Just a little Nostalgia today

Posted on February 3, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

03 Feb

Friday already- where does time go? it is crazy how quick the minutes tick by and before you know it you are almost in your grave.

So today as i have a lot to do, I thought I would add a little video i took with my Phone one day at my old shop 5 years ago almost, sure had plenty of CB750 honda’s to work on.

Hope you enjoy this, and have a great Friday Y’All.

Next is about 6 or 7 Years ago so not good quilty as it was my phone but at least you can get an idea of what I did and still do, Motorcycles are MY Passion.

Peace and Grease

Carpy

Just a chin wag whilst on my Motorcycle.

Posted on February 1, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

01 Feb

Seeing as it is now Feb 1st, I thought that I would try and start a little more blogging as I go along, not sure how they will come out but may be entertaining for you.

Trying some different media’s here as everybody seems to use their phone to talk, take photos and now live chat at times, so- to try these things out I have used my I-phone but its not the best- as my gyroscope is out of wack so sometimes the camera will jump, soon to get a new phone though.

This was about a month ago, may not be the best clarity on you tube but something to watch, as I fitted New megaphones to the Triumph Scrambler and she sure did sound throaty when I took it out for a little spin.

A great sounding bike now it breathes and I am contemplating purchasing a Scrambler for my own use as they are bags of fun to ride.

New Bonneville Bobber Launch Thursday 26th

Posted on January 24, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

24 Jan

The latest addition to the Bonneville family, Triumph introduces the all-new premium custom Bonneville Bobber. Born in a unparalleled bloodline of Triumph Bobber customs that stretch all the way back to the 1940’s it perfectly encapsulates the minimalist styling principles, muscular stance and purposeful engineering attitude of a genuine Bobber.

Triumph-Bonneville-Bobber-2017-PRIN-440x264

Our 59 Club Orange County section has been personally invited to attend this event for viewing the New Bonneville Bobber, it is this Thursday and should be an entertaining event for all and I am looking forward to the enveiling, as the LA show we attending was a fun evening, but this time its on our front door, so not a long ride.

triumph bobber

Hoping to see some of you there and of course we shall be leaving my shop 3305 E. Miraloma Ave. Anaheim Ca 92806 and kick stands will be up at 6:30pm. You can call or text me on: 714-598-8392 for any more information, this will be a great event.

It’s with every ounce of passion and excitement that we invite you to this exclusive Triumph Motorcycles event. We’re packing up our most authentic, cool, distinctive, and premium bikes and throwing a party in your area for you all to experience their raw energy in person. Please use the following link as your code to reserve a spot for the coolest party of the year. See you soon!

Media — Triumph _ Brutal Beauty Tour

triumph bobber 2

Anaheim, CA

Thursday, January 26, 2017
7:00pm 10:00pm

City National Grove of Anaheim 2200 East Katella Avenue Anaheim, CA, 92806

See you at my shop or the show in Anaheim This Thursday 26th.

TON-UP GARAGE TRIUMPH HOT ROD

Posted on January 19, 2017January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

19 Jan

Ton-Up Garage is a Portuguese garage that has produced some of the most aesthetically well-designed customs you’ll find anywhere. Proprietors Daniel and Pedro are a friendly pair with a taste for adventure, and a deep love of classic Californian Hot Rod culture.

This Triumph was built by the pair as a hat tip to the cars and motorcycles that cruised Venice Beach in the ’50s and ’60s – right down to the Firestone Champion Deluxe tires. The build started as a stock Bonneville – the earlier carburetor version that pre-dates the more modern EFI-equipped bike. Custom bike builders often prefer the carburetor model because tuning is simpler – and it lacks the large in-tank fuel pump that makes modifying or swapping out the fuel tank exceedingly difficult.

The build began with a partial tear down and the rear frame loop was cropped, the center section was then cleaned up by removing the battery and airbox, with the battery and electronics moving to a discrete under seat box.

A new fuel tank was built with a cut out section for the cam cover, and a new seat was fabricated in-house and finished with black leather upholstery. Front and rear fenders aren’t optional in Europe, so Ton-Up fabricated a pair of aluminium units that fit the design well and don’t detract from the overall look.

A bespoke exhaust with bespoke mufflers was fitted, as well as matching white velocity stacks with carburetors re-jetted to match. A Motogadget Tiny speedo has been installed above the 5 3/4” headlight, and Motogadget M-Blaze indicators were fitted in keeping with the minimalist theme.

To improve handling, a pair of Öhlins shocks were bolted on to the rear, and the original fork springs were replaced with a matching set from Öhlins – an addition that makes a big difference to the way the Bonneville behaves.

The completed bike is a beautiful and slightly unusual Triumph custom, and Top-Up currently have it listed for sale on their website. If you’d like to see more of it or enquire after buying it you can click here to visit the official website. All sources and photos and credits go to. http://silodrome.com/ton-up-garage-triumph-custom/

It’s a killer looking machine in my eyes and I am sure will turn many heads out there in Portugal.

Here are a few more great photos via Silodrome.

ICON 1000 – 2014 THRUXTON

Posted on September 15, 2016January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

15 Sep

Well, today i wanted to show you how to change the look of your Trumpy and this Icon 1000 is a really tough looking bike, I am in awe of its toughness and would love to maybe build something like that at some point.

It was Wes White’s late sixties Triumph TR6C featured on the website Chop Cult in 2009, which started my interest in the Desert Sled. A year later the Hammarhead Jack Pine was revealed to the world on BikesExif. It was these two Triumph Scramblers, one old for style, and one new for practicality, which inspired me to build.

That was six years ago!, and I believe its time to move on!. Once again I’m visiting motorcycle museums for ‘vintage style’, and keeping an eye on the web and custom motorcycle shows for ‘inspiration’.

I am also planning a workshop at my home in Dorset. It will be in this workshop, and with the help of local craftsmen and bike builders, I hope build another custom Hinckley Triumph… or perhaps just make a bloody mess of a good bike!, regardless, this time, it wont be a Scrambler!

What may influence this next builds is this 2014 Thruxton, named the “Three Martini Lunch”, a collaboration by Icon 1000 and Triumph North America, a build “fuelled with shop-floor gin drinks and paint fumes”. Kurt Walter the creative designer at Icon 1000, wanted a custom Triumph that would appeal to ICON core market, maintaining the road-race styling and component cues of the ICON 1000 bikes.

As usual at Bonnefication we start with the frame, clearly undergoing a huge amount of reconfiguring – forget frame loops!, this Thruxton has lost it’s entire rear-end. Replaced by a custom mono- subframe, supporting the rider, as well as a one-off Nitron mono-shock setup.

Frame modifications continue under the Thruxton, with the removal of much of the detachable cradles, exposing the engine and giving this Triumph a Ducati vibe – compounded by the fitting of a modified Ducati MH900E fairing from Aristech, painted in is General Motors Verdoro Green, and fitted with a headlight found on logging trucks…. now thats a mongrel of a fairing!

The classic Triumph styling is long gone, what may raise a few eyebrows is the choice of tank, meant for a Yamaha FZ600 – again heavily modified, not only to fit the Hinckley frame, but also to allow room for the re-routed, and heat shielded exhaust system, now running over the engine and under the Aristech Harley tail section.

Kurt wanted to fit the heavily shouldered 16” rear wheel from a Kawasaki KZ1000 to both front and back of the Thruxton, made possible by welding up the cush-drive on the wheel destined for the front.

The fitting of the wider wheel, now shod in vintage Avon tires, meant that it no longer fitted the stock forks. To overcome this, the stock forks were replaced with those from a Harley Wide Glide, and involved cutting bits out of that Ducati MH900E fairing.

What ever your thoughts on the “Three Martini Lunch”, you can’t deny it’s fascinating!, perhaps like the Hammarhead Jack Pine, it may be a build which drives the custom Triumph scene in a new and exciting direction…. lets hope so.

This was from http://www.bonnefication.com/icon-1000-2014-thruxton/

Great write up guys and awesome machine.

British Day at Olde Ship Inn Santa Ana

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

26 Apr

Well, St Georges day was Saturday and what better event than to celebrate it than going to a British Pub with British cars and Motorbikes on display for all to see and of course enjoy.

We always have fun on the rides and meet ups that we attend and like to show it on the website to share with you lot too.

Steve Martinez rocks up on his Black Thruxton.

We all met up near my shop in Anaheim and made our way to Santa Ana but chose to take the streets as it was a great day for cruisning about on a Sunday.

Weather was awesome and the ride was a breeze going to Santa Ana, the British pub is called “The Olde Ship” so try and check it out when you can.

The parking lot was great for todays meet up and close to the freeway makes it easy to get to.

We were fast to get some shade under the tree and worked out to be a superb day for us all.

James O’Donnell and Andrew Fiallo have a good chin wag as meeting up with mates is always good and plenty to catch up on too.

The 2 Steve’s chill out as we all get ready to have a look at all the British cars that turned up for a belated St Georges day.

James “Oakley” O’Donnell has always made the meetings we have had and is a great 59 Club member who enjoys riding his Thruxton.

Steve Martinez has his Thruxton all kitted out and rides all over the place, a great guy too.

Amanda and Steve parked up with their Bonneville’s respectively.

Steve Fellons Plate says it all about the club to be honest- Nice one Matey!

Barry “Bare” Baxter rides his Guzzi everywhere.

Been A Racer, A pilot and even A software engineer, a great addition to the 59 Club Family and is a fun bloke.

Refusing to compromise with a lower seat or shocks, Bare sometimes gets a little out of shape until the wheels are rolling but- we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Now- Don’t hit that Bloody bus mate.

In the Car park where we hung out with all the Brit cars, it was a fun day with free pint of beer and fish and chips too!

Amanda and Andrew are a great couple and both ride with us and each other, Loves a funny thing eh?

Amanda and Andrew ride a lot together and its great to see, Motorcycling is fun and so much you can do and get to easier on 2 wheels.

Andrew prefers the off road trail style of Triumph, the Scrambler is a very versatile motorcycle and I am sure he gets to many great areas on it.

The weather was perfect for this event and sure glad that we were lucky enough to park up under some shade as it got pretty hot.

James, Matt and Eric chew the fat on this British day, our club has a varied range of ages which makes for a fun time.

Matts Bonneville has had quite a few changes and he likes the way it is going.

Heading off for a Blap on his steed as the weather would be good all day.

My mate Steve Dennish Of Limeworks Speed Shop in Whittier beckons his wife Carol, to get her arse out of the car. This Rover P6 2 litre brings back some fun memories for me as a kid as my old man had one when he started a Taxi company, great cars, Me and my brother Both owned P5 Rovers.

Eric jumps on his Tango machine and heads out with those awesome rasping megaphones that get your attention, this is a cool bike.

Its a great color and the first I have seen like this and Eric loves to ride around the O.C. on it.

I took this as I sat at the traffic lights, always great to see and hear the rumble of these British twins.

Below is some of the cars that turned up and the Cortina Mk1 Estate belongs to my mate Steve Dennish son “James, great to see these cars.

Yes thats an Aston Martin right there.

Great Vintage tin for all to see, great people too.

I saw this Morris traveler but what is strange about it is its not like a stock one, this was a sedan that was converted and looked weird to me.

Now, this was a different kettle of fish and loved it, even the color.

James cruises out in his Cortina Estate.

Steve and Carol close behind in the Rover.

Here are some more photos that I took of the cars that were there at the show.

Plenty of MG’s to look at for sure.

So tiny though eh?

I’d drive that .

Thats super cool.

MG GT V8 had a nice rumble to it.

Lotus turned up with a Growl too.

Bare checking out the cars and likes the Riley 2.5 Litre.

So much to see and a fun day it turned out to be

Just wicked.

YES PLEASE!

Loved this too.

I think this is a MG- TC but a very nice job.

Plenty of Brit tin to have a look at.

This was so small.

Even a Roller turned up too.

I remember driving my Old mans Spitfire as a kid just this but blue.

Not my cup of Tea but sure many loved it.

A Pride of MG TC and TD”s sit in the Sun on this great Afternoon at the Olde Ship Inn.

This bought me back to so many memories, I used to jump on this very number Bus to Islington, and the old Route Master Double Decker was a huge part of my life, catching the 135 Brimsdown in Enfield to the Great Cambridge road was something I will never forget. “Fares Please”

What a great Sunday.

59 Club Meet Up is always fun!

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

25 Apr

Well, it was that time once again for us to sling our legs over our machines and head on out to Roscoes deli and Bar in Downtown Fullerton for our Monthly meet up, seeing as it stays light in the evening now, this was our first meet up here since last year, and what a cool turn out it was too.

Not only did many of our members turn up, the Brand New 2016 Triumph Thruxton R that I test rode earlier in the day from Southern California Triumph in Brea ,who kindly offered me the opportunity to have a blast on the 100 HP Beast, thundered into the parking lot, to the amazement of many.

The weather was perfect for our meet up and the bar was busy too, with superb Sandwiches to scoff on and beer in massive Glass Trophy style Goblets to partake in liquid refreshment.

It was a great evening and 18 Motorcycles showed up and enjoyed the camaraderie amongst everyone at this cool venue in Fullerton.

That’s my girlfriend “Jennifer’s” mean machine and her mum made the cover for her T100, looks wicked eh?

Plenty of people came out and had a look and, as the evenings are lighter now, we shall continue to have a meet up here at Roscoes.

Corey’s Custom Bonny is at the top of the parking lot and Very Hot Roddy along with pinstriped Skid lid.

Even a New Speed twin attended of which I shall be making Megaphones for and should give it a more aggressive growl.

Plenty of eye candy to take in at this great Bar and grill and if you can make it out one of these evenings, you will enjoy it for sure.

Nice to have this cool group with no attitude, just a passion for Motorcycles and its lifestyle with the 59 Club O.C.

We had a Plethora of style, Cafe, Scrambler and Bonny all on parade.

James O’Donnell Rides his Thruxton all over the place and got the Trophy for best attendance a few weeks back with the club.

This guy is a True Iconic Fellon, but thats just his last name. No not iconic.

Above, a good mate Steve Martinez and his stunning Black and Silver Thruxton of which he rides regularly.

Plenty of things to look at at Roscoes itself but tonight it was the parking lot that grabbed the attention.

My Girlfriend Jennifer rode up on her T100, she loves this machine and is a New rider and gets more and more miles under her belt when she can.

Above, Steve Fellon with the “Slave Master “club hat, enjoys our buddies 175 Honda and brings back good memories.

Above, Amanda talks to Jennifer on how she likes to Wheelie where ever she can on her way to work each morning. LOL!

A great amount of British iron here tonight and we all had an awesome time, try and make it along to a meet up of ours sometime.

Fellon having relapses of jumping off curbs and running across farmers property back in the day.

The lads from Southern California Triumph Motorcycles came along and bought the New Thruxton R to show it off to all. But they had to have a few Beers first to settle their nerves.

Barry- AKA- “Bare” found a short cut to our meeting, great fella and his Guzzi Racer was sat all proud.

Above, Michael David Smith arrived on his trumpy, works many hours but always makes time for the club meet, thats dedication for you.

Some of the Lads chewing the fat, whilst I was chewing on a Sandwich!

Julie jumps on the New Thruxton R and that 1200 cc feels appealing from her 175 Honda thats for certain and she fits the bike very well indeed.

