The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Vespa exploded view

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Cutaway drawings and exploded views are a neat way to see how mechanical things go together but what if you did it with the real thing? There was an art exhibit in Turin where the artist took three Vespa scooters, left one intact, removed the outer panels on the next and completely disassembled the third. It was suspended with all of the parts in proper relationship, just like … [Read more...]

Small gasoline engine builders

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Small engines, no, make that REALLY small engines, are so cool I just want to get a lathe and start turning metal. Of course, I haven't done any machining so I would trash the casting in short order but there are a surprising number of web sites showing what time and lots of skill can do. Gasoline engines about 5 or 6 inches long, some even smaller, designed and built from … [Read more...]

Yamaha targets hybrid motorcycle by decade end

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Yamaha president, Takashi Kajikawa, is pushing for a hybrid motorcycle (possibly like their concept, Gen-Ryu?) by the end of the decade. This was just one of the interesting comments he made in an interview with The Times Online. Kajikawa noted that Yamaha faces a declining motorcycle market in Japan, even though it is growing everywhere else, and in the face of that domestic … [Read more...]

Last Minute Motorcycle Gifts

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You've waited until this weekend to do your shopping and someone you know is a motorcycle nut, er, ... enthusiast, so what do you do? Lucky for you, some of the online merchants are ready. You can still order in stock items with free 2 day shipping (for orders over $100) at Motorcycle Superstore. They've got a lot of things at clearance prices, too, so that's a great place … [Read more...]

The Kneeslider’s new look

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If you're a regular reader of The Kneeslider, you've probably noticed I haven't been posting much recently. Well, I was down in the engine room mucking about. The Kneeslider has been chugging along on some very old machinery and it needed a bit of a rebuild. This morning I backed everything up and checked everything ten times and here's the result. It's far from done and … [Read more...]