Mike’s Typo

I didn’t see this coming. I was surprised to learn that there is a whole subset of motorcycle enthusiasts out there that are dying to own a reproduction of the 1910 Harley-Davidson Silent Gray Fellow. Ok. I understand the folks that lust after the real thing; I’m one of them. But, come on, what is it about a repro that blows your skirt up? I guess a guy who owns a fake Cobra or one of those Porsche 356 kits could clue me in here. Short of that, I’m curious to see my first Timeless Motorcycle on the street.

The story — seems like Mike Hanlon, who owns fork maker Mean Street Products, started working on this project nearly 10 years ago. The idea was spawned from his desire to have a board track racer to display in his shop. To his credit, he’s built tooling and molds for everything. That’s right they make everything that goes on these bikes, including the tires. I don’t think Mr. Harley and the Davidson brothers did that when they build the “originals” nearly a hundred years ago. “How much?” you say, for a Timeless machine. The Boardtracker goes for $9,995 and the Classic for $10,995.

Tell Mike that I expect a referral fee if you buy one of these things.

James Nachtwey cut his teeth as a correspondent photographer during the Vietnam War. For the past thirty plus years he has risked his life and sanity documenting wars, conflicts, and social issues throughout the world. He is considered by many to be the greatest war photographer of our time. Simply put, his photographs have moved the world to change. Really. This past March 2007, he was rewarded with the TED Prize (which itself is an interesting story), in Monterey, California. His speech was essentially — Nachtwey narrating a slideshow of photographs from selected projects. These are moving, and thought-provoking images. Many of these projects were self-funded. The magazines he shoots for wouldn’t buy the stories he wanted to expose.

This is 20 minutes you will be glad you spent. It’s the power of the internet at it’s best. It’s the power of photography at it’s best. It’s the power of James Nachtwey at his best. Check it out — you won’t be sorry

Are you the kind of person that paints a wall and then watches it dry? If, so, you’re my kinda painter! You’ve got to appreciate good work, right? Ok, I’m getting off track. If you like to watch paint dry — you’ll love this site. It’s the web cam that let’s us watch real time the progress of the Harley-Davidson Museum. I link to the web cam site every couple of weeks — just to see what’s happening. I’ve been checking it out since mid-Winter. Frankly, those cold months were more interesting. Day-to-day the weather would change. One day would be clear, the next there would be snow on the ground. It actually looked like something was happening. Today was a nice day in Milwaukee — probably humid, though. Ok, so overall it’s a little more exciting than watching paint dry. Check it out. I bet you’ll bookmark it and go back — just don’t get too caught up in the drama of it.

A number of years ago, while Trev Deeley was still alive, I spent an afternoon with him touring his collection of motorcycles. As the Harley-Davidson distributor for Canada, and a member of the Harley Board of Directors, I expected his collection to be everything Harley. It wasn’t. In fact, I lost count when I hit 25 different makes. There were more than 250 bikes in this wonderful room. I could have spent two days there. And, then it would have been a treat to spend two more photographing the unique elements of many of the bikes. Ok, I’m getting off track here. Well, Trev passed a few years ago, but the folks at Trev Deeley Motorcycles have preserved the collection that Trev was so proud of.

This has to be one of the greatest collections of motorcycles in the world. And, it’s one of the few truly incredible collections that’s open to the public. So, take a road trip to Vancouver. Now’s the time. California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Beautiful scenery, diverse climates, great back roads. Ready to plan a trip — use the Destination Highways guides. I previously reviewed the Northern California edition in The Typo. There is also a Washington state and British Columbia edition. Want to know more about the Deeley Collection, visit their web site. The site doesn’t do it justice, but it gives times and address information.

Trust me — go! If you like vintage motorcycles — this is a must-see place.

From our friends at Abate:

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but the following explanation may help put that figure in perspective: A billion seconds ago it was 1975, and the Vietnam War was grinding down. A billion minutes ago was nearly 2000 years, during the time of Christ. A billion hours ago was over 112 thousand years, and our ancestors were still living in the Stone Age. A billion days ago it was 2.7 million BC and hominids were learning to walk upright. A billion years ago earth’s ecosystem became fully formed, and the first multi-cellular organisms appeared. A billion dollars ago was only 3 hours and 53 minutes, at the rate Washington spends it.

Source: The Bailing Wire, ABATE of California, June 2007