Sorry to just do a "state of the blog" update today, but a surprise at work has left me a little behind the power curve.
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Brad is from Tecumseh, ON
" My name is Brad Dawe. i'm a tattooer from eastern Canada. i've got several vintage bikes but this is, by far, my favorite to drive. handles like a dream. it's a 1970 Norton "s". got it in rough shape a couple years ago. spent a winter fixing her up. it's my daily driver. "
The 1970 Norton Commando 750S motorcycle was the old-line British motorcycle maker's game attempt at a sport bike that would fend off Japanese rivals. The 1970 Norton Commando 750S motorcycle was good, but not good enough.
The Norton Commando motorcycle appeared in several configurations during its lifetime, and the "S" model arrived in 1969. Its distinctive high exhaust pipes with heat shields set the Norton Commando 750S motorcycle apart from other Commandos.
More importantly, the S stood for Sport, and magazine reviews raved about the new levels of performance. But despite its 125-mph capabilities, the Norton Commando 750S model slipped into oblivion during the 1970 model year, though the Commando line itself continued on into the mid-1970s.
A little help guys. Seems a little early for a hydraulic front end. Any ideas? I'm digging his race apparel. Any one know where to get a sweater like that?
Last I heard, 4 of the 8 bikers hit by a dump truck the other day are dead. I've been thinking about that wreck quite a bit recently. I have no doubt that lots of the other bikers in Phoenix are watching their mirrors with as much anxiety as I am.
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Last month, young Southsiders member Théo, participated in the first bike polo tournament in France, in the city of Toulouse .
In 1891, in the United kingdom, the traditional polo horses were replaced first by bicycle.
The Bike Polo has even become an Olympic sport in 1908. Then he went to the door for nearly a century before reappearing two years ago.On left parkings in major U.S. cities and London and throughout Europe.
The bike polo reborn from its ashes with a more "Urban" version.
Performed with home made mallets and processed Fixies or bicycle, it offers a surprising spectacle, lively and full of contacts.
Simple, powerful, dramatic side with a small "hand-made" almost "trash" and a ski pole ending in a pipe line as a mallet, a bike wheel and a customized temperament gladiator in the arena, flanked a serious sense of humor ... This is the spirit of bike polo.
As an emerging sport and still evolving style of play can vary considerably from one place to another.
Two teams of 3 players compete on a closed rectangular. Cones serve as goals at each end of the field.The ball can be handled in two ways: a "shot" or "shuffle" (pushed). A shooting is done through both ends of the mallet,
then a shuffle is done with the side of the arch. To mark the player must necessarily pull in the opposing goal.
If the ball enters the goal by a "shuffle", the point does not count and play?(Game?) continues.
A player placing his feet on the ground is imposed a penalty. And better not keep her eyes riveted on the ball, under penalty of a collision.
Simple, powerful, dramatic side with a small "hand-made" almost "trash" and a ski pole ending in a pipe line as a mallet, a bike wheel and a customized gladiator temperament in the arena, flanked a serious sense of humor ... This is the spirit of bike polo.
You might have noticed that motorcycles don’t have a whole lot of storage space. At least, not unless you add it. Most scooters have a puppy warmer to keep your gear under the seat, but usually there’s barely enough room for a half-helmet and a pair of gloves. That’s assuming you keep your registration and insurance paperwork in your pocket.
Motorcycles have a tiny bit of usable space under the seat, but just enough for the owner’s manual and a small tool kit.
So where are you going to keep your lunch, iPod, spare pair of underwear and bottle of water?
Well, if you really like living minimally, you might keep it all in your jacket pockets, or invest in a pair of cargo pants. Hey, then you could bring TWO sandwiches.
Assuming you don’t like all that weight pulling your pants down, however, you’ll probably want a bag of some kind. And there are really only two kinds of bags to consider: bags you strap to yourself, and bags you strap to the bike.
