HONDA CB750 BRAT BIKE

Posted on June 23, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

23 Jun

Well, here we are with a 1974 Honda CB750 SOHC model that was turned into an old Land Speed dry lakes Racing bike many many moons ago, but have no real history documentation of what it achieved back in the day etc, but- you can be sure that someone thought long and hard as to what they may do with it.

Last year this was a total mess, it was too dangerous to even attempt to ride, so, it sat for some time in the corner of the shop of mine, until such time as I thought that it needed to have a new lease of life and restyle this inline four 500 pounder into something a little cooler.

As you can see by the photos below, it was not much of a looker but- it did intrigue me to see to what lengths people would go to with these iconic Honda Fours, and I just let this bike sit until I decided it was indeed time to resurrect this sleeping giant. I removed the Old wheel and Built 2 Brand New Rims, with Polished Hubs and Stainless Steel Spokes, Both 18 inch rims.

So, time has gone by and over the past few weeks I have changed a number of things and I am sure that you will notice a difference right away, this is NO show point for sure, I just went ahead and changed a few bits and bobs as I pulled the old rusty and non usable parts off and either refurbished, remade or purchased New parts to slowly transform this inline 4 into a cool looking Bar hopper Brat style machine.

Below is the bike with another Gas tank, fitted with a New OEM genuine Honda Petcock, then I have totally rebult the old carbs, vapor blasted and rejetted them to the pipe, the parts taken off were zinc plated, polished and re-assembled.

Some of you may not even like what I am creating here, that’s fine as we all have our own tastes, but, if you are reading this, then of course, you must be into seeing what is becoming of this Single Over head cam Motorcycle. I wanted a Brat style machine and every few days at a New part, some of the work I have created has taken many hours and sometimes days to get it right.

Just have a look at the front forks compared to the old ones, as I took them apart. cleaned everything internally, then Polished the lowers, fitted New genuine Honda Fork seals and then Brand New Chrome Fork upper tubes, with New springs and caps etc, I also set the pre-load with stainless washers, just like back in the old days of racing.

I also cut the back of the old frame rails as they were not good anyway, and then I made my Own steel Hoop and shortened the chassis to give the bike a lower looking stance, Whilst I was at it, I also fitted a Custom Oil Tank that I sell on my website, this Oil tank holds 3 Quarts and has a battery Compartment where I have fitted an Anti-Gravity 8 cell battery pack and managed to fit some of the electrical in there too.

Also you can see that I made a seat pan and upholstered it with cool Old School style Diamond Stitching, this looks pretty cool and am surprised how comfortable the seat is, and just have a look at how much this bike has changed since I first acquired it, I have fitted new Diamond Treaded Firestone Tires to match the seat and both Rims are 18 inch and make the bike sit so much better than the stock configuration.

Now, As you can also quite clearly see, this bike has a TON of New or refurbished parts, the carbs alone are like New, has a super cool New polished Air-box that makes this Motor breathe right.The Motor has Black wrinkle High temp paint on it and is embellished with stainless Allen head bolts through out and Brand New Honda valve caps on the cover.

This Brat Bike now has some cool parts, like my Newest Prototype exhaust system, the “Sling Shot” This is a great set up that produces power through all the range of motion and sounds incredible, later I will add a sound byte for you to sample the Motorcycle Running. I have many parts now added to this machine and here is the list below of things that I have either rebuilt, changed or refurbished.

Throttle Cables
Clutch cable
New Rims
Polished hubs
Stainless steel spokes
New Firestone tires
Polished hub
Custom Stabilizer Bar
Drilled and chromed rear brake pedal
Drilled and chromed Kick starter
Custom seat
Hooped frame
My own hand made bars -Chromed
Biltwell grips
New levers
Custom headlight Chrome
Polished Front Rotor
New handlebar control switches
Custom oil tank with internal Battery box
Solid state regulator and rectifier
New wire harness
Finned engine covers
Stainless Allen head bolts through out
Wrinkle painted motor
New master Cylinder
New upper fork tubes
New Fork cap
Polished and rebuilt fork lowers
Custom lower Fork caps
New ignition switch and Bracket
New Honda coils
New spark plugs
New oil and oil filter
Anti gravity Lithium gel battery
New chain
Custom Airbox
Completely rebuilt and vapor blasted carbs
1974 Gas tank
New OEM Valve caps in valve cover
Custom 4 into 1 exhaust with DEI Wrap and Chrome

I am still working on this and not sure on a price, No title for it but will come with a Bill of sale when completed, I also will be adding a few videos for you to look around later and also then I will have another Video of the bike running, that way you can hear this amazing exhaust system.

