Jacqui Van Ham

So, in my transplant from Hillbilly to Philly, I have been
busily organizing an event out in my new home turf…..

A MONSTER weekend, full of bike goodness….A little old, A little new, and
a ton of bikes!

This is a track day weekend- a chance to pull on some leathers, or
be a spectator and gawk at some amazing bikes running and on display!

I have been working with some of my new East Coast friends, to make
sure the Vintage bikes are represented…So Ride it, Don’t hide it!

Hope to see you there!

Cheers!

jvh

Just wanted to post real quick, thanking everyone at Bob’s BMW, for the amazing fun last weekend…

A few snaps of the folks, and bikes that made an appearance, THANK YOU!

Cheers!
jvh

Just getting settled in, and looking forward to a cool event this weekend (March 21st)

at the largest BMW Dealer in the US, Bob’s BMW.

I will be there all day Saturday, if you’re out and about please stop by!

Cheers!
jvh

Hello Friends and MotoFamily!
I just wanted to send out a note, announcing my
relocation to the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia!

I will be working for a Track Day, and all things riding and racing
school, Team Pro-Motion!

I will be helping to organize some events for this summer, and
realizing my dream of learning to race…Wish Me Luck!

I am leaving Louisville this week; and having some going-away cocktails, kisses, and cuddles Wednesday night, at Bourbon’s Bistro, on Frankfort Ave. around 9:30…
Please stop by to say goodbye, I would love, love, love to see you!

Cheers!
Ride Safe, and See You at the Track!
Jacqui Van Ham
http://TheVintageAdvantage. com

A side trip to the AMA Hall of Fame was a special surprise, as we were picking our way through the Midwest…Some cool bikes, and the plaque of my Hero, Evel Knievel.

Have been working for Real Rider attending this winter’s IMS CycleWorld shows! Am currently in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C. heading to New York next….

A couple snaps of my new office! and some friends who have meet up with me along the way…
Cheers!
jvh

A great snap of my pal Gina Woods, host and creator of OpenRoadRadio and my favorite possession-my feature in Classic Bike !!

A super write up in the current French bike magazine ” Moto Revue Classic”….
Thanks for the emailed pic…..
xoxo
jvh

After safely arriving back in the States, the generous folks at Nolan have invited me to be a part of their “On the Road Team”…and my Winter schedule is full of the IMS Cycleworld shows!

If you are attending, please stop by and say hey….Lots of incredible products (Bodz and Sokz technical undergarments, Hedz headwear, and Nolan helmets, of course) and a pretty amazing weekend…coming soon to a town near you! Well, maybe…

- IMS Long Beach: Dec 5-7, 2008
- IMS Seattle: Dec 12-14, 2008
- IMS San Mateo: Dec 19-21, 2008
- IMS Michigan: Jan 2-4, 2009
- IMS Washington DC: Jan 9-11, 2009
- IMS New York: Jan 16-18, 2009
- IMS Cleveland: Jan 30-Feb 1, 2009
- IMS Chicago: Feb 6-8, 2009

Hope to see you!
Cheers!
-jvh

After leaving the beautiful coast of Marseille, I wanted to see the Gorges Du Verdon before heading North….

The ride was beautiful, and quite long….as it was entirely on secondary highways. This “detour” to see this part of France had me racing against the clock to make it by nightfall, and with no major highways going north, I carefully crept back to Grenoble- arriving around midnight! There’s no late night gas stations here, kids….So stock up before you take off! Automated gas stations can be found here, and in Italy…but, without the European credit card with the chip on the back….You better be real friendly to a local and beg nicely to trade Euros for a swipe of their card! Done and done.

Couldn’t resist some lovely vineyards in Provence…looks like Cabernet to me. Maybe a sample is needed….

