorbike with a Harley badge at the lower end of the price scale – and providing a great

cost £5,695 bike + £685 bike + £1780* £6,995 * in this spec, or £1450 with the D&D slashcut slip-ons. Stock Stage 1 883 Stage 1 1200 Stock XL1200R

bhp 44 52 65

ftlbs 46 50 67

There’ll be an element of Dyno accuracy to contend with but these readings were all taken on the same unit, so the percentage increase can be seen as accurate even if the numbers are open to question (Mayors’ showed an increase from 41-66hp and 43-68ftlbs).

introduction into the Harley lifestyle, especially for us girls, and has proved to be a bike that many people stick with for years, developing a deep affection for the baby XL. Returning to the present day, I now have hard riding experience of both the 1200 and the 883, and reckon enough to comment from real experience rather than anecdotal, often unfounded biker myths. Earlier this year we had this very XL883R on test ride, and my simplistic conclusion at the time was that it went, it stopped, it had a Harley badge on the side of the tank, and the foot-pegs always got in the way when I put my feet down, leaving me with bruised ankles: not the most positive of reactions. So when Andy said there were two more coming, I didn’t exactly jump for joy: more a resigned “ok, we’ll see how it goes” reaction. Then he told me that only one was to be the stock 883R and the other was arriving from Thundercity in Leeds, and had been

‘tweaked’ somewhat by the addition of a big bore kit, taking it out of its humble 883 guise and up to a more respectable 1200cc. Needless to say that my ears pricked up and, I found myself experiencing ripples of excitement and anticipation like butterflies in my stomach. The plan was to take both bikes out at the same time, swapping over now and again so we could both get an idea of how the bikes compared by riding them back to back; that sounded like a logical plan of action. I should by now be fully conversant with the fact that there is always a catch to such wonderful plans made up by a bloke; and the catch this time is that I would get to ride the big bore only after Andy had “warmed it up for me” … hmmm, maybe I’m still a bit slow on the uptake! Like the good girl that I am, I tucked in behind Andy, who set both the riding pace and the route on our way to Nottingham, and made as many mental American-V.co.uk

Head-to-head: XL883Rs

But numbers are all well and good, and you can extrapolate theoretical riding impressions from the shape of the cures, but how does that play out on the road? With the keys for both Harley’s press fleet XL883R and Thundercity’s XXL883R, Amanda and I headed for deepest Nottinghamshire to find out. As I’ve already mentioned, I don’t have much of a problem with the base 883R –certainly not in the way that I used to – and coming back to it, fully expecting it to be a decent bike it still didn’t disappoint. It’s happy, buzzy and lively, and generally good fun to play with if you’re not planning on going too far too fast. At odds with your expectations of its long stroke motor, it revs harder than an XL1200, but it’s only when you ride a converted 1200 that’s still running 883 gearing that you realise why: it’s not that it spins up more readily, but it has to because the gearing is lower. My new mission is to find an injected 883 with enough miles on it to be closer to its potential power, and see how it fares on 1200 gearing, because I’m sure it’ll be more than happy in the lower gears, it’s just a matter of whether it’ll manage to pull a higher fifth, because while it’s certainly markedly quicker to the ton – it’s the same 883R as we rode last time, and with a few more miles on it I can confirm it’ll get there – but it does still need a little mild coaxing, and bogs down with an overenthusiastic right hand. By comparison, the 1200 is a little hellcat. Roll-on torque and power is stunning, and the only thing that counts against it, once beyond the national speed limit, is some clutch slip which is down to the 883’s spring being unable to handle the extra power. The 1200’s version is on order but probably won’t make it to the bike before we go to press, but I can already tell you it’ll only make an excellent bike better. We’ll be putting this against the XL1200R Roadster once that’s been fitted, and we’ll need it for that comparison, but it is so much better than the 883 incarnation that it won’t alter the findings here. The bark from the Rinehart pipe in the enclosed space of a garage gives the Sportster a voice in keeping with your expectations of a tuned 1200cc V-twin, and it doesn’t seem to quieten down as you wheel it into open air: it’s almost as though the sound is resonating within the big bore megaphone itself. It’s a deep, menacing rumble more than a harsh cracking note, and gunning the motor at standstill rewards your ears with a yet deeper tone: a stronger invitation to ride than offered by the stocker’s shorty duals. Round town, its malevolent burble is enough to keep pedestrians alert to your presence, but without sending little girls scurrying for the protection of their mothers, who are consequently more smiling and wistful than irritated and aggressive. On the move at speed, the Rinehart becomes less obtrusive: loud enough to be distinct to the rider but not

notes as possible of my actual riding experience on the 883, because this time there would be questions later. Obvious points to be considered would include the handling, gear changes, manouvreability, fun(?), smoothness and whether or not it would alter my previous misgivings / opinions: I guess it was my last ditch attempt in re-evaluating my previous antipathy towards the Sportster. Negotiating town traffic is always a good starting point for realising any bike’s abilities, which proved to be an absolute doddle as the gear changes were seemingly faultless and impressively smooth; a real slick click. Similarly, the handling was spot on with its instantly responsive manoeuvrability, filtering in and out of gridlocked traffic – so far, so good - and traversing local town and dual carriageway traffic, through a bit of a mixed bag of weather conditions demonstrated the bike’s agility, efficiently dealing with a multitude of assorted road surfaces.

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excessive and you wonder how much noise you’re leaving in your wake, but following it on the kitten-quiet factory pipes, it’s remarkably inoffensive too. Oh, and they look brilliant! It’s great to get a break from the ubiquitous shorty-duals which seems to have become some sort of sacred cow for The Motor Company, and a return to a more adventurous style of exhaust is well overdue now: hopefully the new Fat Bob is heralding that change, but then we hoped for that when the original 883R was launched with its 2-into-1 pipe. Someone somewhere will know whether it reverted to shorty duals because of market pressures or production economies, but we’ve long known that a 2-into-1 exhaust is the performance pipe for an XL – although probably not with the factory’s legal silencer ﬁtted. The big bore back end of the Rinehart’s megaphone is reminiscent of tuned British twins of old, which is a role that the Sportster has easily slipped into since the arrival of the Evolution XL motor made it more attractive to the masses, and the way you can throw it into bends – helped enormously be the stiffer, progressively wound Progressive forks springs and shocks – does nothing to undermine that impression. Despite its massive bore, the Rinehart is unlikely to contact terra ﬁrma – even though this bike is running shorter shocks than standard, which is normally a guarantee of grinding the heatshield clips – because it so tightly tucked in to the swing-arm. The bad news, however, is that it doesn’t come

Inexplicably there were times when I felt like I was riding a Triumph. I couldn’t work out why at the time, but now I have. I used to love riding pillion on an ex’s Bonneville: it was fun, big fun and that is what I was getting from riding the Sportster; I was enjoying it! Leaving the bustling city limits behind us, it was time for the open road, or in this case the awful sectional concrete surface of the A50, and out towards Derby to be greeted by yet more very changeable weather conditions. I don’t know about you, but I don’t especially relish riding in the rain, and these days I probably slow down more than I really need to, but I’m delighted to say I felt very safe with the handling of the bike and felt secure in the knowledge that it wasn’t going to do anything unexpected and throw me off: feeling safe on a bike, especially in unpleasant weather conditions is an important part of a rider’s psychological experience. The one thing that was slightly unsettling was the weight of the Sportster, or rather the lack of it; it is

very light in comparison to the other big twins that I get to ride with the exception of Buells, but that’s another story. Personally, I feel reassured by the mass that bigger bikes offer – even when I used to have a Boxer thousand I was never happier than when it was laden with the added weight of camping equipment and the like – which, of course, has absolutely no bearing on an individual bike’s abilities, and I mention purely as a personal preference: perhaps I should drive a tank. I did find that I was constantly searching for a sixth gear: an old GS550 I owned had one, and I’m totally comfortable with the new big twins as a result. It could be interpreted as believing it could pull taller gearing, but it might be that my indulgent nature means I just need more of everything. Could it pull a sixth gear? It’s hard to say: it is not in the same class as its big brother; being curbed by pubescent restraints compared to the maturity offered

as part of the £850 conversion, although you could afford one from the difference between this and the XL1200R even though it’s one of the more expensive systems – a piece more than either a Supertrapp or V&H’s 2-into-1 – but what an exhaust: infinitely simpler than the balanced duals, with great lines to the header pipes and improved cornering clearance! The downside is that it will not fit with forward controls, but then it wouldn’t look right on the XL Customs anyway. With the sense of a close ratio box, the XXL883R is an excellent back-lane scratcher and working its five gears to keep the motor spinning, it doesn’t

by the 1200. Or is it? It still offers a torquey power delivery when you open the throttle, similar to that of the bigger twins, but it does lack the true bottom end grunt, but then that’s what the 1200’s for. All in all, I would say it is a funky little V-twin which you can have some great fun riding. It’s agile, easy to ride and very accessible, and it is a sturdy little bugger and pretty cheap for a Harley. When we swapped bikes at the first fuel stop, I didn’t quite know what to expect, indeed I wondered how great a difference or improvement a couple of hundred cee cees would make to the stock Sportster … apart from the wonderful grunt erupting from the exhaust. I soon found out. Wow! Surely this could not be the same bike I had just got off? Okay, so strictly speaking, it wasn’t except to look at, which is where the similarity began and ended! Sure, the bike was still too light for me in terms of

encounter the clutch slip of higher speeds, and it is here that it’ll leave the regular XL883R for dead without trying. The broader spread of power means selecting the correct gear is less critical to maintaining quick progress, and it’ll just stomp off into the middle distance while the buzzy 883’s rider will be wishing there were 10,000 more miles on the clock, and a freer breathing filter and slip-ons at the very least. You could even up the score with decent shocks on your 883R if the 1200 was still on the standard items, and if it was running a 1200 gearbox pulley making its gear selection more critical too, and if it was being ridden by a novice, but that’s a lot to ask for. The upgraded model will always have the edge: it’s knocking on the door of a 50% increase, which is a hell of a margin, and at £850 plus pipes is a serious bargain. If country lanes are the domain of the XXL883R, long hauls down straight roads will reduce the difference unless you really enjoy hanging on for grim death at ton-plus speeds over protracted distances – or you fit a screen. The XL883R will cheerfully hold ninety, up hill and down dale, which is perhaps 10mph faster than a comfortable cruising speed on an undressed bike, and they don’t come any more undressed than an XL. Its buzziness counts against it, but its fuel economy is a useful bonus … it is compared to the 1200 on 883 gearing. I reckon that with the 1200 gearing – two teeth less on the gearbox pulley and another £100 – the XXL883R will probably close that back down again, and will change the nature of the bike again. With the accessibility of the final drive on the XL motor, make sure you keep the 883cc pulley if you do decide to change it, because you will almost certainly miss the lower gearing’s awesome acceleration.

its weight, but, it was a very different beast. The desperation of wanting a sixth gear disappeared at a stroke: I was suddenly blessed with all the torque I had craved for on the 883 – it had matured beautifully and it totally contradicted my previous misgivings. I no longer cared that the bike felt too light as it now had torque, it had an astoundingly vibrant exhaust tone and had swapped its teenage acne for chest hair, and had gained the bad attitude that it previously lacked! I’ll admit that I’m not clued-up as to the technical details of this big-bore kit, but I won’t lose any sleep over that. My lack of knowledge will allow me to just see it for what it is, though, based on the experience of the remarkable difference. Riding the big-bore destroyed any previously held opinion that the Sportster was a weak contender in the v-twin chase: this was racing around the course like a crazed horse, snorting and champing at the

Words and pics: Andy Hornsby

bit having been slapped hard on its backside, and charging hell-for-leather, wild-eyed and tireless. Of course I had heard of big bore kits and how they can scale up the engine size and output of motorbikes, but I honestly hadn’t given it any further consideration, up until now: what a transformation Working out the cost of kitting out your existing EFI 883 with the big bore and new slip-on exhausts would start at around £1,450 in total which, even if you get a decent trade-in, is affordable compared to the cost of buying a new bike. If you are in love with your 883 but are starting to yearn for something with a bit more kick to it, this is a great way of getting that extra power and keeping the same bike – and of course, you would be responsible for informing your insurers that the bike has been modified as much as you would need to tell the DVLA that the engine size has changed. Amanda Wright American-V.co.uk

Event: Makin Xl1200C Vs Bacon Dyna IV Low Rider

MAKIN BACON IV The forecast did not look good: it had rained buckets all week and a host of weather geeks and pundits were telling me that even worse weather was to come over the weekend: two nights under canvas with a hardy few similar idiots seemed to be in prospect.

