harley davidson, it really get's my goat that harley don't celebrate their rich sporting heritage, i'm not just talking about the xr series flat-track racers but the '70's two stroke racers that earned them world titles in 250 and 350 gp races between 1974 and 1977, harley themselves don't even mention this astonishing success on their own official website, what's the matter?, afraid you might scare off some estate agent, banker or other business man who's buying into the fatboy/dyna/crossbones big twin weekend warrior experience?, success is based on racing, that's the way it is, always has been, don't hide your head in the sand and sanitise motorcycles for sales, grow some bollocks, man up and admit it, harley davidson won world championship's with two-strokes, celebrate it, get some t- shirts in the 'lifestyle' [t.m.] 'dealership's', [t.m.] instead of a soaring eagle, american flag, stars and bars, freedom machine, boring, old man, totally predictable way, kick out the jam's motherfuckers, walter villa kicked ass.

ernst degner, mz 125, 1956.

ernst degner and walter kaaden, racer and engineer, don't know where this photo is from but i know it speaks volumes about the two men and their relationship, degner, for whatever reason, i like to think that he just wanted the best for his family, defected to the west, stealing kaaden's secrets and selling them to the suzuki factory, the rest, as they say, is history........

racer. should be out there bringing up the rear. coming in last, [or second to last], instead my bikes sitting in the shed and me?,well, i'm sitting in the shed and waiting.......

dangerous. 1964. out there doing it. respect due, racer.

bonneville. i hate dangerous. does my head in. bastard. spent my afternoon scraping and sanding the filler on the tank, mad john had blasted so much laquer on the filler cap it wouldn't fit, i hate this bike, it's everything i don't like about bikes, fucking horrible, i only do it to humour him. wanker. look's shit. bastard.

after a post on ed's 'fingy moto' blogspot i had to check out the ritmo-sereno website, fantastic bikes brilliantly engineered and all with that race look that i think everything from scooters to choppers should have, the orange r90s inspired r80  bike is lovely, my old plod r80 that i converted to a cafe racer in the early nineties was a great bike and i have a real soft spot, [along with barse] for the old, air-cooled boxers, the 'orange' bike has been caned all over the blog's but the beezer? ding-dong, well hello, makes me come all over terry thomas it does.......

mz etz 250 engine, racing season starts this weekend, brands hatch, won't be there i'm afraid, finances just won't allow it, really disappointed to be missing out, the bike's ready, i'm ready but the money just isn't there, sold the ducati to try and finance this season but at £400 a meeting that's not going to go far.....