Project VT500 Ascot - mirror, rear fender, ignition switch, LED rear light, handle bar

A week ago I bought a second hand mirror and rear fender at motorsloop Wegman Motoren in Aalsmeer. I had to cut of some pieces and drilled some holes to make the fender fit. The mirror was rusty so it needed some attention. Sandpaper did the trick.

A few weeks ago I lost my Ascot keys at Goodwood so I needed a new ignition lock. The stock ignition lock is a pain in the ass. You can't reach it when you're wearing gloves so I decided to relocate the new ignition switch to the left side. I made a small bracket from a piece of metal. Drilled 5 holes in it with my biggest drill and with a iron file I made the big hole that I needed to fit the ignition switch. Took me almost an hour to make that hole but I managed, ha!

The handle bar that I mounted some weeks ago was crooked so I needed an other one. My good friend Zoran sponsored me a nice gold anodized Rental thinwall handle bar. I did not like the gold so again I did the sandpaper workout. I think it almost took me 3 hours to get rid of the gold but now it's looking fresh!

The new rear light is a vintage Hella (bicycle?) light that I bought some years ago. Dimitri from Super Motor co. helped me to convert it to 3 LED lights. If I would have used the normal fitting I would have to dril a hole in the fender to make room for the fitting and it did not have a stop light function. Chris Dekker welded the little anus under the headlight, thanks Chris :)

Now I just need a license plate bracket to get it on the road again.

Flat Track training from the Dutch-Brothers at MCS HOF - part 4

Flat Track training from the Dutch-Brothers at MCS HOF - part 2

It's veeeeery hard to capture our amazing speed on photo's :)
I felt like I was going crazy fast but when I look the pictures it shows I was riding like a snail...
I'm the dude with the Shark Brazil helmet. I don't have a racing suit so I was wearing a leather pants that was to small, and a leather jacket without proper protection so I'll need to invest in a better race suit next time. But the good news is that nobody crashed during the day!

Dirt Quake 3 - This weekend!

And I'll be there for the first time, can't wait :)  All my bikes are not running at the moment so I can't ride but it will be cool to see all the action and to meet everyone. Dimitri from Super Motor Co is giving me a ride to Dirtquake so I'm save, thanks dude!
Still need a place to crash on the camp side so if you're going and you have some extra space left in your tent/car/van/camper let me know! I'll bring a bottle of cheap gin :)

Here's all the Dirt Quake info:

"Dirt Quake III is nearly here, so here's a bunch of info.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where and when does Dirt Quake III take place?

Friday 18 and Saturday 19 July, 2014.

Norfolk Arena, King’s Lynn, PE34 3AG.

See the full schedule below.

Where can I buy tickets?

Buying tickets in advance saves money. Go to http://sideburn.bigcartel.com.

You can also pay on the gate. It’s £10 for Friday and £10 for Saturday or £15 for a two-day pass. Buy in advance and get a two-day pass for just £10. Under-16s go free with an adult.

I’ve ordered tickets but they haven’t arrived yet. What do I do?

All tickets will be left on the main turnstile during the opening times.

How much is parking?

Free and there is a large car park and roadside parking outside the event. There will be a specific unguarded bike park.

I would like to volunteer. How can I help?

We need help with set-up on Friday; marshals for Friday night; marshals for Saturday; turnstile helpers; campsite litter pickers.

I know there’s plenty of crazy racing, but what else is going on?

On Friday night, after the DTRA, party band, MFC Chicken and DJs will play in the bar and we have some games lined up.

On Saturday we have Dirt Quake regulars, Dream Themes supplying a live soundtrack to the racing. There will be a kids’ one-lap bicycle race, a motorised pie, the kind of stunt rider you’ve never seen before; custom bike show; dealer stalls; DJs and music in the bar on Saturday night.

We also have some star riders lined up.

What is the DTRA racing?

The DTRA is the UK's very own dirt track racing organisation. It caters for all types of racers from 'have a go here's' through to the cream of Europe’s flat track racers. This is proper US-style dirt track racing right here in the UK.

Is there going to be camping?

Yes, on the Friday and Saturday night. It is in a farmer’s field a two-minute walk from the track gate. The track has promised that campers can use their toilet and washing facilities. Please be respectful.

Their will be a minimal charge for camping. Payable on the day.

Campsite will be open from midday on Friday 18^th to midday on Sunday 20^th.

Sorry, no fires.

What about hotels?

There are two hotels five-minutes drive from the track: Premier Inn and Quality Inn and Ramada/ Quality Inn and many more in the area.

