Tramp Cycles are based in Osaka, Japan and deservingly received lots of praise for their stunning XR1200. Although we are big fans of the SR it's refreshing to see a Japanese shop creating great looking cafe racers from Harley-Davidsons. Not sure if we can truly call this 2002 XLH1200S a cafe racer, it has the cafe seat but it is missing the all important clip-ons or ace bars. Whatever the case, it's still a great looking ride. Tramp Cycles also love racing Harleys and just by looking at their bikes we have a feeling they do quite well. The Tramp gallery is worth checking out to see various angles of this bike and more. 

This Harley WLA is owned by Mr Nishida of the Posh Factory in Tokyo, Japan. The Posh Factory make high performance parts for a range of motorcycles but specialize in Harley Davidsons. This WLA was built to race in the AVCC (American Vintage motorcycle Competition Clubman road-race) in Japan and has had some great wins over the years. Nisheda says he loves circuit racing more than anything else, and enjoys meeting people and learning more about vehicle parts through racing which helps them make better motorcycle products.
The HD 42WLA was originally built around World War II to US army specs, and apparently were very popular amongst young soldiers who would come home hoping to get a Harley-Davidson like he saw or rode in the war. Not many original WLA's exist today, most of them being turned into choppers and extensively modified over the years. To check out loads more pics visit the Posh Factory Gallery or to see their huge range of products hit the link to their catalogue. Amazingly their website and catalogue are both in english.

Christmas has come early this year, thanks to a reviewer's copy of the Harley-Davidson Motor Co. Archive Collection landing on my desk. This coffee table book is the most comprehensive record of Harley-Davidson Motorcycles ever assembled (it also weighs about the same as a Fat Boy). With over 600 exquisite studio photographs by Randy Leffingwell and an interesting story of every Harley-Davidson made over the past 100 years, including the rare bicycles and snow mobiles they briefly manufactured. Fortunately the founders of Harley-Davidson had the foresight to keep examples of all their motorcycles. Although some of the collection were only acquired recently, like this immaculate 1965 CRTT Road Racer (pictured). The HD archives apparently purchased this rare motorcycle in 1998. With only 35 of these CR models built in their Italian factory for competition in 1965. The company sold them for $650 in 1966, and we are pretty sure HD would have paid a little bit more for this one 33 years later.

Overall this book is amazing and I hate sounding like a salesman, but it's a must have for any Harley or motorcycle enthusiast. You can purchase the book in Australia at The Pitstop or through Amazon if you reside in America. 

Joey Silvestera the owner of this beast is no newcomer to motorcycles. He grew up racing dirt bikes as a kid, so when he moved to New York to start his business Blackstones (great website) he decided it was time to get a bike for running around in traffic. He decided to call Duncan MacDonald at Lucky Charm Choppers to discuss a brief. Joey really wanted a Harley but also needed it to be compact and tight to race around NY streets. Luckily, Duncan had the perfect C & J flat tracker racing frame that had been sitting in his garage for 15 years. After a bit of begging, Joey convinced him to sell it. Then Duncan came across a wrecked 1996 Sportster, pulled out the motor and the build began. Over the next 4 months Duncan and his team created this stunning streetfighter with a spec sheet too big to mention here. Joey has decided to put this bike up for sale to start another project so if your like what you see you can email Joey Silvestera and he'll be happy to give you all the details and price. 

Webb's have announced another auction of Important and Vintage Motorcycles. One of the bikes included in the auction is this beautiful Harley XLCR, America's first attempt at a Cafe Racer. We take our hat off to Willie G. Davidson, the grandson of Mr Davidson who had the balls to start manufacturing this bike which was so different to what Harley was making at the time. We have to agree with Webb's when they say 'The all-black steel tank and fiberglass tail piece coupled with the unique black Siamese exhausts made the XLCR arguably the most attractive bike of its era'. With only a few thousand of these made over a 3 year period this XLCR should go for a handsome price. The auction is being held on November 25 at Deus in Auckland but overseas phone bidders are welcome. Hit the link to view the whole Webb's bike catalogue. 

Steve Stone is a freelance photographer and owner of Blacklist Photography. He shoots a range of subjects from fashion, snowboarding and lots of motorcycles (which is why we are talking about him). He was recently one of ten artist hand picked to show their work at The Harley-Davidson Art of Rebellion show in L.A and NYC. Steve says he enjoys "making rad images, and then spending his money on more motorcycles". We really dig Steve's striking images and you can find Steve and his latest images on the Blacklist Blog.

We received some pics from Deus today of this nasty looking 2008 Sportster Nightster. This bike truly deserves the words 'Deus Special' painted on its tank. Some of the work done includes changing both F&R rims to alloy (front is 19" dia and the rear is now 18" dia), stainless spokes, sticky tires, lowered F&R suspension (Ikon), clip on bars, small electronic speedo, Yamaha SR400 petrol tank (thought that looked familiar), solo seat, chopped rear frame section, shorty F&R fenders, modified Vance & Hince 2 into 1 exhaust with HPC matte black coating, and lastly the "special" Deus paint job. After they had finished, this HD had lost 15kg of junk. We love it when Deus get their junk out. [Thanks to Andy for finding this in between the covers while riding a Virgin].

Bling's Cycles in New Jersey recently built this 1941 Harley Davidson. It was built by and for the owner of Bling's, Bill Dodge. Bill is no newcomer to the scene, building bikes since he was sixteen and working for a reputable shop in Long Beach for 8 years. Bill builds bikes that are clean, fast, functional and simple like this bike aptly named the Nickle Knuckle after its 74 Cubic inch KnuckleHead engine. The bike is like a cross between a bobber and a dirt tracker, looking at the specs we can see why. The front end is Harley Davidson Narrow Glide, the gas tank is from an old Indian dirt bike, oil tank from a 1949 Ford Aftermarket, the rear knobby tire is a Metzler 150/70/18 and the front is a Bridgestone 23/3.00 and the beautiful paint job was done by the guys at French Kiss Kustoms. The ultra clean looking chassis is custom made by Bill and he calls it the Bling’s Cycles Choppa Killa. To see more pics of this killer bike check out the Nickle Knuckle gallery.

MC Collection is a museum in Stockholm Sweden showing an impressive collection of motorcycles from the 19th century until today. The exhibition represents the personal collections of Christer R Christensson and Ove Johansson. The theme for this year will be Harley-Davidson, possibly the best-known brand in the world of motorcycles. In the exhibition, they will present 20 amazing bikes from the most popular eras in HD's history from the oldest example made in 1912 all the way to the latest model, a "V-rod" from 2008. One of our favourite bikes in the collection is this HD XR 1000 Racer by the guys at V-Twin Cycle Shop in NY (their website is still yet to launch). What a spectacular looking racer, would give my right hand to ride a few laps on that beast (might be hard with one hand though). If you do find yourself in downtown Stockholm then definitely check out this museum. To see more of the motorcycles in the MC Collection visit the gallery.