AUG 2020 #90
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Contents
August Issue 90
Ad Index
Features Rick Fairless & Strokers - Livin’ the Life 11 Kyle Ray Rice - Work of Motorized Art 17 Appalachian Backroads 22 Biker History Part 1 - How It Began 34
Columns Nefarious James - Get Your Voice Heard 29 Craven Moorehead - Freedom It’s Costly 39 Christian Motorcycle Association 40
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Departments Contents Page Letter From The Editor Dave Nichols Ride Safe, Ride Smart-The Creeper Tech Tip - Adding Performance Born To Ride Kids
2 4 6 24 40
Reports Craig Can Fix It! - The Tank Whisperer 28 Biker Cartoons 32 Reader’s Ride - Stan Tomes - 1977 Shovel 38
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On The Cover AUG 2020 #90
Kyle Ray Rice - Work of Motorized Art Bad Company Model Ashley Ayan Photo by Erick Runyon
AAA IFC Angel City 14 Appalachian Backroads 22 Battle At The Beach 15 BTR Babes 32 BTR.com 8 BTR Facebook 32 BTR Heat Up 28 BTR Lifestyle 32 BTR Magazine Subscription 33 BTR Radio 26 BTR Youtube 39 Chopporama - 2021 IBC Georgia Motor Trike 8 HD Frazier’s 7 HD Thunder Tower West 16, BC HD Tifton 5 High Seas Rally 27 LawBike.com 1 Leather Lid Inserts 33 Leather, Love & Freedom 33 Media Design Shop 30 Metalsport Wheels 10 Motorcycle Law Group 31 Progressive Insurance 3 ProRider Ken Anderson 6 S&S Performance 9 Tiny Trailer Nation 37 Toys Wanted 33 Wanted GI Joe 33 Wife Swap-Now Casting 33
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Start Born To Ride TV and Magazine in your city! Call 888-795-5779 The information contained herein is provided by Born To Ride Magazine or by its advertisers. BTR makes every effort to present accurate and reliable information in the issue. Born To Ride Magazine does not endorse, approve, or certify such information, nor does it guarantee the accuracy, completeness, efficacy, timeliness or correct sequencing of such information throughout this magazine. Use of such information is voluntary on your part, and reliance on it should only be undertaken after your independent review. Reference herein to any specific manufacturer, company, commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, service mark, or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement of or recommendation of said by Born To Ride Magazine.” “Born To Ride Magazine (including its employees, contributors and agents) assumes no responsibility for consequences that may result from the use of the information herein, including the use of the information obtained at www.borntoride.com and it’s linked sites, or in any respect for the content of such information, including (but not limited to) errors or omissions, the accuracy or reasonableness of factual or scientific assumptions, studies or conclusions, ownership of copyright or other intellectual property rights, and the violation of property, privacy, or personal rights of others. BTR Magazine is not responsible for damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on such information. No guarantees or warranties, including (but not limited to) any express or implied warranties are made by BTR Magazine with respect to such information contained throughout the site.” No part may be copied without written permission of the publisher, Born To Ride, Inc. P.O. Box 3021, Brandon, FL 33509. 888-795-5779, Fax 813-689-2996.
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BORN TO RIDE Magazine
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Ron Galletti 813-785-3895 888-795-5779 rg@borntoride.com CO PUBLISHER
Deb Galletti dgalletti@borntoride.com EDITOR
Dave Nichols editor@borntoride.com ART DIRECTOR
FROM THE HELM THE EVOLUTION OF BORN TO RIDE
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
HOWDY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!
