Cycle Source Magazine December 21 - January 22 Issue 288

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December‘10 CYCLE SOURCE

CYCLE SOURCE DEcember DEcember '21 - January '22 7

BIKES Roxanne

Gasoline & Coffee's 73 Ironhead ................................................................... 22

Jennifer

The Bike That Saved Bonk's Life .....................................................................40

Rowdy

RKB Kustom Speed's Softail ............................................................................ 58

Brother Love

Built With A Little Help From His Friends ................................................... 70

Bad Sign

Grabau's 1942 Knucklehead ............................................................................80

Atrocity

Garage Builder Scott Schonert's Crossbones .......................................86

Labor Of Love

A Sporty That Most Would Have Given Up On ...........................................96

FEATURES Hard Water Harleys

High Voltage Ice Racing .....................................................................................10

Blue Collar Build Off

Low Budget Builds In The Spotlight ............................................................ 32

FXR Evolution

Update On The Dennis Kirk Give-A-Way FXR ............................................ 48

The Bro Trip

Tyler Rides With Moto Industry Friends ................................................... 50

Year In Review Nominations

Time To Let Your Voice Be Heard ................................................................... 66

International Female Ride Day

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Is It Another V Day? .............................................................................................. 92

TECH

Here's Lapping At You Kid

Lapping Valves With Daniel ............................................................................. 18

EFI Fuel Systems

What's The Difference Between Em? ......................................................... 28

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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, Jason Hallman, Chip Parisi

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

CONTRIBUTORS

Benny Stucker, Del Hickey, Ron Brefka

STAFF ARTISTS Chris Callen

ADVERTISING

Heather Callen- Sales Manager - cyclesourcemain@comcast.net

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GRAPHIC ARTISTS Chris Callen, Heather Callen

DISTRIBUTION

Comag 5230 Finch Ave. E., Ste. 1, Toronto, ON, M1S 4Z9 Cycle Source - Dealership Direct Distribution 724-226-2867

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Heather Callen - 724-226-2867

COPY EDITOR Judy Duggan

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SPARE PARTS Hot Off The Rack

New Products From Industry Leaders ........................................................... 64

In The News

80

The World Report Powered by BikerNet.com ......................................... 100

DEPARTMENTS

From The Editor’s Desk .................................................... 8 Killing Time With X .......................................................... 36 Art Of Our Culture ............................................................. 46 Pin-Up Of The Month ....................................................... 54 Chopper Charlie ............................................................... 76 Great American Road Chip ......................................... 89 Photo Hunt ........................................................................... 95 InSlide Line ....................................................................... 106 Gut Busters ........................................................................ 114

LEGAL COUNSEL

James L. Paz Attorney at Law - Tarentum, PA - 724-226-9PAZ For Any Subscription Questions Call 724-226-2867 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® December re-printed in whole or part without the express written consent of the publishers. Copyright ® 2020. The Cycle Source Magazine®, A Grass Roots Motorcycle PublicationSM, Scooter Tramp ™ Wild Man™ Low Down & Dirty Rotten™ Grease & Gears Garage™ Grease & Gears TV™ Grease & Gears Garage Roadshow™ ShopTalk™ Do It Your Damn Self™ Inslide Line™ are registered trade marks.

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

ABOUT THE COVER

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Rick Bray, isn't new to the motorcycle scene but he never ceases to build show stopping bikes. Rowdy, as this softail is so aptly named is no exception.

RKB Kustom Speed is synonymous with quality craftsmanship and style, Form always comes second to function which is of utmost importance when Rick build his motorcycles. As always, we are pleased to have this bike grace not only our pages but our cover as well.

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ou know, from time to time, I get on a soapbox about the old-timers and their code. Just the other day, I was talking about this to a friend. He mentioned that I may have not covered the subject in any great detail, so I figured this month was as good a time as any. You see, when I came up in this thing, I was as rough and rowdy as any. I had a home life that was a train wreck, friends that were trying out for the artists in residency program at the state penitentiary, and I was myself heading in a bad way. When I met my first real group of motorcycle people, a club that I would ride with for some time, I started to get my shit together. Now I was only 16 when I started to hang around with them. But I was an emancipated minor and was already living on my own. Although I was managing for the most part to keep the bills paid and a roof over my head, I didn’t have a clue how long it would be before the Sheriff would show up to let me know it was time to move again. But in all seriousness, I was OK with this. It fit my profile and left me plenty of time for bad behavior.

When I started to hang around the club, I was surprised by how much order and organization there was. As a group, they had what I thought was a set of unwritten rules and values, but as it turns out, these have been written down

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many, many times over the years.

It’s a little thing called the code. I first read about it from an article Keith Ball wrote. No, I’m not talking about the superficial shit like “You always wave to another rider” or “Never leave a rider on the side of the road.” These were more important lessons about having respect for yourself, for others, having the ability to own your bullshit, and when push came to shove, the wherewithal to stand up for the things you believe in.

I had an old boy teach me about being a man and accepting responsibility for my own actions one day through the act of washing my bike. He gave me a ration of shit for riding a dirty bike, and of course, being the little smart ass I was, I made fun of his OCD and how it drove him to spend more time polishing than riding. He told me to go fill up the wash bucket, and he’d help me was the bike.

As we did, he explained that by washing a bike thoroughly, I would feel if anything had come loose and needed attention. That, as I went over the finer details of my machine, I would see if there were anything that I may have not noticed at a glance when I hopped on it to take off in a rush. He went on to tell me that it wasn’t only so that I had a trouble-free ride the next time I went out, but for the safety and good time of the other cats I rode with. As lessons like

this were passed down, I started to be a little more thoughtful when it came to respect for myself and those around me.

You see, these men and women, who from the outside seemed to be the lunatic fringe of society, the dangerous ones or the broken toys, were actually some of the most thoughtful.

Those who lived their lives with purpose and had a line in the sand for what it meant to be part of their community. Now, call me old-fashioned or a grey beard if you must, but tell me honestly that we couldn’t use a little more of this attitude towards who we are today in the motorcycle community.

A little less insta-famous, me me me and a little more “Hey brother, what’s goin on with you, can I do anything?” Maybe if we were a little more invested in the community, we could learn to be a little less critical of other people and pay more attention to respect and honor. Helping those around us up instead of looking for opportunities to cut them down.

The worst that could happen is that we might not get that extra five minutes in the spotlight. In the end, I believe that the sum total of what this is all about is worth more than any of our single contributions to it. But hey, maybe I’m just the crazy cat lady….

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Article By : “Ronster Ron Brefka Photos By : AMA & Ronster

otorcycle Ice Racing is jokingly called ‘hard water’ racing in Wisconsin. This past winter, the frozen-hard lake water at Miller’s Bay echoed the deepthroated roar of v-twin motors. On Feb’ 6th, 2021, that v-twin rumble was the giveaway that Ice Racers with HarleyDavidson power plants were there to battle in the High Voltage Show’s 2021 AMA Ice Race Grand National Championships.

Like Thunder Running through the Clouds The roaring Harley Davidson ice racers sounded like thunder running through the clouds as they ripped around the half-mile ice track. Among the record 240 motorcycle ice race entries were Antique HD Factory Racers, frozen Flatheads, slip slidin’ Sportsters, a lone hooligan ShovelHead, and even an HD ice-racing sidecar rig. All special purpose-built Harley flat track racers were modified for speed on ice with hundreds of sharp ice racing screws in each tire.

Frozen FLATHEADS Racing as swift and sure on the slippery ice as sure-footed deer running in the frozen fields of Wisconsin, here came the Basses on their antique Harley Factory Racers. With their special ice racing set-ups, Jenny Bas #10 competed on her 1950 model WR Factory Flathead racer and Eric Bass, #71G, racing his 1948 WR racer. Both Bass antique ice racers were fitted with the classic hand-shift

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and foot-clutch.

Another Flathead in a snowy sea of light, nimble ice racing bikes was the big twin 1939 Model U piloted by Thelma Tomalewicz, #120. Racing like the wind with her 80 cubic inch big twin, Thelma was campaigning for the prestigious #1 National Championship Plate in the Vintage Class and finished a respectable 7th.

Slip Slidin’ SIDECARS and a National Championship Yep, there were Sidecar Ice Racers in the High Voltage Ice Nationals this year. Piloting his trusty 1999 H-D Sportster 1200 sidecar rig to the National Championship was Kevin Lambert Sr. He commanded his rig over the unforgiving ice with incredible grace. Honed by many years as a sidecar racer, his skills won him the Nationals. Kevin went beyond his ice racing skills and fabricated the special purpose sidecar frame. If asked what he likes best about his sidecar racer, he would answer… the drag pipes! Kevin Lambert, Sr., a great fabricator, and racer, is now and forever the 2021 AMA National Champion in the Rubber Tire SideCar Class!

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Fierce, Frozen, and Free – the High Voltage Hooligan Class The Harley Hooligan ice racers roared down the straightaway like a dark storm driven by the northern wind. Mostly slick screaming Sportys, the fierce, frozen, and free hooligans were racing all-out in the HarleyDavidson Museum-sponsored High Voltage Hooligan Final. The lead changed several times between Matt Schmitt #721 and Dave Kilkenny #35.

Dave, believe it or not, raced on a flat rear tire. Dave actually got the flat earlier, but his crew chief, last year’s AMA National Ice Race Champion in the High Voltage Hooligan Class, JJ Flairty, encouraged Dave to race anyway, and it paid off big time. Dave made a move to the outside on his 100th Anniversary Sportster. He took the checkered flag, winning the #1 AMA High Voltage Hooligan National Champion Plate! Dave says, “Most racers would consider it a top career accomplishment. It’s an honor to win the AMA National Championship.”

This year, Dan Van Daalwyk 3rd (1994 Sportster 1200), Matt Schmid 2nd (1997 Sportster 1200 with many S&S performance mods) were on the High Voltage Hooligan podium.

Bringing home the #1 AMA National

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Champion Plate was Dave Kilkenny on his 2003 Revolution Performance built Sportster 1200.

What exactly is a High Voltage Hooligan Class Racer anyway?

Basically, it’s a V-Twin motorcycle with a stock frame with 19” wheels front and rear. Hooligan racing started years ago as a way to get Sportsters involved in flat track racing. But nowadays, any V-twin 750cc or above can race. I race my specially modified Shovelhead war wagon #777 with 19” wheels, ice race tires built by myself, and performance engine mods by Rob Schopf of Two Boss Performance. So, if you have a V-Twin and are interested in racing, it’s a possibility, and with inexpensive Sportsters, a relatively cheap way to race.

Before ending, I have to mention Team High Voltage Ice Racer and VMetals Team Racer, Ian Malinowski.

Ian won the 2021 AMA Ice Race National Championship in the tough 250cc Iron Man Class – a three-hour race! And a shout-out to Team High Voltage Racer Joe Stoppleworth on his second consecutive AMA Ice Race National Championship in the 2021 Vintage Class. Congratulations to all on some great racing!

To sum up race day, we had many of the fastest national-level ice racers in the country, along with a record turnout. Ice racer Eric Bass said it best, “Anytime you can get around a huge group of like-minded folks, a great time is a certainty! High Voltage and AMA Ice Racing Grand Nationals, how can you beat that! Going fast is just one hell of a bonus!!!”

The High Voltage Ice Races benefit cancer research through the WeCareFund at the Medical College of WI. Many big, big thanks go to all the Racers, Track Officials, Spectators and Volunteers for making this AMA Grand National Championship a great success!

Follow HighVoltage414.com and High Voltage Show on FB and IG for more info on other High Voltage events like the High Voltage Half-Mile Motorcycle Races, the ShovelHead Reunion in Milwaukee in partnership with the Harley-Davidson Museum, and the High Voltage Vintage & Chopper Motorcycle Show.

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Article And Photos By: Daniel Donley

www.pandemoniumcustomchoppers.com

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hen your valves are closed, they should make a tight seal to the valve seat. If not, then you are losing performance and efficiency. Lapping your valves shows you whether or not you have the proper sealing surfaces. This can be done on a used cylinder head and or even a freshly machined one. Checking everything is necessary for a proper engine build. This is easy to do with some basic hand tools. Llet’s get started.

any gap, it is a dead giveaway that you have a problem. That valve will need replaced.

I like to number the valves to their corresponding valve seat, so I do not get them mixed up.

I put Dykem layout fluid onto the valve seat then let it dry for a few minutes.

These are a few things that I always use when lapping valves and I recommend that you do as well. Here’s my “go-to” list Dykem Layout fluid, valve grinding/lapping compound, and a hand lapping tool.

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It is always good practice to check your valves to see if it is cupped or bent. Place the valves in a “T” fashion as pictured. If you can see

Be sure to shake up or stir your valve grinding/lapping compound before applying a small amount to the valve sealing surface.

other. You want to make sure that this is uniform all the way around the valve and the valve seat. At this point you have properly lapped your valve!

It does not cost a lot of money to do this, nor does it take very much time.

But in the end, you are 100% sure that your valves and valve seats are sealed properly.

Place the valve into the corresponding hole. Your valve lapping tool has a suction cup on the end of it, place this on the face of the valve. Use your hands like you’re trying to start a fire turning the tool back and forth. You will do this a half a dozen times or so. Once that is done you will remove your valve and wipe it clean with paper towel. Now it’s time to check your work.

Please email or call me at the shop if you have any questions or a suggestion for a tech article.

Pandemonium Custom Choppers Facebook- Pandemonium Custom Choppers Instagram – pandemoniumc2 happydandemonium@gmail.co m www. pandemoniumcustomchoppers.com

You will notice the dull area on the valve and the valve seat. This is where they make contact with each

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Article And Photos By: Twila Knight

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ho doesn’t want to build something that was born the same year they were? Well, that is how this gorgeous bike got its start in the hands of Anthony Robinson. Five or six years prior to starting the build, Anthony was looking for anything from 1973 to build. He found an ad in the Pennysaver (yes, print ads were actually a thing, you youngins) for a complete ’73 Ironhead. He drove out to the location, and was greeted by an “old

biker” Anthony likes to describe as Gigantor in comparison to himself.

A grey-bearded man greets him, “You here for the Sporty?”, and takes him to the backyard where there is just every bike imaginable.

Carcasses everywhere. They get to the bike in question in the back corner of the barn. As promised, intact, wheels, frontend, motor, not running, but whole nonetheless. A deal was struck. Anthony started planning things in his mind. That is until he heard the backstory. This

bike was meant to be a project that Bob and his now-deceased grandson were going to take on.

Chopper it out, show it off. That changed a few things in Anthony’s mind but all for the better. 5 or 6 years passed, bringing us up to 2018 when he began the build.

It took 9 months total to build, in preparation of the People’s Champ Born-Free preparty. He may not have ranked high enough to become an invited builder then, but he caught their eye enough to

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be one this year!

He likes to start off his projects by drawing things out and coming up with original ideas. He wanted to use a juice drum, like on a Pan, or Shovel, but this had Sporty wheels. He had to mill out the center of the hub and tig weld it to a juice drum to make it work. Since he works with garage doors, he is familiar with a lot of cables and cinches and he utilized that knowledge to design the whole cable system with a pulley that pushes into the juice drum. Pretty

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genius really. He wanted a front brake as well. A Mullens chain drive, supernarrow frontend was modified by shimming off one side of the wheel a bit to compensate for the caliper.

Once the ball was rolling, Anthony turned to a builder he calls the “Chopper King of all Choppers” Ryan McQuiston.

His questions were how to cut and rake the frame, and how to do some molding on it. Three weeks at Ryan’s shop, and things were moving along nicely. The original plan was to create

a wishbone effect on the downtubes.

But as they had it up on the frame jig, one of the tubes twisted and fell in, creating that inward, opposite shape, of a wishbone. They both dug the look so much that they turned the other one in. The only original parts of the frame are the neck and the bottom rail where the motor mounts. Everything else was created by Anthony and his group of friends. One of those friends happened to be working in Anthony’s shop at the time. Mike Strozzi of MotoHaus was a

huge help in this build. From design to completion, he was hands-on with Anthony every step of the way.

All things cannot go smoothly in the bike world. Anthony picked a beautiful sapphire blue paint he was just absolutely mad about.

Alas, one day as his shop door was open the sunset was creeping in on the bike, that sapphire blue turned into a muddy purple. A color Anthony cannot stand. So, his favorite colored bike ever turned into a paint disaster. He took the bike to a show embarrassed.

