Bultaco TSS 125 ex-Jean Auréal (1965)

Never restored and matching numbers this racing Bultaco TSS 125 is a liquid cooled mono-cylinder from 1965 originally equipped with a six speed gearbox.
Its full history is known: In 1965 the bike was bought new from the Bultaco factory by the French rider Jean Auréal (winner of the French Grand Prix 125 cm³ in 1969 on a Yamaha). The original customs document is available. This Bultaco was ridden by Jean Auréal in the French Championship

 in 1965 and 1966 with excellent results in Monthléry: Third in June 1965, First in April and September 1966 and second in May the same year.


The bike is in original condition as after the last race, Jean Auréal not having used the Bultaco after 1966. In the late 60s he sold it to a collector who kept the bike for 43 years.
It’s original and complete with the exception of the water temperature gauge. The restarting job was carried out two years ago, the bike was entirely verified and the ignition was replaced by an electronic one, but the original part (coil, switch) was conserved by the owner
…
The original Bultaco user manual is also available…

SPECIFICATIONS

Make: Bultaco
Origin: Spain
Type: TSS 125
Capacity: 125 cm³
Year: 1965
Condition: Restarted in 2011

 Reference: FF02

AVAILABILITY

Immediately in France

PRICE

16,000 €
Ask for more details...

1981 Honda CX500

The CX500 has had a bit of a resurgence over the last few years. Bike builders have seen their potential as a low cost donor motorcycle that has a great looking reliable engine. We’ve seen them transformed into café racers, street trackers and even the odd bobber. But they almost always have one thing in common – Comstar wheels. Thanks to their shaft drive, rear drum set up it makes it very difficult to change the wheels, hence the reason they usually have the stock Comstars on them. So when Jerry Swanson was given his brother-in-law's non running CX500 ‘parts bike’, changing the wheels was one of the many things he wanted to do. But first, he needed to get the weeds off it.

"My Brother-in-law gave me this 1981 Honda CX500 last year" says Jerry. "He bought another 1981 CX500 that was running and in decent shape, this was the parts bike that came with it. It had no tank, no seat, no title, bent handle bars, bent crash bars, broken blinkers, etc. It had weeds growing up through the frame and looked like it had not run in 20 years. I checked to see if the motor turned over, it was not seized. In fact it still had good compression, miraculously. My brother-in-law did not need any parts off the bike so I had myself a project, and a challenge."

Jerry has never been a big fan of the CX500 in stock form. "They are rather homely" he says. "But, the motor looks really cool and I had seen a couple fixed up and knew there was potential. So I started by removing all the ugly from the bike, and there was a lot. I had to strip it down to the frame and wheels before I get envision the direction I wanted to go. Even then I was put off by that ugly jog in the frame under the seat. It ruined the lines of the bike I wanted to make. So I cut off the seat loop/ shock mounts and built a new tail section. Then I could see the bike I wanted, a vintage inspired cafe racer style custom bike."

Jerry sent the improved frame off to get powdercoated, cleaned up the motor, replaced a couple gaskets, and also powdercoated the stock Comstar wheels. "When I got all the parts back I mounted new vintage style rubber and began putting the bike together. After I had the bike in roller form I couldn’t deny the fact that the wheels were really not working for me. Actually I hated them. The whole project was on hold until I found a solution to wheel problem."

So Jerry wanted some classic spoked wheels but he couldn't find any to fit the unique CX500 rear set up. "So I came up with a simple solution" he says. "I created an adapter ring that bolts onto the stock CX500 Comstar hubs and allows you to mount a spoke rim of any dimension you like". Jerry now sells these spoke rings to other CX500 owners wanting to change their Comstars to classic spokes on his site MotoSynthesis.com

As soon as Jerry mounted the spoke wheels to the CX500 the planets aligned and he found harmony at last. "The rest of the build went smoothly" he says. "I replaced the wire harness, lights, coils, and battery for reliable trouble free riding. I rebuilt the carbs and built a custom 2 into 1 exhaust. I used a vintage dirt bike tank to slim down the bike a bit. I made a slim two up seat to fit the custom tail section and covered it with black vinyl. I applied the two tone grey paint myself to finish it off."

This build may have started out as a garden ornament, but Jerry has transformed it into one stunning and understated CX500. The slim tank, paint scheme, side numbers and of course the spoked wheels, all help give it the classic look Jerry was after – and he couldn't be happier.

The all-new 2015 Subaru WRX

Optionally available with a new Sport Lineartronic CVT

Subaru has released a new promotional clip with the 2015 WRX in which they showcase the car's rallying abilities.

Truth to be told, many were disappointed after seeing the production version of the new WRX which bears very little resemblance to the gorgeous concept. Subaru still has high hopes for the new model which they say provides 20 percent less body roll as a result of retuning the suspension. In addition, it now has a quicker 14.5:1 steering ratio and better front brakes which have 40 percent more fade resistance.

At its heart is a newly developed 4-cylinder, 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine outputting 268 bhp (200 kW) and 258 lb-ft (349 Nm) of torque mated as standard to a six-speed manual gearbox. For more money, the boxer engine can work together with a new Sport Lineartronic CVT that comes with three different modes: Intelligent, Sport and Sport Sharp. Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system is standard and comes together with a torque vectoring system for better cornering speeds and handling. 

