Blue Ridge Turn and Burn 2023 (Part 2 Dills Paint Works)

If you read part one, you know that John Dills, owner of Dills Paintworks, picked me up at the airport and let me tag along with him while I was in town. Not only is John a great friend, but he also paints some of the rarest bikes on earth. One that comes to mind is the beautiful blue and white  Crocker that can be seen on display at the Wheels Through Time Museum. It is not uncommon to find him working on 1st year 1936 knucklehead tins, and it has become an inside joke that he’s going to repaint them all. John often works from paint chips and samples to make sure his paint is a 100% factory match. 

If you are a motorcycle lover, there is a good chance you have seen his work and not known it. John’s work has been featured in numerous publications and media including magazines such as American Iron, Cycle Source, Street Chopper and even on the Sons Of Anarchy television show. Bikes sporting his paint have been the subject of fine art by the incredibly talented Dave Uhl. I’ve seen his work on drag strips, on vintage bikes competing in the Cannonball, Sons of Speed, The Race of Gentlemen,  Born Free Show Bikes and more. 

One of the biggest secrets about John is he bangs out a badass flame job, and some of his old chopper paint is out right iconic. Though it is far more common to see him working on rare vintage restorations, and it seems to be much of the work that finds its way into his shop. But don’t be fooled, he lays down flake, candies and pearls with the best of them. 

Blue Ridge Turn and Burn 2023 (Part 1, Wheels Through Time)

This year when I had to run to Western North Carolina I wound up with a few days to kick it with my Brother John Dills. It had been maybe 4 yrs or so since we had hung out. Long over due. Especially being a homie I talk to almost daily.

There was big talk about hitting his favorite rot dog joint in Maggie Valley. But when we got close we turned into Wheels Through Time. Now if you don’t know John you may be just learning that he is a painter and happens to be the man that paints all of the museums restorations. We spent most of our time in the workshop tinkering and catching up with Matt, Steve and the crew.

If you have never been to the Museum I encourage you to make a trip. If you can’t visit they do have an amazing YouTube channel as well as DVDs for sale on their website. This place is full of amazing bikes. Many of which are period modified for racing. There are a few non two wheeled displays, many of which are Harley Powered. A few are production line automobiles. A good deal of the bikes in the museum run and if you go on a guided tour you will usually get to see a bike start. If your really luck you will be able to see one leave some vintage rubber on the ground down the aisle where the chopper grave yard is located.

I had an old 50mm prime film lens on the camera. On a crop sensor DSLR camera that equals 75mm on a full frame camera. In the back this worked out pretty well. Not wanting to run back out to the car and swap lenses I committed to shooting with this long focal length 100% manual lens. This meant no auto focus, or fancy modes. Aperture, shutter speed, iso and focus all had to be adjusted manually. The long fixed focal length was tough at times. But committing to one lens in a fluctuating environment will usually be a mix of absolute glory and compromise.

I didn’t want to be swapping lenses around as we didn’t have a lot of time and I also wanted to visit and catch up. You really learn a lens if you are forced to shoot with it. I had been shooting quite a bit with a 35mm prime and it was fun to get back to the 50mm prime for a bit. The quick pace of the shots and the focal length had me backing up often. I found it hard to go from being immersed in a conversation to capturing a moment with those I was speaking with. And when we wound up front I was wishing I had the 35mm. But that’s exactly what makes this such a great learning exercise. And since I was capturing what was going on at the moment you either make it work, miss it or scrap the shot. I wound up deciding to shoot the rest of the trip with this lens. I enjoy a good 50mm prime lens on a crop sensor. And since this is the only one I have, full manual is the only option with it. It’s a fun experience to pair a DSLR and old glass together!

Dills Paint Works in the flesh.

Matt Walksler

Matt and John plotting radness.

John the thinker. If you weren’t here you missed the wealth of wisdom that was shared moments after this.

After we pushed bikes in and the museum was closed for the day Matt treated me and John to dinner. It had been many years since I had been to dinner with Matt. But he always has the best spots to eat and this time was no exception! We followed him on his 38 Knucklehead. Man that bike moves. He had absolutely no problem keeping pace with the fast moving traffic and left us scrambling to keep up a few times in the car when we didn’t expect a well paced but spirited ride.

The clouds were wild and we barley beat the rain to the restaurant. Sitting on the covered patio the wind picked up. The wind was coming in from two different directions and you could see it in the clouds. Rain began to fall and was driven from the two different directions. Vertical wind blown sheets of water were visible as you looked out towards the mountains. As the tops of the trees in the parking lot began to whip back and forth from the barrage of wind from opposing directions we decided to move inside.

As fast as the storm had rolled in it moved out. We were happy to find Matt’s 36 still up right parked under a tree in the parking lot. By the time we were done with our meal the roads were beginning to partially dry from the busy traffic. Leaving dry strips along the wheel paths. With just a couple prime kicks and a bit of choke that old knuckle fired right up and we split directions.

Sadly I didn’t have much time on the museum floor this visit. I find it easy to spend 4-5 hour in the museum and still feel like I missed stuff. The collection has grown so much since I have been there last so there’s even more to see! I can’t wait to go back and just take time and roam the museum. It’s always a treat and legitimately one of my favorite places on earth. Thanks to Matt, John and the WTT team for their hospitality. Stay tuned for Part 2!

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