vendredi 11 juillet 2014
FOUNDRY’S MATCHLESS BOBBER
Coming into the scene from modern bikes and sports-nakeds, old school brands like Matchless have never really been on my personal radar. I appreciate the heritage and the die-hard classic following, but I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with one, and certainly not a bobber. But that’s exactly what happened when I saw this bike in the flesh at the BSMC III exhibition, built by Foundry Motorcycles.
The lucky owner of this bike is Mick, a Buell-riding paramedic who actually wanted to by “Old ’56“, Foundry’s T110 bobber, but with old T110′s being hard to get hold of, and unable to wrench Old ’56 away from it’s owner, he had to ‘settle’ for something else. …I think he got an upgrade.
After plenty of Foundry coffee and a number of Saturday deliberations, plan T110 morphed into a sweet running Matchless G9 and the challenge of creating a similar look and feel was on. Tom & Simon tell it from here…
“Mick wanted the option of ‘returning to standard’, which is always a challenge, but not an uncommon request and the Matchless having a bolt on subframe is perfect for that. The 500cc G9 has a good looking pre-unit engine and when well set up, has plenty of grunt for the type of bike Mick was after, an early 50’s period style hard tail bobber.”
“The frame’s not as good looking or inconspicuous as the Triumph with a dubious looking cast centre section, but removing the rear sub fame and springs and replacing with a Foundry built hard tail cleaned the look of the frame considerably. … Mick tracked the build pretty closely and as suggestions were made, produced his own Photoshop renderings to check out our ideas, …pretty good for a paramedic.”
“The colour was probably the area of greatest debate. It’s so tempting on a bike of this type to stick with a black frame and just colour the tanks, but we wanted to give it a different feel altogether. We moved away from Mick’s original idea to keep the Matchless chrome, maroon and gold tank and the light grey frame and darker grey tanks worked out really well. The only nod to the original Maroon and gold scheme is the tank badge and the Foundry Brand on the oil tank courtesy of Dennis at D-Lucks, he matched the ‘worn’ look of the tank badges perfectly.”
“Originally, the pipes were to be wrapped like ‘Old ‘56”, but Tom produced such a neat pair of short twin pipes with double flared ends that they were left unwrapped. They’re un-baffled and sound great, not too loud, but with a perfect crackle.”
Simon built the seat cantilevered seat from scratch, starting off with a long nose tucked into the cut out at the back of the tank and on coil springs, but it looked contrived and all wrong. Version two shortened the seat and moved it back and onto scissor springs. The balance of the bike was restored again and the riding position’s now really comfortable. The tank ‘cut out’ now houses most of the electrics.
“We feel that with all good custom machines, the art is in getting the balance and attitude of the machine correct and with the ‘old school’ bikes our aim is to give the impression that the bike could have come out of the factory looking as it does now. There’s a lot of work to give the impression that nothing has changed!”
Other Modifications include:- Handmade oil tank and battery box, Custom rear fender, 12 volt conversion, LED Rear light, 7 inch ‘hot rod’ headlamp with machined mounts, Modified Teledraulic forks with exposed springs, Custom bars with Amal levers and grips, Side mounted original Smiths speedo, Skateboard wheel chain guide, Rebuilt 19 inch wheels with painted rims S/S spokes and Avon Tyres, Rebuilt Magneto and customer overhauled engine and gearbox., Canister type remote oil filter
“The bike’s probably lost about 50 kilo’s and is a hoot to ride, with the usual reservation about 60 year old drum brakes. After numerous visits and total emersion into the custom bike world, his Missus still can’t see what all the fuss is about, but Mick’s got his dream bike.”
We think this bike strikes the perfect balance between a classic motorcycle and a timeless build. The components and silhouette may be classic, but the bobber stance and finish suggest something a little fresher and completely relevant in the modern retro custom scene. But sod all the justification and opinion. It’s just beautifully put together, extremely pretty, and I want one.
Check out Tom & Simon’s shop & cafe in Chichester and see more from them online on The Bike Shed’s Foundry MC pages and on their Facebook and Website.
via The Bike Shed
Shooting in style: The best retro-look cameras
The market for high-resolution digital cameras in retro styles from the 50s and 60s is booming. Here are some of the best, as well as a selection of classic accessories…
Those who frequent events such as the Goodwood Revival or the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Estewill understand the problem: you’ve invested many an hour choosing an appropriate, stylish outfit, only to leave the house with a chunky, plastic-looking SLR on your shoulder. But there is a solution. Since the rise of the hipster movement and smartphone apps such as Hipstamatic and Instagram, major camera manufacturers have returned to their roots, creating modern-day cameras with the appearance of classics from the 50s and 60s. The following cameras will not only ensure your style isn’t tainted, but that your photos are just as (pin) sharp.
