“the way it was & still should be”
At Church
With Willie Behind His Tattoo Shop, Tropical @ 825 Yonge St EVER 4th Sunday 10am Church 11am We RideLocal Bars Or A Long Ride of 100+ Miles
Cochise CHOPS Magazine
This magazine is NOT politically correct!!! We deal with mainly old bikes, old cars, old people and young folks who have their heads on straight, who are tired of status quo, and walking on egg shells so as to keep the peace. Socialism & Liberalism SUCKS!!! We bleed Red, White & Blue!!! cochisechops@yahoo.com or (386) 690-6270
CHOP’s Salesman, Shiny (386) 278-3370
“Where Old School “NEVER” Went Out Of Style!!!”
On The Cover
Jo Jo’s Newly Built
Panhead
Most Photos Taken Of Me By Many or Mailed To Me
Dec. 1: Daytona Abate Monthly Meeting
Dec. 1: Swap Meet Webster
Dec. 8: Swap Meet @ Morse’s
Dec. 11: NATIONAL PEARL HARBOR DAY!!!
Dec. 16: Mystery Ride The Boat Bar 10AM $5 (includes meal)
Dec. 21: Winter (?) Begins
Dec. 25: MERRY CHRISTMAS
Dec. 31: New Years Eve
Read CHOPS Online NOW At: cochisechopsmag.com
Services:
*Volusia Powder Coating, NSB
*Street Thunder, HD, Mims, FL
*Wind Walker’s Leather
The Most Read Magazine
In The Daytona Area
*V Twin Spealities (386) 310*8333
Other Services:
*Wind Walker’s Leather
*Sorry Charlies, Samsula, FL
*The Last Resort Bar, Port Orange
*A Ok Guns, New Smyrna Beach
*Once Upon A Wall Murals & Paintings
*Tropical Tattoo (386) 672*1888
Chops
4
Watering Holes:
*The Boot Hill Saloon On Main
*The Boot Hill Outpost, Ormond
*Pirate’s Pub, Paisley, FL
*Walden’s Bar, Daytona Beach
*The Boat Bar, Port Orange, FL
*The Most Read Magazine
*Foxhead Lounge In Osteen, FL
*Annie Oakley’s Ormond Beach
Take A Ride South On Route 1 To Mims, FL For Whatever You Need These Men Are Good People ~ Cochise
Chops 5 Have You Stopped In To See Big Paul, Lately? You Won’t Be Sorry!!!
It was my Birthday 2020, We Rode Over & Camped At The R.I.P. Run. We Stopped & Eat Mexican in Ocala On The Way Home. It Was A GREAT Day!!! One Of My Favorite Pics Bro. Jerry Diers***Bro. Shaun Ponte***Cochise CHOPS
Chops 6
cochisechops@yahoo.com or (386) 690-6270
www.cochisechopsmag.com
People Who Owe Me Money:
Andi The Lawyer From Brevard County, An Oral Contract With A Witness, $2,000.00 & Others!!!
Thanks Val Smith from the Magazine RIDERS NOW for the beautiful write up and pics of our Blue Plate Special Show & the Donations, that someone stole (GRRRR)! You’re the best. RIDERS NOW is more of a West Florida Mag, but covers everything over here, and is a great sister & friend. Again thanks.
Also, you may have seen where I sneak pics from THUNDER ROADS & Ms. Beth for the magazine too. She does me so many favors in the print world. Beth & TJ are good people and produce a great mag, just like Val.
“Am I a real biker?” Our local lawyer finally gives us the answer, bout time, cause I wanted to know if I was or wasn’t!!!
Our attorney, Michael Politis, “Yes I ride, I love my old Shovelheads! (2 for 2 so far). Does a real biker start his bike on the side of the road with just a screw driver? Does a real biker go on Charity runs, even in the rain? (I’m 4 for 4, yippee), and does a real biker give back to his community when he can? Yes I am a real biker.”!!!
So I can agree with him on these things 100%, “I” am a real biker!!! Perhaps you can add a couple of other things to his list, but I’m just glad I made his grade, thank you sir! I mean he rides a Shovelhead in the rain and can fix it, while helping out our community, that’s beautiful man. Follow his lead, but don’t forget to add to, if.. ...Pg 10
Chops 7
God’s Corner By Cochise
“WHERE THE LOCALS” “HANG OUT”
About 1 Mile South Of I-95, On Hwy 1
FULL LIQUOR BAR ICE COLD BEER
BLOODY MARY SUNDAYS POOL
LARGE OUTDOOR PATIO
“Owned By The Best”
What comes to your mind when asked, “Are you a real motorcycle rider?” You need to add, cause you can’t take any of his 5 points away, right. So think about it, are you a rider?
