NEC BIRMINGHAM MOTORCYCLE SHOW 2017

I left the shores of Blighty back in 1997, but before that I used to regularly attend 2 brilliant Motorcycle shows back home annually, that was Earls Court in London and the NEC in Birmingham. The NEC is still banging out the shows and I feel the UK shows have more atmosphere and more Hands on for the public too.

I mean, you can still ride a trials bike or an Enduro bike at the event on a small course they set up for the public with help and advise as long as you like.

So, my Brother Mick informs me he is off to go to the show with some mates, as e also attends them shows, I asked him to take some pics.

They say a painting paints a thousand words? Not sure about a photo but no need for words else I will be here all day.

So here are a combination of photos I know you will enjoy, at least some of them for sure as they cover all tastes.

So look Below and see what you think.

Thanks Bruv.

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Moto Classic at Bolsa Chica State Beach- California

Well, Saturday came around way too fast for me and Jennifer and I jumped on our machines and headed out to Bolsa Chica State Beach, about 16 miles from where we live in La Mirada, the sun was out and the clouds were nowhere to be seen.

After about 20 minutes we arrived, only for me to just remember that I had put the tickets on the fridge door for safe keeping and like a twat- I forgot to pick them up.

So Jenn sat by her bike and tried the ring the neck out of the Triumph to get home in time, grab tickets and get back in maybe less than an hour.

Bugger me, I got about 6 miles and the road was closed off, helicopters flying low and Cops all over the place, so- I turned on the phone to maps mode and plotted my way back to my place, left and right I turned, into a housing tracked, then as I turned right, bang in the middle of the road was a crime scene white RV, cops all looking at me and Helicopters kicking dust up like an Egyptian storm.

I had literally ridden into the Crime scene where some poor bugger got Horizontal, but- I didnt  have time to check out the Morbidity- I just wound that loud tube up and got on it, 45 Bloody traffic light stops later I got to the house, ran in, grabbed the tickets and I left the Triumph running, and jumped on the bike, cained its arse another route to Bolsa Chica and got back in a really fast time, allowing us to walk from our bikes and onto the beach.

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Plenty of people about and they all followed the path laid out on the beach and the smell of 2 an 4 stroke Exhaust Vapors could be experienced.
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We got into the event and walked around the Vendors area, tons of cool 10X10 Eazy Ups with companies selling Apparel to parts and the sound of a Good reggae band also filled the air where people hung out and enjoyed the festivities etc.

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Amongst all that noise and splendor, there were bikes racing up and down, entertaining the crowd with Wheelies, Donut Burn Outs and other trick riding, on another part of the beach there was a small winding race track set up for mini bikes, where people from kids to older than me raced around this little track, trying to not crash or bump elbows.

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Then there was the Pitts, we we walked into there and saw many faces I had not seen in a while, had a quick chat but as it was race time, most were putting on there Helmets and getting ready for their heat, as there was a bigger track set up for Flat track and quite a few Classic or Vintage bikes set up for that, as well as many Modern bikes.

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We watched the Vintage stuff as thats what I am into and had a few buddies racing in the same race, @Jimmy White @ Grant Petersen were both giving it all, poor Jimmy had a small crash but he got up and raced the next race.

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It was fun to watch and plenty of spectators there to see what it was all about and many smiles to be seen for this event on a Hot October day in Southern California. Below oare some photos that I took with my Little Camera and I enjoyed watching the lads battle it out on the track.

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The only downside was they should of had bleachers for that event as you pay all that money and cant see for shit as the fence is in the way, it was the spectators that contributed most of the money to watch this even but were restricted but the wire fence that was well in the way, so next time, try Bleachers, more people can see whats gong on and can have fun and take photos as the fence hindered anyone taking photos.

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Plenty to look at though and I think the vendors did pretty well. I took a few more snaps so I hope you enjoy them?

Also there were a number of bands playing there right on into the night so I am sure it was a huge hit for Roland Sands organization.

 

The weather was great and as far as I know there were no bad accidents and maybe this will become an annual show if the City will give out Permits.

 

 

 

 

California Moto Market This Sunday, Hope you can support it

We’re back and bigger than before! We just finalized our vendor list and are SO excited to share that we have 28 brands represented at the October 1st California Moto Market! Check out who will be there:

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Atwyld – BH&BR – Biker Gear Club – Cardo Scala Rider – Carpy’s Cafe Racers – Dainese – Fable Riders – GRBG Made – Gigi Montrose – Heyltje Rose – Hinterland Empire – Jackalope Trade Shop – Maus Taus – Modern Moto Magazine – Moto Chic Gear – Motorcyclist Magazine – OC Motorcycle – Rebel Soul Collective – Renegade Products USA – Roland Sands Design – Shoei – Speakeasy Original – Support Badass Babes – Stellar Moto Brand – Wasted Times – Wind and Throttle – Wild Ones Ride

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We have a “Ride ‘em In” Ladies Only bike show running from 12pm to 2pm: Just ride up to the gate, grab a number and a tag and try your luck! Our 8 awards will be in the following categories: Best Vintage, Best Sportbike, Best Cruiser, Best Classic, Best Paint, Modern Moto Favorite, LB Lita’s Choice and People’s Choice. There are absolutely NO rules (other than Ladies Only) so if it’s got 2 wheels and an engine… its in!

Food trucks, Raffle prizes galore, Ducati test rides, music, beer probably.. whats not to love?!

This is Hosted by California Moto Market & Ducati Newport Beach as well as Triumph Newport Beach.

Of course we shall be there Carpy’s Cafe Racers, and Promoting Women riding too.

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This will be great and I always promote women riders, My Girl rides and my buddies in our 59 Club O.C. section ride, so if you can come out, say hello and it will be great to see you.

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We have a booth there, just like for the Brown/Tan Eazy up and we shall have Apparel on display for you to look at.

Have fun this Sunday and support this event, you may win a prize too.

You can call or text if you need any more information at 714-598-8392, Look forward to seeing you, come by and say hello as it will be great to meet like minded folk.

 

Bonneville Salt Flats part 2

OK, the previous Blog took me so long as the photos were high quality and the download time kicked me right in the Spuds, but, I have a few more photos left but these I took with my phone, so not great clarity, but wanted to share a few more photos of the great times Jennifer and I had at Speed Week in Bonneville.

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Above is this A-Bone Pick up, as we all hung out outside the Nugget Casino and Hotel in the evenings, this was a super place just to have a beer and look at other peoples rides, chew the fat with many people that had traveled from all over the globe and we all had one thing in common and that was of course Speed Week.

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Check out this Pick up, very cool and old school as it had swooping fenders with rear skirts, a lot of work went into this rig and I sure loved the way it sat in the weeds, great job of it.

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Envious of the Hop Up coupe, just take a llok at this really Period machine, I mean sat on cross ply 16 inch Firestone’s on 40 ford steelies and unchopped too, such a treat for me to see this.

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Just when you think you have seen it all, this El Gringo loco truck was just bad ass, very cool, I am sure it bumped around on the tarmac but loved the style of this pick up.

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Studebaker trucks have always been cool, almost Custom from the factory, I see this has old school ribbed bumpers and sporting 2 sets of 1939 tear drop lights at the rear, tight looking rig.

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My God, Drool factor is off the hook, this Brown Suede Oxide three window was the epitome of Hot Rodding, complete with Black-walls and Stainless Hair pins, I just loved looking at this, Schroeder Race track steering box too as you can see the Pittman arm hanging out the side of the cowl.

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I loved this three window as it even had an original 1932 Utah License Plate, what is not to like about this really Nostalgic Hot Rod.

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How about this for a sight for sore eyes and when I say sore eyes, thats from the blinding glare off the Salt Flats today, the Rolling Bones Club drove down and they took their rides onto the Lake and when they came back each night, they pulled in at the Nugget, what a super rare sight it is to see all this Hot Rods in one place and covered in salt too. GULP!

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This Slammed Hemi powered 5 window was popular with many people, the owner was super cool to chat too, as were everybody at this event, something a few events dont have any more and this place was ooozing with Camaraderie.

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Just look at this sight, so much rare tin and not many places you will see as many as this in one place, it was Hot Rod heaven with out a doubt and I enjoyed every minute of it.

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More salt sprinkled here than a bag of English fish and chips and every one of these rides had Salt from the lake on it, it must of taken a week to get it off, sure hope it doesnt start to rust these old bodies apart.

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Just another view of the behind of these great cars , I doubt I shall be lucky enough to see anything like this line up again, unless I travel to the East coast and check the “Rolling Bones” group out.

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If you ever get to Speed week, you will know that the evening meet up is a great way to wind down from the Hot weather on the salt, it was still hot out here in Wendover but a cold brew helped to cool you down.

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Look at this, a gasser Corvette, there is a piece of History right there, who has ever heard of a slow Corvette? So this must be a heart attack to drive about?

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” Any Salt with that Sir” This pick up with Beer Barrel grill got many looks and I saw this quite a bit blapping about at the Lake in 100 degree’s +.

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El Cheapo is right but I bet he had a million dollars worth of fun on the salt?

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This Business coupe was tough as old boots, loved the chop and look how nice and close the rear bumper is too, so much work in this car.

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This long Closed Cab pick up had a nice Black Flatty in it with Dual carbs and 36 Torque tube headers, very cool and traditional.

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Oh my, this was just the coolest Roadster there, loads of Patina, loved the Canvass top, raked and chopped windshield and the commercial lights with those Tractor Firestone tires.

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How could I not take a photo from the other side too, this was in the parking structure of the Nugget Hotel and casino in Wendover, what a great show there every night for speed week.

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Check this ride out and it sits so well too, had more white powder over this than a cocaine addict with a sneeze! Loved the Black steelies and white walls too.

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The Flying Brick seemed to get all over the place, yet hardly any salt on it, I saw this cruising all over the courses of the salt flats too.

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We saw this Model A Roadster on the way up to Wendover when we stopped for some grub just outside salt lake City, I was so surprised that a show car with custom metal flake paint would dare to take their machine on the Salt, but he proved me wrong, great little ride and it was fast too.

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Tough looking 5 window Model A with a small block, cal custom finned covers, Sanderson style headers and a deuce grill with Louvre’d insert was a great attraction, I really liked it.

