Hog Heaven

Cable television is full of brawny bike-builders who crank out curvaceous custom motorcycles.

Fallon residents don't need a television. They have Mike and Don Klosinski at Tu Bruthers Motor Sports.

The Klosinski's don't have their own television show, but they make up for it with a brotherly connection that spills over into their work as motorcycle builders and repairmen.

These bearded brothers of bikes have worked at their shop at 181 Industrial Way #A for about six years. The shop now includes a store with biker merchandise.

The place is littered with the sights and sounds of a no-nonsense, bike-building boudoir. Vintage Harley engines, girlie mag posters, chrome wheels and the blare of oldies and classic rock fill the room.

Their pet project is a 320 horsepower Harley-Davidson drag bike. The custom-built bike breathes through four carburetors on a 158.6 cubic-inch engine, which is powered by 123 octane racing fuel and a shot of nitrous oxide. Under ideal conditions, the flame-wrapped bike could top out near 200 mph.

The bike was built by the brothers from the ground up, though they contracted the skills and technology of drag motorcycle experts for certain parts.

The bike took its maiden voyage at an All Harley Drag Racing Association event in Las Vegas last fall. The machine performed well but the Klosinski's didn't place. It will be tested at the Top Gun Raceway in the upcoming months before the 2005 AHDRA circuit gets underway.

"We've got immense amounts to figure out," Don said.

So what's it like to crack open the throttle of the drag bike?

"Have you ever sat back in a recliner too fast, like you're in mid-air?" Mike asked. "It's like that."

The brothers' mechanical journey began when they dissected the family lawnmower to see how it ticked. The passion extended to a Harley-Davidson Sportster purchased for $500 that was raced, beaten, torn down and raced again. The end result may be a spot in the top fuel class of the All Harley Drag Racing Association.

"We're best friends," Mike said of his brother. "Usually if I'm thinking of something, he is too. That's why we're lethal."

Josh Johnson can be contacted at jjohnson@lahontanvalleynews.com