American-V37.preview.fixed

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100% NEW 100% ZODIAC! NOW

£ 644.20

161204 DANCER CHROME BILLET HEADLIGHTS are available in 3 stunning designs.

Starts at £ 273.90 735004 HANDLEBAR VIBRATION DAMPERS reduce unpleasant vibes.

Easy to fit inside 1” handlebars.

Sold in pairs at your Zodiac dealer £ 17.30

999832 THE 2010 IRON & LACE CALENDAR runs from September 2009 through December 2010 and shows 16 great bikes with 16 great and sexy babes.

Go get them at your Zodiac dealer for £ 17.20

750645 S&S 50TH ANNIVERSARY MAC TOOL TRAY with 187 pcs. quality tools in inch- and metric sizes. Was £ 807.10.

Available as long as stock lasts at your Zodiac dealer for only £ 644.20

740676 RSD’S VENTURI AIR CLEANERS are great looking High Performance parts available in Black or Chrome.

Available for Big Twins, Twin Cams and now also for Sportsters.

Starts at £ 413.40

734479 ON-BOARD COMPRESSOR for the stock air shocks on Touring models.

Fits behind the side bags.

Starts at only £ 238.90 241528 BEAUTIFUL CHROME PLATED 4” (10 CM) HIGH, TILT-BACK RISERS Sold in pairs starting at £ 182.90

167501 SMALL BRIGHT SHINING LED fitted on an M6 stud can be fitted almost everywhere on your bike.

A pair starts at £ 6.50

744765 Harley Touring models are notorious for high-speed instability.

PROGRESSIVE SUSPENSION’S TOURING LINK CHASSIS STABILIZER is a bolt-on solution for this problem. Fits 1993 thru 2008 Touring models. Starts at £ 172.90

797085 ACCEL’S SELF LEARNING FUEL INJECTION CONTROLLER tunes your bike automatically when you ride.

It will never get any easier.

Starts at £ 536.30

ROSMALE

6, 7 and 8N, THE NETHERLANDS Novembe r 2009 BAD SA

4, 5 and 6LZUFLEN, GERMANY Decembe r 2009 VERONA, IT ALY

094101 FRONT FORK BRACE increases stability when braking with a single disk. Also improves the road holding when cornering. Fits 39 mm forks on Sportsters, Dyna’s and FXR’s. Chrome finish.

Available at your Zodiac dealer for £ 171.60

15, 1 and 17 Janua6ry 2010 302215 CHROME REAR PULLEY COVER fits like a glove over the stock pulley on 2004 to present Sportsters. Starts at £ 61.80

THE 2009 ZODIAC BIKERS BOOK Now available at your Zodiac dealer or order at sales@zodiac.nl Price £ 9.00 excl. postage.

The new Zodiac catalog is available in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

Over 1.400 full colour pages with thousands of new and exciting parts and accessories from all over the world.

PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS FOR HARLEY-DAVIDSON

YOUR GUARANTEE FOR: Perfect Fitment s Wide Product Range s Fast Delivery Quality & Excellence s No Nonsense Warranty

ZODIAC INTERNATIONAL UK, P.O. BOX 21, STROUD GL5 4YD. PHONE 01453 758 451, FAX 01453 752 939.

ZODIAC INTERNATIONAL B.V., INDUSTRIEWEG 44, 3641 RM MIJDRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS. PHONE +31 297 288 621, FAX +31 297 288 226.

SALES OFFICES IN: THE NETHERLANDS, GERMANY, ENGLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, ITALY, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, HUNGARY.

For all Harley’s and American V-Twins we recommend

Internet: www.zodiac.nl E-mail: zodiac-uk@zodiac.nl Original Zodiac parts and accessories are only available through a Zodiac retailer (not directly from Zodiac by mail-order).

Check out http://www.zodiac.nl/en/locator/index.html for your nearest Zodiac dealer. Suggested retail prices include VAT. Prices can be subject to change without notice.

9905-913 UK AMERICAN_V 210X297mm.indd 1

25-08-09 11:08

American-V: Contents 37

www.american-v.co.uk

Issue Thirty Seven

54: SOFTAIL ELECTRA GLIDE

BaZa put us onto a mate of his from the ’States, whose fabrication skills match his vision for the perfect FL Softail.

60: THREE WHEELED TEEPEE

New editorial policy: one trike per issue. That might keep Haydn quiet, but this one won’t. Desperate Dan rides again.

6: NEWS & NEW PRODUCTS 8: REVIEWS

Rebel Motorcycles Ltd, Legendary Motorcycles calendar, Maxxis Classic Tyres, Weise Brooklands Jacket, IAM’s How to be a Better Motorcyclist, The Original Wild Ones

15: THREE FOR THE ROAD

Now here’s a thing: three former Triumph owners pit the new Thunderbird against a Super Glide Sport and a Victory Vegas 8-Ball ... and not one of us mentioned the radiator!

28: HDRCGB AT 60

If you were warm on August bank holiday, it was probably the candles on the Rider’s Club’s birthday cake. Could have explained the wind ... or was that the noodles?

33: PHIL’S L.A.F. SHOVEL

The plaything of a hedonistic rock god ... is that right?

65: QUESTIONNAIRE

Who are you! No, not the chant from the terraces: we really want to know: How many sugars? Do you take milk?

67: SOUTH OF ENGLAND RALLY

Get your shoes off the Sofa ... oh, a different kind of Sofa.

Can I keep them on then?

70: BIKESAFE

Amanda’s been out riding with the Rozzers in her continuing quest to stay alive, and came away smiling.

74: LA ROCKA

Another production bike in our shop customs series: Skull Chopa’s stunningly simple proto-chopper.

78: STURGIS PART 1

No desire to go to the biggest of the American rallies? You might do after this.

38: TECH: MAKING A CATCH TANK

84: DYNAMITE

40: CLASSIC: 1915 MODEL 11-F

88: 21ST CENTURY BOB

All I’ve got to do now is replace the mainshaft seal in the gearbox and my old Shovel won’t mark it’s spot any more.

Or was it a 15-J ... getting raviolied in alphabet soup.

45: BULLDOG BASH 2009

The man-eating tigers in Warwickshire can relax for a weekend, the Bulldog’s back in town and partying hearty.

48: FXCWC ROCKER C

Rock and Roll, or Pizza Delivery? We put the new generation Custom Softail through its paces.

Editor: andy.hornsby@american-v.co.uk Features Editor: rich.king@american-v.co.uk

Trade Sales: Natalie Cole: 01778 392404 nataliec@warnersgroup.co.uk

I’m sure we’ve used that before, but if so it was probably on a fat wheeled Dyna that Kev French was involved with: this one’s Richard’s though.

Street Bob of the issue is a P&A reinterpretation of the custom world’s favourite Dyna, but one that looks forwards.

90: SHIPLEY’S 30TH

Where hast tha’ been since I saw thee? Actually, chasing a tent that blew away in the night: have you seen it?

98: RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS

It’s a matter of pride: you just can’t let people get away with it, y’know.

Subscriptions: 01778 392484 Contributors this issue: Steve Kelly, Graham Gabriel, Amanda Wright, Annual Subscriptions Cris Ireland, Anna Wrack and Stewart Rodd. UK: £24.75 EU: £36.75 Proofing: RoW Zone 1: £38.55 Graham, Hazel and Amanda RoW Zone 2: £42.75 (all include postage) Design: Mini Ha-Ha and Erika McAston All editorial enquiries to: editorial@american-v.co.uk Advertising Manager: Emma Howl EmmaHowl@warnersgroup.co.uk 01778 392443 Advertising Sales: Andy Fraser 01778 392054 Advertising Production: Joanne Osborn: 01778 391164 joanneo@warnersgroup.co.uk

Published by American-V, PO Box 336, Crewe, Cheshire, CW2 7WY. Tel: 0207 993 8002 Printed in the UK by Warners (Midlands) PLC, Bourne.

Distribution by: Warners Group Publications Plc West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire, PE10 9PH Tel: 01778 391135 Copyright 2009 American-V.

This issue was brought to you ... er, a week late: spent far too long looking at the wrong calendar. Ahem.

AMV.37.CONTENTS.indd 3

5/10/09 22:05:43

American-V American-V # ONE

News & Products Editorial There’s a huge amount going on at the moment, but perhaps the most important thing is that we’re looking for feedback from you.

We ran an on-line questionnaire on the website that predated the magazine, which set the editorial agenda, and we want to make sure we’re meeting those expectations.

We want to know what we’re doing right, what we’re doing wrong, and what we can do to make things better – apart from better proofing, obviously, if only to save the phantom photocopier the cost of a stamp from Malaga.