When he returned to his shop, he took every bit of the bike apart by

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roxanne Tech Sheet Owner: Anthony Robinson City/State: Lancaster, California Builder: Gasoline & Coffee Year: 1973 Model: XL Value: Lord Knows Time: 9 Months ENGINE Year: 1973 Model: IronHead Builder: Gasoline & Coffee Ignition: Magneto Displacement: 61” Pistons: Stnd Heads: Stnd Carb: S&S Super E Cam: Stnd Air Cleaner: Velocity Stack Exhaust: Gasoline & Coffee Primary: Chain TRANSMISSION Year: 1973 Make: Harley Davidson Shifting: 4-Speed Right Side Shift FRAME Year: 1973 Model: XL Rake: 38° Stretch: 2 Up 4 Back Forks Builder: Harley Davidson Type: 35MM Super Narrow Glide Triple Trees: Mullins Chain Drive Super Narrow 35mm Extension: 2 Over WHEELS Front Wheel: 7-Star Morris Mag Size: 19” Tire: Firestone Front Brake: PM 2 Piston Rear Wheel: 7-Star Morris Mag Size: 18” Tire: Firestone Rear Brake: Juice PAINT Painter: Clint Rigby Color: Aztec Gold Flake/Candy Apple Type: House of Kolor Graphics: None Chroming: LA ACCESSORIES Bars: Zombie Performance Risers: Zombie Performance Hand Controls: V-Twin Mfg Foot Controls: Gasoline & Coffee Gas Tank(s):Gasoline & Coffee Oil Tank: Gasoline & Coffee Front fender: None Rear Fender: Gasoline & Coffee Seat: Gasoline & Coffee Headlight: Lowbrow Customs Tail light: After Hours Choppers Speedo: None Photographer: Twila Knight Photography

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himself that very night and back to paint it went.

He and Clint Rigby used an Aztec gold flake under a candy apple red, giving it that new warm glow.

Robert Atkinson Tattoo, who has been doing Anthony’s tattoos for ages, nailed the engravings on the motor. “Keepin’ it “Shiney” Kustom Metal Polishing polished the motor, cases and the original PM black anodized wheels.

Remember Bob from the first paragraph, don’t worry…. of course, Anthony took the bike back after it was built. He let Bob ride it. When Bob came back, he said he and his grandson could not have thought of anything better.

It was truly amazing. Anthony felt great that Bob was able to ride the very bike that was planned with a grandson he could no longer build it with. I think that is the best ending for a build I could ever think of.

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or the 1995 model year, HarleyDavidson introduced electronic fuel injection for the first time on certain touring models. The Magneti-Marelli system that was introduced in 1995 saw use until the mid-2001 model year. In 2001 a new system, [Delphi], was introduced on EFI models and is still in use today. 2007 was the last year for carburetion on any HarleyDavidson motorcycle, and it was only available on certain models. This included the Sportster.

The main difference in these systems is that while the Marelli system is a “return” style system while the later [Delphi] system is a “deadhead” system. For the purpose of this article, we will only gloss over the Marelli while we will do a deeper dive into the Delphi.

For starters, we need to compare the similarities between these two types of systems. All HarleyDavidson’s with fuel injection features a fuel pump mounted in the tank.

All HD EFI systems are sequential.

(Sequential means that each cylinder

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Article & Photos By: Jason Hallman has its own dedicated fuel injector) carbureted model. On these models, and both systems require some type one check valve is for feed while the of pressure regulator to manage other is for return. Once the fuel pump the pressure on the inlet side of is initiated, the fuel in this system the fuel injectors. Also, both fuel stays in constant circulation. The injection systems have a throttle maintained pressure required on the body to manage the amount of air feed side of the system is regulated entering the engine and a dedicated by an external pressure regulator.

ECM to control all functions relative The fuel that is not consumed by the to timing, fuel and monitor overall engine is simply “returned” to the engine performance. fuel tank, just like the name “ReturnLet’s now examine the differences Style” implies. between these two systems. As we mentioned, the Marelli system is a return system and was employed until mid-2001 on touring models only.

The easiest way to identify these systems is by their dual fuel injection check valves on the left side of the tank, where you would normally find Pic 1: The Magneti Marelli system has two a fuel valve on the check valves. One feed and one return.

Once introduced, the Delphi system made things much better. For starters, there were fewer moving parts. The previous dual-port throttle body was discarded, the newer IAC (idle air controller) was less problematic, and the overall operation of the entire system became much more conducive to the space constraints on motorcycles. In this “dead-head” system, the fuel pump and regulator require only one check valve line.

The pressure regulator maintains the pressure on the inlet-side of the injectors. Both the fuel pump and the pressure regulator are mounted inside the fuel tank.

Pic 2: The Delphi system has only one check valve for feed only.

Pic 3: 2001 saw a mid-year switch from a return style system to a single check valve “dead head” system.

As they have always done in the past, the aftermarket responded brilliantly with a full line of throttle bodies, injectors, tuners, and highperformance air cleaner options. All designed to increase performance, mileage, and in general, the overall ability to customize your fuel injected motorcycle. This also simplified dyno tuning and overall made happier customers and improved quality of ownership.

Just like any other system on your motorcycle, if left to decay, your fuel injection system will fail. Though

extremely robust, you can expect to replace the parts in your fuel injection system at some point. I suggest you do this as a preventative rather than as a repair. With a small amount of planning and a few basic tools, along with some basic mechanical knowledge, you can replace your fuel system components to keep your fuel injection system running in tip-top shape.

Pic 4: Fuel filter replacement kits are available from aftermarket Distributors.

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Pic 5: It is always recommended to replace your top tank fuel plate seal when servicing your in-tank fuel system.

You’ll need a few parts to do this job. The good news is that they are all readily available from your local independent motorcycle shop parts counter. Your system will require a new fuel filter kit, one check valve, hose assembly, an internal line (on some models) to connect the pump and filter, and a few different sized crimp [Oeticker] hose clamps. To properly crimp your clamps, you’ll also need a crimp tool.

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Pic 6: This crimp tool is helpful on oil lines too!

Pic 7: The right tool for the job always makes things easier.

In our next installment we will do a deep dive into repairing your EFI system. Until that time…ride safe!

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ArticlAnd Photos By: Rob Borden

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very spring, amateur bike builders from across the country compete for national bragging rights in the Blue Collar Build Off. This low-budget bike building competition is now in its fifth year, and is made up of the “baddest builders you’ve never heard of”. They each start off with whatever old donor bike they can rustle up. They get 30 days to transform it into something kickass but they are limited to spending no more than $1,500 in cold hard cash. The idea all started with a conversation back in 2003 I had with Hugh King, the previous host of Discovery Channel’s “Biker Build Off” series.

I was talking to Hugh, and telling him that I liked the show, but found it hard to relate to sometimes.

I could never aspire to build bikes like that, and neither could the majority of the viewers.

Sure, it’s cool to watch them do it, but your average guy doesn’t have warehouses full of parts, frames, engines, etc., or expensive machinery and huge corporate sponsors that will send whatever they want with just a phone call. Your average guy has a 40+ hour a week job, basic hand tools, and just tinkers in whatever corner of

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the garage the wife lets him have.

What I think would be cool, is a show that features those guys…

The Average Joes, with average tools and average skills, building whatever they can with whatever they’ve got.

The idea stuck in my head, and 14 years later, after purchasing a property in Arizona (Saddle Sore Ranch) for biker events, it was the perfect opportunity to bring the idea to life. 2017 was the inaugural year for the Blue Collar Build Off, and it has grown every year since

then. 2020 was a rough year due to Covid restrictions on traveling and gatherings, but even then, we pulled it off. The builders weren’t about to sit still after spending 30 days with their nose to the grindstone on their builds, and we weren’t gonna let them. A public announcement was made that the event was “postponed”, but behind the scenes, it was very much still on. The builders came, as well as a number of close trusted friends and spectators, and everyone had a blast.

Fast forward to 2021… By now, the Saddle Sore Ranch had a brand new location. Directly on the paved Historic Route 66, as opposed to the original location which was 4 miles down a dirt road. The easy accessibility, as well as the prolonged cabin fever everyone was suffering from (Covid) made this year the biggest and best year yet.

The Blue Collar Build Off finals are always held in conjunction with one of our other events at the Saddle Sore Ranch. For 2021, the host event was Route 66 Bike Week.

The ranch was packed.

People came from all over the country.

Builders and spectators alike.

We had teams register this year from Illinois, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Arizona, California, South Carolina, Idaho and more. In total, 18 teams registered this year. We have a certain amount of fall-out every year. People don’t realize how hard it is, and they often underestimate the time and work involved and overestimate the amount of help they will get from their teammates.

Another crucial factor is their donor bike. If they don’t have a

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running donor bike, the challenge is more complex. I see it every year…

Once the build time starts, teams start stripping down their donor bike to do all this kool, custom shit to it, and leave themselves just enough time at the end of the build time to reassemble it, only to find out that they can’t get it running.

I am not saying that you have to start off with a good running, complete donor bike… Many winning teams didn’t. What I am saying is that if you don’t, the very first thing you should do when that build clock starts ticking is get the bike running and finetuned. Then, do all of the custom shit that you still have time to do.

As part of the competition is a 100-mile “shakedown ride” from the Saddle Sore Ranch, the ugliest bike that RUNS will beat the prettiest bike that DOESN’T every time in the Blue Collar Build Off. Competing bikes are not judged against each other, they are judged against themselves based on the “before and after”. At the finals, each team must present a photo album documenting the build process, as well as a ledger documenting everything that was spent on the build (excluding the donor bike). This gives the judges, the other builders, and the public, an opportunity to see everything that went into the creation of each bike.

The festivities for BCBO 2021 started on Thursday in Las Vegas, at Red Rock Harley-Davidson, where they hosted the Pre-Show, and People’s Choice awards. This was an opportunity for all of the builders to display their bikes for public viewing and voting inside the showroom.

Mike Plehn, store GM, has been a main supporter of the build off since its inception. They provide custom trophies, prizes, and put on a great party for the event.

The following morning, the builders all saddled up at the ranch up for the shakedown ride. All competing bikes must complete the ride under their own power, or suffer a devastating points loss on their judging sheets.

This year’s builders’ ride was led

by Justin James, of Team Tinkerin’.

Justin’s team has competed every year for the past three years and is also one of our “behind the scenes” administrators for the BCBO. The builders’ ride went west on Route 66 from the ranch, through the Mohave Rattlesnake (222 curves in 10 miles), through Oatman, and on to Topock DDecember ecember ‘21 - January ‘22 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE

66 Marina. Several stops were made along the way, but none were due to any mechanical failure. All bikes successfully completed the ride.

Back at the Saddle Sore Ranch that night (Friday), the party was on!!! Bud Mickle played on the front porch (front stage) that afternoon, then the band Simmer Down hit the back porch (main stage) and rocked until midnight. There were two bonfires going, and beverages were not in short supply… Neither was that funny smell. The party raged on until around 4 am.

Saturday morning was a bit of a blur, but as we regained consciousness, some went out for some riding, some stuck around for the BCBO judging, and some were still passed out, scattered around the property. Lots of people who were staying off-site stopped in to see the build off bikes and hung out for a bit. Mother Nature was relentless with the wind blowing dust everywhere all weekend. That part sucked, but most of us endured it. Some didn’t.

The results were tallied Saturday afternoon, and the winners were: Illinois Tall Boys (IL) – People’s Choice, Scodes (CA) – SSR

Favorite, Falling Rocks (MN) – SSR Favorite, Team Tinkerin (NV) 3rd Place, Conaway Customs (IL) 2nd Place, Moran’s Motorcycle Mafia (ID) 1st Place and Best in Show.

By Saturday night, the party was reaching its peak. The scheduled band (from Oregon) for Saturday night blew the engine in their van just outside of Vegas, and couldn’t make the show. Unable to find a replacement at such short notice, we just rocked the music Memorex style.

I don’t know if anyone even noticed.

Rhett went streaking, again…. And Dave is still trying to figure out who shit in his pants. We are all convinced it was Kevin. Lexi was a beautiful blonde who made sure we knew she wasn’t shy and Ms Conception (Amanda B) was named Miss SSR 2021. The fire department showed up, we offered them tamales. All ended well there.

“Sunday was bittersweet… After 4 ½ months of grueling work to prepare the property, and then a hardcore party weekend, it was sad to see it all coming to an end, yet I was looking forward to some rest. People were packing up and heading out. Saying our goodbyes to old friends, and the

new ones we made that weekend.

I always say that the parties at the Saddle Sore Ranch are the ‘greatest weekends you may not remember, with friends you will never forget’..”

We are extremely humbled and grateful to everyone who makes this event possible… From the builders to the attendees to the passersby… as well as the sponsors for the Blue Collar Build Off and the host event, Route 66 Bike Week…. Thank you to Cycle Source Magazine, Samson Exhaust, Red Rock HarleyDavidson, LegalRide Nevada, Hogs & Heifers Saloon, Motorcycle Tire Center, Midnight Oil Fabrications, EZ Rider, and all of the Route 66 Bike Week participating organizations in Needles, Oatman, Kingman and Seligman, and all of the “Rally Stops” along Route 66 Bike Week. We can’t forget our volunteers and staff; Lubia, Ray, Eric, Bob, Flyn, Dozer, Heather, Cheryl and Seth. More information on the Build Off can be found at www.BlueCollarBuildOff.com

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Article By: Xavier Muriel

m

an, is it that time of year again?? NO, not the Holidays, the end of another riding season.

My moto family up north are starting to see the trees turning their beautiful colors. Here in Texas, that’s not the case, it’s still warm, and we won’t see cooler temps for at least another month.

Guess that’s the perk of being here.

I’m super grateful for my new shop, knowing that it won’t be severely cold like it was last year brings peace of mind. At times, it was so cold in the old digs that it was impossible to get any work done. In May, I moved into my new space and immediately took off for Myrtle Beach, followed by TMMR. It has taken me till just last week to get everything placed and up and running. The fine folks (John and Nikki) over at Vapor Honing Technologies sent over one of their VH900

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Industrial Honing Machines…

Man, what a bitchin’ machine it is. Traditionally, sandblasting has been the process for getting parts ready for polish after they’ve been degreased and

cleaned up. The same goes for this machine. It’s not a cleaner, but it creates a sheen on the part

allowing the polishing process to be achieved much quicker, which translates to timed saved money saved. The sheen produced on the material is so good looking that it very well could be the final stage before assembly.

I’m gonna be doing some different variations in the next few issues, so stay tuned.

The 900 series is an industrial unit requiring a much bigger compressor than I had been using in my garage for the last few projects. So, it stands to reason that the more air needed means a bigger machine. Now, some of you are already saying Ingersoll Rand, Quincy, Dewalt, etc. These are all quality machines for sure; however, there is one problem, the decibel level is extreme. Most guys will place their compressor outside, and that’s fine. For me, I couldn’t see the logic in a spendy purchase only to put it outside.

Covered or not, the exposure to the elements is bound to lessen its life. This brings me to Eaton Compressor. They have a wide variety of machines catering to various needs. I opted for the Polar Air 7.5 one with The Silent Air Technology. What is this you say? Well, the regular compressor operates at a decibel level of 90 and above.

That’s as loud as my snare drum during practice. The Polar Air operates at 66 decibels, now the average conversation between folks is 54, so you do the math.

As a drummer for many years, my hearing isn’t the best. This compressor operates all day long, cycling very little between fill ups with its 80-gallon tank.

Thus reducing audio fatigue.

While I’m on my lathe, my guy 10 feet away using the Vapor Honing Machine is still able to hold a conversation with me without screaming. Eaton and Vapor Honing Technologies have various machines catering to a variety of uses, weekend warriors up to industrial grade.

Check them both out at www.

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EatonCompressor.com and www.VaporHoningTechnogies. com Recently I was up in Lemoore, CA, at my buddy Rick Bray’s shop, RKB Kustoms. He was helping me build a set of oneoff wheels for my FXR project. I was at Rick’s place last January building the frame for the High Seas Rally Bike. Once again, I watched his incredible talent come to life. It’s always an honor to sit back and bounce ideas back and forth with him. Then to have one of my ideas come to fruition is truly an awesome experience! Rick, thank you for the time and knowledge you share.

Now that we’re closing out the year, there’s one big hoorah left, the Lone Star Rally in Galveston, Texas. YEEEEEHA! This year will prove to be a huge one, the world has opened up, and if the crowds are anything like all the events this year, it will be off the chain. Wrapping up the rally season in November in my home state is such a treat. The Source Media Group will be on hand to handle all of the events in true biker fashion. The Black Smoke Sinners will be returning to the Beach Central stage on Sat, November 6th. You should come by to see us. I’ll be there with Providence Cycle Worx and the High Seas Rally Crew with the Giveaway bike, so stop by the tent. Who knows, you may win a free cabin, and if you’re on the ship, you could even win the Bike.

Before we know it, it will be Daytona Bike Week 2022.

By then, I’ll have my newly completed FXR there. Don’t worry, chopper jockeys, even though I went to the dark side momentarily, I’m still a Chopper freak. God willing, 2022 will continue to see us gathering together, creating memories, remembering those that have gone before us. Until Next Time Friends, Take Care of Yourselves and Others. God Bless, X.

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Article And Photos By: Missi Shoemaker

s

teve Bonk was 12 years old when he caught the “bug,” you know the one, the one we all share… the love of two wheels! Steve’s first bike was a 1953 HD Hummer. I asked him if he still had it, and he said that he didn’t, but that his wife had just finished rebuilding a

1963. How awesome is that?

Bonk had a couple of other bikes after the Hummer, but at age 17, Steve enlisted in the US Marine Corps for four years and was ultimately sent to Vietnam. When his enlistment was up, he returned home to the South Side of Chicago, where in 1973, he built this beautiful

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“South Chicago Fat Bob” 1953 Pan/Shovel Chopper.

