Last Saturday

I went over to the Gasoline Gallery for their annual art and street show (California Screaming 6). Maybe it was because I got there around 3 p.m. and the show started at noon, but compared to other years, there wasn't much left in the way of cool cars or bikes.

Is it a Harley, an Indian?... nope, a Rikuo! I've been meaning to do a post on them for a long time. Other than the Rikuo and the Shovel (way back in the distance), there weren't any other cool bikes to be seen.


I figured since there wasn't much happening outside, inside would be the same, and that would make it easy to photograph and look at art.... wrong. It was crowded and LOUD! so I only took a quick look around and split.

Overall I didn't see as much as usual that I liked.

This one stood out on that wall. The red dot signifies it's sold.


Ink on scratch board. There's a lot of work involved here.


Interesting but, not quite sure I get it?

This one was fun.


There's aways a lot of wacky monster stuff.

The art generally seemed very reasonably priced. It made me wonder how some of the artist could justify the time doing them and letting them go so cheap. Especially considering galleries sometimes get 50%.

I probably didn't hang for more than 15-20 minutes. Since I wasn't 'feeling' the hot rod beatnick crowd, it was time to blast over to The Garage Co. for Born-Free Night. I knew I'd be much more comfortable around bikes and bike people.


Small groups of bikers came and went for another night of Knucklehead gawking and barbecue munching.


Grant proving it runs....


.... and Kiyo proving it rides.


The evening ended with a raffle. Some lucky Son of a Gun won the Bear Co. seats. Claimed he never wins anything.

Lucky 13?

Have a nice day!

Was it Bad Luck? Google messed up last night. You notice how all the blogs (including mine), lost their most recent post? art: modified Roth decal

Blog of Note

I visit and bookmark more blogs than the just the ones listed in the right hand column. One of the better one's is Matt Olsen's, so it's about time its been added to my blog list. He and his father Carl, of Carl's Cycle Supply, restore old Harleys and do it right. The details and lengths they go to are amazing. They make their own or modify a lot of after market parts to be correct. Watching them do it via the blog is interesting and inspiring. http://oldbikesinsd.blogspot.com/ Warning! You can spend a lot of time going back through the post.

This one is not restored. It's an original paint '41 in outstanding condition.

This Saturday....

I plan on going to the Garage Co. for Born-Free Bike Night....


....and I'll stop here on the way

I missed it last year. The art, cars, and bikes at Gasoline Gallery's annual show are always fun to see.

It's really cool that they are the same day and the times are staggered enough to work out just fine. I love small informal free shows!

Ridondo Beach

That's Joe's Hustler. It says any extension to 15", but many of them (including on Loco-Motion), were longer. I'm guessing it was a higher price point from 15" up. From the Dec.69 Choppers Magazine.

Flaming

A very sweet flame and molding job from the 70's by Bruce Parrish.

Tattoo Progress

Ryan sent a progress report on his new tattoo.

The Knuckle Reaper was originally from my October 2010 Halloween header art. It got more reaction than any other art on the blog. Should I do a T-Shirt of it?

Finally!

I like to keep it just about MotorCycles, but...

White Bear 120

This really cool photo was among the first batch of shots Joe Hurst sent me. It was taken at Bonneville on the way home from his cross country trip with Dick Allen in 1973, hence all the gear he's packing. Joe says once they were on the salt, they just "got it on". It was taken by Dick's female passenger. Dick had Sportster gauges (speedo and tach), on Loco-Motion and said it was pegged at 120 mph.

More Loco

Dick on a their (the South Bay group's), annual cross country trip. Probably about 1973. These were some of the first photos Joe Hurst sent me, but I never got around to posting them.

Here's a pretty good shot of Dick and his Knucklehead chopper Loco-Motion. For such a well known bike, there aren't many good photos of it.

I believe this one is in Iowa.

LLL 4 LV2

Here's another one from Hurst Airheart featuring Linda Vaughn.

