...spend a few days days at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. If the mountain itself doesn't serve up a healthy dose of humility, its heroic inhabitants surely will. Pikes is one of those places that feels overly dangerous, even to a mild speed demon like me. Guardrails seem to appear only when the drop-offs hit four figures. Every turn reveals a laundry list of conditions that would warrant a permanent closure anywhere else. The road changes from paved to dirt and back, snaking up the mountain like a trick question.

And we would experience it in all its twisted glory.

A few months ago, it was decided that I would tag along with Adam Ewing on one of his yearly speed-seeking pilgrimages. Neither of us had much of an idea what to expect. We would meet up with the Spider Grips Ducati Team in Colorado Springs. And we'd get a better-than-average view of the race. Good enough. Spontaneous folks that we are, we loaded up our bikes with cameras, disposable clothes and a bunch of camping gear that we'd never use. Oh, and we brought along our buddy Ricky Henry (on his modified Virago cafe rat) for good measure.

For the sake of focus, I'll save most of the trip details for later. But I will say that we were compelled to ride to our destination and back — nearly 5,000 miles. It was a chance to step back from the minutia of a working garage and into a great expanse of country. To look up from spark plug gaps and timing marks and see something that went on and on. To fly into Denver and take a cab to Pikes would have left us utterly unprepared for this particular mountain.

Our first taste of the atmosphere came at 3:00 am on Friday as we wound up the dark landscape with Chris Nazarenus of MyLifeAtSpeed.com. She and her team were there capturing the event, often from the point of view of six-time Pikes Peak winner Greg Tracy. We divided and conquered, splitting off to cover several sections of the mountain for a practice session that would begin at dawn.

Adam overcame the altitude woozies to nail some great shots of the bikes as they made multiple runs on the middle section of the mountain. It's hard to describe the contrast of the beautiful landscape with the near violence of high-strung engines in full primal scream. I was perched on a snowbank where I could see the cars practicing on the lower sections and the bikes above.

I did as I was directed and drank lots of water and took very small steps as I snapped photos and searched for a cell signal. Why, I wondered, wasn't the signal better when I was so high up? Who knows, maybe the other 5,000 vertical feet of mountain above me was in the way.

It took no time for me to understand the magnitude of racing at Pikes Peak. During a practice run one rider passed another on the narrow strip of asphalt between the white edge line of the road and the dirt shoulder. Maybe it was Greg. He was on a Ducati, but he was simply going too fast to be identified. What I could tell, though, is that had he gone over the edge, the rider would not have stopped falling for a good long while. In poker terms, these guys and girls go all-in on every hand it seems.

Jump to Sunday at 2:30 am. We headed to the summit to begin a day of what felt more like survival than work or pleasure. The wind was constant and strong enough to knock any non-goat off its chosen path. I've never been seasick, but I think I can relate to it now. There was a noticeable lack of oxygen a mile or so below us. At 14,100 feet, it was nearly incapacitating. Especially after 17 hours.

We set up Adam's photo gear, including a big soft light that acted like a sail in the wind. Scratch that. It acted like a sack of Tasmanian Devils. Luckily we found a shielded nook behind a stone wall attached to a steel building at the summit. What building? The U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine — Altitude Research Facility. What else?

It's hard to describe this day without sounding negative. But in reality, I think we all realized that we were experiencing something remarkable and epic. Even now — only a week later — it's a fond memory. But at the time, though, we seemed to slip into a drunken delirious state where we survived by saying whatever popped into our heads. I definitely hallucinated once. It defies explanation how Adam managed to get 50-some amazing portraits of drivers as they finished their death-defying runs. But he did.

Delays ruled the day, but at long last, we were set to see what we came for — the motorcycles, specifically the vintage bikes and the big Ducatis. More specifically, our buddy Greg Tracy and his teammate Alexander Smith. And so we stumbled down to the hairpin that precedes the finish line to watch and wait.

