Kawasaki W650 "Blue Swingbob" by Deus

from Racing Café

Foto: Deus Ex Machina

Marc’s Honda CB400F custom

 Marc Ischepp just sent to blog.derestricted.com  some superb photos/renders of his custom CBR 400 project

Marco Melandri: We have to make the bike easier to use

Marco Melandri may have ended up third in the 2012 World Superbike standings but he was the first rider after BMW’s debut in the series in 2009 to bring the BMW S1000RR to victory, and he did it six times, at Donington Park, Miller Motorsports, Motorland Aragon, a double victory at Brno and then at Moscow.

For the 2013 season BMW has turned their factory effort over to BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK, but they will still continue to support the team with engine and electronic development.

Despite the six victories and five podiums in 2012, the Italian rider isn’t completely satisfied with the performance of his machine weekend after weekend, as he told the SBK website:

When works well it works very well, but that it maybe has a smaller window of perfection than some other machines. I think our bike is a very good bike but, like you say, the window to make it work and give you good confidence is very small. When you are inside this window you can be fast and it looks easy. When something is not perfect and you go out of this window you fight with the bike sometimes. I think this is the main place where we have to work, to make the bike easier. We knew this before the season, we know now. The first year was to try to understand what we have to do more on the bike. So for the first year, for sure we did more than was expected last season.”

When asked if he can repeat his sucess in 2013 with the new team, he said, “I think everything is a package. Rider, team, bike, factory - all together. For sure the rider may be on top and he must try to stimulate and push the team and give the right information. Then the team has to push the factory and the factory has to understand the information an what to do with the bike. I think it is always teamwork. Alone, the rider or team or factory cannot do this.”

Will Melandri be able to win the championship next season?

from Twowheelsblog

2012 Ural Yamal Limited Edition Sidecar Motorcycle

By guest writer from PIPEBURN.COM :  Ian Lee.

The Yamal Peninsular on the northwest tip of Russia is cold. Mind numbingly cold. Temperatures of minus 60 degrees Celsius have been recorded there, even in summer the arctic winds will bring on a chill. It’s definitely not the sort of place you want to find yourself locked out without your keys. It takes a hardcore form of transport to get around such an area, one of these being the nuclear powered icebreaker Yamal, named after the peninsular which it sails around. With a giant set of cartoon jaws adorning it’s prow, most pictures tend to show the Yamal leading other icebreakers through fields of ice, showing what it takes to traverse these waters. When Ural were looking for a name for their new special edition, Yamal seemed the perfect moniker. We present to you, the ultimate ‘go anywhere’ bike and sidecar unit, the 2012 Ural Yamal Limited Edition, complete with sidecar mounted oar. 

Now for a history lesson. Depending upon who you ask, there are two main theories as to how the M72 motorbike came into existence. One story tells of 5 BMW R71 motorbikes being bought in Sweden, shipped back to the mother country, stripped and every component copied to make the  M72. The other theory is that the plans for the Beemer were handed over to the Russian Defence Department as part of a pact between Germany and Russia at the time. No matter what story you believe, the BMW R71 was a counterfeit worthy bike, it being the inspiration not only for the M72, but also the Harley Davidson XA and the Chiang Jang CJ750. 

No matter how it came about, the M72 was a hit with the defence department, 30000 units being supplied in the first 9 years of production. Over the years the M72 changed from being a military unit to a more civilian friendly unit, until eventually the Russian state sold it’s stake and the Ural Motor company was born. The new owners decided that the design of the bike was good enough to continue, but the manufacturing methodology needed to be changed. Better quality control and build practices bringing this 70 year old design into the 21^st century. And that’s where our feature bike comes in.

The 749cc BMW derived engine puts out 40hp@5600rpm, with an almost matching 38ft-lbs@4600rpm. Because simpler is better when you take the rough road, twin 32mm Keihin carburettors are fitted, economy allows 165miles from a tank. The clutch fitted is a dry dual disc setup, running power to a 4 speed transmission, with reverse gear for when you get stuck. And this bike is built for taking places where you are likely to get stuck. As with lots of other Russian machinery, two methods of starting are available, both electric and kick, just to be sure. 

Interesting roads require adequate suspension, Ural decided that front and rear fitted Sachs hydraulic shocks are able to take the stress of where ever you are tempted to test this bike. The front leading link suspension harks back to the bikes original incarnation, the Brembo floating disc brake setup definitely does not. The rear end and the sidecar are both drum braked, again going with an easy useable idea. These units aren’t built for speed, so braking capability is more aimed towards stability at low speeds, for which drum brakes are adequate. Due to the bike being built on the same platform as Ural’s Gear-up model, on demand 2 wheel drive is fitted standard to these ‘in your face, where the mud at’ machines. 

Finished in a shade of orange that would come in handy to alert rescue helicopters, the bike is nearly all go and no show. Sidecar mounted foglights, crashbars, rider as well as passenger windshields, crashbars and more crashbars keep you safe on nearly any shortcut you wish to take. The only break from this style of the bike is the ‘grinning jaw’ decal fitted out on the sidecar, a homage to the Yamal icebreaker from which it gets it’s name. Tires are a nice and tall 19” front, rear and sidecar, aluminium rims steel-spoked around cast aluminium hubs. 