“Jennifer” started as a basket case Panhead with a cracked frame. Steve picked it up for $800.

The Panhead was known for having star fasteners that would back off and cause a significant oil leak. Steve knew that if he was going to put together a bike, it needed to be reliable. He wanted it to have more horsepower. So, he thought the right thing to do would be to put the motor together as a Pan/Shovel.

According to Bonk, back in the day, they built their bikes for purpose; they were made for riding. So he stretched and raked this one out. By the way, this bike is 11 ft. long. He said he did this to make the bike more stable at higher speeds. He opted for the fat bob tanks so you wouldn’t have to stop for gas as many times when you were on a long ride. He also said many things were on the bike simply because you either made your own parts, you made do with

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what you had, or with what you could pick up at the swap meet.

According to Steve, this bike saved his life. Like so many other Vets after the war, Steve suffered from PTSD. Building and riding this bike was his therapy and got him through a bunch of tough times.

He had several friends still in the Marines on the West Coast, and he rode this bike back and forth to visit them. Over the years, the only significant changes he has made to the motorcycle was a new paint job in 1976, and he switched over to disc brakes. Of course, there are a few things that he has had to tweak over the years, but nothing major. He says, “If it ain’t broke, you don’t fix it.”

Until 2003, this was the only bike he owned. He had the 50th anniversary, bike and he wanted that 100th-year bike to go with it.

Eventually, he bought the 100th Anniversary Heritage Softail, which he still owns today, along with a few others, including a K Model and a Knucklehead, which you’ll see on these pages in an

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JENNIFER TECH SHEET Owner: Stevie B. City/State: Chicago, IL Builder: Stevie B. Year: 1953 Model: FL Value: Priceless Time: One Winter ENGINE Year: 1953 Model: Panhead Builder: Munch Choppers Ignition: Magneto Displacement: 74 cu Pistons: .30 Over Heads: Shovelhead Carb: S&S Cam: Andrews Air Cleaner: S&S Exhaust: Paughco Primary: Stock TRANSMISSION Year: 1953 Make: FL Shifting: Smooth FRAME Year: 1953 Model: FL Rake: Lots Stretch: 2 ½ inch Forks Builder: California Cycleworks Type: Girder Triple Trees: Girder Extension: 20 over WHEELS Front Wheel: 40 Spoke Size: 21 Inch Tire: Metzler Front Brake: PM Rear Wheel: 40 Spoke Size: 16 Inch Tire: Metzler Rear Brake: PM PAINT Painter: JB Color: Black/Red Type: Shiny Graphics: None Chroming: Yes ACCESSORIES Bars: Drag Risers: Dogbone Hand Controls: Swap Meet Foot Controls: Swap Meet Gas Tank(s): Harley-Davidson Oil Tank: Paugcho Front fender: None Rear Fender: JP Cycle Seat: Mustang Headlight: Bates Tail light: Swap Meet Speedo: Harley-Davidson Photographer: Missi Schoemaker

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upcoming issue Steve has a few projects he’s currently working on in his shop, including a 1958 Pan and a rigid frame project. He’s also working on a Vette. Personally, I can’t wait to see what he’s gonna be bringing to Sturgis next year!

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m

oses Diaz, or Mo as most call him, has been creating art since he was a child.

Mo could draw before he could write his name. Even though Mo was obviously naturally gifted he didn’t pursue his skills regularly. In his younger years Mo just couldn’t seem to harness the talent he was born with.

In 1993 Mos’ family moved to South Texas. As a young teen, Mo was drawn to lowrider magazines. He thought the styles and how they used color was clean. He gravitated towards the West Coast Style which was the predominant style for the area.

Despite being brought up in a relatively religiously strict environment, Mo says he went wild during his teen years. Diaz

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Article By: Amelia “Killer” Rose dealt with heavy drug use, gangs, and homelessness. He says his lowest point was when he got kicked out of school for fighting.

Unable to return to school to graduate, Mo was forced to get his GED. He was 18 when Mo says art saved his life. That’s when he began to actually work at honing his natural talents. When he was around twenty, he moved back to Homestead, FL, where he had a few different jobs.

Still, his art kept calling to him, so he started painting cars and doing collision work. He figured if he could get into something that had to do with painting, someone would eventually notice.

In 2010 that’s precisely what

happened. Mo, a single custodial parent to a boy, decided to go into business with his cousin. Unfortunately, they hit some hard times and had to split the business.

Deciding to not make anyone else rich, Mo hung out his own shingle, Mo’$ Image Customs, and he hasn’t looked back since.

Mo began his foray into the motorcycle scene roughly nine years ago when his buddy Ray Llanes asked him to paint his1959 Panhead Chopper which was built by Warren Lane. Warren had to approve Mo’s work before letting him paint one of his bikes. Lane scoped out Mo’s work at an event. The two met. The rest is history.

Since then, Mo has formed a love affair with the motorbike world, much in part due to the people in it. He says he likes the positive vibes he gets from people at bike shows and everywhere else where two-wheelers are the star. It became so much so, that Mo transitioned from the automotive collision and paint world to the motorcycle world.

When you ask him what sets his work from the rest, Mo believes that it is his attention to detail and use of color. He works hard to not necessarily follow the trends. Instead, he tries to go with the flow and not overthink things. Mo lets his intuition lead him through whatever project he is working on. I’ve ‘gotta’ say, based on what I’ve seen, he has incredible instinct.

Diaz says that he wouldn’t change a thing about his story, and he’s very grateful for where his art has taken him and the people he’s been able to meet along the way. Saying that he’s painted for Billy Lane and shared a beer with Arlin Fatland makes him proud of where he is now. He feels that he still has a long way to go, but remembering the struggles in his younger years keeps him hungry.

Complacency isn’t in Diaz’s vocabulary.

He continuously strives to be better than his last job.

Diaz plans to keep growing Mo’$ Image Customs and wants to learn as much as possible while striving daily to bring his talent to the highest level possible. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing what Mo comes up with next, and I’m sure it will be nothing less than a show stopper.

To follow Mo’s work or commission your own project visit his website www. mosimagecustoms.com or give him a follow on Facebook: Mo’$ Image Customs (Mo Diaz) or Instagram @mos_image_ customs

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Article By: Chris Callen

B

y now, I am certain that you’ve heard that the guys from Dennis Kirk’s Garage Build, Cycle Source and Torque Magazine have teamed up to build a killer FXR bike for the performance segment.

For this project, we sourced a 1988 FXR from a buddy down south. Despite having been “vigorously enjoyed” in its lifetime, it still has lots of life left. Once Heather and I got it home, we went straight to tearing it down. As always, this is messy work, but in this case, it was especially so. Not just because it was an FXR [and an older one to boot]. But

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as anyone in the know will tell you, the last thing you want to do is go at this haphazardly and start breaking OG FXR parts. Trust me, the purists will hunt you down and kill you. Even if you’re planning on getting rid of most of them, take them off nicely and put them up for sale.

After five sessions or more, with a degreaser and an additional one or two with kerosene, the bike was relatively clean and in many baskets. The main parts, the motor and tranny were off to Cycle Stop USA, where Torque editor Jason Hallman and company would tear both components down to verify them to be within the acceptable range to use or if we would have to rebuild them both. Of course, a fresh, top end would be on the list, but we were thrilled to hear that the lower end was in good shape after completing the runout test on the pinion shaft and didn’t need to be rebuilt.

Meanwhile, back in PA, the frame was sent off to the sandblaster to be stripped of all coating to see if any weak points needed to be addressed. Seeing that it was in solid shape, we moved on to a bit of mock-up work. We managed to score an inverted front end from a Hyabusa, complete with Tokico brakes and the whole deal. Based on

what we did with the War Pony build, I know how cool this will make our FXR project. This,

paired with the LA Fairing Co. Diablo Fairing, will make the bike look tough as hell. The

plan is to break down the front end, have the legs anodized black, and the tubes with the matching gold of the Arlen Ness wheels.

Certain motor parts will have these same accents and bring the signature Dennis Kirk colors into it with red, black, and gold as the primaries.

The sheet metal is another story.

While I already know that I want to hand form the side cover, the tank and fenders are a question mark at this point. I mean, who wants to do a straight-up FXR tank on a full-on custom like this but at the same time, I’m not sure what my choices are. If it comes down to brass tacks, I can always just bend my own square tunnel and use just about any tank shape out there for the shell.

We will see in the next installment.

Until then, get over to https://www. denniskirk.com/ garagebuild/fxrevolution/ and sign up for this thing.

They are giving it away in Sturgis 2022 to one lucky Garage Builder.

By the time we’re done with it, this thing will be bad to the bone and have some of the hottest tricks on the market today, so stay tuned.

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o

ver the last 12 years in the motorcycle industry, I’ve heard it countless times, “Oh man, I wish I had a job like you!” This usually comes from a gentleman in his late 40s, somewhere around 10:40 am at a rally, and by the smell of it, that’s not his first, second, or even third Bud Light that he’s holding in his hand. Meanwhile, I’m standing in the parking lot of a dealership, the arches of my feet aching through the Vans skate shoes that I keep telling myself I’m still young enough to wear. The sun has popped over the top of the dealership, effectively turning the navy blue top of my corporate EZ-Up from a portable shelter into an oven. Sure, I bet he truly wishes he had my job.

My journey through the motorcycle industry is fairly typical. My cousin owned an independent 2-man motorcycle operation where I worked as a teenager that did everything from replacing the CV joints of the local farmers ATV to building

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“kit bikes” during the “TV SHOW” chopper days.

Remember those? I worked as everything from a draftsman to an HVAC tech, but when the economy went to shit in 2009. I found myself collecting Obama-bucks, I went looking for work, and I landed a parts counter job at a local shop.

At that time, I was doing a lot of racing, and through that, I met the folks at Memphis Shades.

I’ll spare you the entire life story, but that’s where my transition into “Industry Bro” began.

What is the Industry Bro? Well, to be honest, it’s a derogatory term. It’s a man or woman injected into the motorcycle industry. Basically, their entire existence is about their job. Their job is their job, their hobby is their job, their family is their job, and their love life is their job. You think this might come with the cliché sparkle jeans, a sweet leather vest, and an absolutely-not-DOTapproved helmet, but you’re wrong. It comes with a pair of jeans or, in my case, board shorts and a polo shirt. Hair product is extra. You see us at the

Article And Photos By: Tyler Porter

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rallies, trying to entertain and sell you our wares. It looks really fun, doesn’t it? Paid to go to Daytona, paid to go to Sturgis, and the list goes on and on. I’ll be honest, it is a riot. It really is. I’ve seen 5 foreign countries, 48 of our 50 states, and met lifelong friends, all while being paid. Hate me yet? Well, here’s the Mike Rowe dirty truth. Most of us never get to ride our motorcycles.

How does that happen? The bigger question is, what do we do to fix it?

Now, I’m sitting here barking at you through a laptop (provided by the company, of course!) about our tales of strife. We all know your world isn’t a lot different. I’ve done the working man’s lifestyle, trust me. But trust in this, there’s a certain beauty in not having your cellphone and/or email address publicly known. I envy the hard worker who literally punches out, leaves work, and their time is their own.

One of the biggest parts distributors in the country and a huge supporter of this magazine, Drag Specialties, typically hosts a season-ending event for vendors and dealers aptly called “The Drag Dealer Ride.” Due to the obvious events of 2020, the event was canceled, but they got creative and decided that they would let all of the vendors who sponsored the event and the dealers who qualified pick their own adventure this spring and summer. I formed a Facebook group that included a few of my favorite industry bros, which proved less than useful. There were about 20 of us in there, and nobody’s plans lined up. In the end, just one week before my planned departure, I was able to lock down one other Industry Bro that was all in.

The name of the bro in question is about as much fun as the person himself. Marshall Tucker. Yes, his father named him after the band.

Moving on from that, Marshall and I have been close friends since my days at Memphis Shades and his at Big St. Charles Harley Davidson outside of St. Louis, Missouri.

Marshall now calls LA Choppers home, spreading the good news of ape hangers, T-Bars, and cables to anyone who cares to listen. As one of the most lively folks on this side of the industry, it’s not if a party will happen around Marshall. It’s carrying him out of the party before the authorities intervene. I call it “Marshall-sitting.”

The original plan had me leaving my Atlanta area confines on my trusty December ‘21 - January ‘22 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE

superglide and back roading for a long day on a pre-planned route to St. Louis, crashing for the night with Marshall and his lovely wife, then shoving off from there and setting course to our destination of Branson Missouri. The plans changed with the weather, and as much as most of you will say, “just ride in the rain!” This was vacation. I’m a sissy. I prepared the Dyna for its shuttle service and threw the whole kit and caboodle into my luxurious Chevy Express. Ten hours through the driving rain later, I arrived in the suburb where Marshall resides, unloaded, had dinner, and caught some Zs before our epic event.

Over the next few days, what transpired were several late-night venting sessions, a couple of heartto-hearts, $80 worth of Uber Eats from the local Applebee’s, and some of the best roads that the Ozarks area has to offer. Heck, we even got a local dealer to join in on the fun with us! We discovered that the local gas stations actually have a better breakfast than the local restaurants.

Marshall named me the “motorcycle Magellan” for finding epic roads to ride without knowing the area. Most importantly, it rekindled my faith in motorcycling itself.

All total, we did 1300 miles in the area in just three days. For a few Industry Bros, that’s an impressive feat. Most other Industry Bros don’t have time to ride 1300 miles all year!

I guess I wrote this long-winded story about our privilege for two reasons. One, so that you know that our lives aren’t always the most fun thing in the world, and two, and this one is the most important, most of us are intensely jealous of you! For my sign-off here, I want to issue a challenge to you. If you work inside the industry, make time each year; hopefully, twice a year, to go on a ride with your friends. Make sure it’s more than 300 miles from your home.

It’s healthy. If you work outside the industry, of course, do the same.

Without you riding to events, bringing your friends, and giving all of us a hard time in parking lots, there is no reason for us to exist.

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Article By And Photos By: Jason Hallman

S

o the nice thing about stepping out of my chopper comfort zone for a build is that I am getting to use some parts I wouldn’t normally have exposure to. One of the first parts on the list was the Alloy Art Swinger Billet CNC machined Swingarm.

Made from CNC Machined Aluminum, bolted pinned and TIG welded design they are super strong.

They feature adjustable shock mounts that adds to its versitility. There are two part numbers available; one for 2009 to present baggers that comes in 7 pounds lighter than stock and one for all FXRs that is 2 pounds lighter than stock.

Now that the book stuff is out of the way, lets get down to aesthetics.

I have to say that on a personal note this thing is ten-layers of bad ass.

For guys like me that grew up in the motocross world it’s a welcome and dare I say “robust” change from the much smaller stock Harley swingarms.

The billet construction is way stronger and offers smooth function throughout the entire range of travel. The axle, hardware and adjustment function

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is dead on, offers ample adjustment range and adequate clamping force to prevent unwanted axle flex and or movent under extreme power loads.

Intended for extremem use, this swingarm is at home on the race track and on properly equipped street driven performance twin as well.

Not just another pretty face, the team at Alloy Art puts their money where their mouth is to delivery a featurerich part that dispenses with the antiquated shick mounts as well as a hollow axle machined from chromoly and stainless steel nuts. The balance of the hardware is from ARP. The machined

finish is ready for polish, plating or powder coating. For our needs the as delivered finish will do nicely.

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Article By: Xavier Muriel Photos By: Chris Callen

w

hen asked by the ‘Powers That Be’ to do a write up on this bitchin bike I was not only extremely honored but also ‘kinda’ worried that I would not do as well as the other writers who have graced these pages for many years.

I also worried that I would not do the bike or its creator, who happens to be a dear friend, the justice they both deserve.

I thought, long and hard about how I would write this article, and after much deliberation and

council, they only way was to be honest and real.

Rick Bray, of RKB Kustom Speed and I met a few years ago at “The Golden Bolt Invitational” held in Los Angeles. Right off the bat I could see that his craftsmanship and his keen eye for design was second to none.

Over the course of the weekend, it became abundantly clear that Rick was also a solid dude. We quickly became friends and colleagues.

Rick is no newbie to the motorcycle industry. He hails

from Lemoore Ca. where he still resides and continues to put out amazing work from his one man shop. Mr. Bray and his work have graced the pages of countless publications as well as having garnished numerous awards for his machines throughout out the years.

As a young man Bray was forbidden to ride a motorcycle. It was his uncle, a flat track rider, who started the fire. A full blown blaze began after Rick saw the first Motorcycle Mania with Mr. Jesse James. From that point

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on, he was on the path that would lead him to his first custom build; a bone stock 2003 softail. Since then, he has never looked back. Rick not only builds amazing custom bikes but also has a thriving business building sprint car chassis. It’s quite the sight to see them all lined up ready for welding and even more of a sight to watch his long lanky skeleton contort inside the chassis while he’s laying down some beautiful welds.

