Motorcycle News - Custom Bikes Of The Week: 26 August, 2018
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Working from a 2001 XL1200, Tetsu handcrafted everything on this build, save for the engine and the core of the cradle frame. A Dunstall style fairing delivers a slender and stylish bit of aero that to give this Sportster a slimming appearance. That vibe continues with Tetsu’s treatment of the fuel cell, which appears pinched instead of fully scalloped.
While I’d personally spec a different set of shoes for this bike, I’m a big fan of the overall aesthetic of blacked-out uppers and shiny lowers. Obviously the lacquer goes a long way with that: The paint and powder coating were tackled by Andrew Babish, owner of Orange County’s Paint by Bondo. [More]
This latest BM build is this funky take on the cafe racer theme that, and it’s been fabricated as a bolt-on kit: All you need is some basic spanner-spinning know-how, and a spare Benelli TNT 300 in your garage.
Aluminum again was bent, hammered and molded to create the neo-retro front fairing, and it’s secured to the tank via custom brackets. In the rear, aluminum was again the alloy of choice for the humped cowl, and the new taillights look absolutely stunning. [More]
Working from scaled drawings, Alfredo grafted a new frame from 1-inch 4130 Chromoly tube and then used drawn-over-mandrel tubing to create that exquisite front end. The Scout’s tank was modified so it would sit just right on the new spine, and a set of scripted badges was fixed in place of the block lettering from the factory.
This traffic-dodging tracker is based on a Honda XL600R. It was a father-and-son project when the eldest Lloyd brother, Bill, donated it to younger brother David and his son James. With only 2,700 miles on the clock, the engine was practically new—so most of the attention was turned elsewhere.
The XL600 looks like it was fun to build, and we hope James finds it fun to ride too. We’d love to see the Lloyd Brothers crank out a few more of these trackers for the public, but rumor has it that the next project is a 1968 CB350 for David’s daughter. [More]
It’s a once-stolen Sportster Roadster and Anton Knutsson, the man behind Stockholm’s Injustice Customs, had never wrenched on a Harley before tackling this project. Which is a surprise because he’s absolutely nailed things here. The tweaking of the subframe and snubbing of the fender suit this bike to a T, and do a fantastic job of showcasing the seat.
On the aesthetic side of things there are a handful of little gems too. The blued, rainbow finish on the titanium fork stanchions and burnt brass coloring on the calipers are subtle standouts but it’s Anton’s work on the exhaust that seals the deal. Fifty-six joints have been welded together to deliver a beautiful piece of craftsmanship that we’re sure sounds just bonkers. [More] Motorcycles via Bike EXIF http://www.bikeexif.com August 26, 2018 at 12:20PM
MotoGP News - Miller and Zarco pushed for Silverstone MotoGP race to happen
https://ift.tt/2Nh2sj1 Jack Miller and Johann Zarco were the only MotoGP riders present in an emergency riders' safety commission at Silverstone who wanted the British Grand Prix to proceed Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei August 26, 2018 at 12:14PM
MotoGP News - MotoGP blames Silverstone track surface for British GP cancellation
https://ift.tt/2P96RVF MotoGP race director Mike Webb said the cancellation of the British Grand Prix was because Silverstone's new-for-2018 asphalt was not safe enough to race under wet conditions... Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei August 26, 2018 at 11:44AM
MotoGP News - Silverstone MotoGP race cancelled due to rain
https://ift.tt/2NkqFFd MotoGP's British Grand Prix has been cancelled due to torrential rain at Silverstone Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei August 26, 2018 at 10:14AM
F1 News - Sebastian Vettel wins in Belgium after dramatic crash
https://ift.tt/2MSC0PO Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel beat title rival Lewis Hamilton in the Belgian Grand Prix to cut his lead to 17 points. Vettel passed Hamilton on the first lap just in time before a safety car was deployed following a multi-car crash at the first corner, and dominated thereafter. Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Charles Leclerc were uninjured after the German rammed Alonso's McLaren and launched it over Leclerc's Sauber. Alonso appeared to say he felt Hulkenberg should receive a penalty for the incident. He related it to the first-lap crash at this race in 2012, in which Lotus driver Romain Grosjean was given a race ban for causing a similar incident, which also took out the Spaniard. More to follow #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 August 26, 2018 at 09:42AM
Motorcycle News - Riding Gear – Tobacco McCoy Jacket
