Cycle Source Magazine - December 2019

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December‘10 CYCLE SOURCE

CYCLE SOURCE December‘19

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BIKES Blue Hoon

Logan Kinsey's 79 Shovelhead ....................................................................... 20

Bar Hopper

Steve Masters' Stainless Rigid Racer ....................................................... 38

The Seed

Brad Richards' 2018 MAA Offering .............................................................. 50

Clyde

Joe Marshall Customs Pan Shovel ............................................................. 60

Martin's Pride

A Family Heirloom Panhead ..............................................................................76

FEATURES Mooneyes 2018

The Greatest Bike Show On Earth ...................................................................10

Cheap Thrills

The Jersey Boardwalk Comes To Life With Customs ......................... 30

Fuel Cleveland

Motorbikes, And Art Fill The Rust Belt ......................................................... 34

Year In Review Nominations

Your Chance To Give The Nod ......................................................................... 66

Art Of Our Culture

Killer Meets Kristian Baena ........................................................................... 70

InSlide Line

The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times ..................................................... 84

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TECH

99 Problems

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

Lowdown With Lowbrow

Triumph 650 Clutch Inspection & Service .............................................. 26

Stayin Sharp

Drill Bit Sharpning With Professor Ramsey............................................ 46

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EDITORIAL OFFICE

The Cycle Source Magazine 118 Dellenbaugh Road Tarentum, PA 15084

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

EDITORIAL STAFF

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

STAFF WRITERS

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

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

CONTRIBUTORS Lowbrow Customs, Savannah Rose

STAFF ARTISTS

Jimmy Frizzell, Chris Callen, George The Painter

ADVERTISING

Heather Callen- Sales Manager - cyclesourcemain@comcast.net

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CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Heather Callen - 724-226-2867

In The News

COPY EDITOR Judy Duggan

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

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

LEGAL COUNSEL

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

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DEPARTMENTS From The Editor’s Desk .................................................... 8 Photo Hunt ........................................................................... 27 Pin-Up Of The Month ....................................................... 43

The Cycle Source Magazine® (ISSN 1935-0287) is published 12 times a year by The Cycle Source Magazine with Offices at 119 Dellenbaugh Road Tarentum, PA 15084, 724-226-2867, www.cyclesource.com. U.S. Subscription rate is $30.00 for 12 issues. Canadian Subscription rate is $45.00 for 12 issues. Back Issues, when available, are $6.00 each, payable in advance. Periodicals postage paid at Tarentum, PA ad additional mailing offices. The Cycle Source Magazine® reserves the right to reject any advertising or contributions that it deems unsuitable. Opinions expressed are those of the author and not of The Cycle Source Magazine®. Nothing printed in The Cycle Source Magazine® Decemberbe re-printed in whole or part without the express written consent of the publishers. Copyright ® 2019. The Cycle Source Magazine®, A Grass Roots Motorcycle PublicationSM, Scooter Tramp ™ Wild Man™ Low Down & Dirty Rotten™ Grease & Gears Garage™ Grease & Gears TV™ Grease & Gears Garage Roadshow™ ShopTalk™ Do It Your Damn Self™ Inslide Line™ are registered trade marks.

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

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Endless Highway .............................................................. 72 On The Road With X ......................................................... 82 The Edge With Jimmy Frizzell .................................... 90 Gut Busters ........................................................................ 98

DISTRIBUTION

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

SPARE PARTS New Products

GRAPHIC ARTISTS

Chris Callen, Heather Callen, Amelia Rose, Missi Shoemaker

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ABOUT THE COVER To say that Brad Richards knows a thing or two about motorcycles would be an understatement. Richards, is not only the builder of the fine Panhead gracing our cover but also the VP of Design at the Motor Co. The Seed debuted at the Passion Built exhibit in 2018 and we are thrilled to tell the story of Brad's build and share his passion on our pages.

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ost months, I sit down at the old keyboard and have no idea of what my subject for this column will be until the minute I write the title.

I mean, there are several ideas I have throughout the 30-day cycle of putting the mag together, but in truth, it happens all at once, usually over morning coffee and is just the sum total of what has been going on. This month was no different and allowed for some great perspective.

A quote I often refer to for my own inspiration to get through the hard times is used in short form constantly. Find what you love and let it kill you. Now, there is some debate if the author is Bukowski or Kinky, but this is not an article for that purpose. I would instead like to provide the full quote from Bukowski as a mantra for perseverance. “Find what you love and let it kill you. Let it drain you of your all.

Let it cling onto your back and weigh you down into eventual nothingness. Let it kill you and let it devour your remains. For all things will kill you, both slowly and fastly, but it’s much better to be killed by a lover.”

So, what does this have to do with life and the motorcycle? Well, dear reader, please allow me to explain. For most of my life the art of customizing a motorcycle, or the simple act of owning one, is an exercise in sacrifice. At least in the small part of the world where I grew up, the rural area around Pittsburgh, PA. These people that I call friends and neighbor have always been a resilient and stubborn sort.

Always living in a struggling economy, even when the rest of the country seemed to thrive. So, in the midst of paying bills,

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raising children, owning a home, etc., the motorcycle was always one of the extras that you had to sacrifice something for.

Now to go further in that direction, if you were going to spend precious resources on customizing said motorcycle it was a very different thing than what you see today. Mostly you had to learn to do what you could, get help from a friend who could do something that you could not or save pennies until you could buy that which could not be made. I would suspect that much of this is the same today. Often as I look at these twenty-something kids with their $30k Knuckleheads I wonder what the sacrifice was. I mean let’s face it, at twenty, $3,000 was a lot of money for me so how did they get to that point. Well, again, this is not a place for the debate but suffice it to say that nine times out of ten, the sacrifice is probably carried by parents or a spouse with a good job, and that’s great. Hell, my first real custom was partially funded by my stripper girlfriend.

Of course, later in life, I helped pay for her college tuition, and that was a fair trade in my mind.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand; Sacrifice. In that great quote above, much like the one from Hunter S. that adorns my Panhead “Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride.” What I like to take away from this is not the obvious sentiment that you should just suck it up”, that “you asked for it, you got it” type of reflection. No, I would more softly suggest that these great words are a reminder that when you truly love something, to its core and through to your earthly soul, it will obviously kill you. You have the responsibility to laugh

like a mental patient as it does because you have been given the incredible gift of knowing what true love is. The kind of passion that keeps you up at night, makes you skip dinner, sleep and the other simple pleasures of life; to be driven beyond what others would deem as their breaking points and not to achieve some great egobased accomplishment only given value by others. Just to let it kill you, to be so in the moment that the act of what you are doing, the wrenching, the fixing, the stories of being broke down on the side of the road, the timeline of your life with the motorcycle, that is truly the reward.

Everything else is just incidental. Any accolades, victories, and defeats both, all a side note to the fact that you are dying every day for the thing that you love, or more importantly, LIVING it!

I write all this at the end of a very hard month where everything I have done was as heavy as it could get. As a matter of fact, I am still not sure at this moment if the work I put in will pay off in a victory or not, and that’s the point. As I sat in the driveway of our shop at 12:30 putting the last few bolts into the Sprinter, praying to God it will make it to Tennessee in two days I realized how much I love my life, how lucky I am to be able to work with my hands and how good it feels to know I have a purpose. So, here’s to letting it kill you, whatever the thing is in your life, may your death be long a filled with enough tribulation that by the end you, my friend, will have truly lived.

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Article And Photos By: Michael Lichter

ll year, I look forward to my annual trip to the Mooneyes Yokohama Hot Rod and Custom Show. For me it is one of the most exciting events of the year. The show, which is coming up on its 28th year, is packed with energy, enthusiasm, quality, and creativity and is nearly overwhelming with the sheer quantity of great bikes on display. So, you wonder, why go to Japan for this when we have so many great shows on this side of the pond. The answer is simple, “Perspective.” You’ll see a distinct take on custom biking that is not what you’re used to. Not only do the bikes have a Japanese twist, so is the way they run a bike show, their attitude toward motorcycling, and overall take on biking culture. You’ll also see

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how people from such a different background live their lives. There you can see different ways to eat, work, and interact with each other. For me, I know I’ve learned so much from my trips to Mooneyes, and since I’ve always thought learning keeps one young, this is reason enough for me to be there.

In Japan, you’ll regularly comment on how the signage, the shops, food, tools, pretty much everything, and yes, I’ll say it, even the toilets are unusual! Then there are also many similarities, especially at the show where you’ll be comfortably surrounded by 500 customs (mostly older Harleys to make you feel at home). Amazingly, none (except the Best of Show) were displayed at Mooneyes before. (Doesn’t this December‘19 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE 11

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sound refreshing?) It was like a sea of the most beautiful feature bikes, and then there were the 250 hotrods!

Rockabilly and 60’s hits wafted from the bands on stage as a customculture area hosted pinstripers, leather makers, jewelers, and artists demonstrating their skills. A model car display intrigued passersby as the pinup competition on stage caught my eye. The annual art show, which was on frying pans this year, showed off incredible talent. As autographs were being signed, I wondered who the signees were as I also wondered what others in long queues were lining up for.

Show day started with the greatly anticipated grand entry of invitational motorcycles and hotrods. One at a time, each was introduced by the announcer as it paraded right through the middle of the hall. Rope barriers kept the anxious crowds back, and then each guest was presented on stage to much fanfare. Eight of these invitees were bike builders from the states including Dynamite Joe Keravan with his ‘57 Panhead, Ryan Mullion’s Tiger Shack ‘53 Triumph, Chris Graves’ Fast Eddy Co. Shovelhead, Roland Sands’ 1937 “9T Concept R7”, Hawke Lawshe’s 1946 “Hades” Knuckle, Justin Walls’ BTW (Built the Traditional Way) 1948 “Blackbird” UL, Ryan Grossman’s “Badd Hunny” ‘54 Pan and Shinya Kimura’s 1978/2018 Yamaha SR. The fact that these builders were all brought over from the States is a testament to how important Shige Suganuma and his Mooneyes team think keeping up on the latest US trends is.

From the extent of the setup, you would think this would be a multi-day show, yet Mooneyes is barely multihour. I was nearly frantic by the time Grand Entry was over at 10 am. I realized there was only 5-1/2 hours to shoot the show before the awards.

I’ve done the math and know that if I can pretend I don’t know anyone (not possible at this international meetup of enthusiasts from 15+ countries!), if the amazing custom cars don’t pull my eyes away, if I can go without food and drink and if don’t account for any time walking (I put over 4 miles on the pedometer that day), then I would have just 40-seconds for each bike including getting photos.

That’s crazy, but at the same time, it’s also great, and that’s genuinely Mooneyes.

For my annual “Lichter Award,” I - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE

chose Seven Motorcycles beautiful ‘67 Shovel. The pick was fortuitous as Takatoshi Suzuki brought this bike to the USA to be in my “What’s the Skinny” Sturgis Motorcycles as Art exhibition. My award was just one of many presented from the stage in Academy Awards style. It built up to the “Best of Show,” which went to the remarkable “Departed” custom BMW built by Custom Works Zon. It was unveiled at the show as the first bike to be built on

the R-18 prototype 1,800cc boxer BMW has been developing, and which has since appeared in several other customs. Some of the other standouts came from top Japanese shops like Cherry’s Company, Hide, Luck, Ken’s Factory, Asterisk, Sure Shot, Hot Dock, and Sundance. (And others from shops I don’t even know the names of!)

There’s still time to book your ticket to Japan in time to experience Mooneyes for yourself on December December‘19 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE 13

1st this year. While it’s just a one-day show, there is so much more to see of the bike scene while you’re there.

I am content spending a full week just visiting bike shops, but then there is plenty of sightseeing to take in. From its particularly rich history of the last thousand years, there is so much to see from feudal times of Samurai warriors, Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines. Maybe you can jump on the 200 mph Shinkansen Bullet train to Kyoto, which was the capital city for eleven centuries going back to 794 AD. There is no way you will be bored. In case you are the type that says you don’t care to travel, think about its similarities to riding a motorcycle. Everyone knows their senses are heightened and how good it feels when they’re out riding a bike. Well, that’s what travel can do for you and that’s how good it can make you feel. For more info: http:// yokohamahotrodcustomshow.com

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Article And Photos By: Daniel Donley

www.pandemoniumcustomchoppers.com

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ver the previous months, I have been reaching out to readers and industry professionals looking for a problem or situation and its fix. Some of the problems range from being broke down on the side of the road to some situations in the shop that include fabrication, painting, electrical, troubleshooting, etc.… This month’s offering for “99 Problems” is a good mix.

A lot of us know that having a small shop can have its limitations. We

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need to be creative when it comes to storage solutions. Well, here is an idea for you. Take your storage up.

Yes, up. This is 8’ x 2.5” footprint on the floor, with the use of storage bins and organizing containers. I have a workbench, a teardown station with oil catch can, a place to store steel of random lengths. The totes can store 5 completely disassembled engines and all their random parts. With both

sides being open you and another person can work on one or multiple projects at one time. The vise and wood tabletop are also helpful to keep from damaging parts. You also notice the addition of magnets to hold tools close at reach so you’re not walking all over the shop gathering tools so you can work. And last but not least, it’s a good place to hang out and drink beer with your buddies.

Running your wiring internally for that clean look. It’s not really a problem…. but it could be a problem if done incorrectly. The biggest problem I have seen when doing this is the passthrough holes that are drilled have not been deburred enough, this can cut right through the wiring and cause a dead short that can cause you to pull your hair out trying to find. #1 Have a plan. #2 Drill your holes and deburr them entirely inside and out using a small round file. #3 Use a pull wire to pull the wiring through the frame, MiG welding wire works excellent. #4 Leave plenty of extra wire, so you have something to work with. I have found that it takes about 30 feet of wiring to do a basic wiring harness on most bikes.

into threaded holes. Vapor honing is more of a finish process and does not hard pack into threaded holes but sill leaves behind residue. Either process produces positive results visually.

But if you are going to do either, do yourself a huge favor and give all blasted parts a hot water soapy bath and blow dry with compressed air until all media has been removed.

Clean.. clean.. clean.. is the name of the game! Left behind blasting media will destroy a fresh engine fast!

fun machine is not in use for a period of time, it is best to run the engine out of fuel so that it does not remain in the carburetors and gum and goo the inside of them. Cleaning carburetors on that “supposed to be fun” day is not so fun. I try to use ethanol-free gas whenever I can. It lasts much longer.

A torque wrench can be your friend or your worst enemy. Taking care of this tool will allow it to be your friend. IF you drop it and it hits the floor..typically, that one becomes junk. If you do not back off the torque adjusting handle to Zero after every use, this can be a problem too. If the torque wrench is put away with the handle not backed off, it can create a memory in the torque wrench and throw off the calibration. When putting your tool away be sure NOT to drop it and ALWAYS adjust to Zero.

One of the most overlooked tools in your shop is your air compressor, they’re not cheap take care of it and it will continue to take care of you. Be sure to drain your tank of water and

moisture on a daily or weekly basis.

This will keep corrosion and rust from happening inside your tank.

