Cycle Source Magazine - Issue 281 Oct/Nov 2020

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December‘10 CYCLE SOURCE

Edsnd@bellsouth.net

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BIKES God Speed

Mrs. Moore's 92 Sportster ............................................................................... 22

Bay Area Histsory

Simms 1947 Knucklehead .................................................................................40

Showtime

B Keene Built's 1976 Shovelhead ................................................................. 58

Patience 2.0

AMO's 99 Evo's Second Incarntation ........................................................... 70

Patience

Providence Cycle Worx Entry Onto The National Scene ....................80

Fifty Four

Garage Build Presents A 78 XS650 From Across The Pond ................88

White Out

Exile Cycles Builds Lean & Clean Breakout .............................................94

FEATURES Sturgis 2020

Eighty Years And Counting ................................................................................10

One Show

Bikes, Beers And Bands In Portland ............................................................ 32

Reader's Rides

You Ride Em...We Highlight Em! ..................................................................... 36

Faces Of Sturgis

This Token Biker Hasn't Missed Sturgis In 41 Years ........................... 46

Blue Collar Build Off

The Best Weekend You Won't Remember ................................................52

Art Of Our Culture

Tay Herrera Celebrates 40 Years Of Engraving..................................... 64

One Man's Opinion

58

The Big Old World Keeps Turning ................................................................ 85

TECH

The School Of Points

Daniel Shares The "Iceman's" Lesson ....................................................... 18

Ride On

The Snake Oil Salesman Told The Truth .................................................. 28

Keeping Old Drum Brakes In Check

The New Guy At FFC Knows The Old Stuff! ................................................. 48

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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, Heather Callen, Dan Venditto, Melissa Shoemaker, Tyler Porter, Troy Bensinger

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

CONTRIBUTORS Marilyn Stemp

STAFF ARTISTS Jimmy Frizzell, Chris Callen

ADVERTISING

Heather Callen- Sales Manager - cyclesourcemain@comcast.net

GRAPHIC ARTISTS

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Chris Callen, Heather Callen, Amelia Rose, Missi Shoemaker

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

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COPY EDITOR Judy Duggan

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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SPARE PARTS In The News

The World Report Powered by BikerNet.com ......................................... 99

Hot Off The Rack

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

New Products From Industry Leqaders ..................................................... 102

DEPARTMENTS

From The Editor’s Desk .................................................... 8 Pin-Up Of The Month ....................................................... 38 Chopper Charlie ............................................................... 76 Killin Time With X ............................................................ 86 Photo Hunt ........................................................................... 93 InSlide Line ....................................................................... 104 On The Edge ...................................................................... 108 Gut Busters ........................................................................ 114

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.

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ABOUT THE COVER

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Showtime and it's creator, Brandon Keene came on to the scene in a big way when he took the Wild Card spot for the 2019 MAA show. Not only does Brandon build stellar bikes but he's a helluva guy to boot. So much so, that he was invited to be part of our very own In Motion Show where he held his own with some of the best in the biz. We are thrilled to have this killer Shovel grace our cover!

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t has been said that “The Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing.” and while we at Cycle Source will not take advantage of our media platform to discuss politics of the popular culture in the world today, we will from time to time discuss those of the soul. Now, we are still at this very moment sitting at the Steel Pony Campground, where we made our home base for the Sturgis rally. You are probably well aware that much controversy surrounded this rally and whether it should happen or not. Many argued that this “Drunken Party” was putting the lives of others at risk. The main-stream media cried out that other countries were laughing at our irresponsibility. While no one on the side of being at Sturgis ever claimed that the COVID-19 virus was a fake, that it had no real impact on the people of the United States. Much to the contrary, many people, both rally workers and those in attendance had some concerns, but…..had made up their minds to make this a line in the sand. After six months of social distancing, selfquarantine practices, abbreviated or outright suspended civil rights, they had said “Enough!” they wanted their opportunity to peacefully protest against a government that can’t seem to provide answers, a time table or even the correct facts about the virus responsible for a completely different way of life in our great country. While so many have folded under federal pressure, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has left much of the rights of their citizens in place. South Dakota may have been the only place that this peaceful protest would be possible. To this brave state, we tip our hats, not because any of us

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want to see people in danger from this pandemic, but because we do not believe giving up the rights that afforded us by generations of freedom fighters should even be an option.

Fear is a great motivator, though, and in truth, people are scared.

Scared for their loved ones and even their own lives. We have no idea how long this will go on our what the actual impact of it has been to this point. I blame that on poor leadership, not in one party or the other, but to the elected officials who serve at the pleasure of “We The People.” To put this in perspective a little bit, I want to talk about the great men who signed the original document forming our great nation, the Declaration of Independence.

They lived out their lives, for the most part, as traitors and were hunted like dogs. I’m sure they were fearful all the while, but, in their hearts, they knew that there was no price too dear for freedom. My own grandfather, a WWII veteran who I am sure, had fear in his heart as he stormed the beaches at Normandy in the name of freedom over tyranny.

I would put it to you that while we also may be afraid, our beliefs in the fundamental human right to be free must override that fear. We must not be fearful of each other, or to stand up and be heard, no matter if everyone believes in your cause or not.

Motorcycle people have long had the spirit of freedom held deep in the bowels of their culture. Maybe because many of our ranks have served in the military or perhaps because for so long we were considered the fringe of polite society for our expression of that freedom, but we have always been

the exception to the rule. It did my heart proud to hear so many of the 460,000 who attended the rally use the phrase “peaceful protest” and even afford the freedom that they were standing up for to the handful of protestors, seven of them at final count, that decided to protest on the last day of the rally. Yes, they stood watch, and at the ready, in case things got out of hand, but they did not squash the rights of these few demonstrators to express their opinions either. You see, that’s the bargain you must make when you have freedom, you can never stand by and watch someone else be deprived of it. Of course, we all have differences in who we are, what we believe, and where we come from.

That has been the tradition of the United States for as long as we have been a country under the banner of Independence. And while my heart and prayers go out to anyone who has been affected, or has had a family member impacted by COVID-19, I will leave you with the same thought I walked off the stage with at the Buffalo Chip this year; Be Safe, Take Care Of Each Other, Be responsible for yourself but live your life! Each day on this planet is a precious gift, and to waste a minute of it, let alone six months in the name of fear, is the deepest sin you could commit. So, even if you aren’t up to the challenge of attending a large-scale event in the name of defiance against loss of rights, go ride your bike, hike the woods, travel the country and live.

Live like there may not be a tomorrow, because you just don’t know man, it may be your last, it may be mine!

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Article By: Chris Callen Photos By: Missi Shoemaker

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ell, the 80th Anniversary of the Sturgis rally has come and gone. In spite of the mainstream media’s attempt to demonize those who would attend, in spite of the other states deciding that mostly all events for this year would be canceled, motorcycle and nonmotorcycle, the Sturgis rally pushed on. Why, was the question that any who did not understand asked again and again, and this became our mission for the 80th, to deliver and answer what we’ve known for quite a long time.

From a superficial level, it looks to the outside world that the Sturgis rally is a rowdy ruckus party with drunk naked people getting arrested at every turn.

While I’m not going to refute that small portion of this grandscale gathering, there is so much more to it, and to really provide an explanation, you have to look back into our country’s history further than that of the motorcycles. In fact, all the way back to when the first pioneers started coming into the black hills. Hundreds of years ago, the foundation of this region was laid in blood and sacrifice. People who

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wanted more from life or just wanted to escape the conventional civilization of the day began to move west, and many found their way to the hills of South Dakota. With the discovery of gold in

the hills that became an accelerated proposition and suddenly towns like Deadwood, Sturgis and Rapid City were born. Their streets were lined with

businesses that housed prostitution, gambling, and the likes, and it became a place whose motto was “Fortune favors the bold.” You see, these early settlers were literally turning their backs on regular life for the chance at something more. Risk versus reward became the rules of the game, and the Black Hills overflowed with stories of murder and riches, success, and failure. I’m not going to dwell on this here, especially after just finishing the edit of 210 minutes of “Sturgis Live - Eighty Years In A Day,” but you can see our entire discovery process on FITE TV. Just visit the Cycle Source Magazine home page for the link and make sure you hit the head before it starts. You can get that on Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Firestick as well.

As for the details of Sturgis this year, no one knew what to expect.

The big venues had precious little time to prepare for what should have been the largest rally in history. With the COVID pandemic, however, the fact that the rally would even happen was left to chance up until the city voted just eight weeks out. While they wanted to make sure people had the experience of a lifetime, the larger

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venues commonly known for the nation’s top acts had to shift their line up just in case it was a bust. They downsized on some aspects and upped their game in an effort to provide reminders of social distancing, and hand sanitizer became the new currency, it was everywhere. In the end, the downsizing made little difference to the people who came. Most of them, from the ones we talked to, were here to draw a line in the sand. With such a deep history in military life, from both this area to the people who attend the rally, they have a keen sense of duty and the rights provided by our soldiers over generations of the United States history. The common phrase became clear early in the week that this was their “Peaceful Protest,” and they managed to keep it that way in the face of adversity that came from a onesided mainstream media who provided erroneous details about the rally all week long. In interviews, they attempted to load questions to catch the main players off guard and trick them into any statement that could cause a media frenzy. Even the pitiful display of the seven-member protest at the end of the week did little to shake the motorcycle community off their spot. They stayed true to proving to the world that the labels slapped on us were wrong; the reason we were here were far greater than what they expected to find, and mainly that we have given up enough of our rights and deserve responsibility from all of our leadership.

There are a few events that led up to a great start for any Sturgis Rally, one is the Klock Werks Palace City Sturgis pre-party.

The whole town was alive for this one, and we were so glad we dropped in. A stunt show and some good food later it was back on the road. Saturday is the medicine any chopper jockey needs to get up to Sturgis Speed with the School’s Out Chopper Show at the Buffalo Chip put on by Mondo of Denver’s Choppers. This would be the first of many awards that the California Cowboy, Stacy McCleary, would take home this year, and it was well deserved with his incredible new slim little shovel.

Even though the big money details of the rally were scaled back, one thing that there were no shortages of were the good times. Sturgis took a trip back in time, and everyone recounted days of rallies past where by and large it was chill and laid back. Now, this wasn’t due to a small crowd either. The department of transportation of South Dakota reported an estimated 460,000 people attending the rally this year it became the largest gathering in the United States during 2020, so to say that there were plenty of people was putting it lightly. Yes, there were times where the individual venues had

slow traffic, but what we found was that more people were riding. They picked the events that they would attend, but by and large, they were just doing their own thing.

Now, this may have been in an effort to social distance, but I believe partially, just like life back home for the past six months, the COVID-19 restrictions have made us all appreciate the special things in life like those that riding through the Black Hills can give. So, with all that being said, the stage has been set for us to take a look at some of the great events and happenings that made the 80th Anniversary of the Sturgis Rally what it was.

The week started off hard and heavy for us. With three camera crews going out daily to capture footage for Sturgis Live, our work was cut out for us. When you add in a full schedule of our events and those that we wanted to cover for the magazine, it was insane. Sunday kicked things off with our 14th Annual Custom Bike Show, and early that morning, the Iron Horse started to flood with far-out custom machines. With the laid back schedule for daytime bands at the Iron Horse, the bike shows were pushed up to the main courtyard, but we still managed to have so many bikes that they continued down through the Broken Spoke part of the property. This show is always so hard to judge with people from all around the country bringing their A-game in hopes of a win in the Black Hills. One bike stood out above them all was built by Steve Glennon. His Panhead Chopper took the Best of Show award and, with it, a full feature in an upcoming issue and the Paughco rolling chassis.

Now, Paughco has long been our sponsor for this show and has always provided an incredible roller for the big award, but this year they went out of their way. With Black Bike Wheels laced rims, Metzeler tires, and a sexy chassis, you pretty much could just put a motor and transmission on this thing and call it done. We thank them all for their continued support but even more so in a year where it’s been tough for everyone. Spectro Oils made sure to load up the other 30 prize bags, along with Iron Horse, S&S, Tucker, and Hot Leathers.

Sunday evening is the true star of the show. The Motorcycles As Art Exhibit opens at the Buffalo Chip, and this year’s theme, titled “Heavy Mettle,” was a perfect fit, just like we’ve come to expect from Michael Lichter. It featured builders who have survived a minimum of twenty years in the motorcycle business, forty years of Michael’s photography in Sturgis over its eighty-year history along with art from Scott Jacobs and David Uhl. Another event that suffered its share of setbacks due to COVID, what normally would be brand new bike builds from invited builders,

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this year rather than having them drop out due to lack of resources to be able to build a brand new offering, builders were allowed to bring a historical representation of their career as a part one offering, then in 2021 a new build as part two of Heavy Mettle exhibit. This ended up being a treat for anyone with love for the history of the custom bike scene as iconic bikes from it were right before your very eyes. Maxine, built by Steg Von Heintz during the original Psycho Cycles days, The Hole Bike by Ron Finch, Billy Lanes Blue Bike, and Aaron Green’s Cherry Bomb set up in a room with some 30 plus specimens that depicted the past forty years of custom bike building.

And that was the point, survival, how it happens was illustrated here by the ability to adapt and overcome.

Monday came fast and loud and found half of our crew at the Full Throttle Saloon for the Old School Chopper Show put on

by Steve Broyles. I have to take a minute and tell you how far this property has come.

A veritable monument to the motorcycle culture with brand new metal sculptures added paying tribute to Jesse Rooke, Arlen Ness, Indian Larry, and Evil Knievel. Who doesn’t remember the original sculpture of Jesse James DuPree of Jackyl riding a bike with the chainsaw that adorned the entrance of the Full Throttle for so many years? Well, now, along with it, these twenty-foot-tall works of art are a visual reminder that these men were larger than life and will forever be immortalized on the FTS property. As for the Old School Show, it was as it has been for nearly two decades now, Bad Ass! Their event shirts proudly proclaiming the “Ladies Love Eighties” slogan from when the V-Twin engine made it to eighty inches had a dual meaning this year. The bikes and prizes handed out throughout the day were top shelf, but the truly unique thing about this show is that there are no winners. Well, not in the traditional sense. Prizes are just given out to the crowd in random fashion throughout the day, and the awards are not based on judges opinions of the bikes but simply an acknowledgment from guest judges that you had a badass bike In Sturgis.

Monday also featured the Legends Ride in Sturgis, Pat and his daughter Amelia headed up there to take in all that Deadwood had to offer before going on this monumental ride that raises funds for The Black Hills Special Olympics and Sturgis Motorcycle Museum. This year’s ride Marshall was Tom Berringer, who has many major motion picture roles.

The other half of the Cycle Source Mob was set up at the Iron Horse for Vintage Day. This event, now in its fourth year, welcomes members of the AMCA and anyone from the Vintage bike world to

proudly display their bikes for the day, some impromptu rodeo games, and a free lunch for any card-carrying member of the AMCA. There are awards given similar to those from the original AMA Road Runs like Oldest bike, furthest distance ridden to get to the event, and highest IQ… Mean’s Old Guy or Gal. This event is a truly great way to pay homage to the long and storied history of the people who built this rally and a reminder that many still carry on those traditions with the portion of motorcycling they choose to celebrate.

By Monday night, we were suffering from overload already. The footage from the film crews was coming in heavy, and we realized that the Sturgis Live project was a big animal to keep on the right track.

Terrified but still excited about the direction we were going with it, we had little choice but to let it become what it was going to be, so we just keep unloading cards and stacking the deck for our editor Cal George who was up to his eyelids with the volume of work. We stayed at the Steel Pony Campground that was a nice break from the craziness since up at the top of their property sits some killer little cabins complete with private bathrooms, AC, and a view.

Tuesday came, and it was time to get down to Camp Zero. Led Sled put on the Sportster Showdown, and the party was off the hook. At one point, a minibike crash through a pallet of beer while an FXR jumped over the top of both. Ahh to be young and made of rubber again.

Additionally, there were minibike races, a mini bike part of the show where our little buddy Donnie took top honors. For Flat Broke, one of the biggest achievements of our time as we were awarded Best In Show for our bike Bone Daddy. Now, I have to say that I’m sure some people will say the fix was in, and this is normally why I could care less to win a trophy for our bikes. But at this show, from the judges who I respect so much and for one simple fact, that Mark has to put up with these bikes we build getting passed over just because we’re on the inside. Well, finally, he gets some recognition in this thing too, and that made me awful proud. Special thanks to Pat, Majik Mike and the rest of the judges. Tuesday at The Steel Pony Lil’ Evil Inkorpor8ted was hosting The Original Performance Bike Show, which brought out over fifty bikes that were all gear jammers. Great to see so much diversity in the show scene in Sturgis, and this one is proof of that.

Back at the Iron Horse, it was the Garage, Build Show. This show is hosted by Dennis Kirk and is specifically set to pay tribute to the very point where this all starts; between two guys over a beer in a garage, dreaming

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about the perfect bike. In that, no pros are awarded trophies, just garage builders.

