Cycle Source Magazine - January 2020

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December‘10 CYCLE SOURCE

CYCLE SOURCE January January '20

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BIKES Space Ghost

Rob Hultz' 1946 Knucklehead ....................................................................... 20

Prudence

72 Shovel From Black Diamond Cycle ....................................................... 38

Grace

Providence Cycle Worx 1952 Bobber ......................................................... 50

Ermordet

M&M Customs 1954 Panhead ......................................................................... 60

5 Ball Dyna

Frank Ball Jr's L.A. Ripper ...........................................................................76

FEATURES A Look Back At 2019

Annual Year In Review, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly ............................10

And The Winner Is

2019 Best Of Awards Go To ............................................................................... 30

Lowbrow Getdown

Survival Of The Fittest In the Ohio Outback ............................................. 34

Top Ten Bikes Of 2019

You Spoke, We Listened .................................................................................... 43

MotoArt

Art Of Our Culture With Killer ........................................................................... 70

InSlide Line

On The Horizon ....................................................................................................... 84

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TECH

99 Problems

Fixes For The Little ThingsThat Make A Big Difference ....................... 16

Lowdown With Lowbrow

Deciphering H-D Model Codes ...................................................................... 26

Oil Pressure Spring Upgrade

A Quick Fix For A Noisy Valve Train .............................................................. 66

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EDITORIAL OFFICE

The Cycle Source Magazine 118 Dellenbaugh Road Tarentum, PA 15084

For Any Questions Or Comments Please Call 724-226-2867 or e-mail cyclesourcemain@comcast.net

EDITORIAL STAFF

Christopher Callen - Editor In Chief - cyclesource69@comcast.net Heather Callen - Managing Editor - cyclesourcemain@comcast.net Will Ramsey - Tech Editor - will@faithforgotten.com Milwaukee Mike - Mid-West Editor - neanderthalneon@hotmail.com Roadside Marty - South East Editor - roadsidemd@bellsouth.net Keith “Bandit” Ball - News Editor - bandit@bikernet.com

STAFF WRITERS

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Chris Callen, Milwaukee Mike, Jack Schit, Pat Jansen, Will Ramsey, Xavier Muriel, Charlie Weisel, Mitch Bodine, Mark Velazquez, Amelia Rose, Daniel Donley, Joshua Elzey, Jimmy Frizzell, Roadside Marty, Scotty Kerekes, Heather Callen, Rebecca Cunningham, Dan Venditto, George The Painter, Tyler Porter

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Chris Callen, Heather Callen, Mad Stork Ken, Mark Velazquez, Twila Knight, Dan Venditto, Melissa Shoemaker, Deb Fitch

CONTRIBUTORS Lowbrow Customs, Savannah Rose

STAFF ARTISTS

Jimmy Frizzell, Chris Callen, George The Painter

ADVERTISING

Heather Callen- Sales Manager - cyclesourcemain@comcast.net

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CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Heather Callen - 724-226-2867

In The News

COPY EDITOR Judy Duggan

The World Report Powered by BikerNet.com ......................................... 86

Hot Of The Rack ....................................................................................................... 92

LEGAL COUNSEL

James L. Paz Attorney at Law - Tarentum, PA - 724-226-9PAZ For Any Subscription Questions Call 724-226-2867

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DEPARTMENTS From The Editor’s Desk .................................................... 8 Photo Hunt ........................................................................... 27 Pin-Up Of The Month ....................................................... 48

The Cycle Source Magazine® (ISSN 1935-0287) is published 12 times a year by The Cycle Source Magazine with Offices at 119 Dellenbaugh Road Tarentum, PA 15084, 724-226-2867, www.cyclesource.com. U.S. Subscription rate is $30.00 for 12 issues. Canadian Subscription rate is $45.00 for 12 issues. Back Issues, when available, are $6.00 each, payable in advance. Periodicals postage paid at Tarentum, PA ad additional mailing offices. The Cycle Source Magazine® reserves the right to reject any advertising or contributions that it deems unsuitable. Opinions expressed are those of the author and not of The Cycle Source Magazine®. Nothing printed in The Cycle Source Magazine® Decemberbe re-printed in whole or part without the express written consent of the publishers. Copyright ® 2020. The Cycle Source Magazine®, A Grass Roots Motorcycle PublicationSM, Scooter Tramp ™ Wild Man™ Low Down & Dirty Rotten™ Grease & Gears Garage™ Grease & Gears TV™ Grease & Gears Garage Roadshow™ ShopTalk™ Do It Your Damn Self™ Inslide Line™ are registered trade marks.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cycle Source Magazine 119 Dellenbaugh RD. Tarentum, PA 15084

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Chopper Charlie ....................................................... 56 Endless Highway .............................................................. 72 On The Road With X ......................................................... 82 Gut Busters ........................................................................ 98

DISTRIBUTION

Coast to Coast Newsstand Services Partnership 5230 Finch Ave. E., Ste. 1, Toronto, ON, M1S 4Z9 Cycle Source - Dealership Direct Distribution 724-226-2867

SPARE PARTS New Products

GRAPHIC ARTISTS

Chris Callen, Heather Callen, Amelia Rose, Missi Shoemaker

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ABOUT THE COVER I've been a fan of the man behind this month's cover bike from in front of the stage, behind the garage door and now thankfully beside him on stage. It is a pleasure to watch his transformation from walking a new path to strolling down an old road. Grace may be the best build of Xavier Muriel's efforts thus far, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if he takes it a step further still.

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o, it has been a number of years since I first read Zen And The Art…. If you haven’t, I suggest it wholly.

Anyway, as a young man, I could see much of the metaphysical value in the authors contribution, but it has only been as of late that I have really been able to apply the most basic tenant of the book; enjoying life. Now any discourse you have with people about the book will end up in the comparison of two types of people, one who lives in the moment and one who needs to know the details. I would offer here today that there is a possibly a third lesson, one that ends up being much more along the Buddhist line of thought. That would be to enjoy the struggle, you learn to enjoy life. More specifically, as it applies to motorcycle repair, the end result is to accomplish the task and get back to the “In The Moment” of riding. In all truth, if you cannot enjoy the act of repairing things, analyzing, assembling and reassembling, then you shouldn’t work on a bike. It will only lead to frustration since all you will be focused on is accomplishing the task and getting back into the wind. On the other hand, if you learn to enjoy the act itself, paying attention to the small details, looking for opportunities to learn, then nothing else matters and if you happen to finish in time to ride then that’s a bonus, if not then there is always tomorrow. This is something that has made laughter available to me instead of anger when I’m in the garage, well more times than when I was younger at least.

Life is a funny thing man and

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being in acceptance will probably be a lesson it takes most of this one to achieve. If you apply what I’m talking about above to the rest of your life and beyond the motorcycle, you will find that it has the same value. Deadlines, disappointments, failures are all in one way or another only assigned the value that we place on them. Not that these aren’t very real parts of life and that by taking the Super Hippy approach of dropping out will get you anywhere but being in acceptance lets you deal with it all a little better. In fact, I’ve found that even when things aren’t going as I have planned, the world doesn’t actually end. And instead of being a miserable prick through the process I just get into acceptance and enjoy what it is I’m doing five minutes at a time. In the end, I may or may not make the deadline or goal for that day but what is any of it worth if I have wasted a day of life on this planet not enjoying being alive?

All this came to mind as we got close to the Lone Star Rally this past month. We had a ton of work to do to get ready, I had deadline and was still fixing a broken Sprinter. I had no idea how I would get to Texas let alone pull off everything for In Motion and with 14 builders and the event promoters counting on me I couldn’t drop the ball. Every time I worked on the truck, I felt like I was going to have a stroke, I may actually have had a small one along the way until it actually beat me into acceptance. All I could do was the next thing in line, I addressed the work one item at a time and in between I’d fix the next item that came up on the scanner that was broken on the

Sprinter. Once I started to do that my blood stopped boiling and my tasks became easier. It did nothing for the fact that the deadline was looming, the truck was taking thousands of dollars from my pocket, but if I couldn’t get my mind right there was no way I was going to think clearly enough to address any of it, let alone put out a good magazine for you guys or do a good show for Lone Star. Well, in the end we made it and while the Sprinter is still having some small issues, we got the work done and thanks to Heather taking some of the load off, I even had some time to rehearse with the band in Texas for our first show at Lone Star. Plainly put, I was able to enjoy all that I had to do just by letting go of the focus on all I had to do. One piece at a time, I did my best, then I moved on. It became a grove that I am currently applying to many other parts of my ridiculous life now as well.

All we can hope for is to learn and grow with our time here together. I appreciate that so much more as we wrap up the “Year In Review” issue and for another year I scan through pictures and pages of all we have done with all of you over the past 12 issues. The friends we can’t wait to see again as soon as we’re all out on the road again, and the ones we have to say goodbye to who lived their last days this year. But again, it’s learning to enjoy the ride that makes this whole trip worthwhile. Happy New Year to you and all of those you love.

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Article By: Chris Callen Photos By: CSM Staff & Contributors

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f this happens to be your first copy of Cycle Source, we do this issue each and every January. It’s called the “Year In Review,” and it’s one of the most important issues that we do each year.

We started doing this way back at the turn of the century when we realized that no other magazine in our culture was. With the speed that life moves these days, it becomes ever more crucial that you stop and look around, notice the people you have spent time with, recognize them, thank them, inspire them and move on. So, sit back, grab that morning coffee, look at the past 12 months through the eyes of the Cycle Source Staff and let’s dive into the “2019 Year In Review.”

THE CULTURE: Most of the people in the industry today may wince as I say these words, but man these are some good times! (Brief pause for the grumbling to settle down.)

Seriously, look around for a minute and forget the changes in the motorcycle economy and just look at it from a cultural perspective. People are racing bikes again, on an amateur level, at flat tracks, hill climbs, drag strips, all over the place the competitive nature of the motorcycle is on the rise. Most importantly other people are watching them race. For far too long, these great national races went on but there were empty stands, and no one seemed to care.

The weekends are busy as hell. It

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seems like every weekend has not only a dozen things for you to enjoy with your motorcycle right down the street from your house, but a dozen or so on the national level that even I’m trying to put

checkmarks beside on my must-do list.

This year we started to really see people embrace the low dollar, back Hollar,

runs, and rallies that are more like the oldtime bike events of the seventies. Women have taken their place in motorcycling as we saw the number of women riders top 19% in a report from the Motorcycle Industry Council. With their own rides, riding groups and manufacturers taking their specific needs into account when designing new models, the struggle for women’s individuality in motorcycling has been overcome. Of course, the satanic seventies are still alive and well and with good reason, they’re fun. Events that are more like the rough and rowdy parties from the B rate biker movies were bigger than ever this year.

All of this comes down to one common theme: we are seeing the fun come back to motorcycling. In place of stuffed shirt, upper-class assessments of quality and price, motorcycles are back in the dirt, a little rough around the edges and people aren’t afraid that if they are caught having fun, they might not look cool.

Lastly, there has been a rise in true performance again. A time has come where hands-on work on bikes and a customer base who is interested in what a bike can do as much as what it looks like. This is a youthful segment that is out in the streets raising hell and does our hearts good.

THE INDUSTRY: Back in February of 2007 Cycle Source Magazine launched an issue titled “Generation Next” and in it, we called attention to the next generation of the American

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custom motorcycle culture. Now, it’s hard to believe that here we are, some 13 years after that issue and finally starting to see the results of that change. None the less, it has happened and firmly so. The average crowd at a motorcycle event, run or show these days is a diverse one, more than ever before in our history. Still at the same time things have thinned out in the absence of the baby boomers and as media, manufacturers and event promoters try to understand an entirely new way of communication to this diverse audience, things are changing fast. Sadly, some of these changes come as age-old iconic brands find an end. Of course, people will claim that the print vs. digital war is behind magazines going away but even their digital counterparts have struggled to find a foothold in these times. It would seem that we have entered an era where if you want to work in the motorcycle world, you must live in the motorcycle life. For some of us, that’s perfectly fine. It does, however, mean that resources are scarcer, budgets are tighter and accommodations aren’t as lavish. This is a great thing for our industry because it is out of the struggle that a starving artist finds inspiration and creativity explodes. We have also seen more celebration of riding, racing, and all-around enthusiasm through these times of change. From here the future looks pretty good.

RIDES, RUNS, AND EVENTS: The “Best Of Awards” is always a good place to start this conversation and with the Cross Country Chase taking best event of 2019 it would seem that can point again to competition, adventure and the spirit of two wheels as the foundation of what counted this past year. As we closed out 2018 S&S celebrated their 60 years with an event titled “Rumble At The Ranch” which was just a good old day at the track. This was a sign of things to come as more events began to hold hooligan type racing of all styles this year, mini bike events that were just a reflection of big bike activity and the promotion of rides rather than parking lot parties.

In opposition of this, we also saw some of the great starts of this movement lean towards commercialism and unfortunately suffered from it. Off the top of my head as an example I would remind everyone of how great it was to see Travis resurrect the thrill of motorcycling in his offering with Evil Live in 2018, only to see it lose focus with the sequel this past year. A performance that was lackluster at best. That was by no means the only one and the warning signs of too much commercial or corporate involvement of some of the great events that have been enjoying naturally occurring success are on the wall.

It is our hope that their organizers see this as well and they correct their course.

THE MOTORCYCLE SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER: While, like I said above, our culture has had to say goodbye to some of the great publications of our historic past this year like Easyriders, Hot Bike, and Street Chopper,

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some of the upstarts over the past few years also closed their doors and we lost some great ones like Showclass. Even more, some of the free magazines like Thunderpress underwent huge restructures and great contributors were scattered in the process.

On the other hand, and thank God I lived long enough to write this, the age of the social media influencer having free reign over our industry has started to change.

Business owners in the American Custom market are starting to understand how media works and are no longer under the assumption that anyone with a strong social media number alone can garner great results for them. They are starting to become more actively involved in their media and for all of us this is crucial as survival of what it is that we do here depends on us keeping our own history. Or in other words, reinvigorating our core. We can’t afford to just turn a blind eye to the core of this culture while we look for brand new faces to rush in and save the day. Depth comes from a historical perspective of anything and you’re not apt to get that from old 21-yearold tight pants over there writing about cool electronic gadgets and food last week and your new motorcycle or part this week.

IN MEMORY OF: Our least favorite responsibility this time of year is to ask for a moment of silence for those we lost in the past twelve months. To their friends and families, we offer our deepest sympathies from an industry that wouldn’t be the same without them, three of whom we must mention here. Jessi Combs who was taken from us way too early in a life filled with accomplishments and contributions. A pioneer of custom motorcycling, Arlen Ness.

Arlen’s presence in this world of custom bikes will never be replaced and in his absence, part of our culture has been lost forever. Finally, and a much more personal one for us at Cycle Source, Tank Ewsichek of Tuff Cycles.

Tank was only 55 when he passed this past May and as a custom bike builder, a Hamster and the man who built so many of the Drag Specialties Fat Book cover bikes I can’t even

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imagine the number, Tank’s contributions to this industry have been incredible. To me personally, he was our first big-time national cover bike, a brother and a constant source of support. Once when I was in a bad accident and laid up in my house, a package showed up from Tank and a note simply said hope

this helps. It was an entire custom painted sheet metal set. He was that kind of human being and I will miss him dearly, as will we all.

Please take a minute and reflect on all of their contributions and the many of our friends and family who have not been mentioned here by name.

SO HOW DID WE DO? 2019 was the biggest year ever for Cycle Source Magazine, partially due to the fact that we started to understand that we’re not just a magazine anymore. With the momentum that our additional properties started to garnish we were able to move into the new age of

“The Source Media Group” that still includes Cycle Source Magazine. Things like Road Show, Grease & Gears Garage, Grease & Gears TV all started to work in concert with what we were doing in print and to top it all off ShopTalk started to skyrocket. This weekly broadcast has given us the ability to conduct much of the news and education obligations that the magazine has a longer timeline to achieve and leave the entertainment aspect for what we do in print. Our additional events like the Mini Bike Races and Ride In Bike Shows, The In Motion Show at the Lone Star Rally, Bike Show and Run To The Line in Sturgis, and our Rodeo Games at the Roadhouse in Laconia have been overwhelmingly successful, and we can’t wait to get back to them in 2020!

By the numbers, our year looked like this: 16 Editorials, 62 Feature Bikes, 12 Pin-ups, 29 Events Covered, 34 New Products, 68 News’ Articles, 4 Human Interest Pieces, 9 Test Rides, 40 Tech Articles, 24 Staff Columns, 24 Riding Adventure Stories, 12 Photo Hunts, 11 Artist Profiles and 4 Special Issues and 57 Jokes.

It all adds up to a hell of a pile of work and couldn’t be done without a killer staff.

I thank all of our readers and our army of supporters as we head into our twentythird-year publishing Cycle Source every thirty days. To our restless incredible staff or writers, photographers, and scooter tramps, we are so thankful for the memories and passion you share as you chase your dreams alongside us each year. Thank you all for letting us do what we love. May 2020 find you happy with family, and God willing, a job that provides you with enough money to take a ride. For those in the service or with family serving overseas, Godspeed and a safe return. Happy New Year!

