Monday, August 30, 2010
From Chop Cult:
Lee Bender and the Ride For Lightning
Lee Bender is a skateboarder and professional vagabond. Raised in Indiana, Lee split his time between Arizona, Oregon and the road for years and eventually settled in the San Francisco Bay area. An Evo Sporty is his bike of choice. Inspired by a friend's rigid XL he sold off most of his old Honda stash a few years ago and bought his first Gnarly Davidson. A run-in with a distracted broad in an SUV left him with fewer injuries than a good skate session, but the insurance was enough to fund the construction of his new bike, another Evo Sporty. Lee's the first one to tell you he's no master fabricator. His bike was built by Rudy at Foundry Moto and has been a reliable road companion ever since. In 2007, Lee was diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis. The SUV didn't slow Lee down, and neither will MS.
MS is a disease which among other crippling symptoms includes loss of balance, numbness, vertigo and loss of coordination. Basically, it messes with all the motor skills needed to do the things that are central to Lee's life: skating, and riding motorcycles. There is an operation that Lee believes will help his condition, but it's not legal in the United States. Here's how Lee describes the operation:
It's called the Liberation procedure. An Italian doctor named Zamboni diagnosed his own wife with MS about five years ago. He said, "Fuck it, I'm gonna stop what I'm doing and figure this shit out." Well, a few months and a million and one tests later, he determined that his wife had narrowed jugular veins. Either from hereditary, or they were pinched between a muscle and bone. Dr. Zamboni opened the space where his wife's veins flowed and almost immediately she claimed that her hands and feet felt warmer. It made sense. Poor circulation to your body means cold parts, right? Basically, they feed a wire into your vein to the narrow part and either blow it up with a balloon or they insert a stent, which is like a chinese finger cuff and they leave it in place where the narrowed vein was. It returns the bloodflow back to normal and you are golden. So, a week or so later, her balance started getting better and her cognitive issues cleared up. She was seemingly back to normal. Amazed at his discovery, he tried this on a select group of his own patients from his personal practice in Italy. He found that some ridiculous percentage of patients with MS had narrowed veins, but not all. Keep in mind that MS is one of the most misdiagnosed diseases known to man. Anyhow, I forget the percentage, but close to 90 percent or more of his patients with MS that had the Liberation procedure started getting better. Balance, vision, numbness, etc. decreased, so the word slowly spread about this new technique. Some neurologist scoffed and really most people looked down on Dr. Zamboni and didn't believe his claims. Think about it, years and years of school, and practice, being brainwashed that one thing is one way, then having the rug pulled out from under you. We've all been there at one point I'm sure. So I can understand the medical world's speculation but, give it a chance, right? Slowly but surely, it's spreading. Poland, Bulgaria, India, even here in the States they are doing a study, but it's for ten people and it has already started. The hoops and red tape the FDA makes people jump through are generally understandable, but this is an old procedure, the same as angioplasty used on stroke victims. There's nothing different, it's not new, but since there will be 9.7 billion dollars lost per year by the four drug companies that make MS meds, it's banned, outlawed, looked down upon, etc. Now I'm not one to jump on a get fixed quick scheme, but, I personally met someone, a friend of a friend that had MS. See how I said the word "had"? She went to Poland and paid to have her veins ballooned open, and same deal as the Italian doctor. Her vision became more vivid, her numbness and fatigue went away. I got an email from her saying she was doing backflips on her trampoline the other day. Something there's no way I could even think of doing today as a reasonably healthy 31-year-old. So yeah, sign me up.
Frustrated by Lee's situation, friends, skate- and motorcycle-industry coleagues and fans have rallied around him with various fundraising activities. ChopCult member Tim from Death Science (also a Revenge Run organizer) got wind of Lee's need and decided to put his energy to work with an event that could scare up some dough and pitch into the pot. There is a thread with all the details here but the broad strokes are this: Ride around the Carolinas for a couple days on old moonshining roads, camp out one night, then wrap it up day two at a bar with bands, booze and broads. The dates are October 15-16, 2010. There will be a massive raffle, and with a sponsor list like these guys have, nearly everyone is coming home with some good swag. You can details, sign up in advance and purchase swag on the Ride for Lightning blog. We'd like to wish Lee good luck and urge you to support the cause and help a fellow rider if you can/
Lee Bender and the Ride For Lightning
- 8-30-2010
Lee Bender is a skateboarder and professional vagabond. Raised in Indiana, Lee split his time between Arizona, Oregon and the road for years and eventually settled in the San Francisco Bay area. An Evo Sporty is his bike of choice. Inspired by a friend's rigid XL he sold off most of his old Honda stash a few years ago and bought his first Gnarly Davidson. A run-in with a distracted broad in an SUV left him with fewer injuries than a good skate session, but the insurance was enough to fund the construction of his new bike, another Evo Sporty. Lee's the first one to tell you he's no master fabricator. His bike was built by Rudy at Foundry Moto and has been a reliable road companion ever since. In 2007, Lee was diagnosed Multiple Sclerosis. The SUV didn't slow Lee down, and neither will MS.
MS is a disease which among other crippling symptoms includes loss of balance, numbness, vertigo and loss of coordination. Basically, it messes with all the motor skills needed to do the things that are central to Lee's life: skating, and riding motorcycles. There is an operation that Lee believes will help his condition, but it's not legal in the United States. Here's how Lee describes the operation:
It's called the Liberation procedure. An Italian doctor named Zamboni diagnosed his own wife with MS about five years ago. He said, "Fuck it, I'm gonna stop what I'm doing and figure this shit out." Well, a few months and a million and one tests later, he determined that his wife had narrowed jugular veins. Either from hereditary, or they were pinched between a muscle and bone. Dr. Zamboni opened the space where his wife's veins flowed and almost immediately she claimed that her hands and feet felt warmer. It made sense. Poor circulation to your body means cold parts, right? Basically, they feed a wire into your vein to the narrow part and either blow it up with a balloon or they insert a stent, which is like a chinese finger cuff and they leave it in place where the narrowed vein was. It returns the bloodflow back to normal and you are golden. So, a week or so later, her balance started getting better and her cognitive issues cleared up. She was seemingly back to normal. Amazed at his discovery, he tried this on a select group of his own patients from his personal practice in Italy. He found that some ridiculous percentage of patients with MS had narrowed veins, but not all. Keep in mind that MS is one of the most misdiagnosed diseases known to man. Anyhow, I forget the percentage, but close to 90 percent or more of his patients with MS that had the Liberation procedure started getting better. Balance, vision, numbness, etc. decreased, so the word slowly spread about this new technique. Some neurologist scoffed and really most people looked down on Dr. Zamboni and didn't believe his claims. Think about it, years and years of school, and practice, being brainwashed that one thing is one way, then having the rug pulled out from under you. We've all been there at one point I'm sure. So I can understand the medical world's speculation but, give it a chance, right? Slowly but surely, it's spreading. Poland, Bulgaria, India, even here in the States they are doing a study, but it's for ten people and it has already started. The hoops and red tape the FDA makes people jump through are generally understandable, but this is an old procedure, the same as angioplasty used on stroke victims. There's nothing different, it's not new, but since there will be 9.7 billion dollars lost per year by the four drug companies that make MS meds, it's banned, outlawed, looked down upon, etc. Now I'm not one to jump on a get fixed quick scheme, but, I personally met someone, a friend of a friend that had MS. See how I said the word "had"? She went to Poland and paid to have her veins ballooned open, and same deal as the Italian doctor. Her vision became more vivid, her numbness and fatigue went away. I got an email from her saying she was doing backflips on her trampoline the other day. Something there's no way I could even think of doing today as a reasonably healthy 31-year-old. So yeah, sign me up.
Frustrated by Lee's situation, friends, skate- and motorcycle-industry coleagues and fans have rallied around him with various fundraising activities. ChopCult member Tim from Death Science (also a Revenge Run organizer) got wind of Lee's need and decided to put his energy to work with an event that could scare up some dough and pitch into the pot. There is a thread with all the details here but the broad strokes are this: Ride around the Carolinas for a couple days on old moonshining roads, camp out one night, then wrap it up day two at a bar with bands, booze and broads. The dates are October 15-16, 2010. There will be a massive raffle, and with a sponsor list like these guys have, nearly everyone is coming home with some good swag. You can details, sign up in advance and purchase swag on the Ride for Lightning blog. We'd like to wish Lee good luck and urge you to support the cause and help a fellow rider if you can/
Puttin in work.
I've been way busy the last few weeks but today I'm gonna get goin today on the trophys for the "End of Summer Bash" at Gilda's on the 11th.Not sure what they'll look like yet,but we'll see what I can dig up!
I found these on boneheadcustomz.com just to give you an idea what I'm doin!
I've been way busy the last few weeks but today I'm gonna get goin today on the trophys for the "End of Summer Bash" at Gilda's on the 11th.Not sure what they'll look like yet,but we'll see what I can dig up!
I found these on boneheadcustomz.com just to give you an idea what I'm doin!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Drag-N In The 50's
Epping, NH August 29th
The 24th Annual Drag~N in the 50's Nostalgia Drags and show at New England Dragway . Open to ALL Hot Rods, Muscle Cars, and Kustoms ?69 and older. Nostalgia drags for Hot Rods, Kustoms. Five race classes plus ?Run only?, s...how classes with trophies, and merchandise awards. $35 for car and driver, $20 car and driver to show, and $10 crew or spectator, which includes a pit pass. Gates open at 7:30 AM. Anyone who would like an NSRA inspection of his or her rod, Ken Wakefield, the New Hampshire NSRA Inspector will be on site.
THERE WILL BE A USED PARTS ONLY SWAP MEET THERE, TOO
Hosted by the Mass Street Rod Association. Info, call
603-679-8001 or More
Half way there...
So I left for the Gypsy Run yesterday morning.The plan was to ride out to the first camp site,stay the night and come back Sat.I stayed up late the night before getting everything ready and strapped on the bike and tightening everything up for the trip.Fri. came and Everyone that said they were goin had bailed out and but I said fuck it and planned to go solo.I put the GPS on my phone on, stuck the ear buds in and put the helmet on.I got out passed New Bedford and stopped for gas and a water,that I left on the pump.I got back out on the highway for another 30 miles and shit went south.The tap screw I made to hold my pipe on came loose and flew out,the tank was leakin a bit and there was a ticking that was gettin worse on the right side of the motor.That could be do to the incident after the Run to the Rock a few weeks back when I had lost every drop of oil on the way home!Hear I am out past Providence,R.I. alone with a GPS I can't hear,a ticky motor and a leaky tank debating to keep goin or just give up and head home.Well I hate to say it but I caved a headed back home.I figured it was better to quit now than have the motor blow and be laid up with no bike for months.Anyway I headed for Gilda's for a cold one,or five.
I ran into Saunders,hope I'm spellin that right,From "Chopperhead" with his sick little Trumpet who was rippin down RT6 and spotted me sittin out front havin a smoke.
He says he can't make it but he'll tell the boys at the shop and get them to show up.After all this I ended up at the Halifax car show where I met up with a few buddy's and then rode down to Plymouth where we bar hopped for the rest of the night,where I woke up this morning at my buddy's place with a dead cell phone and I think a pissed of girlfriend at home,she won't talk to me so I ain't sure...
- Fuck it,there's always next year!
So I left for the Gypsy Run yesterday morning.The plan was to ride out to the first camp site,stay the night and come back Sat.I stayed up late the night before getting everything ready and strapped on the bike and tightening everything up for the trip.Fri. came and Everyone that said they were goin had bailed out and but I said fuck it and planned to go solo.I put the GPS on my phone on, stuck the ear buds in and put the helmet on.I got out passed New Bedford and stopped for gas and a water,that I left on the pump.I got back out on the highway for another 30 miles and shit went south.The tap screw I made to hold my pipe on came loose and flew out,the tank was leakin a bit and there was a ticking that was gettin worse on the right side of the motor.That could be do to the incident after the Run to the Rock a few weeks back when I had lost every drop of oil on the way home!Hear I am out past Providence,R.I. alone with a GPS I can't hear,a ticky motor and a leaky tank debating to keep goin or just give up and head home.Well I hate to say it but I caved a headed back home.I figured it was better to quit now than have the motor blow and be laid up with no bike for months.Anyway I headed for Gilda's for a cold one,or five.
I ran into Saunders,hope I'm spellin that right,From "Chopperhead" with his sick little Trumpet who was rippin down RT6 and spotted me sittin out front havin a smoke.
He says he can't make it but he'll tell the boys at the shop and get them to show up.After all this I ended up at the Halifax car show where I met up with a few buddy's and then rode down to Plymouth where we bar hopped for the rest of the night,where I woke up this morning at my buddy's place with a dead cell phone and I think a pissed of girlfriend at home,she won't talk to me so I ain't sure...
- Fuck it,there's always next year!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
It's Alive...Again!
Shipyard Brewing Co. Pumpkinhead ale is back!
I got 2 6's,ya a 12 pack, waitin on me at the packie right now!
Also check out the release party at:
Pumpkinhead Release Party
Shipyard Brewing Co. Pumpkinhead ale is back!
I got 2 6's,ya a 12 pack, waitin on me at the packie right now!
Pumpkinhead Release Party
Machete - Official Trailer [HD]
Oh Hell Ya!!!
If you were old enough to go see "Grindhouse" when it came out a few years back then you remember the trailers in the middle between "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof".
One of which was "Machete".The trailers were meant to be fake and funny as hell but it turns out they have done the right thing and made this one into a full length feature!The main character is Danny Trejo,
Ya,the Mexican dude with the girl tattooed on his chest,who you have to know from all of his A and B movies like "Dusk till Dawn" and "Desperado".This looks to be the best movie since
"The Godfather"!
It's like the Punisher,Desperado and Grind House all in one!Danny Trejo rules!I can't wait.My boy and me in CA...
So I've been in CA. for the last week with the ol' lady and my boy.I haven't been able to see my boy since his 7th birthday back in March of this year so this was by far the most fun I have ever had in L.A. and he had a blast too,I know this because he told me every day.Here are a few pics so you get the idea...
Century Cycles stop
After the "Run to the Rock" on the Vineyard last week I lost my inspection cap off of my intake valve on the Trumpet.Since I was going to be in So-Cal I knew if I made a stop at Century in San Pedro,CA. I'd find one and almost anything else I needed at the shop.Tim's a good guy and has a great place out there located at 1640 S. Pacific Ave.
The shop was featured in the "Harbortown Bobber" movie from One World Studios,The makers of "Choppertown". He had the cap I needed and a bunch of other cool shit I could use and let me snap some pic's of the shop.If your out there in the L.A. area go check them out and take a good walk around the shop,You never know what is sittin on a shelf in the corner or on the wall or where the bike on the floor came from in this place!
Century Cycles
and check out the blog at:
www.centurymotorcycles.blogspot.com
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
One Hot Mama...
I have confirmation that this smokin hot woman,and friend of mine,will be a judge for thebike show at the "End of Summer Bash" this Sept 11th at Gilda's Stone Rooster in Marion,MA.
Plus,she says she'll bring some friends with her...See you there!
Check her out @:
www.iammischief.com/enter
or
www.facebook.com/MissMischiefChaos
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