Leica M Anniversary Edition ‘100 years of Leica photography’
Leica has made the transition from analogue to digital rather successfully; in fact, the company’s current cameras are perhaps as coveted as they have ever been. To celebrate its 100th anniversary, Leica has released a limited run of 500 of the legendary M rangefinder. The Max CMOS image sensor in full-frame format, 24 megapixels and impressive lenses make the Leica the first choice for today’s serious reporters and photographers. But be warned: those switching from a point-and-shoot or SLR should be prepared for more complex controls.
Nikon Df
Those who miss the ease of the Nikon F3 or FM will be pleased with this camera. With the Df, Nikonhas produced a no-frills, purist’s SLR, which dispenses with such frivolities as video shooting and other additional modes. It also has a traditional shutter-speed dial, infinitely easier than having to scroll through cumbersome menus.
Fujifilm X-T1
With its retro design and mechanical controls, Fujifilm’s X series has already earned a large following. Released earlier this year, the X-T1 boasts a mirrorless system with an APS-C sensor that ensures high levels of ease and efficiency. The excellent viewfinder, high image quality and weatherproof housing make the X-T1 a compact SLR alternative for professionals.
Olympus OM-D E-M10
Large electronic viewfinder, high-performance 3-axis image stabiliser and autofocus, built-in flashand WiFi – the Olympus OM-D E-M10 feels right up to date, despite its chic vintage looks and mechanical feel. The camera is robust and ergonomically designed, and can be combined with the Prime lenses from the OM-D series.
Sony A7R
A full-frame sensor with up to 36 megapixels in a compact camera? Such systems with minimal space were barely conceivable until the introduction of the Sony A7R. In addition to the impressive picture quality, lightweight body and numerous manual controls, with its Zeiss optics, the higher quality Leica M-system lenses can also be used.
Camera accessories from Hard Graft
The British leather and felt manufacturer Hard Graft has identified the photographer as a target customer, producing a number of attractive belts and bags that will make any retro camera a little bit easier to use, while still satisfying the aesthetes.
Matériel : le secret pour traverser les Alpes
Pour parcourir 1 800 km à travers trois massifs, à pied et en parapente, le maître-mot est “léger”.
Par
Que prendre ? C’est toujours la même question qui se pose avant le départ d’une expédition, un dilemme bien souvent arbitré par la balance. Et réduire le poids est d’autant plus important lorsqu’il s’agit comme ici de parcourir près de 2 000 km en traversant trois chaînes de montagnes en Europe. Comme le résume Tom de Dorlodot, la réponse à cette question est toujours : “le minimum possible.”
“Pour faire simple, nous emportons uniquement ce dont nous avons absolument besoin et rien de superflu.” Les deux aventuriers ont réfléchi avec leurs équipementiers à leur expédition avec un souci de minimalisme, ôtant quelques grammes ci et là tant que possible.
Par exemple, le casque Black Diamond de Tom pèse moins de 200 g. Quant au parapente de Paul Guschlbauer, son modèle Skywalk affiche 3,5 kg sur la balance, l’un des plus légers existant.
“Cela nous a demandé une année de développement”, affirme Paul.
“S’agissant de vol bivouac, faire léger est une obligation”, ajoute Tom.
Pour dormir, les deux bonhommes se la jouent spartiates. “Nous n’avons pas emporté de sacs de couchage”, raconte Tom. Ils préfèrent utiliser leur aile de parapente comme couverture et ainsi de faire l’économie des 700 g d’un sac de couchage. Mais ils ont tout de même pris des matelas fins à rouler.
"Pour être rapide, il faut avoir bien dormi”, explique Tom.
Leur matériel de parapente pèse dans les 7 kg et le poids total de leur équipement, eau et accessoires compris, fait 12 à 13 kg.
C’est grâce à ce matériel qu’une telle expédition est faisable, raconte Tom : “Vous vous seriez retrouvé avec un bardas de 25 kg sur le dos pour faire la même chose il y a 10 ans de cela.”
Pour autant, s’il y a une chose pour laquelle Tom et Paul n’espèrent pas trop perdre de poids, c’est bien leur personne ! Pour Tom, c’est particulièrement un problème : “Lors de ma première participation au Red Bull X-Alps, j’avais perdu 7 kg ! Pour réussir, je dois aussi bien m’alimenter.”
Heureusement, les Alpes sont réputées pour le fort apport calorique de leur cuisine, cela ne devrait pas être un souci. Vous reprendrez bien un peu de fromage ?
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