Driving Spec:NA

Project Kawsaki: One Step Closer

2012-01-30T11:02:00.000-08:00

Having gone a bit quiet on the KH125 front I thought I should update what I have been up to. I went to a bike show with my Dad armed with a wallet full of notes and a shopping list. The main thing for me was to buy replacement washers, screws, bolts, and nuts for the little Kwakka. The first stand I walked up to was the cheapest and had a great selection of stainless fasteners so I bought plenty of stuff.

I painted the underside of my replacement seat with black hammerite after I had gone over it with a wire brush as there was a little bit of surface corrosion that was a bit unsightly.

My replacement OEM parts finally arrived after waiting 4 weeks only to find that I had only been sent one side panel badge and one headlight bracket. After an email to the supplier I was told these are now out of stock and they can't get them again, it would have been nice to find that out 4 weeks earlier!

In the search for parts my Dad emailed me saying that he had seen a KH125 K series engine on Real Classic for £50 that was based in Scotland. I got in touch with the owner and agreed to buy it, the only snag was that the kick start shaft has broken on the tip. The engine came with a whole host of spares such as a replacement down pipe, oil tank, wiring loom, twist grip and other pieces. My old engine has a perfect kick start shaft so I will be fitting this to the replacement engine, the only problem is that I'll have the split the new motor.

Sheared kick start shaft.

My kick start still fits over the broken shaft so and I did turn it over when I got it, the engine seems to have quite good compression so I hope it's all ok when mounted in the bike.

Here is how the bike currently stands, I replaced the worn out pink shocks for two new chrome shocks and the horn has been replaced as well.

I need to fettle a few bits and pieces but it shouldn't be too long before the bike will be on the road. The paint work should be back with me around the end of February so by then I hope to have the engine fitted and the pieces that need re chroming sorted.

Project FZR: A Taste of Sports Production

2012-01-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

I managed to pick up an FZR400RR single seat recently for the Yamaha after spending a few months looking for one. When I received the item I was pleasantly surprised by the condition, there is only one corner that will need a little bit of fibreglass and filler.

After looking at the back of the seat it appears to have a bar code on it, I'm starting to wonder if this is a genuine Yamaha RRSP seat unit. Either way I will fix this up and then spray it in primer before I have it professionally resprayed, I just need to decide the colour scheme I want. I will more than likely have some black number stickers made to the same size you see below.

I'm tempted to either replace the current foam backing pad or have it trimmed in leather.

When the tail is painted and fitted it will look like this,

I bought some replacement bar end weights too as the weights in my clip ons had well and truly seized. My end weights were quite badly rounded too so the only way to remove them was to use mole grips. One of my end weights isn't badly marked so my intention is to take the best two and have them lightly skimmed on a lathe. Here are the replacements,

Once they have been skimmed I'll repaint them in sating silver.

Project Ducati: 750SS

2012-01-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

Well the inevitable finally happened and I bought myself a Ducati 750SS. I've been after one of these for ages so I spent quite a bit of time looking for a good one. This one popped up on ebay a week or so ago so I went to have a look, the fact I now have it tells the story.

I rented a van yesterday and picked it up today. I plan on buying a replica Superlight single seat for the Ducati and having that sprayed up by Faircharm Restorations, while I'm there I'll give them the right hand side fairing too as there is a small hairline crack in the fairing that could do with fixing up and painting. I can't wait for the warmer weather so I can get out on the bike and really enjoy it.

I won't be doing too much to the bike for the time being as I need to finish the Kawasaki. Once I have the KH125 sorted I'll fix up the bits on the Ducati and then start a mini restoration on the FZR.

Here is a small vid just as a taster,

On the Horizon

2012-01-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's right. Deposit has been put down for bike no.3 It's Italian, has a 750cc V twin motor, is red, and most of all makes the sweetest noise ever.

Still stuck? It's one of these!

Retardo Vision

2012-01-14T05:41:00.000-08:00

Project Kawsaki: Black Powder

2011-12-22T15:20:00.000-08:00

I've been a bit quiet recently on the Kawasaki front so here is a small update. I stripped off all the components that were still attached to the frame last weekend as I had booked it in to be shot blasted and powder coated. I was advised by the guys on the Real Classic message board (http://www.realclassic.co.uk/messages.html) that Faircharm Restorations (http://www.faircharm.co.uk/) is the place to go for all things paint so I popped along and had a chat to the owner Shane Rybicki. The work he produces is to a very high quality so I felt that the little Kwakker would be in good hands. Here are the before and after shots.

After the frame and components were powder coated.

Foot pegs and side stand put back together.

I bought a good condition used head light surround as well as mine was heavily corroded.

My replacement grips turned up in the post.

I had the rear brake bar straightened and then I painted it matt black.

I have finished painting the bottom yoke bracket as well.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Four Rings and Five Cylinders

2011-12-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

M3 Road Rally

2011-12-11T12:41:00.001-08:00

R Type

2011-12-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

Project Roadster: RS Watanabe and Car Make Corn*s

2011-12-03T02:40:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I decided it was time to have a couple of my Watanabes professionally repaired. When I bought my A type set from Japan in 2010 I discovered when unpacking them that one of the 7j wheels had a flat spot. To make matters worse the lip was scored to hell so I knew I'd have to spend money on them at some point. One of my B types I bought in 2009 had slight curbing damage and although the wheel was fine I still wasn't happy and always planned on having the wheel fixed.

Damaged B type outer lip.

Flat spot on A type.

Wheels back from the shop. Flat spot repaired and both lips repaired.

Day light shots of the B type.

Where the rim was welded and then shaped.

I have now painted all my A types, I just need to sand any imperfections and give another light coat of paint.

This morning I picked up my Corn*s exhaust from the welders too. They welded the hanger back on and reinforced it as requested.

I ordered some cone 63mm RS Watanabe centre caps from RHD Japan in the week so they should arrive soon. I'm hoping to have my other Watanabes painted by then. I need to remove the R888 Toyo's off the other B type and strip the paint off those so I can begin prepping them too.

Project FZR: Left Hand Side

2011-12-03T02:25:00.000-08:00

After a bit of waiting a left hand side fairing panel came up for sale on ebay. It wasn't the cheapest but I decided to take a gamble and buy it. When it arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the overall condition. Besides the one scrape I knew about the paint it pretty much flawless.

