MotoGP News - Jerez MotoGP testing: Petrucci leads Ducati 1-2 on first day
https://ift.tt/2zsWBCA New factory Ducati MotoGP rider Danilo Petrucci set the pace on the penultimate day of 2018 testing at Jerez ahead of team-mate Andrea Dovizioso Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei November 28, 2018 at 11:24AM
Motorcycle News - HECTIC ÉCLECTIQUE. A Honda XR600 Cafe Motard from Duke Motorcycles
https://ift.tt/2P7BXwz Written by Andrew Jones Last night we had a bike builder that had reverted to a classic, or standard, look for his build. A little tired of all the cafes, scramblers and trackers, he’d wiped the slate clean and started from scratch. Well, Lionel from France’s Duke Motorcycles found himself with a similar challenge, but his solution was quite different. Instead of looking back to move forward, he’s mixed and matched the cafe and motard genres to spawn his own style; a Honda XR600 he’s calling ‘a melenge between a supermotard and a cafe racer’. OK Lionel, you’ve got our attention. As always, we began by talking a little shop with Lionel. “Right now, the business is going well and we will soon attack a series of very beautiful Honda projects including a CB750, a 500FT and a big job on a Yamaha XS650.” Only the French could make customising a bunch of old, greasy bikes sound so damn poetic. It’s important to note that Lionel wasn’t guided by the genre-mashing antics our story’s headline may have suggested. Instead, it seems clear to us the guy simply ended up here following his heart and an innate understanding of form following function. He calls the bike, originally an ‘87 Honda XR600, ‘difficult to define.’ We call it an innovation, and one that clearly harks back to France’s major role in the development of supermotards in the ‘90s. “The bike was supplied by my customer, Samuel, who originally purchased it 12 months ago. It had already been customised, but in my opinion it didn’t really work. Yes there were some interesting things that had been done, but there was also a lot of things that had gone wrong: there was no electricity, no brakes, a leaking tank, the seat was broken, the forks had given up and the engine did not start.” Just a few things to fix, then.
“There was no electricity, no brakes, a leaking tank, the seat was broken, the forks had given up and the engine did not start.”
At the beginning of the project, Lionel was in two minds. Should he repair all the problems or start from scratch, maybe keeping some pieces which were nice. “After a complete analysis, I decided it was more interesting to tear it down and start again, so I took everything apart and cut the frame as a first step. The customer wanted this bike to keep the XR600 ‘spirit’, but in a very light, very trim form. And we also wanted to keep the height of the original to give it even more lightness.” “I have integrated the rear light into the frame loop so that it is almost invisible and I paid extra attention to the seat and grips, giving them an almost ‘tailored’ look that matches the bikes bronze anodising. The reservoir comes from an SR 125 which was modified to fit here.” The rear shock is from French outfit Fournales, while the origin of the refurbished front forks is unknown and simply labeled as ‘very massive’ by Lionel. For slowing the whole show down, Mr. Duke has a Beringer caliper and master cylinder at the blunt end and a radial Brembo unit with matching master cylinder up front. And his choice of Heidenau supermoto Super Rain tyres for their racing origins, beefy cross-section and damn fine looks should upset no one outside of Dunlop, Bridgestone and Continental. The mudguard is made to measure and includes one of the nicest mounts we’ve seen in quite a while. The engine has been completely redone, the carb is a Keihin FCR-39 direct intake jobby, a SuperTrapp muffler has been added to improve the exhaust’s looks, the headlight is a basic Harley-Davidson item, the ‘bar end turn signals are Motogadget’s and the dial is from Daytona. “The most difficult task here was to do something different; as a base the Honda XR is used quite a lot. My decision to give it a ‘luxury’ side just added to the challenge. By far my favorite part is the back frame loop and the seat, because it turned out looking very clean and neat.” And as you can see by the photo below, the man ain’t just whistling Dixie. We can’t wait to see what he does next. [ Duke Motorcycles – Facebook – Instagram – Youtube ] Motorcycles via Pipeburn.com https://ift.tt/2LY9tnG November 28, 2018 at 06:20AM
MotoGP News - Ferrari Driver Academy head Rivola joins Aprilia's MotoGP project
https://ift.tt/2r6N5QQ Ferrari Driver Academy head Massimo Rivola is leaving the Italian Formula 1 team to join the Aprilia MotoGP squad Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei November 28, 2018 at 04:52AM
