mercredi 1 avril 2015
Alt. Bikers - notes from the new wave
The Pigeon Kings of Brooklyn
In 2012, Narratively was founded to share untold human stories from the hidden corners of the world’s biggest cities. Since then they have uncovered passionate individuals and unbelievable narratives that fill in the perspectives of society that mainstream media fails to embrace. Their latest video, “Pigeon Kings of Brooklyn”, documents three men (who go by 2Tone, Goodwin and Super 13) in Brooklyn who have dedicated a large portion of their life tending to flocks of purebred pigeons.
“The name of the game, basically is…trying to get the next man’s birds or the stray pigeons flying around”, explained 2Tone. Each day these men climb to the roof of their respected coops and feed or fly their flock of over 300 birds. With each release, aunique aerial display is provided that tests the guidance and trust of each handler. “If the do [come back] then you have a true pigeon that will never break your heart.”
“The more you fly the pigeons”, says Goodwin, “the smarter they get…the best ones don’t give in, they [always] look for home.” For these men, this relationship is deeper than just a hobby. “It’s hard to describe when you’re not born into that life”, says 2Tone. “It’s like a religion.”
via GEARPATROL
CUSTOM & STYLE: LAS VEGAS BLOWOUT
The E.J. Cole motorcycle collection fetches a record-setting $13.5 million.
By Photographer : Mecum Auctions
The big Las Vegas vintage motorcycle auctions make a splash every January, a 27-year tradition of sticking a thermometer in the old-bike market to see what’s cookin’. Prices this year were tepid, with few big sales, but it seems the deep-pockets were merely waiting for March, when Mecum Auctions returned to Vegas for an extraordinary sale of one man’s collection of 220 rare American machines. There had never been a second Las Vegas date until this year, because there was no real urgency and no real market, it seemed, for another big sale. All that thinking went out the window last weekend.
E.J. Cole’s motorcycle collection has been whispered about for decades, and well-heeled suitors have shown up at his doorstep time and again, only to be rebuffed with impossible demands for piles of cash. Talk heated up last fall, as it seemed Cole was ready to cut loose, and several auction houses plus a couple of wealthy collectors negotiated in good faith, only to leave the table shaking their heads. After every approach failed, the 89-year-old Cole, for some unspecified reason, finally budged. His deal with Mecum Auctions, while rumored to have included sale price guarantees and millions in cash, was apparently far simpler than that—just sell the bikes and see what they fetch.
And what they fetched was occasionally eye-opening, although mostly in line with expectations. That $13.5 million total sale (a record for any motorcycle auction) was an accumulation of a whole lot of $100,000-plus machines, and three that crossed the $300,000 threshold. Star of the show was Steve McQueen’s old 1915 Cyclone board-track racer, which was basically a $842,000 OHC V-twin engine housed in a $10,000 Indian chassis. It was a “bitsa” machine, but no matter—the $852,000 sale price was a world record, the most anyone has ever paid for a motorcycle at auction.
Second prize was the most expensive Harley-Davidson ever sold, a 1907 “Strap Tank” single with poetically beautiful original paint. Really early H-Ds are always expensive, but the condition and provenance of this third-year-of-production model was peerless; a rare no-bull blue-chip machine that sold for $715,000, which would have been a world record…had it sold before the Cyclone. This Strap Tank and the Cyclone were both rumored to be the elusive “Million Dollar Motorcycle,” but cooler heads prevailed and both fell within their estimated sale prices.
Another killer machine—there were so many—was an original-paint 1911 Flying Merkel board-track racer. Board-track machines are so compelling to the American psyche that an industry has grown up making reproductions of 8-valve Indians and Harley-Davidsons and Flying Merkels and Excelsiors; the market for an office-wall quality repro 1915 Harley “8-valve” racer is around $45,000, but so few real ones come to market it’s hard to gauge value these days. But with a solid history, the 1911 Flying Merkel established a benchmark at $423,500. What looked like rusty old junk 30 years ago has definitely acquired a golden sheen.
via http://www.cycleworld.com
BSMC GEAR GUIDE #52
Cool panniers (oh yes, they do exist!) from Iron and Resin, some tough-ass armoured winter gloves from Helstons, a toasty leather flight vest from ELMC, a different take on Kevlar jeans from Pandos, and Ornamental Conifer’s collaboration with Barstow. All in this weeks’ Gear Guide.