For a short time, Bray let the motorcycle scene take a back seat to stock cars. However, now, at the age of 40, Rick has rekindled his passion for the custom motorcycle world. “Rowdy’’ is the latest example of his Passion. Rowdy” as the bike is called, was built to pay back a “debt” to Bray’s to his Uncle Dennis Rodriguez.

A few years back Dennis had helped finance a Panhead build entitled the “Deal Breaker” for Artistry in Iron; an invitation only event that was held as part of Las Vegas Bikefest. Now it was time for Rick to repay his uncle’s kindness.

Rowdy started out as a pile of parts that Uncle

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Dennis had been squirrelling away. He vowed to build a practical, rideable custom for his uncle. Rick’s work is evident all over this bike. The bike was built over the course of eight months.

Bray expertly hand fabricated the tins out of aluminum. The tank, is not only Ricks’ favorite piece on the bike but also the one who gave him the most grief, shows his attention to detail and creativity.

The invader wheels, which will be available soon to the public, were made by Rick as well. The paint is simple, yet highly effective and is also a trade mark of Bray’s less is more touch. Lots of little one off touches grace this build, as do all of his machines.

Rick’s philosophy on building custom motorcycles is simple, first: “Don’t over think it,” second: it has to do what it was created for.

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ROWDY TECH SHEET Owner: Dennis Rodriquez City/State: Lemoore CA Builder: RKB Kustoms Speed Year: Something Between 81-94 Model: Softail Custom Value: Time: Way Too Long Engine Year: 1991 Model: S&S Evo Builder: Jeff Montgomery/RKB Ignition: Crane Displacement: 96” Pistons: S&S Heads: S&S Carb: S&S Super E Cam: S&S Air Cleaner: Throwback Cycle Parts Exhaust: RKB Primary: Old Shit From TPJ Transmission Year: Early 90’s Make: Harley-Davidson Shifting: Foot Frame Year: Unknown Model: Softail Rake: Not Sure-Made It Fit The Forks Stretch: Not Sure-Made It Fit The Forks Forks Builder: Santee/RKB Type: 39MM Triple Trees: Narrow Extension: +4 Wheels Front Wheel: RKB Invader Size: 21” Tire: Avon Front Brake: Nope Rear Wheel: RKB Invader Size: 18” Tire: Coker Rear Brake: Kustom Tech Paint Painter: Kool Hand Luke Color: Polish & Purple Type: One Shot Graphics: Kool Hand Luke Chroming: Imperial Polish Accessories Bars: RKB Risers: RKB Hand Controls: Lowbrow Customs Foot Controls: Boosted Brad Mids Gas Tank(S): RKB Oil Tank: H-D Rocker/RKB Front Fender: None Rear Fender: RKB Seat: RKB/Angie Dixon Headlight: E-Bay TailLight: Prism Motorcycle & Supply Speedo: None Photographer: Chris Callen

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End of story.

With several RKB Kustom Speed Bikes now in the hands of different owners it is clear to see that his work is not only sought after, but that he is respected among his peers in the motorcycle industry.

His humility and drive are qualities that set him apart. I look forward with great anticipation to the future of RKB Kustom Speed.

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Vance & Hines Adventure Hi-Output 450

Delivers a performance increase of five foot-pounds of torque and over five horsepower versus the bike’s stock exhaust. It reduces the overall weight by nearly six pounds. The product is designed with V&H’s distinctive look, a massive 4.5” stepped, high-output canister constructed of 304-grade stainless steel with a brushed finish and a ceramic-coated, CNC-machined, billet aluminum end cap. The riveted badge showcases a new laser engraved logo graphic which will be used on all Vance & Hines ADV and off-road products. The mid-pipe has been designed to improve rider’s boot clearance while standing on the pegs for rider comfort. The system delivers a Vance & Hines signature exhaust note while meeting the SAE Standard J2825 sound levels. It maintains the bike’s 50-state emissions compliance. The new Vance & Hines exhaust is compatible with Harley-Davidson factory saddlebags. A US Forestry Spark Arrestor will be available as an add-on for riders traveling off-road. MSRP is $599.95. www.vanceandhines.com

DENALI DialDim lighting controller

The new DENALI DialDim lighting controller allows you to turn on/off and dim two sets of auxiliary lights via a multicolor halo handlebar or dash mounted dimming wheel. The LED halo switch displays light intensity settings, blue halo for set one and green for set two. The DialDim also features intelligent flash signal and horn connections for added attention grabbing safety. You can cancel auxiliary lights with your turn signal, flash lights as a turn signal, or strobe the lights when sounding the horn. Battery monitor and fuse value settings are also accessed through the new DENALI DialDim Lighting Controller. $189.99 DenaliElectronics.com

z1r satrun trust noone helmet

Z1R introduces the brand-new Saturn Trust No One helmet. The new graphic for our ¾ helmet encourages the wild side. The Saturn helmet is DOT certified and utilizes an injection molded polycarbonate shell. The Saturn helmet also comes equipped with a drop-down sun visor and accepts most 3-snap shields. Solid Colors are also available in black, flat black, silver and dark silver. Available in sizes XS-2XL at $89.95-99.95 suggested retail. www.Z1R.com” www.Z1R.com.

DRAG SPECIALTIESPREMIUM FULL SYNTHETIC OIL

PPC Belts From beltdrive

BDL has taken another leap forward with their new collection of final drive belts. The latest belts are constructed using a X7N material and carbon chord. This advanced compound is stronger and more durable than the previous X3N currently used by other belt manufacturers and is now used in all BDL Gates belts from 1-1/2” wide down to 24mm wide belts. You’ll find the latest belts and complete BDL line up at www.beltdrives.com.

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Keep your engine running smooth with Drag Specialties Premium Full Synthetic Oil. This 100% fully synthetic four stroke oil is specifically engineered to improve clutch performance and provide you with superior engine protection. This oil was produced as a multi-fill lubricant for Indian motorcycle motors, and is suitable for both air and liquid-cooled motorcycles. It comes in both 15W-60 and 20W-40 weights and meets the API CI-4/SL and JASOMA standards. The oil is made in the U.S.A and comes in 1-quart bottles with 12 bottles per case. 20W-40$11.95; 15W-60 $14.95 (sold each).

z1r duke plaid shirt

Z1R introduces the brand-new men’s Duke plaid shirt. This season we are taking our tried and true riding flannel and putting a fresh look on it. Built on a premium, thick cotton chassis and a full-length moisture wicking inner liner, this shirt has you covered on all fronts. Tailored for riding, this flannel has an extended jacket tail along with expanded shoulder gussets for increased mobility. Unlike most flannels, the Z1R Duke has a zipper and snap closure. Conceal carry pockets are standard on this shirt as well. Available in sizes S-5X. Suggested retail $99.95-104.95.

Head on over to your local Z1R dealer today or visit HYPERLINK “http://www.z1r.com” www.z1r.com to check this out!

DRAG SPECIALTIES SEATS TAPERED BACKREST PADS FOR ROUND SISSY BARS

Ride in comfort and style with Tapered Backrest Pads from Drag Specialties Seats. These pads are made of high-grade black vinyl on a black powder-coated backing plate. The pads measure 3½” wide across the top, 4¾” wide along the bottom, 5¾” high and include all the necessary mounting hardware. Available in Double Diamond stitch pattern with black, silver or red thread.

These pads are made in the U.S.A and have a suggested retail price range of $67.95 - $86.95. https://seats.dragspecialties.com/ products/?productId=554069

DRAG SPECIALTIES BOLT COVER KIT

If you need to replace your top cover for your transmission, look no furCover those unsightly bolts on your engine with the Drag Specialties Engine Bolt Cover Kits. These kits contain beautifully designed pieces to cover the raw OEM bolt heads on your engine and come in either a black or chrome finish. These bolt covers are made from ABS material and attach using silicon (silicone not included in the kit). These engine kits fit all 2017 to 2021 M-Eight models. The black finish engine kit has a suggested retail price of $52.95 while the chrome finish has a suggested retail of $67.95

DRAG SPECIALTIESOFT-RIDE DRIVER FOOTPEGS Drag Specialties Soft-Ride Driver Footpegs allow you to ride in comfort by absorbing the vibrations of the bike and road. These pegs come in a large diameter in either a chrome or black finish. These pegs are hollow core, with long-lasting neoprene rubber insert cleats isolastically mounted on a special chrome socket-head bolt. These footpegs fit M-Eight Softail and Live Wire models. Both finishes have a suggested retail price of $81.95.

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W

elcome to one of our favorite annual offering from Cycle Source Magazine: The Year In Review. In case you are new to our magazine we take the January or February issue each year to take a look back over the past year in the life of the motorcycle culture. Additionally, we also have a two month process where we develop a list of nominees for you to vote on for a series of what we call the Source Awards. This is a small way for us to give a little credit to the people who make their livings from this industry, make art from it’s images, or have a hand in taking it to the next place. From the best builders, craftsmen, products and more, we leave it up to you, our ravenous readers, to decide who gets the much covetted “Source Awards” each year. It all starts with invited participants from the industry and this publication who we ask to make nominations, then the vote is up to you!

So, using these pages, go to www.cyclesource.com and cast your vote today for the Best of Awards, Best Pin-Up and Top Ten Bikes will be featured next month. Voting will close late November so vote today! The results of your votes will appear in the February-March issue of Cycle Source where we will announce your “Best of 2021” Awards and do our annual Year in Review. Thanks for taking a minute to help us give some love to those who deserve it. Good luck to all the nominees and thank you to all the readers who help make our year in review issue the greatest issue of each season.

2021 Man Of The Year Chicken Rick Willie T Jones Sasha Haleta Steve Chamberlin Bryan Klock Adam Sandoval Jeff G Holt Dennis SanFelipo Rob Buydos Billy Lane Jason Sims 2021 Woman Of The Year Nancy Davidson Sam Gettings Courtney Kay Carly Dukes Megan Margeson Al @Whiskyeye Staci Wilt Whitney Meza Lisa Ballard Ashmore Ellis Kalen Thorien Gevin Fax Patricia Fernandez Maggie Hicks 2021 Sportsman Of The Year E-Bay Jake Dave Currier Joe Orsini Cole Freeman Sit Down Steve Todd Cameron Ashley Woodford Patricia Fernandez Kyle Wyman

2021 Manufactured Bike Of The Year -Jessie Madera The Painting Buzz Harley-Davidson Pan America Mo’s Image Customs Harley-Davidson Sportster S Honda Rebel 1100 2021 Event Of The Year – Triumph Bonneville Bobber Tennesse Motorcycles & Music Revival Bmw R 18 Transcontinental Glory Daze Deadbeat Retreat 2021 Builder Of The Year Cheap Thrills NJ Anthony Robinson Backroad BBQ Run Josh Allison Twin Rivers Chopper Campout Rick Bray Night Of The Troglodytes Christian Newman Babes Ride Out John Moorehead Born Free Brock Bridges East Coast FXR Jam JD Motorcycle Repair Run To Raton George Casale Indian Larry Block Party Brandon Keene Paul Cavallo 2021 Performance Product Of The Year – Steve Iacona Taylor’s Motorhouse Swingarm Mondo Porras Lectron Fuel Systems Carb Toce/Stevenson H-D Pan America Cat Back Exhaust 2021 Craftsman Of The Year Bare Knuckle Axle Lock Kit For Touring Models Christian Sosa Sawicki Speed Shorty Cannon For Indian Challenger Josh Boggs Darkhorse Crankworks Man O War Motorsprocket Christian Newman Eight Twelve Inc 2021 Custom Product Of The Year Speed Mill Bikes Led Sled Customs Sprockets & Rotors 4th Floor Choppers Steel City Blacksmithing Sissy Bar Ryan Gore Paper Street Customs Bare Knuckle Performance Modular Pegs Josh Allison Denton Performance Design Fxxt Fairing CT Newman Mag Mount Cam Cover Conversion 2021 Artist Of The Year Ray Drea 2021 Accessory Product Of The Year Scott Takes Custom Destruction Helmet Robert Pradke Hightail Hair Matt Winslow (Choperfisher) Blackfly Eye Wear Erick Runyon (Gears & Glory) Cruzin Shade Cooling UV Protective Clothing Stray Straycatstump Klock Werks IO Phone Mount Nico Voit

2021 Shop Related Product (tools, chemicals, etc.) Of The Year – Grim Parts Co Tool Roll Lowbrow Customs Bolt & Thread Gauge Fast Eddy Co Neck Cup Installer Fast Eddy Co Valve Spring Compressor Benchmark Abrasives Grinder Hood Motion Pro Digital Air Gauge VIM Half-Cut Bit/Ratchet Set 9 Finger Fabrication Crankcase Plugs Banks Lift 2021 Apparel Product Of The Year – Soiled Rags Clothing Espinoza Leather Stellar Protective Moto Gear Motostuka Gloves Tobacco Motor Wear Dixxon Boattail Flannel Rebel Reaper Clothing 1620 Workwear Milwaukee Leather MPM 1621 Armored Denim Shirt 2021 Media Release Of The Year Five Dirty Bikers Perewitz Chopper History Torque Magazine S&S Cycles Performance Times Fast Life Garage Torque Performance Television

1- FEB-MAR- BRANDON MILLER - STATIC SHOVEL

3-FEB-MAR=BLINGS-BLUE STEEL

5-FEB-MAR - AUSTIN ANDRELLA-MARK STAKELY-XS-IVE 650

2 - FEB-MAR-MAGOO MITCH BODINE - Q VO

4-FEB-MAR-MCQUISTON CHOPPER DESIGN-UNINVITED PAN

6 - APR-MAY -JOHN MONTGOMERY - WILDFIRE

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#1 -FEB-MAR -BLONDIE BRAAPS

#2 - APR-MAY - HANNA HELTZEL

#3 JUNE -JULY - KAYLEE MCGUIGAN

#5 - OCT-NOV- EDEN TELLIS

#4 -AUG- SEPT JORDYNN PERRY

#6 - DEC-JAN 22 MORGAN

7-APR-MAY-PAPER STREET CUSTOMS-EXCITABLE BOY

9-APR-MAY TINWORKS-BROOKVALE BOBBER

11-APR-MAY CHRIS BROWN - SAUCY SUZI

8-APR-MAY - BROCK BRIDGES - CROTCH ROT

10-APR-MAY JAKE SCHOCK - ELSA XS650

12 JUNE-JULY -CHARLIE BRECHTEL - GODLEN PAN

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13 JUNE-JULY FRANK ROCCO-ANOTHER LEVEL

18 AUG-SEPT KEN NAPIER - NORMA JEAN

23 OCR-NOV STACY MCCLEARY - THE SIXTY SEVEN

14 JUNE-JULY PROVIDENCE CYCLE WORX-CALYPSO

19 AUG-SEPT PATRICK MALONEY - COPPER QUEEN

24 OCT-NOV BRUCE PUGLIA - PROPER CHOPPER

15 JUNE-JULY DAN STARKEY-BLACK DIAMOND

20 AUG -SEPT- LOCTITE- STEP CHILD

25 OCT-NOV JOE NORKIN- PANDEMIC

16 JUNE -JULY- SHANNON RAE-SWEET COCAIN

21 AUG-SEPT BRISTOL BOBBERS- QUEEN ANNES REVENGE

26 OCT-NOV BOBBY HAYS - NUTHIN FANCY

17 JUNE-JULY MARTY HELVERSON-LINDA LU

22 OCT-NOV STEVE IACONA - BROOKLYN HOT ROD II

27 OCT-NOV PAUL EMMONDS- SHOVESTER

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28 DEC-JAN 22 ANTHONY ROBINSON - ROXANNE

33 DEC-JAN 11 CARLOS COLLIER - LABOR OF LOVE

31 DEC-JAN 22 JEFF GRABAU - BAD SIGN

29 DEC-JAN 22 STEVE BONK - JENNIFER

30 DEC-JAN 22 RICK BRAY - ROWDY

32 DEC-JAN 22 MATT REEL - BROTHER LOVE

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att Reel is one of those cats that just makes you happy to be around. As a career firefighter, he has spent a good portion of his life helping others, both at work and in his personal life. It would figure then that when Matt had an opportunity for his friends to repay his kindness, they did in spades.

Of course, he named the bike in honor of their help and called the build “Brother Love,” but in truth, it could be called Labor Of Love just as well. You see Matt,

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is one of the featured Dennis Kirk Garage Builders for a good reason. With all he has in his professional life, he always makes time and space for his steadfast love, building things in his workshop. Now, this might sound like your typical story for any chopper-loving fool, but you have to understand, Matt has not always had a garage.

There have been times where he worked in the back of his house in a trailer, then he got a little 10 x 14 building and really started to stretch out. Finally,

he managed to take the time to erect a proper 24x30 steel building and has enough space to do several projects at once, and so he does.