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TROPHY AWARDS Visitors Choice:

Frenchie - 127 Ci R&R Big V Twin Seven (Film Theme). Best Bike: Frenchie Best Paint: Frenchie Best Harley: Barty - FXR Best Non Harley: BSA Chop (Sorry no name) Best Engineering: Gary Lakes - Softail Chop Best Ladies: Claire - Sporty Furthest Travelled: Jed - 250 Miles Best Club Turnout: Uxonians

The fourth Hogs Bollocks Makin’ Bacon rally was held at Stoke RUFC in North Staffordshire, where in spite of the weather over 160 souls turned up to party, because as regular grass roots rally goers know if you’ve got mates, booze, bikes and music, how the hell can you not have a good time? Many thanks to Northern Harley Club, Uxonions, Team Rejects, All Nations, Cauldren Club and all the others who were not to be put off. The field filled up under the early evening drizzle and most were in time to have a pint in hand and see the first band of the weekend “Back 2 Basics”. They performed a great set, playing all the right stuff to get things going and get people up on to the dance floor, and then kept the vibe buzzing. At the end of their set was something new for me – a fire eater who gave quite a spectacular show to a rock backing

tune while outside on the car park: seemed to be running rich though, looking at the colour of the flame. Drinking continued into the wee hours, as it always seems to, until people wobbled off to bed. The morning came grey but dry and gradually people emerged seeking tea, aspirins, bacon baps etc in preparation for the organised ride-out at midday, which attracted around a dozen participants. The fifty mile circuit took in SHD in town and the unique 300 year old Yew Tree pub/ museum at Cauldon Low, before an exhaust noise check through the tunnel into the Manifold Valley and the ‘pretty way’ back to the rally. With the exception of one shower the whole thing was completed in bright hot sunshine. Back on site, the Audley Archers (Sandra’s team) gave demonstrations throughout the day and let you have a go at the old English national sport of shooting arrows at Frenchmen: nice, might catch on again! And there was an impromptu display of leather craftsmanship from Badger (www.badgertracks.co.uk) who impressed all with the standard of workmanship. Traditional silly games time came at five with beer for all competitors: the bike-based Barrel Push and Slow Ride, and Dizzy Sticks and the Two-Up Sack Race for the athletically inclined or just the plain inebriated, and with the requisite persuasion, coercion – not drawing the line at blackmail – the contestants were assembled. The going was soft, mud was splattered and many contestants fell over – often spectacularly in the case of the Cauldren Club reprobates – to the amusement of all those old rally lags who managed to avoid taking part – it’s traditional! As the evening drew in, the bar and this year’s additional marquee started to fill up with people relaxing and ready to party. Local band, Sumo, and London-based ‘The Hoggz’, despite a horrendous journey, provided the music, both going down well with the crowd, and the drinking and dancing proceeded apace into the blur, haze and laughter that is the end of a rally night. Sunday morning the rain started again and there wasn’t much evidence of people in any rush to leave, further confirmation of a good Saturday night and there were more than a few ashen zombie like figures dragging themselves about seeking salvation tea and sustenance. A great rally weekend: all the right ingredients, prepared to a simple recipe and presented straight forwardly – who wouldn’t enjoy it. The weather’s just seasoning! Pun intended. Words: Gary Pics: Paul and Tina Thanks to the hard working bar team at Stoke RUFC and the food vendors.

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Xl1200C Vs Dyna Low Rider

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Custom/Tech: 124-inch TP Special

BALLISTIC

MUSCLE It’s easy in the publishing game to get accused of cronyism, and when you hear where this innocuousenough looking Softail has come from, it might raise an eyebrow, but the long and short of it that Mark ‘Grubby’ Johnstone has just got some very interesting motorcycles and really knows about them, which give us the chance to understand them.

Happily, there haven’t been two bikes the same and this 1987 FXST, which he’s been running since late 1988, couldn’t be a lot different to the Supercharged Night Rod from last issue except in one regard: it’s built for speed. You might recall my mentioning that Grubby had been underwhelmed by the performance of the blown Night Rod, which he reckoned might have been down to not having put many miles on the original bike before ﬁtting the Magnacharger, and I reassured him that it represented a massive improvement over a regular VR, in terms of torque as much as anything else. But then I rode this immediately afterwards and understood knew why he wasn’t wooed by the water Hog. This isn’t fast, it’s ballistic! It will outstomp even the blown VR through the gears, and when the ’Rod is running out of breath in top, this innocent-looking twenty-year old will change up and pull anew! Fortunately for over-excitable VR riders in the Thames corridor, you’ll spot this ‘old’ Harley reasonably easily, and you’re well-advised to give it a wide berth because Grubby is as good a

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Custom/Tech: 124-inch TPRider Special Xl1200C Vs Dyna Low

rider as he is a tech and he doesn’t take prisoners. Don’t be fooled by the oversized original indicators: they’re just there to mess with your perceptions a little more. If you pull up behind him, the dead giveaway is the fat laced wheel and low profile tyres tucked beneath a widened bobber mudguard, complete with a widened grab rail and a widened rack: there’s only the original seat’s narrow pillion to give a reference point, otherwise it’s like watching a normal TV program in widescreen mode. If that’s not enough to go on, you’ll go a long way before you see the mounting rails on another flipped-up rack slotted inside the rear mudguard, filling the gap between the already wider aftermarket taillight and the sheet metal and so making it all hang together nicely. If he’s in your mirrors, the same widescreen metaphor kicks in and you’ll wonder why someone has fitted narrow glide forks to a Softail. He hasn’t, obviously, but wide ‘bars and wide glide forks look narrow in front of those six-gallon Fat Bobs, and the use of the stock graphic – airbrushed to allude to the unusually screen-printed original – and original colour scheme belies what lurks within the stock frame’s duplex cradle. Actually, if he’s in your mirrors, there an even easier of telling that it’s Grubby, which is that he’s not there any more … and he’s just gone round that corner a hundred yards ahead, and by the time you’ve got there, he’ll be gone. That’s actually the main reason why we’re running a feature on it: it’s perhaps the only chance you’ll get to see what it looks like when it isn’t a blur, because there’s no point building a fast motorcycle if you’re not going to ride it fast. And how has this remarkable feat been achieved? Well there are only two ways of making a Harley fast, apart from by shedding half its weight. One is to make the engine faster, the other is to fit a faster engine. Over the course of nineteen years with this bike, Grubby has done both, as well as combining the two. Since picking it up as an absolutely standard bike from Seminole Harley-Davidson in Florida, he’s tweaked the original 80-inch Evo, replaced it with a 96inch S&S motor and fettled that, and now he’s fitted this: a 124inch TP motor, which he has, uncharacteristically, left alone. We’ve ridden a TP motor before, but it was in the CCI Bomber kit bike and frankly I was too tall for the bike, and its ground clearance was so limited that it was a job to get the best out of it unless you’re

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CCE’s Axel Schrerer, who made us look like amateurs in the way he hurtled round corners on it, bolt upright! It was also awaiting the ﬁtting of TP’s ScramJet airﬁlter which it was said would sort out its carburetion, for it was a little moody, but it didn’t leave quite the same impression as this one has. TP Engineering produce a range of three motors, all of which are based around a common 4.125-inch bore with strokes of 4.25, 4.5 and 4.625-inches to give 114, 121 and 124 inches respectively. That makes the 124 a classic stroker but there’s more to a TP than just the internal dimensions. All aftermarket engine manufacturers bring something of their own technology to the party to improve upon the base motor – typically an Evo with only S&S successfully following Harley’s lead into twin cam territory – but fall back on conventional practices for the majority of the rest, and why not? After all, it’s not as though there’s a lot wrong with the original. But TP are different.

