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ISSUE 446 JUNE 2021

£4.50

FEBRUARY 2021

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accessories

clothing

58: ALMOST A ROADTEST THE NEW MOTO GUZZI V85TT 4: EDITORIAL NIK WAFFLES ON ABOUT SOME SHI… NO, ACTUALLY, THAT’S RIGHT

62: MR BRIDGES THE GURU IMPARTS MORE OF HIS KNOWLEDGE OF MECHANICS 66: FOGGIE FICTION THE SECOND INSTALMENT OF OUR FOUR-PART ESPIONAGE TALE

50: CENTRESPREAD AN ARTISTIC POSTER FOR YOU TO PUT ON YER WALL

72: NEWS ALL THAT’S NEW AND HAPPENING IN THE CUSTOM BIKE WORLD

52: SUBSCRIBE TO BSH SEE HERE FOR THE BEST SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS

74: PRODUCTS LOADS OF GOOD STUFF FOR YOU TO SPEND YOUR HARDEARNED ON 76: LETTERS SOUND OFF, ONE, TWO, SOUND OFF, THREE, FOUR!

ET TO GGITAL Y I D MPL E TH APP, SI ACK E S B ‘ N R IO APPL EDIT ARCH FO’ IN THE D SE EROES OR iPA Y PLA ET H RE F STRE PP STO OOGLE D A G E OI N R PAG O D OR OR AN ACEBOO)K F F ES O SH HE B EET HER GROUP UT T R K S– CK O ACK ST BOO CHE ACE HEROE (B F H BS REET ROUP E H T ST IAL G D K N C A T BA A HE OFFIC T

6: WILD STAR CUSTOM – NO FRIEND OF DOROTHY’S… 11: SPORTSTER BOBBER – GOT BRASS IN POCKET, AND EVERYWHERE ELSE TOO 16: TWO EVOS – MONOCHROME IN COLOUR 20: BANDIT CHOP – SOFTAIL N’ SEXY SUZUKI 24: KWAK DIGGER – JUST LIKE THEY USED TO BUILD ‘EM IN THE EIGHTIES 28: MALLE BEACH RACE – IF KING CANUTE WENT BEACH RACING…

32: BRITISH BIKER SUB-CULTURE – PART ONE OF OUR LOOK AT HOW WE GOT HERE 36: ENFIELD CAFÉ RACER – MADE FASTER BY A GOBLIN… 38: 2021 BSH CUSTOM CHAMPS – GET THE INFO’ HERE

44: SHOVELHEAD RACER – THE COVER REDNECK STREET STOMPER IN ALL ITS GLORY

340: TL1000 HORROR-FIGHTER – GOBSMACKING PAINT NORTH O’ THE BORDER

54: SUPERCHARGED KWAK CHOP – IT’S A CHOP, WITH A SUPERCHARGER… WIBBLE

78: MAG NEWS OUR REGULAR COLUMN BY THE MAG CHAIRNON GENDERSPECIFIC PERSON 79: EVENTS YAY, THE SUMMER’S LOOKING PROMISING! 83: READERS’ LIVES YOUR PICS, OUR CAPTIONS… YEAH, SORRY ABOUT THAT 89: SMALLS SELL YOUR BIKE HERE FOR FREE! 96: REMINISCING MEMORIES OF THE DISREPUTABLE YEARS 97: NEXT MONTH JUST TO WHET YOUR APPETITE… 98: RICK HULSE THE MUSINGS OF ONE OF THE MOST ELOQUENT THINKERS IN BIKERDOM

HELLO AND WELCOME TO THIS NEW ISSUE OF BSH! PIC BY CONRAD

In a change from last issue, as I sit here typing this, outside my window the sun’s shining, and it’s not absolutely feckin’ freezing’ for a change. No, I’m sitting here in a tee-shirt for the first time this year, and as soon as I’ve written this editorial I’m off for a spin on a bike, of which I have a choice of four at this particular moment – the Future Bike, a BMW R18 Classic test bike, a Super Soco TC Max electric bike, and my latest acquisition: an 1100 Gixerengined softail ‘fighter that I picked up at the weekend. Yep, life’s pretty good at the moment…

**************** As it says on the cover, this issue sees the return of the great BSH events listings, which’ve been missing for the last eighteen months or so due to the Chinese chiroptera pestilence, and it’s already filling up ridiculously quickly – it’s running at about eight pages on my computer so far, and that’s just the ones I know of.

O’ course, cos we’re still in the, thankfully relaxing, grip of Covid, and no-one quite knows what’s going to happen, if you are planning to attend one of the bashes listed in it, it’d be a good idea to check that it’s actually happening before you set off, y’know? It’d be a bit poo, wouldn’t it, if you set off for a rally a hundred miles away and, when you get there, the local council’ve shut it down?

**************** A recent press release from clever-people-who-know-stuff has announced that the majority of drivers these days regard speeding on motorways and normal roads as more unacceptable now than it was five years ago. Really? Are they sure? Has anyone told the majority of drivers this? I spend a lot of time on motorways, mostly in me van over the last few months ‘cos it’s been feckin’ cold (and since I passed me car test, I don’t need to lose all the feeling in my fingers/toes/ nipples/other extremities), and I can say, hand on heart, that I haven’t noticed any reduction in traffic speeds. ‘Cos o’ the fact that ‘cos I’ve not had me (car) licence two years yet, if I get six penalty points before November, I’ll have to retake

EDITOR:

NIK SAMSON

GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER:

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me test (and I’m not entirely sure I won’t have to retake me bike test too, and that doesn’t bear thinking about…), and the fact that ‘cos I’m driving a van I have to keep me speed down (50mph on single carriageways, 60mph on dual carriageways, 70mph on motorways), I’ve been more aware of speed limits than normal, and I can honestly say that the majority of drivers, especially on motorways, still come ear’oling past me.

Hmm, doesn’t look like speeding’s that unacceptable to me…

Similarly, over the last six years I’ve had to do two National Speed Awareness courses (or ‘naughty boys’ driving courses’, as I call ‘em) due to me slightly heavy right hand, and on both occasions I was the only person, the first time out of 80 people, and the second out of eight, who’d not been gripped for speeding in 30 or 40mph limits (86 in a 70, and 77 in a 70, in case you were wondering). That doesn’t sound much as though the majority of drivers feel as though speeding’s unacceptable either, does it?

Sometimes, when you read these things (press releases, not the gibberish I spout), you do wonder how in touch with the real world these survey compilers really are? I mean, if you ask someone a question relating to something that they know they shouldn’t, but do, you don’t have to have a degree in psychology to know that they’re unlikely to say ‘No, I do that, and I’m proud’, are they? They’re far more likely to make ‘No, it’s terribly bad, terribly terribly bad’ noises, aren’t they?

That’s just human nature – we all know we shouldn’t speed, but we do (partly because there’re so few coppers these days due to successive Governments cutting funding, and the chances of getting caught aren’t high); we all know that we shouldn’t burn stuff due to global warming, but we do; and we all know we stuff ourselves with fatty/sugary foods, but we shouldn’t. Ask us about any of those, though, and noooo, we don’t do any of them… gawd, no, ‘course not, we wouldn’t do such a thing, would we? Yet survey compilers listen, write down the bollocks we tell them, and then report it as fact…

**************** Anyway, it’s starting to cloud over a little out there so I’m out of here, see you next month!

FREELANCE CONTRIBUTORS:

DAN NORTHOVER, GARRY STUART, SIMON EVERETT, CONRAD WEISKRANTZ, JON BETTS, DREW IRVINE PHOTOGRAPHY, TONY HADDEN, ROYAL ENFIELD UK, FRANK SANDER, MR BRIDGES, JIM FOGG RIP, LOUISE LIMB, SELINA LAVENDER, BOSUN, RICK HULSE, MICHAEL PITCAIRN

NIK

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BACK STREET HEROES, MORTONS MEDIA, MORTON WAY, HORNCASTLE LN9 6JR

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Distribution by Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU. Tel: 0203 787 9001. Printed by William Gibbons and Sons, Wolverhampton. ISSN: 02679841. BSH is copyright to Mortons Media Ltd 2021 and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

The publishers accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If you send material to us for publication, you are strongly advised to make copies and to include an SAE. Original material must be submitted and will be accepted solely on the basis that the author accepts the assessment of the publisher as to its commercial value. BSH UK subscriptions £45.00, European subs £55.89, all other countries £67.89, from BSH Subs, Mortons Media Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle LN9 6LZ. USA subs $60 per annum from Motorsport, 31757 Honey Locust Road, Jonesburg, MO 63351-9600 and additional mailing offices. Periodicals postage is paid at Jonesburg, Missouri, USA. Postmaster: send USA address changes to BSH, Motorsport, 550 Honey Locust Road, Jonesburg, MO 63351-9600.

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FOR MANY FOLK, THE BEST WAY TO GET THEMSELVES STARTED WITH A CUSTOM BIKE PROJECT IS BY PURCHASING A PROJECT BIKE, REGARDLESS OF THE ISSUES THAT DOING SO MAY CAUSE…

JUNE 2021 BHI STUIT 111818

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easons for a project bike being for sale are many and varied, most of which can potentially become a problem – after all, they’re usually being sold as a project, rather than as a finished bike, because the previous owner’s run into hassles. Such was the case with the Yamaha Wild Star project Alistair McIntyre found on everyone’s favourite auction website…

The bike was a basket case: bare frame with an engine, no rolling gear, no bodywork, but he knew that from the start. What he discovered ENGINE: though, after he’d got his new purchase Yamaha XV1600 Wild Star engine, home (in the boot of his car!), was that the (Patrick Racing Stage 2 heads/110” (1810cc) big bore/flat tappet kit with frame’d had its headstock removed, and a new hydraulic lifters, re-jetted Mikuni Virago one badly welded in its place! There 42mm carb, twin spike fast-flow air-filter, was no log-book but, after rifling through Barnett clutch plates, 2-into-1 exhaust a box of bits that’d come with it, he found with side-flow end cap, home-made twin frame-mounted oil coolers, an old Irish ’plate and, despite severe up-rated starter)/frame (mounting misgivings, after some internet searching, brackets modified, forward foot boards found that it was neither a stolen bike, nor tilted by 15°)/forks (Hagon advanced a write-off. Phew! He could happily now springs)/master-cylinders/switchgear/ start the build. controls/fuel tank (modified)/sidepanels, 150/80x16” Pirelli Night Dragon Unfortunately, ‘happily’ isn’t really the tyre, 300mm wide yokes with 4° rake, word that describes what then happened spoked wheels with chrome spokes/ – not only did he suffer a massive mental powder-coated rims, 11.5” H-D front breakdown, but serious heart problems disc, Harrison Billet 4-piston caliper, braided brake lines, 1” HH handlebars, too. His ticker was fixed easily enough, digital speedo, Acewell gauge, rubber/ but he found himself headed down a dark chrome grips, fibreglass front mudguard, tunnel to a place that was difficult to leave. one-off solo gel pad seat, one-off one“There’s a perception that a breakdown piece fibreglass rear ‘guard/seat shell, can be cured with a few pints, a kebab, side-mount ‘plate, modified swingarm, offset pulley/brake, Hagon adjustable and giving your head a shake but, believe gas shock, outboard 2-piston caliper, you me, it took a lot more than that to bespoke torque arm, Rizoma belt guard, 240/18” Pirelli Diablo tyre, modified stock loom, LED ‘halo’ headlight/stop/ tail light/bullet-type indicators, Dyna 3000 digital ignition, Dyna coils FINISH: Wizard of Oz theme paint by Colin at Garage Artwerks (07739 312901), powder-coating by Romax UK Ltd (01642 619196), chrome by Quality Chrome (01482 589838) ENGINEERING: Owner THANKS TO: “Harry the guide dog puppy for keeping me company; Colin at Garage Artwerks for putting my nightmares on to the bike; & my better half for supplying hot

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build my self-esteem back up.” Many BSH readers will’ve experienced the trauma of depression, and you’ll all be pleased to hear that with the help and support of his crisis team he was able to claw himself out of that hole, and once he could get into the garage, he found it was the best way to keep his worries and anxiety at bay, while also challenging him and bringing focus to his life.

While refreshing the engine, he decided to go a little deeper than just a bit of paint and polish, and fitted a big bore kit (1810cc, up from the standard 1602cc), Stage 2 cylinder heads, racing tappets/pushrods, new hydraulic cams, a 42mm Mikuni carb, a polished/ported inlet manifold, and a modified exhaust to allow improved breathing to suit the larger capacity and hotter cams. Feeding the mighty beast is a fast-flow fuel system with a Pingle fuel tap (instead of the original in-tank fuel pump), while the fire’s lit by relocated Dyna coils sparked into life by a Dyna 3000 ignition. Helping to cool the extra horses stampeding out of the air-cooled motor is a neat

twin oil-cooler set up mounted on the frame downtubes, all made by Al himself.

Wanting chunkier tyres front and rear, he fitted wider yokes (300mm between the centres) that also have an additional four degrees of rake, modified the swinging arm to suit, and offset both sprockets to allow the new, narrower belt to clear the new 240 section tyre. The rear sprocket was converted to run as a brake disc, using a neat outboard caliper hanger, and the forks had a complete overhaul with new springs and seals, and a Harrison Billet caliper on a one-off carrier. The petrol tank had the factory console removed and filled in, and the clocks were replaced with a digital speedo now placed on the bars. The rear mudguard’s a onepiece fibreglass shell supporting the main seat, and a new ‘halo’ LED headlight (taken from a Jeep) was put in place of the factory bulb type, and LED indicators and running lights were also fitted, with the standard wiring loom modified to suit.

With the fabrication complete, he turned to his good friend Colin Fitzpatrick, who owns Garage Artwerks in Northallerton, for the finishing touch. “I gave him some ideas from one of my nightmares, and he did the rest! It’s the Wizard of Oz, but Dorothy’s dead, along with two of her sidekicks, and the Wicked Witch, along with The Scarecrow, rules Oz!” The name emblazoned on the tank comes from the film, along with the famous statement Dorothy makes, “There’s no place like home”, except that Al asked Colin to replace ‘home’ with ‘hell’.

The final stage was to get the Q-reg from the DVLA. It was a daunting procedure, involving a lot of form filling, and an enduring hour-and-a-half long test, but in the end he was grinning all the way home, with the wind in his face, and a pass certificate in the bag! He says it was also a massive achievement from his mental health perspective, and the perfect follow-on to the therapeutic effects he’d got from building the bike. And now, of course, he can enjoy the well-known mental benefits that can be found in riding a bike too!

ils

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MY JOB’S AS A FABRICATOR/ WELDER/POLISHER AT CUSTOM METALWORX IN SOUTHAMPTON, SPECIALISING IN TIG WELDING STAINLESS STEEL, ALUMINIUM AND TITANIUM FOR THE MARINE AND PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES, AND I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BUILD MY BIKE IN THE COMPANY’S WORKSHOP, AND WAS ABLE TO USE ALL THE FACILITIES. WORDS: DAN NORTHOVER PICS: NIK

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think I’d planned this bike for so long, and always wanted to build it, and wanted to make it myself too. I always knew exactly the look I wanted for it, and attention to detail was going to be a massive part of it due to the nature of my work – it had to reflect the quality we produce through our company. I was influenced, and helped, by friend and well-respected custom bike builder, Carter Harris of Attitude Cycles, and his dad Simon. The plan was to make everything I could, and buy the least amount of off-the-shelf custom parts I could get away with – most importantly, it had to be unique to me.

I’d previously built a CB250 cafe racer, but failed at the wiring stage, and sold it to someone who knew how to finish it. This time, with this 883 Sportster, it was going to be different. I wanted the bike as minimal as possible, and with few electrical gadgets. As I wanted to build as much myself as possible, I made a list of the things I’d need to make: frame (hardtail, of course), exhausts, rear ’guard, oil tank, and much, much more, and I wanted lots of brass on the bike too, and spent endless hours trawling the internet for brass UNC bolts and even brass washers. It’s not a look you see done very often, but it’s really eye-catching, and as I was able to do it all I knew I could really push the boat out. The main idea for the brass’d come

I

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from the lovely K-Tech brass clutch and front brake levers, and they gave the bike its theme, so I made so many parts from it – handlebar risers; exhaust tips; wheel spacers; engine casings; headstock nut; air-filter; the fuel sight-gauge in the tank; headstock stops; etc. It would’ve been easy to go over the top with it, but I didn’t want to build an extreme custom – I wanted something elegant.

Mechanical and electrical advice, and help, I got from Carter – he went through it all with me, and taught me on the job. I’m not a mechanic, and it’s not my field of expertise, but with so much time and effort going into the bike I didn’t want to cut

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ENGINE: 1994 H-D Sportster 883 engine, one-off solid brass air-filter cover, one-off stainless exhausts with brass tips, unknown chain conversion, one-off hardtail frame, one-off brass foot-controls/rear master-cylinder, Shinko tyres, modified Sportster rear wheel in front, stainless discs, stock calipers, shortened stock forks, Attitude Cycles brake lines/switchgear, one-off ‘bars, K-Tech controls, modified Sportster tank, Biltwell seat, one-off stainless oil tank, one-off rear ‘guard/struts, Attitude Cycles battery/electrics box, one-off ‘plate holder, stock rear wheel, one-off loom

by Attitude Cycles, aftermarket headlight/tail light FINISH: Black paint by local sprayer, powdercoating by Trestan Finishers (023 8043 3081 or www.trestanfinishers.com), polishing by owner ENGINEERING Bike built by owner, machining by F&M Engineering (023 8033 2007 or www. fandmengineering.co.uk)

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THANKS TO: ‘Paul; Lauren; Carter & Simon at Attitude Cycles; & everyone who helped…’

any corners with the mechanical side. Fabrication’s more my thing though, and I made every non-standard part myself in mild steel or stainless steel, including the seat mounts for the Biltwell seat, the oil tank and mounts, the rear ’guard and mounts, the battery tray mounts, and everything attached to the frame I TiGwelded. The engine was stripped completely, and I decided to stove-enamel and polish it, and cut down the casings to give them a more custom look.

I did make a few errors along the way. I hid switches only to find I couldn’t reach them when the exhausts were on; made three sets of handlebars as I couldn’t decide which looked best; parts didn’t fit immediately and had to be tweaked; the chain rubbed on the frame due to the offset sprocket… oh, and I lost a whole tank of oil after not fitting the oil tank fittings correctly (I retapped them and installed new fittings, and that rectified that). Sounds like a hassle, but that’s the fun of it I guess.

I love the look of the combination of black and brass, and’d planned to go with a logo on the fuel tank and gold pin-striping. I’d had the metallic black paint done by a local paint sprayer, but it looked so good I decided to just put the gold and black logos on the oil tank instead. The tank needed something though, and having the brass sight-gauge in the side seemed a much more subtle look. For me it was about a balance – I think I spent hours staring at it trying to decide if it needed more or less brass, but there had to be a cut-off point.

Finally finished, the Sporty was a little bit of a hard ride to start with, but I played with the rear tyre pressure to get it just right, and now it’s very comfortable – it’s a great riding position, and I absolutely love riding it!

Would I change anything? Well, maybe… I’d consider a springer front end just to finish it off, and possibly get the spokes gold-plated to match the brass… yeah, I’m a little obsessed!

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FOR JUST ABOUT ALL OF US, A GREAT DEAL OF OUR LIVES’S BEEN SPENT IN THE COMPANY OF FRIENDS – FRIENDS WHO RIDE BIKES WITH US, GO TO RALLIES WITH US, AND GET INTOXICATED AROUND A CAMP FIRE WITH US. IT’S PART OF WHAT BEING A BIKER'S ALL ABOUT.

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WORDS: DAVE MANNING PICS: GARY STUART

artin McBride and Colin Ellam’ve known each other for a long time, 20-odd years, and regard each other as proper good mates. Martin’s been riding longer than Col, and they tend to get together to attend rallies and ride-outs, sometimes just the two of them, and sometimes in bigger groups, but the long and short of it’s that they both enjoy the travelling, and enjoy a few refreshing beverages at the end of a decent day’s riding. They also both have cool custom bikes, both classic hard-tailed customs powered by H-D’s Evolution Big Twin. Martin’s is the more traditional chop, while Col’s has a bit more of a ‘bar hopper’ vibe, thanks

M

to the less radical forks and ’bars, but let’s start with Martin’s.

Initially, his 1988 FLSH (ElectraGlide Sport) was a complete restoration that he undertook for a friend in 2013, complete with bells, whistles, lights, and Breville toaster and, once finished, it was ridden faultlessly to Germany and back… and then left in the corner of the owner’s garage to collect dust for a few years.

In the meantime, Martin’d been busy collecting parts for a build, and while he had a rolling chassis to push around making vroom vroom noises, it was devoid of a powerplant. At this point the dusty ’Glide cropped up in conversation, and it’d solve the problem – the price was right, and it helped a friend gain some space at the

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S

ENGINE: 1988 H-D FLSH Evo 1340, CV carb, one-off air-filter by owner, Ultima dry clutch/2” open belt primary, standard 5-speed ‘box with Ultima kicker kit, Dynatek 2000i ignition, chrome upswept fishtails, Flyrite Gunslinger frame, 38° rake, 4” stretch up, 2” out, bespoke oil tank/fuel tank/gearbox/rear brake mounts, one-off custom ‘peg mounts, modern foot-rests/rear master-cylinder, Avon tyres (21” Speedmaster MK2 front, 16” Safety Mileage MK2 rear), 6” over DNA forks with leather rain strap, powder-coated wheels (21” front, 16” rear), stainless discs, polished caliper with 1988 silver dollar, 12” apes, Goodridge stainless lines, 2” analogue clocks, revolver grips, modified alien eggstyle 2.2 gal tank, Le Pera Signature seat, modified battery/electrics box, Manta Ray 4.75 rear mudguard, one-off sissybar/’plate mount, side-mount leather saddle bag, modified Softail caliper, one-off loom, 6” headlight, modified trumpet-style rear light FINISH: Paint by Ben Priestley at PegLeg Painter (07769 214440 or benpriestley@live. co.uk), hand-sanded cam cover by owner ENGINEERING: Owner THANKS TO: “Anyone I’ve bent the ear of trying to glean any info/advice during the build!”

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back of his garage. Best of all though, the history, and the engine’s performance and reliability, were already known, and so Martin could free up some cash by selling the parts that wouldn’t be needed, adding to his ‘chop fund’. Also included were the revolver grips, described as ‘supremely cheesy’ but, once they were fitted, he can’t bring himself to change them!

In his normal process of building bikes, once they’re close to being done, he fits his ten-quid fuel tank, and one of several random seats, to be able to give it a blast up the road. He did so and then booked an MoT for the next day – he only had to wire it up first. With that finished by 11pm, he filmed the first fire-up, during which the engine pumped all its oil over the floor… with the springy bit in the pump unstuck, the essential fluids were retained where they should be and, after just the MoT trip and a few laps around the block under

his belt, he and the Evo set off for the 2017 Flanders Chopper Bash (still with the ten-quid tank), feeling as though he was on a wing and a prayer. Nothing fell off though, and they got there and back with no bother!

The tank subsequently was painted by Pegleg Painter (aka Ben Priestley), with his trademark narrow flames and a gothic horror panel on the top, and the Evo ran all over the place the rest of that year and the years to follow. As testimony, Martin says: “Damn, them Evo motors’re good! It’s never missed a beat through rain or shine, up river bed nor field.” That’s jinxed it. Next time he’s out and a cloud passes overhead it’ll stop for no apparent reason…

As for Colin Ellam’s bike, well, Col didn’t build the bike himself – he bought it after hankering for a hardtailed Harley for some time, finally finding it in the showroom at Attitude Cycles in Southampton. It’d originally been put together by a chap by the name of Ben White, and Attitude’d made some further alterations. There were a few changes that he asked for before he collected it (including a single Harley headlight, and a stainless sissy-bar to aid luggage hauling), and when it was ready he flew down from Manchester to collect it. He walked into the shop, had a brew, paid the required dosh, jumped aboard, and rode it back to Warrington in one hit, only stopping for fuel! Bearing in mind this

ENGINE: H-D 1340cc Evo, S&S carb, open primary, 4-speed gearbox (kick & electric start), one-off exhausts with wrapped headers/tulip tips, brass kicker pedal, hardtail frame, H-D forwards with solid brass pegs, Firestone tyres, spoked wheels

(21” front, 16” rear), H-D discs/calipers, Vintage Chop ‘Titty’ bars, rubber grips, Sportster tank, single sprung leather seat, unknown rear ‘guard/oil tank, one-off sissy-bar, side mount ‘plate/leather saddle-bag, one-off loom, aftermarket headlight/’barend indicators/mini switches/warning lights in upper frame rail

FINISH: Gloss black paint, double gold pinstripe on tank ENGINEERING: Attitude Cycles (www. attitudecycles.uk) THANKS TO: “Ben White who originally chopped it; Attitude Customs for making changes/selling it to me;

was his first time on a hardtail, he nonetheless loved it from the very start, even at the end of his first in-at-thedeep-end ride.

While much of the spec of the bike’s unknown (the transmission’s from an earlier model, being a four speeder with both kick and electric start), the initial flat-track ’bars’ve been changed for the ‘titty’ bars that Martin’d bought from Sumo at Vintage Chop a few years earlier.

Otherwise Col’s left the bike pretty much as-was, instead spending his time getting the miles covered, having been over to Flanders twice, and down to the Hook Up in Wales (which Col and Martin both rate as their favourite bash of the year). Again, the Evo motor’s proven to be bulletproof, and certainly seems to be turning into the new ‘old school’ Harley to have as the really old stuff, like Pans, Shovels, and Knuckles, get priced out of the reach of most folk.

Col actually owns a TwinCam, and a Shovel too, but this one’s most definitely his favourite!

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TRUST, AS ANYONE WHO LISTENS REGULARLY TO RADIO 4, IS, TO QUOTE THE UXBRIDGE ENGLISH DICTIONARY, HOW YORKSHIRE FOLK DESCRIBE THE RED METAL ROT THAT HAPPENS TO THEIR CARS…

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BHI STHIT BIHIS JUNE 2021

WORDS: NIK PICS: SIMON EVERETT

ike Berry, the owner and builder of this ’ere softail Bandit chop, reckons that ‘Trust No One’ is his life motto but, as you’ll see as this article unfolds, he did manage to put away his legendary suspicion long enough to get a few choice souls to help him create his motorcycling masterpiece (not for very long, maybe, but long enough…).

The basis for the bike was an imported frame and parts that’d been shipped into the UK from the US of A, originally built to have, as most US bikes are, a large capacity vee-twin engine of Stateside origin. It’d also been in a rather serious fire at some point, and was looking a little sorry for itself, but he could see the potential in it, and so laid out the necessary folding (well, it was probably the necessary electronic actually, but you get my drift). It had some very interesting bits to it, including billet wheels (skinny 21” front, fat 240 rear), long forks, and some rather natty Jesse James/West Coast Choppers components, and he was able to salvage a fair few for his project.

L

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He didn’t fancy a big vee-twin for its power-plant though, and hit upon the idea of putting a large capacity four-cylinder Japanese engine in it to make it a little more fun than perhaps a twin-lung Yankee motor’d ever be, and plumped for a Bandit 1200 motor as they’re readily available, reasonably priced (unless you’re trying to find one to replace your 600…) and, due to the fact that they’re oil-cooled, not burdened by chuffin’ huge unsightly radiators and butt-ugly water pipes. They’re not as sizeable, physically, as yer average American donkey though, and that meant that a little bit of jiggery-pokery was going to be needed to get the Suzuki lump’s front sprocket to line up with the fat back wheel’s one. Being a proud son on the Red Dragon, he took advantage of the fact that not too far from him are the cunning devils at Trike Design in Caerphilly who, as well as being a little bit good at creating all things three-wheeled, are a wee bit good at all things two-wheeled too, and

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BHI STHIT BIHIS JUNE 2021

ENGINE: 1999 Suzuki Bandit 1200 engine (K&N air-filters, re-jetted carbs, one-off stainless 4-2 exhausts, vertically-mounted oil-cooler, offset front sprocket conversion, dyno work by Reps Motorcycles 01291 422226 or www. repsmotorcycles.co.uk), unknown custom softail frame, SJP forwards, aftermarket billet wheels (21” front)/discs, SJP calipers/forks/yokes/mastercylinders, 1.25” chubby custom bars, braided brake lines, Jesse James front ‘guard/tank/rear ‘guard, Drag Specialities seat, dummy oil tank as battery/

electrics box, H-D Softail rear shocks, 240 rear tyre, modified Bandit loom, aftermarket headlight/taillight FINISH: Piano black/green by Shaun Woodford at Woodford Vehicle Repairs, artwork

by Chris Hatton at Physical Graffiti Tattoo (029 2048 1428 or Facebook) ENGINEERING: Chain alignment, exhausts & engine mounts by Trike Design THANKS TO: “Shaun; Chris; & all the guys at Trike Design (029 2088 0885 or www.trike-design. co.uk)...”

went over to have a chat with them about his hybrid.

They were commissioned to make a new set of engine mounts to take the GSF motor, a new set of ’pipes, and a new, and neatly unobtrusive, outrigger conversion to get the sprockets to line up too.

The frame and the wheels were powder-coated black for ease of cleaning/longevity, while the tank, and front and rear muddies, were given to a gentleman by the name of Shaun Woodford at Woodford Vehicle Repairs to be drowned in a high gloss ‘piano black’ finish, with green accents, and then to tattooist Chris Hatton, of Physical Graffiti Tattoo, who’s a bit of a dab hand with an air-brush as well as a tattoo gun, for the ‘Trust No One’ logos.

The finished bike was set up by Reps Motorcycles on their dyno, and now makes a genuine 118bhp at the back wheel, and 78.37ft-lb of torque, and can be a bit hairy if you give it the beans, he says. Due to the softail rear, long forks, and H-D specific brakes, it rides (and stops) like a fat-wheel Harley, but goes like a four-cylinder Jap bike, and so can throw up problems mid-corner when he suddenly realises that he’s really going far too fast for the chassis. Hmm, that’s the real reason he calls it ‘Trust No One’, isn’t it? It’s not people he doesn’t trust, it’s them brakes and shocks, innit?

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Calls IDllle calllogiie n,quest number above (0844 880 1265) cost 7p per minute plus your telephone company's network access cha,ve. For sea,rity reasons, calls may be m dline of going ID 11111811- We reserve the right to change products and prices at any time. All offers subject to availability, E&OE. "Terms & conditions apply see machinemartco.'"1alae fur 11111111 detlllB

AFTER THE MARATHON BUILD OF MY LAST CHOP (FEATURED IN BSH 430), I TOOK A BREAK FROM BUILDING FOR A FEW MONTHS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT IT’S LIKE – YOU GET THAT ITCH AGAIN…

WORDS: CONRAD WEISKRANTZ PICS: NIK

24

BHI STHIT BIHIS JUNE 2021

I •

was on the lookout for something different – I didn’t want anything off eBay, nor did I want a huge project; just something to rescue and get on the road again, not a full build. I saw this hardtailed ’83 Kawasaki GPz750 digger over at Crawley Custom Classic Motorcycle Engineers in Witney (who’d made me a new frame for another chop as the one it’d come with was so bad). It belonged to Bob, one of the mechanics, who’d decided to get rid of some of his bikes. It fired up, didn’t run too badly, and had a V5, but best of all the original builder’d done a good job – it looked just right, and wasn’t a clone of anything else.

A deal was done, and the bike was mine. It’d been off the road for at least ten years so everything rubber’d perished (rubber parts decay badly after about ten years so they need to be replaced), a lot of the electrics were frayed, and there were shorts everywhere, so it needed a complete rewire. I replaced all the rubbers, the hoses and the tyres, and it also didn’t have a tacho (rev-counter) or any idiot lights (not even an oil light!) so they were added too. The left grip was modded with Velcro to make sure my left glove stays on it by Richard at Snob & Lock in Wantage, and the clutch was moved to the right side of the ’bars so that I could ride (my left hand was damaged in an accident years ago).

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There’s a lot of polished ally on the bike, and I’m not much of a bike cleaner (I’d rather ride than clean) so gave them a quick spray of clear-coat, and that now means I don’t have to keep polishing the thing! I stripped and rebuilt the brakes, gave the engine a full service, added a few new bits and pieces (like risers, handlebars, rear light, clutch, etc.) and, suddenly after a few months, it was ready for a test ride.

The first run threw up a couple of issues: a circlip missing on the rear brake master-cylinder meant fluid was falling out of it (50p to fix), and as the JUNE 2021 BICI STHIT IIBHS

25

balance pipe from the exhaust system’d been cut out (for better access to the oil filter), it was running a bit roughly.

I had a word with Grant at GP Performance (he sets all my bikes up on his dyno, and makes them run perfectly) about that, and was told ‘politely’ to get one in there. After getting that sorted with a friend, Mike, it ran a lot better in the midrange, but still had an odd issue when it got hot, and the idle was all over the place. ‘Oh well, I’ll let Grant sort that out,’ I thought, and off it went to the dyno. A few days later I got a phone call – Grant’d discovered what was wrong with the idle… I’d put new inlet rubbers on (because the old ones were so badly cracked), but the new ones’d come from China, and when they got hot, combined with the ethanol in the fuel, they were, to quote Grant, ‘as tightfitting as a c**k in a sock!’. We put some genuine Kawasaki ones on, and it was, and still is, fine.

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BHI STBIIT IIBHS

ENGINE: 1983 Kawasaki GPz 750 R1 engine/ frame (single top tube, hardtailed) rejetted carbs, individual Ramair air-filters, set up on dyno by GP Performance, EBC clutch plates/springs, Kawasaki headers/custom 4 into 2 balance system/turn-outs, Kawasaki Z1000 LTD wheels (19” front, 16” rear)/discs (fronts with spacers), GPz calipers/ forks/master-cylinders/controls/torque arm/foot-rests/foot controls, one-off billet yokes, braided brake lines (fronts routed through steering stem), chrome Z-bars, right-side clutch, billet throttle assembly, chrome mini speedo, black mini electronic tacho, modified left grip with Velcro by Snob & Lock, modified stock front mudguard, unknown rocket/digger fuel tank,

one-off seat/rear ‘guard/struts/battery box/electrics box/chain guard/’plate holder, one-off loom by owner, chrome Bates headlight, cat’s-eye tail light FINISH: Silver/black paint by owner, polishing by previous owner ENGINEERING: Bike rebuilt by owner THANKS TO: “Crawley Custom Classic Motorcycle Engineers (01993 770702 or www.ccc-motorcycle-engineers. com); NABD for help/inspiration about riding again; Grant at GP Performance (01865 343634 or www. gpperformance.co.uk); Richard at Snob and Lock; & Mike for sorting the centre section of the exhaust…”

What’s it like to ride? Huge fun – it’s loud, quick enough, and there’s very little out there like it so it’s unique. I look at it, and see a chop from that period in the mid ’80s when the style was changing from trad’ ’70s to the streetfighters of the late ’80s – it’s got a digger/ streetfighter look to it. It’s also completely different to my other chop, even though they’re both Kawasaki 750s!

Things that need doing? Well, the gearing needs sorting as it’s under-geared (great for overtaking, but a bit frantic for normal riding), and the seats need re-covering so that they match. It’s not perfect paint-wise either (could be better), and the engine could do with new valve stem oil seals, etc., but that’s not really the point – to me it’s something rescued from an era when they were built to ride every day, and that’s what it is again. The last few rides (this was written towards the end of last year. N) may’ve been in the wet, but I still always get off with a smile on my face, and that’s what matters the most, isn’t it?

Kawasaki Let the good times roll

“COME TO MARGATE” THEY SAID. “RACE ON THE BEACH” THEY SAID. “IT’LL BE FUN!” THEY SAID… WELL, TO BE FAIR, IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE BLAST, BUT WHAT THEY FORGOT TO WARN US ABOUT WAS THAT IT’D BE BITTERLY COLD, VERY WET, AND WE’D BE RACING IN 40MPH+ WINDS! WORDS: JON BETTS PICS: JON BETTS & DREW IRVINE PHOTOGRAPHY

obert and Jonny at Malle London’d originally organised their first ever beach race on the sands at Margate for 2nd May 2020 but, due to the whole Covid shenanigans, it was postponed and eventually staged in September and, despite a late Indian summer, the weather was anything but ideal.

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With 250 bikes of all shapes and sizes, from Honda Cubs to classic HarleyDavidsons, it was always going to be a mammoth task to get them all racing on the eighth-mile course, especially as we were at the mercy of the tide. Sadly, the horrible weather did affect racing and only the lightweight class (under 250cc) was able to complete their full race card, but that didn’t really put anyone off too much.

Following their knockout stage, won

by Dane O’Reilly on a 250 KTM, the weather really turned for the worse, and the diehards that were left on the beach had a bit of a free-for-all to decide the eventual winner for the day. Eventual winner was Guy Horner, on a modified Triumph Bonneville, who went home with an awesome trophy made by Margate’s own rag n’ bone man, Paul Firbank. If you’re ever

JUNE 2021 BICI STHIT IIBHS

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in the Margate area, go check out his workshop – it’s well worth a visit!

If you’ve never raced on sand before, trust me when I say it does take some balls to go flat-out on the soft surface, but there really isn’t anything better than a heads-up drag race, regardless of the surface. The Malle event, once the practice heats’d been completed, was a simple winner-stays-on affair with, as per their other events, the lefthand-on-the-helmet starts so, once the flag drops, it’s a case of clutch in, slam into gear, and off you go! Traction is all but non-existent at the start due to the soft sand but, once underway, the bike

almost skims across the surface – get your weight as far back as possible, pin the throttle, and point it in the direction of the finish line!

This type of beach race seems to be growing in popularity, with similar events taking place in Bridlington, Pendine, and also across the water in France and Spain. If you get the chance to enter, and you don’t mind spending a few days cleaning sand and salt water out of every crevice (and those of your bike too…), then it really is great fun and well worth the effort.

Hats off once again to Robert and Jonny, and the entire Malle team who really did go above and beyond what was necessary to stage the event, not only due to Covid, but also the awful weather conditions, to give everyone as much track time as possible. Word is that the event’ll return later this year so keep an eye out for entry details across their social media pages or at www. mallelondon.com

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I’VE BEEN RIDING MOTORCYCLES FOR ABOUT 45 YEARS AT THE TIME OF WRITING THIS, AND I’VE OWNED CLOSE TO 30 BIKES. SOME OF THEM WERE GREAT, AND SOME WEREN’T, AND IN THAT TIME I’VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING HUNDREDS OF LIKE-MINDED ENTHUSIASTS OF ALL THINGS MOTORIS MOTORISED ON TWO WHEELS. IS when some hat I’ve TOReven GS MisOthat, INnoticed OF ALLofTH these fantastic people become too old

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or infirm to ride, they don’t stop seeing themselves as bikers - they keep going to events, and being with others who are, just like them, bikers at heart.

What does this mean? Surely when you’re unable to continue your hobby you go on to other things? In this case though, it seems that there’s more to it. Is there a difference between someone who just rides motorcycles and a true biker?

There’ve been hundreds of books written about bikes, and many on some of the more well-known bike clubs, but other than some excellent books written about the Rocker era of the 1950s/60 there’s been little written about the history of the riders, and what’s made them the bikers we know of today. Why do we have the term ‘biker’?

Where did it come from? Why do bikers ride different types of bikes, and wear styles of clothing? Is there a common identity of what could be termed a biker culture?

19th century sociologist Emile Durkheim termed the phrase ‘social facts are things’, and by this he meant that, although we think of ourselves as individuals, with our own thoughts and ideas, in fact we’re influenced by external matters which affect our behaviour and values.

When more than a few individuals’re affected in this way, and share the same beliefs and values, then it’s a culture.

What is culture? It’s defined in sociological terms as the beliefs, values, and expected norms of behaviour of a group of individuals. Therefore a culture could be an entire country and, equally, it could be a group

within another culture – a sub-culture. The values of a sub-culture as bikers, if indeed we are a culture, are therefore not as individuals as some’d like because they themselves are constructs of what’s around them… or that, at least, is the theory.

It could be argued that motorcycling, or biking, has its own set of rules and behaviours, which makes it a sub-culture. Some’d put it perhaps squarely in the hobby category, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘an activity you do for pleasure when you are not working’. I’ll leave it to the reader to decide on the answer… if there is indeed an answer. What’s important is the need to explore the history of biking over the last fifty years to see how it’s changed, and been affected by possible external influences which, in turn, have affected the behaviour and values of bikers .

‘Beliefs, values, and expected norms of behaviour’ let’s start with the first. Many motorcyclists in the UK’d say they believe they have a right to ride their bikes wherever they like, and enjoy them whenever. Others may say simply they have the right to have a cheap transport to commute to work each day. Neither is right or wrong – it’s simply their belief in terms of riding a motorcycle.

Values are more difficult to define. Perhaps some may say they value the freedom that riding a bike gives, or the comradeship they have with others who are likeminded in regards to motorcycles. This is particularly relevant perhaps in motorcycle clubs. Some may argue that they’re ‘just motorcycles’ and, other than the financial value, there’s no other value or meaning that can be attributed to them.

Norm, or normal behaviour, is far more complex and, were the perfect storm period (there’ll be as I’m not sure any of it falls into what could be termed many perfect storms in the development the normal, it could be the first breath of independence of motorcycling) for biking culture as of sixteen-year-olds in the 1970s, screaming around there was an emerging new group in housing estates on 50cc Japanese mopeds such as the society – the teenager. Never before had famous Yamaha FS1E or the rally-going culture of the the Western world seen this. Now, instead seasoned rider meeting others in fields across Britain for of going straight from school into the a weekend of beer, music, and good company. Behaviour factories, getting married at eighteen, could also be associated with the reported extreme and starting to have children, this new behaviour of a particular type of motorcycle club and its group decided they wanted some fun first. members which, often as not, is hearsay or secondhand And, also for the first time, they had their ----- -facts. news and may not representtrue own music, their own fashions, their own If we look at the history of motorcycling in the USA, identity, and also something revolutionary for example, it’s followed a very different path to that - ‘hire purchase’, the ability to have now of the UK, and although it’s clear that it’s influenced and pay each week. Bearing in mind the motorcycling in Britain, it cannot lay claim to being average UK salary for men at the time was its only influence. For example, the on/off love affair £100 per month, and often a lot less, buying Britain’s had with Harley-Davidson gives a good a secondhand British bike of at least 500cc, example - now the fashion accessory of every TV around £79-£100, would’ve been out of the celebrity and footballer, there was a time in the late range of most young people of the time. ’60s and ’70s when they lay unloved, gathering dust, in With hire purchase though, a teenager could motorcycle showrooms while the then discerning buyer walk into a showroom and, with as little as chose British or Japanese. There were many influences at a £1 or £2 deposit, buy a motorcycle (as long work which’ve sculptured the British biker to the man or as he had an adult to sign as guarantor if woman they are today. he couldn’t pay). This was at odds with the To explore the relationship motorcycling’s had previous generation’s values of ‘live within with the media, and how this’s shaped the image of your means’, and the ‘saving for a rainy day’ motorcycling in Britain, is vital. For example, looking mentality. This was more ‘get it today and pay at Hollywood’s influences, and our own home-grown for the risk’. Their fathers risked their lives media-created dramas, such as the Mod and Rockers, it in the Second World War, and their offspring could be argued that the media’ve had a long love/hate reaped the benefits. relationship with motorcycle riders and, in particular, It needs to be remembered that this was just wh War wh th e War aa few where young men, motorcycle clubs (and by that I mean outlaw motorcycle after the years after few years h of fet sa from the safety of hom me, were thrown clubs). This, it could be said, has led to the often negative taken e th tak en from dn ul co ey th into a way of life they couldn previously’ve n’t image that non-motorcycling folk have of the biker. e lif · o a way of toold to kill. Their an d to guns, and dreamt What may, or may not, be the image of what a biker given guns, of, given dr ea m t of, - - - - - . ·• ~ --r a~ e~s~aaaround ;; o~m is in their mind may be different for many people. For reliance on-Htheir them he irccomrades relia.n Ge-er for many returning an q for formed example, for many it’ll be the bearded, weatherworn bonds, and tight bonds, formed tight - - - - --. .., ., - too - -be older guy aboard his Harley, or it may be a young to Britain and their previous lives’d previous il: the d_ an in ita Br to d co nt in ued They continued sk. They t~o•_aa executive in brightly-coloured one-piece leathers riding ask. to look for m~u~c~h~to - - -- much ~ ~ r -; t ~ es 7 fix ~ ed .'.._ ell :-_ the adrenaline-fuelled fixes t become a 200mph sports bike.

Whatever the rider, the history, to they’d fu =..e:...-=.::::-::::::!:::: the adrenalip cy or t o· m d accustomed to, and motorcy provided just - - ,i : ycles some extent, is the same, as are the influences. an o, · cctrStl me th e~ - -- - - ring, the ffe su its r Fo that.

For all its suffering, e War provided a On the surface the 1950s café racer from the Rocker at. ;th - - - - ~ - template for another l. or -; a :f w -er -era’s worlds apart from an R1 Yamaha or a Suzuki way of l life – one where 1rh 7 :R< -- :c -- -~ te plates..focaF--a an d b maraderie and wa camaraderie t•~h1ee1re was brotherhood. Indeed, Hayabusa of today but, back then, the BSA Gold Star or -t there -: --:~ --:" 7 "~ L7 -jR1 -/e eff -e th if we look at the effect of pop pular cinema at the the Triumph T120 was the or ’Busa of the day, and - -ok if we lo ild W e 'Th m time, the 1953 film ‘The Wild d One’, starring the rider of that time was searching for the same thrills, fil 53 1me, t e 19 in ow sh s wa g in British cinemas, so they could be seen as one and the same.

Marlon Brando, was showing , do Marlon Bran ed ict ep y It could be reasoned that there was little in the way and this supposedly depicted d a real-life incident ea os -supp -th-is of a motorcycle C erica of Am iin-n~America in a motorcycle cclub called,.,the of biker culture before 1950. There’s evidence of small ~_ __ ,-- __ This ;- -,town. ai-singcarsm Black terrorising sm was mall motorcycle clubs dotted about the UK prior to the war R Black Rebels e ly on d, an aa powerful image and, only eight e years after the era of the 1940s, yes, but no evidence of a sub-culture e ag powerful im t ea cr , War’d finished, it created an n alternative identity. as such. Motorcycles then were the provision of the ed ish W ar ' d fin of aa motorcycle club who Brandoo played middle classes and delivery men. The 1950s, though, leader of th e leader p ayed the

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togeth--;;-with w ith no regard to society’s society's established rode together sttrongest image of pop culture – to many gro ps of men supporting supp.mcting-and · archetypal rebel hero who cannot rules and conventions, groups and he h - is- the protecting each other – just like in the War. b bound straitjacket of conformity.’ be proteeting e-acli o fier =-just - - - -~b~_ _ _by _the _:,_::.:__;_ _________ This The Th image of their machines’d also changed, This link with war, and the rebellion re ellion of returning soldi~ s,Js._sa0metl:i,ing-we1-H-return soldiers, is something we’ll return too again later but, more frrom one of family transport, the vehicle for importantly, the subliminal message sent by the film to one of the horse – the loyal - ------::-:-----~-'-------;iiii film was was:._~c:ommuting, 'Lo?k –- this isn’t isn't some Hollywood Holly_w_ood-remance untela a - e stteed of Western cowboy heroes, and the ‘Look romance or unrelatable you’. There m rebel doing his own thing, is real, real, and and it it could c;ould be be you'.

TherrEe:__ ~ misunderstood m~ - -Tr:-;;-;;17.;;-;:;-;:-tt~ ;;;~G~:---;~ ::-- --'; ; : - cowboy ccrwooy drama; drama; this this is was The b breaking free was_no going straight home for tea after watching · gJh"'ree from the mundane… mundane ... at least Wild One,, orr--filing filing it away in the memory as ‘just -i.kl-Gn Waway 'just another until Monday morning when it was time to I've seen’. seen'. No, it inspired young men to leave the _ _ to t-e-work film I’ve go g_ back work. cinema, get on their bikes,, and emulate Brando The new w culture had a unique identity, and run_thei.i:...bik@ and-emulate Bran o and the - Black Rebels, and this connection with lifestyle and the horn _in-t.ra<1-I~$)30ft-eafesucn:- - ---~ fo ound new · homes in transport cafes such media went on to play in biking culture a the Acce and the Busy Bee in and around as pla a significant si nifi a role :ole-in-ei.ki.-ng--ctrlt re ____ in the the-tJ-S-A: an Britain in the years to come. tnere were were_o.the.r.~ USA and London ((acknowledged, there L other - --11~--, There’s locations lo s throughout There's a need to acknowledge that motorcycling motorl.. y. di l ·n:roug ,out the UK at the time too), in this period in British history played a bigger role and with their t~eir late opening times, and access than it does today - the average man in the street to a jukeb box, became natural gathering . x they th€'y--became71atura gat ering - ---form -- - - - -as- - - - - ~:r;young two-whee\ed rebels where had a motorcycle as his-main of transport, places forr young two-wheeled cars were far too expensive, and when he married they coulld listen to imported Rock & Roll, and ~simply : : : ~_:_-a -~~-:----------:__.~- - -l~d~l~ is:te~n~to im ?p.or.ted-R0ek-&-Itotl-;-mrr he attached sidecar to the bike to transport imagine tthey’re in ~an American diner –- not on they're ~ the family around. Every son, father and grandfather the North h Circular in a London still ~ ~till recovering r m:ering: ---.::---knew something about motorcycles, how they worked the War with bomb-damaged streets.

