The Lucky Cat Garage

In 2008, blogs were rare: this growing phenomenon, in which we have participated from then til today, is now something known to everyone. "Seb" ran a blog called "The last chance garage du 7-8" and we started to communicate back then.
Seb now evolves in his world around the bikes that he builds patiently in his garage, to develop what is called today "The Lucky Cat Garage".

Last year I broke my ankle and fibula in a bike accident the week before Glamseck 101, that I'd been preparing for months. In my hour of need all my friends and family rallied round to get the bike finished. It was finally ready in time for the sprint races in Germany. My friend Sylvain took me over there, rode my bike, and won the StarWars category. The bike also won Best of Show. This sucess was followed by a wave of enthusiasm for this bike, which we called 'Sprintbeemer', and which will be few months after on exhibition at the Museum of contemporary art at Lyon, at the Moto Légende show and part of the exhibition at Wheels and Waves.

I loved the atmosphere at Glemseck 101 and I have promised myself to return and ride the bike myself. However, it feels a bit of a pity to return just to ride it myself: why not push the project a bit further? That is how I started the project officially called 'Furtherer', though between ourselves we call it 'brainfuck'".
I had been happy with the previous version with its barnfind petrol tank and fairing hand painted: it worked well, and the bike was coherent. I had kept the (original) fairing and petrol tank to one side. However I eventually decided that it was a bit too classic; I wanted to push the design a bit further and take the BMW sprint to another level, to correspond 100% to my vision, to take more risks and not to sleepwalk through the design. To me the bike tasted slightly of unfinished business.... and, after all my motto is "dream, wrench, love, weld, machine, ride, repeat" !

From the beginning the whole project depended upon the idea that a sprint race is won before the race starts, by getting the upper hand over your opponents psychologically. And this year, I have had various ideas of how to spread worry and uncertainty amongst the ranks.... visually and mechanically! The story of this bike, then, is above all else a story of friends and good times spent working in the workshop in the evenings, and the weekends and during the holidays.

Benny and Seb "Brainfuckin'"

A design that M.C Escher would be proud of !

The most visible part is obviously the new fairing, provided by my friends Kent and Dutch at Airtech Streamlining. As I'd imagined, I wanted only to show the boxer heads under the fairing. To do this I lengthened the original fairing. Next, the painting, which was a real headache. Benny aka Machine 17 came up with the idea of the design for the pattern which almost hurts the eyes and makes an optical illusions with the arrows in 2 directions. Benny usually works as a graphic designer/ photographer for Edwin Europe. It was amusing as I found out later (as he did, from another source), that the idea of interlocking arrows had already been used by Jean-Pierre Lihou on a Citroën concept car in the 1970s. Benny is a genius!!
Then, to complete the visual update, I found a new petrol tank. It's a Malagutti 50, which had suffered Cyril's attacks. He incorporated my requirement,which was to be able to mount the ammeter and the Lucas headlights... some brainstorming sessions later..... the English section finally joined with the Italian petrol tank to accommodate the petrol pressure and oil temperature gauges.

Lastly I needed a little more horsepower for the come back of the Lucky Cat (and the races to come).... for that the engine was completely reworked by Edelweiss Motorsport. In the end they kept only the cases and the crank from the R100RS. Still the breaking-in period, the motor already has more than 100 HP when benchtested and the engine is currently limited to 9500 tr/min. There has been a lot of work here: the crankshaft has been modified, the conrods, pistons, cylinders, camshaft, pushrods, lifters, rockers, and heads of the R 100 GS have been reworked, the lubrication circuit has been modified, the oil pump and the programable twin ignition..... the assembly and metrology were done by the sorcerers Edelweiss Motorsport in Essen who christened the engine the " Sprintbanger ". It is "only" 1,070 cc but enough power and torque to wrest the Sprintbeemer from the starting line.

