Photo courtesy of Moya.
Carla Henkel, known as Blackbird, is the President and Founder of Las Marias, an all-female motorcycle club based out of Mexico City. In the interview, she discusses the sense of value, freedom, and sisterhood that riding inspires in her, and how being in a motorcycle club has allowed her to share her passions and experiences with some of her closest friends, all of whom she met because of riding.
British Customs: How did Las Marias get started?
Carla Henkel: I've been riding since I was 5 years old, and in 2014 I used all my savings to buy a Triumph Thruxton 900. Out there, though, I started noticing that I was on my own; I realized I needed to find more girls like me to ride and share that feeling of freedom with. So I started searching for the right crew. Some of us knew each other from different overlapping groups of friends, and others I had never met before.Our first ride was to Laguna de Zampoala. That ride showed us what an amazing feeling it is to ride on an open road with a group of friends. I don't think any of us knew that feeling of what it meant to ride with, trust, and have the mutual support of someone fully living the same moment with you. So we started riding together more and more, until getting to the point where we are today. There are six of us now, and we don't know if that number will grow, but we have the LMMC Rider Club which lets other like-minded female riders ride with us.
Photo courtesy of Ione Bingley.
BC: What was your vision behind the club?
CH: I didn't know much at first, and I didn't know what to expect. I just wanted to ride and become a part of something that I believed in. I still don't know where tomorrow will take us, but we take it one ride at a time.
Photo courtesy of Miguel Angel Roldan.
BC: What does it mean to be a Maria?
CH: Freedom, courage, and sisterhood are the most important words for a Maria. You need all three of those to become a Maria, otherwise you would never be able to keep up with us. Freedom is the state of mind. Courage is the action. Sisterhood is the trust.
Photo courtesy of Kate Disher Quill.
BC: How does riding inspire a sense of freedom and passion for you?
CH: Riding take you to a place where your mind goes blank, and you focus on the here and now. In Spanish, we say, “Aquí y ahora!” In that state of mind, all your ideas organize, you feel free from all the problems you may be having in your life, and it gives you a freedom of expression. Anyone that has felt and lived that experience will tell you it becomes a passion and lifestyle.
Photo courtesy of Kate Disher Quill.
BC: What kinds of experiences opened to you when you formed a club of people to ride with?
CH: Friendship. You can't ride with and trust someone without having some sort of friendship.
Photo courtesy of Kate Disher Quill.
BC: How did you get started riding?
CH: I gotta give credit to my father on this one. He made me feel that if I could ride, I could become anything and anyone in life. I'm thankful I still have him in my life, and getting to watch him still enjoy every ride as if it were his first.
]]>The Castle Rock TT was one of the most prestigious races in the AMA back in the heyday of flat track racing, and was part of the Triple Crown: the Peoria TT, the Castle Rock TT, and the Ascot TT. To win it was known as a legendary achievement, and some of the biggest names in the history of dirt racing competed there for eternal glory.
The Castle Rock TT is held at Castle Rock Race Park in Castle Rock, Washington. The race was first put on by the Mt. St. Helen’s Motorcycle Club back in 1965, who still continue to put on major events in the area.
The Castle Rock TT was a 30-lap endurance race. The course’s long front straight and jump were formidable, though, and being able to run perfectly at full speed for each and every lap called out to some of the best racers of their day, and earned national sanctioning from the AMA. The bikes used in the Castle Rock TT were trackers made from stripped down street bikes.
Some of the legends who competed for the Castle Rock TT title included Eddie Mulder, Gary Scott, Dick Mann, Mert Lawwill, Chris Carr, and Skip van Leeuwen.
The Castle Rock TT has unfortunately been on and off the AMA calendar since the catastrophic eruption of Mt. St. Helen in 1980, but still continues to be one of the most prestigious titles on the calendar when the race is on for that year.
However, Castle Rock Race Park is still home to some of the most popular hooligan and amateur dirt track races on the West Coast, including Dirt Quake.
