« Motorcycle Cannonball Update Final Wrap Up! The National Motorcycle Museum has become quite a cross roads for all sorts of antique and vintage motorcycling. John Parham, long time collector and president of the Museum practically lives there and welcomes in almost daily collectors of motorcycles, toys, artwork, photos and more, even old oil cans and great porcelain signs. John knew Mike Wolfe for about 20 years before he became a celebrity through the television hit, American Pickers. So Mike makes it a point to stop by and see John when he’s in the neighborhood, or has some super new find he wants John to see, maybe even own. But then sometimes, Mike keeps the coolest things he finds, like many of us do. Such was the case recently.THE FIND OF A LIFETIME " VON DUTCH XAVW"John Parham, long time collector and president of the Museum practically lives there and welcomes in almost daily collectors of motorcycles, toys, artwork, photos and more, even old oil cans and great porcelain signs.

John knew Mike Wolfe for about 20 years before he became a celebrity through the television hit, American Pickers. What is a picker? In case you don’t already know it a picker is the first guy to lay eyes on a neglected, hidden, forgotten interesting object from our past. red wing boots sioux fallsPickers knock on doors out in the country if their sixth sense says the barn holds an old motorcycle or car or just a fine nickel plated kerosene lamp from the late 19th Century. fiberglass motorcycle helmet safetyPickers know what’s good, dig it out, dust it off and for the first time in maybe 50 years identify it, price it and try and sell it for what it’s really worth. motorcycle dealer in chesapeake va

Mike Wolfe is a real picker, has been for most of his life. And Mike likes to share his finds with John Parham, and the National Motorcycle Museum. Case in point, the Von Dutch XAVW motorcycle Mike Wolfe recently scored.Mike got a call one day from a friend telling him about a Von Dutch motorcycle. Two things probably popped into Mike’s mind. BOGUS!, because Von Dutch stuff is so rare. I’d better get there quick before someone else does. What he found was the bike Von Dutch had built around 1966 along with paperwork that had Ed “Big Daddy” Roth as a past owner. He made a 21 K$ deal on the spot and took the motorcycle home with him. Real pickers don’t fool around when they find something great.What’s so special about the XAVW? Most people know Von Dutch for his artistic classic pin-striping and some know he has painted a few bikes, written some strange prose, made some knives and pretty whacky sculptures. But working with a Harley-Davidson XA, a World War II shaft drive machine that’s relatively rare now, some Moto Guzzi components and a 36 horsepower flat four Volkswagen engine he joined some cool components and built a complete motorcycle.

A complete Von Dutch motorcycle. Story from the National Motorcycle Museum The Von Dutch VW Motorcycle is best described by Antique Archaeology; Affectionately known as my holy grail pick, this one-of-a-kind Von Dutch bike is priceless. It was custom made by Von Dutch, the legendary pinstriper, with a Harley Davidson XA frame, Volkswagen Beetle air cooled motor, Moto Guzzi front end, and of course custom pinstriping from the man himself. I found this in North Carolina on Season 4 of American Pickers. It's an American legend. If you looking for an amazing image of this bike for your garage, man cave, office, or what ever please visit Antique Archaeology, you will find ART OF THE PICK, hand picked by Mike Wolfe. ART OF THE PICK -HAND PICKED BY MIKE WOLFE (VON DUTCH CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE PHOTO PRINT) Von Dutch for Sale… the Real Deal On Saturday, Bonhams & Butterfields is holding an auction of rare vintage cars and motorcycles at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

Among the lots are motorcycles from Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen and Clark Gable. But what really caught my attention were several items created by the hot rod legend Kenneth Howard, otherwise known as Von Dutch. The items include several hand-painted motorcycles, signs and advertising work, and clothing. According to the Bonhams & Butterfields press release, the most personal and prized possession is a customized crash helmet: “A work in progress for over four decades, he engraved this helmet with a motorcycle’s marque each time he acquired or worked on one of that marque. Atop that helmet is an actual baby’s pacifier that Von Dutch added as a jibe at California’s helmet law.” Most of what I know about Von Dutch, who died in 1992, relates to the marketing of — not even his image, but his logo and name. The O.C. Weekly ran an article about this a few years back. In addition to customizing cars and motorcycles, Von Dutch was also an adept gunsmith and knife maker, which has been little publicized — although his reputation as a gun wielder is quite known.

And several of his guns and knives will be sold on Saturday as well. For more information on the auction, go to Bonhams & Butterfields.On "American Pickers" (Mon., 9 p.m. ET on History) Monday night, Mike Wolfe was stoked to discover what he called "one of my holy grails" -- the Von Dutch XAVW motorcycle. Created in 1966, the bike was a combination of Harley-Davidson XA frame and a Volkswagen engine, and its whereabouts were unknown for years. "Everyone in the freaking world wants to know where this bike is," said Mike. Luckily for him the owner was willing to part with the bike so Mike bought himself a piece of history for $21,000. Find out what the "American Pickers" uncover next on Monday nights at 9 p.m. EST on History. TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser. TV Canada Mike Wolfe History Motorbikes Canada Tv HuffPost Entertainment is your one-stop shop for celebrity news, hilarious late-night bits, industry and awards coverage and more — sent right to your inbox six days a week.