Monday, May 31, 2010

Vintage motocross Photographer

.




I just want to invite you today to take a look at this vintage picture gallery from : Don. Don is an amateur photographer living in Falls Church, VA, near Washington DC. His photographic interests include taking pics of his 3 kids, low-light/night photography and portraits. His taste runs to artsy rather than clinical. He prefers moody to stark.
He uses a Canon Digital Rebel XTi(400D) DSLR with an Opteka grip. His lenses include:
17-85mm Canon IS (primary walk-about lens)
50mm Canon 1.8 prime
60mm Canon Macro
75-300mm Canon telephoto (man this thing needs a lot of light!)

He wants to upgrade the 75-300 someday, as well as get a macro lens...












AHRMA/ACR combined event at Budds Creek, MD. Vintage Motocross at its finest.




.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

In Dennis memory

.


Dennis Hopper, the director, star and co-writer of "Easy Rider" and an edgy actor in numerous other films, has died at age 74 after a lengthy illness, his production company Easy Rider Productions confirmed.


Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1955, and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Giant (1956). Over the next ten years, Hopper appeared frequently on television in guest roles, and by the end of the 1960s had played supporting roles in several films.


He directed and starred in Easy Rider (1969), winning an award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as co-writer. Film critic Matthew Hays notes that "no other persona better signifies the lost idealism of the 1960s than that of Dennis Hopper."


He was unable to build on his success for several years, until a featured role in Apocalypse Now (1979) brought him attention. He subsequently appeared in Rumble Fish (1983) and The Osterman Weekend (1983), and received critical recognition for his work in Blue Velvet and Hoosiers, with the latter film garnering him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He directed Colors (1988), and played the villain in Speed (1994). Hopper's later work included a leading role in the television series Crash.




.

Friday, May 28, 2010

1957 Chevrolet MP car

.



'57 Chevy is the nickname of the 1957 Chevrolet, introduced September, 1956 by General Motors. It was available in three series models: the upscale Bel Air, the mid-range "two-ten", and the "one-fifty". A two-door station wagon, the Nomad was produced as a Bel Air model. An upscale trim option called the "Delray" was available for two-ten 2-door sedans.


A fourth designation was also available in limited quantities, the Chevrolet "El Morocco", a custom hand-built Chevy mimicking the Cadillac of the era. It is a popular and sought after classic car. These vehicles are often restored to their original condition and sometimes modified. The car's image has been frequently used in toys, graphics, music, movies and television. The '57 Chevy is an auto icon.

Initially, General Motors executives wanted an entirely new car for 1957, but production delays necessitated the 1955-56 design for one more year. Ed Cole, chief engineer for Chevrolet, dictated a series of changes that significantly increased the cost of the car. These changes included a new dashboard, sealed cowl, and the relocation of air ducts to the headlight pods, which resulted in the distinctive chrome headlight that helped make the '57 Chevy a classic.


Fourteen-inch wheels replaced the fifteen-inch wheels from previous years to give the car a lower stance, and a wide grille was used to give the car a wider look from the front. The now famous '57 Chevy taifins were designed to duplicate the wide look in the rear. Bel Air models were given gold trim: the grille, front fender chevrons, hood, and trunk script were all rendered in anodized gold. The base engine was an inline 6-cylinder called the Blue Flame Six. The engine was smooth running and more fuel-efficient than the V-8. Carburetion came from a single one-barrel carburetor.

Body choices for 1957 included 2 and 4-door sedans (identified by the "posts" between door windows), the two-door hardtop (also known as a sports coupé; the car has no post between the front and back window when the windows are lowered), the four-door hardtop (also known as a sports sedan), the utility coupé, a two-door sedan with a package shelf instead of a rear seat, the delray "club coupe" which was a 210 model 2 dr sedan, two styles of two-door station wagon, the top-of-the-line Bel Air Nomad with a sloped pillar behind the hardtop door and sliding windows at the rear seat, and the basic Handyman with an upright sedan B-pillar and a C-pillar where the four-door wagons have one, available only in 150 and 210 trims. The four-door, six-passenger station wagon, the four-door, nine-passenger station wagon (both called Townsman in the 150 series and Beauville for the Bel Air version), and the convertible. Unlike most competitors, the Chevrolet four-door hardtop featured a reinforced rear roof structure that gave the car added rigidity and a unique appearance in silhouette. The 1957 Chevy was called by some a "Baby Cadillac" because of many similar styling cues to Cadillacs of the time.


