7Ages Custom Motorcycles

Romeo's Beemer VIII

2012-01-07T13:30:00.002Z

2012 - another year - another bike. I am only doing this one bike this year, which is my 1982 BMW R80 which has been hanging around in bits for a year now. The bike is currently at P&D in Horsham where we are sorting the frame and metal work out. Details are gradually coming together, and its going to be a sporty looking bike although it wont be sporty in the context of modern sports bikes -

Caesar Racer VI

2012-01-06T17:41:00.000Z

A great start to the New Year in that my Caesar Racer has made it into BSH the top British Custom Bike Magazine with a six page spread. This bike is a personal favourite of mine in that it was the first Big Twin Harley I owned - bought new in 1999 as a commuting bike up to London, and it served faithfully for this clocking up 15,000 miles on 80 mile round trips. If you go through the blog you

2012 - A new year on the road

2012-01-01T20:52:00.002Z

Well its the 1st of January 2012 and that means in 50 days I will embark on my first road trip of the year. I am joining Danish Tour Company MC Travel on a 10 day tour of Cuba riding Harleys around the Island. I am going with 2 good friends from the UK and hopefully we will meet some more nice people to add to my growing collection of fellow motorcyclists around the world. I will be posting

New Maidstone Harley Davidson Dealership

2011-11-06T13:59:00.001Z

After a number of Harley Davidson dealership failures the Company is trying to re-build its coverage, with 2 new dealerships opening in the last few weeks. Being based in Tunbridge Wells, I now find I have quite a choice, with 6 dealers less than 50 miles away. Shaw Harley Davidson near Lewes is 22 miles away. Maidstone Harley Davidson is 23 miles away. Warrs in Mottingham is 27 miles away.

Loud Pipes

2011-10-26T14:49:00.000+01:00

I finished the Macbeth Bobber (no.3 ) - back in 2008 and as one of my earliest bikes I really concentrated on the looks and styling. I was particularly pleased with the long 1.75" black exhausts, with the crown tips. However, it soon became apparent these were exceptionally loud with a really harsh note, also I kept scratching stuff with the long crown tips. So I cut a foot off each and added

Biketoberfest 2011

2011-10-17T19:39:00.000+01:00

Just back in the UK from a great weekend at Daytona Beach for the Biketoberfest. This is a huge event (in European terms) with over 100,000 bikes in the area, and centres around Main Street, with lots of bars and shops, Destination Daytona, which is a huge shopping complex for all things V-Twin and then various other smaller locations around the area. For me the high points were the old school

Cyril Huze Post

2011-10-07T15:11:00.001+01:00

The Cyril Huze Blog has been going 5 years now and has become the worlds leading source of info on the custom motorcycle scene and pretty much bikes in general - to celebrate he has changed the name to Cyril Huze Post! I am pleased to say I have been a regular follower since day 1 , and I am pleased to have had 2 bikes featured on his blog. Cyril's Graffiti bike has for along time been my

BMW R80 - No.8

2011-10-04T11:54:00.000+01:00

This project has been quite a while in the making but we now have a rolling chasis ready to add some fenders and a tank and all the little details that will make this bike special. The pictures show the old tank sat on top of the frame, this is going to be sectioned to reduce the bulk and stretched to smooth it into the seat.

2 Videos

2011-10-01T20:16:00.000+01:00

Made a quick video of a ride through my home town of Tunbridge Wells today - which is just full of traffic. I also found some old footage of Monument Valley taken in June this year - with no traffic - a nice contrast.

Riding the Opale Coast

2011-09-25T10:48:00.006+01:00

Was delighted to have a great ride yesterday with 1066 HOG out to the Opal Shore Chapter Rally in NeufChatel yesterday - which is south of Boulogne in Northern France. Despite growing up on the Kent Coast (about 25 miles away) this is an area I have never explored. The weather was glorious and the coast road from Calais to Boulogne is a twisty up and down delight, with all those derelict German

My Favourite Local Rideout

2011-09-05T07:55:00.000+01:00

Following a tweet with Chris Hunter of Bike Exif about favourite Rides, I decided to go out on mine last Saturday, as the sun was shining for the first time in ages. So choosing my 1977 XLCR, off I set on my ride which is a figure of 8 - Tunbridge Wells / Ashdown Forest / Lewes / Newhaven / Seaford / Beachy Head / Eastbourne / Shaw Harley Davidson / Tunbridge Wells. All in all its about 90

Back Street Heroes October 2011

2011-09-05T07:47:00.001+01:00

Nice to make the centrefold and an 8 page spread in BSH with Othello.