The brainchild of Bob Behan, the Garage Build Show started as just a web site for folks to show their work and tell their story.

Bob himself goes into the garage every year and tinkers around with a build or two over the brutal Minnesota winters where he lives and got the idea that based on how proud he is to show his creations, other guys and gals might want a platform to do the same. There were bikes of all styles and eras to choose from, but in the end, Stacy McCleary came away with the Best In Show Award for his little grey shovel that he built from spare parts just for his wife to have a bike to ride in Sturgis.

Wednesday is always a favorite for us since we hop into ride mode. The Perewitz Paint Show was getting started as we got to the Iron Horse that morning, and the high-end masking marvels were rolling in strong. This marked our 14th year of hosting a ride in Sturgis, hard to believe that we’ve made this milestone and an awesome responsibility when it comes to the 80th. We decided that in honor of this great Anniversary, we would reach back to the humble beginnings of this rally by following in the footsteps of Pearl Hoel herself. We treated riders to a leisurely trip up through Vanocker Canyon, complete with photography that can be seen on our website, and when we arrived at Nemo Guest Ranch, a sack lunch. Now, before you all accuse us of being cheap bastards, this was how Pearl did the first few Gypsies tours. So, to that end, we stamped “Pearl Hoel Approved” on the bags, and inside there was a card that told the story of how she started the Gypsy Tours of the Black Hills. Special thanks to Reverend Darla and her staff from the Vale Country Community Church for putting our lunches together for both this event and the Vintage Days.

Thursday was a secret day off in Sturgis, and we took full advantage of it. While the rest of the crew headed off for filming on Main Street, a few of us headed out for an adventure. We took Needles Highway into the Mount Rushmore monument, rode out on Iron Mountain road, and then headed over to Crazy Horse. It was nice after so many years to actually take in some of the best that the Black Hills has to offer. If you come to this rally and miss these very special attributes, you have missed a great part of what it is all about. We hit part of Custer, too, but had to save the rest of that for another year as the day can get long on this loop.

Thursday night, however, was not an off night, but boy did we get down! This was the first-ever Playerz Ball party in Sturgis history and ran in conjunction with our Black Hills Boogie. Attendees were CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE

encouraged to show up in their best 70’s garb to vie for a $250 Best Pimp and $250 Best Ho award. So awesome to see people who could just kick back and have a good time. The Solid Gold dancers were my favorite personally, but it was undeniable that Mailman Kevin O’Brien was the Pimp of all Pimps. Crazy great bikes and disco music made this a blast, but nothing was able to top the dancing down the aisle of Choppers as the final qualifier for awards.

Aaron Green and the lovely Melody missed the point of making fun of ourselves and were actually the coolest and hottest couple of the night. No prize for that, but their dance-off was Rockin. This will be one you don’t want to miss next year. After all, with Goldfish in the heels, flake eye shadow, and gold jumpsuits, how does this not scream Sturgis Party to you?

Friday came, and a brand-new tradition that started last year for us at the Iron Horse was in full swing. Biker Olympics is what we call it, and it’s a full day of rodeo games, singles, and couples, topped off with minibike drag races. What? Didn’t bring your minibike? No problem! We travel with a fleet of eight now that are race-ready and prepared for you to borrow. With a full-size Christmas tree, there is nothing as funny as grown-ass adults trying their best for a win on a tiny little bike. But don’t let the size of the bike fool you. If anyone got on 007, they know that it could tear you up. The rest of the games were old favorites from Keg Roll to Slow Race singles and Waitress and Weenie Bite for couples. The way it works is we add up all the scores for the day, and the person with the most checks in the win column gets a championship leather belt handcrafted by Curt Green of Bare Bones Leather, proclaiming them as the Rodeo King of Sturgis for this year. For the 80th, that honor went to Cody, who killed it from start to finish in every class he ran.

It was hard to believe that the week came and went so fast. Of course, after most of the rally traffic pulled out, there were protestors on Main St. That’s about all that needs to be mentioned, there were seven.

As for the 80th, this was a historical event.

We made it, we survived, and we provided resistance against the further disruption of our way of life and the continued recission of our civil rights. We protested the way motorcycle people have for decades, with one finger in the air and down the road we went. Doing our own thing, living the life we were given, for all it’s worth! I’m proud to have been here for this one, see you for the 81st.

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Article And Photos By: Daniel Donley

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ast month we wrapped up the “99” Problems tech series.

That does not mean that we were able to include all the little tidbits of information. With my nose to the grindstone and a bunch

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www.pandemoniumcustomchoppers.com

of fresh tech up my sleeve. We are getting back to the “Do it your Damn Self Tech”. For this month’s installment I am going to show you an overview of how-to Static time your ignition points. The subject

bike for this article is a 1968 Flatside Shovel, the pieces and parts may be different, but the example applies to most. This is a simple straightforward procedure that was taught to me by a good friend “IceMan”, he is a local old

school dude that definitely knows his way around these old bikes.

To get things started, jack the rear of the bike up to where you can roll the rear tire. Then remove the spark plugs and put the bike into 2nd gear.

This will allow you to roll the engine over slowly using the rear tire.

you can now remove and replace the points and condenser. You will notice that there is a line on the points lobe.

This will match up to the arm on the point set, now adjust the points using a feeler gauge. This particular model calls for .018. As the points arm wears or you install a new set of points static timing must be reset!

A little goes a long way here!

With that done you will want to remove the inspection plug in between the base of the cylinders, this will reveal the flywheels and the markings on them. Note: (Different model years may have different markings). What we are looking for here is a single line that indicates front cylinder TDC (Top Dead Center) on compression stroke. Use a flashlight to shine into the spark plug hole to verify the piston is at the top of the bore. Use the rear tire to slowly roll the engine over until you see this.

With the engine in its proper position

The next step is to Static time the ignition by using a test light connected to the battery ground with the ignition switch on.

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plate adjustment screws.

You have now Static timed your ignition! Typically, I go back and check the points gap and make sure it is within spec. Static timing your ignition is a simple straightforward procedure that will allow your bike to run top notch.

Since we wrapped up the “99” Problems tech series please call or email me if there is something that you would like to see a Tech article on? If you have any questions, feel free to call me at the shop anytime 419-576-6812 Pandemonium Custom Choppers Facebook- Pandemonium Custom Choppers Instagram – pandemoniumc2 happydandemonium@gmail.com www.pandemoniumcustomchoppers. com

Touch the test light to the points arm and then rotate the points distributor until the test light just comes on.

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This is how you know it is in the right position. Then tighten down the distributor lock down tab or points

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k

aren Moore grew up in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire England. She had always wanted to ride motorcycles and her dream, like everyone else’s was to own a Harley-Davidson.

Karen moved to the States some twenty years ago. Shortly after her arrival she became an over the road truck driver.

Moore figured that it was the perfect way to see the United

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States. She learned that each state/region is almost like its own country with the different customs, attitudes, and even dialects. Karen loves being able to travel this way. Eleven years ago, Karen became a citizen of United States: she says that her citizenship is one of the things she is most proud of.

About eight or nine years ago Moore finally made her dream of riding a Harley Davidson a reality

when she purchased a HarleyDavidson Heritage Softail. She took the riding class and learned to ride and still has that bike to this day.

Karen is married to Larry Moore, who owns Moore’s Customs. After watching him build custom bike after custom bike, Karen decided that she wanted a custom bike of her own. That Christmas, Larry gave her 5 envelopes each containing

Article And Photos By: Melissa Shoemaker

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a different clue as to what her gift was. It turned out to be parts to start her build.

Larry had acquired a frame, tanks, kick stand and wheels.

Based on these parts Karen chose what direction the build was going to go in. Thanks to her husband, she was going to make her dream bike. Let it be known that Larry didn’t just build the bike for her, instead he taught her how to build her bike. She learned to use the lathe and other tools. She made parts including spacers, the oil tank, and she even modified the fuel tanks. She also ground the extra tabs off the Kraftech frame and more. Karen says she had a heavy hand in building the bike, but Larry’s skill and patience were what really made it happen.

This was very much a “together” project with her doing as much of the work as she could. Some things were obviously beyond her skill level and that is where Larry would step up to teach her while he completed the task at hand.

Karen carefully looked at different styles of parts that Larry had made in the past on other bikes and

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looked through catalogs until she decided what she wanted to include on her build. The paint scheme was done by Zach Noel. The Mid-USA Springer front end and the Panstyle valve covers really give this bike the great vintage feel that she was going for.

Karen has also added some personal touches to the bike as well as naming it “God Speed.” If you look closely, you will find a Celtic talisman and a St. Christopher attached to the bike, both of which she has always carried with her for safe travels. Karen even told me she knew that she needed all the help she could get because she knows how she rides.

As a team, the Moore’s put together a stellar Sporty. Since completing the bike, Karen proudly took home Best of Show at the Lone Star Rally along with several other Best ‘ofs’. I’ve known Karen and Larry for quite a while now and Larry always builds nice clean

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god speed Tech Sheet Owner: Karen Moore City/State: Wichita, KS Builder: Moore Customs Year: 2019 Time: 6 Months Value: ??

ENGINE Year: 1992 Model: H-D Sportster Builder: Werner’s House Of HP Ignition: Dyna 2000 Displacement: 883 Pistons: Wiseco Heads: H-D Carb: S&S Cam: Yes Air Cleaner: Moore Customs Exhaust: Moore Customs Primary: H-D TRANSMISSION Year:1992 Make: H-D Shifting: Foot FRAME Year: Model: Kraf Tech-Hardtail Rake: 30 Degrees Stretch: None Forks Builder: Mid USA Type: Springer Triple Trees: Extension: None WHEELS Front Wheel: Size: 21” Tire: Adlert Classic Front Brake: Rear Wheel: Size: 16” Tire: Shinko Rear Brake: H-D PAINT Painter: Zach Noel Color: Black & Cream Type: PPG Graphics: Ed Williamson Chrome: Willy Shiney ACCESSORIES Bars: TC Bros Risers: Biltwell Hand Controls: Performance Machine Foot Controls: Performance Machine Gas Tank(s): Moore Customs Oil Tank: Moore Customs Front fender: Rear Fender: 7 Metal West Seat: Kustom Breed Leather Headlight: Throttle Addiction Tail light: 32 Ford Speedo: None Photographer: Missi Shoemaker

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bikes, and this bike is no different, and is absolutely beautiful!

Recently, we were able to get a glimpse into Karen and Larry’s garage during one of our Bike Nite Live episodes and they have an amazing collection of motorcycles

and classic cars. I am looking forward to seeing what Karen and Larry might build together next time!

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T

he term “Snake Oil Salesman” was coined in the late 1800s during the move westward by 49ers in search of gold and wealth. By the early 1900’s it was determined that Snake Oil (while made from real snakes) was a panacea whose only real use was as a “placebo.”

In the last 100 years, the term “Snake Oil Salesman” has been attributed to anyone trying to sell you everything from a washable lint roller to a switch that turns the lamp off when you clap. At least the Clapper actually worked. “But wait, there is more!”

My family has owned a motorcycle shop for the better part of the last two decades. In that time, I have met several “snake oil” salesmen.” I can usually spot most of them a mile away and I am pretty good at screwing someone off when they are selling me something that does not benefit my shop and our clientele. However, every once in a while, someone walks in with something that saves me both time and money. Enter: Ride-On Tire Balancer When I was first introduced to Ride-On, I immediately told my rep that he was a “Snake Oil Salesman.” I changed the subject, and we moved it on down the line without another single thought from my end.

Not to bum any Cycle Source readers out…but my shop (Cycle Stop USA) works on more than just American-Made motorcycles.

I have a customer who owns a sportbike with a 300 mm tire. Once the bike got to 160 mph, the rear wheel began to hop up and down!

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Article And Photos By: Jason Hallman www.cyclestopusa.com

that I am not an advocate of using any beads in tires. I am not going to speak on thei efficiancy of that product…I will only tell you this: I have not had any good luck with them in my shop.

That was in 2014, and we haven’t used a power wheel balancer or a truing stand since. I also haven’t used a wheel weight since 2016. At first, I just offered it as an option… now it isn’t one. If Cycle Stop USA installs your tire, it gets Ride-On. It is just that simple.

Once we had success, I started to tell everyone about it. They called me a “Snake Oil Salesman” too. I have met the developer of the product and owner of the company face to face, and it is something that I believe in.

Here is how it works: Physics! It is that simple (not that physics is ever simple, am I right?).

When your tire spins, it creates centrifugal force. The faster it spins, the more centrifugal force it makes… the slower it spins, the less force… you get it. The material that makes up Ride-On is made from Kevlar.

It was originally developed for the Department of Defense and was

used rather effectively. With no need to install weights at specific points of a 360-degree radius, there is no need

for a spin balancer. Since you cannot

cheat physics, the product in your tire ends up exactly where it needs to be to make sure that the tire is balanced no matter how slow (or fast) you travel down the road. This process or phenomenon is called “HydroDynamic Balancing.” The product is viscous in nature, but not of a water consistency, its actually more of a paste, and it lasts the lifetime of your tire.

Scenario: Let’s for a second say that you need 1.25 ounces of weights on a wheel to correct an imbalance of a wheel and tire assembly. Over time that 1.25 ounces may become too much weight or not enough depending on speed, road conditions or tire wear. With Ride-On the tire is balanced from the inside out, you’ll never need to worry about weight placement. Your tire will remain balanced over the lifetime of the tire.

Also, because you have added 7 to 12+ ounces of Ride-On (depending on tire size) the product in the tire will actually use centrifugal force to apply a small amount of additional pressure to the contact patch of the tire.

Now, I have encountered those who poo-poo this idea as saying that you are simply compensating for

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a wheel or tire that is not in proper balance, but my answer is “Isn’t that the point of balancing anyhow?”. I have used Ride On exclusively on well over 3000 + tires in the last four to five years and have had only one comeback.

I’m telling you about the comeback because it proves that Ride On works. A tech incorrectly installed a tube in a customer’s front tire (yes, it works in tubes too). The customer

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complained that it vibrated over 50 mph. When I removed the tube, it was twisted and because it was twisted the Ride-On could not find its way around the inside of the tube and therefore caused the wheel and tire to not be in “balance.” Once the tube was correctly installed, all was well.

Ride-On works better than anything I’ve used. I do not even own a wheel balancer (I kind of giggle a little when I see someone post that they bought

one). With over 3000+ tires in the last five years, I would say that I have some good data. I do not have to put $2.00 worth of crappy stick-on wheel weights to my customer’s $5,000 30inch front wheel to balance their tire.

If you are a wheel weight guy, I get it. Keep on keeping on. But for my money…it is Ride-On every time.

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Article And Photos By: Savannah Rose

t

his year’s One Show moved - It moved on up from the Pickle Factory to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon.

The 11th annual One Moto Show boasted 10,000 beers, 5,000 high fives, 200+ bikes, 70 vendors, 5 bands, and 15 race classes.

That sounds just about right…

The show was presented by Indian Motorcycles, and this year was quite the event.

Indian brought out their big guns the new Challenger and a fresh custom Challenger built by Carey Hart.

They also brought out a variety of vintage bikes.

Their setup was surrounded with Scouts from years past.

More than 200 bikes lined the Coliseum.

Bikes were located upstairs, downstairs in the exhibit hall, and in various

rooms throughout the venue.

There was everything from choppers, to vintage motos, dirt bikes, electric bikes,

performance baggers, and anything else you could think of was there to be seen.

the favorites included Suzy of Old STF’s Hexaglide, a fresh chop from Dirty Hands Garage, a performance Road Glide from Tucker Speed, and a freshly painted Dyna from Stripe Cult Painting.

These were only a few and there were so, so many more.

Every time you walked around, you’d spot another bike you needed to stop and check out.

Ve n d o r s galore lined the upstairs - from women’s moto gear to t shirts, art, to helmets, Danner boots, and everything in between.

See See had coffee stands throughout, just in case you needed a break from the 805 Beer that was served up.

Portland f o o d i e ’ s , Chicken and Guns, kept everyone well fed,.

The stage for the bands was downstairs next to the exhibit hal. The bands ranged from CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE - October October - November ‘20

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the all-female band Thunderpussy, to favorites like Red Fang. The exhibit hall hosted the majority of the custom bikes. Next to that, was a room full of very vintage - pre-war motorcycles that were in beautiful condition. There were rooms that had axe throwing, an Icon hosted 80’s game room, and of course, more motorcycles.

Then there was the art which lined every available surface photographers, tattooers, painters and more brought their art to showcase. Nearly 50 custom artists brought every variety of artistic talent you could think of. I was lucky enough to be among the many talented artists invited to the show, and I brought some of my photos.

The races this year were a part of the show. In the past, they were held at the Salem Raceway, but this year, they were right in the middle of the show. Dirt was trucked in to make a quick dirt indoor track. All day, you could hear the motorcycles rip around as they practiced and held heats.

One of the best parts for me was that wherever you were, you could hear the sounds of the races, and the smell of race gas permeated the show floor. As anyone who has raced or watched racing can attest, it is a slightly addictive smell!

There were a ton of classes ranging from tiny tots to old pros, and of course, there was the SuperHooligans championship.

The hooligans ripped street-ready motos around on the temporary track, making for some thrills, and spills. Even Larry Enticer sent it, along with fellow personality Ronnie Mac. The women’s class was particularly entertaining - racers like Indian’s Leah Tokelove went bar to bar with a large group of ladies gunning for the holeshot.

So determined were the ladies that this, this class had a couple of red flags. Track conditions weren’t ideal, but the ladies didn’t seem to care.

All in all, The One Show is a total experience. It is uniquely Portland, definitely weird, but for sure, a great time!

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CORY BUXTON 1981 H-D SHOVELHEAD

DONNA KOSLOSKY 2003 H-D CHOPPER

GARRETT SMITH 55-78 FLH

GEORGE VIDOVIC H-D 1971 FLH

GORDIE BROWN 2000 H-D SPORTSTER

JASON STACHOWLAK 2007 H-D SPORTSTER

JEFF PETERSON 1998 H-D SPORTSTER

LARRY HOMMERSON 1993 H-D CUSTOM

RUSSELL GOOD 1981 H-D FXS

KEN MCELHANNON 2014 H-D FLS SLIM 36 October - November ‘20 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE

RONALD KNOTTER 42 KNUCK 82 SHOVEL

TED PULIS H-D SHOVELHEAD

TONY CRIST 1975 H-D FXE

WILLIAM LACHNER 1973 H-D SPORTSTER

TRESHIA PULIS 1976 H-D LOWRIDER

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i

don’t even know how to begin writing this article. I mean it’s not just because this bike is a Knucklehead built in the early “Frisco” style, which happens to be my favorite, but the man behind this build is an absolute legend in the custom bike world. Ron Simms.

Ron has been building and riding custom bikes for over 50 years from his shop, Simm’s Bay Area

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Custom Cycles, in Hayward, CA. As a testament as to how much of a standup guy Ron is, some of his employees have been with him for the entire time that he’s had the doors open. That is practically unheard of these days! Ron told me jokingly that the only reason he opened the shop in 1970 was so that he could buy parts for his choppers at cost. I think a little bit of

history is needed here because I’m sure some of you may be asking about the “Frisco” style or “Bay Area” style that I mentioned earlier. This style bike originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s by club guys and as independent riders that wanted their bikes to look and perform better. Back then riders wanted their bikes to be different from the rest of their

Article By: Roadside Marty Photos By:Chris Callen

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friends as well as the general riding public.

On this particular build, the flat bottom Sportster tank is mounted high on the frame’s backbone to achieve more gas capacity. Over the years, Ron has been fortunate to score some great deals on bikes and parts, and this build was no exception. A former customer contacted Ron, and because of recent life tragedies told him he had a Knuckle for sale. Ron went to check the bike out, and once he was there, the guy said he wanted Ron to have it and told Ron $500.00 would get it, yeah, you read that right five hundred dollars! Ron knew exactly what he wanted to do with it. It came with some real Bay Area custom pieces that had real history to them.

First, Mark Rosenthal went thru the motor and kept it a modest stock 74” with Wiseco pistons and a Sifton cam. It originally came with Panhead cylinders, which Mark kept. This was common during that era because it was hard it was to find good OEM cylinders. The carb is an M74B with a nice brass bird deflector. The ‘47 transmission was freshened up with new seals. The frame is a 1948 wishbone Panhead frame with all of the tabs removed and has a flawless molding job. Some people might question why Ron used a Panhead frame, but a lot of guys just used

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what they had back then, so that’s what he did this time.

Remember what I said about some guy’s being around since the beginning? Well, Horst is one of those guy’s. He painted Ron’s first chopper 52 years ago and is still painting for BACC. Now, that’s impressive. For this bike, he used House of Kolor metal flake and, as usual, did a flawless job. The front end is another history piece. The trees are OEM 41mm that another Bay Area legend, Bobby Driscoll, made as gifts for his club brothers.

Bobby reportedly only made 1015 sets back in the ‘60s, so they’re extremely rare. The stock lower legs have been turned down for a clean look, and a perfect 21” spool wheel was put in place to finish it out. Another rare set of chopper parts are the mid controls that were made to work with the stock Harley tin primaries. This has been done over the years by other builders, but these were originally made by Stan Deshaun in the early ‘60s. Stan was out of Vallejo, CA, and built many custom choppers and dragsters back then. Ron handed the seat chores over to the guy’s at Corbin,

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BAY AREA HISTORY TECH SHEET Owner: Ron Simms City/State: Hayward CA Builder: Ron Simms Year: 1947 Model: Knuckle Value: $50,000 Time: Couple Years Engine Year: 1947 Model: Knuckle Hot Rod Builder: Simms Motorcycles Ignition: Stock Displacement: 74 Cu Pistons: Wiseco Heads: Knuckle Carb: M74 Cam: Sifton Air Cleaner: None Exhaust: Upsweep Megaphone Primary: Stock Tins Transmission Year: 1947 Make: Harley-Davidson Shifting: 4 Speed Frame Year: 1948 Model: Wishbone Rake: None Stretch: None Forks Builder: Bobby Driscoll Type: Narrow Wide Glide Triple Trees: Bobby Driscoll Extension: None Wheels Front Wheel: Spool Size: 21” Tire: Avon Front Brake: Stock Rear Wheel: None Size: 16” Tire: Goodyear Rear Brake: Stock Paint Painter: Horst Color: Purple Type: House of Kolor Graphics: Chroming: Meclec Accessories Bars: Drag Bars Risers: Hand Controls: Foot Controls: Mid Controls Gas Tank(S): Sportster Oil Tank: Stock Front Fender: None Rear Fender: Bobbed Ribbed Seat: Corbin Headlight: Bates Style Taillight: Flanders Style Speedo: None Photographer: Chris Callen

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and they did a great job. Ron said he really didn’t want to use a small Bates type seat with 2” springs, and I can’t say I blame him! One thing that really caught my eye were the risers.

I’ve never seen anything like these.

Ron told me that these were pre-war Schwinn bicycle risers that had been extended and then chromed. This was something I’ve never seen done before. A bike like this certainly stands

out. Ron turned to the guys at Metlac for the extra chrome. Considering today’s stringent laws concerning chroming, I think they did a great job.

All in all, I personally think Ron did a helluva job with this bike, and he says he’s always really enjoyed building.

Thanks for sharing this gem with us, Ron!

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Article By: Chris Callen Photos By:Missi Shoemaker

T

he people of the Sturgis Rally are always the best part. Year after year you start to notice some of the same faces, in the same places and if you’re lucky enough to grow old doing this thing then you might even happen to get to know their story.

Now having been coming to Sturgis for some 20 years myself, I have finally entered the old guy circle where sitting around for part of a morning, or evening and having some good talk with folks we see sometimes more than our own families, is more important than raising hell on Main Street. It’s a time honored status and I’ve been so proud to make it to that place.

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Of course there are the obvious faces of greatness that you will see so many people interview and get photos of. The Panhead Billies, the Woodies and the Brother Speeds of the rally. But there are

so many faces that just make you start to realize, hey there’s that cat again, and ask yourself, what’s his story?

One such individual is Rick Krone. Now,

I’ve noticed Rick, we’ve had conversations here and there, hell he’s even been to my wedding, but it was this year, when I saw him pull up on a bike that was part Brother Speed’s and partly made after my own Black Pearl back in the day, that I finally got to spend some time and sit for a good talk with him. What I found was a man who is the very reason I am proud to appreciate the greatness of this place and our culture.

Rick is one of those guys that sits back and makes sure that the good work people do is recognized and appreciated. On the other hand, he will silently remind people of the peckerheads in the room too. He’s been around long enough to know the names and stories,

probably even knows where a few of the bodies are buried. But for a big man he has a soft and pleasant demeanor. Generally seems to always be in a good mood and proudly displays a big old shit eating grin for the world to see. He has made a 41 year commitment to coming back to the Black Hills each and every August, come hell or high water and his wife of 43 years Pat shares that story with him as well.

Rick started coming to Sturgis back in ‘79 when it was still buckwild and a little dangerous, part of what he liked about it. They were burning shit houses in City Park, automatic weapons were fired off into the night’s sky, alot like the wild west history it was always part of. Rick was just 26 years old back then and had just got out of the Army like so many of the original rally goers, thrill seeking was a way of life.

His first year he showed up on a decked out VW Show Trike. You know the kind with the bass boat flake, the whole deal.

With all the luggage he had hauled along it was easy for Rick to do a wheelie down the entire length of Main Street, which he did. Can you imagine that today huh? As the years went on and the rally changed, some for the better some for the worse as far as Rick feels, he and his wife got a place up in Central City. No matter what else they did in life from an upholstery business, doing hot rods and bikes to a full scale embroidery business, their downtime in Sturgis was the goal. Now Rick is lucky enough to not have to run in or out of the rally. He remembers at one point the rally had become so large you’d wait out on the highway for 7 miles in stopped traffic just to get in. Made no difference though, this was the place to be and he could wait as long as it took to get to town.

So Rick’s old bike here is a 1997 Roadking. He’s ridden the shit outta it and at one point, like a few of us do, he decided to have his story play out on the body of it. He’s had it for 23 years so that story is a pretty long one and after he got a decoupage base down that consisted of 120 rolls of camo tape, he went to work putting the memories he shared with the old girl on it. A grate from an old wood burner, military flashlight, trinkets from visiting the monuments during the rally, all adding up to a living running memorial to Rick’s time on this bike, and on this planet.

Of course, he’s the type of cat that will probably not even want me to write a story like this about him but these are the people that make Sturgis Special. So the next time you see Rick or another cat in Sturgis like him buy him a beer and take the time to find out who he is.

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Article By: Shawn Buskirk Photos By: Craig Harriman www.faithforgotten.com

D

rum brakes…We’ve all heard the horror stories of how underwhelming the performance of this crucial part of a machine can be. Everyone has a relative or a local grey beard who wants to spin yarns about the time he narrowly escaped his doom as their brakes faded or failed before maneuvering through some hairpin turn at breakneck speed with some righteous chick from the local watering hole in tow. In truth, the stopping power provided by this antiquated technology is often adequate for the machines that came equipped with them, provided they are setup, adjusted, and maintained correctly. In this month’s article, we’ll take a look at how the do-it-yourselfer can get a better bang for his buck using tools commonly found in the garage and a little bit of elbow grease. Although our focus will be on Harley-Davidson mechanical drum brakes found on pre-1958 big twin models, the principals and practices highlighted are applicable to a variety of model years and manufacturers.

As mentioned, we’ll be working on a Harley-Davidson rear mechanical drum brake. This particular brake setup was produced with little variation for roughly

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twenty years, before Harley debuted the hydraulic rear drum in 1958. There are several things we can inspect before going further once the rear wheel and brake have been removed from the machine.

The first thing I inspect on the exterior

is the tab that locates the brake backing plate to the frame. This tab prevents the plate from rotating and is crucial to brake operation. I’ve held countless OEM backing plates in my hand that are tweaked from years of service and have even had two imported reproduction tabs fail entirely while in use, posing serious risk to the operation of the machine. Look for any cracks or bends before moving forward. Replace any plate showing signs of damage to this tab. I can assure you; it will eventually fail.

This is also a good time to inspect the teeth on the drive sprocket as well as the rivets securing it to the brake drum.

On this drum, several of the rivets have

elected to leave their home for a life on the road and if uncorrected, the remainder would likely be joining them within a few miles leaving this machine stranded.

condition of the brake shoe lining that it’s surface was not making full contact with the drum. This can be caused by improper fitment of the lining, improper adjustment of the shoes, or by having a drum surface that is warped or out of round

backing plate. Begin by removing the cotter pin and outer cup on the pivot stud.

Next, remove the springs from the brake shoes Going further down the rabbit hole, I’ll now remove the backing plate from the drum. The backing plate is relatively simple, consisting of shoes, springs, an operating cam, and a pivot stud.

We can see from the discoloration and

Another thing to look for when inspecting linings is the presence of cracks. Shown on another example, these cracks form due to excessive heat buildup in the lining material

We’ll now further disassemble the

Once the shoes are free, we can inspect the condition of the surface of the shoe that makes contact with the operating cam. It is common for this area to develop a groove from only one part of the cam surface making contact after adjustment.

A shoe exhibiting such a feature should be repaired or replaced. This shoe is still

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smooth on the contact surface, so we can continue on.

When it comes to correcting the uneven wear on our linings, we have two options.

The first would be to purchase a new set of shoes which are already lined.

Featuring stamped steel construction as well as a bonded and riveted lining, these shoes are available from Paughco for around eighty dollars a set. To my knowledge, Paughco is the only supplier offering American made reproduction parts for early model brakes.

If your budget doesn’t allow for a new set of shoes or if your original ones aren’t in need of repair, consider calling Robert Luland at the Good Old Motorcycle Parts Company. For around twenty dollars, you can purchase this American made brake lining set, complete with rivets. I suggest checking out their website(https://www. thegoodoldmotorcyclepartscompany. com/, as they make it very easy to identify which products are made domestically and which are imported.

we can now fit them to the drum. I’ll be replacing our old drum with a new one complete with sprocket from Paughco.

Using spray adhesive, line the drum’s braking surface with 120 grit emery cloth or sandpaper

Be sure to clean the mating surface of the shoe to ensure the new lining goes on as evenly as possible. This is good time to bring up an important note. When grinding or sanding anything involving your brakes, you should wear some form of respiratory protection. Many of these old linings contain asbestos, which as we all know, is incredibly dangerous to your health. Even though modern linings are no longer manufactured in the same way, it is still best to treat them as though they still are.

Install the new lining on your shoe and insert the brass rivets. Next, we’ll peen the underside of the rivets to hold the lining in place. It can be done using a bench vise, a roll punch, and a pin punch.

Start with the rivets in the center of the shoe and work your way to the outside.

Although the job doesn’t require any fancy tools or machines, I found this tool helped ease the process. It was listed at an online retailer as a tractor brake relining tool and with a little modification, it made holding everything in place much easier

For the purposes of this article, we’ll be relining our existing shoes. Begin by drilling out the old rivets from the back.

Once drilled, the rivets can be removed using a small punch.

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Once the new linings have been installed,

Since the radius of the new lining doesn’t exactly match the radius of the drum, I’ll need to remove any excess material from the lining. To better illustrate this, I’ve used layout dye on the new lining, though sharpie or paint would work just as well.

Place the newly lined shoe in the drum and begin sanding the lining surface.

After only a few passes, we can see the high and low spots in the lining. Continue sanding until the surface is even. The goal here is to maximize the contact area of the lining to the drum, resulting in better brake performance.

The last step when dealing with the linings is to apply a slight chamfer to the edges.

In doing so, we’ll reduce the chances of having brake chatter.

taller of the two against the plate or the shoes cannot be installed correctly

Now that our shoes have been relined and arced to our drum, we can begin reassembly. Remove the abrasive material from the drum and be sure to clean off any residue from the adhesive.

Start by applying a LIGHT coat of marine grease to the brake operating cam and the pivot stud. Place the shoes in position noting the direction of the relief in the shoe

The pivot stud has two cup washers which are different heights. Be sure to place the

While we’re on the subject, it’s worth noting the pivot stud acts as an adjustment for the shoes after the wheel has been reinstalled. The hole in the backing plate that the stud passes through is elongated, allowing the stud to move. By loosening the nut and applying the brake, the stud allows the shoes to find their most natural center in the brake drum. Continue to apply pressure to the brake pedal as you tighten the nut.

Next, install the springs on the shoes. An often-overlooked detail is the direction of the springs hook. On the shoe facing the front of the motorcycle, install the hook from the top. On the rear shoe, the hook will be installed from the bottom.

Now you’re ready to reinstall your wheel and drum assembly back on your machine. Avoid hard stops for the first few miles to allow the fresh linings to properly mate with the drum surface. I hope that for some of you reading, this takes some of the mystery out of drum brake setup.

Now you’re ready to hit the streets on that vintage machine or survivor chop with enough stopping power to ensure no doughnuts hit the pavement. Buy American… Stay Greasy…

-Shawn

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Article And Photos By: Troy Bensinger

t

he Blue Collar Build Off finals is the “best weekend you may not remember, with friends you will never forget.” This biker build off wasn’t supposed to happen. The socalled pandemic was in full effect, but the owner of the Saddle Sore Ranch, Rob Borden, decided to go through with the Blue Collar Biker Build-Off anyway. He wasn’t going to let any stay at home order or social distancing stop this year’s event. Participants from around the country had spent several months cutting, chopping, and welding on their 2-wheel creations for the build off.

