Vintage MX: 1974 Bultaco Pursang

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Jeff Buchanan via : www.ultimatemotorcycling.com
Pictures via : www.theowencollection.com

In 1973 Bultaco rider Jim Pomeroy shocked the racing world when he became the first American to win a Motocross Grand Prix. It was the Spanish GP, and to cap off the moto win, Pomeroy famously wheelied across the finish line and flashed the peace sign.

The crowd went nuts. Bultaco rewarded Pomeroy's continued loyalty to the Spanish brand (despite a flood of offers from other manufacturers) by naming their 1974 Pursang after him.

Bultacos had a beauty all their own. They had shapely, extremely thin fiberglass gas tanks-so thin that the head fins stuck out on either side.

Bultacos (or "Buls" as they were affectionately known) had superb handling. In corners, their ability to either pivot in soft or hard soil, or to rail berms with equal aplomb, made them extremely accommodating for a range of riding styles. Despite the limitations of suspension travel they managed to be relatively stable (for the period)... Read more

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Wikked Steel’s Area 51 Bike "Best of Show" at Rat's Hole Daytona Bike Week and Leesburg Bikefest Shows

Stephen Galvin of Wikked Steel has probably won more major bike shows in recent years than any other bike builder in North America, including back-to-back "Best of Show" wins at the Rat's Hole 2011 Daytona Bike Week and Leesburg Bikefest Shows. Here's his advice.

You can move to Southern California when you become as rich and famous as Jesse James. But if you want to make a name for yourself by winning bike shows, you should probably move to Florida where there are a lot more big-name bike shows and bike rallies.

“We only had three bike shows to look forward to when I was building bikes in Southern California - LA Calendar Show, Love Ride and Santa Maria Bike Fest,” said Stephen, who relocated to the Tampa-Saint Petersburg area in 2005.

He now has 8 Rat’s Hole trophies for “Best of Show” and 1st Place wins at Daytona Bike Week, Daytona Biketoberfest and Leesburg BikeFest, 2008 to 2011. He has “Best of Show” trophies from the Boardwalk Shows – Daytona Bike Week & Biketoberfest, and he won “Best of Show” at the 2010 Thunder Beach Rally Spring & Fall bike shows, as well as “Best of Show” Easyriders – Atlanta 2010 and New Orleans 2009; and “Best of Show” Great American Bike Show – Atlanta 2008; and “Best of Show” - Pro Builder Rick Fairless Bike Show 2010 in Dallas. He won the Florida Bike Builders Invitational in 2008, 2010 & 2011 and was the 1st Place People’s Choice Award at the Ultimate Bike Builder’s Show at Daytona Bike Week 2011.

“My first experience with bikes was with my brother's Triumph 650 Bonneville chopper,” he said. “Cool bike but it WAS English so I was the one to keep it working.”

Stephen grew up in the suburbs of Boston, where he worked on bikes and played guitar. He followed a career in music to California, and for several years owned his own music store. “It wasn't until the late 80's that I started really focusing on bikes and went to work for Bartels Harley-Davidson. Bartels was THE hotbed of HD customizing at the time.”

Working on his own in a 2-car garage, Stephen learned the art of steel fabrication by way of books, videos and experience and became totally hooked. “With each bike I build, I learn new things and apply what I’ve learned to the next bike,” he said.

He decided on the company name Wikked Steel to emphasize his passion for steel fabrication. “Because of the complexity of the shapes in my bike builds, many people incorrectly assume they must be fiberglass,” he noted. “But they are all hand-crafted steel fabrications.” - http://www.wikkedsteel.com/

In 2008, Stephen built a Dragon bike that collected a string of “Best of Show” wins.

Click images to enlarge.

“I finally understood just how much you have to focus on every detail, and I’ve been doing that ever since.” The Dragon bike was built on a Pro-Street frame with a 45 degree rake, 6-inch stretch and stock height; Springer front end, Ultima El Bruto 120-inch engine with a Trik-Shift 6-speed gearbox. It has a 330 Avon rear tire and 120-70 front tire with wheels from Tight Customs in California.

