Audi buys Ducati- Press Release
AUDI AG acquires sports motorcycle manufacturer Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. - Chairman Rupert Stadler: “As a sporty, global premium brand, Ducati is an excellent fit for Audi.” - Third pillar for AUDI AG in Italy - Ducati a leading player in engine technology and lightweight construction Ingolstadt/Bologna, April 18, 2012 – AUDI AG is acquiring from Investindustrial Group the tradition-steeped Italian sports motorcycle manufacturer... [Read More...]
SV650S finished and for sale
I just finished painting this 08 SV650s back to almost stock gunmetal gray. This color is slightly darker than the original factory color and looks better with the black frame and wheels. The “S” emblems on the tank are painted on in a ghost shade and really look good. The bike also has a Two Brothers pipe, Gel seat, color matched undertail with integrated turn signals and a dark tinted windscreen. 6900 miles and new tires, too! If you... [Read More...]
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...]
Suzuki T500 update
I’ve been working hard on the body panels for this T500 and we are slowly getting there. One common problem with old, old stuff like this is that there are usually lots of coats of old enamel paint on them. All you can do is try to get as much of it off as possible but there is always residue left that will crack or crinkle when you put any modern automotive paint on it. This is the problem I had even after priming with an epoxy primer to seal... [Read More...]
Video- Stoner at Sepang on the RC213
This is a must watch video… watch it in HD and if you want some good desktop backgrounds, hit your print screen button and then paste it into paint, photoshop, etc and save it. Read More →
New Project- 1971 Suzuki T500 race bike
The guy who I painted the Yamaha RZ500 in the slideshow for brought me another project to work on- a 1971 Suzuki T500 race bike that we are going to do as a replica of the Daytona bike. These pictures are as it sits now and the drawing is what we are aiming for- or something very similar. Since all of these bikes were essentially 1 off race bikes, there is no “official” scheme to model it after. But we do have some pictures from that era... [Read More...]
CBR600RR Pearl Fire Orange finished
Well, as you can see, the CBR is all back together and today I did the final buffing and applied the logos and rear number plates. The color match is just about spot on and is easily as good as factory panels. The bike looks great and the flat black on the orange is perfect. We still need to put the HONDA’s on the lower belly but that will have to wait until the lowers are off the bike. If you need logos or number plates, www.Tapeworks.com... [Read More...]
Painting a CBR600RR Pearl Fire Orange
painted mid panel on original tank I just finished painting all of the panels- except the tank cover- on an 08 CBR600RR Pearl Fire Orange. This is an almost impossible color to match since it is a tri-coat with a base, mid and clear. Since I had no idea where to start, we decided to go ahead and spend the big money on ColorRite’s paint. The results are pretty good. The shade and brightness of the orange is very good, but the size and clarity... [Read More...]
New JD Powers Motorcycle Owner Satisfaction Survey is out…
Among the factors, satisfaction with the sales experience has improved most, increasing to 856 (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2011 from 838 in 2010. Satisfaction with the product and cost of ownership also improves significantly, compared with 2010. The study also finds that motorcycle build quality improves to 122 problems per 100 motorcycles (PP100) from an average of 133 PP100 in 2010. One-half of owners say they have experienced zero problems... [Read More...]
New Agusta 675 Brutale
All I can say is, wow. That is beautiful. I’m currently riding a Triumph 675 Street Triple R and I love it. The comparisons have already begun and the new Brutale isn’t even available yet but it should be a good fight. The Triumph is a great bike but a few years old now. If this new Agusta is everything it looks like it will be, I might have to sell the Triumph… Read the complete press release after the jump. 2010 Street Triple... [Read More...]
Some Pictures from the Barber Vintage Festival
It was a great weekend for vintage and custom motorcycle fanatics… Even the races were fun with big old time names like Schwantz, Springsteen and Ahern all racing. Some of the custom stuff was amazing and NCR Ducati had a bunch of exotic stuff there along with lots of vintage Ducs. Check out the gallery of photos… Schwantz's Norton #gallery-1 { margin: auto; } #gallery-1 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top:... [Read More...]
Barber Vintage Festival starts today!
The yearly Vintage festival at Barber Motorsports Park starts today and runs through Sunday. I go every year and never tire of looking at the thousands of amazing bikes that show up. if you don’t already have plans for the weekend, you can’t go wrong here. If you need parts for an older bike, the swap meet will probably have it. Barber always puts on an excellent event and the weather is going to be outstanding, so don’t miss it! Vintage... [Read More...]
07 SV650 naked… ready for a new home
Well, the SV is done and it looks awesome. Really nice low mile (4600) bike with all the tasteful upgrades- Carbon exhaust, billet mirrors, matte black upper triple clamp and handlebars, paint matched headlight, and the wide wheel conversion that allows you to use a 180 tire. SV’s are still at the top of my all time favorites in the bang for the buck category. 07 SV side 07 SV front Read More →
07 SV650- continued
Here is a quick update on the SV. The headlight is reassembled and mounted. I painted the brackets matte black and used some mini turn signals to finish up. A new brake lever is on the work bench waiting to be installed. SV650 headlight- blue Read More →
SV650 Progress report
SV tank painted The 07 SV650 restoration project is coming along- slowly. But, the painting is done and it is a slightly darker shade with a touch of purple or magenta in it. Here a few pictures- the headlight bucket and rim look awesome when they are painted on an SV. It really gives the bike a custom look without spending much money at all. I have striped a bunch of these SV’s but I chose not to on this bike. I am sort of wishing I had done... [Read More...]