70's durig the day, 40's at night. Perfect riding weather.
10/31/11
The Jersey Patch
So Black Rob just rolled in from Texas and his CB750 has been puking oil since he rode it from here to Dallas over the summer. Upon inspection a nice hole had been rubbed through the case by a nagged-out chain. Sumo's bright idea for a quick fix got it back on the road. It weeps a bit, but nothing like the gusher it was before. As our English pal would say, "A proper bodge, isn't it?" We'll forever call it the "Jersey Patch".
Speaking of Sumo, he's on the Praying Mantis headed to Vegas and will meet us in Slab City. Last I heard he was in Baker and doing fine...
Thursday Night
If you are out here early for the Wuss Ride, SCR3, etc, go to the Wild West Arena (same place as Hippy Killer Hoe-Down) Thursday night and watch Shelby Cobra rip it up.
10/27/11
Shovel Love
As long as it had the old paint it was always gonna be Jay's bike. I just mounted up the tins this afternoon with freshly sprayed goodness from Scott at Backstreet Buckets. Nice and simple, just like I was hoping for, and right in time for Slab City. Thanks Scott, you crushed it! There are more plans for this machine in the near future but for now it's just getting our new prototype H-bars, a Whiskey throttle, a new tire and some much needed scrubbing.
10/26/11
10/24/11
Vantastic Monday
San Felipe, Baja-Style. I think this is a Pinzgauer, which is short for "Super Mobility, Cab-over Engine, Lightweight, Bad Ass, Box-Van-Thingy that is awesome". But I may be wrong. Either way, I want one!
10/23/11
SHOP CRAWL NOV 12th
I'm riding to the Oil & Water show on the 12th and wanted to put the invite out there for anyone who wants to ride along. We'll start here at the Biltwell warehouse, go to Classic Cycles in Orange and then Caleb's Cro Customs in Culver City. You can link up with us at any of these locations and then we'll roll in to the show together. -Bill
10/22/11
10/21/11
Souped Honda 90
Dave up in Washington state just finished this crazy Honda Trail 90. I'm stoked he chose to run our Kung Fu grips on such a nutty little machine. It's got a full race 140cc race engine and all kinds of attention to detail. I know it's not every tough-guy-chopper-dude's choice, but I think it's cool! I wonder if you could make one of those forks work on an old Triumph...
10/20/11
Dear intake leak and slipping clutch...
10/19/11
New project in the Garage
10/18/11
10/17/11
Biltwell Bubble Shields
We finally found some bubbles good enough to put our name on. These have great optical clarity and don't smell like puke. (If you've ever used a new-old stock one, you know what I'm talking about!) So far we've got four colors, with more later. Smoke or Clear are $19.99 and the fades in Smoke or Red are $24.99. Check 'em here.
Vantastic Monday
Spotted in Dallas, Texas. I think that flat black must have been added after some rocker rust repair or something.
10/16/11
Got Wood?
If you are coming to the Slab City Riot 3 and have a truck or van in your group, bring some firewood. There is no such thing as too much!
10/14/11
Poler Man Tent Review
Road tripping on a bike is just like backpacking when it comes to deciding what gear to bring. I obsess on trying to pack as little as possible and still have everything I need, plus a little bit. Each trip the load plan gets slightly modified, but certain things like a canteen cup, fire, coffee, headlamp and tools always go. Recently we got the hook up from the fine folks at Poler.
Now, other than a brief stint with an el Cheapo Wal Mart tent a couple years ago, I have always preferred a bivy sack if there is a chance of getting wet or just went commando with a wool blanket or light sleeping bag in the desert. Setting up a typical tent in the dark and tearing down with a hangover in the morning gets old about day three and the superfluous stuff gets chucked. A bivy packs down nice and tidy, may include a single pole, (or may not). I dig the efficiency and the lack of moving parts, but the stoicism can lose it's charm pretty quick. Now that I've had a few nights in this Poler unit, the bivy is stowed and I've embraced the luxury of a quality tent. I used it on the Gypsy Run last month and my kid poached it from me last weekend in Baja.
The whole tent is really just a fine net if you choose to leave the fly off, which is perfect for the desert and beach camping we enjoy. If there is a chance of rain or heavy dew, the fly goes on over the top. The benefit is superb ventilation and less set up, with a back up plan of water-proofing only a minute or so of extra work away. With the fly on there is a small vestibule for stashing stuff out of the rain, but also out of your tent, ie: dirty boots, helmet, etc. Unlike a lot of single-person tents that have an entrance on the front, this one has it on the side so it's easier to crawl into after a long day and there is ample room for getting situated.
The support poles are all hooked together with shock cord through a couple lightweight joints so there is less fumbling around in the dark. It all packs down to a reasonable size and compression straps mean you can actually fit it in the rip-stop bag without wrestling and then cinch it down to it's minimum size. $170 is a heavy hit for a tent, but like good boots, quality motorcycle parts or other stuff you can make last a long time, it's worth saving for and treating well.
Yes, I endorse a Therma-Rest pad and unicorn Pillow-Pet for ultimate comfort.
Check out Poler stuff here.
10/13/11
No EDR for 2012
Puertocitas. Too bad, would have been fun. |
Santispac, about 700 miles south of the border. I will live near here someday, promise. |
So, screw it. We'll host another EDR in a year or two. In the mean time we're working with Tyler at Lowbrow and his video production crew on a DVD that was shot during this year's run. I'm going through the rough cut stuff right now and the riding footage is insane. It's really neat to see "our" kind of bikes shot by professionals. This DVD should be available in plenty of time for the holidays. Maybe even for Slab City...
The new road south of Puertocitas. Gonzaga Bay is getting easier and easier to reach now. That is good and bad. |
Our friend Ron in Mulege is a retired Class 1 desert racer so this is his grocery getter. |
I think someone got their money's worth out of those sprockets. Coco's Corner is a one man Slab City. |
Unexpected chopper shopper. That one in the upper right ain't half bad. We picked up a couple different small lights from this dude on the side of the road. |
10/12/11
Slab City Riot
We're gettin' ready around here. We've got tons of stuff to give away from generous sponsors, and for the first time we'll have a few trinkets like shirts and patches for sale. Check out the map Alan Stedman did up for the Wuss Ride.
10/11/11
10/10/11
10/9/11
10/8/11
10/7/11
New Greasy
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