HOT BIKE SEPTEMBER 2017

THE FABRICATION ISSUE

SCRATCH’S

Classic

HOTBIKE.COM

SEPTEMBER 2017

KNUCKLEHEAD

PLUS

> 2017 H-D STREET GLIDE RIDE > MAKING A BUCK > WELDING TABLE WELD-UP > THE LEGEND OF SAM RADOFF > DIY WHEEL BUILDING 101

PISTOL PETE’S CUSTOM CYCLE MENOMONIE, WI

BECAUSE YOU’RE ALWAYS THERE FOR

FAMILY

COMMITTED TO LOCAL V-TWIN DEALERS SINCE 1968 dragspecialties.com

| #SINCE1968

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22 6 / HOTBIKE.COM

24 30

The “Real Deal” Scratch and his near perfect 1940 FL. Photo: John Zamora

CONTENTS

ON THIS PAGE

SEPTEMBER 2017

ON THE COVER

Yuriko showing some girl power.

Photo: Peter Linney

Volume 49 • Number 9

DEPARTMENTS Major Ranting ...................................................8 Editor’s Note ...................................................10 Candy Shop ..................................................... 12 Garage ............................................................... 14 Geeked .............................................................. 16 Round-Up ......................................................... 18 Roller .................................................................20 Interrogation .................................................. 22 Used And Abused ........................................ 74 Past Blast......................................................... 76 Readers’ Rides............................................... 78 Top 10 ............................................................... 82 Speed’s Spotlight .........................................84 Soapbox........................................................... 86 Webslinger ...................................................... 88 Faces ................................................................. 92 Hotness ............................................................ 98

TECH WHEEL BUILDING 101 ................... 64 WELDING UP A WELDING TABLE The CertiFlat Table Build ........................... 68

FINISHING A BUCK

#hotbikesnapfab .......................................... 72

FEATURES FOREFRONT

Cabana Dan’s Three-Hummer wonder..24

ICONIC

Scratch’s Garage 97-point 1940 Knucklehead FL............................................. 30

BAGGED

A Lay-Frame Bagger To Cross State Lines .............................................................38

44

SINCE 1971

52

STREET RIPPER

A Community Of Riders Fosters A Build............................................................... 44

HEAVY METAL

A Viclero Bobber That’s Gordo Approved ..........................................................52

CHRONICLE

Q&A With Builder Yosemite Sam Radoff...................................................... 60

SEPTEMBER 2017 / 7

F FUEL & MOTOR MOUTH

FIRE

THE PROGRESSION OF FABRICATION

abrication is the action or process of manufacturing or inventing something. For us custom-motorcycle builders, riders, and enthusiasts, it means a ton more than just that. It means individualism.

Since the beginning of the advent of motorcycles there has been fabrication. Hell, that is how we even got the motorcycle at all. Word has it that some freaky Frenchman in 1867 had a wild idea of cobbling together a steam engine on a bicycle. And as we all can guess, progression of the motorcycle as we now know it was quick from there.

The foray into gas-powered bikes happened in 1884 when an Englishman by the name of Edward Butler built the petrol cycle, which was a trike-like concoction featuring a 5/8-hp 600cc flat twin four-stoke engine.

In 1901, on this side of the pond, Indian built the “diamond framed” Indian Single model.

And in 1903 Harley-Davidson started the production of its motorcycles.

Just as soon as these production bikes were available to the public they were modified to get more power out of them for racing purposes, customized for a given task, or refabricated altogether as a replacement for horses on the farm.

The motorcycle fabrication we are more accustomed to started happening when GIs returned from World War II. While in Europe they were used to riding sleek and slim motorcycles, and when they returned from the war they chopped, cut, and rebuilt the heavy USA-made machines to suit their own style.

The first mention of custom motorcycles was in the mid1950s during the custom-car show scene where motorcycles were being included at the big indoor shows all over the country.

This type of action spread to the masses, and choppers were also just starting to emerge at this time as well. Custom-fabricated motorcycles of all shapes and sizes grew steadily over the next 20 years until it hit a fever pitch in the late 1960s.

The very magazine you are reading wouldn’t have ever been if it weren’t for the fabrication and customization craze in the early 1970s. Sure, the late ’80s and early to mid-1990s were a lean time in the custom era with more people just buying stock bikes from dealers swapping out a few parts and riding them. Then something happened.

There was already a small reappearance of hand-fabricated bikes happening in the late 1990s, and then the TV-show bikes of 2000s snared a whole new generation of adults and kids alike when they got to witness bikes being built from the ground up on cable television. This seemed to have spawned a whole new crop of folks who weren’t afraid to fire up welders and get their hands dirty.

And then custom baggers started happening big time right around 2006. Like them or not, those lay-frame big-wheel bikes take a total teardown and a ton of fabrication to get them looking the way they do.

And here we are now. Performance bike builds are what is going on. And just like way back in the first part of the 19th century, folks are hand fabricating their motorcycles to go faster and work better for their individual wants and needs.

Seems like a case of déjà vu all over again, huh?

JEFF G. HOLT EDITOR IN CHIEF

8 / HOTBIKE.COM

JEFFREY.HOLT@BONNIERCORP.COM @JEFFGHOLT #JEFFGHOLT

A presence that refuses to be ignored.

Matte black from nose to tail. And the dominant Thunder Stroke® 111 V-Twin.

You want the lead? Take it. With the Indian® Chieftain Dark Horse.® This is power in its rawest form. Build your own at indianmotorcyle.com

©2017 Indian Motorcycle International, LLC. Always wear your helmet. Never drink and ride.

EDITORÕS NOTE

DYNA BRO, ÕEH T

he FXR/Dyna revolution will be publicized. Another month, and another show, this time we headed up to the Great White North of Calgary, Alberta, in Canada. Once again, I couldn’t be more amazed at the passion, devotion, and enthusiasm that permeates from the owners of these bikes. The FXR/Dyna day was held this time by longtime friends of the magazine Mad Jap Kustoms. And once again, the bikes outside the shop could have been transplanted straight from Southern California.

The show had more than 30 entrants from the several thousands who attended the event. The Best OG FXR award went to Dell West. His mostly stock FXR was originally commissioned to be used for the Pope in his cavalcade. It was never used, but it showcases one of my favorite elements of these shows. While the young guns have gravitated to the FXRs as the modern-day must-have cool-guy bike, the good portion of the owners are long-time riders who have stashed away these bikes or been riding them all along.

It’s pretty cool to see someone who has held on to their bike for more than 20-plus years and has the new “hot” bike once again. Can you imagine what trends have since come and gone during that time, from the big-fat-tire phase to the long-and-lean chopper craze? To meet these owners who just appreciated the handling and performance of these bikes that they decided against bastardizing them despite what everyone else was doing is just cool.

Aside from the shows, the fine folks at Mad Jap couldn’t have been more accommodating. They are a mad genius of sorts, and it was cool to spend some time with them in their hometown. They make some awesome quality parts and have a slew of upcoming bits and pieces that are currently making their way from the brain to the lathe. The best is yet to come, and there isn’t any sign that this performance trend is going away anytime soon.

Thanks to the internet and publications like Hot Bike, the world has become a very small space. This performance kick that has taken over the Harley world is good for everyone. Young riders now see the used

10 / HOTBIKE.COM

“THE FXR/DYNA REVOLUTION WILL BE PUBLICIZED.” Dyna market as a great entry-level machine that they can upgrade as their time and budget allows. The more affluent riders (I hope to be one…one day) have a new platform to seek out the best of the best components and end up with a truly awesome piece of art that they can thrash on as hard as they want. It’s that combination of the two that make working at Hot Bike exciting. We have a few more FXR/Dyna shows coming up, and I can’t wait to see how everyone else is putting their spin on this little thing we do. Beauty, ’eh. HB JOHN ZAMORA

EDITOR

JOHN.ZAMORA@BONNIERCORP.COM FACEBOOK.COM/HOTBIKEJOHN @JOHNZPICS

#SOCALRPM

LE T YOUR B IKE D O T H E TA L K I N G .

Every ride has its own story. With Rinehart Racing pipes providing the soundtrack, you can be sure it’ll be a story worth hearing. It’s a sound unlike any other, born in the racing pits, bred for the open road, and 100% American.

Sound travels. Where will it take you?

Rinehartracing.com

877-264-8282

Pictured Product: Dyna Street Bob with Rinehart Racing Kickbacks in Chrome with Black End Caps Part number: 300-0204 Any add-on or modified emissions-related parts contained in this advertisement that are subject to anti-tampering laws have not been evaluated and exempted by the California Air Resources Board.

As a manufacturer, Rinehart Racing makes no representation or warranty with respect to whether the emissions-related parts in this advertisement are legal for sale, installation or use in any state unless the part is installed in a vehicle used only for closed-course competition. This disclaimer shall apply in the State of California or other states where anti-tampering laws regulate modifications that affect emissions for motor vehicles. Rinehart Racing expressly prohibits the use of any Rinehart Racing product that violates or is used in such a way to violate the laws of the State of California as shall be administered and enforced by the California Air Resources Board. For further information relating to the use of emissions-related parts or components on pollution-controlled motorcycles, visit the California Air Resource Board’s web page at http://www.arb.ca.gov.

CANDY SHOP

NEW PRODUCTS

01 TC BROS

02 BAD DAD

03 PERFORMANCE MACHINE

04 J&P CYCLES

tcbros.com

baddad.com

performancemachine.com

jpcycles.com

Model A Side Mount Taillight

966 Floorboards

Black Ops Fork Brace

Fat Bob Tanks

01 02

03

04

05

06

07 08

05 JRI

06 TBR

07 LUCKY DAVE’S

08 HARDCASE PERFORMANCE

jrishocks.com

twobros.com

luckydaves.com

hardcaseperformance.com

Non Adjustable Shocks

12 / HOTBIKE.COM

Gen II Stainless Exhaust

Rider Bars

9.5 Riser

COMPILED BY THE HOT BIKE STAFF

09 RC COMPONENTS

10 AVON GRIPS

11 S&S

12 REVOLUTION PERFORMANCE

rccomponents.com

avongrips.com

sscycle.com

revolution-performance.com

Prowler Wheel

Black and Tan Gel Grip

Tuned Induction Air Cleaner

113ci Big Bore Kit

11

09

10

12

13

15 14 16

13 ARLEN NESS

14 DRAG SPECIALTIES

15 MEMPHIS SHADES

16 S100

arlenness.com

dragspecialties.com

memphisshades.com

s100.com

15-inch Big Brake Kit for Dyna

Mini King/Queen Seat

Gauntlet Fairing

Detailing Set

SEPTEMBER 2017 / 13

GARAGE

WELDERS 101

WORDS AND PHOTOS: JEFF G. HOLT

LINCOLN ELECTRIC SQUARE WAVE TIG 200 WELDER

TIG

$1,499 // lincolnelectric.com

ESAB

14 / HOTBIKE.COM

MAXSTAR 161 STH WELDER $1,899 // millerwelds.com

A

ny form of real fabrication is going to call for some welding at times.

While MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding is good structurally, it is better suited for bridges and battleships due to the amount of splatter and sheer mess they make when welding small tubing and sheet metal that motorcycles possess. For bike customization, TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) is the way to go because the person doing the welding can better control the welding process with much less mess to clean up after the work has been done.

