'not an original bone in my body'

had loads of negative comment's over the time i've been posting stuff, usually, i just laugh and move on, i know everyone can't be as gifted or as visionary as me and i try and understand how you get it sooo wrong, [ please note, i'm taking the piss] anyhoo, [ey up dutch, chill man, you are trying too hard, i know you have only been riding a bike for , ooh, let's see, four, perhap's five year's? direct access? someone at the office told you bikes were cool?] mr r6, [i'd forgotten he'd posted some shit a while ago about his brother's r6 yamaha, i've ridden them, lot's of them, probably all the different model's, great bike, a very sharp, capable sportsbike] but, you come on here and give it the big-one?, matey, you and your brother are shitting yellow, rim-tape and an aftermarket can? yawwwn, have a look at the ex metropolitan police bike, ex despatch rider donkey bike that he crashed into a gpo van and the bike i built into a cafe racer tweny years ago, yeah baby, probably the same year you were born son, like aretha said, r.e.s.p.e.c.t......[look it up boy's, just type in aretha franklin and perhaps you'll get it, perhaps not]

airhead cafe racer project

this project was always going to be about building a traditional cafe racer, a fast, big bore aircooled bike and then, as i sat back and thought about it, well, let's just say, i had a bit of a re-think, yep, traditional looks but with a twist, i was originally going to use a big, trad, chrome cafe racer headlight, but, sorting through my 'treasure' i discovered a couple of 'projector' light's, i've always lusted after a treble-nine' ducati with their stacked headlamps but never been able to afford one, so, i dug these beauty's out and offered them up, perfect, off-set too, look even more cheeky, just got to figure out a bracket to mount them, too 'busy' and it will kill the effect i'm after......

airhead cafe racer project

more cowbell, hell yeah! saw, saw, sore, file, file, drink tea, listen to music, drink more tea, walk dogs, drink wine, dangerous said to me today, 'i don't know why you bother, no one will ever see it' ain't that the truth, that's why i do it........

perfection

every now and again, i see a bike that stops me in my tracks, picked a copy of 'classic bike guide' up at stafford, the new editor, gary pinchin, is getting a load of shit about changing the direction of the mag, me? i reckon he's got it sorted, the 'crazy-horse' sporty engined, 'ace-cafe' bike is a beauty, but for me, the kim boyle cafe racer norton is the one that floats my boat, dee-fucking-licious...............

tourist trophy

blimey, the tt practice starts tonight, here's to a couple of week's of hard, fast racing and whichever god you follow, say a prayer for all the competitors and their family's, respect due......

sporty

lick it, sniff it, scratch it, touch it, [isn't that a track by daft punk? perhaps not then] i needed some new rubber on the sporty, even though i'm still waiting for the fucking electrician to come round and lay hand's on my bike, i rang him the other night, 'ey up paul' 'oh, hello timmy, yes, i suppose you are ringing me about your wiring' no shit sherlock, it's only been sixteen fucking weeks that i've been waiting for some electrickery majik! we are almost half way through the year and i haven't turned a wheel in anger yet, race bike at jim's, sporty in the shed with no wires, anyhoo, today i'm feeling better, new dunlop qualifiers fitted by rob at racing lines, derby, [i buy my race rubber here and wouldn't trust anyone else to fit and balance my wheel's] bargain price too, there's just something sensual about new rubber, i went for a 120x70x17 this time, it's transformed the look of the bike, the 60 section tyre was just too low profile and the front-end looked a bit 'toy-town' i reckon, new rubber, lick it, sniff it.........

british historic racing, darley moor

norton's, i love 'em me, everytime i look at my built-in-wardrobes in the bedroom, [wardrobes that i funded by selling my fastback commando] i ask myself  'why?'............

british historic racing, darley moor

the always entertaining bsso scooter racer's were out in force on sunday, the number 73 machine of joe ravenscroft caught my eye in the paddock, a lambretta 250, prepared to a really high standard, the bike is staggeringly quick and sounded fantastic to boot, joe seemed to be making ground on the following pack with every lap, unfortunately one of the lad's took a hefty fall at the right hand paddock bend and the race was red flagged, the bsso race at all the british historic racing meetings and if you have never seen these machines in the flesh they are well worth a poke around, watercooled,  disc brakes, carbon and titanium, some serious engineering goes into them and the racing is close and hard.........

british historic racing, darley moor

keeping it real on the bmw front, good to catch up with two blokes who have been so supportive and given me loads of help in the last couple of year's, ben kingham #55 and ron maul, [yep, he's darth's brother, true, would i lie to you?], #66, [just dawned on me, perhaps if i change my race number to 33, 44, 77, 88, 99, 11, 22 etc, etc, i might have more luck? just saying], ben  had four great win's over the weekend on the k, this bike is a work of art, the attention to detail is staggering, to turn a lardy-arse heavy old-man tourer into a race winning machine speaks volumes, talk to ben and he's totally driven and inspiring, check out the link to the bsk speedworks site, [he's building replica racer's and streetbikes too] and then there's ron, promised a 'k' to race in the b.e.a.r.s series, he sold the famous 'helga' boxer twin for a pittance and then the sponsership deal went to rat-shit leaving him without a bike, he's cobbled together an almost stock bike to race in the pre-72's classs and watching him throw the big boxer around and get a couple of fourth place's against pukka race machinery was awe inspiring, ben, ron, we are not worthy........

british historic racing, darley moor

the range of machinery and the standard of preparation could bring a tear to my eye, classic racing heaven, check out the bmw boxer outfit with the engine mounted 'askew' so that the shaft run's straight to clear the wide rear tyre, what about the hard as nail's beeza, the immaculate matchy? the drop-dead velo's? and one of my favourite bikes, the 'tigcraft' 604cc rotax single?  not racing but parading, but, what a brilliant bike and let me tell you how sweet it sounded......

british historic racing, darley moor

sunday morning, dangerous is away ploughing a furrow through northern england in the little motor caravan, [probably re-tarmacing a few drives and doing a little horse-trading along the way too] it's a lovely day, the cold easterly that has been taking the edge off the temperature all week has finally dropped and it's pleasantly warm in the spring sunshine, butty and flask of java and i'm off to darley moor to check out the bhr meeting, i'm packing loads of spare clothes, kendal mint cake, emergency space blanket, heated in-soles, gore-tex boot's, thermal's and three hat's, it's may and it's darley moor after all........