#the perfect hot rod befitting of Fives

[magicsunwheel]

Why You're F#cking Amazing

Pick-a-Card

How to play: pick one of the photos below using your intuition. You can close your eyes and meditate for a bit or just take a few grounding breaths while thinking of the topic. Feeling drawn to more than one is fine! You might have messages in more than one pile

Pile 1 (x) Pile 2 (x) Pile 3 (x)

My pile numbers always go from left to right, then down to the text row (if applicable)

Pile 1

Cards: The High Priestess, Five of Swords, Seven of Pentacles, The Moon Rx, Five of Rods, Ace of Pentacles

You are so intuitive! You're either very in touch with your divine feminine or are working your way there right now. Something about you is severe in the most beautiful way. You can take things seriously when they need to and the way you command a room with just your presence is unmatched. Maybe you're also a tarot reader or involved in spirituality/divination in some way. Maybe you really like Pick-a-Cards.

Something beautiful about you is that you never give up on a fight, especially when you know the end is worth it. Your ambition is strong and you will fight for what you love and what you want. You are not weak-willed by any means.

This also makes you so unique! You work so hard and put so much labor into your love even if you know it will take a long time to come to fruition. The times that you feel discouraged by a lack of results are few and far between. If for some reason you do find yourself wistfully hoping for faster results or an easier path, you can easily remind yourself of why you started in the first place.

You might have moments where you think of yourself as sneaky or like you're hiding a part of yourself from others, like your true self would be too much for them. I'm here to tell you that your intensity is exactly what make you such a beautiful person! You thrive in competition and in adversity. It gives you a chance to show off your quick thinking and survival skills. Others look at you with envy of how you can make an opportunity out of seemingly nothing!

If you need help improving your self-love, Spirit says to stop comparing yourself to others! You are amazing and beautiful and unique all on your own! Throwing yourself into the fray to compete against others who are nothing like you will only fim your inner shine. And you really do shine! When I asked for a card about why you are beautiful, nearly half the damn deck flew out!

Sprit loves you and I love you so please take care of yourself and keep making those amazing opportunities to improve your physical surroundings. (I feel like you have a very clean room/home)

Pile 2

Cards: Nine of Rods, the World, King of Cups, Three of Rods, Ace of Rods, Two of Cups

Ahh the Loona pile!

Similar to Pile 1, but much more fiery! You are resilient! Taking time to collect yourself before pushing forward with a renewed sense of energy and purpose is such an amazing and useful trait. You maybe aren't as commanding of a presence but you have such an inner strength that no one can deny.

You got the World for the reason why you're beautiful! Maybe it's related to physically being very beautiful and possibly exotic-looking. You might have very specific features associated with a certain area of the world that stand out where you live. You also have such a wonderful understanding of the world and where it's currently at. Things can seem negative or like hope is lost but you still seek out the beauty and share it with others. You see opportunity where others do not and feel a sense of peace and connectedness with all of humanity. Wow!

Your uniqueness shines in your emotionality and compassion. You might be a natural born leader who makes sure to understand all under your rule. You lead with kindness and, most importantly, by example. You don't have any desire to use you position for ill-gotten gains. Power to you does not corrupt, it solely provides a tool for you to do good in the world and really make a difference in the lives of others, whether it's on a large or small scale. You are probably the kind of person who makes sure to give money to those who need it when you pass a begging mother and her children, or buying a homeless man a bottle of water on a hot day.

Your card for why you think you are not perfect actually came out quite positive. Maybe you don't have a very low self esteem, but I can see a few possible scenarios here. You might be constantly planning in your head, waiting and watching for the next move to take but never actually getting to the action part. Maybe you're planning for your future and have so much planned out that you're excited for, but haven't made the practical plans on how to actually get there. This could make you feel bad about yourself especially on days where you're reminded of others moving ahead in their lives while you're still planning. Visualisation is very important in manifesting your desired reality! If you are moving slower than others around you, remember that it is okay to not be where "everyone else" is. Life is not a race or a competition. Taking your time to get to where you need to be when you need to be there reminds me of the story of the tortoise and the hare. Quick does not necessarily mean better.