The Blue Collar Build Off finals are held annually at the end of April in conjunction with the West Coast Rendezvous.

It is a four day, offgrid, old school biker campout and rodeo. This event features the BCBO, flat track races, biker games, adult games, world’s tallest outdoor stripper pole, nightly adult campfire parties, and amazing area riding, including the worldfamous Mohave Rattlesnake, a section of Route 66 with 222 curves in just 10 miles.

Teams come from all over the country for the BCBO. After they register they have just 30 days to build their bike. They will all start

off with some old donor bike or pile of parts. Many people have an old bike in the garage or the backyard that has been sitting there for years in the hopes that “someday” they will fix it. The BCBO is their excuse- it’s their “someday”. They grab a few friends (no more than 4 per team) and spend the next four weeks getting that old thing back on the road. They can put as much time and labor into it as they want within the 30 days, but they are only allowed to spend up

to $1,500 on anything they have to purchase. What can you and your buddies build with a crusty old donor bike, and just $1,500 in only 30 days?

When the build time ends, they must bring their bikes out to the Saddle Sore Ranch, where they must successfully complete a 100mile ride with the other builders.

Points are deducted for bikes that do not complete the ride. Then a final judging is done by multiple

judges and awards are given.

Rob and his wife, Rona, hail from Las Vegas, Nevada. Rob has owned the SSR since 2016. They started out with only 5 acres. But since Rob’s parties have grown in popularity with biker community, he recently purchased 10 more acres of the secluded high desert land that surrounds the SSR. They hold several events each year including a moonshine festival, music events and, of course, several motorcycle rallies. The SSR is located in Mohave County, Arizona, on the outskirts of Golden Valley and is only 6 miles of dirt roads from the most beautiful and dangerous stretch of Route 66 left in America.

“The seclusion is part of the appeal at the Saddle Sore Ranch,” Rob said.

“We could never throw the kind of parties we have if we were on a main road. I tell people ‘If you can’t get to the ranch, you don’t belong at the ranch’ and also ‘If you are only a biker up to the edge of the asphalt, you may not appreciate our 15 acre ranch’.”

Rob is a lifelong motorcyclist with a passion for riding in the Southwest. He will confirm that you’re likely to develop a kinship with nature while jamming across the high desert. Any desert can throw an array of weather at a rider

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including extreme heat, high winds, flash floods and freezing nights. Gas stations are often 100 miles apart and a full canteen of water is a must.

The barren and uninhabited Mohave desert is always a challenging and rewarding ride.

As a motorcycle lifestyle writer/ photographer, I crisscross the lower 48 six months of the year on a motorcycle, sleeping under the stars and chasing the rally circuit in search of good times, motorcycles and the people who ride them. Since I am freelance, I choose which events I want to cover. I find the non-commercial grassroots chopper campouts such as the Blue Collar Build Off appealing. There the older generation meshes with the younger generation, who are emulating the 1960’s and 1970’s chopper culture we all love so much. I spend the other half of the year in or around my hometown of Golden Valley Arizona living in my 1965 Chevy school bus just 15 miles away from the Saddle Sore Ranch. The weather in the high desert is very accommodating for motorcyclists, allowing me to ride year-round. And I never miss a party at the SSR. For this event I rode in with Loulou, a friend visiting from France, and Joey Raccoon, a young drifter in his twenties from Michigan. Both guys were quarantining themselves at my remote desert hideout for the past few weeks so the BCBO sounded like the perfect excuse to break free, see some choppers and party our asses off.

This year they had 23 teams register. They always have some dropouts because some teams get in over their heads and don’t finish their bikes. This year, due in part to COVID-19 travel bans, over half of the teams did not make it. But nine teams said, “Screw it, we will see you there!”

The Scodes chopper club are a great example of the teams that build. These rigid frame, long chop, modern day dirt bags made a good showing at the event considering four members had mechanical failures and had to turn back for California.

Thirteen members did arrive on choppers without much hassle from “the man” or break downs. Joe Rod explained that brothers Ty and Bill Walker founded Scodes chopper club back in 1997. They had members come from Temecula, Riverside and LA County.

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Big Barrie James, one of the event organizers, was standing over a Dutch oven full of chili as he explained, “This was the Biker BuildOff that wasn’t supposed to happen due to some government restrictions put on us folks due to the pandemic bullshit. The SSR definitely qualifies as a social distancing location, we’re in the middle of nowhere minding our business and living our own lives. The biker community of Arizona never liked being told what to do- they were going to show up regardless.”

The teams that made it to the finals were: Ace Cycle - Sparks, NV; Team Tinkerin - Winnemuca, NV; Backyard Bikes - Kennewick, WA; Illinois Tall Boys - Hartford, IL; Boogaloo Crew - Panama, OK; Falling Rocks - Westbrook, MN; Dysfunctional Veterans - St Robert, MO; Hack Motorworks - Lake Havasu City, AZ; Scodes MC - Phelan, CA The bike that won Saddle Sore Ranch Favorite was built by Rockford Scholl. His team was Falling Rocks.

They made the trek all the way from Minnesota. Team leader Rockford said, “Everything on the bike was made by hand including the frame, front end, seat, tank, bars, etc. All

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tubing was bent by hand as well. The motor is a 1993 Sportster 1200.” At the end of the rally the winning bike was purchased by SSR owner, Rob Borden. To raise awareness of the ranch and the build off the bike will be the official SSR and Blue Collar Build Off bike used in all advertising and seen at bike shows all through the area.

Best of Show and Builder’s Choice are both points-based awards with each bike judged based on several categories. Best of Show is calculated by total number of points from all judges. The Builders Choice Award is ONLY voted on by other competing teams. Best of Show and Builder’s Choice Awards were both won by the Dysfunctional Veterans.

The Cleetus Award is the best bike of the bunch that did not qualify for judging. Perhaps the bike was incomplete or was not able to start the 100-mile ride. However, it still came to the show. The Cleetus Award was won by Ace Cycle. Harley class winners were 3rd place - Illinois Tall Boys; 2nd place - Boogaloo Crew; and 1st place - Dysfunctional Veterans. Metric class winners were 2nd place - Scodes MC and 1st place - Hack Motorworks.

This event is old school. No big corporate vendors, miles of t-shirt vendors, or $20 corn dogs.

Sometimes campers will pitch in and throw together a pot of chili or some burgers. Sometimes they don’t.

BYOB is always recommended (no glass please). Beer and food runs are frequent, so if you need anything, there is usually somebody heading into town that will grab it for you. Rob asks for an admission charge at the gate that is just a donation towards the expenses of the party, entertainment, porta potties, gas for generators and water for the outdoor showers, etc. It is just a small donation, usually $30 per person for the entire weekend which includes tent camping.

So next time you’re riding through Arizona be sure to check out Rob and the gang at the Saddle Sore Ranch. Checkout their website at SaddleSoreRanch.com for a list of upcoming events.

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Article By: Matt Reel Photos By: Michael Lichter

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randon Keene always dreamed of building motorcycles for a living.

But like most of us, he did his 9 to 5 gig and then built motorcycles on the side. Back in 2015, Brandon’s dad gave him his 1967 Triumph Bonneville to build. The Bonneville went on to win some events and kept the two wheel spark going. A 1999 Sportster build came along and did the same. But it wasn’t until a little more recently that Brandon decided to quit his day job and build custom motorcycles and parts

full time. He opened B Keene Built.

The bike he was working on when he made the big step is this one, Showtime. Judging from the work on this Shovel Brandon made a good move.

The Showtime build started when Josh Pratt, a friend of a family member, asked Brandon to build him a show bike. Josh bought a 1976 Shovelhead and turned Brandon loose. Josh requested a bike with lots of “bling.” This allowed Brandon the opportunity to really dig into the work. He not only exceeded Josh’s expectations but

also his own.

To get things started, the Shovel was torn down to its essential pieces. The stock frame was sent off to Jeff Cochran at Speedking for a hardtail. Brandon went to work and built a girder front end to mate to that freshly hard tailed frame. A set of Invader wheels, 21 inch for the front, and 16 inch for the rear were sourced from Pat at Led Sled Customs. Brandon now had a roller, and it was time to get to work.

While the roller had a nice look by itself, there’s nothing like the sight of a Shovelhead engine resting in

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place. Brandon sent the Shovel and transmission off to John Speaker. John went through both, top to bottom, to make sure they not only looked amazing but performed flawlessly. When he got them back, Brandon placed them in the frame and tied the two together with a Tech Cycle open chain primary. Brandon then built a jockey shift to row through the gears.

With the frame rolling and the engine and transmission in place, it was time to focus on some sheet metal. A Lowbrow gas tank was mounted precisely on the backbone, giving the bike that classic chopper style. Brandon formed up the rear fender himself and designed and built some beautiful fender mounts. Brandon had something special in mind for the oil tank; he ‘fabbed’ up a slick round oil tank. Then he went on

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to design a license plate mount that allowed the plate to slide in behind the oil tank tucking it out of the way when the bike is parked. This keeps the look of the bike smooth and clean. While Brandon was in the fabricating mood, he went ahead and knocked out the handlebars and exhaust pipes.

The bike was once again broken down to add some shiny stuff.

For the paintwork, Brandon sent everything to Eric Malotke at Open Throttle Customs. Eric applied the beautiful Candy Metallic Red base and graphics. Chrome plating was taken care of by Meclec. Once everything was back, it was time to cautiously assemble Showtime for the last time. The final pieces came in the way of hand and foot controls from Speed Dealer, a headlight from FNA Custom Cycles, a taillight from After Hour Choppers, and a Biltwell seat completed the build.

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SHOWTIME TECH SHEET Owner: Josh Pratt City/State: Gladwin, MI Builder: Brandon Keene Year: 1976 Model: HD Shovelhead Value: Unknown Time: 6 months ENGINE Year: 1976 Model: Harley-Davidson Builder: John Speaker Ignition: Morris Magnito Displacement: 80” Pistons: Unknown Heads: S&S Carb: Super E Cam: Unknown Air Cleaner: Speed Dealer Exhaust: B Keene Built Primary: Tech Cycle Performance

So, there it is, a guy that decided to take the plunge, stepped away from his day job, and pursued his dream.

I’d say he made a pretty good life choice. Brandon’s wife, Amy, has even jumped in and added to the company’s offerings by turning out some fantastic leatherwork. Give Brandon a follow on Instagram at @bkenebuilt or check Amy out on

Instagram @leathamy; between the two of them, you’re destined to get a killer bike.

Go take the plunge. Put fear behind you and follow your dream.

Maybe it will be your SHOWTIME.

TRANSMISSION Year: 1976 Make: Harley-Davidson Shifting: Jockey FRAME Year: 1976 Model: FXE Rake: Stock Stretch: Stock Forks: B Keene Built Builder: Speedking Type: Hardtail Triple Trees: B Keene Built Extension: Unknown WHEELS Front Wheel: Ledsled Invader Size: 21” Tire: Firestone Front Brake: None Rear Wheel: Ledsled Invader Size: 16” Tire: Firestone Rear Brake: Performance Machine PAINT Painter: Open Throttle Customs Color: Candy Metallic Red Type: Unknown Graphics: Open Throttle Customs Chroming: Meclec, INC ACCESSORIES Bars: B Keene Built Risers: B Keene Built Hand Controls: Speed Dealer Foot Controls: Speed Dealer Gas Tank(s): Lowbrow Oil Tank: B Keene Built Front fender: None Rear Fender: B Keene Built Seat: Biltwell Headlight: FNA Custom Cycles Tail light: After Hours Choppers Speedo: None Photographer: Michael Lichter

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Photo Courtesy Of: Missi Shoemaker

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Article By: Amelia “Killer” Rose

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his

month’s artist profile has been a long time coming, and let me tell you, I am so glad we were finally able to g e t him in our pages. Tay Herrera (aka Tarrera) has been creating art since he was in kindergarten. He had a natural talent for it even back then and found that, as he got older, it got him a lot of attention from the ladies. For Tay, creating is something that just comes naturally. He thinks about art all the time.

He’s thinking about current or future projects, music he’s written, or a piece of jewelry he’s working on even as he’s diving his car. According to Tay, creating takes up 80% of what he thinks about, and he says that it is never because of the money. He creates simply because he loves the mind games and lessons that come with the challenging craft of hand-chiseling metal.

Tay began his career precisely 40

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years ago in September of 1980. At that time, he had the help of master engraver Angelo Bee. Tay began

engraving on motorcycles in 1991 when a buddy of his asked him if he wouldn’t mind engraving something

small on the aluminum headlight of his Guzzi. As he was tapping away on it, he thought how cool it would be to do that sort of engraving on bikes. But the thought was soon gone, and Tay moved on with his life. Years later, he saw a show on Discovery Channel airing about the V-Rod. Soon after that, Motorcycle Mania premiered, and he noticed the trend that was developing. It completely re-energized his interest in engraving motorcycles.

At the time, he was working in the firearm engraving business alongside his father. Tays dad was a master woodworker who made high-end firearm presentation cases and detailed stock engraving.

He was the chief engraver for Weatherby Rifles for 15 years. By then, Tay had gotten sick of engraving guns, so he began searching the internet for other engravers that did the kind of work

he was interested in. He found only one name: C.J. Allan. Both C.J. and Tay’s father are people that fuel his creativity and give him the inspiration and motivation to continue creating.

Because of C.J., Tay focused on doing something different. Because he was coming from working with firearms, this ‘different thing’ became scrollwork.

Of course, his medium of choice is metal; wood doesn’t hold up nearly as well on motorcycles, ha-ha. He also likes the fact that there are so many different types of metals that he is able to engrave on.

Tay is incredibly skilled, as you can see, and can engrave in nearly any style (including sculpture) on most metals and can engrave items like guns, motorcycle parts, and even jewelry. He is skilled with both hammer and chisel engraving, which is how he got started, and pneumatic engraving machines which he uses today.

There was a time where people would talk to him and comment, saying, “You must be very passionate about your art,” and at the time, his response would be, “No, I lost that a while ago.” In this industry, the focus can often be deadline after deadline, which is truthfully exhausting. When he was engraving guns, the average time for him to finish was about 2 years, which is the general rule for most gun engravers. So after that,

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having deadlines year after year can really take the juice out of someone’s creative attitude towards their craft.

Now, however, Tay’s reputation and skill is so widely known that he is able to simply pick and choose what job he’s going to accept. This dramatically helps lessen the amount of stress he was experiencing and has made engraving fun for him again.

In terms of his personal life, Tay considers himself more of a loner. He can go days in a row without seeing a single person. He fills his days tapping away on projects in his shop, which is located in a relatively busy part of Orange County. He does enjoy going out on occasion but is always the first one looking for the door. He unfortunately, doesn’t own a bike right now due to hip issues but loves riding.

Tay is also an acoustic guitarist who has composed over 30 songs that no one has ever heard…Yet. He also loves dogs!

Because of motorcycle engraving, Tay has been able to go places he could only have ever dreamed of.

Creatively speaking, motorcycle parts make great canvases for his type of art. The large, open spaces allow him to go where he wasn’t able to with the restricting size of a rifle. He is also able to engrave things on motorcycle parts that may be considered taboo to have engraved on a gun. With motorcycle parts, he has and could engrave anything his client wants. Through his art, he has also been incredibly fortunate to have met some of the coolest and most talented people whom he now calls friends. He would never have been able to meet them had it not been for this incredible, crazy industry we all love so much.

As for the future, he’s recently been considering hosting weekend engraving workshops. It is something he is asked about quite frequently, and he would love to be able to pass on his tips and passion for the craft. He also recently received the copyright for a piece of jewelry he designed and is planning on starting the line sometime soon.

If you want to check out more of Tay’s absolutely incredible work or even commission a piece from him, you can check out his website www. tarrera.com or follow him on Instagram @Tarrera!

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w

hen you mention the name Austin Martin Originals in the motorcycle world, you immediately think of handcrafted Triumphs, Norton’s, Yamaha’s, BSA’s, and the likes. But, did you know the first custom bike built

by Austin Andrella was actually a rolling chassis that evolved into an EVO? Based out of Akron, Ohio, Austin enjoys the small-town

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life in which he grew up. With three daughters and his lovely wife Autumn, he enjoys seeing his kids go to the same school that he did growing up. Despite living in the sticks, Austin’s builds over the years will rival any big city builder, and his list of awards and industry recognition provides the proof.

I was lucky enough to run into Austin at this year’s Dayton Bike Week. It was there that I first laid eyes on the bike

you see before you and was amazed at the pure perfection of this build. Shooting the bike was a joy, but I always love the story behind the bike.

Acquired from his Uncle’s estate, this build is really a twopart journey. Back in 2003 is when this bike began to take life starting as a rolling chassis.

Being new to the world of bike building, it was in his Mom’s basement where he began to assemble what would be

Article And Photos By: Mark Velazquez

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his first-ever custom. Most of the parts used were over the counter.

