Yamaha TÉNÉRÉ BY NICI

Erzbergrodeo: Highlights from the Prologue Day One

Red Bull Hare Scramble 2012 winner Jonny Walker begins his title defence in the Erzbergrodeo Prologue along with Roof Of Africa winner Wade Young and Enduro legend Ivan Cervantes.
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Etape 2 : Latvala leader en Grèce

La seconde boucle de quatre spéciales figurant au menu des concurrents du rallye Acropole a permis à Jari-Matti Latvala (VW) de conforter son leadership. Le Finlandais compte désormais plus d'une minute d'avance sur Dani Sordo (Citroën), lequel voit son avantage sur Thierry Neuville (Ford) passer sous le barre des 40 secondes. Derrière ce trio, les écarts sont plus nets. On note la remontée de Mads Östberg (Ford) qui a pris la mesure de Martin Prokop (Ford).

Une boucle de deux spéciales sera parcourue à deux reprises dimanche, soit un total de 84 km, la power stage clôturant les débats sur 30,14 km.

Classement samedi soir : 1. Latvala-Antilla (VW) 2h32'42''8 ; 2. Sordo-del Barrio (Citroën) + 1'04''1 ; 3. Neuville-Gilsoul (Ford) + 1'43''1 ; 4. Al-Attiyah-Bernacchini (Ford) + 3'46''1 ; 5. Mikkelsen-Markkula (VW) + 4'11''8 ; 6. Östberg-Andersson (Ford) + 5'26''3 ; 7. Prokop-Ernst (Ford) + 5'50''3 ; 8. Hirvonen-Lehtinen (Citroën) + 7'52''2 ; 9. Novikov-Minor (Ford) + 8'16''1 ; 10. Ogier-Ingrassia (VW) + 10'29''5 ; 11. Kubica-Baran (Citroën) + 11'02''2, leaders en WRC2 ; etc.

Moto GP : Dani Pedrosa snatches pole position and posts new lap record at Mugello

from Twowheelsblog

It seemed that Jorge Lorenzo was on his way to take the pole position ahead of the Italian GP at the Mugello, but Dani Pedrosa pulled out a stunning last flying lap - after giving Andrea Dovizioso hell (the Ducati rider waited to use him as tow) - to pip and demote the Yamaha rider to second by just 0.069s and conquer his first pole position of the season and also break the 2012 circuit lap record which he also held.

Andrea Dovizioso took his second front row start after Le Mans, qualifying third in Ducati’s home race despite his sore neck (Hector Barbera qualified in the same position at Mugello last season)and using Bradl as reference point he demoted Cal Cruthlow to fourth by a mere 0.004s. The Yamaha Tech3 rider crashed out at the Borgo San Lorenzo a little more than halfway through the 15 minute QP2, and then returned to track with his spare bike to score an impressive fourth spot.

Taking off on the second row will be Stefan Bradl and Marc Marquez (who has a small fracture at the top of his humerus of his right shoulder) in his who had to take also take part in QP1 but he still managed to take sixth. Valentino Rossi once again will be taking off on the third row in seventh, unable to make the most of his last flying lap having trouble at the Correntaio and Biondetti. Ducati’s Nicky Hayden qualified 8th ahead of Alvaro Bautista, who was more than one second from Pedrosa’s pole position.

Michele Pirro, Ducati’s test rider and wildcard, was 10th, while injured Bradley Smith made it out of QP1 to qualify 11th with his Yamaha M1 and ahead of CRT leader Aleix Espargaro. Andrea Iannone who is the sole Pramac rider after Ben Spies’ pullout was just 13th.

2013 MotoGP Mugello Qualifying 2 results:

01- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – 1’47.157
02- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.069
03- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 0.471
04- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.475
05- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V – + 0.580
06- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V – + 0.606
07- Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 0.715
08- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 0.849
09- Alvaro Bautista – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V – + 1.198
10- Michele Pirro – Ducati Test Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13 – + 1.407
11- Bradley Smith – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1 – + 1.549
12- Aleix Espargaro – Power Electronics Aspar – ART GP13 – + 1.608

2013 MotoGP Mugello Starting Grid:

01- Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V
02- Jorge Lorenzo – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1
03- Andrea Dovizioso – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13
04- Cal Crutchlow – Monster Yamaha Tech 3 – Yamaha YZR M1
05- Stefan Bradl – LCR Honda MotoGP – Honda RC213V
06- Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team – Honda RC213V
07- Valentino Rossi – Yamaha Factory Racing – Yamaha YZR M1
08- Nicky Hayden – Ducati Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13
09- Alvaro Bautista – GO&FUN Honda Gresini – Honda RC213V
10- Michele Pirro – Ducati Test Team – Ducati Desmosedici GP13

Honda Badspeed

Cool Kid’s GSX400 Cracker Jack

31 year old Michel Szozda has just started a small custom garage in Amsterdam called Cool Kid Customs, and this the first build to roll out of his workshop, a Suzuki GSX400, AKA Cracker Jack.

Michel’s dad was a mechanic and metalworker and his mum lived a biker lifestyle, having remarried a Hells Angel, so either way he had to get into bikes. It was his dad who taught Michel how to fix them up but he also graduated as a metalworker in his own right and then went on to graduate again as an Art Director seven years later; the perfect combination of talents for a cafe custom builder.

Like most pro builders Michel’s passion for custom building started out as a hobby but as his confidence grew, and the compliments came in, he decided to turn his passion into his business.

