HALLOWS EVE

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE

 My sister ( "Hello Emma") asked me what the difference is between a "Shovel" and a "Chopper".
So here we go. A Shovel-Head is the name for the Harley engine produced between 1966 and 84. So called because its Cylinder head looks like a shovel...

 Every one knows what a chopper is, but just incase. In my oppinion it's a costomised bike that is long, low, has a hardtail (no rear suspension) and is minamalist and clean.

 The first (i think) V twin engine that Harley made was called a Flat head (because it had side valves) some call it a 45. ( because it was 45 cubic inches) this motor was made from 1929 till much later, apparantly production ceased in 1973 (thats news to me) 

The next motor produced was the Knuckle (the heads looked like Knuckles, see a theme here?)
this was made between 1936 to 48.

 Harley then made the "Pan-Head" motor, so called because the heads look like pans. This motor ran between 48 and 65.

Finally the Evo motor ran from 84 till now..
 Then there are the sportster motors.. They had Flat-heads, Iron-heads(just like the shovel) then evo-heads, but sportsters are unit motors,that means engine and gearbox as one unit.
So now you know.
 Next time you watch The new Indiana Johnes film (which is crap)  You can be a sad geek and shout at the T.V "Thats an Evo engine and this film is set in the late 40's early 50's. OI! SPEILBERG GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT..."
DISCLAMER: I've probley got all these dates wrong so feel free to call me a Wanker.

DUKE FLAT-TRACK pt Fuckknows.

 Sneeky peek at the tank i'm makin.
Before i started i thought it would be awsome.
Last week i started and i thought it looked shite.
Today i persisted and now i think it will look pretty fuckin cool.
It will have an air craft filler cap and gapping big vents......
Taken me bloody ages though.

FUCKING RABBITS

Good job i hadn't had any ACID!!

THE .357 STRING BAND. Probebly one of the best albums i've heard in years (FIRE AND HAIL) every time i listen to it it gets better, youtube don't do it justice.

Don Castro

 I was flicking through a friends old issue of "Sideburn" mag' (no7 i think) and i saw this amazing Triumph. 
It was built for and riden by Don Castro at the 1972 San Jose half mile. But it was banned after one race due to "slip-streeming rules".

 It has  frame built by Red line and the body work was made by a fiberglass company that sponserd the bike.
This bike has been restored by a fella called Don Miller, Its a bloody amazing job.

 Here it is in action.

I don't think this is the same bike but it is Don Castro and it is an amazing picture.

NEARLY KILLED MY SPORTSTER

 Last week i woke, switched on the T.v whilst i was eating my bacon and they said
 "Today the tide is going to be very high, combined with the rain and the wind this will cause flooding in coastal regions."
"Brilliant" i thought. "Today i will ride in the way that always floods. it will be a laugh".
Once i had got to the lane that floods, i was surprised to see the water higher than I've ever seen it before. There was a stranded school girl on the wrong side of the flood, for her bus and their were dust bins floating in the road.
Just when i was thinking of turning back my friend turned up on his bicycle. 
"You're not going through that are you?" he asked.
"You wade through Paul, then i can get an idea of how high the water is." This was a genius plan, i thought. If the water reaches his knees then it'll flood my airbox and bend my crank, any lower and i should be ok.
By this time a few builders had turned up, trying to decide whether to turn back or not, so now there was an audience as well....
Wading half way through with the water just below his knees, with his bike on his shoulder, Paul turned to me and shouted "It's really deep, i wouldn't come through here if i was you."
Of coarse his advise was very sensible, so i fired up my bike and rode into the river.
Half way through and the water was compleatly coming over my front tyre, then my engine cut out.
"Fuck! Now ive broke it, i'm such a Twat!" was my thoughts a i jumped off and pushed my bike the rest of the way, water gushing over the top of my boots and filling them up.
Once on dry-ish ground I hit the starter, scared of hearing horrible noises but it started. Fuck me what a relief. I hadn't killed my bike after all. 

Can you see the waterfall? That's coming out of my boot, that is..

THE BIG SMOKE..

 On Wednesday Mrs Oily had a conferance in London and since she gets lost in her own garden i decided to go along as 'support crew'.
This was a great opportunity for me to take the day off work and spend a day on my own bimbleing around the BIG city.  

 I had a bloody amazing day, more than one day would be awfall as I really am a country hick, so big citys freak me out.

 I was out and about in Camden by 9.30 in the morning and i had the place to myself, it was like one of them Zombie movies (bloody weird) every other fucker was still in bed.
I thought London was the "city that never sleeps"?, Oh hang on a minute that's New York. London must be the "City that never gets up".

 Camden is bloody brilliant though, All the above photos are there.

 This is the "Natural history museum", one of the most impressive buildings iv'e ever seen, there are statues of every animal hidden all over the building. 