Over several years, parts were bought and five years later, she was complete and titled in 2009.

The end result, a badass Jessie James styled ride. This would be the bike he would ride to Sturgis, Scoot with his kids, and really just ride the rubber off. It was his daily rider, which he truly loved.

But then came “that” day. Over the years, Austin was defining himself as a true craftsman. His skills were evolving, his style was changing because now he could fabricate what he conjured in his head. So after five great years, the bike was stripped down where it would sit for another six before she was reborn.

During those years, Austin continued to develop his own style. When he finally decided to begin the rebuild, he knew the final results would be a representation of his journey to becoming a master craftsman and fabricator.

This would be the legacy bike that showed who Austin Andrella was.

With the bike once again

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stripped down to the frame and the only original parts from the first build left were the EVO engine, frame, and back wheel.

With a Girder Spitfire front end, that he had acquired from Bill Dodge a few years back, the vision began to take shape. With such a killer front end, you need a killer front wheel. Jeremy Cupp over at LC Fab provided an Elsinore loop (Honda) with LC Fab Hub and Buchannan SS Spokes to do the job. The braking system was

set up as follows; in the rear, you have an AMO dual caliper bracket with GSX-R Tokico calipers, and Lyndall Racing crown cut fully floating rotors with Lyndall pads.

With that stopping power, who needs a front brake?

The engine pretty much remained stock, but with an S&S ignition, HD heads, with an S&S Super E Carb.

The primary, however, is a highly modified BDL 2” belt with Barnett internals. As for the tranny, a Baker 5 speed with kicker shifts

through the gears! Austin did keep the electric start it’s know to know that with two primes and a kick, you’re on your way every time.

The suicide shifter is a favorite of Austin’s, it leaves clean lines, fewer cables, and he enjoys the hydraulics! An N1 shift barrel was used, so neutral sits at the bottom, shifting made easy.

With all this said and done, you would think most would be happy, but this is where you see the full spectrum of a craftsman.

Visually this bike is flawless and all handcrafted by Austin! Look at the Rubik twist blacksmith work done on the fender struts, motor mounts, and jockey shift, art all in itself! MX bars, a fuel tank built from scratch with16-gauge steel with an oil tank ribbed and narrowed to match. The seat pan was formed by Austin and covered by Bare Bones Leather, handmade mid controls and foot clutch, and a killer stainless high pipes exhaust! The one-off grips are by Paper Street Customs grips and the beautiful paint was laid down by Flamethrower Customs!

There are so many treasures on the

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PATRIENCE 2.0 TECH SHEET Owner: Austin Martin Andrella City/State: Akron,Ohio Builder: Austin Martin Originals Model: AMO Rigid Value: $30k Build Time: 3 Months Engine Year: 1999 Model: H-D Evolution Builder: H-D Ignition: S&S Hi-4N Displacement: 80” Pistons:H-D Heads: H-D Carb: S&S Super E Cam: H-D Air Cleaner: LC Fab Mini Hamcan Exhaust: AMO Stepped Stainless Primary: Modified BDL 2” Belt W/ Barnett Clutch Inner Trans Year: 1999 Case/ 2019 Inners Make: H-D With Baker Gear Set Shift: 5 Speed W/ Baker Kicker Frame Year: 2003 Make: Kraft Tech Rake: 35 Degrees Stretch: 4” Up Forks Type: Girder Builder: Spitfire Extension: 4” Over Wheels, Tires, Brakes Front Wheel: Elsinore Loop W/ LC Fab Hub, Buchannan SS Spokes Size: 23” Front Tire: Bridgestone Trial Wing Rear Wheel: CHR 60 Spoke Size: 18” Rear Tire: Avon Venom 180mm Rear Brake: A.M.O. Dual Caliper Bracket W/ GSX-R Tokico Calipers Lyndall Racing Crown Cut Fully Floating Rotor With Lyndall Pads Painting: Painter: Flamethrower Customs Color: Brandywine/Galaxy Gray Type: House Of Kolors Graphics: Atomic Bob Striping Accessories Bars: AMO MX Barz Risers: Top Shelf Customs Hand Controls: Nissin Rear Brake M/C Fuel Tank: AMO Rear Fender: Lowbrow 7” Stringray Seat: Bare Bones Leather/AMO Seat Pan Foot Controls:AMO Mid Controls /Foot Clutch Setup W/ Brembo M/C Mirror: Panic Cycles Brass Ribbed Mini Oil Tank: AMO Ribbed/Narrowed Headlight: Auxbeam Taillight: Prism Moto Photographer: Mark Velazquez

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bike, and they all flow!

Sometimes, it is difficult to put into words what this kind of builder puts into a project, but being surrounded by good friends, a great support system at home, and a burning desire to create makes the process just a bit easier. Austin continues to set the

pace alongside his peers. There are leaders, and there are followers, I say, beware of the quiet man with a smile.

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Article By: Charlie Weisel

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ational Parks are amazing.

The End. Okay, okay, everybody just chill. I guess I’d better elaborate on that or I may get fired as a contributor to this fine publication we all enjoy so much.

Seriously though, they are amazing.

If you disagree then I urge you to go a spend a few days in one, put up a tent and sleep under the stars. there are 62 National Parks in total so it shouldn’t be hard to find one relatively nearby. If you still disagree after giving it a fair shake, then I guess we just won’t see eye to eye and you can go ahead carrying on with your nature hating ways. Sounds like a tough way to live but to each his own. By now it should be no secret that I’m

a bit of a tree hugger, I even had a Birkenstock and tye dye phase of my life I’m not overly ashamed of. I’ve recently thought of buying another pair of Birkenstock’s in fact. They’re cozy, what can

I say. But alas, I’m getting off track here. The reason I bring up this topic of National Parks is not because i’m trying to convert

you to a stinky patchouli wearing hippy or because i’m a long lost ancestor of President Roosevelt, its because I passionately believe in appreciating the natural beauty of our world. Our National Park system is the ideal place to do just that, be appreciative. Be in awe. Observe.

I m m e r s e yourself in the environment and let the day to day affects of technology, schedules, deadlines and meetings wash away.

Turn your cell phone off. Take in the fresh air, the aromatic scent of the pines, the melodic songs of the birds and the rhythmic lapping of gentle waves caressing the beach.

Watch a Woodpecker slam his beak against a tree for an hour, that’ll be fun for at least one of you.

Stumble across a Grizzly bear from a safe distance, key words there are “safe distance”, its only a

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“cool” experience until you get eaten.

Watch the Buffalo graze in a field next to natural hot springs and geysers.

Witness a gaggle of unruly children reek havoc in an overpriced gift shop while Mom and Dad argue over who’s taking little Timmy to crapper. That last one was just to see if you were paying attention. The point is, there are incredible things you will likely only ever witness within the National Parks system and President Roosevelt had the foresight to act on that in the early 1900’s by creating the 6 National Parks and laid the foundation for many more before these natural wonders were turned into strip malls... where little Timmy probably is in fact being dragged off to the crapper by his pissed off Dad. Timmy, you are to old to crapping your pants.

Kayla and I had the pleasure of being able to visit three of the National Parks over the course of a ride through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington a few weeks back.

Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks were first on our list and also repeats for us. We don’t mind repeating some of these places though because it seems you see something new every time.

Even a difference in weather can dramatically impact your experience.

We didn’t spend a lot of time in these parks however because Glacier National Park was our true destination. Glacier has eluded us for some time for one reason or another so we saw it fit to make it a priority on this particular endeavor. What can I say, it was worth every cold and soggy mile to get there. I say that even after we were only able to experience the western

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side of the park and were unable to ride the Going to the Sun Road which is way up near the top of my bucket list of roads to conquer. Due to pandemic fueled staff shortages the road had still not been cleared of its winter snow pack. Typically this sort of thing would have left me truly disappointed, but in this case the peacefulness of my surroundings calmed my irritation and left me feeling only that much more appreciative for what we did

get to see. Soaring mountain peaks blanketed in a dense fog, icy rivers cutting through chiseled mountain sides fed from waterfalls cascading a thousand feet from above. Dense mossy forests. We took in all the sights we could, reveled in every moment of the Parks grandeur and spent a night on Lake McDonald. We came, we saw and we left with a revived sense

of just how wondrous our world is.

How much more we have to see and experience. I think that is the true gift these parks give back, that reminder that we are just guests on this earth and we should treat it accordingly.

From Montana we ventured west, across Idaho, toward Washington to spend a few days near Leavenworth with Kaylas cousin and his family.

After three solid days of extremely masculine behavior such as shooting guns, splitting wood and exaggerating stories, it was time to start working our way back to just that, work. During the three days it took us to return to our home state of Colorado we carried with us visions of the beauty we had seen and daydreamed of exploring the rest of the National Parks.

As I mentioned earlier there are 62 of them, that sounds like a whole heck of a lot of eye opening experiences to me. I hope that in same way my rambling here has inspired you to go check out some of these parks for yourself. I really and truly think you will be glad you did. Heck, take your hiking boots with you and get off the road for a bit.

Get lost in nature and find yourself.

For more photos of this ride and others follow me on Instagram @ travelingchopper Also follow @roadsareforjourneys and check out our website Roadsareforjourneys.com

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Article By: Chris Callen Photos By: Missi Shoemaker

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here are builders in this thing that go about their craft for the paycheck at the end of the day, others who do it for the celebrity status they achieve, and others who make motorcycles with their hands as if they would die without doing it. Their passion for it comes far before any of the other incidentals involved in the work. As they set out about learning the particulars of their craft, they continued to dream of the next perfect part they could make for their build. And that passion fuels our industry and drives the culture surrounding it

today like it always has.

One such story involves my brother Xavier Muriel. This little beauty that you see here was actually his introduction to the national motorcycle scene. Of course, as a monthly columnist in this very publication, you already know his story as an accomplished Rock musician, so there is no need to start at square one. However, we should begin with the last phase of it.

As Xavier became keenly aware that his love for being a touring musician, at least in his thencurrent situation, was coming to an end, his motorcycle habit was

ramping up hard. That was, in fact, how he ended up writing for us. As he toured the country, he would visit shops and scout parts on his days off, perfect for a monthly column; the rest is history. Around the time that he began to make plans for his departure from the band, he had been scoping out SpeedKing’s gold bike with the drop seat conversion. He was a big fan of this look and sent Jeff a ’79 FXE frame to have the conversion done. As it turned out, the frame came back just in time for Xavier to leave for another tour, and the ’79 sat in his kitchen for months. When he got back to

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L.A., he started to shape it into something in a little one-car garage at his house in Burbank.

Nearly halfway through it, companies like Tech Cycles and Baker were interested in helping out. After all, we found a way to have X do a Grease & Gears Garage segment on driveline alignment during Sturgis that year, so hundreds of thousands of people would see his work using these products. Mostly though, I think that a lot of companies like this can see the value in someone with passion and are glad to support efforts they are involved in. After that segment, Garrett and the boys from S&S started working with him on the motor. Now, this went on for a bit. Xavier would get small parts accomplished in between touring.

He’d come back to his Burbank workshop and throw some hours into it here and there. All of that would change once he was invited to be a builder for the inaugural year of the In Motion Show. With precious little time, he put it into high gear. Billy Lane, a good brother of Xavier’s, invited him to come down to Choppers Inc., where he would have run of the shop to finish his build. Muriel recounts the times where people would make comments about how nice it was for Billy to build his bike for him, but in truth, it was the

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perfect situation. While Xavier had been incredibly proud that he was able to build a motorcycle like Cholula, his previous build, with limited tools and supplies, this was a chance to work in a world-class facility with a true master just across the room. Muriel had access to tools he had only dreamed of and never stopped asking Billy questions.

The whole time, however, Billy never told Xavier how to do something, he kept him on track and provided counsel if there was a question of strength or execution. During this time, Xavier slept on the floor in the office of Billy’s Daytona shop, they’d have coffee every morning, and they’d both go to

work.

As the In Motion deadline was looming, and it was time for Xavier to head back to Texas to finish things off from his own shop.

This is where patience comes from, that last little bit of a build where you want to finish, you want things to be perfect, but you want to be done. Add in a rock-solid deadline, and the stress becomes immeasurable. At one point, I remember X calling me and saying that he just didn’t know how he would finish it. I mentioned that he was at the intersection where you either buckle down and get it done, or you throw in the towel. I knew that would incense his

stubborn nature just enough to push him to go for it. With a little help from guys like Kiwi Mike, who ended up overnighting him a wheel with rubber, he made Lone Star and the In Motion Show. He said it reminded him of a time where Buckcherry was touring in France. Their bus broke down, they had to sleep in the lounge of another band’s bus to make it to the next town, but they did what they had to because there was no canceling the gig.

Once at the In Motion Show, the payoff of riding with builders that he had such mad respect for like Will Ramsey and Jeff Cochran was worth all the extra effort. As they completed the shakedown ride, he admits hoping that he wasn’t the guy who would create a problem for everyone else with something he had done breaking. All a lesson in patience, all the application of form following function.

The front end on this little beauty is a key feature in Muriel’s builds. He likes the 39mm style tress, once the junk is cleared away from them. This is a proposition that requires a big commitment in time, but the end result is spectacular. While this bike has a front brake, he’s gone to great lengths to take that ultraclean look a little further. He has a ton of little touches like the rear mount on the fuel tank, and the fender struts take it that one step further.

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PATIENCE TECH SHEET Owner: Misty Asermely City/State: South Dakota Builder: Providence Cycle Worx Year: 1979 Model: FXE Value: Time: 4 Months Engine Year: 1979 Model: Shovelhead Builder: S&S Ignition: Dyna S Displacement: 93” Pistons: S&S Heads: S&S Carb: S&S Super E Cam: S&S Air Cleaner: S&S Exhaust: Providence Cycle Worx Primary: Tech Cycle Transmission Year: 2018 Make: Baker 6 In To N1 Drum Shifting: Foot Frame Year: 1979 Model: FXE SpeedKing Drop Seat Rake: 0 Degrees Stretch: 0 Forks: Builder: 39MM H-D Type: Narrow Glide Triple Trees: H-D Extension: Stock Wheels Front Wheel: Paughco Size: 21” Tire: Metzeler 880 Front Brake: Jay Brake 4 Piston Rear Wheel: Midwest Size: 18” Tire: Podium Rear Brake: Jaybrake 4 Piston Paint Painter: Terry “T-Bone” Gray Color: Black Pearl Type: Valspar Graphics: Chroming: Space Coast Accessories Bars: Biltwell Chubbies Risers: Biltwell Slimline Hand Controls: Jaybrake Foot Controls: Providence Cycle Worx Gas Tank(S): Providence Cycle Worx Oil Tank: SpeedKing Torpedo Front Fender: N/A Rear Fender: RWD Seat: Biltwell Headlight: Paughco 5 3/4 Taillight: Paul Cox/Providence Cycle Speedo: Photographer: Miss Shoemaker

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The choice in metal finishes, gloss black and raw aluminum add up to an incredible build and one that didn’t stick around too long either.

Up until the article you are reading now, Xavier has operated out of his two-car garage in Austin under the name Providence Cycle Worx. Recently, he moved into his first “Big Boy Shop” by teaming up with Mark Mathews of Texas Performance Motorcycles, and together they now share a sizable space. Xavier says that it’s such a good feeling to walk up to the door, put his key in, and have coffee as the shop fires up.

At the same time, there is a very real sense that the water on the floor after a hard rain isn’t going to clean itself up, and no matter

what time is spent on or off the lift, the bills need to be paid in thirty days. He’s steadily at the task of finishing the High Seas Rally bike that will be given away to one lucky cruise member in 2021. Along with Xavier, Cycle Source will be on hand for some Grease & Gears Garage segments and some other fun events, so make sure to go check that out.

The long and short of it is, you can do anything you want in your life, Xavier here is the perfect example. All you need is a ton of passion, some determination and in the end,… a little Patience.

one man’s opinion

the world keeps turning Article By: Jason Hallman

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hen the Corona Virus broke, I had to promise myself that I wouldn’t get worked up. I instantly knew that this summer would be extraordinarily different from 2019. No matter what the near future held, we all returned home from Daytona Bike Week with a different outlook on 2020 than we went into that week with.

From the moment that we landed in Daytona that first Sunday, talk of Coronavirus was being uttered at what could almost be regarded as only a “whisper.” As the days passed and the week plodded along, the talk of the day went from an undertone to an allout discussion (read: debate) about the truth of the matter and what was going to happen.

I kept telling myself one thing; “you can’t catch Corona if you only drink Jack & Cokes!” LOL All kidding aside, no one knew what to expect. About halfway through the week, my pal, who was visiting from England for the week, got food poisoning in our hotel room. It was my first “corona scare,” and luckily (for me, not him), it was the oysters. I had one or two of them too, so I spent a few hours “concerned,” but I never got sick, so I guess all was well.

