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Motorcycle News - Monkey Business: Kingston revamps the iconic mini bike
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But this year, one of the most interesting bikes will also be one of the smallest: a tiny Honda Monkey built by Kingston Custom for Honda Germany.
“At the beginning of July I got a call from Erik Mertens of Honda Germany,” Dirk recalls. “He got straight to the point and asked if I was interested in a Honda custom project.”
“I asked which model we were talking about,” said Dirk. “It was the new 125cc Honda Monkey. I did not have to think about it for long, and immediately agreed!”
A few days later, Dirk picked up a Monkey and whipped out the spanners right away. He quickly set the design direction, a Monkey tracker, and completely disassembled the bike.
Dirk has been building bikes for longer than most of us have been alive, so he has a treasure trove on the shelves of his Gelsenkirchen workshop. The new bars were the first to come off the shelf: “They’re a bit flatter, and suit the new lines of the bike,” says Dirk.
To upgrade the suspension, Dirk has ditched the slender stock shocks and installed custom-made YSS units, plus tougher fork internals. The tire choice he found easy: 12-inch all-weather K66 rubber from Heidenau, designed for scooters.
At the exhaust end, he’s swapped out the Monkey’s good-looking but hefty factory system and bulky exhaust shield for a simpler unit. It’s made by the Monkey parts specialist Kepspeed, but adapted by Dirk to fit the 2018 model.
The massive stock seat is gone though, replaced by a conventional pad with hints of tracker style that sits under the tank line, rather than at the same height. It’s covered with the racer’s favorite cloth, Alcantara.
It’s all finished off with a classic red, blue and white color scheme, a nod to the tricolor designs that started appearing on Honda race bikes towards the end of the 70s.
If this is the first salvo in an impending onslaught of Monkey 125 customs, we’re all for it. Kingston Custom | Facebook | Images by Ben Ott Motorcycles via Bike EXIF http://www.bikeexif.com August 31, 2018 at 12:10PM
MotoGP News - Tito Rabat moved from UK hospital to Barcelona after MotoGP crash
https://ift.tt/2ws96ww Tito Rabat has been transferred from hospital in the UK to Barcelona, where it will be decided if he requires further surgery after his horror Silverstone MotoGP crash last weekend Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei August 31, 2018 at 10:54AM
F1 News - Norris 'ready for F1 & McLaren contender', says team boss
https://ift.tt/2C5mQT9  British 18-year-old Lando Norris is "ready for Formula 1" and among four contenders to drive for McLaren next season, says team boss Zak Brown. Norris, a title challenger in the Formula Two feeder series this year, has driven in first practice at the past two races for McLaren. Brown said: "So far, Lando has done an excellent job. He's very fast, just a few tenths off Fernando [Alonso]. "He's definitely on the pace and he seems to be quite relaxed." Norris was slowest in a wet first practice at the Italian Grand Prix, about 0.8 seconds slower than Alonso, who is retiring from F1 at the end of the season. But Norris was on a similar pace to the Spaniard when both were on the track at the same time and had a faster lap ruined by traffic. Brown added to BBC Sport: "Everything we do with Lando is a bit of test. He is our test driver. We want to give him a bit of experience. Putting him in for some practice ones is to see how he is getting on. "He is ready for F1. We have three or four drivers on the shortlist and he is one of them." Norris is in contention for a seat at McLaren next season alongside Carlos Sainz, who has already been signed to replace Alonso. The other drivers in the frame are Alonso's current team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne and the Force India drivers Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez. Norris is considered the front-runner for the seat, while there are complications involved in both Ocon and Perez. Ocon has had a seat fitting at McLaren but the team are not keen to sign the Frenchman while he remains contracted to Mercedes, for whom he is a junior driver. Perez has a contract with Force India but there are uncertainties over their line-up after their takeover by a consortium led by Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll, who wants to put his son Lance, who drives for Williams, in the team. Perez is considered most likely to stay alongside Stroll in 2019, but it is not impossible Ocon could end up there instead as Mercedes supply engines to Force India. Vandoorne is considered to be a low possibility after struggling against Alonso over the past two seasons. Brown said: "Vandoorne is very much so [a contender]. Ocon is someone we like. Perez is a good race-car driver. If he's a driver we decide to go after, there are ways to make that happen." Another option for Ocon in 2019 is Williams, in the seat that will be vacated by Stroll. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 August 31, 2018 at 10:36AM 8/31/2018 Italian GP: Sebastian Vettel fastest in second practice after huge Marcus Ericsson crash - F1 News
