Leg 1 - 2014 WRC Rally de Portugal

The World Enduro kicks off this weekend / Le Mondial enduro repart ce weekend

It’s in Spain this weekend that the WEC (World Enduro Championship) will start with the first of eighth Grand Prix, organized mainly in Europe but also with an event in South America (Mexico). In the paddock of Solsona (Cataluña) everyone is waiting the first race of the season with excitement.

No reigning champion in the E1 class!

Triple champion in this class, Antoine Meo is racing in another category this weekend, so there is no leader in the E1! But there are many riders ready to take the vacant seat, including Christophe Nambotin (KTM) who joined this class after two titles in the E3. The Frenchman had two surgeries this winter but prepares his new challenge, and he will discover his new rivals this weekend. Vice champion Eero Remes (TM ) and Cristobal Guerrero (KTM) will give some strong opposition, as well as experienced Thomas Oldrati (Husqvarna Michelin), Jeremy Tarroux and Anthony Boissière (Sherco Michelin).

E2, the main class

Always very competitive, the E2 class is even more interesting this year with the comeback of Antoine Meo (KTM) in this class where he got the title in 2011. Four of the last five E2 World Champions will be on the starting line this weekend, with reigning champion Alex Salvini (Honda), 2012 champion Pierre Alexandre Renet (Husqvarna Michelin) and Johnny Aubert (Beta Michelin) champion in 2009 and 2010. For sure this four riders are the favourites for the title, but Salvini will not be at his best as he damaged a thumb during a national championship. Looking for a good performance in this class, Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco Michelin), Oriol Mena (Beta) and Victor Guerrero (KTM) have all a strong experience.

A E3 class very open

Nambotin moving E1, the E3 category seems very open even if Ivan Cervantes (KTM) is back in this class where he got two titles in 2007 and 2009. The Spaniard aims to get another crown, but he will find on his road some strong riders such as Aigar Leok (TM) vice champion, Joakim Ljunggren and Mathias Bellino (Husqvarna Michelin), Luis Correia (Beta Michelin), Fabien Planet and Matti Seistola (Sherco Michelin) or the junior champion Matthew Philips (KTM).

Some talented junior riders

As the reigning champion moves in the E3 class, his former rivals have the possibility to get the title and for sure Giacomo Redondi (Beta Michelin) vice champion, brothers Danny (Beta) and Jamie (Husqvarna Michelin) McCanney just moving from the 125 Youth Cup, or Loic Larrieu (Husqvarna Michelin) winner last year of two rounds will be the men to watch.

Calendar of the championship: April 5-6: GP Spain; April 12-13; GP Portugal; May 10-11: Greece; June 7-8: GP Finland; June 14-15: GP Sweden; July 5-6: GP Mexico; August 2-3: GP Italy; September 13-14: GP France

C’est en Espagne que va débuter ce weekend le WEC (World Enduro Championship), avec le premier des huit GP de la saison, qui vont emmener les enduristes à travers l’Europe mais aussi au Mexique cet été. Dans le paddock de Solsona (Catalogne) les pronostics vont bon train.

Pas de champion en E1 !

Triple champion dans la catégorie, Antoine Meo a changé de classe, laissant cette catégorie sans leader ! La trône est donc vacant, et les postulants au titre sont nombreux à commencer par Christophe Nambotin (KTM) qui après deux sacres en E3 a décidé de tenter un nouveau pari ! Le Français s’est bien préparé après deux opérations, et va découvrir ses rivaux ce weekend. En tête de liste on retrouve Eero Remes (TM ) et Cristobal Guerrero (KTM), deux fidèles de cette catégorie, mais aussi l’expérimenté Thomas Oldrati (Husqvarna Michelin), Jeremy Tarroux et Anthony Boissière (Sherco Michelin).

