The holidays hit a little different when your life runs on gasoline and good company. While the rest of the world is swapping pajama sets and scented candles, the two-wheel crowd is eyeballing throttle bodies, heated flannels, shop tools, and maybe—if Santa’s feeling rowdy—a fresh Harley waiting in the garage. ShopTalk leaned into that spirit this week with a stacked holiday gift guide, a jaw-dropper of an FXR, and one hell of an announcement for SmokeOut Rally faithful.
If you missed the live show, here’s the skinny.
Right out of the gate, the crew rolled in the next Twisted Tea giveaway machine—a clean Heritage Softail that barely made it up the snowy driveway before turning into full-blown shop comedy. This one’s bound for a Vickla-influenced transformation, long and low with all the chrome and swagger that style demands. And with Daytona breathing down everyone’s neck a couple months early this year, the shop is already thrashing. The build series is rolling on Cycle Source TV, and—as always—one lucky rider will end up with the finished bike, keys in hand, no purchase necessary. Just the way we like it.
From there, ShopTalk pulled in two voices who know exactly what’s happening in the trenches of this industry. Jason Hallman checked in from Cycle Stop USA, where the performance wave is hitting hard and business is booming. Big jobs, serious horsepower work, and a renewed focus on taking care of the riders who actually walk through the door—not the discount-hunters online. Meanwhile, Mark Hendricks from Tobacco Road Harley laid out the other side of the coin: new bike sales slowed, but service, gear, and performance upgrades aren’t backing off one bit. Riders might be keeping their bikes longer, but they’re making those bikes better.
And because talking parts without showing parts is weak sauce, both Jason and Mark laid down their favorite must-have upgrades for the season—everything from HPI throttle bodies to Moto Gadget wizardry to race-tested suspension and gear that actually holds up on the road. Real-world advice from the guys elbow-deep in it every day, not a Pinterest wish list.
Then came the showstopper: Brian Korelic’s FXR. This thing looks like it rolled out of a dragstrip fever dream in 1993 and never lost an ounce of its attitude. Built back when mullets were king and billet was gospel, the bike carries decades of racing history, family stories, and late-night garage obsession. It hit Sturgis this year, went straight to SmokeOut, and walked away with Best of Show. No surprise—bikes built with that kind of heart just hit different.
But the biggest holiday shocker? SmokeOut is giving away a pristine ’95 Heritage Softail—and you could be the one firing it up on stage next September. Early bird weekend passes (opening around January 1) will earn folks a shot at one of 13 keys. One key starts the bike. Whoever gets that spark takes the Heritage home. No whining, no paperwork, no problem. Just SmokeOut doing what SmokeOut does—keeping old-school rally culture alive.
Before the show wrapped, Chris, Heather, and the crew talked about something bigger than parts and horsepower: putting down the damn phones for the holidays. More time together in the kitchen, around a puzzle, in the garage—whatever reminds you why this community feels like family in the first place.
Because sure, heated flannels and shiny new shocks make great gifts. But the real win is the time spent with the people who get what this life means.
So if you missed this one, don’t just skim the recap—go watch the full episode. Between the Softail tease, the FXR fire, the shop wisdom, and the SmokeOut giveaway news, it’s one of those ShopTalk nights that reminds you why “America’s first and favorite motorcycle talk show” is still rolling strong.
? Catch the episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhO6rSQQK5U
And start dropping hints now—Christmas is coming fast.
