Contact Josh at Old School Helmets now and he'll hand paint a biltwell lid to your design! Do it now!
Or else!
...you wont have one.
Not so-Cold Kiwi
I made it to my first Cold Kiwi last weekend and the first thing I noticed was that it wasnt that cold. Not that it dissappointed me at all. Me and Eli got ridiculously boozed, we brought BYO against the rules, didnt know until we got there.. naughty us eh? Eli crashed out fairly early (lightweight) and I wandered about in a drunken daze for a few more hours and lost my wallet. Dont remember much apart from trying to cook a feed before going to sleep but eating mostly warm raw meat. I guess thats why there was a pile of vomit with raw meat in it outside the tent on saturday.
I spent all saturday hibernating in my tent and missed all the events, which probably would have been good.
I did overhear outside "Is that the blue sporty that went up the hill climb?"
"Nah this dudes been asleep all day."
Had no money for drinking supplies or gas, luckily had enough juice to make it home.
You can bet I'll be back next year.
Heres a video made by some guy.
I spent all saturday hibernating in my tent and missed all the events, which probably would have been good.
I did overhear outside "Is that the blue sporty that went up the hill climb?"
"Nah this dudes been asleep all day."
Had no money for drinking supplies or gas, luckily had enough juice to make it home.
You can bet I'll be back next year.
Heres a video made by some guy.
Maund speed alloy fork covers? New amal carb? Oil tank kits? Stainless spoke set? Interested? I just listed some of my triumph parts stash on trademe. Go here to have a look.. then buy something!
After 10 days and 1000ks on the Sporty I just cant figure out the attraction of high bars. Im hangin out for my M Type bars to arrive so I can throw those 10" pieces of crap in the back of the shed. On the upside, I am in danger of becoming converted to such luxuries as electric start, a garage floor without oil spots, and reliability. But hey its only been 10 days Im sure it will start leaking and probably break down.
I what?
I last posted in january? Serious? Well Ive been here and there.. bit of a hiatus from motorcycling since I exploded the Norton last year, was highly unimpressed about missing last summers riding, then work type stuff happened. Been reasonably busy with non-motorcycle related happenings since April. Unashamed mention of being in the NZ Army Combat Shooting Team and competing internationaly during this time...
Anyways, I recently took stock of my small collection of british metal. A Commando with an engine in bits, that more or less needs new everything.. a half finished Triumph bobber style machine which may-or-may-not be done by christmas (we'll go with probably not) and a BSA off road machine that I cant ride on the.. uh.. the on-road. So.. while I was away from civilisation (work) I not only obsessed about the food I wasnt getting, I also thought about what it used to be like back when (last year) I had a bike to ride. So I made the highly unusual decision to buy something new that would in the short term (1-3 years) provide me with wheels until the Norton or the Triumph (or both) were finished. Additionaly, I was without any mode of transport, since I spectacularly wrote my car off when I rolled it down a bank and cheated death and serious injury. But thats another story.. judge for yourself by the picture, you cant get rides like that at disneyland..
Back to bikes! Now what would I buy? Its no secret now, you can see the picture underneath this post, but just pretend you havent. I toyed with the idea of a new trump, but to be honest they dont do it for me, although I was partial to a Thruxton Bonny but the cost was just too far out there. As it was I blew my self imposed budget. I wasnt left with much to choose from. A sporty it would have to be.
Just to set the record straight, I never ever thought I would buy a Harley, much less a new Evo! Furthermore I have never ever before been to a dealer for anything, and the newest vehicle I had ever owned prior to this, had been the aforementioned 1990 subaru that I only owned a month before destroying.
Since my trip to Wellington Motorcycles two days ago, I have been the (proud?) owner of an '03 XL883C with a 1200 kit and some of the most annoying high bars on it that Ive ever had the misfortune to deal with. Expect it to look a little different in a month or two, changes are planned...
...and thats that. Im back on the road. See you out there.
Anyways, I recently took stock of my small collection of british metal. A Commando with an engine in bits, that more or less needs new everything.. a half finished Triumph bobber style machine which may-or-may-not be done by christmas (we'll go with probably not) and a BSA off road machine that I cant ride on the.. uh.. the on-road. So.. while I was away from civilisation (work) I not only obsessed about the food I wasnt getting, I also thought about what it used to be like back when (last year) I had a bike to ride. So I made the highly unusual decision to buy something new that would in the short term (1-3 years) provide me with wheels until the Norton or the Triumph (or both) were finished. Additionaly, I was without any mode of transport, since I spectacularly wrote my car off when I rolled it down a bank and cheated death and serious injury. But thats another story.. judge for yourself by the picture, you cant get rides like that at disneyland..
