One for: KustomJeff

Hey Jeff, maybe this seat has a more gentle S-curve to the base...? Not as plush in the padding department, looks like. Seat is about 30 inches overall, 9 1/2 inch wide in the drivers portion. The passenger area about 6 1/2 inches wide. In that last shot it sits about 2 5/8 ths. off the board to the top of the fender arc, and ditto with the front of the seat. Anyhoo, give me a hollar if you think it might work.  

And now, a Halloween intermission....

This is Travis..

This is his immaculately restored 1976 Cadillac Hearse.

Complete with "Kustom Koffin"...

After work friday, I went to a custom car show down the street from our shops,to see a car that one of my co-workers has built. It has been a 13 year project that he recently completed. 

                             The one in the middle is Marke, and this is his custom 1967 Ford Mustang. 

Paint job is Halloween appropiate....

The local police force set up a sign..."Click it" refers to seat belts.

Happy Halloween! 

California Automobile Museum....Part one-ish..

A nice young gentleman in the Mcdonald's  I'm at has told me they are enforcing a new "half-hour policy" in the store....hmmmmmmmmm....so I'm probably going to make this a two part post. All the "lap-toppers" in the store are a bit miffed at the moment. Probably a new manager, who doesn't really under stand how commerce works....

So here is part one:

Hadn't been by this museum for awhile, and seeing the Model T at "Gorgeous Biker Chick's" last posting , made me think why not? Was hoping for more bikes, but evidently most that had been there were owned by one man who'd  removed them from display. There were several old bicycles and a few motorcycles left.

                                       A 1941 Boys Schwinn and a 1946 Girls Schwinn bicycle

                                                           A 1950 Roadmaster bicycle

                                                       A home built electric two-wheeler

A CHP Kawa  from the TV show "Chip's"

An electric Chopper bike

A 1953 Vincent Comet 500

!937 Indian Dirt track racer

An amphicar...a car that's a boat, or is it a boat that's a car?

That's it for now, be back with some Model T's and others.....

Back, and it's ,

time to add some old Fords and others....

Before there were car repair facilities, it was good to know a good smith...

1907 Ford Model K 6-40 Roadster

1906 Ford Model K Touring Car

1908 Ford Model T Touring Car

1904 Ford Model B Touring

1921 Ford Model T Snowmobile

Saw something similar in a blog out of Scotland I believe, can't remember which one at the moment...

1917 Ford Model T "Form A Truck" conversion

1926 Austin "Chummy" Roadster

I can picture a trailer behind this car with a Cub and a Terrier loaded up...

1932 Ford "Hardtop" Dirt track racer, raced in 1955-56 by A.J.Foyt

My parents saw this car race down in Riverside California.

1927 Model T Ford "XXO" Gas Modified Roadster class

If you look closely, you can see some aspect of a 1927 Ford in there...

This car is going for a 175 MPH record.

This is probably a good place to end "Part one" of the look at the California Automobile Museum. I'll have some pics of the Alternative fuel vehicles section, as well as more old cars and not so old cars.

A Moto Melee bike...?

Well, I just went and looked at some Moto Melee sites and it says that the event is for Pre-71 machines. So it looks like I'll be looking at some of my older bikes. But , at least it got me motivated to work on the SL's.

Might have to get the old 1969 CB 450 4speed up and running again. Or, if I really want a challenge I have an old 60's CB 150 that hasn't run since the 70's when a friend of mine, Jim Ward drove it to college.(He's the one that planted a moped in his cactus garden...previous post)  Or, another challenge would be to get the old BSA 650 "Desert Sled" running and registered. Just sent off an e-mail to see what it takes to get entered.

  

Shot of  "Old Orange" circa 1985

"Old Blue" tucked between the bug/truck and a CB 100

(Wrote up the following before I realized the 71 Honda probably won't be eligible to enter)

The more I read about it, and look at pics and vids of past events....the more I want to participate. Been thinking about which of my bikes I'd use, and I keep coming back to one of my SL 350 Hondas.  I have three of them, all 1971 models. This is the first SL 350 that had it's own frame, that wasn't a modified CB/CL series frame. The engine cases were different (no electric start) and gearing was better suited to off-road. 

