Friday 28 December 2012

Massive

Wednesday was on Thursday

Mr W turn in a right grumpy mood so I gave him the top yoke and a grinder....can you see what it is yet

All yokes are not the same

Standard sporty yoke sat on top of the shovel wide glide slabs

It's time to start

Reworking the shovel, I've been looking for an arrow head swingarm for the best part of 12 months been let down twice, on promises from the states, fuck it back to basics it's hard tail time, as my good friend Tim over at loveless will tell you, you need to start before the new year, so I have, first job polish the rigid frame check for cracks, all looks good, order set of Art Deco style internal fork stops in stainless for less than you could buy the stock for, strip out the front end and bang the old one in, just so I can move the shovel about, I'm going to keep it in big bits, never done it this way before, as one bike shrinks the over grows, next job attack the yokes with the only tool you need the Grinder!

Sunday 9 December 2012

It's gone all steam punk

Sat at sheffield waiting for war of the worlds to start, the new generation seems to of cashed in on the world of steam punk!

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Saturday 24 November 2012

Monday 19 November 2012

SHD autojumble

 Off to SHD with Gordie, a full English in the next door cafe and then off to get my hands dirty in the many parts boxes, hello to Bob who had a collection of bottom draw bits and bobs and a long chat about the love hate shovel relationship, including long discussion over clutch tamers, the best one to fit and the best way to set it up, I've got to know Bob quite well over the least year, he doesn't usually give free advice (well its his job to work on your Harley) but I always leave our conversation with my head full, I have to sit quietly for 5 minutes and try and save all that free advice.  Into Steve's workshop and a look around a flathead up on the operating table.
 A great 60's ironhead, call it what you will, but I see a summer pub hopper (you don't get bars in England), a cast case kicker, very nice.
Then round the corner to have a word with Shaun who is selling shovel bits out of his coveted caddy, which is finally up for sale, thing is I'm not sure I want one now ! Later on I ring Tim back who wants to buy the remaining BM parts to build up another BM, result cash flow, and guess what, I have found a swing arm just waiting for a mail back on postage!

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Fun in Iceland


 Two highlights from a recent trip to Iceland, first off the hot springs at the Blue Lagoon and second a most excellent off road trip from the black sand beaches to the top of mountains, three hours of pure off road fun

Monday 12 November 2012

I bent my triumph push rod

With the shovel on a SORN and a nice sunny day what should I do? work in the garden or take the nearly legal triumph out for a spin? On a good day I can hear the crosser boys ripping up the mud down at the local unoffical off road track.  So off I go with a flask of home made soup and a cheese sandwich.  With the triumph leaning against a broken fence and out of sight of the boys in blue I settle down to watch the local lads flinging mud. I'm just unscrewing the lid of my tartan flask when "does it go mister" yeah " how old is it mister" 67' "ha ha fancy a race" well...........I wait for the lad on a GP 125 to come round again, and dump the clutch, arse pushed back to get the 12 year old second hand ( thanks Dangerous ) avon to bite in the mud.  Now these are road tyres, at the first long bend I pass the lad and puching the air with respect.  I wait for him at he start/finish line where a small group are gathered around firing questions at the old triumph.  I have a cup of soup while still sitting on the bike, not wanting to push my luck I take another pass with the engine still not finding its rev limit I take the exit to the road just as the bike back fires and goes to one pot....the lesson? know your limits....and listen to your motor

Sunday 28 October 2012

Fashion goes around

BMW bought back some good memories of me and Tim during the MAG years, as will toured the country in search of a good party, I know it was twenty years ago cause the boys had just been born, proof that fashion as it is now just goes around - it sure wasn't the fashion 20 years ago.

Stafford

£1500

Annual trip to Stafford with 3/4 of the Wednesday club, expected to do much stick poking, actually very surprised to see real prices, even bought a tank for the crosser, due to iPhone posting you will see the pics before this message, and of course you know what's in the back ground!

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Autojumble

 Decided to go thro my spares with that sell or keep head. First up front preunit frame loop in a nice shade of purple and a bit of moulding around the headstock.   Picked this up about 18 years ago, part payment of a job I did, there is a little history with this but that comes later. Rear is an original thunderbird from a 56'
 Rear shocks from the sporty, so I suppose I have a sitting chassis
 Oil tank from a rigid BSA £5 from a northern auto jumble, you know the time when you could travel in a 20 mile radius and taken in five autojumbles, 50p to get in and the old three fifty returned loaded with bits
The history of frame..............Notts 500cc Uncle Bunts Trike Q225 AVO...any pictures?

Monday 1 October 2012

Mixed bag

You should blog little and often, its about a week since I've posted so .............







Old photos of shovel project






Wednesday 19 September 2012




Sent from Samsung Mobile

Friday 14 September 2012

who's that gangly big kid in the white tee and pigeon toes

Hi Whitey thanks for the comments on the shovel frame, glad it made you think! my work is done !
 now more of the gangly kid, sat in the middle between Heather and Mr Wheeler, taken at the Farm party, after epic dance session in the trance tent.
 cooking at Kent full evening blow out, 6 courses, 2 bottles of red
rock and blues after a crazy rain shower, eh thats my hat!

 heart of England, with me and John the welder
In the barson shed, Tim with BM on the operating table, Ammo me and Chris W

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Rose




Sent from Samsung Mobile

My Kingdom for a Shovel

 Tim asked me to put some pictures up showing the history of my shovel, you can look back for few pages to see how it sits now.  Above is a 4 speed frame the best looking swing arm frame there is, well because there are no rails for the rear mud guard, which you make up what ever you need to which ever mud guard you want.

 You can put fat tanks, fat front end, fat seat and make it into a dressed bobber ( please read this tongue in check here) what I'm saying is this is the same frame as above

 And so is this, now with the same 16 back, but 21 front and apes (one frame two bikes)

 Now with 3.5 gallon fat bobs and kicked up rear again same frame = 3 bikes

 And again 4th bike, not cut or added to the frame, steal tail piece and narrowed split tanks

 5th bike ok not mine, take from Hide moto, same frame running 18 rear

You can take that frame run it with shocks long or short, you can run it the struts, but you cant bolt a hardtail to it, if you want that look (and it is as cool as fuck) then you have two options, buy a rigid frame, Tim mine was a Paughco or cut the frame and weld it up.