Peter Soutullo art@borntoride.com Erick Runyon
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Juan Guzman, Jared Hartman, Erick Runyon Peter Soutullo, Craig Miller, Beatnik Steve Werner art@borntoride.com WEB DESIGN/ELECTRONIC MEDIA
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JP Brady, Neale Bayly, Spyke & Mike, Susan Hurst, Eric Albright, Eric Vician, Myra McElhaney, Paul Murray, James Gladstone, Greg Blackwell PHOTOGRAPHERS
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Over 25 years ago Ron and Deb Galletti decided to spread their passion for motorcycles to the world by creating Born To Ride magazine in their home of Tampa, Florida. With his background in shooting and directing video entertainment, Ron also created Born To Ride TV, the longest running biker TV show in the world. Since 1995, Ron and Deb have interviewed literally everyone in the motorcycle industry, from bike builders and fabricators, to the movers and shakers of the aftermarket world. Born To Ride TV appears every Sunday night at 11 p.m. on Great 38 television, serving the west coast and central Florida. Their Born To Ride Media empire has grown from a local paper magazine, to include separate versions of the print and digital magazines that cover the entire southeastern states. Today the company continues to evolve and expand into other regions and utilizes the latest technology to bring the biker lifestyle to the world. This expansion includes National advertisers as the company reaches a much bigger audience. In 2020, Born To Ride Media is a multi-faceted enterprise that has taken social media by storm to include paper and digital magazines in new markets, a live streaming Internet radio show every Tuesday and Thursday night (live on Boss Hogg radio), and motorcycle video material that is available to over three million viewers on YouTube, Facebook and Choppertown. The Born To Ride juggernaut also includes motorcycle events such as Chopporama (details to come). We’re also working on a concept that is gonna blow your mind that combines live music, great food and drink, gorgeous beer tub girls and the world’s first quick change oil change for motorcycles, all under one roof. Think of it as the ultimate biker hangout. Stay tuned.
As the company has evolved along with technology, the time has come to take the concept of Born To Ride TV to the world. In 2021 the company will switch from the local Born To Ride weekly TV show (seen on Great 38) and showcase the biker culture on Born To Ride Live. This dynamic Internet video extravaganza will replace the local TV show with incredible interviews with industry leaders, motorcycle runs and rallies, killer bike features, true biker legends, farout biker history and much more, all seen every week on an ever-expanding network of Internet social media platforms. As the technology continues to improve and evolve, so will Born To Ride Media. Ron and Deb’s original dream of creating a worldwide motorcycle media brand is a reality. Their dream has come true. To show you what we mean, turn the page and you’ll discover a mind-melting article on the legendary Rick Fairless of Strokers Dallas, Part One of our series on Biker History that tells you how the biker lifestyle got started, a tire-shreaddin’ bike feature on Kyle Rice’s radical road warrior pavement pounder, a tech tip that will add horsepower to your Milwaukee-Eight and Stan Tomes’ sweet Shovelhead reader’s ride. Speaking of, if you’d like to see your scooter right here in these pages, just email pictures of you and your bike (300dpi) to editor@borntoride. com along with your email and phone number. Who knows, your bike might just end up right here in Born To Ride! All this and more is burnin’ rubber your way in this sizzlin’ August issue. But remember, Born To Ride is all about YOU, the rider. Like us, you’ve got motorcycle oil flowing in your veins and nothing gets you off like twistin’ the grip into the next curve. We hear ya, brothers and sisters. Join us for the ride of a lifetime.
