I Figured You Out

I've been on a bit of an Elliott Smith kick lately. Man, what a great songwriter with a completely haunting delivery. Take for instance this one:



Same song sung by Mary Lou Lord:



I played a few shows with her husband Kevin Patey of The Raging Teens back in the day.



Notice the posters in the background:



This world is too damn small.

Dave's 1200 Sporty

Last Sunday I shot Dave Herr's bike in Bloomington at the factory from Breaking Away. Paint by Bucko. Great ride and hopeflly will see it in GKM soon.

T140 blast off and wipeout at Daytona

Doug McRae gets passed by a CR750 then loses his motor going into the high banks. Great POV and sound. He walked out of the hospital the next day. Wow, that is something to be thankful for.

More stupid pop music

Stupid pop music.

I reflexively wanted to hate this band...BUT THEY ARE SO GOOD. Stupid pop music.

Man, I LOVE Indiana!

Some great tunes from John "Cougar" Mellencamp. He sure could make a catchy pop song. He filmed most of his videos right here in Indiana, mostly in and around his home base of Bloomington. Sure, he played up his small town southerner/hick persona, but he was quite the auteur. During the early days he was managed by Tony DeFries who was also behind the careers of Bowie, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed through his MainMan Agency. The Coug is a living legend. He made me proud to be from Indiana!!!

All you coastal pussy faggots can suck it, yeah SUCK IT!!!

THE COUG RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you veterans

Some gave all, NEVER FORGET IT.

Another State Of Mind

Never was big fan of Social Distortion or Youth Brigade. But I watched this movie dozens of times during my high school years. Back then I was going to a hardcore show almost every weekend. That giant circle pit at the beginning brings back fond memories.

Sorry, but your band will never be this cool.

I cant believe this fucking DOUCHEBAG is the President Of The USA

Focusing on this for the immediate future

I promise I will have some things to say about motorcycles soon

But first, a little more dancing:

I'm looking for a girl who can dance like this.

Happy Halloween, Indiana Style

Sammy Terry, aka Bob Carter, had a local Friday night horror show on WTTV-4 in Indianapolis. Man, he used to scare the living shit out of me. His selections were brilliant too; Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and especially all The Hammer Horror films with some REALLY cheesy ones thrown in:







Kids today are really missing out.

Ladies And Gentlemen: The Fabulous Stains!

Diane Lane, Ray Winstone, Laura Dern, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Paul Simonon and Fee Waybill. I can't overestimate what an influence this movie had on me, right up there with Repo Man and Another State Of Mind.

Joe

A war inside a man's head

Sometimes when the news gets me down I hum this to myself...

Jealous cowards try to control
Rise above, we're gonna rise above
They distort what we say
Rise above, we're gonna rise above
Try and stop what we do
Rise above, we're gonna rise above
When they can't do it themselves
Rise above, we're gonna rise above
We are tired of your abuse
Try to stop us, it's no use

Society's arms of control
Rise above, we're gonna rise above
Think they're smart, can't think for themselves
Rise above, we're gonna rise above
Laugh at us behind our backs
Rise above, we're gonna rise above
I find satisfaction in what they lack
Rise above, we're gonna rise above
We are tired of your abuse
Try to stop us, but it's no use

We are tired of your abuse
Try to stop us, it's no use

We're born with a chance
Rise above, we're gonna rise above
I am gonna have my chance
Rise above, we're gonna rise above
We are born with a chance
Rise above, we're gonna rise above
And I am gonna have my chance
Rise above, we're gonna rise above
We are tired of your abuse
Try to stop us, it's no use

Rise above
Rise above
Rise above
We're gonna rise above
We're gonna rise above
We're gonna rise above

Nut up or shut up

Eric Joyner

Gracias al Senorita Jennifer.

I will probably just have to buy this one.

I cant find it anywhere on the net.

Winter is coming, don't get ashy.

Keeps my skin soft and supple,

smelling good,

and non-flakey.

Man, I love craigslist.

