100 %^
NEWS
10 | 100% Biker | issue 250 | http://www.100-biker.co.uk
INDIAN TAKEAWAY
You know how it is, you’re in the
middle of a road trip and you
suddenly get hungry. Not, “I’ll just
stop for a packet of crisps or a
Kit-Kat” hungry, but proper man
(or woman) hungry. The answer
could be in the latest build
from Thor Drake at See See
Motorcycles in Portland, Oregon
which combines a custom-built
Indian Springfield Darkhorse
with a Traeger Ironwood 885 wood-
fired barbecue. It is, as Indian Motorcycle
says, ‘the machine nobody asked for, but we
all needed’. Quite.
If you’re travelling with friends, then you
will certain to be quite popular with this
combination because the barbecue is capable
of cooking ten whole chickens at the same
time or seven racks of ribs. The Traeger is
forged from commercial-grade stainless steel
and boasts a number of high-tech features,
including a digital controller that controls
ignition, preheat settings and temps, doubleside-wall insulation, and Wi-Fi connectivity
(snappily dubbed WiFIRE). Why
does a barbecue need Wi-Fi (it
was the first question we
asked)? Well, so you can
monitor your food from a
smartphone. Cooking by
app—whatever next?
However, our second
question was, where do
you keep ten chickens or
seven racks of ribs? The sidecar doesn’t
appear to have any storage space, let alone
of a refrigerated nature. Perhaps the idea if
that you are supposed to spot a tasty bit of
roadkill and toss it on the grill, although we’re
not convinced about the nutritious benefits
of squashed squirrel or crow. Even if you are
adventurous enough to scoop something up
off the road, where do you carry the wood
pellets which fuel the grill? We also want to
know whether you can fire up the barbecue
when you’re on the move, thus both cooking
your tea and keeping warm while on the road.GETTING MARK BACK
TO WORK
You will remember that last year we
featured a Suzuki Bandit 600 (‘Win This
Bandit’, 100% Biker #237) which had been
restored by the remarkable Mark Hancock,
an ex-Royal Navy submariner who lost both
his legs through illness. Mark now restores
motorcycles for free for the Let’s Do veteran
support charity, something which he finds
both physically and mentally helpful.
However, last month, some lowlife—
politeness forbids us from saying exactly
what we would like—broke into Mark’s
shed and stole all his tools. It could
have meant the end of Mark’s building
career but his many friends decided that
wasn’t to be and people have risen to the
challenge. A friend contacted Fowlers
of Bristol to ask whether the motorcycle
dealership had any spare tools to replace
those stolen. Fowlers director, Stephanie
Fowler, says; “Because all the tools in our
workshop are specific requirements of
the manufacturers, Chris Wellington, our
Service Manager simply suggested, ‘Let’s
buy him a whole new tool kit’...”
Mark was presented with the 300-piece
tool chest by Sara Gubb, Fowlers’
Customer Relationship Manager, at Bristol
Bike Night’s monthly meeting on Friday
2nd August. Mark says: “I had about £
worth of tools stolen, including power tools
and a bike belonging to a girl I’d built in
remembrance of her brother who’d passed.
I had taken two years to build it and was
about two weeks from completion. These
tools mean everything to me, it tells me
that there are still good people out there”.
But Fowlers was not the only organisation
to rally around. Bells Tools donated a £
voucher; The Veterans Forge, which teaches
veterans blacksmithing, collected together
tools for Mark and, as soon as he heard
of the break in, Larry Houghton of Lamb
Engineering sent what Mark describes as
a “wonderful parcel of tools”. Thank you
to everyone who has not only ensured
that Mark can continue his work for http://www.
letsdoevents.info, but has helped to restore
his faith in people.FIVE WAYS TO SPRAY
If you’re thinking about buying an airbrush, then there can be a bewildering amount of
equipment on offer. Without knowing exactly what you need for your particular experience
and requirements, you can end up making expensive and dispiriting mistakes. We suggest
that you speak to our friends at The Airbrush Company who have a wealth of knowledge and
can give you advice tailored specifically to you.
But, before you pick up the phone, you can also find some extremely useful information
which The Airbrush Company has just added to its website. Iwata is one of the best-known
names in the airbrushing world and has been designing and creating airbrushes, compressors
and accessories for over thirty-five years. As the UK distributors of Iwata products, The
Airbrush Company has now made available online Iwata’s 5 Ways To Spray which is aimed at
ensuring that artists pick the airbrush that is right for them.
The Airbrush Company now classifies its ’brushes into five categories so you can find the perfect
Iwata tool for your project. Airbrush models have been sorted into five colour-coded categories
based on spray performance
and scale, which concentrate on
spray pattern, series and size of
pattern, all designed to help you
with your choice. You can find
the guide at airbrushes.com/
iwata.php, but you will also find
a huge amount of other useful
information on the website,
from choosing a compressor
to what to avoid, which is
invaluable to complete novices
and professionals alike. And,
of course, you can always give
them a call on 01903 767800.