JORDAN’S KZ650SR

The Kawasaki Kz650 has been a donor bike of choice for custom builders for decades, and like its twin cylinder cousin, the z750, it’s easy to see why, as the tank shape and chassis parts are all there to be revealed and enjoyed. These days they are often restored to their original condition as a classic, and in recent years many have been rebuilt into retro streetfighters, graced with Yoshi pipes aftermarket oil coolers with braided hoses and braced swingarms.

There’s plenty of Streetfighter influence present in this build from Jordan and a couple of friends, Andrew Cornelissenand Lee Kinney, in a custom bike they created as part of the sponsored ‘Greasy Dozen’ build last year.

The Greasy Dozen build is a grass-roots sponsorship programme where 12 builds are selected and given additional support. The brief was to build a bike with a retro vibe but with decent performance and practical enough to ride every day. It was also a collaboration between guys who normally work individually, completed during evenings and weekends, but they enjoyed the process so much they hope to be able to make custom building a primary focus in the future. We hope so too.

The donor bike is a 1979 Kz650SR. The forks have been swapped-out for a set of 43mm cartridge items from a ZX7 with twin gas shocks at the rear, supported by 17 inch spoked wheels with the front brakes powered by 320mm Brembo discs and calipers from a Ducati Sport Classic GT1000.

Pod style filters are a must have on a build like this…

The headlamp comes from a Suzuki SV650. The rear seat cowl is from a GPz750 with the seat upholstery in oxblood leather by Ginger at New Church Moto, and the metalflake gold paint with an unusual mix of retro swooshes and pinstripes on the tank and tail was sorted by Bridge City Cycles.

The four into one pipes are hand made in pie-cut stainless steel mated to a Mega ‘Quiet Core’ reverse cone end can. The sweeping steel double-tube swing arm is also hand made using aluminium concentric chain adjusters. The clip-on mounts are blended-in flush to the top triple clamp, adding to the refinement that is seen across the whole build.

No speedo required, but mini bullet indicators tell other road users where she’s heading next.

It’s a little different from the usual crop of raw-metal, industrial builds we feature on The Bike Shed, but it’s nice to see a bit of gold flake, after-market bling and streetfighter performance parts in a custom cafe/fighter hybrid. We’d love to see more bikes just like it, so; perhaps Jordan, Andrew & Lee from Portland, Oregon, can build a few more along similar lines?

Thanks to Jordan and the guys for sharing his pride and joy with us here at the Bike Shed. There’s a build thread you can follow at DoTheTon and here’s a link to the Greasy Dozen.

Thanks to Celerity Photograph for the pics.

CB 750 Vintage

Another beautiful red 1975 Honda CB750 Super Sport built by Vintage Steelein Brattleboro (Vermont, USA) for its owners Pete and Karen. Powder coating by Khameleon Koatings. Decal printing by Lotus Graphics. Seat upholstery byCaleb Matthiesen. Photo by Azariah Aker.

 

via Inazuma Café Racer

Time for the old-timers! / Les anciennes en scène

A week after the WRC event, the Automobile Club de Monaco’s 17th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique is due to start in Die, France, on Saturday morning, after completion of the Concentration Run by the 300-strong field. Starters from Glasgow, Oslo and Stockholm will be joined by fellow competitors from Barcelona, Reims and Monte Carlo.

Une semaine après le rallye moderne, l’Automobile Club de Monaco organise la 17e édition du Monte-Carlo Historique où plus de 300 équipages sont attendus samedi matin à Die, dans la Drôme, terme des parcours de concentration.

After the first regularity test (La Cime du Mas-Col de l’Echarasson-Col de Gaudissart), crews will arrive in Valence for an overnight halt. The next day (Sunday, January 26), the Classification Run will visit France’s Ardèche region and its famous Le Moulinon-Antraigues, Burzet-Saint Martial, Lalouvesc-Labatie d’Andaure and Lamastre-Alboussière stages.

Monday’s route will head into the Vercors Mountains (Saint Jean Royans-La Cime du Mas, Les Nonières-Chichilianne, L’Epine-La Charce), while Tuesday’s action will see the field head southeast towards Monaco, via Montauban sur Ouvèze-Eygalayes (Col du Perty) and Clumanc-Lambruisse, two tests visited by last week’s WRC event. The Final Run will take in the Col du Turini and Lucéram before the finish in the Principality.

The best-known drivers on this year’s rally are Jean Ragnotti (Renault 8 Gordini), Daniel Elena (Fiat A112 Abarth), Bob Neyret (Citroën DS21) and Yves Jouanny (Lancia Fulvia), owner of the La Remise restaurant which traditionally hands out apple pies to Monte Carlo competitors. On Sunday, his kitchens will be occupied instead by journalist friends and former drivers…

The 17^th Rallye Monte-Carl Historique is open to models which took part in the real thing between 1955 and 1980. It will also mark two 50^th anniversaries: that of the victory of the Mini Cooper S (this year’s N°1 will be on the door of a Mini in the hands of Andrew McAlpine/Fred Gallagher) and that of the Renault 8 Gordini. 

