#1 In The Nation - Sundown

It's official, we're #1 in the Nation in PBR sales. We kill it on a weekly basis and serve PBR like it's liquid gold. When I started working there it was said that we were #3, then we fell back to #6, and last year they said we were #2... Our PBR rep. came in last night and told us that we beat out a bar in Portland to take the top spot. I asked if there was any proof to what he was saying - he said that I'd have to take his word for it...



When the Downer first opened in April of 1982, there were three taps on the wall - PBR, Pabst, and Blue Ribbon.

PBR me asap...

- It's rewarding, knowing that I help make more people shit through screen doors every morning than any other bartender in America.

Cheers.

BornFreeShow - Event Video

Well, here it is, Born Free 2 footage...

This show was a huge deal for so many reasons - before, during, and after the event. The bikes, the atmosphere, the people(new and old faces), the trip out there, the experiences... pretty much everything. The Born Free 2 brought people out from all over the USA and beyond. Groups of people got together, packed their bikes and hit the road to attend what was building up to be one of the greatest shows in some time. Bikes were built - money, sweat, and hard work went into showing up with a new creation.

The Born Free 2 motivated people on so many levels - in terms of art, freedom, brotherhood, enjoying life, etc. It might sound funny, but there wasn't any other show this past summer that accomplished what this event did.

The people who put this on deserve a congratulations. Word is, planning for next year's show is already in full swing and the sponsors are pouring in. For some people, it may be a weekend event. For others, it'll be much more than that. Personally, it's gonna be a 2 week, 2 lane excursion out West and up the Coast for me and whoever may want to join. Irish Rich and I are already getting our hands dirty putting together ideas/parts for bikes that we're planning on bringing.

If you need a break from work/life, a roadtrip with the boys, or a reason to get out and enjoy your motorcycle - this is it. This event and the adventure out to L.A. is what it's all about. No trailers, no egos, no bullshit. Camping out, bikes, miles and miles of highway, endless PBR, and the time of your life.

I can't wait, my 2011 summer is already pretty much planned and it hasn't even snowed in Denver yet. My back still hurts from my last trip down to Austin, TX - but, this is the shit I live for.

Do yourself a favor - get to this event next summer. June 25th, 2011.

Hope to see you there and enjoy the video...

Trick or Treat -

Some amazing costume ideas for all of the ladies visiting this site... Oh halloween, how I love you.

Hill Country -

Saturday, October 16th, we rolled out of Luckenbach and tore around in the hill country for a few hours with my bike getting worse and worse. Squealing at me louder and louder as we sped around hilly and windy roads in what seemed to be the middle of no-where.

Everywhere we stopped, people would stop and stare. I ride alone, a lot, and it doesn't bother me one bit - I enjoy getting out on the bike by myself. But, words can't explain what it's like riding with a large pack of bikes. I can't explain the feeling I get, all I know is, I wanna tear up the roads when I'm with other bikers. I ripped from the back of the pack to the front a few times filming most of the ride that day - missing a few oncoming cars in the process. I couldn't hold back, I get the itch...

Charlie and I split off from the group because we hadn't eaten all day - it was about to get dark, that's the way these trips are most of the time. A lot of miles, excessive amounts of booze, a few women, and less meals. By the time it was dark, we were riding down a dirt back-road not knowing where we were headed. Finally found the campground and checked the bike over.

One of the old-timers came over and we were looking things over. My intake manifold was visibly loose, my gaskets were shot. Stanley, who was riding a 36' knuck, and I got ahold of a set of ball-end allen wrenches and tightened it up. My manifold gaskets still needed to be replaced - first thing, the following day.

Spent the rest of the night drinking and shooting the shit with all of the guys who were along for the ride. Too many names to remember, but a lot of new faces, which is always good.

Sunday, October 17th, I tried sleeping in - kind of hard with guys firing their bikes up and leaving early in the morning. Packed up and headed in to New Braunfels to the nearest Auto store. Found an Auto Zone, got my gasket materials and hit the hardware store afterwards for wrenches and razors. Spent the next hour or more cleaning surfaces, setting new material, cutting it out, and bolting it back up... the gasket material was too thick, wouldn't line up the bolt-holes. So, I had to start over with thinner material. In the end, it worked and the bike ran like a champ all of the way home.

Our day was kind of shot and time was a factor, so we didn't take off for the border and Big Bend National Park. That was a big reason for taking this trip, but was out of our way at this point. We headed back to Austin to stay at Erin's again and get some good food.