Bike Week 2020 was a smash! All of the requisite people and events were in place to make 2020 an exceptional event. Once the week moved along, though, there was more and more talk of the virus and what probable outcomes there would be going forward. By Friday evening, most all of the events had been canceled. On Main Street, vendors started closing up shop, and the mayor

announced that on Saturday, bike week 2020 would be no more.

Some folks save up all year to attend Bike Week in the great state of Florida (and it really is a great place) while others simply want away from the snow and the cold weather. If you are in the industry, Daytona is the first event of the new year and feels more like a reunion than anything else. It is a chance to see what your friends have accomplished since Sturgis, give hugs, and share a drink and a laugh. Instagram keeps us all on the same wavelength, but breaking bread is what makes us family.

We have some of the best events in this industry. People know this, and that is why they come from all over the world to attend them. My Dutch friend, Hans, and his beautiful wife, Maryane, come each year from the Netherlands. The editor of Kopteri and the folks from Wild come from Europe. Heavy Duty comes all the way from “Down Under” to report back what they all see in the states.

Not to mention, locals like Bill Dodge, Warren Lane, and Eric from FNA cycles and myself from Florida all attend. Not just because it is close but because it is a tradition.

This event and others like it are important. We all went home with an Indian Larry question mark looming in our heads, not knowing what the next three to six months would hold. What would our summer look like? Will product be able to ship? What does “essential” actually mean? Can we go to Sturgis?

What is “social distancing”? To be honest, I do not like the “new norm,” but like it or not, we are all somehow getting through it, and most of us fantastically I might add.

Paul Wideman is innovating new products almost daily. Jeff G Holt is proceeding with as many innovative events as he can think up. Chris and Heather Callen are working as hard (or harder than they ever have) to make some moves to bring our Cycle Source family into the digital age. Xavier Muriel is moving into his first commercial location.

Billy Lane has moved into his new facility, and Sons of Speed promises to keep us on the edge of our seats. Warren Lane is holding it down in Miami, showing everyone how it gets done. Bill Dodge is keeping his head down and fastidiously making magic happen in his workshop.

John Jessup is leading the charge of the new era of Pro Street muscle bikes that look as good as they run. Somewhere, Tom Edison and Kurt Peterson are making FXR’s faster and handle better while Anthony Keeling is back to building frames. Jesse James is working 25 hours a day building motorcycles, cars, producing (and starring in) the reboot of Monster Garage for Discovery Channel. Boosted Brad is busy painting motorcycles and producing new parts too. Jace Hudson is still hating on dudes with trailers, but he is producing one of the best podcasts on the interwebs.

Bobby Seeger is still posting pictures of ice cream, beards, and half-naked selfies. At the same time, Shovelhead Austin is steady filling Instagram with a history lesson on the NYC chopper scene since the late 1960s. Ain’t life great!?

My point is that the big old world we live in keeps turning. Every day is a new opportunity for a better day than the last.

Every new customer has the potential to turn into a new friend. I had never ever heard of the Flu pandemic of 1918 until this year. I hate wearing a mask (and I complain about it all the time). Still, when I wanted to attend a memorial for one of my best friend’s brother, I put the mask on and flew to Texas because friends and family are more important than my shitty opinion of something no one can control.

I am mostly happy, and my days are filled with mostly positive things. I have read a few more books than usual and even spent some extra time with the family. This will pass, and we will be able to hang out without standing 6-feet apart sooner than we all think. So in the meantime, support your local chopper shop and smile…it takes fewer muscles than a frown.

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g

reetings fellow lovers of all things Motorcycle.....

Well here we are, still in this crap… I must say that like most of you who have watched this situation evolve over the last few months I’m so grateful that it hasn’t brought us completely to our knees and begging for mercy. I am so proud of the Motorcycle community for banding together in times like this to do what we Love… riding and being around others who ride. And all just because we Love it so much!!!!! As I pen this, the 80th Anniversary of Sturgis is just weeks away...It was close call and we almost thought it would not happen but the powers that be in that community and so many others have decided to move forward and it’s On!!! The Source Media group will be on hand filming all of the happenings in several different locations throughout the week to bring you a pay per view event. This will be the very first of its kind and its’ being done with a rig that was designed and built by Mr. Chris Callan owner of this fine magazine…

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Article By: Xavier Muriel

I received pics of the construction during the build process and I must say he fit a WHOLE LOT OF STUFF IN THAT SPRINTER!!!!! It looks like a rolling news van!!!!!

Unfortunately I will not be attending this year because I’ve made the leap of faith to go into a bigger shop... Yes it’s true as Mr. Callen called it; I’m making the move to a “Big Boy” shop.

I’ve teamed up to share a 2500 square foot facility with my good friend Mark Matthews who owns Texas Performance Motorcycle.

Mark is a genius at all things horsepower, and especially things related to Evos and later models. He’s run a successful business for quite a few years now.

When I moved back to Texas it was suggested

that I pay him a visit and thus began our friendship. Now If you know me, you’re probably wondering what I’m doing sharing a roof with someone that is a specialist in later model bikes when I’m an Evo and earlier lover...

Well the best part of this partnership is that neither one of us will be moving into or onto the others territory. My Custom world and his mainly OEM performance world will not collide,

so it’s a perfect pairing. I have the opportunity to learn about model years that in all honestly I’ve turned my nose up at for so many years.

Over the last month we’ve spent our time moving in, slowly staging things where they will live.

But here’s the real kicker; we couldn’t have picked a WORSE TIME for a move. Of course it’s July in Texas which means soaring heat in the 103 range for days on end...Not to mention Mark’s old shop was just across the street (literally) from the new one. So there have been many days with many trips back and forth, back and forth, across the street with rolling carts and a fork lift to get all the stuff moved. Man I thought I had stuff! We moved his inventory pretty much one at a time and I thought it would never end. We finally crossed the finish line just this week and now it’s onto getting back to work. I’m just like everyone else and No work means No money...

I’m grateful for all the friends that I have in this industry that I spoke with before I made the move. They did nothing but encourage me to follow my heart and dreams; and all the while they filled me up with good

sound advice. I’m talking about guys that I have looked up to look up to for 20 or more years. I figure with all that experience in the Motorcycle world they kinda know what they’re talking about, RIGHT???

So stayed tuned, I’ll keep ya posted on the progress and of course I’ll let ya know about the Grand Opening Party As ALWAYS Be Kind to Yourself and One Another...

God Bless. X.

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his month’s Dennis Kirk Garage Build is brought to you by a fantastic builder from across the ocean in The Netherlands! Martin Van Geenen is 46 years old and hails from a small village called Den Hoorn with his wife Ingenborg, their son, Jack, and their Chihuahua, Fred. Though his days are spent working as an aircraft engineer for the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Martin has always held a deep love for anything on two wheels and has been riding since he was 26.

Martin is also the only person in his family that rides a motorcycle, his parents don’t even own a car! When he bought his third bike, a custom ‘75 Yamaha XS650, everyone kept asking him if he built it himself, which he didn’t (but may as well have with all the times he had to take it apart after it breaking down). After that, it was decided he would build his own!

With some serious online research, he bought the donor bike for around

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750 Euros (roughly $880USD) and immediately took the entire thing apart. Martin then asked a local shop to build him a weld-on hardtail that matched his specs. A year later, that portion of the bike was done! After deliberation Van Geenen decided that the rear section of the bike was too wide, so he had a new rear axle made as well. Once those two obstacles were overcome, he just started building with no real plan in mind, save for some inspiration he had found online, and the fact that he wanted a simple, bobber-like motorcycle.

Several parts were purchased during trips to the US when he was visiting for either work or vacation.

It should also be known that Martin built this entire bike in his living room!

Everything from painting the engine to welding the bungs and brackets was all done inside. Luckily his wife is both patient and forgiving. Oftentimes, the house smelled of paint or gasoline, and there were burn marks on his

wooden floor from where he had been welding.

The paint job was done by a friend of his who had also painted a helmet of his before the project. The idea came from one of his son’s toy cars, sort of a NASCAR inspired design.

For Martin, the most challenging part of this build was finding a way to mount the rear brake since the original mount was on the section that he had cut off. His solution? He stumbled across a conrod that was lying around, and it just so happened to be 20mm exactly. So, he used it as a pivot point for the pedal, made a mount for the master, and boom.

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FIFTY FOUR TECH SHEET Owner: Martijn van Geenen City/State: Delft ZH, Netherlands Builder: Martijn van Geenen Year: 1978/2016 Model: Yamaha XS650 SE Value: 6500 Euro Time: 4 years Engine Year: 1978 Model: XS650 3L1 Builder: Martijn van Geenen Ignition: Vape Power Dynamo Displacement: 653cc Pistons: Stock Heads: Stock Carb: Mikuni VM 36 Round Slide / WiseGuys Choppers 2into1 Bobber Intake Cam: Stock Aircleaner: 62mm Go-kart Exhaust: Pandemonium Ya Mamma Pipes Primary: Stock Transmission Year: 1978 Make: Stock Yamaha Shifting: Stock, left foot Chain Tensioner: Powell Peralta Bolt-on Skateboard Wheel Frame Year: 1978 Model: XS650 SE Handmade hard tail welded on. 4” stretch:, 2” Drop Rake: Stock Stretch: 4” Forks Builder: Martijn van Geenen Type: Stock Triple trees: Stock Extension: Shortened 2” Wheels Front wheel: Stock19” Powder Coated Tire: Bridgestone Battlax BT45 Front brake: Stock Modified Polished Rear wheel: Stock 16”Powder Coated Tire: Bridgestone Battlax BT45 Rear brake: Stock Modified Powder Coated Paint: Powder Coated Chinchilla Grey Graphics: Krabmansigns.com Chroming: All Polished Aluminium Accessories Bars: Dragbar Risers: Biltwell Slimline polished stainless Hand controls: Suzuki M1800 Intruder Foot Controls: Custom Rear Brake & Pedal Pivot Gas tank: Harley-Davidson Sporty Oil tank: Moon Eyes Chopper Oil Tank Front fender: None.

Rear fender: Led Sled Customs Seat: Biltwell Solo Tuck ‘n Roll Headlight: EBay Tail light: Model T Ford Speedo: EBay Photographer: Floris Velthuis

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It was done.

In the end, this build took 4 years on and off, evenings, and night work only. With the exception of having some aspects of the bike done at professional shops like powder coating and frame modifications, this entire bike was built by himself, no outside help or hands.

This little XS is definitely a rider, sunny days only, and you can tell from the dirt on its tank that it’s well-loved. For his next build, Martin is working on a ‘74 Shovel, which is going to turn into an old school bagger. It’ll be a lot more expensive for him though, as the prices for parts are

much higher in Europe. Based on what he did with this vintage Yamaha, we hope he shares his next project with us too.

Martin would like to give a special thanks to his wife for putting up with all of the bad smells and burns in the house, Erwin Stok, for his welding expertise, Floris Velthuis, for the fantastic pictures, and Martijn Krabman for the incredible paint job.

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1. Different Color Of Sunglasses 2. Missing Logo On T-Shirt. 3. Extra Molding On Fuel Tank. 4. Extra Finger On Left Hand. 5. False Dual Plug On Front cylinder Head. 6. Extra Molding On Oil Tank. 7. Extra Exhaust Pipe Tip At Bottom Of Oil Tank. 8. Extra Fins On Oil Filter. 9. Missing Right Shoe Behind Front Wheel.

10. Color Of Tip Of Shoe On Left Foot.

FIND TEN DIFFERENT THINGS ON PATIENCE 2.0 NO THERE ISN’T ANY REAL PRIZE, JUST SOMETHING TO DO WHILE YOU’RE IN THE CAN.

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hite Out started out as a brand-new HarleyDavidson Breakout. It was shipped directly to Russell from the dealer. It was intended for one of Russell Mitchell’s best customers in Colorado. Like the Colorado winters, the customer asked Russell for the bike to be white with Russell’s classic satin black touch.

The team immediately got started stripping the bike down to the frame, removing every stock component.

Keeping the frame, swingarm, engine, transmission, fork sliders, and a couple of small things such as the coil and other electronics to

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reuse. Everything else would be Exile products. Certain parts were customized specifically for this bike. The seat is one example of a customized part. The team ground the bulky brackets off the frame and welded on their own for a cleaner fit for the custom seat pan. The upholstery for the seat was done

by La Perra. They made sure to create a piece custom to the bike so that it would flow with the rest of the build… And they nailed it! The fenders were fabricated specifically for this build, and the new chopper gas tank was fitted with an internal fuel pump. Russell and his guys also re-wired the Breakout with

a new system that is slightly less complicated. Though the electrical system makeover was daunting, for Russell and his builds, it is entirely worth it.

Of course, after all that modification and fabrication was done, the bike was ready for powder coat. The powder coat alone is a massive undertaking. Like I mentioned before that Exile satin black needed to make its mark.

No big deal, right? Just taking almost 100% of the bike’s parts and coating them all to match identically is major. Andrew’s powder coating took on this immense task, and flawlessly I might add. The only

Article And Photos By: Twila Night

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parts that are just a tad different are the fork tubes, which have to go to a particular company to create the black coating. The pipes had to have a special high heat coating but still, match the rest of the satin black theme. The white on the bike was done by Valley Kustoms out of Chatsworth, CA, who use their own specialty paint. Russell was extremely impressed with Valley Kustoms customer service, and with good reason. Russell damaged the paint on one of the fenders during assembly. He took it back to have it fixed right, not touched up, but actually, it had to be redone entirely since that pearl can be a touchy issue. He brought it down and was hoping to have it finished by the weekend. He got the “We will see what we can do” response…. But then he received the text that they worked until midnight to fix it, and it could be picked up by Friday! Not only did they get it done ASAP, considering they had to basically start completely over, they also didn’t even Charge Russell for the repair. They held up their side of things by making sure

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their work was 100% reliable and guaranteed, even though Russell took full blame for the damage.

Conditions like this just don’t come up much these days. It’s a pleasure dealing with such great companies.

They bike itself is actually rather simple. It took a ton of work to make it so, but the end result is sleek

and simple. The controls consist only of a high and low beam, and that’s about it. There is no horn, no speedometer, no turn signals, etc. A foot clutch and jockey shift are used to even further clean up the hand controls. Although Russell is known for tucking away the components, the customer

wanted as little on the bars as possible.

The build itself admittedly took far too long. Part of the reasoning was that not too many people can take on that re-wiring, and the team had to wait for the right guy to become available. Luckily the customer was well aware of the delays as they happened, and wasn’t at all bothered by them, knowing that it was because it was part of the perfectionism he would end up with. Of course, as you can see, the bike turned out wonderfully. In Russell’s opinion, it is almost perfect. It is Simple, Sturdy, and a blast to ride.

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WHITE OUT TECH SHEET Owner: Colin City/State: Colorado Builder: Russell Mitchell/Exile Cycles Year: 2015 Model: Transformed HD Breakout Value: $60k Time: Way Too long ENGINE Year: 2015 HD Model: Twin Cam Builder: Harley-Davidson Ignition: Zippers Displacement: 103” Pistons: Harley-Davidson Heads: Harley-Davidson Carb: Harley-Davidson EFI Cam: Harley-Davidson Air Cleaner: S&S/Exile Exhaust: Exile Monster Shotgun Pipes Primary: Exile 3” Open Belt TRANSMISSION Year: 2015 Make: Harley-Davidson 6-speed Shifting: FRAME Year: 2015 Harley-Davidson Model: Breakout Rake: 41 total rake Stretch: No Forks Builder: HHI Trees/HD Sliders & Tubes Type: Telescopic Triple Trees: HHI 6 degree Extension: Stock Breakout length WHEELS Front Wheel: Exile “Rockstar” 5-Spoke Size: 21”x3.5” Tire: Metzeler 120-series Front Brake: Exile Rear Wheel: Exile “Rockstar” 5-SpokeSize: 15x7 Tire: Avon 230-series Rear Brake: Exile Sprocket Brake Kit PAINT Painter: Valley Kustoms, Chatsworth Color: Satin White Pearl Graphics: 3D Exile Skull Logo powder coat: Andrews Powder Coating ACCESSORIES Bars: Exile Risers: Integral To Bars Hand Controls: Exile internal throttle Foot Controls: Exile Forward Controls Integrated Brakes/Foot Clutch Gas Tank(s): Exile Oil Tank: Exile Front fender: Exile Rear Fender: Exile Seat: Exile Seat Pan Upholstery LaPera Headlight: Exile Tail light: Lazer Star Speedo: None Photographer: Twila Knight

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Once it was completed, Russell had the joy of taking it out on the road before anyone else got to ride it. He rode it through the hills to his house, and of course, he hit a few spots nearby like the Rock Store. May as well enjoy it while you have it, right? The point of the break-in ride is, of course, to check for any issues. You need to make sure it rides smoothly, and there are no leaks, or noises. But since Russell has just about 25 years in this business, most of that never rears its ugly head. It headed out to Colorado to meet its owner: Who, I was told, is a man of few words. But considering he is a repeat customer, I would say he loves the bike just as much as the previous ones he has ordered. The two have never met in person, but I am guessing one of these days we will find them riding around Colorado together on some custom Exile bikes, that is, at least if Russell gets his way.

