Running a store from the shed We have been following Ferry Westerlaken for quite some time now. Not so much for his wrenching skills, but more from a business perspective. He runs ace-caferacerparts, an online shop from his hometown Dussen in the Netherlands, where you can buy lots of interesting … [Read more...] about An Ace From Dussen
Ron Betist
Born in Amsterdam in the middle of summer 1958, Ron naturally has a sunny character too.
With a father heading the motorbike division of the Amsterdam police force between the sixties and the eighties, Ron grew up with oil in his veins and petrol in his head.
Riding bikes was all he could dream of as a young boy. Illegally riding his father’s BMW at the age of 12, his dad’s colleagues seized him and impounded the bike. A surprised father saw his colleagues riding his own bike to the police station.
After riding police bikes for nearly seven years, Ron moved on mid-eighties to a commercial life in international entertainment for nearly two decades. He became an expert on marketing and sales the last ten years specializing in B2B lead generation.
But that’s ‘just’ his profession. Motorbikes and everything surrounding it is his true passion. He has been [legally] riding for nearly forty years and has had many different sets of wheels. He loves the design and technique of Ducati, the classiness of BMW and the bulliness of Harley Davidson. However, Ron has a British heart:
“I am married to Triumph, but Norton is my mistress”, he will answer when asked about his preferences. Ron is much more a rider than a technician. With a sound understanding of the technique, he can ‘read’ a bike. Taking it apart is not a problem for him, but putting it back together is. So, don’t leave him alone in your shed with a wrench in his hand…
Riding it is and that’s what he lives for.
Whatever the bike or whatever the conditions he will “Always ride in style”.
Born Aggressive: Droog Moto’s Kawasaki Z1000 Scrambler
A long time ago I worked for an American boss. When I stopped drinking coffee he asked me: “why?” I replied I thought coffee made me aggressive. He laughed out loud and told me I might as well start drinking coffee again. “Man, you were BORN aggressive!” he said. This is probably what the parents … [Read more...] about Born Aggressive: Droog Moto’s Kawasaki Z1000 Scrambler
Shop Visit: Moto Adonis
‘Crazy for building MAD stuff’ The city of Roosendaal in the south of the Netherlands harbours a small outfit run by a big (1.96m) guy. I got to know Daan Borsje a couple of years ago when we were both sitting in a jury for a build off competition. Daan is an automotive technician by trade and has … [Read more...] about Shop Visit: Moto Adonis
Triumph Trident Done Right
Sometimes you come across bikes that just put the hook in you. Christian Forward’s 1994 Triumph Trident is definitely one of those builds that brings out the greed in me. Everything inside me screams “I want it!’. I can hardly imagine anyone disagreeing with me after perusing the pictures. This bike … [Read more...] about Triumph Trident Done Right
Custom Crafts: Silver Machine’s Golden Boy
Somewhere slightly hidden away in an industrial park in the Northern part of Amsterdam little bits of magic lighten up the workshop. Hunched over his sewing machine Jeroen Bouwmeester of ‘Silver Machine Custom Seats’ creates the custom seats for a worldwide audience of bikers and builders. It is his … [Read more...] about Custom Crafts: Silver Machine’s Golden Boy
