Kustom Baggers

While their original “WFB” (World’s Fastest Bagger) sat on display in Mitchell, South Dakota, Team Klock Werks set out on their annual pilgrimage to the salt. This year was to be a lesson in education and humble attitudes.  The team had decided this past winter to sponsor the World’s Fastest Bagger Traveling Cup Award.  The idea was to award the trophy at the Bub Motorcycle Speed Trials Event held August 30-Spetember 3, 2009, to invite others to compete and to share the true spirit and camaraderie that is racing on the salt.  Team Klock Werks entered into racing in 2006 with the WFB they had built for Discovery Channel’s Biker Build Off series, hoping that more builders and companies would join them, as they felt it would only lead to better performance products for baggers.  True to this vision Klock Werks’ now number one selling part, the patented FLARE Windshield, was born on the salt from a need for downforce to aid in stability.  Safety and stability were so important to president of the company, Brian Klock, because his wife, Laura, is the pilot of the WFB. Since their maiden voyage in 2006, Laura has continued to pilot the WFB, each year improving upon her record as the team continued to learn.  The krew has heard talk each year of teams coming out to share in the challenge of going fast on a bagger, a style of bike that is meant for comfortable highway cruising and wasn’t really intended for racing, but few have come.  So, this year they decided to sponsor the WFB Traveling Cup Award and invite them out!

The idea of the award was presented to S&S, they signed up and offered $500 in S&S product to the winner.  ProCharger also joined the effort and offered $500 towards the purchase of a ProCharger system.  As the award sponsor, Klock Werks threw in $500 in product and a gift certificate for a Flare Windshield.  Some guidelines were put in  place to keep the competition fair and the award was presented.  It is a “traveling” Cup with the name, team and speed of the winner from each year listed and will be passed on year to year.  The winner did not have to set a record – just had to turn in their official timing slip with the contestant’s top speed for a one-way pass.  Obviously the bike the contestant was riding had to be a bagger since it is a bagger award, and this year the award was only offered at the Bub event.

Four teams arrived to participate in the race for the cup, each with different configurations, motors, and classes, but all sharing a common bond with the challenges a bagger brings.  Chris Rivas of Chris Rivas V-Twin out of Fresno, California, brought his 1999 FLTR with a 135 cubic inch motor that was built and tuned at Chris Rivas V-Twin with S&S sponsored flywheels, cylinders, heads, cams, transmission, clutch and carburetor.  Kevin Edgmon of High Country Harley Davidson in Frederick, Colorado, ran a 2005 FLTRI with a Jim’s 131 and a 5-speed.  Thomas T.R. Reiser of T-Man Performance in Kernersville, North Carolina, brought his 2006 FLH running a 98” motor with a Pro-Charger setup, his T-Man Stage IV Thumper Series top end with T-Man 662-1 Cams.  T-Man, Klock Werks felt, was to be commended for running a batwing style fairing!  And a best wishes and call out to Rob Hassey of RacePro, Inc. who was the pilot of the Rowdy Rooster race team Road King running an S&S 124.  The team planned to add a batwing fairing to the Road King to compete after their initial pass. Unfortunately, Hassey crashed on his first pass and was unable to continue racing the rest of the week.  We hear he’s doing fine and the bike is rehabilitating as well! Hope to see them next year!

Team Klock Werks set out for their annual trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats for the Bub Motorcycle Speed Trials Event August 30-September 3, and came home with some new records, new personal bests, hundreds of pictures, and new stories to tell.  Racing at the salt flats has become an incredibly special event for this team - that headed to the salt for the first time in 2006 with their Biker Build Off winning “World’s Fastest Bagger”.  Since 2006, when Laura Klock piloted the WFB the team built to a land speed record in her first 2 passes, they’ve added to the team Laura’s two daughters, Erika and Karlee Cobb, Michelle Mielke (wife of Big Joe Mielke, Klock Werks’ shop manager), and this year, young Ross Tomas, the son of Mike “Kiwi” and Carolyn Tomas, owners of Kiwi Indian Motorcycles, and James Ramsey of James Ramsey Racing.Over the years Team Klock Werks has had many firsts, and has made history. They were the first to win a build off with a bagger, the first to take a bagger to the salt, Laura and the girls became the first mother- daughter-daughter trio in the history of land speed racing to hold records at the same time, Karlee became the youngest ever to set a record on the salt at age 14 in 2008, and Ross became the youngest vintage rider to set a record on the salt at this years’ event, at the age of 15.  As far as they know, Brian and Laura’s wedding may have been the first wedding ceremony held at the Bub event on the salt.  The team designed the innovative, patented, Flare windshield out of a need for stability after racing in 2006 – and it is now their number one selling part.  Once again, the salt has become a special place for this team for many reasons.