Photos credit: Daniel Beres



As always, I didn't want to leave it there, and to make the connection between the visual and mechanical, I found various components from the world of drag racing to complete the bike. I managed to finance a nitrous kit, thanks to the sale of Edwin X Lucky Cat garage tee shirts on Facebook. They all sold in a few weeks, and I was even able to add some more goodies, like the pneumatic shifter!

I would like to thank again the supporters from all over the world who helped the project along its way: it feels good to be so supported.

Technically I had loads of help on the set up of the nitrous from friends who race on modern bikes in the French championship . Thanks to their advice I choose a "wet" nitrous kit from NOS. With this system you can easily supercharge the engine with nitrous oxide and petrol. I still need to refine the settings a little, to take full advantage of the system that is still set in safe mode.... then I need to finish the mounting of the pneumatic shifter with the introduction of a reinforcement cylinder and selection shaft. I have preferred taking my time to make the reinforcement of the selection shaft Despite this care , there are still 10 bars that go into the cylinder when you change gear from the handlebars ... I am not sure the shift shaft will hold up for long without reinforcement. In short there is still some work planned for this winter!

But, hell, WHO NEEDS 9 LIVES ?: not the lucky cat!!

Here is a short summary of the modifications and the work done this year (there's obviously more work for next year!)

-Airtech full Dustbin fairing extended in the rear
-Brainfuck" paintjob by Benny Machine17 Nico ATN
-1070cc engine by Edelweiss Motorsport
-nitrous NOS "wet" kit with purge kit & kill module
-homemade intake manifolds (thanks Chrisian!)
-Handlebar controls (Pingel)
-adjustable shift light (MSD)
-Electric over air shifter (Pingel)
-mega slash cut silencer
-NOS & engine kill modules (under tank)
-full electric harness
-Malagutti gas tank modified and including oil ang gas gauges(nice job by Cyril!)
-Engine hood in alloy foundry (thanks 8cycles)
-Finish of the rngine foundry parts (thanks Get)

-modified R50/2 frame
-BMW R75/5 shorter fork.
-shortened swing arm BMW R100/7 .
-modified final drive BMW R80/7 .
-billet alloy struts hidden in the rear shocks
-BMW R 100 R 5 speed gearbox
-ceramic Sachs clutch
-front wheel: R75/5 machined hub - anodized Morad rim.
-front tyre: Avon Speedmaster 19''
-rear wheel R100/7 machined hub - anodized excel rim
-rear tyre MH Racemaster 18''

Seb and the good Managers: Ola and Sylvain

As fast on  dirt and track : Franck Chatokhine

This summer the Lucky Cat crew again worked furiously day and night to finish on time: Christophe, Frank, Quentin, Sylvain; Florent, Christian, Cyril, Nico, Mathieu, Sou, Laurence, Daniel, Dirk and all his team. This is where the Lucky Cat shows how lucky he really is.
For the finishing touches, Furygan made a one/off overall to match the fairings in their workshop in Nimes. Benny designed this as well. Last but not least, Bruno from Gentlemen's Factory painted my helmet Shoei NXR with my mascot and his broken legs!
Thanks to all the partners and friends who have helped the Lucky Cat Garage this year: Edwin Europe, Furygan, Shoei Europe, Instantané, Perfect Start, Airtech Streamlining, New Com, FTWco, Mombaerts Race, Gentlemen's Factory, Castrol, Edelweiss Motorsport.

FRanck Chatpkhine, Hugo Jezegabel , Seb Lorentz

Next step: the Custom bike AMD championship in Cologne. The Sprintbeemer "Furtherer" will be on stage. The Nights will be short to ensure that the finish is perfect! Whatever, the Sprintbeemer isn't a showbike, but a race machine. Built on purpose, built for Speed !



Last minute news: Seb just won the second place in the retro modified categorie at the AMD championship !!! Congratulations !!!

The W&W X Douk- Douk collaboration

We are proud to introduce today our collaboration between The Cognet Cutlery and Wheels and Waves
This unique batch of fifty knives can be sent all over the world !

