Back Street Heroes - 413 September 2018

ISSUE 413

£4.20

SEPTEMBER 2018

UK OFFSALE DATE: 06/09/18

clothing

accessories PARTS AND ACCESSORIES FOR HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLES SINCE 1979

A BIKER’S WORK IS NEVER DONE

Pick of the month Lejonkulan saddlebags from Sweden Get it at wwag.com

editor:

NIK SAMSON

nik@backstreetheroes.com 07884 052003 staff writer:

DAVE MANNING

dave@backstreetheroes.com

Pic by Alex

design:

GARETH WILLIAMS publisher:

TIM HARTLEY

advertising contact:

RICK NICHOLS

rnichols@mortons.co.uk 01507 529357 divisional ad manager:

BILLY MANNING

bmanning@mortons.co.uk subscription manager:

PAUL DEACON

circulation manager:

STEVE O’HARA

marketing manager:

CHARLOTTE PARK publishing director:

DAN SAVAGE

commercial director:

NIGEL HOLE

freelance contributors: CHARLEY CHARLES, SIWER OHLSSON, WILLIAM SCOTT ARTUS, SIMON EVERETT, WORDS: COLIN STRONG, POPPY STRONG, ROSS MOWBRAY, IAN SHIPLEY, LUKE, FAZERDAZE, MR BRIDGES, SELINA LAVENDER, RICK HULSE editorial address:

BACK STREET HEROES, MORTONS MEDIA, MORTON WAY, HORNCASTLE, LN9 6JR subscriptions:

01507 529529 website:

WWW.BACKSTREETHEROES. COM enquiries and back issues:

01507 529529 24hr answerphone archive enquiries:

JANE SKAYMAN

jskayman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529423

Independent publisher since 1885 Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine?

Why not just ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month?

The Professional Publishers Association Member

The modern world seems to be going through an extended period of looking back at days gone by and wishing they were still there.

It’s everywhere; everything is about being ‘retro’, isn’t it.

Nobody’s looking to the future any more, only back at the past.

I don’t know what’s caused this, whether it’s something to do with the political shagwittery of Trump, May, Johnson, Corbyn, Rees-Mogg et al, making folk look back fondly at the days when prime ministers, and their political opposites, weren’t incompetent self-servers, presidents weren’t oversized orange toddlers in expensive suits, and politicians in general weren’t such total buffoons; whether it’s something to do with the pace of technology increasing so fast that most normal people can’t get their heads around the complexities of modern life; whether it’s an underlying worry about the fact that we appear to have seriously buggered up the planet that we live on and no one seems to be, or is capable of, doing anything about it; or something to do with the fact that the majority of the world’s population are sheep, blindly believing and taking as read what the big PR and fashion houses are telling them about what they should wear, what they should like and what they should look like, but it seems that everyone wants it to be any time other than now.

In biking, particularly, everything is retro; all the big manufacturers are doing, and selling, retro bikes, retro clothing is the biggest fashion trend, retro styles in customising are huge (cafe racers, flat-trackers, street scramblers, ’60s and ’70s chops), and retro events like The Bike Shed, The Trip Out, Flanders Chopper Bash and the Assembly Chopper Show are more and more being seen as the ones to go to. Retro, whether you like it or not, is in.

One of the things I hear all the time these days is about how bike events, hairy-arsed biker events that you and I go to, shows and rallies, are getting smaller. Again, the reasons for this are myriad, but one that seems a likely candidate to me is the sheer number of events every weekend from about Easter to October. Y’see, back in the day, when this was all fields and you could go and leave your front door unlocked, there were only a few small rallies, frequented by slightly odd folk with a tankard fetish, and the four biggies; the Kent Custom Show, the Bulldog Bash, the Rock & Blues and the South & West. Back then, if you wanted to go to a bike bash, they were your choices and because of this they were the size you all remember.

As the years went by, though, more and more smaller bike clubs started to form and they decided to put on their own events, and soon rallies, once the sole preserve of people with beer towels sewn on to the back of their cut-offs, became a much more mainstream activity.

The number of events continued to grow and grow and, as I said, there are now a huge number – 85 are listed in this issue for August alone (and that doesn’t include the ones that we haven’t been told about or arrived too late to be included).

And while that’s great in that it means there are events all around the country, and folk who live in the frozen wastes of the north or the mountains and valleys of Wales or the flatlands of East Anglia, don’t have to travel for hours and hours and hours to meet up with likeminded folk and get horribly pissed in a field with them, it also means that events get fewer and fewer people at them. There are, after all, only a finite number of bikers in the land, and when there are lots of events… you can see where I’m coming from, can’t you? To give you an example of what I mean, this coming Sunday as I write this, there are four bike shows within a 40-mile radius of me; one in Thetford, one near Bury St Edmunds, one near Wisbech and one in Ipswich. East Anglia is a good area for bikers and there are a lot of us (it’s the good weather the bit of Britain that looks like its bum gets, I reckon), but even so, there are only so many, so I can almost guarantee that attendance at them will be down as, normally, they don’t all clash.

So what’s the solution to this? Sorry, do I look like I know? I’m just a scruff-bag who likes motorbikes and is lucky enough to piss about with them for a living. Maybe it’ll be something along the lines of Darwinian evolution; a kind o’ survival of the fittest thing going on? The better events’ll survive and flourish, the not so well supported’ll perish?

Me, while I can see that things are going to change, whether we like it or not, I’m quite happy that there are so many events on the biker calendar ‘cos it means there’s often one a suitable distance from me that my old Harley can make it to without breaking down… or isn’t too far away to get a lift home from to get the van if it does.

See you next month!

NIK

Distribution by Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU. Tel: 0203 787 9001. Printed by William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton.

ISSN: 02679841. BSH is copyright to Mortons Media Ltd 2018 and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

The publishers accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If you send material to us for publication, you are strongly advised to make copies and to include an SAE. Original material must be submitted and will be accepted solely on the basis that the author accepts the assessment of the publisher as to its commercial value. BSH UK subscriptions £45.00, European subs £55.89, all other countries £67.89, from BSH Subs, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle LN9 6LZ. USA subs $60 per annum from Motorsport, 31757 Honey Locust Road, Jonesburg, MO 63351-9600 and additional mailing offices. Periodicals postage is paid at Jonesburg, Missouri, USA. Postmaster: send USA address changes to BSH, Motorsport, 550 Honey Locust Road, Jonesburg, MO 63351-9600.

TO THE D GET EDITIO IG N S A ITAL STREESEARCH F PP, SIMP LY OR ‘B T HER ACK OES’ APP IN OR O STORE FO THE APP NG LE R iP FOR OOGLE P AD CHEC L AND K OU ROID AY T THE (BA BS H CK ST AND REET FACEBOO TH K AT BAE BSH FAC HEROES) PAGE CK ST E REETBOOK GR THE O FFICIA HERO OUP L GRO ES – UP

THE BE PART OFHEROES BACKSTREET Y COMMUNIT

14

BROUGH SUPERIOR BOBBER

20

DIAMOND DAY

YES, YOU DID READ THAT RIGHT, A BROUGH SUPERIOR BOBBER!

NCC LONDON’S GRAND DAY OUT

26

STEAMPUNK HONDA TRIKE

32

STEAM & BIKES SHOW

34

40 42 48 52 62

66

MADDER THAN A BOX OF FROGS… BIKES AND OLD STEAM ENGINES, EACH AS COOL AS THE OTHER

GPZ750 CHOP

HOME-BUILT WITH LORRYLOADS OF INGENUITY

DOUBLE TROUBLE RALLY

ZIDER AN’ SUNSHINE IN ZUMMERZET

REVTECH CAFE RACER LAMB ENGINEERING PRODUCES ANOTHER MASTERPIECE

VMCC TRAINING DAY

RIDING OLD BIKES, VERY OLD BIKES!

BANDIT CHOPPER

MOST CHOPS WITH ONLY ONE BRAKE HAVE NO FRONT ONE, THIS ONE HAS NO BACK BRAKE!

(ALMOST) A ROADTEST THE NEW HONDA CB 1100RS

BUNKER TRIKE

TAKING SUMMAT CHINESE AND ’ORRIBLE AND MAKING IT LUVVERLY

72

BIG BARN RALLY

74

SOFTAIL H-D EVO

4

ONE OF THE MOST LAID-BACK EVENTS ON THE CIRCUIT OLD’S COOL…

SEPTEMBER 2018

6: NEWS ALL THAT’S NEW AND HAPPENING IN THE CUSTOM BIKE WORLD 8: PRODUCTS LOADS OF GOOD STUFF FOR YOU TO SPEND YOUR HARD-EARNED ON 12: LETTERS SOUND OFF, ONE, TWO, SOUND OFF, THREE, FOUR! 58: CENTRESPREAD LOUISE LIMB’S LATEST ARTISTIC OFFERING 60: SUBSCRIBE TO BSH - SEE HERE FOR THE BEST SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS 80: KATANA PROJECT - OUR NEW BUILD IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE PROJECT BIKE BUILD… 84: TECH - BSH’s RESIDENT SPANNER MONKEY TWIRLS HIS IMPLEMENTS… FNURK

88: MR BRIDGES - THE GURU IMPARTS MORE OF HIS KNOWLEDGE OF MECHANICS 92: MAG NEWS - OUR REGULAR COLUMN BY THE MAG CHAIRNONGENDERSPECIFICPERSON 94: INDIAN LONGTERMER - WOR DAVIE’S BEEN PUTTING THE MILES ON IT 96: EVENTS - YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE BEST RALLIES, SHOWS AND PARTIES 100: 2018 BSH CUSTOM BIKE CHAMPS - THE WINNERS FROM THE FARMYARD PARTY! 102: READERS’ LIVES - YOUR PICTURES AND OUR SILLY CAPTIONS...

YEAH, SORRY ABOUT THAT 106: SMALLS - SELL YOUR BIKE HERE FOR FREE! 114: RICK HULSE - THE MUSINGS OF ONE OF THE MOST ELOQUENT THINKERS IN BIKERDOM

WEMOTO FESTIVAL OF JURBY MERCHANDISE

Wemoto has expanded its range of Festival of Jurby merchandise in a bid to raise more for the Manx Grand Prix Supporters’ Club’s injured riders and helicopter fund.

Over the past three years, Wemoto has raised more than £48,000 through the sale of its Jurby T-shirt, and has now added caps, badges and fridge magnet bottle openers to its range, with all the profits going to the charity.

Products range from £1 (posters) to £10, so everyone can do their bit to help support this important cause.

Wemoto’s Jurby merchandise is available to buy on www. wemoto.com

Just to let you know that the National Rally of Scotland will be taking place over the weekend of 9-10th September.

It’s a checkpoint-type rally organised by the Scottish Ariel Owners MCC for riders of any machines, and is part of the Three Nations Challenge which also comprises p the National Rallyy and National Rallyy of Wales.

W The object is to call at a number of checkpoints,

H&H Classics recently offered the motorcycle that was the star of the ITV police drama Heartbeat. The Francis Barnett 198 bike was estimated to sell for between £3,500-5,000, and was offered with the full uniform worn by actor Nick Berry, who played Pc Nick Rowan.

Mark Bryan of H&H Classics said: “This motorbike is a not only a great piece of British engineering, it is also a TV star, much loved by millions of viewers who tuned into the show for 18 years.”

6

SEPTEMBER 2018

Nedwood Music Festival takes place at Turnpost Farm, Wymeswold, Loughborough, Leics (LE12 6SU) over the weekend of 24–27th August.

This familyfriendly music festival is set for a bumper weekend, with brilliant live bands and solo performers filling the main stage and tented stages, a Northern Soul arena with its wooden sprung dance floor, and a disco/soul/funk arena too. There’ll be a children’s area with interactive walkabout robots, shows, races,

workshops, and terrific fire shows, fantastic food at reasonable prices, a full bar and a Pimms and Prosecco bar and Gin Palace, vintage market and trade stalls.

For all those who’d like to show their custom bikes, scooters and trikes at the

festival, there are free family tickets and much more (promo code showmbike18) – for more information email: ann@nedwood.co.uk or tiny@nedwood. co.uk For tickets and other info please visit www. nedwood.co.uk or visit them on Facebook.

BRIGHTONA NEEDS YOU! The organisers of the custom bike show at the respected Brightona charity event in Brighton on 14th October would like you to enter your bike in the show!

There are

a host of categories and trophies to be won, and us at BSH are sponsoring a couple o’ three.

To enter your bike, email fazerdaze@ gmail.com or ring Lauren on 07971 294507.

get a stamp at each, and arrive at the final checkpoint before midday on the Sunday. There are six different challenges to suit individual riders, including two touring awards, and entrants can start anywhere.

The cost is £12 per entrant per challenge or £32 for a team of three, and you can get more by sending a stamped addressed envelope to Colin Pate, National Rally of Scotland, S , 45 Elmwood Park,, Deans,, Livingston, g , EH54 8SP S or email colinbpate@yahoo.co.uk

Black Market Dipping is a relatively new paint company based in Hoo in Kent (Building 85, Kingsnorth Industrial Estate, Hoo, Rochester, ME3 9ND), run by Adam Lewis who’s been custom painting and hydrodipping for five years now.

He’s entirely self-taught, and started off working from home, but has now moved to a new purpose-built unit. He’s always painted and modified bikes and cars, and last year he did some custom-painted skulls for Dan

Gold from the TV show London Ink which’re now on display in his studio on Oxford Street in London. He can dip almost anything – if the paint sticks, he’ll paint it; trophies to sprockets, and he’s even done carbon-dipped picture frames – and can combine hydro-dipping and traditional custom painting to make custom pieces. He can also refurbish alloy wheels for bikes and cars, powdercoat frames, wheels, ‘pegs etc. too.

Ring him on 07808 215751 or contact him through Instagram or email blackmarketdipping@gmail.com

If you’ve nothing to do on Sunday 19th August and you’re anywhere near Ockley in Surrey, then perhaps you might consider popping along to the Harley & Custom Bike Show at the Inn on the Green at Ockley, near Dorking. There

NEW MOTO GUZZI V7 III LIMITED

Moto Guzzi has unveiled a new and special version of its V7 750. Just 500 numbered units will be made, and the new bike combines classic and elegant chrome with refined hi-tech materials such as carbon fibre and aluminium, and is an extremely youthful bike in an eclectic and modern style that reiterates how well the V7 III lends itself to customisation. There’s a chromed fuel tank, ‘wrapped’ on the top under a black leather vintage-look strap, and on the sides, the unmistakable Moto Guzzi eagle is rendered in a burnished finish. The locking fuel cap is made from billet aluminium, as are the

handlebar risers which bear the model’s laser-inscribed serial number. The 750cc twin-cylinder engine has throttle body covers made of black anodised aluminium, and the cylinder heads have milled cooling fins that create another contrasting effect.

The essential instrumentation is a single, circular display with analogue speedometer, and the other information contained on a digital display.

The Moto Guzzi V7 III Limited is available for purchase through the Moto Guzzi sales network at a price of £8,999 OTR – for further information please visit www.motoguzzi.com/uk

are eight trophies to be won, food and refreshment, trade stalls and camping, and tickets cost just £2 or £5 if you want to enter your bike in the show.

Get more info from their Facebook page or www. innonthegreenockley.co.uk

SORRY SHAUN! In the last issue we said that the guy with the monster V-Max who won one of the awards at the Farmyard Party was named Simon Daniels – his name is actually Shaun Daniels!

I blame his handwriting…

Many roadside eateries and bars in this country try to do the Americana thing, but most of them don’t quite get it right – close, but no cigar, as the old saying goes.

Rednecks Wheelstop Diner in Suffolk, though, is pretty damn authentic; walking in took me back to me an’ the good lady’s trip along Route 66 back in 2015, as it has that whole ‘real US’ feel.

The problem with most American-themed diners is that they’re a bit too ‘clinical’, a bit too neat, a bit too tidy, but real American diners, in America, aren’t like that; no, they’re homely, they’re a bit untidy, they’re a bit higgledypiggledy, they feel as though they’re the result of someone who really cares about what they do making their place the best they can, while still remaining true to themselves.

Rednecks is like that; the walls are covered in mismatching American memorabilia, there are a host of colourful tables and chairs, there’s a little bar at one end that looks like a little American bar – it just feels right, y’know?

And, importantly, the food is excellent – reasonably priced, varied and really good. They don’t just do American dishes, there are traditional British meals and excellent Thai cuisine too.

Definitely worth a ride-out too (they’re happy to host car and bike clubs), Rednecks Wheelstop Diner is on Boasts Industrial Estate, College Lane, Worlingham, near Beccles (NR34 7SA), they’re open from 7am to 8pm most days. Their phone number is 01502 710800 (they’re on Facebook too).

SEPTEMBER 2018

7

Shoei has unveiled a new and exclusive Trooper limited edition graphic on its top-of-the-range sports X-Spirit III helmet, based on the Trooper beer created by Iron Maiden and Robinsons Brewery.

There’ll be a one-off production run of 666 individually numbered helmets, packaged in an exclusive Trooper limited edition box with a limited edition A3 Trooper canvas art print encased in a printed metal presentation tin, a pint glass, a Trooper Ale bar runner, a sticker, a key ring, a lanyard and a retro pin badge.

Available to pre-order now for delivery in November, you can get one from www. trooper helmet. peterhick man.net

SPARMAX X ZET TA COMPRESSOR The new Sparmax Zeta compressor has an innovative Smart-Stop feature that pauses the compressor when the airbrush is placed into its holder and restarts when the airbrush is taken off again, and comes with a hanger and regulator/pressure

gauge, which can be positioned on your worktop away from the compressor.

The Sparmax Zeta compressor is a low maintenance, oil-less, single piston air compressor with 60psi (4 bar) maximum pressure with a two-metre braided air hose and 1/8 BSP outlet, on compressor, and a 40-minute duty cycle.

It comes with a two-year warranty, and costs just £199.99 from The Airbrush Company on 01903 767800 or www. airbrushes.com

NEEDLE SONG

When local biker, Chris Rudjer, is arrested for murder everyone thinks it’s an open and shut case – everyone except his tattooist, Doc Slidesmith.

Lying, cheating, swilling tequila and dealing tarot cards from a loaded deck, Doc climbs on his Sportster and goes looking for the truth, but the more truth he finds, the less he thinks his friend is going to like it.

Needle Song is the new book from acclaimed biker author Russell Day, and is the first in a series of books to feature his eccentric anti-hero Doc Slidesmith. Needle Song is available in paperback and on Kindle, either direct from the Fahrenheit Press website at www.fahrenheit-press.com (where you can also download a free version of Not Talking Italics, a short story featuring Doc Slidesmith) or via Amazon.

These bright LED running and brake lights mount under the edge of your mudguard, and really attract the attention of the traffic behind you – they glow red as soon as you switch the ignition on, and intensify as soon as you hit the brakes, and their contoured shape exactly follows the curve of the chopped rear mudguards on H-D XL883N Irons, XL1200N Nightsters, XL1200V Seventy-Twos,

8

XL1200X Forty-Eights, and 2018 Softail Fat Bobs, and are available for other models with the OEM accessory Chopped Rear Fender Kit. Made from durable ABS, they install in no time with the included 3M adhesive tape, and have all the required wiring connectors, and they’re available at your Zodiac dealer – go to www. zodiac.nl/dealers to find your closest stockist.

SEPTEMBER 2018

BRASS BALLS SPORTSTER SKID PLATES

Protect the bottom of your Sportster and look good doing it with this Brass Balls Cycles’ skid plate – the best protection you can get for it. It’s not just a rock-guard, it’s full-blown armour for the underside of your bike.

Made of 1/8” thick aluminium and running the length of the underside of your bike, it has speed holes to save weight as well as to allow fluids and debris to escape, and smoothly contours to your chassis.

They’re now available at your Zodiac dealer – go to www.zodiac.nl/ dealers de l to fi find d your closest l stockist. ki

Everyone knows how important it is to keep a motorcycle’s chain correctly lubricated, and traditionally, there’ve been two options; oil or wax. With XCP Professional, they can now get the best of both worlds.

Chain Lubricant from the XCP Professional range combines the best features of wax and spray lubes without any of the drawbacks. It’s compatible with O, X and Z-ring chains, and’s been designed with a special formula that gives it unique flow properties – an ultra-thin film is laid on the chain with minimal pooling and high-fling resistance, and it dries without leaving a sticky residue. Instead, it leaves behind a film that protects the chain, while at the same time making it easier to rinse any accumulated dirt off when the bike is washed.

It’s available from Amazon, M&P, Mad4Bikes, Sportsbike Shop, and many other retailers with an SRP of £10 for a 400ml can, and more information on the full product range is available at www.xcpprotection. com

The SR6 Carbon 17 and Tracker T 17 men’s and ladies’ jackket range combines a stylish, fash hion item with the covert reassurance of Covec construction with ‘as standard’ armour at a the elbows and shoul ulders, and provision for a back b

SPADA A FOUNDRY BOOTS

pro otector, and th hey’re also waterrep pellent too. They’re line ed with a special mesh to wick away sweat, and there are mu ultiple pockets too.

Available in sizes S to 4XL, and S A to 3XL for the ladies’ jackets, you n get them from anywhere that can sto ocks the Bull-It range – check out ww ww.oxfordproducts.com to find your nearest place.

These new rigger-style Foundry bike boots from Spada are made from brown oil-distressed leather with yellow contrast stitching, and have a waterproof Hipora lining, density inserts on the shins and ankles, gusseted inside leg zips, reinforced soles, reinforced heels and toes and three outer buckles.

They come in all the usual sizes and cost £159.99 from anywhere that stocks the Spada range – go to www.spadaclothing.co.uk for your nearest place.

OPTIMATE BATTERY MONITORS

OptiMate’s range of battery monitors provide an instant check of the charge in your battery, and will also confirm if the charging system is working correctly. Their plugand-play design avoids the need to rk to attach remove seats or bodywork h m a voltmeter, making them simple to attach and remove as required, and OptiMate offers a choice of monitors that can be permanently connected to the battery, plugged into an SAE connector on bikes already fitted with batterry charge leads or plugged into a 12v socket on the motorcycle.

10

SEP T E M B E R 2018

Once attached, the battery’s charge level can be seen at a glance, on an easy-to-read LED display panel and, unlike app-based monitors, they don’t rely on third party applications or devices, and draw almost zero power from the bike’s battery.

Charging the battery or drawing power is also easy, because they have an SAE port that can be connected to a battery charger lead, and the port has a weatherproof cap to seal out water when not in use.

Prices start at £19, and you can get details of the complete range from www. tecmate. com.

Ventura has introducced a new mid-size pack for its updated EVO-Rack system. The EVO22 has an innovative pocket fastening system in its base so it slides on to the EVORack, and is held seccurely in place with two quickrelease buckles.

Engineered from high-quality ballistic o fabric and shaped to cheat the wind, the EVO-22 measures d 290x330x375mm and 2 lilitres off luggage. Two will swallow up to 22 carry handles make it easy to grab and go when you reach your destination, and there’s a shoulder strap too. Inside are pockets to keep keys, wallet and tickets handy, double sliders on the zips allow for swift access, and the main compartment zipper is lockable.

Reflecttive safety piping and panels boo ost visibility in the dark.

