Friday, July 30, 2010

This is why we want your reviews!!!

In addition to my Pingel dead man switch Bonneville tech requires you to have a positive on/off switch that you can reach without removing your hands from the grips. Trying to save some time I ordered the above switch and housing from a reputable supplier about 20 bucks. I knew it was plastic but as soon as I had it in hand I realized that there was no way I was mounting this on my racebike, in fact I was afraid if I tightened it down it would just snap. The quality was just seriously lacking. So I modified an alloy clutch lever and made my own bracket, something I just should have done in the first place.
Where is this going you ask? If there were some reviews from actual customers I may have thought twice about buying this. This is something we are really trying to push on our new website, we really want YOUR feedback on the items you buy! On every item listing there is a tab marked reviews where you can read reviews other customers leave and you can write a review and let people know what you think. It also helps us to know if there is an issue with a product or something that you just aren't digging!

So leave some reviews! We took it a step fiurther and now have automated emails going out to anyone who orders (about 3 weeks after the order ships) with a link right to those items to make it real easy on you! So help us, and help all the other people in their garages building their own bikes! Cheers, Kyle

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Hey Mythbusters, help settle an argument!

Work continues on my 67 Triumph LSR and time keeps getting shorter! I did get my rear axles drilled, chain aligned and mounted my chain guard.I also lettered my number plates, which makes things seem a bit more official to me. I was trying to explain to my sister in law that the fact my bike has official racing numbers now makes it at least a couple MPH faster than it was this morning. (Fact. ) She seems to think it's a ridiculous idea. I think I'll submit it to Mythbusters and we will see who's right.

The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge Part 2.

When we got our next map I was not happy. The organizers had added an additional fifteen hundred miles to our route. I had paced myself to arrive a few days early in Homer because my wife was flying in on July 2 and I wanted to sightsee before leaving Alaska. My pace was for seven thousand to seventy five hundred miles, not eighty five hundred miles plus. Oh well, shit happens so shut up and ride I told myself. Heading north toward Canada the beauty of Montana continued till we reached the border. Canada let us in with no problems although we had heard they were turning people away just for being in the Hoka Hey. One guy got turned back for having a DUI nineteen years ago. Once in the Canada we spent the night in the Harley-Davidson of the Kootenays parking lot outside of the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia. In the morning Greg found out he had a major problem with his bike that involved replacing the pistons. He didn't know when he would get on the road or if he would be able to even finish. I decided at this time that I was ready to head in to Alaska so Greg showed me the shortest route to Homer and off I went alone. However, when it was time to take the shortcut I couldn't do it, I had to hit all of the checkpoints and finish this. My Dad and Mom taught me when I was a kid that when you start it, you finish it, you don't quit ever and this is something I have passed on to my children so I'd be dammed if I wasn't going to finish this thing the right way. The next part of the route took me into the Canadian Rockies which were nothing short of breathtaking. I've never seen such great scenery. They were also nothing short of freezing. It was a great experience to ride up into the snow capped mountains in June even though I was rained and snowed on. It was up here I finally got to see some bears, one black and two grizzlies. Grizzlies are quite intimidating. Once I got off the mountain at a gas stop I asked one of the local Canadians where to get something to eat since it seems everything shuts down early in Canada. I told him I was headed to Alaska and he said he would be traveling the Alaska Highway as well tomorrow. He gave me directions to Dennys. After a cold nights sleep in a community college parking lot I saddled up and took on the Alaska Highway. Let me say this right away, The Alaska Highway sucks ass!!! It should be called the Alaska Hellway. This is the worst road I have ever been on in my entire life and is sure wasn't made for a Harley-Davidson to ride on. Loose gravel, giant potholes, and concrete with tarsnaked ruts made for a horrible ride. I did have one good experience on the highway though. I had pulled over to put on my cold weather gloves when someone pulled over in a white Nissan truck in front of me. It turned out to be the guy who gave me directions to Dennys. He got a gas can out and filled up my tank but refused to let me pay him. Great people! As beautiful as the mountains were in B.C. and the Yukon you couldn't enjoy any of the scenery or the area because of the road and you better be watching for moose. Once the sun started going down the moose came out and these things were huge. Once it got dark I wheeled into a campground and had my coldest night's sleep of all, not to mention when I woke up the next morning it was raining. The rain could not have come at a worse time as it was July 1st and I needed to do some serious miles today. I had on every bit of gear I had but could not get warm and the freezing rain made it almost impossible to ride. Between the road and the weather I was making very little progress. Thankfully it quit raining once in the Yukon so I was able to do a little better even though the road seemed to get worse. I made it to Alaska around 1 a.m. and crossed the border. Canada was cool but I was glad to be back in the U.S.A. I had intended to keep riding to Fairbanks where the next checkpoint was but the closest open gas station was 90 miles away and I probably had 60 miles of gas at best. I slept on the front porch of the first gas station I came to and gassed up the next morning when they opened. At this time I decided I was going to skip Fairbanks and head for Anchorage and on to Homer because it was Friday July 2nd and my wife was coming in today. Once I got rolling and got to the Anchorage/ Fairbanks intersection I headed to Fairbanks and the checkpoint. As bad as I wanted to see my wife I would have had a hard time looking myself in the mirror to not finish the ride, especially with it coming to an end. I headed on to Fairbanks to the checkpoint at H-D Farthest North Outpost. Checkpoint 6- 2339.8 miles.

