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BIKERNET CARIBBEAN REPORT–When you have a chance to see more of the World, not just only what goes on in the US, sure we have a pretty big American influence here in Puerto Rico. But we also have better contact with the rest of what goes on in the World. We happen to be pretty lucky and have friends in the industry all over. We receive magazines from Japan, Sweden, France and Finland, to name a few.
It’s interesting to see what is going on in those places bike wise, or chopper wise. For example Vibes from Japan, 316 high quality pages, pretty impressive. Since I don’t understand Japanese, I just look at the pictures, but like someone said a zillion years ago, a picture is worth a thousand words. I have the Daytona issue so there’s a lot of bikes I have seen before, but one thing, the magazine shows only choppers, old school choppers if possible. The craze in Japan is for older stuff. There’s many ads of simply ! built “old school” new bikes. I mean, if you have seen Zero’s stuff, the style is very similar. As well as the old parts, a lot of the ad pages are filled with older repro parts, grips, twisted springers, helmets and the such, very few if any ” billet” stuff. This very interesting to me, one nation that is known as the top producer of ultra high tech gadgetry lays back in the form of the old bikes, the Americana that keeps linging around after so many years. To be fair I don’t know if there’s other magazines in the land of the rising sun, Vibes is the only one I have seen, but the looks of it and the massive publication, Old School rules in Japan. (You missed Hard Core Choppers, Japan.–Bandit)
Let’s take Kopteri in Finland as another example. Those guys have to suffer thru inhumane winters. Most of the bikes there are choppers as well, old motors, old style, a lot of hand fabricated parts and tricks. Of course the riding season is very short, so they have time to work on those bikes, and perfect them. In this magazine you see anything from Hondas, to Beemers, Trumps and Harleys, since the actual Big Twins are pretty limited in such a country and the prices sky high. It normal to see choppers built from the ground up and most of the parts hand made by the owner.
Same as Sweden and Scan Bike, the Swedish style is a bit different and there’s such a big market there for Choppers that a few companies are totally dedicated to them, such as Tolle or Flathead Power. This Scandinavian countries are total nuts for long ass choppers. Most are on the verge or being barely legal, but that is what rocks their boat. They also have a keen eye for detail, since once again their winters are long and hard. I think I have talked about Freeway here before. I notice style changes as the climates get warmer. Those guys mix the greaser and Kustom Kulture style, with motards and street fighters. Some of the bikes in french magazines are more elaborate, some even fuckin weird, but I have seen a few of those bikes, including Belgium, that are totally insane and cool as shit !
They also are heavy into the Old School theme, the rock a billy look, pompadours and cuffed Levi’s, riding atop a pretty cool bobber with red rims and white walls. But you also see the high tech billetry bikes that we see rolling (or trailered) in the US. I see a lot of mix and match and precise bodywork in the French magazines, amongst the latest of the late in US building, Jesse James and Billy Lane are common faces in their pages.
Germany has several magazines, we have seen the spartan “farm tractor” preferences of German builders, kinda like the bikes Exile builds in California, but also a lot of overdone, carbon copies of American bikes. Germans are known for their craftsmanship, their eye for detail and machinery domination. The German choppers have an unusual flavor. Also on the lower echelons there’s a taste for the old stuff, and you can see really cool bikes like the smooth flowing Walz Hardcore that are really clean.
From Spain we have received Custom Machines, it’s loaded with similar bikes as it’s French counterpart, but also the Spaniards are big in the street fighter scene and really weird looking hybrids between let’s say a Ducati Monster and a Sportster. We have even received magazines from Brazil, but I was way too busy checking out the Carioca beauties in minimal bikinis to notice the bikes. I caught some Harley style bikes, but also a lot of Jap speed bikes and even dual purpose.
I know this is a world wide site, we reach everyone and their mothers , but most don’t have the chance to write here. I don’t know if it’s interesting to our readers to keep an eye on the chopper matters of the World, but it certainly is to me.One thing I note from all this magazine overload, is that the Old School bikes and the choppers are ruling the land. These people have a deep respect for the past, for the beginning of “chopperism” as we know it, and we shall not abandon it. We’ve got to keep close to our roots, since without past, there’s no present.
See, I can write a whole story without bashing anyone……..Let’s see next week….
And now to the News….
We have been told that the crew from Orange County Choppers had a space leased (kind of a Disco) in Myrtle Beach and were charging 2 bucks or so for access to their bikes and autographs… Maybe this is a landmark on what high visibility builders will do in the future. I hope not. Oh well.. maybe it’s to pay for all those TV shows…. Who knows ??
