Norton update: rotor spacer & primary alignment

Been going nuts trying to get the Norton on the road for the summer... James 'Jimi' Woodhams has been lending more than a massive hand in getting this done, and I thought it was about time I put some sorta update on here...

Ok so last weekend Jimi and I went into school to use the lathe there and make up a decent sized spacer for my rotor. Shims weren't gonna do it! Anyway this was my first lesson in using a lathe. To be honest I didn't do fuck all except look and listen, but it was a good intro and next time I'll do some stuff while Jimi watches on and makes sure I don't take an eye out or something...

In my excitement I stupidly forgot to photograph the spacer when we were done! We rushed home and put it on... You can see it in here sitting against the sprocket there.

The rotor sits out more now so that it's better aligned with the stator, and, importantly I think, the shouldered spacer that is supposed to sit over the woodruff key does now actually sit out far enough that it does sit over the key.

 Next up was getting the primary chain aligned properly. Jimi came up with the idea to do it using measurements of the face of the clutch basket rather than the usual method of placing a straight edge across both sprockets...

Surprisingly enough it was actually ok and we didn't need to shim it at all. We then went ahead and set the tension of the primary chain. Which was tough as we'd previously added a spacer to the gearbox (between case and cradle) that has made the gearbox bloody tight! Anyway we managed to knock it back and forwards a bit and got the tension right... (I've been running it too tight previously!)

Ruby Castel full-face helmet

Holy fuck I want one of these! Problem – they're 930 Euros, which = $1440 NZ bucks! Check out the cool visor-goggle thingy! Fuck yeah!

Robin Morrison Highway 61 photos

I found these photos by NZ photographer Robin Morrison on the Auckland Museum website, here and here respectively. I was working on something else entirely when these came up, not even motorcycle related. These photos, and certain other things that have come up recently in regard to issue #2 of head Full of Snakes, have made me realise how impossible it is to look at the history of motorcycling in NZ without talking/thinking about the motorcycle clubs/gangs that were such a big part of the culture for quite a while. Anyway I'm really interested in what Robin Morrison was doing with the Highway 61s here. Did he do a whole project on them? Had he seen Danny Lyons book? No doubt. Has anyone seen anymore of these? 

New Zealand MC 'calling cards'

 

Jesse Schrader sent me the link to these a little while back. They're all from Cam Stokes website here. I'd put some examples of the same thing from some American clubs/gangs up here last year (see em here), and Stuart and I had used these as a point of departure for our design of HFoS #1, most obviously the cover. They're interesting things these cards. I don't totally understand the point of them, are they like business cards? Seems strange when you're trying to essentially operate 'outside' the law, or 'undercover' in some way? Actually it has just occurred to me that when I joined the Norton Owners Club they sent me very similar cards. They had they same sorta line like "You have just met ______" and the bit there where you are supposed to out your own name. The point though with these cards is, I think, to help spread the word about the club and to maybe attract new members. Why would a 1% outsider club wanna do this? Maybe they just liked having cool cards... I can get that. Stuart and I made some for ourselves (see em here). I particularly like the Vikings one, although the Hell's Angels one with it's "You have just been seduced by..." is pretty good too. I'd never realised until seeing this stuff either, that the in the Highway 61 logo the skull is actually eating the road.

Motorcycle Cannonball Run...

Pre '16!? Wouldn't mind seeing the full version of this sometime...

Bike Night 8 November 2012

Bike night again – a bit of a quiet one... cause it was bloody cold I guess! A good one though cause Paddy had another Indian there – a 1928 engined chopper built in the 70s in nelson, a new one he just got from Nelson yesterday (that must make it 15 he's got now?)... also a new guy showed up on a late 60s Triumph bobber (didn't get his name!?), it was fucking cool. Chris had the CB350 he just bought off Jesus there, and Joska bought along his CB750 cafe racer that we haven't seen for a while... 

New films by D. Thomas Herkes

Three new films by my good pal D. Thomas Herkes, aka Jack Shit, and writer of our HFoS music column 'Sonic Shit!'

