F1 News - Lewis Hamilton says Bernie Ecclestone comments on race 'ignorant'
https://ift.tt/2BLr4zs Lewis Hamilton says Bernie Ecclestone is "ignorant and uneducated" after the ex-Formula 1 boss made comments about racism. Ecclestone, 89, told CNNexternal-link that "in lost of cases, black people are more racist than what white people are". Six-time world champion Hamilton, 35, said Ecclestone's remarks were "sad and disappointing". He added they demonstrated "how far we as a society need to go before real equality can happen". Hamilton, writing on Instagram, said: "Bernie is out of the sport and a different generation but this is exactly what is wrong. "It makes complete sense to me now that nothing was said or done to make our sport more diverse or to address the racial abuse I received throughout my career. "If someone who has run the sport for decades has such a lack of understanding of the deep-rooted issues we as black people deal with every day, how can we expect all the people who work under him to understand? It starts at the top. "Now the time has come for change. I will not stop pushing to create an inclusive future for our sport with equal opportunity for all. To create a world that provides equal opportunity for minorities." Hamilton's post came after F1 rejected Ecclestone's remarks and emphasised that he has "no role" in the sport. F1 said in a statement that it "completely disagreed" with Ecclestone and that his comments "have no place in F1 or society". It added that Ecclestone's former role of chairman emeritus, given to him in 2017, "expired in January 2020". F1 has launched an equality and diversity taskforce to increase opportunity for minority groups. Ecclestone was removed from his position as chief executive of F1 when US group Liberty Media bought the commercial rights to the sport in January 2017. The remarks are the latest in a series of provocative and controversial comments from Ecclestone on race in recent years. And they come at an especially sensitive time for F1, which has made it clear it stands by and backs world champion Hamilton's support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Hamilton has been outspoken on the topic, saying he had been "completely overcome with rage" at events in the US, where the death of the African-American man George Floyd in police custody last month after an officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes led to protests around the world. The Mercedes driver has said that he has been the subject of racism himself throughout his career, and referenced a time in 2007 when fans turned up in black face at a circuit. Ecclestone told CNN that he felt a commission set up by Hamilton to increase diversity in motorsport was not "going to do anything bad or good for Formula 1; it'll just make people think, which is more important". Ecclestone said he "didn't know" Hamilton had been subjected to racism and that he had "never needed" to discuss it with him, adding: "I'm surprised that it concerns him even." #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 June 27, 2020 at 04:54AM
Motorcycle News - MotoGP: Tire Warmers On
https://ift.tt/2A7LQJf Despite the fact that, virus-wise, the U.S. is starting to resemble Dante’s Inferno, over in Europe things appear to be trending well. MotoGP/Dorna has been itching, for obvious reasons, to get some kind of season started and in the books. The sheer amounts of money involved in canceling an entire MotoGP season are unimaginable. They need to get a 2020 season, this kind of MotoGP Lite thing, going, and soon. As things stand, there is a schedule, about which we’ve already written. Cramped and crowded, it leaves little margin for error and will punish riders who, say, do a collarbone and miss, conceivably, three rounds. ‘Twasn’t always thus. All in Europe in 2020, a crapshoot as to which tracks ended up on the calendar, more of a crapshoot as to who might emerge from the pack to seize the 2020 title in the event the rider with the aforementioned hypothetical collarbone should turn out to be Marc Marquez. Even without his favorite tracks on the scheduled part of the schedule, and Germany off altogether, Marquez continues to be the prohibitive favorite to continue his reMarcable string of world championships. Pretenders to the throne are many, not including brother Alex on the #2 Repsol Honda. #93, however, remains untouchable and, assuming he avoids injury as per usual, should win the title. Should he somehow fail, the list of contenders becomes long, indeed, with a compressed, shortened season. Two weeks at Jerez to start the season could begin or end a championship chase that appears destined to go through December. And a