The team gave the WFB the year off and Laura decided to ride her new personal ride – a 2008 Victory Vision.  She reached a top speed of 122 mph, but more importantly reported an absolutely stable ride.

Erika, 18 years old and a freshman at Dakota Wesleyan University, rode a 2008 Buell XB9 Firebolt in the P-PP 1000 class.  She destroyed the existing record of 109 and set a new record of 126.383.  Erika raced for the first time in 2007 at the age of 16 and won the Women’s Spirit award that year.  Last year she set her personal best speed so far on a production 1995 Buell S2, going 132 mph.

Karlee, 16 and a sophomore at Mitchell High School, rode the 500 cc Buell Blast again this year in the MPS-PG 500 class.  She faced some tough competition and reached a new personal best of 115 mph.  It was a “Blast Shootout” with one other Buell Blast team and the 15-year-old grew immensely as a rider and racer.

Michelle Mielke rode a different Yamaha this year - a 2002 Warrior.  All week long she had consistent passes in the 140s with a personal best of 144 mph, and ended up setting a record in the M-P-2000 class of 143.154 mph.

Ross Tomas was the newest member to the race team.  He is the son of Mike “Kiwi” Tomas who is the owner of Kiwi Indian Motorcycles which has recently moved the warehouse to Mitchell, SD.  Ross was riding a vintage Indian Bobber and set a record of 98.035 in the M-VF 1650 class.  He had a personal best of 98.443 mph.

James Ramsey assisted Team Klock Werks on the salt last year with tuning and the data logger they had installed on the WFB.  He loved it so much he came with his own ride this year, traveling with the team.  James brought a 2006 custom V-Rod, 1130cc with a Task Turbo system, ready to race.  His personal best was 161 mph, and he secured a record in the M-BG 1350 class of 159.462 mph.

Team Klock Werks left the WFB on display back at the shop because they sponsored the WFB Traveling Cup Award, along with S&S and ProCharger, hoping to inspire others to come to the Salt Flats and go after Laura’s record.  The winner did not have to set a record – just had to turn in their official timing slip with the contestant’s top speed for a one-way pass.  Four teams arrived to participate in the race for the cup – Chris Rivas of Chris Rivas V-Twin, Kevin Edgmon of High Country Harley Davidson, Thomas T.R. Reiser of T-Man Performance, and Rob Hassey of RacePro, Inc.

Chris Rivas took the cup with a one way pass of 166.645 mph.  Rivas was riding a 1999 FLTR with a 135 cubic inch motor that was built and tuned at Chris Rivas V-Twin.  Edgmon made a pass at 151.622 on his 2005 FLTRI running a Jim’s 131 with a 5-speed, and T.R. was riding a 2006 FLH 98” with a Pro Charger setup and completed a pass at 158.103.  Hassey crashed on his first pass and was unable to continue racing the rest of the week.

These land speed records are under AMA (American Motorcycle Association) sanctioning and are subject to final verification.  Records on the Bonneville Salt Flats are an average of two passes – one being a qualifying down run and then a return run.  A rider must be at or above the existing record speed to qualify for a return pass.  The Bub Motorcycle Speed Trials are sponsored by AMA so the return pass is made in the opposite direction on the course.  The speed is an average of how fast you pass through a measured mile (which is the middle mile of the course).  There is no separation between male and female or by age.  Bikes are placed in classes based on their frame, fuel and motor size.

This race season is not possible without our sponsors and the entire team including the krew on the salt, team back at the shop, family and friends.  Thanks to all our sponsors - Alpine Star, Z1R, Interstate Batteries, Bel-Ray, Avon Tyres, S&S, Baker Drivetrain, Drag Specialties, Dynatek, Pingel, Baron Performance, Crossroads Performance.

Photos from the Bub Speed Trials on the Bonneville Salt Flats for Team Klock Werks will be available on www.kustombaggers.com, Scooter Grubb of www.scootershoots.com, Horst Roesler of www.motographer.de, and Chris Callen of www.cyclesourcemagazine.com.

