FUEL BESPOKE MOTORCYCLES R80 S TRIAL

When I think about motorcycles I think about all the wonderful things I can do on them.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a motorhead: I love cars, trucks, tractor trailers, and airplanes.  I think they are all amazing.  But that special connection with having only your two feet touching the earth makes two wheels just seem natural.  The amount of space I need to contact the earth just seems so small.  Like gravity is being questioned with every turn or on every unsettled road surface.  The fact that bikes really do and can go more places just fills my mind with fantasies of great adventure, even while riding to the local grocery store.

I think the next bike we get to fantasize about fits the needs of a gentlemen’s or lady's ride.  A proper beauty for all that life on the current earth provides.  Please read carefully in Karle's own words about this bikes build up.  You can hear the passion if you read it aloud.  You can see the passion if you look at the pictures.  A magnificent example of what a commission built beauty can provide emotionally for not only the purchaser but the builder.  Thanks for letting us get a glimpse of just what we like so much.  The skins off of this girl let you know she is ready for action and her trail shots prove with ease how successful the build was.  Hope you enjoy and fantasize of your own adventure.  Cause I have closed my eyes and ridden this one all over the Alp’s.....HARD.

– Kevin Dunworth

In the words of Karles Vives...

"This is the new creation of Fuel Bespoke Motorcycles based on a BMW R80 ST 1984.  The Fuel R80 STrial.

A motorcycle inspired by bikes like Triumph, BSA or Penton of the 60’s that used to ride the International Six Days Trials.  Light bikes with small headlights, flat handlebars, minimalist  seat and off road tires, motorcycles that were capable of riding trails and woods for days.

In this bike, commissioned by a classic bike enthusiast living in the Austrian Alps, we have been working not only on aesthetics but also improve its performance.

The front fork is from a BMW K75 Sport which has been adapted by designing and machining the front axle and the triple trees.  The brake section has also been improved with a 320mm oversize disc, a 4-piston caliper Brembo and Nissin master cylinder.  The entire front disc and displacer caliper has been designed by Fuel and built by a specialist.

The rear has been entrusted to a Wilbers shock with multiple adjustments.  We have also worked on the exhaust and collectors for a set of 2 plus 2 exhaust manifolds (originally the R80 carries a 2 collectors with a single exhaust) and also varying the angle of the mufflers to take higher and improve their height the ground.

All the subframe is constructed again to get a slimmer line, shorten and strengthen the bike for off road use.

In the front of the bike we got a headlight from a classic Spanish trial bike, the headlight bracket has been created and built for a “clean” look of the fork, high performance Motogadget speedometer, handlebar Tomaselli, indicators switches from an old Triumph, classic enduro grips and a car type starter motor relocated to the side of the bike.

On one side of the Kawasaki tank we have incorporated a gearshift from an old Ural (suicide shift) and thanks to an ingeniously and simple mechanism acts on the choke,when you push down the handle the choke gets open, a "divertimento" which, aesthetically, gives personality to the bike.

There have been five months of hard work that has enabled us to make a step further and keep learning and improving our builds.

I would also like to thank the work, enthusiasm and talent of Hilario our engineer and Isaac and Jose the mechanics and of course to Mike, the owner, who has trust us since the begining.

As you know, we like to build bikes to ride and enjoy them so besides the studio pics, we have also made a photoshoot of R80 S Fuel Trial in Action.  All taken by the photographer Claudio Rizzolo.  Hope you like!"

Now let's get to the nudies:

And there's even a peek under the suicide shifter....

And the money shot.....

For a full spread, check out Moto-Mucci's blog.

Technical Specs:

Motor Type: Four-stroke two cylinder horizontally opposed "Boxer" engine, air cooled

Displacement: 797.5 cc

Max Power:  50 hp (37 KW) at 6,500 rpm

Valves Per Cylinder: 2

Carburation System: 2 constant depression carburettors, Bing V 64/32/305  -  64/32/306

Bespoke custom parts:

Fuel 320mm front disc + displacer caliper

Rear subframe

Headlight holder

Indicators bracket

Collectors

Bracket front fender

Choke mechanism (Ural gearshift)

Front axel

Solo seat (designed by Fuel and builded by X-Sits)

New parts:

