American Motorcycle Dealer AMD 170 September 2013 | Page 37

Transmission mounting plates PAUGHCO has a range of replacement transmission mount plates that can also be used as a solution for a four- to five-speed conversion. The product line-up includes mounting plates and adjusters that accommodate most Big Twins from Knuckleheads to late customs running fourand five-speed transmissions. PAUGHCO Carson City, Nevada, USA Tel: [phone] [email protected] www.paughco.com Rick’s Bagger parts RICK’S Motorcycles spent many years as a custom shop before becoming an authorized Harley dealership, and shop owner Patrick ‘Rick’ Knörzer has maintained the custom side of the business, turning his attention to the growing Bagger market and the trend for big wheels. When Rick’s develops a new product Rick himself usually gets hands on and this was certainly the case with his latest 30in wheel design. While the test/preproduction versions of the new 30in front wheel were successfully passing the TÜV tests, Rick’s own 30in prototype Bagger left the workshop to be ridden from Munich via Trient, Lago di Garda and along the Italian coast to Harley-Davidson’s European Anniversary Party at Rome in June 2013. “We knew from the start that a Bagger with a 30in front wheel would need intensive development of the rolling chassis, because we wanted to retain the excellent riding characteristics of the stock motorcycle,” explains Rick, who supervised and aided the development of each phase. Easier said than done, as such a big wheel creates a higher center of gravity and changes the trail, and the larger diameter of the wheel creates stronger centrifugal forces. However, the team at Rick’s are not averse to tackling such challenges following the Europe wide approved 26in wheel and the accompanying sevendegree triple-tree kit, both TÜV-approved, which were launched last year. The shop’s take on the 30in wheel concept is to minimize the rotating mass of the rim by machining pockets into it. The reduced weight helps to improve the bike’s handling. “For this small, but high-profile segment of the market, we wanted to offer a European manufactured alternative that would withstand European speeds and road conditions as a product for everyday use,“ says Rick, “this design will set new standards for 30in wheels.“ For its 26in and 30in wheels (the 26in available in Super Steve, Rodder and Gimme Five designs and all TÜV-approved) Rick‘s has developed brand new 15in brake discs, which work with the Rick‘s Good Guys lower fork legs and Rick‘s six-piston brake calipers. It is not just the 30in wheel that is a new addition to the Rick’s line of Bagger parts, it has been joined by stretched touring cases. Manufactured from ABS plastic, rather than glass fiber, for a claimed higher strength and better surface quality for painting, the bags gain 4in of storage over stock. To accompany the stretched bags Rick’s makes heavy duty fiber glass ‘Touring Tail’ fenders. A bolt on replacement for the stock fender, the new design is available in an EC-homologated version with orange indicators and extra taillight on the license plate or as a custom version, both for the US and international market, with black glass indicator/taillight combination. The license plate base plate integrates into the fender. RICK’S MOTORCYCLES Baden-Baden, GERMANY Tel. [phone] [email protected] wheelsforwinners.com www.AMDchampionship.com AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE DEALER - SEPTEMBER 2013 37