Bike Party, Brooklyn Style

y Indian Larry Block P a r t y adventure started a week prior to the event in Ohio, so I chose to include those events into this story. My trip began in Cleveland when I met up with my good brother Mikey Revolt. He loaned me his Sportster while he was on his Shovelhead chopper, and we went riding around Cleveland and surrounding areas. Mikey showed me so many rad places, abandoned warehouses, downtown, tons of fantastic restaurants, the Lowbrow Customs world headquarters and the location for the Fuel Cleveland Show. Every stop was filled with killer food, a few cold beers, and lengthy motorcycle discussions.

Next, I headed South to Dayton, Ohio to catch Wednesday night

Mdirt bike practice with Pat Patterson. Unfortunately, I showed up just as they finished but was still glad I was able to see the phenomenal trails they ride on every week. After practice, we all raced to downtown Dayton to a local pizza joint for a few adult beverages. It’s always great to hang out with Pat despite the bad decisions that followed. I woke up the next morning missing my wallet, running late, and had a receipt for a $200 bar tab. I had to catch my flight at noon from Ohio to Brooklyn, NY for the Indian Larry Block Party. Because I was running late and trying to make my trip I may have been speeding just slightly to the airport… and of course, the local highway patrol decided to pull me over and give me the shake-down. I played their games and with enough “yes sirs/ no sirs” I was on my

way. Miraculously, I made it to the airport just in time to catch my flight.

I landed in Brooklyn and headed straight to Indian Larry Motorcycles. As soon as I got to the shop, I ran into Otto and Flynn from Biltwell. We decided to do some sightseeing around Brooklyn, and as we walked down to the Bay, we ran into Ed Subias, who was getting some killer video footage of the skyline with his drone. When we headed back to ILM more and more bikes were showing up to hang-out before the official block party the next day. Someone ordered a bunch of pizzas, and we chilled outside the shop watching the sunset over the Manhattan skyline. Just then, Patrick Garvin and his brother Stephen showed up. More motorcycle discussions and pizzaeating went down outside the shop before we decided to take this “unofficial” block party preparty on the road. We all headed over to one of the random dive bars Brooklyn has to offer. The rest of the evening was filled with more and more friends showing up unannounced; the pinnacle was when Dumptruck busted in the front door, coming in hot straight from California. More partying, laughter and good times continued well into the night and early morning.

The next morning I headed back to Indian Larry’s for the official Grease Monkey Block Party. I arrived mid-morning, and everything was in full swing. The full stretch of street in front of the shop was blocked off, and all of the vendors were setting up. All sorts of cool custom bikes were rolling in for the motorcycle show. New York definitely has its own style of motorcycles, very raw, very hardcore, very purpose built. You can tell they get ridden hard on the brutal streets. In addition to the bikes entered in the show, there were rows and rows of bikes parked down the side streets in all directions.

Out back there was a hog roast going down, a full pig was being smoked, and you better believe I helped myself to a big slab of pork. It was great to catch up with all my East Coast friends. I ran into some of the FXR Crew from out East and had to check out their bikes. As I was walking around eyeballing motorcycles I came across an FXRT that was leaking a bit too much fluid. After closer inspection, I saw the neutral switch had backed out of the

transmission lid. I tracked down the owner only to learn that he was from Michigan and had just ridden 700 miles from Detroit and had to ride back home the next day. I ran into the shop, grabbed some tools from John the Painter and went back out for a quick wrench session. Luckily, we found the neutral switch wedged down along the frame and were able to extract it and got it screwed back in the tranny lid and the bike was good to go.

In addition to tons of cool bikes, killer food, and great people, there was also some fantastic music going down at the Block Party. A stage was set up at one end of the block, and a handful of bands jammed out all day. The highlight was Judas Priestess, an allfemale Judas Priest cover band. I’ve seen them play a handful of times and they always put on a killer performance. As the block party was winding down, I found Dumptruck who had that “it’s party time” look on his face; which I think is his usual look…so we grabbed a few friends and strolled on down the street to find a few local establishments that would allow us to continue the partying well into the evening, with no fun being had (sarcasm).

Sunday morning, I met up with Patrick and Stephen Garvin to have breakfast at the famous Five Leaves restaurant. They served up some phenomenal food. I had to down a few cups of coffee to get my bearings straight from the night before. That afternoon I took the subway down to Coney Island for some sight-seeing and just as I stepped off the train I ran into Ed Subias again. It seems like he had the same plans, great minds think alike. So we spent the rest of the day checking out the freak shows, and attractions that Coney Island provides along with devouring some World Famous Nathan’s Hot Dogs.

