Greasy Kulture

The new issue 25... and five years of GKM

2012-01-27T04:39:00.003Z

The new issue ships to subscribers early next week... so if you want to get your order in early, get to our webstore now!

It's exactly five years since issue one rolled off the presses...

Denis and his amazing VL-Panhead are on the cover of the new one, along with:

Ryan Cox’s ’68 TR6
Hach’s Knucklehead chopper
Anthony Robinson’s survivor T100 custom
The 20th Mooneyes show, Yokohama - big photo spreads
English Don and the second incarnation of the Babylon Taxi
Two friends, Terry and Mike... with two '37 big twin flatties
Karl Stehn’s ‘78 Bonnie chopper, from Oz
Stuart Symonds’ bare metal ‘75 Shovel
Spice Motorcycles' GKM Award-winning ‘44 Knuck, from Tokyo

Hope you enjoy it.

And don't forget, if you want to help us celebrate our fifth birthday, there's one place you need to be on 3rd February.

Diggin' your scene!

2012-01-26T22:25:00.002Z

I'm diggin' your scene!
Can I be part of your scene?!
Anyone can be part of our scene!
Scene. Scene. Scene. Scene.

It was one of those nights

2012-01-26T15:18:00.003Z

I seem to remember the orange drinks were Gary's idea. Kind of like the stuff you nick from your mum's drinks cupboard when you're 14... with similar effects.

Good times with good people.

Check out Pat's top blog for more Italian shenanigans.

Need good replacement cases for your Pan or Knuck?

2012-01-26T10:28:00.004Z

One of the most interesting stands at Verona was Motortechnic MFG's from Germany.

They are making beautifully engineered replacement cases for Knuckleheads – with Panhead cases coming shortly. They also make everything from cylinders to pistons, oil pumps to heads. They are all indistinguishable from OEM (although are a tiny bit wider than stock so you can use Truett and Osborne flywheels), but are made to the most exacting standards; the guy I talked to said their parts are the very best quality available.

Cases come unstamped and are, from memory, around 2,800 euros.

I think this company will do well...

Tweed 'n' leather

2012-01-25T08:43:00.002Z

At Verona, your stand wasn't complete without some lovelies handing out flyers and straddling the bikes. So Dave and Ben recruited some...

'46 Chevy pickup for sale in UK

2012-01-25T08:27:00.003Z

1946 Stepside Chevy
3" roof chop, lowered all round.
Camaro front clip (PAS, Tilt column)
350 V8, 350 TH box, 9" rear
Good tyres all round ( 10 x 15 rear)
Easy driver, Tax free, MoT Jan 2013
Best offer, you know what it is worth.

Call Mike on 07590 637245, 07740 950743 or 07906 646868 or email nethertoncottage@hotmail.co.uk

GKM 5th birthday bash... in NJ!

2012-01-24T07:58:00.006Z

We're featuring an east coast bike on the cover of our 5th birthday issue (#25), so our good friend Walter from Kickstart Cycle is throwing a little party at Rebar in Lodi, New Jersey on Friday February 3rd.

First fifty guests will get a free copy of the new one, and there will be back issues for sale too, cheap drinks, food and a good time to be had.

If you're in the area, come along.

I chose the full English breakfast pizza

2012-01-23T11:31:00.002Z

But everyone else ate it.

You can buy pizza by the metre here... and we did.

Here's a rare photo of DTFP, Exactamundo, Sideburn, DicE and ConArtism at the same table.

BellaBlogini.

Verona bikes

2012-01-22T14:31:00.002Z

Some interesting machines and stands amongst the skull do-rags and billet barges. But you have to dig them out... This show is vast.I presented the GKM award to Christian from ChopperLab for his minimalist, twin-Mikuni S&S Panhead (bottom).

- Posted on the move in Verona

Sideburn party at Mr Martini's

2012-01-20T22:22:00.002Z

- Posted on the move in Verona

Hassidic Yorkshireman

2012-01-19T23:00:00.001Z

Ben from Sideburn changes Pete's religion on the new GKM banner in Verona.- Posted on the move in Verona

Jeff's '41 FLTT

2012-01-18T23:31:00.003Z

I hope Jeff doesn't mind me re-posting this... I've been following his FL TT build for a while now and the finished bike is beeeautiful.

Jeff Baer has appeared many times in GKM, and with good cause... he has a jaw-dropping collection of fine, original old H-Ds. We finally got to meet at the Invitational in September where he turned up in style on his 'dirty nine' Knuck.

Here's to you Jeff... thanks for building yet another bike we can feature! If you haven't already, check out Jeff's blog... you really might learn something.

Catch us if you can

2012-01-18T14:06:00.003Z

If you're coming to the Verona bike show, GKM will be on stand 15D in hall 3.

I will be the one dressed in the pilot's '60s get-up, and Pat will be in his usual stewardess's uniform.

Come and say Ciao!

Steve Uhl's Panhead

2012-01-18T08:23:00.003Z

Someone on FB asked for some more shots of this bike, so I thought I'd give them another airing here. They first ran in issue 3 (sold out) back in 2007.

This bike was talked about in hushed tones back in the day... before 'period correct' became the wallet-scorching Ebay trawl it is today. Steve and Bill Mize were building bikes like this back in Sioux City while everyone else was trying to work out how wide a rear tyre they could run.

Respect.

Photos by Mr Frank Kaisler.

Dave's collection

2012-01-17T09:44:00.002Z

If you remember Dave Aliventi's amazing survivor bay area Panhead we featured in issue 16, you may also remember that I saw the bike for real last year... in Tokyo. It had been sold and was being worked on by my friends at Ocean Beetle.

Anyway, Dave won't be too sad to have moved the Frisco Pan on, as he has other enviable bikes to fettle. Take a look at these: from top left, clockwise, we have a '42 Knuck, '35 Indian Chief, '36 Chief and a '53 Panhead.

Nice...

We'll be featuring that rather interesting Knucklehead in a future issue.

ICC! ICC!

2012-01-16T11:01:00.003Z

Wide boys, football hooligan estate agents, baseball bat attacks on pubs, stripey shirts with white collars, striping rival fans with Stanley knives... must be the late eighties!

Found an old VHS copy of this in a box on the weekend. If you can find it, it's well worth watching... Gary Oldman is on great form. And as a bonus it's directed by Alan Clarke – his final film.

YETI!!

Less than a week to go...

2012-01-15T16:18:00.002Z

Sideburn party Friday, DicE party Saturday... oh, and I think there's a bike show in between too.

See you in Verona! We'll have t-shirts, magazines, stickers and packets of our new Lady Grey GKM tea. Come and say hello!

Toddy take two

2012-01-14T11:49:00.003Z

Have you read the article on Toddy and his Triumph TR6P, our current issue's cover star? Here are a few outtakes from the shoot.

The number of handmade components on this bike and the level of finish are truly impressive.

Built in a second floor apartment

2012-01-13T08:46:00.003Z

I quite often get workshop envy. I survey other people's sheds and garages, green-eyed, wishing my outbuildings were bigger, more comfortable... full of flashier tools.

And then I get blown away by a bike like Denis's VL-framed Panhead (which you'll be seeing a lot of in the next issue) and find out he put it together in his second floor flat. And I realise it doesn't matter how nice a garage I have, I will never have this sort of commitment or talent.

Check out Denis's blog.

California Kush

2012-01-12T07:49:00.003Z

We're lining up a feature on Kutty's cracking Evo that he showed in Yokohama.

Thanks to Hon at Throttle for this image and the great coverage of the Mooneyes show coming up in a few weeks in issue 25...

Nicest production v-twin in... well, decades

2012-01-11T16:27:00.002Z

Talking of Benny (which I was, kind of, see below), he built this utterly gorgeous Sporty-based special which will soon be going into actual production.

I want one.

If you do too, here's the juice.

One for Benny

2012-01-11T09:50:00.002Z

AJ's Shovel

2012-01-10T09:10:00.003Z

Chrome and fancy fab are all very well, but this bike absolutely did it for me when I saw it at the Invitational. I started seeking out the owner, camera in hand.

Of course, it was then that Matt casually mentioned they'd already featured AJ's Shovel in DicE a few issues ago. A knife to my heart.

He's back!

2012-01-09T22:23:00.000Z

Lost in Translation

2012-01-09T15:11:00.003Z

If you're reading the current issue, #24, you can't fail to have noticed the feature on Shin's stunning '38 EL Knucklehead.

Now, we're the first to admit that our Japanese ain't up to snuff, so it's no wonder that we mistakenly attributed the building of this bike to Shin and Gak. In fact, we've been asked to make clear that the bike was built solely by our friend Gak at his Tokyo shop Hawg Holic, and was then bought by Shin.