Klock Werks continues to lead the industry in the design of after-market kustom parts and accessories for all motorcycles including their line of WFB© (World’s Fastest Bagger) parts specifically designed for touring models.  To see the full spectrum of what Brian Klock and the team at Klock Werks is capable of, please visit www.kustombaggers.com and or www.kustomcycles.com

For bike specifications or more information, please contact Laura Klock (laura@kustomcycles.com) or Melissa Waddell (melissa@kustomcycles.com) by email or at Klock Werks (605) 996-3700.

The truck and road krew are at Reno Harley Davidson this week for Reno Street VIbrations event (September 23-27).  Of course they are offering our TRY it before you BUY it FREE FLARE Windshield demo rides and FREE installs!  From there, they will head south and set up at Las Vegas Harley Davidson for Las Vegas Bikefest (October 1-4).   Stop by and say hi!  AND if you are not Rockin’ the FLARE, try a demo ride to realize what you are missing out on!  Approximately 35,000 happy “Rockin’ the FLARE” customers - if you are not one of them, give it a try!

We also have a krew set up at Pig Trail Harley Davidson in Rogers, Arkansas for the Bikes, Blues & BBQ event (September 23-27).  They are also offering our TRY it before you BUY it FREE FLARE Windshield demo rides and FREE installs!

If you don’t receive Drag Specialties Magazine, you will want to get your hands on the October 2009 issue.  Laura Klock: Meet the Worlds Faster Supermom…page 30 is a feature story you will want to read!

“Klockin’ the Standard - Klock Werks FLHT Update” (page 56) is featured in Hot Bike Baggers, November 2009.  This is Part One of the series of installation articles.  Also check out Klock Werks front and rear fenders featured on the 1997 H-D Lonely King Project featured on pages 72-77.  Don’t forget to check out the Handlebar Buyer’s Guide on page 90 - Klock Werks Sameole Bars are listed.

Mike “Kiwi” Tomas is featured in Hot Bike, Vol. 41 - “Arrow Space: The Kiwi Indian Chopper” page 66.  What a great story on an Indian chopper!  Also be sure to check out the Builder’s Buyer’s Guide featuring the Klock Werks 2009 Benchmark Rear Fender (page 94).

Next up for the Krew -

September 23-27 Reno Street Vibrations (Reno, NV)

September 23-27 Bikes, Blues & BBQ (Roger, AR)

October 1-4 Las Vegas Bikefest (Las Vegas, NV)

The Fall season is one of my favorites.  The colors are changing, weather has cooled and comfy hoodies and long sleeves are necessary!!  The krew has had a little time to breath since returning from the Salt Flats - but it is time to hit the road again!

September 17-20 ~ Brian will be in Tomahawk, Wisconsin at Lincoln County Cycles during the 2009 ColoRama Fall Event.  If you are in the area, stop in and say hi to Brian and meet Mike, owner of Lincoln County Cycles.

The Klock Werks Semi is also hitting the road and heading to the west coast for a couple of weeks.  We will be set up at Reno Harley Davidson for Reno Street Vibrations (September 23-27) and Las Vegas Harley Davidson for Las Vegas Bikefest (October 1-4).

John and Luauna will also be hitting the road to the Bikes, Blues & BBQ event in Rogers, Arkansas.  They will be set up at Pig Trail Harley Davidson (September 23-27).

At all of these events, we will be offering our TRY it before you BUY it Free FLARE Windshield demo rides and FREE installation.  Stop by, check out all the Klock Werks apparel, meet the krew, get some autographs and just hang out and listen to some Salt Flats stories!!

See you on the road…

The Bub Speed Trials Event at the Bonneville Salt Flats has come to an end.  As I type, the krew is on the road heading home.  Here is our final report from the Krew -

Laura reached a top speed of 122 on the stock 2008 Victory Vision.  She reports it is an amazingly stable ride - not too bad for a bike she rides on the street that she just purchased last week!

Erika destroyed the existing record of 109 in her class with a top speed of 127 mph and taking the record on her Buell XB9 Firebolt.

Karlee reached a new personal best of 115 mph on the 500 cc Buell Blast, and faced some competition this year.  It was a blast shootout and the 15-year-old grew immensely as a rider and racer.

Michelle stayed consistently in the 142s with a new personal best of 144 and took the record on the Yamaha Warrior!

And the WFB Traveling Cup shootout…more to come but it was amazing.

Thanks to our sponsors for a great week of racing…and to our entire team including the krew on the salt, team back at the shop, family and friends all over the U.S.  You are all an intrical part of this team and without each part, this team does not work!

