6 motorcycle films worth watching

The fine art of the motorcycle film has hit a speed hump in recent years. Raw and gritty paens to the alternative lifestyle are harder to find. And easy access to broadcast-quality DSLR recording has caused a rise in quantity rather than quality.

But it’s not all showers of sparks from angle grinders, or softly-spoken men with beards muttering dreamy platitudes. Here are six terrific films that we’ve enjoyed recently, including a couple of old favorites—and a very enticing trailer.

ON ANY SUNDAY, THE NEXT CHAPTER Released back in ‘71, On Any Sunday is one of the best-loved motorcycle films of all time. Directed by Bruce Brown—famous for the surf classic Endless Summer—it captured the spirit of motorcyling in a way that even non-riders could understand. And deservedly won an Academy Award nomination.

A sequel is now being readied for release, directed by Bruce’s son Dana Brown and shot using 4K Ultra HD equipment. On Any Sunday, The Next Chapter is backed by Red Bull, KTM and Skullcandy, and the PR machine is about to hit top gear.

Fortunately, the trailer suggests that the film will live up to the hype. It’ll hit theaters in the USA on November 7.

Official Website

LONG LIVE THE KINGS Clement Beauvais and Arthur de Kersauson scored a king hit with this oddball six-minute documentary. Released two years ago, it follows the lads from Blitz Motorcycles on a roadtrip through France. Shot on Super 16 film, it’s a beguiling mix of edginess and elegance.

If you like Kings, keep an eye out for Beauvais and de Kersauson’s new full-length documentary, The Greasy Hands Preachers. It’s just premiered at the San Sebastian Film Festival, with Orlando Bloom on board as executive producer. Early reports are mixed for that one, but we’ll reserve judgment until we’ve seen it ourselves.

TOM FUGLE If the name Scott Pommier sounds familiar, you’ve probably seen his peerless motorcycle photography—often monochrome, but always atmospheric. Pommier has now made a five-minute film: a profile of veteran builder Tom Fugle.

Fugle is one of the founders of the El Forastero outlaw motorcycle club—which counted artist Dave Mann amongst its members. But this film is about Tom’s passion for bikes, and mighty fine it is too.

WAITING OUT WINTER Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. This is Andrew David Watson’s homage to craftspeople who spend cold days inside their workshops, building and fettling, and waiting for better weather. If you’ve ever shivered inside your garage while working on your bike, you’ll sympathize.

CHENNAI TO PONDICHERRY Director Skylar Nielsen took a crew on a motorcycle tour of Southern India, and the result is as tasty as a hot masala dosa. The trip south down the East Coast Road was eye opening, and Nielsen has somehow captured the mayhem of being surrounded by thousands of cars, tuk-tuks, cows, goats, and dogs. Sensory overload at its finest.

SHINYA KIMURA—CHABOTT ENGINEERING This is the gold standard: the film that raised the bar, and every other director looks up to. It’s four years old now, but has lost none of its appeal. Director Henrik Hansen takes us on a trip into the world and mindset of Shinya Kimura, the enigmatic Japanese builder who set up Zero Engineering and now practices his craft in the small town of Azusa, California.

He’s one of the few builders who can command more than $100,000 for his work, and after watching this, you’ll see why. It’s two minutes and 45 seconds of perfection.

Motorcycle restoration: the test ride

After weeks of wrenching and filming, our Honda CB550F is back together. The hard work at E3 Motorcycles has paid off—and it’s time for that critical first test ride.

At 6am on Thursday morning, E3’s David Browning was joined by videographer Eric Altbush to capture the moment. “We set out early to beat NYC traffic and take the bike for a quick spin around the neighborhood, break in the engine, and do some test riding,” says Browning. “It was good to get the bike back under its own power after the long rebuild process.”

The suspension updates and new bearings throughout have made a big improvement to the overall handling. “Retaining the stock geometry and tire sizing also kept things sensible,” says Browning. “The Honda is in line with how it was originally set up at the factory.”

