Jalopy or style ?

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While we were all on the roads last summer, I met Fred from Blitz Motorcycles on the southwest coast. He was riding a strange sophisticated jalopy.... a bitza who can make you love BMW motorcycles...
Of course, i shot the bike... Today on Internet, you can discover a new short movie explaining everthing about the Blitz style.

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El Solitario Heritage Motorcycle Co.

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Text VP

I have always been passionate about Spain. Since I was very young, in our travels we always felt the the good vibration it pours. I traveled all over the country and find every occasion to go back a good one. Recently in my last trip I encountered a new region, Galicia, very different from the rest of Spain. This region has a very strong personality, from its landscapes to its inhabitants' origins ... David rode us there for the first time of many. He is a truly special specimen and there he's known by the name of "El Solitario". May be it is because he has spent more time abroad than in his native country, which has probably forged his dissident character, and also his love for old motorcycles and their culture. David spent five years in Miami before moving back to Spain and opening "El Solitario Heritage Motorcycle Co.". In his workshop, he has already started the building and transformation of classic and vintage motorcycles. It's great to see those wooden benches already full of work in progress! You can breathe the challenge in its origins. The challenge of a man that left everything behind to pursue his dreams. We are eager to see his very first works that will be exposed in June at the Southsiders week-end.

Me confieso un enamorado de España desde muy temprana edad. Es un pais donde siempre he percibido buenas sensaciones y que conozco bien tras multiples viajes a lo largo y ancho de su territorio. En mi ultimo viaje descubri Galicia, una region distinta y misteriosa. Tierra de gran personalidad, tanto en sus paisajes como en sus origines. Alli nos llevo David, un personaje muy especial... Alli le llaman El Solitario, dado que se ha pasado gran parte de su vida vagando por distintos lugares del mundo, siempre lejos de su tierra natal, lo que probablemente sea la raiz de su marcado caracter disidente y su pasion por las motos viejas y la cultura que las rodea. David vivio 5 años de su vida en Miami antes de su regreso a Galicia, para la apertura del El Solitario Heritage Motorcycle Co. En los bancos de su taller ya se perfilan las siluetas de sus primeras creaciones y huele a madera quemada y desafio. El desafio de un hombre que lo dejo todo para realizar sus sueños. Ansiamos el momento de poder contemplar sus obras que seran expuestas en Junio en la fiesta de Southsiders MC.









Text by Chris Hunter
The bike-building scene in Spain is absolutely booming, and I’ve no idea why. We have the specialists—like Radical Ducati—and the new wave custom shops, like Café Racer Dreams. Now we have El Solitario MC, based in the Galician town of Gondomar and run by vintage motorcycle racer David Borras. It’s hard to categorize this shop, but it’s run on enthusiasm and skill, without being tied to any particular style. This distinctive, heavily patina’d machine is the first creation, a matching numbers Triumph T120R that’s had a complete motor rebuild and been fitted with a hardtail frame. The rims are Borrani—19” rear and 21” front—with a 1971 Triumph twin leading shoe drum up front and race tires. Carburetion is twin Amal monobloc, and David has also fitted a QPD open belt drive and Boyer Bransden ignition. The tank and rear fender are classic Wassell. It’s grungy, oddball and stylish at the same time, and will no doubt polarise opinion …

Images courtesy of Vincent Prat, Southsiders MC. Take a look at the El Solitario MC website for glimpses of other interesting machines and some very good photography.

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Matt and the Machines

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News from the far end of the world !

There is a special link between Southsiders and Matt at Machine in Australia. Three years ago we were the first to tell you about the wonderful, multitalented, and enigmatic Matt, a man of taste, capable of designing and building architectural dream worlds and building the most beautiful and brutal bikes in our small world.
We are honored today, to be the first to show this superb film by Mat Harrington with original music by Surya Bajracharya.
Watch it and share it with your friends!

Matt ..., i'm very proud of you !

MACHINE from matt machine on Vimeo.

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Moto Guzzi from Kaffee-Maschine

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Two years ago we published something like the best Guzzi racers ever... built by Axel Buddle from Hamburg Germany. Now Axel's workshop is open, and he will build your bike on order...









This custom cafe racer was built for an english customer- (JP).

The donor bike was his old T3 California. The wasted fat lady was reborn as a skinny supermodel (180kg dryweight)- only the frame lost 3kg of needless metal.

The engine was modified to LM 850 specs, ALL components on the bike are handcrafted. I even modified the few aftermarket parts, to match the optics.

