I'll be back.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Indian Summer
It's been really hot the last few days. We're about a mile or so from the ocean and escaped the summer's heat this year, but not now. It was 109º nearby on Monday. Downtown L.A. set a record at 113º, 6º warmer than some of the local desert cities.
Just a lame excuse to post this.
Just a lame excuse to post this.
Ice White Brutale!
MV Agusta have announced that their Brutale 990R will be available in a brand new colour , ice white, but only 5 will be coming to the UK. The 144bhp (1090RR), the Brutale is one of the most powerful naked streetbikes available!
Ride safe
Jon Booth
Email: webmaster@inter-bike.co.uk
Blog: http://bestmotorstyle2011.blogspot.com//
Swicki: http://motorcycling-swicki.eurekster.com/
Thursday, September 23, 2010
MINI Scooter E Concept's unveiled
The BMW Group extends the MINI brand further today in London by showing a range of concept electric scooters, currently called the MINI Scooter E Concept, with funky retro styling based on the MINI.
BMW say "It’s not just a two-wheeler in MINI Design - this scooter meets the needs of the young urban generation: Spontaneous, flexible, CO2-free mobility. Using a smart phone as the ignition key, the concept integrates infotainment, communication and navigation systems. The MINI Scooter E Concept is powered by an electric motor which can be recharged at any conventional power socket using an on-board charging cable."
Anyway heres a few pic's of the funky scooters.
Ride safe
Jon Booth
Email: webmaster@inter-bike.co.uk
Blog: http://bestmotorstyle2011.blogspot.com//
Swicki: http://motorcycling-swicki.eurekster.com/
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
2010 Benelli Cafe Racer 1130 Pictures
2010 Benelli Cafe Racer 1130 First Ride
2010 Benelli Cafe Racer 1130 Photos
2010 Benelli Cafe Racer 1130 Engine View
2010 Benelli Cafe Racer 1130 Sportbike
2010 Benelli Cafe Racer 1130 PicturesSunday, September 19, 2010
The El Camino Conundrum
El Camino can be a hard show to completely take in. The show opens at 8 a.m. and is basically over by noon. Yes trophies are announced around 2 p.m., but pretty much everybody else has split. Not a lot of time to fit it all in, especially when you get there around 9:00.
You don't really see things if your busy looking through a camera, so sometimes it 's best to put the camera down and just take in the experience.
Here's the drill. If I'm taking pictures, I'm really not checking out the show bikes. If I'm really checking out the bikes, I'm not taking pictures, or looking for parts. If I'm looking at parts, I don't have time for the first two activities. Then throw into the mix, running into friends every 10-15 minutes or talking with someone who is admiring the same bike you happen to be standing by. The day will race by, and later I'll think, what happened?
So here's my (limited) highlights of what happened.
A well restored early Sportster will always dazzle me. This '61 belongs to Glenn Bator. It started with 3 kicks and sounded real sweet. The overcast skies don't bring out the color quite as good as it really looked.
I didn't get a chance to read the board behind this bike.
The owner of this Super-Glide really wanted to sell it. It has a few incorrect items but is still very nice.
This black VL is refreshing.
Lowrider anyone?
It's nice to see old grubby bikes are still surfacing.
This was the first time I saw Keith Ball's Peashooter.
That tank art looks familiar? The fire extinguisher is actually an oil tank.
Original paint Sprint.
Police bikes shouldn't have whitewalls and look so much better without them.
Some probably hate the green. I like it much more than the typical red Injuns.
Can't go wrong with black.
These might be the best tank emblems HD ever offered.
Didn't see many vintage chops this year.
This sums up how this year went. I didn't take many photos, didn't really see all or check the bikes out that well, bought only one part, talked with several friends and a few other enthusiast.
Still a good time overall.
You don't really see things if your busy looking through a camera, so sometimes it 's best to put the camera down and just take in the experience.
