Veterans to the custom bike industry will know the name Johnny Pag, a Master Builder for some 30 years in Southern California, his show winning customs appearing in the leading bike mags. Now he’s about to chalk up a new milestone in the industry. Taking his expertise and designs to China, and working with one of the largest motorcycle/parts manufacturers (suppliers to the Big Four Japanese OEMS) at their 650,000 sq. ft. facility, he closely supervised the fabrication and assembly of the Spyder to American quality standards but with a price tag that will make your jaw drop.

We’re not talking a downsized mini-bike, this is a full-scale, full framed motorcycle wrapped up in a package that includes front and rear disc brakes, custom candy paint, forward controls, beefy 1.25 inch handlebars and custom wheels, not to mention a 2-year, unlimited mileage warranty.

The Spyder 250 as the name implies features a 250cc twin cylinder, four stroke power-plant that brings the bike, as Johnny says, “comfortably up to speeding ticket speeds.” While not aimed at breaking land speed records, the custom chopper will cruise all day and sips gas at 65 mpg. Specs include a dry weight of 360 lb. and a 73-inch wheelbase, a Softail-type suspension with an adjustable seat height of 20-23 inches, chromed alloy rims, 21-inch front and 16-inch rear tires, rated load of 1000lbs., and a 4.2 gallon fuel tank. Colors include candy red, blue, silver and black all with silver flames and an all black model.

The Johnny Pag 250 Spyder is fully EPA-CARB certified and also carries $2 million in liability coverage that extends to its dealers while every nut and bolt, as far as replacement parts, is available from their warehouse on a 24-hour basis. To qualify as a Spyder 250 dealer, you need a showroom, a service department and a dealer’s license if required by your state. A minimum order of five bikes is also required. As of this writing, some 40 dealerships have signed up for the 250 Spyder, many reporting most models pre-sold. When you check the price tag, you’ll know why. Would you believe a MSRP of $3295?

Says Johnny Pag, “We are the designers, we are the manufacturer, we have complete control of our products. We just do it overseas. What others imagined, we went ahead and accomplished. It did take two years of hard work, with me living there, but it was worth it. We pass on the incredible savings but with no shortcuts or scrimping on quality. It’s a great bike for the 18-year old, for the ladies, for the veteran biker looking for a fun around town bike with coolness factor, and a bike you can take home on a credit card. Take a look for yourself. Sit in the saddle of one of our Spyders and you’ll be amazed at the quality and especially the price.”

If you’re at Sturgis, you’ll find Johnny Pag Motorcycles with several Spyders on display at Glencoe Thunder Road. For more information log on to www.johnnypag.com or call 951-352-1300.

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL (August 30, 2006) – Rucker Performance announces a new collaboration with Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley-Davidson and Daytona Boss to customize 120 pre-owned Police, Fire and Rescue Road Kings for its “Enforcer” line within the next year. Rucker Performance will start modifying the pre-owned Harley-Davidson Road Kings® this fall.

“Rucker Performance is stepping out of the box and providing high-caliber customization services for customers who want a cruiser motorcycle, the performance of a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle and the look and feel of a one-off custom.

Pre-owned 2005 and 2006 Harley-Davidson Road King Police, Fire and Rescue motorcycles will undergo complete facelifts that include upgrades such as a wide tire 200 mm conversion kits (from the standard 130 mm), a strong performance Screamin’ Eagle Big Bore 96 cu. in. motor, chrome handlebar package (all handlebar components, grips, switches, housing, brake master cylinder and molded frame neck cover), chrome 18-inch wheels, customized fabrication work (extended fuel tanks, front and rear fenders and saddlebags), a custom fitted seat, painted front end, matched to the color of sheet metal, a headlight molding and graphics package with Toxic Paint upgrades.

“I am excited about our collaboration with Daytona Boss, my internal customizing department and Bill Rucker of Rucker Performance to provide the world’s first wide tire production customized Harley-Davidson touring motorcycle,” said Bruce Rossmeyer, CEO of thirteen Harley-Davidson locations. “We will be offering our full bike care warranty, which is similar to the Harley-Davidson fender-to-fender warranty, with the purchase of each Enforcer.”

The pre-owned customized Enforcer motorcycles will be available for sale at all of Bruce Rossmeyer’s locations; Daytona Harley-Davidson in Daytona Beach, FL; New Smyrna Harley-Davidson in New Smyrna Beach, FL; Fort Lauderdale Harley-Davidson in Fort Lauderdale, FL; Pompano Harley-Davidson in Pompano Beach, FL; Sunrise Harley-Davidson in Sunrise, FL; Southern Thunder Harley-Davidson in Horn Lake, Mississippi, Grand Junction Harley-Davidson in Grand Junction, CO; Hollywood Choppers of Fort Lauderdale and Arlen Ness of Daytona Beach.

Founded in 2004 by Bill Rucker, Rucker Performance has quickly become a leading designer and manufacturer of custom American Muscle and Chopper motorcycles, high performance street rods and professionally restored vehicles. Log on to www.ruckerperformance.com for more information.

Bruce Rossmeyer’s World’s Largest Harley-Davidson dealership is located at 1637 North U.S. Highway 1, Ormond Beach, FL, 32174. Bruce Rossmeyer’s corporate offices are located at 2871 N. Federal Highway in Ft. Lauderdale. For more information, please call (954) 724-2800 or visit www.BruceRossmeyer.com.

By JonTowle

Here's our testy test rider. If we had lowered the shop door we could have grabbed a clean shot without a bunch of crap in the background. I don't like Dynas, never did. I'm an FXR fan. They keep trying to dial this puppy in, but it's just a swingarm SuperGlide from the '70s in a rubber mounted frame with a bad seating position.

Editor's Note:We could fuck up a wet dream, and we do regularly. This is a helluva example. We should have published it six months ago before the new models slipped into the market place. I don't like making excuse, but Jon Towle, our esteemed test rider has endured family and physical hell. But that's okay, we'll give him hell throughout this feature anyway. I'll make comments in the photo captions–Renegade. 　

I've wanted to jump on this bike ever since I first saw it. I was strolling the Cycle World International Bike Show aisles a couple few years ago, in the Socialist Republic of California, when I saw the Nightster. Finally my time had come, same ol' routine, I jumped on the freeway from the H-D holding facility, and aimed for home. What a great fuckin' ride.

I'm gonna complain a bunch, but I love this hearty 49 mm front end. Bandit used one on the Assalt Weapan, World's fastest Panhead. It's a solid piece. I even like the new fender mounting locations. The headlight is a factory replica of the old Bates classic, with a DOT approved sealed beam bulb.

Very stable, really comfortable and she fit me like a glove. A beautiful rust-red color coated the sheet metal. It almost looked like I painted it with a spray can from Wal-Mart…very cool. Bare bones production bike, ya gotta love that shit. Semi high bars, solo seat (yes, there are times when the little lady must park her ass for a ride), bobbed rear fender with a great tail light/brake/turn signal combo! Plus those great rock solid forks like those on the Low Rider, which happens to be my most favorite bike in the line up…thick as the bullshit that comes out of Washington. But, all things must pass, so this baby is the winner for this moment, with a seat height of only 26.8 inches, and that's before my ton-age straddles the poor thing. Just about anyone with the exception of a squashed spider should be able to plant both dogs on the floor with ease while sittin' on this one.

I've been in a constant debate over the Twin Cam engines. I still like the simplicity and classic refinement of the Evo, but as the need for more ridiculous, bone breaking power increases, the platform for 110 plus engines needed the solid infrastructure twin cams deliver. I may just end up being a rebel in favor of the classic separate, single-cam shaft, V-twin until the end.

They say she chimes in at 634 pounds dry. It feels much lighter than that number. I wonder why they list the weight without all of the fluids and fuel introduced into the picture? Have you ever ridden a bike dry? Fucker won't even start! So, quit with the dry weight crap. Fill it up, top it off and then put it on the scale fer shit sakes. What, are we in grade fuckin' school here or something? Give the real weight. This has always drove me nuts.

