Manky Monkey Motors

Yodie & I attended an advance screening of "The World's Fastest Indian" some 6 months ago now. We both came away saying it was the best bike film we'd ever seen. Anthony Hopkins was made for the part of Burt Munro, the New Zealander who took his ancient Indian Scout to the Utah Bonneville salt flats &...well I won't spoil the story if you've yet to see it, but it is a fabulous film. Beautifully shot, believably acted, wonderfully evocative riding shots, good period detail, lots of snippets of information for us Petrol Heads to store away for future reference. When he's streaking across the salt in pursuit of the land speed record you really find yourself willing him on. Go see it.
Due out on DVD on 3rd of July '06 I believe. Anyway, the latest issue of Bike magazine has a free DVD on the cover. A behind the scenes report on the making of the film, interviews with the cast & a 30 minute documentary on the real life Burt the film was based on. It's bound to be the "Extras" bit on the disc when it comes out, but worth a look. I've just leant my copy to Flap, but happy to pass it on if anyone wants it afterwards.

Aha, have just found a copy of the new Bike on Streetfighters' desk - and have nicked the DVD.  :)

Would still like to reproduce your review if it's possible Wizz.

Oh hell, didn't I do that? Hang on, I'll find the copy and email it over to you.

Send it direct to the Yodley One please Hon.

For those new-ish to the forum, a while ago I mooted the idea of setting up a film review section on the site. "Monkies at the Movies" or something like that. The thread should still be here somewhere. There's been a million good & an equal number of truly appalling motoring movies over the years. Everybody has a favourite -a film that inspired you to get into bikes or cars? Maybe just one scene that sticks in your memory -I love the clip from American Graffiti of the little yellow coupe & the lovely big black '55 Chevy heading out to the outskirts of town to race. The sun's just coming up & there's a convoy of cars in silhouette as Booker T & the MGs'  Green Onions plays. Can't hear that tune without picturing that clip.
Easy Rider, Graffiti, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mad Max, The Fast & The Furious, Angels '69. Loads of 'em. How about jotting down a review of your particular fave? A quick outline of the plot, why it's important to you or just a description of that defining scene. As much or as little as you want to write & we'll get Mr Yodles to pull some images out of the ether & make up a page for it.
As I said in the original thread, I've been looking for a copy of The California Kid for years. Wandering around the recent Billing rodrun I came across a little black coupe that paid homage to this classic. Unless you've seen the film it'd mean nothing to you I guess but it made me smile.

It's amazing how reading something cantrigger your brain into action. Well sort of. I read this post and allthe usual stuff like Easy Rider and Duel came to mind Then.....................................

I had a recollection of watching a film  in my late teens which involved a yellow mini and I think it was called "Good Bye Pork Pie".(there is a Jeff Beck song with the same title + the word "Hat" that I like so maybe I dreamt it) I believe it was an Australian cult movie and at the time I thought it was brill. It was probably crap but who knows

The postings of last night about google made me do a search and apart from it being the wrong country (New Zealand) I wasn't dreaming.

Click on this link for more info

http://www.geocities.com/dagsyfm/porkpie.htm

I think you've made that one up Byz!
That's a new one on me. Duel was discussed in the original thread. Another classic. What about The Italian Job? Herbie? The yellow Rolls Royce? Bullit? Steve McQueen in the Great Escape? Smokey & the Bandit? The motorised coffin in the Munsters film? The original TV Batmobile -well, there was a film spin off wasn't there. The Monkees' stretched red GTO? Or what about your favourite TV vehicle?

My Favourite TV vehicle was those things the Banana Splits used to drive around in. ;D

That's a pretty exhaustive review isn't it! Still never heard of it though! Can't imagine Minis in New Zealand somehow. I'll check with Yodie & see how we stand about using some of that review -maybe we can if we credit the original author -I'm sure Wizzy will tell us. If not we should be O.K to link to it from here. Anyone else got a dimly remembered favourite?

I think that Bullit is fab. I would love to own a Mustang one day. Until then i'll have to make do with my Capri. ;D

Been to any interesting meets this evening?

