2008 American Idle
Sept/Oct American Idle
Click Here to check out more images of this months American Ildes and VOTE!!! (To view and vote, you do not have to be registered)
The IronWorks Readers’ Rides section is now called “American Idle” and along with showing four different readers’ bikes in each issue, we’re giving additional information and photos about them here. This is also the place where you can cast your vote for your favorite.
Departments
American Idle Winner
The July American Idle competition was a close race but IW readers ultimately chose David Harrell’s retro Sporty bobber as the winner in a very slight edge over Eddy Newcome’s Ironhead. Maybe it was the bike’s good looks in addition to the survival story of both the bike and rider that garnered attention. See, David and his XL have survived what all riders fear: an inattentive cage driver. The bike suffered a shattered frame, and David a shattered ankle, but their riding days together were far from over.
During his rehabilitation, David started planning the rebirth of his ride. He first acquired a Paughco frame with 38-degree rake and no stretch, to replace the mutilated frame. “While I was out of work and unable to walk I let my fingers search for the parts needed for the rebuild,” he said.
Budget Boosting Bolt-Ons
Whether you’re running a new ’08 Harley or a trusty, even rusty, steed from another decade, the job of making your bike “yours” is an ongoing process, even when money is tight and gas is expensive. Yeah, we know the old saying, “H-D stands for hundred dollars,” but with a little selective shopping you can treat your bike to an upgraded goodie or two without busting your budget. Here’s the latest group of bolt-on parts we’ve found.
Buyer's Guide
Electronic fuel injection, big-inch engines, computer-monitored controllers: the high-tech approach for more power output from your late-model Harley is one way to go. But at IW, we retain a strong affection for single-cam models from the last century, and that includes bikes with the trusty Evo engine along with Shovels, Pans and Knuckles. Truth be told, though, we like the four-cammers, too, so we can’t forget the Flatheads and Ironhead Sporty from that era. So, fueled by an affinity for waxing nostalgic, we’ve gathered this collection of parts to keep those rusty-but-trusty bikes running well and looking cool. Because even though loud and proud has its place, when the dust settles there’s nothing like the old iron.
Letters
“Both statements can be true, it’s just a matter of ‘compared to what?’ Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough in my article about the S&S muffler. The S&S muffler creates more power over the entire RPM range compared to a stock exhaust system, and creates more low-end (I should have emphasized mid-range also) compared to most other aftermarket exhaust systems available.
Prime Products
The new SmartWasher SW-28XE is the latest addition to ChemFree Corporation’s environmentally safe, cost-effective parts washing systems. The SW-28XE employs ChemFree’s patented bioremediation process, using a powerful, aqueous-based degreasing solution to dissolve contaminants while purifying the solution at the same time. Features include a SuperSized sink, two brush stations, adjustable flow timer, adjustable thermostat, load capacity of 550 pounds, light kit and parts basket. Contact: 770-564-5580
Product Review by Dain Gingerelli
Despite the technological advances found in textile riding jackets, the point remains: if you want to be cool, you need to wear leather. The Fonz wore leather, Brando’s Johnny wore leather, and Captain America wore leather. So should you.
I’m not talking about looking cool, either. This discussion is actually about being cool, and to do that with a leather jacket, you’ll need something like H-D MotorClothes’ Shifter, a lightweight leather jacket offering flow-through ventilation that zips shut for when the outside air temperature becomes cooler than you.
Speed Secrets
Fuel re-mapping and performance tuning, Stage I kits, Stage II and III big-bore packages, specialty engines . . . it’s all great stuff. Taking a stock 60-horsepower Harley-Davidson up to 80-, 90- or 100-plus horsepower opens up a whole new world of motorcycling. More power always means more fun. Speed’s Performance Plus builds and tunes plenty of those high-performance Harleys, too. They do it at events all over the country all the time.
But all the power in the world, the guys at Speed’s are first to caution, won’t mean much if that added oomph doesn’t get where it belongs. That’s to the rear wheel. Add enough power to a Harley and the stock H-D clutch transferring that power simply won’t be up to the job. Fact: A high-performance engine requires a high-performance clutch to go with it, and bagger riders who routinely pack their bikes heavy would be well advised to take a look at their clutches, too, regardless of the engine’s state of tune.
The Works
10th Victory: Victory Motorcycles has quite a bit in store for its 10th anniversary in 2009. The Minnesota-based company has a limited edition Vision for the touring crowd, and two more custom-bike builders will join the Ness tandem of Arlen and Cory, both of whom offer 10th Anniversary Special models for ‘09.