The mood was light even as we heard ominous words like "Medivac" and "injuries" over various radios. The crowd at our perch thinned out. A hundred bikes or so passed by until eventually, Adam, Ricky and I were the only ones left watching. The safety car swept the course. And still no sign of 555.

Somewhere between the start and the finish, Greg Tracy and his blindingly quick Multistrada had simply disappeared. 

Now we really felt sick.

(Photos: Adam Ewing)

Of all the questions I get about the bikes we've built, it's safe to say half of them are about Sunny's XV750. In fact this late bloomer of a Virago was the motivation behind Bob Ranew's XV920 build — one of Classified Moto's current projects. The odd thing is that suddenly in the Richmond area, Viragos have become scarcer than...than...uh...a mouse at a cat convention? Anyway, the drought appears to be over and there are no less than six suitable Viragos ranging from 535cc to 920cc within a 100-mile radius of the state capital. If you've been thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these highly malleable '80s gems, now is the time. Search Craigslist and grab one yourself for a great DIY summer project. Of course we'd rather you let us build you something fun, famous and Classified. If you wanna, email john@classifiedmoto.com and we'll release the hounds.

Big news. Classified Moto is now Classified Moto, LLC. Not sure that means a lot to the world at large, but it feels like progress to us. To keep up the buzz, Adam Stockton, owner of our gnarly Yamasaki XS750 is hard at work on some design-o-licious limited run screen printed posters. Some of which will feature photographer Adam Ewing's Classified XS650 and our delightful Bulgarian friend and co-worker Tania Staykova. She arrived at the studio straight from a day of super-intense ad meetings and breezed through a five-hour photo shoot like a pro. Many thanks to Tania and both Adams for pulling it together on short notice. Stay tuned for the goods this spring when we open our online store. Custom bikes, lamps, posters, apparel and other highly Classified items. In the meantime, keep up with us here and on Facebook. (Photos: Adam Ewing)

I love my 1979 Triumph Bonneville T140V. But you wouldn't know it to look at her. I came to own this bike through a complicated flurry of trading and swapping a couple of summers ago. The dealings involved, among other things, a 1981 Kawasaki KZ550 and a 1996 Land Rover Discovery. Had a blast riding it around and was always impressed when it roared to life on the first kick. Anyway, when other projects squeezed Bonnie out of the garage into the elements, she took a turn for the worse. Now I have less time and space than ever, but my guilt is peaking and I have to do something. I'll probably clean it up, wait for some Brit inspiration to hit me and have at it. But come to think of it, I'm on the lookout for an old KZ1000. I wonder if anyone wants to trade. Hmmmm. (Photo: Adam Ewing)

It's always risky business when you sell something to a friend. But this is one of those cases where all parties ended up pleased as punch. When our garage mate Devin Bousquet was ready for a few more CCs, he expressed an interest in one of three non-running 1978 Kawasaki KZ650 SRs that Greg and I scored this summer. A deal was made and soon Mr. Bousquet was a semi-permanent resident in the already crowded garage — welding, wiring, using all my shop towels and grinding wheels... A handful of weeks later, another Classified motorbike had hit the streets. The intent was to keep the front end stock, but it just so happened that we had an immaculate '04 GSXR 1000 front end in the vault. Devin got the friends and family discount. Once again, everyone was happy. Devin's amazing personal seamstress (and mom), Pamela Bousquet crafted a real seat cover — a rare and beautiful thing in the Classified garage. As ever, thanks to Greg and Cindy for all their help bringing this silky smooth Kawi to life in the garage, and to Adam Ewing for doing the same in the studio. (Photos: Adam Ewing )