- from ---W':rrWi.Tlr15omb-damaged and, more importantly, how to repair them – bikes of We havve to recognise too that another he-t.i-mtl-was-th trict alcohol a co olthe period weren’t as reliable as they are today. This, influencee at the time was the strict _ :,_ _ _-.- - - - -licencing - - -;ggll;aw;;s.

It was was to to be be many many years years before before __ ___ coupled with mass media coverage of_ motorcycle laws. It e e newsagent, ewsag@nt-,- -......,- -..-..~ races and riders, especially the Isle of Man TT, meant alcohol was w available in every they were as popular as football is now, with winners petrol staation, a 10n, and supermarket supermarket'-– if you wanted making headlines in daily newspapers. Motorcycles were alcohol in n the 1950s, it had to be from an offo accepted by all, and not questioned, and the teenager atttached too a pub, - - -H-aehed pul5, and an they t ey were strictly - - - - -licence saw them as their form of independence, identifying controlled by the landlord. It was difficult, nee · with the image of the ‘Rocker’. possible, to buy if you couldn’t prove you near imp - - -- -------;;:-- -'~o~s~s1tl·b;l ~JJ.uy. 'f-y0u nufrln't prove y~ Interestingly, Rockers were preceded by another were overr eighteen, and so cafés, cafes, which didn’t didn't (It's_pmba91 • jus_ teenage fashion, Teddy Boys – a peculiar pastiche of sell booze, became sanctuaries. (It’s probably just .......___ styles from large crepe shoes, Edwardian-style suits, as well re eally – bikes at time lacked the quality __ _ _;_- --=----:;;:~-;-,::::--------: ea~·1y - 1 es at time lacked the quality greased back of tyres and a brakes that’re -- hair, and a dedication to Rock & Roll that're available today, and a in m a dark, rainy _ _ a_ dangerous music. Some of these morphed into the Rocker of the that’s d ang@-r-Ous-mix-ifyou mix if you add _.....i.:::_ _ the _ __ ...::::.~~~ poor roads, roads, and and ,alcohol.)

1950s and ’60s, but not all – gone were suits and big evening, poor alcohol.) shoes, replaced with the more practical for riding leather There was, w ofs_our_se_ course, aa..med-ia-baeldash, media backlash, and jackets and-=-:::::-d._,-:. knee-length boots with the then ever-present demands s from the public to do something about -"'.:=_:::.....:~__:_~ - - - - - -- - - - - - - ---;s~f~rom white fishermen’s socks turned over at the top to give a ‘ this men nace on the road’, was" --.c....---road', and the response res nse-wa-. distinctive band of white. that trend dy vicars started opening youth/bike rs' s arte opening youth/bike clubs clubs Thus __ the image was born, and also the birth of the in church hes, such as the 59 Club started by the British biking subculture – the biker, at the time referred Reverend d John Oates – another difference between een ohn..Dat.e--s ··noth-erd:1 erence bet to as a Rocker. They rode bikes of a style that emulated us and America. The influences’d done their work their race-track heroes – low Ace Bars, loud exhausts, though – fashion, easy access to more money not a side-car in sight. The draw of the image, and the than you could spend, music, and the ‘bad boy’ fashion, were the attraction of the time for young men sensationalism of the media, meant that, wanting to assert their independence. whether the country liked it or not, there Influenced by easy finance, and films/images from were now bikers.

TONY HADDEN America (and at home) and, of course, music, the teenager was now the embodiment of rebellion. Johnny NEXT MONTH: THE SWINGING Stuart, in his book ‘Rockers’, sums it up: ‘The mean SIXTIES, LEARNER LAWS, FIZZIES, and moody leather boy on a thundering bike is the

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ROYAL ENFIELD’S UNVEILED A BRAND NEW CUSTOM BUILD IN COLLABORATION WITH ANTHONY PARTRIDGE FOR THE SECOND SEASON OF GOBLIN WORKS GARAGE, THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL TV SERIES HE CO-HOSTS. drian Sellers, head of the Custom Program at Royal Enfield, gave the following simple brief: create “a thoroughbred racer”, based on the 650 Continental GT platform, and make it faster, lighter, and more exciting to ride, with a flash design.

The bodywork was designed to be the base concept for a body kit, allowing anyone to purchase their own for their Continental GT, and build a similar bike at home. They started by mapping the frame, and turning it into a 3D model (with the help of Paul Drake from Ziggymoto), and designed it to work with this frame, converted from twin-shock to a monoshock, as well as with the stock set up.

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While the bodywork was in hand the focus moved to the bike’s frame; all the stock parts, bar the frame, motor, and any necessary wiring and electronics, were removed to strip off as much weight as possible, and Ohlins’ FGR300 forks and a TTX GP monoshock were chosen for the suspension. BST provided the superlight full Carbon Rapid Tek race wheels, Dunlop EU wrapped them in sticky Sportmax GPA soft compound tyres, and Galfer floating wave grooved CRW brake discs were fitted front and rear. Brembo nickel-plated GP4-RX billet race calipers were installed at the front, and a Brembo P4 34 axial at the back. Gavin from GIA Engineering made a new lightweight swingarm to take a 5.5” rear wheel, with 190 tyre, and Fastec Engineering machined a set of billet yokes to take the new front end and incorporate a pocket for a Motogadget digital speedo.

Anthony chose to run a Magura Hymec hydro clutch conversion to keep it both visually symmetrical, and an ally fuel cell was created to replace the OEM tank, fitting neatly under the carbon body work, with an alloy flange to bolt in the endurancestyle titanium fuel-filler provided by Racefit UK. As well as chopping the rear sub-frame, and welding in new rear downtube supports, and a brace to take the bike from twin to monoshock, the team notched the frame 20mm on the left to accommodate a custom drive sprocket that was moved outwards 12mm to step the chain out for the width of the rear wheel.

After trialling the bike, Anthony said: “I did a few laps on the stock bike with the head designer of the Continental GT there

to watch, and then took out my new improved version – the difference was night and day.

The custom feels like a proper race bike – lighter, faster, way more agile than stock, and heaps of fun to ride.”

For more information on this custom build, the Goblin Works episode is available on catchup on the Discovery Channel or DPlay in the UK. JUNE 2021 BICI STHIT IIBHS

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The BSH Custom Bike Championship’s back again for 2021 – now in its sixth year!

Due to the effects of the bastard bat plague, we’re going to have to run much of it as an online thing again. There’ll be four online rounds (May, June, July, August) that you enter simply by posting a pic of your bike in the relevant thread on any of the Facebook pages listed below: BSH Facebook Page BSH Facebook group (Back Street Heroes – The Official Group) Streetfighters Facebook group (Streetfighters Magazine – Hooligan Underground) Butchered Classics Facebook group As well as those, we will (fingers crossed) be able to do two real world rounds too:

THE JUDGES ARE:

3rd JULY NCC LONDON’S DIAMOND DAY ACE CAFE, ACE

PAUL TIMPSON FROM ZODIAC UK

CORNER, NORTH CIRCULAR RD, LONDON (NW10 7UD)

29-31st ROCK & BLUES CUSTOM SHOW CONEY GREY SHOWGROUND, CHESTERFIELD ROAD, PENTRICH, DERBYS (DE5 3RF) AND EACH ROUND WILL HAVE, THIS YEAR, SIX CATEGORIES:

1. BEST CHOPPER 2.BEST CUSTOM 3. BEST NEW SKOOL CUSTOM (CAFE RACER, STREET SCRAMBLER, ETC.)

4.BEST PAINT 5. BEST ENGINEERING 6.BEST BUTCHERED CLASSIC (PRE-1990) One bike from each of these categories’ll be picked as the winner of that class at that round and, just like previous years, to ensure that all judging’s completely impartial (and not just ‘who’s got the most mates to vote for their bike’), we’ve a hand-picked panel of judges, respected folk from the custom bike world who really know their stuff, who’ll choose their favourites from the winners of each category, and the one with the most votes from them wins (in the event of a tie, us ‘ere at BSH’ll have the deciding vote).

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ODGIE (YEP, THE LEGENDARY MAN HIMSELF) MURRELLS FROM THE NATIONAL CHOPPER CLUB COMMITTEE VIC & LIN FROM DESTINY CYCLES DAVE SOLOMON FROM BUTCHERED CLASSICS The six winners from that’ll go on to be the stars of the BSH Custom Heroes stand at Motorcycle Live at the NEC in Birmingham (Sat 4th–Sun 12th December) where there’ll be a presentation with awards, huge amounts of prize money (approx. £500 each category, £750 for Best Overall!), and Zodiac vouchers worth £250 too!

You don’t have to enter each round, unless you want to of course, because you can only win once. Of course, if you don’t win at the first one, you can always go to one of the others to give yourself another chance. Last year it was probably the biggest custom show in the world – over 1,000 entrants!

Good luck!

M 070 R

CYCLE LIVE 2021 NEC BIRMINGHAM IN ASSOCIATION WITH

LAST YEAR’S WINNERS

SSICS

WORDS & PICS: NIK

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ALL THROUGH LAST YEAR THROUGHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA THERE WAS A BUZZ ABOUT A BIKE THAT JOHN O’HARA AT PITSTOP PAINT WAS DOING; A BIKE WITH A SUPERLATIVE PAINT SCHEME… NO, NOT MY BANDIT (ALTHOUGH THE WORK HE DID ON THAT IS GOBSMACKING) – PETRIA’S TL1000S.

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ria, as she’s called by her mates, bought her TL back in 2008, undaunted by the tediously repeated internet bollox about them being dangerous, evilhandling death traps, with a plan to change it about a bit. She’s always been into custom bikes, especially streetfighters, and so the TL evolved over the years.

One of the first things to happen to it was the fabrication, and fitting, of a new lower subframe and seat to bring the bum height down to something a little more little-leg-friendly as, like a lot of Japanese bikes, they are slightly taller than you’d perhaps expect a traditionally shorter people to come up with (the average Japanese gentleman, according to that bastion of internet knowledge Wikipedia, is 5’6”), and for this she enlisted the help of Richi Foss at Foss Fabrication & Welding just up the road from her native Inverness. He, using the skills he’s developed over a goodly number of years piss… err, messing around with bikes and metal, handcrafted a new lower, shorter, single-seat sub-frame, and cleverly made up some neat bodywork to cover it and make it look nice too (with a well-designed little rack, and nicely frenched-in rear lights an’ all), including a useful splashguard/under-tray to keep the worst of the Highland road poo from splashing all over the back of the bike (and Tria too). Further poodeterring capabilities’re offered by an aftermarket carbon hugger rear ’guard, and one of those very Germanic remote ’plate holders that wrap round the back wheel. Normally, they have me, personally, reaching for the sick bucket, but it actually looks good on ’Tria’s. Still at the back, the rear disc, like the fronts, is an aftermarket wavy one, and the stock TL ’pipes’ve been replaced with a set of Tubetech-R exhaust cans that release the rort of the vee-twin engine nicely. The airfilter’s a freer flowing K&N, and the engine’s had a few choice dress-up goodies (radiator and oil

T

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cooler covers, blingy bolts, etc.) added. Moving to the front, a groovy little MT-03 Yam’ headlight replaces the big ol’ frame-mounted TL fairing, and the cockpit area’s been blinged with a few aftermarket goodies too.

But it’s the bike’s paint that’s its crowning glory.

Tria’s always been into horror films, old and new, and she spoke to John at Pitstop Paint, the most northerly and westerly custom painter in the British Isles (so far north and west he’s practically in Greenland), about doing some sort of horror theme and, after they’d chatted lots about what she liked and didn’t, she gave him a free hand to come up with something suitable (always a good thing to do with talented custom painters). The result was this – a tribute to the greatest horror characters from film history, beautifully executed in black and white over a subtle red candy background full of suitable imagery (skulls, tombstones, crosses, bats, etc.). The attention to detail is, as with all John’s work, what really makes it stand out – the rendering of, for example, Christopher Lee

ENGINE: 2001 Suzuki TL1000S engine (K&N air-filter, modified stock exhaust with Tubetech-R cans, aftermarket radiator cover/oil cooler cover)/frame (modified)/wheels/calipers/ forks/yokes/front mudguard, aftermarket wavy discs/‘bars/master-cylinder/fork adjusters, Koso digital speedo, HEL brake lines, aftermarket belly-pan, stock petrol tank, one-off sub-frame/seat unit/seat/ under-tray/rack, aftermarket carbon fibre hugger, Ohlins shock, modified stock loom, Yamaha MT-03 headlight, aftermarket tail lights FINISH: Horror theme paint by Pitstop Paint (www. pitstop-paint.co.uk or Facebook), powdercoating by Rimtech (01463 233440 or www.rimtech.co.uk) ENGINEERING: All fabrication by Foss Fabrication (07761 286112 or Facebook) THANKS TO: “Richi at Foss Fabrication; Andy Mackenzie; & John O’Hara at Pitstop Paint…”

as Dracula is almost photographic, as is Elsa Lanchester as the Bride of Frankenstein, but all the main images are amazing, and I particularly like the Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees as they really invoke the original menace of their particular films. It’s funny, isn’t it, how two of the top custom painters in the land’re so far away from civilisation (in relation to the rest of the British Isles) – Gus at Muddy Beach Customs, whose work you’ll see on the amazing Soul Sinner zombie bike in the Harley supplement with this issue, is just outside Edinburgh, and John’s on a small island in the Outer Hebrides. I s’ose it’s to do with the long, bleak winters they get up there, perhaps – after all, where John is there’s not much to do over winter other than practise your painting skills… oh, and occasionally fight off the odd foraging polar bear, o’course.

Tria says that when her panels landed back on the Scottish mainland, the imagery, and the quality, absolutely blew her mind, and she really can’t thank John enough for what he’s done. O’course, due to Covid, she hasn’t been able to show it off, but now that it looks as though lockdown’s coming to an end (he says crossing everything physically possible), and rallies and shows are starting to be tentatively planned, she’s itching to get out there and let other people be blown away by it too. I suspect that when that happens, her mantelpiece’s really going to start filling up with silverware, don’t you?

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FIVE YEARS AGO, FABIAN MÜLLER, FROM MÜLLER MOTORCYCLE AG IN GERMANY, WAS APPROACHED BY AN OLD BUDDY, ALEX, WITH THE IDEA OF BUILDING A BIKE FROM AN OLD SHOVEL. IT HAD TO HAVE A ‘50S FRAME (PRE-DATING THE RESTRICTIVE GERMAN TUV REGULATIONS), SPRINGERS, TALL BIG-SPOKE WHEELS, AND A RAW, UNPAINTED FINISH…

WORDS & PICS: FRANK SANDER

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nce the chassis was assembled, and sitting on the work bench, you could already see it was to become a rather cool bike. Fabian came up with the idea of using the project for the Biker Build Off at the Bad Salzuflen custom show, but in order to be in with a chance, he wanted to give it a real paint job. Alex wasn’t keen, and that was when the decision was made to build two bikes. For the Biker Build Off he did a bike that was to be called ‘Deep Throat’, and for his buddy he did this bike - the Hillbilly Racer.

The name of the bike explains the look: Hillbilly Racer describes someone who lives in the mountains; avoids people and society; dresses simply; drinks whisky; talks straight; and rides an uncompromising bike for fun (given the exhausts made for this bike, you could also say that he likes shooting too, as that’s what it sounds like). Due to the age of the frame, there’re no noise restrictions so it’s basically two tucked-in straight-through tubes with flared ends… you can probably imagine what it sounds like!

The refurbished Shovelhead engine was stroked to 1,600cc (98cui), and is kicker-only (no such thing as an electric starter on a bike like this!), and the rocker boxes are of custom design from Chopper Culture (as well as front and rear lights), and there’s a Barnet lock-up clutch, modified engine covers, a belt primary conversion, and a number of olde-worlde brass accents. The clutch’s been converted to internal twist action, just like the throttle, as part of the very clever ’bars – segmented sheets of metal’ve been welded together for a kind o’ leaf-spring look that’s very different indeed. They’re wired internally too, and kept ultra-clean by having the front brake actuated by a control valve with the rear brake via the right foot pedal.

O

HILL;BILLY

RACER

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Talking of the foot-rest hangers/pedals/’pegs, there’s something special about these too – they’re made from brass and aluminum, and fabricated together in one part. After they’d been milled with 3-D grooves (to match the grips), ’pegs made of solid brass were installed, and the same design is mirrored in the one-off kicker too. If you’re looking for production-line parts, you’re going to struggle – almost everything is individually designed and carefully handcrafted, including the open belt-drive; the front n’ rear calipers; the discs; the pushrod covers; the camshaft covers; the primary cover;the speedometer housing; and a lot of other parts (the spark-plug caps, for example) are genuinely hand-made.

Sebastian Attenberger from Traditional Motors, who also ENGINE: worked on the Deep Throat H-D Shovelhead engine (Chopper Culture brass bike, did most of the sheet cylinder head covers, metal parts, but he didn’t simply Müller Motorcycle remake that bike’s body once AG pushrod covers/ again. No, the tank’s bigger, the magneto-style camshaft cover/alloy/brass kicker oil tank’s integral with the rear shaft/primary cover, ’guard, and the seat’s a work of Barnett Skorpion lockart in itself – it’s a leaf-spring up clutch, Traditional Motors exhaust/oil lines), affair that moves freely when 1952 H-D wishbone riding to give Alex’s arse a little frame, 130/60 R 23 comfort (not much, granted, Avon Cobra tyres, TTS but a little), and can be locked Motorcycles 3.5x23” Big Spoke wheels, when parked. It doesn’t look Müller Motorcycle comfortable at all, but he swears AG full floating front it cradles his bum perfectly, disc/4-piston caliper/ leaf-spring handlebars/ smooths out the bumps, and is internal throttle/ no problem on long rides. twist clutch/grips/ The raw, unpainted style of foot-rests, aftermarket the bike’s a mix of bare-bones springers, Traditional Motors fuel tank/oil old steel, and milled high tech tank/rear ‘guard/seat, components, and is a stunning Müller Motorcycle AG blend of old n’ new – just the sprocket-disc, Chopper sort of thing a hillbilly’d run: Culture headlight/ tail-light, Motogadget big motor, loud ’pipes, basic indicators chassis, no frills, no tarty FINISH: finish, minimal comfort. Pass Bare metal that ’shine jug, Deke, ENGINEERING: afore ye get too Müller Motorcycle AG (www.m-motorcycle.de) hammered t’ ride that there Harley!

18

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WORDS & PICS: DAVE MANNING

FO.RCE-FED · F:UN & FRO.LICS .

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SUPERCHARGING IS, Y’KNOW, NOT JUST THE PRESERVE OF TOP FUEL DRAG RACERS, HIGHEND GERMAN SALOONS, AND MAD MAX’S COMPANY CAR; KAWASAKI’S RANGE-TOPPING H2’S GRABBED THE HEADLINES IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, BUT THERE’VE ACTUALLY BEEN A FEW SUPERCHARGED TWO-WHEELERS PREVIOUS TO THAT, INCLUDING PEUGEOT’S JETFORCE – YES, A SCOOTER, AND A 125CC SCOOTER AT THAT! 54

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SU carb from a classic Mini, some random rolling gear, and a pair of girder forks, and a plan was put in place – a hardtailed Gee Tee with a supercharger! (Just thinking, that’s some garage – if most of us did the same thing in our garages, our bikes’d probably be built from several tents, a number of old paint cans, a few ancient spanners, and a cobweb…)

First off, he needed to make a frame, and he used his usual method of mounting a pair of bottom frame rails on box section two inches thick (thus giving a two-inch ground clearance), and then fabricating the rest of the frame from scratch to suit the 15” Yamaha rear wheel and the girder forks (yes, I know, bear with me!), with various sections running from round to square (check out the frame around the rear wheel spindle), and with integral blower mounts as part of the frame (and have you noticed the neat way the lower frame rails sweep inwards to the rear of the engine, and then out again to go around the rear wheel?). The frame was finished, with the matching angular fuel tank, electrics box, and rear mudguard, and they were all painted in a subtle black/brown/green ’flake (that you’ll just have to trust me about as the grey light of winter doesn’t exactly show that here).

ou’ll have seen Simon Humphrey’s CB flat tracker in the last issue, and you may remember his glorious XS650 from a couple of years ago too. Well, when I went up to Scarborough to photograph that Yamaha, he had on the bench a Kawasaki GT550 project that’d been initially inspired by another GT that he’d built a few years ago that had won several trophies, including at the Farmyard Party. This particular one, though, was set to be a little more radical, with girder forks and a whopping great supercharger squeezed behind the cylinders!

The original old and battered Kawasaki GT550’d been given to him in return for painting a few parts for a friend – useful as he was running a GT at the time, and needed a few parts off it (such as the rear tyre that had all of half a millimetre of tread on it… more than half a millimetre more than the one he had on his own GT – “I was being all eco-friendly… or tight – same thing!”).

Some time after the poor bike’d been robbed of spare parts, he realised it’d actually be a great basis for a project. To decide what else to use, he chose by the simple expedient of spinning around in his garage with his eyes closed, pointing his finger, and opening his eyes!

A few spins resulted in a supercharger from a modern Mini, a 1.5”

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required for the final push. No-one, least of all Simon, could’ve expected the bike to fire into life at the first press of the starter, yet that’s exactly what happened, easily boosting to 10psi with the guesstimation of running a 1-to-1 ratio with the supercharger pulleys proving ideal. The fact that the belt didn’t immediately jump off and whip him across the face shows that he did a great job of aligning the pulleys and tensioner as well!

The joy of a perfectly running supercharged motorcycle was short-lived though when he took a brief test rid. “After attempting to ride down the yard and nearly ending up on the wrong side of a hedge, it was clear that the girder front end wasn’t going to work. It handled like a puppy on a lead, and crossed with a supercharger and a car rear tyre, probable death!”

After a number of rather extreme swear words the Kawasaki was banished to the bike lift for another six months, and the girder front end was replaced with a conventional telescopic fork front end, albeit one with a modicum of looniness in that it’s a skinny set of CG125 forks, with a bespoke caliper mount and a pair of groovy chain handlebars, and that was it – all finished.

ENGINE: Kawasaki GT550 engine, notched head fins, debadged rocker cover, BMW Mini supercharger, Austin Mini 1.5” SU carb, one-off plenum chamber/ inlet/wrapped pipes/blower belt drive from ignition cover, one-off

Then, as with the CB last issue, his enthusiasm ran out or, to be more accurate, other projects started to get in the way and even though the Kawasaki remained clamped to the bench, getting the occasional halfhour spent on some of the many and varied detail pieces, it even stayed there when he moved his workshop!

After about a year, still clamped on to the same work bench, in the new garage, he got enough projects finished and out of the way to be able to devote a little more time to getting the GT finished. In order to kick-start his enthusiasm he thought that with a quick rewire it might even start up and give him the drive

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hardtail, Öhlins steering damper, one-off forward controls/hand-shift, Honda CG125 copy forks, Honda Super Dream import wheel, one-off brake stay, one-off chain ‘bars, underslung brass mirror, one-off coffin tank with back bones/glass

fuel sight gauge, hand-made leather seat with brass rivets, one-off rear mudguard, Yamaha Drag Star rear wheel/ disc, one-off drive shaft, AP Lockheed caliper, 195/65x15” Kingstar car tyre, one-off electrics box/bespoke loom, vintage brass Bates

headlight FINISH: Gold ‘flake with green candy/black fade bodywork & frame moulded with wood-grain paint/24 carat gold leaf by owner at Total Alloys (www. totalalloys.co.uk) ENGINEERING: Owner

Mere days after these photographs were taken though, on one of the darkest days in February, with snow showers and a harsh north-easterly blowing in off the North Sea, the little GT was sold and went off to its new home, with Simon not really having had the chance to spend any time on it on post-Covid roads. And while he’s stated that he’s not going to be messing about with bikes for a while, relying on his mildly-tweaked Big Twin for his two-wheeled kicks, I can near guarantee that he’ll be getting itchy spanner fingers soon, and that there’ll be another crazy creation being assembled in his workshop before long!

Tel: 01205 480274 ring vans on site for refreshments - tea, wiches etc. fUSTOMER PARKING AND ENTRY with parking for the disabled.

AN ADVENTURE BIKE? IN BSH? REALLY? WHAT THE HELL’S GOING ON? WORDS & PICS: NIK RIDING: LOON

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wouldn’t normally do roadtests on adventure bikes in BSH in the same way we wouldn’t normally do roadtests of sports bikes (and we won’t, don’t worry) because... well, adventure bikes aren’t really what we’re about, are they?

There’s a big difference between the likes of BMW’s R1200GS, Triumph’s Tiger 1200, and Honda’s Africa Twin, and Moto Guzzi’s V85TT though – the Guzzi isn’t really an adventure bike in the same way as the three aforementioned on/off-road monsters. No, while they drip with

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technomological geegaws, and boast of their prowess on the rough stuff, the V85 isn’t, how shall I best put this, quite so vulgar – it’s more refined, more sedate... a gentleman’s motorcycle.

The V85TT (it’s an 850cc vee-twin, yes, and the TT stands for Tutto Terreno which means, roughly speaking, ‘goes anywhere’) is a bike which, if like me you’ve grown up on a diet of fast, noisy bikes, takes a little while to get your head around. I have, you see, a natural wariness of Guzzis as, as you’ll know if you read my editorial last issue, they do have a habit of breaking on me. I’ve ridden quite a few over my years of working for this ‘ere magazine, and very few of them made their way back to the people who lent them to me under their own steam. Yes, what caused them to become inert lumps of sculpted metal on the side of roadways the length and breadth of the land was, in the main, silly little electrical faults, but they were still enough to make me a little nervous of swinging a leg over one, and this wasn’t helped with the V85 when, barely two miles after I’d climbed aboard, the rather pleasing-on-the-eye dashboard lit up like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise during a Borg cube attack. I pulled over into the services a mile or so down the road and rang them, to be told that what I’d understandably taken as a screaming warning of impending (mechanical) death and gloom was, in fact, just a series of programmable rev-limit warning lights that’d been set deliberately low as the engine was so new (just 200 miles on the clock when I picked it up). Once reassured that the bike wasn’t going to commit mechanised hara-kiri (or whatever the Italian equivalent is), I found the lights quite useful actually – the first came on at about 77mph, and I took that to mean, ‘Right, this is ten per cent over the national speed limit, okay?’; the second at about 79, which meant, ‘Okay, you’d better hope you don’t see a copper ‘cos you’re pushing your luck’; and the third at 82 which meant ‘Yer on yer own now, pally, I warned you, didn’t I?’ And even though the V85 isn’t on paper the fastest thing on the road (it makes just 79bhp and 59ft-lb of torque), in reality that doesn’t really matter too much. It’s happy bobbing along at between 75 and 80mph on dual-carriageways and motorways, and maybe ten to fifteen miles an hour less on normal single-laners, which may not sound that quick to modern-day riders, but it does it so easily, so competently, so relaxedly (is that a word?), that you feel any aggression, any aggravation you may be feeling, just ebb JUNE 2021 BICI STHIT IIBHS

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(AI.IVIDST) A l~(JAllTl:ST

MOTO GUZZI VSSTT

RIDING GEAR: Simpson Darksome/Mod Bandit flip-front helmet (www.simpsonracing.co.uk), City of Leather Rocker Antique Leather Biker jacket (www.cityofleather.com)

away, and the world become a nicer place. Because of this I never seemed to arrive anywhere more than a minute or two later than I would’ve done on a faster bike, and with a much more chilled state of mind. It’s weird – I normally crave the adrenaline rush you get from ‘attacking’ a road, but the Guzzi… it kind o’ made that less of a priority – it just floated along, racking up the miles in a thoroughly pleasant manner. As I said, a gentleman’s motorcycle, y’know?

It was also nice, for a change, to sit so upright, and so high, that you felt you had a commanding view of everything – sort o’ over cars, rather than through their windows; over hedges and fences; able to look a little further ahead than normal and so spot brake lights or oddly positioned vehicles way before you perhaps would’ve done on a ‘normal’ bike. Surprisingly, given that it is an adventure bike, it’s not actually stupidly tall – the seat height is 830mm, or 32 inches (although there’s an 810mm, 31 inches, lower seat option, and an 850mm, 33 inches, higher one too), and the seat’s quite narrow (but very comfy), so while it is tall, it’s not too tall, y’know? The engine, when you tweak the throttle, doesn’t twitch to the right anywhere near as much as on older bikes too, so you don’t get ‘ooo y’fooker’ scare on uneven surfaces, and the chassis feels competent and unflappable. Yeah, it’ll

PRICES START FOR THE MOTO GUZZI V85TT AT £11,200, AND YOU CAN GET MORE INFORMATION OR A TEST RIDE FROM YOUR LOCAL MOTO GUZZI DEALER OR WWW.MOTOGUZZI.COM 60

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lean over far enough to scrape itself on the road if you’re so inclined, but it never really feels that necessary – it seems to take all bends, no matter how tight or changeable, in its stride.

Equipment-wise, there are, very obviously, the two boxes at the rear (big enough to take open-face lids and smaller shell full-faces too, but not my Simpson flip-front); and there’s cruise-control (great for dealing with 40 or 50mph average speed sections on motorways); you can sync’ your phone with the dash via an app that does ‘stuff’ if you so wish; there’s a ‘Rain’ mode to soften the power delivery in the wet and an ‘Off-Road’ mode that, basically, turns the rear ABS off so that you can do skids; and a useful USB socket to charge your phone or power your sat-nav. The tank’s big at 23 litres and so should give over 200 miles easily (note the ‘should’ there – I never get the sort of tank range other folk do for some reason), and the fuel gauge is reasonably accurate, but starts flashing up that you need fuel when the on-board range wotsit says you still have 75 miles’ worth of fuel left… odd. Oh yeah, and the Moto Guzzi eagle emblem in the headlight lights up as a daytime running light, which is cool.

So there you have it; the V85TT in about 1,000 words. It may be classed as an adventure bike but, really, it isn’t (you wouldn’t want to take it off-road much – at 235kg it’s a bit heavy for such silliness). What it is, is a gentleman’s motorcycle: smooth, competent, relaxing to ride, and quick enough without being hurried. It’s the sort of bike you could do three or four hours riding on, and get off still able to walk, or commute on into cities every day with ease (assuming you’re not one of those who’s habitually late for work) and enjoy every moment of the journey. And when you get to wherever it is you’re going, it’s unlikely there’s going to be another one of these there, isn’t it? Unless, of course, another gentleman has realised how good the Moto Guzzi V85TT is…

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IV, PART V MR BRIDGES' VOL. MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

WORDS & PICS: MR. BRIDGES

THE BRAKES’RE SEIZED – CONJURES UP IMAGES OF VEHICLES THAT’RE COMPLETELY IMMOBILE, AND HAVE TO BE DRAGGED ABOUT THE PLACE…

also explains the presence of the ‘Brake Hammer’ in my workshop. This’s a big rubber mallet that’ll normally temporarily free off reluctant brakes if they’re not locking the wheel completely, but are making the motorcycle hard to push. I’m long past the point in life where I have any appreciation for an honest day’s toil, and generally favour keeping

IT

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said toil to a minimum, but if the brakes’re dragging then they’re at least partially seized, and the benefits (?!) of this include, but’re not limited to, accelerated pad wear, accelerated disc wear, increased fuel consumption, and being slow.

When I was building the black GSX600 the rear caliper was so corroded that I couldn’t get the original one apart. The second one came off of a parts bike (with seized brakes), and that one had heavily

corroded pistons. The third one came off eBay and, believe it or not, was seized. Luckily, it came apart without much trouble, the pistons were reusable, and a caliper rebuild kit made everything lovely again.

You can imagine my amusement, then, when I was hitting Matty’s GS500 with a spanner in an attempt to knock what appears to be the best part of a decade’s neglect off it, and discovered that the rear brake was dragging. The GS500 uses the same

caliper on the rear so that didn’t bode well, but a quick dive around the ‘net turned up a set of TRK stainless steel pistons for less than the average price of a used caliper on eBay. I got the old one apart without too much trouble since I didn’t have to worry about not damaging the pistons, and the casting halves were fine, although I’m entirely

kit too (Fig.2). The piston kit retails at £27.36, and the rebuild kit retails at £14. As I’m writing this, there aren’t any secondhand calipers on eBay that are in the country – you could get one from Germany, Italy or the USA, but that’ll set you back over £40 plus over a tenner for the postage for the cheapest one. So what’s involved in fixing a

cylinder’s up to it). Having something to grab hold of makes life easier. In my case the KLR needs the master-cylinder rebuilding too, so not an option. I tried blowing it out with compressed air, and grabbing it with my brake piston pliers, but no luck there (Fig.3).

In the end I welded a piece of ¼” (6mm) steel into the piston to give me

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confused as to why the bolts holding the caliper together were coated in copper grease? ‘Easily undone’ isn’t really a desirable property in bolts holding calipers together – Loctite would be more appropriate. Refitted it, it was lovely, and I thought to myself, “That would’ve made a good article”.

Luckily for all concerned, the KLR has a seized rear caliper (Fig.1), so a few emails with Wemoto.co.uk, and I was the proud possessor of not only a brake piston kit, but a caliper rebuild

seized caliper? In the first place, they can’t all be fixed – if the bore, or the seal housings, are damaged, it’s basically scrap unless it’s valuable, and it’s possible to bore the housing out and have an insert machined for it, but BSH readers aren’t sticklers for originality, so that needn’t concern us.

Getting the piston out’s the problem – it’s always a good idea to drop the pads out before removing the caliper, and seeing if the master-cylinder’ll move them or it (assuming the master-

something to grab with the vice grips (Fig.4). That moved it, but not very far, so I resorted to heating it up. You can heat aluminium up by wrapping a rag round it, and pouring boiling water over it, and that’ll work in quite a lot of cases, but I used a blowtorch (Fig.5). I got it out, but it was an effort (Fig.6).

There was rust on the piston, presumably caused by road salt and water behind the water retention seal (Fig.7)… sorry, weather seal. That was the next thing to pry out and, oh dear,

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there was quite a lot of furry grimness in evidence (Fig.8). Using a small Victorian brass-handled clockmakers' screwdriver, I slipped the tip down the side of the hydraulic seal and prie d it from its groove (Fig.9), but cheaper, less antique screwdrivers'II

You could get the calipers vapour-blasted, but any other sort of blasting's likely to damage the casting. It's perfectly possible to scrape the grooves clean by hand though - scraping the bulk of it out with a screwdriver's a good start

blade into an 'L'-shaped tool to fit in the groove. DO NOT use any type of abrasive paper - you only want to remove the corrosion, not the aluminium. It's impossible to get the grooves too clean, and normally the one for the hydraulic seal has

2 do the same job ... with less style.

Both the hydraulic seal groove, and the weather seal groove, were coated in corrosion (Fig.10), and it's this that forces the seal out of its groove, and causes it to take a firm grip of the piston. The amount I was dealing with was excessive, and typically you only find it that bad if the motorcycle's been stood outside for a period of time, but any furring in this area'II affect the brake's performance so it needs to come off.

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(Fig.11), and the ‘chimney sweep’ brass brushes you can get for a Dremel knock-off are good too (Fig.12). Getting right into the corners of the g roove is important, and I've foun d that the plain bits from an otherwise fairly pointless small pocket screwdriver (Fig.13), held in a pair of p liers, works admirably as you can grip them at 90 degrees to the groove, which lets you get right into the corners (Fig.14). Another alternative is to grind an old hacksaw

an inde ntation running round it that needs to be scraped clean as well.

Once you 're certain you've got it clean, then run the scraping tool around the gro ove one more time and see if any more d ebris comes loose (Fig.15). If it does, carry on cleaning.

If it doesn’t, give it o ne more good going-over to be sure. Then clean it some more, and don’t forget to clean the bore. I have an end oscope camera which is the butt of a lo t of jokes, but would’ve been handy for checking

the grooves as this is a single-piston caliper, and you can't see into them all the way round.

With the grooves cleaned, I smeared them with the red rubber grease that came with the piston kit (Fig.16). The idea is that coating the groove with grease (Fig.17) will still ease the fitting of the seal, and might

Ill do something to keep the water out in future too.

Older hydraulic seals have a slight taper to the bore, and it's important to fit them the right way round, with the small end of the taper inwards .

Later ones have the taper in the groove, and use seals with parallel sides, and can go in either way round when new, but should be replaced in the orientation they were removed in otherwise .

With the hydraulic seal seated in the

caliper body (Fig.18), I ran my finger around several times to squeeze out the excess grease from behind it.

Weather seals come in two varieties: the bellows type, and the O-ring type.

O-ring weather seals are easy to fit as they just sit in a groove, and the piston pushes in past them. The KLR has the bellows type, and these aren't as easy

located in the groove on the piston (Fig.20).

The caliper rebuild kit came with new rubbers for the carrier bracket slides (Fig.21). Again, these should be fitted with red rubber grease as ordinary grease'II attack the rubber and cause the caliper to bind. Fitting the new stainless bleed nipple finished the job

fi since the outside of the bellows locates in a groove around the piston, and it's practically impossible to get the piston through the bellows once the seal's installed. Probably the best way to do it is to sit the mouth of the bellows over the piston so that the part that fits into the caliper's hanging off the back (Fig.19), then fit the weather seal into the groove in the caliper body with the piston still attached to it.

Once the seal's seated, the piston can be pushed home, and the bellows

off, and I had a serviceable caliper (Fig.22). It's worth noting that the old bleed nipple'd been wrapped in PTFE tape, presumably because it was leaking up the threads. The thread does nothing to seal the caliper - that's what the seat's for. The taper on the end of the bleed nipple screws into the taper seat in the caliper, and that creates the seal, so I cleaned that up before fitting the bleed nipple.

Still need the master-cylinder doing though ...

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---; ..' l • /

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:-;7 /

/_

-,,

.'» / ·~ ~~_;;.--> . ,,~::- ✓

A FOUR-PART SERIAL BY JIM FOGG

' PART TWO THE EAGLE’S CLAW WAS PACKED THAT NIGHT, MAINLY WITH BIKERS AND THEIR GIRLS, A FEW HEAVY METAL FREAKS, AND A SPRINKLING OF NAVVIES, AND HERE AND THERE THE ODD STUDENT COUPLE OR TRIO WHO’D OBVIOUSLY WANDERED IN FROM OUTSIDE, HEARING JOHN COUGAR, SPRINGSTEEN, STEPPENWOLF, AND THE RAMONES BEING PLAYED VERY LOUD, SITTING THERE LOOKING NERVOUS, WONDERING WHAT NADIR OF BARBARISM THEY’D MANAGED TO GET INTO. ldbear was enjoying himself enormously, which is more than I was, and didn’t seem at all put out by the leather, the cut-offs, the oil-stained Levis, the decorative metal-work, and the large profusion of people with street warrior profiles, the odd broken nose, plastered arm, and general air of being the victor in a very long fight. I didn’t mind them – it was the bloody music that was giving me the anxiety; every time I went into the car park, which was as often as I could manage to get away from the decibels, it was so quiet I thought I’d gone deaf. And the car park was filled with Harleys, Triumphs, and big Jap fours with aftermarket systems all revving up, so you can tell how goddamn loud it was inside.

I got a couple more beers, squeezed past a tall girl in a thong-sided leather

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skirt and a skimpy top, talking to four or five long-haired young bikers, and made my way back to where Oldbear was sitting, tapping to the beat of AC/ DC in a very relaxed fashion on one knee of a pair of pressed Levis he’d obviously bought for the occasion. I put my mouth almost around his ear, and bellowed: “Seen him yet?”

He nodded, took a sip of his beer, and then made vague twirling motions with his hands, and gestured over to a far corner.

“Eh?” I shouted. “What?”

“Wash my hands,” he shouted back, and repeated the action. “Lavatory, be back soon,” he added, and got up and disappeared amongst the packed crowds standing drinking and listening to the music between him and the gents. I nodded, settled down to my beer, and concentrated on watching a girl with fluffy blonde hair and a leopard-print dress worn under

an old bike jacket, twirling around, almost in time to Meatloaf. She was worth watching too, even if as the old joke goes her rhythm was perfect, but her timing was way out, and I thought to myself that I wouldn’t mind being twenty again, just so long as I could still have the experience and sense I’d acquired since I was.

I decided I could do with a crap, so I drank down my beer, and shoved my way to the crowded far end of the bar, and then edged my way through the outlaw bikers drinking there and out through the door into the yard. On my way I passed Slattery, who gazed at me with pale, expressionless eyes. I decided to take no chances, in case he remembered me, which I was pretty certain he did.

“Great place, isn’t it?” I shouted.

“The photos turned out alright – remember I was here a few days back, snapping the bikes? Perhaps some of

WORDS: THE LATE JIM FOGG RIP ILLUSTRATIONS: LOUISE LIMB JUNE 2021 BICI STBIIT 111811

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THE EAGLE'S CLAW~T your friends would like to see them?”

“I doubt it,” he answered, and turned his back on me, and went back to his talk with his companions. He said something to them, and they looked across at me and laughed.

As I walked into the gents, I was conscious that I was sweating, even though it was a fairly cool night. In there, Oldbear was talking to the biker whose lips Slattery had smacked with his pool cue the last time I’d been in.

He was a wiry youngish guy, with his hair in a pony tail, and a straggly moustache, and he was wearing oily and faded colours. They broke off as I walked in, until Oldbear saw who I was.

“A friend of mine, Jacko,” he told the biker, who nodded to me as I walked across to a cubicle. “So, you’re all off to Silverstone for the weekend’s racing?”

“That’s right, Boss,” the biker answered as I entered the cubicle and bolted the door. “Majority decision, by Slattery, that is...”

Now I don’t know about you, but I only know one sort of person likely to be employed by Oldbear and his masters who’d be likely to address his superiors with the scant respect, or informality, of ‘Boss’, and I wondered what the hell an SAS man was doing dressed up like a biker. The answer was obviously keeping an eye on Slattery, of course.

As I sat down on the pan, I heard a bit more conversation. “…don’t know why Silverstone’s so important,” the biker was saying, and then his voice suddenly changed and it grew harder and harsher.

“Piss off, you bloody old pufta,” it said, and there was the sound of a couple of hard blows, and a body hitting what was probably a wash basin.

“What’s your bloody game, eh?”

“What’s going on, Rolly?” Slattery said, and I heard the biker answer.

“This bloody old queer comes in here, and tried to touch me up while I’m having a bloody leak, Slattery. Christ, he ought to get his f**kin’ head kicked in.”

“I can assure you,” I heard Oldbear’s voice say, sounding old, quavery, and a little bit effeminate, “your friend’s taken it all the wrong way…”

“No, I bloody didn’t,” the biker was

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saying, sounding genuinely enraged and offended. “Come on, Slattery, get the rest of the lads in and we’ll kill this old bastard…”

“Forget it, Rolly,” Slattery told him, “any more stick, and he’ll probably keel over with a coronary. You’ve had your go at him, and anyway, we’re splitting – we’ve got more important things to do than deal with an old bugger like him.

But,” he went on, obviously addressing Oldbear, “you’re not welcome round here, not at all, so I don’t ever want to see you in this pub, got it?”

He didn’t make any threat at all, but the tone of his voice was enough – if I’d been an elderly gay into leather-wear and bikers, after hearing Slattery I’d’ve given The Eagle’s Claw a wide berth for the rest of my natural life. “...not a place I shall ever patronise again, I’m certain,” I heard Oldbear say, with an aggrieved dignity spoilt a little by an obvious muzziness around the lips and face, and I heard Slattery give a sharp, short laugh, and then he and the other biker must’ve gone out.

I waited a minute or two, and then cautiously opened the cubicle door.

Oldbear was dabbing his lips with a spotted red paisley handkerchief, and he had the beginnings of a beauty of a black eye and a bruised cheek, but otherwise he’d not come out of it too badly.

“Quick thinking, huh?” I remarked to him, and grinned. I just couldn’t help it. “Coming back for a Pink Lady, then, gorgeous?”

“Spare me your facetiousness, Mike,” he replied. “Just get on your motorcycle and follow Slattery and his friends, will you?”

“What about you?” I asked.

“Well, obviously I can’t do it,” he said a little testily. “I’ve had quite enough excitement for one night. Just follow them, and phone me at this number.”

He wrote it down in biro on a paper towel, “which is where I’ll be within the next half hour or so”.

I was about to answer when a couple of bikers (not any friends of Slattery’s, I’m glad to say) came into the gents, and Oldbear played the same trick on me that the biker Rolly had played on him. “Fifteen pounds?” he squawked at me. “My dear boy, I wasn’t thinking of paying for it.”

The two bikers looked at us curiously as we left, and I heard one of them say: “This place is definitely going down the pan, Gozzer, know what I mean?”

Slattery’s bike was parked close to the pub, along with those of his mates, including Rolly’s Sportster. Mine, luckily, was some distance away, at the other end of the large car park, with around forty or fifty bikes between us.

I kicked over the Trident, and waited without switching on my lights until all the bikes’d fired up, and were arranging themselves behind Slattery. Then, when they’d all started moving off, I tucked myself in behind them, joining a few stray bikes that had chosen to move off at the same time as Slattery’s group – an LC350 whined past me, and I hoped he’d provide enough display and noise to distract the outlaws, so they wouldn’t notice the additional Triumph keeping its distance between them.

As we rode through Enfield, obviously on the way to Walthamstow, I guessed, which was where Slattery was living, and where any sort of meeting might be, it became increasingly more apparent that the meeting, if there was going to be one, was going to be very select – bikes kept turning off from the main group, suddenly accelerating until they were level with Slattery, and their riders’d wave, and drop back to turn into side streets, or a different way at traffic lights, until there were only four bikes left: Slattery’s green Z900, Rolly’s Sportster, a British lowrider (I couldn’t see what make it was, apart from the fact that it was a twin), and a purple Suzuki four, a 750 or 1000. My red Trident made a fifth, but I was working on keeping far enough away from them in case they suddenly decided to stop or turn down a side street.

Eventually, they turned off the High Street and rode down a long hill, turning right again at the bottom, and parked outside one of a terrace of houses, Victorian or Edwardian I guessed, and went inside just a I was riding past. I parked the Trident at the end of the road and walked back to the house, just so I could get the number of it, and the name of the street itself.

As I was riding back home, thinking about phoning Oldbear, I ended up witnessing an accident involving two cars, a moped, and a pedestrian. By

the time I’d done what I could for the though?” I asked him after I’d told him Slattery’d killed the SAS man, and pedestrian, which wasn’t much because I’d just read the piece. “It tidies things arranged the fake ‘accident’ to look as he was an old man who’d been run up as far as you’re concerned, surely?” if he himself had been burned to death. into hard by a car, apparently driven Oldbear wasn’t too happy about the I presumed that forensic scientists by someone who was drunk, stupid, line we were using, because he was could eventually come up with who or blind, or all three, and organised cagey and none too communicative. exactly the body was as they’d certainly gawping bystanders into doing “It’s possible,” he said, “that tidiness have access to the SAS man’s records something else, such as phoning for the may not be a virtue in this case. We via Oldbear and his department, and Police and ambulance, it was late. seem to be having a little trouble Schlachter, alias Slattery, was possibly By the time I’d finished giving the contacting Mr Jackson, the gentleman well documented somewhere too, but Police all my details, and making a with the extraordinary hairstyle we met it’d probably take time. And time witness statement, and running the lad in the public house last night, you’ll was obviously something Slattery was ped had been smashed up that he playing for, remember, and there's a belief h d d there’s h ’ belief b l f h h f but b why? h Curiosity di didn’t whose mop d h d b b l I'd huuestly just kill the cat, it's aud I’d home, it waas later still, and honestly might be the subject of of the uewspaper newspaper it’s probably duue donee for bout phoning Oldbear, nalists ass well. , report, and not his companion. I take quite a few jour' forgotten ab journalists .

I was struck by a because all I wanted to do was crawl it you get my drift, Mike."

Mike.”