The anniversary Vision comes with an electric reverse gear (optional on standard Visions), a custom paint job, and various other features that set it apart from the other Victory models. Envision a Vision with all the bells and whistles, if you will. Only 100 10th Anniversary Victory Visions will be offered.
Feature Bikes
Show Room Custom by Mike Seate
The guys at Gription Customs are what you’d call serious muscle-heads. Not the type who spend every free hour in the gym pumping iron, but the sort of guys who worship at the altar of fast iron, the kind epitomized by the muscle cars of the 1960s and ‘70s. After years of restoring and upgrading Chevelles, Road Runners and Mustangs, John Hineline—the paint and idea guy—and partner Russ Pline—who covers welding and mechanics—turned their attention toward custom V-twin bikes.
Sucker Punch Knockout by Ken Conte | Photos by Jeff Cochron
Knuckleheads are among the most sought after of vintage American motorcycles. They command high prices and as the supply dwindles, the prices keep going up. Knucklehead motors were manufactured from 1936 through 1947, before the design—in both 61” and 74”—made way for the Panhead (also available as 61” or 74”) in 1948. Typically most Knucklehead motors that come with original numbers and a title are treated to a ground-up restoration, some builders even going so far as to find NOS parts to make as period-perfect a bike as possible. That was not the kind of Knucklehead that Emerson Forth dreamed about.
Growing up in South Beach, Florida, Emerson found work in a local shop during the early ‘90s, and that’s where he saw his first Knucklehead. “The look of the engine blew my mind from the first time I saw it. The style of a Knuck is so distinctive, I knew I had to have one when I saw that rat bike Knucklehead,” said Emerson. Ironically, at about that same time he got out of the
The Orange Crate by Dain Gingerelli | photos by Josh Kurpius
As we mature into adulthood, flecks of gray peppering our beards and hair, and distinguishing age lines forming on our faces, logic tells us that we’ll also be more rational in the decision-making process and about how we approach life in general. Gone are the bongs, lava lamps and paraphernalia that misguided us through our youth, replaced with sound financial portfolios and rock-solid retirement plans. Your mailing address becomes one and the same as your residential address, too, and your wardrobe includes apparel that doesn’t have the words “property of” on the backside. Heck, you even give considerable thought to the custom bikes you build so that, finally, the folly of your youth takes an obvious backseat to the wisdom of age. In the process forward controls step aside for footboards, apehangers evolve into waist-high touring bars, and you replace that aging twin-shock frame with a rigid.
Feature Stories
Gale Force Wins by Mike Seate | photos by Simon Green
It’s not unusual to spot classic American machines at gearhead hotspots like London’s Ace Café. Vintage hot rods and Hogs are as popular there as Elvis hairdos and black leather jackets at a local rockabilly fest. But long-neck choppers are a rarity in the land of narrow, crooked streets and perpetual rain. Which is why a crowd tends to gather whenever Nick Gale rolls one of his customs onto the streets of the British capitol.
I met Gale recently as he stood admiring his newest acquisition from America. It was a stunning silver and white stretched chopper that he’d just imported to England. “The U.S. dollar is so weak right now that I’m going over to Florida where I can buy these absolutely beautiful custom motorcycles for about half what they’d sell for in the U.K. It’s really a buyer’s market,” said Gale, wearing a boyish grin. But don’t be fooled by Gale’s market-savvy approach to choppers. His North London shop, Nick Gale Custom Cycles, holds enough silver to rival the N
Harley-Davidson Archive Collection by Randy Leffingwell & Darwin Holmstrom
For people unable to visit the new Harley-Davidson Museum that opened earlier this summer, there’s good news. Harley-Davidson, with the help of Motorbooks and authors Randy Leffingwell and Darwin Holmstrom, will bring the museum to you. Mohammad’s Mountain, if you will, comes in the form of a 408-page book that contains hundreds of stunning photos by ace lensman Leffingwell depicting bikes that will be on exhibit at the museum. These bikes represent Harley-Davidson’s 82-year-old H-D Archive Collection. Leffingwell’s studio photographs are supplemented with descriptive narrative by Holmstrom. This giant tome also includes genuine house advertisements and clippings from brochures that The Motor Company has circulated during its 105-year history.
