Friday, August 12, 2011

Headin to the salt

Here are a couple pics of my neighbor Norm & his Indian headin to the salt to go fast. Best of luck hope you guys have a great trip!








Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Thinking of Pebble Beach

Well, It's that time of year again. The best restoration shops in the country are all burning the midnight oil finishing up this years batch of amazing cars you wish you could afford.
Here are some of my favorites from last year. I'll try to take more pictures this year.









Friday, April 22, 2011

To restore or not to restore

Bugatti Type 57


I've been think a lot lately about the question of restoration. There is a growing trend here in the states keeping cars original. I for the most part agree with this. There have been so many great cars stripped of there originality by over restoration.  I have to admit Seeing cars that have been perfectly restored by very talented craftsman are a sight to behold.  Just because you have the means to restore a car doesn't mean you should. I have been very lucky to drive great examples of both Pebble Beach winning & totally original cars.  I'll leave it to you to choose what is better.

                                                
                                                                 Bugatti Type 57 Aravis


                        
                                                                                                    Pierce Arrow

Monday, March 21, 2011

2010 Greystone Concours

Thinking about the Greystone Concours this morning. I have been to a lot of car events. Maybe to many. The Greystone Mansion is a great venue & the people that put on the show are the coolest. It was a great mix of cars & motorcycles. I know in a few years its going to blow up into a huge show. Here are some pics of what caught my eye. Looking forward to this years show in a couple of weeks!















Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Old Tools

I stumbled apon these old tools in the trunk of a Tracta. I love old tools. It reminds me of when people actually used to fix their own cars. Got a flat? Get out the spoons & patch the tube.

Michelin tire spoons

Does any car tool kit come with a hammer today? Come to think of it. Do new cars come with tool kits?




Monday, January 3, 2011

1976 BMW R75/6

R75/6 as purchased. The bike need a few things as it had been sitting for a while. It did have Delorto carbs & Conti Mufflers already fitted. I set about cleaning her up & fixing a few things. 

The tear down begins


I started with the wheels & brakes. I like black wheels on a bike. To me it just looks right.

Lots of cleaning

Rear end going back together

When I bought the bike it had a toaster tank fitted. The guy I bought it from also had this larger  6.5 gallon tank. I really like the crouched look of it.

Motor is all buttoned up, forks resealed, brakes done. Time for the tins!


Made the seat from the old seat foam. Building the side panels & chopping down the front fender.

I fabricated a /5 style speedo & used led lights for brights, blinker, charging, ect.

The hardest part of the job was moving the wiring to the rear. The bike originally has the fuse block behind the headlight. No room for that with the speedo in there now. I made a box to go under the seat.






Fresh paint.


Almost done!

Done!


The BMW R75/6 is a fun bike to ride. It is very forgiving, has good power & sounds great with the Conti mufflers. I did install Progressive front springs which helped a lot with front end dive on hard braking. I am very happy with the way it came out.