Introducing the Davidson Express Weekly News! New this year we will be featuring weekly news stories where you can see what we are up to and where we have been, will be, and so on. We will also be featuring stories about our team, celebrities, and the ever beautiful Davidson Express Girls!

New Topics

• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Live at Chopper Fest 4
• Easyrider Article 2009
• Fall Rally 2009
• All About Chopper Fest 2009
• Michigan Chopper Builders
• Dale Walksler
• LONG, WHITE & LOW - A custom from Twisted Twin
• Curt Kimber of House of Choppers Representing the West Side at Michigan Chopper Fest 3
• Bernice "Ma" Ballance
• June 12th - June 14th Weekend Events
• Hoggie...aka Mark Hunt of Hunt's Hog Shopin Lansing...Representing the east side at Michigan Chopper Fest 3!
• Stuntman Bean're coming to Chopper Fest 3 2009!!!
• Paul Wideman of Bare Knuckle Choppers Coming to Chopper Fest 3 in the Top 10 of the Chopper Builders
• Sean of XsSpeed Mini Bike Racing Coming to Chopper Fest 3 2009!!
• GS Motor Co: Greg Socha One of the Top 10 Chopper Builders Representing the West Side
• The Beautiful Michele Smith Coming to Chopper Fest 3 2009!!!!!!
• Gina Woods of Open Road Radio Coming soon to Chopper Fest 3 as Grand Marshall of Antique Ride with her '49 Panhead
• Jay Turner 3 Times World Champ Nitro Harley Drags Coming to Chopper Fest 3
• Jasmine Cain's Personal BIO
• WAREN HEIR JR: Jr's Cycle Products and Cook Custom Choppers
• FABRICATOR KEVIN'S STORY BY RICHARD "OLDDAWG" KRANZLER
• Darren Williams: Liquid Illusions
• Chopper Fest Schedule!!!
• Spring Bike Show Festivities
• May 16-17th Baldwin’s Blessing of the Bikes
• Spring Bike Show Festivities
• Chopper Fest Mike Romine Bio
• Larry Davidson's Bio
• Chopper Fest Ron Finch Bio
• Chopper Fest Dave Nichols Bio

Joan Jett is an originator, an innovator, and a visionary. As the leader of the hard-rocking Blackhearts, she’s had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classics "Bad Reputation," "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," "I Hate Myself For Loving You," and "Crimson and Clover." She sits at the head of her own independent label, Blackheart Records. Jett has acted in movies, including 1987's Light Of Day, with Michael J. Fox and Gena Rowlands, and in a Tony-nominated Broadway musical, The Rocky Horror Show.

As a producer, she has overseen albums by Bikini Kill, Circus Lupus, and the Vacancies, as well as the Germs’ LA punk masterpiece, GI. Jett was even one of only two women named to Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar players of all time.

In the end, though, Joan Jett’s life has been dedicated to one goal and one goal only – rocking the hell out of every listener she can reach. “I remember times when I was at shows and the person onstage locked eyes with me,” she recently told Esquire magazine. “And in that moment, everything was right with the world. I think that's part of my job, to create these thousands of moments every night.”

Since co-founding the Runaways, the pioneering all-girl punk quintet, at age 15, Jett’s determination and drive have kept her in the public eye. This year, however, her profile will skyrocket yet again, with the release of both a long-awaited feature film telling the story of the Runaways and a new, two-disc Greatest Hits collection.

The Runaways is based on lead singer Cherie Currie's book Neon Angel. Kristen Stewart, star of the Twilight series films, plays Jett, and her fellow A-Lister Dakota Fanning portrays Currie. The movie chronicles the band’s early years; formed by teenage girls living near Hollywood, CA., the Runaways became the first all-girl band to break into the world of arena-filling hard rock acts.

After the success of their first single, “Cherry Bomb,” the Runaways toured with such acts as the Ramones, Cheap Trick, and Tom Petty. But in Japan, the band became huge stars - their arrival for a set of shows in 1977 was like Beatlemania all over again. During the Japanese tour, Currie began to struggle, and she left the band when they returned home – but Jett decided to keep fighting the rock & roll fight, with the Runaways and then on her own.

Jett has been close to the project: She serves as an executive producer on the film, and she has described Kristen Stewart as being “like a little sister.” For her part, the young actress has said of Jett that “her story's important - it's an incredibly triumphant feminist story, really.”

The two discs of the Greatest Hits set, meanwhile, present twenty blazing tracks from Jett’s three-decade-plus career. From “Cherry Bomb” through her smashes in the ‘80s and ‘90s, all the way up to the recent favorite “A.C.D.C.,” it’s a comprehensive look at one of rock’s most iconic figures.

In addition, the compilation will feature eco-friendly packaging (100% recycled paper and biodegradable trays). Jett, who has been dedicated to protecting the environment for most of her life, couldn't be more thrilled to be offering a "green" effort.

"I've always appreciated nature," she says, "trees, grass, birds, sun, and even insects. I obsessively recycle. I almost never turn on lights; I pretty much live in the dark. I don't use a lot of water. I'm a vegetarian, so I avoid contributing to the major environmental damage that the meat industry creates. I hope that soon we can make sure that everything we do is earth-friendly."

Of course, the hits collection will be released through Jett's own Blackheart Records, a label she founded in 1980 - which made her the first female artist to own and operate an independent record company. She and her longtime songwriting partner/producer Kenny Laguna created Blackheart after being rejected by 23 different labels when she was trying to release "I Love Rock n Roll," after she parted ways with the Runaways. (The song went on to spend eight weeks at Number One in 1982, and remains one of Billboard magazine’s top thirty songs of all time.)

Blackheart Records is currently home to such up-and-coming groups as San Antonio-based female threesome Girl In A Coma (Both Before I'm Gone) and Los Angeles' pop-punk trio the Dollyrots (Because I'm Awesome). The label continues to add new artists to its roster.

"I keep my eyes open [for new acts to sign] all the time when I'm on the road," says Jett. "We made Blackheart Records what we wanted it to be. It's a place where musicians can feel comfortable, both in a work environment and on an artistic level."

Since the release of Sinner in 2006, Jett has continuously toured across the globe, including a summer as a headliner on the Vans Warped Tour and stints alongside such bands as Aerosmith. Her music has become a permanent force in mainstream culture. Faith Hill sings "I Hate Myself for Loving You" as the theme for NBC’s Sunday Night Football, and "Bad Reputation" is the theme for the hit show American Chopper.

Jett’s version of “Love is All Around,” the theme from the Mary Tyler Moore Show, became a popular anthem for women’s sports. Her songs have also been featured in countless films, including Shrek, Charlie's Angels, and Monster.

Joan Jett has spent her lifetime breaking barriers and challenging expectations. She’s fought hard for all of her historic accomplishments, yet she remains humble and appreciative.

"I've had a blessed career,” she says. “I consider myself so lucky to have been able to do things my own way."

Check out more Joan Jett here http://joanjett.com/index.html and http://greatesthits.joanjett.com/.

This year 2009 at Davidson Express in the small town of Otsego, Michigan. Davidson Express’s best month in 2009 was March with every one getting ready for the summers upcoming riding season but the summer never really came to our area. Davidson Express’s parts and accessories department sales have been up over last year. We see this year that more people buying bikes are paying cash and not financing. We feel that is due to the banking melt down and the loss of so many jobs and cut in wages in the last year. We see a younger crowd buying used choppers since the price of that style Motorcycle has dropped. We also see a younger crowd changing from crotch rockets to vtwins style bikes. Michigan experienced the two coldest months on record for July and August. We haven’t had weather in the 80’s during the day and have had lots of rain. Motorcycle riding is still growing in leaps and bounds. Allegan County Motorcycle training course through the state of Michigan put 1500 new rider through this summer in our area alone. This summer we started our all female rides in May and continued through September and they were off the hook. We have new customers coming to our store daily. People still want to get together and have some fun and that is what Larry “L.D.” and Patty Davidson of Davidson Express are all about.

Thursday October 1st

What a way to start the Fall Rally! The ride on Thursday evening started out at the shop like usual with 19 shovelheads showing up to parade and ride around ride around. Among these was Sam Kanish, blogger of IronWorks from Pennsylvania, and bikes ranging from 1949 to 1983. They left at 5pm to ride out to the airport. This stop was a special one the riders were treated like celebrities when they arrived at the airport, with Andrew Isbell from The Steel Toad Photography there to capture the moment. After a few glamour shots that included some beautiful machines, or as I like to call them, toys, everyone rode on to Mr. Tom Heid’s house for the after party. Along with the bikes there was Brian Hadfield’s old school Tail Dragger airplane. They had a beautiful evening to ride through and arrived with a photo finish seconds before the rain. After arriving it was time to party and those of you that were there now how it was done and I won’t tell any secrets. What happens there stays there. ;) Thank you to Tom Heid and family and to everyone who came out to ride around ride around with us!