They have gone further than most, and probably as far as any in producing the best engine they possible can, building it up to a quality rather than down to a budget, and along the way have patented a number of their own components. A number of these patented parts can be retro-fitted to a stock Harley or an S&S motor, favourites being the Pro-Vent rocker covers and the Smart billet oil pump which are fitted as standard to every TP, and if you buy a TP motor that’s how you keep it – or at least that’s what Grubby has done with his, and not without good reason: it works. In fact it is the first engine that has some bits and pieces on that he doesn’t fully understand, which is because he’s never had it to pieces, and that’s because he’s never needed to. TP have something of a reputation for turn-key solutions: you buy an engine, fit it and ride. In the case of the 124, the typical buyer rides it down a quarter mile strip and wins races out of the box – assuming they’re a competent rider – because that’s its target market. When Grubby first discussed the motor with Tom Pirone, TP’s President, he was all but told to go for the 121 as the more suitable motor for the street, but Grubby wouldn’t be dissuaded. For the record, the 121 has better finning for the street, so cools better, and is said to vibrate less, but when Grubby asked outright whether the 124 could be ridden on the street, the answer was yes and that was enough to seal the deal. It proved not be to quite as straightforward to get it working as he wanted, but through all the diagnostics and the eventual resolution he got full technical support for TP’s team, and even then didn’t have to disturb the motor. His problems began with laying down the prodigious power and ended with dissipating heat. There’s a problem you see with fitting a bigger, torquier motor into an existing motorcycle, which is that the rest of the bikes wasn’t really designed to take the extra power. Thankfully, the over-engineering of a Harley is such that you can go quite a long way before you hit problems, and as they have evolved, bits have been updated to make them stronger. One such improvement was the change to a splined instead of a tapered gearbox mainshaft in 1989, but as Grubby’s was a 1987 model that wasn’t a lot of use to him. The weak link in the original powertrain was its stock clutch which really didn’t know how to deal with the extra stomp from the motor, never quite locking out and so rendering that extra power irrelevant. Grubby knew about the TPP lock-up pressure plate and reckoned that might handle it but

the bad news was that it wasn’t available for the earlier clutch so he opted for a BDL Scorpion clutch instead. He did eventually get the Scorpion to hook up, but only after winding up the springs to a ridiculous level. He could just about pull the lever in but at least he could harness the 124’s torque … until the gearbox mainshaft snapped. It didn’t snap immediately, giving him long enough to discover that the motor was running hot – the oil was 300-320 degrees: could this be the penalty for not going for the 121? It wouldn’t be as big a problem once it was run in because he was always going to run it on Mobil 1 Synthetic, and that’ll handle the heat, but you don’t run a motor in on synthetic oils and that sort of heat doesn’t do mineral oil any favours. After a debate with the boys at TP, an oil-cooler was added but made no substantial difference at all. Still, the gearbox was a more pressing issue for now: he couldn’t deal with the heat until it was running again. It was time for a serious rethink. It’s not especially well-documented, but you can ﬁt a later mainshaft into an earlier gearbox shell, and seeing as he needed a new mainshaft and knowing what a sod it had been to set up an earlier clutch to handle the torque, Grubby decided the only sensible solution was to ﬁt a later cluster into the early shell

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Custom/Tech: 124-inch TPRider Special Xl1200C Vs Dyna Low

and try a TPP pressure plate. RevTech’s 6-into-5 conversion was a leap of faith but it has paid off and is handling the load nicely. What wasn’t obvious, however, is that while a later gear cluster and shafts will slot straight into an early box, that’s not the end of the story – which is perhaps why it’s not sold as a conversion for pre-’89 transmissions, so be careful. The ﬁ rst sign of incompatibility was that the reduction gear for the starter motor on the later clutch was different to the early one, but that was easy enough to resolve: the rivets holding the later 102-tooth ring were removed and an earlier 66-tooth version put on instead.The alternative would have been to use the later starter motor gear too, but that might have opened a whole new can of worms. Then he spotted, when the primary drive had been reassembled, that there wasn’t enough adjustment in the slipper tensioner to take up the slack the chain, which was because the sprocket on the clutch drum was smaller than the earlier version: Harley had changed the primary gearing, and he needed to match it to the larger one at the compensator end, which has had the effect of raising the primary gearing. Thankfully, having increased the burden on the starter motor already, the smaller clutch and larger compensator sprocket works in the starter motor’s favour when the drive is reversed – when the clutch drum is driving the compensator, rather than the other way round – and combined with the TP’s standard decompressors, the starter is happy enough to crank the big-inch stroker. The 124-inch motor pulls the taller primary gearing without breaking sweat and in fact when Mark noticed a signiﬁcant

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reduction in engine temperature, he raised the fi nal drive gearing too, fitting the smallest fi nal drive rear wheel pulley he could get and increasing the gearbox pulley by an extra tooth, and it still pulls it. The clutch has indeed been tamed by the TPP lock-up plate – which uses centrifugal force to apply additional force to the clutch plates, using the torque of the motor to create greater pressure without requiring a massive amount of pressure on the clutch spring, or at the lever. The take up is smooth with no hint of snatch, and there is no clutch slip at any stage in the clean, strong acceleration. Having gleefully confirmed that it would easily hit 120mph in fourth gear without any loss of traction, I didn’t detect any hint of trouble in the department, nor did I struggle with the clutch’s lever pressure. I actually hit 115 before I ran out of road, but then

I was contending with knackered tarmac on former trunk roads, and working within the limitations of a chassis that’s taut but is no Buell. Grubby reports that he’s not yet hit the rev limiter on the motor in any gear, and I can believe that, revelling in the phenomenal roll-on torque that makes holding out for the redline irrelevant: as irrelevant as determining its top speed, which we reckon has got to be in excess of 150mph providing you can hold onto the wide bars at those speeds. With such tall gearing, you end up tooling around at what feels like tickover, knowing that there’s a massive slug of torque waiting on the flick of your right wrist. On a conventional Harley that would be a potentially catastrophic mistake because it’d be cruising below the oil-pressure threshold. A Harley Evo-style oil pump won’t pump oil worth a damn below 1,050rpm, and even then will divert the majority of its output to the tappets until about 2,000rpm when it sends it to the crank. The patented TP Pro-Series Smart Pump not only delivers oil to both the tappets and the crank from tickover, it also manages to pump it through the oil filter first. You might like to make a note of that, if you’re running a big stroker based on an Evo motor or clone – especially if you’re running a six speed – because it retro-fits Evo and equivalent S&S motors. By now we would ordinarily have mentioned the fuel and ignition systems, and the cams in terms of performance motors, and there’s no reason why this should be any different for the benefit of those who aren’t familiar with TP motors: ignition is a TP preset Crane single fire system that doesn’t allow user modification; the carb is the supplied Mikuni HSR45, which is tucked behind the aforementioned Scramjet air filter, and the cam is TP’s own Pro-Series special grind. End of story. If you want to get experimental, you’d be advised to pick another motor because this one works properly exactly as it is – well, once the gearing is sorted out. If you’ve got the bunce to treat yourself to a TP in the first place, trust them to be able to justify the money.

