“Do you haf to ride to zees job?” The German Feminine asked.I noticed something in her eyes which was altogether rare in the world of Germans- emotion. “Why?” I asked. “I sink you should haf a stronger helmet. Perhaps a Deutsche(German) helmet.” “Shiiiit,” I laughed as I headed to the garage to get El Diablo, the big twin
The Attack of the Car People Read More »
I started to write how timely it was to be reviewing this book just before the Fourth of July and how it could remind us to value our freedom. Then I realized how trite that can sound. As Americans we should treat every day like The Fourth of July. We should never forget why this
Kevin Thomas Book Review Read More »
Los Angeles International AirportLos Angeles, CaliforniaI laid my H&K USP .45 on the counter at the check-in booth for TWA airlines. The attendant eyed me with wary disdain as he examined the gun to make sure it was unloaded. It’s completely legal to carry firearms underneath any commercial airliner and there was nothing he could
Morning Glory Seeds and Black Madness on the Santa Fe Trail Read More »
Once upon a time, there was a country dominated by an Iron Hand. All of its vast resources were hoarded by the State and dedicated to maintaining its military might. Ronald Reagan called it an “Evil Empire” that we had to guard ourselves against. Individual freedom of expression was frowned upon and conformity was just
Moscow 2010 Bike Show Read More »
Ponder cagers whatever way you want, but some of them are really, really cool. We are of course not talking about your run-of-the-mill average, produced-by-the-thousands 4-wheelers. Nope, we are talking about those classics created around the same inspirational spirit that makes us build and ride custom motorcycles: Hot Rods and Custom Cars. More than 2,000
Good Guys 1st Spring Nationals, Scottsdale/AZ Read More »
The New York City Police Department was established in 1844. At the time, New York City's population of 320,000 was served by an archaic force, consisting of one night watch, one hundred city marshals, thirty-one constables, and 51 municipal police officers. Peter Cooper, at request of the Common Council, drew up a proposal to create
New York Cop History and Motorcops on 1938 Indians Read More »
I’m trying out my word processor to see if I can write a decent article with pictures. It seems to be working so far. Here is a shot of my ’06 Sportster that I built from a wreck. It was so totaled it never should have ran again. Since the frame was twisted beyond hope
A Brother Spills his Guts Read More »
Editor's Note: Here's an amazing find. I enjoy the flexibility Bandit and Bikernet afford us motorcycle nuts. We can bring you a feature containing a letter from the contributor, his motorcycle tale, an official vehicle appraisal, words from the restoration expert, and our Bikernet Extreme Tech Chart. How's that for a feature? In this case
1946 Knuck Restoration for Marc Read More »
I could swear I’ve hit this story before. I’m sure I’m mentioned it periodically. My first book was based on it. To set the intrepid stage, check what I wrote for Steve, the new editor of Iron Works, for their celebratory 20th anniversary issue: Every year opened with a straight-pipes backfire bang, and 1990 was
1990 The Stolen Bandit Bike Read More »
This summer I came into possession of a treasure-trove of vintage magazines — Popular Mechanics, Pop Science, Mechanics Illustrated and others — dating from 1939 to the early 1970s. I've got about eight big banana boxes full of them. Tonight I was flipping through a bunch and found this great story from the August, 1950
All New Discovery, Bonneville Report from 1950 Read More »
We're running shots of classic Brough Superior motorcycles with this attitude adjustment article. English motorcycles built from 1920 to 1940, they were the best of the best, hand crafted for the upscale rider. MOTOR CYCLE magazine once described them as the “Rolls Royce of motorcycles.” Don Whalen, antique motorcycle broker, confirmed that Lawrence of Arabia
Carrots, Eggs, & Coffee! Read More »
Rebirth of an American Classic: The Build Begins Read More »
It’s not always the model of bike being restored, but the restoration process that shines. That’s the case with this scooter. This 1921 two-stroke Cleveland wasn’t the fastest, rarest, or most unusual bike of its era. It was a slow utilitarian, base-model, but Jim Watson restored every element of this machine until it was awarded
The Perfect 1921 Cleveland Read More »
This is the Parilla formula one racing iron used by the countess Maria Bandini “Mama” when she won the 1953 Italian speed ironing championship at Rome. The countess vanquished all her opponents with her tremendous, on the edge, display of blistering speed and amazing control over a track of both linen and silk, becoming a
Discovered, 1953 Italian Speed Iron Read More »
This is an account of a 100,000 mile test of Vincent Black Shadow in 1951-3. The motor was given to VOC Chairman Tim Kirker, reportedly for testing purposes. Back in 1951, Tony Rose set out to put 100,000 miles on his new Black Shadow and achieved this aim with relatively little in the way of
100,000 Vincent Road Test Report Discovered Read More »
This is a strange one. I didn't plan to attend Laughlin this year, been there 10-12 times, done that. Then Joe Zanelli, the Primm Casino mob boss called. “I gotta contact for you in Laughlin; give Sin Wu a call.” That was the first of several Twilight Zone encounters leading to the Laughlin Run. Can
In the case of this rare V-twin we stumble across a document written to motorcycle collector and boss of Sierra Madre Motorcycles, a restoration plant, Don Whalen. We were able to yank the soild document from his tight fist as we listened to his Merkel history lesson. The letter was written by former owner Doug
Amazing 1913 Flying Merkel Read More »
Here's the strangest find of the year. This is an original custom from the '70s in an original Denver Frame. The owner recently died and his wife is escaping memories, in bad health, while trying to find peace in the desert. It breaks her heart, but she's selling everything. “I told my husband I will
Classic Chopper Discovered–Cherry Picker Read More »
In the late 1930s this one-of-a-kind Helicron was placed in a barn and forgotten. More than six decades later this odd lost little gem was rediscovered, rebuilt, and reintroduced to the world. Although the manufacturer is unknown, it's believed that this car was built in France 1932. Following the first World War it was not
1932 Helicorn Discovered Read More »
In 1935 a group of five German engineers named Killinger and Freund from Munich started to design a more streamlined and modified version of the German Megola front-wheel drive motorcycle that had won many motorcycle races in the 1920s. An original Megola. The work took three years to complete but the result was impressive. The
Rare Strange Vehicle of Pre-War Germany Read More »
Afterour previous blog posts about extending your motorcycle cables and brake lines,and another about measuring for comfortable bars, we thoughtit’s about time to take on the topic of cables all by themselves. Harley Throttle Let’sstart with HD throttle cables. Inthis modern era we use a two-cable system, something that was mandated by thegovernment to preclude sticking
How To Order Motorcycle Cables Read More »
On the map it was to be seen as a small red square set flush against the Equator, for all the world like a scarlet kerchief hung up to dry on a line. That was how Terry Devine expressed it when he first located it in his old school Atlas, but he didn’t know then
For the printed version, find the lastest issue of Cycle Source Magazine, but not at Walmart Stores. Author's Note: Funny you should run an article on how fucked up Wal-Mart (from Cycle Source Magazine) is treating its potential suppliers, trying to come off as some holier-than-thou corporation saving us from ourselves by keeping objectionable material
Walmart Wars Continue Read More »
There’s a wild air cleaner from Paul Cox. I’m going to say, and I might be off base, that most carbs are rebuilt for a couple of reasons: either they sat too long, sucked bad gas, or ran without an air cleaner too long. I would venture to guess that most carbs on custom bikes
Rebuilding The S&S Shorty Series Carbs Read More »
