Soon to be.

Time is clicking by and I've still got a thousand things to do. I'm preparing for the annual migration to Sturgis but as usual, I'm not going straight to the Black Hills. Last year I left for Sturgis from Mountainfest in WV. The year before was a trip up the continental divide to Beartooth pass and Red Lodge MT.
This year I'll be working The Iowa Grand Rally in Newton, Iowa with my dear friend Jay Allen. I'll be leaving out Saturday night for around 45days on the road. Packing for these trips is something I really hate to do.. too many choices to make.. I went for a ride last week and I packed nothing.. I mean nothing. not a change of clothes, not a shower kit. not even a hair brush. I bought a toothbrush at a gas station.. that was a wonderful three days of riding. But this is a different kind of trip.. I'm at the point on my packing list where I really need to take the truck and haul the bike.. I don't want to take the truck but I've got products to sell.. Bedrolls, T-shirts and other items that I could sell and make some money on this trip.. I don't know what I'll do. I guess I'll make that choice on Saturday

.After Iowa I have around 4 days to roll into The Thunder Dome in Sturgis. Sunday morning at 10am is the Sugar Bear/ Michael Lichter ride.. I'm not gonna miss this one.. I'm really lookin forward to seeing some people that have, through the years, become part of my family..  from Sturgis I'll be heading west to check out the speed scene at Bonneville. I'm looking forward to seeing those cats too.. There is one Hillbilly in particular that I want to see get a few more land speed records.. Wink Eller is a Ruler..
After Bonneville I'm gonna do a slow roll threw the Rocky's and spend some time with my mile high friends..
I'm looking at the above picture and trying to figure out how I can load it all on there.. I'll figure something out..

until we meet again..
PEACE&GREASE

Highway Profit Shakedown

I started thinking about this build about 3 yrs ago. I wanted to build a bike that was of the early 70's flavor. In 1969, Honda started selling the CB750 and it was a technological advancement in the motorcycle world. Many were sold to soldiers returning from Vietnam and as time passed these bikes started taking on a look that was as unique as the men that rode them.. Remember that the early 70's was a time when Magazines and movies were just starting to get the word out about this underworld society of people who were going against the grain.. The movie Easyriders came out the same year as the CB750.

Basic was my goal and it took a little more than two winters to get her on the road but on 10May I set out to see if she was road ready. I headed northwest into Kentucky and made it all of 50 miles when she started bucking like there was a major short in the ignition.. By the side of a cornfield I laid down beside my bike and wondered why I couldn't get this thing right.. After a few tokes and a surprise conversation with an old highschool friend, I decided to fix my bike. I have a clear glass fuel filter on the bike and something told me to take a look. Problem solved. I flushed the filter and she fired like she had found her master.After flushing that filter 6 more times on the side of the road I was finally done with that first tank of gas.. The only problem was that I was not at the gas station when I needed fuel. My first turn of luck showed up before the exhaust had cooled. An off duty trucker picked me up and took me to the gas station. I bought a gallon of water for $1.39 and paid the clerk for one gallon of gas. Water on the ground and gas in the jug we were back to the bike in 10 minutes. After showing my gratitude to my helper I was back on the road. No speedometer. No odometer. no tachometer. The only measure of time on this bike is the fuel level tube on the side of the tank. With a four gallon tank, time passes real slow. Rolling down the road I had the time to visually check all the nuts and bolts, adjust the carbs and listen to the exhaust tones. Every stop I would spend some time tightening nuts, adding locktite and adjusting the chain. 12 May found me at a friends bar outside of Omaha with the Highway Profit on the sidewalk. Next day was a short ride with some old friends to an undisclosed location. The picture above was taken there.An amazing place in the middle of nowhere surrounded by great people. 

The morning weather report was the deciding factor in the direction of my travels. I headed due south to see some friends that I had met in Sturgis a few yrs ago. Jane, Mo. is not a big town, hell It's not even a small village but it is the home of some great people. Good conversation, food, drink, new people and a side trip so they could adopt a new puppy. Seeing there reaction to pure moonshine was priceless. The Highway Profit was performing as I had hoped she would. I woke the next morning in a riverside cabin in the Ozarks and I knew that the day would be good. I met up later with my friends and we said our goodbyes. I had to get back to the Hills of Tennessee for the "Unofficial" beginning of Big Mountain Run.

