OCT 2020 #197
read it/watch it/ride it
BORNTORIDE.COM
Contents
OCTOBER ISSUE 197
AD INDEX
FEATURES
John Shope-Dirty Bird Concepts Roscoe’s Chili Challenge Glam Fairy Chopper-Roscoe & Angela Ghost Biker-Miranda Young Freedom Powersports-Survivor Strong Tank Whisperer-Craig Paints Bikes
12 22 26 33 36 48
COLUMNS
12
All About Leather
45
Allstate - Jeff Ard
46
All World Lift Truck
50
Boss Hogg Radio
8
BornToRide.com 50 BTR Facebook Group
42
BTR Radio
8
BTR Subscribe
45
BTR TV-Great 38
8
Charlotte’s Webb
20
DEPARTMENTS
Choice Med Group
43
Contents Page 2 Letter From The Editor Dave Nichols 4 Ride Safe, Ride Smart-One Way Street 7 Tech Tip - Real Pipes For The Low Rider 38 Cartoon 42 Born To Ride Kids 53
Cycle-Rama 40
Nefarious James - Your Own Ride Movie Review-Mini-Skirt Mob Christian Motorcycle Association Spyke & Mike
31 41 53 54
REPORTS
26
AAA 6
Leather Lid Inserts 42 Sid Haig Reads It 44 Reader’s Ride - Tom Russo’s-Doc Holiday 52
ON THE COVER 35th Annual Roscoe’s Chili Challenge Roscoe & Angela www.roscoeschilichallenge.com Photo by Erick Runyon
CraigPaintsBikes.com 45 Elite Transmission & Auto
45
Estrella TV 8 Freedom Powersports
36
Forever Two Wheels
32
G.I Joe Wanted
45
Gotta Havit Insurance 44 H-D Crystal
56, IBC
H-D Rossiters
30
High Seas Rally
55
JF Kicks
9
John & Heather Show
40
Lakeland Antique Mall 47 Leasure Automotive
44
Leather Lid Inserts
45
Metalsport Wheels
5
Mid USA
21
Mugs and Jugs - Largo
19
Pop A Beer-Cystic Fibrosis
10
Pop A Beer
11
Progressive Insurance 3
Start Born To Ride TV and Magazine in your city! Call 888-795-5779
The information contained herein is provided by Born To Ride Magazine or by its advertisers. BTR makes every effort to present accurate and reliable information in the issue. Born To Ride Magazine does not endorse, approve, or certify such information, nor does it guarantee the accuracy, completeness, efficacy, timeliness or correct sequencing of such information throughout this magazine. Use of such information is voluntary on your part, and reliance on it should only be undertaken after your independent review. Reference herein to any specific manufacturer, company, commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, service mark, or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement of or recommendation of said by Born To Ride Magazine.” “Born To Ride Magazine (including its employees, contributors and agents) assumes no responsibility for consequences that may result from the use of the information herein, including the use of the information obtained at www.borntoride.com and it’s linked sites, or in any respect for the content of such information, including (but not limited to) errors or omissions, the accuracy or reasonableness of factual or scientific assumptions, studies or conclusions, ownership of copyright or other intellectual property rights, and the violation of property, privacy, or personal rights of others. BTR Magazine is not responsible for damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on such information. No guarantees or warranties, including (but not limited to) any express or implied warranties are made by BTR Magazine with respect to such information contained throughout the site.” No part may be copied without written permission of the publisher, Born To Ride, Inc. P.O. Box 3021, Brandon, FL 33509. 888-795-5779, Fax 813-689-2996.
Roscoe’s Chili Challenge
24
Rubenstein Law
IFC, BC
Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q 51 Tropic Trailer 46
ISSUE #196
BORN TO RIDE Magazine
PO BOX 3021 Brandon, FL 33509
PUBLISHER
Letter from the Editor
Ron Galletti 813-785-3895 888-795-5779 rg@borntoride.com
DAVE NICHOLS
CO PUBLISHER
Deb Galletti dgalletti@borntoride.com
EDITOR
Dave Nichols editor@borntoride.com
FROM THE HELM
ART DIRECTOR
HEATIN’ UP AND COOLIN’ DOWN
Peter Soutullo art@borntoride.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Erick Runyon
ART DEPARTMENT
Juan Guzman, Jared Hartman, Erick Runyon , Peter Soutullo, Craig Miller, Beatnik Steve Werner art@borntoride.com
WEB DESIGN/ELECTRONIC MEDIA Juan Guzman
OFFICE ADMINISTRATION Nancy Ray nray@borntoride.com
MULTI-MEDIA SPECIALIST Jared Hartman, Craig Miller Jasper Harris
SALES & MARKETING 888-795-5779
ROAD CREW
Vick Velosity, Mark Crowder, Doug Bright, Birdman Mike,
SCENIC RIDE CONSULTANT Steve Finzelber-Finz Finds
ON THE ROAD TEAM
The John & Heather Show
CONTRIBUTORS
JP Brady, Neale Bayly, Susan Hurst, Spyke & Mike, Eric Albright, Eric Vician, Myra McElhaney, Paul Murray, James Gladstone Greg Blackwell, Felicia Morgan, John Sullivan
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Ron & Selena Hawks, Chris Miller, Scott Odel, Eric Albright, Chopper Dave, JP Brady, Erick Runyon, Craig Miller
LAW FIRM
Rubenstein Law 1-800-FL-LEGAL BORN TO RIDE OFFICE
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HOWDY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!