— Dave Nichols editor@borntoride.com
Riding along a suburban street, you approach a slow-moving car. You would like to pass, but the driver keeps speeding up and slowing down, causing you to delay that action. After following the creeper for several blocks, you become frustrated and decide to accelerate by. As soon as you pull out to pass the creeper, the driver makes a sudden left turn into a driveway, leaving you no room to stop or swerve. Strategy: The car’s erratic pace should have tipped you off that the driver was searching for something (a street address, perhaps) and that her attention was elsewhere rather than on surrounding traffic. Evaluating the situation, you should have predicted that the driver might turn or stop suddenly. Your best strategy in a situation like this is to separate yourself from the hazard. You could have dropped back at least two seconds. If you choose to pass, do so only after clearly establishing contact with the driver, preferably after receiving a hand signal from her. Never pass at an intersection or other traffic situation where the car could turn in front of you. For more information go to www.msf-usa.org
HD FRAZIERS
RICK FAIRLESS & STROKERS
LIVIN’ THE LIFE! BORNTORIDE.COM | BTR 11
RICK FAIRLESS WAS BORN IN DALLAS, TEXAS AND LIVES IN THE SUBURB OF IRVING. He’s a custom bike builder who loves the psychedelic 1960’s and it shows in his world-class roadside attraction and biker hangout, Strokers Dallas, Strokers Ice House Bar, and Punch Wally Garage. Rick was raised on motorcycles and started riding when he was just seven years old. When he was 19 he went to work for his Great Uncle who owned a chain of paint stores called Roach Paint Company. These stores later became Glidden Paint Company. After 20 years in the paint business, and never missing a day of work, Rick was ready for a change. So he retired as the number one sales rep in the country for Glidden Paint and decided to live his dream. Rick Fairless is truly a biker who lives to ride and he loves custom motorcycles. He has an abiding passion for all things with two wheels. For a long time, he had hoped that someone would come along and open a big time custom motorcycle shop in Dallas where he could buy cool products and parts from guys like Arlen Ness and Pat
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Kennedy. “Then I thought, ‘Why can’t that guy be me?’ Why couldn’t I be the guy that opens a cool custom motorcycle shop in Dallas.” It took a lot of thought and hard work, but Rick opened up the twoand-a-half acre Strokers Dallas motorcycle shop back in 1996. It’s a family-style, biker hangout where you can talk about scooters, buy a psychedelic Strokers T-shirt or a Big Dog motorcycle or used Harley and see some of the amazing memorabilia and oddities that Rick has
“I’M THE GUY WHO CAN’T WAIT TO GET UP AND GO TO WORK,” RICK TELLS US. “I LOVE BEING PART OF THE INDUSTRY.” collected over the years. Two years later, he opened up a bar and grill right next door on the premises called Strokers Ice House. The business plan for Strokers started years earlier when Rick and his ridin’ buddies would converge on Rick’s house where he had a few acres, a garage/shop and a tub full of beer. “We’d talk scooters, knock back a few cold ones, the girls would make barbecue and the kids would run around,” Rick recalls. That’s biker heaven on earth.
For more info on Rick Fairless check out strokersdallas.com or call 214-357-0707
Rick thought that the one thing bikers enjoy is riding their bikes to a destination where they could hang out and talk about motorcycles. That place is Strokers Dallas. On any given weekend, you’ll find hundreds of riders who stop by for a burger and a beer, buy a tied-died T-shirt and talk scooters before headin’ home. “The live music will be playing, the girls are selling ice cold beer and the bikes are roaring in and out... it’s freakin’ AWESOME!” Rick laughs. A few years ago Rick also opened up Punch Wally Garage to work on classic cars and hot rods right next to the bike shop. If you’re into bikes or cars, Rick has you covered. The famous Biker World hangout grew in popularity and many of Rick’s wild custom rides have appeared in motorcycle magazines and even hardback books over the years. When the Discovery Channel
