Mike Dusold has been messing around with motorcycles for over 20 years, and it's been his full-time job for about 15 years. He grew up around his dad's body shop, Lou's Auto Body Inc, in Chicago. Aside from fixing up wrecks, they also built hotrods and bikes. So Mike developed an affinity for custom metal and paint and realized it was his true calling as an artist.inline_mediumwraptextright26758349/features/1004_hbkp_2007_harley_davidson_road_king1004_hbkp_01_z+2007_harley_davidson_road_king+side_view.jpgTrue

It's not the destination; it's the journey." A well-known producer of motorcycles has used that phrase as part of it's marketing for sometime now. The "Ol Buzzard" has made a long journey, from Detroit to California and back again. Along the way it has undergone many different changes, from Detroit Police motorcycle, to traditional bobber, to west coast style chopper, to garage dweller, to basket case, to complete rebuild as a modern classic.inline_mediumwraptextright32185146/features/1004_hbkp_1956_harley_davidson_fl_detroit_police_bike1004_hbkp_01_z+1956_harley_davidson_fl_detroit_police_bike+side_view.jpgTrue

Bushido or way of the warrior, is a philosophy of moral principals observed and passed on through generations of samurai. The land of the rising sun has a deep-rooted history of legions of these skillful masters who lived by this precious creed of honor, loyalty, and self-discipline. While highly trained in many weapons Bushido philosophy taught that the katana (sword) was the samurai's soul. Made of the best materials by master craftsmen with generations of experience, even though it may seem simplistic in design with a slender, single edged blade-with its sharpness and cutting ability-the devastation the katana could wreak in the hands of a samurai was legendary.

Attention Hot Bike Readers! We would like to start by asking you, the reader, to help us with your ride submissions. There is no shortage of Readers' Rides coming across the editor's desks; however, only about 1/4 of them can be used. The reason: bad photos, little or no info about the bike, and even worse, no contact info to get better photos or the needed bike specs. So before you put a stamp on that envelope or send out that e-mail, make sure that you have filled out the basics: Your name, phone number and/or e-mail, where you're from. Then fill out a spec sheet-all you need to do is copy the info from the magazine: Motor, trans, frame, wheels, and so on. Last, a brief history about you and your bike. Now that you know exactly what we're looking for, we can't wait to see what you're going to send in. Thanks!

Throughout his 13 years in the motorcycle business, John Poppe of John' s Custom Cycles, has had a lot of customers. But when someone asked him what he would build himself, John decided it was time to become his own customer. John and his right hand man Tim Dietrich sat down and started thinking of ideas for John's bike. After spending a few days debating on whether they wanted a stock frame or to build a custom one, they ran across photos of a Board Tracker frame manufactured by US Choppers and John knew right then what he wanted to build: his idea of an Exxxtreme Board Tracker-when John builds a custom bike he builds them under the Exxxtreme Customs moniker.

inline_mediumwraptextrightTo go along with the rocker foot clutch, an auto clutch setup was also installed.26441357/features/1003_hbkp_2008_exxxtreme_board_tracker1003_hbkp_02_z+2008_exxxtreme_board_tracker+.jpgTrue

Charles Peterson of North Carolina, had never been a big fan of bikes, that is until while looking for something to do with his spare time he picked up an '08 Street Glide and decided to dress it up to his liking. Like most of us, when Charles was a kid he rode dirt bikes, but that was about the extent of his motorcycling experiences. So with that being said, it's pretty impressive that he put together such a stunning bike his first time around.

Charles started his project on December 12, so it could be said he was making himself his own Christmas present. With big dreams of gleaming chrome, dripping kandy paint, and an audio/video explosion rolling down the street, Charles started stripping the bike completely down to the frame. Once the engine was out the heads and barrels were sent to Diamond Heads in Las Vegas for the "jeweled" look. To help the motor sparkle the frame was sent to Concorde Chrome to get dipped. While the frame and engine were getting bling'd out, Charles started shopping for parts.inline_mediumwraptextrightSee clearly! A set of MetalSport clear wheels with a 360 Brake really clean up the bike.26443082/features/1003_hbkp_2008_harley_davidson_street_glide1003_hbkp_02_z+2008_h_d_street_glide+front_view.jpgTrue