Things are really heatin’ up here at Born To Ride, just as Autumn is coming and the weather is cooling down. The Fall of the year offers some incredible rides and runs and in this issue we introduce you to two of ‘em. First, Freedom Powersports of McDonough, Georgia brings you the Survivor Strong breast cancer survivor benefit. This amazing motorized masterpiece will take place at the Atlanta Motor Speedway on October 25th and proceeds go to Keris Kares for Pediatric Oncology. There will be killer live music, celebrities, a car and bike show, venders galore, great food and drink, and the event will be raffling off a custom Sling Shot. See the full story in this issue. Then check out Roscoe’s Chili Challenge. If you like a throw down, all-out biker good time, this adults-only party is your bag. Join thousands of your best friends down in Lakeland, Florida on November 5th through the 8th for non-stop live bands, body painting, a ride-in bike show, suds and grub, biker rodeo madness including outhouse drag races, arm wrestling competition, corn hole competition, and did we mention it’s the best chili cookoff in two-wheeled history? Roscoe’s is worth the ride! Check out the wild pink custom ride that our photographer Erick Runyon found out at Roscoe’s by FNA Choppers. Also in this awesome October issue, we get the crazy story of how the world’s best boss, John Shope of Dirty Bird Concepts transformed one loyal employee’s stock Harley into a full custom Dirtytail as a killer
super surprise Christmas Bonus! Feast your eyes on this badass bike feature and sexy Harley Honey shot by moto-maestro photographer John Covington and watch the whole story come to life on Born To Ride TV. Speaking of, don’t forget to watch Born To Ride Live on Facebook, YouTube and Choppertown every Tuesday night at 7pm EST as well as our Boss Hogg Radio Show every Thursday night at 7pm. Because my friends, Born To Ride has it all! This issue also introduces you the haunting explorations of a biker woman turned paranormal investigator as you meet Miranda Young known as the Ghost Biker. You’ll get a sweet tech tip on real pipes for Low Riders, and enter the rust warrior world of the man we call the Tank Whisperer. You say you’ve got a custom bike that needs to be in Born To Ride? Tom Russo thought so and you can feast your eyes on the bagger he calls “Lunger” that tips its cowboy hat to the wild west legend, Doc Holliday. If you’d like to submit your Reader’s Ride, send photos and contact info to editor@borntoride. com. Plus, check out the ad by our new major advertiser Mid-USA and if you “build your best” with Mid-USA parts on your
bike, send us photos to get your ride seen by the masses! All this and more is roarin’ your way and just a page turn away in the outrageous October issue of Born To Ride.
— Dave Nichols editor@borntoride.com
You are riding along in the left lane of a one-way street, with a car ahead of you on your right. As the two of you enter an intersection, the car swerves left across your path to make a turn. Strategy: Because traffic was light, the driver may have forgotten that he was traveling on a one-way street and never looked in his blind spot for you. Since there was no traffic in the oncoming lane, he felt free to make a normal left turn (without signaling), inadvertently trapping you in his path. There was no way, short of watching for the non-existent signal, to predict that this driver was going to turn left. But remembering that intersections are always situations of increased risk, you might have prepared for this by taking actions to separate yourself from the other vehicle. By riding so close (and inside the driver’s blind spot) you effectively hid yourself
from the driver’s vision and greatly increased your exposure to danger. For more information go to www.msf-usa.org
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SE I R P R U S R E P U S S E V GI S S O B T S E B S D L R O W Hot on the heels of his success at creating oneof-a-kind custom baggers at Dirty Bird Concepts in Phoenix, Arizona, motorcycle mastermind John Shope came up with the next great idea: the Dirtytail. These Softail-based customs not only look incredible, they do the one thing that no stock Softail has ever done, namely, offer decent handling. “These bikes are something I’m very proud of,” John says. “They are comfortable and handle really well.” The Dirtytails can convert the entire Softail line, From Evos to M-8’s, into the motorcycle of your dreams. And they can be designed in a variety of looks, from lowriders that are a nod to the Cholo bikes seen in East L.A., to pavement pounding racers, to wide tire moto-mavericks, even to old school chop jobs with panhead covers and spoked wheels. All marry the love of Shovelhead FLH bikes that included rear shocks rather than a Softail swingarm for a low, lean look. And did we mention they ride and handle great? With over a million Softails on the road today, John Shope has the answer for turning your tired stocker into a head-turning temptress. Any Softail can become a Dirtytail. The bike you are drooling at here was the very first Evo-powered Dirtytail that John built. But there’s more to this story. Y’see, John has an employee who has consistently gone above and beyond to help John and the company to flourish. Rob Martinez has been with John for over eight years, and chances are, if you’ve called Dirty Bird Concepts, Rob is the guy who answered the phone and got you handled. Anyway, Rob bought a 1999 Harley Heritage Softail with just 5,000 miles on the clock with the hopes of turning it into a Dirtytail someday. He even had a photo of a candy apple red paintjob that he was dreaming about. Rob bragged that he would have the stock Softail converted into a Dirtytail in just two months. Shope said it would take at least a year. “I told him that bike would look exactly the same a year later,” John recalls. “Six months later, Rob hadn’t done shit to it and I called him on it. He said that he would have the bike finished as soon as he got back from vacation.”
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That’s when John Shope formed a plan to give his employee the world’s best Christmas Bonus. While Rob was away on vacation, John and the crew went over to Rob’s apartment and loaded up the stock Heritage right out of the parking lot. The would-be repo men took the scooter to the shop and tore it down. One look at the old Evo made John think of a name for it, “Rob’s Rusty Roach.” The Dirty Bird team had six weeks to turn the sow’s ear into a gold purse. They even toyed with the idea of presenting Rob with a fake bill for fifteen grand as payback for all their hard work. The Softail swingarm was exchanged for a Dirtytail unit with rear shocks and air ride. The neck was cut to accept a Dirtytail 26-inch neck and raked triple trees for better handling. Meanwhile, Dirty Bird’s paint wizard, Manny, created a mindblowing candy apple red paint scheme with badass graphics for the tanks, fenders and nacelle.
Guy’s Upholstery handled the sweet solo seat and the wild wheels came from SMT including that 26-incher up front. John went for an open beltdrive and upswept dual fishtail pipes for killer old school looks and internally wired apehangers to give the Dirtytail even more attitude.
When Rob got back from his vacation, John had him come straight to the shop from the airport. The world’s best boss was standing right next to the Evo Dirtytail and the conversation went like this:
John – “That’s your bike.” Rob – “No, it’s not.” John – “Dude, that is your bike!” Rob – “No, it’s not! No way!” John – “That’s your Christmas Bonus.” Rob – “For real?”