Motorbooks, with Harley-Davidson Motor Co.’s endorsement, has graciously made available a sampling from this landmark book for IronWorks to share with you. The photos and archive advertisements are but a tip of the iceberg of what you c
IronWorks Overnighter by M. Stemp (also photos)
This country has hundreds of outstanding riding locales that are often overlooked because they don’t include a beach, a mega amusement park, or 100 switchbacks in 10 miles. You can probably name a few such places yourself. We found one gem in America’s heartland, near the country’s geographic center, that’s not only a biker friendly community but an area blessed with knock-out roads. I’m talking about Eureka Springs located in the Ozark Mountains of Northwestern Arkansas. It’s less than a day’s ride from Springfield or St. Louis, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma or even Little Rock, Arkansas. The ride drops you smack dab in the middle of hog heaven, too. Hey, an area that includes a route they call the Pig Trail must be a good sign for Harley riders, right?
Eureka Springs was founded near Basin Spring, a natural mountain spring that, according to Native American legend, produced healing waters. Once the railroad arrived in the mid-1880s, the town drew crowds to “take the waters” and
Learning on the Edge by Vincent Stemp l photos by Skip Horne
How did you earn your stripes for the street? Were you shoved down the driveway on the back of a small-bore commuter, or maybe you found yourself behind the bars of a friend’s BSA on a lonely back road? If you were lucky, you learned under the tutelage of a trained professional. While there’s certainly no wrong way to get into motorcycling if you survive it, I’d certainly argue that there is a right way. The Harley-Davidson Rider’s Edge course, available at Harley dealers in over 42 states, is what I consider a right way, offering a safe and friendly environment to learn to ride, sharpen your skills, or even pick up new riding techniques.
Rider’s Edge offers three different classes: The New Rider and Skilled Rider courses, plus a self-study Guide to Group Riding. All were developed with the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation), so you know they’re thorough and complete. The New Rider course is actually similar to the MSF class offered at many community colleges, but with more
Product Review by M. Stemp
When it comes to a competent travel bag for riding, a few vital characteristics rise to the top of the requirement list. It should be easy to mount and easy to remove. It should offer easy access to contents while on the bike. It should keep your stuff clean and even more importantly, dry. And it should be made tough to withstand the rigors of the road. Hey, you don’t want your road gear to end up looking like Roady Loner’s weathered visage, do you? (Sorry, Roady, wear it as a badge of honor.)
Filling the need here at IW HQ is gear from the Biker’s Choice River Road collection. Simply put, it meets, even exceeds, our requirements—and looks good doing it. Plus, the modular design lets you add another bag or leave it off, depending on how much space you need.
Product Review by A. Say
Brown is beautiful, even, or especially if, it’s in distress. And that describes the new Vintage Drifter Jacket from the Biker’s Choice River Road collection.
Yes, black is the color of quintessential riding gear but just as you customize your bike to stand out from the crowd, your jacket can also make a statement of individuality. And Biker’s Choice has made that especially easy by building a garment that hits all the high notes in function then plays a pounding encore in good looks.
Road Stop by Dain Gingerelli (also photos)
It’s my contention that the ride should always supercede the destination. But a trip to Hutchins H-D gives me reason to forget that rule. See, Hutchins is a dealership that reminds me what local bike shops were like when I got my feet wet in this biking thing back in the ‘60s, because this shop—situated on 29 Palms Highway (aka Route 62) in Yucca Valley, California, and just a stone’s throw from the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park—isn’t your typical Harley-Davidson superstore franchise. For the most part the shop has retained the same quaintness as when Dick Hutchins moved his business from Los Angeles to the high desert in 1979. Dick has since retired, and today his son Chris runs the dealership, but the place retains its old-time charm, despite necessary changes to cope in today’s business climate.
S&S Cycle Marks the Half Ton Whole Hog by Marilyn Stemp (also photos)
No doubt about it, S&S Cycle deserves its place of honor within the V-twin world. And last June 26-29, that place was in La Crosse, Wisconsin, where the company celebrated its 50th anniversary. The event actually occurred over various locations in and around La Crosse, but that did nothing to diminish the evident respect of the motorcycle community for this company and its huge contribution to the V-Twin aftermarket. That’s the way it should be, too. After all, S&S Cycle has been a family-run business ever since George and Marge formed the company so many years ago.
