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Winter Preparations by: Jan Knobbe

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V-Twin Jan Engine Parts

It’s November and most riders are getting ready to put their motorcycles away until the spring when the warmer weather returns. Don’t forget about maintenance, even in the cold months.  The first thing to do if you’re going to store your bike for the winter is to wash it, then change the oil and fluids.  For the metric bikes, make sure the antifreeze is good. Finally, for all makes and models, install stabilizer. Stabilizer is very important because gas only has a 14 day life span. Why only 14 days? Because of the alcohol and other chemicals they put into gas to make it meet emissions. If you treat it with stabilizer it will last the winter. Also, don’t forget a battery tender, cover and park it on a piece of wood, not directly on a concrete floor to preserve the tires.

For those of you who were shamed or beaten by your buddies bike this past riding season, take this down time and upgrade your engine. What can we do for you to beat your buddy next year?  Chariots of Fire Customs LLC can help you decide if you need a simple cam job or move to a monster motor that is fast AND reliable to ride on the streets. We can help you decide if you need cams, big bore; cylinder heads, turbos, superchargers to name a few ways to make you go fast. An upgrade will definitely turn heads and it is a very exhilarating ride!

For the rest of you with twin cam motors there is a very important routine maintenance that is required at or around 35,000 miles. Yes, I’m talking about cam tensioners. A simple check or replacement can save you a breakdown or possible major repair down the road.

To those of you that want the sleek or slim down look, come talk to us for ideas. We can customize your ride to make it your own. Handlebars, wheels, audio and speakers packages, simple grips and dress up kits. Make your ride comfortable and unique. We can help you out!

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We Weren’t “Shocked”, Just Impressed

by Reine & Jan Knobbe

Just coming back from the Hot Bike Tour, I was reminded once again about the wide variety of motorcycles on the road.  From simple streamlined Bobbers to the cureent popular 30 to 32 inch front wheel baggers.  One thing  that we all experience on our rides are the many bumps, potholes, and other objects on the road that can’t always be avoided.  Many riders start out on the totally awesome hardtails that look cool but are often termed “bar hoppers” because they are not comfortable to drive across the country like the cruisers.

Not all rides are created equal and some rides can be bone jarring!  Factory shocks have come a long way and most rides now have air ride shocks.  Jan, always on the lookout for new porducts, recently came across Super Shox shocks.  So he called the company and told them about the Hot Bike Tour and that he wanted to try out their shocks to determine for himself if what they were advertising was true.  They agreed to send him a set to try out.

Unffortunately Jan’s bike is down (that’s another story), so we were unable to take it on the tour.  Lucky for us we have a terrific employee, Chad Hemmelgard, who loaned us his bike.  We transferred our Mustang seat (I must have my comfy seat!) and Jan put on the new set of shocks.  I must admit I was a little nervous about the cross country trip having had very little ride time this summer with all the rain and then a downed bike.  I road over, 2,000 miles from Troy, Missouri to Billings, Montana and enjoyed every minute!  We took the scenic route off the major highways as often as possible and the ride was smooth everywhere!  Even the highway abutments that were big were not bad at all.  No bone jarring bumps on this trip!

There are lots of shocks on the market.  Big DIFFERENCE in shocks is that factory shocks are air over hydraulic, SUPER SHOX shocks are coil over Nitrogen, similar to the shocks they put on most of the Screaming Eagle models but much better.  Check out these shocks on YouTube and call me if you like what you see.  They are worth every penny or dollar, remember what HD stands for.

Your Tech and Owner,

Jan Knobbe and Reine Knobbe

Who Wants Horse Power?

By: Jan Knobbe

jan bike

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! Continue Reading →

2015 | Special Olympics

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As I reflect over the past ten years of being in business, I am content and happy to look back over all of the different organizations we have been able to donate to.  As an occupational therapist, I lean towards organizations that assist individuals with lifelong disabilities.  I wanted to go back to that this year so chose the Special Olympics as this year’s fundraiser.  For more information you can visit their website somo.org.  Working in the schools with our youth that have special needs, I always enjoy hearing them talk about their Special Olympics experiences and coming back to school with ribbons and big smiles!  The joy captured on photos is wonderful to see.  It is often experiences that shape us.  What better way to boost self-confidence and enjoyment in life than to experience personal success as an athlete.

Thank you to everyone that made the day a success.  It was extra joyful for me personally to see so many Chariots customers come to celebrate with us.  Comin’ Up Empty kept the mood joyful with their music, those that reserved a bottle or two of Jack Daniels Single Barrel Select enjoyed a taste of their much anticipated whiskey, Jack Daniels swag was handed out and silent auction and raffle items helped raise money.  We were blessed with beautiful riding weather, so many folks made us a special stop on their journey and trophies were handed out a tad early so those staying all day could get a nice ride in before sunset!  It has been a rainy year in Lincoln County so the dry day was truly a blessing.  Thanks again for making the day special!

You can see photos from the celebration and lots of other events in our Photo Gallery.

For more information about Special Olympics: http://somo.org

2014 | Camp Hope

20141025_104655We wanted to do something for our veterans this year. So while Jan and I were discussing it in front of one of our friends and volunteer, Gary Jamison, he suggested we raise funds for Camp Hope. This facility is located in Farmington, Missouri. You can visit their website at www.camphopeusa.com to see all the wonderful things they offer. The Big Easy Band set up in the garage due to the threat of rain. And boy did it rain! The crowd was WAY down this year with about 50 or so people showing up and only two motorcycles entering the show. Several vendors set up despite the rain. The small crowd became a garage party and the Big Easy entertained us all. We still managed to raise a decent amount of money as those who came participated in the silent auction and donated generously. Money raised during our fall festival was added to the pot raising even more money for Camp Hope. Thank you to all of you that participated and donated to a wonderful facility.

 

2013 | American Diabetes Association

Bike Show 2013 022American Diabetes Association was Jan’s pick for the 2013 fundraiser. His dad had adult onset diabetes and we have others in our life with diabetes. With it being our first motorcycle show at our new location in Troy, I wanted to try something different, give the crowd something to do. So I rented a dunking booth. While it was fun, I can’t say that it was a big hit. The spot showers on and off over the day didn’t help. The Chariots of Fire staff took turns in the booth (Jan managed to avoid the booth since his turn was during a spot shower). The band Recoil entertained the crowd and managed to keep their equipment dry. The sun came out enough that the turnout was good. Thank you to everyone for coming out and enjoying the day with us.

 

Spring Isn’t the Only Thing That Needs a Jump Start! by Reine Knobbe

Power AllSo March comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb?  I guess 70 degrees on March 30th counts.  A slow jump start to spring I’d say!  What else needs a jump start in your life?  Motorcycle?  Cell phone?  Smart phone?  Car?  Lap top?  Camera?  Tablet?  Tractor?  MP3 Player?  Ipad?  Ipod?  Well we have the just the thing you need!  The Power All portable power bank. Continue Reading →

Only the Best for Our Customers!

Jan V-TwinAs we enter into our tenth year of business our mission remains the same; to provide the finest parts on the market for our clientele as well as the best service.  We were able to take a shop field trip to the the V-Twin Industry show in Cincinnati, OH again this year.  We were asked to premiere our newest addition to the jak Racing team, our newly built Nitro/Funny bike at the Ultima/Midwest booth.  Continue Reading →