The ride back to Tennessee was as good as they get.. Well, right up until the rain started.. It took very little time for me to learn that the pod air filters like to suck in rain water. Spit and sputter with 2nd gear being the hardest I could run.. I can proudly announce that I have geometrically designed a bike that will send a roostertail of rain water off the back of the front tire, over the headlight and into the riders face with maximum efficiency. I made it home in time to welcome some of the knarliest Dirtbag Hooligans I have the pleasure of calling my friends. Some riding through the Tennessee hills and then Tuesday morning we set out to head to our annual party. Rain slowed our progress so we got a room east of Knoxville. Wed. morning we headed to Wheels Through Time Museum. Mecca is what it should be called. BMR was as good as it gets. I won't go into detail but to say this., If you missed it you missed out. 

Shelly and I rode back to the house and the Highway profit did fine. My only complaint would be that I didn't have enough ground clearance on the Dragon and Cherahola Skyway. Scraping in the corners is fun until you don't want to do it. We got home, Shelly went to the beach and I headed North. I stopped off in Indianapolis to see some old friends. We had dinner and some great conversation. Many thanks to English Don and all the crew at Intensity cycles.. Early morning I set out to get past Indy before the morning rush. Wind in my hair and cars pulling up beside taking pictures of my bike. I decided to take secondary roads because I'm not a big fan of the Interstates. I was heading northwest and behind every tree I could see the clouds developing to the west. I ran as hard as I could push her to beat the storm but 2 miles out from Kankakee I found myself in a downpour. As I pulled into town I saw the "Bar and Shield". It was a motorcycle shop called Low Lifes.. I pulled in and dripping water all over the floor I told them what I was looking for. "I want a bar with food and our kind of people. A place I can ride out this storm". After a few laughs they gave me directions to their hangout, told me that the managers name was Bubba and that I would have a good time there.. 1pm and I walk into an empty bar.. After introductions Bubba told me to bring my bike into the bar. We couldn't get my long front end around the pooltable so she sat out in the rain.. As the regulars came in I was introduced to each of them. I cannot tell you all the fun we had but for the next 8 hrs of rain I had a wonderful time being with these people. Shooters in Kankakee is worth a visit if you have time.

North bound. Destination, Wisconsin. I ran like hell trying to make up some time and then I kind of fell into this easy groove. The chopper was running great. a light jacket and I hadn't had a helmet on my head in days. My sunburn from BMR was the only nuisance in my life but the memory of how I got that sunburn made it worth it.. Riding the backroads through Wisconsin I saw a sign that said "House on the Rocks". I followed the signs and ended up at a house built by Frank  Wright.. I had seen pictures of it before but it is amazing to see. I rode for a bit longer and found a room for the night because I knew I'd be camping for the weekend. In the morning I was talking to a guy because he had once owned a Norton and he felt compelled to tell me all about it.. We said goodbye and I started to push the chopper out into the parking lot to fire it up. As I looked down I noticed that the pin on the half link was half out of the chain. on further inspection, I found that the half link was actually broken.. "Hey Mr. Norton.... I need some help"... He drove me to the next town and at a farm equipment store I found exactly what I needed. 30minutes later and I'm rolling.. I pulled into Yuba, Wisconsin in the middle of the afternoon. I fell in love with the place before I got off the Highway Profit. A town of 90 people with three bars and a motorcycle event going on. It also helped that there were people there who knew me. This event was set up as a fundraiser for a highschool chopper class. "Teach"Baas and the good folks of S&S cycles had set up a wonderful party and disguised it as a charity fundraiser... These are some smart people..

Money was raised. Alcohol was consumed. Tires were roasted and somehow a young Lady came up missing. (she was later found having a good time). The bonfire was large and I woke up next to the chopper, next to the fire. Sunday morning pow wow at the host bar turned into a 3hr tour of the S&S facility in Viola. 

An amazing place where American Products are made. I stuck around until Monday afternoon and started on my return to the Hills of Tennessee. The chopper did a fine job on the backroads. I couldn't have asked for more. As I pulled onto the Parkway just south of Owensboro, Ky, just getting up to speed and then, BANG. My next sensation was a sharp pain in my ass. My chain had broke and got its last lick in on my Ass. Not 15 minutes later a KDOT pick up truck with three workers in it pull over to check on me. They each told me that they were riders and what kind of bikes they ride.. I had determined that I needed a 530 master link to get me back on the road. Take a look at what this guy had on his keychain. I can't make this shit up..

