England..

I was back in the English midlands for a while earlier this month..

Pics...

OK I seem to be back in business.. First I lost the ability to upload photos onto blogger. I tried to sort that out via several phone calls - all to no avail - then my PC got fucked over by some bogus AV bullshit.. Shit! So after much thought, I re-installed Windows. Couldn't make a back-up of my data in the deal though.. Lost some good pics. Oh well.. I'm over it.

Thanks...

I just need to say thanks to all my friends over in Oceanside and Carlsbad, CA for their generosity and support during my stay in the States.. You know who you are.

Update..

Loads of things happening here but I don't seem to get much time to update this damn thing! I will be making a few posts very soon though...

Bike shoot...

Yesterday I did a shoot for some European bike mags using buddy Shaun's sweet rat XL and Penelope Pipes, a new local model. Results seem to be pretty good - so I'm a happy chappy!

Surf life..

Snapped this candid pic of local sponsored surfer - hell, I forgot her name now but it was great surf that morning..

Deb..

.. Doolin's owner Deb!

Doolin dawg..

Doolin.. my friend Deb's wheaten.. He's a real nice dog!

Kool S&S Pan..

This bike was brought into the 'shop the other day by my buddy Blake - he picked it up a few weeks back and plans on getting a little more paint on it - personally I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole as it's absolutely PERFECT to me..

Nice birds here..

The contrasts here in north county San Diego are simply staggering, one minute you can be burning down the highway to a bar or sweeping thru never ending curves down one of the nearby mountains, the next walking to the beach along a path next to a small lagoon teeming with wild life.. I ain't no wild life photographer but I got this shot within a minute of taking the cap off my camera lens..

Bike night..

Wednesdays are bike nights and this evening we had a blast down the coast highway to Swami's Beach - there was a killer sunset over the ocean to our right as we headed south; just our pack of three bikes tonight.. No photos possible sadly. Then we hammered it back up the I5 to Carlsbad and a couple PBRs in Hensleys.. Awesome night - hardcore riding!

Outta here...

Time for a beer - I'm outta here!

Bargain..?

Went out this evening to pick up some food and beers. I got this lot for $9.66 inc tax! 12 buds, 1lb strawberries, 1lb cut ham, 2 iced teas, 1 gallon milk, cheetos.. How is that possible???? Coupons!

Sunny day in Oceanside..

It was stunning today here in Oceanside! Happy 'shop pic..

Ron's dawg..

And this is Mack - Ron's doggy.. 120 lbs of pure muscle there in that puppy!! Mastiff cross Rotty.

Ron Rogers.

This is my buddy Ron - he's a cool muthafucker..

'94 XL project..

The deal with this bike is I'm planning on keeping the full suspension set-up for the first time, but I have some trick ideas to make it look different. I will also lower the rear 1.5 inches..

'94 XL project..

As you can see today I removed all the uncool shit - except the front end-which I'm junking too for a narrow setup.. It is sooo cool using a donor bike - I have always had to build shit from scratch before - this is soo easy after that!

'94 XL project..

End day 1..

Brand new project..

I bought this 91 XL yesterday as a donor for my next bike - I degreased her and steam-cleaned the motor as it was stained with an unknown fluid, warmed the motor up and took her out for a test ride. I stopped after 10 or so miles and checked for oil leaks - just a minor front rocker cover dribble so that was cool. I gave the bike a bit of hammer along the Coast Highway next - and she hauls ass - seems like a real strong motor in her.. I got home and had another quick look for leaks - all good so I made the deal!

Rain..

It rained.. finally! 7 weeks dry spell broken. English drizzle today - yuk!

Home..

This is where I live - for now anyways.. It's kinda neat and I like it!

Today..

..and this is some of my mess.. There's some magazines, my PC, tire gauge, VIP tickets to the strip joint (lol..) yessir, we's havin' some fun here between the wrenching..

Hey..

