3M vinyl wrap

I have had a quote made the other day for 2 complete vinyl wraps : one for the R1100S, one for the Speed Triple. I did so thinking it would make a good alternative to a full paint job and certainly a much cheaper one.  When the quote dropped, my jaw came with it. 

And so began a YouTube hunt on how to do some vinyl wrapping. In some tubes it looked easy, whereas in some others it looked rather challenging, but I decided to give it a try and ordered some 3M vinyl sheets. They arrived last week : one carbon looking sheet and one matte black sheet. 

Here are the photos of the first few parts I covered. The carbon looks really good on the R1100S seat cowl event though it's not that perfect and has some minor defects here and there.

Above : the central part of the Speed triple's tail unit. Being the smallest part I had at hand, I used it as a trial run.

Cock closes Nurburgring

Could not resist sharing ... More after the jump.

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-bizarre/cock-closes-nurburgring/22606.html

A case of bad design and cursed resolution

These 2 pictures say it all. Bar ends bolts are too skinny and can't survive a severe impact with the concrete. The result of such brutal encounter is a bent or broken unremovable bolt almost every time. This is what can be seen just below.

So the bolt needed to be drilled out before the use of a tap would help fitting one back. But the tap broke inside the newly drilled hole ... Failure again !

Road trim parts

... well sort of ... Would you really tell this kind of bar end mirrors show anything else than a blurry representation of your own elbows ?

Oh and these are not the correct bar ends anyway. These are for hollow Speed Triple wide handlebars, not for Daytona clip-ons ...

And another typical part for road use : a race fuel cap without any sort of locking system ... very handy, really ... Ok, but it's CNC machined and really light. Does it count ?

Chain reaction

It all started with a dirty chain and partly worn sprockets.

Then come some new parts to replace them.

And finally, the chain is washed from years of abuse, dirt and sticky old grease.

Please, clean your chain before respraying grease all over the links. Please ...

Flashing light on Rossi's suit

There's a flashing light on Valentino Rossi's suit (see the red circles on the pictures below). It's something I had never observed until tonight during the post-race interviews. Does it have something to do with the Dainese D-Air system of his suit ?

If anyone knows, drop a me line.

MotoGP 2013

The 2013 MotoGP season is just about to kick off in 10 minutes. So, why are you here reading this post while you should be in front of the teli ?

Cal Cruthlow did very well on his Tech3 Yamaha during all the pre-race sessions

The other project

Oh yeah ... the -other- project. You know that bike that sits next to the Speed Triple, the one that actually starts, runs and handles. The one that accepts to be less cherished these days while still being the most focused.

And for that, it deserves a bit of attention and since it's never too late for a present, the R1100S gets two. One for now and the other for later. The finish is still rough on the edges on this bike as there are still a lot of details to iron out. Like those orange front turn signals, for instance. White front signals will soon replace them, so that's the "for now" gift. The new badges are for later, for a time when I'll be decided on the paint work.

Inspiration

Even if it feels good to know we're not a lot out there to race a 955 Triumph, there's always a part of me thinking there's certainly a good reason for that. One of them being that there's a far easier route to build a good racer ... Another might be because the 955i base feels like an anvil when thrown from one turn to another.

But then, from time to time as you wander the internet, you come across some other desperate attempt to turn a 955 into a decent track tool like the one below. There's at least one side of it that I like - the left - even if I'm really not sure about the tribal sticker on the swingarm.

But from the right side, while showing a more advanced degree of preparation - with rearsets, heat extractor and run-faster-stickers - I'm certainly far less convinced. It seems like the exhaust, which by the way is a genuine Triumph sport can, hangs off way too low.

Anyhow, let's salute the efforts and bravery ...