Celebrating 70 years of Panheads Milwaukee, Wis., July 12–18—Every July the Knucklehead Company, a group of enthusiasts who actually own Knucklehead motorcycles, and the local AMCA chapter in Milwaukee sets about celebrating their motorcycling forefathers with a shindig down at the Harley-Davidson Museum. There’s a 1940s-style motorcycle picnic with field games and fun stuff scheduled in the warm summer sun ...

When he came back from the service Marvin wanted a basecamp, a piece of property, some dirt where he could live as he wanted without having to answer to anyone. He found it east of Los Angeles, where orange groves, fruit trees and strawberry fields were the norm, where farms had been the same for 50 years, where kids did ...

I had the pleasure this year at Sturgis to spend a morning with Sugar Bear and our illustrious editor, Shadow. Sugar Bear has put together a non-profit organization to support the Sugar Bear Chopper Museum in Sturgis, actually close by in Belle Fourche. I spent four days in Sturgis this year before heading for the Rockies and let me tell ...

I like old stuff. No matter what it is, old stuff has a sort of soul to it and, basically, old is cool in my book. Old machinery, furniture, bikes, literature… stuff. Even people. I like things with age, with a patina and history. A past. Antiques have a story to tell and I’m especially excited when I get to ...

To shield and protect My bike, a 1982 FXRS Shovelhead, was near stock when I got it, and I intend to keep it that way. The FXRS Shovelhead was manufactured for only 2 ½ years, and many of these models still on the road have been customized to some extent. I’ve made minimal changes, only those I deemed necessary to ...

The stormy winds of change Milwaukee, Wis., Sept. 24–27—What strategy do you devise after playing two of the biggest hands to be dealt from the Motor Company’s table in the last 10 years? With the unveiling of the revolutionary Milwaukee-Eight for 2017 followed by the demise of the Dyna line and total revamping of the Softail models last year, some ...

Old is new again Sturgis, S.D., Aug. 3–12—For those who have made the sojourn to Sturgis during any of the 78 annual rallies, there’s a “coming home” feel to all the return trips. The journey turns into a sort of spiritual quest for each subsequent trip and eventually one finds themselves living out the year in anticipation of the adventure. ...

Mixing lightning with thunder Back in 2016, under the direction of partners and owners Todd Gaines and Don O’Shea, Indian Motorcycle of Libertyville (Illinois) began delving into performance enhancements for the iconic Thunder Stroke 111 engine. While this engine is no slouch, these dealership owners have a passion for performance and, since they were an Indian dealer, felt compelled to ...

A tiny show for the hugely talented Los Angeles, Calif., July 12–15—The newly conceived “Golden Bolt” is one of the more unusual bike shows around, mainly because it sees a very limited number of bikes competing for one hefty cash prize. Only 18 hand-built custom bikes vied for 25 grand at the very first of what was announced to become ...

One hot Rock Rockingham, N.C., June 15–16—The warm, humid night air resonated with the deep southern high-energy sound of Rebel Son. Politically incorrect lyrics laden with expletives brought huge cheers from a tough-looking crowd in front of the main stage, many sitting on motorcycles. The surreal scene was compounded by a steady stream of motorcycles and mini bikes snaking their ...