As the scrape is at the bottom it's not a disaster. I will get this painted next year when I have other pieces done.

Annoyingly there are two holes in the fairing where the indicator is places. One of them will be covered up by the indicator rubber, whereas the other one will need covering with a small piece of white vinyl.

Overall I am really happy with it as the fairing on the bike has quite a few marks, probably from being dropped.

Mini Adventure

2011-12-02T23:27:00.000-08:00

Rain Master

2011-12-02T15:02:00.000-08:00

Ayrton doing what he did best

Project FZR: Hibernate

2011-11-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

Well, the time has come and the bike is now in storage until the warm weather starts next year.

75,000 Hits

2011-11-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all those that have visited my blog. Next stop 100,000!

There's nothing quite like the sound of Group B to celebrate this!

Grand Prix

2011-11-27T01:24:00.000-08:00

Project Roadster: Fat Buddha

2011-11-26T04:39:00.000-08:00

When I found the matt concrete paint for sale at Fat Buddha I thought it was definitely worth a shot. Over the past week I have been trying to perfect the paint finish on my 7.5J A types. If any area was not to my satisfaction I gently sanded it and then gave that area another coat of paint. Both A types are pretty much done now, the one on the right could do with a little more work but I ran out of paint. Here are the results so far.

I really like how the red on the centre cap is a contrast to the concrete and black colour. I quite fancy the items shown in the photos below. Black cone centre caps and gold valves.

I will have to get in touch with Tetsuya Garage and Rod to order me some.

I also sprayed one of my B types and A types with primer.

I took the other A and B type to a wheel specialist today to get repaired. The A type has a flat spot and the lip is scored, whereas the B type has a slight ding in the outer lip so I guess it has been curbed at some point.

The Corn*s exhaust is also being repaired too as the exhaust hanger sheared off in August 2010.

I have asked the machine shop to reinforce the hanger like Corn*s do on the titanium version of my exhaust.

By having an additional piece of metal from the tail pipe welded onto the exhaust hanger this shouldn't break again. I should have the wheels and exhaust back mid week.

Project Kawsaki: Update

2011-11-26T04:21:00.000-08:00

A few parts came in the post this week for the Kawasaki.

Beside buying a replacement brake torque arm I bought some taper head roller bearing and replacement brake shoes.

Last weekend I gave the headlight cover a paint as well as it was looking a little worse for wear. I am quite pleased with the outcome.

In other news, the frame is currently with a friend that is fixing it up for me. The swinging arm mounting has worn over time resulting in a lot of play when the swinging arm is fitted. Some bushes are being made to fix this. I have bought some replacement foot pegs and a replacement swinging arm. I think at some point the original foot pegs were ripped off the bikes as we found that the one of the previous owners had welded on washers to the foot pegs to mount it to the frame.....

When I get the frame and parts back I'll get some photos of the following repairs. I aim to have the frame with the powder coater either by the end of the month of the start of January.

Birds Eye View

2011-11-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

8 Cylinders that Changed History

2011-11-21T13:16:00.001-08:00

Project Roadster: Concreto

2011-11-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

A while back I was speaking to a mate and he mentioned about a company selling matt spray paints. He showed me a thread on MX5Nutz where a guy had painted his NA with this matt paint. I had a look through their colour options and one got my attention straight away, concrete.

I've always wanted to have Watanabes painted in a magnesium bronze colour and this seemed to fit the bill. I gave one of my 7.5J rims a quick paint earlier. It is still drying but I'll be interested to see the outcome.

Before I buy any more cans I will be testing how durable the paint is. I previously used Halfords satin black and it lasted very well.

If all goes well I hope I will be able to pull off this look.

Project Kawasaki: Genuine Items

2011-11-15T11:46:00.000-08:00

I had a few items turn up in the mail recently and instead of being used or a pattern part they are brand new OEM items. Yes that's right, I don't often buy new but I want this little Kawasaki to look right.

First up is a brand new instrument cowl.

I also received replacement engine casing metal decals.

I used CMSNL for the engine casing decals, and although service was very good it was very expensive. I ended up paying £12 for postage just on these two items. When I buy more from them in the future I'll just buy everything in one go.

I've got my eye on a few bits and pieces for the Kwakker but until I have the frame blasted and then painted there won't be much progress.

Stay tuned!

Project Roadster: Cusco

2011-11-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

Last week I put in a cheeky bid for this Cusco brake master cylinder stopper and I won the auction. I started taking the paint back and then thought I should get some photos. There is quite a bit of corrosion so it will need some work. I'll paint my Cusco strut brace at the same time.

Project Kawsaki: Slow Progress

2011-11-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

It's been a quiet week on the KH125 front as I have been out of the country for most of it. When I got home I had some bits and pieces waiting for me. First was this original sales brochure from 1984. It hasn't worn too badly over time.

Before I left the UK I put my bottom yoke in the house in order for the paint to dry properly. I wasn't totally happy with the finish so I gave it a quick sand and then another coat of paint.

My replacement KH125 seat turned up in the post as well. I am really chuffed with this as it's an original seat with barely any wear. The underside could do with a wire brushing and then a paint but the actual seat cover is in great condition. The fact the seat was only £20 off ebay makes it even better!

I gave the bracket that bolts into the bottom yoke a coat of primer too.

I started to refurb the bottom yoke bolts and I also gave the underside a coat of paint too.

I have started to dismantle the brake caliper in order to clean it up.

90° V8

2011-11-12T07:43:00.000-08:00

Lotus

2011-11-12T06:18:00.000-08:00

Le Mans - 1986

2011-11-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

The first lap of the 1986 Le Mans 24 hour race. This was in the days of the group C monsters and a Mulsanne straight with no chicanes. This clip is a reminder of the way Le Mans used to be, it's nice to see a field of cars that run of petrol too.....

Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale

2011-11-06T12:31:00.000-08:00

I've always had a soft spot for this car and here is why. When it launched in 1968 it was the most expensive production car in the world costing $17,000 which was 6 times the average price of a regular car. The engine was designed as an out and out race unit featuring a dry sump, over square fuel injected 2 litre V8. The engine had a redline of 10,000 rpm and produced 230bhp, the race version produced 270bhp. I love how the lines of the car flow and the classic Italian colour combination really finishes it off.

Project Kawasaki: Fall to Pieces

2011-11-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

I've had a fairly productive week as I have been able to get the KH125 nearly down to a bare frame. I spent some time last night removing the remaining components so I can get the frame ready for shot blasting.

