Nate the Painter

The fella who's painting our custom chopper rides one of the most unique XS650's we've seen. Nate, a painter for Ardcore Choppers, is a rider. And we don't mean the kind that wears high-dollar leathers or patches that prove how many miles he's ridden in so many hours. He doesn't claim allegiance to a European moto-brand or belong to popular touring groups, but he does log many, many hours in the saddle. He's a rider that talks himself into riding when it's probably too cold to enjoy it. His bike leaks a bit, has dings in the rear wheel, has less than an inch of travel on the front forks and a rigid rear end, but it exudes so much more style than insanely expensive, billet-bedazzled V-Twins. Its simple authenticity and intentional homage to the 70s turns heads everywhere it goes. Watch the vid!


Tip: Click HQ to watch in high quality if you're on a high speed connection.

Positive Feedback

We're thankful for the good people who've emailed their thoughts about Why They Ride. It's a good feeling to know that our moto-documentary has touched the lives of others and inspired folks to get out and ride. Here are some recent notes we've received:

"Hey, great DVD! I have watched it 4 times and I am continuing to enjoy it!"

"I just finished watching Why They Ride and I really truly absolutely loved it! The documentary has such heart. So many parts just made me smile ear to ear. What I really liked was that the documentary was so inspiring about humanity and the beauty of life as well as about motorcycles."

"The DVD was wonderful. It was far better than some big budget productions I have seen. The soundtrack was great."

"I viewed the movie last evening and truly enjoyed it, particularly the human interest segments that you included. It's easy to tell that you had fun putting this together."

Thanks to all who write and share their thoughts!!

In case you haven't seen 'em...

Ready for Spring?!

Coming soon: March 20th marks the first day of Spring in 2009. There have been a few warm days already here in the Midwest and we've taken advantage of them...fully. The bikes have been out quite a bit during this wintery beginning to 2009, but we're reeeeeally looking forward to milder temps and salt-free roads.

Hey, if anyone reading this is planning a trip to the Dragon for the first time, check out Why They Ride. It'll give you a nice preview of what to expect. And, if you've been to the Dragon, our moto-documentary is sure to get the blood pumpin' and remind you why you're gonna return to Deals Gap!

Here are some scenic pics we recorded on our journey through the Deals Gap area that are sure to have you pining for the Smokies:

New Chopper Website Launched

As mentioned in the previous post, our graphic design shop was in the process of buildin' a new website for Ardcore Choppers, a custom bike builder in Indianapolis. Well, it's live! Check it out.


The owner of Ardcore, Jon Ard, knows what he's doing in the welding and fabricating department. His passion for motorcycles and motorcycling is clearly evident, which really makes the shop's builds successful.

Motorcycle Meeting

Our day-job is graphic design. Casey and I run a design shop in Indy aptly named, Wilkinson Brothers, Inc. which serves a big ol' range of clientele: Construction, Pharmaceutical, Manufacturing, Technology, Tourism and more. But, an industry that gets us amp'd up is Motorsports. One of our clients builds custom bikes and unique parts & accessories with a specialization in creating killer XS650 bobbers/choppers. A recent meeting was set up to go over design direction and technical aspects of a new website, so a ride was in order.


We pulled up to share a parking space with Nate, a talented painter and guy to contact at Ardcore Choppers (it's owned and operated by Jon Ard, hence, "ardcore"). Like us, he fully takes advantage of sunshine despite the Indiana winter temps. If the sun comes out, the roads thaw, and the numbers creep toward 40 degrees...it's a heatwave. Especially if the thermometer has been in the negatives for too many days.


Nate's bike is a custom Yamaha XS650-powered Ardcore chopper (below), featuring their very own "Top Fools" exhaust, Ardcore frame, and other goodies. Of course, Nate painted it.

Keep an eye out for the new Ardcore Choppers website soon (www.ardcorechoppers.com); until then, you can see our temporary landing page for a sneak peek of how it's gonna look.

Yep, we love our job.

The Dragon via Google Street View

After viewing killboy.com, a blog we religiously visit, we learned that the infamous Dragon at Deals Gap has made the cut in having its own Street View within Google Maps. This, to us, is very, very cool. Not trying to oversell it here, because it still requires patience to slowly click and creep through the highway, but what a neat way to peruse the curves that are much praised and debated. Check out these pics and read more below...


Above: Our good friend and Dragon photog, Darryl Cannon shot this in 2007; the very car whose funky 360-view, 11-lens camera recorded Highway 129 on both sides of the North Carolina/Tennessee border.


Above: This "view" shows a portion of the inviting asphalt, consequential shoulder, and flowing curves.


Above: This shot beckons me. A nicely cambered roadway tucked right into the Smoky Mountains; hard to beat. Contrary to much negative assumption in the riding community, you can actually experience views like this without hundreds of bikes, campers, or leaf-watchers in your way (more on that below).


Above: One of our favorite scenes. Over a decade ago, this was one of the views that most impressed us. It really sunk in why this road was gonna be memorable. The bend above shows how tight some of the curves are (this one is near Parsons Branch).

So what will come of this news that the Dragon is viewable on Google Map's Street View? First, it'll get a lot of "hoorays" and "hey, that's cool!" But, of course, as we have found with our moto-documentary, it will stir up a lot of debate. For some reason, when the Dragon reaches the headlines, the scoffers emerge. Some folks will click through a curve or two and self-confirm their opinion that there are a million better roads in the country (though they've never ridden the Dragon). Some will spend time critiquing the driver of the camera car, accusing him of crossing the double yellow...not knowing the camera also shoots backward, making it look like it's traveling the wrong way. As this news makes its way across blogs and forums, irrelevant comments will quickly appear about how there is no way to ride this road without a parade of Harleys holding up others, or that there are too many sportbikin' squids that will kill you by lane crossing at every turn. Sigh.

Hopefully folks will learn from honest motorcyclists that while there is danger (which is important to be aware of), the Dragon can wholly be enjoyed when its quiet, when there are no police, and when there are only a few vehicles found on the entire 11-mile section of 129. In Why They Ride, you'll see a segment that warns of danger and you'll see views of the road where no cars or bikes are seen for curve after curve after curve. There are no claims that it's the best road in the universe either, but we believe it must be one of the most special motorcycling roads out there. There, you'll find the intimacy of you, your bike and the road (pure motorcycling), but just as fun is the fellowship with the many motorcyclists who see the value of the Dragon and its surrounding area. Often, the focus is placed on the mere 11 miles...not the hundreds of miles of roads immediately around them and the good people that ride them.

If you're curious about what it would be like to walk the Dragon, check out its new Street View and watch out for squids riding 100mph crossing the double yellow on blind curves and don't click too fast because one of the 50 police cars may ticket you. Just kidding. :) Enjoy the sunshine, the curves, the trees, and the mountains...