Born To Ride Southeast Biker Magazine #117 - Nov 2022

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HOWDY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!

Letter from the Editor

DAVE NICHOLS

FROM THE HELM

ST. PETE BIKE SHOW IS COMING!

There is so much to catch up on in this thrill-packed issue of Born To Ride. First off, the St. Pete Bikefest is coming to Bert’s Barracuda Harley-Davidson and the OCC Road House & Museum in Clearwater, Florida. See our incredible cover story featuring the kickass singer of Creed, Scott Stapp. He and his band will tear it up at Bikefest. Get details right here.

Born To Ride’s Southern Fried Moto Show at Gibtown Bike Fest will feature the one and only Billy Lane of Choppers Inc. and Sons of Speed antique races fame. Come out and meet Billy and drool over his insane antique racer motorcycles. Win tickets to watch all the action of Sons of Speed during Daytona Bike Week! Plus, ride out and put your scooter in the Born To Ride Bike Show. Want to be a sponsor or vendor? Give us a call at the BTR office to get more news on this killer event.

Here’s some BIG news! You know Mike Wolf, the bike loving host of the History Channel’s “American Pickers” TV series? Well, Mike and his crew are coming to our neck of the woods and are looking for sweet pickin’s. The show producers reached out to our own Ron Galletti to get the word out and to locate interesting collections for when the show comes to Florida. Read all about it in this issue.

We’re proud to announce that the newly rebranded Adrenaline Harley-Davidson had a super successful Grand Opening party. We were impressed by the high energy and awesome attitude of the excellent staff and management. We were there to cover all the action for this issue. But wait, there’s more! Born To Ride’s Choppertown Live bike show is coming back to Thunder By The Bay this February 17th through the 19th. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Thunder By The Bay. Plan to come on out and see some of the best choppers built by the best builders in the south!

Wait, I ain’t done yet! The Charlotte’s Web Halloween Party was a blast and a half

and Born To ride was there! The entire biker community really came out en masse to support Brandi Meyers and her amazing event featuring Tommy Roxx and his mind-blowing original tunes and southern rock classics. Tommy had every engineer boot toes a tappin’.

Special thanks go to James Irwin “A Biker Helping Bikers” who is committed to helping riders in so many ways. He can help you get your retirement in order and even has a FREE book for all Born To Ride readers. Check out his column in this issue.

Speaking of, we’d like to take a second to thank all the biker friendly establishments that support Born To Ride including the incredible Fran Haasch motorcycle attorney who does so much to help bikers each and every day. If you’re involved in a motorcycle accident, Fran will fight for you! Tell her Born To Ride sent you!

All this and more is twistin’ the grip and roarin’ your way in the November issue of Born To Ride. Like what, you ask, mouth agog? Well, like gut bustin’ laughs from Spyke & Mike, another righteous quandary from Nefarious James and Denny from the Christian Motorcyclists brings up of how bikers help others. Ever see the chilling 1973 movie “Electra Glide in Blue”? Our own Phantom reviews the movie that made Robert Blake famous. All this and more is just a page turn or computer click away.

Don’t forget to support all the excellent advertisers who keep Born To Ride on the streets. Let them know you support Born To Ride and remember to join our Born To Ride Facebook page and YouTube Channel at borntoridetvmagazine. Be a part of two-wheeled history right here at Born To Ride!

Enjoy the best biker rag in the south and then get on out there and catch some wind, my brothers and sisters! This is not a drill. Life is short… let’s ride!!!

— Dave Nichols editor@borntoride.com

Helping Bikers

JAMES IRWIN

RIDING INTO RETIREMENT

The stories you are gonna read today and in future issues, are true, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent, just like that TV show Dragnet from the 1960’s

As you may remember, from last month’s issue (to catch up on missed issues, go to www.borntoride.com) Chris and Ron have a dilemma over what to do about the money that was inherited. They both decided the only fair solution was to split the money and call me for ideas.

So, I asked them two questions. The same two I always ask: “What do you want the money to do when you are alive?” And “What do you want the money to do when you die?” They had the same request since they both have a wife, son, daughter in-law, and granddaughter. Their request was they wanted the money to create a lifetime paycheck for them and then, when they die, a lifetime paycheck for their wife, and when she dies, a lifetime paycheck for their son, and when he dies, a lifetime paycheck for his wife, and when she dies, a lifetime paycheck for the granddaughter. Sounds like a tall order right? Nope! Sounds hard, but there is a simple solution by using one annuity. The annuity needs to be a zero issue age single premium immediate annuity (SPIA) with successor ownership and the grandfather and granddaughter need to be set up as joint annuitants.

This cash flow creation discovery call I had with Chris and Ron, allowed me to create a family bank jumpstart for them. Financial freedom brainstorming is my passion and what I do best!

Many of you may be young and all I can say is, the only person that can take care of your older self is your younger self.

START PLANNING FOR FINANCIAL SECURITY.

