Article By Jeff G. Holt
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t’s been three years since I have sat down to write a feature for a paper magazine. Since my demise of being the editorial and brand director of Hot Bike, Baggers, and Street Chopper magazines, it seems as if the whole world has gone paperless. The huge magazine racks that used to fill retail stores are gone, and along with it, many great features, articles, and photography are no longer easily accessed by simply flipping through pages. This is why I jumped at the chance to be a part of Torque when I was asked. Sure, I have my own thing going on with the V-Twin Visionary brand that easily takes up all of my waking hours. Still, there was something about getting back into a paper periodical that excited me enough to do so. And here we are. Talking about custom performance motorcycles.
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TORQUE PERFORMANCE
And now V-Twin racing. I made my stand in the V-twin industry for years, waving the performance flag when it was all big wheels, fat tires, and affliction jeans. Back in 2013, when I was finally given full reign of the design, concept, and content of Hot Bike magazine, I wanted to put out something that would put an end to the “custom” motorcycles of the day. The hangover haze of Discovery Channel show bikes was getting long in the tooth. In all my ego-driven brashness, I had to do something about it. Harleys were always about performance to me. Club bikes, Drag bikes, and even what the guys in East LA and Compton were doing to their Baggers always piqued my interest. I decided to put a white Dyna built by San Diego Customs and owned by legendary skateboarder Corey Duffel on the cover of Hot Bike with an all-
new logo that harkened back to a time when the magazine was full of Shovelhead and Evolution performance motor and bike builds to put all the trucker chicks, skulls, snakes, bolt-on doodads, and spinning dice theme bikes behind us. Corey was in a jean vest, faded Levis, some beat-up boots, and a Simpson helmet. It was an action shot with Corey rockin’ the horns while being chased by Chip and photographed by Mikey of SDC. There were no blonde chicks, chromed-out bikes, or big wheel baggers anywhere near that cover. As we put that issue to bed and were ready to walk out the door for Thanksgiving vacation, I got an email from the head group publisher. I figured it would be an email from the Big Cheese telling me what a great job I had done on the new look and feel of the magazine. And boy, was I f#@