100 miles from home and now I'm rollin.. Oil is flying off the chain and I've got that sick feeling in my gut.. That chain must have cracked the case when it broke. I stopped a couple of times to add oil and got her home as quick as I could.

A little over three weeks and around 4200 miles. 12 states and a couple of time zones I think it is safe to say that "The Highway Profit" has had a proper Shakedown. I'm gonna head out to the shop and weld up that hole in the case and then I think its time to put that bike in the wind and go for a ride... Until next time. PEACE&GREASE

BOTH ENDS OF THE ROAD

BOTH ENDS OF THE ROAD is my goal. The Pan American Highway stretches some 18,000 miles from Prudehoe Bay, Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. I am planning on leaving for Prudehoe Bay in 12 months and a friend of mine and I will head south. This blog will be a chronicle of the preparation for this Journey. I have asked myself many times, Why.? My answer is this. I look forward to the challenge. Its a Big goal but with proper planning and preperation I am confident that I can accomplish this journey.  I am planning on the trip taking from 30 to 45 days and it will be filmed for television.

In the next twelve months I have a huge amount of work to do. I need to learn to speak and understand Spanish which is the predominant language south of the USA border. Today I can count to ten in spanish and I know about ten other words. I've got a long way to go. Research will probably be the most important preparation I will need to do. Maps, fuel stops, mechanical service locations and Border crossing protocol are just a few of the things that I need to figure out. I have already done a lot of studying but I know  I've just scratched the surface.

To prepare for this trip I will need to get into better physical shape. My lower back is a concern of mine. I have set my mind to loosing 40 more pounds and increasing my physical endurance.. I'm not gonna go back to boot camp but I have some life changes to make to accomplish my goals.

I'm gonna build a bike specifically for this trip... The bike I have in mind will be an "American made" swing arm type bike. From the wires to the tires. This bike will be Made In The U.S.A. This is gonna be harder than you might think. I could go to the store and buy a BMW or Harley for this journey but I want to put the spotlight on AMERICAN MADE products. Because of the differences in terrain and altitude, this is gonna be a special bike to say the least.

Well there you have it. two guys on two motorSickles riding the Pan America highway from top to bottom. The TV show that is produced from this journey will be of the unscripted type and thats about all I can tell you about the show.

Thanks to all who have helped turn this dream into a project. I will keep you all updated on the progress that we make.
Until next time,
PEACE&GREASE

JUST ANOTHER SHITTY DAY IN PARADISE

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You've heard the ole saying. "Any day on a MotorSickle is a good day". I say, BULLSHIT. Life on the couch is much easier. The couch doesn't add to the richness of your life but on the couch you seldom have to be concerned with weather or break-downs or encountering the foreskin that wants to convince you of how cool he is...
My travels have brought me into contact with some of the greatest people on Planet Earth and I cherish meeting these true souls.  These same travels have also brought me into contact with some of the most judgmental egomaniacs who have ever pushed a start button or lined up a kicker pedal. I AM guilty. I've done it myself. Let me explain... several years back, a small group of us were in Sturgis before the rally got "Officially" started. We knew that before the Rally would be our only good time to ride without all the traffic and we decided to go for a short ride. As luck would have it, Tom's gas petcock wouldn't let him go on reserve and I ran to Bel Fouche to get him some gas. As I pulled up to the gas station wearing my Chucks, a pair of shorts and a tank top I saw 50 completely Leathered motorcycle enthusiasts. from chaps to gusset gloves. This group was milling about the fuel island hydrating and bitching about the heat.. I got "the look" and I gave it but I held my tongue and rolled after getting some gas for my stranded friend. On the ride back to the group I was thinking about what I had encountered. "Posers". "Dressed for the Show". hell, they probably all had matching Dealership T-shirts.. While filling Tom's bike I shared with them what I had witnessed and suggested that we go another route. Now that all sounds innocent enough, right.?
I have often thought how I judged that group just by looking at the "cover of the book". What they were wearing, and why, had no bearing on what I was doing. I judged them and changed my route because of it.

