Retro-Rockers Nostalgic Chopper Group

These guys are an awesome bunch that restore and ride old school choppers & bobbers from the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s using engines larger than 500cc. Their main base is called "chopper central" and is located in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Check out their website at www.retro-rockers.co.nz

cityfitness - new plymouth gym news

I went to City Fitness in New Plymouth today. 2 out of the 3 drink fountains were out of order and there was a sign saying it would be 2 weeks before they would be fixed! WTF!!!

Is business that bad that it takes 2 weeks to fix a fountain?

Once again it proves what a slack ass organisation this place is. I know it's only drinking fountains but if you're charging $18 for a casual session at least have the basics working properly.

City Fitness is a scam with weight equipment from the 1980's still being passed off as "state of the art!"

Unfortunately I'm locked into a 2 year contract which runs out in 2 months which can't come soon enough. Why did I join for a 2 year deal? I got sucked in by the then managers bullshit about how great the gym was going to be as they offered everyone from my old gym "special deals" because our gym was closing down and city fitness was not up and running at that stage. It was crap then crap now and crap going forward into the future.

Dominic who owns it is a complete toss pot.

cheers

The Hubless Chopper

I have no idea how it works but it sure looks CRAZY!!!



Here's a video of it on youtube.

XT600 XT 600 hardtail chopper

I came across this today, it's a XT600 chopper and yet another from Brazil.

Check the long springer front end and the overall length of the bike is unreal.



To think that this bikes motor etc started life out like the bike in the video below.



Give me a chopper anyday

Choppers in Brazil

What is it about Brazilians and there chopping up of motorcycles?

That do some awesome jobs especially cutting up the old school cb honda's as such. Youtube is full of there crazy get up builds and I must say they do awesome work with what looks like limited budgets.

Here are a few classic chopper/bobbers I have seen on youtube lately.

Here's what looks like a 400cc twin Honda (could even be a 250cc???)



and more...



Check out this cb400 build, the swing arm is crazy!!!

CHiPs Kawasaki Police Specials in New Zealand

Here is a picture of a guy called Mike who owns a classic 2001 Kawasaki Police Special. He imported the bike directly from the USA in 2007 along with the uniform he is seen wearing. The bike and uniform are both from the Ventura County Sheriff's Dept. You may see this bike around New Zealand at an American Car and/or Bike show if you're lucky enough.

Below is also a classic example of an early Kawasaki Police Special and it's currently listed on Trade Me. It is a 1982 1000cc Kawasaki Police Special and was retired from the force 20 years ago and is probably the only one of three Kawasaki Police Specials in New Zealand that I know of.



This bike is discribed as "Great to ride ,with great low speed control . Which is why the Police loved them. Been in storage 20 years ., Has brand new battery runs great . Sold with all the paper work to put it on the road, including new Brake cert. only 50,500 miles on the clock Police serviced its whole life." So grab yourself a piece of history today - Kawasaki Police Special

It truely is a collectors piece and a prime example of an Early Americian Police bike reministant of the CHiPs era although it is slighlt different to the actual Kawasaki Police specials used in the TV Show. The bikes pictured above are the P series where the CHiPs Kawasaki's were the C series bikes which were earlier released models and had the oval windshield rather than the later model's fiberglass fairing. (see below)Although the CHiPs TV Show ran from 1977-1983they stuck with the C Series throughout.



I came across this video on youtube of some Japanese CHiPs fans. They are club members dressed up as Jon,Ponch and Grossman "patrolling" the highways of Japan.

cb250t project bobber cb250 chopper

I came across this yesterday. It's a cb250t project bobber chopper. Looks pretty cool for a 250cc bike



It's had added to it the following things

Peanut tank
Old chrome twisted 8" or 9" hardtail struts
single seat with springs
sissybar
added a wider back tire - 130
highway bar which has the neccessary parts to have forward controls but i need to sort out linkage
chrome headlight from an old xs400
chrome headlight brackets
17 inch apes
turn out short mufflers
pod filters
side mounted number plate
and mini indicators



It's on a New Zealand forum called Rattlers, here's the link cb250t project bobber chopper - cb250t chopper cb 250t bobber

The Rattlers website is a great New Zealand website dedicated to old school style choppers and bobbers.

*RETRO 70's-80's CLASSICS * SKELLERUP ALL STARS

These are New Zealand classics and very rare and hard to find especially in as good condition. These fantastic shoes are from the same era as the classic Bata Bullets, these shoes are a must for anyone who loves the classic eras of the 70's and 80's and for those who love to wear clothes and outfits from that mega cool time. Stubbies with Skellerup All Stars - s classic combination!

