Smiths Chronometric Tacho

Long time readers of this drivel may recall my love of the D shaped Smiths Chronometric speedo. Here's a tacho in the same body, never knew such a thing existed! Damn I want one so bad it hurts!

Indonesian Curves and Sensuality, Darizt Design

It's not often this blog wanders far from the British side of bikes but there's gotta be an exception every now and again, especially when it's as exceptional as this. There is, currently, some great work coming out of Indonesia where guys are turning their traditional skills to bike building, and coming up with results like the bike shown here.

Check out the blog HERE

They're Still Out There

Andy phoned up yesterday morning, speaking all quiet and secretive, asking about Nortons, and Dommies in paticular. Said he was working in London and there was a pair sat in a garage where he was working..

Back at Andy's within half a day!

Been in there at least 25 years the bloke reckoned. 

They are both 600cc 99s, the standard one is a '56 and showing under 12,000 miles. That's quite believable judging by the overall completeness, and un-messed about with look of it. The nearside footrest is bent right up, looks like somebody came off it, way back when, and then laid it up. Probably got a nice little motor car instead. 

You want patina?

The Cafe Racer is a 1959 Model 99 600cc Dominator with an intriguing C stamped after the 99 on the motor. Added bonus of quite a few original John Tickle parts including a Twin Leading Shoe front brake!

Period correct Cafe Racer ?????

They both turn over fine and the '59 has got what can be described as good compression.

I'm not gonna tell you what they cost, 'cos it won't make me feel any better!

Great Bike On Offer Over At Pete's Place

Pete over at Eat The Rich has just posted this. Not the prettiest for sure but pretty much everything you need to build a cracking bike. Here's what Pete has to say about it;

'54 uncut rigid frame with original transferable reg, sprung hub, big bearing T'bird 650 with 9 stud Bonneville splayed head, Borrani 19" up front, strangely laced offset rear, engine turns nice with plenty of compo, no spark as yet but will clean points tomorrow. I don't want to sell it, i don't want to sell anything, but its better than a job so a gnats* cock over £3k and you got yourself a project.

*Gnats are quite big boys up here.

Sweet Thunderbird from Denmark

James of Customs From Jamesville posted this beautiful 6T a couple of days ago.

Nice and simple and simply nice, great work, the tank is from an SCO moped, don't know what one of them is, but I do know I want one!

51 Thunderbird Bobber on The Bay

This has just made an appearance on the Bay, your's for £7,250.

This is the description that goes with it;

Description

Superb Triumph Bobber, this is certainly not your average thrown together budget job. This machine stands close inspection and has no excuses.
The bike was built in 2006/7 and upon completion was featured in the November 2007 issue of Back Street Heroes and also displayed on their stand at the NEC bike show. The basis of the bike is a 1951 Triumph Thunderbird, the frame is original uncut and standard rigid Triumph, the 650cc engine is fully rebuilt and balanced and has Bonneville finned rocker boxes and bespoke pushrod covers plus much more. The rest of the machine was built will a total disregard to budget and had many parts supplied by respected experts e.g. Barons Speed Shop and others. The paint and detail is stunning. Viewing is recommended as the pictures do not do it justice.
The bike is road registered and has a period number, it sounds fantastic and rides well and is a great crowd puller, silencers are not fitted but are supplied with the bike along with a speedo and front mudguard to make fully compliant with mot laws, but to avoid complication etc will be sold without MOT leaving the new owner the debate of ......................... The spec seems endless and all detailed in the magazine feature, please call for more details.

Interested? Get in touch

Phone:  01694 731373 
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Wheels of Old Ltd
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More pics HERE

1963 T120 Bonneville ............ A Few More Pics

An interesting shot, although the bike was registered in '63 and as such one of the first unit 650 twins, and therefore the start of the 9 stud heads, the number cast in the head shows the casting to be 1962. The pattern was obviously a modified eight stud number as the bosses have been drilled off centre to accommodate the wider pitch of the 9 stud barrels.

On the deck it looks more like a Tiger 90, possibly due to the 18" wheels, not sure but visually it is a small bike for a full 650.  The quality of the restoration is first class and if trophy hunting is the new owners bag this should bag a few.

Brake rod running external to the frame, again an early feature that only lasted a year (I think!)

The ugly and impractical Tach drive, correct for '63/4 but almost guaranteed to melt on the down pipe. It is possible to fit a later right angle drive box on there, but that reverses the direction of cable rotation which renders the rare, desirable and original Tacho useless.....not good.

