I’ve decided to really finish off the Paino with period correct parts, and in order to do that I’ve got to spend time on eBay hunting down New Old Stock (NOS) which is not only rare, but usually quite pricey too. Found these lovely NOS toe clips. So so special, they sure don’t make stuff like they used to!
Zi’s new 2007 SR400.
New seat, blinkers and tail light.
Zi had the idea to come around with his cat today to play with Mia. As a previous dog owner (and first time cat owner) I’m not sure he gets that cats are pretty different to dogs. I suggested it wasn’t such a crash hot idea and that instead we should just go to Deus for lunch. Instead of driving over he rode over on his new SR400. He only bought it yesterday and already he’s replaced the chunky and ugly stock seat with a much sleeker and lower seat. He’s ripped the battery covers off and also replaced front and rear blinkers and rear tail light too (modifiers will be modifiers!). Take note of the first picture, with a few subtle changes this bike will look crash hot in no time.
PS: News just in – this bike’s previous owner was Michelle, the personal trainer from Australia’s Bigger Loser show!
Creative Factory Posh Super battle Racing CDI
Paul mentioned something about upgrading the ECU. It’s a little frustrating not knowing exactly what’s been done to the bike so far so I’ve done my research and I’ve started a modification list (see below) of stuff I’ve been able to spot on the bike.
I took the battery cover off and found this little unit above the battery. It’s a CDI (capacitor discharge ignition) made by a Japanese company called Creative Factory Posh (lol) and it advances timing and eliminates the factory rev limiter (which increases top speed). Installation images can be found here.
Paul has suggested he’s done about all you’d want to do to a stock 50cc engine. He bought and installed a performance variator (Italian brand Polini) which (paste) “aids in acceleration by getting to a higher rpm range faster with different drive face designs and more aggressive roller ramps.”. (/paste), he’s also upgraded to a Polini kevlar belt.
Pics of the variator can be found here.
Mods list as far as I can figure out, is as follows:
Modifications
– Creative Factory Posh Super battle Racing CDI
– Polini Performance Variator
– Polini Kevlar Belt
– Kijima Long Wheelbase Kit
– Daytona Sus-Drag Muffler
– Yamaha YZF R1 LED Smoked Integrated Tail light
– NCY Lowdown seat frame
– Eurosport Side Mirror
– Daytona side stand
– Foam air filter
– Chrome radiator cover
– Chrome variator cover
– Maxima Tyres
– Rego tube
It’s actually a black bike with a red battery box (phew). I’ll definitely be replacing the red battery box at some point in time.
Just the one dial, so simple. Unfortunately the speedo only goes up to 60km/hr and once you go over that the needle just keep going (I’ll look into a new Speedo later on).
I own a Honda (again).
JDM decals.
Long wheelbase kit has been installed, drag muffler too.
Aftermarket LED tails tucked away under the seat.
I’ve got my Zoomer! More pics soon :)
PS: I’ve dug up some old threads where I’ve expressed my want for one of these things, memory lane! 2006 Sydney Motor Show thread here, 2009 Deus thread here.
Helmet head!
I couldn’t ride a scooter in my Stig helmet (people would surely point and laugh!) and I didn’t want to look too tough in an all black full face so I thought this was a good compromise!
Yeah I know open face helmets are not as safe as full faces, but when I saw and tried this one on at the helmet warehouse I just had to have it. It’s super cool old school as the sides come down a lot lower than the usual crappy open face retro styled helmets on offer (I tried others, super mushroom head!). The fit feels very very good too.
So I drove over to JDMyard to test ride Zi’s Sachs Madass today.
Kick start my heart (gotta love kick start over pressing a button!).
Brand new 160cc engine to replace the original 120cc. Check the oil cooler…so cute!
It’s been on the cards, and I tried to keep it a secret, but I’ve been meaning to get back on a moto again. An opportunity to get a Sachs Madass came up. Long story short I’ve been busy designing Zi’s new web site and as part payment I was going to take his newly acquired bike.
The Madass was designed by Sachs in Germany but oh noes it’s made in China. Apparently there’s good China and bad China and after much research it turns out the Madass is built by the later. People have suggested basically dipping the entire bike in loctite because at some point everything will fall off the bike!
I wasn’t so deterred though. I built my super dodgey death trap which I absolutely love riding, the only thing I don’t like about riding it is that it’s 100% illegal whereas the Madass is completely legal…well, in stock form at least…
This particular Madass has had $2k thrown at it. It’s old 120cc engine was thrown out when the gearbox blew up and a new 160cc engine was shoved in.
