Vintage Motorcycle News
To get a really nice 2500.00 bike, you either need to be lucky or be willing to settle for a small bike like a 250 Ninja or a Suzuki GS500- or maybe an old cruiser. Today’s bike is in the� “lucky” category. Most older big bore bikes are usually in Read more…
Helmet cams have been around for a while now and the prices have fallen to where they are affordable to pretty much anyone who wants one. But with everything going HD (including Youtube), it was just a matter of time until high quality HD helmet cams hit the market. Well, Read more…
I saw this over at Autoblog and wanted to pass it along. Apparently, this will not be a production bike. So, If I can get some dimensions on the graphics, I might just have to paint one as a special project and use the “Gulf ” logo on it as Read more…
Today, I am starting a new series on the best bikes for the money- ie. bang for the buck bikes. Obviously, the Buell 1125 deals I reported on over the past couple of days are right at the top of the list. At 5500.00, an 1125R or CR is just Read more…
One of my friends went down to Harley Davidson of Atlanta and bought a new 09 Buell 1125CR for 5500.00 plus taxes. These bikes were 11,999.00 MSRP a week a go! Wow, that is a smokin deal. They had 4 left yesterday when I was there and by this afternoon, Read more…
Ever since Harley announced the demise of Buell last week, there have been reports on various forums (like SVrider.com) that Buells can be had for ridiculously low prices. One guy said that he bought his 1125R for 6000.00 plus fees and taxes. That is an insane deal for a bike Read more…
I saw this over at Autoblog and thought it worthy of posting- especially in light of the Harley Davidson/Buell divorce/death. It has been a crazy day for the motorcycle industry, for sure. As recently as last year, Piëch – himself a Ducati rider even at age 72 – commented that Read more…
This FZ1 and SV650 were in my shop for the past couple of months so I got to ride them both side by side. It is kind of a strange comparison, but I saw a guy on the FZ6 forum asking about which bike would better for him and so Read more…
Saturday was a dismal looking day with a low overcast sky and occasional light rain. Th clouds were so low and thick that the Aero Shell Aerobatics team only did 2 low passes because of terrible visibility. But in some ways, it was a blessing in disguise because the temp Read more…
Thursday nights are bike night at the world famous Vortex in Atlanta. There are always some cool and not so cool bikes that show up. But the atmosphere is always good. Guys hanging out and talking bikes. I didn’t get a picture of it, but one guy showed up on Read more…
Wow, this really sneaked up on me and I almost forgot to post about it- If you are at all into the Vintage and classic bike scene- or think you might want to be, don’t miss this event. It is 3 days of exhibits, swap meets, races and tons of Read more…
Well, all that is left is to do the final assembly. After letting the clear dry for a couple of days, we can reassemble the bike. One thing I noticed on the FZ1 is how heavy and complex the tail section is. It has to weigh 20 lbs all by Read more…
After installing the graphics, we need to clear coat everything. Clearing in the graphics gives the bike an almost unbelievably richer, more finished look. Since the graphics are actually printed on the vinyl, after clearing, it looks like it was painted. Much nicer than even factory style decals.
In today’s installment of the FZ1 project, we install the graphics on top of the yellow base coat. After I did the templates for the the graphics I wanted, I scanned them and sent them to Tapeworks for printing and production. Very nice stuff. The black is printed on the Read more…
Here is part 2 of the transformation of a stock FZ1 into something totally cool and custom… In this installment, we disassemble the bike and sand/clean every part. By clean, I mean surgically clean. Then we prime everything with PPG white epoxy primer. White is pretty much a requirement for Read more…
In this series, we repaint a Yamaha FZ1 in a classic 80’s racing scheme.