If you are planning on touring anywhere the roads are rough, then this bike is for you. Even more so if there are no roads, as testified by the oar that comes as factory equipment when you buy this bike. It is a bike that is been 70 years in the making, and as Ural themselves say ‘there are many places in Russia where only horses and Ural motorcycles can be used to transport gear where you need it’. This is the ultimate ‘that track looks interesting’ touring unit you can get your hands on from factory, surpassing even it’s namesake in ability. Whereas the Yamal icebreaker can’t go on land, the Yamal motorbike must have come with an oar for a reason…

Jorge Lorenzo vs Mick Doohan vs Sebastian Vettel in ROC

With TWOWHEELSBLOG

This upcoming weekend (December 14-16) at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium, the 25th edition of the Race of Champions (ROC) will be held which brings together the world’s greatest drivers, past and present from various motorsports main disciplines – including Formula 1, World Rally, touring cars, Le Mans, MotoGP, IndyCar and the X-Games and sets them free to battle in identical four-wheel machinery.

One of the groups (C) will see reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo, 2012 F1 champion Sebastian Vettel and former five-time 500cc world champion Mick Doohan and the runner-up from ROC Thailand will be pitted against each other and the top two in each group earn the right to participate in the following knockout stages.

Check out the other stellar names and the groups they will be in following the draw that was held last Friday.

Group A
Sébastien OGIER, WRC star and reigning ROC ‘Champion of Champions’
Jamie WHINCUP, V8 Supercar Champion 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008
David COULTHARD, 13 Formula 1 grand prix victories
Benito GUERRA, Production World Rally Champion 2012

Group B
Tom KRISTENSEN, eight-time Le Mans 24-Hour race winner
Andy PRIAULX, three-time World Touring Car Champion
ROC Asia 1, top non-Thailand competitor from ROC Asia
ROC Thailand 1, winner of ROC Thailand

Group C
Sebastian VETTEL, Formula 1 World Champion 2012, 2011, 2010
Jorge LORENZO, MotoGP World Champion 2012, 2010
Mick DOOHAN, five-time 500cc MotoGP World Champion
ROC Thailand 2, runner-up from ROC Thailand

Group D
Michael SCHUMACHER, seven-time Formula 1 World Champion
Ryan HUNTER-REAY, IndyCar Series Champion 2012
ROC Asia 2, second-placed non-Thailand competitor from ROC Asia
Romain GROSJEAN, three Formula 1 podiums in 2012

The ROC Nations Cup will take place on the Saturday, where Schumacher and Vettel will be looking to continue this winning streak for Team Germany. Lorenzo will be driving as part of the ‘All Stars’ team with Doohan alongside Jamie Whincup for Team Australia. The group draw for the Nations Cup is as follows:

ROC Nations Cup (Saturday December 15)

Group A
Team France (Sébastien OGIER & Romain GROSJEAN)
Team Great Britain (David COULTHARD & Andy PRIAULX)
Team Americas (Ryan HUNTER-REAY & Benito GUERRA)
Team All Stars (Tom KRISTENSEN & Jorge LORENZO)

Group B
Team Germany (Michael SCHUMACHER & Sebastian VETTEL)
Team Thailand (The two finalists from ROC Thailand)
Team Australia (Mick DOOHAN & Jamie WHINCUP)
Team Asia (The leading ROC Asia team other than Thailand)

A Four-Legged Grand Prix: Reindeer racing at Arctic altitudes

Oh what fun it is to ride… a racing reindeer. Or that’s what the local speed-demons in Northern Finland want to convince us. If husky sledding and snowmobiling aren't action enough for you, then it might be a good idea to add the reindeer derby in Ivalo to your itinerary when visiting the Polar region…

You will surely know red-nosed Rudolph, Blitzen and Donner – but what you might not know is that when these furry creatures are not busy pulling Santa’s sleigh, they love battling it out on a freezing racing course. In fact, competitive reindeer racing is a popular sport in the far north of Finland – and the annual Reindeer Cup Championships in Inari are THE event of the season, attracting daredevils from all over the Arctic region, eager to put their thoroughbreds to the test.
One thing is certain, though: this isn’t a sport for the fainthearted. The reindeer pull their jockeys behind them on skis along an icy horse-shoe shaped course, reaching top speeds of up to 60km/h. Meanwhile, once the reindeer get going, there’s not much stopping them. And it goes without saying that strong biceps, along with a good dose of craziness, are essential if you want to win fame and glory in this winter sport.

Most reindeer races take place around Easter, just in time for the long-awaited season of midnight sun. However, springtime in Ivalo – the reindeer capital of the world – is a far cry from anything you’re probably used to. To survive in these sub-zero conditions we recommend you not only wear thermal underwear, but take after the locals and cover up in animal pelts for extra insulation.
You might be familiar with the saying “There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing". Well, at these Arctic latitudes the wisdom of those words becomes particularly evident…
The Reindeer Cup Championships will take place in Ivalo, Finland, on 31 March to 1 April 2013.
Text: Laura Leivo
Photos: Kimmo Brandt
with ClassicDriver.com