All of which begs the question: what the hell is that 90/90x21 doing in the front? Looking for a new home, is the quick answer. Already running a 4-pot rear PM brake on a floating disc at the rear and a Pretech 6-pot up front on a floating 13-inch rotor – carryovers from the days of the tuned Evo and 96-inch S&S motors – Grubby’s in the process of make a few changes to the cycle parts again now that the powertrain is sorted. The skinny 21-inch will go because there aren’t many V-rated tyres, as much as for its small footprint: an H-rating was enough for the original FXST but when there’s a chance the bike will exceed 130mph before hitting the rev limiter with two gears in hand, you really want a bigger safety margin. A V-rating would take it up to 149mph, which is faster than Grubby has any ambition to take it, but it wouldn’t solve the issue of how much rubber is on the ground, and while Metzeler’s 120/70 carries a V-rating, he’s not keen on the increased weight and centrifugal forces of the bigger tyre, and so is going to downsize to a 19-incher for a quicker turn-in and a much wider choice. He’ll be lacing the new rim to a twin flange hub, that he just happens to have around ready and waiting, which will allow another 13-inch rotor, and fitting a different fork slider to accommodate a second Pretech 6-pot. The best of it is that even with the second disc fitted, it’ll still be a bike that you won’t necessarily look at twice, and you’d really need to know your Harleys to pick it out from a crowd. A classic street sleeper, and an eye opener for those who consider reliable, high horsepower, aircooled v-twins to be an urban myth. Words & pics Andy Hornsby SPECIFICATIONS: Owner/Builder: Grubby Make & Model: 1987 Harley-Davidson FXST Softail Engine: 124-inch / 2,031cc TP Pro-Series Modifications: Jag oil cooler Carburettor: Mikuni HSR45 Air Filter: TP Scramjet Exhaust: V&H Big Shots Gearbox: RevTech ‘6 in a 5’ cluster in 1986 HD gearbox shell Primary: Twin Cam with Evo starter reduction gear Clutch: Post-‘89 with TPP Locker Final Drive: Cut-down belt, overgeared Frame: 1987 Softail Shocks: Progressive shocks Forks: FXST, braced with Progressive springs and Caddies Fork Dampers Length: Stock Yokes: Stock Handlebars: Wide Grips: Stock Hand controls: Stock Foot Controls: Stock Fuel Tank: 6-gallon Fat Bobs Oil Tank: Stock Seat: Stock Rear Mudguard: Stock, widened Front Mudguard: Stock Wheels: Front: 21-inch laced Rear: 18 x 5.5-inch laced Tyres: Front: Continental 3.00x21H Rear: Metzeler 190/50xZR17 Brakes: Front Pretech 6-pot on 13-inch Braking Inc floating rotor Rear: PM 4-pot on 11.5-inch Braking Inc floating rotor Final assembly: Owner Paint: Colour-matched to original paint with airbrushed logos

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Xl1200C Vs Dyna Low Rider

FUENGIR

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Event: Fuengirola 2007

Little did I realise, when I took up Harley’s invitation to attend their 16th European HOG Rally in Southern Spain, how much it was going to be a long weekend for demolishing pre-conceived notions.

OLA 2007 We’ve not made a lot of noise about the Harley Owners Group in these pages, as much as anything because its membership has been well-catered for by a range of factory supported titles, the most recent re-launch of which is the glossy, high quality HOG Tales produced quarterly. Another reason is perhaps that I’ve lived with an early perception about HOG and its members, taking them to be – and there’s no easy way to put this without digging a deeper hole for myself – weekend warriors, for which I apologise, acknowledging that HOG is maturing nicely. It was an easy assumption to make for those of us who were around when HOG ﬁrst broke cover in the UK, in 1991: a seismic shift in the socio-economic status of a new generation of riders didn’t sit well with some of the old guard, and the sight of the professional classes strutting around with something close to club colours on their backs was too much for some to take seriously. Something of a ‘them and us’ mentality settled in on both sides, a residue of which exists to this day. Time moves on though, and sixteen years later many traditional Harley riders trading-in for new models, and some lifestyle bikers who have upgraded, have found themselves welcomed into a broaderbased, inclusive club that is shaking off that weekend warrior reputation, and are rubbing shoulders with a generation of people who they once accused of buying a Harley for the wrong reasons but who have since kept it for the right one: to ride! Once pristine, shiny leathers often now exhibit that lived-in look, the stark black and white of the patches has toned down as the miles have taken their toll, and social barriers have come down in a classless, transient community.

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Event: Fuengirola 2007

Never is that more evident than at a European Rally, regardless of its location, and I’m pleased to report that a massive, disproportionate even, number of people made the trip from the UK to Feungirola, which is about 1,300 miles each way on the overland route once you’ve crossed the channel: made me feel very guilty about ﬂying in with Greg Willis and Allan Brownridge from Harley UK. It’s reckoned that 8,000 riders and passengers made the journey on 5,000 bikes, and it is estimated that 50% of them were from the UK and Eire. Situated between the much better known resorts of Malaga and Marbella, Fuengirola is a fairly typical holiday destination on Spain’s largely ruined southern costa, but while the coast has been concreted over to cater for Europe’s knotted hanky brigade, go a mile inland and you’ll see a very different country: a country that isn’t ﬂat enough to build hotels on. It is a land of tortuous twisting roads that climb up and up into the Sierras that act as a barrier to the worst kind of tourist development, and one that obliterated another pre-conceived notion. Harley had bikes laid-on to give us the opportunity to see the country from the saddle, and we made the most of the opportunity they afforded – why else would you want to tour on a motorcycle? The event itself was in the town’s central ‘Recinto Ferial’, or fairground, parking up in the Daytona-style ‘Main Street’ for a three day party, but there was no compulsion to limit yourself to the itinerary. If you wanted your hand holding there were organised ride-outs, but many chapters arranged their own excursions, as did individual riders – at least one couple heading even further south covering the eighty or so miles to Gibralter. The underlying theme was freedom, and the main focal point of the rally wasn’t so much somewhere you needed to be 24/7 but somewhere to return to, to party in the company of thousands of kindred spirits: it all made for a very positive experience, encouraging a strong, unsolicited loyalty way that extended beyond the bounds of your average owners club.

