If You Like VW Beetles,

this could be the post for you,

using the front wing of a VW a new model is born, all images © Aldekas Studio,

a Mexico-based designer repurposed the front wings and headlights of a Volkswagen Beetle,

to make this cute little run about,

you can thank the company Aldekas Studio for a new set of wheels that’s both stylish and environmentally conscious,

 this model being called the “Bugkart Wasowski.”

 

the kart’s curved body is attached to a bright red frame, which contrasts the olive green exterior. It has chrome handlebars and mirrors that mimic those on the original car, maintaining the integrity of the classic model, Aldekas Studio shares many of its designs on Facebook, including a 3D rendering of a rustic version of the kart shown here ,

regular readers of our blog might think that the Bugkart Wasowski looks familiar, that is because back in 2019 we featured the 2 wheel, front VW wing “Volkspod” built by Brent Walter, as it happens the Bugkart Wasowski would need a few modifications before it would be legal on UK roads, the tires would have to be enclosed by a mud guards for one thing, but what a neat little car if if you want a mini VW!

We Have Not Made A Post About Motorcycles For Some Time,

so here is one,

 featuring a Ducati like no other, 

 it is a Ducati 750SS by Cevennes Retro Motors,

 having said a Ducati,

 other than the engine almost nothing of the original bike remains and the first task of the builder was to create a jig to hold the classic L-Twin, and begin to bend tube around it. Using only the best Chromoly, the frame uses the engine as a stressed member and although using some trellis sections, it’s like nothing to ever leave the Bologna factory of Ducati HQ,

 the rear section almost seems to defy reality, suspending the subframe with a minimum of fuss,

 the swinging arm from a Ducati S4R takes a similar nature-inspired approach and being single-sided only helps to amplify the distinctive left and right side profiles,

 the structural supports for the footpegs are just so, well nice, 

 the riders eye view,

 the Ducati engine couldn’t be left untouched and the first step was to polish and paint it up to perfection,

the induction is a work of art, sitting on a custom made alloy intake is a thumping Dellorto DHLA 40 Carb originally designed for a car, that works a treat on the 750 engine with all the linkages hand made by Cedric, of Cédric Cevennes Retro Motors, for more of his works past, present and in the future, you can follow the master bike builder on Facebook, what an amazing machine, when you think of all of the work that has gone into this custom build, well just about everything!

There Are Times,

when Mr. Gravity can be so unkind, 

it is not the steepness of the hill that helps Mr.Gravity pull you down however, according to most riders, it is the sudden change of ride surface that makes keeping control of the bike and reaching the top so difficult, some fly off their bike early during the climb, while others get painfully close the the finish line, but in the end they all succumb to the power of gravity before reaching their goal, photograph from YouTube, the Andler Hillclimb is an annual dirt bike competition that has dirt bikers from around Europe try to reach the top of a treacherous hillside course in Belgium. It’s been held every year for the last two decades, but so far no one has been able to reach the top, the so-called “impossible climb”, starts out as rough gravel and then switches over to a washboard of rough cliff face which is almost designed to throw riders off and send them and their bikes tumbling back down to the base of the hill,

despite gathering the most talented dirt bikers in Europe at the start line every year, the Andler Hillclimb has so gar remained unconquered. The closest one to succeed was a Suzuki bike rider who once reportedly crossed the finish line with the front wheel before tumbling back down the slope like the rest of the competitors. Sadly, his achievement didn’t count as a valid climb, as the entire bike and its rider must make it atop the hill,

with so many riders having failed to conquer the Andler Hillclimb over the last 20 years, why are people still people still trying every year? Why not just call the climb impossible and be done with it? Well, I imagine it has something to do with the bragging rights, can you imagine what it much be like being the very first dirt biker to reach the top of this infamous hill? in case you want to try your luck, or if you simply want to see the hill chew up and spit out dozens of daredevils, this year’s event is scheduled for August, just be careful going up there, actually it might be wiser to be careful going down from there!

What Happens If You Can Not Afford The Real Thing?

you buy a copy!

 from the Mona Lisa to a watch there are copies around the world, but how about cars and bikes? fear not cardboard copies are here! 

a group of young motoring enthusiast from Vietnam have found success on the internet by making drivable cardboard replicas of expensive sports cars and motorcycles,

the videos are a tad long, so grab a mug of coffee or two,

but it has to be said they seem to have great fun assembling the cars and bikes,

the works showcased on NHẾT TV have hundreds of thousands of views, but some have the view count in the millions, the vast majority of their fans are Vietnamese, but the content can definitely be enjoyed by international audiences as well, just remember do not smoke and drive!

Almost Unique,

well there are two of them,

 that have been custom built, if the shape looks familiar, it should be as you will have seen hundreds of them,

 it is the wheel arch of a VW Beetle,

 Brent Walter repurposed an original Volkwagen Beetle to form the dramatically curved body of his “Volkspod” and built an engine and chassis to fit below,

 it is pretty minimal,

 but then the wheel arch is not that big,

the just-for-fun project began about a year ago, seemingly from the comfort of Walter’s garage/workshop, He has been documenting his progress on Instagram, where people have caught wind of his invention, no word yet on whether the bespoke creations will be for sale, but here is the good news you can experience the wild ride of a Volkspod in the action video Walter shared on Instagram, I have to say it they look like fun, and can you imagine the looks you would get riding a wheel arch along the road?

