Friday, May 22, 2009

The Willis Garage

Jeff pointing out a detail in one of his wax masters. His wax work and final welding/brazing skills are flawless. I'm stoked to have him making the BonniePan's frame salt worthy.

One of the many projects underway at The Willis Garage. This is a competition Sprint getting close to the finish line.

I've always wanted one of these super cool Sprint Magneto covers to hang on the wall. Jeff makes these cool little guys, maybe my wait is over?

BEAUTIFUL J.A.P powered speedway bike. The details on this bike were so nice.

Notice the dual float bowls...alcohol baby!

The subtle details on this bike were so well done. Check out the pinstripe on the down tube. Stuff like that makes or brakes a bike for me.

More details.

How about a totally original Sprint road racer that sat under Cal Rayburn's leathers? This was my favorite bike of his stash with the '14 twin boardtracker a very close second. OK I guess it was a tie.



The mint '14 board tracker. Oh man was she sweet.

750 Duck is Jeff's everyday rider. The roads in his neck of the woods (South Eastern Ohio) were like smooth black spaghetti perfect for the '70's Italian twin.


Jeff poses with his crown jewel. I asked him what it was like to light the wick on the '14, remember - no brakes, no clutch and full throttle at all times. He said his Ducati 998 feels mellow and reserved compared to the ancient racer.

Just returned from Jeff Willis's place down in VERY south Ohio. Jeff will be repairing the BonniPan's frame. After we discussed the project and what needed to be done, I got a chance to peek at Jeff's HUGE collection of vintage stuff. Jeff's stash is unusual for it's wide variety of makes and styles. His collection is not just wide ranging but also very precise in it's choice of models - most are rare or limited edition competition models. Here's a peek at just a few of his babies.

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