Source: Subaru

Ruben Faria trains for Dakar 2014

Ruben Faria of Red Bull KTM Factory Team rides during Dakar Team Preparations for 2014 in Erfoud, Morocco.

Photographer Credit: Flavien Duhamel/Red Bull Content Pool

TOP 5 BMW R-SERIES CUSTOMS

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

The BMW R-series has a rich heritage spanning 90 years—all the way back to the launch of BMW’s first motorcycle, the R32, in 1923. Since then the air-cooled, horizontally opposed flat-twin (or ‘boxer’) engine has continually evolved, and its reliability and availability make it a great platform for customizing. Models from the 70s and 80s are the most popular among builders, but occasionally a 50s or 60s model will go under the knife.

BMW celebrated the R series’ 90th anniversary this year with the launch of its R nineT—a naked boxer made to be customised. Two of the builders featured below—Urban Motor and Blitz—were invited to the launch, along with Roland Sands and El Solitario, creators of the amazing Baula. Each was supplied with a pre-production model for customising. Urban Motor’s R nineT has already been released, and we can’t wait to see the next three.

Choosing our favorite BMW R-series customs was incredibly difficult because there are too many fantastic builds to choose from. Let us know in the comments if you think we’ve made the right choice.

ER Motorcycles BMW R80 ‘Mobster’ Since setting up shop in 2009, Blaž Šuštaršič and his team at ER Motorcycles have been keeping a fairly low profile—until now. This is rapidly changing, with top quality builds like this R80 catapulting the Slovenian shop into the spotlight.

Appropriately dubbed ‘Mobster’, this brooding bobber consists of an ’84 R80 engine in a R69S frame, with R50/5 forks and a rare Schorsch Meier fuel tank. The colour scheme is a blend of metallic bronze and black, with hints of raw and polished metal. There’s also some impressive leather work on the grips and seat. The bike’s overall stance is flawless: menacing, yet begging to be ridden. [ER Motorcycles]

Photo credit: Jernej Konjajev

Blitz Motorcycles BMW R100/7 ‘Green Hornet’ Of the many BMWs that have passed through Blitz Motorcycles’ Parisian workshop, this is my favourite. It’s Blitz founder Fred Jourden’s personal ride, and has made appearances in various short films—such as ‘Long Live the Kings’ and the BMW R nineT launch video. Having ridden it for 7 years in an all-black guise, Jourden decided it was time for both an engine rebuild and a redesign.

The R100/7′s subframe was shortened and the entire frame powder coated green to match the 70s Honda CB fuel tank—which was found at a swap meet and mounted in its original condition. The headlight also hails from the 70s: it was originally a rally car spotlight. Named after the popular 1960s TV series, ‘Green Hornet’ epitomises Blitz’s eclectic, and often controversial, style. [More about this bike | Blitz Motorcycles]

Photo credit: Gary Jézégabel

Fuel Motorcycles BMW R80 ‘STrial’ Scram Africa is an annual pilgrimage to the North African desert for classic and neo-classic motorcycles. It’s organised by Spanish custom shop Fuel Bespoke Motorcycles, so it’s not surprising that their builds usually have a distinctive scrambler feel to them. Such as this immaculate, ISDT-inspired ’84 R80ST.

It features a redesigned subframe, with BMW K75 forks at the front and a Wilbers shock at the rear. The tank is from a Kawasaki KZ750, finished in a vintage green and complimented by the brown seat and Oury grips. On the side of the tank is a vintage Ural suicide shift —cleverly converted to a choke mechanism, and adorned with a Fuel badge. [More about this bike | Fuel Motorcycles]

Photo credit: Claudio Rizzolo

Café Racer Dreams BMW R75/5 ‘The Challenge’ I might get slated for featuring two scrambler-style builds in a row, but I can’t help myself. It’s a popular genre, and one that suits the R-series well. This particular example, based on a 1971 R75/5, was built by Café Racer Dreams, with help from BMW specialists MaxBOXER.

Its high front fender, stock fuel tank and kicked up subframe give it a muscular stance, backed up by upgraded suspension and Continental TKC80 rubber. Escapes GR built the unique exhaust system, which suits the bike perfectly, to CRD’s specifications. Other details include the custom made sump guard and vintage enduro-style tail light. Tying everything together is the two-tone colour scheme. In a word: stunning. [More about this bike | Cafe Racer Dreams]

Photo credit: Rafa Gallar

Urban Motor BMW R100RS ‘Werkstattrenner’ German specialists Urban Motor have a knack for building incredibly clean and stylish BMW customs. For this ’77 R100RS they opted for a ‘resto-mod’ approach—ditching the stock RS fairing before making subtle changes and tweaks. An older model tank, complete with knee pads, was retro-fitted, along with a solo seat. The original rear mudguard was retained and painted to match the rest of the bike, but the bulky tail light and turn signals were tossed in favour of something more refined. Other upgrades include K&N filters and a custom exhaust system. The result is possibly the best example of a resto-mod I’ve ever seen. [More about this bike | Urban Motor]

Last week’s Top 5 covered the Kawasaki W650 and W800.

via BIKEEXIF

Rally Dakar 2014 : The ultimate test for off road bikes

Helder Rodrigues of Honda HRC Rally preparing for Dakar 2014

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