The EVO-22 Pack retails at £130, and the EVO-Rack sells for £77.99. Prices for L-Brackets start at £82.99, and vary according to make/ model of motorcycle. For further details, prices and a full list of pack options, call 0 01256 704909 or visit www. v ventura-bike.co.uk

MOTORCYCLE REL PARTS & APPA

.co m

od uc ts lo gs an d pr se ou r ca ta ec k ou r w eb si te . ha rc pu n y ch Yo u ca av ai la bi lit se ll re ta il. r pr ic in g & do es no t l de al er. Fo et he rl an ds ca N lo e ur Th yo V. ou se B. th ro ug h cl e St or eh

w w w. m M ot or cy

ouse h e r o t s le oto r cyc

Need to agree or even disagree with something you’ve seen in the mag? Heard a bloody awful joke you think we should groan at? Email nik@ backstreetheroes. com or send it snailmail to the address in the front (somewhere) of the mag!

Dear BSH,

I’ve read all of Selina from MAG’s articles in BSH, and I really enjoy them.

I’ve had lots of bikes since I was 16, and also had driving jobs most of my life – lorry driving since I was 21. I still drive lorries, Class One and Class Two, ride a bike and drive a car, and reckon that, at the ripe young age of 68, motorcycling keeps you young!

In July’s BSH, she hit the nail on the head – traffic light phasing actually causes congestion. I did the same journey from Hounslow to Earls Court, along Embankment, Westminster, Tower Hill, Bromley by Bow, and it took two and a half hours, what a joke!

I keep seeing, on TV, control rooms where they’re supposed to control traffic flow, so what are they doing? Playing cards or on their smartphones on betting sites, porn sites etc.? The latest public information broadcast on the radio is saying London’s children are dying because they’re breathing in toxic fumes from traffic, the pollen is up above average, while our wonderful Mayor thinks nothing of jetting off halfway round the world to try and sort other countries’ problems out. He obviously doesn’t think we have got enough of our own, despite all the evidence to the contrary...

Sorry for the rant… as Selina keeps saying, motorcycles are part of the solution, not the problem. I saw an article somewhere, it might’ve been from the MAG office, saying if you could get one person in every ten out of their cars and on to bikes, there wouldn’t be a traffic problem.

Ride safe, ride free.

TED

Dear BSH, Xin Chao (hello) from Vietnam!

I’ve just received a bundle of recent BSHs from home and it made me think it was about time I sent you some more pics for Readers’ Wives… err, Lives – just a few this time, including one that would have been good for the Lewd Landmarks of a few years ago.

An’ another thing – when I was last in Blighty me and Nik had many speaks about a suitable jacket to deal with the extremes of weather out here, and neither of us could think of one? Well, a mate just brought me out a Wiese Airspin in black and neon, and it’s perfect for riding in a country where the temperature can drop to freezing in the northern mountains, and yet be over 100F in the south. It’s got loads of mesh panels, which help when I’m riding through 100% humidity, but it’s also got a warm removable thermal liner, and it’s waterproof which helps enormously with the tropical storms, floods and typhoons. It’s also got armour that feels thinner, lighter but stronger than my last jacket – useful if I have

12

SEPTEMBER 2018

Dear BSH,

My name is Kristy-Lee Gallagher, daughter of Liam Gallagher – no, not that one, the original one!

I’m writing to you on behalf of my mum, my younger sister and myself to thank Nik for his editorial in BSH 411. Nik, reading your article about our dad/our Liam both moved us to tears and made us smile – there’s been a lot of that over the past couple of months, I can tell you! We have enjoyed hearing stories of Dad over these past six months or so, and yours was another that we had the pleasure of reading.

I know that Frank Thomas informed you of what happened; Dad was diagnosed in January with a tumour in the spine. He fought extremely hard, and his bravery astounded us all. Ironically enough, even though he was the sick one, his courage and his headstrong attitude guided us through this, and led us to believe that our small family of four was strong enough to get through this. We are a very close family, in fact we were known for our ‘mad choices of holidays’ to the German Alps, French Pyrenees and remote islands off the coast of the Baltic, along with many others. Mum and Dad enjoyed many weekends away on the bike at rallies and many travels to foreign places such as Paris and Portugal, and as we grew older we loved hearing stories of their many travels. This is when we realised our Mum and Dad were not only husband and wife, Mum and Dad, but each other’s best friends too. Amy and I came later and from as far back as we remember, Mum and Dad took us to many different countries – they never let having children stop them from their travels, they simply took us along too.

Dad introduced us to so many places and so many cultures, and from a young age Amy and I began to dream big, all the while knowing we had our home to come back to at 13 Annesborough Park. We had amazing adventures together, and we will forever cherish them. Not forgetting to mention our trips on Dad’s Harley – I know Frankie enlightened you on the many fights between us as to whose turn it was next on the bike!

I think you were right when you said that Dad’d had engine oil in his veins because everything he said and did was filled with such a passion; his excitement and lust for life was simply inspiring to us and to many others I’m sure. As his daughter, I’ve learnt many lessons from my Dad – don’t talk to strangers, don’t drink too much, always do your homework etc. – but I think I, and anyone else who knew Dad, have learnt to live like he did; with his passionate and fiery nature, he made the most of every ounce of life.

So thank you again for sharing your story about our dad to all of the bikers who read Back Street Heroes, we really appreciate it. It’s nice to know that they all now have our dad in their hearts, and will continue to think of him when they ride, just like we will.

“It’s not the years in our life, it’s the life in our years.”

THE GALLAGHERS It was a privilege to have known him. N.

The best letter each issue will now receive a free T-shirt from those lovely people, Laura and Mark, at Fat Maggot T-Shirts (www.fatmaggot.com) – get all your rally shirts etc. from them, they’re triffic!

an off in the chaotic city traffic or on the slippery jungle trails. It may even help in a close encounter with a water buffalo! And one final thing, it looks so damn cool! If this sounds like an ad it’s not meant to be, but I thought it would be useful for anyone planning a trip to somewhere with extreme climatic fluctuations.

Anyway, perhaps one day you’ll finally get out here, failing which I’ll see you when I’m next in Europe.

Cheers!

THE HAWK (Senior tour leader, Hoi An Motorcycle Adventures) One day, mate, one day… N.

DEAR BSH, I’d like to place a note in your mag to say that a club member, and brother, of ours, Pete Welland, passed away recently following a long battle with liver cancer.

I’d like to say a very big thank you to all of the UK MC clubs who’ve supported and knew Pete – a massive thank you from all at The End MC and Dawn, his wife.

MARK, The End MC, Hampshire Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend and brother.

Condolences to his family and friends from all of us here at BSH. N.

THERE A R NAMES INE FEW MORE EV WORLD T THE MOTORCYCOCATIVE SUPERIO HAN THAT OF BR LING R MARQUE ; THE LEGENDAR OUGH MOTORC SET UP IN 1919 B Y LAND SP YCLE RACER AND Y GEORGE EED RECORD HOL WORLD BROUGH DER, .

O

ur George was a bit of a boy; he originally set out in business with his father, motorcycle pioneer William Edward Brough, at his Brough Motorcycles factory in Basford in Nottingham, but soon they parted

14

SEPTEMBER 2018

company and George set up his own factory nearby and called his bikes Brough Superiors. The name wasn’t actually intended as a slight, but his father took it as such. It was true though; George’s machines were superior to his father’s – he only used the very best components and

PICS: NIK WORDS &

SEPTEMBER 2018

15

YOU CAN’T DENY THE RESULT IS SOMETHING UTTERLY STUNNING...

added his own distinctive styling touches, and the quality was comparable to a Rolls-Royce car, and they were the most expensive road-going motorcycles in the world.

Soon the bikes’d achieved a reputation for being beautifully built and very, very fast; in 1922 he rode an SS80 model which he called ‘Spit & Polish’ at Brooklands and managed an unofficial 100mph (160km/h) lap, and in 1928 he recorded 130.6mph, unofficially the world’s fastest speed on a solo motorcycle. And, if that wasn’t cool enough, he was noted for wearing a flat cap for riding which he had specially made to his requirements.

Between 1919 and 1940 a total of 3,048 Brough Superiors were built, the most famous of which were the SS (Super Sports) models; the 80 and 100. The SS80 was powered by

16

SEPTEMBER 2018

a 1,000cc sidevalve JAP or Matchless engine, and was guaranteed to do more than 80 miles an hour, and the much rarer SS100, also powered by 1,000cc JAP or Matchless motors, but this time with overhead valves, and were guaranteed to do over 100mph, and while the factory did do other bikes too, these were the ones that gained the Brough Superior marque its now legendary status.

Brough Superior ceased production

of their bikes in 1940 and spent the next five years making crankshafts for Rolls-Royce Merlin engines for use in the Hurricane and Spitfire aircraft.

When peace was finally declared, there were no more engines available and so, regrettably, the factory doors closed for the last time. In 2008, the name was bought by a guy named Mark Upham and, in 2013, a new prototype SS100 was shown at the Milan show. Ironically, this most iconic of British bikes is now built at a factory in France… oh well.

It was reckoned, back in about 2008, that there were just over 1,000 Brough Superiors left in existence (although another eight were found in a barn in Cornwall in 2016 where they’d been for 50 years – can you imagine that?). I don’t know if the bike you see here in front of you counts as one of those 1,000, but I suspect it doesn’t as it was built, like its forebears, from only the finest quality components, but this time from the

custom industry.

The story of its creation begins a few years ago when a gentleman by the name of Tony bought a set of JAP crankcases, rumoured to be from an SS100, with the intention of building something a little out of the ordinary from them. He commissioned the now sadly defunct Planet Engineering to make him a frame, using a set of vintage Harley-Davidson springers, a set of 21-inch wheels from the Devon Rim Company (www.devonrimcompany. com) with a Triumph Tiger Cub front hub and a Talon rear one with a Tolle sprocket/disc brake, and a tank from Parker Fabrications (www.parkerfab.co.uk). While this was being built the engine went off to JAP specialists Cameron Engineering, who are THE chaps for vintage JAP motors, to be built into a complete unit. They used a set of 350 Matchless heads, machined a set of billet barrels and matching pistons, and completely rebuilt the bottom end, matching it to a four-speed AMC gearbox.

Tony then put the project on hold when he went off to the Caribbean to build a hotel, and at some point later he contacted Chris at the Motorcycle Restoration Company in the oddly named Wendens Ambo just outside Saffron Walden in Essex. Motorcycle Restoration Co specialise in rebuilding and restoring old motorcycles of every persuasion, and their workshop is a true petrolhead’s heaven with glorious old and rare British, American, Italian and Japanese bikes everywhere, but Tony

SEPTEMBER 2018

17

didn’t want his bike sorted out. No, he wanted to sell it because he didn’t have time to finish it. Chris was interested, but due to various reasons a deal wasn’t done for a couple of years, but eventually the Brough bobber arrived at their place, where it was immediately snapped up by a gentleman named Graham who really fancied it for the motor, and intended to build a Pendine Sands racer out of it.

However, he put a picture of the bike, as was, on an internet forum, and the people on there went wild for it so he decided that he’d leave it alone and get Chris and MoReCo to sort it out and get it on the road for him. Personally, I’m really glad of that – it would’ve been a shame to see something this rare disappear, wouldn’t it?

Chris and the lads at the workshop set to and turned the thrown-together bike into

a proper, working motorcycle. This took some 200 hours of hard work, a lot of that converting the original total-loss oil system to something that didn’t, shall we say, mark its territory whenever it was parked up... like a lot of old British bikes do.

Okay, so I’ve just glossed over the time and effort that went into making this unique custom bike, mainly ’cos we don’t have the space to detail everything, but you can’t deny the result is something utterly stunning. From the front to the back it just drips with beautiful details; the exquisite little caps on the greasenipples at the bottoms of the fork legs, the lovely M-shaped ’bars with their inverted levers and wrapped leather grips, the wonderfully period copper oil lines that twist sinuously around the motor, the heavily drilled mounting plates that give a ‘racer’ look, the warm and subtle Piers

MOTORCYCLE RESTORATION COMPANY ARE BASED AT UNIT 3, WENDEN WAY, STATION ROAD, WENDENS AMBO, SAFFRON WALDEN, ESSEX (CB11 4LB), AND THEIR PHONE NUMBER IS 01799 542323. CHECK THEM OUT ONLINE AT WWW.MOTORCYCLERESTORATIONCOMPANY.COM

ENGINE: Hybrid JAP vee-twin built by Cameron Engineering, Matchless 350 heads, Cameron Engineering billet barrels/pistons, Amal 26mm 626 carb, one-off manifold, twin bell-mouths, modified JAP crankcases/ crank, modified oil system, AMC gearbox, BT-H electronic mag, one-off exhausts by Planet Engineering FRAME: One-off oil-in-frame hardtail by Planet Engineering FRONT END: MH 90/21 tyre, 21” Devon Rim Co stainless rim, stainless spokes, Triumph Tiger Cub hub/brake, one-off Planet Engineering handlebars, one-off inverted levers, oneoff leather grips REAR END: 120/70/21 tyre,

18

SEPTEMBER 2018

21” Devon Rim Co stainless rim, stainless spokes, Talon hub, Tolle sprocket/brake, oneoff mudguard struts BODYWORK: One-off petrol tank by Parker Fabrications, one-off Planet Engineering dummy oil tank, one-off sprung leather seat, Baron’s Speed Shop rear mudguard, one-off chainguards by Ed Wimble ELECTRICS: One-off loom, aftermarket headlight, aftermarket tail-light PAINT: Piers Dowell (01568 750477 or www.piersdowell. com) ENGINEERING: Planet Engineering, Cameron Engineering (01684 899084 or www.cameron racingengines. com) & Motorcycle Restoration Company

Dowell paint scheme that’s both custom and vintage at the same time, the huge hand-operated gear lever; there’s so much to look at.

It sounds glorious too; the noise from the one-off Planet Engineering exhausts is nothing short of a bellow that turns to a crackle at lower revs, and it sounds like some huge jungle creature breathing in and out as the revs rise and fall.

An uncharitable soul once described the noise of a vintage vee-twin engine as ‘a gas cooker being dragged across the cobbles’, which is kind o’ apt if you’ve ever heard one, but this doesn’t sound like that at all – it sounds plainly evil. Graham is a lucky man!

Tel: Essex 01799 542323 Website: www.motorcyclerestorationcompany.com

SEPTEMBER 2018

19

IF YOU’RE A CUSTOM BIKE FREAK, THEN THERE ARE FEW EVENTS WHERE YOU’LL SEE A HIGHER STANDARD THAN AT A NATIONAL CHOPPER CLUB (NCC) EVENT AND, IN MY ’UMBLE OPINION AT LEAST, THE PREMIER AMONG THESE IS NCC LONDON’S DIAMOND DAY.

WORDS & PICS: NIK (& KEITH, NCC KENT)

AS

I’m sure you’re aware, it’s held at the legendary Ace Cafe in London, that age-old haunt that’s just about the most famous biker watering hole in the land, if not the world, and attracts more ridden-in custom bikes of gobsmacking class and quality than almost anywhere else.

Okay, so this year there weren’t quite as many as at previous years, and the reasons for that were, I think, two-fold; firstly, while it was sunny, it was ridiculously bastard hot (no, really, it was – sweltering) and I’m sure a lot of folk balked at the thought of riding into That London where, as any fule nose, the temperature is always one or

20

SEPTEMBER 2018

two degrees hotter than anywhere else due to the fact that major cities are always urban heat-traps and, obviously, you don’t get a bigger city, in this country at least, than the nation’s capital, do you? Secondly, the footie was on and, while I have absolutely no interest in watching 22 millionaires kick a bag of wind around a field in their underwear, a lot of folk did get

caught up in the furore surrounding the World Cup. Actually, I’m quite happy for people to watch it, especially as it means the roads are less crowded while the football’s on and that means I get to hoon around on me bike with less numbnuts pulling out on me.

Anyway, those who did go were treated to the usual rows and rows of glorious custom bikes. Checking them out properly takes a while too; wandering among the myriad chromed, painted and polished machines assembled, with the sun beating down, is for me one of life’s great pleasures, and is something I never tire of. At Diamond Day, folk come from as far away as Dorset and York, Suffolk

and Norfolk, as well as from all the counties surrounding The Smoke, and I always bump into people who I only see there once a year so it’s always good to catch up with them too.

You can’t beat it really – sunshine, custom bikes and chewing the fat with like-minded folk.

And speaking of chewing the fat (that’s my last free cheeseburger at the Ace, I suspect), the slightly reduced numbers meant that the queues for nosh an’ plonk in the cafe itself weren’t quite as long as they have been in previous years – a Good Thing when the sun’s cracking the flags. Saying that, they do usually move quite quickly as the Ace do have a good number of staff behind the counters, and the food’s always as hot as the beer’s cold. Just

22

SEPTEMBER 2018

one thing; seriously, what the fuggin’ fugg do the Ace marinate their gherkins in (and, no, that’s not a euphemism)? Nearly blew me feckin’ ’ead off! Diners, and us outside too, were treated to the classic rock sounds of Pink Purple, a three-piece rock band who played a host of old favourites and would go down well at rallies – check them out on Facebook.

As Diamond Day is, of course, a custom bike show, there were trophies to be won, and despite the fact that judging such events is a thankless task only taken on by people with skins so thick bullets’d bounce off them, NCC London did manage to round up a few and they did a sterling job of picking out eight worthy winners. In no particular order, Best Trike went to Clive’s Harley, Best Engineering to David Rogers’ Attitude Sportster, Best Streetfighter to Phil’s GT750 Suzuki cafe racer, Best Paint to Kelvin’s Harley chop, Best Classic to James’ Z900, Best Chopper to Steve’s red Shovel, Best New Chop on the Block, a trophy particular to Diamond Day, to Richard’s Triumph, and Best in Show to Andy’s Lil’ Red Sportster bobber. Three of those also got trophies in the BSH Custom Champs too, as you’ll see in the Champs ad

towards the back of the magazine – see that for the full list of winners.

And that, pretty much, was that – as happens at all shows, as soon as the winners were announced most folk headed off into the sunshine, while NCC London and the chaps from the Ace set about clearing up and getting the car park ready for an influx of custom cars, including a mad Chicano lowrider with bouncy hydraulic suspension that was as potty as a whole warehouse of Recare commodes. Grand day out, chaps, see you next year!

Thanks to NCC London for letting BSH dive in on the end of their event, to Mark and Nick and all at the Ace, to Keith from NCC Kent for taking a few pics for me while I was doing me talky bit, and the lovely Zoe Cano for doing her glamorous assistant bit while giving out the BSH trophies –cheers!

24

SEPTEMBER 2018

IF YOU THINK EVERYDAY LIFE IS TOO BORING, YOU CAN ALWAYS ESCAPE TO YOUR OWN PRIVATE ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE...

26

SEPTEMBER 2018

ES Y CH A R L C H A R LE : S D R O W SO N ER OHL S PICS: SIW

SEPTEMBER 2018

27

O

ur old friend Petri Ruusunen, from Turku, Finland, lets his unique imagination run wild more and more with each passing year, and the latest result is his Honda 750 trike ‘Futuromoteur’.

Faithful readers probably remember the wild-minded goldsmith from Turku and his very special creations. Since the first time we visited Petri in 2007, we have so far photographed eight of his bikes. The whole collection is kept in his own private museum and keeps on growing.

You can’t easily tell that his Futuromoteur started as an old Honda CBX750 from 1986. “I call this style ‘retro-futurism’,” he says, and it has the lines of 1920s racing cars. “By the way, did you know that futurism was invented in Italy in Mussolini’s age

“I CALL THIS STYLE ‘RETRO-FUTURISM’,” HE SAYS, AND IT HAS THE LINES OF 1920s RACING CARS... around 1920?” Petri says with a crooked smile and as always we really don’t know what to believe. (Editor’s note: from Wikipedia – futurism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century.)

He started the trike project by chopping off the Honda frame right behind the engine and building a new rear frame from 30x50mm box steel beams. The fuel tank is located behind the seat and the controls are quite unusual; to the left is a clutch pedal, nothing strange if you are used to Harleys older than 1952, but the right side is more odd – it has a brake pedal, but also a throttle pedal like in any car. Up front is a brakeless wheel from a 1980s Harley.

28

SEPTEMBER 2018

The ‘ribcage’ up front is shaped out of 2mm aluminium, with each rib measuring 40x40mm, and Petri admits the most difficult part of the whole project was getting all those ribs matching straight.

Another unusual detail is all those little brass labels with French text.

They are made with a kind of ‘photographic etching’ with acid that Petri has invented himself. After three failed attempts, he finally got it right. “The reason for the lettering being in French is that there were ‘golden years’ in France in the 1920s, which is the epoch when I imagine someone might’ve designed something like this. And besides, English is just so damned dull!”

The trike’s rear axle has one single brake disc with twin calipers, one for the regular rear brake and one for the parking brake, and all those white knobs on the manoeuvring panel are specially cast in a kind of high-tech super plastic called Polyoxymethylene, also

known as P.O.M. Timo Pekkarinen of Riverside Custom in Turku helped make them a reality.

The Futuromoteur trike’s design could be considered bizarre enough, but it doesn’t even end there. With a big grin, Petri turns the switch marked ‘Premier Sous-Systeme’ that activates the ‘signal generator’ hidden under the hood. He asks me to take a couple of steps closer to the trike and this results in an eerie electronic singing sound going up and down in tone – a little like if you play a saw with a bow. Petri said the principle was the same as in the legendary electronic musical instrument, the theremin, SEPTEMBER 2018

29

HE RODE IT JUST 50 METRES TO CHECK EVERYTHING FUNCTIONED PERFECTLY, THEN ROLLED IT INTO HIS MUSEUM . . .

ENGINE: 1986 Honda CBX750, one-off exhausts FRAME: Modified 1986 Honda CBX750, one-off trike back end FRONT END: 1980s H-D wheel, modified Honda CBX750 forks/ yokes, one-off steering mechanism REAR END: Oneoff trike conversion, unknown wheels BODYWORK: All one-off by owner ELECTRICS: Owner PAINT: Yes POLISHING: Some ENGINEERING: Owner

invented in the 1920s by the Soviet scientist Professor Léon Theremin, which is played by moving your empty hands in the magnetic field above the machine itself. Among those who’ve tried playing the theremin are such luminaries as Jimmy Page, Brian Jones and… err, Hannibal Lecter. Petri’s signal generator is activated by a motion detector created with the help of a company called Olegtron.

30

SEPTEMBER 2018

If there was ever a dude who’d rather build bikes than ride them, it’s Petri; when he was finished spannering, he rode it just 50 metres to check everything functioned perfectly, then rolled it into his museum with the rest of his big collection to start the next project. After our photo session it’ll probably never eat asphalt again. “Riding my motorcycles is so boring!” he comments in his heavily accented English.

Hmm, I think there are a few out there who might disagree…

THE BIGGEST charity BIKE SHOW ON THE SOUTH COAST

on t h iG r B e iv r D a ir e d Ma

9am - 5pm 8 1 0 2 h t 4 1 R E B O T C O

Motorbikes, Customs, Scooters, Trikes & Quads

Live Music Trade Stands

£5 Entry Donation: Includes FREE 2018 Brightona Pin Badge, Event Programme and Parking

In association with the Sussex Heart Charity www.brightona.co.uk 01273 235 522 rach.coles@btopenworld.com Brightona is a Registered Charity No: 1148200

FIT THE ULTIMATE IN CRASH PROTECTION

WITH FEATURING THE CONTROLLED FLEXION AREAS® X-PADS

An intelligent protection system with a unique attaching feature to help prevent the bo lt snapping off and twisting the fra me in case of a fall.

