skip to main |
skip to sidebar
I shot this dresser in 1996 at the show that Los Angeles Harley-Davidson puts on every August. This dresser was not in the show, but parked out front. Because most of the bikes in the show are new and for the most part not very interesting to me, I believe it's the last time I went.
From a few clues, I'd say it's a '68. The tank decals are from a '72 and were designed to fit the then new straight bar badges. Similar style decals were used in '71 and were made to conformed to this style of badge. The original buddy seat was reshaped into a wild King and Queen style that looks like a tight fit for two, but helmets hung from the both ends of the bars mean it's being put to use.
I was already appreciating old surviving dressers and thought it was a cool relic back then. I wonder what happened to this one, could it still be around?
Got mine. I'm not the type to say I'll win, but see it as a way to support the effort and cost these guys are putting out with the added benefit of a chance.
I've been out of town for more than a week with no TV or Internet, so I hadn't heard the sad news of Frank Frazetta's passing until today.Frank's fame and influence went far beyond just fans of Comics, Fantasy, or Sci-Fi books. His art was featured on covers of heavy metal music, movie posters, and was often copied and painted on the hoods of cars, the side of Vans, and of course, MotorCycle gas tanks. 
One of us. Frank relaxes on his '48 Panhead. Little did he know, one day his art would adorn many a chopper. 
The "no swipes or photographs" statements makes his art that much more impressive. Early in my art training I remember being very disappointed to find out that most professional artist took photos or swiped images and traced their references.
Frank was a master of the human form. Based on his statement above, we'll cut him some slack on the bike.Frank's passing marks another end of an era. He'll be missed by many.
Funny How the Brain WorksAbout a year ago Big Scott of the Cycle Zombies sent me the following email:"Hey Chris,
I just picked up a 1965 XLCH... the guy I bought it from said he was the 2nd owner, the original owner was a actor and used the bike in a lot of 'B' Biker Flicks? I think he went by the name of Snake, or Spider? probably Snake since that was the theme of the bike. Anyway you might recognize it or maybe know some history about it. Also on the motor it is stamped Sy Gray maybe his real name? Check out the pics on our blog and let me know your thoughts. Thanks, Scott"
One of the pics from the Cycle Zombies Blog April 2009. Hard to see in this shot, but it has snake scales painted on it's molded frame. 
I didn't recognize the bike and told him the only guy called Spider (who rode a Sportster), I knew of was this Stunt Man from the late sixties.
One thought I had was, Since the bike and dude was in several movies, could the original owner have been a pal of Gary Littlejohn?
Then this and another photo of the bike were recently posted on the ZZ Chop blog saying it's now gone to Japan.The weird part is, seeing it again, triggered the memory of where I had seen it. It was in the June 1996 25th Anniversary issue of Easyriders as one of the Staff Rides. Easyriders did have staff members called Snake and Spider, but since they made up lots of pen names to make the staff seem larger, there might not be a connection to the original owner/builder
This article was a typical Easyriders fanciful uninformative bull-shitty history of the bike. Big Scott's photos show the tags on the license plate as being last registered in 1986 and this photo was in the June 1996 issue. So the dude in the photo, Clay Dog (if that's his real name), might not be much of a rider or truly one of the bike's owners. It could be just a posed shot for that issue, since they were featuring the staff and their bikes.
One other funny/strange thing. When I first saw this photo in ER, I thought it would be cool to see more and better shots of the bike.
Mamas, treat 'em right, or else!
I was never a fan of Mr. Presley but, these photos are historically interesting of the MotorCycle kind.
Elvis Lover Keeping company aboard a '58.
Elvis Copper Why he's on a 60-64 police Duo-Glide is beyond me? 
Elvis Chopper Too bad it's fuzzy. This one is confusing. At first glance, it looks like a '81 Wide Glide with a "Frisco Style" Sportster tank, but he died in '77. Because of the camera shake, it's hard to tell if that's a drum or disc brake or a wide or narrow glide. Anyone know about this bike?
Elvis Dresser Here on a rarely seen '71 Sparkling America (white with red and blue accents), Electra-Glide. Sadly, his young lady friend died in a car accident one year later.
Elvis Wheeler Very seventies on a Stires Trike (Roth rip-off). Wheeler was the slang for trikes.
UPDATE! Hiro_67 sent a link in the comments to this photo on Flicker. It's a 66-69 shovel with a wide glide fork (maybe slightly narrowed?), with a Sportster drum brake laced to a 21". The tank is also from a Sportster, but the real surprise is that since the struts are straight, the rear fender and struts look to be from a Sportster as well. You don't or didn't see that very often. Pretty Cool, Thanks Hiro!