For real, Rob. That’s what happens when you have the world’s best boss. To see the entire video of how this Dirtytail came to be, check out youtu. be/L3jxGeBPjuA. For info on John Shope’s parts, products, swag and custom bikes, visit www. dirtybirdconcepts.com or call 623-465-5263. And watch John play the bad guy in the new biker film “Rough Boys”, coming next year.
— Dave Nichols
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There are few Choppers in the Industry that are immediately recognizable and have achieved almost a cult following. That one custom build that draws a crowd at every event and keeps people talking for days, or even weeks after seeing it. One such legendary build is located deep in the heart of Lakeland, Florida. Meet the ‘Glam Fairy’, built by Eric Allard of FNA Custom Cycles and Josh Brennan of Fat American Choppers. . The origin of the ‘Glam Fairy’ goes all the way back to 2010 when Josh Kurpius posted a video called ‘Japan Does it Right’ on a blog called The Kemosabe and the Lodge. The video featured a collection of extreme Japanese Chopper Builders and riders. One of those bikes, a pink chopper built by Yellow Motorcycle grabbed Eric’s attention. After showing the video to his buddy Josh Brennan, they were inspired to take on their own new, wildly creative build. The idea all along was to build something that looked completely unrideable,but in reality has good geometry and handles well. The build is based around a 1965 Harley Davidson Ironhead power plant, but just like every detail on the bike, it’s far from a ‘stock’ motor If you look closely, you’ll notice that the motor consist of two front heads, with the rear one turned around 180 degrees to get a clean intake area to run a clean dual carb set-up. The dual carb set up, which are as equally unique as the heads, are ‘ICT34’ Weber downdraft carbs and.can be found in any Volkswagen aftermarket parts catalog. The bike’s unique paint was beautifully laid out by Travis Antonio. With an impressive profile, the chopper almost disappears when seen from from the front or back. As you see the exhaust is fitted within the frame, you’ll notice more painstaking details were taken to keep the bike compact and narrow. Throw in a rear tail light made from a vintage french-fry cutter and a kick pedal with a unicorn engraved into it and you have yourself a bike that truly sets itself apart from all others.
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MODEL: ANGELA
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RIDE YOUR OWN RIDE Well, October is upon us and thank goodness for that. It means 2020 is going to come to an end soon. Not soon enough if you ask me. Along with October comes Halloween and maybe Biketoberfest. Love Halloween. This year everyone has a costume. Just don’t wear a mask. Bad joke I know, but it seems appropriate. With that said, I want to comment on the goings on I’ve been seeing lately. There are way too many accidents/ incidents involving motorcycles and even worse with fatalities. Snow birds are starting to flock our way and it’s that time of year to be hyper vigilant about their poor driving habits. Let’s keep in mind with today’s mentality of not caring for our fellow man or woman; we can’t take for granted that they are going to be paying attention to us on the road. In fact, I can almost guarantee that seeing an election sign or a palm tree will take precedent over watching for a motorcyclist. We can combine both the Halloween spirit and the snowbird mentality and all dress up for the holiday by dressing up as palm trees. Maybe they will see us
then. But in all seriousness, we have to take it in our own hands to make sure we stay safe out there. We need to look twice and not take for granted that these drivers are going to pay attention. Driving defensively is not enough. We have to take an offensive stance. I’m
"AND REMEMBER YOU ARE ON A MOTORCYCLE, NOT DRIVING A TANK." not saying offensive as in giving them the finger, although we do that too, but in the way of putting us in a safer position while on the road. Don’t get bunched up in traffic. Make sure you have room to maneuver and things like that. Think tactically. And no, tactically doesn’t mean you should pull your gun. In this case it means put yourself in the best position for self preservation. Your best way to survive out there is for you to pay attention more to them than they do to you. As horrific as it is to see all those sunscreen wearing
faces in plaid shorts and Hawaiian shirts, you’re going to have to muster through it. And remember, you are on a motorcycle, not driving a tank. Brake checking a car is one of the dumbest things I see out there on the road. Do you really think everyone is going to hit their brakes because you brake check them on your bike? All I can say about that is you risk spending the afterlife as a real crappy hood ornament. Keep that in mind. In this case, size matters (and when doesn’t it? Right ladies?). I guess what I’m trying to say is we, as bikers, need to take care of ourselves out there. Keep your senses sharp. Pay attention to your surroundings. Ride within your capabilities. Ride your own ride. What I mean by that is, stay in your comfort zone. More experienced riders do what they do but their skill level may be a bit better than yours due to experience. Ride your own ride. I know this sounds a bit like a sermon but it needs to be said. Be safe out there. Enjoy those motorcycles and hopefully I’ll see y’all out there NEFARIOUS JAMES AMERICAN
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Did you know that three out of every four Americans believe in ghosts and the paranormal? It’s true. Miranda Young, also known as the Ghost Biker, knows this better than most. Miranda has always been interested in the paranormal for as long as she can remember. As a child, you could find her in the library reading books about ghosts and folklore. Miranda began investigating with a ghost research team in 2013 and continued with them until 2018. Her role on the team consisted of being the photo analyst, video/ audio evidence producer and marketing specialist, as well as investigator. While fully involved with the team, she
found that in her spare time, she was traveling and exploring a great deal on her own. She would often take photos of these locations and share them on her Facebook page. These photos started to get a lot of attention and people began messaging her and asking what the stories were behind these images. This is how Ghost Biker Explorations and her Youtube channel was born. Because Miranda is out on her bike taking photos every chance she gets and doing little investigations, she thought why not chronicle these adventures through video? Miranda loves investigating the big locations, but through this project, she discovered that every little town
has a ghost story or two that the citizens have heard all their lives, or an abandoned location that they drive by every day. Her goal is to visit these towns, spotlight the areas, tell the stories and either investigate the location or explore it. Born To Ride magazine sat down with avid motorcyclist and artist Miranda Young recently to find out more on her exploits in the ghostly realm. “I started riding over 11 years ago and it had always been a dream of mine. My first bike was a 1997 Kawasaki Vulcan that I rode for 8 months. From the Vulcan, I bought the 883 Harley-Davidson Sportster that I currently ride. Miranda has been all over America, finding
the perfect ride linked with superb history in the towns that she visits, “I’ve ridden all over the country,” Miranda says. “I ride the Sportster in my web series - Ghost Biker Explorations.” Miranda does something that I have been a follower of for years – paranormal investigations! “I’ve always had an interest in the paranormal. I grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee and spent a lot of time with my grandmother. She and my dad instilled the importance of storytelling. My grandmother would tell me stories about ghosts that lived in the Appalachian Mountains. That intrigued me. I enjoyed spending time in the library researching the paranormal and the locations where some of these fascinating stories took place.”
