I grew up in Venice and Hollywood California- surfing, playing drums, riding motorcylces and also restoring old British Classic Automobiles and Harley Davidsons. This story wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for Douglas Monitto, (may he rest in peace), who flew me and my jazz band into Beijing on June 18, 1998, to open up his New Orleans-style club, The Big Easy.

For the first time I noticed the lines on his sidecar bike. I wondered how this could have eluded me. The frame caught my eye, the old suspension, spring seat, and wire wheels. Why, the whole bike was lost in time.   

I remembered that some old war Harley's I had seen had the same kind of frame and suspension. Mike said he would give me the 25-cent tour of the bike shops, so I jumped in his sidecar and went and bought me a bike, and drove it home.

At the Beijing Bike School of Hard Knocks, you learn that if you want something special that looks like Southern California down Sunset Boulevard, you're going have to create it yourself.

There are no good chrome shops, they don't do polishing, nobody uses lacquer paint, and used parts are very popular. So, I got my own shop and started a process, which is still going on in Shanghai today.