1963 Bonneville..... Ya Live and Learn

Saw this '63 Bonnie up Geoff's a couple of days ago, one owner for very nearly all it's life it has never been messed with until the new owner decided to restore it!

Showing in excess of 83.000 on it's original Chronometric the motor certainly needed a freshen up. Sludge Trap so solid the guy didn't believe there was a hole in there!

I'll post full pics soon but the point of the post is, for the rivet counters, the pump slotted down alongside the gearbox back post.

Only fitted here in '63, the first year of the unit 650's along with the drop down tool roll holder seen just behind it. Not earth shattering information I'll grant you, but a handy snippet to drop into the conversation if you're checking out an early sixties Bonnie.

BSA A10 Road Racer For Sale

Andy has decided to sell his A10 race bike, specced as follows;

710cc, nourish crank , nissan pistons , 5 speed box, newby belt drive , 

modified twin carb heads 
gold star type brakes / wheels - crank sensing electronic ignition and lots of other bits

Cheap I reckon at GBP 3500

It's also on his blog with details on how to reach him.

Probably The Nicest Triumph I've Seen This Year

Blatantly stolen from Bit Monkey's blog this has got to be the sweetest pre-unit I've seen for ages. Absolutely nails the look I've been ranting about, if Triumph had of been making factory customs in the early fifties then this is it. Who's is it ?, where is it ? don't know but I do know I want to see more of it!

Matchless G80RR

Well the good lady's gone and done it again, she's looking at stuff on Facebook using her I phone and says I like this and shows me a picture of a Matchless. Instant double take, "Lordy that is nice!" says I, and took the phone for a better look.

Turns out to be a Matchless G80RR, a factory built flat tracker from (I think) 1957, never heard of it! and after Googling it up, neither have many other people, information is very limited. There may have been 20 built or possibly 50, but what a thing of beauty it is.

This bike was restored by Yoshi and the boys at The Garage Company and seems to have a lot of  what are probably correct factory parts still on it.

If anybody knows anything about these rare beasts I'd love to hear about it.

Triumph T100 Off Road Warrior

Steve, who kindly provided the pics of the filter yesterday, sent over some photos of his Tiger 100 Green Laner  (Trail Bike) that is still getting regularly used and abused on the tracks and trails across the Pennines in the north of England. Having been up that way on off road excursions quite a few times I can promise you it's an unforgiving place for any bike.

If you're having problems identifying the running gear, it's hardly surprising. The front section is rigid Triumph with an after market McCandless swinging arm conversion grafted on! New to me as well, obviously not just Featherbed frames that they kept themselves busy with then.

Steve reckons it's an old shitter that he doesn't like cleaning.................looks great from here!

Trojan's Trick Trumpet's a Treat

Pete from Trojan Classics down in Sydney Oz, sent over a few pics of  this pre-unit that he's recently finished for his mate Tim.

No offence to you fellahs out there running Unit motors, but the earlier incarnation of Turner's twin design really looks the Muttz Nuttz when it comes down to style.

If you want to see more of this bike and the build report take a look at Trojan's really well crafted blog HERE. Word of warning before you go, their blog contains class British bikes and not plates of food!

I've seen the future.....but it looks like yesterday!

Geoff's got this up on the rack at the moment, building it up for somebody. In a classic stylee that's for sure, but not my cup of Darjeeling at all, guess I'm just turning into a miserable bastard, still "Ya pays ya money, ya takes ya choice" or something like that.

Brough Superior

British Thunder From Down Under

Well the spring sunshine has kicked in for a while down in NZ and Ben managed to get a few shots of the Beezer. Lovely looking piece of kit there fellah, stripped to the bone with dirt on it's mind, "a bike for blokes" if I've ever seen one.

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Great photos of a great bike, thanks Ben.

Nothin' of Note

Got out to a couple of local gigs over the weekend, arrived too late for the first one and the rain frightened most off at the other. Not much about worthy of mention but here's a few.

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Dougal's Thruxton Replica.

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1931 Raleigh Side Valve

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Rare Norton Model 55 out of Smithy's stable.

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The Devil's in the detail.....................

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A rarely seen colonial V Twin.

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Smithy, closing in now.

Smithy's getting to the last knockings on his Bobbathon, some lovely touches that's for sure..........

............ but I still can't come to terms with that tank!

Then again, it ain't mine and if the man's happy with it, that's what it's all about!

Retro Style Triumph

Nice pre unit Triumph spotted at The Hayride.......

......... clean and simple, ticks the right boxes here at BIW.