Southern California Motorcycles Spring Open House Show! SATURDAY 2nd APRIL

Posted on March 31, 2016January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

31 Mar

Well, Only a few days away and the BIG event to be held at North America’s biggest Triumph Motorcycle dealer will soon be upon us.

We shall be having a small Booth there,, showing parts and Apparel from our shop and be great to see you in Person. Maybe have some headlights, Seats and other cool parts for your british iron. So we sure hope that you will ride over to this Open house and come enjoy this fun Saturday with more Triumphs than you will know what to do with.

Where:Southern California Motorcycles
515 W Lambert Rd
Brea, CA 92821
When:Saturday, April 2 – 10am-5pm

This is a big and fun event, so jump on your Trusty Trumpy and head over to Southern California Motorcycles in Brea on Saturday the 2nd April for some great bargains, heck, you might even fancy buying a New machine as they can hook you up right there and then if so needed.

I have bought Three Motorcycles from them there and have always given me a super deal and an easy Transaction too.

Bring you and the Family as there will be all sorts of stuff going on and know that you will enjoy yourself.

Here is a Bit more about their show for you to read:

Southern California Motorcycles invites riders and enthusiasts of all ages, as well as their family and friends, to join us for our annual Spring Open House. The event will take place on Saturday, April 2nd from 10am to 5pm at our dealership located at 515 W. Lambert Rd. in Brea, CA. Attendees can enjoy free food and drinks, live music, and the chance to win prizes from free raffles and a Best Bike contest. Vendors will be displaying the latest and greatest in motorcycles and more. We will have a bikini bike wash, photo booth, and tons of great deals throughout our showrooms. Our Service department is now taking appointments for an exclusive offer for onsite suspension setup. For only $40, riders can have their suspension set up (an $80 savings) in about twenty minutes. We will have over 20 motorcycles ready for demo rides from all our brands; sign-ups are on a first-come first-serve basis.

We shall be there with a few of our own Motorcycles too, so make sure you can come by and say hello, maybe even buy some products from us too?

Hope to see you pop by and have a chin wag on Saturday as the weather will be perfect for it. We shall be there early and stay until the end, so please come out and say hello, we support all businesses that are local and love to see some of you there. Ride safe.

More Music today as Viva Las Vegas is only a couple of weeks away.

Posted on March 28, 2016January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

28 Mar

Lets go with some ripping sounds of Eddy & the Back fires to get things started right out of the gate.

THX Carl da Silva !!! You´re unforgotton for us !!!

Posted by Eddy & The Backfires on Sunday, December 6, 2015

How about some insanity with Mad Jack & the Hatters. love this Video.

Now back home and this was shot in Camden which is my old stomping ground and here is:
New Rockabilly trio The Piccadilly Bullfrogs – Cut throat Joe!

Let’s not forget Mystery Gang and Voodo Doll!

ALL Girl Motorcycle Club

Posted on March 26, 2016January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

26 Mar

Well, this time I want to feature a bit about the girls this time and some of the cool clubs that are around the world etc, my girlfriend rides and in my club I have Girls and love it when we see Girls on motorcycles and hats off to Whole clubs with them in.

This Club is up on the East Coast of the States and a cool looking club too, enough of me, here is their Club.

Welcome the MISS-FIRES!

Even if you’ve never been on a motorcycle, there’s something about spending time with The Miss-Fires that convinces you to leave all of your concerns about riding behind and just throw on a helmet. With this (predominantly) Brooklyn-based, all-female riding group, bullshit always takes a backseat to riding.

In October 2013, the idea of The Miss-Fires was born, naturally, via text message. 34-year-old Corinna Mantlo reached out to fellow female riders to take a dinner ride. As more rides occurred, the group continued to grow by word of mouth. One evening, a lengthy Post-It-note list of options eventually led to the club’s official name.

“The name ‘The Miss-Fires’ stuck with [everyone], because it doesn’t take itself too seriously,” Mantlo says, citing that in motorcycle terminology, a ‘misfire’ technically means you’ve messed up, that your bike isn’t going to start because of a fizzle of the spark. “A lot of the other women’s clubs around the country are ‘The Hottie Babes’ or ‘The Super-Awesome Sexy Girls.’ And, that’s not us.” Instead, they selected a name that keeps the riding club both humble and determined.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARC MCANDREWS.

Over the past year or so, The Miss-Fires have officially grown to include more than 100 women — ranging from their 20s to their 60s — who ride and wrench at all different levels; their bikes, too, are an array of different styles and types, from Ducatis and Triumphs to Yamahas, Hondas, Suzukis, Harleys, and more. While some of the women only picked up bikes in the past few years, others have been riding motorcycles since they were children; for example, 60-year-old Andrea Young has been at this for 50 years. Ashlinn Romagnoli learned a couple of years ago while her dad was taking up riding again. The 27-year-old told her father, “If you’re gonna do this, you’re gonna teach me, too.”

