19 June 2009
Image copyright Kar Lee 2009
Take a sprinkling of James Bond, world championship racing and technology from Nazi Germany's notorious V-1 and V-2 flying bombs and you get the remarkable true story of Stealing Speed (Haynes, £17.99), a new book by PB contributor and ex-TT racer Mat Oxley. In Stealing Speed Oxley sheds light on how in the cold war era of the 1960s, Suzuki bought stolen secrets from defecting MZ rider and Iron Curtain hero Ernst Degner in a move that would change the face of motorcycle Grand Prix racing forever. Absolutely essential reading.
12 April 2009
Images copyright James Lisle 2009
Big Katanas have always fascinated us at PB. Although the original design dates back to the early 80s, the bold lines still cut the mustard today, and still influence the latest breed of GSX-Rs if you squint a bit. OK, a lot. Seems the Japanese are still in love with them too - a Japanese Suzuki dealership called Unicorn Design wanted to keep the Katanas alive by bringing them up to date so created these bikes seen at the recent Tokyo motorcycle show. Beautiful.
1 March 2009
Images remain original owner's copyright 2009
If you've ever built a model motorcycle from Tamiya, you'll know how frustrating and rewarding the experience can be. It's a great way of killing a few days, and being able to say to anyone who'll listen who you once "built a Suzuki Katana from scratch". And while some of us may have an eye for detail, we'll be going some to match the Japanese guy who built this 1/12th scale Rossi rep M1. Not only has it been painstakingly crafted from start to finish, but it also features the 'upgrade parts' which include metal components in obsessive detail - check out the drive chain with individual links. The chain is shown above compared to the standard plastic item. For more info and the full story, go here
21 January 2009
Images copyright Muschi 2009
We love specials of all shapes and sizes. If it shows ingenuity, a flair for the different, then we want to see it. Some owners are as interesting as the bikes themselves. We'd say that could well apply to the builder of this Ducati. Muschi has started off with an MH900E frame and swingarm, slotted in a 1000DS motor in, added Hypermotard wheels, Monster S4R discs, 1098 forks and calipers and a modified SS 900 tank.
Read more in the projects section of the pb forum
here.You must be a registered user of pbmagforum.co.uk to view the content. Join up at www.pbmagforum.co.uk
21 January 2009
Images copyright Suspensionsmith 2009
From the mind that gave us the FZR400 Fireblade (below) is this. Built for racing, it's essentially a KTM 550 LC4 motor bolted into an RGV250 frame, with hand-crafted rear swingarm and a monoarm front. SuspensionSmith, we salute you. Read more on the forum
here
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02 January 2009
If you like your MotoGP and WSB, you'll love
motogpmatters.com. Run by friend of pb, Kropotkin, the site is a resourceful, lively blog on matters of racing on the world stage, scooping up all the info and gossip you'd ever desire and sticking it conveniently under one roof. Don't forget to pick up a calendar and visit the discussion forum while you're there, will you?
18 December 2008
Images copyright Chris Hough 2008
Chris Hough, Aprilia RSV owner (also known as Driverchris on the pb forum) has an illustrative talent, a love of bikes and he's not afraid to use it. Getting knee-deep in Photoshop and Illustrator to fuel his passion, he's created some stunning imagery. "I've been a graphic designer for over a decade, but in my free time I draw pictures of motorbikes in a vector style that I like - clean and striking" he tells us. Any tips for beginners? "I don't think its difficult to do at all once someone learns how handle bezier curves work, then it's merely a matter of looking at the pic you're working from and replicating what you see - sometimes I think it's harder to know when to stop - the image of De Puniet on the Givi Honda is probably more striking than the one of JT, but it took a quarter of the time to produce". Check out the gallery over on pb's forum for more examples of Chris's work.
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17 December 2008
Images copyright Suspensionsmith 2008
If a 1998 FireBlade motor slotted into a Yamaha FZR400RR SP sounds like a barrel of laughs, then prepare to chuckle at this. Making 150bhp and weighing just 152kg wet, Suspensionsmith's hybrid is worth a second, third and fourth glance, as it pulls away from you on the track. Featuring Ohlins suspension, a home-made carbonfibre tank, 997cc piston kit, modified frame, Triumph Daytona 650 fairing and a host of other tried and tested performance mods, the bike was built for riding. Described as being a little "rough around the edges, cosmetically" by the owner, we love it's purposeful look and can only imagine what a hoot it is to actually ride.
Read more, click on the PB forum topic link
hereYou must be a registered user of pbmagforum.co.uk to view the content. Join up at www.pbmagforum.co.uk
