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American-V: Contents 44

www.american-v.co.uk

Issue Forty-Four

4: NEWS / NEW PRODUCTS 10: REVIEWS

Biker Chicz of North America, RAM Mounts, Weise 2-Piece waterproof suit. Motorclothes Frenzy: FXRG-3 boots, Workers Tall boots, Illuminator360 Jacket and Pants, his and hers heated gloves, women’s Heated Jacket Liner, Destroyer Gloves, Waterproof Leather gloves, Illuminator gloves, Neck Gaiter.

16: HEAD TO HEAD: 2011 FL CUSTOM SOFTAILS The Deluxe returns and takes on the Fat Boy Special, both with the new ABS system and revised wiring.

26: FARO 2010

A run to the sun, the south coast of Portugal to be precise.

32: MONOCHROMATIC XXXL Three generations of 4-cam technology make for a sporty Sportster.

38: GUILDFORD CUSTOM CYCLES

48: LONG TERM FAT BOB

42: VOODOO BOB

55: SKINNY BOB

Another authorised agent goes native: the era of the dealer-based Custom Shop is upon us.

Rocket Bobs are sticking needles in little waxwork Street Bobs, and Dynas will never be the same again.

Editor: andy.hornsby@american-v.co.uk

Subscriptions: 01778 392484

Features Editor: rich.king@american-v.co.uk

Annual Subscriptions: Six issues, inc Patch UK: £29.70 EU: £44.10 RoW Zone 1: £46.26 RoW Zone 2: £51.30 (all include postage)

Staff Writer: Amanda Wright Contributors this issue: Steve Kelly, Horst Rosler, Snob, Mutch, Pete Pearson Guest proof reader: John Ormandy. Design: Mini Ha-Ha and Erika McAston All editorial enquiries to: editorial@american-v.co.uk Advertising Sales: Andy Fraser 01778 392054 Advertising Production: Sue Ward: 01778 392405 suew@warnersgroup.co.uk Trade Sales: Natalie Cole: 01778 392404 nataliec@warnersgroup.co.uk

Published by American-V, PO Box 336, Crewe, Cheshire, CW2 7WY. Tel: 0207 993 8002

Sean’s Sportster’s in need of a good meal, but shows that ‘Skinny’ is the new ‘Fat’, and that youth isn’t always wasted on the young.

62: LONG HORN SHOVEL

A resurrected paint job provides the ID, but the split rocker, stroker engine gives this fettled Shovel new life.

68: ROADTEST: 2011 XL883L SUPERLOW

Harley’s latest slammed Sportster is said to be easy for novices and fun for experts: can it pull it off?

74: TOURING NEW ZEALAND

Ian ‘Frodo’ Mutch takes his Super Glide Custom to the Island of the Long White Cloud.

Printed in the UK by Warners (Midlands) PLC, Bourne.

83: RICK’S V-ROD’STER

Distribution by: Warners Group Publications Plc West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH Tel: 01778 391135

89: VIVA LOST VEGAS

98: RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS

Global warming, my arse! Maybe now I can go and shoot the bikes that were going to be in this issue to use in the next one!

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Brand new paint, and a long goodbye to a close friend with a look over the last 8,000 miles.

Streetfightin’ Revolution from Germany’s House of Custom. We remembered where we’d left it, and have dug the spanners out again: the classic 92/5 Victory is in for a treat, but the mods will work on anything. Get anything nice for Christmas?

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American-V # ONE

News I had so much to say this issue, having struggled to get everything together in the face of overwhelming weather, but we’ve ended up with no space in a full magazine again, and you’d sooner look at bikes than read my witterings, so I’ll keep it brief. Happy new year to all, and here’s the update on our plans for 2011. The switch to monthly has been deferred while we see how the industry settles down: we are still committed to doing so but this isn’t a sprint to see how quickly we can do so, but a marathon to make sure that it is sustainable and ‘measure twice, cut once’ isn’t a bad phrase to live by. You won’t need me to tell you that it’s harsh out there and, like everywhere else, businesses in the motorcycle sector are working in harsh trading conditions. And it’s across all makes and types – in fact the American bike sector appears to be faring better than many others. Some will point at dealerships who have spectacularly closed, but they’ve been self-inflicted wounds rather than a reflection of the state of the market. So, we’re watching, waiting and planning, and looking at a whole host of exciting opportunities, ever-mindful that we can only go so far without fundamentally changing the way the magazine is put together, which is looking increasingly inevitable. We’ve got to make the transition from a tiny cottage industry into a small publishing company, and we’ve got to get that right first time. Rest assured, however, that we will not be compromising American-V. It’s said that you should never publish a magazine on a subject that you care about if you want to make money, because it will stop you commercially exploiting it. It’s true, but we’re on a mission to prove that it’s not all about exploitation, compromise or naked commercialism, and we’re hoping that 2011 will be the year to do just that. So, while I was hoping this was going to be the last bi-monthly (and that it would run to schedule: bloody global warming … sorry, climate scientists are saying it’s a mini ice age now: that’s convenient), it’s more important that we do it properly than just do it, and I know you’ll bear with us while we get our act together. With apologies for the lack of any second opinions in this issue – due to a lack of bodies, long distances and poor weather, and exacerbated by some last minute shuffling of features to strike the right editorial balance – and without going into long-winded explanations of why it wasn’t my fault (of course it was: there’s no-one else to blame … yet), I’ll leave you to AmV44: bi-monthly for one more issue at least but still uncompromised. Andy

Mikuni HSR48 Engines continue to get bigger, and while EFI is being touted as the only way forward, it’s easy to forget that there are still Euro III certified carburetted engines, and the Mikuni Smoothbore/ Flatslide is the well-established carburettor of choice in that role. Offering more flow than the HSR45 which has long been their big bore solution – and is itself the big brother of the HSR42 that has covered most stock requirements for years – the HSR48 has a new extended main jet and larger fuel valve, to help it keep up with very powerful, larger displacement motors.

Otherwise it’s the tried and tested concept of a smooth-running slide on roller bearings coupled with an adjustable accelerator pump, and a high capacity float bowl. The new HSR48 comes complete with rubber mounting flange, choke cable, remote idle adjuster and additional jetting. Contact your local dealer to order and visit MikuniPower.com for more information. Mikuni American Corporation, 8910 Mikuni Avenue, Northridge, CA 91324. www.mikunipower.com

Morgan Carcycle My first serious editorial role was editing a classic magazine called Silver Machine, and I remember clearly the description of a Morgan three wheeler by someone who raced them against Vincent outfits back in the day. I was in the Vincent camp, obviously, and he explained that the bikes left the threewheelers on the straights, but everything changed on the corners, but the hook for my imagination was that you didn’t so much drive a Morgan as wear it like a pair of trousers. Then I followed a Guzzi-engined Triking through Manchester, on a bike, and was astonished by it’s agility and performance, and I’ve wanted a Carcycle – a term coined by VOSA to distinguish them from Trikes for SVA purposes – ever since. But there aren’t that many around which is why I’ve been trying to get down to visit Dave Kennell at Planet Engineering to try their Ellipse – a modern incarnation powered by an S&S 96-inch V-Series – and have been interested to see what Seattle-based ACE have been doing with their Cycle Cars. It is also why I was stunned to see that Morgan have re-entered the race with this, their Threewheeler. Due for launch at the Geneva motor show, 3/3/2011, Morgan are

pitching it as a quick, economical, ecological sports car offering forgotten levels of fun to a new generation of enthusiasts. It’s more in the classic English style than the American Ace, in terms of wheel sizes, trim and finish – and it’s intriguing to note that Ace now say ‘Constructed under license from Morgan 3-Wheelers” on their site – and if I can find an Ace in the UK, expect to see a bizarre three-way, three-wheeled head-tohead-to-head in a future issue. What possible justification could I have for such an obvious self-indulgence? Well, that strapped to the front of the quintessential English Morgan 3-wheeler is a Harley-Davidson Twin Cam of as-yet undisclosed capacity but 100RWHP, either an 88B or 103B if Ace’s specifications are anything to go by. Well, you would, wouldn’t you? www.morgan3wheeler.co.uk www.planetltd.com cycle-car.com

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RUBBERMOUNT HARDTAIL XL With an increasing number of 2004-on Sportster motors around these days, some even with carburettors, and we’d be foolish if we were to get too precious about their rubber-mounted powertrain, because why lose out on a damned good looking engine? Those fine-finned top ends are crying out to lend their contours to something a little more radical, and its surely only a matter of time before someone puts an XR timing case on one, matched to an original-style XL primary chaincase, redesigned to fit the Evo Sportster. The primary chaincase is a pipe dream at the moment, but Paughco have come up with a good-looking

frame with a 30-degree headstock and no stretch as the basis for a new generation of custom bikes, and Motorcycle Storehouse are selling them. It requires a special Paughco oil tank, unless you’re up to building your own. MCS 517821 Paughco 2004-on XL Hardtail Frame MCS 517822 Paughco oil tank

www.motorcyclestorehouse.nl

HILLCLIMBER SPRINGERS No matter how radical we get, we haven’t cornered the market in weird. Anything that an enquiring mind can dream up is almost certain to have been tried before in the pioneering days of motorcycling, and more besides because they weren’t breaking rules so much as seeing what worked, with few rules to guide or constrain them. Take these trailing-link Springers. Created by Harley’s race division for hill climbing, you’ve got to wonder how much influence Indian’s success at the time will have had in their development, as Indian had been using trailing axles for years on their leaf-sprung forks. And now you can get ’em again! With the same trail as regular Springers, and a 1˝ fork stem to fit big twin rigid and swing-arm frames to 1984 using 48-up Timken bearings, they take the 1936-up Springer handlebars and come in a standard length or 2˝-over, and with versions to accept Springer-style drum brakes or custom drum and disk brakes that use a 19mm wheel spindle. W&W 16-973 W&W 16-974 W&W 16-975 W&W 16-973

