Posts Tagged ‘cf’

Play along with me, because I guarantee this is going someplace. I find solace and a certain amount of nostalgic tingling whenever I get the chance to take in a swap meet or salvage yard. I like to think in my head that I am the Indiana Jones of motorcycling on that particular day and no person on earth can stop me from acquiring the Crystal Skully, or at least the Yamaha DT tank that I really want for my latest project. If chopping up perfectly good stuff is wrong, then i don’t want to be right.

How many different bikes other than the original donor were cannibalized to make your current machine?

(a) None – 0 points
(b) 1 or 2 bikes – 10 points
(c) Between 3 and 5 – 20 points
(d) More than 5 bikes – 50 points

Two Wheeled Stimulus (not that kind you perverts)

The price of oil is thru the roof because a suit in his air conditioned office blames any and all blips on the natural disaster radar for a need to raise prices and compensate. Grocery bills are climbing and climbing because it takes longer to truck food around irradiated areas rather than drive thru them,  and the new Air Jordan’s cost more than a Chilean miner makes in 12 months.  This whole global economy thing makes my head spin, and unfortunately motorcyclists land right smack dab in the middle of it all.  While the big three motor companies in Detroit are receiving US federal money to get them out of trouble the Japanese based “big 4” motorcycle manufacturers don’t get the same concessions.  Multiple teams pulled their efforts from superbike racing due to funding issues, Suzuki has reduced sales of sport bikes to the US, and most manufacturers saw downturns of 30-40% since this global shitstorm began.

It’s a safe bet that many other motorcyclists you encounter are “brand loyal” to their current mount.  Kawasaki guys bleed green, Honda guys proudly display their wings, Yamaha guys don’t think blue is a sad color at all, and even Moto Guzzi guys are proud of………..I don’t really know what they have to be proud of, but they are.  But call it elitism, or boasting if you want, but nobody is a more fevered and adamant fan of their brand then the Ducatisti.  They are after all riding what equates to the Ferrari of the two wheeled world and have a long and storied racing lineage to recant.

“She’s a real looker” the old man croaked at me. I raised my helmet cloaked head up from my task at hand of topping off the gas tank in my 1000 to spy a white haired man in a dusty old Dakar jacket that looked as though it had circumnavigated the globe on Steve McQueen’s back. “Thanks” I shouted out thru my visor opening before quickly turning my focus back to my now close to brimming fuel cell.  As I finished up, replaced the pumps handle and removed my helmet, the old man crouched down and seemed to lose himself as he scoured the surface of my fighter with a glint in his eye similar to that of a 12 year old boy that just found his dad’s stash of Playboy magazines. “Good lord, what is this
thing?” he croaked, smiling up at me with his bug splattered teeth. I gave him a quick rundown of a majority of the components that she was built with, making sure to hit on all the high points all the while I scanned the parking lot wondering where the old boy had materialized from.  He continued to poke and prod me with questions about speed, horsepower, who had done my paint, and he was even keen enough to ask why a nitrous switch and no bottle.  “Cheeky bastard” I thought to myself while cracking a small smile back at him.  He knew his stuff and was obviously a fanatic of two wheeled wizardry just like me, so I knew that today’s ride could wait awhile.  The roads will always be there, but I never pass up a chance to chew some fat with an old timer of our beloved sport.

Just like many of you tear your bikes down for a rebuild every winter… we felt CF was ready for some updates.   First, and most obvious, the style has been updated across the site – we’re hoping you’ll find it a bit more exciting and easy to navigate.

In addition to the new style, we are happy to announce that the New Custom Fighters Online Shop is now open, and stocked with brand new CF tshirts and hoodies designed by Aleksandr Poltavskiy of www.PoltArt.com. Here’s some pics of the new design:

Three years ago, the CF collective had a brain storm. With the northern hemisphere blanketed in snow during the winter months, there’s not much opportunity for riding, but this cold, gray time of year does, however, offer a great opportunity to dream, create and build. With that idea in mind, we decided to launch a Streetfighter “Build-off” among forum members.

The basic idea, then and now, is this: Starting on November 1 and closing on May 26 (coinciding with the Northern hemisphere’s cold-weather season), members of the Custom Fighters forum get half the year to decide upon, begin and complete their projects. The entire process, from beginning to end, must be photo and/or video documented so we can see the starting point and final result of your progress. Just to make sure no one is entering a previously built bike, the first pic of the build must be accompanied by a legible, currently dated newspaper with the bike in the same photo.

This year’s People’s Choice Award went to Brian “Fathead_03″ Kammers, of Oroville, WA. Brian started with a CBR600F3 that he had picked up a year earlier. He said the project sat on the back burner until the ’09 Build-off got him in gear. Early in the build-off, Brian started with a new subframe, some tank mods and rough fiberglass work. The real work, though, didn’t begin until February, at which point he had settled into a new location and a bigger work area.  After some reflection as to where the CBR was heading, he realised he wasn’t happy with his original mock-up. He made some deals with other members of the forum, and scored some suspension upgrades from a late model 600RR. Forks, swingarm, wheels brakes were all upgraded to RR pieces. With the bike on the work bench, sparks began to fly. Factory shock mounts were removed and new ones made to fit the Pro Link setup. The 600RR swingarm had to be narrowed to fit the F3′s frame rails and the first adaptation of the subframe was cut away for a new approach.

The winner of the Pro’s Choice Award, and 1st Place for 2009 Custom Fighters Winter Build-off is Trucker “TruckinDuc” Booth of Soddy Daisy, TN and his VTR1000F Super Hawk. The build thread for this bike has to be one of the most epic build threads on Custom Fighters! Truck’s project started with a very rough example of the Honda’s Sport Twin platform. The bike once served as a track day tool that ended its career in an off-track excursion. This VTR became a parts bike. By the time Trucker took possession, many of its key components were missing, and the frame had minor damage. But it wasn’t all bad: the 900RR wheels, brakes, upgraded Fox rear shock and Race Tech re-sprung forks offered a good starting platform. Trucker took the bike down to the frame and started over. The frame damage was first to receive attention. The dents were smoothed to make the frame as good as new. The swingarm was braced with an aluminum trellis to complement the frame. After a thorough cleaning, the chassis parts received the flat black treatment.

New York City’s biggest bike trade show, the International Motorcycle Show rode into the Jacob Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan this January. The IMS attracted all the big dogs, the small-timers, and everyone in between. This is primarily a trade show to display the newest bikes and cycle products to the general public. As might be expected in a commercial venue, the doings included a hip-hop act and dance crew, a fashion show, Tap-Out fighters, celebrity built bikes, tons of chrome,  new factory production bikes, demonstrations, debuts, NY vendor style food, beer and lots and lots and lots of vests and patches. Throughout the 3 day event, a couple hundred thousand people made their way through the venue.