The lights almost went out Motorheads start young. Sure, someone over 30 or even 40 can develop an interest in cars and high performance and begin working on engines for fun, but based on past experience, it’s more likely the teenagers who first get the bug, maybe developing a passion for a hobby or career […]
Drag racing today, whether on four wheels or two, is nothing like it was. It’s a lot harder to find a drag strip close by, the small local drag strips have been disappearing along with many of the biggest and most famous, but to those who have ever spent their weekends at a strip, trying […]
Motorcycle Cruiser
Custom Softail from 089 Garage
Oh the Harley-Davidson Softail, how conflicted our relationship is. You have some of the best lines of a stock cruiser, mimicking the frame of a chopper and hiding your suspension underneath your chassis, but you also scrape around every corner I turn and have sort of crummy suspension. Regardless, this drag race style Softail was instantly enough to stop us dead in our tracks and think about just how much true style is worth.
Motorcycle Cruiser
Custom Softail with clip-on handlebars from 089 Garage
Clip-on handlebars, full drag-style foot controls, a tiny little gas tank, and an all wooden seat make this bike one of the most unique Harleys at the show. Coming from 089 Garage, a shop local here in Italy, the bike looks like it would be a little difficult to ride around town, but incredibly fun to tear down a drag stip or a stretch of open road.
Motorcycle Cruiser
Custom Softail rear brake and drag-style foot controls from 089 Garage
Stay tuned for another Bike of the Day tomorrow and for more information on 089 Garage, turn on your Google Translator and check out their website Garagini.It
Motorcycle Cruiser
Custom Softail with wooden seat from 089 Garage
Motorcycle Cruiser
Custom Softail from 089 Garage
Motorcycle Cruiser
Custom Softail front brake rotor and caliper from 089 Garage
Motorcycle Cruiser
Custom Softail intake and engine from 089 Garage
Reader Robert Engen provided this video to us via Facebook and we thought he did a good enough job describing his bike and his project that we would let him tell it in his own words.
A little bit about me and my Street 750. My name is Rob Engen, I’m 33 years old and I’ve been around Harley’s since I watched my dad build and wrench on them as a boy. My first bike was a Midnight Maxim 750 and throughout the years I’ve owned a 84′ v65 Magna, XS1100, Fatboy Lo and a Buell Blast. I first caught wind of the 750 back when the first product testing shots leaked out of India and from since that time, I’ve been bugging the local GM at Harley for one of these bikes. I was able to finally receive my bike in Feb of this year.
I originally wanted to build this bike up into a speed racer for the salt flats but as the time goes on, I think these bikes would be much more suited racing the 1/4 mile and road courses. So far, I have upgraded the suspension in the rear with a set of Progressive 970’s and I replaced the stock tree’s with a set of Free Spirits aluminum trees and rebuilt the forks w/ dampener valves to Free Spirits spec. I removed the stock bars and went with a set of clip-ons and to add to the more sporty feel of the bike, we also performed a 4′ tank lift to the bike.
The rear end of the bike has been chopped and is awaiting our custom rear fender and seat pan. Due to originality though and the belief that some of the Battle of the Kings builders have used our fender concept, we’re going back to the drawing board to re-create our idea into something a little more unique. I guess that’s the price you pay when you’re one of the first trying to customize these bikes.
This bike is a collaborative effort between myself and a few close friends who each bring their own set of skills and wisdom to this bike. We hope to find sponsorship so we can continue to refine on our ideas and be able to tour the bike around Western Canada so we can get as much riding time in for our riders.
Thanks again for showing interest in our project. I know a lot of the hardcore Harley crowd is passing these bikes over and we intend to open their eyes to the potential that these bikes provide.
Thanks a lot, Rob. We love to see people like you taking the initiative to go somewhere that people haven’t and push a new bike to it’s limits. Godspeed, my friend!
For more information on Rob and his bike, you can find him on Youtube and HDBitchin.com
Victory isn’t holding back. They are on the forefront of American Muscle and they want the world to know it. Going after the biggest races in the world (Pike’s Peak, Isle of Man, etc.), they have been picking up an incredible amount of steam and don’t show any signs of letting off.
Last week at the American Victory Rally at Bandimere Speedway outside of Denver, Colorado, Victory brought out their best and baddest. Both in the sense of bikes and their riders. Joe Vertical and Tony Carbajal were out showing the crowds how to stunt on a couple supercharged Victory baggers and some stock Gunners before heading down to the drags and giving them a shot. As one might expect from the burnout kings: there was a little more tire spin then we like to see on the strip. But after a couple practice runs the guys were ripping down the road like naturals.
It wasn’t until Isle of Man podium winner Lee Johnston saddled up on his winning electric bike that things got really serious. Well, as serious as they can with Lee, that guy is one hell of a personality and quite the joker. His first run ended short with him getting a little distracted by a young and attractive photographer on the sidelines, but he got her number so it was “totally worth it”. Pulling speeds of over 140mph at the end of the quarter mile: Lee and the Victory electric race prototype were blowing us all away. All of us except for Matt and Angie Smith, Victory’s husband and wife Pro NHRA Drag team. Obviously the Smiths, being the only ones on proper drag bikes, put everything else that touched the strip that day to shame.
The American Victory Rally was truly an exhibition of American Muscle in a way we had never seen before. Victory is doing some amazing things and pushing the envelope. If you’re looking for new things in the American motorcycle industry: stay tuned in to Victory.
For more information on Victory Motorcycles, events and racers, visit VictoryMotorcycles.com