ur first issue of Drag Specialties Magazine came out in the Spring of 1995. One year later, the cover of our Spring issue featured four-time Indy 500 winner Rick Mears on his custom Harley. Inside Rick gladly shared his build list and feedback on what he encountered on the Harley powered custom he built working primarily from the Drag Specialties FatBook. In addition to Drag Specialties, most of the brands he included then are still what top builders use: Wiseco, Andrews, Crane, S&S, Pro-One, Accutronix, Metzeler, Arlen Ness and more.
     As they do today, Protect All from Champions Choice made custom bikes like Rick Mears’ FatBook bike look great. Barnett clutches were helping Harley riders get the power to the ground with the new Series K-96 Kevlar clutch plates. And Firestone tires were making their run at the V-Twin market.
     K&N made big news in 1996 when it added Intake Performance kits to go with its legendary line of air filters and handlebars. Metzeler Tires was filling out the application chart for V-Twins and claimed “We’ve got Metzelers for everybody” with its ME88, ME33 and ME99A street and Sportster race tires.
     Motion Pro and Drag Specialties were “dazzling” riders with great looking stainless steel cables. Michelin was now targeting the Harley and V-Twin market, and that story continues today. And in the exhaust world Vance & Hines said they were committed to the long haul. They talked about what it takes for a manufacturer to stay in the market for exhaust systems Harley-Davidsons. And they are still at it.
     Drag Specialties was working with Don Hotop in 1996 with a line of Drag-Hotop accessories, while Rivera Engineering’s Primo Brute III primary belt was a great choice for riders putting down big power. Samson was bringing out the Big Guns in the exhaust market and for a soft ride where it counts, Drag Specialties Seats were the way to go whether you wanted the bare look, or an outlaw look.
     These were our newsmakers as we began the year 1996, just one year in the 14 we have covered so far. Watch for a look back at other issues in the upcoming months.