Hugh's HandBuilt: A tale of 3 NC Hoodlums - Lowside Syndicate Timonium Show

This is a short tale of how 3 Hugh's HandBuilt Hoodlums traveled to Timonium this past weekend, on a whim...

I got a call from John at Monstercraftsman early last week and it went something like this "Hey Hugh, wanna come to Baltimore this weekend for a show at Timonium sponsored by Lowside Syndicate Magazine?" and I said something like this "Well ummm, hrmmm, lemme think, I'll call ya back..."

Ok, but who is Lowside Syndicate you ask? Well, they are doing some kickass work for the underground chop scene, and all for the love of chops... Check em out here... Lowside Syndicate Magazine

So after some hemming and hawing, I decided we had to go... Doesn't sound like much, but when was the last time you saw Hugh's HandBuilt out and about at these events? Rarely - we spend way too much time in the shop or stuck behind the computer doing tech/answering emails/etc... So this was a great excuse to get away and go meet some new folks...

So we frantically finished up Tevan's 1972 XS2 Resto-Mod Cafe, packed the trailer and headed north... Tevan's bike had never been seen before, so we wanted to make sure he had an opportunity to get it out there...

So with the trailer packed, we hit the road...

Keep the above pic in mind - because we still had to stop off and get my friend Roy's XS650 - the Tennessee Rose... Roy wanted to go with us, but he got a case of the crud - we we kicked him to the curb and stole his bike... Just kidding (kinda)

This bike totally rocks, and it has just about every part and service we offer on it.. But in the end, Roy built this bad boy, we just helped him along a little bit... More pics you say? Sure thing - go here!

Now remember, we don't travel that much with the truck, we typically ride to the shows/events and just spectate... That means I've never had my little truck hauling this heavy ass trailer that far...

First fillup? 154 miles... Bummer...

Surely my eyes were crossed or I did something wrong with my math skills (Mrs. Jaker taught me well in 2nd grade, it couldn't be my math skills!) 8.2 MPG - this was gonna get expensive... Oh well, places to be and people to meet... 5 more fillups and we would be there...

We got there, and somehow Brian Managed to find the only Hair Dresser in the place, I mean, who the hell finds a hair dresser at a bike show? Brian, that's who.... I guess when you don't show up with a bike, you should show up lookin' good huh? Someone kick this boy in the sack and tell him to get his Bike done!

Anyhow, the good folks from Monstercraftsman gave us some of their prized real estate at the show. Very cool - and something we were very grateful for... Can't say it enough, these dudes treated us right...

Don't let Tevan fool you. This dude might only be 19, but he can build a bike and talk crap with the best of them... And he's got a sense of humor to boot... We made sure to set his bike up where it would get a good bit of visual attention...

It was real cool to people watch. Folks would come around the corner and just stop in their tracks... Cameras and phones whipped out and taking as many pics as they could. This bike was very well received. And I can honestly say that Tevan just basked in it, look at that pic above... Warms my heart to see a young man get so much praise and attention for his hard work. He drug this thing out of the Kudzu at John Dills house about 2 years ago, and created this masterpiece... I'd like to take some credit, but the credit is all his...

I can't even say how many times we were asked if it was for sale, or how much it would take to sell it... Tevan held his ground though - they say never sell your first build, and I'm pretty sure he's made room for it next to his bed. I still have my first build, and I expect he'll hold onto this one for a good long while as well

If fighting off checkbooks and credit cards from Tevan's Bike wasn't bad enough, we had our hands full with Roy's Bike... This thing was practically a jaw dropper. My favorite were the HD Tough Guys (you know the type...) that couldn't believe a Yamaha could be this cool... I just wish Roy had come with us, he could have sold this thing and lightened the load on the way home (just kidding Roy - kinda)

What about my latest bike you ask?? Well, it was well received among the builders - but the general public just couldn't figure it out - haha... I'm gonna call that a win...

What about the rest of the bikes at the show? Yeah, they rocked too! This is just an example to the bikes... The place was soo packed, it was hard to get good shots in...

The bikes of this show rocked it man... I mean, sure, there was a "big show" next door in a much snazzier building with lots of glam, lights, scantilly clad middle aged women, bikes that were roped off, and neon everywhere - but it seems the best builds and coolest folks were on the LowSide... I'll take bearded dudes, chics with a bit of grease under their nails, and the friendships we built any day over the shine and glam of the average bike show...

I personally want to express a HUGE amount of thanks to the folks from Lowside Syndicate who put on a killer show, Monstercraftsman who gave us the real estate to setup out humble booth and then let us crash on their hotel floor (I'll try and remember my sleeping bag next time!), The Mufflers who were some of the most down to earth gals I've ever met in the Motorcycle Industry who treated up like locals and gave us a floor to crash on...

And as usual, I don't typically get many photos of myself - I stole this one from Monstercraftsman's facebook...

John (Monstercrafstman) and Hugh

Jillian from the Mufflers

Tevan and Bryan (HHB)

Lowside Sydnicate put on a great show, and the after party wasn't to be missed either. There were alot of great folks who put this show together, and we genuinely had a blast. I'm pretty bad with names, but faces I never forget... If you met us at the show, shoot us an email at HughsHandBuilt@gmail.com so we can have your contact information, or add us to your mailing list for any upcoming events - we'd love to be apart of more great events like this one...

And somehow I forgot to take pics of the Swap Meet... Hell, I practically lost my voice talking to soo many folks at the event. We met a TON of our great customers who came out to meet us - without you folks, we'd never be able to live this small piece of the American Dream - Thank You!!

And yes, I did score something at the swap meet. A nice unmolested 1200S Sportster for some HHB Product Development.... What did I say about that trailer being a tight fit???

It took us 12 hours in the truck to get there, and another 13 or so to get home... We averaged 7.2 MPG over 1200 Miles... My brain already hurts thinking about the fuel bill... But you know why things like this are expensive? Because they are worth it!! The good people of Baltimore treated us like locals - so we'll be back soon enough...