In a mad rush to build and break-in a monster Simms built S&S motor rigid before the long haul to Sturgis, Bandit makes an abrupt move. At the final hour he decided to take the frame to a local powder coater in Orange County who is capable of layering on a two or three stage […]
Bikernet West – The Blue Bomb Explodes Read More »
Here’s the deal. With less than two weeks to go I’m praying, laughin’, grinning and scrambling. The paint finally arrived from Harold Pontarelli of H-D Performance of Vacaville, California, and the dark haired beauty wanted to be at the shed when I opened it. I paced the floor waiting for her alabaster legs to bring
Bikernet West – Belt Drives Limited Open Belt Installation Read More »
The pressure is on. Lena Fairless, a 15-year-old bubbly Texas beauty, is after Bandit. This hell bent young woman plans to become his sixth wife. To lure the big bastard from the coast, Easyriders of Dallas has been working hard on his Shovelhead under Lena’s strict direction. Even this article was investigated while the
1928 Shovelhead Project Part V Read More »
Wiring is the nemesis of man, the puzzle of the best builders, the hornet’s nest of breakdown treachery. Bandit sat for hours drawing a wiring schematic for Agent Zebra’s Softail, only to rip it to shreds and toss it in the trash. He made lists while Sin Wu brewed strong coffee and baked
Bikernet West – Electronics in a Weekend Read More »
Just when you thought a project slipped off the lift, the paint arrived. Harold Pontarelli of H-D Performance, in Vacaville, California, made this puppy sing. It’s now mighty close to pavement miles. What started as a 1984 Mexican Police bike was transformed into a 1928 Shovelhead. All the Compu-fire electrics possible were stashed on brackets
1928 Shovelhead Part VI – Coming To Life Read More »
Here’s the deal. The 1928 project was recently completed except for a stylish exhaust system. The antique notion was based on racers from the ’20s, something way off the pavement, open and short. JR, the service director of Strokers, explained the steps, “They were cut and pasted together. Bits and pieces from the
1928 Shovelhead Runs Part VII Read More »
With the final Joker Machine forward controls bolted in place on the Daytec stretch, Bandit began his test ride period. With 300 miles estimated on the machine, a full fluid change took place and only one element was left hanging–the speedometer. For Bandit, trip gauges act as gas gauges. Once he knows the
Bikernet West – The Chop Lives Read More »
Master builder and mechanic, Deacon, from Pro-Street in Oahu. Bob Kay. from American Iron Horse. was a bro and shipped the retro Shovelhead. from Strokers in Dallas. to LifeStyle Cycles in Orange County, California along with a new batch of Dallas Choppers. It arrived the day before a handful of weary travelers stumbled
1928 Shovelhead Comes To California Part VIII Read More »
I knew it! The sonuvabitch couldn’t make it to the Badlands and back on that piece of shit. I knew it! The way Bandit mounted that tank was fucked from the beginning. I told him. Nuutboy told him. Harold Pontarelli told him. Shit, his 78-year-old mother told him. Did the big bastard listen? Nooo. So
Bikernet West Bogged Down In Pheonix Read More »
ROAD KING REPORT–Initially I had some questions regarding Road Kings. I wanted to know some about the frame geometry. I perfer a little trail over low speed, parking lot handling. I like to run fast and stable. Next I’m old school. I perfer a bike with minimun extras so I lean toward a carb model
The Road King Report Installment 1 Read More »
Each custom motorcycle has a story. That’s one aspect of this treacherous world that sets it apart from stock bikes. Stop any rider of a chop and ask him about his bike and he’ll either punch you in the face or tell you how he started to build his bike, lost his wife and family
Sturgis 2000 Project Bike – Bandit II Lives Read More »
The competition has changed, expanded. Can home-built choppers fly to Sturgis? Can Jesse James build a chop and actually ride it, with all his tools, mechanics, equipment, lathes, milling machines, and money? Can Billy Lane from Choppers Inc. build a bike by hand while wanton women dance seductively around him daily in him Maimi based
Bikernet East – The Rolling Chassis Read More »
What hit the American Motorcycle industry like straight pipes and tire sizzling burn-outs, at 4 in the morning? Television, in the form of Motorcycle Mania one and two. The introduction of chopper building skills and rebel attitude, unleashed broadband, to citizens all over the country, rocked the biker world. Then chopper heaven in the form
Motorcycle Mania And Hugh King Read More »
We were fortunate to hook up with Heather New, of New-Line Engraving several years ago. Since I was about to switch out my CrazyHorse engine ignition with a Blackhawk Motorworks cone cover I needed to come up with a classic point cover for the new unit and the 5-Ball Factory Racer. It was a natural
5-Ball Factory Racer Closing in on New Cam and Ignition Read More »
This has been the strangest tuning dilemma I’ve ever faced with a motorcycle in my 40 years of messing with these bastards. I fell in love with our Factory Racer CrazyHorse 100-inch engine. The day we started the bike for the first time, it fired to life immediately, no hiccups, stumbles, or coughs. Every time
5-Ball Factory Racer Tuning issues Read More »
Life is nuts, or is it just me? Fortunately, we have motorcycles and women to chase. And this year became the year of the Evo, the FXR, and the mudflap girl. I’m scratching the back of my head and wondering how to kick off this build for 2011. There’s a lot on the plate this
Mudflap Girl Part 1, the Concept Read More »
Back to : Mudflap Girl Part 1a Okay, you have the story behind this build, and Chris Kallas is refining the concept drawing. My engine arrived from the factory, and Eric Bennett immediately noticed the return address, in Viola, Wisconsin. As it turns out, the factory hired the S&S crew to assemble their Evo
Mudflap Girl Part 2, the Bandit Engine and Spitfire update Read More »
Hey, here’s quick bit on George The Wild Brush who handled the Pin Striping on the 2005 Sturgis Shovel project. He’s pin striped several other bikes for me in his 47 years behind the brush. Born in Hanford, California, a miserable military town, in 1944, he kicked tumbleweed while his mom worked on a base.
Sturgis Shovel Part 12 Read More »
In an effort to stay tuned with the rapidly growing and ever changing industry the staff of Bikernet began a project Shovelhead several years ago in conjunction with Randy Simpson of Milwaukee Iron and Arlen Ness. It’s been a strange road, but we’re now rolling closer to completion with the assistance of Rick Fairless of
1928 Shovelhead Project Part 1 Read More »
Box of parts after teardown for powder. I’m not sure if I’m keeping everything in line. But this segment took us to Foremost Powder Coating in Gardena California. I was at that point when these shots were taken. I’ve had a Powder Coating Sponsor for years, Custom Powder Coating in Dallas. They’re good people and
Sturgis Shovel Part 11 Read More »
In a dank dark corner of a dusty debris strewn shop behind the Strokers Saloon on Harry Hines Blvd in Dallas was a small stack of bike parts guarded by a massive starving pitbull with one eye and most of one ear chewed away. The beast was so vicious that it once chewed through a
1928 Shovelhead Project Part II Read More »
This is strange. I’m writing several Sturgis Chop Techs after I returned from Sturgis. I’ll try to remedy that in the future, but we were so damn busy trying to complete the bike and run Bikernet, we didn’t keep up on the techs. Many apologies.This piece covers the installation of the hot Speedster cap from
Sturgis Shovel Part 9 Read More »
The lovely Lena Fairless, who has threatened to marry Bandit (the sixth Mrs. Ball) and make him work for her folks at the Easyriders Dallas store, has been pushing to see that this 1928 Shovelhead project is completed in time for her wedding plans. Bandit doesn’t seem to move unless there’s a motorcycle and a
1928 Shovelhead Project Part III Read More »
