Friday Fudge

Welcome to Friday Fudge. If it’s weird, funny, or strange motorcycle news, or it just plain won’t fit anywhere else on the site – you’ll find it here.

Up, up, and away

How much do you trust your motorcycle’s engine? A Chinese man recently answered that question by building an airplane based around his made-in-China bike … with somewhat predictable results.

The man, a farmer named Zhang Xuelin, worked 11 months on the aircraft, building it for about $300. He took a motorcycle (we’re not sure exactly what make, but it’s definitely Chinese, so it likely has a 200 cc engine, or smaller), put together a fuselage and wings out of plywood. His dream, he said was to fly – a dream he held even dearer than playing cards, he said. Now, that’s commitment!

Alas, setting a lofty goal wasn’t enough for Xuelin – he failed to complete his dream. His plane never lifted off the ground, even after recruiting his neighbours to push him down his makeshift runway (a street).

Still, he said he wants to fly someday. If he wants to persist in this dream of motorcycle-based flight, we suggest he study the Legend of Seckarus.

Story source: Daily Mail

Baggage bump

Panniers can be expensive – expensive to buy, expensive to replace, and especially expensive if you clip one during a photoshoot and end up flying off a wharf. By the way, the rider in this clip is a French motojournalist. Maybe he should come work for CMG.

A crappy problem/Car for sale

Here’s a couple things we saw on Cyril Huze’s blog this week. First off, consider the predicament of a biker bar (named Poopy’s).

http://youtu.be/VBMEHQ7ra-k

Second of all – we’ve told you choppers are dead. Even Jesse James, one of the more interesting celebrity chopper builders, has moved away from the scene. Now that his interests seem to lie more women famous for their heavily tattooed bodies and his Texas-based hot rod shop, the old West Coast Choppers station wagon is up for auction today.

We can’t guess as to how much the car (a 1957 Chevy 210 Handyman) is worth, but if nobody else wants it, some motorcycle museum should buy it as a stark reminder of a very grim period of motorcycle history (VTX cafe racers and radial engines notwithstanding).

Story source: Cyril Huze

Repeat offender

What do you do when you find someone riding a motorcycle down the street, flagrantly violating their driving ban?

Some British bobbies in the town of Hebburn found themselves in this situation recently when they found a 22-year-old riding down the street, riding sans insurance and in violation of an existing riding ban. He tried to evade them, but the law caught up. He pleaded that he’d just bought the bike, and had no other way to get it home. Since it was a dirt bike, he was legally allowed to ride the machine, but not on the street.

Those Limey masterminds solved the problem quickly, though. There sure won’t be any more problems from this young man, even though he suffers (authorities say) from a “worrying fixation” on motorcycles. They slapped him with a couple fines, and then handed down the ultimate crusher: another driving ban. Yessir, we doubt we’ll see this guy on the roads again anytime soon.

Story source: Shields Gazette

Why he rides

OK, this clip is a little dated (uploaded in 2008), but the rider’s deadpan delivery regarding the “joys” of riding vintage British iron is pretty spectactular.