As it has been so cold recently I have been keeping some of the parts that have been fleshy painted in the house. Here are the results below.

Top yoke.

Rear brake torque link.

Carb overflow housing.

Sprocket cover.

After a session last night this is how the bike now looks. I took loads of photos where everything went so when I come to put it back together I should have a good reference point.

New wiring loom all labelled up. The wiring in the headlight was a mess at start but it was simple enough once I had studied it a bit.

Headlight and wiring. I am going to give the black headlight housing a paint at some point as certain areas need tarting up.

One thing that always bugged me when riding the bike was how the ignition barrel would vibrate terribly. Having had a closer look the rubber mount has a piece missing and the wiring is seriously shoddy. Looks like I'll need a replacement barrel.

Battery tray, this will be shot blasted along with the frame, swinging arm and foot pegs.

Dials removed from the bike. I will be replacing the top section of the clocks as the plastic has been worn away due to the cable routing.

Brake caliper and leaver. The spring running down the piping will be replaced a long with the brake pads. The leaver is in pretty good condition.

Throttle twist grip, choke and switches. I didn't want to dismantle all this as it came off the bike together.

Forks removed from the bike. I had a bash on Monday with some sanding blocks, wire wool and Autosol on the fork stanchions. I'll have another go now they are off the bike.

Rear brake light sender removed, it just needs a clean.

Finally, both my wheels have been refurbished now. The only thing left is to paint one of the spacers, give the spindles a clean up and replace the valve caps for something that isn't yellow!

Project Kawsaki: Engine Out

2011-10-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

There has been a bit of progress this weekend regarding the KH125. My dad came over and we set to getting the engine out. The engine only has four mounting areas so it isn't really a big job removing it, there were a few bits and pieces to disconnect but this didn't take long.

The engine was removed as well as the side plates. The intention was to strip it down to get the crank out but two bolts hold the cases together were seized and rounded. I stood the engine on its side and used plenty of WD40 to try and loosen the screws.

Head and barrell.

Teeny Mikuni carb.

Mikuni oil pump.

Piston removed. There is a lot of play on the small end of the conrod so that will be replaced.

Oil tank removed.

Air box removed.

Assortment of KH125 parts on the workbench.

I had a little search on google earlier and found some photos of what the bike will look like when finished.

The KH125 below is painted in polar white.

The KH125 below is painted in candy cobalt blue.

As the FZR is white and red I am tempted to have the blue colour scheme when I come to have the paintwork done.

Snarl over Symphony

2011-10-30T01:45:00.000-07:00

At the Stafford show in March I took a photo of this BSA Rocket 3,

The same bike was at the Stafford show earlier this month and this time they started it up,

Triples own!

Project Kawsaki: Drum and Hub

2011-10-29T05:15:00.000-07:00

Since stripping the paint off the rear wheel I spent time masking it all up again since the paint reacted originally after I had sprayed the wheel. I gave the wheel a few coats over this past week but as it has been so cold the paint didn't dry too quickly. I ended up putting the wheel in my living room in front of the radiator, I had to be careful not to get paint on the carpet. Here are the results.

Brake shoe side with masking tape still on.

Hub and sprocket side with masking tape removed from the spokes.

Plastic bag and masking tape removed. I used various grit wet and dry to remove any over spray.

Back plate mock up on the wheel.

I still need to replace the brake shoes but at around £10 they are cheap enough.

The other side of the wheel had the same treatment with wet and dry sand paper.

I got the rubber hub mount ready to be fitted. I also marked on the inside of the wheel where the rubber mount originally sat, I don't know if it makes any difference where it goes though.

Sprocket all fitted.

The next job today is removing the engine. My dad is coming over to my place to help me remove it from the bike. It should be easy enough as it's been out before, I'll fire up the oven and whack the motor in there in order to split the crank casing too.

The front wheel is also back together now.

Heritage

2011-10-27T08:46:00.001-07:00

JDM Palace

2011-10-27T08:43:00.001-07:00

Not exactly new, but still worth a post

911 GT2RS

2011-10-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

It's not often I am keen on brand new cars, but having seen a 911 GT2RS up close at Silverstone a few weeks back I couldn't get over how striking it looks. Carbon fibre everywhere, bucket seats, a roll cage, and a big wing really make the car stand out. If I had a spare £190,000 one of these wouldn't go a miss.

Project Kawsaki: Shopping at Loomingdales

2011-10-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

Having spent more time assessing the condition of the Kwakka's wiring I felt it would be a good idea to change the wiring loom. The original wiring on the bike has been hacked to pieces and connected back together over the years.

Here is the replacement loom.

Here is a photo of the rear harness. This is how it should look, compared to the original harness that I showed in the last update of this build. All connectors have been labelled.

I labelled the main harness apart from the wiring that goes into the headlight and handle bar switches, I'll tackle that another time.

I removed the rear wheel and swinging arm too.

I painted the rear wheel but I think it must have been painted previously as the paint reacted badly, so I have started stripping it back to bare metal.

As that job was boring I lost interest and decided to restore the back plate, sprocket and hub.

The swinging arm will be shot blasted along with the frame and then painted professionally.

Once I have repainted the rear wheel I will be taking the engine out to strip out. I'll need to separate the crank case so I'll put the engine in the oven. If it can cook a roast it can split an engine casing in half.....

Stafford Classic Bike Show - October

2011-10-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

I went to the Stafford Classic Bike Show with my dad a few weekends ago. I went to the first Stafford show of the year in April so I was looking forward to the October event. There were some amazing bikes on show and the jumble sale had a lot to offer. Some people were buying bikes costing thousands at the show and wheeling them away.

Here are the photos.

I bought some bits and pieces from the auto jumble as well.

I found a place selling automotive and motorsport based photography, so I bought a photo to go in my living room.

Marco Simoncelli

2011-10-23T03:25:00.000-07:00

RIP

Goodwood Revival

2011-10-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what the Mini was like as a racer in the 60s? Well, check out this awesome racing from Goodwood.

Lotus Cortina

2011-10-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

MAD

2011-10-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

Project FZR: Down and Out

2011-10-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

My downpipes arrived today for the FZR in the mail. I bought these off ebay recently as they were going cheap so I thought why not have a replacement set as the EXUP valve was included in the sale.