Here's another listing, all of the manufacturers do, that make me crazy: Estimated/average M.P.G. They all (read the fine print) perform this test with a 180 lbs human, during perfect riding conditions. Who the fuck rides in perfect conditions 24/7? How about handling it real world. Perform one test with Mr. Perfect in perfect conditions. Then fire up another round with a fat fucker, riding in strong head wins, up a hill, in LA bumpe-to-bumper traffic, and then once more with a skinny dude in a rain storm. Do that kind of shit and then round it off. You know why that will never happen, because no manufacture would be able to collect those inflated numbers. Not the American bikes, the Japs, the Germans, Italians….none of 'em. We're all aware that bikes get way better mileage than a fuckin' cage…….stop it already!

This bike reminds me of an old iron head sporty we will rebuild in the near future. It's sitting in my garage (ask a British cat how they pronounce that word, it's damn funny). They tried to make the Street Bob kinda like a '70s bobber, which hits me the right way, hence my choice for the Ironhead rebuild. Of course the Street Bob is bigger than my basket case, but I think you can dig what I'm sayin' here. If you like that era, this bike will give you wood, as a production bike that has a lot of work already finished for you. She's sweet the way she is. One of the many things I like about this bike is that H-D is copying H-D. They're snagging notions from previous Dyna owners.

Think about it for a second. Everyone replicates Harley-Davidson, who has always had the corner market on this shit. Fuckin' Honda just came out with a bike called, “The Fury.” It's a facsimile of a Harley chopper, copied from Harley copier? It's enough to make yer head spin. Fuck 'em all……Harley-Davidson copied itself truer than the copiers….fucking brilliant!

I really enjoyed the saddle time on this one. Unfortunately, said saddle time was cut short even though they let me have more time on this model. You see, I thought it was a grand idea to drop off some photos of a previous test to Bandit out in the badlands of Wilmington, California. It happens to have roads reminiscent of a war zone in Iraq. Let me explain the roads there. This town is right at Los Angles Harbor, one of the busiest shipping ports in the world. So, you have 10,000 ship hands on leave from every walk of life, from all over the world, bouncing around horny as hell looking for pussy and dodging the 40,000 crazy Mexicans driving big rigs from the port to god knows where. These trucker fuckers are flooring it in those big ass heavy rigs and just tearing the shit out of the roads in the area.

Here I come, innocently, happily puttin' along on my fine ride. It looks like bumps and pot holes from incoming shell fire, and oh so much fun to dodge or get slammed by. Sneaky fuckers too, those pot holes. Just when the road is smooth for a spell, ya think they're gone, but noooo! I smacked one that came out of nowhere, going too fast to react. I personally think this particular one came into existence about 30 seconds before my arrival. I was really gassin' it when I punched the foreword lip of this grand canyon hole and it just about sent me down into the abyss. The bike handled it, but I wasn't so lucky with my body.

I didn't go down (a miracle) and held on like this was a death grip or die, effort. We limped back to the Bikerenet Headquarters. Bandit, myself and three shop techs looked over the bike and found no damage. It's a fucking Harley, what would ya expect? The official Bikernet Headquarters nurse looked me over with considerable poking and prodding and questions….

“Does anything hurt?”

“No!”

“Did you crap yer pants from the incident? You smell like it.”

“No!

“Then quit yer bitchin', ya pussy,” said Sin Wu, and slapped me on the ass.

“Thank you, ma'am.

I'm thinkin', this ain't right…something had to have broke or I should be in pain or some shit like that. Nothing, Nada….all seemed fine, so I thought. The next morning, pain hit….pain from the depths of hell itself! like a.44 shot into my shoulder. Had to call my bro (no, not some riding pal) but my biological brother and tell him I needed to go to a doctor as I was passing out from the pain, and thought it might not be a good idea to be driving at this point. After hours past, pills took effect and some booze filled my veins, it was at least tolerable. So, there the Street Bob sat in my garage. Wudda drag. A perfectly bitchen ride sitting there while my shoulder hung like a limp dick.

A couple of days later I was shootin' the shit with my neighbor and he said, “dude, yer left shoulder is hanging way lower than the other.” I sez, “yeah, well it was up late last night and it's kinda tired.” What am I supposed to say…a bump in the road kicked my ass? Anyway, the bike was a blast and I wished I had more time with her, but when you're me, this kind of shit happens. It's the, “Towle,” curse, and I'm thinking of changing my last name. With that said, let's get into some figures and shit about the Street Bob with one of those fancy factory charts. It will tell yooze just about everything ya wanna know about this here bike. See ya soon, Jon Towle–

FXDB DYNA STREET BOB MODEL OVERVIEW

A modern distillation of classic post-war Bobber design, the Dyna Street Bob is stripped down to the edge of street-legal trim. That look gets refined for 2009, with a new rear fender chopped even higher and topped with a curved, retro LED tail light. The solo seat gets redesigned, and new laced wheels feature gloss black rims. Internally wired mini-ape-hanger bars, the authentic Fat Bob fuel tank and wrinkle-black trim complete the minimalist Street Bob profile.

FXDB Street Bob features:

Vibration isolated Twin Cam 96 engine
6-speed Cruise Drive transmission
New black and silver powder-coated engine with non-highlighted cylinder fins
New gloss black steel laced wheels 19-inch front / 17-inch rear
New 25.6-inch solo seat
New chopped rear fender
New retro-LED tail light
New stop/tail/turn incandescent rear signals
New silver-faced speedometer with range countdown
New low profile front fender
New fuel sender
New Straight Cut Chrome Staggered Shorty Dual exhaust
160 mm-17 rear / 100 mm-19 front tires
4.8-gallon Fat Bob fuel tank
Mini ape-hanger-style handlebar
29-degree fork angle

Wrinkle-black console, battery cover and belt guard
Mid-mount foot controls
Optional Anodized Aluminum Profile laced wheelsOptional Smart Security Systembox

G'day , I checked at www.amazon.com and both of these books are available. I kinda cheated and grabbed the book covers off their site.I don’t have a digital camera at the moment, it broke while I was riding around the USA.

I went to the Museum of British Road Transport in Coventry the day after I bought a BMW to tour Europe on.Staff were great, I have photos of me sitting on Ted Simon's bike, in same condition as the day he brought it in after he returned from his world trip.

A local radio station heard about my planned journey across Eastern Europe and interviewed me on air, live. I still have the tape recording.( Few riders did Eastern Europe in those days.)That was one of the great days in my life, never forgotten.

I have attached the pic of me on Ted's bike (I was younger then, weren't we all).Another pic is a current one of me at home and the other one is me with two of my toys.

More reviews to follow as weeks go by, unless you get bored with them.

–Jaqhama

Ted leaves Britain in 1973 and rides around the world for the next 5 years. On a 500cc Triumph he rides to places most of us only ever dream about. This book has been in print ever since the day it was first published and is generally acknowledged by most world motorcycle travelers to be the inspiration for their journeys. It certainly was for me when I rode around half the world in 1994.

The world was a different place back then and Ted has adventures and misadventures in some of the most inhospitable places. As any traveler will tell you, it’s not the destination it’s the journey that matters, and also the people you meet along the way.

This book shines with Ted’s enthusiasm for riding. It’s hard to finish this novel and not start planning your own world trip. (Luckily I just came back from the USA so I am sated for a few months.)

I could go on and on about “Jupiter’s Travels” but the best thing I can say is–go and buy it. After several readings of it I still enjoy it immensely! You will too.

I believe it’s still printed by Penguin Publications. Any good bookshop will be able to order it for you.

A well written sci-fi novel of a not totally unlikely future.

Sometime in the future?

Hell Tanner is the last of the Hells Angels left alive in California.

As a dubious alternative to life imprisonment he is offered a pardon to drive a radiation proof armoured car from Cali to Boston. Boston has a plague and only Cali still has any anti serum left.

The small problem is that the bit of America that lies between the two states is now a radioactive wasteland full of mutant monsters and savage humans.

What’s so great about this novel is Tanner himself. He’s been locked up for murder, extortion, rape, trading in human slaves, you name it and he’s done it. He’s mean, dirty and has a general dislike of just about everyone he meets. That attitude lasts until the final page. No changing into Mr Nice guy as the story progresses.

The action is fast and furious. More than enough to keep the reader interested.

Whether in the armed to the teeth tank he’s driving, at rest stops along the way or later, on a bike, Tanner is the tough biker outlaw till the very end.

I loved this book when I was a teenager and I still love it today. Dated by modern ideas of sci-fi it nevertheless is one of the few ever written that features a biker outlaw as the main anti hero.

Roger Zelany MUST have ridden bikes when he wrote this.

I have spoken to real Angels who grudgingly admit that Damnation Alley was a great book. Can’t have better praise than that.

I suspect it may be long out of print, but keep an eye out in used bookstores or sites for books online and you may get lucky. There are worst ways to spend a rainy weekend than reading this novel.

Note: The book was made into an absolutely fuckin‚ awful movie in the late 70’s.Starring George Peppard and a young Jan Michael Vincent it had NOTHING to do with the novel in any way shape or form, except the names of the characters and the fact they were driving a weird looking vehicle. Why they even made the movie is a mystery to me. Don’t bother looking it up folks, there are no bikers in it at all, unless you count Vincent on a small trail bike for one short scene.

We live in a crazy world. Consumer confidence is shaky, unemployment has hit double-digit percentage figures and the world economy is still bogged down in a near-depression. In this down-in-the-dumps economic landscape, motorcycle manufacturers big and small hunker down in their shuttered factories to lick their wounds. They scale back production numbers to match a drastically reduced demand and drop models from their lineup in an effort to streamline operations until things get better.

Knowing this, I didn’t expect to see more than a few derivative models or some re-badging from the OEMs for 2010. That was until I heard about Victory Motorcycles. The American manufacturer from Minnesota had not one, but two entirely new bikes hitting the streets in time for the second decade of the millennium. Enter the Victory Cross Roads and Cross Country, a pair of non-identical twins that could help cement the company’s presence in the hard-bagger segment.

We gave you an in-depth look at these two models a few weeks ago on Bikernet, but now it’s time to put tire to pavement and see what Victory’s newest touring rig can do. Victory wanted to make sure I have the full bagger experience and delivered the fully-faired Cross Country to our office.

If on the whole, I appreciate the comfort and amenities touring bikes have to offer, I also wish they contained better handling and performance in a stock form. Why spend your hard-earned green on an average motorcycle, only to sink untold amounts of cash in upgrades? Victory seems to agree with my statement; with the Cross Country (and with its cousin the Cross Roads), the manufacturer is visibly striving to offer a performance touring model designed with enhanced power, handling and style, way over comparable bikes on the market.

Overall the Cross Country is 104.4 inches long and 39.5 inches wide, weighing in at 800 pounds in working order. The bike’s massive size and weight are evident when wrangling it around the garage, so look out you as you maneuver in and out of parking spaces. Fortunately the combination of 29 degrees of fork rake, a neck placed aft of the fork tubes (more trail and stability), and wide handlebars with ample leverage make low-speed handling a breeze. Adding confidence to this experience, the Cross Country’s seat height of only 26.25 inches will undoubtedly please riders with shorter inseams. I practiced feathering the clutch while getting a feel for bike’s balance, and was able to deliver clean, no-foot-down U-turns in no time. It came in handy when making multiple passes in front of the photographer for our riding shots…

Tucked away under the tank and seat is the bike’s unique frame. First appearing on Victory’s CORE prototype last year, this setup is said to make the Cross Country the lightest bike in its class, with the highest load capacity. The hollow, two-piece cast aluminum structure can be described as a boxed spine. It may not be pretty but it was never meant to be. In fact it was designed to use the engine as a supporting member, providing added frame stiffness for improved control and handling. Eliminating customary bottom sections and down tubes also gives the Cross Roads and Cross Country increased cornering clearance. Obviously this isn’t pop’s bagger and we’re not in Milwaukee anymore, Toto.

From what I can see this new frame arrangement is working wonders. The bike exhibits quick—yes, quick—steering response. It will lean hard and deep with surprising ease, and without scraping metal at every corner. The suspension is air-adjustable in the back, using a supplied hand pump with pressure gauge. I adjusted the pressure in preparation for an athletic experience and headed to the mountains for an extended weekend ride. Although not adjustable, the inverted front fork is very effective in all regular riding conditions and under braking, giving a sense of confidence that made me want to manhandle this big mama. No more put-putting through the gorges at 15mph for me; I found myself wringing the throttle and throwing the Cross Country around like it was a sport bike. Woo-eee!

Speaking of throttle, you can let plenty of beans out of that can: 92 horsepower and 109 foot-pounds or torque to be precise. Yeah, baby! The 50-degree, 106-inch Freedom V-twin is the right tool for the job. With its four-valve setup featuring overhead cam, a self-adjusting cam chain and hydraulic lifters, it has a broad power range that’s well distributed by the 6-speed overdrive transmission. On a less favorable note though, the drivetrain still exhibits a rather clunky and noisy operation we’ve become familiar with other Victory products. I wonder if the gear primary might be the culprit here, needing some sort of compensator to smooth things out. I am looking at you, Victory engineers!

Touring bikes are made to let you cover long distances; the Cross Country certainly has that potential but its short windshield was obviously a design-only choice. As a result strong buffeting takes place above 55mph, and it can get tiring quickly. If that bothers you as much as if bothered me, Victory offers a windshield that’s 5 inches taller and should remedy that problem.

Behind the bars I felt a little less Country and a whole lot more Rock ‘N Roll as I peeled pavement all day long. The sound system enhanced the experience too. Backed up by the four horsemen of Metallica, I rode in style thanks to the integrated radio with provision for auxiliary input. It’s part of the blue back-lit, sports car-inspired dashboard. It gets louder as your speed increases to compensate for road and engine noise—and that’s nifty—but the stock speakers have a plasticky tone and lack bass rendition. I also found that the switches that let you operate the radio and cruise control from the hand controls, look like a cheap, bolt-on accessory. Something more integrated into the hand controls would be cool.

Available in Solid Black or Solid Midnight Cherry, the Cross Country can be your for $17,999. It’s also available with optional Black/Graphite Extreme Skulls graphics. Equipped with the latter visual package our test bike was a sight to behold and turned out to be a real show stopper. A small crowd of dog walkers, joggers (and even the mail man) gathered to take a closer look at the sculptural Cross Country, as it was unloaded from Victory’s trailer. And later, a similar scene would play out whenever I stopped at gas stations and rest stops along the Pacific Coast. Everyone from fellow bikers and motorists, to mere pedestrians, wanted a closer look. The skull paint job appealed to many, but it’s these “diamond-cut” lines used over many of the body parts that really tickled people. The stretched shapes of the gas tank, rear fender and hard bags help give this massive bike a more slender look and counterbalance the visual mass of the head fairing. Kudos go to Victory’s design department for giving the classic touring bagger platform a very contemporary style.

After a few days and many miles on the Cross Country I can say it’s a bike I could see myself owning because it’s so versatile; they could have called it the Swiss Army Bagger. It’s powerful, it can comfortably haul you, a passenger and loads of gear for hundreds of miles between refuels and it looks like no other touring bike on the road today. However, what brings it home for me is how nimble the bike is when riding solo. You can really have fun with it, throw it into curves and smile as it responds to your mere thoughts…

Visit the Victory Motorcycles website by clicking on the banner and schedule a test ride.

