1976 Custom Harley-Davidson Shovelhead

You’ve got it seriously made when your career is literally wrenching Harleys all day, every day, day in, day out.

However you want to describe building a custom Harley-Davidson or any custom motorcycle, we don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that every rider reading this would do practically anything to make that happen.

A 1976 Custom Harley-Davidson Shovelhead built by Speakeasy Motors
Left side view of this beautiful 1976 Custom Harley-Davidson Shovelhead built by Speakeasy Motors. Photos by Mark Velazquez

There’s a reason for the slogan “Ride. Wrench. Repeat.” Because, that’s the life. But all jobs—even working as a motorcycle mechanic—have their downsides. For bike builders, it’s always doing what the owner wants, especially when you don’t want to do what he wants you to do. As they say, the customer is always right (even when he isn’t).

But that wasn’t the case for builder Evan Favaro, owner of Speakeasy Motors in Wallkill, New York, when it came to this particular assignment, a 1976 Harley Shovelhead. “One day, a customer named Mike dropped his Shovel at the shop and told me, ‘I started this project. I have no idea how to weld or how to finish it,’” remembers Evan. “He just bit off more than he could chew.”

A 1976 Custom Harley-Davidson Shovelhead built by Speakeasy Motors
Good look at the powerplant in this custom Harley-Davidson Shovel. Photos by Mark Velazquez

Sure, building a bike (almost) completely from scratch can be invigorating, even for a veteran craftsman. But the real plus was that Mike pretty much gave Evan free reign.
And there was a lot of free reigning to do. “Mike had a front end and frame and wheels and motor,” Evan says. “But it was basically a box of parts at the back of his car. It wasn’t even a roller. He had some of the major components. But I had to take it from there.”

Another plus: even though Evan had full creative license, Mike gave him just one guideline. “Mike said, ‘Just make it simple, then you can do whatever you want.’”
Why is this a plus? Turns out, most of the builds that Evan does are, in his words, “quite involved.” By that Evan means bikes with “a lot of sheet metal work,” and choppers and bobbers that are over the top. With descriptions like that, we don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to think that this bike is pretty close to being one of the simplest builds Evan has ever done. Believe me, I asked. If there was some type of “simplest builds in the world” list, it would be, as Evan said, “definitely up there.”

Much like the overall style of the Shovel, the process, too, was pretty straight forward. “It was fairly simple. I pretty much hacked away at it really,” he explains. As you’ll find out, Evan wasn’t joking when he said “fairly simple.” The word simple came up quite often during our chat with him. Evan described all of the non-hacking mods as such, including the “simple fender struts,” which he custom-made. The Sportster oil tank, which Evan modified and installed under the transmission with the kickstart, was referred to as “a simple fab.” Even the motor, which he rebuilt so it would be “all nice and fresh,” was anything but difficult.

Same can be said of the battery box. But there’s actually a whole lot more to say about the battery box. And what we have to say has nothing to do with how simple its installation was (besides it being mounted on the side of the bike). Ironically, though, we can’t actually say much, except that the bike is named after it, the “Little Black Box.”

Cockpit view of this 1976 Custom Harley-Davidson Shovelhead built by Speakeasy Motors. Photos by Mark Velazquez

Back to the bike. Just because building the Shovelhead was easy doesn’t mean Evan “took it easy” when it came to ensuring Mike would get a quality bike. “There’s actually a lot involved in bike builds, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a simple or high-end, complex bike,” Evan says before adding, “especially if you do it right.”

Builds that aren’t done right Evan refers to as “botched jobs.” In many cases, these bikes are botched because the builders didn’t have the proper tools, such as wheel spacers. “Bikes aren’t like cars,” Evan says. “If a wheel on your car comes off, you can just stop. But on a motorcycle, that would be catastrophic.” That’s why this bike is comprised of components from GMA, Paughco, Three Two Choppers, Biltwell, Unity, and BDL, among others.

“With customers, you’re putting their lives in your craftsmanship. It can be a little intimidating,” Evan says. “There’s still a lot involved in making a bike a safe machine.”
While most of the bike is minimalist, there’s nothing minimalist about the paint job. “I left it all up to my painter,” says Evan. “I kind of pointed him in the direction and said, ‘Have some fun and make it look cool.’”

