steveb leatherworks: the blather

I’ve seen this Pan rumbling around the ‘hood lately.

the good stuff does not come from supermarkets, the good stuff comes from places that are fast disappearing… places that are special, places that are a pain in the ass to get to, where parking sucks, places that are not the cheapest, but the best. 

Two wheels in NYC take some work, some dedication and grit – be your conveyance a bicycle or motorcycle.

Jacqueline’s place is a good spot for some local color and breakfast. I dont usually find myself up in this neck of the woods in time for breakfast , so i can only speak from experience when i say their lunchtime Burger Deluxe plate is wholly satisfying, nothing really fancy mind you, just good solid food. I hear Breakfast rocks, but if i cant make it up here before they switch the grill over from breakfast to lunch, i am shite outta luck.

But I got a gripe…Seems every place around here buys frozen hamburger patty’s these days, a practice I wish to hell they would stop.. guess it is tough enough making ends meet with a joint like this so, every dollar counts for sure… still , it is a shame when every place serves the same mediocre patty from, the same lame supplier, which is feeding us, god knows what….Here’s to the places that hold tight and make their burgers from the the real deal and not take the easy way out…

On a visit out to the Greek’s new crib in the hinterlands of NJ with Pupkin, we came across a scene that we just dont see much in our neighborhood.

yep – you’ve been here before and so have I.. we got bar pies at the Colony on tonites menu!!  Thank god it hasn’t changed. Of course i had a Hot OIl pie with a Stinger and the boss had…the plain cheese, please. A long neck in hand, and i was good ta go! 

I know – I need to stop picking on the Smart Car, but I cant help myself. I am sorry, I know it is wrong and that I should be loving it..but i dont. Can’t they get Jonathan Ive in to take a look at the design and the weak way this stinker is branded and named? 

after a stinking hot and humid weekend here in the Northeast, i thought back to this day in March, I believe..

old man winter is cruel – the last snow of the season is always a blind-sider, seems to hit just as you are reaching for your leather jacket and helmet, thinking…are we done with winter? Well in this case the answer is no…

NYC folks love Tasti D, we love our art and we sure love our free papers…

OK – i got to know, who buys this stuff?
I have never, not once, in all my visits and travels have seen this kind of shite .. in any house – so?
Whose buying it?

Ha – let me take this moment to show a little ass here and relay a foe pah that happened back in May when I attended the SmokeOut, I thought I’d try out some digital chicanery and auto-publish. Well, I screwed it up and the same post sat for a week.

Well, i know better now what I am doing, I RTFM’d and I got the digital dog back on the leash for the time being, but i thought i’d share this message I had prepped for all of you…talking tall and showing ass!! HA!

Howdy everyone – well – I am on my way to the SmokeOut in Rockingham, NC as we speak – yep, I tagged and bagged this post and the next weeks worth while you were sleeping, yes indeed.- and I am feeling kind of smart about it if you didn’t notice. Be safe, be happy and i will be back with you in real time in a week. Until then enjoy and if you need something- just holler! – i haven’t disappeared – just road trippin’.

Got to refill and recharge the story-tellin’ picture machine with some new fodder and this should be just the activity to get ‘er done……

1993 or so - Maine - road trippin' makes me very happy

Saw a hottie this weekend. Meet a freshly rebuilt Cobra, a real Cobra I was told. Second time run since rebuilt. Mean machine, monster engine in a car that weighs shit, all purpose built, loud as hell, 3 inches off the ground..the Cobra is king – a thrill a minute machine if you got the cake, right road and a qualified driver as pilot.

This tidbit has been has been sitting for a while so, I wanted to get it out before my my nephew is in college..lol..I am a proud uncle, let me tell you why..my bass playing nephew has kept at it and now has a band that is playing out and is playing all originals to boot. Very cool.

The fact he plays the bass (my instrument) makes it even better. Think back on this pilgrim: your 17, you just got your license, you got your first car, you play bass in a band, you got decent grades, your a good looking kid, chicks dig ya…  oh man!

rocking the house

Eyes wide open walking around the city you see some sweet street meat and then ya see specimen’s of hardship, gestated in the NYC petri dish.

Do you think this bike has seen love? coddling, a waxing and detailing or two, do you think it is a poodler?

I think this machine tells a story of hardship, of being dumped, tweaked ridden to its death and brought back, i think it has seen alot of lane splitting, pot holing and sidewalk rampages. .

That’s what i think.

Props to these warriors that patrol our city and the shameless pilots who perpetuate their lives by frequent use

Had the pleasure of making for a belt recently for a customer who is on the job. Traditional black basket-weave stamping with a little touch of bling courtesy of my trademark use of rivets in the billet. Came out understated and tasty. Now, I normally go for a contrasting thread on my belts, gives it more of a custom look and is part of my style & aesthetic – but I know that ornamentation really isnt appropriate in this instance and so followed Stan’s direction – for black thread.

I shipped the goods and the deal was done. After a “hey didya get it” email, Stan responded…

Steve, thank you for the belt. I am very pleased with it. It turned out real nice. I will spread the word about your craft in the precints. Stan

Cool, another happy customer! Thanks Stan! 

I’ve noticed alot of these dual purpose enduro type bikes out and about. I think many urban cowboy types are buying these stinkers. Is this is a replacement for jacked up hi-tone pickups, CB’s and bull riding at the local “git down” bar.

Some folks talk about “old school” – but what about the guys that wrote the damn book…i mean these rocks are truly…in every sense of the word, pre-school.

along these lines, I met an experienced rider some time back, he was a good guy, chatty and eager to tell a story. I think he said he has had this BMW for the past 380,000 miles, having bought it when it was a babe, it was only 2yrs old with 20,000 on it. This was back in the late 60’s. The motor has had three rebuilds. It is a family member. Having the FXR for 17+years, I can relate in a small way. Some machines just have a way of getting under your skin.

MV Agusta, in all reality are the ultimate shit in many regards when considering a hi-style, hi-tone son of a bitch race bike that can handle the streets… Aprilla an Ducati are two more, but I am not thinking of them at this moment… And ya know, I can’t say with any degree of honesty that I am interested in riding an MV, or could even push one past 1/8 of its limit – but i am all over the design and purity of purpose.

There is something cool about a machine that is so focussed on its mission in life that it simply forsakes all other considerations. A race car presents one of those environments to its driver, because in all reality, the driver is an after thought…it is ALL about the machine. think about a race car…..almost purposely hostile in its sonic volume, rattle & shake, intensity of experience and overall stimuli..its a place people were never designed to go…or thrive in for that matter… but some badasses do… and that is cool.

So, I wonder if the weekend warrior that hangs his coat on this stinker has pushed it to lets say…1/3 its limit… hmm, i dunno.. you have to be on point if youre going to get ahead of this machine. I am also digging the ancient, first generation Gold Wing in the background… that too is a cool machine!

Shank and I stopped by one of our the local Harley Dealers today. Lots of bikes on the floor.

if you have your eyes open, you will see some interesting things.