Regulars
Dain Gingerelli by Dain Gingerelli
If you’re among the curious souls who cheat and thumb through the magazine before actually sitting down to read it page by page, then no doubt you’ve noticed the black-and-white photos at the bottoms of various pages in this issue. In fact, if you flip this page, you’ll find one of those old photos at the end of this column. They represent photographs and memories from Harley-Davidson Motor Co.’s archives, and The Motor Company graciously made IronWorks privy to them so that we can share bits and pieces of the world’s oldest motorcycle company’s 105-year history with you. This special 105th anniversary issue’s centerspread also contains a chronological listing by IW’s Margie Siegal of landmark moments that highlight Harley’s march through the 20th century and into the current millennium. You’ll probably recognize many of the events she lists, while others might be revelations that you can pack away in your cache of Harley trivia for use to win a future bar bet or settle an argument.
Margie Siegal by Margie Siegal
Very early on, police departments learned the value of motorcycles because those two-wheel devices often proved to be the fastest way to get an officer where he needed to go. At the beginning of the 20th Century many police departments depended on foot patrol and horses. Both were slow, and the old hay burner required a lot of upkeep at the end of the day.
It is unclear when the first police officer swung a leg over a gas-powered two-wheeler, but it was probably not much earlier than 1908, the year that the Detroit Police Department ordered Harley-Davidson singles for patrol duties. In 1916, military Harleys accompanied General John J. Pershing’s U.S. Army corps into Mexico in pursuit of Pancho Villa (who rode Indians) after his partisans attacked Columbus, New Mexico. While the Mexicans didn’t appreciate the American army on their soil, they were more positive about the two-wheelers that the soldiers rode. Soon after this, the Mexican military and police departments began or
Mike Seate by Mike Seate
As a rider who preaches the quick-not-slow gospel, it didn’t surprise me to see a set of flashing red and blue lights in my rear-view mirror. By following a few simple rules that I’ve established over the years, I’m usually able to predict when and where I might get pulled over while riding my motorcycle. I don’t tend to speed on Interstates or crowded superhighways, or places that attract state troopers like Cracker Barrel and other franchise restaurants with good-looking waitresses boasting skinny waists and, well, you get the picture. And whenever possible, I refrain from really wicking-on the throttle unless I’m in a set of corners that I know are microwave-free. You see, experience—well, that and a few friends who wear badges for a living—has taught me that speed traps are seldom deployed in the twisties.
Snakebit Sam Kanish by Snakebit Sam Kanish
I’m not sure what man or woman may find in the distant future, but I think that more than a few bikers in the near future will be riding machines that could resemble the Victory Vision. The Vision’s long flowing lines make it one of the most aerodynamically designed touring bikes on the road today. But there’s the rub. Its radical styling elicits strong emotional feelings, too. If you’re a fan of the traditional Harley bagger chances are that you will not like the Vision, and the Victory Motorcycle Company knows that. If you don’t mind progressive styling, then you’ll probably warm up to the bike. Some of my Harley buddies said that the Vision I rode for several weeks resembled a prop from the futuristic 1992 movie “Freejack” starring Mick Jagger. Meanwhile some Gold Wing and Voyager riders I encountered thought it cool. And believe me when I say the Vision attracted all sorts of people, even non-riders.
Technical Stories
First Ride: 2009 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide by Dain Gingerelli | photos by Tom Riles and Brian J.
Few people really know, or understand, just how much better the FLTR is in terms of handling than its touring stablemate, the FLH Electra Glide. Indeed, the FLTR is often looked upon as the redhead stepchild of the line, and it receives that treatment thanks to its frame-mounted fairing. Although aerodynamically superior to the FLH’s handlebar-mounted batwing wind deflector, the Road Glide’s fairing looks unconventional, even strange. But the fact remains: the FLTR carves a smoother, more precise line through corners than does the FLH in any of its many variations. The Road Glide also slices through the wind better, penetrating a hole in the air so that it steadfastly holds its course under any condition better than the FLH. Even so, the Electra Glide has become the preferred model of choice among most Harleyites of the touring persuasion due to its more traditional styling cues.
First Ride: CVO Dyna Fat Bob by Dain Gingerelli | photos by Tom Riles and Brian J.
The CVO Dyna Fat Bob is a contradiction of phrases. After all, CVO stands for Custom Vehicle Operations, so the mere mention of those three letters prompts visions of bright paint and buckets of chrome. The Dyna Fat Bob, on the other hand, is among Harley’s most recent recruits into the realm of Dark Customs, superceded only by the Cross Bones in terms of a bad-boy image.
