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DIY: Building your own Electric Motorcycle

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from https://www.financialexpress.com How to build your own 150 km/h electric motorcycle: DIY instructions for $ 10 There’s also a list of tools and parts you’ll need, including a 72V motor and a GSX-R750 front end. Plus a 32-minute YouTube video for a bit of handholding while you go through the process. DIY videos work really well on social media, don’t they? Especially since a lot of people have been home for over a year now due to the still ongoing pandemic. So, how about building an electric motorcycle? Right, bring out your welding tools and get to work. Too far? We thought so. But this video and CAD files could be a great help if you are working on an engineering project in college or even setting up an EV startup, that seems to be quite hip in the automotive industry these days. There have been several books on ‘how to build a motorcycle’ which are not just guides to actually building a bike but also a good read if you’re nerdy about these things. And until recently, you could buy plans for building everything from the frame to engine design. Now though, technology has raced ahead with computer-aided design. And the good folk at Renewable Systems Technology are offering plans or rather CAD files for $10 for building an electric motorcycle that can do 150 km/h. The website adds that the build should cost around $5,000. There’s also the 32-minute YouTube video above detailing the process and of course, there’s a long list of parts and tools you’ll need. The build in the video uses a 72V motor and a GSX-R750 front end. We don’t have any mechanical engineers on our team so we can’t vouch for if the instructions will hand you a multi-million dollar idea or a […]

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Custom Harley-Davidson Monaco by Thunderbike

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com It’s not hard to link Harley-Davidson with racing. The moniker has been at the forefront of such efforts in all sorts of competitions over the years, going deep and wide all across the nation to take part in the most insane of races. Most recently, the Milwaukee company is doing its best to fight off Indian in King of the Baggers on historic circuits all over America. Whereas Harley is easily linked with pretty much all of the important race tracks across America, the name does not ring all that good when associated with Le Mans. Yet this did not stop a German custom shop by the name Thunderbike from forever tying the American two-wheeler with the famous French circuit with a special GP S Le Mans build. Presented at the end of last year, the GP S Le Mans is part of the shop’s Racing Series, a line of machines named after the great tracks of the world, including Silverstone, Laguna Seca, or Mugello. A few months after its presentation, the bike has now spawned a successor. It’s called the Monaco, also based on a Breakout, and a nod to the famed European city-state where one of the most exciting Formula 1 races of modern times takes place. Once a stock Breakout, the motorcycle was lowered for a more aggressive look, gifted with tons of custom parts, including a new triple tree, grips, fenders, a custom fuel tank, and countless covers. Thunderbike calls this build the “first Twin Cam on which we’ve fitted our newly developed GP Parts for this range,” and the result, as it can be seen in the gallery above, is nothing short of spectacular. We are not being told if any changes to the bike’s engine were made, apart from

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Gearhead’s Trike Story

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by Tim Graves with photos from Sam Burns That old trike was a real Frankenstein’s monster. She was the back end of a Corvair of a 1960 vintage and a front end of a Honda CB 500. She had a full-size keg gas tank on the chariot bed over the engine. The driver seat was a plastic Baja bucket. The passenger seat was none. Just a little history of what started me on the biker’s road. Click Here to Read this Photo Feature Article only on Bikernet. Join the Cantina for more – Subscribe Today. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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Royal Enfield Goodies on Two-Wheels