Harley is still gunning for those that favor the dark side with two new model releases this past week (1/25/10). For the Darth Vader crowd there's the the Death Star AKA the 2010 CVO Ultra. And for the rebellious young Luke Skywalker in all of us there's the Landspeeder or as Harley affectionately calls it, the Forty-Eight.inline_mediumwraptextright27909328/features/1001_hbkp_harley_davidsons_new_models1001_hbkp_02_z+2010_harley_davidson_forty_eight+black.jpgTrue

Editor's Note: The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, Tahoe Tessie, the Fountain of Youth, the Holy Grail, and Unicorns. For generations the myth, lore, and excitement of these things have encouraged people to spend their lives seeking them out. For Harley-Davidson enthusiasts that elusive item is the "Barn Find" bike. Scoring a barn find bike is every Harley lovers dream; to own a piece of history that's been stored away, forgotten about, and, unmolested. Unveiled and relinquished into the right hands, the barn find is like a newly discovered artifact to an archeologist. It provides a detailed account of how things used to be and how things were done. For traditional raked and flaked chopper lovers like Emerson Arnold, his bike dubbed The Real Deal is his lost arc.inline_mediumwraptextrightModel: Miss V27657946/features/1003_hbkp_1960_harley_davidson_flh1003_hbkp_01_z+1960_harley_davidson_flh+.jpgTrue

No one understands America's proud military tradition more than her veterans. Men and women who've suffered some of the greatest hardships humanity is capable of inflicting upon itself, all to guard our way of life. These people are as varied as those in the melting pot they protect; so too are the ways Americans thank them for the valuable service they render for the rest of us.

Tribute bikes and coffee table books aren't new ways of commemorating the military. Far from it. Combining the two is pretty different, though, and exactly what Dana Harbaugh and Sandy Steiner did when creating their Pearl Harbor tribute motorcycle.inline_mediumwraptextright27641062/features/1003_hbkp_chrome_fusion_tribute_to_pearl_harbor1003_hbkp_01_z+chrome_fusion_tribute_pearl_harbor+.jpgTrue

A few months back we were invited to the Harley's 2010 model launch. This is where all the new bikes are put on display for us to check out and hit the road for some quick review miles. All the bikes were nice, from the looks to the handling we never felt let down after an all day ride on the new H-D fleet. After the press launch we try to get as many of the cool new bikes in house as we can for some alone time. The first one we wanted was the new Fat Boy Lo.inline_mediumwraptextrightHere is a look at the stock Fat Boy Lo before the P&A we added.27639364/features/1003_hbkp_2010_harley_davidson_fat_boy_lo1003_hbkp_02+stock_hd_fat_boy_lo+side_view.jpgTrue

Attention Hot Bike Readers! We would like to start by asking you, the reader, to help us with your ride submissions. There is no shortage of Readers' Rides coming across the editor's desks; however, only about 1/4 of them can be used. The reason: bad photos, little or no info about the bike, and even worse, no contact info to get better photos or the needed bike specs. So before you put a stamp on that envelope or send out that e-mail, make sure that you have filled out the basics: Your name, phone number and/or e-mail, where you're from. Then fill out a spec sheet-all you need to do is copy the info from the magazine: Motor, tran, frame, wheels, and so on. Last, a brief history about you and your bike. Now that you know exactly what we're looking for, we can't wait to see what you're going to send in. Thanks!

It takes a special breed of biker to endure the five or six torturous months off the road in Minnesota. Most of us fog the cylinders, stabilize the gas and try not to think about riding for a while. But then there are guys like Master Sergeant Alex Brooks. He looks at the mandatory down time as an opportunity to take on an mental and skills challenges. For Minnesotans like Alex, wrenching on bikes is perhaps the only way to make it through the winter.inline_mediumwraptextright31687818/features/1002_hbkp_2002_harley_davidson_sportster1002_hbkp_01_z+2002_harley_davidson_sportster+.jpgTrue

Russ Wernimont is no stranger to creating works of art out of ordinary pieces of sheetmetal. He practically grew up doing it. Russ got his start in the early '80s when he moved from Toledo, Ohio, out to California and got a job working for the Toyota Off-Road factory team. At the time Don Vesco was doing off-road motors and asked him to do some stuff for bikes. He then got introduced to Stan Fox and eventually Tom Motzko from Drag Specialties. So it was a pretty natural transition for him into the motorcycle world.