So, you’re doing an engine rebuild and you want to freshen up the look of those aluminum cases and castings.

Blasting them with gal glass bead or vapor honing them are great options to get that fresh-looking appearance.

Dry blasting is very aggressive and removes material fast. It also leaves behind residue and hard packs it

Gasoline…It is used in just about everything that is fun. Unfortunately, we are not able to have fun all the time. And with the quality of gasoline today... it basically sucks. When your

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you. If you keep buying parts from Amazon that little parts shop around the corner might not be able to keep them in stock. Support them, and they will support you. Last time I checked Amazon does not have a tech line for how to install motorcycle parts.

you don’t know, and it doesn’t make sense. A wonderful thing to have is the actual hard copy manual for the bike or machine you are working on.

It holds every bit of information that you need to know to fix your machine.

Go buy a manual!

it will make the rim corrode over time and create a problem for you down the road. It will not allow the rim and tire to hold air because it is corroded.

Calling all readers and industry professionals please submit problems with fixes and PICS to the email below .

If there is something that you would like to see a Tech article on, please call me or email me with your idea!

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at the shop anytime 419-576-6812

The internet is a great and wonderful thing…Or is it? Forums are a great source and wealth of information that gets repeated over and over again.

Sometimes they can lose tidbits of information and become misleading or hard to understand. Sometimes so many parts are missing that it’s hard for you to complete your project because you get to a point where

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Daniel Donley Pandemonium Custom Choppers

So, your bike needs a new set of tires or maybe the lawnmower. Tackle the project yourself. When switching out the old tires with the new use a lubricant to make the process easier.

DO NOT USE SOAPY WATER! Soap is a corrosive to aluminum and steel;

Facebook- Pandemonium Custom Choppers Instagram – pandemoniumc2 info@pandemoniumcustomchoppers.com www.pandemoniumcustomchoppers.com

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ogan Kinsey is a gas pipeline worker from Narvon, PA, a small, rural town located about an hour outside of Philadelphia. I first came across Logan’s badass ’79 shovelhead on Instagram.

Although we live in neighboring towns, we never crossed paths until I noticed his head-turning build online. After that, there

were many times while I was making my way around the county that I caught a glimpse of him and his roommate tooling around on their rad choppers.

Just like most of us, Logan started riding street BMX when he was a kid and eventually got into dirt bikes. After running through several dirt bikes, he moved up to a ’96 Softail. He

was always working on bikes and would make changes to them that would suit his style.

Shortly after he had an accident with the Softail, he was reviewing online actions and came across the ’79 shovelhead pictured here, Blue Hoon,. It was on a different stretched hardtail, with a fat back wheel and a tall sissy bar, not so much Logan’s style.

Article And Photos By: Daniel Venditto

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He rode it like that for about two weeks until he just couldn’t take it anymore. He quickly ripped it apart, bought a Paughco frame, a different front end and wheels. It didn’t take long for him to replace everything until the only original parts remaining were the engine and the transmission. Soon after that, he switched out a few minor parts and then had a local bud rework the paint. Although he had a little help with the welding from his dad, as well as paint and some other small details from friends, he did most of the work himself. He estimates the entire build took him a little over three months.

Logan’s passion for old school choppers drove him to the shovelhead engine. With so many choices provided by online cruising, the shovel really speaks to the builder who has his mindset on the classic chopper style. Knowing Logan, it’s easy to believe that he would put together a bike with such a classic look. From the time I stepped into the shop he shares with his roommate Zach, and some other buds, I knew it had the vibe of an old-time shop. I could tell that the inspiration came from old school chopper videos. He explains that a good amount of the build time was spent in the shop alone or with Zach just getting away from the daily grind and jamming out. He has learned a lot by digging into things to see where it would take him. For example, the motor

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needed gaskets. Although he had never tackled this particular area before, he gave it a shot and eventually figured it out. A lot of the times, he would make two or three attempts before he got it just right. Logan is forthcoming and is willing to describe all of the hurdles he faced with this build. He chronicles his hits and misses with the project, as well as his good times on the road and in the shop with his crew, on social media.

His inspiration for the color scheme came from his deceased grandfather, who built a ’67 Camaro for Logan’s grandmother. Since he was such a fan of the Camaro, Logan decided to go with the

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Blue Hoon Tech Sheet Owner: Logan Kinsey City/State: Narvon, Pennsylvania Builder: Logan Kinsey Year: 1979 Model: Shovelhead Value: Unknown Time: 3-4 Months ENGINE Year: 1979 Model: Shovelhead Builder: Unknown Ignition: Unknown Displacement: Unknown Pistons: Unknown Heads: Unknown Carb: S & S Cam: Unknown Air Cleaner: S & S Exhaust: Paughco Upsweeps Primary: Harley Open Chain TRANSMISSION Year: 1965 Make: Harley-Davidson Shifting: 4 Speed FRAME Year: Unknown Model: Paughco Rake: 3 degrees Stretch: 0 Forks Builder: Harley-Davidson Type: Narrow Sporty Triple Trees: Harley-Davidson Extension: Unknown WHEELS Front Wheel: Unknown Size: 21” Tire: Speed Master Front Brake: None Rear Wheel: Star Hub Size: 18” Tire: Speed Master Rear Brake: Unknown PAINT Painter: Dan Nunamaker Color: Blue Type: Unknown Graphics: Flames Chroming: Unknown ACCESSORIES Bars: Regatta Risers: Harley-Davidson Hand Controls: None Foot Controls: Harley-Davidson Gas Tank(s): Harley-Davidson Peanut Oil Tank: Unknown Front fender: None Rear Fender: Unknown Seat: Self made Headlight: Harley-Davidson Tail light: Unknown Speedo: None Photographer: Daniel N. Venditto

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same color. This entire shovel build has been dedicated to his grandfather. He even had a friend hand paint an image of his grandfather on the oil tank.

After the many changes and revisions to the initial build, he had to make some minor touchups to the paint, but it still looks like and as good as the day he had it done.

For now, Logan plans to keep this badass shovel and make changes and updates as he sees fit. I look forward to catching him and Zach tearing up the county roads on their rad, old school choppers.

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S

o, you just dragged home a that crusty Triumph or Harley from some craigslist ad, and you get her running.

As you set out for your maiden voyage and you pull the clutch lever in, nothing happens, and the bike dies.

The likely answer to your problem is your clutch plates are stuck together from sitting in some Joe Schmo’s garage the past 10 plus years. Our head tech here at Lowbrow Customs, Todd Muller purchased a pretty raw 1970 650 Triumph chopper at our last swap & meet and low and behold that same scenario happened to him.

So we are going to walk you through on what to inspect and replace under that primary cover “to make her ride like the wind.”

First order of business, you have to see what evil lurks underneath the primary cover by actually removing it. It is easiest on this bike to simply remove the rear motor mount and leave the brake pedal and peg

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Article By: Lowbrow Customs Photos By: Mikey Revolt / Lowbrow Customs attached to gain access for removal of the primary cover. It is held by two bolts to the motor and one nut to the frame.

Once removed, do a once over on the Primary cover and look for cracks near the front 2 larger holes where the studs come through, they are prone to cracking there from overtightening.

Now that we have the rear mount off remove that pesky cover. Todd chose to put a drip pan underneath the bike instead of draining it because you are going to have to clean it up anyway.

It’s always good to do a quick visual

inspection of the clutch components once the primary cover has been removed before disassembling the components.

Using a special tool that you can purchase SKU 000489 Clutch Spring Adjusting Tool, you can remove the three clutch spring nuts.

One thing, in particular, Todd noticed right away was how far the primary shoe was adjusted upwards on this particular bike. This is one indication of a chain being beyond its useful life.

We have new chains SKU 001301 available at lowbrowcustoms.com along with a tons of replacement parts and tools to help you restore your clutch back to new. If the shoe is worn out really bad we also suggest to replace that as well with SKU 001325.

Once those nuts are removed, you can take the pressure plate springs and cups off all in one motion. Now would be an excellent time to take a look at your springs. The springs need to be equal length, and you can check them on a workbench; if any look bent or distorted, we also carry

replacements, SKU 001323.

Next, you will remove the 6 plain steel and friction plates; generally if they are stuck together they will come out all in one lump sum. Some may come out separate while others will be stuck together. Notice on Todd’s new bike; there were a bunch stuck together hence the reason we disassembled it in the first place.

Now is the time to get your plates unstuck and inspect the little tangs

FIND TEN DIFFERENT THINGS ON THE SEED 1. Extra Bolt Boss On Rear Rocker Cover. 2. Larger Air Cleaner. 3. Extra Carb Support. 4. Longer Kicker Pedal. 5. Missing Logo On Magneto. 6. Color Of Lid On Magneto. 7. Missiing Bolt On Oil Pump. 8. Extra Bolt On Exhaust Flange. 9. Panhead Screws On Generator Mount Instead Of Hex Heads. 10.

Longer Pushrod Colar On Rear Exhaust Pushrod

NO THERE ISN’T ANY REAL PRIZE, JUST SOMETHING TO DO WHILE YOU’RE IN THE CAN.

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on both plain steel and friction plates.

If they are hammered or distorted, it’s time to replace those babies with some of ours plain steel plates SKU 001303 and friction plates SKU 007014.

Slide clutch pushrod out of the center of the main shaft. Inspect each end of the pushrod to see if they are mushroomed and also check if the rod is straight. You can replace with SKU 002508.

the puller in then tighten center nut on puller, this will pop the clutch center off of the taper of the main shaft.

hub. Inspect the rollers for pitting and also inspect the race on the center of the basket. You also need to look at where the rollers ride on the hub.

Replacement rollers are SKU 006039

If the front drive sprocket doesn’t want to come off the splines on the crank shaft, a puller can be used by threading into the two holes on the sprocket, be careful not to damage the threads on the end of the crank shaft.

Inspect bearings

The clutch center hub can be rebuilt with new drive rubbers SKU 006029.

In order to remove the clutch basket and front drive sprocket, you must now remove the stator followed by the rotor.

Once the stator is removed, the rotor should slide right off the crankshaft followed by the key and the spacer.

Next we are going to remove the nut from the main shaft in the center of the clutch assembly. Then utilizing a puller SKU 000488 there are threads on the clutch center, and their purpose is only for this tool to be used. Thread

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You must remove the clutch basket, chain, and front sprocket at the same time.

Now would also be a good time to take a peek at the final drive sprocket to see if the teeth are starting to hook and may be in need of replacement. It is just behind the round cover with the 6 screws in it where the main shaft is sticking out.

Remove the clutch center hub from the basket. Next thing we want to look at is the clutch bearings. There will be qty of 20 rollers in between the center of the clutch basket and clutch center

If the grooves are worn you can simply replace the entire hub with SKU 001302.

Now we need to inspect the clutch basket teeth and grooves for wear. If any of these are worn badly you should replace the basket with a new one SKU 001300.

Also, inspect the front sprocket for wear.

The moral of the story is when doing your clutch inspection, and some or all of your parts look like they are on the verge of wearing out. Now would be a good time to go ahead and replace those parts. This way you know you will have a smooth operating clutch and primary drive system for years to come. Assembly is reverse of disassembly once you have all your components back in order, and everything is Torqued to spec; as Todd always says, “GO FOR A RIDE!”

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admit it: I hate going out during the frigid winter months.

Call me a sissy if you like, but I will still find every excuse to stay in that I can…that is unless a killer motorcycle event draws my attention.

“Cheap Thrills,” in Asbury Park NJ, was one of those events! Handbuilt motorcycles, a big killer swap meet, tons of entertainment, and a fantastic photography show (called Monochrome) were just a few of the kick-ass sights to see. It didn’t take too long to convince my buddy into taking the trip from Baltimore to NJ. We made the decision and took off.

The convention center was

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Article And Photos By: Deb Fitch located on the boardwalk. It was cold as shit as we made our

way to the center. Chunks of ice washed up on the beach, and

even the seagulls looked pissed off. Despite the frigid temp we carried on. When we finally walked in, we didn’t give a crap about the chill in the air.

Bikes were rolling in; vendors were setting up, and the swap meet quickly pulled in everyone’s attention and kept us occupied while we waited for the event to kick-off. Since we were there early, I was able to squeeze through and take some killer photos before the crowd would begin to close in. My buddy and I were also able to talk to the builders one on one and checked out the bikes while we had room to breathe.

The bikes…masterpieces…

As it were, when the doors opened, a rush of folks of all ages from all over the country poured in. Anxious spectators surrounded the bikes, while many began immediately to rummage at the swap meet. I guess the early bird does get the worm. As we ventured along, the vendors were proudly selling their goodst-shirts, custom chopper parts, artwork, taxidermy, and much, much more. I’ve been to many events but nothing like this. There was such a brilliant array of eyecatching items on two floors of greatness that it was hard to take it all in.

The Monochrome Photo Show, curated by Mike Leslie and Travis Tanay, drew extraordinary attention. This show was very special to me because I was invited to present my photographs right next to some of the best photographers in the industry.

Honored doesn’t even begin to explain how I felt. Like so many others, I was drawn into all the works of Austin Johnson, Liam Kennedy, Dean Landry, Mike Leslie, Mikey Revolt, Travis Tanay, and Dan Venditto. Their powerful images captured the motorcycle lifestyle perfectly.

Each black and white photograph, from every artist, was mounted on red doors. It was brilliant!

Ok, it is time…Let’s talk motorcycles, shall we? Everyone who knows me is probably aware of my fondness for old Pans and Knuckles, and they were bountiful at this show. And, truth be told, I couldn’t find a bike I didn’t like. No, I’m not just saying this to satisfy the builders. That is the truth.

Whether it wasTriumphs, Hondas, old Flatheads or shiny Shovels…I was in my glory. Who wouldn’t be?

As the announcers began to hand down the awards, builders hoped that their lucky straw would be pulled, and they would land an award for their masterpiece. In my eyes, every bike there could have been a winner. I honestly couldn’t choose one over another. Winners included, Matthew Waln who took home best in show with his beautiful Panhead, Adam Borst, not only won the People’s Choice but also “Best Chopper” for his CB450, and the “Best Flathead” CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE - December‘19

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went to Tommy Granger.

The event was proudly produced

by Walter Gemeinhardt and Dusty.

Those two men were responsible for putting on this bad-ass show.

Dusty, who lives in Asbury Park, knows all about the motorcycle legacies of the town. He and Walter wanted to create an east

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coast show, and boy did they.

Four years later, the show is still going and growing! Many killer sponsors also helped to make it an amazing event. Dusty wanted me to give a shout out, and big thank you to Bike Barn, Biltwell, Lowbrow, and everyone else that helped the show go on!

If you haven’t checked out the show, “Cheap Thrills” in NJ, I suggest you do! See you there next year!

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f

uel takes place deep in the heart of Cleveland, Ohio, and is an incredible motorcycle show. This year’s show moved to a new venue, the Madison, which is situated on a busy street near downtown.

Fuel caters to all walks of motorcycle life - from chopper dudes to cafe racers, vintage lovers, and folks who’ve never seen a motorcycle up close. It’s a free show, so the average family might just walk in off the street to see what it’s about. In

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Article And Photos By: Savannah Rose fact, quite a few families, “average folk” and even some missionaries walked in to check out the show! It

lasts just one day, from 10-8, and is a traditional short show. So you really need to get there early to check it out!

