We lost another good guy.

[Vic]

http://www.milwaukeeiron.com/item.asp?ItemID=173&CategoryID=38&SubCategoryID=0&Backlink=No

 

[gwcrim]

I met him at a show in Cincinnati several years ago. Nice guy.

 

[Patman]

:( Somebody that really enjoyed their work and was exceptional at it and also seemed to be a very good teacher.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

It sure sucks to lose another guy that actually knew (and practiced) the difference between assembling a bike and building a bike .

 

[Vic]

Just found out from a local guy on another board, COD was a massive heart attack.

He was 52. :ugg:

 

[dirty~d~]

RIP Gary. :(

 

[BSWIFT]

He seemed to be quite the charater, good hearted and a great lover of his trade. He will be missed.

 

[steve125]

Right in his prime too. Very sad :(

 

[TemeculaTim]

Real bummer, I only enjoyed watching that show because of him. Truly a master crafstman whose talent and skills will be hard to replace.

 

[mtk]

I agree completely. That man has forgotten more about metal fabrication than those clowns on "American Chopper" will ever know.

 

[Okiewan]

Those clowns sure know how to play the game boys...


Bad deal, he was entertaining to watch do his thing. I can't stand the rest of the hillbillies on that show.

 

[Vic]

I can't stand the rest of the hillbillies on that show.

Elitist snob. :moon:

 

[mtk]

Those clowns sure know how to play the game boys...

True, but they're still clowns.

What bothers me is that American Chopper is nothing but bad reality TV. There's no craftsmanship shown on the show, it's all about personality conflicts and that jerkoff old man yelling all the time.

Before these twits, Discovery did a show on Jesse James (and unfortunately launched this whole craze) and in it you got to see Jesse start with a flat panel of steel and work it into a fuel tank. You got to see an artisan at work. American Chopper shows you some idiots bending round bar or bolting junk to a frame they ordered from a catalog.

 

[jsned]

Those hillbillies seem like pretty good, honest men to me.

I am a tool and die maker by trade, and went thru an apprenticeship many years ago. Heck as long as the Journeymen who taught you are still there you will always be the "apprentice". I have a deep respect for those guys that I can not tell them. The one that worked close to Gary seemed to be learning quickly, and that is because he had a good teacher and a good relationship with him.

I am jealous of the relationship those two had. I can only wonder how much better of a toolmaker I could have become if I could have been more relaxed, and comfortable around the older guys who trained me.

Didnt know him, but seemed like a good guy. :(

 

[YZ165]

Bummer.

 

[Okiewan]

Having a massivly thick accent and being a good, honest man are two different things and not mutually exclusive :)

You just can't compare Jesse to those (Am. Chopper) guys, although I'm sure there are some fabricators out there that may say Jesse is a light-weight. Some of those guys on that Biker Build-Off thing are incredible... they fabricate AND innovate (Hotch, imho); ending up with something that can actually be ridden for a while :laugh:

 

[JPIVEY]

Ride in Peace Gary Woodford


as far as all them other build a bike shows, Pffft, nuttin holds a candle to Texas Hardtails :cool: :rotfl: