Daytona Bike Week? On ChopCult? WTF? Before anyone lights up the innerwebs with an onslaught of the usual kneejerk sellout BS, let me tell the backstory.

Last fall we asked ChopCult nation to participate in a survey to glean more insight into your motorcycle life and general lifestyle. After minor moaning from a couple conspiracy-minded members of the CC peanut gallery, a whopping 2,668 of you stumbled through that questionnaire. Without further ado, here are those results.

Any armchair Arlen Ness worth his weight in packing peanuts should be able to build a ground-up custom in less time than it takes to secure funding for a Washington DC war memorial, but after two years of getting nowhere on my own project I admitted it was time to buy an actual runner. Wayne Ahlquist at Acme Choppers in New Hampshire stepped in with a great deal on this Hinckley Triumph rigid, so I pulled the trigger. This is that bike’s story.

"Hey McGoo;want to modify a Bonneville for some Brit bike shows this summer?" When Billdozer floated his idea between the walls of our offices, I took it more as a friendly request than an absent-minded inquiry. After watching me fiddle with my finicky Hinckley chopper for two years, Bill probably thought I was ready for an easy win. What could be easier than stripping a stock Bonnie of its bloated, EPA-friendly essence and turning it into a fire-breathing street flier? Twenty-four hours after hearing Bill’s question, I was about to find out.

Pounded by critics for not being technologically advanced and pummeled by customers every time they stray from tradition, Harley-Davidson will always face a double-edged sword. Outlasting all other stateside bike makers and defending themselves from quality imports is a testimony to both Harley's cult-like status and the rabid dedication of its customers. What if a new motorcycle company came along that didn't have the restrictions of over a hundred years of defining a category?

Tamiami Tyrants Custom Cycles is small shop in Naples, Florida. Tyler Mullins and his brother Bryan run the show, and both guys chip in on the custom builds that roll out of Tyler's family-owned business. Tyler opened his shop in 2011. According to Tyler, the motorcycle scene isn’t very big in Naples, so everything he learned about building Harleys came the hard way: first-hand trial and error experience.

When McGoo and I launched ChopCult.com in 2009, we did so with limited knowledge of the growing realm of social media. We wanted to assemble a community for people just like us: blue-collar guys who enjoy building and riding custom motorcycles. We dedicated a lot of time and energy to make ChopCult as good as possible within the scope of our abilities, but ultimately, members quickly became the people who made ChopCult unique.

New Year's Eve is a great time to reflect on what you accomplished in the previous 12 months, and to make plans for even bigger and better adventures in the year ahead. As this collection of bike features, scene reports and tech how-to's illustrates, 2012 was another banner year for building and bikeriding on the old 33.

In our final installment of this month's four-part feature from Yokohama, we focus on the motorcycle seats at Mooneyes. CC members' appreciation for upholstery, hand tooling and saddle making is well known, and there was plenty to love in Yokohama last week. Here's some of the best.

Shige is Mooneyes' owner and the curator of his company's eponymous custom culture showcase, and an inveterate car and motorcycle freak in his own right. VW was the featured mark at this year's event, and the Moon crew picked some honeys to sprinkle among the chops, rods and customs on the Pacifico show floor.