Born Free – take 4

Born Free is a rad show put on by rad people with nothing but good intentions. Its an inevitable who’s-who of chopper aficionados wandering through a sea of lovers, haters and appreciators. Let’s not forget, there’s a bike given away too. How cool is that? As the show approaches, Im thinking more and more about the trip, making new friends and everything else that falls into the spirit of the whole thing. Don’t get me wrong… it would be wild to win a bike but it’s really such tiny part of a much larger plan. The longer Ive known folks like Harpoon, Grant and (locally) my HEAVY neighbors, the more I realize that we’re all one great big Speedmaster spinnin’ down the same highway. Hopefully, I’ll see you all in California.

pic courtesy of MCart.

A Texas Style Trip

On our way back from Born Free last year, we made a number of stops at some long forgotten holes in the wall. This one in particular sticks out. We made a few calls while traveling through Texas. A lot of the bike junkyards had long since closed but one guy gave us a lead on someone. He said “yeah, call Dan… He’s got an old grocery store full of stuff.” Low and behold, He truly did have a grocery store full of parts. We met up with Dan and his buddy Mustang. After they sniffed us out to make sure we weren’t trouble, they let us dig through anything and everything. Jordan scored big. Old pan trans case among some other stuff. I just grabbed whatever looked shinny. The whole time, Dan is sitting out front on a lawn chair pick ticks off his dog. It was surreal. It crazy to remember that we went from standing in the middle of Born Free 3 to a grocery store in Texas full of HD parts in less than 24 hours. There is a second half of this story better left untold for now but… I realized this morning as I glanced at some of the parts I got from Dan, that I never posted any of the pics. Enjoy.

Twin Cities Bike Scene

Packing for the trip. Shades, phone, jacket, blade, and a couple instant coffee packets. Glad to be heading out tomorrow but there’s nothing like the Twin Cities bike scene. Midwest is where it’s at.

Union Speed and Style – Garage Feature III

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

CHOPOUT Update – “sporks”

Things are coming together. Got a new sleeping bag on Friday. My old one is back at my brothers house on the East Coast. Started making a list of all the stuff I need to pack. I even took a trip to REI to look at all the fancy gadgets their trying to sell. I ended up buying a pocket can opener for .59 cents and a really funny spork which I gave to my son since he’s currently learning how to use utensils. All in all I learned that a tarp, a knife, a lighter and a tin can pretty much cover the basics.

Just a couple quick reminders and useful tips for those planning on attending:
– Be Cool. This is an all INCLUSIVE event.
– Pack light but stay warm.
– There is a lodge VERY near by for most of our drinking/eating necessity.
– There are new shower facilities which include a crapper.
– Gonna crash in your sleeping bag under the stars? RECONSIDER IT. That’s some Hollywood John Wayne bullshit. Maybe a tent isn’t a horrible idea. It’s up to you. It’s your trip, not mine.
– Cash – Cash – Cash
– Cell signals are spotty. Towers are being built but sh*t happens slowly out there.
– Be nice to locals (we’re in their house).
– Warm hats are good.
– Cook a potato in the fire by wrapping it in foil and setting it in alongside the coals (45-60 min).
– Empty Zip Lock bag + air = cheap pillow
– Lastly, and perhaps most importantly…BEER. We may need beer run volunteers.

See everyone around the camp fire.