When winter’s got the shop locked up tight and it feels cold enough to hang meat, ShopTalk does what it’s always done best—keeps the motorcycles front and center and the bullshit to a minimum. This episode, hosted by Chris Callen of Cycle Source Magazine, leans hard into that formula with Bubba Boswell of Boswell’s Harley-Davidson, a guy who didn’t learn the industry from spreadsheets or press releases, but from living it.
From the jump, the vibe is familiar. It’s the kind of show that feels less like content and more like pulling up a chair in a cold garage with people who’ve been doing this longer than most. There’s laughter, some winter griping, and a quick pause to send real thoughts to a friend of the show going through serious health issues—because community still means something here. Then it’s right back to motorcycles, not as a distraction, but as the glue that keeps people grounded.
Watch the full episode here:
The heart of the episode belongs to Bubba Boswell, and what makes the conversation land is how little posturing there is. Bubba comes from a true motorcycle family, the kind where dealerships were neighborhood hubs and kids grew up climbing worn staircases instead of scrolling screens. He talks openly about the rough years, the wins, and the long arc of Harley-Davidson—calling the AMF era tough but necessary, crediting the buyback years for saving the brand, and making a clear case for why Harley’s future depends on remembering what made it matter in the first place.
That idea—“listen to the bricks”—runs through the entire conversation. Bubba isn’t nostalgic for nostalgia’s sake. He’s practical about it. The answers, he says, are already written into the walls at Juneau Avenue. You just have to be willing to read them and apply them to now. That mindset shows up when they talk racing, Daytona Bike Week, and the simple truth that motorcycles don’t survive on hype—they survive on people.
The episode also threads in what’s happening right now at Cycle Source, including the pressure-cooker build pace of the latest Twisted Tea giveaway bike and the early buzz around SmokeOut’s Evo-powered early bird giveaway. None of it feels like a sales pitch. It’s just part of the larger conversation about building bikes, keeping traditions alive, and doing things the hard way because it’s still the right way.
There’s time carved out for a featured Triumph chopper that proves personality still beats perfection, some honest thoughts on modern bikes that actually get it right, and a reminder that real mechanics—the ones who can make parts work when nothing lines up—are becoming rarer by the day. It’s not doom-and-gloom, just reality, told by people who’ve been around long enough to know the difference.
This ShopTalk episode works because it isn’t chasing trends or hot takes. It’s about history, racing, family businesses, and why motorcycles still matter when everything else feels loud and disposable. Bubba Boswell doesn’t sugarcoat the past or the present, and that’s exactly why the conversation feels worth your time.
If you care about Harley-Davidson beyond logos, if Daytona still means people more than parties, and if you believe the best parts of this culture are worth protecting, this is one to sit down and watch.