I opened the box and had a look around the downpipes.

My initial thoughts were promising, a bit of corrosion here and there but nothing that I felt that couldn't be sorted with a selection of wet and dry sandpaper, wire wool and Autosol.

I set to and removed the EXUP valve.

EXUP valve removed from the downpipes. 21 years of extreme hear and carbon

The EXUP cover should clean up easily.

There is a problem though, 2 of the bolts came out easy whereas one of the bolts was very stiff and then became very easy to turn...as it sheared in half.

I've soaked it and tried mole grips but I'm still having no joy removing the stud. If I have to I'll get a machine shop to drill it out and re tap the hole.

I removed the EXUP valve end plate and discovered that the circular bushing was actually an oval bushing. At this point it started to make me realise that this won't be a simple exhuast swap job but I'll have to replace the bushings inside the valve housing.

The bushes won't be hard to change as it shows in the image below, but at £25 for each bush it will cost more for two little bushes than I paid for the exhaust. The gasket needs replacing too as it has seen better days.

I started to have a look around the valve itself to see if it was usable or past it. At first glance the valve rods had a bit of corrosion built up so I clean that off.

The facing has worn slightly but you can't really feel it if you run your finger along it. One thing for sure if that the previous owner can't have ever serviced this part as there was absolutely no sign of copper grease anywhere.

I'll keep working on the exhaust and see how I get on. The downpipes came off an 11,000 mile FZR400 3TJ but in all honesty the condition is pretty lousy compared to my downpipes currently on the bike at 18,500km. Still, the part is definitely fixable and with Stafford bike show tomorrow I'll be on the look out for plenty of bits of pieces to help restore all these parts.

Project Kawsaki: Tear Down

2011-10-14T10:06:00.000-07:00

I have spent some time working on the Kawasaki over the last few evenings and one thing I discovered is how shockingly bad the wiring is on the bike. Over its 27 year life the wiring has been hacked to bits and badly fixed. I managed to find a used wiring loom on ebay from a 1989 KH125 so I should be receiving that soon. This poor bike has had a really hard life from it's 21 previous owners (yes, 21). Here is how the bike currently looks,

Now for the good part, I had a parcel waiting for me when I got in from work today and it had these inside,

A set of genuine KH125 handle bars and a good condition bottom yoke for the front forks. I started stripping down the rear of the bike and besides snapping bolts in half and realising that 99% of them will need replacing I have managed to start reviving some of the parts. The plastic rear mudguard was washed and then had a session with back to black bumper polish.

I then used some wire wool on the chrome rear mudguard.

The underside still needs a bit of work but this was very heavily corroded.

I cleaned up the rubber end piece that screws into the tail of the chrome mudguard while I had the back to black out as well.

I removed the front wheel a few days ago and started masking it up as I want to paint the wheels. I went to Halfords today and bought some satin paint and gave the wheel its first coat of paint.

This was after the first coat.

I used various grit sand paper on the metal ridges to remove any paint that got underneath the masking tape.

The other side of the wheel still needs to be sprayed, but you can really tell the difference between the old and new paint now.

Stay tuned for more updates and progress.

Project FZR: Semi Naked

2011-10-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

Since buying the FZR I've had a lot of fun and it has proved to be a solid bike, but as the weather will be getting worse in the coming months I have decided to start taking it to bits in order to replace certain parts and give it a well deserved clean up.

At present the side fairing panels have been removed and I've spent an hour or two with wire wool trying to clean up the engine. I still have a long way to go but it is starting to look a lot better.

This is where the top fairing will need repairing.

Left hand side of the bike after a spruce!

Here is how the down pipes currently look.

After a session with wire wool and white spirits I managed to get one of the down pipes looking like this,

I have faith that I can get rid of the corrosion and get these looking next to new again. I removed the Coerce end can as well.

Here is the EXUP valve with the cover off. I had a go tightening the EXUP cables and it still rattles. Having had a play around with the valve if you get two fingers behind the mounting face you can feel play in the valve. When the engine was running I put pressure on the end face and it stopped the rattling, when I removed pressure it rattled again.

The answer? I've bought a set of replacement downpipes with the EXUP valve included from an 11,000 mile FZR 3TJ. When the downpipes arrive I'll strip down the valve and inspect it for any wear. I'll replace the bushes if I have to and just for good measure I'll replace all the plastics caps in the valve too. To finish it off I'll coat the ends of the valve in copper grease before I re fit it. I managed to buy some good condition EXUP cables as well as a replacement set for the future. Lastly, I quite like the unfaired look, maybe I should buy a streetfighter!

Superlight

2011-10-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Since getting into bikes the Ducati 750SS/ 900SS model has been on my radar. The Superlight model is based on the 900SS platform but features items such as a single racing seat, carbon fibre front mudguard and upswept exhaust pipes.

Truth be told it's only about 6kg lighter than the standard SS. Either way it looks great, sounds amazing, and is exclusive.

Just to show how easy it is to make a 750SS have that Superlight feel here is a modified 750SS. Forget the 916 and 748, for me this sums up Ducati in the 90s. Sure the SS models didn't have Cosworth developed 8 valve head like the 851 Superbike or the advanced design like the 916, but they are a straight forward Italian twin.

With the way current 750SS prices are the Ducati fund is ready and waiting, I just need to finish the Roadster, FZR, and KH125 first......

2002

2011-10-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Cult of the Turbo

2011-10-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

The Power of Dreams

2011-10-09T02:56:00.000-07:00

Honda use the slogan 'The Power of Dreams' in the majority of their adverts and it is easy to see why when looking at the Honda NR750.

The NR(New Racing) 750 can trace its roots back to the NR500 Grand Prix racer and the NR750 endurance racer in the 1980s. The oval piston design meant that each cylinder had 8 valves enabling the engine to produce more power due to the increased air/ fuel mixture. The road version had an advanced fuel injection system and featured titanium connecting rods. The expense didn't stop with the engine, the frame was coated with titanium to help prevent scratches and the bike was covered in carbon fibre.

In 1992 300 street models were produced by Honda and the bike is still renounced for being one of the most expensive production bikes ever made.

Project FZR: Up Close and Personal

2011-10-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

I went out for a wee blast on Saturday morning with the intention of getting a few photos. I doubt I'll ride the bike much after this month is over, I'm already eyeing up bits on ebay to replace worn out bits this winter.

