A recent magazine cover photo caught my eye, it was John Mossey's Noriel Black Velvet on the cover of Classic Bike. It's one of those thoroughly British creations that comes about when you combine major parts from different marques into one new machine, in this case it's an Ariel Square Four engine installed, with no small amount of massage and modifications all around, into a … [Read more...]
1937 Brough Superior SS 80 Deluxe For Sale
Something you will rarely see for sale is this 1937 Brough Superior SS 80 Deluxe. It has been completely restored and looks as good if not better, than the day it was born. The Brough Superior is a legendary marque, Lawrence of Arabia owned eight and, unfortunately, met his end on one of them. I thought it was worth bringing this one to your attention. Perhaps your stable is … [Read more...]
Makerspace Is Just Newspeak for Workshop
The other day I saw this article about building makerspaces in schools and the photo showed what seemed to me to be a nice workshop, similar to what schools had when I grew up. Of course, now these spaces have things like 3D printers, not a tool we had years back, but the saws and drill presses are pretty standard fare. It made me wonder if there was any real purpose for using … [Read more...]
A New Direction for The Kneeslider
It's been a while since I posted and I thought it was time to say a few words about what's going on. Briefly, it's a change of direction. I've spent so much time on my computer over the last 14 years with The Kneeslider and so little time in the garage that the need to make a change became overpowering. The last post I wrote, about fixing things, was a tiny hint of where I'm … [Read more...]
The Existential Pleasures of Fixing Things
Recently, our power went out. About ten seconds later the lights came back on when our standby generator fired up, so I went about my business working on The Kneeslider. Then a couple of minutes later, the lights went out again, but this time, they stayed out. That got my attention, because it meant the generator wasn’t running. Hoping mice hadn't gotten inside and chewed … [Read more...]
Motorcycling is Affordable if You Want it to Be – It’s Up to You
Is motorcycling expensive or affordable? Yes. Wait, ... what? The simple fact is that you can spend as much or as little as you want to and enjoy it either way. The latest and greatest factory machinery is often beautiful to look at with all of the performance the pros demand, but if you want to ride on the street with a bit of the competition look, have fun and still have … [Read more...]