Hey, This month in Deadwood, South Dakota I was awakened to a new motorcycle market and a benefit to the Harley-Davidson family.

Let me back up some. Between 2010 and whatever, guys pounded shots and claimed that Choppers were dead. Hell, you weren’t allowed a custom paint job.

That lasted a couple of years. Then Sons of Anarchy hit and Dynas came on strong. Then FXRs resurged and Choppers returned.

So, the other day I had a meeting with David Zemla from S&S and Bradley from Indian about the King of the Baggers Race later this year in Laguna Seca. S&S is modifying a new Indian Challenger for this bagger road race against 13 other touring bikes, all Harleys.

Just 30 minutes after the interview, I jumped into the 5-Ball Racing van to blast from Deadwood into Boulder Canyon 6 miles away for another meeting about vintage motorcycle art and I came face to face with five guys in a shop in the woods.

Each guy had a bagger, but not a regular bagger and not custom baggers by all stupid fast performance baggers.

I’m talking 157-inch Twin cams, M-8s with Turbos, Carbon fiber wheels and sheet metal and Ohlins front ends and shocks.

Nothing fancy, nothing chrome, all black or carbon fiber, hell, no pinstriping, just muscle and torque. I was moved.

Let’s hit the news.

Moving Motorcycle Monument Unveiled - EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU)

- Former Wisconsin State Senator Dave Zien unveils a new, mobile monument.

The moving monument includes two, four foot by eight-foot double sided tribute signs mounted on a trailer, which can be hauled by a motorcycle.

Zien says part of the signs highlight incidents where bikers were killed.

He plans to take the mobile monument to motorcycle rallies across the country during the next few months.

“Education, awareness building, to think a little bit deeper. Especially when we got the looting and we’re tearing down monuments--hey this is a moving monument. This says in writing some of the horrific details of our past and how do we amend those, how do we change

those, we can’t,” said Dave Zien.

In addition to the motorcycle rallies, the monument is also expected to be taken to functions for veterans. -WEAU. com TxDOT Launches Motorcycle Safety Campaign--Beginning this week, TxDOT is launching its “Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles” campaign, which aims to alert drivers to the risks that motorcyclists face and suggests safety precautions motorists can take to protect both motorcyclists and themselves.

The campaign reminds drivers that motorcycles are small and can be hard

to see. In 2019, 412 motorcyclists were killed in Texas, and more than 1,800 were seriously injured.

The highest numbers of fatal motorcycle crashes last year occurred in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, El Paso, Corpus Christi, Lubbock and Odessa. - CW39’s Courtney Carpenter Indian Motorcycle And S&S Cycle To Race At Inaugural ‘King Of The Baggers’ Invitational At Laguna Seca Armed with the Indian Challenge & Piloted

by Road Racing Champion Tyler O’Hara, Indian & S&S take on An Entire Field of Harley-Davidsons.

Indian Motorcycle, America’s First Motorcycle Company, and S&S Cycle today announced a collaboration to race an Indian Challenger at the inaugural Drag Specialties King of the Baggers invitational at Laguna Seca Raceway. The modified Indian Challenger will be piloted by the highly-decorated racing champion Tyler O’Hara.

Among the 14 teams invited to the first-ever King of the Baggers race, S&S is the only Indian Challenger entry. Set to face off against a field of 13 Harley-Davidson baggers, the appropriately-named Indian Challenger boasts superior out-of-the-box performance, including a best-in-class 122 horsepower, an inverted front suspension, and a hydraulicallyadjustable FOX® rear shock.

“When the Indian Challenger was released last October, it set a new standard for performanceoriented, stock baggers and offers the ideal platform, from which to base our race modifications,” said Paul Langely of S&S. “That said, we’re leaving no stone unturned when evaluating the modifications needed to be successful at Laguna Seca.”

At the helm of the S&S-modified Indian Challenger will be road racing veteran Tyler O’Hara. A highly-decorated, and seasoned rider, O’Hara brings a diverse racing background – having won titles in supersport, supermoto, motocross and flat track racing. O’Hara also brings significant experience at Laguna Seca.

“I’m thrilled to not only be racing in the King of the Baggers event, but to be piloting the only Indian Challenger in the October - November ‘20 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE 99

THE CYCLE SOURCE WORLD REPORT - POWERED BY BIKERNET.COM

field. It’s an incredible opportunity for me, and I expect it will be a ton of fun,” said O’Hara. “The Challenger is a remarkable machine in its stock form, but I know the S&S team will be working its magic to give us the best chance to be successful come race day.”

“Just like the rest of the racing community and motorcycle industry, we cannot wait to see 14 baggers ripping around Laguna Seca,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology and Service for Indian Motorcycle. “That said, we’re extremely proud to be the lone Indian Motorcycle in the field, partnering with our friends, the elite innovators at S&S.” The King of the Baggers event will be part of the MotoAmerica Superbike Speedfest at Monterey on October 23-25.

The inaugural race will join the premier MotoAmerica Superbike, Supersport, Liqui Moly Junior Cup, Stock 1000, Twins Cup and Heritage Cup racing.

Facing a field of nothing but HarleyDavidsons, King of the Baggers serves up a compelling extension of Indian Motorcycle’s Challenger Challenge program, a mobile demo tour and dealer test ride program that encourages motorcyclists to test ride the Indian Challenger, head-to-head against the HarleyDavidson® Road Glide® Special.

“We’ve seen incredible consumer response to the superior features and benefits of the Challenger when compared directly against the Road Glide,” said Gray. “King of the Baggers takes that comparison to an entirely different level, as we face off against the field at Laguna Seca.”

For more information and ticketing for the King of the Baggers, visit MotoAmerica.com. Learn more about S&S Cycle at SSCycle.com, and Indian Motorcycle at IndianMotorcycle.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Missouri Governor Signs HB1963T - Including Helmet Repeal - Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed legislation that would modify the current helmet law in the “Show Me State.” The new law, which will go into effect August 28, 2020, allows motorcyclists to ride without helmets if they are 26 years of age or older and have medical insurance.

Freedom of Road Riders Legislative Coordinator Amy Allmon said “Persistence actually pays off, on Tuesday July 14th at 1:30pm Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed our helmet modification bill.

Freedom of choice in Missouri!” When asked for a reaction, MRF Chairman of

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the board, Kirk “Hardtail” Willard had this to say, “The Motorcycle Riders Foundation celebrates today with the bikers of Missouri on their victory of freedom of choice. It’s incredible to realize the State Motorcyclist Rights Organizations have spent nearly four decades pursuing their freedom. Given today’s political environment this is truly rarified air. Ride free Missouri.”

Congratulations to the Freedom of Road Riders, ABATE for Missouri and all those who never quit in the fight to let those who ride, decide! - MRF The Motorcycle Cannonball Cancelled - Jason Sims, owner of the Motorcycle Cannonball, has announced that the historic transcontinental event scheduled for 17 days in September has been rescheduled due to the ongoing effects of COVID-19.

The biennial event, though held on U.S. soil, is an international line up of riders from around the globe and the

2020 race was to include as many as 120 riders on motorcycles manufactured before 1929.

Scheduled to depart Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on September 10, 2020 and arrive for the Grande Finale on September 27, 2020 in South Padre Island, Texas, racers, staff and fans from around the world were excited to watch the cross-country ride unfold.

“An attitude of, “full steam ahead, gung-ho, and business and usual,” has been my credo for the last few months,” stated event organizer, Jason Sims.

“We’ve been working on this run for more than a year and a half and were just completing the last few details.

I never had an ounce of concern that COVID-19 would impact the 2020 Motorcycle Cannonball like it has. Heck, we’ve weathered natural and logistical disasters in the past and managed to come out on top, but this comes down to the safety and well-being of not just the participants but of the general public, as

well.

While conducting the last course run, it became obvious that the socially responsible thing to do is to reschedule.

With a route that encompasses more than 4,000 miles across nine states, we’re leaving a huge footprint across our country. So, with everyone’s best interest in mind, the decision to postpone the run until September 2021 was made.”

It is anticipated that all the host cities and gracious stop hosts who were already signed on will participate next September as riders make their way along the same route. The new anticipated run date will be September 9-26, 2021. Riders are assured their same position for the 2021 Motorcycle Cannonball.

“As an organization, we will continue to focus on ways to enhance this historic, “Man and Machine vs. the Miles,” event.

While maintaining the integrity of the run for generations to come, we will remain committed to arranging the most challenging antique motorcycle event in the world,” stated Jason Sims.

Meanwhile, be sure to check the website and social media sites for information, updates and rider’s build progress as they make ready for the 2021 Motorcycle Cannonball. www. motorcyclecannonball.com Free Tech Training For Veterans And Spouses Veterans and their spouses can take advantage of free virtual training and certification in technology skills from NPower.

After four months of intensive training, mentoring and a paid internship, participants will have access to job placement and more. Apply online now for classes. - VA Twisted Road News -Twisted Road Engages Windy-City Fox Motorsports, LLC to provide first of its kind motorcycle demo to own program.

Windy City-Fox Motorsports www. windycitymc.com, the premier network of motorcycle dealerships serving the greater Milwaukee and Chicago areas, has engaged with Twisted Road® to offer an incredible new motorcycle riding and purchasing experience, an experience that will provide riders convenient, easy and inexpensive access to motorcycles to test, rent, ride and own.

Twisted Road, the leading peer-to-peer motorcycle rental platform, has joined forces with Windy City-Fox Motorsports and their 15 retail locations with over 1,500 pre-owned motorcycles, to offer

THE CYCLE SOURCE WORLD REPORT - POWERED BY BIKERNET.COM riders the largest selection of pre-owned, professionally inspected motorcycles for rentals, test riding and demo-to-own.

This first ever program allows Twisted Road to host Windy City-Fox’s expansive fleet of motorcycles on its site www. twistedroad.com for riders to ride and enjoy and possibly find their perfect ride. In addition, Windy City-Fox will make available to riders through Twisted Road its full array of services – from appropriate financing, VIP maintenance, and warranties – making bike ownership easy, affordable and a dream in reality.

“Finding the right motorcycle to fit your riding style can take some miles”, acknowledges Mike Shedivy, President Windy City-Fox Motorsports. “Giving riders the opportunity to spend extended time on bikes provides a unique experience,” notes Shedivy. “Best of all, riders can also list their motorcycle on Twisted Road to generate income.”

In just over two years of operation, and with a team of fewer than 10 employees, Twisted Road has seen its platform take root in 49 states. For more information on Twisted Road, please visit www. twistedroad.com or contact Austin Rothbard, founder and CEO at 1-847-323-9731.

American Iron Suspends Publication -American Iron Magazine, published since 1989, has suspended publication.

The world has changed significantly. The motorcycle business has changed. And the magazine industry has too.

Unfortunately, not for the better short or long term.

For the last 31 years our team has worked hard responding successfully to the trends, opportunities and changes.

But when our advertising crashed with the recent spread of the virus, we ran out of options. We trimmed the page count and content in our magazines, but that was not enough to make a difference.

Rather than watch our magazines decline even further, we have suspended publication as we explore our options. It is not an easy decision for American Iron Magazine, American Iron Garage and American Iron Salute, but it is the right one.

The last issue of American Iron Magazine was Issue #390, on sale last week.

Since 1989, I have been fortunate to work with really great editors, art directors and contributors who were dedicated, creative, hard-working and smart. They had to be to achieve what

we did for more than three decades. And a big thanks to all of our readers and advertisers, who supported our efforts so passionately.

Rather than dwell on the end of our magazines, I hope you’ll join us remembering your favorite articles, writers, photographers and events that we have enjoyed over the years. There have been so many.

Thank you one and all for your support, encouragement and friendship. It’s been a heckuva ride. -Buzz Kanter, American Iron Magazine More Ways To Learn-To-Ride Available Now From Harley-Davidson -“Experience the Ride” and “Learn to Ride” Programs Offer New Ways to Experience Two Wheels. Turn “Someday I’ll ride a motorcycle,” into “Today” with new ways to learn to ride from participating Harley-Davidson dealers.

Inspired by new rider feedback, select

Harley-Davidson dealers are offering two new programs that aim to make learning to ride more convenient and personalized.

These new programs are designed to provide flexible scheduling and a learning pace that suits the rider’s needs.

Personal coaching sessions can be scheduled 1-on-1, or as a private group with up to 4 participants.

Experience the Ride - This newly developed program is designed specifically for those who have never ridden a motorcycle but are interested in trying. Under the guidance of a professional coach, participants will ride a Harley-Davidson Street® 500 motorcycle across a practice range. The entire experience takes approximately 90 minutes and is completed on a bike specially equipped for new riders.

Experience the Ride is a low commitment, no pressure way for

potential riders to get behind the handlebars and experience riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle for the first time.

This program can help participants decide if learning to ride is right for them, alleviate potential anxiety before taking rider training, and help realize how motorcycles can unlock their dreams of personal freedom.

To learn more and schedule a session, visit www.hdpersonalcoachfinder.com For those that have decided to learn to ride, select Harley-Davidson dealers are now offering an additional option beyond the Harley-Davidson Riding Academy New Rider Course.

This new program, simply known as Learn to Ride, delivers the same timetested rider training curriculum as the Riding Academy New Rider Course.

However, Learn to Ride enables students to schedule private sessions with personal coaches and learn all the techniques and riding strategies required to earn a motorcycle endorsement.

For riders that always wanted to learn but couldn’t fit a multiday course into their schedule or prefer to learn in private session, this program is what they have been waiting for. Sessions can be scheduled 1-on-1 or as a private party with up to 4 participants.

This program is a great option for spouses, friends, and individuals to finally learn and fulfill their dreams of riding a HarleyDavidson motorcycle.

Benefits of the Learn to Ride program include highly flexible scheduling, learning at the rider’s pace, more focused attention from the coach, ability to repeat training modules if needed, and completion of private sessions solo or with a small group of friends resulting in lower anxiety.

To learn more and schedule your personalized Learn to Ride lesson visit the www.hdpersonalcoachfinder.com website. To find available courses contact a local dealer or search for classes online at www.h-d.com/LearntoRide.

Life is Nuts and then you die. So, make the most of everyday. Treat your brothers with respect and every girl in your life with kindness. And if you need a motorcycle fix, fun or news and you’re stuck indoors, head over to Bikernet and see what’s new.Ride Free and Easy…

-Bandit

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DRAG SPECIALTIES SOLID-STATE REGULATOR

Drag Specialties new solid state regulator for 17-20 FLHT/FLHR/FLHX/FLTRX/FLTRU models has high reliability 12V regulators that feature aluminum alloy construction. It provides accurately regulated voltage under all electrical loads, has no relay contacts to wear and is environmentally sealed for protection against moisture and shocks. Replaces OEM# 74700025. Available with a black finish for a suggested retail of $169.95. https://www.dragspecialties.com/search;q=21121316;r=eJyrVkrLzClJLSpWsoqOrQU AJusFKA%3D%3D

DRAG SPECIALTIES OEM STYLE FORK TUBES

New OEM style fork tubes from Drag Specialties have a highly durable hard chrome finish and offer less drag and improved wear. These 49mm tubes accept all OEM components and are sold in pairs. Available for 14-16 FLHT/ FLHR/FLHX/FLTRX/FLTRU models (repl. OEM #45500113) and, 14-18 FLHTCUTG and 15-18 FLRT models (repl. OEM #45500123). Suggested retail is $214.95. https://www.dragspecialties.com/search;q=04040504;r=eJyrVkrL zClJLSpWsoqOrQUAJusFKA%3D%3D

JIMS® Hardware Organizers

Z1R frontline boot

Z1R introduces the brand-new Frontline boot. Looking for casual but protective footwear? Look no further, this premium full grain leather boot takes on all casual elements but offers the protection you need. Featuring a high grip and abrasion resistant rubber outsole combined with a reinforced internal foot bed, these beat wearing sneakers every time. A closed cell insole provides comfortability, durability, moisture wicking, and is anti-bacterial. A unique lace up design with lace pocket conceals laces for a secure closure and sleek look. Available in men’s sizes 7-14.

Suggested retail $119.95.

For more information visit us at www.

Z1R.com.

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In an effort to keep the technician organized and efficient, JIMS® has developed a new set of MilwaukeeEight® specific hardware index tools to store and organize bolts while parts are disassembled. JIMS® has added a new magnetic storage feature that will capture slip fit dowels as well. The stands are sold in a 4-piece kit (Part No.732K); Top End, Cam Chest, Transmission and Primary - or they can be ordered individually. The tools are designed to nest within each other for an efficient way to store on your bench, or in your toolbox, when not in use. As an added feature, the stands can be placed on their side to assist in the application of Loctite when re-assembling components.