Friday October 2nd

Friday started out a little gloomy, but it started clearing up around registration time. At noon we had the flow of people start. The vendors started getting into place while it was still raining even. Those are the die hards that we like to keep around. Rain or Shine we keep it going. The editor’s ride set off around noon with some of the most interesting and knowledgeable bike magazine editors and writers from across the country. Along with the editors our three judges rode out. The judges for this show are Fabricator Kevin, World Famous Artist David Uhl, and Sam Kanish the blogger of Iron Works Magazine.

With 20 different classes including a pro class the day was going to be a promising one. By 2:30pm the motorcycles started rolling in at a higher volume. The 20 classes included: Antique Restored, Antique Unrestored, British, Bobber New School, Bobber Old School, Competition, Custom, Custom Paint, Dresser, Metric, New School Chopper, Old School Chopper, Pro, Rat, Scooter, Shovelhead, Sidecar, Sportster, Stock, Trike, and, of course, Best of Show. The sponsors of the this weekend were: National City Bank, Edward Jones Investments, Otsego Chamber of Commerce, Peloton Engineering, West End Mobil, Otsego Health and Fitness, M-89 Sports Bar, Applebee’s Restaurant, Country way Natural Food, Robin’s Jeweler’s, Upper Crust, Winkel Funeral Home, Abby Vanderberg/ Jaqua Realtors, Lane Automotive Service and Repair, Designer Pool & Spa, VFW 3030, Otsego Barber Shop, J.R. McGonigle’s, Windjammer, Oak Treasures, and sponsoring the Best of Show award was us, Davidson Express Motorcycles. Along with the vendors we had music and the new Davidson Express Girls. The music for the day was provided by Corey Brink of Rhythmology. The winners from the bike show were: Antique Unrestored, 1st Lynn Steemsma, 2nd Smitty, 3rd Gary Lane, British 1st Larry Seedorff, Competition 1st Tom Heid, Metric 1st Max Krueger, 2nd Jeff Coulter, 3rd Bill Meachum, New School Chopper 1st Scotty Herder, 2nd Steve Kosten, Old School Chopper 1st Steve Westveer, Pro 1st Stevil, 2nd Kevin Persons, Rat 1st Steve Hogstrosten, 2nd Josh Minor, Shovelhead 1st Stevil, 2nd David Luke, 3rd Tim Shippley, 4th Gary Harps, Stock 1st Dale Shindler, Trike 1st Diana Avery, 2nd Ron Roobol, and Best of Show was Kevin Persons of Pro 1 Cycle with Razorback that he built special for Michigan Chopper Fest 3. Thanks to everyone for making it a great day despite the cool weather! Special thanks to our judges, David Uhl, Fabricator Kevin, and Sam Kanish!

Saturday October 3rd

This day was quite a day. The morning started out raining and gloomy. Unfortunately we were forced to cancel the charity ride due to the weather. However Davidson Express is still committed to helping the community and surrounding charities and will send money to the Allegan County Hospice. Anyone who would like to send in a donation would be greatly appreciated. We will make sure it gets to the Hospice or you can take it directly to Hospice of Michigan Allegan County at 516 Linn St, Allegan MI, 49010. Thank you to all of those that were willing to go out in the rain and we will be looking forward to our next event our Spring Rally on the second weekend in May. Hopefully the weather will do us justice this upcoming year.

Antique Thursday

With a couple weeks to recuperate and reflect I am sure we are not the only ones with stories to tell about the great weekend! From the new addition of Antique Thursday, the best new old party, to the return of the Nitro Drags Chopper Fest 3 was the biggest and baddest yet! Thursday started out beautiful. The weather was perfect for the past generation of bikes to come out of hiding. We had a great turnout for the Antique Bike Ride. It was a sight to see as they all rumbled out of the drag strip that morning. You know they know how to party, because when they came back around the announcer’s box toward the campground there was a huge smile on every face, although, that could have been because they had to pass the Bikini Bike Wash to get back to the campsites. After arriving they all signed up for the Antique Bike show.

LD and Patty had the top 10 Antique Bike Builders from Michigan there for the show. These guys included: Tom Heid, Richard Perry, Wendell, Steve Otto, Bill Hoard, Dave Baker, Dale Milatz, Joe Gordella, John Messina, & Ron Clor. These guys had some awesome looking bikes, but they weren’t the only ones there others had bikes that put up some serious competition. The winners of the Antique Bike Show were; Best of Show Steve Otto with a 31 DL, 3rd Place Joe Gordella with a ’48 Pan head, 2nd Place Bill Hoard with his ’49 Triumph, and 1st Place went to Dale Milatz with his ’47 Knuckle Bobber in honor of his father. This show brought tears to the eyes of all who watched as Dale gave recognition to his late father. During the judging of this show we had an awesome band rocking the stage, and we want to thank them as well for helping them to put up the stage. We also were very proud to give the Lifetime Achievement Award out this year to Richard Perry of Perry’s Harley Davidson in recognition of his dedication and determination to help shape the motorcycle community. That night was rocked by the 80’s Hair Band Skeleton Krew!

Friday

Friday morning started out as beautiful as Thursday. The swap meet opened at 9am and the Chopper Bike run took off at noon. They went for a gorgeous ride around the surrounding areas. While they were gone the all new, ever beautiful, Davidson Express Girls were working hard at the Bikini Bike Wash. The helicopter rides were also flying people around. That is a trip! If you have never been in a helicopter and enjoy flying or like to try new things we definitely suggest going for a ride! We had so many people coming back with the biggest grins to tell us how beautiful it was. Brian even took someone all the way to Lake Michigan! While this was going on we had the Chopper Fest top 10 builders bring their bikes into the arena in front of the stage to be viewed and judged for people’s choice. While onlookers listened in awe LD described each builder and then handed the microphone over and the builders told the story behind the bike. Then with Dozer and Chelsea at the controls people were free to vote for people’s choice. The votes were regulated to one per person by hole-punching each person’s arm band. During this the band got back on stage.

The toilet pulls were also beginning to take their runs down the strip. They went about 100 feet pulling their shitters at high speeds. With the women giving their guys a “last” kiss before take-off, it was a thrill! It was something to watch, for sure, when the guys revved the engines before takeoff. Mark and Jackie held the tattoo contest after the toilet pulls. There was a male and female winner. The male winner was a veteran and had a very patriotic tattoo covering his entire back. Among the other male entries were; a brand new tiger tattoo, a scorpion in the armpit tattoo, Mickey Mouse banging Minnie, an Indian portrait, skulls, and others. The female winner was the one with the most ink. She had her entire leg covered with intricate designs. Among her competitors were; tribal symbols, a clover, a sweet girl, and other intricate designs. Then it was time for the mini bike racing. If you have never seen mini bikes race look up the pictures of it! These guys and girl, I didn’t forget you, Jackie, went around a dirt track, just flying! Then when they got the costumes on it was really entertaining. Bean’re was the Kool-Aid Man, there was also a super-hero, clown, naked guy, Speedo man, and others. Meanwhile the biker games were going on right next door to the mini-bike races. There was a slow-race, tire toss, and wiene bite. Those hot-dogs were covered in mustard and raw! Yum!

Next up was the Nitro Drags! Doesn’t matter where you were when they fired up because everyone took off to get to the strip when you heard them. The boys went up to 218mph! After the ooh’s and aah’s were done the stunt boys came out. The 1up crew and Bean’re, made up the Motorcycle Circus, kept the party going with stunts that were thrilling and mind-blowing at the same time! You definitely want to see the pictures of that if you missed it! When it got dark and the time was right the party really started to heat up with The Jasmine Cain Band. They rocked Martin like never before and then we all got to help Jasmine celebrate her birthday! Davidson Express & Friends & Bean’re got her started with parts for her to build a brand new bike! The gas tank was painted with her name and an old school, Elvis style microphone. She, to say the least, was very surprised! With presents handed out the crowd serenaded Jasmine with a rendition of Happy Birthday. When it was time for bed all we heard was people saying that this was the best party they’ve ever been to over and over.

Saturday

With an early morning mist Saturday was bound to be a day to remember. The mystery bike run took off at noon. With threatening rain showers events got backed up a bit. But by 12:30 the sun came out and people started pouring in. The band started as Patty Davidson took the ever beautiful Michelle Smith around the campgrounds to visit with everyone. While they were out and about the all new, ever beautiful, Davidson Express Girls were working hard at the Bikini Bike Wash. Just after noon the competition started to really heat up with the top ten. We did another meet and greet with the builders and the east vs. west. Now the main competition was east Vs west and you are not supposed to cross the line. Well if you happen to be the godfather of choppers there are no lines that you can’t cross. That held true to Ron Finch on Saturday when he crossed that line with his Captivator and stuck his front wheel on the front wheel of Jimmy Pacwa of Twisted Twin’s bike, The Red Beauty and forced it on back. Needless to say that set the tone for the competition!

The ride-in bike show was also heating up. The winners of the ride-in bike show were as follows; Antique Restored, 1st Wendell Turner, 2nd Dan Anible, 3rd Tim Hagerty; Antique Unrestored, 1st Gary Lane; British, 1st Gordie Householder, 2nd Gary Cook; New School Bobber, 1st Kenneth Whitten, 2nd Robert Blooks, 3rd Kevin Persons; Old School Bobber, 1st Kevin Persons, 2nd Kenneth Whitten, 3rd Wendell Turner; Competition, 1st Dave Brewster; Custom, 1st Steve Duleck, 2nd Danny Stebbins, 3rd Kim Martin; Custom Paint, 1st Dave Brewster; Dresser, 1st Ritchie Peterson, 2nd Eric Cox, 3rd Todd Richards; Metric, 1st Doug Martin, 2nd Bill Meachum, 3rd.

Check out our Chopper Fest 3 Photo Gallery. A BIG THANK YOU to Steve Mele, Tim Niceswander, Deb Hilaski, Paris, Vicki Zerbe, Cindy Greene, Ed with ELMS productions, Tracy Johnson with TDJ Photography, and Tom and Pam Brinn with Thunder Roads Magazine for all the photography!

As many of you know the Competition between the top ten Chopper Builders was the main attraction at our Michigan Chopper Fest 3. We brought in five guys each from the east side of Michigan and west side of Michigan. Going from coast to coast we found the top builders and asked them to each build a bike for Chopper Fest. While some are household names in the motorcycle community others are new faces with new tastes to show off. Each of these guys brings something different to the table. With the trend in Bobbers on the rise it was no surprise to see a few of the top ten in bobber form. We also had some very intricate metal work to amaze one and all. From Gone Global to The Captivator these guys didn’t hold back when it came time to show off their creativity and madness at building bikes. Each bike had a story and a crew that helped pull it all together. We had the first meet and greet on Friday July 24th and as we were talking to each of the builders one was still working on his bike and one was just pulling in to the campground. Now you have never seen a competition like this! This was an old school showdown not unlike something you would see in an old western movie. Our cover story in Thunder Roads emphasizes this with Ron Finch holding a pistol on the cover. The day of the competition dawned with red on the horizon. This was going to be good. Now when the meet and greet started the rule was “Don’t cross the line,” but if you are the “Godfather” of choppers does that apply to you? Well according to Ron Finch, the godfather himself, the rule no longer applies. He not only crossed that all important line he jumped his bike onto The Red Beauty of Twisted Twin and forced it back. Now everyone was a great sport and it was something that you will be sorry to have missed. Those of you in attendance can testify to the great show that these guys put on by either talking or just standing beside their works of art. The line up is as follows:

From the West Side:

• The Red Beauty- Jimmy Pacwa Twisted Twin
  
• Razorback- Kevin Persons Pro 1 Cycle
  
• Gone Global-Curt Kimber of House of Choppers
  
• For Sale-Greg Socha of GS Motor Co.
  
• Soul Sucker-Richie Teinert of Richie T’s Customs

From the East Side:

• The Captivator- Ron Finch of Finch’s Custom
  
• Igor-Dale Patterson of Superior Metal
  
• The Grocery Getter-Mark Hunt of Hunt’s Hog Shop

Each of these bikes has a story and each took an incredible amount of determination, creativity, hard work, and tenacity to be show ready for Chopper Fest. With the judges ready and the audience already voting, tension should have been thick in the air, right? Not so much, everyone was having a great time and just enjoying the easy-going banter between the builders and their crews. The judges for this colossal event were all from out of the state, to guarantee there would be no foul play. The judges were; Sean Sweeney of XsSpeed Choppers from Washington, DC; Darren Williams of Liquid Illusions from Saint Louis, Missouri; and Craig “Dozer” Ligeikis of Open Road Radio from Chicago, Illinois. Each of these guys brought a different element to the judging. Sean is the coordinator of the mini bike races that we had at Chopper Fest, Darren specializes in custom paint and has some remarkable artwork that he showcases at events. Dozer was also our Master of Ceremonies at Chopper Fest and has a show called Open Road Radio where he gets on every Sunday to talk about the motorcycle community. These three guys had the incredibly daunting task of choosing the winners of the showdown at Michigan Chopper Fest. Ultimately they did and the winners were as follows; People’s Choice was Curt Kimber of House of Choppers with Gone Global, 1st Place was Dale Patterson of Superior Metal with Igor. Now along with the usual trophies that are given away at events like this we also had some other prizes included. People’s Choice received $1,000, 3rd received $200, 2nd received $300, and 1st place received $1,000 and a Baker 4-Speed Transmission with Kicker. We want to thank all the guys for pouring the souls into this project and everyone who helped them to produce these fine bikes. We also want to thank our judges and those who helped put this all together from the Motor Sports Park to the newspapers. We will see you again next year for the next Michigan Chopper Fest that promises to be bigger and badder still.

We are proud to introduce Dale Walksler as a judge coming to Michigan Chopper Fest 4 2010 as for our Antique Day! Dale Walksler is the founder, owner and curator of the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. Walksler’s collection of rare and antique motorcycles is unparalleled. He is also responsible for developing and launching “The Time Machine,” an online video library where viewers can watch restorations of old motorcycles, learn about the history of the sport, and visit not only Dale’s museum, but other motorcycle related museums around the nation. Dale has accomplished some major feats in his years and we are more than proud to have him join our ranks of celebrity judges. This year Dale has been inducted into the Sturgis Hall of Fame for his outstanding contribution to the history and preservation of the sport of motorcycling. Walksler started the Wheels Through Time Museum in 1993, and has since developed his love for two wheels into one of the leading motorcycle and transportation museums in the world. With an ever-increasing collection of over 300 rare American-made motorcycles and automobiles, Walksler has dedicated his life to collecting, preserving, restoring, and most importantly sharing the history of our countries love affair with two wheels. Walksler will also be recognized for creating "The Time Machine", a unique motorcycle video website located at www.WheelsThroughTime.com, where visitors can learn about and enjoy the Wheels Through Time Museum online, travel to countless other museum's and industry related events, and stay current on various restorations of the rare American motorcycles within his museum.

www.sturgismuseum.com, www.WheelsThroughTime.com

Jimmy Pacwa, the builder of this sleek white cruiser, has always liked his toys. Besides motorcycles, at one time or another he's been into cars, speedboats, monster trucks you name it. Now though, it s strictly motorcycles. Not long ago, Jimmy was making a living painting at a body shop decent hours, good wages. Things have a way of changing as we all know, and when the shop Jimmy worked for was bought out, he looked around, took a deep breath, and hit the pavement. In his words, The new people walked in, and I walked out. That s exactly how it happened.

Jimmy has been painting and building custom motorcycles on the side anyway, so jumping into the customizing business full time was the next logical step. Thus was born Twisted Twin, the Michigan shop where Jimmy spends all of his work hours and a significant number of his leisure hours as well. He describes Twisted Twin as a toy shop for grown ups, which probably explains why there s usually a crowd around and several Harley Davidsons awaiting his services.

Jimmy credits many, many friends for his shop s success with Brian Hulcher of American Wire Wheel (AWW) residing at the top of the list. It should go without saying that there s a story here. Established builders Ness, Perewitz, Smith, etc. never seem to hurt for exposure, but it s different for someone who is just getting started and still waiting for his star to
rise. Not particularly happy with that situation, Brian came up with a different kind of ad campaign one in which American Wire Wheel would promote its products with custom motorcycles owned, built, and ridden by everyday people rather than the handful of big timers that marketers usually seek out.

Responding to an AWW ad asking for photos of motorcycles belonging to regular folks, Jimmy sent pics of the bike he was riding at the time, a customized Softail Standard, and whaddya know? He got a call from Brian just a few days later. Brian not only liked the Softail and wanted to use it in an ad, he also asked Jimmy to bring a bike or two to display in the AWW booth at the reborn Cincinnati trade show. Presto, friends and neighbors, that s all it took. Jimmy Pacwa and Twisted Twin were off and running! Which brings us to the long, low cruiser you see before you. Any way you look at it even squinting through one eye with the other one closed from 50 away you ll see a motorcycle. It has an engine and transmission, oil and gas tanks, wheels and sprockets, brakes, oil and gas lines, cables and linkages, and all the other bits and pieces that make a motorcycle what it is. Why dwell on the obvious? To make it clear that the countless parts and mechanical details of a motorcycle form the essence of its character. Rather than hide these intricacies, Jimmy chooses to accept them with open arms, thus adding interest and a depth lacking in customs shrouded with fairings, body panels, and the like. He started work on this bike with the idea that it would be a keeper a platform for showing off his tastes and talents and began with a Rolling Thunder Softail style frame. It s not like Softail frames are hard to find even Harley has them (that s a joke, son) but Jimmy s experience with Rolling Thunder products has been positive from the get go. As he explains, The frames and other parts are well made, they re straight, and everything's exactly where it should be. They always go together real sweet.

Understand that the last thing a professional builder needs is a product that requires unplanned modifications before he can use it. you know the old saying, Time is money. Nowhere is it truer than in the professional bike builder s garage. After molding the frame and fitting the various components, Jimmy stripped everything down for final paint prep. With that out of the way, he fired up his spray gun and went to work laying down coat after shimmering coat of House of Kolor Snow White Pearl. White? You mean, just plain, everyday white? Absolutely! After decades of waiting on the sidelines, white has come into its own as a custom color. There are a couple of reasons for that. First, it is understated; that fits hand in glove with Jimmy.

Apparently, most customizers and custom owners feel that white, especially in the absence of 3 D droll drops, flaming checkerboards, or ghoulish cemetery scenes from Night of the Living Dead, is too understated. Jimmy has found the opposite to be true. I ve shown the white bike beside two others that were similar but more colorful. Believe it or not, it s the white bike that gets the stares each and every time.

Don t forget, folks, you heard it here first. I asked Jimmy if this bike turned out as planned, and his answer was a solid yes, albeit with exception it has been sold and now belongs to a friend/customer. So much for the keeper that Jimmy had in mind when he started. Would he make any changes if he were going to build it all over again? Well, for one thing, he d add a speedometer. The bike s new owner wants one, and Jimmy thinks it s mostly a matter of luck that he never got a ticket while riding the bike himself. For another, Jimmy has been putting some thought into making his own pipes, and the white bike would be a natural for them. No doubt about it, the exhaust system forms a big part of a V Twin s overall look. Nice though some of the aftermarket pipes may be and the Samson Short Slashers look great here no way can a production pipe bring out the best in each and every ground up custom.

Jimmy and I had been chatting for an hour, and things were starting to wind down when I threw out a casual question. Hey, Jimmy what are your favorite motorcycles of all time? He mulled that over for a few seconds, and here's what he came up with. I'd have to say the 81 Sturgis and the 90 Fat Boy. They were modern and different from anything else around. They had unique color treatments the Fat Boy especially, with the silver frame and yellow engine parts but both of them were extremely simple and basic. I try to give my customers what they want, but I like that look, and I ve tried to develop it as my style. A motorcycle should look like a motorcycle. I agree 100 percent. Check out the photos and I think you will, too. design philosophy that more is not always better. Equally important, white doesn t distract the eye from the carefully crafted details of a well executed custom.

Curt Kimber started his career 24 years ago in auto body and paint. After customizing alot of friends bikes as a hobby, he decided to convert to motorcycles. Got a fantastic reputation as a painter and builder and went out on his own to start HOUSE OF CHOPPERS in 2003.He has built many one off scoots, show winners and traffic stoppers, over the past 6 years.He teamed up with master mechanic Jimmy Yatch. And builder, painter, Brian Michael, also known as "B", adding to the expertise at our shop.

After building a bike for advertising for the KLQ radio station, orders came in. Taking Curt away from his passion, which is building the one of a kind bikes as he sees them. Relocated from Holland to the Baldwin location in 2007 and business has been a huge sucess.

Some of the awards for builds and paint include 2003 Sandy Corley Memorial Run 1st place Outstanding Bike, 1st place Japanese, 2nd place Mild Custom.

Competed in 2005 5th annual West Michigan Biker Buildoff Devos Place Grand Rapids MI
Mid Michigan Motorcycle Extravaganza 1st place Dresser.

West Michigan Motorcycle and ORV Show 1st place Street Metric, 2nd place Dresser
Otsego Nights Bike Show 1st place New School Chopper

And many local shows.

Ma Ballance is someone you need to know. She is one of the great american women of motorcycling. She ran Ballance's Harley Davidson for 52 years. She has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Davidson Express due to her dedication to the motorcycling world. Her best days were riding cross country with her husband. Known to all as Ma Ballance as she ran the parts department. This woman is a rare gem. If you happen to see her at one of our parties don't be afraid to say hi.

June 12th
LD, Theresa, & Taylor Martin were at the Jackson County Fairgrounds for Wheels of Thunder. While in Jackson they were able to chill with the godfather of choppers, Ron Finch. The crowd out at the Wheels of Thunder was pretty low key and . After hanging out at the fairgrounds and handing out flyers to everyone and their mother the three went to HOG's PALACE. They met up with Corset Sue to help celebrate her birthday. HOG's PALACE was the place to be, with a great location and atmosphere. Friday night they featured country acts; Whitey Morgan and Small Town Son. Saturday night they featured; Massasauga and Hindsight rock/metal bands.
http://www.hogspalace.com/index2.html

June 13th
Time to return to Jackson County Fairgrounds with cloudy skies leading the way. Due to the weather the turnout was worse than the day before. To put things in perspective the burnout contest only had one entry. Fortunately, although the weather was cool the stunt guys were HOT, featuring Matt Guidos! Today the LD and the girls got to hang out with Trish from Baker. Food for today was from Stockbridge Steakhouse and Lenny's Sub Shop. We want to also send a huge thanks to Dan Davidson for letting LD and the girls stay at his home. Also coming this year to the Michigan Chopper Fest will be horse races! Stay tuned for more information!

Meanwhile,
At US131 Martin Dragstrips held the AMA Dragbike Championship Series Sponsored Summer Nationals. Jeff Jameson & Chelsea Martin were there through the rain handing out flyers. With the sun came Patty and new Davidson Express Girl, Carrie Simmons, to help hand out more flyers to the racers; including Mike Romine, Ray Price, and many others. These bikes came from all over North America from Canada to Georgia. There was a large variety of bikes as well from the Top Fuel Nitro Drags to the Racing Snowmobiles (Sleds). This was a competition! Harleys Vs the Import Bikes!

June 14th
Sunday brought out more people as it was a gorgeous day! LD and his girls headed towards Hell, MI. This was the best day this weekend for the threesome. The thermometer read 80 and was climbing. There was also a huge turnout for this event. LD put it perfectly when he said, "This is a real biker party." With lots of people, great food, and bike burnouts who could ask for more?

Meanwhile,
Patty, Wendy, Chelsea, & Jeff where hanging out at Gilmore's for the Antique Bike Show. This show was one to see and if you missed it you missed out. Along with Antique bikes from around the world there was also a jet powered bike and many other contraptions. By contraptions I'm including bar stool motorized carts, tiny choppers, & motorized foot scooters. When entering the grounds you obtained admission to each of the beautiful and elegant old barns filled with a variety of old, vintage vehicles.

Well sit back & I will tell you a story about a guy who walked off his job at General Motors and started building custom bikes out of a little shop in Lansing. I started building custom bikes in the 80s. I was having trouble getting parts to build with in my area, no mail order, no internet, just swap meets & friends. So I just opened up a small store front to sell parts to friends and to support my passion of building bikes. Well it snowballed after the Harley craze took off & here I am, celebrating my 20th year in business. What a long strange trip it’s been! I’ve been through good times, hard times, fun times & exciting times. Good friends, bad girlfriends, waters that were rough & some pretty wild stuff, but thanks to all my loyal customers who have always stuck by me...I have survived. Like L.D. from Davidson Express I’m involved in my community and do what I can. This year I’m putting on my 3rd annual Custom Motorcycle Bike Show June 20th in historic REO Town in Lansing. Its a lot of work but my girlfriend Beth has been helping me a lot on this. I could not pull this off without her drive behind me. My shop started in 1989 & out grew my location after 2 years. I moved on Cedar St. which is a main road in Lansing to serve my customers better. We have always specialized in the Panheads & Shovelheads and have every part in stock. We also do a lot of service work with most jobs in & out the same day. I love my job & the lifestyle that goes with it. I look forward getting up every morning and going to work. A lot of hours but I love it. I meet L.D. in the early 90s at a swap meet in Daytona Beach & I know how much work it is to put something like the Chopper Fest on. It takes a lot of balls to gamble on something like that & he will always have my support on this. I look forward to seeing Ron Finch to see what crazy idea he came up with. And who knows, I might even get a little drag racing in that weekend. Any way you look at it, its always been a fun partying weekend. Thanks Chelsea, I cant wait to meet you too. Hoggie...aka..Mark Hunt

