London Hell's Angels 1973

Stuart sent me a link to this a little while ago. It's pretty interesting when viewed in comparison with the NZ one made at roughly the same time (which I posted earlier here).

Good viewing as a precursor to 'Antarctic Angels and the Unknown Blues' which is showing tonight in Christchurch! 7.30pm at The Brewery in Woolston. See ya there...

Together with their biker mates the Antarctic Angels, Unknown Blues thrilled and terrorised Southland audiences in equal measure. Featuring all the Unknown Blues band members and members of the Antarctic Angels, Simon Ogston's 52-minute documentary tells the complete story of the band and the biker gang for the very first time.

Christchurch - Wednesday Sept 26 & 27, 7:30pm, Cassels Brewery (followed by Rumble & Bang"/"Gone With The Weird")

TRAILER:

Jimi's Trident back together

After the swap meet in Hororata me, Bad, and PZ went back to the band room where Jimi was finishing putting his T160 back together. It's been off the road since late January while he's been rebuilding his whole front end and also doing some work to the head. Anyway we fucked about while Jimi got her sorted, and then stood around watching while he tried to start it... no luck. I thought it was 'cause we were watching so suggested we all take off to the pub for lunch, and holy shit if he didn't get it started while we were there (he'd missed a terminal wire!). So after lunch at Pomeroy's me and Bad went back and met Jimi and took off over the hills to Governors Bay. The T160 went sweet as apart from an oil leak which pissed Jimi off, but compared to my Norton seemed about normal!? We played some table soccer at the pub in Governors Bay and then headed home. Was a pretty sweet day of riding, eating, drinking, and just generally fucking about.

Hororata Swap Meet (2012)

 

Went to the Hororata swap meet again this weekend, so it's exactly a year since I last rode the Norton! Was a beautiful day, bright sun, clear blue skies – made for riding bikes. We got up early and Jimi tried to get the Ducati he's borrowed going by cleaning up the plugs, but it didn't work so unfortunately he got left behind and me and Bad and PZ went headed out there at 8am. Met the Rumblers out there, and a bunch of other dudes from Bike Nights including Greg and Ramon (who took our stuff back for us). We were kinda late, but there was still heaps of cool shit around. Me and PZ bought some stuff, I got a headlight grill thing and some Triumph car badges I may or may not stick on the Thruxton. Bad mostly just ate hot dogs.

Late 60s / early 70s NZ biker doco (mainly Hells Angels)

 

Thanks to James McNaughton for sending me this link. I'd heard about this doco but hadn't seen it yet. Watched it lastnight, definitely worth a look. These guys were famously the first legitimate Hells Angels chapter outside the US. This NZ On Screen website is pretty good – a few other bike docos too, like the Britten one and also the Kim Newcombe one!
 

Antarctic Angels and the Unknown Blues

Dylan Herkes had told me this was in the making, and now, it seems, it is out! (Funny cause we were just looking at old photos of the Antarctic Angels HQ on Saturday!)

"Together with their biker mates the Antarctic Angels, Unknown Blues thrilled and terrorised Southland audiences in equal measure. Featuring all the Unknown Blues band members and members of the Antarctic Angels, Simon Ogston's 50-minute documentary tells the complete story of the band and the biker gang for the very first time. Email simon@bellbirdpictures.co.nz for a DVD copy."

Ride to Oamaru with Jimi

Went for a hoon to Oamaru with Jimi Woodhams on the weekend. Was a bit rough getting away as it was my birthday the day before and we had an almighty party the night before. My band The Grand Chancellors played (possibly our last gig?), and we'd drunk a good amount of tequila and beer. I was hungover, sore, and lacking any real memory of the end of the night!

Anyway, Jimi had this Ducati on loan and we've been talking about riding down to visit his folks for a while. Was a great ride down, a bit colder than expected but just so great to be on the open road for a proper ride again! Once there we fucked about in Jimi's dad Woody's garage and checked out his bikes...

Then later that evening Woody busted out the slide projector and we spent a good few hours checking out old bikes from the late 60s and 70s. This was a truly awesome entirely analogue evening, and topped off by Woody's mix tapes from the day playing in the background!  

When we left the next day we filled up in Glenavy where this happened... 

Both bikes took the EXACT same amount of gas!? We didn't realise til we went to pay. Jimi actually knew the guy who owns the gas station, Gary, and he showed us his cars (Falcons) and two bikes he had in the back – a '74 Commando same as mine, and a T160 similar to Jimi's... we promised next time we rode through we'd be on those same damn bikes.

We then headed inland over the Pareora Gorge to Cave. This was a truly amazing ride. We didn't even see another car I don't think? Stopped in Cave for a break and met a dude who'd been to the Isle of Mann in the 70s... he chatted away for ages with his little tractor running in the background.

 

From Cave we cut across back roads to Geraldine, and then came home around the bottom of the mountains via the inland scenic route. Got pretty damn cold! But then warmed up as we headed back towards the coast... and back into the bloody traffic!

Really great ride, I feel like I am alive again.

First ride with Tim

Finally got out for a ride with Tim on his new bike yesterday. We've had a bit of trouble with this bike since it arrived – I've been looking after it while Tim was overseas, and almost every time I've started it up something's broken or fallen off it. The bloody sub-frame snapped and fell off while I was riding it! Anyway it's all been fixed up (thanks to Marty) and some new plugs got her running sweet again. I think prior to this Tim has only ever ridden a 100cc scooter in Asia? He's really jumped in the deep end here! He's got pretty good at starting this thing, although neutral still eludes him. Was a real bitch getting out of town too, felt like we spent forever sitting at fucking traffic lights...

The Mods and Rockers run was on yesterday, which I'd forgotten about, but we met them up at the Tai Tapu pub. There was hardly anyone on it compared to last year (see it here), but Andy and Nathan for the QCRs were there which was cool. And Andy's dad on a little Suzuki cafe racer! We met PZ here... after waiting for ages, and then took off through Gebbies Pass to have lunch at the Governors Bay Hotel.

I was keen on a bit of a bigger ride, cause it's been ages since I've been on a decent ride and I'm feeling pretty desperate to just ride and ride and ride. But this was ok... and, importantly, Tim's bike made it home without anything falling off. Including him. Pretty successful day really.