And we want to know your reaction to the three-way test with the Triumph: it’s one thing to have classic Italian singles with the Harley bar-and-shield cast into their cases, but brand new British vertical twins: what’s the world coming to?

You tell us.

Do you want to know how the new Bonneville compares with a Sportster: perhaps the oldest model names in motorcycling, and each distinctive in its own right – even if the Triumph has changed more than the Sportster has.

How about a Speed Triple and a Buell?

How about putting the occasional Jap cruiser in, if only to laugh and point?

Does it make the magazine better or worse, and do you trust us to get the balance right?

Oddly this hasn’t been driven by a lack of American V-twin stuff: we could easily go monthly and have twice as many pages – if I could afford the psychiatric treatment – but we’ve actually had requests from readers to roadtest the Honda Fury – their factory chopper – when it’s available.

I confess that surprised me, but what do you think? It has been done before: Heavy Duty and American Motorcycle both diversified and they both died shortly afterwards: whether because they were last desperate acts and they couldn’t have survived anyway, or whether they alienated their core readership is unknown, but we’re taking no chances.

Is an occasional digression desirable or the thin end of the wedge, or do you want an American-V insight into what else is out there, written in the context of the bikes you know?

Tell us all on page 65.

And in the meantime, if you can afford to, think about getting your bike serviced after the busiest rally season we’ve seen in years: apparently the recession is over – Robert Peston said so – but the trade still needs your support. And if you can’t, don’t: we’ve all got to get through this.

Andy

4

The new owners of the Newcastle Harley-Davidson – formerly Just Harleys – have created a event to raise £25,000 for the Breast Clinic Fund at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Paul O’Callahan and David Hall were keen to find a way to give something back to the local community, and Julie Horsfield, the dealership’s HOG Chapter Director, came up with the idea to secure funds to buy a Scinti scanner for the infirmary after a chance meeting with the consultant who diagnosed a friend with breast cancer twelve years ago.

David and Paul are spearheading the Ride Aid fundraising campaign with an ambitious ride-out from Newcastle to Lands End via John O Groats on 23-25 October, coinciding with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and are being supported by seven additional riders, including two Cleveland police officers on police motorcycles on loan by Harley-Davidson UK. Buell UK have loaned motorcycles for use by the other seven riders for the duration of the main event.

Additional support events are also being organised, including a Ladies of Harley pinkthemed ride-out to Linden Hall on 4 October.

RVI Consultant Andy Griffiths was delighted that the team at Newcastle Harley-Davidson and Buell was dedicating its inspiring ride from John O Groats to Lands End to help us raise funds for the breast cancer care unit, adding that “the Scinti scanning equipment is an extremely important facility that benefits a large number of women with breast cancer, as it minimises the extent of surgery that our patients need during treatment: a big thank you to Newcastle Harley-Davidson and Buell, and to everyone who is helping to make this happen and for the generous donations that are being pledged.”

David Hall has been overwhelmed by the level of support that the event has generated already and the strong community spirit in Tyne & Wear.

“There’s no doubt that the ride-out will be hard work and we have a huge task ahead of us to raise the much-needed £25,000 for the RVI. So while we’re grateful for the support that we have received to date, we still need to implore people to get involved by donating, buying raffle tickets or helping with fundraising in any way possible – however big or small” www.buellperformanceacademy.co.uk/rideaid

CAPTAIN AMERICA MEETS BSB Remember this? It looks like the 2010 XR1200 Trophy is on. After an additional year’s development, Harley are very bullish about the prospects, Warrs and the Blade Group are on-board, rumour had it that the Magic Group brought Paul Lewis back to compete last year, Niall MacKenzie and Sean Emmett’s names are being bandied around, and privateers and experienced motorcycle journalists are lining up.

American-V editor, Andy Hornsby, was too busy laying out the issue to comment, but is expected to be washing his hair that day, having seen video footage from Italy.

American-V.co.uk

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5/10/09 14:04:44

Warr's Ad_American V_Oct/Nov-09:Warr's Ad_American V_Oct/Nov-09 04/08/2009 11:33 Page 1

Warr’s Black ‘Bomber’ – Customised Harley-Davidson Fat Bob

Europe’s most successful Harley-Davidson Dealership www.warrs.com

I

+44 (0)20 7736 2934

American-V

» FILTERING: THE NEWS You at the back, stop picking your nose and tell me the next major improvement to a Harley’s oiling after the recirculating system brought in with the ’36 Model E? Yes, that’s right, an oil filter.

You could certainly add one to a generator motor, once people realised it would be a good idea to filter out any nasties, having scavenged the oil from the sump.. And you still can, ether by hanging a canister off the side of the bike, or now with this decide that bolts on where a generator would ordinarily live – presupposing that the generator has been replaced by a later alternator.

W&W 52-314 W&W 52-317

for 1986-90 H-D Sportster, S&S P, SH, Superstock & Buell.

H-D Knuck / Pan & S&S KN

www.wwag.com

PUMP IT UP

We’ve had years of tricky bolton air-rides for Softails now and years of air-suspension as standard on the Tourers, but for some reason there’s not been a big rush to use the compressor of the former to control the settings of the latter. That’s changed now, which will add a whole new level of sophistication to the Tourer: not to make it go up and down, but to be able to adjust the bagger for different loads.

The Mini-Air control’s compressor has a pressure gauge and is designed to mount to one of the shocks, making sure you leave access to the built-in switches, and it’s reckoned you could fit it in fifteen minutes.

Zod 734479 Zodiac Bagger Mini Air Control for Touring Models www.zodiac.nl

PM BELT UP Storehouse have been stocking-up, on belt drive primaries from Performance Machine of late, including their new Contour open belt system.

Supplied in a chrome, polished, black anodized or the stunning Contrast Cut finish for a host of applications from PM’s Phatail wide tyre set-up to stock applications – 1991-2006 Softails, 2007-to-date Softails excluding the Rockers, and now one for the 08-on Rocker – there should be something there to suit whatever you’re doing ... providing it’s a Softail, of course. So many variations, in fact, that they didn’t have space to write them all down ... or forgot, so for more data see your local Storehouse dealer. www.mcseurope.nl

Important: Check Your Laced Wheels Without wanting to start a panic, if you’re running an original 16-inch laced steel wheel in the front or back of your Harley-Davidson, we want you to check your wheels – especially if you’re about to change your tyres.

There have been a couple of rim failures, brought to our attention by BaZa® Bloxham whose own 2003 Road King Classic suffered just such a failure, and we want to try and work out if there is any common denominator between them. There is no suggestion that there is a manufacturing defect, but the failures are potentially serious enough to cause a loss of control so we are taking it seriously.

BaZa is collating details from the Rider’s Club website, and we’re covering it here to make sure we get as big a control group as possible: the more responses, the more integrity the data will have. And if nothing else, we will hopefully help to reinstate a safety check that is easy to forget – removing the rim tape and inspecting the rims.

And the inspection?

You are looking for a build-up of rust around the circumference of the rim, not across the profile.

This isn’t the sort of rust you’d be cleaning off the outside of the rim, but that has come through from the inside: for example if the chrome is lifting though the steel beneath bubbling.

It is far easier to see any problems with the tyre off, when you can check the state of the steel beneath the rim tape, but it can be done with the wheel and tyre in situ.

If you have any doubts as to what you’re looking

at, tap the rim with a spanner at various locations round the rim, and listen for a marked change in tone: check the state of the metal near the different tone Pay particular attention on baggers, because many people won’t remove the panniers from one tyre-change to another, so it could go unnoticed.

Yes, it will be a pain in the backside because the mudguard, belt and brake rotor will all get in the way, but make the time to check it. Please note this only applies to steel, laced wheels only.

If you’ve got a mate with a bike lift, go and see them and make life easier on yourself. And if you can think of anyone else who might struggle, take them with you. The more the merrier.

If you’ve had to replace a tube because it was damaged by rust, you should already realise that you’ve got a problem.

Why shouldn’t you panic? Because currently the cases are isolated, don’t affect a particular model or year, and there doesn’t appear to be any trends.

If we can spot a trend, we can make sure people are aware.

What’s the worst than can happen? The rim could develop a split, which could puncture the tube, or unseat the tyre. The next worse thing is that you’ll have to stump-up for another wheel.

In most cases, it’s a problem that can be fixed by getting rid of any rust when changing tyres – a good stiff wire brush will do the trick – and ideally a an anti-rust paint: it will only become a problem if it is left untreated. If you can see daylight, it’s too far gone and you owe BaZa a beer.

The information we want is: • Model?

• Year of manufacture?

• Current mileage?

• Number of previous owners?

• Are they the original wheels?

• Average length of time (or mileage) between tyre changes?

• What tyres used? (If not Dunlop, do you adjust the tyre pressures?)

• Who changes them?

• Are new tubes used when changing tyres?

• Is the rim tape renewed when changing tyres?

• What sort of inspection made: internal / external and visual / audible?

• Is a visual inspection carried out of the INSIDE of the wheels at tyre change?

• What was the result of the inspection: BaZa has now fitted a Fat Boy wheel to the back of his Road King.

Send your responses to wheelsurvey@americanv.co.uk and we’ll forward them to BaZa, or else go to the HDRCGB’s online forum and enter your details there: simply (simply?) type the following address in your browser www.harley-davidson-hangout.com/forum/hdrcgbgeneral/75837-survey-wheels-rusting-q.html

66American-V.co.uk American-V.co.uk

AmV37.News.indd 6

5/10/09 19:01:31

B

SKINNY IS THE NEW FAT

A

C

Get your lovely headlamps here. What do you need to know? They go on the front, are chromed billet, and are the dancer-series: the Sundancer and Moondancer are both 5¾-inch lenses and measure eight inches front to back, the Raindancer is a 4½ and 7-inches. All are pre-wired with diamond cut lenses.

How long have Harley bars been spaced as wide as they are?

Well, I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking: I can’t know everything, I’m only a piece of paper with some ink on it.

Anyway, no matter how long, or how wide for that matter, you struggle to fit skinny ’bars on them and that’s lead to these little fellas: bolt them into your stock yokes to bring the clamps 50mm closer together, which is great news for fans of the Japanese bobber style.

And it’s from Fork in Japan that these have come, via Germany and the good folks at W&W. And look! Handlebars too! I’ll bet they’re not Chubby Bars W&W W&W W&W W&W W&W

20-610 20-611 20-671 20-672 20-673

Zod 161204 Zod 161215 Zod 161214

Moondancer (A) Sundancer (B) Raindancer (C)

www.zodiac.nl

one-piece clamp separate clamps low-rise skinny bars medium rise skinny bars high-rise skinny bars

The anti-v rod

No, not the bike, not that sort of rod ... or v.

Simply a rod that is anti-vibration, designed to damp down those irritating tingly vibes at a handlebar’s extremities, and possibly the best £19 you could spend to make your bike feel nicer over distance.

www.zodiac.nl

EASILY LED

WAXING LYRICAL

Marvellous little things, are LEDs. They don’t mind vibration, they seem to last for ever, use very little voltage and burn your retinas out if you’re following something that uses them in the dark. These little suckers come with their own M6 threaded stud and a 13mm hex head to bolt anywhere you want, within reason.

They come in pairs in stop lamp red, indicator amber and illuminating white: don’t use them as idiot lights unless you don’t ride at night or hide them – or yourself – behind an tinted panel.

Zodiac Studded LED Lights

167501: Clear / 167502: Red / 167503: Amber

www.zodiac.nl

Remember the days when, while your bike was marking its spot on the driveway, you were doing much the same on your girlfriend’s parents’ sofa, because you’d omitted to take off your waxed cotton jacket: your Belstaff.

In those pre-’textile’ days, it was about the only thing that would keep you dry, except perhaps a car, and it was about as cool as a ripe Afghan coat, but all that has changed now, because it turns out that while all the cool kids were wearing their Che Guevara T-shirts, Ernesto himself was wearing a Belstaff Trialmaster, now recreated as the Che Guevara Jacket, as immortalised in The Motorcycle Diaries – a copy of which you get with the jacket.

Still lined at collar and cuff with corduroy it has the four external patch pockets and a single one inside, it’s now sold as ‘green’, because it’s all from natural fabrics.

Sadly they’re no longer in Stoke-on-Trent, down the road from here, but Italy where the rescued company is now based, but that makes you feel better about it coming via Germany, which would otherwise be a hell of a detour.

They will only be available in very limited numbers, so if you want to relive your past, get a move on.

W&W 94-319 (S) - 93-324 (XXXXL) Belstaff Che Guevara Jacket

www.wwag.com American-V.co.uk

AmV37.News.indd 7

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American-V American-V

Reviews Rebel Motorcycles Ltd

Laurent Bagnard ISBN 978-2-9534247-0-6 RRP €30.00 plus shipping http://coolnout.com There is no real way to do justice to this book, it is so well-presented, so beautifully printed – privately by its author – using top quality materials, that mere photographs of a couple of pages can’t do it justice, and we could’t afford to do it as a cover-mount.

You hear people talk about Coffee Table books, but in truth there aren’t that many around that I’d put on my coffee table. This one, however is worth going out to buy a coffee table just so’s to have somewhere to display it – not that you’d let anyone put coffee next to it.

It’s short on words, but big on uplifting pictures that speak volumes: superbly photographed and cleverly manipulated to emphasise the essence of the subjects, and can make you catch your breath as you turn the page to each new stunning spread, and it does it time-after-time.

I really can’t recomend it highly enough, primarily as an indulgence: it’s not the sort of book that you need, but you’ll want it on sight and you might just end up having to covet a mate’s because with an initial print run of just two thousand copies, it’s likely to become a highly treasured, sought-after volume.

Do you need reminding it’s Christmas soon?

Andy

Legendary Motorcycles 2010

Basem Wasef ISBN 978-0-7603-3703-5 RRP £8.99. Am-V Offer price £6.99 inc P&P Tel GBS on 01206 256777 quoting “Legendary Motorcycles” Another calendar, obviously, but this time a bit of a mixed feast, covering a wider selection of bikes, all oif which famous in their own right, or by association with famous owners.

It’s great news for me because it gives me the chance to show a stunning 1948 Vincent Rapide that was owned by Marty Dickinson, and which has seen action at Bonneville, and to admit that I really want Von Dutch’s bitsa side-hack, even if it is a BMW. And then there’s a Triumph ridden

by Steve McQueen, and his Indian, and Dan Haggerty’s Captain America, as well as Kenny Roberts Yamaha TZ750, a Britten and more.

Varied, but all interesting machines.

8

»

American-V.co.uk

AmV37.News.indd 8

5/10/09 14:18:04

Subtlety is not one of the Hammer’s virtues. Just take a look at the chiselled features, bold curves and muscular frame of this race-inspired mean machine. Then check out the chopped rear fender, X factor wheels and super-fat 250mm rear tyre.

And to top it all, it’s driven by a 1731cc Freedom V-Twin with 6-speed overdrive.

An American powerhouse that gets a real kick out of its jaw-dropping performance.

Victory prices start at £8,695 OTR Book a test ride now at 0800 9156724

www.victorymotorcycles.co.uk

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www.on-bike.com p10_avoct09.indd 1

1/10/09 15:15:22

Reviews

Weise Brooklands Leather Jacket £219.99

weise-clothing.co.uk Having been casting around for a stylish leather jacket a while – one that I could wear both on and off a motorcycle – I was delighted when news came in of Weise Clothing’s new Brooklands.

It’s pretty plain, lacking any obvious branding, and also pretty black: two good things in my book. But it’s also understatedly stylish, with a pair of retro sixties-inspired off-white stripes on the front for a bit of decoration, which also has the effect of appearing to widen the shoulders.

Not so obvious is the removable armour the jacket features, it’s hidden well but actually are CE approved ‘Impact Protectors’ supplied by Knox and sited at the shoulders, elbows and at the back. The armour is easily removable, but so far, other than to check it did, I’ve kept the armour in because it is so unobtrusive. The Weise Brooklands also features a zip-out 60 gram quilted lining

around the torso area, but not the arms, for colder days and on the bike when it’s nippy in Summer (hardly ever I hear you cry). This liner too is a cinch to zip out, but yet again I’ve tended to keep it in because again, it’s so unobtrusive and I tend to wear the jacket off the bike unzipped anyway.

More clues to the Brooklands being a proper biker’s jacket, rather than a fashion item, are important little things like the zipped and popper-fastened cuffs at the end of arms that are long enough to cover your wrists and tuck snugly into gloves. There’s a proper flap behind the YKK matt chrome front zip too, to catch drafts, and even a six-inch zip at the back for attaching any of Weise’s jeans or trousers. The Brooklands fastens down tight at waist and neck on the road and has proved a welcome protection for those warmer rides.

It clearly isn’t really designed to be a winter riding jacket, but with a good fleece underneath – be sure to choose slightly larger, they are snug – and light waterproofs, the Brooklands would pass muster.

The Brooklands jacket felt right almost immediately, the leather is good quality nappa, quite flexible out of the box and sure to get better with age as it moulds to me.

If I’ve one gripe, it’s the amount and size of the albeit very neat pockets.

