I’m going to cover a number of things in this post regarding my ongoing life with an MX400, so here goes with the list: THE ON/OFF SWITCH – Having to remove and replace the main fuse that keeps the bike ‘electrically live’ scored really highly on the ‘hassle-ometer’, so I’ve
Bultaco on the beach, AGAIN!
I did the 2022 edition of the Race the Waves beach race for the first time on my ’78 Bultaco Sherpa, and you can read about that event in the link at the bottom of this post. Such was the fun, I also signed up for the 2023 event as
Carnaby: Industrial Estate, Racetrack, Special Airfield.
Here’s an exciting journey back in time, and about a very special place that has evolved massively in the last 79 years. Just to the the south of the Yorkshire coastal town and holiday resort of Bridlington in the U.K., there is a little village called Carnaby. The traffic on
The ‘Interesting Moto Interview’ Series – No. 1: Guy Bolton
In recognition of the success of the ‘Interesting Interviews Series’ on my cycling site, this interview is the first of a new feature dedicated to some really interesting people in our motorcycle world. So, let me introduce you to the founder, editor and boss of the magazine, Greasy Kulture, Guy
‘Video killed the Radio Star’ and ‘Digital killed the Paper Magazine Star’
In late 1979, a band called The Buggles released a track called Video killed the Radio Star. It was inspired and written as 20th Century inventions and technology were speed-changing the face of all media norms. It hasn’t stopped ever since. In fact, I would argue that the paradigm shift
Shout, shout, let it all out!
I fasten my helmet I am the only one inside Nobody else is in here Ignition on, the fuel pump whines Stab the red starter button Electrical current wakes the moving parts. Liquids circulate The cacophony and vibration commences together There is a violence and a softness to the audio
Planning ahead and making choices
I’m a bit of a planner and a bit of a do-it-now hybrid type of person, and the former planner in me has nailed a few milestone events to the calendar already. Incidentally, my calendar requires a mention here because it has been produced locally and in aid of charity.
How to knit something a bit ‘Yamaha Special’
In around 1972, a man named Rollin ‘Molly’ Sanders in the USA came up with the famous Yamaha black and yellow strobe stripe design that we all now know as the Yamaha speed block design. Whilst the American Yamaha Factory riders and bikes of the 1970s were bedecked in bright
F@@k Me Pumps
The title to this post maybe familiar because it’s the title of a great Amy Winehouse track. It’s a song that walks through the possibilities of what happens when our shoes lead us down dark alleys and into shady dives. I’m taking a different approach to the title, one that
Scooters
I walk into the pub through the side door and am faced by a busy, but not packed bar room. This pub doesn’t have side rooms called things like ‘The Snug bar’ or ‘The Pool Room’, it is just one big room with a horseshoe shaped bar giving easy access
Heaven & Hell. My local bike shop.
This story starts and ends with the dirt on the ground. This dirt is special. It captures everything that goes on in this soulful place. Get on your knees and smell this dirt, because it smells of a blend of oil, aluminium, steel, iron, welding, fibreglass and maybe a hint
Introducing Bessie
Bessie was born in 1948, in Coventry, UK. She has a 2 litre petrol engine that can also run on TVO (Tractor Vapourising Oil), which is a mix of petrol and paraffin, and she is just one of the many innovations that her Father-designer, Harry Ferguson, came up with during
Oliver’s Mount – A cure for insomnia. Really?
If you read my previous post about my connection with the Oliver’s Mount race circuit, you’ll know what a special place it is for me. If you haven’t read it, then I suggest you should. In the meantime, let me explain how the place helps me sleep. I do not
Moto relationships
We have different types of relationships with different motorcycles, just like we do with people and animals, and cars, and gardens, and vintage French cast iron cooking pots. OK, so maybe I went too far with the last one, but hey, we’re all into different stuff. Once upon a time,
My Olivers Mount Racing circuit story.
There are places in the world that remain iconic in our minds and souls. It could be the first shop that you bought your first motorcycle from, or record (vinyl to be clear), or fish and chips, or Dr Martins boots. It could be the place on a wild
For HeadBangers only
When you put your helmet on and go out for a ride or your daily commute, do you ever think about the history of the thing that you’ve just wrapped around your head? Probably not. I bought something sometime ago that does regularly make me think about the history and
A Summer Romance in Barcelona
In case my wife is reading this, it isn’t a one-night-stand type of romance with somebody. Honest. This romance reference is different. I walk down the steps of my personal jet and onto the hot tarmac of the Barcelona International airport. When I say ‘my personal jet’, what I actually
How to ‘not buy’ an old Moto Guzzi and be pleased about it.
Like a lot of bikers, I’m always on the look out for the next interesting or unusual moto-opportunity to either sell on, or alternatively keep for a while, ride it and then sell it, maybe. Anyway, I had spotted an unusual Moto Guzzi in my local Swiss, free selling e-site
Motorcycling – “You can check out, but you can never leave”
Using a sentence from the brilliant, Eagles ‘Hotel California’ track in the title to this post is both a privilege and an inspiration. So, I’ll keep going with the theme………”On a dark desert highway, Cool wind in my hair”…….I rode a Harley for the first time in my life, and
‘The Streak’ & vintage motos and cars in Switzerland
Yesterday, I heard the 1970s song ‘The Streak’ by Ray Stevens being played from a music cartridge (this is pre-cassette tape thing…) and out of a 1970s car stereo-radio. This stereo-radio was mounted in a Golf GTI (Mk1 to be specific) dashboard, and was for sale on a vintage car