couch surfing.

got to hang out with the bravetown boys when they rolled thru town after davenport. Rikk threw a little going away git-together at his place to consume some beers and meat and they rolled in cold as hell. too many beers meant i had to take cover on the couch. Rikk was so sweet, he even tucked me in and made me breakfast sunday morning. Sunday nite was the yearly craziness that is the Cook-out at Dave Cook and JR's shop. man, i've never seen so many people get so liquored up so fast. some craziness ensued, some girls dumped em out, and the evening found me once again crashed on the couch next to Yardsale around the fire pit. kinda become my M.O. at that party, but oh well. Got to ride last nite with the Peej, Peter and Adam... don't get to ride with them all that often these days, so it was like an reunion of sorts. cool to ride around and see the city from all different angles before i leave, but it definitely reminded me of the one thing i will miss the least about Milwaukee.... the roads.

oh, and an interesting article in the onion a while back...

funny. i think i used to know that chimp.

some good stuff going down the next couple days....

enjoy the long weekend!

sweet!
my new phone came in the mail!

tad low tech, but i can manage.


southbound
I always manage to not tell people i really love that i'm going somewhere for fear of making them sad, and then i wait so damn long that when i finally do tell them, they get kinda upset that its on such short notice... so to those that aren't finding out till now, or found out recently, I'm going southbound. nothing against Milwaukee, i love it here. Theres always something to do (in the summertime at least) and i've met a lot of killer people up here, its just home is calling, and I'm ready to pick-up the line. I can honestly say i don't think there was a 3 year period in my life that has had this much of an impact on me as the last 3 and a half up here have. I've learned a lot about friends, I've learned a lot about people, and I've definitely learned a lot about partying.... not that i didn't know how to before, just didn't know you could party this hard! There's a lot of you out there I'm gonna miss, and if you didn't find out till now, sorry. I figure it's kinda like a band-aid - just rip it off fast and it will hurt less... still hurts and sucks, but i'm hoping people understand. Its like Full Flavor says, It ain't goodbye, i'ts see you later. Gonna miss a lot of people, places, and the mighty beer selection this town has to offer. And if any of you fools need a place to crash in FL, be sure to let me know. theres always a spot on my couch. And if you are in Daytona for either event, we'll definitely knock a few back and have some fun.

Things may be changing around here too soon after i get down there, but i assure you it will be for the better. And keep your eyes peeled for next summer.... theres some things in the works that are going to be STRAIGHT UP MAMMOTH!

(i keep hearing "epic" is played out, so that's the next best fitting word i could find.)

don't forget.....

we gotta get outta this place....

if it's the last thing we ever do...

 if you love this blog and all the others out there....

keep an eye out. seems like our little community might not be in existence for much longer if the evil hands that control this giant chess game we live in  have anything to say about it. Check it out- and if you want, call me out on this one. The internet is basically the last stand for free speech that can be spread over a large mass, and the powers that be realize how destructive it can be to whatever agenda is planned. so what to do about it? make it just like television- so expensive that the average joe doesn't have the funds necessary to be able run their own website and is shut down and forced to swallow whatever he's fed. 

 

yea yea, i know.... shut up tony. go make another tin foil hat. 

we'll see. if the net shuts down, and the whole country freaks out, and then it gets rebooted  and none of us can afford to run these blogs on a commercially controlled internet, then maybe you'll be making your own hat as well.

in other news, it was really good to talk to an old friend last nite and patch some things up that have kept us mean-muggin each other across the bars for the last couple years. it was a discussion that was a long time in the making and ended with some laughs and bro-hugs. and it felt really good. Life's way too short to walk around pissed off at the world and the people in it. I know there's some things in this world that are completely unforgivable, but there's a lot of situations you can stand back and realize that if you spent as much effort in not liking someone as you did in patching things up, you'd be over your silly spat by now.

wanna see some sweet ass japanese art? check out Pink Tentacle. i was gonna keep this one my own little "secret" but i think you guys would get a kick out of some of this stuff, so click the link!

and yea, there's usually translations on their too. 

and tonite at the Lakefront their playing Tarantino's 

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS

 

 wait a minute.... thats a bear and a jew...

and thats just a jew that looks like a bear....

there we go. that's the bear jew i was looking for. 

and finally, some more choppers for your enjoyment. 

sick.

 

 

 thanks for watching! 

and hey, can you do me a favor? if you're a regular around here haven't already clicked that follow button, please do! I'm hoping to top 100 followers before google decides that its time for the internet to have a meltdown and reboot.... "for our own safety" of course!

 

another one bites the dust.....

 

no, Don Adams has been dead and gone for some time now... but my cellphone is on the verge of joining him. the screen looks like an old scrambled television set... then it will magically be fine for an hour or so, then go back to the scrambles. so anyway,  if you're trying to get a hold of me, do like Blondie says and call me. or you can take a chance on a txt message, but i wouldn't bet on it. 

 

almost forgot! 11th Annual CHEATERS CAR SHOW IS COMING UP!!! 