Here's the drill. If I'm taking pictures, I'm really not checking out the show bikes. If I'm really checking out the bikes, I'm not taking pictures, or looking for parts. If I'm looking at parts, I don't have time for the first two activities. Then throw into the mix, running into friends every 10-15 minutes or talking with someone who is admiring the same bike you happen to be standing by. The day will race by, and later I'll think, what happened?
So here's my (limited) highlights of what happened.
A well restored early Sportster will always dazzle me. This '61 belongs to Glenn Bator. It started with 3 kicks and sounded real sweet. The overcast skies don't bring out the color quite as good as it really looked.
I didn't get a chance to read the board behind this bike.
The owner of this Super-Glide really wanted to sell it. It has a few incorrect items but is still very nice.
This black VL is refreshing.
Lowrider anyone?
It's nice to see old grubby bikes are still surfacing.
This was the first time I saw Keith Ball's Peashooter.
That tank art looks familiar? The fire extinguisher is actually an oil tank.
Original paint Sprint.
Police bikes shouldn't have whitewalls and look so much better without them.
Some probably hate the green. I like it much more than the typical red Injuns.
Can't go wrong with black.
These might be the best tank emblems HD ever offered.
Didn't see many vintage chops this year.
This sums up how this year went. I didn't take many photos, didn't really see all or check the bikes out that well, bought only one part, talked with several friends and a few other enthusiast.
Still a good time overall.
35 Years Ago Today
... I bought my first motorcycle.
I was stubborn. Right or wrong, I wouldn't by a motorcycle until I could afford a Harley. I thought spending a few hundred dollars on a Honda would be a waste of money and would just make getting a Harley take longer.
The day I bought it. Not much to look at, but I was jazzed.
Special features: 6 over forks and no front fender. In the early seventies, probably half the Sportsters sold had extended forks before leaving the dealer.
In the mid '70's, Harley's were in big demand in the LA area, so prices were relatively high for the times (especially when you didn't have a big network of bike riding friends). My outlook was pretty much limited to the local paper's classified pages.
Several weeks earlier, I had gone to the CHP auction and put bids on three bikes for $1,200-$1,500 each hoping I'd get one. I didn't, so the day I would have found out, I bought my Sportster. It was listed in the LA times. I was in Downey and it was close by in Paramount.
More special features: Radiator cap and dent in tank, Posa (or Lake?) Fuel slider carb, Braided vinyl fuel lines. The stock Tillotson carbs had a push inner coil for the throttle, so with this carb, it meant you'd rotate the grip forward to go. It was awkward.
The hillbilly who owned it, was the second owner and kept it in a backyard full of junk. It was only a 4 year old bike and the motor had already been rebuilt. By today's standards, the way it looked, you'd have thought it was a 10 to 20 year old bike.
I think I paid a whooping $1,300 for it, which was likely way too much, but I was getting impatient. Keep in mind, in 1975, new Sportsters were about $2,300 plus dealer fees and taxes at this time. Also, I had a friend with a '71 XLH who wanted about $2,000 for his bike.
More Special Features: Custom seat and sissy bar, a piece of cardboard for a battery lid, and no horn. Bonus feature: A tendency to jump out of third when getting it on.
In any case, I was happy, had plenty of fun with it and nine years later in '84, it got me $1500 credit towards a big twin.
I was stubborn. Right or wrong, I wouldn't by a motorcycle until I could afford a Harley. I thought spending a few hundred dollars on a Honda would be a waste of money and would just make getting a Harley take longer.
The day I bought it. Not much to look at, but I was jazzed.
Special features: 6 over forks and no front fender. In the early seventies, probably half the Sportsters sold had extended forks before leaving the dealer.
In the mid '70's, Harley's were in big demand in the LA area, so prices were relatively high for the times (especially when you didn't have a big network of bike riding friends). My outlook was pretty much limited to the local paper's classified pages.
Several weeks earlier, I had gone to the CHP auction and put bids on three bikes for $1,200-$1,500 each hoping I'd get one. I didn't, so the day I would have found out, I bought my Sportster. It was listed in the LA times. I was in Downey and it was close by in Paramount.
More special features: Radiator cap and dent in tank, Posa (or Lake?) Fuel slider carb, Braided vinyl fuel lines. The stock Tillotson carbs had a push inner coil for the throttle, so with this carb, it meant you'd rotate the grip forward to go. It was awkward.
The hillbilly who owned it, was the second owner and kept it in a backyard full of junk. It was only a 4 year old bike and the motor had already been rebuilt. By today's standards, the way it looked, you'd have thought it was a 10 to 20 year old bike.
I think I paid a whooping $1,300 for it, which was likely way too much, but I was getting impatient. Keep in mind, in 1975, new Sportsters were about $2,300 plus dealer fees and taxes at this time. Also, I had a friend with a '71 XLH who wanted about $2,000 for his bike.
More Special Features: Custom seat and sissy bar, a piece of cardboard for a battery lid, and no horn. Bonus feature: A tendency to jump out of third when getting it on.
In any case, I was happy, had plenty of fun with it and nine years later in '84, it got me $1500 credit towards a big twin.
Friday, September 17, 2010
XINGYUE Recalls 2009-2010 Auto Moto XY150ZK Motor Scooters for Improper Location of Rear Brake Control
XINGYUE is recalling certain model year 2009 and 2010 Auto Moto XY150ZK motor scooters manufactured from March 2009 through June 2010.
The rear brake control should be actuated by the driver's right foot and not the left hand as required by Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standard No. 123, "Motorcycle Controls and Displays."
305 units are affected.
Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.
The rear brake control should be actuated by the driver's right foot and not the left hand as required by Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standard No. 123, "Motorcycle Controls and Displays."
305 units are affected.
Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Celeb model gets soapy with Bennetts Babes in Bikini Bike Wash video
Glamour girl Lucy Pinder gets lathered up alongside two Bennetts Babes in the all-new Bennetts Bikini Bike Wash. Created as part of Bennetts’ 80th Birthday celebrations.
The video is a scorcher!
Ride safe
Jon Booth
Email: webmaster@inter-bike.co.uk
Blog: http://bestmotorstyle2011.blogspot.com//
Swicki: http://motorcycling-swicki.eurekster.com/
Kawasaki unveil Z750R
Kawasaki's middlewight naked Z750 has always had a big following and now Kawasaki have introduced the "R" model with a host of enhancements. These include high-grade suspension and brake components from the 2009 and 2010 Z1000 and a new front cowl and two-tone colouring.
Ride safe
Jon Booth
Email: webmaster@inter-bike.co.uk
Blog: http://bestmotorstyle2011.blogspot.com//
Swicki: http://motorcycling-swicki.eurekster.com/
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
La Mirada, La Habra, El Camino?
The 35th Annual El Camino Antique Motorcycle Show is this coming Saturday. In some ways that statement isn't true. I don't know how many regular attendees know it, but it wasn't always at El Camino College in Torrance.
I first heard about the show in the Feb. '83 issue of Supercycle magazine (first one I bought), when they did a feature on the '82 show. It seems they usually had the show in La Mirada in those days. The first one I went to was in '84, but was held close by in La Habra. The following year it was again in La Mirada. La Habra, La Mirada... whats the difference?
They used to make some pretty cool posters each year. This one from 82 was printed in the Feb. '83 Supercycle. Check the credits for technical assistance. I have a couple of nice posters from some later years.
Any way, it moved to El Camino in 1986 and has pretty much been there ever since. One year it didn't happen as there wasn't a promoter to pick it up (I don't know the politics or how or if the So. Ca. Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America works with the promoters these days). It also, sort of got rained out one year (2007).
I do know that Glen Bator kept it going for quite awhile. At one time he was putting on the Del Mar show too, which was some years, only a week apart.
I forgot that '84 was my first year until I dug out this old shirt. Notice it was a two day event. The show bikes were invited to a ride. I only have a few other year's shirts. Most year's designs weren't to my liking.
In those days, it was like Antique M/C Season here in So Cal. Sometimes El Camino was on Saturday, and Sunday was the Long Beach Swap Meet. Other times they were a week apart. Some years all three events were in a week's span.
Two years ago Glen announced at the show, he's moving on and not doing it anymore and the show was going to die if someone didn't step in. It was strange as it had the largest attendance ever. It didn't seem right, everyone was in disbelief and disappointed.
When the current promoter (Classic Cycle Events), took over last year, he stated he's keeping the traditional date in Sept. but up until a few years back it was always on the first Saturday in Oct. Then it crept up to the last Saturday in Sept. Now it's in the middle of the month. So much for tradition.
The old shows were quite different for better or worse. The better, it was a free event held in a shopping center's parking lot and more like a field event with riding games/contests. The worse, the bikes were roped off from spectators. It was still that style of show the first few years at El Camino where they also first began charging admission ($3.00), in '86.
I've never missed a year yet, and don't intend to miss this one.
I first heard about the show in the Feb. '83 issue of Supercycle magazine (first one I bought), when they did a feature on the '82 show. It seems they usually had the show in La Mirada in those days. The first one I went to was in '84, but was held close by in La Habra. The following year it was again in La Mirada. La Habra, La Mirada... whats the difference?
They used to make some pretty cool posters each year. This one from 82 was printed in the Feb. '83 Supercycle. Check the credits for technical assistance. I have a couple of nice posters from some later years.
Any way, it moved to El Camino in 1986 and has pretty much been there ever since. One year it didn't happen as there wasn't a promoter to pick it up (I don't know the politics or how or if the So. Ca. Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America works with the promoters these days). It also, sort of got rained out one year (2007).
I do know that Glen Bator kept it going for quite awhile. At one time he was putting on the Del Mar show too, which was some years, only a week apart.
I forgot that '84 was my first year until I dug out this old shirt. Notice it was a two day event. The show bikes were invited to a ride. I only have a few other year's shirts. Most year's designs weren't to my liking.
In those days, it was like Antique M/C Season here in So Cal. Sometimes El Camino was on Saturday, and Sunday was the Long Beach Swap Meet. Other times they were a week apart. Some years all three events were in a week's span.
Two years ago Glen announced at the show, he's moving on and not doing it anymore and the show was going to die if someone didn't step in. It was strange as it had the largest attendance ever. It didn't seem right, everyone was in disbelief and disappointed.
When the current promoter (Classic Cycle Events), took over last year, he stated he's keeping the traditional date in Sept. but up until a few years back it was always on the first Saturday in Oct. Then it crept up to the last Saturday in Sept. Now it's in the middle of the month. So much for tradition.
The old shows were quite different for better or worse. The better, it was a free event held in a shopping center's parking lot and more like a field event with riding games/contests. The worse, the bikes were roped off from spectators. It was still that style of show the first few years at El Camino where they also first began charging admission ($3.00), in '86.
I've never missed a year yet, and don't intend to miss this one.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run - Old Bikes Hit the Road
As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, The Motorcycle Cannonball Endurance Run has begun. This is a coast-to-coast run of pre-1916 motorcycles starting from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and ending in Santa Monica, California. Dates for the run are September 10-26, 2010. Check out the Cannonball Run website for everything you might want to know about this historic run. (I've noticed that the website can be slow to load or even produce dreaded Internal Server Errors.)
To give you a flavor for what the bikes look like and sound like and how enthusiastic their riders are, I've listed five videos of interviews with Cannonball riders:
Keep checking the Cannonball Run website for daily updates. Hopefully, we may see some coverage of this event on TV.
