I am often in need of special tools that are not available in the marketplace, or when they are, come from unreliable sources and have very poor specs. Recently I have been tooling up our CNC milling machine with quick … Continue reading
This gallery contains 17 photos.
My Street Glide’s stock OEM horn had finally given up the ghost for good. What had at least passed for a lame flock of ducks had deteriorated into the bleating of a lone ewe then finally a frog and then … Continue reading
Do you have a trip that you’ve always wanted to take and are always looking for info about? Is there that one road you want to ride from one end to the other? Some people are fortunate enough to be … Continue reading
I’m Kirk Taylor and my shop, Custom Design Studios, has been in business since 1988. We started by satisfying the needs of the motorcycle community because there weren’t many good, reliable painters in this area. Now, by way of background, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 60 photos.
Previously, we made a wooden buck for building our tank, now the fun begins. Select the material you want to use for the tank. Options commonly include steel, aluminum, and copper. Selection depends partially on your skill level. If you … Continue reading
Shaping your tank, making your buck/ Part 1
Virtually everyone has heard of Route 66, or Highway 101 in California. They are both great and legendary roads, don’t get me wrong. But let me tell you about the other end of the “101”.
Gasket Installation Techniques and Considerations In these tough economic times, many riders are choosing to service their bikes at home rather than take them to their local shop or dealership. This can be a way to save a few bucks … Continue reading
Lil’ Blackie By 8 Ball Brian Have you ever had or ridden; a bike that was just sweet as hell to look at, wicked fast in a straight line, but could become just plain wicked going down the road? … Continue reading
With way less than legal tread on my rear tire, I knew its days were numbered. When it developed a goose egg sized bubble on the sidewall after a stretch of a few miles doing ‘80 plus’ on the freeway … Continue reading
see the Kitchen Sink feature here “Buffalo’s First Ward is an area on the south side of Buffalo that was settled by the Irish in the 1820′s. The area developed into an industrial center in the late 1800′s after the … Continue reading
A commonly asked question we hear is: “If I use this (insert parts list here) combination of parts what will my compression be?” This appears to be one of the most misunderstood areas involved in building a performance engine. In … Continue reading
What do two immortal baseball players have to do with writing? In the case of Satchel Paige, a perennial star of the Negro Leagues, the oldest rookie to play in the major leagues and an all-star well into his forties, … Continue reading
What you see here is a carved bronze shifter knob. When I say carved, I mean that literally. I start out with a block of solid bronze billet. The next stage takes about 3 hours using a heavy rotary file. … Continue reading
This is the fourth round in this set I asked Pete to take some images as he worked in his shop… and it’s evident just how much work goes into one of this stunning instruments. To learn more about Pete, … Continue reading
The ability to express yourself with the written word is critical, especially in the digital universe. 45dgree is always on the hunt for new contributors and talent and we regularly (here) hear “I can’t write”, p’shaw we say and so … Continue reading
Visited a new scary place. Lots to show and share. …Found this beauty of a building and a location on a two-wheeled adventure with my friend John. I promised myself to come back with gear in hand, it looked juicy. And … Continue reading
This gallery contains 4 photos.
This is the third round in this set I asked Pete to take some images as he worked in his shop… and it’s evident just how much work goes into one of this stunning instruments. To learn more about Pete, … Continue reading
It’s Wintertime and the smell of fire is in the air. At the Berner household we enjoy having fires at home during the winter months. I don’t know that it does much for heating our house… I have a feeling … Continue reading
I met Roman, owner of FOH at the NYC IMS show – cool guy, insane machines, hi-style and hi-tech. His carbon fiber layups are beautiful, almost perfectly finished….tastefully painted and outfitted with top shelf componentry. Some of the frame work … Continue reading
This gallery contains 69 photos.
Tips and techniques to mount your tank Now that you have your fully welded tank, we can move on the all the little details like filler neck, petcock bung, tunnel, and tank mounts. I like to do the tunnel first … Continue reading
This gallery contains 7 photos.
On the way back from the remote mountain campout last weekend, I hit a bad, sudden dip in the road followed by several nasty bumps that I couldn’t avoid. That first one broke the shock mounting bolt. After getting replacement … Continue reading
Leather work can take on some pretty cool characteristics if you want….
