Competition Entry #6

Today's entry is a badass Yamaha SR scrambler from Ralf in Germany (surprisesurprise). Very nice!


I bought it last autumn for about 300€ in parts at e-bay. I had to rebuild it completely. The engine has a new piston, a TM36 carburetor, K+N-filter, new valves and so on ... I cut off the last end of the frame and welded in a kind of a half circle. The wheels are powder coated with new spokes. The seat is made of leather. I only finished the bike a few days ago, therefor I can't say anything special about the performance.

Congratulations to Ralf for his new bike then!

BIKE OF THE WEEK #7

Honda Monkey....slightly modified...

Competition Entry #5

Entry number 5 also comes from Germany. I don't know his real name, but on the German SR forum he's known as kuddel666. 


Let's hear what he has to say about his bike...


I bought it when I was 20 and it was my first bike! I didn't want to drive these boring plastic bikes without character and soul like my friends did. I also like to give bikes , cars and (in the early days) 50ccm "Mopeds" my personal touch to show that this is MY bike , transforming it exactly the way I image a bike has to look like. I've seen nice custom SR's around and wanted to build my own bobber, but then I got an XS 650 , and now I spend the whole time building it. When I'm not working on the XS I ride the SR, which is the reason why it is not radically chopped or customized. Last year I rode 20.000 km and every meter was fun. I only had one forced stop because I ran out ouf fuel ;-) The Bike never disappointed me and until my XS is finished I will drive the SR without any changes.


And here she is:

Competition Entry #4

Next in line is Nils with his highly decorated Yamaha SR500. The bike is very neat and I especially like the rear brake cooling holes, very cool (I might steal that idea from you)....but the name of the bike, "Vibrator", is a bit curious....or is it just me?!

Kudos again for the high quality of pictures. All you guys are either professional photographers or rich enough to hire one! jelousyjelousy...

My name is Nils, I'm 44 years old and live in the South of Germany, near Lake Constanze.
This is my second custom SR 500. I bought it in 2009 for 500 Euro. It stood in an garage for 18 years and had only 31.000km on the clock. I changed the engine for an other better one.
I built it up in 3 months,...about 300 hours of work to complete and is now ready for the strict German TÜV. I wanted the look of a real Cafe Racers, not 100 % polished alu and paints. My SR is an "old" looking race bike, isn't she?

In 2010 she placed 37th out of 100 at the Custombike Reader Competition at the Custombike Fair in Bad Salzuffeln.In Autum 2010 I got the 3rd place at the Cafe Racer Competition in Glemseck organized by MO Bike Magazine.
In January 2011, the bike was one of the 10 best custom bikes on the Bike Trade Fair in Friedrichshafen.

Built during the winter 2009/2010, the frame was cleaned up and powder coated in black satin. The fuel tank is WBO Alu BSA style, clip-ons by Fehling, head lamp from ebay, GFK fender, handbrake pump from a Suzuki GSXR 600, steel reinforced brake lines, second brake disk came from a XS 650. The carb is a Mikuni TM 36, rearsets by LSL, The rear brake has been opened for better cooling (8 hours of work) and the rear brake light comes from Hein-Gericke. Seat was made by a friend.

Competition Entry #3

Our next entry comes from Poland, but resides in Bangkok. His name's Maciek Klimowicz and his not only a bike lover but a talented photographer as well. I'll only post a few of the great pictures of his Kawasaki GTO, but if you want to see more, hop over to his blog www.skokwbokblog.com.

There is also a pretty funny video of him 'kissing the asphalt'.....sorry Maciek :-))

Maciek's story:

There's a beautiful machine on the third floor of a completely empty parking lot in my apartment building. It glitters in the sun setting over Bangkok. I'm so tempted to turn the engine on and give it a spin. And I do. After all, it is my. My first motorbike.

It is 9 years old and has over 24 thousand km on the odometer,125 cm ³ two-stroke engine, two cylinders and 9 seconds to 100km/h. It's fuel tank is decorated with a Kawasaki GTO logo. I bought it for 10.000 Baht from a Canadian guy, who recently left Thailand having spend the last 10 years of his life here. He arrived to the land of smiles a decade ago for a holiday. He left with a wife and a child, leaving a house and a motorcycle behind.

