Hey,
My life has gone nuts with the addition of Easyriders to the mix. It was calm and busy, now it’s completely bananas. Ah, but wait, give me a few days to sort out a couple of things. Next week, I’ll report in with glorious news.
In the meantime, no negative waves. We are rolling into the final phases of the November/December 603 issue, our mentoring gift for the Holidays.
This issue is all about Mentoring, the Holidays, Sturgis coverage and our Battle with the Salt Flats. It’s going to be a helluva issue.
Let’s hit the news.
The Bikernet Weekly News was created by our non-stop, never give up staff: The Redhead, Wayfarer, LA Laura, Viscous Vickie, Danial James, Freak Show Team, Sturgis Prospect Kendra, Paul Davis, Agent Zebra and Berry Wardlaw.
INDUSTRY NEWS–
The custom motorcycle world in 2026 is not booming the way the whole motorcycle market is—U.S. registrations are barely up—but the custom scene itself is busy, more official, and more global. OEMs are treating customization as marketing, mid-displacement platforms (especially Royal Enfield 650s and Honda 750 twins) are the garage-builder sweet spot, and American heritage brands are racing, celebrating anniversaries, and changing owners.
The market, in short
Industry reports put the custom/customized-motorcycle market in the low-double-digit billions and growing around 6% a year. North America still takes the largest share; Asia-Pacific is growing fastest. Choppers remain the biggest style slice, but bobbers, café racers, and scramblers are the livelier growth categories. Aftermarket parts stay the real engine of the hobby. And we need to factor in the Bagger market.
Heritage brands are the story right now
Harley-Davidson is pushing both factory customs and racing. It rolled out a large 2026 lineup (including CVO and updated Milwaukee-Eight engines) and is running a six-round Bagger World Cup on MotoGP weekends this year—COTA, Mugello, Assen, Silverstone, Aragón, Red Bull Ring—to give touring baggers a global stage. In Europe it also staged a Creators Custom Clash: six dealer-backed creator builds that debut together at European Bike Week in Faak am See, Austria, September 8–13.
Indian Motorcycle is in a messier chapter. 2026 is its 125th anniversary, with new Scout Sixty variants that lean factory-custom (bobber, classic, sportier Sport Scout). In February it left Polaris and became a standalone company under Carolwood LP, led by former Harley/Vance & Hines exec Mike Kennedy, with a stated plan to pull manufacturing back to Iowa and Minnesota. Sales, however, have dropped sharply in 2026, especially in the U.S.—so the custom-friendly Scout push is happening during a turnaround, not a victory lap.
browardmotorsportstreasurecoast.com2026 Indian Motorcycle® Scout® Sixty Bobber Limited Black Smoke | Broward Motorsports Treasure Coast
Moto Guzzi is celebrating this week: GMG 2026 (September 3–6) in Mandello del Lario for a new factory/museum and the brand’s 105th year. That kind of heritage gathering still feeds the custom culture around Guzzis.
What shops and magazines are actually building
Royal Enfield’s 650 twins are the current custom-media kings. Bike EXIF’s most-viewed 2026 features so far were dominated by Indian shops—Mean Green Customs’ Continental GT café racers Fūjin and Neon Discipline among them. Honda is feeding the same energy with its seventh Hondacustoms.com contest at Wheels & Waves: five CB750 Hornets vs. five XL750 Transalps, on-road vs. off-road. BMW’s R nineT is still a staple in Europe and Japan. Even Honda’s tiny Dax is getting hot-rod/chopper treatment.
Shows and contests are getting bigger
SEMA’s Battle of the Builders added a dedicated motorcycle category for 2026 (Las Vegas, November 3–6). Europe still has Custombike’s huge reader contest, Wheels & Waves, and Bike Week. That is the industry pattern: OEMs sponsor builds, creators document them, shows crown them.
The two undercurrents
Volume brands from China. CFMoto’s gasoline bike sales are up sharply in the U.S. and elsewhere while the broader market is flat. That is not “custom culture” yet, but cheap, modern platforms always become tomorrow’s donor bikes and parts ecosystems.
Electric is still awkward for customs. Commuter EV two-wheelers (especially Chinese exports) are exploding. Premium electric motorcycles are not—LiveWire-class bikes have been sitting and getting deep discounts. Custom EV work exists and is expected to grow, but the photogenic custom scene in 2026 is still overwhelmingly ICE, retro, and mid-displacement.
Bottom line: The craft side is healthy and more professionalized. The money and attention sit with factory-custom cruisers, bagger racing, Royal Enfield/Honda donor platforms, and anniversary marketing. The risk sits with U.S. heritage volume (Indian’s sales slump, Harley’s need for new audiences) and with whether electric ever becomes a canvas people actually want to chop. We are looking into Bagger drag racing.