FABRIACATOR 141I WELDER $1,150 // esabna.com

MILLER

HOBART

EZ TIG 165I WELDER $1,399 // hobartwelders.com

>> All that’s missing is you, your bike and GEICO Motorcycle insurance.

geico.com | 1-800-442-9253 | Local Office

Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states or all GEICO companies. Motorcycle coverage is underwritten by GEICO Indemnity Company. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. © 2017 GEICO

GEEKED

ELECTRONIC FABRICATION HELPERS

COMPILED BY THE HOT BIKE STAFF

BIKE MASTER

3/8-INCH DIGITAL TORQUE WRENCH $125 // bikemaster.com

PITTSBURG

MAGNETIC DIGITAL ANGLE GAUGE $34.99 // harborfreight.com

CEN-TECH

INFRARED THERMOMETER $27.99 // harborfreight.com

HUSKY

6-INCH DIGITAL CALIPER $29.97 // homedepot.com

16 / HOTBIKE.COM

Race Inspired— Performance Tuned Available for ‘95-2016 big twin & 2017 M8 models

• Aluminum endcap with high heat coating to stay black • Perforated stainless steel baffle won’t rust • Aggressive sound & excellent horsepower • Removable dB reducer — choose your sound level • From $495.95 MSRP

sscycle.com • Made in the USA DISCLAIMER: NOT LEGAL FOR SALE OR USE IN CALIFORNIA ON ANY POLLUTION CONTROLLED MOTOR VEHICLES. Not legal for sale or use on EPA pollution controlled motorcycles originally equipped with mufflers containing catalyst. *Qualified Manufacturer Declared Emissions Replacement Part on the FL Touring Models Listed Below.

California FL Touring Models:Fuel Injected MY 1995-2003, 2007, and 2009-2017; CVO MY 2000-2003, and 2009-2017 49 State FL touring Models: Carbureted MY 1995-2005; Fuel Injected MY 1995-2005, and 2007-2017; CVO MY 2000-2005, and 2009-2017

SHOWCASE | 10 ITEMS TO REST YOUR FEET ON

BY JEFF G. HOLT

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

01 San Diego Customs Mini Floorboards // sandiegocustoms.com 02 Joker Machine Mini Moto Footpegs // jokermachine.com 03 KSC Speedshop Scoundrel 717 Footpegs // daygo.it 04 Lowbrow Customs Pursuit Footpegs // lowbrowcustoms.com 05 Flo Motorsports Moto Style Pegs // flomotorsports.com 06 Brass Balls Cycles Knee Dragger Footpegs // brassballscycles.com 07 Cycle Pirates 4.5 Knurled Footpegs // jpcycles.com 08 Kuryakyn Riot Footpegs // kuryakyn.com 09 Chopper Hauss Omen Pegs // chopperhauss.net 10 The Speed Merchant Speed Pegs // thespeedmerchant.net

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10

ROLLER

BIKES AT A GLANCE

WORDS: JOHN ZAMORA PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON

2017 HARLEY-DAVIDSON

STREET S GLIDE

JUST THE FACTS MSRP Starting at $20,999 Milwaukee-Eight 107 ENGINE 111.4 ft.-lb.

PEAK TORQUE 6-speed w/ belt drive TRANS WHEELS Enforcer cast-aluminum 19-in. front and 16-in. rear 6 gal.

FUEL CAPACITY Vivid Black, Black Denim, Superior Blue, COLORS Velocity Red Sunglo

T

he biggest news out of big H-D in several years was the release of the all-new Milwaukee-Eight line of motors. This new powerplant combines the classic looks of the V-twin Harley has become world famous for, with the forefront of modern motorcycle technology. Big H-D isn’t like other companies. It can’t just come out with a new powerplant every two years with minor tweaks. It sells more motorcycles than most of all other manufacturers combined. Any update to its bikes, especially the motors, has a long-reaching effect that sets up a time in history. The 2017s are now the latest motors and the best motor it has ever released.

In 2014, Harley redesigned its entire chassis, electronics, and suspension with the Rushmore bikes. Back then, we loved the 2014 Street Glide and called it the best Glide built to date. Now in 2017, Harley combined the best chassis with the best motor and probably produced one of the best motorcycles, not just “Harleys,” to date. The MilwaukeeEight is a beast of a motor with tons of untapped potential just waiting for the aftermarket to catch up. Power is nothing without control, and the 2017 Street Glide has that too!

More than likely this motor and chassis combination is here to stay for a while. If there was ever a time to hit up the local dealer and purchase a new bike, it’s now. Not only will this combination serve you well today, you’ll get a jump on all your buddies as new and innovative products get released. HB

20 / HOTBIKE.COM

“THE MILWAUKEE-EIGHT IS A BEAST OF A MOTOR WITH TONS OF UNTAPPED POTENTIAL JUST WAITING FOR THE AFTERMARKET TO CATCH UP.” For more info visit harley-davidson.com.

INTERROGATION

ASSOCIATIONS: LOCATION: WEBSITE: HANDLE:

DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN THREE WORDS. Dedicated, professional, and most of all biker.

WHAT DO YOU RIDE? I have a few, but I mostly ride my ’09 bagger, my ’73 FLH, and my rigid bobber.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST BIKE? A 1969 Honda CL450 and I still have it.

WHAT IS YOUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE BIKE? My kick-only 1979 FX alternator/generator Shovelhead that is a tribute to my gramp’s 1929 JD. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WORK IN THE MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRY? What better work is worth devoting your life to?

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT? Guiding my daughter in getting herself dual college degrees. A Ph.D in cardio physiology and a master’s in physician assistant sciences.

22 / HOTBIKE.COM

AIMExpo/MIC Events, Kustom Kulture Artisan Shows, A Bikers Garage Southlake, TX aimexpousa.com/custombikeshows.com/abikersgarage.com @bobkzcustomculture

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST REGRET? That I didn’t spend more time with my youngest brother who passed away at 51 years old.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? Young builders and fabricators who are following their dreams and taking care of their families at the same time. And of course my daughter.

ANY LAST WORDS? Be yourself because an original is worth more than a copy. Work hard and play harder because you can always rest after you die. HB

“WORK HARD AND PLAY HARDER BECAUSE YOU CAN ALWAYS REST AFTER YOU DIE.”

FOREFRONT

T R I P L E L I N DY

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WORDS: CABANA DAN PHOTOS: COLLEEN LAKE

CABANA DAN’S HOT BIKE: WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BUILD THIS? CABANA DAN: You may remember the scene from Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield. The scene opens as Thornton Melon climbs the ladder at the swimming pool. He bypasses two lower diving boards and gets to the top diving board. He pauses for a moment.

He makes a couple armpit farts. He jumps off the diving board and does back flips, front flips, and uses every board on his way to the swimming pool below. He hits the water with a tremendous splash. Thus, the “Triple Lindy Dive” was born. Thornton wins the competition, passes the semester, and dates the teacher.

That scene inspired me to build the three-engine land-speed bike called the Triple Lindy.

THREE-HUMMER WONDER

HB: WHAT’S A HUMMER? CD: The bike features three Harley-Davidson Hummer motors. H-D made the Hummer, a lightweight single-cylinder motorcycle from the late ’40s until the mid-’60s. The three Hummer motors are from 1948, 1949, and 1950. They power a five-speed transmission and the bike roars to life with an electric start.

HB: WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK WHEN THEY FIRST SEE IT? CD: The bike often creates interesting conversations and lots of questions.

Some of the more frequently asked questions include, “How fast does it go?” The answer is I don’t know! I haven’t run it hard yet. Next, they ask, “How do you shift?” The answer is an air shifter. Finally, they ask, “How tall do you have to be to ride it?” I’m a little over 6 feet tall and fit the bike just fine.

HB: WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR IT? CD: It’s not enough to have a cool engineering concept. You’ve got to look good running the Salt Flats and have great friends to make it rock.

HB: ANY THANK-YOUS? CD: Jayme Schmidt of Blue Moon Kustoms pulled together a screamin’ paint scheme that features Pearl White and 1950 Mercury Red. Joe A. of Calico Hand Painted Pinstripes added his unmistakable artwork to the rocket. Adam at Pierce Street Seats covered the seat in record time, using golden deer hide. Chromer Cheater Carl and polisher Terry Sheckles made the metal sparkle.

Finally, Rodney never did get much respect. Maybe a Triple Hummer will finally get him some. HB SEPTEMBER 2017 / 25

FOREFRONT | 1948/1949/1950 HUMMER SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION

“THE THREE HUMMER MOTORS ARE FROM 1948, 1949, AND 1950. THEY POWER A FIVESPEED TRANSMISSION AND THE BIKE ROARS TO LIFE WITH AN ELECTRIC START.” FOR MORE ON THIS BIKE VISIT HOTBIKE.COM

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ROAD WARRIOR FAIRING Shown with 11” Dark Black Smoke Road Warrior Windshield.

MADE IN MEMPHIS

S T Y L E

T H AT

memphisshades.com

W O R K S

dragspecialties.com

FOREFRONT

SPECIFICATIONS GENERAL OWNER SHOP YEAR/MAKE/MODEL

Cabana Dan Rognsvoog Cabana Dan’s Customs 1948/1949/1950/ H-D/Hummer special construction Cabana Dan 8 months

FABRICATION BUILD TIME ENGINE YEAR/TYPE/SIZE BUILDER CASES CYLINDERS HEADS CARBURETOR AIR CLEANER EXHAUST

1948/1949/1950/H-D Hummer motors/each 125cc Cabana Dan H-D H-D Heavily Modified Mikuni x 3 Velocity stacks x 3 3-into-1 Custom made by Cabana Dan

TRANSMISSION YEAR/TYPE GEARS CLUTCH PRIMARY DRIVE FRAME YEAR/TYPE RAKE/STRETCH SUSPENSION FRONT END TRIPLE TREES SWINGARM REAR SHOCKS

1982/H-D 5-speed H-D Custom made by Cabana Dan 2016/Cabana Dan Custom/Long Aluminum Aluminum Rigid None

WHEELS, TIRES, AND BRAKES FRONT BUILDER/SIZE 7-spoke moped/17 in.

TIRE/SIZE 17 in.

CALIPERS None ROTORS None DRUM None REAR BUILDER/SIZE H-D FLSTF/16 in.

TIRE/SIZE 16 in.

CALIPER Dual PMs ROTOR eBay find SPROCKET eBay find FINISH/PAINT COLORS White and red PAINT/GRAPHICS Paint: Jayme Schmidt, Blue Moon Kustoms; pinstriping: Calico (Joe), Calico Hand Painted Pinstripes PLATING/POLISHING Cheater Carl/Terry Sheckles POWDERCOATING None ACCESSORIES REAR FENDER Modified eBay find GAS TANK Modified Texas Choppers GAUGES Air shifter HANDLEBARS Cabana Dan GRIPS Arlen Ness HAND CONTROLS Performance Machine PEGS Cabana Dan SEAT Adam Pierce Street Seats, Milwaukee, WI

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HIDDEN ARAI BENEFITS

Strong By Nature Over the decades, Arai has continuously updated their helmets one step at a time based on what has been proven to work. It didn’t take long to see that the shell’s shape began to resemble that of the strongest shape in nature – an egg. This realization reinforced Arai’s philosophy of building upon what worked and never trying something radical or unproven. This Egg Shape Form (ESF) is now the foundation of every Arai helmet model, and the Defiant Pro-Cruise is no exception.

