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Tsawwassen Classic & Vintage Motorcycle Swap Meet and Show N’ Shine

It’s time for Western Canada’s premiere motorcycle event —  the Tsawwassen Classic & Vintage Motorcycle Swap Meet and Show N’ Shine. Held annually at the South Delta Recreation Centre in Tsawwassen, B.C., this year’s show is scheduled to run Sunday, April 17. Doors open at 10 a.m.

Event organizer Todd Copan and his family are celebrating 26 successful years with the event, which  started in 1986, and since the second meet it has been held in the same location. It started off small but has grown to fill the 25,000 sq. ft. venue — a hockey arena and a curling arena with six sheets of ice. There are 160 booths/tables in two buildings.

Vintage and classic motorcycle parts are the focus of the swap meet, but Copan has several other activities taking place, including a Japanese-only hall where anything from the big-four manufacturers – new or old – can be found. He also sets apart an area especially for his show and shine, and every year Copan determines a theme. For example, in 2011, Copan is celebrating all special and hybrid motorcycles, especially the Triton.

There have been some relatively obscure feature machines on display here, including an incredibly rare 1941 Harley-Davidson prototype OHV 45 cubic inch motorcycle. Harley didn’t produce an OHV 45” (750cc) motor until the Sportster in 1957. There have been Crockers, Vincents, Brough Superiors – even Max Lambky’s streamlined twin-engined Vincent that runs at Bonneville.

Some say the most enjoyable part of the Tsawwassen swap meet is the impromptu show that takes place in the parking lot. Literally hundreds of motorcycles converge on the asphalt and the display can sometimes be just as entertaining as what is inside the hall. You’ll want to go in though, if not for the motorcycles, then for the opportunity to win a copy of the Seventh Edition reprint of Modern Motorcycle Mechanics and the book about that book, Prairie Dust, Motorcycles and a Typewriter. Good luck!

 

Red Devil Rods and Custom Paint profile with George Bordas

Story first published in the Calgary Herald’s Driving section 25 March 2011. Photos courtesy Red Devil Rods.

George Bordas was 17 in 1985 when he started working at Carline Muffler in Calgary’s Forest Lawn.

The job was a life altering experience, and it set him on a different path than what he had intended.

His parents wanted him to be a pharmacist, and he had plans to study medicine. From medicine to metal, some 25 years later, Bordas is the man behind Red Devil Rods and Custom Paint, Calgary’s newest fabrication and paint shop.

And he has his friend Marty Robertson to thank. In 1985, Robertson was an employee at the Carline Muffler location. After Bordas was given a tour of the shop he was quite literally written an uncommon prescription.

“Marty was into rods and cars, and I wasn’t a gearhead at all,” Bordas said. “But when Marty showed me the underside of a hotrod on the lift, I could see the (car’s) frame and then picture in my mind how all of the custom bent exhaust tubes would have to come together. I went over to the tubing bender, and went at it.”

Soon after, Bordas was working at Carline Muffler — his first paying job out of high school — and he learned to weld and to work on engines. To further his automotive apprenticeship, Bordas moved to Winnipeg where he approached the owner of a local hotrod shop. He was told that the shop wasn’t hiring, but his spark of enthusiasm didn’t go unnoticed, and he was soon employed.

Bordas paid his dues in this Winnipeg shop, spending two years cutting and welding nothing but custom frames, and then another two years fabricating replacement fenders and quarter panels from sheets of steel.

“I used to draw a lot,” Bordas said of the next step in his education. “And I wanted to see if I could paint like I could draw, so I bought a $20 airbrush kit.”

He did a few samples of airbrush art, and showed them to his boss, who was suitably impressed. Bordas was then taken into the spray booth, and asked to paint a fender and a door.

1941 Willys project.

“I’d never done prep for painting before, but I got it together and painted it perfectly, and from then on was doing body work and paint jobs,” Bordas said. He became known for custom blending one-off paint colours, and for the quality of his finished products.

In 2009, because he loved the mountains, Bordas moved to Invermere, B.C. Simply looking for something to do in his new hometown Bordas began working on a 1949 Mercury, and this led to similar jobs. Not long after, Bordas opened Valley Rod and Accessories, a small three bay shop where he customized vehicles, and painted everything from boats to jet skis and dirt bikes.

“I was finding, though, that 90 per cent of my customers were from Calgary,” Bordas said, so late last year he moved back to Calgary, and recently opened the new shop.