Fuel is hosted

by Mikey Revolt of Forever The Chaos Life, Lowbrow Customs, and Gasbox.

Though this show brings in choppers from across the country, it really is all about the Cleveland locale. And it’s not just motorcycles a variety of photographers and

artists also contribute to the event, so there is a variety of moto culture.

Mikey says that the show is free because it’s the only way it made sense to them. They wanted to give back to the motorcycle community.

Fuel has a bunch of great sponsors who help so the show can be kept free to attendees. Because so many shows are based on the west and east coasts, this show provides a platform for talented builders and artists to be noticed that might not otherwise be recognized. Mikey hopes to inspire people to create, whether it’s a gasoline-powered machine or art.

As you enter the venue grounds, vendors lined the outdoor parking lot, selling everything from motorcycle parts to apparel, vintage wares, and of course, there were tents selling cocktails from Sailor Jerry. And always there is beer.

Next to the beer tent were the best empanadas I’ve ever had! Vendors from the likes of Led Sled Customs, to Deathbed Edition, Wisco Speed Shop, Heavy, and even Trackerdie were among the many vendors.

Inside the show, the air conditioning and polished concrete floors made for a classy atmosphere (well, as classy as a chopper show can really get!) and kept things cool to beat the CLE heat. The white walls of the venue made a dramatic backdrop for the colorful array of motorcycles, and that polished floor held up well with the inevitable leaky H-D! The variety of bikes was excellent and included a beautiful white Magnum swingarm custom from Josh Kohn to Justin Well’s wellraced boardtrack racer. There was a vintage Indian from Cody Beland, and a cool cafe’d Kawi by Matt Kopp. JP Rodman brought out “The Third Reich.” This was his third in a series of crazy 70’s trikes and was powered by a VW engine. And boy, does it wheelie! A cool Sporty chop from Ace Goulet showed up, next to Zane Cook of Old Bike Barn’s Kawi chopper (a personal favorite of mine, as I adore tiny, tiny choppers).

A killer purple cone-shovel from the Butcher Shop sat pretty near the photography walls. Justin Valcourt brought out “The Bad Trip” an insane survivor-ish Panhead chopper straight out of the 70s.

There was photography from Revolt himself, along with others like Geoff Kowalchuk, and Ken Carvajal.

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The photos all spotlighted moments in chopper history. Each piece was captured by a pro behind a lens.

Hand-painted artwork also lined the walls. The works featured the likes of Darren McKeag, art from Devil Chicken Design, Grail Ogzewalla, Shawn Long of Imperial House, as well as many other talented artists. A noted favorite was Shawn’s pinstriped sign… “the grass is not always greener on Instagram,” which is a sentiment shared by many.

As is norm for this Cleveland show, the natives got restless in the afternoon and took to the streets.

Wheels up and burnouts began, entertaining the crowd until the cops finally had to shut it down when it became rush hour, and traffic started backing up on the street. To be fair, they DID let the guys wheelie for a couple hours and seemed very entertained themselves! Multiple guys hopped on bikes and hit 10, 11 and even 12 o clock wheelies.

They were on everything from Sportsters and Dynas to a bagger, a KTM dirtbike, and more. Onlookers watched as Kohn flew his sidecar down the street with any willing passenger around.

Even the parking lot was a show.

There was everything from 45’s to Panheads, knuckleheads, choppers, and more made appearances.

Sometimes invites are given out to participate in next year’s show to some of the awesome bikes parked right outside in the lot.

Every year, Fuel gets bigger and better. Cleveland does, in fact, rock, and the party surrounding the show gets crazier every year. This year saw the pre-party hosted at a local brewery, and the streets were lined with motorcycles for blocks. If you’re anywhere in the Midwest in July, you should be riding your chop to this show! The weather is always beautiful that weekend, and there’s no excuse to miss a great show, AND you can lay down some miles getting there.

Be sure to stay tuned to Fuel Cleveland’s website at https:// fuelcleveland.blogspot.com/ or their IG @fuelcleveland so you don’t miss the 2020 offering. I know Cycle Source will be there in full force!

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i

n 1964 at the age of 14 Steve had his motorcycle license. He was riding a Yamaha 80 and since has had several bikes, including a couple of Triumphs!

In 1975 Steve bought his first Harley-Davidson, the Mecca of all motorcycles. It was a brand new 1975 XLCH Sportster, with a kickstart. The dealership had fitted the bike with a cobra seat and dual exhaust, but it had stock steel wheels. He talked them into swapping the wheels off the electric start bike sitting beside it and took it home. That

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year Steve set out and rode to Sturgis for the first time with the mindset that he was now the owner of a Harley-Davidson.

He thought that we he got there he would automatically be accepted into some type of brotherhood of Harley owners.

He quickly found out that wasn’t the case. “Nice bike, for a girl,” and other comments were thrown his way, and he figured out he was at the bottom of the food chain on that Sporty. At the top were the guys who owned Pre-AMF Harley’s, hardtails,

generator Shovelheads, those were the cool bikes. He stored this information away, and in 1990 put it to use when he built the bike you see here!

Starting with a pile of parts he’d traded a Honda ThreeWheeler for, Steve set out to build a bike that was nice to look at, one that flowed, one that he could be proud to ride to Sturgis.

He didn’t want a bike that would get lost in the crowd of the other bikes. He knew it had to be a rigid, it had to be a Shovelhead, and it had to be a hand-shift.

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At the time, he was working as a forklift operator, a job he eventually retired from. The levers of the forklift were designed to fit perfectly in your hand. The first piece he ordered for the new build was a knob from those levers that he would use as the shifter knob.

He eventually had to modify it to make it work, but it was a perfect fit.

Going through the parts pile, as we all do, he found things he knew he wasn’t going to use. He traded those for more “drag style” parts.

He ended up ordering a rigid frame from a local shop, he remembers carrying it out of the shop over his shoulder and thinking, wow, I have a long way to go. He carefully put the bike together, thinking everything through as he went along. He found the process to be intimidating and overwhelming at times. He didn’t have a network of people to help him, and he had to figure everything out on his own.

His engine was a 52 Panhead with a 66 Shovelhead top end, so he bought a comprehensive shop manual for a Panhead and found that it was his biggest ally.

Using a super trap tail section, he handmade the exhaust so it would flow perfectly in the rigid frame. He

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took his time and paid attention to the little details. Did you notice the rear fender? It is an Electra Glide front fender turned backward, with a channel running through it for the chain to keep that flow he was looking for. He really wanted the bike to be ergonomically correct, and his time and patience shows!

He eventually got the bike built, gathered all the necessary paperwork and headed down to the Highway Patrol to start the title process. Now, we all know how nerve-racking this can be, and how big a pain in ass it is. Steve thought everything would go smoothly because he had taken precautions.

He had the engine numbers run when he first got it and was told they were good and hadn’t been registered in over seven-years.

So, it should be a piece of cake, right? NOPE… when the Highway Patrol ran the numbers the came back to a bike that was currently registered in another state. They requested that he bring the bike to them so they could sort it out. Well, being the smart guy that he is,

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BAR HOPPER TECH SHEET Owner: Steve Masters City/State: Greeley, CO Builder: Steve Masters Year: 1994 Model: Generator Shovelhead Value: $15,000 Invested Time: Off And On 4 Years ENGINE Model: Generator Shovelhead Builder: Scott Yamasaki/Scotts Motors Ignition: H-D Points Displacement: 93 Cubic Inch Pistons: S&S Heads: 1966 H-D Carb: S&S Super E Cam: S&S 585 Air Cleaner: S&S Exhaust: Owner/Super Trapp Primary: Primo 3 Inch Pullys/2 1½ Inch Belts TRANSMISSION Year: 1957 Make: H-D Shifting: Suicide Clutch Jocky Shift FRAME Year: 1988 Model: Santee Rake: 3 Degrees Over Stock Stretch: 2” Up FORKS Builder: H-D Type: Wide Glide Triple Trees: Stock Extension: Stock WHEELS Front Wheel: H-D Spoke Size: 21” Tire: Avon Speedmaster Front Brake: H-D Disc Rear Wheel: H-D Spoke Size: 16” Tire: Avon Venom Rear Brake: 1957 Mechanical H-D PAINT Painter: None Color: Natural Metal Type: None Graphics: 3 Stickers Chroming: Stock ACCESSORIES Bars: Flanders Drag Bars Risers: 3” Pullbacks Hand Controls: Harley-Davidson Foot Controls: Clutch & Mechanical Brake Gas Tank(S): Paughco 4 Gallon Fat Bobs Oil Tank: Paughco Front Fender: None Rear Fender: Backward FLH Front Fender Seat: LePera Solo Headlight: Bates Tail Light: H-D Tombstone Speedo: Fat Bob H-D Photographer: Melissa Shoemaker

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and with the advice of a friend who happened to be a local Sheriff’s Deputy, he pulled the motor out of the bike and stripped it down and only took them the cases. Sure enough, they found the numbers had been modified, and they kept the cases. Steve then ordered new cases from STD and started over with the motor. He eventually got the bike finished in 1994 and on the advice of others decided to wait to paint it to make sure he had all the bugs worked out.

He took it to Sturgis, and the bike was a hit. A small magazine had shots of it in one of their issues, a videographer did a piece on it, it was already gaining notoriety.

Steve decided to leave it bare metal and used Scotch Brite pads to keep it fresh. After a few years of riding it he decided to race it and joined the AHDRA, which was the only association that would allow hand

shift bikes in their races. He raced it a couple of years, it was basically a stock 74” motor with mild cams, and he was turning 14.0 at 99 mph.

Two years ago, Masters decided it was time for a refresh, and he had Scotts Motors in Colorado do a full S&S rebuild on the engine using the S&S Sidewinder kit, making it a 93 cu and it dyno’d at 100hp. He is still bringing the bike to Sturgis, which is where I had the chance to meet Steve and photograph the bike.

When I asked him what his favorite bike was, he replied that he currently owns 7 and that his 77 Electra is definitely the most comfortable, but that, in a play on Will Roger’s famous quote - “I have never met a bike I didn’t like.”

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I

n today’s fast-paced world of high technology and the ever-dominant bottom line, it comes as no surprise that many skills of craftsman are being lost to the world of automation.

Time is the ultimate commodity both in life and in business, and when it comes to producing parts in a large manufacturing shop managing time consumption is a high priority. In these shops, cutting tools are often seen as a disposable item. From a financial standpoint it is often more lucrative to simply trash dull cutting tools rather than spend the time resharpening them. This decision is not black and white; it varies from shop to shop based on the production of the shop and the mentality of those individuals running the shop. In some cases, cutting tools may be sent out to a third party for sharpening, while other shops may invest in equipment to sharpen their own tools in house.

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Article By: Will Ramsey Photos By: Craig “Leg Day” Harriman Again, these decisions are most often driven by viewing time in terms of profit and loss as so many decisions are made in large scale business.

Let’s view this from the world of custom motorcycles and hand-built choppers. Our shops are smaller and generally have been established due to a passion for building our own bikes. As that passion takes hold and our desires increase, we find ourselves learning new skills sets and developing as craftsmen. For some of us this passion becomes our lively hood, and that is where many crossroads intersect. Hopefully the passion for quality outweighs the need for the extra dollar. If so, then there is hope that the skillsets and craftmanship continues to take precedent and evolve as the business does. In a passionate small shop, cutting tools such as a drill bit are often sharpened in house. The

popular and affordable drill doctor machine can be seen in the corner of many fab shops. As convenient as this machine is, I feel like it has done a disservice to builders who chose to purchase a Drill Doctor in lieu of learning how to sharpen a drill bit by hand on a bench grinder.

I was very fortunate early on to be taught how to hand grind high-speed steel lathe bits and drills. Even as I have progressed into carbide insert tooling, the basic understanding of cutting tool geometry that I learned from hand grinding my own tools has been invaluable. And at no time do I find myself handicapped by a lack of equipment. There would be nothing more embarrassing to me than to find myself in someone else’s shop unable to do something because they do not have an expensive machine that I have become dependent upon. This is the reason that anyone

who has apprenticed with me or learned anything from me had to start with the bare minimum. Kekoa welded for nearly a year in the shop with a passive welding hood on a transformer welder with an air-cooled torch. I did not let him use the inverter welder or one of my nice hoods. It was important to me that he be able to hold his own fabricating in any shop with any amount of equipment.

We still maintain this philosophy today, even with CNC machines and a dyno. If the power goes out, we still know how to use files and weld with an O/A Torch!! The following is a very basic step by step on sharpening a drill bit by hand.

Standard drill bits are commonly ground to 118 degrees or 135

degrees. The 118 is most common and best used for softer material ranging from aluminum to mild steel.

135-degree drill are best for harder materials like higher carbon alloy steel and stainless steel. A drill gauge like the one pictured allows you to check for both angles.

It is important to dress the grinding wheel flat and square before you begin grinding your drill bit. You are looking to create a sharp straight chisel edge. If the grinding wheel is not flat, then your drill edge will not be straight.

When addressing the wheel with the drill bit, you want to maintain about a 15-degree angle while keeping the cutting edge parallel to the horizon. Begin by only grinding for 3-5 seconds and then rotate the drill 180 degrees in your hand to grind the opposite side. With concentrated practice you will find that your hands have the ability to repeat the same relative position quite accurately.

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must lift the drill bit up and tilt it back to cut the relief behind the chisel edge of the drill. Do not twist the drill. As with any skill, this will take practice, but it is well worth the effort!!

in this picture. This process can decrease drilling pressure and help to center a drill if a spot drill is unavailable. However, this can also reduce the strength of the drill tip.

The goal is to create to equal length cutting edges while maintaining symmetry about the 118-degree geometry of the drill tip. The drill guide is exceptional in illustrating what needs to be corrected. This is where some addition magnification can be very helpful. Take your time and return to the wheel as much as is needed to get a straight, equal, and symmetrical cutting edge.

Now you should have a wellsharpened drill bit, and you are ready to make some twisty chips. On some occasions and with larger drill bits it may be beneficial to thin the web of the drill.

The final test is to dig into some steel and see how the drill bit cuts. You want to see nice sharp twists of metal, and you should notice a decrease in pressure from the previous dull drill bit.

Faith Forgotten Choppers has grown substantially over the last decade, but even with all the high dollar equipment I have acquired over this time, I have stayed rooted in our mission to maintain and promote craftsmanship and blue-collar American made products. As advances occur in the industry, we have the ability to move forward, yet the responsibility to hold onto traditional skills. I often say this is fast becoming a “faith forgotten” …

While grinding look closely at the cutting edge. You will be able to see thin line of sparks at the edge. As you learn to read the sparks, you will find that when this thin line is complete, you will have a straight sharp edge across the grinding wheel.

Using the sharp corner of the grinding wheel, the webbing of the drill bit can be relieved. Be very aware of the sharp cutting edge that will be running up close to the side of the grinding wheel. One false move here, and your drill is no longer sharp.