This is me btw - today..

Richard's 1940 Ford Deluxe.

There must be 70 years between these two cars in age by my reckoning.. Richard still uses the '40 Ford as a daily beater.. It has a flathead V8 motor.

Richard Lux.

This guy is a real legend - Richard Lux: hot-rodder, bonneville racer, biker. It's meeting and learning from guys like Richard that makes life interesting..

'Shop bikes..

We handle the little and large, the Laurel & Hardy almost..

'Shop bikes..

I'm kinda out-of-time sequence here but I thought I'd post a couple pics of some bikes that have been thru the 'shop recently.. Sonny's Pan.

'Shop night..

Somewhat weird shot but it was that kinda night anyways. That's Laura, burred..

'Shop night..

Spent the other evening in the 'shop doing a little wrenching on our bikes and drinking beers..

One more pic..

Tail pipe..

I fixed it..!

That's real smart ain't it?

I fixed it..!

Tasty, err.. maybe not.

I fixed it..!

Is that top made from what I think it is...?

I fixed it..!

Man, that's some neat patchin'..

I fixed it..!

Thought I'd share these pics that came into my inbox today..

Back east.. 6000 miles!

Hey England.. you're awful quiet!! Don't get all shy on me OK? ;-)

Weekend plans..

I decided today to make the ride out to Vegas this weekend with some friends I made a couple weeks ago at my cousin Tony's 'shop in Oceanside. We've hung out together over the last couple weeks and formed a kind of good friendship so I'm hangin' with the boys and we're going to make the trip with a few clothes and not a lot else.. I hope it'll be cool - except the weather which I KNOW will be hotter'n hell! I'm taking the camera of course.,,.

Back to food again.. ha!

Woah.. It seems like it's never the wrong time to order a breakfast burrito from Alejandro's Carlsbad: 12.20 a.m. in my case.. This puppy has eggs, ham, cheese and potato. About a pound weight too!

What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours..

Hey did I tell you how good Arizona Iced Tea tastes? No? OK , but enough to say - I'm addicted already.. While we're on the subject of culture shocks - nothing and I mean NOTHING in England can prepare you for the pure, simple, breathtaking joy of walking along the beach at night: bare feet in the warm ocean, looking across the breaks at a moon so big it takes your breath away! Better still if you happen to have a beautiful girl to share it all with.

Fucked up...

I just fucked up.. I was comin' along State, hung a left at Grand.. there's lights there, but I had a green.. looked left, made the turn slow-ish and a pedestrian appears in the road 10 foot in front of me, hit the front brake - yep down the bike goes! I replayed the scenario half hour after by hitting the button & yes sir, the "walk" sign lights but the main vehicle lights are at green - doh! Put that one down to experience then. Could've been somewhat worse in fact..

Admin..

Got the bike transfered into my name at the DMV in Vista today - a bit of a long wait but there were seats and when it was my turn I was impressed by the efficient processing. I also sorted the oil filler cap problem - hopefully! Seems the cap was faulty. Nearly done fettling now - I'm going to fit a new rear boot and probably change the tranny oil too. We have a few trips planned so I want to get the bike in good shape for those..

Saturday night..

One of my buddies - Rob over at the HAMC custom show & party, saturday night. Cool night..

Nice fab work..

Had a young guy come by the 'shop the other day by the name of Brian Sims.. He brought his new project over to give us a look. The welding and fabrication work really impressed me, looking forward to seeing the bike finished. Brian has some ambitious ideas and I think he deserves support in his endevours too. If you want to talk to Brian about this project or your own ideas call him at 619-578-9971

HAMC Dago show..

Well, we attended but got there a bit late to hear the bands, although I caught the end of the last band's set which was excellent. I had an eventful day - not ideal really as a problem manifested itself whilst haulin' ass on the freeways - the oil filler cap seal is shagged.. I may have slightly overfilled too. Basically my rear tire was gettin soaked in oil - not a great feelin' knowing your rear boot is slippery as fuck! Cut a longer story short I made it back safely - don't know how but I did..

