We get stoked every time we hear or see news about the Limpnickie Lot. Just show’s we’re getting more and more into the fabric of this industry and with that giving the next generation of riders and builders something to consider when looking at this industry.  Whether it’s on national tv shows like American Thunder, or on video’s from industry people, “any press” is always good press!  Such is the case during the last Daytona Bike Week when the video crew came through the lot to shoot some footage on various builders and personalities.  Thus they gave yours truly a chance to talk a bit about my passions, ideas, impressions on the movement.  So here ya go.  Just goes to show ya, some media people will put anyone in front of the camera!!  See it HERE.

Hey, thanks for coming back! Great to see there are a few of you out there that have taste and style! Seriously, thanks for visiting. If you know of stories you think people would be interested in, shoot us a line C'ya!

Rich Grabbe, producer of the DVD “Free to Wander” (you can preview HERE) held their release party Saturday February 21st, and from what we’re hearing the party was a huge success. It was definitely a bikers party….(aka buckets full of beer,mayhem, girls, moshing, and smashed beer bottles) along with the playing of the FTW film. With “The Trip Daddy’s” playing to a full house at Shady Jacks Saloon the place was pretty much “asses and elbows”. Many of the guys that appeered in the film were present, from Chicago, to Los Angeles To as far north as Canada. The Free To Wander release party was a continuation of the the films sentiment. Stay free, keep wandering, keep riding, and most of all have as much fun as possible in this carnival ride we call life! Congrats Rich! Looking forward to hearing more about the party and catching up with you during Bikeweek.

Everyone knows that the Guilty Truth Blog is more about bikes and the motorcycle lifestyle, but one trend we keep seeing pop up at a lot of events and in mag’s is Body Painting. That simple art of taking a woman’s body (curves and all) and putting paint on it to make them look like they have clothes on. The styles can range from as simple as a bathing suit to as elaborate as multiple layered suits. Again, all an illusion. Simple, unique and well, quite distracting. Initially made popular in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues, body painting combines the best of both worlds. Granted, you’re basically looking at naked women, but because they’re covered with a layer of paint, you don’t feel like a total pervert. “Hey honey, i’ve got three cans high gloss paint, can you help me for a minute on a project…..”

In an earlier post (see here), we’d started listing various cool helmets we see either in person or on various sites. Here are a few that definitely strike us as cool. It is interesting to see the various styles and transitions that helmets are going through whether you view them as more “functional” or as “mediums of artwork”. Either way, seeing such pieces makes you want to go and get a cool lid to ride around with or (if your really strange, sit in front of the TV and munch chips and drink a beer). We know, we know..TMI, TMI.

There are people all over the place toting film cameras around shooting whatever comes across their lens. Their work, is like you’d expect, crap! Then there are others that make it an “Art Form”. Such is the case with Richard Grabbe. We met Richard while at Sturgis this past year (08′) at The Broken Spoke with the Limpnickie Lot. Not only does he make a cool bike, but he’s also an up an coming film maker with a very keen eye for detail and creativity. This is his documentary of the lives and times of the custom motorcycle world. A free form art picture dedicated to bringing you the nitty gritty of what the custom motorcycle lifestyle is all about. It documents time spent on the road by guys that have nothing but their bikes and tents and delves into exactly what it takes to build one of these custom one off motorcycles. You can pre-order this video at the Free To Wander website. Click HERE.

Here’s a great Christmas present. Get your bike featured in Easyrider Magazine! That’s what happened to the Guilty Customs Gang! The bike “Errant” is featured on the cover and centerfold of Easyrider’s Dec. 08 issue. If you can look past the beauty straddling the bike (named Sandy Beach) you’ll see one very rideable bike. So kudo’s to Mike Drum for his work as well as others on this build. The bike is currently up on eBay for auction as the guys need to make room in the garage for some more builds! Oh yeah, unfortunately Sandy doesn’t come with the bike.

Our friend Mike Beland over at A-1 Cycles has a new project he’s involved with. It’s called ArmDrop Live!! and features Rick Christensen of Speed Channel “Pinks: All Out” fame. Seems he was wanting to have a more active show that wasn’t inhibited by cameras so Rick and his brother Kent teamed up with Brian Bossone to produce. The concept? Well in Mike’s words:

“people drag racing their bikes duking it out for a custom motorcycle. Negotiating the race and out driving your opponent. High energy and NO fluff. Hardcore racers with a 20k prize on the line .

Sounds pretty cool to us!!! But before they go any further, they need people to express interest in the concept. So watch this video, go to the site and then vote whether you’d like to see this become a TV show. You can go HERE for the website to vote. You can check out their schedule on the website also and see where they will be over the next few months too.

One of the neatest aspects of this industry is the constant influx of new products from existing shops. Such is the case with LACC’s new “Honey Pot” oil filter. It gets it’s Inspiration from the “Hildebrandt” oil filters popularized by hot-rodders and truckers during the ’50s and ’60s however the look, functionality and size have been improved for use on motorcycles.

Theses babes are cast, heat treated and precision machined from aluminum and available in three different finishes; Natural, Polished and Black Wrinkle with Polished Highlights. Each assembly comes complete with stainless steel lid mounting hardware and a quality spin on HD style oil filter and is machined to accept ¼” NPT fittings. They are compatible with anything up to a Twin Cam and a wide variety of mounting and oil line adapters are being designed to accommodate most applications. For more information on this and other high quality LACC parts visit www.lachoprods.com or phone (310) 353-CHOP (2467).

