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Project 3RM

The 3RM project started out as a friendly challenge between Junior Burrell from Retro Moto and Logan Miller from Rust Revival. Two businesses, four guys in four States, and just one Bike – assembled in just three days…

“I had built the first cafe project 2 years prior and Junior had no problem unloading his big Texas opinion on it. He’s a harsh guy but he is honest and has incredible skills. I deeply respect his thoughts, hard as they are. I met Junior at Barber in 2012 and we’ve kept in touch on somewhat of a brotherly basis ever since. We’re close and we’re honest with each other. I think that’s a big part of why we enjoy each others company so much. This industry is knee high to a headlight in bullshit, so honesty goes a long way with us.”

“The build was innocent enough at first. Junior was going to build a new seat for it and I was going to rebuild the motor. After some typical top end oiling issues, it was only a matter of time before she went. A few dozen text messages and several hours later we had “jokingly” designed a completely new bike and called it the “3RM Project” (Rust Revival Retro Moto). At some point the conversation turned from late night joking into a serious discussion on whether or not we could build a bike several states away and then assemble it at Barber. Keep in mind, Barber is only a weekend event so we would have only 3 full days for assembly. The joke had turned into a challenge and we had accepted. To make matters worse, we decided to make this a build between friends. We wanted to challenge ourselves as builders and see if we could pull it off.”

“It was set. 4 Guys in 4 states would do their part in just a few short months and then meet at Barber to see if it would all fit together. Junior Burrell (Retro Moto) fabricated the tank, seat and exhaust. Logan Miller (Rust Revival) rebuilt the motor from the ground up and took care of the frame. David Kiggins (DEK Performance) built a whole new suspension set-up and front end. Kiley Owen (Kanticoy Designs) would fabricate a new oiling system to flood the top end and eliminate the oiling issues. Kiley also provided the garage where the bike was assembled.”

“When we arrived in Alabama the atmosphere was great. A lot of people were like “where is the bike?” and their jaws hit the floor when I pointed to a pile of boxes sitting next to the lift. I don’t think people were expecting us to literally start with nothing. The crew arrived to Kiley’s garage around 11:00 that night. We unpacked a few things and since we had all driven from Kentucky, Texas, and Pennsylvania, there was no rush to start building a bike.”

“Friday night was a different story. We rolled in from a day at Barber and just got to it. Looking back it was pretty amazing actually. We didn’t get a game plan together or talk it to death. We literally just started building the thing. The Do The Ton family was on hand thanks to Kiley and his wife Denise letting them stay on the property. The garage was buzzing with people. To say that 4 guys built this bike would be a complete lie. The overwhelming support from the DTT community is a major reason this actually happened. At any given time there were probably 10 guys working on the bike. From grinding parts to lacing wheels, fabrication brackets to tightening bolts. It was like having an orchestra with 4 conductors making this big, beautiful sound.”

“At the end of the weekend we had managed to turn boxes of parts into a living breathing machine. Allowing ourselves only one or two hours of sleep a night, we worked ourselves into near exhaustion.The bike was finished and running but more importantly we had achieved what we set out to do months before. We wanted build a very functional and solid bike that would run as good as it looked. None of us were interested in dropping another “art bike” on the floor. It was always about challenging our skills and creativity.”

Written by Logan from Rust Revival.

via The Bike Shed

Video: Sébastien Ogier, Rallye Monte-Carlo testing ; essais Rallye Monte-Carlo - Sébastien Ogier

Watch Sébastien Ogier's tests before the Rallye Monte-Carlo including onboard camera.

Découvrez les essais de Sébastien Ogier en vue du Rallye Monte-Carlo, première épreuve du Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA.

YAMAHA SR500 BY CHAPPELL CUSTOMS

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

It’s hard to believe that this lean, purposeful café racer started out as a beaten up 1978 Yamaha SR500—an ex-AHMRA race bike that was standing in Chris Chappell‘s Los Angeles shop. Despite the fact that it had a pink FZR front wheel, Ninja rear wheel, no side stand and no exhaust, client Andrew Ehlers saw its potential and chose it as the donor for his dream build.

Perhaps it was because Ehlers himself was just as banged up as the old SR. A collision with a careless SUV driver had landed him in hospital with multiple broken bones, and wrecked his previous bike—a RYCA CS-1 café racer. He recalls: “I really liked the RYCA, it was a light and nimble bike that was fun to ride and had a cool look. I told Chris I liked the single cylinder and how light the bike was, so that was the main reason I chose the SR.”

Everything aside from the frame and engine was ditched, and the build was under way. “Andrew was still on crutches and in an arm cast at this point”, says Chappell, “so time wasn’t really an issue.” An XS650 front end was grafted on, rebuilt with new seals and progressive springs, and powder coated mirror black. The rear end received brand new Works Performance shocks and the bike now rolls on stock SR mag wheels.

Ehlers had never been mad about the RYCA’s fuel tank, and had always wanted a more traditional café racer look. Chappell obliged by painstakingly hand-pounding knee indents into the Yamaha’s stock tank. But the biggest challenge was the seat. “We had a few café seat pans laying around and, honestly, they just didn’t fit the bike the way they should,” Chappell explains.

The solution was to build a vacuum forming machine, make a new mould and create the perfect seat for the bike, wasting a ton of materials in the process. Chappell Customs now use the machine to produce their own line of custom seats, available from their new online store, Tuffside.

The frame was de-tabbed and modified with a new rear loop, while clip-ons and ZX-10 rearsets were fitted to improve the riding position. Both the frame and the wheels were then powder coated ‘Gunmetal Pearl,’ while the exhaust header and reverse cone muffler were coated black. The bodywork was finished off in gloss black, with metallic gunmetal accents.

Chappell also fabricated a neat front sprocket guard, and modified the triple clamp to house the ignition and ‘idiot lights.’ A new wiring harness was installed and the battery eliminated to shave additional weight. At its heart, the SR is still a race bike—with a 540cc piston kit, ported head, race cam and valves, along with a new clutch, carb and intake.

Not surprisingly, Ehlers has nothing but praise for Chappell: “He really is a talented builder. He listened to what I was looking for and made all of it happen”.

Head over to the Chappell Customs website for more images of Rob and Chris’ builds.

via BIKEEXIF