There’s four zipped pockets around the jacket, 2 at the hip, one wallet/phone/ cards pocket just inside the jacket on the left and another outside on the chest. None of the pockets are very large, even the hip pockets have narrow

openings and short zips which are really hard to slip my not overly large hands into. And while the available sizes of the Brooklands jacket changes from 38- to 52-inch chest, the pockets apertures appear to have stayed the same size, so bigger men will struggle to get their fat hairy digits inside. Neither are any of the pockets all that capacious, so the usual multitools, adjustable spanners, spare spark plugs and even split links (for some obscure reason) that I tend to haul around in bike jackets will probably have to stay my Lancer type BLJ. But, truth to tell, the smarter Brooklands isn’t really that type of biker jacket is it?

Those minor gripes aside, the Weise Brooklands jacket has definitely proved fit-for-purpose, I wanted a mid-priced, great quality lighter leather jacket, which would be a proper riding garment whenever I needed it but look smart and stylish around town too. The Brooklands has done all that. I’m chuffed to bits with it and so far to be honest haven’t really taken it off since I got it.

Rich

American-V.co.uk

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American-V American-V

Reviews If you shop around a bit on UK-based bike part websites, a matching set of Maxxis’ C6011 Classics could see you with change out of £70. For that kind of money you’d expect some pretty naff tyres, but to tell you the truth the set I’ve currently got on my Road King are surprisingly good.

Their roadholding isn’t quite up to say a newly scrubbed-in set of Venoms, but neither is it anything like the heart-in-mouth uncertain and unstable ride you’d expect from budget tyres in the past. Initially I ran just the Maxxis Classic front, paired with another square-section cheap tyre that fitted the rear. It wasn’t ideal by any means, but I was caught between a rock and a hard place and needed to

get back on the road as soon as possible.

The durable Maxxis front saw off the rear in no uncertain terms, very little wear and remaining commendably sticky – the nameless rear on the other hand (of uncertain age to be fair) got totalled, the tread went, as did the sidewalls. Thankfully, when I came to replace that rear tyre, the matching Maxxis Classic has arrived.

With just a few miles under the pair the difference to my Road King’s ride was astonishing. The company seems to working hard to get their tyres right and these Classics boast a special compound mix to suit the types of bikes they’re designed for and the matched tread patterns, front and rear, have so far

Maxxis C6011 Classic & Touring Tyres Available in two variations: MAXXIS TOURING C6011 provides increased strength in the casing construction to handle heavier bikes.

The MAXXIS CLASSIC C6011 is designed for classic styled machines, and comes in regular black (as tested) or with a 2½-inch whitewall.

The Original Wild Ones

Tales of the Boozefighters Motorcycle Club Bill Hayes and Jim ‘JQ’ Quattlebaum ISBN 978-0-7603-3537-6 £9.99 If you only want to buy one book that deals with the birth of the motorcycle culture in the US, this is possibly it.

Stripping down the Motorcycle Club to its raw roots, of a bunch of guys drinking, partying and racing each other on the dirt in some gruelling competitions, set in what was still largely a wild new world on the West Coast of America, this volume sets out to set the record straight about the club that sprung to public prominence in the aftermath of Hollister, and particularly a Life magazine cover.

Full of first-hand anecdotes from The Original Wild Ones themselves, including the revelation that the club’s name had nothing to do with them fighting when drunk and lots to do with the role beer played in the lives

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of a bunch of enthusiastic two-wheeled motorheads: Boozefighter was a term for an alcoholic. Liberally illustrated using contemporary images that will shatter some popular myths, as a book of short unrelated tales, it is very easy dip into, and affectionately written.

Highly recommended.

American-V deal: £7.99 inc P&P Contact GBS on 01206 255777 and quote “Original Wild Ones”

How to be a better rider

Advanced Motorcycling: the essential guide.

Stefan Bartlett and Jon Taylor ISBN 978-0956-223913 £9.99 This is the very latest edition of the IAM’s roadcraft book, and by far the easiest one yet in terms of the range of disciplines required to pass the IAM Motorcycle Course, but equally to stay safe in a hostile world, with excellent illustrations, lots of bullet points and an updating of the phrasing used throughout.

Beautifully printed, it is almost the perfect book for the 21st century although, sadly, that isn’t necessarily a good thing. It is written for people with the attention span of a goldfish, and due to its pick and mix approach, it is all too easy to miss huge swathes of critical information. You could try reading it cover to cover – I would recommend you do because it is important stuff – but it has not been designed to be used that way and the visuals and bullet

given good traction in both the dry and the wet: the blurb on their website mentions that ‘Additional stability is provided by the offset centre rib, which resists tracking over surface rain grooves and steel grated bridges’, and I’ve got to say that seems a fair comment: granted the old rear was badly squared-off, but the bike would skip out on cats-eyes before when trickling through traffic, which the Maxxis Classics haven’t done since they were fitted.

As rear tyres tend to wear faster than fronts, with a couple of thousand more miles on the front I’m now expecting to replace them both at the same time, and if I’m being totally honest I would still go for a more expensive matched pair, because at this point I’ve still got more confidence in them under extreme circumstances, but that’s only if – and it’s a big if – I’ve got the funds.

It must be said, though, that I’ve lived with sets of more expensive tyres for longer, and it may well be that with a few thousand more miles on them, I might get used to their handling characteristics and have greater confidence; but even now I wouldn’t sulk for a minute if I did end purchasing another set of Maxxis Classics.

A good competent all-round tyres for my heavyweight, they don’t feel cheap, don’t look cheap and don’t act cheap.

Rich points that make it an easy reference book, detract from its overall readability.

It seems to have been done, in an attempt to engage younger riders who would previously have seen the IAM as boring old fogeys on BMWs, but it will take more than this to shift that misconception, and the net result is the near loss of a valuable resource for self-study.

Overall, I’m pleased to see the replacement of the misleading term ‘counter-steering’ with ‘positive steering’ although the explanation is still as clear as mud: I’m not sure that anything other than one-to-one tuition, ideally with two-way comms, could get it across easily. But for me, addressing the hazards you’re likely to face on the road in bite-sized chunks is wholly inappropriate because it fails to get the fundamental principles across, and so I would struggle to recommend this book to anyone EXCEPT as a companion book to a proper explanation of roadcraft, or to a full IAM training course. Then it becomes a series of reference notes to remind you what you’ve been taught, in which case it would work exceptionally well.

All you’ve got to do then is to accept that American-style bikes, their weight distribution, power characteristics, rear wheel bias and braking techniques have been completely left out. www.iam.org.uk Andy

American-V.co.uk

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Avon Fowlers of Bristol Pylle Hill, Bristol BS4 3DR 0117 9770466 Bedfordshire Pure Triumph Woburn MK17 9PY 01525 292490 Berkshire Bulldog Triumph Twyford, nr Reading RG10 9EU 0118 9321331 Buckinghamshire On Yer Triumph Aston Clinton, nr Aylesbury HP22 5HQ 01296 632000 Cambridgshire Peterborough Triumph Eye, nr Peterborough PE6 7UR 01733 223444 Cheshire Bill Smiths Motors Chester CH3 5DH 01244 320699 Cornwall GT Motorcycles Plymstock, Plymouth PL9 8JQ 01752 480250

Warwickshire Knotts of Stratford Stratford upon Avon CV37 OAH 01789 205149

GTR Manchester Philip Youles Manchester M8 8EB 0161 8191670 Hampshire Rafferty Newman Fareham PO16 OHD 01329 232424

West Midlands Birmingham Triumph Birmingham B9 4EH 0121 7664940

Isle of Wight Dave Death Motorcycles Carisbrooke PO30 5JS 01983 522160

West Sussex Destination Triumph Washington RH20 4AJ 01903 893784

Kent Laguna Ashford Ashford TN23 3EN 01233 636699

Wiltshire Performance Triumph Elgin, Swindon SN2 8DP 01793 525125

Laguna Maidstone Maidstone ME16 8RA 01622 681765

Yorkshire A1 Moto Services York YO10 3BU 01904 625676

Lancashire Philip Youles Blackburn BB1 1NG 01254 277120

Team Roberts Conisborough, nr Doncaster DN12 4DY 01709 860001

Leicestershire Windy Corner Barwell LE9 8EY 01455 842922

Triumph West Yorkshire Shipley BD18 3HN 01274 591017

Lincolnshire Webbs of Lincoln Lincoln LN5 7LG 01522 528951

Isle of Man Jason Griffiths M/C Castletown IM9 1TE 01624 825940

Cumbria Cumbria Triumph Carlisle CA2 5SX 01228 596003

Norfolk Norfolk Triumph Watton IP25 6AH 01953 881285

Derbyshire Triumph World Chesterfield S41 9AJ 01246 261261

Northamptonshire Pure Triumph Wellingborough NN8 1LD 01933 443030

Devon Bridge Motorcycles Marsh Barton, Exeter EX2 8RG 01392 260200

Nottinghamshire Pidcock Triumph Long Eaton NG10 3JP 0115 9462220

Dorset Three Cross Motorcycles Three Legged Cross, Wimborne BH21 6SP 01202 810107 East Sussex J.S Gedge St Leonards on Sea BN24 6EX 01323 765515 Essex Ongar Motorcycles Great Dunmow CM6 1XN 01371 875252 Gloucestershire Performance Triumph Cheltenham GL51 7AP 01242 235999 GTR London & Middx Carl Rosner South Croydon CR2 0PL 0208 6570121 Jack Lilley Ashford Common TW15 1XB 01784 420421 Metropolis Vauxhall, London SE1 7TP 0207 7939313

