At a nearby Thai restaurant there is a wall of wind-up toys. Here is a selection of the two-wheeled variety. Colorful play fun…
“Start ’em young!”
July 19, 2013
Tin Toy Motorcycles
July 18, 2013
North East connections
10 Tiger Cubs all wrapped up for an overseas flight aboard a BEA Vickers Vanguard to some foreign land. The aircraft was one of the last mid size turboprop passenger planes before the jets really took over. It eventually became a purely freight carrier well into the nineties. The engines are the powerful Rolls Royce 4000hp Tyne model. Apparently pilots could cruise at 10,000 ft with three engines feathered and a remaining outboard at max power – a feat unmatched by an early contemporary Lockheed C130.
The Tyne is of course the river that flows through the heart of Geordieland! And Vickers Armstrong was a major Tyneside engineering company in both shipbuilding and military manufacturing; with a workforce of Geordie’s all!
July 16, 2013
Air & Gas
For the chemist:
2C8H18 + 25O2 ~> 16CO2 + 18H2O
For the engineer:
Yup, a beat-up old Amal 376 Monobloc that will become the fuel air mixer for the Tiger Cub. It’ll have to be stripped, intricately cleaned, new jets, seals and hopefully get the appropriate giddy-up for the wee project.
Parts listed on the ubiquitous exploded diagram.
July 15, 2013
To the Skies!
We had an exciting aerial excursion above the worldly skyscrapers if Chicago over the weekend. Marvelous clear blue-sky weather greeted our small whirlybird as we soared over the city’s highlights: ball-fields, harbors, parks, beaches, downtown, museums amongst it all. The Willis Tower and John Hancock stood mightily above all.
My perch in the front next to the pilot gave an clear panoramic view envious of all bar the birds.
July 14, 2013
Car Show
Last evenings car show was a grand wee trip: a jaunt along Dempster to Prospect Heights and a line-up in the Metra parking lot of choice American automobiles.
Top: Chevrolet Impala, Bel Air, Corvette.
Middle: V8 Hot Rod, Ford Edsel, Cadillac model 75
Bottom: Pontiac GTO, Grande Parisienne, Chevy Corvette (C1)
July 13, 2013
Just Enough Essential Parts
At a vintage car show at Prospect Heights this evening amongst the Chevy’s, Fords, Oldsmobile’s and other American iron was this wartime utility vehicle. Willy’s 1/4 ton general purpose or ‘Jeep’. In olive drab green and all accessories to see you through the European theater it looked like a fun ride.
A Swiss Army vehicle ready for anything. Indeed it is considered as the first SUV.
July 12, 2013
Framed
A beat up naked forlorn frame from a mid seventies Triumph Trident 750 triple. On offer listen in the local Craigslist…
Given a good hone, feeding up with a generous diet of mechanical bits and bobs it can become a glossy coated steed…
July 11, 2013
Pin-Up
After yesterdays graphic here’s a clean image of a moto a la wartime calendar gal. Its a hardtailed early seventies oil in frame bobber a choice look for a forties vision. Keepin’ the troops happy? Yessirree!
July 10, 2013
Chequered Flag
A winning marque! The Triumphs swoosh logo within its distinctive triangular patent badge.
July 9, 2013
It’s Easy
…on a Triumph. A smashing old poster regaling the virtues of two-wheeled transport; even when the roadwork season (summer) hold up traffic. The old tramlines offer a balance beam way over lifted cobbled streets. As always I love the inked brushwork of these classic bike adds. The intent and attire of the gal is spiffy too!
July 9, 2013
Filler
A little too busy to put up a proper blog post so here’s a dirty desert sled for your viewing pleasure…. “Just look at the size of that chainring!”
July 7, 2013
A Road
The moto is looking happy and in need of miles under tire. The new ignition gives quick progress along the road, it’ll speed up easily to the eighties. I’ll need a good long clear smooth stretch of highway to check out a Ton on it!
New knee pads are applied and add line to the tank, the disc braked front gives confident cornering and summer skies bring a smile to the face…
July 6, 2013
Cooler by the Lake
When the weather forecast says we might see upper eighties and high humidity I don’t head inland. Instead by keeping within a mile or two of Lake Michigan its cooling effect can refresh perfect leafy roads. Forest Way: the few mile winding lane along the lagoons is such a short respite from the world of nearby busy Saturday traffic.
A refreshing Coke (Mexican style in a glass bottle made from cane sugar) whetted my whistle at a quick stop at Bob’s Pantry opposite the Ravinia Metra Station. All in all a nice wee jaunt…
July 5, 2013
Truckin’
Weekend is here! And I hope people have a destination in mind for the road ahead. If the desert beckons and the trucks gas tank is full then saddle up pilgrim and get that hoss out!
July 4, 2013
Fifty Years Ago Today
… One my All-Time favorite movies was released. And to celebrate the Fourth of July in “Great” style here’s a image as the Americans in the camp march with home stilled liquor and pipe a merry tune.
left to right: James Garner as Hendley ‘The Scrounger’, Jud Taylor as Goff, and Steve McQueen as Hilts ‘The Cooler King’
Alas celebrations go awry when tunnel Tom gets discovered, Ives goes fence-crazy and is shot…
“Dedicated to the Fifty”
