OK I'm back home and this weeks installment has become a bit of a beast, as I collected images and took quite a few as well on my travels. Heading to Wellies next week to have check ups and to pick up bikes. New premises will be sorted Monday finally, so will keep you all up to speed on that. Well I had a blast on my trip, meet some amazing people, made some great business contacts and have a new line on some fantastic products as well. Did Mugello, Cadwell Park classic meeting and the Isle of Man. All eye opening stuff really and all very different. Went to The Bike Shed show in London which was pretty amazing. If you have seen some of the images in this weeks missive please forgive me as this one carries all the images and is not edited in any way and are as they have come off of my phone.. Some images you may find a bit boring but I like them, and it seems that what I like you like too. So we will just have to see. As an aside I came home early cutting my trip by three days. I gave up on the states when I tried to change my ticket and they wanted to charge me $15,000.00 dollars!!!!!!!! I threw that ticket into the bin and got a direct home for 500 pound. $15,000.00?????

Are some people for real, well no, but all of this weeks images are real. I'll try and explain some of them as we go, but there are over 900 images this week and I think I will be a while editing it. I could have split it in two for you and put the rest out last week, but judging from the emails I have been receiving some of you cant wait, 

Please be aware, this is the largest installment I have ever done, so take your time, relax grab a whiskey and enjoy. It's winter spend an hour or two.

Bruce at the start, these guys are aliens. It is an amazing spectacle to witness up close. That is the Isle of Man. I can now tick that off.

 As I said it's un-edited and I havebn't spent the time spreading the images through the page, but I'm sure you wont mind.

These R Nine T's can look pretty good no matter how you dress them.

 I loaded this images because I think it's been done wrong. I can see where the builder wanted to go but it seems to be out of proportion to me. The front fairing is 'too big' perhaps?

NICE ROAD

These bikes have stance

 Have a close look at the bikes, at first they seem like 500 or 750 triples, but they are 700 four stroke Kawasakis. Don't they look great

 Robert Holden, went to his memorial on the IOM, it was quite moving. The last man to win at the IOM on a Ducati

 Happy birthday sir 74 years fast.

 Well why not?

 The long walk to Mugello begins as the bus got caught in the traffic

 On the way down to the entrance

 Main gate, had to wait here for ages to pick up my passes. Cheers 111, it was amazing.

 While waiting here this guy turned up and was chatting and kissing girls. Mr Luchinelli sure hasn't changed.

 A nice ducati hot rod also turned up

 Pit lane is starting to look massive

 I couldn't resist

 There's something about MotoGP bikes

 Vale and Lorenzo had extra guards

 Temperature controlled tyre bay out the back of each pit in case you were wondering

 This is what you see when you are in the back of a motoGP pit, not very glamorous really

 But very tidy

 The trucks are lovely and so so clean

 And this is where they park them. I mean this is only 1/2 them!!!!!

 The calm before the storm

 The best paint scheme ever

 And the HE arrived

 Giacomo gets on very well with Lorenzo apparently

 A rare insight to behind the scenes of MotoGP

 The Ducati's started lining up rather too quickly

 The quality of finish on these bikes is absolutely fantastic

 The Hill

 Florence at night on the way home from the first day

 The train back the next morning Saturday qualifying day and its a bit busier.

 Tito Rabats bike didn't get used as he fell from it and broke himself

 my view of the GP.

 Ducati is massive here, I mean massive, this is just their entertainment logistics module

 Even Italy's pino pong team was here

 It's starting to get a bit frantic

 After Rossi blew his engine they left mid race

 And with that it was over, Florence was busy and we left.

 Then London appeared on the horizon and the cafe race customization scene at the Bike Shed was the next event.

An amazing place, the show was jammed full of guys and girls who have individualized their rides and the scene is growing massiver and massiverer.

Paint, I've been saying it for a long time now, but Paint is where it's at.

Apologies for the blurry images they are all taken on my mobile.

An old friend of mine did this to his bike ohhh about three years ago.

Triumphs seem to be the IN thing, and I understand why

It really is as nice in the flesh as it looks like in the photos.

