The Vintage Revival at Montlhéry, France, 2013. # 1

 

When you walk up to the hill where the autodrome is located you find yourself transferred back in time…

I will be posting some photos to share this fantastic weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My good friend Laurent is photographing a McEvoy for the Twist Grip blog.

 

 

 

 

 

Here we have even more writers of the WWW. Paul d` Orleans (The vintagent), George Cohen (Norton singles) and Vincent Prat (South siders). I think they discuss the next step for George`s bike builds…Long forks, coffin tank and king &queen seat…hence he`s moving to twin cylinder machines….

 

 

 

Probably Nancy Sinatra’s old pair of boots…

Out for lunch…croissants on his mind….

 

 

 

 

 

Not the French resistance, but my Norwegian travel comrades.….Enjoying a Manx Norton.

Last of the dinosaurs….

This Norton Big four I just had to get last year. The aim was to get it ready this spring…….It was snowing yesterday so I still have time to do that….

The Big four was a restoration project that had stopped. Lots of work and money had been spent. I have painted and sorted out the forks to be able to move it to my workshop for the final assembly.

The side valve power plant is waiting to roar again….

 

Welcome home, boy. It`s not much space but cosy. And I think you will like the rest of the family.

Spring Stripping.

 

 

 

Rust, dirt and layers of old paint…….The not so glamorous sides of restoration.

But there is an easy solution: Strip-All

 

 

 

 

I’ve got a set with a 200 l barrel with heater and chemicals. You have to mix up the Strip-all powder with water.

Then it`s just like cooking a pot roast. Set the heater to 65 C degrees. Go and get a favorite beverage and wait for a day or two. The heavily rusted parts need longer time. After the Strip-all bath I gave the parts a thoroughly wash with a pressure washer.

 

Before:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 After:

Clean it like you mean it.

 

 

 

 

At my workplace I have access to a smelly part washer, o yes I only use it for private after work….

 

 

 

The Harley/JAP.

 

 

Finally I got to see Bjarne Wists legendary Harley/Jap racer. It is on display at Norsk teknisk museum in Oslo.

 

 

 

 

You can read more about Bjarne Wist here:

http://americanmotorcyclesnorway.blogspot.no/2010/12/story-of-bjarne-wist-motorcyclist-and.html

The bear emerge from the den.

 

I have been out collecting bikes for the Norwegian vintage motorcycle clubs display at the motorcycle fair in Oslo next weekend.

 

 

When picking up this Guzzi I thought of something I have seen on Animal planet:

“Bears who sleep through the winter usually spend a total of about four to six months sleeping in a den that they have built. In order to use less energy, the bear’s heart rate slows down from about 70 beats per minute to about ten beats per minute. Their body temperature also lowers by about ten degrees Fahrenheit.

As the weather starts to warm back up, sleeping bears emerge from their dens! Prior to starting their winter sleep, bears gain extra weight that their bodies use for fuel during the foodless winter. – By the time spring has come around, most bears have lost about 25-45% of this extra storage! With new food now available, the bear starts the cycle over again, eating plenty all spring and summer in preparation for the coming winter!”

 

Norwegian men only use a shirt when the sun is out…..

The king of labels.



This is not a blog about fine wining and dining, but this find is too good to not shear. After last weekends «success» in finding shitty wine, I have made a new attempt……You just can`t go wrong with Elvis. I’ll better get that deep fryer going…..Oh yea, where’s my white jumpsuit with cape…..

Labels and covers.

Last Saturday I got some critic from my wife and friends for serving the most horrible wine they have ever tasted…..I got it because it had a great label on it. Yes, I have to admit…I am probably easy to fool….

I sometimes do the same with records. A record with a Vincent engine on the cover is a “must have item” in my world……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will not comment on the quality of the music on the three records on the left…..But the “TT sound stories” where frequently on the turntable when my brother and I grew up. More than once my father would rush in to turn it down, pretty sure that we finally had lost it….

 

 

Triumph dual manifolds.

 

 

Have you ever wondered the difference between a Tiger 100 race kit manifold and a Grand Prix manifold?

 

 

 

 

This might be information you did not know that you wanted to know….anyway the left one is from a T100 race kit and the right one is a GP manifold. You can see de similarity with the fiber spacers and the “straight thru tubes” on both items. The tubes go in to the carbs and the head. I have to shorten the tubes for the use of TT carbs.

 

 

 

 

 

A shopping journey to Sweden.

 

 

My answer was yes, when asked to come along picking a speedway bike in Sweden……But I had second thoughts when the alarm went off at 04.30 Saturday morning….The weather forecast said snow and slippery conditions…..Well, it’s only a round trip for 1100 kilometers

 

 

 

 

 

Suits you sir….The BSA 500cc powered speedway bike shake hands with its new owner.

But what a place….We had arrived to Rudge heaven….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why the worried look Gunnar?…….Your wife will probably forgive you….Sleeping on the sofa for the next six months will do you good…