Shovel Work and Top 5 Saturday

So another week is gone and I have got a ton done in those 7 days. Got all the fab work done on the Shovel and got the exhaust mounted today and the brakes bleed. Until you build a bike you really have no idea how much little shit it takes to get one on the road. Case in point. I am gonna run a open primary now and the fucking kick stand goes right into the belt. So I whipped up this neat little kickstand stop and holder. Bullet proof and it looks good. The top pick is my fender support and spacer. I still am totally stoked at my welds on the support. Still like magic to me. Kinda always a booger to get a fender spaced the correct amount. Took a piece of 1 inch square tube and cut about a 1/4 inch off after I bent it up. So I have my 3/4 inch spacer and tapped the mount for the bracket and once it is molded and painted it will be slick and stronger then what was there. The Triumph chopper is a customers bike who is quickly learning the evils of chopper glory.  Got it running this week but it is a smoking real bad and every bit on the bike is loose and fucked up. Its nickname is the Jankiesaraus so far. Front end is toast and there are no brakes. Yes. And let us welcome my newest member to my stable. Say hi to my 1954 Plymouth Savoy. This winter it is gonna get a full chop and drop treatment. Should have it running in the next week or two and then I will drive it home and get the sawzall out. I was gonna build the truck hot rod or tail dragger this Plymouth. Price for car 300$ price to get on the road will be about 400$ and that is a good fucking deal. Cleaned out the radiator this week and painted it. Rebuilt the carb today and I am gonna rewire the entire car starting next week. Love old stuff and I have not had a old car for a long long time. Old trucks rule but the drive like old trucks. Cars even lowered still drive a thousand times better then a 60 year old truck.

 Top 5 Reasons The 80's Ruled

Number 1. The music flat out was the best. Though I love the 60's punk stuff a lot in the 80's especially 1982 Hardcore came into its own. In that 10 years you went from the tail end of the disco era right into New wave, punk, Hardcore, shoegaze, Second wave garage stuff, power pop, College rock which is now called alternative. Whatever you were into it was the best and being that those were my formative years I look back at ridiculous punk fashion and goth girls with great fondness. 

Number 2. I know you have seen them as well. There are fucking kids dressing retro 80's style now around town. Let me just say it now only retards wore that shit back then and you my friends are like super jedi retarded fashion faulty if you think acid washed jeans and a hang ten tank top looks good. Fuck faces every last one of you.

Number 3. Skateboarding meant you were a rebel , loser, punk rocker, awesome or all the above. I can still remember hearing a rap song in a skate video and thinking why in the shit would you want to listen to that while skating. Riding your board is the sound of violence and the only natural soundtrack for that is punk rock and Hardcore. Well actually old country  is also would be great while riding. Whatever as long as it is not the Hip hop hip hip dippy  pop doo bang bang boogie crap.

Number 4. Bad hair do's were ok. I am not gonna lie I have had every kind of fucked up hair do there could be thought of. Yeah Yeah I know I'm bald now and thank god for that. I shaved my head anyways so when I started going bald I was like fuck it right. Tony Hawk bangs yep I had them, The cure big wave yep that to. Mohawk, liberty spikes, devil lock, etc etc. Now it just looks dumb well actually I'm sure it looked dumb back then but back then I didn't give a shit what people would say or do. Youth lends to being oblivious as you get older you just don't fucking care anyway. 

Number 5. Well back then you could buy old cars for nothing, old bikes for a lot less, girls were cuter, days were longer, and I had no idea I would still be alive to look back on that time in my life with longing and regret. I wasted time on stupid girls, stupid friends, and playing in terrible bands. I can still remember days we would just hang out in this park trying to do hand plants all day. I could have been riding motorcycles or trying to make it with any number of redheaded goth girls that followed us around. Priorities were always a little messed up. I think I will go listen to Jesus and the Mary Chain while putting on my X swatch.

I'm From Nowhere As Well

Shop Work, Norton, and a late Top 5

So after the Sturgis trip I needed to address some shit on the Shovel. One major issue was the fact I did not have a sissy bar. Second was the fact that panhead frames are tiny and running mid controls was just retarded. Also I wanted a nice clean set of 2 into 1 exhaust like a pan would have had. So with that I whipped up a new sissy bar out of 1/2 inch stainless and made the fancy pants fender strap. you slide the sissy bar through the support then weld it up and polish. Ordered a new belt for the primary and the alternator cover. Forward controls are on and really are just mids that are about 6 inches forward. Feel pretty good but we will see once I get out and ride it. Ordered a new Sportster tank and will have to move the petcock hole so I can get every drop out of it and then the paint. Pagan gold and pearl white panels I think. The fucking exhaust got taking out of the box and then went right in the chop saw and got made to fit. As for the Norton I have been really good about keeping it under the radar until its done but here is the first sneak peak. Gonna be a ripper and it looks fast just sitting there. 
 Top 5 for the first week of Sept.
 1. New Neko Record has been played daily multiple times. It is better then I ever thought and it makes me glad I am alive.

