Custom Moto Culture From The Capital of the World
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1977 Honda CB550F SuperSport City Scrambler – “Day Late and a Dollar Short”
You’re looking at my latest creation, a 1977 Honda CB 550 F Super Sport that was rescued from its fate as some kind half-assed touring bike when I purchased it two years ago. What was supposed to be a quick and dirty restoration turned into something else as I got into the bike and discovered…
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The New Kawasaki Ninja 300 – Sweet but Still Too Heavy
I had a chance to fondle the new Kawasaki Ninja 300 at the International Motorcycle Show in DC last week, and it certainly is a sharp looking little bike. However, looks can be deceiving – if you check out the specs, Kawasaki’s new “lightweight” sportbike tips the scales at an embarrassing 379lbs. Now, I’m not…
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The Other Kind of Customs – Preparing for the Japanese Invasion
Let’s talk for a moment about the other kind of customs – you know, those guys who root through your luggage when you come back from Cancun. As in, “Hey, I was wondering what happened to that bag of weed! Thanks officer!” It turns out that in addition to ruining vacations, US Customs is also…
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Custom Bikes: Why You’re Probably Not Cool Enough (Part 2)
Ok, so in my last post I talked about the many pitfalls involved in buying a custom bike. If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably pretty disappointed (offended?) so let’s focus on the positives for a moment. There are many talented people out there building extremely cool motorcycles. Perhaps the best and cheapest way to…
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Custom Bikes: Why You’re Probably Not Cool Enough (Part 1)
Just kidding, you’re totally cool, especially if you’re one of my many customers who rides custom bikes… This is really intended as a buyers guide to help you navigate the world of no-longer-stock motorcycles to find one that actually suits you. Which is really the whole point of a custom anyway, isn’t it? Before I…
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Local Builder: Bad Juju Vehicles
I met the Bad Juju guys last week, and I must say the “show bike” was what I’ve come to expect from show bikes: a wildly impractical piece of sculpture meant for looking pretty and not for riding. But there were some very cool ideas on display as well as a very ridable looking little…
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Customer Bikes: 1976 GL1000 Goldwing
This spring, Gregg’s Goldwing came into the shop in pretty sad shape. The bike had been parked 10 years ago due to a bad coil, and in the meantime, the carbs had rusted solid, the tires had dry rotted, and all kinds of seals and gaskets had failed. I spent much of February giving it…
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