Monday Magazine Madness

I was digging through one of my magazine boxes while doing research for the Trick Trike post and thought, while they were out, I'd shoot them.

What's left of my Big Bike collection. A few have mysteriously disappeared?

Big Bike was cool for only about 1 1/2 years. You can generally spot the good issues by the early logo. The new publisher changed the logo, the art direction, the type of bikes featured, and it went downhill. Last one I bought was Sept. 72. Joe Teresi (the technical editor), split along with some others to start Easyriders in 71.

The Street Choppers in the middle row are the weakest. I had every issue from 73 to 80 but, tossed most of them 25 years ago because they just plain sucked. From that period, I only kept the ones that featured something cool. All the ones I have from 70 and 71 are all really cool.

By the mid seventies, the bikes and the art direction of the all the magazines started to tank. When Big Bike and Street Chopper started to decline, I dug Custom Chopper for a short time. Eventually they all started to feature too many Hondas for my taste.

One for Chopper Dave: Cool bikes and a civilian T-33. I believe it was Tom Mc Mullen's jet. (Tom died in a plane crash in 1995). This is a perfect example of the period. The only thing cool about this issue was the cover so, I ripped it off. Boxes of magazines take too much space and I didn't care to read about Honda 4 turbos or Kawasaki Mach III's.

I also have 9 of the small digest sized Roth's Choppers Magazines, some old Easyriders, and also a bunch of pre-LFP Supercycles. In the future, I'll post cool stuff from all of them.

Yesterday

was one of those days that yells, Go For a Ride! The temps were around 80 and the air was clean and clear. My wife and I took our usual head clearing jaunt around the Palos Verdes peninsula. I immediately knew it was a mistake that I didn't take my camera. The hillsides were green, the sun was bouncing off the Pacific, Catalina was clearly visible and you could easily see the channel islands. Also, we rolled through all but one traffic light. A rare day indeed.

Some rides are, or contain, what I call Golden Moments, when everything just feels right.

At the end of the day when I was closing up shop, the bike was posed in a way that said, take a shot.

The Weirdest Weekend

I don't know if you heard about it or not, but the full moon on Saturday was supposed to be the largest full moon of the year. We went with a few friends in their 4x4 trucks out to the middle of nowhere to watch the giant moon rise over the mountains.

Incidentally, the middle of nowhere is where everybody goes to shoot and set off dynamite. Seriously. We took an exciting dirt road way back into the desert. Only a couple hundred yards from the highway was the first group of guys shooting pumpkins and other assorted targets.

By my count, we passed at least ten groups of shooters at different locations. We finally found a good spot. It was littered with spent shotgun shells and rifle brass. We could clearly hear two different groups of shooters the whole time we were there. At one point there was a gigantic boom, and we realized someone had set off dynamite.

And here I thought M-80 firecrackers were nifty.

Anyway, the moon rose. It was big. We cheered, took some photos, packed up and left.

Which brings us to yesterday. For the most part, I hid in my house avoiding the world. Eventually I had to leave, however, to go to the tobacconist and the grocery store. At the tobacco shop, there was a movie playing on one of the TVs (seriously, can't a man escape television even at the tobacco shop?) and 6 or so guys watching it with totally blank looks on their faces. Disturbing. The clerks were not their usual chatty, helpful selves and I got out of there as quickly as I could.

The oddity at the grocery store topped the tobacco shop, however. I went inside and noticed the store was kind of quiet for how many people were in there. Then I noticed the people were a little... different. There was a lot of shuffling. Staggering. The odd groan. Sunken cheeks and meth addict teeth. Vacant stares. Incoherent muttering.

My immediate thought was, "Shit! Zombies!"

They were everywhere.

Once I recovered from my zombie-apocalypse-induced panic attack, I realized the store was not full of zombies, but it was full of people with a variety of people on their way to the bottom of the uncanny valley.

I got my Oreos and milk and made for the cash registers.

Ahead of me in line was a woman in ratty sweatpants and a t-shirt which had seen better days. Those better days must have been twenty years ago. She gave me a fearful look, then turned away. I stayed back and tried to look nonthreatening.

While I waited in line, I noticed this woman was only buying a bottle of Suave shampoo. It's hard to explain, but the entire scene seemed sad. The woman looked absolutely horrified through the entire transaction, and had her hands clasped together in front of her face with her arms tucked tightly into her sides. The cashier explained as kindly as possible how to count out the dollar and eight cents from her handful of change. I got the impression she needed an entire lifetime of hugs.

So, after all that weirdness, it's good to be back at work where the level of insanity is constant and predictable.

I LOVE LEATHER!!!!!!

Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge and see better!

I found a website today, and it got me thinking about leather. So I think I will write a little something about leather, and since I have so many thoughts regarding this subject, I believe I will do this in sections. And have something posted daily until I get bored or done with the subject!

I like leather. As a biker, I would guess it’s more like a second skin (in my mind) than a by product of animal slaughter..