The douk-douk is a French-made pocket knife. It has been manufactured by the M.C Cognet cutlery firm in Thiers since 1929.

Famous in the former French colonies for over 70 years and used recently for decades by the Army and in the French Foreign Legion, these are tough.
Nothing fancy about them; just real working, single-blade knives. The handles are gunsmith-style ferro-blackened folded steel. The blades are high carbon steel, hardened to Rc 50-53 and slightly hollow-ground using water grinding wheels. Blade thickness 2.5mm and blade length is 2-1/2.
Because they are relatively light and flat, they are great for the pants pocket. Their robustness makes them exceptional for any toolbox. Neat tools for sure. Made in France.

Blade length 9 cm

ORDER HERE

Nous sommes fiers de vous présenter nôtre collaboration avec le Coutelier M.C Cognet, éditeur  original  du fameux Douk Douk depuis 1929. Cette série unique de cinquante pièces, tombe à point pour la saison des champignons !

Le douk-douk n’est pas seulement un couteau : C’est aussi une Légende...
Initialement conçu pour le marché de l’Océanie, aux grandes heures de la France dans ces contrées, il a finalement équipé pour le meilleur et quelquefois pour le pire, les peuples d’Afrique.
Des montagnes de l’Atlas aux jungles profondes de l’Afrique Noire, des dunes du Sahara aux rivages de Mauritanie, il est encore porté par nombre de travailleurs, de baroudeurs, d’explorateurs et parfois de guerriers…

Couteau de chasseur, de pêcheur, d'explorateur, d’aventurier, outil indispensable ou arme redoutable, son succès est tel que nombre de copies ont été tentées avec plus ou moins de bonheur.
Aujourd’hui encore, il reste le compagnon parfait du randonneur, du campeur, du pêcheur, du chasseur ou du bricoleur...
Le compagnon idéal de tous les amoureux de la nature et des objets authentiques.

Robuste et discret, original et peu exigeant en entretien.

Longueur de la lame 9 cm

 COMMANDER ICI

Moto Heroes - the Wheels and Waves special issue

For the first time and hopefully not the last one, we have been editor of a very special issue of "Moto Heroes" magazine. That means we've had the opportunity to choose the content among a lot of photos shared by great photographers. We would like to thank them for their participation.
Our small event held in June, attracts a lot of characters acting in our small world . This magazine will become the memory of a rich and creative period . We are happy to let you a printed trace.
a small amount of the collector edition including the poster designed by Steven Burke and the luxurious hard cover illustrated  by Maxwell Paternoster is still available on our store.
(Texts in French and English)
We ship everywhere in the world !

You can order here your copy

Ehinger Kraftrad - Hamburg

Interview by Cyril Dunn

Hi Uwe, could you please introduce yourself?
Tell us more about Ehinger Kraftrad.
I have been running the company EHINGER KRAFTRAD since 2008 with Katrin Oeding; she is a designer as well as my partner in life and in business. With a manufactory’s standards of technological perfection and creative courage, we develop design concepts together for motorcycles, motorcycle parts and fashion with unique and innovative solutions that are then realized with precision, in the highest quality and with a minimalist design in close collaboration with selected partners. Katrin is the designer. I am the engineer and technical developer. An EHINGER KRAFTRAD product is always accompanied by a little piece of motorcycling history.
For more information, please refer to www.ehingerkraftrad.com

      Photo © Bernard Testemale

When did you start riding a motorcycle?
I was 6 years old. I was living at my uncle’s hacienda in Argentina at the time and rode his 125 Yamaha.

