Go Hard or Go Home
Motoretta Tourist Trophy 2019 The Moto TT for 2019 was a bust for me personally but again was well organised with some awesome roads and destinations. Accomodation was outstanding with 2 nights at the Brackenridge Country Retreat & Spa in Martinborough and 2 nights at DeBretts in Taupo as part […]
Read moreReachies Belladonna Scooter Recently a Belladonna scooter was advertised for sale in Auckland Black Bella 2003 – 172 QUATTRINI M1X MilleMiglia plus 60mm Mazzucchelli full circle Crankshaft. More or less 182cc – All engine work undertaken by professional technicians. – Quality bearings and seals – Mikuni TM32 flat slide carburetor […]
Read moreThe best motor racing event in New Zealand. 7th – 10th February https://www.burtmunrochallenge.co.nz/home The best scooter endurance event in New Zealand. 21st April – 25th April http://www.motoretta.co.nz/ The coldest motor racing event in New Zealand. Queens Birthday Weekend – 2nd June /3rd June http://www.brassmonkeyrally.org.nz/
Read more1979 Honda XL500S – 12 Volt lighting The wiring for this project has always been a bit of a concern and mainly because it’s not something I have done much of, on a motorcycle. Vespa scooter wiring, while fiddly, is pretty basic and you either have a battery or you […]
Read moreBajaj scooter – Moto 2019 Things have been a bit slow on the scooter front over the last year with one thing and another. The MotoTT 2019 is fast approaching and the Bajaj is getting some much needed love for the event. The last time out, on this event in […]
Read more1979 Honda XL500S – Tank 2 The petrol tank is one of the things I have spent the most time on over this entire project. After trying 3 tanks I decided on one that came off a 70’s Honda bike. I’m not exactly sure which model it is off but […]
Read more1979 Honda XL500S – Brakes 2 All of the brake caliper rebuild kits and new brake pads finally turned up and I have installed them and touched up the paint on the calipers. The brake pads were all in pretty bad condition and the new ones look good and should […]
Read more1979 Honda XL500S – Brakes 1 The CBR600 donor bike had been sitting for a long time and the front disc brakes were seized solid, so I will have to get some caliper kits and new brake pads all round. The brake lines have all been replaced with new braided ones because […]
Read more1979 Honda XL500S – Fabrication Other than building the seat base, the exhaust system and fittings there hasn’t been too much “fabrication” to do on this bike so far. There are a couple of things that do need sorted out, other than the electrical system, wheels, brakes, etc, etc; Handlebars, […]
Read more1979 Honda XL500S – Custom Exhaust The exhaust has been one of the hardest things to figure out for this first time fabricator. The original XL500s bike I had many years ago had a huge lump of a steel muffler that ran through the frame to the right of the […]
Read more1979 Honda XL500S – Seat The engine now runs and the CB tank is mounted at the front but not the rear. The look I’m trying to achieve is having the bottom of the tank continue on into the bottom of the seat, however with this frame, it won’t be […]
Read more1979 Honda XL500S – Frame 2 While sorting out the tank the seat has now become the next main focus because of where the rear of the tank will mount. There are plenty of cafe racer style seats available online, at reasonable cost but they might not necessarily fit. Some […]
Read more1979 Honda XL500S – Cafe racer tank So progress has been a bit slow but things are coming along and after another trade me purchase, the frame may now have a new petrol tank. The original XL tank that came with the bike had no fuel cap, was dented quite […]
Read more1979 Honda XL500S – original engine While doing the work to get a rolling frame done, I had been online looking at petrol tanks, seats and various electrical things that I would eventually need. Its been hard not to buy a whole lot of stuff but from reading online, that’s […]
Read moreElsie the Lambretta’s new shed So finding parts for a 67 year old scooter still hasn’t got any easier. Some engine parts and what not have appeared on ebay but freight costs have proved to be prohibitive. Even with a functioning engine the LC still would be a tough restoration […]
Read more1979 Honda XL500S – Suspension upgrade I had read on one of the thumper forums that replacing the XL swingarm with the FT one was possible with not too much hassle. The FT is wider at the mounting point and longer with the bottom shock mounts a little further back […]
Read more1979 Honda XL500S While scooters are what I generally like to work on and ride, I have had a number of different bikes over the years. One of my favorites was a 1979 Honda XL500s. It was one of those dual purpose bikes that you used on the road but […]
Read moreBurt Munro 2018 Wow, what an awesome weekend! This is the first time the drags have been run as an event in the Burt Munro challenge rally and it was very well received. You don’t have to like motorcycles to appreciate the drags as the concept is very simple – […]
Read moreBurt Munro Challenge Rally 9am, Thursday 8th February – 12pm, Sunday 11th February 2018 MUNRO FAMILY TROPHY The Munro family has generously donated a spectacular trophy which is given to the “Competitor of the Year” at each annual Challenge. The Munro family presents the trophy in honour of Burt […]
Read moreCanscoot Show Weekend Ride 2017 The annual ride with the Canscoot ones from Christchurch was another interesting journey into Central Otago with great weather and awesome riding conditions. We had organised to ride up to Cromwell and then on to Bannockburn to meet up with the rest of the group […]
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