E2, la catégorie reine

Toujours très relevée, la catégorie E2 l’est encore plus cette année avec le retour d’Antoine Meo (KTM) dans une catégorie ou il fut sacré en 2011. Quatre des cinq derniers champions du Monde E2 seront donc au départ, puisque Alex Salvini (Honda) champion sortant, Pierre Alexandre Renet (Husqvarna Michelin) titré en 2012 et Johnny Aubert (Beta Michelin) titré en 2009 et 2010 seront en lice ! On tient avec ce quator les favoris pour le titre, Salvini attaquant la saison avec une blessure au pouce contractée en championnat d’Italie. Parmi les outsiders, il faudra surveiller Lorenzo Santolini (Sherco Michelin), Oriol Mena (Beta) et Victor Guerrero (KTM).

Une catégorie E3 très ouverte

Nambotin parti en E1, la catégorie E3 s’annonce très ouverte même si Ivan Cervantes (KTM) de retour dans une catégorie ou il décrocha deux couronnes en 2007 et 2009 entend bien s’imposer à nouveau ! L’Espagnol va trouver du beau monde sur sa route, avec Aigar Leok (TM ) auteur d’une superbe fin de saison, Joakim Ljunggren et Mathias Bellino (Husqvarna Michelin), Luis Correia (Beta Michelin), Fabien Planet et Matti Seistola (Sherco Michelin) ou encore Matthew Philips (KTM) qui saute du mondial junior au E3

Des juniors expérimentés

Philips parti en E3, la route du titre est libre pour ces talentueux juniors que sont Giacomo Redondi (Beta Michelin) vice champion en titre, les frères Danny (Beta) et Jamie (Husqvarna Michelin) McCanney tout juste monté de la coupe 125 ou il s’était imposé l’an passé, ou encore Loic Larrieu (Husqvarna Michelin) vainqueur l’an passé de deux épreuves dès ses débuts dans la discipline.

Calendrier du championnat : 5-6 avril : GP Espagne ; 12-13 avril ; GP Portugal ; 10-11 mai : Grèce ; 7-8 juin : GP Finlande ; 14-15 juin : GP Suède ; 5-6 juillet : GP Mexique ; 2-3 aout : GP Italie ; 13-14 septembre : GP France

King of the Hammers best-of vidéos

via http://www.generation4x4mag.fr

Début février s’est tenue aux Etats-Unis l’une des courses les plus délirantes au monde : le King of the Hammers (qui fait l’objet d’un long reportage dans le dernier numéro actuellement en kiosque deGénération 4×4 Mag)
C’est vendredi, on a tous envie de se détendre… Alors voici notre sélection de vidéos, toutes plus impressionnantes les unes que les autres. Montez le son pour profiter de la mélodie mécanique, réglez sur HD et fermez la porte du bureau ! Enjoy.

La montée infernale de backdoor, toujours appréciée du public

Tom Waynes dans ses œuvres au backdoor

Le crash de Kevin Sacalas et Tim Carlson, sains et saufs

Une compile des meilleurs moments du KOH 2014

Et le trailer du long métrage en préparation pour début juin

Leg 1: two Fords on top! / Etape 1 : Deux Ford en tête !

Mikko Hirvonen completed Leg 1 of the 2014 Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2014 in front, ahead of Estonia’s Ott Tanak (+3.7s). Sébastien Ogier is third (+6.5s). The Hyundai i20 WRC notched up three fastest times, while Evans, Latvala, Kubica and Meeke all went off.

It’s been some time since we last saw the Ford Fiesta RS WRC looking so well placed on a WRC round, but today’s action saw the M-Sport-prepared cars appear in first and second after the opening leg’s damp stages.

Hirvonen produced a superb run to claim four third-fastest times and one second-fastest time before claiming the day’s final test (SS7) outright, 8.9 seconds clear of the then leader Ogier. The Finn had soft-compound Michelin Latitude Cross S2 tyres on all four corners as he eased to the top of the provisional leaderboard with an advantage of 3.7s over fellow Ford man Tanak.

The Estonian has been on form since his WRC come-back and, after shining in Sweden, he was quick off the mark this morning. He eventually completed the first full day of competition with a 2.8s cushion over the reigning world champion and three-time Rally de Portugal winner Sébastien Ogier, no less.