What is clear – whatever language you speak – is how damned cool this period-part-laden bike is. If you haven't already read Mochi's great feature 'Grim Reaper's Ride', you can buy issue 24 HERE.

Panhead chopper in a weekend

2012-01-08T13:42:00.005Z

OK, a very slight exaggeration, but six years ago when my mate Buzz flew up to my place in Sydney with his TIG, we knew we had a long hot weekend to turn a frame, springer and a motor into a working motorcycle.

Buzz made the pipes, seat mounts, tank mounts, brackets... and we de-cluttered the Paughco frame and got the bike assembled, all in those few days.

It only took a couple more days once Buzz was gone to bend up some struts, rattle can the frame and tank and fire the bike up.

Good times with a good friend.

Kyle's Ironhead

2012-01-07T10:00:00.004Z

Another cracking little chopper I spotted in Brooklyn... Kyle's Sporty will be coming soon in GKM.

Photos by Ken Driscoll.

Hey baby, I can do 46mph... how fast you wanna go?

2012-01-06T15:05:00.003Z

What was your first car?

Fresh from the test centre, I bought this early 100E Anglia ('54 maybe?) for a couple of hundred quid. Leaking fuel tank, vacuum-operated wipers that stop on hills, three speed box (with no second gear), more rust than metal.

Whitewall flaps and a radio cassette made it a (snail-like) cruiser. A fragrant whiff of petrol and pomade followed me into every nightclub in north London.

I've never loved a car so much.

'73 Chevy van for sale: $2600 ono

2012-01-06T08:08:00.003Z

Simon Watts is selling his van. It'll carry four bikes in the back, no problem. He'll even drive it to the shippers in LA for you, free.

Here's the blurb:

"1973 Chevy 1/2 ton long wheelbase Beauville Sport van.
Registered till April 2012 Title in hand and in my name.
Classic 70's Brady Bunch Chic.

It's had a rebuilt Motor, transmission, carburetor, new fuel pump and new starter motor. Have receipts for everything. This Van has been lovingly maintained throughout it's life.
Its uber kitsch green plaid interior even has the original wheel cover and jack. I also have the 2 bench seats for the back if you feel like turning it into a bus for the family. This Van is super reliable. Just turn the key and go. Super comfy to drive thanks to auto tranny, power steering and power brakes. And best of all is pre smog so you don't have to worry about all that bollocks."

$2600 obo
Call Simon 310 796 6287
wattstudios@hotmail.com

JR

2012-01-05T08:54:00.002Z

Thinking of you and your family today.

David Snow visits CJ Allan for new year

2012-01-04T13:10:00.004Z

Two legends in one video.

David Snow edited Iron Horse in the nineties and created the best issues of any motorcycle magazine, anywhere.

CJ Allan has been a member of The Hessians MC since 1968. He's been on the front of Choppers magazine (1971), built some iconic choppers and is a master engraver. He's done it all.

I found this on Snow's FB page: would love to have eavesdropped on the conversations he didn't record...

Finchley Boys

2012-01-04T10:04:00.003Z

The Torrington, The Duke of Lancaster... The Stranglers were the 'north London' punk band, even if none of them came from anywhere near.

Winners aren't grinners

2012-01-03T08:39:00.003Z

My friend Pat snapped this shot of me and Jeff Decker at the Mooneyes show handing over our awards to Masa from Spice Motorcycles in Tokyo for their Knucklehead, which we'll have in the next issue.

At least I look faintly happy... to be sharing a stage with Mr Decker! Reflected glory is a wonderful thing.

Check out Pat's blog Exactamundo... some amusing stuff from Japan (Punk Rock Bar etc) and elsewhere.

Crazy Pink Revolvers

2012-01-02T15:47:00.003Z

If you follow my brother Adam's blog or read his excellent magazine, you may know that in a past life he was guitarist in a band (mid-to-late eighties) with Stan Stammers, legendary bassist ex-Theatre of Hate, Spear of Destiny and The Pack. That's Adam on the right of the sleeve in the video.

I saw Crazy Pink Revolvers loads of times... designed their first album sleeve and even roadied for them. They were a tight little band with a big sound... two basses, no less. Good times, when vintage semi-acoustics, big E levis and rocker chic were king!

