Willy DeVille - Italian Shoes - Moto Guzzi LM III


In the 80s I dreamed of an LM III. I lived in the communist part of Germany at that time. In the 90s the dream came true. I lived the dream until the Boardtrack - Virus came in to my head. The bella signorina was sold to buy the HD - pocket valve motor for the racer. When I see the photos of my Italian Shoes and Willy´s vid. my heart is bleeding again. Miss you - Willy DeVille. An LM III I can buy again, later.


If you remember Dan Henke's extraordinary period-modified red '46 Knucklehead from issue 17, you'll be glad to hear another bike from his stable is up in the next issue.

This '47 flattie was assembled by Dan using choice parts: fenders modified in the 1940s, and hand-fabbed bits that mingle deliciously with impossible-to-find period accessories all over the bike.

It's funny, there seems to be a 'period perfect' backlash in certain quarters (usually fuelled, it seems, by Jap-bike-riding wannabes) but whatever your taste, you can't do anything but love a bike that looks (and is) so right for the period it's celebrating.

Another great feature brought to you by our friend Jeff Baer. If you're into this kinda stuff (and if you're not, you've stumbled into internet no-man's land) you need to check out his Blog, now.

3.4

WHERE THE ELITE AND UNDER WORLD MEET





Finally got round to fixing the Oil bag from hell on the Knucklehead, i thought it had cracked, leaking a Quart every time i stopped , tore it down & looked for a split seam or hole, Nope, pressure tested it , Tighter than the Incredible Hulks butt !! , went over all the Nipples & threads , all good , refitted it, No Leaks ?? still scratching my head as i ride off into the Sunset.

FTW

Mutant



DK

One for the road

How good would a road-going version of this BSA look? You can see a hillclimber struggling to get out of many a chopper... I'd love to build a minimalist bike for the road with an obvious hillclimb influence.

Can any wondrous Wizard of the secret society for cork tank washers let me into the dark secret of how to get these on without breaking them or do you have to soak them for a Thousand Moon Years ??
Easter in The Garage Club:


A creative day in the garage can starts like this.

Bring all kind of paint! - you never know what surface you will work on...

Make a stencil.


Transfer the stencil, paint over.


You can write the Garage Club name like I did here, or a poem!
- or maybe just write a note that says Hey You - Cool bike...

Wait for the paint to dry -


Another creative activity this Easter was these Garage Club tattoos I made.


Same procedure as the lettering:

Make a stencil -"glue" on - fill in colors.
A electric tattoo-machine is recommended for this job...


Actually these are the first to tattoos I made with Colors.


And after a good days work -


have a toast, an egg and a laugh.

Easter Monday, Rench and I went to the Red Marley Hill Climb to check out the Class 1 pre-1950 rigid bikes, swap the chocolate fueled kids' screams for some Ethanol fueled engine screams and scope the competition with a view to compete next year (it's possible, unless you have certified chronic vertigo, the majority of Class 1 riders are over 50 and mildly tubby).  The oldest rider of the day was 75 and must have more balls than Wimbledon.



The slope gets to about 1 : 1.5 at the top just after the 'pimple' - a little dirt jump they dig into it.





1949 Jap 500 ridden by 68yr old Gerald Llewelyn







1949 Triumph Trophybird 650 ridden by 71yr old Roger Gagg





Malcolm Russell (42) came first in Class 1 (24.91s) for the second year running on this 1929 Ariel 500 Red Hunter, the oldest bike racing.



Not-quite-total-loss oil system


Ethanol conversion, one of the few modifications

















1949 Norton Jap 500 ridden by 72yr old Dave Faulkner, not sure if it's technically a rigid but if I was 72 and someone questioned my legitimacy then I'd karate chop their jugular.









1948 Matchless 500 ridden by 66yr old Andy Smith







1939 BSA 410





Classes 2 & 3 were both pre-1971, under and over 350cc respectively.


Metisse bodyworks EVERYWHERE











Leigh Owen won Class 3 (20.02s) and got the fastest time of the day (19.78s) in the all-comers race on this blue 1969 Cyril Jones Jawa 500.





The car park was no Yokohama but there were a couple of vincents:

And a typically British trike:



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