Bike movements in 2015

The story goes that a few months back I did a bike training day on a little track near Pattaya, Thailand. I liked riding around that little track so much that I constantly thought about a way to get back there.
During the training I had rented a Kawasaki ER6n, a pretty good bike for that sort of circuit. Renting is expensive though, and using my own pristine ER6n to trash on the track was a definite no-no for me.
A track bike has to be found, I told myself.
Not too big, as parts can get expensive, not to speak of the initial purchase price.
It needs to be legal, so that I can ride it down to the track and back home.
So, it needs to be cheap and small, but have enough power to be fun.
Bonus: if the bike is rather rare and an icon of its time, even better.

Well, I think I found the perfect candidate: Enter the 1997 Honda NSR150SP with Proarm, a little 2 stroke beast that still holds the speed record for its class!
Power can be between 28 to 38hp, depending on which source you prefer to believe to. It's light and nimble, and spare parts can still be found easily. In fact, one of the best known aftermarket shops for this bike is right in Pattaya (TYGA).
I've been hunting the Thai classifieds for a few months, puzzled by the prices that went up to 65.000Baht for an NSR in excellent condition. Nice, but not what I was looking for ($$$).
Then, one lovely day, I see an ad for an NSR for 20.000Baht. That was already tempting, but even better: it was only 10 minutes from my house! Needless to say...I bought it. :-)

Happy ex-owner and even happier new owner.

But the news don't stop here! By a long shot!

Remember Project Telos, my SR500 in Italy? She found a new home and is now in good hands.

What am I going to do when I'm back home for holidays? Not ride?!? Can't have that, can we?

Most definitely not!

So, it's bike hunting once again for me. :-)

Stop right there...found it already!

It had to be a classic Italian bike, twin cylinder, large displacement, comfortable touring bike, in great condition (no time to start working on it) and with low mileage. Can you guess what it is??

Since I rode my brother's LeMans 1, there was only one bike that would my heart melt. (Well, 2 actually...the other being the BMW R69S, but far out of my budget unfortunately).

Long story short.... I got a 1981 Moto Guzzi V1000 G5. It's basically the same model as the (in)famous I-Convert, but with the conventional 5 gears setup, instead of the 2-gear automatic transmission of the Convert. The G5 was produced in only 3.785 copies, of which 3.000 went to the police force and the rest for civilian use. 950cc and more than 220kg (!) of touring goodness!

This particular G5 has only 37.000km on the clock and is in excellent original condition. Even has the original exhaust pipes, which are hard to find and expensive. I couldn't be happier and can't wait for my next holiday in Italy. She will be waiting there for me!

The instrument cluster....so pretty in it's 80's ugliness

Life is good, ain't it! :-)))))

Project Telos on Inazuma Cafe

Just got confirmation that Project Telos made it on the virtual pages of Inazuma Cafe, one of the most popular motorcycle blogs in Italy and beyond.

Thank you Luke!

http://www.inazumacafe.com/2015/05/telos-by-omega-racer.html

Project TELOS completed!

2 years.

That's what it took to materialize in reality what started as a glimmer of my imagination. Project Telos was going to be my first build and at the same time a bike that could showcase many of the nice parts I have in my shop. Telos was supposed to become a clean and straightforward cafe racer, an honest and purposeful thumper.
I was completely absorbed by my idea and had no doubt whatsoever that one day I would realize it. Armed with the strong conviction that I was meant to build this bike, I soon developed a design and a parts list.
That was the easy part.

Photoshop is so last century...

At that time I already had an SR400 here in Thailand, so I didn't really need another one here. My idea was to find an SR500 in Germany, import it in Italy and then customize it there. Of course, building a bike in Italy might be a problem if you live almost 9.000km away in Thailand. Not so,...if you have good friends, and I'm lucky enough to say that I do. In addition, having a direct link to the best manufacturers in Thailand is also quite handy.

Dominik Tress (from TeileTress) in Germany was recruited to acquire the bike, while Thomas Branca and his wrenching friends agreed to take it upon themselves to put everything together. My part was to provide all the funds and ship the chosen parts from Thailand to Italy, including the beautiful custom made aluminium tank, the seat cowl and side covers, an exquisite aluminium swingarm and racing rearsets, as well as countless shiny bits and pieces. A fairing was also planned but later dismissed in favour of a more 'essentially naked' design.

