THE CUSTOM FAMILY

Buy Guy's truck

Head off to Scotland and buy my old Betty

Then down to Somerset for Chris' beautiful Sportster

Seriously, why spend years and tens of thousands trying to built something. These three may look expensive at first but believe me they aren't and you get to keep your sanity.

THE TUESDAY TRITONS

Most of my Tuesday Triton photos are just trawled from the web so its a nice change to have a couple of beauties sent in. The top one is Marty's, just finished, he promises to change the seat !
Bottom one is John's from Stokesley, lovely traditional job, he has just bought another motor from me to build up as a spare. Got to love bacon slicers.

883 SPORTSTER

1990 883 Sportster. 4 speed, chain drive, 16"/19" wheels. Been in storage for a few years but runs sweet. Bit of rust on the rims and left side of tank but quite presentable. New discs, pads and tyres just before it was taken off the road. 14,000 miles with all old MOTs and V5. Ideal chop project. £2,000.
Can organise reasonably priced delivery within UK. tri650@live.co.uk  

UPDATE. Did run sweet but due to the carb being full of glue and me starting it up it now needs ultra sonic cleaning or another carb fitting. Guaranteed mechanically sound.

SPRINGERS

Lovely set of '70s bay area springers. Excellent chrome, no damage. 1" stem. 30.5" from under bottom yoke to spindle, 39.5" top of top yoke to spindle. £375 + Post anywhere. tri650@live.co.uk SOLD Rowan was obviously right !

ZB31 FOR SALE

1948 BSA ZB31. Been in storage for over 20 years. Turns over freely with good compression. Ride/restore/bob.  tri650@live.co.uk  SOLD

FASTER PUSSYCAT KILL KILL

Remember Estelle ? former lady pipe smoker of the year, 40s Carmen Miranda fruity pinup and all time Eat the Rich best blog bitch is now a Russ Meyer Super Vixen. If not you need to catch up..click here if you're brave enough. 

MY KIND OF BIKE SHOP

WEAB Motorcycles Malton yesterday. An Ironhead chop in for repairs sits out in the sun with Walt's hillclimber while a smart Viper special waits for its MOT. I would give you a link to their website but they dont have one, in fact it would be wrong if they did.

PARCEL FARCE

I send parcels, lots of parcels. For nearly 20 years i had a contract with Parcel Force with very few problems then about 2 years ago we fell out, no need for the details but it was all their fault and then they put their prices up, lots.
 We had an acrimonious separation and i started using Parcels2go, if you have used them you will know the set up, they buy huge amount of collections from major companies then sell them off to individuals. As with all things internet its great until you have a problem, you can have a "live chat" to resolve your issues but that constitutes a Facebook/Forum style chat with fingers on keys not spoken words. The employees are part time people working from home, my daughter Ellis' friend from University is one, lovely and spectacular girl but without an intimate knowledge of sending parcels. Basically you struggle to get anything but a nice chat.
 The couriers i have been using mostly via P2G are DHL/Yodel/HDN its all the same company just with different names for different underachieving services. At first they were OK but then all the official drivers disappeared to be replaced by "owner drivers" contracted out men with white hire vans. They get paid by performance, if they say they have called and no one is in they get paid, you getting the picture now ?
Two weeks ago i sent Andy a GSXR fuel tank, a really nice one, i booked the collection but no one turned up, checked on the website, apparently the driver had been but no one there ! booked it next day, same thing. Spoke to a live chatter who booked it with City Link for next day. City Link came and took it never to be seen again. There isn't one of their tracking numbers on the parcel so they can't find it. I bought Andy another tank, equally as good, booked it in, no one came, two days running. It is booked in with City Link for tomorrow but i got them to give me a new number, what do you recon are the chances of Andy ever being able to ride his bike again ?
 Just by coincidence i got a phone call from Parcels2go, regarding another fuel tank i had sent, about 6 months ago, they said the package smelt of fuel and had been destroyed, thanks, can't claim as not supposed to send things that have traces of flammable liquid in them. You have been warned.
So this afternoon i have been chatting to a lovely lady called Sandra at Parcelforce and we have re-newed our vows (and my contract), i hope we will get on and make a go of it this time.

* if you send a petrol or oil tank mark it as motorcycle bodywork.
** there is a reason why some parcel companies charge more than others.
*** All "owner drivers" should be made to ride Bantams, all year round.

PRESENTS

Someone who's name i can't remember (Adams friend) thought of me when he made some Triumph keyrings at work and brought me one to the Hayride. Loran found a Francoise Hardy 45 when he was moving house and brought it for me from France and when i got home there was an envelope full of stickers from Cindy. Too kind, ta x
Checkout their blogs, Fashion Serial Killer and Mungochino

THE ALTERNATIVE TUESDAY TRITON

Called at Neil's last week and took a couple of pics of his Norton Ironhead Cafe racer (is it me or is "Norley" just wrong ?). The real mccoy, built many years ago, it is a wideline with 1000cc Ironhead Sportster motor on a big Dellorto, gearbox is chopped and in its place it uses a Commando box and chaincases. Other trick period stuff include the twin BSA front brakes back to back. He is planning a very noisy trip to the MGP on it next year.

He's also just picked up this old Matchless 500, sat unused since it was a £10 field bike back in the 60s. Gave it a wipe,  put new fuel in and cleaned the points....you know the rest. Hopefully its going back on the road just as it is, pukka.

THE TUESDAY TRITON

French Triton at Linkert Attacks Rally in June.

PARTS FOR SALE

Cobb sidedraft Mikuni carb kit for 650/750 Triumph. Chrome battery box. 1.5" i/d silencers.

1954 Triumph 650 log book, 5 owners and transferable number.

Triumph 500/650 original rigid frame, nicely modified (about 4" added to bottom rear frame rails). Very tidy and sound.

3.5" x 16" steel rear rim, properly drilled for F/Width hub. Chrome is a bit tatty.

Assorted mudguards.

Rigid Triumph 500/650 alloy engine plates, bolts and gearbox adjuster.

Can post anything just about anywhere. tri650@live.co.uk

650 PRE-UNIT FOR SALE

Big bearing 650 Thunderbird 6T engine with 9 stud Bonneville top end. Not run for many years but turns nice and smoothly, std size original pistons with good bores. More stuff for sale tomorrow.
tri650@live.co.uk  SOLD

GIMME STEAM

Pickering Steam Fair, a gloriously British occasion, apart from the SAAB and the Henderson..

7/11

'89 GSXR750 with 1127 motor, KNs, Dynajet, St/St 4-2-1 system, HEL cooler with braided lines, Unatec 916 tail, twin Bates style lights, nice pearl white paint. MOT Taxed and on the button. Tidy bike. Will split later next week if not sold. Stake your claim. 

MORE HAYRIDING

And i finally got to see her..

WEEKENDER

Two big events in North Yorks this weekend. Pickering Steam Fair, the second biggest in the UK. Vintage cars, bikes, bicycles, tractors, wall of death, rides, autojumble plus all the usual fairground attractions and tat stalls.
Always a good day out if the weather holds, even if you're not a child or a pikey. Details here

Just up the road near Northallerton are this years Autograss National Championships. 1/4 mile dirt oval (no grass), hundreds of races, plenty of crashes, probably the best spectator motorsport that nobody's heard of. A bewildering number of different classes but the best action is usually from the unlimited class 7 saloons, 2 late model Hayabusa engines and the odd V8 in tiny bodyshells. This sort of thing...



All the guff here

AUGUST LAURA

August special two for one.
Laura enjoyed her first Hayride at the weekend and also takes a mean photo. Hope to put a few on here later.