Chips at Great Slave Lake

Finally put some miles on my Chippewas during a recent trip to Yellowknife.

They are the Black Whirlwind Plain Toe Wedge, minus the wedge.  I chose the Christy sole to soothe my joints, which are worn from ten years of treeplanting, but couldn't get used to it.  There is too much contrast between the white sole and black chrome upper.

So, I resoled them with the Vibram Gumlite Stockbridge soles.  The original soles were a pain to pull off (nothing wrong with glued soles if they're lite ones!) but I am very satisfied with the results:  just as cooshy and way better looking.  I know Chippewa offers this sole on some of their Apache lace-ups, but those uppers just aren't as inspiring...

The dust is actually ash from all the forest fires up there in the Northwest Territories.

Same shit, different frame...

Custom Bike in a Crate

I got a crate of parts shipped from "back out East" - basically stuff that was pulled from the Honda and/or waiting to go on the Harley.  There is also a Duro HF308, which in my opinion is really the only cool, period-correct 18" available.  I should pick up a 19" Speedmaster for the front soon.

The usual suspects include a Wassell tank and fender, Giuliari p-pad, Dixie Seat, Doherty style levers, Flanders (maybe?) risers, Magura grips, drag bars.  I think I'll run the chrome Cycle Standard fender and keep the Wassell for the Harley frame, though.

Rusholme Park Crescent in Toronto is now Turner Street in Vancouver, and the CB450 and Harley projects have been left in Ontario, at least for the time being.

A '73 Triumph Daytona will be the next project, and it will receive a facelift similar to the Honda's (likely borrowing some of the Honda's parts):  Wassell tank and fender, solo seat and p-pad, and probably drag bars and dog bones.  I might eventually retrofit it with an SLS brake plate, and maybe even get around to some flames.  Or maybe I'll just leave it in pieces to clutter up the apartment for a few years.

It runs, but I have an oil control problem on the right cylinder.  Hopefully it's just a stuck ring that will free up.

Did a quick and dirty mock-up of the new project, wood blocks and all.  Right now I have a narrow-glide front end on there with a Honda drum.  By chance I had a Harley axle that was turned down to 15mm at some point; I need a sleeve for one end of the axle to run the Honda drum properly, while waiting for the wide-glide Moto Guzzi setup.  The tins are Wassell and the bars are narrowed Flanders knock-offs.  The rear wheel is a Honda - just on there to make it roll.

I need a rear drum (preferably mechanical) and a sissy bar to make it a proper roller.  Let me know if you can help!