Jockey Journal Forum banner

Sugar Bear

88K views 190 replies 81 participants last post by  takehikes 
#1 ·
sugar bear is one of the guys i admire the most in the industry and seen he recently joined JJ (if its really him) and i thought the man deserves his own thread lets see some pics and hear some stories.
any of you own a survivor bike, frontend?
 
#63 ·
Re: sugar bear

The car tire flexes when you're on the sidewall (curves and turns) ... in a straight line it's good. There was one car tire I found best for a motorcycle, and that was a Semperit (as seen on the 54) ... it was the only one I ran..... They also lasted a lot longer that a mc tire I guess because they were built for heavier and radial, etc, etc ... you had to slow way down for curves
 
#67 ·
Re: sugar bear

The car tire flexes when you're on the sidewall (curves and turns) ... in a straight line it's good. There was one car tire I found best for a motorcycle, and that was a Semperit (as seen on the 54) ... it was the only one I ran.....
I rode many miles with different car radial tires over the years without "major" issues I must say..

I still thinks that the fat donut look of a 15" radial can't be beaten with any motorcycle tire design/look..
Yeah.....my hazy memories from "back then" were that of the best to use were bias-ply, to avoid the "jello-effect" of the radial sidewalls.

Usually by sourcing VW bug applications, 5.5 or 6 x 15" cheapos...but even they got hard to find as radials took over.

I still have one I got at a tender age, pulled from the rafters of my local indy shop (R.I.P. Terry Rigsby), on a 15" rim laced to an early Triumph hub, from his early years....

Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!
 
#64 · (Edited)
Re: sugar bear

I rode many miles with different car radial tires over the years without "major" issues I must say..
However, I looked always for the more rounded edge designs..Kleber, Pirelli Centurato's, Vredestein...(Semperit's where unavailable here in Europe..)
(165-175-185 x 15")
I still thinks that the fat donut look of a 15" radial can't be beaten with any motorcycle tire design/look..
 
#65 ·
Re: sugar bear

cant say i ever ran a 15" car tire, but i do remember the "old" 16" "contys". with 10 lbs of air in them, lol, ya cornering was a chalange, but, damn we looked cool doing it, lmfao.
 
#69 · (Edited)
Re: sugar bear

Danny and Sugar Bear, thanks for your responses to my smart-aleck remark. I get tired of people looking at other's work and saying it's unsafe or uncomfortable, without any actual experience. I hear a lot of that about running car tires on the back of motorcycles, and get sick of all the "you'll die a flaming death:eek:" type statements.:mad:

I want to tell both you guys that I would sound pretty gay if I were to try to put into words the amount of respect & admiration I have for you guys who have been there and done that, yet still have patience with those of us who still have so much to learn.:eek:

P.S.
I'm still cracking up every time I see "junior member" under Sugar Bear's name! ( I know it's about post count, but a guy with his experience - a "junior member"??????)
 
#71 ·
Re: sugar bear

...

I've had this pic on my 'fridge for 15+ years.. classic.



And more recently:

Here's a side view..



According to the article in Street Chopper that highlighted SB's "Gorjus" panhead...

...you're looking at a 1948 Panhead with mostly original parts that was built in 1969 by Junior Batista. A bike builder and painter as well as friend and riding buddy of Sugar Bear's, Junior originally built this bike, and then unfortunately had to sell it. He turned the bike over to George Houghley, who was also a friend and riding buddy of Sugar Bear's, "but not really a mechanic or builder." The bike then found its way into good hands: those of Sugar Bear and Ben Hardy, who started working on it.
George Houghley was the guy I posted getting the trophy when the bike had the tall seat and glide forks. George was killed riding that bike, and Sugar Bear rebuilt it as you see it today. It's been around for awhile.

Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!
 
#73 ·
Re: sugar bear

...

Thought about this bike last night after reading the "Denvers" and "Japanese Chopper" threads. It was featured in Custom Bike - June 1977, and I saw some photos of it last time I was in Sugar Bear's shop...









http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c364/jahluv1967/SugarBear%20Honda%20750%20Chopper/CustomBike-June1977.jpg[IMG]

[/QUOTE]

[size=2][b][URL=http://showmewebcam.com/?p=1]Never pay again for live sex![/URL] | [URL=http://showmewebcam.com/?p=3]Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free![/URL] | [URL=http://showmewebcam.com/?p=5]Chat for free![/URL][/b][/size]
 
#80 ·
Re: sugar bear

I'm a fan of all bikes LONG.

And I'm with dragon on the dedication of these "pioneer" threads. If it wasn't for guys like you, Arlen,Ron Simms,Denver and others. Who's to say where this industry would be and if we would have the young gun builders we have today.

And then there's Tom McMullen who started the worldwide exposure of you guys and in which Jeff Holt continues today.

It truely is an honor to hear from you first hand. Thank you.

That pic of you and the 60 over is just too cool.

Hey dragon,
(the Denver Mullins mega thread)???? over 1000 posts and over 202,000 views-------- I guess that qualifies. lol
 
#84 ·
Re: sugar bear

Hey Bear, looking forward to STURGIS again and riding with you. Looks like your bikes and mine and the students will be in the Michael Lichter display..cool! Thanks again for supporting the class, the kids are tearing the bike down as I type to send off to paint and powder
 
#87 ·
Re: sugar bear

I seem to remember a Sugar Bear sighting at the Economic Stimulus Bash last April.

It was a pleasure to shake his hand and talk for a bit. A genuine and humble man. He was the one actually rolling around camps and taking in and enjoying what all of us had brought to ride.

Thanks for all you've done Bear. When this thread originally got shut down I was truly saddened. I am grateful for whatever powers that be have straightened things out and we can now get back to rolling down the road.....

Peace
 
#88 ·
Re: sugar bear

Thanks all for the welcome ..... Richard, what Jessie was trying to show were the people that influenced him ...... some of the comments stretched the truth a little and you could see some of the egos trying to put the owners in a positive position........ I thought Jessie did a great job of presenting history that was not widely known to many in our culture .... the fact that people are still talking about it means he did a great job ..... I've even teased him that he cut my portion short .....
 
#97 ·
Re: sugar bear

They never go out of style ....(long chops) .... they're the TRUE definition of a chopper ... when people think of chops, a long chop always comes to mind ...... in the back of every chopper rider's mind, is a long chop ...... they make you smile ...
My sentiments too. I like kind of "medium long" bikes myself. The idea of short choppers is kind of like high low-riders.

Have you ever made a springer with a shock?
 
#93 ·
Re: sugar bear

funny when i hear the word chopper i still think of my father and friends back in the early 80s on brit, jap and sportsters with way out there front ends that i could walk under not dialed in like bears stuff but still the epitome of what i think is cool
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top