On the final pass of each edge, you

The relief in the webbing is illustrated

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w

hen you hear the name Brad Richards, today at least, you might automatically recognize him for the work he does day in and day out with the Harley-Davidson Motor Company as their VP of Design, but the story I got was of a man who is as passionate about old bikes as he is about the artistic integrity he shows them in his builds.

Brad came out of Industrial Design School with the ability to go anywhere, but unlike some of his classmates who had goals of

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working for Porsche or some of the other international automotive brands, Brad simply wanted to work for an American Company making American products.

This led to his gig at Ford Motor Company, where he was chief designer responsible for products like the all Aluminum 2015 F-150, the 2015 Raptor, and yes, you guessed it, the Ford H-D Series trucks. This was where he initially met Willie G. and the design team at Harley-Davidson.

Growing up in Detroit, Richards was immersed in the “anything

with wheels” culture, but it was in his mid-20’s when a neighbor with an original 1941 knucklehead changed his life. From that point on, Brad was all in on Harleys. I asked him how that love for old bikes, and especially the details he puts into one of his builds, is translated into the work he does for Harley. His answer was one that I had never given much thought to until our conversation.

There is a thing in design known as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd read. The 1st is when you see an object go by from a distance, you see the

Article By: Chris Callen Photos By:Michael Lichter

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silhouette and proportions, and if it captures your eye you are drawn to it. The 2nd is when you go to a dealer to see a little more of it, and from ten or 20 feet, you start to appreciate the details of it. The 3rd often doesn’t come until you are on your hands and knees washing a bike and really get to see the small details, how the wires are run, the of hardware used in its construction, and even subtle branding. This is where Brad feels Harley has always succeeded, the founders invented the idea of their bikes always revealing themselves, and that’s what he strives to carry on.

When you look at a HarleyDavidson, it is simply a setting for the centerpiece that is the motor, and that’s how it was for Brad’s build as well. He had found an original ’62 motor back when he was still working in Detroit. During his lunch hour, he would stop by John Count’s old shop, and one day as he walked up to the place there in the window was this motor. John was a railroad man but started buying old bikes and parts before anyone knew what they would be worth someday.

Being a designer through and through Brad took the traditional approach, he started with sketches and a full photo-realistic rendering of it, he finished back in 2013. Once he was satisfied with the look, the work began.

The mill went out to Terry Godschalk, where it would start the resurrection process. Walter from Kickstart in NJ had a mid50’s frame that had a little bend in it from a hit, and with a bit of help from Fab Kevin it was made straight again, Kevin even tabbed up a motor mount. That first part set the tone. Ry Seidler and Brad had built several bikes, including one for Born Free 6. Richards says they have a unique relationship, he provides the creative and Ry translates those ideas to the material. An incredibly talented fabricator, Ry often enhances the project with his own interpretation of Brad’s vision. For instance, the pipes on this build Brad had them 2 inches taller, but Ry made an adjustment due to the compact design of the bike’s stance. The more Brad looked at it, the more

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he knew it was the right move.

Now, this sounds like the story is moving right along, but all in, this was, as Brad stated, one of his longest builds ever. It had been some 5 years since the motor was rebuilt, and not until Michael Lichter

called with an invitation to the “Passion Built” exhibit did the fire get lit. We laughed in agreement that Michael has that effect on us all.

Anyway, from that point on, it was top gear. Brad and Ry had become so comfortable in their process

that during the time Richards was working at Harley, they did most of their collaboration for this build over the phone. After three incredible bikes, they could finish each other’s sentences when it came to this build, it would be important here for sure. You see, Brad’s bikes, in his words, are always somewhat traditional, but he wanted this one to be very compact & ultra-clean. So much so that he says it’s a little uncomfortable for a man of his size, but the point was to see how tight they could make it.

It’s fully functional, don’t get me wrong, but this was an exercise in minimalism. Features like the Evo Fat Bobs that were skinned up and mated, the Honda fender that was radiused to match the 18” Speedmaster and the smooth lines front to back all add up to a rolling platform for that beautiful motor.

Brad says that you can tell a lot about a person from how

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THE SEED TECH SHEET Owner: Brad Richards City/State: Grafton, Wi Builder: Brad Richards - Design / Ry Seidler - Fabrication Year: 1962 Model: Panhead Value: More To Me Than It’s Probably Worth!

Time: 7 Years Engine Year: 1962 Model: Panhead Builder: Terry Godschalk Ignition: Morris Displacement: 1200cc Pistons: Can’t Remember?

Heads: STD (From My First Bonneville LSR) Carb: S&S Super E Cam: Mild-Ish Sifton Air Cleaner: Kim Boyle Exhaust: Custom / Brad & Ry Primary: Open, Custom / Brad & Ry Transmission Year: 60’s Make: Harley-Davidson Shifting: Jockey Frame Year: Mid 50’s Model: Straight Leg Rake: Stock Stretch: None Forks Builder: Swedish Made In The Late 90’s Type: Stock H-D Inline Springer Triple Trees: Custom / Brad & Ry Extension: None Wheels Front Wheel: Akron Size: 21” Tire: Avon Speedmaster Front Brake: None Rear Wheel: Akron Size: 18” Tire: Avon Speedmaster Rear Brake: Stock Mechanical H-D Paint Painter: Ry Seidler Color: Nissan Green Type: PPG Graphics: None Chroming: Can’t Remember Accessories Bars: Custom / Brad & Ry Risers: Custom / Brad & Ry Hand Controls: Custom / Brad & Ry Foot Controls: Custom / Brad & Ry Gas Tank(S): Evo / Brad & Ry Oil Tank: H-D / Brad & Ry Front Fender: None Rear Fender: Honda / Brad & Ry Seat: River Seat Co. Headlight: Lowbrow Customs Taillight: Kim Boyle Speedo: None Photographer: Michael Lichter

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they build a bike, what they like, what parts really turn them on.

For him, it’s about an overall clean aesthetic and the composition of all the parts working together to create one statement. He was super strict about the lines and forced himself to stay true to the goal of not having a bad corner angle from start to finish.

If he wasn’t happy with a part, it was removed and reworked or rebuilt. He thanks God that Ry is a tolerant man because, by the end of the project, it was even painted several times.

Back when he was still at Ford, Brad had found his way into a House Of Kolor book and thought he found the most perfect green in the world.

Of course, he had wanted to make a green bike ever since the old boy John told him how unlucky they were. Anyway, Brad gave the paint number to Ry, and after he came down from the $500 price tag the bike was shot, and they both knew right away this was the wrong green.

It came out like a metallic John Deer color, far from what Brad had in his sketch. Rye talked him into looking at a PPG color book, and despite wanting an old American car color, he chose an ’86 Nissan Green that was like a deep earthy British racing green. When the air cleared, it was perfect, a sneaky kind of paint that sometimes looks brown, sometimes black, and other times a deep green.

The front end was a swap from another of Brad’s bikes, a little red Shovel he bought from Dave Price in South Dakota. Had had the frontend leftover after he put a narrow springer on the Shovel and knew that once he gave it some polish time, it would be perfect for the green bike. There are plenty of swap meet parts to talk about too, like the mid 60’s tranny, but one, in particular, was the oil tank he scored for $14. Now, before you go getting all excited, it was destroyed. Only through the patience and vision of Ry was the thing made into what you see on this beauty today. Ry did a bunch of neat little tricks on this thing like all the covers on the open primary and the perfect fit of that rear fender. Seidler sounds like a solid cat to know.

So, the rest of the particulars you can get from the tech sheet, my job is to tell you the story of where it came from. So good, this one, that I’ve asked Brad to join us on ShopTalk to discuss his story with all of you. Keep watching for the dates and times on our Facebook page, and as for the next thing he builds, we’ll definitely have pages for it and will be happy to bring it to all of you.

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Article By: Charlie Weisel

i

t won’t take long for the fluttering orange and yellow leaves of Fall to soak in their final rays of sunshine and float peacefully to the earth.

Brown crunchy leaf season is quickly approaching. The skies will likely turn grey. The temperatures will plummet. For many of us our mental health will take a turn for the worse.

This part concerns me the most. It is by no means a secret, or a tall tale, that virtually everyone reading this, besides my Mom, uses motorcycling as a means of therapy. My Mom vacuums. A lot. With the turn of the weather there is less motorcycling.

Less motorcycling means less therapy. Less therapy means an emotional nosedive. Vacuuming is an indoor sport, unaffected by the weather. Maybe we should all vacuum more.

I know, it’s a grim prospect, I’m painting a dark picture. I’m not suggesting we all give up motorcycling and start a vacuuming gang, though my Mom would be the ringleader if we did. I can see it now, a bunch of tattooed bikers yielding Hoovers- Extension cords slung over our shoulders and furniture brushes holstered on our hips. How dare you track dirt on my floor. No, what I’m suggesting is that maybe we all take a minute to realize just how good we have it. Let’s revel in the highlights of this past year’s adventures. Let’s focus on the good and not on that looming dark cloud harboring this season’s first snow.

Don’t worry, I wasn’t held hostage

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by Dr. Phil and brainwashed into only seeing life through the eyes of a Unicorn. I still harbor a healthy amount of bitterness and try to maintain a realistic grip on the world we live in. I suppose maybe I’ve decided that enough is enough. Winter can’t be nearly as bad as I’ve always told myself. A lot of this is stemming from the recent loss of a good friend. Realizing just how fragile life is and how quickly it can be taken away. It’s a tragedy in and of itself that it takes losing someone you care about to wake up and smell the roses.

That’s just the way life is, one person dies, and another is reawakened because of it. It feels a bit selfish to use the loss of someone as a catapult, but that’s just the way it is.

That’s making lemonade out of lemons.

That’s my best attempt at shining a light into the darkness.

Sometimes we need a good bitch slap to the face.

I’m sitting here in my work truck writing this, parked alongside a desolate dirt road. I do this often after work.

It works for me.

Other than the occasional Prius driving by kicking up a cloud of dust, it’s peaceful.

It allows me the space to think about my words. It gives me a moment of pause. I stare at a small lake through my windshield.

I see the Rocky Mountains in my side mirrors. A single prop plane buzzes overhead from the nearby city airport. Another Prius. Thinking about life, what it means and what I’m doing with mine, has always

been a recurring thought pattern in my overactive mind. Often to a degree, that some would deem

unhealthy, but I’ve had worse habits, so I’m ok with it. These thought patterns have been on hyperdrive lately, moving at a speed of 531.889 miles per hour. I credit this increase to no one other than my dear friend Jessi Combs.

On August 27th, 2019 Jessi fired up the jet propulsion powered North American Eagle Supersonic S p e e d Challenger with a mission to become the fastest woman on earth. She needed an average speed in excess of 512.710 mph over the course of two runs to take the crown.

In December of 1976 Kitty O’Neil took to the Alvord Desert and became the woman’s land speed record holder with her speed of 512.710, and it hasn’t been touched since.

The plan was set.

Everything was just as it should be. The engine roared as it sped across the Alvord Desert in Southeast Oregon.

Blue skies overhead. A trail of dust in its wake. The 52,000 horsepower jet engine confidently propelled the vehicle to 100, 200, 300, 400, and onward to an excess of 500mph.

Everything was looking like a success until suddenly... The world went silent.

In a mere fraction of a second, faster than cognitive processing,

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the run was over. No words can describe the feeling that everyone had in that moment. Jessi Combs died that day, but she did not fail.

She left the starting line with a goal in mind and achieved her dreams. Upon verification from the Guinness Book of World Records she will be posthumously crowned the Fastest Woman on Earth with a speed of 531.889 miles per hour.

She left more than just the starting line that day. She left behind her vision. A life committed to empowering and inspiring men and women to dream bigger. To push the boundaries. To break the social norms. More than anything, Jessi was committed to inspiring young woman to take the leap into traditionally male dominated trades.

She did that herself and encouraged others to follow. In a world where many women feel intimidated by the prospect of working in an auto or motorcycle repair shop, Jessi would be behind them lending words of encouragement. Pass a wrench over the shoulder. In a world where women might be hesitant to pick up a welding torch, put on a racing helmet or simply change their own oil, Jessi was standing there, showing them the way. And she was right to do so.

There is absolutely no reason why a woman should ever be made to feel uncomfortable stepping into the trades, the racing circuit, or any environment deemed “traditionally male.”

With her death has come an overwhelming amount of support from all facets of the motorcycle and automotive community. Individuals to well-known corporate entities have stepped up to help keep that dream alive. To stay the course.

Now the Jessi Combs Foundation has been created. Still in its infancy, it is clear that the foundation is well on its way to achieving the dreams of The Fastest Woman on Earth.

I implore you to do what you can to support it. I, for one, believe in its intention and have no doubt that it will do great things. To learn more about it please visit www. jessicombs.com on the web or @thejessicombsfoundation on Instagram.

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j

Joe Marshall owner of the aptly named Joe Marshall Customs (JMC) started in the bike building game years ago when he was still working for the United States Military as an Army lifer. Having been active for twenty-three years in the Army, Joe started messing with bikes like the rest of us. At first, he was content in just changing a few parts, but over time, he learned what he needed to be able to fabricate choppers. His goal was never to build ‘show bikes’ but rather bikes that are made in a traditional fashion, but with attention given to

each part, so the motorcycle flows when assembled in its final form.

He started the learning process when he was still enlisted and using the knowledge he gained in metallurgy and technical skills as a helo pilot. While still in the U.S.Army, he honed his skills and started producing bikes that people started buying. In short order his hobby/passion for building righteous sleds was becoming much more than just his ‘other thing’ he did.

After leaving the armed forces, Joe was working

Article By: George The Painter Photos By: Chris Callen

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in the Fortune 500 world, and he was miserable. Joe’s wife noticed and suggested a change in the direction that his life was taking and hung a shingle on his shop.

Joe Marshall Customs focuses on traditionally custom bikes.

Nothing earth-shattering just clean choppers built right with a subtle cool. Complete products that you’d expect from a custom builder of fifteen years. Like they say, ‘a bike built right will outshine a bike that’s flashy.’

With this bike, Joe started with a 1974 four-speed shovelhead frame. Marshall made a call to Fab Kevin and ordered up one of his hardtail kits that Joe then massaged into the frame. While he was at it, extended the downtubes 2 3/8” to give the 4” over front end the right stance. When he did this it actually changed the rake to a steep 36°, which was rectified by deraking and windowing the stock neck and bringing the rake to 30 thus giving the bike a nice trail number of 3.8”. Just right for a bike you want to handle and not have to fight when riding slow.

Rolling stock up front is a Black Bike front wheel wrapped in Avon rubber and no front brake. Out back a 16” rear wheel also covered in Avon with a dual Wilwood rear calipers suspended on a SpeedKing rear caliper bracket.

The motor, a stock configuration

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P93 from S&S was used with a Dyna S ignition firing the fuel supplied by the S&S 585 cam and Super “E” carb. The exhaust was handled in house by Joe using all one bend, not recycled cut-offs.

The bike is kick only with a Baker 6 in a 4 with an N-1 drum.