I'VE BEEN RIDING MOTORCYCLES SINCE I WAS A KID. I JOINED THE MARINE CORP IN 1981 TO HELP PAY FOR A NEW HARLEY. EVERY YEAR AS I GET OLDER I RIDE EVEN MORE. ITS GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE I ALMOST LIVE ON THE ROAD. I GO TO ALL THE RALLIES IN THE US AND HAVE BEEN TO EUROPE and AUSTRALIA ON MY BIKE TOO. ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS THAT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THE THINGS THAT I DO AND GO THE PLACES THAT I HAVE GONE IS THAT I HAVE BEEN CLEAN AND SOBER FOR OVER 20 YEARS. I AM REWARDED FOR THAT EVERYDAY. I HAVE LIVED MANY PLACES BUT CURRENTLY AM IN THE MOUNTAINS OF TENNESSEE ALTHOUGH I AM RARELY HOME. I NEVER KNOW WHERE I WILL END UP. WHETHER ON MY SNOWBOARD OR ON MY CHOPPED ROADKING I GET AROUND. MY NEXT BIG TRIP PLANNED IS ANOTHER EUROPEAN TRIP FOR THE SUMMER OF 2008.

My web site of beanre.com got lost. It seems that I let the renewal lapse one day and yahoo released it to someone in Italy. Now it is a link for some car lot or something.

http://www.myspace.com/beanre1

Well, Bare Knuckle Choppers came out of necessity almost. I was working in a bike shop part time, but the guy wouldn't hire me fulltime.. I kept working there and began building frames at my home shop. The state of Missouri told me I couldn't keep building the frames in a residential area, and I had to have a place of business. So, I quit my job, rented a shop, and started Bare Knuckle Choppers. I started going to college for Engineering, and I had machining school when young. I also went to trade school for welding and got certified. My dad used to have cool old choppers, as did my uncle, so that's where the seed was planted. Today, our shop specializes in building frames and frontends, as well as many other parts. We have a full machine shop in house, and it's usually running full bore. Since this is our business focus, we only build 3-4 bikes a year, just to keep it fun and to show off new parts.

What started as five drunks racing around in a hotel parking lot at midnight in Cottonwood, Arizona, three years ago has predictably turned into a Monster of Goofy-ness. In October 2007, Sean "XsSpeed" Sweeney got the idea for MiniBike races as a way to spruce up the after-hours fun at Smoke Out West. Now, just over a year and a half and three races later, there were forty-three racers/bikes and two thousand spectators for the XsSpeed MiniBike Races at the Smoke Out East X in Rockingham, NC, with Michael Lichter taking pictures!

http://www.myspace.com/minibikeraces

I used to hate Harleys when I was a kid. Oil leaking pieces of junk with decades old engineering. I raced motocross and I thought the technology of the Jap bikes was cool. I kind of like Harleys now. It must be me that changed because their bikes are still about the same. I started my machine shop back in '93 and I wanted to build bikes starting around '98. The only problem besides the lack of time and money, was that the bike scene seemed to be all overblown, stretched out, billet barge garbage. Not very interesting, so bike building was still on the back burner. Two things happened in '00 and '01 that got me going. The first was motorcycle mania on the Discover Channel and the other was finding "The Horse" magazine #15 on the news stand. Before "The Horse" I never knew there was cool stuff out there. So here we are, you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a new chopper shop, and we're one of 'em. Anyway, we build our own frames and do the CNC machining in house. Our goal is to do a kind of a production deal where we're able to keep the prices reasonably affordable.

-GS-
www.gsmotorcompany.com

Would you believe its been TEN YEARS! since Michele Smith started hosting American Thunder? Some people in the motorcycle industry have called her an American Motorcycle Icon, The First Lady of Motorcycling, and as one 14 year old put it "She's the 'Pam An' of the motorcycle industry". Michele has changed the stereotypical image of a "Biker Chick" into "Biker Chic" by adding a bit of glamour to the industry. She started out in the modeling world as a pin-up girl. Most of the jobs she did were sexy-type photos seen in motorcycle calendars, posters, catalogs and magazine covers like Playboy, Muscle and Fitness, Swimwear USA, Swimwear International and Neue Revue. You may have seen her over the years in commercials, sitcoms ,music videos, The Price is Right or Tim Conway's comedy videos. Also known in Germany as "Heidi" the West Cigarette Girl, she has appeared in commercials as well as billboards and European magazines. She was spotted on the cover of Easy Riders Roadware clothing catalog and was hired as the host of American Thunder. The rest is history!

These days she is gracing magazine covers like Wild Motorcycles and Full Throttle and you may catch a glimpse of her in V-Twin, Hot Rod or Easy Riders. There are stories about her and American Thunder in Iron Works magazine as well as many others and she is always ready to do an interview without hesitation. Check out websites like Vtwinpuls.com where she was the ONLY female to ever be interviewed for On the Hot Seat. You can also find an interview with her at wominx.net She has been riding motorcycles since 1994 when she decided to take the Caifornia Motorcycle Safety Course after they hired a stuntwomen for her riding shots in a foreign film she was working on. "This 90lb. girl on a Harley showed up and I took one look at her and thought if she can ride that thing why can't I? "It was so embarrassing being strapped in a pick-up truck sitting on a Harley riding down Hollywood Blvd for the close-up shots." The very next day I signed up for the motorcycle safety course and ordered a Sportster from Glendale Harley. It arrived just in time to attend the 'Love Ride' and off I went. I loved it so much I thought, why didn't I do this sooner? There is nothing better than the thrill and the sound of a motorcycle!" "I love working in the motorcycle industry. I always look forward to going out to as many events as possible and meeting with the fans who watch American Thunder. After all, if it weren't for the fans, I probably wouldn't have lasted this long in the industry. They are my supporters and I love to hang out and talk with as many of them as I can. The look on their face is priceless when they reach out to shake my hand and I hug them instead!" "Working in this industry enables me to test ride many different motorcycles and its nice to be able to have that opportunity." "When I attend an event I never know what bike they will have waiting for me. Usually I say that I will ride whatever they throw at me, but safety is my first concern. If it's a bike that I'm not comfortable riding I just might hesitate a little more, after all, there is that waiver I'm usually ask to sign." "Hanging out with the builders that I meet at the shows is definately a real treat. These guys are a lot of fun and I think that most have accepted me now." "In the beginning they thought I was just another bimbo hosting a TV show and that I couldn't ride a bike or that I didn't care much about the motorcycle industry. After all, I was the only female host on Speed Channel in the early years when most of the other shows were hosted by men." "I have a lot of respect for the builders that have been in this industry a long time. They are the "real" thing. These are the guys that have dedicated their lives to building motorcycles because they love doing it. They have worked hard to get to where they are today and when they started they didn't have the advantage of using TV to get their name and product out there like the younger guys do now." Michele's other interests are designing . She has a line of lingerie called "Jeweled G's" which is a G-string with jewelry that can be detached from the panty and worn as a necklace. She is most likely the only person you know that has a utility patent on a G-string! A few years ago her designs were sold in Victoria's Secret. Recently she started "No Needles Tattoo" which is a t-shirt that gives the illusion of having tattoos on your arm. There is now also a matching thong so one can have the illusion of a tattoo on the lower back without the pain of a needle. "Designing is a hobby and I love it. I have a lot of ideas for women's clothing especially for the motorcycle market but finding the time is something else right now. Eventually I hope to have my creations in motorcycle shops everywhere!"

http://www.michelesmith.tv

Plans, produces and coordinates show material and broadcasts. Gina started as a broadcast professional with WVVX and US99. Her history with motorcycles includes retailing with Harley Davidson, Co., and runway show designing, promoting, and coordinating with J & P Productions. She has been riding for 8 years, and currently owns a '49 Harley Davidson Panhead.

http://www.myspace.com/openroadradio

Jay Turner will have better memories this time when he and Bobby Buckley's Team Bulldog rolls through the gates of Virginia Motorsports Park. Last season, the defending IHRA Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley World Champion from Whitsett, NC., was denied the opportunity to make exhibition runs at the facility during a national event under another sanction despite being invited to do so. That was then. This is now and Turner looks forward to blazing the asphalt in Dinwiddie, Virginia. "We'll be coming back from a Top Fuel Harley race in Florida that same week, so it makes good sense for us to head to VMP to make a few more runs and continue to refine our combination," explained Turner, whose dad Jim operates Piedmont Motorsports Park. "I think this event will provide us with an excellent opportunity to test in national event conditions without all the pressure. Usually, when you test, it's far below national event atmosphere. I'm really looking forward to attending." Turner recently was awarded his second IHRA Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley World Championship at the IHRA Summit Awards Banquet in Louisville, KY.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2001/01/28/013536.html

S&S Jim McClure Nationals
September 22-23
Richmond, VA

The Jim McClure Nationals has become an annual history-making event for Jay Turner Racing. In 2006 Jay "The Bulldog" Turner conquered the incredibly rare "Nitro Double" by winning both the Top Fuel class and the Pro Fuel category in the same event. In Top Fuel Turner competes for Johnny Mancuso and the in Pro Fuel class he fields his own operation So what could be more extraordinary than a Nitro Double? How about accomplishing the feat two years in row at the same event. That's exactly what the Bulldog did. "Winning both classes at the same event two years in a row is a small miracle," Turner said. "My crew and I are giving all the credit to hard work and to my friend and mentor Jim McClure. I was not out there alone this weekend. I had a lot of luck, or an angel on my side." In the event's inaugural year of 2006 The AHDRA dedicated the race to the memory of the late Jim McClure, a 19-time drag racing champion and icon of the sport, who passed away in 2004 following heart complications.

In opening qualifying point leader and winner of the last two events in Woodburn, OR, and Bristol, Tenn, Takeski Shigematsu qualified on the pole with a stellar 6.46. Turner qualified in the No. 2 spot, just three-hundredths of a second behind Shigematsu with a 6.49. Former champion and No. 2 in the point series Doug Vancil qualified fifth with a 6.57. On race day Turner used a consistent string of runs ranging from 6.45-6.53 to defeat opponent after opponent and advance to the final round. On the other half of the bracket No. 4 qualifier and winner from the season-opening race in Gainesville, Fla, Bob Malloy put together an even more impressive string of consistency with a 6.45 in round No. 1, a 6.46 in round No. 2, and another huge 6.45 in the semifinals to upset Shigematsu and gain lane choice in the final. Unfortunately for Malloy his 6.45 bracket bike finally gave out in the final and he was unable to make a run. Turner took the easy victory with a 6.50. Turner dedicated the victory not only to the late Jim McClure, but also to his Top Fuel team owner Johnny Mancuso, who recently announced this will be his last season. "Since the official retirement of Mancuso Racing was announced, it was very important for me to give Johnny a Top Fuel win before the season was out," Turner said. "We also had one of our sponsors with us last weekend, Alfred Knott owner of AB&H Excavating, was able to come out and enjoy the wins with us. By the time it came to roll the bikes in the winner circle, it finally hit everyone what had just happened. We won a double again!"

Turner thanked his sponsors for all they do for Jay Turner Racing, "Without them, I couldn't do what I do," Turner said. He thanked AB&H Excavating, T-Man Performance, Rocket Management Systems, Syphon Systems, Palm Beach H-D, Cracker Racing, Metzler Tires, Red Line Oil and Vanson Leathers. Following the event Turner climbed to No. 3 in the point series with 554, Vancil remains No. 2 with 642, and Shigematsu continues to hold the lead with 706 heading into the tour's final two races. In Pro Fuel the Jay "The Bulldog" Turner dominated the field to complete his second consecutive S&S Jim McClure Nationals Nitro Double. In qualifying The Bulldog took the pole with an impressive run of 6.65, just eight-thousandths ahead of his rival Armon Furr. In all 10 competitors showed up to attempt to qualify for Sunday's program. Turner's bid for another Nitro Double nearly ended right on the starting-line in the opening round of eliminations. Both Turner and No. 8 qualifier Russ Sowers broke on the starting line and were unable to make it down the 1,320-feet-long race course. Per AHDRA rules Turner was awarded the win by virtue of his better reaction time, .119 to Sowers' .179. "My first round of eliminations was crazy. Both bikes broke right off the line. Who does that? Good thing I had the quicker reaction time," Turner said.
Turner met up with Furr in the final for another classic showdown between the two top racers in the class. Both Turner and Furr brought their A-game and in one of the closest races of the day, Turner's .053 and 6.61 was enough to hold off Furr's .050 and 6.65. With the win Turner extended his point lead to 241 over Furr.

http://www.cycledrag.com/Headlines/1007/AHDRA%20Virginia%20Speed.htm

I was born in Sturgis and grew up in rural South Dakota on a cattle ranch and have always had a fascination with music and sound. Even though I have no formal training, I have always been able to hear interesting and unusual pieces of music in my head. In 2003, I decided that it was time to pursue my career seriously and moved to Tennessee. At that point I had already put in 19 years of playing bar gigs with various bands. Stage experience was my strength and I soon found that I was able to really capture a crowd with my music. I haven't been writing long, but I have been writing with complete determination to be one of the best. I want to be different, I want to be unique. That's a hard thing to do. But I will find it and I will do it.

Since I was raised on country music, tapped into bluegrass, had a love affair with the blues and R & B, and then discovered the power of rock....I was really confused on which genre I felt more passionate about performing. I chose to be all of those things because that's me, so no matter what I'm playing at the time, it's all inside me. When I actually chose what it was I wanted to do, there was one thing that stood out about rock music that no other form of music was able to compete with......the energy. I am addicted to the energy on stage. People used to go to concerts years ago (what happened, by the way?) partially to hear good music and mostly to get hyped up on the energy. You feed off of it...you crave it and when it's being delivered you have your fix. The energy is undeniable. I want everyone in my audience to feel like they have the power to do something with their lives and make a difference. Too many people count on someone else to take control and change something; it's really up to you. Be the best, be different, take control, and make a difference. Find your passion and deliver it. That's why we're here.

By: Jasmine Cain
http://www.jasminecain.com/jasmine-cain-bio.html

The latest addition to the Cook crew is Warren Heir Jr. Warren was born and bred in the bike business. Son of Warren Heir Sr., owner of Warrens Cycle in Round Lake Illinois, Jr. cut his teeth on repair and service of Harley Davidsons. As his skills grew so did his need to build his own bikes. While Dave continues to focus on one of a kind builds, Warren is working with JP on a plan to help make Dave's style available in components suitable for use with bikes built on a stock foundation. Now with numerous builds under his belt, publication of 2 of his bikes in Cycle Source magazine, attention in other magazines such as Iron Horse and Street Chopper for his sponsorship of the El Diablo Run and others, Warren is working to bring his style of old school components to his brothers who share his appreciation for the 60's and 70's style chops he loves to create.

http://www.cookcustomchoppers.com/about.htm
http://jrscycleproducts.blogspot.com/

"If it ain't STEEL, it ain't REAL!"
By RICHARD "OldDawg" KRANZLER

I was wet, cold and tired as I rolled the shovel into the bowels of Hell mknown as the south side of Detroit to find the elusive metal smith that people call FabKevin. I was thinking what kind of person could cause this kind of stir in the ol' skool chopper community; I mean he wasn't producing fancy chrome shiny parts. Nope, his wares show up at your door in raw unfinished steel. So, why all the commotion? I really couldn't understand it so that's how I ended up rolling thru the industrial area of Detroit at zero dark thirty reading unlighted buildings looking for his shop. As I took a left down an old decrepit alley I saw the flash of an arc welder and the splash of fresh sparks from a plasma cutter arcing thru the front door of an old rundown warehouse. As I parked the old shovel by the ramp leading to the front door, I noticed a small Maltese cross with Fabricator Kevin lettered across the bottom, painted on the door.

Climbing off the bike I can see the master at work. He is busy overseeing a CNC High Definition Plasma cutter making sure each cut is perfect. I can tell by the concentration in his brow that he expects nothing but the best and that his customers will all receive the same. Slowly he turns his head to check who this intruder would be standing at his shop door in the middle of the night. I introduce myself and thank the gods that I had called him earlier to arrange this meeting, as I am sure he is well acquainted with taking care of trespassers.

Slowly his menacing smirk changes to a grin as he turns off his machine, reaches down to his obviously custom made diamond plate cooler, throws me a beer and tells me to pull up a chair. We started talking casually about the chopper industry and where he believes it will head next, his thoughts and his passions. Slowly information starts coming out about his background and how he found himself doing what he is doing.

Maltese cross motor plate
It just happened that sometime back in his youth he decided he would get into the industrial sheet metal field. Being a rider and a person who turns his own wrenches, he was producing parts for himself and of course as usual, people started to notice. 20 years later and thousands of widgets latter, he decided to mix his two passions into one, metal working and custom Harleys.