You can improve your self-love by creating! Using your creativity and passion to make something! Create art, whether it's physical/digital art, music, writing, inventing, anything that uses those creative muscles of yours. It doesn't have to be good! Just creating something will help burn up that excess energy you have that's trying to rush you somewhere. Self-expression this way can be a wonderful hobby even if you don't consider yourself as a creative person.

Your kindness really shines through. You care so deeply about the people around you and your spiritual team cares just as deeply about you. You are loved and watched over and protected by Spirit. Others around you also see your sparkle and appreciate and admire you, even if they don't show it. Know you are beautiful and amazing and bringing a light into this world that needs to be here.

Pile 3

Cards: Six of Rods, the Hierophant, Four of Rods, Six of Cups, Ten of Swords, the Hermit Rx

Damn, who are y'all!? You've got some mighty power and pull in this world. Maybe you're a public figure or have some kind of platform, like a social media with many followers. You could also be well-recognized within your field of study/work. Whoever you are, people see you and look up to you. They celebrate you and how amazing you are! Spirit loves this about you and you really shine in the spotlight. Your achievements deserve all this pomp and celebration!

You are naturally authoritative. People listen when you speak and take your words to heart. You might also be a religious person or someone who enjoys organization and the comfort of hierarchy. People will willingly follow you wherever you lead them because they trust you with all their hearts. "A merciful ruler" (lol) You hold your position with grace and dignity befitting a king or queen.

You are unique in ways the public recognizes, but we knew that already! You might be someone who likes to entertain and you throw the greatest parties and get-togethers. Maybe you've planned a wedding and everyone had such an amazing time! You know how to relax and have fun when the time for celebrating arrives. You can out down your guard and bit and let loose. Not many people with such responsibility can let go of the reigns like that, but you don't seem to hold on to control too tightly.

Your past might be a source of anxiety for you. Maybe you're worried that what you've done when you were younger will catch up to you and ruin what you've got going on now, but it's important to remember that the past is the past. It cannot be undone or wished away. Taking time to accept what happened and recognizing that you've moved on to bigger and better things is important here. Whatever happened, take time to heal your childhood wounds and forgive past actions.

Ending this cycle will bring much more self-love to your life. Old habits and patterns being out to rest is the way forward. It might be a painful ending and something you don't necessarily look forward to, but it is something that needs to happen to clear out old energy and welcome in everything new. You can't expect to move on if you're still repeating old actions or ways of thinking. It's time to set these things to rest and evolve. Leave behind what no longer serves you.

Your understanding of yourself knows no bounds. You've taken the time to inquisit yourself and learn all of the shadows that lie there. Self-reflection might be a favored pastime for you. Through this knowledge of yourself you are able to see truths that many struggle to see all their lives. Your light can cut through the fog if bullshit and see the true source of something. Use this knowledge of yourself to become the best version of yourself that you can be! I know you're already on your way there and it's amazing to see! Spirit is so proud of you and loves you so much!

[olivereliott]

Custom Bikes Of The Week: 21 April, 2019

An incredible Norton sidecar racer from Australia, a tribute to NCR co-founder Rino Caracchi from Italy, and a chunky go-anywhere BMW R100GS from the States. Plus news of a land speed record attempt featuring Max Biaggi … on an electric bike.

Ducati MHR 1000 Rino Caracchi tribute The NCR name is forever entwined with the racing fortunes of Ducati—most notably when Mike Hailwood used an NCR-built 900 to win the 1978 World Championship at the Isle of Man.

NCR co-founder Rino Caracchi passed away recently, and Stile Italiano have paid tribute to his legacy with this sleek custom based on a 1984 MHR 900. And there are performance upgrades aplenty, as befits NCR’s ethos.

