ugust has become one of the busiest months of the year. It leads off with the Sturgis rally, which, by the way, was exceptional this year. Our Contributing Editor, Eric Maurer, was on hand for the festivities, and by all accounts, a good time was had by all. Great weather. Great riding. Great products. Eric describes it all in his Sturgis Roundup, which is featured on page 14.
     August ends with a big exclamation mark, also known as the National Vendor Presentation (NVP). This is when Parts Unlimited/Drag Specialties vendors get to showcase their latest and greatest new products. If you didn’t get there, be sure to spin through the upcoming issues of Drag Specialties as we continue to highlight what’s hot in the V-Twin aftermarket.
     Another great way to stay on top of the industry’s hottest trends is to check out Drag Specialties’ awesome “project bikes,” such as the latest from Tank Ewsichek of Tuff Cycle in Aurora, Ohio. “The FatBook’s Finest,” which adorns our cover, is a Drag Specialties Police Department (D.S.P.D.) special. Tank got the opportunity to bring his special brand of humor and exceptional eye for detail to this 2003 FLHTPI simply by drawing the short straw. No kidding. Seems that he, Don Hotop. Dave Perewitz, Randy Aron and Tom Motzko were drawing straws for bike projects and Tank drew the short straw—the FLHTPI.
     Tank admits that bikes of this sort “don’t come much bigger or uglier than that,” but he got down to work and turned it into one of the coolest cop bikes you’ll find on duty. Check out the build list (Vance & Hines Oval Slip-Ons, Perse Performance Spherical Lower Legs, American Wire Wheel 100-spokers, Memphis Shades 5-inch Gradient Black windshield, Corbin Chin Grill, Flanders Flat Track Handlebar, Ness Bagger Mirrors, Drag/Hotop Smooth Grips) plus the little extras like a “Break in Case of Emergency” donut case and a K-Mart-style blue light and you’ve got a bike that’s ready to “Service & Support.” Those bolt-ons all come straight from the FatBook. Be sure to check this one out starting on page 34.
     Those Oval Slip-Ons, by the way, are just one of the many outstanding products manufactured by our cover sponsor, Vance & Hines. Find out how the legendary team of Terry Vance and Byron Hines took their amazing racing skills to the V-Twin aftermarket. As you probably know, Vance & Hines produces an impressive array of exhaust systems—but the story doesn’t end there. Their amazing racing legacy continues with Doug Vancil and Vance & Hines/Drag Specialties Top Fuel Team and Andrew Hines and GT Tonglet of The Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Bike team. You can catch up on the racing teams’ progress on page 12, and the complete Vance & Hines story begins on page 30.
     One of this issue’s product spotlights is an item that you probably sell day in and day out—oil filters. You may not have known it, but Drag Specialties carries every variety imaginable. From Drop-Ins for the old guys (1936-1964 Harleys) to Spin-Ons for late and current models to High Performance Magnetic Ring filters, Drag has it all. Learn more about the complete line beginning on page 56.
     Also in this issue, we continue our visit with Wayne Hanson of Speed’s Performance, who maps out a Stage II performance upgrade. This time, Wayne addresses cams, carburetors, bumping up the compression and adjusting the ignition. When he’s done, he’s got 80-plus horsepower to the rear wheel and about 85 to 87 lbs./ft. of torque. You can do it for your customers, too. Take a look at page 48.
     Just like August, this issue is jam-packed. Check out the great bikes, the outstanding products and the amazing people who make this industry about the best and most fun you’ll ever have the pleasure of working in.