WarBikes

Man, have we got stories to tell! I mean, there was that first biting anxiety over cutting into a new Softtail to build up Gunfighter from. And watching Ralph form a sleek gas tank to look like the fuselage of a P-51, well, he left us all a little shell-shocked when he pointed out that he wanted the exhaust pipes to look just the same. Keep watching and you’ll see how he does that particular trick.

There are always stories when you have like-minded folks gathered ’round the welding torch or water cooler. In the garage is no different. The chuckling tall-tales about just how many miles were racked up on a cross-country trip compete with the “Oh yeah? Well, I did 439 miles without stopping for gas!” remarks.

Sure. We’ve all got them. Let me tell you about this one time I got hit with a flying soda… Nah… Maybe later. The real stories are what we’re interested in ’round this particular water cooler.

Motorcycles have been customized and chopped from the instant someone other than the manufacturer laid hands on them. They’ve worked as Military transport when messengers had to get to the front-line and back quickly. Bikes have been adapted for every field and road, used to maneuver through battle-torn streets and to fly down the highway at speeds reminiscent of soaring through the sky. Adrenaline junkies modify and abuse their motorcycles to this day.

What we invite you to share are your stories. Or your father’s. Or your grandfather’s. Did he fight in Vietnam and roll around on a speedy little buzzer? Was there a pilot in your lineage who flew in a bombing mission during WWII and then came home to become a mechanic, just so he could still hear that engine rumble? Did you customize your own two-wheels, paint your own designs, and then get shipped overseas and use a bit of that talent to make your machinery “work better?”

Share your stories with us. We’ll share ours with you.