Here are the pics.

The jobs this winter to make the bike pretty much mechanically and cosmetically immaculate are:

Fix EXUP valve - Either worn bushes, worn cables, lack of grease on EXUP cables
Sand exhaust and paint black
Find replacement left hand side fairing panel, or have bottom half resprayed red
Have scrape on tank sprayed
Have the headlight fairing surround plastic welded and resprayed in pearl white
Replace screen
Replace grips
Service the bike and change all fluids
Replace radiator and spray black with radiator paint
Replace winkers
Replace clutch spring with EBC springs.

Once all these jobs are done the bike will be in superb condition and gladly all these tasks won't cost a lot to do. The most expensive part will be the bodywork. Stay tuned for more updates.

Niki Lauda

2011-10-02T01:35:00.000-07:00

Isn't that just the sweetest engine note?

Summers Ride in Time for October

2011-09-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight I met up with a buddy and went out for a ride as I hadn't been out in a few days. Although I was feeling pretty lousy I wanted to have a blast whilst the sun is shining as Britain is still enjoying this record heat that has hit us over the past week. As it's getting dark around 1930hrs we set off early and had a ride around the lanes. After spending the afternoon cleaning and polishing the bike I got it ready to go out.

We parked up near Bumble Bee lane outside Sharnford so I took a few pics. I'd already discovered that as the weather is so humid the bike was suffering from heat soak.

My buddy parked up his Kawasaki 636 so I took a few pics too. It's pretty mad to think that the Kawasaki is 16 years newer than mine.

We then went for a bit of a blast around some of the finest A roads around our way that we could find. We ended up near Lutterworth so we parked up and got some more pics, as well as a couple of vids of the FZR.

My rear indicators have been slightly loose for a while now, but today the left hand side one tried to escape. Not to worry, when I got home I found some washers and put it back on. All the winkers will soon be replaced with 4DX indicators anyway.

Video time. The video below shows what the Coerce Race pipe sounds like when the engine is being revved when not under load.

The next video shows what the pipe sounds like when the bike is under load. My mate filming said that the camera really doesn't do it justice. After all, it does say '98db' on the pipe!

From Road to Race to Road

2011-09-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

The Devil is in the Detail

2011-09-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

Audi Quattro S1

Project Kawasaki: Quiet Riot

2011-09-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

A parcel arrived in the post a few days ago for my Kawasaki KH125 that I am slowly rebuilding.

Yes that's right, I finally managed to find a decent condition OEM exhaust pipe. The bike came with an expansion pipe and although it made a lot of noise the bike just isn't worthy of one. The exhaust pipe helped contribute to the large hole blown out of the piston in 2010 as well so I wanted to get an OEM pipe.

As I want my Kawasaki to look tidy I thought a standard pipe would help with this. I really was surprised at the condition as there isn't a spot of rust anywhere on it. It took 15 months to find one in good condition but like anything if you keep searching one will come up. I have already started to clean up my other pipe from the head to the silencer so I'll sell the expansion pipe and head pipe that I got with this. If anyone wants an expansion pipe for a KH125 let me know!

Project FZR: Fairing Fitted

2011-09-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

The sun is shining, Britain is enjoying some nice warm weather, and it is October tomorrow. It's really weird as flowers are blooming but the leaves on trees have turned golden and are falling off. Anyway, this is perfect bike riding weather so expect some pretty pictures soon. Because of this I got myself into gear and fitted the new fairing that I recently revived.

The job didn't take long but it involved swapping some clips and rubbers over in order to make the fairing ready to fit. Here is the result.

It came up a treat with the Autoglym products so I'll do the same to the rest of the bodywork. I'm on the look out for other body panels, but if I have no luck I'll have the red bits sprayed up. The fairing that covers the headlight needs attention so I'll get a specialist to plastic weld that and spray it back up.

Here is the fairing I took off. I intend on having a bash at fixing the damaged areas.

The damage isn't bad, but trying to match the paint finish could be hard. I quite fancy an A16 Moto GP exhaust pipe too but I'd rather spend money getting the bike as mint as possible. FZR400RR's are getting hard to find in good condition now so I plan on restoring this to its former glory. Besides the paint work I can fix everything up myself so that will reduce cost. I already have another bike in mind next year so the FZR will have a bit of a rest then.

Project FZR: Plastic Fantastic

2011-09-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

I bought a few items for the FZR recently that came up for sale as they were on my list of bits to buy.

Firstly a genuine FZR400RR fairing side panel was on ebay as a 'buy it now' item. I went ahead and bought it knowing that the seller described the item as having marks and scuffs from poor storage. The item arrived yesterday and I remained optimistic when I opened the parcel. I instantly saw the scratches and I hoped that the Yamaha paint was good enough to remove these.

Out of the box.

Marks and scuffs close up.

As the only T cut I have is the same bottle I bought for my first car in 2004 I went to Halfords and looked for something a bit better. I ended buying some Autoglym Paint Renovator to go with my Autoglym polish I use on the Roadster.

After many goes (and I mean many) of using the paint renovator then polish, then paint renovator then polish.

This is where the worst scratches were. I was seriously impressed with the Autoglym products.

Fairing mock up against the bike.

Colour difference between the new revived fairing and original fairing on the bike.

Onto the next item.

Another item came in the mail today. This is the second part that I knew wouldn't cost much, but would be difficult to find in good condition.

I bought a used 3TJ riders seat off Ebay. The seat has no rips or tears, it was a bit mucky and it was missing one of the rubber mounts underneath.

Here are some photos of the seat that was on the bike when I bought it. The mouting was a bit of a bodge, it looks like the rubber cover should be fixed to the seat bracket.

Tear in the original seat.

I removed the seat and tightened up any bits and pieces under the seat. The 'missfire' I had recently was actually a loose battery wire.....

New seat cleaned up and a new rubber mount fitted that I took off my original seat.

All fitted, I wish all jobs were this easy!

As the bike came with the standard exhaust I intend to fix that up in the areas it needs work. I won't fit the exhaust because it makes the bike sound like a hoover, whereas the Coerce exhaust pipe currently fitted makes it sound like it's 1990 and the bike is entered for the Isle of Man TT. A video clip will be on the way as this bike needs to be heard!