A 1976 Custom Harley-Davidson Shovelhead built by Speakeasy Motors. Photos by Mark Velazquez

As you can see, the painter did just that. But seeing as Mike likes it simple, we were dying to know what he thought of the design. “I think the paint was a little more involved than what he was expecting,” responds Evan. “He was probably just expecting a single color. And we gave him a lot more than that.” But besides the rad palette choice, the bike was exactly what Evan was looking for: something plain and simple. “He loved it. He was speechless. It was everything he wanted,” says Evan. RC

Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival

Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival Performances by Foo Fighters and Green Day

The Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival, the biggest music-and-moto event to hit Milwaukee this summer, took place from July 13-16 at venues across the Milwaukee area.

Moto enthusiasts from all over the world enjoyed the festivities celebrating the rich, 120 year history of the world’s most-desirable motorcycle brand, Harley-Davidson. The Company also announced next year’s Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival will be July 25-28, 2024.

Some key highlights of the 2023 Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival included:

Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival Performances by Foo Fighters and Green Day
Foo Fighters performing at the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival. Photo by Andi K. Taylor

Veterans Park on the Milwaukee Lakefront – Performances by Green Day and Foo Fighters
On Friday and Saturday night at Veterans Park, music headliners Green Day (July 14) and Foo Fighters (July 15) performed to massive crowds on the Milwaukee lakefront. The shows gathered more than 80,000 moto and music enthusiasts throughout the weekend. Leading up to the headlining acts at the Veterans Park venue, key performances on July 14 included Abby Jeanne, KennyHoopla, Phantogram, and The Cult. On July 15, performances included Ghost Hounds, White Reaper, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and Cody Jinks. In addition, Nitro Circus, the most explosive crew in action sports, provided an action-packed freestyle motocross show, plus the exhilarating stunts of the Ives Brothers Wall of Death & Ball of Steel, food and beverage vendors, and special merchandise added to the family-friendly entertainment. Matty Matheson hosted a Burger Build Off, where legendary chef, actor, author, and restauranteur Matty Matheson created the ultimate, show-stopping burger in a head-to-head cookoff.

Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival Performances by Foo Fighters and Green Day and Nitro Circus
Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival Performances by Foo Fighters and Green Day and Nitro Circus.

Harley-Davidson Museum – Milwaukee
Activities kicked off at the Harley-Davidson Museum grounds on Thursday with Bike Night and continued through the weekend. 73,000 bikes lined the museum grounds and Sixth Street over the four days. 130,000 attendees enjoyed food trucks, Flat Out Friday Boonie Bike races, motorcycle displays and demo ride opportunities with LiveWire®, and Stacyc® electric vehicles, the Division BMX Stunt Show, custom and vintage motorcycle shows, and evening musical entertainment. The music line-up included headliners Hairball, The Jimmys and The Now Band, Rust Bucket Road Trip, and The Toys and Rebel Grace.

Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival Performances by Foo Fighters and Green Day

Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations – Menomonee Falls
The Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations in Milwaukee suburb, Menomonee Falls, hosted demos of 2023 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, factory tours, and Police Skills Riding Demonstrations.

Harley-Davidson 120th Anniversary Motorcycle Parade – Downtown Milwaukee
The 2023 Homecoming event concluded on Sunday with the Harley-Davidson 120th Anniversary Parade, winding through Wisconsin Avenue to the heart of downtown Milwaukee, ending at Veterans Park on the lakefront. 7,000 motorcycles participated in the parade to the cheers and waves from crowds gathered along the route.

Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival Performances by Foo Fighters and Green Day

Ride In Routes
All roads led to Milwaukee as Harley-Davidson plotted six exciting Ride In routes, each starting from the furthest reaches of North America and leading to Milwaukee, to arrive for Homecoming festivities. This provided an opportunity for riders to join at any point and ride at their own pace while mingling with fellow H-D riders. Each daily Ride In segment began and ended at an authorized Harley-Davidson dealership, with a mid-day stop also at a H-D dealership, to meet other riders, chat with local staff, eat at local food trucks, and conduct bike maintenance, as needed.

New 2023 Custom Vehicle Operations™ (CVO™) Motorcycles
Homecoming weekend was also the official consumer debut of the new 2023 CVO™ Street Glide® and CVO™ Road Glide® models showcasing advanced technology, enhanced rider comfort, and dynamic performance propelled by the powerful new Milwaukee-Eight® VVT 121 engine, with a technical display in the Harley-Davidson Museum Garage area and demos at the Company’s Powertrain Operations facility. RC

Motorcycle News: Wyman Tops King of the Baggers Podium

2023 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers racer Kyle Wyman

Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory rider Kyle Wyman topped an all-Harley-Davidson podium on Sunday.

