Are you ready for Born Free three?

Born Free is the best show I've been to in the USA... great ethos, great bikes, great people.

And Born Free three is next weekend... so if you can get there, GET THERE.

I am gutted I can't make it (an involved with another great event here in the UK)... but Tip Top Daddy is manning a GKM stand at BF3, so be sure to stop by and say hello and pick up a back issue or t-shirt at UNBEATABLE prices.

Keep up with the latest BF3 info here.

Happy birthday MiMi

Two going on 17 today. Spent last night building her birthday present playhouse in the garden.

Somewhere for me to hide when the kids' cakes and pop kick in later today.

If it looks right

It is right.

'41 WLA, almost all H-D with a smattering of nice homemade bits.

From Ocean Beetle, Japan, coming soon in GKM.

Get a grip

Steve Plowman's Indian Junior Scout stroker will be in the next issue of GKM.

Anyone recognise the shift knob?

Over and out

GKM caps gone, GKM t-shirts gone, mind gone.

As every blogger and dude with a bike is now selling merchandise, we may not do any more stuff... it's so last year. But if you want to get one of the last two or three GK tees available, hit our stand at Born Free Three next week! Ask Tip Top Daddy nicely and he might sell you one.

Tanks, man

Remember the tanks I had made for my Pan by Irish Rich, which were then finished here by Benny, and then went to Tyler at Lowbrow Customs?

Well, after their global adventure taking in Denver Colorado, North Yorkshire, on to Bromsgrove, back to Yorkshire, then on to Ohio, look what Tyler's done with 'em.

They look farkin' lovely. Paint is by Joe Koenigsmark. Check out some more photos of Tyler's finished Panhead here.

You've missed the boat

If you were invited to Linkert Attacks UK and still haven't paid... don't. You've missed the deadline for advance payment and anything you send now won't be processed.

You will have to turn up on the day and pay (more) on the gate.

Highland Fling

Majestic.

Thanks Steve for everything.

Into the valley

And round the mountain side.

Am off on a motorcycle... back in a couple of days.

Our gift to you... it's ISSUE 2!

More often than you might imagine, we get an order from someone who buys every single back issue in one go. They may have bought the latest issue first, then decided to complete their collection after realising just how brill GKM is.

(That's called blowing your own trumpet.)

So we're going to reward people who show big love for the magazine.

Having discovered half a dusty box of GKM issue 2 in our storeroom this morning (I thought we'd sold out of every copy), we are now going to give away a rare copy of issue 2 to every customer who spends $100 or more on one order.

They won't be for sale, and when they're gone, they really are gone.

Thank you all for your support. If you didn't keep buying it, we couldn't keep making it.

Hand Shift Rally 2011

Didn't get to this Greek rally... but I got the t-shirt!

Very cool design by my buddy Yorg. Thanks mate.

Old Triumphs in the dirt...

...make me happy.

Mike D coming soon in GKM.

Look what arrived this morning

Got a new H-D Street Bob on loan for a while... taking it on a bit of an adventure next week to put it through its paces.

It's the newest Harley I've ridden by about 20 years, so it'll be an interesting experience. What are those funny little yellow lights for?

CRO's ShopTruckShovel

I first met Caleb at Bob's Big Boy in Burbank. I'd ridden down on Matt Davis's Panhead – enjoying the still, warm, t-shirt-only evening air – and we'd adjourned to a local bar after checking out the bikes and hot rods in Bob's parking lot. (Bob's is a local landmark... built in 1949, it's like wandering onto the set of American Graffiti.)

Matt said some good friends of his were coming to meet us, and shortly afterward Caleb and JD strolled in. We had a beer and a natter then headed back across the road to Bob's.

In amongst the flake jobs and restored stockers stood Caleb's ShopTruckShovel. I loved it immediately. It managed to combine an earthy, hard-ridden shabbiness with great styling and stance. He seemed genuinely surprised when I expressed an interest in featuring it.

That night I met Frank Kaisler, Droopy and other SoCal chopper legends. Eventually, Matt, Caleb, JD and I took off and stopped for a (real) Mexican on the ride home. A very memorable evening for me... it seemed to sum up a lot of what is unbeatable about the SoCal lifestyle.

So, it's taken nearly a year, but I finally got some photos of Caleb's Shovel to share with you. If you read the CRO Customs blog, you'll know this bike does a lot of miles. A LOT of miles.

Caleb's a very interesting and talented man. Watch out for the feature coming soon in GKM.

Thanks as always to Mark Kawakami for the photos.

Blog will eat itself

OK, no photos with this one.

What's a blog? It's a combination of the words 'web log'. Wikipedia says "Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video."

There are around 156 million blogs on the Internet. And to me, the ones that hold my interest offer an insight into the life/lives of the blogger/s. After all, the word 'log' implies a diary of personal interests and activities.

So it's strange to me to see an increasing number of blogs dedicated to... other blogs.

Have you noticed?

Motorcycle blogs that just rehash the photographic content of other motorcycle blogs; or that just re-post Google-searched photos off the Internet.