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Article And Photos By: Daniel Donley

www.pandemoniumcustomchoppers.com

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ver the last few months I have been reaching out to readers and industry professionals looking for problems or situations and their fixes.

So, here are some of the problems, from being broke down on the side of the road to some situations in the shop including fabrication, painting, electrical, troubleshooting etc… Here is a good mix of some of the “99” Problems!

Recently I ran across this nifty tool by “ClampTite”, This is a tool that can take ordinary wire, yes even a coat hanger to create a clamp. I have tried this tool on many different types of materials from steel to rubber hose and let me tell you, this thing works great! I find that I use it mostly for hose clamping as an alternative to a standard worm gear style hose clamp. For all you custom guys out there the options with this are limitless. The “ClampTite” tool comes in different sizes from large to small and they have a new “Mini” version which works great for all powersports applications and those hard to get in areas.

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The neighbor guy comes over and asks, “Hey man, can I borrow your grinder?” Thinking nothing of it, you say sure but then the next time you go to use your grinding wheel you see that it has a big groove in it. A dressing stone will put a fresh straight surface on the wheel. You can purchase these anywhere you can buy grinding wheels.

these little holes.

Submitted by Lee From Seattle Lee 2007 Softtail wheelie machine.

He said I always see you changing tires on the floor in your tech articles.

He is 70 plus years old. When he called, Lee said to me “I can’t get up and down like you youngsters do. When I change tires or service bearings. I set my tire on a 20-gallon drum or trashcan like equivalent.

This gets it up off the floor for easy maintenance at a comfortable work height”. I tried this the other day and Lee is exactly right! Lee also said take a piece of rubber hose and slice one side of it lengthwise and put on the lip of the drum, this will help keep the rim from sliding around and scratching.

Submitted by : Mike Swafford Phillips screws were designed for the bit to spin out of the head at a certain torque. There is also another Philips style screw called JIS, Japanese Industry Standard. JIS Screws are used on metric motorcycles from the early 70’s on and are typically identified with a dot or indentation on the head of the screw. So, they are alike yet different. While doing the research on this I found out that the Carbs that are made in Japan (Honda, Suzuki, etc) use the JIS Screwes, not the US Standard Phillips head!

If you’re camming out and damaging screws using a Phillips® tip screwdriver, then chances are it may not be a Phillips® screw. It may be a “JIS” (Japanese Industrial Standard) screw so you’ll need a Japanese cross-point screwdriver for the job.

Use the right tool for the job!

You know that real small tip that you use to blow up a kid’s basketball or football? Well, it works great for blowing out crud from an internal threaded hole. A small shot of carb or brake clean here also helps. Be sure you wear safety glasses…you will be surprised at what all comes out of

The drill bit tool gauge is something that everyone needs in a toolbox.

This gauge is used to make sure that when you are putting a fresh tip on a drill bit that it is at the correct angle and on point center. I know that grinding drill bits is voodoo art, but it was junk to begin with and all you can do Is make it better. So, give it a try.

Submitted by: Stitch from Idaho.

So, you just got a fresh new engine and you are getting everything put back together. But…did you remember to take the oil tank off and clean the inside of the tank out? Also, did you clean or install new oil lines?

Both of these are part of the life blood system to your engine. If you didn’t clean or replace those components, then all you are doing is taking all of the junk that was left in the tank and lines and pumping it into your fresh clean engine. Simple…Clean or replace the veins and tank!

Building a bike with a fresh chassis?

Here is a little fab trick for you. When mounting fenders, use a piece of old chain between the tire and the fender; this will give you approximately a half inch between them for that nice tight look. Also, you will notice the nuts used between the tire sidewall and the fender. This works great to properly space the fender so you can come up with the mounting tabs of your dreams.

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help protect from heat or abrasive situations, use a couple zip ties to help hold into place. This works very well on the fuel line that runs between the cylinders to the carburetor on your V-Twin to help prevent fuel vapor lock.

Hose on Hose… Take a piece of hose and slice one side lengthwise, this allows you to slide it over the top of an already installed hose to

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Calling all readers and industry professionals……….Submit problems WITH fixes and PICS to the email below (Bikes, Shop Equipment, Paint, Tools, Etc. ) If there is something that you would like to see a Tech article on or if you have questions, please call me or email me at the shop anytime at 419576-6812 You can find us on Facebook at Pandemonium Custom Choppers or IG @pandemoniumc2 info@pandemoniumcustomchoppers.com www.pandemoniumcustomchoppers.com

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Article By: Milwaukee Mike Photos By: Missi Shoemaker n the not too distant past, As the years have worn on most of that time to walk across the United

I met a man through mutual acquaintances that shared an interest in British motorcycles. That man is my very good friend Rob Hultz, better known to the world as Bobby Good Times. This group of britophiles was called the Limey Bastards, and together we have a common interest in keeping old bikes alive.

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us have diversified our collections, and this is a premier example of those skills coming full circle. The bike on these pages is the 3rd version of it that I have seen. It all started many moons ago as a knucklehead motor on a table in the Hallowed Halls of Bravetown.

The caretaker of the machine then was Brian Harlow, he decided at

States in a Kerouac or Tom Joad type fashion. When he decided to keep on the roll his next choice was Baja, but to do that it meant moola would be needed. So, the knuckle hit the block, and Rob grabbed it up. It languished for a short while until it was time to get it to come to life again. But this time, it would get the full treatment.

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The rebuild and restyle of the second incarnation was quite the transformation. It took on a personality of a stellar build and absorbed a lot of energy from all the people who were a part of turning it into the white wizard.

It made its debut to the world at Born Free after being picked at Cook’s Corner as the wild card in the Show Class Magazine show.

Being as I was there the night of the show it made for a special vibe.

It was exciting to see someone I know well win very deserved accolades in this heated contest of extremely beautiful machines and shine like it did the next day in the coral at Oak Canyon Ranch.

It also was one of the stars of the original Mama Tried show here in the depths of winter in a low key and in my opinion the best of the shows, but that’s because I am jaded in my old age.

Despite all the accolades and attention, Rob just couldn’t get to giving himself over to being madly in love with his Knuckle.

Again, this machine was sent to the corner for a time out. And as life has a way of doing, it got in the way. On top of being a hell of a bike builder Rob is a journeyman master electrician, and the bass

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player in the well-known Chicago band. Trouble started to fill the days and make them blend into one long period of time. It was time for a change. It was time for redemption. It was time for Space Ghost!!!

As the saying goes, third times a charm, I mean just look at this bike! It is pure sex on wheels.

From the top of the custom-made King Kustom/BGT handlebars to the bottom of the twin 21inch wheels and in between a complete laundry list of H-D and custom goodies. Let’s start with the heart, the 1946 Knucklehead motor goes as good as it looks thanks to the Milo treatment it got.

As well as the stock M74b Linkert carb with a Roth bird deflector

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space ghost Tech Sheet Owner: Rob (BGT) Hultz City/State: Chicago Illinois Builder: Rob Hultz Year: 1946 Model: Harley-Davidson Knucklehead Value: No redeeming Time: This version 1 year roughly ENGINE Year: 1946 Model: Knucklehead FL Builder: Milo Ignition: Morris Magneto Displacement: 74 inch Pistons: Heads: Harley Davidson Knucklehead Carb: Stock Linkert M74 b Cam: Air Cleaner: Roth bird deflector Exhaust: Up Sweeps/H_D/Rob Hultz/King Kustoms Primary: Primo TRANSMISSION Year: 1946 Make: Harley-Davidson Shifting: Jockey 4 speed FRAME Year: 40’s Model: Harley-Davidson Rake: None Stretch: None Forks Builder: H-D/King Kustoms Type: I Beam Springer VL Triple Trees: Stock VL Extension: ½ inch front legs WHEELS Front Wheel: Akront/H-D Starhub Size: 21” Tire: Firestone Front Brake: None Rear Wheel: Akront/H-D Starhub Size: 21” Tire: Avon Speedmaster Rear Brake: Stock H-D Mechanical PAINT Painter: thee Ghoul Keith Zollar Color: Sno White / Pearl / Flames Type: Tasteful Chroming: George / Star Chrome ACCESSORIES Bars: Custom-Rob Hultz/King Kustoms Risers: Fixed/Custom Hand Controls: Stock Internal H-D Foot Controls: LEE Clutch / H-D Brake Gas Tank(s): Wassell / Custom Oil Tank: H-D/King Kustoms Narrowed Front fender: Nah Rear Fender: Wassell ribbed Seat: Bates leather Headlight: Bates style Tail light: Custom Glass Running Light Speedo: None Photographer: Missi Shoemaker

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air cleaner. The stock 4-speed jockey shift transmission moves the world underneath the world, and the fire comes from the Morris magneto and exhaust spews from the upswept HD/BGT/King Kustom pipes. The front end is an original VL I beam springer with that justright stance due to the ½” extension of the front legs. Of course the icing on the proverbial cake is

that paint…..that unbelievable beautiful paint! It was put down by our mutual friend ‘Groovy Ghoulie’ Keith Zoller. I mean just look at this bike it screams, Ride Me Love Me! And I know that BGT does both!

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Article By: Lowbrow Customs Photos By: Mikey Revolt / Lowbrow Customs

h

arley-Davidson applies a letter to help designate the main components, and even accessories, that a certain model is outfitted with. By reading this basic knowledge, we hope to help you be comfortable in identifying types of Harley-Davidson motorcycles simply by knowing what the model code is. The info in the next few pages covers the vast majority of models. Our goal was to offer up a solid, overall view of Harley-Davidson model codes over the years, without getting too granular and confusing to the layman. Enjoy!

First Two Letters

This is quite straight-forward, with the first letter representing which engine is in the particular model in question. The models below cover many years, from 1918 to modern day Harley-Davidsons.

Engine Type EL

Big Twin, overhead valve, 61 cubic inch Knucklehead

FL

Big Twin, 74, 80, 88, 107 etc cubic inch engine. The 74 cubic inch engines were from 1941 to 1982. Depending on the year FL the engine could be a Knucklehead, Panhead, Shovelhead, Evo, Twin Cam, Milwaukee-Eight etc.

FX

G

J

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Big Twin, 73 cubic inch and larger engines. Includes Superglide and Dyna series, as well as others. Tend to be ‘sport model’ bikes, often narrow and performance oriented.

Servi-Car (three wheeler) produced from 1937 to 1973. GE is electric start, produced from 1963 to 1973.

F Head (IOE, or Intake over Exhaust). Depending on the model they could have been equipped with a variety of engines, including 61 or 74 cubic inch engine (like the JD).

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K

Flathead, side-valve 45 and 55 cubic inch engine that was the precursor to the Sportster.

K models were produced from 1952 through 1956, with the Sportster being released in 1957.

K racing bikes were made after 1956, however, including the KR, KRTT etc.

U

Big Twin, flathead, side-valve 74 and 80 cubic inch

V

Revolution engine, also known as the V-Rod engine. This dualoverhead cam, liquid cooled Harley-Davidson engine varies greatly versus other powerplants prior to it’s 2002 release.

VL

Flathead, side-valve 74 cubic inch Big Twin engine. Starting in 1930.

WL

Flathead, side-valve 45 cubic inch engine. The L refers to lowcompression. WL is a civilian model, WLA refers to the military model produced for World War II (see Additional Letter Designations and list of vintage models below)

XL

Sportster. The Sportster’s precursor was the K-model in 1952, which became the Sportster, or XL, starting in 1957.

Sportster model designation always starts with XL, except for the few XR models (see Sportster model list below). The X designation was also used for the 1918 to 1922 opposed twin cylinder Sport and the experimental 1944 XA military opposed twin cylinder.

The Third Letter The third letter (and sometimes also the fourth, as with Softail, see below) of the model designation will inform you of which style frame is to be found on that particular Harley-Davidson model.

However, in the case of Sportsters, the engine displacement is often following the XL designation. The number 883 refers to 883cc, while 1200 refers to a 1200cc displacement engine, for instance, XL1200C (Sportster 1200cc Custom).

Frame Code

Frame Type

D

Dyna frame, which features a rubber-mounted engine

ST

Softail frame, originating in 1984, with hidden rear suspension and a ‘hardtail’ look.

T

N

Nostalgia, Iron (as in XL883N, Sportster 883 Iron), Deluxe

P

Police model

R

Road King, Rubber Mount (FXR)

S

Springer

S (without following T) SC

Sports version

Springer Custom

T

Touring

V

Seventy-Two ( as in XL1200V, Sportster 1200 Seventy-Two)

WG

Wide Glide front end

Touring frame

Additional Letters: Specific Models and Additional Features After the first three to four letters, as some models use two letters for the frame designation, you can find a wide array of letter designations for specific models, or for additional features found on different model motorcycles. Some of these are as follows: Specific Models

Specific Models/Features Type

A

Military

B

Belt Drive for initial 1980’s models, Black Paint for the Bad Boy in 1995-96.

C

D DG

Various meanings including Classic, Competition (as in XLCH), Custom Deuce Disc Glide

E

Electric start

F

Fat Boy model

H

Various meanings including Hand shift, High Performance and Heavy Duty

I

Fuel Injection

L

Low or Low Rider

LR

Can denote Low Rider

Examples of Designations

Deciphered

Model

Softail frame and the N designation meaning it is a Deluxe.

FLHRCI FL = Big Twin H = Highway frame R = Road King C = Classic I = Fuel Injected Whew! You can see how these model names can get quite long, but with a little practice you can be rattling off model names ad nauseam.

Harley-Davidson Model Designation Quick Reference Guide Below we have compiled a quick reference of Harley-Davidson model abbreviations and the full model names that you can pronounce (usually!) in plain English. This list is a compilation of latemodel motorcycles, though much of it applies to models from a very large swath of the last century. If you are searching for a particular one, simply hit CTRL-F and use the ‘Find’ function to jump right to the model you are looking for. You can also use this list to check your skill at deciphering H-D model abbreviations on-the-fly!

Vintage Models 1960’s and Earlier

Bringing this full circle, let’s look at some different Harley model designations and decipher them, just for fun! Don’t worry, kids, there will not be a written test on this material.

XL883C XL = Sportster 883 = 883cc engine displacement C = Custom Therefore, the XL883C is a Sportster 883 Custom FXDL FX = Big Twin sport model D = Dyna frame L = Low Rider Therefore, the FXDL is a Dyna Low Rider!

The FXD is easy as it means ‘Dyna’, and anything to follow that will spell out some specific features or model that it is.

FLSTN FL = Big Twin ST = Softtail frame N = Deluxe Therefore, the FXSTN is a Softail Deluxe.

A Harley Big Twin with a wide front tire,

Model Code Model Name DL Flathead, 45 cubic inch, produced 19291931. Harley’s first flathead v-twin as well as first 45 cubic inch engine.

E Knucklehead, overhead valve, 61 cubic inch V-Twin, 6.5:1 compression EL Knucklehead, overhead valve, 61 cubic inch V-Twin, 7:1 compression, introduced in 1936 ES Knucklehead, overhead valve, 61 cubic inch V-Twin, 6.5:1 compression, sidecar use FL The FL, introduced in 1941 featuring a 74 cubic inch Knucklehead engine, the FL designation is used to current day. On Panhead models, FL was standard compression and FLH was high compression. By the time Shovelheads came around they were all high compression.

G / GA / GD / GE Servi-Car threewheeled motorcycle powered by a 45 CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE - January January ‘20

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cubic inch flathead engine. 1932-73.

Second letter can denote style of rear box, or in case of the ‘GE’ it denotes Servi-Car with electric start, produced 1963-1973.

J J Model, F head (intake over exhaust, or IOE), 61 cubic inch V-twin introduced in 1915 JD JD, F head (intake over exhaust, or IOE), 74 cubic inch V-Twin introduced in 1922 K K Model, precursor to the Sportster, a 750cc (45 cubic inch) flathead, was introduced in 1952 KH The KH was introduced in 1954 featuring a larger 883cc engine KHK The KHK featured the 883cc engine plus high-lift cams and polished ports KK The KK model, introduced 1953, features a K model 750cc engine with hotter cams and factory porting KR The KR replaced the flathead WR Harley factory flat track race bike and was produced from 1952 until 1969.

KRTT The KRTT is the faired version of the KR for use in road racing.

RL Flathead, 45 cubic inch, produced1932-1936 U Flathead, 74 cubic inch Big Twin, 5:1 compression UH Flathead, 80 cubic inch Big Twin, 5.2:1 compression UL Flathead, 74 cubic inch Big Twin, 5.5:1 compression ULH Flathead, 80 cubic inch Big Twin, 5.7:1 compression VL Flathead, 74 cubic inch Big Twin replaced the JD in 1930 VLH Flathead, 80 cubic inch Big Twin, 1936 only WL Flathead, 45 cubic inch V-twin, civilian model WLA Flathead, 45 cubic inch V-twin, U.S. Army model 1940-45, 1949-52 WLC Flathead, 45 cubic inch V-twin, Canadian Army model 1941-1944 WLDR Flathead, 45 cubic inch V-twin race motorcycle, discontinued at outbreak of WWII WR Harley production racing motorcycle, built to compete in AMA sanctioned events.

