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Classic lines and cafe racer modifications define this labor of love
No matter what you call them - community motorcycle shops, DIY facilities, or moto co-ops – they represent an exciting trend in the motorcycling community. The Moto Collective of Minneapolis, Minnesota, focused a bright spotlight on the movement with a big win at the Minneapolis stop of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show (IMS).
‘Sage,’ a classic cool 1972 Honda CL350 custom, built by Chris Rotondo and Breanne Allen of the Moto Collective, rolled away with the K&N Performer Award at the Minneapolis J&P Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show. K&N sponsors the category, and two other classes, at each stop of the IMS. As you will see, the CL350 custom has a special significance to the builders.
The custom headers and silencers complete the Honda build
“It completely embodies my love for the outdoors and the adventures it will take me on,” said Allen of the CL350. “After restoration, I was proposed to by my partner of five years.”
That partner of five years happens to be Chris Rotondo, the other creative force behind Sage. Yes, the two are partners in moto craftsmanship and in life.
The CL350 clearly retains its classic Honda looks. However, many of the parts are custom made. The familiar early-70s tank wears a great two-tone paint job and custom Honda badges. That tank is followed by a custom seat that has an earth tones motif. There is even a short, wooden rear fender to keep the organic theme flowing.
Earth tones and a Southwestern look were integrated into the custom seat
The 350cc parallel twin engine breathes through a pair of carbs wearing screened velocity stacks. We know that when Allen starts her adventures, those stacks will be replaced with high flow K&N pods. The frame triangle behind the intake is uncluttered and open.
One of the most intriguing parts of the build is the custom exhaust. The twin headers are heat-wrapped for an old-school performance look. The silencing duties are handled by ultra-cool copper-hued twin canisters.
Sage rolls on adventure bike rubber spooned onto black anodized, spoked rims. The forks and rear springs are conventional and period-correct.
The shift linkage that leads to the extreme rear-set pegs are pure café racer. Up front, the café style is completed with low clip-on bars and minimalist lighting and instrumentation.
K&N congratulates Chris Rotondo and Breanne Allen on a fantastic build and their approaching marriage.
The Mod Retro Class winning 'Boston Brawler' embodies what a bobber should be
Scott Porges crafted one of the cleanest and meanest bobbers you will see. His bad “Boston Brawler” bobber (how’s that for alliteration?) takes retro cool to a whole new level. Porges' custom walked away with the Modified Harley Class of the J&P Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show in New York. The J&P show is a highlight of each stop of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show (IMS).
Clearly, Porges, who owns American Motorcycle Service of Framingham, Massachusetts, keeps one boot planted in the past and the other firmly dug into the present. “With over 35 years in the industry, I specialize in creating custom built motors and trannys,” Porges says. “I balance between old ‘hot rod’ tricks and the ingenuity of today’s technology.”
Scottie Porges' bobber emerged from the darkness snatch the Modified Retro Class of the NY IMS
Porges’ 1968 Harley-Davidson Panhead custom may just prove once and for all that less really is more. The artfully crafted hardtail frame and clean springer forks cut a stance that is all bobber. Massive rubber is spooned on the black, spoked front and rear wheels. In true bobber style, the front wheel is devoid of a fender and the rear is appropriately minimalist.
It should be noted that this is not some pampered show bike and it's not for the faint of heart.
"This is a foot clutch, hand shift bike with no front brake and not for the novice rider," warned Porges. "That being said, I ride the berrys outta this bike and have been for 6 or 7 years. We call it the Boston Brawler because it gets ridden hard in Boston."
K&N is a sponsor of three of the biggest categories in the J&P competition
Flat drag handlebars sit just in front of a small teardrop tank that rocks a sinister red and black color scheme. An ultra-thin custom seat rides on a nicely crafted seat spring.