F1 News - Italian GP: Sebastian Vettel fastest in second practice after huge Marcus Ericsson crash
https://ift.tt/2C5yUE2  Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel set the pace in second practice at the Italian Grand Prix despite a high-speed spin. The German, 17 points behind Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in the championship, lost control at the famous Parabolica corner at the end of an impressive run. Hamilton was third fastest, behind Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and 0.287 seconds slower than Vettel. There was a huge accident for Sauber's Marcus Ericsson, who somersaulted several times at the first chicane. His DRS overtaking aid did not shut as intended when the Swede hit the brakes. Ericsson was uninjured but the DRS continued to be an intermittent problem for his team-mate Charles Leclerc for the first part of the session. Hamilton made errors on his fastest laps, running slightly wide at the second chicane a couple of times, so the absolute pace of the Mercedes was not revealed. More to follow. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 August 31, 2018 at 09:48AM
Motorcycle News - ESPRESSO EXPRESS. Emporio Elaborazioni‘s ‘Crono’ Ducati Darmah Cafe
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Written by Martin Hodgson They’re one of the leading motorcycle builders in Italy, restoring classic bikes to their former glory and creating some of the best customs in the land. Yet for all the success that Rome’s Emporio Elaborazioni Meccaniche has had, can you believe they’ve never built a Ducati as part of their “special” line up? Well, Dopz, Schizzo and the crew thought it was about time when the right customer came calling and to pop their cherry they knew they had to go hard! Inspired by the classic racing machines of the ’70s, it’s a 1978 Ducati Darmah 900 cafe racer sensation they call Crono.
Despite the cafe’s now automotive museum quality looks and brilliant performance, the donor bike that the customer rolled into the central Rome workshop was anything but. Wherever it was wheeled it left a trail of oil and the smell of weeping fuel. But given the popular nature of the classic 2 valve L-Twin Desmo engine the flaws and fixes are well-known and the motor was quickly up on the bench. Sharing a great deal in common with the 900SS, the engine would be the first part of the bike that would be shifted in the Super Sport direction away from the touring orientated donor of the Darmah.
The engine was torn down to the very last bolt as the first step of the build and rebuilt to ensure the oil would remain on the inside no matter the rpm. The gorgeous workings of the upper bevel have been exposed, while the front cylinder that is normally far less pretty thanks to the tacho drive has been completely cleaned up. New carbs replace the small versions fitted to the Darmah from the factory and make one hell of a roar through the short stacks. While individual mandrel bent stainless pipes take care of the exhaust gas and finished out in polished mufflers elicit an incredible sound.
With the engine sitting pretty it was the classic Ducati frame that was the next piece to receive attention and the wheelbase is shortened to match the faster steering SS. There is also plenty of weight to be removed and any excess metal has been cut off and thrown away with no need for the extra long subframe to support the old two up seat. The classic race tail takes its place, perfectly fabricated from incredibly thin aluminium to keep the weight as low as possible. The frenched in tail light maintains the minimal look and the seat provides just enough padding.
“The Italian’s sure know how to do sexy.”
The cafe’s tank was an easy choice, the customer desired it, the look called for it and EEM’s first bike to make an impact on the scene featured one too. “The tank is the same as our pretty famous 2012, XJR Mastino” smiles Dopz, recalling the bike featured years ago now on Pipeburn. The all alloy Ducati Imola item is a thing to behold, the unpainted metal lines just begging for you to run your hands over each curve. The Italian’s sure know how to do sexy and despite the bare finish their national pride sees the tricolor run across the top. But rarely do the supporting components of a motorcycle also look so good; on Crono they not only add to vastly improved functionality, they’re a feast for the eyes.
With the help of a set of stunning machined triple clamps a set of Ceriani front forks have been adapted to fit. At the rear new Wilburs progressive rate coil over shocks provide a radical improvement over stock without taking away at all from the classic look. But if the suspension has you impressed its the brakes that draw the eye and are simply a sight to behold! Used by many a racer of old the Fontana four leading shoe front setup is simply beautiful and a set this good is worth a small fortune. They’re heavy old things but despite their age work remarkably well and to ensure they’re mated to another old favourite, stainless spokes lace them to Borrani rims front and rear.