–Bandit
LIFESTYLE CYCLES DEAL OF THE WEEK–2022 Harley-Davidson Street Bob 114 for Sale Redline Red
Here’s a Street Bob that’ll be racing it’s wheels off every time you get on!
Stock# 14889
2022 Harley Davidson FXBBS Softail Street Bob with only 11,919 miles!
Flashes of red will only been seen when you ride this Street Bob home!
* Harley Davidson OEM Redline Red Paint Job
* 114 Cubic Inch Harley Davidson Milwaukee 8 Motor
* 6 Speed Harley Transmission
* Saddlemen Step Up Seat with Tuck and Roll
* Mid Controls
* Harley Stock Fairing
* Thrashin Co. Saddlebags
* Gloss Black Rear Passenger Backrest
* Stock Harley Air Cleaner
* 10-Inch Wrinkle Black Handlebars
* Black Fork Boots
This bike is only $12,995.00
Plus license, $85.00 documentation fee, and local sales tax. NO HIDDEN FEES like some dealers. And we have no reconditioning or prep fees. This bike has passed Lifestyle Cycles rigorous 103-point safety/mechanical/structural inspection.This motorcycle has not been refurbished and does not come with any warranty expressed or implied! EXTENDED WARRANTIES are available!
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ART BY RAY DREA–Iron Horse, Milwaukee
My art show at the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee for the month of July was a huge success. 50 pieces on display, sold art, created 5 new pieces during the show, and had a fantastic time visiting with old friends and new ones, hearing what they’ve been up to and what in the room was speaking to them. A big thank you to everyone who came out, and to the staff at Iron Horse for making us all feel at home!
Sturgis
For this year’s Sturgis rally, I again teamed up with the folks at the Buffalo Chip to create a special piece for one of their major headlining musicians at the 86th rally. We chose a young musician that is absolutely on fire: YUNGBLUD. A British dude, blessed by Ozzy Osbourne and Steven Tyler. His first US tour sold out in one minute, and the Chip was probably the only place left where someone could still score a ticket to see him live.
I also created three unique giclées from the original. One for the Rusty Wallace Charity Ride’s live auction, one for the Legends Charity Ride auction, and one to hang permanently at the Chip bar as a remembrance. YUNGBLUD signed all three without hesitation to help the local kids. Then he insisted on buying the original. Pretty cool.
I got to witness the show firsthand and his energy was off the charts. When he got on stage he said that management wanted him to cancel the show. What we did not knew yet was that he’d actually broken his leg earlier that day after crashing a motorbike at the campground. It wasn’t officially confirmed, with xrays, until a couple days later. The guy performed on a broken leg and you couldn’t tell. All in all, another wild time at Sturgis!
Upcoming Event: Destination Florida / Key West
I received a call from the folks at Destination Florida Magazine. They’d seen my art online and asked if they could use one of my Jimmy Buffett paintings for their fall cover. You know what I said, ‘cuz I included the cover image below.
This magazine is in most hotels throughout Florida, featuring stories and photos of all the great things to see and do across the state. The Destination Florida folks also put together a very flattering spread inside and asked if I’d come to Key West to paint live. I talked to my good friends at Zazoo Gallery, where they offer my work year-round. I’ll be painting live each day, October 21 through 24 at Zazoo, 622 Duval Street, Key West. There is so much I’m looking forward to on this road trip!
–Ray
LATEST FROM THE LOWBROW GANG–Straton Springers have been modernized where it matters.
The Straton Springer by Lowbrow Customs is inspired by Harley springer front ends of the 1940’s, but with improvements.
While it keeps the timeless antique styling, we made several improvements so Straton Springers are bolt-on, right out of the box.
Straton Springers Are Direct, Bolt-On Fitment On:
All Gasbox Full Frames
Four-speed Harley-Davidson Frames (Shovelhead, Panhead, Knucklehead)
Stock Evo Sportster (1986-2003) Frames
Any Custom Frame with a 4-Speed Harley Big Twin Style Neck
TAKE A LOOK
PS – We have full installation instructions and videos available in our Straton Springer Installation How-To & In-Depth Overview article.
Check out the install on a Shovelhead or Gasbox Full Frame here, and see how easy it is to add a Straton Springer to a 1986-2003 Evo Sportster here.
JIMS TECH COMING TO EASYRIDERS MAGAZINE–There are two things I would like to get you up and going on. The first is our new ACR socket. I’ll send you a distributor release, which is written more like catalog text than a press release, but I think you could add a little of your special KRB sauce to the text and make something happen.