brutal, packed chase it is. No thought as yet as to weather and what it might do to things. Predicting a championship top five–certainly, something you, the reader, might expect if you’ve gotten this far–is following the laws of statistics, i.e., the smaller the sample size, the larger the variance. One is less likely to pick a winner in a short season than in a long one. That’s my excuse, and I’m going with it. The other fascinating part of the pre-season is the contract signings going on for 2021 (and 2022, in some cases). Suddenly, there is an alarming number of lame ducks on the grid, with possibly more to follow. Yamaha is playing musical chairs with its existing stable of riders, with Fabio Quartararo trading seats with legend Valentino Rossi, on its factory and satellite (SRT) teams. But HRC has reached out to Pol Espargaro, to ride with Marquez for the 21-22 seasons. This puts Alex to LRC Honda for 21, along with Nakagami, with Crutchlow being shown the door. Danilo Petrucci is displaced by Jack Miller on the factory Ducati team for 21-22, and Petrux goes and signs with KTM Tech 3, teaming up with Iker Lecuona, whose name sounds, to me, like it could be from a Disney movie. “Iker Lecuona, Iker Lecuona, Iker Lecuona…” Miguel Oliveira, in my opinion, an up-and-coming young rider despite his ride, not because of it, gets promoted to the factory KTM team as Espargaro leaves, teaming up with Brad Binder, signed for at least 2021. Oliveira, I think, would excel with one of the top three or four bikes on the grid. Oliveira, to me, looks like a Yamaha kind of guy. But KTM is doing for him precisely what they should have done in the first place before all this started. Overlooked in all the drama is the Suzuki team of Alex Rins and Joan Mir, both Rins and Mir, the future so bright they need shades in their visors legitimate candidates for Alien status. Standing pat, missing out on some development stuff at present, but certainly a credible team heading into whatever 2020 has to offer. Once more, we wish to say out loud that Suzuki needs a satellite team. There. Andrea Dovizioso and Ducati Corse are locked in some contentious negotiations about his 2021-22 contract on the factory team. Dovizioso is not anxious to acknowledge that his best years are probably behind him; Gigi does not want to commit two expensive years to a rider well into the back nine of his career. If Dovi were to fail to reach a contract with Ducati for 2021-22 there would be high demand for his services elsewhere, especially on the satellite Ducati teams. He would have to take a pay cut. That’s the way it goes. A new two-year contract with the factory team would not surprise me at all, especially since most of the high-profile riders are already signed for the next two-year cycle. It will be the last contract Dovi signs with Ducati. Two years if he can get it. Is it possible that Bradley Smith, with Iannone’s immediate future up in the air, could sneak back on the grid on an Aprilia in July? As regards Iannone’s pending 18-month suspension, and The Man’s recommendation that it be extended to 48 months, and all the bad feelings around the whole thing, one gets the sense that the commission, or whatever, will announce their decision in May of 2022. There’s probably more. But it’s a short year, and a number of riders will find themselves cognizant when going into corners against a future teammate, mostly subconsciously, one supposes, but not impossible, allowing it to affect their performance. Like we said, lame ducks all over the track. Cal Crutchlow, another lame duck who must feel his efforts are, once again, being ignored by HRC, will be sulky while putting on a brave face. He could end up with an Avintia or Aprilia or KTM team in 2021, one supposes, or even, under the most severe circumstances, on a seat being vacated by Dovizioso. He might approach 2020 with the attitude of having nothing to lose, to win or bin, take two in a row at Jerez and be off and running. It’s gonna be hot at Jerez in July, and the Hondas like it that way. The absence of fans, even with noise piped in, will take away from the theatre aspect of the race, the reason people go instead of watching it on TV. Promoters must be taking an absolute bath this year. NBC Sports must be gritting their teeth at having been talked into carrying MotoGP this year. One hopes, in the interest of seeing the sport more widely available, that the season proves to be a good one, one that will let Valencia decide. The wild card, in all of this, is the coronavirus. It appears a number of countries are preparing to ban, or require quarantining, of visitors from the U.S. over virus concerns. New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut have essentially done the same thing in the U.S. versus the rest of the U.S. This virus is relentless, and 80% of people on Earth are going to get it. It may affect relatively few, but others it will kill. It’s going to be around for a while until there is a vaccine. Years, really. Among the casualties could be all forms of racing, as well as all stadium-based sports. Football. Basketball. Baseball. The list goes on. From that perspective, whether MotoGP takes place or not is of relatively little importance. Let’s hope the racing gods are smiling upon us later this year and that the virus gods are pretty well done screwing with people in Europe. Let us hope for blue skies. Let us hope for safe racing and a minimum of damage to machines and riders. Let us hope for close competition and elbows in the corners and a close championship battle over the entire season, or what’s left of it. Let’s hope to see more results from the young riders aside from Quartararo. Let’s see if the Next Great Rider is out there on the grid, waiting to have his Alien card stamped. Paging Joan Mir. The post MotoGP: Tire Warmers On appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO June 26, 2020 at 03:39PM
Motorcycle News - Readers Rides: 2005 Honda Ultra Naked Hyper Standard Racing Tribute Cruising Tourer Rally Raid Family Ruckster
https://ift.tt/383MJ25 We’re not entirely sure this… thing deserves ALL of the adjectives included in its (newly) given name, but hey, we’re into the weird stuff. From George The Parts Guy: Here is a shot of my 2005 Honda Ultra Naked Hyper Standard Racing Tribute Cruising Tourer Rally Raid Family Ruckster. Sure, it started out as a 2005 Honda Big Ruckus, but in my care, it has morphed into a unique (if not oddly humorous and ugly) Battle Scooter. The removal of over a dozen plastic panels in a quest to do a deep clean revealed the bones of a beast! No sense putting the plastic back on as I decided the look was what this bike deserved all along and the added performance from the reduction of several pounds of plastic did not hurt the appeal of this bike at all. Also, after uncorking the ultimate sportiness of the Ruckus, it is now labeled with the valued “Type R” moniker! How can anyone not love a scooter that takes tires with ZIPPY printed on the sidewalls. Both my wife and my grandson have ridden on the back and neither wanted a second ride! Regards, George the Parts Guy We’re suckers for nice photos and descriptive words and reasonably decent pics of your favorite motorcycle, or maybe just your most memorable one for all the wrong reasons? Send yours to contact@motorcycle.com, title it “Readers’ Rides,” and see yourself in this spot one of these weeks. The post Reader’s Rides: 2005 Honda Ultra Naked Hyper Standard Racing Tribute Cruising Tourer Rally Raid Family Ruckster appeared first on Motorcycle.com. Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO June 26, 2020 at 12:49PM
Motorcycle News - Double H: Herb Becker’s supercharged Norton drag bike
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And now we have an even more incredible Norton, following the same format, called ‘Double H.’ It looks vintage but it’s a recent build, and uses mostly Commando rather than Atlas engine parts. It’s also supercharged, because nothing succeeds like excess.
Photographer Douglas MacRae managed to track Herb down and extract a few details about the build. “Double H is not just a mockup, but a full running bike that could make a pass,” Doug reports.
“I was into drag racing cars for many years,” he says, “and remember admiring John Gregory’s ‘Hogslayer’ twin engine Norton build. It ruled NHRA top fuel drag racing in the 70s, with T.C. Christiansen riding.”
Herb later restored Norton and Triumph drag race bikes, but really wanted to see a double-engine bike run again—so he decided to build one. “The bike is built from pieces I had in the shop. I didn’t have any plans to race it—just to start it up, to make some noise and excite crowds.”
“I just finished a custom-made Hilborn fuel injection setup; this seems to work better than the large 5-5 butterfly carb in the pictures. The engines are 765cc times two; with 15 pounds of boost, running alcohol, they should make 240 horsepower on the dyno.”
“The few Atlas parts I had are not suitable for road racing. So I bought the aluminum barrels from another racer, who had four un-machined castings.”
This is not the sort of machine that needs to kill it on the backroad twisties, so the suspension is vestigial. The components are mostly what Herb calls ‘flea market purchases.’ “The forks are early Honda, and the brakes are Kawasaki,” he says. “The rear wheel is from a 1960s Triumph.”