Tighten Your Nuts

2011-08-22T17:57:00.000+01:00

One of my worst failings is to just get on my bike and ride - if I am feeling really careful I will see if there is enough petrol. Last Sunday I went on a ride with a friend down to the Seaford Bike Festival in East Sussex - about 35 miles, and decided to take my Hamlet Bobber which I have not had out all year. About halfway there I felt something hit my foot , but all seemed OK so I carried on

Huntsman Motorcycle Show 2011

2011-07-31T16:06:00.000+01:00

After such a disappointing summer for weather - it was great today to get some sunshine, and so riding my 1977 XLCR and armed with my Pentax and a 14mm lens - I set off to the annual Motorcycle Show at the Huntsman in Eridge. This is a great annual event with live music, a BBQ, real ale and some great old bikes all ridden there - not a trailer in site. Here are some of my favs including my

Road Trip to Devon

2011-07-28T16:19:00.000+01:00

In anticipation of a wonderful English Summer I arranged a weekend road trip to Devon with three local mates on their sportsters (inc XR1200), and a friend who was over from Denmark, who I loaned my Caesar Racer IV too - I rode my 1970 FLH with the Shovelhead in it. Torquay is a favourite place of mine to go to - at 250 miles from home its the right distance for a trip and the coastal ride from

Bill Davidson at Warrs

2011-07-05T19:07:00.002+01:00

It was great to get a call this week to go to Warrs (Europe's oldest Harley Dealer) to meet Bill Davidson, great-grandson of company co-founder, William A. Davidson, who is now responsible for the Harley Museum in Milwaukee. He has been over on a tour and it was great to have a chat up on the roof of the dealership in Chelsea with a few other lucky folks. I bought my FXD new in 1999 from Warrs

Day Trip to France and Belgium

2011-06-25T11:26:00.000+01:00

Went on a great day trip to France and Belgium yesterday organised by Meridian HOG - in the end we had around 50 bikes and although not a long trip about 140 miles (overseas) was nicely done. I went with three friends Paul, Simon and Gary (who I rode to Croatia with) and the trip involved a stop at Beruges for coffee and for me to by loads of cheese, salami and cake. Followed by lunch in the

Harley Davidson Streetglide

2011-06-14T16:23:00.001+01:00

Following on from earlier posts I now have my 2009 Streetglide back in its new 1980's style AMF livery courtesy of Keith Baker at Classic Cycle Works , a new 110" Screaming Eagle engine, bag extensions, nice wheels and new speakers - all in all I am very pleased.

Road Trips

2011-06-13T14:53:00.000+01:00

One of the big parts of 7Ages for me was the opportunity to not only build a few unique bikes but to also get plenty of riding time in. In the last 3 weeks I have ridden 4300 miles - firstly 1700 miles from the UK to Croatia and then 2600 miles in the USA. Its been very interesting comparing the two trips - the first on my custom Shovelhead No.7, and the second on a rented Streetglide.

Las Vegas to Yellowstone Park and back

2011-06-02T11:50:00.000+01:00

On Sunday I flew back from Croatia, and had my bike shipped back home by We Move Bikes. Because on Monday I flew out to Las Vegas with these three mates to go on a bike tour taking in the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Yellowstone Park before coming back via west Utah. We have three more friends joining us in Monument Valley to make 7. We are on all rented baggers and so far it's been a

1704 Miles on a Custom

2011-05-29T21:05:00.000+01:00

Just a brief post on my trip to the 20th HOG Rally in Biograd Croatia - it was an epic ride of 1704 miles on a custom that had just been built. The bike tackled the Alps, the Dolomites and the twisty coastal roads of Croatia, and its part of my philosophy that bikes are for riding. Big thank you to Harley Davidson, it was a brilliant festival in a fabulous location, and a great chance to see

On the road to Croatia

2011-05-24T04:03:00.001+01:00

I am on day 2 of my road trip to the 20th annual HOG rally in Croatia and have reached Turin in Italy some 850 miles from home. We have gone a longer route deliberately to take in some amazing roads through the Alps. This shot here was just through the St Bernard pass over the Italian border.

Travelling Light to Croatia

2011-05-17T16:08:00.001+01:00

Next Sunday 22nd May, is the start of my first big Road trip of the year - its an 1800 mile ride to the 20th European HOG Rally in Biograd in Croatia. I am going with my good friend Gary France, and we have planned the route as follows: Day 1 - UK to Beaune - the wine capital of Burgundy. Day 2 - Beaune to somewhere near Turin in Italy - we have left this open to see how it goes. Day 3 - Turin

Hastings May Day Bike Run 2011

2011-05-02T21:04:00.000+01:00

I cant remember the last time it rained I seem to have been out riding every day for a month now in warm sunshine - and today was no exception. The May Day bike run to Hastings is a real season opener with up to 10,000 bikes hitting my favourite seaside town. Here are a few of the shots I took today.

