THE 'BILLY BIKE' AND A YOUNG BLOKE'S YEARNING . . "EASY RIDER" 1969

CAPTAIN AMERICA WAS A MARSHMELLOW - THE BILLY BIKE WAS THE BOMB !!!!

THE RIDE THAT FOREVER TWISTED MY MELON AS AN 8 YEAR OLD IN '69/'70
[CLICK ON POST TITLE TO VIEW, YES, I THINK IT'S A MODEL - I SUCK  AT UPLOADING]

When Easy Rider was first released I was eight and living on a Naval base where dad was the head honcho, like a lot of kids my age, I was already besotted with bikes and cars, trucks, planes, anything that was loud, fast and cool. It was screened one weekend in the sailors mess area toward the end of '69, I think, and the old man said I could sit and watch it up the back, definitely wasn't cool with mum, I was stoked !!
The storyline was way over my head, and would remain so until I saw it again years later after reading 'Fear and Loathing' in grade 9, but I didn't give a shit !! From the moment Fonda and Hopper threw their legs over their steel steeds and headed off into the Great Wide Open in pursuit of the Dream I was gone a million, never to be the same, beyond redemption and seeking none . . .
Even then, in my pre-pubescent wunderlust, I thought the Captain America bike was sorta soft, girly, a bit 'poofy' as we Aussies used to say, Hopper's ride on the other hand, had me by the scrotum from the get go, it was so fucking cool . . . kinda ugly/tough/practical/real, and as a redheaded kid back in the 60's I always felt kinda ugly, it just looked like the kind of bike I wanted.
In the 42 odd years since, not a thing has changed, I can dig the lines of the extreme style of the 'pretty bike' but I'm still in love with Billy, the only thing that has changed now whenever I watch the film . . . . . is just how fucking slowly they are going !!! There were reasons for that and you can explore them on your own, that's somone else's story . . . .

R.I.P DENNIS HOPPER, YOU AND YOUR RIDE WILL LIVE ON FOREVER.

THE FIRST OF THE NEW AGE "THUMPERS" . . . THE 1976 YAMAHA TT500 . . . . YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION, USA

ONE OF THE GREATEST BIKES EVER PRODUCED - THE MONO KING OF '76 - '81
[SEE INVISIBLE LINK RIGHT BELOW THIS LINE]

Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA - 1976 TT500

The wee fellas from the home of the crossed tuning forks totally nailed it with the TT, XT and SR 500 back in the heyday of the two stroke screamer . . . I was in grade nine and it blew me away when it came out, first time I saw one in the flesh it was up on it's back wheel for 200 yards, through three gears and making the most gorgeous sound I'd heard up to that point.
Gonna try to unearth an article from the day where the reviewer totally got it wrong as to how he saw the dawn of the the 4 stroke chook chaser and it's impending explosion . . .

WINE OF THE DAY, BLACK CHOOK 2011 ADELAIDE HILLS PINOT GRIGIO, smells like fresh apples and pears, crisp and tight in the mouth with lively, food friendly acidity and fucking bang on the money for summer drinking and eating, matches with seafood like a finger in the bum, bloody delicious !!!!

SONG OF THE DAY, THE ONLY ONES 'ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER PLANET', the greatest song ever written about the realities of smack addiction bar 'The Needle and the Damage Done', a spine tingling synthesis of the punk ethos and classic rock and fucking roll . . . a must hear tune !!!!

DANG !!!! MULLINS CHAIN DRIVE TREES ARE INDEED NARROW !!!