Also, you nailed it on the FAT6. We are pushing that heavy as we have years of development in it, tons of money in it, and it’s truly an awesome piece. I can send you a distributor release on this as well. Fun fact here is that Hiro just ran this for the first time at the salts. He loves this trans. Also, Kevin Baxter from Baxter’s garage just released a video offering a lifetime warranty on the trans if you buy it from him. All good stuff.
I will send you a stack of stuff today & then we can “talk” on the phone a bit more once you’ve had some eye candy to absorb.
Sound good?
~Paul
Yes, we will make a too cool tech happen for the next issue.
–Bandit
TALKING ABOUT MENTORING — Wayfarer on transition from reader to collaborator to associate editor
How can I not mention 20 years of handholding from Keith ‘Bandit’ Ball when he starts the news by mentioning mentoring and there are examples aplenty. In fact, the motorcycling community is such that they offer assistance whether you like it, want it or pay for it—or not! Here’s my two cents now–grab it or I will have to come back next week with more.
Back in 2006 I sent in a somewhat amateur and quite-a-bit silly motorcycling fiction inspired by what i read on Bikernet.com–it involved an Enfield Bullet motorcycle, a syndicate and a damsel in distress. What else would you need for riding the hell out of somewhere. At that moment, I was attempting to exit my own sad reality of a desk job with just a few years of work experience since graduation and then a post-graduation while employed.
Keith did not really play with his red pen and humored me enough to publish it and even paid me for it. It was like a confidence-booster-shot that got me back on my first Enfield to truly explore and come back with a travelogue. Then he assigned me commissioned articles, and I started with that as well.
Now it is 2026; this month I will be completing 47 rounds against the Sun, and still standing (though I have a hunch, the Sun may stay undefeated).
Here is an article I made out of quotes and quips of Keith, and it was published on Easyriders Blog–so that goes with the Easyriders part of the theme of this news as well. While the article is titled” Bandit Talks” –I believe he doesn’t talk much. He is too busy getting things done. He clearly knows the art of active listening and thus learns so much and therefore wants to do much more. (Psychobabble sponsored by a certification course I did in Clinical Psychology via Edx)
BANDIT TALKS: Quotes and Thoughts over the years
https://easyriders.com/bandit-talks/
What I always recommend to anyone is do it. You will only fail at the worst-case-scenario. If you never try, you have not shelved that idea or ambition, you have essentially killed a part of yourself and it will ache and hurt eventually and intermittently. As you grow older and time and opportunity for your dream or aspiration gets farther away from you–you will get that feeling that amputees have sometimes–that phantom limb—your heart and soul reaching out and then suddenly pulling back remembering you severed ties with your latent skills, talents and dreams.
As the founder of the company–the first employer in my fulltime job said, “Dream big, think fast, think ahead. Ideas are no one’s monopoly.” –Shri Dhirubhai Ambani.
When you try, you are not stretching your luck. You are essentially being human and wanting to be more than one thing that society has branded you with like a working mule. Don’t be a donkey, play around with your dreams, hobbies, talents, projects–be a monkey after work or early morning before office hours. Then dress up like a dog and wear that identity collar for accepting the situation but don’t let it define you.
- If a motorcycle helps you–nothing better than that to feel absolute freedom and the ecstasy of being alive.
2. If you wish for a car or a bicycle–well that’s how you have your soul-nutrition and that’s fine too.
3. And if you know too much like a newly ageing man (like me), go give the gift of mentoring to someone (another theme of the week covered)
Just don’t stay put and stagnate. Here, I leave you this weekend with a quote from the mentioned article:
“I just turned 75, and look at all the cool stuff I can do this year. Think about kids today, all the stuff they can do on their phones daily. Life is incredible, all you need to do is to get out of bed and get moving. It’s all at your fingertips.” ~ Keith ‘Bandit’ Ball
Have a great weekend, or rather go out and play.
—Wayfarer
Associate Editor, Bikernet.com
wayfarer@bikernet.com
HANG ON!–We are flying into the next issue. A handful of folks want us to kick-off the next Tattoo mag.
But first let’s look at Adam Croft’s new seat for Kevin Baas and his mentoring program at High Schools. But there’s more.
Bill Hayes and Jennifer got hitched in my shop ten years ago. Folks call it the best wedding they ever attended. It was cool.
And he just released his next book. He’s one of the best when it comes to books, and Jenn is his editor. Together they write and publish killer books.
Check this. We now have all the real panels from the Streamliner while it set the record, but just one side of the monster still exists. When we figure out how to create the Easyriders experience, these will be on display.
I would like to test something on the Bonne Belle. I’m doing my research and I spoke to Leo Hess in Sioux Falls, SD. I knew him from way back. He’s still running a shop at 77.
If you want your shop to receive every issue of Easyriders going forward, just reach out. We will take care of it.
Ride fast and free, forever!
–Bandit
