Kawasaki Z1R-TC - The Psycho Turbo Z

TURBO. For a certain generation who grew up in a time before forced induction became a “green” thing, nothing screams “Eighties Excess” and “Performance” like a turbocharged… anything. You are probably familiar with the early turbocharged cars that used forced induction as a way to squeeze extra power out of emissions-strangled motors of the Reagan era. Less known is a short-lived generation of production turbo motorcycles from 1982-85. The first shot in the 1980s turbo wars came from Kawasaki, who attempted to revive an ailing model by boosting it beyond all reason. And they beat the other manufacturers to the punch by introducing their turbo fiend at the end of the Disco era.

Amazonas 1600 - Beetle Powered Brazilian Behemoth

It's Christmas Eve, and for today's post I present you with a massive turkey. Happy Holidays!

A wisened old git by the name of Dave, who was a passionate lifelong motorcyclist and successful vintage racer, once told me “There are no bad motorcycles. Just some that are better than others”. I’m quite certain old Dave never swung a leg over the 900-pound Beetle-powered behemoth from Brazil known as the Amazonas 1600, considered one of the best worst motorcycles in modern history.

V-Roehr 1130/1250 - The Other, Other American V-Twin Motorcycle

It has an American-made V-Twin (an honest-to-god Harley motor, no less), an advanced chassis, top shelf components, and a distinctly sporty bent, with stunning performance that is far greater than the sum of its parts. It’s built by a clever American engineer working independently to apply his own ideas towards building the ultimate American made sport bike, powered by an apple-pie and Budweiser fuelled motor.

And it isn’t a Buell.

Van Veen OCR 1000 - Dutch Wankel Powered Superbike

Over the years the Wankel rotary engine has been, paradoxically, the best and worst alternative to the good ol’ gasoline burning, reciprocating piston engine. Felix Wankel’s concept has shown great promise since its introduction in the 1950s and it has found its way into a wide variety of vehicles. All of which have ended up as, at best, curiosities. Which brings us to the Dutch Van Veen OCR-1000 double-rotor superbike, which is likely one of the best rotary-powered motorcycles, and certainly one of the rarest.

How to Adjust Ducati Desmo Valves

This was an introductory guide I wrote a few years ago about adjusting 4V (specifically, Desmoquattro) valves on a Ducati.

Often demonized and rarely understood, desmo valve adjustment is becoming a bit of a lost art as people are discouraged from touching their own machines because of the supposedly frightening complexity of desmodromic valves and the need for “special tools” to do the job. That and the fact that current generations of Ducatis have 15 000 mile plus valve adjustment intervals (which, by the way, was not dictated by any great leap forward in technology - they simply arbitrarily raised the intervals to alleviate the stigma of frequent servicing. The system remains more or less unchanged from before.) Be afraid, the ignorant man says - Desmo valves are witchcraft that are not to be understood by mortals.

But the truth is desmo valves are no harder to adjust than traditional valves, the only difference being that there is twice the number of… everything. Double the shims, double the measurements, double the rockers, etc. But with a little patience and the right techniques it’s all very straightforward and not as mind boggling as some people would want you to think.

Harley Davidson VR1000 - Thundering American Misfit

This article has been heavily revised to incorporate new information, and can now be found here:

Harley-Davidson VR1000 - "God's own voice."

Apologies for the dead link. - JC

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Curtiss V8 - World's Fastest Motorcycle

It’s January 24^th, and on a beach in Florida and a daring young man has just blasted across the sand at 136.3 miles per hour run on a V8-powered motorcycle of his own design. He built the engine, he built the bike, and he rode the frightening looking machine across Ormond Beach himself.

The man is Glenn Hammond Curtiss, and the year is 1907. Curtiss has just piloted his monstrous 4000cc V8 into the record books and become the (unofficial) absolute world land-speed record holder for the next four years.

Riding the Legend – The Ducati 916

Author's Note: In 2007 I wrote an article detailing my impressions of the Ducati 916 called "Riding the Legend". I've edited and updated my original piece for the benefit of Odd-Bike.com readers. Enjoy.

