COMUNE 'KARLSON TEA PARTY'

Last Saturday night the artist's collective Comune held their second annual 'Karlson Tea Party' (no relation to the political entity) in Costa Mesa, CA.  The point of the exercise, beyond attracting the hippest crowd in Orange County that night, was a display of photographs by Adam Wright ('Hauler' and 'Road Course' photo 'zines) and skate/motorcycle photographer Scott Pommier, plus a curated selection of motorcycles, all but one customized, by Cole Foster, Ian Barry, Trevelen Rabanal, Kiyo, Kutty Notebloom, and John Edwards (the non-custom bike was a Harley KRTT racer, provided by Yoshi Kosaka of the Garage Company).

Set up in a large parking lot bordered by the Comune store and a converted shipping container which served as the art gallery, the bikes on display were dramatically lit in the dark outdoor space, making them the center of attention, while about 60 ride-in bikes were parked nearby, some of them as interesting as the display machines...surely a hallmark of any worthy bike event.

The aesthetics of the display machines ranged from an 'old school/old paint' Knucklehead bobber, exotic 60s-style art creations (the 'Plum Smuggler'), super clean and minimal contemporary customs (Cole Foster), classic extended-fork choppers, and a pair of Ian Barry's tour-de-force Falcons.

Bikes in the parking corral were half Harley-based with a range of styles, plus a large British custom contingent, and a few modified Japanese machines, including the brilliant street-scrambler which never was but looks like it ought to have been, the Yamaha CT175/XS650 hybrid below, created by Sabrina Azam and Michael Cook.

I've attended motorcycle events of every stripe, all around the world, for decades now, and the heady mix of well-executed motorcycles, talented photographers, plus a crowd which, beyond the core of bike lovers, included a swelling throng of the young, beautiful, and über hip, were proof that motorcycles are just about the hottest fashion accessory around in 2010.

Thus, amongst the attendees, I would estimate more than half were motorcyclists, while a very visible contingent could be termed 'motorcycle-friendly' - gorgeous young women and men from the 'OC' and beyond. Throw in half a dozen Hell's Angels, and the scene harkened back to the heady days of the late 1960s, when the HA were considered 'outlaw brothers of the counterculture', and accessorized the parties of chic society.  The wheel goes 'round, as they say.

The difference today, 40 years later, is a lack of crazed drugginess...which gives me hope we can avoid another Altamont.

Thanks to the Comune for inviting me to their party; the music was great!  (For a short video from the event, click here).

Riding with Spyders on the Blue Ridge

For this ride, I contacted a guy I had befriended on FaceBook;  Kurt Bihler.  I had been following his posts with continuing interest.  He is from IL., rides a Spyder, and is not afraid of high mileage rides.  Kurt is riding the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I've wanted to ride with him for a while now. Last year he rode the Natchez Trace and posted the photos.  The Trace is one of my dream rides


IMAGE CAPTION: KURT BIHLER AND HIS HIGH MILEAGE SPYDER

After a few back and forth emails, we figured out where and when to meet.  Kurt was staying in Boone NC for the night.  He said he wouldn't mind waiting on me to get to his hotel.  I arrived about 9:30 AM on Saturday morning.  Kurt and I sat in the breakfast room, he had a bite to eat while I drank some coffee.  Then we were off and running to the bikes.  Kurt rides a Spyder Sport model.  I admire those bikes.  They appear like the way to go especially when I become more aged.  If my balance or my strength subside, these Spyders would be great way for me to continue to travel.

Kurt and I rode down and got on the Blue Ridge Parkway an exit south of Boone.  From there Kurt and I enjoyed the sights and the roads of the Parkway proper. Kurt and I rolled from here all the way south to the end of the Parkway and found ourselves in Cherokee NC.  The following is simply a photo play of our little adventure! Enjoy!


IMAGE CAPTION: PINK BEDS OVERLOOK BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY


Kurt's Spyder and my Lil Girl

The ride was pretty much uneventful during the 1st 2/3rds of the ride.  BUT as we moved closer to Cherokee, the clouds came closer to the ground.  We were starting to feel the specks of moisture spit at us and I kept watching the sky.  I knew I would have to put my camera away at some point, but for now...I was gonna grab what I could!


IMAGE CAPTION: RAIN CLOUDS OF THE BLUE RIDGE


IMAGE CAPTION: GLASSMINE FALLS, BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY

We stopped here at Glassmine Falls, hoping to catch a glimpse of the tallest water fall east of the Mississippi River.  Unfortunately, the water source for these falls frequently dry up, as was the case during our visit.  The water wasn't flowing, but the view is magnificent all the same. I've read, at the base of the falls was an old mine where the mineral "Mica" was brought to the surface.  The mine is gone now, but because of the Mica's use in glass making, this is how the falls received it's name.  Access to the falls is restricted to a viewing platform at mile marker 361.2 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, because the falls is part of the watershed for the City of Asheville, NC.


IMAGE TITLE: VIEW FROM GLASSMINE FALLS OVER LOOK


IMAGE TITLE: MY LITTLE GIRL AND THE SPYDER ENJOYING THE VIEW

Linn Cove Viaduct, Milepost 304.4: This masterpiece of engineering was constructed to preserve Grandfather Mountain, as the viaduct curves with the contours of the mountain. Drive across it and turn around to do it again. Stop at the Visitor Center and walk under this marvel.


IMAGE CAPTION: KURT AHEAD OF ME. GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN ON THE UPPER LEFT OF SPYDER

Soon we were heading down mountain into Asheville. Good thing too. Don't forget, I have a 2 gallon tank. By the time we stopped for gas at exit 305 in Asheville: I had 100 miles on my tank.  I filled up with 1.98 gallons.  FUMES....That's all I had left was fumes!  After fueling, Kurt and I stopped for lunch at a very nice establishment whose Greek Cuisine was very good. I lived a couple of years in Greece, this was better than any street vendors food. OH SO GOOD!  Thank you Kurt for the meal!


IMAGE CAPTION: SOUVLAKI AND GREEK SALAD

Because of the monstrous rain Kurt and I encountered coming over Pisgah Mountain...I had to put my camera away.  I'm telling you, we had lighting strikes to the right of us, not more than a few hundred feet away. No where to go, but to continue on. It was an excellent ride. I believe I might go north next time, up into VA. I haven't been that way because they had so much of the Blue Ridge Closed north of Boone for so long. I understand it's all open now.

CANNONBALL: THEY MADE IT!

 After two weeks and 3200 miles, the Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Rally arrived at Santa Monica pier, relatively intact, looking none the worse for their experience, and quite relieved to be finished! A hero's welcome awaited them as a crowd of nearly 2000 people waved flags and banners, cheered frantically, and crowded the finisher's path, each elbowing their way forward to see and photograph this unique scene.

It was a hard run.  Most of the riders felt comfortable with the 'sitting on a 100 year old bike for two weeks', as sprung saddles and forks are generally a step up from bicycling...although one rider (Bill Rodencal) had no suspension at all - not even on the saddle - and truly wins my respect as an 'iron butt'.

 What became less than comfortable for many competitors was the Minimum Daily Requirement of maintenance, as those thousands of miles included hundreds of hours dismantling/repairing/fabricating vital parts, and 'endurance' became the very watchword.

 Several motorcycles didn't make the distance, and arrived on sidecar floats or in the back of the chase vehicles...melted cylinder heads, irreplaceable pistons, the nth broken crankshaft, became a nearly insurmountable obstacle to some.  Others, perhaps just that much more stubborn - like Pete Young and Jon Szalay - repeated total crankshaft remanufacture several times, at a huge cost of time, and a bit of money too.

The crankpin on Pete's 1913 Premier broke twice - on the very first day, when a local machine shop worked through a weekend night to copy a new pin, gratis - and a week later in Texas, where the generosity was thin, and Pete 'had to pay through the nose' for his third pin of the rally.  Inconsistent oiling (via a hand pump only), high ambient and running temperatures (crossing Oaklahoma isn't exactly a picnic jaunt in Surrey), and the need to keep up with the pack, meant the Premier was tested in a way never intended or even conceived by the manufacturer.

Jon Szalay similarly ran through three connecting rods on his 'Silent Grey Fellow' Harley, as they snapped like carrots under similar strain of its no-gear direct belt drive.  Jon had planned ahead and included a rod in his spares kit, but the need for a second spare rod was unforseen.  Now he has an epic tale of sitting dejected at a café, lamenting his broken Harley to a local farmer, who brightened up and said, 'You don't need an automotive rod - you need a tractor rod!  I have just the thing!', and took him 40 miles into the boondocks to his barn, where he dug through an enormous pile of engine parts, to emerge with the gleaming New Old Stock item, which had the center-to-center length dimensions Jon's H-D needed.  'A few' hours spent machining the rod ('it was beautiful steel', says Jon) down to the width required, and he was left only to make a new plain bearing for the big-end.  The farmer was kind enough to give him the special graphite-impregnated bronze rod necessary, and Jon made the rest of the journey without such trouble again.

Every rider save one had such tales (I didn't catch his name - he rode a '15 H-D) of repairs made on the fly, coping with seizures and flats, using beer cans, worm clips, and duct tape to keep the beasts together.  But, in the end, most of them made it.  I predicted mechanical carnage from the start, and indeed it happened, but the determination of all the riders to press on regardless shows just what Real Riders are made of.

During the two weeks ride, enduring bonds were formed between some of the riders, who had perhaps heard of each other previously, but a swap-meet greeting or AMCA meet affords little time to truly get to know another rider, who might live across the country.  Several entrants spoke of 'learning who you love' during their time together, and I heard not a word of the opposite, such was the respect each of them grew for each other in this less-than-rational endeavor.

And, it was a competition, and there were winners - three in fact from the three classifications; 1. Single-cylinder, single speed 2. Twin and Four-cylinder, single speed 3. Single,Twin, and Four cylinder, 2 and 3 speed gearboxes.

In category 1, the most 'primitive' form of motorcycling - no gears, no clutch, just an engine, and a belt connecting a pully on the crankshaft and the rear wheel - was Katrin Boehner on her 1907 JAP 250cc single.  The JAP itself is an extremely rare motorcycle, as J.A. Prestwich and Co. produced motorcycles for a very brief moment before WW1, before concentrating entirely on engine production.

As the JAP is direct-drive and clutchless, Katrin had to 'kill' her engine at every stop, and run-and-bump the JAP into life when the traffic lights turned green.  To stir your imagination; on the final run into Santa Monica, the Cannonball route passed through 55 stoplights, without a police escort to scoot them through non-stop.  Needless to say, after 3300 miles of such antics, Katrin is in excellent physical condition! (The JAP is one of only two overhead valve machines on the ride - the other being a Pope single-cylinder.) She won the top Cannonball prize, well deserved, of a one-off Jeff Decker sculpture of 'Cannonball' Baker himself.  Bravo Katrin!

Bradford Wilmarth won category 2 on his 1913 Excelsior, and Rick McMaken and his 1915 Harley Davidson won the multi-gear award - both received original artwork related to Cannonball history.  Congratulations to all!