Hotrods And Hillbillies 2011

There it is, that feeling of brotherhood and love for old bikes that I last felt at Born Free 3. This year pulled some great chops and classics out of the woodwork. But the best part was the cameraderie and seeing all my bros from Indy and Bloomington together.















Great times.

Share the rainbow, taste the rainbow.

It's probably a good thing I'm not in marketing. My lack of self editing would lead to ads like this:

Almost done, but not quite

Tattoo:

Ironhead:

Pangea Speed

I met Andy Carter from Pangea Speed at Born Free 3.
(Mark Kawakami photo) That is Jen and I talking to Andy in the background. He is a very low key and engaging dude who makes some great stuff and has a good time doing it.

Keith Wright used Pangea Streamliner bars on his Sporty chop that I shot and wrote up in GKM #20.

But Andy's bars merely hint at his fabrication ability. He can make just about anything it seems. Semi-isolated in Utah(like fellow Salt Laker Jeff Decker) the stuff that comes out of his shop isn't what everybody else is doing.

In this new chopper golden age (I will expand on that in another post) it does my heart good to see a guy making a contribution and remaining an individual.
After all, that's what it's all about.

Nothing good and lasting comes quick and easy.

When I pulled off the primary cover I found that one of the ears where the clutch paw inserts into the outer ramp was snapped off completely.

No big whoop, I ordered a new kit and popped it in for an easy press fit.

I put the whole mess back together, adjusted the cable and NOTHING. The clutch would not move at all. I pulled the clutch out, and just as I suspected, the discs were frozen together. I thought maybe I could seperate them with some brake cleaner. But they fell apart in my hands.

What a mess.
A buddy with a loaner clutch pack couldn't put his hands on the parts. So, another weekend ends with the Sporty still on the lift. I will order a set of fiber discs on Tuesday when I get paid, $30 online. Ce la vie... I guess it will all come together when it is meant to.

In positive news, it looks like I will be selling GKM at Hotrods And Hillbillies on
July 30th and I got a bitchin new key ring.

Can't You See

Bocephus owns this one:

I often blast this cut on Summer days on my way home from work.

Don't go to this. Dave says these guys are jerks.

The Coug will be there in his buttless leather chaps.

Getting very close

This week I was able to get over some major hurdles to completion. The biggest thing was that the snap ring in the rear hub kept popping out. Upon inspection I realized that there was a little less than 1/4" gap between the outer washer and the inner bearing retainer. I cut a ring out of rubber gasket material, then two more out of paper gasket material. I soaked them in silicone spray and put it all together. The snap ring stayed in place when I put the wheel back into the swing arm. What a relief.

I got the tail light mounted to the rear fender and wired after making a license plate bracket, then attached the assembly with the struts. I also covered the seat in two layers of dense foam, minimalist but it will do until I can afford to get a ribbed cover ala a Schwinn Stingray.

I put the sprocket cover back on after soaking the chain in WD-40. It was rather stiff and grimy. But it seems to be working fine now. I contemplated cutting the sprocket cover for more of a 60s Ironhead look. But time is a wasting, so I will leave that for later. After all this is just meant to be a rideable rub thru for the summer.



I put the pipes in place but haven't attached them. The rear pipe isn't quite clearing the foot peg bracket, so I will have to give it a little coercion. I need to do some minor alteration to get the generic air cleaner base to fit too. New oil lines should'nt take long. I will be happy to ditch the ugly braided crap. After that all I have left to do is to process the title work and replace the broken clutch acutator. Both require money and I am still a little broke after my West Coast trip. No matter, this summer continues hum along in awesome fashion. I am getting pretty excited. Once this bad black bitch in on the road I'm gonna ride, ride, ride!!!

Hoosiers make the Oakland to Born Free run in true form

I've never met Lee Bender personally, but I met Rick Eusey briefly last summer. We are all friends on Facebook and chat occasionally. But I wish we would have hung out more when they were still living in Indy. Cool dudes for sure, and I suppose that explains why they are now living the dream in California.

Untitled from lee bender on Vimeo.

Stolen from The Boss at GKM.

Welcome to Awesometown!

Summer 2011 is shaping up to be the best of my life. Seriously, I never know it could be like this; rock n roll shows, country music blasting, road trips, bike shows, meeting people from around the world, spending time with my kids and family, girls, bikes, bourbon and most of all my amazing friends.

After last year it is great to be feeling like my old self. Even when I was down in the dumps I knew this day would come, and here it is at last. I feel so happy and blessed to have all of this goodness. More great stuff is coming, I can feel it.

Welcome to Awesometown!!!