XA The XA was built for use in Africa in WWII, with opposed cylinders and a shaft drive.

Touring Models Model Code Model Name FLHR Road King FLHRCI Road King Classic FLHRSI Road King Custom FLHS Electra Glide Sport FLHT Electra Glide Standard FLHTC Electra Glide Classic FLHTCU Ultra Classic Electra Glide FLHTCUL Ultra Classic Electra

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Glide Low FLHX Street Glide FLHXSE CVO Street Glide FLHTCUSE CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide FLHTCUTG Tri-Glide FLHTK Electra Glide Ultra Limited FLHTKL Electra Glide Ultra Limited Low FLHX Street Glide FLHXS Street Glide Special FLHXXX Street Glide Trike FLTC Rubber Mounted Dresser Classic FLTCU Rubber Mounted Dresser Classic Ultra FLTR Road Glide FLTRSE CVO Screamin’ Eagle Road Glide FLTRX Road Glide Custom FLTRXS Road Glide Special Softtail Models Model Code Model Name FLST Softail FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic FLSTF Fat Boy FLSTN Softail Deluxe FLSTSC Springer Softail Classic FLSTSE CVO Softail Convertible FLSTSB Cross Bones FXSTB Night Train FXSTC Softail Custom FXSTD Softail Deuce FXSTS Springer Softail FXSTSB Bad Boy FXSTSSE CVO Softail Springer Screamin’ Eagle FXCW Softail Rocker FXCWC Softail Rocker Custom FXS Softail Blackline FXSB Softail Breakout FXSBSE Softail CVO Breakout FX / Dyna Models Model Code Model Name FX Superglide, Kick Start FXB Sturgis Belt (80, 81, 82) FXD Dyna Super Glide FXDB Street Bob (Sturgis 1991) FXDC Dyna Super Glide Custom FXDG Dyna Glide / Sturgis FXDS-CON Dyna Convertible FXDWG Dyna Wide Glide FXDX Dyna Super Glide Sport FXDXT Super Glide T-Sport FXDF Fatbob FXDL Low Rider FXE Superglide, Electric start FXLR FX Lower Rider / Evolution FXR Superglide II / Rubber Mount FXRS Low Glide / Low Rider FXRS-CONV FXR Sport Convertible FXRT Sport Glide FXRSDG 1984 Disc Glide / all Chrome package / rare FXRP Police or Pursuit - Defender

FXRS FXR Sport FXS Low Rider / Shovelhead FXSB Low Rider Belt / Breakout with Milwaukee-Eight engine Sportster Models Model Code Model Name XL Sportster XLH883 Sportster Hugger XL883 Sportster 883 XL883C Sportster 883 Custom XL883L Sportster 883 Low XL883N Sportster 883 Iron XL1200 Sportster 1200 XL1200C Sportster 1200 Custom XL1200L Sportster 1200 Low XL1200N Sportster 1200 Nightster XL1200R Sportster 1200 Roadster XL1200S Sportster 1200 Sport XL1200V Sportster Seventy-Two XL50 Sportster 50th Anniversary Ed. XLA Sportster built for U.S. Army and Military Policy, 1957-1965.

XLCH Sportster, Ironhead ‘Competition Hot’ performance model XLCR Sportster Cafe Racer, 197779 XLS Sportster Roadster XR-750 Sportster, 750cc alloy-head racing model XR1000 Sportster, 1000cc with XR heads and engine components XR1200 Sportster, 1200cc with XR heads and engine components V-Rod Models Model Code Model Name VRSC V-Rod VRSCAW V-Rod (240mm rear tire) VRSCB V-Rod Black Finish VRSCD Night Rod VRSCDX Night Rod Special VRSCF V-Rod Muscle VRSCR Street Rod Other Models Model Code Model Name XG500 Street XG500 XG750 Street XG750 FLRT Freewheeler Trike FLHTCUTG Tri Glide Ultra Classic FLHXXX Street Glide Trike

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Results compiled from over 10,000 digital and mail-in ballots.

2019’s Best Production Model motorcycle

Indian Motorcycles FTR 1200 After Indian did what many thought impossible by recreating the Wrecking Crew from the 40’s and 50’s, they followed through by taking the race winning bike and making a street version for their fans around the world. While many had anticipated a closer to the track styled motorcycle, in truth it is amazing in the world today that they brought it as close as they did. Either way you feel about its race lineage the public at large fell in love with this bike and Indian’s long time investment in racing had found a payoff. One thing is for sure, this bike has Indian leading the pack, on and off the track. For breaking away from convention and realizing that at the base level we are still made of thrill seekers and race riders, we are pleased to announce Indian Motorcycles FTR 1200 as the 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Best Production Model Motorcycle of the Year!

2019’s motorcycling’ s Man of the year Arlen Ness - Arlen Ness Motorcycles

This year we had the sad obligation to bring the news of an industry icons passing. Arlen Ness left this planet after just 79 short years but left behind a story of a great man who did extraordinary things. Starting from the most humble beginnings few could argue that Ness had a unique vision that would ultimately change the world of custom motorcycling in his lifetime. While his success took him to a whole other place, those who knew him assured that it never changed who he was, a good and kind person who was the most surprised with all that he had achieved. His ability to take risks and go in the opposite direction of popular trend separated him from the pack and gave us all a wider pallet when building custom bikes today. There will be part of this thing from this year on that will always miss his contribution. For his lifetime commitment to custom motorcycles, and for leaving us all such a great legacy to carry on, we are more than honored to name Arlen Ness as the 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Motorcycling’s Man of the Year!

2019’ s motorcycling’s woMan of the year Jessi Combs

Jessi Combs was without question one of the greatest spokespeople for the motorsports community.

Her success as a builder, TV Personality, Professional Driver, Fabricator and Welder put her in a position to inspire and become a role model for young Girls, and Women around the world. Her final frontier was to become the fastest woman on the planet and she left this world achieving that intense goal at 531.889 miles per hour. She was piloting the jet propulsion powered North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger at the time of her fatal crash, a vehicle with some 52,000 horsepower.

To honor her memory and to continue her work The Jessi Combs Foundation has been created in her honor. For setting the stage for all women to feel comfortable in the trades and for living life to its fullest until the very end, we are honored to name Jesse Combs as the 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Motorcycling’s Woman of the Year!

2019’s sportsman of the year Jody Perewitz - Perewitz Cycle Fab

Last year Jody was awarded Woman Of The Year in this magazine by her fans and peers, for many of the same reasons she was voted for Sportsman of the year in 2019; her passion for competition. Jody has become an accomplished salt flat racer, sons of Speed Vintage Racer has competed in the Motorcycle Cannonball and most recently in the Cross Country Chase.

She has not only become an inspiration for women who ride and compete but for anyone on two wheels. She has a seemingly unquenchable need to prove that she can ride, race or rally not only as good as the boys but better than anyone. She is a shining example of pure motorcycle enthusiasm for us all. We are thrilled to announce Jody Perewitz of Perewitz Cycle Fab as the 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Sportsman of the Year!

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2019’s Builder Of the year

Xavier Muriel - Providence Cycle Worx I am so proud to call this man my brother for a number of reasons. As it applies to this month’s Best Of Awards, he has managed, in a few short years, to redefine himself from one world over to another with almost seamless precision, to the outside world at least. His bike Grace, that is on this very cover, took his game to a whole new level and he traveled with it from coast to coast for a solid year taking award after award with it. In the end, his passion for motorcycles is clearly as large as what he had for being a rock drummer and if there were any doubts about that before this final affirmation from his fans and peers, we can now put those to rest . For showing the world that it’s the passion that counts, and showing Grace under pressure we are thrilled to name Xavier Muriel as The 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Builder of the Year!

2019’s Best accessory part

Battery Tender® USB Charger Adaptor In this day and age you can never be too far away from a charger for your accessories.

Battery Tender Quick Disconnect Plug with USB Charger 12V Input and Maximum 2.1 Amps Output it’s Quite Portable and Perfect for Charging your iPhone, iPad, iPod, GPS, Camera or any Smartphone or Device that be Charged via USB. It’s Designed for Use on Most 12-Volt Batteries on Your Motorcycle, Golf Cart, ATV, etc. It Attaches to Existing Battery Tender Quick Disconnect. The Rubber Flap will Protect the Charger Connectors. For continuing to push technology to new forefronts we are happy to name the Battery Tender® USB Charger Adaptor as the 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Best Accessory Product of the Year.

2019’s Best performance part

S&S Grand National 2:2 High Exhaust for Indian FTR 1200 Without a doubt and in unanimous fashion the single most hated thing about the FTR 1200 is the stock exhaust. Leave it to the good folks from Viola, WI to come up with a quick solution that not only totally changes the look of the bike for the good but also its performance. A true race replica system that has the same 3.5” can and Grand National end cap design styling as mighty FTR 750 racers. This system features S&S engineered high flow catalytic converters that bring legal performance to the street and are proudly made in the USA! For these reasons, we are happy to announce S&S Grand National 2:2 High Exhaust for Indian FTR 1200 as the 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Best Performance Product of the Year.

2019’s best custom product of the year

FNA’s Dual Magneto Belt Drive for Shovel and Evo FNA’s dual magneto belt drive setup provides easy starts and the reliability of two magnetos just like is still used in aircraft today! This design incorporates a timing lever for advancing and retarding the timing with the flip of a lever and not having to move the mags to do so. Simply flip the lever for timing adjustments for less kickback and then slide it back to the full advance setting when the bike fires up. The belt provides zero backlash when compared to the typical gear drive mag setups to maintain a proper timing setting and hold it perfectly. Uses only the best Morris Magneto for the mags and guts with rare earth rotors for maximum sparking power! For proving that there is still plenty of room for improvement on old bikes and parts and allowing us to use them in a custom capacity, we are happy to name The FNA Dual Magneto Belt Drive for Shovel and Evo as the 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Best Custom Product Of The Year.

2019’s Apparel Product of the year

First MFG Co Sharp Shooter - Men’s Motorcycle Leather Vest Since you readers were not specific about which FMG vest we have decided to focus on the Sharp Shooter to describe the quality of this product line. With so many riders today focused on function over form, First should be a serious consideration for those interested in durability and function. The Sharp Shooter is 1.11.2mm Drum Dye Naked Cowhide, club style vest w/ covered snaps and cropped center zipper. There are two buttoned chest pockets and two buttoned slash pockets, Two concealed carry pockets w/ bullet snaps and tapered holsters (quick access on left hand side) and Interior cellphone pocket on left side. The vest is made with a single back panel, mesh lining w/ easy access panels for patches and embroideries and YKK zippers. For keeping us in the breeze and looking good, we are happy to name First MFG Co Sharp Shooter - Men’s Motorcycle Leather Vest the 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Best Apparel Product of the Year!

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2019’s craftsman of the year Curt Green - Bare Bones Leather

It’s no secret how we feel about Curt’s work here at the magazine. When we build bikes from our Flat Broke Chops & Rods he is the man we turn to for the perfect chopper seat. His work in leather tooling is equally incredible and more and more today you can see his finished product on some of the industries top builds. That list now includes the likes of bikes coming out of Orange County Choppers that Josh Allison has been heading up. This is no surprise to us and we can’t be happier for Curt since he is as humble as he is talented. He continues to work a day job while his name climbs the ranks of the most talented craftsman in our ranks. For keeping part of our world alive with art, we are proud to announce Curt Green of Bare Bones Leather as the 2019 Cycle Source Magazine Readers’ Craftsman of the Year!

2019’ s Best event of the year The Cross Country Motorcycle Chase

Since the passing of Lonnie Isam Jr., Mr. Jason Simms has had the honor of carrying on the Motorcycle Cannonball, and has now upped the anti with the addition of a special event just for bikes from the 1930 to 1948 age range. The Cross Country Chase ends up being a very different kind of event when compared to it’s sister the MC Cannonball as there were new parameters introduced that scored a rider based on knowledge, endurance and navigation skills. The Chase went from Sault St. Marie to Key West Florida, some 2500+ miles and riders could not get lost or miss any part of the adventure laid out by organizers. In the end there was also a cash prize added to a lifetime of bragging rights. For being able to think outside the box, innovate and modernize how people look at old bikes, we are thrilled to announce the Cross Country Chase as the 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Best Event of the Year!

2019’s artist of the year

Dave Perewitz - Perewitz Cycle Fab

Known throughout the world for his trademark flames Dave Perewitz slogan for the type of artwork he has created on motorcycles has long been referred to as simply “The Look.”

By taking the spotlight off himself in the past few years and spending an extreme amount of time on the Perewitz Paint Shows across the country he has risen to another level again giving young builders and painters a goal to strive for with their own art. Still the fans of his style of art on the motorcycle is without parallel and has no expiration date from generation to generation, they love “The Look” and so do we. For continuing to push our culture to a new level through his art and by spotlighting others, we are happy to name Dave Perewitz of Perewitz Cycle Fab as the 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Artist of the Year!

2019’s Best Media Release Of The Year

Cycle Source Magazine’s ShopTalk Weekly Broadcast While we typically take our offerings out of the running for Best of Awards, we had to allow this for two reasons. One was the overwhelming amount of votes we got for ShopTalk, apparently a few of you are watching. Two was the amount of work that goes into this weekly program. ShopTalk started as a simple Facebook commentary that was a side by side interview that has now led the motorcycle industry with this type of program and technology. Once a week ShopTalk goes over the news, has a few guests and pass along some events. After the live broadcast that goes out to seven social media platforms the show is also converted into a podcast and is available through all podcast servers. We are super proud of ShopTalk and humbled that you all think so highly of it as well. For the dedication to pushing the boundries of communication in the motorcycle culture we are thrilled to accept the 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Best Media Release of the Year for ShopTalk!

2019’s Best shop related product Of The Year

The Banks Engine Lift For Harley-Davidson Motorcycles While removing the engine from a ’52 Harley Panhead, Tom Banks hurt his back. His brother George immediately began working on a lift. In addition to removing the threat of back injury to mechanics and Harley enthusiasts, the lift ensures no injury to the bike body or engine, and a smooth transition to the work surface. Anyone who has ever rebuilt or replaced a Harley Davidson engine knows the issues and back breaking work involved. If you search on line for help, you’ll find a series of troublesome techniques that, at best, seem overly complicated. For helping us have the right tool and saving a few backs in the process we are happy to name The Banks Engine Lift as the 2019 Cycle Source Readers’ Shop Related Product of the Year!

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Article And Photos By: Mikey Revolt

p

eople ride in from all over the country for this three-day, two-night party in the woods called the Lowbrow Getdown.

Located in Garrettsville, OH at Nelsons Ledges Quarry park, this year’s event marked it’s 10 year anniversary. Over the years, you name it, it’s

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probably happened. There’s been everything thing from a silent disco, to a rave, to a naked guy who chased people around covered in mud, an engagement proposal, a road caught on fire, and even the infamous David Allen Coe jammed on the big stage.

It’s the one party of the year

where you truly never know what to expect. But when you get there it’s always the best time.

This year’s event theme was survival of the fittest.

Everyone had to fend for themselves when it came to booze, food, and their creation of fun. There were tons of

good food being made on fires, people ripping up and down the alleyways, tons of swimming with hundreds of floaties in the quarry and of course there were adult beverages. One of the biggest highlights of the weekend was “The Gauntlet.” People were throwing fireworks, pool floaties, beach balls, and talking trash on a megaphone while others rode their bikes up and down the main strip of the war zone (aka main camping area for The Getdown).

There was chopper limbo, beer chugs, and some burned-out clutches. Hundreds of people circled “The Gauntlet” and the party just kept getting wilder.

You could ask what the appeal of this event is, and we are pretty sure it has to do with just making the best of what you have and surrounding yourself with likeminded people. Motorcycles bring us closer together, and we find out we have more in common with one another when forced to live/sleep/party in secluded and desolate places. Over the years people meet for the first time at The Getdown and from that point

January ‘20 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE 35

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on are lifelong friends. They make it a tradition to come out to the quarry once a year and rage, talk motorcycles, share their latest builds, and just have a killer time.

So, the relationships and bonds made at The Lowbrow Getdown are indeed what make it special.

Will the Lowbrow Getdown keep going on for years to come?

Of course, it will. With the easy recipe for chaos, friendship, and fun as stated above, this event puts itself on. The amazing people that come every year are the ones that make it all worth it. Big thanks to all those who have supported and come out to The Getdown over the years, you make it the party it is. Fun is all what you make of it, and this motorcycle community sure knows how to bring it. Keep your eyes peeled on the Lowbrow Customs Blog and social media channels for announcements on 2020’s dates. We hope to see you there! Party On!

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i

will always be thankful to this crazy magazine for the people I have met over the years. I hope it is a never-ending ride where I continue to build a list of lifelong friends.

