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May 15, 2009:    HEAD PORTING... DONE BY HAND?
H&L Performance is famous for their head porting, all done by hand,

conventional tool room service, milling and turning

IT’S A DYING ART FORM - HAND-PORTED CYLINDER HEADS…   The process of modifying the intake and exhaust ports of an internal combustion engine to improve the quality and quantity of the air flow, is a task that today’s generation of techs would rather leave to machines… but there are a handful of rebel-minded innovators left in the United States that continue the art of head porting by hand.

Is faster always better? Today, in the rush of instant gratification, most people C&C-port their heads, meaning they take a cast head, which is of course subject to casting imperfections, and then they have a C&C machine port it, running off of a computer program that ports the heads, one after another, exactly the same.

Anyone who knows anything about high performance engines, knows this… no matter how well-built the engine and no matter how well-planned the part configuration, without proper head flow, every effort towards performance will be futile.

MACHINE vs. MAN… Customized parts, like heads for instance, takes time! So, where’s the middle ground in all of this?   Well, H&L believes excellence can be achieved through that perfect combination of old-school precision and state-of-the-art knowledge, machinery and tooling.

Head porting by hand is a unique shop experience for every project. It allows for correction of any imperfections created during the casting process. Best of all, hand porting includes the experienced touch and feel of a machine shop artist, like H&L Performance’s highly elusive (and widely respected) Tom Haner, who has been head porting by hand for thirty-five years.

Customizing your bike is an investment in a piece of art; a show of excellence when ridden and it’s worn like badge of honor to represent the long history of the motorcycle engine evolution. Hence the saying, “Don’t rush the beauty if you want to feel the beast”.
H&L Performance’s heads are each flow-tested on a top-of-the-line Superflow Computerized SF-600 Flow Bench, with velocity probes that ensure maximum flow with optimal velocity. With well over 50 years of combined experience, and a machine shop that offers the best equipment money can buy, H&L performance has perfected the art of engine rebuilds, from stock configurations to boring and stroking to reach absolute maximum potential.

TOM HANER
The highly elusive and widely respected Tom Haner, is the "H" of H&L and has been in the business for over 35 years.

From his humble beginnings at a Yamaha dealership, to present day, you will be hard-pressed to find anyone that has not heard of Tom and his influences on high performance motor work.

It all started when Tom had a friend who was the service manager at Mannis Harley Davidson in Stamford, CT and was offered a job. During that time, Tom quickly realized that working on Harley Davidson bikes was his passion.

Through the years, Tom worked at several Harley Dealerships and aftermarket shops, continually honing his skills as an expert mechanic and innovative thinker in the field.

You won’t see Tom at many bike events, as he is a humble guy who enjoys being behind the scenes, continually creating and improving his technical abilities.

As a co-founder and lead designer for H&L, two balls-to-the-wall engines have been born, H&L's own The Gladiator and The Animal, and they power some of the most desired bikes in the business!

What will Tom come up with next?? We will just have to wait to see…. But we know it will be innovative - and definitely one of a kind, just like the man himself.

JOE BIKER
"Joe Biker" Malloy is the face of H&L Performance. His long red-tinged hair and smiling face can be seen up and down the eastern seaboard at gatherings of the tribe, where he's swamped with well-wishers and potential customers who want to know what it takes to own an H&L engine or have their heads ported. Joe even gets requests for autographs from one of the many die-hard American Chopper fans he encounters everywhere he goes.

Don't look for Joe Biker to be setting up merchandise tents and putting up price signs for autographs, any time soon though! He's a regular Joe (no pun intended!) and he'd rather share a beer and some anecdotes, than a fancy meal with a TV executive (unless of course they were offering him his own show or needed some work done...). In fact, the only sign you might find at Joe's tradeshow display table would be a hand made sign, saying something like, "Will work for beer" ... and he would not be kidding.

Over the last few years, Joe Biker has been pretty busy making appearances all over the US, most recently at 2009 Rumble and Roar in Syracuse, NY, which he headlined with Michelle Smith, and then at the 2009 International Motorcycle Show at the Jacob Javitz Center in NYC.

Joe, as well, has been slotted-into plenty of radio spots and is a regular guest on the Biker Lowdown Radio Show with L.J. James. You can also find Joe's commentary in a monthly column for New York Rider Magazine.

So, look for "Joe Biker" Malloy and the H&L Performance booth at the next bike show you attend. Stop by and say Hello! ... and if you have an extra cold one in hand, Joe will always welcome an adult malted beverage, preferably a Heineken. See you there! ;0)

THE H&L STORY

In 1997, Tom Haner was approached by business man and motorcycle enthusiast Tom Lasagne, who had been unhappy with local dealership services and needed a new source for bike work. Tom Lasagne was so unhappy with local service, in fact, that he was actually entertaining the idea of opening his own motorcycle shop.

Lucky-dog that Tom L. is, he found Tom Haner and Joe Malloy to perform some work for him and was so thrilled, that he knew the time had arrived to open that motorcycle shop, with Haner and Malloy as partners in the new business venture.

Thus, H&L Performance was born… and soon after, Tom Haner and Joe Malloy designed their first H&L engine, dubbed “The Gladiator”, which powers some of the most desired bikes in the business! Their second H&L engine, “The Animal”, debuted this year.

April 22, 2009: H&L PERFORMANCE HAS LAUNCHED A NEW WEBSITE!!
H&L’s new site compliments their newest engine, “The Animal” !!

Over this winter H&L Performance, like so many other small businesses, took a long hard look at the economy and decided to revamp! H&L Performance unveiled their newest creation dubbed, “The Animal”, which is a Pan Head style with an old school look that won rave reviews by both industry insiders, as well as the general public at The 2009 International Motorcycle Show in New York City. To compliment their new engine, H&L has launched a brand new website with interactive media, as well as the ability for do-it-yourselfers to preview and purchase all of H&L’s 100% American Made Products online.

Although H&L Performance became famous for supplying engines used by some of the biggest names in the business, such as Orange County Choppers, Thunder Cycles, MGS, etc. most people didn’t know that Tom Haner and Joe Biker Malloy have always done engine rebuilds, and that H&L Performance kits and headwork are surpassed by none.

If you have a Harley-built engine from 1936 to present, they can fix it! This includes all Flat Heads, Knuckle Heads, Pan Heads, Shovel Heads, Evolution and Twin Cam style engines.

H & L Performance

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