I Missed It!

and so did you if you are into vintage scooters,

what was to become a icon of the 1960s the humble scooter had a huge following, with many collectors buying them for their collections, and one such collection came up for sale last year, too late for us now, but have a peruse of what was up for sale when an Austrian collector sells off his incredible collection of vintage scooters at auction, “Decades of scooter history will unwind before our very eyes,” says an auction house representative at the Dorotheum in Austria, the auction kicked off on  Friday, April 6th, 2018 starting bids are ranging from 50 to 500 Euros. Bidders will be able to snatch up everything from a baby blue Labretta, to the very first Innocenti scooter! 

 1953 Maico Maicomobil MB 175. Opening price €500.

1951 Lambretta 125 C.  Opening price €200.

 1966 Lambretta J125. Opening price €100.

 1952 Moto Guzzi Galletto. Opening price €200. 

 1959 Cezeta CZ 501 (03). Opening price €200. 

 1958 KTM Mirabell 125 Luxus. Opening price €300. 

1962 Cezeta CZ 505 (01). Opening price €200. 

1963 Cezeta CZ 505 (01). Opening price €200. 

 1952 Ducati Cruiser 175. Opening price €100. 

 1953 Lambretta 125 E. Opening price €200. 

 1965 Puch DS50. Opening price €100. 

  1967 Manet Tatran 125. Opening price €100, you can browse the full Scootermania auction here, if I had to bid which one would I choose?

I Have Not Featured A Motorcycle,

for some time,

 so here is a really neat one, it is base on the gem of a motorcycle, a very old Honda 4 cylinder 400cc motorcycle, which this hill climb/cafe racer was the donor for, now here is the thing, you area student but you want to build a motorcycle, what do you do? you cleverly convince your professors that building a race bike would absolutely make sense as your Masters of Architecture thesis project, 

which is what Marc Vertesi joined by his brother Philip, a Physiotherapy student did, they run 2VMotos in Lausanne, building and repairing classic customs when their heads aren’t in the books, so, inspired by European designers of the early 20th century comes this peer-reviewed racer from the bones of a 1976 Honda CB400, aptly named ‘Schienenzeppelin’,

 but needing to write a 148-page thesis and finish the bike in the next two months the internet proved the best place for the other tins. “We sourced a half fairing in Thailand, hand-shaped by OmegaRacer out of aluminium and a Benelli Mojave replica tank also out of aluminium.”

 the complete overhaul includes a honed block accepting 0.5over pistons. The top end is ported and polished, with KPMI valve springs inside and a bank of Keihin CR26 carburetors on the outside. While the spark side is upgraded thanks to Dynatec coils and Pamco electronic ignition. Finally, a stunning set of Delkevic 4-1 pipes were bolted on,

 the forks were rebuilt with Wirth progressive springs and fitted with a lower aluminum triple tree from TTR400 and a billet top tree. For the period correct look replica Borrani rims were laced up to the hubs with stainless steel spokes, before being wrapped up in Avon Roadmaster rubber. With a special order sent to British shock specialists Hagon resulting in a custom pair of their pieces bolted up to the rear,

  a tray was built to hold and house a lithium-ion battery, regulator and starter relocation switch. The kick start was removed and replaced with a TTR400 plug, with the same company also supplying the rearsets. With the other half of the race controls, Fehling clip-ons, wearing a Nissin retro master cylinder and braided brake lines,

with time running down and Marc furiously writing up and photographing every detail of the build and its inspiration, some quick testing showed the need for a racing clutch and stiffer springs. Finally, the build was completed with minimal graphics and the seat upholstery done in vintage RC181 style using Alcantara by Lugon Garnisseur,

with Europe in the middle of summer the Honda has been competing flawlessly in the Swiss Hill Climb Championship and when it’s not racing the renaissance CB400 sits in the 2VMotos shop next to a copy of Marc’s brilliant thesis, which you can read here, and follow the shop in Instagram, photography by Rob Hamilton, what a really nice café racer and what a great thesis!

They Are Totally Impracticable For Road Use,

but somehow I just love the look,

 of vintage Board Trackers,

 I have mentioned this murderous sport and tribute motorcycles to it before,

 and here is another example of a boardtracker, the look of which I just like so much, 

 but here is the thing,

 many of the original bikes had V twin engines, and the chances of finding an original engine at a reasonable price is slim indeed, 

 so what to do for the power plant?

well for Csus Valencia from Mazagón, Andalusia, on the Atlantic Coast of Spain, the answer was obvious, use a V twin engine from an off-road Moto Morini Kanguro 350. and it so looks the part,

 Csus from Kacerwagen Cycles has built this beauty from scratch and called it ‘The Zeppelina V72’,

 so, after a rebuild to ensure it was running reliably and pumping out more power than the original racers with less than half the cubic capacity, attention turned to dressing it up, the block, and valve covers were all ground back and shaped to give it a vintage-style look, while extensive use of brass on the side covers, clutch cover and in the form of beautiful inlet trumpets give it the perfect period feel,

to frame the engine, Csus wanted to stay as true to the originals as possible and the designs were always similar to a push bike, if not taken from the very thing, only the bottom half of the swingarm is from the Moto Morini, the rest was TIG welded at Kacerwagen, with each piece crafted and shaped from high-grade steel, with the engine in place, the rigid tail could be completed with the Morini arm hard tailed to the centre post with two pieces of round stock for a uber bicycle-effect, up front and a Yamaha hub with drum brakes forms the basis of the rolling assembly, with the new rim wearing an old school Avon Speedmaster tyre, at the rear a Morini hub and sprocket deal with the modern power, while a bigger rim gets wrapped up in a Shinko E270, do I like it? of course, if only it could be used on the road! you can follow Csus on Facebook, photographs by Nfoco Digital.