Did you know that Kangaroo skin is used to make items that need to be strong but flexible, and therefore it is the material most commonly used in high quality bullwhips? Kangaroo leather is favored by some motorcyclists for use in motorcycle leathers specifically because of its lighter weight and higher abrasion resistance compared with cowhide, thus providing greater protection in case of a fall on the roadway.

Kangaroo….interesting.
I didn’t know that about motorcycle leathers…I guess I’m just a poor girl…whose pocketbook barely allows for pig or cow leather to clad her body.

You know, bull whips can be fun, and after looking up some information on them as I was writing this…I’m amazed about some of the facts regarding them. For instance, Did you know: because of the way a bullwhip's length, flexibility, and tapered design allows it to be thrown, that toward the end of the throw, part of the whip exceeds the speed of sound - thereby creating a small sonic boom? SONIC BOOM? You mean to tell me that crack is a mini sonic boom? Wow….the things we learn when we get curious!

Check out this stuff! I think that kangaroo key fob would fit my personality nicely…Yes, I do like that!

Did you also know, that according to Wikipedia...originally, motorcycle leathers were adapted from tank corps gear immediately following World War I. Duster Coats, which tended to catch in the wheels, were switched for short coats. Wide-pegged breeches were worn by some motorcycle police and by dispatch riders in World War II, but were largely abandoned in the post-war years because of their association with certain Nazi uniforms.

I’m gonna leave y’all with a vintage look at female motorcyclists. I challenge anyone to say these ladies weren’t sexy! Wow….beautiful!


Till later...

Tips for leather cleaning

Hey all, I was roaming around...and I found this very interesting website. I pulled this from the website, but y'all feel free to visit for yourself. It's a website that sells biker leather.
http://www.squidoo.com/Biker-Leathers

Care For Your Biker Leathers
Helpful Tips
Leather care for your biker jackets, vests, and chaps is relatively easy if you take preventative measures. Store it so it can breathe (no plastic!), wipe off spills and dirt on smooth leather with a damp cloth, regularly brush suedes and nubucks. Fix hem problems with a touch of rubber cement. For major cleaning, avoid at-home products (especially waxes and other items that clog up leather pores); find a leather cleaning specialist.

There are four stages in caring for your mens leather jackets, womens leather jackets, vests,and chaps that include cleaning, conditioning, polishing, and protection. When perusing the store shelves for a product that fits your needs, be watchful for what kind of product you're purchasing. It can be confusing to try and figure out which product is for which stage, but look for words that explain how the product is to be used. It is also important to remember to work on your leather in a well-ventilated area. Some leather care products are very strong and can cause irritations.




Cleaning



To clean a leather item, such as a biker vest, first choose a cleaner that will help preserve the natural lubricating oils instead of stripping them. For example, saddle soap is a commonly used product for equestrian tack. It is meant to be used as a cleaner and a protector from moisture, but it strips the leather of the oils in the process of attempting to do two jobs at once. The cleaner of your choice should not leave any greasy residue behind. Residue makes leather susceptible to bacteria and can break down the stitching of your item. Before applying anything to your leather item, be certain to test it out for effect and possible color distortion on an area that isn't visible to the eye. Once you've ascertained whether the leather care product is acceptable to use, apply it to your item. With a slightly dampened cloth, remove the cleaning product. For areas with stitches, there are brushes available on the market. Another cleaning product to consider having in your leather care collection is a nubuck cleaning cloth. They have an astonishing ability to clean and restore leather to its original look.



Conditioning



Leather conditioners are meant for occasional use. They contain fats and/or oils that help lubricate leather and replenish the suppleness. Look for a product that will penetrate the strong fibers in leather, but beware of any that include petroleum or mineral oils. While petroleum by-products won't damage your leather immediately, they do over a period of time. Again, just as with cleaning, keep on the look out for thick, greasy conditioning treatments for the best care of your leather.



Polishing



Polishing is done for special occasions when you want a more glossy finish on your leather. There are a couple things to be wary of when purchasing a polishing agent. Some products contain coloring factors that will brush off on things you come in contact with. Some products also have a tendency to clog the pores in leather or dry out the leather. Just as with cleaning, be sure to test out the product on a small area and when ready, buff to a shine.



Protection



Moisture barriers are extremely crucial in preventing rain or other liquid hazards from damaging leather. Stiffness and spouting will happen if leather isn't protected beforehand. There is a drawback in protecting leather with a moisture barrier product. They tend to fill in the pores with a greasiness that makes cleaning, conditioning, and polishing difficult, but it's a necessary process to ensure leather isn't destroyed. Periodically apply a moisture barrier and allow it time to penetrate and dry before using your leather item.



By following these tips your biker leathers will bring you many years of comfort, style and lasting protection.

British Motorcycle Club Documentary

I'm not exactly sure what I think about this, but I guess the important thing is they're on bikes...

Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - La Mala "c/s" forever

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery. See La Mala "c/s" forever on her 2008 Suzuki Boulevard C50T. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.