Joining the motor to the trans is a Tech Cycle Performance Contour Primary plate with a Tech Cycle Cyclone clutch and 1’ primary drive.

Joe machined up a set of mounts so that he could run stock FXE mid-controls and is running a foot clutch and jockey shifter. The hand controls are Kustom Tech and sit on 1” 120 wall handlebars made by Marshall.

The frame and OEM Sportster tank was sent to Goodtimes Reform for the gorgeous Brandywine Candy with ghost flames applied by Jay. Hanging just below is a Mooneyes oil tank suspended by a Fab Kevin stainless tank mounts. Kevin the Fabulous is also responsible for the taillight, and rear fender credit goes to Led Sled and hung by JMC custom fender struts.

Joe would like to give an official shout out to Irish Rich, who has become a mentor to Joe and also to Fab Kev as his easy accessibility

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CLYDE TECH SHEET Owner: Tom Wheeler City/State: Builder: Joe Marshall Customs Year: 1974-2018 Model: Pan/Shovel chop Value: Depends Time: Couple months ENGINE Year: 2018 Model: P93 Builder: S&S Ignition: Dyna S Displacement: 93cu Pistons: Heads: Carb: S&S Super E Cam: S&S 585 Air Cleaner: S&S Exhaust: JMC Primary: Tech Cycles Contoured Motor Plate W/ Cyclone clutch TRANSMISSION Year: 2018 Make: Baker 6 in 4 Tapered Dhaft N1 Shift Drum Shifting: Hand FRAME Year: 1974-2018 Model: FL/ Hardtailed Rake: 30.5 Stretch: Stretched Downtubes 2 3/8” Forks Builder: Type: Inline Springer Triple Trees: Extension: 4 over WHEELS Front Wheel: Black Bike Size: 21” Tire: Avon Speedmaster Front Brake: I’ve heard of those....

Rear Wheel: 16” Size: 16x3 Tire: Firestone Rear Brake: Speedking PAINT Painter: Goodtimes Reform Color: Brandywine Candy Type: Graphics: Flames Chroming: Paul’s Chroming ACCESSORIES Bars: JMC Struts: JMC Hand Controls: Kustom Tech Foot Controls: JMC mids Gas Tank(s): OEM HD Sportster Oil Tank: Mooneyes/Fab Kevin Front fender: None Rear Fender: Led Sled Seat: Rich Phillips Headlight: Cheapo Tail light: Fab Kevin Speedo: None photographer: Chris Callen

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and knowledge he never hesitated in offering. Also, to Bill Dodge of Bling’s Cycle for his help getting the bike dialed in. Joe would also like to thank his loving wife for the inspiration and support setting Joe on his course to building bikes and being the happiest he has ever been. If you’re in the scene, keep a lookout to see what Joe will get into next.

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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 issue each year to take a look back over the past 12 issues of the 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 January issue of Cycle Source where we will announce your “Best of 2019” 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.

2019 Man Of The Year Otto Deutch Arlen Ness Jason Sims Charlie Brechtel Berry Wardlaw Xavier Muriel Rob Nussbaum Billy Grotto John Rogue Adam Sandoval Tank Ewsichek 2019 Woman Of The Year Savannah Rose Jessi Combs Cris Somer Simmons Leeann Sims Jessi Combs Jody Peredwitz Felicia Morgan Andrea Labarbara Brittney Olsen 2018 Sportsman Of The Year Bronson Bauman Jessi Combs Jody Perewitz Jason Sims Tom Banks Cris Somer Simmons Todd Cameron Matt Miller Jay Allen Josh Owens One Wheel Revolution Rob

Royal Enfield Gt 650 H-D Livewire H-D Lowrider S Indian FTR 1200 Indian Scout H-D FXDS 2019 Builder Of The Year Jordan Dickinson Evan Favaro Roger Goldammer Corey Souza Matt Olsen Brian Buttera John Shope Rob Nussbaum Steve Coe Dave Perewitz Xavier Muriel Ryan Gore Josh Allison Billy Lane 2019 Craftsman Of The Year Satya Kraus Curt Green-Bare Bones Leather Stuart Garrison Jeremy Curlee Paul Cox Corinna Mantio Cameron Brewer Joe Mielke

2019 Artist Of The Year Mark Velazquez Kristian Baena Dave Perewitz 2019 Manufactured Bike Of The Year - Joann Bortles Stacyc Electric Balance Bike Michael Lichter

David Uhl Robert Pradke Smudge Franny Drummond Missi Shoemaker John Latone 2019 Event Of The Year – El Diablo Run Laconia Bike Week Moto Side Show Cross Country Chase Texas Fandango Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Spirit Of Sturgis TMMR Bikes, Blues, Bbq In Motion BC Moto Invitational Glory Daze

2019 Accessory Product Of The Year Burly Brand Voyager Luggage Boosted Brads Mid Controls Lexin Headset Battery Tender USB Charger SW-Motek 35L Roll Top Dry Bag Simpson Mod Bandit Helmet 2019 Shop Related Product (tools, chemicals, etc.) Of The Year – Jims Balancer Bearing Removal Tool Motion Pro Bearing Stem Tool Weld Table Motion Pro Clutch Spring Compression Tool The Banks Lift Motion Pro Pivot Suspension Vice Black Widow Professional Motorcycle Shop Kit

2019 Apparel Product Of The Year – Z1R Indiana Jacket 2019 Performance Product Of The Year – The Chase Vintage Sweaters S&S Cycle Grand National 2:2 High Exhaust Gogo Leggings For Indian Ftr1200 First Mfg Leather Vest Feuling Cam Chest Dixxon Flannel Bst Carbon Fiber Wheels Hot Leather Armoured Flannel Jacket H-D Electric Motor Icon 1000 Boot Traunt2 S&S M8 Kits Z1R Timber Trask Turno Z1R Timberella Leading Edge Hp Jugs For M8 S&S Cam Chest Kit For M8 2019 Media Release Of The Year J&P Cycle’s Countersteer 2019 Custom Product Of The Year ShopTalk Memphis Shades Road Warrior Fairing Chase Social Media Coverage Boosted Brads Mid Controls Rebel On The Highway Sly Fox Carbon Fiber Asphalt & Rubber Hoffman Designs Carbon Fiber Parts On The Road With Bob Johnson FNA Dual Magneto Biker’s Pocket Guide FBCR Twisted Invaders Roads Are For Journeys Paper Street Grips Pitbikes Invade Nascar Night Vision Bongo Saddleman’s Custom Seat Program

#1 - JAN ‘19: BLOWN KNUCK - JP RODMAN

#3 - JAN ‘19: XS SHORT CHOP - JAY SUOUZA

#5 - FEB ‘19: 35 CHIEF - LARRY LENOCI

#2 - JAN ‘19: LAYLA - RICH PITONIAK

#4 - FEB ‘19: BLUE 75 - DAN STARKEY

#6 - FEB ‘19: UNION 81 - MOTORCYCLE MANIA

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#1 - JAN. ‘19

#4 - APRIL ‘19 AERIAL ANDREA

#7 - JULY ‘19 KATYA MARKUS

#10 - OCT ‘19 SIERRA

#2 - FEB. ‘19 CONNER DAWSON

#5 - MAY ‘19 ZUHAL SENGUL

#8 - AUG. ‘19 MADISON SHORE

#11 - NOV ‘19 CHRISTAL MAIDEN

#2 - MAR. ‘19 LAURA PALMER

#5 - JUNE ‘19 KLEOPATRA PHENIX

#8 - SEP. ‘19 KATE FASANO

#12 - DEC ‘19 SKYLAR WHITE

#7 - FEB ‘19: SANGRIA - ANTHONY ROBINSON

#9 - MAR ‘19: WINNING SHOVEL - JEFF COCHRAN

#11- APRIL ‘19: MANN CHOPPER - MICAH MCCLOSKEY

#8 - MAR ‘19: PLUM CRAZY PAN - DESTROYER GARAGE

#10 - APRIL ‘19: WAR BIRD - NICK BEAULIEU

#12 - APRIL ‘19: TEA TRACKER - FLAT BROKE CHOPS & RODS

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#13 -MAY ‘19: PERFECT SHOVEL - DAVE PEREWITZ

#18 -JUNE ‘19: REBEL’S RIDE - MATT NEWMAN

#23 - JULY ‘19: TE’XS BOBBER - AUSTIN ANDRELLA

#14 -MAY ‘19: GOOD DIE YOUNG - DOUG WALTER

#19 -JUNE ‘19: LIL RED RIDINGHOOD - BLING’S CYCLE

#24 - AUG ‘19: NEVER DONE - JASON REMINGTON

#15 MAY 19 - FOXY LADY - ROADSIDE MARTY

#20 - JULY ‘19: THE CHOPSTER - KYLE BREWER

#25 - AUG ‘19: PARQUE CARAVANAS - FLAT BROKE

#16 -JUNE ‘19 - TYLER’S MILER - TYLER PORTER

#21- JULY ‘19: IRISH GOODBYE - BRYAN LANE

#26- AUG ‘19: JERSEY DEVIL - JERRY MEROLA

#17 -JUNE ‘19: HOT ROD SHOVEL - BROCK BRIDGES

#22 - JULY ‘19: 45 WR CLONE - TOM KEEFER

#27- AUG ‘19: DOUBLE TROUBLE - BRENT BUENGER

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#28 - SEPT ‘19: GOLDEN PAN - HUGO BETZWIESER

#33 - OCT ‘19: DIGGER PLEASE - RICK’S CYCLE SUPPLY

#38 - NOV ‘19: DYSLEXIA - HAWKE LAWSHE

#29 - SEPT ‘19: SEX PANZER - CHOPPAHEAD

#34 - OCT ‘19: AUNT FLOW - JUSTIN ZOBER

#39 - NOV ‘19: SG4 KNUCKLEHEAD - STEPHANE GRAND

#30 - SEPT ‘19: SODA POP - BLING’S CYCLE

#35 -OCT ‘19: PINK FLOPPY DEATH - ZACH GOSTELI

#40 DEC - THE SEED - BRAD RICHARDS

#31- SEPT ‘19: RACE READY SPORTY - LED SLED

#36- OCT ‘19: BUBBALICIOUS - ERIC GREENFIELD

#41 DEC - CLYDE - JOE MARSHALL

#32 - SEPT ‘19:FAT BOB - SPEED-KINGS CYCLE SUPPLY

#37 - OCT ‘19: DIRT SHOVEL - RICH PITONIAK

42 DEC - BLUE HOON - LOGAN KINSEY

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i

’m not an expert, but I feel it’s safe to say if you grow up around artists, you’re bound to pick up a thing or two. This can easily be said for Kristian Baena of Fayetteville, Georgia. His father is a retired airline mechanic and a successful business owner, while his mother is an artist and a (not really) retired art teacher who continues to teach as a part of daily routine. Growing up with parents like that created an environment that allowed him to explore all creative outlets and find his true calling in this world, to make beautiful art. “Finding motivation in the notion that art is a part of everything we do, who we are as humans.”

His love of motorcycles seemed to come just as naturally. As a kid, one of his parent’s friends would take him for rides, and from then on, he was hooked. He was also able to attend a few local shows as a kid and learned about customization through paint His biggest inspiration for the art he creates is life itself as a form of art. For Kristian, being able to exist

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Article By: Amelia “Killer” Rose in this life is a talent we are all born with. “We are all in control of our

own autonomy. I can try, but I will never be able to live as someone else does.”

Despite only having worked for

himself full time for a little less than a year, he has been able to, over the last 16 years working in automotive painting, work in, and for various shops creating an amazing portfolio for himself. That also allowed him to foster his love of motorcycles and the hot rod world. He started striping at local shows, and once he learned the process of painting it was game on.

His medium of choice is, of course, automotive urethane paint (from years in the shop). It’s a quick dryer and has endless possibilities. As of late, he has been working on creating new techniques that would allow for more organic looking textures and patterns.

When I asked Baena what set him apart from the rest of the industry, all he said was, “I’m me! Everyone custom paints in one way or another and has their own unique method of accomplishing it.” The skills painters possess is hard-earned through years of patience, learning from failures, and honing their skills.

For Kristian, every day is another adventure. The adventure and

excitement of not knowing keeps life interesting. Recently, however, he had the fantastic opportunity to work with a close friend, Mr. Oz (who, if you follow my articles, we interviewed a few months back) and share his experience and tips at the Brushmasters Getaway. It was a 4-day event that offers tips on both techniques and applications for the custom paint culture. Sharing his art with the world and being able to give others the opportunity to learn and understand themselves as artists was something he will remember forever.

Back in 2013, he was invited by American Express to compete in “The Rising Stars Of SEMA,” an airbrush event that is one of the most significant automotive industry events of the year. It had always been a dream of his to go and not only did he attend, but he also won the competition. Having that win fueled his desire to push the limits of the industry and take his artistic endeavors to new heights.

Here’s an important tidbit about Kristian, his family is everything to him. In his opinion, his biggest supporters of this crazy path are his wife, Jessica, and their kids. Together for over a decade she has been his alarm clock, personal motivational speaker, emotional powerhouse, and more. Being an artist and having that kind of passion requires so much attention that it can take away from other equally important aspects of their lives. But to have someone like Kristian has in Jessica, who is able to not only understand but respects and supports his kind of lifestyle is something he is eternally grateful for.

Their twins, whom they’ve nicknamed “the dragons,” are a constant source of inspiration for him as well. Being able to view the world through their eyes has been an incredible journey that helps shape the way he creates art.

When asked what his plans for the future are, his only response was; “Ask me tomorrow!” Kristian is always coming up with incredible new ideas and works of art, and if you want to follow him and keep up with his latest endeavors, you can follow him on IG @Kristianbaena.

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wenty-four years of continuous road life lies behind me now.

The days of chasing action and women with the voracious passion of a mad man were some of the best years of my life. But now, as I approach the age of 60, the desire for such things, although still appealing at times, has faded.

The tone has changed. Rather than chase the loud and crazy action that once drew me like moth to flame, I’m now attracted to the idea of enjoying a more relaxed and leisurely life.

Making art now seems of greater interest to me. Writing magazine stories, working on books, and creating YouTube videos hold far more appeal than it did in the chaos of bygone days. To this end, now I enjoy finding a new town; settling into a good home/camp, banging on computer keys by morning, hitting a YMCA in the afternoons, socializing and getting to know the locals, and attending local events. When the inspiration leaves my fingertips, usually within two to six weeks, I simply pack up and move on; always following the best weather.

This is my idea of retirement, and it

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Article By: Scooter Tramp Scotty too seems like a good life.

It was in the dreary little country town of Blacksburg, Virginia that I came to do just this. A friend I’d met in Myrtle Beach SC the previous year lived there, and upon my arrival Joe and I were reacquainted and began hanging out together often. Recently, Joe’s crazy buddy, who’s prone to doing nutty things on occasion, had sold him a little 300cc Ninja for $1.