That wonderfully sparse frame and bodywork leaves nothing to the imagination with that beautiful Panhead V-twin. The intake is completely exposed and the carburetor butterfly is clearly visible. We certainly hope Porges will fit a K&N for street duty. The exhaust exits through shorty straight-through pipes that certainly announce the Boston Brawler’s presence.
"The engine and trans are from a '68 FLH," Porges said. "We stroked the motor to 88 inchs and installed Andrews close ratio gears in the box. We run an S&S E carb with a thunder jet and the exhaust is fabed in house."
In the end, Porges got just what he wanted from the Boston Brawler build.
"I like my bikes low and tight with an attitude, and this has an early drag bike look to it and a healthy motor to go with it."
K&N is proud to sponsor a competition that highlights classic builds like the Boston Brawler.
Long, plummeting lines give Tyler Foster's custom a one-of-a-kind silhouette
A Harley-Davidson® show-stopper won the Modified Harley class at the New York stop of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show (IMS). Tyler Foster, who specializes in custom exhaust systems with his company Sikpipes, created a bagger that turned heads all weekend long at the Big Apple IMS.
K&N sponsors the prestigious Modified Harley® Class at every stop of the IMS as part of the world’s biggest custom bike competition, the J&P Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show. We could not be more impressed by the bikes that have rolled away with the titles, the trophies, the money, and the K&N product awards in the first two stops of the IMS.
The intake velocity stack on the Road King build is steampunk cool
Tyler Foster’s, 2001 Harley Road King was aptly named ‘Brown.’ Brown is tall yet low; complex yet simple. Sound like contradictions? Not in this case.
Up front, Brown rolls on a tall RKD Speed front wheel wearing low-profile rubber. Even with that thin rubber, that front wheel is so tall that it sits about on level with the top of the tank. The wheel is bolted to a raked out Voodoo girder front end. In typical Voodoo style, the forks are a wicked combination of clean lines and artful geometry.
Flowing back from the triple tree, the stretched, custom frame could not sit any lower. Therein rests the answer to the tall yet low riddle. The seat height rests at about mid-engine level which makes for the ultimate in ‘climbing the monkey bars’ riding position. It’s quite the reach to the Brass Balls Cycles grips and pegs.
The Voodoo girder front end and ultra tall wheel on 'Brown' are remarkable
The tank and sweeping bagger rear end feature a blinged out paint job applied by Execution Style. The paint job that looks simple at first glance becomes deeper and more complex on closer inspection.
If you look at any element of this build, you will find amazing detail; however, the total project embodies a symbiosis that gives the overall impression of simplicity. Complex yet simple.
Foster’s decision to frame the engine allows full view of the nicely accented power plant. Of course, the exhaust specialist highlighted the headers on the Road King. The simple, perfectly bent pipes exit with a wide-open mouth below each jug on the V-twin.
K&N congratulates Tyler Foster on his win in the Modified Harley Class of the J&P Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show in New York.
The 2018 season brings a big change to the engine and body rules for NHRA Pro Stock racers
If there’s one element constantly part of NHRA Professional Drag Racing, it’s change. Top Fuel cars went from front engine “rails” powered by 392 CID Chrysler engines from the 1950s to 426 Hemi “Elephant Motors” and then a switch with the driver positioned in front of the engine. Funny Cars starting out as modified production shells that in only a few years adopted the format that we have today: a tubular chassis with the engine in front of the driver covered by a composite replica body shell.
Based on the request of the Pro Stock teams they are now free to run any approved engine combination in any currently approved body, regardless of the manufacturer, during the 2018 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season. All will continue to utilize the fuel injection system adopted in 2016 along with the Pro Stock-specific K&N air intake system.
An NHRA Pro Stocker with hood removed clearly showing the K&N designed and produced air intake
“The NHRA Technical Department worked very closely with the Pro Stock teams and the vehicle manufacturers in finalizing this rule change,” said NHRA Vice President-Technical Operations Glen Gray. “The cooperation from all of those involved in the process was very encouraging and we look forward to the 2018 Pro Stock season.”