Guernsey Duques Garage Forest GY8 0DP 01481 267304 Northern Ireland Phillip McCallen Lisburn BT28 2XF 0289 2622886

Oxfordshire Hughenden M40 Milton Common OX9 2NU 01844 279701

Scotland Edinburgh Triumph Edinburgh EH16 5LL 0131 6677305

Shropshire Wylie & Holland Wellington, nr Telford TF1 2NH 01952 248868

Triumph Glasgow Renfrew, Glasgow PA4 8PD 0141 5617521

Somerset Total Triumph Taunton Taunton TA4 1ES 01823 358899

Shirlaws M/C Aberdeen AB11 6HJ 01224 584855

Staffordshire BS Bikes Stoke on Trent ST6 5PL 01782 813866

Wales Garlands Haverfordwest SA61 1XE 01437 768434

Suffolk Suffolk Triumph Ipswich IP4 5TH 01473 237357 Surrey Destination Triumph Bramley, nr Guildford GU5 OJA 01483 899580 Tyne & Wear M&S Motorcycles Newcastle On Tyne NE4 6AD 0191 2610121

Jersey Bob’s MC Centre St Helier JE2 3RD 01534 758255

Robert Bevan & Son Cardiff CF11 8AQ 02920 227477 Woods of Abergele Abergele LL22 7LA 01745 822922 Eire Celtic Triumph Naas County Kildare 0035 345901820

North City Triumph Chigwell IG7 6NX 0208 5004144

triumph.co.uk

COVER the chassis, component, GO AND DIS litre tank, ed ak so e rom ch d an 22 GO on a , contour E FROM EVERY-SLOPE a 1600cc parallel twin, SIGN THAT OOZES CRUIS E TRUE ME ANING of 85bhp and 146 Nm on DE A R VE CO DIS D AN GO y, GO AND DISCOVER TH ES THEM. the handling, the abilit UR EXPECTATIONS ON A BIKE THAT REDEFIN YO TE UA GO AND RE-EVAL

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12/10/09 11:32:24

15/10/09 13:20:13

H-D Super Glide Custom v Victory Vegas 8-Ball v Triumph Thunderbird: Three-Way Test

96-98-100 COMING, READY OR NOT! Should that perhaps be “Thunderbirds are go!”

Maybe a bigger question is what on earth is a British parallel twin doing in a magazine called American-V?

American-V.co.uk

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Cheltenham Harley-Davidson

599 Princess Way, Cheltenham GL51 7PA Tel: 01242 240570 www.bladegroup.co.uk

Dockgate Harley-Davidson

Heritage House, Second Avenue, Southampton, United Kingdom SO15 0LP Tel: 02380 571200 dg202006.magicgroup.us

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Stratstone Harley-Davidson

2 Loxam Road Chingford London E4 8SE Tel: 0208 5319026 www.stratstone.com/harley-davidson-bikes.html

Stratstone Harley-Davidson 37-43 Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton WV3 0UF Tel: 01902 371 600 www.stratstone.com/harley-davidson-bikes.html

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Guildford Harley-Davidson

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Lincoln Harley-Davidson

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Warr’s Harley-Davidson

Newcastle Harley-Davidson

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Warr’s Harley-Davidson

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Waterford Harley-Davidson

Portsmouth Road, Peasmarsh, Guildford, GU3 1NA Tel: 0845 388 9643 www.guildfordharleydavidson.co.uk

8 Tritton Road, Lincoln LN6 7QY Tel: 01522 850098 Fax: 01522 850088 www.lincolnharleydavidson.co.uk

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3 Dinsdale Place, Warwick Street, Sandyford, Newcastle NE2 1BD Tel: 0191 2327174 www.newcastleharley-davidson.com

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Ber Street, Norwich, NR1 3ES Tel: 0845 224 0419 www.norwichharleydavidson.co.uk

Norwich Harley-Davidson

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Oxford Harley-Davidson

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Plymouth Harley-Davidson

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Preston Harley-Davidson

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Thames Valley Harley-Davidson

Windsor House 121 Yarmouth Road Slough, SL1 4HY Tel: 01753 515500 www.thamesvalleyharley-davidson.co.uk

611 Kings Road, London, SW6 2EL Tel: 0207 736934 www.warrs.com

16 – 20 Mottingham Road, London SE9 4QW Tel: 0208 8579198 www.warrs.com

Ozier Park, Waterford City, Ireland Tel: +353 51 844200 Fax: +353 51 857206 www.waterfordhd.com

Corner House Garage, Whitecross, Wootton, Oxfordshire OX13 6BS Tel: 01865 735121 www.bladegroup.co.uk

Langage Business Park, Eagle Road, Plympton, Plymouth, Devon PL7 5JY Tel: 01752 332 775 www.plymouthharleydavidson.co.uk

West Strand Park, Strand Road, Preston, Lancashire PR1 8UY. Tel: 01772 551800 www.harleydavidson-preston.com

Silverstone Harley-Davidson

170 Watling Street East, Towcester, Northamptonshire NN12 6DB Tel: 01327 353444 www.silverstoneharley-davidson.co.uk

Stratstone Harley-Davidson

To advertise your Harley-Davidson Dealership on this page, call Andy Fraser now on 01778 392054 or email andyf@warnersgroup.co.uk

Waterlinks Motor Village, Lichfield Road Aston, Birmingham Tel: 0121 335 70 43 www.stratstone.com/harley-davidson-bikes.html

1/10/09 15:27:00

Event: HDRCGB’s International Rally: Walesby

HDRCGB HARLEY-DAVIDSON RIDERS’ CLUB OF GREAT BRITAIN INTERNATIONAL RALLY WALESBY FOREST, NOTTS. AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY 2009

Sixty years ago, ‘Pop’ Richardson gathered a big enough group of like-minded riders together to form a club based round something they had in common: they all rode Harley-Davidsons.

The result was the Harley-Davidson Riders Club of Great Britain, and this year’s International Rally celebrated that fact in style at Walesby.

The club of 2009 were joined by founder member Vic Richardson, one of Pop’s two sons, who returned for the occasion from Australia where he still serves as the club’s rep; and with a winning combination of an excellent location and many more people than struggled across to last year’s Oswestry event, it deserves to go down as the classic International of recent years.

Set in the heart of a once thriving Nottinghamshire coal field, the Walesby Forest Scout Activity Centre provided a stunning location which

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could have looked busy with 250 bikes and riders camped among the trees but ultimately swallowed upwards of a thousand visitors without looking crowded, and the event was well supported by the trade – including Custom Chrome, Krazy Horse and Skull Chopa, with Robin Hood representing the official dealer network: a first for recent years.

Thankfully the wet weather that doused the early arrivals and organisers threatened all weekend but held off, and the only one who fell foul of it seemed to be Patrick Delli, ‘The French Owl’, who cut it extremely tight arriving on-site in an early dusk brought on by leaden skies riding what had been his KHK Special, now running an Ironhead XL motor but still no lights.

American-V.co.uk

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AmVwhoneeds:Layout 1 05/10/2009 21:33 Page 1

Who needs 1600cc? who needs turbo chargers?

Who needs chrome?

Who needs custom paint?

Who needs billet?

Who needs to ride all day for the hell of it?

Who needs the wind in their hair?

Who needs freedom of choice?

MAG – for the things in life that you donʼt really need

check us out on line www.mag-uk.org membership £20 pa until Dec 31st when it rises to £25 Your voice in Westminster and Brussels

Custom: Phil Power’s Shovel

WHAT MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS ...

EH ... ? HOW CAN THAT POSSIBLY BE A SONG ABOUT BEER? There’s a Shovelhead chop that crops up all over the place, to such an extent that there must be hundreds of people who’d swear it must be a local bike, but one that they only see at rallies.