Home stretch. While at Fairbanks my wife called and said her flight wasn't getting in till 10:30 p.m. Alaska time. This should put us both in Homer around the same time. The problem was I had already ridden several hundred miles and had close to six hundred miles to go. Mother Nature didn't make things any easier with very cold crosswinds through Denali National Park all the way to Anchorage. At Anchorage she decided to add rain to the mix which put me at a very slow pace. It was two hundred and twenty miles to Homer from Anchorage which I figured would be a piece of cake. The rain and cold was wearing on me and it seemed the miles were going by at a snails pace. At one point I came upon another rider who had dropped his Road Glide in the middle of the road due to fatigue so after getting him going we rode together the rest of the way. Fourteen miles out I decided I was going to wait for my wife at a gas station and we go in together but the guy riding with me talked me into going on in and crossing the finish line so I could get warm and rest. So on Saturday, July 3rd after twelve days and two hours of sleeping by my bike every night, going without a shower, too many wrong turns to mention, and seven checkpoints I crossed the finish line and completed the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge! Checkpoint 7- 575.9 miles.

The July 4 party was pretty laid back while I was there. It was good to see people I had met along the road again and it was fantastic to see that my buddy Greg had made it. You could definitely feel a sense of pride in everyone there. I stayed for a group photo then headed out to spend some quality time with my wife.

In conclusion, the mileage of this ride turned out to be 8542.5 miles not counting the numerous wrong turns and backtracking that had to be done. Once the ride was over there was some complaining about this being a poorly organized event and there were accusations of it being a scam and there being no prize money. For a first time event of this magnitude I felt the organizers done very well getting a ride together that went across this entire country as well as Canada on all back roads. As far as the prize money that is between the organizers and the first place finisher. I am neither so is it not my concern. I have absolutely no complaints with any part of this ride and I consider it to be an experience of a lifetime. This challenge has given me a sense of accomplishment and has given me memories that will stay with me forever. You got out of this ride what you put in to it. If you looked at it negatively it was probably an unpleasant experience, if you embraced the challenge you came away with great pride and satisfaction. My greatest satisfaction was that I went to all the checkpoints following the route to the best of my ability and that I made the entire journey without using a windshield and having an open faced helmet and that I did it in twelve days and two hours. I've always told myself that I can do anything I want as long as I set my mind to do it and now I know that to be true. It has truly been an honor to be part of the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge.

JJ Phipps

Hoka Hey Competitor #111

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

1955 Triumph Land Speed Bike 1st Time Starting


Click above for a little video from earlier this evening, my friend George came by to assist and make sure I wasn't missing anything obvious in my excitement and to just check it out. No problems at all, everything went smoothly, ran it on 110 octane gas. Slides on carbs were set all the way down, just need to adjust that as with a little bit of throttle it fired right up. I couldn't be more stoked!

