CRO's ShopTruckShovel

I first met Caleb at Bob's Big Boy in Burbank. I'd ridden down on Matt Davis's Panhead – enjoying the still, warm, t-shirt-only evening air – and we'd adjourned to a local bar after checking out the bikes and hot rods in Bob's parking lot. (Bob's is a local landmark... built in 1949, it's like wandering onto the set of American Graffiti.)

Matt said some good friends of his were coming to meet us, and shortly afterward Caleb and JD strolled in. We had a beer and a natter then headed back across the road to Bob's.

In amongst the flake jobs and restored stockers stood Caleb's ShopTruckShovel. I loved it immediately. It managed to combine an earthy, hard-ridden shabbiness with great styling and stance. He seemed genuinely surprised when I expressed an interest in featuring it.

That night I met Frank Kaisler, Droopy and other SoCal chopper legends. Eventually, Matt, Caleb, JD and I took off and stopped for a (real) Mexican on the ride home. A very memorable evening for me... it seemed to sum up a lot of what is unbeatable about the SoCal lifestyle.

So, it's taken nearly a year, but I finally got some photos of Caleb's Shovel to share with you. If you read the CRO Customs blog, you'll know this bike does a lot of miles. A LOT of miles.

Caleb's a very interesting and talented man. Watch out for the feature coming soon in GKM.

Thanks as always to Mark Kawakami for the photos.