Back to bikes! Now what would I buy? Its no secret now, you can see the picture underneath this post, but just pretend you havent. I toyed with the idea of a new trump, but to be honest they dont do it for me, although I was partial to a Thruxton Bonny but the cost was just too far out there. As it was I blew my self imposed budget. I wasnt left with much to choose from. A sporty it would have to be.
Just to set the record straight, I never ever thought I would buy a Harley, much less a new Evo! Furthermore I have never ever before been to a dealer for anything, and the newest vehicle I had ever owned prior to this, had been the aforementioned 1990 subaru that I only owned a month before destroying.
Since my trip to Wellington Motorcycles two days ago, I have been the (proud?) owner of an '03 XL883C with a 1200 kit and some of the most annoying high bars on it that Ive ever had the misfortune to deal with. Expect it to look a little different in a month or two, changes are planned...
...and thats that. Im back on the road. See you out there.
BSA A65 off road special
Scrambler, Desert Sled whichever. Its 99% complete. Just some clutch issues to attend to and some carb tuning prior to its test ride. This project took about a year, while I was working on the triumph at the same time. Unfortunately, its the usual story of other priorities (finishing the Triumph) and financial issues which means I will have to sell it at the first available opportunity. Hopefully I will get a couple of rides in first!
Anyway, heres the specs:
1965 A65 Thunderbolt frame
650cc Motor of unknown type or year (see cryptic engine numbers)
Firebird yokes and petrol tank
900 Mk1 Concentric 28mm
Pazon electronic ignition (batteryless)
Honda XL forks and front hub
Kawasaki (modified) rear shocks
Alloy rims, Custom seat
Anyway, heres the specs:
1965 A65 Thunderbolt frame
650cc Motor of unknown type or year (see cryptic engine numbers)
Firebird yokes and petrol tank
900 Mk1 Concentric 28mm
Pazon electronic ignition (batteryless)
Honda XL forks and front hub
Kawasaki (modified) rear shocks
Alloy rims, Custom seat
And the before pics..
Thanks to ;
Craig at Hamco Industries for the wheel building
British Spares for all the new bits
Colin at Two Wheels Engineering for the fork adapters
Peter at Rangiotu Motorcycle Parts for the Jap parts
Automotive Upholstery Specialists for the seat
New stuff
New years. Drinking. Much. Deplorable acts such as dancing and other inappropriate behaviours I gladly cannot remember. Absolutely nothing motorcycle related except I was wearing my Norton shirt at the time. If you saw me in Courtenay Place on friday night I hereby order you to forget everything you saw. Next..
New Mags. One Percent! I discovered this mere days after the aforementioned. Issue three is out now looks like I missed the first two. (Where have I been?) If you're like me and this is news to you, I added their blog to the list and you can ask them who stocks it. I got mine in Wellington but I havent seen it in Palmy if thats any help. (No.)
Its a rods and bikes publication, a couple of pieces each for both two and four wheeled machines, plus a couple of articles on racing. Its a bit thin on content at ten bucks, compared to say, GKM or DiCE, but its homegrown and that makes up for it in my opinion. Also some random reviews of music and movies can be found inside (even an ad for meat..) I'll keep buying it. You should too. Or else I'll get drunk and come round to your house and dance until you laugh yourself to death.. or severe discomfort.
New Mags. One Percent! I discovered this mere days after the aforementioned. Issue three is out now looks like I missed the first two. (Where have I been?) If you're like me and this is news to you, I added their blog to the list and you can ask them who stocks it. I got mine in Wellington but I havent seen it in Palmy if thats any help. (No.)
Its a rods and bikes publication, a couple of pieces each for both two and four wheeled machines, plus a couple of articles on racing. Its a bit thin on content at ten bucks, compared to say, GKM or DiCE, but its homegrown and that makes up for it in my opinion. Also some random reviews of music and movies can be found inside (even an ad for meat..) I'll keep buying it. You should too. Or else I'll get drunk and come round to your house and dance until you laugh yourself to death.. or severe discomfort.