An Avon tyre at the front and Bridgestone Battlax rear make for the perfect compromise of excellent grip with a not too modern tread pattern. The rear hub and brake setup is just as impressive but as the boys explain providing activation was the biggest obstacle. “One of the most interesting built parts is the way the rear drum brake works. We passed from a fluid brake to an old cycle-like cable brake. Dopz produced different solutions but was not good enough for the Emporio stress test. The fourth solution (the simpler one) worked great! A simple small lathed pulley that brings the cable from the right foot to brake on the left part of the bike.” 
A German Motogadget speedo cools down all that Italian passion That foot presses down on a new pedal setup that is part of the rear sets that stay true to the old factory racer appeal. For hand controls its more exotics parts from yesteryear with Menani race bars attached to the forks and equipped with a Tommaselli throttle. The built-in lever supports just add to the eye candy and the exposed sheathed cables once again are a brilliant example of the way EEM can take a small functional component and make it look, well, Bellissimo! The yellow battery is a tip of the cap to the flamboyant colours used in the ’70s but like much of the new wiring loom is hidden by the hand-made side covers.
Up on the custom clamps is a brilliantly executed lock and start button combo with a single switch to illuminate the headlamp. “Did you notice the wrench in the front drum brakes and also the cafe’s headlight is from a Citroen 2CV?” winks Dopz. Knowing once again the Emporio Elaborazioni Meccaniche team has hit it out of the ball park with a truly incredible build and still managed to have their own bit of fun along the way. All done in the centre of one of the world’s truly great cities, our Roman rebels are now Ducatisti for life.
[ Emporio Elaborazioni – Facebook – Instagram | Photos by Fabrizio Porrozzi & Vd Photo ] Motorcycles via Pipeburn.com http://www.pipeburn.com August 31, 2018 at 09:28AM
F1 News - Fernando Alonso says F1 is becoming too predictable
https://ift.tt/2PllJ3k  The two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso says the sport is becoming too predictable and that is partly why he is retiring. Alonso, 37 also suggested the calendar is much tougher nowadays and says it's the right time to step aside. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 August 31, 2018 at 02:06AM 8/31/2018 'Losing my legs wasn't a problem I was happy to be alive' - Monger meets Zanardi - F1 News
F1 News - 'Losing my legs wasn't a problem, I was happy to be alive' - Monger meets Zanardi
https://ift.tt/2PQAJHD  Teenager Billy Monger, AKA Billy the Whizz, was a rising star of British motorsport until a high-speed crash while racing in Formula 4 in 2017 resulted in a double leg amputation. Just over a year on, Billy travelled to Rome to meet former F1 driver, two-time CART champion and four-time Paralympic handcycling gold medallist Alex Zanardi, who lost both of his legs in a crash in Germany in 2001. 'Human Endeavour: Billy Monger meets Alex Zanardi' on BBC World News, September 1 from 12.30 GMT #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 August 31, 2018 at 02:00AM 8/30/2018 'I'll have more fun away from F1' - Alonso on retirement Indy and having no regrets - F1 News
F1 News - 'I'll have more fun away from F1' - Alonso on retirement, Indy and having no regrets
https://ift.tt/2Nxq57b  Fernando Alonso says he would be staying in Formula 1 if he had a winning car - but would not enjoy it as much as racing in another series. The two-time world champion also, in an exclusive interview BBC Sport, renewed his criticism of the "too predictable" sport in which "only two teams can win". Alonso said: "I read I am stopping because I am not competitive, which is partly true. "If I was winning all the races, I would continue. But it's also true I would not be having the same fun as I am elsewhere." In a wide-ranging interview before the Italian Grand Prix, Alonso discussed:
On his career resultsAlonso's 32 Grand Prix victories put him sixth on the all-time list of winners, but last week Lewis Hamilton said the Spaniard was the best driver he had ever raced against and that it was a "shame" he had not had as much success as his talent deserved. Alonso said: "Probably I don't take the second part of what people have in their minds. I feel extremely lucky and privileged to have my achievements. I feel F1 and the sport gave me a lot and I don't think too much on the downside of how many more championships I could have. "It is true - maybe with five or seven points more I could be five times world champion. But on the other hand I could have zero world championships, and zero wins or zero podiums because F1 is an extremely competitive environment. So I just take the positives and I am happy with my achievements." On five years of no successAlonso has not won a race since May 2013 and has been saddled with uncompetitive cars