Tyler

'55 Triumph Tank & Fairing Paint In Progress


I got these photos from Joe at Jerry's House of Kolors last night, he is working on the fairing and tank for my Bonneville bike. I can't wait to see it done


Monday, July 26, 2010

I got my Vanson Leathers today!

UPS showed up today with a big box from Vanson Leathers. And inside? My race leathers. Bonneville is feeling VERY real now! Time to get that bike finished up, tested, and tuned! Then break in those leathers and that race bike on the salt.......I can't wait.

The Lowbrow Holeshot - Party and Dirt Track Racing in Salem, Ohio Sept. 18th & 19th 2010


Another party and some race spectating is ready to roll for September 18th and 19th in Salem, Ohio. Check out the Lowbrow Holeshot webpage for more updates. Pass it on to your friends and get ready, this should be a real blowout.

Pre Unit Triumph Race Bike For Sale


FOR SALE: Triumph pre unit race bike, 70% ready for racing at Bonneville or El Mirage. Located in Pacoima, CA at Four Aces Cycle. Contact Wes White at fouracescycle@aol.com if interested. $4000

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Kyle Starts his Triumph Race Bike for the 1st Time


A quick video of Kyle starting his '67 Triumph 650 c.c. land speed bike for the first time this Sunday afternoon. Almost ready to ride!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Transmission Rebuild Redux.

Well my transmission seemed to lock up the other day. Didn't exactly make me happy, I have been days away from starting this bike for a week and a half now! I pulled it apart, sorted out the issue and got it dialed in, smooth crisp shifts everytime now. Needless to say I am even more familiar with this transmission than I was before, could be a handy skill to have on the salt.
I also finished making my shift and brake linkages I am pretty stoked with the way they turned out, and most importantly they works great!
I also took a bit of time to drill, tap, and vent my rockerbox caps. Just another item to check off the To Do list. Tomorrow static time the engine, and install my special built Hunt magneto! Cheers, Kyle

Friday, July 23, 2010

Tiger In My Tank


I woke up this morning with a couple late-night texts from Wes White of Four Aces Cycle. He poured some 105 in his race bike and fired it up, now ready (mostly!) for Bonneville. Wes is a true Triumph guy, and I don't think anyone could think differently. At least one of us has a running race bike! I gotta get back to work...

Tyler

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challange 2010....Part 1

I would like to thank Lowbrow Customs for their sponsorship and support during my ride.

The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge was awesome! Let me start off by saying that when Jim Red Cloud said this would be a "Challenge" he meant every word of it. Nothing like a good ol' challenge to go along with riding from Key West Florida to Homer Alaska on all back roads with a fourteen day time limit for my first cross country motorcycle trip. I decided to make the trip even more challenging by not putting a windshield on my Night Train and using an open faced helmet. I've never liked nor used windshields.

Seven hundred and fifty of us headed out of Key West around 6:30 a.m to a great sunrise with lots of folks cheering us on all the way to Homestead which was cool. I never been a big fan of riding in Florida but I was impressed with the back roads in the Homestead area. The first accident happened a few hours outside of Homestead when two Hoka Hey riders traveling in the same direction somehow crashed causing the road to be shut down for about an hour. Those in front of the wreck were able to put some distance on those behind the wreck. Once we got rolling again our next logjam came at a toll road because we had to get a receipt from the toll lady who was not prepared for the rolling thunder. She probably would've called in sick if she knew what was coming that day. After that there was one more wreck when a rider high sided after missing a turn and letting off his rear brake after locking it down. The rest of the morning/ afternoon was pretty calm till around 4:00 p.m when the bottom fell out of the sky. When the rain started it didn't let up and it rained hard (Sunshine State my ass!!!).

It was kind off comical watching a fifty deep pack of Harley's riding on these small backroads making countless turns and splashing through water puddles. The rain quit just outside of our first checkpoint which was Destination Daytona. Checkpoint 1- 616.4 miles.