I was introduced to Joe’s running partner, James. James was a businessman with a squirrelly disposition. He was a bachelor who lived alone in his big house. He kept a late model Sportster in the garage, though he seldom rode it. Although James’s personality was more conservative, Joe was not that way at all. At 35 years old, James would probably never make it as a family man and was quite obviously unsuited for settling down. Having fun, chasing women, and seeking action seemed far more his MO. So different, but now the three amigos, we began hanging together on most days. Although my camp was set just outside of town, James kept

bugging me to stay in his big house.

Eventually, I gave in to the idea and set my tent in his garage. Folks generally love a visitor in their home if he doesn’t overstay his welcome, but James was not like that. In fact, this bachelor seemed almost overly happy to have my companionship and never showed a single sign of wanting me to leave.

So, life went on. I worked on the computer in the mornings, spent time at the rec-center in the afternoons, (Joe and I often attended together), hung with buddies and their friends in the evenings, and went on a lot of motorcycle rides.

For some of us, motorcycles do something they simply don’t do for others. For us, the cursed types, bikes will be always be a part of our lives. As I watched Joe with his new motorcycle, it was easy to see that the more we rode, the more he fell in love with that little thing and what it was doing for him. At the time though, I had no idea just how deeply this passion was taking hold.

We attended a few local events. A 4th of July gathering had a band and

fireworks. There was also the county fair in the larger town of Roanoke some 30 miles away. Still, I told Joe, “Blacksburg is a boring-ass little town.” To which he’d reply, “What do you mean? We have stuff going on.” I let it ride at that.

On an evening ride through town, the S&S engine in my motorcycle blew a compression release, and I was forced to limp it home. I called S&S the next morning. Still under warranty and I wanted them to send me a new release and the special installation tool, but they refused. Instead, I was directed to take the bike to a shop near Roanoke. Although S&S would cover the repair, they would not pay the $140 the shop wanted for a tow.

On top of leaving me stuck, this really pissed me off. No one we knew had a truck or trailer. U-Haul was no help.

The search for a way to move the bike went on.

Meanwhile, James readily offered the use of his late-model Sportster; which spent most of its days in the garage anyway. Upon starting the little bike, it threw a dramatic rattling sound from the primary. Sounded to me like the compensator nut had come loose. “Don’t you hear that crazy racket, James?” Oblivious, he said, “It’s always sounded like that. That’s not normal?” My god, this businessminded boy obviously wouldn’t know which end of a screwdriver to hold onto. I’d have to address the problem myself.

Finally, a Facebook friend I’d not met before offered to bring his truck and trailer. The bike was loaded and then carted off to The Shop.

Next, it was time to address the Sportster’s problem. Of the very few motorcycle shops actually in Blacksburg, I’d visited a CG Cycles on occasion to just sit, socialize, and be around bikes. A one-man show, Bob was actually retired and lived in the apartment above his shop. He didn’t really fix bikes for the money, more so because he enjoyed the job and interaction with customers. I rode the Sportster to Bob’s shop. Once there, he insisted I bring it inside to be put on a lift. Bob also insisted I use his tools. After pulling the primary cover, I found the compensator nut not only loose but completely off and laying underneath the clutch! No wonder the thing had been rattling.

Insisting on lending a hand, conversation continued its easy flow as we put the little motorcycle back together. Afterward, Bob invited me

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up to his place for coffee. Next, we walked the big back yard to check his deer feeder and attend the little pond full of fish. Bob was an interesting cat.

Once back at the house, James could not believe how well the Sportster ran and immediately deemed me a mechanical genius.

My old buddy Chuck does a lot of cross-country motorcycle travel.

Finding himself in the area anyway, he decided to visit. After meeting the guys, Chuck set a tent directly beside mine. Two days later, The Shop called to report that my bike was ready. Chuck and I rode out there together—me on his back seat. What a cute couple we made.

After one entire month in the boring little town of Blacksburg, my feet again grew itchy. It was time to go.

Every man has his own reality: his job, woman, friends, family, home, dog, etc., the things he loves and things he only tolerates in his world.

In this way, a man’s life is forged of the people and objects around him.

Yet one of the strangest aspects of a drifter’s life is that he has almost no permanent reality of his own. In my case, the only things that remain familiar are my bike and my body.

Everything around these two staples is in a state of consistent change.

Life had become a perpetual visit into the worlds of others. It was time for another reality hop.

Two hundred and thirty miles south of us sits the larger, and far less dull, town of Asheville, NC. There were friends there I wished to visit, and it seemed as good a place as any to make a stop. After a saying my goodbyes, I mounted the reloaded bike, hit the starter button, and left as easily as I’d come.

With its weekly drum circle, street performers, bands, bars, coffee shops, and large motorcycle scene, the experience of Asheville was nothing like little old Blacksburg.

Nestled into the Smoky Mountains, this town, with its constant action, is somewhat of an anomaly.

Many years ago, I’d befriended a motorcycle shop owner, and now, whenever in the area, I’m welcome to set camp behind his house as well as use the shop for any mechanical work my bike might require. Some time back, Jody had taken on a partner, and it’s now he and Jersey Mike who own and operate Mountain Cycleworks.

I’d been settled into the new town

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for just over a week when Joe called from Blacksburg to ask if he and James might pay a visit. Jody was fine with the idea, and by week’s

end, one late model Sportster and the little 300cc Ninja had arrived.

Although James got himself a hotel, Joe erected his tent near my own in Jody’s yard. James stayed just two nights, while Joe would remain for a couple of weeks.

Among Jody’s other bikes, and after 240,000 faithful miles, he was rebuilding a 1986 FXR he’d owned since it was new. The complete restoration project sat in his garage, and I was interested to see what progress had been made. Joe, having never spent time among men who do such things, was extremely impressed with the project.

As always, with a drifter’s motorcycle, my bike needed attention, and considerable time was spent at Mountain Cycleworks; which is independently owned and operated by regular guys. Again, Joe had never witnessed such deep interaction with motorcycles and their inner workings. He was like the new kid now standing among the big boys and so wanted to be a part of their world. Joe swept the floor, ran errands, listened intently, and paid ardent attention to everything that went on. The guys took notice and welcomed him warmly.

When not working, Jody loves the action. He always knows what’s happening around town and spends most evenings and weekends out.

He and Joe began attending a lot of events and took many motorcycle rides together as well. One day Joe told me, “Blacksburg is a boring little town!” ... No shit!

Eventually, the time came to leave Asheville. Joe went home while I began the journey west. Clad with essential camping gear, Joe started to finding camp-spots near Roanoke and practicing with some of the gypsy methods I’d been using for years.

But later that winter, I’d receive numerous phone calls then listen to Joe’s depressed cries on the other end. The snow and cold had trapped his bike under a tarp, and riding was no longer possible. Stagnation and boredom had set in. The rides, fun, and action were gone. The way he talked; I thought the poor boy might commit suicide.

But it was what he would do when the warmer spring weather broke that would shock me most…

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Article And Photos By:Deb Fitch

’ve always loved hearing a great memoir about our biker history and those who have deep family ties in it. Photographs have always been important to me in telling a story; however, the words here are about deep family passion and legacy.

I talked to Nick Martin (the youngest) of the family for a while before heading out to the shoot. His pride in this bike showed through our conversation loud and clear. Right off the bat, he asked me if it was possible to get a family photograph with the chopper. He told me that it had been about 12-15 years since they had a photo taken of the family together. Of course, I said yes… It was the first part of the shoot I did that day.

This Panhead has been in the Martin family for

about 35 years. It has lived through heartbreak and happiness. Oh, and it still starts on one kick…ok, sometimes two.

It was built by hand in a basement by a hardworking man named Rick Martin and his dear friend, George Conaway, in the early 80’s. Rick, who at the time rode an Enduro, dreamed of having a bigger bike. Those times were hard though. Rick was starting his own construction business and was limited financially. Figuring it might save them some cash, they decided to hit all the local swap meets and used parts stores. They were right.

It all began when they found a 1955 74ci Panhead with 1950 heads, a Linkert carburetor, and a 4-speed ratchet top transmission. A great deal was made at a machine shop on the tranny because it

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had been rebuilt for a customer who never showed or paid. It took a year for them to turn the motor and transmission into a working, ridable motorcycle. They found a used wishbone frame with a 40° rake, a 33.4mm front end, and 19” wheel off a 1971 Superglide. They installed 8” longer fork tubes, which accommodated the frames rake. Some things were brought up to date like the newer style Harley disc setup in the rear and the H-D 16” wheel.

They also converted the 6-volt electrical system to a 12 volt. Other great finds

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were gas tanks from a 1959/1960 Harley, primary, foot controls, and kicker pedal.

To add to the chopper look, which was the goal, they added a scorpion seat, 24” tall sissy bar and a 2 into 1 exhaust with a fishtail muffler. In July of 1985 they finally finished what they set out to do…complete a running and roadworthy Harley-Davidson.

Rick loved the bike and rode it constantly tragedy struck. Rick died suddenly of a heart attack in 1988 at only 31 years of age.

The entire family was devastated.

He left the bike to his brother Joe Martin.

Joe rode the bike as often as he could, but life was considerably full of other responsibilities. He was newly married and owned his own business, which had to be a top priority. When he and his wife started a family, all bets were off on spare time. Tags came off, and the bike went into the barn for storage and eventually found a home in his basement. Joe’s kids, Joey and Nick, were everything to him, and as they grew older (around 6), they were introduced to four-wheelers and dirt bikes…but there was always that

Harley in the basement. Nick told me “I remember being 6 and sitting on the Pan in the basement pretending to ride…and it tipped. I was okay, as was the bike, but Dad wasn’t too happy about the large hole in the wall that the handlebar made.”

As time passed, Joe always knew that the day would come when the boys would want to move up to street-legal motorcycles. That day did come in 2011 when Joey got his learners permit. Joe pulled the Pan out of storage and sent it to a shop to get it back into running shape. It was now equipped with a S&S Super E carburetor, an electronic ignition, and was gone over with a finetooth comb. Now it was road ready. To play it safe, Joe let Joey learn on his other motorcycle while he rode Rick’s bike. A hardtail chopper probably wasn’t the best for Joey to take his first rides on. Time moved on, and Nick wasn’t far behind his big brother. After a year went by, Joe felt that it would be ok to let his sons ride his brother’s Harley.

Nick told me that the longer wheelbase and old-style brakes took a little to get used to, but he learned how to handle it. Unfortunately, the bike started to have some issues. The electronic ignition went so, back to the shop it went. The mechanic installed single contact points with an automatic advance. He also started to teach Nick about the bike and how to work on a Panhead. It was a gift to learn the ins and outs of this precious bike. Now if problems surface Nick takes care of the Pan himself including routine

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MARTIN’S PRIDE TECH SHEET Owner: Joe Martin Location: Westminster, MD Builder: Rick Martin & George Conaway Year: 1955 Model: FLE Panhead Value: Priceless Engine model: FLE builder: Ignition: Points, Auto Advance Displacement: 74ci Pistons: Heads: H-D 1950 Carb: S&S Super E CAM: air cleaner: Exhaust: 2 Into 1 with Fishtail Primary: Harley-Davidson Transmission Year: 1955 Make: Harley-Davidson model: 4 Speed Ratchet Top Shifting: Foot Shift, Hand Clutch Frame Year: 1948-1954 Model: H-D Wishbone Rake: 40 Degrees Forks Builder: Harley-Davidson Type: Triple Trees: 1971 FX Extension: 8” Over WheelsFront: H-D 1971 FX Size: 19” tire: Front Brake: Mechanical Drum Rear: H-D 16” tire: Rear Brake: H-D Disc “Banana Caliper” Paint Painter: Unknown Color: Black Type: Unknown Graphics: 3 Stickers Chroming: Stock AccessoriesBars: Harely-Davidson Risers: HD 1971 FX Hand Controls: Foot Controls: Gas Tanks: H-D 1959/1960 Oil Tank: Aftermarket Front Fender: H-D 1971 FX Rear Fender: H-D 1949-1953 Seat: Scorpion Headlight: H-D 1971 FX Tail Light: H-D Tombstone Speedo: Photographer: Deb Fitch

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maintenance and fixes including a failing voltage regulator, an intake manifold leak, and burnt points. He grew to know the Harley well.

It was July 13, 2019, when Nick rode to Gettysburg Bike Week, just one day before his 25th birthday. Nick wanted to enter the chopper show. He wasn’t expecting anything except good parking and to show off what the family is so proud of. He had no idea he would return home with two awards. The prize included a feature in Cycle Source. That’s where I came in.

The photos were taken on the farm where the bike sat for many years. It meant a lot to the Martin men. One thing they all strongly agree on is that the bike remains as close to how Rick built it as possible. Nick summed it up when he said, “even though it’s not perfect or a worldtraveling show bike, they all feel that the imperfections tell the Panhead’s story and it’s family history.” They feel deeply that no matter who in the family owns the bike, it will always belong to Rick.

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Article By: Xavier Muriel

g

reetings folks. Here I am, writing to you beautiful people about my latest escapades in Texas...

Well, it’s Friday night…

I was in the shop wet sanding all the parts that needed to be ready for a full day of polishing hell tomorrow when I realized that tonight was deadline, and I can’t ever seem to get my shit in before the last minute.

Thankfully, I have pretty bitchin bosses, so there used to my crap. I’m in the what seems like literally the seventh level of Hell with this latest build. I’ve been working feverishly to get it ready for the Tennessee Motorcycle & Music Revival in just eight days.

I can hear some of you saying “Ahhh, that’s plenty of time!’’

That might be true if the frame and tins hadn’t just gone to paint yesterday, that’s right it’s Fri Oct 4th, and it has to be done and, in a trailer, headed for TN in 5 days.

I finally came up with a name for her, and it’s Lizzy as in Lizzy Borden. If you’re not familiar with Lizzy GTS (google that shit).

So far, I have never had so many

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things go wrong with a build. They

keep coming, one after the other.

I mean, if it wasn’t parts that were late, and when they finally arrived, they we’re wrong, it was motor problems or paint problems. I mean, if you can think of it then it probably happened during this one. Of course, each of my previous builds had their issues, but F#@K come on man! I was on the phone with one of my mentors and friend, and I told him, “I now know why you do what you do and how you do it’’. His reply was simply, “I told you a while back, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” Man, I should have listened a little harder. Don’t get me wrong, I live for a little excitement and challenge, but when you wake up in the middle of the night to hit the John, and the first thing you think of is “shit, I shouldn’t have bent it that way’’ then there might be a problem or as I like to call it an obsession!

My Father used to say, “If it was easy, everybody would do it.” My favorite saying lately is

“If you focus on the results you get anxiety, if you focus on the process you get results.” So that’s what I’ve been trying to do. I have to admit, that I might have created a bit of this time crunch myself because I attended a few events that took me away for a few weekends during the last few months. So, what else is new???

I guess I have to take some responsibility for the high stress level I’ve placed on myself. More than once, I’ve seen a very dear friend build not one, not two but three bikes at the same time, and I’m AMAZED that he still has a full head of hair. The man is a f#@kin’ machine; that’s for sure. During the time I was away from the project I learned that experience is the BEST teacher. I’ve learned a lot about this industry that I’ve chosen to be a part of, not about what to do, but more importantly what NOT TO DO! Coming away from a situation and not learning anything would have been a waste of time but coming away with knowledge to apply to the next situation…now that’s the

ticket.