One of the most fascinating qualities of The Miss-Fires, however, is the diversity of backgrounds from which they come. While riding may be the driving force that brings them together, it’s just as interesting to look at their passions off the bike. Soulful singer-songwriter Julia Haltigan rides alongside scientist Alison Cutlan, who is currently developing her own probiotic skincare line. In-house lawyer Dani Nolan hangs with commercial tailor Leslie Padoll and fashion photographer Ashleigh Ide. There’s a Glamourmagazine editor, a handbag designer, and a financial controller. There’s a visual designer, a Wall Street vice president, and a leather designer who’s worked with Prince. It’s a melting pot of women one would not necessarily suspect to be avid motorcycle riders. And, that’s the coolest part.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARC MCANDREWS.

Being such a rising, powerful force in a male-dominated culture certainly has its fair share of challenges. Lynda Lucas, 28, has witnessed the stigma against female riders firsthand. “There are so many times I’ve experienced push-back or sexist comments,” she says. “I think there’s something really empowering and inspiring about being a woman rider. You get strength from pushing yourself and learning how to do something that not even a lot of men will do. It’s something that will change you forever.” Suzanne Cellura, 34, often receives negative reactions because of her bike, a 2013 Ducati Monster 696 ABS. “If people see me on it, sometimes I hear stupid things like, ‘That’s a big bike for a little girl,’ she explains. “I’ll ride harder than any guy there. I purchased that bike because I wanted a bike that performed well. I wanted to ride hard. That’s what I do.”

Such comments are often an outcome of the assumption that women ride motorcycles to get attention. “There are a lot of girls who want to get attention for being sexy on a bike, so there are a lot of stereotypes,” says 40-year-old Kim Kenney. “You need to make sure you present yourself appropriately, be safe, wear your gear, and know what you’re doing — and that’s challenging for women [who] want the attention for the wrong reasons.”

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARC MCANDREWS.

The Miss-Fires became a place for female riders to feel connected within a culture where riding alone or amongst a group of men seemed like the only options. The individual journeys these women have embarked on have allowed them to find their inner selves (Nolan says participating in The Miss-Fires has encouraged her to come out of her shell) and, naturally, their senses of style.

“In real life, I don’t wear pants, and I don’t look good in pants,” says Kat Thomsen, digital managing editor at Glamour magazine. “I wear a lot of ’50s vintage dresses, crinolines, and heels. A lot of The Miss-Fires don’t know that side of me, whereas my colleagues know a different side. I own more jeans [now] than I did before, but I only really wear them on the motorcycle.” Romagnoli, too, admits her personal look has become more influenced by riding. “What I wear in the summer is dictated by my riding,” she explains. “I have to wear long pants and boots. Also, now I only wear high-waisted jeans because I’m sitting down all the time.”

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARC MCANDREWS.

For Heidi Hackemer, founder of strategy shop Wolf & Wilhelmine, incorporating her own sense of style by putting a personal touch on her favorite leather jacket has blended her two worlds seamlessly. “I bought this jacket, and I put this wolf on about a year ago,” she says. “Then, I gave it to my niece to paint. She was like, ‘But, this was your favorite motorcycle jacket!’ And, I said, ‘I know. That’s why I want you to paint on it.'” The result is a gorgeous riding jacket, something that truly represents the greatest passions in Hackemer’s life.

Unsurprisingly, The Miss-Fires are a huge part of why the motorcycle industry is changing — especially when it comes to the female biker scene in New York City. “I know The Miss-Fires are definitely encouraging ladies who want to get motorcycles,” Heavy Leather NYC owner Rachael Becker comments. “Now, I can encourage [women] to get their licenses, because now there’s a presence of female riders in the neighborhood. Before that, it was really daunting to get one if you were a lone rider.”

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARC MCANDREWS.

With fundraisers like bike washes, speakeasies, and barbecues accompanied by the sounds of Thomsen’s honky-tonk band, Your Ex-Girlfriends, The Miss-Fires have a good time on and off of their bikes. The women-only club even hosted an evening at Mercury Lounge featuring Thomsen’s band and Haltigan.

The Miss-Fires’ passionate vibe is contagious. “It takes a certain kind of girl to want to ride,” Lucas says. “It’s hard to explain, but everyone is kind of a badass at heart. Everyone is so caring and supportive of each other. It’s just a big family. It’s pretty great.”

Some of these photos do not have their names on but if you took these let me know all inf so I can post and give credit for your work.

Q. How did you decide on the name?

A. Everything we’re about is having fun, encouraging each other and never taking things too seriously. A misfire is a product of having an ignition system problem, bad timing, which results in your bike or car not starting well. The Miss-Fires is a twist on the idea that we’re all constantly learning, making mistakes and becoming better, stronger riders, wrenchers and people, while having fun doing it.

Miss3

So great to see a Club grow and of course have fun at the same too.

Plenty of Brit Tin to be seen in and around Brooklyn and the Miss fires are no exception, hearing them Thundering around must turn many heads.

