Month: January 2012

A really interesting concept bike and engine system.

I’ve read quite a bit about the compressed air technology in cars lately and I just sort of figured it would be impractical in motorcycles.  And then I saw this (pulled this out of the Spam filter again grrr..) from an alert reader.  Really cool concept ESPECIALLY for short distance closed course racing.  I have a hunch that those are the areas where the alternate energy bikes and cars might get a realistic toehold.  I’ve even seen some wicked fast all electric Cart racing that a hard core cart racing friend of mine is looking into.

Anyway, thanks to Zach Stambaugh who sent this to me back on Dec 11 while we were in a bit of an alt energy phase on here.

I’ve been enjoying your blog for at least a year now. After the poll about electrics, I wondered what you thought of this: http://o2pursuitdeanbenstead.wordpress.com/

In my opinion it goes down to whether the bike looks interesting. Is it original or fun? does it innovate a cool idea? If so put it up.

I think it meets the qualification of interesting.

Thanks Zach and be sure to check out the link to their site for more!  And yeas, that started out as a standard SCUBA tank.  I love it!  And if you don’t mind sitting through a 30 second ad there’s a really informative video on the design HERE I like the points they make about no end of life issues (like with batteries) and I imagine you could piggyback compressed air refill stations right next to a gas station without too much fuss. The only scary part is what would happen in a rupture in an accident. I’m sure smarte people than me have solutions to that though. I’ve always thought that electric is doomed by it’s own costs and physics but the simplicity of this CA tech seems really promising..

I promise. Today ONLY. Some Politics! Say NO to SOPA and PIPA!

Edit:  I will leave comments open on this but please be, well, somewhat civil.

If you want to be spared my editorializing below here are some sites with just the facts:

This Google homepage has excellent info that will stay up more than just today (I hope).

The best comprehensive site on all the details of the issue is probably Wikepedia.    The best “at a glance” article I’ve seen so far is  Here.

Probably the best single page for contact info on the key players in the matter can be found HERE.

The full list of SOPA / PIPA institutional and corporate  supporters is HERE).

Sign the Petition HERE

My two sentence editorial is this.  The content providers want the government to help stop online “piracy” by wildly overstepping their constitutional and technological bounds while taking the first small steps toward  infesting, monitoring, and controlling all content on the behalf of corporate content providers (and campaign donators)  and bloated bureaucracies with their own eye towards increased influence and power.  Certain segments of the government are drooling at the idea of finally getting their toe in the door in order to take control huge chunks of our freedom and technology.

My longer rant is this…

I usually don’t allow any politics either here or on the Facebook page.  There’s lots of places for that.    I come here to relax.   But (like a lot of internet sites today) I’m making a one time exception to that rule.  I like my blog just the way it is.  I don’t need anyone telling me what I can reasonably post on here.   Unfortunately, there are forces at work that feel differently.

“Never let a good crisis go to waste”  is a big catchphrase in American politics. Make sure that any (usually Orwellian sounding)  solution focuses almost entirely on the wrong part of the issue. Make sure it’s way to big and overreaching.  Make it Expensive!  Don’t really concern yourself that it won’t really fix anything long term (that’s really NOT the goal anyway).  And most important, make sure it allows those people already in charge to increase that control as much as possible so they can sell that influence to the highest bidders… all  hopefully without anyone noticing.  Again, see the full list of supporters HERE.

It makes not one bit of difference what party you’re in, it’s who your masters are.  In this case The President is against SOPA (and good for him) and a significant of bought and paid for” Congressman and Senators of both parties are all for it.

I realize at this point that a lot of folks are thinking “Oh come on Steve… this will only be an issue between “the big boys” of the web.  The large peer to peer sites like Piratebay vs Sony or Disney and they’re only talking about  shutting down access to overseas sites that brazenly facilitate the sharing of content so why worry about the average 4000 hit per day blog or whatever?  Why should I care.

Well remember the part about increasing power.  To quote this C-Net article,  “How SOPA Would Affect You”:

“A little-noticed portion of the proposed law… goes further than Protect IP and could require Internet providers to monitor customers’ traffic and block Web sites suspected of copyright infringement. “

They’re back peddling now that all the attention is coming down on them but don’t kid yourself.  The Internet is huge and it’s (for now) beyond their control.  That’s not something that sits well with the powers that be.  If they can find juuust the right reason and put a bow on it, they will take it.

Link Fixed: Really cool video technique in this Supermoto video.

Update: Link fixed. Sorry about that.