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5 window parked up was covered in Bonneville’s finest, the roof wasn’t even chopped and thats quite a rare sight theses days, I wasnt a fan of them rims or tires but, each to their own eh?

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This pick up was pretty wicked, loved the Patina and the stance, looked to have radar style 5 spokes and I bet this was a real smooth ride to where ever it drove up or down from.

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I took this with my phone and wasn’t sure if it would come out any good, but am pleasantly suprised with it, this was a fun area to be in, just by the side of the Nugget Casino in Wendover.

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Loved the smooth lines on the Custom Sled, this really did have a lot of work, Nosed, Decked, Frenched, you name it, funny to see the Salt around it like on the rim of a Sangria Glass.

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You can beat a drum, you can beat an egg, you can beat an opposing soccer team, but you cannot beat a traditional 50’s Model A 5 window coupe, such a wicked ride I never tire of seeing.

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All the way from Washington, this Highboy was a classy ride, a really nice 1932 Roadster with the deep Ford Blue gave it a Nostalgic style that is always popular no matter what year we are in.

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Here is its twin Brother, No license plate else you would think this was the same ride, Instrument Dash is cool too, but, great minds think a like eh?

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Now this is right up my alley, Road or Garden path, how can you not like this Roadster, the flatty sounded awesome when it pulled into the Casino parking lot, you cant beat the sound of a flatty.

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Liked this Model A complete with Knock offs and traditional rear tail light , being fenderless makes this A-Bone look a lot taller as well, come in number 46 your time is up!!!!

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I really did like this Roadster, the proportions were right, even the chopped Deuce grill shell was bang on the money and loved the 32 Headlights hanging from the side of the rails.

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If you look behind the cars you can actually see the salt lake, so not that far away from all the action, Wendover is the place to stay if you are coming to Bonneville but, book early or camp out.

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If you get to the Nugget Early, you can grab a good spot to park your ride as this is where the car show starts every night, it goes on all through the night too, always something cool to look at and everyone is super friendly too.

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I was sat down at the start line on the short course, a Customer of mine that I made some Megaphones for in Lawton Oklahoma, said he would be there with his pops, its a big lake so doubt I would find him, well this chap stood next to me said. “Carpy” What the heck, he was only parked right next to us, small world eh?

If you can ever make it out to Utah, do it, its a great place to watch History happen and one of the most friendliest events on the planet, so glad that I had the opportunity to go.

Lee munro’s First run on the Indian.

This spins out at 138 MPH but gives you just an idea of what is going on inside a cage.

Well, this is how 435 MPH looks and feels, bumpy and squirley as hell.

Here is another angle from the cockpit.

89 Year Old grandpa has a go in the coupe, spins out but what a great experience for the chap.

Last Run for speed week, watch until the end as some great camera angles, loved the last bit filmed from the rear.

Spin out, sure gets Gnarly out there.

Double Indian Scout engine Motorcycle.

Lee Munro on the long course gets to 186 MPH

Here we are with a Thruxton R having a go on the salt.

So there you go, a fun time, if you can ever make it to the Salt Flats, just once, you will then totally get the experience that we did and watch History happen right in front of your very eyes.

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It is something I shall never forget, Speed week was always a place I wanted to visit to watch Hot Rods and Motorcycles Race and now that empty box has a huge Tick through it.

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Thanks for following my 2 day Bonneville Blog, many people let me know that they enjoyed the write up and I hope that just looking at the photos made you at least smile today.

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This Brings a close to this chapter but thats not the end, as for me I am so lucky to live in Southern California, as there is a dry lake there called El Mirage thats 90 minutes from me, and will be venturing out there next month, but a fond farewell to Speed week as I now get it and hopefully one day you can get out to this infamous Lake Bed in Bonneville, Utah.

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Join the SCTA and be a part of this great organisation, as well as help Save the Salt too.

http://www.scta-bni.org/

I might see you at El Mirage sometime, if you see me, come and say hello, always great to meet like minded people.

http://www.scta-bni.org/el-mirage.html

Thank you to ALL you Racers, the Teams and their hard working crew, the whole S.C.T.A org, the Bonneville Nationals inc and of course the people I met from my Old boss in Australia and my mate Shug & Ruby May, for getting there and breaking a record, what an awesome deal.

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Hot Rodding started right here and thanks to people like you, it continues to grow and prosper with all your help and participation. Thanks for reading.

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Bonneville Land Speed Racing is a unique sport that consists of very determined people who drive hot rods, roadsters, belly tankers, lakesters, motorcycles, streamliners, and even diesel trucks to "shoot the salt" in a simple quest to have their name added to the list of many record holders. Many years ago, the Bonneville Nationals Inc. (BNI) was formed. It's main focus would be to produce the annual "Bonneville Speed Week". The BNI hosts a spectacular week of racing each year in August, which is the highlight event of the LSR season. Speed Week consists of six days of racing (Sat - Fri), weather and conditions permitting. Entrants come from all over the world to participate in the week long event. Spectators are allowed to walk through the pits, view the vehicles, and talk to the drivers and crew members. Public parking is south of the pit area, on the west side of the race track, outside the cones. Be sure to bring a hat, dark glasses, sunscreen and shade from the sun. Don't forget a camera with lots of film/memory/tapes, because you will want to remember everything you see and hear. Binoculars are also a great idea since the race vehicles are at least 1/4 mile away as they travel down the course. The salt flats are located approximately 88 miles west of Salt Lake City, UT on I-80. The spectacular scenery and racing conditions at Bonneville make it one of the most popular areas in the world for speed. The colors, excitement, people and smells are some of the reasons we race addicts return to the salt, year after year. Better known as "Salt Fever". CATCH IT!