It seemed a natural mix and with the machines he has access to from Computer aided design work to his high definition laser, and his friends all clamoring for parts like the ones on his ride he knew that he was onto something. Slowly at night on his own time he started turning out chopper parts. At first it was just for close friends, you know a timing cover here a motor plate there, but slowly the word got out that here was a man that could take your ideas whether it was trying to adapt 6 piston Japbike brakes to your girder front end or making laser carved motor plates with your name engraved in them. He can do it all with top quality materials and at a budget price.

Jockey Shift Levers for Ratchet top Trans. He started advertising and slowly an underground movement started around his parts, a subculture we will call it that is anti billet and really believes in Kevin's mantra of "If it ain't STEEL, it ain't REAL!" Parts orders slowly started coming in and a contract from Horse BackStreet Choppers magazine for his Maltese cross point's covers, which I will say are an exclusive to the Horse so I wasn't able to sneak out with one.

Maltese Cross points cover only available thru Horse BackStreet Choppers Website
This is the point that the shop is at now, small enough for personal one of a kind parts and Kevin says that it will stay that way, Service that would shock the big boys and the ability to produce whatever your mind can imagine out of steel. You ask for flames, spider webs, Maltese crosses, or your name engraved in that custom part and he makes it happen. That is what it is all about. As we finish our drinks I start looking around the shop noticing some of the standard parts he produces. I ask him for a rundown of his "Stock" Parts and this is what I get :

"Exhaust flanges to make your own pipes for Shovels and STD heads, Taillight brackets, License plate brackets, Fender struts, Brake caliper brackets (to adapt almost any OEM caliper to any frame or forks), Motor Plates, to connect motors and trannies on open belt primary drives, points covers for cone motors, Jockey shift arms, and almost anything else you can dream up. I can offer many steel parts that are no heavier than aluminum parts, because I can make them thinner, and cut out unnecessary material. While I have plenty of my own designs, I can also work from your drawings or templates. If you're cutting out parts on a band saw, and grinding them to fit, I can probably program and burn them WAY cheaper than you can do it yourself. I can program and cut: spider web patterns, flame patterns, skulls, Maltese crosses, or any lettering or shape you want. I make parts for American, British, and metric bikes too."

One of a kind Mid Control Brackets and motorplate. Pretty strong words if ya ask me. But from what I see in the shop, I believe what he is saying. Slowly I get up and thank him for his time and the info and he asks me to hold up a minute as I was heading out the door. He walks over to the CNC machine and pulls out what looks like a motor plate for a shovel, and cut into the motor plate are the words OldDawg. Damn that is something I wasn't expecting and from the smirk on his face he knew it would be on my bike by the next weekend. As I wheel my way west towards my home I couldn't help but wonder if FabKevin isn't at the forefront of a new movement and how long it would be before I started seeing his parts at the local shop hanging on the pegboard.

Thanks Kevin for the beer and the conversation.

http://www.bikernet.com/news/specials/fabkevin.asp
www.fabkevin.com

Darren Williams is the owner of Liquid Illusions. He was raised in Boston and moved to Saint Louis in 1990. Darren held down a career as a successful freelance illustrator and painter. Darren's stepfather owned a body shop where he worked part-time fixing dents and painting cars. In 1990 Darren decided to funnel both jobs through an airbrush and Liquid Illusions was born. Since then Darren's work has been featured in all the major magazines and has painted many cover bikes for top builders around the country. Liquid Illusions specializes in custom paint, but can handle everything from fabrication to a finished bike.

This year Darren Williams will be one of the Celebrity Judges at Chopper Fest 3, So come out and meet him!

Limpnickle Builder Manual Vol. 1
www.liquidillusions.com

TEAM PARTY PRODUCTIONS

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will be 18 and older only

NEW!!! ANTIQUE THURSDAY:
7am Camping & Swap Meet Registration Opens
7-12am Top 10 Antique Builders Registration opens
12-4pm Top 10 Antique Bikes on Display for People's Choice
12pm Antique Bike Ride
12pm Swap Meet Begins
1-6pm Classic Rock Band
1pm Bikini Antique Bike Wash with Davidson Express Girls
1:30pm NEW !!! Antique Bike Games
2-4pm Antique Bike Show
4pm Ceremony Michigan Top 10 Antique Builders
6pm Lifetime Achievement Award
8pm-12am 80's Hair Band
2-8am Quiet Hour

FRIDAY:
7am Camping Registration Opens
7-12am Registration for Chopper Fest Opens
9am Swap Meet Opens
12pm Chopper Fest Bike Run Leaves
12pm Chopper Fest Top 10 Builders Bikes on Display for People's Choice
12pm-5pm "Foreplay" Classic Rock Band
1pm Bikini Bike Washes with Davidson Express Girls
3pm Tattoo Contest-Male & Female
4pm New!!! Alcohol Mini Bike Racing TT Super Model
5pm Nitro Drags & Grudge Match Racing $10 Race a Friend
6pm Meet & Greet Bike Builders for People's Choice
7pm Stunt Show with Bean're & The Motorcycle Circus
8pm Burnout Contest- Win $100
9:30pm-1:00am With Musical Guest The Jasmine Cain Band
2-8am Quiet Time

SATURDAY:
7am Camping Registration Opens
9am Chopper Fest Top 10 Bike Builders on Display for People's Choice
9am Swap Meet Opens
10:30am Biker Wedding
11am Mystery Bike Ride- Poker Run-Leaves
12pm-3pm Ride-In Bike Show
12pm-5pm Classic Rock Band
1pm Meet & Greet Bike Builders for People's Choice
1pm Bikini Bike Washes with Davidson Express Girls
3pm Mystery Bike Ride- Poker Run- Returns
3:30pm Ride-In Bike Show Awards
4-5pm Biker Games
5pm Nitro Drags & Grudge Match Racing $10 Race a Friend
5-7:30pm Chicken Dinner
6pm Meet & Greet Bike Builders for People's Choice
7pm Stunt Show with Bean're & The Motorcycle Circus
8pm Burnout Contest- Win $100
9:30pm-1:00am With Musical Guest The Jasmine Cain Band
11pm Ceremony Michigan Top 10 Bike Builders East Vs. West
2-8am Quiet Time

SUNDAY:
7am Gates Open to All Ages
9am Chopper Fest Top 10 Bikes on Display
9am Swap Meet Opens
10am Trinity FTL
12pm Blessing of the Bikes

This spring we had three bike runs! The first to kick start our fantastic weekend was Chris Carr’s Ride to Tom Heid’s. The second was our editor’s ride that took off on Friday at noon where LD took friends on a ride with a scenic route to the Lynx Sports Bar & Grill. The last run was our annual spring poker run for a charity. This May we were supporting those with Rett’s syndrome. With 70 bikes in attendance going over 100 miles to make four stops, the day turned out to be beautiful after the misty start. This run first went to Cocktail’s in Hopkins where Amanda and Ernie provided great hospitality. The second stop was The Cove in Saugatuck where they were greeted by Jerry and his crew. The third stop was Sue’s Sidetracks in Pullman where Sue had her whole crew ready and waiting to make our time amazing. Last stop was to Larry and Patty’s where the riders were greeted with a huge chicken dinner with all the fixins and the band “Foreplay” rocking out. Special Thanks to the restaurants with their crews; Donny Loos, Celebrity rider; and all of you who came out to ride around ride around!!! You guys helped us send $500 to the Benefit Horse Camp!!!

This past weekend we were able to visit the annual Blessing of the Bikes in Baldwin. There were 1,000’s upon 1,000’s of bikes in attendance and great weather for all of the festivities. We visited Curt from the House of Choppers to get a preview of his “Gone Global” bike for this year’s Chopper Fest Build-Off. Jim from Twisted Twin was also in attendance. We also got to visit the “Toilet Pulls.” This new event will be featured at this year’s Chopper Fest! It is put on by Crossroad’s Bar and is a have to see event!!!

Welcome to the Biker Friendly Town!