Corey and his lovely wife Julie admire the New Thruxton and Corey contemplates his Mrs blowing the doors off his Bonny if she bought it.

Fits this Thruxton R like a glove, its a fun bike as I rode it this morning and has bags of Torque.

Every digs the roar of the Stainless Steel megaphones as Julie hits the loud button and her old man comes to investigate.

So many bikes and a warm evening made this meet up very memorable and nothing to do with Kobe’s last game on the tv either.

I always enjoy our 59 Club events and people all seem to have fun, swap stories and genuinely enjoy the evening with everyone.

There is Julie again on that Thruxton, its a wicked machine and Id love to have that in my own stable.

I can see the figures running through her mid if this is a plausible deal for her, this is truly a 100 Horse Torque Monster.

The Girl of my Dreams Jennifer, rides me me as much as she can, and enjoys organizing 59 club events.

More Trump here than Donald!

My 2013 Thruxton sits patiently, I truly love riding my cafe, its all dialed in and I enjoy the Canyons when I can.

Big J sits on the New Thruxton R and is surprised he can touch the floor- Barley!! LOL

This sure would get him to work a little faster, but he has a Thruxton 900 and thats so much fun anyway.

Maybe if the Lotto numbers come up he can grab this and keep both machines and teach his Girlfriend Carole how to ride?

Our mate Eric Dye has a Trumpy that you can never lose in a parking lot, this tangerine dream is a sweet ride.

Oh Oh- Is Corey working out what the Payments would be on that Thruxton R?

Seat comes off with a flick of the key on the New Thruxton R.

The Triumph Seat now a concealed compartment for all things you need with you, Registration, Glock, etc.

Our members all having a great time as we enjoy the now lighter nights and some fun rides coming up on the calendar.

Love all the old signs and memorabilia at Roscoes, it really is a great place to meet up with friends in Fullerton.

The Night is drawing in but the fun continues as we all eat, drink and enjoy a fun evening of laughter.

Carlos pulled up on his Thruxton with his New fairing attached.

With More Fog Lights than a East Anglian British Sea Side Light house, this bike gets noticed.

Carlos will be painting this Black with checkers, s stay tuned for more.

Off goes Carlos with more wattage than a nuclear power plant.

This 2016 Thruxton is all machine as I rode it and took it into the Canyon, it is responsive, Torquey and boy does it Growl!

Looks great as the Sun was going down, if you can get a chance to take this for a test ride, do so as they are a fun machine but- watch the power in the first 2 gears and she will lift up like a Cutter through an Ice pack!

Getting ready to go and another fun evening was had by all, thanks for coming.

Ode and Michael David Smith get suited and Booted and get ready to jump on their steeds and head home.

Amanda gives us the secret Cringe as she struggles to pull her Scottish wallet from her Jacket, whilst Jennifer smiles.

This Custom built Triumph is all Art in every angle

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

03 Mar

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Images by Manny Tamayo

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

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

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

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

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

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

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL.

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

02 Jan

We at Carpy’s Cafe Racers wish you a very Happy 2016 and hope that the New year brings you good health, wealth and Prosperity throughout.

via GIPHY

May I take this opportunity to thank all My Customers for their purchases from me, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, you all help to keep me living my dream and I am blessed to have known you.

Looking forward to more exciting things, parts, bikes and apparel in the New Year ahead.

via GIPHY

Insane Meat Slicer Turbo Visor from back in the day!

Posted on November 12, 2015January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

12 Nov

As a kid, I used to think that this was nuts even then and now, well how frigging crazy is this invention to see, I cannot imaging the distraction from the noise of this circular Buzz saw that screams around at the speed of sound to “Fling” off any H2O that maybe sitting on the visor.

So Today I thought that I would show some of these Crazy inventions and make you smile today, but- in all the many decades of riding I have done back home and all over Europe, I have never encountered one of these.