Out for a Sunday ride: a wee bit chilly but with the odd peep of sun to brighten the road up. Spring leaves flushing out overhead and early blooms adorning the shrubberies.
Dean kicks his Bonnie into life. Mine had a rough throttle pick-up which I need to see to. Hacky dorty carbs, points to readjust, or even a little electrical hiccup …
Yesterday would have been Richard Feynman’s 95th birthday; though he was a theoretical physicist, dealing with the universe at the smallest levels, he had an astounding manner in explaining some of the most complex ideas in the ‘simplest’ terms. His unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding comes across in his two autobiographies: ” surely you’re joking Mr Feynman” & “what do you care what other people think!”.
A bongo drummer too! He worked at Los Alamos during WWII working under the greats of nuclear physics: Oppenheimer and Fermi. He won the Nobel Prize for his work on QED quantum electromagnetic dynamics, which when asked by a reporter to explain in a minute what that was replied: “if I could explain that in a minute it wouldn’t be worth the Nobel Prize in Physics”.
His Feynman diagrams are legend: a graphic equation. Seen here daubed on the family transport a ’75 Dodge van.
Apologies to the two-wheeled enthusiasts for this digression but physics is a subject of great interest to me; and indeed it explains how a motorcycle stays up when at speed; whether zooming along in a straight line or careening around a corner. Let’s finish on a thought from Dickie:
POW! Found one at last! The Original TV series Batman, Adam West here seen riding a Triumph Bonneville. Bat Bike…
Quite the look! However I think a dark blue/black would have been a better color to go with the flowing cape.
Nanananananananananananananananananana……BATMAN!
Warhawk! The premier fighter aircraft of WW2; typically adorned with tiger teeth for a roaring attack. The Curtis P-40 was the third most manufactured US plane after the P-47 Thunderbolt and P-51 Mustang. But that visual growl.
Could this be a tank paint treatment on a motorcycle? Hmm a wee growl on a Triumph Cub… It works on this street fighter!
Today I had my citizenship (or naturalization) interview at the INS . all went well and all I need to do now is go to a swearing-in ceremony. So to commemorate I found this book cover to reflect the idea of a piece if Blighty over here in the colonies….
A fluid exercise in ink line brushwork. A sweep here, curl there and swooping execution of a classic motorcycle scene in monochromatic depth. Boy meets girl, boy shows off motorcycle to girl. Boy and girl plan trip across Dorset to the next teashop…
Nottingham England, a well known logo emblazoned on the head tube of the many bicycle models offered over the years by Raleigh. Named after the original street the first bikes were manufactured on they went to the far corners of the world as efficient transportation.
The ‘R’ is a very recognizable icon seen on Roadsters, Choppers, Grifters, racers, mountain bikes, folders, trikes and 3-speeds galore. I’ve done thousands of mikes on Raleigh’s from my first racer (see blog entry a few days ago) to a mountain bike I commuted in London on, and toured Ireland with. Good bikes!
A trip to Indiana yesterday to assist a friend of Dean’s with his Honda; it was to be taken for a tire change. Dean built a nice wide ramp for its transport which made getting it into his truck a doddle.
That Honda dealer and garage was in Merriville and was a neat setup with very friendly staff. the new CB1100 was a particularly nice looking moto: classic retro lines of a seventies superbike. They had a wall of historic photographs showing past bikers and their rides, this included a past incarnation in the sixties as a Triumph dealer. The place to go to pick up your Bonneville.
Proud owners lined up ready for a hare up to the Dunes of Michigan.
“May the Fourth be with you!”
Our pal Ewan takes a break from lightsabre wielding scenes to catch up on Motorcycle News’ offerings whilst leaning against some gaffers moto.
Of course on other times when not filming he spends spare time with bikes: be it globe trekkng or toting around local Hollywood lanes. Here he us with a custom Triumph bobber zooming along some leafy suburban backwater.
…and sitting astride his ride with pup.
A pleasant surprise this afternoon after my midday swim: the postie had dropped of a box, fairly hefty too. My parts search is slowly coming to fruition; and today a plump find arrived. A complete clutch and gearbox for the project. It is in fairly good condition too, but naught a wipe down with oil, renew cush rubbers, new cork on the plates can’t restore to full service. I’m excited!
Now a barrel, cylinder head, tappets and then it’ll be a step-back to evaluate what seals, bearings, bolts, odds, ends and machine work I’ll need for the engine rebuild.
A smile appears: and, as the song says “the future’s so bright I gotta wear shades!”.
The rider and his steed: the weekend was indeed lovely weather to be on the roads. Sunny skies abounding. I’m a lucky chap to be able to take my restored Triumph out on days like this. Not too hot or too cold – I could have just ridden on and on.
Here to miles & miles ahead this year!
The matching case components, crankcase, inner timing and outer cover come together like a fine swiss pocket watch. Each holds a different layer if workings that release the wound-up energies from the engine combustions.
The surface still has a rough oxidation; I’m only going to bring it back to a cleaner smooth grey patina. I don’t want a buffed mirror finish; just a day-to-day working bike look.
Finally managed to blow the winters cobwebs out of my hair. The bike kicked into life straight away and the new front brake worked a treat. The road along the lake wasn’t too busy so managed to open it up at a few stretches
A couple of glitches in the lighting seem to be de rigueur when coming out of a winter layup; it must have been an overwintering gremlin taking refuge in the headlight shell.
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