Motorcycles
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Hi guys,
I love IH, and I love bikes too. So much so that i quit my office job around 6 years back to sell bikes for a living, mostly Italians
Unfortunately I haven't ridden a bike in just over 4 years due to a nasty leg break under the engine bar of a Moto Guzzi California Classic.. Heavy bitch she was!Here's some images from the day of the accident, sorry if they're off putting, they're not intended to be. I still love bikes, but for now I don't have the range of motion in my left ankle for the gear lever..plus my brain tells me it's dangerous.
8 surgeries later I'm still determined to get back on, but it's a tough slog. Push bikes keep my 2 wheel urges slightly fulfilled, but no substitute for an oil cooled 1100 v-twin.. You know
Thanks for letting me share guys.
Mike.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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From IHJP
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Finn - I can't recommend a bike restore / rebuild enough. It was some of the best months of blood, sweat and tears that I ever put into a project. If you have a little space, some patience and a willingness to learn - you can certainly tackle it. The 70's twins are all pretty standard fare and easy to work on. Parts are everywhere, and frankly, a good time to hunt down. The months I spent on my rebuild were as fun as riding has been.
That said - know the risk and don't take it lightly. Mike - I hope you're healing as well as can be expected and that you get your ankle back to where you need it to be. Ride or no ride.
Spotted this a bit ago.. bad. ass.
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Just wanted to share this pic from my flickr stream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29690965@N06/7938893234/#in/contacts/
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I took my bike down to the Ace Cafe Reunion today in Brighton.
I joined the muster at the Ace Cafe in London, and followed the pack down to Brighton. There was a lot of congestion on the M25 and M23 / A23, and some of the filtering got a bit hairy. If I do it next year, I might take an alternative route.
But once down there, I think that every biker in the south was there. Madeira Drive was rammed with bikes, and the overspill took up much of the pavements and all the bike spots in the town centre. Here's a shot to give you an idea of what it was like.
Giles, it might be worth looking into getting a stall there. Lewis Leathers had one, and a lot of the bikers were the Harley, Cafe Racer or Rocker crowd, so would seem like the sort of demographic Iron Heart would appeal to.
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I know nothing about bikes nor have I ever been on one but every time I see a bike like that Vincent I start day dreaming of riding one. Would that be considered a cafe racer? Or is that not the correct term.
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@Dirty:
I know nothing about bikes nor have I ever been on one but every time I see a bike like that Vincent I start day dreaming of riding one. Would that be considered a cafe racer? Or is that not the correct term.
not a cafe racer m8,,,think of Norton,BSA,Triton,Triumph,TriBSA,,,,complete with clipons,,rearsets,,loud megaphone exhaust,alloy tanks,single seat,,,,,the original ton up machines
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Ah ok…I Just assumed the straight line on it which i love meant cafe racer. Let me shut up and keep admiring
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Cafe Racers are stripped down production motorcycles,,,all unecessary.. .ie.. weightier items are binned off,,,making em more nimble,,faster,,,similar to the American "bobber",,,what aint needed ,,is binned,,all started in the 50s over here,,,bikers used to race from cafe to cafe,,,hence the term,,,,google the 59 Club, and the Ace Cafe,,,
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I work at Viking Air at YYJ where we build de Havilland Twin Otters. I walked over to the Flying Club Cafe for a little lunch. Could see the bike from a distance. Told my coworker that we needed to go over and see it closer. After lunch made way over there and started taking a couple pics, when an old guy (in 70s) saunters over wearing this great old leather jacket and jeans and says "so you like my bike?" Turns out it is a 1950 Vincent Black Shadow. He tells us a little about its history, etc. "Was the fastest bike on the planet," he exclaimed. After a little chatting I foolishly say, "I don't know much about bikes…but I want that bike!" You have to realize, that while I LOVE bikes, I had no idea what I was snapping pictures of...just a beautiful old bike that I wanted to make love to. So he chuckles and says with a smile, "well son, I don't think you could afford it." What!!! I'm wearing $500 dollar denim on my ass old man!!! So I ask, "what's she worth?" He says, "well I have about 150 into it." It actually took me a few moments to realize that he wasn't talking about $150, but he was talking $150,000. He then proceeds to tell me that this particular one is worth at least $200,000, and he has "five more in the shop at home...but they aren't quite as nice as this one." I suddenly realized that my $500 jeans meant absolutely nothing. I was going back to our shop to sit at a desk in them...probably for the rest of my life, only wishing I could stain the seat of a bike like that with my indigo. He, on the other hand, was going to be jumping on his beautiful black Vincent and ride off into sunset...I haven't been the same since.
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For those interested…here's what we build at Viking Air: http://instagram.com/p/MwAN7HQxGD/
…(oh and o/course myself!) 