Stock, springer brake Stock, custom brake +2˝, springer brake +2˝, custom brake

€1684.99 €1684.99 €1684.99 €1773.99

S&S Euro4 SUPER-E Which in English means what? That S&S has passed Euro-4 emissions regulations with these compliant Super-E kits. Which is nice for anyone running an Evo-engined bike or carburetted Twin Cam, because they can legally ditch the strangled oem carb for S&S’ proven Super-E. It’s especially nice for those living in countries where it matters, but also increasingly for people visiting them on their bikes, and the certification to prove compliance will be a Godsend if you’re hauled-up by the rozzers. It’s hardly in the spirit of the freedom of the open road and sticking it to The Man, but when The Man can’t speak English and he has impounded your bike and is muttering something about Chernobyl under his breath, all the ‘Live to Ride’ temporary tattoos on the planet won’t cut as much ice as a piece of authorised paper. These TuV-approved kits come complete with the right jetting, manifold, air-cleaner and mounting hardware for the specific engine, and full instructions and documents. W&W 65-300 W&W 65-301 W&W 65-302 W&W 65-303 W&W 65-304 W&W 65-305 W&W 65-306 W&W 65-307 W&W 65-307

883cc Evo Sportster 1986-90 1200cc Evo Sportster 1986-90 883cc Evo Sportster 1991-03 1200cc Evo Sportster 1991-03 883cc Evo Sportster 2004-06 1200cc Evo Sportster 2004-06 1340cc Evo Big Twins 1984-92 1340cc Evo Big Twins 1993-99 1450cc Twin Cam Big Twins 1999-06

€569.00 €569.00 €569.00 €569.00 €569.00 €569.00 €539.00 €569.00 €528.00

www.wwag.com

NEW BAGGER RANGE No, not that sort of range. Stick one of these specially designed fuel cans in the back corner of your baggers’ slant bag for an extra 4-litres of fuel: about a gallon, or forty-odd miles. The difference between smug and irritable. They are EPA and Carb certified, so won’t leak or fill the bag with fumes, and fit left and right panniers. Take two! They only occupy that hard to reach space at the back, as you’ll realise when you come to take them out when full loaded. But hey? It’s still miles better than walking! Zod 742950

www.wwag.com

Reda Gas Can

www.zodiac.nl.com American-V.co.uk

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American-V

» STEAMPUNK LATE MODEL BAGGER We’ve seen motogadget’s tiny speedos before, but our German friends with an aversion to capital letters have been busy and introduced two new models: the “mst speedster” in a style that conjures up the 1940s/50s in muted colours with either a polished or black anodized bezel and a classic typeface and needle, and the antiqued “mst vintage” which is altogether older, and has a distressed patina applied to both the face, beneath a billet brass needle, and the billet brass bezel. Both new designs are at odds with the scale and the clever use of electronics, buit perfectly suited to the complete invisibility of those electronics when the bike is switched off. Measuring a mere 49mm in diameter – that’s the same as a V-Rod or a Dyna’s fork stanchion – its single analogue dial shows the speed in mph or km/h while the LED display shows a trip, odometer, voltage and the time, and there are a further 4 idiot lights, one each for indicators, hi beam, neutral and a warning light.

CCE 652565 mst speedster (black bezel) CCE 652565 mst speedster (polished bezel) CCE 652565 mst vintage (brass bezel)

€197.45 €197.45 €245.99

www.customchromeeurope.com

SLIP-ONS

Is your new Touring model a little too quiet? Well here’s the latest in a line of fully EC approved pipes that has a removable baffle, ostensibly for repacking purposes judging by how visible its fittings are: nearly as visible as the E-markings laser etched on the full wrap-round heatshield. We couldn’t possibly suggest that you might remove the baffles,obviously, but three alternative baffles are available increasing the volume by 2, 6 or 10dB over standard. Both will fit all 2009-2011 H-D Touring models and are available in two forms from Motorcycle Storehouse: the Monster Oval (981800) and the Twin Slash Monster Oval (981799).

www.motorcyclestorehouse.nl

OFFSET XL These front final drive pulleys for fat-tyred Sportsters are precision made from billet before being hardanodized, and are available only as a 29-tooth pulley, but suitable for 1-inch and 1¹⁄8-inch belts. The offset depends on the bike’s age: see below

THE MAINZ EVENT FEUL FOR THOUGHT Low Glide Zod 193211 Zod 193212

¾˝ ’91-03 or 23⁄64˝ 2004-on 1˝ ’91-03 or 41⁄64˝ 2004-on

www.zodiac.nl

Performance parts specialists, Feuling, have put together a range of complete camchest kits to upgrade your Twin Cams whether the earlier silent chain type or the 2006 Dyna and 2007-on 96-inch models. Based round their own hi flow cam plate and Reaperseries cams – chain or gear-driven – Hi+ Lifter and Oil Pump, they report temperature reductions of 20˚-35˚ thanks to improved oiling, and the range of available cams will suit most requirements, particularly on the gear-driven side. It contains all parts to make sure you’ve got everything you need, and prices start from $1,595: see website for full details. www.feulingparts.com

Having waffled on about the flexibility of a soft tourer, it’s only right that we mention that a massive King/Queen seat on your 1991-on Touring model isn’t necessary 365 days a year either, and this Le Pera Silhouette is just the ticket for giving your bagger a low profile for all those solo journeys when you wish you’d got a street bike. A straight bolt-on, bolt-off affair, you get the best of both worlds at a stroke. Zod 741432 Zod 741434 Zod 741433 Zod 742360 Zod 741579 Zod 742360

Things are ramping up for the first major trade show of the season: Custom Chrome Europe are returning to the Phönix-Halle in Northern Mainz for two days of business-to-business, culminating in a public day on the Sunday, when you have your first chance to see what Europe’s top builders have been doing on those long dark winter nights. The guest list is impressive, as always, attracting the likes of Cory Ness (below, with CCE’s Axel Scherer) and Paul Yaffe, but the trade stands are usually manned by the great and good of the custom bike industry, and it’s as good an opportunity as any in Europe to meet the industry’s leaders, and see their wares first hand.

’91-’96 Electra/Tour Glides ’94-’96 Road King ’97-’07 Electra/Tour Glides ’97-’01 Road Kings ’02-’07 Road Kings ’08-on all FLH/FLT models

www.zodiac.nl

www.customchromeeurope.com

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» X-FACTOR FOR THE XR1200 Well, part of it. It won’t paint your engine black, or give you the fully adjustable forks, but these specially set-up Nitrogen shocks from Italian racing suspension specialists, Bitubo, will be an improvement over the originals. They’re available in three types: the basic ones offering adjustable preload, the next adds adjustable rebound damping, and the top model adds adjustable compression damping with a remote reservoir. All are fitted with progressively wound springs and are the standard 365mm. MCS 925256: MCS 925257: MCS 925258:

RUNNING LIKE KLOCKWERK These tuned-length, true dual bagger headers from Klock Werks Kustom Cycles are the same type as used by Brian Klock’s wife, Laura, when she set the record for the fastest bagger at Bonneville. Their snaking curves are their big secret, routed to prevent tight, restrictive bends, adding both torque and horsepower and looking cool into the bargain.

www.customcruisers.com

EASY RIDER CANS

Nothing to do with Captain America, or the magazine, but there is a growing industry in Japan catering for American motorcycles, and not from the point of exploiting them for profit or updating them to prove a point, but Japanese kids are getting into bikes in a big way and, like Shinya Kimura of Zero Engineering fame, they love their Harleys. In fact, they are doing what we used to do as kids with old British bikes in the ’70s/’80s and Japanese bikes in the ’80s/’90s, and they’re making an increasing impact on the custom world. This range of slip-on mufflers is just one line from Easy Rider, and comes with a 1¾˝ fitting, in chromed steel or polished stainless steel.

with adjustable preload with adjustable preload and rebound damping fully adjustable with remote reservoir

www.motorcyclestorehouse.nl

SPAGHETTI JUNCTION This self-contained wiring system, designed to fix to the coil bracket on 1941-’84 frames, provides a tidy harness and control centre for stock bikes or custom builds, and has a bank of 8 LED diagnostic lights. One version works with stock switchgear and has self-cancelling / equalised indicators, while a custom model features a spring-loaded key starter, and is compatible with Zodiac’s self-cancelling module. Either can be used without indicators.

Zod 731948: stock switches Zod 731949: custom switches

W&W W&W W&W W&W W&W

70-854 70-855 70-856 70-858 70-859

www.zodiac.nl

Megaton (top): 44cm long, chromed steel Flange Shorty: 35cm long, chromed steel Flange Shorty: 35cm long, stainless steel Straight: 30cm long, stainless steel Short megaphone (bottom): 34cm long, chrome steel

€139.90 €175.20 €188.60 €188.60 €211.20

www.wwag.com

HARLEY KEEPS IT LOCAL FOR PAINT Have you ever wondered what happens if anything on your new Harley is anything less than perfect? Would it surprise you to hear that the original part is destroyed and a new piece is despatched from the US to replace it? It’s part of the company’s goal to meet or exceed customer expectations, coupled with a strong desire to make sure that anything that has been recalled or replaced for quality reasons, doesn’t find its way back into the food chain. While that’s inescapably the only sensible course of action, because you never know where things might end up, which would be embarrassing at best, at worst dangerous, if the problem is ‘just’ paint, it’s wasteful, even if it is as cheap to ship a new one as it would be to return the original to be fixed in the US.

