ACE CAFE RADIO

    jeudi 21 novembre 2013

    ‘76 Kawasaki KH500 - ‘Kermit’


    In a world of sterile, bubble-wrapped motorcycle design that puts government regulations and usability above all else it's easy to forget that once upon a time, motorcycle design was an entirely different beast. Take, for the sake of argument, the rather ‘charismatic’ Kawasaki 500cc triples from the 1970s. Put simply, they were an air-cooled three cylinder sportsbike with two exhausts on one side and one on the other, barely-there brakes, a penchant for death wobbles at high speed and the ability to flip itself rubber-side-up with any decent twist of their throttles. They were also bloody quick. So quick, in fact, that journalists of the day refused to believe Kawasaki's quarter mile claims until they themselves managed to replicate them, thus proving that the bike was actually the quickest production motorcycle of its day. Even the legendary Plymouth Hemi Cudas would eat their dust. Cue this immaculate and very green rocket from the crypt, Craig Johnston's Kawasaki KH500 - aka ‘Kermit’.
    “Kermit is a 76 KH500 has quite a long history as a café racer,” says Craig. “The bike was first built up 20 years ago by a good mate of mine, but due to the whole family/life thing taking over, he decided to offload the bike. So for the last 18 years, Kermit has been my play thing. I rode the bike as it was for several years until things started to break. In the pre-eBay days, sourcing Kwaka triple parts was nigh on impossible locally, so the bike was parked in my fathers damp shed and pretty much forgotten about while I riding my other bikes.
    12 months ago, while giving my father a hand to clear some junk out of his shed, I rediscovered the KH and brought it home with the idea of restoring it. 10 plus years in a damp shed being used as a saw horse hadn't done the bike any favours; the engine was locked up, tank rusted out, fairing cracked, and polished alloy and chrome parts were in a very bad state. I spent a good six months walking around the bike, planning what was needed and what I wanted to create. In its original guise it had been very highly strung, and was barely street-able - pretty much needing 5000rpm to even get off the line with some nasty detonation issues. This time around I wanted something that was a lot more civilized and practical. This bike would be getting a lot of use, so it had to be able to be run hard on pump fuel.”
    “I removed the engine in January and dropped it off for a full rebuild. This included the crank, which received slotted Vesrah rods and Wossner pistons. While the cases were split we also rebuilt the gearbox. Meanwhile, I finished stripping the bike. The frame went out for sandblasting and powdercoating, but this time in the more traditional black as against the green that my mate had painted it previously. Then the new SS Ducati fairing and screen arrived, and they along with the tank were sent off for painting.
    The bike was finally ready for the road in June but it was soon evident that detonation was going to be an issue when it was pushed, there was not enough squish and too much compression. We decked the barrels and reshaped the combustion chambers, dropping the compression down to 145psi. These changes made a huge difference and now the bike can be ridden as they were intended.”
    “Kermit is no show bike and has racked up nearly 2000km in the last 4 months. It's a barrel of fun to ride and as a member of Perth Cafe Racers we live by the motto “take the long road home”. So do we, Craig. So do we.
    Photos by Ryan at RSK Photography Perth
    [Special thanks to Rex from Garage Project Motorcycles] from PIPEBURN

    Look At Life 1960's Scrambling


    1976 PORSCHE 934/5 IMSA “EL SALVADOR”


    Porsche 935 1976 Porsche 934/5 IMSA El Salvador
    This 1976 Porsche 934/5 IMSA Racer, dubbed “El Salvador”, is a former world championship winning racer that’s seen action right around the world. Its first ever race outing was at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1976 where it took an impressive 2nd place (in class) in the capable hands of the Gelo Racing team headed by Georg Loos.
    Throughout the rest of ’76 the car would race at the Mugello 6 Hours (finishing 6th overall, 2nd in the GT class), then later at the Nurburgring 1000Kms it finished 2nd overall.
    In 1977 the car changed hands – its next owner was the talented Swiss privateer racer, Claude Haldi who would race the 935 in World Championship and European Championship road racing events, plus a few European hillclimbs. Claude took the Porsche back to LeMans in 1977 however it was forced to retire due to a transmission failure and wouldn’t get to repeat its remarkable 2nd place finish from a year earlier.
    1976 Porsche 935 IMSA El Salvador 1976 Porsche 934/5 IMSA El Salvador
    In 1978 Claude Haldi sold the car on to a South American driver racing under the unusual pseudonym ‘Jamsal’, this new owner had the original 934 specification car modified to 935 specification with twin-turbochargers, he then raced it in North American IMSA events as well as South American races until late-1981. During this time, the highly capable Porsche 934/5 won the 6 Hours of El Salvador – which gave its owner the World Champion title.
    In the early-80s, the car was fully re-bodied (into its current form) with K3/M13 bodywork, the new owner also fitted an Andial-built, flat-fan, twin-plug, 3.2 litre engine. It was in this guise that the car was treated to a full restoration in 2005, it’s now in stunningly clean condition and is being offered for sale at the upcoming Monterey Auction held by RM Auctions on the 16th of August 2013. There’s currently no estimated price available but you’ll need at least a million dollars on hand to win the auction, you’ll then be able to pay for a tank of gas with the change. Maybe.
    You can visit RM Auctions here to read more and see the rest of the images.
    Porsche 935 6 1976 Porsche 934/5 IMSA El Salvador
    Porsche 935 3 1976 Porsche 934/5 IMSA El Salvador
    Porsche 935 2 1976 Porsche 934/5 IMSA El Salvador
    Porsche 935 interior 1976 Porsche 934/5 IMSA El Salvador
    1976 Porsche 935 engine 1976 Porsche 934/5 IMSA El Salvador
    Photo Credits: Darin Schnabel ©2013 Courtesy of RM Auctions

    First Place : Indonesia - Semangat Putra Motor


    Deus a organisé un concours de prépa. Le vainqueur a réalisé ce beau cafe racer en fabriquant un étonnant moteur trois cylindres. Il ferait 600 cm3…

    Indonesia - Semangat Putra Motor

    Motor Home builders workshop "Semanagat Son Motor" leads by Adib M.Yusuf, starts their custom with a Honda GL 100 engine for their concept of Café Racer. We used the 3-cylinder engine from a Yamaha Mio head engine, completed with 3 carburetors to finally reach a 600Cc power engine. Using the front shock from CBR1000, the front hub is a combination of a custom hand made Yamaha Mio and a Honda Supra. As for the rear hub we combined a Binter Mercy and a Honda Supra. The swing arm is from a Triumph Bonneville that has been hand made polish same as the exhaust. The tank made of galvanized metal sheet and the seat made of fiberglass have been inspired from a Café Racer. The paint job (red and white) are original Javanese motif.