The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

XS650 Cafe Racer and Street Tracker Conversions

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Where are all of the nice, smaller displacement motorcycles that look good and are fun to ride? They're everywhere, you just need to do a little work. If you're looking for inexpensive options to a vintage British cafe racer, especially if you like the idea of building your own, you can start with a lot of different models, the Honda CB750 always gets a lot of attention but the … [Read more...]

Ala Verda 850 – Norton Commando Laverda Hybrid

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The British have long mixed and matched motorcycle engines and frames, the Triton, Tribsa and similar mongrels have been running the roads for decades, leave it to a Frenchman to bring Italy into the mix. Daniel Delfour liked Nortons quite a lot and thought about building a track day special with Norton power, something like a Seeley or Rickman. Coming across a Laverda 650 … [Read more...]

Oldsmobile Quad 4 Motorcycle Project

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Chris Fairbrother has an idea for an all new sportbike, something very fast and easy to maintain, that doesn't have to rev high to produce major power; hence large displacement (2300cc). Oldsmobile, with assistance from Jim Feuling, developed an engine in 1988, the 2.3 liter, iron-block, four-valve DOHC aluminum-head Quad 4, putting out about 180 horsepower and tunable for … [Read more...]

Japanese Customs by Gravel Crew

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A comment on another post led me to Gravel Crew Custom Service. These bikes are stunning. After looking at some of the new bikes coming out this year and then looking at these, there's just no comparison. (Like, for instance, the Ducati streetfighter, ...) Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, these are absolutely beautiful. Clean, simple, functional, just plain nice. With the cold weather … [Read more...]

World’s Fastest 50cc Motorcycle Project

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A Real Machine Eric Manning is one of those guys who are driven to make something real and tangible. He’s a guy I know personally, and I am privileged to have the opportunity to shed some light on his recent project. I felt a formal interview would be the best way to get Eric’s ideas across and I have included the Q&A below. Now, I love a good concept rendering as much as … [Read more...]

REDZ Motorcycle Company Japanese Customs

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Another custom builder just popped up on our radar, it's REDZ Motorcycle Company over in The Netherlands. Remember Bratstyle? Well REDZ builds custom bikes along those lines, based on the Yamaha SR400/SR500/TW200, the Kawasaki W400/W650 and other small displacement Japanese bikes. They also offer all of the parts you might need to put one of these together yourself. Their … [Read more...]