When Mr. Dave Nichols of Easyriders magazine gave us the “green light” to shoot the Fusion Chop, we were stoked. The first step was finding the perfect model who would fit the Fusion girl part. The search began.
Let me tell you, it was no easy task. At the time, someone was working at the shop who claimed to have a “Keamoku connection.” If you’re not familiar with the area of Keamoku, it’s an area located on the outskirts of Waikiki that caters to Strip Club patrons.
Once the dark side of the island area was discovered, it was time to assemble the dedicated posse to hunt down the perfect Fusion Scientist model. The first eager hunter was Roger, the “Mad Doctor,” myself, “the Planner,” George, the “Banker” (and his three bodyguards), and Scotty whose claim to fame is that he had the inside track on some of the most gorgeous lady dancers. As soon as we gathered the posse, we hauled ass to the clubs to hunt down our next Miss Fusion.
Naturally we choose a weeknight because the weekends are too crowded, and it would make it easier for us to get a better, much closer look. As we stumbled into the first club we were swarmed by ladies all asking the same question, “buy me drinky?” After getting seated, drinks in hand, our first contestant danced her way onto the dank stage.
Even though it was a bit dark, we all knew there was something wrong with this picture. The girl wasn’t ugly but she looked like she could husk a coconut with her bare hands. After watching more dancers with less masculine qualities, we saw some beautiful babes, but like most beautiful women, we couldn’t afford the heavy price tag slapped on them.
So it was on to plan B. You know the story–I know this guy who knows this guy who knows this girl, blah, blah, blah. It was another plan that would get us nowhere. So it was on to plan C, which would include trying some bikini models and seeing where that would get us. We had several girls stop by the shop to show us their stuff. But as soon as we told them it was a topless shoot, the price jumped up and we jumped off!
The final plan came down to George contacting some old acquaintances. After a few phone calls, we finally had our models. That’s right models, with an “S.” We had two models, one willing to go topless and the other willing to do the bikini. Either way, we were in good shape because the hunt was over and we could finally shoot the bike.
When the day finally arrived, we all sat around Raymond’s Studio eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Fusion bike. Of course, what’s a bike shoot without a little drama? Before the bike arrived, we received a phone call from George telling us that the bike fell over on the trailer.
Roger and I jumped in the truck and went to assess the damage. We first made a note: never let the banker lock down a ground-up bike on a trailer. Sweatin’ like pigs we arrived on the scene. The damage wasn’t tragic and luckily, it could be fixed and touched up for the purpose of the shoot.
After properly securing the bike, we finally arrived at the studio where two, not one, but two models awaited our return. It may have been a little awkward, but it was definitely the best of both worlds!
