Thought we’d update you on the newest build from Guilty Customs. Actually just 1 of the builds going on now. This “1/2 Pint” took shape in Guilty’s gray matter over a year ago but only got started about 90 days ago. She was supposed to have been shot for a national magazine a few weeks back, however due to some “issues”, it just didn’t work out. Anyway, Guilty is planning to formally unveiling this little dynamo at the Horse SmokeOut in NC this June. So here are some of the spec’s: The power plant comes from a donor 99′ Buell Thunderbolt, custom frame from Twisted Choppers, sheet metal work by Mike Drum, Pin Stripping by George Sedak and seat by Duane Ballard and Chopper Shox seat shocks, which makes this sweetheart a real head turner. And, yes it will stay in “raw metal” condition. If you’ve followed any of the other Guilty bikes you’ll automatically notice the trademark Mooneyes oil bag mounted up front, along with drag racing influences on this bike (note the clear fuel/oil lines and racing connectors). The bike WILL be up for sale, eventually.

As Guilty Customs has “matured” in this industry (as well as had our heads kicked in with the economy over the past year), we’ve found that while building bikes is rewarding, your money seems to run out way before the month does. And we’re not alone! Just look at the number of shops in your own hometown that have shut their doors. So what’s a small shop to do?
Well, you expand your product line and start offering them to others who 1) are builders 2) need to repair their rides or 3) people just looking for some cool stuff. As you can tell we believe in American manufacturers! We still produce products that compete in the world market. Products that are both affordable and meet the rigorous demands of the consumer. This is what has made America the leader for decades. Some people may have lost faith that America can’t produce quality products priced competitively, well, here is Guilty’s notice to those folk!
These Roadhard fenders are made using 14 gauge metal and measure 36” from point to point and are available in 8.75”, 11” and 13” rear fender width and 4.67” for fronts. Rear fenders are trimmed with 4” of skirting for customization and front fenders at 5” of skirting. Guilty is also offering two gas tank kits: the traditional “Chopper Gas Tank” (8” Tall, 12” wide and 22” long and the “Tear Drop Chopper Gas Tank”. Each made using .070 gauge metal with a 2” tunnel and holding 4.5 gallons.
All rear fenders (regardless of size) are priced at $150.00 and front fenders are $130.00 plus shipping. Gas tanks are priced at $140.00 for the Chopper Gas Tank and $209.00 for the Tear Drop Tank. All fenders and gas tanks come with a 100% money back guarantee. A $20.00 discount per fender for quantities over 4 will be offered through June.

If you ride and especially IF you’ve ridden for any length of time, you HAVE had the opportunity of meeting someone that USE to ride motorcycles. However due to a catastrophic accident they no longer are able to do so. Our friend Brian uses a modified H-D Servi-car, but for the most part, paraplegic’s give up their riding helmets and boots as well as the fun and freedom they experienced while riding. Well this is about to change, hopefully. Seems a chance encounter with a paraplegic ex-motorcross champion in a hospital parking lot inspired West Australian Darren Lomman to put together an audacious project: a motorcycle for paraplegic riders - and his working prototype, a heavily modified Honda CBR250RR, is now road licensed and operational. The CBR250RR started off as a University project and has been modified to accommodate riders paralyzed from the chest down, with thumb-activated pneumatic rams for foot-free gear shifting, a combined braking system, custom-moulded ergonomic cups to hold the rider in place without any lower body strength, and a set of steel-braced “landing gear” wheels that drop to provide stability at very low speeds. Lomman and his company Dreamfit are seeking investors to make the project a viable reality for disabled riders.

