Welcome to Friday Fudge. If it’s weird, funny, or strange motorcycle news, or it just plain won’t fit anywhere else on the site – you’ll find it here.
Words from the other side
Earlier this week, we told you the famous Captain America chopper from Easy Riders sold for a record amount at auction. But, there’s more to that story.
Dan Haggerty, the original owner of the bike after its restoration, confirmed the machine as the motorcycle from the film. However, there are rumours floating around that there’s more than one of these machines that Haggerty has made this claim about. Effectively, the gossip says, the buyer has only a 50-50 chance they bought the right bike.
Whether that’s true or not, we’ll leave it for the Internet geniuses to argue over. But get this: One guy who doesn’t believe the auctioned machine was the original bike from the film is actor Michael Madsen. Supposedly, he says Dennis Hopper (Peter Fonda’s co-star in the film) is telling him to spread the word the bike is a fake – or so says the LA Times. The Times says he actually called them from Romania to tell them Hopper was asking him “from the grave” to debunk the chopper story.
It’s an odd move for Madsen; maybe he’s in possession of a bike from Hell Ride (he co-starred with Hopper in that film) and wants buyers to purchase that bike instead?
Source: LA Times
Product placement
So, say you’re a company that makes motorcycle luggage, and you want to show how crash-resistant and waterproof your new bags are. You could hire a pitchman, you could just make claims on your website, or you could team up with See See Motorcycles and put together a spaced-out promo video that includes Napoleon Dynamite theme music, tunes from the Budos Band and a chopper-riding scuba diver.
Guess which one of those choices Chrome Motors went for?
FULL LENGTH: Chrome Motor™ Presented by Chrome Industries and See See Motor Coffee Co. from Chrome Industries on Vimeo.
Dirt bikes down
Riding on the street is dangerous enough, but when you take to the dirt, there’s a whole new level of challenge involved. For some people, it’s a bit much. Way, wayyyyyyy too much.
Toast time
Are you a KTM fan? Just how serious is your devotion to Team Orange? Would you take your love of the brand to the breakfast table?
If you really, really love KTM, then maybe you’d like to buy this toaster, found on their website’s accessories section. Not only is it shiny and orange on the outside, the inside will actually toast a KTM logo directly into your bread. Who could resist? We just wonder if it comes with the latest in traction control.
There’s no price listed on the site, as far as we can see, but a branded piece of merchandise like this might only be so pricy, it’s only affordable to the upper crust …
Bikers against Terror
Last week, we told you about the No Surrender motorcycle gang from Holland, en route to fight ISIS in a move seemingly inspired by classic bikesploitation schlock.
Turns out the No Surrender crew aren’t the only biker baddies heading overseas to battle ISIS. There are also reports now that the Median Empire club from Germany is also headed over to fight it out with ISIS, or at least that’s what Facebook seems to indicate. Hey, if you’re going to go out in a blaze of glory, might as well post a selfie of it to Facebook first, right? We’re just wondering if Sonny Barger is now going to whip the Hells Angels into a fighting force and follow these European bikers into the fray, or if the years since Vietnam have curbed the US club’s desire to go bust enemies overseas.
Supposedly, the Median Empire club has Kurdish roots, which explains their willingness to head into a shooting war. We’re guessing that if they survive and return, the locals will be a little less likely to cut them off in traffic.
Ball blunder
Apparently, Texas Tech university’s basketball team has some sort of event they call Midnight Madness they use to get their season kicked off. To start things in style this year, their coach Tubby Smith decided to dress up like Shaft and ride onto the court on a motorcycle. Uh, doncha know they wax those floors, Tubby?
The Wave
To wave or not to wave? That’s often the question when bikers meet – it’s so awkward when you get ignored by the other motorcyclist. But what if it’s a dog waving instead?
Wow. That Chrome Motor video was just about as random a piece of cinema as I’ve ever witnessed. But, like any good train wreck, I just couldn’t turn away.
Loved it, actually.