6.27.2014

Powder Monkees - Honda CB750

A few months back Kayla and I went to Milwaukee for the Mama Tried Motorcycle Show and met brothers Mike and Peter the night before the show. Mike and Peter make up Powder Monkees; a motorcycle and powder coat shop in Chicago. I've been following them on Instagram (@powdermonkees) since and have been really stoked on their recently completed CB750 build, Wabi Sabi. Peter was kind enough to send me some more information and pictures of the bike to share. 


So the story behind this bike is that we found it completely by accident. We were working on some other bikes when a guy who'd driven by and seen us just walked up the driveway and said, "Hey, you guys want another one?" We went to check it out and it was in pretty bad shape. Largely stored outside, it was covered in rust and completely stock, save for a few DIY repairs that actually did more damage than good to the bike. The thing that crossed my eye the most was the fact that the stock exhaust was completely intact (those are usually the first to rust out or be replaced), and the tank and side cover were dent free and still had the original badging.

But it started and ran ok and the price was right so we took it home. Right off the bat, we learned that it was only running on 3 cylinders, which was odd, because the compression on the other 3 was REALLY good. After a day of valve adjustments and head cleaning, we tried again and the 4th cylinder was firing like a pro. The motor turned out to be in exceptional shape with near-perfect compression, so it must have been kept up well because it needed almost no internal work except for some gaskets, seals, cleaning, adjustments, timing, cam tensioning, and new tappet covers and intake manifolds. After a few shakedown rides, we tore into the thing full speed.

It took no time to reduce it to just a bare frame, which was stripped, de-tabbed, and refinished in gloss black. The forks were rebuilt with fresh seals and internally lowered 2" then coated gloss black. The motor was stripped of all it's old finishes (there were a few), primed, and painted with a low-gloss black engine enamel, then resealed with a whole set of stainless steel allen-head bolts. The tank and side covers were stripped and painted matte black. The exhaust, which we decided to keep thanks to it's good condition and well-worn baffle-free sound, were coated in a matte black flame-proof enamel. The wheels were tested and trued and coated in semi-gloss black. The entire electrical system, down to the lights and handlebar controls is custom wired and waterproofed using whatever original components could be salvaged, which wasn't many. Since we were keeping and refinishing some original parts, we wanted to see what could be accomplished with the stock hinged seat pan. A local upholsterer crafted the seat onto the original pan using an ostrich leather that's UV-resistant/weatherproof.

Overall, the bike was designed to be a pretty even mix of vintage style with modern innovation. I wanted to please both the hardcore "stock-look" crowd as well as the rapidly growing (exploding) vintage cafe crowd. We're calling it the Wabi-Sabi, which is named after the japanese design aesthetic of paring things down to only essentials and celebrating the way things age gracefully (http://nobleharbor.com/tea/chado/WhatIsWabi-Sabi.htm) (http://www.amazon.com/Wabi-Sabi-Artists-Designers-Poets-Philosophers/dp/0981484603).

With it's monochromatic style and range of various coatings, this motorcycle is only going to get more beautiful with age as it patinas with it's new owner.

Powder Monkees

Powder Monkees

CB 750


Honda CB750

Powder Monkees

6.25.2014

Grandpa's Boat


Growing up in the land of 10,000 lakes and not really being into fishing is kind of unusual, yet the reality for me. Recently however, I've been really interested in the idea of spending some time on the water and maybe even seeing how big of a dent I can put in the sunfish population. This got me to thinking and eventually I got a hold of my cousin Jim. As it happened, my cousin Jim inherited my Grandpa's old fishing boat when he passed away a number of years ago. After explaining myself to Jim he generously offered to let me use the boat for a while so tonight I went and picked her up. Interestingly enough, the last time I went fishing was in this boat with my Grandpa, if I had to guess I'd say I was probably about 15. 

6.24.2014

Cecelia


We really like getting pictures from our happy customers like Cecilia. 

6.22.2014

TC Bros Choppers

That's me!

Alyx Rules

Owl Shirt

The Owl shirt rules too. Check it out HERE

I'm getting real sick of this shit.

I rode about 60 miles yesterday holding my tail light/license plate in my left hand after the mount broke on I94 well above 80mph...

I'm working on a plan now to ensure this won't ever happen again. 

6.20.2014

Back to the 50's

Back to the 50's Car Show

Ichabod Speed Shop

If you or someone you know is at Back to the 50's this weekend and is in need of repair, Ichabod Speed Shop is only 1.5 miles from the Fairgrounds entrance and very well equipped. Get a hold of Jake this weekend if you need a hand on your hot rod. 

6.18.2014

Hell Bent - Glory Bound

LYDF

Yamaha XS650 chopper

Sturgill Simpson and Max Schaaf

I really enjoy Max Schaaf's blog 4Q Conditioning. His motorcycle work is, in my opinion, going to go down in history. It's difficult to be innovative in doing something that's been done for so many years while still staying true to time honored styles and practices but Max does it over and over. I also really like his writing, it's honest no matter what. The guy has no one to impress.
Recently he had a post about Sturgill Simpson that hit me hard for a couple of reasons. First, I had never heard of Sturgill Simpson and after that I started listening to a lot of Sturgill Simpson. If you haven't yet heard him and have a few minutes I would highly recommend you check out the song below. Second, the post that went with it was gold as usual. Here's an excerpt:

sponge bob square brain's are all around us waiting to slurp up the next big boom. put your chopper inside your scooby doo van towed by your rat rod and drive it into the ocean. i have the scuba gear. will trade for a nice martin acoustic guitar. humble is good until people try to elbow you out of their way and jump your claim and then you have to rub your shit in their face..... or just wait for their inevitable -blow it- cause they got into the gates of the wonka factory and ugustus gloop-ed something you put so much of yourself into. take and bake.


6.15.2014

Vince Schute Wildlife Sanctuary


Ichabod Speed Shop - Heavy Half Ton Table


Check out the new fabrication tables being offered by Ichabod Speed Shop starting with the Heavy Half Ton. 
This table is 40" wide, 32" deep and 36" tall with a 3/16" top and has a 1400lb capacity. Tables in this size start at only $350.00 with options in top styles and casters or adjustable feet. 
These and many other fixtures are available on a "build to suit" basis as well so feel free to contact Jake at Ichabod if you're looking for a different size or specific design.
Make sure you're keeping up with Ichabod in Instagram as well for all the latest and great news and happenings - @ichabodspeedshop

6.14.2014

Mike Stodolka Paint





Mike sent some pictures of his latest paint projects. When you're ready for your new paint job get a hold of him and let him work his magic.

Garage Sale Scores







I don't go to garage sales often but today I found time to hit up a few while dodging storms and I scored. Seriously, you don't even want to know how little I paid for all this stuff. 

Beer me.

6.08.2014

About a Year Ago Today...



Kayla and I have been married for a whole year!
I've made as many mistakes as the next guy but somewhere at some point I must have done something right to be lucky enough to have married such a great chick. She gets me, she makes me laugh harder than anyone ever has and she's a stone cold fox, hard to beat that. 

6.01.2014

Go Play In The Street




Angry Skies


Just off of 24 last night between Clearwater and Clear Lake, ten minutes after I took this pictures all hell broke loose. 

Brooke Santos



Brooke making our Forever Fast tank look great! 
Tank top season is in full swing no matter where you're at so head over to www.lydfclothing.com to check out all the options.

LYDF Shop Rags


Send $3 via PayPal to liveyoungdiefastmn@gmail.com and I'll put one in the mail for you.