Stills from the Dynatek shoot

Andrew sent me a few photos of the bike taken during the video shoot for Dynatek.

Thanks for the support!

Thank you Andrew and Dynatek

Tags

Born Free 5, Duane Ballard, Duane Ballard Custom Leather, Dynatek, Invited Builder, Kosmosaki, Sponsors

My crazy builds wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for my great sponsors. My buddy Andrew Quinones came down a few weeks ago to shoot the bike and their product. Dynatek sponsored the build by sending me a Dyna S ignition and coils. I have used the same Dyna S ignition and coils in Funkenstien and wouldn’t change a thing. I only run the best and the best is Dynatek.

I’m honored to be a representative for the Dynatek brand!

Check out my Born Free 5 video…………

Big thanks to Mike and Grant for the invite and to Sean for his time and talent.

See ya Saturday at Born Free 5

Born-Free 5 Invited Builder Series-Duane Ballard from Born-Free on Vimeo.

K&N Filter has joined the Kosmosaki build

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K&N Filters

 

Ever since using K&N Filters on The Pink Taco I knew I wouldn’t switch back to another throw away filter. With all the time and money that goes into a project I don’t understand why people overlook details. The KZ- aka Kosmosaki- I’m building for Born Free V will have a K&N oil filter in it and K&N air filters on the CR31’s from Sudco. The motor in the new bike is really going to want to breathe and I won’t have to worry about it with these. Thanks for being a part of this project and a big thank you to Johnny Jump for his help securing the parts.

Thanks Pete

 

A couple months ago Pete “Hot Dog” Finlan and I were talking about my project for Born Free. He said he would like to do it and things worked out where we could make it happen. I can’t wait to see what he does with the paint. I picked the main colors and a theme consisting nothing more than a moment in time I liked the paint from and left it up to him. He knows more about what I want than I do I’m sure. He’s been at this for thirty years. He’s one of those rare painters that excels in paint, striping, lettering, leaf work, etc. I’m sure the bike will be WAY beyond anything I would of dreamed up. Lisa and I ran down to drop everything off last week and to get a quick lesson in bodywork. I learned I should stick with leather and leave paint to the pros. While Pete stayed mostly clean I managed to cover myself and pack my ears, nose, etc. with body filler dust.

This bike like Funkenstein and The Pink Taco is being painted with House of Kolor products. Make sure to follow Hot Dog on Instagram as “hotdogkustoms” and on facebook. Make sure and come by to see the bike in the Builders Invite area at Born Free V June 29th.

Trip to APE

Big thanks to Jay and his crew for showing Lisa and I around the shop.

 

Throwing it out there- BF5 Info

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Born Free 5

I went to the Cycle Lodge with Lisa so she could shoot a bike for Chop Cult. While we were there Mike Davis asked me a question. “Do you think you would be able to finish your bike for the show?” We had talked about it in the past but I never thought of the possibility. To be honest, I never considered myself in the same group of the said 30 builders. I don’t consider myself a true builder. I’m just a leather guy that figures it out as I go along with help from friends. I’ve always liked diggers and I obviously love Japanese fours. I’m very excited to have a deadline and hope a few of you will like what I have come up with. Since there is a open spot in the builders showcase I’ll gladly be finishing the KZ 1000 for it.

Big thanks to Lisa for her endless cross promotion efforts and to my friends who will help me reach the finish line. I can’t wait to see what Pete “Hot Dog” Finlan and Scott Takes of Underground Studios pull off with the paint and airbrush work. 

Do us a favor,  buy a poster from Lowbrow Customs. Keep in mind that every poster comes with a free ticket for a custom motorcycle of your choice. 18 out of the 31 builders are donating their build as a potential winner. Sorry but my bike isn’t one you can chose from. This one’s for me.

I am honored to be in the running and would like to thank my sponsors for their ongoing support. Spitfire Motorcycles, Biltwell, Joker Machine, House of Kolor, Wire Plus, Dynatek, EBS, Wiseco, EBC Brakes, Throttle X Batteries and Barnett’s. Without their support I wouldn’t be able to pull this off.

For all things Born Free, go here

*Follow Lisa here

Thanks Dynatek!

New coils and ignition for the KZ1000.

Dynatek High Performance

EBC Brakes

Tags

EBC Brakes, KZ1000, Sponsors

One thing I like to make sure all my bikes have is VERY good brakes. Sorry but the no front brake with a drum in the back isn’t my thing. I like fast bikes and don’t want to have to worry about stopping them. When it came time to figure out the brakes on the KZ an off the shelf combo wasn’t going to work for me. After seeing Dale’s, Mad Jap, dual four piston rear brake setup at Born Free III I knew that was it. That along with a four piston disk on the front and it will have brakes suited for a high performance sport bike. For rotors the first name that came to mind was EBC. I’ve been using their brake pads on my bikes for years. They are very well known for their performance rotors and brake pads. Lisa was able to meet with them at SEMA this year and they were excited about the KZ project. The rotors we went with are made from German made and rolled stainless steel. The centers are polished. Just the perfect thing for a bike that I want to be high performance and show quality at the same time. I’ll also be using EBC brake pads front and rear like always. I like to ride these things and these will make it that much nicer. I’m really looking forward to seeing them on the bike. Give me a week or two and I’ll do an update once I have them on for mockup. 

( as seen on our Facebook page)

KZ Update

I’ve been trying to spend some time in the garage each night. This week I figured out the brake side foot control. I was able to put the lathe to some good use and heavily modify a KZ ZZR1200 pedal and make a mount for it and the master cylinder. I like how well it matches the Biltwell Sanderson pegs. I’m no lightweight and i can jump up and down on these pegs and never have to worry about them bending or breaking. I also mounted the Chassis Design Company battery box. Anthony and the guys make it easy for the home builder. They include the mounting plate and even the bolts to mount the box.