Black ‘n’ White & Red all over – more goodies spied at the weekend. A one lunged shark motif Suzuki grimacing down the road. The half century patina on an original complete Triumph Cub. The beautiful lines of a BSA A10 with stacked rifle emblem on the three cornered timing cover. And the L-twin Ducati which in this case included a bevel drive sight glass, polished tank completed the cafe style.
All good stuff.
Biker Movie – one of the lesser known Outlaw Motorcycle Gang films from 1969 has a bunch of two-wheeled anarchist take to the highways on British Iron.
The tag line is: “Vicious bikers go on a killing spree in the desert, causing would-be victims to seek grisly revenge.”
Starring Russ Tamblyn better known as Riff leader of the Jets gang from West Side Story. In this vehicle he play leader ‘Anchor’. Violence ensues but bikes across a stark desert landscape add much needed respite.
Pacific Time – the highway that skirts the coastline of California is, in my opinion, one of the greatest roads I’ve been on. Here’s a old sixties photo of some guys hanging out at Point Dume near Malibu. Better than Instagram. That’s a 1969 Ford LTD they’re leaning against.
The Leader of the Pack –
Mm–“Is she really going out with him?
“Well, there she is, Let’s ask her”
“Betty, is that Jimmy’s ring you’re wearing?”
“Mm-hm”
“Gee, it must be great riding with him”
“Is he picking you up after school today?”
“Mm-mm”
“By the way, where did you meet him?”
Bad Girl band composed of two pairs of New York sisters who in the sixties recorded this hit about teenage love and tragedy. The revving engine is some kind of English racer and the album cover has a biker aboard a big Matchless single.
White Van – the US precursor to the Transit: Ford Econoline. Ideal road trip conveyance in which you could haul your Moto to SoCal for the winter and enjoy the surf whilst basing yourself on the road. Nice immaculate late 60’s Bonnie too.
Patina is Everything – I’d keep the surface finished and merely wipe them all down with an oily rag. Make sure there’s compression and the brakes work and shocks give a supple ride then this sled would be a fun beast to pound a dusty lane on.
Bobble hat & Boilersuit- here is a lanky Chris Leighfield romping his brand new Cub over tussocks on some long forgotten Northern English fell.
Sitting up like some sixties supermodel the Bonnie can be as eye catching as an exposure through David Bailey’s Nikon F-2. The engine fins are like Twiggy’s fluttering eyelashes.
Clint Eastwood: The Man with No Name. I’m watching one of my favorite spaghetti westerns: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Only horses and gunfights in that, so here is Blondie on another ride. This is a 750 Norton Commando.
Cub for Sale – as seen on the local Craigslist here is a virtually complete Mountain Tiger Cub. Just needs a rugged path. .. And spare $2,700..
Bob Carlos Clarke born this day in 1950 was a prolific and influential photographer of the latter half of the 20th Century.- here his first wife Sue Frame poses languidly on a high piped big named TRIUMPH.
Not a peep. No bark, non-ignition. Looked at valve timing, ignition set-up; workshop manual settings were followed … And still no chirp. Here it sits in Deans garage with big brother Bonneville sitting nearby.
I took the cylinder head off and perhaps the valve seats have exceeded recess allowance so the rocker arms bind against the valve spring collar perhaps keeping a peep of valve open and hence zero cylinder compression…
Silly Old Moo – cockney mysogynistical racially bigoted homophobic anti-Semite, anti-Catholic, anti-Irish and West Ham supporter Alf Garnett pilots chair bound long suffering wife Else and pillion perched friend Min in this wartime outfit (BSA M20). Voicing an ugly post war psyche of Britain he ranted against all around him. However Else could cut him down with a curt response or withering glare as he spiraled into a tirade.
Warren Mitchell 1926-2015
Motorcycles in Wartime. This weekend sees another time to appreciate what others did to ensure a less troubled world. Sacrificing your life is the ultimate act of selflessness for freedom. I’m posting this image of some Harley Davidson Rotax engined dirt bikes used by troops probably somewhere in Southeast Asia. A Cobra stands idle behind.
More dirt bikes being utilized; this time the dry sandy conditions of the Middle East. It’s one way of traversing rough terrain quickly.
An acquaintance owns the immaculate R75/5 BMW with reflective toaster tank which starts off this round of five European moto’s from Main Street Hebron. Next up in counterclockwise fashion is a John Player liveried Norton Commando, nice looking machine. An orange Commando with a hefty tank looked the part under a bright May sun. BSA Lightning was a replacement for the sublime Rocket Goldstar, this one looked like a frequent rider polished with an oily rag. Last up Moto Guzzi V7, a 700cc transverse v-twin being the Italian contemporary of all of these other bikes. Lovely!
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