As a friend of Rick Fairless i’m always excited to hear what he’s up to (He’s recently returned from a trip to Greece, which should include some funny “country meets Greece” stories). This years Sturgis event will also be something to talk about for fans of Rick. One lucky winner will have the chance to spend an entire afternoon during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally with Rick Fairless, on the first annual “Ride With Rick.” All money raised for the ride will benefit Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. “I meet thousands of people every year during the Sturgis rally and I never get to spend much time with any of them,” said Fairless. “People travel a long way to come meet me and this is my way of thanking them- by spending my entire afternoon with them out on the road.” “Ride With Rick” will take place during the rally on Sunday, August 3rd. To make this ride an extra special experience, the winner will be provided with a new Big Dog Motorcycle to enjoy for the afternoon, along with a complimentary Big Dog Motorcycles riding jacket. Together the group will tour the beautiful Black Hills, making stops in Lead, Deadwood, and Spearfish before ending the tour back at Rick’s Strokers Sturgis at Thunder Road.

Raffle tickets for “Ride With Rick” are only $10 each and are available at Strokers Dallas, or can be purchased in the online store at www.strokersdallas.com. All money raised through the sale of tickets will benefit Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. One winner will be drawn July 15th and need not be present to win. Winner is responsible for their own transportation to and from Sturgis, as well as any additional room/board expenses. Winner must have a valid motorcycle license and will be required to wear a DOT approved helmet while riding the provided Big Dog Motorcycle.

The story continues over who will end up taking the reins of embattled American IronHorse Motorcycles. Will it be Scott Meyers or the founder of American IronHorse Bill Rucker or possibly someone else riding off into the sunset with IronHorse? Meyers was the first to pitch a $6.7 million bid which was set by the federal bankruptcy court in May. Rucker followed shortly after with a motion to buy the company for $6.9 million. Both men, Meyers (former president of Alliant Techsystems and multiple Ironhorse Dealership owner) and Rucker (founder of IronHorse and forced out in 03′, operates Rucker Performance-a motorcycle maker and auto customizer) have the drive and or ego’s as well as the money to throw around it seems. For us the question(s) seem to be, 1) do they have the skills/talent etc to turn this company around in a down economy when even H-D is downsizing production and staff? 2) What will become of those owners who have one (or multiple) of IronHorse’s bikes sitting in their garage? IronHorse, which now has eight employees, had a work force of 450 in 2005 when sales peaked at $100 million. Whoever wins will surely get a lot of interest from owners, along with dealers, (who have approximately 750) and Textron Corp (who is the companies main lender) with 400.

Well, this Honda bobber build has been an interesting journey. From having to find different metric parts, or hand making others to having someone make the frame we’ve finally gotten this bike past just a pile of parts on the floor! Now it’s up to a cool looking roller and we’re trying to get the last parts welded and done before sending it to powder-coat and back for final assembly. Damon should have a nice little kick butt bike when we’re through with this. The paint scheme so far is a black matte finish throughout the bike and will include scallops to keep the ol’ school feel. Gotta love that!

“Can i have one in a V-twin… to go please?”. This is Uno, a segway/motorcycle match-up shown at the recent Toronto National Motorbike show. To break it down, the Uno is a electric vehicle-similar to a Segway-using two microgyro-motors (one for forward and reverse and the other for turning). It does have two wheels (however they are mounted side-by-side), and balance’s on them under its own power. Invented by 18 year old Ben J. Poss Gulak and built by John Cosentini of Motorcycle Enhancements (www.motorcycleenhancements.com). The Uno has only one control-a power switch. Everything else, is done by leaning. Cool, but can you do a wheelie on it?

Lucky Charm Choppers were our neighbors at this years Limpnicki Lot during Bike Week. One of the coolest products we scoped out during the event were these “free spinning Polished BS Kicker” pedals. These beauties are made from solid brass stock with machined and welded stainless steel end plates. When Duncan makes these he uses all stainless hardware on a chrome shaft and 1 size fits most applications. Seeing this kicker pedal on one of their bikes you quickly realize that not only were they cool looking, but they were very functional. And with these being handmade the $175.00 price tag is very reasonable. So the question now is “why go with just a regular kicker pedal, when you can have one like this?!”

Japanese custom bike maker Bratsyle say’s they “tinker” with about any make and model motorcycle when building a customers bike or one for them to show off their handiwork. And in a market where they pretty much have to machine most of their parts, your able to quickly see what was required in getting these bikes on the road. We really like the level of craftsmanship, amount of unique parts and the detail involved in each one. Unlike those over-the-top land yacht choppers we’ve seen here in the states over the years, the “Bratstyle” bikes are made to get in-and-out of their traffic snarled cities. We just think they are cool. Take a look at the old-school Firestone slicks often used on their street bikes.

