Long Beach Swap 7/26/09

Some shots from Sunday's swap meet.

Kaptain Knievel. It would be fun to have a Sportster street tracker.


Hot Chicks?... Sexy Pipes? Proof that at least one set of these were sold.


What do you call a bike like this? Sort of a Fat Bob Dressed Chopper. You tend to see these types of bikes at swap meets. Bikes that have all kinds of little custom features and touches of creativity.


Note the kicker cover type electric starter. While I appreciate the engineering, I don't totally see the benefit of this set up. This starter system was featured on Bikernet.com a bit ago.


Shoot'in the breeze while shopping for shovels.


That's one "S" load of shovels. And I thought they all left the country.


I overheard that this was a Von Dutch piece. Sure seems like I've seen it somewhere before. I believe it's steel. Possibly from a Beemer or Brit bike?


I'm sorry but, sometimes I get more of a kick from what's in the background of a photo. That defies gravity! No Photoshop folks. My apologies to the bike's owner, I was truly just shooting the bike.


Cool color. Hard tail stretch is a tad long for my taste.


In a sea of newness. Yet another example of an old swap meet blend bike. Bike served as an advertisement for the owners engraving skills.


Along with engraving, it makes use of bullets, horse shoes, chains, and barbed wire. It just doesn't make sense (to me), to put a great old mill in a after market frame.


I like it.


Noot will appreciate these. Trivia question: Can anybody tell me (besides Noot or Dr. Sprocket), what's special about the bags? Just some stuff I bought.

Loving It

Jeremiah came out to sell at the Long Beach Swap Meet on Sunday. It worked out very well. We met and he picked up the XL forks I posted on the blog. I was hoping someone who would put them to good use would fetch them. If you don't know of him or Love Cycles, you live under a rock. He builds some nice 60's style machines. Go see what he loves.

3 Bravo's Journey To A Mystical Place ...Masinloc, Zambales

as posted by Sir FredrockS and Sir Bunny at http://hondabravo.ning.com

The ride to Masinloc was actually not the original destination, Bunny, Jay n their uncle was supposed to go to Palauig, still part of the great province of Zambales, Bunny who I met thru PBRC asked me if I wanted to Join the trip, to which I said YES!, but the plan was changed to Pundakit instead, so at this point in time only 3 were sure of going..Bunny, Jay and me, Fred..but due to some nice pictures of Koto Kidz Pool shown to Jay the 2 masterminds decided to change the trip going to Pundakit to Masinloc instead....... Through text messages Bunny was able to let me know that we are scheduled to go to Masinloc on a Sunday morning...6am was the meet up time, meeting place is to be at Bunny's net cafe in San Marcelino Zambales.

Sunday July 26, 2009

6am...meeting place, Bunny served coffee and bread, I had coffee and 2 sticks of Marlboro Gold, after saying goodbye to Bunny’s better half we proceeded with the trip (around 6:30am)
Present was 3 glorious bravos of Zambales and their extremely good looking drivers (heehaw) namely:
1) Bunny - Red Bravo ( new sparkplug, new shocks, new side mirrors)
2) Jay - Black Bravo (all stock)
3) Fred - Black airbrushed Bravo
We drove 50-60 km/hr on our beloved bravos while enjoying the green green grasses and trees along the way, first stop (aka YOSIBREAK!) was at the town of Cabangan, Zambales..Along the way going to Iba, Zambales (capital of Zambales Province) I noticed that my gas was almost empty...alarmed, i asked Jay (Lead Rider) to stop at the nearest gas station.. Which happened to be Flying V, maybe tune up was all I needed...no worries...so on we went ...2nd stop was the town of Iba Zambales..yosibreak (2 sticks per rider), Jay asked for directions from a man who owned a bicycle/motor shop (He was a type 1 Bravo owner..Jay introduced him to the PBRC site (he told Jay he will check the website)...Bunny n Jay had bottled water; I had Gatorade since I had a very bad case of a Hangover From Hell...hehehe! No cops were around so we took a quick leak at the nearest wall we could find...hahaha...

On our valiant steel (and plastic hehe) Bravo horses we proceeded to Masinloc...a very long n winding stretch of asphalt...but the roads were great, in some instances it played on my mind to see how fast my bravo could go but why do that when we are enjoying cruising @ 50-60 km/hr...It went well except when bunny who was a few meters behind me heard funny noises coming from my Bravo...it was the my rear break tight as.. (should I say ass?)...hehe...after loosing it up on we went again..going up a hill same sounds from the rear breaks were back...we passed by a vulcanizing shop but no mechanic was around so the nice dude just helped properly loosen the rear break..Go!