I’ve seen the Gyro cam videos (it’s on her somewhere too) but this is really close and it’s really bargain basement.  Check out the rig here!  Not much English but you’ll get the idea.  Would love to do this at Deals gap next may.

Local Track – Vivid Supermoto Angles from Supermotard Denmark on Vimeo.

Farewell Mike Ahola. He was an insanely talented enduro champion.

I’m a little late in posting this. I’ve only recently begun following world class enduro and I’ve earned a huge respect for the class and riders. Recently a real giant of the sport passed away.

 

 

One of those days in the woods… I laugh my ass off every single time I watch it.

And his buddies just keep filming his ongoing misery… Classic.

Custom Ducati Cafe Assembly.. It’s a borderline adult video..

Very Droolworthy…

Making of Imola by Radical Ducati from Rocket68 on Vimeo.

A Beautifully Modded 1988 Honda Hawk. Another Honda that was just a wee bit ahead of it’s time.

Edit:it’s an 88 (obviously) and not a 98.
This is a really excellent example of the potential that these bike came with. I still scratch my head how a bike like this went out of production in the US just a few years before the very similar SV650 took us by storm. And this one has been really well done up. I can in fact testify that 64HP in a bike this light is the sort of fun that’s hard to to explain to a 200 hp generation. But it’s real.

Hello. I have been following your web site for quite awhile now and own a few bikes myself. I have a friend that bought a 1988 Honda Hawk a few years ago and has done a ton of work on it making it into a very nice up to date ride for 2011. I think it would really make his year to have his bike and the work he has done shown on your website. It will also be a nice surprise seeing it on your web site. Here is several pics of his bike from where it started to where it is now. I will also list some of the changes he has made.

The changes he has made and additions include. Stock front forks with Racetech springs, Race Tech Gold Valve Emulators, All Balls steering head bearings kit, K & L fork seals, and All balls front wheel bearings kit, Steve Lenac Brake kit (bracket/6 pot caliper/Pro Lite floating race rotor), EBC HH brake pads, Stainless steel brake lines front and rear through the swingarm, Motion pro throttle and clutch cables, Penske 8983 Triple shock, 3.0 Jet kit, Pod Filters, Polished heads, New carb boots, rebuilt carbs and dyno’d at 64hp., Mikuni vacuum fuel pump with custom mikuni mount above the rear valve cover, Full M4 Titanium High Race Exhaust system, KOSO RX2N Gauge, Aztec8 5 3/4″ dual headlights, Eastern Beaver wiring harness, Vortex Clipons and bars, CRG Lane splitting mirrors and levers, VLED Red 92 Brakelight bulbs, Buell Traction Grips, Buell Blinkers, F3 front rim, vfr 5 spoke 5 1/2inch rear wheel, lightened rear rotor, many parts powdercoated, body work custom painted, and many other custom made parts he had made.
Here is a few when he first got it.
And a few during the build process.
He had set it up this way about 6 months ago with the low mount m4 exhaust and quite a few less parts than he has now…

Here is some of the latest photos after all the work has been done. He told me he is going to do more things to it, but here it is now.

Here we have a fe of the finished product:

A few from the build process:

And here’s the Before Pic. Not bad really:

Reader Ride. Sweet 1955 T110 Triumph.

Thanks to Eric Johnston who’s owned this beauty since 1973! That’s the real deal right there! Thanks Eric!

Another victim of my spam Filter. This time an update to an earlier V-Rod.

Sorry bout that Ron

Hi Dude.
….In reply to a couple of posts after featuring the Vrod Cafe Racer, here are a couple of shots from different angles, repositioned bars and new wheels.
Happy chrimbo to all that use this awesome site. Keep up the good work and we all appreciate the time you take running this.
I’ll post my Zephyr 1100 project next year on completion.
Other photo is the Joey Dunlop Bronze on the mountain section at the Isle Of Man during the Manx TT this year.
regards

Be sure to send me that Zephyr when you’re close. I love those bikes!

Back at the CLCafe.

Another great build from Jason Moore who’s e-mail message was again trapped in my spam filter. This time a 1974 Honda Cl 125 Sorry about that Jason. It’s happening so often that I may just start a sub category for it. Oh and be sure to check out his blog. Good stuff.

Hey, Just finished my CB125 for my wife. 1974, converted to 12 volts. Internally sprung forks, custom fiberglass seat, clip-ons with internal throttle cable, scrambler pipe with internal baffle. Sweat paint job with matching retro helmet. Check out my blog to see my past and future builds. http://flyingjcustoms.blogspot.com/

I see from your blog that you’ve since sold it but that “find” you had on the bad side of town looks like it has possibilities.