A Bloggers Centerline Day ABCD

2011-05-01T11:53:00.001+01:00

My mate Gary France, had this idea that all the bloggers he knows should take a picture of themselves and a centreline on May 1st and publish it on their Blog. Well not having a tripod or a remote handy and not having many centrelines out in the sticks where I live - I decided to just go and join the guys at Meridian HOG for a ride instead. On the way there I noticed that the odometer on my

Harley Davidson XLCR 1000 (1977)

2011-04-19T19:43:00.000+01:00

Whilst on Twitter yesterday, there was a tweet from Warrs Harley Davidson showing a picture of Halle Berry on the back of an XLCR (see below) looking very cool. Back in 1977 this was the bike I wanted the most, but being still at school, and only 17 I had to get the 125cc Single cylinder Harley and pretend it was this beast. Anyway seeing this picture prompted me to do a quick search on Ebay to

2009 Harley-Davidson Streetglide with a touch of AMF Heritage

2011-04-12T17:53:00.004+01:00

The blinging up process is now well underway - all the bits are off and at the paint shop for an AMF Harley Davidson makeover from the 1970's with a nice lurid shade of metallic blue and some fancy stripes. The reason for this is that my first Harley ever in 1977 was an AMF single cylinder and I suspect this Streetglide may well be my last proper out of the box Harley - so its a sort of

Meridian HOG

2011-04-10T22:07:00.001+01:00

Today was the season kick off ride for Meridian HOG which is the South London Chapter I ride with - they are affiliated to Warrs of London who also sponsor Chelsea and Fulham HOG - who I also ride with! (and 1066 HOG too in Sussex). The ride commenced at General Wolfe's statue in Greenwich park, and the plan was to follow the Meridian line south all the way to Peacehaven in Sussex by the coast.

2009 Harley-Davidson Streetglide

2011-04-07T20:59:00.001+01:00

The Streetglide is my Harley-Davidson of choice - whenever I rent a bike in the USA I choose a Streetglide, and I have one at home for doing the shopping and any mundane trips that I do out and about, and sometimes for long hauls like my trip to Finland in 2009. My current one has done about 9000 miles and the paintwork is a bit scuffed and chipped and I have been thinking of moving it on. I

Caesar Racer No.6

2011-04-03T20:23:00.000+01:00

I always like to run in my new bikes for 500 or so miles and as such the last posts have all been about No.7 which is going to be my summer ride of choice - and its real test will be the 1400 or so miles to Croatia. However Bike No.6 is well run in as I have owned this bike in various incarnations since new in 1999 and its done 25,000 reliable miles. So here are a few excellent pictures taken

Inside & Out

2011-04-03T19:58:00.000+01:00

With Spring finally arrived its been a good week for getting out on the bike - I rode down to Hastings on Saturday for a beer by the sea and to let some photography mates take some pictures inside a semi-derelict Chapel I am developing into houses. Here is a wonderfully lit photo taken by Steve Collins, and a similar pose naturally lit, taken down at Dungeness a few weeks earlier by Andrea

Keep it Local

2011-03-30T20:11:00.003+01:00

Ever since I moved to Tunbridge Wells in 1999 I have been a fan of the place - and particularly after giving up my real job in London in 2007, I have been making an effort to get more involved locally. So it was a real treat today to help out a fabulous local business Love is...Boutique with a photoshoot for their vintage clothes in the town centre. The shoot was done by a good friend Chris

No.7 Test Ride to Dungeness

2011-03-21T19:43:00.000Z

Last Saturday I took my new No.7 Bike down to Dungeness for a 120 mile round trip test ride - which went very well apart from the clutch lever falling off - but this was soon found, fixed and back on the road. The purpose of the visit was to indulge one of my other keen interests; photography. A good friend Carl Abrams had arranged for our local Flickr group to meet there and take snaps of the

Richard II Bike

2011-03-17T23:01:00.001Z

Delighted to have finished the Richard II Bike - its come out really well and rides and sounds a treat. 1970 FLH Harley New S&S 93" Shovel Engine Baker 5 Speed Billet Brakes 12 pots on twin discs at front and single disc at rear Paint by Keith Baker - "Swift Like Lightning"

BSH Photoshoot

2011-03-17T20:56:00.001Z

Had a great day out in London today taking the Othello Tracker and Caesar Racer to a studio to be photographed by Mike Prior for Back Street Heroes magazine. I have some of my Hipstamatic shots below as I want to show the professional shots after BSH publish them. Big thanks to everyone involved including Stu and Will from BSH and of course Charlotte from Liverpool the model who had a lorra

Bike No. 7 Update - Richard II Bike

2011-03-01T13:27:00.002Z

With all the excitement of the Custom Bike Show, I thought I would do a quick update on the Richard II Bike. As this is essentially a re-assembly of a an existing bike (with a new engine) its going quite smoothly. Paint will be ready by 7th March and so within a few weeks it should all be ready to test. I need to sort out some admin for it, like getting the SORN removed, and a new Tax disc (