The latter didn’t seem unhappy with his performance, but his decision to fit hard-compound tyres for the afternoon’s stages probably wasn’t ideal because the conditions were still quite damp. He limited the damage, though, to finish on the heels of the two Fiesta RS WRC drivers.

A little further back are Mads Ostberg (4^th, Citroën) and Dani Sordo (5^th, Hyundai) who are some 25 seconds adrift, but the Spaniard will be delighted to have won this morning’s first two stages to open the scorecard of the new i20 WRC after its recent podium in Mexico. In the afternoon, Thierry Neuville (6^th, +42s) harvested another fastest time for the Korean team which is the only one to have all its cars in this evening’s parc ferme, and all in the top 10, since Hanninen is eighth (+1m58.2s)!

Indeed, their rivals lost at least one representative during Leg 1. Jari-Matti Latvala (VW), who was second after SS4, just four-tenths behind Ogier, rolled out on the next stage. Earlier, Elfyn Evans (Ford) was the first top name to appear on the list of retirements when he crashed on SS3, while the similar car of Kubica lost a wheel on SS4. Friday’s last test saw Citroën’s Kris Meeke go off as well (at the same place as Evans this morning!).

Tonight’s WRC-2 order is topped by Jari Ketomaa (Ford), ahead of Nasser Al-Attiyah (Ford/Michelin, +4.7s) and Pontus Tidemand (Ford, + 1m22.2s). In WRC-3, Alastair Fisher (Citroën) in front, chased by Campedelli and Riedemann.

Mikko Hirvonen a conclu la première étape du Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2014 en leader devant l’Estonien Ott Tanak (+3s7). Sébastien Ogier est troisième à 6s5. Les Hyundai i20 WRC ont réalisé trois meilleurs temps. Evans, Latvala, Kubica et Meeke sont sortis de la route.

On n’avait pas vu les Ford Fiesta RS WRC à pareille fête depuis fort longtemps. Elles ont signé un doublé en cette 1^ère journée de course qui s’est déroulée sur des pistes bien humides.

Le Finlandais Mikko Hirvonen a réalisé une superbe prestation en signant quatre 3^e meilleurs temps, un 2^e et en remportant la dernière spéciale du jour (ES7) avec 8s9 d’avance sur le leader Ogier. Grâce à ce dernier chrono signé en pneus Michelin Latitude Cross S2 soft, Mikko a pris les commandes du rallye pour 3s7 d’avance sur son équipier chez M-Sport Ott Tanak.

Pour son retour en WRC, l’Estonien avait été brillant au Rallye de Suède. Il a confirmé aujourd’hui au volant de sa Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Tanak se permet de devancer le Champion du monde en titre et triple vainqueur au Portugal, Sébastien Ogier, de 2s8.

Le Français n’était pourtant pas mécontent de sa journée, mais son choix de pneus hard cet après-midi n’était sans doute pas le plus approprié aux conditions encore humides. Il s’en est affranchi, néanmoins, pour se maintenir dans le groupe des prétendants à la victoire.

Derrière, Mads Ostberg (4^e, Citroën) et Dani Sordo (5^e, Hyundai) semblent un peu décrochés (+25s). L’Espagnol a remporté les deux 1^ères spéciales du jour, ouvrant le palmarès mondial de la nouvelle Hyundai i20 WRC après son 1^er podium obtenu au Mexique. Dans l’après-midi, Thierry Neuville (6^e, +42s) a ajouté un nouveau meilleur temps pour Hyundai, le seul constructeur à compter encore toutes ses voitures en course avec Sordo et Hanninen (8^e, +1min58s2) et dans le top-ten !

En effet, les autres équipes ont perdu au moins un élément dans cette 1^ère étape. Jari-Matti Latvala (VW) était 2^e à 4/10^e d’Ogier après l’ES4, mais il est parti en tonneau dans la spéciale suivante. Elfyn Evans (Ford) fut le 1^er a quitté la scène sur sorti de route dans l’ES3. Puis la Ford de Kubica a bloqué la spéciale n°4 (roue arrachée). Et enfin, Kris Meeke (Citroën) est sorti de la piste dans l’ES7, au même endroit qu’Evans au 1^er tour.

