S&S Clutch

S&S will be introducing a clutch in the near future, according to a recent dealer magazine. I don't have specifics or a link yet, but according to a friend of mine close to S&S, it is meant to compete with Rivera's Pro-clutch.

When I get more details I will let you know.

Bike Kits

If you're looking at buying a bike kit, you might want to pick up a copy of this months Easyriders magazine. They have 6 full pages dedicated to all the bike kits that are available. There are even a few there I didn't know about.

We offer many of these already, and plan to add more of them in the near future.

Various Vendor News

Here are some various news items relating to the parts industry I thought you like to hear about:

• I have confirmed that S&S motors will no longer be available without ignitions, except for their Twin Cam version (due to their court battle with Harley???) All EVO-style motors will come with their IST ignition, while shovelheads will come with another ignition. Forgot to ask about sportsters. Sorry XL and Buell guys.
• S&S released their new catalog and price list. This is in no way a scientific sampling, but of the prices I've looked up, prices have jumped 10%-15%.
• Custom Chrome usually releases their new catalog in the fall. However, they are not releasing the 2006 catalog until after the Cinncinati bike show in February. They have updated their prices, however, with most items increasing in price, but not drastically (again, this is just my observation). They did introduce a small supplement to their catalog.

Price Fixing Hall of Shame

In case some of you weren't aware of it, a number of aftermarket motorcycle parts manufacturers and distributors use the tactic of threatening online retailers with either legal action or withholding product from them if they don't sell their products at retail prices. The big losers here are you, the consumer, who is being forced to pay a fixed price.

The driving force behind this are local dealers who claim Internet retailers are killing their business, and the big online retailers who sell only at retail. As far as the local dealers are concerned, I can see their point, but I do have several major problems with it. First, at a local store or shop, you can actually look at the product in person, you don't have any shipping charges, and you can take it home with you immediately, which are huge advantages. Second, the prices we sell online are the same prices we offer in our retail location, so if we can do it, so should they. That's just competetion, and the way business works.

So from time to time, I'm going to list the worst offenders. Here's the latest additions:

Sampson Exhaust
Vance and Hines Exhaust
T-bags Motorcycle Luggage

How Wide of A Tire Can I Use On My Chopper?

This is one of the most common questions we hear. The question should be how wide SHOULD you go.

Keep in mind this is only my opinion, and many fat tire guys will swear by their last breath that running a 250 or 300 monster is the way to go. I just don't happen to agree with them.

In my opinion, the ideal tire width is the 200 for the average rider. It looks nasty (especially with a shortened fender), it has a lot of rubber on the road, and it still handles good. If you have a pile of money and time on your hands to build a 300 monster, by all means, don't let me talk you out of it. But here are some things to consider:

1) Extra Cost
200 tire frames and spacer kits are expensive enough as it is, and if you go any wider than this, the costs skyrocket.

2) Balance/Drive Issues
In order to make a really wide tire work, you have to offset the driveline so the belt/chain will clear the tire. This is fine on a 200, as the amount is very small, but when you get up to a 250, the offset is an inch or more, which makes your bike heavy to the left.

The way around this is to go with a Right Side Drive (RSD) setup, where the transmission drive components come out on the right side of the transmission. The problem with this is that you need special, and usually very expensive, components. These include transmission, frames, and spaced-out exhaust. For the average rider it is not worth it.

3) Handling
Put a 250 or 300 in a Softail frame, and it handles lousy. Put it in a rigid, and you will feel like you are herding cattle. The biggest issues comes when cornering, where bigger tires tend to push you out of curves.

4) Little Benefit
You read that right, a 250 will give you little or no traction gain over a 200. Motorcycle tires are not like car tire; only a small patch of rubber is touching the ground at any time because of the curvature of the tires. The difference in the area touching on a 200 and 250 is negligible.

So basically, you will be paying twice as much for a bike that handles poorly, and has no additional traction. Then again, wide tires look real cool, so it's just a matter of where your priorities lie.

Newsletter

In case some of you weren't aware of it, we also have a newsletter in addition to this Blog. In it we detail the latest specials and happenings. Also, in every newsletter, we offer specials that are only available to newsletter subscribers, so it is worth your while to check out.

You can sign up at:
http://www.choppersurplus.com/global/flyer.html

New Dealerships

We have two new dealerships we would like to announce. The first is the world famous Exile cycles (from the "Build or Bust" TV show). They offer a ton of cool parts, including frames, drive components, and of, course complete bikes. Their most famous product is their "sprocket brakes", which are a combination brake rotor/sprocket for those who want to clean up the right sides of their bikes. You can visit their site at www.exilecycles.com.


The second dealership we recently aquired was for Rich Products, makers of the famous Thunderheader exhaust. Thunderheader is know for their high-quality, high-perfomance systems. http://www.richproductsco.com/

Porkers Bike Show Venue Change

The 3rd annual porkers bike show will be moving from the Northwest Sports Complex to the
Ramada Inn Convention Center located at 205 South Barstow Street in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Look for more information and updates at http://www.porkersusa.com.

Revtech Shovelheads?

Revtech has released a new shovelhead motor, in both generator and cone motor styles. Both are 88 Cu in, and use STD cases and heads, S&S pistons, Andrews cam, and Manley racing valve kit. The alternator version will sell for $5,900 (retails $6400), and the generator at $6300 ($7000 retail).

Of course neither is in stock with Custom Chrome yet. I would image they will have them after their dealer show in mid-November.

S&S News on Motors/Frames

S&S is at it again. As of 10/17/2005, S&S will no longer sell motors WITHOUT their new IST ignition. I don't know if this covers shovelheads, but it does include all the EVO and Twin Cam style motors. This is according to MC Advantages, a supplier in Iowa. I'm trying to confirm with S&S and some of their other vendors, such as Drags.

Also, I have good info that S&S is getting into the frame business. I don't have any details on this yet, but as soon as I do I will keep everyone posted.

Builders Sale

Just a reminder, our October Builders Special is winding down, and will end 10/28/2005. There are still a ton of specials on motors, frames, front ends, sheetmetal, you name it! Check out the sale at: http://www.choppersurplus.com/sp/builders.html

- Jason

Welcome

Welcome to the Chopper Surplus blog.

I would like to introduce myself, I am Jason Van Wyhe, and I will be hosting this blog

For those of you not familiar with what a blog is, a blog is short for weB LOG. It is updated regularly with important information.

In the Chopper Surplus blog, I will be updating important news with regards to the industry. I will also talk about any specials we might currently be running, or any changes of any sort.

Feel free to post your comments or questions, and I will try to answer them the best that I can.

Also, please feel free to visit some of our other sites:

Red Dragon Publishing
Chopper Surplus
Porkers Tech Tips
Chuck Norris Planet
The Bachelors Handbook
Northern Lights Technology
Butler Get Aways
Jason Van Wyhe
Keith's Motorcycle
Weight Training Tips
Castle Age Tips

- Jason