Ambassador to the sport, Malcolm Smith, passed yesterday at the age of 83. Known as a pure racer for his cool and smooth operation of his bikes at speed over any terrain. Part of the American team in the ISDT and ran the Mexico 1000. Later racing the grueling Paris Dakar with four wheels.
Most known as the riding buddy of Steve McQueen in the classic motorcycle documentary On Any Sunday.
Smith said of his first real motorcycle, the Lambretta 125 he bought for $329, “I took it home and started riding and never stopped. It gave me freedom.”
A visit to the Air & Space museum in DC included an exhibit about the chase for speed. Part of which was the thrill of flight on two wheels. EK was the king of leaping buses, canyons, rivers and the like. Here was one oh his Harley Davidsons used for airy antics.
Labor Day weekend was spent riding clockwise around Lake Michigan. Via Green Bay and the Upper Peninsula across the Mackinaw Bridge and down the west shoreline of ‘mainland’ Michigan. Perfect weather, more than perfect roads that seemed endless and camping too!
Great weather for attending the motorcycle show at MCC in Villa Park. Plenty on display and many others of the riders who came to look. I sketched this 40’s wartime BSA. The same my grandfather George possibly could have ridden in Egypt. George Lawrie was born 114 years ago yesterday, and passed away 59 years ago.
Donald Sutherland plays a nazi agent in this 1981 film The Eye of the Needle. Knowing plans about D-Day he needs to report back to Berlin with a U-Boat meet-up off Scotland. Ending up on a remote “Storm Island” he takes up with a woman who is emotionally estranged from her husband who lost his legs in an automobile accident on their wedding day just as he was about to head off as a Spitfire pilot. As our protagonist is being pursued by Scotland Yard he commandeers a Velocette motorcycle to hare through the glens of Scotland. He ditches it in the sea after just crossing the Connel Bridge which crosses Loch Etive. The film was directed by Richard Marquand who went on to direct Return of the Jedi for George Lucas.
Indiana Dunes hinterland was a nice part of the route today. Perfect summer weather and fairly quiet roads. Brunch at Froehlichs Bakery as a mid-ride stop was a breakfast treat.
Enjoyable morning in Winnetka wandering amongst some gorgeous motorcars. German, British, Italian, Swedish. The sumptuous curves and elegant lines covering midcentury engineering. The weather was perfect to match the machinery.
A nice build from Revival Cycles using a modern Royal Enfield 650 as a donor. Reminds me of my Tiger Cub in appearance, but this looks more purposeful for the job at hand.
Natural Habitat
Based in Austin TX they have some photos of this build haring around an arid SoCal location. Splendid just!
This year’s Motoblot event had plenty to look at. From older model cars and bikes to newer models being featured by dealers. Weather was hot as usual and the rockabilly music loud as an unmuffled engine. There was an ‘85 Kawasaki Ninja parked up too. Nice to see it!
We went to see this film tonight. Based on photography and recorded interviews from the late 60’s and early 70’s it follows a bike club in Chicago as they make their way through the Midwest on Harleys clad in oily leather jackets emblazoned with “Vandals”. Tom Hardy is leader, Austin Butler the too-cool-for-school member and Jodie Comer is marvelous at his wife. Two-Thumbs up!
Great film about a fictitious plan to kidnap Churchill during WW2. Donald Sutherland plays an IRA agent helping the Germans infiltrate a Norfolk village. Michael Caine is the Fallschirmjäger who parachutes in with his troops to undertake the mission. Jenny Agutter is Molly. A Royal Enfield Flying Flea is the motorcycle scooting around tge countryside. Sadly Donald passed away today aged 88.
Beautiful French singer François Hardy passed away yesterday. She was the epitome of gallic chic in music, film, and fashion. Regarded as an “égérie” ‘muse’ by the top French fashion designers of the time such as Chanel and YSL and later the upcoming women of fashion who rebelled against haute couture with the Yé Yé School. Well she looked good in leather with a moto nearby. François Hardy (1944-2024)
Proud youth with his ape hung, hardtailed rear, extended forked, bicycle headlighted Triumph Tiger Cub. The wooded setting sets off the red paintwork superbly. As George Hanson said whilst imbibing on a Jim Beam quart bottle “Here’s the first of the day, fellas! To old D. H. Lawrence.” The whilst flapping one arm like a chicken: “Neh! Neh! Neh! Fuh! Fuh! Fuh! Indians.”
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