https://ift.tt/2NhDPCN Tobacco has constructed the McCoy from hard-wearing 17oz, water-resistant waxed canvas. Similar to denim the canvas wears with age to accentuate to the jackets vintage look over time. 8 pockets, 4 external and 2 internal, provide plenty of storage space. Adjustment straps tailor the fit and female riders are catered for with a ladies version that’s cut to suit the female form. On the inside, the jacket is lined with soft flannel for comfort while double-stitched seams provide superior strength. Above all else, Tobacco has strived to create an ‘everyday wear’ jacket that you’ll be reaching for everytime you jump on your bike. “THIS JACKET IS THE REAL DEAL”– Tobacco Motorwear As with any item of riding gear, function is just as important as form. With the McCoy, Tobacco has paid close attention to how the jacket performs on the bike. Gusseted shoulders, zip closed side vents, expanding sleeve openings and a magnetic collar stay provide adjustability for all weather riding conditions. Anti-scratch coated closures protect your pride and joy from scratches and sturdy YKK zippers guarantee a long lifespan. As for safety, the McCoy features 5 internally accessible pockets for installing removable D30 armour. The McCoy is available in both men and women’s styles. Buyers can also choose from a variety of different colourways and the jackets are designed and constructed in the USA. By pledging to the McCoy Kickstarter campaign now you can save a huge $300 USD off the proposed retail price. Pre-ordering also means your McCoy motorcycle jacket will come with D30 armour included. Tobacco is aiming to have the new jackets shipped out to pledgers by November 2018. Motorcycles via Return of the Cafe Racers https://ift.tt/2M9riRb August 26, 2018 at 01:16AM
MotoGP News - Silverstone MotoGP: Asphalt to be cut in bid to improve drainage
https://ift.tt/2PEr86M MotoGP race director Mike Webb says the asphalt at certain Silverstone corners will be cut in a bid to improve drainage, with Sunday's race under threat from expected heavy rain... Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei August 25, 2018 at 02:38PM
MotoGP News - Avintia MotoGP rider Tito Rabat to undergo emergency surgery
https://ift.tt/2wpcrLX Avintia Ducati MotoGP rider Tito Rabat is to undergo "emergency surgery" on Saturday evening after suffering a broken leg in an impact with Franco Morbidelli's bike at Silverstone... Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei August 25, 2018 at 01:55PM
MotoGP News - MotoGP Silverstone: Rossi 'vey upset' after Yamaha qualifying error
https://ift.tt/2LrHqwh Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi says he is "very upset" about a mistake in his pit box that has consigned him to 12th on the grid for MotoGP's Silverstone round. Rossi was slowest of all in the delayed Q2 pole shootout, which was affected by rain, after he failed to leave the pits in time to start his final flying lap before the chequered flag was shown. The Italian said he missed out on being able to set a time by two seconds, and claimed the lap he completed anyway would have put him fifth and on the second row of the grid. "I was very upset because this time we had a good strategy," recalled Rossi. "We were a little bit tight but unfortunately we made a mistake in the box and lost too much time to change the rear tyre, and I took the flag two seconds [too late]. "It's a shame because I think the [2m]10.7s on the last lap [would have given me] P5, starting on the second row, it was good. "The strategy was OK, we had the right tyres, but we did a mistake in the box and we were a little bit unlucky." Heavy rain is forecast for Sunday, with safety concerns prompting organisers to reschedule the race and hold it before the supporting Moto2 and Moto3 events. Rossi said his feeling in qualifying's mixed conditions was "not so bad" but admitted that Yamaha must "work more" to optimise the M1 in the case of worse weather. Team-mate Maverick Vinales was only 11th fastest, despite leading an FP4 session that took place largely in dry conditions until a late rain shower. "We don't have many laps in the wet with this new set-up so we need many to understand the way to go fast," said Vinales. "It looks like we understand it [the bike] in the dry but still we need to work more for the rain. "If it's wet [on Sunday] we've got to work in the warm-up, I think we can still improve it at least to feel more competitive." Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei August 25, 2018 at 01:05PM
F1 News - Belgian GP latest: Hamilton's Ferrari fears
https://ift.tt/2PB2F25 Lewis Hamilton says he is not favourite for victory in the Belgian Grand Prix despite taking a brilliant pole position in the wet on Saturday. Despite his well known expertise in the rain, the world champion said he was actually hoping for a dry qualifying because he felt he might have been able to make up what he believed was a very slight advantage held by Ferrari this weekend at the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Hamilton is concerned by a number of factors leading into the race - chiefly the chance of title rival Sebastian Vettel slipstreaming past him up the long run to the Les Combes chicane on the first lap, and the Ferrari's apparently superior race pace. This could be almost a mirror image of last year's race at Spa. Hamilton took pole - narrowly held off a slipstream attack on the first lap from