MY NEW HOBBY

I know a lot of you have been wondering why my posts have been sparse these last few weeks, and now I can reveal the answer; I've taken up a new hobby! The Vintagent will become bigger and better, and the biggest expansion of content will be in the field of crochet. :0

Crochet is the perfect complement to Motorcycling, and it's really much safer than riding. My first project was simply a petrol tank cozy, but once I got the hang of the technique, there seemed no reason to stop.

The engine cozy was the most fun. My only regret, and I'm being vulnerable here, is I was too scared to make my first crochet project on my Sunbeam. Now that I've done the work, it's a little disappointing that I used my wife's Yamaha Radian. :(

But don't worry! The Brough Superior cozy is next! And I'm going to use black! That should be smart... ;)

MY NEW HOBBY

I know a lot of you have been wondering why my posts have been sparse these last few weeks, and now I can reveal the answer; I've taken up a new hobby! The Vintagent will become bigger and better, and the biggest expansion of content will be in the field of crochet. :0

Crochet is the perfect complement to Motorcycling, and it's really much safer than riding. My first project was simply a petrol tank cozy, but once I got the hang of the technique, there seemed no reason to stop.

The engine cozy was the most fun. My only regret, and I'm being vulnerable here, is I was too scared to make my first crochet project on my Sunbeam. Now that I've done the work, it's a little disappointing that I used my wife's Yamaha Radian. :(

But don't worry! The Brough Superior cozy is next! And I'm going to use black! That should be smart... ;)

'72 XLCH Update

I shot the tank and at first wasn't too happy with the shade of orange (not as red as H-D's), but it's growing on me so, it will probably be fine for now. MC art is Photoshop, graphics to be determined (hmmm...). It's interesting how the combination of an orange tank and no front fender makes the bike take on a street tracker look but I'll be running a fender.

A future notion I may explore: bob a very small front fender (cut even or just a bit in front of mounts and very short in the back), then paint it flat black to minimize it further.

These are not the bike's original tanks so, at some point, I'll probably paint the other set of tanks and fenders white (homage to my first bike), then I can switch them back and forth when I crave a change.

As this previously posted art shows, I've had orange in mind for awhile.

For now I'm going with the bobbed rear fender. With it, I can reach the rear bolt that holds the cobra seat instead of having to remove the wheel. Then, I can switch out the two seats as the mood strikes. I've even thought about a solo and pillion.

I'd always thought to make this a convertible bike. When you like so many styles, having a bunch of spare parts is great alternative to owning several bikes. Less cost and less space needed. Now, where did I stash that turtle tank and boat tail?

Da Devil Made Him Do It

Krazy Kevin sent over some pictures of his very wicked '41 chop. You might say it's a 41-41, cause he's owned it for 41 years. I had already admired this cool chop on his blog, and was only too happy to oblige in sharing it with those that may not have burned their retinas on it.

Old School Cool,... aaa.... make that, HOT. This scoot looks like it leaped right off of a early David Mann painting. Note the rare anti-vibe brace in the sidecar loops

Showing Class 101: Although it's chopped, Kevin maintained RESPECT for the old frame by fabricating a tunnel on the axed Harley tanks that does not disturb the stock frame brackets beneath it.


Have you ever seen one of these? Out of sight basket weave oil tank.


Is this full floating seat cool, I mean HOT, or what?


Need I say more?

Features and Credits: 21/16 rims-Avon Speedmasters. Stock drum brakes. XA springer. Sportster mag. One piece/one off exhaust system with Superior megaphones. Basket weave oil tank and pitchfork sissy rail with nickel plating. Free floating seat. 4 speed trans w/suicide shifter. Calif "stomper" brake pedal. Much thanks to Bob McQueen (motor&trans), "Sparkie"(welding&fab), Wendy(pinstriping), His loving wife Sue-Z-Q for all the hours in those cold & damp garages!

The Devil may have made Kevin build it but, I'm glad he sent it over, no matter what the motivation was.

For some East Coast Chopper History and Perspective, go check out Kevin and crew's blog.
White Knights in the House of Colors

about harley devidson

about harley devidson

when you see this motor cycle you all know that was harley Davidson.but how its can be American motor lifestyle?
the Harley-Davidson motorcycle began in Milwaukee in 1903. In Milwaukee, Bill Harley and Arthur Walter Davidson developed a one-cylinder motorcycle. Around the turn of the century the gasoline engine was developed and the one-cylinder motor was introduced. In 1901 the Indians were the first motorcycles and in 1903 Mitschell, Merkel and Yale.This motorcycle was initially built for racing and was powered by a one-cylinder gasoline combustion engine. In 1903 in Milwaukee, Bill Harley and Arthur Walter Davidson developed a one-cylinder motorcycle.In 1905 they had made 11 motorcycles, in 1908 it were 154


1910 brought the legendary "Bar and Shield" logo that was placed on their motorcycle. This would become the defining symbol of Harley-Davidson to this day. Numerous first place winnings in races, endurance contests and hill climbs give Harley-Davidson more recognition.

