Mize: number one

If you have GKM issue one from March 2007, you'll remember this shot of Bill on his pan-American Evo.

He criss-crossed the States on this bike.

Ruler.

Talk to you soon Bill!

More Swedish sweetness

All the right bits in the right places. It's not as easy as it sounds and Swedish choppers have always been – and always will be – killer-diller.

Lars' Knuck is coming to you soon in GKM, courtesy of our Swedish correspondent Ulf Forsberg.

The Clash

They need their heads knocking together, that's what they need.

So, the world's best two old Harley/chopper shows are on the same date again next year.

You decide:

Sunny California

or

Sunny United Kingdom

Either way, all your two-wheeled dreams will be fulfilled.

As Joe Strummer said, "After all this, won't you give me a smile?".

Still got flathead fever

 

Alex's '47 WR

Spent a nice sunny afternoon in Whitstable on Friday shooting Alex Zambinski's custom '47 WR. Building this bike has been an eight-year labour of love: Alex started with just a set of WR cases when he was the tender age of sixteen and it took six years to get the machine running.

Twin Amals with a homemade manifold; stroked engine; lightened, polished and ported top end. All mods were was done in the family garage. This thing will do 86mph... 100mph very soon with more tweaking.

No, this motorcycle does not wear vintage style tyres. For one very good reason: it's properly quick.

Great bloke, great bike... coming soon in GKM.

Top Evo chopper for sale

Andy P is letting his chopper go... this thing is sorted and gorgeous.

£7k ono. Call Andy on 07931 679 160 if you have a serious interest.

Playing in the garden of England

I love the county of Kent and don't get down there enough; am off today to meet my friends for a shindig in Canterbury, then on to Brighton tomorrow night. And it finally gives me a chance to shoot one of my favourite UK bikes for the mag, Alex Zambinski's flathead.

It won an award at our Linkert Attacks bash last year, and I'm looking forward to getting a closer look at it. Just hope the rain lays off long enough to snap a few photos.

Back Monday.

Hey Mr DJ II

Only two weeks to go until the DicE party at the Trip Out. I'm still dusting off the discs. But you're gonna hear this lot.

It's an odd life

Going to work is walking downstairs to my office. The only people other than my family that I see most days are the local post office staff. Most of my friends live at least 250 miles away. Phone calls to printers, shippers and bike owners are often interrupted by the kids fighting.

The upside? I regularly get to take my children out for a leisurely lunch when everyone else is rat-racing.

I won't ever regret spending so much time with them.

Deathtraps MC swap meet

I met Jonathan from Deathtraps MC at Bottrop: really nice bloke who was in the middle of an amazing three month tour of Europe on his shovel chopper.

I will never forget the spectacle of these guys rolling in to Born Free 2... they are actually living the life everyone else seems to be mimicking at the moment. Ex-marines, real bikers... focused on the core values of what being a motorcycle club is all about.

Check out their blog for tales from Jonathan's trip and if you're near Sonora, CA at the end of next month... hit the swap meet!

Explains a lot

Whilst most of the other boys at my school were buying 'Shoot', I was spending my pocket money on magazines like this.

I bought this at WH Smith before I had ever even sat on a motorcycle, and consequently these are the images that sprang to my young mind when anyone mentioned bikes or bikers.

We weren't allowed bikes because my mum worked in the local hospital and used to warn us about the motorcyclists brought in with their brains sloshing around inside their helmets, but luckily my best friends were allowed them, so my youth was spent on borrowed Puch Maxis, FS1Es, KH250s and even an 'acquired' Honda C90 (my first police caution).

But all I ever thought about was how much I wanted to look like James Dean and ride a proper bike.

The Trip Out bike show prizes: part one

GKM is sponsoring the Bike Show at the Trip Out. And because it's an English show, we hooked up with top UK helmet dudes Davida to bring you – or at the least the Bike Show winner and runner-up – these luscious lids.

They are absolute things of beauty, and as always with GKM prizes I don't actually want to give 'em away. At all!

There will also be a trophy for the top bike, which will totally trip out the winner! Stay tuned... and buy your tickets if you haven't already!

I love me some crenellations

Today I had to pick up a lovely old architect's plan chest from a picturesque little village called Snape, about 25 miles from here.

It has its own little castle. Very cool.