A few months ago I got this running and I loved the sound when I had the raw steel exhaust on, this now has a high performance exhaust system and is look really cool.

Vic Edelbrock Jr Passes away.

Posted on June 11, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

11 Jun

Vic Edelbrock Jr. passed away Friday, June 9, at the age of 80 after complications from a cold.

“It’s with deep sadness that we announce the untimely death of our visionary and leader Vic Edelbrock Jr.,” the company website read. “Vic passed away this evening from complications following a recent cold. His passing was peaceful and in the company of his closest friends and family. The Edelbrock Fun Team sends their deepest condolences to his family and will always hold him in our hearts.”

Vic Edelbrock Jr. took over the aftermarket performance parts company that bears his name after the untimely passing of his father, Vic Edelbrock Sr. Vic Jr. was just 26 when his father died in 1962. With a small but dedicated band of 10 employees, Vic Jr. not only kept the company growing but made it into one of the largest performance parts entities in the world.

It’s a long story that starts in 1933 when Vic Sr. opened an automotive repair shop on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Soon after, Edelbrock cars were racing on the circle tracks and dry lakes of Southern California during the golden age of hot rodding. In 1938, Vic Sr. bought a ’32 Ford and used it to test new speed parts, more or less inventing the marketing tool that would later be known as “the project car.” The first big seller from an Edelbrock project car was the Slingshot manifold, used by Vic Sr. on the dry lakes to clock a prewar time of 121.42 mph in the ’32.

Business wasn’t the only thing growing for the Edelbrock name. Vic Jr. was born in 1936 and started working summers in his dad’s shop at age 12.

“I was making $2 a day and I thought I was really living,” he told us when we spoke to him for a 2002 story.

The towering Vic Jr. went to the University of Southern California on a football scholarship, graduated with a degree in business in 1959 and went to work full time for his dad’s business. Just three years later, Vic Sr. was diagnosed with inoperable cancer.

“He had no chance,” said Vic Jr. “Four months later he left us.”

Not only did Vic Jr. have to deal with the death of his father and mentor, but he suddenly found himself at the helm of a fully funded company with 10 employees and $200,000 in the bank.

Many an heir would have blown it all in a couple of years, and some expected Vic Jr. to do just that. But one thing the father had taught the son was the value of good people. Among the 10 Edelbrock employees were Don Towle, Bobby Meeks and Bob Bradford.

“They stuck with me,” said Vic Jr.

In 1965 Bob Joehnck, who had been a close friend of Vic Sr., called Vic Jr. with a suggestion.

“He said, ‘Make a manifold for the small-block Chevy,’” remembers Jr. “I said, ‘They already make one.’ He said, ‘Trust me, make one.’ So we made one.”

Did they ever. The Edelbrock manifold for the small-block Chevy became the foundation from which the company springboarded into legend. That manifold led to a relationship with Holley to mate Holley carbs to it, which eventually led to more parts for more cars.

We drove an excellent example of the Total Performance Package back then in 2002 in the streets around Edelbrock’s Torrance, California headquarters — Vic Edelbrock’s own 1967 SS 396 Chevelle. With an Edelbrock intake, cams, heads, carbs and water and fuel pumps, the 468- cubic-inch big-block Chevrolet made 540 hp and 539 lb-ft of torque (those are gross figures, not today’s legal SAE net measurements). In keeping with the Total Performance Package philosophy, the car also came with Edelbrock springs, shocks, trailing arms and wheels. All we needed was a cigarette behind one ear.