But CVO Dyna Fat Bob it is for 2009, and once you swing a leg over the cleaned-up Bob, you realize it’s pretty much the same friendly bike that won the hearts of saddle-hardened enthusiasts a year ago. The CVO crew shortened the Bob’s suspension to make the bike set lower, reprogramming spring and damping rates accordingly. The result is a smooth ride on straight sections of macadam, yet when the road gets twisty the Bob knows how to bob and weave its way to the end.
First Ride: CVO Softail Springer by Dain Gingerelli | photos by Tom Riles and Brian J.
We’ll cut to the chase and state one more time that the CVO Softail Springer is one of the more user-friendly bikes in Harley-Davidson’s lineup. That includes all CVO and standard models, Sportsters included. Swing a leg over the Springer’s low-slung all-leather saddle, fire up its 110-cid engine, snick that smooth-shifting 6-speed transmission into gear and you’ll be in for an enjoyable ride, no matter the destination. That this is the only springer model in the Harley family makes the CVO Softail Springer even more special.
First Ride: CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide by Dain Gingerelli | photos by Tom Riles and Brian J.
Look past the vibrant display of colors and chrome found on each of the 4,200 CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glides that Harley-Davidson will market for 2009 and you’ll find the best FLH bagger yet from The Motor Company. What makes the ’09 model so great is its frame, the same two-piece design used on the Road Glide. The net result is a stiffer chassis for improved handling. And like the Road Glide, the Ultra Classic plants a big 180mm tire (180/65-16 Dunlop) print onto the pavement. Up front the Ultra sports a 17-inch Roulette hoop that’s skinned with a 130/80-17 tire (compared to the MT90-16 last year), and like the Road Glide, the Ultra has dual-compound Dunlops for improved cornering and extended tread life in their center sections.
Part 2: IronWorks/Brass Balls Bobber Giveaway Bike
If the frame can be described as the bike’s skeleton, then certainly the powertrain equates to its muscle. By powertrain, we reference the transmission, primary drive and, of course, the engine. In terms of our Brass Balls Bobber giveaway bike, that ensemble includes one of Baker Drivetrain’s all-new Powerbox 6-speed transmissions, a Tauer Machine primary and clutch assembly, and one of Crazy Horse Motorcycles’ 100-cubic-inch engines.
Since we’re talking about the bike’s muscle, let’s get to the meat of the matter and go right to the engine. Crazy Horse Motorcycles has a somewhat crazy story behind its origins, and the company pretty much got its traction when owner John White bought a bundle of Power Plus 100 engines from the inventory left behind when the Indian Motorcycle Company (Gilroy, California, tribe) folded its tent about six years ago. White and his crew grabbed the remaining engines. The Power Plus was notorious for its crank failures, so White called on Alan Sput
Riding Impression by Paul Holdsworth l photos by Dain Gingerelli
I was running about 90 MPH, chasing my buddy John through Florida’s back roads, and not thinking twice that the bike I was on shouldn’t be doing those speeds. We were zig-zagging a route made on the fly, on our way back to his place in Cocoa Beach. As you might guess, we were slightly behind schedule. John was aboard his late-model (read: Twin Cam) Road King, and we were returning from the AMCA Vintage Motorcycle Meet in Eustis. It was the eve of Daytona Bike Week, and I was feeling high as a kite. See, I was on a 1990 FLH Electra Glide that could easily run with John’s newer King. And everybody knows that Evos aren’t supposed to do that.
Tech Lite by Steve Bohn (also photos)
When Harley-Davidson gave the Dyna family a few upgrades in 2006, particular attention was given to the Big Twin’s drivetrain. Among the improvements was reduced clutch-pull effort. This minor, yet significant, improvement spawned the Reduced Effort Clutch Kit that’s now sold in Harley’s Parts & Accessories catalog.
Utilizing redesigned components, the kit makes for a much lighter feel at the clutch lever, yet it still provides adequate pressure to prevent the clutch plates from slipping on a stock or semi-modified engine. These parts come stock on 2006 Dynas and later Big-Twins. Fortunately, too, they’re now available to retrofit 1999-2005 Twin-Cam models (PN 36808-05 MSRP $44.95). As you can see from the accompanying photos, the kit readily adapts to the earlier models, too. Easy to install, and easy to use. What could be easier to like?