black & white – Carpy’s Cafe Racers

Hey Gang

I am a little bit tight on time today for a Blog, but what I thought that I would do is add some cool pics of Vintage Motorcycles having a go at Hill Climbing, this has been popular since the 1920’s and they still run the Widow Maker today.

There is something about Motorcycles and Hills I have always been intrigued by, as a Kid I would have crappy cheap bikes but I would try and go up any hill many wouldn’t and sometimes, just sometimes i would succeed and that would make me personally feel like the King of the mountain.

I love seeing old Photos of Vintage bikes having a go at the Big Widow Maker, Man and Machine against Gravity, and its such a super spectator sport too and we need more of it.

Below silent 16mm footage.

Things have changed as in the newer machines but they still have a go and many do not make it, so, to see Motorcycles from the 20’s 30’s and 40’s having a go is great.

I mean today, it must be like riding a Cadillac in comfort compared to back in the day, took more guts than today too and many, this was their only means of transport too.

We lived in a flat part of the UK , so finding hills was bloody hard, sometimes you made your own but if I had a hat on right now, I would take it off and tip it in the direction of those crazy Bikers back in the day, full bore and grit ya teeth.

I mean No Guts No Glory was the order of the day back then, can you imagine how their bodies felt the next day from trying to Conquer this bloody great steep incline.

Amazing stuff, no protection, just a Flat cap and a lot of Bravado, seriously cool people back in the day and No Ego’s. at all.

I still love watching it, no idea why they do not televise it much as I am certain people would watch as even today it is just man and machine against the big Hill.

Most of the time there is No prize money, just a few bragging rights if you were one of the lucky ones to get over the top, few did I am sure but All were 100% Committed for sure.

Hopefully there is an event on in your neck of the woods, make sure you support it as these days it is a very hard event to find and we really should have more of this, but land is hard to find compared to back in the day.

This guy doing his best Elvis impersonation is a Classic.

This is one of the best shots ever, the guy is way up on the front of his running boards, love the Paratrooper Boots, Big Cuff jeans and Leather Jacket, so Black Rebel Motorcycle.

How crazy is that, Sister says to his big brother, “Oh Come on Arny, take me for a ride on your motorcycle, you always promise you will”

Man, look at how high this is, and the geezer makes it too, thats a great achievement I bet, well done mate, love the Harley Club Sweater too.

Football helmet on as he digs in at the rear look at the spectators resting on the fence, all leaning uphill. LOL!

Now you all know this will not end well but 10 out of 10 for having a go, huge rear sprocket too.

Talk about Holding on until the very end, this cannot end well at all, would of loved to have seen the next few frames of this crazy Hill Climber, hope he was
after that run.

Dedication, Determination and Did he make it, all that with a Football helmet on and no front brake too.

Well, when this weird movie came out, I was just a year old, its crappy and black and white but that’s what I love about the old B movies, suspense and thrillers, a few Rockers thrown in and there you go. A totally weird movie, but just for the tacky music and the great motorcycles, clothing and old School England, brings back great memories for me.

Dont take it for seriousness, its a mix of Juvenile delinquents, Social welfare, espionage, Government secrets, and science fiction all rolled into a small sandwich to get your teeth into. It may not be the best sandwich you ate but- you will sure remember it. LOL.

Movie Info:

Joseph Losey directed this unusual science fiction effort, which has won a small but fervent cult following. Simon Wells (MacDonald Carey) is an American visiting England, where he meets a woman named Joan (Shirley Ann Field).

Simon is immediately attracted to Joan, but there’s a considerable obstacle in their budding romance: Joan’s brother King (Oliver Reed), the leader of a violent pack of motorcycle Rockers. King has a barely concealed incestuous attachment to his sister, and he sometimes uses her to lure victims into his gang’s clutches.

King and his cronies attack Simon, take his money, and leave him stranded, where he’s eventually found by a pair of military security men. Simon is brought to the home of Bernard (Alexander Knox), a scientist working on a secret project for the government, and his girlfriend Freya (Viveca Lindfors), a sculptor.

Joan eventually tracks Simon down in hopes of winning his forgiveness, but another run-in with King causes Simon and Joan to discover a cave that holds a terrible secret: a group of strange, cold-blooded children who were the products of one of Bernard’s experiments gone wrong.

The children were genetically engineered to survive a nuclear war, and, as a result, they are radioactive enough to kill anyone who comes in close contact with them. Controversial in its day, The Damned was produced in England in 1961 but was not released until 1963, when Hammer Films booked it as the second-half of a double bill with Maniac. It did not reach American screens until 1965, when it was shown under the title These Are the Damned. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi