Howard Knight of Rocking K Customs is creating a Bug Out Bag aka The B.O.B. that holds all the essentials… Bourbon, Cigars, HelmetLok, sunglasses, and credentials.
Howard Knight of Rocking K Custom Leathers worked hard designing and hand fabricating the ultimate leather container for all the essentials you need for day tripping. And The B.O.B. is to be awarded at the Smoke Out 15 Rally for one lucky Chopper Jockey who enters the SmokeOut 15 Custom Bike Show.
“Howard is regarded as one of the finest leather artists and designers in the country and we are excited he decided to participate with SO15,” said Commander Edge, the man responsible for official SmokeOut Bling.
Howard had this to say about The B.O.B.:
“I used English bridle leather for the main body of The B.O.B. English bridle leather is tanned to be resistant to sweat and moisture. The technique and formula was developed for leather that was in direct contact with working horses. The leather I use is tanned in the United States from US cows. The lighter colored leather is hide developed to be tooled. English bridle leather cannot be tooled.
“The idea of the Bug Out Bag came from friend and Powersports promoter Jeff Najar of Biker Pros. In designing The BOB, I had to take into consideration what items were to be incorporated into the bag. From rough sketch to actual life size layout the size changed and required rethinking.”
The B.O.B. accommodates:
•Bourbon
•Cigars
•HelmetLok
•Sunglasses
•Credentials
“Ideas and improvements were ever flowing during construction. We started with the basics mentioned above and expanded to tools, stash bags, and women’s panties. I plan to make another set of bags, call them revision 2. Each bag would have a shoulder strap, be an inch taller to make incorporating vertical space for cigar and tire pressure gauges. A quick disconnect system for mounting instead of the leather straps I have currently used as an option.
“If someone came to my shop and commissioned The B.O.B. with similar configurations and one of a kind hand tooled pattern, the cost would be $1,100.
“I really like the B.O.B. concept. Strap it to your scooter and off you go. The next revision will be even better, I’m thinking about a fitted bag to go inside my Road King hard bags. It would lift out, and I could throw over my shoulder and go anywhere. The time to create and design the B.O.B. was significant, about 50 hours including etching the Horse logo included in this bag.
“Once patterns are made and logistics are worked out the bags will be much quicker to make. One-off projects always take longer to make than most people think. I love The B.O.B. and can’t wait to make more.
“This August will mark the first time I will be showing my work in Sturgis. I have been invited to set up at the Buffalo Chip, this came about through a chance meeting in Indianapolis at the Biker Pros Ultimate Builder show with the owner of the Buffalo Chip.
“I will be returning to the Labor Day rally at the Harley-Davidson Museum. This has become a great place to meet with builders to talk about projects. There is a chance that select items will be for sale through the museum store during the rally. The museum and I are working out details on what they would like to carry as signature items.”
Bandit is a nut when it comes to products like this. He is constantly trying to come up with the coolest way to carry a handful of tools, a lock and a couple of bungie cords on his Mudflap Girl FXR. “There must be a way to carry night glasses, chap stick, and a few odds and ends and still not mess with the lines of a bare bones chopper,” Bandit said. “If you’re going to hit the road and not have a truck following, some items are required.”
You may see Howard working with Bandit and the 5-Ball Racing team on something special in the near future after we test this puppy on the winding road to the SmokeOut.
