custom motorcycles

Brief description of what to expect from posts here.

Posted by Kevin Baxter | Oct 31, 2020 | Ride Life | 0 |

Legendary Bikes: 1958 Ariel Square Four Chopper

Posted by Road Dirt Crew | Jul 27, 2020 | Legendary Bikes | 0 |

A Master Craftsman and His Legacy

Posted by Kevin Baxter | Dec 11, 2019 | Ride Life | 11 |

ARCH Motorcycle Launches the 1s Sport Cruiser

by Road Dirt Crew | Oct 19, 2022 | Bikes & Gear | 7 |

Keanu Reeves had a dream- the acclaimed actor has always loved motorcycles, and he envisioned what for him would be the perfect American-made motorcycle, combining classic American cruiser lines with aggressive sport styling and handling. With the help of friend and eventual partner Gard Hollinger, the two set to work on building a motorcycle and custom company that would create and bring to market a motorcycle built to the customer’s specifications and tastes. In 2011, ARCH Motorcycle was born. From their debut ARCH KRGT-1, the now-unveiled ARCH 1s, and the limited-production ARCH Method 143, Keanu, Gard and their team of designers and builders pride themselves on challenging the perception of what an American motorcycle can be, and how they can be built.

J & P Cycles Ultimate Builder Winners, Round 1

by Road Dirt Crew | Jul 28, 2021 | Bikes & Gear, Industry & Racing | 0 |

As the Progressive International Motorcycle Shows roll across the country this summer and fall, so too does the J & P Cycles Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show. The custom competition is actually in its 11th year now, but the partnership with IMS Outdoors this year means the show will expand to a nationwide, multi-venue, open-air competition, holding regional bike shows in nine cities as part of the IMS 2021 tour. The UBCBS, as it’s often called, has a rich history as the nation’s largest motorcycle builder competition, featuring hundreds of motorcycles and offering the chance to win tens of thousands in cash and prizes across the 2021 IMS tour this year. The opening round of the “bike build-off” took place at Sonoma Raceway this past weekend, and the bikes taking top prizes were stunning.

Legendary Bikes: Craig Vetter’s Design Legacy

by Road Dirt Crew | Dec 21, 2020 | Industry & Racing, Legendary Bikes | 7 |

Sound design was once an under-appreciated aspect of success within the motorcycle realm. For such objects of desire that aim to stir heart and soul, nailing an appealing shape and silhouette was enough to make or break the British entrants of the 60s and 70s.

Saturdays at the Shop

by Kevin Baxter | Oct 31, 2020 | Ride Life | 0 |

I can remember my first exposure to tinkering- around 5 years old learning what tools did what, the difference between metric and standard sizes, and exactly what drawer to put the 1/2″ box end wrench back in just after I’d gotten it out. All the while “overseeing” the rebuild of a 10 bolt rear end in a ’67 Chevelle SS. Sandblasting the underbelly of a ’50 Studebaker truck after watching the Ford 9″ rear end and frame get narrowed for a set of Mickey Thompson 33×21.5×15″ rear tires. From there, building my first engine at 9 years old not knowing exactly what it would lead to…Saturdays at the shop.

Legendary Bikes: 1958 Ariel Square Four Chopper

by Road Dirt Crew | Jul 27, 2020 | Legendary Bikes | 0 |

I must admit, I’ve been fascinated with the old Ariel marquee for about 10 years, since I first laid eyes on one in a moto mag, then at a moto show. The unique Square Four engine configuration, the quintessential Brit bike lines, and those pipes! I’m in love with them. So when I beheld this radically raked out and customized Ariel chopper in the Throttlestop Museum up in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, just up the street from the fabled Road America racetrack, I was awestruck. I had to learn more. To combine the best of the British motorbike scene with the American chopper culture of the late 60s- mid 70s, was pure steel poetry with this build.