2009 5-Ball Factory Racer

 It all started when my mother ran over my metal- flaked Honda 55 Super Cub with a single shotgun pipe. She stormed into our tiny stucco house in Long Beach and announced, “Get that damn thing out from under my car.” Her car was a massive ’59 Ford station wagon. It was 1964 and I was 15.5 years of age. That Honda was my first motorcycle.   Mom and I didn’t see eye-to-eye on a couple of issues. The day after I graduated from high school, I joined the Navy and was shipped to a heavy cruiser off the coast of Vietnam for three tours. I fell in love, and got married, to my mother’s chagrin (my loves have always played a ...

I recently rambled about never giving up. This tech is an example in not giving up, and looking for opportunities for success. James Simonelli recently went to work for Biker’s Choice and it’s a company constantly looking for opportunities to succeed. They continue to expand and James is working hard on the Twin Power line of products.I built this bike a few years ago and enjoyed each element of the build. It was my first opportunity to work with Black Bike Wheels and installed the new 23s at the time. I also worked with Rick Krost and the Paughco team, who were building his US Choppers frames and several components. I also worked with Chica for the first time to ...

Editor's Note: Our 5-Ball factory racer was feature in Heavy Duty Magazine in Australia recently. It's the largest selling custom bike mag Down Under. The story and the photos were handled by the amazing Smilin' Doc Robinson, the longtime tech editor. I've left the story alone for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.--BanditMany interesting and colourful characters populate the biker world and Keith “Bandit” Ball walks tall among them. And not only because he tops out at six-foot five inches. Lifetime biker, author, longtime Easyriders’ editor, custom bike builder, salt racer, founder of the premier web site Bikernet.com, Bandit is all this and more.Get him settled in the comfortable lounge seat in his Los Angeles abode, pour him a stiff whisky, and ...

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 I hit the Phil's Speed Shop electronic system starter button, it immediately rumbled to life. Then we attempted a break-in ride and it blubbered badly at mid-range. If I nailed it, it jumped forward, then stumbled and nearly died. I was perplexed. At first we thought, and so did S&S, that our Crime Scene air cleaner, facing backwards, was the evil culprit. We began an ...

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 choice to send her a chunk of aluminum, or I shoulda sent a piece of brass, but oh well. Either way I knew she would bring the project to life.Heather started engraving in a small shop in downtown Edmonton in the Early 80’s, where she took care of over 100 jewelry stores. "I was engraving everything from I.D. bracelets to wine goblets to pocket watches, ...

Every custom motorcycle build is an adventure. It takes me from one crazed time in my wild life to another. Fortunately, I'm not spilling my guts about another woman I lost during a knuckle-busting build. But this build did represent turning points. I'm about to step off into my 62nd year and sign up for Social Security. It also represented our stinky economy, and for the first time I pulled the plug on riding this bike to Sturgis. Imagine for a second, the middle of July. Days were long and hot, and the Bikernet shop boiled with activity. The Sturgis deadline was fast approaching. I needed to plan stops, hotels, food funds and a place to stay in the Badlands. ...