In recap, my adventure, starting in Ohio, ending in Coney Island was filled with great friends, endless hours discussing motorcycles and the industry, too much partying, and tons of laughter and a long list of memories made. And if you haven’t yet been to the Indian Larry Motorcycles Grease Monkey Block Party you really should make plans to go next year; it’s always more than worth your time.

No-Mar Tire Changer

no more scuffed up wheels with the classic model

Ihave my strengths and I have my weaknesses. When it comes to nice shiny things, I’m just not that guy. I try to be, but sure as the day is long, I get something like a pair of shiny new wheels and if I don’t scratch them getting them out of the box, then I can destroy them just by putting the tire on. This is why I was so excited to spend some time with the guys from No-Mar at a couple of the IMS shows this last month. I had seen their set up before but never really gave it any thought until we had them up on stage to do a segment and show people how easy it was to change a tire using their equipment. It was just as they advertised, no hassle tire changing with equipment that refuses to let you scuff up your custom wheels. I was so impressed in fact, that by our third show in Minneapolis I bought one to travel the rest of the IMS tour and then live at Flat Broke Chops & Rods.

The one we have is the No-Mar Classic model which is made from quality steel, UHMW Plastic and billet aluminum in St. Louis, Missouri, and powdercoated to withstand abuse. This is a tool that should last a lifetime. The Classic Tire Changer uses Posi-clamps and dog blocks to hold a wide variety of rim styles in diameters of 10-21 inches. Breaking a tire’s bead is as simple as removing the valve stem, placing the wheel atop the dog blocks to protect brake rotors, and pulling down on the bead breaker arm. For our wheels using a set of their Posi-clamps (for HD, dirt bike, and big cruiser rims) and engaging the scratch-free mount/demount bar. In less time than it would take to pick up a tire iron that you had thrown across the garage, the tire is off. Mounting is just as easy, and both operations benefit from

No-Mar’s lube, plus handy tools like the Yellow Thing that keep the tire in place. Once you’ve popped out the bead and set the correct pressure, put the wheel onto No-Mar’s tire balancer and set the balance to 1/16th of an ounce accuracy the job is done.

No-Mar Enterprises LLC was established in 2005 and featured products that were developed, patented and trademarked by Stephen C. Nemish Jr. Since incorporating in 2010, the brand has grown to include No-Mar, Cycle Hill and MotoTireUSA. Their headquarters is in St. Louis, Missouri USA, and every product is painstakingly designed and manufactured in-house with the utmost in quality and care during every part of the production process. No-

Mar Tire Changers began making a name for themselves by developing new designs and manufacturing tools that revolutionized the tire changing industry. For the last 12 years, their distinctive brand has been sold all over the world to motorcycle enthusiasts who appreciate the intricate assembly and care that goes into fabricating each part and accessory. Their creativity and attention to detail has even earned them eight different patents in their field, including patents for their Mount

Demount Bar, Cam and dog blocks,

Large Wheel Cones, Spoon Bars and more.

At Cycle Source we strongly endorse this product for small shops, big shops and the home mechanic. It comes in around $700 depending on your options which makes it a nice low price for a great quality product that makes your time in the shop easier. Check them out today at nomartirechanger.com

Article By: Chris Callen

hoppers, the word stirs so many feelings and ideas when I hear it, I instantly relive my childhood. The only other words that come close for me are Harley-Davidson because C for me and many others those words are synonymous with one another. I was fortunate to grow up with a father and a few uncles who built, bought, sold and traded Choppers, paint, parts, and other pieces as far back as the mid-sixties, in fact, they still do.

As a kid, I remember my cousin Danny and I shooting BB guns at an old Duo Glide frame that had the tanks, fenders, shocks, swingarm and complete front end on it that was chained up to an oak tree in our yard. My Dad and my Uncle Rabbit bought it for some ridiculously low price and pulled the motor and transmission out to put in a Jammer rigid frame with springer frontend. They were done with the carcass and left it out in the yard uncovered. I can hear the groans and moans as I’m typing this, for not only leaving it outside in the elements but us shooting up original paint sheet metal haha! I remember how excited I would be when I saw whatever paint job my uncle had done for whatever bike they were building at the time. We would go the Greyhound bus station to pick up, or ship extended Harley springer front-ends and other parts like sissy bars and exhaust pipes, etc. as out to Brown’s Plating in Kentucky. I’m sure most of you greybeards reading this gave Brown’s Plating more than a few of your hard-earned bucks back in the 70’s! I remember how excited I got watching them crank up a new Chopper build for the first time and how much I loved it when my Dad would take me for a ride. I always thought my dad’s customers were so interesting and fun, and they always treated me like I was there own kid. They would give me cool things like sunglasses, knives, rings, patches, and hats and even throw a football with me out in the front yard of our place while my Dad worked on their chop. My mom always made enough food for everyone, customers included, whenever she was cooking. Man, those are some of my best memories growing up.