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Up in the hills it felt like a world away from the bustle of the town but we were never more than a few minutes from the sound of a V-twin motorcycle, as scores of chapters and visitors took the opportunity to investigate further. We had the beneﬁt of our own Road Captain, Peter ‘Scotty’ Scott from Fulham and Chelsea HOG, who had travelled down on his 80,000 mile, 2001 Heritage Softail a few days before, accompanying UK and Eire HOG director, Majorie Ragg on her VRSCA. With a wealth of experience in riding on the Spanish roads, Scotty had mapped out a couple of guided tours – or rather dialled them into his SatNav system – which would give us opportunity to get some

pictures and put in some miles on a range of bikes over a variety of very different roads whose level of danger could be easily determined by the amount of paint road markings on them: it wasn’t the warnings that’d get you, but the diesel-impregnated paint itself that made them potentially lethal. With many people arranging their annual holidays around the International HOG events, Fuengirola was buzzing before the stages were set for the party proper, and the reaction of local businesses, bars and residents was reported as entirely positive too, with the most frequently asked question being ‘When are you coming back?’ You could argue that as being marketing spin from a company who knows how to manage their image, but the atmosphere in the town, on the beaches and within the local area was always welcoming. The programme of events for those who stayed on-site ran from 10.00am daily, but was about more than bands and music with Spanish dealerships doing a roaring trade in shop fronts on the ticket-only Main Street, with a good sized traders area with public access alongside. There were plenty of opportunities to eat, drink and meet up with fellow travellers but as a town centre location on the coast, the main shopping area was just beyond the gates – and the ubiquitous London bars and Irish pubs – while the beaches beyond proved enticing for those who could take the heat. Friday afternoon was set aside for the ever-popular custom show, held in Fuengirola’s recently renovated Sohail castle. Running from two until four of the afternoon clock, a couple of us broke from the main touring pack after lunch and hurtled down the ‘San Pedro de Alcantara’ from

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Event: Fuengirola 2007

Ronda back to the coast, hoping to catch the last minutes. It wasn’t a route given to hurtling down too quickly, being a major road frequented by heavy quarry traffic, and was cut into the side of the rippling ridges of the mountainside, faithfully following their contours in order to maintain a controlled and steady descent. It was certainly exhilarating even if it did take longer than we anticipated, and we arrived just in time to see a number of the bikes that hadn’t won, often in spite of their owners’ fi rm expectations, being wheeled away in a fit of pique. Is that enough to explain the lack of pics of the show, do you reckon? Perhaps I should have taken a picture of lunch and the San Pedro de Alcantara in mitigation. We did arrive arrive back in time to get the shock news that Nick Gale didn’t take the best in show award for the first time in four years … that honour went to Martin Dickinson with Alter Ego who also took the Custom category: not too shabby on the bike he’d ridden down, and just two days after he picked it up – a hell of a shakedown run! Okay, so Nick Gale built it, which makes you wonder what his formula for bikes for this event hinges on, especially as his dad took Touring, and girlfriend Adele lifted the Ladies of Harley trophy as well. It was another good showing for the Brits all-round, with winners or runners-up from Nene Valley, Aire Valley, Clyde Valley and Three Rivers, as well as several independent entries, taking sixteen of the top twenty-two places – including the aforementioned Best In Show, and the coveted People’s Choice which went to Rob and Hilary Gunson’s Indian-themed dresser and trailer. The entertainment proper kicked off at seven-thirty each evening with a full line up of bands on the main stage: a mixture of tribute acts and original artists, including some unexpected names such as

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touring England soon). Eddie Jordan and the Robbers ﬁ nished off the evening’s live entertainment in the hallowed grounds of the Summer Ball, which then transferred to the Evolution Nightclub, while the majority partied round the main stage, or else hit the beaches where the locals were just starting their own three day party, the Verbena Boquetillo. But I’m getting ahead of myself. While there were many opportunities for the massed ranks to go out and enjoy the Spanish countryside, at 11am on Saturday morning the vast majority were lining up their bikes beneath a relentless sun. Those who weren’t on the parade lap of downtown Fuengirola lined the streets with the throngs of locals and tourists alike who had come to see the spectacle of a seemingly endless conga of rumbling Americana creating their own carnival cacophony: a musical ensemble piece for a twelve hundred pairs of exhausts and assorted horns.

Roy Wood who brought his Rock ‘n Roll band along, but there were other fringe events in other resort towns stretching along the coast and, again, no compulsion to stay. Major side-events laid on by the British contingent included the off-site Warr’s Beach Party on the Saturday night and La Dolce Vita’s nightly party that culminated in the exclusive Summer Ball held at the top of the main event site on the Saturday night, which offered excellent dining and an international entertainment lineup with a distinctly Spanish twist. If you spotted the Summer Ball adverts and groaned when you saw Kid Creole and the Coconuts, shame on you (and me): they were brilliant – think less ‘Annie, I’m not your Daddy’ and more Cab Calloway with a salsa beat, courtesy of Bongo Eddie (who won’t forgive me if I don’t mention he’s American-V.co.uk

Event: Fuengirola 2007

Participants were wisely advised to be prepared with a full tank of fuel, respect the helmet law and wear the appropriate protective clothing, but most interpreted that fairly loosely: for some, protection meant sun cream. I’d drawn the Heritage Softail as my mount for the parade, and took the precaution of removing the Police-style screen before we started – I wanted whatever benefit a headwind would offer – and broke several of my own rules, leaving my gloves and the Hood armoured denim jacket that I’d taken specifically to cope with the heat with it. I justified it to myself on the basis that the chance of breaking through into second gear was remote and third would be a miracle, and while it is quite possible to do yourself an injury at walking pace with a 600lb motorcycle – especially on the roadmarkings – I’d imagine there’s more chance of having that accident if you’re uncomfortable or overheating. I survived for about a mile before I unbuckled my helmet, and was so glad of the cool air round my neck that I switched my helmet from my head to my elbow a mile later, and rather than boiling, I fried. Typically, it was the first day that I hadn’t liberally daubed myself with Factor 30. I won’t worry about my own bikes overheating in the UK ever again after that experience, and that we seldom fully disengaged our clutches on the way round speaks volumes for the advances made in that department over recent years: it’s not a trip I would consider undertaking on my Shovelhead because I think it would struggle on both counts. As it was, by the time I was in sight of the run’s end the 2007 Heritage Softail Classic was slowly cooking both my thighs and the primary drive case felt as warm as I would expect the crankcase to be – and was still too hot to touch an hour later! Being the 16th European Annual HOG Rally, you’d expect their professional events team to have the thing running like clockwork and you wouldn’t be disappointed. There will always be glitches – there are thousands of people, hundreds of miles from home to keep satisfied – but barring an unexpected invasion from a pan-

European MC club, who arrived en-masse with military precision on pre-booked tickets, it was incident free. As a family-friendly organisation, HOG’s policy towards such clubs is attendance by arrangement but no club colours, relying on their cooperation and they usually respect that position, which made this exception all the more conspicuous. The sight of an unrecognised patch did put a few noses out of joint, and there was a ﬂurry of activity at a high level in verifying what was actually happening, but satisﬁed that it was above-board, nobody over-reacted and about an hour later the visitors had dispersed into the streets of the town.

