Month: November 2008

I’m already longing for spring and a Deals Gap trip…

All the 2 strokes line up at the Deals Gap “resort”..


My RD an My buddies H2 taking a rest.

Yours Truly…

4 cylinder Triumph Bonneville.

Someone just had to have something different! Must pull like a freight train.


Awsome custom cafe racer. UPDATE!!

Brian sends in the following…
“You asked for pictures of custom cafe racers. This one is my custom built 203lbs cafe racer that gets 115mpg. Thanks for looking. Brutallly honest crititcism is appreciated. “

Hi Brian! I think your bike is absolutly freaking brilliant! I’d love to know a little more about it. Tell me about that cool frame fork and wheel setup. What size engine? etc… really really terrific build there. Where are you from? I can think of a few twisty roads that I’d love to ride that beauty.

Here is Brian’s response. This is is even more trick than i Imagined. Way to go!

Steve,
Thanks for the reply. This bike was built completely with lightness being the key issue. I made the frame completely form scratch using thin wall tubing. The back cowl was hand formed. The forks are inverted dirt bike forks but I had to make new triple clamps and clip on handle bars to fit the wider front tire an also the fender mounts.

The rims are from the fat rear Schwinn chopper bike. The rear rim was respoked to a dirt bike hub and the front on respoked to the most rugged down hill mountain bike hub i could find. The Schwinn chopper bike rims are 4″ wide and just happen to fit the Pirelli Sport Demon 110/90-16s perfectly. Total weight if the front wheel totally assembled with the tire is a hint under 11lbs. The rear a little heavier, due to the heavier dutyu dirt bike hub with the sprocket and heavier disc brake. Running friction was also a consideration.

The front disc brake is an Avid BB7 which is a ball bearing mechanical mountain bike brake, which totally releases the front disc when not braking. Since my rear swingaem pivot point is further back than normal and you get into the distance between the motor sprocket and the rear sprocket changing as the swing arm pivots, I needed a different type of chain tensioner. There is a ball bearing idler sprocket mounted to the swingarm and as the distance between the 2 sprockets becomes smaller due to rear suspension compression the idler sprocket deflects the chain and keeps the chain tension constant at all points of the suspension travel. Calculating this point where the idler sprocket should be mounted was a real bitch. The bike looks a little small but dimensions of the wheelbase, seat height, seat to handlebar relation is the same as a Yamaha YFZR6-S. The only difference is the seat to peg distance is longer by 4″ on this because I”m a tall guy.

The engine is Honda crf230. I chose this because it’s air cooled and has an alternator for lighting an electric start. Top speed is 78mph. I took this up the mountains toour 10000 foot peak on really windy roads and it stuck to the corners like glue. It’s like driving air since its so light. This was partly inspired by the new version of the 50cc Honda Dream Cafe Racer, but i wanted more power for the highway but still thelightness of the Dream. The speedo is also a frictionless system, using a magnetic sensor for the digital speedo, a TrailtechVapor which also is a tach.


Some of the bikes posted on your page has been a great inspiration to me. Thanks for putting the time into it for all of us to share ideas and see what others have come up with.
I will be building more bikes, each one is a new learning and engineering challenge, and having web pages like yours is a good source for inspiration and ideas. Please keep up the good work.
If you have any questions or want to share ideas, please feel to email me. I hope my bike is worthy of your website.
Thanks again,

Brian

The Pleasure’s all mine Brian. Keep them coming!!

Ducati Limited Edition Hailwood Replica by NCR

NCR has developed a new, limited-edition Mike Hailwood TT replica.

Only 12 of these machines will be built, and price is $130,000NCR has developed a new, limited-edition Mike Hailwood TT replica. The machine features an 11-pound titanium frame, a titanium exhaust system, carbon-fiber wheels and bodywork and weighs only 299 pounds. The bike is powered by a heavily-modified, air-cooled 1120cc Ducati V-Twin. The engine has billet titanium connecting rods, single-ring forged pistons, a custom billet stroker crankshaft and titanium valves. The transmission has been lightened and is fitted with a dry-type slipper clutch. The engine is rated at 130 horsepower at 8700 rpm and 98 lbs.-ft. of torque at 7000 rpm. The bike is also fitted with fully-adjustable Ohlins suspension, radial-mount Brembo monoblock four-piston calipers and a host of titanium goodies – NCR’s specialty.

Only 12 of these machines will be built, and price is $130,000

Doug Nye’s Badass Kawasaki KZ900.

Sun rims, big bor, sidewinder boxed swingarm… Goes like stink!

Another custom RD400 by Gary McGoron and Chuck Eggleston

I’m not exactly sure about the history of this bike or the builders. The e-mail didn’t have any build info attached but it definately worth a look.


Motorcyclist Retro!!

Mitch Boehm has a shoutout to anyone and everyone to help support this fine magazine in it’s incubator stage. I’ve usually got a dozen or so copies in my local outlet so if anyone can’t get one let me know son and I’ll se what I can do. Cost and shipping. Yes I’ll ship internationally if you want one. Paypal only please.


Cover shot of the soon to appear third issue!!

More Sam simons Projects…

Here’s something to give you an idea of the kind of attention to detail he has. Fantastic work!

From his recent E-mail:

I’ve done some ‘different’ projects since the RD-K500,only one of them being as ‘intense’ and as involved as the RD-K. That would be the little Gilera 124 army dispatch bike.

You may get a kick out of this bike….
I was wanting to do something military for a change,and a chum/collector had to Gileras to offer.
Both were 1967 /_*SEARS*_/ 124’s(Gilera),and one had only 38 miles use!(with traditional rust and faded color).
To make a long story(and project) short,Steve,it was a more challenging task than I expected;trying to come away with a finished product that was convincingly real/original. I think that I did that,but it was very similar to the RD-K in time spent……really. Literally,any pieces/features not found on the stock SEARS 124 that are present on the ‘Gilera 124 Militare’ were either new fabrication(i.e,seat, rack,air cleaner) or heavily ‘massaged’ oem parts(i.e,forks,shock location,both fenders).The handlebars began life as RZ350 units.
It does fool the ‘experts’. Another chum took the silver 124,and did a beautiful little vintage Italian ISDT machine.

I done a couple of other ‘odd’ vehicles too,but I’ll save that for another email to you…..