In 1909 Bill Harley made a project of the first 1000 CC V-Twin. These days the biggest Harley ever appeared , the 1340 CC and These days, in America, Harley Davidson owns 62 % of the market of motorcycles with 850 CC or more !!

harley devidson on the road

harley devidson on the road

Decisions Decisions?

I REALLY! need to finish my '72 XLCH, and the only thing holding me up is paint. I'm building it on the cheap as just a simple bike for buzzing around town. It's been sort of a personal challenge to build it with as little money spent as possible and I've always thought, If I don't like the way it rides when it's finished, I'll just sell it. so again the less spent, the better.

I have spares of just about everything including three sets of tanks and fenders.

Should I keep it a classic '72 with the stock front and rear fender, air cleaner, original H-D cobra style seat, and Gary bang sissy bar?


Or, the same except with bobbed fenders? Rear ain't bobbed here. This what I originally had in mind.

Or...

Lately, I've been leaning to a more vintage look. Bobbed fenders, round air cleaner, and an old buddy seat? I could also do it this way but with stock fenders.

I grow tired of colors fast so, paint will be one of the following: Black, Gray, White, or Orange (how'd that get in there?), with depending on color, Orange, Black, or White pin stripping.

Yeah, '72's didn't come with fork boots but, I like them.

To make matters worse, I also have the early '61-'66 4 gallon turtle tank and a boat tail.

I shouldn't ask but,...
Any thoughts?

HOW YOU FIND THEM #13: VELO VENOM

Dai spotted this circa 1962 Velocette Venom at the Kempton Park Autojumble last weekend; asking price £700. This is the 'Special' model, meaning cheaper! The Venom Special was sold between 1962-69, as a more economical version of the evergreen Venom; Veloce were canny about their expense-paring, and managed to make a bike which was significantly less expensive than the standard Venom. The crankcases, timing, and gearbox covers were unpolished, and the fiberglass covers over the power unit, made in conjunction with Mitchenall fiberglass (friends of the Goodman family), were cheaper than polishing up the raw aluminum castings. The hubs are cleverly disguised to appear as full-width alloy items, but have painted steel, ribbed covers over the single-sided, obsolete hubs, of which Veloce had many in stock. The petrol tank also is the 'old' 3.5 gal model (the larger 'breadloaf' 4.5g tank was introduced in '60), and ribbed aluminum strips were screwed to the sides as an alternative to chroming the whole tank. All this saved about £15 over the standard Venom (which sold for £285 in '62) - which might have been a few week's wages for the average yobbo.

The Specials were painted pale blue (see pic from the '62 Earl's Court Show, with a Viceroy scooter - the real nail in the coffin for Veloce, in back), which although very pretty, was like a blue flag indicating you'd bought the 'cheap' model. Performance (except for braking!) was identical to the more expensive model. As an indicator of how dire the economic situation had become for the British motorcycle industry after the drastic fall-off in sales post-1958 (the peak year for all Brit sales), Veloce sold only 20 Venom Specials in 1963, and 34 350cc Viper Specials.

The story of the Kempton bike is priceless though; it was recently discovered in a hedge! As evidenced by the foliage still attached to the bike, grass and bushes had overgrown and hidden the Velo for nearly 30 years. It's in surprisingly good shape for living outdoors for so long - it's possible that is was under a bit of overhead cover. The new owner has a lot of work ahead - best of luck!

Statistics taken from Dave Masters' 'Velocette: An Illustrated Profile of Models 1905-1971' (DMD, 2004), which is still available and a very useful book indeed.

HOW YOU FIND THEM #13: VELO VENOM

Dai spotted this circa 1962 Velocette Venom at the Kempton Park Autojumble last weekend; asking price £700. This is the 'Special' model, meaning cheaper! The Venom Special was sold between 1962-69, as a more economical version of the evergreen Venom; Veloce were canny about their expense-paring, and managed to make a bike which was significantly less expensive than the standard Venom. The crankcases, timing, and gearbox covers were unpolished, and the fiberglass covers over the power unit, made in conjunction with Mitchenall fiberglass (friends of the Goodman family), were cheaper than polishing up the raw aluminum castings. The hubs are cleverly disguised to appear as full-width alloy items, but have painted steel, ribbed covers over the single-sided, obsolete hubs, of which Veloce had many in stock. The petrol tank also is the 'old' 3.5 gal model (the larger 'breadloaf' 4.5g tank was introduced in '60), and ribbed aluminum strips were screwed to the sides as an alternative to chroming the whole tank. All this saved about £15 over the standard Venom (which sold for £285 in '62) - which might have been a few week's wages for the average yobbo.

The Specials were painted pale blue (see pic from the '62 Earl's Court Show, with a Viceroy scooter - the real nail in the coffin for Veloce, in back), which although very pretty, was like a blue flag indicating you'd bought the 'cheap' model. Performance (except for braking!) was identical to the more expensive model. As an indicator of how dire the economic situation had become for the British motorcycle industry after the drastic fall-off in sales post-1958 (the peak year for all Brit sales), Veloce sold only 20 Venom Specials in 1963, and 34 350cc Viper Specials.

