Hank Thibodeau of Widowmaker Custom Design & Repair in Rougemont, North Carolina, is the brain and the brawn behind this bike built specifically to give away. No, not just to anybody, but a raffle bike to support the 4 LUV of Kids organization that helps really, really sick kids. I’d dare say it was a success too as Widowmaker CDR raised a bunch of money. Now, that’s a...

   Paul Binford of Binford’s Custom Cycles in Manteca, California, is one of those guys. He makes his money building choppers, bobbers and baggers, but he’s always got an eye out for something different. His thoroughly wicked dual sport/supermoto Sportster with a hint of hill climber called Captain Bad Ass shows he’s still got wild stuff going on in his head that will probably...

   What made it interesting to me after looking at it was that it appeared to be one of those chops probably made in the late ‘90s or shortly after Y2K landed with a quiet thud. TV choppers had gotten everybody revved up for one of their own and there was always a new corner shop that would most happily oblige an offer for a build. What might be considered a mild custom to most...

   Yeah, I do have an affinity for the look of old Harleys, any Harleys even the not-so-pretty-ones when new but with a style that grows on you over time. Well maybe anything other than the brown bikes. The color brown just shouldn’t be on a bike unless it’s leather, but hey, that’s just my opinion. Vintage tank badges that I just thought of as old stuff when I was a kid now look...

   Just imagine this radical Road King without the bags and you’d have a pretty damn nice chop right there. All the elements of a modern day chopper are there with a lot more sophistication than what we think of when we think chopper, but it’s getting hard to really see the big friggin’ difference unless you’re comparing it to a real Old School chop. That’s the David Mann stuff and...

  Now if Mattel had ventured off into the real world knocking out 1:1 scale bikes like this rather charming Hot Wheels Sportster our photographer, Cap’n Jack Cofano, captured at the Smoke Out 17, I think they might have gotten my attention. Some bikes just do that to you instantly and this mystery build Hot Wheels Harley-Davidson Sportster certainly does that for me. Like a toy to...

     So, with that in mind, we’re giving a satisfied custom trike shout-out to the crew at Beach Customs Inc. in Little River, South Carolina, for showing its smarts and taking on a factory-built trike as the basis for a pretty rad trike. That it looks more factory than over the top show bike crazy is also a plus. I’m not sure who is personally responsible for the conception, but...

   Just imagine this radical Road King without the bags and you’d have a pretty damn nice chop right there. All the elements of a modern day chopper are there with a lot more sophistication than what we think of when we think chopper, but it’s getting hard to really see the big friggin’ difference unless you’re comparing it to a real Old School chop. That’s the David Mann stuff and...

    Not only is it a Road King, but it’s a 2016 Harley-Davidson Road King. The real thing, but it isn’t anymore as far as I’m concerned after the crew at Misfit Industries in Addison, Texas, got their hands on it. Mercy me, there’s not a bag in sight for one thing and there’s a damn good reason for that as it’s a showcase for Misfit Industries Patent Pending new monoshock rear...

   Yes, there is a common denominator there and it’s money, but what angle you choose to solve your apparent dilemma could affect how much money you have to spend in the first place. There’s also something involved that is completely emotional like actually being attached to your bike. People do bond with their bikes and trading it in is not on their radar. Their bike is their...