Krew is on the salt today for the final day of racing.  So, everyone is trying to get their last runs in and make any last minute tweaking to result in the faster speeds.  Tonight, they will attend the awards banquet and the WFB Traveling Cup will be presented for the first time.  Exciting stuff…

Here are some pictures to share from day three and four…

Kiwi and Caroline enjoying a stroll down the salt…

Laura on her 2008 Victory Vision (top speed - 122 mph)

Something is in the werks here…

Another meeting of the minds…

The Krew back here at the shop has continued to give the WFB daily comfort.  He feels like he has been left behind this year.  Any ideas?? Played Twister and Dominoes yesterday.

Godspeed to the Krew on the Salt and safe travels tomorrow on your route home!

Word is that the salt is drying up, the speeds are increasing and the records are falling.  The Krew from Klock Werks is united (from South Dakota to Utah) and on the move!!  After two days of racing, our master-mind pit crew went to work…they needed to work out some kinks, tweak a few things and get those ladies down the course a little quicker.  Not only did they come up with some great ideas and options…but their ideas were proven on the salt with the results of higher speeds.  Nice work to Brian, Dan, Randy, Joe, and Chris…our cabaña boys, I mean pit Krew!!

Report from Cowboy was the following:  Laura had a top speed of 122 on her Victory Vision and backed that up with a return of 120.  Erika ran 127 for her fastest speed and Karlee topped off at 113.  Michelle set a record of 143 with a personal best of 144.

Brian reported that a picture was taken at the end of the day yesterday on the Salt of the all the ladies racing.  The picture included 19 ladies (of which was our ladies - Laura, Erika, Karlee and Michelle - and also Erin Hunter, Leslie Porterfield and many others)…at this Bub event in 2005, there were 4 ladies.  It is amazing to think of how this number has grown.  I am so proud of all the ladies on the salt to have the courage to be a part of an event where ladies were few and far between in the beginning.  We are all especially proud of our ladies and know that they have inspired many others to join and experience the salt and all it has to offer.

So, the Krew is on the salt already this morning for day four.  I am sure that some of the fatigue of this long week in the heat and sun might be setting in.  But don’t think for a moment that the Krew from Klock Werks is done at the Salt Flats.  Always more work to be done…

Godspeed to you all…those of us back at the shop are proud of all you have accomplished and are proud to be a part of this team!  We offer daily comfort to the WFB as he is really struggling with being left behind.  Please come home soon…

Thanks for our sponsors…Z1R Helmets, Alpine Star, Bel-Ray, Interstate Batteries, DEI, S&S, Drag Specialties and Parts Unlimited.  Without you - this is not possible…

Day two on the salt is complete and here is the report from the Krew…

Engine failures, accidents, debris on the course, and high winds caused slow moving lines at the Salt today.  All members of Klock Werks race team got on the course today - but not a lot of runs.  Everyone improved with higher speeds than the previous day and were set to be some of the first on the course for Day Three.

Laura was able to make her first pass of the week, and was in line for another pass when the day was called because of high winds.  She will be one of the first to go off this morning.

Erika improved her speed and was close to the 130 mph mark.  She set a record of 122 which wiped out the previous record of 109 mph - so she is definitely on track to possibly up that record again.

Karlee continues to make safe passes on the Blast and head right back to get in line.  She is racing with focus on  getting the speed she needs to up the record in her class.  Randy is working with her and the Blast, and has some ideas to get her down the course a little faster to try out today.

Michelle also improved her speed from the previous day.  Her fastest pass was 140.021 mph.  Big Joe has some ideas for her Yamaha to get her down the course a little faster…see how today goes!  Michelle was also in line for a pass when the day was called because of high winds - so she will be out early this morning.

Ross and his Kiwi Indian Bobber continue to make clean passes…he is very close to triple digits.

James Ramsey from Zippers Performance is with our Krew on the salt and had a problem Sunday which prevented him from running yesterday. However parts he needed have been shipped out and he should have them today to get his V-Rod down the course as well.

Joe reported that the salt had dried up…so if the winds stay down, there should be some solid runs in today.

REMINDER: Keep on track with our team with live reports from the Salt by Big Joe at http://klockiwi.blogspot.com/.  You can also keep up with our Krew via http://www.cyrilhuzeblog.com/.  Cyril is on the Salt and submitting daily entries to his blog.

We will keep our Baggers Blog on http://www.kustombaggers.com/ updated as well as the recent news section on http://www.kustomcycles.com/.