flathead Harleys

K models and WRs... with their racing heritage, they come loaded with tradition and emotional context.

Here are two fine takes on these platforms - from Japan. A cafe K and a WR bobber.

Tough street machines, not shiny trailer queens.


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Janta9G1340's "2009 Red Hot Motorcycles" Photoset on Flickr.

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Works Engineering / Brand X 2009 motorcycle picture gallery

The spread of machinery at the 14th street vintage bike block party in Greenpoint was pretty f*ckin epic.

Just so's you know - Brooklyn rules.

Dig the iron:


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Rise of the (chinese) machines - qlink motorcycles

Anyone who knows anything about bikes knows this: Bikes are all about sexy.

Power, handling, economy - whatever other reasons we have are all secondary. The bike has to look hot. And for those few super-perverse ones (like myself), a hot mess of duct tape, Krylon, rust and dirt looks pretty hot too.

One of the reasons why Chinese bikes have not taken off here is that most of them are styled like "sooo yesterday". Of course there are other reasons: limited dealer networks, bad reliability reputation, etc.

But Fugliness is the maker-breaker factor. With Suzuki now having 2 factories in China, you can be sure that China's well-honed industrial espionage moles are in full swing. What they learn from the Japanese will likely help improve manufacturing and quality control throughout the sector.

Once they improve reliability on the higher-power 250cc class powerplants, and on up into the 400-600cc motors - we'll see a horrendous shakeup in the global motorcycle industry. China's motorcycle manufacturing capacity is greater than the whole rest of the world combined... by a LARGE margin. They are like the U.S. in 1946 on steroids.

Very soon, these non-ugly semi-knockoff-styled machines are hitting our shores.

As a bike lover, and cash-strapped consumer, I'm pretty stoked.
   

I, for one, welcome with open arms our new Manchu Overlords.

Qlink USA here

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iron fist. velvet glove.

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One fine looking RD350 and one tough mother of a T500.
(The Cafe Racer Magazine booth - the last of my pictures from the Javits Center last week.)

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triplet smoker fetish

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There ain't nothing like a triple with castor bean oil in it's DNA.

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sweet hacktastically compelling RD

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You might be saying "what the f*ck are you thinking, man?"

After all, It's not your typical super-finely-detailed Special. In fact there doesn't seem to be anything special about it at all.

Look at it. It's COOL!

Seems nearly stock, with the money put where it does the most good - old School fork brace, piggyback reservoir shocks, expansion chambers.

Random, eclectic styling: Yellow tank with a lowered badge, weird pastel fenders (undercoat?) with stickers plastered on, a single bar-end mirror (keep it legal), red fork brace, black side panel with the number "4" on it... "8" would've been cooler.

Pure Genius. It would be TOTALLY at home trolling the Forbidden Zone with the Toe Cutter and his gang, thumbing it's nose at "The Bronze".

Seriously... I'm not being facetious here. I love this bike. It's badass.

P.S. - In the future, I might post pix of bikes that actually have chrome and billet on them... maybe.

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