When Sylvester Stallone rumbles across the screen in "The Expendables," a lot of Bogalusa kids will recognize his ride.
The long, sleek custom chopper is shiny green and chrome, painted with warrior skeletons amidst flames. For the past year, it sat in Scoop Daddy's ice cream parlor, and kids were allowed to sit on it for photo ops.
Stallone, who wrote and is directing and acting in "The Expendables," bought the custom motorcycle designed by Scoop Daddy's Tommy Richardson, and built by Richardson and Lee McKenzie.
"It is a beautiful bike. The detail is spectacular. Sly fell in love with it," said Sheryl Main, publicist for the action thriller about mercenaries trying to overthrow a South American dictator.
The Rocky, Rambo tough guy, action-movie star spotted it at the Easyriders V-Twin Bike Show, held in the Morial Convention Center as part of Bike Week New Orleans, May 7-10.
Richardson was checking out the competition when friends spotted Stallone, surrounded by an entourage of about 20 people.
"They went there shopping for a bike for the movie," said Richardson. "I walked right by him. But Sharon and Bull Hartzog were there, and Sharon saw him and started trailing him."
Sharon Hartzog called to him from about 30 feet away, then pointed into a crowd, shouting, "Rocky!" At first, Richardson didn't understand. Then he saw Stallone.
"I followed him at a distance," said Richardson. "I wanted to see his reaction to every bike he looked at. He would look, then move on, look, then move on. He spent a good three or four minutes at one, and I thought, `OK, he's showing good interest.'"
Richardson was pleased and maybe a little cocky.
"I knew mine was hotter," he said. "I'm not just being partial. It was."
Stallone was getting close.
"When he was rounding the corner, I knew he was going to see mine," said Richardson. "He stopped, turned to his people and called them over. I thought, `OK this is good.' He kept looking, moved around to the front, pointed things out. I thought, `I've got to get in there now!'"
Richardson made his way through the crowd.
"I got about eight feet from him, and one of his guys put his arm out to stop me," he said. "He didn't say anything. He just put his arm out. I said, 'It's my bike. I want to give him the information.' He said, 'Oh, OK. He's my boss. Come on.'"
When he was introduced, Richardson was told that Stallone likes to be called "Sly."
"When his guy told him I was the builder he jumped around, really enthused," said Richardson. "He said 'This is nice. So far, it's the nicest I've seen.' I asked him if he'd like to sit on it. He jumped again and said, 'Can I?'
"He stayed on my bike for 15 or 16 minutes, a long, long time. He asked 30 or 40 questions. Then he said, 'Get his name and number.'"
The call came that night, during the awards ceremony. The joy of winning spectators' choice in the radical class was soon compounded by the unexpected sale of the first bike he ever built.
"If it was anybody else, I wouldn't have sold it," said Richardson. "But just to know that someone of that caliber appreciates my bike that much ... What do you do? You can build another one."
It was among at least two rides bought at the show for the movie, in which the seven main characters - also including Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, and Jason Statham - ride out on motorcycles. But Stallone bought Richardson's for himself, Main said.
Richardson said Stallone invited him to watch filming, too.
"He's awesome," said Richardson. "I have total admiration for him. He's just so down to earth you would have thought he was from Bogalusa. He made us comfortable with him. It's most impressive."
E-Mail Story
Print Story