I certaiuly did. into bed an nd sleep. certainly did. sudden thought, aand ~ sudde1_1 thought,_ d him first thing in the I fimshed ✓ _ ,/ , //,;-, talkm I phoned finished talkin ng to ./... ~r7.._ ,,. ~,. ,:'.,_.,,f·, , 1, ' , Oldbear, and go I woke up and morning, when w Oldbear, and go ot on /, /, t-: my Trident, Trideut, and aud rode suddenly ree111e111bered. emembered. "Yes," “Yes,” he told o know the address.” address." over to Walthamstow. me, “we do und a bit angry," I The house didn’ didn'’t look “You sou angry,” happeued?" too bad -– the froont answered. "What's “What’s “ happened?” paper," he said. window downst duwnstairs “Read thee morning paper,” was smashed, an au aruuud tu nd “I presume you haveu't haven’t gut got around to its surrounds weere ..." reading it yet, y Mike Mike…” blackened, the froont He rang oft; off, o and I looked through door' d been axed in, the paper. Th There didn't didn’t seem to door’d nit that had any sort and there was a hell be much in n it of a lot of of dry fooam of relevance, until a small and water aboutt in paragraph caught my eye. the garden and on the There’d beeen a fire in the early ~ ~- . hours of th pavement, but it sstill r r he morning, at 78 Walthamstow, \. .,, wasn't Corunna Terrace, T wasn’t bad, consideering d been which had resulted in the Fire the front room' room’d gutted, and sum d the Pulice Police being called _ som Service and meone’d died there.

Tuer to that address. ress. A body' body’d been · ~ Therre was a d been-~-'"'"~~.:..c:'.- ...:.:::: to be that recovered, believed b red Fire Service Trransit . :. .----. ....... /f of Henry Donald D still outside, and a po olice Slattery .;,._.. he authorities Granada, and people, both (31). And th ~ / in and out of uniform ng the /,.. were investtigati tigating m, i,,,- '" were wauderiug possibility that t the wandering iu in au an nd out, I fire was cau used by an passers-by ambling ppast aud peering peeriug aroun nd explosion of o petrol . and Ill a with the sort of vapour from ma f curiosity eveeryone own stripped-do always seem motorcycle kept ms tu show. to within the house, d that I stupp stopp but stressed ped on ous no suspicio the otherr side •,~-... .. of the ro ad, . A~ circumstan nces of but with tthe were suspeccted. i}' '\ I ~ -~,._ Triumph's eengine I rang Olldbear Triumph’s still running; r·unning; I w back; no wo wasn’t onder ...,. ded intending to staay he’d sound Ion there all that lon pissed off. ng, just long enough “Doesn’t h to this solve all take a look at the bikes still parked outsiide your problems

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THE EAGLE'S CLAW ~T from the night before. There was a purple GS750 chop in a soft-tail frame, a black BSA lowrider with a rigid frame and chromed Harley girders, and a metallic green Kawasaki Z900 with a big bore engine and a trick frame, but what there wasn’t was a Harley Sportster, which meant there were two possibilities – either it was Slattery who’d been burnt to death in the fire, or else he’d ridden off on the SAS man’s bike. I discounted the first, as it seemed reasonable after what Oldbear’d intimated, and this must mean that Slattery was on the loose.

But where the hell was he? And what was he up to?

I decided to call round and see Sammy, and take her for lunch. We talked about a lot of things, but not about what’d been happening around me recently, but the time went pretty fast, and I was surprised to find it was half-past two when I got back to my flat. I was sitting down to my second cup of coffee of the day when the phone rang. It was a call box.

“Mr Mike Dawson?” a voice enquired.

It was Slattery’s voice.

Before I could say anything but confirm that it was me the voice went on: “You have a memorable face, Mr Dawson, although it’s not over-exposed on television, but I remembered where I had seen you before, apart from twice in The Eagles Claw, finally. I believe you’ll know about me from Commander Oldbear – it was a good performance by him in the pub, but something of a charade unfortunately.”

I tried to interrupt, but the voice went on, “Listen, please. I wish to meet you in order to make certain disclosures, and I wish Commander Oldbear to be present as well.

Tomorrow, which is Saturday, you will go to the racing at Silverstone – you will be contacted there, and told where I wish to meet you and Commander Oldbear. Tell him that if there is any attempt at surveillance by his department, or any other of the British Intelligence Service, at our meeting place I will not be there, 70

BICI STBIIT BIBHS JUNE 2021

which would be disadvantageous to him, and possibly fatal to you both afterwards.” There was a click, and the line went dead just as the pips started.

I tried to phone Oldbear at the number he’d given me, rather than his home address, but an anonymous female voice told me that he was unavailable at present, but would be able to be contacted in one hour’s time. I phoned again, in one hour exactly. “Come on, come on,” I was muttering to myself as the phone buzzed and burred, and then I heard Oldbear’s voice. I told him about Slattery’s phone call, and commented acidly that we’d not done too good a job of being unrecognisable. He didn’t seem too perturbed by my comment and, again, I wondered what the hell he was playing at.

“The price of fame, in your case, at least, Mike,” he commented. “An occupational hazard in mine, I’m afraid to say. Well, I know Herr Schlachter, so why shouldn’t he know me, of course? Obviously a very resourceful man, and one to take seriously, I think, after the lamentable events of last night, I’m sure.”

“So what should I do about the meeting then?” I asked him. “Should I go to Silverstone, and wait to be contacted?”

“Yes, you should,” he answered.

“Besides, Herr Schlachter isn’t a man to be gainsaid thoughtlessly, judging from the phrasing of his telephone call to you, and I think it’s time he and I got down to business, as well, all things considered.”

I didn’t like the sound of that, at all. “Listen, Oldbear,” I told him, “you know what he said about surveillance – I hope you’re not going to have me followed or that the bloody meeting place’s stuffed full of SAS, snipers, Special Branch men, and goddam helicopters by the time we get there.

My life might not be the ultimate in human experience and happiness, but it’s the only bloody one I’ve got – just remember that.”

Oldbear sounded faintly amused.

“How could I?” he asked. “Firstly, the meeting place’s known only to Schlachter until he contacts you at Silverstone tomorrow and, secondly, I shall be with you so you’ll be able to

keep a close eye on me. No jiggerypokery, Mike, I promise – no-one will attempt to follow us on our way to the rendezvous, you have my word on it. Besides, if Herr Schlachter’s got anything in the way of a revelation to make to me, I think the fewer people who know about it the better actually…”

I was struck by another, chilling thought, and I mentioned it to Oldbear. “Unless he wants you there so he can kill you, Oldbear, have you thought about that?”

“Dear me, it doesn’t work like that, Mike,” Oldbear assured me, and I could still hear a trace of faint amusement in his voice. “I’m administrative, and he is, please excuse the pun, executive – there’s a certain code of conduct in these matters, and we do all adhere to it… honour amongst thieves, and all that.

In any case, why should he want you there, if that was the case? No, he wants the reassurance of a third party, an unbiased witness if you like, and as such it wouldn’t be the position if he intended to assassinate me, believe me.”

“Unless, as you said you thought he might have done, he’s gone rogue,” I pointed out to him.

“I’ve revised my opinion about that,” Oldbear remarked casually. “I shall be calling round to your house tomorrow around nine o’clock – a nice early start. The weather’s going to be good, apparently – I hope we get to see some of the racing before things liven up.”

With that he rang off, leaving me with a cup of cold coffee, a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach and, I’ve got to admit, a faint buzz of adrenalin too.

As stories go, speaking as a journalist, it had all the hallmarks of a monster, and it could stuff me right up there amongst the media megastars. f I was allowed to tell it, that is… and if I survived it.

I made myself another cup of coffee, and drank it, and then, and I still can’t explain why the hell I did it, I got out the Solvol Autosol, a couple of yellow dusters, and the half-empty bottle of Turtle Wax, and I went down and cleaned the Trident for an hour or two.

TO BE CONTINUED... .

www.kliktronic.co.uk www.klever2.com Kliktronic@aol.com

ma

Booking deadlin

KENT ISBACKI Hottest news this issue is the fact that the Kent Custom Bike Show is back!

The HAMC Kent’ve announced that the legendary formative event for a lot of us’ll be back on the weekend of 3-5th September at Angel Farm, Ropers Lane, Ratcliffe Highway, Hoo, Rochester, Kent (ME3 8PT). Tickets cost £20 for the weekend, but you can get free entry if your bike’s accepted into the custom show itself – email a pic and some info to dusty81kent@btopenworld.com

HELLS ANGELS MC KENT present

· S cua,

0♦

Details T.B.A and depending on Covid 19

According to a new survey by IAM RoadSmart, potholes’re now more of a concern for drivers than texting and drink-driving, with more than 75 per cent of those surveyed having concerns about them, and more than a third actually taking a different route to avoid bigger ones.

It’s currently estimated that there’re some 42,675 miles of UK roads classed as being in poor structural condition, and that it’d cost an estimated £11.14 billion to bring them up to spec.

WK BIKES SCRAMBLER 125

DIRT DIGGERS #4 Entries to race at this year’s Dirt Diggers inappropriate flat-track racing (as featured last issue) at the Eddie Wright Raceway in Scunthorpe on 26th June, open just as this magazine comes out, 3rd May, and they’ll get taken up quickly so if you’re feeling as though going sideways around a dirt oval in the company of lots of other silly buggers (one of which may be Nik if he gets his entry in on time), then apply at scunthorperaceway@virginmedia.com (which is also where you’ll get spectator info too).

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BHI STHIT BIHIS JUNE 2021

The new Euro 5 version of the popular and stylish Scrambler 125 from WK Bikes has arrived in the UK. The Scrambler combines cool, retro styling with the latest technology (LED lights, digital instruments, and braided brake lines), and’s available in two striking colours – all-new grey, and classic

black. Both feature tan-coloured ribbed seats, and twin rear shocks, for that classic scrambler look.

It costs £2,199 with a two-year warranty, and you can find your local WK Bikes dealer, book a test ride or even order your bike online at www.wkbikes.com

OUR REGULAR, NOT TOO SERIOUS, LOOK AT SOME OF THE MORE POPULAR TERMS USED IN THE MAGAZINE – THIS ISSUE, THE FIRST PART OF THE LETTER ‘T’…

Sexy Bad Things - The Calling is the new book from Arri Biker, and is the first in a trilogy about Ally, a post punk biker chick with a dark and interesting past, and future. She’s straight-talking and sexy, and nothing’s quite what it seems in her life. It’s available from all good online book retailers, including Amazon, and costs just £11.99.

Harley & The Holy Mountain, by John Mole, is the tale of one man’s slow-paced travels across Greece on a Harley, his beloved C50, and is a wonderful read, taking in Greek history, religion, characters, and the kind of psyche that suits the speed of the little bike. It’s a very enjoyable read, and’s available from all good bookstores and online retailers, or direct from the author at www.johnmole.com

TACHOMETER – instrument that shows the revolutions an engine’s turning at, often shortened to ‘tacho’, but not to be confused with ‘taco’, which shows the revolutions of a Mexican’s hat

MACHINE MART DREAM WORKSHOPS Machine Mart are on the lookout for dream workshops packed with tools, big or large, messy or immaculate! Do you have a garage or workshop you’d like to show off? Or an interesting story you think they’d love to hear? They’d love to hear from you, and could be doing a video on you very soon!

The first video in the new series is now live, with dedicated Clarke enthusiast Ant showing off his impressive workshop and collection of products. To watch, visit www. machinemart.co.uk/dream-workshops And if you’d like to be featured, get in touch with Machine Mart via social media every Wednesday using #WorkshopWednesday or email them at socialmedia@ machinemart.co.uk

~ LAST FEW TRIP OUT TICKETS Tickets for this year’s Trip Out (17-19th September at Debach Airfield near Woodbridge, Suffolk), rumoured to be the last one ever, are selling out fast so if you want to experience the uber-chilled, feel-good chopper groove that is the Trip Out, go sooner rather than later to www.thetripout.co.uk

NAT:IQ'.NAL MQJ:Q'.RCYCLE MUSEUM ''LIVE'' After the cancellation of the 2020 event, due to Covid-19, Saturday 30th October will see the return of the National Motorcycle Museum’s ‘Museum Live’ day.

Entry to the Museum that day is free, and there’ll also be a host of other free attractions including Henry Cole and Friends live on stage, an autojumble, stands and displays from many well-known names, a ‘Meet the Experts’ thing were you can talk to specialist suppliers and craftsmen (and other classic motorcycling experts too), and much, much more.

For further details and updates on Museum Live ATIONAL TORCYCLE 2021 see www.thenmm.

SEUMUIIE co.uk '""41'1 ~IIIOIIIMli.j: ..,.-,f (lN

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TAIL-DRAGGER – US custom-style bike with a very long rear mudguard; also a dog with intestinal worm problem TAIL PACK/BAG – bag/luggage that mounts on to the (tail) rear seat, or rear luggage rack, and is designed primarily to make motorcyclists of our age put their hip out as they try to get on…

TANK – wot your fuel (or oil) goes in… do we really need to tell you that?

TANK-SLAPPER – situation in which handlebars oscillate fiercely backwards and forwards, usually caused by hitting a ripple, bump, or cat’s eye under hard acceleration, or due to poor steering geometry… one of the quickest ways to require a change of underpants there is…

TDC (TOP DEAD CENTRE) – point at which a piston’s at its highest position (and therefore point of greatest compression) within a cylinder; also the point at which, when kick-starting, an old British or American engine’s

T:RIUM. PH SCRAM. BLER 1200 ST:EVE M. CQUEEN EDlT:10.N The new Triumph Scrambler 1200 comes in a special Steve McQueen Edition, with a 1200 Bonneville engine with a dedicated Scrambler tune, and are an individually numbered, limited edition with only 1,000 available worldwide. They have unique Steve McQueen branding on the tank and handlebar clamp, an exclusive Competition Green custom paint scheme, premium Scrambler

accessories fitted as standard, and a certificate of authenticity with the signatures of Triumph’s CEO, Nick Bloor, and Chad McQueen (Steve’s only

,

. son). It costs £13,600,·and you can get more info on it from your local Triumph dealer or www. triumph motor cycles. co.uk

either easiest to start or most likely to push your knee into your gonads TELES – slang term for telescopic forks; also what people who can’t spell watch ‘Eastenders’ on TEXTILE – any form of motorcycle clothing not made of leather, usually cheaper and significantly warmer on cold days THE NIGHTRIDER – remember him when you look at the night sky…

THE TON – what old rockers call 100mph, used to be a fabled speed, now most bikes can pass that speed without even getting anywhere near top gear THIRTEEN – badge logo, usually combined with ‘1%’, that, depending who you talk to, either means the thirteenth letter of the alphabet, ‘M’, that relates to marijuana, or is a twofinger-salute to fate/ normal society as in ‘unlucky for some’ THUMPER – large capacity singlecylinder engine; also a carton rabbit who’s best mates with a deer TIG WELDING – Tungsten Inert Gas welding, arc welding process that uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld while additional material can be added with a suitable filler rod TOOL ROLL – efficient way of spreading all of your most valuable tools liberally across the Queen’s highway

ROAD TAX CHANGES FOR TRIKES Sadly, it’s not an April Fool, but from S 1st 1 April, the prices of road tax for trikes’s gone up. Now for Tax Class t 50 5 (that’s under 450kg), it’s £96 for 12 m months, or £52.80 for six months, and f Tax Class 11 (that’s 450kg plus) trikes for tthat’re under 1550cc it’s £170 for 12 months, and £93.50 for six. If they have m an engine bigger than 1550cc, it’s now a £280 for 12 months, and £154.60 for six. £ If you’re sending a tax cheque to tthe DVLA for a newly-converted trike, make sure you include the right amount m otherwise your application’ll be held up. o JUNE 2021 BICI STHIT IIBHS

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LOMO WATERPROOF TANK BAG These Lomo tank bags, with magnetic mounts, aren’t crammed full of individua al e’s pockets (there’s just the main one, and a transparent map/phone on top), there no ‘ole to put a charging lead through, no fancy mounting systems, or owt like that – they’re just, purely and simply, designed to keep your gear completely dry in the wettest conditions you might experience.

They’re made from durable PVC tarpaulin, RF-welded at the seams so there’re no stitch holes for water to come through, with four strong magnets to keep it in position (and the bag can be unzipped from the base to turn it into a very waterproof rucksack), and an adjustable strap which passes around your frame e for added security. The clear panel in the top allows the use of most touch-scre een devices while they’re inside the pocket and being protected from rain and spla ashes too. o.uk It costs just £54 from anywhere that stocks the Lomo range or www.lomo.co

TOMMY&SONS UNIVERSAL FRONT TURN SIGNALS , _~- ~

Seriously, I can’t begin to tell you how good these are, I really can’t. Even though the summer’s coming (allegedly), these Keis heated waistcoats’re useful all-year round – perfect for maximum warmth in the depths of winter, and for those chillier spring n’ summer days or evenings too when you can wear one under a lightweight riding shirt, hoodie, or jacket and keep toasty on even the longest rides.

They come with a simple harness to connect it to your battery, or you can buy a rechargeable battery pack to enable you to wear it on multiple bikes, and there’s an optional variable temperature controller available too.

Retailing at £140 for the basic waistcoat and wiring harness, you can get one rom anywhere that stocks the Keis Heated Apparel range or www.keisapparel.com

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BHI STHIT BIHIS JUNE 2021

These rather splendid E-approved billet aluminium indicators, with amber LEDs, are mounted using the mirrors for Harleys (and other customs) as hold-down bolts.

They’re available from your local Zodiac dealer or www.zodiac.nl

LS2 BOB CARBON HELMET The new LS2 Bob Carbon is a classic open-face helmet with a full carbon shell that’s ultra-lightweight at just 850 grams. There’s a classic ‘70s motocross-style peak with three-popper fixings; the aperture’s cut to accommodate most styles of goggles; a dropdown sun visor that’s easily operated whilst wearing riding gloves; a breathable and hypoallergenic liner; a reinforced chin strap with a traditional D-ring fastener and a handy magnetic holder; and lasercut foam inserts for a luxurious and reassuringly snug fit and feel.

The LS2 Bob Carbon is available in sizes XS-XXL (53-64 cm), and retails at £199.99. 3rd Visit www.ls2helmets.com for more information and to find your local stockist.

Co ompatible with the Oxford Beast lockk and chain (an nd other locks and chains too, o’ courrse), the Beast Ground Anchor’s an extra strong g bolt-down ancchor, double-layered for strength, maade fro om hardened steel, and weighing in at a whopping 4kg, it can be fitted to concrete floors and/or concrete/ brick walls, and has a Sold Secure Mo otorcycle Diamond rating – the hig ghest Sold Secure accolade.

It costs £99.99 from anywhere that sto ocks the Oxford Products range or ww w w.oxfordproducts.com

AGV X101 DUST HELMET More and more of us’re wearing lightweight Kevlar riding shirts and hoodies on our bikes these days, and they’re very good, but some find the elbow/arm armour they come with a little uncomfortable and remove it. These Forcefield Body Armour Pro Tube XV 2 Air elbow guards, designed for off-road racing, are a perfect alternative. They slide easily over the wrist, and sit so comfortably in place that you’ll often forget they’re there, but give you the peace of mind that, if something does go wrong, your vulnerable elbows’ll be protected as best they can be.

They cost £72.99 from anywhere that stocks the Forcefield Body Armour range or www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com

POPSOCKETS POPMOUNT 2 RIDE This straightforward and simple to fit handlebar phone mount is compatible with bikes’ ‘bars, and comes with rubber spacers to fit ‘bars and mirror stems from 10mm to 32mm, and a clever double mounting system that holds your phone safely – a stick-on mount for the phone itself (and allows you to easily swivel and rotate between portrait and landscape to find the optimal angle without having to unstrap it), and flexible rubber loops that hold each corner of the phone securely.

The Popsockets Popmount 2 Ride costs £29.99 from all good retailers or www.popsockets.co.uk

The X101 is a brand new full-face helmet from AGV, inspired by the historic models used in the Dakar rallies of the 1970s and ‘80s. Made from a fibreglass shell, it features a chin-guard air vent with a metal grill underneath to protect against dirt and debris, a detachable peak that can easily be removed/attached via press studs, and a leather interior with a double-D retention system.

Available in all the usual sizes, it costs £279.99 from anywhere that stocks the AGV range or www.agv.co.uk

LETTERS Need to agree, or even disagree, with something you’ve seen in the mag? Heard a bloody awful joke you think we should groan at? Email nik@backstreetheroes.com or send it snailmail to the address in the front (somewhere) of the mag!

DEARBSH, WINTER RIDE In thundering ordered harmony we ride, While wild birds swoop and dip and glide beside, Like us they follow their brave, courageous leader, As past frozen fields we echo their aweinspiring motion.

Facing the north wind’s fearsome blast, Heavy leathers fend off the icy winter’s wrath, Fixed stare, straight lines is our measured symmetry, Robust and daring winged fluidity.

The quietness of snow brushed landscape; perfect tranquility, A held breath; moment out of time; it looks so still, Shining land of ancient battles, hedgerows and serenity, Quintessence of England; we pass the dredger with his shovel.

DEARBSH,

We see the sparkling water of the sunlit dappled stream, Feel the wind that shakes the clouds and makes the hawthorn shiver, A weary horse pulling a heavy barge gently neighs and pauses, All of us caught in a moving frame of time together.

Our colours catch the morning light so radiant and beautiful, Simple rural scenes transformed to something rich and strange, Feel contentment deep within and welling waves of gratitude, To experience such connection in the bliss of sacred solitude.

MARK PINCHIN

DEARBSH, Another tale of my days working in the Dorchester bike shop. There was, as in any retail outlet, customers that were a pleasure to serve (i.e. of normal mentality),

This month’s Star Letter wins a Duchinni Classic Leather Waistcoat RRP £42.99. Made from natural milled leather, with a textile lining and vintage-style stud popper closure, the Duchinni Leather Waistcoat is a timeless classic. More at thekeycollection.co.uk

On the art of riding a chopper: further to my ramblings about chopper art and all that goes with such art, there’s a substantial piece of the equation missing – namely the operator, rider, driver, owner, occupier, etc.

For instance, sometimes I’ll see a bike and think to myself, or say aloud, “That bike’s owner occupied”, usually referring to the number of small, but significant, changes, lash-ups, and general making things fit/work in unison that, normally, have no business being in the same room together. As a piece of display art a chopper’s as good as any other art form, and is appreciated by many, but the work, time, money, sweat and blood that go into its creation aren’t completely wasted, but only half realised and appreciated. No, shows and trophies are all well and good but, to really see what someone’s built, you have to see the bike do its thing.

I took my Triumph chop out for a quick spin round the ring road a couple of years ago, just to make sure it was running okay. Actually, the bike was fine – the truth is that I wanted to go show off, pose, make a nuisance of myself in the busy late afternoon traffic. It just so happened (?) that my route took me along the front of the local supermarket with a speed limit of 10mph outside. Perfect.

So, with this fire-breathing dragon under my control, I approached the cruise point in between Ford Fiestas, VW Golfs, and the like, them all being quiet and respectful of course. Typical midweek calm afternoon, loads of shoppers, mums, kids, dads, etc., and with its seven-foot high ‘pipes n’ sissy-bar, bright orange paint, bright chrome, and the sound of thunder, I cruised along the front of the building for about 500 yards. Anybody around must have heard me coming literally a mile away and, of course, it’s all about not looking at anybody, just blipping the throttle, and looking cool.

As I came to the end of the shop, a crowd of schoolkids, teenagers, had just got off the school bus. Jaws dropped, phones came out, and

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BHI STHIT BIHIS JUNE 2021

and the odd few that thought they could outwit/try to humiliate us with their status – as in ‘I’m the customer, and the customer’s always right‘ (clever dicks, ass’oles, stupid pricks, etc., you get the picture). There was this one bloke that used to paint the retaining screws on his bike with yellow paint so that he’d know if the mechanic’d undone them as part of the service procedure (if he had, the paint would’ve been disturbed). His favourite was to paint the contact breaker retaining screw that had to be loosened to adjust them (but he never painted the housing screws), obviously trying to outwit us, so we knew that, when he got home, he’d take off the cover to see if the paint’d been damaged on the retaining screw of the contact to make sure we’d adjusted them). Because of this, we’d tighten the housing cover screws with Loctite, stopping him undoing them, and having a look (they were a bastard to get undone on his next service!).

Another bloke, a regular customer, thought he was a copper, and used the phrases ‘At this moment in time’,

comments, including expletives, rang out. I sailed past, giving it a fistful of throttle as soon as I was clear enough because I knew they’d still all be listening. Now that’s how to experience the sight and sound of something special – for just ten seconds, a slow audible build up, then sudden impact, and gone. A ‘what the fudge was that?!’ moment.

I do feel a bit self-conscious about posing, but why should I? If just about anyone can get up on stage with a mic’, and give it a go regardless of talent or quality, why can’t I have a quick bit of adulation? No reason at all. We all have our own image that we like to project when riding; from the Mad Max extras to the spiffing gentleman – just whatever looks cool.

Then there’s the addition of a passenger. Normally, of course, the addition of a pillion just buries the bike more, but then came along the King n’ Queen seat – probably the most sexist piece of equipment ever added to a motorcycle, designed to perch your long-legged (preferably wearing skirt or shorts), pretty girlfriend on. High-up passenger foot-pegs complete the picture as you cruise up and down the strip/ring road/whatever, showing off your trophies. Just that alone says that with a bike like this, you can have a girlfriend like this!

Anyway, the point to all this is simple. Lots of bikes of all descriptions’ll be coming out of the sheds and garages over the coming months, so when you’re out there on your custom creation, remember – it’s not a motorcycle, it’s a chopper, baby. Go for it, blip the throttle, scare the kids, make Mr Grumpy Pants turn round and swear, make young girls smile, fill young boys’ heads with something they go home and tell their dads about. They deserve a show, you deserve a show, and the art deserves a show. Give them one.

ROB LEE

and ‘On this occasion‘ a lot in his conversation.

He rode a 750F1 Honda, but hadn’t passed his test (naughty) so when he visited, one of us’d run out and stick some L-plates on his bike for a laugh. The unusual thing was his best mate was a police motorcyclist, who knew of his riding status, but they’d ride together even when the copper was on duty. He did eventually take his test, borrowing the 250G5 I had at the time.

Here’s the best bit – I got done for speeding twice in a month, in December 1977,and the second time was by this same copper. Not long after, he came in the shop to buy a pair of gloves, and asked me if he could have some discount?!? Cheeky bastard! Well, it was the good old ‘70s, wasn’t it? Bloody brilliant.

STEVE (CHELSEA PENSIONER) WARREN

DEARBSH, I’ve recently retired. Covid-19 made me realise at 67, as a registered nurse, it was time to bail out.

Forty-two years is enough. So, I’m now a burden on society, a full-time house husband, and Harley customiser – what’s not to love? Okay, so being a senile hooligan may not suit everyone,

but you can’t change a life-time of the diligent pursuit of the absurdity in everyday norms.

My Shovelhead is progressing; will it be finished and ridden hard before I pass it on to somebody else? Who knows? As long as it’s used, admired and/or ridiculed, and’s appeared in BSH, that’s enough for me. I’ll be happy. wherever I am.

Morbid? No. Realistic? Yes. IAN 67? Yer a feckin’ puppy, don’t talk wet. N.

DEARBSH, Issue 444, April 2021, Rick Hulse’s column – spot on! Nail hit right on the head.

JJ In 1930 a writer by the name of Olaf Stapledon wrote a sci-fi novel, ‘First & Last Men’, in which he theorised that, over millions of years, as human technology increased, human beings actually got stupider and stupider as machines did all their thinking for them. I, personally, think he was dead right, he just got his time-scale wrong – it’s not millions of years, it’s less than 100… N.

DEARBSH, Hello, it’s snowing here in the Palatinate, deep enough to bury whippets. Please find attached a drawing born in a dream. As you can see it’s a bored geezer (who looks nothing like me, honest), having converted his Trip Out poster to Trip In, dreaming of the sure-to-arrive better days to come!

BILL, NEWTON AYCLIFFE Ace pic as ever, Bill, cheers! N

JUNE 2021 BICI STHIT IIBHS

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MAY 6th SEES AECTIONS NUMBER OF EL HEDULED (ORIGINALLY SC20) TAKING FOR MAY 20 T TEST, PL ACE – THE FIRS-1 ID 9 SINCE THE COVO RESTRICTIONS, FEFELS HOW THE NATION POLITICALLY.

I

hope you’ve taken the time to ask those standing in your area their feelings on motorcycles? Whether you ‘do’ politics or not, it’s elected officials that have a great deal of say on shaping transport policy in this country, and I’m not just talking politicians, but also Mayors and Police Crime Commissioners (PCC). Often they come to post with their own project or view of the future, wanting to put their own stamp on their local area, and MAG’s Election Handbook’s been rewritten and released not just for these elections, but also to support anyone looking for support to get involved with candidates at any election. Remember to let us know if you find a rider-friendly MP, Mayor or PCC, or if we can help by supplying further information to one of your candidates (email central-office@mag-uk.org). The world of transport is changing, and we mustn’t let motorcycles get overlooked simply because they’re not as commonplace as other modes of transport.

Following the UK National Census on March 28th, we received quite a few messages both directly to Central Office and via Facebook, relating to two of the questions: ‘In total, how many cars or vans are owned, or available for use, by members of this household?’ An option for motorcycles was missing from this question and, if you read the notes to assist you in completing the census, it specified ‘Don’t include – motorbikes, trikes, quad bikes or mobility scooters’.

However, in another question, ‘How do you usually travel to work?’ there was an option to select ‘motorcycle’ (motorcycle, scooter or moped). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for the census, which is repeated every decade. Whilst we appreciate there’s a limit to the data collected by any census, we’ll be taking up members’ concerns in good time before the questions for the next census are finalised. A number of riders informed us that they’d added their own comment regarding the ‘omission’ to their completed census submission.

I’m pleased to inform you that MAG’s Greater London branch appears to be making headway with Transport for London (TfL). At a recent online meeting, a MAG delegation met TfL experts to discuss rider safety, and the impact of traffic management schemes on riders. The meeting specifically looked at four locations: Hyde Park Corner, the junction of Liverpool Road and Holloway Road, Farringdon Road, and Old Street.

Cathy Phillpotts led the MAG delegation, having extensive knowledge of London’s road network and the way changes have impacted on riders. The meeting was very business-like, and we look forward to bringing you details of positive changes as they filter through.

Cathy reminds me that she’s still looking for a rider contact in every London borough and parliamentary constituency, so if you are a London resident, and you’d be happy to be a rider contact, do get in touch. Don’t worry, she’s on hand to guide and support you through the process, and you can get in touch with her via email cphillpotts@ mag-uk.org for further information.

If you’d like to get involved with MAG in London, they have weekly Zoom meetings on Thursdays at 7pm. Contact Spen via greaterlondon-region-rep@mag-uk.org

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OCTOBER 2019

Not everything you read is an ‘April Fool!’ no matter how far-fetched it may seem. Autonomy has been creeping into our daily lives for years, and that includes transport, with the use of autonomous vehicles on our roads moving at some pace. Understandably, riders are concerned about the ability of a vehicle fitted with sensors detecting a motorcycle, but there are other concerns too.

There’s still a lot of legal chat about liability should an autonomous vehicle be involved in an accident, and I’m sure you’ve all seen the clips online of autonomous vehicle crashes. Of even more concern is how these vehicles’ll be allowed access to the road network, and whether that’ll mean ‘autonomous only’ lanes. The road network in the UK is already under a lot of pressure, and narrowing or reducing lanes further’ll have a negative impact for all riders. If you hear of a trial near you, or are involved in any way, then please do get in touch.

This year sees the 30th anniversary of Ride to Work Day, on June 21st, which coincides with England’s roadmap out of lockdown when the majority of restrictions should come to an end (at time of writing). If you already ride to work, that’s great, but the aim of the day is to encourage those who don’t to do so. We had great plans for last year to ramp up the social media side of Ride to Work Day in the UK, but the pandemic put paid to that. If you enjoy being in the limelight, and you want to share your ride to work experience with us, then this could be your opportunity to do so. We’re looking for people who are prepared to make a short video clip of themselves with their motorcycle outside of their place of work, telling us why they’ve ridden to work.

If that sounds like you, drop Colin an email to let him know you’re interested at cbrown@mag-uk.org To accompany the campaign, we’re delighted that, thanks to the efforts of Jane Carrott (aka The Lady Rootveg), and Weeble of Weeble’s World fame, there’s a brand new Filter Friendly sticker. These’re available in two sizes, so suitable for your bike or car, and if you’d like to buy a sticker, or any other MAG merchandise, visit our online shop at www.mag-uk.org/shop I look forward to restrictions lifting and bike events returning. Ride free.

Ride free SELINA LAVENDER MAG NATIONAL CHAIR

CONTACT MAG AT CENTRALOFFICEMAGUK.ORG OR CALL 01926 844064 TO JOIN YOU CAN CONTACT CENTRAL OFFICE, VISIT OUR WEBSITE (WWW.MAGUK.ORG CLICK ON ‘JOIN MAG’) OR SIGN UP AT A LOCAL MEETING OR MAG STAND.

FIND MEETINGS CLOSE TO YOU OR EVENTS, BY VISITING OUR WEBSITE / FACEBOOK PAGES.

EVENTS Advertise your events here for free and get them seen by everyone in bikerdom! Email the info to nik@backstreetheroes.com ‘COS OF THE RESTRICTIONS PLACED ON ORGANISERS BY COVID, IT’S BEST TO CHECK WITH THE EVENT/VENUE THAT THE EVENT’S STILL ON BEFORE YOU SET OUT, OKAY?

MAY 7-9th May: NSRA Nostalgia Nationals at Santa Pod Raceway, Airfield Rd, Podington, Wellingborough, Northants (NN29 7XA). More info from www.santapod.co.uk

23rd May: Sammy Miller Museum’s Autojumble at the Sammy Miller Museum, Bashley Cross Rd, New Milton, Hamps (BH25 5SZ). Earlybird tickets (before 9am) £6, otherwise £4.

More info from 01425 620777 or www.sammymiller.co.uk

13th June: Ripon Classic Car & Bike Show at Ripon Racecourse, Boroughbridge Rd, Ripon, Yorks (HG4 1UG). More info from www. markwoodwardclassicevents.com 13th June: Stratford Autojumble at Stratford-uponAvon Racecourse, Luddington Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks (CV37 9SE). More info from www.stratfordautojumble.co.uk 18-20th June: Balor Demons MCC’s Hole in the Wall Rally at High Nellies, Garry Hill, Carlow, Eire. More info from Facebook

9th May: BMW Bike Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com

27th May: Bideford Bike Night at Bideford Quay, Bideford, Devon (EX39 2HW). More info from Facebook

9th May: South of England Classic Bikejumble at the South of England Showground, Ardingley, W Sussex (RH17 6TL).

More info from 01797 344277 or www.elk-promotions.co.uk

28-30th May: The Smoking Dog Rally at Misty Blue Farm, Kirk Merrington, Spennymoor, Co Durham (DL16 7NJ). Tickets £20.

More info from 07931 177448 or countydurham34@yahoo.co.uk

16th May: Two-Stroke Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com

28th-31st May: The Main Event at Santa Pod Raceway, Airfield Rd, Podington, Wellingborough, Northants (NN29 7XA). More info from www.santapod.co.uk

24th June: Bideford Bike Night at Bideford Quay, Bideford, Devon (EX39 2HW). More info from Facebook

30th May: RBLRB Day in aid of the Poppy Appeal at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com

24th June: Knoxbridge Bike Night at the Knoxbridge, Cranbrook Road, Frittenden, Kent (TN17 2BT). More info from 01580 895276

18th May: Black Flame Marauders MCC’s Bike Night at the Badger, Brockwell Lane, Brockwell, Chesterfield, Derbys (S40 4ED). More info from Facebook 21st May: Shudy Motorbike Meet at the Cricket Pavilion, Mill Green, Shudy Camps, Cambs (CB21 4QZ) More info from Facebook 23rd May: Yamaha Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 23rd May: Harley Club Norfolk’s Harleys on the Green at The Ox & Plough, Old Buckenham, Norfolk. More info from Facebook 23rd May: Classic Bikejumble at Ham Street, Ashford, Kent (TN26 2JD). More info from 01797 344277 or www.elkpromotions.co.uk 23rd May: Autojumble at the Museum of Power Hatfield Rd, Langford, Maldon, Essex (CM9 6QA). More info from www. museumofpower.org.uk 23rd May: Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride worldwide More info from www. gentlemansride.com

31st May: Yorkshire Classic Vehicle Show at Ripley Castle, Ripley, Harrogate, Yorks (HG3 3EA). Tickets £7.50. More info from www. markwoodwardclassicevents. com

6th June: MAD Sunday (Motorcycle Awareness Day) at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 6th June: Normous Newark Autojumble at the Newark Showground, Lincoln Rd, Coddington, Newark, Notts (NG24 2NY). More info from www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 10th June: Knoxbridge Bike Night at the Knoxbridge, Cranbrook Road, Frittenden, Kent (TN17 2BT). More info from 01580 895276.

13th June: Triumph Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com

19th June: Kempton Autojumble at Kempton Park, Staines Road East, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex (TW16 5AQ). More info from www. kemptonautojumble.co.uk 20th June: Polish Bike Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com

25-27th June: Summer Solstice Rock Fest Rally at Southam Rugby Club, Station Road, Southam, Warks. More info from www.ssfr.co.uk 25-27th June: Inner Circle RRC’s Goosin’ the Fox Rally at the Fox & Goose, The Street, Greywell, Hants (RG29 1BY). Tickets £18 prebook. More info from Facebook 25-27th June: Bracan MCC’s Pistons & Pints Rally at the Breighton Ferry, Breighton, Selby, Yorks (YO8 6DH). Tickets £15 pre-book or £18 on gate. More info from 07912 691682 or www. bracanmcc.co.uk

Normansby Road, Scunthorpe, Lincs (DN15 8QZ). More info from www.scunthorpe-speedway.com 26-27th June: Classic Bike Show & Jumble at the South of England Showground, Ardingley, W Sussex (RH17 6TL). More info from 01797 344277 or www.elkpromotions.co.uk 27th June: Triton & Cafe Racer Day at the Ace Cafe, London.

More info from www.london. acecafe.com 27th June: Ride of Respect’s Red Road Day. More info from www.rideofrespect.co.uk or Facebook

1st July: Krazy Horse Bike Night at Krazy Horse, Empire House, Lamdin Road, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk (IP32 6NU). More info from www. krazyhorse.co.uk 2nd July: Road Reapers MCC’s Rock Night at the Ellesmere Club, Ellesmere Road, Bolton, Lancs (BT3 3JT). More info from Facebook 2-4th July: Queen’s Regiment Riders’ Association’s One Aim Rally at Homestall Road, Straight Hill, Faversham, Kent. Tickets £25 weekend or £15 days. More info from www.qrra.co.uk 2-4th July: Ride ‘Til We Rot’s Right Rotten Piss-Up at the Breighton Ferry, Breighton, Selby, Yorks (YO8 6DH). Tickets £10 prebook. More info from Facebook 3rd July: NCC London’s Diamond Day Custom Bike Show at the Ace Cafe, London.

More info from www.london. acecafe.com 3rd July: Gosport Motorcycle & Scooter Show at Stokes Bay Field, Gosport, Hants. Free entry.

More info from jeremywebb@ driveandride.org

26th June: Malc’s Motorbikes’ Coffee & Donut Day at Malc’s Motorbikes, Unit 14 Theobalds Grove Railway Station, High St, Waltham Cross, Herts (EN8 7BG).

More info from 01992 630279 or www.malcsmotorbikes.com

3rd July: Pyeratz MCC’s 15th Anniversary Party at the Bold Privateer, Wrose Road, Shipley, Yorks (BD18 1HX). More info from Facebook

26th June: Dirt Diggers #4 at the Eddie Wright Raceway,

3-4th July: 40th International Classic Motorcycle Show JUNE 2021 BICI STHIT 111911

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EVENTS at the Stafford Showground, Weston Rd, Stafford (ST18 0BD). More info from www. staffordclassicbikeshows.com 4th July: Honda Bike Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 4th July: Blackpool MAG’s Stanley Park Bike Show at Stanley Park, West Park Drive, Blackpool, Lancs (FY3 9HQ).

More info from www.north-westregion.mag-uk.org 4th July: Leighton Hall Classic Car & Bike Show at Leighton Hall, Carnforth, Lancs (LA5 9ST). Tickets £7.50. More info from www. markwoodwardclassicevents.com 9-11th July: Dragstalgia at Santa Pod Raceway, Airfield Rd, Podington, Wellingborough, Northants (NN29 7XA). More info from www.santapod.co.uk 9-11th July: NOTAS MCC’s Bits & T*ts Bike/Trike Rally at Salhouse Lodge, Vicarage Road, Salhouse Norfolk (NR13 6HD).

Tickets £20 pre-book or £25 on gate. More info from 07737 602776 or Facebook 9-11th July: Furness Vale MAG’s Dead End Rally at Beckside Road, Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria (LA15 8DP). Tickets £15. More info from 07583 001181 or deadend. rally@gmail.com 9-11th July: Unwanted MCC’s Cock Out Rally at the Rockbar, Shobnall Sports &Social Club, Shobnall Road, Burton-on-Trent, Staffs. Tickets £15. More info from 07988 521400 or 07761 931226 or www.unwantedmcc.co.uk 9-11th July: Southern Comfort V-Max Rally at Lodsworth Village Hall, Lodsworth, Petworth, W Sussex (GU28 9BL. More info from Facebook 11th July: Indian & Victory Bike Day at the Ace Cafe, London.

More info from www.london. acecafe.com 11th July: Bikers’ Breakfast at Port Vale FC, Burslem, Stokeon-Trent, Staffs from 10am, free bacon/sausage baps. More info from www.staffsbiker.co.uk or Facebook 16-18th July: TWATS Zombie Rally at the Breighton Ferry, Selby, Yorks. More info from Facebook

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BHISTHITIIHIS JUNE 2021

16-18th July: HAMC North Lincs’ Bullfrog Bash at Sleaford Rugby Club, Sleaford Road, Ruskington, Lincs (NG34 8SP). More info from 07921 838694 or bullfrogbash@ hellsangelsmc.co.uk

25th July: Ardingley Summer Classic Bike Show & Jumble at the South of England Showground, Ardingley, W Sussex (RH17 6TL). More info from 01797 344277 or www.elkpromotions.co.uk

17th July: Kempton Autojumble at Kempton Park, Staines Road East, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex (TW16 5AQ). More info from www. kemptonautojumble.co.uk

29th July: Bideford Bike Night at Bideford Quay, Bideford, Devon (EX39 2HW). More info from Facebook

18th July: ‘70s Bike Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 18th July: Massive Post Lockdown Bikejumble at Wimborne Minster, Dorset, BH21 1EH. More info from 07767 205198 or 07710 996331 18th July: Normous Newark Autojumble at the Newark Showground, Lincoln Rd, Coddington, Newark, Notts (NG24 2NY). More info from www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 20th July: Gambit MCC’s Open Meet at the Rishton Arms, Station Road, Blackburn, Lancs (BB1 4HF). More info from Facebook 23-25th July: Halfway Heroes MCC’s Leathered in Lincoln Rally at Cadbourne Parva, Caistor, Lincs (LN7 6DR). Tickets £20 pre-book or £25 on gate.

More info from 07709 907745 or www.halfway-heroes.co.uk 23-25th July: Malle Mile at Grimsthorpe Castle, Grimsthorpe, Bourne, Lincs (PE10 0LY). More info from www.mallelondon.com 24th July: Southsiders Bike Show at the Houldsworth Arms, Houldsworth Square, Reddish, Stockport, Greater Manchester (SK5 7AL). More info from Facebook 25th July: Sports Bike Special at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 25th July: Bikers’ Breakfast at Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport, Crab Lane, Stourbridge, Staffs from 10am, free bacon/sausage baps. More info from www.staffsbiker.co.uk or Facebook 25th July: HAMC Liverpool’s Ride-In Bike Show at the Clubhouse, Cotton Street, Liverpool (L3 7DY). More info from Facebook

29th July-1st Aug: Rock & Blues Old School Weekender at the Coneygrey Showground, Pentrich, Derbys. Earlybird tickets £40, £50 pre-book. More info from www.therockandblues.com

1st Aug: Suzuki Sunday at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 6-8th Aug: UXB Rat & Survival Bike & Trike Show at the Ogri Club house, Kemble Airfield, Kemble, Gloucs. Tickets £20 on gate. More info from Facebook 6-8th Aug: Chain Wolf MCC’s Pack Rally at Shirebrook Staff & Social Club, Langwith Road, Shirebrook, Mansfield, Notts.

Tickets £15 prebook only. More info from 07891 204883 or Facebook

Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 12-15th Aug: Gothic Bikers MCC’s Gothic Uprising Rally at Sherbrooke Scout Camp, Mansfield Lane, Calverton, Notts (NG14 6HP). Tickets £22.50 pre-book or £25 on gate. More info from 07706 655357 or Facebook 13-15th Aug: Unwanted MCC’s Bike, Trike & Custom Show at the Rockbar, Shobnall Sports &Social Club, Shobnall Road, Burton-on-Trent, Staffs.

Tickets £10 pre-book or £13 on gate, Saturday bike show £3.

More info from 07988 521400 or 07761 931226 or www. unwantedmcc.co.uk 13-15th Aug: Worcester Custom Show at the Stoke Prior Sports & Social Club, Westonhall Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, Worcs (B60 4AL). More info from 07743 135858 or Facebook 14-15th Aug: Bridgwater Classic & Vintage Show at Morganians Rugby Club, A39 Chedzoy Rd, Bridgwater, Somerset. Tickets £5.

More info from 07919 351867 or Facebook 15th Aug: Ladies Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com

6-8th Aug: Viking Bear Rally at Abbeycwmhir, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, Wales. Tickets £18. More info from chiseltatto@homail. co.uk or Facebook

15th Aug: Bikers’ Breakfast at JCB, Rochester, Uttoxeter, Staffs from 10am, free bacon/sausage baps. More info from www. staffsbiker.co.uk or Facebook

6-8th Aug: Yorkshire MAG’s Yorkshire Pudding Rally at Escrick Park Estate, Escrick,Yorks. More info from www.mapevents.co.uk

15th Aug: Northumberland Classic Vehicle Gathering at Tynedale Park, Station Rd, Corbridge, Co Durham (NE45 5AY). Tickets £7.50.

More info from www. markwoodwardclassicevents.com

6-8th Aug: Yorkshire Rock & Bike Show at Squire’s Café Bar, Newthorpe, Sherburn-in-Elmet, Yorks (LS25 5LX). Tickets £25 pre-book. More info from www. yorkshirerocknbikeshow.co.uk 6-8th Aug: FUBAR MCC’s Fecked Up Again Rally at Wood Farm, Alton Lane, Great Gate, Staffs (ST10 4HS). Tickets £20 pre-book or £25 on gate.

More info from 07455 471781 or mrsknobhead.fubar@yahoo.com 7th Aug: Harley Club Norfolk’s Harley Evening at the Route 11 Café, A11, Attleborough, Norfolk (NR17 2PU). More info from Facebook 8th Aug: Vintage & Classic & Speedway Bike Day at the Ace

15th Aug: Normous Newark Autojumble at the Newark Showground, Lincoln Rd, Coddington, Newark, Notts (NG24 2NY). More info from www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 20-22nd Aug: Kavern Fest Motorcycle & VW Show at Trysull Holloway, Trysull, Wolverhampton, West Mids (WV5 7JA). Tickets £35. More info from 07342 784605 or Facebook 21-22nd Aug: Peterborough Festival of Wheels at Peterborough Lions RFC, Bretton Park, Peterborough, Cambs (PE3 8DF). More info from Facebook

Advertise your events here for free and get them seen by everyone in bikerdom! Email the info to nik@backstreetheroes.com 22nd Aug: Trike Day in aid of NABD at the Ace Cafe, London.

More info from www.london. acecafe.com 26th Aug: Bideford Bike Night at Bideford Quay, Bideford, Devon (EX39 2HW). More info from Facebook 27-29th Aug: Tees Riders MCC’s Rusty Nuts Rally at Tunstall Riding Centre, Tunstall Farm, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough (TS7 0NU). Tickets £16 pre-book or £20 on gate. More info from 01642 644858 or 01642 647568 or Facebook 27-30th Aug: Avernus MCC’s Back to the Underworld Rally at Park House Barn, Heversham, Milnthorpe, Cumbria, Tickets £20.

More info from www.avernusmcc. mozello.com 28-30th Aug: World of Wheels at Bentley Motor Museum, Harvey’s Lane, Ringmer, Lewes, E Sussex (BN8 5AF). More info from Facebook 28th Aug: Bideford Bike Show at Bideford Quay, Bideford, Devon. More info from www. bidefordbikeshow.org 28th Aug: AMOC Charity Bash at the Frankland Arms, London Road, Washington, W Sussex (RH20 4AL). More info from 01903 658634 or amocsussex@ gmail.com 29th Aug: Harley Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 29th Aug: Roughley’s Bike Show at St Peter’s Square, Stockport, Greater Manchester.