The Father and Son team of Russ Jr (father) and his Son Russ III of Black Diamond Cycle, based in Coal Township, PA, have been on my lifelong friends and family list almost as long as I have been working for this

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rag. We met when I was asked to shoot one of their rides at an Indian Larry Block Party many moons ago. The rest has just been good times!

I first heard about this bike from Russ’s daughter Heather, she sent me an almost finished image of the bike. I knew right away; this was going to be a great build and would give me an excuse for a road trip to see the boys!

After talking to the team and

getting some info on the owner Alex Grabiec, a proud member of our US Army, now back home and an avid rider, I was very much looking forward to making yet another new friend and seeing this Shovelhead up close and personal.

So, who is Alex Grabiec?

Like most, he’s just a guy who loves to ride. His first bike was a Yamaha 80 Enduro at the age of 11 years old and his first road

Article And Photos By: Mark Velazquez

January ‘20 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE 39

bike, a Kawasaki ZX6 in 1990 while stationed in Germany. It’s safe to say that Alex put in his fair share of miles tearing up the Autobahn.

From there the transition was made to a H-D EVO Sportster which he brought back to the states in 1994.

Since then, Alex has had a good dozen-plus Harley’s and even built a 1979 Ironhead chopper. As of today, his stable consists of a 1974 Honda CR450 chopper with girder front end and custom everything, the ’79 Ironhead, and a ’19 Electra Glide Standard. And of course, the newest edition, the ’72 Shovel chopper that graces these pages.

As the story goes, this build is just about how every Black Diamond build seems to start. A cold winter day and a few beers among friends sitting around Russ’s shop. But on this cold day, things, as expected, took a little twist when Alex saw Russ’s split rocker box Shovelhead sitting on a stand. It wasn’t long before Russ noticed Alex gazing at the engine, so of course he asked.

“Nice motor, huh? Bet you wish you could have that one!” And at that point it was game on! It took a couple of weeks, but in the end, Russ agreed to sell the motor and ratchet top. He did it reluctantly but knowing that they are best friends and he’d do all the work on the build eventually, he agreed to sell what was to be his dream build.

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After retiring from the Army (thank you for your service), Alex took a contract job in the Middle East to put together the cash for the remainder of the build and viola a year later he returned from the desert to retirement and his dream chopper!

I guess when a best friend builds a dream bike for his best friend, things just work out. Alex was open to Russ’s ideas. After walking away with the motor, he returned and dropped off a filthy rolling chassis with a crooked sissy bar and wanted Russ to just install the engine and trans. NOT! After a total redesign, corrections, modifications, and re-engineering, it was more than one could imagine.

From shaved Zel Cylinders, Split and Chrome Plated Rocker Boxes, Chrome Cases, Heads/Cases Modified for Custom External Oil Returns, Wheels Balanced, 4 Speed Polished by Russ with Custom Foot Shift, this list could go on for more pages than I’m allowed!

The bike was entered in the Appel Mountain East Coast Sturgis Rally bike show, and it took best of show.

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PRUDENCE TECH SHEET Owner: Alex Grabiec City/State: Coal Township, PA Fab. By: Russ Nahodil Year: 1972 Model: Chopper Value: Yes Time: 400+ Hours Engine Year: 1972 Model: FXD Builder: Russ Nahodil Ignition: Dyna Displacement: 1200 Pistons: Wiseco 10:1 Heads: H-D Modified Carb: S&S Super E Cam: Andrews .485 Air Cleaner: S&S Cycle Exhaust: Paughco Primary: Open, Evolution Diamond Terminator Clutch Transmission Year: 1972 Make: Harley-Davidson Shifting: Custom Foot Frame Year: 2013 Make: CDC, Gardena, CA Rake: 38 Stretch: 4” Forks Type: Slider Builder: Russ Nahodil Extension: 4” Triple Trees: H-D Modified Wheels, Tires, Brakes Front Wheel: Bob’s Cycle Supply Size: 21” Front Tire: Avon Speedmaster Front Brake: None Rear Wheel: H-D Dyna Size: 18” Rear Tire: Dunlop K70 Rear Brake: Performance Machine Painting Painter: Dave Stuck & Scott Capps Color: Metal Flake, Black Type: Shiney Graphics: AMF HD Molding: Respective Painters Chroming: Librandi’s Accessories Bars: Russ Nahodil Risers: Russ Nahodil Hand: Built-rite Fuel Tanks: Sportster Front Fender: None Rear Fender: Russ Nahodil Seat: Unknown Foot Controls: Russ Nahodil Oil Tank: Horseshoe Headlight: Swapmeet Special Taillight: HD molded to fender Speedo: None Photographer: Mark Velazquez

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The reactions were mostly from other builders and machinists, who were amazed at the detail in the shaved heads, oil return lines, rocker boxes, risers, handlebars, and all of the meticulous detail that went into this project.

Of all the bikes Alex has ever owned, he says that this is his single most comfortable bike. Pulling the front wheel off the ground coming into 2nd is a regular occurrence and hammering the twisty country roads in the coal region and Appalachia is a genuine joy – especially knowing no one else can keep up!

The day of shooting was a long day with a long drive, but it was perfect. That day my journey was filled with hope. I was surrounded by old friends and made new ones. For that one day we took a step back in time and relived the basics of the American dream in a small town with different people from different walks of life. We talked about life, the struggles, the joys of just being able to be, we talked politics like our parents did, and in the end, it was ok to agree to disagree. And in the middle of this perfect day, sat the ’72 Shovel that brought us together.

Y

our choices for our Top Ten Bikes from 2019 are here for your inspection. We start this whole process of at the end of each year when we ask the readers to make nominations for Best Of Awards, we start to gather the information of what went down over the past 12 months in motorcycling and then we as kfor a vote on what you thought we did best. This serves two roles for us, the first of course is to give credit to the best of the best from each year, the second, as it applies to the motorcycles we feature helps us to identify what you, our reader, wants

to see more or less of in our pages each issue. So for that we thank you for your time and participation.

To our builders, we can’t thank you enough for the time you take for each of your builds. We have long been supporters of the idea that in the garage, when no one is watching, no media fan fare is present, true passion for building custom motorcycles shines through. It has long been our pleasure to bring those stories to the national level through the Pages of Cycle Source. To each of the Top Ten, we congratulate you and humbly ask... What’s next?

1. THE PERFECT SHOVEL Dave Perewitz - May ‘19

This bike was featured in our May 2019 issue and in truth I had been watching it come to life for nearly a year at that point. I knew from the rough mock up that I got the sneak peak of this would be a killer shovel and dubbed it as “The Perfect Shovel” upon seeing it’s end result. I’ve always been a fan of Perewitz builds but I felt with this one that he really went back into the archives and what he came up with, I’m sure, surprised quite a few people who may have only been following him over the past decade.

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2. THE WINNING SHOVEL Speedking racing - March ‘19

This bike was on our March of 2019 cover and with good reason, it’s a killer build but a champion to boot. This was Jeff Cochran’s second entry in the In Motion Show during the Lone Star Rally and after the shakedown ride, being judged by his peeers, the industry and members of the trade, Jeff was named the winner of the $10,000 prize for In Motion 2018.

From what I can tell, he immediately put that money into the next Speedking build.

3. WAR BIRD

forever two wheels maine - may ‘19

The “War Bird” made it into the pages of the May 2019 issue and man it was a crowd favorite. After quite a few flashy bikes Nick from Forever Two Wheels unleashed this murdered out skinny Evo on the world and it was bought almost before it came off his table. It’s tough as hell from front to back with a long skinny front end and a blacked out Invader to match. It scored high wherever it went and we aren’t the slightest bit surprised.

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4. LIL RED RIDING HOOD Bling’s Cycle - june ‘19

We first saw this bike at the TMMR on the Loretta Lynn Ranch. Bill Dodge had finished it and the owner rode it to the event. That’s no surprise from a bike built by Dodge, he rides the hell outta everything he builds and his customers know they can too. This was a great example of a solid built Evo, tough, bullet proof and just the slightest design touches that make it hard to look away from. A perfect example of Bill’s ability to seemlessly blend form and function, we were proud to featrue it in our June 2019 issue.

5. THE BLOWN KNUCK

jp rodman - january ‘19

We waited a good long time for the perfect issue to feature JP Rodman’s sick ass Knuckle Trike and the January “Year In Review” of last year seemed to be the best fit. The bikes this cat has been producing have become legend and with this one he pushed the bar up using a blower on a Knucklehead. It screams seventies in its body design, shag rug interior and paint alone. The craigar style rear wheels, incense burner and low slung springer makes it something old Roth himself would have been proud of. To see it rolling down the street is even more a throwback that is guaranteed to blow your mind.

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6. FOXY LADY

roadside marty - may ‘19

Our May 2019 cover featured this bad ass shovel from my brother Roadside Marty. This was Roaside’s entry into Michael Lichter’s “Passion Built” exhibit in Sturgis of 2018 and from front to back it is a classic shovel from the eighties. The Crazy Frank’s style rear fender took us back to a time when we were young men and scantily clad mamas did slightly inapproriate things from the back of bikes that looked just like this. Might have been exactly what Old Roadside was going for come to think of it. The Thunderheader pipes and Invader mags just go to make this all the more perfect fit for Mr. Davis.

7. HOT ROD SHOVEL brock bridges - june ‘19

The June 2019 issue featured this little red beauty. It was another time that was hard for me to believe we had never heard of the bike’s builder before we met him in Daytona. Front to back it was an incredible build with killer details and a paint job that would make any hot rodder weak in the knees. It was our pick at Willie’s Tropical Show during Bike Week and was an immediate favorite for the rest of the year as well.

8. SODA POP

bling’s cycles - september ‘19

The only builder this year to have two bikes in the Top Ten, Bill Dodge killed it with this Twin Can that graced our September 2019 cover. Bill seems to be on a mission to prove that you can build a bad ass and still old school inspired custom from a Twin Cam and with this build he blended those styles with precision. Using a dash of modern components like the race style Ohlins front end with brembo braking and high tracker style exhaust made it a truly unique build.

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9. PLUM CRAZY PAN destroyer garage - March ‘19

Eric has been helping out with the judging for the In Motion show a few years now so we knew he had motorcycle knowledge on lock. His personal ride has been a big favorite of everyone in the mag for years, taking Best of Show at our Lone Star Rally ride in show two years in a row. Yes, it’s just that good. It’s a classic example of a no frills pan, nearly perfect when you consider he will jump on this thing and ride at the drop of a hat. Of course, it’s not without it’s own impressive custom touches and the details he put into it are clean and well executed. Of course, it’s no surprise to us that it ends up in the Top Ten but none the less we are thrilled you liked it as much as we did.

10. THE BLUE 75 dan starkey - feb ‘19

Talk about a break out bike to end all. Dan Starkey’s blue shovel graced our February 2019 cover after snapping necks during Daytona bike week 2018 when we ran into him at Willie’s Choppertime where we picked it as the Cycle Source Choice and Bill Dodge felt the same way. An uncommon occurence since most of the time if two people pick the same bike one will just pick another but we all felt so strongly about what Dan had achieved, it stayed as is and Dan got mad props out of the gate. Classic styling, handmade touches, a killer build that will be hard to top.

pin up of the year November 2019

Model: Christal Maiden Bike: Vigilante Metal Works Photo: Matt Galbraith

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magine having a dream of playing live music for a living. As a kid, you practice your ass off; when everyone else is out having fun, you’re earning your chops. Later in life you sacrifice everything including your friends and family and even your home to move halfway across the country for a shot at making it. Then it happens, you do…. You tour the world with your band, for over a decade you get to live the dream. Now imagine what it would take for you to walk away.

This is the story of the man whom our readers have voted as the Cycle Source Magazine 2019 Builder of the year; Xavier Muriel. While he lived on the Buckcherry tour bus playing

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more than 200 shows each year, his secret passion and a love for custom motorcycles grew. You see, there are long hours between shows, and filling those hours with plans of the perfect motorcycle became Xavier’s obsession. He had achieved what few men could dream of in a lifetime, he had become an honest to God Rockstar, but his second love was starting to pull him away from the bright lights and would bring him back to the garage.

He came off the road for the final time, hung up a shingle for Providence Cycle Worx in his hometown of Austin Texas, and went to work on a new life.

For three years now the question from everyone and I’m sure in his own head

has been, could he do it a second time.

Could X take the passion he has for motorcycles and bring it to the world on a national stage? I would say, as of this month, we can assure you that answer is yes.

While there have been a few bikes since Xavier made that decision produced out of Providence Cycle Worx, the one we are focusing on here has been on a whirlwind tour that has scored him a great deal of accolades the greatest of which has been Easyriders Bike Of The Year. I sat down with Muriel in his shop just outside of Austin’s city limits, and we talked about the humble beginnings of Grace. It all started with a ’53 Pan

Article By: Chris Callen Photos By:Michael Lichter

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Shovel motor built by Paul Cox. It was one of the last to come out of Indian Larry’s original shop. It belonged to a former band mate who was also a moto nut who has as crazy a collection as Xavier does. Anyway, the motor was in storage for like five years, and knowing he had a chance at building a bike for Lichter’s “Passion Built” exhibit in Sturgis in 2018, Muriel struck a deal with Keith, and this would be his foundation.

For a minute, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to build, a bobber, a chopper… He knew he wanted it to be rideable, I mean after all these are the two hooligans that ran across the country with Billy Lane on a freshly built Choppers Inc. custom. As it would happen, Mr. Jeff Cochran had a ’58 hardtail that would make its way into the picture. Now usually this would be extreme sacrilege for any cycle purist since it was the first year swing arm frame, but the hardtail had already been achieved so no harm in putting it to good chopper use. Now that he had a direction all he needed was a plan. Around Biketoberfest, Michael had made the invite for Passion Built, and from February to the end of July, Muriel put his nose to the grindstone to come up with a bike that could prove his legitimate place in a room full of 27 of the most talented builders in the world. While the terms of the show would have people who didn’t build professionally, it was for sure not an amateur show. X knew he’d have to step up his game, and that’s precisely

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what he did.

Like most builders, he prides himself on making as much of the bike as he can with his own hands, and that would mean a lot of trial and error. Don’t get me wrong, he would have loved to just throw a ton of high dollar parts at it, but until bike building starts to pay as good as platinum records, he might have to stick with making parts for his builds.

Seriously though, his passion for this is what drives him. Each build gives him the chance to learn more, pick up skills to take it a little further, make something he hadn’t before. As you can see in some of the pictures of this bike, he

even continued to upgrade it after the initial photo shoot. He came back and machined his own custom grips. He made the floorboard mounts, the ignition cover, the custom license plate / taillight mount. The oil filter mount that locates the remote filter in between the open belt pulleys, also made in the 400 square foot shop where he now applies his trade. As Xavier continues to build up his tools he reminds himself that there is always a way, the old guys didn’t have a lot of the stuff out there today, so he finds work arounds when he doesn’t have the latest and greatest tool to achieve his desired result. He heavily modified the sick ass

pipes that Paul Cox made, and a lot of the stainless doodads are made in house, polished there too.

One of the coolest parts on the bike was one he didn’t even make. The fuel tank was made by Bill Dodge at Bling’s Cycle, a design Xavier was in love with and fit the build perfectly.

The Paul Cox aired seat isn’t a bad addition either and of course, the crowning jewel, the X on the air cleaner and pushrod tubes. When it came to the paint Muriel would turn to the same man who has painted a number of his prizes drum kits that have been on international tours; Buck Wild. Buck’s work is continuously in this magazine, and this paint was no slouch, but you might be surprised to hear that it isn’t what Xavier had planned it to be in the beginning.

Originally he wanted a silver frame with silver base and some panel work.

It was Buck who told him to ditch that idea and just powder coat the frame black. From there Buck took the reins and knocked it out of the park.

Like I said in the beginning, this bike has been on a year-long whirlwind tour and racked up awards from coast to coast out of the Rats Hole, Golden Bolt, Cycle Source Shows and won

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GRACE TECH SHEET Owner: Xavier Muriel City/State: Austin, TX Builder: Providence Cycle Worx (PCW) Year: 1953 Model: Bobber Value: $45,000 Time: 7 Months Engine Year: 1953 Model: PanShovel Builder: Paul Cox Ignition: Morris G5 Displacement: 74cu Pistons: Stock Heads: Heavily Modified Stock Carb: S&S Super E Cam: Mild Andrews Air Cleaner: Engraved Vitron Exhaust: PCW / Paul Cox Primary: Tech Cycle 2” Transmission Year: Make: Baker DD6 with N1 Drum Shifting: Jockey Frame Year: 1958 Model: H-D/SpeedKing Hardtail Rake: Stock Stretch: Stock Forks Builder: Harley-Davidson Type: 39mm Narrow Glide Triple Trees: Extension: -2” Wheels Front Wheel: Paughco 40 Spoke Star Hub Size: 21” Tire: Metzeler 880 Front Brake: None Rear Wheel: Midwest 40 Spoke Size: 18” Tire: Podium Rear Brake: Billet Proof Dual Caliper Paint Painter: Buck Wild Color: Red/Gold/Black Chroming: C&D Plating San Antonio Texas Accessories Bars: Buttera’s Metal Worx Risers: Indian Larry Brass Hand Controls: PM Hand Master Cylinder Foot Controls: Providence Cycle Worx Gas Tank(S): Bling’s Cycle Oil Tank: CDC Front Fender: None Rear Fender: RWD Seat: Bare Bones Leather Headlight: Original Bates Taillight: No School Choppers Speedo: None Photographer: Michael Lichter

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Best of Show at Easyriders Austin getting him to the invitational where it took the big win. The biggest success, I think, has been the exhibit of its prowess as a motorcycle. You see, Xavier is my brother, so I get to share a little of what is in his mind, and he is one of those sickos who thinks a motorcycle is for riding, and he has ridden the hell out of Grace. Yeah, this incredible show winning beauty has been seen ripping through the hills of Sturgis, The Streets of LA during Golden Bolt and across the Island during the Lone Star Rally for the In Motion Shake Down Ride.

