Thursday 2nd September, 2010
I used to think that automatic gearboxes in motorcycles were restricted to a few odd Moto Guzzis and Hondas. Until a few days ago, when Ken Smith sent me the latest issue of VMX Magazine—with a Husqvarna automatic on the cover and an article inside:
Where’s the damn clutch lever?’ I’ve heard that from a few riders, not far into their first ride of a Husky Auto, even though they knew there wasn’t one on the bars before they took off. It’s just a given, that perched there on the left hand side of the handlebars is a clutch lever, and it’s something you use all the time!
Automatics have a strong following in the four-wheeled offroad world, so it’s not surprising that they’ve been tried in dirtbikes. And Husqvarna got it mostly right from the start: according to VMX’s writer Rob Shoemark, “The first commercial release of the Automatic was in 1976 and the last was 1988. Throughout that whole time the transmission was basically the same with only minor design enhancements.”
Since 1980, Husqvarna has been supplying the Swedish Army with auto all-terrain bikes that can be ridden proficiently by new recruits after just one week of training. And how does it work? “It is mechanically simple,” VMX reports. “Based around a centrifugal clutch, drive is firstly taken up by that clutch, then a series of a dog clutches engaged sequentially, locating higher gears. It was not only simple but very effective and reliable. What about changing back down? Once the throttle is closed, the engine goes into free-wheel mode. Once you apply the throttle again the gearbox was ‘told’ what gear it should be in by the speed of the back wheel.” Read More »
Tuesday 31st August, 2010
When I first saw this BMW, I struggled to put a date to it. Was it an older bike freshened up, or a relatively new bike that had taken a trip back in time? It turned out to be an R100T resto-mod, customized to make it look older than its 1979 model year. It’s owned by Oakland-based Jean-David Gerber: “My goal was to have it overhauled in such a way that it would look more like a bike from the 1960s—a ‘naked’ bike, with fork gaiters and spoked wheels and so on. As you know, BMW used to have a very conservative approach to the design of their ‘airheads’: most parts are interchangeable throughout the 25 years of their production, from 1970 to 1995. Greg Hutchinson, one of the airhead experts of the San Francisco Bay Area, kindly agreed to teach me the basics of mechanics.”
Jean-David replaced the wheels, tank, turn signals, valve covers and handlebars with parts from older BMW models. The seat is a modified police seat from a R90/6. The objective was to have a later-model 1000 cc airhead that “looks old, but still fresh.” The ‘Sienna Ivory’ color comes from a modern Vespa GTV250 and none of the metal parts were polished (to retain the patina) but some were bead-blasted. The engine was overhauled and kept stock—except for fitting dual plugs, electronic ignition and a deeper oil pan—so as not to compromise reliability. The result is understated and low-key, but to my eyes, creamily delicious. See the full restoration, beautifully photographed, on Jean-David’s Airhead Reborn blog.
Nikon D300 | 1/2000s | f/2.8 | ISO 320 | Focal length 120mm
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The Vincati is one of those semi-mythical bikes that you occasionally hear about—and to many classic motorcycle fans, a marriage made in heaven. Quite simply, it’s a Vincent engine in a Ducati frame. “Big Sid’s Vincati” is perhaps the most famous of these hybrids, so I dropped Sidney Biberman’s son Matthew a line to get the full story:
“In 2000, my dad, Big Sid, was recovering from a heart attack and bypass surgery. One evening during a hospital visit, I brought him his mail and we found ourselves poring over shots taken during that year’s Isle of Man races. One shot caught my eye: it was of a Vincati, something I had never seen before. I was immediately smitten and right then and there challenged Sid: I vowed that if he found the will to recover we would build one together, come hell or high water. Read More »
Mecatwin is a name you don’t often hear outside France, but the company is one of the top European Triumph specialists. Based an hour or so south of Paris in the town of Montargis—sometimes known as the “Venice of the Gâtinais”—Mecatwin turns stock Bonnevilles into mouthwatering eye candy. Most creations are produced in limited runs of 100, and the TX-A1 is one of the latest. Specifications aren’t given, but it looks like this machine has been lowered, fitted with new rear shocks and given a Mecatwin BestPower EFI, a kit that reportedly adds 13hp to the stock motor’s 67hp. There’s also a new brake system, which is probably a wise move. The finish is absolutely gorgeous too—check Mecatwin’s website for more images. Read More »
Jesse James gets a lot of flak these days. It never seems to be about the bikes any more, which is a shame, because the man knows his stuff. His customs aren’t usually to my taste, but he occasionally hits a home run. Like this Knuckle he created for Gilby Clarke (who spent three years as the rhythm guitarist of Guns N’ Roses). Gilby had been looking for a Knuckle for a while, and West Coast Choppers had already built a ’65 Panhead motor for him. A new deal was done, and now Gilby rides this delicious ’41 Harley EL—still vintage in the overall look, but WCC in the finer details. At the front there’s a 21” rim, and at the back a 16”. WCC built the frame and springer fork to original specs, but the engine has been heavily modified: it’s boosted to 71 cubes, hooked up to a WCC exhaust system, and controlled by a custom-made jockey shift. Pretty sweet, don’t you think? Read More »
Thursday 26th August, 2010
Axel Budde is an interesting guy. He’s a ‘precision driver’ for the film and TV industry: a guy who can take the exact same line in a car or truck, time after time, at high speed, until the cameraman gets The Shot. And when Axel isn’t thrashing performance cars around closed roads, he turns old Moto Guzzis into things of beauty. If you want a Le Mans-based café racer or a vintage racebike, Axel is your man. He’ll take a Le Mans frame, completely refurbish it, and slot in a motor based around Le Mans engine casings. The internals of the motor will be heavily upgraded, whether it’s an early 850 or a later 1000 Mark IV. (Power output in the latter case is apparently 92bhp or more, with 104Nm of torque.) The suspension will be upgraded, but look stock, and an aftermarket tank will be fitted—subtly different from the original, but in perfect keeping with the classic Guzzi lines. Both the race bikes and the road bikes look equally desirable: stripped to the essentials, they’re essays in silver and black. I’d take either—or both—and if you feel the same, Axel will build a bike for you. Contact him here. [Head over to Southsiders MC for more images, including Axel in action on the track.]
Canon PowerShot G9 | 1/500 sec | f/3.5 | ISO 100 | Focal length 9mm
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