 

 


El Mirage Meet was fantastic!!!!

OK, for those of you who don’t know what Dry Lake racing is, its something way back after WW2 that many people came to in California to run their ModelA’s B’s and T’s, a souped up Jalopy that ran as hard as it could to set some sort of record or at least get into the books as a fast Speed trials car, thus HOT RODS were born and as far back as 1948 The SCTA -Southern California Timing Association  was Born.

For all to see and do, these dry lakes, be it El Mirage, Muroc or Harpers etc, was a fun and wide open place to take your Hot Rod out to and go flat out with no cops giving you a ticket.
Oh yeah, and for Motorcycles, man- we have come a long way as well, this chap ran 207 on a back up 205 and is now in the 200MPH club, how cool is that?


Here is some footage below that an SCTA member took of the 2015 meet, just to give you a little insight as to what goes on at the El Mirage dry lake.

Here is some more El Mirage footage for you to watch if you cannot make it to these events.

I never ever tire of this stuff and hope that you enjoy it as much too.

A super day out, I left at 4am and got here just before the Racing started and the temp was nice in the early hours but, soon warmed up.

 


Next up was actual footage I took with my Iphone, so forgive me for audio and not television standard filming, i was enjoying it too much to try too hard.

My mate Steve Ricketts- Fellow Brit- pushing the flying Swede out to the staging lanes. Thats

Håkan Karlen, a very cool Guy indeed and made me feel at home as soon as I arrived to the track at 6am.

Taking it all in as I set up the Eazy up and get cold drinks sorted before it gets too damn hot as it will be over 100 degree’s here in about an hour.

Motorcycles and Hot Rods pass All day, I had Jennifers Radio with me and tuned into the Control tower so i could hear who was racing and what machine they have, as well as what speed they hope to achieve of beat.

Here we are at the Staging lanes at El Mirage. With Steve Rockets and

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Staging lanes gets bloody hot and you hope nobody has a break down, or spin out as that can hold things up for a while.

Approaching the Race line, weather had turned up the heat too. Håkan Karlen

I am in the Push truck as the Flying Swede gets back on it in his 5 winchow chopped and channeled coupe. Hoping for a good run.

At then return lane, and a 183 MPH pass, hoping for more but spun a little.Håkan Karlen

Last run of the say, 1927 Model T with later Motor, sounded wicked on the pipe.

It was a superb day and lots to see and do, try and make it to a SCTA event as you may even get hooked into the sport like I am.

Below, Steve Rocketts Pushing the Flying swede Håkan Karlen in the staging lane, I helped push this coupe on the next go around, that is bloody heavy and my legs are still aching from pushing it. LOL!

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Here is Håkan Karlen sat waiting to take his turn to fire the V8 up on this coupe and go into the 180’s.

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The heat was only going up- so trying to stay cool is the main thing at El Mirage and hope that the cross winds do not pick up on the course.

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The good thing about this event is that you can get so close to all the action, everybody is so friendly and more than happy to help, its great commeraderie for sure.

Below, wicked 29 Roadster getting set to take a run on the lake bed.

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Plenty of Motorcycles too this time and another passion of mine as you well know, which has now lit a fire under my arse to maybe build a bike for the Dry lakes.

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I loved some of the Motorcycles and the Rigs that towed them up to the track, check this combo out it was so cool to see.

 

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I really enjoy coming out to the dry lakes, its less than 2 hours from our house and some of the best spectating around.

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People starting their machines up and making sure they are running bang on , is fun to watch for me.

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If you dig Nostalgia, then this event is right up your street, I saw so many cool machines, it took me ages to see it all as the lake is bloody huge if you are walking.

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The bike above must of been going for the record of fastest towed motorcycle, as I saw that bike go up and down all day…behind that Mercedez.

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The good thing about this lake bed is that you can get to so many different areas, the course is marked off well and  Track Marshall’s all over the place to keep you in check.

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The sound, the smell, the heat, the excitement, its all here at El Mirage dry lakes, so try and make a trip out here as it is so much fun.

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Even Indians made a presence and that was great to watch going down the track.

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Above- Supercharged 350cc “Red Baron” Getting set to take his turn at the start line.

Great to see this bike and Old Fella give it the Beanz and belt off down the track, I knew he would get a fair speed up eventually, as i noticed how tiny his Rear sprocket was.

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Another Roadster getting ready for the off, Loved every minute of it here on Sunday.

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1927 Roadster this time, long wheel base and this hauled arse all day, sounded so nice on the pipe at half track.

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Harley with later Metric front end on is getting ready to be removed from trailer and run up the lake bed as fast as it can.

