Mother's Day - Classic car parade in Bangkok 11/08/2014

Jesada Technik Museum has the biggest classic car and motorcycle collection in Thailand. This year, in collaboration with the Thai Army, they organized a parade of over 140 cars, 99 of which were so-called micro cars.
Link to the Bangkok Post article
Video report from Channel 3
News report with video, also Channel 3
Video report from Thai PBS
Article and pictures from INN (Independent News Network)
Some nice pics here and here and here
Short article and pics from the Nation

About a month ago I was lucky to notice a post on Facebook, were the museum called upon volunteer drivers to join the parade, driving one of their micro cars. I just couldn't let this chance slip me by and applied immediately. Luckily, they accepted me and 2 other friends with our respective wives.

Last week we drove to Bangkok to choose a car and do some practicing laps in a car park. We had the opportunity to drive any car we wanted! We all felt like little kids in a toy shop.

Today then, under a scorching sun, we again drove to Bangkok to take part in the classic car parade in honour of the Queen's 82nd birthday, which is also Mother's Day in Thailand. The car we had chosen last week (BMW Isetta) was out of commission, so we've been given another one: a 1962 Trojan 200.
My two other friends had a BMW Isetta and a Fiat 500 (Cinquecento). Unfortunately, neither of them would make it to the end of the parade, as both their cars broke down about halfway through.

I got lucky...kind of. As the parade started, I had to learn fast how to drive the little bugger. The gears were a mess: hard to engage and if you didn't hold your hand on the lever, the gear would jump out due to the vibrations. Not ideal but something I could cope with. After that, the car wouldn't hold the idle and would die on me without constantly revving the engine. Changing gears was a no-no. I kept it in 2nd gear throughout the whole drive. Drenched in sweat, we eventually made it to the end. Quite an achievement considering the alarming whining noises coming from the engine!

We are all very grateful to Khun Knot and the whole team of the Jesada Technik Museum for giving us this amazing opportunity and adventure. Hope to do it again soon!
If you're in Thailand and love classic cars and bikes, you can't miss a visit to the museum.

Enough talking. Off to the gallery!

That's my face when I'm deeply concentrating

One of the cars that broke down...not very reassuring in case of a fire

Not flashy at all, but a pretty good runner

A Vespa 400

Invasion of the microcars!

Bubba is coming too!

Sadly, their Isetta broke down

The saying "chewing off more than you can bite" comes to mind

Amphibious car

Colm being interviewed

At the end of the parade we got refreshments from this lovely Citroen van

What a great day! Thanks Jesada!!

The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride - Bangkok/ Pattaya

Hello gentlemen

First off, I must apologize for writing only in English, but writing in Thai is beyond my reach for now. I will try to get it translated as soon as possible and post it here for our Thai friends.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

Another year, another DGR! Just like last year, there will be 2 groups, one starting from Bangkok and one in Pattaya. Both groups will meet in Bang Saen.
Have a look on my blog for last year's pictures:
http://omega-racer.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-distinguished-gentlemans-ride-2013.html


So, if you're from around Bangkok or Pattaya, own a suit and a bike, please feel free to join us. Here are some more details.

All participants are expected to do the following:

1) Ride a motorcycle, preferably a classic, retro, bobber, chopper, custom, cafe racer. Riders with screaming 4 pot plastic rockets may ask a friend to borrow a real gentleman's bike. ;-)

2) All riders are required to wear their finest clothes. Ties are good, bowties are better. There's no limit to distinguishedness, if that's even a word...

3) A distinguished and gentlemanly attitude is paramount to the successful outcome of the ride. Let old ladies cross the road, always smile and generally make your grandmother proud.

4) I would like to stress that this ride is a fundraising event for prostate cancer research. It would be greatly appreciated if you could contribute what you can to this cause. You can do so online on this site once that section is up and running.

5) Ride responsibly. A suit doesn't give much protection in case you...well, you know what....

6) Last but not least, HAVE FUN!!
__________________________________________________________________________________________

For all the ride details please go to the official DGR website, register as a rider and kindly donate for a good cause.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

IMPORTANT:

I would like to remind all fellow riders that you are responsible for your own safety. Ride slow and live a long and venerable life.
This is a FREE event, no tickets, no charges. Just pay for your own gas, food and drinks.


If you have any questions, suggestions or would like to help, please feel free to do so. I appreciate all 3 of them. :-)

ride dapper

Customer's Creations

A special blog post today.

Independently to each other, a few customers decided to send me some pictures of their bikes, after they mounted their Omega Racer parts, of course.

First off, Stéphane Lavillonniere from France. Stéphane owns a splendid Yamaha XS nd needed a cafe seat for his project. Not finding the right seat, he decided to get the Cafe Rocker V2.0 for the SR400/500 and modify it to fit his bike. To keep the rear fender in place he used a 6mm stainless steel screw with brass washers. Good job Stéphane!

Next is Jimmy Cash. He ordered a Norton Dunstall aluminium tank for his cafe racer SR500 and painted it black with classic blue Yamaha stripes.

This is how it looked in August 2013.

 And after a lot of work, Jimmy's efforts really show and shine on this beast.

More lovely creations...

Custom small aluminium fairing

Yamaha SR aluminium tank "The Original"

Cafe Rocker V2.0 mounted on a Suzuki Inazuma by Luke Inazuma

Veni Vidi Vinci!