1) Are there a certain amount of miles you need to ride?
2) How hard does it have to be raining before pulling off. (PS I don’t)
3) How deep can you go working on your scoot with only a screw driver? You can do a lot with just it. Check your firing! Fix a broken chain! Adjust points! Etc!
4) Make charity rides. Bikers are notorious for that. I don’t believe there is another organization, that’s scattered, that’s committed that gives out the money to charity as bikers do, agree?
But can you add anymore to his list? Like wearing fingerless gloves? Just joking!!! Can you add to it?
The best line of Chopper Time was from a cop who for 17 years worked the cross over from Publix to Tropical Tattoo, was telling a security guy hired from Publix, that him, the State Trooper and his partner had it under control and basically stay in the grocery store parking lot, “Asking people NOT to park there”, and they had the rest covered.
The hired hand in his golf cart finally calmed down and as usual nothing but good times for sure.
Shaun Ponte of Trailer Trash Choppers had a wreck on I-95 late on Nov. 24th. He is broke up pretty good. His back, his wrist & his nose. If you’re the praying sort, keep him in yours!
Merry Christmas from the CHOPS family, Ms. B, Sugar Baby, Cochise, Chris Ellis & the infamous Shiny!!!
May you receive all you want/need from the man above, Santa or the Lord, either way, be blessed and again MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Chops 10
Folks eating at the San Angelo Fat Stock show in San Angelo, Texas, 1939. The details here are overwhelming. I love the hat that the man with the toothpick in his mouth is wearing. That’s a REAL, working hat. This is so sharp that you can read the month and year on the calendar: November 1939. 85 years ago. The expressions, the clothing...you can just imagine the stories and why each of these people are there. Another stupendous offering from Russell Lee. (I believe the man standing is a cop or a banker, just rich! Cochise)
Saw this view I 45 South of Dallas.
Someone told me the first car on the left may have been an old Pontiac... #2 is a Bullet Nose Studebaker.. 3rd is a Hudson, (probably a 1950 as is likely the Studebaker a 50 or 51?
Saturday replayHere’s one you might have missed, first posted 18 June 2016Hondo Crouch, Mayor of Luckenbach, Texas - Kerrville Bluegrass Festival, Texas - 1 September 1975
— with Southwest Bluegrass Association and 4 others
A OK Guns
648 N Dixie Freeway
New Smyrna Beach FL (386) 410-6480
Michael Jones Jr. Proprietor
Top Cash Paid For Collectable Firearms, Memorabilla, Single Pieces & Estates Gifts For Christmas
Specializing In Collectable Firearms
Photo By Willie T. Jones
This Is My Wife’s Thing. Bianca Is So Talented & Can Really Liven Up Any Area With A Mural
745 S Beach St Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Home Of Cold Beer * Good Tunes * Friendly People
Cornhole Tournament Every Sunday at 1PM
9-Ball On Mondays at 7:30PM 8-ball On Wednesday at 7:30PM
Walden’s is celebrating their76th Anniversary all year, so stop by and wish Kaylynn & Crew the BEST!!! ~ Cochise
Come Hang Out With Us And Enjoy
A rare look inside the original HarleyDavidson Motorcycle factory, 1924.
Chops
Fully Dressed - This 1955 Harley Panhead was spotted by an onlooker at Daytona in 1959. The machine is decked out in a “Coney Island” style build full of lights and accessories. These flashy early motorcycle accessories such as the ones seen on this bike were often referred to as “farkles.”
A Saloon in Wyoming in the Late 1800s.
Ron Howard has spoken fondly of the six weeks spent filming the low budget movie ($750,000) with young George Lucas (28years old): “With the exception of Charlie Martin Smith, who was my age (18) the rest of the movie’s principals were significantly older than me and much more worldly-wise. Rick Dreyfuss, Paul Le Mat, Candy Clark, Harrison Ford, Bo Hopkins: these folks were anywhere from six to 12 years my senior. I initially took Cindy Williams to be my age because she looked so young, but I soon found out she was a seasoned, womanly 24...”
“Cindy, Charlie, and Rick were the actors I ended up hanging around with the most.... Time moves more slowly when you’re young, because life is still new to you, a process of discovery. Those six weeks felt more like six months, and all of us in the cast developed an extraordinary camaraderie, which was probably
George’s plan all along. We rooted for each other like teammates. Part of the bonding process lay in the upside-down nature of filming all night. This required us to get our sleep during the day, so we became a strange pod of weirdos living outside the norms of conventional society.... it was exhilarating.”