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Seemed to be plenty of Model A’s at the course at this meet, which I love, since I own a 1928 A Bone.

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Plenty going on in the Pits and look how close you can get to see all the action, a fantastic place to watch something you only get to see in magazines these days.

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The Sun was just starting to get warm in the early hours, but by 1pm is was cooking us all where ever you stood.

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Little Harley Davidson Sprint was getting into the action and saw this machine do a few Full passes too.

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This Tiny 2 stroke turned a few heads and I was amazed at how tall the rider was, and secondly, how low the clip on’s were on the forks, new meaning to down in the dirt.

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I loved this cameo Chevy Pick up with his Pit Bike on the front and little Harley racer in the back of the truck.

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Above, this Harley was such a nice set up, plenty of time, sweat and tears must of gone into this little Speedster machine.

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Another 350cc machine in the same class as others, looked to be a tough section to compete with but so much fun to watch and hear as they take off and get tucked into their little bikes.

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Getting ready down the staging lanes for this Harley Davidson Sprint to make some dust and go for a Record.

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WAAAAAAAGHHHH!  WAAAAAAAAAGH!  WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!!!

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Getting the final OK from the Marshalls and are all set to go down this Dry lake for all its worth.

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Off he goes and hoping to get a good time as he blasts forward and towards the mountains of El Mirage dry lake.

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Looks like Harley Davidson was well represented for this Sunday meet on the lake.

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British Racing Green Triumph Thruxton bought these 2 to the lake bed.

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This Fella seemed to be taking it all in his stride, and why not, what a fantastic feeling that must be out there man and machine. (Women too)

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Little GS650 Getting scrutinized to make sure all is well, safe and within the parameters of whats allowed for that class of Motorcycle.

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Above, I have no idea what Brand of Motorcycle this is but it sure is stealthy. And below a V Twin has a go up the Course and looks great.

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The weather was really good, it is always Hot but the wind stayed down for the races, and am sure glad I attended this SCTA event at El Mirage.

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You will see many styles of Cars, bikes and Hot Rods at the dry lakes, a lot of work has gone into this Modified special and was fun to watch too.

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Above, the Push truck was very cool, a converted 1949 Studebaker Pick up, always loved the Spudbaker trucks but this is a cool push vehicle.

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Giving it as much right hand as he can and these bikes are fun to watch and have me hooked thats for sure, just got to work out what class I would like to run in.

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Must be such an exhilarating experience to be able to have an opportunity to have a go at this.

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Roadster getting the Push, just love the whole racing experience here at El Mirage and in less than a month I will be in Utah for speed week at Bonneville.

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Now thats low to the ground and even though it is fast, it must feel twice as fast and feel every bump on the track but a whole lot of fun for sure.

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So next time you see an SCTA race posted, see if you can come along as I guarantee you will enjoy the whole experience at one of these meets.

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So glad I got here early to see the pits and races start at 7am as its a lot cooler in the morning and less dust to start off with.

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That is the start and the control tower where you can tune into 88.7 and hear the commentary where ever you have a radio.

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Great photo to me as the Harley heads of, Lovely Roadster sat there on the left and a 1978 CB750 Honda sat far right.

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On the gas and sounding great.. Below, My Royal Enfield as I was parked Mid track, you can just make out a Motorcycle on the track flat out.

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So a super day, I arrived early to stay in the cool check the pits out and get a good spot to park my Van and, get the Royal Enfield out.

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So stoked to make it here, always excited to come to this place and have to pinch myself sometimes to believe I am here.

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Yup, the Brits are here, Both of us are Steve’s too, me and Steve Ricketts hang out in between races.

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My buddy in the 59 Club Eduardo came to visit and brought along a couple of buddies from Finland Timo and his wife.

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Hard to believe that I am here, you can Just make out a Motorcycle giving it the Beanz in the background.

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Staging lanes as we push Hakans Coupe to the start for a 183 run along the Lake bed.

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The Flying Swede ” Hakan Karlens Deuce Coupe is super reliable and consistent, that’s a well built Hot Rod right there.

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Next stop Bonneville Utah for Speed week, will be seeing friends, maybe even wrenching a little too and my girlfriend is taking me out there as this is a life long trip I have wanted as a kid in the UK, and in 23 days, 15 hours and 31 seconds, Jennifer sun and I will be on our way to the Salt flats.

Hope to see some of you there, should be a great time and will blog about that one when I get back.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this.

 

 

 

 

MOONEYES ANNUAL OPEN DAY WAS A BLAST

Well, going to Norwalk Blvd and stopping outside the famous Open Eyes, has always been a cool thrill for me, so much Hot Rod History in that little Yellow building and here we are again for the huge show that generates so much excitement and popularity, that I hope one day Shige can buy next door and make this an even bigger event.

I have been attending these shows since I moved here from other shores back in 2000 and to go to this show is a superb social event for me, some people I have not seen in years but also some people I have seen the day before, this is a fun family atmosphere with Genuine interest in our “Hobby”- ” Lifestyle”

The sun seemed to be up early today and as I kicked the Royal Enfield into Life, I could feel the beads of sweat running down my face like I was about to be shot out of a Circus cannon into an awaiting Net, that was made of wet paper .  But the Royal Enfield jumped into life, ticking over like a well oiled sewing machine, I clunked the gear shufter into first and it ubruply Grinded into the gear and then it was go time, Revs up, Clutch out, arse down, elbows up and I am now off to Norwalk , with Blues skies and a full gas tank, life seemed to smile at me, as to say. ” Go on son, have a brilliant day.

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Well, as I took the back streets, it took maybe 10 minutes for me to pull into Norwalk Blvd, and slowly but surely I could see Hot Rods, Customs and every kind of style of machine on either side of the road, as I pulled up to Mooneyes, I was ushered into the driveway, where upon I was blasted by the sounds of the 50’s, some fella playing a stack of platters and I was digging the vibe Daddy’O!

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I took my Brain Box off and was Greeted right away By the Manager, Chico, such a genuine bloke that I have known for over 17 years now, he welcomed me and thanked me for attending, how nice is that? Don’t hear that much these days and it goes a long way in my book. ” What book is that I hear you ask?”  The book of Pleasantries!

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Man! Was it hot, not even 10:15 it was Hotter than the inside of a Pizza oven on a Saturday evening.  But I was here and there were a ton of like minded souls there, soaking up the Sun, the Sounds and all the cool vendors and machines that adorned this infamous place for a Custom Couture that I dearly love.

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I left my Brain Bucket sat on my bike, another cool thing with Mooneyes is its a safe place and I love that trust ethic at a show, very rare indeed.

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The next person to take time out of their day was the owner of Mooneyes and a super friend of mine.

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SHIGE SUGANUMA:  What a fantastic Bloke, flys over from Japan to meet all his Customers and genuinely take time to see how you are and ask about how things in the business and life is going, a rare find these days.

With more and more people pouring in, I wanted to get around and try and take a few snaps with my phone, not an easy task as so many people darting about but, I wanted to try and share with you lot what I did today, as many like my Blogs etc.

I walked along to the Vendors and wanted to say hello to my mate Keith Weesner, such a superb artist, always has time to say hello and another bloke I have known over 17 years now and as crazy as I into Hot Rods and Art, maybe even more so.

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So many rides parked all over the place, it was fun walking around, talking to people and checking the latest machines out.

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I bumped into my mate Big Dan from the Dynotones, these guys are the best 60’s Surf, Instrumental band anywhere, they rock it 24/7, try and ctah them at one of their gigs.

http://www.dynotones.com/

I saw so many rides there today, everything from Nostalgic Hot Rods, to Metal-flake Kustoms, it was great to see other rides that I have never laid my eyes upon and everybody seemed to be having fun.

 

If you are ever in Sunny So Cal, check Mooneyes out, they have all you need for your ride and what a historic trip down memory Lane you will have.

http://www.mooneyesusa.com/

 

As the day got hotter, it was time for me to do another quick walk about and say high to friends and cross the road to see vehicles that hugged the kerbside and boy was there some neat rides there.

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So, here is to the next event, this show is on until about 3-4 pm so go check it out, so easy to get to off the 5 freeway for Cars and Bikes, this has it all.

Check out the workshop too.

Hope to bump into you at this event next year, have a great weekend all of you.

moon65

 

Happy Monday, Here’s some cool Video’s

Wow- Monday already and I guess it was a hard start for you lot today as it was for me too, and I think today I shall continue with a few more videos to try and help your workday fly by, or at least give you something different to look at on your lunch break etc.

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Below is a video from back in the day about road safety, always fun to watch as our machines have changed a lot , as well as the traffic speeds too.

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It is from Los Angeles in the 1960’s and boy, to see no traffic in the towns is weird these days, it also makes me laugh when the public service film and the AMA both tell you to. “Dress Neatly” as they want you to give a good impression to your neighbors. ha ha ha

 

And how about this, some rare footage called “Rode Safely” This was filmed back in 1955 in Liverpool, and its some cool footage to watch on a Monday and shows how things were so much different back then, compared to today’s traffic and Laws etc.

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I had to laugh at the “staged crashes” and the Old style of hand signals that have changed in the highway Code back home. This is as funny as hell to watch and I am certain that these 13 minutes will have you cracking up.

Onto part 2 now of “Rode Safely”

16 minutes of awesome footage, and for me this was thoroughly entertaining, showing me what Back home like in 1955, when there was only half a million Motorcycles being ridden on the British roads.

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Enjoy

Be safe out there but you don’t have to dress neatly OK? LOL.

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Kick Back Motorcycle show LONDON

One of the up and coming leaders in the European motorcycle shows these days is the Kick Back show in London, many builders come out to bring their best builds, many built at home in the shed.

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Today, I wanted to share a few photos with you to let you see just a sprinkling of the creations that are around across the pond.

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If you like motorcycles, then you will love this show as many styles and creations jump out at you, this show has a warm and friendly atmosphere and people from across Europe travel to see the bikes that are being displayed.

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Many favorites of course but for me, this should be called Kick Arse!

What an awesome Triton, I’d love to hear this fire up, the Up-sweeps look great and so tightly fitted, great job.

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This show seems to be taking a hold now and I am sure that the venue will just get more and more following in London and am so glad that so many shows have come up back home in the Smoke.

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Cafe Racers, Brats, Bobbers, Choppers, Trackers and Customs are all sprinkled here at KickBack, hopefully one day I can revenuer back home and see them in real time.

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Below, the Old Step through, many people had these back in the day, my brother has one and used it on the dirt roads as thats all we had when we were kids, so great to see these “old memory” Bikes making a come back.

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Check out the Flying S Jap Suzuki- I had an AS 50 when I was 16.

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So many cool builds and styles, something for everyone.

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We have many shows here in the USA too and hope to feature them as and when they come up.

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The choppers are always worth a look as none ever the same and I love the uniqueness of that.

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This has had a lot of work to make it what it is and many just build these at home and as a hobby.

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Above you can see that this FAT ATTACK Trumpy has had major surgery and the Brat/tracker look is really popular now and I would love to take this out.

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I am sure that you will find a favorite here in these machines and I love the way the future of Motorcycle building is going.

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I see many of these styles over here and I cant get enough of them, so continue wrenching everyone its a blast.

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Not many specs that I can give as they didnt give any – But just enjoy the photos and hope that some of these bring a smile to your face today.

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Beemers are very much sought after today and I can see more and more making the transformation from Stock to Custom and its good to see.

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Two differently built machines but look great together, this is so much fun seeing so many cool machines being created.

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Another Double Overhead Cam with old and New technology is something that always grabs my attention where ever I see one.kickback9 Above, I would so easily lose my license running around on this, it cry’s out to be ridden hard!

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When I was 17 years old I had a GT500 and that thing would pull like a steam train, wish I had kept mine.

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Cant stop loving the 70’s Muscles machines, unless you have ridden one of these, you cannot understand something called. “Power Band”.- But Look hard, what’s different about this Motor?

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These Street trackers are popular now and I bet this is so much fun running around.

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Great looking Sportster, I have an old 883 I shall play with later on.

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Thanks for reading my Blog today, if you are in London in April this year, then Kick back is on again, make sure you can find time to check it out, if you do go, send us some photos, love to see it.

 

 

 

Just a few Video’s for your enjoyment today, have a great week.

Here is the 2015 Show Below.

And finally 2016 show, enjoy all my friends.

Mooneyes Christmas Party 2016 Irwindale

I got to work and noticed some fog and gray clouds looming as I opened my shop on a Saturday Morning, but- None the less, today was the annual Christmas Party that Mooneyes host at Irwindale drag strip and it is a not to be missed event for me, mainly because it is an awesome time for me to meet many friends from all over the place and get to ctach up on how they are doing etc.

Pulling the Triumph out onto the Road and firing her up was a good feeling as the trip is only up Three Highways and about a 35 minute ride, although as its close to Christmas now, plenty of traffic and a sharp eye was needed to watch out for cars trying to cut lanes at the last minute.

Time flew by pretty fast as I cruised at about 80 all the way and mostly in the car pool lane, my idea of that is that it is the safest route to take, being that there is a Divider wall to my left, so only things in front of me and to the side have a chance of getting me, as opposed to riding in the middle lane and being open to all and sundrie.

As I pulled off the 605, I could see the line of traffic that were waiting to get into the drag-strip area, I knew that some people had actually arrived at 3AM- for them to get a good space and enjoy the hundreds of Vehicles that attend this Hot Rod and Custom extravaganza every year.

Being on a Two wheeled machine does has its advantages, as I rolled on by everyone and right up to the entrance with no wait at all, and that’s a nice feeling for sure as some of these poor buggers had been sitting a long time in traffic.

As I pulled in to the event I could see the Sea of multicolored vehicles that were lined up similar to a Chinese military show, but that’s the only comparison to that as everyone was smiling, laughing, cooking, drinking and even dancing, and I knew today’s event would be a blast.

Most years that i have attending this show has always been cold, windy and a few ties it has been raining its arse off, and, as I left my shop in the fog, I thought to my self. “Oh no not again” But I was mistaken, as pretty much as soon as I got off my steed, the sun was coming through the clouds and could feel its warmth as I approached the entrance to the show.

 

I have no idea how many vehicles turned up, predominately it was Chevy and Ford, but had a sprinkling of Dodge, Chrysler, Studebaker and even Volkswagen’s were there in many guises.

 

I took about 60 odd photos with my I-Phone until my Battery decided to tell me on that phone that it was time for it to shut down and have a melt down, but I did get many cool shots and wanted to share them with you.

I get many people from all over the globe check my blogs out as a lot of us do not just have an interest in Motorcycling, it covers a vast spectrum of interests from Hot Rodding, Drag racing, to Low Riders and Full Custom Machines.  there was plenty to see and, if you can ever get to Southern California and check out @mooneyeschristmasparty you will be amazed at the fun you will see.

So much to see and I hope you like some of these photos that I have taken, there would of been many more if my battery hadnt died on my phone, but enjoy all of you.

The weather turned out awesome to be honest and I am met many friends that I had not seen for a long long time, so glad that I ventured out to Mooneyes Christmas Show as it never fails to be entertaining as so much is going on there and always different cars, Rods and Motorcycles to check out and people are more than willing to tell you all about what they have done.

