samhain, halloween, dia de los muertos, whatever...just get out there and freak the bejesus out of someone today

ok seriously, don't take it too far

that's just asking for trouble.

man, spidey has really let himself go.

some old favorites...enjoy!

an eclectic array of stuff from the pre-ipod years (when a mixtape was a mixtape!) that continues to get me fired up to this day. the faith no more instrumental makes me want to pin the throttle till the wind rips my skin off!

a quick word on biker elitism

way too often i here comments that go something like this:
'knuckleheads are the real soul machines'
'anything newer than a panhead is garbage'
'shovelheads are the last real motorcycles milwaukee ever made'
'sportsters are for girls, but ironheads are way cool'
'period correct is the only way to restore the real soul of a chopper'
'the only reliable motor harley ever made is the twin cam'
'if it ain't a pre-unit, it ain't a real triumph'
'only vintage british bikes are really worth rebuilding'
'old british iron is the only european iron with any class'
'japanese choppers are cheap trash'
'anything under 1200cc might as well be a vespa'
'nothing good ever came out of japan'
...blah, blah, blah, on and on, etc.

the bottom line is ride what you want, what speaks to you, whatever that may be. maybe it's an antique boardtrack racer from 1910, or maybe a 47 knuckle model f, or a full dress restored 67 gennie shovel, or maybe it's a 03 evo sporty, or maybe something in between. maybe it's a 76 cb750 or a 67 bsa or a 85 moto guzzi or 2010 ural sidehack...you get the point.

whether the machine needs it just to run or you need it just to stay sane, diy wrenching and tinkering can be (and imho should be) done with any and every bike out there.
there's always room to tweak the looks, fit, and handling more to your personal preference.
there's always room to bump up performance to fit your riding style and need for speed.
there's always room to rethink and re-engineer any given setup to make it more reliable and easier to repair on the side of the road.

soul is not in the bike you buy, it's what you put into the bike once you start to make it yours. anyone who tells you different is lying and probably trying to sell you something you don't need.

now for something completely different...
last but not least here is a random pic, because who really wants all preachy words and no pretty pics:

"hellyans" from the one and only sir robert williams.
this man is a stratospheric visual genius and a pretty opinionated legit hot rodder in his own right. if you ever get a chance to read "the hot rod world of robt williams" i highly recommend it...or c'mon over and page through my copy. just bring plenty of fresh tacos and don't get the pages all greasy, hahahaa.

another bastard's build

more to come on this productive bastard soon. here's a frame i'm sending him for an upcoming build he'll be doing...on top of the three he's already working on! this guy is a madman! kudos bastard jason, kudos sir. welcome to zen.

oh yeah...choppers!

here's some secret sneak peek pics of parts and stuff that is part of my big twin chopper build in one way or another. i call it 'zig-zag' for reasons both obvious and private. many more progress pics to come in the near future. feel free to comment with thoughts and reactions.

enjoy!

Buddhism and Us. A disclaimer.

This is Dogen Zenji. He was the founder of Soto style of Zen Buddhism in Japan. The other prominent style of Zen Buddhism is Rinzai.
ZEN BASTARDS MC IS IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH OR A REPRESENTATION OF SOTO OR RINZAI STYLE OF BUDDHISM OR ANY FORM OF BUDDHISM.

That is not to say that I don't personally "classify" myself, ROB, as a Buddhist. I do my best to follow the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the "original" Buddha (not the fat guy we associate as Buddha here in America...just cuz you saw a statue at your local Chinese cuisine establishment doesn't mean it is historical evidence...)
as well as the teachings provided to us by a one Mr. Dogen Zenji especially those provided in the Shobogenzo. I am a recovering alcoholic and addict. I am currently doing my best to remain sober. I love my brothers, in my Sangha, in my MC, and all those in between. I will stand up for any and all of them to the end. I condone nothing, I represent nothing.

For me this blog is a way to share bullshit, about mine and my brother's in arms chopper builds, music and maybe a little philosophy here and there. Just remember, we are not a representation of anything in particular.

Just had to get that off my chest, thank you. I love you all.
Oh yeah, and here is a better representation of the historical Buddha, a one Siddhartha Gautama. For those of you who really thought it was a fat Chinese dude.

Puttin the Bastard in Zen Bastards

don't like it? don't worry. i certainly don't care so why should you?

link for those that dig my last post:
http://ohhburn.com/stickers/
who doesn't like free stickers?

more of the same from a very psychedelic intellectual...pretty informative, too:
(disclaimer--i take no credit for the music or fashion statements in these videos)



seriously, take a good look around with some critical thinking and accept that 'popular' or 'conventional' culture is not your friend. you are it's prey until you embrace the spirit of FTW.




whatever you think don't just take my word for it, or anyone else's word, either. question any and all authority...especially crackpots like me.



and last but not least...hooray!

Non-Bike Inspiration For My Current Project

starting to see the pattern here?

here's a couple fuel bottles i got for cheap and plastered with support stickers for people i think deserve support, and who have good sticker designs

Robert Pirsig's ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE

"What follows is based on actual occurrences. Although much has been changed for rhetorical purposes, it must be regarded in its essence as fact. However, it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either."

what a great intro to a great book! it applies pretty well to this whole bloggy thing, too.

"You see things vacationing on a motorcycle in a way that is completely different from any other. In a car you're always in a compartment, and because you're used to it you don't realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You're a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame. "

people who don't ride never seem to understand the fundamental difference between driving in a cage and experiencing travel on a bike. this addresses that problem pretty well.

"We're in such a hurry most of the time we never get much chance to talk. The result is a kind of endless day-to-day shallowness, a monotony that leaves a person wondering years later where all the time went and sorry that it's all gone. "

it's all too easy to become obsessed with what's supposed to happen next. what is now is too easily overlooked. our sense of time and presence is horribly distorted much of the time and leads to much anxiety and displeasure with life as it is, as opposed to how it was or how it should be. neither future nor past actually exist outside of a little trick of the mind. because the mind identifies itself as an independent consciousness, it's constantly trying to categorize its perceptions and separate them on a one dimensional linear scale called time.

"You look at where you're going and where you are and it never makes sense, but then you look back at where you've been and a pattern seems to emerge. And if you project forward from that pattern, then sometimes you can come up with something."

this statement both contradicts and confirms the last commentary. contradiction is a necessary and integral part of truth. it's the other side of the same principle that fiction uses to create a suspension of disbelief. the greatest mythologies and illusions are created by using bits of truth as a foundation from which to build a convincing abstraction.

"That's all the motorcycle is, a system of concepts worked out in steel. There's no part in it, no shape in it, that is not out of someone's mind."

"I've noticed that people who have never worked with steel have trouble seeing this... that the motorcycle is primarily a mental phenomenon. They associate metal with given shapes... pipes, rods, girders, tools, parts... all of them fixed and inviolable, and think of it as primarily physical. But a person who does machining or foundry work or forge work or welding sees "steel" as having no shape at all. Steel can be any shape you want if you are skilled enough, and any shape but the one you want if you are not."

"These shapes are all out of someone's mind. That's important to see. The steel? Hell, even the steel is out of someone's mind. There's no steel in nature. Anyone from the Bronze Age could have told you that. All nature has is a potential for steel. There's nothing else there. But what's "potential"? That's also in someone's mind!"

this is a great way to look at a bike. it can be especially useful when hitting a wall of frustration while wrenching. it can also be kinda cool to ponder in the back of your mind while actually riding...just remember to pay attention to your surroundings, too!

contemplate the wrench-flower. explore every aspect of it in your mind. then just relax for a few minutes and let your mind clear. now sit still and just breathe for awhile letting your mind be clear. when your done, get up and have something to sip on for a bit. go put some good miles on the ol scooter. rest, and repeat as necessary and as often as possible.

SHOWCLASS

I know by now you are all reading this already. But if you aren't. You need to start. Speaking of which I am eagerly awaiting issue number 3...

SHOWCLASS

Some choppers that have provided me with some much needed inspiration lately.

More Sounds To Zen Out With

i copped this youtube link from zac doom, a fellow twin cities native and someone whose bloggy thing is definitely worth checkin out!

another one by these beautiful mongoloids



this is just some classic bastard rock to zen out to.
hail king buzzo!




this stuff is already on your playlist or stuck in your 8track.
it's not, what the fuck chuck? make it happen, time now!




if you feel you've got the fundamentals covered with zen sounds, here's a step up. this is a mandatory listen with next level collaboration between aphex twin, mike patton, and dillinger escape plan.
this one runs on repeat in my head when i'm workin out...is that a bad sign or just good taste?


-disclaimer: drugs are dangerous and illegal, especially psychedelics! but wait a minute, if you're 'high on life' then you're pretty much toasted 24/7. so what's the implied task...? moderation in all things my brothers and sisters.

that's all for today.

oh yeah, a quick word of advice: when workin with solvent based gel paint stripper, read the bottle, wear gloves and a mask, and don't get that stuff on your skin! unless you hate havin skin, then by all means break out the slip and slide and cover it with paint stripper. get naked and superman that thing. no more pesky epidermis for you...now who's laughing?

Red Fang & Stonerobixxx

Alright. So. If you aren't listening to bands like Red Fang or Planet of Zeus. There just might be something wrong with you. Here are some tastes, of what should be included in your life.

Red Fang

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuRKRFjm-HA

Planet of Zeus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfGvtZoDkBk

Oh yeah, and check out this blog...if you know what's good for you. For all your doom/sludge/stoner metal needs.

STONEROBIXXX

In the next edition I will be posting tons of pics from both Pat's and My chopper builds... Remember this is just the beginning...

Mandatory Viewing

Werewolves On Wheels, 1971


if you haven't seen it, you need to. seriously, find it today. beg, borrow, or steal...whatever you have to do to get this thing burned into your brain. i highly recommend at least two or more consecutive viewings, psychedelics optional but encouraged.

truth may truly be stranger than fiction, but this one pretty far out there!

oh yeah,
-sit and meditate once in awhile wherever you are
-go riding whenever you can
-wrench when you can't

that shit's good for you. i recommend combining all three as often as possible. now that's livin the high life.

zen bastards comin to a shindig near you...

Let it begin.

Here is Pat. This is just the beginning. Welcome.