Kerry Scores

A few months ago there was a post on the Born Loser blog of a Panhead belonging to Kerry but without any information other than something like he plans on getting it back on the road. The pictures looked old. A bit later Kerry emailed me with another photo explaining that he scored an old buddy's Pan.

Sitting in a Long Beach garage for the last 22 years. It looks a lot like Kerry's Blue Velvet and Arte's '65 Pan.

The two photos below are the photos which were posted on the Born Loser Blog.

Nice Score!

Since antique bikes were getting all pluck up I had predicted some years ago that vintage choppers would become the next barn/garage finds.

Roy's Beer Keg Trike

Somehow this photo was left out when I posted Big Roy's trike a few years back. It's been in a few post. Click here for another look or search the 'Trikes' label for more.

Photo courtesy of Kerry Crist

It's A Small World After All

From The Better Late Than Never Archives

Kerry & Arte
A Short Tale of The Brotherhood Between Builders

5/27/2014
Hello Chris, how is everything?  Still liking your MC art blog. Always interesting and informative. Anyway I was really liking your story and pics about your friend Arte. I remember meeting this guy at the swap meet too, I think he bought some stuff from me. He had this red and black panhead in Supercycle that I really liked. Found out we had a mutual friend so I got together with him and went out to his place.  Back then he was the only guy that had a disc on his VL front end. So he let me measure everything up so I could do it to my bike. Very cool of him to do that. Had a great day with him checking out some of his work. Back then I thought he built some of the nicest bikes around. Saw some of his other builds in Supercycle. I agree with you that he has a certain style and that he is still building killer bikes! Does he still have that sweet pan in the pics? Man he should ride that out to born free and let some of these youngsters check out that. Do you know if he might be going? Like to say hi again. Glad to see he is still out there doing it.

Arte still has this Panhead and it looks as new as in these photos. The collector is a Dick Allen unit but Arte built the header pipes. A Cal Mag brings up the rear.

Kerry's Panhead. Other than more chrome it's pretty much the same formula from the bars to the brake. Both bikes also feature Fat Bob tanks with emblems, rear disc brakes, dual button seats, tool box and bullet (guide type), running lights.

Kerry continues:

I liked his style and simple paint jobs so much I used some of his ideas on a couple projects I did up here in Placerville. Candy red and black shovel I put together for someone and a paintjob for another guy. Sorta looks like a Arte bike.  Thought you might get a kick out of these pictures.

The Thinker

More of Big Roy from Kerry Crist.

 Big Roy comtemplates his next move. Everything about this photo is classic Biker. It could be a David Mann painting.


Nice molding. Sadly, Big Roy past away before finishing his trike's rebuild.

Big Roy & Little Bob

More photos courtesy of Kerry Crist.

Little Big Men. Little Bob cruising with Big Roy.

Big Roy built this trike after losing his leg. Check out the unusual 'sprung' dual beer keg seats. It wasn't too uncommon for beer kegs to show up as seats or tanks on all kinds of custom vehicles in those days, but two with springs set these apart from others.

Sac CHP

Kerry Crist sent this photo from Big Roy's collection. It's a CHP officer on his new ride (VL), at the Scaramento Bridge. I'm going to guess it's around 1934-35.

There are several interesting things about this photo. The bike has several chrome items that one wouldn't normally expect on a police bike. Most notable is the completely chromed out front wheel, hub and brake assembly with the center of the rim painted. In addition to the handle bars and crash bar, it's very surprising that the fuel line and clutch pedal and linkage recieved a dip in the chrome tank. Were these factory options, or done after the fact? The officer's uniform is pretty dapper too. Check out the winged wheel on the hat. Riding around on a slick ride all decked out and getting paid for it (especially during the Depression), sounds like a good job. Of course there is one draw back, you still have to be a cop.

Hey Doc. Sprocket. Surely you have something to add.

Hector's Knuck

Kerry Crist sent this photo from the 70's of his old friend Hector's chop.This bike looks like it came right off the pages of Big Bike Magazine and D&D Cycles (later known as Jammer).

South Bay Riders Late 70's

More photos courtesy of Kerry Crist.

Gary from the Dairy. His bike looks a bit like a cross between White Bear (paint style), and Earing Mike's chopper (dual seats & anodizing). Dick Allen springer, chrome rear fender, Sportster headlight, open primary, flip up gas cap, and Bruce Parrish paint, all common features among many South Bay Bikes.

Gary, Tim, Little Bob, and Big Roy on the 405. More on Big Roy's trike to come.

WHAT SORT OF MAN READS MC ART?

A hands on man. The sort of man who's in touch with his machine. The kind of guy who knows where to find MotorCycle entertainment that's totally in tune with his own interests and tastes.
Foreground photo of Loose Bruce adjusting Earring Mike's chopper courtesy of Kerry Crist.

More Earring Mike

In the Blue Velvet post, I mentioned that Kerry Crist had sent me some old photos from the South Bay scene. First off, more of Earring Mike and his Sano Shovel.

This profile shot shows off how the bike sits. That's one beautiful springer.


What a Jewel! It bears repeating just how nice the details and metal work is on this machine.


This is truly Engine Art. The big chromed out SU carb is beautiful. I find it interesting how the early cam cover looks high tech when anodized gold. I really like this (the original version), of the winged gas tank. Paint by Bruce Parrish.


A bit of frame stretch can really keep a bike low. From left to right, Gary from the Dairy, Mike, and Big Roy.

Click Here to see all Earring Mike Posts.

Born Free 4 Part III -Blue Velvet- A South Bay Survior

So I'm headed towards the Ride In Bikes and an older guy says, You're Chris, of MCart, right?" After acknowledging, he continued, "I'm Kerry, I really like the blog, especially reading all the old South Bay stuff." He then explained how he use to hang with Bruce Parrish and Earing Mike in the South Bay back in the late 70's. Then he mentions how his bike was featured in Easyriders (Dec.'89), and that he rode it in today. I told him, "there's a really good chance I'll know it, since I bought a lot of issues of Easyriders around that time.... lets go take a look".

The second I saw Kerry's pan, I knew it and totally remembered the feature.

Later, I went through all my old issues, but was puzzled to not find Dec. '89. Then remembered it had to be in my scrap file. A few years ago too many magazines were pilling up, so I threw out all the old ER's that didn't have enough cool stuff in them to keep.

I figured I would save a lot of room by cutting out anything from those issues that was worth saving and keep it in a reference file. Well, Kerry's Panhead and David Mann's art was probably the only things that made the cut from that issue.

The 2 page spread from Easyriders. There's no way I was going to forget this bike. Especially when you compare it to the kind of bikes that were starting to get featured. Blue Velvet was the name ER came up with, not Kerry.



When I saw Kerry's bike at Born Free, this is the image that flashed through my head. I like the shorter mufflers, tall risers with drag bars, and (since I'm old school), the front drum brake.


Since his bike was in the magazine, it qualified to be in their bike show that year and placed 2nd in it's class. Kerry's looking very late 80's in his B-2 Bomber shirt.


Kerry has owned his pan since '76. Here they be in '78. Sporty tank and up sweeps look good too. Risers were made from Schwinn bicycles until a set of Flanders were found. By the 80's most guys were going back to fat bob tanks and it seems Kerry did as well.


Kerry (center) reunites with a couple of his long time buds, Trav Goldworthy and Paul Laquier. Both of these guys were crew members on Bob George's stream liners in the 70's.

Since Born Free 4, Kerry has kindly sent some very cool photos from the 'old daze' and you can be sure I'll be posting some soon.