It’s better, quicker, more cost effective and – dare I say it – greener to fix the paint locally than to ship new bodywork halfway round the world, and that’s precisely what they’re doing in the UK now, having partnered with 8-Ball Custom Paint in Derbyshire. You’ll probably have seen 8-Ball’s display truck at major events and dealer days over the last few years, and they’ve worked with Harley-Davidson and the majority of authorised dealers on a number of projects – including the paint on about half of the racing XR1200s – but they’ve raised their game even further to provide the reassurance required to become HarleyDavidson UK’s approved warranty and repair partner. From a new 20,000ft² premises off the A38, near its junction with the M1, 8-Ball’s Joe Black and his new business partner, Paul Humphreys, now have ample space to undertake any warranty, repair or custom work, and the space to expand to meet any future requirements, as well as the facilities to work with dealers, training staff to identify problems and understand the paint process itself.

www.8ballcustompaintwork.com

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Reviews Biker Chicz of North America

Edward Winterhalder / Wil De Clercq ISBN 978-0-9771747-3-7 Blockhead City Press, Owasso, OK As the biggest critic of most attempts to resolve the relationship between women and Harley-Davidsons in print, Andy thought I’d be the perfect person to review this: as I’m passionate about riding, Harleys and have made a journey of sorts, there certainly should be some synergy. Skipping the author’s introduction, I jumped straight into the heart of a book whose premise was simple: it is about women who have been inspired by motorbikes and the sense of freedom and achievement it gives them in both their life and their involvement in the two-wheeled world. The two prerequisites of being a contributor were that they had to have an interesting story to tell and to ride a Harley. Based on the narratives of twenty-two different North American women from very different backgrounds, this book offers a condensed biography, explaining how they got into motorcycles, and inevitably with such a broad range of people, they ranged from the inspiring to the dull. The rationale is good, but it sets itself a tough challenge: could it possibly live up to my expectations? Some of the contributors you will probably be familiar with, while others lead a quieter life but celebrated or not, I found it very difficult to get into. Maybe I’m too much of a tomboy at heart, and consider myself one of the boys, so some of the ‘sisters doing it for

H-D FXRG-3 BOOTS

D98304: rrp £270 Harley-Davidson’s FXRG Boots have long had a reputation for quality, and have done more than their share in introducing modern materials to a traditional sector. They manage to pull off the trick of being easy to put on – thanks to a full length zip on the inside edge of the boot – with being entirely waterproof, thanks to a Gore-Tex waterproof membrane, and a full gusset inside the zip. Combine that with a Thinsulate lining, an oil-resistent rubber sole, and

themselves’ elements were a turn-off but that is purely a personal thing: if you are attracted to that brand of sisterhood – especially coupled with the American biker lifestyle, which comes across as very different to our own – then maybe this book is perfect for you. There is far too little getting out and riding their bikes for me, though. I would have been far more engaged by each contributor sharing tales of memorable experiences on the road – instead I found the stories read more like a shopping list of successes and failures, lacking the passion needed to draw me in and keep me turning the pages. I feel they missed a trick there: that is our common bond. The exhileration of a good ride, and the ability to share that with friends who understand what that means in the context of twenty-first century womanhood. Going back to read the introduction by the author, I gave up after a couple of pages as I found it far too maukish: he was trying too hard to empathise with the struggle of women riders to be accepted in a male dominated world, which rather undermined the book. In answer to my previous question: no, it didn’t live up to my expectations, but I am a very difficult person to please and have very high expectations in certain areas of life. Perhaps I’m too judgemental, and while it failed to engage me, I can see that this any leather in the uppers being oiled, and you’ve got the makings of the perfect motorcycle boot: warm, dry, a good grip and very resilient. The textile panels in the uppers help keep the weight down on what should be a heavy boot, and the result is very versatile, was bedded in within a week (it felt odd, initially, while the gusset settled in) and could then be worn all day in comfort: indeed they were the boot of choice when the snow was on the ground, and not only kept a good footing but warm, dry feet too – always a bonus. I prefer a taller boot for the worst weather, particularIy with forward footrests as rain is frequently blown up a trouser leg, and a waterproof membrane is no defence against rain leeching down through socks, but with stirruped waterproofs keeping the bottom of the leg tight against the boot, there’s little chance of anything getting through. And all this in a boot that is little thicker at the toe than a high quality western boot, which slips beneath my default gearchange position nicely, and so get a full 10/10. Their ultimate mark will depend on longevity of the lining materials – which look resilient – and the ability to resole its Goodyear Welt Construction, which is some time off yet, but would be the ultimate measure of their value: the upper looks like it’ll last for years / Andy

book has much potential in inspiring everyday women and girls to assert themselves and set higher goals. It will hopefully inspire some women and could easily provide the inspiration for women who have no link to motorcycles yet, or who currently ride pillion, to take their test and get on two wheels of their own: to get out and ride with their men and womenfolk alike. / Amanda SECOND OPINION: while not remotely qualified to review this volume, reading Amanda’s words and recognising some of the names among the contributors list, I had a cursory glance. I shared Amanda’s disappointment at the lack of riding stories, but then I had been expecting an abridged series of self-penned stories outlining the importance of the motorcycle, the camaraderie and the road to each contributor, which I thought would have been more powerful. It isn’t that, but it does show the diversity of women who ride motorcycles, and celebrates the increasing numbers who are experiencing the freedom they afford for themselves, on their own terms: it’s only a shame that they frequently struggled to get that enthusiasm for the road across, past the paternal pen of Mr Winterhalder. A brave effort, though and a vast improvement over the typical, vacuous ‘Girls on Harleys’ essays. / Andy

H-D NECK GAITER

Wind Resistant Neck Gaiter 98219-10VM: £36.85 What more is there to say about a neck tube? When it’s a Harley-Davidson one, double-skinned and 80% wind resistant, quite a bit, but I’ve got to say when it turned up unexpectedly I wasn’t sure about it. A knitted outer layer with a reflective embroidered stripe and script, concealing a fleece inside, I fully expected Amanda to lay claim to it and wasn’t going to stand in her way ... until I tried it on. Quite apart from it being too big for her, as the menswear part number suggested it might, I realised that it was something I’d long looked for: something that will take the sting out of heavy rain when wearing an open face helmet. Of course, two or three regular tubes will do much the same thing, and for a fraction of the price, but they won’t feel like this inside: luxurious. / Andy

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Reviews They are, however, a clever compromise, have yet to let any water in and would make ideal touring gloves if you don’t want to have to carry a spare set. Being Gore-Tex, the outer will dry out readily enough for days of touring though torrential rain – or an English summer, as we call it. Other details include a visor-wiping blade on each index finger that I’m sure someone must use, a single stripe of reflective seam, and a Velcro fastening at the cuff. / Andy Still not quite a gauntlet, it’s got a bigger opening for your sleeve, secured by an elasticated drawstring at the top of the cuff. They do have some thermal properties, but they’re restricted to the use of fleece liner rather than a thinsulate layer, but that keeps them lighter and more manageable than the Destroyers, and a better prospect for winter than the Illumination gloves: an ideal general purpose glove for three season riding. / Andy

GLOVE STORY DESTROYER

97329-11VM £99.98 Available in: S to XXXL These are the clever pair of the bunch, not only because they are windproof and waterproof, but because they are two gloves in one ... quite literally. Realising the trade-off between insulation and feel, Harley’s team has managed to introduce a dividing layer between the palm and the back of the glove. Slip your hand beneath it and you’ve got a thin, flexible Tricot layer between you and the grips, so you can better feel what the forks are doing, a rubberised repeated bar and shield motif providing additional nonintrusive purchase. Slip your hand above the divide and, counter-intuitively, your hand will be snug within Gore-Tex’s waterproof and windproof fleece lining, with a layer of insulation between you and the nuances of the road. The divide is clearly labelled ‘Grip’ and ‘Warm’ to help you with the logic: Grip is easy, but losing an insulation layer from the outside is warmer? Yes, because most of that work is being handled by the breathable Gore-Tex outer shell and the layer of 3M’s Thinsulate filling. With a tall cuff they are heading towards being a gauntlet but not quite, so they need a tight cuff on a long jacket sleeve to keep the draft down, and need a bit of patience putting them on when new, but they loosen off a little with use. And the difference between grip and warm? I reckon about an extra five miles at sub-zero temperatures before the burning cold becomes unpleasant. Maybe fifty miles at the other extreme before you start hankering after a smaller grip, and stop to switch them round. They’re not really full winter gloves, and will make you wish you’d picked something else after ten miles of sub-zero commuting: there just isn’t enough insulation. Sixty miles at seven o’clock on an crisp October morning was noticeably cold; while fifteen miles through a December’s dusk with snow in the air was bloody freezing. They’re not sport gloves, either: they’re too bulky to make light work of levers, when the displaced padding gets in the way, but then we’re talking Harley here, not Buell.