—Canyon Carver

Driveline

Engine Type4-stroke 50o V-Twin
Cooling Air / oil
Engine size106 ci / 1731 cc
Bore/Stroke101 x 108 mm
Compression Ratio9.4 : 1
Valve TrainSingle overhead camshafts with 4 valves per cylinder,self-adjusting cam chains,hydraulic lifters
Fuel SystemElectronic Fuel Injectionwith dual 45mm throttle body
Fuel Capacity5.8 gal / 22 ltrReserve 1.0 gal / 3.8 ltr
ExhaustSplit dual exhaustwith crossover
Oil Capacity5.0 qts / 4.75 ltr
Charging System50 amps max output
Battery12 volts / 18 amp hours
Primary DriveGear drive with torque compensator
ClutchWet, multi-plate
Transmission6-speed constant mesh
Final DriveCarbon Fiber Reinforced Belt

Chassis Dimensions

Length104.4 in / 2652 mm
Wheelbase65.7 in / 1670 mm
Seat height26.25 in / 667 mm
Ground Clearance5.8 in / 148 mm
Rake/Trail29.0o / 5.6 in / 142 mm
Dry Weight765 lbs (347 kg)
Wet Weight800 lbs (364 kg)
Overall Width39.2 in (995 mm)
Overall Height53.2 in (1352 mm)

Suspension

Front Fork:43mm Inverted cartridge fork
Travel5.1 in / 130 mm
Rear SuspensionSingle, mono-tube
SwingarmCast Aluminumwith constant rate linkage
Travel4.7 in / 120 mm
AdjustmentsAir Adjustable

Wheels

Front BrakesDual 300mm floating rotorwith 4-piston calipers
Rear Brake300mm floating rotorwith 2-piston caliper
Front Wheel18 x 3.0 in
Rear Wheel16 x 5.0 in
Front Tire130/70R18 Dunlop Elite 3
Rear Tire180/60R16 Dunlop Elite 3

Donny Petersen’s name is probably familiar to a lot of bikers, especially readers of American Iron Magazine, in which he’s been writing the Techline column since 1992. This Canadian biker is also an entrepreneur in his own right, having founded and operated Heavy Duty Cycles in Toronto in 1974. Touted as “the world’s most read Harley technical journalist,” he’s arguably among the most knowledgeable wrenches in the business when it comes to all things Harley. A Twinkie rider myself, when I learned his treatise on the Twin Cam had been published, I jumped online and ordered a copy.

I wasn’t disappointed. Volume 1: The Twin Cam is no literary masterpiece to be sure. In fact, it could have benefited immensely at the hands of a ruthless editor with a lot of red ink, as well as some careful proofreading before the final manuscript went to press. The photography, all black and white, ranges from poor to acceptable, and the book would be a lot more user-friendly if it had a comprehensive index, but it is extensively footnoted. Still, it’s a damn good compilation of the Twin Cam’s innovations and boondoggles, from the first 88-cubic inch power plant of 1998 to 2007-2008’s 96-cubic inch, fuel injected stroker.

Donny’s story begins in March 1998 when he, Buzz Kanter, and Chris Maida were sworn to secrecy and invited to Milwaukee, WI by Harley-Davidson to, in Donny’s words, “learn every facet possible about this new motorcycle . . . and teach the riding public through our writing.” Under the tutelage of seven Harley engineers, the trio spent four 15-hour days learning about the new engine. The kicker was that they couldn’t discuss or write about it until June 25, 1998.

Donny and company also can take credit for one of the Twin Cam’s nicknames: the Fathead. In fact, it was referred to as such in many issues of AIM, but like the Evo’s Blockhead moniker, it never really stuck. The riding public seems to prefer calling the Evo the Evo, and they affectionately refer to Harley’s Twin Cam as a Twinkie. The Factory probably doesn’t approve of either Twin Cam handle, but that’s the breaks.

But enough about names; let’s talk about the book, which opens with the usual disclaimers, acknowledgements, a preface from Chris Maida, and an intro from Donny, in which he describes the Twin Cam as Harley’s “most radical departure from the past since the introduction of the Knucklehead in 1936.” A glance at the table of contents in this first volume of what is planned to be a 12-volume set shows it to be well-organized into nine chapters. Although effusive in his praise of the Twin Cam, Donny pulls no punches when discussing the engineering screw-ups, as indicated in some of the chapter titles listed below:

1.March 1998: Introduction of the Twin Cam
2.1999-2000 Teething Problems
3.Timing Chest Breakdowns and Solutions
4.Harley Oil Leaks: Marking its Spot
5.Twin Cam Heads: Deficient Air Flow
6.Retrofitting the Twin Cam Engine into Old Style Frames
7.The Controversial Harley 6-Speed Transmission
8.The 2007 TC96 Engine
9.Twin Cam Summary

My biggest gripe about this book isn’t about the technical content, which, in my opinion, is superlative. However, the book reads like a haphazard recompilation of Donny’s Techline columns, many of which were not serial in nature. As a result, the text is often choppy, very redundant, and lacking in continuity. This is where Donny would have benefited from the heavy-handed editor I mentioned earlier in this review. Compiling a bunch of magazine articles into a cohesive manuscript is a tough row to hoe, and it’s even tougher when those articles weren’t originally written as a sequential series. Ruthless editing, lots of rewriting, and proofreading (the book is rife with typographical and grammatical errors) can be an author’s lifeline.

As a whole, though, Donny’s writing style is direct, concise, and to the point, making it easy for even a layman like me to understand. He’s one of those writers who realizes that you don’t need to use a 50-cent word when a 10-cent word will do. He has one aggravating habit, though: Practically every sentence he writes is a separate paragraph. As an experienced technical writer myself, I’m a big advocate of short, succinct paragraphs, but Donny has overdone it.

The quality of the black and white photographs is so-so. However, Donny explains that the lighting conditions they had available during their 1998 visit to the factory were far from ideal. I also suspect that many of the more recent photos in his book are black and white copies of color prints, and those tend not to reproduce well.

Of course, it’s easy for me to criticize Donny’s book, but I’m equally critical of my own writing (and Bandit’s; just ask him!). Just as Donny says in his closing summary that it’s easy for us to criticize Harley-Davidson for its many foibles.

“The Twin Cam,” Donny writes, “is the best ever Harley-Davidson Big Twin . . . in terms of reliability, speed, and longevity. This platform for the future is just that, a stage to build on.”

Pretty impressive words from a man who has wrenched, built, and ridden virtually every Big Twin there is. Like the Twinkie, Donny’s Volume 1: The Twin Cam is far from perfect, but it’s quite possibly the best 438-page technical discussion of the Twin Cam written to date. You can order your copy online from www.iuniverse.com for $27.95.

Huge thunderclouds broiled over the North Hollywood, CA headquarters for Exile Cycles, but they were no match for the (gasp, hack, cough) fogbank of vulcanized smoke billowing up into the heavens. An impromptu I-got-more-horsepower/testosterone burn-out competition was in full swing, make that full throttle as the guys from Exile and Scott Long of Central Coast Cycleswere melting their Metzelers and Avons to the cheering crowd who showed up from near and far to congratulate Russell on a decade of masterful, show winning, customer pleasing custom bikes that bear his unique signature of “no frills, more thrills,” a minimalist industro-muscle approach to maximum performance biking pleasure.

We’re talking serious, work class, lung scorching smoky burn-outs. See photos. Yeah, it was way, way cool.)

Several hundreds gathered for the Saturday soiree complete with hard rocking bands and high kicking dancers up on the outdoor industrial stage, while indoors there was a massive display of the leading edge custom bikes brought to the event by Russell’s friends, the likes of which included Arlen and Cory Ness, Billy Lane, Cyril Huze, and Matt Hotch.

We wondered how many knew that the affable Englishman with the radical Mohawk haircut and tons of tats had a radically different “former” life back across the Pond. He was born on a small farming village in western England, was a skateboarding freak, then graduated college as a veterinary surgeon. (No wonder he can perform such miraculous custom bike surgery.)

But he was also partying big time and into the Glam-punk scene of the time and also building custom Lambretta scooters, a major trend in merry ol’ England at the time. His first “custom” in fact was a Lambretta chopper complete with coffin tank, twisted forks and foot-shift. That was in 1983 and his first official “Exile” so-named as he says, because it was “a short, tough, symmetrical word – and it had an 'X' in it!” Its styling broke all the molds and all the rules, a philosophy that would transfer to his custom Harleys including a kick-only Sporty that he transformed into a tough black hardtail in his veterinary surgery waiting room

One day he got “discovered” and began appearing on the morning telly as the TV Vet, and then entered the world of modeling which eventually led to a gig in Los Angeles, now some 15 years ago. In 1991 Russell came to the US and promptly bought a 1987 Softail. In 1994, taking the payment from a Marlboro commercial, he created two identical customs, designing his own parts, learning the skills of welding and machining to get it done. Oddly enough, a chance meeting with our fearless leader Keith “Bandit” Ball who at the time headed up Easyriders got him a feature story published in the mag. As a result of the response from the public, Russell starting building bikes in his garage under the Exile Cycles name.

At the 10th Anniversary celebration, it was obvious that Russell had realized the American dream. One look at his 20,000 sq.ft. facility, the herd of bikes under construction and his dedicated orange-clad staff , tells you that toil and dedication over the past ten years were well spent.

Today Exile Cycles offers a custom parts both line directly or through some 1,000 dealers. They also design and build some twenty complete custom bikes each year, many featured in mags around the world plus Russell and his “band of merry men” have appeared on several Discovery Channel “Biker Build Off” shows as well as the “World Bike Build Off” and Russell now hosts his own show, “Build or Bust,” on the Speed Channel.

The public was invited and the gates were open to each and all which also included several of Russell’s friends that flew across the country to share in the shindig, including a contingent of Sunshine State Master Builders, specifically Eddie Trotta, Billy Lane and Cyril Huze as well as West Coast industry luminaries Arlen and Cory Ness and Matt Hotch.

They were greeted by entertainment that included a series of first class bands including Johnny Day and the old school punk rock Numchucks revving up the sounds while hot barbecue and cold Pabst was served in abundance. “We’re good friends of Russell’s and full supporters of Exile Cycles and all they do,” said Johnny. “As far as making ten years, I think he’ll do 50.” That could be said about all those in attendance, Russell having accrued a large personal and professional following.

Inside the Exile “warehouse” a scintillating smorgasbord of bikes were featured in a special display including bikes by several west coast buildersincluding a pair of stellar bikes rode in by Arlen and Cory. Meanwhile Jesse Rooke rolled in on his radical 950cc KTM powered rocket sled, the bike weighing less than 300 lbs. Also on display were a small herd of Exile’s own bikes, each bearing the lean, clean and mean look and performance that has become Russell’s hallmark as he’s cut his own swath through the custom bike building world.

Russell also received special attention when the lovely ladies of Purrfect Angelz got him up on stage and danced up a storm around, over and under him that rivaled the thunderclouds roiling overhead. The Angelz (our kind of heaven sent versions) kicked high and slithered low much to the enjoyment of all, including Russell, and brought down the house with a smokin’ rendition of “I Love Rock and Roll!”

As the industry movers and shakers were in attendance, discussions included the effects on custom bike building created by the recent EPA impositions.Speaking to the wild mix of bikes, and nationalities represented at the festivities, Cyril Huze, himself French, commented, “I came here first because Russell and I are such good friends. It’s also great to see these new bikes before they even appear in the magazines. I also think we all enrich ourselves and the industry with our differences of culture and bike building philosophies. As far as the EPA concerns, I have been told they are reconsidering their position, and I think we are going to find the freedom we need to continue creating these works of art.”

A good cause clause was added to the event as the partygoers contributedto fight Juvenile Leukemia including forking over serious Benjamin’s forspecially autographed Exile shirts bearing the signatures of the manycustom bike “stars” in attendance. The first shirt, auctioned off by Russell himself (in great emcee form by the way) went for $200 thanks to the generosity of Gary Rowley, who happened to be from England himself. “I’ve loved Russell’s bike since day one! As far as ten years and his success, it’s the American dream come true and congratulations!”

Redneck Engineering’s honcho Vince Doll, in from South Carolina for the party, summed it all up, when asked what he thought of Russell’s tenth anniversary, “The Limey is doing okay. He’s done cool stuff, it’s different, it’s his own style.”

More info at www.exilecycles.com or phone 818-255- 3330.

THE MISSION

With the Assault Weapon project in full swing following on last year’s world land speed record setting success with Salt Shaker, there was no way Bandit would be riding up to Sturgis this year. Instead, two experienced Bikernet operatives from down under, Glenn Priddle and Doc Robinson were selected to carry out the mission.

After flying in to LA they were briefed on the mission details, equipped with the appropriate Bikernet equipment – most of which is in the prototype stage – as well as being top secret on a strictly ‘need to know’ basis.

The first operational hiccup came when it was discovered that the two scoots that Harley-Davidson were to supply were not available. They had been booked from the LA Press Fleet but somewhere between Melbourne Australia, Milwaukee Wisconsin and Los Angeles California, the message had been distorted. A genuine mistake or sabotage from dark forces? Investigations continue . . .Doc is the Associate and Technical editor of Heavy Duty magazine, Australia’s top biker rag (www.heavyduty.com.au) and through the rag had brought over a bunch of hard ridin’ and hard partying Aussies, all too ready to wreak their down under brand of havoc on the US biker scene. Bikes had been shipped over and the group was going to be led by Big Tony, a veteran of these trips.

RIDE THE MOUNTAIN

So as not to hold the group up, Bandit kindly let Glenn and Doc borrow two scoots from the Bikernet stable and along with the dozen or so guys and the one babe who made up the tour group, they rolled out of LA on a fine Saturday morning heading up to Big Bear Lake to visit Big Bear Choppers. Deep inside his mountain lair, surrounded by beautiful scenery, expatriate Aussie Kevin Alsop is kicking ass, producing a highly desirable and ultra-cool range of customs.

Kevin – a big bear of a bloke himself – was kind enough to give the group a tour of his facility, a facility crammed with state-of-the-art machinery including a slew of CNC machines and enough other hi tech gear that it looked as much like NASAs’ control room as a bike factory.

Now quality control is a big part of the Big Bear procedures – a critical necessity in the days when these bikes were sold in kit form – and it is carried on in the process of building complete bikes. Kevin’s demonstration and the explanation of how this is carried out is very interesting, even to the non-technically minded guys.

BACK TO LA

Following the BBC tour the group rode out toward Vegas with Big Tony leading while Glenn and Doc took off to ride back to the Bikernet Cantina. But unfortunately, a little matter of some extensive road works saw the boys take a wrong turn, a fact which they only realised when they saw signs confirming that they were well on the way to San Diego! Long story short: a two hour ride became a six hour ride at an average speed for the distance coming in at 12.5mph – at this rate they’d reach Sturgis sometime in late 2008.

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS

There are worse places to hang around for a day or so than at the Cantina and between the resident eye candy, the Coronas and the Tequila slammers, time went quickly and Monday morning found the boys picking up a couple of 2007 Harley-Davidsons courtesy of the Motor Company. Glenn was astride a blue Road Glide and Doc an Ultra, two comfortable bikes eminently suited for cruising long distances. When heading from LA to Sturgis, Las Vegas is too close not to be visited by the boys from down under. Someone once described Vegas as ‘Disneyland for adults’ and they weren’t far wrong. Having endured the desert heat for some hours the cold beer at the Harley-Davidson went down particularly well as did a giant burger and fries. As for the rest of the evening, well, as they say – ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’.

UTAH – GREAT ROADS, PISS POOR BEER

After heading North from Vegas and crossing into Utah, the boys took the sensational road from Cedar City through the Cedar Breaks National Monument and then through Escalante and up to Torrey – what a road! What a ride!

