Monthly Archives: June 2020

I have been invited as a 20 year Long term builder for the Sturgis Exhibition this year in August.

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
27 Jun

Well, with everything going on right now, I need a little pick me up and a little while ago I was invited as a long term Builder to exhibit a Motorcycle I am building from scratch, to display at the Buffalo Chip at Sturgis this year- but, with the Pandemic, everyone was held up in a way that would make it very difficult to create and head turning Motorcycle by August.

So- the Organiser Michael Lichter has decided to make this Sturgis deal and 2 year exhibition called heavy Mettle. And this year all builders will be showing motorcycles the created years ago and I thought would be neat , is taking Bass Player of Greenday “Mike Dirnt” Caff bike I created for him back in 2006, and hopefully its still in one piece after all them years as Mike likes to ride pretty hard when he gets time to go out etc.

I wont receive it at my place until the end of the week, and as 14 years has passed, I am sure it will need a little bit of clean up but it will show this bike is used and I hope I do the Cafe, Brat and Metric Motorcycle builders out there, justice at what I created all those years ago.

I am excited to at least show this old Ton up machine that I built from parts around the garage when Mike Came to see me back then and then later Next year will bring the bike I am staring to create for the show, but thats a long way off from being completed and am glad we get this opportunity to continue building for next years show.

I am going to put the information for Sturgis below, just in case anybody is attending this year and want to see a little something different and creative.

So-here is the information about Sturgis as I am hoping that some of you may be able to make this show and see some creative Builders that have been around for Donkeys years LOL! Seems like it anyway.

 

 

So I am going to take Mike Dirnt of Greenday ,Cafè bike to Sturgis.

It arrives from Oakland Thursday so I can clean it up, I built that back in 2006.

 

Heavy Mettle” Exhibit to Feature Legendary Builders Who Have Withstood the Test of Time
See Dozens of Machines Built by Master Builders for Motorcycles As Art Exhibit Curated by Michael Lichter
Who:You and your friends!
What:Heavy Mettle Exhibit
When:Saturday, Aug. 8 – Friday, Aug. 14, 2020 – 2-10 p.m.
Where:Buffalo Chip Event Center Near the East Gate
Why:See this one-time collection of world-class custom motorcycles built by the most legendary builders in the industry.
How:It’s FREE to the public! Get there however you can.
Many motorcycle builders come and go. Economic downturns and fickle twists and turns of moto fads can yield a new crop of talent each year, only for those names to become forgotten by the onset of the next trend.

Those with metal-lined backbone and character strong enough to buck trends have earned their legendary status and a fair amount of recognition. During the 80th anniversary of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, you’ll have the opportunity to see 38 of these builders display a motorcycle in the style of their choosing in the Sturgis Buffalo Chip’s 2020 Motorcycles as Art exhibit titled “Heavy Mettle: Motorcycles and Art with Moxie.”

In addition, this one-time collection will give you the chance to see photographs captured by exhibit curator and legendary motorcycle lifestyle photographer Michael Lichter over his 40-plus-year career on the walls of the exhibit hall.

The exhibit is free and open to the public at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip Event Center from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8 through Friday, Aug. 14, 2020.

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
Heavy Mettle: Motorcycling With Moxie will feature a collection of custom motorcycles from 38 of the world’s most celebrated builders that’ll show you the spectrum of history and possibilities inherent in custom motorcycling. Without a theme to guide the builds themselves, you will see the world’s most legendary builders shine in their particular niche of custom motorcycle building that’s made them a household name in a world-class gallery setting.

In order to secure an invitation to join this show, builders must have completed at least 20 custom builds and been in business for at least 20 years. Faced with the knowledge that half of all businesses fail in the first five years, it is evident these motorcycle aficionados have fought hard to become successful and legendary well beyond the confines of the industry.

You’ll be able to get an up-close view from every angle as each bike is individually lit and displayed atop elevated pedestals spread throughout the hall.

Every bike you’ll see in the display will be built specifically for this show. This means in many cases you’ll be one of the first in the world to lay eyes on them.

MEET THE CUSTOM BUILDERS
The list of custom motorcycle builders scheduled to present their masterpieces at the 2020 “Motorcycles as Art” exhibit include:

Arlin Fatland

Bill Dodge

Billy Lane

Brian Klock

Carl Olsen

Chica Chikazawa

Cole Foster

Cory Ness

Dave Perewitz

Don Hotop

Donnie Smith

Eddie Trotta

Fred Cuba

Fred Kodlin

Jeff Cochran

Jerry Covington

Jim Nasi

Kaichiroh Kurosu

Ken Nagai

Kiwi Mike Thomas

Lou Falcigno

Mondo Poras

Pat Patterson

Paul Cox

Paul Wideman

Paul Yaffe

Richard Pollock

Rick Fairless

Roland Sands

Ron Finch

Russell Mitchell

Shinya Kimura

Steg Von Heintz

Steve Carpenter

Sugar Bear

Tomo Matsumura

The list of custom motorcycle builders scheduled to present their masterpieces at the 2020 “Motorcycles as Art” exhibit .

Balancing on Craziness !

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
25 Jun

hey you lot, I am super busy trying to Balance all the work thats come in and it is no easy thing but- I wanted to show you this amazing video of a Trials rider ing balance, not much more to say but I am in awe of this.

Thanks again for all sticking with me, I am getting parts out as fast as I possibly can.

My Old Thruxton was a Fun Machine

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
14 Jun

Having a day to remember this afternoon, remembering my 2013 Triumph Thruxton that I bought as stock as the Proverbial Rock in Brea and then set about changing a few things as I went along and get it to the style and menacing Gnarly Growl of the mufflers as I hit the apex of a curve somewhere in Southern California. Below, even after a couple of weeks of owning this Thruxton, I hadmade some Monarch Megaphons out of stainless steel and changed the Shocks to a set of TEC piggy backs.

Although the stock Thruxton is so much fun to ride, I just cannot leave stuff alone, I have always tinkered with anything I have owned to try and make it look different and this Thruxton was going to get some sort of make over, but, I didnt want it off the road for long as I use it all the time. Thus a long timed transformation begun and boy what a Fun time I had with this little 900 machine.

Well, by the time came for me to enter the DGR, the bikes Livery had already changed and many modifications had gone by, but this was a great look that I came up with that reminded me of the old JPS formula 1 days and I rode the heck out of the twinline in this guise.

Now this was still ongoing and was not happy until I had changed a few more things but, I still kept this girl on the road, she loved to be ridden and ridden hard, and I got all the moneys worth out of this Thruxton and it was just a fun motorcycle to jump on and go.

I rode this machine in all sorts of conditions and Triumph did a superb job designing this 900 engine as it took what ever I threw at it and more.

It would be nice to keep every bike you owned but I am no Jay Leno, but at least I have some photos that I took to remember some of the fun machines I was lucky enough to own and ride a lot.

I have ridden this to many places and in the Boiling Sun or pouring Rain, the bike only ever failed a couple of times and that was a Puncture and a set of Blown Shocks, other than that, this just ran and ran.

Many a time I took the back Canyon twisty roads out to the Chino Air Museum, as I love ww2 Aircraft, its always fun riding out here and gets the cobwebs of the week blown cleanly out as you hit the curves on Carbon Canyon Road.

But a fun machine and something i wanted to share with you lot today as I sit at home ans catch up on orders for people bikes that they are completing in this Pandemic time we are all in.

I made a rear Cowl from Aluminum and set a Lincoln Zephyr style tear drop LED tail Light in the back, as this Cowl would also store my gloves, Goggles and documents inside.

I loved this set up and was finally happy at the final guise, it did turn many heads I must admit and never got pulled by Mr Plod either funnily enough.

This time Soft Tanned and aged leather was used with 2 inches of High Density Memory Foam to make sure my Arse did not get numb on our long rides that Jennifer and I took.

This bike sat well now, big 5.5 rear tire made sure that this stuck to the tarmac and a set of Berringer brakes up front on a wave rotor made sure I stopped in time.

The Full Stainless Steel Italian Zards Barked well and I wrapped the front in Space EX sleeves that kept my legs from burning and it really worked well to be honest.

I needed that Fog light on many occasions and it gave my Trumpy that European look, I sell the fog light kit still today to people all over the globe, as well as the headlight with internal LED signals, I hand made the fender from an old BSA model.

Another one of My Products that I designed and manufactured, was the Knuckle Duster Heel guard, I had sold many of these and they really do add some cool detail to the bike, many of which people forget about. I also drilled and welded tubes in the swing arm and chromed for that Custom look.

This was a nice ride height for me and took some time to dial in to how I wanted it but now in this guise it would whip into the corners like a Go kart.

I hoped you liked a little insight into my Triumph Thruxton EFi 900 Cafe Racer machine? I sure had a Blast getting this to how it is now.

Hope that you lot get some time in the saddle this Summer and enjoy what we are so lucky to have and share the commeraderie of the road with other like minded people.

Sure be nice to see some of you when we are out on our travels, we have made so many friends in this industry and always glad to meet other enthusiasts such as your selves.

It is always good to get out and when I get back, my mind is clear and I am ready to design and make new parts once again, this has been a fun 20 years doing what I do.

If there is anything I can do to help you along with your machine, just drop us a line at carpy@carpyscaferacers.com or text on 714-598-8392 as I am here to help.

Thanks for reading my Blog today, its fun to do, takes a bit of time but always worth it if I cheer your day up a little bit.

Peace N Grease to Each and Every one of You!

 

 

 

 

 

Exhaust Orders going super strong right now

Posted on by Steve Carpenter
07 Jun

Hey you lot, wow! Is all I can say, so many exhaust orders plus tons of parts going out the door, trying to keep up all the demand for parts for you to complete your Motorcycle Projects, so you can get out on the tarmac and blow all of lifes cobwebs out of the New Exhaust system I am supplying you all with.

So many Negative things going on in the world right now and as many of you are locked down in your place, you are getting positive things done like completing your Custom machine, and once you get out of your dwelling, you can enjoy the freedom of the roads and breathe in fresh air at 100 mph.

I have sold so many over the years and continue to offer a super fun system thats easy to install and made right here in Southern California, many people ask about my systems and then they email me after to say how wickedly cool these sound.

I really enjoy my job and seeing people happy, I have been doing this for over 20 years and still ride every single day of the week, and I want to Thank You All for supporting me in what I love to do.

Thank you all for your Patience, it is so nice to know that you like my parts and, I continue to push the envelope with new products coming out all the time, I push hard at pleasing everyone but must admit I have been over whelmed with orders these last few weeks and thank you for all understanding that some of these things take time as only now are suppliers opening their doors.

Its always fun designing new parts and I will be bringing some New systems out soon for you to try on your inline four Honda  machines.

The exhaust systems are affordable but function so well, you will love the Tone and over run and the mid range really comes into its own compared to others out there in the market.

If you want something that Fits, and works very well, and- Getting value for money, Look no further, I ride, many other companies dont even own a Motorcycle, what does that say about them? They are just in it for the money, to me this is my Passion and Lifestyle and I continue to push that proverbial envelope.

Have a Great week and look forward to hearing from you about your inline Four Motorcycle at carpy@carpyscaferacers.com

Peace and Grease to you all.