It isn’t afraid of putting it to the test, like a few others who follow that same simple creed, half the fun is in the ride.

Knowing that my man is in his shop right now as I sit here writing this, just an inch away from finishing his next beautiful creation and oblivious to the fact that you have all awarded him, builder of the year, I’d like to be the first to congratulate him for proving the doubters wrong. Estoy orgulloso de ti mi hermano!

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Article By: Charlie Weisel

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now globes, Christmas trees, stocking stuffers, and turkey. These are the things most typical Americans are thinking about this time of year. But we aren’t typical. Instead, we are using this winter season as an opportunity to rebuild or reinvent our motorcycles. Getting our hands covered in grease instead of tinsel. Scraping black grime out from under our fingernails instead of cupcake frosting. Shopping for pistons instead of ornaments. I’ve been seeing it all over social media. Bikes coming apart for paint, new wheels, a frame chop or whatever it is the owner feels it needs to make it more presentable for the upcoming new year. This is rebuild season, and it’s going to be a big one for me this year. My motor is clapped out, again.

My Baker 6 speed transmission sucks just as much now as it did when it was brand new. My wiring situation is beyond embarrassing after years and years of roadside repairs.

I did recently replace my neck bearings, though, so at least I’ve got that going for me. Each year it seems we all struggle to keep these bikes alive, and I have to wonder why we do it. So many others would simply park it and replace it. The American way. The minute something fails simply throw it away and buy new. A shiny new black Street Glide would grace the garage after the first minor mechanical hiccup. Not us though, we insist on forcing these machines down the road regardless of how hard they fight back. Weather that makes us resourceful, patient, or dumb,

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I do not know for sure, but it’s what we do.

This is an internal battle I’ve been having with myself recently. Is it time to retire the tired old girl and start fresh? Or do I continue to repair, replace, repeat?

The truth is, I will likely rebuild her again this year and continue to pack on the miles. In fact, there’s a plan coming together that will involve packing on a whole lot of miles in some rather unforgiving environments, but more about that in the future. I’m sentimental about things, that’s why I’m refusing to give up on my chopper at the moment. Plus, I love when a rider develops a history with a motorcycle.

That history and the stories that come with it only come with keeping it on the road at almost any cost. The real question though is this- does a bike ever have to be retired, or can it literally be repaired and ridden forever? I’m inclined to lean towards the latter, I really don’t think a bike ever has to be retired. The argument for the former, of course, is that with age comes more repairs. Yes, that can be true. But, how many of you have purchased a motorcycle to immediately find yourself chasing a gremlin? Most of you, if I had to guess. So, here is where my argument comes in. If you hang on to a motorcycle for more than a couple of years you will eventually work out all the kinks. From that point on, you will be riding a bike that is relatively trouble-free, aside from the inevitable mechanical failure of parts we can’t do anything about.

I’m referring to things such as charging systems, ignition modules, batteries, and the such. These things will fail whenever they decide to. There’s nothing we can do about it. So why then, ever replace a motorcycle? For

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me, it’ll be when I’m sick of looking at it, I guess. When I’m simply in the mood for something new and exciting. I doubt I’ll ever sell it though; some sucker would have to hand me $250,000 for me to simply break even at this point. I could buy a house with the amount of money I’ve dumped into that thing over the years. I don’t hate her for it though. So, what’s my plan for this winter, you ask? It is this: I hope to ride out on it in December for the David Mann Chopperfest in California and then again in February for the Cycle Showcase show in St. Louis. Both of these are contingent on the weather of course, but I will make it to St. Louis one way or another. I’ve been asked to show my bike there, which I feel both humbled and excited by. My buddy Steve and I had discussed a frozen snot ride to Milwaukee in February, so hopefully I can talk him into St. Louis instead. I know, crossing the Great Plains in February holds the very strong likelihood of becoming a ball buster of a ride, possibly even losing a digit or two to frostbite, but I’m always up for a good challenge. How many fingers and toes does a guy really need anyway?

My friend Mark only has 8 fingers, and he gets by just fine. After our last ride to Milwaukee, over Labor Day weekend, which coincidentally was Steve’s first Great Plains crossing on a motorcycle, he started to think twice but our February plans. I think he had underestimated the sheer size and openness of that part of the country.

Miles and miles of exposed, windy and frigid landscape. No place to hide. There is nothing glamorous about a ride like that, it is purely for the personal challenge.

At some point between these, or after, I haven’t quite decided, I will rebuild the motor, tackle a complete rewire, and continue to curse my choice of transmission. In regard to my motor, it will be a build similar to the previous. It is currently a 95”, up from the original 88” it started life as and will stay that way unless a cylinder boring is necessary.

I’ve never thought that bigger is better when it comes to motors, I’m definitely more concerned with durability above all.

Plus, there’s only so far you can bore these things out until you have to replace them.

Like I said earlier, I’m sentimental and want to preserve the originality of the motor as much as possible. Long story short, I’m not entirely positive what this winter will look like for me. Possibly a couple of long rides, probably some major bike repair and definitely a lot of cursing the cold weather.

Regardless, I’ll make the best of it and hope that you all do too!

To follow along in real-time, you can follow me on Instagram @charlietravelingchopper

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Article By: Roadside Marty Photos By: Missi Shoemaker

f you’re around custom motorcycles enough sooner or later, you’ll hear someone say “Ain’t no head like a Panhead,” and this bike certainly fits that statement!

This bike started off as a form of physical therapy for its builder Mike McFadden of M&M Customs out of Owensboro, Kentucky. You see, Mike grew up during the 80’s racing BMX around the country, and as most of us from that generation he eventually gravitated to motorcycles. September 6th 2017 is a day Mike will never forget because it was 3 days before the 40th anniversary of a local BMX track that he grew up racing. He along with a few other guy’s were asked to bring their old bikes back and show the new riders what it was like back then.

Well, one thing led to another, and it was soon decided that they would have an old timer’s class. Long story short, they had a practice that night, and Mike ended up over the bars and on the pavement with multiple fractures. McFadden was stuck in the house going stir crazy watching Dr. Phil, and going to physical therapy

he needed something to take his mind off things. Luckily, he got an e-mail from Eric Patterson whom he’d met a few years earlier. Eric he really liked his style and wanted Mike to shoot him a price to put his Panhead together.

Patterson had been slowly collecting parts for this project for a few years and storing them in his closet.

The inevitable time came…his wife wanted the closet space back! Mike had never done a Panhead before so he jumped at the chance, figuring garage therapy was the best thing for a broken body and ego. A week later Eric showed up and spent about an hour unloading boxes while in between telling Mike his vision of what he wanted. The movie “Road to Paloma” starring Jason Momoa has a bike that’s one of the main focal points of the film, and this is what Eric had in mind. Mike searched the Internet for photos as well as rented the movie. He watched and paused throughout the film to see the how the bike looked.

Eric was adamant that it have the raw unfinished look

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and that the frame NOT be modified in any way. The 54 wishbone frame was in perfect condition except that somewhere earlier in its lifetime, someone had molded every nook and cranny with Bondo. Mike finally convinced Eric to let him sandblast the frame and start fresh. The rear fender was mocked up first, and Mike started with a Manta Ray fender from Lowbrow Customs that had a perfect radius for the 16” rear wheel. In my personal opinion, I think the ideal wheel combination on a chopper is a 21” front wheel and a 16” rear wheel.

The fender struts were bent up, and then Mike started on the seat pan that uses a drop tube mounting system like a bicycle. Cole Rodgers from 138 Cycle’s was tapped to do the leatherwork on the seat, and I think the 54 tooled in really sets it off. The tank is a Moto Iron narrow Sportster Frisco style that Mike modified with the sight gauge and sets on the backbone perfectly. The springer is a 48 offset that was rebuilt back to stock specs by Jason Phares, who

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also did those cool risers. The drag bars are a TC Bros. item that Mike outfitted with a Exile Cycles internal throttle. The wheels are from Black Bike Wheels and are wrapped front and rear with Avon rubber, the front wheel is a spool 21 that looks right at home. The back is stopped by a Performance Machine caliper and a stainless rotor. For the foot controls Mike went with half-moon floorboards and a suicide clutch pedal from Paughco, and you can’t go more Chopper than no front brake and a jockey shift. Another nice touch is how Mike ran the oil filter under the tag bracket. Mike went with the best in the business for the charging system and used a Cycle Electric generator with a built-in end regulator. The

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ERMORDET TECH SHEET Owner: Eric Patterson City/State: Haubstadt, IN Builder: M&M Customs Year: 1954 Model: Custom Value: ???

Time: 8 months ENGINE Year: 1954 Model: FLE Builder: HD/TK Performance Ignition: Dynatek-Dyna S Displacement: 74 in Pistons: H-D Heads: H-D Carb: S&S Super E Cam: Andrews Air Cleaner: Old-stf Bee Blocker Exhaust: Paughco Primary: Rivera Primo TRANSMISSION Year: Late Panhead Make: H-D Shifting: 4 Speed, Jockey FRAME Year: 1954 Model: Wishbone Rake: None Stretch: None Forks Builder: H-D/Jasin Phares Type: Springer Triple Trees: Extension: None WHEELS Front Wheel: Black Bike Wheels, Spool Hub Size: 21” Tire: Avon Speedmaster Front Brake: None Rear Wheel: Black Bike Wheels Size: 16” Tire: Avon MKII, 5.00 Rear Brake: Performance Machine 4 Piston PAINT Painter: Mike McFadden Color: Tuxedo Black/Son Of A Gun Grey Type: Graphics: Mike McFadden Chroming: ACCESSORIES Bars: Drag-TC Bros Risers: Fork Hand Controls: Exile Internal Throttle Foot Controls: Paughco Gas Tank(s): Moto Iron-Narrow Sportster Frisco Oil Tank: Horseshoe, side fill Front fender: None Rear Fender: Lowbrow Manta Ray Seat: Cole Foster Headlight: Repop Unity Tail light: Prism Supply Speedo: None Photographer: Missi Shoemaker

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headlight is a reproduction Unity item, and the taillight came from Gabe at After Hours Choppers. The 54 Panhead motor was bought as an already rebuilt motor from Tom Krause of TK Performance that uses a Dynatek-Dyna S ignition, an Andrews cam, stock 74 pistons with HD heads and cylinders. A S&S Super E carburetor was used along with an Old STF Bee Blocker air cleaner, S&S is also represented with the oil pump responsibilities. The transmission is an early 60’s Panhead transmission that was bought as a rebuilt item also. For the primary Mike used a Rivera Primo 2” belt drive and clutch combination.

Mike laid down the gloss black paint and managed to work in a two-headed German Crest Shield that is “ghosted” into the paint as to not catch any grief from the folks who can’t tell the difference between the single-headed crest and the double-headed crest. Mike had his good friend Wayne Heath helping him with the assembly and was a huge help. once Mike had everything together Tom Krause finished up the loose ends and did the fine-tuning on the bike.

The Kentucky Kickdown was the first time the bike was brought out, and it won the Editor’s Choice award from Cycle Source, and both Eric and Mike were blown away. Eric rides the Pan as a daily rider along with his other bikes and has a killer time with it. Mike can’t thank Eric enough for choosing him to build this bike and how much his patience helped him get back on the road and back to working after 8 months of healing and physical therapy. Thanks for sharing this bike with us!

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Article By: Corey Barnum Photos By: The Artist Formerly Known As Craig Harriman

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his month’s tech article illustrates a common problem with most twin cam engines… valve train chatter and oil pressure. This is a quick and inexpensive fix to eliminate the majority of the oiling problems in all Twin Cam motors. We are going to be installing a Baisley LMR-2 oil pressure spring and a precision ground bypass valve.

Both of these products are available through Zipper’s Performance. This procedure can be done with the cam plate in or out of the engine. Since we were in the process of upgrading the cams in a customer’s bike, all of our pictures are done with the cam plate out of the motorcycle.

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The first thing I do is lay everything out to make sure I have all the pieces I need to do the job.

Here is a picture of the stock oil pressure spring versus the LMR2 spring. As you can, see it’s a stiffer spring. Also look at the edges of the 2 springs. The LMR2 is ground down flat. This will help give you more consistent oil pressure by pressing evenly across the spring.

the cam plate. They are held in the plate by a roll pin. Removal is accomplished with a small punch and hammer. Sometimes a magnet or a pair of pliers will aid in the removal of the bypass valve.

Now just slide the valve down into the hole and make sure that the valve moves freely without any binding throughout the whole chamber.

This is a photo of the oil bypass valve.

The Zipper’s version is more precisely ground than the stock version. This helps in sealing and once again gives you a more consistent oil pressure by eliminating oil blow by.

The spring and bypass valve are located on the very bottom left of

Before I put the Zipper’s bypass valve in, a little assembly lube is put on the valve. As with nearly all new motor parts, assembly lube is necessary to avoid damage during the initial start after installation.

After verifying that the valve moves freely, start the roll pin in the cam plate. I like to keep the opening of the roll pin on the opposite side of the spring, giving it a solid surface to rest against.

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roll pin in all the way, and check to make sure the spring stays in place.

Install the roll pin just to where it slightly extends into the hole. This will aid you when installing the spring.

Here is a photo of what it should look like after valve, spring, and roll pin are installed into the cam plate.

With the ground edge of the spring, increased tension, and the improved bypass valve; this system will create more constant pressure. By doing this little upgrade your oil pressure will increase by about 15%, thus eliminating some if not all of the valve train chatter.

When installing the spring, use the extending part of the roll pin to hold the spring in place. Finish driving the

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t’s not very often that I get to interview local artists, but when I do, they’re like no other, and Tyler Elliot is just that. Hailing from just south of Pittsburgh, art was always in his future. He spent most of his childhood creating and drawing pictures of cars and trucks on whatever paper he could get his hands on.

He would then take all of his drawings and set them up as some sort of book, using his imagination to create worlds at his fingertips.

Despite being relatively new to the motorcycle world, in his teens and 20’s he rode BMX and was always somehow involved in various auto projects, painted a few bikes, but never had one of his own. After opening up his shop, TE Customs back in 2008, he felt the need to start building a bike of some sort, with plans to sell it after the build was done. Initially it was for the challenge of building something other than his usual cars and trucks, so he bought a Sportster off of one of his dad’s old riding friends. With the exception of some motor work and a couple mods, the bike was almost en-

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Article By: Amelia “Killer” Rose tirely stock, but a year and a half later it was something almost brand new. It

was a hardtailed, 21-16 wheel combo with a sweet fancy flake/candy/gold leaf paint job and some custom made bits and pieces. His first time riding it

was actually to one of our shows at a local Harley dealership! He won Best Sportster and got a sweet feature in the magazine! Since then, he’s received a few other awards for the bike, but the one from our shows stands out the most to him. The bike is still his, and he rides it every day, as much as he can, providing it isn’t snowing!

The inspiration for his art can be found in many places, anything from street art, lowbrow art, fine art, controversial art, macabre/horror, etc. but one thing from his childhood, in particular, stands out to him, the centerfold of the Guns N Roses album “Appetite For Destruction”. The monsters, the chaos, all of the layers built-in and in perfect color and detail. It was art, kid heaven!

A versatile artist requires versatile medium, and Tyler Elliot is no exception! For his fine art-type pieces he uses anything from colored pencils and acrylic to One Shot (for the pinstriping), whereas, for his automotive arts, he uses airbrush, gold/silver leafing, and various automotive paints.

Aside from the usual motorcycles

and automobiles he’s created art on, he’ll paint on anything from Yeti cups, coolers, cell phone cases, toilet seats, pumpkins, skateboards, shoes, you name it! A recent venture of his has actually been painting Kate Spade bags.

Another medium he has been working with on the side has been metals.

Anything from forming body panels for classic cars to fabricating suspension pieces for bikes and automobiles, as well as making signs, sculptures, and other artsy-type things. Despite its difficulty, it’s always something that has fascinated him, and he’s never one to back down from a challenge.

