bikes - Gary King "Retro4"

I tend to got to a few car shows around town. and sometimes there's a car or bike there just just grabs my eye. a while back at the hotrod show i saw this rather cool custom bike that is mainly a Honda CB750 but with a hardtail frame. now i think this was just the right mix of parts and paint that would catch any custom guys eye, and a few people did notice it (it even had a write up in a bike mag displayed)
in short it has..
- unknown hardtail frame
- cb750 K6 engine bored to 810cc
- 4in overs on front forks
- harley sportster tank
- custom SS drag bars plus other parts from the US.
all together creates a very cool looking bike!

i think i'll be adding some more of what i've seen around town, just to keep this blog rollin along ;)

oh and i am having troubles trying to post replies (strange that i cant comment on my own friggan blog!)
if it cant be fixed i will change to wordpress!!!!

new lens!

As i have previously stated i needed better lenses for my camera. namely for motorsports, as i really hit the wall of sharpness with the kit lens. which is what they want of course! all good for the real amateur photog who doesn't need any sharp detail if all they shoot are friends and the pet doggy! but after a while when you push your abilities beyond the mainstream FB pics, you'll start to notice you cant get there on kit alone. you NEED to upgrade! and although i moan about my need for new glass i cant really whinge when i then go buy a car (or two!). so to let my camera know that i DO lurve it (and the fact our dollar is basically = to the US) i went online and looked around for a basic mid range tele lens. nothing too big (or $$$) but something that i can take to an event and still be able to get a decent pic. My budget is $0 so all the good f2.8 stuff was really out of the question. so i ended up getting a 50-200mm f4.5-5.6 pentax smc DA, not even the DA* as that is pricey, just the normal spec digi lens. but i can tell ye (yes, i meant YE!) that is a step in the right direction! i went to a country fair on the Saturday and got some decent shots with it..Hmmm promising!

 

   

so on Sunday i had the First round of our local drift comp at Barbagello raceway, this better work i thought!!
of course i forgot to reset the WB from last nights shots above and wondered wtf i had done??!?!! after a few shots i came to realize and quickly changed that (but i did miss a couple of shots). then i had to get 'in the zone' for speed shots, that also took a bit, and get used to this lens. but i think in the end i have indeed gone up in sharpness and quality!
 now, what next?... another lens or a car.....Hmmmmmm ..

 

 

                                                               This is my fave!!!  

 

also i started another Flickr acct just for my race/car photos.

where to now #2

Ok, so to add to the last episode of my backyard being full of cars. i Finally picked up the other half of the Reliants! this one was on a property about 40mins east of Perth in Gidgeegannup. so i grabbed the dodge and hired a trailer (i should buy one soon!!) and went to get it.
  I wasn't expecting it to be anywhere near the condition of the Kitten, but beside the very dusty exterior and very used interior, the body isn't that bad! yeah it needs a small repair on the left front, but being f'glass that wont be a problem. and i'm sure you can get door rubbers and other seals from a rubber store (very generic stuff really, any good car shop/restorers should have them).
 And seeing it's a runner (was used as a daily) all the rest is just easy to do, although the fuel tank may need to be changed. but as i just re-did the one in the kitten i think i'll just grab one from a jap wreck and  use that.

 700cc all alloy engine, they came from the factory with a 650 but you could (after running around for a while) return it and get the 'upgrade' bigger 700 motor as this one did!

in the boot is a pair of what looks like mini moke wide rims! but being 10in they'll go on the kitten as this car has 12in rims!!! wow sporty as!

I intend to keep this one stock as, just a tidy up, replace seal/rubbers etc and paint. so different to the Kitten in body shape.
This one will have to wait a while to get worked on. as after the kitten i really need to get the skyline fixed and the Dodge tuned then maybe the VW. then,  this will be next........................maybe ;)

where to now??

well, i haven't updated this for a while. probably because i work long hours and leave no time for photography! just a lot of sleep. i have since bought a new camera, a Pentax K-7. i had to wait till it came down in price as i seem to spend most of my income on cars (more in a min). so now i have got the main part of a good set-up, i now need to get myself some proper glass. first up i think will have to be a 10-20 lens as with most of my auto shots a need to get the whole car in without standing in other people's way (or hitting the car next to it). then maybe a good mid-range lens. maybe an 85mm prime, for the odd portrait shoot. then a damn good sport lens for the action stuff. recently i went to the superkhana as a photographer rather than an entrant (car broke). and with some amazing cars i thought i could get some decent shots with K-7 and the kit 18-55 lens.

  Unfortunately that didnt work out real well..

Although the pics look ok, there is still no detail, and definatley a lack of sharpness when enlarged or cropped. not impressed at all!!!!
so i think the only way to fix this is with proper glass. something that will take a bit of money!!


but that may be a problem....see.... i have this thing about cars. I've literally owned about 63 cars (most not running) and i tend to get a car and rush into it for a while...then... Nothing! i have a small attention span when i dont have the tools or knowledge to get things done. and i cant afford to take them to a 'Pro' to be fixed, so i either leave them in the yard or sell them unfinished. which then get me agitated that i haven't done anything to them and i end up getting another one!
  Case in point, right now i have 3 CA bedfords in my backyard. 2 campers and 1 ex postie van. now when i got the postie van i had grand plans on doing it up rat style. but then the 'ol bloke i got it off said there was another one i should look at. and of course i did!! 2 campers in some guys yard and would only sell me the good one IF i took the crap one too.so... of course i did. now i must admit i did a fair bit of work on the good camper. pulled it apart and welded a new rear lower valance panel with a step in it, fixed the front radiator support panel (after the sandblaster ran over it with his fork!!) and resprayed it in marine paint (better for outdoors).
of course when it came time to re-do the fibreglass roof and canvas, i left it and lost interest (plus i moved) and since then i moved again and it has just sat in the back with the others :(
The 'others' are, a '58 VW volksrod, 70 Dodge Phoenix, 88 skyline coupe, so i have 7 cars IN MY BACKYARD!!! oh...did i mention the '56 Bedford SB bus at a local truck park??  oh and of course the latest purchase.. a 76 Reliant Kitten.. i kid you not!  never even heard of these things! a relative to the often maligned Robin 3 wheeler these little 4wheeled all fibreglass cars are popular in the UK..and some-one imported 2 of them into Australia. i got the crappy one of course. and i also got a 67 Reliant Rebel for even less then the kitten!...why you ask? well i did bid on them thru E-blah but then decided not to continue. unfortunatly neither did anyone else, and i won them! damn. i pick that one up next weekend. At the moment i will just get them up and running, maybe with club rego and return to fixing the others.
i think i NEED to win lotto!!!

kitten----

bedford bus---

Dodge Phoenix---

VW-----

Skyline----

CA bedford postie van---

CA campers---