There are getting to be lots of different ways to do something about this dating problem from just breaking out the bucks and repainting to vinyl wraps to what Elite Custom Coatings Inc in Raleigh, North Carolina, refers to as “hydro-dipping” on this Ben Franklin-covered finish. You’ve possibly seen this process already without realizing what it was other than firing up the...

  My first memory of highway addiction came even earlier from the short lived, but much remembered show, ‘Route 66’ starring Todd (Martin Milner as the boringly straight, ex-rich guy) and Buzz (George Maharis as the troubled, but tender guy).  Week after week, they hit the road to anywhere in a  baby blue 1960 Corvette, supposedly the only thing left to Todd by his dead, ex-rich...

     So, that’s exactly what I did when I asked Stan Houfek of Hard Knox Cycles in Wilmington, North Carolina, what the inspiration was behind this particular build. Hey, you gotta believe me that sometimes, okay not many times, but sometimes, the obvious is not the obvious. Obviously Stan must have thought he was being interviewed by the only motorcycle writer that had never seen...

  Going all out, Jason spec’d a high end TP 124” motor, 5 speed Baker transmission, RC Wizard wheels, and a 240 Metzeler rear tire.  The Pagan Green paint with silver tribal flames was applied by Shane at Staten Island’s Wetcoats and according to Dr. Digby, he did a first class job.  The bike ends up getting groped a lot, as people want to reach down and feel the smoothness of the...

  Fort Worth’s Cohen brothers, Jimmie Lee and JC, are not only the comedic equals of Ethan and Joel as far as I’m concerned after many hilarious conversations with them, but serious as hell about their chosen profession. They build a mean motorcycle at their shop called Three Two Choppers, each one different from the last, that also has a style you know is theirs even if you didn’t...

    Chris and Gabe Gibbany live, breath, and possibly eat Harleys (not recommended by the Attorney General and me and just about anyone else I know) and it wouldn’t surprise me if dinnertime involved one asking the other to “Please pass the 50-weight.” All right, you’re right, I’m totally exaggerating, but when they describe what makes them tick and how they build their bikes, you...

Ah America, where you not only have an option of buying a V8-powered production motorcycle, but you even have a choice of brands. Ask someone to name a V8 motorcycle company and odds are they’ll answer “Boss Hoss” and that’s not surprising as Boss Hoss definitely made the first usable production V8 bike and still is turning them out today. But, like everything else, sometimes...

Josh Soto claims that whenever he builds a bike, he can always picture the finished build in his head before he starts working on it. Despite that fact, while The Snake may have already taken shape in Soto’s mind, it didn’t get its name right away. As Josh tells it, “Pipes are one of the toughest things to do on a bike that’s gonna be different. Everything’s been done. Everyone...

Jason Thomas was born to build. His father owned a body shop and built cars and bikes for as long as Jason can remember. Now, as owner of Thomas Speed Shop in Farmington, Arkansas, Jason is carrying on the family tradition. “We build customs, hot rods, bikes and just about anything else with a motor,” Jason said. His calls his newest creation a 2001 Hardtail Springer Bobber...

This Big Dog K-9 is owned by Trent Purdue of Troy, North Carolina. Purchased new in 2006, Trent has put about 2,000 miles on the bike so far. It’s one of three bikes he owns. Photos by Jack Cofano.