GTO is an Asian classic. I see them everyday on the streets of Bangkok – roaring, spitting smoke, doing their job. Used by delivery men, postmen, and not so long ago, by police too. That makes it a perfect bike for this part of the world – spare parts for this model are available everywhere and any mechanic will fix it with a hammer and a screwdriver. Provided that the motorcycle breaks down at all .The chances are limited, as GTO is said to be very reliable and my bike is in an excellent condition (in contrast to most of the GTO's I encounter on the streets of Bangkok)The previous owner bought it brand new from a shop. 10 years changed my Kawasaki into a vintage motorcycle. 

Competition Entry #2

Our second entry comes from another German called Thomas. He introduces us here to yet another nicely restored SR. No complaints from my side, after all it's my favorite bike...

The bike comes with a moving story, but lets hear it from him:  

My Name is Thomas Grad, I’m 45 years old and I’m live in a sleepy hollow nearby Cologne, Germany.

I’m a big motorbike fan and I own a Kawasaki Z1000 (2008) , a Yamaha SR500 2J4 (1982) and since one week a Triumph Trident T150V from 1972 ( my Café-Racer Winter-Project for 2011 J )

The SR500 is a heritage of a girlfriend of my wife who died of cancer very young in 2009. In remembrance of her I promised my wife to make something special out of this bike.

So I started the rework by dismantling the bike completely and built it up piece by piece.

The frame is double powder-coated, the wheels are hand polished and new black finished.

The engine has a first class work-on and there are a lot of fantastic accessories. To name a few:

-A complete Rizoma Handle bar with Rizoma Mirrors.

-Magura Hydraulic Clutch-System

-Magura Brake-Unit

-Motogadget Speedo with m-Unit

-Kellermann LED turn-signals

-Supertrapp Silencer

-LSL Footrests

-New Chrome- ore hand-polished Parts

There’s a lot more to mention but the list would be too long …

I think I have created a wonderful bike with a mixture of 80s charms and today’s technology and I did not brake my promise to make something special out of this bike.

The following picture was taken in my hometown just a few days before the wall with the graffiti was torn down to make place for a new shopping mal.

You're lucky to have a wife that gives you the green light when it comes to spending money on a bike. Unfortunately, my wife's traffic light is constantly stuck on red...

Competition Entry #1

Our first competition entry comes from Marc in Germany. His entry consists of not just 1 bike, but 3! They are all Yamaha SR's, but each one is different. "Same same, but different" as they say here in Thailand. 
Great little bikes Marc. What's next? A 'Panzer' SR?


Wish you many happy km's with your little darlings!


Here is what Marc has to say about his bikes:


First up, the "junkyard resurrection", a build-up from junk on a '81 frame. Quite original, no work spend for optics, but the technical side is alright and reliable. It was built in a few months just to get parts out of my way...





My first SR build-up was the "Little Black One", started with a '80 frame and the vision of a cool, low bike. Life had some surprises for me at that time, so it took nearly 5 years to get that thing on the road.  I compensated a lot of lifes low-checks with building this bike, so it's important for me and it truly has some kind of soul.
Tech: 2-disc brake and triple-trees XS650, dragbar, switches from russian URAL, fueltank Honda XL250, forwarded controls, Harley aftermarket seat and fender, both modified, SRX600 swingarm, VS750 shocks, 16" rearwheel from xs400. Had an 535ccm engine and a TM36 carb, but engine has some trouble with the cylinder head bolt...
Love to ride that bike, feels great...  and was on exhibition, "Custombike2010" fair last year here in Germany, biggest bikeshow in Europe. We had a lot of fun there...

 

Actual project is the "Surfin' Bird", some mixture of bobber and cafe or something...  21" in front, 18" rear, fueltank Honda CB250, seat all handmade from sheet metal and leather. Handlebars from CBX550, frontlight HD Sportster, hand-made rearsets, rear light will be a small lucas-styled lamp, frame is from '81.

I WANT YOUR BIKE!

Hey guys!

I thought it would be a good idea to post some amazing new bikes on my little blog, but not just any bikes. I want bikes with a story, with the faces of their proud owners and with all the (im-)perfections only REAL life bikes have.

I WANT YOUR BIKE!!

Ok, not really your bike, just some lovely pictures of it. It would be great if you could say something about it, too. Where does it come from? Where is it going? Let us peer into the deep recesses of its soul. Tell us all its dirty little secrets.

