Brouhard's Retro Board Tracker 5/2010

Carl Brouhard might be one of the best kept secrets in the motorcycle world. The average Joe/Jane at a show probably hasn’t heard of him, but people in the know have been familiar with his work for years. Carl’s motorcycle design and paint skills are legendary within the tight-knit world of custom bikes. He has assisted some of the biggest names in the business, but only in recent years has Carl stepped out of the shadows to receive the recognition he deserves. Located in Grass Valley, CA, also the home of BUB exhaust and Fat Katz, Carl and Lynda Brouhard have carved out a niche of building clean, custom motorcycles. Brouhard Designs isn’t just about designing motorcycles; they’re also about designing some of the hottest custom parts to bolt on to your stock Harley-Davidson®.

Retro styling for custom motorcycles has been huge over the past 10+ years. First we had the Chopper explosion, and then we had the Bobber revolution. The next big thing in retro styling might just be the functional board tracker. The original board trackers that raced in the early 1900s were fast machines that had little or no braking. Carl’s version has the same distinct lines but is designed to be a daily street rider.

Powered by a 127” Ultima El Bruto motor with a Mikuni carburetor and custom made pipes, the power of yesteryear is more than compensated for. The 8 Ball Mfg. rigid frame features 36° of neck rake and two inches of stretch. The Springer fork is a Harley-Davidson product that Carl added some special design touches to, including a girder inspired linkage system that looks like it was built by Battistini. The Crime Scene headlight is a nice antique touch and matches the Crime Scene air cleaner.

Twenty-three inch Battistini wheels front and rear with Avon rubber and Hawg Halters brakes give this Board Tracker its aggressive stance. The foot controls with the holes are from Battistini, as are the grips. The beautiful handmade gas tank and rear fender are from Fat Katz. The elegant paint scheme was designed and applied in-house by Carl.

The Board Tracker is owned by Mike Maggio, it’s his fourth collaboration with Brouhard Designs. Mike runs a Pro Mod car and thought the Board Tracker would be a perfect pit bike. Sorry Mike, I have to disagree, a work of art like this should be ridden every day. Through the pages of American Cycle and American Bagger magazines, we are making sure that Carl’s talents are no longer a secret.

For more information on Brouhard Designs, check out their website at www.brouharddesigns.com.

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