for the last five and half years. He said it had been "tough" to face this situation, but added: "There is nothing you can do. You obviously believe in your team and their performance and their projects. "Even if you have a difficult season, you still believe the following year will be better and a good one. It didn't happen. It didn't happen in Ferrari in the last years and it didn't happen in McLaren the last four seasons. "But even with that, or despite that, we still showed probably some commitment and determination to keep fighting, whatever the result was that particular weekend. "And at the same time, thanks to this lack of performance, I explored different categories outside F1 and I discovered a beautiful thing with the Indy 500, or this year I am lucky to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. "It is true I am eighth in the world championship and I will not fight for this year's title. But right now in September, on the F1 grid I am the most successful driver because I won the Le Mans 24 Hours and even the title contenders now, they won nothing now. "In November one of them will be world champion. The second one it will be a worse season than Fernando had. So maybe only one man will be happier than me in November. And I am happy for that." His feeling about modern F1Alonso criticises F1 for being "too predictable". He is referring to the domination of Mercedes and Ferrari, and those teams' focus on Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, when he says that "only two teams or two drivers will win the Monza Grand Prix or Singapore or Abu Dhabi. The other [drivers] will just follow the recommendations of the engineers." But he also says the cars, the way the sport is structured politically, and even the length of the calendar are less than ideal. "These cars are made to drive in a very efficient way, that you need to control the batteries and tyres and everything they need to tell you from the garage," Alonso said. "We see there are also a lot of B teams that don't get in the way of the A team to don't disturb too much and have all the benefits. That's one thing. "The calendar is tough - 21 races, most of them outside Europe. When I joined F1 I was 19 years old, full of energy. You had 16 grands prix and most of them in Europe. It was a demanding, tough life but now it is just total commitment and dedication to F1. "Now at 37 years old and having already achieved some good results, it is time for me to finish F1 with a good feeling and good performance and taking my own decisions." Ferrari's current successAlonso left Ferrari at the end of 2014, despite their initial desire to extend his contract, because he believed that the team would never produce a competitive car in the time he had remaining in F1. This year, Ferrari are fighting for wins with Mercedes, and Sebastian Vettel, who replaced Alonso, has a good chance of becoming world champion. But asked whether he ever thought it should be him in the Ferrari, Alonso said: "I am not thinking about it, to be honest. If I was this year in that Ferrari, maybe I was fighting for the world championship and feeling competitive. "But at the same time, if you look back and are honest, Mercedes was world champion in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and in 2018 Mercedes is leading the championship. "So how could I have been in 2018 still not winning a championship with Ferrari if already after five years I felt a lot of pressure and a lot of things were not going perfectly? "Because if you are not winning with Ferrari, there are a lot of things going on. And already with five years I think it was enough. If this was my eighth year in F1 with Ferrari not winning, it is difficult to imagine." Passion for the Indy 500Alonso has not confirmed what he is doing next year, but he has been open about his desire to win the Indianapolis 500 and become only the second man in history after Graham Hill to complete motorsport's unofficial 'triple crown' of F1 world title, Le Mans and Indy. Alonso raced at Indy in 2017 and led 27 of the 200 laps before his engine failed in the closing stages while he was contending for victory. Alonso said: "It is a race that [people] consider one of the biggest in motorsport. One of three biggest - Le Mans, Indy and Monte Carlo. So just for that reason it makes quite a special challenge. "Second thing is the way I discovered last year the approach to the race, the way of driving those cars, the way of anticipating the tows, the overtaking manoeuvres. Everything is quite different to what we have in F1. "And going out of that comfort zone we have here, [where] you have learnt probably everything you have to learn, and starting from zero, it was quite fascinating. "I liked that feeling. And I am happy to work in the new categories and challenges that give you a sense of being alive again and start from zero." Alonso said he had not expected the explosion of global interest in his decision to race at Indy. "It was a surprise from day one," he