THE TUESDAY TRITON

Two for one deal today both photos taken by my pal Roland in France. Top is at 2006 Classic Bol D'Or and other is ..erm somewhere else..

FAST LAD

After rain seriously affected initial track time and qualifying Urs Erbacher won the first round of the 2010 Top Fuel European Championship this weekend at Santa Pod, beating Risto Poutiainen with 4.78 @ 314.87mph in the final. A new euro top speed record.



Urs imports, builds and sells US custom cars and bikes in Arlesheim, Switzerland. Check his website
Here

RGS

My Rocket Gold Star at Croft for the Battle of Britain meeting 1970 or '71.

BILLY

RIP man.

BLINK

Blink's sister brought him these shorts back from a holiday in the US, it was supposed to be a joke, he wore them all summer..

THE SALFORD TRIUMPH

Final shots before i loaded it in the van to take up to JR's in Cumbria.

MAN IN BLACK (AND GREEN)

I have only made the final at a Straightliners meeting twice in 9.1/9.3 class and each time i have lost to Will Smith. No surprise really as he always makes the final and usually wins. In his youth Will made a name for himself in Edinburgh by wheelying his CBX Honda 6 the length of Princess street on a saturday afternoon to entertain the shoppers but now sticks to sensible pastimes like racing his modified ZX12R on Nitrous, lots of Nitrous (its hard to get in Scotland so he buys in bulk). Despite being a regular class winner his bike is probably one of very few that does get used on the road.




Elvington is about 20 miles away from me whereas it is a 400 mile round trip for Will, and it is his most local track ! All round top bloke.

RUDGE BY JEAN-CLAUDE BARROIS

If you take any notice of my blog list you have probably seen this anyway on Chris Hunters' splendid Bike EXIF, i just cant let it go without a post on here, it is just perfect.

1100M

Built this as a practical streetfighter in 2001/2 from a standard 1100M French import. I took the donor bike in part ex for a dreadful 883 Sportster then later sold it to a guy who found he couldnt get insured so bought it and his Fireblade back again. It then went to Scarborough where it still lives along with: a turbo Busa, a supercharged Busa, two TL1000s one streetfighter one standardish, a nitrous ZX12R, a standard ZX12R, a Supermoto or two, a GSX EFE and an RF900. I have probably missed a few out. Wayne, if you are reading this, you only have one arse..

THE BUCKROSE VAULTS

In 1979 i was working from a unit at the rear of a garage in town doing car bodywork (badly) and every lunchtime half a dozen of us went to the Buckrose Vaults pub for lunch comprising of a pint or two of Tetleys, game of pool, burger and chips and some sounds on the juke box. Inquisitive as to what was on the B side of The Skids "Into the Valley" i put it on, then put it on again, and again. It got to the stage the barman and local drinkers (it was that sort of pub) would greet me with "Tetleys ? and if you put that fucking record on again yer barred". It didn't work.
In the 80s Skids front man Stuart Adamson formed Big Country another of my favourite bands of the time but sadly comitted suicide in 2001. The Buckrose Vaults also is no more having been shutdown in the 80s by the brewery as unprofitable and thankfully i no longer have anything to do with car paintwork.



Photo shows the Skids in 1978, but they did a final gig this year in Scotland led by original member Richard Jobson and they are still playing Albert Tatlock as it became known.

So lunchtime drinkers everywhere turn up the jukebox, here's
TV Stars and for the purists here is
the original version
Im off for a game of space invaders.

GOOD THANKS

R & R

Its 29 years since i first went to Greece as a young man with hair, sleeping in hotel gardens and on beaches, since then Ali and i have been to a dozen or so different Greek islands and tomorrow (ash permitting) we are off to Crete. Back a week on wednesday..

Yamas.

5am START

Early start this morning for Newark autojumble, ended up with a bit of a mixed bag but some good stuff all the same including a '70s Egli Kawasaki seat and fairing, not something you come accross every day.

Always plenty to look at even if you dont want to buy..

YOU WOULDNT LET IT LIE

I couldnt let it lie, i would have spent all next week on fantasy island wondering what was the reason for Shovel smokiness. So i had a look, piston and rings perfect, bore perfect (ive honed it as it was a bit glazed), valve guides perfect, everything is spot on ! so why does it smoke on idle and why is the combustion chamber oily ? Who knows, anyway i can order the gaskets etc on monday and everything will be ready to fire back together when i get back.



Maybe i should wave some chives at it.

PROJECTS

Shovel: although its on the road its still a project, ive altered the swinging arm to give more clearance for the rear wheel to mudguard and it seems to work well but been out on it this morning and the rear pot seems more smokey than ever. The motor had been sat for a good 10 years before i got it so i am thinking stuck rings or marked bore. Away on holiday next week but i recon its engine out when i get back..

Ugly Betty came home this week, or at least this bit of it did. I will just collect parts as and when and hopefully rebuild it at the end of the year for some more Straightlining in 2011.

The GKM Triumph chop is moving along slowly but this is all you get. Buy the mag to see the story.

THREE WHEELS AGAIN

In one of the early Outlaw biker films, Hells Angels 69 possibly, there is a chop with a sidecar, something ive always fancied doing. This one was on ebay last week and would have been cosmic on my Shovel !

and ideal for taking essentials to bike rallies

THE MOST FUN YOU CAN HAVE ON 3 WHEELS

Or none. Taking Ali out for a sunday drive in 1989 at Manby (top) and RAF North Coates. This Sunbeam was the easiest car to drive fast i have ever had, it was semi works built by Talbot Sport for Scottish touring car driver Jenny Birrell who used it on the Scottish and RAC rallies in 1982/3. I literally changed the oil, put petrol in it and went rallying. Brilliant little car. If i remember right the gearbox broke at Manby (number 13!) but we got 2nd in 1600cc class at North Coates.

SOLD

THE TUESDAY TRITON

FOR SALE ?

Saw this in the Nov '74 edition of Bike and started wondering if it was time for the old thing to go to a new home and possibly start a new chapter in its life.


No specs or details required just read any one of these.



£3,500. to save you asking. Contact tri650@live.co.uk I can help with shipping if required.

I reserve the right to change my mind and no it wont be going on eBay.

UGLY BETTY

2007. Some photos i took while the bike was in the studio for Streetfighters mag photo shoot with Louise Cliffe. In the top pic she had just stabbed her finger on some lockwire, not best pleased. Final photo is at East Kirby Straightliners meeting where i made the final in 9.3 class (i lost). I stripped the bike and sold it off in lumps at the end of the year. I kept the frame/tank/seat till the following year but finally let it go to stop myself from building it up again, im buying it back tomorrow !

SPEEDWAY WORLD CHAMPION

Dont bet against it !. Only his second GP in Sweden last night and he made the semi finals. Chris Holder will win a GP, and soon..

BEING A BLOKE

I got a new compact camera for Christmas (Canon Ixus) but being as i'm a chap i didnt read the instructions i just charged up the battery, put it on auto and pointed. Five months later i've got round to reading the little book, it does all sorts. Not Josh Kurpius but not as crap as before. Now where are the instructions for my phone ?