Continental Racer: Sinroja’s Royal Enfield Drag Bike

A couple of years ago, Sinroja Motorcycles were one of the first workshops to join Royal Enfield’s new custom program. They built a couple of bikes, and the relationship went well. So when Sinroja were looking for a brand partner for their latest project, they knew just who to call.

The Leicester-based custom shop wanted to enter the European Sultans of Sprint race series in the ‘Factory’ class. All they needed a factory to collaborate with.

Royal Enfield and their Industrial Design boss Adrian Sellers came to the party with a brand new Continental GT 650, but there was an unexpected twist. By the time everything was singed off, Sinroja had just four weeks to prep the bike.

“Usually we can do aesthetics or performance in that time,” brothers Rahul and Birju Sinroja tell us, “but this project needed both. It had to look good and go fast.”

It certainly needed to be fast. Sinroja’s Continental would be competing with a nitrous-powered BMW 1250, a nitrous-powered Indian Scout ridden by the legendary Randy Mamola, and a supercharged 200-plus hp Harley.

The brothers already had a concept in mind: they would loosely take inspiration from a drag racer Royal Enfield themselves had previously built, ‘The Lock Stock.’

With help from Tamas Jakus at Jakusa Design, they quickly mocked up the design and graphics for ‘Two Smoking Barrels.’

But sharp looks alone weren’t going to cut it. With just 47 hp from its 648 cc parallel twin motor, the Continental GT 650 was seriously outgunned. “The project direction was clear from beginning,” the guys tell us. “We knew we had to go as lightweight and as powerful as we could.”

“When the already naked Continental GT (which weighs 205 kg) was delivered, we were worried. There weren’t any big body panels to strip to lose weight quickly.”

Luckily for Sinroja, performance experts S&S Cycle were in on the project from the word go. They’d previously worked with Royal Enfield and Harris Performance on ‘The Lock Stock,’ and filled the brothers in on exactly what sort of numbers were achievable. That info also helped Sinroja set a competitive target weight for the Continental GT—150 kilos.

S&S Cycle sent over custom pistons and sleeves to bore the twin out to 750 cc. They also supplied new injectors, cams, and an ECU, and built a straight-through twin exhaust system.

That gave Sinroja a great naturally-aspirated base to work from, but they still needed an extra boost. So they called on Trevor Langfield at Wizard of NOS to help them set up a unique dry nitrous system. The system’s neatly packaged underneath the seat, where the GT’s air box and wiring used to be.

With performance sorted, Sinroja started plotting the Continental GT’s diet. Everything was stripped off the bike and weighed, so that they’d know what to keep and what to ditch.

They needed a tight front end, so they dug a modern sportbike front end out of their parts bin, shaving off one of the brakes to keep things light. Danny at Fastec machined up a set of billet aluminum yokes to work with the stock headset. The lighter forks and yokes accounted for almost 10 kg of weight saving.

The rear end received a more radical treatment. Sinroja ditched the rear suspension entirely, then fabricated a new hardtail from Reynolds tubing to save weight and extend the wheelbase. They wanted to swap out the wheels as well, but couldn’t get a set of 17-inchers made up in time. So they kept the stock 18-inchers, wrapping them in Continental rubber.

Weight saving became an obsession. Rahul even recalled a lesson from university, where his professor explained how Toyota shaved 10 kg off a sports car just by reducing the weight of all the fasteners. So Sinroja swapped every last nut and bolt for lighter versions, and trimmed another 2 kilos off.

With the rolling chassis done, it was time to piece everything together. Chris Walton helped the brothers out by shaping an aluminum dummy tank, the tail end of which actually forms the seat pan.

Three fasteners hold down the entire arrangement. Underneath it, you’ll find a two-liter fuel reservoir, a Lithium-ion battery from Antigravity, and most of the electronics. (Towza from Towzatronics built a custom wiring loom at the last minute, trimming a further three kilos from the bike.)

The last few mods included a super-minimal cockpit, and a carbon fiber front fender made from the same mold as the one found on ‘The Lock Stock.’ Glenn at GD Design handled the paint, showing off the English flag on one side, and the Indian flag on the other.

Then Ian Tam, Constantinos Panayides and Tommy Butterworth helped Sinroja setup and tune the bike, along with Royal Enfield’s tech center staff.

On its first outing, ‘Two Smoking Barrels’ took gold at the Punks Peak hill climb at Wheels and Waves. And it came fourth at the last Sultans of Sprint race, narrowly missing the podium.

Not too shabby for a last minute rush-job.

Sinroja Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Royal Enfield product page | Images by, and with thanks to, Marc Holstein

Sinroja would like to thank Royal Enfield, along with sponsors S&S Cycles, Bell Powersports, and Contimoto UK.

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10 Most Abandoned Cars Within One Year of Ownership

• New research finds some vehicles are abandoned after just one year. 
• Feature availability and high monthly payments are among the top reasons. 
• Now on the used market, these cars may be a savings opportunity for buyers.  

