The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Ural Yamal Comes with an Oar for When the Rivers Overflow and the Alligators Attack

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A few days ago the Ural Yamal was introduced and the usual press release was circulated to bring it to everyone's attention. As Urals go, it has everything you need, and would expect, if you're the type to go out in the uncharted territories, but it includes an accessory most of us don't usually look for, ... an oar. As Ural explains: An impasse may come in other shapes … [Read more...]

Maarten Janssens is Building the MJ Works Racing Supermono

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Recently, I got a note from Maarten Janssens, you remember him, he's the student who designed and built his own 250cc racer from scratch. Some of you commented the work he did on that project was a strong indication we might be hearing more from him and, sure enough, his first racer was just a warm up. Maarten just turned 22, he's still studying, but after the first bike was … [Read more...]

DIY V-Twins From Unexpected Places – the Home Made Junak 700

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Up until the moment I received an email from Kim Scholer, I had never heard of, or at least don't remember ever hearing of, a motorcycle manufacturer by the name of Junak. According to wikipedia it's a Polish marque, built from 1956 to 1965, though it seems there are some later versions, perhaps the company was bought and restarted? The old engine was a single cylinder … [Read more...]

Janus Motorcycles – Hand Made Small Displacement American Motorcycles

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Devin Biek and Richard Worsham decided to build something a little different and from what I can see, they've definitely done that. The team formed Janus Motorcycles in Goshen, Indiana and they're hand building their bikes, with styling cues from various motorcycles of the 20s and 30s, though not really copying the style of any one in particular, though you might see some … [Read more...]

Honda Makes the 2013 CB500F the All Purpose Middle Weight

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The last bike in the 2013 Honda lineup we should look at is the CB500F. After the CB750 was first introduced, Honda then made the inline 4 in lower displacements for anyone who preferred something smaller and lighter. With the new CB1100, you might think they would follow the retro air cooled I4 the same way, but they didn't, instead, the 500 is a liquid cooled parallel twin. … [Read more...]