There are still a couple of items that need attention before Browning can declare victory and hand the bike back to its owner, the New York agency Woods Witt Dealy. “The carbs will be coming off one more time so we can dial in the jetting—it’s running rich at the moment.” After the bike has been properly broken in, it’ll go back on the lift for the initial oil change, a compression test, a torque value check, and a final round of tuning.

Everything you’ve seen in the Saturday Sessions series has been shot and released in real time, warts and all. “Some items worked out exactly as planned. Some exceeded our expectations. And some took way longer than they should have, due to set backs and delays. Pretty much par for the course for most build projects,” says Browning.

Many thanks to everyone who watched the video series and contributed to the discussion. Hit play to enjoy the final episode.

E3 Motorcycles | Woods Witt Dealy & Sons | Previously: Part 9: Seat and Tank

Motorcycle restoration: seat and tank

If you like to tinker with your bike at weekends, we’ve got a treat for you here. The latest clip in our Saturday Sessions YouTube series shows our Honda CB550 coming together with a freshly restored tank and seat unit … and it’s enticingly close to hitting the road again.

The bike’s owner, Harry Woods of New York agency Woods Witt Dealy, popped into the E3 Motorcycles workshop to help with the tank and seat prep, and discuss finishing options. “The stock tank looked great on film and from five feet out,” says E3’s David Browning. “But the interior was rusty and needed work to get back into service.”

A decision was made: the tank would be sent out for nickel plating, and the seat foam would be slimmed down a little. “I then took the seat pan to Jesse’s Plastic Covers in Brooklyn,” says Browning. “It’s an old school shop with no website, but I can’t say enough good things about those guys and their upholstery.”

E3 repainted (and dressed down) the tank badges to offset the bright nickel plated finish. Next up was the fun task of removing the rust and old gas varnish from the tank, and applying the liner.

The headlight mounts needed attention too. “On the SOHC4s they tend to trap water between the upper and lower triples, causing the fork tubes to rust,” says Browning. “The lower forks and travel area on this set were in great shape, so we opted for a simple black wrap to cover the affected area—after cleaning up and neutralizing the rust.”

Browning has also earmarked a Yamaha SR250 rear fender as an alternative to the large stock unit. Any parts from the CB550 that were not reinstalled were bagged, tagged and stored away—should Harry ever decide to go back to an all stock configuration.

Hit play and enjoy.

E3 Motorcycles | Woods Witt Dealy & Sons | Jesse’s Plastic Covers, 167 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn NY. 718-387-0886 | Previously: Part 8: Starting the Engine

Motorcycle resto: starting the engine

In every motorcycle build there’s a moment of truth. It’s usually when you start up the engine up for the first time.

In this week’s Saturday Sessions, you can see E3 Motorcycles jolt our Honda CB550 back to life. “We’d already put the harness, ignition, and electrical components into place,” says shop boss David Browning. “So this week we moved onto the valve and points timing, and the rest of the pre-start checklist.”

Scrutinized by a shop full of watching eyes, the bike fired right back up. “Stoked to be past this milestone and getting into the final tuning,” says Browning. “And many thanks to the fine crew at Dime City Cycles, for the rush service on the parts we needed.”

Next week we’ll see the seat, tank, and lighting being installed. It won’t be long before bike will be back where it belongs, in the garage of New York ad agency Woods Witt Dealy & Sons.

Meanwhile, hit play and enjoy.

E3 Motorcycles | Woods Witt Dealy & Sons | Previously: Part 7: Reassembly

Motorcycle resto: all together now

One of the delights of restoring a motorcycle is putting it all back together again. It’s like building a jigsaw—complete with the inevitable frustrations of getting certain bits to fit.

In this week’s Saturday Sessions clip, we return to E3 Motorcycles’ Brooklyn workshop to see the Honda CB550 return to life. It’s the shop bike of New York ad agency Woods Witt Dealy & Sons, and they’re looking forward to getting it back.

“Some parts of the rebuild process are rad and exciting,” says E3’s David Browning. “Like finding a stellar deal on a donor bike. Or UPS showing up with that new-old-stock tank you scored for a song online. Then there’s the other 90% of the process: The part most folks tend to leave out of the montage scenes. Which is what we’re doing this week.” And it looks captivating.

