2006 British & European Classic Motorcycle Day, May 21, 2006 ,Butler's Orchard, Germantown, MD - featured Marquee - Vincent!
Triumph Come Home Rallye June 9-10-11, 2006 - Spring Grove, PA
Virginia British Motorcycle Club Rallye October 1st, 2006 - Leesburg, Virginia
2005 BRITISH & EUROPEAN MOTORCYCLE SHOWS in the Wash, DC area
Virginia British Motorcycle Club 2005 Rallye
Sun October 2, 2005 - Leesburg, VA.
Westminster Regional Antique Motor Cycle Show/Parts Extravaganza
Sat/Sun Oct 15-16, 2005 Westminster, MD
We went to Richmond to visit Emma's family over the weekend. Saturday was a slow day, so Emma and I took a trip into downtown Richmond. I wanted to look up a bike shop I'd passed a few times on the way to MCC Richmond, but had never had the time to visit. It turns out that not only do they deal with Ducati and Royal Enfield, and have a great line of helmets and accessories, but they also deal with all kinds of classic bikes. When I went inside, I found out that Velocity Vintage is like a museum of amazing and collectable bikes.
The bikes are pretty closely packed on the showroom floor - but the following few pictures should give you an idea, though they don't do justice to the range of interesting machines there!
I've been spending more time with my Dad lately. We'd been distant for many years, but we've been on better terms in the last few years. He surprised Emma and I in August when he told us he'd like to come to Emma's Ordination down in Richmond (August 28). He enjoyed the weekend and met Emma's folks - he got along real well with her dad. After the Ordination, Emma stayed with her mom an extra few days, and Dad and I drove back together. On the way home he said he'd like to go see The Flying Circus some time, so we made tentative plans for October.
Continue reading "Dad, the Air Circus, and the '24 Harley" »
The 2004 VBMC Rally and show at Ida Lee Park (Leesburg, VA) - Sunday Oct 3rd
It didn't seem to be quite as many bikes as last year, but what a great day for a show - mid-70s a bit of a breeze and sunny!
As usual, click to enlarge the pictures
I had some time to work on the bike today, And the plan was to try and cure a hard-to-start problem. Although I had gotten the motorcycle to run last fall, starting it wasn't easy.
We went to the Classic Motorcycle Days show up in Maryland - tho we took the car (I'm not ready to ride the bike any real distance until I get time to check it out further). It was a VERY hot day - in the 90s!
There were a 20 or so vendors selling all those esoteric bits of Britanium needed for classic bike repair ... tho I got off cheap ... What was even more impressive was the 200 or so classic bikes there. Not everything was British - there was a European catagory which included Beemers, Benellis and Guzzis (Oh my!) ....
Lots of neat bikes, but because it was so hot we didn't stay more than 1 1/2 hours ... and I didn't do much more than take some closeups of a few 500s to help with sorting my bike out ... But I do have a few more pix I'll try to post later ...
One of the folks at work just bought a new Harley V-Rod, another has a new Harley on order ... and the weather has been very nice lately. I'd ignored the bike as I still need to get it through inspection and winter caught up to me before I finished that task last year. But ... Its time!
So after a lot of yard work this weekend, I rolled the bike out of storage, tickled the Amal with my thumb, and gave a few solid kicks - nada. Didn't sound like it even fired, so I hopped off and flipped the headlight on, watching the ammeter for any signs of life. (Glad I made a point when I wired the bike to install an ammeter, even if its not "authentic" for that year, its a handy tool!)Nothing. Battery must have run down during the winter. Rolled it up to the house, and checked it with a voltmeter - 7.5volts ... I flipped up the seat, connected a trickle charger, and left it alone for two days.
Yesterday after work I disconnected the charger and checked the voltage again ... 13.5 - great! Rolled it outside, tickled it, and gave it a kick. Fired up and died.
Did that little ritual a few times and as it warmed up, it ran longer and longer. I had to feather the throttle to keep it going, but finally it was running on its own, tho a bit uneven. Put my hands at the end of the pipes and could feel the right cylinder was missing occasionally. Guess I ought to install a new set of points - or at least file the surface a bit - maybe that will help.
