petrali pics!

I flew to Milwaukee on Tuesday to go to the HD museum. It was a fun time. We looked at a lot of bikes, but this crazy bike kind of drew me in. I figured you would enjoy some of the pics I took of it.

on my way out the door

Hey guys it is 9:30 pm, I am flying to Milwaukee at 5:30 this morning. I have to drive two hours to get to my plane, but I just couldn't bear the thought of not posting something for your viewing pleasure. I should be back in a few days, have a fun tuesday and humpday.

Motorcycles jumping through flaming hoops

I was thinking about how cool this is while I was working today. I am going to build a flaming hoop and a ramp and try it on my 36 next summer. I am pretty excited, it will make a great picture and youtube video. If anybody reading this has experience with driving knuckleheads through flaming hoops and has some advice or input on the subject, please fill me in.


The only thing wrong with this photo is the bike. It would be so much better if the bike was a pre war knucklehead. What do you guys think?

Edmund and his azure blue 48 FL

This is a great pic that my friend Monte Rougemont took of my dad and I with Edmund Nielson and his 48 panhead. He owned this bike since 1952ish. He lived in Roslyn South Dakota. Edmund had a ton of neat mechanical stuff-neat cars, trucks, this bike and even an airplane. He was a cool old bachelor and lived in a house with no hot water or electricity. All of his possessions kind of doubled as his social life, because a lot of people would come and try and buy them from him. I never tried to buy his bike, I just liked hanging out with him and talking about mechanical stuff, and his life through the years. I really was amazed at the level that somebody could function at with out electricity and running water, I can't even imagine my life without my blackberry, and Edmund didn't even have running water. Edmund passed away a couple years ago, and all of his stuff was sold at an estate sale.


I think that I am probably 19 or 20 in this pic. It just seems like yesterday. I helped Edmund fix some oil leaks on his bike and get it running for the Vinegar festival that Roslyn has every year. He let me ride the 48 in the parade. He always had a huge smile even though he had three teeth. I miss him. My buddy John bought his bike at the estate sale, so at least I still get to see the motorcycle a couple of times a year.

Here is a pic of Edmund and I with our 48s.

Oil tank sight guage progress

This morning I checked my email and was pleasantly surprised to see some pictures of the trial run of our new oil gauges. The mold shop is having some difficulties with the center pin coming out of the mold and making a concentric hole. You can see the irregularities in these trial samples.. I know they will get it perfected. It makes me so happy to see a project like this progressing along.


Here is the revised box, I had our shop's website and my blog's address put on the box. Shameless self promotion 101, take notes.

Chino's Bike in THE WILD ONE

What a great picture!!!! When I was in Colorado earlier this month Mike lichter asked if my dad and I could build a replica of Chino's bike for his annual Sturgis Display. This is a pretty rare opportunity, and I am happy that we get to be included in the event. This years theme is "Rebel Rousers" and it is filled with iconic bikes that inspired people to get involved with motorcycling. I accepted with out even knowing what type of bike Chino had. The bike is a 49 or 50 panhead and we will build a good replica of the movie bike, it will be kind of crusty and ratty just like the bike in these pictures. Although the bike won't be a good representation of our work, I am still excited to be involved with a neat project like this. Mike is flying into South Dakota in a couple of weeks and we are going to do a tech article on turning our 53 panhead or 49 panhead into a replica of the bike. My dad and I are not sure which bike to use yet, but we will figure it out.


In this scene you can see the car shift knob, 41 to 46 speedo, and Chino's cool belt.




Notice the lack of a dash bolt, kind of a neat little detail.



The panhead that they turned into the movie bike must have been pretty decked out look at all of the holes in the top of the fender. I am not going to drill an extra 16 holes in an oem rear fender for the display. This is the one detail that I will not copy. The display will be at the buffalo chip campground all week long at this years sturgis.

Chino's Bike part 2

Here is a pic of chino rolling into town with his gang

Front 3/4 shot. The bike is pretty much a stock 49 or 50 panhead with the front fender removed, custom exhaust tip, flanders bars, wla bags and some extra junk removed.

Here is a good pic, notice the full rear fender.

Another good pic, Here you can see the sergeant strips on the rear fender. Check out the toolbox and 16 inch front wheel. This bike was turned into a bobber with the absolute bare minimum of work. It should be pretty easy to recreate.

Here is the iconic pic. NLAMC is providing a chino jersey for the Sturgis display, check them out at www.nlamc.blogspot.com

Chino

some old pics and a new one!

This is some big piece of wood that my dad shellacked a bunch of photos on. He did it back in the seventies when he was a shitty mechanic and had a bunch of spare time lol. There are a ton of cool pics on this of mid 70s bikes in California.


Look at this vagrant, it's my dad, he is probably my age in this pic. geez get a haircut man



That hair do is party in the front and party in the back, must have been the time period.

This is a shovelhead that he built in his house, something fell on it right before he was going to fire it up and the right tank got smashed in. We still have the tank, Check out the pic below

Here is the 64 duoglide I am wiring up today, I was routing the switch to fork terminal wire and needed a gas tank, so I got this neat old dented red one off of the wall.

Departure Flyer from this past April

Here is the flyer for the open house that Brian Klock and I went to this past April. It was a fun of time spending time with Brian and Lee Clemmons, and all the guys at Departure Bike works.