The Vintage Racer | Automotive Collectors | eGarage

A passion for motorsport runs deep in Bill’s stable. Notables include a Ford RS 200, a Heritage Ford GT, an AC Cobra, and a pair of BMW 2002 Turbos.

Bill’s wife doesn’t hang out much in the ‘car barn’. That’s cool with us, especially since he let eGarage snoop around so we can get a sneak peak inside.

It’s a short film from eGarage but is filled with so much goodness that it will make you drool.

Source – eGarage

YAMAHA SR500 BY CHAPPELL CUSTOMS

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

Chris Chappell’s last SR500 was a show-stopper. It was well received when we initially featured it, and went on to earn a spot among our Top Five Yamaha SR500s. As it turns out, he already had another one in the pipeline—with a very different spin.

“I definitely wanted to do the complete opposite,” says Chappell, “as we just hate doing the same thing twice.” So he opted to put the spray gun down for a change and polish everything instead, with the exception of the frame, which was powder coated white.

He had initially planned to paint the fuel tank, but changed his mind once the bike started to come together—deciding that a polished aluminum tank would wrap up the build perfectly.

The tank proved to be a challenge though. Despite being sold to a friend of Chappell’s via eBay as an SR500-specific part, it simply didn’t fit properly. With all efforts to return it failing, Chappell took it off his friend’s hands and made it fit by fabricating new tank mounts. He also altered the bike’s steering stops, to prevent the forks from bashing into the soft aluminum.

One of Chappell Customs‘ own Tuffside seats proved to be the perfect match for the tank’s lines; a dense foam was selected for comfort and the frame’s rear hoop modified to accommodate it. A discreet LED bar taillight with integrated turn signals was installed, with fork-wrapped LED turn signals at the front. With even the side-mounted license plate illuminated by LEDs, the bike is completely street legal.

Experience with SR500s has taught Chappell that their single-cylinder motors are prone to vibration, so he fitted clubman bars on traditional handle bar mounts with rubber bushings, instead of clip-ons, to make the bike more enjoyable to ride. The rear-set pegs are also rubber mounted for the same reason.

An ’81 model with a mere 7000 miles on it, the SR500′s engine required little engine work. Chappell simply fitted a new gasket set and a Mikuni VM34 carb with an oval cone air filter. The only other performance mod is the exhaust—a stainless steel header pipe with a reverse cone muffler, “to give the thumper that great sound.” The battery’s also been removed.

The suspension and wheels received significant attention though—starting with shouldered aluminum rims laced with custom-made fat stainless steel spokes. The front forks have been upgraded with progressive springs, and the rear shocks are dual rate Works Performance units. Dual disks at the front aid in stopping, and Chappell fabricated a brace for the swingarm to increase rear-end stiffness.

Finishing touches include a stainless steel front fender, and a particularly good looking front sprocket guard that Chappell cut with his new CNC router. He also designed a one-piece speedo and tacho mount, which incorporates all the necessary ‘idiot lights.’

Chappell describes the SR, nicknamed ‘Angel,’ as one of his “cleanest builds to date.” Even though he built it as a personal project, he’s already had interest from potential buyers. I can’t say that I’m surprised.

Head over to the Chappell Customs website to see more of Chris and Rob’s builds.

via BIKEEXIF

Latvala tops Drivers’ championship for the first time / Latvala, leader pour la 1ère fois

In addition to collecting his third Rally Sweden victory, Jari-Matti Latvala’s notched up his 300th stage win and now sits at the top of the Drivers’ championship, a career first. Unsurprisingly, he is eyeing the 2014 title.

Being on top of the points table could have a negative side, however, for it means he will be first on the road in Mexico, which isn’t necessarily a good idea. “I don’t care,” said the Finn before savouring Saturday’s podium ceremony. “I’m looking at the overall championship picture and not just on a rally by rally basis. After winning here in 2012, I had a series of poor runs. But that’s not going to happen again. My aim is to be as consistent as possible. Everyone has lows during a season. It’s a case of dealing with them and trying to score points, as I did in Monte Carlo.”

His team-mate Sébastien Ogier appears not to be envious of the Finn’s lead going into the first gravel rally of the year. “Being first on the road is a handicap in Mexico, so I’m glad to be second in the championship [+5 points] at the moment,” says the Frenchman. “We made a mistake but we also showed our speed in Sweden, so I’m not unduly concerned.”

Volkswagen’s third man Andreas Mikkelsen was delighted after securing his first ever podium finish at the age of 24, after 41 WRC starts. “There’s just one more step to climb,” he smiled, “but for that we will need to be more consistent.”

Andreas posted three fastest times and led for four stages, while fellow Norwegian Mads Ostberg won two stages, including the Power Stage, and completed the rally just 5.9s short of second spot after being slowed by Kubica and team-mate Meeke on stages. “We built up speed gradually,” explained the Citroën youngster who is now third in the championship, 10 points behind Latvala. “I’d never driven the DS3 WRC before in these conditions and I wasn’t at ease to begin with. I had been hoping for the win but I feel confident ahead of Mexico where I was competitive last year.”

Mikko Hirvonen and Ott Tanak rounded off the all-Nordic top five. “I had a few scares on Saturday morning, so I lifted and Mads pulled out a gap,” said the experienced Finn (152 starts). “It’s nice to have won my first points of the season. The Volkswagens are very fast. To be honest; it’s not going to be easy…” Volkswagen Motorsport tops the Manufacturers’ table, six points clear of Citroën-Total-Abu Dhabi WRT.

Although many thought his WRC career had ended after the 2012 Rally de Espana, Ott Tanak bounced back – smiling – in Sweden where he posted a fastest time (SS5, helped by his road order) and finished fifth. “Mads and Mikko got away after my spin on SS17 and I suffered from under-steer on Day 2. I missed the WRC but I’ve been quite busy with my team which runs five or six cars in Estonia. I didn’t think I’d be competitive this quickly.” Ott will be back in a Fiesta WRC in Portugal.