One of my dear friends said, not

knowing what an impact her statement would have on me, “Nothing is what it seems.” I remember that every time I get all ga-ga about something that I perceive to be a certain way, usually it is not that way at all! I’m so very grateful for her showing me a different way to looks at things. After all, I’m trying to learn to sweep my porch and not worry about what anyone else’s looks like. I’m not a guy who believes in luck. I was taught “Luck is only where preparation, meets opportunity.”

As for me, once I’m done with this article, I will resume my late nights with Lizzy and will do everything in my power to meet my commitment for TMMR. And, if for some reason it doesn’t happen… then that’s ok too, the show must go on. At least, I can put my head down at night knowing that I gave it everything I had, and that’s the best I can do.

Be kind to Yourself and One Another. God Bless X.

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Article By: Tyler Porter Photos By: Savannah Rose

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’m tired. I’m sick. I’m sick and tired.

I’m sick and tired of seeing posts on social media announcing that yet another American Flat Track competitor has suffered a major injury. This season, particularly this last month, has been very tough for the sport. The sport of flat track is no stranger to serious injury. The first version of our sport, board track racing, was outlawed due to the dangers associated with the sport. While the principals of our sport are simple, simply go fast and turn left, the number of variables involved to achieve race-winning form are astronomical.

Ask any flat tracker that has participated in our sport for more than ten years if they have either lost a friend or had a friend permanently injured in a racing accident. Somewhere north of 90% of those responses are going to be yes. It’s something we all know is real. We are racing on an inconsistent dirt surface; a lot of times at facilities where motorcycle racing is an afterthought, all within inches of a retaining wall. It’s a reality that we all face every time the face shield is clicked down on the starting line. We all know it’s there, and we all say, “but

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it won’t be me.”

On May 5th, 2007, Ethan Gillim succumbed to injuries sustained at Paducah International Raceway. He was 10. He was also basically a little brother to me. I was his mechanic during amateur nationals each year and at times, the only person he would listen to. I questioned him a lot about hitting the track again that night. We raced on the same track the next day.

I lined up. Ethan would have lit me on fire if I didn’t race. I think that’s the way a lot of us see the sport. “They” would want us to carry on. Is this the best way to look at it? For that question, I can’t say that I have an answer.

Major strides have been made in the safety department of flat track. The Roadracing World Action Fund has donated hundreds of feet of air fence over the years to the American Flat Track Series to create a safer barrier at every track where a national event is held. I have personally seen this fence save lives and avoid major injuries.

Heck, I even took a little ride through it in Daytona. What else can we do though? Not all accidents are caused by hitting a wall. Some things are simple. For the last several seasons, the 450cc singles have been “banned”

from running the Springfield Mile. Due to the shape of that particular Mile, 450’s run absolutely wide open all the way around. What it causes is up to 7 wide racing. For the spectator, it is amazing. For the racers, it is horrifying. The 450cc bikes must run a mandatory “slipper” clutch in them.

In theory this prevents a motor from locking up the back wheel if there is a catastrophic engine failure.

However, the one thing that we cannot change is the fact that we have 16 bikes on the track, racing for position, on a surface that sometimes only has grip in roughly a 24” wide area all the way around. That’s the way the sport has nearly always been. Three of the last four high profile crashes this season could, in some way, be attributed to track prep. With 20 years of track building and maintenance experience, I have an educated opinion on how to keep a track in good racing condition. Have I always agreed with AFT’s track prep? Of course not.

I’ve said for the last few seasons that they are consistently under watering many of the tracks on the schedule. Is it really that easy though? There are so many factors to track prep. Keeping a schedule on time, as well as outside

environmental variables like the sun and wind. There’s also the delicate balance of the fans in the stands who don’t want to watch water truck races.

There isn’t always a simple solution.

While the schedule and the fans are important, even more so is our rider’s safety. The riders are now starting to speak up. There’s been rumblings of the riders organizing. However, by nature, riders are typically a selfish lot. What’s good for one, may not suit another, and I can’t see that working out in the long term. To think that

Flat track leathers haven’t evolved much in the last 40 years, but these new suits from the road racing genre do seem to offer superior protection over the old-style cow skins.

Will flat track ever be safe? No. The lack of safety is what I believe draws us to the sport in the first place. I do believe that when the dust settles from the 2019 string of injuries, we are going to be left with a better and safer version of our sport for everyone. In the meantime, I encourage you all to visit www.rookies79.com and donate

American Flat Track doesn’t care about the health and safety of their rider’s is asinine. Without racers, they of course wouldn’t have a series, but there’s more to it than that, there’s the human element. These officials see these racers every week. It’s a traveling circus really, so to think that anybody “doesn’t care about the riders” is a dumb argument. It’s going to be interesting going into the 2020 season to see what, if any changes are made to keep our racers safer. It appears that they are going to make the “air bag” racing suits mandatory, at least for the Super Twins series. While this will drive the cost of racing up a little bit, I believe it is a better solution.

to help our current group of injured riders. Jeremy Higgins, JR Addison, James Monaco and Oliver Brindley.

They all have a long road of recovery ahead. The Rookies Class of ‘79 is the official charity of American Flat Track and is a 501(c)3 foundation, so contributions are tax deductible.

I am also in the process of building a Sportster street tracker that I will be raffling off to assist with James Monaco’s recovery, so keep your eyes peeled on that as well. The Flat track family is just that, a family, and we all have to protect our own. God Bless.

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Hey, I believe we’ll see a shift in favor of freedom in the near future.

NMA Report: Beware License Plate Readers - Our worst fears about automatic license plate readers (ALPR) are coming to fruition, and no one in public understands just how much our privacy will be invaded.

This summer, I warned everyone on my blog, and in the NMA Weekly E-Newsletter #554, that police in Arizona were using ALPR’s to “grid” entire neighborhoods. But the following news brings public surveillance to a whole new level.

Last month, Rekor Systems announced that they had launched the Rekor Public Safety Network (RPSN), which gives law enforcement real-time access to scanned license plates. “Any state or local law enforcement agency participating in the RPSN will be able to access real-time data from any part of the network at no cost. The Company is initially launching the network by aggregating vehicle data from customers in over 30 states.

With thousands of automatic license plate reading cameras currently in service that capture approximately 150 million plate reads per month, the network is expected to be live by

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the first quarter of 2020.” RPSN is a 30-state, real-time law enforcement license plate database that contains the information of more than 150 million people.

And the scary thing—it is free!

“We don’t think our participants should be charged for accessing information from a network they contribute to, especially when it provides information that has proven its value in solving crimes and closing cases quickly,” said Robert A. Berman, President, and CEO, Rekor.

Want to encourage law enforcement to spy on everyone?

Give them free access to a massive license plate database.

RPSN’s AI software uses m a c h i n e learning to predict when and where a

hot-listed person or a person of interest will be.

“Rekor’s software, powered by artificial intelligence (“AI”) and machine learning, can also be added to existing law enforcement security camera networks to search for law enforcement related hotlists as well as Amber Alerts and registered sex offender motor vehicles.”

The Westchester County New York Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center alone collects “more than 25 million license plates each month.”

A post in Traffic Technology Today revealed that Rekor plans to go to great lengths to convince police departments to track millions of motorists.

“In 2020, the RPSN will be fully compliant with the federal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) law, which bans the use of certain foreign-manufactured cameras used in critical infrastructure.”

Rekor’s 2019 NDAA sales pitch, is both disturbing and despicable.

It reveals just where they and law enforcement stand when it comes to using ALPR’s to spy on millions

of motorists… - Joe Cadillic of the Massprivatel Blog New Hampshire To Modernize Dmv In Wake Of Deadly June Crash - Following the deadly June 2019 crash that killed seven motorcyclists in New Hampshire, officials want to work with other states to prevent anything like this from happening ever again.

The truck driver currently facing seven charges of negligent homicide in those deaths -- who had a Massachusetts-issued CDL -- should not even have been driving, according to his combined driving record. The head of the Massachusetts DMV resigned, and others at the agency were fired once this came to light.

Over the past few weeks, New Hampshire has also been conducting an internal review of its own DMV records and practices. On August 29, 2019, NH Governor Chris Sununu gave a press conference with other top officials to share their findings. The results: nearly 4,000 drivers will have their licenses suspended following a review of over 13,000 outof-state notices, as well as a backlog of 62 commercial license notices dating back to 2016.

One unintended and potentially good consequence of this terrible accident is that it’s led New Hampshire to modernize its DMV system and automate notices so that paper backlogs like this can’t build up in the future. Additionally, the governor is now pushing the state legislature to allow the NH DMV to become part of a computerized stateto-state driver verification system using Real ID. -Bill Bish Klockwerks Floods--This water shouldn’t be here... So, what happened?

The evening of September 11th, a flash flood hit Mitchell, South Dakota.

That flood brought 4 feet of water into the shop. (Yes, you read that right.

We had 4 feet of water INSIDE of our building.) If we’re being completely honest, It was absolutely devastating, and we need your help. (But we’ll get to that later...)

This is where we’re at. As of (September 26th) six roll-off dumpsters have been filled and emptied, more than 6500 pounds of wet sheetrock (a.k.a.1000 running feet of drywall) has been cleared, every last bolt bin has been dried, and four temporary workspaces were setup.

Now that temporary workstations are set up, and our phone lines are back, the Klock Krew is working as

quickly as possible to return every email, phone call, and well-wish that has been sent our way.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We appreciate each and every one of you. This is where we’re going. We are rebuilding with plans to be even better than ever.

So many of you are still reaching out, asking us how you can help. Our friend Jeff Zielinski at Namz Custom Cycle Products created a Gofundme for us - which is an opportunity for you to be a part of Klock Werks’ history.

Frankly, with all of the construction in our future, we would appreciate all the help we can get. If you feel moved

to help, we could use the support. info@getklocked.com Klock Werks 915 S. Kimball Street - Mitchell, SD 57301 AHDRA Motorcycle Drag Racing Back On Track In 2020 - There’s good news for drag racers of American-made V-Twin motorcycles.

AHDRA has been purchased by Pulse Marketing, the Pennsylvaniabased motorsports promotion company run by veteran drag racer Bill Rowe Jr. and family.

AHDRA was THE place to drag race Harley-Davidsons in the 2000s, with racers crisscrossing the country with the fully-sponsored, wellmarketed series run by Craig Tharpe.

“We want to thank Craig for trusting us to take the AHDRA over,” said Rowe Jr. AHDRA’s last season was 2012, but Pulse will have the series up and running with somewhere between six to eight races in 2020, with Sturgis likely the only race west of the Mississippi.

“We want people to know we’re here, and we’re looking forward to a May 2020 start to our season,” continued Rowe. The Rowe family brings a lifetime of motorsports promotion to the effort. “My dad, Bill Sr., was a promoter when I was a kid,” said Rowe, who’s been racing for over 40 years and counts grasping the AMRA Eliminator championship out of Donnie Huffman’s firm grip in 2017 as his proudest on-track achievement.

“At 14 years old I was racing, doing the rider payouts and handling the points system, so I’ve been doing this a while. But it’s not just my family and me. We have a good team of advisers on board to help us with this, and we’ll be announcing them along with a schedule shortly. We’re also working with the Top Fuel Harley racers to make sure our schedule plays nice with the NHRA schedule so that we get the pros at our events December‘19 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE 87

THE CYCLE SOURCE WORLD REPORT - POWERED BY BIKERNET.COM

and develop the next generation of Top Fuel Harley stars right here at AHDRA. We’ve got five classes covered with sponsorships already, but there’s room for more to jump on board. We’re looking to bring back that AHDRA style of racing.

A new AHDRA website will soon be up and running. -Tim Hailey

Indian Motorcycle Sponsors Inaugural ‘Women Riders World Relay’ - Female Motorcyclists Embark on 12-Month Ride Around the World; Tour the United States September 25 Through October 12 Indian Motorcycle, America’s first motorcycle company, today announced its support for the Women Riders World Relay, a worldwide motorcycle tour exclusively for women that strives to ignite a global sisterhood to inspire unity and passion across cultures worldwide.

Motorcycle ownership among women has steadily increased in the United States. In 2009 only 10% of motorcycle owners were women, while a 2018 survey from the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) reports that number has climbed to 19% over the last 10 years.

The global relay enters the United States on September 25 through Calais, Maine. Guardians of the baton will ride a total of 18 legs spanning 18 days before passing the baton into Mexico out of Laredo, Texas, on October 12.

During the tour, the Women Riders World Relay will stop at historic motorcycle landmarks including the Wood Museum of Springfield History which is home to the birthplace of Indian Motorcycle and the Indian Motorcycle Collection in Springfield, Massachusetts; The AMA Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio; the Indian Motorcycle factory in Spirit Lake, Iowa; and a day of dirt riding with the Colorado GS Girls.

“No matter gender, race, or religion, riding around the world is an incredible feat, and we’re proud to be support these female riders who enjoy the escape, the freedom and the comradery you get when riding motorcycles,” said Reid Wilson, Vice President of Indian Motorcycle “When we first learned about the Women Riders World Relay, we wanted to help in any way possible, as our core values aligns with theirs.

We are proud to welcome and

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support our women riders and hope to inspire courage, unity, and pride for generations to come.”

Women Riders World Relay was founded by UK motorcycle enthusiast Hayley Bell to shine a light on a widely overlooked segment of riders. The global ride made its very first debut on February 26 and will conclude in the United Arab Emirates in February of 2020. Hayley, among other female riders, help pave the way for the growing landscape of women riders through inspiring events such as the Women Riders World Relay.

Ride leaders of the Women Riders World Relay will be riding Indian Motorcycle Chieftain and Roadmaster motorcycles, bikes that offer modern, streamlined designs, technology, multiple ride modes, and comfortable riding position appeal to female riders of all skill levels.

For a complete look at the global ride route, visit Women Riders World Relay. To learn more or to follow along, follow Facebook, Instagram,

and Twitter. To learn more, please visit www.indianmotorcycle.com.

Adam Robarts Secures Pirelli’s Seventh Absolute Motorcycle Track Record Of 2019 At Pacific Raceways -Robarts Earns Third Pirelli Tire Credit of the Year on DIABLO™ Superbike slicks Pirelli Tire North America congratulates Adam Robarts on capturing the brand’s seventh absolute motorcycle track record of 2019. Robarts set the track record at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington, during the fifth round of the 2019 Washington Motorcycle Road Racing Association (WMRRA) Championship.

“This new track record set by Adam is really impressive,” said

Oscar Solis, road racing manager, Pirelli. “It’s rewarding to see that Adam retains his confidence in the SC1 rear, which shows the vast versatility of that compound. My hats off to him for his continued streak of setting track records.”

Adam Robarts has earned an impressive three absolute motorcycle track records in 2019.

Robarts’ new lap record of 1:22.112 was set during the Formula Ultra race, topping Mitchell Pierce’s previous record by two-tenths of a second. Robarts’ BMW S 1000 RR motorcycle was equipped with Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike 120/70-17 SC2 front and 200/60-17 SC1 rear tires.