Only available on Renner Crash Protectors!

RACE CRASH PADS

DISTRIBUTED BY FIND YOUR LOCAL STOCKIST AT: WWW.BICKERSPLC.COM/STOCKIST SEPTEMBER 2018

31

THE GWILI RAILWAY, A CLASSIC STEAM TRAIN STATION BASED AT THE BRONWYDD ARMS RAILWAY STATION – ORIGINALLY A STOP ON THE NOW CLOSED CARMARTHEN TO ABERYSTWYTH LINE – RECENTLY HELD ITS FIRST STEAM & BIKES CLASSIC BIKE SHOW.

WORDS & PICS: WILLIAM SCOTT ARTUS

B

ikes came from across the UK and Wales to take part in the new event.

More than 250 passengers enjoyed a weekend of steam and diesel engines, as well as a wonderful and noisy display of classic and modern motorbikes, from 1927 Triumphs to brand new HarleyDavidsons – the ground throbbed to the rumble of engines.

32

SEPTEMBER 2018

Saturday winners were Bill’s Velocette MSS (Best Classic), a Guzzi (Best Custom – no name, sorry), Wayne’s Softail Deluxe (Best Harley-Davidson), Keith’s TZR250 (Best Superbike), Mr Sedgwick’s Rewaco (Best Trike) and Stephen’s Triumph Tiger 100 (Best in Show).

And Sunday’s winners were Duane’s Victory 8-Ball Hammer (Best Custom), Hieus’

Yamaha Virago (Best Trike), Rob’s Sportster (Best Harley), Dale’s Heritage Classic (Best Superbike), CJ Davies’ 1927 Triumph TT (Best Classic) and Stuart’s goosenecked Sportster bobber (Best in Show).

Prizes were presented

by Jeremy John, business administrator for the railway, and Ashley, a junior volunteer, and everyone from the railway

would like to thank all their volunteers for making this weekend a fantastic success.

The Gwili Railway is a bikesafe and friendly attraction, and bikers are welcome any day to use their facilities and stop for a break and a cup of tea in their tea rooms. To find out more, check out their website at www.gwilirailway.co.uk

SOMETIMES, WHEN IT FEELS LIKE THE WHOLE WORLD IS AGAINST YOU, YOU JUST HAVE TO BE THE ONE WHO STANDS ON A HILLTOP IN A THUNDERSTORM WEARING WET COPPER ARMOUR SHOUTING “ALL GODS ARE BASTARDS!”*

*Copyright Sir Terry Pratchett, The Colour of Magic, 1983

34

SEPTEMBER 2018

W O R DS : NIK ET T O N EVER PICS: SIM

SEPTEMBER 2018

35

HE WANTED A UNIQUE BIKE AND HAD SOME VERY STRONG IDEAS OF WHAT IT WAS GOING TO LOOK LIKE...

N

igel Allman, the owner and builder of this bike, had scrimped, saved and worked his bloody arse off to not only build his own bike, but start a new business repairing (and customising) motorcycles, and was well on the way with both, when one of the aforementioned celestial Nazis decided this was an opportune moment to take a very large and very smelly, but thankfully metaphorical, shit in his lunchbox. He’d no sooner got everything worked out and was even at the point of just having had banners and business cards printed, when his then landlord informed him out of the blue that they were no longer happy with the idea of him running a business from their premises.

He was, as you can imagine, absolutely gutted, but he didn’t let

36

SEPTEMBER 2018

it get him down too much, and he and his missus upped and moved house, this time to somewhere the landlord didn’t have quite so much in common with the divine whoresons we talked about earlier.

He set his workshop up again and started working on his chop.

It was at about this time that his good mate, Mark, came round, saw Nige’s bike and declared that, not only did he absolutely love it, but he wanted one too. Nige was suffering from a bad back and was unable to work and so, even though he hadn’t actually finished his own bike, agreed to create another, from scratch, for Mark. That project started in August 2016 and was finished just three months later, and once it was completed and Mark was happy, nay, ecstatic, with it (and he’d had a little rest after working every hour of the clock on it… well, nearly), he started on his own bike again.

Now, as I said, he wasn’t working at this point, and trying to build a bike and pay bills just from the missus’ wages is tough so, rather than buy shiny new parts, he was forced to rifle through the hordes of old parts he had laying around and rummage round scrapyards to see if he could find something he could use and, more importantly, wasn’t going to cost a fortune. Then, one night in his workshop, as he stood looking at what he’d created so far, he noticed all the blemishes and things that didn’t look right and decided then and there that it just wouldn’t

do and he’d better start again. He fired up his grinder and having cut the bike up again, went back down to the local scrappy to source steel tube and whatever else he could find that’d work with his new vision.

He soon sourced enough steel for a frame and a nice 17’’ rear wheel off a ZX-6R (with a brand new tyre and a wavy disc) for just ten quid! Bargain!

With them, and a load of flat off-cut SEPTEMBER 2018

37

steel from a construction site, he closed the workshop door, cue’d the music (no, not the theme from The A-Team…) and, to the soothing sounds of Rammstein, Slayer, Stone Sour, Five Finger Death Punch and Metallica, among others, set about creating the bike you see here in front of you.

The base bike was a 1983 Kawasaki GPz750, but all he’s really used from it is enough of the frame to allow it to keep its registration number, the engine and all the electrical components required to make it go ‘brumbrum’. He wanted a unique bike and had some very strong ideas of what it was going to look like; obviously it had to be a hardtail and he wanted the ’bars to be ultra-clean meaning an internal throttle, no switches, no master-cylinders, no clutch lever and no brake lever. He made the ’bars, and his own internal throttle, and moved the clutch control down onto a new lever arrangement that also doubles as a hand-change. He

also linked the front and rear brakes, and operated them from a single foot pedal using dual master-cylinders.

He used the stock Gee-Pee-zed front end, with a set of unknown slab yokes, and a Sportster tank, and made his own front and rear ’guards, his own seat and his own battery/ electrics boxes. He also made the very turbo-like airfilter arrangement that’s fooled a few people over the last ENGINE: 1983 year or so (“bloody Kawasaki GPz750, hell, look, a chop one-off air-filters, one-off hand-change, one-off with a turbo!”), and exhaust cleverly used a pair FRAME: Very modified of Sundance ribbed 1983 Kawasaki GPz750, custom handlebar grips handlebar grips as as foot-rests, dual foot-rests. Not only master-cylinders off foot pedal working front/rear brakes, engine-mounted mini speedo

FRONT END: Stock wheel/brakes/forks, unknown yokes, braided brake lines, one-off ‘bars with internal throttle/ horn button in end/high/ low beam switch REAR END: Kawasaki ZX6R wheel/caliper, aftermarket wavy disc BODYWORK: One-off front mudguard/seat/ rear mudguard/battery box/electrics box/sidemount ‘plate, modified Sportster tank ELECTRICS: One-off internal loom, small Bates headlight, eBay tail light PAINT: Candy apple red/gloss black by owner POLISHING: Owner ENGINEERING: Owner THANKS TO: “My missus for putting up with boring her to death with my ideas…”

NIGE’S PROUD TO ADMIT THAT THIS BIKE WAS BUILT ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET

38

SEPTEMBER 2018

that, but he wired the bike up himself too, hand-crafting a minimal loom to carry the life-giving smoke, and painted it himself too in its striking black ’n’ red livery.

Nige’s proud to admit that this bike was built on a shoe-string budget – the original bike cost £400, and he reckons he spent maybe another £200-300 turning it into this, using scrapyard parts and a bit of clever eBay sourcing. He knows it has imperfections, things he’d do slightly different if he did it again, but, as he says, it was built in a shed by a bloke with no money and a bad back and, as such, it’s come out pretty damn well considering. I have to agree, it has – we wouldn’t be featuring it in BSH otherwise, would we?

SEPTEMBER 2018

39

WORDS: COLIN STRONG

PICS: POPPY STRONG

THE DOUBLE TROUBLE’S BEEN GOING FOR 14 YEARS NOW, AND IS ORGANISED BY SINDY AND DOM WITH THE HELP OF NUMEROUS HAPPY AND SMILEY VOLUNTEERS.

S

et in the beautiful Somerset countryside near to Weston-SloppyMud, in the grounds of a small country park, the tickets include entry to the park so you can go and pet the little animals but, for some reason, they seem to frown upon you taking any back to your tent to keep you warm at night!

Having arrived on the Saturday, we missed apparently blinding sets on the Friday from both The Johnsons and JOANovArc. Oh well.

Mooching around the site in the blazing sunshine on Saturday, you could have your Tarot cards read, get tattooed, or have your photo taken holding a bird of prey – the whole site seemed to be very chilled out with a family-friendly atmosphere, which, along

40

SEPTEMBER 2018

with the copious amounts of alcohol available, seemed to make everybody chatty.

Roy and Angie Restell from Plymouth had decided they’d compete with the other notable wedding that day (May 19) and got hitched ‘rally style’ with a beautiful exchange of Haribo rings; and a bearded gentleman told us at length about how the Germans were trying to take over Europe once again, but this time through the production of bland-looking motorcycles.

There was plenty of interesting machinery dotted around the site, including a V6 trike with a home-made Romany-style caravan, with a stable-type door, bar, surround-sound system and disco ball; a lovely SOHC CB750 hardtail with an engine that had done its best to corner the market in crankshafts; a seriously bright

green 1200 Bandit chop with nice Medusathemed paint; a very nice white Z900 that’d been rebuilt from, basically, a complete wreck (and had managed to permanently scar its owner for his trouble); and the usual plethora of Harleys.

Saturday evening kicked off with Cancel The Transmission, who played an assortment of rock covers, but, to be honest, needed you to have consumed more alcohol.

Then came the prize-giving which, rather than having numerous categories, was just first, second and third Best On Site, won by

the aforementioned CB750, the V6 trike and the Medusa-themed Bandit respectively.

Furthest Travelled Lady went to Carol from English Roses and Furthest Travelled Male was Stuart Ferguson from Ogri MCC, while Furthest Travelled With L-Plates went to Angela Restell. The Ogri also scooped the club award.

The raffle was, thankfully, not the usual long-winded bollocks and also managed to raise some much-needed cash for Stolen Motorcycle Recovery Bristol – a group of people who go round and recover people’s stolen bikes for them, thereby stopping them from having to pay the extortionate rates the police recovery people charge.

So far they’ve recovered 42 bikes since October, 41 of which were still running.

Then came the silly games, which included the finals of Hungry Hippos and Knobhead Skittles, both of which were highly amusing. The second band of the evening was top AC/DC cover band Hells Bells, who got most people up and dancing.

Kudos to the young Dillon Somerville, who looked about 10, who was at the front of the stage rocking out from the start of their set to the finish.

All in all a good, relaxed rally, that we’d recommend you look out for next year, but book your tickets early!

WHO SAYS THAT MOTORCYCLISTS HARDLY DO ANY MILES NOWADAYS? AND WHICH PLUM SUGGESTED THE AVERAGE MILEAGE FOR BIKERS IN THE UK WAS SO LOW BECAUSE HARLEY RIDERS ONLY GO OUT ON SUNNY SUNDAY MORNINGS TO LOCAL PUBS?

42

SEPTEMBER 2018

& PICS: WORDS DAVE MA NNING

SEPTEMBER 2018

43

O

wned by Mev Carter, this is one Harley that does miles – lots of miles. In fact, it’d clocked up 80,000 – half on the original FXR Evolution engine, half using the RevTech motor that’s now fitted – when it rolled into the Lamb Engineering workshops for a ground-up refresh.

To ensure the engine had the best possible chance of clocking up a further 80,000 clicks, it was stripped and refreshed by the lads at Burnout Bikes, just up the road from Lamb Engineering (Salisbury isn’t just a hotbed of international spy feuding and hippy stoneworshipping, you know), with the heads being flowed and ported

by Simon Hicks, a guy whose specialisation lies in American vees, albeit more commonly of the eight-cylinder variety.

The idea behind the strip ‘n’ rebuild dictated very little was to be done to the frame, but an entirely new look would be

44

SEPTEMBER 2018

brought about by changing the bodywork and the rolling gear. And, as is common with so many of the builds undertaken by Larry Houghton and Tony Taysom at Lamb Engineering, this is a bike that can’t be pigeonholed. Not that I particularly like assigning a name to a bike – there’ve been far too many inaccurately labelled streetfighters, bobbers, brats and choppers for my liking – it makes far more sense to ignore any kind of stereotyping and explain a bike’s style by showing a picture and going into great depth about what was used in the build. So, on that note…

It’s no secret that Milwaukee vee twins aren’t equipped with anything that could be termed as up-to-date braking components and so, as these were to be upgraded, it made perfect sense to uprate the suspension in the process. A pair of Kawasaki ZZR1400 fork legs

(chosen as they’re longer than most other modern performance forks, and because they’re rather cheaper than built-to-suit Öhlins) was slid into a pair of bespoke yokes made in-house at Lamb Engineering, while a JMC swinging arm was slid in the rear, its oscillations controlled by a pair of multi-adjustable Bitubo shock absorbers. Talon hubs, laced to 18-inch rims front and rear, were

wrapped in Harley-specific Avon rubber, and Ducati discs bolted in place to be grabbed by radially mounted Yamaha R1 calipers front and rear. This is one Harley that will stop when it’s asked to!

While the rear shocks mounts were moved by a smidge (technical term that, quite a bit bigger than a gnat’s cock, but much less than spitting distance) to give a bit more ride height and ground clearance (while also, conveniently, giving some symmetry to the lines of the shocks and the frame downtubes fore and aft of the engine), the frame remains remarkably standard, only being tweaked to suit the tail unit and to have a neat radius in the tube join above the swinging arm pivot. This radius neatly matches the profile of the exhaust can, fitted oh-so-neatly under the seat after a convoluted and tortuous path from the exhaust ports. Tony admits this wasn’t a five-minute job, but the time spent experimenting with different bend radii, tube lengths and silencer placement, have proved well worthwhile. It sounds absolutely fantastic too!

The exhaust placement meant the conventional position for the oil tank was now out of bounds, so a new aluminium tank was made up by Tony in a SEPTEMBER 2018

45

LAMB ENGINEERING LIVE AT UNIT 6, SOUTH NEWTON INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, WARMINSTER ROAD, SALISBURY, WILTS (SP2 0QW), AND THEIR PHONE NUMBER IS 01722 742532. CHECK THEM OUT ONLINE AT WWW.LAMB-ENGINEERING.COM

180 section tyre ENGINE: 1340cc RevTech, heads flowed and ported by Simon Hicks, engine refreshed

by Burnout Bikes, one-off two-into-one exhaust, Mikuni HSR carb, conical K&N air filter on 90-degree aluminium stub, braided steel oil lines FRAME: Modified Harley-Davidson FXR, shock mounts moved, one-off infills above swinging arm pivot, standard footpegs/ mounts/brake mastercylinder

BODYWORK: One-off handmade alloy front mudguard/headlight fairing/fly-screen/fuel tank/oil tank/tail unit/ battery cover/rear mudguard, one-off seat

by Scott-Lloyd Technical Autotrim (07802 652095 or www.scottlloyd.co.uk) ELECTRICS: One-off loom, aftermarket headlight, LED rear light, LED indicators PAINT: Alan Boxal at Elite Panel Craft (01722 741162 or www.elitepanelcraft.co.uk) and Joeby at Joeby’s Airbrush Art (01749 677498 or www. joebysairbrushart. co.uk)

chin-spoiler style, perfectly aligned to the front frame tubes and, sitting in the FRONT END: Avon Storm 120/18” tyre, 18” breeze as it does, probably rim, stainless spokes, of more benefit than the Talon hub, Kawasaki POLISHING: Nigel ZZR1400 forks, Ducati normal position tucked at Politech (023 9220 916 discs, 2016 0174) away behind the (hot) rear Yamaha R1 calipers, one-off yokes, one-off ENGINEERING: Lamb cylinder. Tony also applied beach ’bars with clip-on Engineering (www. his panel-beating expertise mounts, Adelin radial lamb-engineering. brake/clutch master com) to the front mudguard, the cylinders, Motone THANKS TO: “Alan & fuel tank, the headlight switch assemblies, Clint at Burnout Bikes Koso speedo surround/flyscreen and the (01725 510288 or REAR END: JMC www.burnoutbikes. tail unit, and if ever there swingarm with 30mm co.uk); Alan Boxal at was a phrase that totally extension, Bitubo Elite Panel Craft; Simon piggyback shock at PH Engineering; overshadowed the level of absorbers, 18” rim, Joeby’s Airbrush Art; finesse, skill and dexterity Talon hub, Yamaha and Christian, Larry caliper, one-off hanger and Tony at Lamb of the operator, then ‘panelwith built-on torque arm, Engineering…” beating’ is it. While there may be some initial beating, it’s followed by a level of talent, patience and perseverance that most of us’ll never experience.

Can you smell my jealousy?

46

SEPTEMBER 2018

The battery is now mounted below the box section swingarm and protected from any road grit thrown up by the rear Avon with a one-off aluminium cover, while the rear of the bike is kept tidy by the side-mount ’plate being rather neatly mounted on the rear caliper mounting plate.

While the battery cover and oil tank remain in their natural state (albeit polished), the rest of the panels are painted a subtle shade of grey, with a nod to Harley’s racing history with the orange and black panels on the tank and the orange stripe running the length of the bike. Some neat pin-striping not only defines these panels, but also ties in with some further pin-striped details on the primary case, front mudguard lowers and ‘number board’ outlines.

Like all of the Lamb Engineering builds, there’s a coin incorporated somewhere – in this case it’s the 1940 ha’penny in the steering stem cover, that rather neatly shows reference to the fact that Mev, the owner, has had a significant amount of sailing experience. And while his miles covered on the open sea were plentiful, they’re probably closely followed by those on two wheels – and Mev’s Harley is now set to clock up a fair few more…

Exclusive to Reading Harley-Davidson

Customise your head with a vintage hand-made helmet GET IN TOUCH TODAY… 01183 344300 richard@readingharley.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 2018

47

THE CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE SCENE IS A STRANGE AND FICKLE THING – CONSTANTLY CHANGING, CONSTANTLY SEARCHING FOR NEW INSPIRATION AND CONSTANTLY REFERRING TO EARLIER TRENDS AND FASHIONS.

WORDS: DAVE MANNING

PICS: DAVE MANNING & ROSS MOWBRAY

O

ne thing that’s become clearer over the last few years is inspiration is being drawn ffrom classic l i machinery, hi even d dating i b back k to the very early pioneer years of biking – just look at the number of custom bikes that’ve been inspired by board-trackers. While it’s all well and good to look at pics of historic machinery, or pore over them in the clinical surrounds of a museum, surely the best way to get any kind of inspiration is to experience them as they’re meant to be – living, breathing, methods of transport. It’s simple enough to visit an event like the Pioneer or Banbury Run, but unless you’re lucky enough to own a vintage bike, then your involvement will be limited to that of voyeur. Yet there’s a way to actually try these bikes out, to ride them and learn how they operate and perform, thanks to the Vintage Motorcycle Club.

48

SEPTEMBER 2018

Twice a year, the club operates ‘training days’ at the twisty sprint circuit at Curborough, in Staffordshire. The training days are specifically focused on bikes from the Twenties and Thirties, although invariably there are a few bikes from even earlier. The actual machines offered will differ, but they’ll be bikes with hand-shift transmission and far more levers than it’s possible to operate with just two hands.

While the training days are operated for the main benefit of club members, they also open them to non-members too at a cost of just £80 – an incredibly good price for an amazing day.

So, with about 20 of us kitted out in our VMCC fluorescent tabards (some of us more stubbornly than others…), we split into two groups, one heading for the ‘fast’ part of the track and the larger machinery, the other to hit the twisty lower section aboard some less feisty machinery.

As the owners had already got the bikes warmed up, there wasn’t any need for us novices to mess around with advance and retard levers, nor air and fuel, leaving us with a sensible number of levers to operate. And it’s surprising just how conventional these old bikes

SEPTEMBER 2018

49

are to operate. The biggest difference is in the brakes, as many have a front brake that, no matter how hard you grab it, still enables the bike to be pushed along at walking pace! Engine braking and the rear footbrake (sometimes right, sometimes left) is the way to retard progress, but as this wasn’t on public roads, we had much more time, and space, to get used to how the bikes operated. Thumboperated throttles were easy to use, although without a spring return you do have to bear in mind that it needs to be physically closed, but not so closed that the engine stalls when you pull in the clutch! Even the hand-operated gear-change mechanisms proved to be easy to adapt to – certainly easier than when jumping from a modern left-foot shift to a classic Brit right-hand foot change.

After snapping some pics, I jumped on a little Levis, followed by a 1930 Rudge Whitworth, then a two-stroke DOT and, rounding the morning off in a truly hilarious and enjoyable fashion, a Cyclemotor with a clip-on two-stroke engine above the rear wheel. Why this kind of powered push bike isn’t de rigueur in urban areas is beyond me…

After lunch, I was straight out on a Thirties twin-port OHV single Ariel, on which a missed shift found a false neutral and there was a small moment of panic while I reaffirmed exactly where the rear brake was and how bad the front brake was! Composure regathered, I was eagerly ushered on to a 350cc Panther, and told to shortshift through into third gear (top) and let it lug itself around the course – the tractability of this little motor was hugely impressive and proved that it isn’t just capacity that makes for low-down grunt! After a swift blast on another twin-port Ariel, I set myself up aboard what was probably the highlight of the day – an immaculate 1923 Brough Superior SS80. Powered by a JAP side-valve vee-twin, the tall

50

SEPTEMBER 2018

gearing meant that second gear was all that was needed, although squirting it around the top hairpin meant that top gear (of three) could be selected for a burst of throttle before a steady downchange for the next tight righthander. This was a real eye-opener – that lusty vee-twin gave an all-too-brief glimpse into how impressive Brough Superiors must have been 90 years ago, as they’re still hugely impressive even today. Well, except for the brakes.

The last ride of the day was on the oldest, most basic machine – The Dreadnought, built by Harold Karslake in 1904. With a 402cc De Dion singlecylinder engine, no gearbox and no clutch, it was probably the first motorcycle to be fitted without pedals (to assist with starting and on hills), so it’s a bump start-only machine that is an absolute hoot to ride!

Thanks to photography duties, I missed out on riding a Douglas fore-andaft twin, a side-valve Sunbeam, a twincylinder two-stroke Scott, a twin-port BSA and a feisty-sounding Rudge Ulster, although from my reckoning everyone else managed to throw a leg over every available machine at least once, many returning to a bike later on in the day for a second, or even third, try.

The next training day is on September 15 at Curborough Sprint Course near Lichfield, Staffordshire. For more information, or to make a booking, you can call the VMCC on 01283 540557, or email events@vmcc.net

Insurance solutions for classics and more. *

Did you know with FJ+ you can tailor your policy from a range of cover options, including; breakdown, agreed value and salvage retention?

Call our friendly UK team for a quote.

0333 207 6284

or visit: footmanjames.co.uk

*All cover is subject to insurer’s terms and conditions, which are available upon request. Footman James is a trading name of Towergate Underwriting Group Limited. Registered in England No. 4043759. Registered Address: Towergate House, Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3EN. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Telephone calls may be monitored or recorded. FP ADGE.1076.5.18

SEPTEMBER 2018

51

BIKE BUILDING, AS I’M SURE YOU KNOW, CAN BE THRILLING, EDUCATING, REWARDING. IT CAN ALSO BE A MASSIVE PAIN IN THE ARSE…

PICS: WORDS &

52

LEY IAN SHIP

SEPTEMBER 2018

T

here comes a point in a build, especially one that’s fighting you every step of the way, where you have to decide whether to persevere with it, scrap it and go back to the beginning or just step away and get some space for your head (man). Shane Egan, the owner and builder of this bike, had reached that point, he really had, but not with this bike. No, it was with another.

He’s been building this other bike for a while and, as I said above, it was fighting him all the way, and he’d got the point where, if he didn’t walk away, he was going to, as our American cousins say, completely lose his shit with it. He needed to find something to distract him,

SEPTEMBER 2018

53

54

SEPTEMBER 2018

600 and, after spending some time contemplating them in the company of his loyal Staffie, he set about taking these two separate items into one complete bike. The frame needed, as they do, a full complement of brackets making for the engine mounts, the oil-cooler, and the many little bits a motorcycle needs to actually be a motorcycle, and he also made a new side-stand for it (always useful), and a nifty set of forward controls too.

The engine was rapidly stripped down and

HE’S ONE OF THOSE INSANE GUYS WHO RACE ON PUBLIC ROADS AT 200MPH

something to take his mind off the bastard thing. A while before he’d come across a hardtail frame and motor on that there eBay at such small money and he thought “f**k it, I’ll buy it”, thinking it was something he could look at again at some point in the future. This, it turned out, was prescient because, as the other one was giving him gyp, he could dig the eBay frame and lump out and save his head from exploding.

The frame was a Hard-Up Choppers Wormburner and the motor was a Bandit

blanked off prior to being glass-blasted and then, once nice and clean and grease-free, it was painted with 300-degree Douglas stove black. Modified Bandit 1200 carbs with Ram-Air filters take care of it breathing in, and a set of Hard-Up’s ‘Loud Bastard’ exhausts announce its arrival.

Moving on to the running gear; the wheels are both 17-inch Aprilia supermoto items, the front with a Galfer wavey disc and a single Bandit 1200 caliper, and the rear with… err, no brake at all. Yes, you did read that right – no rear brake.

Now if you’re wondering why in God’s name (other imaginary cloud fairies are available) Shane doesn’t have a rear brake, it’s simple – he has years of experience racing bikes in the Irish road racing championships (yep, he’s one of those insane guys who race on public roads at 200mph, in fact he was Irish champion in 2013!) and at the Isle of Man TT, and he says: “I’ve never used one in all the years I was racing, why would I start now?”

Anyway, the forks are strippedSEPTEMBER 2018

55

THE BRIGHT GOLD IS NICELY OFFSET BY THE GLOSS BLACK ON THE FRAME, YOKES AND APE HANGERS

back 1200 Bandit with modified Bandit yokes, topped by massive 20-inch apes, and they sit just in front of a modified King Sportster petrol tank with an external sight gauge, and a paint scheme that’s to die for. The candy gold flake base with its Rising Sun flag (originally the war flag of the Imperial Japanese Army, later the naval ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy, it’s still used in Japan as a symbol of tradition and good fortune), the pin-striping,

56

SEPTEMBER 2018

and the ‘Built Not Bought’ logos were superbly executed

by Veaceslav Salaru AKA Slava at Slava Airbrushing. He also painted the one-off rear ’guard, and the modified HUC battery-cum-electrics box, and the bright gold is nicely offset by the gloss black on the frame, yokes and ape hangers. The rather wonderfully sprung seat with 3” named Mushty’s springs, one-off rear Polishing, along with mudguard, modified ENGINE: Suzuki Hard-Up Choppers a gentleman named Bandit 600, modified electrics box, one-off Suzuki Bandit 1200 Jozef Fabry, made numberplate carbs, Ram-Air filters, all the non-shiny ELECTRICS: One-off Durite ignition, Hardloom by Alan Betson, bits shiny.

Up Choppers ‘Loud 5.75” Bates-style Bastard’ exhausts As you can see headlight, Iron Cross FRAME: Hardwhen you look at rear light Up Choppers these pics – this PAINT: Candy gold Wormburner, one-off flake with Rising Sun sidestand, one-off chop is pretty flag, frame/’bars/yokes mounting brackets/ minimalist and what in gloss black, by Slava lugs, one-off forwards Airbrushing (00353 87 electrics there are FRONT END: 17” 344 3842) Aprilia supermoto exist to meet basic POLISHING: wheel, Galfer wavey requirements. There’s Mushty’s disc, Suzuki Bandit Polishing (www.

1200 caliper, no switchgear at mushtyspolishing.

Goodridge custom all, no instrument co.uk) & Jozef Fabry brake lines, modified Suzuki Bandit forks/ dials to clutter the ENGINEERING: Bike yokes, 20” apes, handlebars, and the built & all engineering Suzuki Hayabusa work by owner wiring loom that master-cylinder THANKS TO: “My runs the 5.75-inch REAR END: 17x5.5” wife, Mary, for her Aprilia supermoto Bates-style headlight patience; my Staffie for wheel, 180 tyre, making me laugh in the and Iron Cross rear ERV 520 race chain, shed when things went supermoto sprocket, light is tucked away pear-shaped; Slava at one-off sissy-bar Slava Airbrushing for so as not to be visible. the paint; Jozef Fabry; BODYWORK: Soon after the Jog Tuning for the dyno Modified King Sportster tank with work; & Alan Betson bike’s maiden run, sight gauge, bobber for the wiring…”

Shane took it to be

set up on his local dyno so that it’d run perfectly with no flat spots in its power delivery and has impeccable lowspeed and high-speed manners. That’s a nod to his racing heritage right there – those guys know the value of time well spent on a good dyno.

All in all, he made a good decision to switch projects, partly because it allowed him to create a stunning bike and partly because it allowed him to keep his sanity, and it’s given him the breathing space he needed to get his head around his other project which, judging from the photos I’ve seen, is very interesting indeed. Watch this space!

SEPTEMBER 2018

57

58

SEPTEMBER 2018

SEPTEMBER 2018

59

SUBSCRIPTION RATES

SIX MONTHLY: Direct Debit £20.00

ONE YEAR: Credit Card: £45.00

UK only, for overseas rates visit:

www.classicmagazines.co.uk/bsh-overseas

BENEFITS OF SUBSCRIBING BY DIRECT DEBIT BEST OFFER AND SAVES YOU MONEY GUARANTEES THAT YOU WILL NOT MISS ANY ISSUES VERY EASY TO SET UP ULTIMATELY SAVES YOU TIME

BY NOT HAVING TO RENEW EACH TIME YOU ARE COMPLETELY PROTECTED BY THE DIRECT DEBIT GUARANTEE

EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE

Online: www.classicmagazines.co.uk/bshdps Call: 01507 529529 and quote: BSHDPS

HT BE YS, G I M A U AS YO E, THESE DTURER, AWARMANUFAC YING THE AS A E NOT PLA N’T HAVE YOU’R IF YOU DOETROGAMEAST ONE RYOUR AT LE D BIKE IN ARE, AS STYLE E. RETROS ERTISING RANG ACED ADV ECTACLES BE-BR IN RED SPGHT’VE TYPESE 1980S MI , HOT. IN TH HOT, BABY SAID,

WO R

DS: N IK G MANNIN & DAVE IK N : S PIC

62

SEPTEMBER 2018

H

onda has two retros in its range, both of them CB1100s.

We’ll be looking at the very Seventies CB1100EX, but this issue we’re concentrating on the more techno CB1100RS. It uses an allnew, 1140cc, 16 valve, DOHC, air-cooled

engine that kicks out 88bhp and 91Nm of torque – perhaps not the most thrilling of performance statistics, but don’t let them bias you against it, it’s a really nice ‘real world’ engine.

You see, as this is a Honda, and they’re quite good at these things, it’s as smooth as a pint of Guinness (other fart-inducing stouts are available), and pulls cleanly and strongly no matter where you are in the rev-range in whichever gear.

There’s plenty of torque for overtaking, making buzzing along fast A-roads or dual carriageways, even in the higher gears, effortless, and a new slipper clutch, designed to partially disengage SEPTEMBER 2018

63

IT’S A GOODLOOKING THING TOO; A COMBINATION OF THE VENERABLE OLD CB750 OF YORE AND THE CB900/1100 MUSCLE BIKES OF THE EIGHTIES...

or ‘slip’ when the rear wheel tries to drive the engine faster than it would run under its own power, means there are no nasty surprises when you throttle off, no matter how hard you’re forced to brake and bang it down the gears, either because another myopic muppet in a Mercedes’s pulled out on you or you’ve run out of talent mid-corner.

And this combination of the two means the engine is as user-friendly as a door

64

SEPTEMBER 2018

wedge with the instructions clearly printed on it in a variety of languages.

It’s lovely.

Up front, dependable 43mm Showa forks and a 17-inch die-cast aluminium wheel with powerful Tokico brakes, with ABS, and narrow handlebars, encourage you to adopt a sportier position than you perhaps would on other retros, and that large, but shapely, tank is made without seam welds so that you can either grip it tightly with your knees when you’re giving it what for or relax against it if you’re feeling chilled and groovy.

It holds enough fuel for an easy 140 miles, even at Samson speeds, and although there’s neither a screen nor a fairing, the shape of the headlight and clock binnacle means that windblast at speed is perfectly bearable.

And although it’s a big bike, physically, it has a low seat height and great weight distribution, and this means that it’s easy to manoeuvre at very low speeds, nicely balanced around town and, thanks to that sportier riding position, feels stable and secure at higher speeds too. The steering might not be the fastest around, but in my eyes that’s a good thing as it means it’s about as twitchy as a house brick, but you can still get it leaning over far enough to get your heart racing, while the confidence-inspiring ABS and the well set up suspension mean that nothing much will upset it.

Yeah, so it’s more of a ride-out-to-abike-meet kind of a bike, than a track day weapon, but if

it was it wouldn’t really be in this magazine, would it?

It’s a good-looking thing too; a combination of the venerable old CB750 of yore (check out the facia of those clocks!) and the CB900/1100 muscle bikes of the Eighties. It has the de rigueur flat seat so beloved by cafe racer aficionados these days (which does mean your pillion sits behind you rather than above you – something they’ll appreciate), slightly kicked-up four-into-two exhausts, and a so-SOHC-it-hurts rear light. The headlight is bright enough to light the roads almost to car standards (indeed, with my piss-poor night vision I don’t often ride after dark, but I was happy to pop

out on the ’Onda), and the whole look, with the slightly oversize fork lowers and the very Ohlins piggyback shocks, is close to what us speed-freaks ’d’ve done to a Cee-Bee Nine back in the day if we’d had the money.

Note: Never tell the owner of a CB900, or 1100, they have a 900 (or 1100) Super Dream – trust me, they really don’t like it.

Available in two colour options (Digital Silver Metallic, pictured, and Graphite Black), the CB1100RS costs from £11,449 and a range of financial packages to allow you to get your hands on one is on offer at your local Honda dealer or www.honda. co.uk/motorcycles

THE NEW KAWASAKI Z900RS CAFE…

SEPTEMBER 2018

65

WELL, IT ALL STARTED WHEN I WAS IN HOSPITAL DELIRIOUS WITH FEVER…

WORDS: L UK E ,

ONKEY’S LES SMILEY M CYC OM CU S T PICS: NIK

66

SEPTEMBER 2018

I

got a phone call from Jim (yes, the Jim, the other half of Smiley Monkey’s Custom Cycles) “Oi, I’ve just ’ad an American bloke up Revved Up and he’s followed me back to the workshop… something, something, blah, blah… bunk up.” Questioning his sanity (well, more his sexuality) I asked him to repeat what he’d said while I put the phone on speaker for a better sound quality (honest). What I heard then was a bit less Jeremy Kyle and a bit more me. It turned out Jim’d bumped into a guy called Mark, AKA Tex, who had an all

there but poorly executed Bunker trike that he wanted overhauling and painting, with maybe a bit of polishing. After seeing what we do, he decided to bring it up and have a chat, so, a few days later, we were back in our workshop with me better and Jim not a cottaging, sex mad, newly discovered bear.

We were having a ponder fag when we heard a bit of commotion outside, so out we go to see the trike for the first time;

SEPTEMBER 2018

67

rolling chassis, a couple of motors (one Yamaha and one Yamaha copy), a bag of well-marked wires and a box of grimy rusty parts. Oh, and a bloody lovely set of springer forks that were nice and long with a bit of chunk to ’em. So, after a few coffees, a fag break and a bit of brainstorming, we discovered what he did and didn’t like and want, so we said our goodbyes and, as he was walking out, he turned around and said: “F**k it, you guys can have carte blanche.” My first thought was “mmm, pudding”, but it turned out he meant we could do what we wanted. It was his accent. So with a budget, time scale, no definite direction and a f**kin’ great grinder, off we went.

First job was to cut 20 foot off the length

of the seat rails and finish them with a tidy loop. Stance was next; it sat far too high and the posture was all wrong. So off came the stock shocks and they were replaced with some aftermarket short ones we had in stock. We realised straight away the old 16” front wheel was nowhere near big enough, so a motocross 21” was slipped in. It immediately looked a lot more classy and raising the front levelled the frame out more, also giving it a bit more rake. The original tank got a bit of stretchin’ to make it sit and flow better and then we began cleaning the frame up by removing the old footpeg mounts and any other unused brackets, like the ones for the old battery box, old exhausts, old ‘leccy’ box, etc.

After doing all that we stood back; itchy ’n’ greasy but with a sense of

SMILEY MONKEY’S CUSTOM CYCLES IS LOCATED IN WEELEY IN ESSEX (NEAR CLACTON) AND THE PHONE NUMBER IS 07928 663841 OR YOU CAN CONTACT THEM ON FACEBOOK. 68

SEPTEMBER 2018

SEPTEMBER 2018

69

ENGINE: Yamaha Dragstar 250, aftermarket air-filter, one-off exhausts FRAME: Modified Bunker 250, re-raked to sit 4” lower, swingarm shortened 8”, seat rails dropped/flowed 4” lower, modified H-D aftermarket forward controls FRONT END: 0/90/21” tyre, 21” Talon rim/hub, Derbi Senda disc, Bunker caliper/springer forks, one-off stainless brake lines, one-off handlebars, H-D master-

cylinder, aftermarket controls/grips

Carisma Bodytech (01206 228221)

REAR END: 4” shorter shocks, aftermarket 15” wheels, Bunker axle/brakes/ master-cylinder, re-engineered reverse gear

POWDERCOATING: Diamond white frame/wheels by AS Powdercoating (0333 321 0757 or www. aspowdercoating. co.uk)

BODYWORK: Modified stock petrol tank, one-off seats covered by Mick Slysnake, one-off battery box/electrics box/number-plate ELECTRICS: One-off loom, aftermarket stretched Bates-type, modified bullet tail lights PAINT: Tank in deep burgundy/white by

POLISHING: Smiley Monkey’s Custom Cycles ENGINEERING: Smiley Monkey’s Custom Cycles THANKS TO: “Texas Mark for trusting us; Mick Slysnake for the upholstery; Ron at Carisma Bodytech for the paint; and AS Powdercoating…”

accomplishment. But something still wasn’t right. It was still too long – it was the swingarm, it just didn’t look good enough. Tex was called and told of the dilemma and we explained we needed (wanted) to cut the swingarm by a couple (well, eight) of inches. We quoted his last words again, carte blanche, and he agreed, which was a good thing as we’d already cut it…

That sorted it; now it was a tidy trike with a 250 Yamaha vee-twin engine and not a hint that it was once a nasty Chinese thing (with a nice front end). It now sat aggressively, but still had a classic stance.

70

SEPTEMBER 2018

With a time scale to keep to, we wanted to get all the unpolishables to a powder coater pronto, but we kept getting ridiculous timescales – one month, two months. Poop. Jim got on the interweb and found the number of a firm in Sudbury, AS Powdercoating, and the geeza said “two days”. We had a bit of squirt up there in the van, along with a trip to Danny’s burger bar, and 30 minutes later we were there. As promised, the next day we got a call from them (it turned out he had stayed up most of the night to get it done) and on the way to picking it all up we nipped in to see Ron at Carisma Bodytech, our painter of choice, with the tank and, as usual, he delivered with stunning crisp lines. Nice one, Ron. Well, you all know how a build goes – cut, stick, splash, voila! Not at Smiley Monkey’s; we tend to ponder a great deal (fag breaks) and go through ideas (take the

piss out of each other). We’re always on the same wave length (skint), but we’re livin’ the dream, baby, pushing the boundaries using old school techniques and keeping to a shoestring budget so that we can supply great bikes that’re affordable for regular folk.

We got the Bunker back together, stood back, looked at it, nodded and rang Tex to come and have a look. He loved it from the moment he saw it, and the rest is history. It took Best Trike at its first proper show (the F U Mcc’s one at The Bell in Kesgrave in April) and if there’s any justice in the world it should take a few more too.

Right, what’s next?

SEPTEMBER 2018

71

THE BIG BARN RALLY NESTLES IN ROLLING HILLS JUST BEHIND THE SUBURBAN VILLAGE OF COMPSTALL, AND THIS TRANQUIL OASIS IS CERTAINLY NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING FROM AN ADDRESS THAT ENDS WITH GREATER MANCHESTER!

WORDS & PICS: FD

Lastly, Huddersfield-based Fiery Biscuits rounded the evening off with excellently delivered rocked-up covers.

Saturday was brilliant sunshine and scorching hot from about 7am. Morning entertainment came in the form of rally virgin games hosted by the hugely scary but infinitely loveable Alfi who, with the aid of audience participation, got the entrants performing in what resembled a cross between a school sports day and It’s a Knockout. Fair play to the guy; when it was all over and the winner’d been declared, he took off his cut, doused himself down and let the entrants haul him down the water slide.

By lunchtime most of the entrants for the custom show were assembled in front of the stage and, while the judges

T

hursday night saw the first of three bands, Psychobabylon, launch the party with heavy rock at eight, followed by the dynamic Novacrow, and lastly many rock and blues favourites (including an excellent version of Crazy Horses) from Swamp Dog. Friday morning the weather was not kind, but bikers, being bikers, just got togged up in their waterproofs and came anyway. The rain eased around tea-time, and the forecast looked promising for the weekend, and the gate got really busy Friday evening before Winnebago, the Dave Strider Band, Electric Rebels, and then Firegarden (who I enjoyed enough to put my hand in my pocket and buy their CD) played. The Haley Sisters and Sliding Smiffy did an acoustic folk/country set of all their own songs, and were the only band to be called back for an encore, and Southbound gave us some great bluesy rock.

deliberated, Rick Hulse kicked off the Smacked Arse Comedy Show with sets by Steve Harris, Tom King, Howard Walker, and Freddie Quinne, who gave us four very different comedic looks at life. After that, the bike show presentations were compered by Andy Roughley; Best Custom was won by Gillian Cox’s Softail Breakout, Best Classic & Best in Show

by Frank Hayes’ Sportster bobber, and John, George, Geoff and Tommy got Rat, Trike, Chopper and Jap respectively.

Once the bikes, and some pretty enormous trikes, were cleared away it was time to kick off the party proper. Saturday music was provided by rally favourites Fugitive, Chris & Martin, The Grande, some stunning guitar blues from The Lewis Hamilton Band, rock that made your blood race from Salem, and the night headliner was TBone Jones. I thought at first it was an odd choice to headline with country, but it really worked! There was something for everyone and all seemed to have a great time.

This was a simple old-school, back to basics rally with a few trade stalls, a bit of fundraising, tattoos, piercings, bands, beer and friends – definitely no frills, but what was there was good quality.

SEPTEMBER 2018

73

NNING DAVE MA : S D R O W ET T O N EVER PICS: SIM

74

SEPTEMBER 2018

VEN THE MENT E , D E T IA ELOP NINIT TO THE U ODEL IN THE DEV -COOLED IR LATEST M Y-DAVIDSON’S A IT COULD’VE E OF HARL ANT LOOKS LIKE WITHIN L P POWER T AT ANY POINT , GIVEN IL BEEN BU 70 YEARS OR SO DESIGN T THE LAS , UNCHANGING IN. THE BASIC5-DEGREE VEE TW OF THE 4

SEPTEMBER 2018

75

U

nless you’re enough of an anorak to be able to immediately distinguish between Panheads and Shovelheads, Ironhead Sportsters and Evo’ Sportsters, Evolutions and TwinCams and Milwaukee 8s (although, to be fair, most of us are!), then all of the different iterations of the overhead valve Harley twin are, visually, pretty much the same.

And, once you think you’ve got it sussed with regards to the architecture of the different generations of engines, along comes someone with what, initially, appears to be a classic Milwaukee Knucklehead, assembled at some point between 1936 and ’47. However, take a closer look at Lukasz Wierbicki’s bike, and you’ll swiftly realise that this isn’t a classic bike from the Forties, but actually a much more modern Harley, with rear suspension, that’s powered by an S&S Super Stock engine (which is an Evolutionstyle motor) fitted with Knucklehead-style cam cover and rocker boxes made by Xzotic Cycle in the US. Originally machined in Dallas, the tooling for the covers was bought by Custom Chrome International who now supply the parts, and the Xzotic covers actually fit over the standard covers, rather than replace them, with the result that the cam cover looks a bit more true to form than the rocker covers, which don’t quite fully disguise the Evo heads. Nonetheless, they’ll confuse a few folk, and they certainly give a more vintage look to the Evo engine. The older look is helped by the fact that the gearbox is a five-speed

76

SEPTEMBER 2018

kicker, unlike the standard Evo transmission which is, of course, electric start only, and having a kickstart lever makes onlookers automatically assume that a bike is a ‘proper’ classic.

This bike was actually first built in Germany, as a hardtail, having already won several trophies before Lukasz got hold of it. Wanting to make it his own bike, he was always going to make a few changes, and they certainly weren’t minor, as he started by changing the frame for a Harley Softail in order to get a little more comfort – the intention was that it was going to get used on the road, regularly, and he wanted

to be able to clock up the miles without recourse to a chiropractor or physiotherapist.

He didn’t do all of the work himself; no, he did it in conjunction with a bunch of guys from a shop in Poland called RHC. Lukasz is Polish, you see, although he lives and works in the UK (he’s a professional driver in the North East). They used a near-standard Softail frame, while the front end comprises a fork set from Zodiac, styled like the springer forks that would’ve been fitted to a Knuckle, although it has mounts for a torque arm for the twin piston hydraulic caliper as the 16-inch wheel is fitted with a brake disc rather than a drum. The chunky wheel and correspondingly fat Shinko tyre are matched at the rear, with a further disc and twin-pot caliper hauling the plot to a halt. Given the low-down punch of the 1340cc S&S engine, this is probably far wiser than opting for stylistically appropriate drum brakes…

SEPTEMBER 2018

77

A fuel tank and rear mudguard of unknown origin are fitted such that the upper profile of the bike flows smoothly from the top of the headlight through to the rear wheel, with the mudguard bolted to brass struts on the swinging arm rather than the frame to keep clearance to an aesthetically pleasing minimum. Much like the hardtail that was originally used, in fact!