And to make it all more interesting, I thought to stage a little competition. The winner will win a super amazing awsome 'something' that I promise to ship anywhere in the world. Last entry day will be the 25th of September. I'll be the judge and nominate the winner the day after. Sorry, my blog is not a democracy...

Get those cameras flashing and keyboards working and send your pics&story to soundstream1111@gmail.com and I will publish them here on Omega Racer!


EDIT: I'd like to remind all participants that an interesting story (not just the bike's specs) is just as (if not more) important  as the photographs.

ciao

Claudio Castiglioni rides on in Heaven

It's a sad day for the world of motorcycles, as the man behind such great brands like CAGIVA, DUCATI and MV AGUSTA, died this morning at age 64 after a prolonged illness.

Claudio Castiglioni, or simply Mr. Claudio, as he liked to be called by his staff, was the creator of motorcycle icons such as the MV Agusta Brutale S, the Ducati Monster S4 (one of the many versions), the fabulous 916, the fuel injected Monster 900 and the MV Agusta F4 who was voted the world's most beautiful bike.

Such a passionate biker will undoubtedly ride on in heaven.
RIP

Here is the official press release:

Claudio Castiglioni's death - MV Press release

BIKE OF THE WEEK #6

It's Monday again and time for another Bike of the Week!
From what I can see in the picture, this is an interesting custom based on a Yamaha XS650. I'm not quite sure how to define the style...part Old School, part Cafe....Old Cafe perhaps? Anyways, love the fat tires and the red accents of the engine and seat.

Dream Garage

So many bikes, so little money. Have you ever lusted after some particularly cool bike, opened a magazine and stared at that bike for a long time, stopped in front of the bike shop, nose pressed on the window and imagined yourself riding that beauty into the sunset?
Of course you have!
And have you noticed that as your mood changes, so does the choice of the bike you ride or would like to ride? There's a bike for every mood I think.


Well, just like you, I have my fair share of dream bikes. Bikes I have ridden so many times on the wings of my imagination that I developed a special relationship with them. But these are bikes I'll (most probably) never own in real life. Nevermind, we can't have everything, right?! But we sure as hell can have dreams!
Ladies and gentlemen.....my DREAM GARAGE!


THE CLASSIC


This bike has a special place in my (dream) garage. Actually, it stands on a little podium under the protection of a glass cover, illuminated by spotlights, just like a priceless piece of art. I take it out for a ride on very
special occasions.

1940 Brough Superior SS100

The Brough Superior SS 100 was designed and built by George Brough in England in 1924. Although every bike was designed to meet specific customer requirements, 69 SS100s were produced in 1925 and at £170 were advertised by Brough (without permission) as the "Rolls Royce of Motorcycles". All bikes had a guarantee that they were capable of 100 mph (160 km/h). The SS100 (Super Sport) was the first custom motorcycle with components chosen from many different suppliers. 

And here an interesting story regarding this beautiful bike.

T. E. Lawrence (known as Lawrence of Arabia) bought one of the first SS100s in 1925 having previously owned three Brough SS80’s. The crash that would end Lawrence's life came while riding another SS100, on a narrow road near his cottage in 1935. The accident occurred because a dip in the road obstructed his view of two boys on bicycles. Swerving to avoid them, Lawrence lost control and was thrown over the handlebars. He was not wearing a helmet and suffered serious head injuries that left him in a coma; he died after six days in hospital. One of the doctors attending him was the neurosurgeon, Hugh Cairns. He consequently began a long study of what he saw as the unnecessary loss of life by motorcycle dispatch riders through head injuries and his research led to the use of crash helmets by both military and civilian motorcyclists. As a consequence of treating Lawrence, Sir Hugh Cairns ultimately saved the lives of many motorcyclists since.

THE MUSCLE BIKE

You had a long day at work and you have to let off some steam. You might go to a pub, get drunk and start a fight. I, on the other hand, open my dream garage and take out my Ducati Streetfighter! The perfect medicine against....ehm....everything?!?

THE RACER

Contrary to what some think, I do like race bikes. Not so much the modern ones, but rather the old ones...the very old ones...the first race bikes to be precise. My dream garage features a 100 year old Indian board track racer. Raw, essential, NO brakes! FANTASTIC!

Board track was a type of motorsport, popular in the United States between the second and third decades of the 20th century, where competition was conducted on oval race courses with surfaces composed of wooden planks. 

THE DAILY WORKHORSE

This is probably the only bike I could move from the dream garage to the real garage. Going to buy groceries with style? Vespa with sidecar is the answer.

