Month: May 2011

Just got back from spending the morning at Riding Into History in St Augustine Florida. Stay Tuned for some great shots!


More to come. LOTS more..

And yet another from the Kurt Bartlein “Dime City Cycle” portfolio…


I’ve always like the idea of vintage sport touring. This gorgeous Norton Commando wouldn’t be a bad way to head out!

Amazing video of some legendary “time capsule” Hondas.


Thanks to reader Johan Blom for pointing this one out to me.

He wrote in:
Hi!
I was searching the web for some movies of this project ( http://feber.se/bil/art/210331/saabskal_med_viperhjrta/) a SAAB with a Viper engine… But now to the fun stuff i found which might interest you – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvmnSiVpoH8.
As you can read in the comments “Short in bad english: A swedish motorcycle dealer bought the bikes as collectors items when they were brand new. Now, almost 20 years later, he puts them on display in his store. No, they are not for sale. :)”

So they are from the late 80s and early 90s and have been stored in their original boxes since they arrived to Sweden, and in march 2010 the were un-boxed and placed in the stores in glass cabins…

http://www.mcvaruhuset.se/index.php – this is the dealer!

Maybe this old news but I thought let you know.

Thank Johan I had not seen this one before. It’s amazing to think that bikes like this can even exist. What an amazing find! Thanks for the information and the links!

UPDATE: An Exquisite Reader CB550 Gulf Racing Tthemed Cafe Racer


Update: Chris had actually sent me links to a a pair of photo albums and he actually pointed me to the better of the two… which I promptly forgot about and posted the lesser quality of the finished pics. So I thought I’d update this oversight by sorting it out now. These are much better and more representative shots of the finished product. Someone really does has a nice touch with the lens Chris. Thanks and orry for any confusion..

Chris Trotter send in this very special build. I absolutely love the Gulf Racing colors. Oh and these are just a very small taste. Be sure to check out the slideshow folks. SLIDESHOw OF THE FULL BUILD

Hey Steve,
So I bought the original bike a 1975 Honda CB550K in October of 2010, which was stock except for the exhaust. With the exception of the engine, which was in great shape, everything on the bike was replaced, refurbished or built anew. The subframe was built to match up to the tail, which was built to echo the tank. Both tank and seat/tail are constructed from a mix of fiberglass and Kevlar. That was an eye-opener for me; due to Kevlar’s uncooperative nature, I have to say the next build will exclude it entirely! All of the 36 year old bearings and bushings were replaced for peace of mind. Many members of the forum Do The Ton contributed to this build whether by encouragement or hooking me up with parts. For instance, the rear sets and top triple clamp were machined by a forum member, and the logos were airbrushed on by a friend and fellow forum member, with the stencils being made by another! The paint scheme and name are in honor of Gulf Racing’s efforts at the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

Thanks Steve! Let me know if you need anything more.

Really special bike. Well done.

Here’s a progress pic…

And the before pic…

Wow! Believe it or not, it’s a KLR!


amazing custom with an excellent build thread over on ADV Rider

How about a Turbo Cafe BMW Airhead. More Kurt Bartlein “Dime City Cycle” portfolio.


The latest masterpiece from Mule Motorcycles


Richard Pollock writes in:

Here’s a couple shots taken by David Edwards of our recent Café build. It’s called the Streetmaster “Brighton” Café Racer. Built by Mule Motorcycles for Streetmaster.

Regards

Thanks Richard. I’m a longtime fan of the Mule builds and this one really hits a nice chord for me. Just stunning. A deliciously perfect blend of old world style and updated modern parallel twin. That tank could have it’s own post…

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John Player Special. More from the Kurt Bartlein “Dime City Cycle” portfolio…


Stunning MV Agusta. The first of the Kurt Bartlein “Dime City Cycle” portfolio…


Lets get to it! The dime City Cycles grand opening. Nothing on earth like a flawless red vintage MV…

Every once in a while I get really spoiled by one of my readers!


Every once in a while I get really spoiled by one of my readers and this is one of those time. Regular contributor Kurt Bartlein has sent me a treasure trove of great photo’s from the recent “Dime City Cycles” Grand opening extravaganza. They were packed with cool bikes and Kurt was kind enough to load me up with bunch of them. So in a very real sense this blog is being turned over to Kurt for a few days. You wont be disappointed.