But I couldn't resist any longer. Went inside and swapped my shorts for a pair of jeans. Grabbed my helmet and papers, and my cellphone, and headed back outside.
Started it up again - first kick, now that it was warmed up, so I flipped the kickstand back and rode it through the gate and up the driveway ... Yeehah!
Yes, I know it was just a short ride around the neighborhood, and I know I have work to do yet ... but it was such a rush of energy just riding it around, knowing I'd rescued it from a rusty fate ...
Maryland Classic Motorcycle Day May 23, 2004 Butler's orchard, Germantown, MD.
Triumph Come Home Rallye June 11th, 12th, & 13th, 2004, Spring Grove, PA -
VA British Motorcycle Club Rallye October 3rd 2004 - Leesburg, VA
I put the black and white tank on the bike and put some gas in it ... and it actually fired a few times! It would fire and rev for 4 seconds, then die. I pulled the float bowl off the card and was surprised to see the plastic float jet still in there! I'd made a deal on eBay for some Norton owner's carb parts just to get a viton tipped metal jet .. guess with all the projects I never got it installed, so I dug through the cartons of parts, found it, and put it in the carb. Tinkered for another hour or so and finally .... I had it running. Granted, I need to rev it to keep it running ... but I popped the cap on the oil bottle and saw a healthy stream of oil from the return hose, so the oil pump is working. Jiggled the cable and got the tach working. The ammeter shows things are charging ...
I went inside and I grabbed my license and helmet, then I headed up the driveway for a test drive!
I know I still have work to do - I need to fix the horn button and make sure it works. The original non-sealed beam headlight seems pretty iffy - I got a 6024 style Halogen headlight ready to go - but I need to get a 3 pin socket to wire it in. And I need to dial in the timing and get the card set better ...
But its still daylight ... its actually a nice day, 55 degrees, no wind and a bit of sun, and I've been working on this bike since I got it in July - I want to ride - at least a little!
So - off I roared to terrorize the neighbors! A quick stop and I tightened down the rear brake rod and off again .... Now, common sense prevails - I just ran around the block a few times - never got past 3rd gear and I can tell the clutch needs adjustment, the tires probably need more air, and I'm sure there are other things. But I'm riding a bike that I put together ... what a feeling!
And what a long way from first seeing in Merrimack, NH mid-July http://www.thewebgal.com/blog/archives/000038.html
I ran across a story on the RealClassics UK site about the Beezumph 12 rallye - a gathering of BSA and Triumph Triple bikes from the mid-70s. http://www.realclassic.co.uk/rides03071500.html ln the article they mentioned the fun that was had, how many of the bikes gathered for the event, and how they were luck to host the bike's designer, Craig Vetter!
Craig Vetter - an American legend - I knew him as the wizard that redesigned the BSA/Triumph 750 Triple into the X75 Hurricane for the American market. And what a gorgeous design! Styling that was years ahead of its time, all I could do was dream about one when they were new in '72-'73 ... After that success he went on and created another legend with the Vetter Windjammer Fairings ...
Now, he's got a website at http://www.craigvetter.com/ I've always loved the style of the Hurricane - so when I saw he had a T shirt of the bike ... I just had to have one!
I got a white t-shirt - and I'm sorry the image here doesn't do the shirt justice, but it IS a gorgeous image of the bike! He'll even autograph it if you ask nicely!
While ordering the shirt, I wound up having some conversations with Connie Vetter, and she is just the sweetest thing - very pleasant to deal with ...honest - - go buy a shirt or photos or something from them - RIGHT NOW! (smile) ...
As I posted last week, the Virginia British Motorcycle Club had their annual Show and Swap at the Fairgrounds in Leesburg. As my bike still needs front-end parts, I drove the '90 Civic Si (its a great parts chaser!) Lots of fine bikes, a really nice sunny warm day (not too hot, perfect!), and a number of great vendors.
I had a great time.
