Sunday, August 29
Fat chance
James Toney brought a big mouth, rotund body and no ground defense into his first MMA fight. End result: Lights out, Toney. UFC hall of famer Randy Couture (47 yrs. old) dominated former professional boxing world champion James Toney, submitting the mixed martial arts novice with a first-round arm-triangle choke. The white flag came 3:19 into round one with Toney waving his hand in the air like a little girl (James, it's tapout not wave). Let's hear it for the old guys. Toney said “I didn’t expect him to be so aggressive at first,” he said. “He just caught me. He got me on the ground, and I couldn’t get out of the triangle choke. But I’ll be back. I ain’t no quitter.” James, its MMA, you should expect the other fighter to be "aggresive" from the very fist second of the fight...I almost feel sorry for you.
Saturday, August 28
Twinindian
WAR
I take pride in my service to my country (no matter how fucked up the government is), because I served to keep it free. Today our government is still fucking with people they shouldn't be fucking with (I'm an isolationist) and young Americans are getting killed. Read this book (War) and see the movie (Restrepo), it will give you insight into how these men survive, and die. These guys are real heroes because they do it for each other and not some clown in Washington.
Wednesday, August 25
More press about "Panzer 88"
Monday, August 23
LA Times...another article on "Panzer 88"
Real 1939 Zephyr and fiberglas Sedan Delivery
The 1939 Zephyr sedan is by Hollywood Hotrods and could possibly be my favorite (although 1950 Mrecs are my passion). Hot rod builder Terry Cook had sex on his mind when dreaming up the ’39 Lincoln Zephyr Sedan Delivery. Designed by Cook, president of Deco Rides, with artist Frank Nicholas, the sedan delivery is designed as a mobile motorcycle carrier.
The 17-foot long body has space for a nine-foot long, 39-inch tall chopper. It uses a front-wheel drive platform to allow for added space in the rear floorboard for a motorized ramp to get a bike in or out of the vehicle.
When loading, a motorcycle can be rolled onto the ramp and strapped into place. A single switch will automatically retract the ramp and the bike into the car. When loaded, the bike’s front wheel will rest between the driver and passenger seats.
The Zephyr Sedan Delivery has a one-piece fiberglass body and an inner shell bonded to the body to provide a double-wall structure. The 17-foot Lincoln Zephyr Sedan Delivery has a slick art deco style. All of the bodywork is produced out of Deco Rides’ Elkhart, Ind. facility. The Lincoln Sedan Delivery body kit will be available in May for $9,900.
Sunday, August 22
The Twin Trike concept by designer Cikaric Dragan uses the additional wheel to make space for a second seat. The concept has been designed for those who love to share their green efforts with their family or friends. All the controls of the tricycle are operated by the front rider, while the tricycle features two transmissions to ease the commute. Most of the parts of the trike are to be made from carbon-fiber, making the concept extremely lightweight and durable
Salty Hudson
Hudson's strong, light-weight bodies, combined with its high-torque inline six-cylinder engine technology made the company's 1951-1954 Hornet an auto racing champion, dominating NASCAR in 1951, 1952, 1953, and 1954. Some NASCAR records set by Hudson in the 1950s (e.g. consecutive wins in one racing season) still stand even today. Later, these cars met with some success in drag racing, where their high power-to-weight ratio worked to their advantage. Hudsons enjoyed success both in NHRA (National Hot Rod Assoc.) trials and local dirt track events well into the 1960s. Hudsons continue to set top-speed records in their class at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Friday, August 20
1929 HD Peashooter
During 1928, Joe Petrali (who switched back and forth between Harley-Davidson and Excelsior) was joined by Gene Rhyne as a factory rider for the Schwinn company. The two teammates won both flat track and hillclimb events for the Chicago manufacturer who, for the most part, had ignored competition since Bob Perry's death in 1920. His interest in racing rekindled, Schwinn instructed his chief engineer, Arthur "Connie" Constantine (designer of the H-D "Peashooter" and the Super X) to build an overhead 45 that could successfully compete with Indian for the 1929 National Hillclimb Championship.
Using a standard Super X as the basis for his motor, Constantine changed the ratio between the bore and the stroke and designed hemispherical combustion chambers with oversize valves (the old Excelsior strategy). The overhead-valves were compressed by double chrome vanadium wire springs, each cylinder exhausting through twin ports. The new motor (with a compression ratio of 10:1) was designed to run on alcohol-benzol fuel, and when dyno-tested was said to develop one horsepower per cubic inch!
Diesel 670CC JP8 Military Motorcycle
The HDT M1030-M2 670cc JP8 is the latest incarnation of the superlative military motorcycle standing alone as the only military motorcycle capable of operating on JP8, JP5, JP4, AVTUR, JET-A1, Diesel and even Biodiesel. Evolved from HDT’s M1030-M1 originally developed and produced for the U.S. Marines in 2004, the M1030-M2 670cc JP8 utilizes HDT’s fourth generation heavy fuel motorcycle engine with patent pending MAC-CiTM Advanced Multifuel Technology producing 20% more power over previous generations. The M2’s refined chassis with newly engineered swingarm improves handling while its 5 speed transmission and updated suspension enhance ridability. All new high performance illumination including standard IR and blackout lighting improve tactical performance. An updated exhaust system meets more stringent noise and emission regulations while still maintaining peak performance.