WOMEN’S FXRG

ILLUMINATION 98340-11VM £63.16 Available in: S to XXXL

What at first seems to be a simple but highly stylised pair of summer gloves, take on a new dimension when the sun goes down and the Scotchlite reflective strips, in Harley’s exclusive subdued titanium grey, ping out like neons at the first hint of a headlight. Made from a supple leather with a neoprene cuff secured by velcro, with preformed fingers and thumb and vents in the fingers to accommodate flexing fingers wrapping round the grips, these are lined but not for the purpose of waterproofing or insulation so much as for comfort. And they certainly are comfortable from new – thanks to the grade of leather, which also provides a good grip. Gel pads across the palm of the hand provide a little padding where it’s welcome on such a thin glove and the lining gives it a sense of quality, but these will be staying in the cupboard until Spring has well and truly sprung ... well, except for the odd short hop round town, where the Scotchlite will provide a useful additional flash of brightness and extra visibility. An ideal gloves for the rider who doesn’t want the clutter of indicators, and will be using hand signals: these will be seen and, importantly, they will be seen from any angle, hence their 360 tag. / Andy

98124-11VW £105.25 Available in: S to XL On first glance these don’t look very substantial, being both very thin and light weight compared to the Wiese Pacific gloves that I’ve been wearing for the last year as my cold/wet weather gloves. Harley’s product blurb mentions the waterproof Gore-Tex liner, stretch fleece cuff, reinforced soft knuckles, gel-padded palm and the Scotchlite reflective material piping, but the words ‘thermal’ and ‘winter’ were nowhere to be seen: so packing my Hein Gericke neoprene lobster-like overgloves as a contingency plan, I set out to find out. I started to wear them in a mild October and found that they kept my hands warm enough, but as the weather deteriorated and the temperature dropped in an unforgiving late November/December I found their limit, the ends of my fingers burning with cold after 15-miles, which makes them a true three season item, but that’s where the lobster overgloves come in, slipping easily over the smooth, closefitting FXRGs. The fit, design and quality of materials used and the construction of these gloves certainly live up to the expectation of Harley’s high-end range, being supple, stylish with subtle branding and extremely comfortable to wear: they are fabulous! My only hesitation in giving them 10/10 is the fleece cuff, which isn’t waterproof, and needs to be tucked up your sleeve, out of the rain: they reward the rider who dresses carefully. / Amanda

WATERPROOF LEATHER

98339-11VM £98.98 Available in: S to XXXL This is Harley’s take on the classic waterproof leather glove, and they’re beautifully-made from supple leather with unobtrusive titanium grey Scotchlite limited to a single seam and the Bar and Shield emblem on the tall cuff.

American-V.co.uk

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WEISE 2-PIECE UNLINED WATERPROOFS www.weise-clothing.co.uk Available in: XS to XXXXXL

£44.99

It’s difficult to find a bad thing to say about this 2 piece unlined waterproof oversuit from Weise. Caught short in the previously scorching summer by a sudden attack of storms while away from home, I quickly needed a set of reasonably-priced, easy to pack, reliable waterproofs – and which importantly, wouldn’t duplicate the winter-type lined and body-armoured woven oversuit I’d recklessly left at home. Being a sober sort, in that I didn’t want a suit which rivalled the rainbow colours on the flags in Manchester’s Gay Village and would be good value, yet still do the job, I turned fairly naturally to Weise. Called simply ‘2-Piece Unlined Suit’ rather than He-Man RazzMaster XZ52 Hornbeast, or something, and the choice of colours is black, which suits me just fine.

WORKERS’ TALL BOOTS Spring/Summer 2011: RRP £215 Style D12111: sizes 3-8 UK 36-41 EU

Even though it is still winter – and I wouldn’t state that these are winter riding boots – I have worn them non-stop since I got them both for riding or working in when I had to use the car, and although not your classic fashion boot, they do double-up extremely well as smart winter boots. Usually I take a size 7, but with the room inside the foot area of these I could have managed with a 6½, so note that they are on the generous size: excellent for an extra pair of thermal socks. Comfort-wise they’ve been great, proving to be fine for all day use, even having climbed off the bike in them: and while they have solid rubber soles, they’re flexible and easily bend with your foot when walking. Although not waterproof, they do keep quite a bit of water out before they breach, and as ever, treat them with dubbin for better protection. The side zip fastener is fully

Once ordered the suit took just a couple of days to arrive, in time for the previously dreaded ride home. I’d wanted a two-piece oversuit as I find them more versatile – you can wear the trousers or jacket separately – and I find them much easier to put on, having ripped a few one-piece suits over the years just trying to get into them. The major drawback normally, however, is that there are more potential gaps for the elements to penetrate. Fortunately Weise’s suit is generously cut, with plenty of overlap between high-waisted trouser and long jacket. In addition the jacket features an easy adjust waist belt which considerably cuts down draught and moisture and, if needed, a pull cord around the hem further seals the gap. The over-trousers feature YKK zips at the lower leg, protected by a poppered flap which when opened allows them to be pulled on fairly quickly without removing your boots, and then resealed afterwards. It would be much easier to get the trousers on without boots, but if you’re caught in a shower you don’t want to be unlacing boots first. True, getting the trousers around my thick-soled combat boots took a bit of grunting, swearing and hopping around at first, but it is possible and would be much easier with more practice. Less fortunately, just so you know, like all nylon-based waterproof trousers since Noah, the inside leg has melted through on the right hand side from close proximity to a Harley’s exhaust. Happily the over-jacket slipped easily over cutoff and leather, elasticated cuffs proving a terrific and immediate seal. The YKK full zip was robust and easy to engage and once done up, is protected by a generous velcro’d flap. Furthermore, the high collar closes without choking me and is protected against chafing by a soft lining. Both jacket and trousers feature pockets,

though I’ve only ever needed to use the jacket pockets (for slipping my toll money into). The jacket pockets at the waist were a little tricky to get paws into, as they fold over themselves to seal with more velcro. It does mean however that when closed they are thoroughly watertight and if given a choice with an oversuit, I’d choose watertight every time. My favourite pocket on the jacket was the zipped one just inside the sealing flap of the main zip sited at the chest. Big enough for wallet and cards, it was perfect for fuel stops without having to undress. There are other pockets inside the jacket and trousers to accept Weise’s CE body armour and both jacket and trousers feature a polyester mesh lining which, trapping warm air, really does a great job of making them much, much warmer than your average completely unlined nylon waterproofs. Despite the lining and generous use of decent materials and attention to detail like taped and welded seams, both the trousers and jacket, made of a softer nylon, fold up very neatly and small enough to fit almost anywhere. Both garments have been well thought out as if they’ve been designed by riders: they’re comfortable to wear on a motorcycle, don’t ride up as soon as you’re sat down and with plenty of room inside, yet don’t flap around at speed: a neat trick. So far the oversuit has weathered several downfalls from showery to full-on-here-itcomes and has proved fit-for-purpose. No water has yet got through to dampen leather, dribble down neck, or indeed allowed embarrassing hard to explain patches to form on jeans. I can’t guarantee the Weise 2 Piece Unlined Oversuit’s efficacy in repelling a sustained deluge of biblical proportions as I’ve been lucky enough to have avoided that kind of weather, but under ‘normal’ awful conditions the suit has so far performed very well indeed. Thanks Weise! / Rich

exposed and is a weak point in terms of a weatherproof seal, but it does have a leather internal rainflap to protect against the worst of the elements. There are buckles at the top of the boot and around the ankle that you can tighten/slacken to suit your shape and although a good idea, I found that I’d need two more holes at the ankle to tighten them enough for me – to make up for the generous size – but a quick trip to our local cobbler and a couple of quid would sort that out and tighten them up. The foot area has a thin inner-lining, the rest of the boot being bare leather, and after about fifteen miles in very cold weather my toes do begin to feel the cold a little, and I would not suggest these as winter riding kit, even if they do fare well in the role on shorter journeys. In all, these boots are a very stylish, badassed riding boot that offer a bit of feminine glitzy bling with the Harley Davidson logo on the zip-pull and buckles and I adore the subtlety of something that looks rugged and yet refined at the same time ... Fab! / Amanda

American-V.co.uk

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American-V # ONE

Reviews RAM Mounts www.ram-mounts.com

Want to mount something on your bike? Maybe you’ve finally given up and bought a SatNav, can’t be without your phone, music or iPad ... okay so maybe that’s going a bit too far. Or maybe you’ve realised how easy it is to get a cheap digital video recorder and to become a star of YouTube .. if you can find a way to mount it? Clever people can make clever things, but what about the rest of us? Should we be condemned to buying rubbish off eBay? Thankfully not, because there’s a company in the states that is making a mount that will mount almost anything to almost anything using a modular system that is as robust as it is functional. Over-engineering at its best! It’s based on a rubberised ball and a simple but clever double ended, split socket, and you mount one ball to the bike and another to the thing you want to mount, and join them together with the socket. You would struggle to call it pretty, but the watchword here is ‘safe’. If you need to mount something that badly, you can’t trust a bodge because it will fail, and game-over.

And you just know you’ll make a grab for it as it topples ... So, you can mount your smart phone in plain sight, see whose phone calls you’re ignoring, use the built-in SatNav, radio, music player, video recorder and even check your email at the traffic lights, although I’m nervous of polluting my riding time with the BS that seems to pour out of my phone. That said I’ve started using it in the car as an information centre, although we’re waiting for the weather-sealed ‘Aqua-Box’ before we do much with that on a bike. You can mount just about any type of SatNav, no matter how big or small. You can even stick a proper SLR camera or video on a universal tripod mount to grab a picture you won’t get any other way, or to record something you want to share with friends, family or the world! We’re playing with a few mounts, currently, mainly video but there’s a photo that I’ve always want to take and should be able to, and I’m confident about trusting one with a proper camera.