You might be on either end of the typical car ownership spectrum: someone who trades it in when the novelty wears off; or you hold onto your car until it’s no longer drivable. Whichever category you fall into, you likely won’t be getting rid of your vehicle while the new car smell still lingers. And if you resemble the average buyer, you’ll keep your ride for around seven years. However, this is not always the case, as new data reveals the 10 most abandoned cars within one year of ownership.

Sifting Through The Data

3.4 percent of new cars don’t make it to one full year of ownership. While that doesn’t seem like a large number, it accounts for a significant share of the used car marketplace. At iSeeCars we wanted to determine which new cars are given up the most within one year. We also wanted to uncover possible explanations as to why they are relinquished so quickly. To solve this puzzle, we analyzed 46 million new car sales to see which vehicles were most often resold within one year.

Our list provides an interesting mix. Here are the 10 most abandoned cars within one year of ownership.

10 most abandoned cars within one year of ownership.

10 Most Abandoned Cars: Luxury Vehicles Top The List

Eight of the top 10 models are from luxury automakers with an even split between German and British marques. Earning the distinction as the only non-luxury brand is Nissan, which had two models on the list. The top spot belongs to the Mercedes-Benz C-Class with 12.4 percent resold within the first year, more than 3.7 times the overall average. The second German manufacturer is BMW. They have the most models on the list including the 3 Series, X1, and X3.

So why are these popular luxury vehicles quickly abandoned by their owners? One possible explanation could be their spotty reliability during the model years examined. However, since reliability woes aren’t common within one year of ownership, more plausible reasons prevail.

What Is “Car Punching?”

A possible explanation involves the incentives that BMW and Mercedes-Benz provide dealers for selling new cars. These generous incentives encourage dealers to purchase their own new cars, using them as loaner vehicles briefly before reselling them. This practice “boosts” the dealer’s initial sales while still introducing customers to the latest and greatest as their current vehicles are being serviced. This tactic, known as “car punching,” is one of the used car industry’s dirty little secrets. While iSeeCars removed anything driven less than 1,000 miles to eliminate obvious instances, punched cars from these manufacturers are likely still included in the study.

The additional luxury vehicles – Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque, Mini Clubman, and the Jaguar XF – all come from British automakers. Similar to the German vehicles on the list, the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque both have less than stellar projected reliability ratings from J.D. Power. Meanwhile, Jaguar is plagued by expensive operating costs and the Mini Clubman is among the most expensive in its class, exacerbated by lower than average fuel economy ratings.

The appearance of these German and British vehicles hint at a broader trend among luxury vehicles as a whole. When examining the vehicles given up most often from a brand perspective, eight of the top 10 are from luxury automakers. Fiat and Nissan are the notable exceptions.

10 most abandoned cars within one year of ownership.

Loaded Versus No Frills

Why do luxury car owners get buyer’s remorse more often than non-luxury car buyers? It could be because luxury buyers are quickly bored with their vehicles, yet have the disposable income to suffer the depreciation hit.

A more settling reason could be because the German and British models here are among the lowest-cost ones from their respective brands. This could mean they are a customer’s first foray into luxury car ownership. If that’s the case, they may realize owning a luxury vehicle simply isn’t for them. Or, more depressingly, they can no longer afford to make the monthly payments and relinquish the vehicle. They may also find the base models of these vehicles aren’t as luxurious as they anticipated.

The Nissan Versa Note hatchback and its sedan counterpart round out the list. Unlike the luxury vehicles previously noted, these subcompacts are among the lowest-priced cars in their segment. The Versa and the Versa Note each have no-frills interiors and lack standard safety features beyond a reverse camera. The consumers who purchase these cars likely decide to upgrade to something with a nicer interior and more features.

Average discount currently for cars given up the most within one year of ownership.

Related: Here are 14 of the most reliable vehicles on the market today.

A Silver Lining For Consumers

The data shows the average savings for a car sold within a year of ownership is 17.4 percent less than the vehicle was new. The vehicle with the largest price reduction is the Jaguar XF at 25.9 percent, amounting to over $16,000. Other vehicles with discounts above the average include the Mini Clubman, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Nissan Versa Note, and the BMW 3 Series.

Regardless of why these vehicles were given up, they may present some incredible savings opportunities in the used car marketplace.

Future Considerations

If you’re looking for a new car, it’s important to understand you can likely find a less than one-year-old version. Especially if you’re willing to travel to get the best deal. While some vehicles here may have below-average reliability, they could have been abandoned simply because they did not align with the buyer’s lifestyle. As with any vehicle purchase, it’s important to do your research. Check to see if there are any underlying quality issues or concerns; then decide if a one-year-old car is worth pursuing.

For more information, the full study can be found on the iSeeCars website.

Julie Blackley is the Communications Manager for automotive research firm iSeeCars.com who enjoys analyzing car data more than she cares to admit. She helps readers better understand the market so they can make informed decisions regarding vehicle ownership. Julie also spends a great deal of time wrangling her two toddlers in and out of her own vehicle. 

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Things to Know When at a Car Dealership

Car dealerships are notoriously stressful places. Why? Because, while everyone inside wears a smile, there’s a subtle psychological tug-of-war going between buyers and sellers. It can be very difficult to resist pressure from a skilled vehicle salesperson—and you’d better believe they have tons of tactics designed to make drivers say yes, often with their hearts rather than their heads.