Many of you are approaching retirement and all I can say is, the five years prior to retirement and the five years after retirement is the more critical time to get everything right. A PEACEFUL RETIREMENT CAN HAPPEN.

Many of you are on Medicare and Social Security or have older parents on Medicare and Social Security. ITS NOT TOO LATE TO RESCUE YOURSELF

IF YOU ARE NOT WHERE YOU WANT TO BE.

A 15-minute phone with me is all it takes to create a strategy for you to take a FINANCIAL VICTORY LAP CALL 833467-2865. Let’s start by getting a free education on money matters from the experts by attending my webinars. These can get you on the road to financial freedom.

WATCH YOUR EMAIL! Through the generously of the publisher of Born To Ride, many of you may receive an invitation to the money schools. As you

know, bikers are a very charitable people, giving back to the community in many meaningful ways. I’m of a fellow biker as well, and that is why, with the help of many generous people, we are offering The Mission ONE Million book absolutely free to Born To Ride readers. I’ve watched too many people’s lives crash because they were not financially prepared. Go to my website now at: www.healthinsurance65.com or call 833-467-2865 and get your Mission One Million book now. The book is for anyone wanting to get out of debt, build wealth, and create financial independence.

The book retails for $24.95, but I bought your copy for you. That’s right, the book is FREE to Born To Ride readers. A biker helping bikers. That’s what it’s all about!

-James Irwin

Craven Moorehead

Chair”??? I didn’t need (and didn’t have room for) anything except the sofa. Besides that—“What the hell is an Occasional Chair?” I asked. For some reason, the owner of the business couldn’t come up with a good answer and suggested that it was something that only was used every now and then by people that didn’t desire to sit upon the floor, as was the custom in his country. I figured all this out pretty quickly and left with only the couch. I just couldn’t get the concept of the additional furniture that would be used only ‘occasionally.’ Besides, I’m no slave to fashion or décor so I left befuddled regarding the suggestion that I would need such a piece.

As a writer, I occasionally run into certain situations that absolutely prevent me from making a definitive decision regarding the piece of prose that I am working on. This often blocks me from making the best presentation of a column that I do for any particular entity. As a run of the mill poor redneck trailer trash biker, I often don’t see things ahead on the road. At certain times you may have a destination in mind for the things that you must accomplish. Sometimes everything goes smoothly and you go gather all the things required for the task and simply return home or to the job site. On other occasions the regular daily process of obtaining that particular laundry list of items may be cut short due to a vendor’s lack of stock or perhaps when other unforeseen obstacles rear their ugly heads. I have a myriad of examples but recently a few come to mind. I may have discussed in the past the lack of availability of walls for sale at Wal-Mart. I also indicated that there were no steins on sale at Stein-Mart. Everyone already knows that you can’t buy a home at Home Depot or an office at Office Depot so I refuse to continue my simplistic diatribe regarding misleading corporate names. I’m not a real big fan of major corporations anyhow so I can’t try to suggest a better title for those outlets. Either way, we all must obtain the things needed to accomplish the task at hand so when you know the necessity and have the wherewithal to get the items required, you simply venture out and acquire the goods. Once I needed to get a couch for the trailer. Guests who had the nuts to visit the trailer park (this includes Mike and Spyke) were getting tired of sitting on the old greasy milk crates that I use for working on motorcycles and other ‘high altitude’ work, so I took my old truck and went to a used furniture store to attempt to make a swimmingly wonderful deal on a slightly used sofa that I had seen sitting in front of the place as I was riding by on the bagger. I mean, it looked pretty good and I suppose that the price was reasonable, but why did the proprietor try to bundle the deal with an “Occasional

The ‘Occasional Sheriff’ on the other hand is something that I am somewhat familiar with. I remember a time when I acted as the ‘designated dummy’ that was obligated me to go fetch some brew for a party. I went to a liquor store that had a pretty good deal on But Light and I was able to load six 18 packs on the bagger. Yeah, I admit that it looked kinda funny, but I had used a bunch of bungee cords and a short piece of rope to load the brew on the rear seat and luggage rack. On a dark back road a good distance from town, I was simply cruising along at the obligatory 10 miles over the speed limit when I was spied by the ‘occasional sheriff.’ Usually, no law enforcement personnel ever hang out around this area due to the lack of ‘business’ to be done in this vicinity. But I suppose that this wasn’t my lucky day. I was surprised when I saw the blue lights come on, largely because I wasn’t going all that fast and I never worried about DUI or anything else because I had only consumed a couple of beers before I went on the run. But as usual the occasional sheriff had that text-book list of demands. “Driver License, Insurance, Immigration Card and keep yer hands where I can see ‘em”… I’m just sitting there on the bike on the side of the road while he checks all my credentials and when comes back he had some interesting questions: “Do you know why I stopped you?” To which I responded “Uhhh, I guess cause you wanted to check out my really cool bike” (A moment of silence) “Boy, you gonna drink all this beer by yerself?” Well, probably not a good answer but I quipped “Damn, I hope so!” (A longer moment of silence) After what felt like an hour, he handed me back my license and said “I know you ain’t right but have a safe night, and don’t try to drink all that friggin beer by yourself!” I said thanks and “remember an 18 pack is only a good start!” I haven’t seen any other occasional sheriffs in that area again, but I realized that everyone should keep their eyes open! (Including myself). Now that the terrors of Halloween are over, we must prepare ourselves for the most horrifying holiday of all which is commonly called Thanksgiving. This particular celebration is always loaded with family and friends who really don’t want to do anything other than fight. I have written before about the horrors of this special day, and the haunts of Halloween pale in comparison to the zombies, ghosts and miscreants that will try to celebrate you making them dinner—and then destroy your life as you know it, simply because they love you. (Allegedly) Try to make the best of it, and until next month—“Speed Safely!”

