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Bates Beefy Body FX

Bates Beefy Body FX

Owning and riding a venerable Shovelhead isn't the worst way of spending the hard earned buck when you're a friend of last century's Milwaukee machinery. But, if you make the mistake to drop by at one of the custom shows in Norrtälje, Sweden, or Punta Bagna, France, not to mention Born Free U.S.A., you may catch the customizing bug. Among the galaxy of styles that populate motorcycling's deep space, between vintage AMF tanks, and home built cafe racer bum stops, between bobbed fenders and curved fender struts, king & queen seats and solo saddles you'll discover, if you look long enough, a special breed of bike parts:

The Stuff that Dreams Are Made of

When H-D acquired a fiberglass production facility in the Sixties Willie G. Davidson was quick to see the endless possibilities offered by the new material. In 1971 Sportsters and the all new Super Glide were offered with the revolutionary boattail seat combos. Made from, yes, fiberglass. Fiberglass, that’s ultra thin glass fibers held together by epoxy resins had been in use since the Thirties in housing and for insulation purposes. When surfboards were invented, the shapers soon discovered that fibreglass with it's ability to follow compound curves was just the thing to strengthen the balsa boards. Using the stuff for bikes soon followed. The boattail was a marketing disaster and was discontinued quickly. The few surviving examples however are all in the hands of discerning collectors.

A young dude by the name of Tracy Nelson was smarter than the Milwaukee gents. His California shop „Tracy's Fiberglass Works“, later just „Tracy“ went on to be a legend. Tracy built „monobodies“ for diverse brands and models. A monobody is a one-piece combination of tank, seat pan and rear fender, often also including side panels. The Tracy catalog was full of strange and crazy creations, kicking off a veritable fiberglass craze in the 1970s. No monobody was too crass, no paint scheme too off-the-wall. But, monobodies for Harleys were rare even then, and if you manage to find one, the condition is often rough. Fiberglass is tough, but 50 years are a long time. A leaky tank is no joke when you just spent $1.500.00 on that far out paint job. That's why there now is the Beefybody.

New Technology, Old Style

Our first version of the Beefy Body was conceived for 4-speed Big Twins for 1958 thru '83 model years. Drop one on the bike and lo and behold! The bike has been through a personality change. The bike's lines are altered dramatically into smooth flowing curves, with some cafe racer compactness thrown in, but without the street aggressiveness. Fiberglass is lightweight and can be mounted with little effort. The effect is a completely different bike that just begs for some crazy inventiveness in the paint shop. Black too is a cool option.

From the Forests of Sweden to the U.S.A.

The master mould was built on this here Shovelhead and uses the stock mounting points to make installation easy. The prototype was hand built by Mathias „LeBeef“ Anderson and, once shipped to Airtech, U.S.A. was used as the base for production. From there it comes back to Europe, built by master craftsmen, ready to be painted and with a customizable seat pan.

The Body, The Bike

Logically enough the new production BeefyBody got to be road tested on just the same Shovelhead that had been used to make te first mold. A 1974 FX frame with an S&S motor, and a load of parts from the W&W catalog, including many Bates parts. Test riding the first production units to Wheels and Waves, Punta Bagna and some every day riding proved the concept and drew many admiring glances.

Parts used in the build:

MAG-12 Rear Wheels 1973-07 Type
MAG-12 Rear Wheels 1973-07 Type
If you’re serious about wrenching your Harley, you’ll always be looking for that special part that makes all the difference. Introducing the legendary Mag Wheel.
When in the 60s car drag racing started to move from being a pastime of a few aficionados to serious motor sport, equipment got ever more important. Among other things lightweight and truly round wheels capable of taking hard loads got popular. And there it was, the magical wheel, the dragster front wheel, cast from magnesium alloy. It was called mag wheel. Not long, and the first chopper jocks tried to bolt these wheels to their rides. A favorite ever since: the 12 spoke variety.
The mag wheels of yore with their respective sizes of 15” and 18” are extremely rare by now and about as easy to find as an Ironhead Sportster that starts on the first kick. Even if one of those beauties can be unearthed, it should be clear that time has never stopped nibbling away at the metal — and the task of making them compatible with Harley brakes and axles is another story.
That’s why W&W had the Cannonball MAG-12 wheels cast using the latest technology and state-of-the-art aluminum alloys which guarantee long-term trouble-free service. The hub design was changed, too, in that it accepts special adapters which allow for the installation of common H-D drum and disc brake systems.
The Cannonball MAG-12 takes its styling cues from the originals, but is certified to take loads of 350 kg per wheel, and engineered to be compatible with a variety of Harley brake and sprocket setups. The available sizes of 16” and 19” give a wide scope of application for that next custom project.
Choose from wheels with a barrel polished or MAG finish. For the latter the barrel polished wheels are finely bead-blasted to achieve a dull magnesium-like appearance.
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motogadget Chronoclassic Multifunctional Instruments
motogadget Chronoclassic Multifunctional Instruments
Multifunctional digital instrument which sports a classic round style housing with a flat and compact design, which offers unique possibilities for customizing your motorcycle dash. The design reminisces that of old Smiths tachometers. An attractive dial face with pointer yield that classic analogue look to the instrument‘s rev. counter, which is powered by a precision stepper motor. An LCD display and four control LED’s provide a precise, high definition read-out of the instrument‘s functions. Top notch materials and state-of-the-art manufacturing methods in combination with final assembly by hand and meticulous quality control of every single unit guarantee superb quality.
Housing The billet aluminium housing is machined on CNC equipment and features a brushed surface with anodised finish. It has an installation diameter of 80 mm and is completely waterproof.
Analogue and LCD Display Freely adjustable transmission ratios of the stepper motor in combination with effective needle damping result in accurate readings of the engine speed. The two-line LCD display has a permanent background lighting and with its 4 control LED’S provides excellent readability both with direct sunlight and at night. The red LED works as a warning light for the rev limiter, temperature (min./max.), oil pressure or similar.
Operation By pressing a menu button (not included), e.g. the headlamp flash switch on your handlebar controls, it is possible to alternate between the different LCD functions. The top line of the display always indicates the driving speed. All other read-out can be called up in the bottom line of the display.
Installation and Connection Generally, the motoscope classic can be connected to most any vehicle. Included with every unit are interconnecting electrical wires, a signal wire for the tachometer as well as an approved high-quality inductive proximity switch for speed measurement. Detailed instructions (in English) are also provided. Sensors for temperature and pressure must be purchased separately.
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