I got my next map and headed out in the darkness. Navigating at night sucks-wrong turns galore. It would take me to New Mexico to learn to quit trying to navigate at night (more on that later). I got close to the Georgia line and seen a group setting up for the night so I pulled in and set up my tent. I didn't sleep much that night seeing how it was my first time ever camping as every little noise woke me up. This would be the only night I would have trouble sleeping the entire trip. I got up around 5 a.m and got rolling and entered Georgia and continued through to Alabama. As the sun came up this day it got very, very, hot! The hottest day of the whole ride to me. By the time I got to Alabama I was roasting and on top of that I had a scare when my tank bag holding my directions blew off when I was passing a semi. Luckily I found it on the side of the road back where I was making my pass, I was afraid it may have stuck to the semi as I was going by it since the tank bag was magnetic. While in Alabama I was having real hard time following the Hoka Hey map. I kept taking wrong turns and having to backtrack which was not alot of fun in the heat. It was at this time myself and probably the majority of the riders realized we could not depend on just our given map and none of us were really prepared for it. Before this ride started almost everyone, including myself, had certain expectations and ideas as to what this ride was going to be like and what challenges we were going to have to face. We were prepared for our endurance and riding ability to be challenged but we were not prepared for our navigating ability to be challenged. The biggest thing that really shook us as far as the directions was that we did not know how far we were supposed to travel on a given road. We may have to travel twenty miles, we may have to travel five hundred miles. When you were tired or not sure you were on the right road paranoia would set in and you would start questioning whether you had missed a turn and should you go back to check or should you keep going so that you didn't waste miles. The fear was that if you missed your turn and kept going you would have to go back that much further to get on the right road or if you went back and realized you didn't miss your turn you just lost time by adding unnecessary miles when you should have kept going. This was where alot of people came to a crossroads on this ride. You had the harleybabies who started pissing, moaning, and whining because there wasn't a pink ribbon attached to each sign where we were supposed to turn (I suppose these people seeing half a million slipping through their fingers had something to do with them being pissed off) and then you had those that came to ride and realized that the organizers were very serious when they said this would be a CHALLENGE! I decided to embrace the challenge part and walked my happy ass into a convenient store and asked directions, actually we all did. I suck at navigating anyway. My nickname is wrongway JJ. We realized we needed to use all resources available which meant asking the locals if we were on the right track. One thing I learned on this trip is that there are alot of good people in this country as well as Canada. One guy even flagged us down and had us follow him in his personal vehicle to get us on track when we were all wondering around a small town lost because the city had changed the names of the street signs after our maps were printed. Store clerks were always extremely helpful as they would go as far as getting a local map out to show us the way. This became a regular routine the rest of the trip. So we bumbled and stumbled around till we finally made it to our next checkpoint in Mississippi, Southern Thunder H-D. Checkpoint 2- 905.1 miles.