Leesburg, VA - Sunday October 5 2003 - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
See ya there!
http://www.virginiabritishmotorcycleclub.org/rally.htm
The bike project has been in a holding pattern for the last few weeks. I took the front end apart to replace the seals and bushings and found damage to one of the spring holders and a ding in the lower leg. So - I decided my best strategy was to get another frontend and rebuild that one, as needed. I decided if I could find the same year front end, I could pick and choose parts from 4 fork legs to make sure I had the best 2. So - I bid on a couple sets around Labour Day and got what I think is the best bet on a set from British Coumbia - its just taking a while to get here, what with the storm and all. While I was waiting I bought a pair of Dunlop K81 tires for the bike - the old K70s were dry rotted and cracking. Then I had to stow away all the tools and loose parts for the expected hurricane that fortunately never arrived as predicted.
Founded in Springfield, Mass., in 1901, Indian was once a rival to American icon Harley-Davidson. It lasted more than 50 years, and first went out of business in 1953. This time, it lasted five.
On Friday, Indian closed the factory in Gilroy where it made heavyweight cruisers and other motorcycles, telling its 380 employees that a deal with a new investor had fallen through.
The closing ends another chapter in the storied history of Indian Motorcycle.
Read more at
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/6818690.htm
According to a story from the BBC, fire has destroyed much of the National Motorcycle Museum near Birmingham, ruining 650 vintage machines and leaving 60% of the building a blackened shell. More than 120 firefighters tackled the fire which could be seen for 15 miles around.
Here's a late September update on the story http://www.realclassic.co.uk/news03091910.html
Here's a direct link to the museum's website
http://www.nationalmotorcyclemuseum.co.uk/
The cool thing about having a bike is ... Biker babe photos!!!
I'm still haunting eBay for various parts - got a new shifter and tailight mount on the way, as well as a proper headlight with ammeter (wouldn't be a classic British bike without a bouncing needle on the headlight!) ... I've got a new seatcover and trim, but I'll have a professional redo that after everything else is sorted...just as I'll probably pay a painter to do a proper gas tank for me, later ...
I've even got the right exhaust pipes & footpegs
But its really getting close now ... we even have our vanity plate!
While scanning the web for info on the bike, I ran across the website of a company that makes T shirts from Vintage ads - for Chevy, Dodge, Ducati - even Triumph. SO, I went to look at the Triumph ads and ran across this gem from 1968. Understand that the 500 was considered a "girl's bike" - I suppose the 650 Bonneville was for the guys. That sort of thing is long gone, but ... the phrase "The best of both worlds" holds special meaning for T people. Emma even thinks the model looks like me ... I'm flattered ...but ... I dunno ...
Amazing what a little paint and a week of cleanup can do! This is whatI've accomplished with a couple rattlecans of lacquer - I plan to pay someone for a nice paint job later - but this will do for now.
I've bid and won on a seat, factory shop manual, and some other things that are yet on the way ... It still needs a battery and a pair of tires - and I need to rig up a stoplight and headlight assembly. One thing - in 1970, Triumphs did not come with Turn Signals - if I want them, I have to fabricate the mounts, wiring and such!
But ... it IS getting closer to the fun!
On Saturday July 12th I got up at 1:30am.
I started coffee, took a shower, and then hopped into a rented pickup, headed up to Baltimore to pick up Andrea and Jahnna. I'd told them about buying an old Triumph when Emma and I ran in them Dallas. We'd all gone to Dallas for the UFMCC World Conference, and Andrea had volunteered to ride along with me to New Hampshire when I drove up to get the bike. This pleased Emma greatly (she worries about me - isn't love grand!).
Anywho - they live near Camden Yard, so after they jumped in, we left Baltimore at 3AM and headed north! The drive went well 'til we hit a traffic backup for the Triborough bridge in New York city. Ugh (and I though DC drivers were agressive and rude)!!
Once past NYC the drive again went really well. We were making marvelous time, it was a glorious sunny day and the views were beautiful! There were a lot of folks out riding bikes - tho a lot more rode without helmets that we'd expect!
We stopped on the edge of Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts around 9:30 for a pit stop and to call ahead and tell Greg we were way ahead of schedule -
but we just got their voicemail and decided to call again when we were closer!