Very cool… I saw this over at Hemmings Auto blog and thought all you bike nuts would like to see it. By collector car standards, bikes are amazingly cheap. I doubt it will stay that way since people are really into collecting just about anything- and bikes have got to Read more…
If you want perfect integration for your Nav system on your BMW, you better be ready to pay…Why it is $900.17 instead of $900.00 I have no idea. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – August 24, 2009…Take the long route on your next motorcycle adventure with confidence and ease. BMW Navigator IV Read more…
The Monterey Historic races and show happened over the weekend and while there were plenty of cool cars to look at, there were also some really nice bikes. Autoblog was there and snapped a few pictures of 2 1098’s that Ducati did as a tribute to former race teams. The Read more…
“0 HP, 0 Torque, 360 lbs.” It can also be used as a coffee table. Pretty dang funny advertising. The real story is that my Friend Wayne, who used to be Buell’s stunt rider, called me and said “check out Buell’s website for the new 2010 Blast”. I could have Read more…
Two of the best ever at what they do… and it is pure fun to see this kind of skill. Enjoy.
Very cool… as technology continues to improve and manufacturing becomes cheaper, the ability to ride more safely will increase significantly. Honda already has an airbag system for the Goldwing, but that of course wouldn’t help sportbikes or naked/streetfighter style bikes. I do have to say that the test rider is Read more…
It came out far better than I had envisioned. Most people are raving about it, so I guess they like it too. Painting the rear hugger and headlight really gives it a retro-custom look. Anyways, here are a few pictures of the finished product.
For those of you who like standard style naked bikes, you might be interested in my latest project- a FZ6 converted to naked bike and painted in the classic RZ350 yellow and black with strobe stripes. I worked with Rob at Tapeworks to develop the graphics and he will be Read more…
There are already a plethora of boutique bike companies and some of them make some very nice stuff. But the new kids on the block are a British company called Mac and they seem aimed at a very, very limited audience. Since they will be using the 500cc Buell Blast Read more…
This excellent slideshow of the Riding Into History bike show was linked over at one of the 2 Stroke forums. Well worth your time to take a look at some great vintage show bikes. Some of these bikes are extremely rare and most of them are in amazing condition. Check Read more…
Well, that bike lasted all of 1 day after I finished it. I was hoping to keep it and ride it for a couple of months, but the first customer who saw it, bought it. He has a very sweet looking bike now! At any rate, here are a few Read more…
Here is today’s press release from BMW concerning their new World Superbike team. If the bike is competitive they have a couple of riders who can get on to podium. Any time there is new competition from a major player like BMW, it is a good thing for the sport. Read more…
This post is by my friend Jerry who is a vintage nut and guru… The T-125 in the picture above was the winner of the VJMC show at Barber’s a couple of weeks ago. My favorite was the 1970 Suzuki T-125 Stinger. I am partial to these; they are one Read more…
Barber has posted a bunch of pictures from their recent vintage event. No captions or descriptions, but you can look through them and see if anything looks like the bike you used to race way back when. I still want to find an old FJ600 and go have fun on Read more…
… … … … A few years ago, I had some VFR’s that had been wrecked and all the bodywork was destroyed. Honda stuff is expensive to begin with, but VFR stuff is crazy. Since the VFR was basically a street version of the RC45 racebike, I decided to see Read more…
I have to admit, that in my business, I get to ride a lot of different bikes and most of them are pretty forgettable like the EX500 I rode Sunday. But one of my all time favorite bikes is the 90-97 VFR750. It is a little heavy by today’s standards, Read more…
As you can see from the picture, his garage is pretty full- but check out the 81 Ducati Darmah that his wife got him for his birthday. Good wife- and the bike is sweet too. This is one of 40 that were imported into the US that year, so it is Read more…
The AMA site has a great article up about a group of guys from Wisconsin who decided to buy an old bike and parts at the swap meet and build it into a race bike for the vintage races. They wanted a Kawasaki GPz 550 but the best they could Read more…
VMD at Mid-Ohio is underway. MV Agusta is the featured marque this year. Here is a snip from the AMA. What are you doing this weekend? If you go to AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, you can do all this: See perfectly preserved vintage bikes in three bike shows. Revisit the Read more…
This 1968 T-500 was restored by Jerry Jacob of West Plam Beach, FL. It is time consuming and expensive to do restorations, but when they are done, it’s like a time machine taking you back to your youth when you dreamed of that particular bike. Any other vintage bike nuts Read more…