Old News
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
-Do you remember what you were doing one year ago today? I do. I was hurtling headlong into the car restoration abyss and my friend Rich was wondering why he had agreed to waste an entire evening helping me ferry the thing home. Here's where things stand with Lord Minimus.
Monday, June 22, 2009
-The body panels that needed replacing have been replaced! I'm glad that's over with. More details in Step 35.
Friday, June 12, 2009
-I attended the Hayward Mini Meet at CSUEB last weekend. There were a fair number of Mini's as well as a number of other classic cars. Quantity wasn't high but more than I expected and the average level of quality was quite high. I have to say I was impressed. My personal favorites were the green/gold Innocenti (not even an entrant - just sitting in the parking lot!) and the Lotus Elite.
-The 2009 Isle of Man TT motorcycle race will be broadcast on Discovery Channel's HD Theatre. I'm also hearing rumors of Discovery launching their own motosports channel to compete with what Speed Channel is supposed to be.
Monday, June 1, 2009
More Mini Rebuild reports. Here are steps 33 and 34.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Some more progress: Step 32.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Lucky you. You can now watch my favorite Speed Racer episode of all time. Why couldn't I have a Formula Junior car as a kid?
I have been making good progress on the Mini, which has left little time for updates. Time to catch up!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Photos from a relaxing weekend at my friend's ranch.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
I forgot to post my Mini update from April 7th, so here are two updates: Step 29 & Step 30
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Note: The VFR is sold.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
She's back on four wheels again. Finally.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Last week was spent working hard in the machine shop on some parts for the Mini.
I rewarded myself by spending my weekend with a bunch of chicks. Good times.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
-Progress on the Mini!
-Even more progress.
Friday, February 20, 2009
-Here's another Mini rebuild update.
-And here's some nice footage of the new Pagani Zonda R:
Thursday, February 19, 2009
-Mini Rebuild Step 23
-And for anyone interested, here is a list of all WSB, F1, and MotoGP races for the 2009 season. I recommend copy & pasting into Excel.
Date Series Race Circuit
March 1 WSB Australia Phillip Island
March 14 WSB Qatar Doha
March 29 F1 Australia Melbourne
April 5 WSB Spain Valencia
April 5 F1 Malaysia Sepang
April 12 MotoGP Qatar Losail
April 19 F1 China Shanghai
April 26 WSB Netherlands Assen
April 26 F1 Bahrain Bahrain
April 26 MotoGP Japan Motegi
May 3 MotoGP Spain Jerez
May 10 WSB Italy Monza
May 10 F1 Spain Catalunya
May 17 WSB South Africa Kyalami
May 17 MotoGP France Le Mans
May 24 F1 Monaco Monte Carlo
May 31 WSB US Miller Motorsports Park
May 31 MotoGP Italy Mugello
June 7 F1 Turkey Istanbul Park
June 14 MotoGP Catalunya Catalunya
June 21 WSB San Marino Misano
June 21 F1 Great Britain Silverstone
June 27 MotoGP Netherlands Assen
June 28 WSB Great Britain Donington
July 5 MotoGP US Laguna Seca
July 12 F1 Germany Nurburgring
July 19 MotoGP Germany Sachsenring
July 26 WSB Czech Republic Brno
July 26 F1 Hungary Hungaroring
August 16 MotoGP Czech Republic Brno
August 23 F1 Europe Valencia Street Circuit
August 30 F1 Belgium Spa-Francorchamps
August 30 MotoGP US Indianapolis Speedway
September 6 WSB Germany Nurburgring
September 13 F1 Italy Monza
September 13 MotoGP San Marino Misano
September 20 MotoGP Hungary Balaton
September 27 WSB Italy Imola
September 27 F1 Singapore Marina Bay Street Circuit
October 4 WSB France Magny-Cours
October 4 F1 Japan Suzuka
October 4 MotoGP Portugal Estoril
October 18 F1 Brazil Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace
October 18 MotoGP Malaysia Sepang
October 25 WSB Portugal Portimao
November 1 F1 Abu Dhabi Yas Marina Circuit
November 8 MotoGP Valencia Valencia
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
-Here's the latest installment on the Mini rebuild.
-This past October I went on a road trip with my father to visit Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park. It was well worth it. Here are a few photos.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
What is happening to racing???!!! First F1 turns into some lawyer-engineered joke(see pic below), then WRC tries to simplify itself out of existence (or at least significance), and now Moto250 gets beaten with the rules hammer into a bloody 4-stroke pulp. Thank God the FIM limited darn-near every possible interesting technology possible right from the outset. Is it time to take a year off from spectating?
