Ace Corner A N I R O N & A I R M AGA Z I N E S P E C I A L E D I T I O N
Ace Corner AN IRON & AIR MAGAZINE SPECIAL EDITION
FOREWORD A NOTE FROM IRON & AIR
Believe it or not, we almost didn’t go.
NO SLEEP 'TIL BROOKLYN
THE JOURNEY TO ACE CORNER BEGINS
A pit stop in NYC to grab the Issue Four cover bike.
WELCOME TO ACE CORNER THIS IS IT, SIR. BUY THE TICKET TAKE THE RIDE. A weekend of motorcycle intoxication.
LOOKING BACK A REFLECTION BY JASON PAUL MICHAELS How Ace Corner is preserving what is most important in motorcycling.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Brett Houle • Sonia Mecum • Adam Fitzgerald • Michael Longver • Michael Hilton Gregory Moore • Neall Dollhopf • Susan Bryan WORDS
Brett Houle • Michael Longver • Michael Hilton • Jason Paul Michaels
STAFF BRETT HOULE Publisher
MICHAEL HILTON Writer
MICHAEL LONGVER Technology
SONIA MECUM Community
ADAM FITZGERALD Creative
SPECIAL THANKS
There are a few people that made this trip possible and truly led to it being successful. David Browning from E3 Motorcycles Tim Harney from Harney Boy Racing Gregory Moore Lauren Nikki Jesse Hawk
REACH US
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STORY & PHOTO SUBMISSIONS submissions@ironandair.com
Iron & Air is a magazine for lovers of classic, cafe racer & custom garage-built motorcycles inspiring daily through design, engineering, culture & the open road. ACE CORNER BARBER ISSUE | NOVEMBER 2012 Copyright 2012 Š Iron & Air Magazine All Rights Reserved
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A N OT E F R O M I R O N & A I R I remember when Jason from Dime City Cycles called me up one day and proceeded to refer to me by a name I’d rather not publish here. He told me he and Mark McKee from Ace Cafe had an idea; they were interested in carving out a little oasis at the 8th Annual Barber Vintage Festival - calling it Ace Corner. They would quarantine the entire Turn 17 (best seat in the house to watch the racing all weekend) for an event within the event. The goal would be to bring vintage motorcycle culture and people together in a special place carved inside the inner walls of Barber’s race track with the hope that it would springboard an annual celebration. Add in all the fixin’s - beer, food, friends, live music, and lots and lots of bikes. Jason wanted us to not only attend but to be involved helping to let the world know about it and help tell the story post-event thus this piece. Of course I said, “No.” We had just finished the enormous task of launching the first issue of Iron & Air Magazine. We had committed to giving a bike away with DCC and now, we were about to launch our very first printed edition of our fledgling magazine. What if we over-commit as a young company? And then three months later my team and I are standing on Alabama soil. Arriving in a state of exhaustion from a 24+ hour road-trip, we found the next gear easily. In the end, the event was ‘one for the ages’, a weekend of motorcycle intoxication with countless new friends and memories we’ll never forget. We hope you enjoy this picture book of some of the highlights. For those who were there - enjoy the memories. For those who couldn’t make it, we hope to meet you at Ace Corner 2013. Jason, thanks for the name calling buddy. With gratitude for the two-wheeled life,
Brett Houle Publisher
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N O S L E E P ‘ T I L B R O O K LY N It’s Wednesday morning. The sun is waiting for my first cup of coffee to settle while we hitch the 24’ trailer to the back of the truck to head to the Barber Vintage Festival. We have been preparing for this trip for months. The bikes are loaded, the t-shirts and magazines have been packed and ready to be unleashed at the first annual Ace Corner. The rest of the wide eyed Iron & Air crew hopped into the vehicle prepared for the 1,200 mile trek to Alabama. Along with stops for gas and food, the other stop we needed to make was to catch up with our new friends in NYC, David Browning, owner of E3 Motorcycles and Tim Harney of Harney Boy Racing. Although we had communicated many times via email and on the phone, this would be the first time we officially met. Oh, and while there, we would be loading up the Issue Four cover bike and the CB750 we featured in Issue Two. While in Brooklyn, David fixed us all espressos while Tim’s larger than life personality kept the entire crew entertained. Soon we were loaded up and ready to hit the road. As we left the city, it was great to see bikers splitting lanes, doing double takes at the giant Iron & Air logo on the trailer. They’d beep and give a quick wave as they sped off down the expressway. We looked at each other and smiled, knowing we had just begun the largest part of our journey and there would be no sleep till ‘Bama.
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t h e i n f i n i t e ly c u s t o m i z a b l e c a r r y i n g s o l u t i o n c r e at e d b y m i s s i o n w o r k s h o p
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AS YOU MOVE THROUGH THE ENTRY GATES,
an amalgamation of emotion overwhelms you. In every direction your eye captures the movement of steel; your ears, the rumble of exhaust while in the distance, the illusive ghosts of speed saunter around the race track with abandon, preparing it for those willing. You make your way through the motor sports park passing all the vendors, swap meet space and other like minded individuals because you have a specific destination in mind. You reach Turn 17 and are greeted by 50 hand-built custom vintage speed machines care of Do The Ton; Triumphs, Honda’s, Kawi’s and everything else under the sun. As you pass under the tunnel you feel the reverberations of the Thruxton Class as they down shift in preparation for the elevator. The light gets bright towards the end and upon your exit you realize the scene before you. Ace Cafe London, Dime City Cycles, Cafe Racer TV along with dozens of builders and niche industry vendors have come together to celebrate the birth and abiding life of the “Cafe Racer.” Welcome to Ace Corner Barber. Sit back, relax, grab a cold beer and enjoy the sights from the cafe racer bike show, marvel over the custom CB750 Dime City Cycles built in partnership with Iron & Air Magazine and glimpse over what some of the most influential motorcycle speed freaks have brought to share. This is it, sir. Buy the ticket, take the ride.