Red Devil Rods is located in an eight bay facility in southeast Calgary. The location could hold 16 or 17cars, although it would be a tight fit.

“Here (in the new shop), I get to do more of what I like to do – and that’s work on the older stuff.”

That being said, Todd Angus and Freddy Sanders are employed to take of collision and insurance work. Bordas tries to stay on the fabrication/hotrod/painting side of the business.

Bordas sprays only the latest environmentally friendly water borne paints from PPG, and said he had to learn to work with the new products himself – he adopted the paints before many others in the industry.

A number of unusual projects on the go at Red Devil Rods, including a 1941 Willy’s pickup truck Bordas purchased from an estate. The owner died in a house fire before he had the opportunity to finish the truck, and Bordas bought the Willy’s with the intention of completing the project and then giving it back to the daughter.

1950 Buick Dynaflow sedan project.

Bordas has a 1950 Buick Dynaflow sedan set aside for himself. He plans to chop the roof 6.5 cm, blast and paint the frame, and install an LT1 Corvette powerplant in the massive engine bay. It will be done in a lead sled style, with a custom red and black leather interior and flat black and pinstriped exterior. He plans to have the Buick on the road this summer.

“I feel I’m not working at a job when I’m cutting, grinding or painting,” Bordas said, and added, “I just love doing this.”

Alberta All Datsun Meet 2011

Story first published in the Calgary Herald, Friday, March 18, 2011

Sometimes, out of curiosity, I’ll point my web browser over to Kijiji.ca.

In a bid to relive my youth – if only for a moment – I’ll search for a make and model of a car I once owned.

Last week, I typed Datsun 510 into the search bar.

A few ads popped up, but none for drivable cars. One ad that did catch my attention, however, was from Edmonton Datsun enthusiast David Myers. He didn’t have a Datsun 510 for sale. Instead, he was promoting the Alberta All Datsun Meet in Red Deer on June 4.

“This is not a car show,” Myers, 42, explained when I talked to him about the event he is planning. “I don’t care if your (Datsun or Nissan) is rusty, full of bondo, a body shell on a trailer or fresh out of the restoration shop – I just want to share the enthusiasm.”

Myers is a long time Datsun/Nissan aficionado, and referred to himself as a ‘car nerd’. Datsun automobiles captured his attention early on, and he’s simply carried on the passion. He’s owned a 240SX and a 510. The 510 was a big project — more so than he would have liked.

Several years ago he sold the 510 project and bought a running 1969 Datsun Sport 2000 convertible, and this is a car he continues to drive while he slowly restores it.

“I think there are plenty of older Datsuns in Alberta,” Myers said. “It’s definitely a smaller community here than on the West Coast or down south  – but I really do think there are a lot of people in the woodwork with Datsuns.

“I put up the ad because I wanted to see if there was any interest from other Datsun enthusiasts. This would be a great way for us all to connect, meet face to face, maybe swap some parts and talk about the cars.”

And according to Myers, you don’t have to have a Datsun or a Nissan to attend. Just show up, as he put it.

As of now, his plan is to have Calgary and southern Alberta Datsun owners meet in this city, and drive to Red Deer. And that’s the same plan for Edmonton and north.

Trouble is that to date he has not found a suitable parking lot location in Red Deer for the meet. He’s working on that, and asked that those interested in attending keep watching the Kijiji ad, or the Facebook Alberta All Datsun Meet page.

My fascination with Datsun started when I was 14 years old. That’s when I bought a 1972 Datsun 510. The car had been lowered and fitted with fender flares. I pretty much learned to drive in this car, and over a period of a few years owned at least five of them. Fond memories.

When the 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine was fitted with a Weber carb and a Monza exhaust, and with some aftermarket rims and a sway bar the Datsun 510 was a remarkably fun car to drive.

In the hands of folks with some real skill, the Datsun 510s proved to be very adept at racing. In fact, Pete Brock of Brock Racing Enterprises (BRE) fielded a 510 in the Sports Car Club of America’s 1971 Trans Am 2.5 series with driver John Morton behind the wheel. Morton won the season. For 1972, BRE prepared three Datsun 510s and had a repeat performance.

Datsun 510s were also very capable rally machines, and many were converted for competition use.