]]>British Customs: What motivated you to ride in the DGR?
Robert Thomas: At first I was drawn to the cool photographs of the classic bikes and the stylish dress of the folks riding them. It then became about the cause for me.
What is your daily ride?
RT: A fixed up 2005 Triumph Bonneville.
You almost didn’t win this bike. Can you tell us more of that story?
RT: My wife, Wendy and I had a party to go to after the ride, and Wendy said we had to go…I replied “but they are going to call my name…” not sure why I said that, but that happened two more times, with me replying each time “but they are going to call my name…” anyhow, we finally got on my bike and I started to ride out, feeling a huge weight inside, to the point where I pulled over as we were getting close to the stage, and we sat on the bike there for about 5 minutes before Wendy again said "we have to go" which was around 2:38pm.
It took us about two hours to get through the Lincoln Tunnel and back home. When I got off my bike, I checked my phone and saw that I missed four telephone calls from a New York number. When I returned the call, Allister Klingensmith answered and told me that I left too early and that I left something behind. I replied what could I have possibly left behind, I have my wallet…Allister then told me I had won the Dapper Braaaper!
I started telling Wendy I had won the bike and she was like “What! You are kidding me!!!” haha I then put Allister on speaker phone so he could tell Wendy. Allister not only told Wendy that I had won the bike, but also told Wendy that she needed to listen to me more often lol. I later saw that I had missed a text from Jamie Watters, a guy I met while at the DGRNYC that came in at 2:43pm, meaning they called my name pretty much right after we rode out at 2:38pm. Wow, amazing!!! Still in a bit of shock, and absolutely love riding the Dapper Braaaper, she is a hot rod, dragster!! and a pleasure to cruise on as well. :)
A famous Honda ad from the 60's stated “you meet the nicest people on a honda.” This really applies to any motorcycle. Can you speak to your experience being a rider and the type of people that you meet through your riding?
RT: Some of my best friends and closest friends are fellow bikers I grew up with. We have a bond and fond memories that will last a lifetime. On this particular day, at the end of the DGRNYC 2018 ride, I was taking some photos of bikes and asked this guy [Jamie Watters] if that was his bike. He said yes, with me declaring how much I liked it.
He, [my wife] Wendy and I chatted for about 45 minutes and Jamie and I exchanged telephone numbers. Jamie was instrumental, I believe, in me winning the Dapper Braaaper, as when they called my name and I did not respond, he ran to the stage to say he knew me, we had just met that day, and gave them my telephone number. I am really glad Mike Higgins and the guys did what they did, and honored the draw. That must have been a moment they were not prepared for, wow, amazing! Jamie and I got together the following Saturday and Sunday to ride, and last weekend Wendy and I went into the city to hang out, eat, have some drinks, and have some fun with Jamie and Claire. We plan on getting together more often while the weather is still good to get in some scenic rides full of corners, some with the ladies and some solo rides with other bikers.
What are your plans for the Dapper Brapper?
RT: To keep it as close as possible to the vision Jason Hodrinsky had for the bike. Not much to change to this bike, it is a great looking bike and runs like a hot rod! I am looking for some small, neat, bright signals lights for the bike, and a motorcycle back tire that would not only look as great as the one on the Dapper Braaaper now, but would perform in the wet as well. Maybe change out both tires so they would match and perform. The Dapper Braaaper handles surprisingly very well on dry roads, corners very well, but I have been spinning the rear and reving out the engine on wet roads. The tire would have to not only be wide, but also have tall side walls, so the bike would not be too low to the ground. I have been scrapping the exhaust tips when hitting right hand corners aggressively, and I think that would only get worse if the back tire gets shorter. The Dapper Braaaper will see many miles over the coming weeks and years!!! I am keeping her!
This is the story of how a 2007 Triumph America was transformed into the "Dapper Braaaper" and given away for charity at the recent 2018 Distinguished Gentleman's Ride NYC. We got the full story from the builder, Jason Hodrinsky.
