The roar of a jet liner filled the phone lines as I attempted to call Ralph Randolph of Knockout Motorcycles. “What the hell?” Ralph said departing his Airbus A320 in Philly after a six-hour flight from Portland. “I need to get to Hooters for some chow. Call me back.”
Ralph is a pilot for U.S. Air, but when he’s not at 500 mph, while 30,000 feet from earth, he’s designing parts in Phoenix for Knockout motorcycles. Ralph’s been a biker to the bone for over two decades, a boxer and cross-country rider. Plus, he works his ass off and smiles in the process. We’ve been trying to hook up for over two months to cover the Easyriders Chillicothe Rodeo giveaway bike for John Green, the ER show and rodeo boss.
Here are the elements: We needed permission from the editor of Easyriders to run some of Mike Lichter’s shots, we needed a shot from Steve Blevins, the winner who danced on the Chillicothe stage, afraid to sit on his new bike. We needed to interview Ralph and get some additional shots from Matty, one of the Knockout Crew members. I needed a tech chart from Knockout VP, Kenny Lucas. I also needed to speak to Mr. Green about the contest, whether Easyriders would offer the contest again, the rules, etc. “Leave me alone,” John Green hollered, “Really crazy right now setting up the Lonestar Rally. Yes, we give away a bike every year at the Chillicothe Rodeo.”
Guess that was it for the Green Machine. I kept digging. This writing business ain’t all peaches and crème, everyday. It’s not all sex scenes and Jack Daniels. There’s times, broke down in the desert, taking notes and interviewing tarantulas while trying to find a beer can to siphon fuel. That brings me back to this tale of trials and a bitchin’ custom bike giveaways at the biggest, longest lasting motorcycle rodeo in the US.
Chillicothe, Ohio is nestled into the rolling hills that hinge on the Appalachia Mountains. “It’s redneck bar country,” Mike Cole, a long-standing bike builder from Piketon, Ohio, 20 miles away, told me. “That damn rodeo is the Granddaddy of Buffalo Chips, if ya know what I mean. It’s the most perverted thing, and they recently built a new highway right to the fairgrounds door.”
If you’re up for this sorta wild wanton action in late August ride to the center of the state, Columbus, and turn south on 23, heading toward Portsmouth, on the Ohio river, part of the historic Erie Canal system. You’ll experience adult only action, women so wild, they’ll make your nose bleed, and motorcycle riding like you’ve never seen before. There are sled pulls that match any NHDRA drag racing, slow races that should be considered circus acts. Barrel races reminding men of flat track racing in the ‘40s except more challenging and folks do shit with motorcycles never seen before on earth. That’s why over 20,000 riders motored in from all over the country annually for the 21st ER Rodeo from August 30th to September 3rd. It’s the last Rodeo of the ER season and the grand finale.
This year, one of the major draws was a Knockout Motorcycle (480-279-1734) giveaway on Saturday at the grandstands. Every individual, who bought an entrance ticket, and didn’t scale the fence to party, was automatically entered. The winning individual had to be standing in front of the grandstands during the ticket pull by Miss Easyriders. When she pulled the winning ticket, if you weren’t around, you lost.
She pulled it and Steve Blevins, of Sardina, Ohio, reached into his tattered Levis, removed three condoms, rolling papers, a book of matches, a handful of small change and his crumpled ticket. He read the marred numbers over and over. Were they really the matching numbers? He couldn’t believe it. John Green, the master of ceremonies, on stage shouted the numbers to the rambunctious crowd once more. “Come on,” he shouted in the mike. “The winner’s got to be here. Ya got ten seconds or I’ll pull another ticket.”
Steve looked at the faded ticket with tiny numbers in his dust covered palm and hesitated, for fear he didn’t really have the numbers, his stars weren’t aligned to be the winner, by fate he read the numbers wrong, or… oh, what the fuck. He lifted his hand containing the magic ticket in the air and said, “Think I got it!”
Easyriders graciously gave away two bikes at the 2006 Chillicothe Rodeo, one from the gate tickets and one via the computer kiosks. Folks can sign up all weekend long on the computers and the winner does not need to be present for the Sunday Bike Giveaway. Dorian of Carolina Customs built that scooter. “S&S, Baker and I worked very closely to bring these 2 custom giveaways to our people, with the finest drivetrains on earth,” John Green piped up.
Ralph was jumping off a plane in Columbus as Steve stumbled up the wooden steps to the grandstand to check out his new ride. The tickets were number-checked and confirmed. The weather was clear and warm on the outskirts of the paper mill town. This wasn’t the Easyriders Centerfold Tour bike Ralph built but a separate build specifically for the Rodeo Giveaway. The Knockout Cheap Shot Bobber is a one-off build. Ralph doesn’t build groups of bikes for dealers. He builds one bike at a time for a specific customer. He has various models to start with, like this Cheap Shot for about $18,500, but each bike has a custom touch for a specific client.
For instance this scooter has John Harvey, water-jet cut fender struts for the Easyriders clan, and six proprietary Ralph Randolph Designs products including the exhaust system, forward controls, seat-pan and shocks, kicker pedal and license plate bracket. Since Ralph donated his time and products to the effort, other industry folks stepped up to assist including Paughco for the Springer, Chopper Guys for the frame, Baker donated the trans, S&S supported the engine, CCI stepped up with the tank and JC at his shop AJ's Customs covered the paint.