The thing that truly sets him apart from other artists in the industry is his versatility in medium use, as mentioned before. He also is someone who not only knows about his creations but is well versed in the building process and what it takes to create some of the pieces he works on. Being able to understand your craft like that is a valuable skill and makes for a sought after craftsperson or artisan.

For Tyler, the best part of his job is the feeling he gets when someone asks to have one of his pieces in a show, on their car, their walls, even sometimes on their bodies as tattoos!

Knowing others value your art as much as you do is a truly incredible feeling. Last year he was honored to have his bike displayed at the Night of the Troglodytes in Jersey, which was a great honor and an even better time!

He also had the honor of having both of his bikes displayed at Born Free 11 and got invited to the Keystone Collective in 2020!!

As for his plans for the future, it’s just to keep creating, keep challenging himself, and to keep himself and his artwork original and unique. Always one to challenge himself with new artwork, Tyler is always looking to improve himself as an artist, create more detail, sharper lines, creating something no one has ever seen before. Trying a different perspective than what the world around him sees keeps his skills sharp and his creativity flowing.

If you want to check out more of this cats incredible work or commission a piece for yourself, you can see him out on Instagram: @te_customs, facebook: TE customs or head on over to his website www.tecustoms.com

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t had been a wonderfully warm winter so far south of the Mexican border, but spring was approaching fast. Every May, a string of motorcycle rallies begins in Florida, continues up the east coast, and ultimately into New Hampshire.

These evenly spaced events offer vendor work for anyone who wants to travel. For years, this was the way that I was able to earn enough money by spring to provide comfortable, financially trouble-free travel for the remainder of the summer. As usual, my yearly work season would soon begin with the Thunder Beach Rally in Panama City Beach along the Florida panhandle.

Having emerged from Baja Mexico into southern California, I turned east for the cross country ride. While in camp one evening I received a call from Joe Rader from Blacksburg Virginia, I’d been listening to him squeal about the cold weather, ice, and lack of motorcycling all winter long. At one point, I’d thought he might be better off just committing suicide. “Where you at Scotty? Where are you going?” I told him. “You think I

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Article By: Scooter Tramp Scotty could get a job at the rally?” “Probably Joe. Every other wondering shmoo who comes looking for work seems to have found it.” “Do you mind if I catch up to you?” I didn’t.

The early May weather was warm as I approached the sunny shores of Panama. I arrived early so I could relax a while before the intense work week would begin. I set a course for my favorite camp spot deep in the woods. But things had changed.

Although Panama City Beach, which sits just west of Panama City, remained mostly intact, Panama City itself had been all but destroyed by a recent category five hurricane. I’d seen other hurricane-ravaged areas, but nothing like this. Buildings lay in shambles everywhere. Businesses, movie theaters, grocery stores, etc. had been battered into little more than rubble. Huge metal buildings had been reduced to grotesque masses of steel. And there was more.

I arrived at the dirt road leading into my forest camp spot only to be confronted by the huge trees that had fallen across my path. It was impossible to tell that a road had

ever existed there at all. Wow! I knew Panama had other areas of untouched woods, and I set out to find one. Every forest I saw had been blown to the ground with only a few spindly trees still barely standing.

Obviously local forests could no longer be used, so I started to think about all of the wasted buildings?

After investigating a few, it was in an industrial area that I located an abandoned electric motor shop. Its dirt driveway led around to a large fenced back yard. Protruding from the shop’s rear side was an open room that was devoid of a wall between it and the back yard. This space had once served as a kind of outside work area. After moving some debris and sweeping the floor with a broom that had been left behind, I moved in.

Two serious problems that often torment the full-time drifter are boredom and a lack of purpose. So many times, I’d seen guys come to a new town to stay awhile not realizing what it will be like. The locals are attending to their jobs and homes and are in their everyday mode. The drifter has hours, and days, and weeks,

with nothing that must be attended to. But how long can one sit around twiddling his thumbs before he goes entirely mad? Intense boredom sets in. So he tells his buddy, “Ain’t nothing going on here Bob, let’s go to the next town.” And it’s the same.

Then the next town, and the next, until, eventually, the last one is home.

In contrast, all the drifters who’ve remained out here long enough have overcome this crippling obstacle by developing a personal routine—a set of predetermined activities they attend to. These vary from person to person. For example, If I come into a town with Panhead Billy, we may establish a mutual camp spot before he takes off, and I don’t see him again until evening; his routine is very different from mine. I set to my activities. Days passed.

The call from Joe came in. He was in town on that little green 300cc Kawasaki Ninja. After meeting at Starbucks, I showed him to our condo.

Immediately Joe deemed this place a great home. Its advantages would become quite welcome as we’d come to sit out a few heavy rainstorms in our dry cubby hole.

Although it had taken time to establish my own routine, Joe’s seemed to come quite naturally.

He likes to swim and found aquatic centers at which to do so. Going to the gym is also a passion, and we sometimes visited these places together. Joe’s into health food and spent time searching out the best places to acquire such fare. Then there was always chasing women, as well as the other little adventures that come naturally when engaged in this lifestyle. In fact, once established, I hardly saw him, though we did spend a day together, which included the exploration of a hurricane-ravaged hotel.

I had a preset vendor job changing motorcycle tires at this rally, but Joe was desperately seeking employment. It was still days before the show would start when he was offered what I thought was a mediocre job. So, I placed a call to a reputable parts vendor that I knew paid well, and Joe was hired. He’d start in a few days.

Josh, a Kansas resident, had been calling me with questions for over a year. His ambition was to move fulltime onto his motorcycle. Last year he’d worked up to the starting line then chickened out. Like it does for so many, fear had beaten him. To my

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surprise, however, this year, Josh had actually left Kansas and was now in Panama looking for me and a vendor job. His call came in while Joe and I were sitting in Waffle House. After hanging up, I said, “Hey Joe, why don’t you call Josh with the number of that first vendor you were gonna work for?” He did, and Josh was immediately hired.

The new boss offered lodging, which kept Josh from setting camp in our cramped little electric shop.

Josh and I spent a day touring the town and exploring hurricane buildings. His nervousness at the reality of his new surroundings was keenly evident, and I just figured he’d mellow in time. But, the new boss kept Josh busy and I seldom saw him after that.

I received an invitation from the owner of 8Fifty (a local independent H-D shop) to drop in for a visit. After a tour of the place, Vaughn, the owner, took me to lunch. We made a pit stop at his house, and I found out his roommate Tim lived at the house also. There was a big back yard and garage full of motorcycle projects… this was obviously a serious motorcyclist bachelor pad.

The rally began, and I rode into Frank Brown Park to take my post at Randy’s Cycle Shack. His was a mobile bike repair shop that was set up in the sea of motorcycles and vendors. Joe needed a new tire, and my boss ordered his size.

When it arrived, Joe pulled his back wheel so I could install the new rubber. Vendors are a subculture; we were all in the same boat, and most of us knew each other. Due to the connections he now had, Joe paid only cost of the tire.

In years past, the only full-time motorcycle drifters I’d known had been Panhead Billy and myself.

However, in recent years there’s been an influx of new guys intent on this lifestyle. Most had contacted me before, or soon after, they’d hit the road. Of the many questions so many had thrown at me, the most common was about finding work at the rallies. I’d told them what I knew. All who’d come to find jobs had and many were working here now. When time allowed, we visited with each other.

As the rally wound down, an idea struck me. We’d all be exhausted after the show and could use a place to rest and regroup. I placed a call to Vaughn, “What do you

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think of letting a ragged group of motorcycle vagabonds hang in your back yard for a few days?”

Seemingly delighted, he’d said, “That would be great! I’ll bring the beer!” I was a little surprised at his enthusiasm.

Every drifter I talked to thought this was a great idea, so I passed Vaughn’s address around. At the rally’s end they began showing up.

There was Chip, who’d been on the road three years with his beat-up, early 2000s, Road Glide.

Laura, a small independent vendor who Chip often stayed with, came to park her trailer in the front yard.

Then there was Mike, Chip’s buddy who spent summers out here with Tank the Chihuahua on his Softail.

Josh came. And let’s not forget Nick, who’d been out over a year on his FXR. Then Joe and I. It was the first motorcycle drifter convention I’d heard of.

Things soon settled into a wonderful, if not mellow party.

When we were all gathered together, the talk of bikes and travel was intertwined with our other conversations. Everyone, except maybe Chip, because he’s a dirty bastard, had hot showers, and Vaughn had a washing machine we could use. There were so many personalities tuned towards a shared ambition, it was a fantastic few days.

Eventually, guys began filtering out into varying directions. Most, however, would make the 600-mile journey to work the upcoming rally in Myrtle Beach, NC. On the third day a handful of our little crew struck out for Myrtle. With me in the lead, the pace was slow and relaxed.

But, as with most new to the road, these guys were chomping to burn up the miles, and I could feel their tension behind me. Josh decided to hit the interstates and blast through so he could meet a girl. Chip and Mike only see roads as racetracks and lasted just a half-hour before leaving me in the dust. This left only Joe and me. Eager to learn, and obviously enjoying the ride as much as I, Joe moved contentedly at my relaxed pace. It would be days before we reached our destination.

But the journey would prove to be its own extraordinary adventure.

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Article By Heather Callen Photos By: Marcus Cuff

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rank Ball, Jr, the builder of the fine motorbike you see on these pages was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, which for those of us of that grew up in the country with hills, mountains and twisties between our house and the nearest store may not seem like the ideal place to sprout a love affair with motorcycles. But, when your grandfather is Keith “Bandit” Ball, the founder of Bikernet.com and former editor of the iconic old Easyriders, it seems as though that relationship between man

and machine would be inevitable.

Growing up, young Ball was surrounded by motorcycles and what we now consider incredible motorcycle history. He would spend hours in this shop with his granddad, watching one motorcycle project after another come to life. At age 12, the elder/ younger duo built a mini-chopper together using a lawnmower engine, and from there it was really on. This morphed into riding dirt bikes in the desert with his family and friends.

The years of watching his father

and grandfather wrench and ride together had a tremendous impact on young Ball, Jr. During his teen years, he started squirreling money away so he could buy his first street bike, a 1974 Triumph Trident, that he dubbed “Triple Trouble.” Now, like most of you, Jr. didn’t just ride with his elders, he wrenched with them too. His first build was a project that his dad and granddad were working on, a stretched FXR Chopper.

Just recently, Frank, Jr, and Keith rebuilt that chopper together, they freshened up the paint, swapped

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out the wiring and traded the girder for a 39mm narrow glide, and he says the set-up is top-notch now.

Alright, time move on to the matter at hand…the ripper we have featured here.

Franks works as a tattoo artist throughout the LA area and needed something with the power and agility to run the rough highways and narrow city streets. He knew he wanted something that would have no problem dodging cagers and splitting lanes. Sounds easy enough, but there was one more feature that wasn’t optional, it had to be set up and comfortable enough to cruise the open roads for hundreds of miles too.

When looking for inspiration for this project, Frank, Jr dug through his memory banks and remembered a Dyna Glide that his dad had owned. He fondly recalled Sr. letting him ride it around the block occasionally and being mesmerized by the machine. He knew then that he wanted to build something as close to that old Dyna as possible…he just had to

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make it better. Being an artist, he knew that the changes he would make would give this new bike some soul.

This only being the second bike that Frank Jr has put together. There were definitely some challenges. The most significant being the suspension, it took more time than anticipated to get it just right, but he’s sure glad he did. Frank and Keith upgraded pretty much everything that could assist in a smoother ride starting with the stock front end. The swapped that out with A 49mm dual disk set up with performance internals. From there they used a later model swing arm with CCE spherical bushings and a 1-inch axel with some 14’ shocks. Bennett’s performance fine-tuned the motor and a plethora of others including Saddleman, Brassballs Cycles , Custom Cycle Engineering , Metal Sport Wheels, 5 Ball Racing Leathers, Bartel’s Harley-Davidson all stepped up to ensure young Ball, Jr. would have a ride that proved form and function could go hand in hand.

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5 BALL DYNA TECH SHEET Owner: Frank Ball, Jr City/State: Los Angeles, California Builder: Keith R. Ball Frank Ball Jr Year: 2005 Model: DYNA FXD Value: $20,000 Time: 1 Year ENGINE Year: 2005 Model: Twin Cam Builder; Harley-Davidson Ignition: Zipper’s Displacement: 88’ Twin Cam Pistons: Stock Heads: Stock Carb: Cam: Andrews Mid Cam Air Cleaner: Arlen Ness/Brass Balls Cover Exhaust: Bubs Primary: Stock TRANSMISSION Year: 2005 Make: Stock Shifting: Mid-Controls/Barnetts Clutch FRAME Year: 2005 Model: FXD Rake: Stock/ Doctor John Stretch: Rear Added Linby Crash Bar Forks Builder: K.Ball/F.Ball Jr Type: 49 MM Dual Disk Triple Trees: Stock Extension: WHEELS Front Wheel: Metal Sport Size: 21” Tire: Metzler Front Brake: Dual Disk H-D Rear Wheel: Metal Sport Size: 16” Tire: Metzler Rear Brake: Harley-Davidson PAINT Painter: Chris Morrison/Yvon Mecalis Color: Orange/Black/ Silver Pinstriping Type: Panels ACCESSORIES Bars: 14’ MXT Bars Black Risers: Hand Controls: Brassballs Foot Controls: Brassballs Gas Tank(S): Stock Oil Tank: Stock Front Fender: Stock Rear Fender: Chopped Seat: Saddleman Step Up Headlight: Aeromach Taillight: Bikers Choice Speedo: None Photographer: Marcus Cuff

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When asked if it’s a rider, Franks says, “Hell, yeah. It’s been my daily since getting it dialed in.” He also shared some of his favorite spots to take her for a rip and recommends that if you’re out that way on two wheels you should hit the sunny Malibu canyons, the back roads of Santa Barbara, the 154 is epic out to Cachuma lake and of course the 101 up to the Bay (San Francisco).

Frank Ball, Jr would like to thank his grandfather for lending a hand, sharing knowledge all along the way, and, most importantly, making time and providing the space in his shop to all make it possible.

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Article By: Xavier Muriel

h

owdy Folks! Well 2019 has come to an end at least for all my rally and event commitments. What a f#@ king year it has been. I’ve had the pleasure and honor of being invited to and attending some of this country’s greatest bike events! That being said, the best part of it all was getting to see and hang with old buddies and the joy of making new ones. This year has proven to not only be a landmark period for growth both professionally and personally.

There were so many fantastic experiences that I had with “Grace” and no she’s not my ol’ lady, she’s my bike, In case some of you are new and haven’t been reading my articles it all started with Michael Lichter’s “Passion Built” exhibit back in Sturgis 2018 and ending with the “In Motion” show at the Lone Star Rally in early November 2019. So I’d say a full year of traveling the country and not only showing Grace but having the privilege of riding her alongside some of the best builders in the world that I call friends is the complete and total pay off of the work I put in.

You see, one of the lessons and experiences that I spoke of earlier

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was what I had lost track of, even if for a very short time, was much needed in order for me to come full circle and remember why I chose to leave that other life and pursue this one. Here it is…ready? It’s the ride! I got so f#@king caught up in all the other bullshit, chasing money, notoriety and anything else that was a quick fix. I’m not so proud that I can’t admit it. Where I’m truly most grateful is that I have a very small core of people in my life that called me on that shit. After being talked off the ledge a few times, a couple bouts of some not so nice exchange of words, I realized they were right.

This thing we call a “lifestyle” or “culture” in my opinion was

always based on one thing, doing what we love. The simple organic feeling of being in the wind and that feeling of freedom and for some, a sense of power.

I learned through hard knocks that it’s not about the show, the invite, the cash purse or even bragging rights!

It’s about the machine, the stages of its creation and ultimately, yep, you guessed it the ride! I’ve played on some of the world’s biggest stages in front of God knows how many people and don’t get me wrong that feeling is incredible, but the difference between that and “The Ride” is it’s only ME on the bike, I’m not sharing that feeling with 28K people or my band members for 1.5 hours, No, this experience is all mine! I’m ever so grateful to have been guided back to the true path of why I love motorcycles in the first place. I hope that you will get a chance to experience that feeling for yourself one day.

This leads me to the end of this rant; I could not have asked for a better ending to the 2019 season than the Lone Star Rally in Galveston in my great state of Texas.