Tickets £3. More info from www. roughleysbikeshow.com 29th Aug: Riders in the Sky’s RTS Day at Tor Leisure, Street Road, Glastonbury, Somerset.

Tickets £5. More info from www. ritsday.co.uk 29th Aug: Ripon Classic Car & Bike Show at Ripon Racecourse, Boroughbridge Rd, Ripon, Yorks (HG4 1UG). Tickets £7.50. More info from www. markwoodwardclassicevents.com

SEPT:EMBER 3rd Sept: Ace Cafe Reunion Weekend Continental Run Ride-In at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www. london.acecafe.com 3-4th Sept: Netley Marsh Eurojumble at Meadowmead Farm, Ringwood Rd, Netley Marsh, Hamps. More info from www.netleymarsheurojumble.com 3-5th Sept: NE MAG’s Stormin’ the Castle at Witton Castle, Sloshes Lane, Witton-le-Wear, Bishop Auckland, Co Durham (DL14 0DE). More info from www. storminthecastle.co.uk 3-5th Sept: Wozwolf RC’s Wozwolf Rally at a site near Matlock, Derbys. Tickets £20.

More info from www.wozwolf.co.uk 3-5th Sept: HAMC Kent’s Kent Custom Bike Show at Angel Farm, Ropers Lane, off Ratcliffe Highway, near Hoo, Rochester, Kent (ME3 8PT). Tickets £20.

More info from dusty81kent@ btopenworld.com 4th Sept: Ace Cafe Reunion Weekend Party & London RideOut at the Ace Cafe, London.

More info from www.london. acecafe.com 4th Sept: AFB STABS (September Trike And Bike Show) at the Robin Hood, Icklesham, E Sussex. More info from Facebook 4th Sept: BTW’s Keep The Ball Rolling Bike/Trike/Quad Show at the Silver Ball Cafe, A10, Reed, near Royston, Herts. More info from rmkent63@gmail.com 5th Sept: Ace Cafe Reunion Brighton Burn Up at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 5th Sept: Bikers’ Breakfast at Tittesworth Reservoir, Meer Brook, Leek, Staffs from 10am, free bacon/sausage baps. More info from www.staffsbiker.co.uk or Facebook

30th Aug: Yorkshire Classic Vehicle Show at Ripley Castle, Ripley, Harrogate, Yorks (HG3 3EA). Tickets £7.50. More info from www. markwoodwardclassicevents.com

5th Sept: ABF Soldiers’ Charity Bike Ride from Triumph, Normandy Way, Hinckley, Leics at 10.30am. Tickets £25 or £35 with pillion. More info from motorcyclerider@ soldierscharity.org

30th Aug: Kent Chrome & Cruisers at the Faversham Showground, Staplestreet Road, Faversham, Kent, (ME13 9SP).

More info from Facebook

5th Sept: Dawlish Bike & Trike Show at The Lawn, Dawlish, Devon. Donation entry. More info from wolfpackAFB@ hotmail.com

5th Sept: Stratford Autojumble at Stratford-upon-Avon Racecourse, Luddington Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwicks (CV37 9SE). More info from www. stratfordautojumble.co.uk

19th Sept: Normous Newark Autojumble at the Newark Showground, Lincoln Rd, Coddington, Newark, Notts (NG24 2NY). More info from www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

9-12th Sept: FIA/FIM European Finals at Santa Pod Raceway, Airfield Rd, Podington, Wellingborough Northants (NN29 7XA). More info from www.santapod.co.uk

23rd Sept: Bideford Bike Night at Bideford Quay, Bideford, Devon (EX39 2HW). More info from Facebook

10-12th Sept: Wild South West Rally at the Britannia Inn, Par, St Austell, Cornwall. More info from makaproapoc@gmail.com 11th Sept: Kempton Autojumble at Kempton Park, Staines Road East, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex (TW16 5AQ). More info from www. kemptonautojumble.co.uk 12th Sept: Blue-Haze Day, Fantic & Fizzy Frenzy & 2-Strokes at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www. london.acecafe.com 12th Sept: Romney Marsh Show & Jumble at Ham Street, Ashford, Kent (TN26 2JD). More info from 01797 344277 or www. elk-promotions.co.uk 12th Sept: The Long Shop Museum’s Bike Show at Main St, Leiston, Suffolk (IP16 4ES). More info from www. longshopmuseum.co.uk 16-19th Sept: Rejects Brotherhood’s Drink, Drop & Doss Rally at a site in Kent. More info from Facebook 17-19th Sept: NSRA Hot Rod Drags at Santa Pod Raceway, Airfield Rd, Podington, Wellingborough, Northants (NN29 7XA). More info from www.santapod.co.uk 17-19th Sept: Jesters MCC’s Cum’ N Dribble In T’ Ribble Rally at the Whittingham Club, Old Whittingham Hospital Grounds, Whittingham, Preston, Lancs (PR3 2JE). Tickets £15 pre-book. More info from 07434 694265 or www.jestersmcc.org.uk 17-19th Sept: The Trip Out at Debach Airfield, Grove Farm, Clopton, Woodbridge, Suffolk (IP13 6QT). More info from www. thetripout.co.uk 19th Sept: Custom & Cruiser Bike Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www. london.acecafe.com 19th Sept: East Anglian Copdock Bike Show at Trinity Park, Ipswich, Suffolk. More info from www.copdock-cmc.co.uk

24-26th Sept: Matt Black Rat Late Spring Meet at North Dorset RFC, Longbury Hill Lane, Gillingham, Dorset (SP8 5SY).

Tickets £15. More info from Facebook 24-26th Sept: Lioness MCC’s Roar Rally at Hope View Sensory Farm, Marsland Green Ln, Marsland Green, Astley, Manchester (M29 7LH). Tickets £15 pre-book or £20 on gate.

More info from Facebook 26th Sept: 59 Club Day & BSA Bantam Meet at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www. london.acecafe.com

3rd Oct: End of Summer Scooter n’ Mod Special at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 7-10th Oct: Halloween Rock Weekend at Pontins, Shore Road, Southport, Lancs (PR8 2PZ). More info from Facebook 9-10th Oct: 28th Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show at the Stafford Showground, Weston Rd, Stafford (ST18 0BD). More info from www. staffordclassicbikeshows.com 10th Oct: Brit Vs (Vincent & Velocette) & Classic Bike Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com 17th Oct: Red Oktober Eastern Bloc Vehicle Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www. london.acecafe.com 23rd Oct: Kempton Autojumble at Kempton Park, Staines Road East, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex (TW16 5AQ). More info from www.kemptonautojumble. co.uk 24th Oct: Normous Newark Autojumble at the Newark Showground, Lincoln Rd, Coddington, Newark, Notts (NG24 2NY). More info from www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 24th Oct: Naked Bike Day at the Ace Cafe, London. More info from www.london.acecafe.com JUNE 2021 BICI STHIT 111911

81

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Send pics of your bike, your lady, your bloke (but not your dinner, this isn’t Facebook) to nik@backstreetheroes.com

ABOVE: Philip and his Suzuki X7… oh, and his Kevin Keegan perm too!

RIGHT: That’s Mick and Kev, that is. Pic by Richard BELOW: Cool rat Yam trike at one of the Old Buckenham bike nights

by Gibbo

ABOVE: ‘Samurai’ Howlett junior’s 146 chop in Cornwall. Pic by Trinity RIGHT: Ohmagawd, it’s like an endless loop, isn’t it? A pic of Lilly looking at a pic of herself in BSH… Pic by dad Dan

JUNE 2021 BICI STHIT IIBHS

83

Send pics of your bike, your lady, your bloke (but not your dinner, this isn’t Facebook) to nik@backstreetheroes.com

ABOVE: Hagar’s Hillbilly Ditchpump – a Soozyooki VX800, after a re-fettle caused by a bit of a kerfuffle with an unobservant young Doris in a car – one-off exhaust, seat, fuel tank, and rack amongst other mods!

BELOW: Bob Smith’s better half, Sunshine, and his V8 trike – doesn’t she look tiny on that monster!

ABOVE: The Suzuki Savage Synchronised Dismounting Team perform another flawless manoeuvre…

Pic by Dave M

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BHI STHIT BIHIS JUNE 2021

BELOW: Jim from NCC London’s 1979 GS750 shed build with Knickerdropper frame, and loads of custommade bits

RIGHT: Helen from Dorset’s XS650 chop – bare bones and bonnie… no, it’s an XS, y’plum

Nails’ Keeway 125 – how f’kin’ cool is that for a 125 chop?

ABOVE: Jack’s dad took this great pic of a very tidy Shovel chop at the Kent Show back in the day – love that!

BELOW: Great burnout pic of Mark Keogh and his Harris back in the day… if it isn’t a burnout, your bores are a wee bit worn, Mark!

ABOVE: Back in 1990/91 Guv’s then girlfriend had this ex-GPO Bantam – uber cool!

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Send pics of your bike, your lady, your bloke (but not your dinner, this isn’t Facebook) to nik@backstreetheroes.com

ABOVE: Only one of these two can turn his head around 180 degrees... well, at least I hope only one of them can turn his head around 180 degrees! Pic by D. Divall

BELOW: Another one of Bob Lund’s pics of, allegedly, a motorbike – this time a 1958 Auto Union RT175 VS. I’ll take your word for it, Bob…

ABOVE: Male model, who’s a bit handy with the spanners, poses by a couple of his creations…

RIGHT: After he’d removed the hamsters that’d infested the exhaust pipe of the old Beezer he built as a spotty greebo back in ‘79, Ray’s bike is one of the few old chops that’ve not been swapped for a Ford Fiesta or sold on to appease post-natal depression. Cool!

Neil and Luke from NCC West Mids, as featured last issue – father and son bike builders

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BHI STHIT BIHIS JUNE 2021

RIGHT: Dave Gee’s kids checking out the pic of his bike in the mag!

BELOW: Chief mechanic Tommy helping Popa get ready for BMAD 2018. Pic by Sue & Nige

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ABOVE: Reggie on an old ratbike wiv ‘is grandad Jas, aka BigGyp… ratbike? Really?

LEFT: Great old pic of Ton Pels from Zodiac RIP, by Berserk

JUNE 2021 BICI STHIT IIBHS

87

LEFT: Claire couldn’t find her camo bra when she was sat on Barry’s KTM… Pic

by Dave J at Screaming Images

ABOVE: Rob wanted a pic of his wife on his 2008 Yamaha Raider looking over the renowned Dedham Vale, but she told him to swivel… women today, eh?

--

RIGHT: Paul Jones’ XJ900 chop, frame

by Heartland choppers, and everything else by him (‘cept the paint). Like that!

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FAR RIGHT: Harley signed

by John Travolta, William Mackey, Tim Allen, Kevin Durand, Maria Tomei, and all the cast of the Wild Hogs film!

(Ridden by Red in the film) Pic

by Mike C

Sam Grainger’s Sporty – is it cold in your workshop, Sam?

BEST PIC EACH MONTH WINS A PAIR OF THESE OXFORD CE *AA* APPROVED SINGLE LAYER JEANS FOR MEN & WOMEN, WORTH RIGHT: Ben Bloomfield’s ex-feature Kwak posing by the sea

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BHI STHIT BIHIS JUNE 2021

£119.00

SELL YOUR BIKE FOR FREE WITH BSH - UPLOAD YOUR ADS TO WWW. BACKSTREETHEROES.COM/ ADS AND THEY'LL APPEAR BOTH

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TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE T140E: 1979, one owner from new, genuine mileage, good condition, recent service, 90% original (other parts included), selling due to dodgy hip £5,000 ono. Tel 07746 404551 or email plcottam@hotmail.co.uk (Norfolk).

BMW R5: 494cc opposed twin, footshift four-speed ‘box, black with white pinstripes, sprung solo saddle, hydraulic forks, luggage rack, colourmatched rims/hubs, fuel tank storage compartment, new carbs/gearbox internals/pistons/rings, electronic ignition, all stock parts included £8,000 ono. Email dellison043@gmail.com

CB750 CHOP: as featured in BSH, 18” over girders, prismic tank, proper oldskool bike, loud, runs well, very cool £4,500 ono. Tel 07724 096137 (Essex).

REVTECH CHOP: Alice, as featured this issue, very high spec’, amazing paint, fast, reliable, in-yer-face, multi show-winner £17,995 ono. Tel 07772 748328 or email indiannablu@ntlworld. com (Notts).

YAMAHA XJ650 TRIKE: good running order/condition, MoT Oct’, back-rest/sissy-bar, large rear box £3,400 ono. Tel 07790 417768 or email mt242@hotmail.co.uk (Brum) 89

IHI STBIIT 111811 JUNE 2021

SPORTSTER TRACKER: 500 miles since professional build by Krazy Horse, tuned motor, S&S Super E carb, stainless exhaust, chain conversion, alloy rims with stainless spokes, Harrison brakes/discs, new Hagon shocks, Storz rear-sets/flattrack tank, Red Max seat/tail unit, Motogadget speedo, stainless fixings, custom paint by Pageant Paint, fast & handles £11,999 ono. Tel 07989 382306 or email nhaverson@ btinternet.com (Cambs)

DESPERATE DAN TRIKE: 1600 VW engine, new MoT, just had total nut/ bolt restoration £6,500 ono. Tel 07841 431846.

H-D IRONHEAD BOBBER: 1970, 900cc, kick-only, S&S Super E carb with teardrop filter, welded-on hardtail, early Panhead forks/Hydra Glide yokes, hamburger drum 16” front wheel, vintage style balloon tyres, one-off flake/pin-stripe paint £6,500 ono. Tel 07480 215301 or email danclarke17@hotmail.co.uk

SUZUKI BANDIT 1200: 1996, GS500 fairing (black screen), Koso speedo, uprated brakes/clutch, ‘Busa forks, CBR600RR rear shock, GSX-R 1100 cams (108bhp), billet engine covers, belly pan, R1 swingarm cross-brace, high-rise stainless exhaust with Black Widow end can, Gulf paint, custom seat £2,250 ono. Tel 07922 584554 or email rwpowelluk@yahoo.co.uk (Milton Keynes).

SUZUKI GSX-R 750 SLABSIDE STREETFIGHTER: B-reg, VFR single-sider, R1 front end, paint by Devilised Paint, new tyres/chain/ sprockets, new MoT £2,500 ono. Tel 07799 668843 (Kent).

AWARD-WINNING SPORTSTER TRIKE: BSH featured, Casarva IRS, MoT, Stage 1 tuned, 2001 1200 engine, Bassani exhausts, Outlaw controls, one-off handlebars/internal throttle/brake lines/wiring, Zodiac ‘guards, LED lights, black/gold flake paint £14,000 ono or exchange Yank rat-rod of same value. Tel 07716 487881 or email amason45@sky.com (Norfolk).

BSH SPORTSTER BOBBER: 1200 motor, one-off ceramic-coated exhausts, one-off Fenland Choppers frame, RevTec billet wheels, 2-inch over forks, PM calipers/controls, custom headlight/’bars, motogadget switchgear/speedo, one-off sidemount, Sportster tank, digital speedo £14,995 ono. Tel 07917 670165 or email m.lukeltd@gmail.com (Wilts).

HUC BANDIT CHOP: New build, all parts from 2005 650K5 Bandit, 12 months’ MoT, like new £2,995 ono.

Tel 07474 884538 (Devon).

BMW1100RS TRIKE: built by Oz (ex-Desperate Dan’s), all major work done, just needs brakes finishing/ oil cooler mounting/fuel pump re-located to finish, taking up too much space £4,800 ono. Tel 07949 275781.

TRIUMPH BOBBER: 1200cc, 2017, 1005 miles, immaculate condition, full MoT, 2 keys, original handbook £7,500 ono. Tel. 07428 136509 (Leics).

TRIBSA: same owner for 26 years. BSA Rocket frame, T140 Triumph engine, always garaged, only out on sunny days, way too much to list £7,200 ono.

Tel 07976 274896 (London).

MOTO GUZZI BOBBER: 1993 California 3, 29k km, MoT Oct, box of new spares, Hentik ignition system, new whitewalls included, new tyres, bargain at £2,500 ono. Tel 07964 402154 (Lancs)

H-D SPORTSTER TRIKE: 883 Sporty, 6k miles, fantastic condition, new build by TrikesbyJPDesign £10,950 ono. Tel 07769 344624 or email pka666@gmail.com

ULTRA GROUNDPOUNDER: 1996, S&S Superstock 1600cc engine, Super E carb, professional build, hardtail, Pageant paint job, nice condition all round, stonking ride, MoT £7,500 ono. Emailjohnburton2009@ hotmail.co.uk (Suffolk)

HONDA CB 750 CAFÉ RACER: SOHC, 1973, F1 engine, finished to very high standard, alloy tank/ seat £5,000 ono. Tel 07703 464762 (Shrops).

JUNE 2021 BICI STBIIT BIBHS 90

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EDITION FORTY EIGHT

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BSH - ITS PART IN MY DOWNFALL … OR HOW I WENT FROM EVERYDAY RIDER TO A LOVE OF THE UNUSUAL (AND THE DEMISE OF MY SUPER DREAM). or those old enough, cast your mind back to the very early days of Back Street Heroes, and by early I mean issue 2 in 1984 – my first experience of the magazine which was to e change my life totally.

I spotted it in our local newsagents, and a quick thumb through of the words n’ pictures inside showed me a whole new world. I’ve purchased almost every issue since I had my first photo in Readers’ Lives (issue 21 – still to this day, the best ever cover), but it wasn’t until 2005 that I had my first article.

Back then I was just your average ride-towork guy with a fondness for rock & roll music, photography, and getting lost. I’d passed my test a few years before on a C70, moved up to a 250RS and, then, in 1984, feeling flush, with a steady job, having just reached 21, I could afford the HP on a ‘big bike’ – in this case a CB 400N Super Dream. It had a huge white Rickman fairing, and panniers, and over the summer I toured England and Wales on it in pukka riding gear – cowboy boots, heavy jeans, and a leather jacket bought from a local market. If it rained (and it did… a lot) I had a yellow Millets ‘waterproof’ jacket, but still I got soaked. Maps and sunglasses were lost on the motorway as my girlfriend tried to read while riding, and we stayed in youth hostels, and were stopped regularly by k police due to a stolen tax disc. It’s stil one of my fondest memories of touring.

Despite the bike’s diminutive size, it also holds the claim to my fastest ride from Surrey to Lincoln at under three hours (and this was pre-M25 too).

The following spring I crashed in style on my first trip to Europe, just outside Oostende. Once off the ferry, in a serious storm, I was immediately blown sideways by the wind. “Mmmm,” I thought, “this’ll be a fun journey,” but headed out into deepest

F

96

JUNE 2021

Belgium. Hardly out of Ostend, the wind really picked up again, and a mega gust caught the side of my bike, ripped the tank bag off, and sent me on a brief scenic tour of the E5 and, eventually, the central reservation. It’d be something of an understatement to say I hurt – the gravel seemed to have shaved several layers of skin from my knees, and all I could see was blood as I’d bashed my nose and got a nosebleed as I tumbled down the road.

As I tentatively lifted the visor and tried to ascertain nowt was broken, I saw a blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty who uttered the immortal words: “I’m a nurse, please don’t move.” Then I saw a policeman unclip his gun as he walked towards me...

Unceremoniously I was bundled into a VW Caravanette ambulance, and taken to Ostend hospital where I fought for them not to cut off my boots, and had several X-rays, two tetanus jabs, and a plaster-cast for a scaphoid bone break fitted.

I don’t recall how, but I was taken to the garage where my bike was (owned by a guy who also restored old Citroens), and had dinner with them (strangely I do recall this – we had spag boll!), with their ten-year-old daughter translating for them.

I spent the rest of the week hobbling around with my uncle and aunt, who I’d come to visit, and enjoying the hospitality of the British Forces bars, while trying to arrange to get the bike home (oh how I cursed not taking out the extra £15 insurance at the time… I’ll never go abroad without it now). A week later I returned to collect the bike, and pushed it on to the boat (with an arm in plaster). Back in the UK, Customs searched its every nook and cranny (even the pannier where the can of Tyre-Weld’d exploded), and then we had to unbolt large sections of it to get it into the van my brother’d borrowed. I still have the unpaid bill for 2,055 Belgium Francs for the ambulance at home...

il9

(actually, it’s not THAT old…)

AS WE HEAD TOWARD THE FAINT GLIMMER OF LIGHT AT THE END OF THE CORONACOASTER TUNNEL, THE THOUGHTS OF MANY BIKERS’LL TURN TO THE PROSPECTS OF ONCE AGAIN RIDING THROUGH MILE AFTER MILE OF SUNBAKED SCENERY.

HERE COMES THE SUN •.• enerally speaking, this means travelling abroad because, while Britain has some of the world’s most beautiful scenery to offer, it’s rarely ‘sun-baked’ long enough to get you through much of it before you have to stop to dig out your waterproofs!

I’ve been asked by a number of people recently, how do they stand for medical cover while travelling in Europe, now that the UK’s no longer a member of the European Union?

Fortunately, the UK and the EU’ve reached a formal agreement on health care, so existing UK-issued European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs) are still valid in the EU. If your EHIC’s expired, or you’ve never had one, you should apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), which is an updated version of the same thing that covers more countries. Be warned though – if you go looking online for how to apply for a GHIC, you’ll undoubtedly come across some sites that seem legitimate but they’ll charge you for making the application. Do not use any of these sites! All they do is charge you for taking you to an application that’s actually free. If you’re not too savvy with the vagaries of internet searching, here’s a link to help you: www.ghic. org.uk/Internet/startApplication. do This’ll take you to the official government website to apply for your FREE UK GHIC – don’t be conned into

G

paying for something you’re entitled to have for free!

The GHIC (or EHIC) entitles you to free, or greatly reduced cost, healthcare where treatment becomes medically necessary while you’re visiting the EU. Be aware however, though the GHIC (or EHIC)’ll cover the cost of emergency treatment if you fall ill or get injured in the EU, it doesn’t cover you for medical repatriation so you could have a long stay in a hospital abroad until you’re fit enough to travel on a standard flight or ferry crossing.

I strongly recommend that, whatever type of holiday you’re planning, you take out a comprehensive travel insurance package rather than rely solely on the GHIC. A good travel insurance policy should cover you for medical repatriation back to a UK hospital (once your condition’s been stabilised) by medical flight, and it should also cover you for the replacement of any costs you incur for medical issues, as well as against the loss or theft of cash, passports, cameras, etc. It’s always worth having and, if you shop around, it’s usually surprisingly cheap.

Some people might think that they’ll not qualify for travel insurance because they suffer from pre-existing medical problems, but this is rarely the case. In 2019 I was looking at travel insurance for my wife, Mandy, and myself, and the first couple of policies I looked at wouldn’t cover me for medical issues arising from any of my pre-existing health conditions.

However, after a quick search on www. moneysavingexpert.com (a most excellent consumer protection site) I found all the information I needed, and we took out a 12-month policy with LV that covered us anywhere in the world for about £90.

Back in those wonderful halcyon days when we used to run the BSH ‘Run to the Sun’, we had a case one year where one of the guys travelling with us fell very gravely ill while at Faro but, thankfully, he was covered by his EHIC, and the medical staff at Faro Hospital saved his life. Sadly, he hadn’t bothered to take out any travel insurance so he was there for more than three months and, as I understand it, members of his family went out to visit him there several times at undoubtedly great expense. If he’d invested just £25 on travel insurance for the trip, he would’ve been flown back to the UK on a medi-flight, and been in a hospital near his home withing two weeks of falling ill.

If you don’t have any serious preexisting conditions, and you can’t be bothered shopping around, the Post Office offer very good travel insurance at a reasonable cost.

Another piece of advice I can offer from experience is don’t rely on satnav systems if you’re contemplating a motorcycling holiday anywhere! While the technology’s pretty amazing, and you may’ve never been let down by it before, it only takes one signal blackspot to really ruin your day! And that is not the only issue – misspelling your destination can leave you totally lost, and postcodes in some European countries can also leave a lot to be desired. (Particularly in rural France, and on Portuguese mountains, in my experience!) Do yourself a big favour when planning your trip – download, then print off a decent-sized local map for each day of your trip, and use a highlighter pen to mark each day’s proposed route. You can bolster this by also using one of the route-planner sites on the internet to download and print off a step-by-step written route. Just remember to put the maps and directions in a waterproof folder, and don’t bury them at the bottom of your luggage!

Also, if you’re going to be travelling with a group of friends, make sure they each have copies just in case you get split up, or so you can share them if one of the group leaves their copies on the kitchen table as they leave home (as a friend of ours did when a group of us went on a touring trip across Spain and France).

A little bit of pre-planning can be worth its weight in gold on a touring holiday!

