LAST YEAR - WE DID THIS ! next year we do much more......

So , last year we did plenty and here's a reminder of what's been going on inside those big ole doors with me n Glen wielding big hammers and boogeying along to whatever crap comes on the radio !

We have had some fun , done some shows , travelled around the world and taken some photo's (badly) hell -i think we got 4600 pics on our Flickr pages now !

See 'em all here -http://www.flickr.com/photos/redmaxspeedshop/

We took some movies too , see them here -

http://www.youtube.com/user/REDMAXSPEEDSHOP

And we filled the shop up with loverley Jubbley stock of cool stuff . see that here -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/redmaxspeedshop/sets/72157617350628117/

It's nice for me to look back on what i'm doing now - compared to running a big Ducati dealership - this is creative heaven , so i'd like to say a big thanks to everyone we've met in the world of Flattrack racing , anyone who's stepped thru my door (including some European customers who maybe never will !) , Guys we work with (now friends ) inc Sideburn , Death spray , Great Frog , Shorttrack uk , Dutch brothers etc etc and my suppliers the world over .

Have a great 2011 , i know i will .

Steve n Rach X

WANT U BACK , RACYRACH XXXX

There's a hole in my heart right now that's Rach shaped .

She left the road sat mornin on black ice and a big ole tree stopped her progress .

She broke two vertebre in her back and it was'nt looking so good until the MRI scan results today , when we were told no operation will be nessesary - so that's good news right ? She's in Bartlet ward of Winchester Hospital right now and let's hope she can come home in some way for Christmas cos she loves Crimbo ! Yesterday they took her off of the Morphine and got the tube out of her stomach and suddenly the sparkle was back in those brown eyes...............

Want you back Rach xxxxxxxxxxxx

hope these pics give you some idea why . Steve .

LIMP ON TO LINCOLN - LINK WRAY ON !

Next road trip please .....

Went up to Lincoln for the Fantastic Shorttrack presentation evening (nice one Boastie ) but as you know can't really make it that simple , so i decided to pick up a couple of XS650's and a shed load of spares on the way ! Stourbridge wherever that is ..... So hopped in the van at the crack of -well 9am really and gunned it over to the old boy selling them , he opened up his garage and sitting there was his pride and joy XS650 chop , Marilyn themed and bright yellow and chrome looked late seventies early eighties maybe ans still in top condition . Will stay that way too as the old boy was bent double with two steel plates in his back - and still smiling ! nice guy showed us his juke box and got his son to lift in some stuff i couldnt lift alone .

Then onto Lincoln , parked by the Cathederal and walked down the cobbled streets of the old town (which was nice ) until it was time to hit the party .

The shorttrack party was fab , plenty of food and drink consumed and lotsa prizes given out to the many skilled top riders there (you know who u are !)

Big thanks to Pete n Jackie again for my favorite racing series and all the guys involved in making Flattrack happen in the Uk - who thunk it eh ?

After that jumped back in the van an drove home ! arriving at 3.30 am Rach ZZZZZZZZZ all the way , van flat oot , me comatose - slept in till 1pm sunday .

Just wanna say to all the guys i race with - Its a pleasure boys , Cu y'all next year .

Ain't got any pics of the event but here's that XS chop and Jasons BSA in the workshop !

DELIVERY TO ITALY - YES SIR !

