This page is a tribute to Tom Fugle and all of those who were with him on his journey as a pioneer in chopper history
Front page news back in September of 1965 when this group of “VISITORS FROM INNER SPACE” came through Kansas City.
From the article:
“The cyclists had gathered at the home of David W. Mann, 11215 Evans street, Sugar Creek. They told law enforcement officers they were on a "fun trip" and had intended to participate in a rally today at Excelsior Springs.”
All things Daryl Nelson, more commonly known as Graycat
Rest in Peace, Legend!
On March 29, 2024 we sadly lost another legend, Greycat (or Al as he was known by many). He was a true original and definitely a one-of-a-kind. After meeting Tom in Mankato, Minnesota in the summer of 1964, Greycat, alongside Lucky and Fat Frank pioneered the Minneapolis charter in May of 1965. Always the showman, he was a muse of Dave Mann’s and inspired many artworks over the years. Whether he was riding a flathead chopper through the north woods of Minnesota or humoring the ladies in the bed of a 1950s Chevy pickup, Greycat was as authentic as they come and there will never be another. For better or worse, Dave Mann’s “My Old Gang” is now all back together riding high in the sky. Do you have a memory or story with Al/Greycat from over the years? Let’s hear about it!
Sometimes the run shenanigans get a little carried away and the next thing you know your pants are hangin’ on by a thread, or in this case…a safety pin! This photo taken in the mid 1960’s shows Graycats old lady, Jan doing her best to piece together what I think is Skip Taylor’s back side.
File this one under photos that I guarantee you’ve never seen before. Taken in Missouri during Ed Roth’s visit to Pomme De Terre Lake back in 1967, Tiny, Greycat, and two people I don’t recognize have a conversation surrounded by a bunch of choppers. The reason you have not seen this photo is because it’s not from Tom’s collection, but from the great Larry Allen. Larry was a friend of ours and he passed away last year after battling a mix of illnesses. Larry, alongside Dave Mann, Sam Barnes, and Tom Ryan were the founding members of the EFMC Kansas City charter in 1965. I was lucky enough to have several conversations with Larry over the last couple years and he shared many stories about the good old days. Occasionally I would open my mailbox and find a colorful envelope full of photos that Larry would send my way including the one featured here. Be sure to check back as I will share more photos from Larry including some shots of his chopped knucklehead. RIP Larry.
Back in August of 1966, 20 EFMC club members were arrested in St. Paul Minnesota after an incident involving the Hell’s Outcasts club. Five of those arrested were female members of the EFMC including Connie (Tom’s old lady) who can be seen on the left side of this photo. This photo is an original print from the St. Paul Pioneer Press newsroom. For those curious, women in the club wore patches up until the early 1970s.
The images created on the open road during the club runs in the 1960’s were about as good as it gets when it comes to classic chopper photos. From Minnesota to Missouri, these midwestern highway cruises were what it was all about. Gas station stops (frequent with those small tanks), farmland, small town bars and public campsites find their way into many photos just like this classic shot from the side of a highway in northwest Iowa. In this shot you’ll see Tom on the left (turning around), Skip in the center and a woman sitting on Tiny’s panhead with him standing behind her. Photo taken around 1966.
When it comes to pioneers of early days American chopper and Motorcycle Club history Tiny’s name is somewhere near the top of the list.
Tiny passed away as an SFV Hell’s Angel in 2003 and last spring we were able to visit his longtime home in Pacoima, California and his family shared decades of Tiny history with us.
Here’s a classic shot of Tiny and the first 6 pages of “Tiny’s Tales”, which was an unfinished book about Tiny that details a large portion of Tiny’s life as a real deal, life-long, 1%er who did things the way he wanted to all the way up until the day he died 20 years ago.
Fall weekends are great for getting a head start on next years chopper project. This is a great shot of Tom working with Rich in the shop back in the mid 1980s on one of his custom builds. To be a fly on the wall and learn from the wizard...
Everybody say, “Cheese”, including you officer!
It was a different time back in 1965 that’s for sure!
A classic image that’s been spotted in a few clubhouses over the years - this photo of Fat Frank, Tiny, Johnny (the snitch), and Tom was taken during a photo shoot with famed photographer Ramon Muxter (1945-2007) in 1968.
