New Bike Specifications

The man behind Von Dutch

May 25, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

A custom building legend with the Midas Touch

The word ‘versatile,’ has been mercilessly bandied with many famous people of recent times but we really think it is appropiate in the case of Kenneth Robert Howard, or Von Dutch, as he is popularly known to his legions of fans the world over. Besides being a motorcycle mechanic of repute, he was also a pin striper, a knife maker, an artist, and a gunsmith.

His father, Wally Howard, was a Los Angeles sign painter; and, by the age of ten, the young Kenny Howard was able to paint and letter at a professional level. The Von Dutch nickname was intended to mean “stubborn as a Dutchman”. In the early 1950s he started of earning money by doing pin striping along with fellow pin striper Dean Jeffries. Von Dutch has been a major influence in the customizing vehicles from 1950 onwards till today. Some of his famous award winning work include the flying eyeball and the custom Kenford truck, along with numerous award winning custom motorcycles and custom cars. Many custom car and motorcycle enthusiasts, regard him as one of the fathers of custom culture in the world.

Von Dutch also designed and produced the Mare’s Leg, a cut-down Winchester rifle for the very famous television series Wanted: Dead or Alive. After a prolonged battle with alcohol addiction, he died in Spetember 1992, but not before he became a poster child of rebellion, biker attitude and creative free-thinking. Kenny Howard’s legacy still endures to this day – the Von Dutch company is now a licensed American multinational brand operating in more than a dozen countries and favored by celebrities like Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.

Red Bull X-Fighters Jams in Delhi

May 25, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Red Bull X-Fighters Jams prepare to take Delhi by storm

Red Bull X-Fighters Jams is a series of worldwide exhibitions with some of the finest motocross stars from the international FMX scene putting on insane shows in front of thousands of people. The world’s best Freestyle motocross riders prepare to take off in India at one of the most spectacular locations as a backdrop at Rajpath, New Delhi.

Watch out for the Red Bull X-Fighters Jams in New Delhi, which will have the likes of Nick Franklin, Nick De Wit, Gilles Dejong and Jimmy Verburgh, bringing on the heat at the capital, burning their tyres and putting on an exciting show that will leave every one speechless.

These events already have cult status in the cities they have visited, with top riders from the region joining some of the finest motocross stars from the international scene. So gear up as Red Bull X-Fighters Jams is coming to knock you right off your seats on 30th June, 2012.

Red Bull X-Fighters Jams in Delhi

May 25, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Red Bull X-Fighters Jams prepare to take Delhi by storm

The Samurai of custom bikes

May 23, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

Over the past two decades, Shinya Kimura has risen to the top of the heap of custom bike builders with his stunning ‘zero style’ design of custom bikes

Up until now, custom bikes have mostly been the fiefdom of the West. Arlenn Ness, Jesse James, the OCC family – name any renowned custom builder off the top of your head and chances are, he will be American. But, slowly but steadily, the rest of the world is also waking up to the art of custom craft and creating a name for themselves in a field that requires enormous artistic talent, painstaking attention to detail as well as a thorough knowledge of metallurgy. Somewhere near the pinnacle of this list lies Shinya Kimura.

Shinya Kimura is a Japanese born custom bike builder and founder of Zero Engineering and Chabott Engineering who originated the “zero style” of custom bikes. A Zero-style bike is typically based around a rigid goose neck, a pre-1984 Harley Davidson engine, springer front end, spoke wheels and often includes parts of the bike remaining in bare metal.

In 2006 Kimura set up his own shop named Chabott Engineering to build both custom bikes as well as moving himself toward the world of art. He has also co-authored various books like “Art of the Chopper by Tom Zimberoff” and Zero Chopper Spirit – Samurai Bikes from the East and has also taken part in Biker Build-Off where he was put up against another great builder in the form of Joe Martin.

Shinya Kimura will be premiering two of his famed retro custom builds at this year’s Calendar Show. While the first of these two is a recently completed 1973 MV Augusta 750S named “Blue One”, details about the other remains undisclosed up till now. The former has already won the Quail’s Custom/Modified 1st Place Trophy and the Cycle World “Elegance in Action” Award in another event held previously. Over the past two decades, Shinya Kimura has built up an enviable clientele of motorcycle connoisseurs willing to pay top dollar for works of art that truly stand out from the usual breed. Like actor Brad Pitt, seen here in the picture with one of Kimura’s creations, the ‘Flash’ Café Racer.

Photograph courtesy: www.vanishingpointbikes.wordpress.com

Messiah on Two Wheels

May 22, 2012 by Bike India Team Leave a Comment

With the Isle of Man TT coming up in a week, it is the perfect time to pause and remember the greatest motorcycling legend this event has ever produced

William Joseph Dunlop, referred to throughout the sport as “Joey”, was as much a philanthropist as he was a motorcycling icon. His achievements include three hat-tricks at the Isle of Man TT and winning a record 26 races in total in a career spanning three decades. He also won the Ulster Grand Prix 24 times and won a fifth consecutive TT Formula One world title in 1986.

Joey Dunlop was less known for his tireless charity work, which was exactly the way he wanted it – in complete anonymity and free from the glare of the spotlights. He made endless trips to Romania, bringing in truck loads of aid to various orphanages in order to help build their careers and there country. Dunlop stated that his proudest award which he was bestowed upon was his OBE for charity rather than all his amazing achievements in his very successful racing career. On 31 December 2009 Joey Dunlop was voted 3rd greatest Irish sportsperson ever.

Joey Dunlop died in Tallinn, Estonia, in 2000 while leading a 125cc race on the Pirita Kose Kloostrimetsa Circuit. He had lost control of his bike in the wet conditions and was killed instantly on impact with trees. Irish publishers The O’Brien Press published a full colour pictorial tribute to Joey following his death.

A memorial statue was erected in his home town of Ballymoney, And on the Isle of Man, a statue of Dunlop astride a Honda overlooking the Bungalow Bend at Snaefell. The 26th milestone area of the TT course has been renamed “Joey’s”. Northern Ireland band Therapy made a song in memory of Dunlop, called Joey. The most successful overall rider at the annual TT races is awarded with the “Joey Dunlop Cup.”

The Isle of Man TT this year starts on 26^th May. Stay tuned for more updates on one of the few surviving and the greatest, most challenging ever road race.