August 28th from 2:30-9pm 

@ the Nite Owl diner (milwaukee's best burger)

830 E. Layton ave.

FREE PABST!!!!! (while it lasts!)

 

I'm telling you, you won't be disappointed if you come to this show! I'm usually working so i don't ever get there till 5ish, but even then, the parking lot is jammed to the gills with some sweet rides!

oh, and i just realized the hound n hare race is the same day as a certain invite only ride... so.... it looks like i won't be making it this year. but that doesn't mean you shouldnt!

Hound and Hare race is coming up....

 

remember those choose-your-own-adventure books that we used to pick up in the library? you'd read a few pages and then the book would let you decide what the main characters next move was.... one would be successful, the other would result in falling into a spike pit, or being eaten by a tiger, or whatever. well, thats kinda what this race is like... minus tigers. There are flags on the course at every intersection and its up to you to decide whether to turn left, or right. the correct turn gets you to the next flag, and your next turn decision, while the wrong flag just gets you pissed and has you whippin illegal u-turns all over town. I've never participated, but i'm in this year!

speaking of races in Milwaukee, this past saturday nite, me and a couple buddies hi-tailed it just in time to catch this months Midnite Massacre. hosted by Skyhigh skateshop in Bay View, it's a no holds barred downhill skateboard race with the first to the bottom winning bragging rights and $50 in store credit. and anything goes on this one.... we spotted two dudes rolling coffin style amidst the chaos, one wielding a mini-bat and sporting a pair of rockets strapped to the bottom of his board. 

nuts, dude. nuts.

 if you want to participate (eugene? jeremiah?) just follow the Skyhigh blog and it will have all the details. all races start at midnite (duh) and every month is a different hill.

and if what andy from WKITHOK says is true about wheat beers, i guess its time i get some boots.

stop....

chopper time.

back to the bikes.

love this bike. wish i would have seen it in person at BF2 (best friends 2?)

 

so while our great president is in the states of WI....

....backing up traffic for milwaukeeans, his colleagues are busy at work trying to MAKE IT ILLEGAL FOR YOU TO GROWN YOUR OWN FOOD.

http://www.infowars.com/senate-bill-s510-makes-it-illegal-to-grow-share-trade-or-sell-homegrown-food/

 start paying attention guys or their just gonna take every right away from you until there is nothing left for us. I know i know, this is supposed to be about choppers and riding, not politics and vegetables, but i can't help bring this kind of stuff up. its 2010, and from what i can tell were headed for 1984. call me Dale Gribble, but i don't trust anyone on capitol hill. and mark my words, when RFID chips become mandatory, I'm outta here.

'No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.'
- Ronald Reagan

 i didn't know jimmy johns made bagels.....

so this past weekend was the annual Rockerbox convention. mostly brit and japanese bikes, theres a lot of cool machines that come out, including all kindsa race bikes. here's the triclops, which is kind of a silly name considering its powered by three nortons..... then again, Norclops just doesn't have the same catchy ring to it....

 

someone had a LOT of time and effort in this 550... peep that hydraulic clutch

 1950 ariel square four. still lust for one of these. 

 

love love love speedway bikes. this thing was top notch and makes me wanna hock my shovel for one. 

and of course, there were plenty of fixie kids, and moped-ers in their waaaaaayyyyy too tite pants.  

had a splitting headache all morning so i went home to grab a bite and a nap. FlavorCrystals (Full flavor and Mitch Crystals) were riding up for the evening and wanted to camp in the Kettle Moraine. We settled at Long Lake for a nite of beers, the game, and BS-ing about bagels. Since we were all sawing logs around 10pm, we were up at 5am and contemplating an early departure before the long rolling thunder turned into rain..... too late. napped through the sprinkles, then hit it home. 

 

and yesterday was re-stock-the-fridge-day. I think i found a new delicious friend!

 

maynard.....

 

got himself a highway machine.

  

don't forget to wish our president.....

a happy 49th birthday today!!!!

 

click HERE to send him a cake of your own! courtesy of AZ governer Jan Brewer!!!

 

 

and i am utterly stunned at the number of Obama/unicorn paintings there are out there on the googlebox

 

 

...getting all sentimental and reminiscant about our cali trip....

love this picture. Kevo with Mochi

all taken from Kemosabe (i believe)

every day behind this desk removes me further and further from what was the most memorable adventure in my life, and i hate it. I turn on the radio to listen to the current state of affairs in this country and can't help but shake my head in udder disappointment. i could sit here and bitch and gripe about it, but what good does it do? who wants to listen to that when you came here to look at choppers and beer reviews (damn... been a while.) All the while i sit here at a point in my life where i look around and say "why not?"
why not sell everything you own save for a few irreplaceable items?
why not get rid of that pickup truck and the monthly payment that goes along with it?
why not jump back on that bike and hit the road?
why not spend a few years under the radar with nothing but my chopper and a sleeping bag enjoying this thing we call freedom?
....something NOBODY is certain will be around for much longer.

why not?

p.s. when i was little and learning to write, for some odd reason i would write my name backwards on all my school papers. when i would get home and show my dad he would tease me saying

"oh wow! this is great! but who is Y NOT?"

i don't know, i thought it was humorous. 

while yakkin it up with the neighbors, each waiting for our food to finish grilling, i was offered a rare WI delicacy: fried oreos

spent saturday at Dick Billings' among his collection while we worked on....