2. Might be getting rid of the Crack Pipe. Feel very torn about it but life has handed me a shit hand and its time to fix it. Plus if this does work out Panhead glory is a little bit closer.

3. This last week has been all about work work work and I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Looking forward to winter and just tinkering on my shit and spending a lot more time with the kids. 

4. ? Mark and the Mysterions. Picked up there second LP last night and I have to say there are the best band with all Mexican members ever. Everyone knows the 96 tears song but honestly all there songs are great and Sunday morning was filled with organ sounds and singing about girls. 

5. I still love motorcycles more then ever. It feels the same way as punk rock or girls with red hair.It gives me some comfort to know in my heart there is still the ability to love so deeply that the term forever isn't scary at all. Just yesterday I was riding home from the shop and took the long long way home just to get another 20 mintutes on the sportster. In my life 20 minutes is like hours. So enjoy the day and do something that might kill you. You will live a better life not being afraid of death.

RanDumb Sunday

Greaserama #13 In The Bag

The weekend was a blast and I'm glad it is over. So much work but the show was killer diller. Some real cool bikes showed up and I had my hand in putting together  the Sweet 16 indoor show. We picked out 8 cars and 8 bikes that we as a club liked and let them bring them out for free. There is a pic of me pushing Ryan Longs really long 750 Honda around and it was a beast to move. Loving the blue Shovel with the dual lights. Gonna try and catch up on some sleep this weekend. I have been dragging ass all week. My band played and all is right with the world once again. New Neko Case is out and you should listen to it.

The Winner

So this is the bike I gave the Anchor Trophy away to. Bryan Beltz is a swell guy and he builds some far out stuff. He is not afraid of the welder and flap disc and there isn't a single piece on the entire bike that he didn't mess with. He plans on paint and finishing it over the winter but honestly I love it just the way it is. I will say the seat is the equivalent of a maxi pad and would split me in half within 5 miles. I think Johnny Chop took these pics so enjoy and good job BB.

BCR and Top 5 Saturady

Found almost all the Bay City Rollers records you would ever need for a quarter a record. So far the best one is this gem. Rock and Roll Love Letter is the best track on the record and is a bubble gum pop masterpiece. No shit I have always loved the Saturday Night song but they did write some other rockers. If you can over look the hair and outfits they are just a power pop band. So I am about to leave for the car show and I'm already tired from the Pre party. Rock and Roll Hate/love Letter.

Number 1. I know people love there cars and bikes. But you see people have bad taste. So they love terrible shit you see. Granted that is my opinion but I have good taste. So these old men bring out there Rat Rods and think we are gonna like them. Then I crush them and they get pissed off. I then tell them if they do not like our rules then start your own fucking car show. You can then make the rules and I will go and act like a 10 year old that doesn't get what they want. 

Number 2. See at the end of the day does any of this hate gonna help me. Does it let me sleep better at night. Fuck yes it does. 

Number 3. Lets play dress up! We have talked about fake people a lot here on the anchor. So at the pre party you could have thrown a stick in any direction and hit some wanna be fuck face with in 100 yards. Lets dress up Rock a billy and drive this car I bought and we will get drunk and then swing dance in the parking lot. ARRRGGGGHHHH 

Number 4. There are always the same old guys that come out. These guys I actually love like family. They get it and I know my place when it comes to the legacy of car guys. They have built and driving more cars then I will ever own and I respect that. Same or even more so with bike guys. If you ride a bike for 50 years and are still on the horse then you are gonna have some good stories and I want to hear them. It is the history I am interested in. The when where and how that this cart or bike has existed. 

Number 5. At the beginning there was like 20 cars and 13 years later it is always about 900 cars. For a bunch of retarded punk rockers we have done a impossible thing and kept the feel for the show and the feeling is still pure. We do not do it for the money and we are registered as a non for profit org. We donate money back to the community and we put the show on. We do get to buy tools and supplies so we do get some perks. It takes about 8 of us almost a second full time job to do the show. Sometimes I question if it is even worth all the effort. Then the show comes and I see thousands of people that have this smile and a glazed over look at the cars and bikes that have just blown there minds. I did the same thing when I was young and I hope on some level in 20 years some young bucks got inspired and does something like this. If anything my kids will pick up the torch and Greaserama will be around a few more generations. 

My family has a family saying that has been passed down through the generations. When times are tough and you really have to dig in and find the energy to go on I think of these words.I always feel empowered and my soul will feel at ease. The saying is FUCK EVERYBODY