In 2009, Stephen built the Yamaha SpeedStar Warrior that landed one of six spots in the Yamaha 2010 company calendar. His bike, Geisha built with Will Robertson will be featured in the Yamaha 2011 company calendar.

The SpeedStar was built with an extremely modified Road Star frame, retaining just enough frame to cradle the Yamaha Warrior engine and highly modified transmission with a custom dual carb manifold.

Stephen then went on to build "Area 51," the Ultimate Bike Builder People's Choice Award winner and "Best of Show" at Rat's Hole Daytona Bike Week 2011.

"This bike began as a challenge to myself to design and engineer as many unique parts as I could on this bike," said Stephen "I wanted to create a design that looked like it had either come from the future or from some other place entirely. I knew that this meant that I would have to fabricate almost every element myself to have that level of unique design, but I felt confident that I could muster the necessary effort to make it happen."

He started with a one-off frame custom built by Pro-Tube Frameworks with 45 degrees of rake, -2 in the dual downtubes, 5 inches of stretch in the front and 4 more inches of stretch in the rear. The oil bag is incorporated into the chin fairing(s) and holds almost 6 quarts of oil.

"The sheet metal work was all done in-house as that is my favorite part of fabrication," he said. "The front end design was probably the biggest challenge both from a design and functionality standpoint. The fork legs are chrome-moly and boxed in with 16 gauge steel. The front swingarms are solid billet and were CAD designed by me. The steel fork tips, pegs, grips, axle block covers, exhaust system and many of the other unique parts on this bike are also proprietary designs. I spent a great deal of time teaching myself Solidworks in order to create these elements myself and not have to rely on someone else to interpret my ideas."

The wheels are one-off 7 piece designs created by Pickard USA that use the design of the tank as the spokes and the shape of the rear fender as the elements in-between the spokes.

A Baker 6 speed transmission designed for Big Dog was used, as well as a modified Baker DSSC open primary drive. "I love the narrow design and by moving the starter back and down it kept the space under the seat open and clean," Stephen noted.

The engine started out as an Ultima El Bruto 120 CI, which has become Wikked Steel's powerplant of choice. "I then re-designed the heads and cylinders to have a more modern and unique design and to add to the mystique of the bike," said Stephen. "The Ness pushrod covers and lifter blocks complemented their design nicely."

"After the bike was completed and assembled I decided that, as a result of the rear stretch in the frame, my chain was very long (130 links) and not very attractive. I then got on the computer and designed the billet covers for each link and thus turned a negative into another point of interest on the bike. My speedometer is a Garmin GPS which also plays a slideshow of the build when on display."

In an interview during the recent Daytona Bike Week, Stephen said, he loves watching the reactions of people to this build as they explore all of the intricacies of the fabrication. "I also love their reaction when I explain that this and all of my bikes were built in a 2-car garage behind my home. No fancy shop with thousand of dollars worth of machinery."

Click images to enlarge.

Along with other changes, Stephen also disassembled the bike completely for a new paint job by Jason Trimbach Artistry. "It made me crazy to look at the previous paint job and I felt it compromised all the work I had done," he said. "Now she is truly finished and I am proud of every square inch!"

The Area 51 bike presented a number of challenges, and when it first showed at a Rat's Hole Bike Show in 2010, it placed 4th in it's class. A very disappointed Stephen Galvin sat down with Wolfgang Knitterscheidt, a German manufacturers representative and long-time International Rat's Hole Bike Show Judge, who is also a world renowned private collector.

"I saw the Area 51 Bike first appearing in 2010 and I already liked some of it's appearance," said Wolfgang. But in his personal opinion of the bike, he told Stephen he would have to make a lot of changes to improve the bike's ratings in the major bike shows.

"I did not think that he would put himself through all this," said Wolfgang, " But Surprise, Surprise! I saw the bike coming into the Rat's Hole Show in Daytona, and I was flattered. He did 100 percent what I told him he would have to do.

"I asked him if it is for sale and secured it for myself before it was even judged," said Wolfgang "Area 51 is a real beauty. I can't wait to ride this baby all over Germany and see the crazy reactions of all the jealous people!

