Ran out to visit Jordan at Union Speed and Style yesterday. Turns out it was his Birthday. Happy birthday mother f*cker! Jordan is fitting me for a custom vest. Sh*t is gonna be tough! Denim w/ golden brown stitch, green/tan flannel liner, and a short pop collar. While I was there I thought it a good time to get him in for a little garage feature session. Union Speed is tucked back on River street in Monticello. A little off the beaten path but for what he’s doing, its probably a good thing. This dude is so busy, he’d probably loose his sh*t if he were in the twin cities (distractions day in and day out).
Jordan and I don’t get many chances to hang out with us both being knee deep in running our respective shops. That said, I did get to rock down to Iowa with him lat weekend. His little XS has got some serious balls. Not surprising… his bike didnt miss a beat once the entire trip. His spot was packed with projects. Jordan dabbles in all sorts of stuff. He’s turning out custom tanks, frames, leather and denim, seats, etc. Come to think of it… he’s a bit of a one stop shop.
Union Speed works pretty steadily throughout the year and they even manage to make all the stops on the vendor circuit. I’m not even really sure exactly how many people make up Union Speed but from the work load, they probably some kind of small army.
The Union Speed Crew are definitely a younger bunch but they’re also talented well beyond their years. If you need some fabrication, without having to deal with the grumpy old heads in the scene, these are the dudes to hook up with. They’ve got the skills and creativity to blow minds. Check em out. UnionSpeedandStyle.com
Made our way back into MN through 70 in WI. Hooked up with 65 headed south into Minneapolis. Had the Yammy pegged coming down the highway when I heard a tiny “pop.” Instantly lost power, no throttle response. Couldn’t down shift. I actually thought my throttle cable snapped or something. Turns out she was a little too lean to be running WOT for that long. Locked it up solid and slid to a halt. I ended CHOPOUT parked on the side of the highway with a soft seize and a truck on the way. Definitely a bummer seeing as how I was only another 30 minutes from completing the ride but hey, it’s an xs650. Built cheap to ride straight into the ground. RL got a pick of me sitting roadside like a punk, waitin’ for my ride. I guess I have something to do this winter. If anyone has a spare XS motor sitting around, hit me up. I’m in the market. ~ check back with the midwest chopper blog this winter for more moto love.
F*ck it. I cant take it anymore. I’m blowin’ the whistle here. What the hell is with all the fashionista, bullshit popping up on every ones cycle blogs lately? Seriously. I don’t give a rats left nut about someones super sweet vintage jeans, denim shirt, doo rags, boots, sunglasses, or what the shit ever else! It’s real simple see. NO FASHION SPREADS ALLOWED on MC SITES! All you’re doing is feeding into a little thing called commercialization. In essence, you’re diluting what could continue to be a great cycle culture.
Okay ~ Okay – I completely understand and respect the necessity of selling personal swag like T’s and Caps in order to fund your personal adventures but when you’re pushing Lucky Brand shit simply because it’s geared towards a motorcyclist market, you’re just plain fuckin’ up son. I’d rather go naked than drop a beaner ($100) on a pair of jeans.
As for sites like Biltwell or Lowbrow… these sites are primarily retail first, and a blog second. They get a free pass cause in most cases they actually produce (or import) what they’re selling. In fact, these sites get a gold star because they’ve effectively tricked sites like ours into being part of a fuct pyramid scheme. I do get parts for personal projects at wholesale though so I guess it aint all that bad, right?
Understand me here. I’m not the fashion police by any means. But I can’t be the only one out there seeing this bullshit. Scratching my head saying “what-the-fuck?” The fact remains. I’ll will undoubtedly spend every dime I ever make from this site on the necessities of my future adventures. I will NOT get rich and I will NOT be famous. I will however let you know when you’re steppin’ on my dick.
I don’t need to name – names cause you know who you are and you know what you did.
The king of cool, Steve McQueen. Seriously, this dude could make needle point look cool. I was just goofing around Youtube yesterday looking at videos of midwest trails and managed to stumble across this sweet video. I think that’s a Manx kit he’s got on the VW but I’m no Dune Buggy aficionado. Anyways – watch the video, pop some amphetamines and drive fast.
The Union Speed Crew are definitely a younger bunch but they’re also talented well beyond their years. If you need some fabrication, without having to deal with the grumpy old heads in the scene, these are the dudes to hook up with. They’ve got the skills and creativity to blow minds. Check em out. UnionSpeedandStyle.com
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June 16, 2011 11:56 am | 
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