These days Harley-Davidson dealers do all kinds of things to try and pull in customers and that’s all well and good, but I’m a sucker for small independent shops and the lack of a corporate identity. I like a little more nitty with my gritty and finding that perfect blend is not easy. But, next time I’m in the L.A. area, I’ve absolutely got to check out South Bay Customs in El...

  Observing the renewed interest in café racers at the Ace Café was pretty easy for Nick Gale as his bike shop, Nick Gale Custom Cycles, is a short walk from the Ace. It probably shouldn’t come as a big surprise that his entry for the S&S 50th Anniversary Show just might have a café flavor to it, but this is definitely a walk on the wild side compared to his usual fare. “...

  Steve Stone of Stone’s Motorcycle Company in Northborough, Massachusetts, seems to have found a way to have ride and handling, a cool look, and blue- collar affordability all in one package with his Buell-based custom, Wild One. Steve’s been building bikes at the central Massachusetts shop he’s run with his partner in crime, wife Anne, for over thirty years. SMC’s customs have...

  What this bike called Recycled Rat that Sic Chops (short for Scott’s Insane Chops) built specifically for the Café Class at the Daytona Rat’s Hole Show (where it won the Café Racer Showdown) says it all in its name. Scott apparently had a 250cc V-twin Yamaha Virago hanging around and decided there was still some life left in the old girl. After stripping it down and assessing...

  Paul has built a number of bikes over the years, but he came across a design he never had direct experience with. “I had a photo of an old 1915 Emblem motorcycle that I liked. I wanted to use some of their frame designs in this bike, but only ended up using the tire size on Epic. But that bike did inspire me to build a modern-day board-track racer with a very antique feel,” Paul...

That’s about the sort of reaction you can expect to elicit from onlookers while cruising aboard a Derringer. Unless you’re me. In which case you promptly get spotted by the cops pulling off of the sidewalk and followed for three blocks while they try to figure out whether there’s anything they could ticket you for. But more on that later. First let’s check in with the intrepid...

This weekend the clouds hang low in the Swiss sky above Dietikon/Switzerland, as if challenging the photoshoot. But the sun is just lurking from behind the clouds – and above Bäechli Harley-Heaven, the sun seems to shine all year round. Rainer Bäechli is one of the most active Harley-Davidson dealers in Switzerland, all ways beating the drum for his brand with excellent and...

Café bikes, hot rods, and street fighters are the flavor of the month at this design moment of custom motorcycles. Baggers are still in, but board trackers are fading into obscurity just like they previously did. It’s no surprise that a lot of garage builders are working on something they can ride the pants off as well as talk about. This is blue collar building at its best with...