"I am a collector of over 1000 Radical - still the King's class. I simply bought THE BEST. If anyone knows I should know. 

Damn ....... Area 51 will be amongst some of the nicest bikes ever built in the last decade: The World is not Enough, Triangular, Purple Hooter, Moulin Rouge etc. not to forget all my rideable Vintage Harleys.

"Thanks Stephen," said Wolfgang "This year you were the best!"

(c) 2011 by MJ Lloyd-Reynolds, all rights reserved.

An earlier version of this interview was published in the Leesburg Ratty Rag, April 9, 2011. No part of this interview can be reproduced without written permission.

Laconia Bike Week 2011, June 11 to 19 Event Schedule

Laconia, New Hampshire is home to one of the biggest and oldest rallies in the United States., dating back to 1923 and drawing crowds of 400,000 to ride in the beautiful New England countryside. Wherever you look, there are bikes on the scenic highways between Laconia and Loudon.

This year's rally is June 11 to 19, 2011.


June 11 - Swap Meet in Ashland, NH - at L.W. Packard Bell Field. Free to attend. Vending spaces $35.


June 11 - 4th Annual Rally for Kids in Crisis - 8:30am start at the 1st Assemble of God Church - 45 Myles Drive in Auburn, NH. This is a 100-mile scenic regional ride. $25 rider fee and $10 passenger fee includes lunch. Details: ManchesterAssembly.org

June 11 - 5th Annual Peter Markris Memorial Ride Around The Lake - Starting point 11am to 1pm NASWA Resort and Beach Bar in Laconia. - details at http://www.naswa.com/


June 11 - Blessing of the Motorcycles at Laconia Bike Week - 3 to 4pm on opening day of the rally at United Baptist Church in Lakeport, followed by 4 to 5pm church service and a spaghetti dinner, 5 to 7pm for $10 donation.

June 11 - Laconia Kickoff & NHMRO 35th Anniversary Party at Deerhead Sportsmen's Club in Hooksett, NH - 1 to 9pm with good food and live music.

Enjoy a beautiful ride to Kancamangus Trail and Mt Washington.
Mt. Washington "Ride to the Sky" - Mt. Washington Auto Road is celebrating a 150th anniversary in 2011. Open every day during Laconia Bike Week - Motorcycles Only on Monday, June 13th and Thursday, June 16th. "Ride To The Sky" Motorcycle Ride with guide vans for extra passengers and vendors begins at 10am June 16th.

Jagermeister Promos - Laconia Bike Week Jun 11 - Jun 19, 2011
Rally Headquarters - 11am to 5pm - Broken Spoke Saloon - 5 to 7pm - Bullwinkle's in Ashland - 7:30 to 9:30pm every day of the rally.

Flat Track Races at Big Daddy’s Speed Bowl in Rumney, NH - Three shows will be available, daily - plus bike wash, massages, music, food, and beer.

Biker Build-Off at Lobster Pond - June 13 to 18 - six shops competing for prizes. Builders include Irish Choppers (Dudley, MA), Pitoniak's Custom Cycles (Belchertown, MA), Ready Customs (New Hamptom), Vintage Custom Cycles (Sandown, NH), Deadwood Choppers (NY), and Masshole Moto (Cape Cod) - according to the official rally website: http://www.laconiamcweek.com/

Ducati 750 Imola replica

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Via : Bike Exif

Perhaps the most famous racing Ducati of all time is the 750 that took Englishman Paul Smart to victory in the 1972 Imola 200 race. And with a machine as iconic as that, you’re going to get people wanting to copy it. One such man is German Hajo Barth, and to make life easier, the starting point was his SportClassic Paul Smart 1000. Ducati already did a pretty good job in emulating the original Paul Smart bike, but Barth wanted something even closer—not only in looks, but also performance. So he took his bike to the dealer Ducati Rhein-Sieg in Waldbröl, and they set to work... Read more

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18th Miracle Ride Around the Indy 500 Track

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is celebrating 100 years of racing that will include the 18th Annual Miracle Ride on June 5th to raise money for the Riley Children's Hospital. More than 5,000 motorcyclists will enjoy the magic of riding around the historic Indy 500 track in a Sunday morning parade lead by the Indiana Motorcycle Drill Team. The Miracle Ride is a two-day event that includes a poker run and bike show on Saturday, as well as an auction, raffle and concert on Sunday.