RAM-B-149Z-UN4U U-Bolt Mount with Universal Cradle RAM-B-108-238 Strap Base (fork leg mount) RAM-B-202AU Camera/Video Base RAP-SB-180U Lil’ Buddy Dash Base * RAM-HOL-UN3U Universal Cell Phone Cradle* RAM-B-224-1U Suction Cup Base * * denotes vehicle use only

WOMEN’S ILLUNATION SUIT

98312-11VW Illumination360º Functional Jacket (VT=Tall fit): £263.12 Regular available in XS to 3W, Tall available in S to 2XL 98315-11VW Illumination Functional Pant (VT=Tall fit): £205.24 Regular available in XS to XL, Tall available in S to XL If you like to arrive at places in the dark incognito, buy a stealth cape; but if you also want to make sure you get there without being knocked off by some errant idiot, or have a secret Tron fantasy, then this could be the right kit for you! This new two piece will give you 360degree enhanced visibility to other road user, which, on these dark winter nights, is invaluable as it really does light up in car headlights like the Blackpool Illuminations, and we’ve been playing with a flashgun and a tripod to try and show that. The result is blindingly bright: that 3M Scotchlite really does reflect back at you. The Illumination Jacket on test is the TALL version, which is more generous overall in sleeve length and body lengthbut is functionally identical to the standard fitting: it is fully waterproof, has venting front and back, body armour at the elbows, shoulder and back, and it has contoured lines for a feminine fit and those great back zipper-gussetts and adjustable waist tabs. Inside the two-way zip of its waterproof 100% Nylon outer shell, protected by a zippered inner storm flap, you get a couple of inside pockets – one waterproof for your phone or whatever you wish to keep dry – as well as a removable thermal waistcoat. It connects to the matching overtrousers by a short zip at the back which serves to further reduce any draughts. These, too, are made of waterproof 100% nylon with a polymesh lining that allows you to slip them easily over your normal clothes, with venting zips on the front to cool you down, and side zips that open from the bottom to nearly the top of your leg, which are great for getting them on and off quickly. And like the jacket they have removable armour, at the hips and knees. I’ve got to say that I loved the jacket almost as much as the FXRG, which is praise indeed, but couldn’t get on with the trousers. I’ve been spoilt by the FXRG Pants and expect all trousers to fit as well, but sadly these don’t. In fairness they’re not going to, because they’re a quite a different proposition, being overtrousers rather than a pair to wear next to the skin (well, over lycra shorts). They are, however, waterproof and fit over your clothes, and make for a great piece of riding kit, but being textile they they lack the suppleness and extreme comfort and fit of the leather and stretch Cordura of the FXRGs. For all that, they are a great alternative for those looking for kit that they can throw on over their work clothes in minutes, rather than changing: horses for courses. / Amanda

American-V.co.uk

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Reviews

ELECTRICKERY

It may be a cop-out or the unacceptable face of modern technology intruding where it’s not wanted, but once you’ve ridden through winter without stopping at every opportunity – ostensibly for a cigarette or a coffee, but secretly coveting the hot air hand-driers in the toilets – you’ll never look back. We’ve all drawn our lines in the sand regarding tech, whether it’s a modern carb on a flathead, textile riding gear, SatNav, an MP3 player or a chalet rally, and electrically-heated clothing is no different. And if you’ve got a decent charging system that will cope with the drain, you can transform your cold-weather riding. You can start your riding season earlier, not stop for winter, or just making those Alpine passes in summer easier to appreciate without fear of frostbite. So. Drain. Everything you plug into the bike uses something, and while the charging system produces more than the bike itself needs, that changes from bike to bike. A post2007 Sportster has a 30A charging system while the same model year Touring models have a healthier 45A. A Sportster at low engine speeds has fewer spare amps once it’s finished running the engine and the lights than an Electra Glide will,

and you need to factor this in to any decisions you might make. That doesn’t mean you can’t have heated gear if youre a Sportster rider, but you need to be a little more careful with the switch. Turn stuff off when you don’t need it, rather than jumping on the bike, switching everything on and expecting it to cope. Much can be achieved by switching heated clothing off once you’ve heated yourself up, and just topping it up as required. You also need to know that heat uses more power than most other things that you’ll plug in, and in clothing terms, the bigger the item, and the hotter it gets, the higher the drain: it’s not rocket science. In Harley’s terms, a sleeved jacket liner will draw 77w, the vest liner takes 54w, pant liner 44w and gloves a modest 22w, which means we can all have gloves, but a jacket, pants and gloves will take 143w (11A) out of your charging system, and even Glide owners might want to think twice about running their spotlamps if they switch all that lot on. And if you’ve got a passenger who wants the same consideration? You’ll be okay as long as you know the limitations and work within them.

It’s well worth considering thermostatic controls, and Harley offer two: a single circuit and a dual circuit, both of which are for one person only. The dual circuit thermostat would seem to be the better bet, because it allows you to account for the different types of heat produced by something like the Jacket Liner and the gloves, because while you might want to turn down the jacket, you wouldn’t necessarily want to turn the gloves down by the same amount. The availability of the dual thermostat option explains why the Jacket Liner’s sleeve sockets for the gloves aren’t permanently wired into the jacket, which caused early consternation until the penny dropped. In the absence of a thermostat, the heated clothing must be attached to the bike’s subharness by the supplied illuminated switch, which regulates the power supply to the clothing as well as switching it on and off: you don’t want to know what would happen to a 12v Liner if it started getting a lot more volts. Protecting you further is a fuse in the bike’s sub-harness, or rather a handful of fuses supplied to allow you to account for what sort of ampage you need, depending on what you’re plugging in. Fit and forget, until you get another item and need to draw more current. Set it to protect the 22w gloves and you’ll pop the fuse when you add a Jacket Liner and draw down close to 100w in total. And if you decide to leave the Jacket Liner at home and just take the gloves? It’s not going to happen. If you’ve got the dual thermostat, you’ll be able to turn the Jacket Liner down independently. And once you’ve used the wiring through its sleeves, you’ll be loathe to return to the standalone mitten-stringing harness; and because you can use the sleeve wiring without powering the Jacket Liner – by connecting the glove link lead directly to the switch as if it were one of the inputs from the thermostat – you’ll take it with you even if you’ve got no plans to use it. Technically, you should switch fuses again to give yourself maximum protection, but we both know that if you did that, the weather would turn and you’d decide to plug the Jacket Liner in, as you’ve got it with you, and you’d pop the lower rated fuse and lose the benefits of the gloves too … by which time it will be dark, raining and you’d on top of an unlit moor in a gale. Knowing that the bigger fuse would still protect me if there was a complete short circuit, I would be leaving the 100w protection in place. So, that’s the theory, what is it really like? We’ve had the right winter to find out! / Andy

American-V.co.uk

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WOMEN’S HEATED GLOVES 98350-09VW £194.71 Available in: XS, S, M, L, XL

WOMEN’S HEATED LINER

98351-09VW £263.12 Available in: S, M, L, XL, 1W, 2W, 3W For some inexplicable reason I’ve always treated the idea of heated clothing on a bike with a little bit of contempt. Perhaps it was arrogance that made me think it was for aging BMW riders – no offence intended – but they didn’t fit into my ideal of a bike rider who just got on with it: a motorcycle fundamentalist. But, as an aging ex-BMW rider, I feel the cold more these days so I was quite happy to try out the Womens Heated Jacket Liner and Heated Gloves from Harley’s heated clothing range ... and plugged them into my winter hack – or Andy did after getting his head round the fuse requirements and how the gloves plugged into the jacket. The first time I tried the gloves on and hooked them into the heated jacket liner I was unable to get the wires to sit comfortably and ended up unplugging it all and taking them off – after spitting my dummy out, of course – but I found the knack second time round and off I went. And it was enough to change my opinion on heated clothing forever, because the difference they make is phenomenal! Within two minutes my jacket was roasting hot, and although I couldn’t feel any heat from the gloves, I realised that I was riding up a dual-carriageway at a sub-zero 70mph and my hands weren’t cold. While the jacket gets hot – presumably to be able to make its prsence felt through multiple layers of normal clothing – the gloves maintain a pleasant ambient temperature: not hot but certainly not cold, which works better for me than the intense heat of the jacket. There are a couple of optional thermostatic controllers that you can purchase for the jacket liner and I would recommend one to complement the jacket, if only for comfort’s sake. I’m nervous that riding around in so warm a cocoon could lend a false sense of security and make

you forget that you’re out on icy roads ... With my upper body so snug, warm blood pumping round my legs and feet made those feel warmer too, which allowed

me to concentrate fully on my riding and not be distracted – as we all get – by how cold I am, leading to a new, and very welcome winter riding experience. The quality of materials and construction seem to meet the usual high standard that I have come to expect from Harley, and I’m pleased to report that even though the liner is thin-enough to fit beneath almost any jacket – and has the clips in the right place to fasten into an FXRG jacket – you’re not aware of the heating element wires within the jacket. Once you have attached the supplied wiring to your battery it can live there permanently, and with plenty of length on the wires, it’s up to you how unobtrusive you make the shielded socket. As long as you can access it to plug in the switch unit or thermostat, you’ll be fine. The jacket has two extra internal jackplugs so that you can channel power to other heated accessories in the range, and if you plug the incorporated sleeve harness in, you can send power to a plug concealed in a zippered pocket in each sleeve, which powers the gloves. And the gloves are another revelation. Waterproof, breathable, very snug with a gauntlet top that fits over your jacket or under your waterproofs, they are made of a mixture of suede and leather with a fleece cuff and lining. And because they’re heated, they are not stiff with insulated padding because they don’t need to be. This means they are light and flexible, which makes all the controls that much easier to operate. I would have liked to see a retaining strap of some type round around the wrist to make them that bit more secure, but that’s the only criticism I can level at them. / Amanda