It's his birthday today, so here's a blast from the glory days. Many happy returns bro.

Mooneyes Show Yokohama... relive it in GKM

2012-01-02T09:59:00.003Z

Got some great coverage of the recent Mooneyes HRCS coming up in the next issue, due out February 1. (How cool is Mark Drews' flathead? Huh?)

Our friend Hon shot some lovely images in and around the show, to give those of you unlucky enough to miss it a sense of how amazing this event is.

Hope you're all enjoying 2012 so far. I actually ate enough mince pies during December to become tired of them. A sad first for me.

Happy New Ink!

2012-01-01T09:22:00.003Z

Hope you get everything you wish for in 2012.

20 years ago, in 1992, my mate Ian wished for a dodgy tattoo on his chest, and I obliged with my recently-acquired scratcher's kit.

As I said to him... happy new year!

Grant's Shovel

2011-12-31T08:38:00.002Z

I generally don't feature bikes and cars that have had exposure in mainstream magazines, but I made an exception for Grant Peterson's Omaha Orange '78 Shovel.

It's been through a number of incarnations, and I saw it first in its orange guise in LA then at the Yokohama Mooneyes show in 2010, and couldn't take my eyes off it. And Grant of course is so nice, so smiley... so tall!

The bike will therefore be gracing GKM's pages soon, accompanied by some hopefully revealing facts about its creator... shot by our man in SoCal, Mark Kawakami.

Third new blog of the day...

2011-12-30T23:09:00.002Z

Aaron Elliott has a new blog.

He's a Salinas Boy, a tremendously talented fabricator and we featured his beautiful Honda, shot by Mark Kawakami, in issue 19.

Meanwhile, across the Channel

2011-12-30T11:54:00.003Z

Coincidences are weird, aren't they? Sometimes my life seems to be a series of them.

I had a dream last night about Johnny Routledge. It's a year next week since he died so the new year will be tough for his friends and family as memories of him re-focus.

This morning, my first back home after being away, I discovered an email from Loran in France, who built the Knuck you see here (and may have seen when we featured it in issue 17). This was the last bike Johnny shot for the magazine; he and I met Loran at the bar (Linkert Attacks France, 2010) and photographed his Knuck as the sun went down. Then we reconvened to talk art and motorcycles. The next day, Loran was awarded 'Best Knucklehead'.

Loran is a top bloke. He has a new blog called Mungochino. Check it out.

The photo above was one of Johnny's favourite images captured that warm evening.

Diet for the new year

2011-12-30T08:38:00.002Z

Well, how was yours?

Mine was great, thanks. Turkey, Christmas pud, mince pies, my dad's never-ending supply of beer, little cousins dancing to punk rock, Hot Wheels, cold walks, my sister trying to stop weeing herself laughing.

Diet for the new year? Same as this year!

Let's start with Mochi and Shin's new blog... if you like Mochi's regular features in GKM, you'll want to bookmark this one:

HIGH OCTANE TOKYO

Last call

2011-12-22T10:57:00.002Z

We'll be shipping final orders tomorrow (Friday), then we'll be taking a break for a week.

Have a great Christmas... and thank you for reading the blog, buying the magazine and wearing the t-shirts.

For those about to rock: I can't hear you

2011-12-21T16:35:00.003Z

If you're still searching for the last-minute perfect gift for the guitar picker in your life, you could do worse than buy one of these.

My brother bought me this 'Plug & Play Tube Drive' for my birthday last month, and it's bloody amazing. It's like a tiny personal amp that allows you to play along with your iPod through your earphones... or, if you're crap, on your own without your iPod.

I learned to play as a kid by listening to records on our jumble sale Radiogram and strumming along, and it is the best way to learn... or hopefully, improve.

Genius. Ta bro.

Toshi

2011-12-21T08:28:00.002Z

I just noticed on the excellent Southsiders blog that the upcoming issue of Men's File has a feature on Toshi.

I realised when I was at the Brooklyn Invitational that I was actually hanging out with the two coolest men on the planet: Toshi and Matt Davis. At Linkert Attacks in June, Toshi spent the whole weekend applying his vast knowledge of old H-Ds to problems experienced by riders at the event. He calmly wandered amongst the bikes with his tools, enabling people to get home.

Top, top bloke.

I have the utmost respect for him. If you want an insight into his many talents and interests, check out his blog.

WWNWW

Choose your Shovelhead! Tickets available now...

2011-12-20T08:53:00.005Z

You can now buy your poster for Born Free 4, including tickets which give you the chance to win your choice of two 1969 Shovelheads: chopper or stocker, the choice is yours. And remember, a big change for this year is that you don't have to be present at the show to win... so even more reason to enter if you're in Europe!

You can buy tickets online through Lowbrow Customs or in person at various outlets in the LA area: The Garage Company, Classic Cycles, The Cycle Lodge... and soon at Dixie and TriCo.

And remember, you can keep up with all the latest details of the planet's best chopper show HERE.

This sums it up pretty well

2011-12-19T11:00:00.000Z

Almost Famous

2011-12-19T09:42:00.001Z

Switchblade, playing the biggest venues in town, '89. At least we didn't wear ties.

The Broders effect

2011-12-18T14:18:00.003Z

It must be close to ten years ago when I featured Chris Broders' cool monochrome XLCH on the GK website. So it was nice to finally meet him face to face at the Mooneyes show and check out his stunning '49 Chevy, 'Cyaneyed', painted by The Harpoon.

Sorry for the crappy phone pic... you'll find photos to do this amazing car justice all over the web and magazines.

Good to meet you Chris!

Verona Bike Expo... we'll be there

2011-12-17T14:11:00.003Z

Yep, if you're heading over for the enormous bike expo in Verona, Italy on 20-22 January, look out for us... we'll have a little stand there and you'll be able to buy some stuff and teach us some Italian.

If you haven't seen this by now

2011-12-16T07:53:00.001Z

6 Over - Kick Start from Wild Honey Productions on Vimeo.

Here's your chance. The first thing I've seen in a while that's made me really, really want my bike back.

Yes... it's still in bits.

Invaders from Sweden

2011-12-15T09:14:00.001Z

Joel's perfect Panhead, coming soon in GKM.

Photos by Ulf Forsberg.

Bust a move

2011-12-14T23:25:00.001Z

Watched this on the plane to Japan. Piss funny.

Rothmans and rockabilly

2011-12-14T10:05:00.001Z

Thirty years ago, that's pretty much where my money went.

¥Ask

2011-12-13T08:57:00.001Z

Single pot Knuck... running

2011-12-12T19:58:00.001Z

'46 Knuck (see below) was built by Duas Caras Cycles in Japan... it won Lucas Joyner's (Factory Metal Works) pick at the show.

Single pot Knuck

2011-12-12T13:31:00.001Z

Even as I was studying it, I couldn't quite believe it.

Mental.

And that's before you even get to the molding, fabrication and all the other cool bits on this bike.

And yes, we saw video of it running.

King of the punx

2011-12-11T09:16:00.003Z

One down, quite a few more to go.

Mr Monk, king of the punx, Tokyo.

Photo nicked off Pat-san.

Try TriCo

2011-12-10T07:10:00.003Z

Remember, if you happen to be near Hollywood Blvd in LA, you can pick up a copy of GKM at the wonderful haunt-of-the-stars, TriCo.

You can also buy that other great little chopper magazine there... er... what's its name again... er...

Not your average NCP

2011-12-09T16:47:00.003Z

Thank you Japan, I will miss you

2011-12-07T15:41:00.002Z

- Posted on the move in Japan

Conrad's show and Delight cafe

2011-12-07T07:33:00.002Z

Then we had a White Riot at the Punk Rock Bar and Mr Monk jumped on Con's head.

- Posted on the move in Japan

More showstoppers

2011-12-05T23:32:00.002Z

Being asked to choose a motorcycle to receive an award at this show was nigh on impossible. Every bike in normal circumstances would be extraordinary.

- Posted on the move in Japan

The GKM Award at Mooneyes HRCS

2011-12-04T09:44:00.002Z

Great minds think alike. Jeff Decker and I picked this Knucklehead built by Spice Motorcycles in Tokyo for our Mooneyes awards. Dave O' Hanlon's excellent engraving was much admired on the GK rocker cover. More soon when my head stops spinning.

- Posted on the move in Japan

DicE party Yokohama

2011-12-03T18:47:00.002Z

- Posted on the move in Japan

Get in, get out, set up

2011-12-03T09:29:00.002Z

Anyone coming to the Mooneyes show tomorrow is in for a treat...

