I recently installed a flashing LED system on two of my bikes. The system automatically senses the bike’s deceleration, and flashes a series of LED lights to warn following drivers that you are slowing or stopping. The manufacturer of this product, Vololights, has as their motto: “MAKE OTHER DRIVERS BETTER DRIVERS”.

Being rear-ended ...

For most every human interest or endeavor, there is a “Mecca”, representing the ultimate pinnacle of that interest.  For climbers, it is Everest;  for pilots, Oshkosh; for adventure travelers, there’s Machu Picchu; for surfers, it’s Oahu’s North Shore; and for bikers, it’s.. well.. Sturgis.

For some 75 years now, motorcyclists have converged every August for a week-long celebration in the little town of Sturgis, South Dakota (pop. 8,000).  My own infatuation with motorcycles was rekindled about 5 years ago after a 20 year hiatus.  My “collection” has grown from a humble 70’s BMW airhead, to include a Norton Commando, 1980 Honda CBX 6 cylinder, and most recently, a new Indian Chief Vintage.

Wh...

Some people find pleasure in a beautiful flower, or tasty dish of food. While I too can appreciate those things of beauty, it is mechanical objects that seem to most attract me.

Ever since I was a kid I would take great delight in disassembling some object to see what worked inside and then (sometimes successfully) reassemble it!

I do especially like the idea of turning a hunk of raw material into an object of usefulness and/or beauty.

Thus you can imagine our excitement when my shopmate Doug and I recently acquired a huge metal milling machine for our automotive shop. Although we are both retired, and the shop is a hobby for us, this monster is no hobby machine, but a serious tool for fabricating just about anything of metal.

Recently, I had been thinking about adding a steering column-mounted switch to control the overdrive kickdown function (a.k.a. “passing gear”) on my 1951 Hudson Hornet Club Coupe.

The original method of “downshifting” out of the overdrive or 4th gear mode is to press the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor, activating a switch there.  This works great, but there are times you would like to ease into the lower gear without going to full throttle, so an auxiliary switch mounted at fingertip seemed the way to go.

My Hornet is in pristine, original condition, and the last thing I wanted to do was bore a hole in that beautiful dash for a switch.  Nor did I want to alter anything on the steering column that might contrast with originality, or leave permanent scars.

The Hudson steering column itself is a thing of beauty… all constructed of chrome or polished stainless steel.  To match that motif, the solution I chose was to fabricate a switch housing from a solid block of aluminum, and attach it to the back side of the existing turn signal switch housing.

The project began by slicing a disk of solid aluminum off a 2″ diameter aluminum rod I had laying around our 1930’s vintage Atlas lathe:

The next step was to use the milling machine to cut a recess in the back side of the disk as a pocket to mount the switch (which I sourced as a momentary spring loaded starter switch).  Additionally, the milling machine was used to shape the outer diameter of the (no longer) disk to match the contours of the steering column (the image below shows the switch already mounted in the housing, and the housing already mounted to the back side of the turn signal housing):

Finally a cover plate was fabricated of aluminum, and holes drilled and tapped in the housing to attach it:

Of course, prior to final assembly, the complete piece went through the standard polishing routine:  grinding, sanding, and multi-stage polishing to achieve a mirror shine.

Here is the final result:

Of course, just physically installing the switch is only part of the task.  In order to make this switch function in cooperation with the existing overdrive solenoids and relays, a few modifications were necessary to the wiring, including adding two additional relays to complete the task.

For the true gearheads amongst you, I created a documentation of the complete process, including wiring diagram showing the necessary changes, which can be viewed from the link below:

Installing a Steering Column or Dash mounted kickdown switch

Let’s face it, August is hot as hell in Texas. No person in their right mind would venture out of air conditioned comfort mid-day in Austin heat. No person, that is, unless it is a bunch of stir crazy bikers. Sometimes the lure of the road and the camaraderie of good friends of like mind trumps any concerns about weather or inhuman temperatures.

Thus it was that four friends, Phil Auldridge, Ben Schotz, Corey, and Nathan Gibson, with his friend Suzie as chief navigator, struck off near mid-day on a recent summer day for a little adventure ride down Hill Country back roads for lunch and back.

The group’s steeds ran the gamut: Vintage Norton, BMW airhead, Harley road bike, and a Yamaha V-twin. Never mind, the language of biking is universal, regardless of the make and model you are on.

For those of you who find yourselves transportation-challenged and constrained to 4 wheel vehicles, we offer our condolences, as well as this brief video to provide a few vicarious thrills from the road!

Our good friends at Petrolicious.com have created a new feature called “Market Finds” that focuses on special and unusual cars for sale.  Under the shameless commercialism department, it just so happens that your editor had recently decided to sell his 1972 BMW 3.0CS coupe.  To our surprise, Petrolicious has chosen that vehicle as its first “Market Find” feature.

This car made its way t...

Environmental consultant, and Lake Travis resident, Dean Mericas has always been a car guy.  His garage has proudly displayed his beautiful Triumph TR4 roadster and Alfa Romeo GTV coupe for well over a decade.  But recently, Dean’s desire to relive a cherished part of his childhood, reached fruition with his successful search for a 1963 Jaguar MK II Saloon.