 

There aren’t many machines that inspire awe and envy quite as effectively as a Ducati 916 “Campione del mondo Superbike”. In fact there aren’t many machines that become legends before they even got out of the box - such was the case when the 916 was unveiled to the public in late 1993. With development beginning in the late 80s, when the 851 was still the king of the V-twin superbike class, the 916 was destined for greatness in many aspects – design, style, performance, and racing pedigree. Designed from the ground up as a race winner, the 916 was blessed with prodigious performance for the day, and stunning styling penned by Massimo Tamburini and the Cagiva Research Centre. The 916 was achingly beautiful and well ahead of the curve when compared to the portly and conservative styling of contemporary mid-90s sportbikes. Here was a purposeful, clean and perfectly executed machine without compromise introduced into a sea of overweight and ponderous competitors.

Hesketh V1000 - Immortal Aristocratic Motorcycles

It is the 1970s. You are a wealthy British aristocrat, a Lord and a Baron no less, and you have a keen interest in motor sports. So, with your own money and with the express purpose of having fun, you create your own racing company. Eventually you hire a reckless playboy/racer with a penchant for drugs, sex and boozing, and you have a grand old time, even winning a few races. Along the way you develop a reputation for ostentatious displays of wealth and excess on the trackside, like helicopter rides, Rolls Royce pit cars, and 5 star accommodations (in a time long before excess became the norm in Formula 1).

After a few years the party is over and you are looking for a new gasoline-fuelled hobby. How would you follow up a race career like that? By founding your own bespoke motorcycle company to kickstart the dying British motorcycle industry, of course.

Masochism and the Modern Mechanic

I am a mechanical masochist, a man who enjoys the otherwise unpleasant task of fixing things that are broken. I am an amateur of the arts of repair, maintenance, modification and tuning, those mystifying tasks that befuddle the average commuter. Some days, including today. I wonder what drives me to subject myself to such endless tinkering. It is avoidable. It can be excruciating and unfathomably frustrating. But I still crave it - and I tend to gravitate towards machines that require constant care to keep on the road, a peculiar trait that most people find hard to understand. So in the spirit of self-discovery and towards the wiling away of some hours while I battle this evening’s insomnia, here are my thoughts on this, my cult of vehicular masochism.   

Six Years with a Ducati 916

Several years ago I wrote an article on riding and livingwith one of the best known superbikes of the 20th century – the mythical Ducati 916, the object of desire to anyone who was in the sportbike scene in the 1990s and 2000s. Now it’s been six years since I purchased my beloved 916, and I still cherish it and ride it as much I can. In these six years of ownership I have learned a great deal about the 916 through riding, wrenching and research. My bike has seen me through tough times, good times, and everything in between. It has become a part of my personality and my lifestyle. So for the benefit of those who are interested, I present part two of my life with the Legend - a rambling screed that pays respect to the mythology of the 916 while sharing my personal story, told through my experience with a singular machine.

Bimota V-Due 500 - The Bike That Killed Bimota

In 1996-97, Bimota was set to introduce a new machine that would revolutionize sport bikes. It would be an unstoppable, razor sharp 500cc two-stroke that would give 1000cc four strokes a run for their money, in a time when it appeared that two-strokes were on their way to the boneyard. There was a lot of excitement brewing around the forthcoming V-Due (literally, V-twin) - not only because of the mouth-watering specs and the fact it was being built by one of motorcycling's most legendary boutique marques, but also because it promised to fix the "problem" that two stroke road bikes were facing.

Welcome, premature visitors

Welcome to OddBike, which will (eventually) be the collection of motoring miscellany and ramblings contributed by obsessive gearhead Jason Cormier.  Here, sometime in the future, you will find a series of painstakingly written accounts of the weirdest and rarest motorcycles and gasoline fueled misadventures from around the world. Jason is a consummate gearhead and part time wrenchmonkey with an obsessive personality and a degree in History - which he intends to put to good use by chronicling everything unusual that he finds interesting.



Seeing how this site is still under construction and the content remains firmly ensconced inside Mr. Cormier's skull, you won't find much here at the moment. So in lieu of any real posts please enjoy this delightful introduction, which I recommend reading in your head with the honeyed voice of Morgan Freeman. Someday, perhaps soon, there will be actual content to visit here.

-JC