Custom Bike Show..

Heading down to San Diego myself today with a few guys from cousin Tony's. We're going to call in and check out the custom show put on by Hells Angels, Dago. Should be a blast..

Gonna tell you a little story..

I been tuning up my new ride this week & the best thing about being at the 'shop is the stories you get to hear.. Hanging out at cousin Tony's the other day, I was chatting to some of the boys and the subject got onto jail time for some reason or other. One of the good old boys there told us he'd spent an overnighter someplace like the county slammer and been in with a really mad dude that was awaiting the judge for evading the law and worse. This guy had apparently decided to try and outrun the boys in blue in a car headed south. He was chased right down to San Diego where he crashed his car presumably downtown because he started legging it across the Coronado bridge (an impressive structure a couple hundred feet high) - a canine was sent after him and the guy jumped with the dog close behind. The police dog died from the fall into the water and the guy ended up get charged for killing an officer - as is the law here!

Wooah..

Got up this morning, bright & early as I wanted to get a coffee before scooting over to my cousin Tony's to finish off my bike tune up. Looked out of the apartment window and a Carlsbad cruiser rolled into the parking lot, followed by another two.. By the time I headed out for coffee at the 7-Eleven there were about four black & whites in front of my building including a K9 unit! Of course I'm thinking an I have only my half shell non-DOT helmet, the pipes are, well meaty souding to say the least.. Then I'm panicking because I had about 7 beers last night as me and some of the boys started shortly after Tony's 'shop shut at 6pm. Guilt's a bad thing! Or do I mean paranoia?

Tony's 'shop..

The great thing being over at my cousin Tony's 'shop is the characters you meet thru the day. Real nice old school biker guys a lot of them too. You can learn a lot just listening to some of those guys and their stories.

Motorcycle maintenance..

Today I did a little work on the new bike at my cousin Tony's 'shop. I'm going to finish up tomorrow, change the oil & filter and maybe a tweak or two to the carb settings.. It does sound nice thru those Vance & Hines pipes though, I must admit.

Speechless though yesterday..

Just remembered this happened yesterday.. OK I went out to a local hardware store which I won't name.. I walked in & looked around before seeking an assistant to ask: "excuse me, do you stock spark plug wrenches?" She looked blank & said "I'm sorry..?"
"Spark plug spanners.."
"Do you have an auto section ?"
"I'm sorry a what..?"
"A car section.."
"What is it you want..?"
"a spark plug wrench - they're for use on cars.."
"would that be in cleaning products..?"
I had to go.

Only in America..

I've been buying a lot of my grub over at Carl's Jr. I like the cali-mex flavor food there and of course a nice burger hits the spot sometimes too. OK, quite often actually.. I had a crazy and quite cute encounter there just now when the young lady serving asked me where I was from Italy or England - I told her England and she asked me how we would say "It's a beautiful day." over there.. but she is cute.

100% Biker issue #120..

It's a good read - 100% Biker magazine, so go out and beg, buy or borrow a copy and check my rantings out please!

100% Biker mag #120 - new article..

Got my copy mailed from England, which features an article I did a while back on my buddy Terry Slack's two super-cool Triumph bobbers..

Progress..

Going to try and buy a decent looking but safe open faced helmet today: did some research over the 'net & the Fulmer v2 helmet seems to be favorite. Fulmer's a maker been at it since back in the 60's and they have made the v2 as small as poss - like the originals but with some foam to meet DOT regs.. Also need a tune up kit for the sporty as I suspect it missed it's 15k service (by 500 miles)

Crazy.. (but true)

The weird shit you see when you don't have a camera with you... Early this morning, saw a Toyota pick up truck on the rails at Carlsbad - now somewhat blurry eyed, my first thought -was this the latest must have in truck accessories? "..end freeway commute hassle with the new George Foreman Linesman bogie wheel.. " but no! just track maintenance I guess..