 I love natural history but I got a bit board in the "Natural history museum" so i went into the "Science museum", that was brilliant. 
Steam engines, space craft, rockets, cars, machinery and this amazing plane ( i hope to get some inspiration for my Duke from this)

Last of all I bought my bird some GEN YOU WINE "Doc Martens" from the first shop that started it all, A Mecca for Punks, Skinheads and Job-shy Students.

Mmmmmm.

 I'll tell you more another time....

SWEDISH MONDAY ?

 Tom http://www.tinslecat.com/ sent me both of thies pic's .
The top a very cool 45
The bottom an Indian.
Thanks TC
send me your address an ill send Officer Dibble round with a slice of cake..

DUKE FLAT_TRACKER pt?

 I managed to grab a couple of spare hours during my hectic week to carve this blank for my petrol tank (i used a chainsaw and a hand plane).
Its bloody heavy, being oak, so i'm not gunna use it as it is, im going to shape some aluminium around it.
Today i managed to start bashing the ally, but a few friendly bods kept "popping round for a chat", which is always nice, but as a result i only managed to shape something that looks like the steel toe cap from a work boot.

MRS OILY "DON'T GET I"T "MY MUM THINKS IT'S "A BLOODY RACKET"WHEN I HIT THE 3 O'CLOCK WALL IT MAKES ME PISS MYSELF LAUGHING AND GETS ME THROUGH TILL HOME TIME

BLOODY COUNTRY

 Ive been working my ass off on the pissing rain all day today.
I was looking through the net for a photo that represents me getting soaked and covered in crap but luckily i chanced upon these great pic's insted, which are much more inspireing than a muddy, pissed off, bloke.

MOSTLEY MATT BLACK

 It seems ive been "flat out like a lizzared drinkin" lately as a result ive neglected the blog. It's not that i havent benn doing anything interesting it's just that it wasn't worth photographing and publishing.
Ive been working on the FLAT-TRACK DUKE today, ive' finnished welding mounts for the seat unit. Soon i'll get my shit together and start making the tank ( I've already started carving the blank).
STAY TUNED BECAUSE ITS GUNNA BE A BEAST.
I got a flat track training session booked for November so soon ill be fully able to go fast sideways. Im so looking forward to getting the Duke sorted then racing.
I NEED 2 MOTORCROSS REAR WHEELS. 19"x2.25 and 2.5 Email me if you have some
robgecko2001@yahoo.co.uk

TURN LEFT ..VERY FAST.

This magazine contains some of the best photos ive seen  (no boobs, ah! sorry there is a small pair hidden somewhere ).
Buy the magazine and support a small company that are making big things happen. 
http://www.sideburnmag.blogspot.co.uk/
I have the bug. Will you?

SUNNY MEMORIES

 The nights are drawring in here in England , it's wet and it's starting to get cold.
I just needed a reminder of what blue sky and dry heat looks like so here is a few pik's from some of my travels.
This is in New England, I worked there for a few weeks.

 This is Cordova near Seville, Me and Mrs oily rag rode down there for a Pre-wedding honeymoon.

 This is also in Cordova.

New England again. I helped put up a house/ Garage in Vermont, after working hard on a hangover we cracked open a keg of beer and i jumped into the hot tub. This view was from the steaming hot tub, just before the mosquitoes ate me for dinner and i got pissed...

SLABSIDE FORKS

Last Sunday i went to an autojumble hoping to buy lots of things for my Ducati project. 
I nearly came away empty handed, with my bottom lip out ,But i managed to score some 'Slabside' forks They look wide enough to be able to run a flat-track tyre. The thing is that the tyre sizes for a "Maxis DTR1" (the tyre you must use to race) is a bloody wierd size 27 for the front by 27.5 for the rear. I have absolutly now idea what that means so ill just have to buy one and make it fit...

IT'S NOT SWEDISH SATURDAY, IT'S JAPANESE MONDAY

 Bloody amazining CB750 chop. is the first star of JAP MONDAY.

This

very green Kawazaki H2 is from "bike exif blog" site, always a sorce of 

Very cool and unusual builds.

 Gooses' Z1000 from MAD MAX this is the stuntman from the movie, he was a member of "The Vigilanties mc" an Aussie back patch club. Ive always wanted to build one of these.
Read the MAD MAX ARTICLE on the right of the page, if you haven't already.

 UMmm!!! GSXR SLABSIDE. The only bike i wouldn't cut up and change.
When i worked in the bike shop i had a customer that had one of these, the engine sounded like a bag of spanners in a tumble drier, but i loved riding it..

 Very cool CB750, looks like it was built by "Carpy". An Englishman now living in America.

ABSOLUTELY BLOODY STUPID!!!