To give you a flavor for what the bikes look like and sound like and how enthusiastic their riders are, I've listed five videos of interviews with Cannonball riders:
- #44 Jon Szalay - 1911 H-D 7A
- #16 Bill Campbell - 1915 H-D Twin
- #15 Buzz Kanter - 1915 H-D Twin
- #47 Ron Mattson - 1915 Indian F-head V-twin
- #89 Cristine Sommer-Simmons - 1915 H-D 11-J
Keep checking the Cannonball Run website for daily updates. Hopefully, we may see some coverage of this event on TV.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Before & After
Here's a couple of pre-White Bear shots in it's silver phase before Joe went all out custom on it.
...and after he sold it.
Correction to the post below. It was Dominic Rutigliano not Bob Olsen who bought the bike. Dominic worked at EME. Joe 's built many versions of each bikes he 's owned and has been telling me so much information, it's hard to get it all right the first time.
...and after he sold it.
Correction to the post below. It was Dominic Rutigliano not Bob Olsen who bought the bike. Dominic worked at EME. Joe 's built many versions of each bikes he 's owned and has been telling me so much information, it's hard to get it all right the first time.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Ken & Lynn
Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery. See Ken & Lynn on their 2001 V-Cycle RoadHawk. We need more pictures of men and women with their motorcycles. Get your picture in. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.
Motorcycle Accidents - Save Yourself
I've been harping on safe riding for years. I even wrote 10 Ways To Be Safe on a Motorcycle. Please read my article and pass it on to your friends, even those who don't ride. We need to save a few lives and it all starts with you.
I see several motorcycle fatalities every day through my Google Alerts. Here's a representative article I just read. It will break your heart.
Reading a newspaper account of an accident like this always leaves the reader with questions about just what were the conditions under which the accident occurred. We've all heard reports that the driver didn't see the bike at all. Well, there are conditions where the sun is in your eyes and blocks out the rider. Or, some part of the structure of the car blocks your vision. I know this happens. I have to move forward, back, and side-to-side sometimes to be sure I can see the complete roadway when I'm waiting to turn in my car. And the small profile of a motorcycle coming at you is hard to see even under good conditions. Of course, these days, the possibility of the driver having a cell phone in their ear doesn't help at all.
I don't want to leave the motorcycle rider out here. We, as riders, don't always look out for ourselves. We know that we need to consider ourselves invisible to other drivers (and motorcyclists). That means always riding with space around us and constantly practicing defensive riding. Anticipate what a driver will do and allow space in case they do what you expect.
In the case of trying to prepare for a left-turner in front of you, always make sure you don't ride close to the car in front of you. A left-turner will see the car in front of you but you may be blocked from their view. The left-turner sees the car in front of you pass and makes a sudden left turn and you smash into them.
I heard of another accident where a car waiting to make a left turn did nothing wrong except they had their wheels turned left anticipating the turn when a vehicle behind them crashed into them and forced their car into the oncoming lane killing a motorcyclist. Folks, I thought everyone knew that you never turn your wheels at rest while waiting to turn. Always keep them straight ahead. If you're hit, you won't go into the oncoming lane.
I guess one could go on and on about left-turners and how to prevent motorcycle fatalities. However, I know these accidents will keep happening. But we all can prevent a few from happening. Reading my 10 Ways To Be Safe on a Motorcycle will help to put a few ideas in your head that may save your life. And really, all I'm trying to do is save you and keep you riding and riding and riding until the day you choose to stop riding. Hopefully, that day will never come.
If you have any comments on how to be safe on a motorcycle, leave them below.
I see several motorcycle fatalities every day through my Google Alerts. Here's a representative article I just read. It will break your heart.
Reading a newspaper account of an accident like this always leaves the reader with questions about just what were the conditions under which the accident occurred. We've all heard reports that the driver didn't see the bike at all. Well, there are conditions where the sun is in your eyes and blocks out the rider. Or, some part of the structure of the car blocks your vision. I know this happens. I have to move forward, back, and side-to-side sometimes to be sure I can see the complete roadway when I'm waiting to turn in my car. And the small profile of a motorcycle coming at you is hard to see even under good conditions. Of course, these days, the possibility of the driver having a cell phone in their ear doesn't help at all.
I don't want to leave the motorcycle rider out here. We, as riders, don't always look out for ourselves. We know that we need to consider ourselves invisible to other drivers (and motorcyclists). That means always riding with space around us and constantly practicing defensive riding. Anticipate what a driver will do and allow space in case they do what you expect.
In the case of trying to prepare for a left-turner in front of you, always make sure you don't ride close to the car in front of you. A left-turner will see the car in front of you but you may be blocked from their view. The left-turner sees the car in front of you pass and makes a sudden left turn and you smash into them.
I heard of another accident where a car waiting to make a left turn did nothing wrong except they had their wheels turned left anticipating the turn when a vehicle behind them crashed into them and forced their car into the oncoming lane killing a motorcyclist. Folks, I thought everyone knew that you never turn your wheels at rest while waiting to turn. Always keep them straight ahead. If you're hit, you won't go into the oncoming lane.
I guess one could go on and on about left-turners and how to prevent motorcycle fatalities. However, I know these accidents will keep happening. But we all can prevent a few from happening. Reading my 10 Ways To Be Safe on a Motorcycle will help to put a few ideas in your head that may save your life. And really, all I'm trying to do is save you and keep you riding and riding and riding until the day you choose to stop riding. Hopefully, that day will never come.
If you have any comments on how to be safe on a motorcycle, leave them below.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Puzzle Solved
This ad always puzzled me. I remember seeing it and wondering, could this possibly be White Bear repainted with some minor cosmetic changes or just a very similar machine? It seemed too soon to be the same bike but, at the same time, too similar.
Full page ad from the back cover of the Nov. '73 Custom Chopper. White Bear was in the Aug. '73 Street Chopper, not much time had passed between seeing both bikes published.
Same stance, mags, forks, bars, magneto, and tank with indents. Some other things while similar, are a bit it off? Sportster headlight wasn't chrome, exhaust are slightly different, the engine was not bead blasted but polished in places and sporting a SU carb. But, there was a small nagging similarity. It had exactly the same Harley-Davidson decal on the top edge of the oil tank.
37 years later, puzzle solved. I showed Joe the ad and finally got the answer. He sold white Bear for $1800 as a rolling chassis to Bob Olsen, owner of E.M.E so he could buy a Porsche 911. Pretty decent money for a roller back then.
Final Notes: Joe did later run a SU on White Bear. He knew and still knows the girl (Cindy). in the ad. He never saw the photo of her that they mention in the ad. The wheels advertised (U.S. Mag Corp.), aren't the same as the ones on the bike. They are the original American Racing Wheels.
Full page ad from the back cover of the Nov. '73 Custom Chopper. White Bear was in the Aug. '73 Street Chopper, not much time had passed between seeing both bikes published.
Same stance, mags, forks, bars, magneto, and tank with indents. Some other things while similar, are a bit it off? Sportster headlight wasn't chrome, exhaust are slightly different, the engine was not bead blasted but polished in places and sporting a SU carb. But, there was a small nagging similarity. It had exactly the same Harley-Davidson decal on the top edge of the oil tank.
37 years later, puzzle solved. I showed Joe the ad and finally got the answer. He sold white Bear for $1800 as a rolling chassis to Bob Olsen, owner of E.M.E so he could buy a Porsche 911. Pretty decent money for a roller back then.
Final Notes: Joe did later run a SU on White Bear. He knew and still knows the girl (Cindy). in the ad. He never saw the photo of her that they mention in the ad. The wheels advertised (U.S. Mag Corp.), aren't the same as the ones on the bike. They are the original American Racing Wheels.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
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