said. "When we tested the car three weeks before the race and we had two million viewers on YouTube just one car running alone; that was the first surprise. "And then we confirmed that feeling on the race weekend. From that moment, I think I realised I could have different things in my life, away from F1, and still have a huge impact on myself first as a person but also on the sport in general." Emotions about leaving F1Alonso's last grand prix will be in Abu Dhabi at the end of November. He said he had not thought how he would feel that weekend, but that he had already noticed his decision to leave had changed his attitude. "It is going to be emotional because, so far, from the moment I decided to stop, all the parade laps, all the last couple of laps, the formation lap, everything about the weekend has been different, more emotional. "I was taking care of everything, more details. I realised I was filming with my telephone the drivers' parade in Spa. And when I saw the video at night, I was, 'Why did I film seven minutes of drivers' parade?' "And I did it because I want to have that in my memory, and in Abu Dhabi it is going to be something like that, but huge." Highlights of his careerWho was his toughest rival? "Michael [Schumacher]. Winning the two titles means a lot when Michael is on track but, apart from that, Michael was unstoppable. "He was a man who fighting with him was tough because on a good day with a good car, he was unbeatable. With a bad day and a bad car, he was still there. He was special." Most difficult team-mate? "Probably Lewis [Hamilton] in 2007. We only shared the team one year but he was quick, tough and difficult to beat." Best race? "Maybe Korea 2010, or Malaysia 2012, or Valencia 2012. All in those moments." Because of the intensity? "Intensity, yes. Normally wet conditions, wet to dry, dry to damp, all this when you are fighting for a world championship there is no room for mistakes, and if you win that race it is an explosion of adrenaline and emotions." Best overtaking move? "On television, 130R against Michael in Suzuka in 2005. But from the inside it was not that difficult, or it didn't feel that difficult." Even though you overtook him around the outside at 207mph? "Yes. It looks spectacular on TV, but the difficulty I would put more on the starts, like in Barcelona into Turn One. The level of difficulty in those manoeuvres was higher than 130R." #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 August 31, 2018 at 12:54AM
Motorcycle News - Kick Out the Jams: The KTM that inspired a music track
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It’s the work of Thrive Motorcycle, one of the shining stars of the booming Indonesian custom scene. And it inspired its owner, electronic music producer Kimo Rizky, to create a unique track.
“An idea popped into his head: ‘How about I record every sound during the build of my bike, and turn it into music?’”
Next it was time to settle on a direction for the Duke. It needed the versatility of a street-legal scrambler, but Thrive also picked up hints of 80s endurance racers in the KTM’s trellis frame.
The 250 Duke comes well specc’d out the box, and this one was literally factory fresh—delivered straight to Thrive’s workshop. So the team opted not to mess with the rolling chassis too much.
Then they unbolted the Duke’s stock subframe, and fabricated a new one for a narrower-than-stock rear end. The tail’s retro sportbike shapes, and twin taillights, add a fresh spin to the scrambler genre. (Thrive treated this particular item as a prototype for their T/H/R/V parts division, with a view to producing it as a bolt-on upgrade.)
Other T/H/R/V parts on the Duke include a set of grippy ‘Odipus’ foot pegs, and a beefy exhaust muffler, complete with a custom-built connector pipe.
Lower down, they refinished the stock rims in all black, ditching the OEM orange highlights. Then they wrapped them in a set of go-anywhere 17” Pirelli MT60 tires.
Rounding out the package are mini switches, a Domino throttle, new grips, and Thrive’s own bar-end turn signals.
There’s some clever cost-cutting going on too, and a few practical considerations. Stock bits like the radiator covers and sump guard still match the Duke’s refreshed aesthetic, negating the need to swap them out. And Thrive have even left the rear fender be.
As for Kimo’s custom motorcycle-inspired track? Apparently it’s just as weird, wonderful and playful as ‘The Sight.’ We’re told there’s a music video on the way—so stay tuned. Thrive Motorcycle | Facebook | Instagram
Motorcycles via Bike EXIF http://www.bikeexif.com August 30, 2018 at 12:06PM
MotoGP News - Crutchlow fears MotoGP will have no British riders after his exit
https://ift.tt/2N5nSTo Cal Crutchlow admits he is pessimistic about the future of British talent in MotoGP, and can picture a grid devoid of riders from the UK after he stops racing Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei August 30, 2018 at 11:49AM |
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