steveb leatherworks: the blather

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 […]

When perusing the offerings at the IMS show, I happened upon the booth of DAM cycles.  I’ve had these guys on my radar for some time now, as their work has always been for as long as I can recall – stunning. I don’t know the granular particulars, of the shop, or its ownership – or even […]

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, […]

Shrinkage – the word hasn’t been the same since that fateful Seinfeld episode.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysEHVhliosw[/youtube] But in this instance the shrinkage I am referring to is of the vegetable tanned leather type – the type of leather  that i favor for my work… veg tan leather shrinks if it is not sealed up tight to moisture. The only problem with sealing leather, is basically your turning […]

Went to the IMS show on Friday in NYC. I was thinking that the plane that used the Hudson as a runway the night before, might cause a bit of travel hardship if i were inclined to take my car, so a smarter, more sensisble head prevailed and i took the train down to NYC.  The weather has been a […]

So i had this whole crazy story concocted on how i was comissioned by the royal hiney-ness of here to hey now to develop a proprietary cover for the ignition porthole on his evo. but ya know, I figured I’d let you masochists who read my crap off the hook and get away easy….this time….ya know,  it is the weekend, it is cold as […]

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 […]

seeing as how we are in a recession, depression, downturn, doldrums, lull, economic downturn and basic malaise. I thought in response I would test an “economy of verbiage”, as it is known i like to run my…keyboard. So here ya go, if this new format works for ya, let me know. it sures makes it […]

This just came in over the steveb worldwide international and domestic news wire.  TPJ Customs, supporter and friend of the steveb, leather network, has dominated a “judged class” (wtf class it is, I have no clue) at the Easyriders Show in Pomona. My boy Bryan just kills!!  Now, please excuse the handwritten nature of the documented proof of this win.I know it looks […]

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 […]

15 years ago doesn’t seem all that long from a numerical standpoint. But the truth is that 15yrs is a helluva long time, in a lot of other ways….  looking at these old shots from a memorable road trip of long ago reminds me of that. Pupkin, Gonzo and me headed up to the wild […]

Looking at these two pictures of Dennis’s bike, I think to myself – “oh man, what is up with you? Featuring a bike looking like this – a powder puff pimp queen?”  Forever and ever, I’ve been a 3 shades of black guy (wrinkle, gloss, satin), my fxr best personifying this ideal, as that bike […]

Just scanned some shots from attending the Toys for Tots Queen NYC run,…back in I believe, 1991 or 1993. I remember this particular ride, whatever year it was..lol.. as being brutally cold..no fairing, no windshield, no full face helmet -and an hour on the slab to get to where i needed to go…ah yes – the good old days. […]

Yep, sharing your views on a persons aesthetic taste is one of those things, kind of like a fart in the communal tub. it is one of those things in life your just better off keeping to yourself. Other qualifiers for the “keep it to yourself” awards, include include comments on: religion, politics and thoughts […]

A week or so ago three of us busted out for a quick ride up to squirrel country and had a chance to view the last of Fall’s optimists in action. Going to get down in the low 30’s tonight and i think these idyllic 2008 moments will be rare from here on out.  In […]