The big-block started with a screech, reminding us how much internal friction these big, meaty engines have. The gauges jumped to life as the car body torqued in the direction opposite crank rotation. Steering through the big, skinny wheel was heavy, the way things were in 1967, and we cruised the streets waiting for the engine temps to warm up. In a few minutes we had enough heat to open it up a little and suddenly it all made sense. Why would a working guy spend a month’s salary on parts? Because of the way this magnificent old beast opened up when you floored the throttle. Suddenly the big-block roared in one long, uninterrupted wail, the exhaust note went to a higher-pitched whaaaaaaaa as the engine neared its 6000-rpm power peak and the ’67 SS leapt forward, scaring the hell out of a number of sensible midsized sedans nearby. Telephone poles, indeed, looked like a picket fence.

Goodbye, Vic Jr. Say hello to Senior for us.

The Name will Live on in the Automotive World and always there will be a part of the Edelbrock family on an engine if you are a performance fan.

Life behind Bars

Posted on June 7, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

07 Jun

Well, 17 years seems to have flown by and here I am, still playing with two wheeled contraptions.

As a kid , I was fascinated with Motorbikes and at any opportunity I would drop everything to watch , hear or just read about these mechanical machines.

I have lived all over the world and seen some fantastic motorcycles and knew that one day I would be lucky enough to reside in the United States of America .

So, in 2000 I entered California and the first Motorcycle I created was a 1976 CB750 of which I gave the Cafe Racer styling.

The livery was in the style of the 1970’s Formula 1 John Player Special Team of Gold and Black.

This motorcycle caused a huge stir in the American Motorcycle community and put me on the map as as Motorcycle designer and builder.

17 years later and my 50th creation is almost completed , I wanted to build another CB750 and this time use some crazy Candy flake colors of which covered most of the Hondas of SOHC guise.

This time I chose a 1975 CB750F model Super Sport and went with a Black Wrinkle Finish Engine, Dressed out with Stainless Steel Allen Head Bolts throughout.

I also designed a Brand New 4 into 1 Exhaust System that made the Header pipes swing out to the right hand side and then tightly under the chassis and a unique short turn out tail pipe.

I took the stock gas tank and cut out the filler neck and welded it flat, then welded a Harley Gas Cap bung in its place to give this tank a cool smooth appearance .

Next up I took some 18 Gauge steel and hand bent the seat base to the style I was looking for, then I cut another piece of steel into a half circle and hand pounded it on a sand bad and then used my Air Plenisher and shaped it into a cowl, then tig welded to seat base, once that was done I then cut a teardrop shape out of the rear of that cowl, to allow for a unique Tailight for the bike.

I upholstered this seat base with Brown Naugahyde and did tuck n roll design.

I rebuilt the front forks and machined the lowers to have finned grooves in them, rebuilt the front and rear wheels with polished Hubs and stainless Steel spokes and shoved New Rubber on them.

With 14.5 inch New Shocks makes sure the rear end keeps smooth and some Italian Rear sets clamp tightly to the frame. But still More to do and wanted to show you some progress photos, Hope you like what I am doing here, a little out there but, that makes it more fun. Stay tuned to my Blogs on more as I will ALWAYS be messing around with 2 wheeled Machines.

D-DAY

Posted on June 6, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

06 Jun

During World War II (1939-1945), the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 1944 to August 1944, resulted in the Allied liberation of Western Europe from Nazi Germany’s control.

Codenamed Operation Overlord, the battle began on June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, when some 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region.

The invasion was one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history and required extensive planning. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale deception campaign designed to mislead the Germans about the intended invasion target.

By late August 1944, all of northern France had been liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings have been called the beginning of the end of war in Europe.

Today I take time to reflect on this and to say Thank you for putting your lives at risk, so we can live how we do today.

I sure hope that you can take a few minutes out of your day to just reflect on what our troops did to give us the lifestyle we are so fortunate to be able to have right now.

Thank you for taking time to reflect and remember D-Day, I will never forget and thank you all for reading this today.

Anaheim Rod and Custom Open day

Posted on June 2, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

02 Jun

Well, has it been a year already? Wow! Time sure does fly when you are having fun and that’s exactly what they do have at Anaheim Rod and Custom, a totally cool shop that caters for a plethora of styles and genre’s of Vehicles, Motorcycles art and sculptures.

Now- the weekend of Fathers day is perfect for you lot to attend this Open day show, I mean Pomona will be the Fathers day show at the fair grounds and to be able to head to Anaheim Rod and Custom afterwards will be a great treat.

Where is this?

Anaheim Rod and Custom Open House

Saturday, June 17, 2017
3:00pm 8:00pm
Anaheim Rod and Custom
539 South Central Park Avenue East Anaheim, CA, 92802 United States

Last years Open House was superb and so this years is bound to exceed the great times we had in Anaheim, Matt and Becky Sue were great Hosts and sure made everyone welcome.

Bring your ride along and joining in the festivities of a great family orientated company that oozes personality and exuberance in the Hot Rod and Custom fraternity, you will meet cool like minded people, have food, drink your favorite tipple and listen to some awesome music from bands and assorted tunes coming over the speakers.

If you want to have a great, enjoyable time, then head out early to get a parking space as this place will be full up by late afternoon.

Any more info you can contact them on: 714-203-6589

Dont miss out on a Golden opportunity to meet a great company and to meet up with old and New acquaintances,and you will enjoy everything that’s going on here.

So, bring your Hot Rod, your Classic, your Custom, your Motorcycle, jeez, your Vintage Pick up, even your cool beach cruiser, you will love the atmosphere at this place.

Jennifer and I will be there, either on our Triumph Motorcycles or in our 28 Roadster , and really are looking forward to see you all too.

Model A was fun to drive on the weekend

Posted on May 31, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

31 May

Well, memorial weekend has come and gone by so fast, although in that time I caught a head cold that whooped my arse and have only just got back to a level playing field.

So wanted to throw some photos up I took of my 1928 Model A Roadster that I have and over that weekend I removed the fenders and bumpers to give it a more post war 1940’s look, and right now I am loving this little A-Bone.

I have always been into old vehicles and Motorcycles since I was a kid, back in the UK I had a 32 three window Coupe and, as I went to school on the East Anglian side of Great Britain, I was very close to the American Airbases and actually learned to ride a motorcycle on one of the WW2 Bomber Runways in Rougham . ( Suffolk )

This Model A of mine is a fun machine, not the fastest in the world but thats what I didnt want, what i wanted was a cool period Hot Rod that would of been around Southern California after the war and young serviceman and women had all these New engineering skills from working on aircraft, boats and tanks etc that they used their skills to hop up their Jalopys.

This Model A has a few cool parts now to make it quite a traditional ride.

Breakdown of parts:

16 inch Kelsey Wire wheels

1939 Flathead V8 Motor

1939 Three speed gearbox

1936 rear radius Rods

1940 Ford Juice (hydraulic) Brakes

32 style K member

40 ford pedals

1948 F1 steering Box

1940 Ford steering wheel ( Limeworks Speed Shop)

2 inch chopped stainless steel windshield.

Converted to 12 volt system

Edelbrock intake Manifold

Two Stromberg 97 Carburetors

I still have more to do like eventually I shall be removing the radiator and grill shell and replacing it with a Walker radiator and a genuine 1932 deuce grill shell and insert, popular back in the 1940’s.

Then I hope to make some exhaust headers that will run outside the Roadster up near the doors, using 2 old 1936 Ford Torque Tubes, another 40’s hop up that was very popular back then.

This was and always will be one of my Passions, I was simply Born in the wrong country as I have always loved the American way of life, the people, the country and of course, the invention of the Hot Rod.

This was built in Memory of My MUM that sadly passed 2 years ago and if it wasnt for her, I would not be here, Mum loved sitting in my old coupe, she even got her arm stuck in the window, chicken winging one day as i had a 4 inch chopped roof.

Plans are for the exhausts, the radiator, and some cool 1949 Kaiser Taillights that I fitted into 1948 Chevy Bezels and will fit them in the back under the rumble seat.

I shall also be getting a Canvass Top for her, as My hair grease melts in the Southern California Sun!

