New Year's Eve is a great time to reflect on what you accomplished in the previous 12 months, and to make plans for even bigger and better adventures in the year ahead. As this collection of bike features, scene reports and tech how-to's illustrates, 2012 was another banner year for building and bikeriding on the old 33.

If there is one challenge that every garage builder has to tackle time and time again, it's how to attach the fender to the rest of the bike. Even though there are some tried and true methods, if you look at a dozen custom bikes, you are likely to see a dozen different solutions. At the recent David Mann Chopper Fest, I took the opportunity to snap a small collection of photos; maybe one will inspire you the next time you need to make one.

Noise Cycles humbly churns out a wide variety of finely-crafted, interesting motorcycles. While many builders or shops have an indentifiable format, Scott "T-Bone" Jones' style is more flexible and he has broad range that shows both craftsmanship and diversity. His black gennie Shovel won Best California Bobber and Best in Show earlier this month at the David Mann Chopper Fest in Ventura, CA. That machine is luxurious in detail and was never without a crowd around it at the show. Meanwhile, this understated beast sat quietly in front of the Noise booth. In a sea of metal flake peacocks it's simplicity made it a standout. The fact that it has a contemporary (by our standards) and reliable power plant that's often over looked by today's top builders made it even more interesting. Why not? Evos are plentiful, fun to ride, and as this bike proves - they make great donors for custom bikes.

The David Mann Chopper Fest in Ventura, California always has a good turn out of quality chops, bobs, restos and whatever else you wanna call custom motorcycles. This year was no different and there was no shortage of old pans, knucks and flatheads. I shot a couple hundred photos so I'm gonna break it up into digestable chunks. Today's feature is all about the knuckleheads...

This bike was a nagged-out test mule kicking around Biltwell HQ for several years. It was loaned to out-of-towners on a regular basis. While it served its purpose, its ugly "Classic" tank and riser combo was hard to look at. After taking all that abuse with nary a complaint, the old girl finally earned some love. Mike D's Sex Panther was high and tight, so he was looking for a simple project, something more suited for daily commuting than his rigid XL. Enter the Legal Eagle, or "The Legal Beagle" as spectators of Mike's unorthodox refurb sometimes called it.

In our final installment of this month's four-part feature from Yokohama, we focus on the motorcycle seats at Mooneyes. CC members' appreciation for upholstery, hand tooling and saddle making is well known, and there was plenty to love in Yokohama last week. Here's some of the best.

Shige is Mooneyes' owner and the curator of his company's eponymous custom culture showcase, and an inveterate car and motorcycle freak in his own right. VW was the featured mark at this year's event, and the Moon crew picked some honeys to sprinkle among the chops, rods and customs on the Pacifico show floor.

Last Monday's parking lot teaser from the 2012 Mooneyes Custom Show in Yokohama, Japan, whetted your appetite for the real show bikes at this legendary event. Here's a cavalcade of showstoppers from Japan's biggest and brightest builders and custom culture pioneers. Enjoy.

Starry-eyed Americans fortunate enough to attend Mooneyes' Hot Rod Custom Show in Yokohama every December are generally effusive regarding the bikes on display at this world-class event, and for good reason. For two decades, Mooneyes has been the greatest bike show on earth. Cool as the customs at this motorized fashion fest may be, it's the hand-built street machines that flood into Yokohama's parking lot that steal the show in my book.

You've probably seen Imperial House Shawn's paint work whether you are aware of it or not. The prolific and talented painter has been laying lines and spewing candy on helmets, signs, panels and tanks for years. When it came time to build his own bike, he pulled out all the stops and the end result is just as slick and creative as one would expect.