This Egg Shape Form continues to be optimized to disperse impact forces by being round and smooth.

The lack of protruding edges or irregular surfaces allows the forces to be distributed evenly and away from the point of impact, and is also less likely to snag and twist during slides.

The addition of the external Pro Shade System shield, which does not require a redesign of the shell or the removal of critical interior material, underscores Arai’s commitment to maximizing protection while still delivering tangible benefits for the rider.

Taking such care is something every Arai craftsman is proud of: no one else is so willing to go to such lengths to continually improve their product.

Creator of the first motorcycle helmet in Japan, Arai has handcrafted helmets for more than 60 years. During that time, the singular goal of the Arai family has been to

provide consistently improving levels of protection in every helmet they produce.

The Consistent Pursuit of Gains in Protection

TROPHY ORANGE FROST

MANTIZ RED FROST

Learn more at araiamericas.com

t c e f r e P

ICONIC

NEAR

SCORE

SCRATCH’S GARAGE 97-POINT 1940 KNUCKLEHEAD FL

W

e first met Scratch back in 2014 when he rode up to our studio on his 1946 Harley-Davidson FL Knucklehead called Jessie. Let me repeat: He rode into our studio.

See, Scratch has owned that bike since his 20s and has been riding it ever since.

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WORDS AND PHOTOS: JOHN ZAMORA

When we heard that he had a 1940 Knucklehead he had restored to showroom condition, we jumped at the chance to see it. In a world full of weekend warriors and internet tough guys, Scratch is the real-deal rider who not only appreciates these old bikes but can accurately bring one back from the dead.

HOT BIKE: WHAT DID THIS RESTORATION START LIKE? SCRATCH: I’ve been building bikes off and on my whole life, not as business. I got serious about restoring bikes after I was done with the touring business. I’ve been hard at it five to six years now.

It’s nice if you are going to start a restoration that you start with a complete bike. Unfortunately, in the case of this Knucklehead I only had the motor that came with a title. I literally had to go out and find all the parts, including the frame, handlebars, sheet metal, everything one piece at a time. A lot of these parts were one year only because it was a transitional year between the early bikes and what would become known as the later ’41–’47 Knuckleheads.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / 31

ICONIC | 1940 EL 61 OHV SPORT SOLO

The good part is sometimes when you go the long way around you end up with a nicer end product.

HB: WHO OWNS IT? SCRATCH: I don’t want to piss everyone off, but it’s going to Australia [laughs]. This was a friend of mine that I met while I was a tour guide on Route 66 while I had a group of Norwegians. One night in Missouri, in the room next to me, there was a bike there and a guy came out and I met him. He ended up staying with our tour group all the way to California, and we later became friends. Now I’ve known him for a number of years, and he was really in love with my Jessie and asked if I could build him a bike as well. So that’s what started all this.

HB: HOW DIFFICULT WAS THIS RESTORATION? SCRATCH: Each time I do a different year, I learn new things. A lot of bikes are one year only. For example, this frame. I bought what was presented as a ’40 frame and I thought that it was. I found later that it wasn’t after I had restored it. Right about the rear head, there was extra clearance because the next year an FL was coming out. I managed to find the correct ’40 frame. It’s super hard to find.

We are drying up on parts around here or they are stashed. A lot of people are sitting on stashes they don’t want to sell. I’ve had parts come from as far as Japan and Australia. This bike has almost zero aftermarket parts and is almost entirely OEM or NOS parts.

32 / HOTBIKE.COM

THE MIRROR BUSTER

The Black Brand Mirror Buster Glove incorporates a protective D30® insert for your knuckles and palm, and riveted leather pads for your fingers, because you never know what your hand might hit. Made from top-grain leather, mesh and neoprene, the style is a cross between a motocross, MMA and street glove.

THE MIRROR BUSTER $84.95

BLACKBRANDMC.COM

ICONIC | 1940 EL 61 OHV SPORT SOLO FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THIS BIKE AND ALL OUR CUSTOM BIKE FEATURES, VISIT HOTBIKE.COM

HB: ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE FINAL OUTCOME? SCRATCH: It runs and looks like a brand-new bike. The first time out being judged by the Antique Motorcycle Club of America it scored 97 points out of 100. I’ll be judged again this week, and I hope to have corrected nearly everything to bring it up as high as I can.

34 / HOTBIKE.COM

Shown with factory cover.

BIG SUCKER™ STAGE I FOR MILWAUKEE-EIGHT™ The release of the Milwaukee-Eight™ engine resulted in the evolution of the original Big Sucker™. The all-new Stage I design combines all the features that made the original air cleaner the market leader.

The addition of new performance enhancing features has resulted in the best Big Sucker™ yet. Check out the new Big Sucker™ and the rest of our industry leading air cleaners at www.arlenness.com.

ARB E.O. D-639-5

WWW.ARLENNESS.COM

ICONIC

HB: WHAT DOES THE OWNER THINK? IS HE GOING TO RIDE IT? SCRATCH: He’s only seen photos. He hasn’t seen it until after the article comes out. It’s almost too nice. You don’t want to get a ding or a dent or have a bird crap on it. I think he’ll be proud enough to ride it around.

HB: WHAT DO YOU PREFER: RESTORATIONS OR CUSTOMS? SCRATCH: I like the freedom of the non-restorations because I can get to be creative and do things my own way. But it’s a challenge with the restorations because you have to be exact. Everything has to be just right. I just like to bring something back from the dead.

One more back on the road now that we didn’t have before. HB

SPECIFICATIONS GENERAL OWNER SHOP YEAR/MAKE/MODEL FABRICATION BUILD TIME

Scratch Scratch’s Garage 1940/Harley-Davidson/EL 61 OHV Sport Solo Scratch’s Garage 18 months

ENGINE YEAR/TYPE/SIZE BUILDER CASES CYLINDERS HEADS CAMS CARBURETOR AIR CLEANER EXHAUST TRANSMISSION YEAR/TYPE GEARS

36 / HOTBIKE.COM

1940/H-D/61 in.

Scratch’s Garage Genuine H-D Genuine H-D Genuine H-D Genuine H-D M-25 Linkert 6-in. round type Early “fishtail” type 1940/H-D 4-speed

CLUTCH PRIMARY DRIVE FRAME YEAR/TYPE RAKE/STRETCH SUSPENSION FRONT END LENGTH SWINGARM REAR SHOCKS WHEELS, TIRES, AND BRAKES FRONT BUILDER/SIZE TIRE/SIZE BRAKES REAR BUILDER/SIZE TIRE/SIZE

Four-bolt type Chain

1940/H-D 25¼ Genuine H-D Springer Stock Rigid Rigid

Kelsey Hayes/16 in.

Avon/5.00-16 Mechanical H-D Kelsey Hayes/16 in.

Avon/5.00-16

BRAKES

Mechanical H-D

FINISH/PAINT COLORS Squadron Grey w/ Bittersweet Stripe PAINT/GRAPHICS Rock & Roll Custom Paint Works, Orange, California ACCESSORIES FRONT FENDER REAR FENDER GAS TANK DASH GAUGES HANDLEBARS GRIPS HAND CONTROLS FOOT CONTROLS FLOORBOARDS HEADLIGHT TAILLIGHT SEAT

Fender Light Genuine H-D Genuine H-D Genuine H-D Genuine H-D “Hollywood” handlebars Genuine H-D Genuine H-D Genuine H-D tank shift Genuine H-D Genuine H-D Genuine H-D Solo seat w/ spring yoke

THE ALL NEW

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Z1R.COM

BAGGED

S

RAME A LAY-F

38 / HOTBIKE.COM

BAGGE

INE STATE L S S O R R TO C

WORDS: JOHN ZAMORA PHOTOS: STEVEN SPOONS MODEL: RADA BUDYOUNOVA

HOT BIKE: HOW DID THIS BIKE COME ABOUT? CARTEL BAGGERS: This 2013 Street Glide was our first lay-frame project we built here at Cartel Baggers of New Jersey and could not be any more pleased with the outcome. What just started as a joke in October 2016 to build a lay-frame bagger ended up becoming a reality. After months of hard work, sleepless nights, and running on Dunkin’ Donuts, we were able to finish it just in time for 2017 Daytona Bike Week.

HB: WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE WHEN BUILDING IT? CB: The argument of what color to choose for this bike became a nightmare! Ever seen a group of guys clueless and staring at a box of crayons trying to picture a perfect color?

That was us with no idea because we wanted something different in this build. Along with a good and talented group of guys we made it possible.

SEPTEMBER 2017 / 39

BAGGED | 2013 STREET GLIDE FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THIS BIKE AND ALL OUR CUSTOM BIKE FEATURES, VISIT HOTBIKE.COM

HB: IS THIS BIKE RIDDEN HARD OR HARDLY RIDDEN? CB: Many doubted this bike would be able to be ridden! They called it “trailer queen,” but we made sure we covered all our angles to make this bike not only show quality but to be able to cross state lines and break some necks on those highways.

This lay-frame bagger, which we call the Dead Pool project, has been ridden out of state numerous times with no issues. Six months of so much hard work with build time and fabrication allowed us to be able to bring this gorgeous bagger into this industry. Stay tuned because project Dead Pool has a lot more plans pending to execute. HB

40 / HOTBIKE.COM

WE MADE SURE WE COVERED ALL OUR ANGLES TO MAKE THIS BIKE NOT ONLY SHOW QUALITY BUT TO BE ABLE TO CROSS STATE LINES AND BREAK SOME NECKS ON THOSE HIGHWAYS.

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SPECIFICATIONS GENERAL OWNER SHOP SHOP PHONE WEBSITE YEAR/MAKE/MODEL FABRICATION BUILD TIME ENGINE YEAR/TYPE/SIZE BUILDER CASES CYLINDERS HEADS ROCKER BOXES CAMS THROTTLE BODY AIR CLEANER EFI CONTROLLER EXHAUST TRANSMISSION TYPE GEARS CLUTCH PRIMARY DRIVE FRAME YEAR/TYPE RAKE/STRETCH

Geo Carpio Cartel Baggers NJ (973) 368-7768 cartelbaggersnj.com 2013/Harley-Davidson/Street Glide Cartel Baggers NJ 6 months 2013/H-D/103ci H-D H-D H-D H-D H-D H-D H-D Screamin’ Eagle breather ThunderMax Python Rayzer H-D 6-speed H-D H-D H-D 2013/Custom Chassis Designs Lay frame

SUSPENSION FRONT END Dirty air ride front with Arlen Ness legs LENGTH Custom TRIPLE TREES American Suspension 10° SWINGARM Custom fabricated swingarm for lay frame REAR SHOCKS Dirty air ride shocks WHEELS, TIRES, AND BRAKES FRONT BUILDER/SIZE SMT Machining Rage/30 in.

TIRE/SIZE Vee rubber/30 in.

CALIPERS HHI single-side 18 in.

ROTORS SMT Machining 18-in. matching rage wheel REAR BUILDER/SIZE SMT Machining Rage/30 in.

TIRE/SIZE Vee rubber/16 in.