Since we make it a habit of perusing the web on a frequent basis (like EVERY day!) we frequently come across sites that range from down right stupid to unusual and then some we really enjoy! One of those “enjoyable” sites is VintageChop.com. Even their tag line gets us excited, as it says “Old bikes don’t leak, they mark their territory”. Either way, if your into vintage chops, cool builds and unique characters, give a look at Vintage Chop. Make sure to check out the “Downloads” section which has the first 6 issues of Ed Roths Choppers Magazine. Now,that is cool!

Whether your ride V-twins, metric’s, trikes, motocross, drag bikes etc, there is one thing that probably sticks in your gray matter….you remember the first time your saw, rode or heard a motorcycle. Grail Mortillaro over at Knucklebusterinc has a fun “question series” going on called, “One Question Interviews” that really strikes a cord with alot of people about their first memories of motorcycles. Take a trip down memory lane and post your first memories too. There are some very interesting (and funny) postings. Go HERE.

Velocity stacks have been around since the early days when some guys were needing to get more air volume into their engines (whether that was car or motorcycles) so it’s nothing new. And VC’s have taken on various forms/shapes and guys have used various materials based upon their preference. Of course they made their way over to custom motorcycles years ago too due to a couple of reason. 1) They wanted to move a large volume of air into a tight space quickly, 2) They were looking to have something cool between their legs while they rode or 3) they like shiny chrome things to rub on. The Detroit Brothers have a new stack that adds somewhat of a twist to the ever growing line of VC’s. It’s called the “Malice Velocity Stack“. It will fit your stock HD Big Twin Carb from ‘84+, and will also fit S&S Carbs (Super E & G). If your running Mikuni carb’s you’ll have to buy the adapter bracket. MSRP $149.99 in raw aluminum or $169.99 in polished aluminum. Available in raw aluminum (shown) or high polished (+20.00). Measures 5″ OD x 2.25″ thick. K&N Air Filter (shown) not included, but available for $35.00. Looks like we’ll be calling the Bro’s up and getting something new for our next build! Sweet!

The guys at Nash Motorcycle Company are at it again! This time they are rolling out “The Gimp Neck Roller” which was designed with value and showmanship in mind. Since we know these guys personally we can speak to the the quality of their craftsmanship and creativity. These rollers were specifically designed for those riders that have “old school” on their minds and creativity in their heads. Take the Nash style and stance and give it your own unique look to create something special. Available with 16″ apes and 2” Slugger Risers or 5″ pullback Drag Bars with 6” Slugger Risers. Roller sales for $4957.00 and includes free shipping within the US. For additional options please feel free to give Taber and the guys a ring.

If your like most people, you’ve probably thought very little about where or how a motorcycle fender is made. Just that it was made from quality materials, fit your tire, was the style you wanted and U.S. made. Well if you dig a bit deeper on this subject you’ll find that there is not only alot of history to it, but also real talent needed as well as time. Our friends over at Cycle Source Magazine have a very cool story covering the techniques needed to make a truly custom made fender. They spent some time with the guys over at Led Sled Customs out of Dayton, Ohio and received a true education on this almost lost art. Hand spinning came to the US in the early 1800’s and unfortunately the art of hand spinning is almost a lost and forgotten metal forming art. Thanks to Chris and his gang they gave us all some great coverage to appreciate. Take a look HERE.

It’s good news from Billy Lane at Choppers Inc. The company recently launched “The Chopper Diaries”, an Internet based broadcast that will feature a variety of free content such as videos, never before seen photos, staff bios, a message board, as well as a blog hosted by Billy. Motorcycle enthusiast (and yes other builders) will find this informative and even educational. Among the video archives you can find instructional videos, interviews and guest appearances with some of the industry’s greatest builders, and even Billy’s latest projects. Good to hear this is taking off for Billy and the crew at Choppers Inc!