- Posted on the move in Japan

Ready for the off

2011-11-30T09:48:00.002Z

Getting packed to fly out to Tokyo tomorrow.

The new 20th anniversary issue of Vibes just arrived to get me in the mood.

It's going to be a great seven days... will post regularly from Yokohama, Tokyo and of course the Mooneyes show, so stay tuned.

Back next week.

Reward

2011-11-29T11:08:00.002Z

Adam Wright gets to bloggin'...

2011-11-27T15:33:00.001Z

This one will be worth bookmarking.

Check it out HERE.

Issue 24 ... a pre-Christmas cracker!

2011-11-25T08:19:00.003Z

As we're in Yokohama next week and Christmas is fast approaching, we're releasing the new issue a few days early. If you are already a subscriber – good on ya! – you can look out for your copy from tomorrow.

If you want the new issue – tasty as plum duff – be quick: get your order in sharpish before we piss off to Japan, HERE.

Toddy deservedly makes the cover with his GKM Award-winning, magnificently hand built TR6P. You can also look forward to:

+ Dave Barker at SpeedMetal’s amazing ’38 VL-Knucklehead
+ Swedish time capsule: Roland’s ‘47 UL
+ Grim Reaper’s Ride: Shin’s Knucklehead
+ Brooklyn Invitational: what you missed!
+ Kevin’s ’64 XLCH, the ‘Penner Special’
+ David Snow remembers Larry and THAT shoot... the best magazine cover ever?
+ Family ties: Cal & Joe’s ’52 Panhead
+ Bones Legacy's Bay area ’64 BSA digger... reborn!
+ Trevor’s Brooklyn Beater: minimalist ’76 Sportster

Thursday Pulp

2011-11-24T09:53:00.000Z

It's been a while.

Tape recordings from a Kings Cross squat

2011-11-23T19:35:00.001Z

Own a Conrad Leach original

2011-11-23T08:00:00.003Z

Conrad and I were at art school together, and he's always been a talented fella. While I ended up a piss artist, he ended up a proper one... and his work is collected worldwide.

He painted this fantastic piece for the Rollerburn ramp, and is taking bids for it right now from prospective owners. The money raised will be going to the EllenorLions Hospice in Kent, one of the few that welcomes young people. Conrad recently experienced a terrible family tragedy when his 17 year old nephew lost his battle against cancer at this hospice on 20 October.

So if you want to own a fine motorcycle painting by a world-renowned artist, now's your chance. Here's the detail:

Lucky 13 Rollerburn Edition

96 x 96 Inches

Hand Painted

Acrylic on MDF Panel

Signed by Conrad Leach

Being offered for Auction (Dutch Style)

Highest bid sent to conrad@conradleach.com by 22nd December.

Delivery worldwide at cost.

www.conradleach.com

Saturday night special

2011-11-22T21:01:00.002Z

Saw JD McPherson live on Saturday night... very impressed. Great authentic sound, and Jimmy Sutton is a truly great stand-up bass player: take it from me, I've seen and played with quite a few over the years.

Tiger, Tiger, burning bright

2011-11-22T10:50:00.002Z

Just shot Markus's very tidy '66 Tiger 100C for GKM. Pete alerted me to this bike at the Hotrod Hayride this summer and I finally caught up with Markus last week.

There's something glorious about nickel plating's warm glow.

My weekend with George Barris

2011-11-21T20:02:00.003Z

Good things: Newcastle Brown Ale, 'Shakin' Mother for You' by Jack Dupree, old friends, JD McPherson live, laughing & dancing, winter sunshine on Camber Sands, Dr Ross, Roy Brown, Joe Turner, Wynonie Harris and Lightning Hopkins.

Odd things: George Barris riding the Batmobile through the olde worlde streets of Rye, people in vintage forties western wear packing their Astra hatchback to go home.

Bad things: Music with clarinets, my bed – as usual.

I ain't drunk... I'm just drinking

2011-11-17T13:04:00.002Z

Remember, if you want GKM back issues, stickers or new tees this weekend, you need to be visiting the GKM/Eat the Rich stand at ROLLERBURN.

But if you want to see an old man bop, buy me a pint at the Rhythm Riot.

Have a good one, whatever you do.

Back Monday night.

Bonhams motorcycle auction

2011-11-16T17:04:00.005Z

Had a glimpse today into the world that exists at the other end of the motorcycle spectrum I am generally used to.