Vettel, and defended against the German all race despite the Ferrari being quicker. Hamilton said: "They were favourite today and they will be favourite tomorrow but that doesn't necessarily mean they will win. They have been favourites for quite a few races but we have managed to turn it on its head. "Sebastian's long runs were fantastic (in Friday practice). I don't know if I can find that pace. We will find out. It is always a tough race down to Turn Five and these guys are incredibly quick on the straights. We'll see." Vettel was disappointed with his qualifying session - understandably so, given the Ferraris had looked capable of locking out the front row but will start second and sixth. Team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, the form man of the weekend, was briefly fastest in the chaotic wet climax to qualifying but had to pit because he did not have enough fuel to finish the session and Ferrari ran out of time to send him out for a final lap. "Scrappy" was Vettel's description for his and Ferrari's performance. The same could be said of their previous two races in Germany and Hungary, both of which Hamilton won against the run of form. Vettel is 24 points adrift of Hamilton and if he wants to have a hope of winning the title this season, he needs to start taking advantage of his car's pace advantage soon. Ocon's skills and the madness of his situationHamilton's pole lap was typically superb but the stars of qualifying were the Force Indias of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez, who locked out the second row, separated by just 0.043 seconds. This was something of a fairytale for a team that went into administration during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend four weeks ago, and were rescued during the summer break when their assets were bought by a consortium of businessmen led by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, father of Williams driver Lance. The identity of the purchaser means Stroll Jr is expected to end up in that team sooner or later - perhaps this season, certainly by the start of next. And the man set to lose out is Ocon, as Perez's sponsorship from his Mexican backers is valuable. A month ago, Ocon had looked set for a move to Renault next year, but when Daniel Ricciardo made his surprise decision to leave Red Bull, the Frenchman was left in the lurch. He now has limited options - potential openings at McLaren, Williams and Sauber. For a 21-year-old Mercedes-contracted driver who on track is doing everything to justify being given a seat at the factory team in the future, this is clearly not a great situation. After qualifying, Hamilton and Vettel spoke for everyone when they said they hoped this highly promising talent found a drive for 2019. Hamilton said: "I've always been a supporter of Esteban. How he conducts himself and performs on track is exceptional. Unfortunately, we're in a weird place in Formula 1 where you've got some teams that, rather than take a new up-and-coming kid, they'll take whoever's got the money, which means the structure of the sport is probably wrong, and how the funds are distributed, or whatever it is. "He needs to be in a great car because he's one of the top drivers here, so I hope that opportunity is there for him." Vettel added: "It's very good for him to get this qualifying session under his belt and get the car in P3 where it doesn't belong. I think that shows enough. So, well done. That should also be considered by someone signing him next year." Ocon said: "It is awesome to hear that. Of course I want to be racing next year and I am doing everything for it. "I am managed by Mercedes and they have been making great decisions for me in the past. I hope it will be the same in the future and it will be sorted out." Politics entwining the sport as everWhether Ocon gets into a McLaren or a Williams may not depend solely on his obvious ability, as each finds themselves on the opposite side from Mercedes in the latest political dispute in F1. At the start of August, both were among the three teams - the other being Renault - making life awkward for Force India and Stroll by refusing to agree to the transfer of rights and prize money from the old entity to the new. A solution of sorts was found to enable Force India to reconstitute themselves and race as a new entry - and it looks like they will be able to change their name to something else next season should they so wish. But the prize money is another matter. A number of teams have questions about the way the Force India situation was resolved, more than one using the phrase "cooked up" to describe what went on between Stroll, the Force India management, governing body the FIA and commercial rights holder the F1 group. They are asking questions as to what exactly has been agreed and how, and what it means for the future, not least as finishing in the top 10 in two of the previous three years is a requirement for one of the three tranches of prize money teams receive, which amounts to more than $30m. This locks into prior concerns about the likelihood of the new Force India becoming a de facto Mercedes B team, a situation Ferrari are effectively already in with Haas and Sauber. Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff says this is not the case, but admits that co-operating with other teams and benefiting from the resultant economies of scale "can make sense", and will be "evaluated". McLaren and Williams fear their business model will become unviable in this scenario. So it is an existential question for them. Choose your top three drivers from the list below Meanwhile, questions continue to be asked about new owner Liberty Media's running of the sport. The teams' income - derived from race fees, TV income and sponsorship - has now gone down for the third quarter in a row. Plans to introduce a cheaper, simpler engine have been postponed - probably until at least 2023. And some of the teams feel Liberty's bosses been played by the car manufacturers. Plans to introduce a budget cap and cost control are ongoing, but the biggest driver for the performance disparity between the top three and the rest is arguably the inequitable way the prize money is divided, and how this will be changed in the future. It would be Ocon's misfortune to have his career caught up in all this. And losing such an obviously promising talent because of money would not be a great look for F1 either. Alonso on Indy and Red BullFernando Alonso has qualified only 17th on one of McLaren's worst weekends of the year but remains, as ever, at the heart of things. One question revolves around his future - will he do a full Indycar season next year as he bids to win the Indy 500? The risks of doing so were made plain last weekend by the horrific accident at Pocono that left Canadian Robert Wickens with so-far unspecified spinal injuries. Does Alonso need to do this, after everything he has achieved, and all the money he has earned? Alonso said: "I don't know exactly what I will do next year. I am aware of the risks but probably the biggest one is the Indy 500, because you are faster than any other race in the world there. "Anything can happen in motorsport. It is also here or in rally or anywhere. We saw Stoffel (Vandoorne) today, spinning at 300km/h. Everything was fine. But one day maybe it is not fine and it is still Formula 1. The speed, the higher it goes the more risk it is. If you commit for the full championship, it is not, let's say, any extra risk compared to the Indy 500." The other issue with Alonso at the centre was his tit-for-tat dispute with Red Bull about him saying they had offered him contracts a number of times in his career, including for 2019. Red Bull deny this. He was asked why, assuming the offers were made, he had turned them down, at the various times in question - which Alonso says were 2007 (which Red Bull admit), 2009, 2011 and 2013, especially as on those latter three occasions they were very competitive. Alonso said: "In 2007, I had a tough decision to make after McLaren. I had Red Bull, Toyota and Renault coming back. I chose Renault just because they were family to me at that time and Red Bull in 2007 were not very competitive and Toyota were also struggling. "Then in 2009, it was a little bit of a stressful times. I had four days to decide and I was talking quite seriously with Ferrari and I thought Ferrari was the safest thing and the best choice for the future and I am still proud to have made that decision. "If you had a crystal ball, maybe you change opinion, but if not you would not say no to Ferrari in 2009. "Then, 2011, it was more about (Mark) Webber being always in doubt at this part of the year. Always around Spa we had normally the meetings and, man, I was happy in Ferrari. "We were maybe not winning the championship. But at the same time, it seems at Ferrari we were not competitive and it seems a long time we were not winning but we were three times second in the world championship. "In 2012, we lost the championship here (in Belgium when he was hit by Romain Grosjean Lotus) at the start without being it anywhere in our hands. "In all the offers I had after that, it was still Ferrari in my heart, and I believed the following year would be the good one." Hulkenberg's chance to prove his talentNico Hulkenberg was once the coming man and a candidate for a Ferrari drive, but so far in his career the opportunities at top teams have not come his way. And despite endorsements from the likes of Alonso, he is rarely mentioned as one of the elite drivers in the sport. So the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull next year as his team-mate at Renault gives him an opportunity to underline that's what he is. Was he licking his lips at this, he was asked on Saturday? "I'm not licking my lips but you point it out rightly," the German said. "It's an opportunity for me and people will understand when I look good against him the magnitude of driver I am. "I don't feel I have to prove that much but of course it is a good opportunity for me with the arrival of Daniel to show what I have been doing the last few years and the way I was driving." #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 August 25, 2018 at 01:00PM |
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