cannonball racer

Across America coast to coast on pre 1916 bikes

The Cannonball Race - well done chaps

The Summers over and gone.

And the Dark Cold days are almost here...
F@%K.

choppertown winner

Just loverly

Ben Jordans Gorgeous Pan 'Basura'

http://www.choppertownnation.com/forum/topics/and-the-winners-are-p...

Miracles can happen...

The 'Toad in the hole' has risen! God bless 'Nigella'

 Rear Sprocket Spacers (made by Joe) require larger holes for 7/16" Bolts

Drill Press kindly loaned by Paul Niven

It the little jobs that please the most sometimes

Brooklyn action

Chopperdave love the man

Courtesy of Freedom Machinery http://choppedout.blogspot.com/

That bike again 'houses of the holy' 

Courtesy of Bolts! http://boltsaction.blogspot.com/

Shovel of the week

Jeff Wrights bike of 'Church of Choppers' fame

Street fighter stylie

love to see the spec on this

check out the twin magnetos

Some outfit in blighty used to do those swingarms (QMC?)

or was it qvc!

Got the chopper dave stamp of approval
checkout the bigger pic
Thanks Dave, taken at the Brooklyn Invitational
http://chopperdaves.blogspot.com/

Kitchen Workshop

 I find the  kitchen sink comes in handy when one needs a recess for one's wheel spindle when one wishes to fit the stainless disc 

(what I purchased @ Fred Warrs Jumble many moons ago).

Fuck - my loverly stainless countersunk bolts one ordered are too long (5/16x1" the originals were 7/8" and I couldn't get that size).

 Time to get my Dad's hobby vice out, still stoutly bolted to a bit of 

fence post!

Carefully measuring 7/8" with ones vernier gauge (purchased for two quid at Kempton) I scribed a mark with the old indelible freezer box pen.

The shed yielded another lost treasure still fitted with its diamond disc from the property development days, (sic).

 So I fitted another purchase from Kempton for 99p, 

a 2mm metal cutting disc.

Wedging an allen key against the bolt and vice to stop any movement one carefully cut 1/8th" orwff.

And Voilá le disc est fitted Chef!

Lounge Build

Loboy Lounge Build

I had to laugh, here's me in the Kitchen and Steve's in his Lounge and I think Rowan's using his balcony?

Who needs a Shed!

Anyone got a bedroom or bathroom build going on for a full House!

thanks Steve

Pic courtesy of Steve Truss @http://loboybobberbuild2010.blogspot.com

Kempton

A Bike Jumble in Blighty on Saturday...

(A Swap meet, my colonial friends)

Killer Vintage bike

Original engine blew - too much nitro / methane or something

Badge Appeal

Light fantastic

 That is the bollocks, on my bike, yes please

 Oil trap? Nice whatever it is

Rockers Appeal

 Too much is not enough

2100

I bought a 51' Triumph 5TA for £260.00 (no, I sold it for that!) 

when my sporty was off the road (I really was out of love).

The TA didn't look like this, all the bathtub shit had been taken off

 Winter Project Sir?

 Just needs a bit of fettling Sir...

Why? 

 Two foot high midget bike

Went with Paul Niven and his brother Rob. 

Bumped into Johnno and his mates and had a chat, they made a flying (chopper) visit to Avon drags to meet the 'Flywheel Boneshaker' mob yesterday. 

Never been to Kempton before, a bit 'badgy' but some good workshop stuff here and there and if you are an old brit machine man, you're in heaven!

Shovel of the week

Matt Davis' 72 Stroker Shovel

courtesy of: Cro Customs http://crocustoms.blogspot.com

Its new to me, as I only found this gem this week, lots of loverly shots on this site.

Another fine mess stanley...

So who in their right mind buys an old banana caliper?

It was convenient.  It was an another item off the list,  It had that period look,  It meant a bracket could be welded on the frame build,  It ...

I bought it via email from Joe:–

'Disc and pads are new and looks like its had a rebuild as all clean and 

ready to fit'
'Caliper mounting holes and bracket mounting holes is not worn?'
'caliper is as good as it can get. bracket is fine no oval holes! '

And to be honest that is how it looked - until you take it apart.

Repent at leisure, I should know old shit is just that -

A load of worn out old shit

3 different bolt sizes (one the correct length), pads scored (but usable), worn mountings (but not oval!), piston scored, dust seal cracked etc

So what to do? 

Saddo that I am, I'm going to throw more money and time at it and rebuild the bastard!

That definitely, positively, decides it!  The front is having a NEW caliper, no fucking about!

Shit, I need to be able to stop this dream machine too....

At last it begins ...

Funny, I was going to start at the front...

But don't have the parts reqd, so - ordered 'five countersunk 5/16 x 1" UNC Stainless socket bolts' (got the tech jargon now) for the front stainless brake disc - that I do have!

I used 'Custom Fasteners' as they were cheaper than 'Mr (stainless) Middleton'!

But I did order all my washers from 'Middletons' cos they do nice thick ones.

And five '7/16th UNF bolts and nyloc nuts' for the rear sprocket. (No nyloc nuts in UNC, as always compromises to make when you try to save money!)