“On a day that didn’t seem to be conducive to lap records, Adam managed to stun us all,” said Sage Wilkinson, CT Racing NW, Pirelli trackside vendor. “He went out and topped the previous track record in Formula Ultra qualifying with used DIABLO Superbike SC2 front and SC1 rear slicks. As word began to travel that the record may not hold due to not taking place in a race, Adam mounted up a fresh set of slicks and broke the record again in race conditions, ensuring his achievement would stand.”

Pirelli continues to offer a tire credit prize for setting a new motorcycle track record, and Robarts leads the way with three of the seven track records awarded this year. Robarts last track record came just one month ago at The Ridge Motorsports Park during the fourth round of the WMRRA Championship.

To learn more about the complete line of Pirelli motorcycle tires, please visit www.pirelli.com.

REMEMBER—Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it’s not the end. Ain’t that the truth.

If you need a news fix more often, slip over to Bikernet.com and check the blog, or join Bandit’s Cantina and have access to 24 years of wild content.-Bandit

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he switch snapped in my head, and a constant loop of “Gods and Punks” has been droning into my skull with pathologic intensity. I stare mindlessly at the fog rolling across the pavement as it crosses the road from one swamp to the next. Beams of light penetrate the clouds with laser-like efficiency, and its radiation sits at bay as the moisture shields its glow while my knuckles and face absorb the mist. It’s impossible to fully understand life in slow motion while moving at eighty miles an hour, yet here I am a thousand-pound lethargic bullet.

These are the best of times and a dangerous place for my mind to be. I’m half a step disconnected from reality, surfing on sleep deprivation, stone sober, and yet on a different plane of existence. The humming of the motor puts stress to sleep, and my eyes tear from the cold air slipping past my sunglasses. It’s early enough for it to be dark, but my headlight is useless as it hunts for its path. I roll back on my wrist and shoulder into the curve.

We’ve all but donated our lives to the pursuit of becoming cyborgs.

A borage of information surrounds us with great persistence collecting on the fabric of our being as we inadvertently document every minute of our day for complete strangers to profit from our story. Surrounded in a cloak of technology we became numb to how vulnerable we are; making ourselves

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unable to retain the simplest information. We never unplug, we are never alone, and we are no longer anonymous.

“I’m a stoned jet fighter with a heart of gold. And I rule this planet from High above.” - Monster Magnet The same words repeat as rain gently stabs my skin. My posture never alters, and the crisp water collects the road grit in my beard as it starts to seep between my lips. I dance between lanes of dotted white lines as my attack becomes downright offensive through a highway of almost dormant cages. A god complex takes over my psyche, and I sail on the rush, as I try to avoid the oil and silk paint lines. This is disconnected, this is anonymous.

When a vehicle is stripped to its purest form it becomes alive. The motorcycle shares its emotion letting you know when it’s comfortable, happy, enraged, or sick. It’s how you harness that information that sets the tone of the ride. As a chill sets in with the penetration of icecold puddles around my neck and crotch my mind is able to set apart the discomfort in favor of a healthy yet twisted state of mind. The bellowing heartbeat of the motor dances in cadence with the sound of the Meltzer’s parting the water to shake hands with the asphalt. Everything is in its place, literate, and defined. It is simplicity amplified to a chaotic roar. Through the wall of mist churned by the cars I fight through the passing miles that lead to absolutely nowhere in a personal battle of my mind.

As a kid, I stared out the back

window of my parent’s vanilla commuter car gazing upon the endless sea of headlights. There were cars stacked on top of cars, and I wondered where this mess even began and if there was someone in the beginning of it all.

Now fully exposed, I am the only person alive my exhaust ricocheting off of bland non-descript fourdoor coffins impeding climate-controlled biodomes designed to nullify the spirit of travel.

Through a mass herd of mediocrity, I begin to feel alive, the rpms die down, and I drop a gear tucking tightly onto my exit.

I have never been able to transition well from highway speeds to the residential citizen speed of thirty-five. It’s always a futile attempt, like sobering up for a traffic stop, and I now choose

to ignore it. Sometimes riding allows judgment to subside, and when you’ve been trolling on a certain plane of existence a role of the dice is fully acceptable.

The pace back to the shop is quick and the buzz doesn’t wear off as the ride comes to an end. There would be no reason for that.

My jeans hang heavy over my boots which are saturated and stiff. I peel my jacket off and reach for the stale remains of my morning coffee on the bench. Slumped in an office chair burned from hours of haphazard welding I absorb the heat of the motor as it cools down. I have no place to be, and for now being unplugged is an invited rarity...

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Feuling x ARP Primary And Transmission Stainless 12 Point Dress-Up Kit

Features A Lifetime Warranty and Show Polish With Corrosion Finish. You can Find Them For Multiple Fitments Including: for M-Eight, Twin Cam, EVO , XL For More Information Visit https://www.feulingparts.com/product.details.php?product=3053

Corbin Dual Saddle For 2019 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC & XE

Made with high density Comfort Cell foam allows a sleek, low profile while providing a firm supportive ride that lasts. Rider seating is ergonomically shaped to fit the curve of your body and provide better weight distribution. Passenger seating area is designed with a neutralized platform to curb sliding forward in the saddle. Passenger area is shaped to give a fast look that matches the bike.

Corbin saddle fits perfect to the tank and chassis. Our rigid base material not only fits perfect to the bike but provides a firm foundation. Mounts to the motorcycle using the OEM key lock system for simple installation. Available wherever Corbin Saddles are sold. www.corbin.com

DRAG SPECIALTIES SOFTRIDE M-EIGHT SOFTAIL PASSENGER FOOTPEGS

Add style and give your passenger some added comfort by installing a pair of SoftRide footpegs from Drag Specialties. These footpegs are specifically designed to absorb vibrations. Their hollow core, long-lasting neoprene rubber insert cleats are isolastically mounted on a special chrome socket-head bolt. Available in a chrome or black finish. Footpegs sold in pairs. MSRP $69.95. https://www.dragspecialties.com/ products/?productId=552175

Z1R introduces the new Road Maxx helmet Feuling Arp Cylinder Stud & Head Bolt Kit

The strongest studs & bolts available! This kit is designed to exceed the needs of high-performance engines. . Feuling® studs are installed can be reused and carry a lifetime warranty.

Heat-treated 8740 chrome moly steel studs.

Precision j-form threads for optimum engagement, to prevent galling and promote more consistent torque loading. Manufactured by ARP® to Feulings® specs. Stock replacement.

Kit includes 8 cylinder studs, 8 head bolts, moly assembly lubricant and thread sealant. Made in the USA. https://www.feulingparts.com/product.details.php?product=3024

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Maximize your potential with the brand new Road Maxx helmet from Z1R. This scooter derived helmet is DOT/ECE certified and utilizes an injection ABS molded shell. We hooked this helmet up with a scratch resistant drop down sun visor, making it versatile in all lighting conditions. A fully removable moisture-wicking inner liner allows for easy cleaning on the Road Maxx. Available in an array of colors including the unique wine colorway. Available in sizes XS-2XL at $79.95 suggested retail

DRAG SPECIALTIES SEATS ¾ SOLO SEATS

These new Drag Specialties seats are constructed from molded polyurethane foam that offers the maximum in comfort and styling, while also providing better leg clearance and 3¼” back support. The high-quality automotive-grade vinyl cover is available in five variations: smooth, double diamond stitch with black thread, double diamond stitch with silver thread, double diamond stitch with red thread and distressed brown leather. Seat base is ABS thermoformed for a perfect fit and includes a carpeted bottom and rubber bumpers to protect the motorcycle’s paint. Available for 04-20 XL models.

MSRP $211.95 – $258.95 For more information, go to http://seats.dragspecialties.com/

DRAG SPECIALTIESREUSABLE AIR FILTER

Easily add noticeable performance with a reusable air filter from Drag Specialties.

Increases in engine efficiency and power are achieved through a durable epoxycoated wire mesh designed to maximize airflow and provide peak filtration. Also uses high-flow four-layer surgical-grade cotton filtration and a super-tough urethane body that won’t crack or curl like rubber. Comes pre-oiled for fast installation and is 100% washable. Available for 17-19 FLHT/FLHR/FLHX/FLTRX/FLTRU and HD FL Trike models and replaces OEM #29400212. Sug. Retail $39.95. https://www. dragspecialties.com/products/?productId=563279

Z1R introduces the new Timber Denim Jacket

We combine our thick, woven cotton denim chassis with a full length inner flannel liner to bring you the brand new Z1R Timber Denim. Now you get the best of both worlds, all the look of a denim but with the comfort of a flannel. With a full metal snap and concealed zipper front closure, you get the look of a casual without the fuss of the standard hole to button closure. Providing increased rider mobility, the Timber Denim is fitted with expanded shoulder gussets and an extended jacket tail. Inside you’ll find a large conceal and carry pocket and on the outside you have two hand warmer pockets inner-lined with flannel. Available in sizes S-5XL, suggested retail $99.95 - $104.95. www.z1r.com

DRAG SPECIALTIES REPLACEMENT SHOCK ABSORBERS

Improve ride comfort immediately with these replacement shock absorbers from Drag Specialties.

Progressively-wound springs with hydraulic steel monotube damper bodies with either black or chrome finish. Available in 11.5”, 12.5” and 13” lengths for 86-03 XL models and mount with existing hardware.

Sold in pairs. Sug. Retail $169.95. https://www.dragspecialties.com/ products/?productId=563253

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OFFICIAL POWDERCOATER OF FLAT BROKE CHOPS & RODS

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ADVERTISERS INDEX 5 Ball Racing Leather................... 92 Bare Bones Leather......................94 Battery Outlet..............................97 BikerNet.com..................................97 Bikers Choice..................................2 Blue Grass Engraving...................45 Chop Cult......................................94 Cycle Source Gear...........................4 Dennis Kirk.....................................9 Denver’s Choppers........................59 Drag Specialties.............................19 Dutchman.....................................97 Faith Forgotten Choppers.............89 Feuling..........................................94 Flat Broke Chops & Rods..............81 GEICO.............................................3 Harbor Freight...............................29 Hijinx Apparel................................57 Hot Leathers...................................91 I Draw Flies...................................97 Inferno Art.....................................94 Kiwi Indian....................................47 Led Sled.........................................65 Lowbrow Customs.........................19 MC Creations.................................93 Metzeler.........................................55 Mikuni...........................................37 Motion Pro.....................................85 No School Choppers.......................97 Pandemonium................................93 Paughco......................................13,75 Progressive Insurance...................33 Russ Brown...................................25 S&S Cycle.....................................100 SpeedKing.....................................18 Sporty Parts...................................97 Steel City H-D..............................99 Tech Cycles....................................47 Tropical Tattoo..............................91 Twisted Choppers............................5 Zipper’s Performance.....................49

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make her look years younger. After a lengthy sitting before the mirror applying the “miracle” products, she asks her husband - “Darling, honestly, if you didn’t know me, what age would you say I am?” Looking over her carefully, Andy replied,”Judging from your skin, twenty; your hair, eighteen; and your figure, twenty-five.” “Oh, you flatterer!” she gushed. Just as she was about to tell Andy his reward, he stops her by saying...”WHOA, hold on there, sweety!” Andy interrupted.

“I haven’t added them up yet!”

Heard A Good One Lately ?

Then Send It Along To Us At: 119 Dellenbaugh Rd. Tarentum, PA 15084 Or E-mail To cyclesourcemain@comcast.net

Ghost

T A

fella is getting ready to go out on the town with his buddies when his wife comes home from shopping with a really nice brand new $20 shirt for him. Quite pleased, he accepts the shirt and decides he’ll wear it out that very evening. Our guy later finds himself with his friends at the local watering hole and is having a particularly good time this evening.

He is feeling energized by the vibe of the new shirt. People are buying him beers, he’s pounding rounds of shots, and before he knows it, he has had too damn much to drink and throws up all over himself and his new shirt.

Completely distraught and dreading going home and facing his no doubt furious wife, he consults his pals for advice. Quite quickly one friend chimes in with the perfect solution.

“Dude, just put a $20 bill in your shirt pocket and tell her you were at the bar, and some drunk guy threw up all over you. He was very apologetic and offered you $20 to replace the shirt, and you didn’t want any problems, so you just took the money.” A sense of relief fell over the man as his friend’s words seemed to make right all that was wrong in his world and in no time, he was back to drinking and partying. Stumbling up the driveway much later that night he is greeted by his wife. “ What in the hell happened to you? Is that puke all over your new shirt?” she asks. “Relax, honey” he replied “I can explain. Ya see, there I was minding my own business at the bar when some drunk bastard stumbled up and puked all over me.

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At first, I was pretty upset, but he apologized, and then he put this $20 bill in my pocket to make up for it.

And seeing as how I have been trying to better myself and avoid destructive behaviors like getting into bar fights, I decided to be the bigger man and accept his apology.” “Fine” said the wife “But, why is there $40 here?”

“Oh,” he says, “that drunk sumbitch pissed my pants too.”

Billy

A

Spanish captain was walking on his ship when a soldier rushes to him and exclaims, “An enemy ship is approaching us!” The captain replies, calmly, “Go get my red shirt.” The soldier gets the shirt for the captain.

The enemy ship comes in, and heavy rounds of fire are exchanged. Finally, the Spaniards win. The soldier asks, “Congrats sir, but why the red shirt?”

The captain replies, “If I got injured, my blood shouldn’t be seen, as I didn’t want my men to lose hope.”

Just then, another soldier runs up and says, “Sir, we just spotted another twenty enemy ships!” The captain calmly replies, “Go bring my yellow pants.”

Jack

S

ome people grow old gracefully, while others fight and scratch the whole way. Andy’s wife, refusing to give in to the looks of growing old, goes out and buys a new line of expensive cosmetics guaranteed to

he three bears had been having some trouble recently and had ended up in family court. Mama and Papa bear were splitting up, and baby bear had to decide who he was going to live with. So, the judge wanted to talk to baby bear to see what he thought about living with either of his parents. When he asked baby bear about living with his father, baby bear said: “No, I can’t live with Papa bear, he beats me terribly.” “OK,” said the judge, “then you want to live with your mother, right?” “No way!” replied baby bear, “She beats me worse than Papa bear does.” The judge was a bit confused by this and didn’t quite know what to do. “Well, you have to live with someone, so is there any relatives you would like to stay with?” asked the judge. “Yes,” answered baby bear, “my aunt Bertha bear who lives in Chicago.” “You’re sure she will treat you well and won’t beat you?” asked the judge. “Oh definitely,” said baby bear, “the Chicago Bears don’t beat anybody.”

Ruben

O

’Toole volunteered to take care of his numerous children so that Mom could have an evening out.

At bedtime he sent the youngsters upstairs to bed and settled down to read. One child kept creeping down the stairs, but O’Toole kept sending him back up. At 10 o’clock the doorbell rang. It was the next-door neighbor, Mrs. O’Brien. She asked if her son was there and O’Toole said no. Just then a little head appeared over the banister and a voice shouted. “I’m here Mom, but he won’t let me go home.”

Breeder

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