Maybe taking a year off isn't such a bad idea as I need to devote as much time as possible getting the Mini up and running. Here's the latest (brief) installment.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Formula One 2009: Ugly!
Finally slicks return (which should have never gone away!) and the aerodynamics are cleaned up, but again the rule makers' interference produces unintended consequences. This is one seriously mis-proportioned car. How about a series where they just let the teams try to make the fastest open-wheeled cars possible?
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
-Here is the latest Mini update.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
-The Mini got its rollcage installed. Click here for pics.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
-Latest Mini rebuild update here.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
-Formula 1 continues to disappoint me more and more. About one third of this weekend's race in Singapore was spent listening to the commentators explaining the series' increasingly illogical and inconsistently-enforced rules. Much was made of the fact that this was a night race but no one has yet answered the simple question "why?". How does this make for a better race? It doesn't. And what tragedy has to occur before the FIA gives up on refuelling? There's no need for it. Combined with the horrible Safety Car rules, refuelling strategy does nothing more than add considerable risk while oftentimes punishing the fastest drivers. Is this what we want for a world champion at the end of the season? Someone who could navigate the byzantine rules and strategize better than superior drivers in superior cars? I took 5 years off of following F1. It might be time to take another break.
-In much happier news, work contiues on the Mini.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The latest Mini rebuild update.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
- I finally sorted through everything that came with my Mini, throwing away 900lbs of rusted junk and putting the rest of it up for sale. Here it is: Mini parts for sale
-How realistic are current simulators (read: video games)? Good enough for Formula 1 drivers to use them to familiarize themselves with the general layout of new racetracks. Here's a video showing Team Williams driver Nico Rosberg practising for this weekend's night race in Singapore. And for those of you unfamiliar with F1 racing, yes the speeds depicted accurately reflect the speed of these race cars, and the rapid blipping sounds during heavy braking come from the driver downshifting several gears.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Aprilia unveiled their new RSV4, a narrow angle V-4 superbike today.
Full press release here.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
-Did anyone watch the MotoGP race at Indianapolis Speedway? I sure hope not. It was one of the worst televised events in history. Boring track. Boring racing. Horrible commentator. No 250 race. I'd be upset that they cut the race short by 7 laps but in the end I think it went on 22 laps too many. The entire world was watching and this was the best that America could do? Pathetic. Maybe the Feds can step in and bail the event out.
-In happier news, most of the parts needed to get my Mini running are either here or on their way. Read about it - Step 14.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
-Pictures from my recent visit to the Blackhawk Automotive Museum in Danville, California
-Step 13 in the Mini rebuild saga
-Remeber when F1 cars used to sound like this:
Saturday, August 23, 2008
I'm going to blame my lack of site updates on my home computer acting up. While my home computing came to a stop temporarily, the Mini project continue to roll forward. Here's a couple items from last week.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
-More progress on the Mini here and here.
Monday, July 21, 2008
-Did everyone get enough racing yesterday? F1, WSB race 1 and 2, MotoGP, AMA Superbike and Supersport, ALMS, and GP2 all on the same day? Why can't every day be like this? Surprisingly MotoGP at Laguna Seca ended up being the most exciting of them all. I won't ruin it for you - just watch it.
-A little more progress on the Mini.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Have you ever asked yourself if a Mini could fit into the bed of an F150? Here's your answer.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Mini Rebuild Step 7
Monday, July 14, 2008
-Latest Mini update
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The R1 motor arrived!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
This is true dedication to your craft: taking multiple hits in the name of science.
Mini Rebuild Steps 3 and 4 up. Anyone care to wager how many steps this project will end up taking? Maybe best not to even think about it at this point.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Mini Rebuild Step 2
Friday, July 4, 2008
The Mini rebuild begins (slowly).
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Here are my photos from MiniFest West 2008. This was a Mini meet held in Irvine over the weekend.
And here are some links to some more photos of cars from the show:
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Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Much has changed recently. First, I sold my Evo VIII. Great car and I'm going to miss it a lot. With reviews like this, an Evo X might be in my future:
But for now, I've got this to keep me busy...
Sunday, June 15, 2008
-I came across this video clip yesterday of Mazda's LeMan's winning 787B racecar. It's worth viewing just for sound.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Here are four pages of photos from last month's 3rd annual Legend of the Motorcycle concours at the Half Moon Bay Ritz Carlton.