En WRC-2, Jari Ketomaa (Ford) est leader devant Nasser Al-Attiyah (Ford/Michelin, +4s7) et Pontus Tidemand (Ford, +1min22s2). En WRC-3, Alastair Fisher (Citroën) est en tête devant Campedelli et Riedemann.

‘03 Royal Enfield Electra – Bull City Customs

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They say that genetics are responsible for what’s passed down through the generations. But anyone out there with kids will realised that there’s so much more than just DNA that goes into making a person a person. In fact, it can be down-right scary what they pick up from adults. Or even what they don’t pick up. And then there’s the little things that lay dormant for years and years, like seeds once planted that take an eternity to sprout. For Reginald Hilt from New Delhi’s Bull City Customs, that dormant seed contained the DNA to build an entire bike shop. And that’s just what it did once the conditions were right.

“Hi. I’m Reginald Hilt from New Delhi, India. I am a Fashion Designer by profession and I run a buying agency for the Japanese Market. I consider myself a new kid on the block, as this is only my second build. With that said, motorcycles have always been a force in my family. When I was a kid I would see my dad tinkering with his bike every weekend, cleaning a filter or tuning a carb. But at that time I wasn’t really into the culture.”

“Over the years I’ve seen bikes like the RD350, Yezdi, Yamaha RX100, Rajdoot and even a Suzuki 125 roll in an out of our place every 6 to 7 months, depending on how long it took my dad to get over his current ride and crave for his next indulgence. It wasn’t after I was done with college and started working full-time that I got hooked on this culture.

I started modifying bikes in 2011 and there was no looking back since. We are called Bull City Customs and we believe in unity of like-minded people who follow the same passion – creating something truly unique. My wife Naavika is also a designer and has designed a range of  Tees for bikers. She handles the marketing of the merchandise. A friend Henry, who we meet at one of our bike build meets, now helps us out with logos and 3D bike sketches.”

“The most recent of Bull City’s two-wheel custom work manages to transform one of the world’s most popular motorcycles into a custom machine we think is worthy of almost any garage. The Royal Enfield has been toyed and tampered with many times before. It’s an old favourite to work with; being one of India’s biggest selling motorcycles for over three decades. So you’d think that the platform might just have been exhausted; if so we have hopefully pushed the boundaries to create a classic thumper with a streamlined, modern edge.”

“The modifications are quite extensive. There’s a 22 Litre custom-built fuel tank, custom triples with risers, pro-racer handle bars, brass-customised grips, and brass break and clutch levers. The headlight is an old aluminium fog light. The rear wheel is off of a CBZ Honda. Rubber is Dunlop Monsters.

The fenders are hand-built, along with the battery and toolbox. The seat is also custom, with a spring underneath. The carb’s a Mikuni and the filters are K&Ns.”

Overall we are really happy with the result. We like to refer to it as a ‘Street Bobber’, and it’s the first of five new projects that we are planning to have completed in the next few months. We can’t wait to show them to you and your readers, and we are also very excited by the untapped possibilities of the custom bike scene here in India. Until next time…”

via PIPEBURN

YAMAHA SR400 CUSTOM

The Yamaha SR400 is a cornerstone of the international custom motorcycle scene, the indestructible single cylinder thumper has one valve in, one valve out and a single carburettor mounted under the seat. This means that when the global nuclear apocalypse finally takes place, the SR400 will be one of the few motorcycles that still works after the EMP toasts the ECU in the guts of every modern car and motorcycle.

We’ve seen SR400s converted into every style of motorcycle under sun, and a few that defied genres altogether. Personally, I think there’s a lot to be said for motorcycles like this one – it has a few design elements from the cafe racer school of thought – most obviously clip-on handlebars and a low, streamlined single seat/cowling. The tires, headlight and fork gators belong to the flat-tracker/scrambler school of design and the bike’s light weight and minimalistic, function first appearance tend to hint that it’d be an excellent daily rider that could double up as a weekend-off-the-beaten-trail adventurer.