E3 have installed new OEM Honda 5.5mm fuel lines, overflow lines, and the air box assembly. There are no deviations from stock here, because the SOHC4s tend to run best with the original airbox and plenum components.

Next up is the advance and points assembly, closely followed by the battery and electronics trays and the wiring harness. Even if you’re not mechanically minded, it’s fascinating to watch.

E3 Motorcycles | Woods Witt Dealy & Sons | Previously: Part 6: Installing The Engine

Motorcycle resto: the engine install

If you like to tinker with your bike at the weekend, check out this week’s YouTube Saturday Sessions clip. The Honda CB550 owned by New York agency Woods Witt Dealy & Sons is starting to come together as we install the engine into the frame, and hook up the intake and exhaust components.

“A bit of pipe insulation, or rags and painter’s tape helps avoid scratches on the powder-coated frame when re-installing an engine,” advises E3 Motorcycles’ David Browning. “We also taped off the exhaust studs, to protect the front frame rails. Slow and steady wins the race here.”

After carefully torquing everything to manufacturer’s specs, we get into the valve timing and ignition/electrical items. “When the bike arrived, the carbs were out of sync—and were also missing a few key parts from the linkages. So I cannibalized some parts from a donor set, and got into rebuilding and reassembly.”

The intake manifold gaskets and boots were replaced with OEM components. And finally, a new 4-into-1 Yoshimura replica exhaust system was offered up to the engine.

Hit play and enjoy.

E3 Motorcycles | Woods Witt Dealy & Sons | Previously: Part 5: Engine Restoration

Motorcycle restoration: The engine

A motorcycle engine is a thing of beauty: A compact mechanical symphony, engineered with precision. And one of the most satisfying jobs during a motorcycle restoration is restoring an engine back to its original glory.

That’s what happened this week in E3 Motorcycles’ Brooklyn workshop. Going under the knife is the engine in the Honda CB550 owned by New York agency Woods Witt Dealy & Sons.

“The bike arrived with a thin layer of oil covering the cylinder and lower engine,” recalls E3’s David Browning. “It started and ran, but most definitely sounded its age.”

In the latest Saturday Sessions clip, you can see 39 years of road sludge and oil being removed with diluted Simple Green and brass brushes. The top end was taken apart and inspected, and the cylinder section sent to Power Seal USA for an overhaul.

Once back, the top end was reassembled with new Wiseco pistons, and all gaskets were replaced using a full engine kit from Vesrah. The covers were polished, and Duplicolor 1615 high temperature engine paint applied.

“There’s still a bit of work to go,” says David, “but the basic components are in place and the motor is ready to drop back into the frame.”

Enjoy.

E3 Motorcycles | Woods Witt Dealy & Sons | Previously: Part 4: Wheels

Motorcycle restoration: wheels

Anyone who’s taken on a large-scale motorcycle restoration runs into an “Aw—f*ck” moment at some point. The best-laid plans can unravel, or get held up by a single seized bolt or incorrect parts order. And this week, that’s what’s happened with our featured CB550, owned by New York agency Woods Witt Dealy & Sons.

“It was bound to happen,” shrugs builder David Browning of E3 Motorcycles. “You just have to make adjustments and keep moving forward.”

The gremlin was a structural issue with one of the rims. After E3 powder coated and laced up the wheels, they dropped them off at Indian Larry’s to be trued. “The front wheel had a flat spot. After looking into our options, we called up Bucahanan’s and ordered two black aluminum Sun rims to finish the wheel set. As always, they did a top notch job and we’re back on course,” says Browning.

In this week’s clip you can watch E3 prepping and rebuilding the wheel set, mounting new Metzeler Lasertec tires, and getting the bike back to roller status.

As well as the Sun rims, E3 have used an OEM Honda spoke set, bearings and seals from All Balls, rear brake shoes from EBC, and a fair bit of time and energy. “There are still a couple of parts missing,” says Browning. “We’re waiting on a replacement front rotor and a couple of bearing seals to bolt everything up proper. If only these things timed out like the movies.”

Hit play and enjoy.