Of course it is a local bike but only if you live in East Anglia, because this is the first choice of wheels of the mad axe-man of the popular guitar rock covers band, LAF, long time Krazy Horse roadie and Bury St Edmunds’ answer to Rod Stewart: Phil Power.

» American-V.co.uk

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ALPHABET SOUP

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Classic: 1915 Harley-Davidson 11-F

This stunningly restored 1915 Harley-Davidson V-Twin belongs to Larry Wood, and bringing it back to life from a shot-full-ofholes, rusting relic has been a labour of love for Larry and his business associate Pete Springer, who do this sort of work for a mixture of profit and personal satisfaction.

American-V.co.uk

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1/10/09 15:38:24 2/6/09 10:11:29

Event: Bulldog Bash 2009

THEBULLDOG There must have been thousands of people keeping a weather eye on the August forecasts, hoping the midweek rain would pass in time to prevent a second mudbath at the Shakespeare Country Raceway ...

But in all honesty it was less to decide whether to head to Stratford-on-Avon and more to see what gear to pack.

Mandie and I arrived on the Friday afternoon after a leisurely and dry ride down: so nice in fact that we even stopped outside a sun-baked pub for our last chance to get a pint in a pot for a couple of days. Closer-in, the promised police presence wasn’t overly heavy in Stratford, though as we approached the site it became clear that the force was definitely out in strength: less obvious the sub-machine gun toting paramilitary types this time, but, to be honest we didn’t know whether to feel more or less safer.

On site the ground was still very, very wet. but the welcome sun was beginning to start the dry-up which would continue throughout the rest of the weekend, and while there were huge pools of slushy mud in places, these could generally be avoided on foot by careful, mountain goat like agility. Of course some people – festival mindset to the max – were actually looking forward to get completely covered in mud ... or were at least not bothered if they ended up that way.

Looking around the site it was immediately obvious that there were a lot

more young people around than even last year, many on their own bikes – or even own builds – and, it has to be said, people were looking good: women dressing up again in full-on biker chick chic, especially for the evenings, and men looking much tidier, leaner and fitter – the grim days of the “old, fat and f*ckit” nineties long past. All across the site there was a great atmosphere and everyone I could see was partying hard, or had already done so, absolutely no-one missing rolled up carpets under their arms, having left their bad attitudes at home in the naughty box.

The quality of the custom show was something else: it has long been one of the major places to show in Europe on the annual calendar, and this year included a trophy for Best Ladies Build, won by Rebecca Thompson for her Harley 45 Servicar trike.

Meanwhile, outside, a full house settled-in on the stands next to the strip to watch the mechanical goings-on, including Eric Teboul riding a hydrogen peroxide powered rocket bike at a speed of 5.30 seconds at 243mph, breaking his own

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Roadtest: 2009 Harley-Davidson FLHRC Road King Classic

ROLLIN’ ON THE

ROCKER C

Introduced in the 2007 catalogue in a choice of blue, red or black, it was an interesting departure from the Softail and with its kickedout front end – boasting a VR-esque 36.5-degrees at the headstock with a modest extra degree of trail adjustment dialled into the distinctive new yokes – it was a radical new statement and came with a whole new set of bodywork to underline the fact.

If you were being cynical, you could suggest that the fuel tank is a resurrected Deuce item, but everything else was brand new – even down to the Softail swing-arm which accommodated the new 240section tyre.

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So there it sat: a half way house between the Deuce and the V-Rod, which seems like a very funny place to position a new bike, with the Deuce having been canned after poor sales and the VR’s still struggling to find their niche.

In fairness, the Deuce was actually a damn good bike, and arguably the best FX Softail that Harley ever made in every objective sense: its seventeen-inch rear wheel being the first to break out from the near slavish adherence to the MT90 tyre. But it struggled for its ‘broken back’ lines, at odds with the classic headstock to wheel spindle line recreated by the Softail. The V-

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Head to Head: 2009 Harley-Davidson FXCWC Rocker C

Time flies when you’re having fun, but it surely doesn’t feel like the Rocker C should be gracing it’s third model year catalogue, albeit a little lonelier in the absence of its plainer, simpler, single-seated running mate.

Rod too hasn’t gained widespread acceptance yet, but there’s no doubting that it’s a good motorcycle in its own right, if you want that sort of bike.

Could the Rocker C be the bike that glues Harley’s heritage to a future that The Motor Company is desperate for us to embrace?

Or is it just a styling exercise?

Hopefully it’s the latter, for reasons that will become clear in time, but first let’s praise it for what it is, because it is an excellent bike in it’s remaining form, dazzling with chrome and polished aluminium, and stunning in its top drawer paint.

» American-V.co.uk

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ELECTRA SOFTAIL? Who here can say, hand-on-heart, that they’ve not looked at a Harley and thought it would be perfect if only they’d added this, or removed that or even just left it alone ’cos the last one was better for you?

54 American-V.co.uk

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3/10/09 22:28:20

Custom: Todd’s Electra Softail

I know I can’t, and I’d be surprised if you can’t either, because the double-edged sword of perhaps the most extensive back catalogue of any motorcycle manufacturer means we’ll all have our favourite bits of generations of bikes, and the chance of The Motor Company creating something that ticks every single one of your boxes is infinitesimal.

It’s one of the reasons why custom bikes exist, why no two Harleys are the same and why The Motor Company will forever struggle to please all the people all of the time.

I, for instance want them to build a Dyna Road King, especially having seen what an FL Dyna could look like way back in AmV14, offering the flexibility that the old-style Electra could undertake, and judging by the feedback so did many others.

Todd, on the other hand, wanted something like a Softail Road King, but rather than just talking about it he built one!

A hard-bagged equivalent of the Heritage Softail Classic, it’s a bike that’s begging to be built, although I can’t begin to think what its designation or even its name would be, although I note they’ve reintroduced the ‘Convertible’ tag for a CVO model this year, and that’s where Todd’s very special Softail works particularly well.

I can’t remember the last time I saw a bike that worked so well with and without QD luggage, thanks to a system of Todd’s own creation, but to get bogged down in the bike’s flexibility is to miss out on just how clever he’s been in creating the perfect retro tourer.

Where the hell do I start? There’s nothing that hasn’t been fixed, fettled or replaced.

Okay, so the motor is relatively simple, if only because it’s all within our collective comfort zone. Be aware though, that this is breaking you in gently.

»

American-V.co.uk

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1/10/09 15:31:15

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5/10/09 12:14:24

DESPERATE’S

INDIAN

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3/10/09 14:00:32

Trike: Desperate’s Indian

There’s a lot of stuff going on in the land of the third-wheel, from the F1-styled back-ends in place of swing-arms, through customs, to full-bodied touring machines so we’re going to stick a trike in every issue for the forseeable future, if only because we’ve got enough to keep us going until Harley bring theirs over, regardless of whether that’s 2011 or 2012. And we’re starting with a name synonymous with custom trikes for as long as custom bike mags have existed ...

I’m not too sure what got me ‘into’ Indians, but it happened a long time ago. I was going through some old papers a while back and found some of my schoolboy drawings of choppers which dated back to 1965, and when I looked closely, they all had Indian engines, when everyone else in my class dreamed of owning a Bonny and drew one of them.

I bought my first one when I was 18, for a tenner, and when I pulled the heads off was amazed to find red grease on the pistons ... it was brand new. Like a fool, I sold it at a vast profit for £45.

I’ve owned many since then, including a 1939 Chief bought for £450, I wish I’d kept them – as well as the 1923 JD Harley I got for £125 and not mentioning the 45 engine that I turned into a V-twin plant pot holder: how times have changed!

How much do I like these bikes?

Well, my 16-year old daughter’s middle name is ‘Hendee’ named after the Hendee Manufacturing Company, Springfield, Massachusetts, who built them. Funnily enough, she really likes it, and there’s no way I would have called her ‘Harley’ even though I’ve owned quite a few.

For a couple of sad years I became Indianless until this one turned up nearly twenty years ago. I bought her, sight unseen, for £1,000 – a vast amount back then – and she was the ultimate Rat Bike, but along with the bike itself there were some big boxes of bits, and when I finally got around to opening them, some three years later, there were all the parts for two more bikes and three engines. Phew! As well as being a Rat, it was actually what they now call a ‘Bobber’ (I hate these shitty names bikes need to have these days: Bobber is nearly as bad as Old Skool) with Matchless forks, and very minimal, but one day a complete 12-inch overstock

American-V.co.uk

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Event: South of England Rally 2009

SOFER You’d think we’d be running out of things to say about rallies we repeatedly attend, but no: every year is different, especially at the larger shows where you physically can’t fit everything into one event.

