The days were filled with rides from Honolulu to the surfing Mecca, North Shore, but first Chris T. hauled us to the bad side, Kihie, of Honolulu where Filipino gangs rule the turf, next to the port, and saloons were sandwiched between corroded industrial buildings. They took us along red-dirt fields of coffee and pineapples. Pineapples and sugarcane once provided bountiful jobs for the residents, but now are cheaper to import from the Philippines, which caused a loss of jobs on Oahu. The farmers are testing coffee fields.

We snorkeled in the famous crystal clear waters of Waimea Bay Beach and around the verdant reefs. On Thursday, Deacon, Dan, Jose, Chris and Bandit were to be interviewed by the local radio station, 98.5 "Island Rhythm". The morning DJ's were Lanai and Augie, the top morning entertainment on the island. They plugged the "Choppers Only" event coming Sunday, and Jose, who is always chasing chicks, kept his eye on the cutie Melisa, who handled weather and the news. Forever, when I think of the word Sunday, it will be "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!" in a loud car-salesman tone, as only Deacon could shout it. We hung around the radio station and watched the chemistry between the three DJ's as they filled the ears of locals with jokes, witty banter and great music from Hawaiian performers.

Click for more info on Lania & Augie

Everyday contained missions for the show. Around the corner from the radio station was Dennis Mathewson's, Cosmic Custom Airbrush Shop. A surfboard was donated by Jay Hodge and shaped for the show raffle. Dennis was painting it--incredible. Chris and Deacon wanted to check the progress.

Dennis had just returned from Tokyo, Japan, where he demonstrated his skills as a painter and airbrush artist. He was the recipient of the Prestigious Painter Award from House Of Kolor and the trip was part of the award.

Between dropping off T-shirt art and inspecting handmade trophies, we cruised through the Pearl Harbor WWII memorial and the historical Bishop Museum.

Back at Deacon's shop, Pro Street, he gave Bandit a lesson in the difference between the Evolution configuration and Shovelheads. He explained how Shovel owners could upgrade their motors for reliability and performance, which will soon be a Tech Feature. Watch for it.

Jose, Dan and Chris were already there when we arrived so after the lesson, they mounted their bikes, and we were off to Lanikai, and Tiger's house. Another mission was to check out the 4th of July Party pad and Tiger's rotting motorcycle collection. We had no idea of what an incredible display we would witness.

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