was producing its “Great Biker Build-off” TV series, Rick was involved as a participating bike builder. This led to his legendary TV series on SPEED Channel called “Texas Hardtails” that featured Rick, his mom and the rest of his family and worker bees in a hilarious reality series about runnin’ a bike shop. He had a regular radio show on KRLD-FM in Dallas/Fort Worth called “The Texas Hardtails Scooter Show” that he now produces as video podcasts that can be seen on his website and Facebook. “I’m the guy who can’t wait to get up and go to work,” Rick tells us. “I love being part of the industry. The motorcycle industry is my life.” For more info visit www.strokersdallas.com and when in the Dallas area stop by and have a beer with Rick at the best biker hangout on earth. I am proud to call him my friend. — Dave Nichols
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A KYLE RAY RICE WORK OF MOTORIZED ART PHOTOS ERICK RUNYAN MODEL ASHLEY AYAN
THIS ISSUE’S FEATURE RIDE BELONGS TO KYLE RAY RICE. THE 27-YEAROLD GREW UP IN A MOTORCYCLERIDING FAMILY IN FLORIDA. HIS MOM IS INTO DIRT BIKES AND HIS DAD LOVES ANYTHING TO DO WITH BIKES AND CARS. KYLE STARTED RIDING AT THE TENDER AGE OF THREE (WITH TRAINING WHEELS OF COURSE) Pretty soon the entire family was riding dirt bikes together. He bought his first sport bike at age 18 but was always into Harleys. “I went to the Webster Swapmeet in 2016 and found this 108 cubic inch Shovelhead motor,” Kyle recalls. “It came with a touring tranny and the engine work was already done.” He mated the engine to an FXR frame and cut the back half of the frame off to build a chrome moly sub frame. “I work as an aluminum fabricator making spiral staircases, railings, and work with stainless steel in the construction trade,” Kyle says. He bought an English Wheel and started hammering out the aluminum
sheetmetal for the gas tank, side covers, seat dish and rear fender of the bike he calls Bad Company. Yes, he handled all the artful sheetmetal himself and his dad Kraig made the custom seat with aluminum inserts. Kyle says that his dad was always building cars and doing hot rod stuff. He’s proud to be following in his dad’s bootsteps. “He did a lot of the mechanical work on this bike,” Kyle tells us. “He surprised me with that seat!”
Kyle also handmade the stainless exhaust pipes, which are a work of art all to themselves. Take a good long look at the photos of this stunning Frankensteined FXR because Kyle is going to tear the whole thing down soon and build an entirely different bike out of the parts. This up-and-coming bike builder would eventually like to create custom scooters for other people for a living and is hoping to start by producing cool custom parts for Harleys. You may reach Kyle at krice37@verizon.net; Instagram – @kylerayrice; Facebook – kylerayrice.
If you’d like to see your gorgeous motorcycle right here in Born To Ride, email photos (300dpi) and contact info to editor@borntoride.com. You might just see your scoot right here on these pages. — Chopper Daddy Dave Nichols
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Adding Performance To Your Harl INSTALLING HARLEY’S SCREAMIN’ EAGLE HIGH-FLOW AIR CLEANER KIT
ALTHOUGH HARLEY’S MILWAUKEE-EIGHT MOTOR PACKS 107-INCHES OF POWER, IT CAN EASILY BE IMPROVED ON. STARTING WITH HARLEY’S SCREAMIN’ EAGLE HIGH-FLOW AIR FILTER KIT.
The introduction of Harley’s Milwaukee-Eight motor in the fall of 2017 brought back memories of 1998 and Company’s launch of the then-new Twin-Cam motor. The Twin-Cam motor was a huge difference from their prior Evolution motor. For the Milwaukee-Eight motor, Harley developed a completely new V-twin which they fitted with a set of 4-valve cylinder heads. In one way the Mil-8 motor is a bridge back to the Evolution motors; like the Evo motors, it uses a single camshaft. Other than that single camshaft, the new motor has a lot more in common with Harley’s Twin-Cam motors. Like the Twin-Cam motor, the Milwaukee-Eight motor uses a chain system to drive its single camshaft and an outboard camshaft mounting plate that also mounts a crankshaft driven two-stage gyratory oil pump.
