Monday, 14 May 2012

"DP CUSTOMS 'GRAFFITI' HARLEY IRONHEAD" . . . . JUST TRAWLING AIMLESSLY THROUGH THE DEPTHS OF POOTUBE AND DREDGED THIS UP . . . . I DIG IT, DIRTY BIG HOOSIER ARSE END, SEXY/TOUGH TAPERED TWO INTO ONE . . . . INSPIRED BY FALFA'S '55 FROM 'AMERICAN GRAFFITTI' . . . . I CAN SEE IT.

I'm not a huge fan of Hoosies for my own purposes, nor the popular and revered period correctness of the legendary Avon 'Deathmaster' and their re-pop siblings, but shit, it's a killer look !!! As bits and pieces start to accumulate in preparation for the serious side of 'Operation Shoveller' and its imminent deconstruction/reconstruction, I've come to some definite conclusions as to what I will and won't be doing regarding things aesthetic, mechanical and functional . . . . .



When it comes to tire selection I'm definitely not going to be running Deathmasters, Cokers, doughy old Dunny's or any other 'classic' or 'period' bags, sorry purists, just not on . . . . the first T120 I got in the late eighties had one of the ribbed tarmac ticklers on the front, perished and fully fucked, I stupidly had it replaced with a new one . . . . it was fantastic, as long as grip, handling and water dispersion were not going to enter into your calculations, only to be equalled by reinstalling a Dunlop K81 on the arse end, I swear it began hardening and cracking the first time I rode it in the daylight . . . . you just don't realise how tragic they are until you fit some actual 'tires' to your rims, which is what happened with the '74 T140V I picked up a year and half later, what a difference !!!

No, you guys can have my share of all the ridgey didge vintage tire allocation, all of it, I like the idea of being able push my only point of contact with Terra Firma to the max if the situation should demand it . . . . fuck the entire fingers crossed approach of rollin on dinosaur rubber with a built in deathwish, call me soft, I like the notion of keeping the shiny side up at all times . . . . I'll be running a good oldish ME 33 at the pointy end and the matched up 'pineapple' tread Metzy on the arse end, I know em, I like em and they never let it slide on the old Trumpys, the Shoveller may well be my first Hoggly chop but I figure they'll do just fine and dandy . . . . rubber side down lads, stay safe.

4 comments:

  1. Key words would be "Tarmac Ticklers" Bravo !

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    1. Cheers mate, like a lot of us, I'll sacrifice a lot for a 'look', decent adhesion with blacktop ain't one of em . . .

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  2. Come on now, where's your sense of adventure?!? You've prolly got a little skin you could live without, right?

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    1. Leave my junk outta this . . . oh, sorry mate, wrong skin . . . sense of adventure is doing fine, finances for crash damage has a finite limit.

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