Hu-Ray!

Motorcycles are fun! Go enjoy yours!

Design exercise

I took a photo at the train museum in Sacramento and then discussed the meaning of life with some hobos on the riverbank after an education conference last year. Some time back I turned that pic into a design exercise, all but forgot about it...

Rader equipped

Serious setup here. Grabbed this pic from our good pal Chris Kallas-think it was a Roth poster-you should look him up on our sidebar

Looks like a big flattie hooked up to a trike rear with my all-time favorite wheels. Looking for some? I may know where a few are...

MOONEYES YOKOHAMA 2013

Once again, the best indoor car and bike show is right around the corner!  What a great lineup!  Every bike is from BORN-FREE!!!  Im especially excited that two bikes I painted are headed out!  Can't wait, see you there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Corvette summer

Never know what you'll see at the lodge

New York - Summer 2013

Each summer we pack, leave the rat race of Seattle, and head back east to rural New York.  Yes, there is a rural New York.  "The city" is but a small part of this beautiful state, and it is surely not the most beautiful part.

 

In our time here, we live a more comfortable and peaceful life, if only for six weeks.  We live that life with family, and our time is spent dually in the Adirondack and Allegany mountains.  A 10 year old boy lives "the dream," an 8 year old girl and her mother swim and tan, and a 35 year old man regresses to a near state of childhood, living the life of that 10 year old boy.  Shoot, fish, explore, climb, campfire, ATV, repeat.  I work while I am here, but the minute I step away from the computer, I become the 10 year old boy.  The switch is quick.  Grandparents enjoy the company of children, children enjoy the company of cousins, and "seasonal" friendships are rekindled.

 

The life we live while in New York is admittedly unconventional.  We have access to homes, land, toys and many other things that most do not.  The median income is $27-30,000 in the areas we visit.  That is for a family, and the figure leaves me both sad and speechless, wondering how folks eat - much less support their families.  But they do.

 

It is with all of this in mind that I wonder if a more rural existence is the right one for my family and I.  I have enjoyed what the city has offered over the past 10 years, and we have lived a full and successful urban life...but a country boy living in the city is still a country boy.

 

 

      

The Best Chopper Website, EVER

CHOPPERDAVES

I was just revisiting this classic the other night.  As a young lad, there was no more comprehenisve textbook for me on the chopped motorcycle than chopperdaves website.  What i was seeing here wasnt the accepted norm of the newstand time.  All i could think about was chopped panhead-chopped panhead-chopped panhead (got one now!)
There was very little online to blow your mind with, no chopcult or jockey journal, Everything here was pre-blog, pre-Instagram, pre-facebook(which i still dont understand), hell I dont think anyone was texting either. 
Just look at the brutality of the Morton Friis Hoodlum Harleys feature!!!!! 
If this website was a magazine, the cover of mine wouldve fallen off and most pictures clipped and pasted to the garage walls long ago.
Dave is still getting dirty on his BLOG

Thank you ChopperDave for kickstarting it all

here is a couple of gems from the site

 Rudy's Triumph Perfection!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Family values

No matter how cool you think you are or how long you've been into something there is always gonna be someone cooler and more into whatever than you. Take it the right way and learn from your elders and respect. The guy in this amazing photo is my friend Domenic Mingirulli's dad and his son Dylan's grandpa. "Pappa Joe" is his name and this was taken back in the mid '50s I believe on one of over 360 motorcycles he built! It just so happens to be an outstanding knucklehead. 

His son Domenic is one of the nicest and sharpest guys you'll ever meet and has nothing to prove to anyone. He'll give you the short off his back and help you fix your bike no matter if you just got into it or been there for decades. It's about life, not a scene, or status. It's about learning and sharing and surrounding yourself with people you can learn from and helping those with a will to learn. Perspective is always good and should be in the back of your mind at all times. 

Oh, and Pappa Joe's 19 year old grandson already has a '65 panhead and '66 shovel under his belt and was the youngest invited builder at Born-Free 5...something to think about! 

Do what you love and do it for the right reasons. 

webstore under constrution new link here

 

Please click on this link below for our webstore.  thank you!!!!!

 

getchoppedout

 

 

Brothers

My brother nick has been on the road with his softail for quite a bit now. He lives out in Arizona so I don't get to see him much, let alone have a chance to go for a ride. This weekend was another story. Nick was pretty impressed with the panheads highway boogie!

Support Denver!

Love Thy Chopper is this weekend!

Nice day for a ride

What's the point of havin em if you don't use em?

12 minutes on Born-Free and a couple of our BF5 builders...

The folks at the Motor Trend Magazine youtube channel have a motorcycle program called On Two Wheels and they wanted to shoot some stuff on Born-Free and some of the builders. enjoy!