Shocks are Ikon, fork is of a Le Mans 3 with new tubes and FAC dampers. I built a minimal electrical system including a motogadget instrument, electronic ignition and dyna coils.





"Kaffeemaschine" (coffee machine) is my company, building unique cafe racers and bespoke bikes, based on the classic Guzzi V2-engine and frame.

www.kaffee-maschine.net

















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Support Wes White and the Salt Ghost

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Wes White from Four Aces Cycles

Buy The DVD Here:

Watch the Trailer

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Momo's Digger

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Like a lot of people, I wasn't too impressed by the custom bike scene during the 80's and 90's, that's to say the high tech period, billet barges, tail draggers and the like...
Momo built his digger in 1991 fabricating the frame around a Kawasaki 1100 GPZ, and back then he fitted T4 Garrett Turbocharger which increased the performance to 160cv allowing him to compete in drag races in the 'constructors class'.

Today Momo's Kawasaki has been tamed and is fuelled by simple carburetors. We felt the urge to try Momo's 'blast from the past' for ourselves, and of course snap a few photos...

Momo's period custom leather jacket

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Blitz and the Motorcycles

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It could be that like many of you I was unsettled, even disturbed, upon first discovering Blitz and their creations.

Comments on posts written by Chris Hunter and Pipeburn seem to underline this sentiment, an almost explosive mix of love or hate to an extent that I have never seen before..

The sometimes chauvernist little world doesn't always easily accept new faces, especially when they receive almost immediate recognition for bikes they produce. Whilst not being exceptionel in their own right, they do however have their own particular charm owing to attention given to detail and an unmistakable 'Punk' spirit.

Fred and Hugo ooze attitude, but rather than being driven by trend, this same esthetical importance forms the basis of their bikes.

Fred brings to the duo a 'savoir faire' earnt in a handful of custom workshops in Los Angeles, while Hugo adds a touch of style.

I admit to reacting negatively when I heard that the guys from Blitz would be attending our Southsiders 3rd party...

I admit giving it two days before bothering to take a closer look at their machines..

I admit it took two days before showing any interest in Fred and Hugo, hidden behind their beards..

Mea Culpa !!

As things turned out meeting Fred and Hugo was an eye opener, a lesson in how never to judge people by appearances, and yes we had a great time to the extent that I just had to try their two machines! Riding the SR500 and then the R90S took me back to my twenties in an instant, and I can tell you these are far from being just show bikes...

In a universe where we are stifled by pressure to conform, these guys are a breath of fresh air, and the path they have chosen should be encouraged.

Long live Blitz..

Fred

Hugo

I.D.W.P from Edwin Europe on Vimeo.

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Simon Mills: A V-Twin obsession "Part One"

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I am simon mills a friend of Gary Inman and Ben Part from Sideburn, also colleague of Fiddy from Davida.
well I'll be brief, in the olden days as a boy it was ducati Obsession, barcelona 24horas, Imola, then as a young man I discovered Le Mans, Bol d'or endurance racing, French style etc, I loved those bikes and the events, from the early eighties it was all about the underdog battling the mighty Japanese, as a student I saved and borrowed and built bikes around 900SS, Guzzi SP1000 T3 etc and they came and went, some still seem to be here.

1983 900 SS endurance style-large Vee twin obsession commences

1985 Le Clou-The NAIL, the guzzi that always ran when the duke broke

the duke became a Harris duke to try to follow the times

Later on came other Guzzi and Ducati singles

the re-birth of the 750 sport 8 years ago

the re-built shed to remove 8 bikes from the house

all of the bevels were built from wrecks, the silver bullet 900 ss was a tribute to the American racers of the 70's, California Hot Rod, old blue etc, the 900S2 was a tribute to the NCR endurance bikes of early 80's built from bits and pieces from scrapyards and friends, burnt out wrecks recovered.

the scrambler was standard but a friend crashed it so it acquired Darmah forks and wheels, the 900ss swing arm caused the NCR to be built as I went to scrapyard to buy a swing arm from 900ss and ended up with whole bike totally burned but managed to rebuild with another SS frame etc

The silver bullet, 900ss fancy valves, pistons, much porting and lighteneing throughout engine, 1980's replica Chrom Moly race frame, 996 forks, brakes and wheel, marchesini rear...
Not so sure why, it just seemed like a good idea 9 years ago

recently ripped up a perfectly good 750SS to make a little cafe for madame, its bit rough but cheap and cheerful..

the final version, cheap and cheerful




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