I don't know how many people turned up but it was like this for two days, a fantastic turn out worth every pound of the 15 it cost to get in.

This guy was amazing could pop these out in a flash

The tattooist was busy all weekend as well.

I needed this after a long day. Thanks Cros.

Then I went to Cadwell for an unplanned meeting with some guys who make some lovely parts that I can use in my new business. It was the largest classic meeting in the UK full of nice bikes both 2 and 4 strokes, and some cracker people too.

I had one of these once, I think I owned it for about three weeks, It was an awful example of the bike.

A 500 Montjuich, very rare indeed

A paddock full of Ducati singles, noice

Now this was original and strunning

The 500cc Vincent was also an amazing bike, and he raced it really well too.

Back to London and a visit to the Bike Shed showroom and restaurant was called for

Then off to The Isle of Man, if you look closely you can just see Douglas

Where the streets are full of motorcycles

My digs for the week, pretty nice and a great breakfast.

2 strokes everywhere, wish we had that here

Titans all over the place too!!!!

Yes i know, I know what and why?

The beach racers were a bit of fun.

A very nice Ducati just waiting

A blokes bike that's for sure.

He broke this record 133.962

Bruces toy.

Roberts Memorial at Glen Helen. Very somber moment for me.

I even managed a lap of the island on this. Oh well it's no Ducati bu I did a full lap.

This is about what you see when you watch the races, you need to be very aware of the commentators to know whats going on. Next year there will be big screens.

The senior TT winner Mr Dunlop wastes a ......well a Dunlop

MCGuiness and Dunlop in the winners circle. Great to witness this

The Isle of Man is a race of contrasts, to the winners go the spoils to the losers, well there's always next year.

Not a remarkable image except they still use Transits to move their race motorcycles around, but this shot was taken from my window at 4.05 in the morning. It was light.

And with that the Isle of Man was over

ON WITH THE BLOG

I wont say much as I haven't slept for about 30 odd hours.

It's art

Damo, this is you

Rod's shed

My birthday card, awe shucks thanks. Wasn't too sure I'd get another.

It doesn't need to be big

Nice

One of the reasons for my trip was to catch up with my old mate Randle, unfortunately he couldn't wait for me and passe3d before I got to see him.

Hemi???? Is this what yours will look like?

Warren Willing RIP.

I'd ban them too

I remember when

Haydn????????

A Subaru flat 12?

Now this has potential

A Lovely Guzzi

A very famous Ducati

What a great outdoor fire

Just beautiful, this bike has the look, a very handsome jigger

Am thinking of selling the Diavel but not sure

Will you please take this down

I'm now a bone fida certified member

This Honda almost has a Guzzi stance about it, well done that builder.

These things am MT09? or MT10? are pretty popular in Europe. They are customising them very well.

I would have shit myself if that was me.

Nom Nom Nom

Ouch

These are lovely, miss mine

It's been built

Gazza on the gas

This is not going too well.

111 just floating along

A bit sad really

This IS nice

Me Robert and Peter 4 hour

The team

We pretty much cleaned up that year

When I was a Britten bitch.

My other team back int day. Nice bikes but not very successful that year

Norman, Scott and Bruce

Robert burning the Ducati

About the only time they would let me on it.

192lb!!!!!!!!!!Fucking hell.

My new place will eventually look like this, the upstairs part anyway. Downstairs is my workshop

Get off of it man!!!!!!

paint

Check this thing out, amazing.

I remember it like it was yesterday, when I had mine delivered to my house and we had a Chianti and cigar day as we opened it up and put it on its stand

Another famous Ducati and its owner Mr Lione

Shit's it's hardly on the street and already they are playing with them.

Eddie Lawson getting up close and personal

They are as cool now as they were then

A cafe'd Gamma, now we are talking

I've just become the NZ agent for these stunning chain bracelets. They are hardened chrome and velvet smooth to wear. This is the first one I have there is a complete range with anodized links in all different colors winging its way here now. These ones are $195.00 each and are truly beautiful. A must have for any discerning motorcycle rider who wants a bit of individual style.

That's about all, I'm tired now.