Yeah! The 6 wheeled buggy things! I always wanted one of those when I was a kid. I think my favourite film car would have to be the Blues Brothers ex black & white Police cruiser. Seriously cool. They should never have made the second film though. Music was great, film was bloomin' awful. Should've just released an album of songs inspired by the original.

Nah, got no transport at the moment. I blagged a free bike from one of the 100% Biker forum members last week -a non running VF750 Honda, supposedly needing a small amount of fettling to get it running again. Waiting for him to find the logbook for it then I'll go & collect it -it's in mid Wales! So got no way of getting to meets at the moment. Hired a car for the Billing run but can't afford to do that too often. Hoping to get to Poole in Dorset on Sunday for the custom & classic car show, but still working on a way of getting there.

Ah that a pain! :'( I hate having no wheels. Only just managed by the skin o me teeth to get the Capri MOT'd last week. It's been vandalaised four times this year! >:( might have to get rid of it as it seems to attract the wrong sort of attention.

Would love to get a Trike on the road but to busy sorting other peoples motors out.

Am busy all weekend otherwise would be interested in going to Poole.

I took my own trike off the road about a year & a half ago for a quick rebuild! Endlessly working on other people's stuff & when I get a free day to do my own I'm too knackered! Hoping to meet up with Bad Toad from the 100% Biker forum, who lives in Poole. He's offered to collect me from Christchurch railway station & drop me back there afterwards so with luck will be there with the camera on Sunday. Very nice of him considering we've never met. :D

Ah there are still plenty of nice people about.

Does not seem that way sometimes!

Was beavering away in the workshop a few weeks ago and some bloke whom I have never met before comes up to the door and hands over a stack full of kit car mags some lathe tools and a large roll of mig wire. When I asked him why he said " seen you building stuff and like it so I thought they might be of use to you"

Blimey! that's handy ;D

I'm looking for someone to hand me a stack of banknotes!
My Dad's been in Bournemouth hospital for the last week. The guy in the bed opposite him used to ride bikes & the bloke in the bed next to him still does. They've both visited this 'ere site & said if they'd known Manky Monkey was just a few feet away when I visited my Dad they'd have had a chat! Think I've finally managed to impress my Dad!  :D 

A sense of satisfaction eh?

Hope it's nothing too serious and a speedy recovery is occurring.

Hate hospitals >:(

When I first met my my other half's father for the first time he was not particularly impressed! when I next saw him it was at his house and I commented on the Vellocete LE that he was restoring and that so surprised him that I knew what it was that he decided that I should share a bottle of whisky with him.  ;D


Kept my mouth shut after that. The hangover was the worst I'd had in years!  :P

Yeah, he's recovering well thanks. Blood clot in his leg that cut off the circulation. He was very close to having it amputated apparently. He's 75 but always been active. Now he's having to use a Zimmer frame while he recovers & complaining it makes him feel old! You never know what might strike you down do you. Always thought my parents were immortal so a bit of a wake up call to visit them more often. My Grandad rode bikes apparently but my first memories of him are of him driving a Reliant Robin around Somerset -maybe that's where my liking for them came from! 

It's odd isn't it. You think they will always be there. Lost my Mum 6yrs ago (59) and Dad almost two years ago (70). seems weird not having them around.

Yeah, I realise I'm very lucky that mine are both still here. My parents were totally against me getting my first bike at 17, but being young & pig headed I went ahead & got it anyway. Wasn't till years later I was told Mum's brother was killed on a bike at the same age.

That a difficult one to deal with as a parent. Got two boys myself one 8 one 9. will be very nervous when they get their first wheels.

Got my first bike a 17 too. Had my first accident 4 days later. Overtook a car on a one way system, 4 lanes and he decided to move into my lane and ran me into a traffic island. Lucky escape cos although he did not stop  >:( I broke a finger and had a large chunk of flesh out of my back I learnt to drive defensively after that.

I'm signing off now! Just realised what the time is :o Trike building to do in the morning.