To get more power out of the Mil-8 motor, you must pump more air and fuel into its fuel injection system. The 2021 Harley P&A Catalog features a Screamin’ Eagle High-Flow Air Filter Kit forthe Milwaukee-Eight motor, part number 29400246A, MSRP $185. The air filter kit includes: cast aluminum back plate, BTR 24 | BORNTORIDE.COM
THE HI-FLOW AIR FILTER KIT’S TWO MAIN PARTS ARE THE CAST ALUMINUM BACK PLATE AND FILTERING ELEMENT. THE BACK PLATE FEATURES A CONTOURED TRANSITION INTO THE THROTTLE BODY’S AIR INLET.
hi-flowing filter element, breather hoses, mounting hardware and complete instructions. As more EFI airflow is now available, a comparable amount of additional fuel will be added by the bike’s electronically controlled fuel injection system. We followed along, at Bartels’ Harley-Davidsonin southern California, as their lead tech, Memphis, performed the installation. Installing the Screamin’ Eagle High-Flow Air Cleaner Kit is one of those jobs that takes longer to tell you about than to actually do. It required removing the air filter cover, stock filter element, back plate and throttle body mounting bracket. You then install a throttle body gasket, the new back plate, a hi-flow filtering element, two new breather hoses, original air filter cover and the new air filter cover trim. All of the parts fit as they were supposed to, without any drama. The finished bike was like a new ride; its mid-range torque came on at a lower RPM and when the throttle was yanked, the bike flew quite a bit better than with the stock air filter setup
— John Sullivan
Source:Harley-Davidson Motor Company Harley-Davidson.com
Harley’s Milwaukee-Eight Motor
THE INSTALL STARTED WITH THE REMOVING OF THE STOCK AIR FILTER COVER, FILTER ELEMENT AND THE THROTTLE BODY’S MOUNTING BRACKET.
THE BACK PLATE IS ATTACHED TO THE THROTTLE BODY WITH THREE ALLEN BOLTS AND TO THE MOTOR’S CYLINDER HEADS WITH TWO BREATHER BOLTS. THE BREATHER HOSES ARE FITTED OVER THE BREATHER BOLTS AND INTO THE INLET OF THE THROTTLE BODY.
THE NEW SELF-STICKING GASKET IS APPLIED TO THE BACKSIDE OF THE ALUMINUM BACKPLATE.
THE NEW SE HI-FLOW FILTERING ELEMENT IS ATTACHED TO THE BACK PLATE WITH THREE MOUNTING BOLTS. THE FINAL OPERATION WILL BE TO REINSTALL THE FACTORY AIR FILTER COVER.
Born To Ride Magazine, real editorial content for you the reader every month
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THE TANK WHISPERER MAKES YOUR OLD TANKS LAST FOREVER
The heart and soul of your bike is the fuel tank. Originally, the tank was new and clean, but over the years that all has changed. If you are tired of cleaning carburetors or think you need a new tank because yours is too rusty or it leaks, I have the solution. We clean tanks and preserve the metal – even permanently stop leaks! The highgrade epoxy coating we use is second to none; we can even remove most Kreem and Red-Kote liners. We have a fast turnaround time; it’s the easiest thing you’ll do all week.
813-407-2226 or CraigPaintsBikes.com
Get your voice heard Hey everyone. Hard to believe July is gone and it is August already. And along with August comes the ever-popular Sturgis Rally. It should be interesting to see the turn out at the Rally this year. Before you know it October will be on top of us. More important to me is to see ya’ll out there riding and enjoying those motorcycles. Never forget a new adventure on that bike, regardless of the manufacturer, is only a tank of gas away. With everything going on out in the world today, it’s not difficult to get lost in the stress of the moment. We read headlines or social media and immediately become
"How is it my fault," you ask? Simple. Vote, Read, Research. Knowledge is power. reactionary to what we read or see. This is by design. It’s really not that hard to get massive amounts of people to react the way you want them to. Before flying off the deep end and getting that blood pressure up, remember this important fact. Every photo has multiple angles. The trick is to find the picture with the truth exposed. Every one of us has been the victim of a bad angle. You’re at a party and not drinking, but somehow there is a photo of you looking like you’re wasted to the world, all because you got caught in the middle of blinking, or eyes shut or yawning. Drama sells ads. Newspapers and social media love advertisers. The angrier they can
make you, the more sensational they can make the situation.