I was a little nervous about riding it as I’ve not ridden a motorbike since uni days (1994/5?!). The bike’s pretty tall for such a small looking thing (I couldn’t get both feet flat on the ground when sitting on it). I got going without stalling though and found it pretty easy to change gears up and down (albeit quite jerky!). The Madass feels fast (most likely a lot faster than it really is due to the vibrations and loud exhaust!) and I don’t doubt that I could hit 100km/hr on this thing but I wasn’t game enough to go anywhere over 60km/hr on my maiden ride.
I was left feeling very naughty, very much like riding my deathtrap. It’s fun, heaps of fun but then a spanner was thrown into the works.
Paul rocked up and suggested he was broke, in need of cash (sounds like where I’m at!) and that he’s thinking about selling his Honda Zoomer. HOLY SHIT. Yeah I’m pretty sure I’ve blogged about the Zoomer, it’s a “naked” scooter that I’ve always been into from a visual perspective, and one I’ve even written to Honda Australia about (to beg them to bring it in!). I am perhaps the only guy that takes a photo of the Zoomer at Deus every single time I go in there (they are the only guys in Australia compliancing them) but at $3500-4k ride away I couldn’t justify it, until now.
Paul’s “for me” price was too good to refuse considering he paid top dollar for one from Deus, then spent another $3-4k modifying it to go faster and look nicer (he even went as far as extending the wheelbase with a long frame kit). I didn’t even try to low ball him (ok, well I did a little only to realise that it wasn’t fair) so his Zoomer is all mine once I cough up the cash.
Yeah its no motorbike. No gears and you don’t “straddle” the bike (instead you kinda sit on it like a lounge chair), but it’s not going to explode as it’s got that Honda reliability (unlike the China made Sachs) and it looks cool (to me that is!) and it fits in nicely with JDMST, not to mention I’m most likely going to have a lot of fun modifying it and being a part of the large International Zoomer/Ruckus community (as for how it rides, well, we’ll see).
Enough spamming from me. I’m excited (but nervous about this new potential money pit). More Zoomer updates as they come! :)
Bit dark last night but here’s a tear shot as it hangs.
My reproduction Paino decals were in the mail and despite having to pack for tonight’s overnight fishing trip I was too excited to not get busy putting the decals on.
With some fantastic instructions from Greg (Cyclomondo on eBay), soapy water, steady hands and a keen eye I managed to get the head badge and down tube Paino decals on perfectly. So so happy with them!
Better pics in the light ASAP, but for now I’m gone fishin’!
Gah…
A little history: When I was a little kid (before I owned a proper bicycle) I used to haunt Europa Cycles (back then they were on Clarence St. across from Clarence St. Cyclery) as my parents worked in the city and took us in every weekend.
I used to just walk in and stare at all these bicycle frames on the wall, crazy colours, clover shaped tubing and almost all of them featured little stickers with a dove on them (Columbus Tubing!).
Over the years I kept haunting Europa. I eventually bought a road bike off them when I was in high school (it had friction gears and gold plated parts!) and later I ended up working in one of their bike shops in Randwick.
I’ve always had very high regard for Colnago ever since. I suppose it’s the crème de la crème for me.
I’ve been slowly but surely getting back into bikes again thanks to my Paino and yesterday I thought I’d drop into the official Colnago web site. What I saw there was pretty upsetting. Their new bikes look like everybody else’s bikes. Really ugly. We’re talking swoopy chunky carbon fibre frames (all of which are made in Asia now) and ugly sports shoe like graphics…then I saw the Master and it sparked something. They’ve been re-releasing the same old Columbus steel Master frame for a few years now, it’s the same exact design from the 80’s (1983?), with all the glorious details (check the fancy lugs!).
I did more searching around, funny as all of a sudden I’m chatting to Jing on MSN and Googling bikes (again), and not fish tanks… and then I saw the 2011 Master in white (above). I pretty much had a mini heart attack. Love at first sight.
The idea of having a brand new old skool frame with the latest 2011 componentry excites me. Sure it’s not going to be as light or as fast as the new carbon things but this is a matter of the heart, and for me, that always wins. I dropped a few mails to see if I can get one locally at a reduced price in exchange for Bikes Move Us Forum Sponsorship, no go. It turns out there’s not much margin on these bikes. There is no stock held as they’re made by hand, in Italy (yes, very exciting!) and the wait is apparently up to 9months!
Being as broke as I am I’ll just have to chill for a bit. I’m hoping I can still get this 2011 white frame (colours change every year) next year, somehow. I might never own a Ferrari F40, this might just be the next best thing!