This SR400 was built by Gasoline Custom Motorcycles, an East Sydney custom motorcycle garage run by the suitably named Jason Gasoline and his friend Nick Walsh. They’ve been building custom bikes since 1994 and remain largely unaffected by current trends in moto-design, instead they focus on building usable, streetable motorcycles that can be ridden everyday.

The most attention grabbing element on the bike has to be the chunky 18″ and 19″ Shinko Trials Tires, these offer plenty of grip both on and off the asphalt. That seat and rear cowl were handmade in-house, the tank was then sanded back to bare metal to match – giving the bike a post-industrial look and saving the new owner from having to worry about scratching any paint. A Pair of clip-on handlebars were bolted on, then fitted with retro “fatty” grips and a pair of Ikon shocks were added on the rear to tilt the bike forward a little.

Gasoline Custom Motorcycles is now taking orders for mid-2014 delivery and you can click here to visit their website and enquire after your own custom.

Photo Credits: Lara Christie.

STEEL BENT CUSTOMS ALL BIZNESS

Steel Bent Customs latest build stays true to their ‘less is more’ philosophy, but in this case there’s less of the less… Not only does this bike have funky paint, there are also side panels (shock) and I’d even say it looks like there may be a couple of extra cm in that seat padding.

However, it’s still unmistakeably a Michael Mundy build. Clean and lean, and with a perfect blend of old a new working together to create a timeless ride.

Part of the difference in this bike comes, of course, from the brief and the need to accommodate two. “The client wanted something like a tracker.  A flat seat with room for two, the paint lines to follow the tank to the side panels.”

The donor bike is an SBC favourite 1976 Honda CB750 sohc, complete with kick-start, which came from the owner in almost perfect condition, probably as he’s based in Texas, where there’s little to worry about in terms of wet weather or sea salt in the air. “We hesitated for a few days to even touch her as we thought her original beauty was something we couldn’t do justice.  That wore off fast & we started tearing her apart.”

Once the guys got over their moment of mechanical shyness the bike was stripped, the frame was chopped, with welds cleaned up, tabs removed and it was then sent off for black powdercoat. The engine cases were polished and a DynoJet Stage 3 kit fitted with a 4 into 1 Cone Engineering exhaust which comes out short & stubby in a modern, almost motoGP style but with a retro reverse-cone outline.

The rims were relaced and fitted with chunky-treaded Shinko tyres. MotoX bars take care of the steering alomg with new instruments and lighting.

The hotrod paint job was taken care of by local artist Craig Skiver at Craigpaintsbikes.com, and it really set this build off beautifully. As we type the bike is already back to the Lone Star State to be reunited with her owner, where you know she’s gonna turn a few heads.

You can see more from Michael Mundy & Co at Steel Bent Customs on their Website and on The Bike Shed’s Steel Bent Customs pages.

The usual high quality photos are by Erick Runyon.

HOW TO BUILD A SCRAMBLER

By Matthew Roberts | Speedtractor Industries

You’ve searched the web, watched the moody videos, and discovered that your street tires don’t like wet grass. You’ve decided you need a scrambler—but how do you tweak your bike for good dirty fun, with a bit of extra style?

Here we’ll focus on the best-value mods, balancing cost with performance. Your goal is a scrambler motorcycle that’s robust, easily repaired and built using materials that can proudly wear the scars of your adventures. After all, if you build something too spectacular to get roughed up, you’ll end up missing half the fun.

The Speedtractor T-61 Catalina Special offers all the mods you need to hit the dirt and work up a sweat.

Back in simpler times, scramblers started out as road bikes. Most were reverse-engineered by factories or owners to make them capable of heading off the beaten track—and hopefully back again.