F1 News - Alexander Wurz to lead all-female W Series selection programme
https://ift.tt/2E2DC5o Ex-Formula 1 driver Alexander Wurz will lead the assessment programme the new all-female W Series will use to select competitors. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 November 28, 2018 at 12:57AM
Motorcycle News - Two of a Kind – Engineered to Slide R Nine TE
https://ift.tt/2r9EBbS I am Nigel Petrie from Engineered To Slide and I want to share with you my new BMW R Nine T Racer build. For as long as I can remember I have been obsessed with cars and motorcycles. I have been heavily involved in Motorsport for the past 15 years. Motorcycles have always been a refreshing getaway from the complexity of building race cars. Whether I am pitching my drift car into a corner at 120kmh or riding the Great Ocean Road, cars and bikes are what I live for. Motorcycles via Return of the Cafe Racers https://ift.tt/2M9riRb November 27, 2018 at 09:35PM
MotoGP News - Jack Miller stunned by performance of 2019 Ducati MotoGP bike
https://ift.tt/2P3LZij Pramac Ducati rider Jack Miller says he "can't believe" his new 2019 Desmosedici is just two years removed from the bike he used in MotoGP this season Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei November 27, 2018 at 12:19PM
Motorcycle News - Street Sleeper: Bunker customizes the new Street Twin
https://ift.tt/2zsJpxA
The bestselling model in the Modern Classics range is now the ‘new’ liquid-cooled Street Twin. But will it respond to subtle mods as well as its illustrious predecessor? This new low-key build from Bunker Custom Cycles suggests the answer is a resounding Yes.
Their client simply wanted a handsome Triumph classic with a matte paint job. And since the Street Twin is the most affordable modern classic in Hinckley’s stable, the Uzer boys picked one up and got cracking.
It’s a bit of a sleeper too, with upgraded suspension propping it up at both ends.
Bunker deliberately opted for right-side-up forks, citing their classic look as an overriding factor. There’s a set of Öhlins TR 964 shocks out back too, raising the ride height by an extra centimeter.
Up top, the guys shortened the subframe by 10 centimeters, then set about building a new seat. It’s been shaped on an aluminum seat pan, with a gel insert and a brown leather cover, stitched in a classic tuck-and-roll pattern.
The new front fender is another custom-made piece, and is mounted to the brackets that came with the front-end kit.
They’re matched to a set of brown Biltwell Inc. grips—but the switches, speedo and headlight are all stock.
There are also a few choice upgrades hiding under the hood. Bunker left the Triumph’s air box intact, but installed a K&N filter and crankcase breather. Then they wired in a new Unibat Lithium-ion battery, and added a Dynojet Power Commander 5 fuel injection module.
Then there’s Can’s tasty paintwork—a combination of matte silver with gloss black and gold touches. The minimalism is supremely well judged, and gives this Triumph that better-than-factory vibe that Bunker excel at.
More power, plusher suspension and less heft sounds like a winning combo to us. Who else reckons the Street Twin has a bright future? Bunker Custom Cycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by P BLOK/Onur Aynagoz Bunker Custom Cycles would like to thank Tec Bike Parts, Galfer Discs and Evans Coolants for their support. Motorcycles via Bike EXIF http://www.bikeexif.com November 27, 2018 at 11:10AM
F1 News - Schumacher moves closer to F1 career by signing F2 deal
https://ift.tt/2DYa353 Mick Schumacher has moved a step closer to following his world champion father Michael into Formula 1 by agreeing to race for Prema in Formula 2. The 19-year-old German won the Formula 3 European title with Prema this year, and said moving into Formula 2 was the "logical step". Formula 2's top three in 2018 - George Russell, Lando Norris and Alexander Albon - will all race in F1 next year. Schumacher's father Michael won a record seven F1 World Championships. That included five in a row with Ferrari. The 49-year-old has not been seen in public since he suffered severe head injuries in a skiing accident in France in December 2013. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 November 27, 2018 at 08:51AM
F1 News - The Prince And I: the story of the last Thai F1 driver
