Stunning chap

BMW Recalls 2008-2010 F650GS and F800GS Motorcycles to Correct Stalling Condition

BMW is recalling model year 2008, 2009, and 2010 F650GS and F800GS motorcycles manufactured between January 2008 and December 2009.

During engine operation, a vacuum is created in order to draw fresh air into the canister. This air then mixes with the fuel vapors captured by the canister, and is subsequently combusted. Due to the routing of the ventilation hose, water near the end of the hose could be drawn into the charcoal canister.

4498 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

McQueen's Indian Re-discovered

Thanks to Irish Rich's comments, I went back to the National Motorcycle Museum's website and found these photos.

I had seen these shots quite awhile ago and thought they were no longer up. I don't know how old the pictures are, or if the bike still there?

To it's left is a Wild Angels Dragon bike. What's the story on this one?

Are You Having a Great Taint?

Taint, It taint Christmas and it taint New Years.
It's that magical and wonderful period between them. A time for mischief and merry making.

Old Saint Taint, The patron saint of the Holiday.

I'm officially starting this New Holiday Tradition. The Five days of Taint start on the 26th and run through the 30th. The 28th will be the most important and celebrated date, as it's smack dab in the middle. The holiday's colors will be orange and blue.

From now on, be sure to wish all your friends and loved ones a Terrific Taint!

McQueen's Indian Agianagian

Most likely shot at the Santa Paula airport.

Back in Nov. 08 I did a post on Steve McQueen and also showed what was said to be his favorite bike. It was said because he would ride it when he was grubby and nobody would suspect it was him. I have a similar photo of him somewhere (grubbier than this), but found this one recently.

What prompted me to post this was an interesting anonymous comment about the Nov. 08 post that I just received yesterday.

Anonymous said...

Where is this bike? Cause if you want the truth about it I'm the person to tell it because I'm the one who built it for Steve. I built it for him cause I would not sell him mine. Which I still have the twin sitting in my shop. So piss off to who ever claims building this bike. And yes it was his favorite bike. YES it would be a mistake to restore it. It was built to look like my bike, "A Rat Bike" thats what he wanted.

J.D.

It would be very cool if J.D. would tell us more, possible send some photos, or perhaps identify himself.

The gang's all here

Three Guys, a girl and a side valve

Early Pictures

I have a request for all the viewers of the site. Please send me your pictures! This site is not just the Wing Nuts, but belongs to all of you as well. We get a lot of emails and comments requesting info and we do what we can to comply, but we don't have all the answers. I'm really looking for early club and race pictures. Mostly 40s and 50s. So if you can help, I'd appreciate it. I am trying to track down an early picture of the Galloping Goose patch from the 40s. It was triangle shaped. I've got a viewer who is really trying to find photographic evidence of this elusive patch. Any help would be appreciated.

FHJ

Early field meet

Yellow Jackets and Boozefighters?

Came across this picture recently. I don't know much about it. It appears as though the gentlemen on the outsides are wearing Yellow Jacket MC jersey. If anyone know anything about this picture or the guys in it, please let me know.

FHJ

A Wing Nut Christmas

Ever wonder what the Wing Nuts do on Christmas morning. Well they go to church of course. Our version of church. Taking the desert sleds out to the dirt and ride until we pass out. Wes was caught kneeling at the alter.

Bam!, Xmas is Here

Time's Up

Only 366 days till next year.

Merry Christmas from the Wing Nuts

Pretty lady stradling a hog

The CP Project One

By Frank Charriaut and Vincent Prat


Do Featherbed, Batman and Tyranausrus.rex have something in common ?





For a couple years we have wanted to design a bike. It all started when we came back from the Legend of Motorcycles in June 2008, where we met a good part of the best motorcycle builders and enthusiasts.
As english motorcycles fans, we decided to use a featherbed frame and a triumph 750 engine. Of course with a beginning like this, our only direction was to build a Triton. But we didn’t want to make the thousandth caferacer or the thousandth triton. We wanted to make something more personal, a bike that matched better with our backgrounds and interests. That’s why we decided to do our best to forget all the british standards for these kinds of bikes and follow our own road.

First drawings with front brake

When we started designing, we quickly discovered what the final bike should be; a mix of Batman’s motorcycle with a T.rex fastback and a general feeling of Catwoman’s curves.




In other words, a blend of all that we love from the Comics culture.
You’re going to tell me that designing a bike is easy; the real challenge is building it. We were lucky enough to be joined on this project by Daniel Delfour who knew how to read into our cads and make the dream come true.



