Living For The City

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Goin’ away for a couple of days. See y’all next week!

“A lone wolf has gotta do what a lone wolf has gotta do, just… you know… like… be a lone wolf.”
- The Lone Wolf

Thanks Matias!

Head on over to The Mascot in Parkdale tonight for a little bikey art show sponsored by Bikes On Wheels as a part of this year’s Bicycle Film Festival which officially opened last night.

On display will be 5 frames custom painted & sharpied by Mike Giant along with new works from Benny Zenga, CHUNKS, Frank Maidens, Tobin Reid, Toby Reid. I was by the Mascot last night while the boys and girls were hard at work setting everything up and everyone’s work looks great – it’s gonna be a fun night!

More Info Here.

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Brendt Barbur, Founding Festival Director, was compelled to start the Bicycle Film Festival when he was hit by a bus while riding his bike in New York City. He insisted on turning his negative experience into a positive one. In 2001 Barbur started the Bicycle Film Festival as a platform to celebrate the bicycle through music, art and, of course, film.

The Bicycle Film Festival has been a major catalyst for the urban bike movement, one of the most powerful and culturally relevant forces of the last decade. The BFF is sure to carry this momentum into the next decade.

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While we’re talking about having fun on wheels (Nice seque, right? Ok, not really… I’m tired) check out this here video my good buds at Breadwinner made along with ReadBull… Dundas Square, kick-flip the semi, NBD.

I recognize posting a bunch of photos of someone who isn’t otherwise famous is borderline creepy but I don’t even give a care – not a single one. She’s a major babe and I’m moving to Oakland.

Thanks, Scott Pommier, for taking and posting beautiful photos of beautiful people/things. Can’t wait for the book…

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Oh Hello, New Stuff.

Got a couple little packages today from the states and the land of Aus…

The last time I had to do anything electrical on the bike, I discovered that the wires leading into my dash (turn, oil, neutral, beam… you know, the idiot lights) were all gnarled, rusted, the boots were all dried out and causing shorts all over the place so I set to task in finding a replacement cord – 37581-323-000. Problem is, for all the parts Honda still makes for these things, they stopped making that one years ago, even the places I found online that said they had it… didn’t. So I just snagged the full assembly off a ’73 CB500 hoping it’d be better… It’s good enough, better than what I’ve got, but not perfect so it’s still gonna take some silicone and electrical tape for them to work perfectly… C’est la vie! At least the Rubbernecker Cardigan from Deus is a real beaut!

I’m a touch disappointed in the Matchless Poster – not because it’s not awesome but because I didn’t read the description properly… I assumed it was silk-screen and it wasn’t and I also didn’t note the size, it’s huge! That’s gonna be a pricey frame.

Can’t wait for all this stuff to come in next week, mostly from Vintage CB750.

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Edit: That was quick!

I think this new Cateye Taillight is going to work amazingly well on the bike. While I don’t care all that much of things are “stock” I want the bike to look pretty stock – I don’t want to add anything that isn’t in keeping with the original style of the bike and I think this works while giving the rear end a much lower profile… Can’t wait to wire ‘er up!

100 limited edition screen prints
letterpressed, signed, numbered, and stamped
18X18 in., 5 color on 80lb. Oatmeal Speckletone French Paper

Just couldn’t help myself – a little more Weaver for 1•38.

One of the things about the bike I’ve been meaning to replace are the cracked side covers that have clearly been repaired years ago but re-broken.

I debated getting them plastic welded again but one of the tabs on the oil bag cover is busted so there really isn’t much point in fixing anything else…

These things are notorious for cracking over time and Honda doesn’t make them any more so when you find originals in great condition they can go for upwards of a couple hundred dollars each. Not having that!

I went out to Ontario Cycle Salvage a couple of weeks back to see what treasures they might have in store…

I picked up this here ’74 right side cover that is in bad cosmetic but good structural shape that I figured I could restore. The price was right so I figured even if I mess ‘em up, it’s no big deal.

The same night I grabbed that one, a set of reproductions that had slight blemishes (which will be under the emblems anyway) came up on eBay for a good price so I jumped on them. If nothing else I can sell that black side cover for what I paid or strip / prime it and sell it for a little more and get a little more experience refinishing stuff.

The repros came in the mail last night and they’re pretty great!

I’ve got an existing NOS emblem set so once these bad boys are painted they are going to look pretty fucking stellar!

They guy that sent them to me also sent me this clear points cover on the house – I expect that I’ll keep the stock one on in the end because I like my metal heavy but it’s neat none the less. I’m sure I’ll try it one for size next time I’m out tinkerin’.

Congrats, Kelso, on finally getting this beaut of a one-shot online! I hope the boys from Northcote & Black Box love it and appreciate how much you put into it!

Last Wednesday marked the official start of weekly Bubble Hockey Tournies in The Shop @ Parts & Labour. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make it tonight but I’ll be there next week for sure and you should be too! $5 gets you a spot in the tournament and a beer – can’t beat that with a bat, can you?