We got to Lowell a bit after 11 and called again - and Greg was out running errands - so we left our cellphone number and decided to take a look around Lowell. I was excited - I mean, there's the Merrimack River from the Tom Rush song, and I knew Lowell was Jack Kerouac's hometown (!) - but Andrea and Jahnna didn't know about them - tho they did think it was a beautiful place!
We got a call back from Greg who was surprised we were so close already - so we ended the brief sightseeing trip and headed on to his place in the town of Merrimack. All went really well, he was a friendly guy and we talked bikes for a while, and I trade some cash for the bike and a box of parts. After we finished loading the bike I asked Greg for suggestions on a good restaraunt where we could get lobster for lunch - and he recommended a little place called "The Lobster Boat". Off we went - and very soon we were enjoying a wonderful meal. Our waitress recommended an appetizer: Lobster Fingers - and they were fabulous - strips of lobster in a tempura-style batter and quick fried - yumm! The real joy of lunch wasn't the lobster (tho it was good) - we'd all ordered a sampler plate with lobster, scallops and shrimp - and the scallops !!! Absolutely tender melt-in-your-mouth scallops - I've never eatten such great scallops!
I'd almost drive there again just for that meal! Almost ...
But far too soon, it was time to get back into the truck and head South ...
we made a wrong turn somewhere and wound up jogging into Boston and then through Cambridge before we made our way back to the right part of 95 South,
but even that was interesting. We hit traffic again as we neared New York city.
It was just past twilight as we passed the Meadowlands, and it started raining ... hard! Yuck! Well, it was raining on and off as we continued through New Jersey,
- and somewhere in Delaware I decided to take a break. I'd been driving all day and I knew I had an hour and a half worth of driving after I dropped them off in Baltimore... so it was time for a nap. We stopped at a rest stop and took did a pit stop and I laid my head against the passenger backrest. I must have gone to sleep instantly - the next thing I knew we were in the tunnel in Baltimore! Andrea drove us to their home, they unpacked, and I headed back to Virginia.
I made good time too - after the long drive up and back, I was home just after midnight ...
... and I've got this great souvenir from the trip!
After a long month of reading and shopping and searching through the classifieds and many other sources, I've bought a motorcycle! Not what I first started off at, but perhaps a better purchase overall. I've put money down on a project bike, a "parts bike" - a 1970 Triumph Trophy 500 - aka T100C. Its very much like the first Triumph I had in school ... a bike I rode to Myrtle Beach one very long Labor Day weekend. The bike I'm getting needs a battery, paint, better tires and some finessing to get it running - but its a great start for a 33 year old bike (Manufactured date Feb 1970). I have visions of cleaning it up and stripping it down like some of the leaned down bikes on this site ... - like a 500cc version of this one
With all this rain we have had in the past month, the rare warm and sunny days have triggered memories of days long gone, days when I rode a British bike everywhere. Now in my riding days (70-76), Triumphs were still in production, and parts were almost available - there were 4 or 5 dealers in the Baltimore Washington area, and Triumph distribution was just north of Baltimore! Since those days, a lot has changed. BSA went out of business in 72, Triumph finally failed in the 80s (tho they've "come back" with new designs), and old British iron has become even rarer. So to humour my dreams, I've done a lot of web searches and - I've developed an interest in old thumpers - one of the big British singles. Something about those old BSA Victor Specials is appealing. I've got a decent shed now to keep it out of the rain and snow, got the tools to manage it, I even have alternate transportation (the car) for the majority of my time, the bike would be for fun only ... Now, all I need to do is find one somewhat locally. Or perhaps an older Triumph 500 or 750 twin of the early 70s - one with the shifter where it belongs! The picture above is my old Tiger 750 (single carb). After an unfortunate tussle with the side of a pickup truck, the original frame was tweaked and I located a '67 650 frame to put it all in. I put on a lightweight rear fender, removed or trimmed the sidecovers, and even found an old aluminium BSA gas tank to save more weight. I kept the front chrome fender for looks ... I sold it off to get into sports cars - as I couldn't afford both ... and was trying to "settle down"! Ah, who knew ...