Landed ponces in tweeds, cords and loafers bid ridiculous amounts of money against each other for piles of rust, while the nice stuff didn't get anywhere near estimate.

A rough BSA in a Manx frame's estimate was £1500, and it went for £10.5k. The Egli Vincent went for £20k (£6k under the lowest catalogue estimate) and the Brough went for just over £100k... lowest estimate £165k. Bargain?

I noticed from the catalogue descriptions that many machines had been bought a decade before by owners who had never started them, before entering them again for auction today, presumably then to be bought by another 'collector' to sit in another shed – still unused – for ten years... and so on.

Pete bid on a couple of barn-find Triumphs, but we both looked at each other and shook our heads as the prices rocketed off into the stratosphere.

If there is a double-dip recession, I don't think it will be bothering too many people there today.

June 30 next year

2011-11-16T07:49:00.002Z

Be there!

Party time in Tokyo: you coming?

2011-11-15T10:53:00.003Z

You don't want to miss this if you're around in Tokyo after the Mooneyes show...

We are hosting a party along with Matt and Dean of DicE and Masa at his fabulous cafe, Delight.

Masa cooks the best burgers I have ever eaten... and last year this party was a blast. We will also be going on somewhere very special afterwards...

Hope you can make it.

New t-shirts now in the GKM store

2011-11-14T20:06:00.003Z

They're HERE.

Oily Rag shirts, bone on black, Gildan heavyweight tees – none of this cheap shit – and $25 INCLUDES AIRMAIL SHIPPING, to wherever you are in the world.

Sizes? S, M, L, XL, XXL. No ladies sizes, but we may do some if you want 'em.

Big hugs to the lovely and ridiculously talented Scarlett Rickard for turning my ham-fisted Wolfie cartoon into a lovely design.

Anyone know where I can get some of these?

2011-11-14T13:18:00.003Z

Matt has had my truck's interior carpeted, headlined and finished off in LA, but I need some scuff/sill plates to screw down over the new carpet where the doors open.

Anyone have any... or know where I can get some? To fit a '58 Dodge Town Panel.

I've done an extensive online search with no luck.

I don't need to tell her, I'm a super fella

2011-11-14T07:53:00.002Z

Half-mast school tie, hair dye from Boots, egg white spikes, pogo.

Revolver was the best thing on TV in 1978.

Does anyone besides me and Matt remember and love The Lurkers?

Rollerburn... it's next weekend!

2011-11-13T07:43:00.002Z

There's never been an event like it... and if you haven't bought your tickets yet, do it now!

I can't tell you how much I admire Ben and Gary for putting this on... for getting right away from the stale jester-hats-and-metal-bands custom bike show formula. It's been a huge amount of work (something I could never be arsed to do), so buy a ticket and support something good.

There will be – amongst other things – bands, birds on rollerskates being pulled by blokes on motorcycles (wasn't it always the way?)... and Guy Martin!

Stop by the Eat the Rich/GKM stand and you can buy goodies from Pete and Ali... including our new t-shirts, stickers and copies of the mag.

To buy your Rollerburn tickets, go here. And there's more information about the event here.

Another cracker

2011-11-12T08:59:00.002Z

Paul Whitehurst has got the eye. I'm diggin' this bike a lot.

Mark Kawakami just shot the Triumph for GKM.

Remember

2011-11-11T08:04:00.003Z

Today is known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in the UK, and commemorates the signing of the treaty between the allies and Germany on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, 1918.

As I mentioned before, we were brought up as kids to have a deep respect and understanding for what our armed forces have achieved for our country, and today at 11am we remember those who didn't make it back home. My children also understand what the poppies that we wear signify.

The photo above was taken at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, one of the most moving places I've visited; on a par with the war cemeteries in France. This wall of remembrance and the Victoria Cross room inside the Memorial are truly humbling.

I don't care what your politics are. Be silent today for a couple of minutes at 11am and be thankful we live in a largely free, democratic country: our freedom didn't come cheaply.

Men At Work II

2011-11-10T16:52:00.003Z

Yep, hard at it today... issue 24 needs to be at the printer tomorrow.

It's a hard life looking at the world's finest custom motorcycles all day – and Dave Barker's VL-Knucklehead definitely falls into that category – but some fool's gotta do it.

