Relics ‘n’ Rust: Two Generations of Americana-Obsessed Manc
Out in Hyde, a Cheshire town in the eastern reaches of Greater Manchester, there is a little corner of the county that is forever California. Relics ‘n’ Rust is a multilayered ‘lifestyle store’ run by Howard Pedder and his son Sam. As well as making a home for the hulking, rusty relics that signal the […]
Blood Harmony: an afternoon with the Brinkworths
There is honesty and openness to Adam Brinkworth. Marnie, his daughter, shares that essential straightforwardness. It’s a lovely thing to witness. An important part of the connective tissue that binds father and daughter is a love of cars and motorcycles. There are skateboards in there too. And clothes. And a million elements of design. But […]
Richie Finney: Being Part of the Harley-Davidson Family
Motoring brands don’t come much bigger than Harley-Davidson. In fact, brands in general don’t come much bigger than Harley-Davidson. It’s a name that transcends industries, cultures and the seven continents. And probably Mars when we colonise it. It’s strength and beauty as an iconic brand means it is so much more than just a company, […]
Fastec
Fastec Racing, based in Newmarket, is an engineering company which manufactures custom parts for everyone from race teams to Joe public. To promote their work (and because they live and breathe bikes) they have built a string of show bikes. One of the latest is this disrespectful, insolent Harley Sportster Scrambler / Tracker. This bike […]
House of Vans Assembly Chopper Show goes down a storm
Well, that’s the second edition of the House of Vans Assembly Chopper Show done and dusted for another year and what a show it was! Bike enthusiasts from across the world – as far as America! – united at the House of Vans Lambeth venue in South East London for the weekend-long event held from […]
Five bikes that aren’t tailored only to men
A few years ago, I was a passenger on a friend’s Harley for a long ride through Santa Barbara, California. There’s really something special about being on a motorcycle, you’re part of the whole experience in a way you don’t get in a car. Ever since then, I’ve been in love with the idea of […]
Bikes, Beards & Beyond
Richie Finney doesn’t take himself too seriously.
As he twiddles his perfectly waxed ‘tache, a beaming grin spreads across his face. “I’ve always been a bit odd,” he smiles before regaling tales of riding Royal Enfields in the Himalayas and memories of touring across the Transkei, India, Norway, Thailand, Cambodia and Burma.
If it has two wheels and an engine, Richie’s probably ridden it. If he hasn’t, there’s no doubt that he would. It doesn’t really matter where, or why, but the genius behind the Captain Fawcett grooming brand will happily throw his leg over almost any machine and disappear off into the sunset – be it on the open road or any type of surface, however tricky, that enables movement.
Because while he might not take himself or life too seriously, there’s absolutely no messing about when it comes to Richie’s love of motorbikes.
Abnormal Cycles
If I were to ask you to name the most famous motorcycle builders in the world, there would most likely be a long and varied list. But Abnormal Cycles founder Samuele Reali has no doubt: Harley-Davidson and Indian. His conviction in this joined the two brands in a special custom-build motorcycle to pay tribute to […]
Jay Shepherd – Custom Bike Build
The days of working on your own bike (or car) have been pretty scarce in more recent years, but custom-builds are gradually becoming more and more popular. Jay Shepherd tells us his story. As a self-employed builder, Jay’s bike obsession and knowledge is purely hobby-based. “Cars and bikes have always been my passion, since way […]
Why Harley-Davidson?
Few brands on the planet, in the entire history of commerce, have such a strong identity as Harley-Davidson.
But for all that strength of identity, the brand has an amazingly diverse and multi-layered aspect. For some, all that noise and vibration is emblematic of mechanical inefficiency. For others, it is the definitive motorcycle, the machine that all other two-wheeled forms of transport should be reckoned by. We’ve said it before. We have never truly understood the enduring appeal of the Hawg.
Having been brought up ourselves on a mixture of the fizzing slickness of modern Japanese bikes and the dash and panache of European machines like Moto Guzzi, Ducati and Triumph, that the loveable Hawgness of the H-D brand has largely escaped us. But in the course of putting this thread together, we’ve glimpsed more than a handful of reasons that account for the way that Harleys are lodged in many a bikers’ hearts.
