I don’t watch DVDs of motorcycle shit. I don’t know what it is? Well maybe I do. I don’t watch many Biker Build-off Shows, either. I think there’s a couple of factors at play: I’m working with motorcycle media all day and Bandit. It moves fast, real fast. I find most of these shows are slow and plodding. Some are downright boring. I hate to snivel, but I don’t enjoy them.
Here’s what happened. I worked on Bikernet with the big bastard, on his Sturgis Shovelhead, replacing the cracked tank for the third time. Kent Weeks, from Lucky Devil Metal Works, in Houston, added another tank bottom for additional strength. Then the risers hit the tank and we had to machine brass lift spacers for the risers. About 10:00 we fired her up for the first time in six months. Felt good. About that time Sin Wu fired up her new coffee maker and poured me a shot of expresso. I don’t drink coffee at night if I want to sleep, but I tested her brew.
I crawled in bed prepared to watch a movie and crash, only to find out the cable was disconnected. I was forced to dig through all the DVDs I hadn’t watched and check ‘em out. I started with:
CHOPPERTOWN—The Sinners (FTW-from the Vault)
This is tough. I know a lot of the Sinners MC and if I pan their production we may have a war on our hands. I can see it now, guns blazing outside the Bikernet headquarters. Machine gun implacements on the roof firing as a stream of wild men on bobbers scream down Harry Bridges boulvard packing pistols and bottles of Red Mountain Wine. It could get grizzly.
The last Choppertown had heart, a storyline, a bike build and brotherhood. This one has the same terrific lighting, cool bikes and Rico, the Sinner’s boss, but no storyline, no direction, no bling or passion. I didn’t watch the entire show, but the riding shots were boring, there were no laughs, just a birthday party. I’m sure by the end the bike was finished and it was cool. Rico does that, but otherwise it sucked. If you like truly old school bobbers and want a DVD to play in the background of a party, this could be the one. The music is cool and it comes with a CD of tunes. And it sets a cool garage gang atmosphere. That’s all I’ve got. I’m sure this will get my ass kicked, but I gotta call a spade a spade. They are now shooting one with J Studios, the building of a custom Triumph. We’ll see what they come up with next.
www.choppertown.net
BORN TO RIDE TELEVISION
I dug under the bed through a stack of un-watched DVDs and discovered Born To Ride Television segments produced by Ron Galletti. Ron’s gang also published Born To Ride Magazine and BorntoRide.com. The first segment was shot at Russell Mitchel’s 10th Anniversary party and much of the segment relvolved around an Interview with Russell. Russell looked edgy and tentative during the interview, probably because it was his 10th Anniversary party, he was the host, pulled away from guests from all over the world for this interview. I also felt as though he had been asked the same questions by 40 other interviewers and he was bored.
The cameraman knew how to shoot girls and burnouts, but that was it. It contained a raft of commercials and I hung through the first segment and partially into the Tampa Bay segment, that didn’t go anywhere, contained Russell again and I shut it down.
I hate to put motorcycle programming down. It’s good to see brothers getting the coverage. It’s good to see motorcycles on Television at last, accepted by the masses. I wish all these producers the best. It just wish it would get better.
http://www.borntoride.com
Lone Star Rally Event DVD
This one was professionally shot by World Global Products and Services in Houston: (281) 469-5232. It’s basically a promo DVD for the rally. I would think some Rally goers might want it, since they might see themselves on film, or they could show it to friends as a momento of the event.
I covers the basics of each element of the massive rally. It could be one of the top five in the states annually. It also covered the Texas National Bike Show, produced by the our friends at Lucky Devil Metal Works, in Galveston on the same weekend as the rally.
Okay, so it was a promo DVD, but the last third of the damn thing was just shots of folks riding down the main drag on the street closed off to bikes, at 3 mph, dragging their feet, at night. It was as if they set up the camera on a tripod and went in a saloon and got drunk, while it rolled away on the street. Boring.
But there you have it.
Rollin’ Sixes Choppers And Rods
Here’s the fly in the ointment, produced by a couple of guys in two different states who own Rollin’ Sixes Choppers. One builds bikes and the other manufactures parts. They share the business duties and attempt to make a living. I’m running a couple of their components on the Salt Shaker.
Months ago they sent a DVD and it immediately went into my dusty collection of DVDs under the bed. Last night I revived it and slipped it into the player. In some respects it reminded me of the Bruce Brown surfing movies of the ‘60s. Guys came to town with their movies and posted bitchin’ surfing posters all over the coast, especially around schools. We’d meet in warehouses and old rundown movie theaters, pay a buck and kick back to watch a surfing movie, sometimes narrated by the producer. They were quirky, goofball and shot roughly, but they were packed with heart, fun and some of the wildest waves on the planet.
This wasn’t a goddamn surfing movie, but it had a storyline, characters, direction, funky shooting, old school rat rods and direction, but no bikes. It even had a babe who made me want to drool. It was set, as if in the ‘50s with a bunch of garage thugs (like the Sinners) who get their asses kicked in a Rat Rod Race, but they don’t give up. It’s all about their mission to jump back into the race.
It was short, but kept me entertained from one end to the other. It held laughs, pranks, bitchin cars, hot babes and a funky story line that kept me hangin’ in. Hell, I’m not sure you can buy this bastard, but the Choppertown guys need to check it out.
www.rollinsixeschoppers.com South number-(239) 707- 6024 North number (216)375-3644