Miranda has taken this passion and turned it into a well-followed and successful web series. “Ten years ago, I was approached by a guy I used to work with. My background is in photography and he had some photos that they had taken on one of their ghost-thunting adventures. He wanted me to look at the photos and try to debunk items within it. Afterwards, I was invited to attend an investigation with them. We got some great evidence! Eventually, I was invited to join the team. I was with them for eight years, photoanalyzing, creating their videos, building their brands and social media presence, etc. I would often ride my bike to the closer locations and found that when not investigating with the team, I would take off on my bike and visit locations by myself.”
Miranda got the bug to practice her paranormal research on her own. “I was taking pictures and documenting these travels on my social media pages. Several people approached me about my pictures and the posts I was putting on my social media platforms.” Miranda was encouraged to document these visits on video by a colleague that she worked with. She put together a marketing & production plan to produce these episodes and began visiting locations and telling the history of them. Her hard work paid off. Miranda explained, “The first season of Ghost Biker Explorations was a huge success! People wanted to see more of the travel and more of the motorcycle. That grew into motor vlogs and historical & paranormal travel
logs. For me, combining the two passions together created something unique and fun to do. People were able to find out about locations in their own hometown. As a biker I really enjoyed finding locations that were fun to travel to and that had some rich history to share as well. Miranda has found some really interesting places to ride as well as highlight her paranormal investigations. “We advertised this fun bike night/ride to a historic general store. The general store is located in an historic as well as beautifully scenic
“ MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD TELL ME STORIES ABOUT GHOSTS THAT LIVED IN THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS, THAT INTRIQUED ME .” area. We were hoping to get 25 bikes on the ride. When we got to the meeting location, there were over 100.” The bike night was a huge success and she got a lot of positive feedback from the event. People even asked her to come to their communities and host a haunted/historic bike ride because everyone had such a great time. “History and preservation are so important to me. We wanted to create a bike ride, coupled with a bike event to draw attention to this general store. I actually went in and mapped out a cool route with great history and dubbed it, “A Haunting Ride with Ghost Biker Explorations.”
Along with her talents as a paranormal investigator, Miranda is an outstanding artist. “I have had the opportunity to visit a lot of historic locations and I like to draw them because I feel it’s a unique way to preserve their history through art. That’s also how I fund my travels and web series. The interest in these historic drawings has led to an increase in requests for me to draw portraits as well as custom motorcycles.” Anyone interested in reaching Miranda for a custom motorcycle drawing or portrait, can contact her through her website at ghostbikerexplorations.com or by email at ghostbikerexplorations@gmail.com.
To check out more of Miranda’s paranormal videos, check out her Facebook page at https://www. facebook.com/GhostBikerExplorations/ and her YouTube channel Ghost Biker Explorations. The videos are exceptional and very professionally done. Watch for more of Miranda’s adventure on Born To Ride TV. — Susan Hurst
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P R E S E N T S
FREEDOM POWERSPORTS OUT OF MCDONOUGH, GEORGIA, is your one stop shop for everything in new and used motorcycles, ATVs, side-by-sides and Slingshots. The dealership is proud to carry a wide selection of on-road and off-road vehicles, sure to Fuel your Escape. Freedom Powersports is Henry County’s factory authorized BMW, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Polaris, Honda, and Slingshot dealer and is part of the mighty Freedom Powersports company founded by Kevin Lackey.
communities we live in,” Kevin tells us. “Today we have 16 dealerships in Texas, Georgia, and Alabama and we’re here to build a relationship with every customer. We’re powered by customer service and we just so happen to sell all the cool powersports stuff you could want or need.”
Believe it or not, Kevin began as a porter at a dealership and worked his way up to manager. Then he leveraged a deal to buy the owner out. From there, he built an empire of high quality dealerships. “I founded this company in 2012 with a goal of building relationships and supporting the
“ Ride on out to the Atlanta
Motor Speedway this October 25th and enjoy a day of family friendly fun
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“
Not content to just be the best powersports dealership in Georgia, Freedom Powersports of McDonough has cooked up an amazing event that benefits breast cancer survivors. Born To Ride is proud to be a part of this huge moto-mania event that is coming on October 25th from noon to 7pm that benefits Keris Kares for Pediatric Oncology. Some lucky biker will win a raffle for a 2019 customized Sligshot by Twisted Customs and there are
lots of other amazing prizes being given out as well. But the big news is that one lucky cancer survivor will be getting a brand new custom built home thanks to Abernathy Custom Homes. Ride on out to the Atlanta Motor Speedway this October 25th and enjoy a day of family friendly fun including great live music by Sean P. of Youngbloodz, plus tons of vendors, wild games, a killer car and bike show with cash prizes, and delicious food and drink all for just five bucks! Plus, you’ll even get to rub elbows with major celebrities and athletes. Purchase Raffle Tickets for the Custom Slingshot by calling Deejay Gross at 770-957-7404. It’s all happening this October 25th at Atlanta Motor Speedway, 1500 Tara Place, Hampton, Georgia. Visit
www.freedompowersportsmcdonough.com for more info and go to www.survivorstronggeorgia.com to buy your raffle tickets for that incredible custom Slingshot. We’ll see you there! — Dave Nichols
OCTOBER 25TH
12PM - 7PM ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY
1500 TARA PLACE, HAMPTON, GEORGIA
w w w . f r e e do m p o w e r s p o rt s m c do n o u g h . c o m www.survivorstronggeorgia.com
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Real Pipes for the Low Rider S Even though there are a bazillion people out here in Southern California where I live, we can think of lots of good reasons to be one of them. Those positive reasons are called canyon roads! And these roads have created a red hot used-bike market for Harley’s 2017 Low Rider S. Most of the bikes that Harley built on its Dyna platform handled very well. Then, with the introduction of the 2017 Low Rider S, aka FXDLS, Harley took the Dyna label to a whole new level of performance. For the ’17 FXDLS models, Harley added the Screamin’ Eagle 110 cubic-inch motor, which gives these bikes a lot more resources to build on. Unfortunately, these bikes were also the end of the line for H-D’s Dyna style swingarm big-twin frame. But, like all stock motorcycles, the FXDLS has one huge performance drawback, the factory exhaust system. To start off, its sound quality lacks personality and then the 2-into-1-into-2 system doesn’t really allow that big motor to meet its true performance potential.
