Slainte Mhaith

Your good health for the coming years, keep the handlebars up and the rubberside down

Happy New Year 80)

Merry F'kin Christmas

Old shit for working on old shit!

Ive been struggling to find a valve spring compressor that is man enough to fit the valve assembly to my Chief cylinders, my handy toolbox one was too small, I went to town and bought a new Sykes Pikevant one, too weak to compress the spring. I had a look on ebay and got this nice old SP one in a battered old tin box for 20 odd quid.................... valves fitted 5 minute job!!

Shovel love 8)

One of my favourite HD's of all time, the Duckman's "Bitch"

Winter ride

Panhead hillclimber out in the snow, cant wait to get out on the Sport Scout!!!!

Building the Speedshop's hauler

Rearranged Rover

Range Rover pick up

Decision made the Rangie is for the chop. I'm going to get a cab kit from Longranger and build a box section flatbed trayback  that'll carry a couple of bikes or haul parts. Here's a pic of a Longranger converted Discovery.

Snow go!

this was taken on friday, weve had another 4 or 5 inches since then, went out this morning brushed the snow off the mag on Blackbob, fired up second kick 8)

The Gurly HD first stab of the starter button.

I let the Norton off cos, its new carbs are still snug in their box. Just scored a set of later (early Commando) long roadholders and a spare set of wheelhubs to get laced up to some new 18" ally rims by Colin and Co. at Loch Ness Restorations along with a pre mot tidy and tune up ready to go hillclimbing next season.

Its snowing here, and when its snowing I wanna play with Landys !!!

but as usual both of mine are SNAFU, I think Im gonna put this, a good running 1994 4ltr V8 with a good chassis and axles, but a rotten body and dodgy wiring

and this space framed series one RR hybrid with a knackered chassis and worn out drivetrain

together, and make me a coil sprung 100" one of these 8)

Series one 107" LR on Dana 60s with a small block chevy motor in Portland Oregon built by Timm Cooper

Alternatively - i'll trade the two of em for a LWB ragtop or pickup Series 1, 2 or 3  in running order and start from there!

The Stroker Scout is alive!!!

Big thanks to Neil  "Indianscot" who came up from his borders stamping ground to help me get the motor commissioned, I'd have been struggling without him!

fired up, a bit unexpectedly while giving it priming kicks to check oil return ................. some motors just wanna run!!!!

This just blows me away 8)>

CJ Allen's engraving on this Hunt  mag is just awesome - check him out here

The one that got away!!!

Ive had a lot of bikes over the years, they come they go, some stay for longer than others, but the one that I wish I'd kept was this 1972 BSA B50 race bike, it was sold to a fella from Denmark about 3 years ago, hope hes having fun with it!

New build New blog

readallaboutit here

Call me the breeze .........................................

Singin while I'm riding BlackBob today 8o)

Call me the breeze
I keep blowin' down the road
Well now they call me the breeze
I keep blowin' down the road
I ain't got me nobody
I don't carry me no load

Ain't no change in the weather
Ain't no changes in me
Well there ain't no change in the weather
Ain't no changes in me
And I ain't hidin' from nobody
Nobody's hidin' from me
Oh, that's the way it's supposed to be

Well I got that green light baby
I got to keep movin' on
Well I got that green light baby
I got to keep movin' on
Well I might go out to California
Might go down to Georgia
I don't know

Well I dig you Georgia peaches
Makes me feel right at home
Well now I dig you Georgia peaches
Makes me feel right at home
But I don't love me no one woman
So I can't stay in Georgia long

Well now they call me the breeze
I keep blowin' down the road
Well now they call me the breeze
I keep blowin' down the road
I ain't got me nobody
I don't carry me no load
Oooh Mr Breeze

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/l/lynyrd+skynyrd/#share

Have you been Sliced n Diced?

I have, I bought a winged brass taillight from their Blog back in March, paid by paypal, waited, waited some more, emailed them got no reply, made some enquiries and got another email to try (meanwhile they had gone on an extended holiday/move to the USA from Oz) Then I finally got a mail from Dan/Twig to say the light hjad been sent surface back in May....... Surface mail takes 3-4 weeks from Oz to the UK, there blog was awash with negative comments from folks who had ordered lights and not received, dont get caught out by these scammers they are stilladvertising these lights on their blog!

Very pissed off 

Curtiss Aero engined special at rest

Grizzy sent me this pic of the car 8)

Gus's new project

Same as my first bike, a 1973 Montesa Cota 247 trials, we've got 3 of em now! 8)

BlackBob gets Fossed 2

I collected BlackBob from Richi's workshop this morning, To say I'm chuffed is an understatement!!!

The new hi level stainless pipes are a work of art, they bend nicely out of the cylinder head then curve nicely around the Morgo cylinders kicking up and round the primary cover then finish in a pair of staggered hand crafted stainless meggas .............. cant wait to hear it fired up! But I will have to wait, the Hunt magneto is giving grief and I havent had a chance to get the cam profile sorted out yet, I have ordered a new magneto complete with a Goodson style alloy cover from Tyler at Lowbrow Customs but he is at Bonneville this week.

Richi also sorted out a few other jobs while the bike was in his workshop, New rear engine plates in stainless with rhe LH one carrying a roller chain tensioner behind it. The standard Triumph footpeg irons have been Fossed too, they now have a simple but clever hinge arangement built in so I can get round corners without the pegs digging in.

For Sale 2002 Aprilia Mille R Factory Troy Corser race rep

Reluctantly up for sale, to raise funds for my Chout build. the ultimate in Italian Superbikes in 2002, all the bells n whistles, absolutely ace to ride, just had its front end serviced, recent Gianelli race cans and tune up, some minor scuffs n scrapes but generally in good shape T&T til the end of the riding season £2750 ovno

call me on o7775424o98 if ya fancy it!

Darracq

Today we are having a vintage Morgan Aero day!!

Curtiss Aero engine at speed!

And Sid's latest - flattrack Matchless V twin

Sid's OHV V twin AJS

Going through my pictures from this years Loch Ness Run, heres some of Sid's AJS special
and a youtube vid of him telling you how he built it

Riley 9 Special

Visited Achnasheen a year or so back on route to Applecross, and seen again at Glamis Castle at the weekend





It was travelling with this pre war 12/4 special last year

Parked at the railway station Achnasheen

Classy 101 bobjob snapped at Traquair last summer

Richi's Norton

This is Richi's Norton, hes had it since he was in his teens, Some of you might have seen it down at the Kent Show back in the late 80's, I remember seeing it in BSH when I was living in Glasgow. I remember the first time I saw it up close i was blown away, Richi and his mate were on their way back from a rally on Skye and pulled into Achnasheen for a stop, that was about 10 years ago. The bike looks better every time I see it!

Richi's craftmanship can be seen on most of the modified bikes in the Highlands, his work is second to none.

Richi Foss Fabrication and Welding in Inverness

Bullet enduro

Land rover Special Vehicles

While I was away.................

I left BlackBob with Richi Foss in Inverness, hes making a new set of hi level pipes for me and a pair of stainless meggas to match. I dropped in to see him this morning and had a gander at the work in progress, hes tacked it all together for me to ok, still need to trim the ends for length and make up rear mounts and hangers, so the pipes will sit a bit higher at the rear and run parallel. Richi's got it exactly how i wanted it, curving the pipes in and over the primary to give me some more legroom while still keeping the pipes running together. I just ordered a set of exhaust to cylinder head sealing rings/olives to make sure there are no leaks at the head.

work in progress

Just back from a week in the Tuscan hills

Flew into Pisa on the Saturday, picked up a hire car, Fiat Panda (classy eh??) and packed the four of us and all our bags in for the trip to Montefegatesi, in the hills??mountains north of Lucca - we arrived at our villa in the dark, in a thunderstorm after a very exciting drive up a 5000ft mountain on single track then dirt road - I now have the utmost respect for Fiat Pandas, perfect cars for Italian roads!!
Small Fiats, Piaggio 3 wheel pick ups and scooters seem to be the main players on Tuscan roads, didnt see that many bikes, a few HD Sportsters and the odd Duke but every where you looked there would be a scooter of some sort.

A week of mixed weather, great food and wine and a taste for Italian roads, cant wait for another trip, next time I think I'll hire a bike 8-)

TTFN

Off for a week in Tuscany, catchya later 8-)

Espresso

I just traded the Kawasaki for a bit of Italian speed, the ZX9R is gone ....... Vive Aprilia!

Celebrated with a ride west to Achnasheen ........ wow! ....... handles like nothing I have ever ridden before, and plenty of V twin power on tap to keep the wheels spinning 8-)

oh aye some detail , its an RSV Mille R Troy Corser rep, for those who have a clue wot that means ????

HCMCC Loch Ness Run 2010

I took Blackbob along to the LNR this morning, it was a bit of a washout weather wise with it raining all day. BB doesnt like a lot of rain, the Hunt mag seems to mis at low revs so it needs to be kept on the boil, not great for trying to sneak by the Northern Constabulary's HQ with open pipes ;-D

Once at the venue, I spent an hour or two wandering round the bikes, in amongst the usual gaggle of t120's and T140's polished to within an inch of their lives, a few BSA singles, a couple of Fanny B's and some restored flattankers there were a few gems, a really nicely patinated flattank Sunbeam racer shone and being the true star - I would love to have it in my lock up


I was asked if i would judge the Specials class, which was an easy task, there were only three entries, a very tidy t110 engined Triton with some neat mods, a morini 3 1/2 fitted with a nice ally tank and a Honda CX500, which I didnt even notice!