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GRAVES CUSTOMSJerry’s one talented cat ! 32 years old, Originally from Indiana. This guydoes it all. Both of the bikes that I sent you, are mine. On the drop seatbike, He handmade the chassis, fuel tank, fender, shifter, plenum / intakefor the twin 58 MM downdraft carb ( that ain’t no weber ! ) Motor mount,handle bars and on and on.
Why buy something that’s on every other ride intown ? He just builds it ! The only thing he outsources, is chrome & seats.Everything else is done in house. I’ve been fortunate enough to call him myfriend for several years.
I Just had a recent brush with some health issues.He offered up a kidney if I needed it. What more can I say about this guy.Talent out the a$$, but a true brother none the less. It’s my mission tosee that the world knows who the hell Jerry Graves is ! More pictures onthe way.
Were heading to Sturgis in a couple of weeks. Hope we can hook upwith you and enjoy some fine Patrons tequila! Here’s Jerry’s website,http://www.gravescustomcycles.com/ It’s under construction as I write. Newsite should be up around the time we return back from the black hills.
Wheelies are fun !
–Mike Mays
954-494-7680Art work on the second red bike was done by Sonny Depalma. Pictures don’tdo it justice. The whole bike is wrapped in skulls and creepy stuff. It’smind blowing !
?BOB?S BACK WITH DAVID MANN; OLD SCHOOL BIKING RETURNS TO THE JOURNEY? EXHIBITION TO COINCIDE WITH 2004 BLACK HILLS MOTORCYCLE RALLY RAPID CITY, S.D. ? The Journey Museum will mount its fourth annual motorcycle theme exhibition in the Stanford Adelstein Gallery which will coincide with the 2004 Black Hills Motorcycle Rally.
The roots of custom motorcycling inspired this year?s exhibition. ?Bobber? style motorcycles, which reflect a popular custom bike design from the late 1940?s through the early 1960?s, will accompany a retrospective display of 50 original paintings by David Mann, the renowned artist who chronicled motorcycle culture from the 1960?s through recent times.
David Mann first became known from his work in Easyriders Magazine, where his art was reproduced as the magazine?s center spread from 1973 through 2003. Standing at a newsstand or mailbox, readers would open the magazines right to David?s witty interpretations of the biker lifestyle. The images could be based on myth or legend, but most often, you felt they came from the artist?s personal experience. This was David sharing his imagination, his vision and his life with the biker world.
Mann?s paintings always touched a nerve in the readers. His illustrations were commonly torn from magazines and tacked to the walls of shops, garages, living rooms and clubhouses across America. To this day, any biker that has been riding for twenty years or more remembers specific images that they can still describe in full detail. David?s most famous image, ?Ghost Rider?, was reproduced on everything from flags to custom gas tanks and was even tattooed across biker?s backs.
This exhibition at the Journey Museum will be the largest group of his original paintings to ever be displayed and it coincides with David?s induction into the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame. (He was inducted into the National Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame earlier this year.)
To accompany David Mann?s paintings, motorcycling photographer Michael Lichter has put together a group of old school motorcycles that will be showcased in the same gallery. ?Bob?s Back,? as this exhibition of bikes is called, reflects the recent resurgence of the ?Bobber? style motorcycle. The style itself dates back to just after World War II, when GI?s returned from Europe.
The 17 motorcycles that make up ?Bob?s Back? include original and restored old ?bobber?s?, contemporary ?bobbers? built by some of the best builders in the country as well as several antiques that were relevant to the style first developing. A ?jewel? that will be on display to represent traditional ?Bobbers? is Steve McQueen?s original 1946 Indian Chief that was recently purchased by the famous motorcycle customizer Billy Lane of Choppers Inc. Also representing the traditional look is a 1941 Crocker owned by bronze motorcycle themed sculptor Jeff Decker of Utah, the 1941 Indian Scout Bobber that toured for four years with the Guggenheim Museum?s ?Art of the Motorcycle? owned by Cycle World?s Editor, David Edward?s (CA), a 1939 Velocette single also owned by Edwards, a 1928 Indian Sport Scout from Shane Binder (PA) and Brent Mayfield?s 1948 Harley-Davidson Panhead from Ohio.
Contemporary ?Bobbed? bikes, many of which were created just for this show, were built by popular builders like Billy Lane (FL), Chica (Japan/CA), Hank Young (GA), Jerry Covington (OK), Brian Klock (SD), Cole Forster (CA), Donny Loos (OH), Twisted Choppers (SD) and Jose de Miguel (Puerto Rico). One bike that is being built just for this exhibition is a traditional ?bobber? by Paul Teutle, Sr. of Orange County Choppers and the incredibly popular ?American Chopper? series on the Discovery Channel. Some of these bikes could pass for an original ?50?s or ?60?s ?bobber? but others will stretch the idiom to new horizons.
A restored 1948 Harley-Davidson WR flat track racer from the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, IA will be on display to demonstrate where the look of ?Bobbers? is derived. Also on display is George Smith?s original 1953 Panhead, on loan from S&S Cycle, which he used throughout the 1950?s as a test bed for the performance products he was developing for S&S.
In conjunction with the reception, Metzeler Tires has organized its second annual Custom Motorcycle Competition on Tuesday August 10th in the parking lot in front of the museum. Custom motorcycles that use any of Metzeler’s tires, from standard sizes right to their super wide 280, will be checking in until 11am and remain on display until 6pm while judging takes place. The grand prizewinner, who will be announced during the reception, will win a trip to Germany with their motorcycle to attend the EICMA show, the largest motorcycle show in the world.
?Bob?s Back with David Mann? will open to the public on Saturday August 7th and will remain open through Saturday, August 14. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with extended hours until 6 p.m. during bike week, August 2?9. A reception with live music and refreshments at which many of the motorcycle builders will be present will be held, August 10 from 4:30 ? 8:30pm. The reception is open to the public. The museum is located at 222 New York Street, two blocks east of the Rushmore Plaza Holiday Inn and the Civic Center where Harley-Davidson is headquartered. The normal $6.00 admission has been reduced to $5 (kids 10 and under are free) to welcome motorcyclists during bike week, August 7?14. This also includes admission to the four major prehistoric and historic collections, the Duhamel collection of traditional Sioux artifacts and the museum theatre.
For more information, visit the museum’s web site at www.journeymuseum.org or call the museum at 605 394-6923. Additional information is available on Michael Lichter?s Web site at www.lichterphoto.com and Segal Fine Arts? Web site at www.motorcycleart.com.
MIKE LICHTER TO DISPLAY AT CARLISLE ANTIQUE SHOW THIS WEEKEND–July 23rd – 25th, 2004Carlisle Events.Michael will be in Pennsylvania exhibiting his work at the Carlisle Summer Bike Fest, that is, if he can catch a flight in vast tornado conditions attacking the country. Michael will also be hosting a Q&A session at a time to be announced. He’ll be there with the OCC guys, Borget, Donnie Smith and Eddie Trotta. Don’t Miss it.
STEEDS GIRL OF THE WEEK–London–Here you go, her name is “London”, 21 years old. What a knockout.
John Covington
MAILMAN’S BASICS–The Mailman from Washington has been a Sportster drag racing fanatic for a decade and currently is, I don’t know, in point standings. I better check with him.
“As of July 16th I am 8th in the Western Division and 34th Nationally in Syn3 ET,” Mailman explained. “Only got 10 points for entering Seattle, as I destroyed my entireprimary drive on my 2nd qualifying pass. The clutch blew first, droppingchunks into the primary chain which broke and bunched up taking out chunksof the inner primary, which on Sportsters is part of the engine case.Presently waiting for my welder, Michael Beckler, to work his magic on thecase. My engine builder, Doc Ford, has gone through all the internal partsand is ready to reassemble when the cases are done. He found 2 crackedvalve guides, a spun wrist pin bushing and big end bearings beyond wearlimits. I guess it ran high 10’s because it was so loose. Had around 500dragstrip passes on it since the last rebuild.”
We drank heavy dark ales and discussed the basics of engine performance, so I thought I would pass a couple of learned items along:
I always wondered why the spark fires while the piston is roaming up the cylinder before top dead center. Hell, why doesn’t the bike run backwards? He explained that when the spark fires and lights the fuel it doesn’t explode immediately. As the piston continues north and the flame spreads over the piston it builds pressure to kick it south at a high rate of speed. If you think about this flame creeping over the top of the piston it makes two elements stand out: Flat-top pistons for ease of burn and dual plug heads for more efficient and faster burn (can advance an engine from 35 degrees before TDC to 32 degrees).
Mailman worked with a tuner who had tremendous performance success tuning exhaust systems. The man cut the baffle in half and inserted the cut end into the pipe and fastened it. He tested performance and cut the baffle some more until it ran to his liking. Makes a lot of sense to me. I would like to take the time to test this formula.
So why are domed pistons used? It’s that Hemi Head configuration. Because the shape of the combustion chamber allows for larger valves and more flow, whereas a flat combustion chamber restricts the space available for valves.
A Mailman comment about single fire systems: “The systems is focused on one plug at a time for more efficient firing, and you’re not firing the wrong plug and igniting an incoming charge.”
Here’s a final thought about sparkplugs. The bigger the gap the more voltage it takes to jump the gap. That’s why early bikes, especially with 6 Volt systems needed smaller gaps. Ah, but the wider the gap the larger the spark, the more efficient the burn.
THE 11TH ANNUAL BLESSING OF THE CARS SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2004, 9A.M. – 5P.M.HANSEN DAM PARK, LOS ANGELES–ENTER ON DRONFIELD AVE. off of OSBORNE ST. The 11th annual Blessing of the Cars kicks off Saturday, July 31, 2004, 9 A.M. to 5 P.M at Hansen Dam Park in Los Angeles, California. The actual blessing starts promptly at 12:00 noon on the main stage.
In attendance at this year’s show will be an estimated 800 vintage cars, hotrods, customs and motorcycles as well as an approximated 5000-8000 show goers and attendees.
There is, of course, an actual blessing conducted by a real priest. He will go to each car and give them a blessing (blessing, of course, is optional). Giving car owners the added protection for their vehicle and all who ride in it.
The car show at The Blessing of the Cars is open to pre 1968 vehicles of all types. The majority of cars in attendance are custom and hot rod cars, trucks, and motorcycles from the 1950s and earlier. There is also a high attendance of stock and restored classic vehicles that appear to have rolled out of their heyday showrooms and on to the grass at Hansen Dam.
The Blessing of the Cars car show would not be complete without a competition amongst the cars. Awards will be given out in the form of custom-made trophies by an assortment of local artists. At past events some of these extravagant trophies have shot flames from their tip tops and roared tiny engines in celebration of their new owners. Trophies are awarded in the following categories: Best Custom, Best Hot Rod, Best Girl Owned, Best Stock (original or restored), Best Nostalgic, Best Unfinished, Best Flames, Best Truck, Best Hearse, Best Paint, Best Pin striping, Best import, Best Shifter Knob, and more.
What would an awards ceremony be without Trophy Girls? Just plain no fun is what!
The registration and admission fees are as follows:General Admission is $5.00. Children under 12 get in free!Registration the day of the show is: $20.00 for cars, $8.00 for motorcycles.
To register for the show or for more information please contact either Stephanie Baltierra or Gabriel Baltierra of Kingpin Productions at (323)663-1265. The Mailing address is 2027 1/2 Talmadge St., Los Angeles, CA. 90027.
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