steveb leatherworks: the blather

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

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 […]

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.

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 […]

it kills me – people will pretty much eat any damn thing if it is served on the street, even better if it is served from a rather unsanitary cart. Makes one wonder, don’t it? In the city with the worlds best food,  so many choose to basically eat…in a word…s-h-i-t.  If you knew where these […]

Bobby Q – Got to love the name, real jokers! The food was actually pretty good..edible for sure and with a good taste to boot. Freddy & I jumped in here the other day hoping, on the off chance, we’d a hit it big…I don’t know if i’d put it up against any of the […]

Although i am a Harley fan and devotee, i am no hater of metric brands… at all. Owners show pride the same as the HD riders.. and here is a fine example…You can only imagine it is not easy to keep a nice bike in the city or keep a bike nice in the city – but […]

Seeing as how I am on a eat whatever the hell I want diet, I eat  whatever I want, pretty much whenever i want it. I am not on all the goddamn drugs that I will no doubt be forced to take at some point, so up until the time the sawbones says “B – you got to […]

Technically, Swanky Franks  is a restaurant and not street meat, but – so what?

You’ve all heard me rant and rave and carry on about how we should support our local business. I think it is really important if we want to retain some semblance of uniqueness to our individual towns and villages. I would hate to see this country keep on the path of developing and approving the building of strip malls and other […]

Here’s a tasty bit for your Friday! Ran across this red headed cutie. I love the older British bike look… spindly frames, massive drum brakes with vents, tight, small complex-but precise leak prone gadgetry… very cool. Maintaining anything more than 60mph for an hour on a stock bike will exhaust both rider and machine – so they aren’t really […]

Arrgh! Ya want a hot dog in Southern Connecticut? You are not going to find a street meat cart to satisfy your craving, no no no…your going to need to identify a restaurant or deli (a hens tooth for sure round these parts) that’s got the goods. This poses a challenge to the newbie, unitiatied and those not in the general […]

Just in case you were wondering, a close second to the oft imitated Grays Papaya is Papaya King. You can get a pretty good dog and a whipped papaya drink here. There, now you can begin your week!

The new Harley xr1200 is a sweet bike. I had a chance to get up close to one today and thought it was realy well done. If I was a young guy starting out  – this is a bike I’d check into.

I have been a huge fan of Alexander Calder’s work, since i saw it in a museum when i was a kid. I think it was one of the huge mobiles he had installed in MoMA that floored me on a 3rd grade class trip. Maybe you’ve see his work, and if so, I can only hope […]

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 […]

Made a quick stop at the Sycamore, knocked down a Dagowood. Killer!

Saw this car type thing on the street, just the other day…call me crazy but I don’t think that this is so “SMART”. Driving around NYC streets in one of these silly little electric death traps is plain dangerous.. especially when the going gets tough and metal meets..ahhhh.. plastic and foam rubber. Talk about “Unsafe at any […]

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…

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 […]