f
ifty-Eight-year-old B.A. Ballard of Haslett, Michigan has been riding motorcycles since he was ten years old. As a kid, he figured it was just something that the guys did, “make things and ride motorcycles.” So, at 16, despite being the only rider in his family, he got his motorcycle endorsement and hasn’t stopped riding since. His first Enduro bike back then was a 1973 Kawasaki 100cc, and his first road bike was a 1978 Honda 750K that he bought back in 1980 and still has today. In ‘96, he bought a brand-new Harley Ultra, and over 100,000 miles later is still riding it around town. He loves that bike so much that he actually bought a 2018 in the exact same color!
88
April - May ‘21 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE
Now for the good stuff. This beautiful 1919 Excelsior is actually this retired machine shop owner’s first major bike build despite spending 40 years building and restoring cars, not counting the minibikes he fixed up as a kid. It all started when he was looking for an antique bike to restore and ride in the Motorcycle Cannonball. This stunning bike was finished in his new 2000 sqft shop attached to his home. When the project started, he was working in a 10,000 sqft commercial shop for 30 years but knew it was time for a change. He found this bike as nothing more than a roller with screwdrivers being used as axles. It was missing so many parts that he immediately decided to switch gears from restoring and building a full custom