In fact, our local countryside is dotted with castles, ruins, follies, historic houses and oddities. You are more likely to come across a ruined abbey than a petrol station around here. Check Pete's blog if you don't believe me.

Anyway, I got the chest home and discovered it wouldn't fit through any of the doors in our house.

Killer '46 FL

This is one of those bikes that gets me excited about old Harley-Davidsons all over again.

Mochi brings us the feature on this Tokyo Knuck in the next issue.

Hey Mr DJ

Got your Trip Out tickets yet? Go on, buy one today. You don't want to miss me on the decks at the DicE party do ya?

It's going to be Don Letts at the Roxy all over again.

Chunky goodness

New Vibes through the door. Lovely.

Outside Von Daz's workshop

These were only taken about five years ago but it's strange how every single aspect of my life pretty much has changed since then.

I live on a different continent, do a different job, live in the middle of the countryside instead of on the beach and now have kids.

I do, however, still have a Panhead.

Missing Australia at the moment.

Near the Knukkel

There's nothing Marc (better known as Knukkel) likes more than getting right in amongst sweaty Germans inside a party tent (he's the one at the bottom of the Bottrop shot.) That, and building top-notch motorcycles.

You may remember his Panhead on this very blog a couple of years ago at the beginning of its metamorphosis. Check out the little film, above, of Marc breaking the Pan in; it's a taster of the great feature coming in GKM very soon.

UK's best panel truck for sale

I put this on Ebay last week and kind of kept it on the down-low but as some friends spotted it and then kindly spread the word on their blogs, I may as well advertise the Dodge here.

If you're interested, you'll know the specs by now.

I can deliver, within reason. Buyers in Europe are welcome.

I want around £15k or will take a p/x (bike/WHY) with the vast majority of cash my way. I've seen some comments about it being expensive: grow up... try building or importing something like this for the money I'm asking. It's had major (and tasteful) chassis and body modifications. And what I'm asking covers just the cost of getting it here, on the road, and sorting out some minor niggles with it.

Recent MOT and (free) tax. I've driven it up and down the country with no issues. I am selling because I have to pay the taxman and I don't have a garage big enough for it (and winter is peeping from around the corner).

If you are interested or know someone who might be please email me at choppers@greasykulture.com

Does my bum look big on this?

Photo stolen from the very entertaining Exactamundo.

Get Pat the passenger's perspective on the MGB's northern tour!

Kushty

Been wanting to feature Kutty's Evo 'California Kush' since I saw it at the Mooneyes Show in December. The detailing on this bike, like all Kutty's machines, is out of this world.

The delay has been trying to get two of SoCal's busiest people to align their schedules: but finally Mark from Joyrides managed to hook up with the man from Hippy Killer and we'll bring you the glorious results in the next issue.

Battling cops and the Prince of Darkness

A couple of years ago, a bunch of my good friends decided to drive in convoy to Portugal, a couple of them in Phil's '64 MGB. Let's sum up the trip by saying that it didn't prove to be a, ahem, reliable car.

Undaunted, Phil decided this weekend to drive the car down to Kent from Hartlepool where it had been gently rusting in a lock-up (long story). Accompanied by Pat, he was due to call in on his way south mid-morning.

So when I got a text at lunchtime asking me to source a coil for a '64 MGB, I wasn't surprised.

Long story short, they eventually turned up at my place and promptly got pinched by our local copper for no tax disc. Funny how they're never around at midnight when there's a fight going on outside your house, eh?

Then I rode with them into town to pick up the coil I'd sorted out. But their problem turned out to be the condenser.

The MGB has been hinting all along, and Phil's now taking it. He's getting a valuation on the car this week.

Three years

RIP Daisy.

Your old H-D link in Lincs

So, the problem here in England is that if you have an old Knuck or Pan that needs work, where do you go? There are very few one-stop shops that not only understand how old H-Ds tick but also know their Roth scoops from their Stelling bars. There's Benny, Tosh, and ... er... well, you get the picture.

Richard Millard built my Panhead engine, and it is running like a top. After all the stress of getting it done, it really is making all that money and time seem worthwhile now it's truly being put to the test (and now I have heard more horror stories from other H-D owners about certain other UK shops). Rich runs Skull Chopa (I hope they change that name!) with partner Ian in the countryside near Lincoln. They are building some nice machines (their latest Pan is above.) Check out their blog.