These include Dell’Orto PHM 40 carbs with velocity stacks, a custom exhaust system built by Virex, Öhlins FG950 forks, Ducati 888 alloy triples, and an Öhlins monoshock.

The wheels are TT2 replicas from Marvic shod with Michelin slicks, and there’s a high-end Brembo braking system with new discs, billet callipers and master cylinders.

Stile Italiano are best known for their monocoque custom bodywork, and they’ve applied the trick to the MHR without losing the classic vibe. The hand-formed aluminum is almost impossibly smooth, and finished in a red, silver and gold livery to reflect Ducati’s historic racing colors. [More]

1962 Norton Atlas racing sidecar This hand-built Norton has been captured by the Australian photographer Alex Jovanovic, and belongs to hydroblasting specialist Tim Loone. Despite the incredible looks, the Norton is not a trailer queen: after building the 750cc rig himself, Tim has been racing it in the local Historic Road Race Championships.

“Tim is an amazing craftsman, and his workshop is full of customers’ sidecar and race bike projects,” says Alex. “There’s no doubt this bike is the best looking in the field.”

Since the Second World War, Nortons have had a low-key but steady presence in the world of sidecar racing, but few have looked as slick as this streamlined racer.

The 1962 build date makes this 750cc Atlas one of the first to roll off the production line. It has a ‘featherbed’ chassis, a four-speed ‘box and quite a few parts also used on the Dominator twins.

If you’re in the Lucky country, you can see the Norton in the metal at the Six One show in Williamstown, Victoria next weekend, a new event created by Fuel Tank magazine and the Return of the Cafe Racers website. [Six One]

BMW R100GS custom by Wheelborne Matt Hawthorne runs Wheelborne, a waxed canvas luggage specialist based in Richmond, Virginia. And although he doesn’t regard himself as a bike builder, his modified 1992 R100GS has piqued our interest big time.

Matt’s R100 is inspired by the tough, Dakar ready builds from HPN, and he chose the big Beemer because he wanted to “crush some fire roads and have a bike that can do absolutely everything with little compromise.”

He’s given his big trailie a custom windshield with wraparound crash bars, a tweaked R80ST subframe with a G/S rack, and appealingly dusty paintwork. We’re digging the dual headlight kit and the knee pads from Wunderlich, and there are other neat little details sprinkled throughout like CRF150 footpegs.

Matt applied the paint himself in his tiny workshop, which is more of a shed. “Kind of a big shed, but definitely not a garage,” he says. “It’s enough space for me to work and I do at least have power out there, but hey, you can do a lot in an uninsulated 12’ x 24’ space that leaks every time it rains.” [More]

Custom Yamaha SR500 by Rebels Alliance A couple of years ago, I was in London for an interview with the producers of the custom moto documentary Oil In The Blood. As I left, planning a leisurely stroll back to my hotel, the director suggested I take a small detour to check out Rebels Alliance.

It’s a compact shop in the East End crammed with cool alt-moto gear and memorabilia, all selected with impeccable taste. But the RA crew also builds the occasional quirky custom, and this angular SR500 is the latest.

Aptly called ‘Rough Diamond,’ the centerpiece is a multi-faceted fuel tank crafted from mild steel that took weeks to complete. It’s formed from TIG-brazed panels to create a vessel of near-perfect symmetry, with a few weld lines left to reveal its hand built nature.

The other big change is a switch to Suzuki GSX-R750 forks, which are more than a match for the hot-rodded motor. That’s been bored out to 605cc, and hides Carillo 11.5:1 pistons and a balanced crank. “When we say this thing really goes, we mean it,” say the lads. We believe them. [More]

The Voxman Wattman resurfaces Five years ago, the boutique French maker Voxan announced the Wattman electric motorcycle, with a 150kW (200hp) electric motor. There’s no word on whether any Wattmans have actually been produced, but we now know that there’s at least one in existence.

The electric scene is riddled with vaporware and broken dreams, but Voxan has taken the brave step of aiming for a land speed record. And the pilot will be none other than the famously irascible racer, Max Biaggi.

