Friday 29 November 2013

Mercenary is Traveling

Mercenary is Traveling Normal service resumes on Monday...





#TheSoviet #YelenaKalashnikova #HondaCB1000F #RingOfKerry #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage


Urban Motocross City Mayhem Russia

Scary biscuits!!

Urban Motocross City Mayhem Russia








#UrbanMotoXSaintPetersburg #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Mercenary Throttle-Cable Tool

If you've ever struggled to fit a throttle cable into your carburetors while they're still sitting between the motor and the airbox, you might consider making one of these...


Mercenary Throttle-Cable Tool
The Mercenary Throttle-Cable Tool.


It only takes a minute to make. You need about 20cm of 5mm aluminium tubing and  a length of old throttle cable. It works just like those things snake wranglers use.


The job will now only take a couple of minutes, not the rest of your life...






#ThrottleCableTool #ToolTip #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion (Part 2)

So, welding the risers onto the top-yoke and fitting the handlebars was relatively easy.


Extending the control cables was much more convoluted. Firstly, the windscreen, nose fairing, side-panels and fuel-tank had to be removed. 



Fortunately, I was able to reuse the choke cable by simply re-routing it. However, the throttle cable was already at a stretch when I fitted the VFR750 clip-ons and so I had to make up a new throttle cable, using the hardware off the old one. This is a relatively easy process. See...






The hydraulic clutch and brake lines were also at maximum stretch before the conversion and so I needed to make up new ones. And due to the convoluted nature of the Dual Combined Braking System, I also had to make a third line to connect the left and right front brakes.



Luckily, Honda seemed to have considered the possibility that users might want to make this conversion - the wiring from the handlebar controls had additional length built in. Extending the length of these wire by wire was something I wasn't looking forward to... 



On balance, this isn't a particularly easy or cheap conversion. The cost, including the aluminium welding, the Fat Bars and Clamps and the cost of the brake and clutch lines was in the region of €250 and there was at least a day's labour involved.



Was it worth it? Time will tell, but based on the short journey I made last night, I'd say so. The new riding position can best be described as... Stately.



Part 1 of this article is... Here


CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion

CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion
New candy-red stainless steel brake-line and My-Little-Pony throttle cable.

CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion
New brake and clutch lines.

CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion

CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion

CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion
The clearance between the windscreen at full lock is tight, but with a bit of adjustment, nothing touches.

CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion

CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion

CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion



#CBR1000F #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Gixxer

Real or Photochop? Looks real to me...

Flaming Burnout






#GSXR #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Tuesday 26 November 2013

RC8 Drifter

Nice...


RC8 Drifter










 #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Streetfighter

This image is just too cool to pass up...


Streetfighter




#MADKUUSAA #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Streetfighterz Ride of the Century 2013

I've mentioned before that I think the streetride videos coming from Europe and from the States have a different flavour.

The stuff from Europe (and particularly, France) is generally, sort of lighthearted, celebratory and essentially positive (See Here for example)


But there's something grim about this video of the 2013 Ride of the Century. The video itself is excellent,  exciting and very well put together - it's the message that's grim.


It's very confrontational. The video begins and ends with interaction between the riders and the police. One of the prominently featured riders is wearing a tee shirt with the slogan 'I Don't Stop for Cops' and much of the riding is provocative.


But it's also nihilistic. A lot of the riding is blatantly unsafe - and I'm not talking about the fundamental question of stunt riding on open roads. What I mean is that the riders don't appear to have a lot of regard for each other - they cut each other up and they're so caught up in doing there own thing that they don't give space to other riders doing their thing. They don't appear to have much regard for personal safety either- they mostly wear just tee-shirts and shorts.


And I get the sense that what you're actually seeing here is a political documentary. On the one hand, you have (another) generation of disenfranchised American youth who are very clearly demonstrating just how disenfranchised they are, whether they realise this or not. 


And on the other hand, you have a civil authority who seem confused by this behaviour. At the end of the movie, there's a cop impounding bikes because they have warm engines. He seems like a reasonable guy, he knows this is completely fascist, and I get the sense that he doesn't agree with it at all (there's every possibility he feels a little disenfranchised himself). But he still goes and does it after absolving himself by saying he's under orders.


It's grim. And that's why it's worth watching...



Streetfighterz Ride of the Century 2013







#RideOfTheCentury #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Speed Merchant

Speed Merchant









































#SpeedMerchant #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

QOTSA - If I Had a Tail

Why? 

'Cos it's deadly, that's why...