PRODUCT REVIEW BY THE BSMC’S STEVE SIMMONDS – PANDO MOTO TAMSTA JEANS
Unless I’m going somewhere where I will definitely end up doing some motorway miles, and even then, I’m a regular jean wearing son of a female dog. So to get a chance to try out these new jeans from Lithuania based ‘Pando’ was a match made in jean heaven.
They describe these as “ specially constructed for motorcycle enthusiasts” and they’ve done a grand job. Made from selvedge denim, these jeans are covered with DuPont TM Kevlar® lining to protect hip, knees and thighs. All adding that extra layer of protection against our worst fears. A result for someone like me who literally wears jeans 24/7.
They have also added pretty discrete slots to house knee protectors. I don’t have any yet, but as these will definitely now be upgraded to my number one riding pair I will upgrade with some further plastic protection.
So enough of the technical stuff, what are they like as a jean. In three words – soft, slim and stylish. Seriously soft to the touch, I’m taking their word there’s Kevlar in them, but you sure as hell can’t feel it! Very rich in colour, which I’m sure will age well, I’ve not washed them yet, and won’t for a while as with most selvedge denim, but these feel like a quality jean and I expect them to wear well.
The pockets for the knee protectors are barely visible and they way they’ve ribbed the denim just above all adds to the comfort so you don’t feel anything ‘odd’ around the knee..
These are a slim fit, and I wasn’t born with ‘Slim legs’ but they have got the balance just right and I fit into these perfectly, some slim ‘regular’ jeans I’ve tried I can barely get past my calf!! Also, unless I’ve lost weight without knowing it, they come up slightly on the large size, I normally vary between a 30 and a 32 wasit and these I still have room for a few pies in the 30”. Which in my mind helps add to the feel good factor of this quality jean – thoroughly recommended.
PRODUCT REVIEW – ELMC BIKER FLIGHT VEST
Having featured the flight vest a few months back in the Gear Guide, I fancied it so much I ordered myself one. It took a little while to come as ELMC produce in very small runs, but when it finally arrived it was well worth the wait. What never ceases to amaze me is the quality of ELMC’s products, these are constructed to the highest standards that result in literally flawless items. ELMC must have some of the highest quality control standards in operation.
The vest is shearling lined and fits close to the body. The leather is a traditional hide used in WW2 flying jackets and is incredibly robust. The vest is warm, but being sleeveless it breathes, so is not stifling. I’ve worn it under my Vanson/Union Garage waxed cotton Robinson jacket, and has kept me snug as a bug on my winter commutes. I’ve also worn it under my flight jacket on really cold days and it’s kept my core warm. It’s cut high on the waist so it doesn’t bunch up under the jacket.
It’s a good looking vest, so once at work or at the pub it looks great over a shirt or a jumper, and even in the bracing early spring it can be worn without a jacket.
Gary of Eastman Leather, is a 30+ year veteran of reproducing high-quality, authentic, wartime military issue flight jackets, so this is no mere fashion item. This is fit for purpose.
In Gary’s own words, “All of the materials and components are produced to the highest degree of quality and authenticity possible. The leather and sheepskin garments are all made at our factory in Devon, UK. The hides are custom made exclusively for us – nothing is from off-the-shelf merchants. Essentially, no expense has been spared in the sourcing of materials and quality manufacturing.”
The Biker Flight Vest is a testament to this ethos, and will become a staple of my kit for years to come.
PRODUCT REVIEW BY THE BSMC’S ROSS SHARP- HELSTONS TITAN WINTER GLOVES
OK, so the clocks have gone back here in the U.K. and Jack Frost has finally listened to the repeated calls to bugger-off, but for those of you with reptile-like circulatory systems an early morning start can still bring rigour to one’s digits. In a perfect example of poor preparation resulting in piss poor performance I ordered a pair of Helstons Titan Winter gloves with just a few weeks left of winter.
Helton are a French brand who make smart, traditionally inspired gear whilst integrating modern materials and tech processes. Check out their website for more info.
