Monster Is Magic

I need you!

This time it's for the chance to win a Ducati Monster 795. Please, help me to fulfill the dream to ride this otherwise unattainable bike by following this LINK and VOTE for my picture.
Don't forget to check your inbox to validate the vote by answering the confirmation email.

T H A N K S !!!!!!

...And The Winner Is.....

The first Omega Racer Bike Competition came to an end, the jury (me) selected the best among thousands of entries (slightly exaggerating...) and reached the verdict. Jokes aside, it wasn't easy to pick the bikes. I know how much work and pride lies within each one and I didn't want to disappoint anyone. But then, a winner had to be found, such is life. I selected those 3 bikes that in my opinion stand out not only for their originality and aesthetic value, but for the story they tell, also.
Let's cut it short and pass over to announce the 3rd place.

3rd place goes to Thomas Grad with his Yamaha SR500. He built it in remembrance of a friend who died of cancer at a young age. I only have 1 picture, but that was striking enough to convince me. Very nice built.

Competition entry #2

2nd place goes to Curt in the USA with another SR500. His bike impressed me with its build quality and the gorgeous black engine. I also loved the story behind it that speaks of father-son relationship, precious memories and a passion for bikes in general. Well done Curt!

Competition entry #9

The first place goes to Reiner Kiehn with a rather special Yamaha SR500. Not only has he kept it in its original state for over 30 years and ridden it only 40.000km in all these years, but it is also the very first Yamaha SR500 to be registered in Germany, 20th of April 1978. Because of his passion, commitment and loyalty to the SR500, I declare Reiner the WINNER of this year's OMEGA RACER Bike Competition!

Congratulations!

Competition entry #7

To conclude I would like to thank all participants for taking part in this little competition and wish you all many more trouble-free journeys on your precious bikes. 

If you haven't done so yet, please subscribe to Omega Racer and continue to follow me on the Ultimate Riding Experience. Great things lie ahead! ;-)

Bike Competition

The competition is now closed. The winner and the runner ups will be announced tomorrow.
Thank you all for participating!

Competition PRIZES!

Only 1 week left for the competition, so I thought I'll raise the excitement by revealing the prizes for the first time!
Don't expect expensive goodies for your bikes, I'm a poor teacher after all. Nonetheless, I think they're pretty special. (cats not included)

3rd place: SR key holder

2nd place: 'Omega Racer' leather key fob

1st place: Handmade (by me!) etched mirror

Competition Entry #9

Today's entry is from Curt in the US with a great build. The engine is particularly beautiful in my opinion. Curt also has a blog called Project Thumper, where you can read the whole build thread.

I have been into motorcycles since a very young age when my father sat me on the seat of a bright red Indian 30 dirt bike. I was 4 years of age – it was 1974. Motorcycles have always been a part of my life, but since that day they have been in my blood. Over the years I have owned a few different bikes, mostly Ducati, most recently a 999 Biposto. Over the last few years though, I found myself riding less and less. I loved spending time in the garage tinkering with my bikes, building small pieces such as custom aluminum fender eliminator kits and such. 

So recently I decided to sell my beloved Ducati and explore something I had always wanted to do. Build a custom cafe. So began the search. After countless hours pouring over images of bikes on the Internet, it finally hit me. My very first street bike given to me by my father at the age of 16 was a black 1978 Yamaha SR500. 

For a couple of years, I rode the wheels off of that thing until one day after a very wet trip from Spokane to my hometown in Montana, the bike just quit. She never ran again. Ironically, my father still has the bike, but after talking we decided it was too far in disrepair for my first attempt at restoring a bike. 

So, I started looking for one locally. Just my luck, with the new interest in in the world in classic cafe bikes, the SR500 has become sort of a sought after bike and a bit of cult classic. I couldn’t find one anywhere. Finally after several weeks of searching, one popped up on craigslist and wouldn’t you know it, it was a black 1978 SR500. 

It had to be fate - but it was in Canada. I immediately called the guy and he still had it. So the next day I rented a uhaul trailer and off to Canada I went. And so the journey began. I aptly named her Eleanor!

Competition Entry #8

Today's entry is a bit of a black sheep, literally. No fancy chrome parts, no specially imported parts from Japan or pieces of art handcrafted from hi-tech super alloy....no, quite the opposite actually. I'm not sure if the story with the dung fork is true or not, though....

