Motorcycles from Watch Parts

If you were going to throw away your old watch and add to the metal pollution, wait a second! Take a look at what digital curators like Dmitriy Khristenkho of Ukraine and Dan Tanenbaum of Canada are doing to stop these old watch parts from landing in the garbage can. Turning junk into spectacular mini bike sculptures, it’s a delight to see such intricate and detailed work of art.

BEFORE……

AFTER….

 

 

These miniatures actually take a lot of time to be built as opposed to their size. Each part has to be shaped using grindstone to get perfect shape and size and then each component is painstakingly glued by hand to finish the masterpiece. It roughly takes about 50 hours to complete one model. Phew! So tiny but it sure is a hell lot of work! Since the work involved is a lot so are the returns, as each piece costs up to 700 pounds.

 

 

 

The makers of these motorcycles say that the most important part is to put together the two wheels, handle bars and petrol tank and the rest is pretty much an expression of one’s imagination. Of course sometimes the clients also ask for custom makes.

 

 

 

While most parts are those rescued from scrapheaps, some of the components on these motorcycles are parts from Vintage watches. Many people request to convert their ancestral watches into model bikes to immortalise their worth in an artistic way.

 

 

Super cool and incredible aren’t they??? Well next time don’t give away or throw your old watch. Just break it, shape it, stick it and make your own custom model bike. It’s not easy to make but for sure is an amazing art.

 

 

Source : http://www.funonthenet.in

Motorcycle Photography 101

"I’m a photographer of many things. I shoot live music, portraits and fashion, but my favorite subjects have wheels—and more specifically, two wheels." says Jose Gallina | Jose Gallina Photography in the below article published in BikeExif.
I am also a photographer and of course any photographer love to shoot first what they love. In our case, the motorcycles. 
Here below is a very interesting article about everything you need to know related to the Motorcycle Photography from BikeExif. This is one that you need to read and to keep somewhere as reference for your future photography work.
 

There are many ways to photograph a motorcycle. You can shoot it while riding, racing, or wrenching. Or when it’s just leaning on the kickstand at a show. But most of the motorcycle photography I do is for publications such as Bike EXIF, and the objective is to get a very clean, well lit, and uninterrupted view of the bike and its details.
So I’m going to walk you through the process of getting good, clean shots, without using a studio or expensive ‘pro’ equipment. These are simple guidelines, not rules, and they can be broken from time to time. But they’ll get you started, and help you get ‘that shot.’
A word about gear The camera you shoot with is never the most important thing. You do need the right set up, but it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a $300 eBay bargain or that darling of the pro photographer, the $3,900 Canon EOS 5D Mark III.
Any DSLR with a lens of 50mm or more is a good starting point. In general, it’s easier to blur the background on a DSLR than a compact camera. The most important point is to avoid shooting at a focal length of less than 50mm on a ‘full frame’ DSLR, unless you are deliberately aiming for a distorted wide-angle effect.

There are two reasons for using lenses extending beyond 50mm, like the ones shown above. Firstly, shorter focal lengths distort the dimensions and proportions of the bike, such as making wheels look slightly ‘out of round’ when shot from side-on. Secondly, the longer your focal length, the easier you’ll find it to isolate the subject from the background. (You’ll also get a compressed perspective effect when shooting the bike at ¾ angles, which flatters most bikes.)
I usually shoot with a fairly open aperture, without going so wide that parts of the bike go out of focus. Somewhere around f/4 often works best.
Get your timing right The first thing to figure out is what time of day you’re going to shoot. When shooting outdoors, you’re usually better off shooting when the sun is lower and less harsh—which means very early in the morning, or late in the evening.
At these times the light is more even, and the top of the tank and polished metal parts won’t be too bright. If you must shoot with a high sun, try finding some open shade.
Although we woke up before the sun to shoot Noise Cycles’ 1952 Harley Panhead ‘Sneak Attack’ (above), it took us longer than expected to get to the location. Luckily there was a bridge overhead that gave us perfect open shade.
Background checks When you’re deciding where to position the bike, check out what’s behind and how it works with the lines and colors of the bike. Try to find something that contrasts slightly in color with the bike, which will help your subject stand out.
Avoid things with too many heavy or strange lines, such as a rod iron fence. Be wary of telephone poles and trees, which may appear to be growing out from the bike. I like to use industrial garage doors, brick walls that aren’t too ‘busy,’ or just an open field and clean sky.

Here’s a good example of what not to do. There are lines all over the place, distracting and interfering with the lines of the bike. And the bright orange garage doors detract from the more subdued burnt orange panels painted on the bike.
Let there be light We’ve already touched on the need for even light, but I want to show a trick to boost it a little. Getting light into the right places is especially important in motorcycle photography, because on many bikes the tank tends to throw the top of the motor into shade.