To be honest

2011-11-09T20:21:00.002Z

If the Mooneyes show was suddenly cancelled and I had to spend every minute in the Shibuya punk rock bar (er, actually I did last year), I wouldn't be gutted.

I just heard from Con... he's there. Jimmy's coming. Dean and Matt. Pat. Meet us... Tuesday 6 December. Late.

Puke, Sid Vicious salutes, man hugs, loud singing and reminiscences of London in the '70s (if you're old enough).

Avoid the crowds

2011-11-09T12:44:00.004Z

If you want to take photos of bikes at a show without dudes in do-rags and key-chains standing in the way, you have to get in when it's setting up or breaking down.

Outtakes from Brooklyn. A report on the show in the new issue.

Men at Work

2011-11-08T08:57:00.002Z

Have been getting some more detail from Capt. Cal on his dad Joe's fabulous club-style '52 Panhead that I shot in Brooklyn. It's in the new issue, out soon.

And here's a photo I pinched off Cal's excellent Retrofit blog of me actually at work.

A very rare sight.

Hello again Paul

2011-11-07T10:57:00.003Z

We've featured a few of Paul Whitehurst's motorcycles.

Looks like we'll be featuring a few more.

The words 'prolific' and 'talented' spring to mind.

You can't win all the time

2011-11-06T08:08:00.003Z

We used to do George's interpretation of this song (I think originally written by Hank Snow, and covered by Ike Turner amongst others) with my band 'Switchblade' in the late 80s. I'll see if I can find our version, which we recorded for an album in '89 and wasn't bad.

The lyrics suit my half-glass-empty attitude to life perfectly.

David Snow writes about Indian Larry and THAT shoot

2011-11-05T08:43:00.003Z

David Snow, editor of Iron Horse magazine during its glory days, shot this iconic cover nearly fifteen years ago to the day.

In a brilliant essay in the next issue of GKM, he explains the story behind the shoot, how he persuaded the publishers to run Iron Horse's first ever non-skank cover, why Larry had 'disappeared' for two months before the shoot, and why this might be the best motorcycle magazine cover ever...

Don't miss this one.

Slave Economics

2011-11-04T08:53:00.002Z

Had a good injection of creative inspiration yesterday. Visited the Salts Mill gallery in Saltaire which has a huge collection of David Hockney's work and two floors of art and photography books (which I pored over wistfully, wishing I could afford to buy 30 or 40 of them). Then I came home to find a totally unexpected package from Adam Wright, a photographer whose outlook on life is as refreshing as the images he creates.

Check out the profile of him we did way back in GKM issue six if you haven't already.

Blown Anglia

2011-11-03T08:01:00.003Z

Mike's finished his Anglia... it runs a blown 454 Chevy. His pal Alex's '34 also runs a big block.

Serious muscle!

Is she really going out with him?

2011-11-02T19:54:00.003Z

Only a few more weeks until the Punk Rock Bar reunion, Shibuya.

This is the reason I still want a Hofner violin bass.

1993, Shovelhead

2011-11-02T08:38:00.001Z

First big twin. Living and working in central London. No mortgage, no kids, no responsibilities. Life was all about motorcycles, music and Soho bars. Good times.

I wouldn't dream of dictating your taste in bikes

2011-11-01T09:40:00.003Z

But if you don't love Denis's VL-Panhead I'm afraid we can never be friends.

Coming soon in GKM.

Thanks Bruce

2011-10-31T08:28:00.000Z

Just over a month to the Mooneyes Show in Yokohama!

2011-10-30T07:44:00.003Z

Can't believe how many people on this video have inspired the birth and ongoing existence of the GK website and magazine.

This event is going to be overwhelming.

I imagine I will standing slack-jawed like last year as a parade of inspirational bikes, cars and heroes pass by.

Can't wait.

Survivor BSA

2011-10-29T09:34:00.002+01:00

Fresh out of the freezer: the Bones Legacy survivor Beesa... coming soon in GKM.

Still Hot after all these years

2011-10-28T16:12:00.003+01:00

I never imagined my kids would have any toys in common with the ones I loved at their age, but both of them go mad for Hot Wheels cars... just like my brother and I did in the late sixties/early seventies.

I remember we had a red custom with a bubble roof like Ed Roth's 'Mysterion'... I think it may still be in a box in my parents' attic. And my son has his favourites too... he definitely favours the hot rods over the muscle cars.

That's my boy.