Car show

Went to a car show today at a local hospice. It was nice day and it was close enough to walk to. Was fairly small but there were a few interesting cars, lorries, and tractors.

(Note: one of the lorries had something unacceptable on it, hence the black squares).

Cautionary tale

Please take the time to read this post on 'Thistledown' - we don't want to lose anyone!

Stolen Yamaha SZR 660 Race Bike

Found this on a Facebook group I'm a member of. SZR 660s are very rare, and race ones even rarer, so please keep a lookout for any bikes or spares that appear for sale. I think the owner is in Austria, but with parts being sold on the Internet, they could end up anywhere.
Owner's Facebook Page. 
(If you're not on Facebook and have some info, let me know and I'll pass it on.)

Hi everyone!
My yamaha szr was stolen last week, together with all my racing stuff. I don't expect to ever see it back again, and certainly not as one piece.
But just to warn everybody so they won't buy a stolen bike or a part of it (and maybe warn the police?), I'm sharing some details of the bike and ofcourse a few pictures (they were taken 2 weeks ago).
- TZR 250 fuel tank, white paint, transparant stompgrip. Like you can see on the pictures, it was partially wrapped with a carbon look wrap. You can't close the tank, because I lost a part of the black cap. I used to close it with tape.
- Honda RS 250 seat with custom red subframe. The subframe was adjusted to fit on the frame. This part of the subframe was not red.
- Custom made titanium exhaust. It has no brand on it, because it was especcialy made for this bike.
- Brand new lap timer PZ RACING. Adjusted to fit on the front subframe, because the velcro didn't keep the laptimer on its place.
- Golden braking caliper at the front wheel.
- The brake lever (IRC) was black, and a little bit scraped (yes, I used it kiki emoticon )
- No key (we removed the lock), start button on the left clip on.
- Aftermarket grey cnc clip ons, the black plastic end of the left side is a little bit damaged (so is the handgrip, which was a standard szr's on this side)
- You can't put a sidestand on the frame, because the frame is broken at this point.
- Also the after market rear suspension is damaged, I wouldn't buy it wink emoticon Main colours: red and white
- The tires on the bike are Dunlops Sportmax GP 110/70 ZR 17, D209FGP and 150/60 ZR 17, D209GP
- The stolen extra rims were black. Raintires rear: bridgestone 170, front: dunlop 125
And ofcouse lots more. Most parts were adjusted to the bike.
Blue biketek tirewarmers, for tiresizes 160 and 110(?)
A red facom box containing screwdrivers, hex keys, small torque wrench, and more.
A yellow box containing: electric cables, silver paddock stand for the front of the bike, oil, digital tire pressure meter, pump, a large torque wrench, and more
Also my leathers (old probiker, size 48 and new probiker PRX14, size 48
), helmet (uvex, M), boots (old Sidi's, 39), back protector (vanucci, ladies type S, old model), gloves,... are stolen.
The gray VW caddy in the background of one of the pictures is stolen, containing the bike and all the other stuff.

Friday bike

Back in the 80s I owned a BMW R75/6. This is still the biggest bike I've owned and the first I went abroad on. At the time, the R100Rs was the most desirable of the BMW range, but there was something even more exotic.

Krauser MKM1000

The MKM1000 was built by Krauser, the luggage company, and was a R100 engine with their frame and bodywork. The frame consisted of 56 tubes welded at 150 points, and the saddle and tank cover were a single piece.

Needless to say, all of this was very expensive, and only 100 were built over a 2 year production run. I've only seen one and that was at a bike show in London (possibly on Krauser's stall).

If that wasn't exotic enough, and option was Krauser's 4 valve head conversion. This was a 'bolt on' kit for BMW 1000s that increased the power from 70 to 82 bhp. I had a catalogue from BMW specialists Ultimate Source, and I seem to remember the kit was in the region of £1000 (a LOT of money in the 80s). A neighbour's brother had a standard R100RS, and bought a kit in Germany (where they were about £600). I remember him saying that the greatest improvement to the engine was the spread of power rather than the increased top speed.

As this was the 80s, it was finished in a rather unfortunate paint scheme. I don't know what happened then, but a lot of bikes had rather odd colour schemes then. Mr Combo posted  a picture recently of a BMW he'd seen and asked if it was a standard scheme, I think it was!

It wasn't just bikes. I've got a BMW waterproof suit from that era that's definitely 'of its time'. One of these things you buy cheaply on Ebay, it was one of the first bike suits that used Gore-Tex in its construction, but that doesn't excuse the colour! In that traditional German fashion, the trousers are salopettes, and by modern standards it feels really flimsy – thin material and no body armour. 

Go on, have a laugh!

Further reading on the Krauser MKM1000:

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

Article 4

Scottish Classic Motorcycle Show

See when you plan on going to a show and even post a copy of the flyer on Facebook,

Always remember to read the flyer to see that the show is on Saturday and not Sunday, as it had been in previous years!

Yes, I got up this morning, put my bike gear on, and was just about to get the bike out to go, when I thought I would check what time the show started. That's when I realised it had been yesterday!
Oh well, missed it this year. Found a gallery of the bike I would have seen had I read the flyer: Photos

Decided to go for a run on the bike anyway, but my heart wasn't really in it, so headed home after an hour or so. Just did some work in the garage on the bikes instead - I'd bought a gasket set for the CL350, so gave the engine outer cases an fresh coat of paint (I'd painted them a couple of years ago, but they'd got scratched lying about unfitted). I also reassembled the rear end of the SZR with lots of nice shiny new bolts.

(Note lightweight racing chain!)

So back end in and it was time to take the front wheel out for painting. I also took the LHS fork leg out as it has a leaking seal. I've drained the oil and as this will be the first time I'll have worked on USD forks, I actually read the manual! Seems I need a special tool to fit down the fork to unscrew the cartridge. As this is an Italian built Yamaha it has Paioli forks, and I've yet to find if this tool is a) expensive, and b) even still available. Oh, the joys of rebuilding rare bikes!

Friday bike

Thinking about a new sportsbike for the summer? Have some spare cash in your bank account? Then this could be the bike for you.

Honda RC213V-S

The RC213V-S is a road going version on Honda's Moto GP bike. Built as one of those 'look what we can do' projects, like the NR back in 1979, the RC213V-S is bound to equally unlikely to be seen outside of a private collection, and almost certainly not on the road.

There has been some speculation as to price, but the latest figures I could find were:

21.9 million Yen = £114,000 = 157,000 Euros = US$ 177,000.

Honda will be taking orders from 13^th July, and as they are only going to be building a limited number, be sure to get your order in early to avoid disappointment.

To put the price into perspective, you could buy a Yamaha R1M, a BMW S1000RR, Kawasaki H2, a Ducati Panigale R, and an Aprilia RSV4 RF, and still have money left over!

2016 Honda RC213V-S: Tech Specs

Engine: Fuel-injected 999cc liquid-cooled DOHC 16-valve V4
Power and Torque: 210+ bhp (with the optional track-use-only kit) and 118Nm
Transmission: Dry multiplate clutch, 6-speed constant mesh
Fuel tank capacity: 20 litres
Wheels and tyres: 17-inch (front and rear), 120/70 (front), 190/55 (rear)
Weight: 170kg dry

Dedicated RC213V-S website.