Source: News Release

For those of you that have cared to ask us about our background and hobbies, you’ve probably stood patiently around as we waxed memories about our days building custom hot-rods. Specifically our mid 50’s inspired trucks and cars. When we transitioned to motorcycles we brought that influence with us. There is one similarity though between the two markets and that is regardless of the engines/frames or wheels used, it’s the paint that always grabs the people. We hear it all the time. You can have one of the most demanding mechanical monsters around, but 9 out of 10 people will say…”Cool paint job dude..!”. Granted, we appreciate those few that notice that rare engine, front-end or custom made exhaust…..so thanks to those 1%ers! Anyway, over the years we’ve used a number of stripers….(the most dependable being Darren from “Darren-Did-It Pinstriping” here in Orlando) and the most notable being George Sedak (painter/pinstriper for Evel Knievel). Another guy we’ve run across is a west coast guys named Eric Foust from Mindless Pinstriping. You can check out his work at his MySpace. Enjoy.

So, what do you say to a guy when he says’ he’s influenced by “Bill Dodge” and “East Coast Builders”? Great! That’s what! This sweetie was built by a dude called “German Karp” in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Seems he’s a bicycle builder that dabbles in motorcycles, makes motorcycle handlebars and even pin stripes on the side. Whatever it is he does it looks like he’s having fun! We definitely like the trend we’re seeing amount builders in using “out-of-the-box” type motorcycles as inspiration. This one is a 1997 Honda CG 125cc. You can find out more about our “German Karp” at his blog called kustomco.blogspot.com along with photo’s at fotolog.com/kustom_co. Here are the spec’s:

Frame: Honda, cut & made the new tail and top tube.
Forks: Honda, shortened 2″, fender tabs removed and drilled.
Motor: Honda,1997 CG 125cc refurbished and painted.
Handlebars: Custom made
Brake Levers: Custom trimmed and painted
Taillight: Old Lucas on custom license holder
Headlight: Old siambretta type
Fender: Old ford spare tire cover scored for $0.80 from a bum (it’s like $.30 in U.S money)
Tank: Who knows? But it has a cool tool case.
Exhaust: Original cut in half, then a fence top was use for the inverted cone for a cost of 8$
Air Filter: Exhaust tail & piece of tube.
Seat: Custom made, all leather
Battery Case: Piece of bent steel, all the electrics inside.
Rear Wheel: Stock hub,16′ HD rim, free tire.
Front Wheel: Stock hub & rim, 3.25×18 imperial cord tire.
Paint: Epoxy black/ oskar´s fender, battery case & tank.
All the pieces were detailed sanded before paint

Karp, keep us updated on any of your next builds. We like what we’re seeing.

There will always be a need for quality craftsmanship. Regardless of the industry and fortunately in the motorcycle industry there are those that can truly be classified as such. (We know a few first hand but won’t tell them so since we want to keep’em ‘focused’). Our friends at E’ville Twins, Miles and Lorrie Brown (see their ad on our Blog) sent us this update about their “go-to-guy-for-leather-work“, Josh Ellingson. Looks like Josh has some very well developed skills in leather work so we thought our readers would be interested in seeing his work. He is currently taking commissioned bookings for 2009 spring deliveries. Josh can be contacted directly at dr.skinstitchers@hotmail.com or by telephone at 403-748-3909. Thanks Lorrie and Miles for keeping us updated on talented craftsman/women like Josh.

Update. For those that follow this blog, you probably remember one build going on at the garage that involved a little 76 Honda 550. Well it’s done and on the road..sort of. Seems that darn regulator/rectifier is going to be the death of us until we get it fixed! Damon’s little monster Honda looks, sounds and runs great and overall, we’re happy. So, now we’re onto finishing up that darn 84 Ironhead Sporty. Pic’s will come shortly.

S&S® Cycle announces the first ever opportunity to pre-order the all new Flathead Power™ by S&S Cycle KN-Series engines. During calendar year 2008 there will be only 100 of these beautiful vintage engines produced—available in generator (PN 106-2161 MSRP $8575.00) alternator/generator (PN 106-2560 MSRP $8750.00) styles—with serial numbers that identify them as the first 100 produced. Considered one of the most desirable engines ever, this is a great opportunity to lock one in for your next build.The Flathead Power by S&S KN-Series engine features the aesthetic looks of classic iron, but benefit from significant upgrades. For starters, displacement is 93 cubic inches, because you can’t go wrong with more power. One big improvement is the use of a 1958-’65 style flywheel assembly with a splined sprocket shaft and Timken sprocket shaft bearing. This change necessitates the use of a 1954-’65 tin primary cover and primary chain sprocket—but the increased flywheel stability, strength and power capacity are worth the stock departure. Flathead Power rocker arm cover “tins” are another modern improvement. The lower covers are actually made of die-cast aluminum, and instead of being held in place by the valve guide, they are held down by valve spring pressure. A special gasket on the bottom of the lower “tin” provides a positive seal, and is much easier to service if needed, since the valve guides do not have to be pressed out in order to remove the lower covers. Also instead of the steel brazed-in hard oil return lines used on stock tins, S&S has improved the design of the oil line for better reliability and easier assembly and maintenance.

We call it “Self expression”. That opportunity each of us have to express our own taste, views, gripes or even prejudices. The medium we express it “on” however varies. Some do “it” on clothing, others on metal and still others on helmets. So we figured we’d start posting some pic’s of peoples helmets we’ve seen or owned ourselves and am asking those that use their own helmets as a form of expression to send us one or two pic’s so we can show the world. We’re thinking this could turn into a cool contest where some swag could be given away if we have enough participants. So how about it?!?

A picture is worth a 1000 words…Funny!