You can’t look at this bike without being immediately drawn to those impressive wheels that not only look like they’re made of wood, but actually are. This is not as crazy as it sounds when you think back to early wagon and car wheels that were made of hardwood. The choice of ash for the ten-spoke wheels melds well with the brass fittings to the 20” rims. Integral to the period...

  As you can see, what Mike had drawn was a curvaceously fanciful bike that incorporated original thinking and lots of fabrication to produce. The frame is more like an exoskeleton than an internal sub assembly and holds the required motivation pieces like exposed organs. The 8” out and 1” down frame swoops around like Walt Disney animators designed it and there’s not a straight...

Click here for more photos… This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #63, August 2008. SPECIFICATIONS Owner: David Micklevitz/ Leading Edge Customs Year/Make: 2007 Tank-less custom Fabrication: David Micklevitz/ Leading Edge Customs Assembly: David Micklevitz/ Doug Vancil Build time: Year-and-a-half Engine:...

  Apparently Ian is a betting man as he bought a pair of trashed Continental W670 radial cylinders on eBay to mockup a 3-D plan to see if it was dimensionally and aesthetically correct as a base to build around. “I liked the way the cylinders looked, these have elegant lines, and they were a reasonable size,” said Ian. “ Some of the bigger radials are huge, the dimensions are such...

Click here for more photos… This bike feature originally appeared in Barnett’s Magazine issue #55, May-June 2007. SPECIFICATIONS: Owner: Tom Eggers Year / Make: 06 Chopsmiths Fab/ Assembly: Hart and friends Build time: 10 days Engine: Dangerous Dan-Shovel Cases: Delkron Flywheels: JIMS Evo Press Rods: JIMS H Beam...

  Many builders get ideas for future bikes at shows, sometimes from what other builders are doing, sometimes from an innovative part, and sometimes from a friend who happens to be the owner of Independent Cycle Inc. “I had used a couple of his frames in the past, but when I met Jesse Jurrens in Myrtle Beach he showed me his new three-inch, drop-neck LOWLIFE frame and talked me into...

This bike definitely has the “Wow” factor. I’m glad that he won his motor class, but it must have been hard to choose between Kodlin and Kawata for the grand prize. He flawlessly blended detail, innovation, and continuity of the theme throughout the bike. C’mon — a single sided, double shock front-end with decent travel, a flipped motor, and an improved direct drive final that will...

When I asked Chica what he thought of the other S&S Anniversary bikes, he made an interesting comment that I have to quote: “When Arlen builds a wild bike, everyone says it’s ugly at first. Then, when his design sparks other ideas that people like, those same people will start building bikes that look like Arlen’s. He’s a true trendsetter.” With great respect, I’d call this...

Leave it to one of the Ness’s to think up the idea to put wheel spokes outside the rim and hub. I hope people notice how much more custom work was required to get those wheels to fit within the rear section of a frame and the front-end. Plus, the front-end curves on the bike appear identical to the curvature of the spokes — curved frame structures are far more difficult to build...

What I love about the Covingtons is how they are not afraid to modify metal; they see billet aluminum chunks as blank canvas. If you look close, you can see the intricate scrollwork on the billet surfaces. Keep in mind that they made most of the parts and there’s crazy machining on each one. -Greg Friend, West Coast Editor Using an old H-D frame and S&S Shovelhead motor for...