THE THUNDERHEADER SYSTEM NOT ONLY GAVE THIS LOW RIDER S A GREAT LOOK AND SOUND, IT REALLY WOKE UP THOSE 110-INCHES OF SCREAMIN’ EAGLE V-TWIN.
No matter what you ride, the crew at Thunderheader have an exhaust system for you. For this Dyna they developed a true 2-into-1 highperformance exhaust system that lets all of those 110 cubic inches breathe. But wait, you say breathe, we’re talking about an exhaust system, not an air filter or throttle body. I know, but an internal combustion motor’s breathing starts by filling an empty combustion chamber, and it requires a well performing exhaust system to clear the combustion chamber of all of the motor’s burnt gases. The Thunderheader exhaust system features a muffler that produces a suction effect inside of the last foot or so of the exhaust pipe. This suction actually pulls the exhaust gasses out until they reach the reverse cone located at the muffler’s exit end. So we ordered their black system, part number 1035B, MSRP $845 and matching heat shields, part number 1131B, MSRP $253. We followed along as the gang at Bartels Harley-Davidson did the install. Installing the Thunderheader was an easy job, it couldn’t have gone smoother; not only was every nut, bolt and bracket included, the instructions were also very complete. The install took just over two hours and only required hand tools. Not a hole was drilled nor a piece of the bike modified to fit the pipes. There are only two joints in the whole system, between the exhaust outlets in the cylinder heads and the end of the headpipes. Each head pipe is made from a single seamless tube section they welded together at the front of the muffler. Each of the three form-fitting heat shields is an exact fit. The hardware kit included two brackets to support the system. One of the system’s big features is the bracket that mounts to the transmission; its forward mounting hole is slotted, that way you don’t need to completely remove the bolt from the clutch cover. They also included new clamps for the heat shields. The only parts that were reused were the two snap-rings and flanges for the cylinder head exhaust port-to-head pipe joint.
The completed installation worked fine; the sound quality was fantastic, much deeper and mellower than the factory pipes. But the real deal was the overall performance improvement of the bike, it was like a brand new day in a more powerful world. The Thunderheader is a good complement to what we think is one of Harley’s best looking and riding bikes.
OUR STARTING POINT, THE BIKE HAS BEEN RAISED UP ON A LIFT, AND ITS SEAT AND THE FACTORY EXHAUST SYSTEM HAVE BEEN REMOVED. IF YOU ARE GOING TO WORK ON YOUR OWN BIKE, WE DO RECOMMEND THAT YOU BUY THE APPROPRIATE SERVICE MANUAL; IT MAKES JOBS LIKE THIS SO MUCH EASIER.
THE OXYGEN SENSORS ARE THREADED INTO THEIR BUNGS AND EXHAUST FLANGE MOUNTS AND SNAP RINGS ARE INSTALLED ON THE TWO HEAD PIPES.
If you ride a Harley, Thunderheader makes a set of pipes that’s right for you!
- John Sullivan
Sources: Thunderheader | Thunderheader.net Bartels Harley-Davidson 4141 Lincoln Blvd. Marina del Rey, CA (310) 823-1112
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THE MUFFLER IS BOLTED TO THE MUFFLER SUPPORT BRACKET; ITS NUTS ARE ALSO THREADED ON FINDER TIGHT.
If you have a Tech Tip you would like to see, let us know at editor@borntoride.com
TWO-INTO-ONE FROM THUNDERHEADER
THE THUNDERHEADER EXHAUST SYSTEM COMES FULLY ASSEMBLED; IT IS PRECISION WELDED TOGETHER.
THE EXHAUST ASSEMBLY IS ATTACHED TO THE DYNA’S TRANSMISSION CLUTCH MECHANISM COVER.
THE THUNDERHEADER’S MUFFLER SUPPORT BRACKET HAS BEEN BOLTED TO THE TRANSMISSION END COVER.
THE THUNDERHEADER’S EXHAUST PIPE MOUNTING CLAMP GETS FITTED OVER THE REAR CYLINDER’S HEAD PIPE AND SLID DOWN TO WHERE IT IS WELDED TO THE FRONT CYLINDER HEAD PIPE.
THE ENDS OF THE EXHAUST ASSEMBLY’S HEAD PIPES ARE CAREFULLY SET INTO PLACE IN THE EXHAUST PORTS ON THE CYLINDER HEADS…
AND THE EXHAUST FLANGES ARE FITTED OVER THE CYLINDER PORT STUDS AND THEIR RETAINING NUTS ARE THREADED ON FINGER TIGHT.
THE CLAMP THAT WAS FITTED OVER THE REAR CYLINDER HEAD PIPE IS BOLTED TO THE EXHAUST PIPE MOUNTING FLANGE THAT IS ON THE LOWER FRONT OF THE THUNDERHEADER EXHAUST SYSTEM’S MOUNTING BRACKET.