You can get around this by using a big white board to redirect light into areas that need it. Try it—it’s an easy and cheap alternative to pro lighting rigs. In the shot above, I simply propped up a white board with a stick. Looking through the viewfinder, I could see a difference immediately as the light filled in.
All the angles Have a checklist to hand before you start shooting. Get all the basics: Left, Right, Front, Back. Then start going for the details. Shoot the major components: the bars, the motor, the seat, the tank and the pipes. Ask the owner or the builder to point out elements that they want to highlight on the bike. And although close-ups are less affected by the background, stay mindful of what is ‘in shot’ and in focus at all times.

Nowadays, with digital, it’s easy (and cheap) to shoot away. So once you’ve got the basics covered, use the rest of the time to explore the bike. Find the most interesting details, and experiment with unusual angles. In the image above, I’m looking for a viewpoint to capture the tank and bars of the bike.

For this image of the Panhead’s motor, we actually removed the tank in order to show the whole engine.
Low down and dirty The biggest thing that will set your shots apart is your own angle. Most of the shots people upload on to Flickr, Instagram and Facebook are taken from the standing position, using a point-and-shoot camera on its Auto setting, or a smartphone.

This works as a simple record of a bike, but your objective is to make the bike look good. And that means squatting down or sinking to your knees, like I’m doing above. Lower your eyes and camera to the level of the tank or headlight. It’s the one trick that makes any bike look much better.
Back at your desk This is where you really get to refine that shot. Even simple photo editing software will have some tools to perfect what you’ve shot. I use Photoshop and Lightroom: both work great, but Lightroom (below) is all you really need—and costs less than $150.

After loading up the image, check for areas that are too dark to show any detail, and lighten them up. It could be a black leather seat, or the tires, or darker parts of the motor.
Make sure the bike and horizon are level, unless you are deliberately going for a dramatic ‘Dutch angle’ effect. Slightly crooked photos mess with people on a subconscious level: most people won’t know why, but something won’t feel right.
Don’t be tempted to crop the shot too tightly around the bike. Leave ample space, which is especially important if the photos are going into print and will be laid out with text and other photos on a page.
Never stop shooting (and have fun) After you’ve shot your own bike, move on to a friend’s bike, or contact a local builder. Seek out different locations and examine your results. You’ll soon get a feel for what works and what doesn’t. Keep shooting until you like what you’re getting from your camera, and you’ll find yourself enjoying the process.

For me, the best part of shooting new bikes is meeting new people, and spending a few hours talking about (and gawking at) motorcycles. You’ll often get the occasional stranger coming along: In the shot above, Scott Jones of Noise Cycles and a downtown Santa Ana, CA local had a good time chatting about the “Good old days, being wild and young on the back of a motorcycle,” and looking over the bike.
So go out and shoot, and remember, these are guidelines and not hard-and-fast rules. The most important thing is to enjoy your own motorcycle photography.
Head over to Jose Gallina’s website to see more examples of his work.

PHOTOGRAPHY OF LANA MACNAUGHTON | WOMEN’S MOTORCYCLE EXHIBITION

From the moment I saw Cindy DuLong AKA Fashion Serial Killer in that rad burnout shot below by Lanakila MacNaughton I was hooked on her work. Lana was kind enough to share some of her favorite photos, along with a little personal commentary. The name ‘Lanakila’ was new to me, but I took a stab and guessed that it was Hawaiian…and was right! It means ‘Goddess of Victory’ and her grandfather who is half Hawaiian bestowed the righteous namesake upon her. Clearly he knew she was bound for greatness right from the get-go. 

“Cindy DuLong (AKA Fashion Serial Killer) is a complete badass. She showed up to the shoot in a fur-collared leather jacket that she stitched herself. She brought her man on the shoot and he taught her how to do a burnout that night.”  — photograph © by Lanakila MacNaughton

“I am a 24 year old motorcyclist and photographer from Portland, Oregon. I was inspired to create the Women’s Motorcycle Exhibition (a traveling photography show) by the real women that ride, not models but genuine riders. I want to reveal the brave, courageous and beautiful women that live to ride. I’ve been shooting women along the west coast and hope to travel all over the country to document women in different cities.” –Lanakila MacNaughton 

“This photo is of @chevvvy. We shot out in the desert an hour outside of LA. Chevvvy is a 5′ 3″ bombshell who is a total sweetheart. Chevvvy was one of my favorite women to shoot thus far, she works the camera and is confident on and off the bike.”  – photograph © by Lanakila MacNaughton