British Customs: You built this bike with the intention of giving it away at the NYC DGR. That’s a huge thing to take on. What made you want to make such a contribution?
Jason Hodrinsky: The Gentleman's Ride is both a fantastic fundraising event as well as a means by which to get men together and talking. My father is a prostate cancer survivor thanks to a well-informed doctor and great medical care. I'm grateful for the 20 additional years and counting I've had with my dad as a result of his diagnosis and treatment. My father is a huge part of my life and has encouraged me in all my pursuits, including building motorcycles. I felt a motorcycle build would be a fitting way to celebrate the man who first put a wrench in my hand and an exciting way to encourage others to raise funds so we hopefully can one day achieve the goal of no son ever losing his father to prostate cancer or mental illness.
What made you choose a Triumph America as the donor bike?
JH: Given Triumph's association with the DGR, I knew it had to be a Triumph but didn't want to build another run of the mill Bonnscramthrux. A year ago, I helped a friend looking for an air cooled Triumph cruiser (in fact, she purchased the bike that eventually became the Dapper Braaaper) and it was during that search that a picture started to form of an America based build.
Was there a specific inspiration for the design of this build? A style, or time period, or experience that put this build in your head?
JH: The British Customs Slash Cut TT exhaust was actually the part that inspired the entire build. The aforementioned Triumph twin cruiser search coincided with John Saponara's Street Twin build with British Customs during which I was looking through the website for product details and stumbled across the Slash Cut TT exhaust. My immediate thought was that I'd like to use that on a bar hopper America build and the idea for the Dapper Braaaper design began to form.
What are you most proud of on this build?
JH: This may not be what you're looking for, but I'm most proud of the support this build garnered. Aesthetically, I think the bike came out even better than I originally envisioned, but it is the way the motorcycle community came together to make this bike a reality that really makes me proud. You don't generally think of a motorcycle build as something that can inspire, but I witnessed people going above and beyond to not only make the bike a reality, but rallying behind the cause it represents. My local motorcycle crew, MotoFellas, absolutely demolished our fundraising goal and raised over $24k this year, spent countless hours helping to build the Dapper Braaaper, and came out in droves for all the promotional and fundraising events during the DGR weekend.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank for helping with the build?
JH: The list is long:
Upgrade your lighting without cutting or splicing. Our Turn Signal Kits are designed specific to your bike and come pre-wired for a plug n play installation. These kits come ready to install right away. Simply bolt on the pre-assembled brackets, plug in the connectors to the factory harness and you are good to go. Scroll down to learn more.
>
Upgrading the lighting components on your Triumph will make a huge difference in the aesthetics of your build. By default these bikes ship with large, unsightly turn indicators. To replace these with something more low profile you used to have to pull out the soldering gun and start splicing some wires. Not anymore! With our new Turn Signal Kits, you are able to get the right kit for you bike, uninstall the factory lighting and simply plug in / bolt on your new kit from British Customs.
Why this matters: If you decide to upgrade your Tail Light with one of our Pan Tail Lights or Retro Tail Lights or perhaps a Fender Eliminator Kit, you've just eliminated the location used to mount your turn signals. Fortunatley we have a Kit for every Triumph Modern Classic that takes the pain out of the process.
The twist: Maybe you like the factory tail light or have another Tail Light you are going to retrofit on the bike. Guess what, our Turn Signal Kits will still work for you! Same deal, find the right kit for you bike, install with a few bolts and a Plug n Play wiring harnees and you are done.
Now that we've gone over WHY you invest in this upgrade, lets go over WHAT you need to accomplish this. First lets break down the available mounting positions. Some of these options will work on multiple bikes, some are designed specifically for certain models. You can use the dropdown menus below to see what fitments are available for a given kit. To sum it up we offer the following options:
Upgrade your lighting without cutting or splicing. Our Turn Signal Kits are designed specific to your bike and come pre-wired for a plug n play installation. These kits come ready to install right away. Simply bolt on the pre-assembled brackets, plug in the connectors to the factory harness and you are good to go. Scroll down to learn more.