QOTSA - If I Had a Tail







Giuchie, Giuchie
Oh la la
Do run run
You wont get far

I'm machine
Obsolete
Land of the free
Lobotomy

I wanna suck, I wanna lick
I wanna cry and I wanna spit
Tears of pleasure
Tears of pain
They trickle down your face the same

It's how you look
Not how you feel
The city of glass
With no heart

If I had a tail
I'd own the place
If I had a tail
I'd swat the flies

Yeah, oh oh, oh oh, oh oh

Giuchie, Giuchie
Oh la la
Do run run
You won't get far

Animals in
The midnight zone
When you own the world
You're always home

Get your hands dirty
Roll up them sleeves
Brainwashed all true believers
Buy flash cars
Diamond rings
Expensive holes to bury things

I'm machine
I'm obsolete
The land of the free
Immortality

If I had a tail
I'd own the place
If I had a tail
I'd swat the flies

Yeah, oh oh, oh oh, oh oh

See me dancing on the scars
See me dance






#QOTSA #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Monday 25 November 2013

Падения Мотоциклистов

It's not easy...


Падения Мотоциклистов






#ПаденияМотоциклистов #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Big Jim Show 2013


Big Jim Show 2013





#BigJimShow #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Ewa Pieniakowska


Ewa Pieniakowska






#EwaPieniakowska #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

You Will Bike


You Will Bike








































#YouWillBike #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Green Meanie


Green Meanie





#KawasakiGPZ #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Eudezet Ghetto Ride

This is cool video of the EGR 2013

Eudezet Ghetto Ride





#EudezetGhettoRide #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Sunday 24 November 2013

Rolf Circus - Le Ramses

Rolf Circus - Le Ramses







#RolfCircus #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion (Part 1)

CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion


Since I got the thing a little over a year ago, I've been tweaking the handlebars on the CBR1000F in search of more comfort. It's not that the bike is uncomfortable, it's not - even as standard it's the most comfortable bike I've ever owned. It's just that I can't help trying to optomise things...

The first adjustment was to raise the standard clip-ons to the top of the fork legs - this gave a rise of 8mm and didn't really make any difference.


Adjustment number two was to replace the standard clip-ons with clip-ons from a 1989 VFR750. This raised the bars about an inch and a half (35mm approx.) and brought them closer by an about an inch (25mm approx.). This made a noticeable difference and I expect most CBR1000F owners would be happy to leave it there. But I have an ongoing neck injury and it still pulled my neck and shoulders a bit...


The third iteration was a really complicated procedure that involved lowering the whole bike about 30mm while leaving the clip-on bars located at the top of the fork legs - In effect, this raised the bars another 30mm (relative to the seat) and brought them a tiny bit closer. This resulted in a riding position that was really pretty good. You can read about that operation - Here.


However, I just can't leave well enough alone...


Fairly early on in the handlebar modification process, I picked up a set of Factory Racing Fat-Bars and some matching Factory Racing clamps on Ebay. Because the fork legs come up through the top yoke on the CBR1000F, fitting these isn't a particularly straightforward operation. You need risers to raise the clamps so that the handlebars will clear the tops of the fork legs. And because this particular CBR1000F has been lowered, it needs very tall risers...





CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion
The risers are very long and simply bolting them to the top-yoke gave an awful lot of flex. Welding them on gives a really solid, flex-free feel.



CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion
Painted satin-black to match the bars and fitted with the Factory Racing clamps and new stainless steel bolts, the whole assembly looks pretty tasty.



CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion
Factory Racing Fat-Bars in situ.



CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion
The bars are really pretty high and wide now. It feels more like a full-on tourer than a sports-tourer.



CBR1000F Handlebar Conversion  
The new handlebar position compared to the VFR750 clip-ons.


So, to get this far has taken a bit of work, but that's only half the battle. The riding position is radically different now and so all the handlebar controls need to be modified.


I'll need to make longer, custom choke and throttle cables. The electrical cables to the switchgear will also need to be extended. And I have to make up longer clutch and brake lines - and because this bike has front-rear linked brakes, that's a pretty complicated endeavour.


Watch this space...


Part 2 of this article is... Here




#CBR1000F #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Awestruck

Awestruck


#Triumph #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

NLB Official


NLB Official






#NastyLotBums #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Rolling Burnout


Rolling Burnout





#KawasakiGPZ #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage

Saturday 23 November 2013

Reprobates

I was supposed to go stunting today with Noel and Evan. But there were complications this morning and I had to cry off.

I'm a bit bummed about that now...



Mercenary Garage

Mercenary Garage

Mercenary Garage

Mercenary Garage

Mercenary Garage

Mercenary Garage

Mercenary Garage

All pics by Evan and Noel.


#Mercenary #MercenaryGarage



Friday 22 November 2013

EICMA 2013 - Random Images #6

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

EICMA 2013

#EICMA #EICMA2013 #TheSoviet #YelenaKalashnikova #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage