How I Spent My Summer Vacation - Part 2

Picking up from where I left off:

After a couple hours drive north from Temecula to Gardena along with a brief stop at a neighborhood park to eat a picnic lunch, we arrived in front of a very non-descript building. Not seeing any outside sign, I called to verify we were in the right place, sure enough we were. After locking the van we walked across the street and went into the building where we were greeted by the owner Sugar Bear.

Steve with Sugar Bear.

Sugar Bear, a long-time resident of Gardena, CA opened his shop doors in 1971 with the intent to build reliable, rider-friendly choppers and products. By 1972 it became apparent a quality springer fork was needed to reflect his customers desire for longer looking bikes. From that need Sugar began building what has become the hallmark in springer forks.

After gathering in Sugar’s shop we were treated to a 90-minute history lesson. Sugar shared with us everything from bike building and machining techniques to the history of choppers and black riders. Sugar has done an extensive amount of research on the role black enthusiasts have played in the evolution of bike building and riding. This is made evident by numerous photos and posters adorning his shop walls that contain pictures of famous and non-famous black riders. His goal is to compile the stories from fellow riders, his own experiences and the photos he is collecting into a book.

Sugar is not only a consummate designer he is also committed to promoting education among the youth at local schools. Even, his nickname Sugar Bear is a by-product of his involvement with children dating back to his prior career. His love for children was apparent to me as I watched him patiently take time to explain his craft to Noah my 10 year old.

In a time of mass-produced products Sugar Bear continues to hand machine almost every part that goes into his zero-pogo, zero-flop springer forks. His attention to quality has not gone unnoticed. His solid steel triple-tree offset forks can be found on bikes built by Counts Kustoms NV and ridden by the likes of Ozzy and Tim McGraw. One set even found their way onto the Old School Chopper built by AMEN Choppers TN for the Discovery channel. Visit his website www.sugarbear.com.

After 90-minutes it was time to say goodbye. As we were heading out the door Sugar handed me a copy of The History of the Chopper by Jesse James. After watching it, I’m all the more impressed with this gentle giant of a man. I look forward to having him on Hog Radio.

After leaving Sugar’s shop we drove to our last stop of the day, the Roland Sands Designs (RSD) factory in La Palma, CA. Upon arrival we were greeted by Lauren Hargrove, RSD Marketing Manager. After signing a non-disclosure form, Lauren proceeded to give us a tour of both the RSD and Performance Machine plants.

Performance Machine (PM), which was started in 1970 by Roland’s parents Perry and Nancy Sands, is built around one premise; to manufacture and sell reliable aftermarket parts to motorcycle enthusiasts. Perry’s vision has made PM into an industry leader and it is within this environment that Roland grew up.

By the age of five Roland was riding his first motorcycle and with the support of his father went on to become a nationally recognized racer. Roland began working for his father’s firm at age 14, sweeping the factory floors. Along the way Roland picked up his fathers knack for design and as the years progressed became the Lead Designer for PM. Today, Roland runs RSD, a division of Performance Machine where he designs and produces innovative aftermarket parts for both metric and American-made bikes.

As we walked the factory floors we watched various automated milling machines, and technicians building and designing various parts. All of the products created at RSD and PM are made in the factories we toured. One notable machine we stopped to watch was milling RSD rims out of solid aluminum rim stock. As the tour progressed I noted the large number of bikes parked around the shop floor. When I asked Lauren about this she said they were used as R&D test subjects for the parts they create.

After completing the tour and bidding Lauren farewell we got back in the van and drove on to Orange, where we planted ourselves for the next 5 days while visiting Disneyland and friends.

Saturday I was able slip away and drive north to Burbank to meet up with Basem Wasef, author of Legendary Motorcycles and former Hog Radio guest. We met at a café just down the street from his residence. Unfortunately due to time constraints, I only got 25 minutes with him before I had to turn around and head back to Orange.

When Monday morning arrived we packed up the van and headed to LA where we were to meet up with Highway 1. When planning our trip our intentions were to drive home on Highway 1 and Highway 101, retracing our trip of 18 years ago. The coastal highway, as it is known, is a destination route for bikers and travelers the world over. It offers some of the most spectacular views and roads you will ever want to ride on.

Upon entering the coastal highway we were greeted by cool, fresh ocean air. With the city to our backs and the never ending ocean to our left we set out for what would become five days worth of coastal/semi-coastal driving.

After a couple of hours worth of driving we stopped at one of the many beaches and had our lunch and played in the sand. While sitting on a sandy beach 30 feet from the water with nothing but blue sky overhead it was a little hard to get moving but we did anyhow.

By early evening we decided we had better locate a campground. But not having made any camp reservations we had to stop at a number of campgrounds before we found one with available sites. It was around 7 PM that we pulled into San Simeon State Park; which as it turns out is just 5 miles south of Hearst Castle.

The next morning after breakfast, we packed up the van and drove to the Hearst Castle visitor center, where we spent a couple hours touring the mini Hearst Castle Museum. A lot had changed since my wife and I last visited 18 years prior. They’ve done a nice job of creating a destination place for tourists that even includes a café. Since we needed to make time and save some money we opted out of the Castle tour and made our way back onto the road.

Unfortunately due to fires at Big Sur we couldn’t drive north on Highway 1 and had to backtrack 12 miles and take Highway 46 east to 101. Highway 46 is a nice two lane road with nothing but mile after mile of grape vines and rolling hills. Once we made the 46/101 cutoff we headed north on Highway 101 where we viewed more orchards and vineyards. Somewhere along this stretch we came across a sign for Pinnacles Monument and decided it might be a nice place to stop for lunch. So at the cutoff we drove 30 minutes east to the end of the road to find a little parking lot and ranger station. The ten mile road in is nothing but twisties; great on a bike but very slow for our van.

As a side note, I learned a long time ago: It’s better to explore than to ignore. Chances are good you’ll never come back to where you are at the time of your trip. Because of this, I’m willing to take side roads and do some exploring. We have been well rewarded over the years for having this attitude. As a rider, this can make for some of the best riding on your trip.

By 3 PM in the afternoon we finally made it to Carmel, CA and pulled into the driveway of motorcycle legend Craig Vetter. Craig Vetter by some accounts single-handedly revitalized the cycle industry in the 70’s with the launch of his company Windjammer Fairings. Windjammer was the first universal fairing produced and sold. Fairings, for those of you who have one, make your ride that much more enjoyable and at that time ignited a new buying surge amongst first time riders.

During his heyday Craig also road raced and designed and sold a limited edition race/street bike named the Mystery Ship. Consequently Craig did very well for himself and by the late 70’s sold the company and moved his family to Carmel, CA where he has lived ever since.

Meeting Craig Vetter.

Craig spent a couple hours with my family sharing his insights, achievements and wisdom. Craig, like Sugar Bear, enjoyed talking with my sons explaining his latest project. What a treat to stand in his shop and have him take time with us. For more info on Craig go to www.craigvetter.com

After our time was up and everyone was loaded into the van, Craig mentioned that I needed to stop in Hollister and say hello to his friend Mike Corbin. Mike who? Well I would soon learn who Mike is…