Wired has an interesting piece on the McLaren/Ferrari cheating scandal from last year's Formula 1 season. Its not everyday that a company is fined $100million. I wonder if Ron Dennis had anything to do with Max Mosely's personal life becoming very public.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Pics from a quick trip up the coast to Brookings, Oregon.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
-If you own a 2nd-generation Aprilia Tuono, you will want to read this about a possible electrical issue with your bike.
-Here's an in-depth discussion of all the exciting passes that occurred on track at this weekend's Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix: ....
At least the bikes are sliding around now.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
-Here is my write-up on the installation of the Hella Supertone horn kit on my Tuono.
-Did anyone else watch the opening round of the 2008 Formula 1 series last night? It was a very interesting race but for all the wrong reasons. It used to be about race car drivers driving as fast as possible and passing their way towards the front. Now it’s about pit strategy, Safety Car strategy, fuel-load strategy, refueling strategy, mandated tire change strategy, saving your transmission and not blowing up your engine so you can save money and achieve the number one aim that anyone who has ever been involved with racing has valued above any other: frugality! They keep trying to make the races more exciting by writing yet more regulations. Clearly it isn't working but that isn't stopping them.
Here's my proposal for the 2009 season: Adding a LawyerPod™ onto the side of the cars. Drivers can have a direct communication link with their very own onboard legal counsel:
"Don't pit now! You know you can only enter the pits for your second re-fueling 3 minutes after the Safety Car comes out for the eighth time at any point before half race distance if you only made it to Round 19 of qualifying and you're on your soft set of control tires but using a replacement transmission. Pay attention, idiot!"
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
I've been saying this for years. Finally a mention of it in the news: California does not take care of its infrastructure, with some of the worst roads in the entire country. If you ever wondered why SUV's are so popular here, go drive around San Francisco.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Want to understand the reason behind the Housing Bubble here in America? Read this.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Aprilia unveiled their new V4-powered superbike. Who knows if or when the V4 will make its way into current productions bikes like the RSV-R and Tuono. The other exciting news was the announcement that Aprilia would return to World Superbike racing in 2010.
And just for fun, here's a brief clip of KTM's new RC8 superbike:
Thursday, February 14, 2008
-The Blu-Ray / HD format war has finally come to an end thanks to the efforts of one man: me. I finally broke down and purchased an HD DVD player for my father for Christmas. This was the signal the electronics industry had been waiting for, making Blu-Ray the winning format. You're welcome.
-In happier news, it appears MotoGP races will be broadcast in high-def here in the US. Rumors of a SpeedHD channel are swirling around. Still trying to confirm this at the moment but hopefully it will be available soon as the first race in Qatar is just over three weeks away.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
And people chuckle when I mention Ron Paul. WSJ Article on The Clintons' Terror Pardons.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
There is a potentially serious flaw with the shock plates on certain late model Aprilia's. Read about one solution to the problem here.
Monday, February 4, 2008
One more article for Tuono owners. This one is a quick how-to for converting the bike to solid-mount footpegs.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
I recommend all 2nd generation Aprilia Tuono owners inspect their bikes for this issue with their upper coolant line.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Here are some photos from my weekend on the coast in and around Big Sur.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Added a few miscellaneous items for sale here.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Considering changing the gearing on your motorcycle and want to know what effect it will have? Here's a simple formula to use.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
If you enjoyed reading about my Montana trip, wait till you read this trip report. I've got to get out more.
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Yamaha's factory MotoGP team had their 2008 launch yesterday.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Another section in the Rider's Guide is online, this one about the importance of being smooth at the controls.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
I thought this was an interesting article about internet piracy.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Read my review of a Bluetooth-equipped helmet from Dainese.
Monday, January 14, 2008
I've added some photos of the progress I've made working to restore a rare and unusual motorcycle - a GRM Islo TrialsMaster
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Next up in the Rider's Guide: Riding Position.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Looking to buy your first motorcycle? The next section of the Rider's Guide deals with that very subject.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Today's first feature is for my fellow Tuono owners - a quick bit of preventative maintenance.
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The second item is the next part of my Rider's Guide, discussing riding gear.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
The New Motorcycle Rider's Guide continues to progress. If you know any new riders out there, send them this way.
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Into cars and motorcycles? I've made a number of reading recommendations on the Media page.
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I've added photos of the Honda RA272 Formula One car to the site.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
MotoGP News: Yesterday Ducati unveiled their 2008 team lineup. World Champ Casey Stoner is back again this year joined by Marco Melandri. Details on the Desmosedici GP8 soon. Can't wait for the new season to begin.
