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This is an interesting one, out of Southern California. He’s a builder who has focused, for the last eight years, at bringing out the very best in stock bikes. Bogart is a Sr. Designer for AT&T, which means he designs a good deal of the company’s advertising–that’s substantial. Bogart’s first Fatboy. He rode bikes most […]

Looking at my computer screen this morning seems to require more effort than ever before. My life has been turned upside down with job craziness, bike-breakdowns, new-car fever, bitching wife, and ranting editor. It seems every direction I turn is prepping me for a smack in the mouth and the only thing I can do

Here I am again, head pounding, eyes bloodshot, in dry mouthed hangover hell. Bandit just finished screaming at me about having to wrestle with his underlings, Renegade and Wrench, over going to lunch with Layla and Sin Wu. He was red-faced mad and not in any mood for excuses. It seems having to build a

Duane Ballard is no stranger to the custom bike scene.Having made custom hand tooled seats for Biker Build-Off winners Hank Young, Cole Foster and Greg Westbury to name a few. Duane knows how to put a bikes “look” together. Duane is also an aficionado of 1970s pop culture. He's been building model cars and collecting

It’s almost universally recognized that “the birth of the American biker” occurred during the infamous Gypsy Tour in Hollister, California, during the Fourth of July weekend in 1947. Hollister ’47 seriously affected not only the motorcycle culture but the entirety of American society as well. (See the history piece by Bill Hayes in Special Reports.)

Seven time world champion Formula One racer Michael Schumacher expresses his reaction to surprise present from friends on the occasion of his retirement from racing.Baseball players have their stats based on their batting average and runs, basketball players have their average points per game, but when it comes to Formula One race car drivers, it

Discovery competitor concept drawing.Unbelievable but true. Two build-off competitions in one year. Yes Zeel was a participant in the 5th season of the Discovery Channel Biker Build Off. The engineers at Zeel took part in a trike build off against CC Trikes of Texas. The voting took place at the ROT bike rally in Austin,Texas.

By far, the best part of my job is flying and riding around the globe meeting new people and checking out some of the world’s finest custom-built motorcycles. This June found me, for the third year in a row, on the judging panel for Twin Club M.C.’s Custom Bike Show in Norrtelje, Sweden. Twin Club

Think about this: I’ve been writing bike features for 35 years, and it’s never boring. Once in a while an owner will say something like this, “Ya can’t mention my ex-wife. I don’t ride much, but we need to talk about all the cool parts I paid a guy to make for me.” That makes

Bandit asked me to write this article. When it comes to stories involving relationships with the opposite sex he’s like a pussy-allergic kid tossed into a cat box. After five marriages he breaks out in hives. When Terry, the boss of Envy Cycle and Street Walker exhaust told Bandit about a show, his wife and

This is one of those mornings. My cursed mind is swimming with projects, options, calls, e-mails and to-dos. Fortunately I’m not in the middle of some mad romance and chasing women all over town. It’s the curse of the 21st century and our society. If the phone ain’t ringing, the e-mails are popping, the mail

I first became aware of this bike’s existence one late afternoon in January of 2006. My good riding buddy, Jerry Gray, called on a Saturday morning asking if I would take a ride with him. I’ll ride anywhere, with almost anyone, at a drop of a hat; but when Jerry calls…I don’t even ask “where

Christian Dotson holding the trophy he won in Hollister, 2007.I remember sitting in front of my computer perplexed by the strange and mysterious motorcycle that had appeared on my computer’s 19” flat screen. Beautiful, clean, yet very strange. ”Swingshot”. The first bike ever built by Dotson Design. The picture was followed by a small excerpt

I’ll give the boss a break since young Derek Pauletto, of Trillion Industries, out of Calgary, is such a tech head. We spent a half-hour discussing Plasma cutters and TIG welding before we shifted to his Rovad, one-off motorcycle. The name came from the owner, although he’s not sure he liked Derek’s choice. It’s the

I think she’s got you beat on form, beauty, and for God’s sake, tan! Not long before I started this bike project I was talking with a friend about what a Frisco style chopper was. That got me thinking about back when I was growing up in the bay area. Growing up in Oakland and

This is a rare opportunity. Ralph Randolph of Ralph Randolph Designs and Knockout Motorcycle Company is a friend and a brother, so I can write this article straight up, no bullshit, reporting style. I don’t know what I’m saying, but Ralph is one of those rare individuals you can speak to comfortably and know he

”What the hell?” I shouted. “Watch your mouth,” Dorothy “Troll” Marino, barked from the back of the shop. A hush fell over the 1,600 square foot facility, and I immediately knew who was boss and Grandma to 16 Trolls. From that point on I spoke with deep respect and admiration. I’ll try to explain. I’ve

I unfold my best English. Lucky enough the young Belgian understands me. We’re in the middle of Belgium’s nowhere on a dusty large cattle-farm far away from towns and villages. I ask him if we could shoot a bike and a girl on his grounds as location. He looks a little puzzled because I’m all

This is the rear of the bike Mr. Boxell built in his garage. He used a mille, lathe, and a welder. While Bandit is off in Australia humping Kangaroos, I am getting bombarded with rampant e-mails and incessant death threats. Here’s one small example: Dear sir, Bandit is ten times the writer you are. How

Hey, I you’ll see below, I was inspired to write this Chica story. I ran into the man at a show and told him he had to buy me lunch so I could interview him. I haven’t been able to reach him since. I’ve sent e-mails and left phone messages. I wish I was delivering

Roger Goldammer is no stranger to the world of wild custom bikes. The front of his shop in Kelowna, British Columbia is crammed full with lathes, milling machines and a huge CNC machine. Roger takes his equipment and his work very seriously. He does not follow trends in custom bike building by building the expected

The “W” series 45 cubic inch Harley Flathead motor has been around since 1937. It was very reliable but slow as molasses in January. Decades ago, the legendary Randy Smith came up with the idea of mating the top end of a 900cc Ironhead Sportster to the bullet proof Flatty’s lower end. The result THE

A Pause for a Bit of Brit History… As probably the mostly widely recognized English motorcycle, it helped to have a great name. Triumph motorcycles got that down right in 1886 when the company’s founder, a German immigrant to London, one Siegfried Bettman came up with the name change and began building bicycles. By 1902

The roar of a jet liner filled the phone lines as I attempted to call Ralph Randolph of Knockout Motorcycles. “What the hell?” Ralph said departing his Airbus A320 in Philly after a six-hour flight from Portland. “I need to get to Hooters for some chow. Call me back.” Ralph is a pilot for U.S.