Day 3 had me heading through Tennessee into Arkansas which is as far west as I have been with the exception of Sturgis twice and a small ride in San Diego, CA so I am know in uncharted territory. Arkansas was a pretty nice ride and was not as hot as the south and if I knew what was coming I would have enjoyed it more because I was about to enter a very miserable part of this ride- Oklahoma. Oklahoma blows, literally. The crosswinds were terrible, the roads were terrible, and the scenery was terrible. Straight, flat, bumpy roads and crosswinds that would knock your head off. I cannot tell you how happy I was to get into New Mexico. New Mexico was a good, bad, good situation for me. I got out of motorcycle purgatory in Oklahoma and got into Motorcycle bliss in New Mexico. The scenery was beautiful, and the riding was great! This was why I was on this trip, to see places like this. At this time I was riding alone and feeling pretty good so I wound up riding for twenty three hours that day. Unfortunately I was riding alone and feeling pretty good so I wound up riding for twenty three hours that day. This was where whatever minute chance I had at winning this thing went down the toilet. Our directions for New Mexico were to ride north and then west paralleling, but not entering the Colorado state line. I kept riding north in the dark because the road I was on was supposed to intersect to another road to head west. I figured I had not made it far enough north yet (remember we didn't know how far we were supposed to travel on any given road) so I kept going not realizing I had entered Colorado- bad. There were no state line signs posted on the road I was on. So I camped out at 9900 ft elevation freezing to death and sleeping in everything I had including my rain suit and woke up to even colder temperatures. Making yourself get out of a warm sleeping bag into the cold is not easy. After packing up I kept heading north til I needed gas. Once I gassed up I went in the store to warm up and noticed there were maps of Colorado everywhere. I asked the clerk where I was and she said South Park Colorado. Yes, that South Park. I then asked her how far from the New Mexico line I was and she said at least one hundred and fifty miles. I cannot begin to express the sick feeling that came over me at this time. At this time the temptation was to cut across Colorado to Arizona and get back on track there but that wouldn't be right and I couldn't say I completed the ride if I knowingly took a short cut. So I started backtracking to get on the right road and even though I was pissed at going so far out of the way I seen even more beautiful scenery while riding through Colorado- good. It was also as this time I came to the revelation that I didn't need to ride at night for two reasons: 1) I suck at navigating 2) I would miss seeing this country which was my main reason for doing this. Once back in New Mexico I got back on track and made it to Arizona trouble free. I would have a hate/ love relationship with Arizona as well as the rest of places I went for the rest of the trip. I would hate the first part of the state/ country and love the second part. The first part of Arizona was long, straight, endless, crappy roads in unbearable heat-not as bad as southern heat but close. I would crest a hill on one straight, endless, crappy road hoping for something different but there would only be another long, straight, endless, crappy road as I headed down toward Show Low before going back up toward Flagstaff. When I first entered Arizona I was on the Red Rock Hwy looking for a turn that never seemed to materialized. To make matters worse along with the heat was road construction and I was getting pelted with rock and sand. Feeling like I missed my turn I pulled off where a flagman was standing to check my atlas to see where I was. The flagman asked me if I was looking for a road. I told him yes and he said I passed it about 20 miles back. I don't think I was the first biker he saw looking for that road. Once again, great people in this country. I got back on track and kept going and so did the roads. It was in Arizona though that I had the good fortune of meeting a future friend- Greg Darby. Greg was on an Ultra and had some serious navigation skills so I rode with him as much as possible the rest of the trip. The second half of Arizona was fantastic. Sedona was beautiful and the Grand Canyon massive. The red rock in Arizona is truly unique. We headed on in to Utah and was in awe of monument valley and the surrounding mountain areas. I would definitely like to visit Utah again. We left Utah for Wyoming in the home stretch for our next checkpoint Flaming Gorge H-D. I checked my rear view mirror to find Greg when we got off the exit to see him in sliding off the road headed for a concrete drainage ditch after sliding on a patch of dust on the ramp. The irony was that we had just rode through a boatload of mountain ranges with steep grades and curves with no trouble and here he was about to eat it on the exit ramp. He went down the hill and I waited to see an explosion of plastic dresser parts fly up in the air but to my surprise up comes Greg on the other side with the bike laid down riding it to a stop and then does the first thing we all do when we crash even it we're lying...jumps up and says "I'm o.k."...thankfully he was and so was his bike. People helped up get the bike up and on level ground then we rode on to the checkpoint. Checkpoint 3- 2753.7 miles.
Once arriving I left Greg and went on as he had to go over his bike and have it serviced. I was pretty sure I'd see him again. Now I know Wyoming has some good areas to ride in which is why I'm going to rate it higher than Oklahoma but not by much. After getting back on the road I rode in nothing but straight, boring roads with high crosswinds with increasing elevation which made it cold. Hot weather I can handle, but I despise cold weather especially when I'm not expecting it. Civilization was nowhere to be found for the longest time causing fear to creep in of running out of gas. I made it to Casper where I packed it in for the night. I was tired, cold, and disgusted because I hadn't ridden half as far and I was starting to really miss my wife and children. I called her to check in which only made things worse but after I hung up with her I had a message from a longtime close friend who had left me some good words of encouragement. It's funny how the right things can come at the right time. The next morning I continued the ride of boredom into South Dakota where things got better. We had the privilege of going to Chief Oliver Red Clouds home which turned out to be a surprise checkpoint also (Checkpoint 4). I had buffalo stew and Indian pudding for the first time and was honored to be at his home. We were invited to stay and rest up but I decided to get back on the road. Our route led us through The Badlands, Spearfish Canyon, and Deadwood before taking us through another small part of Wyoming then into Montana. I tried to make it through the straight and boring part before stopping and actually spent the night on an Indian Reservation outside of Billings. Once into the mountains Montana was very impressive and the roads were in good shape too. While cruising along taking everything in I noticed a black fairing coming up behind that looked familiar. Sure enough it was Greg. Montana was a very enjoyable, relaxing ride. I was hoping to see a bear on this trip but so far no luck. We cruised on in to our next checkpoint at Montana H-D in Missoula.