>
Upgrading the lighting components on your Triumph will make a huge difference in the aesthetics of your build. By default these bikes ship with large, unsightly turn indicators. To replace these with something more low profile you used to have to pull out the soldering gun and start splicing some wires. Not anymore! With our new Turn Signal Kits, you are able to get the right kit for you bike, uninstall the factory lighting and simply plug in / bolt on your new kit from British Customs.
Why this matters: If you decide to upgrade your Tail Light with one of our Pan Tail Lights or Retro Tail Lights or perhaps a Fender Eliminator Kit, you've just eliminated the location used to mount your turn signals. Fortunatley we have a Kit for every Triumph Modern Classic that takes the pain out of the process.
The twist: Maybe you like the factory tail light or have another Tail Light you are going to retrofit on the bike. Guess what, our Turn Signal Kits will still work for you! Same deal, find the right kit for you bike, install with a few bolts and a Plug n Play wiring harnees and you are done.
Now that we've gone over WHY you invest in this upgrade, lets go over WHAT you need to accomplish this. First lets break down the available mounting positions. Some of these options will work on multiple bikes, some are designed specifically for certain models. You can use the dropdown menus below to see what fitments are available for a given kit. To sum it up we offer the following options:
Upgrade your lighting without cutting or splicing. Our Turn Signal Kits are designed specific to your bike and come pre-wired for a plug n play installation. These kits come ready to install right away. Simply bolt on the pre-assembled brackets, plug in the connectors to the factory harness and you are good to go. Scroll down to learn more.
>
Upgrading the lighting components on your Triumph will make a huge difference in the aesthetics of your build. By default these bikes ship with large, unsightly turn indicators. To replace these with something more low profile you used to have to pull out the soldering gun and start splicing some wires. Not anymore! With our new Turn Signal Kits, you are able to get the right kit for you bike, uninstall the factory lighting and simply plug in / bolt on your new kit from British Customs.
Why this matters: If you decide to upgrade your Tail Light with one of our Pan Tail Lights or Retro Tail Lights or perhaps a Fender Eliminator Kit, you've just eliminated the location used to mount your turn signals. Fortunatley we have a Kit for every Triumph Modern Classic that takes the pain out of the process.
The twist: Maybe you like the factory tail light or have another Tail Light you are going to retrofit on the bike. Guess what, our Turn Signal Kits will still work for you! Same deal, find the right kit for you bike, install with a few bolts and a Plug n Play wiring harnees and you are done.
Now that we've gone over WHY you invest in this upgrade, lets go over WHAT you need to accomplish this. First lets break down the available mounting positions. Some of these options will work on multiple bikes, some are designed specifically for certain models. You can use the dropdown menus below to see what fitments are available for a given kit. To sum it up we offer the following options:
Upgrade your lighting without cutting or splicing. Our Turn Signal Kits are designed specific to your bike and come pre-wired for a plug n play installation.
Upgrading the lighting components on your Triumph will make a huge difference in the aesthetics of your build. By default these bikes ship with large, unsightly turn indicators. To replace these with something more low profile you used to have to pull out the soldering gun and start splicing some wires. Not anymore! With our new Turn Signal Kits, you are able to get the right kit for you bike, uninstall the factory lighting and simply plug in / bolt on your new kit from British Customs.
Why this matters: If you decide to upgrade your Tail Light with one of our Pan Tail Lights or Retro Tail Lights or perhaps a Fender Eliminator Kit, you've just eliminated the location used to mount your turn signals. Fortunatley we have a Kit for every Triumph Modern Classic that takes the pain out of the process.
The twist: Maybe you like the factory tail light or have another Tail Light you are going to retrofit on the bike. Guess what, our Turn Signal Kits will still work for you! Same deal, find the right kit for you bike, install with a few bolts and a Plug n Play wiring harnees and you are done.
