2.1 featuring Ben Pogue and Jason Crombie

About the artists:

Ben Pogue is a photographer, and an Australian, born in 1976. He's lived in NYC since 1999. He works primarily within the parameters of still life, contributing to magazines such as Arkitip, BIG, E&A, NYTimes T, Teen Vogue, Werk and Wooooo. He is also a motorcycle and gun enthusiast.

Jason Crombie is an indolent swine and a freelance hack (with a capital 'H'), contributing regularly to magazines like Oyster, Vice, Monster Children, Playboy, and The New Yorker. Occasionally, when he's not watching his dreams and aspirations being smashed to smithereens on the jagged shore of reality, he publishes the world's best interview-based magazine: Wooooo. He lives in New York City.

Full Text:

 
Motorcycle Conversations with my Father, Ian Crombie. #1
 
Dad, why are Triumphs renowned for oil leaks?
Motorbike motors are generally two halves put together, right?
Right.
And you've got oil in your sump?
Right. What's a sump?
It's like an oil reservoir at the base of the engine.
Okay.
So, you've got oil pumping around cooling your engine, 
so the last thing you'd want is an oil leak.
Right. So why do Triumphs have oil leaks?
Simply because when they machine the two halves of the engine, 
the surfaces that have to fit together aren't machined well enough. 
Okay . . .
Or, the other reason is the metal gets slightly distorted by heat, 
and the gasket doesn't seal anymore. 
So, they're the two reasons why Triumphs leak oil.
Yeah, and a bunch of other reasons.
Oh.
 
 
 
Motorcycle Conversations with my Father, Ian Crombie. #2
 
Hey Dad? How does a magneto work?
A magneto?
Yeah.
I wouldn't have a bloody clue, mate.
Doesn't it run the headlight on a motorcycle, or something?
Yeah, sort of . . . it's like a generator, I suppose. 
It's probably like . . . You remember those things you used to flick 
on to the front wheel of your pushy (bicycle)?
Football cards?
No, no. The metal thing that ran against your wheel, 
and a wire went up from that to your headlight.
Oh yeah, yeah.
And as your wheel turned, it generated power.
Yeah. So, that's a magneto?
No, no. It's not one of those.
Then what is it?
I don't know.
But . . .
I don't know anything about magnetos, mate. Sorry.
 
 
Motorcycle Conversations with my Father, Ian Crombie. #3
 
Dad, when someone says they've blown a head-gasket, 
what do they mean?
Well, they're really important, head gasket because if you have 
a buggered head-gasket, and your piston compresses, y'know? 
It comes back up and presses that fuel-air mixture?
Yeah.
When that explodes, it blows out through the gasket. 
If your gasket is blown.
Yeah. And when that happens you can hear a 
"Ch-ch-ch" noise when the engine's running.
What's the "Ch-ch-ch"?
It's blown' out a gap in the gasket, causing you to lose 
compression.
What's blowing out the gap?
The explosion in the cylinder!
Gotcha.
And that's what they mean when you hear anyone saying they've 
blown a head-gasket.
Are head-gaskets expensive?
Bloody oath! Head-gaskets are the most 
expensive gaskets on a motor.
 
 
 
Motorcycle Conversations with my Father, Ian Crombie. #4
 
What was the first engine you pulled apart?
I took this pissy little Suzuki to pieces one time. 
I don't remember you having a Suzuki.
I didn't. It was Timmy Rawlins'. He'd had it for years and it 
wouldn't go, so I took it and pulled it apart. 
Did you fix it?
Well, I don't know a lot about two-stroke motors.
But you know all about four-stroke motors.
I know, mate. And two-strokes are a lot easier to figure out. 
Did you get it going?
Oh Yeah, I got it goin' again. I rode it back out to Timmy's house.
So you fixed it for him.
Nah. Not really. It ran like shit.