Free Departments

I've been riding and wrenching on Panheads since 1972 when I got my first 1950 EL. In 2000, I picked up a brand new Harley EFI Road King. I still have my old trusty ‘50 Pan but felt I needed a trusty cruiser to get me where I had to go reliably. I swore I […]

After the success of the Hot Bike/S&S Cycle 124-inch VFI Challenge project, S&S President, Brett Smith, felt it was time to form an S&S specific sportsman class in the AHDRA. The Sunday after the shootout in Earlville, IA, on July 10th, Brett called Craig Tharpe and Colbert Seagraves of the AHDRA with a proposal. They

DO THE DOO I'll admit it, I've been writing tech tips for three years and I'm running thin on new interesting topics that aren't too esoteric. In the attempt to elaborate tech topics, I've even stretched my vocabulary to include the mind numbing word “circumlocution,” Which, by the way, created quite a debate among the

This is Big Boar's custom battery of choice. It's capable of providing 350 Cold Cranking Amps in a relatively small package. The coolest bikes have always been the stripped down. Whether stock or custom, the less crap the better. So long as the engines weren't too big, or you were running a kick-starter, you could

Lucky Devil girl Sheryl from RFR Here's a sneak preview of the paint. Okay, onto the rear fender. It's also our 14 gauge stamped seamless fender blank (both front and rear fenders are available on line, on our website, now). I like to weld and mold the rear fenders into the frame on every Lucky

Bad as Hell designer, Chris Hill.This is the craziest notion I’ve ever run across. It was developed by a madman, the only member of the Weasels to ever be ousted. Chris Hill designed the Hill Bars and tried to make a go of them for over a decade. People still inquire about the ugliest bars

The first step is nailing your pattern. The pattern for this seat, came from one of my “BAD ASS PANS”. Once your pattern is cut, you have to scribe your design on to the leather. This is done by casing the leather (wetting with water). Let it stand till the leather starts to dry a

Hang on. This is the last of the scintillating segments on building the Sturgis Shovel before I write the treacherous saga of the ride. Somewhere we will publish a feature on the bike in a mag and on the site. Oh, there’s one other tech that will come to pass—hard line assembly. I’m waiting for

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.

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

This isn’t a difficult one but it takes slow time and effort. I handled this in two phases. First I cut the bars and drilled them, even taped the holes. Then I sent the bar to powder. Finally the assembly occurred and I got drunk. There’s something about an internal throttle assembly that’s bothersome. It’s

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

The first thing that pops into my head is Dave Mann’s “Ghost Cowboy” and then Berry Wardlaw dressed as a cowboy. What does that have to do with an article about the hottest engine to hit the motorcycle industry this year? Well hang on and you’ll see. Berry Wardlaw, of Accurate Engineering in Dothan Alabama,

This is one of Bob Le Pera's original Banana seats from the early '70s. He still makes them today. If you check out the spec sheets for custom bikes in about any mag, and you come upon the seat section, chances are you’ll find Le Pera listed as the manufacturer. Motorcycle seat = Le Pera,

Click to see morefrom Lucky Devil The old pipe to oil tank tab.My first move began with a correction. I removed the exhaust pipe tab welded to the oil bag. The oilcan is rubber mounted, the exhaust pipe generated severe heat and the pipe system needs to be solidly mounted. It had to go. Actually

Text Only The Rigid Sporty Partially Mocked Up.Bandit, when we met, on your way to Sturgis, I told you about this project and after your encouragement have tried to chronicle this escapade. So here goes and thanks.Projects have a way of growing way past their original intention. This one is no different. Originally meant to

Brembo has a solid worldwide reputation, and I ran into a hot looking Brembo representative at an illustrious bike function and decide I’d give them a try. They’re hot and ready to rock. The only items I needed were the locking nuts for the back of the rotors bolts and the springer axle spacer. This

Joker's long-awaited new hand controls are finally here!Remember the days when everything in the world of machines had style? The simplest hinge or mirror stalk had nice flowing lines that showed the amount of pride the designer took in his/her work. Joker's latest hand controls were inspired by the elegant art deco and slipstream design

Here we go. I’m relunctantly behind the eight ball, or more likely the 5-Ball in this case. The bike is nearly complete and I haven't caught up with the articles. For the most part I was working at Primedia on the bike mags and didn’t have time to breath. No fucking lame excuses. Let’s hit

Soft way to start a tech from RFR. All Harley-Davidson motorcycles produced today use incandescent lightbulbs for their blinkers. Incandescent lightbulbs are self-destructive. What that means is using them causes them to degrade and then fail. On motorcycles it’s worse because we shake the shit out of ‘em all the time. We’ve all had it

Having the right tool makes all the difference. No matter what job you plan, the first question is do I have the knowledge and experience to handle it myself, or even with the help of friends? The second, do I have the tools? If the answer is yes, you are good to go. Some people

That’s right. We’re delivering the new Custom Chrome Drivetrains one month ahead of the official release date in November of 2005. As of November this new drive train line-up will be available through all Custom Chrome dealers.–Bandit 88-Inch Shovelhead Engines by Custom Chrome® The newest addition to Custom Chrome’s engine line up. They are 88-inch

It's all about choice, and these days we have more to choose from than ever before.Some truly talented people are creating original, mind blowing frame products. Aaron Green's Softrigid, Roger Goldammer's BTR3 frame that's now available in a production rigid (cheers from #4)and Maximum Metal works are just a few that really stand out in

Hey, We receive very informed “Your Shot” responses from knowledgeable builders all over the world. It dawned on me one day to gather the good ones and archive them as if they were jewels discovered on a beach. Actually, for a rider who’s broke down they’re worth more than diamonds. I’m going to save hot,