Impressive stuff. And if you’d like a print of this machine, head over to Doug MacRae’s online store, which is packed with shots of incredible vintage machinery. Douglas MacRae Photography | Facebook | Instagram Motorcycles via Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/2Mf9b0c June 26, 2020 at 12:33PM
MotoGP News - Petrucci at Tech3 proves KTM sees it as an equal in MotoGP, says Poncharal
https://ift.tt/2Yz9OGD Tech3 MotoGP boss Herve Poncharal says Danilo Petrucci joining his team in 2021 as a factory rider proves KTM sees it as an equal rather than simply a customer outfit. On Thursday KTM announced its full line-up for its works squad and satellite Tech3 team, with Petrucci moving to the latter alongside rookie Iker Lecuona and Miguel Oliveira switching to the factory outfit alongside Brad Binder next year. Petrucci and Lecuona are on factory contracts with KTM and will receive full support from the Austrian manufacturer - though Petrucci not taking the seat vacated by Honda-bound Pol Espargaro has raised some eyebrows. However, Poncharal insists there is no issue and says KTM management has promised a meritocracy in regards to development parts for all of its four riders. "It was a hard decision by Pit Beirer, KTM's motorsport director - Mike Leitner [KTM factory team manager] was involved as well as me - where to have Danilo, where to have Miguel, how to organise [the team]," Poncharal told motogp.com. "I think the fact we have Danilo with us is highlighting the fact that KTM is not having a factory team and a satellite operation. We are having four full factory riders. "Of course, we are two different organisations, but the support from KTM for the four riders is exactly the same. "Sometimes people don't believe you when you say that, but the fact that the most experienced MotoGP rider is joining Tech3 means they are all having the same support. "He [Beirer] told me that if there is one part that is arriving which is a development part, it is clear that it will go to the best placed KTM rider." PLUS: Why KTM's latest moves risk derailing its future MotoGP stars Though development in MotoGP is frozen for this year and all manufacturers will start next year with their 2020 bikes as part of cost-cutting measures due to the coronavirus crisis, normal development rules will apply for concession and non-concession manufacturers following the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix. Thursday's KTM announcement all but confirms Espargaro's move to Honda in 2021, as first reported by Autosport earlier this month. Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei June 26, 2020 at 08:48AM
F1 News - Daniel Ricciardo focused on Renault after McLaren switch
https://ift.tt/3eDojif Daniel Ricciardo says he and Renault have "moved on" from his decision to switch to McLaren next year ahead of the start of the new season. The Australian says he's "excited to get racing" in Austria next weekend and "it's really back to business". "Maybe the first time I see some people there might be that moment of perhaps, I don't know if the word is awkwardness," Ricciardo said. "But from my side it's been put behind me and it's not in my thoughts." Ricciardo's switch for next season - before any racing had happened in the coronavirus-delayed 2020 championship - was one of a series of moves triggered by Ferrari's decision last month not to retain Sebastian Vettel after the end of this year. McLaren's Carlos Sainz is moving to Ferrari for 2021, and Ricciardo will replace the Spaniard. That means Ricciardo, Sainz and Vettel all head into the new season knowing they will not be staying with their current teams beyond the end of the year. Ricciardo said: "Time has passed since the news now. I have spoken to if not seen some members of the team. "Hopefully we get a bundle of races and get a chance to finish this out strong. "We'll just get on with it. I have spent a couple of days in the simulator and seen a few people around the factory and no black eyes or punches in the stomach so I think we're all moving on and will give it our all for the rest of the year." Renault F1 team boss Cyril Abiteboul said there would be no preferential treatment for Ricciardo's new team-mate Esteban Ocon, who starts on a minimum two-year contract with the French team. Big upgrade to the start of the seasonAbiteboul said the Renault that races in Austria on 3-5 July would be upgraded significantly from the car that had been due to start the year in Melbourne before that race had to be called off. He said the team had worked hard to ensure that development parts that had originally been scheduled to go onto the car at the Vietnamese, Dutch and Spanish Grands Prix had all been made ready for Austria. But he added: "I want to downplay any expectation because our car was really, really bad last year so we just hope we will be slightly better because we are still not sure of the competitiveness of the car from the winter test." Ricciardo said he believed the field would "tighten up" this year and that the gap between the midfield and front would close. Concerns about Covid protocolsF1 has put in place a series