CALIPER H-D ROTOR H-D size-matching SMT Machining Rage wheel PULLEY H-D FINISH/PAINT MANUFACTURER PPG COLORS 2015 Lexus Barcelona Red Pearl PAINT/GRAPHICS Francisco Gonzales POWDERCOATING Need Powder Coating from Newark, NJ ACCESSORIES FRONT FENDER Cartel Baggers NJ REAR FENDER TOL Reflex rear end GAS TANK Speed by Designs Big Daddy Tank Kit DASH Speed by Designs GAUGES Custom Gauges Eyez On Gauges HANDLEBARS Trask 6-in. bars GRIPS Avon Grips MIRRORS Arlen Ness HAND CONTROLS H-D FOOT CONTROLS Pickard foot controls FLOORBOARDS Carl Brouhard Designs HEADLIGHT Rigid Industries 6-in. light bar TAILLIGHT Dirty Bird Smoker Integrated taillight TURN SIGNALS Dirty Bird Smoked Integrated turn signal SEAT Custom seat by Vinyl by Bobby STEREO JL Audi on hands-free link module AMPLIFIER ARC audio SPEAKERS 6.5-in. SPL Hertz in the front with 4-in. Beyma tweeters 6x9 Alpine type S

RIPPER

INTERNET FAMOUS

A COMMUNITY OF RIDERS FOSTERS A BUILD

A

ustralia is a country full of V-Rods and apehangered Dynas, so I built this bike to change a few mindsets. I planned on building this bike myself, and that’s the way I kept it. I am the only person to lay a spanner on this bike, and I can happily say I trust it on one wheel doing hooligan shit.

From the day I got this bike, I had in my mind that I wanted it to handle a good thrashing, so I sourced only the best parts to build the bike you see today. What started as a simple bar/riser setup quickly blew out to an extensive build thanks to a set of gold ProTaper bars. Before talking with my buddy Justin Case from Hard Case Performance, I had my mind set on black bars and risers. A few ideas were thrown around, and a set of Hard Case risers and gold ProTapers were on their way to Australia.

44 44// HOTBIKE.COM

WORDS AND PHOTOS: JOSH JAMES

SEPTEMBER 2017 / 45

RIPPER | 2006 DYNA FXDB

The day I fitted the bars and risers, I sat back to have a beer, looked at the bike, and thought to myself it needed something else. A few more beers and two hours later the bike was stripped down to a bare frame and engine. The next day I dropped the tins and a Simpson Ghost Bandit down to Smith Concepts in Sydney, Australia. I knew from the first time I saw Kyle’s “Smith Concepts” work that he was the man for the job. That being said, I gave Kyle the okay to let loose with only two things in mind: timeless and gold.

46 / HOTBIKE.COM

FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THIS BIKE AND ALL OUR CUSTOM BIKE FEATURES, VISIT HOTBIKE.COM

RIPPER |

SPECIFICATIONS GENERAL OWNER SHOP SHOP PHONE WEBSITE YEAR/MAKE/MODEL FABRICATION BUILD TIME

Josh James Josh James N/A Instagram @hd_hooligans 2006/Harley-Davidson/Dyna FXDB Josh James 3 months

ENGINE YEAR/TYPE/SIZE BUILDER CASES CYLINDERS HEADS ROCKER BOXES CAM(S) THROTTLE BODY AIR CLEANER EFI CONTROLLER EXHAUST

2006/H-D/96 in.

H-D H-D H-D H-D Roland Sands Design H-D H-D Roland Sands Design Dyno Jet Power Commander 3 Bassani Road Rage 3, Stainless

TRANSMISSION YEAR/TYPE GEARS CLUTCH PRIMARY DRIVE

2006/H-D 6-speed H-D H-D

FRAME YEAR/TYPE RAKE/STRETCH

2006/H-D Stock

SUSPENSION FRONT END Progressive Suspension Heavy Duty springs, Speed Merchant adjustors, 49mm Gold Topline Tubes, 25 weight oil LENGTH Stock TRIPLE TREES H-D powdercoated black SWINGARM H-D REAR SHOCKS 12.5 Progressive Suspension Bronze 970 Piggyback series

I’ve built a lot of strong friendships through @hd_hooligans on Instagram, and I am super thankful for that. I thought starting the account would be a cool thing for myself and other riders to post their videos, pictures, and get the up-and-comers some exposure along the way with no bullshit ads. I’ve kept it that way and have made a lot of mates along the way. The Bassani crew have been strong friends and supporters of the build, and I can’t say enough about the legends and the quality of their work.

Memphis Shades, Progressive Suspension, Hard Case Performance, Saddlemen, Speed-Kings Cycle, Simpson Helmets, Big Bear Choppers, Topline Tubes, and Rebel Supply Company all have been strong supporters and have contributed to the build and helped take it to the next level. HB

48 / HOTBIKE.COM

WHEELS, TIRES, AND BRAKES FRONT BUILDER/SIZE H-D Dyna Lowrider 13 spoke/16 in.

TIRE/SIZE Shinko 777/100/90/16 CALIPERS H-D powdercoated ROTORS H-D REAR BUILDER/SIZE H-D Dyna Lowrider 13 spoke/16 in.

TIRE/SIZE Shinko 777/150/80/16 CALIPER H-D powdercoated ROTOR H-D PULLEY Hard Case Performance Lock-r kit SPROCKET PBI 51/24 FINISH/PAINT MANUFACTURER COLORS PAINT/GRAPHICS POWDERCOATING ACCESSORIES FRONT FENDER REAR FENDER GAS TANK DASH GAUGES HANDLEBARS GRIPS MIRRORS HAND CONTROLS FOOT CONTROLS PEGS HEADLIGHT TAILLIGHT TURN SIGNALS LICENSE MOUNT SEAT

Painthuffer Metalflake, DNA candies, PPG Deltron clear coat Sahara Yellow/gold to orange fade Smith Concepts custom design Gloss Black H-D H-D H-D H-D H-D Hard Case Performance 9.5 risers with ProTaper Mini Highs ProTaper Pillow Tops H-D H-D Stroker billet shift peg, modified H-D brake pedal Biltwell Rocker Speed-Kings Cycle Sunlight Creator, Speed-Kings 6 in. LED lightbar Speed-Kings Cycle H-D Kuryakyn Saddlemen step-up tuck and roll

HEAVY METAL

Taco TuesdaY A VICLERO BOBBER THAT’S GORDO APPROVED

T

he story behind this bike is as simple as the beginnings of Taco Kustoms itself.

Starting with some help from the closest people in my life, I was able to build a motorcycle that I have been envisioning for quite some time. I love building bobber-style, but being the gordo that I am, it isn’t always prime sitting on these smaller-stance bikes. I wanted to build a bike that wasn’t a bagger but was beefy enough for me to ride. I wanted it to sit like a lowrider—showing my Hispanic heritage— and look completely badass.

52 / HOTBIKE.COM

WORDS: KEVIN RODRIGUEZ PHOTOS: STEVEN SPOONS MODEL: ALEXSANDRA LAALEMANIA

SEPTEMBER 2017 / 53

HEAVY METAL || 1995 SOFTAIL HERITAGE Black Betty has dished tanks from so many years of looking up to the great Indian Larry. The paint scheme and chromed parts with engravings make you feel the lowrider style from the front to the back of those classic tires. She looks mean riding down the road or parked. Most people wouldn’t be able to start this baby with her hidden start button, and I added another factor to the equation by installing a suicide shifter.

This bike encompasses “Taco.” This bike fully represents me and the beginnings of many visions to come from Taco Kustoms.

54 // HOTBIKE.COM

BEHIND THE SCENES

VIDEO ONLINE

SPECIFICATIONS HOTBIKE.COM/GIRLS

“Some of the Parts, that make the Greater Bike”

WWW.HEARTLANDBIKER.COM

1995

HEAVY METAL | SOFTAIL HERITAGE

Special thanks to my team that includes: Daisy Rullan, Laken K. Hall, Tim Dahl, Mike Alonso, Anthony Conforti, George DeGraw, Chad Chambers, Big Rick, Speedmill Billy (The Mad Scientist), Mike Lanahan, Don Jones, Jose (Hialeah Plating), my mentor Rey Perez, and last but not least my son, Junior. HB

HOTBIKE.COM 56 // HOTBIKE.COM

Revolution Performance Bolt-On Big Bore Kits are custom made, all aluminum cylinders with nickel silicon carbide plating for less friction, better oil retention, incredible reliability, and more horsepower.

This dyno proven kit comes complete with custom made forged aluminum Wiseco pistons with ArmorGlide® skirt coating, enhanced 2016 ring technology, tool steel wrist pins, clips and complete gasket set. This powerful combination is simply the most reliable way you can add big power to your American V-Twin!

Learn more www.revolution-performance.com

Distributed by:

HEAVY METAL

SPECIFICATIONS GENERAL OWNER SHOP SHOP PHONE WEBSITE INSTAGRAM YEAR/MAKE/MODEL FABRICATION BUILD TIME

Taco Taco Kustoms Originals (386) 316-6112 tacokustoms.com @tacokustomsoriginals 1995/Harley-Davidson/Softail Heritage Taco 4 months after hours

ENGINE YEAR/TYPE/SIZE BUILDER CASES CYLINDERS HEADS ROCKER BOXES CAMS THROTTLE BODY AIR CLEANER EXHAUST TRANSMISSION YEAR/TYPE GEARS CLUTCH PRIMARY DRIVE FRAME YEAR/TYPE RAKE/STRETCH SUSPENSION FRONT END LENGTH TRIPLE TREES SWINGARM REAR SHOCKS

1995/H-D/Evo Taco/George DeGraw H-D H-D H-D H-D H-D H-D Hard Drive Taco Kustoms 1995/H-D H-D H-D Ultima 2 in.

1995/Softail Heritage Stock H-D -2 H-D H-D Hard Drive -2

WHEELS, TIRES, AND BRAKES FRONT BUILDER/SIZE H-D Spoke/16 in.

TIRE/SIZE Shinko Classic/16 in.

CALIPERS N/A ROTORS N/A REAR BUILDER/SIZE H-D Spoke/16 in.

TIRE/SIZE Shinko Classic/16 in.

CALIPER Dual H-D Touring Brembo ROTOR Hard Drive PULLEY H-D FINISH/PAINT COLORS PAINT/GRAPHICS PLATING/POLISHING POWDERCOATING ENGRAVING

Black/Teal/Magenta Chad Chamber Customs Hialeah Plating HotDog’s Powder Coating The Homie Big Rick’s Engraving

ACCESSORIES REAR FENDER Taco Kustoms GAS TANK Taco Kustoms Dished Fat Bobs DASH H-D GAUGES H-D HANDLEBARS TC Bros Tracker GRIPS Avon MIRRORS Hard Drive HAND CONTROLS GMA Master Cylinder FOOT CONTROLS Suicide Shifter FLOORBOARDS Vintage H-D HEADLIGHT H-D TAILLIGHT Prism LICENSE MOUNT Taco Kustoms SEAT Taco Kustoms/Jacobo Upholstery, Hialeah, FL

58 / HOTBIKE.COM

CHRONICLE

60 / HOTBIKE.COM HOTBIKE.COM

MOTOR

CITY MANIA Q&A

WITH BUILDER YOSEMITE SAM RADOFF WORDS: MARK MASKER PHOTOS: YOSEMITE SAM RADOFF

T

he self-exiled badass is a cliché character found in every action genre of filmmaking. Whether it’s Clint Eastwood’s William Munny in The Unforgiven or Luke Skywalker in The Force Awakens, somebody’s always disappearing only to have someone or something force them back into the game. “Yosemite” Sam Radoff is a bit like that. Back in the 1960s and ’70s he was one of the coolest custom car and bike builders in the Midwest, if not the country. Eventually, he closed up shop when business slowed down, and now, thanks to Instagram and Facebook, he’s let the world know he ain’t dead yet. Only instead of exiling himself to the Himalayas or some Jedi planet in galactic BFE, he’s gone somewhere a bit closer to home: Canada. Right around the time we started seeing more and more of his cool old photos from way back posted on Instagram, he looked us up to see if we wanted to run a story on him. We jumped at the chance. Here’s what he had to tell us.