RICK HULSE 98

BHI STBIIT IHHS JUNE 2021

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Dedicated to Customer Satisfaction We love custom motorcycles, and the fact that we are lucky enough to be able to own them, ride them and be part of the amazing camaraderie that surrounds them is what gets us up in the morning (very early as well, if a ride is in the offering)!

We're NOT custom Bike 'snobs; we don't care if you ride a 125 Virago, a Harley-Davidson factory custom or a hand built £40,000 custom chop.

It's the fact you ride, not WHAT you ride.

We're NOT a bog standard type of Motorcycle Apparel and Part retailer, so if you're looking for piles of run of the mill boring gear that fills those guys warehouse and shop shelves, same old same, old year in year out, then we're NOT for you.

Here at Fat Skeleton you don't have to wade through pages of gear you won't be interested in. So if you're looking for one piece racing leathers, knee sliders, a Mato GP riders latest helmet or knee sliders, then I'm sorry you WON'T find them here!

Instead you'll find custom gear you'll love which we've sourced from the USA and Europe, as well as some great own brand Fat Skeleton ranges of exclusive clothing and rider eyewear.

ENJOY THE RIDE ALL OF OUR COLLECTIONS ARE PICKED WITH THE RIDER IN MIND. WE PERSONALLY TRY MOST OF THE GEAR TO MAKE SURE IT MEETS OUR HIGH STANDARDS OF QUALITY & DESIGN SO YOU CAN GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR RIDING EXPERIENCE

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ORDER THE ZODIAC BIKERS BOOK at your Zodiac dealer or at www.zodiac.nl/ordernow for only£ 9.00 excluding postage.

Available in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.

For 2018 t~ pr ese~t Milwaukee Eight Softail, but can be custom titled to most other models

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RE WITH THE JUNE ISSUE OF BSH

JUNE 2021

NOT FOR RESALE

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TRIKE AND BIKE REPAIRS

WWW.RHINO-TRIKES.CO.UK RHINO TRIKES, UNIT 3C WESTFORD TRADING ESTATE, RIVERSIDE, CHARD JUNCTION TA20 4QT

01460 221110

WORDS & PICS: NIK

IT’S BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS SINCE WE LAST DID A HARLEY SUPPLEMENT, BUT IF YOU CAST YOUR MIND BACK TO THE LAST ONE, IN ISSUE 420, YOU MIGHT REMEMBER KNOCKER’S IRONHEAD SPORTY?

JUNE 2021

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ike the CB750 of his we featured a few issues back, it wasn’t a conventional chop with its lack of chrome, its patina/cartoony paint, and its general air of studied shabbiness, but it, and the attitude that created it, was undoubtably cool.

After building the Honda, Knocker decided he wouldn’t build another bike for a while but, it appears, the bike gods had other ideas. He got a phone call from a mate who said that he needed some cash, and wanted to know if Knock’d be interested in buying his Shovelhead? He (Knocker) said “Yes” straight away, with nary a thought, and went round to see him. The bike, a 1980 vintage Dyna, was stripped right down, all in boxes and in bits, all over the guy’s garage, so they gathered it all up, and Knocker paid the man.

Back in his garage of dreams (his word, not mine), he laid it all out and then, taking a rummage through the myriad parts he’d collected at autojumbles and car boots, he formulated a plan of what was going to happen, and what the bike was going to look like. It was going to be a chop, obviously, and one that was as individual as Knock himself, so kind o’ along the same lines as the Ironhead, but this time a tall n’ skinny one, rather than a little n’ low ’un like the Sporty. Serendipitously, a wee while later he was talking to his mate Spike about the bike, and he said he had the perfect tank for it – a chopped-about Sportster with a cut-out to hold a beer can and another for a fag (that’s ‘cigarette’ to our Stateside friends) packet too. Knock liked the sound of it and, once he saw it, had to have it for this bike, but he’s since given up smoking and drinking so these days they’re now only for show.

For a frame he got his good friend String at Raw Steel Choppers to create a new goose-necked, rigid (natch) trellis to take the motor, and all the other bits he’d gathered (the one-

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piece oil tank/battery box, the rear mudguard, and the 14-inch over springers, for a start), and while waiting he cracked the engine open to find someone’d already put a 1440cc (88 cube) stroker kit into it (a nice find), but the barrels n’ pistons were Donalded. Oh well, you win some, you lose some. A lot of money later the engine was all rebuilt, with a Super E carb with a one-off, hand-made air-filter, a two-inch open belt primary, a set of partially wrapped slash-cut ’pipes, and a few choice dressup parts to make it look the shit (not shit – the shit).

ENGINE: 1980 H-D Shovelhead The next few months were 1440cc (88 cubic inch) spent putting in the 21” ministroker engine (stroker cam, S&S Super E carb, one-off drum front wheel, the Invader air-filter, open two-inch belt rear wheel, the one-off seat primary, partly-wrapped (made by his mate Alex), and slash-cut exhausts), one-off hardtail frame (three-inch adding the finishing touches like stretch/cast axle plates), the sissy-bar with removable Avon Speedmaster tyres bayonet; the raised 73 logo (21” front, 16” rear), mini drum/hub front wheel, 14on the rear muddie (it relates inch over springers, one-off to a hot rod/gentleman’s club ‘bars by Captain Kuk, old that he used to be in); the lowCork grips, old custom tank with beer can/fag packet slung autojumble headlight; holder, one-off sprung seat the ‘f**king pegs’ forwards; the

by Alex, one-piece oil tank/ suck-squeeze-bang-blow tailbattery box, autojumble rear ‘guard, custom sissy-bar light; the basic paint with its with removable bayonet, pins-stripes, flames, and skulls; 16-inch Invader rear wheel/ brake, very basic fabricand more. covered loom, autojumble The finished bike is, he says, headlight/tail light a cool old tool that looks the FINISH: part, and I won’t disagree with Paint by owner with rattle cans, powder-coated frame him there. As with just about

by EA Coatings (01255 everything I’ve written up of 520008), no polishing! late, Covid’s meant that he hasn’t ENGINEERING: racked up as many miles on it Frame by Raw Steel Choppers (01371 870907 or as he’d’ve liked, but he’s looking www.rawsteelchoppers. forward to showing it off to the co.uk), bike built by owner lads in the Chopper Club (he’s THANKS TO: recently started with NCC Essex “Tom Kelly for wiring; George for being George; as a hang-around) Lara for putting up with when all this crap’s me; & Chris & all the lads at over. Aren’t we all, NCC Essex…”

Knock, aren’t we all?

is

Ill WORDS & PICS: NIK

<PUTS NERD HAT ON> DID YEW NOE… THE PHRASE ‘HONEST INJUN’, MEANING SOMETHING'S COMPLETELY TRUE, ORIGINALLY MEANT THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE?

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ost famously used in the Tom Sawyer books by Mark Twain, it initially meant, it’s believed, that Indians, Red Indians as they were known then, Native Americans as they’re called now, weren’t to be trusted

by US settlers as they’d lie, steal, and generally were underhand and deceitful – something not entirely surprising given the way they were, and still are, treated by said settlers.

It’d also be a good name for the bike you see here. You see, although Chris and Dave at P&D Custom Bikes’ve named their one-off Buell flat-tracker ENGINE: ‘Troublemaker’, the fact that they Buell Cyclone engine (XRcame up with the idea for it after style EMD heads/covers, Performance Machine airseeing leaked pics of the Indian cleaner, one-off exhaust), FTR prototype (this was a couple one-off frame/foot-rest o’ three years back) means that hangers, motocross ‘pegs, Revtech wheels (19” front, ‘Honest Injun’, or ‘(dis)Honest 18” rear), aftermarket Injun’, would suit it too, wouldn’t discs, Suzuki Hayabusa front caliper/forks/front it? It is, after all, a flat-tracker mudguard (modified), based on the Indian flat-tracker Goodridge brake lines, that uses a one-off frame, a Harley one-off yokes/’bars, Zodiac hand controls, GPS (well, Buell…) motor, and nothing speedo, one-off headlight from an Indian whatsoever. surround/fuel tank/ seat/oil tank/tail-piece/ It was built as a shop project under-tray, YSS shock, (they do one every year, y’see) one-off swingarm, Brembo after they’d picked up an engine rear caliper, K-Tech rear master-cylinder, one-off from a Buell Cyclone (with only loom by Mark Peckham, five thousand miles from new aftermarket headlight/tail light, Kellermann microon it!). They put it in an engine indicators, Antigravity jig and, as you do, stared at it for battery a day or two before seeing the FINISH: aforementioned leaked pics. It still Paint by Stig’s Custom

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Paint (07595 319476 or Facebook), frame/exhaust ceramic-coated by Hi-spec Coatings (020 3002 0067 or www.hi-speccoatings. co.uk) ENGINEERING: P&D Custom Bikes (01403 791038 or Facebook)

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took two years to build after that, though, after a lot of falling in and out of love with it…

They started by, as you’d imagine, constructing a frame around the motor – a twin down-tube one-off that runs slightly less rake than standard (28 degrees, rather than 24.5). At the front they attached a set of Suzuki USDs (from a Hayabusa) in billet yokes, wi’ a nineteen Revtech multi-spoke mag wheel, and one o’ their discs too, and a stupidly powerful ’Busa six-pot caliper too, and at the rear a one-off swingarm with more than a nod to the Forth Bridge in its design, another Revtech wheel (this time an eighteen-incher) and disc, this time with a Brembo caliper on a one-off mount. The shock wot makes it go boing in a controllable manner is a YSS. As the frame’s a one-off, none of the original Bool bodywork’d fit (and’d probably look bloody odd if it did), so they made the tank, the seat, the tail-piece (and undertray), the oil tank, and the battery/electrics box (with its setfire-to-a-bucket-of-piss Antigravity battery), and modified a Hayabusa front mudguard to be suitably minimal. Mark Peckham wired the bike suitably (i.e. without the forest of wires modern bikes have), hooking up the alien eyesque headlight once it’d been set in its wee surround, the small rectangular tail-light, and the miniscule, but uber-bright, Kellermann micro-indicators that really do their job, but look almost completely unobtrusive on the eye.

Finishing the bike off, the frame and the one-off high-level pipes were ceramic-coated by Hi-Spec Coatings just across the way from their Lyons Road workshop, and the bodywork that needed to be painted was despatched to the renowned Stig at Stig’s Custom Paint to have its gunmetal grey n’ scarlet, with suitable logos, livery. As is usual, he made a stonking job of it – so much so that I spent half the damn shoot trying to position myself so that my ugly mug wasn’t reflected in it for the photos.

By the time you read this, the Buell should’ve gone to live with a new owner (they’d taken a deposit on it, and were just waiting for final arrangements), and Chris and Dave’ve started on a few new projects that you will, no doubt, see in the mag very soon. Keep an eye out for the XS650 flat-tracker we have to show you next issue!

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BullT liJ 1£1£ AS YOU CAN SEE AT THE TOP OF THIS ARTICLE, THIS BIKE FALLS INTO THE ‘SHED BUILT’ CATEGORY… WELL, KIND O’. Y’SEE, DUSTY, THE OWNER AND BUILDER, HAS THREE SHEDS (IF YOU CAN CALL THEM SHEDS) AT THE BACK OF HIS HOUSE – ONE’S A BAR/DEN, ONE’S A COVERED OUTSIDE WORKING AREA, AND THE THIRD’S A STATE-OF-THE-ART WORKSHOP WITH MACHINING AND WELDING FACILITIES, BUT THEY ARE, TECHNICALLY, SHEDS AS THEY’RE AT THE BACK OF HIS HOUSE… WORDS & PICS: NIK

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runs a small, but respected, part-time business from them on the days when he’s not off doing his real job, and has built some of the trickest bikes you’ll see anywhere from them. He’s probably most known in his native Scotland for building seriously fugg-off streetfighters with monster wheels, but also has a soft spot for Harleys too, again with big wheels. In fact, you may’ve seen his flame bike last year as it won the ‘Best Engineering’ class of the 2020 BSH Custom Champs, and was featured in the magazine back in the January issue last year. (I say ‘January’ but it actually came out in December 2020, hence ‘last year’… no, I have no idea why magazines have the wrong month on their covers either.)

He built this bike, the ‘stone’ bike as it’s affectionately called, nearly two years ago but, because of the long Scottish winters, and then bloody Covid, hasn’t really had much chance to ride it – as he says: “Round the block doesn’t really count!”

The heart of the beast is a 1450 Twin Cam motor, prised from a’twixt the rails of a bagger, that’s been gifted a much better Mikuni HSR45 car, a Roland Sands air-cleaner, and a BDL clutch and three-inch open belt primary. The gearbox is the stock item, converted to be right-side drive, and he made the front and rear pulleys for the rear drive belt, machining

HE

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the rear to match the fat (10.5”!) wheel (which he also machined himself, but we’ll come to that in a moment). The frame it sits in is of his own manufacture too, and carries a hint of his love of streetfighters – made from 1.5” seamless tube, it’s minimal in the extreme, and features his own particular style of bracing where the brace, rather than being hidden away, is an integral, and very visual, part of the design.

The lightening holes in them (where’s he’s drilled them to be lighter, and easier on the eye than just a big blank plate, rather than where they’ve been struck by lighting…) are mirrored by those in the battery box and, again, just break up what would otherwise be a nondescript steel box.

Attached at the front are a set of USD (upside-down) forks from Kawasaki’s answer to the Suzuki Hayabusa, the ZX-12R (incidentally, did you know that our own Dave Manning once raced the Eurostar back from Paris on a Twelve, and beat it by, at the least, five minutes, and at the most, twenty?) with one-off shrouds made to cover and smooth them, held in a set of monster yokes made by Dusty himself. They needed to be fairly sizeable as he was planning to run a six-inch (wide) front wheel, with a 190 tyre, and the stock ZX ones aren’t anywhere near wide enough for that. The wheel itself, as I mentioned earlier, as with the rear ’un, was machined by him from a blank, and has been fitted with a set of wavy front discs, and ZX-12 radial calipers, so it has some real stopping power (the rear caliper’s another radial 12 affair too, by the way). He also made the very clean ’bars, with their internal brake and clutch lines and throttle, and machined a slot into the yokes to unobtrusively take a Motogadget speedo too.

Moving back, he made the wee belly-pan at the front of the motor, and the tank (and filler cap) and seat base (professionally covered by Blazin’ Saddles in Glasgow – an eight-hour round ENGINE: trip to collect from his native H-D 1450 Twin Cam engine (Mikuni HSR 45 carb, RSD Aberdeenshire, he says!), and air-cleaner, BDL clutch/3” then made the (not quite as) open belt primary, modified long trip down to just north of gearbox with right-side drive kit, one-off exhausts), Edinburgh to get his good friend one-off 1.5” seamless steel Gus at Muddy Beach Customs, rigid frame, GMA forwards, 190x18” front tyre, one-off his preferred painter of choice, 18” wheels (6” front, 10.5” to work his magic with the stone rear), aftermarket wavy effect paintwork. Gus, as usual, discs, Kawasaki ZX-12R calipers/forks, one-off made such a good job of it that, fork shrouds/yokes with Dusty says, he’s lost track of the inset Motogadget speedo, number of people who’ve told him braided stainless brake lines, 1.5” seamless ‘bars with his frame’s cracked or asked if the internal brake lines/throttle, bike’s really made out of stone…

PM master-cylinders, oneHe also says he thinks he’s off belly-pan/fuel tank/filler cap/seat (covered by Blazin’ happy with it as it is, and has Saddles)/battery box, eBay no changes in mind for it… yet, side-mount ‘plate/rear light, although he reckons that could one-off machined drive pulleys, 300x18” Avon Cobra always change. He’d also be up Chrome tyre, one-off loom, for selling it if the right offer Highway Hawk headlight came along; give him a bell on FINISH: Grey stone effect & logos the number in the spec panel if

by Gus at Muddy Beach you can see it gracing your life.

Customs, powder-coating Other than that, his plans for

by Rimtech (01463 233440 or www.rimtech.co.uk) it are, kind o’ obviously, to ride ENGINEERING: it… oh, and to keep drinking Owner at Dusty’s Customs lager as a means of design too (07871 158307 or Facebook) – he needs to drink lager, he THANKS TO: reckons, because it gives him “Gus at Muddy Beach Customs (07854 764649 or ideas, and also because he uses www.muddybeachcustoms. the cardboard from the boxes com); & Stuart at Blazin’ for templates – it’s Saddles (07800 650145 or www.blazin-saddles.com)...” good cardboard!

Multi function Plug n Play Gauges for Harley Davidson

Fits XL-883 & XL-1200 2004-2019 &Dyna 2004-2011

Please check our website for further information www.digital-speedos.co.uk For more information call

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BullT lfJ 1£1£

WORDS: MICHAEL PITCAIRN PICS: NIK

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I’D BEEN LOOKING THROUGH OLD BIKE MAGAZINES AND, HAVING SEEN SOME VERY COOL BIKES, WAS INSPIRED TO BUILD ANOTHER CUSTOM FOR MYSELF – I HAD AN OLD EVOLUTION SPRINGER, BUT FANCIED SOMETHING A BIT MORE CUSTOM…

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liked the low, wide look, with standard length forks, and a raked headstock, and I wanted to get started, but didn’t have anything – no engine, no gearbox, no forks, no wheels, nothing. The first thing I was going to do was build a frame – a frame with rear suspension. My last build, you see, was a hardtail and, in my opinion, there’s nothing better looking so my heart was shouting hardtail but, at the same time, my head was shouting softtail because… well, none of us’re getting any younger, are we?

I have a small Colchester Student lathe in my garage at the back of my house, and I made up a headstock, with stainless steel cups, to house standard Harley bearings, and picked up a set of SRAD Suzuki upside-downies and six-pot calipers, and these gave me the dimensions to work out the frame’s rake angle, and what size the slab yoke holes were going to need to be. I reclaimed two aluminium machine packers from an old paper mill (where I served my apprenticeship), and machined them into a set of slabs, and hand-filed the radius on the front.

I bought two lengths of seamless, heavy-walled pipe for the frame and swingarm, but what I needed now was a level platform to work off – something to hold everything square while I bent up the frame. I made a lightweight adjustable jig, and modelled the frame on it using an Evo’ engine and gearbox, replicating the dimensions of a standard H-D motor and ’box as I ENGINE: hadn’t sourced either yet.

H-D 1450 Twin Cam (aftermarket The wheels I got from America air-filter, right-side– 3/8” diameter straight-laved drive Roadmax spokers, 21” front and 18x12 rear. gearbox, 3” BDL primary, one-off Finally I picked up a motor from an wrapped 2” stainless accident-damaged bike – an 88 cube exhausts), one-off soft tail frame, 21” Twin Cam, and then a right-side front wheel, onedrive Roadmax gearbox. Things were off floating front starting to come together. My mate disc, Suzuki GSX-R 750 SRAD front Moose’d been knocked off his bike, caliper/USD forks damaging his 3.5 gallon fatbob tanks, (uprated springs), and I got them off him and cut them one-off fork covers/ slab yokes/’bars, away underneath as I was looking for Motogadget the low profile look. I bashed out the speedo, modified dents, made a set of pop-up caps, and 3.5 gallon fatbob tanks with one-off moved the fuel tap and brackets. The caps, aftermarket front brake’s a homemade stainless seat/rear mudguard, steel floating rotor with SRAD caliper, 18”x12” rear wheel, modified rear pulley/ and I mounted two 3mm discs to the brake, one-off rear pulley and machined through, side-mount, one-off then spaced out the other SRAD loom, aftermarket headlight, Morris caliper to fit over the 1&1/8” Sportster Minor tail light pulley with inboard anchor.

FINISH: The handlebars were made up of Paint by Gus at Muddy Beach 1.5” tee pieces and bends, TiG-welded Customs (07854 and polished, and the twist-grip and 764649 or www. indicator switch are also homemade, muddybeach customs.com), and the Motogadget indicators’re polishing by owner hidden in the ends of the ’bars. I ENGINEERING: got a basic wiring diagram from my Owner mate Jackdaw, bought the original THANKS TO: Harley pins, plugs and grommets, and ‘Gus; Moose; Jackdaw; & everyone made up my own harness, feeding it who helped…’ through the frame and ’bars to give a clean look.

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For the exhaust I wanted something completely different from the Harley look. The oil-filter’s fitted in the BDL open primary, and that gave me room to route the front pipe through the frame where the standard filter’d sit, allowing a ’pipe either side. I used 2” diameter stainless tube cut into short 10-degree sections to form the angles – there’re 57 welds between both pipes! The welds were then purged with argon, which gives a raised smooth weld on the inside of the pipe that acts like a baffle (loud, but not too loud), and then dressed and polished on the outsides. The forward controls I got from eBay, and’re one of the few things I didn’t make.

The bike was now pretty much complete, and needed a paint job to set if off, but I didn’t know what I wanted exactly or who to speak to. Sometimes good things just happen though.

I was on holiday, looking through BSH, and saw an ad for Muddy Beach Customs, only 30 minutes’ drive from home.

Small world or what? Back home, I contacted Gus and we arranged to meet up. When Gus saw the bike he was more excited than I was, and I gave him a few ideas and a free rein – “Do what you think will look good.” A few weeks later he rang and said: “Come over, see what you think… I can change it if you don’t like it.” When I saw it, I almost shat myself – I was blown away! It was better than I could’ve ever imagined.

A while later he asked me if I’d enter the bike into the Scottish Bike Show – that gave me a deadline, I had a few weeks to finish the rebuild. After a lot of work, late nights, and swearing, the bike was ready, and I went out to celebrate.

To say I got rat-arsed is an understatement – I had a wee stagger on the way home, with my hands in my pockets, and missed the kerb, face plant. I looked like one of the zombies on the bike… We got the bike in the show, and I’m not sure if the late Colin Rutherford felt sorry for me, but it got ‘Best in Show’. Since then, it’s won prizes almost everywhere it’s been, including Faro.

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Send pics of your bike, your lady, your bloke (but not your dinner, this isn’t Facebook) to nik@backstreetheroes.com BELOW: That’s very definitely a ‘I’ll humour him’ face, isn’t it?

RIGHT: Ah, long summer evenings at Old Buckenham… not long now (Mark)

RIGHT: Bob’s Sporty, Marilyn – he can no longer ride it (he has a V8 trike too), but he’ll never sell it!

RIGHT: Great pic of the legendary Andy P, of Pacoima Motorcycles and Trip Out fame, on the Knuckle he built for a genuine rock star! (Gibbo)

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LEFT: Ian’s ‘94 Sportster with a Bernie Macey spray job and home-made sissy-bar

BELOW: Simple bobbed Sporty somewhere in Norfolk,

by Mark

RIGHT: Michael, his bike, and his alarm system – Rogan the Rottweiler!

1000cc Ironhead fat-on-fat by Colly Burns from N. Ireland

Rather lovely Shovel you can see in BSH soon, pic by Gaz

ABOVE: Tate on his 2013 FLHTK anniversary bagger on the 2017 Wirral egg run

BELOW: Keith and Helen’s his-and-her’s daily rides – class!

RIGHT: Marco’s 11-year-old Softail Custom, posing with a slightly older war hero… he’s had it from new, and made a few changes over the years, and it still comes up like new! (The bike that is, obviously)

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RIGHT: Amazing paint on this Zero Sportster! (D. Divall)

ABOVE Seriously glitzy Shovel, pass me me sunglasses!

BELOW: Patsy’s bike gives everyone serious carb envy!

RIGHT: Hard-riding threespoke NCC bikes at the Suffolk Chopper Club show

LEFT: Great old pic of a Sportster sidecar outfit – check out that kid’s mullet!

(Mark) ABOVE LEFT: Sportster wot we have lost the details of – if it’s yours drop us a line?

ABOVE RIGHT: Ace pic of a guy aboard a bobbed Sporty on the way to High Beech by Rich Guest RIGHT: Paul’s lockdown custom ‘La Cucaracha’, styled by him, and put together

by Hank and Paul at Trike Design JUNE 2021 I.ICI STIIIT

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ABOVE: Sunshine, chops and rallies – the recipe for a perfect weekend!

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BELOW: That’s what I look like first thing of a rally morning too…

Hf\RL..E'IS JUNE 2021

RIGHT: Very, very trick Norton-framed café racer! (D. Divall)

ABOVE: Dom’s 45 bobber, old’s cool!

RIGHT: Nick’s Evo Sporty bobber/chop with the Dorset coastline in the background

Smart Evo trike, don’t you think?

ABOVE LEFT, ABOVE RIGHT, LEFT AND ABOVE: Great old pics of Kent Show Harleys back in the day by Jack

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