Portrait: BF Josh

Biltwell Volunteer of the year; 2008. We met Josh on last year's EDR. He stood out from the crowd since he rocked his BFMC colors with pride, even without any of his fellow club members around. His bike? A 2004 Triumph, chopped by Truth and the boys at Choppahead. Pretty cool since you don't see many modern Trump chops, and even cooler when piloted by a Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps. Always humble, Josh has been on a few of our retarded trips and never complains, and neither does the Trumpet. Recently, he's been tearing into his bike, making it his own. He's fabbed up his own pipes, swapped out tank and fender, reduced clutter on the bars by eliminating wiring, controls, etc. Lisa Ballard shot the bike this weekend for Cycle Source, and we're stoked to see Josh and his lovely wife and daughter get some coverage.

.
.

BASH: DicE HangoveR RidE

There is a great route from Kutty's house to Lake Skinner for the morning after DicE HangoveR RidE ride on Friday morning. It's about 50 miles longer than the quick way, but way more fun. Like to ride twisty-two-lanes? Us too! Here's the map. Our friends and BASH sponsors, American Icon (all the way in NY!) are printing up some custom shop rags with the map on 'em. Don't worry, gas stops for small tanks are easy and there's even a couple little bars along the way...

Flickr Found Vol. 5

Check out some sets from KID DEUCE on Flickr. I've seen a few of these bouncing around the innerwebs, but there are a few that were new to me too. My favorites are the bikes shot in front of the house on the neighborhood street.

The 60's and 70's Lowrider collection rules too.
.
.

Flickr Found Vol.4

Check out what RV Bob found in a collection of old photos he bought. Oakland Motorcycle Club, circa 1920's. Bob notes: Note that the photos are now in possession of the Oakland Motorcycle Club as part of their historical archives.
.
.

Trash scan

Hal Robinson

Post-Bash Diversion?

The Coachella Music Festival is the same weekend as the Biltwell Bash. At 99 bones for a day pass and $369 for the three-day event, California's biggest and best music festival is the anti-Bash in terms of financial prudence, however, the line-up on Sunday—the day the Bash ends—is a definite maybe for this reluctant biker. For tix and info, go here.

Flickr Found Vol.3

Check out DCLARSON's collections:
Andy's Motorcycle Pics & Most Interesting

What makes these significant is more than just the content, but the color pics, detailed captions with dates and locations and the fact that the images are well-scanned and available in large sizes so you can really see some great detail.







.
.

Baywatch Vol.2

I love me some Triumphs! The following three are the trifecta of Trumpet chops for sale this week on the 'Bay.

First up: Item # 120367149506
This fine unit for just under 100k? Are you serious? First it's ugly as a mud fence, and second I don't think many people are ponying up 95-large for wacky bikes right now. Good luck!

Second: Item # 250364877977
Hhhmmm. Seems I traded this bike to my friend Nick a couple years back and he rebuilt it for his lovely wife. Super cool little T100, but I'm thinking that paint job is about 30 years newer than represented in the ad...

Third: Item # 160311978743
Then there is this fine roach. Someone in NY, please buy this bike, add some flake and ride it just as it sits. This was someone's dream once upon a time...
.
.

Portrait: AJ Fanshawe

We had the good fortune to cross paths with a dude this weekend who should be an inspiration to everyone on two wheels.


AJ is a guy who came on last year's EDR but was dealt some bad mechanical trouble and ended up spending as much time driving a chase truck as he did riding his Honda. He wasn't about to have his ass whipped by Baja, and came back with a vengeance to prove it.

We ran into him on accident at the LB Swap this past weekend and spent the rest of the day at the GNRS trying to soak up some of the residual positive energy from his trip.


Him, his girl and her teenage daughter split from frosty Canada about six weeks or so ago and headed south. Way south. He rode his bike as much as possible and when it wouldn't go anymore, he loaded it into the truck and fixed it at the next stop. All the way to Puerte Vallarta or so, then across to Baja on a ferry. North from there. When I told him that his girl was the one who deserved a trophy for driving all that way, he said "Oh, she's off shopping for shoes right now!" Dude has shit figured out and I'm stoked I got to spend some time with him.

Long trips on hand-built bikes are the holy grail to me, and AJ's trip is inspiring to say the least. All this on an old Honda he paid $100 for the donor, and built the rest. I hope you don't mind that I poached your photos to show on here AJ.


.
.

Watch This

Someone had a little too much time on their hands... Get it? Huh? Get it?

Thanks for sending these in Eric.

More Iron in your diet?

High top Vans? Check.
3/4 Helmet? Check.
Flannel? Check.
Machine Shop? Check.
Hot girl with bangs? Check.
Pit Bull? Check.
"Rat" Rod? Check.
Imitation Chopper Dave's sticker on helmet? Check.
I'm surprised it didn't have a guy doing a kick flip over it.

I'm not a hater, I like the bike. Cheaper and blacker the better. hell, it'll probably sell some helmets for us. I just wish the Factory would make the picks and shovels and let the riders dig for gold. Try to shape a scene and you are sure to gay it up, HD. Whatever.


.
.

FTF?