And spacers fitted by Joe behind the rear sprocket require drilling out as they are 3/8th holes? He must have used rear disc spacers.

So along with 4 bolts for the rear caliper - I spent nearly forty odd quid on nuts and bolts!  Again!

I fitted these loverly Button Head bolts I had purchased earlier 

to dress the Rear Disc

love at first sight...

Afterhours choppers

Brass Risers - engraved $120 extra

Fucking Great

http://www.afterhourschoppers.com/

Education Education Education

them were different times, bro

I bought this publication in about 1990 and I've just read it again and there's some good shit on shovels in here.

Check out Volume One (82') -  you funky Pan and Knuckle people!

And Volume Three (92') for more shovel and... gasp... evo stuff!

Moulding schmoulding....

 back to the future

Makes your fingers feel sore just looking at it

courtesy of : http://rattledazzles.blogspot.com/

tattoo you

Essential for the biker kitchen 

- or for those with no more room on on their bods!


courtesy of: http://www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk

Voilá

this chap reminds my wife of me on a good day

right this is gonna get done, before beer o'clock!

essential missing installation part - a bread board
juggle the bike from side to side on lumps of wood till the bloody lift slides underneath!

j'arrive! 

c'est fini.

(ok roland?)

Shovel of the week

Courtesy of Rowans blog: http://sprunghubsnhardtales.blogspot.com/

Owned by? Built by? Let me know

Smoke and mirrors....

Paul Niven's Sporty 

Paul came round in the week to have a look at my bike. We met at NCC Windsor bash where he won a prize with his fenland framed sporty.
He mentioned that it was so low he couldn't get his lift under it.
I said that mine shouldn't be a problem as I'd had the frame raised by an inch at the rear wheel as I wanted to go round corners.
So Friday I get this sheet of 8x4' marine ply I've got lying around outside and lay it on the nice tiled floor, having pushed my bike forward around the kitchen work top and carefully leaning it by its handlebars against the nice painted wall protected with a workshop manual.
Ren was out at the time.
Put the daggy carpet down to stop certain people tripping up on the sheet of ply. Off up to the garden shed and drag out the bike lift I bought all those years ago (15), blow off the cob webs.
Carefully lay it down in position and...

Fuck...

It won't slide under my bike.

Bit of a problem, as there's not too much room to manoeuvre the bike, and of course the lift has no wheels, like your modern jobs. So no pushing the bike into a corner when I'm finished.

Felt a bit fucked after this, the op is still slowing me up. 

So here I am sitting here looking at what you are viewing and planning my next move (note wooden blocks). If the Egyptians could do it...

I love my bike.

This might come in handy...

Should you be caught short of a suitable verb/noun/adjective 

during your build!
hahaha

courtesy of: http://www.45chop.blogspot.com/

we are not worthy...

My mate Johnnys serenade to my wife on her fiftieth

Dodgy video shot on my camera at midnight
Had to set the imovie software exposure level to full!
First time movie for me, more softtware to fuck with.
Posted it on youtube as some friends wanted to see it.
He cant half play slide - go Johnny go!

Having a financial wobble of the lec start kind..

I could save weight, small battery, no starter drive, solenoid etc, and no inner primary

The belt drive would cost a lot less !

I could join the real men 'its a kick only dude' 

'A button makes your bike an appliance. A kickstarter makes it part of you.'

Weight: My bike is over 100 lbs lighter than stock,, most of this weight reduction is due to the elimination of electric start components.

Remember though, you have to want to change. For many it will do no good.

Thrift: A motorcycle battery for an electric start bike costs a minimum of eighty pounds, After one year they replace them. This practice prevents embarrassing phone calls at odd hours to immediately jeering, kickstarting relations. 

Safety: People who ride kick only bikes get in the habit of doing pre-kick inspections. Much like aircraft pilots they walk around and visually inspect the whole vehicle, feel its cylinder head temps, etc. Anyone disagree that this would be the ideal time to locate a loose axle nut?

 Theft. A 7-year-old with a basic mechanical background and a Swiss Army knife can easily hot wire a bike. So can a potential thief.

Engine performance: A well tuned motorcycle starts much more easily. A hard start problem is harder to ignore and procrastinate on remedying when it is your own physical energy that is being expended. 

Street cred: “I’m in charge and owning this bike which is a PART of me – an APPENDAGE!” like the action of physically starting your bike with your own muscle. An audience always forms around a person that is about to kick their bike. The audience waits with baited breath while the owner does his pre-flight, makes some minor adjustments and then goes into the well-practiced choreography of the kicking routine. 

Original article by Tom Rose for Iron Horse mag
Courtesy of http://attackchoppers.blogspot.com and the chronicles of flynch http://atlasflynched.blogspot.com

Well, I think old Tom has some valid points 

I have designed my bike to incorporate the starter,and battery -  joe put the drain on the oil tank on the right because of the starter housing. 

But it would look okay without... but my bike does look different  with it. and everyone seems to be running stripped belt only bobbers..

Something to think about... cash doesn't always rule?