Just some random shots I saw on Google from this awesome club.

Doing up her lid and ready to Rock in NYC.

I hope to feature other great female Motorcycle clubs so stay tuned….

The importance of Protective clothing for Motorcycles.

Posted on March 25, 2016January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

25 Mar

Well, I have been lucky for many many years bit I think I am going to start to look for a little extra protection in regards to riding gear, so many years, 4 decades, I have ridden bikes, I have had my share of spills and deals but this lady was lucky and even at only 50 MPH and with all her gear on, she still sustained road rash.

I have followed the Motolady for quite some time and she is a great rider and sometimes there is no reasoning for a low or high side, it can happen on any road lane or pathway.

Below is her blog and if you get time, take a moment to soak some of this in, it woke me up today and I feel for her but- if it was not for her protective gear, this would of been so much worse, Motorcycles can be repaired, we take a lot longer to heal for sure.

As many of you saw on instagram and facebook on Monday, I crashed the Monster. Being geared up head to toe saved my life.

After about five and a half years of riding, I finally had a spill on the street. But it was a little bit more than a spill- it was a 50-55mph crash. Now, the Monster and I are both relatively okay- flesh wounds mostly. I’m bruised all over and have a bout of road rash on my right hip. The Monster has damage down the right side.

Yesterday at about 11am I left Costa Mesa base camp heading toward LA on the 55 North freeway. I exited right at the 73N/405N freeway onramp interchange, which is a really long two lane sweeping left turn. At about 50 mph, I hit what I thought was a little bump in the roadway and got a speed wobble, which almost immediately turned into a violent tank slapper and I hit the pavement. I didn’t highside- I had a very violent lowside (sort of) where the bike hit the ground rather hard (and with the quickness).

We then slid some 75 or so feet to a stop after sliding into the median (in what seemed like slow-mo) and bouncing off. The bike and I ground against the road for a moment together when I lost sight of it, rolling sideways as I skid feet first and then rotated around to point across the lanes. When I finally came to a stop, I immediately got up and started waving my arms so that any oncoming traffic wouldn’t run us over. Luckily for me there were no cars behind me for a half mile or so. Two trucks were the first to pull up and stop in either lane, turning on their hazards and sort of motioning for me to move my crap out of the way.

I pleaded with them via hand signals to please help me pick it up, as I’d already tried and the awkward angle and oil everywhere was making it tough. Not to mention my body was a bit beat up. When we tried to roll the bike after it was vertical, something seemed seized. Pulling in the clutch did nothing, shifting it into neutral seemed to have no effect. So, we dragged it downhill to the inside smaller shoulder, and the front wheel wouldn’t move. I thanked them and they all drove away.

I then called my roommate Will, asking if he could pick me up and bring some gauze for the road rash I noticed on my hip. It wasn’t bleeding profusely but definitely was not pleasant looking. And then I began to wait… traffic flying by. A motorcyclist in sprinter van arrived, parked on the opposite shoulder and asked if he could help transport my bike. When I told him I had someone on the way, he offered to put his hazards on for safety, and asked if I’d prefer to wait in van. Why, of course I would prefer that! Thankful, I waited a moment and safely crossed traffic to wait in an air conditioned space.

After a few minutes getting to know Joel, a street rider gone dirt, a tow truck stopped to help. He called CHP, who stopped traffic while Joel and he ran over to move the bike to the safer side of the road. The tow truck driver went through the usual suspects to see what was seized or lodged, and pulled out a big piece of metal from between the front wheel’s mags, brake calipers, and forks. From inside the van I was craning around trying to see what on earth it was- turns out it was a piece of a spare tire mounting bracket. It’s really hard to tell if I picked it up after going down, or if it lodged into the wheel and caused the crash. I have felt and ridden out speed wobbles on the Monster before, as many Southern California freeways and roads have massive potholes and bumps all over the place. So it’s hard for me to believe that I would crash so immediately and so hard from a little bump in the road when I wasn’t even pushing the bike. But I can’t say for sure what happened, I didn’t have a GoPro on, and I can’t press replay on my mind!

So, Will, the roommate, arrived just after the bike got moved and loaded it up into his truck. I moved to the back seat of his Tacoma and put some gauze over my road rash, drank some water and chilled out til we got home. At that point the inspections of injuries, head, and rash began, followed by cleaning.

Now, about the state of my dear, sweet Monster.

While yes, I was most immediately concerned with how screwed up my bike was, I had glanced at it and hadn’t seen a whole load of damage on my tank or body work at first glance so I was somewhat scared to really look. Upon further inspection, there’s a lot of small damage, and some major stuff that definitely needs fixing. But my SpeedyMoto frame sliders absolutely saved my tank, bodywork, and my swingarm! It was practically a miracle!