It was on this ride that Glenn’s sharp eyes and his superb deer spotting abilities earned him the nickname of Chief Spotted Deer from a grateful Doc. At Torrey they caught up with the miscreants from Heavy Duty tour group where – thanks to ol’ Joe Smith’s boys – only low alcohol beers were available, which makes for lots of trips to the bathroom and very little mellowing effect. (Note to bikers: buy real beer in an adjoining state before crossing into Utah).

MOTEL FROM HELL

From Torrey, the Bikernet duo split from the main group and headed up to Logan where a night from hell began at a very unhelpful and unfriendly expensive motel. Between a WIFI system that was not operational – despite the motel staff’s assurance that it was – and hence a back track of some thirty miles to book in there, the sour-faced staff were a portent of things to come. Firstly, Doc was booked into a room already occupied by someone else, which the staff first denied and then stuck him with a more expensive room rate and secondly, just as the boys were sitting down to a low-alcohol Corona (again thanks to ol’Joe Smith) a fire up the canyon caused a power failure. No problem, the boys thought, we’ll just sit here over a salad and down a few more beers. Wrong!

After getting a salad of sorts – which Glenn reckons gave him food poisoning – and caused him to spend the night crossing from his bed to the barf room in pitch darkness – the staff huffily announced that the, “Chef had locked up the limes and gone home” and there were no more limes (or lemons) to be had.

“No problem folks, we’ll just switch to Bud or MGD” Glenn said, only to be informed somewhat gleefully that the boys couldn’t get any more beer of any kind. So there they were, up a canyon with; no television, no air-conditioning, no food, no drink and no light to read by – a long dark night lay ahead – followed by a morning drawing out grudging apologies from the motel staff and a dispute over the bill.

ESCAPING LOGAN

The ride up through Logan Canyon is superb, as is the view over Bear Lake and the ride down the mountain into Idaho.

Though a bit of a dampener hit the ride when the boys hit heavy rain. Soaking rain. Incessant rain. And on top of the rain was the fact that giant-brained Doc – despite being on his ninth ride up to Sturgis – had not brought any substantial rain gear. (Will he ever learn?) With Doc soaked to the bone, the boys rolled into Jackson Hole where Doc guaranteed no further rain on the entire trip by purchasing a $146 Harley-Davidson rain suit. Want a recipe for a good night’s fun? Set sixteen or so Aussies up in Jackson’s World Famous Million Dollar Cowboy bar, mix in a handful of Hamsters and let the beer and food flow until the early hours.

GRAND TETONS to CODY

Ah yes, imagine how sex starved those early French explorers must have been to imagine those spectacular mountains as ‘big tits’, the literal translation of Grand Tetons. The boys were a bit that way themselves but nevertheless, the Grand Tetons just looked like mountains to them – when the clouds were not obscuring them at least.

Yellowstone is – well Yellowstone; packed with Winnebagos, gawking cage drivers, families producing their own version of American Vacation (and looking freakishly like the Griswalds) and a zillion tourists from all over.

The ride down the hill from the Eastern entrance is always superb despite being always interrupted by road works where Doc incurred the wrath of a road worker by riding up to the front of the long queue of vehicles and attempting to convince her that, “Back home that’s how we do it” – but with no luck at all.

Nevertheless, the boys got a quick start and that long downhill section into Cody was all theirs. Sensational sweepers to be enjoyed at 80-90 mph, a superb road surface, fine weather – what a buzz!

HOWDY COWBOY

The atmosphere in Cody just before the Sturgis Rally is one of high spirits, anticipation, and the sound of American V-Twins from all over the US, Canada and countries beyond. What Buffalo Bill Cody would have made of this invasion of iron horses is anyone’s guess but he probably would’ve approved. Our intrepid Bikernet pair not only caught up with the Heavy Duty tour folk, but with other Aussies such as the blokes and blokesses from Dandenong HOG and other chapters. Like Jackson, the beer flowed, the music played and a good time was had by all including those who attended a ‘real rodeo’ right here in the heart of cowboy country.

ONWARD TO STURGIS

Cody to Sturgis is always a hoot, with thousands of bikes on the road, all heading to the same place for the same reasons, bikes, babes, bands and beer. With the world-wide connections and powerful influence of Bikernet our team was soon ensconced in a comfortable room with the Heavy Duty tour group setting up camp out front at this secret location down a dead-end road under the watchful eye of Glenn as he reported to Bikernet HQ on his cell phone.

With oak trees for shade, a nice lawn to pitch a tent upon and a view of the escarpment from where deer wander down each evening, this place is hard to beat.

Add in a short walk down to Main Street and you have biker heaven. We’ll stop right here as spilling any more details of this secret location is punishable by being forced to ride a 50cc Honda across Death Valley at noon in mid-summer, naked apart from a pair of old flip flops. After setting up camp the group began hitting the bars and the week long party began in earnest!

STURGIS 2007

There’s not much that can be said about Sturgis that hasn’t been said already and if you have never been, go there next year! Words can never convey the fantastic atmosphere of this Black Hills town during the Rally.

With Bikernet.com having a strong presence via banners in many prominent locations as well as the two beautiful Bikernet ladies whose friendly smiles gladdened many a heart and whose bodies . . . well, if you’re a guy you’ll get the point. The vivacious and talented interim Rally Director Pepper Massey informed our operatives that the numbers were down somewhat this year, but through the Bikernet team eyes this made it eminently more enjoyable as for those who did attend, getting around was not the usual grid lock traffic nightmare.

Vendors seemed happy for the most part, reporting high interest along with strong sales, facts which were attributed to the idea that those who did make the effort were serious bikers with fewer dilettantes and wannabees among the masses. Any way you look at it, Sturgis is always a helluva good event and this year was no exception.

THE SHOWS

The Big One has to be the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building held at Champions Park on Lazelle and taken out this year by Sweden’s Stellan Egeland, last year’s third place winner.

The variety is amazing with a whole host of bikes competing from quite a few countries around the world including Japan and much of Europe. The ingenuity and creativity displayed is awesome and even stirs the blood of jaded old bikers like our Bikernet pair, Doc and Glen. This year The HORSE Backstreet Sturgis Invasion Chopper Show was held for the first time and, not unexpectedly, featured for the most part, hard core choppers and bobbers.

The 5th Annual Metzeler Sturgis V-Twin Custom Bike Contest was also held at the Thunderdome and here wide tires held sway on a whole array of brilliant customs. Sculptures in Steel Bike Show was Wednesday’s big attraction at the Thunderdome while down at the Top 50 Rally Park the Legend Top 50 Custom Bike Show boasted some stunningly innovative scoots.

The Harley-Davidson Ride-In Show at Rapid City drew many entries including a fully chromed V-Rod (why?) and a chromed-out Sporty (why again?) among a slew of neat customised street bikes. Of course our old friend the Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Show was held on the Friday and as usual the red carpet was laid out for Bikernet operatives and a warm welcome experienced.

Although some of the bikes had entered in other shows, many were on display for the first time with trophies for a wide range of classes from wonderful to well – downright weird.

As the television pitchman says, “there’s more, much more” that could be said about bike shows including the role that sexy females play at the Rally but that will do us for now.

SPECIAL STURGIS EVENTS

This is another area where a lot of ground could be covered, and certainly getting to all of them would require an entire battalion of Bikernet operatives, a fact recognized by command centre which recognises and commends the outstanding efforts put in by Glenn and Doc during their visit where they put in long, hard hours in the Bikernet cause. Among the events or special happenings the boys got to was Michael Lichter’s Motorcycle-As-Art Exhibit, “One World Choppers” featured a host of choppers from around the world, outstanding customs each and every one and was a display not to be missed.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum put on a special display of the history of patch clubs in America ably demonstrating to those new to the motorcycle scene that there are many clubs who are best described as being riding groups rather than the outlaw kind. Kids & Chrome is a charity event dinner well worthy of support and which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars toward the Children’s Home Society and to support the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame. The Hamster’s Ride-In show, held this year at Champions Park is always a Sturgis not-to-be-missed happening and the sight of hundreds of yellow t-shirt clad guys riding in on hordes of outstanding customs is a memorable event.

WORLD FAMOUS BIKE BUILDERS

No where else could you meet such a collection of world famous bike builders as at the Sturgis Rally & Races. Previous World Champions such as Roger Goldammer and Chicara Nagata were readily available at the AMD facility, while most of the famous faces from the Biker Build Off series were manning displays at their various stands in and around Sturgis. At the Billy Lane Biker’s Breakfast (a charity event) you could meet nearly all of them in one place and have posters signed and pictures autographed. And ya know, almost without exception, they are a nice bunch of blokes and a credit to the motorcycle industry.

RIDES TO DIE FOR

Being located in the middle of the beautiful Black Hills a huge plus and a big drawcard for the Sturgis Rally, with winding roads in all directions. Many publications available in Sturgis during the Rally list these and contain maps so the choices are many. Must sees include Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments and the moonscape geography of the famous Badlands.

Bikernet operative Glenn took off on the Thursday to re-acquaint himself with the area, taking a loop from Sturgis to the famous Wall, through the Badlands and on to Scenic. From there he swung back via the absolutely spectacular Iron Mountain Rd, then through Custer State Park with roadside hordes of buffalo adding to the scenery, then via the Needles Highway to Hill City, finally heading North to Deadwood and then back to Sturgis, a round trip of some 320 miles. There are also quite a number of organized rides held during the Rally including the well attended Mayor’s Ride, this year’s inaugural Sturgis Women’s Ride, the Kids & Chrome Charity ride – the list is long and the choices manifold.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON NEW PRODUCT SHOW

Held at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Centre in Rapid City this popular event showcases the new products and the new model year bikes. Attention this year focussed around the new Softail models, the Rocker and the Rocker Custom. While the specs on these new models, in particular the fat back rubber are impressive, it would not be unfair to say that the onlookers comments for the majority of the time that our Bikernet operatives listened in were uncomplimentary, what with those weird- looking seats on both the Rocker and the Rocker C.

However, time will tell and if the Motor Company doesn’t come up with some fixes, the aftermarket surely will. The new Fat Bob is a cool-to-die-for model, arguably the coolest stock bike to ever emerge from the Milwaukee stable. Our Bikernet operatives got hold of one of these for a day and their report on this new model suggests a sales success in the making. Creating a lot of interest at the New Product show were the demonstrations of the new ABS braking systems available on some Harley-Davidson models. Long time Harley aficionados may scoff, but this technology can mean the difference between staying rubber side up or no in many riding situations.

BANDS, BANDS, BANDS

The list of bands playing at Sturgis reads like a who’s who of the rock and roll and blues world with such names as ZZ Top, Poison, The Fryed Bros, John Kay and Steppenwolf, the Marshall Tucker band, ex Motley Crue singer Vince Neil – the list goes on. The Boneyard Saloon alone boasted some 43 bands playing on 3 stages during the Rally. If you didn’t get your musical jollies at Sturgis, well you couldn’t have been trying very hard.

VENDORS

As usual all the big names were represented at either Sturgis or the surrounding areas and bikers can get advice from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, regarding product selection and fitment whatever the product, from cam shafts to exhausts, suspension to wheels, brakes to tyres or virtually any other area the rider wishes to upgrade. Black Hills Harley-Davidson had a huge vendor area as usual, as did Thunder Road and the Full Throttle Saloon, along with the Sturgis County Line.

WE RIDE THE X-WEDGE

Bikernet operatives Glenn and Doc were offered the opportunity to ride down the Sturgis drag strip on a bike equipped with the new S&S X-Wedge (pronounce it as cross-wedge, or x-wedge – either is okay) but as Doc had ridden them in Daytona earlier in the year he deferred to Glenn who had a ball doing so, as well as riding a hot S&S 124 cube machine. “Smooth, powerful and a whole lot of fun” were his comments upon dismounting, but it took a team of plastic surgeons three whole days to get the grin off his face.

BEYOND STURGIS – INDEPENDENT CYCLE, INC

All good things come to an end, but with good planning one end becomes another beginning. These were the thoughts our dedicated operatives held as they somewhat reluctantly rode out of Sturgis. However, with a visit to Jesse Jurren’s Independent Cycle, Inc next on the agenda the future looked promising. Upon arrival at Independent’s Rapid City headquarters, our operatives received a red carpet welcome and a comprehensive tour of the impressive facility by Independent’s Jeff Ulvestead.

KLOCK WERKS HERE WE COME

The “middle of nowhere” isn’t an unfair description of Mitchell, South Dakota, home of the famous Corn Palace and the infamous Brian Klock whose World’s Fastest Bagger set a land speed record last year with his (now) wife Laura riding it. Brian mounted another attempt this year with a newly designed fairing which has undergone extensive wind-tunnel testing. Brian and his lovely wife Laura make a great couple and have a successful working relationship in that hive of activity known as Klock Werks.

Your trusty operatives spent two full days there, photographing and riding hot customized baggers bearing the Klock Werks styling stamp. Brian is a hugely enthusiastic and exceedingly knowledgeable guy and has forgotten more about bagger setting up and handling than most people inside or outside the industry will ever know. Both Doc and Glenn greatly enjoyed spending time with him, coming away much wiser in the art of baggerology. (??)

STILL IN SOUTH DAKOTA

What is it with these South Dakota guys? What causes world famous products to emerge from the rich soil of this corn growing region? We’re speaking here of the state-of-the-art range of Dakota Digital gauges, market leaders world wide with an array of digital gauges for both cars and bikes that blows the mind. Mike Merritt, Dakota Digital's Motorcycle Products sales executive kindly gave Doc and Glenn a tour of their impressive Sioux Falls facility.

ON TO IOWA

Once again our intrepid operatives hit the road astride their 2007 Harleys, the big bikes performing flawlessly as big miles tick over. The weather is still mighty hot but by taking time to re-hydrate ever hour or two they manage to reach Waterloo, Iowa, a mere hop, skip and jump from their planned destination of Anamosa. Refreshed from a night’s sleep they hit the road and are soon in Anamosa but get the wrong directions from a local and ride out of town the wrong way. With another local’s help they manage to roll up at the home of J&P Cycles where J&P’s Nicole Ridge made the boys very welcome and introduced them to Shannon Applebee who gave them an extensive tour of this mind-blowing facility.

NATIONAL MOTORCYCLE MUSEUM

The museum which is situated in the main street of Anamosa contains an extensive collection of motorcycles from all eras of the sport and much motorcycle memorabilia from the fascinating to the gross. Well, gross by today’s aesthetic certainly but maybe considered cool in its day. Just about every make and model bike is represented here and hours could be spent enjoying the variety and innovation represented.

But with nearly four weeks away from home racked up already, the boys are feeling mighty starved for female company to the point where even the museum models looked very attractive. The boys must have looked good to them too as they didn’t even move a muscle to rebuff any advances the boys made.

FOGGY MOUNTAIN MORNING

Well, okay, Iowa can’t boast any real mountains in the region but heading out from Oskaloosa where they’d spent the night, the Bikernet pair encountered dense fog as they traversed the back roads, which made for interesting riding to say the least. At least they didn’t have to worry about seeing deer by the roadside as much of the time they couldn’t see the roadside at all! As the day grew hotter the fog finally lifted and a better pace could be made which saw the boys hitting Kansas City around lunch time.