This year our spring bike show was the biggest and best ever with 92 bikes entered in the show competing in 19 different classes. Our classes and sponsors included: Antique Restored (National City Banks), Antique Unrestored (Edwards Jones Investments), British (Otsego Chamber of Commerce), Bobber (Peloton Engineering), Competition (Otsego Health & Fitness), Custom (M-89 Sports Bar), Custom Paint (Applebee’s Restaurant), Dresser (Countryway Natural Foods), Metric (Robin’s Jeweler’s), New School Chopper (Upper Crust), Old School Chopper (Winkel Funeral Home), Pro (Abby Vandenberg/Jaqua Realty), Rat (Toothman Printing), Scooter (Designer Pool & Spa), Shovelhead (VFW 3030), Sidecar (Otsego Barber Shop), Sportster (J.R. McGonigle’s), Stock (Windjammer), Trike (Island City Glass), and Best of Class. We also had Conversion Point, West-End Mobile, and Hair 89 sponsor our Insurance for the day. We had 58 winners which included the Best of Show. Our winners were in order of class: Dave Simik, Steve Otto, Dave Simik, Lynn Stiemsma, Larry Seedorf, Steve Botimen, Carrie Curey, Luke, Tim Riemer, Hot Rod, Bob Devore, Skip the Pro class, Kelly Jones, Brad Curtis, Stevil, Skip Sidecar Class, Justin, Rusty Eason, Stevil, Harold Bungan, and Best of Show winner Steve Otto. This year we also had two great new bands. All the boys in the bands are from the younger generation and were a hit with classic rock and new generation rock. The bands were Trinity FTL and Kaos Redeemed. Our celebrity judges this year included; Chris Carr, AMA Dirt Track Champion; Chris Callen, Editor in Chief of Cycle Source; and Donny Loos co-founder of Sucker Punch Sally’s. These guys made winning this year tough and all the more gratifying. With a new year comes new Davidson Express Girls. These include: Chelsea and Taylor Martin, Hali Dolnik, April Vallance, Wendy Strobel Sines, and Vanessa Gilbert. With all this combined the bike show made this the biggest night in town for the whole community.

Mike Romine started his racing career at the age of 12 on snowmobiles and motocross bikes. At the age of 16, he bought his first Harley and a life-long love was born. In 1985, he decided to combine his love of racing and Harleys and began campaigning a Top Fuel Harley. He quickly became one of the top Harley races in the country, winning eight Top Fuel National Championships. In 2001, Mike signed more autographs in one year than he did in his entire career - exemplifying the growth of both the fan base for Nitro Harley and the number of events he's attended.

In 1988, Mike became only the third person to ever run a 4-second pass on the eighth-mile and was inducted into the AHDRA’s 4-second club. In January of 1993, Romine Racing was invited to Melbourne, Australia to compete in the first USA vs. Australia Nitro Harley Challenge, which was sponsored by Toohey’s Beer, Butternut Bread and Quantas Airlines. In 1996, Mike broke the 7-second barrier when he ran a 6.96 at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In 1997, he became a member of Romine Cams 200 mile-per-hour club. In 1998, Mike began campaigning a second fuel bike, this one a Pro Fueler owned by Lonnie and Marianne Isam of Competition Motorcycles, Pearland, Texas. At the end of the season, Mike held the world record in the Pro-Fuel class at 6.85. In 1999, Romine Racing teamed-up with Dennis Paul and Chromatic, Inc. to strengthen their assault on the quarter-mile. Featuring all Chromatic team members, this photo of the team was taken at Norwalk Raceway Park in 2001, shortly after debuting Mike's new Nuclear Tomato.

Mike and his wife/Crew Chief Patty, were born and raised in Sturgis, Michigan, where they own a custom and high-performance motorcycle shop. Mike builds his own bikes and motors using the latest technology and advancements. He has earned a reputation for quality and integrity. In 1996, Mike developed his own line of high performance camshafts for both street bikes and race machines, which he makes available to the general public.

http://www.mikeromine.com/theteam.asp

At 2 years old the “Tell Santa what you want for Christmas” question was answered in a small voice… “A motorcycle.” Ever since, Larry”LD” Davidson’s love of motorcycles was evident. A long history of motorcycles is present in LD’s life. As a child he idolized Evil Knievel and then found an outlet in flat track racing as a teen. Ultimately adopting the motorcycle lifestyle, he loves loud v-twins, fast paced life, working hard and hosting great parties. LD is now pouring his heart and soul into his profession. This dedication is also evident in his personal life. Patty Davidson is not only LD’s wife; she is his best friend, business partner and the love of his life at his side day in and day out. This dedication has led them to open Davidson Express Motorcycle Shop in Otsego, Michigan. Otsego is nestled away in Southwest Michigan in between Detroit, Chicago, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo. This small town is no stranger to motorcyclist though. Otsego has earned the phrase “Your Biker Friendly Town”. LD’s small shop has brought in big names like Eddie Trotta, Ron Finch, Michelle Smith, Jay Allen and Jay Springsteen acting as the event judges and also big crowds to see the bikes and the celebrities. The Davidson Express lineup of great motorcycle events is gaining in popularity and in size. These shows have grown from just 43 bikes in 2003 to about 200 bikes in 18 judged classes. Along with show bikes, about 1000 bikers attend the events to check out the action. A poker run on Saturday ends at the Davidson’s house where hospitality is flowing and hungry biker’s are greeted with a “to die for” ½ chicken dinner with all the fixins.

Most recently the Davidson’s added a new event called the Michigan Chopper Fest. The top 10 chopper builders from around the state met for a showdown competing for $5000. The event took place at the US131 Motorsports Park. The weekend also included 9 live blues bands, poker runs to Lake Michigan, biker games and grudge matches down the drag way, a biker wedding and a blessing of the bikes on Sunday. LD states that “the event was a success and we can’t wait to make it even bigger and better next year. Everyone here had a really great time.”

The event precedes the Sturgis Rally by one weekend and LD found that bikers were stopping on their way out to South Dakota. “We had people from Maine and New Jersey stop here to enjoy all the activities.” LD wants you to “Stop down and find out why Otsego, Michigan is your biker friendly town.” Davidson Express is also a very community-driven company. Patty and Larry are both a part of the downtown administration. Larry is the vice-president of the Downtown Development Association, while Patty is the President of the Otsego Chamber of Commerce.

Written By: Mark McPherson & Updated by: Chelsea Martin
Mark McPherson is a Harley owner and lifelong resident of Otsego, MI. Married with three kids, he is the co-owner of a magnet manufacturing company and president of the Otsego Chamber of Commerce.

Chelsea Martin is the newest employee of Davidson Express. She is a single mother with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.

There are some who believe that choppers represent a new dementia in motorcycle design. But that idea actually goes back forty years. Ron Finch was a strange bird then, and his flights of fancy haven’t been grounded yet. Finch is a scion of the 1960s counterculture, a time when bikers were “hip” and choppers were “groovy.” The girls who posed seductively on his trophy-winning rides are grandmothers now. Thumbing his nose at the authorities who told him it wasn’t supposed to be done; Ron Finch virtually reinvented the motorcycle by turning it into a fanciful affront to effete society for no practical purpose at all. Such flamboyant bikes had begun to be called choppers all across the country; his were the first to be called art.

The Ultimate Chop is a new awards ceremony that rewards builders in different categories. Ron Finch was nominated for the Picasso Award for paint, which was decided by internet voters. He was also nominated for two categories that were decided upon by expert committees. Biker Maverick was an award for unique build technique and Biker Blacksmith for extreme metal fabrication. Ron was awarded the belt buckle below in the Biker Blacksmith category.

Ron Finch is a multi-talented artist. He is known world-wide for his outrageous custom motorcycles and his mastery of color and design in paint. METALife is Ron's most recent venture. He brings metal to life by sculpting found metal to create creatures, plants and even a giant motorcycle. In June of 2004, Ron and his dedicated crew were filmed building his latest personal custom for the Biker Build-Off on the Discovery Channel.

http://www.finchscustoms.com/
http://www.artofthechopper.com/builder_detail.asp?builderID=27

Dave Nichols is the editor of two of America’s leading motorcycle magazines (including V-Twin), and has decades of motorcycle riding experience. His extensive experience and knowledge of the custom bike scene have been tapped for numerous TV Specials for A&E, the History Channel, and Discovery Channel. And Dave was drafted as a consultant on both Motorcycle Mania and the recent Biker Build-Off series on Discovery.

Nichols has authored two books about the custom motorcycle world for MotorBooks International: Top Chops , featuring seven of the world’s master bike builders; and Biker Shaman: the Life of Indian Larry .

Dave was inspired to start riding motorcycles at the tender age of fifteen, after watching Then Came Bronson on television and seeing Easy Rider at the local movie house. After getting a degree from the University of Miami, he worked in television and motion picture production for over fifteen years on both sides of the camera.

In 1991 his love of custom motorcycles led him to Paisano Publications as the editor of VQ and Early Riders motorcycle magazines, as well as Tattoo Flash and Tattoo Savage. After a short stint with Microsoft, Dave returned to Paisano in 1998 as the editor-in-chief of Easyriders and V-Twin magazines, the largest-selling, and fastest growing motorcycle magazines in the world, respectively.

Dave lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife Diane, their son William, and a very confused dog named Reggie.

http://www.speedtv.com/members/dave_nichols