SEPTEMBER JULY 2017 2016 / 61

CHRONICLE | Q&A WITH BUILDER YOSEMITE SAM RADOFF

HB: HOW’D YOU GET THE NAME? YSR: I got that nickname in the mid- or late 1960s after I got out of the Army. A friend of mine called me that when we were riding; he stuck “Yosemite” in front of it. A lot of people at that time were getting nicknames. Mine used to be Little Sam, which stuck with me for years.

HB: TELL US ABOUT HOW YOU GOT STARTED IN BIKES AND CARS. YSR: When I was young, I lived in a little neighborhood in Detroit that was a hot bed for custom stuff. The Kaiser Brothers, all the local builders of the day, were in that area except Barris. I started making model cars, which led to pinstriping them. The locals picked up on it, asked me to stripe their cars. Then I went into the Army. After that, I bought a motorcycle. The people I hung out with wanted nice bikes, so I started painting bikes for them and that blew up real quick. Next thing I know, I’m welding frames, making tanks, and doing full choppers. I was in the right place at

62 / HOTBIKE.COM

the right time. Most of the time I’m in the wrong place at the wrong time [laughs].

HB: TELL US ABOUT YOUR SHOP. YSR: I’d always said that if I ever had a shop, it would be a custom shop. I stayed true to that my whole career, just doing custom stuff. I originally opened up a shop in the basement of an old farmhouse I rented then moved to a friend’s garage then a shop in the toughest part of Detroit at the time. Some of those shots I sent you show my shop building with painted characters on it. There were no checkerboard floors and bullshit like that; checkerboard looks good, but you have to be a multimillionaire to have it. My shop was one step above a dirt floor. That’s as close as we came to checkerboard, but we created a lot of cool bikes, cars, vans.

We bought up a bunch of tanks and fenders, painted ’em up, and folks would come exchange theirs then we’d repaint that stuff, hang it up, and sell it also. If I had a video camera and filmed the shop, it’d be the coolest show ever on TV. It was a

fun time. It just developed.

HB: AND THE CUSTOM SHOWS? WHAT WAS YOUR INVOLVEMENT THERE? YSR: We wanted to make a name nationally, so we started making a few bikes to take and show. I learned over the years to never take a knife to a gunfight. People everywhere are prejudiced and lie; they’ll tell you the local judges aren’t biased, but if you’re from out of the area, it’s harder to win.

So we started building radical bikes. On the West Coast, they were into that narrow, slim look. I was into taking what was on cars and putting it on bikes. Frenchedin lights, molded-in plates. I’d incorporate the car feel into bike feel.

We won tons of “best paint” awards all over the country. One of those bikes you have there in the photos won best paint over the cars at a show. We were the first to do that. We won hundreds of awards.

People think I’m bullshitting when I say that but it’s true.

HB: WHY’D YOU STOP ENTERING BIKE SHOWS THEN? YSR: We decided to stop showing because the worst thing you can do is compete against your clients. They don’t want to think you did your showbike better than you did theirs. I think the young kids are interested in finding out about this kind of history.

It’s nothing like today. There was no school back then. You learned on your own. The old guys guarded their secrets. People would come in wanting something done. If I’d never done it before, I learned on the job. In all the years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never looked at any of this as a financial situation. If a guy wanted something painted, I’d get into it and think, “How cool would it be to add this?” and I’d do it at no additional charge.

That’s the way it was done. Most of the paint jobs weren’t the best at the show, but they had the look; they had the design. It was a psychology game. Now you see pinstripers doing panels. Back then we knew the bikes would last a little while before they got toasted. We’d paint something similar on a piece of plastic for the customer. That’s how the panel thing got started.

HB: WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE? YSR: The one bike I won America’s Most Beautiful Chopper award with.

The headlight that came out of its gas tank was a challenge. They’d go into the tank when they were not on.

There was a lot of cool stuff on that. It was the most challenging thing I can think of.

You can see more about “Yosemite” Sam Radoff at yosemitesams.com, radofforiginals.ca, or on his Instagram and Facebook pages. HB

JULY 2016 / 63

TECH

WORDS AND PHOTOS: JOHN ZAMORA

SKILL LEVEL // ADVANCED

1

We started with a new wheel hoop from HarleyDavidson, a stock hub, and new spokes.

SOURCE: WHEEL WORKS wheel-works.com

WHEEL BUILDING 101 W

hen it comes to anything to do with wheels, there’s no better experts than Wheel Werks in Garden Grove, California. They have been our go-to guys for years and are the ideal people to show us how a wire wheel gets made. In some cases, it might be cheaper to have a new wheel built and laced up than going out and purchasing a new one, especially if you have a good working hub. While lacing a wheel isn’t the most complex type of work, it does require some very specialized pieces of machinery. The truing of a wheel is also a bit of an art form to know how to tighten just the right amount on each spoke to make the wheel as balanced as possible. HB

2 p First the stock hub was polished with steel wool to clean up nice and shiny.

64 64 // HOTBIKE.COM HOTBIKE.COM

3 p Using a specialized classic (read: old) piece of machinery, the spokes were cut to the proper length.

4 p This classic machine adds threads back into the spokes by rolling them in.

5 p On a flat surface the spokes were put into place.

6 p Here’s with all the spokes installed on one side.

7 p Tape was added to the outer edge of the hoop to protect it from being scratched.

TECH

WHEEL BUILDING 101

8 p Wheels are laced using a specific pattern depending on the size and number of spokes. This wheel was cross-four.

9 p Next all the spokes were snugged up, careful not to put too much tension.

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10 p Once laced, the wheel was mounted to the balancing and truing stand.

11 p It’s important to add a little bit of oil to each spoke. Make

sure when tightening you get an accurate torque. If not, they will unbind and become loose after a few miles.

1981 to 2006 (except 2006 Dyna)

• Narrow Rotor fits in Softail/Dyna, voltage regulator mounts in stock location.

Available for Evo and Twin Cam Engines.

• Precision wound 3Phase Stators provides 25 AMPS at idle, 40 AMPS continuously above 2,800 RPM! • Vented rotor keeps stator cooler to maintain maximum output.

• Custom designed flanged seal spacer provides maximum support for the vented rotor.

• Series Voltage Regulator provides 14.2V from idle on up!

12 p After removing the tape truing begins. This involves tightening of different spokes as you spin the wheel to create a balanced wheel (as possible). Knowing where and how much to tighten is a bit of an art.

1990 to 2006 (except 2006 Dyna)

• 6: 1 Planetary gearing for superior mechanical efficiency compared to 4.44: 1 and 2.86: 1 in other starter motors.

• Special Neodymium Magnets provide more power with half the current draw of other 2KW starters. The only starter of its kind in the industry!

• A must have for high compression, large displacement engines The Highest Performance starter available!

13

1970 to 1999 BT (except injected models) & 1971-2003 XL (except “S” models)

p Finally the offset must be set. Each wheel has a slight

• Performance advance curves for engines from mild to wild!

• Tunable VOES adds 5 to 10 degrees vacuum advance.

• Easy installation with LED static timing light.

• Selectable RPM limiter from 6,000 RPM to unlimited.

• Systems for electric start, kick start, and race engines.

offset depending on your application. The amount of offset was measured before the original wheel was taken apart.

“Some parts are not legal for sale or use in California on pollution controlled vehicles”

14 p Once correctly trued, it spins like a top!

TECH

WORDS AND PHOTOS: JEFF G. HOLT

SKILL LEVEL // EXPERT

WELDING UP A WELDING TABLE

SOURCES: TAB AND SLOT LLC weldtables.com WALDEN SPEED SHOP waldenspeedshop.com LINCOLN ELECTRIC lincolnelectric.com

THE CERTIFLAT TABLE BUILD

I

f you are just starting out or you are an experienced welder, chances are you need a solid and level surface in which to get your work done. And as most fabricators know, there is a wrong way and a right way to set up your welding station. And of course there is usually a pretty healthy price tag associated with doing so.

Tab and Slot LLC makes a line of DIY welding tables called CertiFlat, and it wants you to have the sweetest welding surface possible for a great price. And the way Tab and Slot does this is pretty genius. These welding tables, blocks, and fixtures are designed to be slid together and welded with a tab-and-slot methodology. What is that, you say? All you have to do is slide the parts together, whip out your welder, and easily build your own welding table? Another great thing regarding the CertiFlat tables is that there are a myriad of tabletops, FabBlocks, and fixtures to choose from in many sizes and shapes for the DIY garage welder all the way up to the professional contract welder.

For our welding needs we chose a 24 x 36-inch FabBlock ($399) with FabRack legs ($129) and casters ($44.99) to keep our welding station mobile. Our buddy Eddie at Walden Speed Shop offered his exceptional TIG welding skills over our shoddy in-house MIG machine, so we took him up on his offer. Here’s how it all went. HB

68 68/ /HOTBIKE.COM HOTBIKE.COM

1 p As you can see, the main surface, internal structure, and sides all come flat-packed from the

manufacturer and simply slide together with tabs and slots before welding.

AIR FEEDS THE HORSES 2 p Eddie makes sure that all the tabs and slots are seated with a mallet before any tacking of the material begins.

NEW! 3 p This is a shot of the internal structure underneath the FabBlock’s top surface. We chose the FabBlock because more fab work can be

done with it over just a tabletop.

STREET METAL™ INTAKE SYSTEMS –

THE SHAKER™*

4 p The CNC-controlled plasma cutter used on this tab-and-slot

system makes for tight tolerances. And that is a very good thing.

5 p Although the assembled FabBlock measured square, Eddie

used clamps so the metal didn’t wander during welding.

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6 p The optional leg and caster kits are also tabbed and slotted.

They come with all the needed hardware to bolt them to the FabBlock as well.

7 p The leg kit has these slotted plates that will bolt easily to

the FabBlock once the legs are welded into place.

LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA ONLY FOR RACING VEHICLES WHICH MAY NEVER BE USED, OR REGISTERED OR LICENSED FOR USE, UPON A HIGHWAY.

See knfilters.com for CARB status on each part for a specific vehicle

TECH

WELDING UP A WELDING TABLE

8

9

p The legs and supports were mocked up to ensure proper fitment, and the leg mounts were bolted into place.

10 p Once the legs and FabBlock were all tacked in the correct

spots, we placed the whole unit on the ground to check for straightness. And it was like an arrow!