I bought a 39mm Sportster front end today for $75. Bearings, triple trees, tubes, springs, lower legs, brake lever, reservoir, caliper, etc. it was complete except for the wheel and brake rotor. Jay Hart gave me some smooth lower legs. I lost the Ebay auction for a mislabled Akront 21" wheel with a drum brake. You win some, you lose some, sure. But craigslist is a ruler over Ebay, hands down.

Back up and try it again

Well, another summer has passed without my BSA chopper on the road.



I am NOT a fabricator, and I'm a horrible mechanic. I barely have a garage. I probably shouldnt have bought such a basket case. It came with a crapped out girder front end and no title. The price was ridiculously cheap ($300)and I really wanted a bike. But that was five years ago!



My friends went from offering help, to giving me shit, to shaking their heads in disgust. They all know better than to ask now.

It's a neat bike though: 66-68 BSA Lightning A65 stock (as far as I know) mill with Boyer ignition, twin Amals, stock frame with a hardtail and HD size neck, Sporty gas tank, HD rear wheel, Avon rear tire, flat fender, Octagon oil tank, Sparto tail light, Honda CB 750 front end, Jay Hart 7/8" stainless Z-bars and upholstery by me. I used an exercise bike seat pan with chrome springs and made my own minimalist p-pad. I painted it all by myself with rattle can laquer from Pep Boys and lots of wet sanding.

Personally I've been through a marriage, birth of a child, divorce, bankruptcy, job changes and multiple moves. My little 650 has been plagued with problems all along too. It has been stashed in no less than 6 different garages. The carbs were a leaky nightmare, rejetted and rebuilt by me. I had the fuel lines routed all wrong. The wiring was a clusterfuck. I've redone that at least twice. The front end has never been right. It sticks. I had Timken bearings altered to fit the HD cups OD with the Honda stem ID, no fork stops. The brake caliper is frozen solid.

To get it on the road I need to reroute fuel lines, change out the front end (I'm picking up 39mm Sportster forks this weekend and bidding on a 21" Akront rim with a drum brake). I need to get it titled, insured and registered. Other than some minor tweaking that should be it. At some point the frame should be blasted and have extra holes filled in. Who knows if it's cracked or not. The bars need to be narrowed. I'd also like to repaint the tins basic black, reupholster with red flake vinyl, lengthen the pipes and have a mid height sissy bar made. Easy peezee, right?



My Honda is reliable, no muss, no fuss. But I'd really like a proper big bike chopper, probably a shovel or 1200 ironhead. If I go that route it will be a running bike that needs styling, NOT a complete rebuild. I'm going to give the BSA one last try over the winter. If it's not on the road by next May I will sell it.



Beezers forever, or not.

Greatest living American singer

Daydreaming is a form of self abuse

At my job I spend a lot of time on the phone. To keep myself occupied while the phone rings I often peruse the internet. Craigslist is one of my favorites. Though I am not looking to buy anything right at this very moment, it's still fun to see what's out there. However, some deals are tantalizingly cheap yet still out of reach. Why do I torture myself?

I found these two Pans locally:

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy/1388292614.html

'49 Pan in a wishbone frame, Sportster front end with a drum brake, $14k

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy/1415900755.html

? year Pan in a swingarm frame, wideglide front end, $4800, or the price of good running pan motor, WOW!

I can't believe how cheap Ironhead Sportsters are going for these days:

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy/1418073290.html

Change the paint and fenders, a Wassell tank, Bates seat, perhaps a different front end and this would a super dope chop, $3000!

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy/1387975202.html

Still in the swing arm frame but with a solo seat and a good looking springer, $3500.

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy/1387420267.html

Stocker bored out to 1200, $3500.

Some decent prices on Shovelheads too:
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy/1415893853.html

Shovel with a wideglide, $4200.

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/mcy/1412716924.html

Lots of potential here but considering the prices above a tad steep at $8k.

If I only had about $5 grand to spend I could get myself a proper big bike chop. I'll just have to keep on daydreaming.

Indiana Autumn riding and rocking

Or maybe it's Spring? Who cares. My short, chilly ride yesterday got thinking that I might need to get one of Johnny Cougar's crotch protectors. This video is a relic of my childhood, back when everything cool wasn't stained by irony and cynicism. Great bikes, great tune and this is one heck of a great video. I dig it the most.