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I dispersed into the streets myself a little after two. The Dolce Vita party was still in full swing and would be for another two hours but I was in no fit state to do much about it, and so wended my way through the still-warm streets in the early hours of Sunday morning with a vague idea of where the hotel was, in the knowledge that nowhere is too far to walk when you’ve had a skin-full. The bars of the town were still doing brisk trade, and the beaches were full to overflowing with locals. It was alright for them: they’d had a siesta. Older and wiser, HOG has matured while those of us on the outside weren’t watching. I’m certainly older too, but I’ll take a rain-check on wiser: waking on the Sunday morning, lying on my bed still fully dressed with an hour to pack, eat and get to reception reminded me how much sangria (or whatever it was) I must have consumed while making sure I got a decent picture of the bloke flamboyantly pouring it a metre from ladle to cup: well, it would have been a shame to waste it! Actually I am wiser. I’ll certainly travel to Spain again and will make the most of the readily-available coastal accommodation, knowing how easy it is to get into the heart of the unspoilt country; and I’ve realised that I’ve got an awful lot more in common with a lot of HOG members than the bar flies who talk a good ride but who you never see on the road. If you’re planning your holidays for 2008, it’s worth knowing that the 17th European Rally is at Lake Garda in Italy on the 25-27th September so you can either join in or avoid it. If you’re thinking of avoiding it, don’t do so on the basis of what you think you might fi nd. Appearances can be deceptive, but not as unreliable as old prejudices. Words: Andy Hornsby Pics: Paul Bryant / Kinetic Images (in focus), Andy Hornsby (blurred)

Custom Bike Show results: THREE-WHEELER Winner Susan Dickeson (Nene Valley Chapter) Runner Up Brian Dickeson (Nene Valley Chapter)

BUELL Winner Runner-Up

Thomas Ortmann (Germany) Adrian White (UK)

CUSTOM Winner

Martin Dickinson Sherwood Chapter Neil Acland (Invicta Chapter)

LADIES OF HARLEY Winner Adele Gale (UK) Runner-Up Simone Marie (France)

Runner-Up

TOURING Winner Runner-Up

RADICAL Winner Runner Up

John Strowler (UK) Colin Rutherford (UK)

Stuart Wright (UK)

Best In Show People’s Choice

Martin Dickinson Rob & Hilary Gunson

Pete Scarsbrook (Nene Valley Chapter) Francisco Ali Manen (Spain)

CHAPTER CHALLENGE 1st: Nene Valley Chapter UK) 2nd: Girona Chapter (Spain) 3rd: Madrid Chapter (Spain)

SPORTSTER Winner BIG TWIN Winner Runner-Up

David Gale (UK) Rob & Hilary Gunson (Aire Valley Chapter)

WATER-COOLED Winner Alex Shannon (Clyde Valley Chapter) Runner Up John Snelgrove (III Rivers Chapter)

FURTHEST TRAVELLED: John Rosenhoj and Heidi Nielsen: 3766 km from Denmark, via Norway.

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Custom: Slammed Softail

You know how it goes: you hear about a box of bits for ‘the right money’ and you just can’t resist it, and a Softail minus an engine as an unﬁnished project is one of those opportunities that doesn’t come along all that often, so …

SLAMMED

SOFTAIL American-V.co.uk

Custom: Xl1200CSlammed Vs DynaSoftail Low Rider

But then what does a box of bits actually constitute? Is it a generic term for anything that isn’t in one piece, or is it literally boxes of bits? As an unfi nished project, Simon had the idea that it might be the former, but it turned out that it was more of an unstarted one and the latter, and what seemed like a bargain in the fi rst instance – with the benefit of hindsight – wasn’t quite the bargain he anticipated. Still, it does give you the ability to start afresh: not tempted to short-cut the process in an attempt to avoid having to strip it down any further than absolutely necessary. And if the finished bike does have the appearance of a stock model, it’s one of those bikes that’ll give you loads of fun getting the makers of such casual remarks to squirm while they try to tell which specific model it is. Unlike the well-meaning but mistaken oldsters who can be forgiven for believing that they actually did own one exactly like your 2003 Anniverary Heritage Softail, the bar room experts who proffer such opinions through the bottom of a pint glass should be brought to task at every opportunity … and if you don’t know the sort of people I’m referring to, you don’t drink in the same watering holes as I do. No prizes for guessing then that Harley didn’t make one like this, even if they did actually make a large percentage of the fi nal bike’s components. Think Johnny Cash’s psychedelic Cadillac

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and you’re part way there, except, of course, that Simon didn’t work on Harley’s assembly line. History doesn’t relate just how much of the original Softail was in the aforementioned boxes, or indeed what the original model was although the expectation is that it might have been a Heritage, but we do know that Simon felt no obligation to stick with the Motor Company’s idea of what a Softail should be and the majority of what you’re looking at is down to Simon’s preferences, and the fabrication skills of Steve Ellis. Start as you mean to go on: the 1986 frame was present, straight (physically) and straight (legally), and if you get the right Softail frame you can have up to 34-degrees of rake which punts the front wheel forward nicely, further if you want to play with raked yokes. Simon, however, is an old-fashioned boy and he wanted a little more without cheating. Simon with a gas axe obliged and an undisclosed amount of extra rake was added – about ﬁve degrees by my reckoning – and a lot less metal round the headstock, opening it up a lot more than the stock chassis but without compromising the structural integrity, and the whole lot was then powder-coated. One-off billet wide glide yokes from Choppershack grip a pair of stock length FL forks from a Heritage Softail with the tins removed, but while they might look as though they’ve been shortened, it’s