Ouch! I'd been into hotrods as a school-kid, but when I left school & started an apprenticeship I needed transport in a hurry. Someone I'd got talking to on the train going to tech college each morning suggested a bike cos at that time you could ride up to a 250 on L plates indefinitely. He was an instructor on the local bike training scheme so took me under his wing & gave me free lessons in his own time, went with me to buy the bike & introduced me to his mates & their newly formed MCC. Stuart Harris you changed my life forever! I belonged to the Fox & Hounds MCC for more than 10 years & made some of the best friends I've ever known -& 27 years later I'm still riding bikes. Without Stu's guidance I'd have killed myself in the first week I'm sure. First accident was 6 months later when my headlight blew on the way to work in the early hours of the morning & I ran off the road!

Yeah, me too. Good job it's my day off or my alarm would be going off in an hour's time! G'night.

back to the plot...... we saw the film last week at our local community centre cinema. £3 to get in, only 8 people......loads of choice of seats.
The film was great, really got into it. hope i have his attitude when i get old ;)
if you aint seen it yet you are missing a very well laid out film plot :)

ohh the cinema manager said if there is less than 5 wanting to watch a film he doesnt have to show it...... but he said he would if i "insisted", then afew more people came in and he breathed a sigh of relief and slunk off. dont know why ;)

8 people! You might as well have invited 'em round to your place to watch it. Would've got cake as well then.

I saw a fab film this weekend about a tunnel in russia that people keep crashing in. Plot was rubbish but all action short film of the best quality ;D

The cctv footage of the iced up road tunnel? Yeah, Triker Pete emailed it to me. Strangely enjoyable to watch wasn't it! 

 ;D It was very interesting! I was working at a house in Wycombe for a few days over the winter and it was about 100 yds from a junction and on a hill. The road was clearly icy but people still came down too fast and locked up or got the abs working. Stood there for an hour watch cars vans and even a bus full of pensioners  carreer into the junction!  :o Very Scary :o

Dunno if you'll be able to find this film, but it's brilliant. Malcom. That's its title. Wierd Australian film about robbing a bank with radio-controlled dustbins. They have an old Honda Accord getaway car. When Malcom pulls a lever in the roof, it splits in half lengthways and becomes two "Feet Forwards". The whole soundtrack is by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. I had a copy, but made the mistake of lending it out.

That one sounds suspiciously like a product of your own imagination Chris!
If you can give us a couple of hundred words I'll get Yodie on the case as soon as he's free.

Filmed in Brisbane, Malcom has a Tram and radio-controlled car fetish, and is also into model railways. Robs a bank with loads of radio-controlled devices, including dusbins that talk to each other. He and his accomplice escape from the cops when his car splits in two and drives off in two seperate directions. Can't believe you haven't seen it! Or heard of Simon Jaffe and the Penguin Cafe Orchesra.

Actually the orchestra does sound vaguely familiar, but the film definitely passed me by! You weren't in it were you?!

In the original Herbie film "The Love Bug" I'll never forget the bit where Herbie tries to cvommit suicide by jumping (driving?) off the bridge - I almost had a tear in my eye, honest!  That's really clever, to almost make the audience believe in a car being suicidal!

 ;D

I've owned a few cars with a deathwish over the years. Didn't they do a remake just recently?

Yes but it was nothing like the original - not reaqlly a remake, more like a new film with the same name!

I've yet to see any of those remakes rival the original. Heard on the radio today they're re-doing Magnum PI for the big screen. Think it's starring Ben Affleck -sorry, know the name but got no idea what he looks like. Bet he can't wear the moustache as well as Tom Selleck did.

Here it is. Typed "Malcolm the film" I was trying Malcom (mis-spelt). Once you hear Penguin music, you'll realise it's been on the radio, soundtracks and adverts for years.

That one definitely needs writing up for the site Chris!
Thought I had a reasonable knowledge of films but never heard of that one. The Ozzies do seem to produce some weird & wonderful stuff don't they. Dame Edna for a start.

Apparently, they found the car in an old garage a few years ago!

In two seperate garages? So it wasn't just film trickery then? Wonder how they powered it?

I’m guessing quite a lot of the MMM folk have seen the film "The World's Fastest Indian".

If you liked the film, I’d like to recommend a book I’ve just finished called “One Good Run – The legend of Burt Munro” by Tim Hanna.

There’s lots of amusing happenings, and some detail of what he actually did to his Indian, as well as work he did on his very quick Velocette.

Mmm, sounds worth a look.