01x07 - Musician and the Craftsman

[bunniefuu]

My whole life

I don't know why.

I just always,
always loved these cars

and this is my first time
riding in one.

It so happens

first time I'm riding in one
just happens to be the royal...

King Edward VIII's car.

And it has a trident on the front

with a lion

in matte black.

What do we do?

It's not my fault.

It's meant to be.

I've always had a fascination
with traditional engines.

At the same time

I loved seeing how the technology
within these pieces

has evolved over time.

I wanted to embark on a journey
to combine the old with the new

to find a way to appreciate
these vehicles I love from the past

and carry on their stories.

I was in England doing Fast

and there was an auction.

I've never been
to the Goodwood Revival before.

It's like the Burning Man
for vintage cars and motorcycles.

It's the perfect place for me.

I saw this car.

It was just stunning.
It was beautiful

and I wasn't gonna go over
a certain amount

and I'm sitting with the Duke,
and I'm sitting with his son, Charlie

and it's so loud there
that you can't hear what's going on.

These guys are like, "Yeah, yeah."

They're... they're, like,
pushing me on

we're watching the race.

I bid on it, and I ended up winning

and it's something I always wanted

and I thought it was beautiful.

It was a 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom 2.

How cool is it looking down
and seeing that emblem, bro?

It's f*cking insane, right?

So beautiful.

I am a... an environmentalist
at heart

just trying to the best I can
with climate change.

It really is a deep part of my soul.

I do have a guilty pleasure.

Gas and oil.

You know, I try to offset that

but it's something that I love.

With that, you know

you have anxiety and guilt about that

but I have been making e-cars.

I have so many classic cars

and I'm a huge sup... You know.

It's my kind of addiction,
is gas and oil

and I have plenty of those.

So I always wanted
to take something like this

because it's so quiet anyways, right?

I've never seen a Phantom
as an e-car, so I'm like...

"Let's make it an e-car.
Let's try it."

Here it is.

This is made by Camden Priorities...

In order to pull off
this dream project

I had to find the right partner.

I needed a team that would appreciate
the storied history of this car

while updating its technology.

What Electrogenic does
when we're looking at old cars

is we never drill anything,
we never cut anything.

We don't ever
take anything away from the car

we simply
unbolt the parts that we don't need

and then we design around
what's left.

You know what?
This'd be the first time

I've never been in a Porsche.

- Really?
- I've never been in a Porsche

I've never even sat in a Porsche.

- Let's go.
- Yeah?

I'm 6'5", guys.

Electrogenics is all about
honoring vintage cars

making them electric without losing
any of the vehicle's character.

They were the perfect fit.

I've done so much research

trying to raise awareness
about deep-sea mining

and there's different ways
that we can make batteries

that are healthier for our planet.

So the research we did on this

wanting to make an e-car

we got with Electrogenics,
who were in England

and the concept of the whole thing.

It was amazing.

It was so fast, and you get to shift.

- Yeah.
- That was the best part, like

it's still got the old-car feels
without the boring...

Like, Tesla's great and everything.

It's awesome
what they do for the world

but it's boring.

You know what I mean?

I love old cars.
Well, I mean it's boring for me.

I love old cars

and being able to be
in an old car and go...

If I can go 80 miles an hour
on the freeway on that thing

I don't have to, but if I can
just jump off the line and just, like

sit next to a Mustang

- and just be like, "'Sup?"
- You're like...

I will take off and then...
I don't know.

- Just blowing minds.
- Yeah.

We need to find the company
who's gonna be able to do this

and that's when I met Electrogenics.

'Cause a lot of people I went to,
they were like

"It's gonna cost this.
It's gonna cost that."

I'm like, "No way!"

Cut to Steve, super positive
about the whole thing

shows me all the cars
that he's already done

is really excited about it.

I had a vision
of what I wanted it to look like.

Nothing like this
has ever been done before

and there's no EV
that looks like this.

This is a unique design
for Jason, with Jason.

It's this blend of...

really very ancient,
nearly a-hundred-years-old technology

and the very modern technology.

It's absolutely unique in the world.

My time in Electrogenics
left me inspired

about all the possibilities
of e-technology

and I wanted to find
another vintage piece

that I could infuse this into.

I wanted to find another vehicle

something with a unique story,
much like the Rolls-Royce

something with history.

I went to Tennessee to see
my friend Mike Wolfe's collection

and get inspired.

You brought my hammer!

You brought my hammer!

Mike is somebody I really
admire in the bike community.

He's built an amazing collection

and has so much knowledge
he's stored over the years.

One...

Two original '36s.

- Bro!
- Bone stock.

I really respect him and love him

and so he's... he's another person...
He's got all these '36s.

He's got tons of bikes.

He's got all the parts.

Like, he's been to all these sheds.

He has the time to go...
He's got a show about it where...

I don't have time to do that.

We start talking on the phone,
getting to know each other

and we had a lot of stuff in common.

You know, he'd been into motorcycles
for a very long time

just like I've been.

Holy moly.

I'mma take a second.

We're here, man.

We're here.

Some of it...

- Still look like when I grow up?
- Yeah.

- Man!
- Awesome.

A lot of people would naturally judge
Jason by his success

which is easy to do.

I mean, the guy is bigger than life

not just physically

but, you know, spiritually.

I think there's... there's one...

I think there's only one in here
that runs right now.

No, there's two.
There's one over there, too.

- This is like...
- There's two bikes that run in here.

What I love about Mike

is that he's all about appreciating
these things from the past.

He's collected so many bikes

but still has his reverence
for who and where they came from.

I think that's important.

Being raised by my mother
and having grown up with antiques

I have always appreciated the life

that a vintage piece has lived
before it reaches you.

You appreciate it for what it is.

There's so many people now
that are kinda...

you know, they're kinda, you know,
connecting to this in so many ways

but, you know, I mean

I've... I've been into this
for a very long time

and I've always connected to it
in this way.

There's so many bikes in here that...

Like that bike, for example

I've had it for 18 years.

I think I've cleaned it twice,
you know?

It's almost kinda, to me, like
taking a chalkboard

and erasing it in some ways,
you know? Just...

I... I don't... I...

They have to run good,
all mechanically gone-through

but I... we... just...

I don't know. I connect with them
in so many ways, just like this.

See, I know you know
what I'm talking about

why... when you get...
or when you're, like

- with your stuff at night
- Yeah.

and you know, I come in here,
have a couple beers, and sit around

I'm looking at all these bikes,
and looking at them on the walls

and it's like, to me, you know

every one of these bikes is like...

was someone else's dream,
you know what I mean?

Like, they worked hard for it.

They... they made the payments.

They... they sacrificed so much
to own the bike

and then they customize
the bike to themself.

So it's like, you know,
all of these guys that came before us

and now we love to ride
this stuff, you know?

It's like they were making it,
building it for them

but they were also, somehow,
building it for the future, you know?

It's just crazy to think about it.

I'm walking through Mike's place.

I'm just searching for
something to stand-out

as the next piece we can revive.

That's the grand opening, 1947.

This is the grand opening
of this building.

Look at... that's what I'm saying.

Look how... what a big deal this was
to the community.

So cool. It's always
such a huge deal to the town.

Oh, you wanna see an original...

You wanna see
an original board track racer?

- Yeah.
- Check this out. This is a '12...

Oh, bro! That's it! That's it.

That's it, right there. That's a '12.



original racing carb, original paint.

This time period, especially pre-1920

when you're talking '12, pre-1915

this is the kinda stuff that, like,
really gets my juices flowing

because it was such a...

It was the best time
in the motorcycle industry

as far as I'm concerned,
in the American industry.

I'm looking at these
historic board track bikes

and I'm starting to get an idea.

Being able to take this, like

- out of a haul for earnings...
- It's... It's a... It's a bicycle.

- It's a bicycle with a freaking...
- Yeah.

Very similar, because right here,
where the eccentric goes

- Yeah.
- would be like

- the bottom bracket, yeah.
- Yeah.

So if I took this motor out

and turned this into an e-bike

you put in... you put in the hub

and you put in all the electronics
in the tank

and reproducing these

no one's ever done that.

Why can't this beautiful machine...

Why can't this just be an e-bike?

I mean, you remove the motor.

But the whole geometry of it

being on this e-bike...

If you can remake this,
and this is affordable.

- Get the motor out
- Yeah. Basically...

- and it's just, like...
- Yeah.

I have an e-bike, right here.

I love the idea of honoring
these historic bikes

and turning them into something
that we could ride everyday.

After leaving Mike Wolfe's shop

it was clear to me
what type of bike I needed to make.

So while I'm in Tennessee

I'm gonna go meet a builder
who's inspired me my whole life

- Billy!
- Billy Lane.

And he's also been deeply influenced

by these original
board track racing bikes.

Oh, my god, man.

Streets have been talking man.
I heard you were in town.

What's up, brother?

How are you, man?

- It's good to meet you.
- It's a f*cking...

It's a pleasure, man.
Finally, finally.

What I do is I build for my customers

what I would build for myself.

I build these bikes
like I have to ride it forever

like it's the only one
I can ever... ever be on.

That's kind of what I put into it.

It's impossible to put into words

just how influential
Billy has been to me.

As a craftsman

his whole approach to bike building
is unlike anything I have ever seen.

You know, J asked me
to build a bike for him.

Super honored to do it, you know

and as I've gotten to know him

it's been a really amazing experience

because the guy loves, loves...

He lives and breathes this stuff,
you know?

And... and it's so genuine in him.

I've always said that about myself,
that I'm a genuine

I've done this my entire adult life.

I've never done anything else.

Everything's analog, you know?

I hand-do all this stuff.
There's no computers.

The only computer is my cellphone.

That's how I find the... the parts.

It's how I communicate with people

but everything else
that I'm doing is by hand

the old way they did it

- about a century ago.
- That's awesome. That's awesome.

That's so rad.

I appreciate any time I see somebody

doing a really cool old,
hand-done trade of any type.

I love it.
I mean, it's just so great to see

because everything is
so disposable now

and artificial, and you know, they're
kinda taking the human elements

- removed from a lot of it.
- Yeah.

I... I love... I mean

I've been doing this
since I was a teenager.

Just like you said.
When you were 19.

I started doing this
when I was 17, 18

because I could not afford
to buy what I wanted

so if I couldn't afford to buy it

I'll figure out
how to make it by hand.

That's how I got into this business.

What... what year
do you think this was?

It was 2004.

So, you know, I made Road to Paloma

I think, in 2006 or '07.

Yeah, and the opening...
Like, this bike...

I'm, like,
that was definitely inspired by.

His bikes are so easily recognizable.

He was a massive inspiration to me

all the way back
when I made Road to Paloma.

Would you ever sell it?

- Sell what?
- That photo there.

- The picture?
- Yeah.

I'll probably give it to you.

- You can have it.
- Bro.

This has got a little wet,
but I'll...

- That's what makes it awesome.
- Yeah.

Damn, man.

That's the cool thing
about board tracking

like, those are
the original rock and rollers.

- Yeah. Yeah.
- I mean, those guys are...

It was the first extreme sport,
board track racing.

It was really
the first extreme sport.

I mean, those guys were, you know,
like overpowered bicycles

going a hundred miles an hour
on a wood track. I mean...

I mean, if you wiped out and, like,
you're gonna get to this point

where it's just gonna completely
impale you.

Yeah, and those tracks
were... were, you know



And I mean, if you wiped out

you know, not only are you
gonna go down

but you're gonna go down and down.

And I mean,
there's other bikes behind you.

They're, like... they're...
they're that steep.

Super steep, yeah.

Well, I would love to see
this board track

- I would love to see that bike.
- Yeah.

You got it here?

- It's here.
- Let's go see it.

Oh, man!

- That's amazing.
- Yeah.

Board track bikes
were the first Choppers.

They called them Choppers

'cause they would cut everything
off of it that didn't belong

that was heavy, or was in the way

or it didn't serve a vital function.

I've always looked
at board track racers

and... and racing motorcycles

and... and applied a lot of that
into my Choppers.

I mean, that's where a lot
of my influence came from.

Yeah.

What I love about Billy
is he's always evolving.

When Billy started at Sons of Speed

it put board tracks
back onto the forefront.

That stripped-down style

I wanna use that same inspiration
for this e-bike idea.