London International Custom Show 2011 - A Review

2011-02-28T18:30:00.001Z

OK this is the second custom bike show at Ally Pally - there was a change of organisers and Back Street Heroes stepped in to provide valuable support. It was held over two days this year rather than three last year, and had shrunk down to the mediums sized hall and a sparsely filled half of the main hall. In the end I only took one bike (Macbeth) as to be honest it is far easier to ride it

A Fine Day and some Press

2011-02-24T18:59:00.000Z

Well the 24th of Feb has turned out to be a fine day, with temperatures nearing 20 degrees C I had to go out for a ride in the spring sunshine. Whilst I was doing this I had the wonderful Nutty of Clean Bike Clinic giving 2 of my bikes a very nice detail clean in readiness for the International Custom Show tomorrow at Alexandra Palace. Press wise in the post this morning came HOG magazine,

London International Custom Show 2011

2011-01-26T17:36:00.000Z

Next month is the London International Custom Show which is held at Alexandra Palace in North London on the 26th and 27th of February 2011. I don't like entering Bike shows - mainly as I never win and its a bit of a pain getting them all clean and up there - but its February and I have some time to kill until the riding season. I am going to enter two bikes, the first is the Macbeth Bobber,

Bike No. 7 Update - Richard II Bike

2011-01-26T17:07:00.000Z

Bike No. 7 is the current build, and followers will know that its a simple re-build of a famous custom built in 1995 called the Blower Bike due to its 2 Superchargers! Anyway progress is going well and I am hoping this is going to be on the road for sometime in March, subject to getting its MOT and Insurance but no Tax as its a 1971 Classic. The bike is pretty much as it was originally built,

US Road Trip

2011-01-26T16:46:00.001Z

I had no plans on doing a US Road trip this year, and then I had a call from a friend (Oren) about a trip to the US to celebrate a friends 50th (Nick) - we had all ridden down to St Tropez together in 2010 and hope to get at least six of us for this trip. The aim will be to start and finish in Las Vegas and in between take in the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and Yellowstone Park - so about 2000

2011 Road Trips

2010-12-18T18:25:00.000Z

My good friend Gary France who is recently back from his epic journey across the USA www.garysusatour.blogspot.com has now planned a meticulous mini trip across Spain to his place in Sotogrande. So this will be my second trip after Croatia in May and in these cold dark winter months something to really look forwards to. We are going to take about 4 days to get down there staying in nice

Bike No.7

2010-12-11T16:22:00.002Z

I had thought this was going to be Bike No.8, but due to circumstances I have brought it forwards and Bike No.8 will be the BMW R80, which will surface around the end of the summer I expect. Anyway Bike No. 7 has no name yet - but it used to be the famous Blower Bike built by my friend and collaborator Richard Taylor in 1995. It started as an old 1971 Harley (so no Tax), built with amazing

Carole Nash Motorcycle Live 2010 - NEC, Birmingham

2010-11-29T16:58:00.002Z

I was delighted the other day when Stu the editor of Back Street Heroes asked if he could take two of my bikes Hamlet, and Othello up to the Motorcycle Show at the NEC to display on the best of custom showcase. The show runs from Sat 27th November to Sunday 5th of December, so if you get the chance get up there and check out all the bikes. Here are a couple of shots of my bikes taken by Ted

BMW R80 Wheels

2010-11-11T19:05:00.001Z

My new wheels are finished from Taylor Made wheels - they are 23" diameter and have been CNC'd to match the original spoke pattern of the original 1982 BMW Cast wheels - they are looking pretty damn sweet! Now they can be added to my forks, the original engine and a hardtail frame built around them....

Bike EXIF

2010-11-08T16:54:00.000Z

Absolutely delighted that Chris Hunter of Bike EXIF has profiled the new bike - its a really great site and I can wholeheartedly recommend it. Many of the readers are not Harley or indeed custom fans which can lead to some interesting debate in the comments section - but its all good stuff and everyone has the right to their opinion.

