Friday bike

Chak Motors 'Molot'

Built in Russia and based on a Honda CBR 1000 RR, the 'Molot' boasts loads of technology and interesting styling.
More here,  and on the company website. No mention of price or availability, though!

....and you can tour on small scooters

Found this on the Web. Sorry, don't know who the author is, if anyone does please let me know.

I don't own a car but my wife and I ride Suzuki AN 125 Scooters . We live in Durban and we have been to the Cape and back. Last December we went to Mozambique and back. We love camping and fishing we carry a double dome tent, double bed blow up mattress, 2 sleeping bags , our feather pillows, 2 chairs, Poetjie , braai , charcoal , food .clothing , a boat (Marina 3 inflatable ) battery engine, battery , fishing rods, tackle and more on our scooters . Everything you carry on your bukkie and trailer we have . People cant believe it . We are really having fun and saving loads of money 

Poetjie = cooking pot, and braai = barbeque grill. Not sure what 'bukkie' means, but you get the idea. Carrying an inflatable boat? That is superb!

Friday bike

You're going to have to raid the piggy bank to buy one of these!

Hesketh 24

First bike for a very long time from Hesketh of F1 Racing car and exotic and expensive V twin motorcycle fame.

Powered by a 1950cc S&S X-Wedge engine, the 24 is so named as there will be only 24 of them built. This probably means that they will go into collections and never be ridden on the road.

Whether this signals the start of bike production  by Hesketh or not remains to be seen, but at £35,000 each (44,000 Euros, US$57,000) it's a bike only for the well heeled.

Technical stuff:


Spec sheet

Engine	Air-cooled, 1950cc, V-twin
Ignition/ Start	Digital / Electric
Security	Keyless ignition & immobiliser
Exhaust	Two into one into two – stainless steel & carbon fibre
Frame	Chrome-moly tube cradle frame
Swing Arm	Steel box section with integral oil tank
Front & Rear wheel	17” BST Blackstone carbon fibre
Front & Rear tyre	120/70/ZR17, 190/70/ZR17
Handlebars	Renthal tubular tapered steel Fatbars (UK made)
Fuel tank capacity	19 litres
Seat height	820mm
Wheelbase	1550mm
Gearbox	Baker 5-speed with overdrive
Clutch	Baker wet multi-plate KingKong clutch cable actuation
Front suspension	43mm Öhlins USD forks, adjustable preload, compression & rebound damping, fully machined billet yokes
Rear suspension	Öhlins reservoir-style twin shocks, adjustable ride height, preload, compression & rebound
Power	125PS @ 6000RPM
Torque	196Nm @ 3000RPM
Front brakes	Beringer 300mm floating discs, 4 piston Beringer Aerotech caliper, Stainless steel braided hoses
Rear brakes	Single Beringer 250mm disc, 4 piston Beringer Aerotech caliper, Stainless steel braided hoses

More reading: here, company website here.

Friday bike

Following on from last week's 'Friday bike', I was still looking for a replacement for my BMW. Another bike I seriously thought about was:

Kawasaki GT550

As a tourer the GT had a lot going for it: sensible riding position, shaft drive (was thought important then), big (22 litre) fuel tank, and low exhaust that allowed panniers to be easily fitted.

A very popular bike at the time with many racking up huge mileages at the hands of couriers.
My plan would have been to fit panniers and a screen/small fairing, and use it as a general runaround/commuter that I could also use for European trips.

When I was looking on the Internet for pictures of a GT550, I came across this example. You can't deny its got a lot of luggage carrying ability!

General information
Model:	Kawasaki Z 550 GT
Engine and transmission
Displacement:	553.00 ccm (33.74 cubic inches)
Engine type:	In-line four
Stroke:	4
Power:	50.00 HP (36.5 kW)) @ 8500 RPM
Compression:	9.5:1
Bore x stroke:	58.0 x 52.4 mm (2.3 x 2.1 inches)
Valves per cylinder:	2
Fuel control:	DOHC
Cooling system:	Air
Gearbox:	6-speed
Transmission type final drive:	Shaft drive (cardan)
Physical measures
Weight incl. oil, gas, etc:	221.0 kg (487.2 pounds)
Chassis and dimensions
Front tyre dimensions:	100/90-19
Rear tyre dimensions:	120/90-18
Front brakes:	Dual disc
Rear brakes:	Expanding brake
Speed and acceleration
Top speed:	177.0 km/h (110.0 mph)
Other specifications
Fuel capacity:	22.00 litres (5.81 gallons)