It is turning out to be one of the biggest in the country, some 300,000 bikes converge on a small Gulf Coast town and for a weekend to enjoy all of the great things that a world class bike rally has to offer. Home to Cycle Source’s own “In Motion” Show and ride. You read it right, ride. The “In Motion” show is not only an invite only event showcasing some of the best motorbike builders in the business and their machines, but these fu#@kers have to be ridden in an 80-mile shakedown ride! Meaning if you don’t finish the shakedown then you are disqualified from winning the $10K dollar cash purse. The invitees are judge in various categories by

peers, members of the trades and industry professionals. Again, the best part of that entire weekend was the shakedown ride I completed with the likes of Bill Dodge, Roadside Marty, Austin Andrella, Majik Mike and Clinton Wallace to name a few. We rode six wide in cold,

windy weather along the Galveston coast line. No amount of money, trophies or accolades can compare to the precise moment of being present for a moment in time that may never happen again. Pulling into a crowded park with those guys on our machines was one of the highest points of my life thus far. Not only did I get to ride with my Brothers and my Sisters, but I got to play some Rock-N-Roll later that weekend with my band the “Black Smoke Sinners” to an impressive crowd. Now, the splendor wasn’t in the number of people that were there (and there were a lot) but it was to see all of my fellow builders and friends down in front banging their heads, taking off their shirts and yes even the mighty Austin Andrella jumping onto the stage and getting crazy was epic.

I had the honor of sharing the stage with guys I’ve known along time and Mr. Chris Callen who has been my Brother and Confidant in this motorcycle thing we do but who I now call my bass player as well! It was such an overwhelming joy to not only have shared the bike thing that whole weekend but now I’m on stage with him playing music and having a blast doing it.

Again, I’m back to why f#@kin’ do it if I’m not having fun, right?! Well that’s the whole point of this article. Do what you love just because you love it! This whole weekend has brought a new perspective to my life and those I choose to be around. I can’t say thank you enough to Chris and Heather and all the other builders and friends for showing me what I had forgotten and didn’t even know it.... Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride...

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Article By: Tyler Porter Photos By: Savannah Rose

a

lot of things are set to change in 2020. We will all be inundated with political nonsense for 11 months of the year. Markets will reflect the political turmoil, and we may end up with a new president in November.

Who cares? This column is about racing. Even with our nation’s future at stake, so too is our flat track series.

In 2020 American Flat Track is rolling out its most significant departure from the status quo, the Super Twins class.

In early September, AFT issued a memorandum to all teams and riders explaining the new class. Want the cliff notes version? Basically, they are selling 18 starting spots in the class.

You pay AFT to have a guaranteed spot in a Grand National main event.

No more than 18 riders, and in their optimistic musings, no less. You didn’t turn to this page to get the cliff notes, however. Let’s dive in.

It seems to me that AFT boss Michael Lock is dead set on turning the series into Formula 1 or at the very least, MotoGP. While there is an admirable thought process to moving our sport in that direction, it is my

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belief that fans love those top levels of motorsports for what they are; high glitz, high glam, and more pomp and circumstance than 100 high school graduation ceremonies. It is also my belief that people love American Flat Track because it is the opposite of that. It’s a sport where a farmer from Quebec can hop off his combine and win a national. A father and son can build a competitive motorcycle on a working man’s budget in their garage after work. People relate to that. I think your typical flat track fan actually is living that lifestyle.

Sure, there are teams funded by millionaires, and most of those teams do their share of the winning, but is this a “too soon” move? My day job is in product development for a global manufacturer. Change is a constant. At first, I couldn’t handle it.

Just as we were moving in the right direction on a project, we changed course. It drove me batty. However, 5 years in, company procedures haven’t changed, but I’ve learned to give everything a shot. That is what I am doing with this super twins development. Let’s see how it works first. At the end of the day, we aren’t

going to miss a race because we don’t agree with the structure, are we?

Here’s how it works: Teams are allowed to field up to two Super Twins entries for a season. There are 2 different levels of teams. There are Partner teams at a cost of $35,000 for a two-rider team or $20,000 for a single rider team, and then there are Pro teams at a cost of $24,000 for two riders and $13,000 for one rider. What is the difference between Partner and Pro teams???... How much marketing you pay for from AFT. American Flat Track is promising to basically handle all of the marketing duties for Partner teams. Pro teams will get some marketing help, but they will be responsible for the heavy lifting. There are also “single event wildcard entries.” There will be up to 4 available wild card spots at each round. These entry spots are just shy of $2,000 per event.

One of the huge questions that I have is about American Flat track’s marketing efforts for the teams.

Hypothetically speaking, what if you spend the same $20,000 that Jared Mees spends for your one

rider Partner team. However, you’ve got 12th place talent. You mean to tell me that my $20,000 is getting me the exact same exposure and TV coverage that Jared is getting when he’s dancing on top of the podium? I also worry about the type of marketing that AFT will offer. If it’s just cookie-cutter autograph sheets and race reports, that doesn’t cut it, that isn’t worth the cost.

Technical rules won’t have any significant changes from this year

the stands; it’s what made MotoGP stars pick their jaws up off the dirt in Indianapolis in 2009. American Flat Track is basically tidying up the race day schedule for TV consumption.

Alas, there is a solution: Take it easy on the Super Twins. Let them do what they are going to do. Watch them on TV and hope and pray that it takes our sport to the next level.

What you don’t have to hope and pray for are the Production Twins and Pro Singles classes. I think a lot of

to 2020, so the teams won’t be scrambling too hard in the offseason, at least not any harder than usual. So what will we see on the track, who knows? I can tell you this though, the professional side of Flat Track isn’t as healthy as it looks from the outside. Rider counts have been in steady decline, and ever since I have been involved with the pro side of the sport, all that has ever been said is that “TV Coverage will save us.” The problem is, what if there are only 10 riders who can afford to race super twins? That won’t be much of a show. The “show” is what sells out

Super Twins talent is going to move down to the production twins classes and really shake that class up. It will be a class of underdogs and misfits.

They will become the new “show to watch.” I don’t even have to explain Pro Singles to an avid fan, that class is bonkers all on its own.

So while we have major changes at the top, at the lower levels of our sport, we will still be enjoying the party. Hmmm…kind of sounds like a political situation.

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Hey, It’s been a completely whacky year. We live in the best of times, and folks want to throw a wrench into everything. I’ve lived in the same joint for 15 years, and I’m trying to shake up my life with a couple of new adventures, maybe three.

We are building the Salt Torpedo, maybe the first streamlined trike for Bonneville. I’ve been completely twisted by the whole project and Micah McCloskey wants to make a speed run quick. Hell, it hasn’t been tested at 50 mph yet. What would Eddie Trotta think?

The major shake-up is trying to buy a house in Deadwood. I can’t wait to get the hell out of CA, but in a sense I can’t entirely. The Bikernet headquarters next to the Port of LA is stuck there for the time being. It’s perfect in so many respects. I wish I could uproot it and deliver it to the Badlands.

The final adventure is a secret. I’ll discuss it next month, and maybe a couple of other surprises. Hang On. Let’s hit the news.

Vintage Electric Introduces Powerful New 48-Volt Throttle Bike Inspired By Carroll Shelby’s Legendary Cobra Using Most Powerful Battery Pack Yet, Vintage Electric Presents Hot Rod TwoWheeler Celebrating One of Motorsports Most Famous Race Cars, the Cobra

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Vintage Electric is known for designing high-performance electric bikes that perfectly pair bygone-era aesthetic with state-of-the-art technology. Now, ahead of the major motion picture release documenting one of the greatest racing victories of all time in Ford v Ferrari, Vintage Electric is excited to present the all-new 48-volt Shelby throttle bike.

Inspired by Carroll Shelby’s personal metallic blue 289 Slabside, Vintage Electric partnered with Carroll Shelby International to craft a two-wheel hot rod that celebrates the iconic race car that started it all, the Cobra.

As part of the bike’s development process, Vintage Electric also met with Aaron Shelby, Carroll’s grandson and closely researched one of the racing legend’s very first personal 289 Slabside cars. Alongside driving the Cobra, Vintage Electric also took great care in incorporating the smallest details and classic finishes into the new bike’s overall design. The new Vintage Electric

Shelby is outfitted in the exact matching blue metallic N6 paint scheme as Carroll’s own 289 Cobra with matte black racing stripes and iconic Shelby logo alongside distinctive Cobra badging.

To further express the classic Slabside aesthetic, Vintage Electric crafted the rugged handle grips and saddle seat to perfectly mirror the interior design of Carroll’s original blue 289. In fit and finish as well as color, tires, wheels, and brakes, every facet of the new bike echoes the legendary Cobra car it was modeled after. The black striping and metallic blue are tastefully accented with tones of silver throughout to make sure that the new Shelby bike immediately makes an impression out on the road.

Above all, the Cobra is known for its visceral, aggressive performance.

Vintage Electric kept that in mind by integrating the most powerful battery pack the company has ever used for the new Shelby bike. The newest Vintage Electric throttle bike features a massive 48-volt battery along with a muscular 1,123-watt battery cell. The more powerful amerpage allows Vintage Electric Shelby bike riders quicker off the line speed and torquey performance on road. The large battery is housed in a stunningly crafted matte black castaluminum housing that briskly charges in a speedy 4.5 hours.

In another nod to classic Shelby race cars, the new high-performance Vintage Electric Shelby bike features a specially tuned ‘Race’ mode that is capable of speeds up to 36 mph on private-

property/closed-courses. To unlock the full performance of the ‘Race’ mode, Vintage Electric Shelby riders must take out a specially designed speed key that is installed in every battery pack.

After a full charge, the Vintage Electric Shelby reliably offers up to a 75-mile range. The new bike features a high quality hydroformed aluminum frame made for striking the perfect balance out on the road with an MRP inverted-fork system. The front suspension supplies 60mm of front wheel travel. The Vintage Electric Shelby also integrates a stately LED headlamp and rear taillights that not only illuminate the open road for riders but recaptures the celebrated American spirit of race cars.

For more information on the $7,249.00 Shelby bike or other Vintage Electric models, please visit www. vintageelectricbikes.com, or call (408) 969-0836.

Pirelli is Confirmed as the Official Tire Supplier for all Classes of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship Until 2023 -With the extension of the partnership with Dorna WSBK Organization for an additional three years, the relationship established in 2004 between Pirelli and the production-derived series will boast a unique 20-year collaboration in motorsport In response to the evolution of supersport machines, and confirming Pirelli’s role as a leading tire manufacturer in the international racing scene, starting from 2020 all WorldSBK Championship classes will use DIABLO™ Superbike slick tires In the WorldSBK category, the larger sizes become the new standard, as well as the rear 190/60 for WorldSSP, and the switch to slick tires will gradually involve the national championships in which Pirelli participates. The SCX option will enter the DIABLO™ Superbike range and become available on the market Pirelli has been confirmed by Dorna WorldSBK Organization as the Official Tire Supplier for all classes of the MOTUL

FIM Superbike World Championship up to and including the 2023 season.

In agreement with the promoter and organizer of the production-derived series and with the FIM, the International Motorcycling Federation, the Italian tire company has extended, as per contractual conditions, the current supply agreement, set to expire in 2020, for three additional seasons.

Pirelli, in agreement with Dorna WSBK Organization and the FIM, also announces that from 2020 all WorldSBK Championship classes will exclusively use DIABLO™ Superbike slick tires. This means, starting from next season, the WorldSSP and WorldSSP300 classes and the newborn Yamaha R3 bLU cRU European Cup will also have the maximum technology and performance

offered by the top product in the Pirelli range, replacing the DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC treaded tires used in those classes.

Beginning in 2004, and initially designed to contain the overall costs of running the Championship, the technical partnership established by Pirelli with the Federation, promoter, teams and racers represented the first example of single tire formula in the history of top motor racing competitions. Now, after almost 20 years, it has proven to be a winning choice that has been followed by other two and four-wheel championships, offering all riders and teams the same opportunities to compete for victory, through a fair and identical tire supply for all.

The slick solutions are in fact not only

able to guarantee better performance than treaded ones, thus allowing riders to exploit the full potential of their machines, but they have also become the new reference for all motorcyclists and amateur racers who love to use their own motorcycle on the track while participating in track days.

In the WorldSBK class, the rear tires will all be in the 200/65 rear and 125/70 front sizes which, as per the rules, the riders will be able to use a maximum amount of 11 front and 13 rear to cover the entire race weekend. - Casey Huntley Indian Motorcycle Delivers Most Powerful Engine In Its Class With New Powerplus – A New Level Of V-Twin Performance From America’s First Motorcycle Company Liquid-Cooled 108 Cubic Inch Motor delivering 122 Horsepower and 128 ft-lbs. of Torque to Power New Indian Challenger Indian Motorcycle, America’s First Motorcycle Company, raised the bar for American motorcycles today with the announcement of its most powerful engine to date, the PowerPlus. The all-new 108 cubic inch, liquid-cooled, V-twin engine delivers a class-leading 122 horsepower and 128 ftlbs. of torque and establishes a dramatically new standard for V-twin performance.

The PowerPlus will serve as the heart of the new Indian Challenger, an allnew, fixed-fairing bagger that utilizes Indian Motorcycle’s state-of-the-art technology to become the highestperforming American V-twin ever developed. The new engine’s name is a nod to Indian Motorcycle’s iconic history, paying homage to the Indian PowerPlus motorcycle produced from 1916 to 1924.

“We challenge our engineers with the notion that anything less than best-inclass design and performance will simply not get it done, and it’s clear with this new engine that they have delivered on that high standard,” said Steve Menneto, Indian Motorcycle President. “Countless hours were spent in design, development and testing to ensure this is the best liquid-cooled V-twin ever developed, and January ‘20 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE 87

THE CYCLE SOURCE WORLD REPORT - POWERED BY BIKERNET.COM

I could not be prouder of our team and this incredible motor.”

The PowerPlus adopts several design and performance features from the liquidcooled 1,133 cc Indian Scout engine, including an overhead camshaft design utilizing four valves per cylinder. But comparisons end there. The PowerPlus was developed with a big-piston, bigtorque mindset with an end game of maximum power delivery across the entire curve.

The all-new powertrain features a sixspeed transmission with true overdrive, assist clutch to reduce clutch effort, and three ride modes that allow riders to tailor throttle mapping to their riding preferences. Advanced technology also includes hydraulic valve lash adjusters and hydraulic camshaft chain tensioners for ease of maintenance and reliability.

The PowerPlus was tested, refined and proven by one of the industry’s most rigorous development and testing programs, accumulating nearly one million miles of simulated testing, including state-of-the-art dyno testing, and more than 250,000 on-road miles.

Indian Motorcycle PowerPlus Engine Specifications: Engine Displacement: 108 cubic inches (1,769 cc); Power: 122 hp at 5,500 RPM; Torque: 128 ft-lbs at 3,800 RPM; Maximum Engine Speed: 6,500 RPM; Architecture: 60-degree V-twin, liquid-cooled powerplant; Crankcase: Unit design featuring a high capacity semi-dry sump oil system; Timing System: Overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder; Fuel System: Electronic fuel injection. 52mm dual bore throttle bodies; Compression Ratio: 11:1; Transmission: Six-speed with true overdrive, constant mesh; Clutch: Assist clutch; The PowerPlus will be built in Osceola, Wisconsin with final motorcycle assembly taking place in Indian Motorcycle’s production facility in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

AMA NATIONAL NEWS WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Reviving America’s Scenic Byways Act (S. 349) passed the U.S. Senate by voice vote on Sept. 9 and was signed by the president. The bill passed the House in February. The bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to request nominations for, and make determinations regarding, roads to be designated under the national scenic byways program, which has been closed for six years.

The AMA was part of the coalition

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that helped create this program in 1991 and is part of a coalition now intent on reviving the program. Many of the country’s favorite motorcycling roads are National Scenic Byways and benefit from the resources provided to preserve and enhance them. From the Blue Ridge Parkway, stretching 469 miles from North Carolina to Virginia, to the Beartooth Highway between Montana and Wyoming, to Hells Canyon in Oregon, there are 150 roads designated as National Scenic Byways.

The program provides resources that help communities along these byways benefit from the tourism they generate, while preserving the characteristics of the roads that made them great destinations in the first place. Officials are prepared to seek National Scenic Byway designation for 44 roads in 24 states as soon as the program is restarted.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed an order in late August that allows electric bicycles on all trails on Department of Interior land where pedal bicycles are

permitted.

The new policy covers all of the national parks and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Despite the BLM and U.S. Forest Service still considering e-bikes motorized vehicles, the San Juan Nation Forest in Colorado has allowed some e-bikes on selected nonmotorized trails following an environmental assessment and public input in 2017.

In a more controversial move, the Tahoe National Forest also recently allowed electric mountain bikes on some nonmotorized trails without undergoing reviews under the National

Environmental Policy Act or seeking public comments.

The AMA believes federal lands should be available for use by all Americans engaging in a wide range of recreational activities. However, the AMA believes the growing popularity of e-bikes has posed many questions and agencies should manage their use consistently, especially in terms of soliciting public comments.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The federal highway bill introduced July 29 in the U.S. Senate contains a provision calling for a study of funding levels for the Recreational Trails Program, which the AMA believes has been underfunded for years. The program receives revenue from the sale of fuel for nonhighway use.

That money helps pay for recreational trails for motorized and nonmotorized use. Typically, annual funding is about $84 million. But the Recreational Trails Coalition-which includes the AMAbelieves the trail fund should receive more than $270 million a year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - With the government’s approval of the year-round sale of fuel containing as much as 15 percent ethanol, motorcyclists and ATV riders need to be even more vigilant when filling up their vehicle’s tanks. The Nebraska Corn Board is promoting increased availability of E15 fuel by offering $50,000 grants to service stations that upgrade to blender pumps that would supply the higherethanol blend.

The blender pumps also would handle E30 and E85, which are approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use in flexfuel vehicles only. As more retailers install E15 pumps and offer the product throughout the year as “Unleaded88,” the risk rises for motorcyclists to unintentionally pump E15 or higher blends into their tanks. None of the estimated 22 million motorcycles and ATVs in use in the United States is certified by the EPA to operate on fuel containing more than 10 percent ethanol.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must reconsider its 2018 renewable volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard because the agency failed to consider how the policy would affect endangered species, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled.

In a suit brought in 2018, the Sierra Club and the Gulf Restoration Network

THE CYCLE SOURCE WORLD REPORT - POWERED BY BIKERNET.COM argued that habitats of whooping cranes Displayed For The First Time powertrain has an internal counter balancer and gulf sturgeon could be affected if corn production is increased to meet federal standards for ethanol in vehicle fuels. Claims made by refineries and energy companies that the RVOs were too low or too high were rejected by the court.

The EPA argued that it did make a determination when it responded to comments on the proposed standards by saying it could not attribute any damage to habitats or species to changes in the rule.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc., has asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to remove regulatory barriers for selfdriving cars that do not have steering wheels or brake pedals, according to a Reuters report.

But Waymo still wants NHTSA to ensure the safety of those cars on the road. Automakers currently must meet nearly 75 auto safety standards for self-driving cars, many written under the assumption that a licensed driver is in command of the vehicle using traditional controls. NHTSA should first work on addressing those safety standards that assume a human is behind the wheel before revising rules to address alternative seating configurations, Waymo said in a letter to the agency.

That will “enable the timely deployment” of vehicles without manual controls. NHTSA is also grappling with how and where to test self-driving cars to assure they are safe, according to the Reuters report. The agency is considering whether to use simulations or external remote controls in testing.

Many automakers plan remote controls to pilot autonomous vehicles through factories or onto trucks.

The AMA objects to the deployment of automated vehicles that do not properly detect and appropriately respond to motorcycles, other nearby vehicles or pedestrians.

Industry- MILWAUKEE - The HarleyDavidson Motor Company is offering two years of free charging for its LiveWire electric motorcycle at ChargePoint stations at participating Harley dealers.

The company also is providing 500 kWh of charging service at Electrify America stations. The LiveWire is Harley’s first electric motorcycle, claiming a range of 140 miles of city driving per charge.

Publicly At EICMA In Milan, HarleyDavidson® Is Showcasing Two AllNew Middleweight Motorcycles – And the release of information surrounding the latest signature Harley-Davidson® V-Twin engine – the Revolution® Max. The powerful all-new 60-degree V-Twin has been designed for a new range of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in two different guises – 1250cc in the new Harley-Davidson Pan America™ and 975cc in the Harley-Davidson® Bronx™.

Harley-Davidson® first announced expansion into new segments including new middleweight offerings in its More Roads to Harley-Davidson® accelerated plan for growth in July 2018. These exhilarating new models will both launch in late 2020 extending the iconic brand into new market segment.

Pan America™ - The Harley-

Davidson Pan America™ is an all-new advanced adventure touring multipurpose motorcycle equal parts campfire, wanderlust, and grit. The Pan America™ is a two-wheel multi-tool built to endure, designed to explore, and engineered for the unknown.

Bronx™ - The new Harley-Davidson® Revolution® Max powertrain is also at the heart of an all new Bronx™.

This middleweight streetfighter model rolls with an unapologetic attitude and performance to match.

Powering both the new Pan America™ and Bronx models is the new liquidcooled 975cc and 1,250cc Revolution® Max engine. Created to power a range of new Harley-Davidson® models, the Revolution® Max is designed to offer flexible performance with a broad powerband that builds to a surge of high-RPM power. Minimizing weight and maximizing performance, the Revolution® Max provides a narrow powertrain profile that is integrated into the motorcycle as a stressed member of the frame to enhance center of gravity and handling. The fully balanced

that mitigates primary engine vibration to enhance rider comfort and improve vehicle durability. Its design is bold and contoured, classic and contemporary, strong and svelte – a representation of HarleyDavidson® performance and style.

Revolution® Max 1250 Engine Performance Targets - Displacement 1250cc; More than 145 horsepower; More than 90 ft. lbs. peak torque Revolution® Max 975 Engine Performance Targets - Displacement 975cc; More than 115 horsepower; More than 70 ft. lbs. peak torque; Revolution® Max Engine Technical Features - Liquid-Cooled V-Twin Architecture- Since 1909 the V-Twin engine has been the centerpiece for legendary Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. This lineage continues into the middleweight performance space with the Revolution® Max engine. ; A 60-degree vee angle of the cylinders provides space for dual down draft throttle bodies that maximize air flow and increase performance. ; Liquid cooling maintains a controlled engine temperature for consistent performance in changing environmental and riding situations.

High Performance Development Collaboration– Braking and Tire To optimize performance of the new Pan America™ and Bronx™ models, Harley-Davidson® tapped into the expertise of world class component manufacturers to deliver bespoke solutions for braking and tire performance. For braking, HarleyDavidson® collaborated with Brembo® to create a new radial monoblock four-piston caliper that combines sharp edges with softer curves designed to create a style that complements the personality of the bike and delivers outstanding braking feel and capability. For tires, Michelin® and HarleyDavidson® have worked closely to develop co-branded tires for each motorcycle model that optimize performance, feel and grip in all conditions.

We are living in the best of times and don’t you forget it. Sure, the control freaks want it to be the worst of times, so they can pass more laws, but we know better.

Freedom works! If you want to keep up on what the bad guys are up to, slip over to Bikernet.com almost any time for more news and views. In the meantime, ride fast and free forever! -Bandit

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1. Red Fuel Valve Handle. 2. Missing Center Seam On Seat. 3. Extra Head Fins On Front Jug. 4. Brass Shift Knob. 5. Concave Oil Tank Side Panel.

6. Extra Pipe Wrap On Front Exhaust Pipe. 7. Shorter Rear Exhaust Pipe.

8. Missing Jack Shaft Housing. 9. Brass Oil Filter. 10. Extra Clutch Pressure Plate On Front Pulley.

FIND TEN DIFFERENT THINGS ON GRACE NO THERE ISN’T ANY REAL PRIZE, JUST SOMETHING TO DO WHILE YOU’RE IN THE CAN.

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Metzeler ROADTEC™ 01 SE

Following the success of the multiple award-winning ROADTEC™ 01 METZELER has decided to introduce the new ROADTEC™ 01 SE. This completes METZELER’s catalog, consolidating the strengths of the ROADTEC™ 01 – with its exceptional performance in wet conditions and high mileage – and enhancing the sporty characteristics in terms of the grip and agility. The tread design for the ROADTEC™ 01 SE provides a tire with a slicker shoulder, optimizing drive with a greater surface area coming into contact with the asphalt. The front models of the ROADTEC™ 01 SE inherit the latest version of the full-silica compound and feature the same tread pattern in the middle section, a key aspect of its exceptional grip on low-friction surfaces. The relative structural refinement optimizes performance through half and full lean, improving agility and steering stability. The rear models of the ROADTEC™ 01 SE use a bi-compound and feature a sportier tread pattern, aimed at offering greater drive at sharper lean angles together with comfort and driving pleasure capable of satisfying even the most demanding riders, both on long routes and winding roads. ROADTEC™ 01 and ROADTEC™ 01 SE: two products perfect for any adventurer with a sports attitude. www.metzeler.com

33-1454 7” Chrome FLST LED Headlamp Assembly

New at V-Twin!! Light up the night and be seen during the day with our new 7” chrome LED Headlamp Assembly. It’s time to upgrade your FLST bike to LED lighting. Mounts on 1986-2017 FLST models and features a 12 volt daylight LED lamp with attached wire harness and OE style connector for ease of installation. Bulb features 2 D-shape lenses to focus light in front, as well as top low beam and bottom high beam. Includes bottom mount chrome shell for OE or custom applications and mount block. Exclusively thru your V-Twin authorized dealers. Uses 33-1104 replacement lamp. Find more information on our website www.vtwinmfg.com or visit your local dealer today.

DRAG SPECIALTIES SEATS PREDATOR SEATS Shoei J-O

DRAG SPECIALTIES BULLET-STYLE REAR TURN SIGNAL KIT

This turn signal kit from Drag Specialties replaces the stock rear turn signals and mounting bar with bullet-style rear turn signals with amber lenses and a narrower-profile mounting bar. Kit includes 1156-style bulbs and is DOT compliant. Available in black. Sug. Retail $149.95. https://www.dragspecialties.com/ products/?productId=551397

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Retro, meet modern. Featuring a classic open-face shell design inspired by a rich heritage of vintage SHOEI models, the new J·O is finished with a splash of modern styling, a compact overall profile thanks to SHOEI’s advanced technologies and state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques, and the innovative CJ-3 shield for increased performance and maximum versatility. Enjoy the ride!

Sizes XS-XXL Starting at $379.00 https://www.shoei-helmets.com/ helmets/j-o.html

Now available for 18-20 FLFB/FLFBS models, the Predator Seat features a molded polyurethane foam for maximum comfort and styling. The ABS thermoformed seat base provides the perfect fit while the carpeted bottom and rubber bumpers protect the paint. Compatible with all Drag Specialties and most Harley-Davidson® sissy bars, the seat is available in high- quality automotivegrade vinyl or solar-reflective leather which can reduce surface temperature by as much as 25°F and provide higher durability and a longer life than conventional leather or vinyl. Mounting hardware included. Made in the U.S.A. Sug. Retail $301.95 - $335.95 https://seats.dragspecialties.com/ products/?productId=89963

DRAG SPECIALTIES BATTERY CABLE KITS

Drag Specialties Battery Cable Kits are now available for 09-17 Softail models.

These kits contain all the cables necessary when replacing OEM cables. Cables are manufactured with pure electrolytic-grade, 36-gauge tinned copper strands ensuring flexibility without sacrificing current transfer and feature 1/4” and 5/16” terminals.

Drag Specialties battery cable kits provide maximum current boost to the starter motor. Suggested retail is $38.95. For more information, go to www.dragspecialties. com or contact your local Drag Specialties dealer.

Z1R-Timber Denim Jacket

Z1R introduces the brand new women’s Timberella denim jacket.

Our thick, woven denim chassis is combined with a full length inner flannel liner to bring you the brand new Z1R Timber Denim.

Women can now get the best of both worlds, the appearance of denim but with the comfort of a flannel. A full metal snap and concealed zipper front closure, you get the look of a casual without the fuss of a standard hole to button closure. Providing increased rider mobility, this jacket is fitted with expanded shoulder gussets and an extended jacket tail. Inside you will find a large conceal and carry pocket to holster your favorite piece. Available in sizes S-3XL, suggested retail $99.95-$104.95. . www.z1r.com

DRAG SPECIALTIES BRAKE PARTS CLEANER

Quickly removes dirt, grease, brake fluid and grime from critical brake components. This product flushes contaminants with a highly pressurized, fast-evaporating spray without disassembling the brake unit. Restores smooth brake operation. 10% VOC formula is 50-state compliant and non-chlorinated, hexane-free and trichloroethane-free.20 fl. oz can. Sug. Retail $6.95. Visit www. dragspecialties.com

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OFFICIAL POWDERCOATER OF FLAT BROKE CHOPS & RODS

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ADVERTISERS INDEX 5 Ball Racing Leather................... 92 Bare Bones Leather......................94 Battery Outlet..............................97 BikerNet.com..................................18 Bikers Choice..................................2 Blue Grass Engraving...................69 Chop Cult......................................94 Cycle Source Gear...........................4 Cycle Showcase STL .....................68 Dennis Kirk.....................................9 Denver’s Choppers........................59 Drag Specialties.............................19 Dutchman.....................................97 Faith Forgotten Choppers.............89 Feuling..........................................94 Flat Broke Chops & Rods..............81 GEICO.............................................3 Harbor Freight...............................29 Hijinx Apparel................................59 Hot Leathers..................................90 I Draw Flies...................................97 Inferno Art.....................................94 Kiwi Indian....................................47 Led Sled.........................................65 Lowbrow Customs.........................19 MC Creations.................................93 Metzeler.........................................55 Mikuni...........................................37 Motion Pro.....................................85 No School Choppers.......................97 Pandemonium................................93 Paughco......................................13,75 Progressive Insurance...................33 Providence Cycle Worx...................69 Russ Brown...................................25 S&S Cycle.....................................100 SpeedKing.....................................35 Sporty Parts...................................97 Steel City H-D..............................99 Tech Cycles....................................47 Tropical Tattoo..............................59 Twisted Choppers............................5 Zipper’s Performance.....................49

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next day when he sees the mailman at his front door. The boy greets him by saying, “I know the whole truth.”

The mailman immediately drops the mail, opens his arms, and says, “Then come give your Daddy a great big hug!”

Nick

Heard A Good One Lately ?

Then Send It Along To Us At:

D

119 Dellenbaugh Rd. Tarentum, PA 15084 Or E-mail To cyclesourcemain@comcast.net

A

young farm couple, Homer and Darlene, got married and just couldn’t seem to get enough lovin’. In the morning, before Homer left the house for the fields, they made love. When Homer came back from the fields, they made love. And again, at bedtime, they made love.

The problem was their nooner; it took Homer a half hour to travel home and another half hour to return to the fields, and he just wasn’t getting enough work done. Finally, Homer asked the town doctor what to do. “Homer, “said the doctor, “just take your rifle out to the field with you, and when you’re in the mood, fire off a shot into the air. That will be Darlene’s signal to come out to you. Then you won’t lose any field time.” They tried Doc’s advice, and it worked well for a while.

Homer came back to the doctor’s office. What’s wrong?” asked the Doc. “Didn’t my idea work?” “Oh, it worked really good,” said Homer.

“Whenever I was in the mood, I fired off a shot like you said, and Darlene’d come runnin’. We’d find a secluded place, make love, and then she’d go back home again.” “Good, Homer.

So, what’s the problem?” asked the Doc. “I ain’t seen her since huntin’ season started.”

Brian

A

family is at the dinner table.

The son asks the father, “Dad, how many kinds of boobs are there?” The father, surprised, answers, “Well, son, a woman goes

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through three phases. In her 20s, a woman’s breasts are like melons, round, and firm. In her 30s and 40s, they are like pears, still nice, hanging a bit. After 50, they are like onions.”

“Onions?” the son asks. “Yes. You see them, and they make you cry.”

This infuriated his wife and daughter.

The daughter asks, “Mom, how many different kinds of willies are there?”

The mother smiles and says, “Well, dear, a man goes through three phases also. In his 20s, his willy is like an oak tree, mighty and hard.

In his 30s and 40s, it’s like a birch, flexible but reliable. After his 50s, it’s like a Christmas tree.” “A Christmas tree?” the daughter asks. “Yes, dead from the root up and the balls are just for decoration.”

Rachel

A

t school, Little Johnny’s classmate tells him that most adults are hiding at least one dark secret, so it’s very easy to blackmail them by saying, “I know the whole truth.” Little Johnny decides to go home and try it out. Johnny’s mother greets him at home, and he tells her, “I know the whole truth.”

His mother quickly hands him $20 and says, “Just don’t tell your father.”

Quite pleased, the boy waits for his father to get home from work and greets him with, “I know the whole truth.” The father promptly hands him $40 and says, “Please don’t say a word to your mother.” Very pleased, the boy is on his way to school the

ylan was practicing his golf swing in his front yard when he swung a little too hard and sent the ball through his neighbors window. Dylan ran over and rang the doorbell three times. After no one answered for a few minutes, he opened the door to see broken glass everywhere, a lamp lying on the ground, and a huge fat Arabian man wearing a turban sitting on the couch.

Dylan asked, “Who are you?” The fat man replied, “I am a genie you have freed from that lamp.” Dylan questioned, “Oh man, do I get three wishes?” The genie replied, “Since you freed me by accident, you only get two, and I get one.” Dylan thought about it and realized what he wanted, “I want to be the best golfer ever.”

The surprised genie said, “You sure?

Most people wish for money, but okay. Now your wife gets one wish.”

Dylan brought over his wife, who wished right away, “I want a million dollars every week of my life.” The genie said, “Granted. And now for my wish, I have been cramped up in that lamp for many years, so its been a while since I’ve been with a woman.

I want one day of wild, crazy sex with your wife, Dylan.” Dylan said, “No way!” The genie replied, “Not even for a million dollars a week?” Dylan turned to his wife, who said, “I guess for all that, I should. Well, not until Dylan leaves.” Dylan said, “Okay, have fun, I guess,” and left. Dylan’s wife then proceeded to have wild sex for the rest of the day with the genie.

When they were finished, the genie asked how old her husband was. She said, “Forty-five.” The Genie laughed and said, “Isn’t he a little old to be believing in genies?”

Jimmy

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