NOW ALL OF THE SYSTEM’S MOUNTING BOLTS ARE TIGHTENED UP: STARTING WITH THE HEAD PIPE TO CYLINDER HEAD MOUNTING FLANGES, THEN THE MUFFLER MOUNT AND, FINALLY, THE CLAMP ON THE REAR HEAD PIPE TO MOUNTING BRACKET. LASTLY, THE THREE HEAT SHIELDS ARE ATTACHED AND THE WHOLE SYSTEM IS CLEANED BEFORE THE MOTOR IS STARTED.
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This month Born To Ride reviews the Mini-Skirt Mob, another in a series of horrible old biker films for your entertainment. In some cases “the older the more horrible” comes to mind when dealing with these movies. This one was produced in 1968, and rates right (down) there with the best of the worst! The plot bears more than a few similarities to Satan’s Sadists (which I have previously reviewed for BTR). In this case, it’s Shayne, the psychotic female leader of The “Mini Skirts” played by Diane McBain and her hair-do, stalking the innocent young couple along with her ‘gang’ members. It seems that “Jeff” the man she’s after used to be “her guy,” but he got wise, dumped his rodeo/biker buddies and married some hot brunette girl from the local bank. This in my opinion was a weird mix. The connection involving ‘biker’ girls and rodeo guys never seemed to materialize. It looked more like a ‘hippie’ flick than a poorly made biker film. Anyway, here’s my best
shot at explaining the plot. … Just as Jeff, was preparing apply the pork to his new bride “Connie” all his old pals and the “Mini-Skirts” arrive at his camper trailer to party. This of course leads to a major fistfight, where Jeff and his new bride suffer the worst of the melee. Later Shayne the maniacal jilted blonde (and her hair-do) convinces the other ne’er-do-wells to hang around with her, and continue to torture Jeff and Connie. As they chase them up a mountain road Jeff swerves and runs “LG” off the road crashing his motorcycle into a deep chasm. They return to find him dead, and decide to leave, but some boy scouts see all the action. The cops come later, and haul LG off. (You don’t see too much of the cops in this one oddly. ...) Later on, the gang finds Jeff and Connie camped out, and a couple of the guys rough Connie up while Jeff is out walking around. More psycho-babble from Shayne leads the gang to keep the couple trapped in the trailer with a rifle. That only works for a while, as Jeff tries to rig something up with the propane bottle, and the stove in the camper. As usual in these films one of the members turns on the other. In this case it’s Shayne’s sister, who wants to release Jeff and his bride and return to town. She knocks one of the rodeo rednecks out, and hatches a plan with Jeff and Connie. As she dons Connie’s clothes, the couple escapes while she fires at the gang from inside the trailer. The gang retaliates with Molotov cocktails, leading to one of the ubiquitous gags where a stunt man wears a fire suit and runs around the desert while flaming away. Anyhow, I’m not sure where the beer (or the empty bottles) originally came from, but the blast from the exploding propane kills Shayne’s sister. In the end two of the gang chase Jeff and Connie through the desert, and Shayne’s motorcycle slips on the edge of a ravine and crashes down several hundred feet. Shayne is holding on to the edge for dear life and begs Connie to save her. Connie grasps Shayne’s hand but well you know … she kinda lets go as Jeff approaches, and the couple watches as Shayne tumbles to her death. As typical in these old reels, most of the actors were totally unconvincing. I found myself thinking- these aren’t real bikers or rodeo dudes! These are simply bourgeois B-movie Hollywood types earning a living at ruining their future careers. I think that during most of the viewings however. Biker exploitation? No. Waste of good Mylar? Probably. You watch it and decide for yourself. I can only recommend this piece if you have a burning desire to see hot Sixties chicks in mini-skirts, go-go boots and huge hair. I did like the old Honda and Triumph motorcycles, and of course since there was Budweiser, (still not sure where it came from) it got one star. It runs 82 minutes, is available on DVD from MGM’s ‘Midnight Movies’ series, and I can only (in my right mind) give it 2 stars because there was a glaring lack of nudity. (The second star appears because I LOVE cat-fights!) So grab a Bud and some popcorn, and we’ll see ya next month!
Do you have a favorite Biker Movie we don’t have? Let us know: info@borntoride.com
— THE PHANTOM MOVIE REVIEWER
BORNTORIDE.COM | BTR 41
Ray V. Gordon is the owner and founder of a new business based in SW Florida called Leather Lid Inserts. He’s coined the phrase “We take the sag out of the bag” because that is exactly what they do. Ray has been riding motorcycles since he was 14-years-old and has watched the motorcycle industry grow and is glad to be a part of what it is today. After 35 years of owning and operating a successful aluminum company in Fort Myers, Ray sold the business so he could retire— he thought and bought himself a new Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic. And just like everyone else with leather saddlebags his bags started to sag and cave-in. He saw a need to fix this
problem. Ray says, “Starting this new business was something I just fell into by fixing my own saddlebags, and then friends of friends and others wanted me to fix their saddlebags too!” As an inventor and entrepreneur, Ray took his creative background and put his skills to work by experimenting with several different types of materials to finally come up with a patented lid and bag reinforcement kit that is designed to help keep the original shape of any leather saddlebag made on the market. So, if you’re tired of looking at your caved-in leather saddlebags, or if you have brand-new bags and want to prevent them from ever caving-in, please keep Leather Lid Inserts in mind. For all your leather saddlebag needs (insert kit, replacement belt straps, buckles, quick release) as a do-it-yourselfer or if you want them installed for you, visit www.LeatherLidInserts.com or call office 239-543-8360 to find the area dealer installer who is closest to you. You can email Ray at ray@leatherlidinserts.com or call his cell 239-339-7294 for bag and installation questions. East Coast Central FL, call Judy The Bag Lady, 386-873-8998
Leather Lid Inserts 18160 Old Bayshore Road N. Fort Myers, FL 33917 P.S. Leather Lid Inserts will be set up during Bike Week at Destination Daytona and out at Trader Jacks on Hwy.17 in Deland. RIDE SAFE ...
