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BIKERNET CARIBBEAN REPORT– Ok guys, what’s up with TV? I got to catch Southern Choppers, which is produced by the same guys that do American Chopper, and I’m sure most, if not all that watched the show noticed that. Let me state that Randy is a very talented and successful builder, and I have nothing whatsoever against him, ok so that cleared up…
It really makes me sick that the guys who are producing the shows are doing a stupid script for the guys to follow, and even editing that way, one of the things that I noticed right of the bat was Randy not smoking during the whole two hour show. Even the phrases and situation were very similar to the ones done in the OCC circus. The producers have taken the oldest scheme play, hero, anti hero, villain, etc and created a plot that is as old as dirt. The only difference is that now it’s about building choppers, if we can call them that. I would never dare call something from OCC a chopper. I know that is very difficult to actually express and pinpoint what a chopper actually is, but I know that long forks with every gadget in the book, overdone, over painted, over everything customs are not that.
It’s like the chick who is very beautiful with no makeup, but the producers of Miss America insist in having them all dressed up with ridiculous hairdos and faker than fake, which makes them plain ugly. I’ve got to give credit to the Southern Chopper crew, they built and created most of the parts from scratch, they showed how the talented and experienced do things, but then again the showmanship and scripts should be left to sitcoms and soaps. I can’t say since I have not been in that position yet, but it’s a tough call between getting the exposure and some guy calling the shots not letting you be yourself.
In these days of reality TV overload, there’s no such thing as reality because the script fucks it up and the same words are repeated over and over in each show. I really can’t say what I would do in their position; you have the possibility of showing your stuff to millions of people and raising your coffers at the same time, but would I loose who I am for a TV show? That is a thought call if not in that position, but I really doubt it.
It’s not a matter of me liking the bikes being built, I do have an opinion, but it’s my opinion, which is of no significance to any of them, it’s not a matter of caring about the sell out situation that we are living where you find chopper shirts in Wal-Mart and any major mega store, the times have made the chopper a hot commodity. Money is rolling and sadly most of the money is ending up in hands that have nothing to do with the industry at all, the mega corporations are devouring the fad.I certainly do prefer the Biker Build off’s, they seem to be a lot more real. Still it has a plot and is edited to evolve into a certain point, but builders do seem like they are themselves, which they are doing what they do day after day. We as chopper riders and builders are unique and unpredictable people, these shows are making us predictable and hence, boring.
I really don’t remember when was the last time I built something that wasn’t on a tight schedule; Daytona nor Sturgis wait for me to finish my bike. That is part of the whole thing. I don’t do a whole melodrama around the shop because the clock is ticking and Daytona is looming on the horizon. We just work our asses off and stay in the shop, working as long as it might be necessary even if it means three or four days with half hour cat naps. To many of us that is reality, not a made for mere Joe’s show.
I guess if I wasn’t so fucking busy all the time I would have a great time watching all the car and motorcycle shows you can find on cable right now. Seems like we can run a whole week schedule by these shows. Thanks to Jesse it’s cool to be able to work with your hands once more, to be a blue collar worker and the networks are having a feeding frenzy with that.Sure there is some very interesting stuff being done, and we are not experts in every aspect of building, but it’s so hard to sift the bullshit that it’s not worth the time to watch the whole show. A couple weeks ago I saw a guy TIG welding that had me drooling, those were the best welds I’ve ever seen, which led me to try improve myself. Or the long haired guy at Milwaukee Iron (Gary ?) who showed how to fabricate in the true sense, or the super cool tools that these guys have access to
It turns my stomach that our beloved lifestyle has gone public, every ass that walks over to us asks us about the OCC show and their bikes, they have no fucking idea what reality is. They stay away because they think all choppers are on the hundred grand mark and that is not positive for the industry. Sure we are known by millions of new people, but I guess not the right people, so what’s the use.
Just go cruise down Daytona streets, any punk ass wannabee with white tennis shoes and a Twinkie in the parking lot want’s a fucking 250 tired softail chopper with long forks and Easter egg paint jobs. What?s the use? They just traded their corny twinkies for corny, ugly ass choppers, yeah, softails since rigids are bad for my metro sexual back. Fuck ’em. Show me a jockey shift, kick only, rigid, homemade chopper and I will shove that fringe leather jacket, white tennis shoe, causeway posing, mother fucking grin up their collective asses.Show me those guys riding hard, and I mean hard, balls out, for a hundred miles rain or shine, and then blasting their precious rolling coffee tables all night long burning that 250 bubble yum and they might earn some of my limited respect.
