Easy Rider and Chopperguy

The shoulder bolt I had been using as a kicker pedal on the chop finally snapped. The old girl caught, kicked back at me, knocked the hell out of my foot, and snapped off the bolt. It's fun starting a bike after work by jumping on the end of the kicker bar. At least I didn't have to roll her down a hill.

I'm going to replace it with a real kicker pedal. I've got a spare one around here somewhere. I think the days of the rat chop shoulder bolt kicker pedal will be relegated to stories of, "back in the day."

Today I had one of those moments where I wish I carried a camera with me. There was a beautiful rat chopped shovel when I pulled into the parking lot. Low slung rigid frame, springer front end, and everything done up in bare metal style. This was not WCC or OCC style but pure hands on garage chop. I found the owner and congratulated him on making one hell of a ride.

What is this film about? Motorcycles, family, love, and a curse that turns you into a flaming skeleton that fights evil. Very typical comic-book-made-into-a-movie. Here is what does matter. Peter Fonda does a great although brief performance as the devil. The chopper in this film is a beautiful Panhead. The film itself does not totally suck and the special effects are adequate so you won't kick yourself for sitting through it just to catch glimpses of the bike. If like me you are a total sucker for biker cinema and Peter Fonda, Ghost Rider is worth seeing at least once.

Labels: Peter Fonda

There are three really great things about riding the chopper downtown.

1. Finding parking is easy.
2. The sound of my pipes reverberating off of the tall buildings is awesome.
3. I always set off a lot of car alarms just by driving by.
   

I'm going to risk pissing off a lot of people who peruse this site. Not that I haven't risked that on other occasions, but I'm just letting everyone know in advance.

I've given up the leather jacket and switched to a green denim jacket with a hoodie under it. It was a conscious decision. After years of seeing people buy brand new motorcycles, brand new leather jackets, brand new leather chaps, and then adorning themselves with various store bought pins and patches, I've had enough. I was especially getting brought down by the 'metric cruiser' crowd trying to hang with me and talk the lingo. So the leather jacket I've worn for half my life, that bears the wear and tear of thousands of miles, several states (both those marked on maps and ones experienced otherwise), and a general lifestyle of abuse is hanging in the closet. For now the jean jacket better fits who I am.

As for talking the lingo, one of my favorite lines spouted by the neuvo biker crowd and seen on shirts and stickers is, "Ride it like you stole it." Great advice. If you stole the bike it would be in your best interest to obey all traffic laws, smile at the man, and be as courteous as possible to all other traffic. Try not to stick out. Blend in. Don't draw attention to yourself lest you get caught. So go ahead and ride it like you stole it. I'll continue to ride mine like it was designed to be a suicide machine on wheels. Even more so now that I have forgone the excellent protective qualities of leather apparel.

I am going to throw the new crowd a bone. In the past I have always insisted on choppers being defined not so much by the look of the bike but by what the bike lacks. Choppers weren't supposed to have electric start, front fenders, or the fat and heavy look. That was what choppers were. Language mutates over time. Chopper now means something completely different. It now refers to any custom bike with a long front end. My insistence on the original meaning of chopper is as antiquated as the use of thee and thou. I relent and will simply refer to my rat chop queen as "Old School".

So throw on your leathers, push the start button on your chopper, and if it isn't raining, go for a ride. Don't let this old school biker fiend spoil your day.

For as long as I've had the chopper, I have always used 50w in her. Today I went to pick up a quart, and the place was out. But I did see 20w-50. The 50w has always been a decent oil for me at normal operating temperatures. The trouble comes later at night as I get off of work during non-summer months. The 50w always has that long warm up period after a thick, workout of a kick over. After a little research, I might give the 20w-50 a try.

UPDATE: So far the 20w-50 is working out fine. Thinner on cold starts and no noticeable difference at regular operating temperatures. Then again, it hasn't exactly been warm lately. In fact, it has been cold and wet. I reserve my final judgement on this experiment until July or August.