Before water-jet cutters, before laser-jet cutters or plasma cutters or whatever.....guys used oxy acetylene.
And what do you do with a 200lb slab of 1/2 inch thick steel. Well evidently back in the 70's you got stoned, fired up the torch, and cut out a sign for your buddies shop. Once you've cut away about 140lbs of scrap you send it over to the chromer.
Wubbzey dug this outta the back of the shop. Pretty damn cool free hand piece.
The Money Pit Blog is a portal into one of the countries oldest Chopper shops,"ROADWORTHY CYCLES". And it's proprietor, "WUBBZEY". Here you'll find photos from the the past 50+ years on the road, a little history, as well as current builds, events, and random nuggets of cool stuff. WE'RE ROADWORTHY...ARE YOU?
first try
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Hog Riding Fools
We're gonna start a weekly thing here. Hog Riding Fools was a strip published in ZAPP!! comics in the late '60s or early '70s. Looks like "Crumb" got alot of people riding bikes just because they dug the comic strip. Many of those still have the H.R.F.'s tattooed on 'em.
avON SPEEDmaster
Speaking of SPEED. This is a cool shot of the Mantis that Jordan from The Horse Magazine took at Sturgis this year.
It was posted on The Horse Blog originally and I stole it.
Damn Limey
We finally got our man Tony on a V-Twin, but when were not lookin', he's tearin up the road on his Blue-Eyed-Devil. Check out previous posts to see this award winner. Anyway, as much as we give Tony a hard time about riding a Limey theres no denying them fuckers are FAST.
Wubbzey kept this magazine spread and recalls it as one of the fastest bikes he ever saw during his racing days.
And, if we know anything about Wubbzey...Wubbzey likes SPEED!
Wubbzey kept this magazine spread and recalls it as one of the fastest bikes he ever saw during his racing days.
And, if we know anything about Wubbzey...Wubbzey likes SPEED!
Birds-Eye View
Allright kids, this here is the story passed down to me by the elders. Right or wrong, this is how I heard it and have no reason to dispute it.....
About '76 or '77 a MC out of the upper midwest was running a wicked fast dragbike and consistantly destroying rear wheels. A guy outta Illinois, by the name of BIRD, says, "I can fix that". So he machines the hubs of solid drag car wheels to adapt bearings and fit on bikes. BAM! problem solved.
In about '77, Wubbzey, who's an old friend of Birds, says "I wanna run one of those on my street bike and start selling them to bike builders around the St. Louis area".
Later in that summer, at a bike rally in Wisconson. Willie G. approaches Wubbzey's bike and inquires about the solid rear wheel, saying he really digs the look and how did Wubbzey do it. Wubbzey points over at Bird, who's also in attendance, and says "he machines the hubs to make it all work".
Willie G. wanders off, and in 1980, H-D comes out with a cast version of a solid rear wheel. Bird never got a dime.
This is an early article about one of Birds bikes, check out the verticle oil tank also. Webbsey and Bird are still friends and Willie G. is still snooping around chopper builders, doin' what Willie G. does....
About '76 or '77 a MC out of the upper midwest was running a wicked fast dragbike and consistantly destroying rear wheels. A guy outta Illinois, by the name of BIRD, says, "I can fix that". So he machines the hubs of solid drag car wheels to adapt bearings and fit on bikes. BAM! problem solved.
In about '77, Wubbzey, who's an old friend of Birds, says "I wanna run one of those on my street bike and start selling them to bike builders around the St. Louis area".
Later in that summer, at a bike rally in Wisconson. Willie G. approaches Wubbzey's bike and inquires about the solid rear wheel, saying he really digs the look and how did Wubbzey do it. Wubbzey points over at Bird, who's also in attendance, and says "he machines the hubs to make it all work".
Willie G. wanders off, and in 1980, H-D comes out with a cast version of a solid rear wheel. Bird never got a dime.
This is an early article about one of Birds bikes, check out the verticle oil tank also. Webbsey and Bird are still friends and Willie G. is still snooping around chopper builders, doin' what Willie G. does....
Saturday, October 15, 2011
The Original Crazy Frank
There's been alot of hoopla over the "Crazy Frank" fender as of late.
If this doesn't get your chopper blood flowing. See a doctor Immediately!
This shot of Frank was scanned from an old mag....
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Boneshakers boneshaker
Ol' Helmet just finished buttoning up the powerplant for that "Boneshaker" bike we showed you a few posts ago. It will be topped with that Linkert carb in the foreground.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, we found Helmet. Aimlessly wandering the streets of East St. Louis. He was mumbleing something about moonshine, strippers, and little blue boner pills. We've got him locked up again in the back room. Told him, no more pole dancers until he rebuilds 5 more panheads that are layin' around. The bars on the windows around here ain't for keeping people out... they're for keeping Helmet in.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, we found Helmet. Aimlessly wandering the streets of East St. Louis. He was mumbleing something about moonshine, strippers, and little blue boner pills. We've got him locked up again in the back room. Told him, no more pole dancers until he rebuilds 5 more panheads that are layin' around. The bars on the windows around here ain't for keeping people out... they're for keeping Helmet in.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Davenport Part 2
Soooo..... a few posts back I gave you a few shots of some cool vintage bikes from the Davenport swap meet. Well not only was there alot of cool iron in abundance, Wubbzey came across a grouping of bikes that brought him back to his youth. Upon further investigation, It was the HEAVY / SHOW CLASS mag. crew outta Minn. and their propper choppers.
Wubbzey must of had a really good time hanging with Zach and company, 'cause when he got home he wanted to chop everything in sight. He must of had ideas for five different bikes to build. I havn't seen him stoked like that in a while. Old blood teaching young blood and young blood inspiring old blood.
We're gonna have to get a ride together with these dudes next year.
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