Last month, HOT BIKE gave you the rundown on Harley-Davidson's 2010 Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) models. This month, we're back with more American-manufactured motorcycle goods with Harley-Davidson's brand-new-to-the-regular-fleet 2010 models.

Attention Hot Bike Readers!

We would like to start by asking you, the reader, to help us with your ride submissions. There is no shortage of Readers' Rides coming across the editor's desks; however, only about 1/4 of them can be used. The reason: bad photos, little or no info about the bike, and even worse, no contact info to get better photos or the needed bike specs. So before you put a stamp on that envelope or send out that e-mail, make sure that you have filled out the basics: Your name, phone number and/or e-mail, where you're from. Then fill out a spec sheet-all you need to do is copy the info from the magazine: Motor, tran, frame, wheels, and so on. Last, a brief history about you and your bike. Now that you know exactly what we're looking for, we can't wait to see what you're going to send in. Thanks!

Editor's note: One of the joys of being a father is the opportunity to pass on your life lessons and experiences to your offspring to shape their character and develop fortitude. And no matter how old we get or how much life experience we may have, it seems as though even the simplest of those life lessons continue to spring up. Such was the case with Marde Anderson and what he thought was a good score on a Shovel he found on eBay.

Ferry Clot has been stunning the masses at just about every bike show he participates in and usually rides away with top honors. What's that, the name doesn't ring a bell? That's probably because until recently, Ferry had spent all his time entering his creations in bike shows in his home country of Spain. Based out of Marbella, Spain, Ferry has been customizing bikes for around 25 years and has been doing it as a profession for the past 15 years with his shop Hot Dreams Marbella.inline_mediumwraptextright27443758/features/1002_hbkp_1956_harley_davidson_fl_hydra_glide1002_hbkp_01_z+1956_harley_davidson_fl_hydra_glide+side_view.jpgTrue

Getting this assignment immediately set off the warning bells, and not the little ones dangling under my triple trees. It was not a story where you'd want to piss anybody off. And there was a significant lineup of "anybodys" that were "somebodys" involved. The short list included a major TV network, an award winning writer/producer, a fistful of famous actors (with large fists), and indirectly down the line a triple shot of serious muscle known as the BATF, the white supremacists, and true blue one-percenters. And, oh yeah, this mag's editor who commissioned the story and who when asked about "hazard pay" only chuckled.inline_mediumwraptextrightEven in death, the SOA guard the streets of their home turf, Charming, California.27445204/features/1002_hbkp_sons_of_anarchy_behind_the_scenes1002_hbkp_01_z+sons_of_anarchy_behind_the_scenes+sons_of_anarchy.jpgTrue

My bike kind of displays what a good magazine will do to a fellow. I am 45 and a 27-year double certified master auto mechanic. I have been riding and tinkering with motorcycles since I was 6-years-old due impart to my uncle owning a Honda shop since the late '60s. This is about my 25th motorcycle, I bought my first Harley in 1987, and this is my fourth H-D. This story starts with the purchase of a black '03 H-D 100th Anniversary Fat Boy I bought box stock from Stafford Harley in Houston, Texas, in April 2003. I started the normal process of adding a few pieces of chrome here and there, eventually adding a 42mm Mikuni carb, air cleaner, and Vance and Hines Short Shots. The winter of 2004/05 I pulled the motor and built it into a 103 with all Screamin' Eagle components, and had Todd Thompson spray some tiger graphics. In November of 05, I hit a large piece of lumber that flew off of an 18-wheeler and had a bad crash. I contemplated just junking the remains but decided after some careful thought to rebuild the bike.

Attention Hot Bike Readers! We would like to start by asking you, the reader, to help us with your ride submissions. There is no shortage of Readers' Rides coming across the editor's desks; however, only about 1/4 of them can be used. The reason: bad photos, little or no info about the bike, and even worse, no contact info to get better photos or the needed bike specs. So before you put a stamp on that envelope or send out that e-mail, make sure that you have filled out the basics: Your name, phone number and/or e-mail, where you're from. Then fill out specs such as: motor, trans, frame, wheels, paint and so on. Last, a brief history about you and your bike. Now that you know exactly what we're looking for, we can't wait to see what you're going to send in. Thanks!