What was your first bike?
It was a Kreidler Florett – a real German 50ccm – and I was 15. I got my license early and by the time I was 17, one thing
was clear: I wanted a Harley. I got a tip that some old Harley police bikes were being auctioned in Belgium. There was just one catch: you had to be 18 to participate. So I borrowed my brother’s papers, hitchhiked to Belgium and purchased a machine. Then I rode back home across country roads with his driver’s license, which was probably only for mopeds anyway. On a Belgian police motorcycle. I sincerely hope that this falls under the statute of limitations by now.

What about Choppers? This seems to be a long love story?
It all started when I was 17 and watched the movie “Easy Rider”, which infected me with an incurable fever: the Harley virus. At the time, I was living in Hamburg and studying Particle Physics as well as Mechanical Engineering. But above all, I spent many hours reading about old Harleys. In those days, from the mid to late 1970s, it wasn’t easy to get your hands on specialist motorcycle literature. I managed to procure reading material like the Jammer's Handbook, Easy Riders or Street Chopper from overseas, and started working on my first machine: a Shovelhead. In 1976/1977, I traveled to L.A. to visit my aunt and met people from the scene for the first time.

Does living in Hamburg, Germany, have an influence on your work and inspirations?
There is a German style of getting things done. I grew up here and this is where I took my first steps in craftsmanship. I did a three-year apprenticeship at the shipyard Blohm + Voss. The atmosphere was reduced yet concentrated and this style suited my personality. The clear, factual language, color and shapes are similar to my own way of approaching things.

How dynamic is the Hamburg custom motorcycle scene?
The custom scene in Hamburg is quite small, but there is a huge Harley scene. The Harley Days take place here once a year; it is Europe’s biggest Harley event with 550,000 visitors and bikers.

 

Photo© Hermann Köpf

What kind of bikes do you work on?
I started a trilogy as homage to three bike sports that have slowly been disappearing over the past years. The Snowracer as my interpretation of a hill climber was the first step. Secondly, I worked on a Bonneville racing machine for high speed racing on salt lakes. And thirdly, a Speedway Knuckle in remembrance of the old racing sports without brakes.

A few months ago, you released the book 'Rusty Diamonds'…. What is it all about? –

RUSTY DIAMONDS – A Kraftrad Journey by Uwe Ehinger
The book “RUSTY DIAMONDS” documents Uwe Ehinger’s archeological motorcycle finds from 1979 to 1989. It is a collection of almost lost motorcycle knowledge and a unique, extremely personal documentation of a true motorcycle enthusiast.

Uwe Ehinger was infected with an incurable fever for motorcycles at a young age and his passion for the motorcycle manufacturers of the 1930’s to the 1960’s remains to this day. When he set off on his travels in 1979 at the age of 19, he didn’t bring along much more than an idea and a year’s worth of arduously acquired knowledge about antique racing and sports motorcycles. He travelled from North to South America and from Europe to Asia as an independent dealer of rare motorcycles until 1993. During this time, he hunted down brands like Brough Superior, Norton, Vincent, Indian, Harley Davidson, BMW, etc. He searched for them, dug them out, discovered them, bargained for them, and then sold most of them again.The book “RUSTY DIAMONDS” begins with an elaborate, very personal interview in which Uwe Ehinger describes how it all began, why he became a motorcycle agent and what life was like in South America back in those days. With this coffee table book, the reader can embark on his or her own motorcycle quest through over 250 photographs depicting Uwe Ehinger’s countless trips, arranged chronologically and accompanied by touching stories as well as explanatory texts. All from a time without cash machines, Internet, e-mail or online stores. 

The photographs in “RUSTY DIAMONDS” are practically unedited. Each photo was a work tool that Ehinger sent to potential buyers by post. Captured on analog film with various cameras, the photos were developed in supermarkets or small photo shops around the world during his travels and document a bygone era.  This book is the result of several months of hard work spent reviewing, selecting images and stories, conducting interviews with Uwe Ehinger – all brought together in an extraordinary book design. Thus, this book is one of those objects made for all eternity with special care and a skilled eye – and therefore a typical EHINGER KRAFTRAD product.