After my incredible stay in Marseille, it was finally looking like I would have to make my way back north…The last night in town, Dom and I stopped at the Vieux Port, to take some photos, with the gorgeous harbor, and historic buildings all sparkling under the street lamps. What a way to leave this historic, bustling, sexy, international city…

I can not emphasize enough how awesome this part of France is! The scenery is incredible, the rides can be as easy or as tough as you could want, the weather was perfect- But, the best part was the people…Funny, kind, passionate, and generous- it was really quite overwhelming! Huge kisses on both cheeks to one of my favorite spots- Marseille!

xoxo

jvh

A cool feature in Germany’s “Custombike” magazine this month…See Here to check out the article..In German, natch.

and a sweet and funny Photoshop card from some friends of the trip, in Switzerland…

Merci’ and Vielen Dank to the amazing European Motorcycle family- you guys kick ass!

Cheers!
Jacqui

I am back at home, and have never been more aware of how distracting “real life” is! The daily grind of work, errands, friends….getting caught up is so easy- life is much easier on the road, where you can truly live “in the moment”.

But, remembering back on this amazing adventure makes me smile, and one of my favorite memories is just around the bend…

So, after a sunny, awe inspiring week of enjoying all the hospitality of Marseille, I was sadly turning my thoughts back towards home. But, my new friends could not let me go without one last incredible surprise.

Flipping through a French CafeRacer magazine, I saw an article for a very cool looking workshop, SudSide. After asking around, it was explained to me that yes, this was a very cool, very private workshop/atelier/bike club/performance art/warehouse that was unfortunately closed for holiday. However, seeing my enthusiasm, my pals Pierre and Dom made some phone calls- and snagged us an invite!
The warehouse was a soap factory for many years, and because of the passion for fabrication and machining that spilled over into organized performance art pieces; Sud Side has an arrangement from the city, and is considered a cultural treasure. This important denotation guarantees them a permanent home, free to build, destroy and amaze!

The founder, and the guys who make this special place tick were on hand to chat about bikes, travels, and show off their very cool “garage”! What an honor to meet these amazing guys, and wade waist-deep into their parts rooms, admiring the imaginative work. But, don’t be fooled- this is also a crowd of die hard vintage bike addicts, and the members-only garage in the back was packed with show stoppers. Very high “Drool Factor” here.

I cannot begin to tell you how STUNNING the coast of France is to ride, my tour guide in Marseille, Dom, delivered the goods…With an amazing ride from Marseille to Cassis. Did you know that the highest cliff in Europe is here? The Cap Canaille, overlooks the most beautiful water of the Mediterranean, so blue it blends into the color of the sky, and goes on and on and on ….

This area is filled with small “Calanques” which are like narrow canyons going down to the water. Many are protected areas, and with the VERY narrow, steep roads down- Not too much traffic, but not for the faint of heart (or weak of hand…I was grabbing handfuls of brake!)
This area of France is not as flashy as the French Riviera (Thank God!) But, should be on any rider’s “To Do” list…..incredible scenery, challenging roads, super friendly locals (second note left on bike here, pulled over to plug in my GPS and had an offer to help before I even had the kickstand down!)
And at the end of a long day on the bike, the best pizza (Really!) and freshest prawns in pastis for dinner, heaven!

While I am still finishing posting these stories from the end of my trip, I just wanted to put a quick note in here, that I was having a “Financial Crisis” of my own…and with no hope of a 800 billion dollar bail-out, sadly got back on a plane and am back home….

I will still be putting up stories from the road- and my plans to organize another amazing adventure next season! I also made it home just in time to catch The Grossest MotoGP, ever, in Indianapolis.

Thanks to everyone for keeping up with me on the road, see you at Barber Vintage Days (October 17th-19th, Barber Motosports Park, Alabama)?

After a fantastic night with some locals, I was eager to get back to the shop, to look over the bike a little bit, and cruise around the city.

I pulled in, to see Vincent from Speed Twin, already had my bike up on the table, checking valve clearances. With my crummy French we were able to agree that the clearances were fine, and that the bike seemed to be running a little hot, Well, because it was hot. I was possibly just a little spooked, after riding so much in mostly cooler climates. But, checking them eased my mind, and soon it was time to close up shop, and head to lunch.
Patrick invited me to eat with him at a local restaurant, where the owners would put on the qualifying times for MotoGP, and we made our way there.