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“IT TRULY WAS THE EXPERIENCE OF MEETING SO MANY LIKE MINDED INDIVIDUALS THAT MADE ACE CORNER SPECIAL. IT CREATED THE SPACE TO COME TOGETHER AND JUST COLLECTIVELY ENJOY OUR PASSION FOR THE CAFE RACER SCENE.” Abe Hernandez, Ahbe Racer, Fontana, CA
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“THERE WAS A GREAT ATMOSPHERE AND A VERY WELL BEHAVED CROWD WHO WERE HAPPY JUST BEING TOGETHER AND CHECKING OUT EACH OTHERS’ MACHINERY. LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR. IT’S ONLY GOING TO GROW.” Ian Kennedy, Cafe Fabrications & Customs, St. Petersburg, FL
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“THE WHOLE ACE CORNER EXPERIENCE BLEW MY MIND SO MUCH, THAT I COULD NOT FOCUS AT MY SHOP FOR A WEEK. I GRINNED LIKE A CHESHIRE CAT WITH NEW DENTURES! I CANNOT WAIT TO BE A PART OF THIS GROWING PHENOMENON NEXT YEAR.” Steve “Carpy” Carpenter, Nostalgia Speed & Cycle, Orange, CA
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“WE THOUGHT THE BARBER VINTAGE FESTIVAL HAD EVERYTHING TO OFFER, BUT LITTLE DID WE KNOW WHAT ACE CORNER WOULD BRING TO THE TABLE. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE ADDITION THIS WAS TO THE WEEKEND!” Clark Virden, ZOOM Motorsports, Birmingham, AL
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“BEING THERE, SURROUNDED BY BIKES AND THOSE WHO LOVE THEM, IS SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL AND NOT TO BE MISSED”. Mark Wilsmore, Managing Director, Ace Cafe London
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“TO ME ACE CORNER EMBODIES THE ESSENCE OF WHAT MOTORCYCLING CULTURE NEEDS TO STAY ALIVE - REAL MOTORCYCLISTS INTO MOTORCYCLING.” Kevin Dunworth, Loaded Gun Customs, Ocean City, MD
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L O O K I N G
B A C K
For me, the biggest positive about Ace Corner was the fact that it was open to and helped connect the generations. We are at a pivotal time in motorcycling wherein we are unfortunately going to lose many of the greats due to health and age. Events like Ace Corner are critical in the preservation of not only motorcycle sub cultures such as Cafe Racers, but the trades that go along with those cultures and the folks that lived those lives and swung those hammers. Take for instance Mark Wilsmore spending time with younger more progressive gents discussing their bikes and bits and appreciating them for what they are while at the same time educating them on the way things were. A common understanding and appreciation was inherent in the atmosphere at turn number 4. Or someone like Ian Kennedy who’s been around built and customized British bikes his entire life discussing the nuances of vintage Triumphs with young blood Kevin Dunworth of Loaded Gun Customs. Everywhere you looked it was the exchange of information through generations. Right now, preservation of what is most important about motorcycling - the people, their knowledge and their experience that makes up the culture is paramount. Ace Corner created a conduit for that information sharing to occur and running the risk of sounding melodramatic, it probably changed the lives of some younger folks. I know it did for me. Remember, Facebook only gets you so far. People still need to feel the presence of greatness to truly feel it’s weight and understand it’s importance. Jason Paul Michaels Dime City Cycles
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Brett
Houle PUBLISHER
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Michael
LONGVER TECHNOLOGY
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Michael
HILTON WRITER
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Sonia
MECUM COMMUNITY
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Adam
FITZGERALD CREATIVE
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Gregory
MOORE PHOTOGRAPHER
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Lauren
NIKKI EVENT STAFF
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Issue ONE
Issue TWO
Issue THREE
JULY 2012
AUGUST 2012
SEPTEMBER 2012
Issue FIVE
Issue SIX
Issue SEVEN
DECEMBER 2012
JAN/FEB 2012
NOVEMBER 2012
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Issue FOUR OCTOBER 2012
Issue EIGHT MARCH/APRIL 2012
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ACE CAFE & Dime City Cycles
ACE CORNER BARBER
OCTOBER 12-14,2012 BARBER VINTAGE FESTIVAL
THIS IS IT SIR. Buy the ticket, TAKE THE RIDE. Bell Helmets Biltwell, Inc. Cafe Fabrications Cafe Racer TV Choppahead Dennis Kirk Deus Ex Machina DoTheTon.com Gasolina Iron & Air Magazine LC Fabrications Legendary Motorcycles Loaded Gun Customs Maple Motorcycle Jeans
“WE THANK EVERYONE FOR COMING OUT FOR THE INAUGURAL ACE CORNER BARBER EVENT. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HOSTING AN EVEN BIGGER ACE CORNER NEXT YEAR” Mark McKee, Managing Partner, Ace Cafe North America
Ride Your Own Biogra phy
Cierra, El Mirage Dry Lakebed, California, May 2011
For maximum performance, Triumph recommends Castrol premium lubricants.