For this discussion, let’s view the scrambler as the result of an approach: A mechanical embodiment of an adventurous spirit. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got a big Euro twin, a lightweight retro single, or a UJM that’s more of a boat anchor than a fire road blaster. Let’s tap into the ‘spirit of scrambler’ and get it done.

Choosing your bike. In 2011, the Hammarhead Jack Pine made people sit up and realize that a modified road bike can be good in the dirt. It put the Triumph alongside the Kawasaki W650/W800 as a contender in the large capacity scrambler class.

Smaller bikes that make good contenders are the Yamaha SR400 and 500—minus their mysterious pressed-steel rear additions. The 400cc Honda CBs and CLs make for nice starting points, and a few builders have shown that even Suzuki’s big single Savage can be made to work.

Go back a few years and Japan’s parallel twins make for a cheap and cheerful base bike. The BMW airhead boxers, though not cheap, make for a stunning finished product.

At the really lightweight end of the scale, check out Honda’s CB singles and twins in anything from 90cc upwards. (Go for the tube-framed models over the pressed steel.) There’s also the Honda GB250, Suzuki’s Grasstracker/Volty/TU250 and, if you have access to domestic Japanese models, the Kawasaki TR250. The TR250 offers a frame and engine of handsome, period proportions, and a plethora of aftermarket parts.

Generally, the key ingredients of scramblers come from twin shock, air cooled singles or twins. They prioritize torque over top end power, have visual simplicity, and fewer heavy cylinders projecting from the center axis. That said, we ride with a few brave souls who have converted Suzuki GS fours to dirt usage—so don’t let us tell you it can’t be done!

The Starting Line. As Charlie Trelogan mentioned in his guide to building a cafe racer, you need a few visual lines running through the bike, like the one above. Get those lines right and your finished ride will look cohesive and fast. Even when it’s standing still.

To fast-track the scrambler vibe, try switching out the tank for something smaller or more svelte than a humped cafe racer tank. The goal is to shed visual bulk and create purposeful proportions. Remember, there’s a good chance you’ll be up on it from time to time, so no luggage racks on the tank please.

Bring the headlight back closer to the forks with shorter stays. Get mini gauges that can be tucked in tight, and shorten the seat a few inches. Together, these mods start to give the feel of a bike that’s had everything unnecessary stripped off, while still staying legal.

Don’t panic if the swoop of your seat or tank interrupts these sacred lines a little: just get the axis of each component working together. You want to avoid your eyes searching and the machine looking like its back is broken.

Experiment using the exhaust, bars and seat top to imply these desired lines, without having to create them with the tank or frame. Make your suspension mods before settling on these lines. An extra two inches of rear travel can upset even the best-laid plans.

Rims and Rubber. Fitting chunky rubber is going to change your on-road riding experience. There’s no way around it. On the upside, wet grass and loose surfaces are now your friends—and you can enjoy a little roosting too.

The wheels and tires you choose will go a long way to defining your machine’s style, as well as the way it handles. Spokes fit the bill on all but the rarest occasions, and we prefer alloy rims over steel. But beyond that, we’re philistines when it comes to worrying about gyroscopic effect or stiffness, sorry.

An 18-inch front with a higher profile tire will have a rolling diameter close to a 19-inch set up. Either one will help to smooth out the rough stuff, without losing the visual road bike origins of your scrambler. At the rear, 18-inch is our preference but a 17 works okay too.

A word of warning: check that your dream tire and rim combo will clear your forks, rear swing arm, chain and the like. Ignore this step and you would not be the first to learn they don’t spin once bolted up. Rear swing arm widening or extension is not a huge problem, but usually beyond the average garage builder with DIY tools.

A simple square tread pattern adds a retro vibe and off-road prowess. On lighter machines, trial tires make for fat, if fast wearing, fun. While Continental TKC 80s (above) deliver good results for larger beasts. If your heart is set on pair of the latter—and why not, they are damn sexy—then you’ll be looking for a 19-inch front rim and either an 18- or 17-inch rim at the back.