R.I.P. Craven Moorehead Your Words Will Live On Forever

Grammy winning songwriter, solo artist, and Creed frontman, Scott Stapp’s 1st album in six years, THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SHADOWS is a driving, propulsive celebration of overcoming that debuted in the Top 5 and Top 10 on album charts in the U.S. and UK.

“When you’re looking down a dark tunnel, everything is shadow. But taking one day at a time, you start to see the space between the shadows; the light and the color. The world takes shape in a whole new way.”

After five years of sobriety, Stapp created an album that makes peace, offers solace, expresses frustrations, hope, wins, and losses in healthy, powerful ways. The album’s first single, “Purpose For Pain,” is appropriately about finding meaning in darkness, returned Stapp to the radio charts last summer.

“Everyone goes through dark times and that pain is real. I think it helps to believe we’ll come to know the purpose for that pain, the lessons learned in enduring, and who that pain can help us become.

Scott Stapp’s fighting spirit is well documented. He endured childhood trauma, fled home as a teen, supported himself, formed a band. Against the odds, Creed burst into popular consciousness in 1997 with MY OWN PRISON and would dominate rock radio throughout the early 2000’s. Followed by the Diamond-certified HUMAN CLAY (1999), WEATHERED (2002) and FULL CIRCLE (2009), Creed sold over 50 million albums, broke airplay records, sold out arenas, and won a Grammy for “With Arms Wide Open.”

As a solo artist, Stapp released PROOF OF LIFE (2013) and THE GREAT DIVIDE

(2005). Rolling Stone wrote, Stapp is “a singer with an enormous emotional range and a composer of startling originality.” Yet, despite his success, the unresolved traumas of his past, depression, and addiction began to overshadow his gifts. Stapp’s health deteriorated and his personal and professional relationships were in jeopardy. After an excruciating public struggle and decline, an intervention from family, MusiCares, and other artists led him to the resources needed to overcome, now five years and counting. But the journey was never easy. “There are failures before there’s success,” says Scott. “but every day you renew your commitments. In learning that I was ill, not ‘weak,’ I regained control of my life. I can’t overstate the benefit of being understood - the shift in how we speak about mental health now is a blessing. I’ve definitely gained a perspective that lets me help people a few steps behind me on this path.”

As recovery reshaped his perspective, Scott and his wife of fourteen years, Jaclyn, moved with their three children to Nashville, TN. There, Scott found a haven for his family in a community that nurtures creativity and is renowned for turning sad stories into amazing music.

It was there that THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SHADOWS was written and recorded with producers Marti Frederiksen and Scott Stevens. The experience was not only collaborative but charged with a challenge amongst musicians to bring their best. In terms of emotional honesty, the gloves were off.

“We all got to do some story-telling and get to the heart of the man Scott has become,” said Frederiksen. “He’s come out strong and

I’m proud of the work that went in to making it right.” “This was an amazing journey,” added Stevens. “Working alongside Scott and Marti brought out the best in us all. We hit on every emotion and came out better friends because it.”

The album opens with the propulsive hardrock blast of “World I Used to Know,” Scott’s state-of-the-union about current affairs. The hard-hitting “Purpose for Pain,” and the brooding, cathartic croon of “Ready to Love,” show the masterful evolution of one rock’s most distinctive voices. In “Name,” there is unflinching confrontation, while “Heaven In Me” is blues-soaked. “Survivor” is a superhero’s anthem and “Face of the Sun” looks boldly into the light. In a poignant moment, Scott’s children are the “choir” on “Wake Up Call,” a song that international organization Child Fund uses to share their mission to aid underfunded families around the world. “Gone Too Soon,” was inspired in part by the losses of Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell.

“Those deaths hit me hard,” says Stapp. “It was heartbreaking and, for me, a lot resurfaced. Depression belittle success, steals joy, and it doesn’t discriminate.”