So many different styles of machines and to be honest I wish I had enough Battery to show all the drag racing that was going on all day as that was so cool to hear Motors flat out on the 1/8th.

Many of these I have not seen before and it was great chatting to all the owners and finding out what they did to heir ride, where they are from and some even gave me some great contacts for vintage parts etc.

That Green Roadster was a Raffle Car a few years ago at Ventura and boy what a sweet ride that is, the guy who won it only had ONE $20.00 ticket and he won the ride, so awesome.

Next up is my mate Becky Sue from Anaheim Rod & Custom, a really cool Girl and great family and Hot Rod shop, so glad she got to drive her Comet. Great Job Becky!

Few more video’s this time the cars coming down the side of the track after their runs on the 1/8th mile at Irwindale.

Awesome Sling shot as it cackles its way to the pits.

Seal Beach Motorcycle and Car show

 

Well, it was that time of year already and I wanted to go to the show with My Girlfriend as she wanted to ride her Bonneville to the event as well.

Nothing draws a crowd like the Seal Beach Car Show. Each year Main Street in Seal Beach closes down to welcome over 35,000 visitors, 600 cars, attractions and businesses come together with the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce and the City of Seal Beach to produce one of Southern California’s most memorable automotive events. With 30 categories of classic cars, there is something for everyone!

Early in the morning it was pissing down with rain and the bikes were sat on our driveway soaked to the skin, but- by about 10:00 am it had cleared up and the Sun was starting to poke it head out of the clouds to get the day off to a nice start.

Jennifer led the field up to our next meeting point which was awesome to see her up front and had no worries at all as we sped along the back roads of So Cal on a Saturday morning.

We pulled in for our meet up with other members of the club and a nice little turn out as always and with the clouds starting to blow away the day nly got better and better and am sure glad that we went ahead and continued on this ride as earlier we had cancelled as the rain was heavy, but all good and drying out really fast made for a fun day for us all.

There was plenty of Brit iron on Display at our stop and we spent a few minutes just having a general chin wag to members that we hadnt seen for a while and newbies coming along for the ride with us.

Steve’s Trumpy Combo was a fun ride and a super cool bloke, he is from back home too so everyone had to try and understand what me and him were talking about.

Loaded to the Gills with an Elliptical front end, Steve rode with no worries and you could not this Combination whilst on the tarmac.

With so much room on Steve’s Combo, I think we all could of jumped on his machine and made it to the show with no worries at all.

 

It does warrant a few photos as I am sure you dont see this much here, back home it is not unusual but great to see here.

Flying the flag for all to see, we get ready to jump on our steeds for the ride to Seal beach.

Amanda is one of our members that loves to ride her Bonneville too and I sure hope we get more female riders, as many peoples partners want to ride and this is a lot of fun, no attitudes in our club.

Yes, that sure is a Norton that came along for the ride and looked great in its Dunstall style livery.

Running an old school 3/4 fairing was common practice back home and just starting to see them here and I love the look of fairings when fitted right.

Side view of the Flying Banana and boy does it sound solid when it fires up.

So good to see Motorcycles like this, its part of my youth and always refreshing to look at and reminisce.

Another good shot for you to have a look at the lines of the Norton.

With the clouds clearing we decide that we should set off to the show as it was actually starting to warm up.

 

We arrived at the Base and were lucky to be given an area to park all next to each other and the breeze was awesome off the water.

I parked my old girl and knew that today’s show would be a fun one.

 

Steve has a gander at a few machines as this is his first ride with us, he had a great day and hope to see him again.

Parking was great for what we needed as seal beach can be a real pain to find a spot, especially together in a club.

We all lined up and jumped on an old Double Decker London Bus for the little trip down to the show, Jennifer looks as awesome as ever.

View from the Bus as we made our way to seal beach show.

Plenty of stuff to see and a really popular event for the whole family with so much to see, be it bikes or cars etc.

 

Lovely or what, a real nice bit of kit that I would of loved to have owned.

With Blue skies, the day just got better and better and met many friends I had not seen for a while.

Like I said, something for everyone and I sure loved this too.

This BMW R60 with the Original Steib Side car was bloody awesome, really nice machine.

These little Pea Shooters are quite fast to be honest and would wake many a sport bike up in the corners.

A few little CB750 SOHC models were here this year and of course I know a lot about these in line fours.

 

Not quite sure what was going on with This Beemer but to each his or her own and a lot of work and effort was poured into this Airhead.

This was pretty darn cool, I would need a cushion for my fat arse but a really cool BMW Tracker style bike.

If Copper, Brass and Steam-punk was your thing, then above is just what the Doctor ordered.

He used an oil oil pump Dispenser tube for his Oil tank, very cool indeed.

I would of loved to have this Trumpy in my stable for sure.

Very reminiscent of my triumph when I lived back in North London and I loved everything about this machine.

A really nice selection of Motorcycles this year and it is only going to get bigger and next year we may even have our booth there.

Root Beer flake Candy anybody?

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Yes it sure was busy but a great day out for all. I took photos when I could but wanted to take in the day too but, I hope you enjoyed the photos that I have shared today on My website and until next year, I hope to see you on the road.