KULLY’S TORSION-BAR EQUIPPED STREET TRACKER
November 13, 2024
As seen in Hot Bike Magazine Kully Millage, the builder of this 1960 custom Ironhead, was still in high school when he built his first custom bike. Coming from a racing background, he wasn’t even into street bikes when he took it upon himself to complete…
MOONEYES – WHEN YOKOHAMA BECOMES THE CENTER OF THE BIKE WORLD
October 23, 2024
What is motorcycling, if not an incredible way to experience the world? I’ll bet this was a big part of why many of you started, and continue, to ride. We are out there, our senses heightened, experiencing how the temperature drops several degrees as we…
BORN FREE TEXAS – WHO SAYS THE LONE STAR STATE CAN’T GO ORGANIC
October 17, 2024
People are already pulling in and setting up camp for the third annual iteration of Born Free Texas, but there is still time to adjust your plans and get there before the party kicks into high gear. This incredible event took the best ingredients from bike…
September 27, 2024
Fall is upon us, and Sturgis has come and gone. As you probably expect me to say, it was another great year. (Possibly because I’ve been saying this for over forty years?) But you may ask, what makes any particular Black Hills Rally great? I asked this of friends, and despite their diverse…
MAYHEM IN THE STREETS! THE 20TH ANNUAL INDIAN LARRY BLOCK PARTY
September 19, 2024
There are so many reasons why we choose to ride motorcycles, and these are as varied as the bike you may purchase or build, as well as the type of riding you gravitate towards. Most would agree that that feeling of freedom you get riding in the wind is on…
FOUR CORNER, THE RIDING RALLY, AND SO MUCH MORE
August 27, 2024
There aren’t many parts of America more beautiful than the “Four Corners,” where New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado meet. These are the only four states in the country where such a meeting occurs. To mark the spot is the Four Corners Monument, a must-visit site for bikers riding the…
GOT IT GOING ON – TAKA AND HIS BLUE GROOVE
August 22, 2024
Can you imagine twenty bikers being invited to go for a group ride on vintage foot-clutch Harley-Davidsons from a collection for which they may or may not know the owner. And imagine doing this in a country where they ride on the opposite side of the road, and where all the signs are written with characters they can’t read in…
A MOVING STORY, MAJIK MIKE’S “CHOP-BOB”
July 19, 2024
This Majik Mike Rabideau custom moves. And in Mike’s mind, it moves even when standing still. That’s the look he tries to achieve with every build, and this custom Shovel hit the mark. This one may take it a step further to look like it’s racing, perhaps reminiscent of some…
BORN FREE. A HOLY GRAIL THAT’S SO CALI-CENTRIC!
June 20, 2024
When I think of Born Free, I can’t help recalling my first trip heading there from Colorado. It was Born Free-3, and I was riding with a group of guys on Honda 750 four-cylinder choppers out of Denver. They were so passionate about their bikes, the ride, and the culture…
THE DONNIE SMITH SHOW – A SOCIAL EVENT & KICKOFF TO THE SEASON
June 17, 2024
“Number one, this is a social event.” That’s what Neil Ryan, the co-owner of the Donnie Smith Show, told me in St. Paul after the show’s 35th iteration the last weekend of March. And that’s exactly what it felt like. Everyone was pent up all winter and itching to get…
THE TMMR – A SUPER-CHARGED FAMILY REUNION
May 15, 2024
There’s nothing like a good regional motorcycle event. I’m not referring to bike events limited by their geography but rather those enhanced by it. They reflect the character and nuances of their area, as Laconia Bike Week conjures New England, the Lone Star Rally in Galveston reflects the Gulf Coast…
KEEPING AN EAR TO THE GROUND. DAYTONA BIKE WEEK 2024
May 8, 2024
I’m not sure whether it was the great weather or, perhaps, a change in perspective, but Daytona’s 2024 Bike Week was the best ever (and that’s with more than forty years under my belt)! I didn’t have a shooting list or a grand plan when heading to Florida. Instead…
THE ONE SHOW – LOTS OF CHARACTER, ALWAYS NEW AND DIFFERENT
April 16, 2024
“Been down that road!” You hear this (both literally and figuratively) from people who say they’ve been to a show before and don’t have the gumption to go back. But shows change, and if they don’t, they simply wither and die. The One Motorcycle Show is an excellent case in…
NICK PENSABENE’S “TODAY CHOPPER” – FOR THE LOVE OF IT
April 8, 2024
Nick Pensebene has been building bikes since he got out of high school at 18 and bought his first Harley. He bolted on all the accessories he could, but that wasn’t enough. He wanted to showcase his personal style, so very quickly, he found an old ’68 XLCH Sportster to…
April 1, 2024
Joe Petruzzi wasn’t the first to make a water-cooled Harley-Davidson Knucklehead, but many think he was the best. Dale Drake actually came up with the idea earlier when he realized the advantages of converting air-cooled Knucklehead engines to water-cooling in that new breed of racecar, the “midget.”…
March 15, 2024
Are you on the Prowl for the next great bike event? Are you searching for the perfect chopper show and party? Well, here’s your ticket. I’m referring to a fantastic motorcycle street party that started in 2015, the Howl and Prowl. At its inception, this Bisbee, Arizona event attracted mostly…
GARAGE BUILDS – AN UNRECOGNIZED FOLK ART?
