Last Week of July

WHILE MOST OF US HAVE A FEW WEEKENDS AWAY ON OUR BIKES EACH YEAR, SOME MORE, SOME LESS, IT SEEMS THAT FEW OF US ACTUALLY HEAD OFF FOR A WEEK OR MORE AWAY, JUST GOING SOMEWHERE FOR THE SAKE OF TRAVELLING.

FLAT-TRACKING BUELLIGAN

YOU’D NEVER’VE THOUGHT THAT TRICK BUELLS WERE LIKE RURAL BUSES, WOULD YOU, BUT THEY ARE – YOU DON’T SEE ANY FOR AGES, AND THEN TWO COME ALONG IN QUICK SUCCESSION…

21ST CENTURY TRITON

AS ANY FULE NOES, A TRITON IS AN AMALGAM OF A TRIUMPH ENGINE AND A NORTON FRAME, INVARIABLY WITH AN EQUALLY DIVERSE ORIGIN FOR THE ROLLING GEAR, BODYWORK AND BRAKES.

Unrideable That. Mate, For Too Low...

AS I’M SURE YOU KNOW, BIKING AS A CULTURE IS GETTING OLDER; AS REPORTED LAST MONTH, THE AVERAGE AGE OF A BSH READER IS NOW 57, AND EVERYWHERE YOU GO WHERE THERE ARE BIKERS IT’S PLAIN THAT WE, AS A SUB-CULTURE, ARE PREDOMINANTLY WRINKLIES. NOT ALL OF US THOUGH, I’M GLAD TO REPORT…

Best New Skool

THERE IS, AS I’M SURE YOU KNOW, NOTHING MORE EMBARRASSING THAN YOUR BIKE POINT-BLANKLY REFUSING TO START WHEN IT’S TIME FOR YOU TO RIDE IT UP TO COLLECT A TROPHY IN A CUSTOM SHOW. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED TO ME AT THE NCC LONDON’S DIAMOND DAY THIS YEAR…

Triumph Day

JACKS HILL CAFE ON THE A5, JUST NORTH OF TOWCESTER IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, IS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS TRUCK-STOPS IN THE LAND, AND’S BECOME VERY, VERY POPULAR WITH BIKERS TOO.

Rock & Bike Fest

THIS YEAR’S ROCK & BIKE FEST, THE 15TH, WAS BOTH A SCORCHER AND ANOTHER SELL-OUT, WITH A RECORD 2,400 IN THROUGH THE GATE ON THURSDAY NIGHT ALONE!

Best Engineering

DAVE TARNER, THE OWNER AND BUILDER OF THIS SUPERB PAINTED/ POLISHED/BIG TUBE ALLOY FRAME/BIG BORE/BLOW-THROUGH TURBOCHARGED UBER-FIGHTER, IS A MAN WHO DOES STREETFIGHTERS, HE REALLY IS!

War Pigs

SOME BIKES ARE WORTH MORE THAN - THEY'RE ABOUT THE FEELINGS THEY INVOKE IN YOU, THE WAY THEY MAKE YOU OPEN THE GARAGE AND SEE THEM EACH TIME OR THE WAY YOU FEEL WHEN YOU'RE RIDING THEM...

South West Chopper Fest

DEEP IN THE BLACKDOWN HILLS ON THE DEVON/ SOMERSET BORDER, SIGNS OF HUMAN OCCUPATION GO BACK SO FAR EVEN THE ROMANS ARE CLASSED AS NEWCOMERS.

The Farmyard Party

THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLK OUT THERE WHO, IF YOU ASK THEM, ’LL TELL YOU THAT THEY DON’T LIKE BIG RALLIES; THAT THESE DAYS THEY ONLY GO TO THE SMALL ONES, BECAUSE THE BIG ONES ARE TOO IMPERSONAL, TOO BUSY, AND YOU CAN’T RELAX. I COULD BE WRONG, BUT I’D SURMISE THAT THESE PEOPLE’VE NEVER BEEN TO THE FARMYARD PARTY.

Ride Choppers Or Fork Off!

IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE HAD A BIT OF A ROUND-UP OF THE BEST OF THE SCANDINAVIAN CHOPPER SCENE SO WE’VE SCORED THREE OF THE SEXIEST LONGFORK CHOPPERS ON THE PLANET – BIKES THAT, AS ANY FULE NOSE, THE NORDICS ARE THE BEST IN THE WORLD AT.

Minas Royale

TO SUGGEST THAT CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE SCENE IS NOW A TRULY GLOBAL ENTERPRISE MIGHT BE STATING THE OBVIOUS, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE ACTUALLY VERY FEW PEOPLE WHO REALISE EXACTLY HOW ALL-ENCOMPASSING THAT PHRASE IS.

A Bike That We'd Really, Really Want

The longer we spend mucking about with bikes, and with likeminded motorcycle enthusiasts, then the greater the likelihood that one of our mates ends up owning a bike that we’d really, really want.

Frantic Motor

IN AN IDEAL WORLD MY BIKE’D LOOK LIKE A POST-APOCALYPTIC, HILLCLIMBING SPEEDWAY BIKE, BUT HOW DO I GET CLOSE TO A COMBINATION OF THOSE ARMED WITH ALMOST NO MONEY, PARTS OR EQUIPMENT AND (AS IT’S MY FIRST BIKE) A SHONKY CHINESE 125?

NCC London's Diamond Day

NCC LONDON’S ANNUAL DIAMOND DAY CUSTOM SHOW AT THE ACE CAFE IS ONE OF MY FAVOURITE ONE-DAYERS FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, BUT MAINLY BECAUSE, BEING A CHOPPER CLUB EVENT, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE BIKES.

Dutch Hardly Rideables

FOR MORE YEARS THAN I CARE TO REMEMBER, THE LADS FROM THE RATAPLAN RATBIKECLUB (WWW.RATAPLANRATBIKECLUB.NL) FROM HOLLAND’VE BEEN TRYING, EACH TIME THEY COME TO THE RAT & SURVIVAL, TO GET ME TO GO OVER TO THEIR LONG-ESTABLISHED RAT BIKE DO OVER THERE. MOST YEARS, THOUGH, DUE TO WORK COMMITMENTS, I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO…

The Balance Of Proportions

WHILE THERE’S SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL ABOUT SHOW-WINNING CHOPS THAT’VE HAD UMPTEEN DAYS SPENT JUST ON CAREFUL DESIGN, AND WEEKS, NAY MONTHS, OF WORK FINISHING DETAILS AND PREPARING FOR PAINT AND POLISHING, THERE’S SOMETHING INTRINSICALLY COOL ABOUT A WELL-PROPORTIONED CHOP THAT’S BEEN BUILT TO RIDE, AND USED CORRESPONDINGLY.