A friend of mine said, whenever I pick up this book I can't put it down in less than 30 minutes. I certainly know how he feels. From the front cover to the last picture in the book, John Stein's Motorcycle Drag Racing: A History, is completely absorbing and totally fascinating.

Santa might be jolly around the holidays, but plenty of guys we know think Christmas sucks. Anyone who's gotten a Harley-Davidson cookie jar from Aunt Edna or his-and-hers pool wraps from the old lady's parents knows what we mean. Trust us: your mock enthusiasm after getting season four of "American Choppers" on DVD from Uncle Dick isn't going to fool anyone.

Billdozer and I are the first to admit it: neither of us is a photographer. Many of our faithful ChopCult members are, however, and for this reason the best of you deserve your props. Jason Craver at No School Choppers agrees, and he's volunteered three great prizes to sweeten the pot on this month's contest.

DePalma Clothing has been hyping this contest for months, and today the winner will be announced. Before that lucky bastard gets his paws on it, we wanted to showcase DePalma's prize one last time for ChopCult dreamers. Kudos Kris and crew at DePalma Clothing for gifting one lucky citizen with this fine Sporty.

"After Harley-Davidson's successful foray into the rarified air of today's quixotic "skate chic" chopper scene, The Motor Company seeks to leverage its century-old heritage with a new range of accessories and apparel for modern riders. The Harley-Davidson Summer 2010 Leather Collection features all the progressive style, quality construction and innovative design Freedom Riders have come to expect from our proud American brand."

Flathead Jedd is known around southern California for his fine collection of all things period correct. Sweaters, photos, whole motorcycles, you name it; Jedd probably owns something old that would make you jealous. We got a chance to crawl inside Jedd's skull and see what makes this guy tick.

Thirty years of life on the road brings experiences that can't be had anywhere else. Thankfully, Chop Cult member Q-Ball has been documenting his ride along this rough and rowdy path through the lens of his trusty camera. His new book Living the Life combines many of these images along with prose from road poet Sorez the Scribe for a perfect paring of word and image.

Everyone who's quaffed a cocktail with the man knows DicE co-founder Dean Micetich can weave a wicked yarn. Whether it's the tall tale about Cocaine Larry's train ride in the shit-stained Levi's, or his own last-minute blowfish epiphany at the tattoo parlor, this charming man has the gift of gab. As it turns out, Dean also has a discerning eye for epic filmmaking.

Wayne Ahlquist, the proprietor of Acme Choppers of New Hampshire, has witnessed the spectacle of excess that is Laconia Bike Week, so he has cultivated some very strong ideas about what constitutes a finely crafted custom motorcycle.