Currently digging these...

The old Ducati Scramblers are rad! Loads of potential for a very cool build... If anyone know of a one tucked away in boxes in a basement somewhere let me know.

The Swamp Donkey

I came across this '51 6T motor via the Interweb a couple of years ago. The motor was in South Africa of all places - luckily, I have some 'Connections' and soon enough, the Swamp Donkey was mine. The story was that the motor was used as a swamp buggy engine for a number of years until it was retired to the rafters of a warehouse, and eventually 'rescued' by the gentleman that I bought it from.

I decided it was time to dig into it. Dean from Anvil Machine very kindly offered to walk me through the process of re-building this motor properly. Ill keep this updated with some progress reports.

Heres a couple pics of the dirty beast coming apart.

Pre Tear-Down...

Weird old spark plugs - Made in S. Africa... Crazy!

Broken fins...

Tear Down Begins....

Anyone got a 'spare' set of jugs?

Oil Pump Still seems to do its job, but I dont trust it - Luckily I have one waiting to replace this...

Weird attachment - for said Swamp Buggy perhaps...

Yup...

Riding the Rails

Vegabond, Tramp, Hobos, Wanderers - Heres a definition I kind of like... Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not work at all, 'hobos' are workers who wander.

This is an awesome documentary about The hobos of the Great Depression. Interviews with people who have lived incredible lives, and have REAL stories to tell.

Take the time to check it out here... RIDING THE RAILS

Rare Cyclone Stolen During Home Invasion

Some parts might roll your way... Keep an eye out...

Monday, February 06, 2012

STOLEN CYCLONE, RACING HONDA

This via British Only Motorcycles & Parts Inc

And Biker Hotline

A 1914 Cyclone, was stolen from the Bel Air home of a collector. A Cyclone currently holds the #1 spot on the global 'Top 20' of auction sales, and is a highly visible emblem of antique motorcycle value.

Feb 5, 2012:
"BEL AIR, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Police are searching for a pair of thieves who broke into a Bel Air home in the middle of the night, tied up the home owner and made off with two valuable motorcycles. That home invasion robbery took place about 4:30 a.m. in the 900 block of Linda Flora Drive. Police said the suspects kicked in the front door and tied up the man, a longtime collector of vintage cars and motorcycles. The man's wife was able to get away and went to a neighbor's house to call police. Police said the suspects knew exactly what they were after. They went straight for the two vintage motorcycles valued at more than $1.5 million. One of the motorcycles was a rare 1914 yellow Cyclone. The other was a 1952 gray and red Kawasaki. [Ed note; the TV spot shows a Honda CR93 factory production racer/roadster - which is correct?] The wife said the thieves loaded the motorcycles onto a white van, possibly a rental. "It's a quiet, residential neighborhood, but we don't think it was a random break-in," said neighbor Charles Lesser. "It looks as if whoever did it knew exactly what they were looking for and took it and left".

Home Sweet Home

Some Day...

Image stolen from the always awesome FSK

Engraved Triumph Racer on Ebay...

Would love to see this thing GO!

Heres what the posting says!

1974 Triumph FUEL RACER TRUIMPH TRIUMPH-C/FUEL DRAG BIKE-CLASSIC-VINTAGE-ANTIQUE

OWN A PIECE OF HISTORY!!..THE VERY LAST TRIUMPH C/FUEL BIKE THAT LEGENDERY RACER-BUILDER SONNY ROUTT BUILT.. NINE SECOND BIKE.!! FEATURES... CUSTOM DOUBLE TUBE 4130 CHROME MOLLY FRAME WITH 72" WHEELBASE. KOSMAN WHEELS AND BRAKES,CERRIANI FRONT END.55cu PRE-UNIT MOTOR with ROUTT,S BULLIT PROFF CASES. 1 PIECE 4130 MODLOX STROKER CRANK,CARRILLO RODS,FORGED ROUTT PISTONS,4130 ROUTT CHROME MOLLY CYLINDER,77 GRIND CAM14 BOLT SUPER FLOW HEAD,HILBORN MECH FUELL INJECTION.. CUSTOM GEARED REMOTEOIL PUMP. THREE INCH PRIMARY BELTDRIVE. REMOTE STARTER, LENCO TWO SPEED TRANSMISSION,WITH AIR SHIFTER. SLIPPER CLUTCH.. VERY OLD SCHOOL..CHECK PICTURES OUT!! ASK YOUR EXPERTS QUESTIONS? DRAG BIKES DON'T HAVE TITLES.BIKE HAS BEEN SITTING IN LIVING ROOM FOR TWENTY YEARS? A TRUE MUSEUM PIECE ..

Long Live Rock!

Note the License Plate Frame...

ANVIL MACHINE

Anvil Machine is the name of a shop / blog / library of good shit run by our good friend Dean AKA 'Mother' AKA 'The Doc'

The reason we call him the Doc is because the man can fix ANYTHING on 2 wheels. He has a massive amount of knowledge about almost anything bike related - be it American, British / European or Japanese.