Mooneyes open House!

if you're in the area, stop by and grab a burger!

4th of July tank -top sale!

Yesterday, today, Tommorrow and Sunday! All new FMA tanks on sale for $15!!!

God Bless America

Went to a good old fashioned block party yesterday. This sweet classic truck was hauling the kiddos up and down the street.

May the wings of liberty never lose a feather.

Born-Free 5

What a beautiful day for motorcycles. Who would've thought that a little parking lot show would turn into something that took over 2 hours to get into? Or that 18 men would slave over their own two-wheeled creations only to give them up to chance... I didn't get to take any photos really, there were just too many wonderful people to meet and old friends to talk to, and that's what I enjoy the most about this show, the gathering of men and women from around the world with one common bond, just having a good time.

(thanks Geoff K for the great pic)

Turn on, tune in, and chop out

My good friend Brian Harlow from Chicago sent me this great video of their ride to Born-Free a couple years ago from the upper Midwest...AND BACK!
 Rigid frames, choppers, old iron, small tanks, sissy bars packed, a few of your closest friends...what a dream. Sit back and watch this and just dream. Pretty jealous of all you that have had the time to do a journey like this...I've gotta get on the road soon and shake the dust off...
MARCHING TO THE SEA from robotboot on Vimeo.

ONE DAY LEFT...

The time is upon us, there is only one day left to get your poster/ticket sets online to win a bike at Born-Free 5!!! Not just that, but you get to pick one from 18 of the freakin Invited Builder bikes!!!!! Not sure how it could get any cooler or enticing than that... come to have a good time, but if you don't come to win, you'll be sorry you didn't play...

For example, you could take home this awesome 1947 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead built by Joey Cano for $25...a stupid crazy sweet deal! CLICK HERE to get yours now and avoid waiting in line the day of the show or possibly missing out all together when all the tickets sell...



SORRY!!! Online tickets are SOLD OUT!!! get what's left the day of the show, the Long Beach Swapmeet, Trico in Hollywood, or Long Beach Trading Company. ...early bird gets the worm!

a good little video about what Born-Free is about.

BORN FREE from scott pommier on Vimeo.

My Old Man in 1962

16 year old Bobby Haprov and his black model A coupe with Chinese red interior-rubber rake on red 40 steelies and souped up banger. Only pic we have of the car, but it supposedly still exists...

9 more days left to order online...

yeah, yeah, yeah, you've been waiting for just the right time to buy your poster/ticket to win one of the 18 invited builder bikes at Born-Free5 or maybe you're just an old fashioned slacker. Dunno, but there are NINE more days left to order them online with FREE domestic shipping from LOWBROW CUSTOMS!!! the time is now! CLICK HERE to get em, or you can wait in line and fight for what's left the day of the show!! Remember the line at BF2? so few tickets left and we cut it to one per customer...you're gonna be SUPER bummed if you don't get in on the craziest deal around...gotta be there to win June 29, 2013
For all the details, news, builder videos, and show info please check the BORN-FREE blog regularly

Spaghetti westerns

Born Free is just around the bend and my last show paintjob is almost on deck. Here's the Cycle Zombies tank for their Born Free 5 giveaway bike- this bike, right out of an early David Mann paintin, could be yours on June 29th. Big Scott got down with some spaghetti on the tank and my main man Gary Gastmeyer had been expertly molding away on it. This is going to one fun paintjob...

Blues brothers

Got a new 6 volt battery in the '51 from Westminster H-D and took the windshield off. Also did a little maintenance on the '37.   

Lime Time

Todd Asin from Small City Cycles, just to the left of Bakersfield in Idaho, is building this sweet and sour pre-unit for the Born Free 5 builders invitational build-off and it is one of the bikes you can pick if you got the winning ticket, but you can't win if you don't play! I've got her in the spray booth right now and this is one hell of a color!

Biker Bruce's Belated Breakfast Run

Our esteemed buddy Bruce had a birthday over the weekend but we missed the party in Perris at the sprint car races so we saddled up for a bite out at cooks corner this fine morning. 

Summer is Here!

Knuckle-Mania

Our good pal the Nash is putting on another of his Yearly Art Shows in June. Last year was a great time and this year should be even better. This one is all about the Knucklehead!!!



June 15th 2013 6-10pm
1303 Avocado
Newport Beach
California
92660

Tank for today

See you all at Alexs today for Karla's memorial party. I had planned to paint my friends bike for her birthday, but won't get that chance. So I painted this up for her to be in auction/raffle that will go to support her family. Sweet old butts fiberglass flake gelcoat with a "nat quick" all-over thumbprint and paneling.