Choppers are built to ride and beat the shit out of them. In some cases like Randy?s, he uses them as a platform for his latest products, magazines and such. I’m sure that after all the taping was done, he beat the shit out of that purple bike. After all, we are lucky enough that we can build another one, and the cycle starts once more. Choppers are not dick extensions, nor status symbols, they are machines to enjoy, use and abuse. They are part of us, of our frustration, sweat and bloody knuckles. When a TV show sees that, they will have my out most respect.
With this I will leave you guys until next week. It?s back to the shop to meet my deadlines, because Daytona does not wait for anyone and I don’t have a TV show to lay back on.
Jose Bikernet “as it used to be” Caribbean Report
GANGSTER CHOPPERS–Hey, this is JB…You might remember me from The Horse’s boards and mycalendar Customs and Cuties. Well, John Dodson, owner of Gangster Choppershas brought me on to take care of their Marketing Dept.
I was hoping that we could supply some pics from a recent photo shoot andwrite up on the bike used.
–JB
jb@gangsterchoppers.com
804-677-2809 (cell)
Whenever you’re ready Bikernet is standing by.–Bandit
PAINT REPORT FROM JIM’S–This barbed flame job paint, owned by Richard Slade, is a re-creation, with a lot more detail, of his lastpaint job. This is all HOK paint. His last paint job had no pinstriping,so this time I told him we were going to do it up. I used 2 colorsfor the striping to give it more contrast and to divide the 2 sets offlames. The base color is candy apple red.
As always, I work with the owner on the colors; makes for happycustomers.
— Jim
Jims Cycle Painting
1351 W. 134th St.
Gardena, Ca. 90247
(310) 329-4707
DAVID MANN BENEFIT RUN–Picked up a magazine at 7-11 I had not seen before and came across an ad for the First annual Benefit for David Mann at Kansas City International Raceway on July 17. Stated that there would be Bands, Food, Beverages, Vendors and more.
First I had heard of it or the rag called “Wide Open” and I think it’s a regional pub from MO, but sounded interesting.
Here’s David’s address for donations to his health fund: 9510 Parkwood St. in Kansas City, MO 64137. He can use all our support.
More good news. Dave’s art may be picked up by Segal Fine Art. That will mean that his historic art from the early years of Easyriders will be printed on the finest paper, framed, signed, numbered and available once again to the public. Look up Segalfineart.com and tell them your anxious to see and buy Dave’s classic biker art.
SOUTHERN CHOPPER SHOW–Just wanted to drop you guys a note about the Southern Chopper show I watched on the Discovery network the other night. You guys are the creme of the crop. Watching how you form flat sheet metal into tanks etc was simply awesome. These other bike builders (occ) buy almost all of their parts made by some other company then just put it together, very little of their stuff is made in house. Keep kicking their butts. Can’t wait till the next show.
–Larry L. Covington
WARNING SIGNS–The attached picture shows a sign in Japanese metro trains,”Priority seats for…………….” from left to right:
1. person with injured arm
2. person holding a child
3. pregnant woman
4. person with injured leg
AMA URGES MOTORCYCLISTS TO TAKE ACTION IN WAKE OF JANKLOW SENTENCE– PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is urging motorcyclists nationwide, many of whom share the AMA?s disappointment in the light sentence imposed on former U.S. Representative Bill Janklow last week, to take constructive action to help prevent similar injustices from happening in the future.
The AMA soon will announce a legislative-action strategy and a public-awareness campaign targeting inadequate sentencing laws in South Dakota and nationwide. The program will include events that coincide with the 2004 Black Hills Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota.
?The sentence imposed on Mr. Janklow is an affront to all motorcyclists, and it?s time to act,? said Edward Moreland, Vice President of AMA Government Relations. ?But protests and symbolic gestures aren?t enough — we need to take the kind of action, nationally and locally, that changes the way the justice system sentences drivers who kill motorcyclists.?
Janklow, who was convicted December 8, 2003, of second-degree manslaughter and three other counts related to a traffic crash that claimed the life of a Minnesota motorcyclist, was sentenced on January 22 to 100 days in the Minnehaha County Jail. Janklow will not have to spend time in the South Dakota State Penitentiary, and he could be eligible for a work-release program after 30 days in jail.
Maybe ABATE and other MRO?s should contact the AMA and get involved with their program. If people do not have contacts there let me know and I will hook them up.
–Rogue
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