Hangin' with Paul . . .

Went up and stayed with my buddy Paul over the weekend.  His ride is a sano '49 - and he goes like a streak on that thing.  Got to meet "the snowman" riding his nice, original '42 EL . . . throw in a '48 pan and a guy from Holland - and we had a great time.  Sorry, not more pics - but, you gotta be jumpin' to keep up with these dudes on their old bikes . . . serious !

Guys with a hobby . . .

"Oh, it's just a hobby of ours . . . Hey, can I have another one of those Red Dog beers?"  You think their "hobby" might be gettin' a bit out-o-control ?   I say, Heck NO !  Just right . . .

7th Street Iron . . .

HEAVY Crew members Spencer and Pete have been busy workin' their rides and it shows.  That Triumph is one of the finest I've seen.  Everything in it's place.  Then, when Spencer left - it sounded just right.  That British sound . . . so fuckin' cool.  Pete's waiting for paint from Harpoon . . . and I predict this panhead will be the showstopper of the summer . . . Cool hangin' with you again.

Viking AMCA Show - St. Paul, MN

They had a real nice collection of motorcycles this year . . . featuring Japanese brands.  All types were in attendance - and thank you to all the folks who brought their machines to participate !

One of the best motorcycles . . .

. . .  ever manufactured.  The Ironhead 900 Sportster

A time to Reflect . . .

I dislike blurry photos and double exposures.  I see a lot of it in the blog world.  Then you meet the guy who runs the blog, and his camera cost him like 2 grand . .  . WTF?  Read the manual.  My camera was $100 and you can buy them off ebay for $10 . .  .
(the photo above is just a rainy reflection)  CANON A570IS with scotch tape on it 

Shut Up and eat your salmon . . .

 . . . then we'll try some buffalo or gator . . .

Pontiac in Castalia, Iowa . . . $5800 offer

Cushman . . . What do you think?

Ok, Yes . . . I admit it -  I hang at the local coffee shop.   This guy is always talkin' about his Cushman.  I'm not really into them.  Kinda wimpy.  I finally got to see it.  I guess he could always come out-of-retirement and work at the airport.  Still not really into them.  Maybe be good for swap meets?

Born Too Late To Be Free II . . .

Just kinda slippin' some stuff together to see how this thing is gonna sit . . . Hmmmmmm????  Those bars and risers, I like 'em, but - well, the more I look.  I kinda like it.  Never built anything like this before.  You know what?  I'm havin' a total blast !  Thanks to everyone with all the help for this so far . . .

Stolen from VISE - Japan (a viewpoint)

Mochi (via email), Motoyan (I met in LaCrosse) and Gak (Davenport) are the only Japanese builders I've had contact with from Japan.  The motorcycles (most the HD mark) are transformed by their own innovative ideas (sometimes copied, but who doesn't ?)  Whenever I stumble onto a Japanese site - I'm usually quite interested in all the different things they try and do.  It's hard for me not to polish parts.  Not to repaint.  They just bolt it on.  I just can't make myself do it.  They run it all - and it seems to run well.  Some Americans bitch that our parts are going overseas.  But, they make sacrifices to get the goods.  They go without to get the parts they need.  Much like the American bikers of the 60s and 70s.  Respect is all I can give.

 OBSERVATIONS:

Those tail-lights are too fuckin' cool !

That knuckle-single !

How does he keep those pans from leaking ?

Early Sporty mufflers (no wonder I can't find any)

No 9., 10., 11., and 16

Knucklehead Aluminum Cylinders

So the infamous Paul Holdsworth rides up on this knuckle with all kinds of trick parts on it.  It's only like his 3rd or 4th ride on this thing - and he takes off from Chicago on it.  It runs strong.  He bought this from a real HD enthusiast who cast these cylinders (cast aluminum around steel sleeves) and then stroked this baby !
The tanks are original 3 1/2 gallons - that were custom widened for extra fuel (before the days of 5 gal tanks) This motorcycle was a "runner" back-in-the-day - and still is one.  Paul is pretty sharp.  Look for his articles and insight in Ironworks . . . and many other publications.  Have you been HAD today?

Ariel Square Four "The Smoothest Engine"

A local Ariel enthusiast had a Square Four engine sitting on his work bench.  He would somehow fire the engine and run it - on the bench.  Not strapped down.  It ran so smooth it just sat there.  This motorcycle was an excellent example . . . ahead of their time in innovations.