One such event is the South of England Rally, at Bisley in Surrey, which never ceases to impress. It’s partly due to the other-worldliness of the National Rifle Association’s headquarters, trapped in time, and partly the scale of the event, but much of it will be down to the atmosphere which is just remarkably laid back, and the organisation which is pretty-much invisible. The whole place just runs like clockwork, and not in a regimented manner but an unhurried, relaxed way.

In many ways it is the opposite of the full-on festival atmosphere of the Bulldog Bash, with which it clashed this year, trading the raw adrenalin-pumping noise and fumes of that celebration of the motorcycle for a rural idyll, wanting only for the sound of leather on willow to epitomise a rose-tinted England: there’s the sound of not-too-distant gunfire instead.

Both events have their appeal and previously I haven’t been forced to choose, but certain in the knowledge that Rich and Mandie would be bouncing at the Bulldog, and partly because I was absolutely knackered after the last deadline and just needed to chill-out, we dropped some magazines and subs forms off for prizes in

the Bulldog’s custom show, took a quick tour of Long Marston to catch up with the people we’d miss, and we pointed our wheels south.

First impressions can live with you for a long time, and 2009’s was the sight of sixfoot-six Nij Jones overseeing the Harley Demo rides, dressed head to toe in pink.

American-V.co.uk

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’Ello ’ello ’ello,

what’s all this then?

If you read the articles on the Institute of Advanced Motorcyclist course over the last two issues, do yourself a favour, forget them, read this and then go back to the beginning and read them again.

Well, except for one bit: the bit about initial motorcycle training teaching you how to pass your test, and the observation that it’s only after passing your test that you really start learning how to ride, because that’s what the Bridging The Gap ‘workshop’ is all about: a police-led initiative that has been designed to fill an identifiable gap between the motorcycle test and advanced training. The intention is to engage as many riders as possible, to spread the word about the need for further training, and has even been taken up by the likes of Shell, for the benefit of workers who commute by bike, holding workshops on site.

The goal? To reduce rider casualties. It makes us safer and gives the Police less work to do: the last thing they want to do is end up scraping someone off the road for being an idiot or, worse still, for simply not being aware of the hazards.

Of course there’s an element of PR in there, but it’s all positive and the Police reckon that BikeSafe is probably the ultimate tool for them to engage with likeminded individuals who have a passion for riding bikes.

The workshop comprises two individual classroom-based presentations which feature heavily the use of 3D computergenerated reconstructions of everyday riding scenarios, together with live footage films,

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complimented by a one-to-one observed assessment ride, followed by a Police Class 1 motorcyclist, where you get to put the classroom theory into practice out on the road. Volunteer observers with credible riding qualifications do assist with the onroad element in certain areas which is great because it is bikers helping other bikers.

On the course I attended there were twenty men and four women covering an age range from a guy in his thirties to another in his sixties, demonstrating that it doesn’t matter how long ago you passed your test, it’s never too late to enhance the skills you’ve got.

Our presenters for both evenings were Andy Griffiths and John Hughes. Both are serving officers, Andy is a patrol motorcyclist and John is assigned to the driver training unit, but both are also offduty riders who get wet like the rest of us, and have to deal with exactly the same hazards.

After introducing ourselves, through our choice of bikes and experience, to break the ice in so varied a group of students, we’re introduced to the system operated by the Police, which they call Roadcraft.

Roadcraft involves creating an everchanging riding plan as you ride, through observation: constantly scanning

what is ahead and to the sides in a 180degree semi-circle of peripheral vision, constantly referencing the mirrors when changing road position or speed, and using lifesavers when and where appropriate.

The mantra is to “make room for what we can see, what we can’t see and what we can reasonably expect to happen”. And as with the IAM, the mnemonic IPSGA – Information, Positioning, Speed, Gears and Acceleration – is used to formulate your riding plan.

The first classroom session concentrated on filtering and junctions, which are used to introduce the importance of observation.

Information and observation links are highlighted as a really important facet of the plan; for example, the more paint/ signage there is on the road, the greater the likely hazard will be for that stretch of road, while in terms of observation – especially in built up areas – look at the reflections in shop windows to see what information that can give you.

American-V.co.uk

3/10/09 10:20:35

Matt’s Machine Shop Specialist Motorcycle Machine Shop mattsmachineshop@btopenworld.com

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www.solowchoppers.co.uk 73

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1/10/09 15:55:38

LA ROCKA HISTORY FOR TOMORROW

Readers of last issue will recall the Krazy Chica, and the suggestion at the end that more production bikes will be coming out of custom shops sooner rather than later: this is the specific bike I was referring to.

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3/10/09 17:29:27

New Production Bikes: Skull Chopa / Tattooes Optional ‘La Rocka’

A quick glance through the specification could make you wonder whether there has been some collusion between Krazy Horse and Richard and Matt at Skull Chopa, but other than each being aware that the other was planning such a move, the only common thread is that both shops’ commitment is to build bikes for riding.

Richard Millard has been in the game for good few years as Skull Chopa, but with long time friend Matt on board, a refugee from the world of sport bikes, and trading as Tattoos Optional / Skull Chopa they’ve changed their focus from one-off show-winning builds and commissions to limited edition production bikes alongside the bespoke stuff.

Why? Because they felt the custom bike world had lost its way and that it was about time that the bikes should return to their roots ... or rather to where those roots could have taken them if they’d continued along the route of modification for performance more than prevailing fashions. ‘Sometimes it’s easy to forget that motorbikes are for fun and not just for show’, they argue. ‘For ripping around the lawns, going place and actually getting out there, rather than standing around looking at pretty show bikes’.

Those first custom bikes were lightened to make them ride better, handle better, stop better than the factory bikes but that got lost somewhere in the mix because they also looked a lot better into the bargain, but don’t get the impression that style isn’t important – well, look at the pictures. It might be their mission statement to put the right components together and build, weld and machine them to create a perfectly functioning motorcycle, but it’s got to look cool!

Sounds easy, doesn’t it, putting the right components together?

But it’s not. And it’s not only making them fit together right, mechanically, it’s making them fit together right, visually. That’s is where a lot of the welding and machining comes in. It’s also where the builder’s eye comes in.

You can throw a lot of expensive parts together and make a motorcycle that is just wrong, or scrape together the wildest assortment of bits and pieces from breakers yards and scrap merchants and build perfection: the difference is in the vision ... the ability to see the finished article through the old paint and virgin steel of the component parts, which is another reason why reproducible Shop Customs are attractive propositions to professional builders.

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3/10/09 17:29:35

What you’re looking at here, if you did but know it, is a 2000 Suede Green FXDL bought new

by Richard, and is a near perfect example of the evolution of a Harley-Davidson to suit its owner.

1

It was a fairly predictable start and in line with common practice in the dark days of strangled carburetors, Richard took it back to Big Rock to be staged at the earliest sensible opportunity, and while he was at it he started to think about a few cosmetic changes. The brake lines were upgraded to stainless braided hoses, presumably more for appearances than stopping power because 2000 was the year that the Low Rider got 4-pot calipers on its twin disks, and a two-piece P&A saddle was fitted together with a chrome dash in place of the black textured one and a set of forward controls, and he was good to go.

But he didn’t stop there ... obviously.

It’s probably worth mentioning that Richard’s a designer in the ceramics industry and has got a pretty good eye for detail, so he started to run through a few ideas in his head.

Basically he wanted something chunkier than Harley-Davidson made in a Dyna form back then: more functional and fit for purpose – for ceramics industry, read Denby Pottery – and a fat front end was an obvious and relatively inexpensive way to start.

So he returned to Big Rock, sat down with Workshop Manager, Kev French, and started to outline his vision of where he wanted to take it, and Kev’s knowledge of the parts book made it possible, starting a partnership that continues today.

The Zodiac wide glide conversion was the obvious choice, and it didn’t initially seem important that Zodiac hadn’t caught up with the new generation engines at the time, although it turned out there were a few essential differences between Twin Cam and Evo Dynas in terms of cycle parts too, but nothing that machining or remanufacturing the affected parts of the fitting kit couldn’t fix.

The new front wheel was the original double-sided flat hub, re-laced to a chrome steel 3½x16-inch rim, and the original oem brake rotors spaced out to line-up with the 4-pots on the original fork legs and a new mudguard colour matched to the suede green paint. And while the parts book was out, they picked-out a colour-matched P&A chinspoiler for the front of the frame, a lay-down number plate bracket, clear lenses on the indicators and a pair of inch-and-a-quarter Knuckle bars, and Richard pronounced himself happy.

