Ride To Stockton - reprise

It doesn't get much better than yesterday. Lucas and Doug joined me for a cruise out east.





mustache photo bomb






full fender rotation fix

Ride To Stockton

Darrell, Jason, and some bikes

Stopped by SF Vintage Cycle for the first time and shot the shit with Jason and Chris. Blogged it. F yeh.

Care Package

Pops sent me a care package containing my welded up XS650 tank, the headlight bracket for the CB750, and my "5" patch. Hopefully no more of this. Pops sure is swell. THANKS POPS!



Now to do something about that ugly disc brake...


1940's Mercury parking light

Goddamn I want one of these

So wanna see one being built??????? NEXT WEEK!!!!!

"EVENT: Next week, we're hosting the folks at Hammarhead Industries as they build one of their beautiful Jack Pine's in our Dogpatch Store over 3 days (August 4-6). Help spread the word and if you find yourself around SF, stop by."
http://www.tripleaughtdesign.com/

Duuuuuuuuuuude

BIRDY NAM NAM - THE PARACHUTE ENDING from Steve Scott on Vimeo.

Cycle Zombies

2:43 is my fav

CYCLE ZOMBIES X BORN FREE from Mark Choiniere on Vimeo.

Smooth like butter

Got my CB750 cases and covers back from getting glass blasted. That saved a bunch of time on the fins. I'll be painting the cases grey, the jugs probably black, and polishing the rest. But first I need to thoroughly clean these things.

Two Wheel Worship

Dude.

"The Music Scene" from Anthony Francisco Schepperd on Vimeo.

Sexy Carrot

Pulled this naughty thing up from our garden.

Triumph guts

The head and jugs were on finger tight, so I decided to have a quick looky-look before I put it away in que.

BUB Bonneville Speed Trials Shirt

I got commissioned by BUB to design their tshirt for this year's Speed Trials (which is next month) at Bonneville. They picked 3 specific bikes to showcase, and wanted a Leonardo DaVinci sketch meets tattoo style design. The shirt had a lot of elements going on and style requirements, it was quite a style change for me and a challenge, and here is what I came up with. It was a lot more work than I imagined it would be, but they always are. Make sure you order one, they come in black or white.

This design will be on the back


Similar to this


There will be a pocket art on the front.

Lucky Streak Continues

I was talking to el neighborino Lucas about the cop pulling me over last night. He asked me if I saw the Triumph for $350 that was posted on Craigslist, probably about the same time I was pulled over. I said no and said it was probably long gone. But the seed was planted. I went home and saw the ad. I stared at it a while.



I didn't call. I paced a bit. "It's looooong gone." I sent Lori the ad. "You should get it." "Babe, it's long gone. I never had a chance."

But I called.

Roy answered. An old feller. I asked him if anybody else had called, and no, I was the first. Pupils dilated We shot the shit and I asked him how we could make the deal. He said it getting late and I said I'd give him a call at noon on Friday. Ok, all set up.

Instantly, I pictured all the snipers trying to get the Triumph. Offering more money, making tempting offers like the devil. I have driven 2 hours to get a bike, promised to me, and sold 5 minutes before I got there. But Roy sounded honorable. I was still shaking full of anxiety.

All night long I thought about it. I woke up and instantly thought about it. I worked a half day Friday and was leaving at noon. I was going to ride home and call Roy. Please Roy, don't let me down.

Just as I was putting my helmet on, Roy called. "I sure wish I had a hundred of these motors. You're coming, right? There's 5 guys ready to come if you don't." My anxiety shot through the roof. "Dang right I'm coming." "Can you be here in an hour?" "I'll do my best."

I rode like a maniac from Burlingame to Oakland. My heart was pounding. Please please please... I jumped off my bike, ran upstairs to get the keys to my buddy's truck, and zoomed over to get it. I feverishly threw off my gear (but motorcycle pants still on) and drove the 30 minutes to Martinez. Please please please don't get sniped!

I pulled up and Roy greated me at the door. My anxiety plummeted and we had a nice conversation. He showed me an 40 year old picture of him on his 1969 Bonnie. He really loved that bike. He also showed me the original receipt.


Enough small talk. He took me to the garage where the '67 TR6 had sat for 20 years. He bought the motor off his son's friend, and got a dual carb head for it. He bought the frame from Mean Marshall's for $300 in 1992. We hauled all the pieces out and I asked Roy if he was camera shy so I could have a record of him.


So, here it is... frame, motor, and some misc of a 1967 Triumph Tr6 for $350. I finally got my score I've been dreaming about. I owe Lori big time for letting me do this. I'll finish the pre-unit and CB7500 first, then get on this. I'm currently thinking a mild swing-arm custom. That swing-arm calls to me. Do we really need another unit Triumph with a bolt-on hardtail?