Batman may ride a triumph, but Saint Nick rides a Norton
I dont like christmas much, for the record. But I like Nortons.
the search for decals
I have seen photographic evidence that examples of these vintage decals exist. But do you think I can find any? There is a few local printers that will make them, but I cant produce an image of decent enough quality to ensure a good laser cut finished product. The top image is from lowbrowcustoms, which they use for their TShirts. I modified it in Photoshop to produce the one on the bottom, but my line work isnt good enough. The search continues...
Blast from the past
Dads '67 Trophy, pic taken sometime in the mid to late '70s. He parted with the bike sometime around my birth as far as I know, but he cant remember exactly. Mods of the day included apes and cocktail shakers, and removal of the front guard and fork gaiters. Though running sans front guard wasnt (and still isnt) as popular here as it in the US... I have been asked on many occasions if I need a front guard for my commando, and get odd looks when I say I have one, its just at home on a shelf!
This pre unit chop came much later, I dont know when the build started but I remember it as a kid in the early to mid eighties, around when this pic was taken. In the US I believe this would be referred to as a chopper done in the late sixties/seventies style, but I dont if this type of build was popular here until after 1970. Maybe some of you graybeards could shed some light on this. Chopper and custom bike history is hard to come by in this country unless you hear it straight from the guys who were there, and even then I think the old buggers cant remember that much!
le trumpet
Project Triumph has finally started to look less like a pile of parts and more like a 'cycle. Its taken a back seat to project BSA for so long I doubt it will be on the road by xmas as Id once hoped for. So far anyways, the motor is complete and ready for plumbing and wiring, I think I'll be kicking it over before the end of the year at least. The hard work is done on the glass tank, it just needs a final coat of black, apply decals and clear coats to finish. Considering the state of the fibreglass when I first got it, I didnt know if it would ever be straight enough to look good in black.
The front end is all there, its just in pieces and waiting on the oil seal cup holders to come back from the platers, then its time to experiment with cutting the springs to get the height correct.
Still cant get that rubbish quality rear guard to sit right, I might have to just spend the money and get a good one.. Watch this space...
Back in the good old days...
"An ordinary pullover worn in the opposite way, with one's legs thrust though the arm holes of the garment, keeps the lower abdomen and thighs warm. It is most effective, even in the extreme instance when one's coat-tails are flying in the air."
- The Motor Cycle issue 1936
- The Motor Cycle issue 1936
I give in
I said I wasnt just going to re-post stuff from the net on this blog, but now I am. Sometimes you see stuff that you just want to share.
I never used to be into the whole art & imagery scene, but Ive always appreciated works of genius talent.
FAIL!
Bottom end failure on the Commando. Timing side only, the primary side has no damage whatsoever?
Edit : Just discovered the crank also has a crack in it.. anyone got a spare bottom end they want to donate??
Brittown
Its not new, but I only just got it. In short, and to contradict myself, I was dissapointed a little, but Ive watched it about three times in the last few weeks. Confused? Well there isnt much of this kind of dvd around, most of your brit bike docos are history on the various marques or on motorcycling itself. We dont have much on film that covers some of the custom scene and culture that goes with it. Not in this style anyway. With Brittown I was expecting something more professional and something a bit more broad in regards to the Brit bike custom scene in the US, but it focuses mainly on the one guy, "Meatball" and his mates, their band and their bikes. Its watchable for sure, a couple of neats bikes and some cool music, but it had so much more potential as a doco.
As a side note, check out the bonus features of the guys customising an oif triumph. They didnt even strip the bike completely, they just hacked of the rear half of the frame with engine and tank still fitted! I was a little shocked with their methods and the fact it seemed such a tidy bike to start with, but hey.. if thats their thing who am I to judge.
In summary, as a dvd to put on over a couple of beers, its worth a look. You can borrow mine if you want.
As a side note, check out the bonus features of the guys customising an oif triumph. They didnt even strip the bike completely, they just hacked of the rear half of the frame with engine and tank still fitted! I was a little shocked with their methods and the fact it seemed such a tidy bike to start with, but hey.. if thats their thing who am I to judge.
In summary, as a dvd to put on over a couple of beers, its worth a look. You can borrow mine if you want.
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