Tech

Your bike sucks. While you may strongly object to this statement, if made in an everyday conversation at your local hangout, it is never-the-less true for most motorcycles. In a conventional combustion, or naturally aspirated, engine, the mix of gasoline and air is sucked into the combustion chamber when the piston moves down and creates […]

Bassani is a neat company from Orange County, California. It's one of those mysterious businesses. Some companies look big and flashy, but they're small. Some companies, like Bassani, appear to be a well-organized shop making a few products, when actually they make Harley exhaust systems, metric motorcycle systems, Victory bike pipes, AFT-CAT systems, truck and

We found Joel, the boss of Headwinds, hiding behind this show display.The Brough Superior motorcycle was built with quality first and foremost, to the point that the famed car manufacturer Rolls Royce allowed George Brough to use the phrase, “Brough Superior – the Rolls Royce of Motorcycles” in his advertising material. Well, shamelessly paraphrasing that

Installing the latest Daytona Twin-Tec Computer, D&D Borzilla Exhaust, E T Performance Krank Vents and a Horsepower Inc. 62 mm Throttle Body. Thanks to the crew at Hardtailz in San Jose, Ca., Ron Williams, Jeff Boddie and Kevin, my 2004 Dyna has run like a rocket since meeting them in 2005.After a record setting (6

Click on the banner to receive product info. Our new shop sign. Hope this current storm doesn't tear it off the building.My son showed up on his leaking 2002 Dyna. His giant-boobed wife, Yvette, hauled over a set of Hardstreet saddlebags for mounting. “Thanks Dad,” he said and peeled out with the girl of every

Rusty and the Illusion gang just signed up as Bikernet Sponsors, January of 2010. I've known Rusty Coones for 20 years. I've watched him through the ups and downs of life, but Rusty always worked hard. He's a creative type, a rider, and a businessman. He also has a rock band, Attika. It's about to

A shot from the era when we first started to hack off tank tabs to run custom tanks and seats. I am attaching some shots of my new cast steel frame parts for wishbone frames. I am presently reproducing necks, sidecar loops and rigid frame axle plates. Will offer motor mounts very soon. All my

I was surfin’ the net one evening and I stumbled on the web site for a gadget called the Intiminator. I asked myself, did I read that right, and what is that play on words supposed to mean anyway? Who and/or what is this doo-hickey supposed to intiminate. Finally, what do these things actually do?

This is a strange one. Peter Linney shot Karlie Montana, one delightful munchkin, at Gard's LA ChopRods shop. In the process of putting this hot Girl's of Bikernet feature together, we discovered more and more LA ChopRods products developed by Gard. It wasn't enough to focus all of our attention on Karlie's sizzling attributes. We

This Tech is brought to you by Bikernet Sponsor J&P Cycles One of the more difficult challenges we face in our tech department here at J&P Cycles is the issue of handlebars. Often we hear this simple directive: “I just want to move my hands about two inches farther back.” But in order for our

Wire Plus has been engineering state-of-the-art custom wiring harnesses, digital instrument panels and other innovative products for more than a decade. Rick Marler, President and founder of Wire Plus is an avid enthusiast himself, and has been riding his entire life. Marler knows what the environment can do to motorcycle components, especially electronics. “Our systems

This is wild. Some of the most precision shit in life is magnificently simple. Motorsport makes this popular tour-pak rack from a ¼-inch plate of billet aluminum, the masters of billet wheels, but I’ll touch on them in a minute. Metalsport’s Contoured “Billet Tour Pack Rack” is available in show chrome, Black Chrome and Raw

While there are positive signs the economy is climbing out of the toilet, that’s hardly an occasion to break into three choruses of “We’re in the money.” Nevertheless, those who can pop for a new motorcycle should step up, even if we're still teetering on the edge. For the rest of us, we’ll continue do

Here's our test subject, a 2010 dresser belonging to a Departure Bike Works Customer.We keep up on exhaust systems. The damn things are forced to change as fast as new models are released. D&D runs dyno tests on every exhaust system they make, plus they have developed new, better flowing touring bike mufflers, so when

This is a strange one. In this economy, suddenly Sportsters became the answer for wild years of partying on two wheels without any major expense. For a decade, it didn't make financial sense to customize or ever buy a Sportster. Big twins were moneymakers, whereas Sportsters cost the same to modify, but the resale price

Bert Baker, the mad scientist behind the Baker product line.The Baker team understands the love affair with your vintage motorcycle… There’s nothing like putting authentic, vintage styled components on your nostalgic bike. That’s why BAKER has taken the time to reinvent the 4-Speed. “Some people don't give a smooth fart about any Big Twins after

The 2007-2009 Sportsters have the ECM module mounted on the rear fender. This does not lend itself to a clean solo seat option. Seat styles for these year bikes have a “hump” in them to allow for a compartment to hide the module. I have been looking for a way to move the ECM to

We are currently working on the good Dr. Hamster's '34 VL, which, for some unknown reason has a set of mid '40s Indian handlebars mounted on dogbones, attached to his VL springer front end, with dogbone risers. It's a strange arrangement, but we decided to stick with it. We checked out the bike from stem

Editor’s Note: We are going to work with S&S, Baker, BDL, Compu-Fire and other Bikernet Sponsors, on their most asked tech questions. We’ll try to deliver the info you need access to. The following came from Howard Kelly, the former editor of HOT BIKE, and now an S&S tech editor. “We take tech calls all

  The Sturgis Shovel has seen its share of LA Harbor town back alleys in the eight years of pounding the streets around Wilmington, California. The exhaust is really starting to show the effects of the road and weather. Originally these hand fabricated pipes were painted with barbeque paint found lying around the Bikernet Intergalactic

Stuffing a big twin into a VL frame dates back to the days when the Knucklehead was a brand new, modern OHV engine, 1936. There were a lot of advantages to a conversion like this. VL frames were good for a 25 pound frame-weight reduction, versus its Knuck counterpart. The shallower VL rake made for

The key to this warlord modification is aWWI TRENCH KNIFE, original about $200 plus. Bob T., being a knife collector, has a goddamn box full of of them. Next ya need a RoadRat, Roberts kick pedal rod (it's longer than stock). He machines them from 304 stainless. (Road Rat Robrrts E-mail is RoadRatRoberts@webtv.net) Stem from

Click to see more from Lucky Devil Sportster mods will hit an all-time high with the new rubbermounted chassis wrapped securely around the upgraded 2004 drive train. We needed a tech sizzling with Sportster custom upgrades. By the grace-of-god a call came through to the headquarters one strange, sorta evil, morning. Terrie called and told

The before (top) and after shot of the Heritage modification.A full moon glowed over the harbor the night a call came through from an irate reader, “You bastards had a Softail project and never finished it,” the caller exclaimed frothing at the mouth. “I'm comin' all the way to Califa to snatch your women, drink