Not a typo... A KLR 650 Cafe Racer...

There's a sentence I never thought I'd write... but you know it's not bad.

Here's one more.  It's all l've got

Excellent RZ/RD350 YPVS Conversion

LOTS of tasty upgrades on this beauty..

Totally Sick! RZ500/R6 Hybrid. Too good not to share. Cross-post From The 2-Stroke Board.

You hear about bikes like this in lots of conversations.... "wouldn't it be cool to put engine X in chassis Y"..  Well someone REALLY did it.  More on the project over on BARF

"Current generation Yamaha R6 chassis with Ohlins forks and shock, Brembo brakes, forged wheels, and aluminum subframe. Engine swap with Yamaha RD500 (aka RZ500 aka RZv500) V4 twin-crank two-stroke. Handmade expansion chambers with carbon fiber silencers. Mikuni flatslide carbs."

Update: Reader Submittal. Old school Hybrid.

Update:  should have seen this coming...  for those of you e-mailng and commenting for more info...

The bike is for sale on EBAY UK Here: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/YAMAHA-XT500-SUPERMOTO-PHASE-4-MAGAZINE-FEATURE-BIKE-/110613754451?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item19c117f253

What a fantastic bike!  Thanks to Cal from the UK for sending me these.  I've seen a few like these over the years and this is the best by far! I love it when an old iconic bike gets modernized without the spirit of the original being overwhelmed by the new components.  It's a delicate dance and flawlessly executed here.

Shoutout to all the links...

I received a request to take a look at a newer Italian blog called "Remastered Cycle" today (they're excellent by the way and now in the blog links) and I thought this would be a good time shine some light on all the sites over on the list.  There must be something in the fall air because folks have been blogging up a storm lately.  Take some time and click around over there.  Plenty to see.

... and here's a shot of an cool bike from the latest addition.  Interesting stuff all over the place.

Reader Submittal. Custom built Indian "Chout"

Buck Pinkerton sends in this really cool old Indian! I would love to own something like this.  Damm near one of a kind!   Thanks!

Hi,
This is a friend's Indian Chout. It was built by her father before she was born, ostensibly a 1929 Scout frame holding a 1940 Bonneville Chief engine that he just happened to find in a crate at the southwest airbase where he was stationed. The forks look to be latter day chief. Some time in the 1980s the bike passed through the hands of a "restorer" who added the H-D front fender and odd looking instrument pod. At least he painted it right and stayed out of the engine. The bike is back in the family now, and from stories I've been told it was one fast machine.


Ride safe,
Buck Pilkenton

Ducati Monster Sprot bike ; )

Yes. There's and SR4 under there.

An XS 650 YZ Hybrid.

I absolutely love this bike. Like a DR650 only with even more torque!!

DEVIANTE! An S4RS built into a dirt bike by Terra Mostro

Terra Mostro builds bikes like these with 695 Monsters. this guy wanted a bit more power so he had them build this thing. I imagine he succeeded!

Stock specs on and SR4S:
Horsepower: 117.0 @ 9750 rpm
Torque: 68.2 lb.-ft. @ 7500 rpm
Corrected 1/4-mile: 10.71 sec. @ 126.57 mph 0-60 mph 3.12 sec.
Top-gear roll-on: 3.32 sec.

Only one in existence and it's for sale over on Adventure Rider for just shy of $20K. And probably worth it!

You gota love a Nortley Fartster!

Reader Ride. Honda Cafe Bobber ... er... Something. I Like It!!

Reader Aaron dux sends in this cool "Hybrid" build.

He Writes:

This is how my Honda 305 build came out. Not sure what category its in ( cafe,bobber.etc) but i like it. Thanks for the great web page
bike
1965 Honda cb77/cl77/cb160
a mix of mid 60's Honda parts

The TriBSA Vintage Motocrosser

UPDATE: Really Creative Reader Ride. Yamaha XS650 in a CT1-175 Enduro frame. And it Rocks!

UPDATE: Mike wrote the following over on the Yamaha Enduro message board about the build.  Hope you guys don't mind me adding it here.  He's responding to Ctune1 on that board:

Hi Mark-The inspiration for this bike came from seeing the Ducati Hypermotard at the Cycleworld show. Sabrina thought it was cool and suggested we build a “RetroRetard” of some sort. She didn’t have a bike or know how to ride but said she would and started looking for a bike. She soon found a CT1 on Craigslist and we went and picked it up in Hollywood for less than $100. It was mostly all there but we found out the motor was shot. I was working at WCC and we had a yamachopper which had been making the rounds and nobody ever got it running or rolling, so as it was a really awful mess I took the motor from it. We test fired it in the garage and nearly set the place on fire as I just had rigged the ignition and sprayed choke cleaner in the intakes while cranking it over. There were no carbs even so it just sort of roared and died in a ball of flame which eventually went out.