The story of the Kempton bike is priceless though; it was recently discovered in a hedge! As evidenced by the foliage still attached to the bike, grass and bushes had overgrown and hidden the Velo for nearly 30 years. It's in surprisingly good shape for living outdoors for so long - it's possible that is was under a bit of overhead cover. The new owner has a lot of work ahead - best of luck!

Statistics taken from Dave Masters' 'Velocette: An Illustrated Profile of Models 1905-1971' (DMD, 2004), which is still available and a very useful book indeed.

Wallet Size Panhead

The loves of one's life. A perfect example of what a lot of guys carried in their wallet. The aging of the photo, the picket fence, and background now takes on an impressionist (artistic), feeling.

I have a friend that likes to make fun of guys (the "yeah, I used to have a bike" types), who still carry pictures like this 20-40 years after the bike (and the woman), is long gone.

Attack of the Dressers

Tony and Toni looking sharp

Go check this out:
http://www.nostalgiaonwheels.blogspot.com/

He just posted some unreal photos from a dresser road trip circa 1965. The colors and styles will blow your lid.

WORLD'S OLDEST VELOCETTE FOR SALE

While Veloce Ltd. made a few iterations of motorcycle before creating their own engine around 1910 (as explored in an earlier post), very few of these earliest 'Veloce' models have survived. A few engines are laying in warehouses waiting for frames, but to my knowledge there are less than half a dozen of the earliest machines left intact.

It was a surprise to see this 1911 3 1/2hp 'Standard' Veloce, which recently sold on ebay for A$50,000, and it is entirely possible that this is the oldest intact Velo in the world. The engine number (#X129 - frame is A13744) is lower than the previous claimant to the title (#154), although there is some question whether the engine alone was supplied by Veloce to a dealer in Australia, to install in their own chassis, as was common in the day.

The first owner of the bike is documented as a resident of Benalla, Victoria, in 1911, who purchased the machine for 40 Guineas. It's truly a 'standard' product from the day, with direct belt drive and little braking power, the front having nothing at all to retard progress; the rear has a typical 'spoon' pressing on the dummy rim for the drive belt. Starting is push-and-bonk, and as basic as these machines were, they would have been very reliable in the day, with a decent Bosch magneto, and little else to go wrong!

These early Veloce sidevalvers were based on a Belgian Kelecom engine, installed in a chassis which is either Triumph made or on their pattern, as they are identical. Ironically, Triumph themselves made a machine which is the spitting image of this Velo, but with their logo cast into the crankcases. One could order engines thus from Kelecom's concern, or make them to pattern yourself while paying a licensing fee for the privelege.

There are a few suspect details on the machine, which could be rectified with a little research and effort - most glaring is the transfer, which is a shortened version of a later 'Velocette' logo, introduced with their later two-strokes; the Veloce should be in blocky, Wild-West lettering - examples of the original paint still exist (see pic below)!

If you have a hankering for the 'Oldest' of a major motorcycle manufacturer, here's your chance - it will be tremendously cheaper than the Oldest Harley, Indian, or Norton!

WORLD'S OLDEST VELOCETTE FOR SALE

While Veloce Ltd. made a few iterations of motorcycle before creating their own engine around 1910 (as explored in an earlier post), very few of these earliest 'Veloce' models have survived. A few engines are laying in warehouses waiting for frames, but to my knowledge there are less than half a dozen of the earliest machines left intact.

It was a surprise to see this 1911 3 1/2hp 'Standard' Veloce, which recently sold on ebay for A$50,000, and it is entirely possible that this is the oldest intact Velo in the world. The engine number (#X129 - frame is A13744) is lower than the previous claimant to the title (#154), although there is some question whether the engine alone was supplied by Veloce to a dealer in Australia, to install in their own chassis, as was common in the day.

The first owner of the bike is documented as a resident of Benalla, Victoria, in 1911, who purchased the machine for 40 Guineas. It's truly a 'standard' product from the day, with direct belt drive and little braking power, the front having nothing at all to retard progress; the rear has a typical 'spoon' pressing on the dummy rim for the drive belt. Starting is push-and-bonk, and as basic as these machines were, they would have been very reliable in the day, with a decent Bosch magneto, and little else to go wrong!

These early Veloce sidevalvers were based on a Belgian Kelecom engine, installed in a chassis which is either Triumph made or on their pattern, as they are identical. Ironically, Triumph themselves made a machine which is the spitting image of this Velo, but with their logo cast into the crankcases. One could order engines thus from Kelecom's concern, or make them to pattern yourself while paying a licensing fee for the privelege.

There are a few suspect details on the machine, which could be rectified with a little research and effort - most glaring is the transfer, which is a shortened version of a later 'Velocette' logo, introduced with their later two-strokes; the Veloce should be in blocky, Wild-West lettering - examples of the original paint still exist (see pic below)!

If you have a hankering for the 'Oldest' of a major motorcycle manufacturer, here's your chance - it will be tremendously cheaper than the Oldest Harley, Indian, or Norton!