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This Month is Packed with Lots of Two Wheel Goodies GET ON! MOTO FEST WILL BE PACKED WITH ROYAL ENFIELD THIS YEAR! Don’t miss out on the inaugural event at the world-famous Texas Motorspeedway. And more importantly, don’t miss out on everything Royal Enfield has planned for the weekend. This weekend, May 21st, 22nd, & 23rd, it all comes together and we couldn’t be more excited. Check out what we have in store for you! BUILD.TRAIN.RACE. REVEAL Friday, May 21st | Women’s Motorcycle Show The Flat Track ladies have come to impress. Be sure to check out what all these incredible ladies have been putting together for the last 5 months. ROYAL ENFIELD SLIDE SCHOOL May 21st-23rd | Texas Motor Speedway Snag one of the last few spots with Johnny Lewis, Moto Anatomy, & Royal Enfield Slide School. You can sign up right now on Moto Anatomy. Hurry! FULL LINE UP FOR DEMO RIDES May 21st-23rd | Texas Motor Speedway You could be one of the first to give the all-new Meteor 350 a demo ride when it makes its first consumer debut. Test out the whole lineup while you’re there! OUR FAVORITE BUILD THIS MONTH: Gallinella by BAAK USA This beauty stopped us in our tracks & even convinced Breeann Poland, Lead of Marketing for the Americas, to throw a leg over it. Needless to say, she had a blast. Be sure to check them out on social! OUR FAVORITE ACCESSORY THIS MONTH: S&S Cycle Tapered Cone Slip-On Mufflers made exclusively for Royal Enfield. Take your Twin to the next level & experience a tag-team of sound and performance that will redefine any riding experience. Talk to a dealer or browse our Genuine Motorcycle Accessories catalog for more! OUR FAVORITE ACTIVITY THIS MONTH: Getting Sideways at Royal Enfield Slide

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Creating a 1916 Harley-Davidson from only an original engine

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com Recreating a historic Harley-Davidson racing model without the original parts except the original engine. Believe it or not, it’s been 118 years since the foundations of the company we now know as Harley-Davidson were laid. Somehow, the company managed to get through two hot world wars, a cold, long one, and more near-death experiences that we care count. Such a long history means there are more models in the company’s past than in its present (and some, might argue, more than in the future). Some are so old it’s literally impossible to come across one, and people have to turn to all sorts of gimmicks to get their hands on a historic model. Like the guys behind this build did. Trying to bring back one of Harley’s historic racing models, a Swedish museum by the name of MC Collection got their hands on an original motorcycle engine from 1916 and built a bike around it, trying to capture the essence of what was once the Model 11K racer. The engine belonged to a Model F, and was slapped inside a full loop frame constructed (together with the forks) by former German road racing cyclist Christian Henn. The frame presents itself just like it did on the original Harley of more than a century ago, in the so-called keystone configuration, with stressed members and steel engine plates. This way of building racers gave them better handling but, perhaps equally as important, allowed for the cylinder to be removed with the powerplant still fitted on the bike, allowing for quick intervention during races, if they were required. This 1916 Harley was put together in Sweden more than a decade ago, and in the meantime it made it to the U.S. It was listed as for sale during

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Cut-Down 1926 Harley-Davidson JD

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com Cut-Down 1926 Harley-Davidson JD Is a Throwback to Custom Bikes of a Century Ago Like with cars, ever since motorcycles were born, their stock appearance and performance were not enough for some owners. Attempts at giving machines, regardless of the number of wheels, new capabilities, have led over the years to the many custom shops we have around today, but also to a wide range of styles and visions. Back in the 1920s, motorcycles were already evolved enough to be taken racing. The novel sport naturally attracted lots of fans, including some that wanted to feel on the road at least part of the thrills riders felt on the track. As a result, modifications started being made, and they ultimately began to coalesce into different customization styles. In the U.S., one of the first such styles, considered by some to be the first widely-copied one, was the cut-down. That’s not to be confused with the term that stands for modified Italian scooters from the 1970s and 1980s. Taking inspiration from racing motorcycles, cut-down two-wheelers were made lighter by removing several elements, and visually unique by the elimination of the front fender and the modification of exhaust pipes and headlamps, for instance. These changes were largely performed on the Harley bikes of the age, especially those from the J family. And we have a taste of how they looked like in the 1926 JD model we have here. We found it on the lot of bikes going under the Mecum hammer next week in Las Vegas. It’s described as a “proper period custom with no radical changes to the chassis or engine,” but with all the enhancements one would expect from a cut-down model. We are not given any details on who is responsible for the

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GMA handlebar wiring harness