Remember Tennis Great Chris Lewis and even 80's icon Russel Simpson. Nearly every kid from this era had or wanted a pair of these shoes.



There is a pair on Trade Me at the moment http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=210363912 and should be snapped up in the flash. How about a classic Beige Brigade cricket outfit with Skellerup All Stars to finish it off, now that's Old School Sheik!

Lance Cairns - New Zealand Cricket Great

Bernard Lance Cairns was born on 10/10/49 in Picton, New Zealan and is the former all-rounder great who played for both the New Zealand Test cricket team and One day cricket team between 1974 and 1985. He also is the father of another great New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns.

He was also known for the unusual bat he wielded throughout much of his outstanding career. His bat was known as "Excalibur", the shoulders of the bat were planed down to form a conical rather than rectangular shape and resemble a club. It was heavy and when he connected with the ball, the ball was never seen again as it was hit out of the ground.

Cairns was also a swing bowler with a very unorthodox 'front on' action. He took 130 Test Match wickets and a further 89 ODI wickets. He even took ten wickets in New Zealand's first ever win on English soil, at Headingley in 1983.

Lance Cairns is one of the great figures of New zealand cricket, he is famous for his innings in Australia where he hit 6 sixes in 10 balls - see here Lance Cairns 6 sixes Beige Brigade

Do you remember when Lance Cairns hit 6 sixes in 10 balls?

Enjoy...

Part 1



Part 2



I've been watching the latest Chappell/Hadlee series between New Zealand and Australia and I remembered that great innings in the early 80's by Lance Carins. I went looking for the video of it and found it on youtube.

It was a classic era for cricket, one day cricket back then was regarded then as the 20/20 version is today. The birth of those classic one day uniforms. The beige and brown of New Zealand, the green and gold of Australia. Who'll ever forget the underarm?



Anyway, back to the story at hand...

After a rain affected 1st Final in Sydney, NZ went to Melbourne down one-nil in a best of three final series. Hadlee was injured and did not play the finals and NZ really missed him.

Now comes the story of Lance Carins, NZ had collapsed to be 44-6, chasing Australia's huge score of 302-8. Dennis Lillee had just waved off New Zealand's last recognised batsman and awaited the arrival and "easy scalp" of Cairns.

Lillee's first ball was an all out bouncer that hit Cairns square on the helmet, you can clealy hear the impact on the video. Cairns just laughed and ran through for a leg bye. When his turn came to face, his response was to hit 2 sixes in 3 balls off Ken MacLeay, before hitting 2 consecutive sixes off Rodney Hogg the following over, and in the next over, doing the same to Lillee. The crowd went wild, everyone in NZ watching on TV couldn't believe what they were seeing and have never forgotten it! The highlight was undoubtedly The one-handed shot off Lillee, which soared over the fine leg fence for 6. Cairns' dismissal was an anti-climax; out for 52, offering a simple catch to Steve Smith at cover off the bowling of Geoff Lawson.

New Zealand of course lost the match by 149 runs and the Finals series 2-0, but Lance Cairns became a New Zealand icon and legend for life.

City Fitness Gym New Plymouth New Zealand

I would like to share my experience with being a member of the City Fitness Gym and Health Center in New Plymouth, NZ - IT SUCKS! Firstly when I signed up to join this gym, I was told that I wouldn't be disappointed with the equipment and that there would be enough weight for everyone. The promotional material said no waiting times for equipment and that the equipment was brand new.

What I found was that a lot of the equipment was not new and was old and even some machines had paint brush strokes still showing from where they had been touched up! The weight area was small and cramped and there was a lot of waiting to use stuff. There wasn't enough weights and some of the machines were so old that they should have been in a museum.

When signing up, the staff are really friendly and accommodating and will tell you anything to get you to sign up. Once you are signed up, it all changes. No help unless you pay extra for personal trainers. I'm fortunate that i don't need help but every now and then it would be good to get a "spot" but I either wouldn't trust anyone there to help or people working there are too busy talking amongst themselves at the counter to help. I see so many people there doing things wrong but no one there seems to give a shit unless you pay them extra dollars for help. Most of the trainers there have no idea what they're doing and the worse one of all, a guy named Simon, steals peoples equipment from them so that his clients can have it to use. People go for a drink and bang! this dickhead called Simon takes their bench, weights or whatever else he needs. What a asshole!

The guy that owns it is called Dominic and he's a real jerk! He'll reprimand his staff in front of members and he thinks he's the greatest thing out in the fitness industry.

anyway I recommend anyone contemplating joining this gym to consider very carefully their options and to not sign on for anything longer than a year.