According to Motorsport.com, “Biaggi will attempt to break the 330km/h barrier on a Voxan Wattman bike on the Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia … The record Biaggi will be aiming to beat is the 327.608 km/h achieved by Jim Hoogerhyde riding a Lightning SB220 in 2013.”

We’re not quite sure what is more surprising: the fact that the Wattman is still a viable proposition, or Biaggi is heading to an obscure South American salt flat, or that the electric record has been unbeaten for six years.

However, Voxan’s parent company Venturi does have form in this scene: it currently holds the outright electric car land speed record, with its ‘Buckeye Bullet.’ So maybe Biaggi will succeed—and that’s got to be good news for the profile of electric two-wheelers. [More]

[itsworn]

SpeedKore’s 1970 ‘Cuda is a 700hp Menace

In its short history, SpeedKore Performance Group has made a name for itself by building high-end, high-power muscle, with an emphasis on classic Mopars. Their latest build, this 1970 ‘Cuda, belongs to SpeedKore co-owner Jim Kacmarcik, so of course it follows the trend of bringing top-notch build quality and design with handling and drivability. It debuted at the 2016 SEMA show and its aggressive presence makes it deserving of its nickname, Menace.

All of the bodywork ahead of the A-pillar is carbon fiber: hood, fenders, valence, header panel, and bumpers. It saved weight off the front tires so that even with a reinforced subfame, Dynamat soundproofing, and a supercharged iron-block Hemi, curb weight is a respectable 3,400 pounds.

Bill Nicoud is responsible for the beautiful paintjob in Lakeshore Blue.

SpeedKore took three main goals into consideration when designing Menace. First, the project had to return a practical driver. It had to be timeless. After all, when you’re starting with one of Mopar’s most iconic models, there’s no point in scrapping the whole thing. Finally, the car had to be innovative, incorporating unique design elements under the hood, in the cabin, and wherever appropriate. Sean Smith, SpeedKore’s design director, took those goals to task, “Our approach is to highlight and preserve the styling of the vehicle that the fan base loves.” That meant no over the top spoilers, wings, or unnecessary scoops, just simple and clean style with a mean presence.

To update the ‘Cuda’s lines, the window and drip rail moldings were eliminated and the hood was simplified. Molded in carbon fiber, the hood’s twin, raised scoops were extended toward the windshield and the cowl vents were deleted. Both the top and bottom of the hood were molded in carbon fiber before being bonded together. The quarter panel pockets house the door opening switches, as in a late-model Corvette. The rectangular notches hint at the somewhat industrial factory latches without interrupting the flow of the carbon fiber door skin. The quarter panels also house the exhaust bezels that were manufactured in-house. At the rear, panel gaps were minimized as a new carbon fiber valence was molded in and a carbon fiber bumper sits tucked into the quarters. You’ll notice that’s quite a bit of sheetmetal that was replaced by carbon fiber. SpeedKore offers lots of E-body parts in the lightweight composite, so designer Sean Smith decided to do a modern take on the AAR graphic and leave the carbon exposed on top of the fenders, hood, and doors.

Parts are laid up with carbon fiber weave that’s been pre-impregnated with resin, usually using four or five layers. They’re cured in an autoclave with 80lbs of pressure per square inch to ensure that the resin flows out for a strong, light part. Then they’re coated in PPG clear to protect the carbon from UV rays.

Depending on the light, the carbon fiber can blend in or stand out.

The interior of the ‘Cuda was treated to the most radical redesign, as all of the carpet, vinyl, and plastic were stripped out leaving only a bare shell for the SpeedKore team to build from. The bones of the car’s interior were 3D scanned and a whole new look was conceived. Bill Jakum began with a new dash that was filled with a billet aluminum gauge cluster. The rear seats were eliminated, in their place is a shelf with twin storage boxes. Front seats began as high-backed Recaro buckets that were trimmed down before they were sent to Gabes Custom Street Rod Interiors in San Bernardino, California. There, Gabe upholstered the seats, dash, console, and door panels in black leather.