I guess I’ve always loved Choppers and the people who built and rode them. Now, Choppers aren’t for everyone, and this isn’t a knock on the Motor Co, but I’ve always felt that most people that ride a Harley were influenced to do so because they saw someone riding a chopper… not a stock dresser. Notice I said “dresser” not “bagger” as most people call them today. A “dresser” meant a full dress Harley, i.e., saddlebags, floorboards, a windshield and a large seat for both and this was usually the platform from which a chopper was created. The word “bagger” was coined in the mid to late 90’s by newer Harley riders when describing their Road King or Heritage. Originally, if you wanted a Chopper, you had to build it. It was never a turnkey affair, you went and found a stock Harley and proceeded to tear it down and then you made it your own!

Some people may argue this point, but it’s widely accepted that Choppers, as we know them, originated in the land of sun and sand; California!! Legendary builders like Arlen Ness and Ron Simms in the Bay Area and Sugar Bear, Cliff Vaughs, Dick Allen and Big Daddy Roth in So Cal were influencing not only each other and their friends but bikers across America and the world! At that time, a man named Mil Blair teamed up with another man among men named Lou Kimzey who brought along a recent Vietnam veteran from the Navy named Keith Ball, better known to the world as “Bandit”, and proceeded to blow everyone’s minds with a little magazine called Easyriders... maybe you’ve heard of it. Ed “Big Daddy” Roth originally started a small digest magazine named “Choppers” that eventually failed due to a variety of reasons. Without a doubt Choppers were HOT! California wasn’t the only place that cool Choppers were being built. Dave Perewitz in Brockton Massachusetts, Ron Finch in Michigan, Lou

Falcigno in Connecticut, Arlin Fatland in Colorado, legends of our culture, were there at the height of the Chopper movement.

This article would not be complete without mentioning some prominent longstanding clubs that still build and ride Choppers today as well. Everybody wanted one, choppers were, and I think still are synonymous with a certain level of badassery and a complete cool factor, at least in the rider’s mind. Heck, even Mattel Toys knew how cool Choppers are, they co-produced a Chopper toy for kids, who by the way, were chopping off the front forks of their bicycles with their dad’s tools… myself included. I even remember trying to rattlecan paint my “Chopper” with disastrous results. Hell, even Elvis had a Chopper! I remember a Kiss poster I won at the local fair that had a pic of all four members sitting on Choppers, man I wish I still had that!!

According to my Dad and a few of his friends that were riding Choppers back then most of them wanted the new alternator Shovelheads in their Choppers. Sure, there were diehard Knucklehead and Panhead guys but sometimes the Factory would have a run of spare engines and would sell them to dealers. A good majority of these ended up in Choppers. These were the days before the Factory adopted the assembly line practice of “on time production” meaning if you have ten frames you have ten motors, ten transmissions, etc. The practice of taking a factory motor and transmission and building a reliable Chopper was popular with my generation as

well. Does the name Sucker Punch Sally’s ring a bell? My good friends Jeff Cochran and Donnie Loos, along with Super Dave produced traditional Chopper looks with modern dependability in a production type environment. Having ridden a multitude of their bikes over the years, I can still honestly say they were some of the best-built bikes I’ve ever ridden.

For me, as well as a lot of others, a Chopper will always be a bike with a modified frame and front-end. With this mindset, a rebirth of Choppers happened about twenty years ago when a guy from Long Beach California started making custom fenders and frames after his day job at Boyd Coddington’s hot rod shop, Jesse James. Between the Motorcycle Mania episodes, as well as the Biker Build Off series on Discovery Channel a whole new generation of builders and riders were exposed to guys like Indian Larry, Irish Rich, Rogue, Denver Mullins, Freddy Hernandez, Mondo and Frank Kaisler and others who were riding and building Choppers long before it was cool and the popular thing to do. I know I’ve rambled on and probably left more than a few things out, but I’ve honestly tried to touch on the reasons why I believe Choppers have had such an impact on so many people. So for me, and the rest of the guys at the magazine, it's Choppers till we die!