As someone who has received the help of others, Scott Stapp is a mentor to those who still struggle and, in gratitude, he ‘pays it forward’ through his own With Arms Wide Open Foundation, which helps military vets and their families with issues of drug addiction, PTSD-triggered mental health issues and suicide prevention. His efforts were applauded in 2017 when the Florida Association of Broadcasters gave him the Florida Service Award and in 2018, he was inducted into the Florida Music Hall of Fame.

four things to help your family if involved in an accident

By Matt Danielson, The Motorcycle Law Group

When a serious car or motorcycle accident occurs, it is often a family member or significant other who is contacting an attorney on behalf of the injured party. While I hope neither you nor your family are ever in this situation, all motorists should share vital information with a trusted emergency contact to help ensure they’re adequately prepared in the event of an accident. Below is a list of information to keep up to date and share with your family member or significant other.

1. Medical Insurance: Provide your emergency contact with the name of your insurance company and your policy number. Often, it’s easiest to give them a photocopy of your health insurance card. ?

2. Medical Information: Do you have any known allergies? Are there items in your medical history that would be important for an emergency medical team to know, such as current medications or a history of heart disease? Make sure your emergency contact is kept up to date on your medical conditions.

3. Personal Injury Attorney: What is the name and telephone number of a trusted personal injury attorney that your emergency contact can call – even for some guidance prior to formal representation? The sooner your attorney can be called the better.

4. Power of Attorney: If you are seriously injured and unable to make decisions for a period of time, a power of attorney designation allows a loved one to carry out tasks that you would normally do,

such as paying bills or cashing checks. It also allows a loved one to make medical decisions for you. Power of attorney is important even for those who are legally married. Once completed, it needs to be signed in the presence of a notary public. Visit our website (MotorcycleLawGroup.com) and select “Prepared Rider Kit” to download a free Power of Attorney template.

The majority of riders go each year without an accident, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared in case you’re ever involved in one. Having this information readily available can be critical, especially immediately after the accident occurs.

As always, if you have any further questions or comments concerning this article or any other matters concerning your rights as a motorcyclist, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Matt Danielson - McGrath, Danielson,

The Motorcycle Law Group - 1-800-321-8968

MotorcycleLawGroup.com

Matt Danielson is a partner at The Motorcycle Law Group, a personal injury law firm whose attorneys all ride motorcycles and practice in VA, NC, SC, GA, and WV. Matt has successfully represented clients in cases from simple property damage to complex multi-million dollar personal injury claims. He is also a lobbyist, adjunct professor and works with motorcycle rights organizations. To learn more about The Motorcycle Law Group, visit MotorcycleLawGroup.com.

Sorrell & Fuller

Support Our Vets

In Kentucky, there are roughly 295,000 Veterans spanning 75 years of service (World War II to Afghanistan) who have served this great nation. As many motorcycle riders of Backroads of Appalachia are Veterans, it was fitting that Backroads dedicated their newest trail route to honor a local and national hero, Lance Corporal Joe C. Paul, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and Medal of Honor Recipient.

Lance Corporal Joe Calvin Paul was born on April 23, 1946, in Williamsburg, Kentucky. He grew up in the Nevisdale/Gatliff coal mining community where he graduated from grammar school, and after attending high school for one year, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on April 26, 1963, shortly after his seventeenth birthday.

On August 18, 1965, at the age of 19, while serving as a fire team leader with Company H 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, LCpl Paul placed himself between his wounded comrades and the enemy and delivered effective suppressive fire in order to divert the Viet Cong long enough to allow casualties to be evacuated. He fought in an exposed position until he was mortally wounded.

His official Citation is as follows: “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in violent battle, LCpl Paul’s platoon sustained five casualties as it was temporarily pinned down by devastating mortar, recoilless rifle, automatic weapons and rifle fire delivered by insurgent Viet Cong forces in entrenched positions. The wounded Marines were pinned down and unable to move from their perilously exposed positions and were subjected to a barrage of white phosphorus grenades. LCpl Paul, fully aware that his tactics would almost certainly result injury or death to himself, chose to disregard his safety and boldly dashed across the fire-swept rice paddies and placed himself between his wounded comrades and the enemy and delivered suppressive fire in order to divert the attack long enough to allow the casualties to be evacuated. Although critically wounded during the course of the battle, he resolutely remained in his exposed position and continued to fire until he collapsed and was himself evacuated.” He succumbed to his wounds the next day, August 19, 1965. Lance Corporal Joe Calvin Paul was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on February 7, 1967. LCpl Paul is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio. His gravesite and memorial grounds are meticulously cared for by the Marine Corp

veteran-based Joe C. Paul Chapter of the Leathernecks Nation Motorcycle Club and other veteran organizations in the local area. Recognition of LCpl Paul includes the United States Navy Frigate, the U.S.S. Paul FF-1080, a portion of KY HWY 92, and the dedication of a historical marker on the grounds of the old Whitley County Courthouse in Williamsburg, Kentucky that honors his bravery and sacrifice to his country and fellow marines. Additionally, the newly released Joe C. Paul Medal of Honor Trail, takes you through the small Eastern Kentucky coal community where LCpl Joe Calvin Paul was born and spent his childhood. It is available now on the Backroads of Appalachia Mobile Application for Apple IOS and Google Android. Our motorcycle riding community is indeed a brotherhood. Take the time, not only in the month of November, but beyond that and support your local VFW, American Legion Post, AMVETS and other organizations that support our Veterans. One of the most notable Veterans motorcycle organizations is the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association. A National Veterans riding group with tens of thousands of members still proudly and tirelessly serving their communities and fellow veterans.

– Indian Rider Bill Indianriderbill@yahoo.com

AMERICAN PICKERS TO FILM IN GEORGIA

America’s past along the way. The Pickers have seen a lot of rusty gold over the years and are always looking to discover something they’ve never seen before.They are ready to find extraordinary items and hear fascinating tales about them.

We at American Pickers continue to take the pandemic very seriously and will be following all guidelines and protocols for safe filming outlined by the state and CDC. Nevertheless, we are excited to continue reaching the many collectors in the area to discuss their years of picking and are eager to hear their memorable stories!

AMERICAN PICKERS is a documentary series that explores the fascinating world of antique “picking” on The History Channel. The hit show follows skilled pickers in the business, as they hunt for America’s most valuable antiques. They are always excited to find sizeable, unique collections and learn the interesting stories behind them. As they hit the back roads from coast to coast, the Pickers are on a mission to recycle and rescue forgotten relics.Along the way, they want to meet characters with remarkable and exceptional items. They hope to give historically significant objects a new lease on life while learning a thing or two about

The American Pickers TV Show is looking for leads and would love to explore your hidden treasure. If you or someone you know has a large, private collection or accumulation of antiques that the Pickers can spend the better part of the day looking through we would love to hear from you! Please note, the Pickers DO NOT pick stores, flea markets, malls, auction businesses, museums, or anything open to the public. If interested, please send us your name, phone number, location, and description of the collection with photos to: americanpickers@cineflix.com or call (646) 493-2184

facebook: @GotAPick

AMERICAN PICKERS is produced by Cineflix Productions for The History Channel. New episodes air Mondays at 9pm EST.

THE AMERICAN PICKERS ARE EXCITED TO RETURN TO GEORGIA! THEY PLAN TO FILM EPISODES OF THE HISTORY CHANNEL HIT TELEVISION SERIES THROUGHOUT YOUR AREA IN DECEMBER 2022.

MONDO PORRASMONDO PORRAS BIKER LEGENDBIKER LEGEND

GODFATHER OF CHOPPERS

Revered as the “Godfather of Choppers” by many of his peers, Mondo can look back at an illustrious career in custom bikes as very few can. From judging and putting on bike shows worldwide, to television appearances and hardcover books, his story is as unique as the man himself and his name as instantly recognizable as the long, low and lean bikes Denver’s is most known for.

Of course, it wasn’t always just “Mondo.” In fact, during the early days, back in the sixties when he began his career at Denver’s Choppers in San Bernardino (commonly referred to as Berdoo), Armando Porras was known as Bondo Mondo, due to his talent involving the

famous shop’s sleek and long custom frames.

Barely out of high school, Mondo had begun working with Denver Mullins, the original owner of the shop at the time, building custom cars and hot rods. “We decided, at some point, to get some motorcycles and fix ‘em up,” Mondo recalls, “and that’s how we got into playing with bikes. We all bought Harleys and decided we didn’t like the way they looked, so we started building front ends and changing frames and customizing them, and pretty soon people came in and wanted us to do that to their bikes.” That was shortly after 1967, the year Denver’s Choppers opened its doors,

which made it one of the very first businesses in the slowly emerging custom motorcycle industry to manufacture and sell custom parts and accessories. “Back then, there were no catalogs to order parts from, so within a short time, we were known worldwide as the guys to go to for custom parts for choppers,” Mondo explains. Among the many innovations to soon come out of the small shop were items like rear fenders doubling as oil tanks, wildly stretched and raked frames, and especially springer front ends that kept getting longer and longer. More and more parts sprang up, and Denver’s began building complete custom bikes and shipping them all over the world.

It got to the point, according to Mondo, where “you couldn’t pick up a custom bike magazine without seeing a Denver bike in it.”

The Denver’s Chopper style is uniquely its own, according to Mondo, who describes it as long and low. “I’d call it Southern California style. What a lot of people today call a Swedish chopper, is actually a Denver’s chopper. We used to send a lot of bikes over to Sweden, and there’s a motorcycle club in Sweden right now called Denver’s Choppers. It’s been there since the seventies. We were also the first ones who came up with the gooseneck frames.”

It all came to a tragic end, however, in October of 1992, when Denver, who also dabbled in drag boats, drowned during a test run with a safety capsule he and Mondo had designed. For the following year-and-a-half, Mondo stayed at the shop to settle outstanding accounts and take care of legal matters. “What I did was focus more on the drag boats but was still building bikes in the shop as well,” he says.