https://ift.tt/2Sg8t1I Alexander Albon will become only Thailand's second ever F1 driver in 2019 after joining Toro Rosso. Born in London to a Thai mother and British father, he joins the F1 grid at the same time as contemporaries Lando Norris and George Russell. Interest in the progress of all three will be high, but whatever Albon's ultimate achievements, he will do well to match the CV of Thailand's only other F1 racer - Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh, or B. Bira. Here are just six reasons why Bira, who raced in F1 from 1950 to 1954, lived his best life. He was a proper princeWithout getting too mired in the lineage of the rulers of Thailand (or Siam as it was known before 1932), Bira was born into royalty in 1914. His father was the younger brother of King Chulalongkorn, and held several key posts in government including Field Marshall of the Royal Siamese Army. But it was Bira's grandfather, King Mongkut, who is best known in popular culture worldwide as the inspiration for the eponymous monarch in the musical and film The King And I. He invented Thailand's racing coloursBira had got into top-level motor racing well before the F1 World Championship was established in 1950. He seemed destined for an education at Cambridge but dropped out to try to become a sculptor - an art he briefly studied under Charles Wheeler, who created the facade of the Bank of England among other things. But when his cousin Prince Chula invited him to race his Riley Imp at Brooklands in 1935, an alternative career path was laid out. Chula's team was called White Mouse Racing, but Bira, inspired by the dress of a Scandinavian woman named Barbara Grut who he had only just met, painted the car pale blue and yellow. This was an era when cars raced in colours that represented nationalities - blue for France; white for Germany; red for Italy. At the stroke of a brush, Bira had now defining Siam's racing colours. He taught British World War Two pilotsF1 drivers are sometimes called "pilots" and that was particularly apt for Prince Bira. He loved flying and made several long-distance flights in tiny planes and gliders. In 1952, he flew all the way from London to Bangkok in his own twin-engine Miles Gemini aircraft. But with motor racing suspended due to World War Two, Bira put his skills to use teaching fighter pilots of Britain's Royal Air Force. He became chief instructor at St Merryn Royal Naval Air Station, specialising in teaching glider pilots. He competed in the early days of F1No-one would pretend Bira was an all-time great, but he was very good - securing two points finishes out of the six Europe-based races that made up the inaugural F1 season in 1950, at a time when only the top five got points. In 1951 he suffered a skiing accident and drifted away from motor racing for a time. He only competed in that year's Spanish Grand Prix - a disastrous outing that saw him qualify his Maserati 35 seconds off pole before retiring on lap one. He later raced for Gordini, Connaught and Maserati but failed to score another point until 1954, by which time he had set up his own team. He also won a couple of non-championships races - the Grand Prix des Frontieres and the New Zealand Grand Prix - before retiring at the end of that season. He was a four-time OlympianLife away from motor sport was no less hectic for Bira, who went on to take part in sailing competitions at four Olympic Games - Melbourne 1956, Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964 and Munich 1972. Over those Games he competed in the Star, Dragon and Tempest classes. In 1960 he found himself up against another former F1 driver, Argentina's Roberto Mieres, who he had raced against in the 1953 and 1954 seasons. Competing in the Star sailing class, Mieres finished in 17th and Bira 19th. Such multi-sport exploits were not unique in that era. Perhaps the most successful F1 polymath of the 1950s was Alfonso de Portago, who in addition to contesting five grands prix also twice competed in the Grand National at Aintree and also led Spain's two-man bob team to fourth at the 1956 Winter Games. His death baffled police... for a whileTwo days before Christmas 1985, a man in his early seventies collapsed and died at Barons Court tube station in London. He had suffered a massive heart attack. He was of south-east Asian appearance but had no identification and the Metropolitan Police were unable to establish who he was. They did, however, find a handwritten note in his pocket - although they were unable to work out the language it was written in. But after the note was sent to experts at the University of London, it turned out it was written in Thai and addressed to Prince Bira. The police contacted the Thai Embassy who quickly established his identity. Prince Bira's funeral was held in south-west London - aptly enough, the same city from which Thailand's new F1 star has emerged. #F1 via BBC Sport - Formula 1 https://ift.tt/OHg7x6 November 27, 2018 at 08:45AM
MotoGP News - How Petronas plans to emulate its Mercedes F1 success in MotoGP
https://ift.tt/2TNno4U After agreeing a deal to sponsor Yamaha's new satellite MotoGP team, Petronas is aiming to emulate the success it has enjoyed in Formula 1 with Mercedes Motogp Motorcycle Racing News via MotoGP news - Autosport https://ift.tt/2uOa9Ei November 27, 2018 at 08:19AM |
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