Inch by inch, talking and working together, we succeeded in making the bike look as close to how we had originally envisioned it as possible. We made our first bike…
We have all been into motorcycle for many years. One loves classics, the others love a certain idea of custom, vintage and dirt track bikes and that’s what we tried to mix by building this bike together.
Purists will say that it’s a sacrilege, but why do we have to follow any rules when the only thing we’re talking about here is fun?


Why the length of the fork tubes? Why a front wheel without brakes? …Simply because we wanted to.

Listen to the sound here

We want to thank Daniel Delfour for his unbelievable work, he knew how to read our thoughts and always pushed the quality of the bike further and further. Momo from Momo bikes services for the great job he did on the painting and the exhaust pipes and a great and very special thanks to Benoit Guerry from Studio Ze for his pictures and longtime support.

Shrine Pageant preliminary, 1958

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2 images. Shrine Pageant preliminary, 21 July 1958. Sergeant. Glen Coffey; Elmer P. Bromley; B. Pat Groom.
Caption slip reads: "Photographer: Miller. Date: 1958-07-21. Reporter: Hertel. Assignment: Shrine Pageant -- American Legion LAPD Motorcycle Drill Team. 15-16: L to R -- Sergeant Glen Coffey, Elmer P. Bromley and B. Pat Groom, Shrine Pageant officials with American Legion motorcycle drill team of LAPD officers in background. American Legion motorcycle drill team of LAPD officers excute drill in preparation for appearance at Shrine Pageant at Coliseum July 30".


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Another beautiful redhead

This beauty belongs to Wing Nut Brent aka "The Changler". Stretched and raked Triumph two piecer.

Another Tom Fritz Photo Journey

As Crater Camp looks today

A little backwards time travel

Some more time

As it looked in the early 50s

Thanks again Tom. You're the coolest.

Norvin

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Pictures copyright Southsiders-mc

Vincent engines have been fitted to other frames. The most obvious is the Norvin, using a Norton Featherbed frame, with or without the lower frame tubes. The Norvin is made in the UK by Hailwood Motorcycle Restorations Specialist frame manufacturers also made frames for the Vincent engine.


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A surly bunch

First American Woman to Ride the Cannonball Run

The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has published a press release from the Cannonball Run issued December 21, 2009. Here's an excerpt:

"Three-time Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee and author of the newly published book, The American Motorcycle Girls: 1900–1950, Cristine Sommer-Simmons today announced that she will be riding in the Motorcycle Cannonball Run next year. Sommer-Simmons will be one of only two women riders in the cross-country endurance run of the century. The Motorcycle Cannonball Run is gathering momentum to launch a pack of riders on vintage motorcycles for an historic ride across America in September 2010."

Read more for details.

This is How it Starts

Brass Balls FXR Concept Art

I recently did this Concept Art for Dar Holdsworth of Darwin Motorcycles (Brass Balls Bobbers), of a new model for 2010. The build of the first prototype will be documented in Cycle Source magazine and also on Bikernet.com.

For more info on this and his other bikes click on the following link:
http://www.brassballsbobbers.com/bikes

Winter riding, complete with dog hand warmer

Dedicated Hardcore Blogs

I recently found these two blogs by hopscotching through a follower.


Click on logos to visit. There are a few Sportster only blogs but this is the first Evo only one I've seen.

The first one features an interesting and fairly unique point of view. Seems that the owner of the blog won't post anything but Blockheads (Evo's) and expresses (kidding or not), a disdain for earlier H-D's. The Blockhead name was thrown around when Evo's first came out and I wish it would have caught on more than it has. Anyway, it's a reminder of how segmented this sport (?) can be.

The blog puts down "Old School" and I can understand how someone might react to the recent craze in vintage chops but, since Evo's are 10 to 25 years old, they themselves aren't exactly New School.

I myself don't dig Twin Cams that much and feel that the Evo is the last true evolution of the classic H-D twin.

Some Evo owners probably now feel like Shovel owners did (maybe still do), not too long ago. Sort of like a lost step child instead of a favorite son.

Hey Wes nice bike. Ride your own!

Another fun part at Day in the Dirt was riding our old two springers around the pits and down in the "hole." Wes was having a blast and spent more time on my T100SC than I did. Look out Boozefighters, Wes is a comin' through.

Chino at Day in the Dirt

As some of you may know the Wing Nuts and the NLAMC went to our first motocross event recently at the Day in the Dirt. We had a great time. This competitor on his vintage Husky decided to race in class when he purchased a Chino from us and wore it on the track. This was a thrill for us cuz as far as we know it's our first race jersey to actually be raced!

Putt Mossman

A Few Shots From My New Nikon