On June 30, 1997, he re-opened Denver’s Choppers, having moved to Henderson, Nevada, just outside of Las Vegas, for what he calls economic reasons. “During that time some of the things I am most-proud of occurred to me,” he says. “First off, my association with Easyriders Magazine. I could not have done it without the magazine’s timeless support and help over the years. In 2001 I was awarded the trophy for Best Custom Bike Fabricator from Easyriders. I also had the very extreme pleasure of being in David Mann’s last painting for the 30th anniversary of Easyriders. This was a huge deal to me.” Sadly, Easyriders magazine went out of business last year after 50 years as America’s best-loved custom motorcycle magazine. Mondo was also honored to be

awarded the first ever David Mann Kind Award from the David Mann Chopper Fest, and he was installed into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2018, along with being voted Cycle Source Magazine’s Man of the Year.

In 2012 he moved up to Reno to be near his daughter and her family and try to slow down a bit, running his one-

man-shop in a strip mall near the city’s airport. “But slowing down has not really happened. I still work seven days a week because I love it so much,” Mondo says. “The shop is always filled with bikes, new builds, customers’ bikes, my collection and my friend Gerald Casey’s collection who helps me out at the shop. In fact, we built a radical Knucklehead for Gerald for the Michel Lichter Bike ‘Motorcycle as Art Museum Show’ at the Buffalo Chip in Sturgis this year.”

After more than 50 years in the business, Mondo still adheres to the old Denver philosophy, and his front end, rolling chassis, and complete bikes are as innovative, old-school, and mind-blowing as they were during the early days. “The front ends are our bread and butter,” he says about the trademark look that defines many of the bikes he builds. But his shop contains a number of different bikes styles, not just long choppers.

There are a lot of FXR-style bikes and high-performance sport bikes or whatever the select customer desires. “Stuff you can’t buy from Harley anymore, you can buy from us,” he says, “with any engine combination you can imagine.” Mondo’s also fully involved in the Reno custom bike scene and has several of his own shows, most notably during Street

Mondo , thank you for donating your custom made front end to Choppertown

Vibrations but also in places like Hollister and farther afield. After more than 50 years into his career, Mondo shows no signs of slowing down. “I am still building quite a few long bikes the old Denver-style way for customers from all over the country and beyond,” Mondo says. “Most of my customers are hard-working Americans young and old who love choppers. I still build a lot of Springer front ends that go all over the world.”

Speaking of those long Springers, Mondo build an 18-over chrome Springer for the Golden Chopper in the bikerfilm Rough Boys last year. It’s a custom Panhead that you can win! Go to www.roughboysmovie. com for details. He even plays the part of a mysterious character called “The Doctor” in the movie.

As far as retirement goes, Mondo says although he’s in his 70s now, he’s loving it more and more every day as the bikes get better with every build, with new ideas and challenges. “That makes it all worthwhile and exciting to come to work every day,” he says. “I don’t want to ever retire. I’m having too much fun building bikes and hot rods. My running joke is that if you ever find me in my shop bent over my welding table with my hood on and the part finished I was working on, I died a happy man.”

Mondo has spent a lifetime creating amazing custom motorcycles and we’re proud to say that he was Born To Ride.

— Kai Raecke and Dave Nichols

Mondo is a True Biker Legend 100% Real Deal DenversChoppers.com since 1967.

GRAND OPENING

There are some companies whose products can really add an outstanding custom look to a bagger, yet most riders don’t know much about them. Metalsport is just such a company; they make super sharp looking large diameter billet wheels. Granted there are other people that make large diameter wheels, but only few do it like Metalsport; their billet wheels are true one-piece creations.

Having seen their wheels on many custom bikes, we decided to give you a close-up view of just how they make them. Located in a rather non-descript building out east of Los Angeles, which houses more large CNC metal working machines than we had seen in quite a while. Ron Loynds, Metalsport’s President, filled us in on their history and gave us a cook’s tour. They have been in the custom motorcycle parts manufacturing business for twenty plus years, albeit quietly though. They popped up on everybody’s radar with their introduction of several large diameter billet aluminum wheels.

Now most tires have a lot in common, but not big aluminum wheels. Metalsport’s 3-D wheels have machined spokes that flair out to almost the same width as the rim, whereas your average custom wheel features spokes that are barely a fourth the width of the rim. Making one-piece wheels requires three things: a big aluminum billet, a CNC machine that is capable of milling it and a lot of time. Metalsport bought a large machine to do big wheel in, then bought several more so that they could make more than one wheel a day. They start with a solid chunk of aluminum, they put it into the giant CNC machine that is programmed to whittle away all of the excess metal. When they are done, they have two products: a custom 3-D motorcycle wheel and a bucket of machining chips that weighs more than the finished wheel. So subtly stunning are their wheels that our pictures can’t project their actual depth and texture.

Along the way, Ron hooked up with several custom builders; among them is Chip Foose. Chip has designed a lot of custom wheels, which Metalsport makes and markets for him. To say that their styling is handsome is a gross understatement; we especially liked the Nitrous II in black.