This GSX is what started it all, built to be a daily rider. The donor was a 1984 400E and has had the usual tail chop, loop and seat rebuild, which has been wrapped in real leather.

The black handlebars have an M-bend with brown grips to match the seat. The distressed finish on the tank was created by priming it in a reddish-brown, painted over in antique blue, which was then partially sanded back, with a gold gas cap to set it all off. The tank script was painted by Michel too.

The bike has been lowered at the front and Hagon shocks fitted at the rear to give a low profile and that wheel-hugging look at the back.

Michel’s next project is a CSR305 that he plans to transform into a short hardtail bobber. Follow his work onFacebook or online, and we look forward to showcasing his next build.

the bike sheed 

“RIVERSIDE RACER” BY ANALOG

By Wes Garcia | Megadeluxe

The latest build from Tony Prust of Analog Motorcycles is this 1966 Wards Riverside—a bike that originated from an unlikely marriage between Chicago’s Montgomery Ward and Benelli motorcycles of Italy.

From 1959 to 1969 Montgomery Ward, the now defunct department store, sold motorcycles and scooters via a mail-order catalogue. Under the brand name of “Wards Riverside,” the relabeled bikes were supplied by Benelli. (Interesting that Montgomery Ward decided to rebrand these bikes, since many of the most famous racers during the 1960s rode Benellis.) Montgomery Ward would ship the motorcycles in crates, and it was up to the customer to both uncrate and assemble the bikes.

With all this unique history, it was no surprise to Tony that his client insisted on keeping intact the Wards Wheeled Goods serial number badge, and the Montgomery Ward logo.

Tony started the build by swapping out the front end with an EBR moped hydraulic set up, raising the rear with some slightly taller shocks, and re-lacing the hubs to powder coated aluminum wheels with polished stainless steel spokes. He then mounted Sava MC11 Moped racing tires. The engine was rebuilt and polished, and for maximum performance he installed a K&N air filter on a NOS replacement Dell’Orto Carb.

Unsure of what was the best option for tuning, Tony modified an aftermarket expansion chamber from a Kreidler Mustang to mount on the Wards, and had it ceramic coated. He then modified the rear subframe, fabricated a new seat pan with a speed hump, and wired in an LED taillight set up. Magura controls and NOS cables were mounted up, along with clip ons and CRG blind sight mirrors.

The stock Wards Riverside tank was treated to new paint scheme, as was the rest of the bike, in a silver metallic with orange and black accents. The detailed hand pin-striping was expertly done by Brando, and the paint by Kiel at Crown Auto Body. The seat was upholstered by Rod’s Designs. The bike has all new wiring, and the old rollerball bearing wheels were converted to sealed bearing units. Worn rubber pegs were replaced with lowered and hard-mounted aluminum pegs.

In Tony’s words, “It looks fast, but looks can be deceiving.”

Head over to our Archives for previous Analog builds, and the Analog Facebook page for news.

Author Wes Garcia is the chief editor of Megadeluxe, an online magazine covering the world of speed, sport and design. Images by Timothy Prust.

from BIKEEXIF

Aston Martin DB4 Convertible: Never in the shade

First on sale in 1961, the DB4 Convertible offered sporting intent in an open-top configuration – but only to 70 lucky owners.

The convertible DB4 made its debut at the 1961 London Motor Show, exactly three years after its be-roofed sibling had been revealed to an appreciative crowd at the same venue.

This time, though, the styling had been taken care of in-house, with Touring’s design for the coupé used merely as a starting point; a very pretty one at that.Often serving to improve and confuse in equal measure, Sir David Brown’s preference for ‘constant evolution’ was as present as ever in the open DB4. Though it went on sale at the same time as the ‘series 4’ cars (the ‘series’ were retrospectively defined by AMOC, the Aston Martin Owners Club), the convertible shared some features with the later ‘series 5’ coupés, including the extended section of the rear body. In fact, some of its characteristics – such as the opening quarterlight window – were not seen on a coupé until the DB6.


In comparison with these later cars, the DB4 Convertible also managed to retain a unique side to its character. In subsequent years, that process of ‘constant evolution’ meant the cars put on weight, negating the advantages of the Superleggera construction process licensed by Touring. Also, it has a fruitier exhaust note compared with later straight-six Astons: the DB4’s rasp only had to do battle with two silencers, while DB5s and 6s had four.

Nestle into the short but surprisingly supportive seats and you’re greeted by a thin, large-diameter wooden steering wheel. It’s bordered by simple switchgear and dials inset into a body-coloured dash panel, a touch that's exclusive to the convertible: the coupé had a sombre, black fascia.

While later cars enjoy popularity through refined looks, snowballing power figures and associations with certain film franchises, it’s the DB4 which offers perhaps the most honest experience of the Newport Pagnell six-cylinder cars. With the convertible only accounting for a small percentage of production, it also provides membership of an exclusive club – one whose members thrive on the DB4’s sporting intentions, and do so while basking in balmy sunshine whenever possible.

Related Links Further information on the DB4 Convertible seen here can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace

Text: Joe Breeze (Classic Driver)
Photos: Simon Clay

Suzuki GSX-R "Back to Black" by KMP

Foto: Facebook (KMP)
via Racing Café

Cape Town to Dublin by Scooter

 

Scooter riding expedition that starts at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa in February 2013 - The route takes us up the length of Africa, then through the Middle East and right across Europe - visiting 14 different Children's Hospitals in total - Ultimately finishing at Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Dublin, Ireland - an 8 month journey. The trip is been completed to assist with the raising of funds and awareness for the wonderful work done by these amazing life saving organizations