Rarely do you see a Datsun 510 for sale anymore. At one time, they were almost as ubiquitous as Honda Civics are today. But now, if one is for sale, it’s rusty and a parts car – or completely restored and modified and worth a few dollars.

As for Myers and his Datsun convertible, he’s driven the car to the West Coast, and as far south as Norwood, Colorado – about 5,000 km return. His fiancee Caroline Bujold was a willing passenger, and she commented that the 1969 Datsun was more comfortable than his 2003 Kia.

“My Datsun is mostly stock, with a rebuilt engine,” Myers said. “It’s got a Solex carb instead of an SU, a different grind on the cam and a lighter flywheel for just a bit more zip. The body was done in the 1980s, and it’s going to need some more body work soon.”

Myers hopes to see many different models of early Datsuns at the meet, from Z cars to trucks, and everything in between. For more information about the Alberta All Datsun Meet, check the pages mentioned above, or email Myers at david@myautoproject.com.

Photos courtesy David Myers, owner of the 1969 Datsun Sport 2000.

Nicholson Bros. Motorcycles on CBC’s Heartland TV show and Graham Wardle

Nicholson Bros. Motorcycles — or more appropriately, the T-shirt — has hit the small screen.

A few posts ago I gave credit to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for including an early 1970s Norton Commando in their production of the Heartland TV show. And, to give the show some credibility in Season 4, Episode 13 the CBC used a copy of my book Prairie Dust, Motorcycles and a Typewriter. In last night’s Season 4, Episode 16, Ty Borden (actor Graham Wardle) was seen wearing a classic Nicholson Bros. Motorcycles T-shirt in white and charcoal for a couple of moments.

It’s refreshing that the CBC include actual, true-to-life details such as the story of Western Canadian motorcycle pioneers Nicholosn Bros. Motorcycles. Charcoal Nicholson Bros. Motorcycle T-shirts are available in our online store.

Thanks to the CBC for these screen shots.

10,000 miles on a B.S.A. Bantam — why not?

Brenda Collins was a 25-year old journalist from England, and between 1953 and 1954 she rode a 125cc B.S.A. Bantam D1 motorcycle more than 10,000 miles around North America.

The young traveler had no previous motorcycle experience before taking delivery of her Bantam from Arlington Cycle & Sports Ltd., B.S.A. distributors in Montreal, Canada.

Quoted from the brochure, “…Collins, a young journalist from Kent, with a taste for adventure, was working in Montreal, and felt she would like to see more of Canada and the United States – as economically as possible! At a motor-cycle show she saw a B.S.A. 125 c.c. ‘Bantam’ and immediately decided that this was the ideal method of transport for her trip across the wide open spaces – but for one snag – she couldn’t ride.

“However, learning to ride a ‘Bantam’ is so easy and Brenda soon mastered it…”

Collins’ Bantam, one of two models available in 1953, was the 125cc Two-Stroke Model D1 with a plunger spring frame. There was also a D1 with a rigid frame.

The machine was based on the same German DKW RT125 design from the ‘30s that was the starting point for Harley-Davidson’s late-‘40s S125, later known as the Hummer. Both companies, along with Russia’s MMZ, were given rights to produce the little two-stroke design as part of war reparations following World War II.

B.S.A.’s Bantam had a 123cc single-cylinder motor with a three-speed, unit construction gearbox. The fuel tank carried 13/4 gallons of gasoline and oil mix, brakes were 5” in diameter, and the Bantam had a dry weight of 183 pounds.

Leaving Montreal in August 1953, equipped with 100 lbs. of gear, including a portable typewriter, Collins headed west across Canada. She toured through Winnipeg, Manitoba; Regina, Saskatchewan; Calgary and Banff, Alberta; before crossing the Rocky Mountains to Vancouver, British Columbia. From Canada’s west coast, she rode down to San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego before traveling east to Tucson, Arizona; Houston; New Orleans and Jacksonville, Florida. Northward she stopped in Savannah, Georgia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Washington, DC; and New York, where she arrived in April 1954.

Says the brochure, “En route through Canada she took temporary jobs to supplement her $2 a day budget, wrote up her experiences for several magazines and papers and appeared on various radio programmes.

“In a test that would punish many a bigger motor-cycle the ‘Bantam’ gave her reliable and economical service under all the varied conditions she encountered on her trip.”

