From the monthly archives:

January 2009

V8 Motorcycles from Sweden

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 1/22/2009

in Motorcycle Builders, Motorcycle Design

When you hear of someone building a V8 motorcycle, you might think of Boss Hoss and the somewhat over sized bikes they produce. There are some really nice V8s built from a pair of inline 4 motorcycle engines, like the Drysdale V8, but Rolf Andersson of Sweden thought he would try to build something a [...]

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Blank Canvas Motorcycles

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 1/22/2009

in Motorcycle Business, Motorcycle Design

After seeing some of the comments about the recently introduced Honda Fury, I can appreciate Honda’s thinking and the same goes for the 2010 Triumph Thunderbird. Both of these bikes are simply a blank canvas for whatever the owner wants to create. Both are complete and finished on the dealer floor but, as offered, very [...]

{ 14 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

Steve McQueen Métisse Desert Racer Replica

by Duncan Moore - Contributor to The Kneeslider on 1/21/2009

in Duncan Moore, Motorcycle Builders, Vintage Motorcycles

Steve McQueen was well known as a motorcyclist and, as anyone who has seen him in the film ‘On Any Sunday’ will know, a capable dirt bike racer too. What is perhaps less well known was that he had a great deal of personal input into the bikes he rode and raced. One such bike, [...]

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Wooden Vespa Scooter

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 1/20/2009

in Motorcycle Builders

Maybe you’re not a metal bender and your welding skills are not the best, don’t despair, there’s always wood. Portuguese carpenter Carlos Alberto remade a Vespa with an absolutely beautiful laminated wooden body.
Not much to say other than, Wow! Very nice.
Link: Carpinteria Carlos Alberto via Jalopnik
More photos below:

{ 20 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

400 MPH Motorcycle Tire in Development

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 1/20/2009

in Motorcycle Racing

In the current motorcycle land speed record wars, the contestants have accomplished some amazing things, now running over 360 mph on the salt. However, going faster isn’t simply a matter of more horsepower, you have to make sure every part of your machine is up to the task and at current speeds, the streamliners have [...]

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Chinese Motorcycle Design Curiosities

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 1/20/2009

in China, Motorcycle Business, Motorcycle Design

Some examples of Chinese motorcycle design are inspiring. Take this example for instance, maybe it’s just me but this HBMoto “250 Sport Cruiser” looks like it was “inspired” by the Storz XR1200. Just a coincidence I suppose. Of course, no one is going to mistake this 250 for a 1200 but c’mon.
Tom wrote in to [...]

{ 46 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

Major motorcycle manufacturers have their own in house design studios but smaller builders often hire out much, if not all, of their design work to specialized firms. Even the large companies occasionally go outside for a portion of their work and, whether for large firms or small, that’s where studios like Xenophya Design come in, [...]

{ 12 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }

Ace Cycle Car Update

by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" on 1/19/2009

in Motorcycle Builders, Motorcycle Business, Three Wheel Motor Vehicles

A couple of years ago I pointed out the ACE Cycle Car, a Morgan styled 3 wheeler powered by a Harley Davidson V-Twin. It’s been a little while since I checked out the Ace website and Pete Larsen, the builder of this very sweet little machine, dropped me a line to let me know he’s [...]

{ 24 readers have commented so far, ... your thoughts? }