Chops 24
Friends From Years Ago
RIP Tin Man
Mel took this pic back in 1955 when riding his Triumph TR6 home from Ft Campbell, KY before the army sent him to Japan. Larry and him saw a sign on route 66 that had three miles next right dirt road to Kit Carson’s cave….Google found this about it….”One of the forgotten landmarks of old Route 66 is located near Gallup. It’s a spectacular sandstone formation called Kit Carson’s Cave. The entrance to the cave stands an imposing 50 feet high, while the inside goes back about 100 feet on an uphill slant. At the far end there is a wall that encloses a live spring.” Close to Gallup NM.
Source Mel Echelberger
Full
“A Cool Biker Bar In The County”
“A Great Great Ride To & Thru The County”
Photos By The Legendary Willie T. Jones
Strip off them shirts, grab a nice hot chick, someone take off & we’ll follow
Can we follow this younger group on our new Baggers? What stops us?
Douglas Shaw
Buil this in 73-76, buying one part at a time. I was going g to put a 12”over springer on it but my neighbor sold me the wide glide. 48 pan, 47 tranny ,48- 54 wishbone frame.
Old Daytona Beach - Daytona Beach, Fla. (1920s)
Harry Pepper, Built Pepp’s Pool & Bath House, Which Closed During The Great Depression. It Was Filled With Salt Water And Attracted Celebrities Which Included Johnny Weismuller
Mid 1970’s Chicago
Drop By Anytime And Have A Cold Drink & Listen To Al’s Great Stories “HOME OF”
Check Out Our Chopper Show During Bike Week In March
“The Perfect Woman”
“The Sexiest Lady That Ever Doned A Magazine”
Bottom: He’s riding an Iron Head Sporty, forget the other things, like shocks & age. If this cat can go cross country on that can not we, on M-8 or Twin Cam Baggers do it?
I Outran It!! I’m sooo tired! It’s dark and damp. I can’t see very much of anything. “What am I running from”? My legs are cramping, my heart is pounding, my lungs are burning! I can’t breath. A glance over my left shoulder, then my right, Nothing there! “What am I running from”? I can’t run anymore, but I have to! Where is everyone? I’m so frightened and alone! Tears are now running down my cheeks, but I’m not crying? Sweat is cascading down my forehead, but I’m not hot? “What am I running from”? A sudden trip and down I go, Hard! Damn It!! Another glance behind me, Nothing there! But someone, or something is about to grab me. No, NO, NOOO!!.....I lay there for a moment cold and shivering.
My eyes slowly close. No sounds, complete silence. No light, complete darkness. God help me.....Seemingly, as quickly as my eyes closed, two small slits of light greet them as I struggle to flutter them open. A short look around as far as my eyes will allow without moving my head, “This isn’t my room, this isn’t my home. Where am I”?
My ears were introduced to a soft, comforting voice that said “Hi, Donna. How are you feeling”? My low, scratchy, groggy voice muttered, “Ok, I guess. But where am I”? Again, the soft comforting voice reassured me, “You’re in the hospital, and the surgery was a complete success”! Oh, yea. Surgery. Now it all makes sense, I thought to myself. And it’s off to recovery. Night, Night.....
It is only by the Grace of God, who answered all of the Prayers from our family, friends, and maybe people we didn’t even know that I’m still here. I was frightened, but apparently Never Alone! We know God answers All of our Prayers, but sometimes the answer is No. But not this time. And as important as All of those Prayers were, and they were, there’s a few more aspects to this experience that helped me immeasurably. A positive attitude, supportive friends, (Thank You, Beth), a Great medical team, following ALL of their advises to the letter, (which I did), and the simple belief that I would “Outrun” this thing. And, of coarse the Love from my entire family. There’s simply not enough time left in my lifetime to repay everyone for their help. All I have to offer is my Heartfelt Thank You! So, “What was I running from”? Cancer!! As I sit here this 30th day of October of this year, I’m completely cancer free because..... I Outran It. Greg R.