As expected, Richard & Brian (who happen to own the joint) were the first round finalists…

Winnar!

It’s not just boys fun…

Not that I’m a total misogynist that doesn’t expect girls to beat boys at anything sports related but I’m always stoked when it happens and Dani did not disappoint. She quickly climbed the ranks, spanking some of the top fellas to take round two and eventually the whole shebang!

Winnar!

Next week, with McCracken away, I’ll try not to get knocked out in the first round!

Last week I had a little visit with Roger, the King of Kensington himself, and walked away with this awesome old bag originally used to carry gas-masks for zoomin’ around when I don’t want to use saddlebags or a huge messenger bag.

And a beautiful pair of vintage Frye Engineer’s Boots….

I expect that these boots were recently re-soled because they are wonderfully broken in but the soles are in mint condition… I don’t think that I could even get a pair of boots resoled for what I paid for them… Roger is a saint.

What I really wish I’d left with is this…

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While we’re talkin’ about being good and thrifty… The other day I got this here beaut in the mail.

$160 from Klaxon Howl? $240 from Mister Freedom? Nope. $39 from Land’s End Canvas and worth every last penny and then some. Thanks for the tip, Keith.

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On Saturday morning Aner, Hammell & I loaded up the saddlebags and headed out to the Caledon Region to check out The Badlands and the The Forks of the Credit

Once we got out to Cheltenham, having seen signs pointing to Georgetown, we opted to pop in on Taylor and Maria (& Charlie) who moved out there last year. Unfortunately, Taylor was in Toronto helping his brother move, but Maria was kickin’ around so we hung out and got a bite to eat before getting back on the road.

They’ve been gutting / restoring an old little house at the end of a quiet street, it’s really quite beautiful and Maria has been documenting the progress HERE. Like, seriously, Taylor hand hammered this copper stove range. Taylor may be a young pup, comparatively speaking, but that right thurr? That’s some grown man business.

After sitting in Caribana traffic on the Lakeshore / Queensway / King for nearly 2 hours, we dropped off the bikes and headed over to P & L for a nightcap and a little bit of Bubble Hockey with buds. All in all, a pretty perfect day!

On Sunday I went up and met Killen and Roger who were tinkering with the bimmer before Sean and I took it out for a nice little rip through The Beaches, Bayview Extension and The Brickworks. This thing thumps so hard, I love it.

Got some new sunnies, finally, twins!

I met Robbie and Tamo in High Park for a little picnic… Rob wasn’t stoked on me taking this picture so I shouldn’t have posted it. But I think it’s a nice photo of a nice time so I just covered up his girly bits. Ya look great, buddy!

Being a long weekend, on Monday we wanted to head out again and go somewhere we can swim so we again loaded up the saddlebags with our trunkers and planned to go to Chris’ family cottage near Wasaga.

In an effort to be more straight edge than everyone else (which isn’t hard being the only one left), Chris mounted blades on the inside of his helmet that will permanently etch giant X’s into his forehead.

In the end we opted to go back to Georgetown to pay Taylor a visit now that he’d actually be home and we’d get to take Alex through the region we’d enjoyed so much a few days earlier. Unfortunately the roads through Glen Williams and Terra Cotta were closed for a bike race (and those roads are super fun / pretty) but they were re-opened by the time we left so we detoured so we could hit ‘em. I can’t wait for Alex to get her bike up and running…

We went down to the Credit River for a bit of a swim and to throw champion skipping stones. It was super fun.

We were lucky enough to spot the famed yet elusive Qwyjibo*. Very exciting, indeed.

As we were leaving, we heard kids laughing and plunging into the water. At first, we thought they were jumping off of this…

Then it turned out to be this, but the water is only about 4 or 5 feet deep.

After some goading and taunting from the 14 year old girls, Taylor took the plunge and smacked his ass on the bottom!

I stayed dry.

As we were leaving there we opted to tuck into an old abandoned paper mill (I believe) which was incredible…

There were kids hiding in these holes… I shit you not.

We spotted these about 30 seconds after I said “Imagine how many teenagers have lost their virginity in this place… So beautiful.” Aaaaaand there they were. Ahhhh to be young again…

It’s Krittahh! Bitch!

Immediately after saying there was nothing left to smash…

The boys found something to smash.

I found these awesome forged handles… It just to happens that they were attached to a door at the time but it just so happens that I travel with tools so I was able to liberate them. I can’t wait to figure out something to do with them.

All in all, it was an amazing weekend with amazing friends that I needed very badly. This is my backyard right now, my neighbors love me.

Nothing like a little roadside maintenance to make smoking a fine cuban cigar on the lake at sunset all that much better… Super roMANtic.

I took the moto out to my folk’s place yesterday, trying desperately to beat the rain and succeeding for the most part. It’s not that far but it was the farthest I’ve gone so I was happy to have done it.