California Sunriders

2010-11-07T16:54:00.000Z

Just thought I would do a quick thank you to California Sunriders for organising our amazing ride over 14 days and 2800 miles from Las Vegas to Dallas. It was an unbelievable trip with a great group lead by Gary and supported by Gladys - the scenery and riding were all brilliant and followed by Tequila every night what could be better - a full break down is on my Road Trips Blog - but otherwise

Caesar Racer Bike No.VI - Finished

2010-10-30T17:25:00.000+01:00

Just had a great set of pictures done by my friend David Bartholomew of me and the new bike - we shot it in a local wood as night was coming in using some independent flash units to highlight the bike - here are some shots and you can view the rest on http://www.davidbartholomew.co.uk/ian_solley/bike_shots.html

Austin to Dallas

2010-10-17T00:43:00.000+01:00

Well here I am in a Holiday Inn in Dallas and the tour is now over - the bikes are handed back and the mileage was 2805 - not bad for 14 days. Today we just blasted up the Interstate (35) to Dallas about 200 miles - stopped at Waco but didnt meet any Branch Davidians, then came into Dealey Plaza to look at where JFK was shot - its very interesting looking at the trajectories from the 6th Floor

San Antonio to Austin

2010-10-16T13:23:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was the penultimate day of the tour and its really noticeable - particularly after we have spent so long in the wide open spaces of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas - to start of in a big city is very strange. Nonetheless as with all days it had some great moments. We walked to the Alamo, and I was amazed to see that the streets of San Antonio used to be made from wooden blocks which

Marathon to San Antonio

2010-10-14T23:38:00.000+01:00

The sun dosent rise in this part of Texas until around 8:00 am, so we set off at 8:30 as usual riding head on East into the rising sun - and it was cold. We have 360 miles to do today which is a fair old distance so Gary set a good pace of about 85mph and after a few hours we had achieved some distance and arrived at our first stop - Judge Roy Beans courtroom and saloon, by which time the temp

Gage Hotel, Marathon TX

2010-10-14T13:49:00.000+01:00

Quick bit of praise for the gage Hotel - easily the nicest hotel of the tour so far with great rooms, bar restaurant, lobby and overall grounds - very nice and thoroughly recommended.

Break for the Border

2010-10-14T00:39:00.000+01:00

Today was a day just for riding -the plan to ride 140 miles south to Big Bend National Park and then ride out and do what you want before going to Marathon for our evening stop in the Old gage Hotel. Now WEst Texas is miles from anywhere and this park is a stunner of mountains desert and the Rio Grande which forms the border with Mexico. I decided to head out for that as I wanted to go as far

Historic Prude Ranch - Fort Davis

2010-10-13T13:46:00.000+01:00

We arrived at Prude Ranch 2 days ago, and its on the edge of West Texas near Mexico - it was not as special as I was hoping, but sitting here now its been a good place to stop. Basic Ranch accommodation - but the pluses are amazing skies at night, and some great events. The main one for me was the chance to use some of Gary's huge arsenal of weapons he carries in the back of the truck - so

Carlsbad Caverns

2010-10-13T04:41:00.000+01:00

On Monday night we stayed in a Best Western in Carlsbad - one of those typical motel type places and had a tailgate party of a few beers and some takeout Dominoes pizza's, listening to the radio playing classic rock blasting out of two Streetglide stereos.The Carlsbad Caverns are really quite impressive, to get down to them is a 1.5 mile walk descending 800 ft through some amazing sites and huge

Las Cruces to Carlsbad

2010-10-11T03:57:00.000+01:00

Another top days riding at 4000 ft + altitudes and 90 degree heat.The main stop was the bizarre White Sands National Park ........and Missile range (yes they set off atom bombs here) but amazing nonetheless. Then off to Cloudcroft a ski resort at 9000 ft , and a 100 mile blast to Carlsbad...with an interesting stop at Artemis where we saw the armed police cars stop and detain a felon in

Silver City to Las Cruces

2010-10-10T01:40:00.000+01:00

Today was the most demanding days riding so far - about 250 miles in all. We left Silver City to get a picnic lunch at Wal-Mart - which was a good plan! From there is a 50 mile ride to the Gila Cliff Dwellings in the National Park - but a 2 hour ride as the roads are so twisty with 15 mph signs on most bends - it also climbs up to nearly 8000 ft - one of our group got altitude sickness. At the

Caesar Racer Bike No.VI

2010-10-09T01:51:00.000+01:00

All ready to go!!

Tombstone & Bisbee AZ

2010-10-09T01:24:00.000+01:00

Well the weather has finally turned in our favour and we have left the hail, lightning, thunder, rain and tornadoes well behind. Today we went to Tombstone and spent a few hours in this historic Wild West town near the border with Mexico. After we went on a short ride to Bisbee, and stayed in the Copper Queen Hotel which is reputedly haunted - or at least some Discovery Channel program has

Night out in Thatcher AZ

2010-10-07T14:44:00.000+01:00

when we were in Sedona a very nice Hip resort town- everyone asked where we were going - and when we said Thatcher they all said "where?" - Exactly!Its a one street town in the middle of huge cotton fields, with our large Marriott we stayed in, a Denny's, a Burger King and a couple of local places. We went to a mexican cafe, which was actually great - good food and very hospitable, but leaving

Day 4 - Sedona to Thatcher

2010-10-07T07:24:00.000+01:00

Well what a day - started off with expectations of rain all day and we had it plus tornado warnings. The scenery from Sedona to Flagstaff was superb, despite the rain, and by lunch it all cleared and gradually went from 40 degrees F to well over 90 degrees F - here is a condensed video set to the song I played most on my Streetglide.

