Update | the motorcycle on its way to Star Twin

Here a short update about the development of my café race to be. Like mentioned before two boxes with Rizoma parts arrived last week and some of these have been mounted on the motorcycle already; like the dry open clutch, this became a real eye-catcher on the engine! Later on the aluminum milled time belt covers and oil plug will be the icing on the cake for the engine.
At the moment the motorcycle is in the workshop of Star Twin. They will install the wiring, Dellorto carburetors, oil cooler and exhaust system. Hopefully it will be back in three weeks, so I can continue with the preparations for the clay modeling. Hope to start with the body shaping in July..

The motorcycle in the van, in its way to Star Twin. The short rear end of the motorcycle is clearly visible and the part of the frame pointing out will be trimmed; so the bike will be shorter and lighter!

Already shared in a Tweet last Saturday, but what an impressive dry clutch!

Rizoma parts!

Today two more boxes filled with beautiful Rizoma parts arrived! I needed some crucial parts for the motorcycle's "engine assembly" next week; handle bars, clutch pressure plate, clutch cover, sprocket cover etc.. and some more styling related parts; mirrors, indicator lights and handle bar ends.
All these Rizoma parts really come like jewellery; packed in very neath designed boxes. The products are displayed in a black foam block, behind a clear plastic cover. The guys at Rizoma really know how to sell their products and quality. Actually you need to buy each part twice; one to mount on your motorcycle and one to place on your desk.. just to look at! And when your whole table is filled with these awesome parts it really feels like Christmas!

The tank cap is one of my favorites; the material combinations, the graphics on the parts and the key system! When you insert the specially designed key you need to push down the red part and then the tank cap opens, and one of the most genius solutions; the tank cap remains connected to the key, until you lock it correctly after refueling. many thanks to Rizoma for sponsoring my motorcycle project; all these parts will make the final design look even better!

Check out more Rizoma parts via; http://www.rizoma.com/

Motorbikers dream backyard!

For every wrenching motorbike lover the garden in this sweet movie clip is heaven. The guys at Classified Moto in Richmond Virginia, USA, build beautiful authentic motorcycle and lamps; cool combination!

My hands start itching when I see John walking around, searching for parts he can use for his lamp.



More of their work at http://www.classifiedmoto.com/ 

Exhaust design

On a proper Ducati, you'll need a proper exhaust! With the sound of the dry clutch and the open K&N filters on the carburetors, a loud exhaust sound is a must have.
Since I cannot find an "off the shelf" GP style like exhaust.. I decided to draw my own one, matching the current body design. The guys at Star Twin are highly skilled in shaping any exhaust bikers want, so this one must be a doable one for them!

This sketch is one of the initial key sketches, but still relevant on the exhaust and rear end design. Hope you all like it, comments are more than welcome!

Wooden surfboard with honeycomb structure

No motorcyycles today.. but skilled craftmanship of Mike Grobelny, based in Auckland New Zealand. I love the technical honeycomb structure in his surfboard, and it is very sweet to see the milling process!

As Mike writes on his site; "The surfboard (and culture of surfing) represents conflict between industry and the environment. The physical act, and the culture of surfing, provides an intimate connection with nature and natural forces. It is this emotional and physical engagement with nature that makes the surfing experience powerful and enriching for many people. In direct contrast to this natural experience is the use of toxic materials in the manufacture of surfboards, with negative impacts for both board manufacturers and the natural environment. These toxic synthetic materials provide a high level of performance, which most surfers are looking for and is not easily achieved using natural materials.

The combined aesthetic of the surfboards beautiful form and natural materials, moves the surfboard from a relatively short-lived disposable sport product to a treasured artefact, increasing its inherent value and challenging the disposable mentality prevailing in current surf-culture."

More information and photo's check Mike Grobelny's website http://cargocollective.com/mikegrobelny/

Pierobon F042 | One of the best tubular frames ever

Still one of the best looking tubular frames available these days; the Pierobon F042! The curved frame tube connects the swingarm pivoting point to the head tubes, it flows into the other frames tubes with two nice curves. The height of the curve in this tube creates a nice arcade around the standing cylinder!

The milled connection point for the rear shock blends perfectly into the frame tubes, you can see the forces flowing through..

The balance of frame and bodywork is amazing. The white body work brilliantly respects the main lines of the frame, increasing the forward leaning appearance of the F042. The focus point of this bike certainly is the frame; an awesome motorcycle to watch!

Note; the eye for detail is amazing… the vague grandstands are at the great TT track of Assen!

More information; http://www.pierobonframes.com/ or http://www.f042.com/

Body design | foam shaping part 2

This weekend I have been working on the body design again. The tank area has been expanded; it widens in the front like a café racer tank. The final design will be slim and long; so enough space to slide over the seat while cornering and fitting my legs perfectly!
Also the rear end of the motorcycle has been modified, I had to add one layer of foam on both sides of the seat and one layer on top of the rear. I finished Saturday evening gluing the foam together, so I can rasp and shape it next weekend. The lower part of the foam body will be trimmed done, in order to closely fit the tubular frame. From that moment on the clay can be smudged on the foam, but that will be done after the frame has been shortened and the engine is running.

Last week I prepared a simple bracket to try multiple headlight positions; this allowed me to try different heights and variations in distance to the head stock. At the moment I have the feel that I like it as low as possible (keeping the front fender and the maximum suspension travel in mind) and with the front of the headlight aligned with the front wheel axle.

TT Man 2012... 26th May - 8th June!

Three weeks to go and then the 2012 round of the TT of Man will start. Will Guy Martin manage to win one race this year, or will he be crowned “King of the Mountain” and will all five races? We’ll know in a couple of weeks!

Stay tuned via http://www.iomtt.com/ For now an impressive review of the 2011 edition.


Video via http://www.youtube.com/user/isleofmantt

Rizoma 77|011 bicycle

The 77|011 is Rizoma's first ever bicycle, and hopefully not their last! Designed and made in Italy, a combination of styling and performance.

The 77|011 is just 8 kg, thanks to a carbon fiber frame and aluminum milled components. That’s what Rizoma is good at, CNC milling brilliant components for motorcycles and… since today also bicycles! 

The 77|011 is Rizoma's first ever bicycle, and hopefully not the last! Designed and made in Italy, a combination of styling and performance.

The 77|011 is just 8 kg, thanks to a carbon fiber frame and aluminum milled components. That’s what Rizoma is good at, CNC milling brilliant components for motorcycles and… since today also bicycles! The Rizoma 77|011 comes with a nice oil free drive belt. Ideal for commuter traffic; no dirt and ultra light! 

More impressions and great videos of Rizoma on http://www.youtube.com/user/rizomaofficialtv?feature=watch or via http://www.rizoma.com/