March 6, 2024
What a great idea – a program to celebrate “garage builders,” and that’s it. A series of “Garage Build” custom bike shows presented by Dennis Kirk date back to 2018 in Sturgis and Daytona, as well as the dedicated Garage Build website that went live around the same time…
“CHOICES” – JEREMY VALENTINE’S PANHEAD BOBBER (AND HE’S MADE THE RIGHT ONES)
March 1, 2024
For some, motorcycling isn’t a choice. It’s in their DNA and courses through their blood. Jeremy Valentine is such a case in point. His parents split up by the time he was seven, and his dad Joe, being in the military, was gone for much of his upbringing and then…
ARIZONA BIKE WEEK, THE BIG PICTURE
February 23, 202
Arizona Bike Week has been around since a group of local bikers started meeting in Avondale, just west of Phoenix, in 1997. It’s undergone a number of changes over the years, but since settling in at WestWorld of Scottsdale in 2006, its growth has been exponential. The event now boasts…
CHERRY BOMB – A 90-DAY DASH TO SAMURAI STYLE
February 16, 2024
Thirty years ago, the last person that would have thought a “Cherry Bomb” could explode after 90 intense days of work would have been the builder of this bike, Mark Shell. Back then, he had just quit his day job bagging groceries at the local supermarket, the proceeds of which…
EYE CANDY, DUSTIN WERNER’S SKINNY SHOVEL CHOPPER
February 2, 2024
“Eye Candy,” the name of this traditional 70s-style skinny chopper, is appropriate as there is so much to look at. What is great is how it has achieved a perfect balance – not too much, and not too little, of anything. It is simple, but the more you look, the…
RHETT HOLLEY’S ROOT BEER FLOAT
January 25, 2024
Root Beer Floats remind me of being a kid on a hot summer day. Do you remember watching what happens when you pour cold Root Beer over vanilla ice cream in a mug? And that beautiful explosion of bubbles and froth that follows. A big smile would be on my…
THE BEST WAY TO END ANY YEAR – THE LONE STAR RALLY
January 13, 2024
There seems to be no bigger four-day gathering of motorcyclists on the planet than the Lone Star Rally. And yet, of all the big rallies, there isn’t one that can somehow feel as homey and intimate. That’s what the boundless character and charm of Galveston, Texas, offers as a backdrop…
RICK FAIRLESS’ ANNIVERSARY FLAG CHOPPER
January 6, 2024
Rick Fairless is of that generation that went and saw the film Easyriders as a young teenager when it was first released. The movie had such a profound effect on him that after seeing the film, Rick knew his life would always revolve around motorcycles. He loved seeing friends getting…
STEVE’S PAN – THE PEOPLE’S CHAMP
January 3, 2024
Gary Glennon passed his passion for motorcycling to his son Steve when he was just a toddler. Motorcycling was Gary’s thing, so Steve would help in the garage as maintenance was being done, and Gary brought him along to bike shows. Motorcycles are still some of Steve’s earliest memories…