BarHookUp is now open for business.

Wow. What a trip that was. Poor Mason had to endure the whole build-out of the bar. I certainly hope it doesn't ruin his marriage. Some ten-hour days here. Some four-hour days there. Couple hours here. A couple there. Now there is a bar on Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach that does not belong. I am about to begin an advertising campaign to end all advertising campaigns. I'm hoping to get the word out since I have to close for a week while I'm gone to Japan. Get back and really put the pedal down on luring a crowd in. It is such a nice place. Huntington Beach certainly does need something like it.

Bar Hook Up is close to being open.

Only a couple more things to do before I can officially open the bar up to the public. I don't think it belongs on Beach Blvd. but if word gets out, it should become popular. I need to put up the lighting, install the showcase, install the menu fixtures and order alcohol. Also hook up the dvd players and hang and hook up the sound system. And also construct and install the front bench.

more bar photos

more bar progress

Mason and I put in a couple days last week and now the front entry is done as well as the storage room wall and ceiling and bathroom blocker wall. (before you could see the person walking into the bathroom from two feet away if you were sitting at the back booth. not my style. I want my distance.) The bathroom sink piping was re-plumbed by our friend Punker Ron so I could put in the corner sinks. I tore into the wall and am in the middle of the shitty job of sanding the drywall patch. I am doing my best but does it usually take six passes of mud to get it smooth? I think I shimmed the drywall board a hair too high. Eh. Whatever. It'll look fine. I'm hoping to find someone to help with the laying of the laminate for the countertop. I need to buy the t.v.'s and vcr's and set up the sound system, get the cooler and ice machine repaired and finish building the armrest, footrest, drink rail and get to polishing the floor. And also buy alcohol. And weld up the legs for the front driftwood bench. Got to order a credit card machine, wireless internet, get glassware and towels and soap and paper towels and fill the condom and dirty photo machines and the underwear machine. Sheesh. By Friday? Well, here it goes.

Trike done. Bar next. Starliner after that. Then movie.

Man, that was a TRIP! I probably should have passed on the trike build but it's Shige's 20th and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to show some respect and love to the Shige-san and Mooneyes so goodbye sleep, hello hell. Oh! Where to begin and where did it end? As far as the last post goes, that was two days before delivery. I was able to get everything done but starting and riding the night before delivery. Poon, Grant and Drews were nice enough to join Rodney and I for the first kick. It lit but started flooding pretty bad so after a while everyone split and I buttoned a few things up and figured I would take care of the starting and riding before I loaded it in the net day. Carlos let me borrow his truck in the a.m. and we got Drews bike in the back and delivered no problem. We then shot over to Rodney's place and I put new oil line clamps on all of the lines and tilted the carb up a bit and tightened it down. One kick and it lit and idled like I had never changed a thing. (Ralph at Mesa Cycle had recently done a full split-case rebuild and I had not fired it since it went back together) The thing was idling sooo nice and then BAM! An oil line was resting against the pipe and I didn't see it. It burst all over me and the stuff behind me and jesus. I jumped! I shut it down and ran to the hardware store for some more oil line and replaced it before loading it in. It looks like I'll be riding this one for the first time again in Yokohama behind the Moon Cafe the day before the show. Sometimes, that's how things go. I put the word out to the Japanese homeboys that we'll be wrenching the day before and they're stoked to have a hand in it and I'm stoked that it's coming together this way. I get a kick out of finishing something like this but to share it this way with the guys who live and breathe motorcycling like we do but on the other side of the earth...sheeeeit. THAT is cool and that is what it is really about. The photos are of Drews and I the day of delivery.

jesus will I finish this?

roadblocks etc.

Holy crap. Here's some good info for those of you who plan on taking a servicar rear end and mating it to a big twin motor. Sheeeeit. I split the rear end apart to chrome it and forgot to pull the races and bearing out of the ends. (the races are huge, fine threaded and spin out) I figured the chrome plater would silicone the shit out of them but no luck. chromed and frozen bearing in one and plated race in the other. I got it back and ground the bearing out. Rodney got the race out somehow and I went and bought a slightly undersized bearing with the same original inner diameter and master Rodney made a race for the race. It looks like it may work. I'll be putting the rear end together tomorrow night and hope to light it up by the weekend. I better since I have to deliver this bike on the 26th. I have to wire it, set up the oil lines and clutch and work out a master cylinder still. And also the brake pads may be too big for the drums now that they are re-lined. Eh. 5 more days. No problem.

Building the trike in ten days.

I have begun putting the trike back together and it is looking really cool. The paint job by Jose and Maestro is really stunning in the light. I picked the color from a color book of new paint options for hondas and fords. The color is Jade Metallic and it is one of my favorite colors.

Tran and the red interior

Tran came in today and knocked out some seating for me. There are now three half booths and one full plus two very long benches. It's hard for me to believe that all of the interior was free and fit perfectly.

hola crapola there is progress

Mason and I put a day in at the Hook Up and a DJ booth appeared. The floor is a foot off the ground and we used a fiberglass form as a radius that I picked up in the big wood recycle I got behind that warehouse around the corner. The trike is coming along also. Here are some shots of the frame and tank.

stained spruce facia

I have been working on installing the front wood on the bar and finally finished but it looked like a wild west saloon with the untreated spruce standing out like a sore thumb. I bought and returned five or six pints of stain before enlisting the help of wood stain guru and all around good guy Ross Morgan of Morgans Woodshop for some faux treatment consultation. I began with a watered down pail of white kilz paint and rolled that on. I let it dry then watered down a water-based black paint and brushed it on for that 'old' look. Thank you Ross for the direction. I am very happy with the results.

New exterior shot

I have almost completed the spruce exterior and will probably just install the wood around the door and paint the door red. Ross suggested I do a silver "wash" of black and white paint watered way down and rolled onto the wood to mimic the silver color it will turn as it ages. I can't wait that long. I want it silver NOW. I have all of the booths and will go purchase the vinyl for the bottoms that I am missing and some shiny red vinyl for the inside panel on the door.

Seven new HEATHENS videos

While trying to master the video editor, I put together seven new Heathens videos for you to enjoy. It's FAST humor. http://www.youtube.com/user/chmediagroup

Hook Up sign night view and bar wall construction

Here's a photo of the completed sign after Ky installed today. Next is the installation of the spruce facia and front bench fabrication. Mason and I built about half of the bar yesterday. We will build the radius that leads to the other wall tomorrow and possibly the bar top. There's only about 27" between the front and rear beer coolers for the bartender but I guess I don't need much distance to move around back there anyway.

Trike seat fabrication

Here is a photo of the bike with the rear seat structure. Rodney and I put a small grab bar in front of each seat for safety's sake but there isn't much safety for the riders of the Pleasuredome, that's for sure. Tomorrow we mount the headlight and taillight/license plate bracket and make a battery box.

Making a new sign for the bar.

First thing you do is pick a name, measure the panels for the signage, design a panel and take it over to your local sign guy, mine being Sharp Signs in Westminster, CA. Ky at Sharp Signs has fabricated all the signage I have ever designed from the Avalon arrow to the church cross neon to the Charles Todaro Gallery sign and all plastic signage in between. Here they are laying out the panels...