I want to make a weekend of it, what’s there to do in the area on Sunday?

For a lazy day, the Norfolk Arena is just 20 miles from the start of the North Norfolk coast and it’s beautiful beaches from Hunstanton around to Brancaster and Wells-Next-The-Sea. There are great pubs in the North Norfolk villages. The Queen’s country gaff is at Sandringham, 11 miles from the track. It’s £9 to enter the gardens and museum if that’s your thing.

Alternatively, Beers of Europe, one of the biggest beer shops in the world is just a few minutes from the track. It’s open seven days a week.

What’s the catering situation?

This is handled 100% by the track with no option to bring in third-party caterers. There is a café selling fry-ups, burger and chips, hot and cold drinks within the track and we’ve requested a barbecue for this year. There is also a new, large bar area. If in doubt, plan ahead.

Can I get a media pass?

There is a limit on trackside photographer passes and each photographer must prove they have their own public liability insurance. If you require a media or photographer pass please email us with a letter from the magazine, website or newspaper you are representing confirming that you are commissioned to cover the event for them.

There is no restriction on photographs taken from trackside as long as you are in a designated spectator area.

Are dogs allowed in the track?

Yes, but they must be on leads.
Is there disabled access? Yes. There are disabled parking spaces and easy access to the track and also a disabled viewing platform. 
Are there concession prices for OAPs or the disabled? No, we've kept the advance price at £10 (plus 60p booking) for everyone. Under-16s go free when accompanied by an adult. 

Can I enter to race on the day?

No. All entries close the Saturday before the race – July 12^th. Go here to find out how to enter - http://www.sideburnmagazine.com/DIRT_QUAKE_3.html

Do I need a special licence or race experience?

No experience necessary. You need a race licence, but a day licence can be purchased on the morning of the race for £10 (cash only).
Do I have to wear leathers and a full-face helmet to race? No, but it's your skin. We demand boots, gloves, helmet, eye protection, long sleeves, long trousers. We advise you wear the best safety gear you can put your hands on. If you want to wear fancy dress over the top, go ahead, but no loose scarves etc, that could get caught in a wheel.  Dirt Quake is fun, but its still racing.
I'm racing, can I choose my own race number? No, not this year. You will be given it when you sign on.

SCHEDULE

Friday 18^th July

12.00 Campsite open.

15.00 Pit Gates open to DTRA riders.

16.00 Sign on and Tech inspection.

17.30 Sign on and Tech inspection ends.

17.45 Riders briefing.

18.00 DTRA Practice.

18.00  Turnstiles open.

18.30 Riders Parade and DTRA racing starts.

22.00 Racing ends. Podium ceremony.

22.05 DJ Johnny Alpha and DJ Dave Taylor.

22.30 MFC Chicken live in the bar.

00.00  Bar closes.

Saturday 19^th July

9.00    Pit Gates open to Dirt Quake riders.

10.00 Sign on and Tech inspection.

11.30 Sign on and Tech inspection ends.

11.45 Riders briefing.

12.00 DTRA Practice starts.

12.00  Turnstiles open.

13.30 Riders Parade and Dirt Quake racing starts.

Racing and entertainment continues throughout the afternoon. Live band, stuntman, games, kid’s bicycle race, trade stands, custom show.

18.00 Racing ends. DQIII prize-giving.

18.30 DJ Johnny Alpha and DJ Dave Taylor.

23.00 Last orders.

Sunday 20^th July

12.00 Campsite closed. Gate locked. See you at the next one.

These timings are published as a guide. All times and attractions are subject to change without prior notice."

Wheels and Waves 2014 - part 4

Pics from Friend of Bubble Visor

Super Sport 250

WORLD PREMIER!!!
You saw it here first. This is the cool new concept bike from Dutch company Super Motor co.
The Super Sport 125 and the Super Sport 250. Can't wait to ride this little thing! The bike in the pictures is the 250.


Developing a bike in China; The story of Lucky Punk...

Building a bike in china. How hard can it be. A production prototype. Eat your hart out. 1 1/2 half years ago I did a photoshop mock up of a bike we envisioned. Vintage trials kind of looks, but basically a super motard 'avant la lettre'. Light weight and ample power. It ended up with a weight of 101 KG and a power of 27 BHP. Not too bad though. Of course these figures are non compliant to any type approval.

Lets go back to the first sentence and the second. China is a nightmare to work in. The language barrier is one to take in account but the mentality is one to ignore. Stupidity and idiocy galore. How do you get things done. Well you don't. Kafka's paradise. Finding brushes and rollers to make a seat base out of fibreglass weave and epoxy took us half a day. We've built this bike in 4 weeks. And that we got it finished in time for the Canton fair, where we were to present this bike to the international motorcycle trade, was a miracle.