It was a rainy evening in July when I sat on my veranda after work and let my mind wander while I took a sip of cool milk. Holger said that I finally have to fix the old bike. I always use all the things until they are beyond remedy and in general I would just be a simple, heartless farmer-soul. Granted, he wasn't completely at fault. Constantly just work, work, work and if there is some time left I am always sitting on my veranda with milk and letting my mind wander. Nine years ago I bought a SR500 from my neighbor. YOM ’80. He rather wanted to fix it on his own, but broke his hip while boinking someone and finally decided to buy one with an e-starter. Back then I didn’t tell Holger that I promised him a nice chopper with a lot of chrome, a sissy bar and a fox-tail just because I wanted him to take a few bucks for a rundown Japanese out of a wet cellar. And I promised him a trip, with an orange helmet, across the Alps to the ocean so that he can have a look at the ocean for the first time.

Of course I have just used it since then. I put away the milk and got started. I cut off the rear of the seat which was rotten already. I found a piece of foam on the garden swing and I offered up the right leg of my rain pants for the covering. I thought that if the seat is repaired, I won’t need them anymore. The calving rope which functioned as an accelerator cable for three years wasn't that good anymore. I substituted it by a piece of wire from the electric fence on which I casted two new stannic nipples. It got easily through the old envelope by using a big dose of MoS2. After that the rear looked exceptional somehow but with so much rust and with this huge rear light it won’t pass the TÜV. Fortunately I found an old tractor rear light and a dung fork in the scrapheap, so that I was able to form a nice rear easily which was in accordance with Holger’s notion of aesthetic. Meanwhile it had become late and I felt relieved. It felt like a comfortable high. It was just me and technology.

I replaced the old cast wheels with spoke wheels and trail bike tires,which I bought long ago, and painted the whole composition with a deep, beamless black. It corresponded very well to the general view of the SR. And it strengthened my high. When the first rays of sunlight loomed on the horizon and the cows started to call for attention, I quickly cut two pieces out of the assembly line of the old potato digger to tinker some useful tank pads in order to protect the new lacquer.After I had taken care of the animals, I carved a stencil during breakfast. Holger always said that I am a shabby pussy because the other guys would always screw me when playing skat and I would never beat them. I was therefore quite amused of my idea to manifest this on my moped. (see side covers) It was still too wet for harvesting, so the I used rest of the afternoon to build a speedometer out of aluminum. The zero is at the top on the right. I always liked it if something works the other way around. In the afternoon I drove to the garage to pass the TÜV in order to bring the construction of this agricultural machine to a good end.

Technically the machine remains quite unspectacular. Used for the cattle drive and to drive towards the sunset. Just a simple farmer soul. 

Holger is gone long ago.

UPDATE:
The thing with the dung fork is actually true! Check it out here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/delerkim/5942650894/in/set-72157627081577631/

Competition Entry #7

The next entry to the competition is somewhat special. Find out why...

My SR500 story

by Reiner Kiehn

In March 1978 the first containers full of SR’s 500 started rolling into the harbor in Hamburg and started a peaceful invasion. More than 38.000 units were sold in Germany in the following 20 years and over 20.000 are still on the road today. As the highly desired successor of the iconic enduro XT, the SR was thrown in the midst of a multitude of bi-cylindrical ‘starter’ bikes and finely engineered 500’s. It was clear from the start though, that the SR would find plenty of fans who preferred a more traditional approach to motorcycling and were looking for a worthy successor to the likes of the Horex Regina and the BSA Gold Star. How did the SR become a cult bike with its simple air-cooled, 2 valve engine, without a fancy aluminium frame and mono shock?

Reiner Kiehn will never forget that Spring of 1978. Having inherited the passion for English bikes from his uncle, Reiner had already ordered the ‘Brit-bike from Japan’ the previous Winter. Due to some bureaucratic delays, it wasn’t until April that he could pick up his SR. The 20th of April was the official date. 30 years and about 40.000km later his SR is still in original condition.
Considering the numerous trips across Germany with wife and luggage, his trusty SR never let him down (something BSA riders could only dream of).

Here is another of the many bikes in Reiner's stable. A very nice BSA inspired SR500.

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!

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.