Kawaski KZ750 tank

Tomasselli handlebar

Classic trial headlight

Nissin front master cylinder

BMW K75 front fork

Motogadget speedometer

Wilbers 632 rear shock

Hoske exhaust

Brembo 4 calipers

Continental TKC 80 tyres

Magura clutch lever

Indicators from Moto Posh japan

SW-Motech on-Road/Off-Road Rider Footpegs

Gasolina Boots

As a happy owner of the Gasolina Shortcut Boots, I wanted to share my experience with our Cafe Racer XXX readers.  Last season, I literally burned through a pair of Frye Engineer boots while riding up and down the East Coast.  In search of a replacement pair, I started looking around online, researching and asking friends for motorcycle boot opinions and feedback.  I wanted something that was both functional and aesthically looked good.  I had my eyes on a pair of Gasolina boots.  Kim Durham (sanctuseye), a friend and avid motorcyclist from LA, mentioned numerous times how much she adored her pair.  And I loved that they were vintage looking, very reasonably priced and custom handmade to fit.

Shortly after, I measured my feet according to the website directions, placed the order and my boots arrived ahead of the estimated delivery time.  Impressive: considering they were both custom AND coming from Mexico.  Typically, when I wear boots for the first month or so, I really have to break them in and that means time, pain and annoying blisters.  The first time I put these boots on- I stepped in and zipped them up- I swear they melted around my feet like butter.  I probably shouldn't admit this but I literally slept in them the first night. 

The only critique I had is that the bottom leather buckle was a little tough to break in and buckle in the beginning.  I would say part of that is attributed to me needing to be a bit more limber.  Now over 200 miles in, I can't rave enough about how comfortable they feel and how well they continue to treat my feet.  I enjoy the vintage look, the shifter pad, the way the heels grip, and how connected I feel to my bike without a bulky heel. 

My next test is to see how well they do this summer after a hell of a lot of miles.  As

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Austin MotoGP

We love all forms of motorcycling, and racing is no exception for Cafe Racer XXX.  On April 7th, we hosted the Speed Pro Meet and Greet for the first MotoGP race of the season.  For the second race, we flew to Austin April 19-22 to watch it live and witness the inaugural race on the new track.  To top it off, we scored Ducati guest passes with pit access and a unique opportunity to tour the Ducati garage.  How?  I still have no idea.  I'd have to say it was a bit of luck and a lot of thanks to three special individuals- JP of The Selvedge Yard, Yuri De Cassan of Ducati, and Daniele Bondariva of Guabello (a Ducati sponsor).    

Left: Daniele                   Right: JP

This is how it all played out...

Early Saturday morning, Chris Logsdon and I intersected near downtown Austin to grab a quick breakfast at Cafe Crepe.  We spoke about about our typical topics of motorcycles, The Shop Brooklyn, motorcycles, oh and motorcycles.  After downing some quick eats, we bolted to the races without even finishing our coffee.  During our drive, I couldn't stop smiling about what we were about  to witness and annoyingly I repeated, "Holy shit, this is awesome.  I can't believe this.  Chris, this is fucking Christmas!"  A friend had nicely passed us tickets to enter the race and now JP had just offered us an extra pit pass via text message.  This is Chris texting his girlfriend about the pit pass and how ridiculous my driving was that morning.     

Parking was a slight frustration and after a full outside perimeter tour of the track and zero spots in sight, we finally decided to park a mile or so offsite.  The sun was pretty hot and the lengthy uphill hike was motivated by the sound of roaring engines in the distance.  We entered the main gates and acquired a map to navigate to the VIP village and pit area. 

We stopped for a coldie and took another 30 minute hike through a series of bridges,

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Speed Pro Meet and Greet

The Pro Speed Meet & Greet came to life shortly after a cold beer and a conversation with my friend, Mike Sponseller.  In short, Mike grew up on the tracks raised by his father, a Junior Expert and Grand National racer, and other founding members of the Baltimore Country Trail Riders Association.  Think Gary Nixon and the cast of "On Any Sunday".  He grew up racing surrounded by legends, has a grass roots persective, a load of Nixon stories and continues to race flat track in District 6&7. 

Our talk consisted of the rich race history surrounding the Baltimore area, a dying breed of flat trackers (since most are aging like fine wine), and last, the disconnect between everyday riders and racers.  On these points, we decided to collaborate and hold an event with local race flavor centered around the first Moto GP (Qatar) race of the season.    

On April 7th, we hosted the Speed Pro Meet & Greet along with Riders Discount, Loaded Gun Customs, DC Triumph, Mach Modified, Next Moto Champion, Ride Academy, JL10, Christini AWD, Fredericktown Triumph, and Defy All Odds.  Special thanks to Triumph and all sponsors who provided trivia swag to the crowd.  We had so much we had to

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