Troisième succès en Suède, le cap des 300 victoires de spéciales franchi et leader du championnat du monde pour la première fois de la carrière : Jari-Matti Latvala repart de Karlstad avec des envies de titre…

Aussi flatteuse qu’elle soit, cette position de leader du championnat Pilotes n’est pas très avantageuse car ouvrir la piste au Rallye du Mexique est un lourd handicap. « Je m’en fous », assurait le Finlandais au dernier parc d’assistance d’Hagfors avant d’aller savourer sa victoire sur le podium de Karlstad. « Je veux désormais prendre le championnat dans sa globalité et non plus rallye par rallye. En 2012, après ma victoire ici, j’avais enchaîné les contre-performances. C’est fini : je veux être le plus régulier possible. On a tous des coups de moins bien dans la saison, il faut savoir gérer ces moments-là et essayer de marquer quelques points, comme je l’ai fait au Monte-Carlo. »

Pour la 1^ère fois de sa carrière, le Finlandais se retrouve en tête du championnat du monde Pilotes (40 points), une position que ne lui envie pas son équipier Sébastien Ogier avant les 1^ersrallyes sur terre. « Ouvrir au Mexique est un désavantage, alors je suis heureux d’être 2^e (à 5 points) ce soir », expliquait le Français. « On a commis une erreur, mais on a aussi montré notre pointe de vitesse ce week-end, donc pas d’inquiétude. »

Le 3^e pilote Volkswagen, Andreas Mikkelsen, était aux anges après son 1^er podium mondial décroché à 24 ans (41 départs en WRC). « Il reste encore une marche à gravir », confiait le Norvégien, « et pour cela, il faut être encore plus régulier. » Andreas a remporté trois ES et fut leader pendant quatre spéciales. Son compatriote Mads Ostberg a quant à lui remporté deux spéciales, dont la Power Stage, et échoué à 5s9 de la 2^e place après avoir été gêné par Kubica et son équipier Meeke en spéciale : « On est allé crescendo », résumait le pilote Citroën : « Je n’avais jamais roulé avec la DS3 WRC dans ces conditions-là, je n’étais pas très à l’aise au début. Bon, ce n’est pas la victoire que j’espérais ici, mais je suis confiant avant le Mexique où j’avais été performant l’an passé. » Mads est 3^e du championnat à 10 points de Latvala.

Mikko Hirvonen et Ott Tanak complètent un top-five très nordique cette année en Suède. « Je me suis fait quelques frayeurs samedi matin, j’ai levé un peu le pied et Mads s’est échappé », déclarait le Finlandais, le plus capé des pilotes en activité avec 152 départs. « Je suis heureux de marquer mes 1^ers points de la saison. Les Volkswagen sont très rapides, il faut être lucide, ça s’annonce difficile… » Volkswagen Motorsport est leader du championnat Constructeurs avec 6 points d’avance sur Citroën-Total-Abu Dhabi WRT.

On avait cru sa carrière mondiale stoppée par une barrière au Rallye d’Espagne 2012. Pour son retour (souriant !) en WRC, Ott Tanak a signé un meilleur temps (ES5, grâce à une bonne position sur la route) et une 5^e place. « J’ai perdu contact avec Mads et Mikko après un tête-à-queue dans l’ES17 et puis j’ai eu beaucoup de sous-virage le 2^e jour. Le WRC m’a manqué, c’est vrai, mais j’étais tout de même bien occupé avec mon team qui fait rouler 5 ou 6 voitures en Estonie. Je ne pensais pas être dans le coup aussi vite » Ott sera de nouveau au volant d’une Fiesta WRC au Portugal.

Harley-Davidson 883 Iron by TJ Moto

Written by Tim Holdup.

In the world of custom motorcycles fresh new shops and builders are forever surfacing globally. Standing out is somewhat paramount to success and first impressions are crucial to get the ball rolling in your desired direction. Without further adieu, meet ‘NADIA’, she is an intriguing, hand-crafted rigid tail Harley Davidson 883 Iron. NADIA is the debut build from TJ Moto, a small custom bike studio located in New Delhi, India – and from the looks of things, it won’t be their last.

It’s more than easy to purchase mass produced ‘bolt-on’ modifications and be one of the pack, but hand-made pieces designed specifically for that one bike adds such a personal touch – and this is where NADIA finds home. The most notable piece and also the most against the grain being her tubular ‘over the tank’ backbone, advertently she has a floating petrol tank look which really fights the normal appearance of an underslung tank.

Being a rigid conversion, key aspects of rider comfort needed attending to – this is where things get a little interesting with the springer seat. The seat upholstered in distressed brown leather features a mono shock absorbed linkage set up which is pulled off with the use of multiple pieces of custom handmade bracketry.

Her flight deck is very subtle and has a neat uncluttered appearance to it. The speedometer mounted to a literally left of centre location provides a balance with air intake being mounted on the opposing side, coupled with the analog read out speedo sees some of the old school that TJ Moto set out capture in this build.

Breathing through a K & N conical pod filter, NADIA’s untampered with motor soon exits through the 2 – 1 free flow exhaust system, being heat wrapped for that eclectic appeal as well as functionality.

On a build as such, it’s the finer details that really finish it off. TJ Moto took such care in this department. The British racing green with cream inner on the petrol and oil tank are finished off with a tasteful gold pin striping. This pin striping is further complimented by hand-crafted brass fitments in the way of engraved tank caps and tank support clips on that strangely appealing back bone. All these details make TJ Moto’s first build a truly unique custom that really does make it stand out from the crowd.

via PIPEBURN