To keep the top yoke clear of clutter,

THE ILLUSION OF AGE IS ALSO INCREASED

BY THE USE OF THE OLDSTYLE HARLEY LOGO ON THE TANK

78

the speedometer is mounted on the right-hand side of the fuel tank, while rather neat brass switches from Kustom Tech are used on the swooping handlebars.

Further parts from the Kustom Tech catalogue are used in the form of a brake master-cylinder and clutch perch, both using brass levers.

More brass was used in the

construction of the forward controls and the footboards, while further use of the material after it’d had the zinc removed (i.e., basic copper) can be seen in the oil tank and the rigid pipes that supply and return the oil from and to the tank. The copper and brass elements do give something of a Victorian engineering feel – some might call it steampunk, but there’s not enough of a science fiction aspect for that, and that’s vital if anything is going to have that particular label attached.

The oil tank was made by RHC, who were also responsible for the ‘patina’ style paintwork on the bike, incorporating not only the bodywork, but also the frame, forks and wheel rims. Aside from ENGINE: S&S Super Stock 1340cc, Xzotic the rust effect used on the ferrous Knucklehead cam parts, the illusion of age is also cover/rocker boxes, S&S Super carb, SU increased by the use of the oldair-filter, open clutch, style Harley logo on the tank and, copper pipe oil lines, indeed, the very colour that is used five-speed kicker gearbox, 3” BDL belt as a base – a baby blue that alludes drive, one-off high level more to the Twenties and Thirties two-into-one exhaust, brass kicker pedal than any kind of deep, rich and FRAME: Modified heavily lacquered paint used Harley-Davidson Softail, more recently. brass forward controls/ footboards While Lukasz is more than FRONT END: Shinko happy with the end result, having tyre, 16” wheel, H-D owned it for more than two years caliper/disc, Zodiac springer forks, Kustom now, he’s itching to build another Tech brake master(more radical) bike, so this one is cylinder/clutch perch/ brass levers/brass for sale. Interested parties can get switches, Motogadget in touch via BSH Towers. retro speedo, Performance Machine grips

REAR END: Softail swingarm/shocks, one-off brass mudguard supports, 16” wheel, H-D caliper/disc, Shinko tyre BODYWORK: Unknown tank/ mudguard, one-off copper oil tank, handmade leathercovered seat, one-off battery box, one-off side-mount ’plate ELECTRICS: Vintage Lucas headlight, aftermarket bullet indicators, one-off wiring loom by RHC ENGINEERING: RHC PAINT: Blue patina

by RHC POLISH: Yes, he is THANKS TO: “Adrian ‘ADZIO’ for big support in all the time...”

SEPTEMBER 2018

SEPTEMBER 2018

79

WHEELS AS YOU MAY’VE READ LAST ISSUE IN THE INTRODUCTION TO THIS BUILD, THE PLAN IS TO BUILD A BLOODRUNNERSSTYLE KATANA WITH SINGLE-SIDED SWINGARMS FRONT AND REAR (NO FORKS), MONSTER WHEELS, AND A SUPERCHARGER.

ctually, strictly speaking, the original plan didn’t include a supercharger.

No, to be completely honest, the idea of a supercharger’d never’ve occurred to me. I had briefly toyed with the idea of some form of turbocharger, but dismissed the idea (or at least put it off for a couple of years anyway) as

A

Billet oil seal boss ready to be welded to the cover…

Stock Suzuki generator cover

(a) a bit too expensive at the moment, and (b) potentially bloody lethal (300 section front and back wheels, remember?) but, honestly, I was about as likely to think of a supercharger as I was to think of putting on ladies’ underwear and hanging around unsavoury nightclubs, calling myself Letitia.

One day, though, I walked into Pointy Hat Wizard Fabs and they said: “We’ve got

something for your Kat.” “Oh?” I said, “I thought I’d got everything for it?” “No,” they said, “you need one of these,” and handed me an Eaton M45 supercharger off a Mini Cooper (the new generation Minis that aren’t really Minis as they’re feckin’ enormous and not ‘mini’ in the slightest), which are an ideal size for use with a Machining the pulley hub from a blank in the lathe

bike engine (1.4 VW Golf ones are okay too).

“Umm, okay,” I said, “do you not think I might be better off learning to ride it first before we stick another 100 horsepower on it?” “Naa” they said, “you’ll be fine.” Right then…

A supercharger is, basically, a device for compressing air to increase its pressure or density to feed into an internal combustion engine – this gives each intake cycle of the engine more oxygen, letting it burn more fuel, and do more work, thus increasing power.

Unlike a turbo, which uses a turbine driven by the engine’s

PART 2

words: NIK 80

SEPTEMBER 2018

pics: PHWF

Boring the boss to take the crankshaft hub…

…and TIG’d on

Finished (minus the oil seal, obviously)!

…and counterboring it for the oil seal

And drilling the mounting holes in it in the mill

In the mill to drill the holes for the pulley teeth

exhaust gases to do the same job, a supercharger is mechanically driven, taking its power from the engine’s crankshaft by means of a belt, gear, shaft or chain connected between the crankshaft and the supercharger unit itself. This means that a supercharger does take a little of the engine’s power to drive it, but the returns you get from it far outweigh the losses so that doesn’t really matter. They’re a very simple system of boosting an engine’s power, that’s why they’ve been fitted to everything from boat engines to aeroplanes, truck engines to drag cars, Moto Guzzis to Kawasakis.

The unit that’s being fitted to

And fitted to the engine

A quick trial fit to check it’s all tickety-boo

The 4.5-inch billet blank for the pulley

the 1127cc GSX-R motor in the Katana is what’s called a ‘Rootstype’ supercharger, named after the American inventors and brothers Philander and Francis Marion Roots, founders of the Roots Blower Company of Connersville, Indiana, USA, who patented the basic design in 1860 as an air pump for use in blast furnaces and other industrial applications. But in 1900, Gottlieb Daimler included a Roots-style blower in a patented engine design for cars, making the Rootstype blower the oldest of the various designs now available. The idea behind it is surprisingly simple; it operates by pumping air into the engine with a pair of meshing lobes not unlike a set of stretched gears, compressing it and increasing its density, meaning that it, when mixed with fuel, burns more efficiently and so produces more horsepower. Increases of around 30-50% are normal, so starting with an engine of, say, 120bhp, you can expect anything from 36bhp to 60bhp, meaning around 156bhp at the lower end up to 180 at the top; 50%, though, is with an engine in perfect working order, with very little wear and tear – with Boring in the lathe to lighten the centre

SEPTEMBER 2018

81

Drilling the mounting holes to match the ones in the hub

PART 2

to lighten it, and make it look better, and the rear of the pulley machined to fit the hub, and mounting holes to fit the ones in the hub drilled too. The last job on it was to put it into the lathe and turn down the outer edge to reveal the teeth. The hub was then fitted to the crank and the pulley slid over it and bolted up and, voila, one bottom supercharger pulley made and fitted! It sounds easy, doesn’t it? Trust me, it wasn’t;

Turning down the outer edge to reveal the teeth

Shaping the back to fit the hub

The pulley and the hub

The hub fitted into the pulley

And both fitted to the engine

The finished pulley

an old 1100 Gixer motor 40% is more likely, but that still means that it’ll put out close to 170 muscular equines which is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face… or a stripe down anyone’s underwear in conjunction with 300 section tyres front and rear. <gulps> The first job to do to fit the Mini blower to the Gixer engine was to modify the signal generator cover (front right as you’re looking down at the bike from above while sitting on it) so that the bottom pulley for the supercharger could be fitted to the crankshaft. This involved grinding the Suzuki logo flat and then welding on a solid billet alloy boss. The cover was then put in the mill and bored so that the hole aligned perfectly with the crankshaft itself and, when this was done, a further indent was bored to take an oil seal so that the precious black stuff doesn’t run out all over the floor.

Next up was to make a hub to fit to the end of the crank to take the bottom belt pulley for the supercharger (basically, it’s a crankshaft extender). This was machined from steel, with an internal hex (a cut-out, that fits

82

POINTY HAT WIZARD FABRICATIONS ARE BASED IN TILBURY IN ESSEX, AND THEIR PHONE NUMBER IS 01375 844367 OR YOU CAN CONTACT THEM ONLINE AT WWW.PHW FABRICATIONS. COM

SEPTEMBER 2018

over the nut on the signal generator rotor), to the correct shape in the mill, and then a series of six holes drilled into it to provide mounting points for the pulley.

The pulley itself was machined from a piece of 4.5-inch diameter alloy bar and, firstly, had a series of holes drilled at precisely calculated regular intervals around its edge. The edge would later be turned down in the lathe to create the teeth of the pulley, and these have to be an exact match to the teeth on the belt so that they mesh together perfectly, so the holes have to be drilled in exactly the right places. The centre was then machined

the precision required to get it all lined up perfectly is mind-boggling, and you also have to remember that Pointy Hat doesn’t have a programmable CNC machine to do this – it’s all done on a manual mill that has to have every action set up by hand.

The top pulley, the manifold, the supercharger shaft and snout extensions, and lining it all up and fitting it!

Huge thanks to Steve at Taylormade Wheels (01597 860692 or www.taylormade-wheels. co.uk), and Alan at Earl’s Performance Products (01327 858221 or www.earls.co.uk) for all their help with this project!

Recognised Herald dealers BOD’S CUSTOM CYCLES LTD

Unit 6 Newton Farm, Ashchurch, Tewkesbury GL20 7BE 01684 869482 • www.bodscustomcycles.com

ROOSTERS CLASSIC & CUSTOMS

Rear of Station Garage, Hop Pocket Lane, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6DQ 02037456755 • www.roosterscc.uk

To advertise on the Herald listing call Ricky on 01507 529357 Email: rnichols@mortons.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 2018

83

FIG.2

A WHILE AGO I MENTIONED THAT THERE WASN’T MUCH POINT IN HIDDEN WIRING OTHER THAN TO AVOID THE UNNECESSARY TEDIUM OF HEARING PEOPLE UTTER THE WORDS “IF IT WAS MINE, I’D HAVE HIDDEN THE WIRING...” EVERY TIME YOU TAKE YOUR CONVEYANCE TO A PUBLIC PLACE.

FIG.1

FIG.4

FIG.5

T

he opposite course of action is to make a feature of the wiring, especially where the motorcycle could be classified as ‘old school’, steampunk, or a bit hipster.

Modern automotive cable is PVC covered and considerably slimmer than its oldfashioned counterpart from the ’60s through to the end of the ’80s or so, which makes it look wrong if you use a sensibly sized cable since modern 16.5amp cable looks thinner than anything you’re likely to

find on a ’60s motorcycle. So tip number one would be to use vastly over-rated cable if you want it to look old fashioned – something around 25amp ‘thinwall’ cable tends to look about right.

Then there are the colours of the cable; cable comes in 12 basic colours, and each of those colours is available with any of the other 11 colours as a stripe or ‘tracer’. I use single colour cable most of the time as I can buy 30-metre rolls of it, and have my own colour scheme (Fig.1) so I know what’s what (or at the very least can narrow it down considerably), but it does look a bit

#3 84

words & pics: MR BRIDGES SEPTEMBER 2018

‘modern’. As modern cable is readily available in metre lengths in almost all the combinations of main colour and tracer colour (although occasionally it depends on the cable size, and blue with a blue tracer is a blue cable) so wiring a motorcycle in red cable with different colour tracers to identify the purpose, and perhaps black with a red tracer for the grounds, might work for your project. ‘Fabric-covered’ cable is another option (Fig.2), and this is

FIG.3

FIG.6

available from Auto Electrical Supplies (01584 819552), and again you can buy it by the metre from their website (www.autoelectricsupplies. co.uk). The ‘in stock’ colour choice is a bit limited, but if you’re ordering 30 metres, you can have whatever you want. The cable itself is modern PVC insulated thinwall stuff, but it has a fabric overbraid that’s been lacquered to seal it.

My usual choice of connector is the uninsulated variety of crimp connector, which again don’t really look very old fashioned with their clear plastic insulating sleeves. Somewhere there is a bag with a couple of hundred male and female insulating sleeves in black which I think would look a lot more the part, but in the first place I’ve never actually used them and in the second I can’t actually find them. They were quite hard to track down, though, in the first place and ended up coming from China. Sticking with uninsulated crimps, another option (Fig.3) is to make use of bus bars (all the terminals are connected) and terminal blocks (opposing pairs of terminals are connected) with screw fittings, and use eyelet connectors insulated with a short length of heat-shrink tubing.

Another alternative is to use the older and larger bullet connectors found on British stuff from about the ’50s (I think). These plug into connector sleeves which are available in several configurations; singles for straight connections (Fig.4), double (Fig.5) and triple connectors for

common connections, and a five-way one that keeps each pair of wires separate.

The bullets are available as a bigger version of the Japanese style uninsulated crimp, but also as solid brass original style connectors (Fig.6) which require their own style of crimping tool (Fig.7) at around £25, or can be soldered on.

With the cable and the connectors sorted that just leaves the sleeving for the loom. My usual solution is to use PVC looming tape, which isn’t adhesive but, if it’s applied tightly, tends to grip itself which means that the loom remains flexible. Using heat-shrink tubing turns a wiring loom into a fairly effective cosh which, while it might be ideal for subduing assailants, doesn’t do a lot for the steering or, indeed, for the life of the loom.

Insulating tape isn’t quite as bad because the glue will dissolve and while that ends up looking like a horrible sticky mess, at least it lets the loom flex, but it does look like a horrible sticky mess. Self-amalgamating tape looks a mess too and also lacks flexibility.

In general you only find three different ways of protecting the loom on a motorcycle; it’s either wrapped in PVC looming

FIG.7

SEPTEMBER 2018

85

#3

FIG.8

FIG.9

tape, threaded through PVC sleeving (occasionally the ribbed kind), or inside temperature-resistant braid which is a fibreglass braid coated with a black acrylic resin. I tend to opt for wrapping the loom in PVC looming tape for much the same reason that manufacturers do; it does everything it needs to do without doing anything it shouldn’t do, at a reasonable cost.

That said, it doesn’t look great – it looks acceptable, just not great.

The idea of having a cottonbraided loom such as you’d find on vehicles up until the ’60s or so seems to appeal to quite a lot of people, and I’ve certainly come across more than a few posts asking where you can get the ‘old school’ cottonbraided cable sleeving from. The answer to that is you can’t now… and you never could because those looms weren’t threaded into a braided sleeving – they were fed through a machine that braided them. There are still a few of those around, but they’re usually engaged full time in making batches of replica looms for classic

86

SEPTEMBER 2018

FIG.10

vehicles, and I’ve yet to discover anyone who offers a one-off service to the general public.

Probably the closest commercially available solution is the braided nylon sleeve that’s widely available (see Fig.1), but it doesn’t look right and it tends to be quite abrasive if it’s moving around and so can damage the finish if it’s rubbing on the frame, for instance. It’s a bit see-through and, like all braids, you need to trap the end to stop it fraying (heat-shrink works best), and the heat-resistant fibreglass stuff doesn’t seem to like being flexed very much. On the other hand, while commercially available braided cotton sleeving for wiring doesn’t seem to be available, hollow braided or flat tubular boot laces are (Fig.8). The way to tell if it’s a hollow braided lace, and not a ribbon braided one, is to roll it between your forefinger and thumb – the top face should slide over the bottom one.

Once the ferrules on the end were cut off, then I FIG.11 used some masking tape to keep the cables together in a staggered pattern (Fig.9), and pushed the braid on to the cable (Fig.10) rather than trying to push the cable down the braid. When I had the cable threaded all the way through the braid, I used a short piece of heat-shrink to trap it in place and keep it from fraying (Fig.11). Even with the thinner modern cable the result was definitely reminiscent of the ’60s-style wiring I was aiming for.

The widest tubular braid I can find is 12mm/half-inch wide. I’m pretty sure the stuff I used was 8mm originally, but it did come off my workshop boots that I’ve had for at least eight years, so who knows what size it was to start with. While you’re obviously not going to be able to get enough cable down a boot lace to have a lot of bells and whistles, I imagine that getting eight modern thinwall 16.5amp cables down a 12mm braid ought to be possible. It might be a bit limiting, but with bar end indicators and some planning would let you have everything you might need, and they seem to be made from cotton most of the time so they ought to be amenable to dyeing if all you can find are bright orange 12mm wide sport shoe laces.

FIG.2

FIG.1

IF YOU READ LAST MONTH’S EPISTLE AND NODDED SAGELY THROUGH IT THINKING THAT YOU DO INDEED END UP MAKING A LOT OF BRACKETS, THEN IT’S FAIRLY OBVIOUS THAT WHAT’S NEEDED IS AN EASIER WAY TO MAKE THEM. teel bracketry boils down into two basic variations; tabs which are there to facilitate a bolt hole for something, and what I’m going to call mounts, by which I mean things like engine mounting plates. The difference is that what I mean by a mount is generally cut from steel plate and tends to have more than two holes which aren’t

S

all on a common line (Fig.1). A tab is a simple steel strip with one or more holes along its length (Fig.2).

To make brackets easily is really a matter of investing in the right tools – back when I had access to a guillotine that could cut 3mm steel plate, it was a lot easier to rough a bracket out than it is these days when I only have the ubiquitous Chinese band-saw or the trusty jigsaw to cut the stuff with. As there seems to be more floor space these days, I might have to look into sorting something out that’s a little less effort to use, but that’s for another day. In the meantime though, back to making tabs.

The first thing about tabs is that they aren’t cut from plate; they’re made from steel ‘strap’ so the material is more or less the right shape to start with. I keep it in 25mm x 3mm and 20mm x 3mm sizes (Fig.3), and occasionally remember to get some 25mm x 6mm and 30mm x 6mm. You can buy this stuff from an online metal supplier (B&Q seem to

FIG.5 keep it in stock in metre lengths), but your best bet is to find a local steel stockholder or fabrication company that’ll sell you a selection of six-metre lengths and cut them to a length that’ll fit in your car, van or garage. Steel strap or strip is either bright or black finish, with the black stuff being covered in scale from the milling process. Black strap is cheaper than bright and less inclined to go rusty when it’s hanging around so, for general use, it’s ideal. Turning strap into tabs easily means having a cut-off saw that cuts off squarely, so a handheld angle-grinder isn’t great, and hacksaws get tiring rather quickly.

Stands to convert a hand-held anglegrinder into a chop saw can be had for as little as £20, and I did briefly toy with the idea of making one which

VOL. III, PART IX

words & pics: MR BRIDGES 88

SEPTEMBER 2018

FIG.4

FIG.3

FIG.6

FIG.7

FIG.8

wouldn’t be that hard, but I already have an Evolution Rage4 cut-off saw (Fig.4) which makes short work of the job. These retail for £119 inc VAT, but are often on special offer for around £100 and, as well as the 6mm strap, will happily cut 3mm wall steel tube and box section. As well as a cut-off saw of some description, then you’ll also need a belt sander, a pillar drill, some marking-out calipers and a centre punch.

When I’m making tabs I generally cut off a couple of feet or so of the strap to work with. Taking that and

scribing a line along both sides of it with the calipers, I adjust the calipers until the line is central (Fig.5).

Then I scribe a line across the end and centre-punch so I can drill it (Fig.6).

As I want this one to be as accurate FIG.9 as possible, I use a 3mm drill as a pilot for the 6mm one that I want in the tabs (Fig.7). When I’m happy that I’ve got a central hole, the next thing to do is to take the strap over to the belt sander and, with the sander switched off, adjust the rest so it’s close to the belt, and then place the strap against the belt and mark the rest with the position of the hole (Fig.8). Then I remove the rest, drill the hole and weld a 6mm nut to the bottom of the rest so I can fit a bolt up through the hole. The bolt serves to locate the strap, and I can gently rotate it around the bolt to shape the end of the tab (Fig.9).

SEPTEMBER 2018

89

At this point I cut out a 75mm x 100mm piece of 6mm steel plate on the bandsaw, and drill a 6mm hole in that about 25mm from the edge so I can bolt the strap to it. To save me having to cut some more 6mm plate I took some 10mm square steel I had lying around, and cut two pieces at 63mm long (2½”), and one piece at 45mm long (1¾”) to weld to the base plate as guides, butted them up against the trap to locate them, and welded them in place to make a drilling jig (Fig.10).

With the drilling jig positioned so that the drill bit is aligned with its hole,

FIG.10

FIG.11

FIG.12

mark the length of the next one (Fig.14) to make a pair (Fig.2).

Although it seems like a lot of work, once the drilling jig is made it’s there to be used in the future, and it is surprising how much faster you make progress when the time to make each tab is measured in seconds, rather than minutes. Setting up a stop for the saw, cutting off a batch of 100mm and 150mm lengths of strap, then drilling both ends of the pieces, before sanding them all to shape as a batch is even quicker, and means you can cut the length of tab you want off the prepared pieces. For that kind of series production I think I’d do something about making the rest on the belt sander a lot more rigid, and I’d definitely invest in

FIG.14

FIG.13 I clamp it down to the bed of the pillar drill (Fig.11). The clamping set I have didn’t come with T-nuts that’d fit my pillar drill so I had to make some from suitably sized bright steel bar drilled and tapped to accept some M10 stud bar. Welding up some ‘L’-shaped hold-down clamps from the same 10mm steel bar is relatively easy, with the long part of the ‘L’ having a hole for the stud. Once everything is set up, then I take the strap, cut the end off on the saw, de-burr it on the belt sander, place it in the drilling jig, drill the hole, and then shape the end on the belt sander (Fig.12).

With that done I offer the strap up to the job and mark it for length (Fig.13) before cutting it off on the Rage4 saw. That leaves me with a square cut end to repeat the process with, and then I can use the tab I just made to

90

SEPTEMBER 2018

a split-tip drill bit as ordinary bits can wander off the mark without a centre punch mark to locate them and, as we all know, the more repetitive the task the harder it is to keep your attention level up.

With the job set up, you might even be able to find a willing helper to o actually ll make the tabs. Now, N I just have to repe eat all that and make e a drilling jig for the 20mm strap and then let Paul know what he’s doing on his day off...

NEWS AND REVIEWS! All the latest news and reviews available on any device.

BLOG! Extra articles, features and everything else in between.

SOCIAL! Take a look at our snaps from rallies and shows sho throughout the UK, and get involved with the BSH Facebook group and page.

GO CHECK IT OUT TODAY!

www.backstreetheroes.com w SEPTEMBER 2018

91

THE AIR IN LD HOW POLLUTED WE KEEP BEING TO TION GROUP HAS AC MOTORCYCLE E TH L, EL W OUR IS. IN BRITA ZE AND DISCOVERED PEERED INTO THE HA Y, BUT THE AUTHORITIES DIRT AIR ISN’T ALL THAT RIGHT TO THREATEN YOUR IT , IS ARE STILL USING ER ND VE LA A AIR, SELIN A MURK Y TO RIDE. MAG’S CH UP N EA CL TO G IN FIGHT AND, ON TE BA DE ENVIRONMENTAL OTHER AN ES AT BR LE THE UPSIDE, CE IN KEND BLOCKBUSTING WEE IN RE HE W ME SO A FIELD YORKSHIRE.

I really must open this article by congratulating the hard workers who bring you the Farmyard Party at Duncombe Park, in Yorkshire. Many are volunteers and take annual leave from their paid employment to set the whole thing up, so the rest of us can enjoy a weekend of hedonism. And the organisers got just about everything right, but there are some things even the Farmyard staff can’t control. After a good set-up week of fine weather, when all was going so well, Storm Hector blew through on the Thursday morning, wreaking havoc across the location. Many of the set-up crew, along with traders, were instructed to leave the fields due to concerns over their safety as even the largest structure on site, the Big Top, was in danger of being toppled by the terrible tempest.