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CRAIG PAINTS BIKES…
AND LOTS MORE!
Craig Skiver paints bikes. In fact, he is known around Tampa Bay as “The Tank Whisperer” because he has an almost mystical ability to mind-meld with an ailing motorcycle gas tank in order to restore it to pristine condition. What exactly is a tank whisperer? Simply put, Craig rescues gas tanks. He can take a rusty, leaky gas tank that has been buried in the ground for a decade and bring it back to life. This nearly lost art involves repairing tanks with holes in them and that have been rusted beyond belief. “I make it so you can put gas in the tank again and make it new inside and out,” Craig tells us. There’s a reason why world class airbrush wizard Chris Cruz uses Craig to bring old sheetmetal to life. It’s because Chris only works with the best. A rider himself, Craig loves all things with two or three wheels and all marquees of motorcycles are represented on his website, from Harleys to Hondas, Suzukis to Kawasakis such as the one you are looking at here. This hybrid 1982 Kawasaki KZ1000 has a Moto Guzzi front end, a Ducati tail and parts from Suzuki in there as well. Craig was approached by Santiago Choppers to create this street fighter based on the look of a rare Godier Genoud (look it up – it was one of the most prestigious Kawasaki racing bikes back in the 1970s). “I’ve done two of them,” Craig say, “and I had to have this one. It is a rolling business card for my company.” The bike BTR 48 | BORNTORIDE.COM
features hand-picked Kawasaki colors, and as you might guess, it has won lots of trophies. Foundational paintwork has been Craig’s mainstay for many years and he is known for creating awesome custom graphics and super symmetrical pinstriping. Craig also handles all manner of sheetmetal repair including welding services, plastic and fiberglass fabrication. The main mission at Craig Paints Bikes is to produce amazing paintjobs by working with each customer to make their custom dreams come true. “We bring your motorcycle to life,” Craig says. “We can make your bike or trike extraordinary, designing and painting the baddest street bikes around.” He is well known throughout the southeast for reproducing colors and candy paint on vintage motorcycles and Japanese street bikes such as the Honda Sunflake Orange Candy used on CB 500s, CB 550s and CB 750s. Kawasaki Super Candy Red, Super Candy Blue, Rich Candy Gold and the obscure Halibut Blue Candy used in the 1970s on these coveted vintage motorcycles. Even Yamaha’s RD colors like Brandy Red have been reformulated with great success. Some of Craig Paints Bikes efforts have been featured on the Discovery Channel’s show Cafe’ Racer. “Santiago Choppers exclusively relies on my painting services for all of their custom motorcycles,” Craig says proudly. Westcoast Cycle in Tampa has also relied on Craig Paints Bikes in Tampa for over eight years to meet their needs, and more importantly, their customers’ needs to get their scooters back on the road and looking great. “Nicely polished parts are a must,” Craig says. “And the tanks must be perfect because they are the focal point on any motorcycle.” And who would know that better than The Tank Whisperer? For more information, visit craigpaintsbikes.com or call 813-407-2226. —Squid BORNTORIDE.COM | BTR 49
TOM RUSSO’S TRIBUTE TO DOC HOLLIDAY All bikers love westerns. It’s just a fact. Retired Lawman Tom Russo has a warm place in his heart for Val Kilmer’s characterization of Doc Holliday in the film Tombstone. This one-of-a-kind tribute to the film took a little over a year to complete. In the film, Doc Holliday died from tuberculosis and at the time, someone who suffered from this disease was called a “lunger”, hence the name of this bike. Eric Barnes, owner of Airbrush Art USA in Gulfport, Florida, painted this 2019 Harley Street Glide with incredible attention to detail and a strong understanding of the themes of this classic western. “It took Eric and I a lot of time to come up with the right themes for the murals that portray Doc and his friends Wyatt Earp and Wyatt’s brothers Virgil and Morgan,” Tom says. “Eric is an unbelievable painter. Before coming to Florida, he painted drag boats in Australia.” Instead of powder coating, Tom decided to do the bike in Cerakote C series. This process stands up to 1,800 degrees of heat allowing no discoloration due to excessive temperature. Some parts were powder coated to add to the bike’s individuality. All the Cerakote and Powder coating was done by Andrew and Austin of AB Powder Coating in St Petersburg, Florida. Tom built the front end using Performance Machine lower legs, a 180mm Native front wheel and Michelin rubber. Suspension Technologies out of Largo handled the front and rear suspension. Tom tells us it handles like a Cadillac. The exhaust system is a D&D Billet Cat with a ghost pipe. The design on both the exhaust shields and mufflers are one-off, using a special process which took months to achieve. “Of all my years of
BTR 52 | BORNTORIDE.COM
building bikes, I have never seen a themed exhaust system,” Tom says. “This secret process is something I have to keep close to my heart, it’s one-of-a-kind.” As for the motor, Tom says that he and his friend Mike Keehen installed a Cycle-Rama 470 cam as well as S&S lifters and push rods to add more ponies and a K&N High Flow air filter helps this beast breathe. “It was our first M8 cam install. We Dynoed the bike at just under 125HP, then with Chuck at Cycle-Rama making two more setting adjustments, the Lunger is running stronger than ever.” The bagger is lit up thanks to Custom Dynamics LEDs. Full bike lighting was put on by Reno’s Led Sled out of Largo. As for comfort, Tom sits on a Lucky Dave’s custom seat and 12inch apes give him the perfect reach for a cush ride. To further focus the Tombstone theme, Tom used bullet casings which were ground and set into the bike to bring this wild west tribute to life. Tom is originally from Upstate New York and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida about ten years ago. He tells us that he and Doc Holliday have a few things in common. “Namely a badge and an addiction. I was a good Law Man for almost 30 years but fought and finally fell to the torments of addiction. Finally recovering and putting my life together, I decided to do the thing I loved to do the most… build bikes.” To sum up this month’s Reader’s Ride, Tom quotes the epic words spoken by Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp in Tombstone. “You tell them I’m coming and Hell is coming with me! I was Born To Ride.” — Chopper Daddy Dave
Send photos and information of you and your motorcycle to editor@borntoride.com