Now that we've gone over WHY you invest in this upgrade, lets go over WHAT you need to accomplish this. First lets break down the available mounting positions. Some of these options will work on multiple bikes, some are designed specifically for certain models. You can use the dropdown menus below to see what fitments are available for a given kit. To sum it up we offer the following options:
Marlon Brando is recognized as one of the greatest — if not the greatest — movie actors of all time. He is lauded for his contributions to film, acting, and society, but rarely is he noted for his contributions to the motorcycle community.
Brando became a cultural icon because of his distinctive acting style. He defined American culture for decades to come because he acted as if he had no code, only instincts, and that amazed and influenced American society immensely. Brando was a rebel with a cause: he was rebellious, antisocial, and took no shit. He made himself free. He was a maverick, through and through.
Brando gave the impression of being a gangster leader and an outlaw because the characters he portrayed were raw expressions of a love and respect for freedom.
As such, Brando was an avid motorcyclist, and rode a Triumph Thunderbird. When he was asked to star as gang leader Johnny Strabler in The Wild Ones, he chose to ride his own bike in the movie. Brando’s performance as the character became iconic, and helped define the rebellious motorcycle rider image. This was aided by his sporting a leather jacket, tilted cap, jeans, and his sweeping moody glare. The look and persona he created went on to inspire the likes of cultural icons for generations to come, including contemporaries James Dean and Elvis Presley.
The archetype he created paved the way for fellow actor Steve McQueen to carry forward and further refine the role of red-blooded, adventure-seeking, tough-but-good-at-heart motorcyclist in American cinema, and for the motorcycle community to express itself.
]]>When Triumph released their new line of liquid-cooled bikes, we all paused and stroked our chins at the division it created in the motorcycle community. Some members were all for progress and moving forward and embraced the new line of motorcycles with open arms. Others disliked the idea of transitioning to liquid-cooled designs, claiming that Triumph sold out and had abandoned its sense of tradition.
Since the release of the new models, we’ve had the chance to build a range of customs using each platform, including the Street Twin, Bonneville T120, and 1200cc Thruxton. Working on the new liquid-cooled bikes has made us reconsider the air-cooled modern classics, and we wanted to take some time to share those thoughts with you.
Photo by Brin Morris @thedeuk
Tradition and heritage is important to us. And while we’re all for progress, we believe that authenticity is king in an age of irony. In that vein, the air-cooled bikes have a sense of authenticity that goes beyond their looks. Air-cooled engines have a distinctive, timeless appearance that comes from the functionality of their design: they look the way they do because of their elegantly simple design. The beautifully sanded cooling fins are there because they keep the bike cool, not because they want to create the impression that it’s a retro-style motorcycle. The liquid-cooled bikes also have fins, but they’re just there for looks. The odd design discrepancies don’t stop there.
The air-cooled bikes’ design itself is much closer to the vintage designs than the liquid-cooled models’ designs. While they don’t necessarily have oil in the frame, they at least don’t have radiators blocking the view of the engine and electronics tucked away in random places like the front sprocket cover.
Photo by Brooks Sterling @brookssterling
The most authentic modern classics are the air-cooled carbureted models. These motorcycles don’t just look old school, they’re as close as you can get to the real deal without having to get an oil-in-frame right hand shifter. Carbureted models make great custom builds because they’re fully customizable and you don’t have to deal with any black box electronics managing your engine for you. And we can tell you that neither Steve McQueen nor Eddie Mulder would have put up with some tiny computer telling them they couldn’t tune their engine the way they wanted before a proper dirt track race. Nearly everything on a carbureted bike is mechanical, and can be worked on with your hands instead of a computer. Just like the way they used to.
Don’t get us wrong: the new liquid-cooled bikes are great and they practically ride themselves with their radiators, ABS, and ECUs that keep everything running. But if you want to learn how to work on a motorcycle, or if you want to be able to fully personalize a motorcycle, we urge you to consider the air-cooled models. They’re tried and true, and feature an elegant, minimalist, and almost entirely mechanical design that’s approachable and, most importantly, fun to work on.
]]>