Trip Out on Andy's Panhead

Met Andy at Chopper Bash and the dude is amped on life, super funny and just a great dude. If my memory serves me correctly he told  this bike was built back in the day and had been sitting for awhile. He picked it up and with some elbow grease he got it back on the road and couldn't be prouder of it. Andy and his wife Anna throw The Trip Out chopper show in the UK every year. I am hoping we can make it out there some day. 

blogger talkers..

 Mike Tubbs started this podcast series called Chopper Prophets which he created earlier this month and it's starting to pick up speed. He's already got a few interviews up with dudes like Larry Pierce and Caleb Owens. To be honest, I was a little apprehensive when he told me the name of it simply because to me the word "prophet" implies someones better or above everyone else (when the truth is we're all just insecure nerds trying to convince ourselves we're not), but once I talked to Mike he made it clear its the farthest thing from that...basically he's really interested in what happens outside of the garage and how we even got there in the first place. My little interview went up last night and it's full of me saying "like" while trying to be interesting.

Check out my trainwreck and all the other podcasts Mikes done at -

Chopper Prophets

total commitment...

One of the bummers about hardtailing a shovelhead for the do-it-yourselfer is that nobody makes a decent looking conversion kit and most people don't have a frame jig and/or most of the other fancy tools needed to make one from scratch. So when Craig finally decided to hack his bike up I thought I'd get ahold of my friends Doug and Kelly over at Haifley Bros. in Phoenix AZ who recently started offering the nicest kit on the market, hands down. It costs a little more than the crap you see on Ebay but the end result is worth every penny.

Jeff Holt from Street Chopper also stopped by to take some pictures of the process for a tech article in the next issue so be sure to check that out and see how even a retard like me can do this.

If you give a damn about quality and how your bike looks, go support good dudes doing good stuff.

so-cal...

Days like today remind me as to why everybody hates us here.

69ing in Oakland

Max rescheduled the 69er to this weekend and sorry, but there won't be an ATR kissing booth this year.

David Mann Chopperfest 2012

fitting for an AM/PM bathroom

this Ford was my favorite thing at the show

tyler brought his awesome triumph 500 down from Canada....I love this bike.

Knuckleheads are everywhere these days.

Dalton Walker builds some killer stuff.

....this 500 he did is so rad, I had to come back to it a dozen times.

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I think T'Bone won all the tropheys

Good ride up with all the guys and such a high level of chopper bad-assery at the show equals a good time. I could have taken a ton more photos with my phone but was too busy really appreciating these bikes, I'm already waiting for next year.

show some class..

Looks like the guys at Show Class are getting pretty desperate, they're doing a little blog comment/interview of yours truly for the next issue of the mag so if you were ever wondering what size underwear I wear or how I like my eggs cooked go there.... Show Class Magazine

flashback repost....

The Born Loser posted a pic of that famous green Knuckle the other day and made me think of my friend Davey. He shared with the world that and a series of other amazing old family photos of early San Bernardino club life, the bikes and the people that have inspired many of us in the blog-o-sphere. Just wanted to share again....    


BERDOO-





Davey and Yoshi

The terms "ruler" and "stand-up guy" get tossed around loosely these days. Both are phrases I rarely use because they really only apply to a small handful of people I know. I think Davey falls into that catergory. Humble and reserved he's just doing his thing. A regular guy supporting his family, and trying to be apart of this chomper epidemic when time and money permit.
Me and Nick cruised up to his house in Fontana to pick up a radiator for the Econoline and started talking about his family and looking through some of the countless photos from the late 50's through the 60's. Infamous photos you've seen on all the blogs of his grandma and grandpa, pops and uncles bikes. I was shaking holding those photos in my hands just knowing that right here in my hands is where it all began. Some of the pioneers of a lifestyle most of us strive to emulate (but never will) doing things for the first time just to see where they could take it. Some take all this too seriously, some take it for granted and some for the wrong reasons entirely but moments like this remind me of why I do it. I love the past, and love learning, not knowing. Once you know everything or have everything, then what? The future will come and when it does I probably won't be ready, but thats okay because i like surprises.

Davey, if there was a team, you'd be on it. Thanks for sharing the photos with me and I cant wait to meet your Grandma.



Grandpa


Grandma

...and her panhead!

chopper time..

Finished up the last few things on Erics bike and he picked it up this weekend. This things got a manly stance, expect to see it on the road very soon.

road trip?

6 over..

6 Over - Kick Start from Wild Honey Productions on Vimeo.

its funny, this was me yesterday....literally the footage of me trying to kick my bike was from yesterday. You're never cool, at least not when there's an audience.

show and shine...

this thing had alot of killer little details. really neat bike for sure.



Ryan is an animal. He made the trek down from the mountain for the show.



Robert is truly a badass. Dude puts real miles on his bike. I straddled this beast and instantly fell in love, way more comfortable than my couch.



I'm not gonna be the guy that slams this bike because I can appreciate anything handmade but I will say this, it had a 30" wheel and an Ipad for a headlight...


this dragger was wild.


Killer bikes again at David Mann this year, no camera and phone died so I kinda blew it on proper documentation. We rode up the night before and froze our asses off sleeping in the parking lot. Michael Schmidts shovel had a successful maiden voyage. Dave Polgreen knows Dave Chapelle. J is a true gentleman. Turk and Chase braved the cold. Mikey Ratt is the best dude ever, he's on the team. All in all, lots of fun thanks for everyone who stopped by and said hi or just wanted to hang and see some fat dudes brow beat the hell out of each other.

A day late and a dollar short.

As far as I can remember the first cassette tape I ever bought on my own was The Best of Jimi Hendrix Experience. My dad was a gardener and I worked with him mowing lawns all day. On the way home I begged him to stop by the record store so I could spend my days pay on some of Hendrix's music. I still remember the cashier saying "starting him on the classics huh," as i forked over the bread. In the truck I ripped open the cellophane and inspected every inch of the insert. We pulled up to the house, I jumped out of the truck before it had completely stopped and made a b-line for my walkman. I sat in my room all night just playing it over and over. That tape didn't leave the walkman for over a month. Jimi Hendrix's birthday was yesterday.





A couple of my favorite JImi Hendrix Experience Songs.