What someone else wears or rides or how they act out or what they do for a living or how butt ugly his ole Lady is has no bearing on me. It doesn't effect me. Who am I to judge.? I shouldn't but yet I still do. I guess it's part of what makes us human. We are all flawed individuals. I'm the last guy who should try to figure out why people do some of the things that they do.. Hell, I still question some of my own past decisions. I will probably never understand why a guy would want a nitrous fed, 502 chevy v-8 powered motorcycle or build a gas tank to look like a horses head but how many times do we say, "what a douche". "I think it needs more lights on it".or a million other SNARKEY comments. I don't spend a lot of time scratching my head about such things. What does make me scratch my head is how judgmental we can All be..

as a side note.... I fully expect that  some bald dude who is envious of my full head of hair will be offended by my "head scratching" comment. such is life.

Until we meet again,
PEACE&GREASE

BIO, well, kind of.

December 28, 1967. Jeff Davis County, Georgia. Dr. Elrod welcomed me to planet Earth with a slap on my ass. Hows that for a beginning.??? I've been asked to write a short bio of myself for an upcoming project so I decided to share this with you all.
I am a Son of The South. My youth was spent like so many other children of our generation. Football, girls, music and rebellion were the things I spent my time with. I think I was a little above average at the things I wanted to do and that included the trouble and mischief that I got into. I was first labeled a "Free Spirit" by a visiting Preacher when I was 7yrs old. As I watched my parents roll their eyes and agree with that Preacher, I felt a high level of satisfaction and I have been seeking my own path ever sense.

 The paths that I had found had lead me into more than a few run ins with the law and at the tender age of sixteen Judge Case and I agreed that Military service would be the best thing for me. I had dropped out of school my junior year, got my GED and on 05 Feb. 1985 I shipped out to basic training at Ft. Benning, Ga.
I had been in the Army for 16 months when I got an invitation to my high school graduation. Class of 86.

After three yrs as a "Straight Leg" Infantry soldier I was Honorably discharged with a service related disability. I am proud to have served my country and I consider it an Honor to have served.

Music and motorcycles have always been part of my life. I got my first guitar at age 8 and it was a guitar that I used to travel the country after my military days were over. I have been blessed to play guitar in some amazing places. From the Grizzly Rose and Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver to Gilly's Pub 44 in Florida. Tootsie's Orchid Lounge in Nashville turned into a 3yr gig for me in the early 90's. It was a guitar that took me to Daytona Bikeweek in the 90's where I stayed for 4 yrs playing everywhere that would have me. This is where I met my loving and patient wife, Shelly.
The common thread that has run threw my life has been travel. From my Army days up till today I have been on the move. There was a time I drove a semi delivering freight and in 9 months I had been in all 48states. I got off the road to help raise my family and start a business and I feel that I have been successful in those endeavors. During that time the call of the road was still there but my responsibilities kept me grounded to building my businesses.
In 2008, when the economy turned south, I could no longer ignore the call of the road. My loving wife was pushing me to do something that I "Wanted" to do. She had seen me totally consumed by my business desires and she knew that I was on the path to self destruction. My motorcycle became my therapy and I guess I needed a lot of therapy. In the last three yrs I've logged around 150,000 miles on motorcycles. Most of them on a Honda VTX1800R. I started going to rally's, big and small. I started getting involved with what other people were doing whether that was a fundraiser or a birthday party. I get a kick out of learning what is important to other people and then sharing those stories with others. Sometimes those stories are captured in pictures. Sometimes they are shared threw printed word but if I had a choice, I would rather tell you the story as the two of us stand next to a bonfire as the morning sun comes up.

The future is looking bright and I am excited about all the possibilities. Filming for the 2nd season of Moonshiners will start in May and will be broadcast the winter of 2012. I am also working on several other film projects that are to young to talk about details. One of them is about the Pan America Highway trip I am planning for May of 2013.  I am still making the Gypsy Biker Bedrolls and I have recently finished the design work on a new product that will be released in the next month or so.. The future is looking good and I am really enjoying all that I am able to do. I have been blessed in that I have met some of the greatest people on Planet Earth and have developed lasting friendships with more than a few of them.

Until we meet again,
PEACE&GREASE

Moonshiners

You would not believe the amount of questions that I have been asked lately.. I guess this is as good a place to put down some answers..