Ils s’élancent aujourd’hui de Glasgow, Oslo et Stockholm et seront rejoints par les concurrents venus de Barcelone, Reims et Monte-Carlo, à Die, samedi matin, point de ralliement pour les quelque 300 engagés à cette 17^e édition du Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique.

Après une 1^ère épreuve de régularité « La Cime du Mas-Col de l’Echarasson-Col de Gaudissart », les concurrents arriveront à Valence, ville de fin d’étape du parcours de concentration. Le lendemain, dimanche 26 janvier, l’étape de classement les emmènera en Ardèche vers « Le Moulinon-Antraigues », « Burzet-St-Martial », puis « Lalouvesc-Labatie d’Andaure » et « Lamastre-Alboussière ».

Lundi, direction le Vercors avec « Saint-Jean-Royans-La Cime du Mas », « Les Nonières-Chichilianne », puis « L’Epine-La Charce » sur les traces de la 1^ère étape du Monte-Carlo moderne. Mardi 28 janvier, retour sur Monaco avec « Montauban-sur-Ouvèze-Eygalayes » via le Col du Perty, puis «Clumanc-Lambruisse », des routes empruntées la semaine dernière par les WRC. L’étape finale se déroulera évidemment vers le Col du Turini et Lucéram avant l’arrivée en Principauté.

Parmi les engagés à cette 17^e édition, Jean Ragnotti (Renault 8 Gordini), Daniel Elena (Fiat A112 Abarth), Bob Neyret (Citroën DS21), Yves Jouanny (Lancia Fulvia) qui laisse les cuisines de La Remise à des journalistes et ancien pilotes…

Cette épreuve de régularité est ouverte aux modèles ayant participé au Rallye Monte-Carlo entre 1955 et 1980. A travers cette 17^e édition, l’ACM souhaite commémorer deux anniversaires : les 50 ans de la victoire de la Mini Cooper S – le n°1 sera d’ailleurs porté par l’une d’entre-elle confiée à Andrew McAlpine et Fred Gallagher – et les 50 ans de la Renault 8 Gordini. Le vainqueur de l’édition 2013, Gérard Brianti (Alpine A110 1600S) remet son titre en jeu.

Wall Street supercars: Fast money, fast cars

Automotive understatement didn’t exist among New York brokers of the 1980s and 1990s. The million-dollar bonuses of the ‘Wall Street Boys’ were spent on only the fastest, loudest and most expensive status symbols that crossed all boundaries of good taste. We look back…

Stretch as stretch can – length matters

Ah yes, the black Lincoln Town Car stretch limo with a boomerang TV aerial sitting proudly on the rear. Along with a Rolex watch, Armani suit and black Amex, this car was part of the basic kit for status-conscious Wall Street bankers in the 1980s and 1990s. In the film based on Don DeLillo’s great novel ‘Cosmopolis’, the 28-year-old asset manager and billionaire Eric Parker takes a ride in one across Manhattan, to get his hair cut by his chosen barber. The ludicrously equipped interior of the car is sufficiently spacious for his doctor to perform a daily check-up but, as the day progresses, Packer has to worry not only about his asymmetrical prostate, but also the loss of most of his wealth, along with the minor worry of an assassin out to get him. The car is a perfect reflection of his extravagant, excessive lifestyle, but there are even more outlandish vehicles available, if you want to make the ultimate impact. Such as the creations of Jay Ohrberg, whose ‘Hollywood Cars’ include a 10-wheeled ‘stretch’ Ferrari F40 and a 100-foot limo (a World Record).

European with a twist

Of course, European sports cars were at a premium when it came to the Wall Street bankers. For proper status at the office, a Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Countach or Porsche Turbo Flatnose was essential for that weekend trip to the Hamptons and any nocturnal dash through the Holland Tunnel. The cosmetic appeal of aerodynamic add-ons was another vital factor, from American-fitted spoilers and aprons to the plentiful Italian and German sports car that were given the full bling-bling treatment. Nowadays, 1980s Lamborghinis with double spoilers and gold rims are again in demand by collectors.

American muscle

For the patriotic sorts among the bankers, however, there was only one acceptable supercar – the Vector. Since the early 1970s, Gerald Wiegert and Lee Brown had been working on their own prototypes and, in 1989, the first Vector W8 was unveiled. However, the first customer was no big-bucks Wall Street trader, but rather the tennis star Andre Agassi. It was not a happy tale. Despite being warned that the car was a prototype, and shouldn’t be driven until the work on it had been completed, Agassi insisted on having the car delivered… and driving it. When the tennis star did drive it, the car broke down, and Vector Automotive had to refund the 450,000 USD that Agassi had paid for it. In the end, almost 20 cars were built for customers: the perfect poster cars of the Wall Street years.