Spend time exploring the handling traits and limits of the new rubber on the road, especially if you’re used to modern road tires. Remember that sometimes you’ll need to use a slightly lower pressure than on road tires. And if you’re using a directional tread rear tire on the front (yes, we’re guilty too), remember to switch the rotation to allow for braking forces.

Engine Performance. Unlike a café racer, you’re not automatically entering a hunt for raw top-end power. Aftermarket carbs can give you extra responsiveness and a useful horsepower improvement, though. Keihin FCRs (above) are our pick, especially on singles, but we suggest staying conservative on the bore size—to keep intake velocity high for better bottom-end responsiveness.

Off road, the air box is your friend. It might not be as good looking as a set of alloy intake funnels or K&Ns hanging out in the breeze, but when you pass a friend desperately scraping mud from the folds of their exposed filter, you’ll thank yourself. You’ll just need to work a little harder on your design to keep the ‘box and still look cool. If you’re really worried, slip in a free-flowing filter element.

High pipes are the hallmark of the true scrambler, though not all had them. They are also a ticket to the Burns Unit for you (or your passenger) if they’re not properly routed and shielded. Position them to complement the tank/seat/frame line for added impact and a factory feel. Terminate them at the rear shocks as straight-throughs for a touch of that desert sled vibe (and hearing loss). Or run them longer with internal baffles or a CL-style muffler for a touch of class.

This Ducati Scrambler has a unified feel even with its swoopy lines, the centre axis of the seat and tank working together and the pipe offering a hint of the hallowed horizontal plane.

The Ups and Downs. We second the benefits of bush, bearing and seal overhauls that Mule covered in his own guide to the performance side of bike building. Full front-end upgrades are also nice, but if you’re raiding the piggy bank to get things rolling, there is still improvement to be had for much less outlay.

Experiment with swapping in aftermarket springs or from other models to obtain the rates you need. Then play with preload to position suspension travel where you can use it. (Simple mods to your spacers in lieu of preload caps work fine.) Adjust the weight of your fork oil and its levels to get a setup that suits your weight and riding style. A personalized setup on even the most basic suspension is massively confidence inspiring.

JvB Moto does an amazing job yet again with the Tridays bike. And for those whose donor bike is worth less than these forks, all is not lost.

Then match your upgrades out back. We tend to go mid-range on the shocks. Something with at least a few steps of damping adjustment and the right spring rates.

Makers such as IKON and Progressive Suspension have a range of spring weights and shock body lengths that you can explore over a phone call. Remember: You’re not setting up a MotoGP bike, you’re just trying to get things into the right ballpark for now.

Many builders will also add rear ride height and wheel travel, fitting 20-30mm longer shocks than stock with an increased stroke. While doing this, watch chain clearance, swing arm angle and brake cable pull. It’ll also change your front-end geometry. A little is usually welcome, but don’t go too far without considering (and testing) the effects.

A quick word on bike weight. Yes, lighter is better and easier to handle, and means you’ll last longer when you’re muscling it around away from the black top.

Fuel does something right up our alley. This BMW is no feather weight for sure, but bound to achieve the its ultimate goal of a dusty, mile wide grin.

The Little Things. Make it look good from more than just side-on. Take it a step further, and resolve the design from as many angles as possible. If there’s one thing we’d recommend paying a professional to do, it’s to create a neatly looped rear sub frame.

That simple 180-degree bend ties the back of the bike together visually as well as structurally. And you can use it to achieve your desired lines, cradle your fender, define the edge of the seat, and mount a rear stop light.

You’ll notice a lot of scramblers, especially older ones, have elements of negative space in their design. Around the cylinders, the tank-to-seat gaps, between the rear wheel and fender, and between the leading edge of the tank and the steering head. The trick? Keep it consistent and intentional. A sudden tank/seat gap on a modern Triumph can look odd because the bike is so visually ‘dense,’ whereas on its grandfather the same gap works beautifully.

If you’re a lover of the thin seat, we urge you to reconsider. Extra foam is your friend, especially when you’re coming down and your machine is going up. Besides, a thicker seat looks the part on a scrambler.

