Indian is a well-known motorcycle brand with a long history. The hosts are talking about a time when Indian motorcycles weren’t being made, and how that impacted the brand’s image and culture.
Polaris is a company that makes a lot of off-road and powersports vehicles. In this conversation, it’s mentioned mainly as a comparison, not because of a specific motorcycle part or model.
DEI training is a kind of workplace training about diversity and fairness. Here it’s brought up as a comment about company priorities rather than anything related to riding or motorcycle engineering.
Car
new M8s
“M8” is Harley-Davidson’s modern engine used in a lot of their bigger motorcycles. The speaker is saying the newer M8 versions are very strong, and they’re also talking about how the engine is cooled.
An air-cooled engine uses moving air to carry heat away from the engine. It’s different from water cooling, which uses a liquid and radiator to manage temperature.
Indian is a motorcycle brand that makes big cruiser-style bikes. In this conversation, the host is comparing Indian bikes to Harley’s M8s, especially in terms of how they’re cooled.
Overhead cam means the engine’s camshaft is up in the top part of the engine head. The speaker is wondering if these bikes use that kind of valve setup.
Car
1977 shovel head
A “shovelhead” is a Harley-Davidson engine type. It’s called that because the top part of the engine looks like a shovel, and 1977 is the model year the rider is talking about.
The frame is the motorcycle’s main metal structure. It’s what holds the engine and wheels in the correct positions, so without the right one, you can’t finish the bike.
The drivetrain is the power path from the engine to the wheel. If you’re building a bike from parts, you need the right drivetrain so the engine can actually move the bike.
A dyno is a testing machine for engines. It measures how much power the engine makes, and it’s often used to help tune a bike so it runs right.
Term
Evo diners
“Evo” usually means a Harley-Davidson engine generation known as the Evolution motors. They’re talking about using Evo-based parts for the build and how that choice affects what they can or want to do.
“Evo motor” means the Evolution-era Harley engine. They’re saying it’s a bit intimidating to work with, likely because it’s more involved than the alternatives.
A “twin cam” engine has two camshafts that control the engine’s valves. More camshafts often means the engine can be tuned to breathe and rev more efficiently than older single-cam setups.
“Evos” is shorthand for Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution cars. They’re performance cars that many people modify, and the hosts are saying they can be more complicated to work on than the bike they’re discussing.
Car
FXRs
“FXRs” are Harley-Davidson motorcycles from the FXR line. The speakers are basically saying it’s a common stepping-stone bike for learning how to ride and work on bikes.
The “primary” is the part of the motorcycle that transfers power from the engine to the gearbox. If it’s assembled wrong, it can leak, so the fit and tightening order matters.
Term
torqued together in a sequence
This means you tighten bolts in a specific order, not randomly, and to the right tightness. Doing it wrong can shift parts out of alignment and lead to leaks.
The transmission is the gearbox that helps send power from the engine to the wheels. If it isn’t lined up right during assembly, you can end up with problems like leaks.
A case breather is a vent that lets unwanted engine gases escape from inside the engine. It helps keep the crankcase from building up pressure and can affect how clean and consistent the engine runs.
A head breather is a way of venting engine gases through the top of the engine (the cylinder head area). The goal is to control pressure and fumes so the engine runs cleaner and more consistently.
“Gen 2” means a newer generation of an engine design. In this case, the speaker says Harley changed the breather setup so it doesn’t use the same head-breather arrangement.
Term
solid ports
“Solid ports” means the openings aren’t left open for venting. The idea is that it prevents engine vapors/oil mist from escaping in unwanted places.
A trans cover is a cover over the transmission area. Different cover designs can change how things vent or how oil and fumes behave around the transmission.
Person
Nick Trask
Nick Trask is mentioned as someone associated with an aftermarket design idea. The host is saying other people took inspiration from that concept for a similar transmission-cover setup.
Concept
aftermarket inspires
The speaker is saying the aftermarket (custom parts and experiments) can teach the main manufacturer what works. Then the manufacturer may copy or adapt those ideas in future models.
The Honda Civic is a small car made for everyday driving. It’s popular because it’s usually efficient and easy to live with. When someone mentions it, they’re often using it as a familiar example of a regular, common car.
When someone says “torque that bolt,” they mean tighten it to a specific tightness, not just “as tight as you can.” Using the right tightness helps keep the part secure and avoids damaging the bolt.
Rear shocks are the parts at the back that help the vehicle absorb bumps. If they’re adjusted too low, the bike can sit differently and things like cables and wiring can end up too close or in the wrong place.
Tail lights are the lights on the back of the vehicle. When you modify a bike or car, you often have to re-mount them and route the wiring so everything fits cleanly.
Wiring is the set of electrical cables that run power to things like lights. When you change parts on a build, you may need to move the wiring so it doesn’t get damaged or interfere with other components.
“Fit and finish” means how well everything lines up and how nicely it’s put together. It’s about the details—like straight mounting, clean edges, and tight gaps.
“Attention to detail” means thinking through the small stuff so the build comes out right. It’s about planning ahead so you don’t have to redo things later.
“Bolt on” parts are the kind you install with bolts using existing holes or mounts. The speaker is saying this build wasn’t just that—it needed more custom fitting.
“Tank fitted up” means getting the fuel tank mounted in the right spot. On a custom build, that’s important so it fits safely and doesn’t interfere with other parts.
Term
finishing the neck
“Finishing the neck” means finishing the front steering area of the frame. That area matters because it affects how the bike steers and how everything lines up.
Term
14 different bolts
“14 different bolts” means there are a lot of separate fasteners involved. In a custom build, that usually means more chances for fitment or assembly mistakes if you don’t plan carefully.
“ARP” usually means upgraded, high-strength bolts used in performance builds. They’re meant to hold parts together more reliably, but they can be hard to fit in tight or awkward spots.
Term
breather bolts
Breather bolts are small vents on the engine that let pressure and gas escape. If you change them, you can change how the engine “breathes,” which can make it feel or run differently.
Stunt riding is when a rider does special, difficult motorcycle moves on purpose. It usually demands a bike setup that can handle lots of stress and very precise control.
Bike building is the hobby of customizing motorcycles. People do it to create a bike that fits their style—like stunt riding or a certain look—and they often swap parts to make it work better for that use.
A wheelie is when you ride a motorcycle with the front wheel in the air. Stunters do it by using throttle and balance so the bike stays controlled instead of falling.
“Harleys” means Harley-Davidson motorcycles. They’re a famous brand of bike, and people sometimes use them for stunts like wheelies.
Brand
unknown
“Unknown” sounds like a group or brand the host is talking about. They’re saying this group made stunt riding look more polished by using really nice, fully finished bikes.
A full paint job means the bike gets completely repainted, not just touched up. The host is saying this made the stunt bikes look more impressive and professional.
Fuel injection is how a motorcycle/engine gets fuel into the cylinders. Instead of a carburetor, it uses electronically controlled injectors, which usually helps the bike start easier and run more smoothly.
A Thundermax tuner is a device you add to your motorcycle to help it run better after modifications. It helps adjust how the bike feeds fuel so it starts, idles, and pulls more smoothly.
RNS motorcycles makes aftermarket parts for bikes. In this segment they’re talking about custom upgrades like air filters, handlebars, wheels, and brakes.
Carbon fiber parts are aftermarket pieces made from a lightweight, strong material. People usually buy them for the look and sometimes to reduce weight, but they still need to fit correctly on your bike.
Bars and risers are parts that change your handlebar position. Adjusting them can make the bike feel more comfortable and easier to control on long trips.
Kabuto is a company that makes motorcycle helmets. Here, the host is saying their helmets are built for serious riding and racing, with features meant to help at speed.
A wake stabilizer is a shape on the helmet that helps control the air flow around it. That can make the helmet feel more stable when you’re going fast.
“Triple digit speeds” refers to speeds in the 100+ mph (or km/h equivalent) range. In helmet context, it signals the aerodynamic and stability claims are intended for very high-speed riding.
A composite shell means the helmet’s outer shell is made from special strong materials. The “lightweight” part helps reduce how heavy it feels on your head during long rides.
MIPS is a safety feature that helps reduce twisting forces on your head during a crash. It uses a special layer so the helmet can move a little in the right way.
Term
ACT tech
ACT tech is a safety-related feature inside the helmet that Kabuto uses. The host is saying it’s part of what helps the helmet protect you in a crash.
A full-face helmet covers your whole head, including your chin. The host is saying this one is built for MotoGP-style racing, where helmets need strong protection and good airflow.
They mean the liability insurance needed to put on stunt riding. Because it’s dangerous, venues often require expensive coverage before they’ll allow it.
“Liability” means who’s legally responsible if people get hurt or property is damaged. They’re saying venues worry about that risk a lot for stunt riding.
The “limiter” is the engine’s built-in RPM cutoff. It stops the bike from revving too high, and they’re saying they keep it near that limit while riding.
Term
e-commerce store
An e-commerce store is just an online shop. Instead of selling in person, you sell through a website and ship the items to people.
MMI is a school that trains people to work on vehicles, like motorcycles and cars. The speaker is basically asking if they teach this kind of class there.
They’re talking about how different people contribute to the motorcycle scene. Some build and modify bikes, and others ride them hard—stunts or long rides—and each puts different kinds of strain on the bike.
A “chopper” is a custom motorcycle style typically characterized by stretched frames, long front ends, and a laid-out, aggressive stance. Because the geometry is often changed for looks, choppers can feel less comfortable on long rides compared with more upright or sport-touring setups.
They’re talking about doing very long motorcycle rides across the country. The big idea is that comfort and your body matter a lot when you’re riding for hours and days.
Term
skinny tire dyna
A “skinny tire dyna” is basically a Harley Dyna with a narrower tire than usual. People do it for a different look and a different feel when riding.
“Big suspension” means upgrading the shocks/forks to change how the bike rides and sits. In this conversation, it’s part of the trend toward more extreme, show-and-go style builds.
“Baggers” are touring motorcycles with built-in storage—usually saddlebags. The hosts are talking about how people can customize them a lot now, but it can feel less unique.
Mid controls means the foot pegs and controls are mounted more toward the middle of the bike. That changes your riding position and how easy it is to operate the shifter and kick-start.
Kickback is when the bike “kicks back” during kick-starting and can jerk your leg. It usually happens when the kick isn’t done smoothly through the full motion.
A “hill climb machine” is a motorcycle that’s especially suited to climbing steep grades, typically because of its torque delivery, gearing, and traction. The speaker is using it as a performance description rather than a specific model.
Suspension is the system with shocks that helps the front end handle bumps and keep the tires on the ground. “Stock” means it’s the factory setup, not upgraded.
A fuel cell makes electricity from fuel using chemistry, not a traditional engine combustion process. If someone says they’re building one, it usually means a big custom energy setup for the bike or vehicle.
A swing arm is the rear arm that holds the back wheel and lets it move when you hit bumps. Changing its length can change how the bike feels and handles.
Off-road means riding on dirt or rough trails instead of smooth pavement. It’s harder because the tires don’t grip the same way, so the bike handles differently.
Car
Africa twin
The Africa Twin is a Honda adventure bike that’s meant to handle both pavement and dirt. Here it’s mentioned because its seating and feel are more compact than the bigger bike being discussed.
“Hop a curb” means bouncing the bike up onto the sidewalk edge instead of creeping over it. It’s a quick way to show whether the suspension and tires can handle bumps.
“Fire roads” are dirt roads used by crews to reach wildfires. Riders use them because they’re off-pavement but usually not as technical as tight trails.
“Crown King” is a place they want to ride to on dirt/off-road routes. It’s mentioned as one of the destinations for testing the bike’s capability.
Place
Sheep's Bridge
“Sheep’s Bridge” is another spot they want to ride to. They’re using it as an example of the off-road/back-road places they plan to explore.
Concept
back road camping
“Back road camping” means riding to smaller roads and camping during the trip. It usually implies you’re set up to carry camping gear and stay out for a while.
A cruiser is a motorcycle style designed for comfortable, laid-back riding, especially on longer trips. Here, they’re saying aftermarket parts mostly made it more like a typical cruiser instead of turning it into a more hardcore adventure bike.
An adventure bike is made for both regular roads and rougher trails. In this discussion, the point is that the bike’s setup and parts don’t always carry over cleanly to a more street-oriented version.
Term
ST
“ST” usually means sport-touring—bikes meant to be fun to ride but also comfortable for longer trips. The speaker is basically saying they reworked the bike to be more road-trip friendly.
A fairing is the front “shell” on a motorcycle. An “ST fairing” is a specific style meant to help with wind and also give the bike a sportier, more streamlined shape.
Car
Fat Bob
The “Fat Bob” is a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. It’s a cruiser bike with a bold look, and here they’re talking about adding a fairing to customize it.
Ativan Black is the name of the fairing they bought. They’re saying it looks good and costs less than the more expensive option they compared it to.
LIVE
Hey, what's up, everyone?
Welcome back to the Fast Life Podcast.
On today's episode, we're sitting down with Trent from Cruiser Originals.
Trent is an absolute beast on a motorcycle.
His stunt riding is a spectacle to watch.
His bike building skills are growing as we speak.
And he's somebody that I've come to admire in the last couple of years that I've known
him.
I'm stoked about having him on this podcast with you guys here today.
Guys real quick, before we get into this episode with Trent, just want to give a shoutout to
my sponsors that help keep this show alive and going for you guys.
ThunderMax USA, big shoutout to them.
If you're going to be in Sturgis this year, go check them out at Black Hills Harley-Davidson.
They're going to be installing tuners right there on the spot and they're going to get
you covered with all that good stuff.
Also give them a follow on Instagram at ThunderMaxEFI and you can check out their website at
ThunderMax.com.
Also my guys over at Kabuto Americas, they are the helmet that I've been rocking that
I am in love with right now.
I'm currently in the process of painting my arrow blade that I'll be rocking at Sturgis
this year.
So if you're interested in their helmets, you want to upgrade to some high quality Japanese
made helmets.
Give them a follow, Kabuto Americas on Instagram at KabutoAmericans.com.
If you guys are looking for a newer used motorcycle, Cowboy Harley-Davidson has you covered.
Check them out online at CowboyHDAustin.
I think that's their Instagram and then Cowboy Harley-Davidson with, hold on, hold on.
I had all this memorized but I messed up right there in my bed, my bed.
CowboyHDAustin on Instagram and CowboyHarleyAustin.com.
See I was close.
Also if you guys are looking for new parts for your bikes, Arlen S Motorcycles has you
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I run them on all of my bikes and if you want to get dialed in with some stuff for your
bike, you can use the Fast Life 10 offer code which is going to save you 10% on these purchases.
And trust me, when you're getting things like wheels, the front suspension stuff, front
forks, all these things, brakes, that 10% will go a long way for you guys so you're welcome.
If you or somebody who knows been in a motorcycle accident, you need to give law tires a chance
to go out there and fight for you.
1-800-LawTigers, if you, again, somebody you know has been in a motorcycle accident, give
them a call.
First call you make before you call the insurance, before you get all of them involved, get them
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So check them out.
1-800-LawTigers, give them a call, follow online.
Now let's get into this episode with Trent from Cruiser Originals.
Hey guys, you ready to let the dogs out?
Fast life, car for cats.
Fast life, car for cats.
What years in the last 120 years did Indian motorcycles not be in production?
Primarily, 1953 through 1998, pretty much were nonexistent.
They were importing foreign, mostly Asian motorcycles and rebadging them.
All right, I'm trying to, key high eight is period.
That's part of the synopsis here.
Yeah.
In the last 120 years, i.e. roughly 106 to 2026, the main gap is 45 to 46 years between 1953
and 1998, which I would also say is probably the key years where Harley Davidson submitted
themselves in the culture and became more than just a product.
Definitely.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
All the lifestyle built behind it was in those years that they weren't around.
Yeah.
So I don't know, man.
Like it's a bold thing for them to.
That's a crazy video for them to put out.
I don't know who thought that was a good idea or what, but that is a
insane video for them to put out when you could do 30 seconds of research into Indian
motorcycles and realize they're, if not worse, but doing the same shit.
Yeah.
Like Polaris doesn't have DEI training.
It's, you know, if that's your whole thing, like, come on, man.
Well, I've been saying that, like, I don't know that I've ever purchased a motorcycle based on
any, on who runs the company or what the CEO board is about.
And, you know, like a lot of people probably do, especially over the last couple, like 10
years or so with everything being so radicalized, maybe they are like trying to make a political
statement with their purchases, but I'm fucking not.
I'm riding motorcycles.
I think most people that ride motorcycles aren't thinking about who they voted for.
Exactly.
Like, you know, and, you know, I mean, I commented on that post and said, like, there's always,
there's always another suit, you know, that that that goes on behind doors will never open.
Yeah.
But it, it, what matters is the motorcycle and the product that they put out.
And in my opinion, Indians are trash.
I,
you know, that's my opinion.
Dude, the bikes are trash.
There's no real culture behind an Indian motorcycle unlike if you're comparing them to Harley.
Yeah.
I think that what they did was they chased stats.
Yes.
They wanted to build a bike that, that checked all these boxes on paper.
And I use this analogy last night in the FXR division podcast, which, you know, I was just
telling you, I don't know how good the audio is going to be on that.
But basically it's like, if you, if, if you were to take two homes and want, and just look at the
paper, you don't see the house.
This one has more acreage, more this, more that, all this stuff.
But this one has like the quality, the style, like where it's at the location.
There's more of a, like, you know what I mean?
Yeah.
But then you see them, the one on paper is like, oh, okay, this is garbage.
Yeah.
It has everything on paper, but it doesn't fucking check the box of like,
why am I drawn to this house that doesn't have all the amenities that that one has?
Yeah.
Yeah.
The one on the left is in Paradise Valley, the one on the right is in downtown Phoenix.
Good analogy.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I don't get the, I think it was tasteless.
100%.
I don't get the slander behind it.
Yeah.
Like I don't get the, the, the attacking aspect of it.
I think that's corny.
Yeah.
I mean, it's, it, I think it also, it goes with today's like climate of like
just being brash out, like just straight up being rude, you know what I'm saying?
Yeah.
As a way of like combating it.
It's like, yes, I think Indians doing well on the racetrack.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
I was really watching.
Yeah.
Whatever.
That's neither here nor there, but yeah.
You know, whether they're winning or not, like I, like I said, on paper, yeah, those bikes are
performing crazy.
Good.
You know, but the new M8s, the Gen 2s are fucking right there, but they're still more
air-cooled than they are water-cooled as opposed to the Indian bikes or straight water-cooled bikes.
Yeah.
Are they overhead cam too?
Or are they so?
Yeah.
I don't know anything about them, but.
I've, I got to go ride them.
I got to go be a part of one of the press release things and it was, it was a good bike to ride.
Like, but I wasn't drawn to it.
Same thing I sold.
I told the people at Indians like, I appreciate you guys bringing me out.
This was a great experience.
I have a different respect for these bikes now.
Yeah.
But I still don't know if I would ever walk into a dealership.
Yeah.
And so I think that's the biggest thing is like, they're missing something on the Indian side.
And maybe it is at 50-something years.
It's the culture.
It's the deep roots of culture.
Yeah.
That you can't just buy or put money into.
I mean, I'm on my 1977 shovel head right now, riding across the country.
And that's something that people on Indian can't say.
No.
You know?
Yeah.
Nothing.
Yeah.
Dude.
I said last night, Triumph's, a Triumph motorcycle has more embedded culture as culture behind it.
100%.
The Indian does.
Yeah.
You go to Europe, dude.
Yeah.
I bet.
Triumph choppers are big here.
Like they have been, of course, over the last, you know, 60 years.
There is no real Indian.
And then Indian, when it did come back, it was like SNS motors and things like that.
I don't know.
And Gilroy, I think the Gilroy years.
Yeah.
So I was born there too.
For real.
Yeah.
Well, guys, we're sitting down with Trent from Cruzy Originals here.
I think it's, you know, it's kind of good.
We get to do a podcast with just the other guy.
The younger guy, right?
This is probably my first podcast on this level without Cruzy.
I'm a little nervous.
Not going to lie.
I'm honored.
Thank you for fucking doing this.
This is sick.
Well, I mean, dude, you've experienced a lot of growth in the last couple of years.
Not that I'm judging you by that, but like I see how like your progression of like you get
interested in something, you try it like photography, for instance, like you just kind of like
are floating through it and just being like, oh, that looks fun.
This looks and then you're learning and you're growing and you've been a part of all this.
Amazing rider.
Like appreciate that.
So there's lots of cool shit that you got your hands into.
So I fuck.
Why not?
You know what I mean?
Fuck me.
I mean, you're a huge inspiration, I think to a lot of people to myself.
I mean, this whole fucking bike right here is inspired by your FXR.
I just couldn't find an FXR cheap enough.
I was going to answer that.
I feel like Cruzy wouldn't let you.
I mean, he would shit talk me up and down for sure, but it really came down to like,
dude, I couldn't find a frame.
I couldn't find a bike.
I mean, I found many of them, but dude out here, people want to grand for a frame.
Like then I'd have to find a drivetrain.
Yeah.
And I have to, you know, so I found this dyno for 3500 bucks and I was like, okay,
there we are.
We all cut that in half.
Yeah, I think it's a good move.
You know, the diners look good chopped up and they're readily available.
Even the Evo diners, you know what I mean?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
An Evo dyno would have been sick to do the Evo motor kind of intimidates me a little bit.
I've never worked on them.
Yeah.
I've never worked on anything older than a twin cam.
There's also that aspect.
I'm pretty green in this whole industry.
Dude, I am as well.
Like I mean, I've had my fair share of evos, but I said this a long time ago, I think with
you guys on the podcast, the FXRs are just kind of a ride a passage type of bike.
And that it's the last year of a motor that I think that you actually have to measure.
You have to be a mechanic, dude.
Yeah.
You have to know what you're doing.
These things are easy.
They fucking click together like Legos.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Dude, you know, if you have a leak on one of these, it's like, bro, like what is wrong?
Yeah.
Where's it coming from?
Oh, right there.
Okay.
It's probably, it's probably something stupid.
You know, something you missed, but an Evo, it's a little more like, oh man.
The transmission, the motor, the primary all have to be aligned and torqued together in a
sequence so that the primary doesn't leak and alignment procedures and shit.
Not to mention in what like the 80s, one side of the case was manufactured somewhere.
The other case was manufactured somewhere else.
They never like really made us all kinds of different things.
But I mean, like the dyna years of the evos are pretty much the good years of evos.
The older like case breathers aren't bad at all either.
I've had plenty of them, but desirable, you know, head breather, you know, 92 to like 99.
Good, good.
I know Cruzy prefers a good case breather, which Harley just went back to case breathers on their
Gen 2s, didn't they?
I don't, I didn't know.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Cause they're, yeah, there's no head breathers in the Gen 2.
Those ports are just solid.
They stop boiling everywhere.
Yeah.
Fucking drooping old.
They took kind of a, I don't know if they did or not, but they took kind of a Nick Trask's
trans cover idea there.
Yeah.
That's how the aftermarket inspires, you know, the motor company.
They're paying attention.
Yeah.
The motor company's paying attention for sure.
That's one thing we learned going to homecoming and doing their whole like tour, the R&D facility.
Yeah.
How much they're really in tune with what's going on.
Like, yeah, I, I, Cruzy's had a bunch of rants about, you know, all these fucking engineers,
da, da, da, like this is such a shit design, but they're really like,
the way they're, they're manufacturing bikes is a lot different than how we would manufacture a bike
percent.
Yeah.
They're doing it for like the every man, you know, like,
Yeah.
And they're probably thinking about production, you know, production, durability, all that kind of
shit.
Like there's a lot more involved with it than I think that we definitely wouldn't understand.
But as far as aesthetics, I mean, it, you want them to give us a bike that's between
75 and 90% done.
Yeah.
And give me the ability to make, to do that last, you know, push to make it mine and make it
special.
Yeah.
You know, and I think that they, they, like I said, the new bikes are fucking phenomenal.
So much so that I kind of don't even feel like I'm riding it.
I think it's just riding me.
Yeah.
You're just the long for the ride.
I guess this bike, see, it's like a fucking Tesla.
Well, especially the shit you're used to riding, you know, like all the older shit you're used
to riding, you can help you hop on one of these new bikes.
You're like, man, this is two wheels away from a Honda Civic.
Pretty much.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's, it's super strange, but I mean, at the same time, like I do enjoy it.
Like I was saying when we got, when I got here, I'm like, I need to get this out of my system.
And then it's like, it's roadblood city for the rest of the year.
Yeah.
You know, I really want to dive into that and, and make it, you know, mild custom, make it cool,
rip it all over the country.
Yeah.
I like your thought process behind the build too.
Like you build it for a trip.
Yeah.
Most people are building it for a show, you know, they're like, trailer it over.
Sometimes the show is part of the trip.
It's part of the trip though.
Yeah.
But I don't know what it is, man.
I've always daydreamed while I'm working on the bike.
And I've been fortunate to take a lot of trips.
And so like, and having, I guess, a vivid imagination, if you will, like I can like,
oh, fuck that.
There's like a POV shot, like it's Grant that thought of me just like right down PCH.
Yeah, ripping.
Like dude, he looks sick.
And of course I'm way thinner in my mind.
Fair.
I'm like, no shirt on, just fucking live another dream.
Getting down.
Yeah.
But.
Hell yeah.
Just something because you know, those fucking nights, man, like, you know it,
like you're in it and it's like, is it going to work?
Is it going to start?
Am I going to make this deadline?
Am I going to make this show?
Is everything fine?
Did I torque that bolt?
Did I put that in right?
All that anxiety, it like makes it very, like it's a positive stress.
But then when you're finally doing the thing that you like wanted to do on it,
it's like, oh, hell yeah.
This is living.
Wow.
Like it was all worth it.
Yeah.
Which I was bummed I didn't get to take it on the tour, but I mean, I probably,
actually no, the rear shocks were too low to at the time I ripped the whole wiring for my tail
lights out of it on the test ride too.
There was that issue.
There was a lot that came about on the test ride that I didn't foresee, which it happens for sure.
What would you say like doing this build that you feel like you gained as far as like the mechanics,
the fabrication, like where was some areas that like you feel like you walked away with more knowledge?
The fit and finish.
Okay.
Like the attention to detail for sure.
I mean, riding like stunt bikes, I've built a few dinas, like fairly nice dinas,
all bolt on type shit, you know, but like the fit and finish actually thinking 10 steps ahead of
like, okay, I need to do this because my next step is this.
I mean, I don't know, man, there was so much that went into this that I don't,
I can't really think of off the top of my head, but like getting the tank fitted up,
finishing the neck, doing the frame, you know, I mean, I called you, we called you up probably
four or five times throughout that whole process.
Dude, is it just, yeah, the, the attention to detail on something like this is huge.
Yeah, it makes a difference.
I mean, you know, hardware is a big thing.
And once people start paying attention to hardware, that's like the most overlooked thing on bikes.
110%.
14 different bolts.
I mean, sometimes you have like, you can't, there's no bolt for that certain thing, or there's no
like, there's no good way to put the ARP in that.
Yeah.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Or, you know, the fucking, the breather bolts behind it, but at the same time,
to me, I feel like it's the most important part is just like that, because you could take a
stock bike and just change the bolts out and you're like, man, something's different about this.
Yeah, there's something about it.
Yeah.
For sure.
But yeah, I think that, I think that's like also, you know,
being, you know, or let me ask you this, like with you guys being so stunt heavy,
how has the transition, if you will, to like getting into other styles of bikes or bikes that
do other things, then ripping and running?
Like, is there like, how does that fit in with the, with the, it's refreshing, dude.
I think it's, I enjoy it because it's, it's still a learning process for me, dude.
I'm nine years into the industry.
You know what I mean?
Like I came in 2016 ish.
So that means shit, that'd be 10 years.
Fuck.
And my whole primary focus was stunt riding.
Like I didn't know, like, of course I knew the Yaffe's, the, you know, all the big names,
whatever that were on Discovery Channel, but I didn't know of like all the low key dudes and
like the whole culture behind bike building.
You know, I wasn't aware of it at all.
I got into this riding wheelies, you know, like, like doing that shit.
So learning all that is awesome.
I love that.
And just learning how to do all this shit is really my big takeaway from all of it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's, it's kind of crazy.
I always say that it's learning how to do this while also having a lot of eyes on you is kind of,
Oh, it's stressful.
It's stressful.
Yeah, dude.
Like with it all being on YouTube, like all my whole learning process is just being on the
internet.
It's, you know, you take it for what it is.
I don't, I don't care.
Like, you know, yeah, I didn't come from this.
Yeah.
I didn't come from this.
You know, when my uncle rides Harleys, he probably, he got me into motorcycles when I was a kid,
but like my dad doesn't ride.
My mom don't ride.
They don't know any of this, you know, I'm kind of just falling into it and
rolling with it as I go.
It's kind of crazy.
What was, how did you get into stunt riding?
Um, man, I mean, I grew up riding quads, wheeling quads, all that kind of shit.
And then I went to MMI and met this dude, Chris Foskey.
He showed me an unknown video.
So the classic shit.
Yeah.
Oh fuck, you can ride wheelies on Harleys, you know.
Then like a couple years later, I saw a Cruzy Originals video.
Saw Tallboy and Don riding wheelies in Phoenix.
Yeah.
That was three hours south in Nogales.
I was like, man, that's here in Arizona.
Like I need, I need a piece of that.
So, like came back up to Phoenix, met Cruzy, did that whole thing and I kind of never left.
And then it kind of just took over my life.
Slowly.
Yeah.
The, the stunt scene here, it was like gnarly.
I mean, you're all talking about, was it sweet sea or something like that?
Sweet three.
Sweet three.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That like, that was the Harley stunt scene for sure was sweet three because like sport bikes
have been big forever.
Yeah.
You know, and sport bikes stunt scenes have been huge out here forever.
But like the Harley stunt scene definitely like, what am I trying to say?
Like grew or, you know, came out of sweet three that that shop Cruzy Originals for sure
up in North Phoenix.
Yeah.
The, that, you know, the unknown video that everybody like the first one when they were in
fucking like Oakland area, like classic video, super sick.
But then they did that second one where they had all that production that was, I think in
Phoenix.
Dude, it was in Tucson.
Tucson.
It was in Tucson and I was so, I wasn't mad, but I was like, fuck dude, they're riding all this.
Like I grew up down there, you know what I mean?
Like now we're South, but like Tucson was my main city.
I just grew up just rolling around like, man, to be sick to ride around here, ride around there,
fucking, you know, ripping down 4th Street up on Maine by the neon sign.
I'm like, God damn you, cocksuckers.
But I mean, it was sick.
It was sick that they came down and gave some light to Arizona.
Well, the production they had, you know, I think they had some helicopter shots.
Oh yeah.
Yeah.
You know, the, what was cool is that like what I remember, of course, guys, you understand,
like I'm not like, like, I don't know everything about the stunt world.
I just a casual viewer, if you will.
Yeah.
You know, and I remember around that time that a lot of people were, you know, I think what
was happening is that unknown came into the scene and they did it on really nice bikes in the air.
It had a vibe and a style to it, if you will.
But as far as like what people were doing stylistically, technically, was already starting
to go way above and beyond in like the 2017, 18, 19 timeframe.
Definitely.
You know, I mean, that's also like, so start Harley
Davidson stunt riding, I'm going to say, because sport bikes starting riding,
it's more about the tricks, I think, and what you can do and how sick you can make it.
But Harley stunt riding is more focused on style.
Yeah.
And it and having a nice bike, like I think that that's kind of gone by the wayside now
with Harley Davidson's is like unknown got so big and what they did was so impressive because
they were on bikes that weren't stunt bikes.
They had full paint jobs.
They were like dressed to the nines, you know, Al Big, Al Big.
Big Al.
Big Al.
That full build some sick bikes, you know, and they're all beautiful, like well done,
the fit and finish is pristine, you know, and they're all shredding those bikes.
And that's, I think that's what helped project it to that next like that next level.
And that's definitely gone by the wayside now.
I know you asked me before we started like the way it's going now, it's kind of gone away from
that. It's more everybody's focused on like the tricks, but not making it look clean.
You know, like I always, I always go back to Chris Joplin, Tray flipping El Toro,
because he had done it the year before, but he didn't land bolts.
He like kind of dragged his heel or something on it.
Didn't count it, you know, I'm like, that's important, you know, you got to go and stomped
it. When he stomped it, he's like, I Tray flipped El Toro, you know, the stoke behind it was just
that much more because he stomped it and rolled away.
Like, well, skateboarding is a great analogy for this because when I grew up in the skaters that
I watched, you could tell that certain dudes had a swagger to how they, they did their flips,
their tricks, their lands, like, and it just like, you know, dare I say down to like the way they
were dressed, it had a vibe and that dude's Tray flip looked 10 times cooler than that dude's.
Yeah, it's the same trick, but his looked way sicker.
Like it's the Olly, like the dudes, you know, the dudes that are just kind of in the air floating
versus like a dude that's like, I don't know, just fucking looking like it looks like a robot.
He looks like he's scared. You can see that, you know, and it's yeah, I always like day one song.
I don't know if you remember him, but he, you know, when he did the Rodney Mullen day one song
thing, like Rodney Mullen had like a very technical like thing that he did, but I don't know that he
really had the style. Day one made it look clean. Like he was like, oh, I was saying you just gliding.
Yeah.
But you know, that's a good, that's a good point. I think that the Harley thing,
I don't know, like what do you think about how like the ups and downs of the events and
do you do shows that like, like, I think that the stunt thing, and I'm projecting something
that I'd like you to like correct me or direct it. I think people started stunt riding and they
were trying to figure out how to monetize it and there's no really good way to monetize it.
No, I mean, unless you do like the unknown style thing, which is super hard to do, I think the
only other dude that's managed to get like breakthrough that is CJ with the concrete cowboys,
like with the beast and all that, like they've they've found a way to monetize it. CJ's done a
really good job marketing that whole thing. But I mean, everybody else dude, it's kind of just
gotten where like people are scalping shows, like doing it for cheaper, lying about having insurance,
that kind of shit, you know what I mean? It's just gotten, it's gotten so big to where I don't want
to say that it's a little played out, but it's definitely a little played out as far as like
this show thing and riding in parking lots and shit like that. And I mean, I don't know, it's
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at kabuto underscore americas on instagram. You know, like the the time frame of when you had like
junkyard Kenny and sit down Steve and you know, even when CJ was riding with those guys and
C bear was riding with those guys a lot like, you know, I was I've always been really close with
sit down Steve and just the shit that he would get into the felonies the trouble with the law and
there's that whole side of it. Dude, it's super illegal. It's reckless driving. Yeah, like,
yeah, you're not hurting anybody but yourself. But at the same time, like cops have a job, dude.
Yeah, it's it's their job to get you. It's your job to not get caught. You know, it's
yeah, I just wonder like, how does that like, you know, like, where does that go? There's not
it's like, it's not big enough to have like a league. It has any kind of real financial
bite backing behind it. Yeah, like say skateboard does, you know what I'm saying? Or
yeah, sponsors in skateboarding, because kids can go by boards like there's nothing.
There's nothing to sell in it. You know, like, I mean, I think y'all have had good success
like selling certain parts to make stunt riding more efficient on these bikes or whatever the case
may be. There's stuff like that. But where's the yeah, well, like Dunlop isn't getting behind it.
And like, yeah, there's no street league for, you know, like, yeah, there's no real league. There's
no X games for it. Like, it seemed like the brawl was kind of like probably one of the
when it was like put on by Bell, I felt like it was one of the more promising things because you
know, you had like the sturges thing and then I think they did some in San Diego and some other
spots. But even then it's like, it's not that much money, you know, to cover the cost to get there
to travel and all that. So it's more of like the it still has the name of like, a prestigious thing
to be a part of. Yeah, I mean, like it's still a cool thing to be a part of. But like, the money
backing isn't there like everybody thinks it is. That's the other thing too. People like, yeah, have
this like messed up notion or just kind of a weird thought that he's making all this cash off of it
and not paying out that kind of shit. You know, all these rumors going around. It's he's really
not making as much money as you think he was. Yeah, as far as like that went like once Bell and
Harley stepped out of it, it kind of it didn't go down. But I mean, it made it harder for him to find
a venue. You know, like that that's that's where the stunt riding thing meets this like brick wall
is finding a venue that will allow us to be there, give us the allotted space and let it happen. Because
I mean, it is a huge insurance, you know, like deal and like, it's a huge liability if one of these
bikes blows through a barrier, it like, you know, it could be real bad. Yeah. And I think that's where
it hits a huge brick wall. But I mean, I don't know, San Diego Harley has been behind it for the
past 10 years. He does one there every year. We bring it to Metro mayhem at our event here. Sturgis,
the Thunderdoms letting it happen again this year. So that's good. He's finding venues, but it's
definitely hard to find spots to make it happen. Yeah. And then you got your bike maintenance,
you know, which you're literally fucking doing the worst thing to the bike the whole time.
Yeah, hanging it off the limiter for two minutes at a time. It's throwing it on the ground and
shit. Yeah. I mean, it's a testament to Harley's are pretty durable. Yeah, they say they're unreliable
and whatever. I mean, I've held my dyno on limiter for a long time and it hasn't blown up. So like,
they can handle some shit. But I think like anything you think it just is going through a
wave or you know, you said earlier when I got in, like it's a new, we're in a transition period.
It's kind of we're saying. Yeah. Right. So where do you think we're transitioning out of and maybe
where would could we possibly go in just if I mean, not like I'm not holding him to the fire.
No, yeah. It's definitely a loaded question, but like these are feelings, not facts. Okay.
It's definitely going from like the older ways of things when social media wasn't so predominant to
like a social media era, like an influencer era. I mean, it like like it or not, it is what it is.
You know, like that's kind of just that's where everybody's getting their information. If they're
not on Instagram, it's on Twitter, X, whatever it is, you know, TikTok, everybody's, everybody's
getting their information through their phone. So it's like, if you're not there, you're not
really going to be seen. How do you feel like with the YouTube stuff being like obviously that
helps a lot when you're able to generate videos that captivate or capture, you know, tens of
thousands of people to watch each, each episode that helps like keep your face, keep your brand
in the limelight, if you will. But like Instagram is like kind of a different beast than like YouTube,
in my opinion. Yeah. Where Instagram is like there's not, it's kind of like a junk food in a way.
Definitely. And like the YouTube is where you can kind of put a meal together for somebody to like,
hey, this is substance of. Yeah. Instagram's like the quick fix, you know, YouTube's more of like
the sit down for dinner type thing, like you're saying. Yeah, definitely. But I, what I like
about Instagram is you can still kind of have that like artistic feel to it. Yeah. You know,
like you can still post sick pictures and they'll go off, you know, people will enjoy it and like it.
You could do like little 30 minute long, yeah, well choreographed video and it still does well,
you know what I mean? Like I like, that's what I like about Instagram. I like that whole creative
process, especially now that I've gotten kind of somewhat into photography and stuff like that.
I don't know if I'll ever consider myself a photographer. Yeah. But I do like taking pictures,
it's fun. I like posting about it. I always say this man, like it's just easier to,
to let other people bestow that upon you. For sure. You know, like, yeah, I've definitely said,
yeah, I'm a photographer before, but usually when people like, I don't know, it just feels
kind of weird pretentious to say it. Definitely. Same thing as like, what do you do? Oh, I'm an
airbrush artist or I'm a fucking this or yeah, like you just, I just want to say I'm in business.
Yeah. I'm in the some, you know, some, I don't know. I tell people I run an e-commerce store.
There. Because like, it feels like, because it's like, yeah, we build bikes. I technically,
professionally, I guess I'm a mechanic, but like, that's really not what we do on a day-to-day basis.
I run an e-commerce store and ship parts. You know, like that's at the basis of this class.
Do they have this class at MMI? No, no, not at all. They didn't. Fuck. Yeah, dude.
But I don't have to have like an online online, like fucking store, like how to,
you go to MMI and you learn how to do the online store thing and they're teaching everybody how
to put all the parts from drag on the website. Yeah. Yeah. How to link websites and shit. Yeah.
That'll probably be the part number memorization.
Some multiple choice like questionnaire at the end. Yeah. Fuck. I can't remember. Yeah. Did I
ask three? Is that this? But yeah, I don't know, man. It's a, I guess on my side of it, like,
I've always felt like what I kind of am more a part of in the motorcycle community, like separating,
like what I do on the bikes, right? Like you guys build them. You may need somebody to keep them on
the road. You trick them out, but then you go out there and you do tricks on them and you fucking
push them to limits. I've always felt like what I do is I go out and I push them across,
you know, the country, do trips. I'd say that's way harder on them than, I mean, I don't, I don't,
I don't know. I think what you guys do are way harder. It's more like, it's a different stress
on the bike, you know what I'd say? But I mean, I think it's harder to ride across country than it
is to ride a two minute session in a lot. You know, like that's, that's shit's tough, dude. Like,
I think it's accessible though. Like anybody could tell you. Anybody can do it for sure. Like,
there's a skill aspect to riding stunts that like you got to be that kind of wired person where
find, you know, learning to use the brake, get it to that point or get it up the ground,
get a little more balls, a little bit more balls. Yeah. Maybe loop it just say, okay, too much balls.
And then, you know, find, I think people underestimate putting miles down though, as far as like
what it takes to do, you know, they'll get on the freeway and then an hour later, they're like,
oh, fuck man, I don't feel good. Shit hurts, you know, my back hurts, my shoulders hurt.
Well, I definitely understand that there's definitely, there's a physicality aspect to it that
I guess, you know, is also something I chase, you know, like, like I said, doing it on the
chopper right now, you know, it's definitely not as comfortable as the FXR chopper was. And the FXR
chopper isn't as comfortable as the roguelite is. For sure. So there's that aspect, but there's also
this fucking like immense satisfaction when you get to your desk. Like when I made it to Phoenix
yesterday, like I was like, hell yeah, yeah, I did that. Dude, this and when I hit the Pacific in
another couple of days, yeah, there's going to be another aspect of like, wow, you know, like it,
it, it's not practical in this day and age, but also like doing these podcasts with people, like
you sit down with these old heads and they tell the stories of them doing it when they didn't
have cell phones or triple A or fucking yeah, dude, I'm like pulling out a map. Yeah. Like what
fucking where's you know, yeah, so it's like it's I wanted that experience of being able to like have
as close as I could possibly do that with someone that did it, you know, 30, 40 years ago on a bike
like this, you know, and that ain't for everybody though, straight up, like I like I said, I've been
riding these roguelites across the country for over 15 years. So that just doesn't check any
boxes for me, you know, what do you think about the scene? I mean, dude, you've been at this for
very fucking long time. It's like the direction it's going and shit. I think people like I've
been talking about it quite a lot in the recent podcast over the last year. So I think people
are just looking for something new in this, but they're kind of scared to go another direction.
Like because you you put so much of your you you wrap so much of your personality into whatever
thing you're doing on a Harley, I'm a stunt rider or I'm a performance bagger guy or I'm a this.
So when you start like your eyes start wandering to these other styles of bikes or doing something
different on a bike, you feel like, oh man, like I'm gonna have to answer to this on social media.
Yeah, because I thought you were this dude. Yeah, I mean, and definitely, I think there's a lot of
people in this position where they they want to have a roguelite to go do roguelite shit,
but they kind of want another bike that feels different. Yeah, but they don't know where to go.
It maybe it's an FXR, maybe it's a skinny tire dyna, maybe it's a chopper, you know,
or maybe it's an M8 chopper, you know what I mean? Yeah. But I think people are looking for a
different ride right now. There hasn't been much change. No, in the last since this whole performance
thing came about. And yeah, and like the racing thing, everybody wants the the big suspension,
the nice fancy bolt on parts and shit. I mean, it's really cool to have so much options now for
these baggers and the modern bikes, but it does feel a little bit more, there's not much to discover
in that anymore, I guess that's where it's, you know, not that I'm discovering anything on a
chopper, but I am personally because I've never been in that world. Yeah. So it's building like
an older bike like that is you put more personality into it, I think. Yeah. Like what you had is
such a box. Yeah, you know, yeah, like there's more, there's more of you in the bike, rather than
these newer stuff where it's just kind of like whatever parts you like. I don't know. It's hard
to say, right? Because it's like, you don't want to, you're not trying to show this because yeah,
I'm definitely because they're sick. Yeah, they're rad, you know, but it's just like, I don't know,
man, it's kind of washed out in a way. Yeah, it needs like a like it's boring. It's boring. Yeah.
That's that's where I'm at. Yeah. I'm just a little bored with it. Yeah. Yeah. You know,
and I don't know what else to do. I mean, I like I love bikes. I'm not, you know,
when I really think about like my time on motorcycles and all that, like I went from
sport bikes to big wheel baggers, big wheel baggers to diners and FXRs into, you know,
performance baggers. And now I'm working my way to choppers, right? So it's, it's like
finding a way to keep what I love doing on these bikes, feeling new. Yeah. I love traveling on
bikes. Like I'm also getting older where I don't know if I can travel like I used to. A little more
responsibility and shit like that. But adding photography to it made the experience different
because now I'm capturing things, you know, adding this YouTube element to it is adding a new
experience to it. A new, you know, like you're trying to like not recreate things, but like I've
done these trips before. And if I can figure out how to show it in the way that it feels,
yeah, or it's felt before that I feel like it'll be, I'll be proud of that. You know, whether it's a
fucking viral or not. Like, I don't know. I don't really care about that shit. I just want to make
good stuff. Yeah, dude, the whole viral thing. It's weird what goes viral and the shit that doesn't
go viral. Do you think it's based on what people actually want to see or what algorithms are?
It's got to be something with an algorithm or something. Because dude, I don't know, man.
There's people that'll post this, this weird ass shit. And you look at like the likes and the
comments and the shares and you're like, really? Yeah, like that, you know, but I mean,
I don't know. I'm not a bot. I'm not AI or you know, I don't control the algorithm. It's just,
it's strange to me what goes and what doesn't. What do you like the most about the motorcycle
culture that you capture through Instagram? Like, what is it that you like when you swipe on the
phone? You're like, oh, sick, you know? Oh, man. I like watching people have a good time, dude.
I like the good time aspect of it. You know, like looking at event recaps and seeing what happened
and you're like, oh man, that looks sick. Maybe I should go to that. That's what I like Instagram
for is seeing what's out there that I can watch from my living room and be like, all right, maybe
we go to that and then going and experiencing that and then it comes to life. That's what's
I think that's what it's about really. That's what Instagram is for. It's just ads for what's
going on. Yeah, it's ads for what you should get into. Yeah, that's a good way out there. Yeah.
Because you could sit there and just watch it. If you're just consuming all day, you know, you're
just sitting there and then you put your phone down, you look around and you're like, man,
it's boring, you know, but you could like, you know, you could look at it and be like,
all right, I'm going to plan to go to that next year, call your homies or call whoever, you know,
like, yo dude, we need to do this and then start planning for it. I think it's exactly that. It's
just a place that can be full of inspiration for you to find like, you know, a lot of things that
I've been into in the last, you know, almost 20 years now or 15 years have been inspired through
things or people I followed on Instagram. I was like, I didn't know that existed. That looks
sick. I want to try that. Yeah, dude, 100%. I didn't know that was a thing. I want to find out how to
do that now. Like, yeah, definitely. Yeah, that's it. So how is, like, since the growth of all this
through like doing the YouTube stuff, like how is it being involved in that? Like, is it more work
than, I really don't know what I'm asking here. I guess I'm just trying to get insight to what it's
like on behind the scenes, doing all the cruisey original YouTube stuff. It's kind of wild, dude.
It doesn't seem as big and grand, when we do it, you know what I mean? Like the videos we film in
here where we're just like messing around on a bike doing something stupid or like the old like
crafting with cruisey videos we used to do. We just get we used to get stoned and just build
shit, you know, like it didn't seem like it was that crazy. But then you go to like, we go to
events like Spring Fling in Arkansas or like TMMR and there's people that are like, dude, that video,
you know, they bring up old shit. And I'm just like, it reminds me of like,
holy shit, like, yeah, people watch this shit. And like, which I thank everybody for watching,
dude. I'm always like, thank you for watching, dude. Like it's it's sick. We're just dudes that
put shit on the internet and people seem to enjoy it, you know, which is cool. Yeah, I mean, it's a
good dynamic. I mean, obviously, cruisey, you know, the way he is, you know, oh, yeah, real extrovert,
real louder than, you know, bigger than Jesus personality, you know, definitely. I'm a little
more reserved, but I mean, you know, cruisey originals wouldn't be cruisey originals without
cruisey. Yeah, yeah. But I mean, you bring a balance to it. Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Seems like
he was bouncing all over the place until you came around. Little ying ying. Yeah, I definitely
get like, kind of wrangle them in. Hey, man, we need to focus on something. But yeah. Yeah. Hey,
you're right. There's the ideas that we can that you think of and then the shit that we
could actually pull off. Yeah, I'm more of the logistics guy of like, okay, let's take this
idea and like, see what we can do to make it happen. Really here in Texas, when you're ready to level
up your ride, there's only one dealership that I go to. And that's Cowboy Harley Davidson of Austin.
Whether you're looking to jump on a new 2026 model or a certified pre-owned Harley that's ready to go,
Cowboy has you covered genuine Harley parts, expert service by factory trained technicians,
finance options, all from the dealership that I have trusted to buy my last five motorcycles
in the past 10 years. Swing by or hit them up at cowboy, Harley Austin.com. And don't forget Cowboy
hosts weekly events. So follow them on Instagram at Cowboy HD Austin to get real time updates.
In one split second, your ride can turn into a fight for your life, your bike and your future.
That's when you want law tigers, the motorcycle lawyers to have your back. They're not just
attorneys, they're riders, real ones. They've been in the wind, they understand it, they know the
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And give them a follow on Instagram at Lawtigers. And once again, 1-800-LAWTIGERS,
the first call you make. Not as many controversial videos as like maybe the early days like the
Dino Ho. Yeah, I got nothing to do with that. That's, I think that's the YouTube getting to a spot
where he's kind of not like pulling, I guess pulling back a little bit on like the more
risque type stuff, mostly because YouTube won't push a lot of that. Like the YouTube terms of
terms of use or whatever they call it is always changing. Yeah. As far as like what they allow
to be pushed, but that's what we have our members only stuff for where we put stuff behind a pay
wall. So people pay for it and then there it kind of gets a little loose. But we're going to have a
podcast coming back on that too, which will be sick. Yeah. In fact, that's the way to do it. I mean,
it is very difficult trying to continue to monetize things like the podcast, you know what I mean?
Because you know, it's a weird world to navigate. Yeah. It's like people find value in it for sure.
But brands, you know, for the money that I need to run this thing, they can just put it on an
ad on Meta and get way more stuff for it. And so like the question that I've been kind of
opposing on a lot of these people that are in a position to support channels like myself,
y'all and things like that, is it with the lack of magazines now, like YouTube podcast is the way
that culture is spread, you know, Instagram as well, you know what I mean? But when someone can sit
down and listen to this podcast for, you know, an hour and a half, two hours, whatever it may be,
and get some insight, they hear the Trent story. So now they're like, well, fuck man, I'm kind of
in a similar spot than he was when he started. Maybe I can, maybe I can look at things in a
different way and put these pieces together and start building my life in motorcycles or something
like that. And that happens through hearing long form, hearing a story, watching a YouTube video.
And so if there's no way to fund that, and because crowdfunding fucking barely works, like,
dude, you're like, Hey man, support the podcast, we have a Patreon and it's like, well, I'm on
Patreon now, dance monkey. Yeah. And like, dude, that's supporting me so that I can go do the thing
that you get for free. Yeah. But now it's like, I got to show my butthole on here too. It's like,
doesn't fucking, I'd rather just sell drugs. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, dude, it's easier,
especially in this economy. But yeah, man, I don't know. It's a, it's a weird world to navigate the
old internet for sure. Yeah. I mean, we've been fortunate, like there's, you know, got to shout
like law tires and guys like that for supporting it. They still fuck with you guys, heavy. So,
you know, those those kind of brands are keeping a lot of this stuff alive monetarily. And I'm sure
you can attest to how much work and time has to go into making a YouTube video. Yeah. You know, like,
it's not like a, you know, oh man, I'm gonna record this real quick and then. All right, cool.
Bop, bop, bop, boom. Po, it's like, no, dude, you got to like, make a transcript, put out the whole,
like the whole back end of it too is, is, is huge. The editing too is a headache. So how, like,
how do y'all do y'alls now? Do y'all still have like a, an editor, a shooter? We just hired another
editor. Yeah. So we got this kid Grayson. He, he's actually filming a little FXR documentary for
FXR Bizarre. Oh, California. He just did a whole, he just did a ride out to the FXR Jam, I think
in New York. He wrote out with them there. They're doing the triple crown, I think. Oh yeah,
her, her, yeah. So he's going to film all that. But the kid's super good. We brought him to Tennessee.
He did our TMMR video and stuff. And so we, now we have him, but before it was Ryan and I would
pass the camera back and forth and then he would edit like after, so we would film like Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, and then he'd spend Thursday, Friday editing, loading it on YouTube because
we need to load the video 48 hours before it posts. So the bot can like go through the video and push
it or whatever. And then it goes live Sunday. So it's like, there's a lot on the back end of it
that now Grayson will probably pull a lot of that off of Creasy, but yeah, and finding an editor is
like, y'all have more options out here in Texas. We don't have shit. No. I mean,
I don't know. There's a, there's an aspect of like, I'm probably too controlling
to allow someone to do a creative process. No, it seems like you're running into the same
issue we were running into for media people. It's just they're not the most motivated
to work with. I've never had anybody, like everything I've done from the podcast to
it's all like one man show, like the YouTube going home editing, like it's all one man show,
partly because I love knowing that I don't have to rely on anybody else to produce something.
Yeah. But there's also an aspect of like, I wish that I had like the dynamic that you and
Creasy have or the way Lance has won or just having someone else in the shop.
Bounce back off. To bounce stuff on. So it's not like, well, I'm alone in a fucking building,
talking to a box in my hand. Yeah. But the way you put the videos together is really nice,
dude. Like it's, thank you. I appreciate it. Nice and cinematic, dude. I don't want to do
cinematic. I just, I just try to like, I just, I try like, if I didn't, I've got a lot of videos
I started editing and I'm like, there's no complete nothing there. Yeah. Then I scrap it. I'll keep
the footage for like B roll here and there. But I don't know. I just think about pacing. Like,
I don't want to talk for more than a minute. I don't want to show writing footage for more than
30 seconds. Yeah. It gets, you know, if you're doing some cool tricks, it's different, but like,
you know, a 35 second of the same shot going down the highway is drags. Definitely. You know,
and I just try to keep it moving, keep it going. Like this video, I'm trying to do on this entire
trip. Of course, I don't know what I'm going to capture, what's going to happen. But I want to
just make it one long video, like a fucking hour and a half, two hours, you know, because the one
I did last year when I came in, I saw you guys, the first episode did really good. Second episode
did pretty good. Third episode did okay. Last episode barely got the ground. And like, those four
videos, I feel like are a great entire journey of me going to California and back. And it's like, how
like, if I put it as one, would people watch the entire journey? Yeah. You know what I mean?
Fucking me and Taylor at the sex motel. Yeah. You know, like there's good shit in there. Definitely.
Yeah. That, you know, but at the same time, like it was cool to come do the ramjet shit, come ride
bikes with you guys and do that stuff. That all really helped the video out really well. And I'm
still getting used to it. I don't ever know what the fuck to say. Yeah. But like the narrating
stuff you do over the videos is sick. I appreciate it. You lay it over like nice footage and shit.
And you talk about it. You got that nice, like nice podcast, your voice. Go ahead.
Well, I try. I don't know. I just want to be, I don't know. I feel like part of me is doing it
because you have to now. Yeah. The things I really want to do in it is like what you're,
say his name was Grayson. Yeah. What he's doing. Like I really want to capture a real cinematic
style essence of a trip. Yeah. But it's also one of those things where I have to come to terms that
what I really want to capture is really going to be me behind a camera instead of in it. Yeah.
And not that I have such a huge ego in the aspect that I want to be in it, but I also want to do
it too. But the people that watch Fast Life Garage want to see you. You know what I mean?
Yeah. I got my, you ever met Sax? Saxon? Yeah. So Sax is- He's in Utah now, right? Yeah, dude. And
Sax was working with me at the shop. I think he was there whenever y'all came and did the podcast.
He was running cameras, but he became an amazing photographer, videographer, and editor as soon
as he landed in Utah. I'm like, what the fuck? Where was that shit? We could have been already ahead
of the game back home. And he's expressed that he wishes the old lady would want to come back to
Dallas, but they're thriving up there. You know what I mean? And Utah's awesome. They're doing well.
And he brought some of our bike night shit that we do. He's got a bike night that they run up there.
Yeah. What is it? A solid SLC bike night? I don't fucking know that. The scene up there is huge to
support that too, dude. What's the stunt crew up there? Hive crew? Yeah. There's Harley Hooligan's
Hive crew. There's a few that popped up, but a bunch of little shredders up there, dude. It's
sick. I love that place. Yeah. I love Utah, dude. I would move there, you know? Yeah. If I could, but
right now I'm staying in Phoenix. Dude, how do y'all deal with the heat here, man? Stay inside.
I rode this in just because Jace rode his from Texas. So I was like, all right, I'll ride my
chop in. But yeah, dude, we mostly just stay inside. It's not bad though. It was crazy as a,
I think they were like a, Justin Torch was saying this, just like, the thing about here is that
like, if you get in the shade, it's not bad. But like in Texas or like Florida, it's like,
it's humid. It's humid. It's, it's, you can't get away with it. You can't get away from it. That's
what I'm saying. Yeah. And it's like when you have cloud cover here, it's almost not bad. Yeah.
It's just the direct sunlight. It's just cooking your ass. But yeah, I fucked up when I left the
FXR division to come over here. I was like, I'm going to take the streets about halfway over here.
My bike is fucking hot. I'm like, every light, every fucking light. It's just bleeding on you.
Like, God damn it, man. I'm like, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do this to you.
Yeah. How does that thing handle the heat? I'm finding out, dude, because I finished that bike
at, uh, Born Free Texas in like October. And then I really didn't learn how to start it to like,
late November or December. I remember watching the videos. And so it's been like a process of like
learning this whole bike. And now it's kind of the first time that we've put her in the hot heat.
So yeah, getting to know her real well. Yeah, man. It's a, what's it like riding a shovel, dude? I've
never ridden anything that old. It's like, it's, mine's geared really high. So it, it feels really
sluggish, but it's like, I want to travel on it. So I want the most
highway speeds as I can go with the four speed transmission. But also like, I'm not racing
that bike. I'm not fucking, that's not what it's about. It's about just riding it. Right? I want
you to ride it if we can get it cool enough out here. But like the whole thing, the jockey shift,
the whole aspect of it, the way you, you got to think about everything. It's like very,
I just feel badass riding it. I don't feel like I look badass. Like I feel like I'm a
little too big for the bike, but it's, it just feels cool. Like that aspect of pushing in the clutch,
throwing it in the gear, riding it, you know, just, it's, it's tall and tight. Yeah. You know,
mid controls, you know, once you learn the kicking and it's like, every time you start the bike,
there's like the sense of a fuck. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I did that. Yeah. Sometimes it's like, you
know, am I going to lose my knee right now? Or is that was a fear at first? Like the first time,
the first video I put up on Instagram kicking it, I was still scared of that. So like, I would kick
it and try to get my foot off of it because I was scared on a kickback. But it's just like,
you kick it all the way through to the bottom and it's off that gear now. So it won't kick back if
you go all the way through. Okay. Got it. It's when you half ass kick it, then it catches in it, or
it fires and it lets it comes back and kick your ass. So once I learned that, I got better
of that. And then, man, I don't know what to really like, I don't want to church it up and be like,
Oh, it's the best thing in the world. It's just for me, it's sick right now. Yeah. You know,
it's what you're into right now. It's, it's what I asked for. Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. That's motorcycles
though. Like that's you get what you want out of them. You get what you put in. How is the,
like the nice dirt and all like, like that progression with building out those bikes and
running around on there. Man, I used to hate that bike to be completely honest with you. When I first
rode it, I was like, man, like this thing, I don't know. But then I kept, I kept riding it,
kept riding it. I took it down to Rocky Point. We did shows on it. And I got really comfortable
with that thing in Sturgis. And I was like, man, that like this could definitely be something.
And we took them to Tennessee and like, dude, that's a hill climb machine for real.
A hill climb machine. Like it felt so just planted and good going up the hill. Granted,
I was on like stock front suspension with some Nalaskis in the rear. Like not like cruises is
a little more built. He's got a big old front end on it and shit. But now we're gonna, we're gonna
fully dive in and extend the swing arms. We're gonna build a fuel cell. Like we're gonna dedicate
those to hill climbs, even if Tennessee is the only one we do. Because dude, like it felt so good
just ripping that thing up the hill. But like, I like them, dude, I like the Revmax. Pan Am
too. Like we did that Pan Am ride with Law Tigers, which I didn't get to finish because cruising
through a rocket my knee, but that hurt. But I like it. You know, I like the new, new
shit. The new shit's sick. They're powerful. Getting off road, like how, how is it like,
like off roads a whole nother animal, right? Like, but you come from that though.
Yeah, riding quads and shit. Yeah. I mean, my whole, you know, I grew up in Southern Arizona. So like
that's, that's all there is to you down there. But like, I think the Pan Am is still a little big
for like what they're trying to push as far as like an adventure bike stuff like that. Like you
get on a tenor A or like an Africa twin, like the seating is real thin. Yeah, it has like the big
rally tower, but like the bike itself feels narrow where you can like kind of squeeze your knees
where you get on the Pan Am and it's like, you have this tank that's like, yeah, you know,
this big dude, it feels like a big boat, but it handles, it handles very well off road.
Once you trust that, like you just need to truck through shit. Okay. It'll eat it. Like it'll
keep going, but I'm not there yet, man. Like that's just the one thing I don't,
I'm better at not saying never. Like I'm not never going to do it. Right? Not never going to.
So like you might do it one day. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I mean, there's definitely the possibility
that at one point maybe, you know, I'm like, oh, fuck, that looks sick. I want to try that. Or the
right time I see someone doing something that inspires me to want to try it. Right. But I don't
know that there's still like fucking tons of concrete roads I still want to ride. Yeah. Like,
I want to do that first. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not the greatest that off road either,
dude. Like I'm not, I'm not some like fucking wizard, rusty mark. Yeah. Rusty butchers. That dude
shreds Harleys in the dirt. And that was a long, long pull to not go that far. Yeah. Roll the clutch,
but, but yeah, dude, I mean, they're, they're fun. Yeah. I don't know. It's all fun. What about like,
like you were talking about like wanting to get to Pan America is like, what do you want to do on
them? Is it just more ride them? Or is there like a custom aspect you want to? The idea was to get
a regular like a Pan Am special and then a Pan Am ST and kind of do both like, because I think the
Pan Am ST, I think that's where the Pan Am thrives, dude. That ST, like I don't, you know, Brian's
636? I don't know him personally, but I know him. Yeah. He's in Chicago, dude. He's shredding one,
dude. They're rolling stoppies, like all kinds of gnarly shit, riding shows, like circle wheelies and
shit on it. And it's stock, you know, like bars in a seat, you know, like it's crazy. And it just
feels like a street assassin. Now you could just rip anywhere on it. It's narrow enough, you can get
through cars, that kind of thing, hop a curb if you need to, it's got the suspension, you know, but
and then yeah, we were going to build a Pan Am special and just hit a bunch of like the fire roads
out here. I mean, there's endless off road shit out here. You know, so we just wanted to,
we really just wanted to see what we could do with it. We didn't really have like a plan. We
just wanted to see like, yeah, let's go take this to Crown King or let's go take this to Sheep's
Bridge, you know, like, is Cruzy like a camper? Huge camper. Yeah. Oh, he loves it. That'd be sick
to do like a trip we are out going to camping in the back. Yeah, like back road camping the whole
time. And our buddy Tommy, the guy that like runs the website for us now, he's got a tenor.
Nice. Loves it. You know, like he went back home, did a whole dirt bike tour with his buddy,
Cloudy, like around the lakes, he's from Minnesota. Yeah, dude, he was just ripping around, you know,
like, yeah, I guess there's an aspect to it where I think that once I see it as like this communal
thing of riding these places and, you know, obviously you get to go places where like you're
going to get to take pictures that are very unique, right? As opposed to the side of the highway that
everybody's passing. Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah, there's that aspect that I think would be absolutely
fucking dope. I just, I don't know, I need to just be inspired by something and definitely, you know,
what that is, I don't know yet. Yeah. The lack of aftermarket for it to kind of sucks. Yeah. Because
like developing parts for bikes is such a pitch. And that's a one bike thing. Yeah. I mean, there's
maybe some crossover in some areas with the sports car, but very little. Like we have, we have
radiators coming out for the nightsters now and like they won't work for the Pan Am. We don't
know if they'll work for the sports dress either like that whole front carrier is completely different
on all the bikes, you know, it's like there isn't too much crossover with it. The hand controls and
stuff like that will cross over, but that's about it, which kind of sucks. But I mean, it could be
like the potential is definitely there for those bikes to be insane. Yeah. I think if Harley was
to actually push a little bit or make like an incentive to try to get the aftermarket to
fill the gap of whatever Harley has produced for it, then I think it can kind of help kick it off.
I mean, I think a lot of the aftermarket that started to become available for it was more
making it like a normal cruiser than pushing it into a deeper waters of adventure. I thought it
was a strange thing for them to dive into. I didn't like the Pan MST, like a street version of it.
I was like, oh, that's it right there. But like, I don't know why they, they, I mean, that's above
my pay grade. I don't know why they went into an adventure bike thing, but yeah, yeah. I don't know.
It's a, I think like guys like the FXR divisions and the Baron Uncle Paul stuff,
when they were getting into those bikes, it was more like what we're talking about now about being,
you know, they had all been doing the FXRs and this performance stuff for even longer than,
then, you know, they help create these scenes, right? Definitely. So, you know, them seeing those
bikes, it's just like a new challenge for them, right? But when they came out, I was like, man,
I'm fucking still having fun on my roguelite. Yeah. Yeah. This bike doesn't really fit into my life at
all, you know, the Pan M that FXR division built was sick though. It was just fucking like a roguelite.
Yeah. You know? Yeah. Yeah. But it was, it was sick for sure, which they kind of turned it into a
somewhat of an ST. Yeah. You know, the original Pan M, but yeah. I mean, you still have your
S, you had a, the Fat Bob, right? Yeah. Yeah. Did you put an ST fairing on that one? Yeah. So sick.
I love that Fat Bob roof fender. The little, I mean, that's why I run it on the fucking, on the,
on the chop. Yeah, I like that for sure. I put an Ativan Black ST fairing on it with lowers and shit.
My own little ST. Yeah. I use the Ativan Black fairing on this last FXR I just built. It's
actually a pretty damn nice fairing. I do like the fairing. For the price, it's, you know,
it's like half the price, if not more of what the Harley said it is. Yeah. The lines on it are a
little sharper too. I do kind of like that. Yeah. I would say that my only gripe is the hardware.
Like I'm saying this in the little video I did, that I don't like the metric China hardware that
comes with it. And maybe I could have found some, a better hardware to put on it, but I was under
time crunching. Yeah. It was the last, the fairing is like the last thing it gets bolted on,
essentially. So I'm like not paying attention to that as much as I'm paying attention to everything.
Yeah. By the time you get there, you're like, all right. Well, I guess I got to use this shit. Yeah,
there was some like mounting it. I was definitely questionable of a like, man, these four bolts
are going to hold this sucker. Yeah. Like little 10 millimeter bolts. Yeah. I'm like, okay, I got the
right hardware. Yeah. All right. But I mean, it's, it's held on. I did the hot bike tour on it.
Nice. So that was a y'all's experience doing the hot bike tour. I loved that, dude. I think that's
where motorcycles, like the whole industry shines because like the parking lot parties, the, you
know, the that shit is, it's the, I don't think that's what it, what this is at its core. I think
the hot bike tour embodies what motorcycles are. Yeah. Like the culture of it. Cause we were like,
you leave here, you get, you know, everybody kind of splits up on the road, right? And then you guys
meet up in different gas stations and then you do like the next leg with a different group of dudes.
Yeah. You know, like one leg, we left Trask. We did the first like half to pacing with Trask and
all those boys. Yeah. And then we met up with like the saddleman crew and all those dudes, like
somewhere in the middle of Northern Arizona, dude, you know, like riding next to Heath and his
sports dress. That was sick, dude. Like that bike was insane. And then you get to like Utah and
everybody rolls in and we went over to Krause, like saw their shit. Like, oh, they're like,
that's what I like about it. Like instead of just going to a parking lot and walking around a vendor
village, like that's, well, those, those like gas station spots, those hotel hangs at night. Yeah.
Ended up becoming like the most, uh, you know, that's what I remember. It's the best times,
you know what I'm saying? Uh, I can't tell you how many great times I've just had in the parking lot
of the hotel. Then you grab a 12, you know, a 12 rack or some shit to just like,
you know, like, fuck it. Yeah, just kick it in a parking lot. Like that's, or in the hotel lobby
of some random holiday. And you know, like that's, that's sick, dude. But that's what it's about,
for sure. Yeah. It's, I think that the hot bike tour this year is going to the party at the pen. So
like that was one of the things I was talking with, uh, uh, Justin from FXR division about. It's like,
it's like, I wish that they would like in that at some bigger event instead of like, because I don't,
they ended at that, what, the Vegas, but it was also like where y'all like where the, uh,
it was like the build off finale. Yeah. Yeah. So I mean big, but not like a,
not like a party at the pan. Yeah. Yeah. I agree. 100%. Like it was pretty much on us to bring the
draw to that dealership that day, which, you know, a lot of people showed up. It was fun. But I think
a ride from Durango to party at the pin, like that's sick. Yeah. I'm trying to get cruising to do it
because I want to ride this thing there. Just do it yourself, man. Show up. Hey, I'll just roll through.
Hey, I'm here. Yeah. You were, you were, you're mentioned before we started about,
you know, the dealership stuff, like what's your thoughts on the whole dealership game right now?
I think they're a huge issue on why Harley Davidson might be struggling to sell bikes and stuff like
that. Honestly. Uh-huh. I did talk to a dealership owner. I think I told you before that, uh,
that like they like what they're doing with the content creation and the content creators and
all that stuff, but that the content creators aren't doing a good enough job at getting people
into the dealerships where I think dealerships are shooing people away because as soon as somebody
walks in the door to buy a bike, they're adding 10 grand onto the sticker price of the bike. Yeah.
Like they're adding tax. You got the docking fee. You've got warranty. You know, like they're adding
on so much to a bike that's already pretty expensive. Like, I don't know if there's a divide
between the motor company and these dealerships as far as like what they're giving dealerships
for a price, you know, that kind of thing or like the back end. I don't know. But
when I walk into a dealership and you're adding 10 grand to what the sticker price says, I'm
immediately like, well, no, I don't want to do that. You'd like, no, I don't think anybody does,
especially in this economy. You know, it's hard to sell a bike like that.
Yeah. I don't know. I agree with you that I also don't know like what is, you know,
are all those fees kind of where they make their money on the bike? You know, like there's a
disconnect between the motor company and the consumer. Yeah. There's a huge void there that
the dealership is in the middle of. That's a good way to put it. Like,
I wouldn't say there's a disconnect between the motor company and the consumer
as like, because the crossover seems to be very good. Like a lot of people are really a part of
the Harley culture right now. But maybe it's like getting people into the dealership is a little
bit more difficult right now with the economy. You know, the fucking, the
insane prices that everything is right now. Yeah. And I think that maybe dealerships need to find a
way to be a hub of culture more so that people want to be at the dealership for more than just
a new bike. Yeah. Like how do we get the dealership to be the place that people want to, you know,
whether they don't have a group of friends or anything going on, the dealership always is like
this place that you can come hang out. Yeah. Which I think that's what dealerships used to be
back in the day. It was like a hub. Yeah. Like you could go meet up somewhere. Oh, yeah, we'll meet
at the dealership and then you go and hang out. You know, and that kind of went by the wayside.
I don't know what happened there, but I definitely don't. I definitely think that all the additional
fees are stopping people from buying certain motorcycles. You know, like we had, we had a
bunch of people when we announced that the Nidsters were only 10 grand or whatever,
we had a bunch of people go, oh man, I went to my dealership and they wanted me like 15,
16 out the door. And it's like, dude, like, yeah, where is that coming from? You know, like,
that's another that's a third or a half the, it's an additional half. I don't know how I would say
that. You know what I mean? Like, where is all this? Where is that extra six grand coming from?
Dude, like, I don't, someone's being greedy. Yeah. You know, like,
well, you know, I think with the new CEO, I think that the plan is to figure out how to make
the relationship with the dealerships and the motor company more harmonious again. Yeah. Because
I think what, and I'm very ignorant to this because I didn't fucking chat, eat, PT it, whatever the
fuck. But I think what was happening was bikes got cheaper on the sticker price, but then those
fees were where they were kind of like, you know, making up for it. Yeah. As opposed because in 2019,
when I bought my Roglide special, it was actually 2018 when they used to release them like August,
and then, you know, you get a 19 and 18 basically. Well, it was like upper almost 30 grand in 19.
And then they got cheaper for a while. Yeah. Then they all started creeping back up when you had like
the ST started coming out for the Roglide ST and the Street Glide or whatever. And they,
now it's something those are 33 grand, but then when they dropped the new models,
and those were like 24, 25 grand or 26, 27 with all that technology and shit. Yeah.
I still think there's a part of that whole transition that took place
where all the people's equity in their 2023 and 2022 models went erased.
Outdoor. Yeah. That people are also a little bit
hesitant about wanting to go do another Harley. Like I am 100% ingrained in this where I'm always
going to be probably on a new bike every couple of years or whatever the case may be. So like,
you know, I am their target customer, but I'm also not the one they have to try hard to get.
Yeah. The person that like is trying motorcycles out as like, you know,
30s, 40s or late 20s kind of, you know, endeavor, I guess.
When they drop that money and then they lose all the value out of it, it kind of kills the whole
like, man, I don't know if I want to drop, you know, because if you bought a low ride or a
road glide ST in 2023 and then, you know, half in the middle of the year, they dropped the CVOs,
new body style, new motor shit. And then all of a sudden, like you bought this bike, you dropped,
you know, 15 grand and it's now you're essentially at $50,000 on your bike. Yeah. And then, you know,
the, at the time I had a 22 road glide, um, CVO. I didn't ride anywhere except took it in trade.
I was like, okay, this is worth my 131 bagger. I'll trade this even this has low mileage. And then
I'll sell this, that bike was valued at 42 grand when I took the trade. And then by the time I got,
I put it up for sale. It was worth, uh, I think trading that was trading was 36 grand,
but you know, um, the value blue book by was 42. I knew how we're going to get 42,
but 36 was that it dropped to 24 grand. God damn. In like three months. God damn. So that's a lot
of equity gone. Yeah. Out of a bike. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. It's not Harley spot. Like,
how else do you release a new bike? Right? It's just the nature of like producing and putting
more things out there, but it does sting. Definitely. You know, and then you add the economy
shit that we've been dealing with in the last three years on top of the amazing economy that
was inflated over the previous three years. Yeah. You know what I mean? So it's been a shit show.
It's been a shit show, dude. You know, it's been an absolute shit show. Have you heard of that CERN
thing? That big old like, it's this huge, like, I'm probably going to explain it real, real wrong,
but it's this giant machine that they're like, man, it's like they're, they're crushing protons or
something like that. It's some weird shit. And the last time they turned it off was 2018 to 2022.
COVID. Yeah. And they're shutting it off. They shut it off yesterday. And they're going to turn it
back on in 2030. So it's like here, watch, I'm sorry for pulling my phone out and shit, but I got
to bring it up. But what is it implying though? It's implying that it has a huge,
a huge thing on like, how the world operates and like what like the universe type shit,
it's real fucking conspiracy theory type shit. I'm into it.
So CERN hosts several distinct portals depending on your needs. The main access point for research
data sets is the CERN open data portal. So it's like a, they're opening portals, essentially.
Like dimensions? Yeah. Okay. Look into it when you can. Look into CERN. C-E-R-N. It's a,
it's a weird thing going on right now. And they're saying that has a lot to do with like,
say the economy and like the way shit moves, like shit, like COVID happening, like that kind of thing.
Yeah. Yeah. The whole, what's weird is like as, you know, I'm in my forties now and like when I see
all this shit, it's like, I think as a young kid or young adult, you're just assuming that
adults haven't figured out. Yeah. Yeah. And then you get, and then you're like,
Then you get there and you're like, man, they're like, no idea. It's like,
some dude like me that, you know, drinks his ass off, built this bridge. Yeah. You'll see. Yeah.
And I'm sitting here fucking driving my truck on it or whatever. Like it's, it's just like a gnarly,
like my buddy, Jacob always says this, we were at, we were in the, in the Smoky Mountains once and we
went to this, the tallest mountain in it. It's called grandfather mountain or something like that.
So we go up to the top and there's like this little drawbridge, not drawbridge, like a suspension
bridge. I don't know. What are those ones that like you always see in like Indiana Jones, where it's like,
Oh yeah, like the ropes. Yeah. But it's a little more sturdier than that. Yeah. And then he's like,
I'm not fucking crossing that. He goes, the lowest bidder built that. That's a good point. I always
think about everything in the world is like the lowest bidder built all this shit. All of it. Yeah.
You know, holy shit. That's mind blowing. Yeah. Yeah. That's true. Yeah. San Roman baby, Tomahawk.
That's that knowledge. Yeah. It's a smart fella right there. God, that's scary to think of.
That's scary to think of. Oh, you're in an airplane.
Dear, I hate flying so much. I don't mind it if it's short, but I like, you know,
there's a hope. There's a, you know, if I could will into existence, it would be very
validating, which is probably not the thing to say, but fuck it. I would be
and also rewarding to be able to, for this motorcycle life to somehow get me to Japan
or Italy or some place out of America on behalf of whatever thing it's for. Like flying me out there.
Yeah. Like, I don't know. Like that's something that like, I'm like, fuck, you know, like,
you know, the first time, you know, there's, there's many of those milestones I've had in
my career where I'm like, fuck, man, like motorcycles got me this, you know, and it,
it kind of justifies all the fucking, you know, things that you're like, why the fuck do I do this?
And then you're like in this fight, like, okay, this is why. Yeah. This is why. Yeah, dude.
That's, I mean, there's a lot of moments like that that I've had the last couple of years where
I'm like, damn, like motorcycles really brought me here. You know, like, yeah. Well, it's probably like the
most badass, like feeling like, you know, riding, being a stunt rider, like I feel like you have that
rock star on a stage, like just rock the crowd, kind of like, in a sense, filling. Yeah. In a sense.
I think I got that. Was it, I think last year's Sturges at the Thunderdome, I like, I have this
one clip that I kind of always post as like a little light flex, but like I'm riding a wheelie,
and you can like see the crowd behind everything, like the lot, you know, and it goes like through
the whole lot up the mezzanine and shit, and it's fucking packed. Yeah. And it's like at night,
you know, the lights are on and it's fucking packed. Dude, I'm riding a wheelie. I set it down,
like everybody's like fucking hyped, you know, and then I like just burn out of there. And I think
that's like the like, fuck dude. Dude, that sounds like that's sick, dude. Yeah, it's sick, dude.
Just do it at Sturges too, at that. And at Sturges, you know, like such an iconic rally, it was the
85th anniversary last year, you know, it was just like, that was definitely a moment where I kind
of stepped back and was like, damn, like, was that the same night that they did the jump? No, it was
the night after. So the night that they did the jump, I've never seen the Thunder Dome more packed.
Yeah, it was packed. It was huge, dude. Colby came out, did the jump, senders only had a huge deal
of bringing them out there, dude. Shout out to Joey and Foley and all those boys, dude. Like,
that was insane to get that there, dude. And then even there, dude, like I was in the lot, like
right next to the landing. I don't know if I was supposed to be there or whatever, but I was there,
dude. And like, I have this sickest picture, it's up on my wall right there of a film shot I took
of him making the jump, dude. Like that was, it's like on the left side, right down there, right in
the middle. Yeah, yeah. Like, fuck, dude, that was cool. And motorcycles brought me there.
Yeah, that's that was sick. That's one of those things, like you got to be grateful for those
things. Yeah, you know, but you also got to recognize them. Yeah, you know, because like,
riding that bike, there's those days like, fuck man, I just want to get off it or my ass hurts
or this or it's fucking up. But then you get through those challenges and then you're at some
spot, you're like, fuck man, I made it. This is where this is what, yeah, this is what I work for.
Yeah, fuck yeah. And so I feel like that moment you're talking about that just having that footage of,
because I mean, when you're in the willy, I imagine that you're so focused on like,
what's going on. It's not like you're on stage singing to a crowd and you see them reacting
right there, like you're in it. So that video is probably your access to like their actual stoke.
Yeah, 100% because when I like in the moment, you know, like riding like a five minute show,
you don't really, you're not there, you're here, you know, like I'm looking at my tank,
I'm looking at my bike, I'm looking for somebody else to hit me or what, you know,
I mean, like I'm just like, I'm riding. It's like, in a way you kind of black out of it,
you just kind of do your go through the motions. And then when you when you're done,
you put your bike on the kickstand, you look around and you're like,
holy fuck, there's a lot of eyes on me. You're like, God damn dude. Yeah. And like that clip
that I'm telling you about, it was the show after Cruzie wanted his shit up when he fucking ate
shit went to the hospital, you know, so it was like, it was me and then I brought some other
friends in to help, you know, and it was like, after I was like, damn, like, pulled that off.
Like it was sick. It was cool. Is there still like a plan to continue to do shows like that? Or
like what do y'all do now with all that stuff as they come? You know, I mean, I'm, I think we're
less trying to farm ourselves out to do shows because one, it's super expensive to do and like
everything we do, I mean, obviously we're trying to make a living here, you know,
like we got to get paid for it. And a lot of company or a lot of dealerships or whoever
doesn't really see the value in it, which it is what it is, that's fine. But like, instead of trying
to beat ourselves up and farm ourselves out to do shows as cheap as possible, we just want to do more
more just our lifestyle type shit. What we do on a day to day basis and go ride and like,
if a show comes along, then hell yeah, or if people invite us, you know, we'll, I could jump in on
almost anybody shows, you know, we've been around for a while, all the kids that are riding now are
homies, you know, like if I want to ride a show, I can go ride a show type thing. But I think we're
just more focused on the next chapter of Cruzie originals right now. So what do you think that is?
Like you kind of throwing darts right now or what do you think more riding? Well, yeah, I did the
the ride to homecoming last year. I think I was watching some of that. Yeah. So that's through
Missouri for a little bit. I wish we rode the whole way, but I mean, on night stirs definitely
not. But we rode through like from Arkansas to Kyle shop in St. Louis, which was fucking cool too.
But more of that shit, you'd like more like the not behind the scenes of rallies, but more of the
people, you know what I mean? Like at least that's what I want to do for sure. I know Cruzie's down
to do that shit too. It's just hard to get everything to go. I mean, that was literally my
trip last year. It's like the ride to Phoenix. Cool. But also, hey, I'm getting to see my friends.
Yeah, dude. At this place, that place, catching up with them. And I think it
it builds a bigger community. You know, it also helps people understand how connected all of us are.
Yeah. In this like industry side of things. It's not like a competition type shit. Yeah. Like people
that are outside of it, I think think of it that way. Yeah. In a sense, like everybody's in it to
compete with each other, but we're all fucking friends. Yeah. Everybody's homies. You know,
nobody has real beef. It's I don't know. Showing that more, I want to do
less of the events. Yeah. That's another one of those wave things, right? Where,
you know, you go through this phase where you feel like every event is starting to blend into
each other and feel like the same event at a different backdrop. But then there's aspects of
like, like the only way I can really like say this is the way I travel and I do things is
there's only two events that I try to make every year and that's Born Free Cali and Sturgis.
Everything else, I try to do different things. Different small shit around the house. Cool. I'm
going, right? Yeah. Nitty gritty or, you know, Born Free Texas, like that's, you know, within
like a hundred miles. I'm going to that no matter what. But when I think of, you know,
TMM Mars one I've been wanting to go to, but it's always in a weird, it's not really in a weird
spot now, but it used to like being a spot where me and my boys would always be just about to go on
a big cross country trip. Yeah. So like running a thousand miles away to, because if you take
Dallas and you put a thousand mile string, it's like Nashville, Sturgis, Salt Lake, Phoenix.
Damn, you guys are like right in the middle. Yeah. Milwaukee, Chicago, it's all like right there in
a thousand mile radius of us. And, you know, a thousand miles isn't really shit on the road
glide, but if you're going out there doing other stuff, it becomes a little bit more cumbersome.
And I don't have a truck and trailer, you know? Yeah. Not that I'm not, I'm, I really feel like
in order to stay on my, I don't fuck with trailers trend. Yeah. Is that I'm just going to get like
a Sprinter van soon. There you go. Yeah. What about the Chevy you got? Dude, the Chevy's sick,
but like the chop fits in it fine. Yeah. I don't know. It's in a weird spot right now. It's like,
I need the need to fix, we got the suspension done. Okay. Because we were fucking like grinding
on that motherfucker. Yeah, I remember. But I need, it's got like the V6 in it. And I've got some people
saying do those V6's or solid, just get it dialed in, you'll be fine. Because I really don't,
I want, I love to do LS swap in it, but it's not really the body. It's the van, the rest of the
van is not really it. Yeah. You know, and it's got a fucking style and a patina to it that if I
start doing my thing to it, I'm going to fuck it up. You know what I'm saying? And I don't want to
fuck it up. It's cool the way it is. I just want it to work. Yeah. It is sick. I love it.
My wife loves it more than like, that's the cool thing about it is that she digs it. She likes
driving it. She likes going places in it. Yeah. And you know, we do Born Free Texas, we, it's part
of our booth and we sleep in it at, you know, at night and I don't know, it's just fun. Like that
van, that van's brought me and my wife closer. And that's sick. Multiple ways. Okay. Yeah. That's
sick though. That's good shit. Girls like Bane and Vans, dude. Something about it. Yeah. They like the
cars. Yeah. It's, I think it's in their DNA, dude. Yeah. Yeah. Is this how mom did it? Yeah. This is
how grandma did it. This is where I came from. So yeah. Fucking A, dude. But so the bicycle stuff,
y'all been ripping around on that? What's up mountain bikes? Yeah, that's kind of the new
endeavor. That's like the new thing to get us away from the motorcycles. Not so because I think
the last couple of years, I think both Ryan and I have been real burnt out on like,
just like working hard for other people to benefit. You know what I mean? Like we've,
we've tried so hard to create our own lane, which in a sense we have, you know, it's where we don't
need these events. We don't need like the people or not, not the people, that's fucked up to say,
but like we don't need to bust our ass to go to Born Free every year. We don't need to bust our
ass to go to Sturgis every year. You know, we've kind of like created our own content lane where
people watch us for us. Yeah. And it kind of like, do we spend so much time in this shop here? Like
this feels like jail sometimes, you know, like it's, so to kind of get a get away from that, but
still scratch that itch like mountain bikes have kind of filled that void in a way where it's like,
it's a thrill. It's a thrill and we kind of suck at it. You know, like we're not fucking out shredding
shit. You know, like we're not doing these nasty tabletops and all this crazy shit, but like
we're going out and running down rocks and finding trails and like exploring and shit. You know,
it's like, it just scratches that itch a different way. But yeah, mountain bikes.
That's one of those style bikes that you willy though, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's
Cruzy's little wheelie bike. He keeps saying he's going to sell it, but people will offer money for
it and he won't take it. So it's sick. It's just sitting here. Yeah. I think that that that willy
culture is pretty sick. Like it is bicycles, like when the kids are doing it. Yeah. Well,
I mean, they're just going to grow right into serons and then serons to probably Harleys, you
know, like, yeah, it's just going to grow from there. But I mean, the little ones are taking it
real fucking serious. You know, I don't know about the whole swerving and traffic and shit like that
of cars. That's sick. But hey, man, life's, life's fragile.
Somebody's got to, someone's got to eat once and it'll kind of calm it down.
Yeah. Uh, y'all, you, did y'all like start doing some stuff with Tommy again?
Donnelly? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. With Livewire. Yeah. They sent us one of their Alpinista
twos or something like that. That bike's sick. Have you ever ridden one of them?
No, we were talking a little bit and, you know, he kind of was like, Hey, you know, I could probably,
you know, get some of you to try out. And I was like, I don't really know where, like, how to fit
it in, you know, like, maybe if I can ride it from my shop to bike night and it's like something I
can do that, it could, because the point is like, if they, if, if I get the opportunity to ride one,
like, I got to show how it's valuable to me. Yeah. Right. And so I, I guess maybe having one, I could
figure out if it has value or not. But that's also one of those weird things of like,
what comes first, the chicken or the egg kind of thing, you know? Yeah. Yeah. I think it's,
it's definitely a good track bike. I think it shines on like a track, like more track oriented,
or like if you live in a downtown metro area, you know, like it doesn't have range. I mean,
it's fast as hell, but it's not comfortable. Like it, it's weird, you know, it's a little goofy,
but it's, it's incredibly powerful. And I think in a track aspect, that's what we're going to do
with it. So we want to put it up against our fabricator, Sean, he races professionally too. He races
600 twins. So he wants to put his race bike, which is built to the nines against that live wire,
and he'll do like lap time. So he'll ride both and put down whatever puts down a faster lap time.
That's sick. So it'll be interesting to see he right after we got the live wire, he broke his ankle,
but he's, he's healing up now. He's, he's, he's back to it. So we're, we're trying to find a place
to get that done, but I like it. I think it's sick for, for what it is. Like it's definitely not
going to replace any Harley that you have or own, you know, but as, as if you can get a second bike,
yeah, it'd be cool to have like a novelty piece. Yeah. That's kind of a hard, hard sell though.
Definitely. Right. 100%. Unless you live in like San Francisco, New York, or like
Metro, you know, downtown Phoenix. I mean, fucking Austin dude, it would be really nice
in Austin out there where he's at, just being able to run around, sip through everything. But
no, I see the value in it. I just like, it's almost like if it is just like a, a get from here,
you know, commute during the day, you know, in an urban area, I wouldn't need some kind of storage on
it. It's like everything nowadays needs some kind of, you need a bag, ability to put some kind of bag
or some kind of thing on it. So definitely. Like even, you know, like the idea of like ever going
back to sport bikes, I'm like, man, like I just, I think people in general, we have too much shit,
our phone, our wallet, our this, my sunglasses, fucking air pods, blah, blah, blah. It's like,
we have so many accessories that like lives on our body all day long that you need like some kind
of compartment that like it's all banging against each other when you're on a bike. Yeah. You like
pop some thing and like put some might be onto something there. But it's like, you know, back
in the day, not sport bikes, you pop that rear seat off and then you got this little compartment
and my dumb ass when I first started riding and I was doing Willie's and shit back in the day,
I'd put my wallet back there, get done. It's like my shit's gone. It's all yeah. Cause like the back
seat was like an open hole, right? Well, it's like a, you take the seat off and you usually have like
this plastic compartment, but there's like gaps that things can escape to, you know, if I was just
riding straight, probably fine. But you know, in my Willie days back in like 2006, you know,
I'm out there fucking doing power willies and fucking rat, rat. Yeah. Yeah. And
then, you know, you go, it's flying out the back. Yeah. Fuck it. There wasn't nothing on my cards or
anything, but you know, God damn, I gotta get another license. Yeah. And I bet it was a pain in
the ass back then. Oh yeah. 100%. So no, but it's just cool. You know, like Tommy so fucking,
he is one of the best like marketer bringing people together. Yeah. He's actually in the
scene. He understands it. Yeah. Like he knows what's going on. He's plugged in. I mean, I think he
would do really good at Harley like 100% and like their marketing roles, even though he's not a
traditional marketer, his sales background and his like just, he listens. You know, he just,
he's just connected to the culture. Yeah. And I think that's important. And I think that's what
corporations don't think of is like you need somebody that's plugged in. Yeah. Like Matt
Swedling, dude's plugged in. He knows he rides. Dude, he just got back from a West Coast tour,
you know, like he, he's in it and he's really good at what he does. Yeah. And like he understands
what he doesn't return. Text messages are very well though. And I guess maybe you're right. No,
no, no, you are right. But I know if there's a tear that like, no, I mean, hey,
there might be a tear. I don't know. You know, maybe, you know, I'm gonna ask, I'm gonna do a
podcast with Lance and that's the guy to ask. Hey, man, does Matt, can you text Matt right now
and let me time? Yeah, ask big Lance and ask little Lance to see which one gets a better,
a faster response. But no, I'm just fucking around. But Matt, he gets it. Like he understands
he has to battle with, you know, the corporate ladder for us, you know, but like he gets it solid,
dude, real solid, dude. Start wrapping up in a second. But with the, you know, being on this side
of like, I don't know what you'd say, like this side of the motorcycle thing where you're working
with Harley Davidson, you're doing all this kind of stuff. Like what do you think is maybe a misconception
that I think the public might think that this comes with 100 grand paycheck or that it all comes
with a giant fucking paycheck, you know, like, I mean, obviously, we do get monetary benefits
in other ways, but it's not like we're not on a salary, we're not on a corporate salary. We don't
get like monthly checks, you know, like it's not, yeah, it's not as grand as everybody would think,
you know what I mean? It's crazy that a mom and pop shop gets to work with the motor company. I
never thought that would happen. You know, like, but it's not as a, yeah, like we're not getting
paid as much as people think we are. Yeah, for sure. Obviously, there's monetary value in what
we do, but like we're not fucking solid, you know, like we're not, I'm not buying a mansion in Paradise
Valley right now, you know, like it's a little misconstrued, which I think it's misconstrued
across everything, you know, like people aren't getting paid what they think they are for shows.
Yeah. You know, like it's strange, like the Buffalo chip isn't paying out as much as people
think they are. Like, yeah, of course, they're obviously paying out, but like the Buffalo chip
has the crowd no matter what, you know what I mean? They're bringing in that stuff for like,
you know, like a little cherry on top, but like they don't have a problem filling that place.
Yeah. You know, whereas I think a place like the Thunderdome could benefit from paying out a little
more. Yeah, because they don't have the venue that they're trying to compete with, which I don't
think they should compete with them. I think they should be their own. Yeah, they gotta figure out
what their identity is on that. Yeah. I think that's a huge struggle for the Thunderdome because,
yeah, it's a great venue, but it could be managed a little bit better.
You know, I've been saying this a lot lately, so I apologize to the listeners, but
marketing and promoting something is almost, you have to put more money into that sometimes
than what it costs to make it. Yeah. And in order to get it out there, to get it to happen, to get,
to create like what Thunderdome needs is like when they had the jump there was sick,
but what happened as soon as that jump was over, it was a ghost town. Cleared out. So,
100%. And then when the people were there, the boosts that were out there were inaccessible.
So, all the people that were in boosts, hoping that this crowd would make an opportunity,
not as much of an opportunity of business, you know? Yep.
You know, they'll be an open-minded to getting people in there, like, you know, having Shifter
Crew, they're doing the show, having Dustin LFG doing the slow races. Like, these are good things,
but they need to double down on like how do you provide more value for not only the people doing
it, but like the people coming in. Yeah. You know, the campground. Like, I haven't stayed there,
but like what is the nightlife there outside of that big-ass, very relaxed and calm. So,
and they, if you get rowdy at all, they will, like they'll be on your ass about it. Like,
yeah. Y'all got to come to our campground. Yeah. It's sick, dude. Yeah. It's a good one.
Yeah. I think there's a lot of issues with that venue as far as like what they're trying to do,
but they're in such a like, they're in a tough spot with full throttle being around the corner
and the chip being right down the street, you know? Like, instead of trying to take business from them,
they should capitalize on like just being another stop to all that. Well, I mean, you know, the
concert stuff is like, if you're staying at the chip and oh, shit, Kid Rock's playing tonight sick.
I mean, I do know people that would intentionally try to go to those shows, but like for me, when I
go to Sturgis, I'm not going to see Kid Rock or Wu Tang or we have the fucks going to be there. I'm
just not. No, me either. I'm glad you said that because I do. I don't, I think concerts are kind
of a waste of time at a lot of this shit, but. I get though, if you're camping or RVing at the
Buffalo Chip and Deaf Leopard's coming on or some shit, like, fuck it. Like if I was there and we
were all sitting around the thing and I was like, do you want to go check this out? Yeah. I'd probably
like, fuck it. Let's put some beers in our pockets and walk down there and check it out. But I'm not
going to leave wherever I'm at to go through the traffic and the bullshit to go see somebody from
fucking 150 feet away. It's not intimate at all. I like going to concerts and like the smaller venues.
Yeah. You know? Yeah. Yeah. One time I saw, you know, Tribal Seeds? No. Reggae Band.
Old Reggae Band. I was in high school at this time, but I saw them for a dollar and they were like a
pretty big, like they were doing arena shows and shit, but they were driving through Tucson
and they put out like that day like, hey, we're going to be at this venue, come in for a dollar and
see. Sick. Dude. So like we all drove up, piled in the car, drove up, paid a dollar, walked in front
row, dude. That's awesome. And just watched these dudes perform. We got on stage with them and shit.
They were throwing joints in the crowd, dude. It was sick. Like that's the kind of shit I like for
sure. Not spending, you know, 200 bucks to go watch fucking numb nuts over here 200 feet away.
Yeah. It's not the same. No, it's not the same at all. But I mean, you know, people,
people like that shit. It's obviously a draw for them because they're doing it. Yeah. I think it's
just like a part of the itinerary that like helps people, you know, like thinking about if you're
the kind of person that's going to Sturgis and with an RV or in renting an RV there
like that's a different Sturgis experience in my opinion for a lot of people that maybe they're
going to get out and ride, but maybe they pull their bikes up there and they just, you know what,
this feels real good. Let's just chill here all week. Yeah. They park their shit. They roll right
into the stage area of the chip and that's where their shit sits. And then, you know, same thing
with full throttle. They do the same. Well, let's try full throttle next year instead of the buffalo
chip and see what that's like. And I did a podcast with somebody once or I heard it on a podcast.
So I don't want to take credit for it, but what Sturgis was until the 80s was a create your own
experience place. There was camping at the park. There was no chips and this and that. There was
drag racing, hill climbs, bars, camping. Yeah. That was it at its core and that all that you went to
Sturgis and made your own fun. The Disneyland effect of Sturgis of Cohere and this time is
this. This time is that. I mean, in a sense, some of that is like, you know,
you're a part of that when you're having a stunt show in that thing. But what that does is I think
it, maybe it was like the thing that got Sturgis to go over the top with what the tendons has become,
right? But also maybe in a way like those guys in 1979 will experience the Sturgis we never will.
Yeah. You know, or obviously we're not going to experience that. And maybe we're doing a Sturgis
right now that somebody in 10 years never will. Yeah. You know, but I don't know where I'm going
with that, but I'm just kind of alluding to the fact that, you know, the event should be loose in
my. I agree. No, yeah, it's too structured now because then it takes away from like the. They
want you to stay in their shit. They don't want you to go out and spend money in Hill City or
Deadwood or whatever, you know? Yeah. It seems like everybody is competing for the crowd. Like
like downtown's competing with Full Throttle and the Chip and like it's a weird.
And so it is a weird environment. It's cool. I think everybody should go, but like
it like behind the scenes, it feels weird. Yeah. You know, being a part of like putting
shit on there, it put a bad taste in my mouth for sure. And then the mafia, the Sturgis mafia with
the taxes and everything. Oh my God, dude. Like up your ass. Well, they bring in so many people.
They bring in all these cops. They bring in medical, you know, like they flood that town
or that whole area for like three weeks. It's insane. But before we shut this off, dude, I want
to bring up the fucking the ripoff guy out here. Oh, hell yeah. I don't want to like, you know,
talk, you know, I don't know what I'm trying to say, but that's bullshit. Yeah. That's garbage.
That's a lot of the reason why we don't do business up there in that town anymore. But
have you did you reach out to the guy? I reached out to the dude and, you know, so
for people that are listening or watching or whatever and they don't know. So basically,
I've known this dude for about three years. It's called fast life, die happy.
So when it first came out, it was just like a dude that was like, apparently the dude has a
rap company. He wraps cars or something like that. So he's makes good money doing something else.
Instead of in my opinion, instead of just going into the motorcycle industry and enjoying it or
finding a way to maybe take some of the money you make in wrapping cars and putting it in the
industry, you're trying to monetize some of the money as well. Yeah. Yeah. And so he comes up with
fast life, die happy. Now, here's the thing. Everybody's like, dude, sue him. You can't.
You can't like, if I trademarked the fast life garage, which I may or may not have
whatever. I can't like, it's not his isn't the fast life garage. Yeah. So what the problem is,
is that he's branding like me, right? In my world. Yeah. And does not, did not even google to see
who else existed or whatever around your peers that didn't do anything about it when he was up there.
Yeah. So that's the other thing is that like, you know,
look, if somebody was in Texas and, you know, I'm very fortunate to have friends all over the country
in this industry. If someone's in Texas, like doing, you know, obviously y'all's Cruzy Originals is
kind of a last name, but if someone was like doing a thrashing, like, oh, we're thrashing
whatever. I'd go and, hey, man, like this isn't like, yeah, dude, that's not the move in Texas.
Like we have to have some integrity here. You know, unfortunately, I think that here,
this is such a motorcycle mecca that you can be a part of a subsect of it and never know
the other aspects that go on, right? Yeah. And I think that's what the issue is.
The, um, so basically I reached out to him, I said, Hey, man, you're, you're all your logos look like
mine, but like cheaply done. Yeah. Um, all your content is like, this guy is the epitome
of the opposite of like what my brand is about. Yeah. Right. I don't fuck with AI like that.
I don't like flannels. Especially the ones that are made here. The person made here.
And I don't fucking, I just don't, I don't, I think that they're not made here. But yeah, I get
the ones that come from here. Um, I just don't fuck with it. It's like the, it's the antithesis,
this antithesis of like everything I don't like about the motorcycle industry. And it's, it's like
a rip off of mine. I don't think this dude made those logos. I think that he either paid somebody
who then went on AI and had all the shit made or he went on AI. Also AI pulls from existing
stuff on the internet. So it clearly pulled from your, yeah. But the thing is like this dude is
now working at his rap company until another event pops up. Until Arizona bike week comes
around. Yeah. And then he's going to come back out. People are going to buy more of his shit.
And the ones that do buy it, their 10 or 15 or $30 purchase is more valuable to their integrity
than being called out like, Hey, you bought that knockoff shit. Oh, fuck that. I like the way these
flannels feel. Yeah. Or no, this is my boy. Like no, dude, I thought it was funny, you know,
the dude that complained about, Hey, but I bought this thing and it ramped through some shit like
that. You're like wrong company. Yeah. But I mean, in a way, it's kind of like a joke on me,
you know, like, because now that dude's reaching out to me, you know, to, for something that I
don't sell or don't offer, you know, and the thing is that like we at the time when this popped off,
we had just finished our online store and started selling t-shirts. Yeah. And, you know,
which we're slowly getting into that whole groove of doing that more often, but it's like,
we're trying to open up to having more apparel for the lifestyle aspect of what the fat, the real
fast life garage is. I don't have AI on my shit. When you go to this dude's page, it's like,
dude sitting in a garage drinking beers and stuff. And it's like AI is like, no, dude, I actually
live this. Yeah. No, I actually do this. Yeah. You know what I mean? And, and I was respectful when
I reached out to him, I just said, Hey man, your stuff looks a lot like mine. A
Your branding on your motorcycle is like mine. The paint job. I just think that it's probably not
like you should probably go a different direction with your branding. Yeah. But he spent a lot of
money on his tent, on his apparel, on his all this shit, tattooed it on his fucking arm. And
I'm like, bro, like a Google search could have saved you a lot of effort. Yeah. So the only way
that like the only way this is solved is bullying straight up because he can't sue me and I can't
sue him. I don't have, there's not enough money. Dude, there's not enough money in this shit to be
suing people. Yeah. But this is a, this is the motorcycle industry. It's more of the integrity
of it though. Integrity is what we're talking about. Yeah. You know, that, yeah, dude, that was
bullshit. Yeah. I mean, it is what it is. I mean, all you can do is just like hope that
the next time this dude starts popping off again or doing another event, that more people chime in
and say, yo, dude, like you're still here. What the fuck? Dude, what really got me about that whole
thing was somebody chirped off on his post or whatever. And the dude was like, no, it's the
other way around. I've been doing this since 2023. Yeah. Dude, I have sauce in my fridge older than
2023, dude, you get the fuck out of here. Are you kidding me? Yeah. Like try 2003.
You know, like it's just, it's a bit of arrogance. Yeah. You know, and I mean, look, man, like
when I, when I, so backstory, my first shop that I had from 2004 till 2013 was called Live Fast
Customs. That was my brand. That's who I was. And it was kind of before the internet, the way that,
you know, it had became, right? And it wasn't until, and I, of course, like I had partners,
ended up leaving that walkway from that brand. And I started Fast Life Garage as a fuck you to the
Live Fast, right? Yeah. Well, then I come out here for a flannel party that we don't fuck with anymore.
And one of my buddies I wrote with from Texas that I met on the road used to work at a shop
here called Live Fast Cycles. So I didn't know that existed. It was an, you know, it was back then
though, it was, it was harder to find Google search. Yeah. It was harder to find that something existed
in your same world. The way that now it's like most people are building brands to start a business
nowadays is nothing like you can start an Instagram page for nothing. You can obviously create a lot
of fake content on AI before they cap you and say, Hey, you got to pay for it now. I'll wait two days
and come back and do some more. Yeah. You know, so this like you can build this whole persona of your
brand up within a week and have like something on the internet that looks like, you know, it's
easily passable, especially to the boomers that are probably buying this shit. Right.
Well, you know, I'm not, if he would have been like, yo, man, like I didn't, should have,
you know, I fucked up my back. A simple my bad. I didn't know. Yeah. Cool. Cool, man. Sell the rest
of shit, go a different direction. Yeah. You know, like, yeah, it's not like you were telling
them to fuck off. You're just like, Hey, man, go a different direction. Yeah. Like a big shout out
to Dustin from LFG because he was set up like two spots away from him, had long talks with him,
let him know like, Hey, you need to do this, went into the Cape Creek bar and said, you need to take
all this shit down and told the dude what's up and supposedly the dude's going to take it all down.
Like I appreciate that, man, because doing these things, sharing these stories over the years,
you know, it's, it's, it's an amazing opportunity, but this is a lot of things going out. Yeah.
Financially time, you know, I'm sitting here in your shop, my wife is fucking a thousand miles away.
Yeah. You know, like my kids are over there. Like there's a lot that goes into doing this that,
you know, I mean, I kind of want to be here. For sure. Yeah. Yeah, but like I'm being a victim
right now, guys. But I mean, so like there's a lot that goes into this and like when, you know,
when something like this happens and you're just not in a position, you know, I don't,
this is, I don't have thrashing money. Yeah. I don't have parts off the shelf. I don't have
clothes everywhere. You know, everything I do, it's like handmade. It's like a paint job or a
bike we did or, you know, I did well enough to where I still have sponsors to pay for me to
travel and do this podcast. You know what I mean? Yeah. No, we get our parts ripped off all the
fucking time. Yeah. I'll never like air them out, but I'll message them directly be like, hey, dude,
like I have your order here from like four months ago and now you're producing this part and selling
it. Yeah. And they're always like, oh, well, they'll all either get like, you don't own the parts market
or I'm not trying to make, you know, all this money off of it. I just, you know, wanted something.
And it's like, cool, there could be another product like our angle kit, right? For example,
there could be another angle kit. I don't care about that, but change the design. Yeah. Yeah. You
know, like don't it's it's an exact rip off, dude. Like I don't care if there's another one. Make it
different, dude. Like I spent hours in my garage at home fucking making the angle, like getting it
fucking done, you know, machining parts on our mill here, taking it home, fitting it up. Like I have
time into that shit. Yeah. Like and then for you to just buy it, rip it off and then try and sell it
for five bucks cheaper. Like I think the point of this whole thing is like, we need people to have
integrity, creativity, integrity. The motorcycle industry is built on being a man, being a solid
person, like being being a stand up dude, like fucking kooks and fucking snakes and thieves and
liars, like that shit gets pushed out. Yeah. You know, and when you do shit, like copy someone's
shit, whether it's a part or an identity of a brand, the identity of a brand is crazy. Or, you know,
whatever the case may be, like that shit shows that your integrity is dog shit. You know,
no justifying it, no it's just business. Nope. Yeah. Nope. You're a piece of shit.
Straight up. Like I have made mistakes that I have that have cost me money before,
but integrity is more important than quick success, quick profits, anything. Integrity is the
reason why there's countless people that don't exist in this motorcycle industry anymore.
Probably since you got into it, definitely since I got into it, you get fucking pushed out. Yeah.
I was saying you've probably seen people come and go like a lot. There's a lot of people that
need to get out. Yeah. A lot, but you know, their time hasn't come. They haven't rubbed the wrong
person the wrong way yet. Yeah. I have a t-shirt design I want to drop. It says gatekeep cool
shit. I mean, as much as like, you know, no gatekeeping, whatever, but dude, we got a culture,
man. We got to gatekeep some of this shit because you can't just let everybody come in and the
bike is the thing that's not gate kept. Yeah. The culture is. Yeah. Because the culture requires
some amount of effort and some amount of integrity for you to be able to have access to it. Yeah.
You should not gain, you should not have access to it simply because you want to. Or you have money.
Or you have money or whatever. Yeah. So get the bike by the parts to it. The gatekeeping is only
for the aspect of it that's sacred. Yeah. You know what I mean? I think that's the culture behind it.
And when you, when people just expect to be accepted into a culture, like, no, dude, like,
there's this trigger word of gatekeep that people want to, like, associate with like a negative
condensation of like whatever's going on. Yeah. But the truth is like, you gatekeep every fucking
thing in your life. Like, I don't focus that dude. He's kind of weird. Yeah. I don't want him in my life
like that. Yeah. Yeah. Like why is that gatekeeping? So why is that? That's accepted. But yeah. No, like,
I love this culture. I love the fact that guys like yourself have come in and fucking worked
your way to this point. You know, I love the fact that you now love this culture and you feel like,
fuck, I earned my part of it. Like you should be earning yours too. Yeah. That's that. That is,
I think, the way this shit works. And if you just let people in like, fuck it, you get a t-shirt brand,
you get a t-shirt brand. Yeah. It just it fucking floods the market with dog shit with dog shit.
And just people that are in it that like homeboy that he has his good paying job over here. Now
he's just over here. Ah, maybe I can do this little side hustle. Let me let me scam the motorcycle
industry out of some money. Like, fuck you, dude. Yeah. 100%. That's, I mean, it's, it's an age old
thing that's been going on forever. But you know, typically it gets wet, weeded, wedded. I don't know.
It's weeded out over time. And I think it'll happen. I think that's right.
Like I said, if he's just local here, you know, it's no big thing, but a big shout out to everybody
that like chimed in on that, you know, yourself, Dustin, loudmouth fucking loudmouth attacked him,
dude. He made it. Devin was in on that, dude. That was every time I'd go back and like, see,
you know, like if he posted something, I'd like go and see Devin's in there, dude. Fucking shit
talking. It was so funny. But like I said, he could have like, walked away from
that whole situation with, with integrity. Yeah. And people respect him like, oh man,
hey guys, the brand, I didn't realize that there was another brand in this that did,
you know, his argument to Justin was like, well, we don't do the same thing. It's like,
no, we're in the same fucking building. But we, yeah, yeah. It's the same sport, dude. Like,
there can't be two Dallas Mavericks. Yeah, dude. You know what I'm saying? 100%.
Yeah. So for him to not even get that is mind blowing too. Yeah. Well, that's just the testament
to like, again, he has no, he has, there's nothing about this thing he loves other than what he can
gain from it. That's the way I look at it. Yep. That's a good way to put it. You know,
I love this bike world because look, I'm having fun riding my bike and my wife likes it. We got
money. Why don't we invest and do it instead of being the consumer walking around? Let's get our
own booth here. Yeah. You know, like, you're kind of like not like, you're missing the point. Yeah.
Missing the point of it completely. It's fucking vultures, man. Yep. There's a lot of them around
too. Now that have popped up the last few years since like COVID or whatever. You just got to
watch out for their cheerleaders too, because the cheerleaders are the ones that, you know,
like you're choosing after knowing this. Yeah, you're condoning this shit. Yeah. Yeah. Fuck them.
Fuck them all. That's pretty good spot. Yeah. We good? We done? Hey, you call it, dude. I can
sit here and bullshit with you forever. I think we did a good job. Yeah. Yeah. Fucking A. All right.
That's a, are you guys happy? Yeah. Let me know in the comments. Yeah. Let me know in the comments
down below. Fuck y'all. Yeah. Cool. Hell yeah. Fucking solid. I appreciate you, dude. Yeah. Thank you.
Guys, I hope you enjoyed that. I want to thank Trent for hanging out the entire day while I was
in Phoenix. I did this podcast while I was riding my shovel head shopper to California for the Born
Free 17 and later my Mexico trip. So you'll hear all about that in some future episodes. But big
shout out to again, Trent and all the hangs we had the, you know, doing the podcast and all that good
stuff. If you guys are enjoying these podcasts or you want to support some more, please check out
the sponsors are down in the description below. There's also a link to our Patreon if you want
to help support this monetarily. It does help and it does kind of keep this shit going. So
I do appreciate you guys watching and hopefully you guys are having a good one. And hopefully I'll
see you at places like Sturgis this year. If not, we'll just catch you on the next podcast. All right,
guys. Peace.
About this episode
Trent from Cruiser Originals drops into The Fast Life Podcast to talk stunt riding, motorcycle building, and how his creativity has evolved from trying new hobbies to turning them into real skills. The conversation also veers into a heated debate about Indian Motorcycles—why some riders see them as “stats on paper” without the deep culture Harley and older brands have. They compare eras, discuss riding impressions, and get into why certain Harley generations (like FXRs and Evo-era setups) feel more approachable or more demanding to wrench on.
Trent is an insanely talented Harley stunt rider and the other half of Kruesi Originals. In this episode, we're getting some of Trent's perspective on being involved in so many aspects of the motorcycle scene and industry! From the YouTube Channel to building Harleys to working with the motor company!