-

@chevvvy shot in the desert outside of LA.   — photograph © by Lanakila MacNaughton
-

@chevvvy shot in the desert outside of LA.   — photograph © by Lanakila MacNaughton
-

“The shot above is Stormie, @stormusbootimusmaximus. She is from Washington and rides with a lot of the chicks from Portland. She is a firebomb redhead and is the most well rounded rider I have encountered shooting. She is extremely confident on the bike, has complete control to surf the bike, stand on the saddle sit side saddle, I always get amazing material shooting her. Stormie is one of the nicest, most generous women I know and one of the few women I know that can wrench on her bike. She is the life of the party and will give you the shirt off her back. Amazing woman.” – photograph © by Lanakila MacNaughton

-

Stacie B. London and the gang from ESMB – photograph © by Lanakila MacNaughton
-

Shot from the Women’s Motorcycle Exhibition – photograph © by Lanakila MacNaughton
-

Shot from the Women’s Motorcycle Exhibition – photograph © by Lanakila MacNaughton
-

Shot from the Women’s Motorcycle Exhibition – photograph © by Lanakila MacNaughton
-

Shot from the Women’s Motorcycle Exhibition – photograph © by Lanakila MacNaughton
-

Shot from the Women’s Motorcycle Exhibition – photograph © by Lanakila MacNaughton
-
More of Lanakila MacNaughton’s photoS from the Women’s Motorcycle Exhibition here

Best of Both Worlds: Canyon Carving and Freeway Competent

Last week, the Rides apart team had an awesome discussion about the best performance motorcycle for the street. We heard a ton of different opinions, but one major theme we noticed was people making sacrifices in outright performance for a bike that could do a little distance. Here are the bikes we’d choose to get you from a ride on the highway to the canyons you need to carve.
What’s the difference between these bikes and the absolute best bikes for street performance you ask? These bikes add a little power and a little weight, making them geared better for sitting on the freeway and they are also slightly more stable too. A KTM Duke 690 is one of the best thing’s I’ve ridden on a twisty road (though our reader Bammerburn’s 636 looks pretty awesome too) but the vibes of the KTM’s single cylinder, or high pegs of the 636 make them uncomfortable for long stints on the freeway or after sitting on them for a few hours. The bikes recommended here split the difference. They offer more comfort for freeway rides, but still carry the power to perform like you want them to on the twisties.

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS – $11,999
Kawasaki’s 1000cc upright sport bike makes 140 horsepower, 82 pound-feet of torque, and comes with ABS and traction control. It should stop there, but if you need more convincing, it gets higher spec brakes than Suzuki’s Hayabusa or GSX-R1000. This bike is incredibly easy to ride around town, touring, or riding fast on a fun road. RA readers Jeremyobryan and Bob both felt like it did double-duty better than anything else, and we tend to agree with them.

2013 Triumph Speed Triple R – $15,999
The Speed Triple (and Street Triple) R was the choice of many for best street performance bike. We went with other options as we’d rather be on something like the Ducati Hypermotard SP or KTM Duke for pure twisty riding as long as it was close, but both those bikes require aftermarket additions to make them capable of anything more than brief stints on the freeway. The Speed Triple R, with its upgraded brakes and suspension, and that incredible smooth and 133 hp and 82 lb.-ft. of torque makes sitting on the freeway a breeze and wringing it out on tough roads incredibly rewarding.

2013 Ducati Multistrada 1200S Touring – $19,995
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, there really isn’t anything that is all-around as good as the Ducati Multistrada. Semi-active suspension, multiple throttle configurations, ABS, and traction control, paired with a 155 hp engine delivering 92 lbs.-ft. of well spread out torque make this Multistrada very tailor-able to you needs. It’s one of those bikes that out performs your expectations and we have a hard time seeing a reason to take anything else. Watch Jamie Robinson ride it around Spain here.

2013 KTM 990 SMT – $13,999
We’ve covered our love for supermoto’s time and time again, here at RideApart, so a bike called a “Supermoto Touring,” or “Supermoto Travel” depending on who you listen to, seems like it would fit the bill pretty perfectly. If we’re being honest, we actually haven’t had a chance to ride the 990 SMT yet, but it sits shoulder to shoulder on a very short list of bikes we’d want to own personally. Reports put the gas mileage in the low 30 mpg’s which, while we don’t love to see, is probably something that we would put up with for that beautiful motor and KTM quality component setup. Anyone want to bring their SMT by for a spin?


