Chris Finlayson
Greetings,I have a small shop in the Appalachian Mountains of the US specializing in vintage Japanese motorcycles. When I travel I like to visit other shops like mine to see how things are done in other countries and exchange info and ideas. I have an extensive collection of factory service manuals for these machines in PDF format and I have a pocket full of thumb drives with copies of all my manuals to give to the shops I visit. I will be very grateful for leads to shops, collectors, clubs that share my interests - and if there are any motorcycle races in Bali in the next couple of months, I would like to attend them.Thank you,Chris FinlaysonExistential MotorcyclesAlexander, North Carolina USA
dav733
Hi chris.I think there are a few in Sanur denpasar..will checkout and se what i can find..let you knowDave
Chris Finlayson
Dave,Suksma! Are you interested in these motorcycles yourself? I'm attaching a few pix of my shop and bikes. I've got lots more to share with anyone who is interested.Chris
dav733
Dave,Suksma! Are you interested in these motorcycles yourself? I'm attaching a few pix of my shop and bikes. I've got lots more to share with anyone who is interested.Chris[/QUOTE]Hi .yes i am and have some beauts here in Sanur etc..I want to retire if i can here and as i have always been into classic and restoring cars..porsche.healey.triumph etc..here i would like to restore 100cc to 150 honda or similar ...i had a honda 250 gullwing and then a cbf 750 f..years ago..your pics are fantastic...just the style of bike i like these days and perfect for bali...saw a ripper at pantai sindhu few days ago..should have got picture..if i see any nice ones will send pics..Cheers Dave
Chris Finlayson
Dave,I am here for a couple of months. I am based at a homestay in Lovina and am making multi-day exploratory/scouting expeditions all over the island. If it's convenient, I would like to visit you and your bikes. I bought a bunch of 16 GB USB drives and put my entire collection of electronic factory manuals and other tech info on them to give to the shops and people I visit - nearly 14GB total - a couple hundred manuals, etc. Say the word and one is yours. If you would like to continue our correspondence, perhaps we can switch to direct email. chris@existentialmotorcycles,com is mine.I'll attach a few more pix of my bikes and others that I have worked on - all Hondas in this batch.Chris
JohnnyCool
Hi ChrisI am not aware of any motorbike [B]clubs[/B] in Sanur aimed at vintage Japanese bikes.However, I know three places here that have a variety of old vehicles (and bikes), but the bikes tend to be Harleys-focussed.I would suggest visiting them and asking for info. Might help.[B]Not[/B] in any particular order:[LIST="1"][*]The Man Shed (Jl.Tirtanadi)[*]Sanur Garage (near Intaran market)[*]The Clubhouse (a bit hard to find but a great place if you manage). In a small backlane not far behind Sanur Hardys, but there are other routes to get there. IMHO, worth the effort.[/LIST]Every now and then, you see groups of Vespa riders doing their thing, but Vespa's are originally Italian.I had a laugh when you asked "...and if there are any motorcycle races in Bali in the next couple of months, I would like to attend them..."?From my perspective, they're sort of every day and night of the week, but not "official" (perish the thought).I don't ride motorcycles anymore these days, (especially here). Back in the mid 1970s, I rented a 250cc Kwakker (Yamaha). In those days it seemed like one of the biggest bikes around. I rode around the whole of Bali in sort of one day (a few stops here and there). That was when the "roads' were even worse than now.I have a close Australian friend, a retired electrical engineer, who is passionate about finding old bikes and restoring them (cars, too). If he couldn't find a specific part, he'd make it himself. A couple of years ago, he rode an Indian BSA from North India to Nepal, on to Tibet and all the way down through China to the coast, and survived. The next year he rode another bike from Peru, the Amazon, etc.[ATTACH type="full" alt="3252"]3252[/ATTACH]He's rebuilt all kinds of old bikes like BMWs, Ducati's, Triumphs, classic Honda's, etc.I can imagine the both of you would have some pretty interesting conversations. Unfortunately, he's not here in Bali right now. (Just did a trip to Hawaii on a cruise ship.) The picture above is a Suzuki something. At least it's Japanese.
Chris Finlayson
J. Cool,Thanks for your extensive reply.Yes, I am sure that your pal and I would get on famously. I expect to be here in Bali until early April. If he returns before then, please put us in touch.The Suzuki is a GSF400 Bandit - at least, that was its name in the US. I have one in my accumulation - "collection" is a bit too grand for it - but mine is scarlet red with white wheels. Very striking.[ATTACH type="full" alt="3254"]3254[/ATTACH]My experience of Balinese traffic is the polar opposite of yours. Yes, extrapolating from our western experience, it looks like vehicular anarchy - and, in fact, it is , in the sense that official traffic laws and rules are cheerfully ignored by everyone. But anarchy does not necessarily translate to mayhem. My first stop in Bali three years ago was Ubud - and I clearly recall standing on a downtown street corner terrified at the prospect of riding a rented scooter in that ultra-dense traffic. But as I watched and thought about what I was seeing, I realized that, in fact, the traffic was flowing smoothly like water in a stream, or a flock of birds. The Balinese riders/drivers seem to have a 360 degree awareness of the traffic around them - all control inputs are small and smooth - slight adjustments to conditions. They are governed by a communal consciousness, not our western self-centered consciousness. I have now spent more than three months in Bali and have seen exactly one actual traffic accident - and that was between two scooters at very low speed at a small roundabout. A bit of scuffed up plastic, the only damage. Both riders were mortified at the incident and deeply apologetic to the other. Once I learned to trust my eyes and dismiss my assumptions, riding a scooter anywhere is giddy fun. Heading down a two-lane street toward an oncoming tour bus passing a large slow truck. I am serenely confident that the pilots in the other lane will adjust just enough to open up a space for the oncoming bus in my lane to slip back into line without any evasive action on my part. A miracle to a person with American urban traffic as a frame of reference. Now I join the traffic stream with no worries despite mere inches of clearance between me and the surrounding vehicles. Even the yaboo speed demons manage to get their kicks without endangering or even inconveniencing anyone else.So much saner and more civilized than in my native land.Chris FinlaysonExistential MotorcyclesAlexander, NC 28701 USA