Old Route 66

2010-10-07T02:21:00.000+01:00

It was really great to get the chance to ride my favourite bit of Route 66 again, the old twisty mountain pass from Oatman to Kingman in Arizona - here is a video - Enjoy.

Day 3 Laughlin to Sedona

2010-10-06T15:49:00.000+01:00

Internet is still not great here in Arizona - like the weather - we have had savage thunderstorms with golf sized hail - amazing. The last 50 miles through the mountains to Jerome and Sedona were great - and I will post some pics and video later.

My Fellow Riders

2010-10-06T02:08:00.000+01:00

Well there are twelves others and me. They are in no particular order and not related to the photos - Gary, Gladys, Martin, Fay, Stephen, Janette, Brian, Lesley, Ted, Chris, Dee, & Marjorie.

Leaving Las Vegas

2010-10-05T15:40:00.000+01:00

I have made some CD's as a playlist to blast out on my Streetglide, and have will set some of the songs to video of the trip.

Day 2 - Las Vegas to Laughlin

2010-10-05T15:10:00.000+01:00

The tour finally got underway yesterday, as the rest of the group picked up their bikes from the Arlen Ness store on Boulder Highway. We all met properly over breakfast and said hello to those we did not know. In total there are 9 bikes and 13 of us including Gary our tour guide and Gladys who drives the support vehicle. All of us have done other tours with Gary and that’s the connection.

My Road Trips

2010-10-03T20:59:00.000+01:00

I am away riding from Las Vegas to Dallas with a group of 12 riders - check out daily progress on www.7agesroadtrips.blogspot.com

Day 1 - Las Vegas

2010-10-03T20:57:00.000+01:00

Well its been all of seven weeks since I was last in Las Vegas, and everytime I visit I am excited and apalled in equal measure at its complete excess!Coming to the USA always seems to be a 36 hour trip by the time you have set off, got the flight checked in adjusted to an 8 hour time difference and had a sleep - this trip was greatly aided by getting a complimentary upgrade to Club - which is

Ready to Start

2010-10-02T00:00:00.000+01:00

Fly out at 16:10 on saturday 2nd to Las Vegas for the 2600 mile road trip to Dallas - cant wait

Choppertown Nation

2010-09-25T21:33:00.001+01:00

I follow a whole range of custom motorcycle sites, and one of my favourites is Choppertown Nation - as it is a real grass routes site for people that are really interested in the custom bike scene at all levels. So I was delighted to come third in their online bike competition recently as it was judged by guys who really build bikes and don't just ride Harleys with extra bits on. I think i

BMW Custom Bike No. 7 - the rear wheel

2010-09-17T22:43:00.000+01:00

I know its not that exciting, but my rear wheel is nearly ready from Steve Taylor - and then I can really start to get the bike planned. 23"front wheel - front fender with number plate - HD FXD forks raked out to 35 degrees - hardtail frame - stretched R80 tank - drag bars - R80 Boxer twin engine with colour coded parts - sprung seat - 23" rear wheel - rear fender with leather tool box. It will

Ace Cafe - Brighton Burn Up 2010

2010-09-12T17:30:00.003+01:00

Well after a miserable few days weather it was great for the sun to shine for the Brighton Burn Up - I went down with my mates Paul and Andy - and despite losing Andy for a bit and my exhaust coming loose, no major mishaps. I have no idea the size of the crowd but the whole of Marine Drive from the pier down to the marina was full up with bikes and most of the top of the cliff too - it was

Cowboys & Indians - The Route

2010-09-11T15:12:00.000+01:00

Here is the routeView Larger Map

Et Tu Brute?

2010-09-10T18:13:00.000+01:00

Well we are getting close to finishing the bike now - and I am pretty pleased with the way its turning out. I would stress that I have built this not as a show bike but as a day to day bike for running around on - its still in essence my 11 year old FXD, but with a massive makeover. I am planning on taking this out for its maiden ride on Sat 25th September - can't wait!

