If you’re like my freedom seeking self,once in a while youneed to ride. I don’t mean ride to the goddamnbar or even to arally, bike show or event. I’m talking aboutgetting out of town, outof the city, and out of site. That was the mentalplan. What happeneddidn’t exactly fit the criteria, but in somerespects improved […]
Road King 12/08/02 Read More »
There’s an unwritten rule in the Code OfChrome that says, if you slip a set of highbarson any motorcycle you save it from mediocrity.There’s more, an evil punishment for this oftenillegal gesture towards the rebellious arts. Assoon as the unsuspecting rider throws his legover the saddle and reaches for the tall grips,his sideburns expand down
Road King 12/20/02 Read More »
I couldn’t think or speak. I had a week and a half to insure that this puppy ran. I could sense fangs growing under my upper lip. I began to snarl as my fingernail extended beyond my cold hard hands. My eyes reddened, and I wanted to ride. Without the throttle cables I could use
Road King 12/20/02 Part II Read More »
Editor’s Note: Our 5-Ball factory racer was feature in Heavy Duty Magazine in Australia recently. It’s the largest selling custom bike mag Down Under. The story and the photos were handled by the amazing Smilin’ Doc Robinson, the longtime tech editor. I’ve left the story alone for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy.–Bandit Many interesting and colourful
The Magnificent 5-Ball Factory Racer Featured Read More »
Click here for: Mudflap Girl Part 3, the Bandit Engine Completed Suddenly we’re smoking on the Mudflap Girl FXRs, but the week after I received the frames, I had to jump a plane to New Orleans and ride a Victory to the Smoke Out. I was itching to work on these bikes. I survived the
Mudflap Girl Part 4, the Spitfire Frames to Rollers Read More »
Click here for: Mudflap Girl Part 4, the Spitfire Frames to Roller Life is nuts, but we are scrambling on the Mudflap Girl FXRs, at least mine. Us old farts constantly have discussions about how unmotivated kids are. I want to work on my bike constantly. Every waking minute I’m thinking about it, about
Mudflap Girl FXR, Part 5 Read More »
Click here for: Mudflap Girl FXR, Part 5 Wiring is always a treat, unless you use one of those systems in a box like Phil’s speed shop systems. I ran one on my factory racer, and it was a breeze. I’ll try to find a photo. It was designed to mount to the frame
Mudflap Girl FXRs, Part 6 Wiring with Wire Plus Read More »
In a world where over promising and under delivering has become all too common here is a gem I must share. The Bikernet built Shrunken FXR has become my daily rider and needed a couple small adjustments to be just perfect for me. One detail was the too small seat or the bike was too
Saddlemen Mods To The Shrunken FXR Read More »
SADDLEMEN MODS TO THE SHRUNKEN FXR–In a world where over promising and under delivering has become all too common here is a gem I must share. The Bikernet built Shrunken FXR has become my daily rider and needed a couple small adjustments to be just perfect for me. One detail was the too small seat
Saddleman Improves the Amazing Shrunken FXR Read More »
The nacelle came off with the four dome nuts that hold the detachable windshield, but when we looked at the chunks of chromed steel we came face to face with the rubber mounted brass fasteners that hold in the headlight. With a little twisting and tugging they came away from the case. There were fastener
Road King 4/18/03 Part II Read More »
Click here to read the chapter 6: http://www.bikernet.com/pages/story_detail.aspx?id=10268 This is a blast. The year is just starting and shit is flying at us everyday. Gary and the gang from next door delivered enough steel I-beams and C-beams to build a deck, and in two days a gang from Long Beach will deliver a pool table
Mudflap Girl FXRs, Part 7 My Son’s almost Grip Ace Wired Read More »
Bad shot, but it’s the horn all blacked out and still grimy. A shot of the spacer made to eliminate the rear shift lever. We were getting stoked by the changing appearance of the King. The black was giving it unity. I re-greased the shifter shaft and installed the back linkage in a vertical position
Road King 4/18/03 Part III Read More »
That’s right. You can enter by filling out the coupon, subscribing to Bandit’s Cantina on Bikernet, or to the Cycle Source Magazine. With a Crazy Horse 100-inch engine, and a frame from Texas Bike Works this build is already flying together. From issue to issue you’ll see your motorcycle being built on the pages of
The Harley shop in Green River didn’t have it, nor did any of the other bike shops in the valley, but there was a shop in Aspen. It wasn’t in the phone book and couldn’t be reached by directory assistance. I called the Harley shop back and was given the number for Aspen Custom
Sturgis 2000 – Part 4-2 Read More »
That last 25 miles were the worst of the trip. It rained off and on as the traffic became thick as mud on your boots. Lane splitting is not allowed and when we attempted to play ignorant travelers, motorists tried to hit us. As the sun broke over the parking lot of cars, the humidity
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This here cardboard box full of odds and ends was where it allbegan. Or was it just an idea? Or maybe too much Jack Daniels. Ormaybe Bandit was tired of me whining about it. Anyway, like a beggar on the streets ofCalcutta, or Blanche Dubois in “A Street Car Named Desire,” I depend onthe
The Amazing Shrunken FXR Project Read More »
Like the enigmatic fortunes you find inside thosefolded Chinese cookies, our visit with Dr. John–the”frame doctor,” was a mix of New Age mysticism andpractical guidance. The week before, Bandit and Ibrought the rolling Pro-Street frame to the gooddoctor. We gave the him our best ideas of what wethought the bike should become. Basically, we wantedthe
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Bandit and I were checking out the Amazing Shrunken FXR. “Thedamned thing,” referring to the shrunken FXR project we had beenhammering at, off and on, for almost two years, “has attitude,” hegrowled, “a bad-assed attitude.” “Yeah, but will it have sound attitude?” I mused. “I want it toget attention. I want it to be felt
The Amazing Shrunken FXR Project Part 3 Read More »
You’ve been there. You handed the Makita cordless drill toyou’re drunken buddy, and he drilled a hole in your big screentelevision. You tried to wrap the extension cord around his neck andfinish him off. We came close to blows in the garage a couple ofmonths back. I spent days carefully welding chunks of Samson exhaustpipes
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Click here for: Mudflap Girl Part 2, the Bandit Engine and Spitfire update It’s May 23, 2011, about two months before we roll out to the Badlands. Every year takes on a different character. It’s sorta like the new kid on the block. We never know exactly the direction this kid it going to
Mudflap Girl Part 3, the Bandit Engine Completed Read More »
Buells are the Harley-Davidson street fighter. They are inexpensive,sharp-handling machines that give the American rider something toshout about, something to fuck with and something to race. This bike won’t compete with the 200 mph Japanese sportbikes, but it will handle like one, and brake like one. So we gothold of one and evaluated it for
Here’s a couple of shots of the Bikernet Street FightingBuell for Sturgis 2001. This is how it currently stands with ahandfull of minor modifications and a lot of plastic removed. Let meknow what you think. Note the pulley guard. We had the notion to take levers andbraces like this off, lightening-drill polish and
Sturgis 2001 Part 2 Read More »
It’s part of our job as moto-journalists to try what’s outthere in the American market and report back. The ultimate test is to take a bike, customize it and ride it to Sturgis. What could give you a truer test of a bike’s ability to look cool and endure a long run? I’ve been
Sturgis 2001 Buell Read More »
Unlike many years in the past, I didn’t rely on any builders to make the deadline for the trek to the Bad Lands. The Bikernet crew handled building two road-sizzling chops in two and a half months. I’ve got to tell you that it felt good to get back in the garage amongst the
Sturgis 2000 – Whiskey, Women and the Open Road on the Blue Flame Read More »