Remember, the wise rider always looks both ways even when he or she has the green light. Let that knowledge apply to today’s headlines as well. Look in all directions before jumping to a conclusion. Pay attention to what laws are being proposed behind your back during this drama as well. Once you lose a freedom, you don’t get it back.
Don’t get me wrong, some of the things going on in our cities are so un-American it makes me sick. But what equally bothers me are reports of unmarked law enforcement grabbing people off the streets and taking them for a ride. Sure, my first reaction was, good, get them SOB’s. But there’s that flip side. It only takes the abduction of one innocent American by these groups and it’s not cool any more. Some might say, ‘Well, there’s bound to be one or two, but if it’s for the greater good, then so be it.” If that’s the case, are you going to be the one or two to volunteer to go for the ride?
There are parallels to the movements that are occurring today that coincide with living the biker lifestyle. One of the big complaints is the profiling of certain races by police and other law enforcement agencies. Well, how about that. Bikers have been profiled for years as well and it never really sunk home to those that ride. Remember the mentality that the cops won’t bother you unless you’re breaking the law? Tisk, Tisk, Tisk. Silly rabbit, get out of your hole. Put that club patch on your back and welcome to a whole new
Support thetosponsors support Ride. They keep us on the streets. GotPlease something to say James? who Let Us Know Born Your To Thoughts: info@BornToRide.com
life experience. Talk with your friends that you ride with and see how many have been interviewed on the side of a roadway somewhere or worse.
Here is the gist of it. You can apply everything that’s going on to multiple demographics. What needs to happen is that level heads without personal agendas need to help rectify the situations. If they have a personal agenda, kick their ass to the curb. They aren’t needed. Do we need to get rid of police officers? Absolutely not. You couldn’t pay me enough to do that job. Can there be steps taken to weed out the bad apples or ill-tempered? Absolutely.
In my opinion, a majority of these issues start from the top with just plain old bad policy. This is something that can be fixed. Remember that you are part of the problem and a part of the solution as well. “How is it my fault,” you ask? Simple. Vote, Read, Research. Knowledge is power. Use that power and change the world in a way that gives our children that power as well. Ignorance is rampant right now. Never has it been more evident that our education system has failed. Never has it been more evident that we have failed as a society to take our country’s destiny by the root and put her back on track the way Americans used to. So I put this to you on your next ride. While you’re going down that back road with your brothers and sisters, would you like to travel as you wish and how you wish, or would you like to be stopped at an armed checkpoint and asked for your pass to travel?
FREEDOM ISN’T FREE. REGISTER TO VOTE AND GET YOUR VOICE HEARD. NEFARIOUS JAMES AMERICAN
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DO YOU HAVE A BIKER OWNED
BUSINESS?
“WE WANT TO MARKET IT TO HELP YOUR BOTTOM LINE.”