THE SHOW OFF

Sometimes even I feel the need to show off a little with something truly unique. For such occasions I take out my 1-in-the-world, hand-made, ueber-expensive Japanese custom bike. Ok, it has a HD engine...but that's just to keep things more interesting. With a Honda engine nothing ever happens.....booooring!

What would you expect after someone spent a long 7,500 hours hand-crafting a motorcycle? Obviously, an unparalleled creation! Chicara Nagata’s award-winning motorcycles are literally unparalleled. They are not just motorcycles, but masterpieces. Other than the antique Harley Davidson engines, the 500 parts used in his every motorcycle are handcrafted. These amazing works of art are not cheap either, with every single motorcycle being sold for $1 million.

THE RACER 2

Ok, I know I said I don't really like modern race bikes, but for every rule there's an exception. I had the MV Agusta F3 as a "bike of the week" a few weeks back and I just had to make some space for it in my dream garage. It's just sex on wheels this one. Like one of those incredibly beautiful girls you just can't take your eyes off....hmmmmm....yeah....you, yes you.....ohh baby, you're so HOT!

THE STUNT BIKE

There are days when I don't want to go fast, when I don't care about being comfortable, when I can't be bothered to care about looks and style. Some days I just want to jump on things, ride at 0.5km/h and be unbelievably uncomfortable. Those are the days I take my Gas Gas 2010 TXT ProTrials motorcycle out of my dream garage and practice the ZEN of balance.

THE POCKET BIKE

When everything else fails and I just can't find a bike to match my mood, that's when the pocket bike come in. I always wanted to have a pocket bike to fool around, but at the same time I don't want to have one of those boring 50cc's.... I need a pocket bike with BALLS!! That's why I added this GSX 1000 pocket bike to my dream garage. If you go over the top, at least do it right!

There's one more bike in my dream garage, but I prefer not to share it for now. Maybe if you can guess what it is, I'll let you have a go on it! :-)

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.....10 best bike videos!

1) Self assembling Motorcycle!  
     A great stop motion clip!

2)VESPA-GSX-R 1000
Italians do it better....

3)  Funny accident
As the title says: a funny accident in India :-)

4) Jamie Witham R1 Test Ride

Epic test ride of famous racer J. Witham

5) The Purple Helmets - Stunt Riding

The funniest bike stunts on the whole wide web

6) Pastranas Double Backflip - Memorable X Games Moments

Wow, what a stunt!

7) BMW S 1000 RR: 0 - 300 km/h
 Hoooooly shit!!!




8) ghost rider - 336kmh - joking with cops 

Video quality is not very good, but the stunt is priceless! hahaha

9) Suzuki Motorbike Advertisement

10) An unusual crash for two race bikes

Dancing bikes, yeeeeiiii

BIKE OF THE WEEK #5

For the blog's first month anniversary I thought it's time for another beautiful girl on a stunning bike...or a stunning girl on a beautiful bike...whatever. Here's a Guzzi cafe racer. Enjoy

Papercraft Vespa 150

Just finished this Vespa 150, completely made of paper. Cost me 100Baht (~2Pounds/3USD) and about 3 weeks of work (on and off). My job gives me a lot of free time, which I try to use intelligently as you can see hehe ;-)

EDIT: If there are enough people interested in getting this papercraft, I'll try to get my hands on more copies next time I go to Bangkok...let me know!

BIKE OF THE WEEK #4

This bike is called "Son of a Gun" and I think it's stunning!

Just look at all those details....it's going to take a while.

Great SR short film!

A short film by Ricki Bedenbaugh for Lossa Engineering, "Solus". Lossa Engineering built Yamaha SR500, also featured on Cafe Racer TV season 1.


Ok, now I just need to get a nice DSLR camera and a tripod and then I'm sooo ready to get on the road and start filming! :-)))
Thanks for the inspiration Ricki!

Lossa Engineering's short film "Solus" from Jay Lossa on Vimeo.

Omega Tank -2nd update-

This is it! The tank and the side covers are done and I'm very happy with the result.

Let me know what you think...

Omega Tank -update-

Almost a month has passed since bringing the tank and side covers to the paint shop. The first logo wasn't what I had designed and expected, so we asked the guy to do it again and surprisingly, it came out very well. Much better than the first one in my opinion.
Now I probably just have to wait another month for the lacquer...