It se...

The societal needs of the early 20th century spawned a new profession: itinerant “tinker”. A tinker would travel from town to town, usually by horse and carriage, offering to repair pots and pans of local residents. Frequently tinkers relied on the generosity of their customers to provide a meal and perhaps overnight accommodations as they practiced their craft across the country.

Barney Gayl...

There are times, when in the cosmic scheme of things,  two seemingly disparate situations intersect in an unsuspecting way, creating a favorable end result.

Such was the case in our household recently:

SITUATION 1: Ever since Polaris gained ownership of the Indian Motorcycle legacy and introduced the first truly new Indian in decades (2014), I have been fascinated by the look and construction quality of the new Indian Vintage. Mind you, as I find myself well into my second motorcycle childhood, owning or riding a bike weighing north of 800 lbs has not been on my prime bucket list. Not, that is, until my buddy Bill Hayes literally forced me to visit the new Indian dealership in Round Rock (www.dreamMachinesIndian.com ).  Just seeing these beautiful machines in the flesh, and actually sitting on one, convinced me that 800 lbs maybe isn’t all that much after all.  The cushy natural leather seat sits deep within the unique cast aluminum frame, situating the rider in a very stable, low center of gravity position.

SITUA...

No! Don’t tell me you missed the greatest motorcycle exhibition in Austin for the SECOND YEAR?

The Handbuilt Motorcycle Show has been staged for the past 2 years on 5th Street in East Austin, in conjunction with the MotoGP Motorcycle Grand Prix event at the COTA racetrack.  No, this is not your typical “chopper” display.  This show (FREE by the way) features the cream-of-the-crop handbuilt cycle examples from top shops around the country, as well as a wonderful group of antique and classic bikes.

But, don’t worry,...

Let’s face it: April is always car-guy month in Central Texas. And this April is no exception.

Here is a partial lineup:

MotoGP at Circuit of the Americas

Watch the world’s fastest bikes (up to 200 mph!) right in our own back yard!  Friday, Saturday, Sunday April 10-12.  General Admission Tickets as low as $59.  Even if you are not a biker, you’ll enjoy the sights and sounds of this international event!  Additional features:  Cheap Trick performs post race on Sunday; Aerobatic Demonstration, Trials Demo, Street Freestyle Demo, and a display of Evel Knievel photographs.  Don’t Miss It!

Handbuilt Motorcycle Show

See some of the nation’s most spectacular handbuilt and vintage bikes on display in East Austin.  This event is FREE and is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday April 10-12.  1100 East 5th Street, Austin, TX 78702

In addition to these mouth-watering fantastic bikes, a number of artists print and media works will be on display, including the national tour of the Oil & Ink Motorbike Print Expo (a few examples below):

Austin Alfa Romeo Club Spring Bluebonnet Tour

Club member Dean Mericas always comes up with an outstanding and organized driving tour, and this year will be no exception.  Saturday, April 11.  Along with an enviable assortment of classic Alfas, there are always a number of other interesting cars on the tour.  And the always-inclusive Austin Alfa group heartily welcomes any car enthusiast, regardless of marque.  Come on out and join this fun drive.  Click on the image above for full details on the Austin Alfas website.

14th Annual Lonestar Rod & Kustom Round Up

What good is a Texas event if there can’t be at least one “K” in the description (Koffee Kup, Kuntry Kitchen.. you know the drill!)?

Hot rodders and custom car and bike owners come from literally all over the world to participate in this growing event (last year I met a couple from Australia who had shipped their 1951 shoebox Ford to California and then drove it to Austin!).

Ground central for this event, held on the weekend of April 17-18, is the Austin Fairgrounds, but the “main” show is frequently eclipsed by other connected events, such as the all night long vehicle cruise down South Congress on Friday and Saturday nights.  Arrive on Congress early, grab a ‘Rita at Guero’s, then set up your chair right on the sidewalk to view some of the most beautiful and outrageous vehicles on the planet.

And, for you true gearheads out there, you don’t want to miss the Round Up Garage Crawl, which will visit a number of hidden yet spectacular garage shops in the area:

Round Up Garage Crawl
6:30 AM to 12:00 PM
(A free event) Meet at “Gordo’s Tortas” located at 9601 Hwy 290 West in Austin. Depart at 7:30 sharp for the first stop. There are 4-6 stops. After the last stop there will be a caravan to Dell Children’s Hospital, then on to the show grounds.

Cars and Coffee – The Oasis April 12

This informal gathering of automotive enthusiasts just keeps getting bigger every month (always on the 2nd Sunday).  Held now in the parking lot of the Oasis on Lake Travis, you will want to get there well before the opening bell (10 AM – 1 PM) to get a good parking spot for your garage queen.  There is always something new to see.  Come on out and join the group.

Austin Auto Dealers Show April 24-26

Austin Convention Center is the place, Friday – Sunday, April 24-26 are the dates.  All the new cars will be on display, as well as a number of top notch classics.  A good place to keep abreast of everything new and exciting on the automotive scene.