Meanie

I was lane splitting nearing the Bay Bridge heading towards Oakland and there was a moto cop slowly splitting lanes. He got way over to the right which I took as a sign to pass. I started passing him and he gradually came closer to me. I kept going holding way way back on my usual lane splitting speed, basically riding like a grandma. A minute later the lights are flashing behind me and he pulls up beside me and screams "Can you hear me now? Pull over at the cut off!!!"

I did. I motion to take off my helmet. he comes over fuming and goes over every bit of Klr for probably 3 minutes not saying anything. He then goes into a tirade about me riding unsafe, lane splitting aggressively, how I almost hit him. I simply played the apologetic "yes sir" game. I told him I took his gesture of moving over as a sign to pass. He screams at me saying there was no gesture. I held back arguing, apologized. License, reg, etc...

He asked how long I'd been riding and I said about 30 years. He then said "I can tell." dunno what that meant. He then let me go with a "ride safe"

fuuuuuuck, someone really must have pissed him off and he took it out on me. I can't imagine riding with better behavior than I did. The police presence near the bridge has tripled this week, maybe new riders, or something. If you see a cop, stay the hell away.

Round Oakland

Every time we passed this abandoned chocolate factory, Lori (last name Hooper) would point and act like she owned the place and shout in Yoda's voice "MINE!" Well, now it looks like it's being re-purposed.

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Waiting

Sergio's Triumph

I don't normally post other people's bikes here, but this one needs more attention. Back in February at the Unfinished Projects Show, SF Vintage Cycle represented and one of the bike's was Sergio's rolling chassis. Well, here it is, finished. I'd just like to add my Triumph hasn't changed in 6 months.



Back in February

It took a year

But I turned my Miller 180 on for the first time since moving. After a long, annoying, and expensive upgrade of the electrical panel and running through the hoops of permits and inspections, I finally got the 220 installed. Plus the wiring for the backyard. Plus the drip irrigation control box and valves. Kevin (and Gusterson) came over this weekend and helped me get it sorted out. The original idea was to run 6-2 75ft from the box to the back of the garage, but that would have cost another $300 in wire and conduit, so I settled on a couple feet off the main box in the front of the garage. I did some research and Home Depot pretty much rapes you on wire cost. I found 6-2 online for 1/2 the price (they apparently sell conduit for almost cost). I'm just going to make a long ass extension cord. Bring on the bad welds!

Desoto pinup girl

Master Blaster

Dropped off this pile at West Coast Powder Coating this morning to get blasted. Also picked up a bag of media for my small blaster at home. Visor for the Desoto, front fender that I will be fabbing up for the CB750, and all the CB750 engine cases and covers. Cases will be painted a silver, jugs and head black or silver, and rest polished.

40 Years

Marlowe from ALCHEMYcreative on Vimeo.

Too weird to live, too rare to die

Happy Birthday HST

Brocoli Head

Everytime I take pictures of our garden, by the time I get around posting them, the plants are already significantly larger than in the pics. So, today, I'm posting right away. It was a big day, our first brocoli harvest. We've been watching the head get bigger and bigger AND BIGGER... "um, I think we should probably harvest that brocoli." "Yeh, before it starts flowering." Now, I don't know if this is normal, but yesterday, all the leaves collapsed around the head, and the main stalk just stuck up like it was saying, "Hey, uh, dudes, you better cut me."


It was big as my head.


So cut it, we did.






All the little stalks around the main stalk should now start producing. And we also have 2 other plants. Vegetables are simply amazing.

Like, just look at our corn! Lori's 5'9".


Another miracle is our watermelon. For 2 months it was the size of a golf ball. Once the sun came out, it just went crazy. This picture is a week old, it's now twice this size.


So yeh, veggies are pretty cool.

Found at the Gap

Plan C

My CB750 engine is now officially apart. I borrowed a valve spring compressor and got the valves off, so I can now take all the pieces to the media blaster.






The one thing that was in the back of my mind during this whole teardown was the broken intake. I had accidentally cracked it a few years ago. I thought I migh be able to carefully chisel it out. That was a no go. Then I tried JB Welding in a screwdriver to bond it to the manifold and twist it out. That failed miserably. Finally, I just went Neanderthal on it and chiseled it out the easy way. There was no way this thing was going to unscrew as it was glued in good and solid. I took a dremel and ground it smooth. I will just permanently bond the replacement manifold in. I just need to find a good bonding agent. But first off to the media blaster next week.

While Lori's away...