Harrison Billet

2010-09-07T16:25:00.001+01:00

Bike No. 6 is really coming together well now and I am re0using my old Harrison Billet Brakes - however its never that simple and I didn't want the black centres form the old rotors and they didn't match - also the front brake did not fit on my new 2009 forks. So to solve these problems I went over to see the Harrison Billet factory in Sittingbourne Kent, and Derek the engineer there was a

BMW Custom Bike No. 7 - update

2010-09-03T16:30:00.000+01:00

The BMW R80 is the big project for 2011 - not sure whether its going to be bike No.7 - or I might move it back to Bike No. 8 as my other project is a lot simpler! Anyway the reason for the delay on this is that I have commissioned some new BMW spoke pattern 23" wheels from Taylormade Wheels, which have proved to be not so easy - particularly the rear which will have the original hub and brake

My Road Trips

2010-08-29T18:04:00.000+01:00

Another blog this time combining three of my previous road trips - Route 66, St Tropez and Blue Ridge Mountains, into a complete road trip blog - to this I will be adding my forthcoming Cowboys and Indians tour starting in Las vegas on October 2nd 2010 - check it out - www.7agesroadtrips.blogspot.com

Cowboys & Indians

2010-08-29T15:22:00.000+01:00

When I rode Route 66 we had a great guide by the name of Gary "Ga" to us - and since then we have stayed in touch and met a few times when he is over to do the Motorcycle Show, promoting tours in the USA with his company California Sunriders. Well I had a chat with him at the last one on a cold November day in Birmingham and he talked me into a Cowboys & Indians tour of

My Road Trips

2010-08-29T15:07:00.000+01:00

After some prompting form a friend on Twitter - I have now amalgamated all of my previous road trip blogs into this one - www.7agescustommotorcycles.blogspot.com will remain as the blog about the bikes and local rideouts. Please feel free to comment and I will do my best to respond. The picture on the header was taken by a good friend David who I met riding route 66 - check him out in earlier

Hellingly Festival of Transport

2010-08-28T13:04:00.000+01:00

This is a regular event which I have not been to before and when 1066 HOG arranged free entry it sounded like a plan for a Saturday morning - so we met up at the dealers for a chat and then off we went ...about 2 miles to Hellingly! Still the sun is shining and there was plenty to see.

Caesar Racer (Bike No. 6) - Final Build

2010-08-26T16:31:00.000+01:00

Those regular readers of my blog will realise that I have been a bit of a slacker in respect of new bikes - well Bike No.6 The Caesar Racer based upon my old 1999 Dyna is on the ramp and making progress. More pictures and progress over the next few weeks as I want it finished for my birthday later in September.

Seaford Bike Festival Year 2

2010-08-22T14:37:00.000+01:00

Last year I went to the Seaford Bike Festival (in East Sussex) and It was a lovely sunny day - see post so in a sign that my blog is getting on a bit - time to report about events a whole year later. It was actually very like Groundhog Day, with us meeting at the same time at the same McDonalds in Newhaven and then with a Police escort riding to the same field where there were the same bikes

We Move Bikes and a Screaming Eagle Engine

2010-08-20T20:28:00.001+01:00

I successfully bought a 110" Screaming Eagle engine on Ebay this week from Riders of Bridgewater, and as posting the beast was not on the cards - I had a nice drive down to Somerset to collect it today. On the way down I passed the signs for Gloucester which reminded me, as where We Move Bikes are based, who I have used to ship bikes on recent trips to Helsinki and St Tropez. So by a weird

Shaw Harley Davidson

2010-08-14T11:49:00.000+01:00

A quick post congratulating my local Harley Davidson dealer in Sussex, Shaw Harley Davidson for coming 1st in the AMD World Championships in Sturgis this year in the modified Harley Class. They have created quite an iconic bike in Strike True II, in that it seems to have nailed exactly what a lot of Harley owners want from a custom - well done. I have been using Shaws now for some time and they

Eaglerider

2010-08-07T16:36:00.000+01:00

The reason for the lack of posts on the blog recently is because I have been touring with the family in California - and as I cant fit a wife and two teenage girls on a bike (not that they go on them anyway) - we are in a big Black Cadillac. Yesterday in San Diego I had a free day so I hired a nice 2007 FatBoy from Eaglerider - and I just wanted to say what a great service they provide - and for

Cyril Huze Blog - Othello

2010-07-27T02:41:00.001+01:00

Alway great to get a feature in the World's Number #1 Custom Motorcycle Blog. Thanks Cyril - please view and leave a comment!! http://www.cyrilhuzeblog.com/2010/07/26/harley-davidson-othello-tracker/

BSA Garage in Mereworth

2010-07-18T13:49:00.002+01:00

On the way back from the Rye Show I went back up the motorway to put Othello Bike No.5 through its paces and its going very well cruising most comfortably at 80mph with plenty spare for overtaking. As I didn't take any pictures of it at the show, I thought I would stop at this old BSA garage in Mereworth for some shots - here is one that I adjusted to give a period feel.

