Our Good Friend Paul is a dad!

Congrats Coach! Boyd sounds like one hell of a mechanic. One month old and he's already wiring his first build with his dad. Man does he look determined! If your near Holland then catch up with Coach and Phillip and Boyd at the show below with their "Universal XL 1000"

"The "Liberator" Harley Show in Aarle-Rixtel will be at 31st March and April 1st so we are making it ready
to show the 10.000 visitors how Family de Jong is thinking about bikes...." Paul

Chris 61 Pan progress

Well its almost done. I got it fired up and running but alittle rough for sure. Not a daily driver yet it still needs some attention and fine tuning. Things that were done were changed out heads, carbs, new valves and guides etc. . ., primary back to chain, rebuilt tranny (Thanks Bob at Temecula Motorcycle Repair!) and some clutch plates and maybe a few other things that are slipping my mind right now. The paint job on the tank is courtesy of Mitch Maciel and I'm stoked on it. http://www.pinheadlounge.com/portfolio.php?artistid=mas. The rest of the bike is rattle can clear to slow down the rusting.I do have a fender coming but I guess I can still ride without it til it shows up. Is that illegal here in CA, does anyone know? I'll post more pics later when its running better. Hey Bob, lil help.?!

McGoo's progression

I wanted to write up something and show the progression of what McGoo has done to get a bike up and running for his most current ride. (Soon to be finished.)

He started out I think with a tire or grips that gave him the notion of building this current bike. I believe it was tires at a trade show just about a year ago. He found a stock sporty to yank the engine out of on craigslist last summer. Called up Jason at FlyRite and ordered a frame around the same time. I believe the tires he must have picked up first thing though. He scoured swaps, boards, ebay you name it finding everything from fork parts, calipers, mtb shocks and is now in the final stretch of getting his latest creation done. Long time super artist friend of McGoo's, Andy Jenkins is putting the final touches on the paint and then its final assembly!!! Stay tuned to see the finished project or show up on the EDR and ride along with us.

Bill's T120R is Back!!!

Bill got his bike back up and together. He's been riding the piss out of it and shaking it down for the EDR! The bike is all go and let the rust show except for the sparkly newly rebuilt engine and tranny. Thanks Andy and Tony!

Xian Seat

Christian with Xian Leather just sent us pics of the pan he covered for us and it will cause a brawl here at Biltwell to see who can get it on their bike first! He does amazing work to say the least. We don't have it in hand just yet but I think the pics speak for themselves. Thanks Christian.
http://www.xianleather.com/

Going to Colorado

Bill and I are leaving tomorrow with our friend Chris "Mad Dog" Moeller to pick up this bike:



Chris scored this beauty from Irish Rich at Shamrock Fabrication. Irish Rich's bike was featured in The Horse magazine. Chris Moeller is a blacksmith and metal craftsman in his own right, so there's no telling where this bike is headed, visually speaking. One thing is certain, however: Chris WILL be riding with us on the 2007 El Diablo Run next April. We'll post words and pictures from our three-day adventure when we return to SoCal Sunday, February 18.

Biltwell Open House & EDR Pre-Party

Our little shop isn't much to look at--most of our bike-building equipment is in our respective personal garages--but by April 18 the Biltwell warehouse in Temecula, CA, should have enough products in stock that Chris will no longer have to say "Four to six weeks…" on the phone again!

To celebrate this milestone--and to show our appreciation to everyone who waited so patiently for our products to arrive--Chris, Bill and I are hosting an open house at Biltwell HQ on April 18. This is the night before everyone leaves Temecula for San Felipe, Baja Mexico on the 2007 El Diablo Run.

The Biltwell Open House & EDR Pre-Party will be a low-key affair from 4 to 9pm on Wednesday, April 18. A local rotisserie chicken restaurant called Juan Pollo ("John Chicken" to those in the know) is catering the deal, and we'll be serving Newcastle on tap. Promptly at 9pm we will close the doors and take the party to a cheesy new bar about 100 feet from our office called Hard Hats. We know the place sounds like a gay bar, but the busty bimbos and ex-strippers who work there will have you thinking otherwise.

See you on the 18th...

Biltwell Sponsors Four Aces Bonneville Ass-SALT

It's official: Wes White of Four Aces Cycle is taking his vintage Triumph to Bonneville again in 2007, and Biltwell is supporting the effort. For a blow-by-blow description of the blood, sweat and gears that go into an LSR assaualt of this magnitude, please visit the blog at www.fouracescycle.com. Why Four Aces, and why Bonneville? Well, our very own Chris Collins joined Wes and company on their assault on Bonneville last year, and it changed his life! To help Wes in his conquest for the land speed record, Biltwell graphic designer Bill Bryant has designed a commemorative T-shirt, and Chris has acquired a motor of his own from the venerable Four Aces stable. With a little money and a lot of luck, Wes, Chris and fellow Four Aces contender Chuck will make it a three-man sweep for the speed record in their respective classes. Stay tuned to this blog for news and information as it develops. To buy a Four Aces commemorative t-shirt, please visit the Four Aces Cycle home page.

Travis Decker: Biltwell Goofy Girl Contest Winner

Our Goofy Girl picture contest winner is Travis Decker. Some Keystone bars are on their way! Good luck with your Triumph project and keep us posted with progress pics.

My 3 kids

Ok so I don't have any kids but this is where all my $ goes so can I file 3 dependents on my taxes? I have a few projects infront of me and will be showing their progress as it goes. Right now here is where everything is. I love my work bench I'm like a kid with trophys on his shelf. The Pan will be done in a few weeks then the sportster then the Triumph for Bonneville! The Triumph will be joining up with Wes(http://www.fouracescycle.com)and his crew on his take back the salt assault!!! Chuck on his 200 Cub, Wes on his 500 and this 650.

p.s. Oh yeah anyone looking for some dual carb pan heads e-mail me.

Biltwell Seats on Parade

Several weeks ago we delivered Biltwell Solo Seat pans to a couple of friends and leading leather crafters in the chopper business. The name dropping will occur after everyone has submitted their individual masterpiece. For now, please enjoy these interpretations on two different design themes. BIll dreamed up the classic leather diamond tuck design that will grace McGoo's Smokin' Gun. The western theme brown leather unit will probably grace Chris's new-and-improved '61 Panhead. After we have photographed the remaining custom seats for future ads, we'll display the LeatherDude, Duane Ballard, Paul Cox and XianLeather Biltwell custom seats at swapmeets and events throughout the year. Of course, the Biltwell seats from all four of these super supportive artisans and craftsmen will show the rich patina than can only come from prolonged exposure to our well-padded asses.

LeatherDude Chip Purkey from Hemet, CA is the first to cover a Biltwell Solo Seat with a hand-crafted cover. We placed no demands on Chip's creative vision save for the Biltwell anvil logo on the top.



The gentle contours and subtle upward kick of the Biltwell seatpan are obscured in two dimensions. To really appreciate the look and feel of Chris's seat pan you have to hold it against your ass.



Rear view of Chip's handiwork.



Everyone at Biltwell is a sucker for a solo seat ensconced in leather on both sides. The structural ribs on the bottom of the Biltwell seat add both strength and visual interest to the overall design. The flat surface where the seat hinge bolts to the seat is very stable and supportive.




A local seat crafter in Tujunga, CA, covered this seat to McGoo's specifications. Halwade wanted large volumes of dense foam padding to cushion his sensitive ass from the harsh realities of riding a rigid outlaw chopper.



Vidal's leather treatment on the underside of McGoo's seat lacks the fit and finish of LeatherDude's work, but it still looks better than a stamped out sheet of shitty old tin.