NZ's worst album covers

"That's a shotgun Steve's holding. At first glance I thought it was a jousting stick. To be honest, I'm rather split on this one. On another day I would probably argue that this is actually one of the best NZ album covers ever. I couldn't wait to put it on. I mean, looking at this, you just have to know what it sounds like. It looks as though he's going to burst through the cover at any second and fly around your lounge, trailing stars. The album itself sounds like Steve Miller fronting Genesis doing Dennis Wilson covers. Quite brilliant, in other words."

I found this today in Simon Sweetman's column on Stuff here. He lists New Zealand's worst album covers... but obviously he quite likes this one, and so do I!

Bike Night at Smash Palace

Last night was the inaugural 'Bike Night' at Johnny Moore's new bar Smash Palace. The photos here are a little misleading – these are all taken in just one corner of the bar around Greg's caravan where we parked the bikes. The actual bar is a big bus in the middle of the compound. Anyway, I took Tim's bike and met Bad Evil at his house, where we waited for Aaron. When we went to take off from there the headlight on Tim's bike had gone so I rode in the middle trying my best not to draw attention to myself because Tim's bike ain't registered or warranted... and never has been! I'd stuck my Triumph number plate on it, but was still pretty keen to avoid the awareness of any coppers.

We got to the bar and Greg pulled off the headlight to reveal a very much blown lightbulb. Was kinda hoping it'd just be a wire that we could fix, and I couldn't get another bulb anywhere so ended up having to ride home inbetween Aaron and Bad again.

Apart from a couple of Johnny's bikes and ours there weren't any others there, so like 5 bikes in total. A good start I guess but it'd be great to see Smash Palace balls deep in motorcycles on these Thursday nights. I'll certainly be doing my best to encourage everyone I know to bring their bikes down. Sure it's winter. Sure it's fuckin cold. But it was a pretty awesome way to spend the evening, tinkering with bikes, talking about bikes, drinking beer, and eating extremely good hamburgers (I can also highly recommend the bangers and mash at Smash Palace).

Greg was working on a flat head V8 engine in his caravan while we drank, ate, and talked shit.

Tim's new bike

This arrived yesterday. I'm looking after it while Tim's away sailing across the Pacific for work. It was built by a guy named Brian Kitney up in Eltham. It started up easy, 2nd kick, and I took it for a spin. Just around the block. Not really enough to get to know it, but it feels pretty good. The gearbox is a bit sticky? The whole bike's so light though and with those wide bars you can really throw it around. Those knobbly tyres might take some getting used to on the road? They lookin fuckin good. Oh it sounds brilliant. I don't know what those mufflers are, but they look and sound great. It's been in dad's garage overnight and stunk the place out with petrol fumes, gonna try and fix that today before I put it into storage in our band room. Will be cranking it over each week at band practice and makin sure it's all good for Tim's return in September. Yep, September!

Clutch Monkey

a prayer for cool from Clutch Monkey on Vimeo.

Jay Leno's Garage

Been watching these motorcycle things from 'Jay Leno's Garage'. They're pretty good some of them, good for sitting down with a cup of tea, especially since there's nothing good on Tv anyways...

Richard Thompson '1952 Vincent Black Lightning'

I tried to put this up here ages ago, prior to issue #1 coming out, but it didn't wanna work for some reason. Anyway here it is now. This is the song that Paul Elliman 'translates' for us on the flexidisc that comes with issue #1. It's a great song... about a great bike... by a great guitar player.

Temporary seat

Electrical tape and foam rubber!

Triumph Motorcycles, Meriden Documentary 1983

 

Just watched this on Youtube. Quite sort of depressing actually, but very interesting none-the-less. Ive read about about Norton and its coming to an end, but hadn't read much further into the demise of Triumph. I was very interested in that it became a workers cooperative, but this doco shows up, superficially, some of the flaws in that. There's also an interesting bit near the end at the new factory where one old chap talks about not wanting to get work done, or parts made, elsewhere. It's a really good illustration of that old (post war) attitude towards foreign production. It was rife here in NZ as well. I was reading an old issue of 'Twin Eagle' from the mid 1990s a couple of weeks back and there was a guy writing, very proudly, about how nothing in his house was 'made in Japan'. Funny how something so specific to a particular point in time can have hung around so long. It reminded me a bit of Sid's posters for the Born Too Late chopper show, how they have 'No Jap shit' on them. But it's not like it used to be. It's a pastiche these days, because the strength and relevance of that original sentiment has faded away. Which brings me around to the new Triumphs from the Hinckley factory, with their Mikuni carbs and whatever else. It's strange, I think, that some people deny these as being 'genuine' or authentic or whatever. Again that's a nostalgic sentiment from another world that's been passed down to us from our grandfathers. It's not real anymore, and no one cares. It's just xenophobia and racism these days I think? It's what lead to Triumphs' demise in the first place.

'Mountain Thunder' street racing at Methven 2012

Street racing in Methven, the annual 'Mountain Thunder' event. Really great place to watch street racing, definitely prefer it to Greymouth although it's a smaller circuit and not as fast. Good to see Paddy's Indian racing after having had it in our first issue. A young chick called Scout was racing it and really thrashing it. Great to see! The last pre 63 race saw an awesome battle between old man Ormsby and the guy on the #18 Triumph (who's name I can remember but will track down and chuck in here). Dan Ormsby was kicking ass on #32 in the Formula Methven... family day out! Phil from Street and Sport was doing the commentating and called me over for an interview over the PA system. That was hoot, a bit of free publicity! Cheers Phil.

Triumph update (new tank)... 2

New petrol tank is now fitted, apart from a balance pipe I need to make up and a couple of sleeves for the front mounts. Also gotta extend some wiring on the loom. Had Marty paint the tank and side covers matte black after much procrastination about colours. I'd like to do the tank a kandy red in the future maybe, but doin it black for now. Will hand-paint logos on tank and side covers, but will wait til I get it running and know everythings ok. I'm a little worried about the flow rate from the tank. The old (original) one had a breather pipe and this one just breathes through the cap, old school style.

I really gotta get my head around the seat now. The mounts for the seat are doing my head in a bit. I've cut so much off the seat the base is really weak and I will end up crushing wires and the CDI unit if I don't get it sorted.

Every weekend since I've pulled this bike off the road has been amazing... hoping the weather holds for when she's back on the road!

Johnny Moore's CB50

In lieu of not having got much further with either of my bikes this weekend I thought I'd put this sucker up here. This is Johnny Moore's CB50. One of the coolest rides on the road in Chch right now. He took this bike on the HFoS launch run to Lyttelton, but these photos are from a trip to the speedway a bit before that. This bike actually featured in HFoS issue #1 but has been more modified by the time you see it here...