The decision, which was announced in early December, should provide fans with a wider variety of entries in the class. Expected approved bodies joining or expanding the entry list include Dodge Darts and Ford Mustangs. Chevrolet Camaros have been the body style of choice over the past several seasons. The last non-Chevrolet Pro Stock Championship winner was Dodge pilot Allen Johnson in 2012.
The K&N Pro Stock snorkel draws air from under the bumper area and delivers it to the engine
Other than the lifting of the “same engine/same car manufacturer” limitation, the class rules remain the same for 2018. The body must be from a 2009 or later NHRA-accepted 2-door or 4-door coupe or sedan production vehicle, either domestically produced or from overseas. Body, drivetrain, and chassis may not be altered, modified, or relocated, except as outlined in Requirements & Specifications in the Rulebook. Minimum weight at end of run remains at 2,350 pounds, including driver. Minimum weight on the rear axle at conclusion of the run is 1,100 pounds, including the driver.
Who better has their thumb on what Pro Stock teams have on their minds than long-time Pro Stock chassis builder Jerry Haas. The chassis expert reported that even before the announcement became public he was receiving inquiries about constructing a Ford Mustang Pro Stocker. “All three of the body styles – Ford, Chevy, and Dodge – are so close aerodynamically that there’s no advantage or penalty for choosing your favorite," said Hass. “They’re all so close it’s unreal.”
The K&N Air Intake billet adapter connects directly to the NHRA-mandated Holley throttle body
The engine is an internal-combustion, naturally aspirated, single camshaft, 90-degree V-8 with a maximum 500 CID. Aftermarket blocks permitted if designed and cast with OEM approval, and have been accepted for competition by the NHRA.
NHRA also clarified a rule regarding the mandatory electronic fuel injection system, citing that no part of an injector may protrude above the runner flange into the plenum area. All Pro Stock competitors regardless of engine or body style must use the K&N 100-8522 carbon fiber intake snorkel.
Long and low, 'Rising Sun' wins the Modified Harley Class of the Long Beach IMS
Doug Ide’s “Rising Sun” is shining brightly in Southern California. Ide, owner of Ide Innovations, in Sacramento, California, walked away with the win in the Modified Harley Category of the first stop of the J&P Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show.
For the second year in a row, K&N is sponsoring three classes of the J&P show which is a centerpiece of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show (IMS). The Long Beach, California, staging of the IMS featured some of the most innovative customs we’ve seen.
Rising Star earned Doug Ide a check and a K&N product prize
Interestingly, Ide’s 2009 Harley-Davidson Road King could be considered a bit of a throwback in the custom bike world. There has been a recent trend toward skeletal, minimalist builds. However, Rising Sun is an over-the-top fully-faired bagger. All of that crimson bling clearly caught the eye of the judges.
Let’s start with the Road King’s most noticeable element, all of that Candy Apple Red paint is marbleized into a deep, and truly awe-inspiring coating. That paint flows from the custom headlight nacelle that is reminiscent of an aircraft engine nose, all the way through the sweeping, stylized hard bags shaped like a sheet blowing off a concealed treasure. Those saddlebags feature very cool sliding lids.
The lids on those stylized bags slide open
Ide gave the frame a serious rake which makes room for a massive 30-inch, one-off custom wheel up front. That front wheel has one of the most unique spoke patterns you will see. The frame carries the same fantastic paint as the bodywork.
The big V-twin breathes through a K&N filter. Interestingly, rather than a highly-chromed exhaust, spent gasses exit through a subtle, industrial-themed header which continues the aircraft motif from the headlight.
K&N is proud to sponsor J&P Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show classes that shine the spotlight on fantastic builds like Ide Innovations’ Rising Sun. Doug Ide walked away from the show with a $750 check and $500 in K&N product credit for future builds.
Check back often as we bring you the big winners of the J&P Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show at each stop of the Progressive International Motorcycle Show.
