We're All Pink on the Inside - Baker Drivetrain

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ContentsAUGUST 201238 22ON THE COVERVolume 22 • Number 6 • Our 185th IssueWith little in common but a pair of wheels and45 degree V-Twin motors, our two cover bikesspan more than a half century of Harley-Davidsonhistory, nearly 4,000 miles of earth's surface,and a huge stylistic range of what passionatepeople are doing to their bikes. But don't letthat distract you. Whether you're entranced bythe slinky metalflake allure of Boccin CustomCycles' '46 Knuck or find yourself drooling overthe streetwise cool of Hoxie's Shadley BrosRoad Glide, we've got something delicious foryou to sink your teeth into. Read on!FEATURE BIKESSouth African Hot Rod .............................8Diversity personifiedMetalflake Knuckle ................................22Let the motorcycle do the talkingShovelhead Sidecar Outfit.......................24From father to sonSoulful Shovel .......................................28Bling’s Cycle goes heavy metalShadley Bros Road Glide ........................38Well ridden and never doneUltimate Showstopper ...........................44From T-n-A CustomsLed Sled Gets Back ...............................48A Shovelhead-looking SportsterIW GARAGEIW Product Review ................................36Motorcycle armor for your bike’s hard bagsDP Replacement Clutch..........................56A high-performance solutionAbout Avon...........................................5820 things to know about tiresRusted Nuts Tech .................................60Commandeering a proper workspaceCeramic Coatings 101 ...........................62Jet-Hot tells you how to keep coolS&S Cycle Story....................................64Listen up, KnuckleheadsShop Time with Mike Witt ......................66Hard ridden Road KingFEATURE STORIESDonnie Smith Show 2012 ......................32Milestones and mentoringThe Quail Gathering ...............................74The Pebble Beach of bike showsDEPARTMENTSLetters ................................................18Readers report inMade in the USA...................................52Rinehart Racing roars alongInduction & Exhaust Buyer’s Guide...........68What goes in must come outSeasoned Citizens .................................761911 PopeIW Eye .................................................82Worth a thousand wordsREGULARSMarilyn Stemp ........................................6Be here nowSam Kanish ..........................................12Trouble with authorityBert Baker ...........................................14How to be a popular kidRick Fairless .........................................16Economic indicators, Texas styleEd Youngblood ......................................72Transcontinental record setters

Baker In GearBERT BAKER, BAKER DRIVETRAINWe’re <strong>All</strong> <strong>Pink</strong> on the InsideGrowing up is weird. Before starting nobody really gives a rat’s ass if you were akindergarten, the focus is on learninghow to walk, talk, and not poop to hang on to their former identity but eco-card carrying “popular kid” Some people tryin your pants. There’s no rules, yournomic survival is number one; it does notmommy feeds you and naps are encouraged.Skin color and socioeconomic back-world will chew you up and spit you out re-care about former affiliations because theground mean nothing. Then grade school gardless of who you are, what you are, orbegins and so does the process of conformingwith the system. You must stand in Becky in your mom’s minivan.how many times you tagged Back-Seatline,wait your turn, and speak only when I got my first bike when I was 12 inspoken to.1974, a Honda SL70. It was my ticket toIn high school the rules change because freedom. Dirt bikes were everything to me.the sexual awakening begins as we all heed Jeff Ward, Marty Smith, Bob Hannah, andthe call of our ancestors to propagate the Jody Weisel were my heroes. In the ‘70s Ispecies, which adds an interesting dimensionto the military internment camp proto-and a Suzuki RM100. Old fat guys whohad a Husqvarna WR125, Honda TL125,col of our regimented school system. Physicalattributes, intelligence, ethnic backtocrosswas cool. In 1980 I left motorcy-rode Harley-Davidsons were dumb and moground,socioeconomic status, and popularityare used (whether we like it or not) to the relief of my mother who viewed my obclesto go to engineering school much todefine who we are. As a result, many session with them as a “phase I was goinggroups and cliques form as young adults through.” After getting out of school I gotmark off their territory. There’s the freaks, right back in the game and raced 250ccjocks, geeks, popular kids, and outcasts. I motocross on 1984 and 1986 Kawasakiswas the fullback on the football team so I only to find out that at 23 years of age Idrifted in and out of the “jock” world but I was old and tired relative to the 16-yearoldswho beat me every weekend.was an outcast and proud of it. People whoplayed with cars, rode motorcycles, and So I hung up my leathers in 1988 andpartied like Jim Morrison were much more conceded that maybe my mom was right.interesting to me.Motorcycles are for little kids. I went withouta bike until I couldn’t stand it Then you get out in the real world andanymore.So in 1993 I got my first Harley-Davidson,a 1994 FLSTN, picture shown above. Itwas then I realized that dirt bikes are forkids and Harley-Davidsons are for adults. In1994 I spent a lot of time customizing mybike to make it special. I hung some obnoxiousfishtail drags on it, chromed this andchromed that and I was too cool. One dayme and my friend were walking out of abeer store and an old coot with a greasyPanhead shouted at us and said “sissy bikers!”Apparently he did not get the memothat I was the toughest and coolest rider inthe Midwest. Besides, his old crusty buttlooked like he didn’t have a pot to piss inand hadn’t been laid in years so what hesaid was irrelevant.Seven years later I was knee-deep in thewide tire custom bike scene. Wide tiresand big motors were the hot ticket. Anyonewho rode anything that was stock or nearstock procreated in the missionary positiononly and didn’t understand what life wasabout. Riding anything from Milwaukee waslike going to Cold Stone Creamery and orderingvanilla ice cream. Why bother? Radicalground-up customs were the only wayto be out on the street.Six years later I was all about the jockeyshift foot clutch scene. Without a doubt, thiswas the closest you could get to motorcyclingroots of yesteryear. Getting back to theroots of motorcycling was real. Ground-upradical customs were overpriced garbagewagons and stock bikes were lame.In recent years I’ve looked back on howmuch energy I’ve wasted on different bikesand bike scenes. My thoughts and opinionswere much like the high schooler trying tobe part of a group and shunning the others.I’ve concluded that none of it matters.If you’re on two wheels you’re alright withme. If you ride down Main Street in Sturgiswearing a pink tutu, that’ll work. Ride a dirtbike or a moped? That’s cool with me, too.Even if you don’t ride but have a remote interestin bikes we can have something totalk about on some level. So what do I ridetoday? I don’t really care but my personalchoice is to ride anything with a 45-degreeV-Twin. Stock bike with stock mufflers orground-up custom with nary a Milwaukeepart on it; it doesn’t matter tome anymore. IW14 IronWorks August 2012