London International Custom Bike Show, Alexandra Palace, London

Flattrack Day at the Ace Cafe, North London

Greasy Kulture latest

Surreal. I’d just posted the Sportster pics on the blog as the letterbox rattles. And ol’ Pat has just delivered the latest issue of Greasy Kulture. Front page is Hidemo’s Shovel!

Full of cool bikes as ever, but the image that really tweaked my senses was the back page Biltwell ad. Can just imagine the warm breeze and thundering motor. Bring on summer…..

The ’67 stroker Shovel, btw, is fucking brilliant.

Hidemo Sportsters

Was checking out the latest on Hide Motorcycles aka Hidemo and found a rake of Sportsters – all built in a similar style, but all superbly engineered and totally my thing. Well that’s what I’m aiming for with mine: that slammed, simple look. Love the tiny air filters that accentuate the gorgeous lines of the v-twin motor so well. Why do so many people want to hide them with big chunks of chrome?

Hidemo’s Harleys have won Best Of Show Motorcycle in Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show 2006 and 2007, and placed second in the 2007 Jammer Cycle Award, were the top ten in AMD European World Championship in 2007, and runners-up in the Sinners Award at the 2008 Kobe Hot Rod Custom Show.

You can check out www.hidemo.net for more seriously cool Sportsters – but also take a peek at their awesome Buell-powered Glory

Shiny, Shiny Bullet

I’m sorry. This wasn’t the plan: to blog about shiny new production motorcycles. But I can’t help myself on this occasion. I’ve got to shout it up for the old British single – sorry a new one made in India.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m no lover of things chrome – or even totally stock motorcycles - but the new Bullet C5 that Royal Enfield USA unveiled at the New York show didn’t just catch my eye – it landed a sucker punch right between the two of 'em.

Okay, I’ll agree with David Blasco, who writes an inspired Enfield blog, http://www.royalenfields.com that it’s ‘a Deluxe model of the C5, with chrome fenders,’ but, to me, the chrome with that ruby-rich red paint, totally transforms the look of the bike that in it’s original manifestation now looks a tad gaudy in comparison.

The overall look is now is much more reminiscent of my classy old 350 Bullet and that’s no bad thing. Well, not in my world anyway. The new bike’s even sported a kick-start old chap. Proper dandy, what?

I’d be more than happy to explore the glorious back roads of Britain on ol’ Ruby – far from the madding (and bloody maddening) main roads. Retro rocks.

The other Royal Enfield gem I spotted on the net, is a suggestion that the management in India is contemplating producing a new twin-cylinder motorcycle.

According to the India TV station NDTV, they are, ‘aiming to take on the legendary Harley Davidson’ by building 750 cc and 1000cc twins which could be ready for 2013!

Fuck trying to take on the Motor Co, why not just do your own thing and just knock out some cool bikes?

There’s no talk of engine configuration – but if the company has any sense it’ll stick to its heritage and produce a parallel twin retro version of the Interceptor rather than go the v-twin route of the Carberry or Aniket Vardhan’s sweet 700cc Musket. See Aniket's cool v-twin here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V09JtVae4ss

Royal Enfield's new CEO, Dr. Venki Padmanabhan told Blasco: "If you come to the factory you will see unbelievably heated debate. Right now it's leaning to a parallel twin. People will say the Meteor, except it doesn't leak, it doesn't seize — all the old problems of British motorcycles — and you have modern fuel injection and so on. Read the interview here: http://www.royalenfields.com/2011/01/royal-enfield-is-working-on-parallel.html

Imagine if they could do a similar job with a twin that they’ve achieved with the Bullet? Especially if it tips a nod to the old Rickman-framed bike at the same time. Sweet.