MY NEW HOBBY

I know a lot of you have been wondering why my posts have been sparse these last few weeks, and now I can reveal the answer; I've taken up a new hobby! The Vintagent will become bigger and better, and the biggest expansion of content will be in the field of crochet. :0

Crochet is the perfect complement to Motorcycling, and it's really much safer than riding. My first project was simply a petrol tank cozy, but once I got the hang of the technique, there seemed no reason to stop.

The engine cozy was the most fun. My only regret, and I'm being vulnerable here, is I was too scared to make my first crochet project on my Sunbeam. Now that I've done the work, it's a little disappointing that I used my wife's Yamaha Radian. :(

But don't worry! The Brough Superior cozy is next! And I'm going to use black! That should be smart... ;)

Modular Motorcycles - New Obama Energy Plan

A joint statement released today by Steven Chu, Energy Secretary, and Ray LaHood, Transportation Secretary, unveiled a bold new plan to make future motorcycles out of modular components and to also enlist new renewable energy sources for their propulsion. This plan has become the latest stimulus package from the Obama administration. This time it directly affects all motorcycle riders. Read more.

Moorhead, MN, and North Dakota floods 2009 slideshow

Click on the title below to watch the YouTube slideshow.

"If it keeps on raining,snowing the levee's going to break."

My next planned route for getting lost, I never follow these, it's just a guide line for what's out there next~


View Larger Map

Harley Davidson Pecos Motorcycle Boot Review

Harley Davidson Pecos Motorcycle Boot Review

When I was getting geared up for the Motorcycle Safety Foundations Basic Rider Course I was looking for a black biker boot that looked more like a cowboy boot than the regular bikers engineer boot. One day at lunch I was browsing a local bike shop in Grapevine Texas called Biker Alley, which has since closed, and found what I was looking for. They were Harley Davidson brand and were a cross between an engineer boot and a cowboy boot. The price was reasonable and I purchased a pair.

The boots looked great but after wearing for several hours in the rain they became soaked and my feet were all wet. So, I went looking for something to make then more water repellent. I picked up a can of Penguin brand Himalaya Wax and coated them excessively. Then I polished them up to a beautiful black leather shine. Himalaya Wax is made of beeswax and is very water repellant. My feet have been dry since, however I have not had them immersed in water for any great length of time.

I have had the Pecos boots now for over a year and they have held up well. I do not wear them every day. Usually I wear them on Fridays, on days that are raining, or when it looks like it might rain. The leather has held up well, even the top of the left one, used for up shifting. They have picked up some minor scuffs, but do not look that bad for not having polished them again. For sturdiness and protection these boots are equipped with an inside metal support shank.

The Harley Davidson boots are as comfortable to wear as any good quality made boot should be. Rumor has it that Wolverine manufactures these boots for Harley. There is a metal insignia plate with the Harley Davidson Logo on it located on each heel. The tooled leather straps with steel harness hoop are riveted together. As a nice touch Harley Davidson Motor Co written around the head of each rivet. The uppers are constructed of supple full grain leather. The stitching is of good quality and the pull tabs have lasted with me using them to pull and tug the boots on every time I wear them.

The soles of the Harley Pecos boots are made of Goodyear welted construction. A Goodyear welt construction is good for water protection and the possibility of resoling. The Dual-density rubber/EVA outsole is oil, water, and slip resistant. The traction of the Pecos boot is good on cement and blacktop roads, but get them on wet painted or polished smooth cement and they are not so slip resistant. Part of the tread pattern is bright orange in color and is very aggressive. The Harley Davidson logo is embossed on the sole shank towards the heel. There are parts of the sole that are starting to wear smooth from all my walking and riding in them.

The interior of the Pecos boot is lined with a full length cushion sock made of Taibrelle. This liner helps wick perspiration away from your feet. The insole is removable and is made of dual-density polyurethane for comfort. These boots are very comfortable to wear, but may take some time to get used too if you have never worn boots with a true heel on them.

If you enjoy wearing a comfortable pair of cowboy boots but want something to ride your motorcycle in, these boots fit the bill. I have enjoyed wearing and riding in these boots. They offer a lot of protection for your feet, ankles, shins, and calves. Torch gives the Harley Davidson Pecos Motorcycle Boots a M.M.M Rating of 8 on a scale of 1-10.

Ride on,
Torch

Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Timothy

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery. See Timothy on his 2007 Harley-Davidson Softail Heritage Classic. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.

Back in the Saddle again...almost.