B.P. Chopper Sculpture

After seeing the post on Greg Parigian's chopper sculpture, Bruce Parrish sent me some pics of the one he did for his father. It was based on and done when he finished his first build back in 1971. Bruce says, "It's 9.5" long and about 4" high at the sissy bar tip... and, yes, those are nails as well as washers, nuts and bolts, plus a few welding rods".


Bruce added, "Maybe I should go back to this form of art. Things happen way quicker".

Dick Allen's Blue Print Part 2

These shots of the Blue Print are from an old Street Chopper and were found floating around the blogs awhile back. I Photoshoped the top one, it was taken by camera and had a flash reflection and was distorted. I had this issue (since lost), and am guessing it's from around 1974-75. Anybody know the month and year of the Street Chopper this is from?

Except for the paint and the bars, the bike is pretty much the same as first built. Note the raised transmission. I forgot to mention that feature of the frame in the first post. It looks like this was shot near the Del Amo financial center at Hawthorne and Carson Blvd. in the South Bay.


If you can get past the model, you'll notice some of the goodies of the bike. She helps illustrate just how low this bike sits. Note the seat. Dick liked to keep them real thin.


Sorry about the magazine gutter but it's not my scan.

I wonder what became of the bike or frame?

Old Chopper Drawings

When Greg Parigian sent his sculpture photos, I asked if he could send some of my old drawings that I haven't seen for years.

I haven't seen the top one since about 1969. He sent a copy of the bottom one a few years ago and it's been posted before.


The chopper out front is a trike featuring a surrey type top and wooden pickup box in the back. Until now, I completely forgot this drawing. It's funny how the memories come back.


I'm 99% sure this of an actual trike. There's are just too many details that I know I didn't make up. There was a Asian biker who went by the nickname "Chink" that had a trike like this. He and some other bikers lived in an old two story house across from the Jack in Box on the corner of Flower st. and Century Blvd in Inglewood, CA. Greg and I once rode our chopped Sting-Rays over to check out their bikes. The bikers got a real kick out of our bicycles and took turns trying to ride them. If only we took a camera. I Google mapped it, and it appears the house and a remodeled Jack in the Box are still there.

Born Winner

I must be the luckiest man alive! Just look at how many winnings I came into last month, and it wasn't even the whole month.

P.T. Barnum: "There's a sucker born every minute".

Kool Knievel Art

Kolorized art from the H-D museum.

WTDWA 79 XL II

Garage Co. Evel Knievel Replica

Evel never had one this pretty. It's making me take a second look at my '72 XLCH. Maybe one day...?

Dick Allen's Blue Print

Bruce Parrish sent me these photos of Dick Allen's Blue Print. It was called the Blue Print because it was blue, but more importantly, it was planned to be the first of a series of ground up choppers built using Dick's parts and established styling cues.

Here's Bruce prepping the ultra rare Dick Allen frame for paint circa 1973. Only a few were ever produced. Dick didn't create the frame jig. For now, Bruce doesn't remember the name of the guy who Dick got it from. This was at Bruce's paint shop adjacent to Dick's in Gardena, CA. Note the Parrish Arts Logo in the background and compare it to Dick's Logo (both designed by Bruce), shown below.

This appears to be a under construction shot. The rear fender looks to be painted at this stage. Later, as on many South Bay bikes, it's chrome. Note the use of a (then), late model oil tank. The Blue Print was built for Freaky Fred Williams.

Above and below. Two of Bruce's photos from either the Tridents or the Long Beach car show.


This bike conjures up some fuzzy memories. I seem to remember seeing a feature on it and possibly another very similar bike using one of Dick's frame in a one of my now lost Custom Chopper Magazines. I know it was later featured in Street Chopper with a lighter blue paint job. More on that to come.

This Season's Header L.L.L.#3

Since the beginning of the year, I decided I'd change the header every season instead of every month. I may go back to every month but this will do for now.

Linda Vaughn (Miss Hurst), from an old Hurst Airheart ad. I never thought I'd post a Kawasaki, but I dig the composition and thought it would make a great header. Linda ain't bad either.

