At an age when most other guys are content to chase pimple-faced tail or play beer pong with their frat buddies, Andy Carter of Pangea Speed churns out custom motorcycle parts like a seasoned vet in the chopper trenches. This 23-year-old progeny from a family of industrial designers and fabricators first drew attention to his craft by building the bike you see here. Andy's Yamaha XS650 is brimming with details you won't find on custom bikes of significantly higher pedigree.

Many a professional lush has lamented: "One drink's too many and ten isn't enough." Unrepentant chopper addicts can say the same thing about motorcycles. One such heavy tinkerer is Gilby Clarke.

Eric Secor's well-ridden Triumph embodies perfectly the style of "sickle" you'll find on this SoCal resident's popular blog. Sledsandsickles.com is Eric's labor of love and personal homage to hot rods and bobbers, and his bike is that website's own best mascot.

Some men are like magnets for precious metal. Hide a period-correct panhead in the trunk of a rusty Cutlass Cruiser in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and Arizona Nick could find it blindfolded. He's just got the knack. A few years ago Nick's sixth sense kicked in again and he unearthed this fine specimen from the bowels of bikerdom.

No stranger to vintage iron, Chicago Willy is at it again. His latest creation has been turning heads and bucking trends since it rolled out for the first time at the ECC swapmeet this fall.

Recent success stories about independent motorcycle repair shops are hard to come by. Many a small shop has fallen victim to a flailing economy, fickle customers, over-regulation and increased competition. One shop we've enjoyed watching rise to the top in these hard times is Classic Cycles Inc. of Orange, California.

Many Americans share perceptions about their northern neighbors that are seldom rooted in truth. For some, beer-guzzling bear wrestlers come to mind. For others, hockey hosers dominate the mental picture. Calgary, Alberta native Shawn Britton fits none of these maple-soaked stereotypes.

Some bikes do all the talking for their owners. Big Scott's Blue Angel is just such a machine. Originally built in 1966 or '67 for stunt work in the biker flick "Wild Angels," Scott's period perfect panhead is a time machine from a bygone era when men were men and women were decorations. Ah, the good old days...

Many moons ago, I was riding my cow pony north through the cool, brisk Arizona territory. Under the cactus moon that shined like a golden nugget, my pipes heated up like a branding iron as I passed the river's edge. Suddenly I hit a rusty nail. When I pulled to a stop a surly wench wearing a red garter with hair as dark as a bay horse approached me from a hut and asked me for a wooden nickel. Stunned, I was a bashful bandit that knew I could get to her dugout if I only had a c-note.

What's a guy to do when he gets smashed by a car while riding along on his pedal bike, just minding his own business? Why, pour all that insurance money into a new motorcycle build, of course. That's exactly what Rich did, and with the help of some very worthy co-conspirators, he ended up with one badass Sporty.