Don't be afraid to click on the pictures so you can get a better view, they are really cool enlarged!

Hey y'all...
All right, I didn't take the putor to the putor doc...cuz, well...I have to either have my own money (which I don't right now,) or I have to ask Jeff if we can afford it this week. We can't really afford it, cuz my bike needs some work and is in the shop...

But, Jeff...He's such a handy guy, and patient as hell, gets on the putor, and works on the stuff I tried a few times. He stays with it for about an hour...and gets the putor to find a way around the blockage.



It won't last forever, but it will keep me going until I can afford to get things fixed. I have sent this document to a computer at the library to ensure it can be scanned for dangerous bugs...if you see it printed out here, than the equipment at the library says it's clean....



I think I might of said something to you guys about a month ago about the saddle bags I ordered. They arrived last week, and I did get them mounted onto the bike.



Not a huge feat by the way...I don't go for those bags that have bracing mounts attached to the fender and make their way down to the axle...it ruins the clean looks of my bike...and it's just not for me. I don't care how well they protect the leather from wearing and becoming misshapen.



Now, I need to tell you guys...when I saw these bags, I suspected they were not actually made for motorcycle use. See the D rings on the front of the bag?



A huge giveaway that this set is made for a horse and saddle rig...rather than a fender and wheels. All the same, it is what I have been looking for. I know I will have to take these to a leather worker here in the Tri-State area to get beefed up to fight the elements and to attach properly to my bike...but to have the look I've been searching for (almost 2 years now,) makes it worth while. Not to mention, the price of the bags didn't set me back too badly, and still won't after having them beefed.





So here are the bags on the bike before I took the bike in for the work that needs done. Also, included will be a few pics of the slight damage done to the rear turn signal...won't be hard to spot!







By the way, it's been raining here since Weds. It's now Friday, and the weather prognosticators are saying there will be a cold front here late today, with frost in the morning on Sunday. Spring might be here, but it's not warm enough yet, nor is it dry enough to give me a week long smile...you know the kind...it almost looks like the smile of a quite satisfying love making session...but somehow, if you look closely into the eyes of the affected person, you know it wasn't a great lover who made them daffy like that...it's the "other"...


Photo credits: 1,4,5,6,7,8,9 by Chessie
2. "John" @ flickr
3. Ratkimo @flickr

Lost in Cyber Space

Hey y'all, I'm really sorry for not having a new page for you to read today. It appears my PC has taken ill with a nasty virus. So until I get it repaired...or my old one cleaned...(it too is down with a virus) I will have to regale you with links to some of my work posted in BikerNet.com

Check out this latest one: http://www.bikernet.com/events/PageViewer.asp?PageID=2602You'll notice, it's a continuation of the blog from two weeks ago with VA. and Departure Bike Works Swap Meet.

I will also be posting a link on an older article I did for them...later on, depends how long it takes for the guy to get to my PC and clean it....

So for now guys and gals...until I can get at my pics and my Word Program, please enjoy these links to bikerNet.com

Chessie

Fargo, ND flood

I must apologize to those of you whose blogs I regularly read and comment on, and apologize for lack of posting. I've been swamped with work as of late, and been working 12-13 hour days away from home. For those of you who don't know, I am an insurance adjuster. I've been away at Fargo, ND, and outlying suburbs handling claims for flooding. The Red River is Fargo's main concern right now, although other rivers, ditches, and just about anything that could flood here has. The Red River is now being estimated to crest at 43 feet. If this happens, and they don't get the dikes built high enough, fast enough, the whole city of Fargo will potentially flood. The dikes were only going to be able to handle 41 feet. Thank God for the fact that Fargo has three colleges around, and almost all of the students pitched in to lend a hand for several days sand bagging, and building up the dikes. There has been help from all over the country helping sand bagging. It is truly amazing what people will do for each other. Regarding sand bags, some trivia for you...From what I'm told, it takes approximately 70 sand bags to raise the dike one foot, and that is only for one foot of width. This is due to the pyramid effect of the sand bag dike construction. That my friends is a lot of friggin sand bags. Right now, I'm dealing with flooded basements, failing sump pumps, and sewage back up claims, not whole flooded houses. Hopefully I won't have to deal with whole flooded houses. I hope it doesn't go there. The flood waters are right up to the road sides in many areas, and fields look like the great lakes. Furthermore to insult to injury, we just had a blizzard two days ago, and it has snowed almost continually since then. Only the main roads are getting any plow service, as they have the city crews concentrating on building and maintaining dikes, not plowing streets. This makes for some awfully slow going, and the roads are slippery with compacted snow turned into ice. If you slide off the road, in many areas, you're going to go right into cold flood waters. I saw a truck in a flooded ditch yesterday. I've seen flooded tractors, and all kinds of things like it here. Then to top it all off, there are closed roads that are under water all over. The detouring you have to do to get around here, on top of the poor road conditions, is making the claims handling process go very slow. There are some areas with claims that we can't even get to until the water recedes. Oh yeah, don't forget about the fact that more snow, means more melt off to help feed the river. It's been really cold, so hopes are it stays this way until the river recedes a bit, and then melts SLOWLY. One problem they are having with the cold though is that frozen sand is not as water tight as wet soft sand. They dikes are leaking in some areas due to this. There was also an ice flow that damaged part of one of the dikes that needed repair. All in all this is just plain NOT GOOD!