Four of the entertainment structures, along with a number of those belonging to traders, were damaged on the events fields, and several of the marshals’ tents have also seen their last use, but we’re good at miracles in MAG. The on-site build-up team pulled together as soon as it was safe to do so and, with a little bit of creative re-jigging, they even had a bar open for those customers arriving on Thursday. These guys did so well that I know many of the party-goers were completely unaware of the events of Thursday morning until Rick Hulse mentioned it on the comedy show on Saturday afternoon. My congratulations to all of those who mucked in with the steely view that the show must go on – the Farmyard ran with seamless precision as far as the majority of those in attendance were concerned. It shows that the folks fronting Farmyard can even outwit the weather!

✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱ Meanwhile, on a political level, another storm has been brewing.

Clean Air Zones and the threat to the petrol engine remain the highest items on our agenda, alongside motorcycle crime. MAG keeps a keen eye on all the things that have the potential to damage our right to enjoy our freedom to ride. Right now, the majority of our effort is on dealing with these larger threats.

Continued pressure by London MAG with the support of Keith Prince, Greater London Assembly Member, has led to London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, agreeing to a meeting, and we’re just sorting out the date for that. As part of our pressure on the politicians, the most recent protest was held outside City Hall when we knew Mr Khan would be in attendance – placards highlighting the number of bikers who’ve died during Mr Khan’s term of office and the lack of investment in infrastructure were displayed. In addition, London MAG recently held a hugely productive meeting in the Ace Cafe with the London ‘Night Czar,’ Amie Lamé. The meeting covered emission charges and crime, which also present a real danger to all riders, especially delivery bikers. This is the start of a longer dialogue, and we consider Amie an ally to riding. Far from being a ‘Night Czar,’ Amie is a shining light in the capital’s political structures, and her ability to grasp commonsense arguments is a big asset in our ability to progress with a meaningful dialogue there.

We continue to highlight good practice in regard to secure motorcycle parking, a simple yet relatively effective and lowcost way to deter thieves. As riders, we need to know where

92

SEPTEMBER 2018

secure parking is in order to use it. We also know where we’d rather not park. If secure parking is important to you, then engage with your council and ask for it where you live, work or shop. Should you want further information to assist you then get in touch with MAG’s Central Office (central-office@ mag-uk.org). Our Political Unit is very happy to support you.

✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱ If you like motorcycle sport, then here’s something else to get angry about. Ever heard of the ‘VNUK’ ruling? In very simple terms it can be interpreted like this: all vehicles need to be insured to take part in any activity, in the same way that vehicles used on the road must be insured. The European Union people said they’d fix the problem, but now, they’ve done a U-turn and, basically, said ‘tough luck’. We’ve previously had verbal agreement from UK ministers that the UK would not introduce such measures.

Recently the VNUK ruling hit the headlines again because of this betrayal in Brussels. We’re therefore asking everyone to get in touch with your MP and seek their views. If VNUK were introduced, then every vehicle taking part in non-highway racing would require full road-legal insurance – including road racing. That could signal the end of motosport (and car racing) in the UK and across Europe. It’s hard to believe that at a time when the EU should be trying to make friends, it seems hellbent on finding new groups of people to annoy.

✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱ Politicians may be looking to take a summer break. We, however, will remain vigilant while putting on events to raise funds to keep up our hard work protecting biking. We are also busy planning our Annual Group Conference which this year will take place in Wales.

All members are invited to attend to hear what we’ve been up to over the past 12 months and help us plan for the next 12 months.

✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱✱ Do visit a MAG stand whenever you see one – and engage with the volunteers there. Help the people who help you – sign up to be a member for a year for £27. We need as many members as possible.

Remember, we’re already representing you if you ride – and much of the time we’re the last line of defence between you and restrictive legislation. We’d be delighted to get your ideas on how we can campaign for your interests. The very best way to protect your rights is by joining MAG. There’s a storm coming and as we proved at Farmyard, riding the storm is what we do.

Ride free SELINA LAVENDER

Chair, Motorcycle Action Group (MAG)

CONTACT MAG AT CENTRALOFFICE@MAGUK.ORG OR CALL 01926 844 064 TO JOIN YOU CAN CONTACT CENTRAL OFFICE, VISIT OUR WEBSITE (WWW.MAG UK.ORG - CLICK ON ‘JOIN MAG’) OR SIGN UP AT A LOCAL MEETING OR MAG STAND.

FIND MEETINGS CLOSE TO YOU OR EVENTS, BY VISITING OUR WEBSITE / FACEBOOK PAGES.

Mill View March Cambridgeshire PE15 8SY

INDIAN SCOUT BOBBER and SCOUT SIXTY From £8995 OTR

Full Range Of Indian Motorcycles In Stock www.freedom-motorcycles.co.uk

freedom-motorcycles@hotmail.co.uk SEPTEMBER 2018

93

PART 2

Sat nav the old-school way…

LAST MONTH I MENTIONED THAT, SO FAR, I’D ONLY RIDDEN THE BOBBER ON DAY TRIPS WITH NO MORE LUGGAGE THAN A CAMERA BAG STRAPPED TO MY BACK. WORDS & PICS: DAVE MANNING

Life would’ve been rather more awkward without the mirrors.

big stuff was going to have to go at the front, across the forks and above the headlight.

Fortunately, the headlight shroud’s made from thick aluminium, so it can take some weight. Taking weight is only one part of carrying luggage though, as there needs to be some way of ensuring that it doesn’t fall off, and in this case it means that there needs to be points at which (yet more) bungee hooks can be used. As you can see from the pics, I did manage to find a couple of obscure places to hook a bungee to (the mirror stalks and the underneath of the headlamp shroud), but the end result was something of a spider’s webtangle of bungees, and it did take a couple of readjustment stops to prevent the tent bag (with roll mat and waterproofs inside) from moving up the headlamp shroud as speed rose.

The other effect was that the increase in steered mass made the ’bars shimmy a touch more than usual when hitting bumps or ripples at speed, especially when leant over. This was a little disconcerting at first, but it was really only at the higher end of legal speeds, so it wasn’t too bad.

Of course, if you were going to use

I have to admit to some uncertainty about this arrangement!

was due to go to the Farmyard Party, though, and had a tent, doss roll and spare clothes to fit on the bike… somehow. This turned out to be something of an ‘adventure with bungees’, and not an easy one.

While the bars that hold the number plate in position look ideal for bolting luggage to, not only is it nigh on impossible to fit bungee hooks over the rails, but the gap in the middle’d mean that the rear tyre’d be wearing holes in the luggage, so anything behind the rider has to go on top of the mudguard.

I did manage to get a small tail-pack to sit securely on top of the ’guard, with a wobbly sleeping bag perched precariously on top, but it was only after some frustrating efforts trying to find

I

94

SEPTEMBER 2018

suitable bungee points that I finally ended up with a couple of bungees hooked on to the number plate frame and the other ends hooked around the upper shock mounts, with an additional bungee wrapped around to pull everything taut.

This wasn’t ideal and there was only enough room on the shock mounts to squeeze on two hooks, so a third had to be hooked around one of those already attached, although this could be easily resolved with a couple of brackets bolted on to the shock mounts, I guess. You’d still have the issues of fitting hooks over the number plate rails, though, and if you were to get rid of the number plate frame for aesthetic reasons and fit a sidemount plate, then you’d only have the indicator stalks to use, and they’re too thick to take a bungee hook. And as they’re flexible it’d pull the indicators out of position… It was clear that the

With the service out of the way and the weather becoming increasingly Mediterranean, the miles started to clock up, not just through commuting, but more through feature bike shoots across the east and west Midlands, the north west and into Fen country, and it now sits at 2200 miles. Having become rather tired of dragging the foot-pegs everywhere (as well as, more seriously, the lower exhaust can, the downpipe for the front pot and the side-stand), I decided to wind in some more preload on the rear shocks. Now, while preload doesn’t actually change the length of the shock, increasing it will mean

that the weight at which it starts to sag’ll be higher, so I wound in an extra 20mm in the vain hope that it’d make a difference. And do you know what, it actually did make a difference! While the ride is marginally harsher at the rear, the ground clearance is noticeably better, and on the first ride it took a full 50 miles before I touched a ’peg down, rather than the usual 200 yards…

It now looks like the foot-pegs may last at least as long as the rear tyre, but the subsequent increase in rigidity at the rear end’s also come at a price. It seems that the riding position of the Bobber, for my 5ft 10in frame at least, not only causes some numbness and discomfort at about the 50-mile mark (as I mentioned a couple of issues ago), but with increased preload there’s even less cossetting of the coccyx. For me, a bruised tailbone after a full day’s riding means a day or two of taking rather more care when sitting down, and having done a full three days in a row aboard the Scout, next month’s instalment could be written from atop a large, soft and fluffy inflatable cushion…

Steve Cain, Indian Motorcycle UK (www. indianmotorcycle.co.uk), and Freedom Motorcycles.

your Bobber for a lot of touring and/ or rallygoing, then you could always fit the official Indian luggage rack or pillion seat, available from your local Indian dealer. I may just make up a pair of tags to go on the shock mounts and investigate the possibility of adding some tags underneath the rear indicators too.

The day after the Farmyard, the Bobber was booked in for its first service at Freedom Motorcycles (www. freedom-motorcycles.co.uk) in March, near Peterborough. The Indian service schedule dictates that the first service is due at 500 miles, but when I arrived in March, the Bobber had covered 1200 miles. Ahem. The first service amounts to an oil ‘n’ filter change, a check of other fluids and of tyre pressures, and the plugging-in of a magical black box to see if it throws up any fault codes.

It didn’t. Not even a ‘ridden by a tit’ code… thankfully.

As I said, an adventure with bungees…

Freedom Motorcycles have an expansive selection of new Indians for sale, including a Bobber that has the Americanspec sidemount ’plate : An appropriately named hamlet in north Cambridgeshire…

SEPTEMBER 2018

95

ADVERTISE YOUR EVENTS HERE FOR FREE AND GET THEM SEEN BY EVERYONE IN BIKERDOM! EMAIL THE INFO TO NIK@BACKSTREETHEROES.COM

EVENTS

413

AUGUST

2-5th Aug: Bridge Rat MCC’s Rat Pack Rally at Heath Rugby Club, Stainland Road, Greetland, Halifax. Tickets £18 prebook or £20 on gate. More info from 07599 514178 or www. bridgerats.com

5th Aug: Suzuki Sunday at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com

3-5th Aug: White Tigers MCC’s All Night Pussy Rally at Bristol Barbarians RUFC, Norton Lane, Bristol. Tickets £12. More info from Facebook.

5th Aug: ’Normous Newark Autojumble at the Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. More info from www. newarkautojumble.co.uk

3-5th Aug: BATS MCC’s In The Belfry Rally at South Wingfield Social Club, South Wingfield, Alfreton, Derbys. Tickets £9.

More info from 07790 184163 or Facebook.

5th Aug: Associated Sheppey Bikers’ Big B Charity Fund Raiser at Layzells Tavern Club, The Broadway, Minster on Sea, Sheerness, Kent. Tickets £5. More info from Facebook,

3-5th Aug: Black Shuck MCC’s Scratchin’ At The Door Rally at Hadleigh Rugby Club, Layham Road, Hadleigh, Ipswich, Suffolk.

More info from Facebook.

5th Aug: East Coast Harley Club’s Custom Show at the George & Dragon, Thurton, Norfolk. Tickets £2. More info from Facebook.

3-5th Aug: English Rose Sisterhood’s Party with the Roses at the Hook and Hatchet, Church Rd, Hucking, Maidstone, Kent. Tickets £5.

More info from flotsom-jetsom2@ sky.com or Facebook.

4th Aug: Forsaken Guardians MCC’s Charity Pub Darts Ride from K&S Motors, Westbury

Industrial Estate, Station Road, Westbury, Wilts at 11am. Tickets £10. More info from Facebook.

4th Aug: Rebel Brotherhood’s Custom Show at the Nag’s Head, Warren Hill Road, Coalville, Leics. Tickets £5. More info from Facebook.

4th Aug: Stentorian’s Bike Show at the Kings Arms, St James Street, Okehampton, Devon.

More info from Facebook.

4th Aug: TOMCC West Sussex’s Custom & Classic Bike Show at the Plough Inn, Leechpond Hill, Lower Beeding, Horsham, W. Sussex. Tickets £5. More info from 01903 905311 or Facebook.

4th Aug: Lynx MCC’s Custom Show at 59 Bridge Street, Wednesbury, Staffs. Tickets £1.

96

4-5th Aug: Festival of Wheels at Trinity Park, Ipswich, Suffolk. More info from www. motorshowevents.com

5th Aug: Barrel Bikers MCC’s Custom Show at the Cruik Barn, Milton Keynes. More info from www.barrelbikers.co.uk

3-5th Aug: The Hook Up Chopper Show at Great House Farm, Llansoy, Usk, South Wales. More info from www.the-hook-up.co.uk

3-5th Aug: Eye of Ra MCC’s One in the Eye Rally at Hafodyrynys Rugby Club, Crumlin, Newport, Gwent, S. Wales. Tickets £15. More info from 07964 977137 or www. eyeoframcc.com

4-5th Aug: Llangollen Motorcycle Festival/ LlanBikeFest at the Royal International Pavilion, Abbey Road, Llangollen. Tickets £12.

More info from 07960 693398 or www.llanbikefest.co.uk

4-5th Aug: Yamaha Weekend at Ryka’s Café, Old London Road, Box Hill, Mickleham, Dorking, Surrey. More info from www. rykas.co.uk

3-5th Aug: Yorkshire MAG’s Yorkshire Pudding Rally. More info from www.mapevents.co.uk

3-5th Aug: Drunken Monkey Rock Festival at Uptonupon-Severn, Worcs. Tickets £45 weekend or £20 single day. More info from www. drunkenmonkeyrockfest.co.uk

More info from Facebook.

SEPTEMBER 2018

5th Aug: Road2Recovery Charity Rideout from Eye Kettleby Lakes, Eye Kettleby, Melton Mowbray, Leics. Tickets £5. More info from www. claireschallenge.co.uk 9-12th Aug: Yorkshire Rock & Bike Show at Squires Cafe Bar, Newthorpe, Sherburn-in-Elmet, Yorks. Tickets £30. More info from www.yorkshirerocknbikeshow.co.uk 10-12th Aug: Oddballs MCC’s Oddballs Rally at Abingdon Rugby Club, Lambrick Way, Abingdon, Oxon. Tickets £20. More info from oddballs.rally@aol.com 10-12th Aug: Purbeck Rally. More info from www.purbeckrally.com 10-12th Aug: BOB RC’s BOB Party at Kenley RAFA, Portcullis House, Kenley Aerodrome, Kenley, Surrey. Tickets £17. More info from Facebook.

10-12th Aug: VOSA Rejects’ Rally at Walton Sports & Social Club, Shay Lane, Wakefield, Yorks. Tickets £20. More info from Facebook.

17-19th Aug: The Trip Out at Debach Airfield, Sandy Lane, Clopton, Woodbridge, Suffolk.

More info from Facebook.

10-12th Aug: Fairly Wide Engined (FWE) MCC’s Fairly Well Endowed Rally at Crow Edge Community Centre, A616 Sheffield Road, Crow Edge, Holmfirth, Yorks. Tickets £15.

More info from 07980 870031 or klamb@talktalk.net

17-19th Aug: Gothic Bikers’ Rise from the Ashes Rally at the Three Lions, Netherfield Lane, Mansfield, Notts. More info from hilljoanne2009@live.co.uk or Facebook.

10-12th Aug: Funder in the Fens at the Barn Craft Village, A1101/ A17 junction, Long Sutton, Lincs.

Tickets £10. More info from 07800 539424 or Facebook.

11th Aug: Nailers MCC’s Custom Show at the Nags Head, High Pavement, Belper, Derbys. Tickets £3. More info from 07773 481208 or Facebook.

12th Aug: Brackley Festival of Motorcycling in Brackley, Northants.

More info from www.brackleyfestival ofmotorcycling.co.uk 12th Aug: VMCC & Classic Bike Day at the Ace Cafe, London.

More info from www.london. acecafe.com 12th Aug: Classics in the Park at Raby Castle, near Staindrop, County Durham. Tickets £7.50 adults, £2.50 children. More info from 016974 51882 or www. markwoodwardclassicevents.com 17-19th Aug: Silsden Sewer Rats’ Bike & Trike Rally at Keighley RUFC, Skipton Rd, Utley, Yorks. Tickets £18. More info from sewerrats@hotmail.co.uk or Facebook.

17-19th Aug: Worcester Rally & Custom Show at the Coney Green Showground, Coney Green Farm, Ribbesford Road, Stourport-on-Severn, Worcs.

More info from 07743 135858.

17-19th Aug: Greedy Pigs MCC’s Another Piggin’ Rally at Stoke Rugby Club, Hartwell Lane, Baralston, Staffs. Tickets £15.

More info from 07952 325843 or www.greedypigsmcc.co.uk

17-19th Aug: Renegade MC’s Redskin Rally at Frog Farm, Susan’s Lane, Upchurch, Kent. Tickets £15. More info from 07872 346707 or skully@ renegademc.com 17-19th Aug: Radar’s Big Horn Rally at Hilcote Country Club, Hilcote Lane, Alfreton, Derbys.

Tickets £15. More info from 07852 122404.

17-19th Aug: Jacobite MCC’s Rebellion Rally at Nairn, Scotland. Tickets £25. More info from 07727 239350 or Facebook.

17-19th Aug: Tatcon Tattoo Convention at the Norbreck Castle Hotel, Promenade, Blackpool, Lancs. More info from www.tatconblackpool.co.uk 18th Aug: Bristol Bike Show at St Nicholas Market, Corn Street, Bristol. Free entry. More info from 07906 877325 or Facebook.

18th Aug: Tigers MCC’s Summer Party at the Eternit Sports & Social Club, Whaddon Road, Meldreth, Cambs. Free entry.

More info from www.tigermcc. org.uk or Facebook.

18th Aug: Northants Custom & Classic Bike Show at the Bell Inn, High Street, Little Addington, Kettering, Northants. More info from Facebook.

18th Aug: Royal British Legion Industries’ Village Mayhem at the Royal British Legion Village, Aylesford, Kent. More info from Facebook.

18th Aug: 81 Wessex MC’s Poker Run from Reading HarleyDavidson, Wokingham Road, Reading, Berks at 11am. Tickets

£10. More info from Facebook.

18-19th Aug: Suffolk Motor Show at Eriswell Hall Barns, Eriswell, Suffolk. More info from Facebook.

18-19th Aug: Notts Custom Show at Newark Rugby Club, Kelham Road, Newark, Notts.

Tickets £5. More info from 07852 172850 or Facebook.

19th Aug: Kenley Autojumble at The Portcullis Club, Kenley Airfield, Caterham, Surrey. More info from Facebook.

19th Aug: UK Monster Truck Nationals at Santa Pod, Beds.

Prebook tickets only. More info from www.monstertrucknationals.co.uk 19th Aug: Ladies Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 19th Aug: Smiley Monkeys’ Custom Show at Smiley Monkey Custom Cycles, Ash Farm, Thorpe Road, Weeley, Essex.

More info from 07928 663841 or Facebook.

24-26th Aug: Tees Riders MCC’s Rusty Nuts Rally at Tunstall Riding Centre, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough. Tickets £20.

More info from 01642 647568 or www.teesriders.com 24-26th Aug: Ogri MCC’s 40th Ogri Rally at the Clubhouse, Kemble Airfield, near Cirencester, Gloucs. Tickets £26. More info from www.ogrimcc.org 24-26th Aug: Wolfpack MCC’s Yeknod Rally at Island Farm Donkey Sanctuary, Old Didcot Road, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Wallingford, Oxon. Tickets £15.

More info from 07713 481138 or Facebook.

24-26th Aug: Boothill MCC’s Tombstone Rally at the Harbour Inn, Annalong, Norn Iron. Tickets £12 including badge. More info from Boothill.mcc@yahoo.com 24-27th Aug: Thunder in the Glens at Aviemore, Scotland.

More info from Facebook.

24-27th Aug: Hinckley Triumph Owners’ Club’s Region 1 Weekender at The Plough, Lower Beeding, Horsham, West Sussex.

More info from www.htoc.co.uk 24-27th Aug: No Bull Just Beer & Bikes from Penmaenau Farm, Builth Wells. Tickets £25.

More info from 07500 850663 or wwwnobullbeerandbikes.co.uk 24-27th Aug: Brothers Over The Hill MCC’s Dwent & Did It Rally at the Square & Compass, Darley Dale, Derbys. More info from 07462 587962 or judymdennis@aol.com 24-27th Aug: Nedwood Music Festival at Turnpost Farm, Wymeswold, Loughborough, Leics. Free entry for custom bikes/ scooters/trikes (contact organiser to prebook). More info from www. nedwood.co.uk or Facebook.

25-26th Aug: TAG Speed Motorcycle Show at Lockwood Park, Huddersfield, W Yorks. More from www. tagspeedmotorcycleshow.co.uk 25-26th Aug: Great Northern Car & Bike Fest at the Tanfield Railway, Old Marley Hill, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear. Tickets

SEPTEMBER AUGUST2018 2018

97 97 7

RICK NICHOLS

TEL: 01507 529357 OR EMAIL: RNICHOLS@MORTONS.CO.UK

EVENTS £30, days £15. More info from 07427 662467 or Facebook.

25-28th Aug: Avernus MCC’s Underworld Rally at Hamilton House Farm, Tarnacre Lane, St Michaels-on-Wyre, Lancs.

Tickets £20. More info from www. avernusmcc.co.uk 26th Aug: Harley Day with Warr’s at the Ace Cafe, London.

More info from www.london. acecafe.com 26th Aug: Two Wheels Only MCC’s Bike Show at the Lamb, Willaston, Cheshire. More info from 07849 837498 or Facebook.

26th Aug: P&D Customs’ Custom Bike Show at Slinfold Cricket Club, Lyons Road, Slinfold, W. Sussex. More info from 01403 791038.

413

31st Aug-2nd Sept: Carole Nash Netley Marsh Eurojumble at Meadowmead Farm, Ringwood Rd, Netley Marsh, Hants. More info from www.classicbikeshows.com 31st Aug-2nd Sept: Salutation MCC’s Wakinyan Rally at Birch Coppice Social Welfare Club, Watling Street, Dordon, near Tamworth, Staffs. Tickets £20.

More info from 07966 540962 or www.salutationmcc.com 31st Aug-2nd Sept: Stormin’ The Castle at Witton Castle, Witton-le-Wear, Co Durham.

More info from www. storminthecastle.co.uk

31st Aug-2nd Sept: Twisted Iron – The Happening at Mill Lane, Chalgrove, Oxon. More info from www.twistediron.co.uk/thehappening

27th Aug: Kent Chrome & Cruisers Vehicle Show & Autojumble at the Abbey School, Faversham, Kent. Tickets £5.

More info from 07903 339466 or maggsian@hotmail.com

31st Aug-2nd Sept: Wozwolf NRC’s Wozwolf Rally at a dedicated site near Matlock, Derbys. Tickets £20 prebook only.

More info from www.wozwolf.co.uk

27th Aug: Harley-Davidson Heaven at Revved Up, Waltonon-the-Naze, Essex. More info from Facebook.

31st Aug-2nd Sept: HAMC Kent’s Family Yard Party at Angel Farm, Off Ropers Lane, Hoo, Kent. More info from www. hellsangelsmckent.com

27th Aug: Fenman Classic Bike Show at Wimbotsham, Downham Market, Norfolk. More info from www.fenmanclassic.co.uk 29th Aug: NCC Leics’ Hot Rod & Chopper Night at the Bulls Head, A47, Leics. More info from 07436 114059 or Facebook.

31st Aug-2nd Sept: Kustom Kulture Blastoff at the Lincoln County Showground, A15, Lincoln. More info from Facebook.

31st Aug-2nd Sept: Wobbly Goolies’ Summer Wind-Down Party at the Breighton Ferry, Breighton, Selby, Yorks. Tickets £15 on gate. More info from 07732 767376 or Facebook.

31st Aug-2nd Sept: Kavern MCC’s Sulking Party at Trysull Holloway, Trysull, Wolverhampton. Tickets £15 on gate. More info from 07342 784605 or frankx913@outlook. com

SEPTEMBER 1 S 1st Sept: Wh Wheelie li Clean Cl at Ryka’s Café, Old London Road, Box Hill, Mickleham, Dorking, Surrey. More info from www. rykas.co.uk 1-2nd Sept: CMCC’s Harp Rally at the Star Inn, Valleymount, Co Wicklow, Eire. More info from Facebook.

2nd Sept: VJMC Bike Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 2nd Sept: West Yorks Bone Yard Bike & Scooter Show at Overland Park, Gildersome, Leeds, Yorks. Tickets £3. More info from Facebook.

2nd Sept: Dawlish Bike & Trike Show at The Lawn, Dawlish, Devon. Tickets £3. More info from Facebook.

6-9th Sept: European Finals at Santa Pod, Beds. More info from www.santapod.com 7th Sept: Ace Cafe Reunion Weekend & Continental Run Ride-In & Party at 6pm at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com

998 98

SEPTEMBER AUGUST 20182018

7-9th Sept: Dangermouse Rally Club’s Dangermouse Rally at the Wedgwood Sports Ground, Wedgwood Road, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs. Tickets £15 prebook or £18 on gate. More info from 07735 958566 or www. dmrallyclub.co.uk 7-9th Sept: Robbers Dogs’ Growler Rally at Manor Farm, Newtown Lane, Gatesheath, Tattenhall, Cheshire. Tickets £10 prebook (first 50 free rally badge).

More info from 07961 047093 or Facebook.

7-9th Sept: Tiger MCC’s Soggy Moggy Rally at Wood Green Animal Shelter, Godmanchester, near Huntingdon, Cambs. Tickets £20. More info from www. tigermcc.org.uk or Facebook.

8th Sept: Ace Cafe Reunion Weekend Party & London RideOut at the Ace Cafe, London.

More info fromwww.london. acecafe.com 8th Sept: Race The Waves at Bridlington Beach, Bridlington, Yorks. More info from 07718 420630 or Facebook.

8-9th Sept: Oily Rag Co’s Festival of Bikes at Cheltenham

Town Hall, Imperial Square, Cheltenham, Gloucs. More info from www.thecustomshow.com 9th Sept: Brighton Burn Up at 10am from the Ace Cafe, London.

More info from www.london. acecafe.com 9th Sept: Dover Transport Museum’s Motorcycle Raffle Draw at the Dover Transport Museum, Willingdon Road, Whitfield, Dover, Kent. More info from 01304 822409 or www. dovertransportmuseum.org.uk 9th Sept: NCC Beds’ Chops & Props at the Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden Aerodrome, Biggleswade, Beds.

Free entry. More info from Facebook.

13-16th Sept: Rejects Brotherhood’s Drink, Drop & Doss Rally at a site near Elham, Kent. More info from www. rejectsbrotherhood.co.uk 14-16th Sept: Motorbike Women South Rally at the Lower Lode Inn, Forthampton, Gloucs.

Tickets £25 prebook, women only. More info from www. motorbikewomen.com 14-16th Sept: Jesters MCC’s Cum n’ Dribble int’ Ribble at Whittingham & Goosnargh Social Club, Whittingham, Preston, Lancs.

Tickets £12 prebook or £15 on gate. More info from 07971 530190 or www.jestersmcc.org.uk 14-16th Sept: Hybrids Rally Part Deux at Colsterworth Sports Club, Old Post Lane, Colsterworth, Grantham, Lincs.

Tickets £20 prebook or £25 on gate. More info from 07535 962116 or Facebook.

14-16th Sept: Leeds Custom & Classic Bike Show at the New Inn, Eccup, Leeds. Tickets £20 prebook or £25 on gate or £10 Sat only prebook or £15 on gate.

More info from Facebook.

14-16th Sept: Free Riders MC’s Party at the Free Riders

Little Saloon, Hoornstraat 45, Moerkerke, 8340 St Rita, Belgium.

More info from www.freeridersmc. be or Facebook.

14-16th Sept: Ribcrackers MCC’s Return To The Sun Rally at the Old Station Cafe, Pontefract Road, Snaith, Yorks. Tickets £12 prebook or £15 on gate. More info from 07738 266211 or Facebook.

15th Sept: Royal Oak Rejects RC’s Trike & Bike Show at the Dudley Arms, A449, Wolverhampton Road, Himley, Dudley, West Mids.

Tickets £1. More info from lornata@ hotmail.com 15th Sept: Kempton Park Motorcycle Autojumbles Kempton Park, Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex. More info from www. kemptonparkautojumble.co.uk 15-16th Sept: Hot Rod Drags at Santa Pod, Beds. More info from www.santapod.com 16th Sept: Blue-Haze Day & Fantic & Fizzy Frenzy & 2-Strokes at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www. london.acecafe.com 16th Sept: Romney Marsh Classic Bikejumble & Ride-In Show at Hamstreet, near Ashford, Kent. More info from www. elkpromotions.co.uk 16th Sept: Portsmouth MAG’s Bike, Trike & Scooter Show at Port Solent Marina, Port Solent, Portsmouth, Hants. More info from Facebook.

16th Sept: Zero Motorcycles Day at Ryka’s Café, Old London Road, Box Hill, Mickleham, Dorking, Surrey. More info from www.rykas.co.uk 21-23rd Sept: Cernunnos MCC’s Mabon Rally. Tickets £10 prebook. More info from www. cernunnos-mcc.org/mabon-rally 21-23rd Sept: Apocalypticus Road to Ruin. More info from www.apocalypticus.com

21-23rd Sept: Dubs of Anarchy VW & Bike Show at Ashdown Farm, Badsey Road, Evesham, Worcs. Tickets £25 prebook or £30 on gate. More info from www. dubsofanarchy.co.uk 21-23rd Sept: Dambusters MCC’s Grasslanding Rally at Golcar Cricket Club, Swallow Lane, Golcar, Huddersfield, Yorks.

Tickets £15 prebook or £18 on gate. More info from 07899 996561 or 07775 885591 or stevechoudury58@hotmail.co.uk 21-23rd Sept: Yer Tiz Rally at Newton St Cyres Recreational Ground, Station Road, Newton St Cyres, Devon. Tickets £15 prebook or £20 on gate. More info from 07790 277340 or www. yertizbikerally.co.uk 21-23rd Sept: Doggs Bollocks MCC’s Doggs Weekend at Stoke Green Cricket Club, Stoke Green, Stoke Poges, Bucks. Tickets £15.

More info from Facebook.

22nd Sept: Herts Bikers’ Charity Evening at Arlesey Social Club, High Street, Arlesey, Beds. Tickets £4 prebook. More info from 07543 524146 or Facebook.

23rd Sept: Bike Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 23rd Sept: ’Normous Newark Autojumble at the Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. More info from www. newarkautojumble.co.uk

28-30th Sept: Mobile Chaos MCC’s Kamikaze Cave Run at the Silver Sapling Campsite, Park Road, Silverdale, Lancs. Tickets £18 prebook or £22 on gate.

More info from 07908 426606 or www.mobilechaosmcc.co.uk 28-30th Sept: MAG AGC at Borth Community Hall, High Street, Borth, Ceredigion, Wales.

More info from 07773 718444 or Facebook.

28-30th Sept: Trike Riders UK’s Bugs, Bikes & Trikes at the Old Station Cafe, Pontefract Road, Snaith, Yorks. Tickets £10. More info from Facebook.

30th Sept: 59 Club Day & BSA Bantam Meet at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www. london.acecafe.com 30th Sept: Huddersfield Auto/Retro Jumble at the Old Market Building, Brook Street, Huddersfield, Yorks. More info from 01773 819154 or www. phoenixfairs.jimdo.com 30th Sept: Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride from various sites around the country. More info from www.gentlemansride.com 30th Sept: Sand & Motorcycles at Pages Park, Billington Road, Leighton Buzzard, Beds. Free entry. y More info from Facebook.

OCTOBER

23rd Sept: Churchill Arms Autumn Bike Jumble at the Churchill Arms, Daggons Road, Alderholt, Hants. More info from www.churchillpub.co.uk 26th Sept: NCC Leics’ Hot Rod & Chopper Night at the Bulls Head, A47, Leics. More info from 07436 114059 or Facebook.

28-30th Sept: Oddballs MCC’s Summer Balls Up at Sleap, Harmer Hill, near Wem, Shrops.

Tickets £12 prebook or £15 on gate. More info from www. oddballsmcc.com or Facebook.

5-7th Oct: BITM’s Bumtoberfest at Essex Outdoors, Rewshall Lane, East Mersea, near Colchester, Essex.

Tickets £20 prebook or £25 on gate. More info from www. buminthemud.co.uk 5-7th Oct: Six Town Chopper Show at China Halls, Old Spode Works, Kingsway, Stoke-onTrent, Staffs. More info from www.sixtownchoppershow.co.uk 5-7th Oct: Barrel Bikers MCC’s GPO Rally. Tickets £20.

More info from 07554 447225 or www.barrelbikers.co.uk

STICKNEY AUTO JUMBLE Sunday 16th September & 14th October From 8am

FREE CUSTOMER PARKING & ENTRY

TEL: 01205 480274 POST CODE PE22 8AG

(ON STICKNEY CAR BOOT FIELD) SEPTEMBER AUGUST 2018

99 9

JOHN CC FROM NN ’S LONDO Y HARLE

PHIL ’S KNAPTONFE GT750 CA RACER

CH NC RIS C F BA KE RO ND NT M IT ’S

NES’ ANDY JO D’ ‘LIL’ RE R SPORTSTE

100

AUGUST 2018

The first th been held, th ree rounds of the BSH C ustom Bike C e firs hampionship at the begin t at the very excellent B hav ning of May, M the second at AD Paignton Bike Fest e Farmyard Par ival Yo ty rk , and the shire MAG’s Day at the A renowned ce Cafe Lond third at NCC London’s amazing Dia on, and the mond first 15 winn You saw the ers’ve been Farmyard w p ic ked! inners last is sue, and at D the trophies ia mond Day went to the These will al bikes shown l go forward here. into th will be able to vote on n e main competition, wh ich you ex t issue, wh ere they’ by the winne rs of the rem ll be joined aining round By the time .

you re will’ve been h ad this, the last round Custom Sho eld at the Rock & Blues w at P on 26-29th J entrich in Derbyshire those winners uly, and we’ll show you next been in the s issue. They’ll have ame five cate gories:

DA VE R CU ATTI OGE STO TUD RS’ SPO MS E RTS -BUI TER LT

BEST CUSTOM CHOPPER (CAFE RACER , S REET BEST CUSTO M SCRAMBLER, ETT C.) BEST NEW BEST PAINT SKOOL BEST ENGIN EERING

The winners from the vario us heats go in thingy for yo to a two-issu u lot to vote e on, and then winners, as ch the five catego osen by you, ry will go on to the most excl be the stars of usive custom BSH Custom bike show in Xtreme stand the land on th e at Motorcycl in Birmingham e Live at the (17-25th Nov NEC ember) where presentation and awards an there will be a d prizes an’ th So, next issue at. we’ll show yo be able to vo u all the winne te for your fa rs , an d yo u’ll vourites via th e BSH website at www.backstr eetheroes.co m

Good luck to everyone wh ose

bike’s in the competition!

APRIL 2017

101

Sue had a big off on her VFR coming back from the Soggy Moggy rally and wasn’t able to ride it, so her other half Paul got a tired old trike, stripped it and chopped and changed it. This was her just after her maiden voyage – perfect reaction!

Just like grandad’s! Oliver Rees and his lil’ Harley and Gareth Rees wi’ his slightly larger one…

Roo (on the front) and Scarlett (on the back) on their dad’s Fat Boy. Little rascals try to get on it every time they can!

Great pic by Cookie from the Brothers of the Third Wheel on the Cambridge Toy Run last year.

102

SEPTEMBER 2018

SEND PICS OF YOUR BIKE, YOUR LADY, YOUR BLOKE (BUT NOT YOUR DINNER, THIS ISN’T FACEBOOK) TO NIK@BACK STREETHEROES.COM

Jamie Moulson and the first bike he ever blew up – August ’97, clutch basket exploded going from second to third, big hole in casing, lots of oil on the road... doh!

Harri Jones’ Springer Custom was built over a number of years and is now a real head-turner.

Ria trying out hub’s Honda Fury – suits you, Mrs!

Graham from Cambridge did this lovely work on a modified 1800 Intruder tank in his tea-break!

Chloe Thomas and her RS50 Aprilia – are we taking bets that she’ll be moving up to a bigger bike very soon?

Paul’s Suzuki Savage 650 bobber – minimal and sexy, as a bobber should be.

SEPTEMBER 2018

103

Andy Burgess’ Suzuki chop – nearly finished!

LEFT: Adam Lewis painted this very cool stunt bike for one of the riders in the Scottish Stunt Champs – properly in yer face!

Dean’s 2014 Harley 48 – Firestone tyres, airbrush paint job, loads of homemade brass bits, engine casing cut to look more like engine/separate ’box, engraved casings, springer seat, cut-down rear end, leather headlight cover, 12” apes, and loads more too!

Martin’s ’48 – you may need to turn down the brightness on your eyes!

Groovy pic of Rhys’ and his old man (Big Bird)’s bikes taken on a ride-out around the Brecon Beacons last year. Rhys’ bike is the Shadow 600 and Big Bird’s is the Jinlun 125, known as ‘The Eastern Promise’.

104

SEPTEMBER 2018

SEND PICS TO NIK@ BACKSTREETHEROES.COM

Trace at last year’s International Harley rally, she looks pleased to be there! Pic by Shaun.

Musso built this Monkeybike trike – how cool is that?!?

Buddel shot this pic in 2007, built by TRS CLASSICBIKES in south-west Germany. Stunning!

K. Allen spotted this on a trip to Tenby, bit biased towards one marque he thought...

Fonzy’s son, Jax, is always the first to get hold of their copy of BSH. He’s gonna be a nightmare when he turns three!

SEPTEMBER 2018

105

SELL YOUR BIKE FOR

FREE WITH BSH  UPLOAD YOUR ADS TO WWW.BACKSTREETHEROES.COM/ADS

AND THEY’LL APPEAR BOTH IN THE MAG AND ON OUR WEBSITE

HONDA VT600: ’98, 13k, found in barn, refreshed for road, re-chromed forks, new battery/tyre, MoT, ridden for last three years, now surplus to requirements, oily rag condition, suit new rider, ride/restore £1,200 ono. Tel 01625 576013 (Macclesfield).

H-D SPORTSTER BOBBER: : 2005 XL883L, 1200 big bore, SE cams, Spirit Force high flow intake, Mikuni HSR42 carb, Demon Cycles springers, Daymaker copy Headlight, Daytona digital dash in brass surround, wide ’bars, bar end indicators, modified Street Bob tank, one-off straight thru’ ’pipes, Darkstar Leatherworks bobber seat, Lowbrow Customs rear ’guard, Avon SM 16” front/rear tyres, heavyduty progressive shocks, militaryinspired metallic brown paint, 9k miles £8,500 ono. Tel 07891 533014 (Northants).

ONE-OFF HONDA CHOPPER: Built in America, one-off frame/forks, 300 back tyre, Honda VT600 engine, showwinning bike, runs well, one-off, good investment £3,999 ono. Tel 07514 064583 (St Helens).

H-DAVIDSON FAT BOY: 1993, S&S carb, Le Pera Silhouette gel seat, straight-through drag ’pipes, LED headlight, original seat plus rack and backrest, this one’s for riding not shining £6,000 ono. Tel 07856 631600 (Ox/Bucks border).

KAWASAKI VN900 TRIKE: As-new custom trike, 2,600 miles on clock, built in 2009 £9,500 ono. Tel 07398 065611 or 07852 773596.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON NIGHT TRAIN TRIKE: 2004, 1450cc with 1550cc big bore kit, built in 2016 by Eurotrike, special edition £10,500 ono. Tel 07540 858743.

H-D ROCKER C BOBBER: Stunning bike, Performance Machine wheels/ calipers/discs, thousands spent, Heartland bobber conversion, adjustable suspension, 4,600 miles, £14,500 ono. Tel 01782 517744.

SUZUKI BANDIT 1200S: 2005, SORN, electrical misfire, complete & running, spares or repair, vgc £1,000. Tel 07934 986150 (Lancs).

YAMAHA 1100 TRIKE: Reliant back axle £3,500 ono. Tel 01229 480486 (Cumbria).

BSH MAGS: Issue one to 220, all mint condition, most in binders, very collectable, offers. Email jiholdings@ hotmail.com

YAMAHA 1100 TRIKE: SORN, USD forks, slab yokes, one-off frame, fatbob tanks, fat rear wheels, coollooking trike, realistic offers. Tel 07783 512381.

WANTED: V8 Rover automatic trike for disabled rider, must have tiller ’bars, big wide wheels if poss, consider Ford Pinto auto £4,200 to spend. Tel 01229 480486 (Cumbria).

SUZUKI GSX600F: 1990, SORN, vgc 32k miles, silver. New calipers/pads/ battery/tyres/fork seals last year £1,250. Tel 01286 881644 (Gwynedd).

www.zodiac.nl

clothing

acceessories

back street heroes

classified

BADGES

ACCESSORIES & PARTS

CUSTOM FRAMES AND WHEEL BUILDING

CUSTOM MADE FORKS

BATTERIES

CUSTOMS CUSTOMISATION

Deadline for booking in the next issue of

is Friday August 17 on sale

Thursday September 6

Call Ricky on 01507 529357 for details

108

SEPTEMBER 2018

accessories

classified back ELECTRICAL WIRING

cllothing

street heroes

GEAR SHIFTERS

HELMETS & ACCESSORIES

INSURANCE

SEPTEMBER 2018

109

acceessories

clothing

back street heroes

classified INSURANCE

110

SEPTEMBER 2018

accessories

classified back PAINT

cllothing

street heroes

25

� a� �Awa W W�n�in�

Ai �ush Ar� �n� Custom P�int

PAINT

PLATES

SEATING

POWDER COATING STICKERS & GRAPHICS

To advertise in the next issue Call Rick on 01507 529357 or email rnichols@mortons.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 2018

111

CUSTOM CHROME EUROPE DEALER LISTINGS

Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Finest Products For Harley-Davidson

EDITION FORTY SEVEN

WWW.CUSTOM-CHROME-EUROPE.COM

Custom Chrome Europe GmbH Carl-von-Ossietzky-Str. 8, D - 55459 Grolshelm Phone: +49 (0) 6721 - 4 007 - 0. Fax: +49 (0) 6721 - 4 007 - 100 e-mail: info@customchrome.de

113

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A BIT OF A SUN-WORSHIPPER, ME. NOT THE ‘DOWN ON MY KNEES PRAYING TO THE MIGHTY SUN GOD’ SORT OF SUNWORSHIPPER – THAT, TO MY MIND, WOULD BE AS SILLY AS WORSHIPPING ANY OTHER SORT OF ‘GOD’.

N

or do I mean the ‘lying on a deckchair trying to darken the colour of my skin while risking skin cancer in the fatuous belief that such idiocy will in some way make me look healthier or more attractive’ sort of sun-worshipper. No, for me it is simply the fact that the world seems to be a much happier, fun-loving place when the sun is shining and the temperature’s dragged its lazy arse into the upper 20s!

When the sun’s shining brightly, the cloudless sky is blue, and the occasional rustling of the leaves on the trees is the only reliable evidence of the presence of a breeze; that’s me in pig-heaven that is! On days like this it’s so easy to forget all of my commitments, duties, trials and tribulations, at least for a while.

Well, until some silly bastard riding a motorcycle wearing a T-shirt, shorts and trainers goes bimbling by to remind me that the world is overstocked with idiots, and lots of them ride bikes!

The daftest thing about it is that such lunacy is not confined to inexperienced teenage lads fuelled by bravado and testosterone – on sunny days I regularly see middle-aged bikers, both male and female, riding while dressed for the beach!

Just yesterday, as I was travelling along the A50 after visiting a client in Burton upon Trent, the weather was gorgeous, the traffic was light, and I was moving along at a ‘reasonable rate of knots’ (honest, officer) when I overtook a line of four bikes, all of which were ridden by guys with their arms uncovered. Only one of them was wearing gloves, and two were wearing shorts. One guy was carrying a pillion passenger; a lady with very nice shapely legs, as was plain to see because she was wearing a tight pair of shorts and flip-flops. I shit you not! The silly sod was wearing shorts and flip-flops on the back of a motorcycle that was travelling along at

114

SEPTEMBER 2018

about 65 miles per hour on a fast dual carriageway!

A picture crept into my mind of what her lovely legs would look like if the bike hit a patch of diesel on the road, and the rider dropped it. I didn’t have to stretch my imagination to form that ghastly picture in my mind because I’ve seen it in reality, more than once.

I could also picture the mangled and shredded flesh of her de-gloved feet, because that too is something I have seen more than once. (De-gloving is what the medical profession call it when the skin and upper layer of flesh is torn from a limb, leaving the tendons, sinews and bones in plain, and extremely gory, view). I could also see the rider in my mind’s eye. His knee smashed beyond repair, a first degree burn scorching into his ravaged calf as the hot exhaust made its way toward the bones in his leg. I could see his bloody hand trying to reach out for his torn-up girlfriend as his mangled fingers tried to grasp the thumb that was now only attached to his hand by a single tendon.

These are all injuries I’ve seen during my 26 years as chairman of the National Association for Bikers with a Disability; the sort of injuries that can, and do, come from what would normally be classed as a ‘minor spill’ on a motorcycle when the ridiculous desire to feel or look ‘cool’ has overridden the perfectly reasonable instinct for self-preservation.

As chairman of the NABD I’ve sat beside far too many hospital beds and tried to help injured bikers come to terms with the fact that they’re facing life-long disabilities, all too often through absolutely no fault of their own, but every now and then I meet somebody who would’ve suffered far less damage if only they’d been wearing the right gear.

I recently visited a client in my capacity as an expert witness for the courts. This chap has been a Harley fanatic for many years, and had

even built a very respectable chop for himself. His biking didn’t involve particularly high annual mileage, and he’d never joined any sort of bike club, or even been to a rally, but he loved his bikes and rode them purely for his own pleasure, freely admitting to being strictly a ‘fair-weather’ rider. Then, one day, somebody came out of a side road without looking, and smashed him off his bike. His spinal injuries were severe to the point of being ‘life-changing’, and he’ll probably never again walk without the use of crutches or a walking frame. He also has extensive nerve damage in his legs and hands that have complicated and diminished the level of recovery he might otherwise have hoped for.

When I asked him about the riding gear that’d been destroyed in the accident, or when it was cut off him in hospital, I was quite stunned when he replied: “Nike trainers, track-suit bottoms, a T-shirt, an Orange County Choppers fleece, and a crash helmet.”

Seeing the shocked look on my face he said: “Well, it was a nice day and I was only nipping out to the local superstore for some bits, it’s not worth putting all the heavy gear on for a five-mile round trip, is it?” My silence was matched by his own for several minutes before he held up one of his shaking disfigured hands and said: “I know, my surgeon rides bikes and he reckons nothing would have stopped the spinal injuries, but leathers, boots and gloves could have saved me from the rest of it.”

Despite myself, I felt sorry for him – it was a bloody hard way to learn a simple lesson. People are wonderfully soft and squishy, whereas tarmac, concrete, bollards, kerbs, lampposts, motorcycles and other vehicles really aren’t. At all.

If you must have a suntan, get it on a deckchair – not on a bike!

SE RICK HUL

Your

never looked

SO GOOD The Shoei Ex-Zero is the ultimate retro styled scrambler helmet. Based on the classic EX5 helmet by Shoei the Ex-Zero is a modern take on a timeless design.

shoeiassured.co.uk

shoeihelmetsuk

accessories

clothing

CAFE CULTURE 2018

1

Caferacerseats.co.uk 01142 508 421 Find us on Facebook @ Complete CafĂŠ Racer Ltd

Daytona Velona 80 Classic looks, modern functions

n Speed and RPM or RPM and Speed n 80mm Diameter n Black Metal Case n Warning lights

To order call ll 01564 775522

visit www.digital-speedos.co.uk

CAFE CULTURE 2018

3

WEISE WAX COTTON JACKETS

DAVIDA KOURA HELMET

The new Koura full-face helmet from Davvida is a retro-inspired, high performance helmet with an exceptionally low profile, and strikingly bold styling.

Certified to ECER22-05, DOT FMVS 281 and ACU Gold, it’s available in both road d and race versions, and has been develop ped nd using the expertise of Italian MotoGP an F1 racing helmet designers. It integratess the clean contours and compact proporttions of ’70s and ’80s full-faces, together with key posite race-bred features; advanced GPR comp nts to shell (carbon fibre available), six chin ven ventilate the visor, a 3.3mm anti-scratch and antinsity shock absorption liner, and additional fog visor (smoke tint available), multi-density cheek pads for a closer fit. Additionally, the removable, washable, anti-bacterial fabric liner is interchangeable with after-market leather liner kits in five colours.

Available in 20 different colours, and in sizes XS (54) to XXL (61), it costs from £435 from anywhere that stocks the Davida range – check out www.davida-helmets.com for more info.

Weise has added two wax cotton riding jackets to its lineup; the traditionally styled Glenmore, and the shorter Ashland, both featuring waterproof liners and CE shoulder, elbow and back protection.

Made from durable 600 Denier waxed cotton, the Glenmore looks every inch the classic touring jacket, with vintage style pressstud fasteners on pockets and cuffs, and a buckle on the collar. A fixed waterproof and breathable lining, plus a detachable thermal liner, adapt to the weather conditions, while CE approved shoulder, elbow and back protection provides reassurance when riding. Zipped side gussets can be opened when sitting in the saddle, and an adjustable belt keeps things snug. There’re four external pockets (two of which are hand-warming when off the bike) and two internal pockets too.

The Ashland shares many of the above features, but has a shorter, more sporty cut. Its main zip is covered by a popper and Velcro-retained storm flap, and the collar is trimmed with Neoprene for a snug and comfortable fit.

The Glenmore retails at £189.99, and the Ashland at £169.99. They come in a choice of black or brown in sizes S-3XL, and have a two-year warranty. For more information call The Key Collection on 0117 971 9200 or visit www.thekeycollection.co.uk

OX XFORD BLADON LE EATHER JACKET The Bladon B leather jacket mixes contemporary style with a slice of cafe racer chic. Using cow leather, it’s lightw weight, supple and sporty, and this hard-wearing riding g jacket is complete with CE approved shoulder and elbow w armour, triple stitching to the back of the arms for a added strength, and four pockets on the front.

A Available in sizes S-3XL, and in a choice of black, brrown or green, it costs £229.99 from anywhere that sttocks the Oxford Products range – check out w www.oxfordproducts.com for your nearest place.

SHO SHOEI OEI EX-ZERO EX ZERO E O HELMET

Helmet supremos Shoei have launched their new scrambler/ bobber helmet, the EX-ZERO full-face. Styled on heritage motocross helmets, it has an aggressive retro look, and like all Shoei models, it’s built to their famously exacting standards.

Available in six sizes (XS-XXL) and three different outer shell sizes, it’s equipped with all the features you’d expect from a Shoei helmet; internal drop-down visor, double D-ring strap, fully removable and washable interior, and a Moto GP-style emergency quick-release system.

There are six different plain options to choose from, and one graphic, and you can get more info from anywhere that stocks the Shoei range or www.shoeiassured.co.uk

4

CAFE CULTURE 2018

OXFORD ASSAULT MASK This very retro mask gives your open-face helmet a cool post-apocalyptic look. It has a flexible frame, anti-fog and anti-scratch lenses with UV protection, ergonomic foam padding for comfort, and the lower part detaches if you just want goggles.

They come in black with a choice of clear, grey or mirror lenses, and cost from £39.99 from anywhere that stocks the Oxford Products range – check out www. oxfordproducts.com for yo our nearest place.

MALLE N EXPEDITION JACKET

OXFORD RADLEY WOMEN’S GLOVES These traditional women’s short riding gloves are part of Oxford’s Heritage range, and complement any of the stylish Bradwell or Heritage Wax jackets.

Made from 100% premium aniline leather, they have double-layered leather palms, adjustable secure Velcro wrist-straps, premium contrast linings, external thumb seams for comfort, and can be poppered together when not in use.

Available in sizes XS-2XL, and in black, brown and tan, they cost just £39.99 from anywhere that stocks the Oxford Products range – check out www.oxfordproducts.com for your nearest place.

The Malle Expedition jacket is the perfect long distance adventure jacket. It’s the culmination of more than three years of blood, sweat and tears, and a collaboration with the designer of US Navy Seals’ jackets, and is one of the most durable, waterproof and innovative garments.

Made with beautiful British waxed canvas, abrasionresistant Kevlar and removable armour, each is made from 72 panels and takes more than 16 hours to stitch. It has a host of features including a very useful ‘poacher’s pocket’ in the back, and pillion-friendly ‘love handles’.

Available in all the usual sizes, you can get more info, or one, from Malle London’s website at www. mallelondon.com

LS2 SPITFIRE OPENFACE HELMET

This new LS2 Spitfire open-face helmet is light (just 1150g), fully ECE 22.05 certified, has a drop-down sun visor that’s scratch and UV-resistant, a retaining strap at the back for goggles, a breathable, hypoallergenic liliner, and d iis sn nug and comforta able.

The e LS2 Spitfire is available in sizes XS S-XXL (53-64 cm), c and prices start £69.99 for solid colours, while graphics cost £79.99, and the Solid Chrome is £109.99. Visit www.ls2helmets. w com for more infformation and to find lo ocal stockists.

BULL-IT MEN’S JEANS

Advertised as stronger than leather, Bull-It makes its stylish and protective jeans not from Kevlar, but its own, even stronger material Covec, and can now offer the only motorcycle jeans that exceed the incredibly stringent CE Level 2 standard.

Bull-It offers a huge range of men’s jeans, and cargos too, in various colours and washes, and available in three fits (slim, straight and easy), and in sizes 30-54” waist and 30-36” leg.

Prices start at £149.99 from anywhere that stocks the Bull-It range, or direct from www.bull-it.com

VENHILL VT46 ROTATING T-DRIVER

Venhill’s VT46 Rotating T-Driver has, as the name suggests, a rotating handle, which allows the tool to be simultaneously steadied and spun, which now slides up and down the shaft and clicks into position, making it easier to hold the driver at the best angle for the job. Compact and lightweight, it can be stashed in an existing tool kit and features a standard ³⁄8” drive, so can be fitted with most sockets and adapters.

It costs just £20.89 or as part of the VT45 Tool Set, which contains a selection of hex and Torx, slotted and Phillips screwdriver bits, as well as a range of sockets in the most commonly used metric sizes, for £51.73.

Call Venhill on 01306 885111 or visit www.venhill.co.uk CAFE CULTURE 2018

5

ONE OF THE CONVENIENT SIDE EFFECTS OF MESSING AROUND WITH BIKES, LOTS OF BIKES, IS THAT YOUR STASH OF SPARE PARTS GROWS IN DIRECT RELATION TO THE NUMBER OF BIKES THAT YOU WORK ON.

WORDS & PICS: DAVE MANNING

6

CAFE CULTURE 2018

W

hile this happens to all of us who mess about with bikes in our spare time, it’s even more applicable to anyone who works in the trade, who supplies parts to the bike-building public and who builds bikes both for themselves and for customers. Tony Garnham-Parkes, at Complete Café Racer in Sheffield, has built a considerable number of bikes over the last few years, both for himself and for others, and in the process has ended up with lots (and lots) of parts that were surplus to

requirements.

Well, only up to the point that he started to build another bike…

Having built a rather trick Suzuki GS550 cafe racer, in which he fitted a hot-rodded big bore engine and uprated the rolling gear to GSX-R equipment, he had the spare GS550 forks and wheels, so these were commandeered to use in a build of a T500, comprising a frame from 1974 and an engine from a year later that’d also been located in among the various swag

that comprised the stash pile.

A quick look in the rear view mirror shows that, while he and his mates might’ve had two-stroke two-fifties such as Kawasaki KHs and Suzuki GTs, with the occasional GT380 triple, back in the day, it was only the lucky ones who got their hands on rip-snorting, parallel twin 500ccs, so it kind of made sense CAFE CULTURE 2018

7

to complete the circle and cover some unexplored territory.

As the running gear was never especially brilliant on the T, and GT, twins, using the GS550 parts made perfect sense and, with the choice of modern brake pads and tyres, it’d result in a much better handling and braking machine than was ever possible 40 years ago! Never underestimate the improvements made in tyre technology – even the same make and model of tyre is far better now, thanks to developments of tyre compound and construction, than 20 years ago.

The frame was modified with a new seat loop appropriate to the Vincent-style seat unit that’s made in-house at Complete Cafe Racer, with the cafe racer theme continued with a set of high ‘n’ tight rear-sets from Titan Performance and a pair of CCR adjustable clip-on bars bolted on below the top yoke. The period aftermarket vibe is extended with the use of a Micron fork brace to stiffen up the front end, required as the bracing effect of the standard

8

CAFE CULTURE 2018

GS front mudguard has been lost with the use of a far more aesthetically pleasing and minimalist front mudguard from the CCR catalogue. A GS550 fuel tank works surprisingly well with the standard GT side panels, while the mounting for the standard speedo and rev counter ensemble has been modified, so that the clocks sit tighter to the top of the headlight, with the side effect that there’s more room to tuck in over the top of the fuel tank in the traditional cafe racer head-down, arse-in-the-air, racing crouch!

COMPLETE CAFE RACER LTD ARE AT SHEAF BANK BUSINESS PARK, UNIT H12, PROSPECT RD, SHEFFIELD (S2 3EN), AND THEIR PHONE NUMBER IS 0114 250 8421, WHILE YOU CAN CHECK THEM OUT ONLINE AT WWW. CAFERACERSEATS.CO.UK

The engine was stripped in order for Pete O’Dell at the Motorcycle Works in Peterborough to rebuild the crank, complete with new seals, and while the engine remains internally standard, the gearbox has had a small modification to give it a greater oil capacity. The standard carbs were treated to a pair of K&N filters, while aftermarket expansion chamber exhausts from Titan Performance ensure that a proper twostroke crackle emanates from the tail end of the stingers.

With the frame, side stand and swinging arm powder-coated in silver, and the wheel hubs and rims in black (assembled with stainless spokes), thanks to Craftwork Coatings in nearby Rotherham, CCR’s Martin set to polishing the engine cases, rearsets, fork legs, etc., while Tony applied the pearl purple base coat to the tank, seat unit, mudguards and side panels. This was covered by show-quality clear coat from Specialist Paints, which Tony refers to as being the best lacquer he’s used!

So far, the build’d been straightforward, right up until the point at which the Newtronic electronic ignition needed dialling in. Apparently, Suzuki used a number of different ignition backing plates in the half-litre two-stroke models and Tony ended up using a pair of left-hand pick-up mounts and slotting the back-plate so that it could be rotated and the ignition timing set to where it needed to be.

With the ignition sorted, there was a need for some tweaking to the carburation to suit the free-flowing filters and the expansion chambers; the exhaust manufacturer had provided some guidance on this matter although, as is invariably the case, some further fettling with carb settings was required. At

the time of the photoshoot, it was close, although not quite perfect, so needed a little more tweaking.

With the little Suzi finished, it didn’t take long for Tony to realise that it wasn’t the Eighties any more, and the riding position wasn’t quite as suitable to his physical form as it might’ve been 30-odd

SPEC:

ENGINE: 1975 Suzuki T500, K&N air filters, rebuilt crank by Pete O’Dell, new clutch plates, modified gearbox, Newtronic ignition, Titan Performance exhausts FRAME: Modified 1974 Suzuki T500, new subframe, Titan Performance rear-sets FRONT END: 100/90x19” tyre, Suzuki GS550 rim/hub (powdercoated)/calipers/ forks/yokes/master-cylinder/ clocks, stainless spokes, Suzuki GSX1100 discs, Venhill braided brake lines, Complete Cafe Racer adjustable clip-on ’bars/GPS speedo, Micron fork brace REAR END: Modified Suzuki GS550 swingarm/hub/brake/ rim, stainless spokes BODYWORK: Complete Cafe Racer front mudguard/Vincentstyle wide seat with deluxe pad/ built-in light/rear mudguard/ numberplate holder/alloy undertray, Suzuki GS550 petrol tank, Suzuki T500 side panels/ oil tank ELECTRICS: One-off minimal loom, modern regulator/rectifier, basic high/low beam and horn switch, Complete Cafe Racer HL3 headlight/L5 tail light PAINT: Pearl purple and silver

by Complete Cafe Racer POWDERCOATING: Craftwork Coatings (01709 719246 or www. craftworkcoatings.co.uk) POLISHING: Martin at Complete Cafe Racer ENGINEERING: Everything by Complete Cafe Racer THANKS TO: “Martin, Kev, Marcin, Tony and Siobhan at Complete Cafe Racer; Titan Performance (www. classic2strokesuzuki.weebly. com); Saj at Specialist Paints (0114 275 2187 or www. specialistpaints.com) for supplying the paint; Pete at Motorcycle Works (01733 578883 or www. themotorcycleworks. co.uk); and Pete at Craftwork Coatings for the powdercoating…”

years ago! Consequently, the bike has had to go to a new home and was being picked up just a couple of days after I took the pics. However, in the CCR stash there are still more GT500 and T500 parts and already there’s a new build under way, although it’ll be rather more radical than this one – can’t wait to see the end result!

CAFE CULTURE 2018

9

WHILE A LOT OF BIKES TODAY BEAR THE NOMENCLATURE (LOOK IT UP, I HAD TO) ‘CAFE RACER’, THE TRUTH IS THAT THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE, STRICTLY SPEAKING, MORE ‘CAFE CRUISER’ THAN ‘RACER’.

WORDS & PICS: NIK

10

CAFE CULTURE 2018

M

ost of the bikes that bear the name these days are more suited to pottering from one coffee retailer to another in search of the perfect latte than ‘doing the ton’ on the bypass in search of the perfect adrenaline rush. It’s a cultural thing, I think – us ol’ farts, when we hear the term ‘cafe racer’, instantaneously get a mental picture of something with a polished hump tank, clip-on ’bars and kicked-up exhausts intended to go fast; more modern types, it seems, see oversized tyres, no front mudguards, brown seats, and are less concerned about going fast than they are about looking cool in shop windows as they pass. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem with that – the world’s big enough for both groups to

exist side-by-side and, besides, who am I to tell anyone what they can or can’t ride?

Jester, the owner of this ’ere old-school Triton – the archetypal cafe racer with its Triumph engine in a Norton frame – sits firmly in the former camp. He’s not adverse to coffee that isn’t made using granules on a teaspoon, you understand, but he grew up in the 1970s and ’80s where the battlelines between Mods and Rockers were still A Thing, despite the fact that there hadn’t really been any proper argy-bargy between the two groups since the mid-1960s.

He probably won’t thank me for telling you this, but his first real, on the road, bike was actually a Vespa 90 but, after a particularly nasty accident on it, he decided that ten-inch wheels were really probably better suited to prams and babybuggies than powered two-wheelers, and that, if he was going to stay on two

wheels, he’d better get himself a proper motorcycle as he wasn’t that keen on being fed pureed hospital food through a tube.

He’d always had a bit a thing about XT500 Yamahas after seeing one aged just 14 and, after he’d bought his first one, knew immediately that one-lung Yams were definitely his thing. He’s since had 12 of them; six XTs and six SRs, and currently has a very trick supermoto XT that he absolutely adores. When the late BSA-Regal brought out the Gold SR he, together with his father, who’d owned a Rocket Gold Star and a Triton (which he’d sold for £130 back in the day…), decided it’d be a great idea to build a cafe racer of their own. They used the same engine (SR500/XT500) and a BSA A7/10 frame, intending to create a better bike, but after putting it all together with as much care and attention as they could, actually found that the Yam engine sat in the frame, as he says, “like a pea in a bucket”. Ah… He carried on looking for the perfect cafe racer, mostly unsuccessfully, until one day his brother, who’d kept the tiny wheel faith, happened to take his Lambretta

CAFE CULTURE 2018

11

new bike and the old both do about 115mph in the real world, but Jester’s obviously gets there faster, and it is, of course, much, much more reliable and has an electric foot too – something you can’t say about its ancestor. It has, in his eyes, all the advantages of the old bike combined with all those of the new too, and as such he’s more than happy with it – it’s a Triton for the 21st century, who wouldn’t be?

for an MoT at the same time as a gentleman by the name of Ian Stockman was taking his newly built Hinckley-engined Triton. They got chatting, and bruv happened to mention that his sibling’d absolutely love this bike, to which Ian replied: “It’s for sale.” A meeting was arranged, a deal done and, shortly afterwards, Jester became the very proud owner of a unique Triton.

The bare bones of the beast are a 865cc 2010 T100 Bonneville engine and running pack from one of the Triumphs that were created when Mr Bloor relaunched the marque in 1991, slotted into a modified 1963 Norton Atlas 750 frame… well, some of a 1963 Norton Atlas 750 frame anyway.

The engine cradle, you see, is actually the Triumph one, blended with the Norton headstock and rear rails in order to make life a lot, lot easier than having to shoe-horn the much larger late motor into the old frame.

Similarly, the wheels, brakes and suspension are all late-model Triumph and take the weight of the heavier motor better than a set of period Roadholders and Hagons’d ever do.

The tank’s an alloy

12

CAFE CULTURE 2018

SPEC: ENGINE: 2010 Triumph Bonneville T100 865cc, K&N air-filters, one-off reverse cone megaphone exhausts FRAME: Hybrid 1963 Norton Atlas 750/2010 Triumph Bonneville T100, de-raked, T100 engine cradle, widened Norton rear rails/subframe, aftermarket billet alloy rear-sets, aftermarket Honda CBR600 levers

one from Tab 2 Classics, while all the rest of the bodywork is handmade by Mr Stockman himself.

Back in the day the original T120 650 Bonnie engine made around 46bhp (strangely, the 650 Norton engine that no one wanted to use made 49). This new powerplant makes 20bhp more at 66, and has higher torque figures too, but it of course weighs more than the old wee Bonnie lump too. That means that both the

FRONT END: Michelin Pilot Activ 110/80-18 tyre, Triumph Thruxton 900 rim/hub, stainless spokes, Triumph Bonneville America disc, Triumph Bonneville T100 caliper/forks/yokes/ master-cylinder/controls/ switchgear/clocks, one-off top yoke cover, Goodridge brake lines, adjustable clip-ons, oneoff front brake reservoir, aftermarket grips REAR END: Triumph Bonneville T100 swingarm/shocks/disc/ caliper/master-cylinder/

chain/sprockets, Triumph Thruxton 900 hub, stainless spokes, 4.5” alloy rim, Michelin Pilot Activ 150/70-17 tyre BODYWORK: One-off front mudguard/seat/ rear mudguard/battery box/electrics box, Tab 2 Classics petrol tank, one-off seat ELECTRICS: Modified Triumph Bonneville T100 loom, Triumph Bonneville T100 headlight, aftermarket grille, aftermarket LED tail-light, aftermarket LED indicators PAINT: Only on frame POLISHING: Ian Stockman ENGINEERING: Bike built & all engineering by Ian Stockman, one-off tax disc by dad & Stewart (local postmaster) THANKS TO: “The British Lambretta Archives; the Triton Owners Club of Great Britain; my dad; my big bro’; my wife; anyone who helped; & Ian Stockman for making my dream real!”

ABOVE: Hayley on her new bike, built by her dad Rev from Bournemouth.

ABOVE: Helgi De Sutton’s ’78 GS1000 has had muchos pimping including a monoshock rear end, USD forks and a chopped arse end.

RIGHT: Claude’s cute little Honda CJ360. I used to lust after a girl with a CJ360… sigh.

Simon Gray’s CB400 is very, very nice.

And his XS750, currently being given the treatment, is pretty special too.

CAFE CULTURE 2018

13

Grampie’s 1956 T-Bird, still going strong. Maybe one day he’ll swap those 50-year-old tyres.

ABOVE: Mike Wright’s built this rather wonderful 1994 GSXR750WN chassis with a 1974 GT550 motor!

RIGHT: Glorious Suzuki single in the sunshine.

BELOW: Cafe racer for the 21st century?

Mikey’s ’Busa may be a bit more streetfighter than it is cafe racer, but it’s still cool.

LEFT: Classic cafe racer – you don’t get more cafe racer than this!

14

CAFE CULTURE 2018

Draganfly Motorcycles

SSpecialist l in; Amal A l Ariel A l BSA Burman B Triumph & Classic motorcycles All models from the 20’s to 70’s, plus all Triumph Twins

Here at Draganfly we specialise in the classics.

Need spares for your Ariel, BSA or Triumph? Then we’re right up your street.

Staff Tip!

Intermediate Restorer’s Pack!

As always, we’re here to help no matter the size of the job.

This pack contains 2 tyres, 2 tubes, 2 tape, PACK-INTER-003 CO2 inflator* and a £20 gift voucher!

Nearly £200 item value for just

£154.95! + VAT

Make sure to specify the size and width of tyre when ordering! *Inflator available for UK customers only.

Trevor says:

Don’t be tempted to use washing up liquid when fitting tyres, it’ll only do damage. Use tyre lubricant instead.

So call, visit or check our website for all your classic motorcycle spares.

www.draganfly.co.uk

01986 894798

Open Monday - Friday, 9.00 - 5.00

CAFE CULTURE 2018

15