Well there, what the hell is going on here? I mean in this country of ours, the good ole USA. I have been bombarded by stupid national and world news for so long that I thought it impossible to get this fired up any more. That's not to say I've been happy as a meadow lark, just been at a slow simmer about how our legal system has turned into such a large portion of our Gross National Product. Every day people encounter new rules, regulations and the ever growing fear of situations that require legal counsel just in order to work at their craft, trade, or profession. They now need to add in legal fees as a standard every day business practice. A lot of these matters use to be based on trust and a hand shake. A lot of people reading this will remember those days. And a lot of people also know this type of practice is pretty well gone along with the wild mustang.
I moved to Utah from California almost twenty five years ago just to get away from this sort of mentality. It's been a great run, but it looks like the “lawyer up” mentality has crept into my “happy place”. On Saturday January 2nd, KSL channel 5 in Salt Lake City reported (www.ksl.com) aired a story how someone had stolen a four ton bronze sculpture from the front of Timpanogos Harley-Davidson in Lindon, Ut. Well, I knew right off the bat they could only be talking about Jeff Decker’s work “Land Speed” reflecting Joe Petrali in his historic run. I know this piece from photographing it for a book, as well as seeing it at the dealer ship.
Just to give you little history and background, I had the good fortune to go on a tour of the building during it's construction phase with Willie G. and Nancy Davidson, Cole Foster (Salinas Boyz), Brett Moonie, metal chaser to the stars, and Decker himself. Dave Tuomisto was maestro and led us thru the still skeletal beginning of this amazing building. We all saw that day how much heart and soul Dave T. was putting into the building; plus he was sparing no expense to really put this location on the map. Not just for himself and H-D, but for his father and all of the rest of the people who used to work close by at the now extinct Geneva Steel Mill. In fact, right next to the same location as the Geneva Mill. Tuomisto and Decker; two people working to re-kindle the past and help give respect and honor to the many great people before them.
Now it's also important to understand that Jeff Decker grew up in So-Cal with parents who thought racing was basically the thing to do on Sunday rather then go to church. Decker also spent a time going to various flea markets and collecting all types of racing memorabilia through the years. This helped him to developing a keen interest in motorcycle history. He learned what he could about sculpting using the Lost Wax method while attending university in Utah. Meeting Stan Wanlass was another big step, and I have heard Jeff mention that Stan has been a true mentor to him.
Over the years Jeff has been honest to his craft and made many friends all along the way: all around the world. He is well respected mostly because he is a man of his word. Just in case you are new to the world of motorcycles and need proof, just ask.any on this short list of people that know or once knew Jeff, and consider him a friend: Jessie James, Jason Jessie, Sonny Barger, Willie “G” and Nancy Davidson, Cole Foster, Stan Wanlass, Mondo, Indian Larry (RIP), Bruce Rossmeyer (RIP), Lonnie Isum, David Uhl, and more people in Japan and Europe than I can list right now.
When Dave Tuomisto was trying to get his dream built, he started to run into typical set backs and like everyone else he did what he could. Then it was time to move into the building and get the business up and running. From my experience everyone did their best to make the dealership shine. Then something came along that I was confident Dave would get handled. There was trouble getting the construction loan switched over to a conventional loan. Plus I do believe a payment was coming due to H-D so Dave needed to find a partner to go in with him. Well he did, and before you know it, Dave is signing the business over to the a new owner (partner). If I'm not mistaken, the new owner took over for around $500,000.00. Tuomisto lost everything (million) and was forced into bankruptcy. Was the take over due to legal tactics that pushed Dave Tuomisto into a corner? I don't know, but maybe the new owner could shed some light on this. With friends like this…
But wait there is more. While doing some photography at Hippodrome Studio (Decker) a few days back, I stumbled across some papers on a small table while taking a break in the living room. It was between Dave Tuomisto (Tupelo LLC,Dba Timpanogos H-D) and Jeff Decker (Hippodrome Studio).
The main point on this document for the purpose of this story is, that Decker may remove the sculpture and stone base without notice, but not during business hours.
So is the new owner, who happens to be an owner of Nu Skin, using what he considers standard business tactics by coming after Jeff Decker before trying to get things cleared up on a more human level? I hope not. A big Harley-Davidson dealership needs lots of happy people in order to just keep its doors open. Maybe even rely on out of state riders to make a profit. In my mind he already has two wheels in the ditch.
Mr. Openshaw maybe it's time to man up. The motorcycle community world wide is watching.