Muxter was a Minnesota-based photographer who is known for his raw, gritty, street-style photography. He would often find people at the edges of society frequenting local bars, strip clubs and other “seedy” areas of town. He enjoyed working with Tom and his club brothers creating a number of iconic photographs of them in the late 1960s. This photo was taken less than a year after he graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. The vast majority of Muxter’s work and his negatives are now housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
Back in September of 1992, Tom had his sights on a big Labor Day run to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the EFMC. The pack left the Sioux City clubhouse at noon on Friday, September 4th and partied the first night in the tiny town of Gillett Grove, Iowa which is about 10 miles SE of Spencer. At 11am on Saturday the group bar-hopped around the area, did some knife throwing, pack riding and called it a night at the Silver Creek Ski Lodge. Sunday, they reserved the Humboldt Drag Strip and raced for cash. Only rule was that you could only race on the bike you road in on. They also setup for this large group photo alongside the highway. On Monday they all headed back to Sioux City for a special dinner and watched old run films at the clubhouse. Not a bad weekend and as Tom said...”The Run ain’t over till we say it is!” This photo is printed in a wide panoramic in the SC clubhouse but Tom had the lower text cropped out. This version hung in Tom’s shop. Scroll right to see it a little closer and you’ll find Tom and his cone shovel in the front row.
There are many great photos and 8mm film shot in northern Iowa back in 1965. This shot was taken at a dirt track near Spencer, Iowa and it features Lucky Spratt in a fresh patch and red flannel. Lucky was an original member of the EFMC Minnesota charter and he received his patch during this same weekend run up in Okoboji. Standing with Lucky is Fat Frank and Doug Brenny (he owned that purple knucklehead with the white seat. It’s always cool to see these guys building show bikes, riding them on these weekend runs and running them on the dirt track.
“Meeting Dave Mann all had to do with choppers. It was the chopper that drew us together…When we met it was like we had known each other for years! We had something in common…the chopper. It was something you either know, or you don’t know.”
This is how Tom described his relationship and initial introduction to Dave Mann, at a bike show in Kansas City back in 1964. This photo, which features Dave’s chopper from another bike show in 1965, really captures the essence that Tom described. These guys took great pride in their choppers and it was the glue that formed the bond they would share for the next 40 years. From the build to the show (and especially the moments in between), Tom and Dave always had something to talk about because the passion they shared for choppers was unmatched.
The Fugle Files collection contains over 6,000 original prints and negatives from Tom, Tiny, and a number of other brothers and friends. There are the photos you are all familiar with, but due to the sheer volume of images, there’s literally hundreds of photos that have never been shared. This is one that always catches my eye, but not one that we have ever shared before today.
Taken in in Missouri around 1966, this photo is like a short story captured in a single frame. You can see Tiny with his tall pipes on the left. Irish and his old lady front and center. Cops not too far behind in the upper right. And all sorts of classic chopper fun scattered in between. Just another glimpse into the good old days!
This photo of Tiny is from 1961. Why is that significant? Because every other photo you’ve seen of this chopper was taken after Tiny moved back to Sioux City in 1962. This particular image was captured while Tiny was still wearing Satan’s Slaves colors living in southern California and before this chopper took on the name Pussyfoot. One of the great parts about Tiny’s archive was the fact that the photos are so well organized. Each era is grouped together; childhood photos, young adult, early Slaves, early EFMC (several albums), 1970s Slaves, and finally, HA. It’s pretty crazy to think about all that took place after this photo was captured….42 years of Tiny living how he wanted.
Happy I don’t think many of you have seen this photo outside of the Dave Mann video. This is a young Dave Mann from the summer of 1965 and he is sitting on his panhead “Hangman.” In the background you’ll see a few familiar choppers. Tom’s “Only One Love” is to the right just behind Dave. Across the street at far right is Grey Cat’s bike and Tiny’s 1948 panhead “Pussyfoot” is next to it. Every time I see a photo like this I can’t help but wonder what inspirational notes Dave was taking and how this would be incorporated into his next work of art.
Talk about a perfect picture. Tiny’s 1948 panhead, “Pussyfoot” always turned heads and there was no better time than the summer of 1965. From the additions of Minn, Kansas City and Omaha to the MC, to the iconic runs to Okoboji, Missouri, and Skip’s place up north, Tom and Tiny always did it right. Brotherhood and choppers.
When asked about his favorite Harley motor, Tom replied “My favorite is the Knucklehead. It’s nostalgic looking. Performance-wise, I like the Evolution.” This sentiment stayed true the rest of Tom’s life as he rode an Evo until his final days. However, his first Evo chopper might have been the most mind-blowing. In 1985, Tom, his club brother Moose, and Rudy from Midwest Cycle Service started building the Sioux City Scooter. With it’s unique rubber mounted motor and it’s insane paint scheme, this bike showed people what could be done with Harley’s new Evolution. The painting was an intense process literally done by hand and then sanded down over and over until it was perfect. It was all worth it as the bike went on to be a show-stopper. In 1988, the Evo was shown off to the world as it graced five pages in EasyRiders magazine.