Saturday nite..

It's saturday nite, and I did have a few Guinesses up the road in O'Sullivan's 'cause I'm stoked to get wheels here.. It's going to make a lot of difference, I'm sure of that. Man, I really dig Mex food too - it just tastes a whole lot better here for some reason. Tacos and then to bed earlier than last few nights, as frankly I'm knackered..

Got transport now..

I just now got back from picking up my Sportster from Tierrasanta, north San Diego city. I quite enjoyed my first taste of riding a motorcycle in America actually, which is just as well, I suppose.. I haven't got a good helmet yet so that's first on the list, plus I knew when I viewed this bike it was due a new rear boot pretty soon. So despite my eyes streaming a bit on the freeway due to no visor or goggles, the bike going pfut, pfut, lean due to low fuel RIGHT in the middle of the largest merging section on the 5 (found reserve easy, though) - everything went pretty nicely. The bike is a doddle to ride despite having forward controls, which take a bit of adjusting to. It's a modern bike basically so it should be easy! I must be getting old because I actually enjoyed having proper rear view mirrors.. Ha! It has Vance & Hines shorty pipes fitted and I actually had a ringing in my ears after the 45 mile hop. Cool!

Good day..

I even got out for a beer later & tried O'Sullivan's Irish Pub for a Guiness or three.. On the way back I saw this amazing Stingray - one of the most charismatic Chevys made IMO, being a 60's child. Aptly named car: doesn't it just seem to drift out of the night light like a fish from out of the gloom? Drool..

Good day..

..blasted back to Carlsbad on the last Coaster..

Good day..

Over in Tierrasanta, I checked the bike out and did a deal with the guy selling it. Seems a sweet little sporty (for a modern bike). Sold..

Good day..

I got my ass in gear today and headed over to SD to take a look at a bike to run around on here. Before the appointed hour I called in on buddy Todd at Nothing Sacred Tattoo on Market St., San Diego to talk shit and put the world to rights. We headed out to Todd's new neighborhood and hit the Chick fil A which for a fast food nut like myself was pretty cool..

Revealing..?

Butthead: "hey Beavis ha ha ha, is this uh, where the maid gets naked..?

Observations..

Maybe seeing a few Jags here isn't a big surprise but finding this beater down by the beach was a bit spooky - an old Mk2 Cortina! I bet that car could tell some stories..

Observations..

This 'shop on State Street keeps busy servicing British cars in the Carlsbad area - judging by the line of Jags waiting on the street nearby..

Food heaven..

A Carl's Jr. "loaded" breakfast burrito I'm talking about!! Btw this blog has no affiliations with Carl's Jr. I'm just a fast food junkie..

Labor Day..

Went down to the beach today, luckily it wasn't super-crowded like I thought it might be on the Holiday. Temperature today was just beautiful as far as I'm concerned; being a Brit we're not so used to the higher temps. Just plain old perfect today. It's so nice to be at the coast..

Boar's Nest Custom Show..

All in all, a nice show.

Boar's Nest Custom Show..

This lil bike really caught my eye, super-skinny and a frame I didn't recognise so it might be a one-off? I totally dug it and even though it had an Evo motor, it had a 4 speed jockey shift tranny. The tank paint was bitchin. I love the front end on it too.. Love to know the maker of that front end but I didn't get the chance to ask anyone.. Oh well.

Boar's Nest Custom Show..

Ditto this bike, not my cuppa tea exactly but awesome quality work in the tank.. respect!

Boar's Nest Custom Show..

I wasn't so mad on the bike itself but you gotta love the tank and paint..

Boar's Nest Custom Show..

ditto this original EL (which picked up a prize) and hey, sat there behind it, a bored looking Paul Yaffe..

Boar's Nest Custom Show..

Mellow, shall we say..