Goodbye Summer – The Editor
So here we are rolling into the last month of summer. Where does the time go? We all know what this time of year means: Sturgis. Hopefully some of you are reading this as you take breaks in between packing your bags for a much-needed vacation to the Black Hills. The rest of you, on the other hand, are hopefully reading this as you unpack from your trip out to Sturgis (glad you made it back home, hopefully safe and in one piece). We’d love to hear your thoughts on the rally, the route you took, obstacles you came across and overcame, new friends you made, old friends you met, what you liked and didn’t like. Email your comments, stories, and adventures (photos too, if you got ’em) to [email protected] and maybe they’ll make it into an upcoming issue of HOT BIKE.
Now onto the issue at hand (yes, that was intentional). I’m really excited about the bikes we have in this issue. Stellan Egeland from Sweden built an amazing custom that was inspired by old Speedway bikes of the past, and this thing is covered in handcrafted mechanical details from tire to tire. Once again, our Pick of the Pen bike started out as a stock bike, and the owner was hesitant to mess with the anniversary paint scheme. This time, though, when owner Mark Walter finally decided to tear into his 95th Anniversary Dyna Wide Glide, the bike received more than just new paint; he went all-out, raking the neck, installed a wide tire kit, and new sheetmetal. Then we’ve got our cover bike, from Wayne Ahlquist of ACME Choppers. This bike is clean, simple, and straight to the point. Rigid, chromed frame, H-D Evo motor, jockey shift, and brass accents, it’s definitely an attention-getter and looks like it’s one helluva fun bike to ride.
Looking at our tech department, we initiate our long-term-test bike, the ’07 Night Train, into the fleet by taking the stock 96 incher into triple-digit displacement with H-D’s Screamin’ Eagle 103 kit. As just a top end hop-up, this kit saves quite a bit of time and money overcoming the century mark in cubic inches, compared to the 88s. Looking to make the most out of your motor? Mr. Denish explains how maximizing your engine’s efficiency through compression ratio, combustion process, and cylinder sealing can improve the power in your engine no matter how mild or wild it is. What about that tired old Evo you have sitting in your garage-want to freshen it up and have it backed by a factory warranty once again? We dip into H-D’s re-manufacturing facility and check out how they breathe new life into old engines. Lastly, we also give an ’06 Road King a more streamlined appearance with some new bullet turn signals and flush-mount gas caps/fuel gauge. Sure, they are small details, but you can really notice the difference.
As for the re-design, it’s an evolving process, and while we liked the look and feel of the No. 9 issue, there is still some tweaking left to do. But what do you think so far? Drop us a line and let us know.
Until next time,
Eric Ellis