For a complete look at Metalsport’s wheels, hit their website and be sure to watch the wheel video.

- John Sullivan

WHEELS AND MACHINES, METALSPORT HAS LOTS OF BOTH. THESE SEMI-FINISHED WHEELS ARE WAITING THEIR TURN IN ONE OF THE CNC MACHINES.

Baggers at Metalsport Wheels

ONE OF METALSPORT’S DEVIL’S SLIDE 3-D WHEELS ON THE FRONT OF A STREET GLIDE.

METALSPORT ALSO MAKES BELT PULLEYS AND BRAKE ROTORS TO MATCH THEIR WHEELS.

THIS ROUGHED OUT WHEEL WILL END UP AT EIGHTEEN INCHES IN DIAMETER AND FOURTEEN INCHES WIDE!

NOW THIS IS ONE BIG CNC MACHINE, IT HOLDS AND WORKS ON TWO WHEELS AT ONCE.

BRAINWASHED

It seems that as I get up there in years, OMG or should I say old, I’ve been opening my eyes to more opinions and views of others. The quotes I use or that are normally written or spoken by those that have had an impact on our past history. This month is a little different. It’s from a current music artist that’s bucked the system and speaks what’s on his mind regardless of what others think. His name is Tom MacDonald and I’m going to add one of his song verses to this article for you to ponder and see if this rings true to you or not. It’s from a song titled Brainwashed. Here it is: Step one, train the people only to consume Step two, infiltrate adults with the news Step three, indoctrinate the children through the schools And the music and the apps on the phones that they use Step four, separate the right from the left Step five, separate the white from the black Step six, separate the rich from the poor

Use religion and equality to separate ‘em more Step seven, fabricate a problem made of lies

Pretty powerful, thought provoking stuff, I think. Really take a moment to process these lyrics. It seems in these times, those in charge don’t want you to think

So how does this effect you? Think about this. We are already dealing with a global push on emissions and climate change. I agree some changes do need to be made. Is it really necessary to roll coal in your truck? Matter of choice, I guess. Remember the crying Indian on the TV commercials when people chose to throw trash out the window? Did it make a difference? I don’t know, looking at all the litter on the roads and streets.

Now they want to push electric cars. How many resources and much environmental damage does mining lithium cause? How much electricity does it cost to charge those modes of transportation? It’s obscene. Ask yourself this. When the batteries live out their life, where do they go? What do they do with them? Where does the majority of the lithium come from? Look it up and then see where our resources go to protect those interests. There’s a lot more to this but no space this time.

for yourself. They want to tell you what to think.

Look at what’s happening in this country right now. There is no “American” reason for it. If you want to know who is driving this bus to the erosion of this beautiful country, follow the money. Granted, you have to really dig through the BS to get to it but the truth is nice to know. No one wants to go through life blind. I know I don’t.

It still is just a minor scratch over how your freedom of choice slowly dwindles away. Do something, people. If you just stand by blindly and watch, that’s up to you. I’ll be the one laughing at you when the only choice you have is driving past me on your electric motorcycle.

Thanks to Tom MacDonald for his wise thoughts.

Step eight, put it on the news every night Step nine, when people start to fight and divide Take control, this is called situational design

— Nefarious James American Citizen

Biker “Exploitation” is a term coined by producers, actors, and ultimately YOU the viewer. Not all biker films are actually geared at the (exploitation) or in other words, the “bad” angle of the biker lifestyle. Some of these actually “miss the target” and simply feature the motorcycle as secondary component to the plot. However, in literally every film involving bikers or the biker ‘lifestyle’, one thing you, as a viewer can count on is the presence of the Police. Electra Glide in Blue has the unique twist of actually using story of a motorcycle cop as the baseline. In this film, Blake plays a motor officer named John Wintergreen. His character is not really into being a ‘traffic cop’ as he has aspired to become a homicide detective. In my opinion, if you had to be a cop, what better job than cruising around on your departmentally funded Harley? But hey, this review isn’t about me, it’s about the film!! Back to the chase, and no code-4!

John Wintergreen patrols the rural Arizona highways with his partner “Zipper.” Wintergreen is laid-back but upright about enforcing the law, while Zipper is predominately lazy. Zipper likes busting Hippies (remember them?) even going so far as to plant evidence on a young ‘hippie’ during a search of his van. Wintergreen again proves to be the polar opposite of his partner Zipper, as he continuously states how much he hates riding his motorcycle, and Zipper’s only real dream is to own his own motorcycle. Zip spends a lot of time reading comic books, and eating junk food while John takes his job seriously. One of the things about Wintergreen that is out of place in this film is (in one scene) he is firing his pistol at an “Easy Rider” poster in the police firing range. … It gets worse! Crazy Willie, an older local – perhaps homeless- person comes in contact with John