MEN’S HEATED GLOVES

98323-09VM £194.71 Available in: S to XXXL Harley’s Heated Gloves are notable for two reasons, the second being that they are very nearly a gauntlet. These predominantly leather gloves take the Motorclothes range to new levels ... it’s a proper winter glove in a range that is big on three seasons. They’re big, they inexplicably lack any reflective Scotchlite and they feel immediately like a pair of gloves you’ve owned for years ... but without the shredded lining and the odd smell that you get off them in summer. Fleece lined for a snug welcome, they feature an Aquatex liner for waterproofing, but it’s the next layer, comprising micro-sized stainless steel fibres protected by Teflon and then woven into a heating matrix, that does so much more than simple old single wire undergloves used to do. For starters they provide consistent heat for the length of each finger and the thumb, and over the back of the hand. The palm is left clear, maybe to give heated grips something to do, but probably because it doesn’t need

it: it simply doesn’t get cold with the heated shell all around it. They’re actually a damn good pair of gloves in their own right. I tested them to see how far I’d get before I got uncomfortable, and managed sixty miles before I decided to switch them on, which isn’t too shabby. And when they were switched on, they warmed up within a couple of minutes to a pleasant ambient heat. On the return journey, I switched them on at the beginning of the journey, and didn’t regret it. I knew it was cold, because the soles of my feet were telling me, but with sports-shop thermals beneath an FXRG suit, a full face helmet and these gloves, nothing else suffered. I initially wondered whether I might need a thermostat, but I didn’t. These won’t make your hands overheat, more prevent them from getting cold, which is exactly what you need. Well, that and a lifetime guarantee on the heating elements. Scotchlite is the only serious omission, and I’m not sure why they haven’t fitted it to something so obviously destined to spend most of its time protecting the rider through the short days and long nights of winter, but as you’d expect with the flagship model it has gel pads on the palm and uses materials and the technology intelligently to ensure that fingers still bend easily. The only minor inconveniences were stringing my jacket with the power lead, as the wires were reluctant to stay in place with the gloves not anchoring them – solved by the liner – and the lack of anywhere to tuck the gloves’ power leads: no concealed pocket, although it’s not much work to tuck the wires inside the area controlled by the elasticated draw-string. / Andy

MEN’S HEATED LINER

98324-09VM £231.55 Available in: S to XXXL This arrived too close to deadline to be able to get riding impressions of it and we’ll cover it properly next issue, but this has a different ‘Nanowire’ element, with silvered thread woven into a fabric and then waterproof sealed and placed strategically in the liner: the element wires aren’t so much unobtrusive as missing. Rest assured, as soon as this issue is on press, I’ll be changing the fuse and blowing the cobwebs away! / Andy

American-V.co.uk

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SOF

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12/1/11 00:27:00

Head to Head Softails: FLSTN Deluxe vs FLSTFB Fat Boy Special

FTAILS Harley’s Softail frame, at a mere twenty-six years old, provides the foundation for Harley-Davidson’s most traditional Big Twin range, and over the last couple of years, as the FX Softails have dropped away, it shows all the signs of having settled down somewhat. American-V.co.uk

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FARO

American-V.co.uk

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Event: Moto Clube Faro, Algarve

2010

When I first attended Faro in 1994, it was a very different event to the one that greets today’s visitors. Back then it was much smaller and they were only just starting to establish a custom motorcycle show as part of the event, but then it was particularly difficult to build and register a custom motorcycle in Portugal.

I was covering the event for Easyriders, and the members of Moto Clube de Faro looked after me very well, but what impressed me the most was their willingness to listen to suggestions based on broader, international experience regarding how they might improve and grow their event. Over the next decade, covering Faro for many different publications around the globe, it was interesting to see some of those suggestions blossom and bear fruit, incorporating ideas such has having a lawned area for their ever expanding custom show, rather than dusty scrubland; and the hugely popular installation of a temporary refreshing swimming pool within the rally grounds, although I actually only asked them to build a pool for members of the media. Selfish now that I come to think of it, but I didn’t want to ask for too much! Of course, I can’t take all the credit for the expansion and improvement of the rally, because Moto Clube de Faro have come up with fresh ideas of their own, time and time again, but I like to think that I played some small part in the rally’s remarkable success ... then again, it’s more likely to be due to the hard work of longstanding president of the club, Jose Amaro, and forward-thinking members such as Braza, Miguel and Joao who work tirelessly throughout the year in preparation of the next event. The trip from my tumbledown farmhouse in South West France to Lisbon went without a hitch, knocking out the first eight hundred miles of my normal trip from

England, and the new motorway made the ride between Lisbon to Faro a snip, even if it did cost me €18.85 each way in tolls for the privilege of having a 130kph speed limit and the tarmac pretty much to myself. I found a gem of a place to stay for the duration of the rally in the nearby town of Santa Barbara de Nexe, which nestles high on a hill with panoramic views, whitewashed houses that dazzle in the sun, villas beautifully framed by colourful bougainvillea, and an enchanting church, not to mention bars and restaurants. Quinta do Atlantico – a simple, peaceful six-room bed and breakfast villa with a large, inviting and warm pool – is run by two welcoming Latvian sisters, Ludmila and Marina, and is set among orange, carob and almond trees overlooking Faro and the sparkling Atlantic Ocean. It’s also within walking distance of Iron Maiden’s worldrenowned ‘Eddies Bar’, which also happens to be a Moto Clube de Faro hangout. While I still enjoy the rally to the full, I find camping stiflingly hot, with temperatures frequently in the high thirties and enjoy having a backup bed to return to at night or early the following morning: a bolthole for a little rest and relaxation from the madness of the constant action of the rally site. Yes, I know, I’m getting old, but I’m not alone: many visiting bikers fill the local hotels and boarding houses, or clubtogether to rent larger villas, allowing them to do pretty much the same. With an average of 3,170 hours of sunshine per year, Faro is Europe’s sunniest location, and that guaranteed good weather

American-V.co.uk

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12/1/11 03:07:19

MONOCHROMATIC XXX SPORTSTER 32 American-V.co.uk

AmV44.Xx1200.indd 32

12/1/11 04:48:44

Street: Monochromatic XXX Sportster

Morning class: settle down now please. Today we will be doing some simple algebra, so if you’ll get your exercise books out and write down the following: if X is equal to a four cam, L equals Sportster, B equals Buell and R represents racing, can anyone tell me what this is? Yes: XXX fun ... unlike algebra.

With the rise of the XR1200, the Sportster has reclaimed its heritage, reminding people that it’s little more than a set of trick shocks and sporting rubber away from being a credible streetbike, rather than an entry level Harley. Of course, there is no shortage of people who have always known that and rejoiced in the sheer pleasure of an honest, very traditional motorcycle, ignoring the jibes from those who genuinely don’t understand why anyone would want a Harley that wasn’t lazy, loping, long and low, ’cos that’s what a Harley is. And they do exist. I used to be one of them: it’s taken me years to fully appreciate what a Sportster is. The XR1200 has been instrumental in informing that change, and riding Steve Jones’ sixties’ XLCH hammered the message home: a Sportster from the days when Harley produced the world’s fastest production bike, in a window of time between the demise of Vincent and the rise of the Japanese Four. The Sportster Sport, by rights, should have been the bike to bring me back into the fold, but the day before I swung a leg across its saddle, I took out the equally-new Buell White Lightning, after which the exotic twin-plug Sportster with its trick adjustable suspension didn’t stand a chance. It didn’t need twin plugs so much as better fuelling and porting, and less weight would have been nice to make more of the three-way adjustable forks and piggy-back shocks, the extra caliper and the slightly sportier Dunlops. It was pretty, had a modest following among Sportster fans but it wasn’t going to bring any new punters in. What was needed was something between the two: as visually acceptable to a conservative market as the Sportster Sport, but with the handling and performance of the closely related Buell. It took a rubber-mounted frame, fuel injection and more than ten years for Harley to get that somewhere near right, but then they have a huge number of hoops to jump through to bring a bike to market. Others were a little quicker off the blocks. Steve Storz is the name usually associated with quick Sportsters, having spotted the potential within the Evolution model as far back as 1990. A former Harley factory race mechanic with a reputation for keeping XR750s running consistently well, he set up on his own company in 1980 to supply parts, and to build and tune XR750s for the AMA Pro Dirt class. It was only a small leap from there to producing a dirt-track style road bike based on the XL883, and while Erik Buell – having run out of XR1000 motors for his RR1000 project – had turned his attention to the 1200 Evo XL engine to make a sportbike, Steve Storz developed a kit of parts to turn the humble entry-level Sportster into the XR883.

American-V.co.uk

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10/1/11 12:00:57

FAT FIGHTERS

But while we’re patting ourselves on the back – possibly to congratulate ourselves for surviving long enough to appreciate it – it’s worth reflecting that it fails to take another ultimate truth into account: age and experience is nothing without enthusiasm to continue to drive it forwards. This is, of course, where we are blessed, because unlike most people of our age we have steadfastly managed to avoid growing

up, and as such our enthusiasm is undiminished. Doesn’t mean we don’t need new blood though, because the best of all possible worlds is a coming together of youthful enthusiasm and timeserved experience. It used to be called an apprenticeship, and while formalised on-the-job education has been replaced by work experience and theoretical qualifications, there are still a few opportunities out there for those who make them.

38 American-V.co.uk

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12/1/11 02:55:15

Dealer Builds: Guildford Custom Cycles

There’s an often-quoted expression which suggests that age and experience will always overcome youth and enthusiasm that becomes increasingly more poignant as you get older for some reason.

