Chicago Is My Kind Of Town

Suddenly, Chicago is my kind of town. Head over to the Rockers Reunion, Saturday May 7th from 1pm to 5pm at the Ace Motorcycle and Scooter Company, 1042 W. Jackson, Chicago, Illinois. Entry Fee is $10.

Pipeburn's Imaginary Garage

via Pipeburn

I absolutely love the work Andrew does over at Pipeburn. The quality of the work in his Imaginary Garage feature is not only stratospheric, but it is thoroughly inspiring. The result is so realistic that you'd swear it was an actual photograph. The way it works is this: Andrew posts a photo of a standard motorcycle, then asks for comments from readers on what modifications they'd like to see. Then he picks the best mod and creates a realistic, digital version using Photoshop. If he picks your idea, you win a distinguished prize.

A note to aspiring commenters: do not post your own photoshoppery or you'll be disqualified. Do not post only, "Make it a cafe racer!" or you'll be disqualified. Comments must be specific, and detailed, and fairly extensive as if you were sending instructions to your own custom bike shop for building your dream-bike.

Today's feature is the 1925 Brough Superior Drag Bike. Be sure to visit his article for a breathtaking, full-size image of awesome. There are others: the 1929 Norton Cafe Racer, or the 2010 Triumph Hill Climber.


The Brough Superior, before:

Chanel, Knightley and Ducati

Actress Keira Knightley was born in Teddington, London, England and rides a Ducati 750 Sport in the new Chanel perfume film titled "Coco Mademoiselle". Knightley is the British part of this post since Ducati is obviously an Italian motorcycle. I like the classic silhouette of the girl on the fairinged motorcycle, even if I wished it was the curvier, Victoria's Secret model and real-life motorcyclist, Marisa Miller instead. Could someone please take Miss Knightley out for a dozen cheeseburgers and milkshakes for Pete's sake? The film is embedded below.

Speaking of Marisa Miller, she offers 5 reasons to Esquire Magazine why women find motorcycles sexy. 

Video:


Screenshots:

In Rust We Trust

Giuliano Uristani aka Gano Sàn shows off his custom, 1973 Triumph T140 "IN RUST WE TRUST." Love the unique seat and rear fender combo as well as the recently added, unrestored, 1950s, Italian fuel tank. What a freakin' treasure.

Dice Magazine #37

Adam Cramer of Liberty Vintage Motorcycles

Amen, sir.



This excellent short on the wrenching wisdom of Adam Cramer of Liberty Vintage Motorcycles in Philadelphia really speaks to me. I love garage work, building stuff that I can handle. In this digital age where one keystroke can delete the work of your entire career, Cramer reminds us about creating things that are physical.

It's shot and edited by the inspiring cinematographer, Andrew David Watson. This piece is as much about Adam as is it about Andrew and his eye for simplicity and authenticity. Seen on Pipeburn.

Diablo #14 Online

El Diablo Magazine always has some amazing photography and coverage of bike shows along with some of the best hot rod illustration out there. Issue #14 features shots of the barest bones BSA C-11 called "Racy King" built by Ajito Motorcycle Factory out of Japan. Also, check out these crackin' black and whites.

World's Fastest Indian Screencaps

I captured these from my copy of 2005's  The World's Fastest Indian. One of my favorite scenes is the New Zealand beach race. That blur entering the frame from the left is Burt Munro, played by Anthony Hopkins. If you're reading this blog, you already know that the film is about the life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle -- a bike which helped him set the land-speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967. I know vintage motorcycle enthusiasts talk about it a lot, but I love this movie. It reminds me that it's better to be your best at one thing, than being mediocre at several.

Also... get out and ride your motorcycle.

Glemseck 101 2010

From Glemseck 101, 2010
Mark Wilsmore, owner of the Ace Cafe, London was on hand to judge the bike show.

1930 Matchless

Cool piece of Matchless footage, if a little heavy on the Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood music. Via Sump Magazine.

For Sale: '73 Triumph Bonneville Bobber 750cc

Dan from Raeford, NC describes his 73 Triumph on Craigslist, this way,  "300 Miles on engine since rebuild in 2005. Engine needs some work to fix a leak, but it doesn't keep it from performing. Still pulls hard and runs solid" $2800

I asked him about the kicker. "It will start, but riding it around takes some rigging. The pedal, once used to start the bike, loses the compression and spring and then just wants to drag on the ground. So to ride it, the thing has to be strapped to the frame. It's very annoying and not practical to ride around town that way. Esp if it stalls, which it likes to do early in the day or after it hasn't been started in a while. Once warmed up though, the thing will ride all day. So the simple answer is, it will start, but it won't be good to ride home. Around the block, we can figure it out. It's not a dream bike...yet. It's still a work in progress."

PS, a kicker spring is about $12 and an easy fix.
Email Dan at falsefacetribe@yahoo.com