I know its a blatant rip off to an extent and also hypocritical of last years secret handshake marketing but its better than what it was. They are in a no win situation too an extent. Market tough bolt on slogans to us and everyone says FTF. Market us to us or their version there of and everyone is still going to say FTF. I just painted HD 74" on my bike a month ago cause it kind of represents a time that the bikes had more soul, and the factory just tried to make good bikes and let everyone else create their own style. Atleast thats the impression it left and how I like to think of it. For too long the factory has been selling a "lifestyle" and trying to monopolize that as their market. When I saw the first HD i remember I asked my dad what the neighbor Chris was riding. He told me thats a Harley Davidson. I thought that was the dumbest name I had ever heard of and what a stupid bike. This was mid 70's and all the kids in my neighborhood had Yamaha 125 enduros and all the Japanese company names just sounded cooler too me. Well I am glad the factory is coming out with more affordable bikes and even the old msrp trade in value next year for that current years model. Its marketing and they are trying to make a buck but the product feels alot more honest than it did say 4-17 years ago when the prices started ballooning in my eyes. The sportster line is a bike that alot of guys want not just what they have to start with. They are paying attention and Scouting the new generation and trying to give them want they want. I am all for that. It seems more honest even though you can go buy a 5 year old one for half and just paint it black and achieve the same bike basically. Hell its kinda funny seeing they can make even the rider and generation cookie cutter. I do have on vans right now but I was wearing them 20 years ago too and flannels have been a mainstay as well. Open face metallic helmets are fun and not trying to portray I'm a tough guy. I hope they keep on this path of marketing and trying to listen to and make bikes more in the tradition that they are now. affordable, less non sense, reliable and simple. I may get crap for saying some of this and I'm sure the other guys here may have their opinions to post as well. I haven't been to any HD events recently but I'm glad they are looking to their future finally and not just relying on the old dying market they have had for too long.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgtYbWUGPKk

Agent Orange this Friday

Agent Orange at the Wheelhouse, Hemet, CA

Supposedly, if you print this thing out you get a discount at the door.
.
.

Berm Blastin'

Congrats to Jim Varshay for getting second in class this past weekend out at Bartsow. The amount of prep, fab and constant work that goes into one of these cars is about like building a bike from scratch before every race, but more expensive. My buddy Matt was a co-driver and rocked his Biltwell Moto Gloves the whole time and said he was stoked on 'em.

.
.

Another Pudding Bowl on The Bone Pile

Cycle Source founder/editor and our friend Chris Callen visited us last December to test H'D's new 883 Iron. He needed a helmet, so we tossed him a Biltwell lid. Here's the great piece he did on our humble brain bucket in an upcoming issue of Cycle Source magazine. Thanks for the love, Chris.

Steve Got it All!

Ever since I started reading this Steve McQueen bio I've had this song in my head...

Van Ness

Pure class.
.
.

Splitting lanes is for sissies...

Try this!

.
.

New Iron Head?

The name is gay, but the idea is OK. The Nighster®™© is the best looking bike (IMHO) the Factory makes today, so making an 883 version just makes sense. If Harley wants the next gen, new bike-rider to give a shit about new bikes, they'll have to de-content them so they are affordable. I guess this is a step in the right direction, but a few iron head fans are going to hate that name, and I don't blame 'em...

link: HD Iron

.
.

Baywatch Vol.1

Welcome to a new regular feature where we'll post something significant from craigslist or eBay to help spread the word on cool bikes or parts we happen to come up on while surfing the innerwebs.

T-bone's swingarm shovel.
Own a piece of contemporary chopper history with one swipe of your mighty checkbook!
eBay item number: 290291881337

Bitchin' pre unit Triumph, ending today, so get off the porch.
Original dual-sport anyone?
eBay item number: 330301706389

.
,

Go!

Speaking of this dynamic duo, they've hopped on the hopeless blogwagon. Read their deepest, most sensitive thoughts on significant subjects and buy some swanky shirts at the same time. Hallelujah.
Choppedout!
.

DicE ad, issue #24

New ad in DicE #24.
Old ads and sparkly helmets seem to be a common theme today...
.
In case you missed the one in #23, check it here.
.
.

GNRS PAMONA, CA 2009

Overwhelming number of cars, here's the bikes...

2 Cool Upgrades

Nothing beats a Zippo lighter. Problem is, they blacken cloth wires inside heat shrink tubing and seem to run dry pretty quick. Drop in a Z-Plus torch and you can melt heat shrink, light a pre-embargo Cuban, or fire up the crack pipe with ease.


Wanna feel like Bruce Wayne coming home to the Bat Cave? Install this baby in a few minutes and you'll be able to open the Man Cave with a flick of the high beams instead of fumbling around to get into your own garage.
.
.

Bob is Back

Good to see our friend Bob back on two wheels!

Flickr Found Vol.2

New Friday feature: Flickr Found.

I'm going to try and post something interesting from the photo site Flickr at the end of each week. There is so much good stuff out there to absorb. Especially neat are the captions with memories of machines, family members and times long gone.

This weeks search term: Grandpa's Motorcycle

Look at the gold it pulled up. Thanks to everyone who catalogs these old images, they are too good not to share.

Above: This week's favorite.

.
.