888-795-5779
Dave Nichols HOW THE MOTORCYCLE CULTURE BEGAN
Ever wonder how the whole biker lifestyle got its start? Well, it began with servicemen returning from World War II who bonded together over the love of motorcycles. You see, by 1934 out of nearly 300 American Motorcycle Companies that were created from around 1900, only two remained in business, Harley-Davidson and Indian. At the depth of the Great Depression, Harley-Davidson pulled out all the stops to stay alive. Luckily they continued to sell motorcycles to the police departments across the country. Over at the Indian camp, the new President, Mr. du Pont was fighting to survive and doing an amazing job. In fact, each year after 1929 saw the deficit at Indian reduced by as much as half. In 1934, the AMA created a new Class C in racing for 750cc, or 45 cubic inch side valve engines. This quickly gave birth to the Indian Sport Scout and the Harley RLDR. In 1935, Harley had Joe Petrali on the Factory Team and Smokin’ Joe won all of the national titles that year. Another major victory for Harley-Davidson loomed over the darkening horizon; the specter of World War II. Since the late Thirties, the U.S. government had been giving Indian and Harley ever-growing orders for military motorcycles. These bikes were for war preparedness at
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home and to supply our Allies with bikes since the British Motorcycle Industry had been all but destroyed by the German air campaign. As America entered the war, so did Harley-Davidson, and it entered it in a big way. In 1941 literally all of Harley’s motorcycle production went to the war effort. When WWII ended in 1945, motorcyclists stateside wanted a new Harley to replace the one that carried them through the war years and returning G.I.s were aching to buy a civilian model of the bike that saved their asses time and time again in Europe. This created a loyalty to Harley-Davidson that Indian couldn’t touch. It also gave birth to more than a little rivalry between Indian and Harley riders. By 1945 Indian was only producing its Chief model. Remember that this was a time when motorcycle clubs were fairly clean-living groups who rode wearing dapper ties and snappy caps. In fact, you could be fined for forgetting to wear your tie to a field meet. The Detroit Hell’s Angels even won the AMA Award for Safety. These forerunners are no relation to today’s “Hells Angels” (note that the notorious bike club we are all familiar with does not use an apostrophe in their name). The one percenters of Hollywood biker movie fame weren’t on the scene...yet.
“Now Is The TIme to Get Involved With Born To RIde” -RonGalletti
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As Indian fought valiantly with their new Arrow and Scout models in 1948, not even the fact that they had such Indian-riding celebrities as Jane Russell and Roy Rogers could help them when Harley came out with its new 74 cubic inch Panhead motor. The innovative design featured hydraulic valve lifters and aluminum heads. In the summer of 1946, a handful of American War Veterans and their friends were sitting in the All American Bar in South Central Los Angeles, California. The place was an old gas station with a bar attached in back. It was tiny and kind of a dive. Most of the guys hanging out had two things in common; they had been through the war and they loved to race around on motorcycles. The “Big A”, as patrons called the place, was a destination for bikers and if you weren’t a Vet or into bikes you had no business there. Some of these guys had been riding motorcycle together since 1939, calling themselves The Characters. Well, Wino Willie Forkner, J.D. and his brother Jim Cameron, Jack Lilly and a few others were havin’ several cold ones and trying to come up with a name for their group of riders. Willie had been thrown out of another motorcycle club for getting drunk and sneaking into an AMA sanctioned race, causing a scene.
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As the legend goes, one of the bar’s patrons, one Walt Porter, was sitting very drunk with his head on the bar, half-listening to all the talk about names for a new bike club. He is said to have raised up his head and uttered, “You might as well call yourselves the Boozefighters, ‘cause all you ever do is sit around the bar and fight that booze.” The name stuck and the Boozefighters were born. Certainly many motorcycle clubs had come before, but the original Boozefighters and those clubs that came after them marked a change in the evolution of motorcycling because they became associated with the term “outlaw biker.” When you think of the image of an outlaw biker, most in the straight world think of a gorilla stuffed into a leather jacket holding a length of motorcycle chain as a weapon or a Wild West gunslinger when they hear the word “outlaw.” The fact is, the term “outlaw” referred to the fact that outlaw bikers were those who did not race at AMA sanctioned field meets. Simple as that. They were outside the convention of the AMA’s rules and regulations and therefore, “bad boys.”
Stay tuned next issue as Born To Ride brings you part two of our look back at biker history.