Yup , Mirco's Bobber has been finished for a while and he was chomping at the bit to get hold of it , so send it with some courier and have it delivered in any old state - OR drive down to Italy and deliver it pristine and talk him through the bike together , putting a face to a name and making some new friends on the way ? No contest , we're all about the ride not the destination here at REDMAX !
Also we had Oliver in the south of France (Marseille) wanting one of our new Twinshock GNC frames too , so put it all together and we have a 2400 MILE European trip in my Racing Red Vivaro Van !
So the route goes - avoid France all the way there (as they have been having fuel blockades all week !) and go Winchester- Dover - Tunnel - France - Belgium - Luxembourg - Switzerland - south of France - Italy . Deliver bobber , eat Italian get back on the road - round the Fabuolous coast past Monaco - Genova etc to Marseille . Deliver GNC Frame and parts then crack back across France hoping i won't need the 50 liters of Diesel i hid in the back of the Van !
The trip went well averaging 80/90 MPH on the autoroutes and not having any tolls all the way to Switzerland - who then charged me 40 euros just for entering the country ! Hotels are'nt cheap there either but i paid and hit the hay , up and out bright and early on thru france and some Tolls to Italy . Then Major Traffic problems on the A4 past Milano , there had been 5days of storm rain and the autoroute was closed , so i'm in a traffic queue coming off the road and thinking it's a crash - i hit "shortest route " on the sat nav , and we're off across country , but pretty soon i realise the flood damage and am diverted thru a very old town centre with 2 inches of clay on the roads and on grip - then i realise i'm following the traffic into some tight old streets and then i relise i'm gonna be stuck ! a right angle turn downhill into some ancient town buildings that the clio in front just makes ! Damn it , cars behind and wheelspin in reverse makes it a bit tense but i think we can slide the van sideways into the gap on the wet clay , and that's what we do ! Phew , close .
And so on till Padova , where i meet Mirco and show him the T140 Black Bobber , which he loves - Bellisimo he keeps saying - and i tell you after that trip , it's just what you need to hear !
He's a great guy with a nice collection of bikes too ! Then his Brother and girlfriend turn up - more exitement (and Bellisimo's !) nice folk ! and we whizz off for a meal at a local eatery traditional Italian food , which i like , then back in the van and head for a Hotel in Firenze(Florence) cos the A4's blocked still . Although i end up sleeping in the van as there's no parking anywhere in Florence that i can find (and i'm not leaving the van and contents alone ) then the satnav won't work in the tall ancient streets so i follow my nose outta town and hit the autoroute for 2 hrs and sleep in a garage forecourt , mmmm the sweet smell of Diesel !
Next morning up at the crack of a sparrows fart and down the wonderful coast thru all the tunnels to Marseille, where- due to a cock up in communication somewhere i don't meet Oliver at his garage and sit around for two hours trying to contact him on his mates number . Doh . Anyway the Police (la pig al police ) move me on twice and tell me there is no parking anywhere ! So reluctantly i get on the autoroute again flat oot and at 99 miles - the phone rings ! - and it's Oliver - wondering where i am ! brief explanations out of the way and i pull into a truck stop and he agrees to come and meet me , giving me a 2hr rest stop (good job i had Sideburn to read !).
Anyway Oliver turns up and is also a great guy - on my wavelength , and i regret not seeing his workshop immediately , but ce la vie - here we are . He loves the frame and is building a show bike (Steettracker) for a big show next year (hope he keeps me up to date with the pics).
From then on it's one big autoroute to the coast , hoping the fuel holds out ! Stopped in Riems for a lunch stop in a layby that was like a landscaped country garden and hopped on the tunnel train for the run back home . Sweet (tues day to Friday night all in ).
To tired to do the Flatrack practice on Saturday , but great trip meeting nice people makes it worth the cost ! Got some nice pics outta the van window too !
Lows -
Jams , Clay , floods , waiting , seeing 147 miles to next exit on satnav etc .
Highs -
smiling faces , Bellisimo , new friends , great views , sense of achievement , not breaking down !

Video here of Mirco taking his first ride on the Bobber !

LAST FLATTRACK RACE OF YEAR .

Get over to Europe and pan the crap outta yer bike one last time !

Jan puts a lotta effort into the Euro series , if you're out there get to the track and watch it .

Or - haul ya bike to the track and kick ass !

Info on Dutch bros web site and this here poster !

STAFFORD SHOW , REDMAX STAND.

REDMAX STAND AT SHOW .

Nice , but not as nice as Sideburns cos Dave (from skootafarm racing ) built them a great stand with walls and bike boxes etc , then Dave DJ'd both days with some great 60's sounds from his extensive single collection ! shoulda won best stand with Jasons Triumph and the Sideburn FT on display too .

Our stand was enhanced when Dave popped over and hung our banner overhead - is there no end to this guy's skill , he's got an eye for style - that's for sure .Nice to catch up with Gary and Ben too , bet they sold some stuff !

Anyway , we met loadsa nice guys out there and sold a few bits and generally got the Flattrackin' message out the up North .

Job done .

Thanks to my dad who came for the weekend to help out , and had a good time too .

No pics from show as was too busy by far , but here's some of Rach's Harley Cafe racer tank/seat to be brightening up this blog .(more pic on my Flickr pages ) And a pic of my E-type at Goodwood after a 200 mile run out to see how she handles on the limit !

Then a pic of Mirco's Triumph bobber we have just built and finished - gotta deliver it to Italy next week , that'll be some trip in the old van !

