MURDERCYCLES: January 2009

Friday, January 30, 2009

Randomness

Korrin at Marcus Dairy, October 2006

GW rolling on I-84 West in Mudville

Flat Iron Mike at Marcus Dairy October 2006

Dave Marcil's Sporty

Nicely striped lid from Road Rats LI Summer 08

Back in 2003 Chopper Chet, Jake, and Big Chris took a ride out to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to check out the 100th party. They spent one day in Columbus, Ohio with Jake's old buddy, then rolled into Milwaukee.
Using the traveller method of adventure, they had no lodging plans at all.
After playing pool in a comfortable, local dive, they ran into some local dudes. They offered for our crew to sleep in the back yard in tents. A fair and generous offer for sure, especially when the entire town is overrun with tourists and trailers.
The dudes got even cooler when the offer was upgraded to inside the house.
They spent a few days seeing the city, HD factory and the concerts. Rolling with the shovelhead underground, they avoided all traffic, tourist bullshit and went to the right bars.
That is the best part about travelling with your bike, you meet the nicest people.
They rode home, wrecked a couple bars on the way.
The last day was pure misery as it rained hard all the way through from Pennsylvania. If it was easy, everyone would do it.

The Juneau Avenue factory

Some very old models. I remember reading that year about two guys that rode bikes like this to the event. Ride 'em, don't hide 'em.

One of the underground's bikes. ACME

Both crews.

Making friends and influencing people on the ride home.

The last day, smoke it up. You're gonna need it.

Worn out and back in Mudville at Silk City Cafe.

Trip Complete!

2003 Milwaukee Underground

Back in 2003 Chopper Chet, Jake and Big Chris took a ride out to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to check out the 100th Anniversary party. They rolled into town with no place to stay. With their gift of gab the three musketeers hooked up a crew of chopper riding dudes that lived in the city.

Hre are some pics.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Tow Trucks

You probably know my family has done towing since 1946.
One day a guy came in with some old sales material from Ernest Holmes. They were the leading manufacturer of wreckers until the 90's. Gramps would drive down to Chatanooga, Tennessee and pick up a new truck every now and then, then transfer the wrecker body to a sucession of cab & chassis. Here are some of the cooler pics.

This is a 65ish Ford F350 with a Holmes 500 boom. The 500 boom was very versatile, the boom aarms could be spread apart and there were two seperate winches for recovery work. We had a 500 on a 67 Chev C50 medium sized truck and a smaller 480 on a few Chevy C30s.

An International with a lame single line wrecker on it. Not many places ran Internationals, mostly International dealers and cheap ass Yankees.

Silver Lane Shell had one, it is in a field by the Hebron Fairgrounds on Route 94/85.
The strange part was Silver Lane Shell was actually on Spencer Street.

The B Model Mack was one of, if not the best, looking trucks. This probably has the Holmes 750 mounted on it. Pops had a short wheelbase B model with a Holmes on it. That is when mem were men. I can still smell the starting fluid and Thermodyne smoke.

A rare GMC 4 wheel drive

This must have been for demonstration, nobody with a brain would use a half ton truck for work. Some guys ran single wheel 3/4 and 1 ton pickups. The smart guys would cut the ends of the bed at an angle so the towed cars didn't make contact.

Handsome line up. The lights used to be red instead of amber.

Here are some color post cards.

Ford Cabover. RT Coachworks had one of these. Shitbox.

Beefy Power Wagon

Good looking Ford

Seeing these reminds me of a simpler, slower time.

TOUGH

and even our State Gestapo had their own hooker.

Heavy Metal

Motorcycle in snow

I remember how difficult it was to ride on January 1 in the snow. I was watching "For Your eyes Only" on ION the other night. Although the Roger Moore Bond films are almost comic book quality, the stunt riding in this clip is superb. Riding A Yamaha XT500 on a bobsled course!