BMW motorcycle sales press release
BMW has been on a roll recently- lots of new models and their sales show it. 0.04.2012 11:36 Best first quarter of all time for BMW Motorrad. Husqvarna Motorcycles 36.2 percent up compared to last year. During the first three months of 2012, BMW Motorrad had its best 1st quarter to date, recording the company’s highest sales ever achieved at the start of a year. As of March, sales increased to 24,373 motorcycles (23,109 last year), this being... [Read More...]
A Quick Look Inside the Dunlop Proving Grounds
I was over in the Huntsville, Alabama area last week and decided to stop in and see my good friend Danny Roberts who heads up the Dunlop Proving Grounds. We raced together back in the 80′s and have been friends for almost 30 years. This is the facility where they test all of the dirt bike, street bike and race tires for motorcycles. Very cool place for a motorcycle guy (or girl)! I’ll post a few pictures that I took with my phone over... [Read More...]
Crazy Motocross Front Flip
It is hard to comprehend the physics of this but that makes it that much more amazing… Mark Monea, the Australian motocross/X games rider lands a 360 front flip. Read More →
New BMW R 1200 GS Triple Black
From BMW’s press release… I guess everyone is getting in on the Harley 48 look. Honestly, I don’t think the 1200 GS lends itself to this scheme all that well. But, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Coming Soon… 2011 BMW R 1200 GS Triple Black Woodcliff Lake, NJ – October 18, 2010…The BMW R 1200 GS goes to “the dark side†in 2011 with a special edition model – the R 1200 GS Triple Black. ... [Read More...]
Can Am Project- Part 7
With the clear coat on, we let everything sit and cure for a couple of days before wet sanding and buffing. Some of the parts like the front fender were fine as is but the tank and tail needed to be buffed for that ultra smooth dipped in glass look. Here is a picture after wet sanding (it looks like flat paint at this point) and then after buffing with several grades of compound. The decals look especially good under the clear… almost like they... [Read More...]
Can Am Project- Part 6
Today we install the graphics and clear coat everything. These are big decals and hard to get on straight but if you take your time and use the wet application method, you can get them on straight with no bubbles. It is always fun to see what the parts look like after clear coating. This is going to be a very cool old cafe bike… Applying the decals Tank clear coated Read More →
Can Am Project- Part 5
The next step in the Can Am project was spraying on the white base coat. We spent a fair amount of time getting the shade of white exactly how we wanted it. The white on these old bikes is really more of a cream. You really can’t tell unless you put it right up against a bright white shade (like what we used on the RZ500) but it makes a difference. So here it is with the base coat on. Next, we install the tank graphics… Base coat applied Read More →
Can Am Project- Part 4
After lots of hand sanding and cleaning, we are ready to prime the parts. I always use an epoxy primer to seal the surface. This works equally well on metal (like the aluminum tank) and fiberglass/plastic. If needed, you can do some light sanding or scuffing with a scotch-brite pad after it has dried. Read More →
Can Am Project- Part 3
Front Fairing Front Fairing Filler Front fender repair Next we need to do a little body work and filling. The front nose cone fairing used to have a removable number plate panel that could come off to uncover the headlight if it was installed. Since the bike will never be on the street, we decided to use a fiberglass plate to fill the hole. After it was bonded in, I had a fair amount of filling to do to get the contours right. Several light coats... [Read More...]
Can Am Project- Part 2
This bike was never used as a dirt bike- it was converted into a cafe racer from day one. So the bodywork reflects that. It is also old and had what seemed like dozens of layers of paint on it that had to be sanded off. Sanding stuff like this is time consuming and tedious but necessary if you want the final result to be show quality. So I sanded all of the fiberglass down to the original gel coat and prepped it for primer- Can Am tail Sanding the... [Read More...]
1975 Can Am 250 Project
Custom made aluminum tank Just a quick post so you can see the custom made aluminum gas tank. A few days ago, I posted the picture of the old fiberglass tank that was really beyond repair. This new tank is a beautiful reproduction and matches the shape of the old tank nicely. We found the decals at reproduction decals so they should fit perfectly. There is lots of sanding and detail filling to do on the ancient fiberglass bodywork- more on that tomorrow. Read More →
Vintage Can Am Project
Old Fiberglass Tank Well, the guy I painted the Yamaha RZ500 for was happy enough that he brought me his Vintage 70′s Can Am 250 to work on. He has owned it since new and it has seen many race tracks in its day. Now, we are going to restore it so he can take it to vintage races and shows. Once again, the gas tank was beyond repair and so a new hand made aluminum tank was fabricated. Stay tuned for updates as we progress… Read More →
Ducati at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Ducati at Pikes Peak From Ducati- Follow the action on their blog page. Ducati returns to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb for an encore performance on June 27. The weapons of choice – a pair of all-new 2010 Multistrada 1200s! Partnering with Spider Grips, Ducati is fielding a two bike team, piloted by Greg Tracy and Alexander Smith. Both Tracy and Smith are no strangers to the race, having both competed in 2008 with Tracy taking... [Read More...]
Harley XR1200X is coming (staying) in America!
Harley XR1200X Harley-Davidson announced that the XR1200X Sportster, introduced in 2010 for export markets only, will be available through Harley-Davidson dealers in the United States as a 2011 model. The XR1200X is equipped with fully-adjustable Showa front and rear suspension components and can be dialed in to match rider weight, riding style and road conditions. The XR1200X combines this premium suspension with enhanced front brakes and a high-compression,... [Read More...]
Arai highest ranked motorcycle helmets for 12th straight year
Arai Vector Just some light weekend reading for you… Here is a press release from JD Powers on motorcycle helmet owner satisfaction. I personally have both an Arai and a Shoei and while they are both great helmets, I prefer the Shoei for fit and comfort. But I have friends that swear by Arai. So the point is- make sure you try on a bunch of helmets and buy the one that fits your head best. Spending money on a good helmet is one of the best investments... [Read More...]