G.P. Chopper Sculptures

Greg Parigian and I were friends in junior high. Until about 6 years ago, I hadn't seen or talked to him since 1969. If you scroll down in the right column, you'll find a picture of us on our chopped stingrays that was once used for this blog's header. Greg sent a couple of emails with photos the other day. The text below is combination of them explaining the chopper sculptures he made in the 70's.

"Back in the early 70's I made some Harley chopper sculptures. I was selling and trading them for Harley parts to Hells Angels and Satan's Slaves. I would sketch their bike and then make a sculpture of it.

I think I made about 50 of them, but only saved one. I would sign them by putting a "P" on the rear wheel. The sculptures where all about 18" long and 12" tall. They had no bolts or nuts in them, they were all just metal I bought in the metal yard. They were welded together with gas torch and do not remember if I ever brazed any of them.

I was living in Canoga Park at the time and one of my neighbors was a guy they called big Louie. He was then the president of the Satan's Slaves. He rode a really cool bike, a chopped Knucklehead with a extended springer. I made one of his bike that was really nice. Some of them were clear coated. I also made them for other club members. Some of these guys were really scary. But they always paid me or gave me what I wanted in trade. I almost collected enough parts to build a flathead 80". - Greg

Two degrees of separation. Here's a photo of Satan's Slave Louie. I think I grabbed it from the Satan's Crate blog and believe it's from a Easyriders in the 80's. -CK

Anybody out there seen or have or seen one of Greg's sculptures? If you have something like it, look for a "P" or "GP" on the rear wheel.

Mystery Bike Part 3, Bruce's 1st Build

Working from the first post backwards, here's photos of Bruce Parrish's first chopper. This is the same bike that would become the Funny Bike in it's second iteration.

Escape from New York. Bruce bought a complete 1950 Panhead late in 1970 for $100. The frame engine and trans were loaded in the trunk of his friend's Chevelle and they headed for California.


Once in Cali., Bruce stumbled upon Dick Allen's shop, where the bike above, became the inspiration for his build.


Bruce's first mold job.


The proud owner with his freshly finished creation circa 1971.


Nicely detailed motor. Until I asked about it, Bruce had forgot about the chromed barrels. Turn down tips were added to the drag pipes at this point. The hex end bolt forward and highway pegs were made to match the rocker stud bolts of the Dick Allen springer.


Back to New York. Bruce rode his Pan cross country a few times.


Another trip to the east coast in '72. This time with SU carb and 2 into 1 collector exhaust.


Happy Birthday! Bruce said he was never superstitious since his birthday was the 13th. Then, on 1/13/73 (his 23rd birthday), some dude in a Mustang gave him a nasty present. Some might say it's the Green Bike curse. This was the end of the bike as it was and the beginning of the Funny Bike.

O'Happy Day

Almost forgot!

Have a good one... but watch out for drunken idiots.

Knice Knuckle Kiyo!

I was really late getting to the Garage Co. unveiling of the Born-Free Knucklehead last Saturday. I hate going to bike events in a car, so earlier in the day I paid a visit to my friend Larry Settle's shop to drop off some parts and hopefully get a new battery for my bike. He had one. It had been a really long time since I'd been there, so I ended up hanging out until about 5 p.m. I then rushed home, dropped the battery in and took off.

When I finally got to the Garage Co., guys were still hanging around mesmerized by the Knuck.


The bike has good balance of chrome and black.


A Knucklehead on a Knucklehead? I certainly hope not. Grant prodded me to try it on for size. It fits me well, and I even like the color.


I've said it once and I'll say it again... you really can't improve upon the classic chop. While at first glance it might seem simple, there's a ton of hand made goodies on this bike.


Kiyo making some post party adjustments.


Some lucky soul is gonna win this bike. This could be you!

Japan

Although this is pretty much exclusively a motorcycle blog, the tragedy in Japan can not be ignored. I would have posted something sooner, but was basically lost for words... and still am. If you're in Japan, just know that everyone here is discussing it and has you in their thoughts. For the rest of us, it's a reminder how we should not take anything for granted.