I'll use different grit wet and dry sandpaper, wire wool and Autosol to fix this damage.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Roadster Demo Car: I - Styling

2011-09-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

The I - Styling NA6 Roadster is very subtle but at the same time those in the know can pick out some of the incredibly rare items on the car. From the Enkei RPF1 14 inch wheels (limited run at the time) to the M2 1001 gauges and other interior pieces, this car has been modified in all the right areas. The car has been fitted with Nakamae bucket seats and the stance is helped by a set of Tein Flex coilovers.

Monaco 1965 - First Piece of Art Work

2011-09-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

Whilst browsing around the Hinckley Classic Motorshow I spotted this for sale in a shop. After work I popped in and bought it. I need to get the print framed and the dimensions are 60cm*80cm. I can't wait to get it mounted and I'm also on the hunt for more car and bike related art work now.

This gives you a good idea as to how big the print is. I still have my Porsche Steve McQueen and Cosworth prints for the garage, maybe I should use them in the house.

Just One Revolution

2011-09-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

Suzuki RGV250 - 2 stroke 250cc racer for the road

Hinckley Classic Motorshow

2011-09-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I was told that a classic car and bike gathering was happening in the middle of Hinckley town centre in the morning. After speaking to my dad we decided to pop down and see what vehicles would turn up. This is the first time Hinckley has hosted an event like this, the only other I can think of is the special stage around Argents Mead for the Rally of the Midlands.

As I live in Hinckley I popped along and was quite surprised by the turn out considering this is the first year of this event. There was a huge mix of cars and a few bikes were there too. As the morning went on it got busier with more car clubs turning up and even classic scooter clubs. Here are some pictures from the event.

All in all, a good way to spend a Sunday morning. Let's see what the turn out is like in 2012!

Roadster Demo Car: Pitcrew Racing

2011-09-24T06:47:00.000-07:00

I wanted to put together a feature looking at the Eunos Roadster tuning houses in Japan. The first one I want to look at in none other than the love or hate Pitcrew Racing demo car. A lot of Pitcrew's can look thrown together if not thought out carefully, the Pitcrew Racing demo car on the other hand is nothing like that.

The car is based off an NA6 and features pretty much the entire range of Pitcrew Racing products. The car is set up on carburettors to help give that classic feel.

Here are some photographs on the car,

The interior features some Nakamae pieces that help add to the old school vibe.

Stay tuned for more Roadster tuning shop demo cars.

Practical Sportsbikes

2011-09-24T04:04:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this magazine today when I popped into my local town. My brother had mentioned about the magazine previously but I didn't realise the magazine only caters for 70s, 80s and 90s bikes.

As it's only really these three decades of bikes that I am interested in I have now found my bike magazine fix. Here are a few photos of the magazine,

Whilst I was in town I bought a few tools for the garage too as they were cheap,

British Racing Motors V16 - The Sound of 1947

2011-09-18T03:49:00.000-07:00

There are several engine notes that stick the hairs up on the back of my neck, but the BRM V16 has to be my ultimate engine note.

BRM designed the supercharged 1.5 V16 engine in 1947 and it was used in Formula One until the mid 1950s. The engine produced 600bhp at 12,000 rpm. The engine proved to be unreliable at first but the engine was very powerful for the time. Here is a sound clip of the engine at full chat.

Castrol Tom's Supra

2011-09-18T03:40:00.000-07:00

In the land of the rising sun the Castrol Tom's Supra was always dicing at the front of the pack in the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC).

The car went through numerous changes after its debut in the mid 90s. The car started off in 1995 as a 2.1 litre I4 turbocharged racer, but as time moved on it shared the same engine that was eventually used in the Toyota Corolla world rally car. The Supra was eventually given the V8 3UZ-FE power plant giving the car additional torque.

Even today the wide bodykit and huge GT wing make the car look menacing, and the headlight turned into an air duct shows that function comes before form.

My first memory of this car was actually through playing Gran Turismo on my Playstation when I was around 10 years old.

Here is a small video showing what the JGTC is all about,

To B or not to B

2011-09-17T05:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have bought another set of Watanabes.

I'm not being greedy, as two are being sold very soon. But for now I can say that I have finally got 4 Watanabes that are all the same size!

I put my Watanabe centre caps on the Roadster today to see how they look with the current B types fitted. I wasn't that keen on the centre caps when I first bought them but I really like how they look here.

A closer view of the rear wheels and the ducktail. Classic inspired Roadster.

I thought I'd have a bash fixing the wood Nardi myself for now. I fitted my old black leather 365mm Nardi wheel and as the new horn push works with the Works Bell hub I fitted that too.

Both Nardi wheels together.

I sanded down where the wood rim had been chipped. I am applying varnish in an attempt to build up the layers so it will blend with the rest of the wheel.

V Special trim.

A couple of shots of how the interior currently looks.

Gnardi Nardeee

2011-09-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

A parcel arrived today that I'd been waiting for a day or two. There's no point in trying to disguise what it is thanks to the shape, and if the title doesn't give it away here are the pics.

There we are, a 365mm wood Nardi wheel with horn push. I also received some mirror plates for a new set of mirrors I want as well as a jdmy0 sticker.

The only snag is that the wheel has a small chip on the rim. I'll get this professionally fixed as I want it to be a good job.

Here are some photos of the wheel fitted.

I also lowered the rear of the car and put the F8's on the back to see how they look.

Another parcel will be arriving tomorrow and the F8s are being sold very soon. Stay tuned!

Cluster Muster

2011-09-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

I had a play around yesterday with the KG Works fascia and my new dials. I'm still torn which rev counter to use as I really like both. Here are the two in question,

No. 1: No redline

No.2: Redline block

I also did a super macro shot on the KG Works fascia just because I love looking at it.

If I use the rev counter with no redline I plan to stick some red tape on the glass bezel to represent the redline. Before I change these I am tempted to use some different gauge needles. Having had a look at my FZR gauges I would like some needles like that. They are very similar to the M2 cars.

I wonder if Adam (Revlimiter) would produce some replica M2 1002 gauges some day, the only snag is that the M2 1002 didn't come with an oil pressure gauge so he'd have to make one in the style of the others.

Leather Face

2011-09-09T08:50:00.000-07:00

Since the leather gaiter had dyed black quite nicely I felt it was time to fit it to the car. I had to take the seats out to get the Nakamae console off but it was an easy job. As the original handbrake sleeve had never been removed and glued from the factory I had to use a set of mole grips to spin the old one off. The piece was subsequently binned as it was knackered after.

