The Ton | Welsh Racer Malcolm Uphill thrashing his Triumph Thruxton around the Isle of Man circuit in 1970. Wire fencing encloses livestock fields beyond the rural road.
May 20, 2019
Austrian Racer
Niki Lauder | He won the F1 world championship in 1975, 1977 & 1984 racing for both Ferrari and Maclaren. He had a horrific accident at the Nurburgring in ’76 where a fiery crash severely burned his head and toxic fumes damaged his lungs. His rivalry with James Hunt is legendary. He died earlier today aged 70.
May 13, 2019
Burrito
Gene Romero (1947-2019)
One of the top flat track racers in the late sixties and early seventies passed away over the weekend. Talented on Triumph twins around the dirt ovals and fast on the faired triples around a road track.
May 12, 2019
Geezers
Owld Moto’s | Sunday scoot up to Highwood for a coffee. Bikes are running pretty good. Weather was a tad cooler by the Lake. It was fun to be on the older machine.
April 28, 2019
Orange Crush
Marmalade | Ongoing tweaking and fettling of the old Bonnie saw fruition today. New headlight and front indicators working; standard pegs and ‘normal’ bars will get me back on the road vintage style in no time. Kicked over and purred along nicely.
April 27, 2019
Classic Tokusatsu
Tetsujin Tiger Seven
(鉄人タイガーセブン Tetsujin Taigā Sebun)
From Wikipedia:
Takigawa Go gets the power to transform into Tetsujin Tiger Seven from an artificial heart and a magic pendant. To transform, he utters the henshin (transformation) phrase “Tiger Spark”. Go rides a Suzuki motorcycle with rocket boosters. When he transforms into Tiger Seven, the motorcycle transforms as well to become “Spike Go”. Spike Go can drive itself, coming to its master’s aid when Tiger 7 roars.
Here’s the opening credits https: TigerSeven
Classic stuff!
April 24, 2019
Off the beaten track
‘ump Day | ‘bike is parked up; pyramid tent erected; Primus stove lit and brew on the go; time to light up and perch my’sen on this crag edge. Look up magazine advertisements for Camel Lights “It’s a whole new world” and you’ll see this adventurer getting up to all sorts in the wild corners of the world – whilst making sure his tabs are close at hand…
April 22, 2019
The Earth Roared
Earth Day | What better way to go out there and explore what our planet has to offer and see how beautifully fragile our home rally is than on the back of a Tiger. For nearly a Century there have been sharp clawed Moto’s roaming the globe looking for earthly adventure.
April 7, 2019
I am the Light
Illuminating | Off-season project for the Bonnie. Replacing the headlight to clean-up electrics and lighting. The cafe look has gone with the low bars and rear-sets replaced by more standard fare.
March 30, 2019
Motorrad
Bayerische Motoren Werke | a visit to Motorworks today on S Western to pick something up gave me a chance to see their refurbished digs. As of this weekend they are now also an official BMW dealership. So they now represent the trifecta of European machinery: Triumph, Ducati & BMW. I spied this very sharp R90s sitting near the parts department. Teutonic Twentieth Century technology at its ‘allerbeste’. The classic black/silver smoke tank is pure seventies superbike.
March 25, 2019
For want of a spade
Kustom Kat |For over five decades the custom motorcycle scene has been dominated by one name Arlen Ness. He passed away over the weekend leaving a void in the genre. Taking the laid-back Californian attitude and rebuilding bikes into crazy vestiges of their former self he would use mostly Harley Davidson’s to create multitudes of choppers, bobbers, and, like this Triumph, diggers. This latter style was a needle thin profile with stretched out forks – highly impractical but look beautiful. Arlen Ness 1938-20019 RIP
March 11, 2019
“…I’d rather be happy than right any day.”
Slartibartfast | The renowned Magrathean planet designer who won awards for his coastline design of the Norwegian fjords. These are roads I would most certainly like to travel upon with two wheels.
Today -11th March – is interstellar Towel day; being the birthday of Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
January 24, 2019
Toon Time
The Hill – climbing up from the historic and commercial center of Newcastle is Westgate Road. It literally was the west gate of the medieval town that following the line of the older Hadrians Wall towards the sunset. Its role as a meeting spot for travelers is therefore ingrained. For several decades it has been the popular venue for motorcycle gatherings centered around the numerous bike shops, chippy’s and cafes. I remember as a wee un coming down from North Northumberland twice a year to go to see an ophthalmologist at the General Hospital at the top of the road. My mother and I would take a bus from the City Center to the appointment and I’d look out of the window at the bikes; exciting stuff for a young lad! It’s popularity is waning but there are some stalwarts holding the flame aloft for any roaming bikers needing an excuse to gawp at new models; or enjoy a lunch at a greasy spoon washed doon wi’ a mug o’tea.
January 10, 2019
Vignette
Miniature Portrait- Before the advent of photography people would have a small painting of their loved one prepared and mounted in a suitable pendant. Here is someone’s rendition of a Triumph Trident T160.
January 9, 2019
Fettled & Fast
Pops – The post-war period in Japan saw a push in engine tuning to wring out any available additional horsepower to not just be faster but the fastest. This would eventually lead to the superbikes of the seventies and eighties and the current flock of hyper sports.
Leading this evolution of power and speed was Hideo ‘Pops’ Yoshimuro (1922-1995). After maintaining aircraft for the Japanese Empire during WW2 he redirected his masterful talents to the British bikes being brought to the land of the rising sun by American servicemen. This photo shows our man astride a fettled BSA preunit drag bike readying for a speed run.
Later he shifted his works and racing team to California where big reliable Japanese superbikes like the Kawasaki KZ and Suzuki GS’s went on to dominate the burgeoning AMA road racing circuit.
