MOTORCYCLE DIARY - SMD's Motorycycle Trips, Rally Events, and NewsThis motorcycle diary unfortunately is beginning on a sad note with the loss of two friends. One was a recently acquired friend and the other an historical icon as well as a friend of pretty much all mid-south motorcycle enthusiasts. Al of Al's Cycle Shop in Memphis and the loss of Fergie has cast a shadow and that's for sure. The collective thoughts and prayers of everyone here at SMD are with their loved ones and families. Bless you Fergie and Al for the memories and the good times.
MARCH 16, 2007 FEBRUARY 13,2007
Another custom House of Kolor job came in. Those take so much time! They want some powder coating done, too. Now that's the kind of stuff I like to put in the motorcycle diary! Ok, the ZX14 parts are off to be chromed have I already posted that in the motorcycle diary previously? Anyway, that doesn't sound like much of a hassle, but believe me it was. Custom made boxes had to be put into place to carry the odd sized parts. I wonder if the chroming facility closes for the holidays. Oh well, my job is done and if they hustle they can get them back here well before Christmas! Now to pick out the LEDs. The rider wants RED LED light sets! Dear Motorcycle diary readers, this bike's gonna be something.
I never dreamed of all the stuff that can be done to a Kawasaki! We got a wrecked Ninja in and the owner wants more stuff chromed and customized than we've ever done on ANY bike, much less a metric. He wants a custom LED light kit, the swingarm extended and a wheel kit. Got to get all the parts boxed up to get to the chroming guys. Not much time to keep my motorcycle diary updated, but I get emails complaining when I don't! Sorry guys, I'll do better.
I'm finding the world of customizing metric bikes to be an interesting one indeed, good for the motorcycle diary for sure. Some folks say that the metrics are the future. Maybe. Dyed in the wool hard core Harley riders are always going to be around, but I will say we're getting more and more of the Japanese bikes in for work.
Dear Motorcycle Diary fans, thanks so much for all the emails and encouragement! It helps keep me motivated to write more in the motorcycle diary to know that y'all like it! The FXDWG job HAS to be out by the Thursday before Halloween. This is putting some pressure on the paint booth to complete a three phase custom paint job in this limited amount of time! It took forever to decide what was going on those tanks and fenders! More stuff than I can list in this motorcycle diary entry. The paint that was finally decided on is a House of Kolor Candy. The base will be Planet Green with additions of other tints to make it one of a kind. I'm picking up that these really good painters are like gourmet cooks, they incorporate secret colors into the mix so that the actual outcome can't be copied. They may tell you PART of the recipe, but they always hold something back. He'd murder me if I told too much in this public motorcycle diary! I'm glad to report that the tanks look fabulous. Once the clear and design were applied, the green turn into this rich, sparkling color that I just can't describe! The way it looks in the light is amazing! The back fender was a bit of a challenge due to the way the seat, sissy bar and luggage rack is mounted, but the finished product is perfect! What a trophy bike this is! I will make photographs and put them up asap, although you'd have to view it in person for the full effect. An entry in a motorcycle diary doesn't do it justice. It is drop dead gorgeous. You know how from time to time you have that project that exceeds all expectations? Motorcycle diary fans, this happily was one of those rare moments. Uh oh...First spraying of the tank was done and it doesn't look anything like I imagined it would. The shade of green metallic is just off. I don't think this is going to be good at all. They are telling me that this is not the finished product, but I'm not liking it. I hope nobody takes offense that I've discussed it here in the online motorcycle diary. Glad to say the Fall Strike Lightnin' Rally was a success. I will post some rally pics as soon as time allows. I got some good ones of the bike games, the motorcycle contest, etc. The t-shirts were cool and they did a super job getting sponsors. I understand that a nice donation to the Joe Rowland Home for Boys in Grenada will be made from the proceeds! Even if you're not into biking as a hobby, this is a good reason to attend this rally and help support the cause. I took BBQ and boiled peanuts home to eat later.
The sheet metal is primed and ready for the first spraying. Can you believe that everybody is still coming in with pictures of what THEY consider the best paint to use? Oh well, it gives us all something to look forward to. Speaking of looking forward to stuff, the second Strike Lightnin' Rally is this weekend! Should be great! They have some new talent lined up and one of the bands they used for the summer rally will come back. It's all for charity so I hope all this hard work pays off! The FXDWG is coming together nicely. I think the color scheme will be decided soon. Everybody has an opinion on the design and how many layers should be used. The owner has a vision, and that's what is important. The test metals are very important at this stage. Visuals are where the concepts crash and burn or fly. A tragedy. A fallen brother and a funeral to attend this weekend.
The upswept fishtails were installed, they sound and look really good. The pinstriping on the fenders and tanks looked great on the States Blue Pearl paint.
The '59 panhead's ready to go. Mr. H.B. said it had been two years since he had ridden. I know he's ready to ride! He said that it had not cranked since he pulled it from a custom shop in Florida. He's heading out for Las Vegas on it. We wish him and his friends good weather and a good trip. First of October, still hot as summer. Looks like I will have some pumpkins in spite of less than perfect growing conditions. Not exactly a bumper crop, but enough for the kids. It's hot, good for the people who want to ride motorcycles, but bad for the body shop part of the business. Sad to say, but if it doesn't rain...we don't work. I'm getting a real education on after market (non-stock Harley) exhaust today. Ok, I get the message. AND I got loads of emails wondering why there have been no more entries in this diary. I've got to say, I was amazed at how many people keep up with this. I'll try to do better.
I've heard of several who are completely renovating their bikes rather than just fixing them to original pre-accident condition. If you're going to be without your bike, you may as well use the shop time to install new chrome, lights and some other snazzy accessories. One of the guys says he's going to get a really cool custom paint job on his sheetmetal. He has some shadow effects in mind that I've not seen done before. Planning the colors and design is the hard part. Once it all comes together, it'll be great.
What a busy week this has been. I’m not a participant in the plans for the Strike Lightnin’ Motorcycle Rally that’s coming around in October, but I see the wheels turning and it almost makes me tired just watching! We got the dresser cleaned up for Mr. Henry on Thursday. He had put on a new Demon’s tooth wheel and some matching rotors so his Harley really looks good. The highways are going to be packed for the holiday weekend. Drive safely everybody, we don't want any "Biker Down" news to report on Tuesday after Labor Day. Ok, the meeting came about, BBQ was eaten and plans have been made. Strike Lightnin' Bike Rally - the fall version appears to be moving closer and closer to happening. The tentative date for this motorcycle event is October 20th through October 22nd 2006. Maybe they should put it off a few more weekends and have a Halloween themed rally! The concensus of the Little Sturgis rally's success so far today is that Charlie Daniels was GREAT. More specifics at a later date. Pictures to come, too! We didn't have long to wait for the last minute visitors. Today's the last business day and there's been a steady stream of motorcycles. Some were ready to crash the gates before the shop opened this morning. We're almost out of the Royal Purple 10W50. I was excited to hear that Charlie Daniels is playing tomorrow night. Everybody else seems to be fans of Little Feat. I think that Charlie will put on a better show. We will see. Two of SMDs friends are birthday girls this weekend. What a way to celebrate! Happy Birthday Beth and Carrie! Have a good time and get back safely! I have asked for them to take loads of pics, I'll post them on a page if they oblige. I'm waiting for the trips down the drive to increase. I suppose everybody's waiting till the end of the week to buy oil and other stuff that bikers like to take with them to rallies.
It's the week before the Sturgis South rally and the weather for it from all indications will be our typical blistering hot August weather here in Mississippi.
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