I fitted the gaiter in place and then the Joyfast sleeve was slipped on. Here are some shots of the interior at present.

Before: The OEM handbrake sleeve and plastic gaiter.

After: The new DIY black gaiter and Joyfast sleeve.

The Mazdaspeed oil cap I got was a bit dirty too so I used some white spirits on a cloth to help clean off the oil and grease that had built up over years.

I also used a Rev9 sticker that I was sent by Max who runs Rev9 Autosport.

I still have other interior pieces to fit and to buy. I fancy a bit more leather in the interior as I'm starting to hate the nasty OEM plastic in the cockpit.

Real Classic Meet - September 2011

2011-09-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

I follow the Real Classic message board from time to time and I spotted that there was going to be a meet this Sunday around 11am. Mad Mike on the message board organises these, last time I went I took the Roadster so I thought this time I'd rock up on the FZR. I classify the FZR as a sort of classic bike as in 3 years it'll be 25 years old (the official text book age for being a classic).

When I got up this morning it was raining and I wondered if the meet would be on. After a quick call to my dad and a father son chat (I.e being told to stop being a big Jessie) I got my camera and gear ready to go to the meet. My dad turned up to my place and we set off to the meet.

We arrived at the meeting point and Mike was the first person there. He was on his Norton that was restored in 1976. It still looks fabulous considering that was some 35 years ago.

A genuine mileage of 82,222. It goes to show that if a bike is looked after they can do this sort of mileage.

As more bikes turned up the sun started to shine and the roads dry out.

My Yam sitting there still clean from the day before.

The colours of the Triumph's fuel tank look great when the sun hits it. The colour scheme is very similar to a sunburst Fender Stratocaster.

The fuel tank on this Ariel has two grooves on both sides of the tank, no doubt complex to manufacture.

A BSA having a well deserved rest. The bike and rider has travelled from Manchester.

We couldn't stay too long as lunch was approaching but it was good to see some familar faces and have a good chat again. I've been told to contact a paint shop in Leicester regarding the fuel tank on the FZR and with Stafford Bike Show coming up next month I'll be making a shopping list in the coming weeks.

Peggy Sue

2011-09-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

When I bought the FZR I was given a box of bits a long with the standard exhaust silencer. At some point in it's life the FZR has been dropped as the right hand side foot peg was bent a long with the rear brake leaver. After washing and polishing the bike last night I thought I'd get on and change the foot peg and brake leaver.

Here is the old brake leaver unit. Note the badly corroded bracket too.

This is the bent rear brake pedal.

You can see from the photo that the foot peg has sheered at the end when the bike has been dropped at some point.

This is the 'new' foot peg that I fitted last night. I still need some new rubbers but they are cheap and easy to come by.

The brake light was a bit temperamental when the front brake was being used. It was discovered that one of the wires had a split so a Scotch clip was used as a fix.

Lastly, the rear seat has a tiny little tear in it and previously you could see the yellow foam of the seat. I used some leather dye to help touch it up and look more discrete.

Dyers Eve

2011-09-04T07:25:00.000-07:00

Last year I bought a used Nardi wooden handbrake handle for the Roadster off ebay. The handle came with a tan leather gaiter that I intended to dye black to match the interior of the car. Since the garage is now fully functional I finally got round to buying some leather dye and having a bash at changing the colour of the leather.

Tan gaiter and leather dye before shot.

Trusty paint brush that was intended for the job at hand.

This was the result after the first coat of leather dye. I was quite pleased.

A close up shot of the gaiter once the dye began to dry.

I bought some shoe polish yesterday to help buff the leather up in areas where the dye hadn't worked that well. The good news is that the polish worked well and the leather that needed brightening is now sorted. The annoying bit is that the polish seems abrasive against some of the leather dye in areas and actually removes it. I have since given the gaiter a few more coats of dye and I'll leave it for a few days before I use the polish again. Here is how the gaiter looks with the Nardi and Joyfast handbrake handle.

The interior is in pieces as I'm giving it a general spruce up, so when the quality of the dye is up to my standard I'll fit the gaiter and handbrake handle. Since seeing the new Trap radio surround I might hold off putting the interior back together till I buy one.

Project FZR: Pro Bolt Oil Cap

2011-08-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

I changed the first part on my FZR today, albeit a boring part.

When I bought the bike it came with a strange oil cap that I'm pretty certain was never intended for the bike. I had a look around and found a company that sells aftermarket metal oil caps. It arrived in the post today so after I got home from work I set to and fitted it.

Oil cap supplied with an O ring.

Oil cap that was previously on the bike

The rubber pipe was acting as a breather although it had a bolt in the top of it.

Oil cap removed and ready to be slung in the FZR parts draw.

New oil cap all fitted!

The next couple of jobs will take place over the winter. Since buying the bike I've found that the EXUP valve needs attention. Either the cables that operate the valve are loose or the bushing inside the exhaust need replacing. Here is an exploded view of the exhaust,

Part no.11 will more than likely be the culprit. Whilst the exhaust is off over winter I'll give it a paint and general spruce up. Secondly, when I service the bike I'll whip the clutch out as I want to replace the clutch springs for uprated EBC springs. At £10 for a set from Wemoto I can't complain about the cost. Watch this space for more updates.

RS Watanabe Refresh

2011-08-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Remember that set of Watanabe's I bought from Japan last summer? Well, I have finally started fixing them up, it has only taken 12 months. I have 6 that need spraying but two of them will have attention from a professional wheel shop. One of the B types needs the outer lip tarting up and one of the A types has a small flat spot so this will need to be fixed too. I'm still unsure of what colour to go for but right now I am trying to get rid of the small score marks on the lips. I am using a variety of wet and dry sand paper. Here are some photos from the progress tonight,

Before I began sanding,

Example of some of the scoring. The A type that will be repaired has the worst scoring out of all of them so I will ask the wheel shop to fix that.

There used to be scoring here,

Ready for some Autosol,

The pack waiting refurbishment,

Project Kawasaki: Tank Stripper

2011-08-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

I used some Nitromors on the fuel tank today as I want the tank to be bare before I have it sprayed. Here is how it looked after a few goes,

Only a small post but stay tuned for more updates

Project Kawasaki: 2nd Time Around

2011-08-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

I spent the afternoon stripping the Kawasaki back down again since I want to rebuild it properly this time. Last year the piston exploded thanks to me riding it flat out with the silly expansion pipe fitted. Since the incident it never really went as well as it used to as only the top end was rebuilt.

