NEWS WORTHY: chris fiaccone auctions bike for hospitalized friend

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I'm re-blogging this gut wrenching story from Michiel's BMW Cafe Racer blog. Please take the time to read it and spread the word:








"I received an email from Chris Fiaccone today. This is what it said:

A couple months ago, my best friend from childhood broke every vertebrae in his neck--and we know what that means. He's a cop in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma USA and was off duty having a pint with his father. A fight broke out at the pub, and the bartender--knowing he was a cop--asked if he could help usher the fight outside. During the process, two guys picked him up and slammed him on his head--immediately breaking his neck and concussing him. The guys then stomped on his head, jeering about what they did to a cop. My friend has 4 young kids, and though he'll likely survive, he will never be the same.

On May 1, there is a fundraiser at the 51st Street Speakeasy (1114 NW 51st St, Oklahoma City, OK 73118-4408) to help his family. I'm donating this bike (http://www.motofiaccone.com/moto/40-cl350-cafe-racer/129-cl350-scafe-racer-alt-flats) to the fundraiser. Is there any way you can help promote the 1.) what has happened to a police office 2.) the event and 3.) the bike donation. It would get people extremely exited to see a bike they are buying on auction featured on your blog . Any promotional help is well appreciated. 

First of all: The world needs guys like this, so the world needs to show it's thankful for people like Chris' friend. And I think Chris deserves a lot of credit for offering his bike to be actioned off.
Please reblog, repost, retweet, email, facebook link, whatever you can think of."

NEWS WORTHY: off to the detroit thunderdrome!

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 Last year, a group of Detroit-do-gooders decided to put the elbow grease into cleaning up and mildly restoring the outdoor velodrome at Dorais Park in Detroit. Weeds were overgrown and forcing their way through the cracked cement of the 'drome, making it some pretty rugged territory. But if you want to start anything "grassroots" right now, Detroit is the place to do it. Volunteers poured in and helped out cleaning up, and the Detroit Thunderdrome emerged from the ashes ( / years of garbage). 




This Saturday, the 30th, marks the second race on Thunderdrome pavement, and the first of this season. It's a run-what-you-brung style race. There really aren't many restrictions, just categories. If you've got something small with 2 wheels and a motor, come out and put it to the track. Visit the Thunderdrome's homepage for more info.





I try to make it back to Detroit at least a few times a year. This race will likely become one of those annual trips. Hopefully I'll bring back some lovely photos of the race, and possibly some sneak peak shots of the on-going builds of a few Detroit friends.

Looking forward to see you Detroit folk...and some 2-stroke carnage.

MERCH: classified moto limited run screen prints

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As the story gos, John Ryland of Classified Moto was recently relieved of his day job in advertising. Sometimes having the blanket of security ripped out from under you is exactly what it takes to light the fire under something great. John's response was to focus all of his effort into moving forward with the Classified Moto custom shop.

This makes me happy. I'm thrilled to see people of a creative professional background finally intertwining their skills with custom motorcycle shops.

John and the team are now turning out bikes and merch faster then ever. Recently released are a run of limited edition screen prints. Each hand-pulled screen print is done on 100-lb cover weight Speckletone French paper and measures either 26" x 40" or 40" x 26". There will only be 50 done of each design. They can be had for $52 each at the new Classified Moto webshop.

Classified Moto's on staff artists behind the prints are Adam Ewing, Adam Stockton, Cindy Hicks and lately Bob Ranew and Ricky Henry.

I just put my order in for Tania and the Yamazuki. No more bare walls. Rejoice.




MERCH: going postal

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Not many things get me more excited then when a package is placed on my desk at work. Mainly because I know it's either BMW/Honda parts, new apparel I impulsively bought off the internet without ever seeing in person, or.....MYSTERY BOX!  <---which was the case today.

Turns out it was my hardcopy of Nathan Millward's Going Postal. Very excite.



If you're in the US, and want a hard copy (Kindle version is available on Amazon), then you'll need to contact Nathan through his personal site, http://www.thepostman.org.uk/ 

He'll even write ya a little something ...


Looks as though the Gauntlet has been thrown...

For more on what the book is about, check out a short write up I did previously here.

The story on Lucky Clothes Pin #136 is that he was using them as box spacers. ...not to say they're not lucky. I've already made mine into a pendant.


GEAR: alpinestars hero glove

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Vintage and safe! 


In my quest for a moto jacket, I've found that there are really only a hand full of companies out there that cater to the more modern/vintage riders. Alpinestars' new "Hero" gloves have that vintage look, with a tasteful modern twist.



They come in both Khaki and Black. You can pick them up for $49.95 over at the Alpinestars webstore.


Gauntlet style versions can be had for $54.95.

DAILY INSPIRATION: deus ex machina's "the shank"

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...back from the weekend with more goodies. Deus' Bali outfit recently released a custom by the name of "The Shank." The bike was a full on customer vision build. The frame and engine came from a Yamaha SX225, while the front end and swing arm were sourced from a GS 250.




If there's one thing Deus does well, it's scramblers. The wire wheels and Firestone ANS tires really help to set the aesthetic. 
Deus has a very skilled craftsman by the name of Bagio that hand sculpts a lot of their tanks. A beautifully primal process - he sits on the ground Indian style, with a hammer and blow torch, and bangs these things into fruition. You can read more on Bagio's work  here.





For more photos and info on the Shank, head on over to Deus' Bali Blog.

NEWS WORTHY: the coolest electric city bike?

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With gas prices in the states sky rocketing into summer, people are feeling the burn more then ever. I know I am - it's actually one of the reasons I finally pulled the trigger on a bike (my 24 year old BMW takes premium and gets 12 mpg around Chicago...)

Motorcycles are a great substitution for cars, getting 2-3x the MPG's...but they still run on that soon to be $5/gal gas. "So why not get something with 2 wheels that's electric?" says Captain Practical. The vintage bike crowd just isn't the market to "Go Green" by getting onto something with 8" wheels that's covered in plastic and handles like a Big Wheel. The age old rival of mods vs. rockers has seemed to hold true. However there looks to be hope. Brooklyn Motorized may have the remedy to please those vintage, gas conscious, riders looking for some low cost, good looking, and sporty electric transportation around the city.


17" wire wheels, flat tracker seat, single round headlight, a frame inspired by the Feather Bed, and virtually zero plastic? Yea, I'd ride that.

Her range is 35 miles, with a top speed of 60mph. Weight clocks in around 230lbs and she takes about 3-4 hours to fully charge. 







Availability starts in the Summer of 2012, and it'll run you $5,999. Check out Hell For Leather's interview with Jim Carden and Wes Cox of Brooklyn Motorized, and don't forget to cash in on that 10% tax break for being so environmentally conscious you green devil you.