of protocols to ensure the sport minimises the risk with the coronavirus in restarting. Teams will be kept separate from each other, and each will operate a 'bubble' system whereby sections of each individual team are kept apart from each other. F1 has recently backed off on the regulatory of testing for personnel, changing the requirement from every two days when away at race meetings to every five. But Abiteboul said he still had some concerns about the protocols, especially because the requirement for all members of a 'sub-bubble' to self-isolate if on tests positive could mean a driver was unable to take part in a race weekend. "The code of conduct is still bit fluid," Abiteboul said. "It is a balance between the risk and the practicality and the necessity of the operations. That balance is difficult to find. "The biggest challenge would be in the implementation of group and sub-group, so if there is a positive case it remains limited to a sub-group, because there is a risk that one single person in the team then the whole team is out for the time of the test. "And because the basis of the test can take 24 hours, we can see that if that positive case happens on a Saturday morning, you are not going to qualify and not going to participate in the race. "We still need to have a bit of discussion on how to balance risk and common sense and participation in the sport event." But he added that F1 could send a powerful message by getting its season up and running. "The fight against Covid is not won yet but real life with Covid can exist," Abiteboul said. "That is the demonstration F1 can show to the world and that is a great opportunity to do it. We are one of the first global sports platforms to do that and I hope we do it in style next week." #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 June 26, 2020 at 08:45AM
Motorcycle News - Project X – Taverne Motorcycles Buell M2
https://ift.tt/3fZcovr Every time I hear the words ‘Buell Motorcycles‘ uttered melancholy descends over me. I imagine the amazing motorcycles that Eric Buell would have developed if Harley Davidson hadn’t pulled the pin on his enterprising. Now, all we are left with are ageing examples of his efforts. I can’t help but think that if H-D had let him keep innovating things would be very different in Milwaukee today. Motorcycles via Return of the Cafe Racers https://ift.tt/2M9riRb June 26, 2020 at 06:06AM
MotoGP News - Smith changing MotoGP preparations "from tester to rider" at Misano test
https://ift.tt/2VkyUXL Bradley Smith has used the MotoGP Misano test to alter his physical and mental preparation "from tester to rider" for Aprilia ahead of filling in for the suspended Andrea Iannone. One-time MotoGP race-winner Iannone is currently battling an 18-month ban for a doping violation after an illegal steroid was found in his system following a drugs test during last season's Malaysian Grand Prix weekend. Iannone is currently fighting his ban through an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, citing past precedent of similar cases involving other athletes, while the World Anti-Doping Agency has requested his punishment be extended to a four-year ban. With the Italian suspended from all activity by the FIM during the ongoing legal proceedings, test rider Smith has been called up by Aprilia as his replacement for the season-opening Spanish GP at Jerez on 19 July and the following week's GP of Andalusia at the same track. Smith, who contested four MotoGP wildcard starts for Aprilia through his test rider role in 2019, notched up 207 laps across the three-day private Misano test, while he also suffered a crash which he escaped unharmed. The second chance that could safeguard Britain's MotoGP future While completing a test programme with the new RS-GP alongside Aleix Espargaro at the San Marino Grand Prix venue, the British rider used the track time to readjust himself to the demands of being a full-time race rider. "I'm honestly pleased at the end of these tests," Smith said. "I had to make a physical and mental step to go from tester to rider and I think I managed, especially on this last day. "Right now, it is fundamental for us to gain experience on this new bike, gathering data and understanding how it reacts. "While the base setup proved to be good straight away in Malaysia and Qatar, there are still many aspects that we need to explore in order to exploit the full potential of the new project. "On my part, I know that I still have room to improve and Aleix's performance demonstrates as much, but the gap has shrunk and I feel much more at ease taking the 2020 RS-GP to the limit." Depending on the outcome of Iannone's appeal against his ban, Smith could be set to contest the entire reshuffled 2020 MotoGP season having been initially confirmed for the opening two rounds at Jerez. With concession MotoGP manufacturers granted an exemption to work on their engines up until the start of the season, Aprilia technical director Romano Albesiano was satisfied with the progress made in the test by Smith and Espargaro but still wants to improve on the reliability of the RS-GP's new 90-degree V4 engine. "These were important tests to define the starting point of our championship," Albesiano said. We assessed the various chassis, engine and electronics solutions, in addition to breaking in a team that is brand new in many aspects. "The riders needed this test as well to get back into the rhythm after such a long stop, and I must say that I saw them improving day after day. "The decisions in view of Jerez have been taken. Many of the new features we had prepared worked well and I am rather pleased with the overall level of the bike. "In any case, there is still a lot of work to do on the details, especially to increase overall reliability." Fellow Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori was also in action at Misano, but his focus was taken up on developing the production-based RSV4 1100 Superbike that he races in the Italian championship, before completing data-collection running on the 2019-specificaiton RS-GP MotoGP machine on the final day. Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei June 26, 2020 at 04:39AM
Motorcycle News - 2020 Honda Rebel 500 ABS First Ride Review
https://ift.tt/2NvnKeC 2020 Honda Rebel 500Editor Score: 83.5%
Our pal Chrissy Rogers was excited and jumped at the chance to get her riding permit last year at Honda’s rider training center, but slightly bummed to learn that she’d been assigned a PCX150 scooter when the fateful training weekend came. It only made sense, as that’s what we were “testing” at the time. She was jealous of all the other students, mostly all on Rebel 300s. A large dog could learn to ride the full-auto PCX in about a minute, if it had thumbs, and Chrissy had really wanted to learn to use a clutch and shift gears. More pointedly, the whole first day of the MSF course consists mostly of paddling your motorcycle around at walking speed, and for 5-foot-zero Christine, that would’ve been far easier from the 27.2-inch seat of the Rebel than from sliding on and off the 30.1-in one of the PCX. There was a chafing issue, best not mentioned again. In any case, she’s been jonesing for a Rebel ever since. How convenient that Honda just souped up the Rebels for 2020, then, and fixed us up with a new Rebel 500 test unit. It sat in the garage for a week while I procrastinated, putting off a potential bout that could escalate rapidly when it came time to mansplain her how to use a clutch. When the day came, in a big empty parking lot behind a Sears that may or may not be closed, all I had to do was show her where neutral was, between first and second gear, and the little green “N” on the dial. She took right off on the first release of the clutch and was instantly circling the parking lot like a middle-aged madwoman (who drove a stick-shift VW Beetle for years). One thing the revised 2020 Rebel has is a new slip/assist clutch, and the lever is super light and smooth-engaging – though it wouldn’t be a bad thing if it were also adjustable. In addition to the sweet clutch, the other new stuff the Rebel got for 2020, in Honda-speak, is:
I can’t think of a better motorcycle to teach a person to ride. It’s also a great bike for not teaching a person to ride: Just hand them the key and most will figure it out. The Rebel 250 has been the choice of MSF schools since Honda launched it in 1985. And since the big redesign of the 300 and 500 in 2017, Rebels own the small-displacement cruiser market. Yamaha and Suzuki, meanwhile, continue to flog V-Star (née Virago) 250s and Boulevard S40s (née Savage) designed 40 years ago. I don’t know if it’s my kid Ryan’s on-camera presence or if it’s the bike, but his Youtube vid about the Rebel redo in 2017 remains MO’s Gone With the Wind, with over 1.3 million views. I think he got a pair of gloves out of the deal. I wasn’t paying much attention in 2017, but now that I’m on the case, I find that we’re straddling the same high-tech 471 cc Twin that powers the excellent Honda CB500F and CB500X – bikes we’ve heaped praise upon in the last few years. Just as it does in them, that little engine runs supersmooth and efficiently on its way to producing 40.2 horsepower, in a perfectly injected, surprisingly midrange-intensive manner. It’s also completely modern and “Honda-ized”:
It’s not just an easy bike to ride, it’s also a fun bike for scurrying around town, thanks to the lowness of the thing and the ease with which all its controls work, though you could certainly commute on it too if you needed to. We were about to break through 100 mph without too much sweat, but we ran out of empty freeway at 98; hanging with even fast traffic won’t be frightening. At high rpm, above about 70 mph in sixth gear, there’s some buzz in the grips and pegs. Also above 70, you’re fighting cruiser ergonomics and getting an upper body isometric workout against the wind. Cruiser ergonomics have never been my cup of tea, but the Reb’s footpegs aren’t so far forward that you can’t lift your butt out of the surprisingly comfortable reupholstered seat when you see a big bump coming. When you don’t see them coming, the bike can deliver some harsh kidney shots, but over most reasonable-sized bumps, the new shocks and their progressive springs do a