Milwaukee

Last Tuesday I went up to Milwaukee to shoot Warren and Bacon's new Pan. I chilled out with Bacon at the shop until about nine o'clock then we headed over to the bar that Candice tends. Bacon makes sure to walk her to the car every night at closing time and within two minutes of walking into the bar I quickly found out why. Not the greatest of crowds.... actually not a crowd at all. There were two people in the bar. You'd think it would be nice and quiet but that wasn't the case. There was an old man that obviously had a few screws lose and with an entire day of booze'n added on top of that..... he wasn't about to let someone call him a Tinkerbell. He was having a normal conversation with Bacon about motorcycle frames and how lightening goes from ground up then suddenly got pissed off because he thought I was calling him a Tinkerbell. I was just minding my own business eat'n a chicken sandwich. Just about then a big ol' black lady come run'n in demanding money from the ol' timer. They took it outside and he offered her all the quarters he had. She wasn't happy with the quarters and threw them all over the parking a lot. The old lady that was playing the slot machine all night with a six inch ash hanging off her lip come walking up and said... "yep.... She's gonna kick the shit out of him again because he wont give her his pay check" She grabbed the rest of his money..... 27 dollars...... off the bar and hid it so the Big Ol' black lady wouldn't take it. Miss old style looked like she was in her late sixties but seemed to be a gal about the town and was probably smoking hot in her hay day. She just kept saying "there better be a big fat joint waiting for me when I get home cause that sum bitch wrecked my car!" Big Black walked back in look'n for her 27 bucks but the Ol' lady told her she put it in the slot machine. "Ah helna.... that was my mo fuck'n twana saven dollas.... Bitch you best be figger'n it out." Ol' Man Chad said he needed that 27 dollars because big black was setting him up to get married to some girl he has never met. Everything calms for a second when Big Black leaves until the phones starts blow'n up. It was some dude threatening to kick Chad's ass when he gets on his bicycle to head home.... then Candice tells him he's not so he threatens to kick her ass too. So Candice grabbed her big can of Bear Mase and said if he comes in here run to the other end of the bar cause I'm gonna spray his ass. I told her... that crack head is gonna come in here with a gun and your Bear Mase ain't gonna do shit but hurt my eyes. So she called the cops and they sent the finest female officer I've ever seen and everyone was happy... at least I was.



On Wednesday I shot the Panhead and we all took turns riding it. Since the pan didn't have plates Warren grabbed JP's Triumph from the depths of the compound and we all rode up town to grab a sandwich.



I forgot how fun it is jockey shifting!



The Triumph


Bacon and his knuck



Popped in at Dave's shop. The Norton is moving right along.

It was nice Saturday.....

.......... So Haley and I looked for dead bodies in the swamp.

Long and lazy weekend

Lisa and Ratchet had me as their guest for turkey dinner. thanks Lis, it was out of this world.
Wrapped up the motor mount and cross tube on The Searchers frame. Had it pretty well mocked up with whatever was laying around the shop, taking a break from it until the pans back together and ready for the spring.
Sunday night casserole made by the youngsters. They went with a youthful theme and through in some hot dog bits along with some capri suns.
Meg in a post casserole state. She helped the youngsters put a womans touch on the meal.
Started putting the pan back together before all her parts ended up in The Searcher. Fantastically lazy weekend with the pals, I hope yours was just as good.

Bare Knuckle Party

After shooting Rich's flathead we headed west to catch the annual Bare Knuckle Party. You know.... your typical hillbilly activities..... it always make for interesting times.

Bare Knuckle Choppers

The innards of the shop



This is the kind of stuff Paul sweeps out into the corners of his shop. I wish! Nichole's VL frame.... a Pan will fill it. I'm Jealous






Taco in all his glory

Rich Phillips

Rich always has a place for me to sleep in St. Louis. On Saturday before heading out to the Bare Knuckle Party I shot his 45. I actually rode this bike through Baja Mexico on the El Diablo run before its facelift. It was actually a pretty cool bike with some history. It's spent it's war time in Australia were it was bobbed then found it's way back to the states. All of the washers were actually Indian head buffalo nickles that some one had drilled out to act as washers. After Mexico he tore it down and this is what resulted.

Rich Phillip Cycles

Whistle Pigs

Gary and I left Darrin's..... grabbed the girls and hit the Whistle Pigs and Dirt Dauber show. It was a whiskey good time. I was mighty impressed by the Whistle Pigs. Just some good Ol' Southern Illinois Boys jammin on some good ol' hillbilly tunes. If you yourself are a hillbilly or just plain like hillbilly banjo music you will enjoy the Whistle Pigs.

Buy their record so Banjo Joe can use his wallet.




I'm Leave'n southern Illinois look'n for a place to hide. I've been gone so damn long my mamma thought I died.....

and I'm Gone.... Long Gone..... I wont be I your town too damn long.

Drink Blue Ribbon Beer and eat'n fried Squirrel and I run around with some really bad girls....

and I'm Gone.... Long Gone..... I wont be in your town too damn long.

I'm look'n for a place for to rest my head. Every town got a girl there to share her bed. I wake up in the morn'n and find that I'm gone. and I wont be in your town too damn long.

I'm drink'n bourbon whiskey and try'n to kill the pain. I've got my worn out Banjo and a south bound brain.....

and I'm Gone..... Long Gone..... I wont be in your town too long.

I'm leave'n Mississippi Look'n for higher ground. Drink'n to Hank Williams and feel'n low down.

and I'm Gone..... long gone.... and the wont be in your town too long

Whistle Pigs

Liquid Illusions

Last Friday after my river ride I made my way over to Darrin's Shop. He was was dick'n around with his new machine before we took off for a show at the Atomic Cowboy. Darrin lays down some of the most amazing paint I've seen. He has his very own unique style.... super crisp lines and illusions deep within.

Liquid Illusions












Gary's Ironhead project.


Belt!

Strociek Engineering

A few weeks ago my friend Buzz was telling me about Strociek Engineering. He showed me an old add with a crazy Ironhead frame that put the rider in front on the motor instead of on top of it. Buzz contacted Strociek about the frame and he said he still has three of those original frames for sale. Strociek used too drag race Ironheads in the Chicago area back in the day then began improving the parts that broke. He started making his own cylinders and heads out of aluminum and improving on the trapdoor design. The list goes on and on. He is still doing it to this day. Some pretty amazing stuff!

Strociek Engineering

Bacon and Warren's new Pan

I shot up to Milwaukee last night to shoot Warren and Bacon's new Pan build. Some crazy shit happened in the little bit of time I was there.... good times!

SOLD

Hey! you weird little freak...

nice rack.

Makin moves

This is my pal Louie AKA David Lukasik. He works in the production end of the movie biz and messes around with his own film projects on the side, such as the Kemosabe videos. Louie and I met 18 years ago in drivers ed and have been running around the streets together ever since. Louie knows nothing about choppers or the culture and that's why we like making these shorts with him.

Thanks Louie for wanting to do these with us and for the friendship. Check out Dragons the show which Louie and some of our pals have been working on up in Michigan.

Tin Man

I stopped over at the Tin Man's Garage today. It is amazing to see what this guy can do with metal.



Aston Martin..... This car is made of hand made aluminum panels and wood frame.



The start of his personal project shown here. A Ford GT body that he plans to make entirely out of aluminum.



Brian showing me how to use the tools

Riding the River Road

As I was headed to St. Louis Rich was headed to Chicago. He told me I could crash at his place anyway and that the bike was in the garage. I took it upon myself to throw a leg over and head towards the great Mississippi. I didn't have any plans so I just took the roads that felt right. I ended up in Alton IL. and I couldn't roll through without saying hi to my friends at Pyrotec. Lee and Steve are great guys and have been in it through thick and thin. There is a lot of motorcycle history in the St. Louis area and with that comes a lot of club history. Although they have both steered clear of the club life they have known and seen the clubs come and go. They gave me a little insight on the history around the Alton/St. Louis area. They showed me an "Ed Roth" painting that was hanging on the wall. Supposedly Dave Mann and Ed Roth were trading paintings back in the day. The painting is based on actual events and they know some of the guys that were actually there and could tell the story of what was actually happening and the names on the people involved. They even knew the guy that is beating up his Ol' lady and the reason why in the lower left corner of the painting. Apparently this is actually a David Mann painting that Roth took credit for. There were also stories of Roth being dropped off in the middle of the desert and left for dead. I guess he made it out alive.





Lee and Steve. Lee used to paint with Tom Fugle back in the day.



After my history lesson I headed up the river on Rich's Twin Cam. I love riding this bike. It's so fast and responsive I never want to get on an Ironhead again. Rich is one of those guys that can do just about anything. check out his first attempts at paint and engraving.

Beezer Bock

Before I could get out of town Rod took me on the grand tour of Du Bois. It didn't last to long but it seemed that every property he pointed out was owned by Beezer Bock. You'd think Bock owned the entire town. Even if it wasn't owned by him Rod would say...."Bock's got a buck of Triumph motors stashed in that barn" He is the hoarding type.... but I will say he keeps things pretty organized. He has barns and barns full of Brit parts but just has to many irons in the fire. Nothings runs......... he keeps threatening Rod that he is going to come blasting out of the alley on something one of these days. Rod doubts it.

He's that guy that has been doing it for years and has seen it all. He was was dig'n on my bike cause he had just seen it in a recent Easyriders issue. He said he used to ride a Triumph that looked something like mine back in the day. He is a great guy and maybe when I get back down there he will have something running.



HD Springer that came off of an old hillclimber




He has lots of rollers!



Chromed frame!



A sprung hub. The suspension is inside the hub!



One big ass'd Lathe



Before bandsaws


Bock and a Sweet Frame! All he knows is that it came out of New York..... and there is a lot of Bondo invovled