Jesse James was featured last Monday at the David Letterman show, he ” presented” New York City with the flavor of how to turn a Hot Dog cart into a 1200 hp dragster. He pulled it off even after all permits got cancelled for driving the beast down the street. Watch for the actual transformation….
Discovery Channel is at it again, the week end of May 31st will be loaded with pure motorcycle shows, and I mean, our kind of motorcycles…. Check you local listings for dates and time.
Speaking of Discovery and Jesse, keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming issue of The Horse, where the man get’s down and dirty, the no bull interview. Soon grasshopper…soon…
And speaking of The Horse, The 4th Smoke Out is coming pretty soon, for more info get the mag or check their site……
More on The Horse…. at last I have gotten my own bit in the magazine. In upcoming issues I will have a section to vent my thoughts… More or less what I do here week after week….So I’m going to save some bitterness and sarcasm for the mag pages…. You guys can’t get all the good stuff all the time…Right ? Keep your eyes peeled and my e-mail address handy…. Hell will be a cool place after I’m done.
As I have been promising for a few weeks now (yeap just like you were a hot chick I was trying to bang) here’s a couple shots of the build progress. I hope by next week we will have some more… We are putting a lot of overtime on this chop (yeap so what is fuckin’ new…) But there’s a lot more to come.
Well guys…I’m keeping this short and sweet, gotta go back and grease them paws a bit more, if I ever want to make it on time to the damn Smoke Out……
–Jose Bikernet Caribbean Report,,, (and a very mild one I might add)
SPECIAL HARLEY-DAVIDSON DISPLAY TO HONOR 100TH ANNIVERSARY AT RENO’S NATIONAL AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM– Reno, NV-This is the 100th anniversary of that remarkable American icon, the Harley-Davidson motorcycle and to mark the occasion the National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection) will feature an amazing collection of these marvelous machines, May 21 through Sept. 29.
The Museum exhibit, “Harley-Davidson Centennial,” is sponsored by Harley-Davidson of Reno.
The Harley motorcycles will be on display in the Museum’s changing exhibits gallery and all from the collection of Ronald Paugh, President of Paughco, Inc., in Carson City, Nev.
Along with the 16 Harleys that will be displayed there will be clothing, images, collectibles and the history of this now 100-year-old company.
The Harleys on exhibit will take visitors through the history of the company starting with a 1915 Model 11-J. The others include: a 1927 Peashooter race bike, 1938 Knuckle Head, 1941 Flat Head, 1942 WLA Military, 1946 Knuckle Head Bobber, 1948 125 Model S, 1957 Hydra Glide, 1961 Duo Glide, 1965 Electric Glide, 1972 Super Glide, 1978 Low Rider, 1980 XR750 racing bike and a present day custom chopper. There will also be the Captain America chopper from the 1969 movie classic “Easy Rider.”
A YOUNG WOMAN FROM BIKERNET– A young woman was so depressed that she decided to end her life by throwing herself into the ocean. She went down to the docks and was about to leap into the frigid water when a handsome young sailor saw her tottering on the edge of the pier crying.
He took pity on her and said, “Look, you’ve got a lot to live for. I’m off to Europe in the morning, and if you like, I can stow you away on my ship. I’ll take good care of you and bring you food every day.”
Moving closer he slipped his arm round her shoulder and added: “I’ll keep you happy, and you’ll keep me happy”. The girl nodded yes. After all, what did she have to lose?
That night, the sailor brought her aboard and hid her in a lifeboat. From then on every night he brought her three sandwiches and a piece of fruit and they made passionate love until dawn.
Three weeks later, during a routine inspection, she was discovered by the captain. “What are you doing here?” the Captain asked.
“I have an arrangement with one of the your sailors,” she explained. “I get food and a trip to Europe, and he’s screwing me.”
“He sure is, lady,” the Captain said. “This is the Staten Island Ferry.”
THAT’S ALL I CAN STAND–In an hour a Goliath bike-in-a-box kit is being delivered to our door. We’re going to build it at the headquarters and bring you reports on our progress. Brought to life, it will promote the Beach Ride, September 7, at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Black Oak Arkansas will be one of the headliners.
We will flush out the Custom Chrome kit with a Bandit touch, surfer’s image on the tanks and Beach Ride logos. It will be for sale in September. You’ll see it sparkle here on Bikernet and in American Rider magazine.
It’s been a wild day, the sun is out, we turned the lights out at noon and hid out for an hour. I need to clear out the garage, then plan for a wild Tattoo Convention weekend. Have a helluva holiday.
–Bandit