Kyle Wyman led in the MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in California from start to finish. Wyman won the 8-lap race on the team’s race-prepared Harley-Davidson® Road Glide® motorcycle to claim his fifth win of the season. Vance & Hines/Mission Foods teammates James Rispoli and Hayden Gillim finished second and third on Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles. With the win, Kyle Wyman preserved his championship points lead in the series.

Motorcycle News: Kyle Wyman Tops MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Podium on a Harley-Davidson

“I really wanted to get a good start today to get out front and control the pace,” said Wyman. “I was feeling pressure from Rispoli in the second half of the race, and I know James would not hesitate to take his shot at a pass, so I made sure to not give him that opportunity. It’s really great to see Harley-Davidson lock up the podium today.”

Wyman opened the weekend by topping the first qualifying session on Friday with a new King of the Baggers track record lap of 1:28.586. On Saturday Wyman won the three-lap King of the Baggers Challenge race, besting second place Gillim by 1.462 seconds.

Motorcycle News: Kyle Wyman Tops MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Podium on a Harley-Davidson

In the Saturday feature race, Wyman dogged race leader Tyler O’Hara on the Factory Indian motorcycle before passing for the lead in Turn 2 on lap 5. O’Hara passed Wyman back to take the lead on the last lap but crashed on the entrance to the last turn of the race. Wyman fell behind him and both riders slid off the track as Gillim, Rispoli, and Sacramento Mile/Roland Sands Indian rider Bobby Fong took advantage. O’Hara and Wyman both managed to pick up their bikes and cross the finish line, O’Hara in fourth place and Wyman in ninth place. Gillim finished first, 2.919 seconds ahead of Rispoli, with Fong in third place. Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle factory rider Travis Wyman finished in seventh place on his Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle.

On Sunday roles were reversed, as Kyle Wyman took the lead from the pole position with O’Hara chasing in second place, followed by Rispoli and Gillim. O’Hara fell off the pace on lap 4 and was passed by both Vance & Hines riders. Rispoli closed to within a fraction of a second on Wyman but never had an opportunity to attempt a pass. O’Hara finished fourth. Travis Wyman was sixth on the Factory Harley-Davidson® Road Glide®.

Motorcycle News: Kyle Wyman Tops MotoAmerica King of the Baggers Podium on a Harley-Davidson

After eight of 14 races in the 2023 MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers series, Kyle Wyman leads the championship with 148 points, followed by Rispoli with 143 points, and Gillim with 130 points. O’Hara sits in fourth place with 107 points. Travis Wyman is in 10th place with 59 points.

The Mission King of the Baggers series features race-prepared American V-Twin touring motorcycles. Harley-Davidson® Factory Team Road Glide® motorcycles are powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle® Milwaukee-Eight® 131 Performance Crate Engines. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.

The Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle® factory team returns to action July 28-30 in the MotoAmerica Superbikes at Minnesota at Brainerd International Raceway near Brainerd, Minn. RC

Motorcycle News: Harley’s Ready For 2023 King of the Baggers Season

The Harley-Davidson MotoAmerica King of the Baggers racing team is prepared to open the 2023 racing season.

The season starts March 9-11 at Daytona International Speedway, site of the first two rounds of the MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers roadracing series. Kyle Wyman and his brother Travis Wyman return to ride the team’s race-prepared Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engines. The Harley-Davidson factory team will leave nothing on the track as they fight to bring the championship title back to Milwaukee.

Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engines.
Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles powered by modified Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engines.

“In our 120th Anniversary year, we’re coming at it bigger and better than ever before, as we compete to win the championship and bring back the #1 plate to Milwaukee where it belongs,” said Jochen Zeitz, Chairman, President and CEO, Harley-Davidson. “Our Screamin’ Eagle factory racing team is ready for the season – and with Kyle and Travis on the track, I’m excited for what is set to be a great season of racing for our community of racers and fans alike.”

The King of the Baggers series offers exciting competition between American V-Twin touring motorcycles prepared for competition and equipped with a fairing/windscreen and saddlebags. The 2023 season will see the King of the Baggers series expanded from seven to 14 races over seven double-header weekends held in conjunction with the MotoAmerica Superbike Series.

Harley-Davidson factory team will be sporting custom designed 120th anniversary race-modified Road Glide motorcycles
Harley-Davidson factory team will be sporting custom designed 120th anniversary race-modified Road Glide motorcycles

A fan feature for the 2023 season is the Harley-Davidson 120th Anniversary VIP Ticket Package. Offered as a three-day or one-day package, these special VIP passes include admission with fan zone and paddock access, all the MotoAmerica races including the Mission King of the Baggers practice sessions, qualifying and racing action. Each pass also includes access to premium parking reserved for Harley-Davidson motorcycles on all three days of the race weekend, and participation in Harley-Davidson parade laps around the track on Friday and Saturday.