At this point it appears I need the following:

Clutch cover/right side engine cover
Cone Engineering muffler and fix to my custom high exhaust stainless pipe
Woodcraft clip-ons, CRG bar end mirrors, K&S bar end blinkers, right side CNR lever
Right side rear set
Rear axle and bolts
Grips
Frame sliders
Rizoma brake reservoir

There’s also various damage:

Massive paint scrapes to front wheel and paint
Scrapes to inside of front brake calipers
Powdercoat damage where clip on bracket hit frame
Possible front end damage (forks, wheel, rotors could be bent)

All in all, I feel incredibly thankful. Wearing full gear definitely saved my life. I came down hard on my helmet, scraped up every side of all of my gear, blew out a seam on my boots, rubbed through to the armor on my jacket, scraped through the knees of the riding jeans to the armor… the list goes on.

The reason I ended up with road rash on my hip is because of improper fitment. I lost about ten pounds recently, and my riding jeans were sitting below my hips. Usually they sit closer to my waist, but even with my belt on the last hole, they were somewhat baggy. So when I was sliding feet first, my jacket pulled up a bit, my pants too low, it contacted the asphalt.

Seriously, I stand by all of what I had on 100%.

Every single side of my jacket got rashed up badly, my jeans took the beating like a champ, too. Make sure you click on the thumbnails so you can see the detail shots.

The inside of my Elsinore boots got blown out on one side and rashed up a little everywhere else, but kept my feet and ankles safe!

My full face helmet took a major beating- it has scratches all over it and across the face shield. Again so thankful to have been geared up and wearing a full face helmet. I can’t ride in anything less, never have been able to.

The Barrage backpack I was wearing from the Chrome Industries Motor collection helped me out too, no doubt. It also took a lot of the slide, and held up amazingly well. Some broken seams of course, but no holes, and it stayed on me through the whole ordeal. You can see on my jacket where the backpack gave me extra protection against the road. And yes, the Icon 1000 Akorp jacket has a back protector.

At this point, after a full day of resting and tending to the road rash, my bruises are pretty nasty but it’s healing pretty well. Don’t look at these if you’re grossed out by… blood n stuff. You can see lots of road grime hanging out in it. Gross.

The big red spot on my hip is actually a pretty deep hole- pretty gross. Definitely the most painful part. It’s super gross to see your tattoo imprinted on the bandages when you remove them like silly putty on newspaper.

Someone asked me how I’m feeling mentally after crashing my motorcycle, and about getting back on a bike. Well, honestly, I can’t wait! It was definitely a scary experience- one that I hope to never deal with again. But the reality is that sometimes doing the things you love comes with unpleasant consequences. We all know riding motorcycles is dangerous. I feel absolutely happy to have landed metaphorically and physically where I did, as everything could have gone so much worse. I consider myself a good rider- I am confident in my skill level however I always want to get better, improve techniques, and learn more. So, I’ll be working harder on improving my technique via more training, trackdays, and miles. I also plan on improving my gear situation (proper fitment and attaching my pants and jacket together so this can’t happen again). I am excited to hop back on the proverbial horse.

I’ll keep you guys in the loop of fixes (and hopefully upgrades?) to the Monster. I definitely want to put a steering stabilizer on there. It’s going to be a process… again.

– See more at: http://themotolady.com/crashing-my-motorcycle/#sthash.WgtQ2RGe.dpuf

A little wake up call for me but more so for me to make sure my girlfriend Jennifer adheres to this, she has some good protective clothing now and I feel good about that but I am a leather jacket and jean guy but some rides you just have to make sure you are as safe as you can be in wearing protective apparel.

I sure hope that she makes a fast recovery and I am going to be looking into some better gear as we start this riding season again with many shows and events to attend.

MODS VS ROCKERS EXHIBIT . HERSHEY PA . March 19th-OCT 15th 2016

Posted on March 22, 2016January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

22 Mar

Visit to see this summer exhibit here at the AACA Museum!

Mods and Rockers were two conflicting British youth subcultures of the 1960s.

This exhibit examines the “Mods & Rockers” era in the UK.

The Rocker subculture was centered on motorcycling, and their appearance reflected that. They generally wore protective clothing such as black leather jackets and motorcycle boots (although they sometimes wore “brothel creeper” shoes). The common Rocker hairstyle was a pompadour, while their music genre of choice was 1950s rock and roll, played by artists like Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, and Bo Diddley.

The Mod subculture was centered on fashion and music, and many mods rode scooters. Mods wore suits and other clean-cut outfits, and preferred 1960s music genres such as soul, rhythm and blues, ska beat music and British blues-rooted bands like The Who, The Yardbirds, and The Small Faces.

The exhibit will feature approximately 12 period motorcycles and 12 period scooters, along with material culture, photographs, and interpretive posters.

Not your average motorcycle / café bike exhibit…

Guest Curators:
Rob Kain
Janet Mulligan Bowen
Dave Russell

Remember to sign up for our Keep Up to Speed Newsletter so you will always know what’s new!

Confirmed Motorcycles:

1950 Matchless Super Clubman

1953 Triumph Speed Twin

1953 Vincent Black Shadow Series C

1957 BSA Gold Star

1965 Triumph TR6

1962 Ariel Leader

1962 Matchless G80 500cc

1963 BSA A10 (GS trim)

1963 BSA Clubman Gold Star

1966 Triton

1966 Velocette Endurance

1968 TriNelli

1969 BSA Lightning

Confirmed Scooters:

1956 Lambretta LD 150

1959 Lambretta TV175

1961 Lambretta Li150

1961 Vespa GS 150

1963 Lambretta LI125

1965 Lambretta TV175

1966 Vespa 150 Super

1967 Lambretta SX200

1978 Vespa Rally 200

AACA Museum
161 Museum Drive
Hershey, PA 17033

Phone: 717.566.7100
Fax: 717.566.7300

Beat Girl 1959

Posted on March 18, 2016January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

18 Mar

OK, it is almost the weekend, I have some bikes in a Commercial coming up this weekend and I thought that I would add a movie that was an iconic film for its day. Adam Faith was a cool cat back in the day and thought that I would put the whole movie on and you can watch it at your own convenience.

:images are from internet

A Classic that you may enjoy.

Plot

Paul Linden (David Farrar), a wealthy and prominent architect, returns home to London bringing his new wife, beautiful 24-year-old Nichole (Noelle Adam), whom he has just married in Paris. Paul is anxious to introduce Nichole to his teenage daughter Jennifer (Gillian Hills),

but Jennifer appears less than happy about her father’s remarriage and coldly rejects all of Nichole’s friendly overtures all evening. After Paul and Nichole go to bed, Jennifer sneaks out to the local beatnik club for an evening of rock music and dancing with her friends, including Dave (Adam Faith), a youth from a working-class background who plays guitar and writes songs;

Tony (Peter McEnery) , a general’s son whose mother was killed in the Blitz and who has a drinking problem, although beatniks frown on alcohol; and Dodo (Shirley Anne Field), Tony’s well-bred girlfriend. Dave and Jennifer are attracted to each other.

The next day Nichole plans to meet Jennifer at her art college so they can have lunch together. At lunchtime, Nichole arrives at Jennifer’s school but is told that Jennifer has left and gone to the beatnik coffee club in Soho. Nichole goes to the club and confronts Jennifer in front of her friends, who are impressed by Nichole’s youth, good looks and knowledge of modern jazz. The fact that her friends and especially Dave seem to like Nichole upsets Jennifer. Nichole leaves, reminding Jennifer to be home for her father’s important business dinner that night. As Nichole leaves, she passes Greta (Delphi Lawrence), the star performer at the strip club across the street. Greta recognizes Nichole and greets her by name, but Nichole ignores her, to Greta’s annoyance. Jennifer and her friends see this encounter and wonder how Greta and Nichole might know each other. Jennifer suspects that Nichole was also a stripper before meeting her father.

That night at Paul’s business dinner, Jennifer tries to embarrass Nichole in front of the guests by bringing up the encounter with Greta, making sure to emphasize that Greta is a stripper. After the guests leave, Paul questions Nichole, who says that she knew Greta in Paris and that they were in ballet together but Greta pursued a different way of life and Nichole lost track of her. Paul accepts her explanation, but Jennifer goes to the strip club to ask Greta directly. Greta at first claims she made a mistake and doesn’t really know Nichole, but under pressure from her boyfriend, strip club manager Kenny King (Christopher Lee), she reveals that she and Nichole worked together as strippers and occasional prostitutes in Paris. Jennifer, encouraged by Kenny, becomes enamored with the idea of becoming a stripper herself. Jennifer is caught by Paul and Nichole coming home from the strip club at 3 am and an angry confrontation results. Jennifer taunts Nichole by telling her she has spoken with Greta and that Nichole had better stay out of Jennifer’s life from now on or else Jennifer will tell what she knows about Nichole. Nichole visits the strip club to tell Kenny and Greta to stay away from her stepdaughter, but Kenny says that Jennifer will be welcome at the club any time and that if Nichole interferes he will tell Paul about her past.

Jennifer and her friends have a wild night including dancing at a candlelit cavern, a dangerous auto race, and a game of “chicken” on railroad tracks where the last person to leave the rails before the train arrives (Jennifer) wins. Throughout the evening, Jennifer and Dave dare each other to increasingly dangerous behaviors as a way of flirting. Jennifer invites everyone to continue the party at her house, as her father is out of town and Nichole presumably won’t interfere for fear Jennifer will reveal her past. Jennifer accepts a dare to “strip like a Frenchie” and begins a strip tease to music, but when she gets down to her underwear Nichole bursts from her bedroom and stops her. Then Paul suddenly arrives home and breaks up the party, throwing all of the beatniks out of his house including Dave. Jennifer angrily tells her father about Nichole’s activities in Paris. Nichole, crying, admits it is true and explains she only did it because she was broke and hungry. Paul and Nichole profess their love for each other and reconcile.

Jennifer goes to the beat club, but now finds it boring. She walks out on her friends and meets Kenny across the street at the strip club. Kenny invites her to go to Paris with him and have him train her to be a star stripper. Greta, performing onstage, is told by stage manager Simon (Nigel Green) that Kenny plans to leave her and go off with Jennifer. Just as Kenny makes a pass at Jennifer, a woman’s hand is shown stabbing Kenny to death with a letter opener. The club staff, thinking Jennifer killed Kenny, lock her up and call the police. Jennifer screams that she didn’t do it, and the real culprit, jealous Greta, emerges from behind a curtain. Meanwhile, Dave, Tony and Dodo confront some Teddy Boys who vandalize Dave’s jalopy and smash his guitar. Paul and Nichole arrive on the scene searching for Jennifer just as the police drag her, in hysterics, out of the strip club. The police release Jennifer to Paul and Nichole and the family, arms around each other, heads for home, as Dave throws his broken guitar in a trash bin and proclaims, “Funny, only squares know where to go.”

A Little run about on the Thruxton this Morning.

Posted on March 8, 2016January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

08 Mar

Hey there you lot

Well, today is Tuesday, ride your Trumpy day, so I thought I would pop over to my Chrome platers and a few other companies that I frequent for things like Stainless hardware, Gas caps and fuel line etc.

We had Rain yesterday and it was nice and fresh this morning, a great time to ride, as the visibilty was perfect and a nice crisp feel to the skin as I go through the gears and feel my eyes water as my sockets tell me its cold.

I love Southern California and today felt especially good, as I was on my Triumph, people were happy and waving as I thundered by on my trusty steed, I even didnt mind the major orienteering I had to endure, as I manouvered around the Pot holes that had appeared after the down pour we recieved yesterday.

So I thought I would just take a couple of photos as the Mountains looked awesome with a blue sky backdrop and I knew that today would be a fun one as I blapped around to theny of many people stuck in their cages at the traffic lights.

I hope you have a great day like I am having, My Thruxton loves my Polished Monarch Megaphones and my polished Stainless Steel headers, makes the bike Bark and react faster, stay tuned for many new parts and of course apparel that is coming to you by me.

Also being the President of the 59 Club O.C. section I really enjoy all the rides that we do and have many going on this year, if you are interest in joining us just go to www.meetup.com and then in the search engine look for carpys cafe racer meet ups.

I enjoy riding around this great part of California and always somewhere new and inviting to go and check out, I have made many new friends and enjoy the commerarderie amongst the different people where we go.

If you are in the area pop by and say hello, as I meet people from not just around the United States but from all over the globe.

Get on your bike, go ride, enjoy life and the feel of the wind in your face, I ride a lot and it I believe is my own therapy, if I have an issue or problem to resolve and am stuck, I tend to jump on the bike and go for a ride to clear my head, and then return with a full brain of information as to what I need to do to get things completed.

Have a super day and if I can help with anything for your two wheeled machine, just drop me a line on carpy@carpyscaferacers.com or sling a dime in the slot at 714-996-4597 and I shall endeavor to resolve your enquiry.

Thanks for reading and go have fun on your MotorCycle.

Hot Rods are part of my Life too !

Posted on March 4, 2016January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

04 Mar

OK- many people think that I am only into Motorcycles, and I can understand that, as I have been building Cafe Racers here in California in the last 14 years, but- since I was a youngster, I had the Car bug big time.

I grew up near to many American Air force bases and that’s where I got my first influences from of cool old American cars, I loved everything about the cars, the country and the lifestyle as well as the passion for Hot Rods.

Then, I had my first Hot Rod, a 1932 Deuce Coupe, it was Chopped and channeled and was a Right Hand drive Model, this Deuce meant so much to me and I felt like I was living in the U.S.A. with that ride.

I wish I had kept it now, as we all do when we look back at things we have had.

This was my ONLY form of transport and I drive it in all weather, I didn’t have a floor in it for a year, the snow and rain used to blast up inside the Coupe, until I lost a couple of cassette tapes and then my keys jumped out of the ignition as I was driving back from work and that’s when I decided it was time for a floor.

This used to be so much fun blasting about Brighton and I traveled all over the UK in my 3 window and some super fun memories that’s for sure.

I was a lot thinner back then, maybe from pushing the damn thing when the battery dies or I ran out of gas as my gas meter did not work.

I drove up to Hemsby for the traditional Rock n Roll weekender and then visited some old school mates and friends in that area, it was such a blast to drive, loud old and bumpy but that’s an old traditional Hot Rod in the 1980’s in Britain for poor working class folk like me.

The I-Beam axle was a 4 inch drop and shorty shocks, made sure you didn’t fall asleep at the wheel when ever you drove this Coupe.

Watch ya head, this coupe was chopped and channeled and with a 4 inch windshield, not much vision, plus when it rained you couldn’t see anything, and- to get me through the yearly MOT test, you have to have a windshield wiper, so- I took a complete motor and wiper arm off a Volvo Headlight and fitted it indie the coupe, it was perfect.

Such fun times and glad I actually took some photographs, else they would just be my own views in my head.

We were all a close knit community and had so much fun at Rock N roll weekenders, especially on the beach etc.

How about this shot, many many moons ago with my First car, a 1961 Low line Ford Consul, with a 4 banger and a 3 on the tree, I drove the lug nuts off this machine.

Oh dear- what was I thinking? But this was my 1959 Ford Zephyr that I 2 door-ed and made some mad steel fins on the car, this had Candy Red and white tuck n Roll too, I was in a crazy zone when I did this.

This was me in 1997 when I moved to Australia, and I bought a 195 XP For Falcon, very similar the the American Ranchero, this was a cool ride, they call them Ute’s out there but it was a fun ride that I played about with and really liked that car.

I used to pain the old race style numbers on the doors of my rides back then, I still do on the bikes I build sometimes, this time I painted the car flat black in my mates driveway and then fitted pin line whites and then fitted a cool set of MOON discs.

But I get restless and have to keep trying things out on this machine.

I cant leave anything alone for too long, this time I scalloped the car and pin lined it, as well as fitting a steel sun-visor.

I fitted a Black Tarp on the back and later on I located some fender skirts for it too. Then I painted the Coop Devil on the back and added more scallops!

But I will always love tinkering with stuff, just the way my Brother and I was bought up, not really had a happy child hood but kept busy.

I started to get into this Roadster when I moved to Australia from the UK in 1997 and then continued over here in the states as I shipped the body over, the photo above is me in New South wales, I was patching the side of the Roadster body as it was completely shot with old bullet holes, but- I wanted the same thickness steel and the contour, so used a 1940 Ford truck door to use and it worked out so well.

Above, Anthony Castaneda of the Infamous Shifters gave me his old Dodge Dash Board and I spent the next few days cutting my old gas tank and fitting this set up, I was so stoked to have accomplished this and loved the way the dashboard flowed, similar to the 1936 Ford versions.

I used a Belgian Flat head in the end and this was a great motor, I love the sound of side valve motors, a very unique sound of their very own.

Jeez, this was a while ago, i was wearing a watch, who wears watches any more?

I chose a eggshell Blue and a Flat white firewall as it reminded me of the Al Sharp Coupe.

I also had My 1958 F150 short bed painted by Anthony Castaneda in his old shop (RIP mate) I stayed up and hand painted the logo and lettering getting ready for me to go with the shifters to Paso Robles back then.

I will have to look to see if I have any more photos of this 29 Roadster of mine, I loved that car but had to sell it when everyone moved out to go forward in their lives and I knew I would have another later on.

I had so much fun building this in the garage at home in Southern California and sure wished I still had this Roadster.

Days of old but soon I will be getting back into another 1929 Roadster that I located in Indiana and My Girlfriend Jennifer Bought for me,I am looking forward to driving it with her in the following months.

This was a fun build and now resides in the land of the rising sun, sure hope to see photos of it as I sold it to a very cool friend of mine Ken Sakata.

I now have this 29 Roadster at my shop, needs a ton of work but- I will get there eventually, once I have located all the parts I need.

I have a super amount of work to do to this little A-Bone but it will be worth it and cannot wait until I can get onto El Mirage and of course one day at Bonneville Salt Flats.

I am not sure what color it will be but I will be running a Flathead, not the 4 Banger that’s in it right now.

My plan is to locate a cool Vintage dash board, be it a 36 ford, Chrysler, Pontiac or Caddy etc and have a unique look to it with cool Gauges.

I will be running a 1932 Truck grille, so that will all change but will still use original chassis etc and Kelsey wire wheels of course.

I have an original Moredrop axle for the front but will need 1940 Ford Hydraulic brakes all around too. And below, I was so fortunate to locate this Original plaque that used to be on the guys Roadster back in the day, a nice bit of history right there.

I will be using old plates as well to capture the spirit of the style that I am into and hope that this will make people smile once completed.

This will be a cool build but maybe a year before I am halfway there I believe, hard to do on a low budget.

But stay tuned, as i will up date when I get more parts together etc.

This Custom built Triumph is all Art in every angle

Posted on March 3, 2016January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

03 Mar

Sometimes there are things that just stop me in my tracks and, today is that reason, I saw this Triumph and just thought ” Woah! thats a bucket load of work and thought that has gone into this beast”. Named- ” Rumour Monger” Images by Manny Tamayo

What a work of art, this is quintessentially the most I have seen altered on the Newer Trumpy’s and for those who are purists it is not up your alley but- just look at the time and the creation that has been developed. Images by Manny Tamayo

I knew this had to be a Bike that was built on the other side of the world, I lived in Australia for 4 years and saw so many cool bikes that were created from tiny workshop and this fella ” Wenley Andrews” is one of this Blokes and boy- What a killer job. Images by Manny Tamayo