THIS! his Henry J drag car. so sick. afterward, we loaded up and dragged.....

 THIS back to ricks shop- talk about minimalism! powered by a alcohol fueled 327 small block, this car boogies according to Rikk and Dick, pictured here. The cars been sitting in a trailer for 8yrs, and Rikk is on a mission to get it back on the track. It's got 2 bodies as well: an old Bantam, or a Fiat. stay tuned- I will definitely post pictures when it his the 1/4mile, and plenty in between.

while playing with the above car, we we're jamming to the Out Back Chop Shops newly aquired jukebox. yes it plays 45s and we're guessing its gotta be mid to late 70s. either way, James Brown and Marvin Gaye never sounded so good.

I noticed upon inspection that phils new mini-bike has a pretty funny model name

and then there were 5!

and then yesterday, as we were waiting for cody to arrive so we could ride out to Burlington, Alex called his phone, only to have a firefighter pick it up and inform him that Cody was on his way to the hospital. Talked to John, Codys dad, who informed us that his femur was broken in 3 places and he received a compound fracture on his shin. this is his second year with a wrecked bike after very little riding time. Heres to a speedy recovery man, we'll see you soon.

Cody wouldn't be able to see visitors for a while, so we headed out for a spin after all.
alex on his ironhead and joe on the shovel

My moms sent me this one this morning. Her and my dad are on the road riding back from picking up a new bike in NY. this is them in the Shenandoah mountains of VA.

and i had to steal and repost this cause i thought it was too funny.... high speed texting in crocs from the NFK dudes. classic.



then i'm just gonna keep doing it like this in the meantime.

petes War Pig and his moms panhead outside his house. don't remember the name of the guy with the shovel though.

Hardtail party was 2 weeks ago.... laid back, relaxed, and pretty quiet this year. Joe was there....

and so was steve....

Tim Bailey rode his kooky sportster that he finally got to start first kick.....

and just as we were getting ready to leave at the end of the nite, Steve says "boy, wouldn't it be funny if someone showed up right now, at the end of the show?"

Sure enough, not 20seconds later, dude comes rolling in on this pretty rad knuckle.

 random crazy homemade wooden robot outside somone's house near The Bomb Shelter

On sunday, WMSE held a free car show and concert at Cathedral Square park featuring Southern Culture on the Skids. kooky band, but they throw a good show! .357 opened for them, but alas, i was a tad late for them.

Little Chris brought his truck out....

and stuntman Mike showed up as well.

 and another goody from Haints Nick. peep the threads, son.

***UPDATE***
Kevo requested a flood of rap music around here, so the playlist may seem a bit different than usual. As always, feel free to make your own request!
*****

guess this is the only way i can do this for now. My laptop has been added to the list of electronics that no longer want to live.... thanks to a donation from my buddy TJ (not to be confused with PJ), I should have a new one in the next day or so! and he gave me a camera to go along with it! Thanks big guy!

in the meantime, here's a grip load of pictures that i've been sending to my email to post but haven't had the ability to do until now... well, I suppose i could have done this a while ago, but it kinda sucks. Anyway, enjoy!

first up, here's a couple of pix from the knucklehead reunion.

sweet shovel from illinois

bill mize pan

Adam Munzingers Speed Queen

of course there were field games

sweet knucklehead dragbike. I still can't figure out how, but the sign said the oil was held in the 2spd trans case. weird.

Max, you were right. Beercan chicken is the ultimate... even though PJs face makes it look like its confusing.

Biggs at a local bike nite with his new 750 chopper. He's blurry like bigfoot, cause, well, he is bigfoot.

an 80in flatty forced to live its life in a not-so-fitting chopper. poor thing.

i put used tires on my bike, not by choice, but because i'm usually broke and i don't mind riding with a plug. Some customer got a flat on a whitewall that was almost brand new, and i can't stand whitewalls.... so i did my best to make this one look acceptable, with a bit of a "Jock E. Shift" twist.

How i spent my 4th of July... this is us on the Ferry on our way to Peters land in Mauston

and this is pretty much what we did on peters land. 

Mochi sent me a sweet picture of his pan

My frame in the nude.

The Shed. R.I.P.

and if you haven't noticed by the header picture, I've switched my bike to hand shift against Eugene's advice. she feels like a whole new bike and man, that is so much more fun than foot shift! I've also added a bunch more music to the playlist as it was getting kinda boring with the 20 or so songs that were up there before.

As always, thanks for watching, and stay tuned!

I saw this cake and thought of you buddy.

-Nick of the Haints