I'm getting excited that I get to go home this weekend to see my family. But I am behind on home life in general, so no chance to get caught up on the internet.

I miss all of you, my internet buddies. I look forward to getting caught up, "someday". I'm on call to go back up to Fargo, and handle claims again depending on volume. I pray for the folks here that I don't have to come back to handle a total city flood.

When I get a chance, I'll try to post some pictures. I've got some really cool ones.

TTFN

HOW YOU FIND THEM #13: VELO VENOM

Dai spotted this circa 1962 Velocette Venom at the Kempton Park Autojumble last weekend; asking price £700. This is the 'Special' model, meaning cheaper! The Venom Special was sold between 1962-69, as a more economical version of the evergreen Venom; Veloce were canny about their expense-paring, and managed to make a bike which was significantly less expensive than the standard Venom. The crankcases, timing, and gearbox covers were unpolished, and the fiberglass covers over the power unit, made in conjunction with Mitchenall fiberglass (friends of the Goodman family), were cheaper than polishing up the raw aluminum castings. The hubs are cleverly disguised to appear as full-width alloy items, but have painted steel, ribbed covers over the single-sided, obsolete hubs, of which Veloce had many in stock. The petrol tank also is the 'old' 3.5 gal model (the larger 'breadloaf' 4.5g tank was introduced in '60), and ribbed aluminum strips were screwed to the sides as an alternative to chroming the whole tank. All this saved about £15 over the standard Venom (which sold for £285 in '62) - which might have been a few week's wages for the average yobbo.

The Specials were painted pale blue (see pic from the '62 Earl's Court Show, with a Viceroy scooter - the real nail in the coffin for Veloce, in back), which although very pretty, was like a blue flag indicating you'd bought the 'cheap' model. Performance (except for braking!) was identical to the more expensive model. As an indicator of how dire the economic situation had become for the British motorcycle industry after the drastic fall-off in sales post-1958 (the peak year for all Brit sales), Veloce sold only 20 Venom Specials in 1963, and 34 350cc Viper Specials.

The story of the Kempton bike is priceless though; it was recently discovered in a hedge! As evidenced by the foliage still attached to the bike, grass and bushes had overgrown and hidden the Velo for nearly 30 years. It's in surprisingly good shape for living outdoors for so long - it's possible that is was under a bit of overhead cover. The new owner has a lot of work ahead - best of luck!

Statistics taken from Dave Masters' 'Velocette: An Illustrated Profile of Models 1905-1971' (DMD, 2004), which is still available and a very useful book indeed.

WORLD'S OLDEST VELOCETTE FOR SALE

While Veloce Ltd. made a few iterations of motorcycle before creating their own engine around 1910 (as explored in an earlier post), very few of these earliest 'Veloce' models have survived. A few engines are laying in warehouses waiting for frames, but to my knowledge there are less than half a dozen of the earliest machines left intact.

It was a surprise to see this 1911 3 1/2hp 'Standard' Veloce, which recently sold on ebay for A$50,000, and it is entirely possible that this is the oldest intact Velo in the world. The engine number (#X129 - frame is A13744) is lower than the previous claimant to the title (#154), although there is some question whether the engine alone was supplied by Veloce to a dealer in Australia, to install in their own chassis, as was common in the day.

The first owner of the bike is documented as a resident of Benalla, Victoria, in 1911, who purchased the machine for 40 Guineas. It's truly a 'standard' product from the day, with direct belt drive and little braking power, the front having nothing at all to retard progress; the rear has a typical 'spoon' pressing on the dummy rim for the drive belt. Starting is push-and-bonk, and as basic as these machines were, they would have been very reliable in the day, with a decent Bosch magneto, and little else to go wrong!