I love the idea of what the staff must have thought at the restaurant, two “tough bikers” talking about bikes and racing, and washing it all down with a little pink wine, and chocolate sundaes! This is now my preferred way to watch motorcycle racing, by the way.

We got back to the shop, just in time to jump on my flawless running bike, and head to the beach for a nap in the sun. Seriously, I was starting to love life in France.

After my ride from Grenoble to Marseille, with the green steep peaks giving way to more golden rolling hills leading me to the beach, I was anxious for my first shimmering glimpse of the Sea.

And it didn’t disappoint.

I was planning on a strict “no bikes” diet, but, the lure of meeting some Vintage bike fans was too strong, and I packed up the motorcycle travel books I had been reading, and made my way to a shop named Speed Twin.

I made it there just as the sun was setting, and the boys were relaxing with a little Pastis (Anisette liquor, delicious!) We easily laughed at my Gasole mix up, and the owner, Patrick and I discussed my bike running a little hot. In order to let the engine cool down, to check valves, and possibly points- they even loaned me the shop “spare”, a BMW F650. And with that type of ease, we were on the road, headed to the sea for dinner.

Voxan who? It’s French for motorcycle, silly.

The Quick List of the Gear that Got me Here:

Bike-
Top end assembly, brakes, cables, cleaned up wiring harness, fork rebuild, replaced rear shocks, lube, EVERYTHING, really! and prepping the bike for shipping- drained tank, disconnected battery from Motoworks Chicago ( http://www.motoworkschicago.com)

Cylinder Rebore,new valves, new pistons, rings, clips from Bob’s BMW (http://www.bobsbmw.com)

GPS- Garmin Nüvi 270, BEST INVENTION EVER. from GPS and gadget rental, LowerGear (http://www.lowergear.com)

Bags- my “toss on and tour” soft bags are huge, easy on and off style, are from RevPack (http://www.revpack.com)

Tankbag- Cortech Tour Master magnetic bag from HelmetHouse (http://www.helmethouse.com)

Helmet- Brand Spankin’ New Nolan N103 from Cima International (http://www.nolan.it)

Leathers- “Allure” jacket, “Marryl” pant, and gloves from REV’IT! (http://www.revitusa.com)

Boots- TCX boots from HelmetHouse (http://www.helmethouse.com)

Technical Undergarments from Bodz and Sokz (http://www.real-rider.com)

Smashed Nikon s600 camera, sorry to have used and abused you!

After a smooth, uneventful ride from Grenoble to Marseille, I made my way to the central train station, to meet my contact.(I know, it was all very 007) As my friend Dom was out of town he very kindly left keys to his house and garage for me to use for the week- and as to make it easier to find his garage, even spray painted a big ‘D’ on it! What service! Or had he heard about my Diesel in the gas tank experiment, and thought I was too stupid to find his garage….Fair enough!

I arrived in town as the sun was setting, found a late night kebab shop, and planned my next day-

Beach.

Nap.

Read.

Beach.

Some notes on riding in the South of France;
-Cell phones are “strictly forbidden” while driving, and obviously cell phones are connected to turn signals in France! I rarely saw turn signals being used, pay close attention, or eat your handlebars!
-Turnabouts live here, and they are along the same style as Italy, you have to barge in there and look out for the mosquito swarm of scooters!
- Ah yes, scooters. They are allowed here at a young age, so expect to be run down by giggling school kids at all times.
-There is a bit of a theft “situation” here, bring a big, menacing looking lock….and REALLY use it! I didn’t have any problems, but was even warned by the locals to never turn your back on your belongings on the beach. After being pick-pocketed in Italy last year, lesson learned!
-Motorcycle shops here are closed on Sundays and Mondays, please plan your breakdowns accordingly.