1st Day I met Dean I was relatively new to the motorcycle world. I was stuck on the side of the road, and he stopped his (completely rebuilt) BSA to give me a hand. He had me back on the road in 15 minutes and that, was that - he was off.

No thanks needed. Nothing.

Something he said to me that day has always stuck - He said - If you see a biker stuck on the side of the road - You stop. It doesnt matter what kind of bike it is.

That wasnt the last time he would help get my beloved piece of shit motorcycle home...

Dean is 1 of those people who doesnt say much - when he does choose to speak usually its a really dark / funny analogy for something you all noticed but didnt have the balls to say. Alternatively, its a really valuable nugget of bike / motor / frame knowledge that he has stashed away in the extensive library that is his brain.

Dean - I really value the help you have given me these few years - Cheers Mate.

Check out 'The Docs' blog here. ANVIL MACHINE

Portland

Im not a big fan of Portland.
but Ive heard really good things about this show
If your in the area or want to ride down with us
check it out

Im off to London for a bit will return emails/ ship orders when Im back

Birthday Ride Friday

so it turns out im in town until Sunday when I fly out to London for my birthday

gonna meet up Friday in trannytown ataround 2pm for a ride

be there, dont be gay its been nice and dry

260 raymur ave

oh and fiddles look what popped up on my fagbook newsfeed whos that lurking in the background!? and who is the poor mans me beside you who is losing his mind

Little Peppy's Racing Album

I stumbled across this amazing collection of Race history and got in touch with the owner. Lisa was kind enough to offer up some back-story to her father and grandfathers history in racing here in Vancouver and over the border in neighbouring Seattle / Washington. All of the images here are posted with her permission.

You can see the rest of the collection here: Little Peppy's Racing Album

In Lisa Peppan's words:

As kids, we bragged about Daddy's racing days, dragging the big heavy album out and backing the words with pictures.

My late father, Jack L. Peppan was known as Peppy. When Grampa was still alive, Daddy went by Little Peppy. Younger than that he was either "Tiny" or "Jackie". He was born in 1928 and died in 1997.

My late grandfather, Donald L. Peppan was known as Peppy right up until folks started calling his his younger son "Peppy", then he went by Big Peppy. He was born in 1895 and died in 1957.

Regardless of whose bike broke at a race, Grampa would repair it if he could. He always brought spare parts; if it was a Sunday race in the states, finding an open parts store was nearly impossible. Grampa and his brother Bill shared a love of motorcycles. Grampa's last bike was a 101 Indian Scout.

The Mud Run track --the one were the Seattle PI published a picture of Daddy pushing out of one of the deeper mudholes-- was owned by Grampa.

Grampa did a little bootlegging in the 1930s which I'm pretty sure was how he met Gramma (one of her brother and an uncle ran illegal alcohol between Vancouver BC and Seattle (Ballard) WA, and was Wallace Berry's body double in the 1933 Tugboat Annie. Oh and he made leather conveyor belts for Weyerhaeuser.

Little Peppy's Racing Album

Little Peppy's Racing Album

Show Class #4 and Calendar available now

get it in the STORE

VCMC + Rich Hope

Tonight!

Wal Phillips Fuel Injectors

The guys over at Williamson Metal Works got their hands on a set of these old Fuel Injectors!

I had never seen / heard of them before and theyre AWESOME! Supposedly they can be 'tuned' but adjusting the butterfly valve... but they are so simple that it seems they would only act as an ON / OFF switch for the gas - All or Nothing! I really dont think that idling was ever an option with these - As always, I stand to be corrected.

Heres some stuff I dug up about them, and about the man who

made them back in the day. Some background info acquired from guskuhn.net...

Walter Hartley Phillips (1908 - 1998), known as Wal, was born in Tottenham, North London. He had a natural ability for things mechanical and by his early teens had put together a motorcycle from junk and spare parts. He wanted to be a race rider and financed his first ambitions by taking part-time jobs.

In 1928 the first dirt track meeting at High Beech saw Wal as one of the 30,000 spectators but he was not very impressed with the sport of speedway compared to the thrills of hammering around the Brooklands circuit. Fortunately for speedway, Wal was to go to another meeting. This was at Stamford Bridge where the American Lloyd 'Sprouts' Elderdemonstrated the technique of 'broadsiding' under floodlight conditions.

As one of the first home-grown riders to see off the Australians, he became a national hero and was part of the team picked for the first test against the Australians at Wimbledon in 1930. In 1932 Wal appeared in the Star Championship final and in 1936 he was to appear in the first World Championships at Wembley.

Wal remained an important figure in the sport for many years and was elected President of the Veteran Speedway Riders Association in 1968.

Wal Phillips is now equally well known as the inventor of a fuel injection system for motorcycle and small automobile engines. The system was intended as a high performance replacement for the Amal carburettors