National Superbike

Suzuki T500 restoration update

Curt — Sat, 19 May 2012 16:09:41 +0000

Here are a few quick shots of the bodywork stuck on the bike that I took with my phone so we could get a feel for what it will look like. As you can see, the side fairings have a lot of bulges and contours that made it very hard to get the stripes to look straight. In fact, they aren’t even close to straight since you need to change the angles quite a bit to adjust for the curves in the panel but they look straight from the side.

Still a lot more work to be done including the front end and forks, new spokes for the wheels and the usual mechanical stuff like getting the oil injection working properly. But, she’s getting there!

T500 left front

T500 rt side

T500 left panel

Audi buys Ducati- Press Release

Curt — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:38:37 +0000

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 Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A., which has its registered office in Bologna. The transaction will be completed as quickly as possible once authorized by the competition authorities. The Supervisory Boards of AUDI AG and Volkswagen AG approved the acquisition today in Hamburg. Ducati is known worldwide as a leading brand in motorcycle manufacture, with outstanding expertise in engine development and lightweight construction.

Alongside the traditional Italian brands Lamborghini and Italdesign, Ducati is now a third pillar for AUDI AG in Northern Italy. Another building block in the Company’s growth strategy thus falls into place. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, declared: “Ducati is known worldwide as a premium brand among motorcycle manufacturers and has a long tradition of building sporty motorcycles. It has great expertise in high-performance engines and lightweight construction, and is one of the world’s most profitable motorcycle manufacturers. That makes Ducati an excellent fit for Audi.” The progressive control systems and special combustion chamber process of Ducati engines, their resulting sporty character, and Ducati’s extensive know-how in lightweight construction thus offer great potential for AUDI AG and the Volkswagen Group.

Peter Mosch, Chairman of the General Works Council of AUDI AG, explains that the employee representatives of AUDI AG support the Company’s sustainable, co-determined growth strategy. “We must use the opportunities offered by globalization for Audi – and that’s exactly what we’re doing. Everyone at Audi is looking forward to working with our new colleagues from Ducati,” commented Mosch.

Ducati is a globally active company and has manufacturing operations at its headquarters in Bologna and at its own factory in Thailand. It maintains a series of importer companies in strategic markets. Experts predict that the motorcycle market will enjoy strong growth over the next few years, especially in Asia. In 2011, Ducati sold around 42,000 motorcycles and generated revenue of some €480 million, employing around 1,100 people.

The company was founded by Adriano and Marcello Ducati in Bologna in 1926. Known originally as Società Scientifica Radiobrevetti Ducati, it initially built parts for radios. It ventured into the manufacture of motorcycles in 1949.

Ducati has been actively involved in motorcycle racing for many decades through its racing division Ducati Corse. Its racing activities are currently focused on the Ducati official factory team in the MotoGP class of the Motorcycle World Championship and in the Superbike World Championship, supporting competitive private teams. Ducati won the manufacturers’ championship in this latter class 17 times in 21 championships and the pilots’ 14 times.

Suzuki T500 Daytona Bike Update

Curt — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:03:31 +0000

Well, the clear coat is on and the panels look awesome. The color scheme with the lighter Suzuki blue outlined in red looks perfect on a 70′s vintage bike. I should be ready to put the panels on in a couple of days after they have had time to cure. There is still a lot of detail work to be done, but I’ll post a quick shot with the panels on just so everyone can get an idea of what it looks like…

Suzuki T500 Gas Tank

T500 side panel

SV650S finished and for sale

Curt — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:51:26 +0000

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 are looking for an SV, this is a nice one. $4300.00

08 Suzuki SV650S

Huge Ducati Collection to be Auctioned

Curt — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:01:35 +0000

1972 Ducati 750 200 Miglia Imola Corsa Replica

From Hemmings Blog:

One of the largest private collections of Ducatis ever assembled will cross the block next month at RM’s auction at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.

Scheduled to cross the auction block on the first day of the event, the Carlo Saltarelli Collection features more than 100 rare and unique Ducatis, many of which have known racing history. Racing replicas and classic Ducati road bikes from the collection are also being offered.

Carlo Saltarelli was a factory test rider for Ducati and became an owner of his own dealership. He spent over 30 years amassing this collection, which spans the full history of Ducati from Cucciolos to Hailwood Replicas and 748 Bipostos. All bikes are being auctioned at no reserve, but don’t expect there to be any that might slip through the bidding without garnering at lot of bidders’ attention.

Info at RM Auctions…

BMW motorcycle sales press release

Curt — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:23:02 +0000

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 the equivalent to a rise of 5.5 % compared to the first quarter of 2011.

Suzuki T500 update

Curt — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:57:19 +0000

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 the old paint. So, there is lots of detail hand sanding and filling needed. It would be great to be able to dip or bead blast the old paint off but the fiberglass is just too old and thin to risk it.

The gas tank is a brand new Air Tech part that the owner had made from old molds that Air Tech still has. But even it is pretty rough and needs a decent amount of sanding and filling to get it ready for paint.

Side fairing with cracks

Getting ready for epoxy

T500 gas tank

RZ500 Update- new wheels

Curt — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 04:46:59 +0000

The RZ500 in the slideshow at the top has a set of PM alloy wheels but they always looked a little strange since the real race bike had gold wheels. He used the PM wheels because they were the only ones he could find that would take a modern tire and still fit in the swingarm. Well, he found another set and sent them off to be powder coated in the original gold color and the results look great. The wheels are still different of course but getting the color right really makes a big difference. Check out the original and the factory bike here…

Yamaha RZ500 KR Replica

RZ500 with gold wheels

Video- Stoner at Sepang on the RC213

Curt — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:27:41 +0000

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.

Ducati Announces their 848 EVO contingency program for racers

Curt — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:16:57 +0000

848 EVO

Here’s the press release from Ducati… The only caveat I see is that the bike had to be purchased new from a dealer. So there is apparently no money if you buy a used bike to race.

The Ducati 848^EVOachieved many successes in 2011 in the hands of a number of privateers and club racers. These results are attributed to the ambitions of Ducati to push the envelopes of racing performance and technology combined with years of development and the skills of those who chose this Ducati as their weapon of choice.

For 2012, Ducati and FreedomRoad Financial announce the return of the 848^EVOContingency Racing Program. Ducati riders from around the nation will return to the tracks on their 848^EVO to compete for one of the best contingency programs available.

The 2012 program from Ducati is expansive and includes a greater number of racing series, higher number of paying classes and most importantly, larger amounts of CASH payments to qualified and eligible race winners. In partenering with FreedomRoad Financial, Ducati is offering racers the opportunity to compete for a rich purse. Awards will be paid in a cashier’s check directly from Ducati North America in the amounts of $1,200, $600 and $300; representing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishes respectively.

The regional series supported by the program are CCS, CMRA, CRA, USBA, WSMC, MRA, OMRRA, WMRRA, AFM and WERA. There will be a minimum of three race weekends per series, and two-to-three classes paying out per race event.

The 2012 Ducati 848^EVO Contingency Racing Program is open to any rider competing on an eligible Ducati Superbike purchased from an authorized Ducati dealer.

More details here…