Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
The "New" and "Updated" Royal Endield...
Now with Fuel injection and Unit Construction. Lots more info Here
OK just one more... I reeeeely like this take on the scrambler..
OK just one more... I reeeeely like this take on the scrambler..
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Lee Sutton's Vintage Motocross slideshow.
Simply awesome vintage pics from "back in the day"... Enjoy!!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
20,000 page views and counting!! I'm really blown away! I hope everyone is enjoying this as much as I enjoy doing it. Like I said, I thought this was just going to be a hobby between me and a few friends. What a surprise this has been! Keep those reader rides coming!! I've REALLY enjoyed the imagination and creativity of those bike most of all. Thanks to everyone for visiting!!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
New Reader Rides!
Reader Lawrence Austria has submitted a 3 for 1. Some beautiful Cafe Rides and a really tasty scooter. Thank You for sharing such excellent work! You have a great eye for motorcycles!
He Writes:
Hi!I saw your site while browsing the net and I just want to share my resto project. Above are the pics of my bikes, first is my 1966 Ducati M160 Special racer then my 1964 CB77R Racer and lastly my play bike the 1958 NSU Prima lll K Limited Edition. Hope you like it.
He Writes:
Hi!I saw your site while browsing the net and I just want to share my resto project. Above are the pics of my bikes, first is my 1966 Ducati M160 Special racer then my 1964 CB77R Racer and lastly my play bike the 1958 NSU Prima lll K Limited Edition. Hope you like it.
Lawrence Austria
Philippines
Friday, November 21, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Really off the wall customs!
Brian (who built the featherweight Honda powered Cafe in an earlier post) has sent me some pictures of his other custom featherweight projects. And by featherweight I mean that they are baaaarely even motorcycles. WOW! This is one of those bikes that you look at and wonder why nobody actually manufacturers anything like this. It'd be handy as hell and tons of fun to a LOT of people I would think. Me included! Thanks much Brian for sharing these!!
He writes:
I haven't had a chance yet to shoot new pictures of my 203lb cafe, but I have built 2 other bikes. Maybe worthy of your 50cc section, but its up to you.
Anyway if nothing else you will get good laugh out of them. The "99bike" is my answer to a powered mountain bike. I tried for under 100lbs but came out 103lbs. It is the size dimensionally as a full size dirt bike but much narrower. It is 125cc with 8" front and rear suspension travel. I built this one from scratch, inlcluding the rear hub so i could spoke a 24" mountain bike rim to it. Front is a 26" DH bike wheel. I have taken this on our local mountain bike trails for almost a year and beat the hell out of it and have not broken it yet. The appealing part of the crf50 type engine is the auto-clutch. I can climb a steep hill and stop at any point without clutching or stalling. It is geared very low and you can pull a wheelie at almost a stand still. Top speed is about 40. I get really strange looks on the trails but its a blast to ride, quiet to not disturb anyone and gets killer gas mileage.
The second one I built as my urban moped. This is 49cc so no licence, title or registration is required for street use. I even asked the sheriffs down the street about this to make sure about this and their comment to me was "make sure you have eye protection or we will stop you". This is a 4 speed or leave it in 4th gear an use the auto-clutch for totally automatic driving. Top speed is 30mph to stay within the legal definition of a "moped" . The gas tank is the center large tube and hold about 1/2 gallon. The biggest bitch in building this was to get this to seal. The wheels are 18" and the seat height is 34" to give you an idea of size. Gas mileage is about 140. Front forks are Marzocchi Shiver. Suspension travel is about 7" on both ends.
I know your page is for motorcycles but I thought you might get a kick out of my insanity. Thanks again for indulging me and thanks for posting my cafe racer. Thanks again,Brian
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Honda CB-1 from Sam Simons.
Hi Steve,Since you have a very good appreciation for atypical bikes(some of them 4 strokers),I've sent youa picture of my 1990 CB1.
This bike was found in great mechanical, but _terrible_ _cosmetic_ condition (unusual combination,IMO).There was a very lengthy laundry list of parts and work performed to finish this bike. You may recallthat the little CB1 was available here only 2 years, and not well received. One major negative(IMO) was it's very drab color scheme-blue and pewter silver. Comparing a pic of a stocker againstthe bike will tell you how/where the time was spent.....this bike is a piece of jewelry,heavy on the 'glitz'.I'll confess that _I didn't do any of the work_,a very talented friend built/rebuilt it,and I was so impressedby it,that I bought it. (I did fab the handlebar risers later to accept a set of K&N bars).What a great little machine,but that constant sustained high road rpm wail did take me a while toget used to...... I later passed it on to another chum similarly impressed by it's appearance.
This bike was found in great mechanical, but _terrible_ _cosmetic_ condition (unusual combination,IMO).There was a very lengthy laundry list of parts and work performed to finish this bike. You may recallthat the little CB1 was available here only 2 years, and not well received. One major negative(IMO) was it's very drab color scheme-blue and pewter silver. Comparing a pic of a stocker againstthe bike will tell you how/where the time was spent.....this bike is a piece of jewelry,heavy on the 'glitz'.I'll confess that _I didn't do any of the work_,a very talented friend built/rebuilt it,and I was so impressedby it,that I bought it. (I did fab the handlebar risers later to accept a set of K&N bars).What a great little machine,but that constant sustained high road rpm wail did take me a while toget used to...... I later passed it on to another chum similarly impressed by it's appearance.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
More Sam Simons Specials! Ural "Military" Sidecar with driven wheel!
I'm in a military Sidecar mood all of a sudden!! A great errr.. modern interpretation. If a new Ural is "modern". I love this build. All you'd need is an old Russian or German military uniform and yo could star in your own movie!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Nice take on a Honda 750 Bobber.
Stumbled across this bike on a new and interesting blog. Check him out at..
http://jpenziolmoto.blogspot.com/
I really like his "Adventure Riding Tips" good stuff there.
http://jpenziolmoto.blogspot.com/
I really like his "Adventure Riding Tips" good stuff there.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 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...
My RD an My buddies H2 taking a rest.
Yours Truly...
Sunday, November 9, 2008
4 cylinder Triumph Bonneville.
Someone just had to have something different! Must pull like a freight train.
Friday, November 7, 2008
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!
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.
The Pleasure's all mine Brian. Keep them coming!!
"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.
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,
BrianThe Pleasure's all mine Brian. Keep them coming!!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
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