Checkpoint 5- 1351.6 miles.

JJ Phipps, Hoka Hey Competitor #111


More to come, Part 2 of The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challange. Thanks a ton JJ, this write up was amazing! Just another thing to add to the "To Do" list of life!

Lowbrow Customs is proud to now stock Fabricator Kevin's Parts!


We just got in our first batch of Fabricator Kevin's bitchin' custom parts, 100% hand made in the USA. Fab Kevin needs no introduction, check out some of his high quality, bullet proof parts here.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

The race heats up...

Kyle seems to have the advantage in getting his bike running first... but then again when I was up at 8 this morning and didn't see him at the shop I had a feeling he was taking a rare day off. And so I am catching up, with quick progress being made daily now that fab is done and final fit and finish is the main task of the day, no more grinding and sweating and welding. Got the front end together this evening, I really love how it all comes together and looks nice after so much planning and work, having not seen it all with the new chrome, final polish and new hardware.


More coming shortly...

Tyler

Mooneyes Summer 2010 Summer Show Today!

Go see BF Josh at the Lowbrow Customs booth at the Mooneyes show right now! Thanks to Sarah for the picture!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Getting Closer!

Down to the detail work now! Had one small issue so I need a part before I can add the fluids, install and time my Hunt Magneto and fire this up! Thanks again to Tom from TNT Custom Paint for doing an amazing job on my tins!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

PUSHING FORWARD

I got some work done on my 67 T120 Bonneville (the T100 Tuesday was a typo!) yesterday and today but it was like pulling teeth. I was short hardware, had the wrong hardware, was missing some small parts, and the chain I bought didn't work. Ends up a Pingel 530 drag chain is so heavy duty it is too thick to clear the cases without clearancing them! On the up side I got my exhaust pretty much mounted as well as my rocker oil feed. Check out the slick rectangular exhaust clamps too! Alot of trick parts are coming out of Tyler and my land speed bikes and will be making it onto the website!
I got my oil tank mounted, saftey wired and my braided stainless oil lines run and my dead man switch mounted.
I'm pretty happy with the progress and have parts showing up tomorrow and Saturday so I can get this buttoned up! Thanks from all of us here at Lowbrow Customs to everyone for all the support and the feedback! Cheers, Kyle

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Fast standing still.....

My friend Tom from over at TNT Custom Paint brought the tank and fender for m '67 T100 over today and I couldn't be happier! He did exactly what I wanted but even better than I imagined! Of course I had to drop it right on the frame and get a look at the big picture. This is the first time I have seen this project this together ever, the tank went out to paint before the engine was ever in the frame, and before the front end was ever assembled.
I am stoked to say the least! I can't wait to get crackin' the next couple evenings and get this thing buttoned up! I want to hear it run this weekend! Cheers, Kyle

Monday, July 12, 2010

David Bird How-To Welding DVDs now available!


The brand new MIG Welding Fundamentals and TIG Welding Fundamentals with David Bird DVDs are now available and up for sale. Be sure to check out the trailers for these DVDs, we couldn't be happier with the quality of the film and of the content! This is a joint effort between Lowbrow Customs, Four Aces Cycle, and David Bird, we had a lot of fun making these films and think they are going to be a big hit.

