steveb leatherworks: the blather

Saw this bike parked in the morning and then out sweeping corners later in the day. The owner, obviously not a newbie cleaned and neatened up his VTX to be quite a respectable low buck custom hot-rod. Nice job.

I’ve said on these very pages that one rarely sees a HD parked on the streets of NYC. it is true, but alas, today we had the nexus of timing and happenstance, allowing the capture of this rare occurrence. For your pleasure, I present to you – one over baked RoadKing with handlebar speakers..I hope […]

Shank, Pupkin and I busted out for the first time as a team a few weeks ago. Ran up to Huckleberry, it felt real good although Shank reminded us with fairings to hide behind and electric coats to swaddle our baby soft bodies – that it was kinda cold. I hear ya Shank – time […]

I dont make alot of stuff for myself. Most of what i wear and use is prototype work, usually it is a little rough design and detail wise ..a work still in progress. I usually try something new at the same time  that i am working out a new design – a new material,  a new piece of hardware, a new dye, etc – so really […]

Co-mingling and getting along…works. Here we’ve got a a prettied up Street Glide squatting next to a stealth black something-or-other Japanese rocket bike outside a local gym… both parked illegally on the sidewalk. Flashing a unified show of “i dont give a crap, I’ll park wherever i damn well please” and a bit o’ the dark black…on […]

Saw this piece of vintage British street meat in Brooklyn recently. From what I understand the owner leaves it outside year round and blasts about the streets on it like a man possessed.

Found this slick indian on the street when i was out running around on the bike. Owner told me it is a 1947. I see he made made some critical charging system updates – hooyah. The full face helmet is in questionable taste, but given his extreme class in rides..I will forgive. This was a young guy to boot…

So, one of my new customers has some funny ideas about tourpak Dog travel. Kind of odd, a little weird, but definitely cool.  Rover just got his “doggles” so he is set for the coming season. Good thing he isnt a big big dog…he fits the box perfect.

I can find something to love with almost any two-wheel machine. I mean, I look at bicycles with the hairy eyeball for chrissakes, so when i come across any kind of motorcycle, i stop and scope it from stem to stern..just as i would if i were to judge it in a show – short of running my […]

Saw this BMW, parked in the garment center under one of those “overhead” plywood deals. Chained up, ridden regularly – but treated well, this is a prime example of an NYC warrior.  Enough dings and dents to ward off the trophy spoilers, enough class to warrant a second look. Good stuff!

Now we all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to “forbidden food”.  As a NYC native, I’ve got a few “best of breed” forbidden foods:pizza, fried dumplings, Cuban & pastrami/corned beef sandwiches, Challah french toast, Sopressata sausage, Eggplant/Chicken parmigiana, all kinds of crazy stinky cheeses..you know – stuff you just know is bad for you, and most of the […]

Been seeing lots of scooters lately. I am rethinking my position on them due to the fact that you can pretty much park them anywhere (yank the license plate when you do, an old NYC trick) and they let you stay above ground to get around, thereby avoiding the subway and other odious methods of NYC travel. They are good on […]

Wandering around the city (with eyes open) causes me to reflect on the hard life everything in the city experieinces. This is no place for pussies, or pussy bikes. If you ride in NYC, you’d best be bullet proof, cause this place can put a hurtin’ on ya if your not up for it. Bikes […]

Saw this chop out at the Duck. Good to see someone flying the Root Beer flake with traditional flames. I am not a big fan of this kind of frame geometry, but it is obvious someone took care to make a nice looking chop. They get props for riding it when the roads are crappy and the weather , […]

Was in Daytona some time back and ran into this beauty at an AMCA meet. Not sure how true to the original it is, but it sure is pretty. Enjoy!

Reconnected with an old “online friend “the other day after a 15yr hiatus, Nelson Kanno – man about town, Hawaiian annoyer of motorists,  chopper aficionado, bike journalist, lifestyle expert, ya now – a character par excellence I am looking forward to communicating with Nelson and his Church of Choppers crew in more depth – but for now, enjoy what a tasty bike Nelson […]

While perusing the goodies at the NYC IMS show, i happened upon Ducati, resplendent in their blood red trade show environment. The usual fare of hyper active sport bikes were there on display. Ducati really has a handle on how to turn a piece of metal into functional art. Functional with a emphasis on “fun”. I’ve ridden […]

Leather looks best when it gets a beating.. kinda like the crackly look of a bar brawlers face after 40 yrs. of boozing….(like that huh?)…it just gets better and more dramatic – it toughens up. In my experience, Veg Tan leather tends to break in to a specific point pretty quickly – and then it tends to stay  at that point for awhile…like…years, […]

When i worked for American Iron Magazine I had the pleasure of judging a few bikes shows. At least I went into it thinking it would be a pleasure. Winds up, that judging a show, and really doing it right – requires alot of work. To boot, a deep knowledge of VTwins and bike construction is required if you’re going to do things respectfully. In the […]

People talk about what makes a biker. Or more to the point they talk about what a biker isn’t. Most of this jaw-flappin’ is for the sake of divisiveness. People love to categorize, they like to exclude. they like to rate, they like to compare and contrast. We are all guilty of it… we draw the lines in the […]

Time frame : early 90’s Duration: we were on the road for about a week Players: Pupkin, Paulie-boy, Gavin & me Bikes: 3 fxr’s and one softail. Destination : NYC to Virgina Beach Scenic Stops: H-D York PA, Assateague, Chincoteague, Ocean City, Skyline Drive, etc Memorable moments that have endured: scrapple in Front Royal, crabs in MD, Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Virginia Beach […]

Sitting here with a full stomach, visiting relatives on Xmas day with snow on the ground, it feels like the last time i was on a bike was a year ago. Looking at the shots on my camera, i must admit that this is not wholly true. Only 24 days ago Shank, Dan-o and me […]

After nearly 20 years of faithful service my novelty jockey helmet needed a rebuild in a pretty big way. Back in the day, most any self respecting NYC biker wore a jockey helmet – this was most certainly a *club* style influence.  Growing up at ground zero in the moto scene, there was never really […]