Top Shelf Shovel

Coming soon, shot for us by Mark.

Flames and long hair, the biker cliché

Just before the chop, '92.

The fear is apparent.

Indian... six?

Shu's XS

Issue 18.

Heaven's Gate

Graceland, '95.

We did the whole tourist bit, going around the house. Then I spoiled it by trying to steal some of the green shag carpet (on the wall) in the Jungle Room and was caught by the guide.

I've never been a thief, but being a hardened Elvis fan overrides reason.

One of my best trips to the States. Memphis, Sun Studio, Stax, Beale St, Lasky's, House of Blues, Tupelo, Nashville, RCA Studio B, Ryman Auditorium, Wildhorse Saloon, Country Music Hall of Fame, Tootsies, Ernest Tubb's shop, we're going to Jackson, Mississippi Delta, walking to (through) New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Mobile Alabama is the place for me...

Dork?

You decide.

From the shadows... Hell Cat

One of my favourites... Yoshiki's slabside, coming in issue 18.

Devil on my shoulder

This '51 F1 panel van is on its way over from the US right now... and I am severely tempted to make a 'business' purchase and get a 'company' truck to promote the magazine. I've fancied one of these for years.

Drop in a crate smallblock and run it as is...

Will the dreaming never stop?

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

Le Touquet, '94.

Motorcycle Club

Like '60s LIFE photos re-animated, Deathtraps MC are authentically living the life and looking cool while they do it. It's all about the bikes and the brotherhood for them.

It was a spectacle to see them roll in to Born Free 2...

Check out their Blog.

Been seeing a lot of this fella over the weekend

Revealed: secrets from Pete's bunker

Yes, from the next issue we'll be following Pete Stansfield's progress on a top secret – and totally righteous – bike build.

Many months – and countless mugs of Yorkshire tea – have gone into the creation of a bike which will blow minds.

From issue 18.

Marvelus Joel

Just dropped in from Phoenix.. thank you my friend!

Who are you? I really wanna know...

Maz Harris and ... can it really be?

Thanks bro!

Blood bro, not biker bro.

Apologies to non-UK readers

And, in fact, to anyone who hasn't seen any of the current series of X Factor, because this will mean nothing to you.

To everyone else... this is genius!

Get 'em while they're hot...

Issue 17 is now available to buy from our new (and hopefully improved) GKM Store.

This issue is a cracker (I know, I always say that)... and features:

Benny Thomas and his long-lost '51 EL Panhead
Jon Rispante's 'Blcak Bart' murdered-out Triumph
Dan Henke's amazing handbuilt '46 Knuck... a hot rod from the '50s!
Choppin' crusader Tom Rad's Trophy
The Hotrod Hayride
Matt Davis from DicE - livin' the dream!
From bagger to bitchin'... Matt Jackson's '72 Shovel
Paul Whitehurst's WR/KR racer... spicy!
CxTxM's Triumph chopper – Vise crew Nagoya stylee!
Calvin's '75 XLH... built for track and street
Joel Pippett's outlaw-influenced Shovel
Loran's Knuck... French artistry

Clockwork Orange Belgian Shovel

Another clipping from the 'Inspiration' folder... I ripped this out of an early nineties BSH years ago. It was built by a guy in Belgium called Denis – and the write-up doesn't offer too much more info than that.

I like this bike almost as much now as the day nearly 20 years ago when I bought the magazine. Its simple, all-purpose, no-bullshit, pared-down, squat, fat-fronted looks still float my boat.

All these flattrack-inspired Sporties coming out of the woodwork...

...make me very happy.

Our good friend Eric Kinsey shot Kev's '74 recently for the mag.

Love it!

An Aussie in Illinois, 1975

"Hi Guy. In 1975 I was 19, earning AU$2.80 an hour on Barrow Island oilfield, Western Australia, trying to save the money to get to the US to hunt for a Pan. The airfare was AU$600 return to San Francisco... almost 6 weeks' wages."

"I found this Pan in Knoxville, a few miles from Galesburg in Illinois (where this shot was taken). I paid the owner, Bradley Hobbs, AU$762 for it. It cost less than AU$250 to ship it home."

"I'm currently putting a new project together using many parts from that same Panhead. I sure like your magazine. Nice REAL bikes in it."

Loz, south coast, Western Australia

Chopper's not dead it just sucks now

And if you needed proof that our Japanese friends are right and that our two-wheeled symbol of individuality and rebellion has been appropriated by straight society, look no further.

This is a shopping bag my wife was given in some Aussie kids' clothing store... but there is some consolation in the small print on the back of the bag. The proceeds from the sale of these bags goes towards 'improving the lives of poor and marginalised people'.

So bikers do benefit then...

East LA Style

Stussy x NEIGHBORHOOD - Boneyards II: Conspiracy with Trevelen from Stussy on Vimeo.

Issue 17

The new issue will be wending its merry way across the globe at the end of this week, so if you subscribe it will be landing on your doormat soon-ish.

I weep a little tear every time a fresh issue leaves home. They're my little paper children, you know.

The sun's shining today and it reminded me...

... how glorious the weather was for Linkert Attacks this year.

Here's Huggy doing the continental thing on the way to Sancerre... one of Pete Stansfield's outtakes from our coverage in the current issue.

I GOT: I need... you got? :I GOT

I'm looking for a set of straight cocktail shaker mufflers (silencers!) to fit 1 3/4" pipes (would pay for vintage but modern aftermarket fine too)... and an Avon Safety Mileage MkII 18" rear tyre.

Prefer used/discarded/cheap, but what have you? Can trade for other bits or cash works too. Also prefer UK/Europe cos of shipping/duty.

Email me at choppers@greasykulture.com

Latest in protective headgear

Where the wild things are

'76 FLH on the edge of Hesdin Forest, France, 1994.

We'd heard there were huge, fierce wild boar in this forest so we stopped to hunt for some. Every rustle, snapped twig or gust of wind through the trees halted us in our tracks, and I'd turn to Carol and say "My God, they're coming...!". In the end, she got so freaked out we headed back to the bike.

It was pretty dark and creepy in there. You could easily imagine a 200 kilo mass of coarse hair and tusk coming at you out of the undergrowth... or getting accidentally shot by some crazy French hunter.

Going, going, gone... issue 2

Last few left, then they're gone forever. No reprints to look forward to, just Ebay vultures.

If you want it, order through the GKM website.

Weird offset. Hmmm...

I'm putting a 21" rim on the front of the Pan, and moving the 18" rim to the back.

I got this wheel off Ebay (nice chromed and rebuilt OEM star hub) supposedly laced for a Pan or Knuck (would the offset be different for a springer?), but as you can see it doesn't sit centred between the forks. By my reckoning I need to move the wheel a quarter of an inch away from the brake.

Now... can I just loosen the spokes and try to do this in situ, using the axle and forks as a makeshift trueing stand? Advice needed.

ChromedOut

Buttons

I've posted photos from this great book before (BUTTONS: The making of a President by Jamie Mandelkau) but was reminded of it when Johnny Morales brought it up (he has a copy too).

We were both speculating on what might have become of Buttons, as far as I know the UK's first bona-fide HA president. Anyone know?

Westway done the best way

I don't know what the fuck the speed limit was or what speed we were doing... Renshaw rides this Knucklehead like some sort of Jap sportsbike.

No concessions made for age or value.

It's a sight to see.

More soon in GKM.

I fought the law

But you'll have to wait until issue 18 to find out who won.

Behind closed doors in London

Johnny M's place is amazing... I spent hours looking through his books and bits (some great HA photos I've never seen before and will probably never see again), and it was almost laughable how much interesting stuff he has. Try to get a better look at his Aston DB5 and you trip over his Vincent, try to get a better look at his Ace and you're stepping over his Knuck.

Thanks for a great afternoon JM... see you soon.