Just recieved word back from Richmond's finest mind that the Mullins Chain Drive super narrow trees will have great difficulty, that is without some monumental additional machining costs, taking a Harley front brake of disc variety and likely even drum !!
Aside from that, the twisted genius that is Mr Casquilho, did suggest, most helpfully, that perhaps the use of one of Harrison's slim line calipers could be an option, that, or run a narrow Jap type drum. Oh well, gonna contemplate the problem over a glass or five of vino then pursue it further.
Just a quick word on crew like Brandon Casquilho, Denver Dan, Chopper Dave et al . . . from my perspective of having been involved in the 'alternate' bike scene, both professionally and as a rider, for nearly 30 years, these guys and those like them all over the planet, are almost without exception, genuine, passionate, disturbed beings who will offer their advice and assistance freely and with great modesty. That knowledge is born of real world, doing the job, riding the fucking bike experience.
So next time you're stumped with a concern, don't know the answer, want to buy some piece for your scoot or just need help, swallow your pride, shoot off an email or pick up the phone and get onto whoever it may be who can sort your shit out, avoid wasting time and money by fucking it up then having to do it all over again . . . be humble because guys like them invariably are.
Sharing the knowledge is what binds us together, make the most of it !!!

GARY NIXON FROM 'THE SELVEDGE YARD' - DEADSET LEGEND !!

HEY YOU, DON'T WATCH DAT, WATCH DIS . . . . FROM JP AT THE SELVEDGE YARD.
GOT BALLS . . ???? THIS GUY WAS BORN WITH ELEPHANT SIZED NADS.

The Selvedge Yard

Jesus, wish I had half a clue about getting pics up but I don't so check the invisible link, great article on the late, truly great, Gary Nixon . . . . also FEATURES the seminal 'On Any Sunday'. MAKE SURE YOU HIT 'READ MORE' BEFORE IT GOES ONTO THE BOWIE AND BING ARTICLE
Thanks for a cracker post JP !!!

SIXTEEN TONS AND WHADDYA GET . . . . ???

A Happy Nude Year to everybody out there doin the kind of shit with two wheeled tools of all persuasions that cranks my handle, be it retro chops/bobs, street trackers, dirt bikes, sport bikes, speedway, drag, flat trackers, Jappers, twisted little outa left field commuters, monkey bikes, whatever the fuck it is, I love it all !!! If you're not following the norm, if you've never owned an OCC tee shirt, if you're not buying the fat, bloated, mainstream corporate merchandise, if you're not towing the company line, if you're Kicking Against the Pricks, if you Know Your Product, if you're supporting the little guy who makes beautiful kit by hand and if you haven't sold your soul to the stuff you hate . . . . have a brilliant 2012 !!! Remember, if you don't buy in, youll never have to sell out . . . . do it your own way but Rage Against The Machine, Fight the Powers That Be !!!!

Songs of the day, The Clash 'Stay Young, Stay Free' and Sly and the Family Stone 'Family Affair', why ? Self evident I would think . . .
Wine of the day . . . piss off !!! Get a beer or twelve into ya !!!!

KEEP THE KNEES IN THE BREEZE AND GET OUT THERE AND RIDE THE FUCKER, WHATEVER IT IS . . . HAPPY NUDE YEAR FROM WHITELINEPSYCHO, NOW IT'S BACK TO THE PARTY AND THE PISS, GIDDY UP !!!!

P.S - FIGHT RACISM - IT'S TRULY FUCKED !!!! ARSEHOLES EXIST EVERYWHERE, GOOD CREW ARE WHERE YOU FIND 'EM, WE'RE ALL SHITTIN BROWN AND BLEEDIN RED !!!!

PISSING RAIN AND NOT A H.O.G MEMBER IN SIGHT . . . . WHO'D'VE THUNK IT . . . . ??

Just in from a thrash out in the pissing rain, even at 60mph the drops felt more like slug gun pellets on my old, unprotected face, but hey, I've never really dug full face lids and I choose not to wear those pseudo 1%er 'the pigs can't see my mug' anonymity wetsuit thingy's, so, no drama.
It's interesting being out in the wind and the rain, you see funny old guys on CT110's wearing sou'westers, kids on two stroke scooters, chicks on mid size commuters, young bucks on the latest sport rockets, all getting to where they need to be.
You know what I never, ever, ever see out in the middle of a full on soaker ?? HOG members. What the fuck is it with the majority of these merchandised out, faux biker clowns ??
Do they not realise their bikes are waterproof ? Cause none of em are riding anything old enough to be effected by inclement weather. Is the Bar and Shield emblazoned wet weather gear they spent a weeks wage on letting those pesky raindrops in to dampen their factory endorsed tees, socks and jocks ??
To me it's simply this . . . they've bought into the myth but only on fair weather, blue sky days, rain makes you wet, it grubby's up your 35k Blob Boy Fat Tail and it makes the big ride down to the local pose bar no fun at all. To quote a now iconic Aussie comic line . . . harden the fuck up !!!!
Riding in the pouring rain doesn't make you a man or a tough guy but it's as enjoyable in its own skin drenching, face stinging, sense heightening way as any punt done on a sunny, follow the Motor Company advertising way of life assault on the blacktop is.
Finally, and furthermore, getting on the scoot when Mother Nature is being an utter bitch improves your abilities to keep the shiny side pointing skywards . . . and that's gotta be a good thing. 

MULLINS CHAIN DRIVE AND A TINY DANCER . . .

Mullins Chain Drive

Man, Brandon Casquilho at Mullins Chain Drive does some of the highest quality components you'll ever come across, finish and attention to detail is fucking phenomenal and it's all done in house . . . . just hope the 39mm trees will suit the Project Super Duper Glide . . . . hopefully getting my photographic uploading shit together so I can get some visual stuff up for ya . . . . all the best for 2012 everybody !!!
Wine of the day, Simonnet-Febvre Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc N.V, fantastic Froggy sparkling that isn't Champagne but it's half the price, crisp yet elegant, sexy as fuck on the palate and goes wiyh just about anything - food, partying, Nude Years Eve, just getting on it, whatever, oh, and chicks are gonna fully dig it, ipso facto, you !!!
Song of the day Stone Roses 'Fools Gold', as funky as a bunch of white Mancunians could ever be, even without the amounts of eccy I did bck in the day, get jiggy with it as we slide into the New Year !!!

HUMANTREE.COM . . . . THE ART OF JERAL TIDWELL | News » 12-21-11 HOT OFF THE PRESS

Humantree.com - - The art of Jeral Tidwell News » 12-21-11 HOT OFF THE PRESS

This guy has been turning out insane art for a long while now . . . check it out !!!

THE "REAL RIDE" ARRIVES . . . . '74 FXE - PSYCHO GLIDE IN BLUE . . . MINE, ALL MINE !!!!

Well, it's the Festering season and seeing's I've been a naughty, wilful boy as always no fucking chance the Fat Man is bringin me diddly . . . . so I treated myself to a matching numbers, unbutchered '74 FXE, still a genuine 74 cubes and apart from the almost universal ruination of many a Super Glide, the Wally Wide Glide/21" front end conversion [I mean, why would you???] she bloody brilliant and will make an excellent platform for what will be, you guessed it, a legit, hands on custom build.
After having shot my mouth off regarding superficial, stock aftermarket, glittershit, jewellery like stuff that lots of folk throw at their ride and then call it a 'custom built' bike, this will be my personal 'fuck off'' to that entire tawdry caper  . . . . obviously I ain't the first, not by about seventy years or so, but it's how I've always wanted to do it and even prior to this whole scene becoming public domain it's the modus operendi that has always lit my wick.
Form does follow function and if you can honestly tell me that those mega buck, masturbation machines that sprang from Swiss Family Turtle at OCC and all their tepid ilk the world over have any real function apart from a penis suibstitute for the terminally flacid, I'll eat shit for a month !!

THE SPEED MERCHANT STUFF . . . . GET IT ON !!!

Just a quicky . . . after being dicked around by the postal services of both Uncle Sam and Oz my Speed Merchant raw finish derby cover arrived a few weeks back . . . all I can say is, absolutely and totally unfuckingbelievable !!!
Not only was Denver Dan a pleasure to deal with but the product is top class, a genuine retro feel, effective cooling well above what I imagined and the appearance on the scoot is fully cool . . . if I don't say so myself.
For anybody out there running recent model Sporty's and Trumpy's and looking for great quality, beautifully styled aftermarket bits and bobs to tart up your ride, be sure to pay a visit to TheSpeedMerchant site and check his mega cool shit out . . . .you won't be disappointed !!!