How and when did your irretrievable/irreversible quest begin?
It began in the middle of the 1970s.

What were you looking for at first?
Bikes, bikes, bikes. Anything that was tradable. Mainly antique bikes from the very beginning until the 1960s.

What process did you develop to succeed in each of your researches/searches?
I heard that there were lots of old Harleys in South America, and at the time, the prices for Harleys were rapidly rising over here. That gave me the initial spark. I was already fairly familiar with South America and I had a contact in Chile, a place where even better bikes were supposedly available. I saw it as a great opportunity. I scraped together as much money as possible with the plan of buying whatever I could get my hands on. But before I traveled to South America, I spent many months reading English, American and German books and magazines about old motorcycles in libraries.

Finally, are you a kind of motorcycle archeologist?
Yes, but I was working practically and somehow felt like a part of this past. In other words: I hunted mammoths with the Neanderthals. 

You must have many recollections, could you share a particularly memorable one with us?
There are vibrations that feel a lot like a motorcycle whizzing past at great speed – although they are caused by something completely different. In South America, the cause of such overwhelming vibrations is usually an earthquake.

I was in the Chilean holiday paradise of Vina del Mar when someone gave me a tip that there were two old motorcycles for sale nearby. Before I had the chance to take a look at them, the floor of the hotel started to shake as if a herd of buffalos were thundering across the hall above me. The next day, I struggled through the rubble to the address that had been given to me. The house had survived the earthquake and was still intact – and so were the bikes. When I saw what I was dealing with, I started to tremble inside. Full of joy. The first bike was the military-version of an Indian Chief, easily recognizable due to its somewhat simpler leaf spring fork. And that was just the first part of the surprise; the second was a Rudge from the late 1920s. The British motorcycle manufacturer Rudge Whitworth was the first to use four-valve technology and conical combustion chambers as standard. This technological edge proved to be an advantage in both circuit racing and on dirt tracks in those days.  Riders like Graham Walker, Ernie Nott and Henry Tyrell-Smith dominated European racing history and enjoyed multiple victories in the Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man. With their stoic, smooth-running engines, these machines from Coventry still have many fans amongst the riders of the Wall of Death shows.
The owner named a price so shockingly low that I almost forgot to bargain with him. 

How long did your quest last?
The quest never really ends. But nowadays, it is totally different due to globalization and not least because of the Internet.

How many motorcycles did you find & buy in the end?
Thousands. Mainly police bikes from Mexico and South Korea.

What became of the motorcycles that you found?
I sold them to collectors and re-imported masses of these bikes to the U.S. to traders. They, in turn, sold them to various buyers all over the world. I saw some of the motorcycles again in Germany, Japan, Denmark, Belgium and Sweden as Choppers or Bobbers.

What was your best bargain?
One of my sources told me there was a bike for sale. Once I introduced myself, the man selling it pushed open the door wordlessly. Tall and thin with a heavily tanned face, he led me to the backyard of his house. He had grouped his dusty motorcycles together into an earth-colored heap and slowly pointed at the bike I had come for. But I had already secretly shifted my attention to something that shone out at me from beneath the dust. Even though it was lying on its side, it still looked fast. I bought the bike that I had originally come for and offered to take the rest of the “junk” with me for the price of 100 US dollars. A sacrilege considering the rarity I was dealing with: a Moto Guzzi Giulio Cesare Carcano 500 V8. Very few of these engines were built, and I had found one! What made this Moto Guzzi so special were the 500 cc spread over 8 cylinders. It was a V8 engine that was usually only used in sports cars.Another Italian company named Galbusera had already toyed with the idea in 1938. But in the end, the engine was built by Moto Guzzi in 1955 for its in-house racing team. In those days, the engine caused a sensation. But it failed to be a success on the race circuits. The Argentinian chewed on his cigarette and waved his hand in disdain. He was happy to get rid of this piece of cultural heritage on two wheels because he thought it was just useless junk.

