Gary, Can you please put these pics somewhere in a mag or publish them to the web? They are in my opinion two of the best Motorbike pics ever to be in any magazine and deserve to be recognised as such.
You can almost "smell" the FREEDOM that he had to ride that bike without all the H and S shit you have today. Look at his bare hands and his sleeves rolled up, tattered jeans etc....Proper Motorbiker!
Where the hell did it all go wrong Gary ?
Or am I mad as a hatter ?
Yours Sincerely
Angus Mecoatup
Yes Mad as a Hatter, by why not it would be very boring if we weren't
ReplyDeleteCome to Rome, it's hard to spot a rider that wears gloves. Even in winter they're a minority - and it does get proper cold.
ReplyDeleteThat attire is still 100% legal in the UK (if not necessarily 100% tasteful), the only thing stopping anyone riding with shredded jeans, no gloves etc is their own aversion to risk. Trouble is, we're so bombarded with "advice" these days about how dangerous the world is supposed to be (some of it from folks who make a tidy crust from selling us stuff to make it safer, in theory at least), that it's easy to forget you don't actually spend every riding minute sliding under cars or disappearing into ditches. For the vast majority of our time out on the highways and byways, the vast majority of us emerge totally unscathed. Smiling even.
ReplyDeleteThe Nanny State would love you to stop doing anything dangerous but that doesn't mean you have to - so roll up those sleeves, shred those jeans, leave the gloves behind and enjoy yourself! You little scamp you!
From famous moto-journalist, Jan Leek
ReplyDeleteI read your blog every morning and liked the two photographs: Smell the freedom. Yes, where did it all go wrong? I belong to a generation that had to start riding bikes without protective armour and I had been riding at least five years before even the first photos of the Bell Star turned up in the press. I was 27 before I first wore a full face helmet, but used my open Bell Magnum another year (and it is still in my garage).
Last summer my wife steered me to a small shop in Lecco at Lake Como and ordered me to buy that white Italian Bell TX that I had dreamed of since I saw it the first time in 2008. This was her free ticket to guide me through the fashion shops in Lecco for the rest of the day, me following her with my black helmet bag, smiling happily. The dealer even threw in a Bell cap and talked himself down to below 200 Euros, which in turn forced me to buy an orange visor for my new Bell. (I feel the Italian Bell has the more proper, original look than the US ones.) And to my generation there are two stickers that outshine any other sticker: Champion and Bell. They simply look good on any bike, helmet or garage wall.
I once found it hilarious when chopper freaks rode in groups with identical matt black helmets to show what individualists they were. I now see the same thing with the 50plus generation on identical BMWs and modern riding equipment in the life-enhancing colours of matt grey and black and all variations in between.
Yes, where did it all go wrong?
Jan Leek
Also, look at the cover of Sideburn 10. No helmet, cotton jackets, canvas shoes, sliding round a dirt oval. Oh yes. G
ReplyDeleteAh, Jan Leek. I love his MZ Racers book, and I lent it out (and I know who to, the scrote) and never got it back, claimed as 'lost'.
ReplyDeletei'm still after a copy of 'the racer's' book, come on, someone, somewhere must have a copy gathering dust on a shelf, sell it me please! [contact me through the loveless blog] ta mutchly.
ReplyDeletesteve burns?
ReplyDeleteNope, Bill Hunter. G
ReplyDeleteI was trying to find out which suzuki model this is. It must be something like a Segale, Harris, Moto Martin. Anybody? What is it!
ReplyDeleteIt's a steel Spondon with a big-bore GSX1100. All I know about Bill Hunter is what I'm told from Jon at Racefit. Jon tells me he was a miner, not afraid of overtime, and a big noise on the Ultimate Streetbike quarter-mile scene in the 1980s. He is not as well known as Steve Burns, but, from Racefit's point of view, he is the patron saint of UK muscle bikes. G
ReplyDeleteI like it a lot. Thanks for the info..
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a bike mechanic we would ride bikes sans gloves and helmets so we could hear sounds from the bike,and grab that wrench or screwdriver out of our back pockets to make adjustments if needed...which reminds me of the day before the helmet laws went in effect in California, a friend called me up and got me to go with him on our last legal helmet-less ride...yeah...legislated safety...
ReplyDeleteBill hunter is now a jurno in south Africa , checkout billys bikes
ReplyDelete