Dust & Motorcycle stories, Chapter I

On the tracks of the famous Gauchos and Dakar's dust road with the beautiful Royal Enfield Classic 500. A great motorcycle adventure by Mono 500...

Dust & Motorcycle stories, Chapter I from Mono 500 - Riding Experiences - on Vimeo.

ROOSHERS PORSCHE - THE 1970 PORSCHE 911ST

Finally the writing comes to an end, after a feel eternity we’re back in well known quality. This time we serve a new own project, of course we’re very proud to present you the ROOSHERS - PORSCHE today. Turn the lights off and loud up the speakers, enjoy!

ROOSHERS PORSCHE - THE 1970 PORSCHE 911ST from rooshers. on Vimeo.

Read and see the full story on http://www.rooshers.com

ARMS RACE. Steve Bright’s BSA Enduro 441 Race Replica

Written by Martin Hodgson.

There was a time when British bikes of the ’60s could be had at a wrecking yard for chump change and the old scallywag behind the cash register was happy to see them go. But those days are over, as all that is old and oily is somehow new again with a steep price tag to match. The task is even more difficult when the object of your desire is a rare factory racer and crashing it first time out at turn two could be the most expensive ten seconds of your life. So Steve Bright from Washington State, USA, has done the smartest thing a man in his position could do. Taken a 1967 BSA B441 Victor Enduro and turned it into a factory works replica racer that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the privateer’s paddock of the day.

Our man from Spokane has been riding bikes since he was five years old and in his early adult years started to wrench on them too. By day he’s designing equipment for a drilling company but he also runs his own motorcycle shop that is strictly “by appointment only”. Here you’ll find him working on all things air-cooled with enough tools and know how to offer machining services like rebores and cylinder head servicing. But it’s his combined love of BSA motorcycles, having previously owned a Victor GP, and vintage motocross that kick-started this build.

Steve recalls, “I had always loved the BSA factory 494cc works bikes with the titanium frames, magnesium engine cases and other super trick parts, so I decided to build something that looks the part but isn’t so rare that you can’t actually race it.” This particular matching numbers ’67 Victor Enduro he found locally and it was already equipped with some high end racing parts, even better it came with a 1970 model as a spares bike. “I didn’t have a specific bike I was trying to recreate; I was just pulling what I thought were the best points from many of the machines that were raced by Jeff Smith and others during the mid to late 60’s from the BSA race team.”

The bike was completely stripped down and the frame the first thing to receive some love, powder-coated metallic silver to give it the look of the works titanium frame. The new plastic oval number plate is attached with a set of custom alloy supports and sets the theme of the bike in the black factory colour scheme. To match the later model machines the gorgeous front fender is attached high up with a Preston Petty fender bracket. While the rear unit catching all the mud and debris is a new alloy item from Matt Hilgenberg at speedandsport.com. The side plates are new reproduction pieces from bsaunitsingles.com that need custom brackets but save the search for the rare original items.>

The tank might be the stock BSA aluminium piece but the one in Steve’s possession had all but been destroyed with dents on both sides and the rear. But this just allowed him to show off his prodigious metal working skills restoring it back to a brilliant finish. The first task was to cut the tunnel out so he could metal work each section back into shape. Then with it welded back together he polished it up and sprayed it with PPG paint and gave it gold BSA decals. The execution is flawless; this is a no body filler job and looks incredible from every angle. To match Steve sourced a C15 Trials seat made by Wassell that was a period correct modification for many racers of the time.

But if you’re going to go racing the suspension has to be spot on and Steve once again hit it out of the park. Up front the forks are Ceriani 35mm MX items, rebuilt and painted just like those used by Vic Eastwood. But it’s out back that things get serious as Steve happily explains, “the swingarm is quite a rare original A&A aluminium unit. These A&A swing arms are the only aluminium units allowed in this machine’s class in AHRMA racing. But it didn’t come to him in the best of condition with even the shop’s 100 ton press not able to budge the bushings or pivot axle.

Having to eventually destroy them to get them out Steve machined new items to finally get the swingarm mated perfectly to the frame. It’s hung by a set of 13.25” Boge Mulholland rear shocks, the combination might not be the same as the works bikes but it sure gets the job done. Another small compromise had to be made on the wheels, the factory 20 inch front makes tyres hard to find. So Steve laced a 21 inch unit up with stainless Buchanan’s spokes to a 1972 Husqvarna 250CR hub. The rear is an original BSA quick change hub using an 18 inch rim again with Buchanan’s spokes and like the front end powder-coated black to match the works colours.

The engine needed plenty of graft to get it up to spec but it’s yet another area in which Steve excels, setup to do all of his own machining work. Damaged and with broken fins on the stock items he replaced the cylinder and the head. Internally it’s been honed and swings a .040” over piston with new rings while the head has newly ground valve seats and a fresh set of valves. There is an alloy rocker feed manifold from Peter Quick, a new set of gaskets throughout and then Steve gave it a coat of GM satin black engine paint.

The outside is no less impressive with Steve going the extra mile to make sure the engine is a reliable racer. The ignition is battery-less, a Lucas energy transfer with a modern Japanese style coil, new points and condenser. “The factory machine would have come with an AMAL Monobloc, but I saw many works bikes with concentrics or AMAL GP carbs, so for somewhat originality and ease of use at the races, I went with the concentric AMAL 930,” explains Steve. Finishing the whole thing off and giving a barking great sound is the new chromed exhaust also from Peter Quick.

The new Renthal vintage/desert bend bars are the perfect fit and only wear the bare basics to get the job done. AMAL type levers get the tick of approval and a full set of new cables makes sure everything operates as it should. The pegs are just like the works bikes, folding with bear-trap style cleats welded on that have been zinc plated by Novation Inc. All of which is further proof that this BSA might host a little bling in the looks department but it’s been re-born to go fast with the best parts for the job. It’s that perfect mix of purity and power that has people young and old stopping Steve for a look or standing and admiring for hours when it’s parked up in the shop. “I could easily display this bike but I’d rather see someone racing it.” Now that’s a sentiment we can drink to.

[ Photos by J. Craig Sweat ]

via http://www.pipeburn.com/

WSBK : Sublime Davies takes Race 1 victory / Commanding Race 2 win for Rea at Laguna

RACE1

Returning Welshman takes win with excellent ride at Laguna, ahead of fellow podium finishers Rea and Sykes

At the GEICO US Round on Saturday afternoon in sunny conditions at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) recorded a superb win as he returned from his Misano injuries in style, whilst Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) were also on the podium.

The leading three could not be caught by the rest of the field as they charged away at the head of the race over the opening laps, with Davies and Rea pulling away from pole man Sykes in the final third of the race. With Rea right on his tail Davies held his nerve over the last few laps to notch a superb Race 1 win as he put his back and thumb injuries from Round 7 firmly behind him.

Davies celebrated the win by holding up a number 69 flag in tribute to the late Nicky Hayden, following the tragic recent passing of the Kentucky Kid.

The Ducati rider’s final winning margin over Rea was 1.2s, with Sykes a further +4.596s behind his Northern Irish colleague in third place.

After 25 exciting laps of the Laguna Seca track Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) crossed the line in fourth, with Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) close behind him in fifth.

Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team), Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), Leandro Mercado (IODARacing) and Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) completed the top ten.

A special mention must go to Jake Gagne who got a chance to ride for the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team, the American scoring a point to give the home fans something to cheer as they also fondly paid their own tributes to former Honda man Hayden.

It was not a great day for Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) or Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) as they both crashed out, but they will each get a chance to make amends on Sunday.

RACE 2

World Champion takes Sunday win at #USWorldSBK round, with Sykes and Davies also on the podium

As the GEICO US Round drew to a close on Sunday afternoon at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca it was World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) who took the victory, with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) also on the podium.

Rea came from eighth on the grid to take a dominant win over the rest of the field with the KRT man beating his nearest challenger – teammate Sykes – by 2.887s, to open up a 59-point advantage at the head of the standings going into the summer break. It is the Northern Irishman’s second win at the American venue and he dedicated the victory to the late Nicky Hayden.

Davies did his best to pursue Sykes for second place over the final laps but just could not catch the Yorkshireman and had to settle for third, following his comeback win in Race 1.

Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) and Xavi Fores (BARNI Racing Team) completed the top five in the hot conditions at the spectacular Californian track.

Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) bounced back immediately from his Race 1 DNF for a good sixth place finish, with another Aprilia equipped rider Leandro Mercado (IODARacing) in seventh.

Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) was just behind Laverty and Mercado on the Aprilia RSV4 RF in eighth place, with the top ten completed by Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team colleagues Alex Lowes and Michael van der Mark.

Raffaele de Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team), Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) and Ayrton Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) all suffered crashes, whilst there was an early retirement for Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse).

After the summer break the 2017 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship riders will return to action at the Prosecco DOC German Round over the 18th-20th August weekend.

via http://www.worldsbk.com/en/news