The centerpiece of the interior is the dashboard that is hand made and fabricated by Bill Jakum, SpeedKore’s lead metal fabricator. Once the dash was fabricated it was 3D scanned to produce a billet gauge insert to house custom-made Classic Instruments gauges.

Interior panels were made using a 3D scan of the car’s stripped interior. Again, Sean and Lyle worked together getting the lines just right.

Recaro seats were reshaped and upholstered in black leather with French stitching by Gabe’s Custom Street Rod Interiors. Molded interior panels were partially covered, leaving exposed areas of carbon fiber.

After bead blasting and a Cerakote finish, the CNC-machined aluminum door handles look like a casting.

A Bowler Performance 4L80E transmission uses a PCS controller. It’s shifted here, in the console, or with paddle shifters.

The epitome of Mopar pony cars was the Hemi ‘Cuda. Considering the car’s looks, handling, and braking had all received modern upgrades, it only seemed right to use a Gen III Hemi. Wegner Motorsports in Markesan, Wisconsin, took on the job of blueprinting and dyno testeing the 6.4L Hemi powerplant. It uses a factory block, crank, and heads with equal-length headers and stainless steel exhaust fabricated by SpeedKore’s Bill Jakum and Ben Murphy. The V8 is topped by a Whipple 2.9L supercharger and carbon fiber valve covers. The combo churns out 720 hp at a street-friendly 5,800rpm, with torque on tap from idle. A custom firewall, core support, and inner fenders, designed by Sean Smith, frame the engine. Lyle Brummer developed the tooling for the molds and they were all formed in carbon fiber.

That’s 720 Hemi horsepower. A 3D-printed air intake system is made from glass-filled nylon. The one-off valve covers are molded in carbon fiber.

Sean Smith sketched the design for the engine bay and worked with engineer Lyle Bummer as he turned the drawings into a Solidworks model that was used to CNC-cut molds for the inner fenders, firewall, and core support.

To return the modern handling befitting a build like this, Speedkore chose a Roadster Shop Fast Track subframe as their new jumping off point. The SpeedKore team modified it starting just behind the control arms, making the rails taller and incorporating them into the firewall and cowl support to minimize flex. The tall Hemi and large, deep-sump oil pan from Stef’s Fabrication Specialties required modifying the Roadster Shop crossmember. A Detroit Speed rack and pinion was the perfect, although not drop-in, solution. SpeedKore fired up their computer drafting software to model the front suspension and design new tie rod spindle drops that eliminate bumpsteer with the new rack. With little room to work, a splined sway bar from Speedway was located ahead of the oil pan. A set of HRE S101 wheels were fitted to Menace, with 19x10s in the front wearing 245/35XR19 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires and 20×12-inch hoops in the back with massive, 345/30ZR20 Michelins.

HRE S101 wheels feature satin bronze spokes and a brushed lip. The spindles and hubs are C6 Corvette. Baer six-piston Extreme brakes were used with slotted and cross-drilled rotors.

Completing SpeedKore’s vision, Bill Nicoud, SpeedKore’s head painter, spent countless hours prepping the body before spraying it in a custom mix they’ve dubbed Lakeshore Blue. It’s not too far off from the factory 1970 P-6 paint code, Frosted Teal Poly and is a perfect fit for the ‘Cuda. Along with the exposed carbon fiber, the painted panels were drenched in clear to give them amazing depth that only comes from hours of wet sanding and buffing.

The result of SpeedKore’s labor is a perfect melding of muscle-era lines with details that keep rewarding the viewer. The body is very much a ‘Cuda, only refined, while the engine bay and interior reflect SpeedKore’s more modern, muscular aesthetic. This is the most pure example of their design philosophy yet.

Sean Smith’s rendering for the car shows how true the final build was to the original vision.

JW speaker provided the HID headlights.

The rear seats were removed, in their place are bins with lids that once belonged to Oakley equipment boxes.

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