This should be done for every Iconic/legend who was born here or lived here 20 to 50 years, that made their mark on the Motorcyclists way of life; they rode, they proved it. They talked it, cause they can. This idea shouldn’t be for club members only. Damn high cost of funeral homes, we fry them all now. Sad, Sad & Sad!!! Hell, if I’m still here, I expect a funeral & an escort to the cemetery, where they’ll bury my (too) urn. How did funerals go to $10,000 so fast, CAUSE THEY COULD, Like all the rest of mom & pops, Survival
Bettie Page photographed at the beach by Bunny Yeager, 1954. (Some say it’s not her, because of her bikini)
Barbara Grady
That would have been pretty outrageous in ‘54, but evidently she was an outrageous woman. Beautiful but whoa.
Cochise’s 70th Birthday Party
Chelby is back in town tattooing at Tropical Tattoo at 825 Yonge St, in Ormond Beach. Call (386) 672-1888 for an appointment with her, Ron Gray, Skully, Katie & OG Clay From A man who knows tats, these folks are GREAT!!!
Mystery Ride Oct. 26, 2024
Meet Here @ 10am KSU 11am
$5 Includes Meal & 50/50 Where The Locals & Bikers Hang Out
Open Daily 7am - 2am
“Get Rid Of Your Hangover Here”
Marvin Dew Deland Icon
Mechanic, Friend, Brother
The one that started all this shit from the beginning is Barack Obama. Jimmy Carter was a good old boy and so was Bill Clinton, I know they had their downfalls but so did the two Bushes and even Mr. Regan. But all this nonsense didn’t start with Carter Clinton Bush Regan. it started with Barrack Hussein Obama.
You Gotta Be Kidding
Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy! Another classic American bike show at O.B.’s in Deland!
Love, Love, Love a Great American Iron show wherever it is! Great weather, Great show, Great crowd, Great location! Almost standing room only, and they’re still rolling in! Two and Four wheels!
Live music on stage, an American band rocking the masses. Brews are trickling throughout the folks, Great food is passing from kitchen to tables, heads are bobbing to the tunes, and Pride is in the air! This is the kind of event that brings everyone together. Young, old, young at heart, and the young who wish they were way back when. Glad they’re here now, though. At least they appreciate what’s being presented and passed on to them. History, Pride, Creativity, Values, and Competition.
Hung out for some time. Enjoyed the eye candy, (the bike classes, not the women). Although, there was quite a bit of eye candy within the women as well!
Headed out with no particular direction nor plan. Winging it, as usual. Headed South on Highway 17-92 towards Orange City. Decided to hit the bike show out at Seminole Harley. You gotta be kidding!
Parked among the sea of cars and trucks, (there weren’t many bikes), and we would soon see, and hear why. This was a gathering of, well, people just to hear the radios?
Not a bike show, a radio show. We had actually stopped by to see a “Bike Show” and look to maybe buy a bike. Neither was the case. We made our way into the dealership to find the scoot we were looking for. Thank God you
Chops 52
couldn’t hear the “Noise” from outside. I guess they billed it as “music”, but Nothing could be further from the truth. And None of it was in English? The showroom was void of customers, just people shopping for merch. There were a handful of vendors with no lines in front of them. Surprise, Surprise! Sad!
You could have put All of this so called crowd into the Men’s room at O.B.’s with room to spare. By comparison, O.B.’s was wall to wall people. Seminole’s crowd would have fit in a thimble and rattled around like a BB in a boxcar. Didn’t seem worth their time at Seminole. Not sure what they were thinking, but it was their call. Very Disappointing. I think we’ll stick with the REAL bike shows from now on and stop venturing from what’s actually a REAL SHOW! Not knocking Seminole, Love Seminole. Knocking the event.
Directed our steps beck towards our ride, shaking our heads, as were others as they left, and saying to each other, as were others,........................You Gotta Be Kidding Gregg Riggle
Hey Greg, next time tell the about advertising their events in CHOPS Magazine................LOL.....................I know they are good people there, but like many HD Dealers, they think advertising in our small local mags are a waste of time & money, well, they are WRONG!!! ~ Cochise
Trailer Trash Choppers
Transforming Stock Softtails Into Beautiful Ridable Choppers
“PLEASE CHECK US OUT ON INSTAGRAM”
“One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure” Call (904) 315-1434 Or (386) 481-8898
It was the 4th Sunday and the day of the monthly FREEDOM RIDE, so we deviated a bit and decided to do a long run, to lake Okeechobee, where we found about every restaurant closed, but finally found a halfast pizza joint, expensive & maybe a 6 out of 10. But I mention this as it was the highlight of the trip!
