People

Focus: El Diablo Run 2013

no@spam.com (Bill Bryant, Biltwell Inc.)

The 2013 El Diablo Run was the fifth time nutjobs on old motorcycles have decided to descend into Mexico and have a party. Much has been written about previous runs, the first of which was done in 2006. The neat thing about the EDR is that it's different for everyone; for wide-eyed noobs it can be an exotic adventure and for old salts it's like a family reunion.

21 Questions with Dale Yamada of Mad Jap Customs

no@spam.com (Lisa Ballard)

I had the opportunity to meet Dale Yamada during Sturgis a few years back. His quiet demeanor was put to the test with the state's endless nuisance for another hidden fee. Dale basically told them to kiss his ass, closed his booth and went for a ride to clear his head. He is a man that stands up for his brand, family and country. I asked my Canadian buddy for some words on his company, Mad Jap Kustoms.

Show Class Magazine's "Born Free People's Champ 2013"

no@spam.com (Bill Bryant, Show Class)

A couple months ago our friends at Show Class had an idea for a way to get someone new into the "invited" builder arena at what has America's best custom motorcycle show. Taking submissions from over a hundred builders meant 75 percent of them had to be clipped, with survivors filling the roster. Eventually it'll come down to six bikes to be displayed at Cook's Corner on the Friday evening before Born Free. The winner of the Show Class pre-party bike show at Cook's Corner will get to display his people's choice machine with the big guns at Born Free.

2012: The Year in Reverse

no@spam.com (Harold McGruther, Bill Bryant)

New Year's Eve is a great time to reflect on what you accomplished in the previous 12 months, and to make plans for even bigger and better adventures in the year ahead. As this collection of bike features, scene reports and tech how-to's illustrates, 2012 was another banner year for building and bikeriding on the old 33.

Petrol Food Beer

no@spam.com (Bill Bryant)

The title of this wonderful seven-and-a-half-minute video comes from a defining moment in the story, where the intrepid motorcyclist states: "When you get up in the morning, you've only got to worry about three things..."

Inside: Classic Cycles of Orange, California

no@spam.com (Harold McGruther)

One year ago last Labor Day, Father-and-son Triumph fiends and O.G. ChopCult lurkers Tony and Andy Dunn moved their venerated Classic Cycles enterprise into bigger digs near its original Orange, Calfornia, home. For the uninitiated, Classic Cycles has risen to the pinnacle among SoCal-based British bike builders, resellers and hop-up experts in less than a decade. McGoo visited Tony on an average weekday to watch the elder Dunn and his clever crew work on a cavacade of choppers, bobbers, beaters and bona fide show bikes.

Salinas Boys Customs

no@spam.com (Harold McGruther)

Relationships are like bodywork. Both can feel like they're going nowhere no matter how much you massage them, then something just "clicks." At that moment, the finished product you've toiled over for months or even years can look and feel perfect. My relationship with Cole Foster clicked at a recent visit to his home and work shop with mutual friends Rico Fodrey and Duane Ballard. Ironically, the catalyst was a cheap Chinese buffet with Cole's lovely wife Suzie.

Breakfast at Lefty's

no@spam.com (Harold McGruther)

California's City by The Bay is the birthplace of the second oldest motorcycle club in America. The San Francisco Motorcycle Club was founded at Thor Motorcycles in 1904, a charter bested only by the Yonkers MC of New York in 1903. I'm not sure how many people in the SF crew that met me for breakfast at Lefty O'Doul's off Union Square know about the SFMC, but that didn't stop us from talking choppers in the heart of the most beautiful city in America.

Garage Company Customs of Alabama

no@spam.com (Harold McGruther)

Garage Company Customs of Alabama was still in its infancy when we met founders Larry Pierce and Ashley at the Easyriders V-Twin Expo in 2009, but already the then 33-year-old motorcycle builder had made a name for himself and his business on the pages of leading chopper rags coast to coast. This should come as no surprise to anyone who's met Larry or seen the bikes he builds. When it comes to tailoring stylish, hard-riding motorcycles for customers, this affable southerner has a knack for making silk purses out of sow's ears.

Behind the Scenes at Paisano Publications

no@spam.com (Website Administrator, Bill Bryant)

Paisano Publications is the grandaddy of biker publishing. They broke trail for the rest of the industry to follow before most ChopCult members were shittin' green. I've got a fat stack of old Easyriders I peruse for inspiration and entertainment all the time, so when the opportunity to visit their publishing headquarters in SoCal presented itself last month, I jumped at the chance.