The other day while exploring an intermittent electrical problem with Yan we somehow caused the left turn signals to stop working all together. We’d opened up the headlamp assembly, disconnected and reconnected each cord using dielectric grease hoping to solve the small problem (and we did) but as with everything else in life – solving one problem opens the doors for any number of others to make their way in. We explored oxidized connections, flasher relays, etc., etc. but in the end…

Yep, the bulb magically blew at the exact same time so pops and I went and got a new one so now people know what I’m doing before I do it – I like it that way. My dad doesn’t really like me riding a motorcycle much, my grandfather was a motorcycle nut and had some pretty serious accidents, but I think secretly he digs it and would really enjoy tinkering with me.

Once the rain cleared I opted to take it out to a more appropriate setting for a bike like this where I can actually open ‘er up a bit and take in the scenery. The feeling of whipping along these roads at speed is really kind of indescribable and it’s exactly what I’d hoped for when I bought the bike… Perhaps even moreso.

As I got myself turned around and ready to head home I looked in my rear view mirrors and saw the blackest of skies rolling in behind me so I kicked it into gear and flew home. Being chased by the storm was a pretty amazing experience; clear blue skies in front of me, dark clouds behind and the rain nipping at my back, catching me only occasionally and opening up completely literally seconds after I parked the bike in my parent’s garage… I wish I’d stopped to take a pic.

Either way, this was exactly what I wanted and I can’t wait to put in some serious kilometers on this thing.

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My folks were leaving the next day for a European vacation and I’m going to miss both of their birthdays while they’re gone. Some of our oldest and dearest family friends were joining them for dinner aaaaaand another was in from Ohio. Incidentally, the last time I was on a motorcycle before this year was when I disappeared in Columbus on the back of some dude’s motorcycle, when I was 4, at some street party… sketchy. Anyway, everyone at this table has known me for my entire life and I never have the time (or make the time, I suppose) to spend with them so I really enjoyed the opportunity to catch up properly.

During dinner I asked my folks and friends if they remembered taking me to this place called The Mad Hatter when I was 8-10 for a birthday party… No one did, but I most definitely went and have carried with me the memories of that insanity for the rest of my days.

This place was a parent’s worst nightmare and a lawyer’s wet dream; hot dog fights, pizza fights, strobe light pillow fights and best of all strobe light shopping cart fights… It was mental! Like, you’d see someone coming at you and with the flashing lights you’d have no idea how fast they were coming or how close they were until you were bloodied and laying on the floor… Fucking incredible!

My folks said that I probably made the place up, that they never would have let me go there, so I googled it and this was the result…

“Males of a certain age who lived in Toronto during the eighties may remember this outfit. It worked like this: a Mad Hatter location would have a “parent-friendly” storefront in a plaza or strip-mall where the hosting family would get their credit card ka-chunged, then the kids would be led (sans parental escort) into the basement of the mall. There, “supervised” by a bored teenager, you would be invited to have food fights, whip-cream battles, and to careen around in the dark with shopping carts while assaulted by strobe lights, crashing into concrete walls covered in old mattresses. There were often strange objects on the floor, like moldy hot dogs or unidentifiable spills. If your parents were big spenders, you might even get picked up and dropped off in a ramshackle limousine with old condoms and garbage on the floor. So, I guess my question is, does anybody know WHICH lawsuit blew these guys out of the water once and for all?

And yes, before you ask, I HAVE confirmed these memories with other people. It’s not all a figment of my deranged imagination. SOMEBODY made money doing this…at least for a few years.”

I checked with my cousin Michael and his recollection was spot on as well… I’m not entirely sure what the point of this story is but if nothing else it is this; I have a surprisingly good memory and people don’t let kids have reckless and dangerous fun like they used to.

Happy Birthday Moms & Pops! Enjoy Europe!

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I got home to Gourmet Sunday: BBQ Edition hosted by myself but orchestrated by Sparkles; Professional Male Model and Joëlle.

Appies.

BBQ Roasted tomatoes and red peppers as a base for soups and sauces.

Roasted red pepper Gazpacho BBQ grilled pizza. Mmmmm.

Joëlle approved.

Round two; no Rennick participation permitted.

Purina Hall of Fame solo; required listening.

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Buds.

More buds.

A buddy/co-worker of mine just shared with us the most magical video featuring a non-blackfaced Ted Danson and the longing looks of desire between siblings Jason & Justine Batemen. I was supposed to work through lunch but when I found out they were screening “How Can I Tell If I’m Really in Love” in the boardroom in its entirety, I just couldn’t pass it up.

IN THE BACK!

Old Rennick had to break out the Carbon & Lycra to let the boys know that he’s still got a little fuel left in this old tank. First Bluffs ride since the temperature started rising and amazingly I’ve improved since my last road ride without road riding at all… I guess heavy drinking is a pretty good substitute for heavy training, after all!