With an MSRP of $370, these tools are made by JIMS® here in the United States out of 13-gauge aluminum magnesium alloy sheet, powder coated JIMS® blue and silkscreened for hardware position and frequently used torque specs. For more information please contact us at (805) 482-6913, email us at sales@jimsusa.com, or visit www.jimsusa.com

Twin Power Introduces Drive Chain

Twin Power is proud to introduce drive chain to its product line. The 530 Severe-Duty Z-Ring chain provides the ultimate strength for performance applications, with a tensile strength of 11,200 lbs. High-strength alloy steel, seamless bushings and rollers and over-sized four-point riveted pins ensure higher strength and increased breaking resistance. Highquality seal rings protect the internal components and provide a lower rolling resistance than O or X- rings, while special factory injected grease offers protection against stretch. The attractive gold finish compliments any ride and a rivet style master link is included. Retail price is $179.95. The 530 Heavy-Duty Solid Roller chain is the perfect replacement for classic VTwins, with a tensile strength of 7700 lbs. High-strength alloy steel, seamless bushings and rollers and oversized four-point riveted pins ensure long life and high strength. A natural finish and clip style master link provide and O.E.M. look and easy installation. Retail price is $39.95 https:// twinpower-usa.com/

DRAG SPECIALTIES SEATS PREDATOR 2-UP SEATS

Boost the style of your Dresser and add to the comfort of your next ride with one of Drag Specialties Seats new Predator 2-Up seats. The molded polyurethane foam provides maximum comfort and has a narrow driver’s cut for better leg clearance.

The seat features solar-reflective leather in the seating area, a patented process that reduces surface temperature by as much as 25°F for a cooler seat along with greater durability. The thermoformed ABS seat base gives the perfect fit while the carpeted bottom and rubber bumpers protect paint. Available in smooth, smooth vinyl or double-diamond stitch with black, silver or red thread.

Made in the U.S.A. for 08-20 FLHT/ FLHR/ FLHRC/ FLTR/ FLHX/ FLHTC/ FLHTCU models. Suggested retail $309.95 – 419.95. Dor more information, go to http://seats.dragspecialties.com/

DRAG SPECIALTIES HANDLEBAR CONTROL KITS W/O SWITCHES

Drag Specialties handlebar control kits let you customize this highly visible area of your bike. Kits are designed to work with all 1” diameter handlebars. The complete kits include a ⅝” bore single-disc master cylinder or 11/16” bore dual-disc master cylinder along with a clutch lever assembly and right and left switch housings that accept your OEM switches and wires. Available in matte black for 84-95 Big Twin and 84-85 XL (except Dresser models with radio control switches in housings). Suggested retail is $275.95. https://www.dragspecialties.com/sea rch;q=06102147;r=eJyrVkrLzClJLSp WsoqOrQUAJusFKA%3D%3D

DRAG SPECIALTIES TAPPET BLOCK COVERS FOR TWIN CAM

Clean up the look of your 99-17 Twin Cam’s engine with a pair of Drag Specialties tappet block covers. These die-cast aluminum covers are available with a chrome or gloss black finish and include the gaskets and screws needed for installation. Sold in pairs. Suggested retail is $64.95. https://www.dragspecialties.com/sea rch;q=09401875;r=eJyrVkrLzClJLSp WsoqOrQUAJusFKA%3D%3D

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a

fter months of talking about the AFT series starting, we are finally b a c k racing!

The AFT series still has holes in their schedule, but just outside of Barberville Florida in mid-July, gasoline flowed through the veins of us die-hard race enthusiasts.

There’s no doubt the series is different this year. The double header format worked out great to get two rounds under the belts of both competitors and fans. The true beauty of flattrack showed with the race track drastically changing between the two days.

On Friday night, the infamous

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Article By: Tyler Porter Photos By: Dave Hoenig/Flattrak Fotos D-Shaped “oval” left a very narrow slippery groove around the bottom that absolutely destroyed riders that

didn’t hit their marks perfectly on every lap. On Saturday, it seemed like the AFT crew may have moved

the markers up the race track a little bit for practice and maybe even qualifying to widen the groove because the racing line was about twice as wide and opened up more opportunity for passing all night long.

Along with the format changes to the series, two other changes were looming large in every racer and team manager’s mind. This was the first AFT National where the all-new Dunlop DT4 tire has been the spec tire for the series. The other wild card is the new race timing format.

No longer are the main events a set number of laps. Now they all have a certain time limit, plus 2 laps,

much like motocross has been at the pro level for years. This meant that at a 20 to 24 second a lap track like Volusia Raceway Park, riders were doing, in some cases, twice the laps they were doing under the old format. Guess what, all of those extra laps can also introduce tire strategy too, so there was just a lot of questions going into the round.

After the race there was no question who the players are going to be for the 2020 season. In the Singles class Friday night The Thunder From Down Under, Max Whale, may have walked away from the field to his first pro career win, but we’re going to have some fireworks in this class all season long. The battles between Chad Cose, Henry Wiles, Mikey Rush, Shayna Texter and Dallas Daniels are going to prove to be worth any amount of money to attend a race this season. Max topped the podium on Friday night with Cose and Henry Wiles rounding out the podium.

outside of Rispoli. The Kawasaki had the grip and the drive off of turn four heading to the checkers to seal the deal in fantastic fashion.

On Friday night in the Super Twins class, things started off with controversy. Jared Mees was off to a great start but everybody’s favorite privateer Jeffrey Carver wasn’t going to let him get away.

Jeffrey drove his Indian FTR750 around the outside of Jared on the opening laps, and Jared moved up the race track a little bit, catching Jeffrey’s handlebars on his boots and sending him sliding across the hard Florida soil. With Jeffrey’s A-bike damaged too bad to make the restart, the team went to their B-bike, and started from the back row. This was too much to overcome. On the restart, Jared launched off the line and was just plain gone. Behind him a 5 rider pack formed and gave the crowd the action they were looking for. Briar Bauman and Sammy Halbert were in an epic game of cat and mouse

I have to say, while the Production twins class was a bit of a letdown for me all weekend, the racing up front was still fantastic. The field just isn’t very deep right now. I blame the pandemic on this, because I know at least 3 top level 5 riders who didn’t have the resources to make the trip to Florida but will be at the other rounds. I’ve long said that this class has the most potential.

Friday Night in the production twins main event was a battle to the death between Ryan Varnes on a Kawasaki versus James Rispoli on a Harley Davidson XG750. After working him on the inside and making contact a few times on the closing laps, Ryan made a heroic move on the very last lap around the

for most of the main event with Briar getting the 2nd spot after he moved Sammy up the race track using an aggressive pass with a couple of laps to go. Honorable mentions for Friday’s race were Dalton Gautier as the first Harley Davidson XG750 in 7th place, with JD Beach finishing 10th on a Yamaha FZ07. Coming into the season, both the Harley and Yamaha teams really thought they had done their homework.

After talking to crew members on each squad, it seems that they are both working hard to claw their way back.

On Saturday, it looked like Max Whale was one of those who lost something with a night’s sleep.

His thundering win on Friday night

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could only be backed up with a whimper on Saturday, where he finished 8th and was just off the pace for the main event. However, you had Dallas Daniels who didn’t even make the main event on Friday night come back on Saturday and win one of the wildest singles races that I have ever seen! The top 7 was in an insane dog fight during the entire main event. Up front you had Dallas Daniels, Chad Cose, Mikey Rush, Morgen M i s c h l e r , Shayna Texter and Brandon K i t c h e n s fighting tooth and nail. When rookie Aiden Roosevans crashed in the closing laps, it set us up for one heck of a shootout to the checkers. After some intense but respectable racing, it was Dallas Daniels who emerged victorious over Shayna Texter.

Mikey Rush rounded out the podium.

I’m telling you guys, go find this main event on the internet and watch it. It’s one for the record books!

In Production Twins Saturday, Cory Texter shook off some set up issues that he had with his bike on Friday night; going back to his tried and true 2019 championship winning chassis and I sure can’t argue about the call there. On last year’s war wagon, Cory absolutely dominated the field, with the only real battle on the track being between Friday night’s winner Ryan Varnes and James Rispoli. As the laps ticked

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away, Varnes’ bike started to slow down and in heartbreaking fashion, it gave up the ghost. This gave Rispoli the breathing room that I’m sure he welcomed as he took home the second spot. Dirt trackerturned road racer-now back to dirt tracker Danny Eslick rounded out the podium.

For Super Twins, it was more of the same from Friday night.

Jared Mees was just absolutely unstoppable. In the early parts of the race it looked like we were about to have a royal rumble with JD Beach getting the holeshot on the Estenson Racing Yamaha.

Briar Bauman on the factory Indian FTR750 answered quickly by getting by Beach for the lead and seemed to have this one in the bag. However, the rest of the field wasn’t going to let him go so quietly into the muggy Florida night. The top 4 got into flying formation, Bauman, Halbert, Robinson and Mees. Mees made the first move and boy does make it count.

Once around Briar for the lead, Jared Mees absolutely walked the dog on the field, leaving the racing action for the final podium spots. Briar Bauman settled into second and rode around in a lonely race, but these points are valuable, and I’m sure he’s happy to be leaving Florida on this positive note. The real battle was for third with Brandon Robinson and Sammy Halbert duking it out for most of the main.

Robinson ended up with the spot over Halbert, but I think we’re going to see some more fireworks this year from these two privateer Indian riders.

If you can’t tell, I’m excited. 2020 has been one heck of a disaster year and hopefully we are all starting to return to some sort of normalcy.

For me, normalicy is flattrack racing, and man do we have some racing action now!

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OTS..

B O R E H T E M O C HERE PART 1

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he ever-tightening leash of my cell phone causes my collar to shrink around my neck. Gasping for financial air sometimes pales in comparison to the need to be obtainable by anyone that can dial a phone or send an email twenty-four hours a day. I never thought this would be my life, but in all honesty, I don’t mind it as much as the rebellious side of me imagined I would. That being said, the need to unplug is more of a priority now as opposed to the luxury it was only a few months before.

As steady as my nerves are, I can sometimes feel the inner untangling just on the horizon. It was time to drop off the grid…..it was essential.

The measure of any adventure I take is tallied by the number of photos I collect in its wake. The less photographs I have at the end of my adventure, the more I was consumed by the moment.

Photographs are a visual narration of an experience, and to me, if I have to step back to capture a moment, I’m essentially ruining its flow.

I always have a camera with me, but rarely do I remember to actually take it out and use it. I get consumed, and I’ll never apologize for it. But in turn, I have nothing to show for anything at all, just the stories, and I am a storyteller.

The human need to collect evidence of existence is in all of us, and mine falls within the pages of a Rand McNally road atlas, which is one of the greatest motorcycle related purchases I’ve ever made. Every trip is highlighted and documented, and as I stare at all the adventures, I can see where one year’s

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trip intersects with another as the roads blend together. I can see the motorcycle that escorted me on my journey and remember the smell and temperature of the air. Sometimes for me, the triggered memories that harness not the experience but the feeling surrounding it is all I want to take away. The present is only the thinnest line between the past and future, and you can’t harness either.

There was a time where this culture was only stories, cameras were the enemy, and documentation was only left in the stories told at night, exaggerated and alive. The legends are in those stories, not the photos.

I want to be able to live in the story, not the photo, the greats can truly capture the moment visually, and I’m not that person.

The goal was to simply drop off the face of the planet as much as I possibly could. My cell phone stayed in the saddlebag except for the random “proof of life” text to my wife. The rain was going to play tag with me the entire way, so I had to be a slave to timing in order to stay as dry as possible. I left Jersey with the sun crawling over the horizon and kissing my back. About two hours in, I’d be switching highways. I spent the first fifty miles watching for deer grazing in the wood line. Deer, for the most part, will side-eye you and give you a hint of their intentions.

If you stay around the speed limit, you can sometimes react. My main concern was Black Bear. Those ba....ds keep their heads down and appear as nothing but a shadow.

You won’t know they are there until you are halfway into laying the bike down. I was fortunate enough to see only one bear and a handful of doe the entire stretch. Only one deer was close enough to reach out and touch. I look for omens at the

beginning of any trip, and I was still on the fence.

Route 80 outside the gap was a wonderland of tractors jockeying for position, and I played the pinball only until I could dump fuel into the carbs and boogie out. I felt better as soon as the eighteen wheeled turbulence ships were in my mirror. It was two hundred miles to State College, and I only had to maintain about 75 mph if I was to sideswipe the first front of storm heads.

About a hundred and fifty in and the knot between my shoulders loosened up. The western horizon grew darker and appeared to be moving north. The sun was still vaguely apparent just south of the clouds, and I hoped with a little speed, I could fall into that pocket.

The air grew colder quicker than I hoped, and the air was damp as I headed south off 80. The first leg was a success, and the pavement was wet, but the stagnant 90-degree air was making quick work of it. I was about a third of the way into the trip, and the familiarity of the road was only a ten-year-old memory. The sting of responsibility and the noose of my connection to the outside world was loosening. I felt relaxed as the layers of road grit found a home on my jeans and the skin on the backs of my hands burned from the sun. I would soon be off the straight and numbing vibration of highway and deep within the rolling hills of Maryland‌.

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OFFICIAL POWDERCOATER OF FLAT BROKE CHOPS & RODS

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ADVERTISERS INDEX 5 Ball Racing Leather...................95 Bare Bones Leather.....................110 Battery Outlet.............................113 BikerNet.com................................110 Bling’s Cycles..................................79 Blue Grass Engraving...................101 Chop Cult....................................110 Cycle Source Gear...........................4 DB Custom Leather.......................35 Dennis Kirk.....................................5 Denver’s Choppers........................67 Drag Specialties..............................9 Dutchman...................................113 Faith Forgotten Choppers.............45 Feuling.........................................111 Flat Broke Chops & Rods.............107 GEICO..............................................3 Harbor Freight...............................51 Hot Leathers................................109 Kiwi Indian....................................29 Led Sled.........................................63 MC Creations................................113 Mikuni..........................................55 Motion Pro.....................................82 No School Choppers.......................97 Pandemonium...............................20 Paughco.....................................19,57 Progressive Insurance...................31 Providence Cycle Worx...................87 Russ Brown...................................27 S100...............................................49 S&S Cycle.....................................116 SpeedKing.....................................30 Sporty Parts.................................113 Spectro Oils...................................21 Steel City H-D..............................115 Sturgis Live!..................................79 Tech Cycles....................................29 Tropical Tattoo...............................35 Twin Power......................................2 Twisted Choppers..........................39 Twisted Tea....................................91 Zipper’s Performance.....................75

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with the plan to come back and study, but, unfortunately, they had a flat tire on the way back, didn’t have a spare, and couldn’t get help for a long time.

As a result, they missed the final. The Professor thought it over and then agreed they could make up the final the following day. The guys were elated and relieved. They studied that night and went in the next day at the time the Professor had told them.

He placed them in separate rooms and handed each of them a test booklet and told them to begin. They looked at the first problem, worth 5 points. It was something simple about free radical formation. “Cool,” they thought at the same time, each one in his separate room. “This is going to be easy.” Each finished the problem and then turned the page.

On the second page was written: (For 95 points): Which tire?

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philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, rocks about 2” in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was. So the Professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The Professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous - yes. The Professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour their entire contents into the jar - effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed. “Now,” said the Professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, and your children Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else. The small

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stuff.” “If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, give a dinner party, and fix the disposal. “Take care of the rocks first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.” One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The Professor smiled.

“I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers.”

T

Lulabelle

hese four friends were so confident that the weekend before finals, they decided to go up to Dallas and party with some friends up there.

They had a great time. However, after all the partying, they slept all day Sunday. They didn’t make it back to Austin until early Monday morning.

Rather than taking the final then, they decided to find their Professor after the final and explain to him why they missed it. They explained that they had gone to Dallas for the weekend

O

Professor Ramsey

ne bright, beautiful Sunday morning, everyone in the tiny town of Johnstown got up early and went to the local church. Before the service started, the townspeople were sitting in their pews and talking about their lives, their families, etc.

Suddenly, the Devil himself appeared in front of the congregation. Everyone started screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away from evil incarnate. Soon everyone was evacuated from the church except for one elderly gentleman who sat calmly in his pew, not moving, seemingly oblivious to the fact that God’s ultimate enemy was in his presence.

Now, this confused Satan a bit, so he walked up to the man and said, “Don’t you know who I am?” The man replied, “Yep, sure do.” Satan asked “Aren’t you afraid of me?” “Nope, sure ain’t,” said the man. Satan was a little perturbed at this and queried, “Why aren’t you afraid of me?” The man calmly replied, “I been married to your sister for 48 years.”

Chris

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October - November ‘20 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE