Issue Four on its way to subscribers

If you're a subscriber, the mag's on its way to you, so you'll be getting it first. If you're in the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Africa and the rest of those faraway countries, it'll be with you in a week to ten days, if not less. Europe hopefully three days or so, UK, should have been there today. Sneak preview above.

Now then now then - RIP JImmy Saville

You'll probably have to be a Brit and a child in the 1970s to have known what a star Jimmy Saville was. Outlandish white hair, big cigar (those were the days when there was tobacco on kids' shows, let alone TV in general) and trademark treacle-thick Leeds-accented catchphrases 'now then now then', and 'clunk click every trip' an ad advocating seat belt use, Jimmy was a fascinating person. He claimed to have started the first disco in 1948, was pro wrestler, and of course start presenter on the best Top The Pops there were (in the early to mid '70s) and of course, the seminal Jim'll Fix It. Kids could write in askl for their dream to be made true. Me, or my brother, can't remember which, wrote in to ask if we could go to school on the back of a camel, but Jim never fixed it for us. He earned millions for charity with his marathon running, and there's a statue of him outside Stoke Mandeville Spinal Injuries Unit, where he was a hero. He was a bit odd (see Louis Theroux's great documentary on him) but everyone loved him, and he's ceratinly a cultural icon for middle-aged kids like me.

RIP Jimmy Saville

Issue Four is here - praise be!

Finally, Issue Four has arrived and the boxes are filling my living room floor. It's looking very nice.

Subscribers wil be getting theirs first - once I've spent time filling envelopes - I'll update soon on posting out times..

Issue contents are, briefly, as follows:


BAINES IMOLA ONE
Nick's Ducati is hard to fault, 
and John Baines tells the truth

LAM CHOP IS MINT
First scooter for the mag and it was time. Paolo's Li is a beast

MACHINE LE MANS
Matt's building some of the best bikes on the globe - Guzzis too

REGGIO EMILIA 2011
Must-see from our favourite
mostra scambio in Italy today

COSMO'S COBRA
Benelli kept afloat making bikes
like the Cobra Scrambler for the US

'31 ALFA ROMEO 8C
Built up from a chassis, this Alfa
is a beautiful red monster

STELVIO AND NORGE
Lovely 1200 8V motor is in both.
Is Guzzi on track after 90 years?

DUKE FLAT TRACKER
Simply stunning Ducati XR. We
think Peter Koren is a genius

MV AGUSTA 600 FOUR
Ugly or a beauty? A rare bike, still original and unmolested


MODIFIED MORINI
Julian's Sport is how he wants
it; fast and stops on a sixpence

SHED SOME LIGHT
More photos of bikes in Italy
in sheds going nowhere

We got ITALIAN MOTOR stickers

Got a limited run of stickers done - if you're a subscriber you'll be getting one in the envelope with Issue Four (unless they run out, hope I've done my maths ok), which I hope will be arriving today.

Sort of a sweetener for being so patient! 9 x 7cm, printed on sticky vinly so ideal for your greasy toolbox or stick'em on your bike - they won't come off in the rain!!

Ciao SuperSic

This is a brief snapshot of Coriano, the small Italian community in mourning for Marco Simoncelli who grew up there and gives a sense of the shock the place must be feeling. He probably hung out with the other kids on mopeds outside the bar in the town square when he was younger. It reminds me of the place I used to live in Italy. His death in such a brutal manner makes me realise that with all the glamour, sponsorship, logos, branding, dolly brollies, money and fame, MotoGP, or any motor racing particularly in the public eye can sometimes seem over-sanitised or bland - take Formula 1 as a good example - it takes a split second and just a bare minimum 1% of bad luck, and it can all mean nothing. My good friend Gyles died after a freak accident on his bike on a race track, and Simoncelli's death brings back images of grieving family and sadness.

But racers would never not want to race. Fact.

Can't believe it..

Just got in late and seen that Marco Simoncelli has been tragically killed at today's MotoGP race at Sepang. What a character he was, and what a fucking waste of a talent. RIP Marco Simoncelli

We fade to grey (and silver)

I had to go to a couple of shops this morning in our local small town centre, and when I returned to the car, I was stopped in my tracks by this sight of around 10 cars parked up in line - all silver, or a shade of grey (including my own).

How bland have things got? I used to own a maroon Triumph Vitesse convertible and an Escort van painted sky blue with a dark blue Starsky and Hutch stripe painted down each flank. My dad's Cortinas were metal flake lime green and brown with added vinyl roof decadence. Nowadays it seems that unless you buy a red Ferrari, it's 'any colour you like sir, as long as it's silver or grey'..

'32 Junior Sport

This fantastic unrestored bike might be JAP-engined, but apart from that it's made in Italy all the way. There's a fascinating story behind this bike and the marque, which was based in Livorno where I used to live. There'll be an article in the mag as soon as I get out there again to shoot it properly.

Living out someone else's dream

That was a lyric to a song that I now don't remember the title of, but I reckon Matt at Machine has this life thing sussed. Check out his beautiful Mk1 Le Mans special soon in Issue Four, and watch his film below for a taste of a good life.

MACHINE from matt machine on Vimeo.

Issue Four cover

It's on its way...

Chopworks Guzzi Chop

My brother Guy at Greasy Kulture magazine put me onto this one - built by Frankino at Chopworks, Italy - and the more I've looked at it the last few days, the more I like it. It's not easy to hardtail a Guzzi frame - shaft drive just doesn't facilitate it like chain drive - but in this case it's worked really well, and I respect anyone who gives it a go.

Pics via the great MotArt journal blog here

Band practice

Seen on DicE blog, from Cycle Zombies blog

Bye Bye Bert Jansch

One of my favourite guitarists, Bert Jansch, died yesterday. He was truly unique (ask Jimmy Page why) and I was fortunate to have seen him play live twice. He alone has made me play more acoustic than electric guitar over the last few years. See why here: