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Had one of these many moons ago now. 390 V8 and a Breeze away back window that went up and down. Spotted this one outside of Weston Mo. Been going out and finding new places to get lost. 45 HWY goes out pretty far and is a nice ride. Follows the train tracks and the last ride I went on I ended up 60 miles from home and on fumes. Coasted down a hill and into a gas station. So Top5 Saturday is a fun one.
Top 5 Things I Think About While Riding.
Number 1. Not getting run over
Number 2. Not running out of gas.
Number 3. Usually singing something like the Clash or something equally awesome
Number 4. Looking for cool shit on the side of the road. IE Mercury Montereys, Tools, Bikes, Junk, Tractors, etc etc
Number 5. Not getting run over.
Nothing feels quite as good as taking a sledge hammer and tearing down a few walls. The previous owner had put up a bunch a janky walls and for me to hit the magic 1000 sq ft shop they had to go. I didn't take any before pics put you will get the big picture as things progress. I have always liked Youth Of Today and as a homage to the days activities I played the entire Breakdown the Walls record like 5 times back to back. At the end of the day all the vehicles got put back in the garage and I can't believe how much space I am gonna have. More tools, more bikes, more cars will take care of that quick like.
Well we played a show last night so I am dragging ass this morning. I will just do a quick Top5 today. I've got walls to tear down today literally.
Top 5 things that still rule.
Number 1. Goddamned choppers and all the bullshit that goes along with it. Hipster kids beware these fucking things can kill you. Old men beware these things will make you happy and to all us middle aged chopper guys lets just go for a ride and let all the weight of the day get laid to rest on the road.
Number 2. Skateboarding still makes me feel young, well until I fall and then it makes feel really old. But that feeling of rolling is forever. Maybe that is why so many skateboarders ride motorbikes or vice versa.
Number 3. Being a crusty old dude kinda rules. No one fucks with you, no one expects shit from you and you really don't care anyways.
Number 4. The back porch on the new house totally rules. It is quiet and in the morning it is the best place to pound a cup of coffee.
Number 5. Having a little Honda in my life has been pretty rad. I tend to baby my Harley's a little. I mean I ride them hard and fast but with the Honda I have been jumping off loading docks, riding in the hills, doing power slides all the kinds of shit I do not do on the choppers. I need a proper dirt bike.
But This 1979 Sportster is one awesome motorcycle. Its got good lines and looks real comfy yet will still handle good. After riding that little Honda around I have to admit that sitting up on top of a bike rather than all in it was kinda sweet. Not to mention jumping curbs and ripping around the yard. So this is the problem do I take the Crack Pipe apart and build up a swingarm bike or do I sell it and just buy a stock Sportster. First world problems are still problems right?
We have heard about old man Curt before. Every year at Greaserama he brings me something cool and we catch up about life and just hang out. He is cool as shit and has some great stories about riding choppers in the 60' and 70's. Well I guess he has gotten to that age that he was wanting to clear out some space and unloaded all these mags on me. HOLY SHIT when he called and said he had some rags for me I was thinking like 2 or 3 not a hundred or so. I was freaking out while pulling stack after stack of little pages out and then the old 50's Hot Rods came out then Rod And Customs. For someone like me this is better then winning the lottery in some respect. He thought of me because he knew I would not just flip them for money but will keep them and learn from them. Somewhere along the way I did something right. I'd say it will take me about a year to get through them all. I was going to lay them all out on the floor but the floor isn't big enough. Fuck where am I gonna put them?
Top 5 Saturday 6/22 is going to blow your doors off. The When Where and How of the coolest bikes. It seems that all parties claim to have started the chopper craze and to this day damn near 60 years later the debate is still going . I will try and give my input and hopefully this will open some eyes or close some eyes whatever.
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