Hope you dig my Roadster as many people love the same stuff I am into, Motorcycles, Hot Rods, ww2 planes, boats etc, anything vintage.

I will keep you updated on other things I do to my AV8 Roadster.

The Crap people put up for Auction on Ebay make me laugh!

Posted on May 23, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

23 May

Howdy all

Well just a quickie today but I tell ya, just when i think I have seen it all on the infamous Ebay site, someone has to top it and this one is sure one of the best.

I usually look for a few parts for a Honda if I am rebuilding it and do not have my own private stash to grab hold of, so I start to search for a Left side Stator cover and bugger me, I almost pissed out my own prostate Gland right through my Boxers. Have you seen anything as bad as this for sale? Jeez, the guy is explaining that’s it is a deal.

Thought that you all may get a kick out of all that you see there, not sure how the guy sleeps at night to be honest.

I have seen plenty of snot on the Ebay site and the guy who is Auctioning this off must be high, and if some one buys it, they must be using the same Bong!

Just wanted to share with you and at $35.00 yeah what a deal.

That is all, carry on!!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1977-Honda-Cb750k-Engine-Cover-Left-Stator-Generator-Magneto-Cb750-Cb-750-750k-/152553409617?hash=item2384e44c51:g:5WUAAOSwhQhYztNf&vxp=mtr

ANTIQUE NATIONALS FONTANA May 2017

Posted on May 17, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

17 May

Well, it was that time of year already, I almost forgot it to be honest and as Jennifer was washing her Motorcycle, I loaded up my Camera and jumped onto my Triumph and headed off to see the cool Drag Racing that will be going on at Fontana drag Way .

The Sun was out and so was I, I flew up the 57 freeway, then the 60 and then the 15 and then headed to Fontana, took me about 50 minutes and was great to see many Hot Rods and Customs lined up at the staging Lanes as I pulled into the event.

I have been going to this for 17 years, this was the 47th Annual Meet and a perfect day for racing.

Once I unloaded my back pack, I had my trusty camera in my hand and walked the Pits to see what we had this year, plenty of great Nostalgia vehicles all over the place, its like a candy shop for the eye, seeing peoples rides that they chose to drive up to this part of Southern California and have a go at hitting the loud pedal on the 1/4 mile drag strip.

People from all over had turned up, I spoke to a fella from Western Australia, and then saw a bunch of guys wearing Flying Norwegian’s tee Shirts, had a chin wag to them and they wanted to come and check the place out, as they had flown in to race at El Mirage Dry lake next week with their Belly Tank racer, which was stuck at Customs, awaiting clearance, so a Great Experience for them for the first time.

I never tire of this event and the reason is the weather is usually always good, the cars and bikes are fantastic to see, and also everybody is happy and wiling to talk to you about what they are up to and what their vehicle is etc. A totally cool event with a great vibe, fun for everybody in the family too.

The other thing I like about the Fontana track is that you get close to all the action of racing, you can sit in the grand stand or stand by the fire lane and watch along the fence, you can see, smell and hear the Vintage Flatheads or the Hilborn injected Hemi’s as they hit the Loud button when the lights change from double Orange to green.

The Pits are a great area to see people working on their cars etc, Heck you could even help sometimes, be it pass a wrench, push a car or jump right in and help on the Motor etc.

I did not do a car count this year as i was so immersed into the event of trying to at least capture some of the rides that were attending this great show, but a nice turn out none the less and am glad that i managed to make it out here to Fontana raceway, this is right next to the NASCAR track as whilst cars was were racing up the Drag strip, you could also hear the roar of a few V8’s on the Oval track getting some lap times in.

They also have a Go Kart track too that had a race on as well as drifting saloon cars too, so something for everyone and worth the trip up to these parts for sure.

If you are going to visit, I would make sure you take plenty of liquids, some good walking shoes and a hat, as the Sun can really bely down here, plus if you want to walk the whole track side, well you can as the pit area is huge and fun to take your time and have a look at all the vehicles that are there and, to the sound of screaming motors running beside you up the 1/4 mile is something to experience.

I saw my Fellow Compatriot ” Tony Thacker ” Walking about taking photos with Ryan of Hop Up magazine, always a great social event too, best place to catch up with friends and of course make new ones.

No attitudes, just all enthusiasts and a healthy fun vibe was felt all day. I have always dug the California lifestyle and even though I have been here 17 years, still feels like just a couple.

Below is a few sets of snaps that i took and you can look at your own time, many cool styles of cars and genre’s and I am sure at least something there to make you smile, you may not be able to smell the leaking 97’s, or feel the heat of the Fontana sun burning the back of your neck but, you can sit back with a can of your favorite suds and take in some of the cars that was at this super cool show.

Plenty to see whilst you are here and I loved it all, it is a relaxed atmosphere for racing and I have been to many race tracks over the years, if you want to just hang out and check things out at your own pace, what better than to come to this event, try and make it next year if you can and spread the word, the more, the merrier.

A Little bit of everything for everyone here in SoCal and I love the coupes, Roadsters, Sedans, Tudors and of course then theres the Gassers and Rails too.

I loved them all to be honest and already looking forward to next years event and hopefully can drive up in my Flathead powered 28 Roadster. Check out these rides below, just take a look at that Tri-Powered 4 banger Three Window Coupe. Really a rare machine these days and thats what I like about the Antique Nationals as there are so many Nostalgic rides here to look at close up.

So much cool Nostalgia to see, I was sure glad I had ridden up today to check this event out. I should of taken a few more but after a while, I simply forgot what car I had taken a pic of.

I am certain that you have a favorite amongst the snaps that I took on this Saturday and, if you can make it for next years event, I know you will be smiling all weekend. There is a constant running of motors, the sound of laughter and the announcer is pretty cool, letting you know who the driver is and what car he has brought to race etc. So look below as I have quite a few photos, but I wanted to share all I saw with you.

I took as many shots as I could until my battery ran low on the camera and hope that at least some of them grabbed your attention. The Branch Family ( Above )had a Blast too.

I know a lot to look at, so you can imaging how I felt walking around taking this all in again for another year, this seems to get bigger and better at every event and next year I hope to be driving up to the Drags in my 1928 Model A Roadster and join in with everyone.

I wish this was a two day event to be honest, then I could take my time and take it all in, time flies faster than some of the 1/4 milers when you are here but a full weekend would be a blast.

I am partial to Model A’s and loved this as it sat in the pits, great look to it.

Cool 28/29 Roadster with the 4 banger, how Nostalgic is that with 16 inch skinny Bias Ply Firestones and an angled windshield, gives this a Period look.

Body work is great, hope mine looks half as good when I remove my fenders this month and get a few miles under its belt.

39 Tear drops, louvered Rumble seat deck lid and Moon discs, set this apart for sure.

Now theres some money sat in a row, not often you see that right?

So, until Next year, Many thanks for taking your time to see what I got up to on Saturday at Fontana in Sunny Southern California.

A Few Days Away in Arizona was Much needed.

Posted on May 12, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

12 May

Well, a change is sometimes as good as a rest and My Girlfriend Jennifer, thought it would be a great idea to have a long weekend away in Arizona, as I have always wanted to see the Grand Canyon as well as London bridge and of course, ride a bit of Route 66 on our Triumph Motorcycles.

The build up to this was I had purchased a New Ford Transit 250 and that thing is taller than a Basket Ball players Locker, so Ideal for us to carry a couple of motorcycles and everything else needed to camp out when we decide to go places etc.

We fitted a RV electrical outlet to the side of the Van and had 2 receptacle sockets installed, along with breakers etc on the left side of the wall of the van, this way, we can stay in an RV camp and hook up to their power, thus having our own little place where we have a blow up bed, a Kurig Coffee Maker and an Amish heater, we were all wired and that also saved us Hotel Bills.

So, we Loaded the Van up and headed up the 15 Freeway to the 40 and first stop was the London bridge, now I have not seen this place and I would of gone over it in the car with our parents when I was 4, but by the time I was 5 in 1967, the London Bridge had been sold and was being taken apart, Brick by Brick, and then shipped over to Arizona and put back together like a huge puzzle.

I remember at school as kid my teacher saying “Why would they put a bridge in a desert”?

So, when I approached the Bridge, I was gobsmacked, believe or not, I thought it was just a Museum piece stuck on concrete in the desert as an attraction, I was so stoked to see the Colorado River running through it with tons of cool speed boats cruising under the Famous bridge.

What a fantastic place, the weather was 101 and everybody seemed to be having fun on the River, some of the Boats must of been over $1 Million and these big Motors just idled as it cut through the water like a Hot Knife through Butter.

What a great and surprising experience for me, after ALL these years, I thought the Bridge was on a piece of dry Concrete, so my head was in quite a spin when I got to see the Bridge doing what it is supposed to do, and made my trip even more fun.

We stayed there for a few hours, ate at the side of the Bridge and just relaxed for a bit and enjoyed all the cool expensive water craft just cruising up and down the river, I loved it all, but, time was ticking, so we headed out of this great Historic area and then back onto the 40 freeway heading towards Williams. The weather was still bloody hot and we needed to get a few miles under our belt as we wanted to get into Williams before it got dark.

We were really lucky with the traffic and clicked along at a decent speed and not really slowing for bumper to bumper traffic at all, just lucky I think and it certaingly made the trip a lot more easier to bare when traffic is light.

Above, as you can see, we pulled onto some of Route 66 for a tick and stopped off for a coffee at the Road Kill Cafe, it was pretty busy here and a few restaurants are scattered along this road.

Seligman was the town and this weekend they had their Annual fun Run, which we thought was some Charity mini marathon, only to find out it was a cool car show held there.

On Route 66 through out the United States, there is always great places with history, artifacts or just old buildings and I find it most entertaining when we go to great old towns and try and make the whole event a fun and happy one. And of course, try and not get arrested there.

We headed out of Seligman and then we were back off the 66 and onto the 40 again, but not for too much longer as Williams was not too far away now and as i was starting to feel the miles on my eyes, i was glad to pull into the RV station in Williams and looked forward to unloading the van and having a cuppa.

Nothing quite like having your own Brew in the van when you feel like it, and as we hooked the RV Plug into the parks power, we were ready to stay and enjoy this area for the next few days.

We unloaded our bikes and really wanted to enjoy the warm weather that was here to greet us, the unusual thing for me was that in Arizona, there was No helmet law, I am a great believer in the use of Crash helmets but sometimes its just fun to try it and see how it is and, as the town has a max 25 MPH law, its pretty safe. especially in town as the speed limit is 15 MPH so a fun time we had riding about checking out some of Williams town out.

Pete’s Gas station was awesome as they had all sorts of cool memorabilia there to look at, I loved the place, Original Old 1930’s Gas pumps, Old 1950 Flathead ford parked up and a cool speed shop by the side, so thought I would take a few Black and white photos to try and set the scene we saw as it was like stepping back in time there.

Jenn loved riding around and exploring the places that Williams has to offer and, for a small community town, it does have quite a lot to offer you when you visit.

Lots of old buildings there and this was an old Parlor where the gents go to get a bot of exercise , for a price, if you know what I mean?

Here are some pf the cool places we stopped off in the town.

If you find yourself in Williams, there is always something to go and look at, the food is good and the people are really friendly.

The next Morning Jenn and I woke up and we headed to the train station and jumped on the old Steam Train that takes us to the Grand Canyon, quite a laugh going on this Old Steam Train and all the carriages are 1950’s and earlier, such fun to travel this way.

This Steam train is not powered by Coal any more but vegetable oil, how about that, so im sure the wild life must wonder if its burger king approaching them or In & Out Burger.

Below is just some small video that I recorded on my phone, but it just does not really show the immense size of this hole in the ground.

I was blown away with the sheer size of the Canyon, boy what a place and I understand now why it is one of the 7 wonders of the world. made me Wonder- Why I hadn’t visited before. LOL!

If you have not visited this place, then put a tick on that bucket list.

Such a mind blowing place that I was quite nervous about walking anywhere near the edge, as its a 1 mile drop to the bottom, but the school kids were just perched on the edge sitting wiggling their legs- I couldnt look.

The train ride was a blast and alll sorts of singing and adventures on the whole journey there and back.
Loved riding route 66 but this day was cold and windy, but the day before was 101 degree’s but I loved it all and so did Jenn, except riding in a cross wind, that was a whole new experience for her.

Some of the photos I took whilst at the Grand canyon for you to have a peek at.

Jenn and I both took photos and were glad we did as so much to see.

This was the South Rim so next time we shall ride to Vegas, then take the old road to Hoover Dam and then onto the Grand canyn that way to see that scary Glass bridge.

On Route 66 we saw so much stuff, I was blown away with some of the old Cars I saw and a super break away from work to do this with my girl, loved every moment.

I took photos where ever I saw cool stuff, it was really a fun drive too on Route 66 and I had no clue what we may see.More to see if you want to have a look on here.

Tons of stuff to see long Route 66 and so much more that we hope to go back and explore, such a great time away and, it was just 4 days too.

If you lot get a chance, spend a few days travelling across Route 66 as it still holds many cool places and artifacts.

Last bit is Oatman in Arizona, Old Gold mining town, the Burro’s stayed and have been there ever since and walk the streets trying to get food from you.

This sign we saw on the road was super cool and had to take a photo of it.

By the way- it did get cold there for a day, here was our bikes in the morning with lots of frozen ice covering them. BBBRRR!

Until Next time Route 66- looking forward to more discoveries on that Iconic Mother Road.

59 Club O.C. Section had a Great weekend.

Posted on May 2, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

02 May

Hey all

Well, this weekend was quite a busy one for the 59 Club Orange County Section as Saturday Morning we all met up at Boys Burgers and then Jennifer and Amanda both led the Club on the route to the Classic car and Motorcycle show that was being held at Seal beach.

The day was Hot and an early start was needed to try and get to the event before we started to cook, as every year it is warm there, even though it is by the beach, it gets bloody scorching some times, so, with 15 riders we headed towards the Seal beach area.

Great Formation of riders and very enjoyable ride, its way better than just jumping on a freeway as they tend to be boring, dangerous and not much to look at.

We arrived at the Naval Grounds and was greeted by the Navy Soldiers, who kindly showed where we could park our two wheeled machines, it was right by the water and a nice breeze to have on us.

We then left the bikes under armed guards and then we caught a free shuttle bus to the event, it was an old British Double Decker with some of the upper windows taken out and felt nice with the cool sea air coming through the bus as we took the short 5 minute trip to the event.

This show is enormous and usually everyone veers off to their favorite car or motorcycle and we either bump into each other or catch up later on.

Jennifer and Amanda led the group and did a fantastic job, well done Girls!

The Sun was starting to bake us but what a great show with tons of Cool Classic iron to look at and further up on the seafront they had the Motorcycle section.

Plenty to see there too and this Annual event seems to be getting bigger and bigger, great to see but I think they need a few more Vendors as so many people come to this show nopw, I know people would buy their wares.

I may have a booth and show a bike at the next one, problem is, there are so many events on through out the summer here in California, it is hard to keep up with what is what and I end up forgetting, then kick myself later on.

If you can make this show- Try and do it and there is something for everyone here, a Mixture of Cars, Trucks and Motorcycles and the atmosphere is really great, everyone is happy and more than happy to talk about their ride they have on display.

I had a blast but the weather was bloody warm and amazing as its by the beach, but there are a lot of shops and restaurants to go and check out too if you get out here.

Below, I bumped into Fellow Brit.-Mike Brewer from the TV show- Wheeler Dealers, he has a New side kick and was trying some live video at the show, ya never know who you may meet at an event we go to.

We stayed for quite a few hours and could of easily stayed longer if the Sun stayed back a bit, but a great Saturday and a relaxing ride with great friends.

Tomorrow we ride to Griffith park to see our mate Andrew Chaves place as he works at live Steamers where all the smaller gauge trains are built, serviced and run, should be a blast!

It’s always fun with the 59 club, come and check us out we are on meetup.com under Carpys Cafe Racer Meetups 59 Club OC and maybe you would like to come ride with us?