Dave Barker
Photos By: Kris Bennet
Originally Published In The February 2014 Issue Of Cycle Source Magazine
Name: Dave Barker
Age: 34
Business: SpeedMetal
Dave Barker, son of champion dirt track race car driver Jim Barker, got his start with cars and bikes early on in life. Dave’s dad also got him into music at a young age in hopes of directing him away from a life of fast cars, but it didn’t totally work. Dave now splits his time between the two. SpeedMetal is Dave’s shop in Denver, Colorado where you’ll find him building bikes; Drag the River is where you’ll find him playing drums and steel guitar.
What’s your favorite song or band on your iPod/iPhone right now?
John Moreland’s new album “In the Throes.” It’s so good!
If you could choose your last meal, what would it consist of?
A steak cooked on the grill by my bud Denver Paul. He’s the best steak griller. Oh, and mashed potatoes.
What do you consider your worst bad habit?
Procrastinating.
If you were forced to get a new occupation for 1 year and only had the following choices, which would you pick and why: Walmart Greeter – Rodeo Clown – Politician
Definitely not a greeter! I have severe stranger danger. Rodeo clown sounds like the most fun.
If you could hang out with someone famous for one day, who would it be?
Taylor Swift. I think she needs a ride on the back of my Knucklehead. Tall girls rule!
What’s another hobby you have that is not motorcycle related?
Silversmithing. It’s also my granddad’s hobby and I learned from him.
What’s one materialistic thing you can’t live without?
My old Lloyd Green Sho-Bud pedal steel guitar.
What would be your ideal vacation?
Friends, motorcycles, guns, camping, and lake fishing in the Bighorn Mountains up in Northern Wyoming.
What’s one thing that you want to do before you die?
I would like to take a bike to Mooneyes in Yokohama and ride in Japan while listening to Made in Japan by Buck Owens.
What’s something that most people don’t know about you?
When I’m not building bikes I’m on the road touring with my band Drag the River. I play drums and pedal steel guitar.
