Harley Bagger: Hot Bike Born
At Hot Bike we strive to show you everything possible when you look past what is born from the factory floor.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
Let’s be honest. When it comes to magazines about V-twin motorcycles, there’s a lot to choose from. But what separates the best from the rest? The true magic of owning a Harley-Davidson motorcycle is that there are enough talented people and companies making parts to morph any model into anything imaginable! For some, customizing a bike could be something as small as adding a cupholder or a license plate frame. For others, customization is pushed to the limit and the bike becomes unrecognizable pieces of art. At Hot Bike we strive to show you everything possible when you look past what is born from the factory floor.
When I approached Torch Industries about building me a bike, I knew it had to meet certain requirements. It had to be functional, stylish, and reflect my personality. That being said, my personality is a combination of a lot of different moto-cultures, both two and four wheels. And being an editor, of course I wanted it done cheap, fast, and now. But most importantly, I wanted to show you, the readers, that you too can build your version of a dream bike using the products and articles showcased in Hot Bike magazine.
With only 30 miles of shakedown time, the bike was named the Official Hot Bike Power Tour Bike for 2013. The bike successfully completed the 1,000-plus miles of back roads and city streets with only a few bugs that were quickly fixed along the way.
Sources:
(623) 842-2277
(714) 705-6978
Precision Vtwin
(602) 569-1118
(866) 277-9598
(888) 367-1871
(714) 632-8297
(877) 442-5837
(623) 218-6244
(909) 947-4590
(562) 450-9592
Curly’s Custom
(623) 977-0339
(518) 674-0100
(626) 963-5021
(562) 244-9020
- To achieve the Lowrider look we were after, Ride Wright supplied 21-/16-inch Fat Daddy 50 wire wheels.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
- You can’t be a Lowrider without being low. The Burly Brand Slammer Kit lowered the bike by 1-1/2 inches in front and 1-3/4 inches in back.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
- Precision Vtwin took apart and put back together the motor so it could be polished.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
- More than 40 hours and 800 custom-made sanding wheels were needed by True Finish to polish the motor into a shiny jewel.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
- There are no shortcuts for art, and Engrave It Inc. spent lots of hours engraving choice parts.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
- Can’t put ugly chrome on a new bike. Pretty much the entire bike was stripped and redipped by True Finish.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
- Sinthium Kustom Paint broke out its entire bags of tricks with some tape fades, pinstriping, and graphics all on a must-see gold color.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
- With all the different bodywork that was adapted to this bike, a custom pan and seat were necessary from Nomad Custom Leather Tooling.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
- This bike is a heavy beast and needs nothing but the best when it comes to brakes. HHI supplied the entire brake system with the exception of the Ride Wright rear rotor.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
- The family that rides together stays together thanks to Küryakyn floorboards with matching brake pedal.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
- Torch Industries adapted an HID headlight kit from Iron Braid to help light up the way at night.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
- Our hats go off to Justin Coleman and Daniel Sosa at Torch Industries along with their part-time partner in crime, Rick Nolan. They are definitely part of the new generation of builders who have an eye for using the best of today without forgetting the past when it comes to their customs. For my project, they basically started with a frame and motor and had to bid, buy, and make almost every other part. More than 40 hours of machining was necessary to make all the hodgepodge of parts work together. No easy feat. One lesson learned from this build would be starting with a more complete motorcycle as a base. This would have reduced the time spent finding and adapting odds and ends.
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
The true magic of owning a Harley-Davidson motorcycle is that there are enough talented people and companies making parts to morph any model into anything imaginable!
Words and Photos: John Zamora and Wes Drelleshak Model: Tashia McIntosh
