Saturday, September 30, 2017

Thursday, September 28, 2017

LeMay Museum Exhibit Removal

There will be a work party at the LeMay Marymount facility this Saturday September 30th starting around 0930 to disassemble the Museum of Motorcycling exhibit. Volunteers are needed. If anyone has a question they can call Harvey Widman at 253720-3732. Thanks



1936 Norton Model 20





Sunday, September 24, 2017

Salt Tractor

This one has Rob’s name all over it. Jack Donahue’s Ford 8N land speed tractor “8Ncredible.” Post NASCAR career Jack decided to set a flathead powered tractor speed record - 101.169. 


Friday, September 22, 2017

Road Worthy T

Rob and I ran into this Model T roadster at the Steam Show a few weeks ago. I loved how subtly it was setup tone a driver. Check out the electric fan and disc brake conversion. Cool car.




Moto Mall

During a recent business trip to Mexico City I stumbled across this motorcycle/scooter shop in the mall! All Italian brands (Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, Vespa). Way higher end stuff than you typically see the Mexican Uber Eats guys riding around everywhere.







Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Junkyard Phantom

From Seattle Speedometer's Instagram. This 1925 Rolls Royce Phantom was abandoned in a New Jersey junkyard in the 1950's. Those early Rolls were shockingly ahead of their time. 25 years later they were apparently considered garbage.



Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Time Capsule

From Offenhauser's Instagram. Check out this '37 Ford drag car time capsule. I've never seen one of those finned water pump housings before. Pretty cool.



Monday, September 18, 2017

Royal Signals Motor Cycle Display Team - RIP

The legendary Royal Signals Motor Cycle Display Team performed their last show after 90 years this past weekend. The UK Ministry of Defense proclaimed them too "old fashioned" and will no longer be scheduling bookings.
If you've never seen footage of the Team before the speed at which they perform their drills makes them unique. For decades the famous "White Helmets" had a close association with the Triumph factory and often members were factory laborers, engineers and test riders like Hughie Hancox.

Narrowed

My brother Rob restoring a motorcycle trailer that Forsberg Indian used to haul race bikes back in the early 1940's. Most of the trailer is built around an early Ford leaf spring, radius rod front end and wheels. As a result he is also opting to use car/truck fenders. Rob found some suitable fenders but they are clearly esthetically too wide. 

We decided to narrow them by 2". He has a lot of finish work to do but so far I'm really stoked with the way they are coming out.


Saturday, September 16, 2017

Miniture Pre-Unit

This 3" tall T120 Pre Unit engine built Chris Wilkins of Versatile Engineering in Western Australia actually runs. There's a roll of gaffer's tape in the background for scale.

Life


Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Saturday, September 9, 2017

Spiral

Spiral was America's first motorcycle. Below is an 1896 Spiral. This bike was in "first grade" by the time Indian came along in 1901. 

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Doug's BSA

I've posted photos of this BSA before but I just love it. If I remember correctly it originally belonged to Doug's Dad and was built by a family friend. A true survivor and just so right!

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Steam Show

My brother Rob and I joined some guys in the VME on a group ride to the Toledo Steam Show. The highlight for me was  meeting Doug Blackburn, Doug, the owner/operator of this 1899 Armerican Steam Fire Engine, told my brother Rob and I a pretty entertaining story about "borrowing" his Dad's 1948 Indian Chief way before he was old enough to handle a bike that size. We had to see how one fit him now.

Talking to Doug about restoring a 120 year old steam powered machine (building a boiler, having it hydrostatically tested every year, figuring out how to run it, insuring it, etc.)  made me momentarily feeling like my compulsive obsession with restoring old motorcycles is not all that crazy. Piecing Rob's imploded distributor rotor back together with nothing but a screwdriver on the way home made that feeling pass... Save a faulty rivot on a repop part both bikes ran like a top and ultimately got us home. Fun ride.


Ouch


Friday, September 1, 2017

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