The gloves are made from a super-soft, deep brown, greased cow leather, also available in black, and feature hard knuckle armour and softer padding around the Ulner part of the wrist. There are also additional abrasion resistant kevlar panels on the palm. For me though the combination of protection and warmth was the balance that needed striking. As I’m sure most of you will concur, there’s nothing worse than being toasty warm if you end up fumbling around like a cosmonaut croupier.
I usually order XL, so did the same in this instance, unfortunately Heltons sizing (an 11) is a little generous, with a little too much overhang at the end of the fingers. These were swapped for a Large (Helstons 10) which are snug but with that feeling they’ll give just enough to be comfortable after only a couple of rides.
The lining feels similar to 3M’s Thinsulate and is breathable, while the wind-facing side has a synthetic fur lining which is teddy bear soft and aids slipping one’s hand in without too much swearing and hand gymnastics.
So far these gloves have proved to be waterproof, although a proper deluge test has luckily been missing from my commute thus far. One gripe I would have is that the carbon fibre knuckle guard appears to have been modelled on teenage girl’s hand. The knuckle on my index finger remains exposed while the other three seem to be shrouded. The XL initially ordered also suffered from this, but to a lesser degree as the mould is clearly a different size.
If you’re an early riser or live somewhere more frigid than the scenes depicted in custom bike films of late then the Titan is a good option. At £79.99 they are a fair bit of an outlay but the quality suggests longevity won’t be an issue. I’ll be keeping these at the bottom of my bag just in case the British winter extends it’s unwelcome grip into April.
BARSTOW x ORNAMMENTAL CONIFER GOGGLES
Barstow have quickly become a staple of the scrambler end of the retro-custom scene, making super cool goggles that actually work well. They’re built to a very strict ethos…
“But as much as we want to re-capture the essence of what MX racing was in its early years, we care about our safety. Let’s face it: vintage riding gear was basic, uncomfortable and, overall… not very safe. Goggles? Same. Their fit was mostly a joke. They sucked air, they sucked dust. They sucked… period.”
So Barstow have designed a goggle that has the vintage looks but with contemporary safety and comfort standards.
These are a collaboration with artist and biker in the blood, Nico, of Ornamental Conifer. He’s been painting up pretty much anything bike he can get his hands on – lids, tanks, jackets – so it’s no surprise that he’s taken up the challenge of a pair of collaboration goggles.
These look terrific and really do the job, and as my grumpy mate James Clark observes “These Barstow Ornamental Conifer MX goggles are just a lovely mix of form and function.” If you know James, that’s quite some testament!
The frame is black-matt with orange/beige pinstripes, with a smoke tinted anti-fog lens, with one extra transparent lens included in the box. Thee are super comfortable due to a triple-layer foam face pad, allowing a large field of view with good ventilation.
The goggles have a wide light brown strap with Nico’s “off the beaten track” design. These are a 100% USA made and are just lovely to boot.
IRON & RESIN x SONS OF TRADE PANNIERS
Normally sported by our spandex clad pedally brethren or our Gortexed weekend explorers cousins on their adventure bikes, panniers are just not, well, how can I put it, cool.
But here’s the dilemma, what if you actually want to cover some miles on your custom ride, and even heaven forbid, actually travel overnight, and need to carry something a little more substantial than your iPhone and your fancy leather wallet on a string?
Created in collaboration with Sons Of Trade, Iron and Resin have manufactured a sturdy saddle bag to outfit most vintage and custom motorcycles – panniers that are practical, durable and will satisfy even the most pedantic aesthete.
A roll-top closure opens to spacious interior and features a configurable strap system that attaches easily to even the most elaborately minimalist subframe. It converts to a messenger-style bag with long strap or use attached grab handle for easy carrying off the motorcycle and into your favourite craft-brew artisan beer establishment.
Constructed from durable coated cotton canvas with a reinforced bottom and easy-to-clean custom-branded lining, it has leather edging and custom antique brass hardware. Each bag is a healthy 12”W x 23”H x5”D, with 1380 cubic inches of storage space.
I&R advise that it ‘….works best on bikes with a single side exhaust, rear frame, and rear shocks. Or, bikes that have exhaust pipes that run at least 22″ below the seat frame.”
Excellent. Pack up the tent and lets get going.
via The Bike Shed
Vintage Electric produces board track bicycles with a spark
With its E-Tracker, California-based Vintage Electric has produced what we think might be the coolest e-bike we’ve ever seen – and it’s also claimed to be the fastest currently available on the market…
Murderdrome memories
Visually inspired by the board track racers that thundered around the early-1900s ‘Murderdromes’, the handcrafted machines boast some wonderful details. These include a battery box that assumes the appearance of an engine casing, and leather saddles and grips produced by London-based specialist Brooks – the bike also sports modern technological highlights, such as regenerative braking and optional LED lighting.
Beyond the myriad customisation options – which can be specified through Vintage Electric’s online configurator – the company also offers custom paint jobs, such as the military-themed example shown in the gallery. Prices for standard versions start at a quite reasonable $4,995.
Photos/Video: Vintage Electric
For further information, visit the Vintage Electric website.
This Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona is a V12 Keepsake
“My dad bought this car in 1974 when it was a year old, and so was I a year old,” says Matthew Lange. “He bought it to use every day, and in fact, it was his company car.”
It’s quite rare to see a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 “Daytona” pressed into daily service, racking up nearly 40,000 miles in the process. Lange’s dad passed the car onto him at 30—much earlier than promised, so that his son could enjoy the car.
“It just puts a big smile on my face, getting behind the wheel and driving this car,” he says. “But when I first got the car, it scared me. A lot.” With more power and less grip than he was used to, he had to learn how to operate the 12-cylinder “Daytona.”
Now, he takes it on long drives with his wife to central Europe, racking up thousands of miles in the process—something the car was built to do from the outset. With the same trusted mechanic for around 30 years, Lange says it frees up and starts to drive much better once the miles pile up.
“It’s a car to use, it’s certainly not in concours condition,” Lange says, “I like to keep it that way, I don’t want to spend my money polishing it up nice to win a trophy.”
With the intention of keeping it in the Lange family, this stunning “Daytona” will live on through generations to come, all with the promise of using it on the open road—where the car was meant to be.
http://Petrolicious.com
http://facebook.com/Petrolicious
It’s quite rare to see a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 “Daytona” pressed into daily service, racking up nearly 40,000 miles in the process. Lange’s dad passed the car onto him at 30—much earlier than promised, so that his son could enjoy the car.
“It just puts a big smile on my face, getting behind the wheel and driving this car,” he says. “But when I first got the car, it scared me. A lot.” With more power and less grip than he was used to, he had to learn how to operate the 12-cylinder “Daytona.”
Now, he takes it on long drives with his wife to central Europe, racking up thousands of miles in the process—something the car was built to do from the outset. With the same trusted mechanic for around 30 years, Lange says it frees up and starts to drive much better once the miles pile up.
“It’s a car to use, it’s certainly not in concours condition,” Lange says, “I like to keep it that way, I don’t want to spend my money polishing it up nice to win a trophy.”
With the intention of keeping it in the Lange family, this stunning “Daytona” will live on through generations to come, all with the promise of using it on the open road—where the car was meant to be.
http://Petrolicious.com
http://facebook.com/Petrolicious
Relive the Goodwood Members’ Meeting from a driver’s perspective
If you were able to attend the Members' Meeting (or even stream the live coverage), you’ll know just how exciting the event can be from a spectator’s point of view. So just imagine what it’s like to be one of the drivers…
James Cottingham’s day job involves acquiring and selling on high-value cars for his family business, DK Engineering – but on several weekends a year, he swaps his office Chesterfield for a bucket seat on an historic racing grid. This year, his season-opener was the 73rd Goodwood Members' Meeting, at which he piloted a 1965-spec Shelby American Daytona Cobra Coupé. He gives us an insight into the diary of a Goodwood driver.
The car
“A Shelby American Daytona Cobra Coupé is an incredibly rare thing; only six were built originally, and today they’re worth tens of millions of dollars,” James tells us. “Our car has been built as a 99% perfect copy of an original car, to the original specification and with FIA Period F papers. We wanted to ensure we weren’t trying to make it appear to be something it wasn’t, so we haven’t painted it in a replica period-correct colour scheme. Ecurie Francorchamps had an AC Ace painted in AC green with a yellow band across the wing in period, and we felt that if the team had run a Daytona Cobra Coupé, it would have worn this colour scheme. It’s just a bit of fun, really.” At this point, we noticed a colour-matched Rolex Submariner on his wrist, and asked if it was intentional. “Absolutely – why not?!” came the reply.