Finally we were at the entry point going to Koto Kidz Pool..But wait...there's more...more checkpoints and 27 kilometers of ROUGH ROAD!!!...the guards were nice...the rough road was rough hahahaha! At 8 kms we had our first yosi break and a very cool view (check pics @ bunny's profile)...and i could hear my bravo cursing at me for giving him hell hehehehe!...our bodies were painful our wrist hurt...but wait!!! There’s more!!!..19kms more of stones, mud and potholes....whaaat?.....did I mentioned BANGIN? yes bangin (hindi bangin chicks or worst each other ha..hehe.. Can’t find the English word for it in my brain right now)...to make the long story short we were able to reach the Majestic Place of Koto...all the body pains went away simply by just looking at the surroundings..The hanging bridge, the cool river n the awesome waterfalls, they have great cottages too ( 900php 3 beds/ 1,500 for a family of ten members).
Ok ok the place was majestic..But we were hungry we could eat a whole cow so we asked for food…reply! no food daw!..We had to go back to town to ask a certain store to cook for us...we could not wait that long, at least I could’nt...but, hey!.. We had 4 sticks of Marlboro gold left..So, we had soft drinks then we saw that there were canned goods in the counter...we bought youngstown cornbeef and a small hunts pork n beans (they should call it beans n beans...as I saw no pork at all hehehe)..Direct from the can we ate like kings...hehehe…..after eating Ligo time!...we went at the side of the resort only to be dumfounded that jay was the only one who can enjoy the water n the diving board..20 feet of water cold as ice...hell NO!..Bunny and I can’t swim!!!..secret ha…….lucky Jay…hmm, is it too late to take swimming lessons?....

The Trip Home….1 pm
Awww shocks, madilim d ulap….Go Pa rin…
……and it rained…we had to stop by a store somewhere along the way hoping the rain would stop...yosiyosi ulit…but it never did so on we went again, carefully n efficiently driving through the slippery rough road..Man, some stones were literally sharp and sticking up the ground ready to slice up our precious tires…luckily...we were lucky...hehe…around 12 kms from the majestic place there were brown water coming (err ,..I mean raging) from the fields...rain,mud,stones and now this..Wahhh, Jay said we should cross…so we crossed...luckily...again...we were lucky hehe…half our Bravo were submerged (tama ba ung term?..parang submarine lumubog eh…hahahaha!)..Hard as it was..we survived that super rough road wet, dirty and aching…but with smiles on our faces…after that experience we were very very very hungry…it was raining hard so we decided to just eat at Iba...after arriving at Iba at around 5pm Jay recommended we eat at ths fine restaurant + BON’S…God, it was freezing cold inside (or basa lang cguro kami..We were literally dripping wet)...so we ordered for coffee first before deciding what to eat.Jay n Bunny excused themselves to go the CR..To remove their very wet socks…my shoes by the way...natangal swelas hahaha….we ordered pinapaitan,sizzling sisig n chopseuy...each order good for two persons…that was how hungry we were..2 orders of rice for each one...i think Jay wanted to order 1 more rice...hehe...after eating...yosi 2sticks each…then we road our iron horses…after a long and wet drive we finally reached San Marcelino at 7 pm I think..I said thank you and Goodbye to Jay and Bunny...I have another 10 mins of rain and asphalt to conquer... I think I conquered it at 5 mins hehe…the trip was fun n worth the drive..I would gladly go on any trip with these two guys…except at that 27 kilometer rough road...my bravo would be so happy not to set foot...err, tires on that road again..Let’s rent a 4x4 pick up next time guys…hehehe


Hope to ride with more PBRC guys and Gal..n Thorid..Hi thorid pashot ka na!!!

for wrong spellings n grammar n proper sentence constructions...forgive me please...tao lang po.....mwuah

some additional inputs....

on the way home... when we stopped at a store.... we asked the store owner if she still has deer meat or wild boar meat, the lady told us there was nothing left... -- we should have bought the meat when we're still going up the mountain.... the guards at the check point told us that we can find lots of store to buy it but we didn't find any.

after eating in Iba... we bought pasalubong for our kumanders.... we bought pastillas and chicharon....

after buying we headed home...

more photos here. 

More Stupid Shit

This isn't quite as bad as the 4 engine 45 built for 5. After all, they only make a quarter million new Harleys each year.

It appears to say, "The Worlds Only 10 Passenger Service Motorcycle". Let's hope so.

The Thing

I had seen some old pictures of this bike on some other blogs awhile ago and I was surprised to find that it's still around. It's in a feature on Bikernet.com right now along with a new Evo version of the bike built by the original bike's builder son. It's too bad the feature is mostly focused on the newer bike. Perhaps there's plans for another feature? It also appears the Thing now has new S&S cases. Makes me wonder how much of the original is intact? Yes, I know, racing engines tend to blow up.

Warning!... there's a couple of scantily clad women blocking most views of the bike. http://www.bikernet.com/bikebarn


I just found this old shot I had saved.

Dr. Sprocket Found

Those of you who read this and some notable other blogs, have probably read comments posted from the elusive Dr. Sprocket. Up until now it was believed that no photos of him existed. There had even been rumors that his image would not appear on film! After an exhaustive search by a hired P.I., this sole image was discovered.

The modest Dr. ID 'ed with an alias (not his real name), surrounded by his admirers from the CA Mens Colony/Big Bike Magazine Prison Show circa 1972. I think it was the tank top and bearing all that skin that sealed the deal.


