Books and DVDs No ordinary Joe
Yet another great offering from the people at Duke and well worth a watch.
Released in December 2011, this DVD is more biographical than the others I’ve seen on Joey Dunlop. It also, according to the cover notes, contains previously unseen material (as I’ve not seen all the Joey material I’ll take their word for it).
‘No Ordinary Joe’ shows a lot more than just Joey Dunlop’s appearances at the Isle of Man TT for which he is possibly most famously remembered. Made since Joey’s death in
Tallin, Estonia (July 2000) it delves into Joey’s life, how he was with his family and where the family are now.
This DVD will appeal to all, not just avid road race fans but also those interested in the
human story.
There is of course coverage of Joey at the Isle of Man TT. You couldn’t really make a DVD on ‘Yer Maun’ without mentioning it. It also touches on Irish races and others across Europe. It concentrates more however on Joey the private man and his life away from the track, outside of racing.
There are interviews with
Joey, his team members and racers as well as family and friends. We get an insight into Joey the family man, how his children growing up were not aware that their ‘Daa’ was famous. How the family were so surprised at the number of people who turned out to see him off. We learn of Joey’s work to help the orphans in Romania, which earned him an OBE.
Review by Selina Lavender
Wanting to ensure that the aid got to where it was needed, Joey got in his van and drove it over himself in the depths of winter. We see how the money raised by the Joey Dunlop Foundation has been used to open a modified building on the Isle of Man, providing accommodation with a balcony view of the circuit for the physical challenged. We get to see an amused Linda, Joey’s wife, on a visit to Japan where staff handle Joey’s old helmets as priceless museum exhibits with their white gloves. There is also coverage from Joey’s Bar, Ballymoney and the family talk about how they continue to be amazed that people visit and tell their own Joey stories all these years after his death. ‘No Ordinary Joe’ really does give a good overview of Joey as
a person as well as facts about his racing career. So whether you’ve watched nothing on Joey Dunlop or own everything ever made about him, you are bound to find this a good watch. It would also make a great gift. And the most interesting fact of all? Joey Dunlop was a MAG member.
Italian Custom Motorcycles Review by Andy Carrot
I think it’s fair to say that the Italian motorcycle industry, with the exception of Moto Guzzi, has not graced us with many stylish custom or cruiser models.
Sublime sports bikes yes, cruisers – no. Google the Ducati Indiana or Morini Excalibur if you don’t believe me. However Italian bikes have provided an inspiration for many custom bike builders. So what we have here is a selection of custom bikes built using a variety of Italian engines. While the majority of the content features bikes from a multitude of custom bike building companies and individuals, it also includes brief histories of Italian factory custom production. So you do
see a picture of the hideous waste of a Pantah engine, Ducati Indiana and also Morini Excaliburs and New Yorks whose only saving grace was that they housed arguably the best air-cooled 500 v-twin engine ever made.
I was particularly pleased to see a short chapter devoted to the Fantic Chopper. If you are of a certain age this was the best and only moped chopper on the market.
The majority of the book is filled with chops, bobbers, café racers, trikes, concept bikes and even quads, mostly powered by Ducati and Guzzi engines but there’s also a rather short chapter on the
aforementioned Moto Morini, Aprilia, Gilera and Laverda.
The Ducati engine, with its relatively upright rear cylinder, does not lend itself well to the more traditional of custom designs but it has resulted in some of the more outrageous or avant garde bikes pictured in the book. Personally it’s the Guzzi engine bikes that do it for me, with the impressive visual presence of those big cylinders sticking out from the side of the bike.
I recognised the odd picture from magazine features so I suspect some of the content may be familiar but there are some really stunning bikes pictured throughout.
The £25 price tag may mean the book has only a passing interest for enthusiasts of the standard two wheeled progeny
of Italy but it is really aimed at fans of the custom genre who will not be disappointed. However it is available at very competitive prices on the interweb and if you prefer a change from the ubiquitous product of the US of A I'm sure you will enjoy it. Veloce Publishing Ltd
Think of the name of a biker you know The ROAD 59
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