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Photos courtesy of Ducati Corse Press |
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F1 News: Wow. Where have I been? Not paying attention in the off-season apparently. This is probably old news to many of you, but I just read that Ross Brawn is coming out of retirement to run Honda's F1 effort. Considering his track record I'd say Honda might be a contender again sooner rather than later. Not only does Brawn design some fast cars, his emphasis on reliability (to finish first, you must first finish!) is a huge factor in Ferrari's success during the Schumacher years.
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Speaking of Honda, I hope everyone has seen this ad at least once:
On the surface, it's quite silly, but I was reading the comments on another site and came across the explanation that the ad is a retelling of Mr. Honda's life and accomplishments - from loner and outsider to eventual champion and innovator, then onto his death (the speed boat plunging over the falls) immediately followed by his ascent into the heavens, all the while never ceasing to follow his dream. Good stuff.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
I'm very pleased to say that my New Motorcycle Rider's Guide is back. Kind of. I'm revamping the entire guide and that's going to take some time. However, I have the first couple pages up and more is on the way.
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Do you own a second-generation Aprilia Tuono? Does your rear brake keep losing pressure? Here's some information to help you.
Monday, January 7, 2008
I didn't get to drive it but I did get to look it over quite thoroughly and snap a few photos. I'm talking about the Ferrari F430 that just won the American Le Mans series' GT2 class.
Sunday, January 6, 2008.
Airbags for motorcycles? Yep, they're here. I was just discussing this with a friend and thought I'd post up some video links. Honda is now offering an airbag built into the motorcycle itself, acting as a buffer between rider and solid objects during head-on collisions.
Italian protective gear manufacturer Dainese has taken a different tack, incorporating the airbag into the rider's suit. It has already been tested in competition. I imagine we'll be seeing a lot more of this technology soon.
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This is a how-to for removing the flywheel weight off second-generation Aprilia Tuonos.
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Here are just a few pictures from my Kings Canyon hike.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
My photos from this past summer's Ferrari Challenge event at Sears Point are up.
Friday, January 4, 2008
After 13 years, I finally made it back to Montreal to attend another F1 race. It was a weird one.
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The Aprilia RS250 section is up.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Pictures from the 2006 Ferrari Challenge race at Sears Point are up.
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Day 7 of my Montana Roadtrip is up.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Day 6 of my Montana Roadtrip is up.
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I've added a new section, Reference Photos, with detailed photographs of several cars and motorcycles.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year! First item up is Day 5 of my Montana Roadtrip.
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Working with fiberglass turns out to be pretty easy. And messy. And kind of time consuming. Did I leave out itchy?
Monday, December 31, 2007
Some more Evo how-to's are up.
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They're a few years old but these Battletrax events were so much fun I decided to post them up anyways.
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Day 4 of my Montana Roadtrip is now up.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
My Tuono motorcycle section is now up.
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I have a book recommendation for you motorcycle enthusiasts: MotoGP Technology by Neil Spalding. Here's a brief review.
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Day 3 of my Montana Roadtrip is now up.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Day 2 of my Montana roadtrip is now up.
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My photographs from the 2007 Legend of the Motorcycle Concours are up.
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Do you own a first-generation Suzuki SV650? I have a variety of used OEM parts for sale.
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Sad but interesting to see a blue whale washed up on the beach. What an amazing creature.
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If you missed it before, be sure to check out my afternoon with Mr. Ellsworth Getchell and his amazing piece of history - a Royal Australian Air Force Hawker Seafury. Where else will you get to see a pale green airplane with pictures of kangaroos on it?
Friday, December 28, 2007
The first of my How-To guides for the Mitsubishi Evolution 8 are back up. More coming soon.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
I've started to put my Montana roadtrip write-up online. The entire story should be up in just the next few days.
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Just a quick note to all my visitors - check your browser. I can't recommend Firefox highly enough. If for some strange reason you can't leave Internet Explorer behind, at least be sure to upgrade to 7.0.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Did I say I was ready to go? I might have spoken a little prematurely. My template fell apart in certain sub-par, noncompliant browsers (yes, IE). And who knew CSS in its current state is nearly incapable of structing a simple, easy to work with 3 column layout?
But enough about all the technical stuff. The site is back up now and I'll be adding back in a lot of my old content soon along with some new stuff. Click any of the 4 photos above to jump to the main sections of the site - Main, Cars, Motorcycles, and Other (for all the miscellaneous stuff).
Sunday, November 18th, 2007
I'm back. Did you miss me? I switched my site to a new host back in September and then took the opportunity to modernize the framework of the site. It doesn't look terribly different but the important bits are. Lucky for you I'm redoing a lot of the content. Please bear with me as I get things back online. Now that the framework is in place, it should progress relatively quickly from here.