Next, a package from the Dr. mysteriously appeared in my PO Box. It's thought that it is was intended as a bribe to not run the prison photo. Be patient, there's a ton of Top Secret images on that disc and I have to get a proper clearance from government officials before posting any of it's contents.

More Fresno's Finest '73

Most have shied away from extreme forks but you got to admit, this thing is cool. The article states that this type of bike was already becoming a minority in Fresno as the trend was moving towards tight bikes. For the record, '37 Indian forks 28" over.


The trend may have been moving towards tight but they featured several long bikes. This one has an elegance to it.


It's the '70s so it's a Tank Top, not Wife Beater.

Apollo 11

A topic of great pride and shame.

It should be a National Holiday! Here's to the smart and brave souls who once dreamed and made it possible.


Not only as Americans but, as humans, we should all be proud of this achievement of will and scientific curiosity.

On the other hand, we should be ashamed that 40 years has past and we no longer care about these types of positive scientific goals. Not to mention, the dumbing down of a society that pollutes the internet with stupid Moon landing hoax conspiracy theories.

A good site for debunking the Hoax Believers: http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/tv/foxapollo.html

One of the only uplifting things on TV is NOVA Science Now, Tuesday nights on PBS. Check it out, it might give you hope.

The Early 70's...

Rocked!
Sometimes I forget how cool it was.

Custom Chopper was probably my favorite magazine at that time.


I usually don't dig chops with stretched frames and long narrowed wide glides as much as I do on this ride. This bike is just about perfect. It was somewhat rare to run a rear 18" at that time.


Fashion was still influenced by the 60's. It was cool that they just used the guy's girl friends for models instead of the (strippers), poser models of today.



Peace signs and...


... bell bottoms.

Hopefully this post will keep M.D. from getting the blues again.

The Best of Henry's St. Chopper Show, Part 4, Not a Bobber Panhead

If you've gone way back on this blog you probably know that I have a problem with the way the "B" word is thrown around these days.

Now, just because this bike has a fat 16 incher up front, that don't make it a "Bobber". For that matter, if it had a 21, tons of dudes would still be calling it one. Seems like folks think a bike needs to have at least 15" over forks to be a chopper ...No Sir!

This bike is an example of early '60's style chop that just also happens to have a fat tire in front and that's cool.


Now here's a custom that maintains a rough and tumble look.


In many ways it's a very practical street chopper.


You might have noticed the finned dishpans, carb cover, magneto, kick pedal, classic oil filter, and Bates foot pegs but, how about that foot shift linkage on the brake pedal and the pushrod keepers that are spun to the back?


Cocktails anyone? A simple sissy bar, bullet tail light and cloth wiring are all nice touches.


The early style of nearly vertical up sweeps has been absent from the custom bike scene until lately. I'm glad to see it's back. Nice vintage tuck and roll Bates seats. P-pad is being put to proper use, keeping the riders tail bone supported.


The custom handlebars (sans risers), connect to the top tree like the stock bars do. You tend see this done in Japan much more than the states. I'm a big fan of the internal throttle. Keeping the mirror off the bars helps keep them clean too. Chroming only the front of the springer was the right decision. Steering dampeners are usually missing on customs. The fat tire may be the reason to have retained it.


One last peak. The bike has a good tight stance. Frisco mounted tank, seat and pipe angle, handlebar height, and matching wheels, all contribute to the look.

No Choppers!

Ads '69

Forty Freakin Years Ago.

I saved this page from what I think was a 1969 Cycle Guide

The ads (below), are on the back



You don't see the H-D Outperformer art as often as the others.

No Wasted Space

"You'll leave when I leave". From Smoke Out West 07

Another Roth Sighting

The Bill Ray Life Magazine HA photos are worth a second look. Found another one with Roth.

Notice how typically Big Daddy's slacks are splattered with paint from pinstriping.

The Best of Henry's St. Chopper Show, Part 3 John Edwards '52 Panhead

It would have been just too easy to start this series with this bike. Anybody who has been scanning the blogs should recognize it.

What sets this bike apart from many "newly built", traditional chops is not only the tasteful integration of vintage parts but, it seems like John is the only guy with the grit and style to employ the once common practice of molding and painting the frame and tank to match.


A good balance of paint, chrome, and polished aluminum... plus good ingredients makes for one tasty chopped stew.


Vintage Bates provides the seating. Vintage sixties up sweeps and fender are ribbed for your pleasure.


The bike features several of Randy Smith's delectable delights. Finned Dish Pans, Roth carb cover and Holy Pegs. Also, note the California stomper pedal and the seat's hinge, looks '20's -'30's vintage. St. Christopher provides traffic surfing protection.


Angled risers were more often seen on 50's bob jobs. They serve two purposes. You can run narrower bend bars but more importantly, just hack your stock bars off the top tree.


Narrow front wheel sans a brake matches the alloy out back. Headlight looks to be a vintage mini Bates. "The Man" says you gotta have a horn.


Good from any angle. Thoughtful restraint. Nothing is over done.


Truly a classic. You'll never improve on this basic form of bike.


The midget behind the helmet is your esteemed photographer/author. How'd I take this trick shot?... easy, I stole it from Blue Collar Moto blog.