Hey, each to their own... and if blogs are supposed to be about the writer's interests, then maybe it's just as valid to feature the content of other people's blogs as it is to post pictures of your goldfish, golf holidays or wife's underwear.

But I find it odd to find blog content reheated and offered up as fresh produce by other bloggers. I'd rather see photos from these people's everyday lives – the inside of their fridges, their garages, their local bars, their pets, their Yamaha 'bobber' – than photos lifted from existing blogs, even if that content's source is credited.

To me, the best blogs are based on life... not blogs. But maybe I'm missing something; do these blogs-feeding-off-blogs serve a purpose? Like a one-stop-shop where you can lap up the best bike-related content in one go without doing your own browsing? Like a 'Now that's what I call music volume 57' that saves you the bother of discovering the best tunes for yourself?

I'm interested. Tell me.

In my top three

I love the cover of the new issue of DicE... got to be in my top three favourites they've done.

One day I might get GKM to this print standard... but I doubt it.

Joe Cano's Panhead

Coming soon in GKM.

I love this bike.

Townie in the country

Yeah, second time I've posted this.

But after an afternoon catching up over a few pints with a friend from my bad old days in London, this song yet again strikes a chord (sorry).

Good to see you Mr Wright. Thanks for making the effort to come out here. I enjoyed myself. You need to stop pretending you're a commando, and I need to stop fighting.

If you like the photos in GKM...

...you'll probably be aware that the majority of our covers over the past two years have been photographed by Mark Kawakami of Joyrides Art Company in LA.

Much of his recent work – including many images from GKM features – are in his new book, which is well worth buying... especially as numbers are limited! It's a nice snapshot of the SoCal chopper/hot rodding/tattoo scene.

Buy it HERE.

Linkert Attacks! UK. Have you paid?

If you have one of these, then please note you only have until JUNE 14 to pre-book your ticket. That's ONE more week.

So no more 'might do, will do, could do'... DO it!

Full details of how and where to pay are on the back of your invite.

On Shaky ground

I heard this on the radio this afternoon and was reminded what a great version of this song Shakin' Stevens did. It's got to be one of the best UK rock 'n' roll records ever.

Before he became a woolly sweater-wearing '80s joke, Shaky played Elvis in the West End and he and his band the Sunsets were a hardcore, hard-touring rockin' band. I saw them at the Royalty in Southgate. They even supported the Stones in the early '70s.

Forget the '80s and listen to the guitar solos on this track... and forgive Shaky his sins!

Tasty teatime treats cooked up by Bob

Found a couple of nice images by Bobby from last weekend's shenanigans on one of his blogs.

That's me and Eddie taking off on the Sunday... and a group shot featuring some decidedly hungover mugs.

Have to say, the sound of Leighton's and Eddie's Triumphs on the way back was sheer music... I positioned myself on the Pan behind them just to get an earful of those straight pipes.

George Clooney isn't the only handsome beast hanging around Lake Como

Alex is building some lovely bikes.

Star hubs are the bane of my life

I've so nearly bought some of those Timken bearing hubs on many occasions, but I prefer the pain of grappling with the old and unrefined.

I have to make a working hub out of bits from a few wheels scattered around the shed... soon. My supposedly 'freshly rebuilt' star hub on the 21 up front evidently isn't quite as described...

Paintjob remind you of anything?

Dan Henke reckons the home-done paintjob on his tasteee '47 UL may have inspired representatives from a certain motorcycle manufacturer to take notes for one of their own models many years ago.

How? Why?

You'll need the new issue (#21) to find out.

Buy yours here.

From me to you, with love

Issue 21 is starting to move out today.

It's a good 'un.

But who cares what I think. You're paying good money for it. Let me know what you think of it!

The process is taking a little longer than usual as my printer has cocked up a load of them which means we have to sift through thousands of copies by hand to weed out the duds.

It's galling to slave over every layout, fact, spelling and image, just to have a third party chuck a spanner in the works because some quality control manager was reading The Sun instead of watching the presses.

Free sticker for every subscriber

Remember, if you subscribe to GKM you'll get a free sticker inside issue 21.

You lucky people.

The long way up... via the Italian Motor workshop

The Stockers Tea Party was a great bash... great to ride and drink and laugh with friends. Thanks Steve for making the effort to put it together.

The Pan ran like a champ there and back... about 620 miles. It spewed oil (mainly because I over-filled the tank) wherever it stood and blew its front wheel bearing seal. So on the way back up north I stopped at Italian Motor Magazine HQ and my brother Adam helped me investigate whether the bearings were mashed or could take another couple of hundred miles' abuse.

With the help of a Frosties packet (slightly thicker than Shreddies) we created a cover for the blown cork seal which worked a treat. We repacked the bearings but Adam discovered there was at least a couple of mm lateral movement in the wheel once it was tightened down. Bearings? Worn spindle? Lost shims? Combination of all?

Dunno. Rode it anyway and only got rained on for 150 miles straight. My shiny pipes became shitty pipes.

Thanks bro! xx

After tea

- Posted on the move