Tim Duffy’s 9/11 Motorcycle Story and the Final Countdown to SmokeOut 26

August 31, 2026

Some motorcycle stories are bigger than the motorcycle.

This week on ShopTalk presented by Cycle Source, retired FDNY firefighter and U.S. Navy veteran Tim Duffy joins Chris, Mark and Heather for a conversation that takes us back to September 11, 2001.

If you’ve spent much time around the motorcycle world, there’s a good chance you’ve seen the photograph: a firefighter on a motorcycle surrounded by the devastation of lower Manhattan on 9/11.

That rider was Tim Duffy.

But the photograph only captures one moment.

During this episode, Tim tells the story of what happened before and after that image was taken — from realizing what was happening at the World Trade Center to getting on his motorcycle and making his way toward Manhattan because he believed that was where he needed to be.

We could tell you the rest.

We’d rather you hear it from Tim.

His account of riding into New York City, arriving at Ground Zero and surviving what followed is one of the most powerful conversations we’ve had on ShopTalk.

From Ground Zero to Helping Veterans

Tim’s story didn’t end on September 11.

Years later, his experiences led him toward another mission: helping veterans through One Soldier, One Dog, One Team.

The organization connects veterans with dogs that can provide companionship and support while also giving rescue and shelter dogs another chance. Tim describes the mission simply as saving two lives at the same time.

Tim also explains why he built the organization differently, how the dogs and veterans are matched, and why he believes the motorcycle and veteran communities have been so important throughout his life.

It’s a conversation worth sitting down for.

SmokeOut 26 Is Almost Here

There wasn’t much time for anyone to catch their breath afterward because SmokeOut 26 is nearly here.

September 10–13, the SmokeOut returns to the Rowan County Fairgrounds in Salisbury, North Carolina, bringing together garage-built motorcycles, choppers, racers, builders, live music and the people who have made the event what it is.

This episode catches the crew deep in the final countdown.

One of the biggest stories heading into Salisbury is the SmokeOut Garage Build-Off, where builders are quickly running out of calendar while trying to turn their projects into running motorcycles.

And things are getting interesting.

We check in with several of the builders as they deal with everything from fabrication and wiring to last-minute fitment problems and the simple reality of building a motorcycle in a garage without an unlimited supply of tools, parts or time.

That’s exactly what the Garage Build-Off is supposed to be about.

The motorcycles have to run, complete a shakedown ride and then face judging from people who understand exactly how much work went into them.

You’ll have to watch the episode to see how close—or how far away—some of them really are.

A 1915 Harley-Davidson With 100 Years of Attitude

There’s plenty of old iron in this episode, too.

Cabana Dan brings us an incredible 1915 Harley-Davidson board tracker built around original early Harley components.

What makes this motorcycle especially interesting isn’t a perfect restoration.

It’s almost the opposite.

Dan wanted the newer pieces he had to fabricate or replace to look like they had spent the last century alongside the original parts. That meant intentionally aging metal and making a newly assembled motorcycle look like it had survived 100 years of use.

The result is seriously cool.

Plus: Heritage Softail, Performance Baggers and More

The show also keeps the countdown going for the 1995 Heritage Softail giveaway, where 13 key holders will ultimately find out which key actually starts the motorcycle at SmokeOut.

We also get into Brock’s Performance Attack Swing Arm for late-model Harley-Davidson baggers and talk about the upcoming MotorDrome motorcycle racing program.

But this episode belongs to Tim Duffy.

The photograph may be familiar.

The story behind it probably isn’t.

Watch the Full Episode of ShopTalk

Hear Tim Duffy tell his story in his own words, meet the Garage Build-Off builders racing toward the SmokeOut deadline, check out Cabana Dan’s 1915 Harley and get the latest from the Cycle Source crew.

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE ON THE CYCLE SOURCE TV YOUTUBE CHANNEL

And if you haven’t already, subscribe to Cycle Source TV on YouTube so you don’t miss ShopTalk, feature bikes, builder stories, event coverage and everything coming out of SmokeOut 26.