by Sean D. | Feb 15, 2019 | Event Photos
The BUB Speed Trials at the Bonneville Salt Flats have been a humble host as a proving ground for many years. For most motor-heads setting a world record is a lifetime achievement and personal goal. Something inside us makes us want more, strive for more and achieve for excellence. The experiences and stories along the way are all part of life’s gifts. A chance to see one of the world’s wonders and be a part of something special was epic. If given the chance, don’t turn it down! For us, the Utah pilgrimage from So. California is an estimated ten hour drive with gas and coffee stops along the way. Allotted with only an eight hour stay, the drive seemed questionable at first but definitely worth while in the end. The surreal settings and atmosphere make for an epic experience every gear-head must experience once in their lifetime. Permission to ride a motorcycle at top speed in a safe environment without intervention is an amazing opportunity to prove what you and your machine can do when given optimal circumstances. The event is a AMA sanctioned event with official world record achievements being recorded every year. Experienced racers mingle with rookies on the flats; some racers for the first time and some for the last time. Much can be learned from the seasoned racers and most are proud to share what they have learned over the years. Check out some of the Progressive Suspension equipped bikes we managed to catch during our short visit on the flats. ...
by Sean D. | Dec 18, 2018 | Random
If you’ve ever driven I-15 between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, you’ve probably noticed the exit for Zzyzx Rd. You’ve probably asked yourself what the heck is up with that name? And what the heck is down that road anyway? From the I-15 exit, Zzyzx Road goes south. For six miles passing along a dried up soda lake bed, which was used for soda mining from 1907?–?1912. The stretch of hot desert coated with salt gives it a real Bonneville style feel. It’s a weird place, and turns out it actually used to be a spa. In 1944, a crazy evangelist dreamt up the concept and the Zzyzx Mineral Springs Resort opened on the land. The owner of the resort named it Zzyzx and came up with the slogan “the last word in health” to guarantee his spa would appear last in any alphabetical listing. Crazy genius… For years the resort was a happening place, and then the gov’t shut it down after the evangelist tried to sell parcels of land. Today it serves as a Desert Studies Center for California State University. There are makeshift streets with whimsical names like Boulevard of Dreams that criss-cross the area. A number of buildings, which were undoubtedly the resort suites back in the day, now serve as dormitories / apartments for students, staff and employees. There is a natural spring here, which is surrounded by palmtrees and cattails and a family of ducks lives in the spring. For a small, isolated place in the California desert, it’s pretty cool to check out once!...
by Sean D. | Jan 8, 2015 | Blog
David Zemla – Operations dzemla [at] gmail [dot] com Link Sean Delshadi – Photographer whatsup [at] lexiloo [dot] com...
by Sean D. | Nov 12, 2013 | Blog
Last weekend my buddy Gerry hit me up about his neighbors ’97 Xl 883 that only has 2,500 original miles. He knew the owner had it sitting in his driveway under some plastic for years and finally decided to ask him about it for me. The neighbor was interested in selling so I cruised over and struck a deal. Needless to say I got it for a great price and immediately began stripping it down on site. After ditching the old man crap in the trash. We tore the wheels and front end off and disassembled the tail section. Once the parts were removed we cut off the rear struts, grinded them smooth and touched them up with some Krylon Gloss (a dead match to the frame color). Next was to paint the wheels, pulley and front end. As the wheels and pulley were pitted and semi corroded I went with Satin Krylon. This soaked up the paint and gave it a cool textured look. The front end needed a little cleaning up too so I ran some Sandpaper 1000 grit wet and knocked most the pits and imperfections out. Once everything was painted and sorted it was all about bolting everything back together along with the parts I squirreled away for a rainy day XL Cafe project. I managed to stash some really cool stuff! The Burly Brand Cafe Tail Section, 15″ Stiletto Shocks, 1″ Clubman Bars and new Cafe Cable Kit coming soon. Working at Burly has it perks, having access to these parts is definitely one of them. Thanks Burly!! I’m also running some RSD parts like the Speedo Relocate, Fork Brace and...
by Sean D. | Sep 20, 2013 | Blog, Videos
Not too long ago a friend of ours Thomas (@thecalife) picked up an 2001 Sportster from Craigslist for a great deal. He reached out to us for info on our Cafe Sportster and composed his parts list with a bit of our help. We of course suggested a Cafe Tail Section, 15″ Stiletto Shocks and 1″ Clubman Handle Bars. He also sourced other parts from RSD, Biltwell, Todd’s Cycle, Chainsikle and ebay. Click here to see the Chop Cult build thread for more info. Watch the build video he did for us...
by Sean D. | Sep 20, 2013 | Blog, Videos
Love working with the guys from Born Free and helping out when we can. Had the opportunity to interview Jeff Leighton and Frank Kaisler regarding the bike and how they knew each other. Couldn’t get it all in 5 mins but just enough time to tell the story. Check out the other BF5 videos on Chop Cult now! Can’t wait for the show this Saturday, see ya...
by Sean D. | Sep 20, 2013 | Blog, Videos
Duane Ballard is known pretty well in the industry for is skilled leatherwork at DB Custom Leather, but he has a passion for ’70s style Japanese motor based choppers/diggers! This year for Born-Free 5 he built an amazing Kawasaki KZ named Kosmoski that will be a standout among the rest of the Invited Builders. Come see them all June 29, 2013 at the Born-Free Vintage Chopper and Classic Cycle Show! for more info please log onto bornfreeshow.com Shot by Sean D. with a Canon 60D 24-70 L Series I...
by Sean D. | Sep 4, 2013 | Blog, Event Photos
The Ace Café presented a preview party and auction at the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA a couple weeks back. The Brough Superior Team and many others helped raise funds for the “Boot Campaign” at the Peterson Museum in Los Angeles. The Boot Campaign helps war veterans achieve mobility by raising funds for artificial and prosthetic limbs. The Peterson made for an amazing venue by offering their rooftop for the event. With a display of a few great bikes never before seen by the public it truly was a privilege to be invited. Two of such were to be raced at the Bonneville Salt Flats and given a chance to set world records for the first time. Jay Leno was on hand to auction off gifts from sponsors, one of which was an old Cushman Scooter donated by Bruce Willis. He also generously auctioned V.I.P. group tours of his own garage in Burbank! In addition, Jay placed the winning bid on a special Cafe Racer Triumph from the dudes at Dime City Cycle, helping the Boot Campaign reach their goal. After meeting Jay in person, I found him to be not only generous with his time, but also with his wallet. All in all, it was a very special shindig and we were proud to be...