BIKER Movie Review

and Zip near an old shack in the desert. They almost playfully chase Willie on their bikes and finally capture him. He tells John about his friend Frank who had committed suicide in the shack. John goes to the shack and discovers the body and believes the case is not a suicide, but a murder. The coroner later arrives and disagrees with John who was feverishly taking notes. After a shouting match with the coroner, in walks Detective Harve Poole, who admires Wintergreen’s savvy, and arranges for Wintergreen to be transferred to homicide as his ‘driver’ to help with the case. Harve and John return to the shack and find a large statue of Jesus, which is full of “Reds” and as the investigation continues, John and Harve interrogate a group of hippies, looking for a drug dealer named Bob Zemko. The theme of good cop – bad cop comes into play as Harve roughs some of the hippies up after John had nicely questioned them. John’s initial joy at being promoted is short-lived, as his relationship with Harve deteriorates after he finds out that John has been sleeping with ‘Jolene” (Harve’s girlfriend) and the waitress at the local bar. But when Jolene mocks Harve’s sexual prowess (implying that Harve is impotent) and brags that Wintergreen can “go three times in one morning” things just go downhill for our hero and he is demoted back to traffic. After a wild motorcycle and car chase the pair capture and question Zemko. More good cop - bad cop scenes cause Wintergreen to eventually realize that Crazy Willie committed the murder; the victim was an old friend of his who had taken to selling the drugs and hanging around with a younger crowd. Jealous, Willie had murdered his friend and arranged it so it appeared to be a suicide. As usual there is some stolen money, and the search for this money is when Wintergreen discovers another terrible fact: Zipper’s dream was to own his own motorcycle, and had stolen the dead man’s drug money (initially blamed on Zemko) to pay for it. At Zippers trailer in the desert, the movie’s theme is uncovered when zipper shows John the “Electra Glide in Blue” sitting in the yard. Later, Zipper is drunk and begins firing his gun at Wintergreen, missing him but striking a random passer-by. Wintergreen then shoots Zipper in self-defense, and Zipper dies in his arms. Back in the desert on patrol, Wintergreen spots the same van that was featured earlier in the film, and he pulls it over. He recognizes one of the hippies as the very same one that Zip had planted the drugs on in the beginning of the film, and decides to let them go. They take off down the highway, but Wintergreen realizes that he still has the hippie’s Driver license in his hand. As he tries once again to pull the van over to return the license, the passenger opens the rear window and fires a shotgun killing Wintergreen. It’s a very sad ending to a really weird flick! For me, this is where the whole deal goes bad. The movie is loaded with plagiarism of the iconic film “Easy Rider.” Yeah, I believe that “Electra Glide in Blue” truly is a ‘cult-classic’ sort of piece, but the constant blasts from Easy Rider kinda turned me off.

The Phantom Movie Review

Do you have a favorite Biker Movie we don’t have? Let us know: info@borntoride.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRUISER BIG 20!

WE LOVE YOU ! MOM & DAD

CHRISTIAN MOTORCYCLISTS ASSOCIATION

Whenever a group of bikers come together a curious, yet wonderful thing happens in their midst. First and foremost is the opportunity of fellowship, shaking one’s hands and a hearty slap on the back, and folks can share a warm genuine smile of greeting! Usually, it is a great time of sharing what has been going on in each other’s lives and activities. This time of friendship is well received and draws the visitors together in unity.

In addition to the camaraderie between bikers, there may be a need expressed with the rider looking for help to solve a difficulty. What makes this process a great way to get one’s problem solved is that in any group of bikers there is bound to be at least one person who has the right skill set or experience to be of service. This is all made possible because, for the most part, bikers are a caring, multi-talented group of individuals, and one can usually be found with just the right gifts and talents to be able to help.

I remember one group of riders went out for a long ride one day and unfortunately one rider had to stop as she had a medical problem. She was about 75 miles from home and had no way to get herself or her bike home. One of the riders

in the group called a group member that was able to pick up her and her bike and get her home. Once a biker needed help with the electrical system of his bike. He had rewired the bike from a book, but at 11:00 in the evening he could not remember how to wire it. A rider was familiar with doing Harley custom wiring harnesses and was able to get the bike going in less than fifteen minutes.

Another time, several bikers helped two other riders on a ride in the mountains. Two fellows each picked up a nail, one causing an immediate flat tire, the other caused a deeply embedded nail to stick out of the tire. One member of the group took off to go about ten miles and get a truck and trailer, to take the bike to a shop in town. The other rider had his wife ride back to town on another rider’s bike, in case the tire went flat, and the bike got repaired. Everyone got home safely that day.

The Bible teaches us, in Peter 4:10 that, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful servants of God’s grace in its various forms.” We should be aware when opportunities come to serve others from God’s gifts. This should come from our hearts, just like God’s gift to us, of both forgiveness and talents. That makes all the difference. Be blessed and receive your gifts from God, and then honor Him by using those gifts of service to bless others.

In the Wind, Denny Dingler

RONNIE and EMILY’SRONNIE and EMILY’S

WILLIE NELSON READS IT