Now that we’ve opened the Tiny archive, let’s dig a little deeper. Everyone who’s followed this account for more than five minutes knows about the infamous Pussyfoot; the 1948 panhead chopper with the minibar up front, sissy bar gas tank, and no. 74 yellow lacquer. But, Tiny had other choppers including the one featured in this photo which was taken in 1971. With a raked out front end, stepped seat, and a bike horn under the tank, this chopper embraced the style of the seventies.
At 6’5” and 300+ lbs, Tiny made all these old school choppers look like toys. I’m guessing the custom seat with the raised p-pad is designed so that the old lady riding on the back can get some fresh air sitting behind the big guy and not get a face full of patch on every ride.
Today marks what would’ve been the 85th birthday of Harlan “Butch” Leroy Brower or as you all know him…Tiny the Beautiful. There’s no better day than today to begin sharing his archive and we are honored to be able to give you all an inside look at Tiny’s life and legacy. Over the coming weeks, months, and years we will share many of the incredible photos, artwork and other ephemera from Tiny’s personal collection spanning his early days in Sioux City, Iowa all the way through his final years in Pacoima, California. Tiny’s physical stature is only rivaled by his importance in chopper culture and we can’t wait to showcase the legend that is Tiny the Beautiful.
For those of you who saw our last post, we still aren’t revealing the creator of the latest archive, but we will share a few of the images from the albums. We might as well start with one of the most beautiful shots of Only One Love I’ve ever seen.
This 8x10 print, created in 1965, was one of 22 large prints that are displayed in one of those blue albums near the bottom of the stack. The detail, clarity, and contrast of the print is stunning and of course Tom’s chopper tops it off. Imagine coming around the corner in 1965 and seeing that bike…that’d blow your mind!
This is just one of the 1,200+ photos from those albums. You guys are in for a treat.
Big news! These photo albums along with numerous posters, paintings, notes and other amazing 1960’s biker ephemera will soon be displayed on this account. We are not going to share who’s collection these came from just yet…but feel free to guess in the comments. We are very excited to dive in and share this with everyone!
If you’d ever been to Tom’s shop you’ll remember that there were filing cabinets all over the place. Tall, short, flat, metal, wood, etc. Sorting through them all was like a treasure hunt into Tom’s past and you never knew what you’d find. I recently was able to go through the last of the files that were saved before the shop was demolished and I stumbled across this badass multiple exposure transparency from the mid 1960s. The detail is wild as this sheet is 8x10” and the scanner captured every bit of it; the Lee buttons, the scratches, the sparkle in the eye and the Tom Fugle smile.
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During the 1970’s Tom and the guys made it an annual tradition to head down South and pay a visit to their GGMC brothers. They would often party together for a week or two and celebrate Mardi Gras in style. On this particular visit the group was headed out to the secret run spot when they were met by a washed out mud pit. No need to worry, some help from your brothers and you’ll be moving right along! • • • • • #tomfugle #efmc #ggmc #chopperhistory #8mmfilm #ridechoppersorf**koff
Tom always loved a good group shot, especially when it’s full of choppers and club brothers. This behind the scenes 8mm footage from the mid 1960’s shows many of the originals from the Sioux City, Minnesota, & Nebraska chapters getting together with their choppers for a group shot while making a gas stop on a run up in Minnesota. • • • • #tomfugle #fuglefridays #ridechoppersorf**koff #efmc #chopperhistory #panheadchopper #panhead #knucklehead
Tom always said it was important to have someone within the club who could handle run-ins with the fuzz when the group was out on a run. Looks like this encounter left this officers mind blown as he poses on Tom’s chopper & takes a little cruise around the park back in the late 1960’s.
In honor of this #mannmonday we share a short video clip of Dave explaining how his relationship with Tom, Tiny and the EFMC all started back at a car and bike show in Kansas City - February 1964. The rest is history. . . . . #fuglefiles #tomfugle #davemann #ridechoppersorf**koff
Whenever the club got together and had their choppers on display minds were going to be blown. You can see many’a squares getting their mind blown in this 8mm footage from the late 1960’s. #tomfugle #tinythebeautiful #ridechoppersorf**koff
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