One such apprentice who has embarked upon that journey is Michael Noble, who was taken on as a sales executive by the thennew Guildford Harley-Davidson in 2008. Born into a biking family, he’d been riding Harleys from a young age and made no secret of his interest in custom bikes, including an involvement in building them. While that wasn’t on the cards in the early days of the new dealership, he discovered that his enthusiasm for pushing the boundaries beyond the traditional dealer-built customs were shared by Mike Wilson, Guildford’s Aftersales Manager, and highly-regarded technicians, Dave Presley and Stuart Hunt. His first opportunity to realise his ambition came when David Ransom came through the door to take out a Fat Boy on rental for the day – a treat from his wife – and having been bitten by the bug, went from having never ventured into a Harley dealer to being a regular visitor, and he and Michael got to talking about what would be his perfect Harley. It started off as a simple Stage 1 Fat Boy, but as they talked and it became apparent that there was so much more that he could do, it soon veered off the straight and narrow, becoming more ambitious: old looks with a new flavour, and Michael’s first build project.

American-

AmV44.Guildford.indd 39

12/1/11 02:55:19

Xl1200C Vs Dyna Low Rider

VOODOO

BOB

42 American-V.co.uk

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12/1/11 00:38:07

Roadtest: 2010 Harley-Davidson Custom: Voodoo XL883N Bob Iron

We’ve seen Rocket Bobs’ work before in these pages, in both a stunning Rocker commissioned for Oxford Harley-Davidson that made all-too brief an appearance in News, and their ‘Pintail’ Street Bob in our irregular series.

And the reason why we keep going back is that in a corner of South Oxfordshire is a custom builder who is not only turning out tasty, uncompromising customs, but is producing an original range of high quality parts from those bikes, as well as collaborating with some of the American manufacturers whose work doesn’t get the exposure here that it deserves. Something else that sets Rocket Bobs Cycle Works apart from a lot of the industry is that they’ve been championing the Dyna range, having been quick to spot potential within the lines of Harley’s street swing-arm frame and aware that it has become the popular choice in terms of the custom big twin market; certainly as far as new bikes are concerned. That’s not to the exclusion of all others, but other than the Rocker-C, Harley haven’t listed an FX Softail for a second year, and that’s going to make an impact sooner rather than later.

American-V.co.uk

AmV44.VoodooBob.indd 43

12/1/11 00:38:17

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Email: matt.hamblin@sycamoremotorcycles.co.uk 10/1/11 14:45:34

AmV44.LongTermFXDF.indd 48

12/1/11 02:47:08

Long Roadtest: Term: 2010 2010 Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson FXDF XL883N Fat Bob Iron

LONG TERM FAT

BOB We’re coming to the end of our time with Harley’s 2010 Fat Bob, living with it over eight thousand miles, many changes and putting it through its paces more than any other Harley we’ve roadtested other than our own.

During that time it has echoed the life cycle of many other owners’ bikes, evolving from a good looking but stock motorcycle via a mildly modified custom state into a remarkably flexible big-bore tourer, and now – the icing on the cake – it is positively transformed in a way that you can’t appreciate until you’ve grown completely familiar with something: a paint set from Harley’s Colour Shop. It was just another entry on the schedule of things that were going to be fitted to the bike, which was too easily seen as a cosmetic postscript after the 103-inch upgrade, to pitch another aspect of Harley’s P&A. Of course we have seen such paint sets on bikes around the country – I’ve actually seen this set on a reader’s Fat Boy in Aviemore – but it’s different when it’s your ‘own’ bike ... even when it isn’t your own ... if you see what I mean. After the best part of a year wandering into American-V’s palatial subterranean garage complex, seeing the Fat Bob as a good-looking constant in an ever-changing sea of colour, it stopped catching the eye. It sat next to the Vegas, the two of them bickering over the relative merits of overhead camshafts but in complete accord in terms of their dismissal of water cooling, their black paint schemes merging into one. It has seen more than its fair share of the road, becoming the default transport on feature-gathering sorties and events, unless there was a short-term loan that needed appraisal, and it got under my skin in a way that a bike you engage with always will, and the more I rode it, and as it evolved, it became part of the team. Familiarity didn’t breed contempt though, although maybe it started to be taken for granted as the honeymoon period became a distant memory: it was always there, always ready and a superb

American-V.co.uk

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12/1/11 02:47:13

Custom: Skinny Bob Sportster

SKINNY BOB Some bikes start with an idea, others with a rolling chassis kit but my favourite ones usually start with a single part.

American-V.co.uk

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12/1/11 01:48:05

Installed in over 60,000 Heritage Softail Classic Saddlebags around the world.

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Including XB’s! All credit card payments processed with Paypal.

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p61_avjan11.indd 61

12/1/11 16:32:11

Xl1200C Vs Dyna Low Rider

DERELICTIO SHOVEL

62 American-V.co.uk

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12/1/11 01:54:36

Roadtest: Street 2010 Custom: Harley-Davidson Dereliction XL883N Shovel Iron

All that now glitters wasn’t necessarily always shiny, as this project bike shows. This started the same way many do these days; an eBay bargain, or as I see them, the Good the Bad & the Ugly. Those who know Harley and its turbulent history will recognise the classic Shovelhead engine which, to some, is the quintessential Harley-Davidson big twin, perhaps because it was the motor in the posters that adorned the bedroom walls of those born before the ’90’s. Yeah, I know, what about those most famous posters of them all: Easy Rider and those Panhead chops? True, but Pans were way out of most bikers’ reach, as there have never been many in the UK! In my opinion, the Shovel was the most under-appreciated power house that emerged from Milwaukee. Benefiting from the evolution of the pre-war Knucklehead and post-war Panhead designs, it was Harley-Davidson’s first engine power plant that had the potential to deliver real power and reliability, with its hemispherical combustion chambers as well as an improved oil system compared to its predecessor. Sadly, through a lack of investment and often unreliable manufacture, it didn’t quite live up to its design potential, but with hindsight, decades of experience, modern engineering and some of the latest technology, the Shovel can be not only the most beautiful looking to my eyes, but also offers enormous potential for today’s custom creations, if you want an original engine to ride and look good. It’s often said in these pages, that the strength of a Harley is that there is nothing that can’t be fixed, and this bike bears witness to that truth. While much of the substance of the FXWG

American-V.co.uk

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12/1/11 01:54:40

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NAME CALLING 68 American-V.co.uk

AmV44.XL883L.indd 68

12/1/11 00:17:42

Roadtest: 2011 Harley-Davidson XL883L ‘SuperLow’

Whether a sign of austerity or a determined push towards attracting younger riders, Harley have been spending a lot of R&D dollars on the Sportster range, and from the Nightster through the Iron and the XR to the 48 they’ve really broadened out the range, while simultaneously whittling it down to three of each ... well, it will be when the XR standardises in its trickier X form. And for 2011 we’ve got the SuperLow.

At first sight, it is last year’s 883 Custom and 883 Low condensed down into a single motorcycle, and it slots into the range conveniently if slightly awkwardly, because there’s more to this bike than meets the eye. Excuse me, while I don my welding glasses: rose tints aren’t quite up to the job for this. For the sake of our reputation for integrity, I’m going to coat this bitter pill with a nice sugar coating, so if you’re ready, open wide, pop this in and suck it gently. The strength of any Harley-Davidson is that you can fix the things that don’t suit you, whether it is to put right production engineering requirements or economies, or just improving on the original to suit your tastes. We’ve progressed beyond the so-called Harley tax, the brakes are now safe, the suspension does a good enough job for most people, and a closer working relationship with Dunlop has meant that tyres have been gripping roads better for the last few years ... just in time for Harley to start wooing Pirelli. How’s that candy-coat holding up? Wearing thin yet? The result is that unless you’re a card-carrying despiser of motorcycles that can’t go round and round a racetrack on their back wheel, there is no such thing as a bad Harley any more, just the wrong one for you. At least that used to be the case until the SuperLow, which is quite easily the worst Sportster of a generation, by a huge margin. And please bear in mind this is following hot on the heels of the excellent 48 – the most compromised Harley-Davidson in a generation, and a bike that I won’t hear a word said against.

American-V.co.uk

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12/1/11 00:17:48

Whats

Stateside

We might be British but our motorcycles aren’t and America produces the overwhelming majority of accessories that ﬁt the bikes we choose to ride: this growing section will showcase just some of the stuff coming out of the United States that might otherwise pass you by. To include your American business/products, contact Andy Fraser on 0044.1778.392054

Marlin's Accessories Bold new face designs for Marlin’s waterproof and shock resistant clocks and thermometers. Manufactured from billet aluminum and show chromed these quality gauges are made to ﬁt and look fantastic on all cycles and more, with a wide selection of handlebar mounts, tape-on and custom ﬁt mounts for American V-Twins, like fork lock and stem nut covers. Additional items from Big Paul’s include Marlin’s Genuine Accessories compass, temperature and pressure gauges and mounting devices for Iphones, smart phones, GPS and radar detectors. All items are in stock and available for immediate shipment directly from Big Paul’s Cycle online at www.bigpaulscycle. com and by phone at 248-408-2075 International shipments are our specialty – PayPal and major credit cards accepted.

Exile Cycles’ SuperMoto StreetBob The interesting specimen you see before you is the very ﬁrst Exile Dyna! You may recall that a year or so ago Russell Mitchell and his crew at Exile Cycles built an awesome trio of Softails to demonstrate the new Exile line of bolt-on parts for stock Harleys. They coupled this with a new catalog “Hard Parts for Stock Softails”. Now they are taking the same approach to Harley’s Dyna model line. Whilst Dynas don’t lend themselves quite as well to the “bolt-on transformation” process the Exile parts range for these bikes will ultimately include such goodies as Monster pipes, primary belt drive conversions (including a 2” version for mid-controls), chain ﬁnal drive conversions (including the Sprocket Brake Kit), front-ends and forward controls.