Gary Raphel blew a head gasket in Mims. Teddy had a plug wire come off when we switched from 50 West to 520 East, heading to Nova Rd (Which I never found a road number for it), but was looking for CR419, which Varg & I found, but we had lost the rest of the people, (Which I hear was my fault)! Willie thought I said 528 so they got on the toll road somehow, who knows, other than it become a mess. Thank God for Life 360!!!
I’ve always been taught if the lead man loses a group, unintentionally, someone is usually with him, so the lead man pulls over in a safe place & waits, while 1 that is with him goes back and checks on the ones separated, as we did, but somehow they took 258 and the rest is
history, or I thought. I took an ass chewing by a couple but Will had me pin pointed on Life 360, and I waited over 45 minutes on them outside Okeechobee. But that wasn’t the worse thing that happened.
After much debate on how to come back home, because it gets dark so early now, that I-95 was chosen as our path. I think we got on at around mile marker 100.
Things were going great Shaun was leading from the right side of the lane then me & Varg was right on my butt. Some were around 160 mm, Shaun drops back some, so now it’s Varg & me, and it was getting very dark, in other words ALL headlights, bikes & cars all looked the same. Then I saw no one behind me but Varg who was now running next to me.
So we pulled over & my phone was ringing. It was Willie saying Shaun had a wreck just North of 163. Varg & I was at the 170, so we rode about 5 miles North to turn around. On the way back I saw something laying in the road, so as usual to warn a bike behind me (Varg), I stuck y right leg out to point to it, but I reckon I put my foot down to far, and it was bags of concrete, and when my right foot hit it, it pulled every muscle in my ankle, knee and hip. Varg hit it and went air born for a bit, going across one lane before hitting the grass, thank the good Lord above he pulled out of it. And headed on South. I was hurting like hell, and Varg was definitely shook up.
They were at the 163 but we had to go to the 156 to safely turn around, we did and finally back to the scene were Shaun went down. He was already gone, but Tattoo Mike, Teddy, Will was setting there waiting on Marcus & Pete to come get his bike. His front tire blew out, when we were running approximately 90MPH. He said he held on to it pretty good until he hit the grass, which was wet, and it looked like it had just been plowed up and grass had grown back over the very unlevel plowed up ground. With a now swollen ankle and now I was having a hard time walking, so since I was running on 3 hours sleep I leaned against Will’s front tire and dosed off.
Because I was sleeping and having a hard time walking, the brothers thought I was inebriated, LOL. Not unless Metformin and 2 Aleve
at 9am would cause it. It was now probably around 8pm. Walking across that plowed earth was aggravating my right leg, so if I’d had a pain killer I would have taken two, LOL.
After a few hours Marcus & Pete shows up. We load up the broken Soft Tail, and the ones on bikes took off home, but I followed the van to the hospital, were Shaun had a couple of broken vertebrae, a broken wrist & nose, other than being in pain, he was handling it well. He was later moved from Palm Bay to Melbourn trauma center. As of this writing, the next morning they were unsure about back surgery. God was looking over us all.
As Pete & Marcus and I was at the hospital, I noticed my clothes were wet from the dew and sitting in the grass, so I thought I’d leave before it got colder, it was already 56 degrees. To make a long story shorter, I road home by myself, with just the one pair of wet pants and a leather jacket that wouldn’t zip up and froze my azz off. The next time you see me, look back there and you’ll see it’s gone, LOL.
The night before, I was given a surprise B-Day party and a few people stopped by and I had a blast & momma B, the food, especially those cakes were A-1. I decided then I was gonna try my hand at stand up comedy. I’ve always wanted to do that. Maybe someone will read this and give me a shot.
My premise will be about the crazy things bikers do, as well as hypocrites from churches I’ve pastored. All funny (to me) stuff!!!
Teddy, Tattoo Mike, Gary, Varg, Will & Shaun thanks for riding with me. I’m sorry a few of you got upset because (ahem) I went off & left you, etc. BUT, remember this one thing, “It was NOT intentional”, also it’s mistakes on a ride that makes memories!!!
See you on the 5th Sunday of December for the next ride. We’ll be riding north this time. Come join us & make some memories!!!
“Mistakes & Mishaps, Makes Memories, Good Ones & Bad Ones”
Merry Christmas
Did you know that Bike Week use to be a family affair, with many camping, so the kids had a place to rest/sleep and still be near dad& mom? Of course drinking beer was the main thing most did here during those times, as exhibited by Von Hatch’s refrigerator. Rock On Real True Bikers!!!
Leaving Tropical Tattoo at 9pm! Dec. 29th, 2024
Approx. a 295 Miles, NO INTERSTATE!!!
Chops 62
