Thug Day 8

Day 8 August 5th

Michael Jackson didnt need an I V to make him sleep. He needed a motorcycle.
After a wonderful day of riding yesterday, today was an easy day. Dave invited me to join him downtown as he made an appearance on a panel about the future of custom bike building, then he went over to help MC the Starboyz stunt show.

I, your intrepid reporter, went along with a camera and a new appreciation for what it takes to take good shots. Pictures I mean

The panel was sparsely attended, but these thing take time to gain a following. The panelists, Eddie Trotta, Cory Ness, Donnie Smith, Dave, and Jerry Covington were great and most sharing of their knowledge. Two common threads came through: What will attract the next generation of custom bike buyers and credit is still too tight to make enough people willing to say do it and have a custom bike built for them.

An observation: almost all of the Johnny-come-lately bike builders are history. The rigs with _____________ _____________ Choppers are all gone. I suspect that even the established ones are hurting to some degree. Labor and parts continue to escalate in cost, yet the number of people with the financial means continue to shrink. It's really tight right now and I don't see the turnaround in sight.

A big question is: will the next generation be attracted to the v-twin? In the same way classical music has struggled with attracting the next generation, will the current surviving builders be able to attract the next generation who appreciate the music coming from a v-twin with a great set of pipes?

Just my .02, but some of the straight pipes I hear sound like Sh*t. As do the braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaapbangband of Asian bikes hitting their rev limiters.

There is a visceral experience of the wind and the torque and sound of a v-twin. If Im not explaining it wellOKI cant explain it well. But...to those who've never experienced itput on your bucket list a ride on a custom v-twin.

OK....also.I saw some undercover cops checking out bikes to identify fraud and thefts. Hats off to them for doing a great job. I feel much saferand my bike more secure knowing that they are here watching out for us.

Thug