Coming out of Perth, Andrew took a 2010 Bonneville with the Mag wheels etc and set about to change the whole look and style to this now iconic Motorcycle. Images by Manny Tamayo

I had toyed with the idea of fitting a Springer front end to my 2013 Thruxton but its lot of work and although i could do it, finding the bearings may of been a task that I really didn’t want to do by calling all the bearing and race manufacturers, so this guy really done his home work on the bike that he built from his shop named. ” Mean Machines”. Images by Manny Tamayo

The front end Springer is now five inches shorter and to be honest, looks better for it, and sports a 21 inch front rim, but also what pretty cool about this machine is the way they have set up the Faux mechanical brake system, putting the master cylinder under the Petrol tank, and still being hydralic but actuated by a cable, very trick eh? Images by Manny Tamayo

The tank took some work to fit how he wanted to as he had to cut away the subframe but he managed to pull the job off by redesigning the frame a little and then calling Ikon and asking to have a set of custom length rear shocks to raise the arse a little and to be sure it sits very well indeed. Images by Manny Tamayo

This bike actually gives the styling of the infamous Board Track Racers of Yester Year and even though this is a 2010 model, its hard to guess at first glance what era this is from. Just look at the work involved on this Stainless Steel exhaust system, not only is it tight and clean, they actually removed the float bowl off this efi system and brought the headers in even tighter and then added a cool starter switch assembly above the unit. Images by Manny Tamayo

Just so much work and the candy Root Beer Brown is something I love as that’s the color of one of the bikes I created last year, love the whole concept to be honest.

Images by Manny Tamayo

Below you can see more detail work and this time going with a different headlight bucket and unit that was taking from a Prima Vera Vespa Scooter and then fitted a Motogadget Speedometer, complete with an integrated M lock key less ignition, that is hidden with the Battery under the seat, this is as far out as most people would even dream of. Images by Manny Tamayo

Hand made bars too just gibe this a clean and sophisticated style that’s hard to pull off, well done lads, great job and I am sure that we are going to see many articles on this and all the other Motorcycle that they are creating, as well as Classic cars too. Images by Manny Tamayo

A great builder that enjoys motorcycles and loves other people enjoy too.

Here is an earlier Video of the young Bloke when he worked in his garage and was worried that his mum would whoop his arse for playing with motorcycles.

A cool shot of it in the outback as it were.

Great to see and hope you liked looking at this as much as I did putting it on as a blog.

The Black Tibetans- Awesome Band and a Mate of mine.

Posted on March 2, 2016January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

02 Mar

Los Angeles, CA – Formed in 2011, the three-piece Rock N’ Roll machine consists of Dinst (vocals/guitar), Tammi Tibetan (bass), and Ryan KH (drums). The Black Tibetans fuse motorcycle-centric culture with old-school sound combining elements of classic Rock N’ Roll, blues and punk influences. The Black Tibetans have been on countless tours and have shared the stage with bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Eagles of Death Metal, Brody Dalle (The Distillers), Social Distortion, The Supersuckers and more.

The Black Tibetans have had the opportunity to make an impression on the fans of many. Through this, they have earned a fan base of their own that continues to grow. With three records and working with well-established musicians in the industry, The Black Tibetans are destined to make a name for themselves. Their most recent release, The Nashville Session produced by Dan Auerbach is out now and available for download on iTunes.

I have Known the Singer for many years and have to say that this is one of the best Raw, 60’s style Garage heavy Guitar groups I have heard in a long time and a well worth a look, their Music is their own style of old and New and if I had a hat on, I would tip it their way.

Try and get to see these Trio of mayhem and raunchy style music, their music is available on I-tunes and well worth some of that hard earned coinage that you lot acquire.

If you want entertainment at its very best, there is no other Band I would rather see right now than The Black Tibetans. ” dalai lama “.

All photos, images are the property of the Black Tibetans.

Check their website out at:

www.theblacktibetans.com/

itunes.apple.com/us/album/go-like-this/id1046116665

So-make sure you check out their Face book page and tour dates, as if they are in your town, U gotta check them out.

https://www.facebook.com/TheBlackTibetans/

Check out this great track by them.
Sheila

Back in 2011 they recorded this track and really put them on the map, turn the Volume up as you will dig this hard core in your face track named “Esmae”

Even earlier in 20120 here is their kicking track “Well it’s a Rock N Roll Party on a Saturday night.

I have known the lead singer for over 20 years and so stoked that he continues to do his thing, the love of music, Motorcycles and the Vintage clothing image that never goes out of style. 10 out of 10 to you all and keep thrashing out these Killer tracks!

Keep Rockin it mate.

Check their tour dates out on Facebook too as they will be heading to the UK soon.

https://www.facebook.com/TheBlackTibetans/

As many of you saw on instagram and facebook on Monday, I crashed the Monster. Being geared up head to toe saved my life.

Confirmed Motorcycles:

Confirmed Scooters:

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