The Skuddesign W650 has the seat, tank, frame loop, motor and tire spacing nicely matched for a neat package—though some suggested approaching the pipes a little differently.

Resist the urge to run fender-less. Yes, it looks cool, but your chunky tread pattern will throw up serious sludge. Raise the front fender slightly off the tire for mud clearance. Alloy is our pick, with the odd rubber mount to avoid cracking. Out back, go beyond Charlie Trelogan’s mention of café racer cut off points and get your fender out past the axle. Cheat if you must: Use a short guard for hero photos, and use the number plate to keep the muck in check.

Finally, if you want that factory look to keep pundits guessing, give thought to the curves and edge radii of your motor, tank, lighting and seat. For example, beautiful rounded cases enjoy a similarly curvaceous tank, but try a more rectilinear form if your motor is of a geometric age.

BMW R series engine castings, shown on this machine from Untitled, demand complementary curves and radii elsewhere for a factory feel.

Hopefully this has left you with a few tricks up your sleeve, so now go build your scrambler. And as a wise man once shouted from atop a Honda CL90, “Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt”!

Title image by Götz Göppert, featured in the book The Ride.

A Day At Home With Off-Road Racer Chris Hollis.

'A Day at Home'. A digital short showcasing Chris Hollis enjoying some downtime and a free-ride through the outskirts of his hometown, Port Macquarie NSW Australia. At 29, Hollis has established himself as one of Australia's most prominent Off-Road motorcycle racers. His unique blend of smooth-lines and calculated-speed make him a favourite to watch, both in and out of the competitive arena. "A Day at Home" 2013. Filmed & Edited: Shane Fletcher Additional Camera Operator: Lee Kelly Music: M83 "We Own The Sky".

SIDEBURN ROYAL ENFIELD BULLET

By Gary Inman | Sideburn Magazine

After 50 years of production in India, Royal Enfield had worked hard to update their range, first with a unit construction engine, then fuel injection and after all that the only thing on Sideburn magazine’s mind was making the 2009 Bullet Classic look like a mid-‘60s flat track racer.

Only half the frame and the engine remains from the original bike that was supplied to Sideburn by UK Royal Enfield specialists, Watsonian-Squire.

Lots of parts came from friends or we already had and were waiting for the right bike to come along. The alloy tank was custom-made for a friend’s dirt track race bike, but he was never happy with it, so we bought it for a fraction of having one made. The Bimota YB9 triple clamps and Paoli forks were £120 off eBay.

The wheels, Excel 19-inch rims with Honda CRF450 hubs and Maxxis tires, were bought from a friend who was selling his dirt tracker. The tractor headlight was a gift; so was the bobbed Indian Sport Scout rear mudguard and the rear four-piston Performance Machine caliper.

The hardtail loop is by David Bird from Lowbrow Customs, but we had Co-Built shorten the bottom rail to retain the stock wheelbase. Co-Built also made the stainless exhaust.

CFM of Lincolnshire, UK, did a great job of making all the very disparate parts fit together, fabricating brackets, footrest hangers; finding used Japanese master cylinders, switchgear and footpegs on the cheap; repositioning the battery; making the rear fender struts; cutting down the original twin seat and converting it to act as a sprung saddle. Steve Adams then covered it with a panel of real stingray skin.

The biggest challenge was converting the ignition to work with the Mikuni carb, rather than fuel injection. EFI is good, but we really wanted a simple loom and no fuel pump for this bike. Rupe’s Rewires made the loom.

When this bike was built there was no off-the-shelf kit to convert the ignition from EFI, like there is now, but CFM worked it out. The brake discs were special orders from Discacciati in Italy.

The final touch was the Ornamental Conifer paintwork on the blue base, one of the first customer bikes he painted.

The bike has competed in Sideburn’s Dirt Quake event twice, finishing on the podium in the Street Tracker class both times.

Photos by Paul Bryant Photography. The highly recommended Sideburn magazine lives online here.

via BIKEEXIF