11 p We again placed the top surface of the FabBlock onto the rest of the table,

and Eddie tacked it into place using CertiFlat’s trusty tab-and-slot system.

p Then Eddie got busy tacking up the legs and supports.

12 p Then we finished welding the top and sides of the FabBlock.

14

13 p Any high spots caused by welding were smoothed out with a sander, and the whole top surface was treated to a DA sanding to make the

surface look even.

p Eddie then finished welding the legs and supports with his

mighty MIG machine.

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16

17

p Caster Kit comes with all of the needed hardware to attach

p …but we opted to weld the casters onto the legs for a much cleaner look.

p And there you have it. A high-tech, yet easy to construct,

them to the legs as seen here…

70 / HOTBIKE.COM

welding and fabbing table that won’t break the bank.

Thanks, Eddie!

It’s More Than Just A Ride

IT’S A WAY OF LIFE Finely etched on the case back with:

“Ride Hard Live Free” and motorcycle themed artwork

Actual Size

Hand-crafted with unique flip cover design and precision quartz movement

RIDE HARD–L I V E FREE Men’s Flip Cover Watch

For those who crave the freedom of the open road, who long for the roar of a powerful machine beneath them, and love the feel of the wild wind whipping past them, The Bradford Exchange presents a bold new jewelry creation— the ÒRide Hard, Live FreeÓ Flip Cover Watch. This exclusively designed watch is a distinctive and passionate expression of your love of freedom, country, and the wide open roads that makes you feel alive.

Exclusive DesignÉ Extraordinary Craftsmanship With its stylish design and clever construction, this rugged watch is superbly hand-crafted with a gleaming silver-toned face and wristband, and features a stylish diamond pattern texture and a protective cover that flips open and closed. The watch face cover is finely etched with an American eagle, patriotic stars and a detailed, gleaming motorcycle. The case back is etched with another

motorcycle, the words ÒRIDE HARD LIVE FREEÓ and a graphic depiction of a toothed gear. This handsome watch is extremely strong and dependable with its innovative design, durable quartz mineral lens, precision quartz movement and is waterproof up to 3 ATM’s. The adjustable bracelet-style band closes with a C-clasp and is comfortably sized to fit most wrists.

Exceptional Value; Satisfaction Guaranteed Each watch arrives in a custom presentation case with a gift box and a Certificate of Authenticity. Available at just $119*, you can pay for it in 4 convenient installments of $29.75. To reserve yours, backed by our 120day guarantee; send no money now. Just return the Priority Reservation as possible, as this is a limited-time offer!

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WORDS AND PHOTOS: BIG JOE

SKILL LEVEL // EXPERT

FINISHING A BUCK

L

ast issue we covered a simple method to rough in a plywood buck for shaping a fuel tank using some 3/8-inch plywood. This issue I will take that same buck and finish it off so it is suitable for making patterns for the fabrication process.

1 p The first step is to smooth out the transitions where all of the

plywood ribs/structure intersects one another. I’ll use these smooth transitions to finish the buck.

2 some 1-inch-thick closed-cell insulation board. Here I have some scraps left over from a construction project.

4 you don’t have a saw available. I repeat the process of cutting pieces of foam stacked alongside each other to fill the voids of the buck.

p After several voids have been filled, I start the process of smoothing out the surface using the ribs of the buck to dictate the shape.

72 / HOTBIKE.COM

p In this process I will use the structure itself as a pattern to size

the foam pieces to be cut out.

5

p I use a band saw to cut the foam board. It can be cut with a scroll saw, jigsaw, or even a utility knife if

6

2 3

p What I’m going to do is fill all of the voids in the structure with

p I use hot glue from a hot-glue gun to secure the foam in place.

7 p Any method of sanding can be used here. I use a pneumatic angle grinder with a Roloc sanding disk to rough in the shape and then did my final finishing with sandpaper on a sanding block.

Carlini Apes are designed for the best side profile style

8 2 p I continue to fill the voids in the bottom and opposite side.

Then I sand them smooth as I go along. If you have not already figured it out, you’ll want to cut all of the foam pieces a little oversize to help minimize the voids in the surface.

1.50'' Menace Ape

9 p Once all of the voids are filled and sanded you should have

a very good three-dimensional visual of what the entire body of the tank will look like. Don’t be concerned about the surface being flawless or if there are some voids in the foam. We will still have a good surface to lay and pull patterns from for the metal shaping process.

In the next issue I will use the same pattern making techniques we learned in a past issue on this buck. I’ll fully pattern this tank and transfer patterns to aluminum and then begin the metalshaping process.

As always feel free to ask questions or make requests for future issues by reaching out to me at joe@snap-fab.com. HB

1.50'' Gangster Ape

WWW.CAR LI NIDES IG N .COM

USED AND ABUSED

AS ABUSED BY JEFF G. HOLT

CONTINENTAL CONTITOUR TIRE

T

he 2017 Continental ContiTour tire is an all-new version of the German brand’s successful tire it has been selling for a few years.

The new version is now specifically designed and manufactured for today’s touring-style bikes.

The ContiTour tire possesses what Continental calls MileagePlus Technology. It’s a combo of casing, compound, and tread design, which the manufacturer says considerably prolongs the tire’s mileage life while maintaining great handling under different weather and/or road conditions.

Inside the tire, there is an all-new proprietary carcass construction process, which features dual-reinforcement belts and nylon and aramid carcass plies made just for V-twin bikes. The new casing makes for a tire that I have found to be both a solid and predictable tire that still has a high level of comfort.

Outside, the ContiTour has an all-new tread pattern with 6–9mm groove widths for superior drainage and a special rubber compound.

Continental really upped its tire performance as well as durability with increased traction in the wet. The rear tire has a groove-free center tread band that increases rear tire life and offers better stability over ruts, freeway, bridge expansion joints, and grooved highways.

I have personally ridden both the older version of this tire as well as more than a few miles with the new version, and I can say that the claims the folks at Continental have professed seem to be very legit.

I would put this tire up against any other leading tire brand making tires for baggers today. It is good to see a large brand such as Continental step up in this small market segment and pack the new iteration of the ContiTour with a ton of tech.

For more info on the ContiTour tire, check out continental-tires.com/ motorcycle. HB

74 / HOTBIKE.COM

“I HAVE PERSONALLY RIDDEN BOTH THE OLDER VERSION OF THIS TIRE AS WELL AS MORE THAN A FEW MILES WITH THE NEW VERSION, AND I CAN SAY THAT THE CLAIMS THE FOLKS AT CONTINENTAL HAVE PROFESSED SEEM TO BE VERY LEGIT.”

PAST BLAST

FROM THE HOT BIKE ARCHIVES

SEPTEMBER

1984

H

ere is living proof that what goes around comes around. Minus the manfro and rose-tinted glasses, this XL/M dragbike and 1985 FXRT would not look out of place on a cover of Hot Bike today despite it being 33 years later. We could even throw in a custom by Switzerland’s Hard Nine Choppers and complete all the cover lines.

OTHER THINGS THAT WENT DOWN IN SEPTEMBER 1984:

First episode of daily syndicated version of Jeopardy! with Alex Trebek as host.

First MTV Video Music Awards: The Cars win with “You Might Think.”

First broadcast of Miami Vice on NBC-TV.

76 / HOTBIKE.COM

The Cosby Show premieres on NBC-TV.

Stage and screen actor “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince and the Gene Wilder weds Saturday Revolution peaks at #1.

Night Live actress-comedian Gilda Radner in France.

1984 XLX Ironhead Harley Sportster debuts.

NOW ON VIEW THE STORY OF AN EPIC BATTLE FOR MARKETPLACE DOMINANCE

VS.

TICKETS: PETERSEN.ORG/HARLEY-INDIAN

In the Richard Varner Family Gallery presented by

6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90036

EXHIBITED VEHICLES SUBJECT TO CHANGE

HOMETOWN HARLEYS

COMPILED BY THE HOT BIKE STAFF

FROM AUSSIE TO STURGIS

F

inally sorted my custom Sportster I built from a 2001 883 custom. Not much remains of the original bike after adding the Buell XB-12 front end with anodized gold fork tubes and clip-ons, a ’75 gas tank, custom seat, and fabricated rear fender. Even the motor got a Hammer Performance 1,250cc kit and heads with .560 lift cams and a 42 Mikuni carb, Kuryakyn Velocity intake feeding it, and SuperTrapp 2-into-1 exhaust. It’s also converted to chain drive with Galfer rotors front and rear helping it stop. Canyon carving is aided

by Chainsikle rearsets and gear shift kit.

Custom Paint and decals finish it off. I’m riding it to Sturgis this year from LA, with a mate riding my ’89 FXR and another mate riding an ex-police ’07 Road King. We’re all flying in from Australia (home) for this road trip. Cheers!

MIKE Australia

RESUR-WRECK-TION

I

t started out as a wrecked 1991 FXSTS. Now it has a 107 Ultima with Mikuni HSR45, Ultima six-speed overdrive transmission, Porker pipes, JayBrake up font, Ultima two-piston on back, and too much else to list. I finally got it registered four years to the day that I wrecked it. The only Harley part left is the springer front end.

Everything from the wheels to the wiring is aftermarket and all done by me. The paint was done by Doug Carr Auto Body and powdercoating

by Scott Brown.

DAVID LEABO Sierra Vista, AZ

SUBMIT YOUR RIDE: Email your submissions to: hot.bike@bonniercorp.

com or snail mail to: HB Readers’ Showcase, 15215 Alton Pkwy., Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92618. Please include high-res jpegs, your name, hometown, email, phone number, bike year/model, engine size, frame, wheels, sheet metal, painter, custom accessories, and anything else interesting about your bike.

78 / HOTBIKE.COM

ANABOLIC SPORTY

I

’m one of the few, the proud who owns one of these Sportsters on steroids! Here’s my 2011 Harley Sportster XR1200X, which I flew out to Texas to pick up in March. It took me six months to find a super-clean, low-mile, one-owner specimen. I took this completely bone stocker and immediately went to work. I custom fabbed and stretched an XL model Roland Sands Slant 2-into-1 exhaust pipe then had mounts welded to the frame to install factory mid-controls with a custom rear brake designed by yours truly. I had a custom carbon-fiber seat made by “The Seat Guy” in Santa Ana, California, LA Choppers 2-inch risers, and a Memphis Shades windshield just to mention a few.

I just did a 1,000-mile four-day ride on Route 66 to the 35th Annual Laughlin River Run. My baby performed flawlessly!

DAVE DEWITT Lake Forest, CA

U SA

Unlock More power

TorqDrive equipped high performance clutches to improve your ride

www.rekluse.com

HOTBIKE.COM Jeff G. Holt, Brand Director, American Motorcycle Group Andrew Leisner, Senior Vice President, Managing Director Tim Collins, Executive Director, Sales/Marketing Kurt Hoy, Content Strategy Director Brian Schrader, Director of Digital Strategy

EDITORIAL Jeff G. Holt, Editor In Chief John Zamora, Editor Ed Subias, Online Editor

ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN Robert Martin, Art Director

CONTENT SERVICES Matthew Miles, Director Terry Masaoka & Irene Gonzalez, Managing Editors Jessica Matteson, Copy Editor Alan Takushi & Serena Bleeker, Web Producers

PHOTO AND VIDEO SERVICES Jeff Allen, Photographer Spenser Robert, Video Producer Stephen Potter, Associate Video Producer Bert Beltran, Associate Video Producer

CONTRIBUTORS Colleen Lake, Steven Spoons, Josh James, Big Joe, Dan Dreger

EDITORIAL OFFICES 15215 Alton Pkwy., Suite 100, Irvine, CA 92618 (760) 707-0100; hot.bike@bonniercorp.com

THE AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE GROUP ON THE WEB

hotbike.com streetchopperweb.com baggersmag.com

CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONS, such as Renewals, Address Changes, Email Preferences, Billing, and Account Status, go to: hotbike.com/cs.

You can also email HBKcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com, in the US call toll-free 800-759-5540, outside the US call 515-237-3697, or write to Hot Bike, PO Box 6364, Harlan, IA 51593-1864.

ADVERTISING Chris Long, Advertising Account Manager 760/707-1073 Katelynn Kovaleff, Advertising Account Director 760/707-0087, fax: 760/707-0101 Ross Cunningham, Advertising Account Director 212/779-5042 Brad Banister, Advertising Account Manager 323/228-7011 Chris Siebenhaar, Advertising Account Manager 760/707-1070 John Simanovich, Advertising Account Manager 760/707-1054 Mary Hannah Hardcastle, Advertising Account Specialist 760/707-1086 Jeff Roberge, Detroit Advertising Director 248/213-6154 John W. Scafetta, Sales & Marketing Operations Manager Jeoff Haertle, Advertising Coordinator/Sales Administrator Sadie Huemmer, Associate Director, Digital Advertising Ray Gonzalez, Digital Campaign Manager Joy McGivern, Advertising Services Manager Camilo B. Viray Jr., IT/Office Manager Kim Putman, Director, Human Resources Connie Lau, Business Manager

MARKETING Leigh Bingham, Consumer Marketing Director Ashley Roberts, Senior Marketing Manager Nichole Starkey, Integrated Marketing Coordinator Corey Eastman, Consumer Engagement Director Tonia Troncone, Consumer Events Manager

PRODUCTION Rina V. Murray, Group Production Director Erich Schlitz, Production Manager

REPRINTS

For reprints, email reprints@bonniercorp.com RETAIL SINGLE COPY SALES: ProCirc Retail Solutions Group, Tony DiBisceglie Copyright © 2017 by Bonnier Corp. All rights reserved.

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

Tomas Franzén, Chairman Lars Dahmén, Head of Business Area, Magazines Eric Zinczenko, Chief Executive Officer Joachim Jaginder, Chief Financial Officer David Ritchie, Chief Operating Officer Elizabeth Burnham Murphy, Chief Marketing Officer Sean Holzman, Chief Digital Revenue Officer John Graney, Vice President, Integrated Sales John Reese, Vice President, Consumer Marketing David Butler, Vice President, Digital Operations Perri Dorset, Vice President, Public Relations Jeremy Thompson, General Counsel THIS PRODUCT IS FROM SUSTAINABLY MANAGED FORESTS AND CONTROLLED SOURCES.

3/4 EXTENDED REACH SOLO SEAT FOR INDIAN SCOUT ®

®

FEATURED SEAT ~ DIAMOND STITCH ADDITIONAL COVERINGS, THREAD COLORS AND STITCH PATTERNS ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH OUR CUSTOM SEAT PROGRAM.

SOLAR

REFLECTIVE

Manufactured by Drag Specialties in the U.S.A. seats.dragspecialties.com

THE LIST

1. WELDER

2. ANGLE GRINDER

3. WOODEN MALLET/SAND BAG

4. CUT-OFF TOOL

TOP 10

7. ENGLISH WHEEL

FABRICATION TOOLS

A

fter looking around at many amateur and master builders shops/garages we saw many of the same types of tools being used to build and modify bikes. Sure, it takes more than 10 tools to hand fabricate a bike, but these listed here (not in any order) are the essentials to add to your existing tool collection. HB

8. TUBING BENDER

9. RECIPROCATING SAW 5. DRILL PRESS 82 / HOTBIKE.COM

6. HAMMER AND 10. MAP TORCH DOLLY SET

SPEEDÕS SPOTLIGHT

WORDS AND PHOTO: JOE KRESS

MOTORCYCLE FIRST AID!

S

pend enough time in a motorcycle shop and you’ll see it all. If you’re the guy holding the wrenches, you’ve probably been asked to fix it all too.

That’s been true with the team at Speed’s Performance Plus. They’ve brought their mobile motorcycle shop to events big and small going on two decades now, crisscrossing the country coast to coast. They’ll hit the road in March and won’t call it quits until November, and during those travels they’re called upon by thousands of riders to make sourrunning Harleys sweet and stronger.

During those event-stops the SPP worktables will be filled with bikes getting the regular performance treatments, cam swaps, and big-bore kits, and they’ll be prepped for sessions on the dyno. But alongside all that will be the riders who have nursed their wheezing, sputtering bikes up to the shop looking for help. “And sometimes,” SPP’s Jamie Hanson says, “it’ll be a quick fix, something so simple we get that guy back into the action fast.

Other times we have to be the bearer of bad news, telling a rider he’s got serious problems.” Naturally, the first diagnosis is preferable to the second, and, thankfully, it’s most often the case.

What are those common complaints?

Rideability, first and foremost. “But it’s usually caused by something pretty obvious,” Jamie says. “The kind of thing a rider might miss but a fresh set of eyes will pick up.” Fouled spark plugs or cracked, deteriorated plug wires, for instance. Too simple?

You’d be surprised how often the SPP guys run into this. Clogged filters too. But a rideability problem caused by a battery or charging system not quite up to snuff might be a little less obvious. No less common, though, and a weak battery or alternator can lead to all sorts of grief, especially with the complexity of a modern Harley’s EFI system. Those computer-controlled sensors and switches need peak voltage to operate as designed. Not getting it can result in intermittent misfires,

84 / HOTBIKE.COM

overall rough running, surging, erratic idling, and a host of other maladies.

The addition of high-powered audio systems and amplifiers and banks of extra lighting won’t help this situation.

Any poor-performing bike with an early 22- or even 32-amp charging system might be a candidate for an alternator upgrade and a stronger battery.

Leaking gaskets and seals are another common cause of performance woes. “We see worn, cracked, or misaligned throttle body and manifold seals all the time,” Jamie says. The resulting air leak will throw any bike’s air/fuel mixture totally out of whack.

More than just the source of lousy running, that extra-lean condition can lead to all sorts of bigger problems, a seriously overheated engine being one.

And on the subject of gaskets and loose seals you’d be surprised at how often the Speed’s team has to tighten up a bike’s exhaust. “Sometimes those pipes are just about falling off,” they say. And sometimes those pipes are just plain wrong, at least from a performance and rideability standpoint.

Bikes with short, large-diameter, wide-open pipes chosen for looks and sound don’t always perform so well on the street. Their happy range is up top, at wide-open throttle. Anything

below that and it’s a safe bet there are concerns. Can anything be done to improve the street manners here, short of switching to a 2-into-1?

Maybe. “The first step,” Jamie says, “is to put the baffles back in if they’ve been removed.” The low- and midrange performance difference between baffled and un-baffled drag pipes can be significant, as much as 15 poundfeet of torque or more right at the bottom end where it’s needed most.

In cases where the pipe was supplied without a baffle, SPP can install their own—a “Power Cone” to create that little bit of backpressure needed to produce torque and aid rideability.

All of this is just a glimpse into some of what the Speed’s Performance Plus team sees on a daily basis, the problems described, and fixes prescribed. Have a particularly vexing situation of your own? Maybe a fresh set of eyes and an experienced set of hands can help. Next time the SPP crew is in the area, perhaps roll your bike onto one of their first-aid lifts too. HB SOURCE: SPEED’S PERFORMANCE PLUS speedsperformanceplus.com (605) 695-1401 – MN (605) 695-2272 – SD

pick rd us a Precision Fit - Swag Bag Rear End Packages

6”

4.5”

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www.PICKARDUSA.com 972.231.1298

SOAPBOX

MISC. TOPICS

WORDS: DAN DREYER

GW A P S BRIDGING THE

rite for a motorcycle magazine? Come on—childhood dreams, career goals, dream job?

Think for a minute what it’s like to be the guys who must pack the pages of this publication to please the minds and spirits of all you incredible readers. Motorcycles are about as personal as music tastes, religion, and political preference. To please the masses is a daunting and monthly occurrence. One bike has too big of a wheel, this bike looks like all other bikes in its category, this bike can only be ridden for 43 miles at a time due to its tank size, etc. The endless criticism is peaking lately. Let’s take a walk down memory lane and explore that thought.

It’s a fact that we were not all lucky enough to enter this life with motorcycle lineage—generations of two-wheeled tradition, where family memories wreaked of bean oil premix and race gas, and plastic sinks with carburetors strewn about, a never-ending

now is on point. That recipe has brought together and brought out so many new and talented young people, all while preserving some industry veterans and industry legends as well. The rise of performance-based and very rideable and usable bikes right now is a very real leap that is paramount to an industry recovering slowly from massive influx and drastic downturn. That’s the truth that the people behind the counters, behind the CNC machines, and on their feet next to a lift all day know and have lived, while now serving all of you.

So at this point you’re likely thinking, “Come on, Danny.

What’s with this emotional roller coaster and time machine journey you’re taking me on here?” This is the point. When it’s easiest to join into the fun that is motorcycles, it’s wide open and vulnerable. It gets filled with new riders, who are welcomed with arms wide open, and with the power of social media, an uptick is opinions and separation occurs naturally. Lifetime motorcyclists

“MOTORCYCLES ARE ABOUT AS PERSONAL AS MUSIC TASTES, RELIGION, AND POLITICAL PREFERENCE. TO PLEASE THE MASSES IS A DAUNTING AND MONTHLY OCCURRENCE.” project mentality taught as a lifestyle. Those elements were the purest of Americana for many lifetime motorcyclists. As we grow older, it means more. As we grow older, we grow quieter on preference and larger than life on memories and attempt to pass it down to our children the way it was shown to us.

Let’s rewind 10 to 15 years. The motorcycle industry was introduced to a time period where excessive spending and lifestyle purchases were practically human nature. Raked out and 350mmtire equipped, the chopper craze brought on riders who were new to motorcycles altogether, and in a lot of instances, once it was gone, a lot of those riders would never be riders again. This was a time of monumental judging, bitterness, and separation, as very personal styles were explored and we all learned a valuable lesson: Just because it hasn’t been done before, does not mean that it needs to be.”

Present day we have experienced an incredible influx in American V-twin motorcycles, and the custom game is climbing to incredible heights currently. Big suspension, big engine, big brakes, wrapped up in show-worthy paint. That recipe right

86 / HOTBIKE.COM

will tell you they could have fun on anything with two wheels, or they have an appreciation for something in every category of vintage Harley-Davidsons, performance-based baggers, club-style Dynas, and FXRs. Remember this and don’t ever forget it. Motorcycles are freedom. The ride is possibly the only risk I will take daily, knowing my life is on the line and can separate my life from my wife and kids. That’s a real scenario and truth I face, but the supporting truth and reality is that there is nothing else on this planet that can give me that same feeling. There is nothing else in the world that carries the memories for me of my family heritage and the times I spent with my father. I can’t remember my graduation or my first kiss, but I could tell you every different place I rode dirt bikes with my pops, what he was riding, or what it was like the first time I rode on the freeway on a V-twin.

There’s history in all of these parts, history in all of these shops, and history being made in these pages. Let’s preserve them. Open your mind to experience everything that is motorcycles rather than focusing on just one. HB

april 21 - 23

Circuit of the Americas

april 28 - 30 road atlanta

May 12 - 14

virginia international raceway

june 2 - 4

road america

august 25 - 27

june 23 - 25

utah motorsports campus

pittsburgh international race complex

july 7 - 9

september 8 - 10

mazda raceway laguna seca

august 11 -13 sonoma raceway

new jersey motorsports park

september 15 - 17

barber motorsports park * schedule subject to change

WEBSLINGER

MAKE EVERYDAY AN ADVENTURE

ED SUBIAS

ONLINE EDITOR

ED.SUBIAS@BONNIERCORP.COM @EDSUBIAS #BROWNBEARRACING

A

short while ago I changed my place of residence farther away from the Hot Bike offices. This meant more time commuting, which meant more time behind some handlebars. Sure, more time on a motorcycle is always a good thing, but doing so during peak traffic times is less than optimal. In fact, it can downright drive one cuckoo. Luckily I have figured out a few ways to make it a bit more entertaining and started making my midweek office rides into mini adventures.

I had been living in Orange County, California, with a commute of about 20 miles one way, and my new ride is about 56 miles. Essentially tripling the distance but not necessarily the time. You see, that previous 20 miles was in highly congested urban conditions, basically white-knuckle lanesplitting, dodging big rigs and motorists texting, on an insanely crowded freeway for about 30 to 40 minutes.

While my new commute from the Inland Empire in Southern California is a lot more miles, it offers numerous routes and with a wide variety of highways, roads, and scenery. It can be done in 50 minutes if I’m heavy on the throttle.

One thing all these routes have in common is that there are plenty of different surface streets, highways, dirt roads, and just plain bad roads spiderwebbing into and out of them. This is where my daily exploring has taken place.

Each day on my commute, I map out a slightly different route and explore some different streets or roads that I have never been on. These usually add a few minutes extra to the ride, but it’s entertaining because it’s fresh and can be exciting at times. I have found breathtaking scenic overlooks, fantastic taco shops, cool little hardware stores, independent motorcycle shops, pegscraping twisty country roads, and plenty of other pleasant surprises on my small-scale escapades.

I encourage you to go out and try a slightly different route on your routine motorcycle commute. You will find that you can have a flavorful little slice of weekend riding right in the middle of the bland weekday pie. HB

88 / HOTBIKE.COM

“I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO OUT AND TRY A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ROUTE ON YOUR ROUTINE MOTORCYCLE COMMUTE.”

JOIN THE RIDE! SEPTEMBER 6-10, 2017

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ITEM 66552

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63456/46319 shown

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AIR HOSE REEL

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3799

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2199

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ITEM 98800

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16" x 30" TWO SHELF STEEL SERVICE CART • 220 lb. capacity

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99

$599 $899

ALUMINUM MOTORCYCLE WHEEL CLEANING STAND • 500 lb. capacity

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Customer Rating

Limit 1 - Coupon per customer per day. Save 20% on any 1 item purchased. *Cannot be used with other discount, coupon or any of the following items or brands: Inside Track Club membership, Extended Service Plan, gift card, open box item, 3 day Parking Lot Sale item, compressors, floor jacks, saw mills, storage cabinets, chests or carts, trailers, trenchers, welders, Admiral, Bauer, Cobra, CoverPro, Daytona, Earthquake, Hercules, Jupiter, Lynxx, Poulan, Predator, StormCat, Tailgator, Viking, Vulcan, Zurich. Not valid on prior purchases. Non-transferable. Original coupon must be presented. Valid through 12/1/17.

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ITEM 69904 68892 shown

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• Diamond plate steel 1000 LB. CAPACITY platform and ramp MOTORCYCLE LIFT • Lift range: Customer Rating 7" – 29-1/2"

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4

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$

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1399 $28.06

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$

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ITEM 62476 63167/63166 96645 shown

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$

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8

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$ ITEM 62281/61637 shown

Customer Rating

• Versatile - 23 Configurations • Safe + Secure + Stable • Super Strong - Holds 300 lbs.

• Weighs 35 lbs.

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$11 9

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*Original coupon only. No use on prior purchases after 30 days from original purchase or without original receipt. Valid through 12/1/17.

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1699

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within ±4%

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$

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• 1.3 GPM • Adjustable spray nozzle

TORQUE WRENCHES 17 FT. TYPE IA • Accuracy Customer Rating MULTI-TASK LADDER Item 239 shown

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1999

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ITEM 62321

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20 TON SHOP PRESS

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ITEM 61607/62389 94635 shown

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1499 $24.99

$1 699

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FULL LINE OF WELDING WIRE AND ACCESSORIES

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Customer Rating

$699

170 AMP MIG/FLUX 1750 PSI CORED WELDER PRESSURE WASHER WE CARRY A

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164

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1500 WATT DUAL LOW PROFILE MOTORCYCLE DOLLY TEMPERATURE HEAT GUN (572°/1112°)

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At Harbor Freight Tools, the “Compare” or “comp at” price means that the same item or a similar functioning item was advertised for sale at or above the “Compare” or “comp at” price by another retailer in the U.S. within the past 180 days. Prices advertised by others may vary by location. No other meaning of “Compare” or "comp at" should be implied. For more information, go to HarborFreight.com or see store associate.

FACES

WORDS: GRANT REYNOLDS PHOTO: COURTESY OF DEAN DELRAY

“A BIKE SHOULD BE LIKE A CRESCENT WRENCH: ADJUSTABLE AND SOMEWHAT MULTI-PURPOSE—KIND OF LIKE HIS ETHOS.”

Dean Delray E

veryone has that one friend who has their finger on the pulse. Then every once in a while you’ll come across the guy who has the stranglehold on the scene.

My go-to guy for that is the one-and-only Dean Delray. More than 33 years ago he started out riding a 1965 Ironhead Sporty he affectionately called the “Fonz,” and the pace has never let up.

Dean has owned scores of bikes to include five West Coast Choppers and even the infamous “Chongo” (Jesse James’ personal bike). Currently he’s spun on his new 2017 Road King with the Milwaukee-Eight 107-inch motor.

This is one busy cat, and it’s rare to get him sitting down for a change. Our interactions are usually best described at music venues, bike shows, or in the airport somewhere. Dean is probably the funniest guy out there riding a motorcycle.

Over the past six and a half years he’s done at least 3,000 stand-up comedy shows, most of them by way of motorcycle.

He’s got a Netflix special in the works with Bill Burr, and if you check your local rags I bet he’s in the lineup at least once over the weekend. He truly is one of the hardest-working dudes in comedy.

I’ve known the guy for 17 years and have seen the potential unfolding in front of my eyes. At one point he was a budding musician with a record deal on Linda Perry’s (4 Non Blondes) label and was on tour opening for Jakob Dylan’s band The Wallflowers.

92 / HOTBIKE.COM

He switched gears and went completely after the comedy and has carved his own niche with the popular podcast (iTunes) Let There Be Talk where recent guests include Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Omar Rodriguez (At the Drive-In), and Roland Sands. He just recently returned from the last Alice in Chains tour where he opened up for them—as a comedian, not a musician.

We are both motorcycle epicureans and have owned pretty much every powerplant that’s available out there at one time or another. BMW, Ducati, West Coast, or Road Kings and Street Glides, it doesn’t matter who the maker is. We don’t discriminate, and we’re constantly looking for the ultimate ride full of flavor. Dean gets it and thinks a bike should be like a crescent wrench: adjustable and somewhat multi-purpose— kind of like his ethos. Dean believes some of his success in the comedy scene is from actually riding to the shows. He would arrive before any of the other comics because they were usually stuck in traffic while he was busy splitting lanes.

Dean knows everyone it seems. Aki, Paul Cox, JJ, Roland, Rockabilly, Rachtman, Bill Wall, Chopper Dave, Decker, Caleb, Gilby… You get the idea. I mention that because if Dean’s name comes up when he’s not around, people will usually do their impression of him, which funny enough always comes out the same way: crackled voice, excited, and full of entertainment. Just like Dean. Do yourself a favor and check out deandelray.com. HB

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MODEL: MARIAH GONZALES PHOTO: STEVEN SPOONS

HOTNESS

HOT BIKE (ISSN: 8750-3212) (USPS 848-620), September 2017, Volume 49, Issue 9, is published Jan/Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov/Dec and Sturgis SIP (in June), 11 times a year for $25.95 by Bonnier Corporation, 2 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2017 by Bonnier Corp. All rights reserved. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden except by permission of Bonnier Corp. Mailing List: Occasionally, we make portions of our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services we think might be of interest to you. If you do not want to receive these offers, please advise us at (515) 237-3697. POSTMASTER: Send address changes and all UAA to CFS, non-postal and military facilities: to Hot Bike, PO Box 6364, Harlan IA 51593-1864. Subscription Rates: $25.95 for one year, $51.90 for 2 years and $77.85 for 3 years. Please add $12.00 for Canadian addresses and $24.00 per year for all other international addresses.

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MCH-GPS17

• Factory-Match, GPS-Powered Compass, Altimeter, Ambient Air Temperature • Plugs directly into ’96-13 Harley Touring Models, replacing OE Ambient Air Temp gauge • GPS Technology provides quick and precise compass information • Chrome or Black Bezel option, selectable to match OE Gauges • 8 user-selectable color options: Stock Match, Red, Green, Blue, Teal, Magenta, Amber, White

New application fitting 2014+ models!

MCL-3014 Gauges • Direct-replacement 4-gauge kit fitting ‘14-16 Harley Touring Models • High-Brightness Red or Blue LED Lighting • Includes Speedometer, Tachometer, Fuel Level, Oil Temp and Voltmeter.

2015 SEMA Award• Additional readouts include Gear Position, OE indicators and much more!

• MBM Add-on modules available to add Single/Dual Air Pressure or Boost Powersports

Product of the Year

MVX-2000 Series • New MVX Application, fitting decades of models using the classic 5” tank mounted gauge: Road King, Softail, Dyna, Deuce • 31 User-selectable Pointer, Backlight and LCD Message Center Colors: Red, Green, Blue, Teal, Magenta, Amber, White • 4 Face options available: Black/Red, Black/Gray, White/Red, White/Gray • 2 bezel options: Chrome or Black Visit our website for more information.

MVX-8K Series • MVX Application fitting ’96-13 Harley Touring Models • Direct Plug-in integration for simple installation • 31 User-selectable Pointer, Backlight and LCD Message Center Colors: Red, Green, Blue, Teal, Magenta, Amber, White • 4 Face options available: Black/Red, Black/Gray, White/Red, White/Gray • 2 bezel options: Chrome or Black Visit our website for more information.

MCL-3000 Series High-Brightness LED package fits ’96-13 Harley Touring Models.

Da k o ta dig it al .c om/ H B P. 888. 8 8 1 . 0 5 3 6

MCL-2000 Series High-Brightness LED system fits Road King, Softail, Dyna and Deuce models across many years.

Visit our website for more information.