Readers’ Motorcycle Submissions
Readers’ Showcase
**Attention Hot Bike Readers!**
We would like to start by asking you, the reader, to help us with your ride submissions. There is no shortage of Readers’ Rides coming across the editor’s desks; however, only about 1/4 of them can be used. The reason: bad photos, little or no info about the bike, and even worse, no contact info to get better photos or the needed bike specs. So before you put a stamp on that envelope or send out that e-mail, make sure that you have filled out the basics: Your name, phone number and/or e-mail, where you’re from. Then fill out a spec sheet-all you need to do is copy the info from the magazine: Motor, tran, frame, wheels, and so on. Last, a brief history about you and your bike. Now that you know exactly what we’re looking for, we can’t wait to see what you’re going to send in. Thanks!
**Long Winter**
Being from Quebec, Canada, Robert Proulx has a pretty short riding season, so as soon as he can get his ’06 Dyna Street Bob out of the garage past the piles of snow his ride can start. The Canadian winter being so long, Robert spends a lot of time (between hockey games) working on his Street Bob. He outfitted the bike with a few custom parts like a Vance & Hines Big Radius exhaust, K&N; Force Winder air filter, and had the seat redone with gel padding. The only thing is it is solo, and Roberts’s girlfriend likes the bike so much that now she wants one for herself.
**The Money Pit**
James Stewart is from Salisbury, New York, and his passion is his ’93 Dyna or what he likes to call the “money pit.” He wanted a bike that he could ride all day and every day without having to put a lot of money into it, so James found a used Dyna for a good low price. James started putting money into the bike as soon as he got it home starting with a motor hop-up. Next he added pipes, a seat, a Pro One frontend, followed by all new sheetmetal and paint. Then one day James was out riding and started to think that a lowered hardtail would be cool, but instead of swapping out the frame he just pulled the shocks off and made a set of struts. Now it is a lowered Dyna hardtail, something you don’t see everyday.
**The Money Pit**
James Stewart is from Salisbury, New York, and his passion is his ’93 Dyna or what he likes to call the “money pit.” He wanted a bike that he could ride all day and every day without having to put a lot of money into it, so James found a used Dyna for a good low price. James started putting money into the bike as soon as he got it home starting with a motor hop-up. Next he added pipes, a seat, a Pro One frontend, followed by all new sheetmetal and paint. Then one day James was out riding and started to think that a lowered hardtail would be cool, but instead of swapping out the frame he just pulled the shocks off and made a set of struts. Now it is a lowered Dyna hardtail, something you don’t see everyday.
**The Black Beast**
Josh Killion is from Pendleton, Indiana, and has worked for Harley shops for years and has always had a bike, but when the market went soft so did the work. Josh had to sell his bike after one of the shops closed. Two years later a friend of his purchased a new Ultra Classic and parked his ’92 Fatboy in the garage. Josh wanted to get back on a bike so when he saw the bike just sitting there he cut a deal and had a bike once more. The only thing was it was a chrome showcase and that would not do. So Josh stripped the bike down and blacked out 85 percent of the bike and is still going. Then he added a set of Coastal Moto wheels with matching rotors and pulley. Josh is glad to be riding once more and after his friend saw how well the bike turned out he wanted to buy it back, but Josh told him too bad.
**I’m No Painter**
After totaling his last bike, Michael Covert was looking for a bike to replace his ’03 Softail when he came across this ’02 FXD for sale. It was in a garage covered with a sheet and had a dead battery with just under 2,500 miles on it. This time Michael wanted to get to know his bike better so to do this he wanted to do all the custom work himself, like adding pipes, air cleaner, seat, and paint. When it came to the paint he built a small paint booth in his garage pulled all the sheetmetal, and sprayed it himself. Not bad for a first timer.
**Deuce Of A
Different Color**
After reading HOT BIKE for years and seeing so many Deuce’s, James Pici wanted to get one. The only thing was he didn’t want it to look like all the rest, just a bunch of chrome doo-dads. So James Bought this ’01 Deuce added custom set of sheetmetal and a custom paint job with a one-off color of candy apple mixed with a brandywine over silver. James wanted more power so a 95ci hop-up kit from Harley was installed. Now James wants to get more ride time and he tells us it is hard when you live in Williamsville, New York due to the winter weather.
**Enjoy The Ride**
Joe Carvalho is from Massachusetts, and was shopping for a bike when he found this ’99 Softail on eBay. After three days of bidding on the bike he won the war and was the new owner. What you see is what you get, Joe has done nothing to the bike but enjoy the ride, it was just what he wanted. Even the paint was what he was looking for. Some of the other things Joe liked was the BDL belt drive, internal throttle, 80-spoke wheels, Joker Machine controls, and Danny Gray seat. The bike is everything Joe was after so with no down time all he gets to do is ride.
**A True Fan**
After having been a subscriber to HOT BIKE magazine for over a year, and seeing all the cool bike features Michael Peel, from the United Kingdom wanted to show his love for his home team, the Sunderland AFC football club. To Michael there was no better way then to trick out his ’96 FLHTC that he rides to all (soccer) games. He wanted the bike to look like he was riding through the team’s flag, and he managed to find a local guy Michael Austin who did all the artwork. Since the completion of the bike Michael has had great response from both Sunderland fans and bikers alike. And when one of the teammates seen the bike he was given front row parking as well.
**The Basket Case**
Dennis Plank is form Humboldt, Tennessee, and has been riding motorcycles for over 40 years with most of that time spent on Softails. Dennis always wanted an old Ironhead. So when he heard about a ’72 XLCH basket case for sale he jumped at it. After a year of blood, sweat and tears, this is the final product. Everything in the engine is new except the cases from the S&S; stroker crank, pistons, rods, Andrews cams, double-plugged heads with compression releases, and a Dyna 2000i electronic ignition. Dennis said, “The hardtail ride is good, and the bike is strong and loud, just what I was looking for!”