2014 Yamaha FZ-09 – $7,990
The FZ-09 is on the sportier side of our list, but we were impressed with its ergonomics and great gas mileage and felt it deserved a spot on the list. The 847 cc triple makes a modest 115 hp and 65 lbs.-ft. in one of the flattest torque curves we’ve seen. Despite having such a fun engine, the FZ-09 gets 40-45 mpg and, if that wasn’t enough of a savings, the bike itself retails for only $7,990. The seating position is upright to a degree that its comfortable, while just forward enough that I wasn’t turned into a sail. I even found it to be the perfect angle to use the wind to hold my 6-ft. frame up without much work. While the engine of the Yamaha is beautiful, the fueling needs a re-map to deal with being a tad jerky, and the suspension needs an upgrade if you’re really going to put it through the paces. Still, if you’re looking to ride a few hours to have fun on a nice road for cheap, this is your jam.

2013 Honda CB1000R – $11,760
This de-tuned version of Honda’s CB1000RR makes for a brilliant all-rounder, though is slightly less sophisticated compared to Kawasaki’s Ninja 1000 and its fancy traction control. We spent some time on the CB1000R and were impressed with both its comfort over long periods of time and how much it made us want to misbehave. We’d be hard pressed to choose the Honda over the Kawasaki in this category, but have no problems should you choose to do so.

2013 Suzuki Hayabusa – $14,399
Yes, I’m aware the purpose of this list was to discuss things that were fast and yet still comfortable, thus ruling out sport bikes. The thing is, the Hayabua is actually really comfortable (and this is coming from a guy who’s very rarely comfortable). We did a 190-mile loop for the launch of the 2013 Suzuki Hayabusa, something that normally would have me wincing with wrist, knee, and back pain but, after a full day of riding, I was ready to go back out and do it again. Obviously, the Busa is big as far as sport bikes go and, if you read my review, you’ll see we also found the brakes to be a little too squishy; both making the Hayabusa not as canyon capable as its 600 cc or 1000 cc counterparts. Regardless, it’s still a whole lot faster and more fun to ride on twisty roads than most bikes, while surprisingly capable on the long haul.


First published in rideapart.com

Red Max Speed Shop Ducati Monster

Ducati used to build simple air-cooled V-twins in pretty trellis frames that people wanted to customize. In the 1970s, the Bologna marque established an almost definitive look: Long, contoured tanks and deeply sculpted race seats.
But then Ducati changed tack. The visual flat line running parallel to the road disappeared, replaced by sloping tanks and seats meeting in a V-shape between the wheels. It’s sound engineering, but less easy on the eye. And it makes it hard to give a modern Ducati to retro looks.

Thanks to designer Pierre Terblanche, we had a brief five-year respite, when Ducati launched the SportClassic—a bike with bevel-head looks, reliable twin-spark power and an up-to-date chassis. It was all over by 2010, but Steve Hillary of the UK’s Red Max Speed Shop wasn’t taking that lying down.
Being the owner of a Ducati Paul Smart 1000LE, Steve knew he’d be onto a winner if he could create a SportClassic/Imola-style tank that would fit the Ducati Monster. There were a few similar things going on in Italy, but nothing in the UK.

Steve’s plan to build a run of tanks quickly turned into a complete bike commission for a customer called Buck—and the stunning orange “Ducafe” we’re looking at here was born.
The donor bike is a 900cc Monster with the rear subframe modified to fit a Red Max Café Racer seat. It complements the Red Max Sport Classic tank perfectly, but it’s the addition of the blunt-nosed fairing that really makes this bike stand out. The frenched-in stacked headlamps were donated from a Ducati 999, and the style is matched at the rear with lighting neatly embedded into the seat unit.

Another standout addition is the single-sided trellis swingarm, which comes from an S2R. Lightweight five spoke wheels are attached via Öhlins forks and a 916SP rear shock. Pure quality, courtesy of eBay.
The engine has been treated to a top-end rebuild, with fuelling now handled by a set of bell-mouthed FCR Keihins. And then there’s that exhaust … stainless steel robot-welded pipes snake under the engine and swingarm, finishing with two GP-style shortie exit pipes. Apparently it sounds as good as it looks.

Neat touches are everywhere you look, but you can’t escape the metallic orange paint scheme. The color is from the Lamborghini color chart: It’s a three-stage paint designed for the Diablo, and it stands out even more against the pale grey of the trellis frame and swinger.
But for Steve, it’s not just about the build—it’s about the ride. “She doesn’t disappoint,” he says. “Hard, fast and loud, as a Duc should be.”
Just what we wanted to hear.
Images by Greg Moss. Red Max thanks Pitlane in Winchester for the paint, and Stuey at Accutek for the wiring and “intelligent relay technology.”


first published on Bike EXIF 2013 custom motorcycles.
 Red Max Speed Shop Ducati Monster