RONNIE and EMILY’S
CHRISTIAN MOTORCYCLISTS ASSOCIATION Getting in the wind is a favorite pastime for bikers, there’s just no other experience that compares and offers such a sense of freedom. That being said, riders need to be ever-vigilant and pay a lot of attention to the traffic surrounding them. There is an old saying, “You can be dead right and still be dead wrong.” This can simply mean that even though you may have had the right of way in traffic, you can still end up as a traffic statistic. Even if there are no injuries, the whole day can be ruined by someone not paying attention to the road and causing an actual or near accident. There is also the issue of the sudden anger that such foolish driving causes, as well as the feeling of fury at the carelessness of someone not paying attention on the road. Last week I was driving a cage on a four lane road that had median cut-outs for U turns. As I approached the cut out I made note of a car trying to pull into the turnaround area in order to wait for the oncoming traffic. As I got closer to the intersection it became evident that the errant driver had no intention of stopping. As the car pulled into my lane of traffic I had to make an evasive maneuver, almost hitting the car on my right side. As the cars came to a complete stop, I have to admit that my blood
momentarily began to boil at the dangerous and ignorant driving. Fortunately, I remembered a lesson from the past, and after several minutes I became able to settle down and forgive that driver for his terrible driving ability. The lesson I’d learned in the past was simply that I can hang onto my anger and let it control my day, or forgive the driver and regain a happy disposition. After all, in so many traffic incidences, the guilty party isn’t even aware that you exist, yet they have gained control of your day, and your attitude! This applies with cages or cars, and is possibly more important, for safety reasons, to bikes. In the Bible Jesus was asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?” Jesus answered, “. . . seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:2122. To my way of thinking this means unlimited forgiveness is the goal. Jesus Himself was the example, no matter what people did to Him, He forgave everyone. What would you rather have, an angry, unforgiving disposition, or a happy forgiving spirit. I know that none of us is perfect, that’s why we need Jesus, because He was perfect. With a happy, cheerful attitude you will not only feel better about others, you’ll feel better about yourself as well! Forgiveness is the key and happiness is the joy that can so easily be yours. The next time you want to get angry, just remember Jesus’ example. In the Wind, Denny Dingler
Check out BornToRide.com for more articles from Christian Motorcyclists Association
BORNTORIDE.COM | BTR 53
Hey there, my BTR friends. It’s that time of year for cooler weather, the leaves to fall off some trees, and the colors of license plates in Florida to change. Speaking of changing, Mike must be feeling like a chameleon this month. One minute he is protecting himself with a mask and imitating me, the next he’s trying to be The Captain. You know, that dude on a bottle of rum. He babbles, “Avast ye matey, there ye be, me scurvy winged little buccaneer. Come with me and let us pillage and plunder on the weekend of All-Hallows Eve. Thy usual mask that looks like you, just ain’t cutting it no more. We’ll show them scallywags who be ye real scourge of the seven seas: a carousing buccaneer and his little bucko buddy, bird brain.”
I cackle, “Hold on there, you cheap imitation of me and Captain Morgan. The last time you tried your pirate guise, they made us walk the plank right out the bar. Then, the Uber driver dropped us off halfway home ‘cuz you kept trying to show him my poop trick. To top the night off, you ran up to the neighbor’s door and kept knocking until they came out. They laughed at us and your silly costume, stuffed your hands full of candy, and pointed us in the direction of home.” BTR 54 | BORNTORIDE.COM
Mike babbles, “Well, ye little bird with a big squawking beak. That be many moons ago. This October is going to be different. There will be less grog ingested and more food digested. Our ship will sail on four wheels with four doors. Thy ports o’ call will have ballads playing and gypsies swaying. Ye will avoid the drunken carousers and the crack of Jenny’s teacup. Ye will only corral with one goddess of the sea. It will be from our Crow’s nest that we’ll listen to the chanties played by a few on stage with picks and axes. When others try to invade, she’ll be flogging them with a cat o’ nine tails or I’ll cleave them to the brisket with me trusty cutlass. There will be no landlubbers taking of ye blue and gold unto parts unknown. No strange poop decks will be covered with ye blessed droppings and no pieces of eight will be exchanged for ye companionship, sez I.” I squawk, “Damn Mike, I hope you do lay off the grog and more on the hog. That sounds like a great plan to me, but in fruition, it rarely happens. I totally understand you don’t want to let
me out of your sight, but I do have many friends that love my company. You must allow me to spread my wings of joy above them. Let me play with the people that want to feed me food. Sometimes your friends are more fun than you. In pre-covidian times you would always let me fly free, so to speak, and leave my wonderful wings with others for many hours. Don’t make me get a buber (bird Uber) ride and meet you somewhere.”
I CACKLE, “HOLD ON THERE, YOU CHEAP IMITATION OF ME AND CAPTAIN MORGAN.” Mike breaks in, “Speakin’ of meeting, ye ship will weigh anchor and ye will hoist the Mizzen carrying your feathered ass up to Mugs and Jugs in Largo in the middle of the week. Old salt Bill McArdle with tampabaynightlife.tv has conjured up with the owners to create a whole new bike night. Ye will be meeting and greeting friends new and old most Wednesdays in the upcoming months while listening to melodies being pounded out on strings and skins. Delicious grub and strong grog served by scantily clad wenches will cover ye tables. The merriment shall abound in the hours between 6:00 and 11:00. Be there on ye choice of two or four, and in fair weather or foul. Just leave ye war outside thy kingdom’s door.” I screech, “Sounds great! After all that pirate babbling Mike, I’m in need of some kind of wind therapy. Change your garb, grab your keys, and plop my feathered ass into the pickup. Open the sunroof and all the windows to get maximum breeze blowing across my feathers and your knuckles while its wheels roll down the road.” – SPYKE