When it came time for Brother Love, it inspired an entire movement. He and friend RJ Powell were talking about doing a pair of Sportsters, and it turned into a thing that ran at Big Mountain Run for several years called the Sportster Challenge. This would not only ensure that Matt and RJ’s projects would be complete but

Article By: Chris Callen Photos By: Heather Callen

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a whole host of other builders that would have builds and compete.

Led Sled backed it all, and the whole deal was good fun. The foundation is built on a Paughco frame from his buddy Poncho with an Evo sporty mill. A flat fender adorns the rear that was given by a buddy at work. RJ at Cutting Edge Customs gave Matt the tank and helped out with a lot of the fab work on the build as well. The headlight was a driving light from one of his dad’s old pickup trucks. He had asked painter, Bob Streets, to paint the light black, and in the process of cleaning up the bucket for paint, he found that it was solid brass. Bob decided to paint everything except where the logo was and kept that intact.

The bulk of the motor was built from bits and pieces that Matt had gathered over the years. However, he did make a custom side cover by cutting away the junk and threw some Led Sled Rocker Boxes on top to give it an old school look.

Led Sled’s Kicker kit helped out with that and makes this bike look way older than it actually is. The

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Bung King oil tank kit is a staple in Matt’s arsenal. He uses them on every build for fitment and functionality. The sissy bar was just some stainless round stock and some stainless bungs from Bung King also. The floorboards are a big attention-getter when this bike is out. Everyone wants to know where he got smaller factory floorboards since they are the same shape as Harley’s. Well, Matt proudly explains that he took stock boards and quartered them, removed material and then welded them back together.

The DNA Springer gets a lot of questions also. Matt can tell you that this bike has been his daily rider for six years and hasn’t given him a

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BROTHER LOVE TECH SHEET Owner: Matt Reel City/State: Bridgeport WV Builder: Matt Reel Year: 2015 Model: Custom Value: Time: 9 Months ENGINE Year: 1998 Model: Evo Sportster Builder: Matt Reel Ignition: Daytona Twin Tec Displacement: 1200 Pistons: Wiseco 10:1 Heads: Harley-Davidson Carb: S&S Super E Cam: Screaming Eagle 585 Air Cleaner: S&S Tear Drop Exhaust: Paughco Primary: Harley-Davidson TRANSMISSION Year: 1998 Make: Harley-Davidson Shifting: Foot Shift/Hand Clutch FRAME Year: 2011 Model: Paughco Rake: 30 degrees Stretch: 0 Forks Builder: DNA Type: Springer Triple Trees: Extension: -2 WHEELS Front Wheel: Harley Spoke Size: 19” Tire: Firestone Front Brake: N/A Rear Wheel: Harley Spoke Size: 16“ Tire: Shinko Rear Brake: GMA PAINT Painter: Streets Customs/Darren McKeag Color: Green Custom Mix Type: Base Clear Graphics: Black Lace Chroming: N/A ACCESSORIES Bars: Faith Forgotten Risers: Integral Hand Controls: N/A Foot Controls: MTW/Cutting Edge Customs Gas Tank(s): Lowbrow Customs Oil Tank: Bung King/MTW Customs Front fender: N/A Rear Fender: Hand Me Down Flat Seat: LePera/Smack, Jack, and Whack Headlight: Pioneer Taillight: Lowbrow Customs Speedo: N/A Photographer: Heather Callen

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lick of trouble. The only thing they did to the front end were arched gusset blocks on the rear legs. It was more to give it some character but also added in some strength as well. Losing the starter and using a small AGM battery allowed him to keep the bike nice and tight. As they made weld in risers for the handlebars, you can imagine the amount of time they spent making sure the bars were in the perfect position.

There is no coming back from a bad decision on an item like that. The same went for the foot controls. He told us they actually piled up blocks to hold them in the right place to tack weld up before they were comfortable with the placement. Bob Streets nailed it for Matt on paint with an old seventies lace job over that signature green that tells you this is Brother Love.

Matt loves riding the bike almost as much as he loved building it and rarely chooses another to take out for a day of fun. Look for his Dennis Kirk Garage Builder video on the Cycle Source YouTube page and get ready to see a lot more from Matt as his retirement is quickly catching up with the amount of new space he has at his disposal.

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i

’ve had something in the works for a while now that I haven’t shared with a lot of people, maybe because I didn’t want to jump the gun in case things didn’t pan out.

However, I feel like, at this point, the plans are solid enough that I can let the cat out of the bag, as they say. I have been planning a motorcycle ride, not that this news should come as a surprise to anyone, so allow me to elaborate.

This will be a ride to top anything I have done thus far, a ride so large that I will travel in only one direction.

I will start my days staring into the sun and finish them staring at my shadow every day. This will be a ride that will test the stamina of both myself and my motorcycle. This will be a ride not intended for a chopper, and that is exactly why it must be done. I will be embarking on a complete lap around the globe,

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a circumnavigation of the earth, and the preparation is in full swing…kind of.

Preparation. This is where I’ve been getting a little stuck.

Part of me feels like I should be going over every last detail with a fine-tooth comb, yet, aside from upgrading some parts and pieces here and there, I don’t exactly know what that looks like.

I purchased a road map of Russia since that is where a huge part of this trip will take place, which provided a few hours of entertainment. Still, the reality is, there aren’t a lot of options when it comes to Eastbound routes in that country. I’ve replaced some minor things on the bike, but my luggage was the only real big change. I abandoned the “one giant bag” system I have been using for years and upgraded to the Reckless 80 from Mosko Moto. This should provide a more organized method to my packing

Article By: Charlie Weisel

December ‘21 - January ‘22 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE

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as well as a touch more storage space.

I still need to convert my front wheel to tubeless since there will be a lot of dirt roads on this adventure, and plugging a hole is easier than replacing a tube.

I have decided to ditch the foot clutch and go back to a traditional hand clutch for ease of navigating those same dirt roads. Some of what I will be doing will be near impossible as it is. I don’t want the added risk factor, and quite frankly, the pain in the neck factor of operating a foot clutch, as well, in that environment. Speaking of dirt roads, this is probably a good time to mention what will likely be the tour’s highlight and is almost guaranteed to be the most challenging part of the adventure… the infamous Road of Bones.

The Road of Bones, also known as the R504 Kolyma Highway, is a 1300 mile stretch of dirt road steeped in a dark and morbid history. The Kolyma Highway connects the Nizhny Bestyakh town on the east bank of the Lena River with the towns of Yakutsk and Magadan. It is the only road in this region of the country. It is the history, however, that draws the attention of “off the beaten path” tourists, and its history is not pleasant. Between the 1930s and 1950s, prisoners of the Stalin regime and the Soviet Union were forced to build the road using nothing more than basic hand tools, 365 days of the year, in one of the coldest and most brutal environments on the planet. As prisoners died from exhaustion, their bodies were buried in or alongside the road. Refusal to continue working or failing to work hard enough was met with a bullet, and these bodies were also buried in or alongside the road. The Road of Bones became a graveyard to an estimated 250,000 - 1,000,000 people and is now treated as a memorial to those who lost their lives. Wrap your head around that for a second, maybe even take a moment of silence.

Upwards of 1,000,000 people died while being forcibly made to construct a road by hand. An act like that would be unimaginable in these more modern times, and we should be thankful for that. Part of me wonders why I would even want to ride a road such as this, one with such a cruel and inhumane history, but that is the point of traveling. To see it all and remind ourselves just how good our lives are even when we seem to be struggling.

To only visit the glitz and glamour is to evade the realities of our world and our often unpleasant history. Seeing

both the dark and the light, however, is how we learn and grow.

It seems to all come down to timing when it comes to the practical logistics of tackling this road. Get there too early, and you will find yourself in the middle of the rainy season and bogged down in mud, especially on a chopper. Get there too late, and you’ll likely freeze to death as the harsh winter rolls in. This only leaves about a 6-8 week window where the road is even passable on a motorcycle, dust season. Truckers kick up clouds of dust so thick you can’t see the road in front of you. Dust that works its way into every moving part on your motorcycle, that works its way through your protective clothing and leaves you spitting mud from your teeth.

Not glamorous. To be clear, there is no time that is a “good” time to be there, from what I can tell. Only times that are doable. I have no delusions

of this being an easy, scenic spin through the countryside. This will be challenging in every way imaginable.

I will be fighting the road conditions, fighting to keep my bike functional, and most importantly, fighting to keep my mental state sharp and focused.

Fighting the desire to give up will be the biggest challenge of all.

Not long after this article goes to print and reaches your mailbox, I will begin my journey by heading south out of Colorado to warmer climates, tie up a few loose ends, then point my bike East. I look forward to sharing the stories and photos with you along the way.

As always, you can follow me on Instagram @travelingchopper and on Roadsareforjourneys.com

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a

s Jeff Grabau, the owner of the Knuckle that graces these pages put it, he used to get into a fair bit of trouble growing up. With his father being a mechanic, Jeff usually had the choice of being grounded or working in the shop. Obviously, Jeff chose the shop. Grabau also paid close attention to everyone he could in the trade, picking up as many tips and tricks along the way that he could.

When Jeff was 19, he decided it was time for a motorcycle of his own. After a bit of shopping around, Jeff landed on a 1974 Ironhead Sportster. Now, let’s take a

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minute to talk about the Ironhead Sportster.

I have always said, and Ironhead should be everyone’s first motorcycle. While I love them and they are a lot of fun, they will make you or break you. A person will come out of Ironhead ownership with either a newfound appreciation or a genuine hatred of motorcycles. Ironheads are teachers. They require constant attention and maintenance.

Jeff felt the same way, and he came out of his own with the desire to go deeper into the motorcycle world.

Through the years, Jeff has had several motorcycles in different variations. Most recently, he acquired this Knuckle (actually,

Article By Matt Reel Photos By: Benny Stucker

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it was a Pan when he got it). Jeff purchased this bike from a dude by the handle Watermelon Pete. Pete had built the bike with a Panhead motor, done a few things to it, including molding the frame, and handed it off to Flying Weasel Paint for the amazing color job. Flying Weasel was given pretty much free rein with the paint and basically gave him two paint jobs in one.

Let’s fast forward to Jeff taking possession of the bike. After riding it for a while, Grabau decided he wanted a Knucklehead engine in it. So, one was sourced, and the

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4-speed transmission was rebuilt.

The two were then tied together with a modified stock primary drive.

With the new driveline in place, Jeff decided to make a few other changes while he was at it. Vee Manufacturing provided the handlebars and risers.

Prism foot controls were added to finish off the riding position. An AEE Cheetah sissy bar was found in a parts stash; after it was fitted to the bike, he sent it out for a re-chrome.

Jeff then laced a 19-inch rim to a Star Hub to give the back of the bike a different look. Vicious Cycles made the resin shift knob with a rattle

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BAD SIGN TECH SHEET Owner: Jeff Grabau City/State: Davenport, IA Fab By: Jeff Grabau/Watermelon Pete Year: 1942 Model: EL Value: $25,000 Time: ENGINE Year: 1942 Model: EL Builder: Ignition: Mag Displacement: 61cu Pistons: Harley-Davidson Heads: Harley-Davidson Carb: Linkert Cam: Air Cleaner: Exhaust: Primary: Stock-Modified TRANSMISSION Year: 1946 Make: Harley-Davidson Shifting: FRAME Year: 1955 Make: Harley-Davidson Straight Leg Rake: Stretch: FORKS Type: 1930 RL Builder: Watermelon Pete Extension: Triple Trees: WHEELS, TIRES, BRAKES Front Wheel: Star Hub Size: 21” Front Tire: Front Brake: Rear Wheel: 19” Real Tire: Rear Brake: PAINT Painter: Flying Weasal Color: Black Type: Graphics: Chroming: ACCESSORIES Bars: Vee MFG Risers: Vee MFG Hand Controls: N/A Foot Controls: Prism Fuel Tank: Molded Wassel Tank Front Fender: None Rear Fender: Molded Flat Fender Seat: Oil Tank: Stock Headlight: Taillight: Prism Speedo: Photographer: Benny Stucker

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snake’s head and a matching gas cap with flowers and rattle.

With everything together, Jeff set out to enjoy his Knuckle. Looking back to Grabau’s early years, it kind of makes you wonder about the trouble he got in. With working in the shop being his “punishment,” was it possibly the cause? So, remember, spend time in the shop with family.

Like they always say, “get your kids interested in motorcycles. That way, you can guarantee they will never have any money to get in trouble with.”

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ifty-one-year-old project manager Scott Schonert hails from Washington, IL, and has a deepseated love of all things two-wheeled. At the wee age of six, Scott’s dad put him on a Briggs & Stratton pull-start mini-bike, and the love affair was on! Knowing right away that he had to make it his own, he painted that mini-bike, which in essence made it his first custom motorcycle. Scott road mostly dirt bikes until he was roughly nineteen when he gave up motorcycling for a spell. During those formative years, Schonert grew up around street rods, muscle cars and learned how to do paint & bodywork with his dad in their two-stall detached garage.

Scott’s passion for motorcycles was reignited a few years back when his son came home from grade school pedaling the school’s magazine fundraiser.

Being the supportive dad that he is, he opted for a motorcycle magazine. After getting a few dropped in his mailbox, he found himself stunned at the creativity and craftsmanship being put into the custom motorcycles gracing the pages. He knew pretty quickly that a custom bike would be his next adventure.

Schonert perused Cycle Trader for donor bikes, knowing that he likes the old school style and springer

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Article By: Heather Callen Photos By: Ssmantha Schonert front ends. Well, wouldn’t you know that he found a bike, but not where you think; it was at a Motley Crue & Kiss concert. Scott made a low ball offer during the show, never considering the guy would go for it...well, he did! Good thing Scott’s wife is an understanding woman, as he forgot to tell her ahead of time., whoops!

With the 2008 Crossbones in his possession, he began his foray into the custom motorcycle world.

Scott says that what you see is the third iteration of this bike, and it’s where it’s going to stay. While many custom parts adorn this machine, the biggest challenge for Scott was the custom tank and the trim in the recessed areas.

Among other things, Scott modified the aftermarket air cleaner with a custom insert, modified the exhaust for the upsweep, and installed a

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ATROCITY TECH SHEET Owner: Scott Schonert City/State: Washington, IL Builder: Scott Schonert Year: 2008 Model: Crossbones Value: TBD Time: This Time, 2 Years Engine Year: 2008 Model: Stock Builder: Harley-Davidson Ignition: Stock Displacement: 1584cc Pistons: Stock Heads: Stock Carb: Stock Cam: Stock Air Cleaner: Aftermarket/Custom Insert Exhaust: Modified For Upsweep Primary: Aftermarket Cover Transmission Year: 2008 Make: Harley-Davidson Shifting: Stock Frame Year: 2008 Model: Softail Rake: Stock Stretch: Stock Forks: Builder: Scott Type: Stock w/Lowering Kit Triple Trees:N/A Extension: N/A Wheels/Tires/Brakes Front Wheel: Dna Size: 21” Tire: 120/70-21 Front Brake: Stock Rear Wheel: Stock Size: 17” Tire: 200/55--17 Rear Brake: Stock Paint Painter: Scott Schonert Color: Black, Red Superflake Metallic Type: PPG Graphics: Pinstriping, Silver& Gold Leaf Chroming: Stock Accessories Bars: Ape Hangers Risers: Aftermarket Hand Controls: Stock Foot Controls: Aftermarket Gas Tank(S): Custom By Scott Oil Tank: Stock Front Fender: None Rear Fender: Custom By Scott Seat: Aftermarket Headlight: Custom Mounting Bracket Taillight: Custom By Scott Speedo: Aftermarket photographer: Samantha Schonert

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lowering kit in the forks. He also fab’d the rear fender, custom-made the taillight, and even handcrafted the headlight mounting bracket. Thanks to his years in the shop with his father, Scott was able to lay down the paint and graphics himself.

Schonert worked on and off for two years on this last configuration to make sure he got it just right this time. He says that he usually works alone in the shop but does note that without the patience

of his wife Samantha letting him spend hours in his shop, he may not have been able to get this done. Scott rides this motorbike as often as he can between working his day job, being a family man, and working on the 1968 Triumph Bonneville that keeps calling his name. We sure are glad to have found Scott Shonert and his killer custom on the Dennis Kirk Garage Build page! Who knows, maybe next time it will be your bike on these pages.

Article By: Chip Parisi @chipakid

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e first met online, Craigslist, I think it was.

She was gorgeous, pressed all my buttons, and seemed too good to be true! After a few messages back and forth and even a couple more pics, I was off to go see her!

It was a rainy and raw July 3rd night, in 2014. I was still married, and, no, I did not have my wife’s permission. I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway. I felt dirty pulling up to the back alley garage in the wrong part of Lawrence, Massachusetts, but excitement conquered logic and decency. Something just seemed so right. Without much conversation, we got right down to business, and made it official! Well, as expected, it didn’t take long for the wife to find out, and (with a gross omission of all the other important reasons), we are no longer married. Gloria remains.

Gloria is a 2004 Road Glide (FLTRI), with the same 95” Screaming Eagle big bore that I’ve always known. She was tuned for the open airbox and Rinehart

True Duals on her when this all started.