STAN TOMES’ 1977 CONE SHOVEL those chores, spraying this unique silvery blue on the scootera’s tank and fenders. Sadly, Darby was killed in a hit and run accident in June of this year but Stan tells us he would have been very proud to have the bike featured in a magazine. The frame is powdercoated and that’s an Ultra Wide Glide front end under 14-inch apehangers that Stan found at a swapmeet. The solo seat was covered 15 years ago and still looks mighty sweet. Stanimal made the exhaust pipes which include a four-inch baffle kit. The motor has been beefed up with Delkron cases, 80-inch flywheels, and an 88-dual plug top end with solid lifters. Stan says it is still very responsive and he rides it every week. Over the years this proud owner has massaged, tweaked, replaced or made every single part on the Shovel. For instance, he made the rear fender out of two Heritage Softail fenders to get the look he was going for. The bike has appeared in three local shows and placed at all of When we put the word out that Born To Ride was lookin’ for Reader’s them. “It’s fun when I kickstart this bike and all the young riders come Rides to showcase in the magazine, Stan Tomes, also known as Stanimal, was one of the first guys to send me an email. Stan and his around to watch,” Stanimal grins. “They’ve probably never seen that before. This thing don’t have an electric start and at 67-years-old, bride Cookie, live in Inglis, Florida, and enjoy puttin’ year ‘round. that’s pretty good.” Stanimal was a Union Carpenter before retiring a few years ago. He has owned three different Shovelheads over the years but tells us that When asked his advice for new riders, Stanimal told us, “No matter this 1977 Harley has gone through many different looks since he bought what brand bike it is, find something you are comfortable on and enjoy it from the original owner back in 1983. “It was a bone stock FXE Super it. Just get out there and ride.” When we called Stan for this interview Glide when I bought it,” Stanimal says. Over the years he has had the he was working on his 1973 Sportster. You might just see it in these bike down to the bare frame eight times. “It was an FL style for years,” pages in the months to come. he tells us. “And a paint has been stock black, then midnight blue, then If you have a bike you’d like to see here in Born To Ride, email candy apple red, then all white and now this silver/blue.” several photos of you and the bike (300dpi) to editor@borntoride.com. Speaking of the paint job, Stan’s good friend Darby Houser handled — Chopper Daddy Dave
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RONNIE and EMILY’S
CHRISTIAN MOTORCYCLISTS ASSOCIATION When it comes to riding, and getting the wind in your hair, there are a number of emotions and thoughts that can get into one’s mind. When times get hard, one of my favorite responses is to fire up the bike and just get away, by myself, on a back road. It is in these times that I can often just chill out and put the challenges of the day on a back burner. Sometimes I find myself needing another kind of help, and seek the counsel of a trusted friend. I know that my challenges are secure and my friend will keep the issues discussed confidential. Sometimes it’s great to have someone that will walk with you and keep your business confidential. There is a real benefit to talking with a trusted confidant who has walked through some of the same challenges you are currently facing. It sure helps to know that someone else had traveled the same rocky road that you have. One wonderful thing about sharing your challenges and heartbreak is that once the problem has passed, you have a friend right there who is ready and willing to help you shout with great joy that the trouble has been overcome and that victory is yours! One thing you’ll find is that when you claim BTR 40 | BORNTORIDE.COM
the triumph over the pain, you get to hear the story of your overcoming the problem again and again, and it locks the blessings in your heart! Isn’t that better, hearing about the success of overcoming the situation rather than listening to a whining report of failure? The Bible has something to say regarding these issues in James 5:33. It reads, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.” This passage not only shows us seeking counsel, but in this case, from God Himself. He is available to every one of us. Here we see the very One who created the universe opening His hands and His ears. When we call upon the Lord, He is there to answer our prayers. The second part of the verse is where the real joy comes out, when we praise God for all He has done and is doing. Many folks think the blessing is in the receiving of the answer to our prayers, but the real blessing is when you give the praise back to God. He is the one who not only hears your prayers, but also knows just how those prayers should be answered. That, my friend, is worthy of all praise and honor and glory. He loves it when we offer Him our thanksgiving out of pure love and gratitude. Remember that God is the answer. He is there for you regardless of how the world is treating you. Call on Him and He will answer your call! In the Wind, Denny Dingler
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