Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Wrenching Tuesday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCdxjyrkHIo

Bartlett here. I spent part of a recent Saturday in the garage working on my motorcycle with my handy 4 year old son, Porter wrenching by my side. My goal: replace the friction plates on my clutch. This video shows almost everything that goes into that repair. Royal Enfields are pretty easy to work on, even if they require more regular attention.



The second video is an older clip of the inside of the Enfield timing case. The classic Royal Enfield has a more primitive engine that today's motorcycles. That's because the engine hasn't changed much since the 1950s, when Enfield production opened a factory in India. The India plant workers were only trained to make the 1955 model, which is what they continued building for more than 50 yeauntil 2008 when they finally redesigned the engine. Mine's a 2003 so it retains the old 1950s style iron barrel construction. I enjoy the freedom to get in there and work when I need to without a bunch of electronics or computers in the way. Plus, I just like looking at oily gears and stuff.



Back out on the road!


If you're looking for used Enfield motorcycles, I keep up with David Blasco's Royal Enfields blog where he lists used Enfields for sale from all over the USA.

Monday, January 11, 2010

2010 Freeze Your Balls Off in Durham


Her Majesty's Thunder is a sponsor for FYBO in Durham, NC this weekend. Mr. Chambers and I will riding in. It's forecast to be a toasty 51 degrees. That's great!

The Incriminators Scooter Club says, "As ALWAYS, all two-wheeled vehicles welcome. Bring your mopeds, modern auto scooters, motorcycles etc. You will have fun!" In the past 10 years it's become almost a Mods vs Rockers event for winter since some Brit Iron Rebels also show up to taunt the scooter riders.

Here are some scenes from 2009:

Friday, January 8, 2010

Happy Birthday Elvis


Elvis was known for his motorcycles, but photographs mostly show him saddled up on Harleys. It's a fact that at one time he owned a trio consisting of a Harley, a Honda Dream, and a Triumph, but photos with the Triumph are hard to find. I found this one that shows him on what looks like a Triumph on the set of "Stay Away Joe". Happy Birthday to the King.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Vintage British Motorcycle Training Film for Squares



Square Tom on a Matchless vs his Rocker friend on a Triumph battle it out in this old moto safety film. Lotsa cool stuff in this one. Who will make it to the finish line first? Also, the old way of signaling for a stop looks like you're wafting away your body odor. Glad we evolved on that one.

Monday, January 4, 2010

TT Inspired Motorcycle Time Machine


More proof that British motorcycles are Killer with a capital K.
LC Fabrications are at it again with a Cafe Racer-inspired TT Deluxe built around a 2006 Triumph. Via KnuckleBuster.