Although not a production model, the 2-door wagon could be had with Bel Air trim (not Nomad). I know because my Dad had one. It had been ordered with 283 power-pak and 2-speed powerglide.

There were many options available, most of which were designed to make the car more comfortable and luxurious. Air conditioning was offered though rarely ordered, as was a padded dash. Power steering and power brakes were available, as well as a signal-seeking AM radio and power antenna. Power windows and power seats were also available. A rear speaker could be purchased which required a separate volume knob to be installed in the dash, beside the radio — this rear speaker was touted as providing "surround" sound. An "autotronic eye" was offered; it was a device that bolted onto the dashboard and sensed the light from oncoming traffic, dimming the headlights automatically. One unique option was an electronic shaver, connected to the dash.


Another dash-mounted item was the traffic-light viewer, a ribbed plastic visor that was installed just above the speedometer. Because the roof extends so far into the windshield, it is hard to see overhead traffic lights from the driver's seat. The traffic light viewer captured the reflection of overhead traffic lights so that the driver didn't have to lean forward to see past the edge of the windshield.

1957 was the first year that Chevrolet ever offered fuel injection as an option. A 283 in³ engine fitted with solid lifters and fuel injection was rated at 283 hp (211 kW). Solid lifters were designed to allow the engine to achieve higher RPMs, but proved a tad too temperamental for non-racers. To accommodate more casual drivers, a 250 hp (186 kW), hydraulic lifter version of the fuel injected engine was also offered.


Fuel injection continued as an option throughout the early 1960s. However, most mechanics of the time didn't have the experience to keep the units running properly. This prompted most buyers to opt for conventional carburetion. A single four-barrel carburetor rated at 400 c.f.m. coupled with a dual-exhaust package was known as the "power pack". Two four-barrel carburetors could also be ordered. The "dual quad" engine could be ordered with hydraulic lifters producing 245 hp (183 kW), or with solid lifters producing 270 hp (201 kW). The dual quad configuration required a special breather assembly that has been nicknamed the batwing breather. The prices averaged around 2000 dollars during this time period. Standard carburetion on V-8 models came from a single two barrel carburetor, coupled with a single tailpipe.


1957 was also Chevrolet's first offering of a turbine transmission, known as the Turboglide. It was a design concept that Buick had developed with their Dynaflow transmission. However, due to a reliability reputation caused by its complexity, most automatic transmission buyers shunned the Turboglide in favor of the two-speed Powerglide that had been offered since 1950. At the time the Turboglide casing was the largest cast aluminum component ever put into mass production. But it never recovered from the reputation in 1957 and the option was discontinued in 1961. Manual transmissions were limited to three-speed, column shifted units (with synchromesh in second and third gear only). An overdrive unit was available as an option on the three speed manually shifted transmission cars. There are rumors that a handful of 1957 Chevrolets left the factory with Corvette 4-speed, floor-shifting transmissions. No concrete documentation exists to back this claim up.

all pictures via : blog.hemmings.com





.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

For Sale

.










An original Staracer nickel plated frame available for Triumph Motorcycle unit engine.
I bought this frame for a project which has been cancelled ... Its a brand new frame just out of the box and the quality is simply amazing.
Item located in France, Delivery is at the client expense

Contact : oscarapparel@gmail.com





.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

California Classic

.


via : motorcyclistonline

PASADENA, Calif. - Over 150 rare, vintage and collectible motorcycles will be featured at the California Classic Motorcycle Auction being held on Saturday, June 5 at 10:30 a.m. at the Pasadena Convention Center, with a preview on Friday, June 4 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.


Among the many prized bikes that will be available for bidding, the Bator Auctions event will be featuring over 25 classics from the renowned Bob Stark Collection, widely recognized as the world's finest collection of restored, vintage Indian Motorcycles. The California Classic will have the largest selection of the Bob Stark Collection ever offered for sale at auction, and Stark himself will be at the event.

Potential bidders and the general public are welcome to view all the selections on Friday, June 4 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; doors open for the Saturday auction at 9 a.m. Admission is $10 on Friday, $15 on Saturday, with two-day passes available for $20. Children under 14 accompanied by a parent are free.

