~ BACK SO SOON ~ We hit a little speed bump at the Temple of Enthusiasm after finishing the first Harrison Roach Concept Surfboard. On the east coast of Bali there was nowhere decent to ride it. I was in need of waves, but judging by the surf forecast, Bali wasn’t going to have any. Thomas had shaped twenty-five boards, drank 250 bottles of Bintang and was packed to head home for a loving hug from his wife. I decided to give our buddy Husni a call and see how it was back in Java. After being told Husni’s local had been offshore every day, my decision was made. The next morning I began the long mission back to the … View More

~ THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE ~ I’m not used to long days spent in the shaping bay. I’ll admit during the time I hung out with Thomas Bexon I didn’t work very hard. But, as I’ve previously said, just standing around watching tires me out. Once we’d shaped my board and the glassing process had begun, I decided it was time to wash off the dust and catch a few waves. Without thinking much I grabbed my motorcycle and a board that was sitting around to head out on a surf mission. I’d never been to Bali in the wet season and it came as a surprise when I showed up to all of my … View More

In case you didn’t hear, there was a not-so-little motorcycle show up in Portland over the weekend and we went. Here’s how the dang thing unraveled: A few custom bikes were tucked into the van including The Sevenish out of our own Woolie’s Workshop, a bike by Roland Sands, and a shiny Norton from Kim Boyle Customs. Creeping carefully north, the three bikes were deposited safely at Sandbox Studios in the heart of Portland to start a weekend to end all weekends. Folks flocked from all corners of the earth to touch, taste, and see all the wonderfulness The One Motorcycle Show had on bottomless tap. Michael Woolaway was out in good form to unveil his latest piece of rolling hottness dubbed … View More

From Foam to Fibreglass – A Harrison Roach Concept. Thomas Bexon cross-steps when he mows foam. He walks up and down the surfboard blank as though he’s riding his 10’0 on a perfect, never-ending peeler. He keeps a rhythm and pace that I find physically hard to match. Just standing around watching tires me out. Thomas can draw an outline and turn a 10’ / 25” / 4.5’’ blank into a 9’6 / 23” / 3’’ in no time. * Dust and sweat clung to his beard as I watched his steps in the shaping bay at the Temple of Enthusiasm. Thomas had strode straight off the plane and picked up a planer. We’d just gotten back from our travels … View More

As a travelling surfer I always wonder whether locals at each different destination will accept my presence in their lineups. I usually receive an indifferent tolerance and wonder if ‘back in the old days’ I would have been chased out of the water, or worse. It is very rare to find locals who go out of their way to be friendly. However this is exactly what happened on my last adventure with Thomas Bexon. Knowing Husni Rihwand may have had a lot to do with the remarkable acceptance of the wider surf-community at his hometown. One of our more interesting encounters came when a friendly Javanese advised us of a quiet reef down the way and said he’d even supply … View More

I’m very fond of Thomas Bexon. He’s a big, bearded Koala that has created a worldwide buzz from mowing foam. When I recently received a call from the ‘Benkal’ at Deus explaining how I was invited to accompany him on a trip to Java I got very, very excited. I was presented with an interesting idea for my travel… leave all boards at home and take a stab at riding what Deus family member, Husni Rihwand, uses day in and day out. Husni had been fortunate enough to acquire a few of the Deus boards that Thomas had shaped at the Temple in Bali and I was granted access to the whole quiver. Anyone who has ever traveled with a … View More

Hey you loggers! Indonesia is more than it’s cracked up to be. Magazines have told us more than a thousand tales of perfect waves since Tom Carrol and Martin Potter were featured in the VHS movie “The Hole”, yet they’ve chosen to ignore the tastes of many a longboarder. Longboards aren’t made for the heaving waves of the Mentawaiis or the spinning lefts of the Bukhet Peninsula. They’re made for long perfect waves under head high. And guess what? Indonesia has a few cards up its sleeve to please an ever-growing clique of noseriding maestros. It’s even started to produce some of it’s own to rival the worlds best. Husni Rihwand has appeared frequently in cyber space but I find … View More