The co-driver
“I’m also racing a 1959 Tojeiro-Jaguar solo in the Salvadori Cup, but in the hour-long Graham Hill Trophy, I’ll be sharing the Daytona Cobra with Joe Twyman. We do a lot of business together – me being in the Ferrari world, and him working for Gooding & Company and as an independent consultant for private collectors – but he’s also one of my best friends. We raced a Mini together for two seasons a few years ago. He’s also a safe pair of hands, which is important when you’re watching your baby go around the track!”
Leading up to the event
The Tuesday before Members’ Meeting weekend, the car was sent to Donington for testing. “We played around with set-ups and then, on the last lap, we had a driveshaft failure. It was unlucky, but lucky in a way – it’s better that it fails on the last lap of testing than the first lap of the race. We sent the car back to base, and it was a through-the-night job to replace the driveshaft; we also found one of the shock absorbers was bent, too. As you can imagine, they’re not too easy to get hold of at such short notice. However, Tim Summers – with whom I shared a Cobra at the Spa 6 Hours last year – was kind enough to let us borrow the rear shocks from his car. Once those issues were sorted, we had to sort out the exhausts: they were silenced before, and we had to make sure it had straight-through pipes for the Members’ Meeting, in true Goodwood spirit.”
“While all this was going on, I was in the office trying to tie up any loose ends, as I knew I was going to be away on the Friday. I must admit: I was a bit distracted thinking about the weekend ahead. The cars were loaded up onto the trailer on Thursday afternoon to be taken down to Goodwood on Friday morning, and I made my way down on Friday afternoon, stopping at a dealer on the way to inspect a car on behalf of a customer.”
Race weekend
“On arrival, we signed on, got the car scrutineered, had a wander round to look at the other cars, and caught up with a few familiar faces. After that, Joe, a few others and myself went to the pub for dinner – the Royal Oak in Lavant is an old haunt of ours, and somewhere we always try to go when we’re at Goodwood. We tried not to have too many beers...
“On Saturday, we were up bright and early to get ready for the qualifying session. Joe hadn’t had quite as much time in the car as I had, so we wanted to give him a bit longer. He managed to get the car up to P4 and, although there was a red flag due to some oil on the track, I was able to find a good line and get us up to P2. We still had a few mechanical teething problems, so I brought the car in early and we went off to where the transporters were parked to practise our driver changes. Being among the younger drivers in the race, we wanted to take full advantage of that.
“I was actually qualifying the Tojeiro in the session before the Cobra race, so I had to come in a few laps early from that in order to run down to the assembly area – I’d missed the driver’s briefing, as had Emanuele Pirro, who was the pole-sitter. We were both given a quick summary before jumping into our cars but, then, a big crash on the home straight meant our session was delayed by half an hour.” The clean-up operation and the 6:30pm noise curfew squeezed the race down to 30 minutes, during which time each car had to change driver once.
And they’re off!
“I went first, and it was an interesting start. Two cars definitely jumped the gun, and I’d lost a place by the first corner. But then I had a pretty decent battle for second, working out where both of our weak points were. I made a few attempts, then went down the inside in the braking area on the back straight; doing that is always a little bit unnerving when you’re doing 155mph and trying to hit the brakes later than your opponent. I could also see our oil pressure dropping a little; driving these historic cars, part of the art of it is looking after the car. So, while maintaining a good pace, I was hoping the practice we put into the driver change would pay off during the pit stop – and it did.”
When Joe was released from the pits for his stint, he came out ahead of the red Cobra that held the lead from the beginning. “That car was really on song, as evidenced by the speed traps. As everyone saw, it eventually got past, but Joe did really well to hold onto second in such a hotly contested race, with so many good drivers. We were really grateful to have done so well in the car’s first time out, so we owe thanks to the many people who helped make it happen, particularly Gary Spencer from Classic Racing Cars.”
“After the race, we got changed and headed straight out to the party. We had a few drinks and really enjoyed the band – that’s one of the unique things about Goodwood, they look after you so well and put on such a good show. The entertainers that were there, the band, the firework finale with music… it’s just signature Goodwood. You couldn’t see or repeat it anywhere else.”
Photos: © Tim Brown for Classic Driver
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