only an illusion created by the angle: it is lower at the front but only because of the rake. A lowering kit was employed at the back, to drop the stock Softail swing-arm to match, and the resulting bike is certainly vertically challenged, but not so much as to be unrideable: just needs a little more care. Atop the forks are a one-off set of 41-inch bars, but I have to confess the fi rst thing that I spotted on the bike was at the other end of the front suspension: I’m a sucker for those early 16-spoke cast aluminium wheels. They weigh a ton, and Simon spent a day on each polishing them to a mirror fi nish because they were less than well looked after when he fi rst picked them up, but worth it for the quality of the aluminium used because they’ll hold that shine with minimal attention now. Such is the way that Harley’s have evolved over time, the original 10-inch discs originally fitted to the old FL wheels have the same stud pattern as the later 11.5-inch items, and the rotors from the box slotted into the stock Harley single-pot calipers front and rear, their reputation enhanced by the use of braided steel brake lines and EBC pads. It would have also made it an easy task to fit a Fat Boy’s front mudguard to the common forks, except Simon wanted a tighter fit to complement the cut-down Heritage rear mudguard, so it got lowered. It’s not that the rear mudguard is that close to the

tyre – mounted to the frame on the ubiquitous mudguard bracket, it needs space to accommodate the suspensions reduced travel, but the fastback flame-stitched Corbin Gunfighter seat helps to create that impression. The flames of the seat tie in nicely with the subtle ghost flame paint job by John Cooper Artworks on the Fat Boy fender that continues onto the Heritage Softail Fat Bob tanks, with its single big clock dashboard and original fi ller piece behind to cover the gap. There’s not really enough on the minimal rear mudguard to follow the theme further, but that’s where you will fi nd the one part that wasn’t made by, or designed to specifically fit onto a Harley, because that’s where a Custom Lucas replica taillight lives. There’s another wonderful thing about building custom Harleys, especially if you’re working with a factory frame: you know you can slot a stock or an aftermarket motor straight in and so defer that decision until later. Simon didn’t, but I have because up until this point it might have been a stock Evo or anything designed to act as a straight replacement, which is a hell of a range. It’s an even bigger range with an Evo, because as a traditional pre-unit motor – by which I mean an engine in a set of crankcases that are only joined to the gearbox through the frame and primary drive – is that you can choose your gearbox separately too.

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Custom: Xl1200CSlammed Vs DynaSoftail Low Rider

In this case, Simon opted for an Evo motor from the previous year and a 5-speed gearbox from a couple of years later and bolted the whole lot together using a ‘stock’ primary, but not before taking the motor down to check it over, and to get the barrels powder-coated: it gives it an impression of age, harking back to the days when heads were alloy and barrels were cast iron, as well as subliminally showing it’s not on OHC motor because the head castings are so shallow. Consciously not going for a high-performance motor, the Evo has been given the opportunity to breathe easily courtesy of Screamin’ Eagle carb on an S&S manifold, and a set of relatively unrestricted pipes of unknown manufacture, which are on the right side of ‘please pull me over and invite me to show you my licence’.

If you’ve got a carburetted Evo motor and a relatively oldfashioned electronic ignition system, it’s relatively straightforward to rewire a motorcycle, especially one that has the bare minimum of lights – apart from the Lucas taillight there’s a Heritage headlamp and some idiot lights – so Simon and Snipe didn’t bother trying to make sense of the original harness loitering in one if the boxes, and started from scratch. The resulting rats nest is invariably tidier, without extra wires for other models, and with plugs that are placed more for inconspicuity than ease of assembly-line production. The handlebar switching was kept to a minimum too, with nothing more than an old-fashioned dip/main switch on the left handlebar, which is why you can read the 5/8 legend on the master cylinder’s inner face, denoting a single disc model: less than the

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contemporary 3/4 twin disc set-up, but more than current twin 4pot requirements of 9/16ths – just in case you were interested. And while we’re talking about controls, the skeletal footrests are MidWest forwards. So, as you’ll now realise, it wasn’t quite as simple as it ﬁrst seemed. Simple stuff never is, especially when it so tastefully executed that you don’t actually see the individual aspects of it and how well-realised they are, but that all pales into insigniﬁcance when you consider that the primary building was undertaken by a guy who has been consigned to a wheelchair for 24 years, after a spinal injury from a motorcycle accident early in life. What makes that all the more impressive, is that he built it knowing he’d never ride it, but has still built an eminently rideable motorcycle: I know, I rode it and it rides

SPECIFICATIONS: Owner/Builder: Make & Model: Construction Time: Engine: Rebuilder: Modiﬁcations: Carburettor: Air Filter: Exhaust: Gearbox: Primary: Clutch: Final Drive: Frame: Modiﬁcations: Swing-Arm: Shocks: Forks: Length: Yokes: Handlebars: Grips: Hand controls: Foot Controls/Footrests: Fuel Tank: Oil Tank: Seat: Rear Mudguard: Front Mudguard: Wheels: Tyres: Brakes: Wiring: Fabrication: Final assembly: Paint: Polishing: Plating: Thanks to:

Simon (just sold) Harley-Davidson Softail Over two years 1985 80ci / 1340cc Evolution Owner Powder Coated Barrels. Screamin’ Eagle on S&S Manifold Screamin’ Eagle Shotgun from unknown manufacturer, on Krome Werks mounts 1989 5-speed Softail Stock Stock Full width belt, polished pulley (Euro gearing) 1986 Softail raked ‘a bit’ by Steve Ellis, lowering kit on shocks Stock Stock Heritage Softail (tins removed) Stock One-off billet by Choppershack One-off 41-inch beach bars Stock rubber Old-style dip switch Midwest Heritage Fat Bobs Stock Corbin Gunfighter Re-profiled Heritage Lowered Fat Boy 16-spoke, 16-inch cast Shovelhead FL wheels Dunlop Elite 130/90x16 Harley single-sided, single piston with EBC pads Minimal by owner and Snipe Steve Ellis: various engineering and frame mods Owner Jon Cooper Artworks: black with blue ghost flames Powerder-coated frame by KMH, Leicester Kearney and owner Kearney and A Jarvis Plating Steve, Bren, Geoff and Blackie at Cycke Enterprises, Tony Snipe, Jon, Dave, Rich and anyone else who helped.

well, ground clearance notwithstanding. Simon rides a Shovelhead trike that he built for himself over ten years ago, and which he maintains and continues to modify – he’s just switched his ﬁve speed for a six – which goes to show you can’t keep a good man down. He built the Softail to sell, which is why he’s not so sure it was quite the bargain he’d hoped it would be, but that’s precisely what he’s done. Priced to sell, he told me when I was part-way through this write up that he’d just sold it and got the asking price, which by my reckoning means that someone out there has just got a bargain, and a great-looking bike to boot. If you ever needed reassurance that a custom doesn’t need to be over-the-top to be worthwhile, look no further. Words and pics: Andy Hornsby

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