Chances are, you’ve already got a Jansport backpack (or similar) hiding somewhere in your house. I really like mine, actually, except for the small problem of getting it on over the shoulder armor in my Joe Rocket jacket. A small backpack stays out of the way, and can carry a fair amount of stuff in it. Of course, on the downside, during the warmer months a backpack means you’ve got a bunch of weight on your back, keeping you nice and warm and ensuring the back of your shirt is sweaty when you reach your destination.
If you're like me, struggling to get a backpack on over your armor twice a day will get old very quickly. This is when you’ll go get yourself a nice tankbag. You can keep a ton of gear in them, especially handy stuff like the kickstand puck during the warm months, gum, change for tolls, maps, a compass... you know, the usual stuff that makes riding more comfortable and convenient.
But I’ll tell you what, stomping a couple blocks from your parking spot to the office with a tank bag in one hand and your helmet in the other gets old quick.
What’s the solution? I have no idea. What have you guys come up with?
For the time being, I’ve been carrying my large Timbuk2 courier bag every day. It’s a breeze to get on, leaves my hands free when I’m walking, and keeps me a bit cooler than my Jansport hugging my back. It’s a nice rugged bag and I could, if so inclined, bring enough clothes for a couple days in it - probably a week if I didn't bring extra pants. Stacy has mentioned the possibility of the strap causing severe injury to one's neck in the event of a crash, however. Frankly, I like my head firmly attached, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for another solution.
I've been meaning to post this cool ad for Himsl Trike Bodies for some time. I didn't just want to post it and leave it at that, but rather to show how it relates to other Heros of Chopper History.
The design of the body brings up the question, who first designed this style of trike body?
An Ad for Himsl trike bodies. Love the illustration. The art is not signed, but I have a strong suspicion it was done by Ed Newton. From the July '71 issue of Choppers Magazine.
Art Himsl's Preying Mantis as featured in the larger Nov. '70 Choppers magazine. It had been previously featured in Roth's July '69 digest sized Choppers magazine. Both articles mention the sale of the semi mass produced bodies. The first article calls it the Himsl Brother's Mantis and mentions Art's brother Mike. Art is still going strong but, what happened to Mike?
Because of the dates mention above, I'm sure Art's design was influenced by Roth's first trike, The Candy Wagon.
The trike won Custom Bike of the Year at the '69 Oakland Roadster Show. Art's Alien show car can be seen in the garage in the background.
Roth's Candy Wagon on the Dec.68 cover. One might assume that Ed Newton designed it, but it may not be wholly true.
The article inside shows Newton's early more ominous designs featuring booze related items plus a machine gun. Roth wanted something more kid friendly. Note that the high back seat body is absent in the drawings and nothing is mentioned in the article of the seat body's design orgin. 
Was another Roth artist, namely David Mann, the one really responsible for the Candy Wagon's seat/body? Notice the pipes too, and compare to the Candy Wagon cover above. Did Roth decide on the style after seeing this? Did Dave do it after seeing the CW or see another sketch of Newt's, or visa versa? Based on this art and the date, I think Dave had the idea first. Roth published this poster in '68.
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Our third "Your Favorite Five" guest is the Man behind Ruby, the French Helmet Conpany that has brought the biker essential accessory to a new Cult Fashion Standart.
By asking designers and celebrities to join his brand, Coste has develloped a range of helmets that you can find in the top fashion boutiques as well as in very serious bike stores.
Jérome has inherited the biking genes by being raised on a single-cylinder Norton saddle by his Father.
Thank you Monsieur Ruby for joining the Southsiders Family.
So here is my dream garage :
1 ) There is no ranking in my list, the first one is the link with your previous guest : Jeff Decker's Crocker Custom.
Beside the fact that I love is work of art on Bronze action sculptures, he just did the perfect custom bike, slick and classy, on a rare national pride base.
I have a special affection for the oil tank.
2 ) My dad's 1935 Norton ES2, a rigid production bike turned into a sweet racing machine.
I've seen my dad racing it since I'm 10, my brother Dimitri - Ateliers RUBY main photographer - and I now have the chance to ride it for special events.