The plan was soon set in motion. In January 2013 a suitable donor bike was found (1990 SR500)  and brought to Italy. Whoever had the chance to build your own bike, will surely know that however easy it might appear, there are always pitfalls and unforeseen obstacles luring behind every bolt. Project Telos had its fair share of them, but the Italian wrenchheads dealt with them swiftly and often creatively.

The word 'Telos' comes from the Greek τέλος for "end", "purpose", or "goal". I find it remarkable that Telos is now the result of a variety of people from 3 different countries, all working together with one common goal. Nomen est omen!

PS: Telos will be put up for sale shortly. If you want to be first in line, please write to info@omegaracer.com.

Project Telos - aluminium swingarm fitted

One more piece in the puzzle. The aluminium swingarm is in place, waiting for the rim with the new tire.

Almost there....almost there!

Project TELOS - Work in Progress

It's been a while since I posted news about project Telos, Omega Racer's very first custom racer. It started out as a stock Yamaha SR500, which we imported from Germany, and is currently being transformed into an amazing, lightweight aluminium racer.

Since I live in Thailand, my friend Thomas and the RU Motor Crew in Bozen (Italy), have been busy working on the project. As it goes when modifying bikes, nothing is ever a straight-forward bolt-on job. I have to give credit where credit is due, and wholeheartedly thank my hardworking friends for their commitment to fulfill this dream with me. Cheers guys!

Here are the latest developments:

Project Telos - Carb adjustments and other delicatessen

So, over a week into my holiday at home spent mostly in the garage working on the bike.
I've had trouble starting it when cold, but with the expert help of my brother, we managed to sort out the carb issues and now it runs pretty smooth.
We fitted a new chain, a Regina ZR (Z-Ring)...bloody big and expensive if you ask me. It'll probably outlive me!
Other than that, fresh oil, new NGK spark plug, new stainless front fender, new alloy rearset footpegs, camchain nut with see-through glass, rear brake bracket and a stainless engine protector.

My dad admiring and my brother working, while I wonder at the beauty of it all

Nice little "after-wrenching" trip to St. Konstantin/Voels/South Tyrol to meet my good friend Heiner

Happiness is....an SR that starts on the first kick

Heiner has a Vespa Sprint Veloce that's been sitting for 10 years...C'mon Heiner...get it going!!

Project Telos - Mountain Mishap

Glorious sunny spring day in South Tyrol today, so what better than going out for a ride?
Perfect also, because I had to do some carburetor tuning.
I was enjoying myself on a beautiful mountain road, the bike was running well and there was very little traffic.
At one point I had to stop in front of a tunnel to let a big truck pass through. When I tried to roll back a bit, the bike suddenly stopped as if I had bumped into a stone or something. Very strange. Roll forward, back again, and again the same thing. hmmm
Now the truck almost cleared the tunnel and I was ready to ride. I tried to roll back one last time and HO HO....look at that: layed out neatly on the road in front of me was my chain! Crap.

Nothing left to do but roll back down to the mountain, where I knew there was a motorcycle shop/ garage.
Now, I don't know if it was my face or just a combination of bad omens today, but the guy at the shop must have thought I wasn't worth his time and treated me as if I were there to collect his taxes. He dismissed me after 2 minutes with a "No way, forget about it" and I was left taking the bus back home. :-(

Still, I think I was pretty lucky it didn't happen while riding at 80km/h!

Note to self (and others): avoid Moto Roland in Blumau!

Project Telos - Getting my hands dirty and first ride

Now in my hometown, halfway around the world from where I live, there are just a few things on my mind:
eating, wrenching and riding. And that's just what I did.

Yesterday saw my new Yamaha SR500 for the very first time. What a beauty! The frame looks especially nice and won't need any work done on it, which is good. My friend Thomas, who took care of everything, from getting the bike to Italy to sorting out the dreaded paperworks (THANKS Thomas!!), told me there was a problem with the carb. Apparently, one day it just started pissing out gas. So, my brother Stefan and I checked the carb and cleaned it. After mounting it back into place, 1 kick and tataaaa....running like clockwork.

Only one more "problem"....the stock exhaust. Faaaaar too quiet for my taste. So, changing the heavy and civilized exhaust with a single walled and lightweight megaphone, became first priority and the very first step into the transformation to TELOS.

And what a difference! POT_POT_POT...... :-)

This morning then my first ride. Unfortunately, the April weather wasn't the nicest, so for now, a short ride up the Ritten mountain will have to suffice. But more will follow soon.
The bike runs great, smooth but with plenty of grunt. Can't wait to get my hands dirty again!