Just a few of the highlights from the California Classic include:

- 1917 Indian Twin Model B-17, one of three in the world known to exist

- 1941 Indian Dispatch Tow, rare in perfect condition

- 1939 Brough Superior SS100, last one ever produced

- 1953 Indian Chief with all original NOS parts

- 1968 Sammy Pierce V-Twin Indian Scout, very rare

- 1971 Muench Mammut TTS 1200cc in exceptional original condition

... and many more




.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Land Speed Racing

.




Via : www.motorcycle-usa.com



A Sam Wheeler Photo Gallery

Sam and friends with first streamliner loaded in back of old van.

Go Speed Racer!

Humble beginnings: Notice the surplus nose cone Sam purchased for a dollar…

The Norton at El Mirage with bodywork removed

Sam set a record with the Norton streamliner in 1970: 208.747 mph on gas.

Sam checks out the Ack Attack before making his only attempt in a foreign machine on foreign land. (Australia)





.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Classic Flat Track BSA Twins

.




Short video on some classic bsa flat trackers ! Music by Johnny Black



.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Bugatti veyron 16.4 Grand Sport (MOST EXPENSIVE)


This was no mistake, this was an international movement from the ingenious mind of the great Italian artisan Ettore Bugatti whom focused more on design than engineering, unlike his counterparts W.O. Bentley and Ferdinand Porsche. A master of the moment, Bugatti's vehicles were upscale, costly and much talked about. And yes, they won many many races; nearly 2,000 in ten years. Decades later, welcome to the 2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport.

It was an extraordinary one day stand in South Florida with Bugatti's topless interpretation of the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport. My anxiety was high enough the day prior to the full-day drive that I turned it in early and enjoyed a relaxing night at the grand Epic Hotel in downtown Miami.

With the forecast bringing great weather for my run from Miami to Tampa Bay with a wonderful afternoon lunch stop in Naples, I began studying the technical capabilities of the 16.4 to fully interpret what was to come. For it's not every day one gets a call from Bugatti's PR company JMPR asking if you want to drive a $2.2 million roadster that utilizes a 16-cylinder, quad turbocharged engine, generating an obliterating 1001 horsepower while blitzing from zero to 60 mph in an eye blinking 2.5 seconds. It's the classic fable of beauty meeting the beast, or simply put the world's fastest convertible.
Veyron is the name derived from the French company's factory driver Pierre Veyron who won Le Mans in 1939 in the T 57C Tank  before World War II. This was actually the same vehicle Ettore's 30-year old son Jean died in after steering into a tree to avoid a bicyclist during a testing session. Jean Bugatti was to take over the company when his father retired. After his untimely death the company never recovered -- as well, society in France no longer yearned for big luxury vehicles.
The Bugatti name and logo would not be resurrected until 1998 when eventual parent company VW brought its rights from an Italian entrepreneur. Ironically, Veyron was chosen from all of the great Bugatti drivers only because his name sounds good in multiple languages and there were no problems registering it.
Time to test out all this technical wizardry after patiently awaiting over a year for my thrill behind the wheel. Yet, like a rookie, I started in the passenger seat while AMLS Pro Driver Butch Leitzinger broke down the vehicle's performance procedures, which all seemed very simplistic from observance and just as easy to operate from the pilot position. The interior layout is far from complicated. Moisture-resistant, backstitched leather seats are very accommodating and supportive; the steering wheel houses the two paddle shifters for gear selection; a new rear view camera transfers images into the rearview mirror, and of course there is an iPod connection. Also, don't expect a navigation screen -- turn by turn and voice guidance are its substitute. The start button sits at the bottom of the multi-function gear selector which in turn is positioned within an oval and shiny plate of machined aluminium. Two simple switches decorate the gear selector -- LC for Launch Control, a mode normally reserved for racing take offs, or should I say lift-offs with this vehicle. The button to the right of lever is Handling mode which lowers the entire vehicle and brings up the rear wing for more downforce. If you don't want to use the paddles but need routine power then set the gear lever in Sport (S) which puts the Grand Sport in its lowest gear, but will deplete your 25 gallon tank at a rate of 8 or 9 mpg. Dynaudio's $30,000 Puccini sound system specifies only four speakers (2 bass drivers in the doors & 2 tweeters) but is advanced with Magnesium-Silicate-Polymer and light aluminium featuring amplification with digital signal processing. Yet, an audio system is irrelevant when you have a 16 cylinder to listen to.
I've never felt acceleration that was so powerful but so liquid. Words can't transcribe unless you are a former Le Mans winner.  “When I had the chance to test-drive the new Grand Sport for the first time myself, I was filled with excitement,” said Pierre Henri Raphanel, Bugatti’s Pilot official. “As soon I shifted into second gear, I knew this was a completely different car. I could immediately feel the difference. Even with the roof still on, in the tips of my fingers and at the base of my spine everything was more present, more intimate. More precise with less understeer, almost as if you had taken away some filters from the suspension and the steering.”
For Bugatti to convert the coupe to a Grand Sport many structural changes had to be made to the monocoque body. It's been toughened near the side skirts, B-pillars have been cross-braced with a carbon fiber reinforcement, a plate of carbon has been placed under the transmission tunnel to reduce torsional flexing, and the carbon fiber doors house a beam for further support. When the top is off and the 16.4 surpasses 120 mph, the sophisticated wing raises to a higher elevation and adjusts to a steeper angle from 15 to 22 degrees for more downforce. Also with the roof off, top speed is limited to only 217 mph. Geez! During a stretch through “Alligator Alley” on route to Naples I let her open. This allowed me to acknowledge the dual clutch gearbox which pre-selects its next gear. One clutch controls 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th while the other clutch manages reverse, 2nd, 4th and 6th. So when you ask for second gear, instead of having to engage another gear, it simply swaps clutches for a very seamless and very fast shift giving drivers the benefits of a manual and the ease of an automatic. I didn't force it so I only accelerated to about 140 mph before emphatically showing off the transformation of the wing to an air brake and the impressive carbon ceramic brakes (8 piston front, 6 piston rear / 4 shoes on each front wheel and 2 shoes on each rear wheel) with hard braking to bring me back down to 60 mph instantaneously.
THATS ALL ........ if u really think u r the one who's gonna make history .... u WORTH it
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 costs you  $ 1,700,000 as the Base Price.

Ossa Desert

.



Gianni send us this picture of his restored ossa ( aft6er villa 250, bultaco alpina, fantic, montesa 123...) what do you say ?
Gianni is from Isola della Scala - Verona- Italy



The Ossa firm was a strong supporter of all forms of motorcycle sport including: road racing, motocross, enduro and observed trials. Their first success came at the 1967 24 Hours of Montjuich on the streets of Barcelona. Against all the major Spanish factories, Ossa motorcycles finished a surprising first and second. Inspired by this success, the factory decided to compete abroad in order to make inroads into the international market.



They achieved early success in Grand Prix road racing, competing with an innovative monocoque-framed bike designed by GirĂ³'s son, Eduardo and ridden by Santiago Herrero. Herrero won four 250cc Grands Prix with Ossa before he died while competing at the 1970 Isle of Man TT. The loss of their star rider affected the Ossa team so much that they withdrew from road racing altogether.




.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

MotoStars

.

via : AMA Motorcycle hall of fame

Priceless machines, exclusive memorabilia and tales from celebrities’ favorite two-wheel adventures


Throughout history, motorcycles have played a starring role in the public and private lives of a significant number of celebrities and personalities. Whether they are adventure tourers, collectors, builders or ambassadors of the sport, each MotoStar has a unique story to tell about what fueled their interest and love for riding. Museum visitors will find these private glimpses into the community of motorcycling especially compelling.

"Motorcycling, whether an occasional hobby or lifelong obsession, has always connected individuals from very different walks of life," says Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum Director Mark Mederski. "Whether you work in a factory, the corporate suite, or on a Hollywood set, you’ll always have a shared bond and make new friends if you spend time on two wheels."


Notable celebrities featured in the 8,000-square-foot exhibit include:

- Rock legend, "Rush" drummer and lyricist, Neil Peart
- Multi-platinum country artist Keith Urban (right)
- General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz
- Auto racing legend and Alligator motorcycle inventor and manufacturer, Dan Gurney
- Jeff Lacy, super middleweight boxing star
- Wally Dallenbach, Sr., champion race car driver and founder of the Colorado 500
- "King of the Kustomizers" George Barris


Famous movie bikes include the ridden by Will Smith in "I, Robot" and the LAPD bike from "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (right).


Exotic custom motorcycles designed and built by Austin Weiss for entertainers such as will.i.am, frontman for hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas, and Carlos Mencia, critically acclaimed comic and star of Comedy Central’s "Mind of Mencia," are also featured.




.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More

 
Design by Free WordPress Themes | Bloggerized by Lasantha - Premium Blogger Themes | Design Blog, Make Online Money