SaggyBagsTM Motorcycle Saddlebags systems use unique form-ﬁtted and shape-retentive parts, precise in size and shape.

3/8’ down the outside and inside of the bag. No adhesive is required. It provides a straight rigid edge that cannot be bent or distorted. Bottom line conclusion: Quality, Total Performance, Durability, Warranty, Customer Service and Technical Support

Edges are finished on a CNC Router to ensure consistency of size, shape, & fit. This is the only way to provide a good fit and ease of handling for self-installation. SaggyBagsTM Motorcycle Saddlebags Lid inserts can be easily adjusted to fit the entire lid surface of any lid regardless of condition or size. This is especially important for lids which may have shrunk with age. A Special Adhesive is supplied by SaggyBagsTM Motorcycle Saddlebags for the installation of the Lid Inserts. This adhesive will not be affected by heat or cold and is the only adhesive covered by our warranty. SaggyBagsTM Motorcycle Saddlebags employs special engineering to make sure your lower bag retains its shape when bumped, banged, or even if it attempts to shrink in the future! This means each piece of the kit must be carefully integrated into the structure of your bag to create a seamless whole, ensuring the bag will always look good regardless of extreme stressing which is sometimes encountered. No adhesive is required for the lower bag. The Support Rail is a 1/8’ thick material. The support rail is 11/2’ tall and runs the entire length of the bag-edge end to end. It is a clamshell design that goes 1

You can put a SaggyBagsTM Motorcycle Saddlebags restoration system in your Heritage Saddlebag and we will help you do it.

Stateside.indd 73

10/1/11 12:30:15

Matt’s Machine Shop Specialist Motorcycle Machine Shop mattsmachineshop@btopenworld.com

PRO TUNING CENTRE

SIDEWINDER CENTRE

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U.K’s Oldest Established S&S Dealer • U.K’s First Pro Tune Centre We supply the whole s&s range from carb kits, through spo slipon mufﬂers for touring models to the entire range of engines. We deal direct with S&S so no lengthy order times, trade enquiries welcome. We have a fully equipped machine shop and the experience to build and repair all S&S and HD motors and transmissions from vintage to modern. We run a dynojet 250i dyno to set up fuel injected and carbureted bikes • 883-1200 conversions • Twincam 1550 Conversions • Twincam 96 to 103”Conversions • Serdi Head Overhauls • Crank Rebuilds & Balancing • Vapour Blasting • Case Boring • Thread Repairs

Tel/Fax +44(0)1443 742791 18a William St.Abercynon, Mid Glamorgan South Wales, U.K. CF45 4RW VAT Reg. GB791 0597 0-8

p81_avjan11.indd 81

10/1/11 15:05:01

WORLD’S SLOWEST HOBBIT Burt Monro he ain’t, but when Ian Mutch took the opportunity to pursue a long-cherished dream – to ride through the land of the long white cloud, Aotearoa aka New Zealand – on his trusty Super Glide Custom, there was no sense in rushing.

American-V.co.uk

AmV44.New Zealand.indd 74

12/1/11 01:20:58

Touring: Mutch ado about New Zealand

How much?! To be fair to James Cargo in England, I had been told that there would be port charges when the bike arrived, but with my customary optimism I had dismissed the information from my conscious mind. Five hundred and eighty eight New Zealand Dollars! Then another NZ$100 here, and another NZ$170 there. Stone me! This was around £400 – there were NZ$2.2 to the pound at the time – not counting the £240 for the ludicrous, outdated carnet de passage to let me temporarily import my bike, so I could ride it, and all this on top of the actual shipping fee which was a not unreasonable £800 ... although that was one way. Blessedly the bike had survived the ocean passage unscarred, and impressed onlookers by firing up instantly on a touch of the button. On the bright side the sun was shining, and after lengthy delays my wheels were finally rolling beneath me. I’d been here two weeks already, staying at the home of my oldest friend on planet earth: Rosemary from over the road back in 1950s London suburbia when we still had

killer smogs and Cliff Richard had yet to take his Summer Holiday. I got lost in Auckland amid heavy rush hour traffic before finally getting clear of the country’s biggest city and out into the fabulous lush country of uncluttered curves on faultless asphalt, the massive engine pulling out of the bends like a pebble from a catapult, my arms straightening under the colossal torque of the purring motor. Nonetheless it took 2 hours, 45 minutes to reach Rosemary’s. “It usually takes me an hour and a half,” grinned Graeme. “Ah yes but you have a three litre engine in your BMW and I only have a one and a half litre engine in my bike, so that’s about right,” I explain, “do the math.” Graeme looked at his feet for several seconds, then at me, then grinned. Rosemary and her fellah Graeme had hosted me at their dairy farm north of Auckland close to Ruakaka where I’d realized there are those in this world who are cut out for early mornings and hard graft and there are those who write about it. Like Dirty Harry said, ‘A man’s got to know his limitations.’

My duty was to head North for The Bay of Islands, round a thousand bends of sub-tropical forest-lined roads. I’d left the coldest winter in living memory behind me and wasn’t missing it a bit. The Riverside Lodge sat four kilometres out of Paihia off the main road by a river, where for $70 I got a room with en-suite facilities, and a parking spot round the back. As I moved the bike, a murderous dog raced at me, snarling loudly before pulling up sharp on a chain fit to tow a barge. Phew! “Would it be a good idea for me to give him a scratch behind the ears?“ I asked the owner, Greg Turton. My host studied his hound, airborne in its eagerness to kill me. “Probably not.” He advised. That evening, while eating tuna on the patio, I heard feet behind me and turned to see the unchained hound heading my way: one bowel loosening moment and it was upon me, eyes fixed on mine as my heart raced. The bluntfaced head dropped onto my thigh, the eyes focused dreamily on my dinner. Slowly I extracted a chunk of Tuna and held it before the jaws of death. Tuna gone.

American-V.co.uk

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Custom: Rick’s Rod-ster

LOW FLYING V-ROD Number One Flugstrasse in Baden Baden, home of Rick’s Motorcycles, is an address with some history. Originally the site of Baden Baden airport, it was where Graf Zeppelin ‘landed’ his airships when he was touring southern Germany.

In fact, it was a stop on what is said locally to be the first ever airline route, and the place where Anthony Fokker tested the aircraft that revolutionised air warfare in 1915, with an interrupter gear that allowed a gun to fire through a propeller without hitting it, seizing the advantage from the-then undisputed champions of the air ... the French. Today, the airport is a shadow of its former size and importance, used predominantly by classic and light aircraft and gliders, and it is the ‘low-flying’ motorcycles from the neighbouring ‘House of Custom’ that attract considerable attention. After making a name for himself as a wheel builder, and then as the first person in the aftermarket sector to really take the V-Rod seriously, Patrick Knoerzer – aka Rick – established his company

American-V.co.uk

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Tech: Project Victory

VIVA LOST VEGAS Of course, there is customising and there’s customising. It’s an all-embracing term that covers anything from fitting new grips to taking a gas-axe to the frame which, for the sake of clarity, I’ll refer to as dressing and chopping, but that still leaves a massive range of things under the generic banner, and we’re resurrecting the Project Victory to show just how complicated things can be ... aided by the lack of a comprehensive parts catalogue Remember our original long term Vegas? In fact it never went away, and our plans aren’t much different than those we outlined years ago, but it’s testament to those complexities that it hit a dead stop and just ended up getting used instead. The reason? The interconnectedness of everything.

“The head bone’s connected to the neck bone”, as we all know, and much the same is true of a bike. We’d fitted the brilliant Bike Buddy Pro Air Ride, supplied by Nick Gale, in place of the original monoshock; blacked-out the swing-arm and footrest hangers in powder coat, thanks to John J Wilkinsons, who is on our doorstep in Crewe; fitted a pair of drag bars on revised risers from the Pure Polaris range and we had replaced the speedo and tacho with the then-new motogadget mini, which was held in place on the right-hand ’bar, by double-sided sticky pads, where it was dwarfed by the stock switchgear. And then we hit a dead stop because any of the next stages that we wanted to do would impact on lots of other things that we weren’t ready to sort out.

Don’t let anyone tell you that customising motorcycles is easy. And the reason why we’re moving forwards again is two-fold: our friends at motogadget brought out the M-unit, and long-time reader John Mander sold his Vegas to buy the first Cross Country in the UK. Sorry? Okay, so the easy bit first. John had re-rimmed his front wheel and fitted a 120/70x21 to his 2003 92/5 Vegas – an identical model to ours – before he swapped the whole front end for the USD forks of the Hammer/Jackpot. We’ve been talking to John since he mothballed the revised wheel, but never actually managed

American-V.co.uk

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Harley Dealers BEST PERFORMING UK/EIRE DEALER

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Visit our dealership and diner: West Strand Park, Strand Road, Preston PR1 8UY Telephone 01772 551830 www.preston-harleydavidson.com Follow us on facebook: www.facebook.com/harleydavidsonpreston ©H-D 2010. Harley, Harley-Davidson and the Bar & Shield logo are among the trademarks of H-D Michigan, LLC.

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Harley Davidson Stock ECU re-mapping for stage one, two or three set up, with no piggy-back add ons. AMI Harley Certiﬁed. Servicing, maintenance, repair. Suppliers of custom parts for Harley and Metric Cruisers BigBoar Motorcycles Bulwark Business Park, Chepstow NP16 5JG Tel: 01291 645999 Suppliers of many major brands check website for details.

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To advertise on the American V classiﬁed page Contact Andy Fraser 01778 392054 or Email: andyf@warnersgroup.co.uk

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Clothing ? red jeans work Q. Do armou A. Yes, Hood jeans do.

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