Monday, March 4, 2024

Bob Strode and his track bike he built -


 



Velocetteer Bob Strode has passed away.

 Lost another of my long time friends -

Bob Strode passed away yesterday morning just before 5 AM.
Bob is the one who in 1987 , sold me his Velocette parts and service business. The business was the ex- Lou Branch Velocette Motorcycle Sales shop from California, who was the US importer for Velocette in 1950 , and before that was Jack Frodsham Velocette in the late 1930s.
Bob was a great friend and will be missed. I phoned & talked with him just a few days ago. We talked about the great times we had together. A friendship that started through a common interest in Velocette motorcycles.



Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Making the impossible to find parts -

 In my workshop I need all the parts, to bring a customers bike back to life, even the parts you can't find anywhere.

The impossible to find stuff I make myself, by getting castings made by a foundry in Tacoma -Creative Castings, - off of an original, then machining them up in my workshop.




Friday, January 5, 2024

My stationary

 When my cousin from Amsterdam Holland, Wim Giebels, was over staying with us for a time,  he did the artwork for my shops stationary. My riding buddy Geoff Blanthorn, who does magic with his computer, just updated the phone number's area code. Our old area code was ( 206),  and our current area code is (253) .



I have always been interested in taking photos --

 Historic Races at Westwood Raceway , British Columbia Canada

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I always wore a face covering - not a cloth mask like today, but my face was covered instead by my trusty 35mm Olympus OM1 film camera… Photography has always been very much an important hobby of mine, & tried to record my life's adventures onto film.
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Here is a photo someone took and gave me, when I had my face covering down - I always tried to enjoy life - in real time, as well as from behind the camera viewfinder.
That is me on the far right - with camera in hand -



Thursday, January 4, 2024

Looking forward to Spring

 Photo of the side of my shed - the Velocette workshop,  with the rose bush in bloom -

Looking forward to Spring and warmer weather. 




My life in the shed -

 My life in the shed -

Photo from January 2020 of Pierre's Dick Mann TriBsa 500 flanked by two of Mark's Velocette Thruxton 500s at my workshop door here in Lakebay Washington USA. All in for service work. Mark's 1969 with fairing has a bent frame and blown head gasket, and his 1967 is having it's electric start removed and restored back to original. Lots of bikes in the shed waiting in line for me to get to them. Looks like my retirement will not be happening any time soon !