It didn’t take long until I got an offer for the Moto Guzzi that I simply couldn’t refuse. It was a tough decision whether to sell the bike or set it aside. But I was young and to me, the fascination was in the search, not in the ownership. I was confident that there were still plenty of these treasures to be found out there. So I let the Moto Guzzi go.


Have you definitely given up this "hobby"?
It was never just a hobby. It was my passion and my way of earning money. By the time I stopped travelling around the world and personally hunting for motorcycles myself, it was already over. The big butches had already been traded and the market was grazed bare.

What is your daily riders these days?
A Harley Davidson Flathead and a Triumph Bonneville.

Do you have your own private motorcycle collection? And if so, what kind of treasures do you own?
I do have a few Knuckleheads, Flatheads and Big Flathead from the 1930s – all originals.

When participating to the Wheels & Waves event, what were you expecting and, finally, what did you find there?
I was expecting to meet people who are truly enthusiastic about motorcycles and ride with a passion. When we got there, we were greeted with a great location for the “Art Ride”, the historic hall with a combination of events comprising motorcycles, fashion, old photographs, illustrations, artistic surfers and skaters. The event location in Biarritz was a special place by the sea with a lot of promise and a second great location at a lighthouse.   

Any surprises at the event?
In the past, the people who were most interested in all kinds of motorcycles and riding were older. Now there is a new generation with their own spirit and a lot of passion for good bikes. The name “Art Ride” expresses it perfectly. It conveys a mixture of lifestyle, art, fashion and music but also respect for craftsmanship and engineering, complemented by surfing and skating.

How do you forecast the future of the motorcycle scene?
Nobody knows. I think it will be: sensible, not banal, not excessively commercialized, and definitely substantial. 

I heard that you have a project with “Gestalten”… What is it about?
We were already involved in “The ride” and there is a new project coming up focusing on craftsmanship. We are a part of it and are really looking forward to this project.

Wheels and Waves 2014- The movie

Hello my friends , we are back after a long period ... some of you may have understood why. Organizing an event such as W&W is really demanding, more, the making of a magazine is another big job. I came out of this adventure totally exhausted , but after a month of holidays riding  and surfing, the energy is back to publish some new stories. But for now, we have something important ...

Southsiders present: Wheels & Waves - Third Edition from Douglas Guillot on Vimeo.



Wheels & Waves – Third Edition
September 5, 2014

The dream we had one day to bring together all the people we love around our passion for custom motorcycles has become more real than ever.

More than two months have passed since the third edition of Wheels and Waves, and we are only just landing back on planet Earth. As summer 2014 slowly comes to an end, we’re proud to release our official video : a seven-minute long edit that will take you back into the epic journey we all shared as family and friends.

Last June, a tremendous number of participants travelled from all over Europe and beyond, to reach the emblematic meeting point of the Biarritz lighthouse. If moto and custom are the two main vehicles celebrated at Wheels and Waves by the majority of people, we can hardly describe the event as a pure moto festival. All crossover and young communities are attracted (surf, skate, bmx) as they look for new ways to express their individuality.

As Wheels and Waves grows bigger with the years, we want to keep pushing boundaries and will give great importance to creativity but also enthusiasm and spontaneity.

Stay tuned as more is to come !


Directed by Douglas Guillot (douglas.guillot.com)

Produced by 18-55 (18-55.fr/)
Interview by Nick Clements (nickclements.co.uk)
Sound designer Romain Grenier
Music Performed by Brian Bent (brianbentgallery.com)
Designed by Steven Burke (stevenburke.blogspot.com)

I love the smell of tires in the morning !

From our good friends @ Edwin Europe !




“Under the shadow of the Biarritz Lighthouse, you can mingle with like-minded souls, grab a cold beer and feast your eyes. The ‘Village’ will be home to a phalanx of machines from Europe’s top motorcycle builders, restorers and hitherto secret private collections.”