Collins’ actual saddle time on the Bantam was 90 days, and her average speed was 35 to 40 miles per hour. But that modest pace was enough to add up to more than 10,000 miles by the time she was through.

It’s proof that, as the brochure says, “You, too, can ‘Leave it to your B.S.A.’”

1954 Meteor Niagra

What a great looking 1954 Meteor Niagra. Here’s the short story: The car was brought to Zeebs Performance Restoration in Chestermere, AB,  for a refreshing, as the vehicle had only 18,625 original miles. The car belonged to the current owner’s grandfather, and he had purchased the Meteor new in Regina, SK. He died just a few years later, and the car was passed on to his granddaughter. She drove the Meteor during high school, and then the car was parked inside a barn for a number of years at the family farm. In 2010, the Meteor was rescued and restored, turning it into a perfect Sunday cruiser. According to Zane Southgate, of Zeebs Performance, the 255″ engine runs very smoothly, and in typical V-8 flathead fashion, you can barely hear the car running at idle.

In 1954, the Meteor was the Canadian Ford, and this Niagra sedan was the most popular model with 7,811 units produced. The car originally sold for $2,408.

All photos courtesy Zane Southgate.

Retroscope vintage motorcycle and motorcar images

There’s some intriguing work coming out of Canada. I last posted about Dermot Walshe and his interest in documenting the early years of motorcycling through his artwork. He’s Canadian — from Oakville, Ontario, to be exact.

And then there’s Retroscope, a small graphic arts company in Ottawa, Ontario that is specializing in vintage illustration. The shop is operated by two friends, Jean Gratton and Jérôme Estirac, and the pair share a common interest in old motorcycles — and other wheeled objects.

Most of Retroscope’s illustrations are inspired by period ads or posters, but the company redraws all of the graphic elements – including figures, logos and fonts – using Adobe Illustrator software.

Retroscope also enjoys producing “custom” creations, where a client provides their own images – of a latest motorcycle restoration, for example – and a concept for a one-off poster. In these instances, photo or document restoration (retouching, colouring, resizing) becomes an important part of the work.

“As a small company, we’re not interested in mass production,” said Gratton. “Our goal is to provide unique and high quality products to a demanding and knowledgeable crowd of connoisseurs. In turn our clients become our ambassadors.”

Both of the partners are interested in riding motorcycles, and they often take their Kawasaki W650s on long tours. Gratton just bought himself a 1973 Yamaha RD350 for $375 and is now at work on restoring the two-stroke machine. The Yamaha is cosmetically challenged, but Gratton intends to have it on the road this summer.

Cycle Canada, Amal Carbs and the artwork of Dermot Walshe

Writing the vintage column, New Old Stock, for Cycle Canada gives me an opportunity to delve into a number of different subjects.

My first piece ran in the January 2011 issue, and that was an introductory column. I simply offered up some background about myself, and how, at the age of nine, I got a Clinton-powered minibike. I have  been interested in motorcycles ever since.

But punk music (Husker Du, D.O.A. and SNFU) and skateboards took up much of my teenage years. Until I visited a fried who lived in Saskatoon. His dad had a garage full of machines, mostly Harley-Davidsons. I was drawn to the lone Triumph Bonneville, though, and this rekindled my interest in motorcycles. I had to have a British motorcycle. I schlepped dishes and earned enough to buy a 1971 Triumph TR6R, and used the machine to commute to work and to college. Since then, just about anything with two wheels and an engine has been of interest.

In the February 2011 issue of Cycle Canada I interviewed Mark Burnett of Burlen Fuel Systems in the UK, makers of SU and Amal carburetors. It’s encouraging to know that there’s enough of an old bike market out there for a company to reproduce classic instrument designs. Burnett said to me: “Given the current climate sales are encouraging. The market seems buoyant, however questions have to be raised as to the sustainability given the aging ownership. Our research shows a recent increase of younger owners/riders turning to classics – perhaps owning more modern machinery alongside. Globally, the classic bike market is still quite large and although fewer and fewer, old machines are still appearing in the back of dusty barns ripe for recomissioning. Who knows what is around the corner?”

And most recently, in the March 2011 issue I’ve interviewed vintage motorcycle illustrator Dermot Walshe. A fascinating creative talent is Walshe. We talked about the rapid pace of technology, and about speed. Walshe recommended reading The Vertigo Years by Phillip Blom. This book takes a detailed look at the years 1900 to 1914 and how quickly and severely society was shifting — from sexual mores to a fascination with speed. Good stuff.

Perhaps one of the most interesting/frightening sections in The Vertigo Years is Chapter 5: 1904 where Blom discusses Belgium’s King Leopold II and his systemic exploitation and mutilation of the Congo populace in his quest for rubber. And that thirst for rubber, according to Blom, was thanks to John Dunlop’s invention in 1884 of the pneumatic bicycle tire tube. Blom wrote: “Fitted with miraculously shock-absorbent rubber tyres, bicycles became a cultural phenomenon, a symbol for the young generation and its time, for speed, freedom and physical fitness.” Definitely a recommended read.

About himself and his own motorcycling career, Walshe said: “Certainly Vintage racing between 1989 and 1995 was a lot of fun…..some fast laps on Mosport and  drafting at Daytona in 1995 are high on the list……as well as touring Indonesia a bit on my scooter in 1993. The same year I was also loaned a bike in Japan on a job there and tried hard not to lose the view of my buddy’s helmet as he split lanes in  the congested turmoil of downtown Tokyo. I lost count of how many machines I bought, sold, rode or destroyed; probably over 50 including an 850 Norton commando , an 860GT Ducati….the 1950 Goldstar 500 and a BMW 1000 but the most fun to ride were the small ones. My SRX 600 was like a street Manx and was awesome around Mosport…..sliding 2 wheels and catching a freakishly good drive out of turn one and two on the CB 350 racer counts right up there too!
I love the vintage bikes for their sound and lively feedback……rode a GSXR1000 but the smooth hyperspace sensations don’t quite capture the romantic spirit of the iconic machine for me…….they’re more like 2-wheeled Jet-Skis but to each his/her own.
And, I don’t have any tattoos.
Best advice from a friend or mentor: Peter Sheppard ( North Bay ) ” you just have to ride your own race”.”

Pick up the March issue of Cycle Canada to read the column.

Walshe’s work featuring Stanley Woods in the 1922 Isle of Man TT.

And something else Walshe has drawn is an illustrated update on the old Tortoise and the Hare tale — this one featuring a frog who has all of the latest and greatest technology, including a racecar. He challenges Tortoise and Hare to a race, and the pair have to work together and learn to ride an outfit. Looks like fun reading.

Heartland’s Norton Commando — props to the CBC

There are not many television shows that feature an old motorcycle in some key scenes. But CBC’s Heartland does.

Here’s how the CBC describes the show: “Set against the stunning vistas of the Alberta Rocky Mountains, Heartland is a sprawling family drama that follows sisters Amy and Lou Fleming and their grandfather, Jack, through the highs and lows of life on a horse ranch.”

In Season 4, Episode 13, Amy and her boyfriend Ty (who owns the Norton) have hit a rough patch in their relationship. Ty (played by Graham Wardle) goes into a funk, and stops attending his veterinary classes at university. So, Jack comes along and tells him to get his act together. What’s great about some of these scenes is the fact that they include Ty reading my book, Prairie Dust, Motorcycles and a Typewriter.

Take a look at these screen grabs, and view the episode (the Norton is used throughout).

How did my book get onto Heartland? One of the prop masters, who happens to own a Norton Commando herself, read the script — which originally called for Ty to be reading a dirt bike magazine. Not likely, she said. If he was interested in Brit bikes, he’d be learning about J.B. Nicholson. She knew Nicholson herself, and back in the 1980s she’d visit him at Nicholson Bros. Motorcycles in Calgary. He sold her parts and gave her advice — and she became a big fan. So, after she read the Heartland script, she spoke up, and suggested they use my book as the prop. The CBC bought Prairie Dust, Motorcycles and a Typewriter, a copy of Modern Motorcycle Mechanics, and a Nicholson Bros. Motorcycles t-shirt.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation purchased Heartland’s Norton from Calgary’s TJ’s Cycles, a local wrecking and service shop.

Saying goodbye…

It’s official. After 10 years with Inside Motorcycles, I’ve left my post as columnist and book review editor. This is the final Western Perspectives column.  My thanks to editor John Hopkins and publisher David Weber for the many opportunities this position offered me. If ever I interviewed you for an Inside Motorcycles column — cheers. It was your story that was important, and I appreciate you sharing the details.

Column ran in Volume 12, Issue 8, December 2010/January 2011 issue of Inside Motorcycles.