very nice job. In fact, the 3.8 inches of travel the spec chart specs seems like more. Along with the revisions to the fork, the Rebel serves up a great ride for a $6200 cruiser, and even a sporty one when the mood strikes. We never got a chance to get to the edges of the fatty 16-inch bias-ply Dunlops, but they no doubt also add to the bike’s comfy ride and definitely to its style. Those big tires, along with slightly cruiserish geometry (4.3 inches of trail), means steering is predictable and stability is never a concern, but the Rebel can still get frisky. Brakes, too: The single front disc has the power to get the front tire howling, but it takes quite a two-finger squeeze to do it. The only place the Rebel comes up short as a beginner bike is its lack of an adjustable front brake lever; it was a stretch for Rog’s short digits. (The adjustable lever is a $27.95 accessory; demand your dealer put it on or the deal is off!) Luckily, the 240mm disc on back also works great on a cruiser, and our ABS bike means you can feel free to stand on it at will. ABS is the best $300 you’ll ever spend. Speaking of accessories, our bike is also equipped with one removable nylon saddlebag that looks suspiciously like a big purse (it has a shoulder strap), which Rog’s actual purse gravitated into instantly. Honda says women riders are a big key to the Rebel’s success: Reb 500 buyers are 28% ladies, Rebel 300 buyers are 36% women. New riders too: 61% of Rebel 300 buyers are first-time owners, as are 45% of Rebel 500 buyers. While some manufacturers do PR about recruiting new riders, Honda is quietly building the excellent little inexpensive machines for them to ride. And running training centers. The new LED headlight and blinkers really do add a bit more attitude. To some of us, the Rebel looks like it’s been chasing parked cars, but people who like cruisers seem to dig it a lot. I wasn’t surprised to see guys on Harleys waving at Rogers on the Rebel, but I was surprised to see them waving at me on it. I even got a thumbs-up from a guy on a Dyna stopped at a light. I winked back. He roared off. All that and 60 mpg. There’s nothing not to like here. The Rebel 500 is the modern Honda you meet the nicest people on, with all the same attributes that launched Honda’s amazing success 60 years ago. Though it has the look Americans crave, it’s completely approachable, affordable, easy to keep, life-expanding – and will no doubt run forever with a minimum of care. But if you’re taller than 5’0 and/or don’t particularly like cruisers, be sure and have a sit on Honda’s CB500F while you’re shopping. Same great little engine in a sportier standard package, for the same $6199. Or, if you’re more beanpole than little person, the CB500X adventure bike is the other Honda with that engine, for a few dollars more. All great choices. Thank you, Soichiro.
Motorcycles via Motorcycle.com https://ift.tt/2Std7JO June 25, 2020 at 06:07PM
Motorcycle News - Even better than the real thing: Two ‘new’ BSA trackers
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In 1970 Aldana was beaten to the Grand National title by team mate Gene Romero, but fifty years later, there are still plenty of folks who remember the BSAs they raced.
That’s the home base for the workshop Atelier Chatokhine, which has built these two street legal replicas of the 1971 BSA racer.
Founder Roland Chatokhine started up the business as a Norton Villiers workshop, and handed over the reins to his son Frank in 2004. But it’s still very much an old school operation, working with traditional skills and machinery.
These two BSAs are ground up builds, and showcases for Chatokhine’s skills. They each weigh just 165 kilos (363 pounds), but with 65 horsepower coming from the 750 cc engines, they have plenty of grunt to keep up with modern traffic.
“These new motorcycles are a variation of it, but are completely street legal,” he says. “They’re made from scratch with lots of details, lots of machining, and a lot of thinking.”
The Ceriani forks are replicas too—with a 38mm diameter to suit the vintage vibe—and the aluminum-bodied shocks come from the same supplier.
The rest of the engines are brand new, though, built up to 750cc with an aluminum big bore kit, and forged aluminum connecting rods. Chatokhine have machined the original cases to allow the 750 kit to fit—which was also modified, because it was originally intended for cases with small studs.
The tanks are based on the shape of vintage Gold Star models, used on BSA’s smaller capacity bikes, but with an added 5 centimeters (two inches) in height. Chatokhine used a mold taken from their 2017 Trackmaster replica, and crafted the new tanks from glass fiber.
It would probably cost a substantial sum to commission one of these BSAs—but we’re betting it’d hold its value. Let’s hope we can still buy premium gasoline in 50 years’ time. Atelier Chatokhine | Instagram | Images by David Marvier (outdoor) and Dimitri Coste (studio) Motorcycles via Bike EXIF https://ift.tt/2Mf9b0c June 25, 2020 at 12:35PM |
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6/27/2020
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