Between her 16” bars the clock read somewhere around 35,000 miles but I’d have to dig up her title to be sure (and that’s 800 miles away in Rhode Island).

She was 10 years old, ran me 8 grand, and I was happy as a hog in heaven!

My first move, which I highly recommend to all, was to change her oil. I had always serviced my own bikes, so no biggie. Went to a nearby dealer, grabbed 5 quarts of AMSOIL 20/50 and a filter, and made sure to get her nice and hot, on the way back to my garage.

Grabbed some common hand tools, laid on the cold concrete floor, and was stumped. 3 drain plugs? What? This was my first Harley and I had no idea it wasn’t a single oil, like my previous 6 or 7 bikes. Now, this is especially funny to me, since I’ve now done well over a thousand 3-hole changes on Harleys at rallies across the map, since Sturgis of 2018, but back then, after 20 years on Shadows and Vulcans, I was clueless.

The next single-wrench job was to add extended mirrors. Hers were flipped, and I was into it, but I couldn’t see a damn thing! I again laugh at my

old self for going directly to HD, and forking over top-dollar for brand new ones! Nowadays, I know that there are way too many used parts looking to be rescued to have to resort to buying new, very often.

My first real issue with her had to do with the bars. While parking at Ocean State Harley I dropped her when stopping too soon in a tight turn. While keeping her up on the engine guards, instead of all the way over, those slightly-too-tall for me bars broke in the middle, at the weak point between the 2 little clamps. Somehow, with 2 bars moving as they pleased, I was able to ride her up the ramps and into the back of my buddy Chad’s truck. In a move foreshadowing my current array of shadetree hacks, I used a new 4-bolt handlebar clamp on the broken bars and got through the season, without any real downtime. If you have a bike with tall bars that doesn’t have a 4-bolt clamp, get one before it’s too late!

The leverage of apes, combined with the rust-prone hole for internal wiring, is a weak point waiting to fail, when between the 2-piece clamp.

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That winter, I ordered some fat meathooks, just as they were becoming super-trendy, and then it happened. It was all so innocent and made so much sense. I simply reasoned that with all the shiny chrome up above the triple tree, the bike would look silly with the pitted stock aluminum forks. It only made sense to also pick up a set of chrome legs to go along with the bars. I quickly learned how fast that snowball can grow, as the same logic led to chrome handlebar controls, braided lines, and a chrome, 21” fat spoke front wheel, which of course wouldn’t look right without a rear wheel to match! And rotors... Damn! That Harley bug bit hard!

Fast forward less than 3 years, maybe 20,000 miles, and I was about to dive into this new transient life of mine. I found a cheap detachable tour pack rack and mounted an old king tour pack that I had gotten for almost nothing, years prior, but never mounted to that batwinged Nomad 1500. It was very poorly wrapped in black pleather, and wasn’t pretty, but functioned well and cost almost nothing. This was in direct contrast to the $3k+ I had thrown at making the front look so pretty, and really demonstrated the tremendous shift in my life.

My first foray into this lifestyle was a month-long trip through 30 states with everything packed inside her 3 cases, and nothing more. About 5,000 miles into that life-changing odyssey, I voluntarily gave an arm and a leg to a dealership, for an oil change and routine service. Shortly afterward, I started doing my own service on the road in parts store parking lots, where it was easy to dispose of waste oil

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and make catch pans by cutting the side off of discarded antifreeze containers; the way people have been doing for years.

Nowadays, I’m lucky to be able to take care of that chore while working at the big X-Treme Bikes - AMSOIL X-Press truck, at some odd dozen rallies.

This early twin-cam gets a lot of attention because of the countless stickers that just about cover her entire

right side. The “glory side”, as is joked.

They all went on one at a time, and almost all are from a State (48), rally, or National Park that we’ve been to. The first sticker? That’s easy, it’s the euro-style, white oval RI sticker, right over her tag, to pay homage to my home state. After that, came one from Cape Cod, then the Blue Ridge Parkway and Laconia Bike Week decals that I had tucked away from trips

the year before.

I left for Sturgis that July, hoping to do a 48-state ride by first hitting all of New England because I feared that it’d be too cold when I got back for Thanksgiving.

So stickers from (Springfield) Massachusetts and Vermont followed, but I failed to score in Maine, and never even thought to look in Connecticut.

Next was the only sticker on the entire rolling canvas that was predetermined.

I wanted a classic I❤NY sticker, which somehow proved hard to find!

These went on the saddlebag, which ended up almost full that year and remains mostly the same today.

The windshield and leftside are mostly for my Hoka Hey number, sponsors, and supporters.

I’m proud to fly the flags of some truly great American businesses, including SuperTrapp Industries, AMSOIL, Inc., Klock Werks, Rekluse, 8Fifty Speed Shop, Love Jugs, and Skully Customs. Since the bike gets so much attention at all the big rallies and just about everywhere I go, and is photographed so often, people say I should sell advertising space on her, but c’mon, how am I supposed to get the attention of Russ Brown, Twisted Tea, Hot Leathers, or any of the other big dogs that might be interested?

Of all the stickers she sports, I, of course, have my favorites. One small one that is easily missed but which gets a lot of attention is a classic “helmet” sticker from Walt’s Sticker Shop: “I rode my bike to trailer week”. I’ve got nothing against people that choose to not ride in but not a show goes by where I don’t catch someone pointing it out to give their trailer-queen friends a hard time.

Of course, the Hoka Hey stickers are

a favorite, as I’m very proud to be on the list of Finishers. However, those still aren’t my favorite. That title is held by the official BMST SCRUTINIZED decal on her windshield, which signified that she passed inspection and was cleared to race at Bonneville, one of my best experiences ever.

This Winnebago of a bike has been very good to me.

Through gross ignorance of the design flaw, I didn’t change the spring-loaded cam chain tensioners until she had over 80,000 miles, and the pads still looked pretty good. I, of course, used that as an opportunity to upgrade to Andrews 26 cams with a Feuling hydraulic cam plate, and highflow oil pump. She ended up eating one of those bearings 50,000 miles later, but I happened to be ten miles from my parents’ house and eleven miles from my home H-D Dealership, where I had a $500 credit waiting for me, from the Christmas Party raffle I had won. They replaced that bearing then retrieved the shrapnel from the exploded one with an oil change, and I was gone the next day without incident. At 180,000, I changed the shoes on that hydraulic setup but knew I was tossing good ones away with plenty of life left in them.

I ultimately split the fancy rear wheel and bent its mate on the front, but with all the off-roading and weight she carries, I could hardly blame the aftermarket manufacturer. The True Duals finally wore out from being neglected, so I went back to a stock headpipe, with aftermarket slip-ons, before getting my dream exhaust, a SuperTrapp SuperMeg 2-into-1, earlier this year. For the miles I do and the places I go, I wanted her to be as quiet

as possible but didn’t want to sacrifice the performance of a free-flowing exhaust. It was a perfect fit!

Her original drive belt lasted 100,000 miles and was only retired when her clutch came loose and stripped the inside of the front-drive pulley.

Afterward, I went through two more belts in about 20,000 miles, but those

were due to a rock, then a small bolt, not failure. I’ve broken every saddlebag bracket, anchor, and repair weld, and no word of a lie; they are both now held on with a hodge-podge of zip ties, hose clamps, cinch straps, and baling wire.

I’ve had her drive pulley rip off the rear wheel twice, once during my Hoka Hey Challenge ride in 2018 and once earlier this year. I’ve replaced most everything in her clutch basket and primary case,

including that 5th gear seal, which leaked for a year as I stubbornly replaced every other seal and gasket in the primary three times!

I’ve broken a floorboard while messing around on a rocky mountain trail, then got by for a few days with a couple of actual boards zip-tied to the mounts. Her lower fairing vent doors are long gone, and I just recently bent the hell out of the engine guards when I took a little slide in the Black Hills. Big thanks to Randy at the Sturgis Swap Meet for helping me bend it back into shape with his truck bumper and a heavyduty come-along. I go through about 3 kickstand springs a year, along with 3 rear tires and less than 2 fronts. I never really kept track of the brake pads or wheel bearing, but change as needed.

Her clock recently flipped over 200,000 miles, and compression is good in both cylinders. The old girl is burning some oil these days, but I’m thinking it’s the umbrella valves and not a bad topend. If that’s the case, I’ll replace what’s needed this winter, and roll into next year with the same rings and pistons that were on her when we first met, trying, as usual, to keep it under 30k miles per season.

Through all the ups and downs, I have to remind myself of something very powerful that Panhead Billy once told me over a few beers: something like “Your bike never fails you.” You fail your bike. It’s a very Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance point of view, and one I couldn’t agree with more. Ole Gloria might be dirty on the outside, but she’s clean on the inside, and it’s what’s

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Article And Photos By: Missi Shoemaker

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his year IFRD celebrated its 15th year, and I decided to attend an event at one of the local Harley Dealerships in Phoenix. I had been invited

by Ashley Woodford of Buell Sister’s Racing. When she called, I was skeptical to go. I am usually not into “the all-female” events. However, I had participated in this event a couple of times, once in Indiana and the other in Missouri, and I knew that it usually isn’t your typical “ladies only” event.

According to their website, International Female Ride Day© (IFRD), the first Saturday in May, is a global day celebrating the cultural, social, and active lifestyles of women who ride and enjoy motorcycling.

“IFRD was born with the purpose of emphasizing and highlighting the fact that women ride motorcycles, enjoy motorcycling and have since its invention. Women ride cruisers,

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sport bikes, scooters – on road, offroad but often don’t have time to ride.

Our multifaceted roles as mothers, wives, sisters, care-givers, business owners etc., often leaves personal

pleasure like motorcycling last on the list.

My initiative to invite women to join together on one globally synchronized day to “JUST RIDE!”© seemed to me an action

which would truly emphasize the numbers of women riders. Equally, every woman riding on IFRD becomes a motorcyclist role-model in her area; a representative of IFRD and its mission.” – Vicki Gray, Founder (December 2006) The IFRD ride I attended took us from the dealership to Bartlett Lake then over to the Buffalo Chip Bar in Cave Creek. There were also four other rides ending at the same spot.

We were treated to a free meal, and they gave out some fantastic door prizes, which I didn’t win, but Ashley did! I met some wonderful ladies who were all excited to be riding with their group.

Each organized IFRD ride around the world is set up a little differently.

Some take overnight trips and have parking lot parties with vendors specializing in products for women riders. You are also encouraged to just ride by yourself if that is your thing! It truly is set up to just celebrate the love of riding!

One of the best things about IFRD is it brings together riders of different skill levels. While this can be scary, it is also a positive. I’ve been riding for 16 years now, and it is actually nice to see newbies out on these rides. One lady, in particular, was on her first group ride, and it was very apparent she hadn’t been riding very long. She had a panic stop situation and saved it. She did everything right. I took the time to talk to her at our stop, tell her she was doing a great job, and keep it up! This is what it’s about! It would’ve been easy to let her think she looked stupid and maybe lose her courage and never do another ride. We all were beginners at some point… I think a lot of people forget that!

Another cool thing about these events is that there are men! And no, they aren’t there looking for hookups. They support their women, riding beside them during the ride and bringing them on the ride. There have been women riding on the back of their guy’s bike at every one of these rides I’ve been on. It’s terrific to see these men encouraging their gals to ride!

IFRD is about celebrating the ride.

Encouraging women to get out and ride. Now, I know there are other “women only” events throughout the year. While I understand why these events come about, I am usually not one to participate. Contrary to popular belief, these events aren’t

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about hating on men. Well, most of them anyway. Some women feel intimidated around men when it comes to asking questions that arise while learning to ride. It’s funny because some men even have this issue.

However, I don’t think they will admit it. But, let’s face it, guys, sometimes men don’t make it easy on us. When I first learned to ride, I was so scared of screwing up and getting yelled at by my ex that I wouldn’t ride with him for a long time, and at that time, I only knew two other women who rode. Seriously though, I’ve been that woman working in a male-dominated industry for over 20 years now, from construction to transportation and now the motorcycle industry. I have found it’s more fun to prove haters wrong, do a good job, and know what I’m talking about than bash them.

There are narrow-minded people on both sides. Let’s face it… women are built differently. There are things we physically can’t do without help. I, for one, don’t mind that. We are all made different it’s what makes us unique as men and women. Yes, sometimes it gets old having to prove you know what you’re talking about because you are “a girl,” but I try not to take it personally. I think we as women have come a long way, and I am sure some things could be better, but you know, that works both ways. So, just know that whether you are male or female and ask me for advice, you will always get it from me with no judgments.

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1. Missing Bolt Head At Neck Gussett. 2. Missing Stripes On Tank Insert. 3. Extra Brace On Top Motor Mount. 4. Different Plug Wire Color. 5. Missing Trim Lines On Oil Tank. 6. Missing Sockets On Starter Drive Housing. 7. Missing Holes On Shift Linkage. 8. Oversized Shifter Peg. 9. Missing Voltage Regulator. 10. Missing Rocker Box Bolts On Front Top Cover.

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

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Article By : Blue Miller Photos By: Del Hickey

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ou know how it is, you get yourself a little more or less stock 883 Sportster, and for a while, that’s a great thing, but then you start thinking about choppers. And the more you think about choppers, the more you think about having one of your own. You know that one day, all that thinking will turn into doing. That’s just what happened to Carlos Collier.

Five years ago, Carlos had that 883, and yes, it was just

fine for a time. But the more interested he became in choppers, the more convinced he was that he wanted one.

At the time, he had no idea exactly what he wanted, just that it would definitely be over the top! Looking on the Chopperswapper Instagram and Facebook pages, he spotted a crazy, raked out Ironhead with a load of original 1960s parts.

He fell in love. Carlos says: “I’m the kind of guy who sees something and thinks ‘I’m

gonna get it!’ Although I had no idea how to fix it or even a real guarantee it would arrive from Chicago all the way to England!” But, a little to his surprise, a couple of months later, it arrived.

Carlos knew it would need a lot of work, but that didn’t matter to him. It was love, and nothing was going to persuade him otherwise. Not even his friend, Zac, saying, ‘Do not buy it!’He could see the possibilities in the Harley, even if he had no mechanical

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experience. As Carlos would later admit, Zac was right when the Harley proved to be far more of a project than Carlos had imagined.

He soon realized that the work it needed was seemingly endless.

But there was no real rush to get the chopper finished or, for that matter, even started. Carlos approached Deathgrip Choppers, run by Louie Hartley and his dad, Norm (who has sadly since passed away). The name may be familiar to you as Deathgrip was, in 2016, one of the few British chopper builders ever to be part of the Invited Builders class.

Louie agreed to take on the work and also spray the bike. We’re not sure if Louie realized quite how much work was involved.

Still, he didn’t back down, slowing unraveling problems and making adjustments.

Carlos rapidly discovered that this bike had a lot of history, and not much of it was good.

For example, at some point, the casing had suffered a big crack indicating that the engine had not been well treated. With The Trip Out, one of the UK’s leading chopper events, coming up, Carlos wanted to ride it for that weekend, and although it still wasn’t complete, he took it home.

Around this time, Carlos spent a lot of time away from home in the south west of England and hanging out with his buddies Nick

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Rettig and Donny Bussinger in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their choppers gave him a different perspective on what sort of riding he wanted to be doing on his Ironhead.

Long, straight Ohio roads are a world away from the twisty country lanes of Devon in the UK, but he came to appreciate the awesome relationship that Nick had with his Panhead. Knowing its present history, Nick too was doubtful about Carlos’s Ironhead, especially as he’d also owned one and admitted it was a nightmare!

Back in the UK, Carlos didn’t let

himself dwell on the negative points of the Ironhead, though there were many! While it was close to being a runner after months of work, the gears didn’t work. The electrical was sketchy, and the foot controls needed to be fabricated. With a straight face, Carlos says; “This bike was full of surprises.”

It was clear that the engine would need a great deal of loving attention,

and the man for that job was Andy at AFB Motorcycles in Bridgwater, Somerset. With some thirty years experience in custom bikes and Harley, Andy Forbes-Buckingham knows just about all there is to know on working on motorcycles, even those which are a lost cause. Andy replaced the magneto with a Morris unit for the excellent reason that the original one had more missing parts

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LABOR OF LOVE TECH SHEET Owner: Carlos Collier City/State: Hemyock, Devon Uk Builder: Deathgrip Cycles, UK Year: 1967 Model: Xlh 900 Sportster Value: Undisclosed Time: Ongoing Engine Year: 1967 Model: HD XLH 900 Builder: Aft Motorcycles, Bridgwater, UK Ignition: Morris Magneto Displacement: 900 Pistons: Stock Heads: Stock Carb: Mikuni CR Cam: Stock Air Cleaner: Mikuni Exhaust: Fishtail Upswept Drags Primary: Stock Transmission Year: 1969 Make: Stock Shifting: Stock Frame Year: Unknown Model: Twin Downtube Rigid Rake: Yes!!!

Stretch: Yes!!!