2

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3/10/09 14:52:50

Custom: Richard’s Different Dyna

DYNAMITE

EVOLUTION OF A TC88

American-V.co.uk

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3/10/09 14:52:57

STURGIS 09 PART 1

I grab a handful of throttle, as my eyes tear-up, the blacktop begins to blur, I enjoy the shot of adrenalin, the rush of wind and the feel of the V-twin’s vibration. Once again I’m headed for Sturgis and I feel more alive than I have in a long, long time.

Roadside trees and bushes flick past faster and faster, giving an intoxicating burst of shadow then light, shadow then light; all accompanied by the most gorgeous sound in the world, the deep resonating boom of an American V-twin motorcycle. The Lakota, a native South Dakota Indian tribe have a saying, “it’s a good day to fight; it’s a good day to die”. I’ve no idea why this incantation has suddenly come into my head, but I back off instinctively, after all, I’ve had enough travel problems getting this far, there is no need for me to create any more!

At the end of the first day’s ride I spend the night in the shadow of Mt Rushmore, at a tiny campground on the outskirts of Keystone (population 311). As I drift off to sleep under the stars, I can still hear the sound of big bikes passing in the night. I wake to find picturesque craggy mountain ridges flanked by pine and spruce forests.

The town itself is immersed in mining history, and dates back to 1883 when gold, feldspar and tin was discovered for the first time, but today it is the work of sculptor Gutzon Borglum and his son that draw most visitors to the town, to see a quartet of sixty-foot heads carved into the rock.

It is the sort of thing that is not easily forgotten, especially as the heads depict the American Presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

78

As I get closer to Sturgis other bikes come up fast from behind, in pairs or flights of three, four, five or more. A patch club flash past in their magnificent glory with wellordered and disciplined riding, full colours at the front, prospects following to the rear.

I’m running slower now, savouring the last of the ride: it feels good to be ‘home’, to be in an area where I recognise all, or at least most, of the landmarks. If anyone had told me in 1989 that I would return each year for the next twenty, I would have thought them nuts. This year’s rally was the 69th.

Next year, a landmark year, will be a real humdinger, mark my words!

American-V.co.uk

AmV37.Sturgis.indd 78

3/10/09 21:45:51

Event: Shipley Rally 2009

SHIPLEY09 BAILDON, W. YORKSHIRE. AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY 2009

Now this might come as something of a shock to you – it did to me – but despite riding Harley-Davidsons for twenty years, I’d never actually been to Shipley.

In fact the closest I’d ever got previously was watching the massed ranks pass by while at Castleford on a Cossack outfit, in long-distant days before I discovered that bigger pistons in decent quality metal make a better and more consistent bang; but I’ve always known of the place that it holds in the Harley calendar.

And this year that date was all the more important, because while it didn’t mark the thirtieth anniversary of a dozen or so Harley riders first camping at Dobrudden Farm – that was apparently in 1976 – it celebrated that increasing gathering’s

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Engine Rebuilds and Peformance Modifications T Shirts, Helmets, Biker Gifts and Gift Vouchers Available The Meal House, Marsh Farm, Hilperton, Wiltshire BA14 7PJ Tel//Fax: 01225 769967 Email: sales@fatboyzdiner.co.uk www.fatboyzdiner.co.uk

Freephone 0800 4580677

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CUSTOM CYCLES

& servicing facilities • Fixed price servicing

TEL/FAX: 01797 223547 MBL: 07866 078625 Email: sales@vtwinuk.com Web: www.vtwinuk.com

• Harley diagnostics • Custom bike building • Large showroom

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22a WINCHELSEA RD, RYE, EAST SUSSEX, TN31 7EL

Main A259

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Clothing

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Vintage Style Clothing -3/2/09

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Motorcycle Engineers Unit 6, Love Lane Estate, Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire SY9 5DW Email: malcolm@malarkeyengineering

Design and Development Motorcycle Engineers 15 years experience building frames, rolling chassis and complete bikes for: Cafe racers, flattrackers, bobbers, trikes, streetfighters and chops.

Restorations, completions, machining, welding, wiring & polishing.

Yokes, forward controls, girder forks all made in-house

Tel: 01588 630288/638823 www.malarkeyengineering.co.uk 12:00:23

Made Stubborn Japan’s Most Famous Biker Denim Traditional Jeans and Jackets Painstakingly Crafted out of the World’s Heaviest Black and Indigo Denim Iron Heart Denim - Heavy-Duty Indulgence www.ironheart.co.uk - 07740 706464

Service/Repairs/Parts

real bikes for real bikers Motorcycle Brakes MATT’S MOTORCYCLES

169-171 FISHPONDS RD. EASTVILLE, BRISTOL BS5 6PR TEL/FAX 0117 951 7609 EVERYTHING FOR HARLEY DAVIDSON & MERIDEN TRIUMPH MOTORCYCLES, S&S PERFORMANCE PARTS FOR HARLEYS, CUSTOM PARTS FOR JAPANESE CRUISERS, ONE OFF CONTROL CABLES M.O.T.TESTING

01623 632266 www.harleychop.co.uk

WE UNDERSTAND CLASSICS & CUSTOMS ZODIAC, CUSTOM CHROME, LUCAS, AMAL CARBURETTORS , BOYER IGNITIONS, MOTORCYCLE STOREHOUSE, CHAMPION PLUGS, MORRIS OILS, SILKOLENE OILS, ARLEN NESS, KURYAKIN, W&W PLUS LOTS MORE. STAINLESS BRAKE HOSES, ONE OFF CABLES 2008 CATALOGUES IN STOCK NOW FULL OR PART RESTORATIONS, 883-1200 CONVERSIONS, TWIN CAM 1550 CONVERSIONS, TYRES & FITTING WHEEL BUILDING 0117 951 7609

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Motorcycle Artist

Motorcycle Dealer

alliwantisaharley

Ride away on a new Harley-Davidson® Dyna®Wide Glide® from £10,950

Ian Matthew, motorcycle artist.

For more examples of his work and details of prints for sale, visit the website or email ianmatthew@btinternet.com

Looking to give something different for Christmas?

Orders now being taken.

2010 Harley-Davidson motorcycles start from £5,710 OTR

www.alliwantisaharley.com

Preston Harley-Davidson & Buell

West Strand Park, Strand Road, Preston PR1 8UY 01772 551830 www.preston-harleydavidson.com

Motorcycle Accessories ARROW ENAMEL PINS & PATCHES

Cylinder Heads YLINDER HEAD SHOP Europe’s Premier Equipped Serdi Head Centre Road-Race Tuning Repairs-Reclamation All Makes - All Models Worldwide Used by Top Tuners & Trade Vapour Blasting Service Hassle Free Collection/Delivery Service Throughout UK Mainland • Low Rates

geratarrow@btinternet.com www.arrowenamels.co.uk arrowenamels.com

Nucleus Works. 1A, Coopers Place, Comble Lane, Wormley, Surrey GU8 5SZ T: 01428 685883 M: 07810 273600 or 00 44 7810 273600 www.cylinderheadshop.co.uk

Call Andy now on 01778 392054 to advertise in the next issue of American V

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Complete Workshop Facilities inc: • New and Pre owned Bikes for Sale • Full Custom Bike Design and Builds • Customisation • Custom Paint and Repaint • Crash Repairs & Insurance Quotes • Servicing & Parts Fitting

• • • • • •

On site Tyre Fitting Diagnostics Polishing Shop Full w/shop Facility @ £35.00 p/h + VAT In House Fabrication Parts & Accessories Sold

Come and visit Nick Gale’s Motorcycle World at our Wembley Showroom open Monday – Friday (Saturday by appointment).

Tel: +44 (0)20 8998 6775 or +44 (0)79 51 74 13 52 E mail; Nick@nickgalecustoms.co.uk Unit 5 Montague Works, 250 Water Road, Wembley, Middx HA0 1HX

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S IE R E S T U C P E E D S S E N DEEP CUT GRIPS

DASH COVER

DEEP CUT PASS. FLOORBOARDS

BOLT ON

DEEP CUT FLOORBOARDS

RETRO FORK BOOTS

AND RIDE

1.200 NEW PRODUCTS

INCL. UPDATES

8,40 GBP* + SHIPPING

Order your copy now or download at www.custom-chrome-europe.com.

Call +49 (0) 671-88888-0 for the dealer nearest you.

*Suggested retail prices including 17,5 % V.A.T. Custom Chrome Europe Planiger Strasse 154 55543 Bad Kreuznach, Germany

Phone:+49 (0) 671 - 8 88 88 - 0 Fax: +49 (0) 671 - 8 88 88 -100

e-mail: info@customchrome.de www.custom-chrome-europe.com