Life After Jawbreaker.............

Details and Top 5 Saturday

As the season is now leaning towards riding daily I am getting lots of calls about work. Why don't people get there bikes built in the winter time then enjoy them all summer. Whatever I'll take it all. Details is all about the things you don't notice at first glance. Then like little jabs they start popping off at you. That is one of the big reasons I love motorbikes. It's all the little things that make up a proper chopper. 

Top 5 Saturday
Top 5 ways to say the same thing.
Number 1. Life Is Shit.
Number 2. I think I'm going crazy.
Number 3. Hermit life is the life for me.
Number 4. Beat yourself to death.
Number 5.The light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train.

So Much Shit.......

Been thinking about my homeboy Todd a bunch lately. Can't believe its been almost two years since he passed. I had a super fucked up dream that he was gonna beat me up for being mean to people. It was kinda funny later, but the morning I woke up from that dream I was messed up all day. Truth of the matter is Todd was one of the nicest dudes you could ever meet unless you crossed him. Then it was game over. I am a lot like that. Maybe that is why we got along so well. Extremes always tend to do that. When he drank he was the drunkest mother fucker in all the lands and when he got sober he was the straightest mother fucker ever. No middle ground really with Todd. He had this So.Cal Cholo punk mixed with a Wichita hillbilly drawl. Never heard anyone talk like that in all my life till I met him. HHEEE TAAALKKKEEDDD REEEAALLL SLLLLOOOWWWW. Fucking drove me crazy and of course I miss it now. The same way I talk all crazy fast all the time moving my hands and trying to make gestures where there really is no need for one. He was there at the beginning of the LA scene and somehow made it out to Kansas. Life is weird and I truly feel like I haven't got the slightest grasp on it still. There is Love and hate mixed with longing and forever. Right next to failure and redemption, sometimes it would make more sense to drink myself silly and maybe all this shit would just get pissed out of me. I still have the fear of Todd in me and I can honestly say when I woke up from that dream I was missing him something fierce. Cancer fucking consumed him and by the end there was nothing left of our homeboy, just him breathing in and out. Then he was gone. VLPR TODD K.

Jawbreaker - Bad scene, everyone's fault

Top 5 Saturday

Hi Ho the weather has broke. After the longest winter in history the weather is finally good outside. Been busy getting some work done on the Ironhead motor and by the weekends end I will have the cases back together. Then it all the little nit picking items till its all buttoned up. Got a new Iphone and have not transferred any pics so I am just gonna post some more of the Yoakum photos. 
Top 5 Saturday
Top 5 Albums to drive around listening to.

Number 1. Nebraska- The Boss. As many times as I've listened to this record it never gets old ever. I don't know how he even wrote those songs for that record. One record that is inspiring, and so dark it can evoke love and losing love all in one trip through the record. 

Number 2. Come On Die Young- Mogwai. If you like landscapes and layers then this is the record for all things awesome. I went a few years with out listening to it but I am back on the CODY record almost everyday lately. Mogwai are the only band that does what they do in the the way that they do it. Other bands try other bands fai. The pure guitar based record is of course why I'm drawn to it. 

Number 3. Converge Converge Converge- All Records. When I feel like shit, when I'm happy, when I feel lost they are the one band I go to. I like the fact they have beat the odds and have been a band for 20+ years. And have not lost that edge that unexplainable thing that makes them progress but never lose there sound. I have never been in a band like that. I'm jealous

Number 4. Old Timey Country- I did not want to just put one artist for this one because I change it a lot. Right now its been Lefty Frizzel last week it was nothing but Charlie Feathers. I have always been drawn to real music with real emotions. Tear in the beer, hole in my bucket, last dollar and a broken heart sorta stuff. Speaks to me and I love the sound of steel guitar.

Number 5. Dear You- Jawbreaker. Songs that seem to be written about me and I love singing along. They have been gone for along time now and it sucks. Heard they played some shows in Oakland and I seriously thought about buying a plane ticket to go. I saw there last show in LA and I will say I have never missed a band like I miss Jawbreaker.

Miss October

Here is a few more shots from the shoot. Big Red has poopadopped out on me so I get to ride my bike today. It's 40 degrees right now. Layers on layers

When Im riding in the sun sometimes this song sings to me

When Im riding in the sun sometimes I sing this song to myself.

Making Things All Pretty/ Top 5 Saturday

Of course I have talented friends. Tattoo artist, painters, musicians and what not. Ryan Yoakum is a true photography guru. True as of late he is swinging a hammer to pay the bills but just like all of us he does what he has to to live. I hit him up about doing a shoot for Dice as I can't take a decent photo to save my life. So last week I cleaned up the bikes and we did a full day of riding and shooting. I actually quit enjoyed it. Not having any idea if they would turn out worth a flip. Needless to say I am stoked. So here are a few shots and  will begin the top 5 Saturday rant right now.

Top 5 Songs To make you smile.

Number 1. Rock Against Ass- Turbonegro
Number 2. Small Man Big Mouth- Minor Threat
Number 3. 96 Tears- ? Mark and the Mysterians
Number 4. He's Waiting- The Sonics
Number 5. Sluttering- Jawbreaker

Week in Pictures/ Top 5 Saturday

Been busy this week. Got Shea's bike all buttoned up, Did a photo shoot for the shop and then broke the Shovelhead. New spits record has been on heavy rotation. They are so good at playing caveman style punk rock. Sometimes thats all I want to hear. Broke the stud off my clutch hub so I fixed it all up over the week and made it look all pretty.
Top 5 Saturday
Top 5 Broken Motorcycle Stories.

Number 1. I would say Sturgis break down was one of the least crucial except I got taught a lesson. Never ever use unknown vintage electronic parts on a bike you are going to be riding 3 states away. I was rescued by a guy named Poontail. Hilarious

Number 2. Rd Chopper brake stay came loose and when I went to put the brakes on the brake rod spun around the hub and locked up the tire doing about 60 mph. Talk about OH FUCK moment. I will say sliding side ways is way better then having no brakes. I bent the rod around the hub and then pushed the bike like 3 miles home. Riding it up hills then coasting down with my boot jammed in the front tire for slowing down. Broken brake stay so the brake plate was trash, One worn out boot, and a very wary rider for a couple of weeks.

Number 3. Man I was hungry that day. I left work on a hot summer day and was going to ride about 20 miles to eat then jam back to work. I hit the highway at full throttle getting up to speed then all of a sudden I felt this weird sideways slushy back and fourth feeling in the rear. Then BANG the tire pops and I'm doing a solid 75 mph and the bike is drifting between 3 lanes on I35 and I am just hanging on for dear life. I was doing a pretty good flattrack motion with my boots just keeping it up then I started hearing car tires squeeling and thats when I got scared. So I wrangled the bike off the freeway once it started slowing down and just sat there a minute catching my breath. So fucking close to going down. There were skid marks for about 1/2 mile going all over the place. I called my boss to come get me off the freeway. I went back to work with no lunch and a healthy respect for life. Ended up I had 3 spokes break and one worked its way through the tube. I had Old Man Jim lace me up a wheel with 9mm Stainless spokes. No more problems.

Number 4. Left for Born Free 3 on the Ironhead. Got about 100 miles before it shit the bed. Again never trust third world electronics on your bike. A Vtwin regulator shit the bed and was over charging my battery. Like 20 volts. So my little 4AH battery looked like a softball and was so hot it burnt my arm. Shawn came and rescued me. I split out at 4 in the AM to catch the fellows in Denver on the Triumph. I did not have to do a single thing to the Triumph. Go figure.

Number 5. This is Tony's story but honestly it was fucked. We were riding out o Santa Rosa NM for the Horse show. In the middle of the desert Tony had a blow out. Ended up someone forgot a rim strip on the rim. WTF. So the next two days were filled with pulling the tire on and off trying to get tubes patched etc etc. Some guy from a dealer ship brought up a tube and charged us full fucking price plus a delivery charge. The worlds most expensive tube ever. There are pictures on the blog of us wrestling that fucking tire on and off on the side of the road. So guys hauled his bike into Santa Rosa. Never say humanity is all fucked. There are some solid people out there in this world.As a side note the day we left to ride home was one of the best rides I have ever had. The air in the desert is so crisp in the early morning. You get cold like really cold. As the day progressed the sun warms you up and the miles just peel away. As the day went on guess what my Ironhead ate another battery and it was caused by a VTWIN regulator. Lessons