Tackle your Harley-Davidson Milwaukee-Eight Touring or Softail model first service on your own with tech tips from one of the best in the industry, Danny "Motorwitch" Wilson from The Collective Phoenix (https://collectivephxaz.com/) Arizona and Leading Edge Performance (https://leadingedgehp.com/).

In this episode, Danny walks us through the dos and don'ts when tackling your first service yourself, from the fluids you should you use, the torque specs, some insider tips and much more.

With these tech tips, you'll have a better idea of what the dealership should and should NOT be charging you for, so you'll be able to make sure you're not getting ripped off. For 25 years, Danny Wilson has been a master-certified Harley-Davidson technician, five of which he spent training overseas technicians how to be better technicians. Danny is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to Harley-Davidson functionality and has some great tips when servicing your motorcycle yourself, or at the very least that the work your local dealer performed is up to snuff.

The Wests aren't your typical married couple. It's safe to say you won't find these two shopping at Lowe's on the weekend for their latest home improvement project (maybe in the off-season). You'll find #13 Cory West and #87 Patricia, racers for Team Saddlemen x Harley-Davidson, wherever the latest MotoAmerica Mission King Of The Baggers race is calling them. Against each other. But for the same team. We spent some time with Patricia and Cory during the first round, double-header Mission King of the Baggers race at MotoAmerica during Daytona Bike Week. These two are competitive, sure, but they're both passionate about motorcycles and racing. And they get to share that experience with each other, which is pretty freakin' cool.

It's no easy feat resurrecting a magazine. There are a lot of considerations that go into it. Timing is key. Support is crucial. And good old hard work is absolutely necessary. But it really just boils down to two things: being too stupid to know when to quit, and having the right people in your corner that also see the potential to also be too stupid to know when to quit. And then everyone involved collectively pouring every ounce of everything they have into it in order to see it come to fruition. That's all!

Luckily for us, the stars just seemed to align. With the right support from great partners, and the faithful Hot Bike subscribers and fans, we were able to accomplish our goals of bringing this iconic 52-year-old magazine back to life once again. It's pretty damn surreal.

So surreal in fact, we had to document the first issue being printed at the plant. Our new printing partners were such gracious hosts and have been in the game for as long as we have, so it was a cool experience to commemorative this historic moment in Hot Bike's history. And we've only just begun.

A big thank you to our resident videographer, Alex Chapman, aka @native.photo on Instagram. He knocked this video out of the park. XOXO, Alex. Really.



While I wnce. Well that same Gard Hollinger went and co-founded ARCH Motorcycle Company with actor and bike fanatic, Keanu Reeves. Just as my severance was running out, they were looking for someone to fill the sales and marketing type role. After a lengthy interview process, I was hired in April of 2019.

Working at ARCH was cool. I learned a lot—a ton, actually— and I’ll always be grateful to Gard and Keanu for bringing me on board to join the team. It was a great gig, but it just wasn’t my forever gig, ya know? This is what I know and love (whatever this is). It’s what drives and fuels me. I’m intrigued by creativity. I get a kick out of unique creations from custom bike builders I have never seen before. I’m fascinated by two-wheeled culture in India, Vietnam, Thailand, wherever. I’m drawn to those who still shape metal by hand. I’m in awe of the meticulousness of engraving metal or pinstriping paint. I am curious as to what makes things generally function better. Simply put, I’m an inquisitive guy who is intrigued by a lot of different stuff, all relating to motorcycles.

In May of 2021 I had the chance to buy Hot Bike’s intellectual property from my old employers. So I did just that. I focused on ARCH during the day, and Hot Bike at night and on the weekends. But it deserved more. Much more. And I decided to shit or get off the pot and do Hot Bike full time.

Now here we are, printing a magazine once again. Thanks to you. And a bunch of people, really, in no particular order.
Wife
Kids
Parents
Alex Chapman

We caught up with San Diego Customs co-owners, Chip Kastelnik and Mikey Van, to get the scoop on what they've been up to the past few years. It's always a pleasure chatting with Chip and Mike, but there's never enough time to really capture all the different shit they have going on. While the following gives you a pretty good glimpse into San Diego Customs, you definitely need to check out the full print feature in Hot Bike to get the full story. Now available for purchase as a single issue or annual subscription HERE: https://store.hotbike.com/

Oliver Jones of The Cutrate's (https://www.instagram.com/thecutrate/?hl=en) style goes against the grain. His 2002 Power Plus Indian from the good-old Gilroy era is a prime example. It's a refreshing take on how to make old new again while blending styles and genres in the process.

Equipped with 100ci Power Plus engine, a custom stretched, molded chassis, and removable bags for long treks, Oliver just put the finishing touches on the build while we followed him around with a camera for the day. The bike will leave you scratching your head, for sure, which is what makes it truly special.

What the hell is a Zooz you ask? No, it's not a Lorax character (Zooz, not Seuss). It's a rad new e-bike that's capturing the attention of riders young and old. Mix the styling of a '80s BMX ripper add a healthy does of motorcycle soul and equip it with a punchy, long-lasting electric motor... well, you'd have the formula for one badass e-bike. Welcome to Zooz.

We've been eyeing the Zooz bikes since they launched a couple years ago and wanted to get our hands on one for the staff kids rummaging around HQ. You know, those that aren't quite old enough for Harleys, but obviously will be one day. It's all about planting that seed in a kid's mind to get he or she excited for what's next. Which was exactly our thought when we saw the Zooz Ultra Urban 1100. How can we help get kids to get out there and rip and have fun on two wheels? Well, Zooz figured out the solution. Of course, a couple of us were itching to try them out too.

First of all, the Zooz is quick. Like really quick. Once at speed, it wants to keep going. I think I clocked 34 mph on a downhill with the throttle fully pressed. It was thrilling. The Zooz is also versatile because it's equipped with standard BMX style pedals, and pedal assist technology to conserve battery life, or to simply pedal if you want a little exercise to move your tired old bones. Or your young bones. The battery life is pretty much infinite. Our tester in this video spent the entire day riding the Zooz all around town as his mode of transport. The power level dropped by one bar. All in all, the Zooz Ultra Urban 1100 is a great mode of transportation, for younger kids, or for adults that just want to have fun.

If you've been thinking about adding a Zooz to your lineup. Definitely do so. You won't be disappointed.

https://zoozbikes.com/?ref=hotbike2022

We're big proponents for promoting anything two-wheeled for the youngsters. Whether it's a bicycle or a dirt bike we appreciate that kids are still interested in getting off the couch and out there and about to continue that evolution of growing the motorcycle industry. It all starts somewhere and I think a lot of the e-bike companies out there are doing some great things to keep kids stoked on riding.

We've been wanting to try one of Stacyc's H-D 18E Drive Launch Edition bikes for our kids for a while. Stacyc was gracioius enough to send us one of their Stacyc / Harley-Davidson collabs to try out. Simply put, this little e-bike packs quite a punch and definitely succeeded in getting our 10-year-old off the couch and outside shredding the gnar.

We caught up with Steve from Speed-King's Cycle during the Born-Free 13 Motorcycle Show to check in on what he's been up to. Steve was invited to take part in a custom build sponsored by Harley-Davidson this year, and he selected a Freewheeler Trike to give the Speed-Kings treatment. Look for the full feature of said badass trike on hotbike.com soon.