Nothing to do with motorcycles, but I reckon if you;re into old bikes you'll dig these trailers. Yours truly featuring as Dr Ivan Hanson in 'I Kill'.

Really wanna talk this guy into making a B-grade biker flick!

Bike night continues to totally fucking rule...

First kinda actually warm night at Bike Night at Smash Palace tonight! Was busy like I've never seen it before, heaps of people everywhere, not all bikers obviously. In a funny way I kinda miss it being ten of us sitting in the snow. But tonight was pretty sweet – Chris's new green wheels, Ray Coleman's Norton, Paddy's Indians, some dude's old knuckle head Harley...

Was good to see the bar busy for Johnny's sake. I reckon it's gonna be a crash hot summer for his bar, bring it on.

Kim Newcombe

You can watch this full doco on Kim Newcombe on the NZ On Screen website here.

I'd seen this a while ago but looked it up again today because I've been reading this book:

Which James Woodhams loaned me. It's a really bloody good read and I'd recommend it to anyone.

For those of you who don't know Kim Newcombe was an amazing rider and also engineer/mechanic, who essentially built his own bike using a 2 stroke Konig boat engine and then almost won the European GP. Almost, because he was killed in an accident before he could do it.

It's a really interesting story and obviously there's a lot more to it than simply him designing and building the bike. He has a lot of help along the way, esp from the Konig factory. Tim Hanna, author of the book, is very critical of the movie. I can't remember exactly why? But, as usual, I reckon you'd be best to read the book and then watch the film. Kim's wife, Janeen, is a major feature of both book and film, which can seem a bit strange at times. But obviously they were very close, and I guess a lot of the story inevitably needs to be told through her now that he's not around.

Anyway, if you're at all interested in motorcycles read this book! It's good.

Cone Custom Cycles

One of the Quake City Rumblers (QCR) put me onto this stuff from Japan. These particular bikes are all from Cone Custom Cycles here. The Rumblers all ride chopped up scooters, and I've been dabbling with the idea of building one myself. I got started on one with Chris (Pres. QCR), but it's kinda not had any attention for ages because I've been so busy at work... and because I'm desperately trying to get the Norton sorted to be back on the road for summer! I do want to get some kinda small bike on the road to go on the next Smash Palace/QCR run though... just dunno what yet. Been thinking a 50cc flat tracker would be pretty cool?

Bosozoku and Tokkofuku

Bosozoku and Tokkofuku

This (link above) is an interesting post by a guy called Jarrett Reynolds about his mission to get himself a genuine Tokkofuku – an embroidered jacket that the Bosozoku bike gangs of Japan used to (possibly still do?) wear.

Stuart and I have considered having a patch with the next issue of HFoS as opposed to the flexidisc and this reminded me of this.

Thanks to Tim Kelleher from Sons & Co for putting me onto this guy.

Billy Childish (Soft Focus)

http://www.vice.com/soft-focus/billy-childish

This really didn't want to embed here so click on the link to see it.

This is Billy Childish being interviewed by Ian Svenonius for his Vice TV thing 'Soft Focus'. I like Billy Childish for all sorts of reasons, but he reason I'm putting this here is at about 18 minutes. His position on 'professionalism' interests me. I feel the same when it comes to graphic design I think. His criticism of "people identifying themselves by what they do" is also interesting. This is at odds with a lot of current pedagogy at art schools I think... Anyway this is certainly worth a watch. I see, also, that there are a lot of new interviews up now. I saw this one a couple of years ago now I guess. There's some quite good ones on here, and certainly a bunch of other musicians who I like...

Smash Palace Shearers Run

This weekend has taken on many names – Shearer's Run, Shepard's Run, Dude Ranch, etc... whatever the fuck it was it was totally fucking awesome and here, in real time, is the evidence.

Soundtrack by my recently deceased band The Grand Chancellors – Good shit! Best music video we ever could have dreamed of.

Big thanks to Andy for putting this vid together. And to Smash palace for organising this and to the Quake City Rumblers for showing some class. Can't wait til next one (gotta get myself a little bike asap).