This 75 years old lady is always up and running, balanced and agile, such a thrill to ride.
3 ) The 750 cc Ron Wood’s Norton Flat track race machine.
I love flat trackers in general, the pureness of the global aesthetic of the machines with their flat and long tanks, wide handlebars and giant square numberplates.
I doubt that this wouldn't be linked to the impact of watching "On any Sunday" (AKA Challenge One on french TV), and playing with Evel Knievel Stunt Rider when I was a kid.
This one is special, retro and futuristic at the same time with the two big frame tubes, matching the bulliness of the tyres, expressing fiercely its racing spirit
4 ) This one also seduced me with its bold volumes. I first discovered the Confederate B120 Wraith in the great UK edition of Intersection magazine 5 years ago.
It was a shock ! I'm not really into modern bikes or cars, more drawn by vintage things in metal, leather and wood or Retrofuturistic Customs, and this Muscle Bike is like an UFO, out of any league..
Only fifteen were made of the last version I had the chance to ride in Paris, and to be honest I didn't have the time and maybe the guts to have a real talk with the 1965 cc V-twin JIMS of the 90 000 € bike beetween my legs. I lately met with the inspired founder Matt Chambers and designer Ed Jacobs. I designed for them Confederate helmets made by the Ateliers RUBY that will soon be released. For the next step of our collaboration, we are talking about making 6 pieces of a special edition of the Wraith by les Ateliers RUBY.
Time will Tell…
5 ) For the last one I wanted a dirt bike, the perfect bike in natureo escape. I hesitated with the late sixties Husqvarna MX bikes, because it's my year and I love this red tank with the mirror diecut, and of course for other historic reasons… But finally my choice went to this jewel that represents the start of a long and succesfull dedication to Motocross for Honda : The 1973 Honda CR 250 Elsinore named after the famous california race town of the Elsinore Grand Prix. Once again it is linked to Bruce Brown movie, sorry I can help it.
But the real dream bike is the one that comes out of your mind to real life, like you guys did with the Chanel bike…
Ha ha, you like that? rendez-vous next week !
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Cada manaña Estoy quebrado Y por las noches Me despierto
Lacrimas en mi cara Abajo de la lluvia Lonely with my pride Holding in my pain
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I might be guilty of talking about helmets too much. I just love my helmet, a Shoei TZ-1. It’s comfy. It’s quiet inside (compared to a half-helmet or not wearing a helmet). It protects my face from those annoying little rocks that trucks kick up off the road, bugs, and rain. It has a few other benefits as well, such as hugging my head exactly the right way when I have a headache.
A decent brain bucket doesn’t have to be expensive. The cheap HJC and similar-brand helmets were actually found to do a darn good job of protecting your delicious brain from trauma, possibly even a better job than SNELL-rated helmets.* The important thing is finding one that fits you well. You’re going to have it on your melon for many, many many hours, so you’d better darn well like it. My Shoei seems to be shaped perfectly for my head, and even when it was brand new it was very comfortable. HJC helmets, in my particular case, press in exactly the wrong way in exactly the wrong spots.
I have heard that a white helmet is more visible to traffic. I don’t know if that’s true. My helmet is white because that’s what the store had and it fit so nice that I wasn’t going to leave without it. I have to admit it’s sorely lacking in style. I’ve considered getting an eye painted on to the back of it (I’m looking at YOU, buddy), but never got around to it.
Now, as much as I like my full face helmet, I have to admit I’d really like to get a 3/4 helmet, a pair of aviator goggles, and a selection of bandannas to cover my nose and mouth. One of these days I might break down and do just that. After all, I am about due for a new lid.
Anyway, a good helmet is a good friend. Get one, wear it.
What are your thoughts?
*Check this article comparing DOT-only and SNELL certified helmets.
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These are some of the shots we've recently done in our studio.
This Honda has been restored and modified by Jean-Claude Barrois.
Check the full story on the Über-addictive Chris Hunter's blog: Bike Exif
This bike has put the whole British industry in danger in the 70's !