Inspired, we sat the engine on the ground and started hacking into the CT1 frame. The frame mods consisted of completely removing the down and under tubes originally in place for the 175. Then I ground and smoothed all the nubs and uglies off the frame top tube. Then I draped the frame over the engine which we had set on blocks on the ground. From there I could see it was possible! I drilled the rear down tube for horizontal “through” tubes which I tig welded in. I made alloy plates using cardboard templates to get the shape right. The same thing was done with the top head mount. The head had to be narrowed in the milling machine in the top mount area which normally is 3 inches wide or so. I milled it down to the same width as the top tube and made alloy plates to hold the head.


This had to be done to fit inside the tunnel of the fuel tank. Next I bent up some 4130 tube and made the engine cradle. Again I drilled through holes for the front mounts and welded in footpeg mounting bungs. After that the brake pedal was modified to fit. I made a battery box and mounts for coils and starter solenoid all under the seat.



The tank also had to have the seam on the bottom ground and smoothed to clear the head nuts. It’s pretty tight but it all fits.

The pipes I made also from mild steel bends. The mufflers are my own design with a chambered “flowmaster” style interior. The outer muffler plates I dimpled in the hydraulic press with some tooling I made before welding the muffler bodies together. The heatshield decoration is made from ¼ “steel rod, bent, welded, chromed.

Rear wheel is xs650, front is original but is soon to be replaced with a twin leading shoe unit from an r5.
There were a few other bits and pieces it took to get it all working but it’s a really fun bike to ride. It fits Sabrina perfectly, she learned to ride on it, went to a riders school and passed her test. She rides it a few times a week and it’s been really great fun. She loves the character and mechanical nature of the beast. It has way more character than modern plastic bikes all covered up, and starts easily and sounds great.

Next up on the list is a 350 sprint I have had sitting around for a year or so.

Best wishes to all, Mike



Mike Cook sent in thses pics of this really creative build.

He Writes:

Hi great blog you have going here! Here are some pics of a bike my friend Sabrina just finished! It started out as a Craigslist  found ct1 175 enduro with a knackered engine, so we replaced it with a fresh 650 unit, which Sabrina built with some pointing and grunting from me. The frame took some serious modifications to get the engine in there. I did the exhaust, mufflers and the frame work and helped find the parts. Next up is a big twin leading shoe drum from an R5 and some fork boots. All the best, Mike Cook

 Man I love builds like this.  Really well executed hybrid.  It must pull like a tractor!

Fantastic Penton / KTM "Oldie" Jack Pine Special Supermoto.

Double post from the two-stroke page.

I get some good traffic over here from the PentonUSA.org folks so every now and then I like to go over and see what they're up to.  Great bunch of folks and if you're even remotely interested in old Penton or KTM motorcycles (or any old dirtbike from that era) then go pay em a vist.  Great Stuff!

Anyway while I was snooping around over there I stumbled across this beauty.  I love this sort of treatment.   I was very tempted to buy a similarly built bike a while back that was based on an XT500.  It's one of the styles of bikes that really shine when "modernized".  Power should NOT be a problem and I imagine she handles brilliantly.


Mr JC Hubbard had the breakdown in his post as follows:
 '77 Penton 175 Engine with Lectron Carb

'77 Penton MC5 Frame & Tank
'80 KTM 175 Swingarm
'89 KTM GS 125 Forks, Wheels, Brakes
'78 KTM Torque Pipe
Trail Tech Cannondale Odo/Speedo
Magura Hymec Hydraulic Clutch
Magura 167 Front Brake Master
Kenda Tires
"Not mine, but a Very Unique project that I've helped my neighbor with. BTW,,,It's STREET LEGAL and is rode almost everyday, in nice weather!!"
Saw this on ktmtalk.com...In the "Oldie" Section Can't believe it -- but it's real...



Thanks Gents!

First ride today on the KZ650/750 hybrid! Sorry but I gotta gloat!

She runs like a scalded dog. Handles like she "planted" in the turn and if she was a singer that Kerker would be Pavarotti! Only downside is that I think I have a small head gasket leak from the high compression of the 650 head on the 750 juggs. No biggie really. I'm getting the hang of wrenching on this thing. Still a wee bit of jetting work to be done but it's pretty close as is for a frankenbike with 900 carbs/pods/kerker.

Another Reader submittal. One VERY unusual Ducati... er... Suzuki? It's a DUZI!!

The note that came from our anonymous builder reads:

I built this in my spare time ... called The Duzi .
Ducat 748 with Suzuki TL 1000 motor.

It's a Duzi indeed! I'm speechless. They look made for each other.

Thank you sir for sharing such fantastic motorcycles!

Cool! A Featherbed Framed Sporster Engine Racebike.