Old Biltwell Blog: September 2011

9/30/11

Balls

Anyone read Japanese? Our friend Balls just got covered in Club Harley, but he's got no idea what it says...

Michael's got some great pics from the Gyspy Run on his blog including this sweet one of me peeing and then me, Josh and J.D. riding across the old bridge. So much help from these two friends on this trip, what a good time.

9/29/11

Slab City 3 Update

OK, anyone who's been to any of our events knows we pride ourselves on not taking any of it too seriously. In fact, I'd say we celebrate the lack of organization. Don't get me wrong, we do a lot of pre-planning and sweat a lot of details, but we don't have road captains or a bunch of rules and whatnot. Generally we don't even have much of a schedule and just kind of let things unfold as we go along.

This time for Slab City however, since we're going out Friday night and will have a lot more time in the desert than previous years, we thought we'd spice it up with some Grass Games. Well, there's no grass (lawn type that is) so these will be dirt games. Each game is put on by a particular sponsor and the winner of each event will go away something special from them, plus some additional kit from us.

Kit and Allen, better known as the Wuss Bros. Inc., have done a fine job of pre-running their route and will be leading a group of riders out of Temecula through Hemet and down into Palm Springs, around the northern end of the Salton Sea and into Slab City. Highway 74 out of Hemet is one of the best roads in So Cal in my opinion. If you don't know the route or just wanna have fun, this is a great way to get to the Slabs, and these are some good dudes to tag along with.

Here's the proposed schedule for everything. We will have a few of these printed up and distributed around the slabs, so you'll know what's going on.

Friday Nov. 4th

10:30 AM Meet at The Swing Inn, Temecula, for start of Wuss Ride

Ride all day

7:00 PM Movies start on the "Range" stage

We will start at 7:00 and play a variety of old biker movies, plus we should have the premier of the El Diablo Run DVD that we've been working on since May. (More on that later...)

(Fiesta Catering will be selling Mexican food. Bring your own beer.)

Saturday Nov. 5th

(Fiesta Catering will be selling food all day/evening.)

10:00 AM Leave Slab City to ride around the Salton Sea

2:00 Return from ride

3:00 Slow Race - Sponsored by Slowbrow Customs

3:30 Barrel Race - Sponsored by Zombie Performance

4:30 Chug-a-Lug Contest - Sponsored by Beer Booters (beer and boot glass provided)

5:00 Sign in for Coctagon with McGoo. (Bats cost $10.00 / 100% payback to fighters. If 24 people sign up, Biltwell will match the $260 for a grand prize of $500 to the last man standing.

5:30 Coctagon starts!

6:00 Bike Award announcements by Kickstart Cycles

6:15 Shelby Cobra

7:00 Arm Wrestling in front of the stage - Sponsored by Star Leather

7:30 In The Red

8:30 The Hitchhikers

10:00 Archons

Sunday Nov 6th:

(Fiesta Catering will be selling food and coffee first thing in the AM.)

Ride home filled with shame and remorse.

Rules of the Coctagon:

1. No dead blows, Wiffle Ball™ bat swings only
2. No other weapons
3. No punching
4. Drop your bat and you are out
5. Step out of the circle, you are out
6. Must wear helmet

There is only one winner, no second place, cash handed out immediately.

What to bring?

A lot of people have asked what they can bring to help out. Two words: BOOZE & FIREWOOD. We will have a central fire pit that will rage all night, so bring as much wood as you can if you have a truck or van following your crew. Bring plenty of booze, it won't be sold on site. We'll probably have some to give away but it always runs out, so come prepared!

Chew Toy

Picked this up in NY. My dog wouldn't touch it but Willis seems pretty OK with it.

Dynamic Duo

We got a visit from our favorite girl on girl fighters yesterday. These broads will kick your chopper ass. They rode over from behind the Orange Curtain and did some bar hoppin' on that shady, oil-leaking old Honda with a milk crate. Pure style!

9/27/11

Pan Love

The Darkness

This is a little hard to watch since it's so dark, but it's the only video we shot out in New York earlier this month. Riding through the city, whether packed with insane cabs in the middle of the day or deserted in the middle of the night, is one of my favorite things to do on a motorcycle. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to do that this year but Josh shot this from his helmet with my Go Pro as he, JD, Caleb and a few friends worked their way from Brooklyn to Jersey. I trimmed it down to fit a favorite song.

9/26/11

Vantastic Monday

Blackout!

9/25/11

Trawler's Sporty

Uses our exhaust tips and seat hinge. Great pics by Jonny Wilson.

9/24/11

Jersey Time!

9/23/11

Benefit for Brandon

If you saw this gnarly video on YouTube last week (who didn't) then you know who we are talking about here. Brandon's friends are rallying around to help out and you can donate here or go to the benefit event if you are near Salt Lake City here.

9/22/11

Only One Love

I was lucky enough to meet Tom Fugle out at the Brooklyn Invitational. Super nice guy who was happy to tell me a few stories that are still making me smile. David Mann painted Tom with his wife and Pan above. Not sure what year this was. When he asked me why I thought the painting said "only one love" I blanked!?! He said "Son, that painting is of me, my panhead and my wife. That panhead is here at this show, and the one love surely was not my wife!" Classic. Very nice to meet you!

Tom transfers the Mann art onto rocks. When I asked if these were special rocks he said "If by special you mean rocks I find in my yard. then yes, they are special.

Tom said that over the years David Mann painted him in about 12 of his painting.

Tom signing MY ROCK! If you told me ten years ago that I was gonna fly to New York to buy a big white rock from a biker I would have thought something completely different!

Meet the Bands

Alright, cooler weather is moving in which must mean we are getting closer to November and the Slab City Riot number three. The fourth and final band (Archons) got locked on last night, so we'll have a good show starting about dusk (right after the Coctagon) on Saturday night. Here's some links to the band sites so you can familiarize yourself with the music if you aren't a fan already.

Any industry types who are coming, remember this is a non-vending event. If you want to set up and hand out free stuff to riders, that's cool and we encourage it, but this is not the place to sell stuff. Play, not work, remember!

More news to come as we get closer...

****** Shelby Cobra ******

****** The Hitchhikers ******

****** In The Red ******

****** Archons ******

9/21/11

On the street at the Brooklyn Invitational

random pan, all kindsa stuff all over this one but it's somebodies dream!

Good God I love this.

I believe this is "Sweet Cocaine" built by Fingers?? Love all of it.

Found this beauty out front a hipster bar later that night. Best of show as far as I'm concerned. PUNK.

Customer Bikes

Rich literally found this bike in a barn and then spent the next couple summers working on it with his dad. That's some quality family time if you ask me. He used our Solo Seat, Slimline Risers, Kung Fu Grips and Stash Tube.

Scott just finished this rigid Sporty up using the Alcohol-Powered Ignition Cover, Slimline Seat and Seat Bracket.

Gaza from Singapore sends these pics of the Low-Drag and Window Bars in action. Nope, that's not a new Biltwell prototype helmet...

Thanks for all the pics guys!

9/20/11

Crusty Goodness

Spotted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed by our Brit friend Neil.

Star Leather Steps Up!

Our bro Fredo at Star Leather down in San Diego just donated this sweet fixed blade and a custom-made sheath that's designed to attach to a fork leg or frame tube, or it can be used on your belt. We'll be giving this combo away at the Slab City Riot Nov 5th. Just one more reason to ride out into the desert for the last hoorah of the year...