Forks Type: Bespoke Builder: Unknown Type: Springer Triple Trees: Bespoke Extension: 12” Over Wheels Front Wheel: Laced Spool Size: 21” Tire: Avon Speedmaster Mk2 Front Brake: None Rear Wheel: Stock HD Size: 16” Tire: Shinko Rear Brake: Drum Paint Painter: Louie At Deathgrip Color: Turquoise & White Metalflake Type: Wet Spray Graphics: White Flames Chroming: Already Done Accessories Bars: Deathgrip Cycles Modified Risers: Hand Controls: Vintage White Grips Foot Controls: AFB Motorcycles Gas Tank(S): Small Triumph Oil Tank: Custom Front Fender: None Rear Fender: Bespoke Seat: King And Queen Headlight: Twin Triangular Taillight: Aftermarket Speedo: None Photographer: Del Hickey

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than you could shake a stick at. The valve clearances had shut down, and there was a whole catalog of loose, missing, and incorrectly fitted parts. There had been a very shabby repair to the crankcases at some point in its life, which means that the engine now has a constant loss oiling system, not that it needed an excuse to leak!

Some people might have chucked in the towel at this point, but not Carlos. He is gradually fixing the problems with help and tutelage from Andy. The important thing is that the bike is now up and running.

Well, not without the odd temper tantrum. As he was going down a hill last summer, the brake fell off, which is not ideal when it’s your only brake. Luckily, he managed to bring the bike to a halt, although not without some frantic Fred Flintstone impressions! At this point, he says, he got serious and bought a manual.

There are still a few things to be done. Carlos says, “I’ve had the help of some good friends. My mate Russell and I have sorted out the primary chain issues, and now we’re on the wiring! Thanks to another friend, Lee Bruton, my foot controls have got a new twisted chrome finish, and I can’t wait to put those on. I don’t claim to be no chopper expert, but learning along the way and having fun and not taking life too seriously – that’s what it’s about!” And he’s absolutely right. Despite taking on a bike that many of us would have walked away from, Carlos’s passion for his Ironhead shines through. Love really is a funny old thing.

RIVETER CHAPTER OF THE AMCA PRESENTS CHIX ON 66

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he Riveter Chapter became the first woman-focused, nationwide chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America.

The purpose of this chapter is to bring female AMCA members together in a single chapter to concentrate their talents, give women motorcyclists an increased awareness of their own history, and raise the visibility of women in the sport. By doing so, we will increase women’s awareness of each other and improve connections between women in the sport through visibility and networking. A chapter containing powerful, talented, dynamic women will give all women riders inspiring role models.

The Riveter Chapter’s first AMCAsponsored event will be the “Chix on 66” ride scheduled to take place June 11-June 26, 2022. Up to 40 women, motorcyclists will meet in Chicago, Illinois, to ride Route 66, the “Mother Road,” to Santa Monica, California.

This is the classic American journey on classic machines, with some women

riding vintage motorcycles and others making the trip on modern mounts.

Each day the group will begin and end together, but each woman will make the journey what she wants it to be. Instead of riding in a single pack, a turn-by-turn app will allow each rider to follow the route at her own pace. There will be a list of suggested hotel accommodations for each stop. If some opt for a camping experience, they can arrange that for themselves.

This ride will span the entirety of Route 66, covering anywhere from 100 to 300 miles per day. Most days will be around 200 miles, allowing for an easy pace and ample time to stop for photos and exploration of the iconic points of interest along the Mother Road.

Anyone interested in participating in the ride can email chix@chixon66.com.

You can also find information at www. chixon66.com, facebook.com/chixon66 or Instagram @chixon66.

We are also still accepting charter members of the Riveter Chapter

through December 31, 2021. While this chapter is women-focused, meaning our activities, events and newsletters will feature and promote women riders, both contemporary and historic, we welcome anyone with an AMCA membership who would like to become a member. If you would like to join, please send your name, AMCA member number, and email address to joann@riveterchapter. com. If you are not an AMCA member, it’s easy to join online at www. antiquemotorcycle.org. You do not have to own an antique motorcycle to join the AMCA, or the Riveter Chapter. For more information, go to www.riveterchapter. com or Instagram @riveterchapteramca.

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its rear brake offers premium stopping power.

For more information on Indian Motorcycle visit IndianMotorcycle.eu and follow along on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Hey, We are living in the best of times and don’t forget it. Some folks want to make it doomsday, but it just ain’t so, and science proves it every day. In fact, your Choppers are helping plants to grow. It’s in the news.

Let’s hit it.

customers looking to share their passion for riding with the children in their lives,” said Ross Clifford, Vice President of Parts, Garments, and Accessories at Indian Motorcycle. “With the eFTR Mini added to our lineup, we’re providing an accessible

Indian Motorcycle Introduces All-New eFTR® Mini Electric Youth Bike - Small & Light, AllNew Electric Youth Bike Delivers an Approachable & Accessible Offering for Children Learning to Ride - Indian Motorcycle, America’s First Motorcycle Company, today added an electric youth bike to its lineup with the introduction of the all-new eFTR Mini. The eFTR Mini allows motorcyclists around the world to hand down their passion and love for riding to their children with a stylish but accessible model suited to young, entry-level riders.

Boasting the same championship styling as the FTR750 race bike, the newest addition to Indian Motorcycle’s lineup allows young riders to feel like a member of the iconic Indian Motorcycle Wrecking Crew that dominated flat track in the 1950’s and has won every championship since returning to the sport in 2017. The eFTR Mini features a highquality and durable steel tube frame with two riding modes allowing children to start learning in a low mode and step up the performance as they grow in confidence.

“The eFTR Mini is the perfect choice for so many riders and loyal Indian Motorcycle

youth offering to accommodate aspiring two-wheel riders.”

The eFTR Mini’s 468 mm seat height accommodates riders from eight years in low mode, and 13 and over in high mode.

The eFTR Mini was designed around a proven electric powertrain, as its 24volt rechargeable battery runs up to 30 minutes and can reach up to 22.5 km/h in high mode and 16 km/h in low mode. The bike’s strong steel tube frame provides a solid foundation for beginning riders, while

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Class Of 2021 Inductees Ama Hall Of Fame Inductees - Dave Arnold worked for American Honda from the mid-1970s through 2013, developing some of the greatest talents in the sport and helping forge the program’s legendary dominance in AMA Motocross and Supercross.

Arnold contributed to 60 titles on factory and factory-supported teams. Arnold’s talents transcended race operations to research and development, resulting in advancements in production motorcycles that impacted motorcyclists all over the world, and will continue to do so for decades to come.

Nancy Davidson, wife of Willie G. Davidson, was one of the most recognized women who had a positive impact on the motorcycle community. She contributed to charity rides and support for the Muscular Dystrophy Association through the Harley-Davidson Dealer network. As a strong advocate for the AMA, she espoused the freedom and adventure of the motorcycle lifestyle and influenced ridership across the globe. Mrs. Davidson passed away in July 2021.

Gary Denton won the AMA ATV Grand National Champion for eight consecutive years, excelling in both motocross and dirt track and establishing himself as perhaps the most dominant ATV racers in the history of the sport. Denton also founded, along with his family, Denton Racing to provide ATV-related services, parts and accessors to his fellow racers.

Tommy Hays was the most successful Class C dirt tracker prior to World War II, and arguably the most successful racer from the pre-Grand National Championship era (1933-1953) who is not yet inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Even though he died at an AMA National in 1941, Hays’ seven AMA National TT wins are still the fourth most ever in AMA history.

Loretta Lynn, since 1982, country music icon and superstar Loretta Lynn has continuously hosted the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tenn.,

known as Loretta Lynn’s Ranch. For the past 39 years, she has welcomed the AMA’s youngest and brightest amateur athletes for the weeklong annual national motocross championship – an event known all over the globe as the “world’s greatest motocross vacation.”

Scott Plessinger was one of the top offroad racers of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was a four-time AMA national champion with two Grand National Cross County titles (1994 and 1995) and two AMA National Hare Scrambles titles (1989 and 1992). The Hamilton, Ohio, resident had 41 national event wins competing on KTMs. Kenny Tolbert is the second-most successful tuner in AMA Grand National history, behind legendary tuner and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legend Bill Werner. Tolbert-tuned motorcycles have claimed eleven AMA Grand National Championship, 117 AMA Grand National wins, six AMA 600cc Championships and 31 AMA 600cc wins, since 1988.

Ryan Villopoto, from Poulsbo, Wash., is one of the greatest champions in AMA Motocross and Supercross, competing in the professional series from 2005 to 2014, winning five AMA Motocross and four AMA Supercross National Championships.

Immediately after turning pro, Villopoto won three straight AMA Motocross Lites Championships and one AMA Supercross Lites title. Then, after moving up to the premier class, Villopoto won four consecutive AMA Supercross Championships to close out his career.

Throughout his career, Villopoto racked up 31 outdoor national wins and 41 AMA Supercross main event wins.

The Iron Butt Of Iron Butts - Chris Hopper. Hop is moving right along and has surpassed the old record of 45,000 miles in 45 days and is presently in uncharted waters.

Let’s all join in and give him a big “Hell Yeah”!! -Rogue EPA Fines Speed Shop As Part Of Its National Compliance Initiative - As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) targets and increases enforcement against automotive aftermarket companies through its National Compliance Initiative, the federal agency is harming legitimate businesses in the motorsports industry.

Despite the EPA’s nonbinding, informational claims that it is not targeting aftermarket companies that produce parts for dedicated race cars, the EPA continues to pursue cases based on supposition, impose inordinate monetary fines, and pursue legal actions to the contrary.

Recently, the EPA issued a fine against PFI Speed, a small speed shop in Colorado, for selling just 37 Hondata S300s over a two-year span. The fine was issued after company owner Brent Leivestad complied with an EPA inquiry for details about the company’s sales. Without any other contact from the EPA, Leivestad was shocked to receive a letter accusing the shop of selling illegal products. The letter included an $18,000 fine that, if not

paid within 30 days, could increase to as much as $180,000.

“I was dumbfounded. I couldn’t even believe it,” said Leivestad. “I am a speed shop and sell race parts—I didn’t know that was wrong. I didn’t understand the basis of the EPA’s claim, I didn’t go in front of any trial or talk to anybody from the EPA, and the threat of ‘settle and pay within 30 days or else’ felt like a real shakedown intended to deny my rights.”

To protect the motorsports industry against further EPA overreach, PRI is calling on the racing industry and enthusiasts to unite and urge Congress to pass the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act. The bipartisan bill will clarify that it is legal to convert street vehicles into dedicated race cars, and that businesses can legally produce, market, and install racing products.

The EPA, which is responsible for enforcing the Clean Air Act (CAA), a 1970 law that regulates motor vehicles on streets and highways throughout the

United States, has been fining businesses such as PFI Speed for producing, selling, and installing race use-only products.

The products are often used on vehicles that began as street cars and were subsequently converted into dedicated race cars that are trailered to and from the track, and never driven on streets or highways again.

The CAA only applies to vehicles driven on streets and highways, and the EPA contends that it is not targeting race-only vehicles. However, the EPA has pre-classified many motorsports products as illegal and is issuing fines without investigating the circumstances.

Companies selling these products are presumed guilty by the EPA, regardless of the product’s use.

“The RPM Act must be passed into law to provide the racing community with certainty and confidence in the face of EPA threats,” said Meyer.

“Without the RPM Act, businesses will shut down and the entire motorsports community will be severely impacted. It’s time for the motorsports community to push back and protect our racing rights.”

Leivestad agreed: “I’ve been doing this for 20-plus years, and it sounds like the EPA is trying to put us out of business. We need to get behind the RPM Act and get it pushed through now, more than ever.” www.competitionplus.com MIC Represents Motorcycling On National Transportation Safety Board Roundtable The MIC’s Scott Schloegel spoke on behalf of the MIC, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, and motorcycling during a virtual roundtable on safe vehicles hosted recently by Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation Safety Board – the independent U.S. agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation.

The two-hour discussion covered a wide range of topics from automated driving systems to anti-lock brakes, operator impairment, and safety training. Homendy herself has taken MSF rider training and has been considering a motorcycle purchase.

“I am actually going to take more motorcycle safety classes before I purchase one,” she said. “(The MSF is) a great program and I will say there are actually advanced programs after that, that I plan to take, and the place I took mine

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actually offers private lessons as well. So, it’s fantastic.”

Schloegel, senior vice president at the MIC Government Relations Office, discussed motorcycle industry development of ABS, cornering ABS, traction control, riding modes, and radar systems.

“More and more they are becoming options that are available on those bikes,” he said. “With...the advancement of that technology...they take up less space on the bike, which is critical for a motorcycle, and they are also less weight. You are seeing those advancements continue and more and more of that is becoming standard.” -MIC

Pirelli Congratulates Army Of Darkness Race Team On Capturing The WERA/ N2 Endurance Championship - DIABLO Superbike Slicks Lead Army of Darkness to Summit Point Raceway Series Finale Victory and 17th National Championship Pirelli Tire North America congratulates the Army of Darkness (AoD) racing team of Chris Peris and Ben Walters on capturing the WERA/N2 endurance victory at Summit Point Raceway and their 17th national endurance championship. The AoD Yamaha YZF-R1 relied on the performance of Pirelli’s DIABLO Superbike 125/70R-17 SC2 front and 200/65R17 SC1 rear slicks to take the race win and secure the Heavyweight and overall championships for the fourth consecutive season.

“Endurance racing is definitely making the most of a lot of variables together to give the team the best chance to win in the long run,” said Oscar Solis, senior racing manager, Pirelli. “Army of Darkness have managed to do this both on and off the track this year. We applaud them for their tenacity. This not only proves Pirelli as a great tire for a single race, but also for an endurance of four hours. It has been great to work with the team to secure the championship.”

Peris managed to put in an incredible time during qualifying that saw him take pole position with 1.5 seconds to spare on his nearest competitor. Peris would go on to set the fastest laps of the race and was backed by his teammate Walters’ strong, consistent laps and the team’s quick pit stops, making it too much for their competition to overcome.

Chris Peris set the quickest time for pole position and would go on to set the fastest laps of racing at Summit Point Raceway.

“There have been 18 WERA/N2 endurance races over the last four years and I’ve been privileged to be a part of AoD winning 13 of them,” said Walters.

“There are thousands of things that can go wrong with the bike, track, or another competitor and then we still have to bring a fast platform to the track and turn the lap times and, after all that, still have perfect

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pit stops. If you told me at the start of 2018 that we were going to win over 70 percent of the races going forward, I wouldn’t have believed it. We have had very strong competition each year, but racing fortune is smiling upon us and we keep pulling off the late-season rally to win the championships.

It’s like a storybook ending each year!”

For more information about the complete line of Pirelli motorcycle tires, please visit Pirelli.com BREAKING NEWS: RPM Act Reintroduced In U.S. Senate For 2021— Act Now! Our voices have been heard once again! After receiving more than 1.5 million letters from enthusiasts like you, the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (RPM Act) has been reintroduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in the 2021-2022 session of Congress!

The RPM Act must be enacted into law to guarantee your right to modify

street cars, trucks, and motorcycles into dedicated race vehicles, and ensure that industry can offer parts that enable racers to compete.

More than ever, now is not the time to take our feet off the gas. Even if you’ve previously contacted your lawmakers about the RPM Act, we need your voice once again now that the bill has officially returned for consideration in both houses of Congress in 2021! Tell your federal officials to do their part to finally save racing from government threat by supporting and passing the RPM Act into law this year.

TUCKER POWERSPORTS TO ACQUIRE KURYAKYN-- Tucker Powersports, a leading distributor of powersports products for motorcycles, ATV/UTV’s, snowmobiles, personal watercraft as well as a range of electric bikes and scooters, announced today that it is acquiring Kuryakyn Holdings LLC. Tucker will incorporate the Kuryakyn product offering and product development into the Tucker organization this year.

Kuryakyn’s employees and suppliers were informed of the acquisition earlier today.

The acquisition will move Kuryakyn into the Tucker organization, rather than Kuryakyn operating as a separate business unit. All Kuryakyn operations, assets, and R&D programs will move from Somerset WI to Tucker’s headquarters in Fort Worth.

“This is a tremendous move for Tucker, for the Kuryakyn brand and for the dealers we serve,” said Tucker President and CEO Marc McAllister. “Kuryakyn’s industryleading products will continue to be available to dealers and customers while Tucker becomes an even stronger supplier to dealers in not only in custom, cruiser and touring, but new market segments as well.”

Kuryakyn is one of the nation’s leading developers and retailers of motorcycle accessories for the V-twin, cruiser and touring motorcycle rider. The brand’s newest products include a range of audio speaakers for on and off-road use, LED lighting and motorcycle luggage. Founded nearly 30 years ago, the company quickly became known for a range of chrome and custom accessories for motorcycles.

Helmet Law Rumor In Colorado - Since the end of our legislative session there have been talks of CDOT wanting to push some legislator to bring up a mandatory helmet law for everyone.

