Tech

  Less is more because less is faster. That was the simple philosophy of the original café racers – bikers in 1960’s England who stripped motorcycles down to the bare essentials and put their machines to the test street-racing from coffee shop to coffee shop. The bikes became known as “café racers” and the stripped-down […]

Shops around the country were super-hard hit when the economy crashed. A bunch dropped out of business, but immediately they started coming back, if only out of garages. Harley-Davidson didn’t help much. They sent a memo to all their dealers cutting the number of aftermarket parts they could carry and forcing dealers not to sell

    Lowbrow Customs created a simple and trouble-saving work stand for use while maintaining or completely rebuilding your 1936 to 1985 Harley-Davidson four-speed transmission.        Lowbrow Customs has added to their growing line of motorcycle engine stands and specialty tools with the addition of this purpose-built work stand for use with Harley-Davidson

  My wife and I were recently exploring options to add toour new 2016 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Ultra (FLTRU) and we were reallyimpressed and curious with the quality of Windvest Motorcycle Products out ofMorgan Hill, Ca. We observed thousands of bikes at the recent Lone Star Rallyand the number of options for what shield to

Editor’s Note: When the new M-8 hit the news, we were all curious as hell. Would Harley buckle to some government regulation and build a liquid-cooled engine? Weren’t they still dialing in the Twin Cam? Would the new engine deal with Twin Cam issues? And finally, wow, how time flies. Seems like yesterday, the Twin

  Learn how to install the new Tension Reliever Manual Primary Chain Adjuster. Twin Power has added an instructional video to their website to show you how to install the part and this simple installation can result in longer component life. Brand Manager James Simonelli shows you how to install the part. “An overtightened primary

This year, for my annual trip to Sturgis, I took my 2015 Harley Street Gilde FLHXS. I was excited to ride my new black Street Glide special, which has the worst stock suspension of a modern day motorcycle, let alone any other $25,000 bike I’ve ridden. I will save my rant on this subject and

  Three times recently, I’ve come face-to-face with a new world of motorcycle seat technology. I recently stopped by Saddlemen and saw their new line of café-styled seats and rear fenders. During the conversation, we looked at seats designed for flat track racing and how they worked to keep racers in position, yet allowed them

  Today I’m gonna talk about the Baker 6 speed transmission gear set I recently installed into my old evo bagger. Since the quality of different aftermarket six speed manufacturers has already been covered quite completely in various other articles, I’m not going to get into that here. Instead I’ll try to answer those questions

The journey back to life for one fine 1989 FXST/S. It sat idle in a garage for around 10 years. The classic springer Softail chopper was basically stock with a few classic mods, like the bars, and new seat with a backrest. It belonged to Ray Wheeler’s longtime friend, Rusty Hawk who recently passed away,

FXRs are hot property these days. We’ve been talking FXRs for some time. Kevin Alsop from Big Bear Choppers picked up the vibe and ran with it, developing new components and stronger frames to support more horsepower. Yaniv from Power Plant recently shifted from bobbers to FXRs. They are the street warriors’ ride for crazed,

As some of you know, I once lived a normal life of the consistent toil and work needed to maintain many possessions. In time I established a way of life, on the road, almost completely devoid of these pressures. I believe that, aside from the elimination of ANY unnecessary possessions, this ideal is achieved by

  Rumors abounded since earlier this year and today Harley-Davidson pulled the veil off of an all-new V-twin engine, the Milwaukee-Eight; it will power its touring bikes for 2017. The ninth in the lineage of the company’s Big Twin engines, the Milwaukee Eight is said to deliver more power and an improved motorcycling experience while

Ron Loynds, owner of Metalsport and three other companies is an interesting cat. He’s not like a rich business guy who inherited his business from the family and flies in and out of his office in a helicopter. Ron is a biker who worked for his stepdad in a machine shop as a kid. Ron

Last year during the 75th Anniversary of the Sturgis Rally I attended The Flying Piston Benefit Breakfast at the Buffalo Chip. It’s held the first Sunday of the rally and it provides scholarships to newly minted grads and for veterans that are interested in starting a career the motorcycle industry.  What’s cool about it is

Okay, it’s that time of year and we’re pumped. Nothing is more exciting than the ride to Deadwood. It’s the mecca of the custom motorcycle industry. It’s the Wild West Escape Run from the bills, the jobs, the traffic, the population, the ol’ lady, the kids, you name it. This is the time to feel

We’ve come to the Saddlemen point in the story, to finish Jim’s seat construction over his custom fiberglass pan. The notion was to help Jim with a cool custom-styled seat, but when it comes to Saddlemen there’s much more to seat fabrication, and their mantra revolves around comfort. Tom Seymour and Dave Echert have been

So, a bolt you tightened down completely failed and broke into two pieces. Why did it happen? Did you tighten it and use a torque wrench to insure the proper tightness? The first things you need to determine include what size bolt, how many threads per inch and what grade of bolt. The grade of

  Introduction The linked material below is a collection of information which provides an overview of both the mosfet and thyristor type voltage regulators. If using a thyristor type voltage regulator and it fails, upgrading to a mosfet based voltage regulator will offer longer lifespan and better charging system performance. Heat buildup in the voltage

Riverside CA May 1st 2016: Last year I bought the bike I had been dreaming about since it made its debut in the Harley line-up in 2007. It’s a two-tone Pacific blue and black 2008 Softail Custom; FXSTC. I’ve included the alphabet soup nomenclature for those who are entertained by Harley model-acronyms. No matter how

I recently rambled about never giving up. This tech is an example in not giving up, and looking for opportunities for success. James Simonelli recently went to work for Biker’s Choice and it’s a company constantly looking for opportunities to succeed. They continue to expand and James is working hard on the Twin Power line

Anyone who has ever worked on older vehicles has experienced the dreaded broken bolt malady. It may be on your bike or on someone else’s, but it always ruins your day. Why do they always seem to be in an awkward and hard-to-reach place? Trying to remove one by drilling straight into the remaining bolt,

Life is fascinating, daunting, bullshit, heart-breaking, exhilarating and once in awhile inspiring. It’s also a blast, sexy, and fast. Just in the last couple of weeks, I encountered a struggling biker business on the brink of financial heartache. They survived the 2008 economic downturn, and became one of the few custom bike companies to make

I’ve known Jim Waggaman of Air Stream Studios for maybe 30 years. He helped me with my ’92 Dyna custom with Mike Maldonado, and I rode it to Sturgis in ’94. Hell, I rode it 400 miles in the rain with Dr. Hamster to the Billet Bar in Phoenix, from Los Angeles, for a drink.