Sunday, May 31, 2009

Something in the air in Chicago

Somethings going on around here and it isn't cool at all. Last night Johnny Ratchet went down and did the intersection disco on the ironhead, spinning his bike like a fourth of July pinwheel. Stood it up still running and split with a fucked up knee and ankle. Fast forward 4 hours and Slippery Pete hits a pothole leaving a bar and supermans his head off the curb. After his police escort to the hospital he ended up with 37 buckles in his dome and a concussion. He's gonna be fine and bikes can be fixed, we're just glad he's still with us. He also has his own personal police officer in his room to screen his calls and keep him from smoking in the hospital until his ride to the man cage. We love you Petey.

Barely riding season and people are going down like flies. I'm all about the whole live fast and take chances lifestyle but remember that their are people that love you and would miss you. So please live fast and take chances but be smart about it and never stop riding.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Jungle Boogie


Call me a Hillbilly......

I could give two shits.







It's been like hell trying to get the front end to work the way it should on my bike. First I took a quick look at the stem and thought it was a 1 inch big twin stem. So Paul at Bare Knuckle Choppers hooked me up with some big twin cups with internal stops. I'm dealing with a Paughco frame and for some reason just figured it was a big twin neck. It's a sporty neck so after hitting it with a "REALLY" big hammer for a while......... just kidding, Paul said "send them back and I will turn them down on the lathe". So I got them back but realized I was actually dealing with a metric front end. I could get a bearing that would fit the stem but couldn't get a race that would fit the cup and bearing or I could get a race that fit the cup but not a bearing that would fit both the bearing and the stem. Apparently Timken does make a bearing that would bridge the gab but it's only made for use in Africa and I it would take a act of god to get two of those bearings to the U.S. I can only imagine what purpose that bearing is serving in Africa. I toyed with the idea of sleeves or shim stock but after running back and forth to the bearing store 10 times I decided I should just do it right and cut out the old stem and replace it with a big twin stem. Sweet a friend had one about a hundred miles away. Drove up.... got it.... drove back...... removed the old one but the new one went in to easily. got out the caliper and it was under. I was about to make a new one and said fuck it. So I gobbed on some weld and put it on the lathe and took it back down. The bearings fits really snug now. This is just a temporary fix....... I just want to ride the sum bitch!

Friday, May 29, 2009

Me and Mitch

Life as I know it


Every weekend at the Lodge the air is filled with the sound of mariachi and the smell of al pastor cooking. I just got home from work and the neighbors grill is fired and old romantic mexican love songs are echoeing through the neighborhood. I'm sitting on the back porch looking over the alley watching everybody else sitting on their back porch looking over the alley. A stack of bikes in the backyard, enough money for a twelve pack, some marlboros and a burrito. Mitch is inside listening to Back in Black on vinyl and Ratchets still sleeping from the night shift. I don't think I planned on my life being this perfect but this must be heaven.

morning sketch


Takin' my time,
Usin' my line,
Tryin' to decide what to do.
Looks like my stop,
Don't wanna get off,
Got myself hung up on you.
Seems to me,
You don't want to talk about it.
Seems to me,
You just turn your pretty head and
Walk Away

CB Chopper dreams



When I dream at night it's usually about scantily clad, blonde, hippy chicks running through flowery fields on warm summer days. But a couple of days ago, Mamma Lis' and I made a deal about a cirtain 78 CB750. and things have changed. Now, the same hippy chicks are present in my dreams, but they can't keep their soft asses off of the seat of my sweet CB chopper. Dreams are good.

Kill'n It






Thursday, May 28, 2009

Bacon...... his Pan.... his women.



There's something wrong with this picture. Bacon divorced his bike and is going to marry his women. Fuck...... I did it the other way around.

Free to Wander

Some of Chicago and Milwaukee at the Free to Wander party in St. Louis. Even Wil made it out from Seal Beach. Apparently Blake didn't get the memo about acid washed denim vests. If you haven't seen Free to Wander yet you should check it out.

from LtoR:Blake, Kid Kurpius, Milwaukee Mike, Warren Jr., Mystery Mitch Cotie, Slippery Pete, Myself and Brother Wil. Much Love.

Wil's shovel


Wil sent these pics over to remember his shovel. Really cool bike that Wil put together with the help of Caleb and JD over at Cro Customs. The bike has since moved onto it's new owner so Wil could make room in the stable for another creation. Wil has definitely got the eye, and look how hot Ling looks riding with her man.
Yeah, you got satin shoes
Yeah, you got plastic boots
Y'all got cocaine eyes
Yeah, you got speed-freak jive

Can't you hear me knockin' on your window
Can't you hear me knockin' on your door
Can't you hear me knockin' down your dirty street, yeah

Help me baby, ain't no stranger

Can't you hear me knockin', ahh, are you safe asleep?
Can't you hear me knockin', yeah, down the gas light street, now
Can't you hear me knockin', yeah, throw me down the keys
Alright now

Hear me ringing big bell tolls
Hear me singing soft and low
I've been begging on my knees
I've been kickin', help me please
Hear me prowlin'
I'm gonna take you down
Hear me growlin'
Yeah, I've got flatted feet now, now, now, now
Hear me howlin'
And all, all around your street now
Hear me knockin'
And all, all around your town

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Bearings.......

I changed some today. My friend Mike hooked me up with this beaut. He said as long as I use it I could have it....... that I will do!
My rim looked like pac man so this will do just fine.....

I love this bike

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Farmers...........

Were finally able to get some corn in this weekend. It's been a wet spring.

Hoodlum's Party

On Saturday I rode about a hundred miles up to Burlington Wisconsin. My good friend Glen Fluegge throws a party at his place and each year more and more people show up. Glen is the nicest guy you'll ever meet. His home is your home even if it means you are tear'n up his yard or eat'n all his food.



Passed this old guy on the way up. Sorry for the blurry picture...... I was doing about 85 mph and just about crashed trying to gab my camera and take the picture in time. There was another guy on a sweet chopped Ironhead in front of him but I was to busy trying to regain control of my bike to get a shot of him as well.



I grabbed a burger and a dog.... soon after Warren and Aaron showed up on their bikes.







Glen is another one of those guys with more stuff than space....... all good stuff!






The Cheaters Represent'n!







Stacy!





Later in the day some good 'ol boys found a little mud hole and ripped'r open!







A guy in his new Jeep Liberty thought he give'r a run. He actually made it further than I thought he would..... but in the end he needed to be wenched out.



Always haul'n Brian's shit from country to country..... state to state. Good luck with this tire Brian.... it's hard as a rock!



Took misculanious roads home. Kept the sun at my right.



Watch out for these guys!

Monday, May 25, 2009

Giovanni Natale "John" Buscema (December 11, 1927–January 10, 2002)


Back when I was around 12 years old, in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, I started to get into comics. I would almost exclusively read anything drawn by John Buscema. He opened a whole new world to me after I had been smitten by the artwork of Frank Frazetta. In comics, John Buscema struck a cord with me that kept me buying these rags over and over.

After researching, my buddies and I started hitting the pawn shops and old book stores, throughout Denver, for the old stuff he had done.Much to my surprise he had his fingers in damn near all of the old "Savage Sword of Conan" mags. Some of my favorite issues held graceful collaborations with other artists, Ernie Chan and Alfredo Alcala .




Happy Memorial Day

Happy memorial Day


Love Cycles





Jeremiah wins again. Everything this guy builds is out of this world. We were lucky enough to spend some time and do some riding with Jeremiah and his friends at the David Mann show in Ventura this spring. Heart of Gold. Check him out at lovecycles.blogspot.com