Number 1. Iowa/Kansas City Connection. I have talked about it before but all the bikes that are the craze right now really can be traced to the Iowa/KC connection. The EF's built the most insane choppers ever and are still a legit club. David Mann was from KC and started the KC chapter in the early 60's. Even today this club has a no bullshit approach and choppers are still the rule. Wild Childs was famous as fuck and even Roth himself would come out to Kc and see what was going on. Ray Farner with cars and bike shows had the whole country looking at the midwest. Not to mention the St Paul and Minn scene which was just as influential. One of the biggest parts innovator Smith Bros and Fetrow was from there. Finch from Detroit, etc etc.
Number 2. Bay City Angels. Sportsters rule and these early Angels built some pretty slick hot rods. The mix of filthy and cool was never perfect as the early Bay city bikes. Later to only have been blown out of the water with Ness coming up with the digger look. By the 70's all the club guys were riding big couch sleds and all the chopper freaks were still riding Sportsters.
Number 3. LA, Hollywood, Long Beach, SO CAL. There are plenty of badass guys that keep it real in So Cal. I do know that there were allot more back stabbing, parts poaching, ripping off mother fuckers down there then anywhere else on earth. Roth basically kickstarted the whole chopper world as we know it. He was a genius and neanderthal all in the same breath. Randy Smith from CCE is another fellow that never got his fame and fortune yet his parts today are worth a small mint. AEE brought choppers to the masses and I am not saying that was a good thing but Tom McMullen had a head for good business which meant he would have fucked his own mother to sell some more bling out of the Street Chopper format. Sugar Bear was still building bikes up until this year and had the talent and eye dating all the way back to the early 60's. The Club bikes from South were always a little bit flashy as the times changed so did the bikes. All I know is all the old timers had cool fucking bikes.
Number 4. NY East Coast. Seeing that I am from SO CAL it was always hard to believe that a riding season that is only 5 months long would have a bike scene. Well NY proves that not only does this crazy city have a bike scene it has giving us some of the best builders in the history of bike builders. That gives you 7 months to work on your pile so you can ride for the 5 with out any hangups. NY bikes I don't think need the flair that Cali bikes have. The city is so gnarly that they don't need the flash. If you ride a bike in the city you are bat shit crazy. there is a killer video of Chopper Dave riding around NY. It is so fucking cool and scary. Larry might be the most famous but there has been chopper guys in NY since the beginning. If you add in all the surrounding areas then you really do have allot to talk about.
Number 5. Nowhere Planet Earth. I will just say this as a homage and thank you to all the other shops just like mine all over the planet. We have some ideas and we have some skills. I look at these shops with great respect and understanding. It is hard to run a shop and raise kids, work a day job, mow lawns etc etc. I truly think that we are the ones keeping it real like at the street level. Fame will change you, Money will do the same. I just want to build a solid good looking motorcycle and be recognized for said build. That about sums it up. Also I got waved at 10 times today. Argh
Best one yet.I started the redhead craze by the way
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