Falcon Motorcycles: Setting the bar high

Ian Barry's Falcon Motorcycles brand is setting new heights in the standard of custom motorcycles. This video features his latest finished product, the Kestrel. Be amazed. The second video is of Falcon's creation of a few years ago, the Bullet:

DicE Magazine: Nor Cal Ride

DicE Magazine: Nor Cal Ride

Looks like others had a great time at Gabe's Philo Reunion!

Gabe's Philo Beddoe Reunion

My photos suck. I've no talent, nor the equipment to do the weekend justice. This fellow, Artkrhymes Cris, however does. While it can be distracting when someone runs around with a camera clicking all the time on a ride, the payoff is pretty huge when the photos turn out as good as his do. Thanks for putting up with all the threats, Cris. Check out his righteous photostream here:

Gabe's Philo Beddoe Reunion

From the only one of the Throwbacks to make the Saturday ride, here's my report:

Starting with the perfect weather that dabbled between 65 degrees as I rolled out of Grass Valley at 8am to the 85 degrees as we hit the alpine water of Sugarpine Reservoir, not a bead of sweat fell from my brow until negotiating the posted 5 MPH switchbacks of Iowa Hill Road. And it had nothing to do with ambient temp, it was sweat from considering the stakes if my Triumph's single 7 inch rear brake shoe or any of its components failed! Trying to keep up with Rory on his Sportster Scrambler certainly proved a challenge, and he was [I]two[/I]-up!

A cold beer at the bar on top of Iowa Hill (if anyone can answer the query of how you keep beer cold without electricity on top of a hill, open your own bar somewhere else, these people somehow do it!) and a mad dash back to Colfax and civilization via the most scenic canyon road I've seen in some time. Considerably refreshed we jammed back via the shortest, fastest route to HQ - the Grange Hall - for kegs of NAFTA Beer (domestic tastes on both sides of the contested US/Mexico Border were met) and some leftover cookies and spaghetti.

A big Thank You goes out here to Gabe's much better half, Lois, who whipped up some of the best background grub I've had this far from the dirty South. Hand-beaten biscuits, gooey cookies, killer salad (not that iceburg and ranch crap), all-day beans, the list goes on. Even grilled veggies to compliment Gabe's outstanding effort at the helm of his masterpiece; the Merrimack! What a grand Ironclad she is, capable of handling not only gargantuan tri-tip, but likewise smoking tube steaks with aplomb! Only Gabe himself could design such a contraption (experience help much?)

Beyond the food and drink, the overall atmosphere was perfect. No breaks in the shade in the 2 acre milling area surrounding the Hall, there was little need to venture indoors save to sample some of the treats Lois was preparing or swig some harder libations. The crowd was the best I've gotten to mingle with in some time, and no attitudes anywhere. Everyone had a great time, the raffle made a lot of people happy, and the shenanigans continued long after I stumbled home.

GV Roll-in 2010

More great photos of this year's GV Roll-in by others are turning up. Here's a couple by one of my favorite local photographers, Sarah Butcher. Check her work out here:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/SarahDButcherPhotography

The subjects are a couple of recent Sportster builds by my friend lil Mike of the Sacto crew. In the last year, in addition to these two featured, he's recently finished his own stellar panhead chopper, which he rode to the GV Roll-in.

lil Mike eschews the influence of others (to include the internet) in his builds, preferring instead to follow the whims of his own imagination. This unique approach, much like that of the builders holed up in heated garages in the pacific northwest, Sweden, and other lands of long nights, shows in everything that falls under his torch and hammer. His attention to how the details of a machine combine into the whole defines the style of the build. The parts tell the story, and so far each has a happy ending.

lil Mike finished this delightful Ironhead last summer, and Dan, the lucky new owner has been tearing up the twisties all across NorCal since.

This Late model Evo Sportster was finished in time for a 1000 mile shake down run to Born Free 2 earlier this summer. Its new owner, Jay, rides it like there's no tomorrow. Perhaps he's right?!

Look for more on lil Mike's insane and wonderful creations in future episodes. While the photography may not be as good as these, you will not be disappointed.

GV Roll-in Part 2

Others in attendance at the GV Roll-in this year brought cameras and oodles more talent than I can muster.

Photos courtesy of Blue Collar Moto, who made an epic ride camp four nighter out of his trip up:

Jason's Wanderlust:

Lil Mike's panhead dreamscape:

Some great photos courtesy of Holly:

Skate
The digs in Rough and Ready

Ringtail

We're gonna eat you, piggy!
Skate
crash

A cool detail shot of Ronnies Ironhead. Taken by Sarah Butcher a killer photographer that some of us met in Nevada City. We invited her and her hubby Don to a Throwback Thursday. They came out, she snapped a few photos that you see here. Really great eye for sure. Check her out at http://www.sarahdbutcherphotography.com/ Thanks Sarah, you rule!


Jareds righteous Triumph!

My XS

Detail shot of my XS

Cool shot of some friends on a badass FXR.