This past summer I got a call from a friend in North Carolina. He told me of a producer from New York that was gonna do a show about Moonshine for the Discovery Channel. Contact info was exchanged and it wasn't but a short time I was talking to the Executive Producer in New York City. Schedules were compared and we decided to do the filming in conjunction with The Twineball Run.. but let me back up just a bit....
I like Moonshine. I have spent the time to learn as much about it as I can. I guess the thing I dig about Moonshine and the people who deal with it is that these people are self sufficient. They can do whatever they put their minds to. They can make an engine run or build a house. They can figure out how to take a few gathered materials and turn it into a huge chemistry set. Also known as a still.. These are the kind of people I call Do'ers.
"I don't believe any of that show is real".... I've heard this many times. My answer is this... but yet you will believe the evening news???. It was meant to be entertaining.. I can't speak for any part of it that I wasn't involved with but I can tell ya that my moonshine got some fine people likkered up in Oklahoma and Kansas.
"How can you break the law on national television and not get in trouble with the law"?? Think about it... you see crimes on TV every day... Now if a lawman had come up and seized a quart of shine, then they would have had evidence of a crime. "How can I get a quart from you"??? A lot of people who don't know me have asked this one... my reply is simply this.. "Fuck off, Copper"... Because of the show I have a target on me so I am "out of business.. for a while... I got a call today on my cell phone from a guy who wanted to know what kind of fairing I have on my VTX.. but now, lets get back to the show...
The film crew met me in Ponca City, Okla. and followed me to the property of a friend of mine.. This was a pre party and rally point for The Twineball Run. The camera crew left early that night but the party lasted till around 4am.. At first I thought that the film crew had missed some wonderful footage but then I realized that the general population would have us committed if they had seen the fun we had that night. The morning found me looking threw blurry eyes at the film crew and wondering why I was wearing one sandal and one boot... We filmed the mixing of the shine that morning and at around 11am we (about 20 of us) headed out for Osborne, Kansas. The film crew missed a turn and we didn't see them for the next 150 miles.. I said that it took us 12 hrs to go 287 miles.. That was because one guy lost his clutch then broke his chain and a wild man from Arkansas lost his ignition system and then we found that his frame was cracked from too many wheelies.. He rode on the back of my bike to the next town. When I got to Osborn, Kansas and started setting up camp, I handed a jug of shine to Kruse and asked him to pass it around. Before I had set up camp I had sold 24quarts.. The party was ON. There was a whole lot of footage that didn't make it past the editors. Do you think the world is ready to see a man wearing nothing but football shoulder pads jumping a bonfire on a motorSickle.. I don't think they are ready for that level of free dumb in there lives.

  "$50 a quart seems kind of high." I've always charged 20 or 25.. I don't know where they got $50 for a quart.... I can tell you this... the twineball run is an event that you don't need a camera for.. You will never forget those memories.. Two guys laying on a tire that is tied behind my bike is a site to see.. ya.. we won that race.. Later on we found a feed trough and decided to give rides behind my bike... I did get a little concerned when I saw an Itasca camper full of drunks doing a power slide into the second turn of the dirt oval track we were at... In the morning most folks went for a ride to the biggest twineball in the world.. Ya, thats true... some of us decided that the only bar in town was the place to be. We were not wrong.. After a few hours we headed back to the dirt track and the fun started all over again..

Will there be a second season? I've been told yes.. We will wait and see. Moonshiners was the highest ranked show in Discovery Channel history with 2.83million viewers for the first episode.. That tells me people like what we do..
I want to again thank each of yall that helped us with this project.. Lets do it again..
Until next time...

PEACE&GREASE

Things I am Thankful for.

On the eve of this Thanksgiving I sit here writing to you because I am feeling truly blessed. Today I spent the day looking at the world threw the eyes of my six yr old daughter, Maggie. She always reminds me what is really important. We stopped for a snack at the General Store and at 48degrees outside Maggie wanted a Popsicle because that is what she had back in the heat of summer.. No need for logic. We had Popsicles. This afternoon my oldest daughter came up from Huntsville and her Husband and their college friend soon followed. Great dinner and time to just talk was part of the joy in my heart. Tomorrow there will be 20 of my wifes family will be at my table. Some that I only talk to just twice a year but they are family just the same.

I thank the Military for their commitment and I think of my Brothers In Arms who will spend their Thanksgiving Day on the front lines and in harms way for a cause that we question. I wish for them a peace of mind and the understanding that we as Americans support them.

From my house to yours. I hope your Cornucopia is overflowing and you have more blessings than you can list in a day.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING