21: is a ChopCult feature that seeks to learn more about the past, present and future of hand-built motorcycles from the people who make today's soulful, stripped-down custom scene tick. Rick Fodrey has been a seminal player in the SoCal chopper scene for over 20 years, but rose to international prominence when "Choppertown" dropped in 2006. Rico's star turn in that DVD documentary put he and his fellow Sinners on the map, and was the conduit that introduced skate-inspired attitude and fashion aesthetic to the leather-clad biker masses.

Name: Rick Fodrey

Age: 42

Business: Hi Bond Modified

Town: Pomona, CA

Coworkers: Solo

Riding buddies: Eric Webb, Danny Takahashi, Mike Olson, Brian Negro, Aaron Strickland

First time on two wheels: When I was three years old my parents would ride from Venice, CA, to Lake Cachuma with me sitting on the gas tank

First hand-built motorcycle: In 1987 I built a ‘48 panhead from the crank pin up while I was working at FHD in Anaheim. I finished it in 1988. In 1990 I sold it to Jason Jesse and he made it famous when he surfed it for a Santa Cruz skateboard ad that ended up in Iron Horse magazine

Earliest two-wheeled adventure: In 1976 when I was nine years old I wrote and illustrated a book called “A Story About My Life” for elementary school. It started with the words "I like motorcycles," then told the story of how I learned to ride, my dad’s bike crash, mom’s boyfriend crashing in a race, and a bunch of other exaggerated events. Exaggeration became my middle name because of the circus I was raised in