One of my off-road riding buddies named the bikes "Old Blue" and "Old Orange". The orange bike was stone stock and always started and always ran well. It wasn't as fast, but was one of the most reliable. Old Blue was fast. It had a front end from an XL 250 with a 21" wheel, after market shocks, a custom supertrapp exhaust, knobby tires, and would wheelie and spin the rear tire like nobodies biz. It wasn't as reliable and things were always breaking or falling off...but it was a screamer. I let everyone ride these bikes and they were never treated gently. The orange bike still runs, and I commuted to work on it for years. Even had a sidecar hitched to it. It's also the bike I almost got killed on, when a 3/4 ton van hit me when he ran a stop.( I posted about that earlier on here.)  The blue bike was finally crashed once too hard by my brother when he looped a wheelie on it. By that time the engine mounts were broken on the frame and bottom of the engine cases. The exhaust system was bent into a pretzel. So apart it came, and has been that way for years. The third bike is one I picked up about 4 years ago. It was a runner, but missing a lot of parts

So, I have a street legal runner, just need to decide how to outfit it for the Moto Melee. I'll probably fabricate   a high level scrambler exhaust and run the Supertrapp muffler. Possibly run a larger tank for better fuel capacity. And maybe some newer rubber, something suited for on and off road. .

So....if I end up getting into the 'Melee" and use the 450, I'd probably set it up as a "Scrambler"...I do have a scrambler exhaust system off of a later 450. There were dealer kits to make early 4 speed 450's into scramblers...but they are rare as hen's teeth I'm sure. Right now the bike is set up as a "Caferacer". I think it might be better set up with wider bars, dual purpose tires, and a higher exhaust. 

The event covers a variety of terrain. It lasts for three days and is approximately 800 miles, I believe. More info as I get it.

Here's one for SFB...

                                             Two old red bikes, one American....one English.
                                                     Both very dusty, rusty, with flat tires.

   After my wildgoose chase, time to get busy with...clearing out and organizing one of my garages. My garage landlord got the official edict from the powers that be in the city, that it is time to re-roof and make repairs to the garages. I won't get into a discussion of that, other than to say that both the landlord and I are not happy with the timing of all this. But, as I said, they are the powers that be.

   This particular garage is one that I shared with someone else at one time. A lot of stuff in there was, shall I say abandoned and left for me to deal with. Enough said about that... But there are some neat things to be found, like these two bicycles I pulled out  today. I remember SFB saying she was a fan of  "Pushbikes" as they are sometimes referred to over on the other side of the big pond.


                         After a bit of scrubbing and rust removal, both bikes don't look half bad.


                                                         An AMF Skyrider Deluxe

A Robin Hood single speed coasterbrake model

The American is a "Skyrider Deluxe" by AMF, the bowling alley people that owned Harley Davidson for awhile. From my web searches I believe it dates between 1958 and 1962. It might have had a tank type light on it at one time. The accessories it sports now are all NOS stuff I found at an old Raleigh bike shop that is long gone now. Well, they were NOS when I purchased them...It's all a bit over the top, but keeping with that era. This was a bike I'd ride to the local ice cream shop with friends of mine who would also ride their old bikes. Been years since we've done that. Alfonso, the main instigator moved out of the area. He's got a real nice BMW R69S and a couple of Morris Minors.

The English bike is according to the web, a lower priced alternative that Raleigh offered. Raleigh bought the Robin Hood bike works. Interestingly, there is a "Robin Hood Harley" dealership in Nottingham. Have no clue the year of the bike. Most of the pics on the web are of three speed models. Anyone out there have a clue? 

Both bikes have acquired nice patinas with age. The Robin Hood has a nice faded candy red, turning sort of orange. The AMF is loosing big chunks of color and is going silver...Think I'll leave them that way.

Filled the tires up and rode both of them, of course the tube in the AMF lost pressure, but considering how long it's sat it didn't surprise me. Another bike I spotted in there was an old Indian bicycle circa the fifties I imagine. Might drag it out tomorrow. Anyone have any ideas on what to treat the leather on the Brooks saddle with...?