8:45p.m. and we're just laying around on Erin's deck when we find out that most BBQ places close at 9p.m. We got on the bikes and made it across Austin in record time to eat at a place called Stubb's. This is one bad-ass joint. Great food and atmosphere. I headed downstairs, where I found a bar and stage. I wish I would have had my cameras, this place was cooler than most spots that I've been to. Pretty well-known venue for live music in Austin - says a lot.

After eating a good meal and getting a few beers at Stubb's, we hit 2 more bars that night which were just as cool. A place called Clive's and another named Lustre Pearl(an old house that was built in 1859 - had a huge back yard with a taco stand and hoola hoops). When girls start hoola hooping, it's hard not to watch. Whether you're laughing or admiring, it's good entertainment. We got our fill of nachos and drunk girls and headed home - getting pulled over on the way, no ticket though.

We hung out with Erin on her deck for a while into the night talking about our weekend. The weather was great that night, so I slept outside on her futon. To me, sleeping out in the elements is always good on a long trip - except when it starts raining.

Monday, October 18th, we got on the road around 11 a.m. and headed straight west for New Mexico... 90MPH.

Born Free 3 - June 25th, 2011

Well, mark your calendars and tell your boss to go to hell, because if you missed the Born Free 2, you missed one hell of an event - you don't want to miss it next summer. The guys who threw this event did almost everything right. Free beer, free admission, and a panhead chop that was raffled off to some lucky guy.

This coming summer should be better, if that's even possible. For one, it's at a location where everyone can get loaded and crash in their tent within walking distance. Unlimited free PBR and riding a motorcycle don't mix like two dicks and no chicks, so showing up and partying from start to finish will be great.

Also, Grant(one of the guys who puts this show on) got ahold of Irish Rich and asked him to be one of the few builders to have a bike built for the show's builders' circle. Kick ass. From a guy who knows what Rich has got under his sleeve, his chop should blow most people away - I can't wait to see what some of the other builders come up with as well. On top of all of this, they're giving away a Knucklehead chopper this coming year, built by the guys at Garage Co.

If all of this doesn't get your blood running, maybe loading up your bike and taking a week-long trip across the great United States will motivate you? Get the boys together and start planning now. For more info and to keep up with show details/news, check out the Born Free blog site - link on this page...



These guys threw my Born Free 2 Chop-trip video(Hellhounds and Breakdowns) up on their blog, gonna have more footage from the Born Free 2 coming out soon. Gotta get some more storage first, too much footage from this summer...

Check back soon-

Deep Texas

We rolled out of Mike D.'s after noon and hauled ass down to Austin, stopping at the Little Czech Bakery for some food on our way. Pulled up and the place was playing polka music - made me laugh. My mom's maiden name is Czech, so right away, I thought of family back in Wisconsin. If the place had tap handles coming out of the gas pumps it would have been a little more fitting - imagine that.

We got to Austin and hit traffic. So, we ducked and weaved and did some lane-splitting getting through to our exit/meeting point. Pulled up to the gas station at the bottom of the ramp and saw my friend Charlie in the lot waiting for us. Took a short break, then ended up splitting up with Mike and the boys. They headed to the campground fifty miles south, while Charlie and I hooked up a place to stay in Austin for the night.

We headed down to a bar close-by and called on this girl named Erin to come and meet us. Not only was she a pretty cool chick to hang with(drank Jamo, straight up), but she was letting us crash at her place for the night - drinks on me. We hit a few bars and landed at this spot called Rebel's Honkytonk. We proceeded to get lit up pretty damn good, dance like idiots, and hit on women the rest of the night. It was great, except for the ride home in the back of some guy's truck.

After some late night drinking and trouble-making at her place, we passed out - planning on an early start that coming morning.

That didn't happen. The guys who organized this deal set up a ride for Saturday late morning/early afternoon. The ride was suppose to start at 11 a.m., but we figured that meant more like 11:30 or noon with that many guys involved(about 30 in all). We got going around noon and decided to meet up with the guys in Luckenbach along the way.

Pulling out of town, my engine was squealing at me, so I pulled over to check it out. I got on the phone and dialed Rich, again, and was greeted with a "what's wrong?". I gave him the low-down and he told me what to check for. From what I described to him, he thought it was an intake manifold leak.

I stopped at a Home Depot and got some WD-40 to spray where the manifold meets the cylinders to check if the engine sped up or slowed down while idling. For some reason, it didn't. With my top rocker gaskets on the outs, I tightened the rocker-box bolts to see if that helped - it did, for a little while. Rich was right all along, but I wouldn't find out until later that night.

We met up with all of the guys in Luckenbach, which is one killer little town. Actually, it's a couple run-down buildings(bar, gift shop, and a dancehall) and an outdoor stage. The place was packed and there was a Country Western Band playing - go figure. I walked around for most of the time spent there, drinking Lonestar beer and snapping photos of whatever caught my eye. Everything I looked at reminded me of my pops, because while I was growing up, Country Western was all that he listened to. The place was Country - 100%.