We also are offering these as a 2 DVD set, buy both and save $5 on the pair.

Thy Will Be Done Art Show, July 17th 2010


Art show in SoCal this Saturday, July 17th! Be sure to check it out, in addition to showing a bunch of great art they are raffling off some nice prizes, check out the blog here for more info.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Thank you Mid-Ohio!

Great weather today a good crowd and partying with the Speedcult crew tonight. I may have missed out on the Rickman I wanted but I scored this 250 Triumph Trophy after the races! Cheers, Kyle

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.4

Friday, July 9, 2010

Mid-Ohio swap meet find!


A bit rainy today and I missed buying the Rickman I had my eye on but I found this jewel in the swap meet for the collection!

1955 Triumph Land Speed Racing Motor


A package arrived early this morning that I have been waiting for with baited breath. Wes, my good friend and Triumph motor go-to-guy over at Four Aces Cycle put together this motor for me for my Lakes bike. What is inside it? What trick parts does it have? Come race me on the Salt and you can guess for yourself! Thanks Wes!

Tyler

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Mid Ohio Vintage Motorcycle Days 2010


We are preparing for Mid Ohio Vintage MC Days, we leave tomorrow to set up. It isn't far from the shop, about an hour, so that is nice for a change, we are used to hauling half way across the country in every direction for bike shows. Come visit us, we have a sprawling setup in a couple new spots this year, P5 and P6. We will be there Friday through Sunday vending, and Mike D from Biltwell is going to be hanging out as well.


Husqvarna is marque of the year this year, and guess who the Grand Marshal is? None other than Malcolm Smith! I hope I get to meet him. Malcolm rules. My wife Larissa watched On Any Sunday with me and she thinks he rules too.

Tyler

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Final assembly begins!

I decided to just paint my 67 T120 frame due mostly to the fact that we are down to about 4 weeks till we hit the road for Bonneville. So after letting the paint cure for the weekend and catching up on emails and orders today it is time for final assembly! I'm pretty damn excited so I am forcing myself to take my time and do it right.
Some grade 8 holding the frame together and my rearsets in their new home.
The engine in its place, fit like a glove and just a couple little touch-ups. Not bad for putting it in alone! I also finished sorting out my bearing setup for my NOS Ceriani front end.

The goal for tomorrow: get the front end fully assembled, clip-ons and throttle installed, steering damper bolted up, and install the rear wheel and brake set-up (who needs front brakes?) and mount the oil tank. I am excited to see this take shape, I never had all the parts together at once so seeing it come together fully is a first even for me. Cheers, Kyle

Happy Belated 4th of July


I was too busy swimming and hanging with the family and sweating my ass off in our un-airconditioned house to get a blog post up in time. This is what the 4th is all about, babies eating watermelon in the sunshine. That and keeping the King of England out of our face! Thanks to all our armed forces, current and veterans, it is great to be an American.

Tyler

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Heading into the home stretch.....

I disassembled my bike and began the paint prep yesterday, and sprayed the frame again this morning and then set my sights on the engine. Fully installed the Bob Newby belt drive, sorted through all my parts to finish the top end assembly, and took care of a bunch of detail assembly. I am excited to get to it after the weekend and begin final assembley on my frame once the paint is cured. All these parts will start looking like a motorcycle! Rumor is my tins will be back from paint next week also.
Funny thing about a build like this in such a short timeframe is that every day you can alternate between confidence of finishing with plenty of time to tune and test, then later that afternoon feel overwhelmed at how many details are left! Evidently some of us even talk about motorcycle parts in our sleep. Like the Man in Black said, one piece at a time......
Cheers, Kyle

Friday, July 2, 2010

Photos from the Lowbrow Getdown


The Lowbrow Getdown was a big success, with over 100 people riding in from NJ, New Hampshire, NY, PA, MI, and all over Ohio, as well as Canada! Click the photo above or here to check out a Flickr set with a bunch of photos from the event. Some of these photos are credited to Tim Averre and Atesh, and perhaps others, this is all the photos that have come in, if you have any to add email them to us!

Tyler