By: Jan Knobbe

Horse power, horse power, horse power! There are three kinds of people that want it. First are those that want to be able to ride fast. Second are those that think they want horse power, but they actually want torque. Third are the motorcycle enthusiasts and horse power junkies. Those are the guys that want the best parts of two worlds; horse power and torque.

The first group is mostly made up of the younger crowd. Those that ride the softails, dynas, bobbers, and choppers. These are the guys that want to brag to their friends about how much power they have. They do smoky burn-outs; rev their engines at the stop lights, head out of a parking lot full of fellow bikers . . . fast! You know what I’m talking about. We all did it when we were young!

The second group is the older crowd that remembers those days, but now has their wife or girlfriend on the back or next to them on their own ride. Now they are into cruising, scenic riding and want the power so that they do not down shift a lot. They want torque because they are riding long distances over various terrains as they cruise America from the prairies to mountains. Some want to be able to pull a trailer. Only occasionally hot dogging it to show they still got it!

Then there is the third group. The enthusiasts, the shop owners, the bike builders. They are the real power hungry crazy people. They build the monster motors, the super charged motors, turbo charged motors, or nitrous motors. Those are the people that are trying to get the most out of the v-twin motors with limited cubic-inch. They know there is there is always room for improvement and are willing to risk failure.

As a shop owner I have built a lot of motors during the last ten years. Everything from cam jobs to monster motors. I do my best to educate my customers on what they really want out of their bike. I don’t try to talk people into crazy combinations that they will not enjoy riding. Building or rebuilding an engine is a way to customize your ride for your comfort level and so you get the most enjoyable riding experience.

Winter is right around the corner. The season when your bike is down for several months. This is a good time to do repairs and major upgrades. Keep an eye out for our monthly specials to upgrade your ride. We start this month, September and run through March with various specials on upgrades. We pay close attention to when our vendors give discounts so that we can pass the savings on to you. Please come in early to discuss your wants and needs (we have already started scheduling engine rebuilds).