E3 Motorcycles | Woods Witt Dealy & Sons | Previously: Part 3: The Frame

Motorcycle restoration: the frame

In last week’s Saturday Sessions episode David Browning and E3 Motorcycles got their hands dirty with breaking down and reconditioning the Honda CB550.

The first round of replacement parts is now on the way. So this week we’re moving on to frame and metal preparation, via sand blasting and powder coating—and starting work on the suspension.

The CB550 is owned by New York agency Woods Witt Dealy & Sons, and they chose their bike wisely. “The CB550’s stock geometry and handling is pretty spot on,” says E3’s David Browning. “So we’re sticking to updating the bearings and bushings with modern components.”

The crusty old steering bearings have been upgraded with a set of tapered bearings, and the forks get a full rebuild with new springs from Progressive Suspension. E3 have also rebuilt the front brake system using OEM parts, and upgraded the brake lines using one-piece stainless steel line. “We decided on Hagon shocks along with a rebuilt swing arm assembly to round out the rear suspension,” Browning notes. “Next on the list is rebuilding the wheels, and getting into the engine teardown and reconditioning.”

That’ll be next week. In the meantime, hit play and see how E3 have brought the frame back to showroom standard.

E3 Motorcycles | Woods Witt Dealy & Sons | Previously: Part 2: Reconditioning

Motorcycle reconditioning

In last week’s Saturday Sessions, we saw E3 Motorcycles tearing down a Honda CB550. This week, it’s time for the messy business of motorcycle reconditioning—inspecting, bagging, and tagging the dismantled parts.

“A nice paint job only tells half the story,” says E3’s David Browning, “and isn’t necessarily a good indicator of overall condition. Time and rubber components don’t play very well together, aluminum oxidizes, and steel gets a bit crusty.”

This CB550 is owned by New York agency Woods Witt Dealy & Sons, and was a lot cleaner than most E3 projects. But it still needs replacement parts—plus all the attention that classic motorcycles typically require.

“We placed our orders for the first round of OEM parts: rubber components, bearings, gaskets, seals, cables and hardware,” says Browning. “Then set to work on the glamorous job of removing 39 years of dirt, grease, rust, and oxidation.”

In this latest video we see the metal parts being prepped for blasting and powder coating, the wheels being disassembled for a full rebuild, and the carbs and front end being readied for an overhaul. We also see the start of the engine breakdown, with covers pulled for polishing. E3 will also be pinning down the source of oil leaks.

“No shortcuts or magic here!” says Browning. “Just a bit of Simple Green, carb cleaner, extra fine #0000 steel wool—and a ton of elbow grease.”

Hit play and enjoy.

E3 Motorcycles | Woods Witt Dealy & Sons | Previously: Part 1: The Teardown

Motorcycle restoration: the teardown

Weekends are when most folks get a chance to work on their bikes, so we’re starting a new series on the Bike EXIF Youtube channel called Saturday Sessions. We’re taking a peek behind the scenes at the Brooklyn workshop E3 Motorcycles, and documenting the rebuild of a 1975 Honda CB550F.

The bike belongs to the New York ad agency Woods Witt Dealy & Sons, a firm populated by confirmed petrolheads who work on a major tire manufacturer client by day. And when they got their hands on a CB to use as a ‘shop bike,’ they called E3’s David Browning.

“Some bikes show up looking like they were sitting out at 90th Street when Hurricane Sandy rolled through,” says Browning. “They’re often half-finished, when best intentions were set aside. I have no reservation about ripping into those bikes—busting out the angle grinder, getting creative, and breathing new life into a tired motorcycle.”

“But when the Honda CB arrived, after a trek up I-95 from Virginia, we went straight into audible mode! It was super clean, 85% stock, and in really nice condition. Not the bike I’d want to do any destructive editing on.”

E3 decided to leave the frame ‘as is’ and play to the Honda’s visual strengths. “It’s a rad bike right off the assembly line. So we diverted our budget into restoration items: Wheels, suspension, and engine work.”

This first video documents the teardown process and day one’s disassembly. Enjoy.

E3 Motorcycles | Woods Witt Dealy & Sons | Previously: E3’s Honda cafe racer