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GMA custom 48″ handlebar wiring harness for 1″ bars GMA, a member of the Belt Drives Limited family of companies, is now offering a complete handlebar wiring harness designed exclusively for the popular GMA hand controls. Available with or without their custom replacement switch housings, kits include 48” long OEM color coded wires that are pre soldered to the micro barrel switch buttons. Wires are encased in a protective glue impregnated shrink tube at the buttons to ensure secure connections while pulling wires through your bars. Additional lengths of shrink tube are included along with pin connectors. Deutsch 6 pin connector housings, and a small brain box ensure positive – flawless operation. Each kit comes with an easy to follow simplified wiring schematic. Part numbers are GMA-HBWH, “wire harness, no switch housings”, GMA-HBWH-SW-P, “wire harness with polished switch housings” GMA-HBWH-SW-B, “wire harness with black switch housings” & GMA-HBWH-SW-C, “wire harness with chrome switch housings. Retail prices are from $235.00 for harness only up to $459.00 for harness and chrome housings. For additional information and to order visit GMA at www.beltdrives.com

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Chasing and Cleaning Threads Tech Tip

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Cutting new threads in stock materials is all but necessary for fabricating new parts and pieces for a project, but what about threaded holes that already exist in parts you need to salvage? Then it’s time to talk about chasing threads. While it’s a simple process, there are a few tips that are important to keep in mind. Click Here to Read this Tech Tips on Bikernet. Join the Cantina for exclusive content – Subscribe Today. https://www.bikernet.com/pages/custom/subscription.aspx

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Indian Motorcycle Announces Indian Chief Custom Program

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Indian Motorcycle is tapping four renowned builders to customize the new 2022 Indian Chief Dark Horse. To showcase the range of the platform, each builder has a signature style that differs from the next. First, Indian Motorcycle is excited to reunite Paul Cox and Keino Sasaki, as the two haven’t teamed up for a project in nearly 15 years. Next, Indian is tapping Go Takamine to see his interpretation of a custom Chief. Lastly, Indian will see how Carey Hart will follow up his first custom Chief with this build. Indian Motorcycle, America’s First Motorcycle Company, today announced plans for three customization projects based on its recently unveiled 2022 Indian Chief. In an effort to showcase the vast personalization possibilities inherent to the Indian Chief platform, three renowned V-twin customizers were selected to produce totally unique interpretations of the iconic motorcycle; including former Indian Larry tandem, Paul Cox and Keino Sasaki, freestyle motocross legend Carey Hart, and creator of “Bratstyle,” the popular brand and globally recognized “throwback” aesthetic for motorcycle customization and restoration, Go Takamine. For Cox and Sasaki, this project marks the first time in nearly 15 years the duo has worked together, dating back to the early 2000’s when they disbanded after the untimely passing of legendary customizer and friend, Indian Larry. “Keino and I have stayed in touch over the years, continuing to work in our own individual styles, but when Indian Motorcycle approached us about this collaboration, the timing seemed right. We both bring unique skills to this project, and it will be interesting to collaborate again,” said Cox. “Initially, I found the new Chief platform to be beautifully designed and thoughtfully engineered in its stock form. It’s tough and clean but possesses a modern elegance at the same time. These are all qualities that I

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Softail Gone Tough

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by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com Generally described as a type of motorcycle boasting the rear suspension concealed under the frame, the term Softail is literally tied to Harley-Davidson. The American bike maker even has some rights for the name, ever since the FXST hit the market in 1984. The moniker is deceiving, at least on a superficial level, as there are no soft traits in these bikes. The family, which presently includes the Softail, Fat Boy, and Low Rider, among others, are known to be able to take a beating in stock form, but also survive hard customization work performed in shops around the world. What you’re looking at now was once a member of the Softail family, and for all intents and purposes it still is. Only it has been modified by a German shop called No Limit Custom to such a degree that it now looks like a hard, cold piece of threatening metal on two custom wheels. Called Limited in the shop’s books, the motorcycle was gifted with a sharp-looking fuel tank. What you’re looking at is not a custom piece, but something NLC calls a shell, which is glued on top of the original piece of hardware to give it whatever new shape the owner desires. The two-wheeler also received a new short rear fender, a so-called engine spoiler meant to make the entire build more aggressive, custom CNC-milled hand levers, and various covers. The most expensive hardware that went into this build is the swingarm kit, worth around $4,400 according to NLC. The changes made to the two-wheeler are successful enough to convey a message of toughness, but only for those who can afford it. Combined, the parts used on this build are worth around 6,000 euros, which is roughly $7,000 at today’s exchange rates.

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