After the piston blew the bike was picked up by a recovery vehicle. As the bike was being loaded onto the truck fuel spilt onto the tank and subsequently reacted with the new paint and ruined it. The plan is to have the bottom end rebuilt when I redo the top end this time and I will be having the paint work professionally done. Here are the photos from today.

Damage from the petrol spill,

Example of the rusty bolts that I am trying to save where possible. If I need to I'll replace them with nice shiny new ones!

Some of the parts that have been removed. The expansion pipe will be sold as I intend to fit a standard silencer. I'm not keen on having a loud exhaust on a vehicle that can barely push 65mph.

New decals to have fitted. Sadly these are for a 1985 KH125 but that doesn't really matter.

Badges that need either repainting of replacing. The previous owner spay painted over the tank badges so the black is now a dark red.

Rear plastic cowl after removing, washing and a session with back to black.

Rusty bolts submerged in coke.

Workshop manual, although the bike is so simple I haven't actually looked at this yet.

My home made fuel drainage system, a pallet, fuel can and funnel.

Here is the extent of the damage to the fuel tank paint. This will soon be stripped with Nitromors.

Once all the fuel had drained I removed the fuel tap.

Here is how the bike now stands.

There is still plenty to do that'll keep me busy. Quite a bit of the work will involve taking parts off to clean or paint them and then refitting them. Certain parts will be replaced such as the rear shocks, steering head bearings, handle bars and grips but these parts are widely available and cheap.

Changing the fasteners and bolts for new ones will help brighten the appearance of the bike and give it a fresh look. The KH will be ideal for local journeys and VMCC runs, it'll be nice getting 75mpg again!

Project Garage: The Middle and Nearing the End

2011-08-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the lack of internet this project has sort of been and gone without many updates. The garage is now complete so this is a huge post showing everything that has been done since I last reported on this some time ago. Here it goes,

I spent quite some time re pointing the brick work in the garage. The garage had been quite badly neglected so whilst I was in the process of cementing the garage floor the brickwork had some attention too.

The shelving was change for lighter wood.

Part of the garage floor that I had to cement. I didn't care that the finish wasn't totally flat, I just wanted a steady surface that I could put weight on.

I made slight ramp into the garage too because I wanted to neaten up the appearance.

Work bench worktop,

I bought some concrete sealer and spent an evening breathing in the lovely fumes,

Once the sealer had dried I bought some garage floor paint and set to painting.

Once the floor was dry I could store the car and bikes in the garage. I then began to mark out how much room I'd have for a work shop area,

Esso sign being put to use that I bought from the Silverstone Classic,

Home made padding so I don't bash the door of the car,

Cabinets in place and my old posters being put to use,

Garage door with similar treatment,

The workshop area. My grandad has his tools set out exactly like this with peg board and clips. I was given some tools to help me start out. I'm sure this collection will grow over time.

Lastly, a touch of my childhood. I went back to my parents house to pick up some bits and pieces and my mum had put these to one side. I wasn't that fussed about them but it was suggested that I kept them. For now they are on display...until I need that room for things.

I still have some posters that need framing and putting up so I still have little jobs to do here and there. On the whole the garage is nearly finished though.

Project FZR: JDM Race Replica

2011-08-27T11:37:00.000-07:00

I passed my bike test in January this year, although it feels like a life time ago now. I decided to treat myself a few weeks back as I was hankering after a bike. The choice was between a Yamaha FZR400RR or a Ducati 750ss. The Yamaha was cheaper and I felt for my first proper bike it would tick all the boxes. The bike has an I4 16 valve twin cam 400cc engine and this model FZR is renowned for it's gorgeous handling thanks to the frame design.

Here is the bike after I had got it home,

The bike is mechanically sound with the only snag so far being the notorious EXUP valve at low revs rattling. I am just going to enjoy riding it now and over the winter I will take it to bits and clean it up. The EXUP valve bushings will probably have to be replaced but I wanted to give the exhaust a paint anyway. The bike came with the standard pipe as well as an aftermarket can. The pipe says 'Coerce' so I'll have to do a bit of research. When I took the pipe off I was amazed at how light it is compared to the OEM unit. At some point I'll get some videos of the bike but for now I just want to ride it!

Awesomefest 2011 - Saturday

2011-07-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

Today started early as I was planning to go to Awesomefest. Having the event at Mallory Park meant that it only took around 20 minutes to get there so it was a nice easy start to the day. When I arrived I had a wander around as I knew a few people at the event. When I got there I had a look at which would be the best spot to watch at.

A familiar sight, cast your mind back to September 2009 on this blog and you'll see this exact car that used to belong to Rob Richardson of Racer 86 at Mallory Park for the MX5 OC day.

The Nissan Silvia seemed to be a very popular choice whether it be a S13/ PS13/ S14(A) or S15.

Escort MK2 4 door drifter in the paddock.

Toyota Corolla KE70 getting ready before hitting the track.

Who needs RS Watanabe wheel nuts when you can have proper nuts!

Rich Hudson's PS13 and Dave Cooper's S13. The last time I saw these cars was at the Stanceworks meet in Milton Keynes.

I sold my Cusco cage to the owner of this BRG NA8C Roadster today. He took me for a spin before he collected the cage to show what the BP06 or 'exhintake' mod does to the car. The car pulls from 4500 to the redline with ease and the induction sound is really aggressive. I look forward to doing that to my car now.

Trap lip, RS Watanabe A types, Zoom style rear spoiler, tan interior and wooden Nardi trim. Classic racer look Roadster.

Rich's PS13 after the boost pipe kept blowing off when he was out on track.

The owner of this NA6 travelled all the way from Germany for the event.

Another one of the ex Racer 86 daily driver brigade.

This AE86 was powered by a Mazda rotaty unit.

JDM Garage selling all your performance needs. I was surprised they had a complete R35 engine for sale.

My mate's E46 BMW M3.

I had a quick look around this NA Roadster before I left as it was wearing some Rota Hayashi replica wheels. It did look quite good in the flesh and was tastefully modified.

50,000 Hits

2011-07-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to all those that have taken the time to read this blog, or thos that merely stumble across it! Anyway to celebrate here is a BMW M1 spitting flames!