Ralph used his ghost finish paint technique to support the sponsors. “I don’t consider these bikes bobbers,” Ralph told me from a bustling Philly Hooters, while trying to snatch a bite to eat. I could swear I heard girls giggling in the background. “I like to think they are old school influenced choppers, but refined. We only use top of the line components. No junk, used parts or foreign made parts.”
Ralph stuffed his face, and hit it to the hotel. His schedule demanded that he rise and shine a 5:00 a.m. and fly back to Phoenix, so he could be at the shop building bikes by 10:00 a.m. “We were proud to be apart of the Centerfold Tours and this promotion,” Ralph said, but I could tell he was nodding. Hell, I am nodding. I’ve been chasing this story for a couple of months. I kept after it, ‘cause I like what Ralph builds. They’re rideable agile simple, tough bikes.
I hope I covered the lot, efficiently and with an entertaining twist. If not, I’m sure someone will point out whatever I fucked up. How about a Corona?
–Bandit
BUILDER: Ralph Randolph Designs
MAKE: Knockout Motorcycles 480-279-1734
OWNER:Steve Blevins
YEAR:2007 – KNOCK OUT MOTORCYCLE CO.
MODEL:EASYRIDER TOUR GIVEAWAY BIKE – CHEAP SHOT BOBBER
FABRICATION:RALPH RANDOLPH & KEN LUCAS
ASSEMBLY:RALPH RANDOLPH & KEN LUCAS
PAINT:AJ’S CUSTOMS
POWDERCOAT:VALLEY INDUSTRIAL PAINTING
ENGINE:
YEAR / MODEL:2007 S&S SHOVEL HEAD
DISPLACEMENT:93”
AIR CLEANER:RALPH RANDOLPH DESIGNS – SIGNATURE SERIES
EXHAUST:RALPH RANDOLPH DESIGNS – SIGNATURE SERIES
TRANSMISSION:
MODEL:BAKER “FRANKEN-TRANNY” – 6 in a 4 / KICK ONLY!!!
KICK PEDAL:RALPH RANDOLPH DESIGNS – SIGNATURE SERIES
PRIMARY:1.5” H-D OPEN BELT
FRAME:
YEAR / MODEL:2006 CHOPPER GUYS
RAKE:35 DEGREES
BACKBONE:+2” STRETCH
DOWNTUBE:0” STRETCH
FORKS:PAUGHCO SPRINGER / CHROME
FWD CONTROLS:RALPH RANDOLPH DESIGNS – SIGNATURE SERIES
LIC. PLT FRAME:RALPH RANDOLPH DESIGNS – SIGNATURE SERIES
BODY WORK:
GAS TANK:CCI / JAMMER – MODIFIED
REAR FENDER:CUSTOM CHROME
FRONT FENDER:NONE
OIL BAG:RALPH RANDOLPH DESIGNS – SIGNATURE SERIES
SEAT PAN:RALPH RANDOLPH DESIGNS – SIGNATURE SERIES
HAND CONTROLS:CUSTOM
MIRROR:YES
HANDLEBARS:SUPER BAR
HEADLIGHT:SMALL
TAIL LIGHT:LED – CAT EYE
SEAT COVER:BILL’S LEATHER WORKS
WHEELS, BRAKES, and TYRES:
WHEELS:BLACK BIKE WHEELS – CANDY RED POWDERCOAT (HUB &HOOP) w/ STAINLESS STEEL SPOKES
BRAKE (ROTORS):POLISHED
SPROCKET:REVERSE DISHED
BRAKE (CALIPERS):GMA (FRONT) / HD (REAR)
TYRES:AVON VENOM 90/90-21 FRONT & 180/55ZR18 REAR
CORPORATE TOUR SPONSORS:
S&S – 93” SHOVEL HEAD MOTOR
BAKER DRIVETRAIN – 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION
LUCAS OIL – LUBRICATION
INDEPENDENT SPONSORSHIP:
AVON TYRES – SUKOSHI, LARRY, & JOHN
CHOPPER GUYS – FRAME / MIKE
CUSTOM CHROME – BRAKES
RALPH RANDOLPH DESIGNS – DESIGN & CONCEPT
VALLEY INDUSTRIAL PAINTING –
POWDERCOATING / COLE
AJ’S CUSTOMS – PAINTING & LETTERING / J.C.
HEAD WATERJET – CUSTOM PARTS / JOHN HARVEY
GEC ENGINEERING – MACHINING WORK / CHRIS NICOLLS
LEATHER SEAT & TOOLING – BILL TENNANT
INNOVATIVE SEALING SOLUTIONS – GASKETS &
SEALS / KIM HOLMESLEY
SPECIAL THANKS:
AVON TYRES – SUKOSHI, LARRY, & JOHN
CHOPPER GUYS – MIKE
HEAD WATERJET – CUSTOM PARTS / JOHN HARVEY
AJ’S CUSTOMS – PAINTING & LETTERING / J.C. MASON
VALLEY INDUSTRIAL PAINTING –
POWDERCOATING / COLE VARNER
GEC ENGINEERING – MACHINING WORK / CHRIS NICOLLS
POLISHING – SAM “SAMMY” BARRON
BILL’S LEATHER WORKS – LEATHER SEAT / BILL TENNANT