After gassing up, getting lost but then regaining their way our stalwart bikers located their destination, the Procharger factory at Lenexa Kansas. Procharger manufactures superchargers for performance cars and more recently Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which make huge performance gains using this technology. The boys were given a comprehensive tour of the facility by Chief Executive Officer Ken Jones and came away impressed.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The boys now pointed their scoots west to begin the long ride back toward California. Doc had driven this route on the way back from the V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati the previous year so he knew what they were in for, whereas Glenn was blissfully ignorant of the long, straight and hugely boring stretches of oftentimes poorly surfaced roads that they faced. Ride. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

Sometimes on a trip like this you can begin to feel as if you have no other life but this; that you’ve always been riding and always will be. Family, friends, home, pets all seem to fade into a mist of another time and another place. Here and now is the only reality. This place. This road. And during those times when it feels like one is riding through a pizza oven, skin cracked and dry despite sun block regularly applied, tired, thirsty and with a bad case of monkey-butt it helps to remind oneself of the old saying that, “even the worst day on the road, still beats the best day at work”. Sustained by a mix of road philosophy, music from their CD players and the thought of that first long cold beer, the boys hit Wichita just on dusk, bought that longed-for cold beer and booked into the nearest motel.

DAWN OF A BIG DAY

It was time for the boys to put down some serious miles so they rose early and checked out just before the dawn. Leading the way, Glenn missed the lead onto the freeway due (he says) to poor signage and the boys found themselves wandering around downtown Wichita looking for someone who could give them directions and before too long a kindly guy put them back on track. It is 600 long and boring miles from Wichita to Albuquerque, made longer and more boring by the flat countryside and lack of curves.

Grimly determined to make a mile that day, the boys rode on with pursed lips and furrowed brows, crossing out of Kansas (Hooray!) into Oklahoma and then Texas where a steak at Dalhart provided nourishment to continue. Rolling into New Mexico it was time to join the I40 and its endless convoys of trucks and as the heat built up, a strong wind added to the boys’ discomfort until they were within striking distance of Albuquerque when they ran into a thunderstorm.

Initially welcoming the cooling effect of the rain, riding soon became difficult as visibility dropped and the boys were forced to slow down somewhat, which allowed truck after truck to speed past, each one throwing up blinding clouds of spray across the entire road. A quick stop to change from glasses to goggles and they were rolling again. As often happens, the storm cleared as quickly as it came in and the slight dampness they sustained dried out by the time they reached the outskirts of Albuquerque.

SENSATIONAL SEDONA

Glenn had visited Sedona, Arizona a couple of times previously and his enthusiasm for the roads and the scenery in the area quickly convinced Doc. So our operatives left I40 at Leupp Corner just past Winslow to take a winding back road, which took them through some awesome country, before meeting up with the sensational road through to Sedona from Flagstaff. Sedona nestles in a spectacularly beautiful valley surrounded by mountains and impressive rock formations, but like many great areas has become something of a tourist trap with prices to match. As in $180 for a share room. But the ambience, the views and the roads both in and out make it worthwhile to put up with being ripped off for accommodation. A night in a great bar with top food helps also.

JEROME AND JOSHUA TREE

Riding out of Sedona the boys took the path up the mountain to Jerome, a funky little town perched precariously on the mountain top with a vertigo-inducing steep drop in all directions. Then it was on down the other side of the mountain and on toward Palm Springs. Between a temperature of 111 degrees, a strong side wind and a zillion trucks all doing 90mph, even iron men like our two stalwart Bikernet operatives find the going unpleasant. So while getting fuel at Desert Centre they decided to get off the I10 and head north a bit before once again swinging west. This route took them through the scenic Joshua Tree National Park and down into Twentynine Palms where they camped for the night.

Next morning, given hat he lives close by a visit to Bob T. was in order. Bob is a live wire member of the Chop and Grind Racing crew whose antics at Bonneville are somewhat legendary and Bob is also a walking biker historian with a collection of Harley-Davidson memorabilia that would make most motorcycle museum custodians green with jealousy. After a pleasant couple of hours with Bob and his lovely wife Lee it was time to hit the road and make tracks back to LA.

BACK AT THE CANTINA

No matter how long or how gruelling the journey, it is always a blessed relief to arrive back at the Bikernet Cantina, to be greeted by a host of lovely ladies in brief outfits proffering icy cold beers and offering to rub the kinks from sore neck muscles. Yep, Heff can keep his Playboy Mansion; any road weary rider worth his salt would prefer the Cantina any day, an oasis where a biker’s soul can be refreshed in minutes. And after some five thousand miles of hard riding, one’s soul does need some refreshing.

ONE LAST MISSION

Kiwi Indian have been kicking ass in the retro market for some time now so before the Aussies were allowed to jump on a plane to fly back home they were sent on one last mission. The assignment was to head out to Riverside to interview Kiwi’s Mike Tomas and take a tour of his factory. Mike, as the Kiwi Indian name suggests, is originally from New Zealand and like that other bloke from NZ, Bert Munro, Mike brims with creativity and a can-do attitude. And there is no doubt that both these attributes have played a role in his continuing success.

THE DEBRIEF

A Bikernet debrief is carried out with military-like precision (well almost) and Bandit neither minces words nor suffers long winded reporting. Pushing himself back from his desk, and drawing himself up to his full height (which is an impressive 6’5”), he thundered to the boys that he’d read the written report, that all was well and they could be happy with a job well done – which is high praise indeed coming from the great man himself.

Tired and happy, Glenn and Doc packed for the fifteen hour plane trip back home and then returned the two bikes to the Harley-Davidson press fleet centre, once again grateful to the motor factory for supporting them. Another road trip completed. Another adventure survived. Another five thousand miles of great memories generated by riding across this great land.

The Essen Motor Show in Germany has a long-standing reputation as the country's most important motor sports trade show and exhibition. While the vast majority of vendors, and also the main focus of the show itself, is clearly on automobile tuning and customizing, the organizers put together special exhibitions every year featuring special interest vehicles including custom motorcycles. For the first time this year, the Essen Motor Show intends to put more emphasis on bikes than in previous years, resulting in an expansion of the Motorcycle Pavilion and, for the first time in 42 years, the Speed Bike Show alongside with the already well established show bike display. The organizers are also working on expanding the range of suppliers and dealers from the motorcycle market. Here is a sneak peek at some of the rides the guys in Essen will be showing off this year from November 28 to December 6.

You have probably seen this monster before: The Gunbus, the largest ridable motorcycle in the world, was built by Leonhardt Manufacturing in Eppingen, Germany. The dimensions are mind-boggling: almost 5 feet high, over 11 feet long and nearly 5 feet wide. At a whopping 1,400 pounds, the engine puts out 350bhp.

A very different approach to an ice racer comes from TGS Motorcycles in Tittling near Passau, Germany. This one off custom named Seppster 2 with the looks of an ice speedway machine carries a turbo charged S&S 1,524cc engine that presses 100bhp on the ground. Each tire is equipped with 120 razor sharp spikes. Another rare feature of the bike is the single sided front fork. Building custom bikes and motorcycle conversion in his professional shop since 1999, Tobias Guckel has won several important prices with his creations, such as the World Championship in the USA last year, as well as the trophy for Radical Over 1000 at this year's Rats Hole Show.

Also built by Tobias from TGS is the Carerra, a bike in arrow design, propelled by a 1,640cc, 100hp RevTech engine. The Carerra features an upside-down fork, 130/60-18 tire in the front and a fat 240/40-18 in the rear.

A contribution from England is the Night Shadow with charging jaguar bodywork and the heart of 1200 Buell. This bike weighs in at almost 800 pounds thanks to the fiber glass cat. Last time this bike changed hands, it reached a price of Euro 325,000 – seriously.

Back to the V-twins: Yamaha's XVS650 engines power these two one off custom bikes. Mario Baer went for an extreme prostreet style and fat rear tire with his aggressive red Lowstar, while his orange bike follows the classic influences of an early tracker.

The guys in Essen promised us a lot more prime examples of custom bike building to be on display at this year's 42nd Essen Motor Show. Should you be in Germany some time between November 28 and Decmber 6, make sure to stop by at the show and let them know BIKERNET sent you. For more information, go to www.essen-motorshow.de

– – C. S. Berg, photos Essen Motor Show