East Village - New York sidewalk surfs to Leeds

Deep down in Brudenell, something stirs. East Village describes itself as a "Dive Bar". Set up within spitting distance of the legendary Brudenell Social Club, the venue owes its existence to the vision of owner Olly. 

He previously ran a bar in New York and when he spotted a vacant comer Shisha bar in the backstreets of Leeds' student land he took the plunge and has re-created and updated a New York punk heyday vibe in the heart of Yorkshire.

I was introduced the the Village by son Joe who picked the venue with pals for the premier of a new skate video he's been filming with mates all over the North over the summer. Taking a few hints from DiCE, Joe turned the premier into an opportunity to mix skate and art with a small show of artworks from current and ex-Leeds art school, tattoo and skater pals. Olly pitched in - providing old skateboards as a canvas for exhibition signs.

With so many ex (and current) shredders among the current bike scene I was taken by what a perfect venue East Village would be for a custom biker get together - top cocktails and beers, a little out of he way and a wide street frontage for parking. 

The video premier went down well and the tight camaraderie of the young skaters was reminiscent of some of the best biker events I've been to. The music and decor at East Village adding to the sense of best-of-times deja vu with original Ramones and Patti Smith posters and sounds setting the scene.

I was taken right back to Barbarellas, the Rum Runner and a crazy night searching out the SPOTs (Sex Pistols on Tour) in Newport back in the day.

The kids loved the music and the vibe - and so did I.

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The Trip Out 2016

Just in time for Santa! Trip Out 2016 tickets already on sale. Getcha some...

New pipes are on!

Big thanks to Paul for these shots of the new pipes now in place. Hoping to pop down to the shop Saturday to see them in person. Looking good and now just waiting on the cover polishing.

Week or so and the Freaker will be ready to come home!

Really inspired and now hankering after all those finishing touches. It's taken nearly five years to get to this stage. As they say, a biker's work is never done .

Kick-starting the winter fettle

The next stage of the Freaker is now well underway. The kick-start is fitted and functional and the faux Pan cover is currently off at the polishers along with the left side cover from French outfit EMD.

The finishing touch will be the new stainless pipes which are being custom made to match to new trumpet mufflers and skirt both the right side cover and the oil tank. 

Meanwhile, a full goatskin I picked up from a leathercraft market stall while on summer hol is being hand-stitched to replace the sweaty plastic on the Easyriders seat pan.

The seat cover I got for a song - the EMD cover was more of full orchestra, light show and choir. But it certainly looks the business.

Few more detail tweaks and I reckon I'll be there. Musing a swap out of the solid rear wheel for spokes (which would remove the last obvious vestige of the Fat Boy base) and a more in-yet-face colour scheme. Final icing would be some Kustom Tech controls to clean up the bars.

Two Shovels full of promise

One of the joys of being a regular customer at your local workshop is the chance  of a behind-the-scenes invite. Popping down to Thundercity the other week, owner Andy could hardly contain himself. "You need to see what we just got in - I know it's your kind of ride."

Right in the middle of makeover was this gem. Picked up from a South Coast seller for around £6k and a little rough oil leak wise (since sorted by the TCity team) the bike is a total looker.

The new "brass sections" will soon weather-in thanks the a zero polish cleaning regime and I just hope to get the chance to see it when that's happened.

The alien tank is a work of art - a 'new-old' finish by Edge setting the pace for the lived in and ridden-hard patina of the rest of the bike.  

Fixed, finished and in the show area waiting collection. 

Next up - a fresh-off-the-boat hard tail Shovel chop from the States awaiting a hand clutch & gear pedal (rather than foot clutch & shift stick) conversion with a few other odds and ends to make it UK street legal.

Leeds Harley Birthday Gathering

Lot's happening lately so time for a catch up. Here's some pix from the Leeds MoCo dealership's recent anniversary gathering. 

Billed as a chance to view the new Street models, the real action was in parking lot where a bevy of gorgeous promo girls made a refreshing change from the endless line up of stock machines and one of my fave bike-do bands, Bessie & The Zinc Buckets, got the place (and Iron Man & Cap America) jumping.

 Out on the lot, these two machines caught me eye. The first all stripped back and oh-so-fashionable cafe racer style but with some superb detailing (check those grilled front flashers).

This red pan was a period correct beaut right down to the funky rear fender lights and had me entranced by the snake coil pipes. 

Pipes, Panhead covers and frame clearance have become an obsession in recent weeks as an upcoming post on this winter's latest planned mods to the Freaker will show.

Last but not least, here's the Zinc Buckets in action. If you get the chance, go check 'em out. Geordie banter at its best and top tunes into the bargain. 

There's ain't nothing these guys can't play - you want Johnny Cash mixed with the Who. They'll do it. You want heavy rock versions of Taylor Swift. Lemon Squeezy for these chaps.

Catch their Christmas gig at Newcastle Town Hall on December 15.

Top Tanks of The Trip Out 2015

The Trip Out is England's version of Born Free. A chopper fest that's head & shoulders above the rest. 

This is the event I've looked forward to all year. Everywhere you look, there's good times, good people and great inspiration for tweaks during the long winter months ahead.

This year was exceptional with bikers and ultra cool machines coming from France, Belgium and Holland as well as all parts of the UK. My camera memory was almost exhausted by Sunday & I'll be posting more shots soon.

To kick off, here's just a few examples of the amazing tank paint jobs on show:

Shipley Harley Gathering 2015

I love the annual Baildon show. The whole town turns out to welcome riders from near and far taking part in the Sunday charity ride out. 

Most bikes are late model stockers but there are some gems.

The owner of this Led Sled built bobber originally hails from Staffordshire (not too far north of Walsall judging by the West Midlands accent we both share) but has lived in Yorkshire for many years. 

The bike was at last year's show but sported a stunning new paint job and a custom seat hand crafted in Spain. Top bike in the pre-ride out line up as far I I was concerned.

Other customs were more mild but the 50s-style tail lights on this tourer caught me eye. Nice paint job too.

This other shop-wrought bobber was neat in a back to basics paired down kinda way. Understated and all the better for it.

Other cool metal included a showroom Indian and this pristine Electra Glide.

While this Flatty was up for sale and attracting lots of attention.

The ride out was as impressive as ever - more than 300 bikes thundering through the small Yorkshire towns of Baildon and Otley before heading out to the Moors.