Since we've been producing and selling a cub based bike for the last 4 years now we thought we knew how things are done in the far east. But we didn't. Since our dependency of our cub based model was too risky we decided to move on and do a proper city slacker motorcycle with hill climb aspirations. A mover and a shaker. Literally and figuraly speaking. The first engine supplied to us was wrong and came without balance shaft. The vibrations were so intense that it was no fun to ride if you had any fake teeth. You would have lost them after a minute or so.

Always liked the concept of a Super Motard. But never got round liking the way it looked. The basis of this production prototype is a so called dragon bone frame ( pressed steel back bone) which is widely available in China. To keep the bike as clean as possible ( I've never actually seen a production bike this clean) we used a 12V 4.5 Ah Li-ion battery the size of a pack of cigarettes which is stowed under the seat with the rest of the electric necessities.

Most difficult on this build was the fabrication of the exhaust. The factory that was going to do this pipe was provided by us with CAD drawings of the complete system. But once we got there and did the first fitment it was all off. Do not know why the Chinese do not stick to the drawings. In the end it took us 2 days to get it right. Accompanied by lots of swearing and a bucket load of incomprehension. But the result was spot on. It is a matter of getting on the same page asap.

We are friends for life though with the people of the paint factory. Unbelievably skilled and the only ones we encountered that did have a sense of perfection. They let us mix our own color by hand. They gave the tank  extra rub downs till they were happy with the result. We changed the color several times, no problem. Great and easy to work with, taken in account we could not understand each other. Communication with hands and feet.

The last hurdle was shipping the bike to the fair from Chongqing to Guangzhou. We arranged to ship the bike by air. The days to follow were to become one the of the most stressful in my life. The courier lost the bike. For 3 full days we were unaware where the bike was. We were about to miss the Fair all together. Upon our own physical arrival in Guangzhou the bike was still missing. And even at 5 in the afternoon, the day before the fair, the bike was still lost. Finally a few minutes later we've got a call the bike was found  We picked it up at 4 in morning the day at the cargo facility of the airport and assembled the bike on the parking lot in front of the fair.

So we made it. The bike rolled into the Fair complex just after nine and found a spot on the booth of Yinxiang Motors ( the factory that produces our cub based bikes). The next few days we drew a lot of attention with the bike. Lots of the Chinese did not understand our bike and told us off about it. FOB price too high bla bla bla. Too expensive to build... etc etc. Happily we met some like minded enthusiasts from around the world. Now after the fair we have a line up of 5 distributors from around the world to work with. So was it worth the stress, agony and total insanity? Yes it was.
As we speak we are working very hard to ready the bike for production. And of course put it through its paces during testing. We plan to launch the Super sport 125/250 in Q1 of 2015 with an indicative consumer price of 2500, - (125 cc) and 3000,- euro (250 cc).

Our very special thanks go to:  Ben Part, Jaap Volkers, Lennard Schuurmans, Billy Bai (Motorhead group), Kay Lan, David McMullen, Vivianne Zhu & Ryan Teng( Yinxiang group), Jackie Lu ( J. Juan Group), Rush Logistics (Chengdu).


Super Sport specifications:

Engine: CBNN 125 CC/ 223 CC SOHC single cylinder 
Power: 12 BHP/ 26 BHP Torque: 11 NM/ 22 NM 
Chassis: Dragon bone Super Motor Company 
Rims: Aluminium front 2.15-19, rear 2.50 -18
Hubs: Cast aluminium 
Brake discs: front 280 mm/ rear 190 mm 
Brake calipers: J. Juan, double piston front/ single piston rear
Tires prototype: Dunlop K70 3.50-19 front & 4.00-18 rear
Tires production: Duro HF 308 3.50-19 front & 4.00-18 rear
Exhaust: Super motor Company
Front forks: Yaoyong 
Rear shock absorbers: Sokon/ Fast ace 
Speedometer: Koso digital 
Battery: 12 V li-Ion 4.5 Ah 
Fuel system prototype: Koso 30 mm flat slide Fuel system production: Electronic fuel injection 
Fuel tank: Aluminium 
Fenders : Aluminium
Headlight: Rinder 
Taillight: Super Motor Company/ Rinder
Indicators: Bar end type, Super Motor Company/ Rinder
Consumer Pricing: 125 CC from 2500,- euro, 250 CC from 3000,- euro

Super Motor Co.