This is supposedly because last year’s mc death total was a new high at 139. We are keeping our ears open and have some “friendlies” in the legislature who will give us a heads up. Hopefully this is just another bad rumor, but as we all know, this is no time to let our guard down. --Dale ‘Bear’ Meade - ABATE of Colorado Firebrand Returns From The Ashes Firebrand exhaust and performance parts are under new ownership and excited to bring you their unique brand of exhaust.

Building on their popular Loose Cannon slip ons for H-D touring bikes they’ve upgraded the finish and materials to create a muffler designed for durability, power and of course real deal sound. They also brought back their stylized Grand Prix slip ons and added stainless baffles and a race style packing designed to create a no-drone rumble. To top it off, their Smoothbore headers now include shields and feature a durable Asphalt black finish in addition to show chrome. Look for these and more at your local Hard Drive dealer or check them out at https://firebrandmotorcycle.com HANG ON! —Ride fast and free forever, or die trying. We will and continue the good fight for freedom. If you need more info or news, don’t hesitate to blast over to Bikernet.com for a weekly shot in the arm.

-Bandit

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one and dusted. That is the term I like to use when a project is complete. You can thank the creators of this magazine, Chris and Heather, for extending my deadline on this article so that we could recap the whole season before this issue goes to press. And what a season it has been!

When we left off, we were heading into the Peoria TT. I had questioned Jared Mees’ health going into such a grueling event, and at that point in time, Briar Bauman had a point lead that was on the good side of comfortable. In the AFT Singles class, Dallas Daniels had an incredibly slim lead in the points over Max Whale, while Morgen Mischler was on a points-grabbing charge to the front.

As I write this column this afternoon, the only thing that remains the same is that Cory Texter absolutely dominated the Production Twins class and is once

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Article By: Tyler Porter Photos Courtesy of : American Flat Track again the champion. How did we get here? Let’s buckle up.

First, the Peoria TT was anything but predictable. Harley Davidson came into the race trying to shore up some good results by bringing former Peoria TT winners Jesse Janisch and Hayden

Gillim into the production twins class.

While the two “TT Specialists” went a successful 3rd and 4th respectively, it was the former AFT Singles champion, Dan Bromley, on his Memphis Shades backed Yamaha who took the checkers

after tracking down early race leader Ben Lowe for the win.

Now move over to the singles class: it was no surprise to see Factory Honda/ Turner Racing’s Henry Wiles on the podium, at least that’s what the fans in attendance saw. How could that be a surprise? He’s the winningest rider in Peoria TT history!

Well, not so fast.

After the race, it was determined that Henry had failed a substance test and was stripped of the victory, with the spoils officially going to Max Whale. Dallas Daniels had suffered a massive crash, so when all was said and done, and at that time, this had significant implications on the points standings.

If the AFT Singles results weren’t batty enough in the Super Twins ranks, JD Beach, who was on the Estenson/ Monster Energy Yamaha, basically said, “Jared and Briar Who?.” He led every single lap of the race. JD had told me

before that winning this race in the Super Twins class was one of his career goals, and he sure did it dramatically. I was obviously wrong to doubt Jared’s health going into this race as he brought home a 3rd place finish. He was just behind Briar Bauman, who finished 3 seconds off of JD’s blistering pace for 2nd.

The series moved forward to just about an hour and a half south to Springfield. For several years now, AFT has not had the Singles class run on the Springfield mile. Instead, they are given a double header at one of the best short tracks in the world inside the Illinois State Fairgrounds rodeo arena. I’ve stated several times here, if you only go to one AFT event in your life, make it a Springfield weekend.

From the literal bullring of the short track to the world’s fastest mile, you get to see everything in just one weekend.

For the singles on the short track, this is where in my opinion, the Championship was decided. In main event number 1, it was last year’s winner Trevor Brunner out front off the start, and then Mikey Rush took over the lead for 13 laps. Trevor Bruner retook the lead from Mikey Rush and brought Dallas Daniels with him.

Trevor held onto that lead until Dallas Daniels finally made a move with two laps remaining, but Trevor wasn’t done yet. In the world of short tracking, from my vantage point, Dallas left the door open. Trevor went to the inside, and it looked like once Dallas knew his mistake, he started to cut down to block the line. Obviously, this caused contact; Dallas took a hard hit on the outside of turn 3. Trevor Brunner was initially declared the winner of the race, but then after that, the worst call in my short history with the AFT was handed down.

I’ll get into that more in an upcoming column. Still, the long and short of it was that AFT literally handed the win to Dallas Daniels, moved Trevor Brunner to the end of the lead lap, which was 11th place, and in my opinion, that shifted the entire series. Estenson Racing’s owner and their team manager were inside the AFT truck about as fast as any two people could be. I think through intimidation, they had one of the poorest calls in the history of the sport made in their favor. Dallas rebounded from all

the drama in main event number one with a badly banged-up body to win in a usual fashion over, guess who, Trevor Brunner. If you want to talk about a tense crowd, we were all sitting there on pins and needles to see what would happen when Dallas moved into the lead on lap 16. It was clean racing, and Dallas set sail and ended up with a half-second

margin of victory. Dallas may be very young, but with that much pressure, he barely put a wheel wrong on the track.

Just a few hours later, with a new day upon us, the twins took to the legendary Springfield Mile for part one of their doubleheaders. Just like in Peoria, Harley Davidson came to play and stacked the production twins deck with guest rider Morgen Mischler and his fellow Wisconsin Native Jesse Janisch.

However, no matter how the MoCo tried, they still couldn’t out duel the young phenom that is Dallas Daniels.

Armed with this Estenson Racing Yamaha MT07, Dallas only briefly let the lead slip to Chad Cose for a lap but then slowly inched away from the field to a nearly two and a half-second margin of victory.

After that, the podium was filled out with Harley Davidson XG750R’s, so their efforts weren’t all for naught. Morgen Mischler brought his hog home in 2nd, with Chad Cose taking the remaining spot. On day two, Dallas Daniels would once again march to victory, leading 10 laps of the main event and taking the top step of the podium over Harley Davidson’s fill-in rider Jesse Janisch and VooDoo Ranger/Roof Systems of Dallas Harley Davidson rider Chad Cose.

In the Super Twins, Jared Mees made his march towards the season’s eventual outcome.

By doubling up with Springfield Mile wins which obviously let him pick up points on Briar Bauman. This was the opening in the door he needed to cap off his season. On day one, I’ll say that I didn’t like Jared’s method of mile racing. I’ve seen it before, but that doesn’t make it legal. You see, when you come off of the corner on a mile race track, you are allowed to make one

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“move.” This means you can basically drift up to the wall on the straightaway, or you can cut down and run sort of the middle of the track. What I saw was swerving. I’m not the only one who saw it, but most importantly, AFT didn’t seem to mind because nothing was said. Briar Bauman had other thoughts, though, which was apparent during his podium interviews which, going forward, seemed to make things quite tense between the two. Day two was a lot less dramatic as far as the racing went. Jared Mees led from the green light to the double checkered flags over Sammy Halbert and Briar Bauman.

From the world’s fastest mile, we went to the west coast series, where its yearly stop was made at the Sacramento mile for another doubleheader. On this track, the singles are allowed to race.

On both nights, Trevor Brunner avenged the victory taken away from him in Springfield to win the Sacramento mile. On night one, it was a stunning finish over Shayna TexterBauman and Dallas Daniels.

Mikey Rush was also in that mix, finishing fourth and the top four were all within a tenth of a second at the line. It was a solid performance again on night two with Dallas Daniels and Shayna TexterBauman filling out the podium. Still, all were within a tenth of a second of each other at the stripe.

In Production Twins, Cory Texter simply couldn’t be touched on the Sacramento Miles. Like Trevor, he doubled up on wins and led every lap of BOTH main events. Can you imagine dominating a weekend of racing like that? On night one, Texter was victorious over Chad Cose, who hails from nearby Freemont, California, and Jesse Janisch, who

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found himself a nice, comfortable seat aboard the factory Harley Davidson XG750R. On night two, Chad Cose was once again the second-place finisher.

The “other” factory Harley Davidson rider named Morgen Mischler filled out the podium on his Harley Davidson XG750R. In the Super Twins class, who would have guessed; Jared Mees did the double as well. I’m sure fans who attended both days got their races confused! On night one, Jared led flag to flag, and on night two, he only missed having a perfect weekend because of a great start by

Sammy Halbert, who managed to streak across the line on lap one with the lead.

On night one, Jarod Vanderkooi took the 2nd step on the podium with Briar Bauman in 3rd. Night two also happened to be “the mile master” Bryan Smith’s farewell race.

Bryan has been running an abbreviated schedule for the last few seasons. He decided to call it a career at the race track

he has won on so many times. The day was rough for Bryan, as his crew fought bike issues all day. That’s when Jared Mees’ stepped in and let Bryan ride his back up bike for his final race. Bryan repaid the favor with a podium finish in second place, and Briar Bauman once again finished 3rd.

At this point, this is the longest InSLIDE Line I’ve ever written for Cycle Source. However, so much happened in the last part of the season that I had to write about it all! Coming into the final round, the Production Twins class was already decided.

Dallas Daniels had a comfortable points lead. But it was in the Super Twins class where everything was on the line. Rain delayed the original Friday night race, but the weather moved out of the area on Saturday, leaving behind a saturated track that was rough in spots and very greasy in others. Combine that with the fact that the track was fast, and unfortunately, we had many red flags and a few injuries.

In the Singles class, it looked like Kody Kopp, son of former National Champ Joe Kopp, might just be in for his first win.

However, after a restart, Max Whale emerged the victor, doing everything he could to try to win the title at the last round.

I believe that due to the difficult track conditions, Dallas Daniels played things safe. He finished 6th, which is very uncharacteristic for him, but sometimes it’s about winning the war, not the battle. Kody Kopp finished in 2nd place, his best career finish. Then Trent Lowe rounded out the podium on the Wally Brown Racing Suzuki.

In production Twins, Jesse Janisch continued to make the most of his fillin ride with Harley Davidson to put the XG750R in the winner’s circle. It didn’t come easy though, he had to fight

through early leader Chad Cose and then Ben Lowe on the way to the win.

Filling out the top 5 was Dan Bromley on his Yamaha and Johnny Lewis on the Royal Enfield. While the title was decided before the race even started if you want to see parity in equipment, the Production Twins class is where it’s at!

With all of the columns behind us for the year, and with everything I’ve typed about and predictions made, it all came down to the final race of the year to decide the Super Twins title. The math was simple. If Briar finished ahead of Jared Mees, he would win his third Championship in a row. If Jared finished ahead of Briar, he could ditch his career number 9 for the iconic number one plate for the 2022 season. Off the start, Briar jumped out to a commanding lead. We all sat on the edge of our seats to see what Jared would have in store. Jared sat back, stalking his prey. Coming off turn four, Briar hit one of the bad sections in the middle of the track; his factory Indian tried desperately to spit its rider off.

Briar regained control and stretched out the lead even more. I was sitting there thinking, “I was so wrong; this kid isn’t buckling under any kind of pressure!” and then it happened.

Briar, one of the most naturally gifted riders I’ve had the pleasure of watching, hit that same bad spot in the track again. This time it was much more violent. Briar’s legs were flailing off the bike, the bike was shaking its head like a toddler refusing to eat, and just when Briar started to bring it all back in line, his bike caught a hay bale, which sent him to the ground. And the worst was

yet to come. Briar’s bike bounced off the wall and went into the middle of the track where Sammy Halbert, who had nowhere to go and no time to react, hit the downed bike, which ejected him into the air. It was indeed one of the most gruesome crashes I have witnessed in a long time. Both riders lay motionless on the track, and everyone watching fell silent. Briar was helped up and would eventually get on his backup bike.

Sammy was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment.

On the restart, the mood was somber,

but the night had to go on. Jared Mees took off from the green light and had a whole different group of riders to deal with. JD Beach on his Estenson Yamaha was all over Jared. That Yamaha has long been known to struggle on banked clay tracks like this one, but JD had found a rhythm and was making it work. Watching JD was inspiring. You

could tell by his body language that he was working much harder than anyone on the track. It was almost like he was willing that bike forward. It looked like he was in complete command of anything that bike was able to do. A few laps in, Briar Bauman, dropped off the track; his pain was too much for him to continue.

What a hero he was to battle that hard and what a heartbreak to lose a title in that fashion. Up front, Jared kept a smooth pace, and as the laps wound down, I began to think that JD might have a shot at stealing a win. However, while we were fixated on the battle up front, Davis Fisher and Jaron Vanderkooi had broken free themselves and were marching towards the lead. Time was expired, with two laps to go, the Championship was settled, but there were still fireworks in store for us! Davis Fisher quickly got around JD, basically catching him off guard.

With one lap to go, in the final corner, Davis darted to the bottom and has enough momentum at the line to get Jared Mees for his first career win! For such a somber mood and unfortunate circumstances, this final round sure came out on a high note. Jared is back to being the number one plate holder, Davis Fisher got his first win, and JD Beach proved that his Yamaha MT-07 is capable of more than just TT wins. What a night.

I’ll close out the column with good news. While we did have several injuries in Charlotte, all of the riders are expected to make full recoveries.

It was nice to wake up on the morning after the race to see all of the injured riders checking in on social media. With the season wrapped up, they will all have ample time to get healthy and get this offseason “done and dusted.” Until next time, go find some local racing!!

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circle is your brain before drugs and the small circle is your brain after drugs.” “That’s admirable,” says the judge. Then he turns to the second guy. “And how did you do?” “Well, your honor, I persuaded 156 people to give up drugs forever.” “Wow!” says the judge. “156 people! How did you manage to do that?” “Well, I used a similar diagram,” the guy says.

“I drew two circles like this: o O. Then I pointed to the little circle and said, ‘This is your asshole before prison...”

Send Your Gut Buster to: cyclesourcemain@comcast.net

A T

ired of constant blonde jokes, a blonde dyes her hair brown.

She then goes for a drive in the country and sees a shepherd herding his sheep across the road.

“Hey, shepherd, if I guess how many sheep are here, can I keep one?” The shepherd is puzzled but agrees. She blurts out “352!” He is stunned but keeps his word and allows her to pick a sheep. “I’ll take this one,” she says proudly. “It’s the cutest!” “Hey lady,” says the shepherd, “if I guess your real hair color, can I have my dog back?”

T

Trent

his little old lady goes to the doctor and says, “Doctor I have this problem with passing gas, but it really doesn’t bother me too much. It never smells and it’s always silent. As a matter of fact I’ve passed gas at least 20 times since I’ve been here in your office.

You didn’t know I was passing gas because it doesn’t smell and it’s silent.” The doctor says “I see.

Take these pills and come back to see me next week.” The next week the lady goes back. “Doctor,” she says, “I don’t know what you gave me, but now my passing gas… although still silent, it stinks terribly.” “Good”, the doctor said, “now that we’ve cleared up your sinuses, we’ll start to work on your hearing.”

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A

man ran up to a nun. Out of breath he asked, “Please, may I hide under your skirt. I’ll explain later.” The nun agreed... A moment later two Police Officers ran up and asked, “Sister, have you seen a man run by here?”

The nun replied, “He went that way.” After the cops ran off, the soldier crawled out from under her skirt and said, “I can’t thank you enough, sister. You see, I don’t want to go to prison.” The nun said, “I understand completely.”

The guy added, “I hope I’m not rude, but you have a great pair of legs!” The nun replied, “If you had looked a little higher, you would have seen a great pair of balls….

I don’t want to go to prison either.”

T

Jimmy

wo young guys appear in court after being arrested for smoking dope. The judge says, “You seem like nice young men, and I’d like to give you a second chance instead of jail time. I want you to go out this weekend and try to convince others of the evils of drug use. I’ll see you back in court Monday.” On Monday, the judge asks the first guy, “How did you do over the weekend?” “Well, your honor, I persuaded 17 people to give up drugs forever.” “Seventeen people? That’s wonderful. How did you do it? “ “I used a diagram, your honor. I drew two circles like this: O o. Then I told them that the big

Buck

nice, calm and respectable lady went into the pharmacy, right up to the pharmacist, looked straight into his eyes, and said, “I would like to buy some cyanide.”

The pharmacist asked, “Why in the world do you need cyanide?” The lady replied, “I need it to poison my husband.” The pharmacists eyes got big and he exclaimed, “Lord have mercy! I can’t give you cyanide to kill your husband!

That’s against the law! I’ll lose my license! They’ll throw both of us in jail! All kinds of bad things will happen. Absolutely not! You CANNOT have any cyanide!” The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacist’s wife.

The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied, “Well now.

That’s different. You didn’t tell me you had a prescription.”

A

Dana

s a couple gets into bed, the husband starts to rub and kiss his wife. She turns over and says, “I’m sorry, honey. I’ve got a gynecologist appointment tomorrow, and I want to stay fresh.” The husband sadly turns over. A few minutes later, he rolls back over and taps his wife. “Do you have a dentist appointment, too?”

Dr. Kevin

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December ‘21 - January ‘22 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE