Sporty's Rule!?

 

 I asked Brian a few questions and these are the responses.

-

Year, make, model?

The bike started out as a 2007 Nightster. I bought it off Craigslist from a guy who's wife was making him sell it.  It had 700 miles on it.  All that is really left of that are the motor, and the front part of the frame.  Pretty much everything else has been changed.  For me, there's a line to be drawn between looks and performance.  You have the period correct guys (most of my friends) and you have the performance guys.  Most of the time its one or the other.  I really feel that there is a way to add the performance and still have a beautiful machine. the idea with this bike was to tastefully merge both of those things.  A fully chopped out Genny or Pan done right is amazing, but if it has to work its ass off to roll at 75 and something falls off at every gas stop to me it kinda defeats the purpose of having a motorcycle to begin with.  I wish Jeff Wright or Chopper Dave would make a Sportster.  Those dudes know what time it is and the maneuverability you get from a Sporty is amazing.  I needed a bike that could look good, like a chopper should, but zip in and out of traffic, feel 100% solid, stop on a dime, and roll at 120 in the Mexico desert, with a little throttle left to spare if I needed to pass, all in one package.  Evil Sporty was the answer. 

-

Longest distance traveled on it, when, where, how many miles?

Ive ridden the bike pretty hard the last few years, I have a couple Shovelheads so once in awhile it sits in the corner for a bit, but this bike is like old faithful to me.  It always goes.  And goes, and goes. Pancho Run 3 we did just under 1500 miles in 4 days and it ran at the front of the pack, like a top.  I generally don't like to ride more than about 300 per day any time, but its comfortable so if I need to I can take it to the limit.  It just depends on how many 5-hours I have on hand.

-

Favorite part? 

This sounds really weird to say, but my favorite part of the bike is the fuel injection system.  There was no way I was gonna run the stock tank with the internal fuel pump on any bike I ride.  I hate the shape. Michael from Evilspirit and I did a lot of work to put that stuff on the outside of the bike.  Just hang it all out there for everyone to see.  It makes the bike so much more interesting.  Not to mention a major performance increase.  We used automotive parts.  The fuel pump I run was designed for a Mustang. Chopper guys will not fuck with fuel injection shit, but its actually really simple when you break it down and just took a few phone calls.  When we took it apart I noticed right on the stock connectors it just says "Ford".   We just made it work.  Michael Barragan deserves the credit for this conversion.  And to this day I have still not ever seen another bike set up this way.  Which is weird to me, its not difficult, and the reward is immense.  Why aren't more people doing it?  The air ride seat is pretty cool too. 

-

Lamest part?

Are you calling my bike lame?  Ill whip your ass.

-

Favorite ice cream flavor?

   Man I fucking love ice cream.  So much more can be done with it too.  Some guys are doing it, but not many.  You can get bacon flavor.  Salt caramel, jalapeno, bean and cheese, that shit rules.  The people doing that shit are like ice cream choppers, push the limits man.  I'll get down on Hagen Daaz, Ben and Jerry's, even Blue Bell, but I don't accept any generic bullshit.  Keep it high class is what I say. My favorite basic flavor is Peppermint.  But I like to mix it up some.  You know, expand your ice cream horizons.

-

PC or Mac?

Every time I go to the Mac store to deal with my iphone that perpetually breaks, I end up wanting to kick the shit out of the "Mac Wizard".  You know those guys rolling on fixies, wearing those little gay hats and their little sisters jeans?  They use Macs.  When a PC breaks, I fix it.  I upgrade it, and I hot rod it myself.  Im not down with anything that you cant take apart and work on yourself.

-

Moon landing.. real or fake?

Seriously?  I want you to ask Buzz Aldrin that question and see how he handled it.  Google that shit.

-

How did the Cold War affect you growing up?

I caught frogs and snakes growing up.  I listened to KISS.  I wore Toughskins, and jumped my minibike.  Real Gummo shit.  Fuck politics.

-

Smallest fish ever caught when, where, what, how big, what were you using?

Sometimes I take my kids with me when I fish.  If I'm not feeling too serious, I rig up a live worm, or a little mister twister for em and inevitably they catch 2 dozen tiny bluegills or 2 inch crappies.  They love it.  Then after an hour they want to play the Wii and they sit there bored until its time to leave and I'm stuck reeling their fish in. 

 -

The last question is a "choose your own adventure type"  "you fill in the rest" kind.
What is........

.........best in life?

  That's easy. To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.

 -

Something else I want to say, is that I hear a lot about runs and where people are going.  The guys who make them often know this shit already but it took me a minute to realize it:
Its not about the destination, but the journey.

I'm sure there is already some Latin phrase that explains that shit that I just don't know about.  Yeah the palapas and burnouts in San Felipe were cool.  But not half as amazing as the road to get there. and experiencing that stuff with good friends and making new ones is what its all about.  Figuring out how to fix a flat in the middle of Mexico with no tools and no way to communicate other than sign language and charades is and incredible feeling when it works out and you're back on the road in 45 minutes. Scared you're gonna run out of gas, and knowing if you make a wrong turn you're really fucked. Jammin the mountain curves at 70, then the gas stops and the feeling you have that you cant explain but you look at your buddy and you can see on his face that he has it too, so you would never need to explain it.  So for this motorcycle and Evilspirit Engineering... I helped build this bike with my best friend who I love like a brother, and I learned so much not just about motorcycles, but so much more. Michael really helped open my eyes and taught me how to look at the big picture instead of the quick fix.  I just wanted a hardtail, and I ended up with a total package.  I wasn't about to just drop it off and pick up the bike when it was finished, I wanted my hand on everything and I know it was hard for him to let me in the way he did.  I worked my ass off to build this bike and got plenty frustrated when I had to sit back at times and give up some control, its just not in my nature.  2 weeks of 20 hour days will put any friendship to the test and there were plenty of times when I was ready to take my ball and go home but I'm glad a stuck it out, because I couldn't be more proud of what we put together, and now, for the king of the Sportster to dig my ride, there is no better compliment.  Thanks bro.  I can't wait for the next journey.

 -

Thanks Brian, for the input.  And thanks to Bill, Mike, and McGoo for making things happen.

Sportos Rule!