CLASSIC AUTOMOBILES AND VINTAGE MOTORCYCLES!
Two of my favorite things in the world are classic automobiles and vintage motorcycles. And when you combine them both into one event… well, that’s a pretty good day. Today I made my way to The Factory in Franklin, Tennessee for the 27th Annual Antique & Classic Car Show, sponsored by the Battlefield Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America. But it get’s better… this years show was held in conjunction with the Music City Chapter of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. That’s right… a beautiful day filled with classic automobiles and vintage motorcycles…. all in the same place. I could go on about how heavenly that is, but I’ll just shut up and let you enjoy some of my photos.
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AN AWESOME 1977 BMW R100/7
I spotted this way-cool 1977 BMW R100/7 at a local show this weekend. The bike was modded into a cafe’ style by a chap named Bob Long in Sevierville, Tennessee. Here’s what he did:
- Completely disassembled the frame and cleared all unnecessary mounting lugs
- Painted frame and components with PPG PR4 Red.
- Painted side covers, tank and rear fairing in PPG WA600R Black and PPG GAN Silver
- Rebuilt forks and stiffened with 8mm bushings.
- Replaced rear shocks with Hagon SA adjustable coil-overs.
- Added Burley Cafe’ rear tail section and custom seat cover.
- Added Cat Eye tail light and BR sport mini turn signals (front and back).
- Added European spec “low bars.”
- Added “Pea-Shooters” slip on mufflers and header wrap.
- Deleted rear fender and shortened front fender.
I think the results are fantastic… I love this bike!
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GREASE MONKEY ISSUE #13
Issue #13 of Grease Monkey Magazine is in the stores now. Be sure to grab a copy and check out my photos of the DoMaCo Norton, as well as re-cap photos of the 2013 Spring Thaw bike and Rat Show. You can view the entire magazine here.
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TON UP NASHVILLE: 11TH ANNUAL VINTAGE BIKE SHOW
The Ton Up Nashville British Motorcycle Club held their 11th annual vintage bike show on Sunday May 20. I try to make this show every year because it brings out some bikes (all kinds, not just British) that you don’t see at the other shows around town. Here are some of my favorites.
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THEY CALL IT THE SPRING THAW
I made my way to a local bike show today. They call it the Spring Thaw and it represents the end of winter and the beginning of riding season for many of us here in Middle Tennessee. The show includes a huge swap meet as well, and for $30 bucks I scored what you see above. A low-profile mirror, a set of “coke bottle” grips, LED license plate bolts and a super-cool, old-school helmet! Of course the main draw of the Spring Thaw is the bikes… and here is one of my favorites on the day. Enjoy!
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TOOTIN’ MY OWN HORN A LITTLE
Just thought I would share some of my recent design projects with you. I did the layout on these show posters for my friends over at Both Barrels Promotions. They are GOOD people and know how to put on a great show. If you are anywhere near the Middle Tennessee area, you should attend all three of these upcoming events. (FYI: The illustration in the second poster below was hand drawn by Gary Mizar. He’s the best! Check him out at garymizar.com)
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ANOTHER SPORTY BOB
Call them Baby Harley’s, Girls Bikes… whatever you want… I don’t care. I am an unashamed fan of the Motor Company’s low-end two-wheeler and am convinced that the Sportster is the perfect bike for mods. As a result, I am always on the lookout for new and interesting work by those who feel the same as I do. I spotted this particular example at the 2011 “Spring Thaw” bike show in Shelbyville, Tennessee. The minimalist approach is smokin’ hot and I love that bobbed rear fender. Not sure if I have the CO JONES to cut my frame like that but I think the end look is killer! What do you think?
And… speaking of the “Spring Thaw”… 2012 marks the 10th Anniversary of the show. Anybody close to the Nashvegas area on March 24 should come out and celebrate the end of the “Dark Months” with me. My friends Scooter and Dorris over at Both Barrels Promotions do a great job of making this one of the best shows in the region and I wouldn’t miss it. Below is the show poster which I designed. Hope to see you there!
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FOUND THIS GEM AT A LOCAL BIKE SHOW
Today I dropped by to see my friends at Bumpus Harley-Davidson in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and found this gem entered in their bike show. Thought I would share:
BELL BUCKLE MOTORCYCLE DAYS
Bell Buckle, Tennessee is a smallish rural town just south of Nashville that hosts an annual Motorcycle Days event each year. Not sure why the call it Day”s” because it is only one day… but regardless, it usually draws a good crowd. This years event was originally scheduled for May 16th but due to rain it was rescheduled for today. That probably explains why attendance was a bit down this year. Still… it was a good time and I’d guesstimate that there were 250 to 300 bikes on hand.
One highlight of the day was a great performance by Middle Tennessee’s own Big Mike Griffin. Mike is one bad blues guitarist/singer and as usual his performance was superb. For more pics see below.
SPRING THAW PICTURES
I had a great time at the 2009 Spring Thaw Bike Show and Swap Meet in Shelbyville, Tennessee today. I took the Canon SD1000 point-and-shoot with me and got a few shots and as usual I was drawn to the “old-school” and “low-buck-chopper” bikes. As a matter of fact, I was one of the judges in the “Low-Buck-Chopper” class.
Follow the link at the bottom of this RANT to see a ton more pics. Congrats to Both Barrels Promotions for another great event this year.
THE ANNUAL SPRING THAW
Every year I look forward to the annual “Spring Thaw Bike Show and Swap Meet” held in Shelbyville, Tennessee and the 2009 version (7th annual) is happening this Saturday April 4th. My buddy Scooter over at Both Barrels Promotions has done a fantastic job of building this show over the years and I hear that this year there will be more bikes and vendors than ever before.
You gotta check it out… there are classes for literally every kind of bike (I’ve never been to any show where they give out more trophy’s) plus the best of show will receive $1,000 cash plus a spot on the cover of a future Thunder Roads Tennessee magazine and… my favorite class… the Low-Buck Chopper class winner will take home $500!
If you are close to Middle Tennessee this weekend, I hope you will come check it out… BTW, I am one of the judges this year so be nice to me! Ha!
For more info visit www.BothBarrelsPromotions.com.
2009 MUSIC CITY BIKE SHOW
One of the only things I like about January… is the annual Music City Bike Show held here in Nashville. The 2009 show is this weekend and today I made my way to the Tennessee State Fairgrounds to check it out. All I can say is…. Aghhhhhhhh! It was just what I needed to help beat some of these “Dark Month” blues I’ve been suffering from. Wall to wall bikes, lots of Bikers and tons of fun! Of course, I took the Canon point-and-shoot and got some pics. A couple are posted in this RANT (along with a video) but if you want to see a lot more… CLICK HERE NOW!
CLICK HERE TO SEE A TON MORE PICS
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