For the 2023 season, the Harley-Davidson factory team will be sporting custom designed livery, honoring Harley-Davidson’s 120th anniversary aboard their race-modified Road Glide motorcycles, Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engine. The team bikes also feature upgraded suspension components, including Screamin’ Eagle/Öhlins Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks, plus competition exhaust, race tires and lightweight bodywork.

Kyle (left) and Travis Wyman ready to big a championship title back to Milwaukee
Kyle (left) and Travis Wyman ready to big a championship title back to Milwaukee

Harley-Davidson invites you to kick off the 2023 MotoAmerica King of the Baggers season with some adrenaline pumping action. Today, Harley-Davidson is premiering ‘Push the Limit,’ a film that shares the story of defending champion Kyle Wyman, teammate Travis Wyman and the Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle race team’s 2022 championship pursuit. Check it out on Harley-Davidson’s YouTube channel.

Harley-Davidson 2023 King of the Baggers team rider Travis Wyman
Harley-Davidson 2023 King of the Baggers team rider Travis Wyman

The Wyman Brothers
Travis Wyman, the owner of Travis Wyman Racing based in Las Vegas, finished second in points during the 2022 King of the Baggers season, with one race win (Road America) and three second-place finishes. The 31-year-old racer returns for his second full season with the Harley-Davidson factory team.

“I am excited about my second season on the factory H-D team and ready for the expanded schedule this year,” said Travis. “My consistent finishes last year put me in contention for the title going into the last round. With the two-race format, if Saturday does not go well, you get another shot on Sunday rather than waiting for the next race weekend. As other teams get these bikes figured out, I expect the level of competition to be tougher this season. Our Harley team is going to need to be on its game at every race.”

Harley-Davidson 2023 King of the Baggers team rider Kyle Wyman
Harley-Davidson 2023 King of the Baggers team rider Kyle Wyman

Kyle Wyman, 33, won three 2022 King of the Baggers races (Atlanta, Monterey and New Jersey) and had two other podium appearances to finish third in season points. Wyman began racing professionally in flat track aboard a Harley-Davidson XR750 and formed Kyle Wyman Racing at the age of 21 to compete at the highest level of professional road racing in the United States. Kyle Wyman is the 2019 Daytona 200 winner. He was King of the Baggers champion in 2021, riding for the Harley-Davidson factory team.

“It will be an honor to represent the Harley-Davidson brand during this 120th Anniversary season,” said Kyle Wyman. “It is incredible to be a part of the enduring history of Harley-Davidson. I’ve spent much of the off season working with the team to further develop our Road Glide race bikes, and I have a lot of confidence going into 2023. We will continue to see lap records fall this season, and everyone on the grid will be quicker.”

Harley-Davidson king of the Baggers race team anticipate a winning season

Available Support
In addition to competing in the series, the H-D Screamin’ Eagle team continues to work directly with MotoAmerica to promote the series by supporting all Harley-Davison competitors. Select performance products developed for the 2022 factory team bikes are available to all qualified racers. Teams should reach out directly to their local Harley-Davidson dealership for availability and pricing.

Top squads expected to run Harley-Davidson bikes at the front of the field include the four-rider Team Saddlemen effort with returning veteran racers Cory West and Patricia Fernandez-West along with Frankie Garcia and class newcomer Jake Lewis, all competing on race-modified Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycles, prepared with the assistance of Hoban Brothers Racing. The Vance & Hines Racing team returns to the King of the Baggers series with proven series front runners James Rispoli and Hayden Gillim, also campaigning race-prepared Road Glide motorcycles.

Harley-Davidson is tuned to have a wheel up on the competition this season
Harley-Davidson is tuned to have a wheel up on the competition this season

MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers Contingency
Harley-Davidson will offer more than $185,000 in cash contingency for qualified Harley-Davidson racers competing in the Mission King of the Baggers series, with a contingency payout from first to 10th place in all 14 races and a $35,000 series championship bonus. Terms and conditions apply; please see www.MotoAmerica.com for full details, eligibility requirements and deadlines.

Milwaukee-Eight 131 Performance Crate Engine
The Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight 131 is a powerful street-compliant performance engine offered by Harley-Davidson. Built from the bottom up in Milwaukee, this 131-cubic-inch (2147cc) Screamin’ Eagle crate engine delivers 131 ft-lb of torque to the rear wheel, and may be installed in 2017-later Harley-Davidson Touring models. RC