When our garage mate Cindy Hicks decided to throw in the towel on her '76 CB360T, she had a few simple demands for its successor. It had to have a red seat. It had to fit her "not-gonna-cut-it-in-the-NBA" inseam. And it had to match the taillight she bought on a whim while surfing the web late night. After some searching, we found a well-used 1979 XS650 Special 2 hiding in a sleepy town on the Rappahannock River. The seller's name was Christopher Guest. (Long pause...Raised eyebrow...) Anyway, we loaded the '79 and an earlier parts bike on the trailer, grabbed some barbecue and headed back to the capital city. Then it began. The welding. The parts sourcing. The painting — beautifully executed by Damien Williamson of Richmond. The carb stuff. The curing of ills by Dr. Ownby. And finally the mounting of the taillight. That's when we knew we were finished. Since then, Lefty Lucy has given Ms. Hicks many miles of fun and freedom. So we thought she deserved a little time with moto photo genius Adam Ewing. Enjoy.

And the stuff keeps rolling in from last Wednesday's shoot at Virginia Motorsports Park. Between photographer Adam Ewing firing off stills and Sunny Zhao directing the moving stuff, we have a huge arsenal of imagery in the works. Now for the fun part — seeing the goods.

Here's a series of Greg Ownby's 1982 FT500 Classified Street Tracker ridden by our Romanian buddy Lory Rusu-Mehes in Mr. Ownby's absence. Look for more shots on Mr. Ewing's website in the near future. Meanwhile, enjoy these photos of the angry Ascot doing what it was meant to do — sneak onto a dirt track under the threat of helicopter gunship attack and get sideways. (Photos: AdamEwing.com)

A couple of weeks ago, I posted that we had a great shoot at Adam Ewing's photo studio in Richmond. Well, here are some of the initial pics from that epic day. First up is Adam Stockton's 1978 XS 750 Special. Click HERE for more details, but some history follows. Early this year, I made a trip to Virginia Beach to buy two bikes — a Honda Interceptor and Mr. Stockton's Special. I picked up the latter from a guy who kept it in his living room. He tells me the project lost steam when his mechanic had to do a stint in the slammer. Prior to his incarceration, the wayward technician installed some precariously placed forward controls and various chrome bits. Otherwise, the carbs were seized, the charging system was not working and the brakes were stuck. Looking back at the bike as I trailered it through the Hampton Roads Tunnel, it seemed happy to be moving again. I rolled back into Richmond after midnight with snow on the ground. The next day, I snapped some before pics and set out chopping. A lot of intrigue and turmoil ensued — the bike, perhaps, haunted by the mojo of its outlaw former mechanic. But with the first snow of the season still frozen on the ground, I hereby declare this monstrous triple officially Classified. Happy trails to bike and rider.

Many thanks to Mr. Adam Ewing for his incredible photo skills. More of his Classified Moto series to come, but you can check out his portfolio on his website.

Dreams Factory's Sunny Zhao and crew pulled out all the stops to capture the "Reciprocity" XV750 Wednesday at Virginia Motorsports Park. Armed with a dangerous-looking Red One Mysterium camera with a bazooka-sized lens, Sunny dreamt up a ton of incredible shots that flattered the bike to no end. Not only did Sunny and his amazing team get the job done, they did it on what seems like the coldest day of the year so far. To see more of Mr. Zhao's handiwork, go to the Dreams Factory site. To see the trailer for his feature that will co-star his evil Yamaha, visit the Reciprocity teaser site. The footage he shot at VMP will make it's way onto that site very soon. Until then, it will remain Classified.

Many thanks to the Dreams Factory team: Sunny Zhao (Director), Tim Dowdle (Producer and Miracle Worker), Josh Mumford (AC), Jon Dodd (PA), Leigh Hagan (2nd Camera Tech) and Rinny Wilson (2nd Camera Tech). And from VMP, Bryan Pierce and Reid Kidwell. Nothing would have happened without everyone's help. Thank you!

And as usual, the core Classified Moto crew — Cindy Hicks and Adam Ewing — were there shooting, riding and wrenching. Mr. Greg Ownby was sorely missed, but in his honor, we wrecked his '82 FT500 streetracker getting the perfect shot. New brake pedal on the way! (Photos: Cindy Hicks)