The 2010 M1030-M2 670cc heavy fuel powered military motorcycle with MAC- CiTM Advanced Multifuel Technology has multiple patents pending and represents a breakthrough in military ground vehicle technology.
Sportie boardtracker...sweet
Few words give modern chopper jockeys douchebumps like "Boardtracker" and "Sportster" in the same sentence. A description like that conjures up images of mix-matched styles and eras of machinery that lack both continuity and authenticity. Caleb Owens of Cro Customs in Culver City, California, had a similar reaction well over a year ago when his friend and fine artist Conrad Leach approached him to build such a bike for one of his patrons. Now Caleb's no uptight, period-correct spoke sniffer, but he has some pretty high standards when it comes to things he's willing to put his name on. After spending some time discussing details and ideas with Conrad, Caleb agreed that the Sportster-powered boardtracker concept was a solid one, and he accepted the challenge. Article from ChopCult.com
Thursday, August 19
150 mph off a battery on the salt
Silent runner
Zack Norman built an electric bobber using a Harley frame, and he took it out to El Mirage to run it through the traps. He clocked a virtually silent 69mph . It's so great to see this type of development towards an earth friendly motorcycle. I'm sorry but I'll never give up my 4 stroke earth unfriendly bike, but I can still appreciate the technology. Photo by COOP666
Wednesday, August 18
Tuesday, August 17
Sunday, August 15
Bad friction clip, great engine man
Dave at Voodoo Vintage in Austin found the friction clip on the starter assembly just "popped" off! There was a small piece of rubber wrapped around the starter gear that had come off the spacer between the gear and the spring. (Not a big deal!), but it somehow knocked off the friction clip! Dave managed to re-install the friction clip and now the starter works beautifully! However... :( When he was replacing the clutch assembly, he noticed that the thrust washer and needle bearings were absolutely disintegrated! I was having trouble finding neutral sometimes and maybe that was causing it. He'll install a new $35 coil while he's at it and eliminate one more possible problem with the electrical system.
Backyard bliss
Saturday, August 14
My new fixie and my other bikes
Big ideas, small footprints
We could all do with less, and this would be perfect. Visual and performance artist Michelle de la Vega turned her Seattle garage into a 250 square foot tiny house following a divorce. The entire renovation cost her about $32,000 (could have been much cheaper with recycled materials), took nine months, and she acted as general contractor herself. Nice job. Check it out at: http://www.tinyhousedesign.com/2010/04/24/tiny-house-garage-conversion-in-seattle/
Friday, August 13
2010 MV Agusta F4 - The art of fast
Making its official debut at the 2009 EICMA Milan Bike Show, the new MV Agusta F4 boasts a complete redesign, with a new engine and chassis. The claimed results are a slimmer, 22-lb lighter, 186-hp superbike with production traction control, which MV hails as “a pure two-wheeled work of art.”
The 16 radial-valve DOHC Inline-Four sports a 76 x 55mm bore and stroke, with its 998cc displacement an 80cc drop from the 1078cc F4 312 sold here in the US. Beyond that the new engine boasts a hoard of performance upgrades. Intake and fueling have seen the most flux, with TSS (Torque Shift System) variable length intake tracts and eight fuel injectors (two per cylinder) controlled via the production debut of a Marelli 7BM ECU. The new ECU system also controls the MK II traction control system and its eight levels of adjustability, as well as the “double EFI Sport and Rain maps.
If you see one, stop, look and listen...it's orgasmic
Thursday, August 12
Salt Ghost
Sometimes it’s the rattiest-looking bikes that are the most interesting. And this machine, known as the ‘Salt Ghost’, is a classic example. It’s owned by Wes White of Four Aces and Tyler Malinky of Lowbrow Customs, and it’s got history by the bucketload. Salt Ghost has been racing at the El Mirage dry lake since the 60s, and like many successful racers, it’s a real mongrel in the parts department. The engine is from 1961 Bonneville, and the chassis is a 1948 Triumph rigid. Even the motor itself is a hybrid, with a nine-bolt head on a 650 barrel, and Harmon & Collins roller tappets. According to the excellent profile on Chop Cult, “The cams have yet to be identified, but they have serious lift—enough for the valves to require .008” and .010” clearances when stock was .002” and .004”.” Heavy-duty fueling comes from two Amal GP carburetors—with no idle circuits, so the motor will die unless revved constantly. The oil tank holds just enough to keep that engine alive for a short blast, and to top it all off, the fuel tank is a rare 1957 Tiger 100R/R item, complete with original paint. it might look like trash to the casual bystander, but this bike is all class. Thanks to Bike Exif for the article.
Wednesday, August 11
Panzer 88 becomes a "blockbuster"
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