OI ! NORTON - WHERE'S MY NEW BIKE ?

Title says it all . wait,wait,wait. Running outta summer and patience.

BIKES , YEA.

Ok , i see a lotta bikes (which is good ) but i see alotta crap ones too .

Anyway this week i saw a lotta bikes - you decide which type .

My Mate Ramps is a fabricator and sidecar pilot (read nuts) he likes a few things , but one thing he's kept a long time is his Z1000 injection thingy see here at top and it's a bit special , so his mate got one too , now they are rare and here's two .

Next up a Rickman Mettise framed Sportster , s'posed to be a flattracker but does'nt quite get away with it ? Still a nice bike - and a lot lighter than a harley is normally (seen at steve piper motorcycles).

Next up is that nice IronHead Bobber outside the Hungry Skulls do in London , nice old alloy scrambles tank and lots of nice detail stuff on there too !

Top pic is Rach's old Bonnie Cafe Racer , sold to her brother to make way for her new Cafe Racer , pics soon .

He want's to restore it ! Anybody want any Cafe stuff for a T140 ?

OUT.

HUNGRY SCULLS . DSC KNEES UP.

Well given half the chance i bugger off up to London for the evening , and what better excuse than a personal invite from Londons funkiest painter , Dave Death-Spray ? His Hungry Sculls do was a mix up of Moody photos by Rieno of "The Great Frog " fame (of a 4am bike ride thru London streets ) and a bike meet and some Great From Jewelry on display !

I don't wear Jewlery but 10-15 years ago bought a Skull ring from the great frog (a death skull in a WW2 pilots helmet) and wore it to all the Dress doo's i went to , until one day - it dissapeared . Luckily they still make it ....Oh Reino ....

Drinkies from two massive ice buckets - and all the faces were there . Nice bikes out side included Dia Jobou's SR500 tracker , several Harley bobbers , Daves 900ss and his Boner bike in new blue/grey bones - nice ! Rach found a coffin to sleep in downstairs (see pic) and i bumped into a loada nice guys (u know who u are !)

Usual shit traffic in the center in town and had to take my V8 Jag - so £50 of fuel gulped and NCP's FUKCING RIDICULOUS £25 parking fee. Some guy paid that for his 2 hrs so i s'pose my just under 4 hrs was lucky as god know what it might have been over 4 hrs ?

Went down Carnaby street just to remind myself why i don't go there anymore , soulless place it is now , but i used to go early 80's and it was THE place to abuse Mods and kick over scooters .

Then off to eat as is the norm , found a chinese in chinatown (go figure !) pretty crap meal , UNTIL we got to the sizzling beef-steak in honey and pepper sauce - now that was GOOD !

Off home , Rach asleep instantly - so i chase V8 Audis down the A316 and hit 150 on the M3 (again) and once more do the Bridge jump on the A33 just before home , waking Rach just in time 4 bed .

WHAT COLLAR BONE ? GET OUT N RIDE BOY !

Right , bone fixed with some kind of ball of calcium growth , arm works with restricted movement but don't hurt - so lets go to Le-mans for a two day track day and see if it don't fall apart !

Took the old Silver Duke down in the van , have'nt done a track day since last year and the braking forces are pretty high - especially when you can see 150-odd at the end of the straight !

But my arm coped easily , so i knew i could come home and go straight out for a Flattrack race on Sunday (providing i don't fall off etc etc ...)Pics here -http://www.flickr.com/photos/redmaxspeedshop/page4/

Need'nt have worried as it was Gary Sideburn that did all the falling orf , in a mega - go out every race and crash spree ...... win it or bin it eh Gaz ? Gotta admire that , and he took it all in good humour too .

A good meeting for the Skootafarm boyz in all , jon Lee showing us all the way (only Jacob beating him ) then Dave Arnold going well all day and getting a good points haul , Wilky holeshotting the Thunderbike B race (after i chose the outside line and lost !) and leading it start to finish with me coming second and Gary and Jason not far behind .

See the Video here-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/redmaxspeedshop/4924443000/in/set-72157624675217977/

I love Kings Lynne , it suits my big old bus and i always come away with some points !

Next -

Issue six of sideburn mag is out - buy one from me - or them (it's really fab this one !)

Get it here -http://www.sideburnmag.blogspot.com/

Also we have a Twin shock version of our race frame and a conversion kit for Triumph twin engines on the way (see pic)

Over n out , cos i'm knackered now .

Steve #59