Another whacky weekend settling in after a run to Austin, Texas and back. My son moved and wants me to follow suit and build him a 5-Ball compound on Cesar Chavez Blvd on the east side. He’s currently working in All Saints Tattoo on 6th street and digging it.
The vibe is sorta New Orleans and the cops block off 6th every weekend turning it into a party zone. We caught the vibe. It’s cool and I visited with Jesse James, who said, “This year we had 60 days with triple digit temps.” And the humidity is dense.
Okay, so I returned and dove back into the Torpedo. I need to prep for a scrutinizing inspection by one of the great racers, Tom Evans. As an SCTA official and VP he inspected thousands of race vehicles. Today, he sent me an inspection check sheet. He may come down from his shack in Tujunga on Saturday. I had my work cut out for me. Nothing like deadlines to keep you moving.
I needed to fix the gas tank, paint the inside of the fiberglass top with fiberglass primer. Shit, it’s two part and stinks. I needed to prep the front end, machine parts, make gussets. I also need to weld the helmet hood in place. Micah is coming over on Wednesday, and I need to have the front-end back on and the bottom of the body in place successfully. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
I finished mounting lead in the tubes and two sheets below the footrests. I did that with the help of a sledgehammer. Today, Andrew Ursich is coming over to help with some TIG welding. He’s younger, more flexible and welds every day. I mastered TIG welding aluminum and finished the fire wall. It’s installed now but needs some tweaking.
I’m working on my “Splintered Road” screenplay. A strange program works for me in the mornings. I get up around 6:00 and make coffee. I take my first cup into my office and fire up the computer. Without any shop lights on, I work in the dark for an hour and a half. That’s when I write without interruptions. It seems to work.
At 8:00 I go get Cash, our high-paid security force, who is probably over 100 dog years old and barely moving. We open the shop, turn on the lights and shit rocks.
I’m also working on the 88th chapter of the Cantina series. I try to learn something about writing and story telling constantly. Motorcycles and writing are my life, plus whiskey and women. It seems to work for me…
Wish me luck this week. We are looking at taking the Salt Torpedo to El Mirage for an SCTA event on the dry lakebed in November. I’ll bring you more info as the plan unfolds.
Ride fast and free, forever!
–Bandit
