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Having the right tool makes all the difference. No matter what job you plan, the first question is do I have the knowledge and experience to handle it myself, or even with the help of friends? The second, do I have the tools? If the answer is yes, you are good to go. Some people […]

That’s right. We’re delivering the new Custom Chrome Drivetrains one month ahead of the official release date in November of 2005. As of November this new drive train line-up will be available through all Custom Chrome dealers.–Bandit 88-Inch Shovelhead Engines by Custom Chrome® The newest addition to Custom Chrome’s engine line up. They are 88-inch

It's all about choice, and these days we have more to choose from than ever before.Some truly talented people are creating original, mind blowing frame products. Aaron Green's Softrigid, Roger Goldammer's BTR3 frame that's now available in a production rigid (cheers from #4)and Maximum Metal works are just a few that really stand out in

Hey, We receive very informed “Your Shot” responses from knowledgeable builders all over the world. It dawned on me one day to gather the good ones and archive them as if they were jewels discovered on a beach. Actually, for a rider who’s broke down they’re worth more than diamonds. I’m going to save hot,

Bad as Hell designer, Chris Hill.This is the craziest notion I’ve ever run across. It was developed by a madman, the only member of the Weasels to ever be ousted. Chris Hill designed the Hill Bars and tried to make a go of them for over a decade. People still inquire about the ugliest bars

The first step is nailing your pattern. The pattern for this seat, came from one of my “BAD ASS PANS”. Once your pattern is cut, you have to scribe your design on to the leather. This is done by casing the leather (wetting with water). Let it stand till the leather starts to dry a

Hang on. This is the last of the scintillating segments on building the Sturgis Shovel before I write the treacherous saga of the ride. Somewhere we will publish a feature on the bike in a mag and on the site. Oh, there’s one other tech that will come to pass—hard line assembly. I’m waiting for

Hey, here’s quick bit on George The Wild Brush who handled the Pin Striping on the 2005 Sturgis Shovel project. He’s pin striped several other bikes for me in his 47 years behind the brush. Born in Hanford, California, a miserable military town, in 1944, he kicked tumbleweed while his mom worked on a base.

Box of parts after teardown for powder. I’m not sure if I’m keeping everything in line. But this segment took us to Foremost Powder Coating in Gardena California. I was at that point when these shots were taken. I’ve had a Powder Coating Sponsor for years, Custom Powder Coating in Dallas. They’re good people and

This isn’t a difficult one but it takes slow time and effort. I handled this in two phases. First I cut the bars and drilled them, even taped the holes. Then I sent the bar to powder. Finally the assembly occurred and I got drunk. There’s something about an internal throttle assembly that’s bothersome. It’s

This is strange. I’m writing several Sturgis Chop Techs after I returned from Sturgis. I’ll try to remedy that in the future, but we were so damn busy trying to complete the bike and run Bikernet, we didn’t keep up on the techs. Many apologies.This piece covers the installation of the hot Speedster cap from

The first thing that pops into my head is Dave Mann’s “Ghost Cowboy” and then Berry Wardlaw dressed as a cowboy. What does that have to do with an article about the hottest engine to hit the motorcycle industry this year? Well hang on and you’ll see. Berry Wardlaw, of Accurate Engineering in Dothan Alabama,

Departure Bike Works on Hull Street in Richmond, Virginia recently celebrated their 33rd birthday. Lee and Brenda Clemens have lived by the Code of The West (so they're in the South), and the Chopper code for over three decades. They’ve built a family within the shop, a family of customers on the outside and a

This is how you can finish a seat using one of my PANS FOR LIFE pans (PFL) First Thing is to cut the center out to fit the inner edge of a PFL pan. Tracing:Next step is to lay the leather on the PFL and tape it in place. Next step is to trace the

Can I get you a beer before you start reading?Bandit,Been reading your shit almost as long as you have beenwriting it. Decided to build another bike, so Idismantled my daily commuter. It’s a '97 Buell M/2cyclone, probably one of the most RIDEABLE cycles to reside in my garage in 40 years of riding. I guess

Built and photographed by Cyril Huze. One of the Ten Commandments of custom bike building is “Keep it Clean,” an overall philosophy that also figures into the design concept that greatness is in the details. Another commandment is “Keep it Functional.” Both concepts are well apparent in the internal handlebar controls offered by Custom Cycle

This is the Big One, my first tech tip on Bikernet. In the process we got to add more chrome to Bandit’s Road King, that he’s worked so hard to blackout. This product was so straight forword, I’ll just jump into what you need to get the job done. Dish Soap Needle Nose Pliers 13/32

Click to see morefrom Lucky Devil Pay attention, guys.Recently we received the following letter and immediately followed up. “We have developed a Gerotor oil pump that bolts right onto evolution engines,” Bret Barker said, “to give them twin cam style oiling. We have just run it on our test bench atthe shop. We are getting

The Halibrand Special by Conder CustomIt started life as a 2006 Softail Springer with the 200mm back tire, provided by House of Thunder Harley-Davidson in Morgan Hill CA. Outfitted with the first set of Conder/Halibrand Hot Rod wheel adapter hubs and Halibrand Sprint wheels.17×6 rear and 17×5 front, chevy bolt pattern. Sheetmetal, bracketry, overall modification,

Just before rolling out and leaving for Sturgis I check my plugs in the only stock item left on the 93-inch House of Horsepower/S&S hot rod Shovelhead—the early heads. Unfortunately every time I attempted to unscrew the short reach plugs the threads and heli-coil came with them. I rode to Sturgis without ever checking the

Click to see morefrom Lucky Devil Well it all started as a little whisper from the Devil, “You need to see this new 5-speed kicker that bandit has, It’s from Germany.” ”Hmmmm,” says I, a kicker for the chop. I’ve been toying with the idea for the past couple of years, but I haven’t heard

The famous Dewey “Yellin’” Jelen. He’s a big Mo Fo.A few months back, I was sitting at the computer when I noticed an e-mail from The Bandit. I blindly opened it expecting nothing more than a “Hey, where you at kid?”What I got was a little more peculiar.“Hey kid, write a feature on a buddy

You never know what snippets of gold you might come across when you're snooping around your local bike shops. I was wandering around “Rollies Speed Shop” in Brisbane ( well known to Queensland bikers) about a month ago and there they were, four volumes of “Easyriders Tech Tips & Tricks”. I couldn't believe it, man

Illustration by David Mann.Many people have asked and seem stuck with the problemthat the spool hub wheels are only available for 5/8-inchaxles. There is a fairly quick and easy way to solvethis problem. The short answer is: 1. Replace 5/8-inchbearings with ¾-inch axle bearings. 2. Replace 5/8-inch center bearing support sleeve with new one of