These early Veloce sidevalvers were based on a Belgian Kelecom engine, installed in a chassis which is either Triumph made or on their pattern, as they are identical. Ironically, Triumph themselves made a machine which is the spitting image of this Velo, but with their logo cast into the crankcases. One could order engines thus from Kelecom's concern, or make them to pattern yourself while paying a licensing fee for the privelege.

There are a few suspect details on the machine, which could be rectified with a little research and effort - most glaring is the transfer, which is a shortened version of a later 'Velocette' logo, introduced with their later two-strokes; the Veloce should be in blocky, Wild-West lettering - examples of the original paint still exist (see pic below)!

If you have a hankering for the 'Oldest' of a major motorcycle manufacturer, here's your chance - it will be tremendously cheaper than the Oldest Harley, Indian, or Norton!

A Biker, A Baker, A Candlestick Maker...Or it's SPRING!

Biker, Baker, Candle Stick Maker….



What’s in a personal type of identification anyway? How is it we learn to identify ourselves as a member of this societal grouping or that one? Why is it important to us and our feeling of well being?



Hell I don’t know, when I was in college, I thought to explore these questions once. I never got very far on those questions after I discovered in my Sociology class that this kind of inquiry had been explored by others before me. I’ve read their findings and thought them to be full of shit, so, I guess it’s an easy question to ask, harder to answer, and impossible to understand why the human race even needs to classify who we are, what we do, and where we do it at…in order to accommodate a feeling of well being among ourselves.



All I know, is I’m a biker. I used to be this kind of biker; back in the day…I was about 12 when those days ended.



When I was 14, I became one of these kinds of biker. Cute huh?



Today however, I’m still a biker, just harder to define. This is me today. It’s cold outside, and I’m covered from head to toe, ready to do battle with Sir Winter. Each year, he forces me to encase my body in more armor to protect myself from his attacks to my joints, mind and body in general.



I don’t think I’m winning the war the old fashioned way. Perhaps I should give in and start using more technology against this foe who never seems to tire in strength, grow old, or weary of beating me up to a near frozen death. I’ve been fighting the heated throttle, heated seat, wind shield, electric vests, socks, new techno fabrics that somehow keep you warm at below freezing temperatures. I still don’t own any of those things, in fact even my gloves are the old standards that were around about the same time as say the Knights of Mid Evil times. Only they aren’t made of steel.



I’m a throwback of what I remember as easier times. At least that’s what I tell myself, and others who ask me “WHY?” Its way too none of your business, that I…as a journalist can’t earn enough money to afford those kinds of benefits. You know how most biker journalists get those cool things? They are asked to write a review on the product. So the manufacturer gives them the product to install, wear, what ever…in order to get a glowing report from the journalist. We pimp ourselves out like your basic street corner whore. I used to do this from time to time, but I’ve discovered I don’t like myself after I’ve done it.



So these days, I really don’t get asked to review too much anymore. I kind of regret it when I see pictures like these of myself!

Ahhh, but you know what? I don’t have to worry about it for about six months or so! It’s spring! The clocks have all sprung forward,
the bulbous plants have bloomed around here, and some have started to fade already…still waiting for the tulips though…



it’s getting warmer everyday…I think I’ve seen the last of the single digit numbers for at least six months! So away go the thoughts that plague me during winter, away go the feelings of wistfulness regarding warmth. I get to ride through the forests and watch as the invisible and industrious elves of the woodland dress the trees in buds of glory…I get to watch the young nubile leaves come out and dance in the dappled light of spring. I watch as they mature into their preteens, a wild and undulating dance unleashes their bodies as they salsa in breezes too light or too high for us mere earth bound humans to feel or comprehend their joy of life. Don’t you love spring?



I’ll let you know what I think about summer as soon as it comes around…right now, I’m too busy admiring spring!



Editors’ note: Most all the journalists I know who do this pick and choose the products carefully...so they are not forced to write things that go against the grain of their nature and feelings regarding the product. NOT ALL JOURNALISTS WILL SAY GOOD THINGS ABOUT A PRODUCT THEY ABHOR!

(photos 1. Chessie
2. Army Arch
3. Jake Perks
4. Chessie
5. Chessie
6. Extra medium
7. Candy trash
8. Unknown
9. Jeff Kubina
10. Mr. La Rue
11. Bobesh
12. Whisperbee
13. Edward Dullard