John Mellencamp - Hurts So Good
Uploaded by jpdc11. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

My Search

Dream BIG.

Badass in a Harrington jacket

Soderburgh. Terrence Stamp. The Limey.

Brad Pitt's chops

BP is pretty much a doucher. But all things considered, I have to admit his bikes are pretty rad.

Moto GP Qualifications and Flat Track Race

8/29/09 IMS and Indiana State Fairgrounds.








Wilkinson Bros. Kawasaki Cafe racer.


Wilkinson Bros. XS chopper by Ardcore.

Flat Track Race #1

8/29/09 Indiana Fair Grounds Track for the AMA Indy Mile, part of Moto GP weekend. My SLR was low on batteries so I shot these with my crummy phone camera, sorry.






Great time. Awesome racing, flat out, down and dirty. Lots of beer, bikes and buddies. Saw lots of cafe racers, shovel chops, a flattie and a knuck ridden in. Apparently some dudes from the Sinners were there but I didnt see them. Anyhow, I'll post some more pics from IMS and the Fairgrounds infield later.

Summertime, and the living is busy.

With the mild weather and long lazy days summertime in Indiana is a magical time. The season hasnt had me in the mood for updates so much. All those songs that Hoagy Carmichael and Cole Porter wrote about this place were no exaggeration. This time of the year Indiana really is a little piece of paradise. I love living here.



I've been busy lately. Which leads me to the oft quoted nugget of wisdom, "If it has tits or tires it is going to give you problems".

A little over a month ago I bought a '96 Landrover Discovery. I owned one before. I knew beforehand all about the inherent "quirkiness" of the LR Disco. But the price was right and it is one hell of a stylish ride.



It turned out to be a complete lemon. I spent a lot of evenings and weekends trying to get it up to snuff. The brake lines were corroded beyond belief. After I replaced those I moved on to some minor electrical problems. Then I tackled the overheating problem common to Discos. I thought it was a bad thermostat. But it turned out to be a slipped ferrous cylinder in the aluminum engine block. The motor was trashed. An already pulled replacement motor was going to run me $1000, plus $500 for the switchout. That would have cleaned out a big chunk of my hard earned savings with no guarantee of future reliability. The prospect of breaking down with my kids onboard was a frightening possibility.

Though I hated the prospect of having a payment, my only realistic option was to buy something new. I shopped around a little and found a truck that would haul my kids, my bikes and tow a trailer. Between the rebates and family discount I got a reasonable payment. Though it's a base model work truck trim package standard features are four doors and a full backseat with OnStar and a 6 speaker (loud) stereo with XM Radio, CD player and iPod jack. It has been a decade since I bought a new truck. But I don't regret my purchase one bit.



Sometimes it takes a little bad luck to make things turn out right.

Who digs Greasy Kulture?

Switched on guys and gals who like the finer things in life: champagne, caviar, a suicide clutch and a friscoed Mustang Tank. Greasy Kulture readers are equally keen on Dave Mann and Dostoevsky, Weird-oh Watts and William Blake. Wherever you find dirty fingernails, tasteful home built chops and rods, and degenerates of discerning taste you'll find Greasy Kulture readers. Join us, won't you?

Going through some old computer files and found the above.

She's fine, she's mine

I picked up my '73 Honda CB750 today. It is pretty much a stocker though it has been bored out to 1000 and has a 4-into-1 pipes with a cone. The exhaust note is a deep throaty rumble. By next week I will have my mc operators license, registration and insurance. I will also change over to cafe bars and a flat seat. The plan is to make it a reliable daily rider with some mild custom touchs ala this:
Stay tuned. Now, who wants to go for a ride???

Blues Theme

It's Getting Harder All The Time

Iran bike thugs

I hate that the Iranian Basij(Islamic milita) are using motorcycles to attack protestors:

Pitstop Liquors

The other day I saw these great billboards behind Pitstop Liquors on 16th Street across from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Living in Indy day to day it's easy to forget just how much amazing stuff has happened here. These ads for the IMS centennial are a great reminder.