Finally, we all got on the bikes and fired them up. The whole damn town turned around when we did. Jaws were dropping and people were staring. Pretty sure our presence was felt...

- damn dirtbags and long-hairs, with their hell-raisin and loud motorcycles

Amarillo Fly-By/Arlington Axle Fix

So, I got a late start on Wednedsay, the 13th, getting out of town for Texas. Ended up riding about five hours in the dark. But, if there's one good time to travel across Oklahoma and North Texas, it's night. Flat and boring, except you have to avoid the wildlife.

Didn't even get out of town and had problems. I use tool box rubber liner-material to protect the paint on my back fender when packed down for a long trip. Stuff comes in a roll, costs nothing, and works great. Had three layers down on the fender when I packed my stuff. Somehow, this padding jimmy'd its way out from under my gear and went right into my chain, getting eaten up and clogging my chain in the process. Had to pull a quick triple lane-change to get off the road. Picked it out of my chain and noticed the chain had gotten a little loose. Wasn't that bad, so I opted to wait until Amarillo or Mike D.'s in Arlington where I'd have a garage to work in. I forgot a lot of tools on this trip for some reason.

I hit the road and got onto 287 South where construction slowed me way down. Ripped across the Oklahoma panhandle and North Texas in darkness, seeing a coyote, and two huge deer on the way to Amarillo. The half-moon was off to my right and there were a lot more stars out than I'm use to seeing, living in the city. At one point, I was howling at the moon while tearing down the road(who knows how fast). Some people might see that as weird, but that's how I feel when I'm on the bike, getting the hell out of town as fast as possible with no traffic and endless two-lane highways. If your motorcycle doesn't make you feel this way, well, then sell it to someone who might. I was on my way to a great part of the country to get rowdy, I felt like dancing like a fool.

Riding at night doesn't bother me, I'm a bartender, so my average bedtime is around 4:30a.m. No reason to stop for the night, get a hotel room or campsite, and sit up all night - just got to be a little more alert riding in the dark and not let the little white lines mesmerize you. There were times that I was staring up in the sky while riding - had to remind myself to get focused.

I made it to Amarillo, got some junk-food, a hotel room, and parked the bike inside next to the bed. I hit up a hole in the wall saloon called The Spotted Pony next to the hotel, but there must've been a sausage party going on, so I left and got some sleep.

The people you meet and stops you make on trips is another thing that makes it fun. Truck stops are a trip, and I've been to some gems. You feel like a normal person around these places until day three or four, when you smell and look just as bad - It's great.

Got out of Amarillo in the late morning on Thursday, the 14th, and made it into Arlington in the late afternoon. Went straight to Mike D.'s and unloaded. Was gonna adjust my chain in his garage when things got messy. When I turned the nut, the whole axle turned with it, while the nut on the other end of the axle was held still. The threads had loosened from the red locktite and the nut came off. So, I made a call to Irish Rich since he's always the guy I turn to. I've worked part-time with Rich for over four years and I haven't seen the guy get stumped once. Hard or easy fix, it doesn't hurt to have this guy on speed-dial. I'm sure he was thinking, "what now?", but the guy is always there to talk me through things. He's the man.

There's a good story I like to remember about Rich - we were at the Biltwell Bash at Lake Skinner in So Cal outside of Temecula in April of 09'. Jeff Holt, and the guys at Street Chopper, set up a Bike First Aid tent and some guy was in there with a front end that seized up on him. Everyone was giving their advice to this guy on how to fix his problem, while Rich kind of sat aside and stayed out of it. Finally, he chimed in and the guy wasn't hearing a word that Rich had spoken. Jeff Holt gets the guy's attention and says"hey, bud, if there's 20 guys in the room telling you how to fix your bike, you listen to this guy" pointing at Rich. Jeff is a cool mo fo and he's been around - he hit it on the head.

After wrapping the axle in tape and placing it in a vise, I heated the axle nut, spun in off and tightened the other one with a bunch of red locktite to let it sit overnight.

Mike took me down to Dallas for the night where we met up with some of his buddies, hit up his friend's tattoo shop(ironically called Death or Glory), and a bar near-by. Ended the night with a late-night bite to eat at some small twenty-four hour diner, then headed back to Mike's for the night. Mike is a damn cool guy and I owe him for hooking me up - thanks again dude.

Got my back-end put back together in the morning and my chain adjusted for the ride down to Austin and back. A few bumps so far, but the weekend was about to start...










Check out some of Mike D.'s shit at his blog(Cheap Thrills and Good Times) - link on this page.