The year was 2009.
Kawasaki just released a bike that would revolutionize the entire motorcycle scene in Thailand. Until then big bike lovers had to either ride 20 years old unregistered Honda SuperFours 400 and Yamaha SR400, or spend a fortune on imported bikes. That all changed with the Thai made Kawasaki ER6n and f. The ER already had a great reputation and thanks to being produced in Thailand, was sold at a reasonable price. Those are the ingredients for an instant hit everywhere and Thailand was no different.

2009 was also the year I was in the market for a bigger bike and I had the SR400 on one side of the scale and the ER on the other. Eventually, financial reasons made me opt for the SR and I definitely have no regrets about that choice, au contraire!
Still, that unfulfilled desire never left me. It lingered and brooded just under the surface, kept down there by my hand brake...eh, I mean my wife.

Lately though, I've been thinking more and more about my old love, frequently scanning English and Thai classified sites. Until (insert heavenly choir here), a short but very interesting ad got my attention: Sell 2009 Kawasaki ER6n with only 69km in showroom condition.
A five year old bike with only 69km on the clock? I can't be true, ...or can it?

Cut a long(ish) story short, the seller (Mr V), bought the bike a few months after its release. Due to a back injury he never rode it further than up and down the road in front of his house. He kept it running once a week or so, to keep the battery alive and the internals working. Other than that, it hardly ever saw the light of the day. I like to think that he kept it ready just for the right time when I would be ready to buy it. These aren't just coincidences...these are synchronicities; perfectly interwoven events that give unexpected results. It is exactly the model I liked (2009-2011), the colour I always preferred and in a condition I've never dreamed of finding. How could I let such an opportunity pass me by, you may ask. Well, I didn't.

So, here I am with my new (old) bike!
Riding it home from Bangkok, I rode more km than Mr V did in 5 years! Quite funny, actually.

Thank you Mr V! It was a pleasure to meet you. I promise I will take care of her just like you did for the past 5 years. I'll ride her more, though. :-))))

Honda CB750 - New CNC machined parts available

At Omega Racer we strive to bring you the best parts available to help you make your project bike unique.

The latest addition is a set of billet alloy CNC machined covers for the iconic Honda CB750, as well as a stainless steel cafe front fender, at a price you won't find anywhere else.

A handcrafted aluminium tank (K series) will join soon, so stay tuned in.

In the meantime, feast your eyes on these beauties!

http://www.omegaracer.com/parts_store/cat_877463-Honda-CB750-Parts.html#sthash.KxLuYMax.dpbs

Latest news about the Scrambler 2015

I just read an article on an Italian online motorcycle magazine with some more exciting news about the new Scrambler. The news are not official, but seem to come from a reliable source.

First of all, the Scrambler will be available in the first months of 2015. 

There will be 2 displacements: 

- an 800 2 valve L-twin (803cc), air cooled, from the Monster 796. It won't have the 87hp of the Monster, but more likely around 80/85hp to have more power at low revs. Price is supposed to be around 7.500 to 8.000Euro.

- a 400 (!), but unsure if it will be a single or twin, with about 48hp (for the restricted A2 driving licence). Price between 6.000 and 6.500 Euro.

The introduction of the 400 is the biggest newsbit, making it not only the smallest but also the cheapest Ducati on offer. If they truly can take the single engine they used on the Supermono and bring it to the 21st century, that would be amazing and it would be an answer to what seems to be the online community's biggest desire.

Ducati Scrambler 2015 - New official teaser

We live in exciting times my friends.

Ducati has just given us the first official teaser for the long awaited Scrambler.

What we can see for now is that it will have lightly knobbed tires, a round headlight (thanks God!) but with a modern twist (acceptable) of LED lights. It will sport 10-spoke alloy rims, upside down forks and a rear wheel hugger...not a big fan of those, but easily removable. One of the colors will definitely be yellow. It's not visible in the teaser, but the exhaust system seems to be placed under the engine, as seen on the recent spy pics. hmmm
The tank, the seat and the swingarm seem to be the same too.


The new Scrambler looks very much like the classic one: small, narrow, simple and loooots of fun.
Ducati also started a new website dedicated to the newborn Scrambler. Check it out HERE.

EDIT: Visit Visordown for a much better spy pic

EDIT 2: So far the clearest picture...From http://www.motorradonline.de/

EDIT 3: New video available, showing the sound test behind the factory in Borgo Panigale.

scramblerducati from Scrambler Ducati on Vimeo.

POLL: Yamaha SR - Full Aluminium Fairing

It's poll time!

At the moment, if you want a full fairing for your Yamaha SR, you have to rely on Japanese manufacturers and we all know how much that can set you back financially. In addition, they're not aluminium fairings, but simply fiberglass.

What if there were a place where such a full aluminium fairing could be purchased for a fraction of its Japanese counterpart, all the while retaining a high level of craftsmanship? Hmm, what if.....?

Surprise!
That's exactly what I'm planning to do. The only problem I'm facing is that I can't decide on the design! Here's where I need your help. Please have a look at the following pictures and vote for what you think the best design is. You can do it here below or on the OmegaRacer Facebook page.

Let the voting begin!

***A***

***B***

***C***

***D***

***E***

***F***

Not really a contender in the poll, but while we're at it...let me know what you think.

EDIT 2016: The Finished Fairing

My bike is now finished and I'm very happy of the result. It's called Sunmaster14 and it has already been published online by Pipeburn, Return of the Cafe Racer, Inazuma Cafe, Ottonero, SR Times, and will appear next month in the German paper magazine CRAFTRAD, Italian magazine SPECIAL CAFE and French magazine RAD MOTORCYCLES.