Rye Classic Bike Show and Auto-jumble

2010-07-18T13:40:00.000+01:00

One of the the great things about 1066 HOG is they have rideouts every week and so if you are free on a Sunday there is always somewhere to go. Today we had about 20 bikes on a ride from our usual start at the Blackdown services in Maresfield (Sussex) , and then a leisurely 60 mile ride along the coast past Eastbourne, Bexhill, Hastings, Rye and then on to HamStreet where the show was - about

Caesar Racer (Bike No. 6) - Paint Back

2010-07-08T13:05:00.000+01:00

One of the most exciting things about building bikes is when you get your paint back from the painter - I have tried to get far less prescriptive on my designs and leave it up to the painter to interpret it for me. The last 3 bikes (including this one) have all been done by Image Design in Camberley Surrey, and I have been delighted - and this time was no exception. My brief - keep it simple -

Shinya Kimura

2010-06-26T15:47:00.000+01:00

This guy is unquestionably my favourite bike builder.

Gary's USA Tour

2010-06-26T15:29:00.000+01:00

I mentioned my friend Gary France a few times here, but he has now started his epic ride over 14,000 miles and 4 months across the USA on his own - riding his Road King newly painted with Hollywood Film Stars. If you have any interest in Motorbikes, photography / Video, Travel or the USA then please check it out and follow his blog to keep him company. Its www.garysusatour.blogspot.com

Chop N Rod Show - Surrey

2010-06-26T15:21:00.000+01:00

Went along to the Chop N Rod show today which is organised by the Hells Angels London, they hold it over the weekend at the Fairmile Pub just off the A3; and I am sure its gets very lively at night, but I could only stay for a couple of hours. Still the guys there were happy for me to line my bike up in the show and were all in all very hospitable and I met some nice and interesting folks there.

Torquay Road Trip

2010-06-16T19:01:00.000+01:00

Last September I went to Helsinki to visit some friends I met on Route 66 - Helena and Kristian. This year they were over here, so I suggested an overnight road trip to Torquay which is a 500 mile round trip. So with me on Macbeth, Kristian riding my Streetglide and Helena on an 883 Sportster rented from Warrs in Mottingham we set off, for a nice ride down to Torquay - M25, A3, then through

The 2011 Projects Bikes No.7 & 8

2010-05-30T10:54:00.000+01:00

When I set up 7Ages, the aim was to try and do about 1.5 bikes a year - on the basis that each bike takes about a year to materialise and getting 2 out a year was just too much effort for what is a part-time project. So 2008/9 produced Macbeth and Hamlet, 2010 has produced Othello and later on in August Bike No. VI Caesar Racer will appear. I now have the projects ready for 2011 and its good to

Caesar Racer (Bike No. 6) - Powder and Polish Back

2010-05-28T16:43:00.000+01:00

Following on from the polishing post, I am pleased to report that my frame and various other brackets and bits are now back from Colour Coatings in Edenbridge where they have been powdercoated Orange RAL 2010 - so all thats left is the new paint from Image Design which will be towards the end of June - Exciting.

Polishing Stainless Steel

2010-05-26T17:33:00.001+01:00

One thing that is synonymous with Harley Davidson is Chrome - and I must admit that once upon a time I was addicted to it and I would add Chrome everything to my bikes. These days my love affair has moved onto Stainless Steel (normal steel with up to 13% Chromium added) - its super shiny and corrosion resistant. My current bike is No.6 The Caesar Racer and it has loads of Stainless, pipes,

The Harley Owners Group HOG

2010-05-23T12:47:00.000+01:00

As I have said before I ride with a number of HOG Chapters depending on the rides available. Today I went out with my local Chapter 1066 HOG, for a very short ride of 20 miles from our start point to Hever Castle - ancestral home of Henry VIII - which is conveniently about 6 miles from home - so a round trip of about 40 miles in all. I have been a HOG member now since 1996 and whilst I have a

My 2005 Screaming Eagle FatBoy

2010-05-22T17:25:00.003+01:00

When Harley started re-doing their CVO range in 2005, I ordered a FatBoy - a great bike 103"engine and all the bling you could ever ask for. Even so I put a Road King nacelle and running lights on straight away. A year later I fitted a W&F 240 section rear end with a new tank, fenders and paint job, and happily run up about 15,000 miles on the bike riding it to France and Spain. Here are the

Riding Hamlet in South of France

2010-05-22T09:20:00.005+01:00

One of the points nearly always made to me when I meet other bikers when I am on a custom, is that its all SHOW and no GO. To prove a point last year I rode Macbeth to St Tropez for the Harley Euro Festival and it happily went some 1200 miles - and surprised me at how usable it was. This year I had Hamlet shipped down there - mainly as I was going down with 9 other guys on Harleys with big

35mm vs. Digital

2010-05-18T14:24:00.001+01:00

Here in Tunbridge Wells we have a photowalk competition organised using 35mm film - having not used real film for at least 15 years I decided to have an experiment with some Ilford XP Black and White film in preparation. Here are the test snaps and my view is that B&W is not right for the messy (certainly in background) pictures that I take, and also the 40mm pancake lens I used does not provide