"Over the past 17 years, the Miracle Ride has raised over $3 million for Riley Hospital and hopes to bring in another $400,000 in 2011," said Holly Farabough, director of marketing and sponsorship for Miracle Ride Foundation.

James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children is Indiana's first and only comprehensive children's hospital, saving lives and helping thousands of children every year. Many of the life saving programs at Riley are ranked as some of the top programs in the nation, setting a benchmark for other programs that help children. Riley is a not-for-profit hospital, so it relies heavily on donations from outside sources.

The Bob & Tom Show - nationally syndicated radio show presents the Miracle Ride.

On Saturday the 4^th the Miracle Ride kicks off with six poker runs with starting locations all over the state of Indiana. All poker runs will end at the Wyndham Indianapolis West Hotel, where the winners of each poker run will compete for six major prizes. The Wyndham will also be host of a Miracle Ride bike show and silent auction. Vendors will be available and there will be live music until Midnight.

On the morning of Sunday June 5^th, 5,000 plus Miracle Ride participants will gather at Allison Transmission. Bob & Tom from the Bob & Tom Radio Show will be on stage introducing guest speakers, giving some special presentations, and of course making everyone laugh. The Indianapolis Motorcycle Drill Team will perform and then participants will rev their engines for a very big parade ride.

The ride will leave Allison Transmission for a lap around the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It will then go past Riley Hospital for Children where doctors, nurses, families, and the children who are able, wave to all the riders and hold up signs of gratitude. This is a very touching moment that can bring you tears and definitely makes you feel good for supporting the cause.

The ride will end in Shelbyville, Indiana outside Indiana Live! Casino. Every participant will receive a complimentary lunch. Then Bob & Tom will do a live auction, announce the winners of the grand prize and most money raised prize, and the totals for the weekend will be announced. To end, anyone over 21 will be invited into the Casino to determine the winners of the Miracle Ride Raffle items.

It is a $50 minimum pledge per person to participate in the Miracle Ride. With this minimum pledge, adult participants receive access to all events both days, Sunday lunch, Saturday night camping, and an event t-shirt. Participants will also receive one chance at the grand prize, which is a 1200cc Harley-Davidson Sportster. For each interval of $50 donated, participants receive a chance at this grand prize. The individual who donates the most money to the Miracle Ride will receive a 2011 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883. Children who pledge $25 are eligible for a TTR 110 Yamaha or an Agility Kymco 50cc Scooter. Children under eight are free and children 8-15 pay $25 to participate.

Major sponsors of the Miracle Ride include: Lucas Oil Products, Inc.; The Indianapolis Colts; The Bob & Tom Radio Show; AAA Insurance; Allison Transmission, Inc.; UAW Local 933; Indiana Live! Casino; and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Please visit http://www.miracleride.net/ for more information or to pre-register.

Vintage BSA Motorcycles

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The Birmingham Small Arms Company, better known as BSA, was started in 1861 by gunsmiths in Birmingham, England. The founders had been supplying guns to the British government during the Crimean War, but when the market began to decline, they began to broaden their horizon. BSA began producing Otto Dicycles in the 1870s, bicycles in the 1880s, and automobiles and motorcycles in the early 1900s.

The first experimental motorcycle was produced in 1903, however the engines came from other manufacturers for years. The first release of a motorcycle with a BSA engine was in 1910. After success, "BSA Motorcycles Ltd." became a subsidiary of BSA Company in 1919.

World War II brought about an increase in demand for motorcycles. Over 125,000 BSA M20s were produced for the British military over a span of thirteen years, from 1937 to 1950. The M20 was a 500cc bike, and its larger counterpart, the M21 was a 600cc bike also used by the British during the war. At WWII’s end, motocross was gaining immense popularity across the globe, and BSA of course, quickly jumped on that bandwagon... Read more

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A MOTORBIKE for GOEMON

The same thinking about Goemon, which one would fit better for him ???