There's only one team I could think
of that could pull that off

and that was Specialized.

- What is that? What is that?
- It's an off-road, man.

You can ride that. You can ride that.

That's amazing!

Bro.

Everything we do
is about having fun on a bicycle.

Bicycles gonna save the planet.

They can. They can.

That's it. Let's tell 'em about it.

Dude!

- That's for you.
- My boy!

Yeah. Shawn.

He was quite a character.

You know, he really...

He's been one of the best athletes
for Specialized

because it gave us
so much credibility.

So there was...
He's everything I've ever...

You know, and that guy just threw on
a pair of jeans and raced

- which, you know
- That's what I...

the whole freestyle thing

- kinda became a performance
- Yeah.

- you know?
- That's what I love about him.

He's just like, he didn't give...
And it was just f*cking all of him.

And, he... I don't know.

Recently,
when I left my mother's house...

I was into rock climbing
and mountain biking

and so, when I went out to Colorado
and I was living in Fort Collins

I worked at Lee's Cyclery.

And at Lee's Cyclery,
I bought my first bike.

And it's this orange,
Specialized stunt-jumper.

I have so many memories.

I kicked so many guys that had,
like, Santa Cruz

and they had all these bikes.

It's wonderful.
It's been through everything with me.

It only had, like,
two-and-a-half inches of travel.

It was rigid, and I would b*mb Vail
and go do downhill.

I used to... I ne...
I didn't have a car in LA.

I used to ride everywhere.
I used to ride to go climbing.

- I used to ride to the gym.
- Aw, man.

And so I was... I moved there
when I was 19.

I did everything on this, bro.

I had people from acting class...
It was my first acting class.

They'd go... I used to roll up
and I'd have, like, the...

- the Fat Albert lunch case...
- Oh, yeah.

lunch pail, and I'd put it in, like,
my Timbuktu Rasta thing

and I'd ride across LA

and I would just ride on this, dude.

I've always kept
this Specialized with me

and it's a really beautiful company
that's always stayed with me

and forever,
I'll always be Specialized.

This is called the CUB.

Cool, urban bike.

And this is for people
that live in the city

wanna ditch their car

and just have a bicycle to do
everything that they need to do.

So these are based on a...

- on a Shelby Mustang
- Shelby.

- it's got the little shifter there.
- Yeah.

- Amazing.
- Look at this.

Bottle opener.

They're amazing 'cause they're
just like, "innovate or die"

and you go through the museum

and it just blows your mind

'cause you get to see everything
that they've build and made and...

and it was just wonderful.

I think what I love about Specialized

is that they're so insistent
on innovation

without sacrificing
that handcrafted quality.

They've maintained that level
of craftsmanship for so long.

Start out with that lock, aluminum.

You have this machine
to cut it down into that

throw it in the test lab,
go and put it under you

ride down the trek

That's what we're doing.

For this ambitious of an idea,
they were the perfect match.

I mean, like, I failed high school
in a big way.

You did not. Like...

I'm the guy that rides these.

Here's the test dummy.
Here's the genius that makes it.

- We all work together.
- Yeah, for sure.

I know my place.

I break things.
You fix and make things.

So what I'm gonna do today is
I'mma show you

something that I've been
passionate about

- for many, many years
- Right on.

and Specialized has been in my heart.

This has been my...

Most people don't know I rode...
rode bikes

but it's, like, one of my...
my favorite things, and...

I'm nostalgic.

I love things old.
I was raised in Iowa.

My mom raised me with antiques.

I'm very much a... a collector

a hoarder, some people would call it.

- Slash hoarder.
- Slash hoarder.

- You got it.
- Like, I'm a 100% gas-and-oil guy

you know what I mean?
I love... I love that

but at the same time,
I'm an environmentalist.

I'm an activist. I'm, you know...

father and... the next...
to the next generation.

I love riding. I love technology.

But I love seeing
where things come from

and I love seeing, like,
how things started

and it all started
with the bike, right?

And then it evolved into things

- that I love.
- Yeah.

Massive dream for me

to be able to be at Specialized

and show you guys this.

It's been a life-long passion, so...

- Oh, man!
- Holy crap.

- That's unbelievable!
- Love it.

- Look at that stuff.
- I love it. Aw, man!

This is the 1915 Harley-Davidson.

They didn't start board track,
really, till 1916.

This is the first short couple.

This is where they took the frame in.

- Yeah, yeah. Tucked it in.
- And...

and it was... it was tucked in.

So this might be the first
board track that Harley ever did.

I want you guys

to make these board track bikes

as a bicycle.

- If you remove that motor
- Right.

and you have the stands

and we can make this bike go 40 mi

like, you can make
a Specialized bicycle outta these

and... and bring back
something that...

- People can't get these.
- Right.

But the idea is to go...

No one's been able to take
a board track bike

the specs, and look at it all
and go, like

- "We're gonna pull it apart."
- Right, right.

Whatever you guys do
to then set these, like...

here's these different designs

and the idea is to set the tone

because you said it.

Bikes can save the world.

I'm a gas-and-oil guy. I love this.

But I only ride these things

- maybe twice a year, once a year.
- Yeah.

They're special to me.
They make me...

Like, they make me think.

This... but this is what I wanna do.

Remove this, and turn it into a bike.

- Yep, yep.
- Definitely

It's hard to explain how impactful
these bikes were to builders

over the last century.

So to challenge these artists

with building
an e-bike inspired by them

it's the ultimate honor

and it's a huge task.

That's it, right there.

Oh, sh*t, bro!

- That's a long journey.
- That's a long journey.

There you have it.

- How you doing, bro?
- Yeah, not bad. Not bad.

All the way from the Middle East.

- All right, bro...
- Yeah, pretty long journey.

On the roam for real.

You see it has a...

It's slightly different.

It's a different shape at the front

and so, the essential parts
how now been removed.

It's a beautiful piece of engineering

and a fascinating thing to drive

and it will be even quieter,
even smoother

and... it's more powerful
when it's electric.

Definitely more powerful.

Man.

- Oh, my baby's gutted!
- Yeah.

The really important thing
about making a car like this electric

is to really respect it

because we can't push it
too much further

than the original design is intended

because, you know, it starts
to create other problems.

- Yeah.
- So it's about being sympathetic.

- That's the thing.
- So there's probably a certain speed

this thing can go and not.

- Yeah.
- You gotta cap it at something.

- What's the speed on that?
- Yeah.

- About 60, I think.
- Really?

A little bit faster than that.

It might fall apart if you do that.

One of the most important things,
to me, with the Rolls-Royce

was protecting the soul it had
from a century ago.

I didn't want that story to be lost.

Definitely looks good!

Get a sense
of how it could look, and...

And this, this is always
the kind of the sexy thing

- on a... on a Roll... On a Rolls.
- Yeah. Yeah.

So having it just... but smaller

you know, just for the cabling

- or whatever it needs to come out.
- You could draw on that.

- Yeah.
- We should move with that plan.

We came up with a few ideas,
and we discussed with them Jason.

Jason's very visual

and he was very clear

about how he wants it to look
under the bonnet.

Being able to take something
from a hundred years ago

and infuse
this new technology into it

without losing the character
of its age

that's what I love.

You know, I'm...
I'm not the best craftsman.

You know,
there's a lot of guys out there

that are better craftsmen than me

and I don't... I don't try...

I don't try to be what I'm not.

I never, ever try to be anything
other than what I am.

And I think
it's any man's responsibility

to find out what your true gift is

and to develop it

and then share it.

I mean, and that's...
that's what I've been doing

for 30-plus years.

This is my expression.
This is like a song.

When somebody writes a song,
they're just expressing themselves

in a way that maybe they can't
say it, you know, in any other way.

You know, say,
you buy a high-end painting

you hang it out
on your wall in your house

and you insure it, and you might
bring a few people in to see it

but my story,
I can take out and show to you

and someone else is gonna take out.

Whether it's Jason Momoa

or some guy off the street

that none of us have ever...
ever heard of

it's the same honor

because someone's asking me
to give them a piece of me

and, you know,
I always try and give them my all.

There's so many different types
of builders.

All I know is I'm just a...
such a motorcycle enthusiast

I love just...
I love being in the wind.

I just celebrate the artists,
everyone

'cause they're putting in
their own art form and, like...

whether it be bringing something back
as a stock piece

whether it be, like, going out
in a Chopper, or, you know

fabricating everything
from the ground up

I just... I respect it all.

We're getting out on the road.

We're sharing that space.

- Hey. How are you?
- Hi.

Oh, my god!

These are amazing!

Holy sh*t.

Oh, man. He's k*lled it.

This looks like a Harley.
It looks super cool.

It's like original Harleys.

Gosh, man.
There's just so much to it, too.

But down in New Zealand

they surprised me

flew 'em down here, put 'em together

and had two motors in it.

I was blown away.

To e-motors in that thing.

From Robert.

"I designed and built these two bikes

and I just wanted to say

what a great honor and opportunity
to build the bike for you.

Please choose
the one you like the best

and send the other one back
to our community at your convenience.

We want to display it in our museum."

Of course. "Have a blast. Robert."

They were beautiful.

Oh, my dear.

Oh, damn!

Take it to the beach, baby.
Let's go to the beach.

It's an amazing experience to have

to be on an e-bike and on the beach

and as much as I love motorcycles

and the sound,
and all that kinda stuff

it's just beautiful to be...

I mean, just hear
the sound of the waves.

That was like a dream,
to be able to come down here

sun is setting

and be...

just cruising on the beach
with my friends.

Motorcycles going electric
is natural evolution.

I'll always have a love for this

but of course I'm gonna embrace...

It's... it's the natural progression
of things.

It's gonna happen

and... and I'm glad to see it
happening now.

I think my main inspiration
for the whole thing is like

I love these old things

how do I make them fit
into this world

where we need to protect it.

Showing everybody what
the possibilities of... of the future

and taking something from the past
and putting it in the future

is beautiful

and wanting to have solutions
for Mother Earth.

These craftsmen
that I've surrounded myself with

are still facing the same question

that bike builders faced
a century ago.

How do you honor
what you love from the past

and still improve on it?

- Hi.
- Two years in the making.

Yeah. Look at your lovely, new car.

Yeah, baby. Tell me everything.

Holy sh*t!

Beautiful, isn't it?

Bro, that's amazing.

This is my favorite side.

Yeah.

So you know, Henry Royce,
in the early 1920s

he said that... he said the future
of Rolls-Royce is electric.

So we'd like to think
that this is the car...

- Really? Bro.
- Yeah, this is a 1929 car.

This is the car
that he might have created

if he had the technology available
to him then.

The inside of the car is just...
everything about it is perfect

the color, the wood...

the fact that they didn't change
a thing.

All the old dials were just now
going forward, reverse.

So you could take the e-motor out

put the Rolls-Royce engine back in

and everything would be fine.

We should get rolling.

Oh, my god.

Dude!

Henry Royce wanted those cars
to be electric in the first place

so it's... you know...

You wanna have a car
that's just quiet

and it's peaceful, and it's luxury.

Thank you.

- Finally back with the Goodwood.
- Yeah, and being in this car...

One of my favorite places
and the funnest events

the Revival.

and last time I was here

I did something really crazy.

Bought a 1929 Rolls-Royce.

- Oh, my, look at you.
- Good to see you, bro.

- How are you?
- So good to see you. Wonderful...

Good to have you here.

You know, it's taken two years

because of the pandemic

because of, you know, the off...
the time it takes to make it

and for me to come in

so they'd have to wait
at certain points so I can come in

we can be a part of it.

Finally, it's really cool to...

How it all ended up coming together.

It was, like, we're back,
two years later, at Goodwood.

There's a lot of pinch-me moments.

There's a lot of
"Wow, I can't believe we did this."

But the end-game of being at Goodwood

and driving around London
in a Phantom that's E

it was the... it's the coolest thing.

I'm going like, "Man,
we made this thing come true."

and how many... how many technicians
and artists came in

to make this thing come true?

You're like in a time capsule.

You're like... You just can't...
You feel everything.

It makes me smile.

My soul feels good.

I'm focused

and hopefully that just ripples out.

Hope this is inspiring to people.

I'm... I'm really just trying to...

It's just all of the things I feel
in my soul

and wanna... I wanna...

I wanna do it.