The best way to ensure your trip to the dealership goes in your favor is to prepare ahead of time. Know what you want and what you can afford. Be prepared to encounter some pressure from salespeople hoping to earn commission, but don’t let it sway you from your goal.

Here are five things to know when at a car dealership.

Know Your Budget Before You Arrive

You want to walk into an auto dealership knowing exactly what you can afford to pay each month. If you walk in with a general idea of “about” X dollars per month, you can bet the sales staff will treat that figure like a soft suggestion rather than a firm limit. The looser your budget, the more likely you are to agree to a deal that’s at or above the limit—especially once you factor in fees, taxes, add-ons, etc.

Sit down beforehand and take a hard look at your income. What percentage of your take-home pay can you afford to allot to car payments each month? Crunch the numbers on your own time, away from all the stressors of the dealership.

Don’t Budge on What Matters to You

Just like you should put a budget down on paper, write down what features really matter to you. Differentiate between what you want and what you need in a vehicle. This will help you avoid being swayed on the essentials or tempted to pay more for nonessentials you don’t really need.

Here’s a common scenario car shoppers will encounter at the dealership: They agree to test-drive a car that’s either at the top end of their price range or just a bit above it. The salesperson then reminds them about all the great features they’ll get—heated seats, a multimedia entertainment system, push-button start, etc.—by spending just a touch more. The buyer suddenly feels like they need these things and agrees to a payment plan that’s a strain for them, destined to feel the pinch for months and months to come.

With your list of non-negotiable characteristics, on the other hand, you can easily identify vehicles that work for you before you even start test-driving, and you can give yourself a reality check whenever you’re tempted to splurge on “wants.”

Don’t Bump Up Loan Duration to Lower Payments

Auto financing is a give-and-take proposition. A longer loan duration means lower monthly payments—but you’ll pay more in interest over time, plus you’ll be on the hook for additional months or years. A shorter duration means you’ll pay more each month, but you’ll pay off what you owe faster and without accruing as much interest.

Most auto loans vary from 24 to 72 months—but longer loans of 84 months are becoming more prevalent. It’s generally unwise to bump up your loan duration above 60 months because it can launch you into a cycle in which you owe more on the car than it’s worth by the time you want to trade it in. While car refinancing is possible through some lenders like RoadLoans, it’s not always possible to make changes once you sign on the dotted line. So, consider the terms of your loan carefully before agreeing to anything.

Avoid Credit Checks Until You’re Sure

Hard inquiries on your credit that occur when financial institutions run a credit check can cause your score to drop. As Car and Driver notes, “There is no point okaying a credit check and risking a ding to your credit if you’re a long way from buying.”

Take Your Time—and Take a Step Back

It’s easy to get caught up in the persuasion of the car dealership environment. The salesperson wants to say yes. You want to say yes. But you need to take a step back. After all, you’ll be living with the financial choice you make for years to come. If you need to, come back the next day after thinking it over more.

Knowing these five things before you visit an auto dealership will help you keep your cool and make the smartest decision for your life.

The post Things to Know When at a Car Dealership appeared first on Automotorblog: Daily news on cars and motorcycles.

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Starrider: A CB750K with a street-legal nitrous kit

The CB750 is one of the most customized bikes of the past half-century. But just when we thought we’d seen every possible permutation, along comes something completely different: a DOHC ‘K’ with a nitrous injection system.

‘Starrider’ comes from brothers Lion and Ben Ott of Munich-based Motoism, and it’s road-legal on even the TÜV-strangled roads of Germany. It’s a little bit retro, a little bit futuristic, and dotted with high-tech components and lashings of carbon fiber.

The CB750 is assured of its place in motorcycling’s hall of fame, but the accolades tend to go to the original SOHC models. Appreciation is growing for the 16-valve DOHC models introduced in 1978, though.

And these machines are easier to find (and usually cheaper) on the secondhand market.

Lion and Ben have tried to strike a balance between performance, functionality, and looks. And rather than go all-out for a traditional CB750 café racer vibe, they’ve injected details inspired by flat track and speedway racers—such as enduro handlebars, a full rear wheel disc, and plenty of carbon fiber components.

A lot of the work went into the tank. “It’s probably the lightest CB750 tank in the world!” says Ben. “It’s entirely made from carbon fiber, and we developed a clean shape following the characteristic lines
of the original tank.”

Even more weight has been dropped via a new subframe and seat unit, and the lightweight bars and aluminum pegs from LSL.

The engine has been completely refurbished, with all worn parts replaced, and then soda blasted and painted for a better-than-new finish. Motoism have installed a 4-into-1 stainless exhaust system with matching stainless steel silencer, which should bump output up a little from the 57 kW (77 hp) listed on the official German import specs.

The nitrous system adds 7.7 hp while remaining within TÜV regulations, but this can be cranked up to an extra 23 hp for track use. The bottle is hidden under the seat, along with much of the electrics, and there’s a Bluetooth-enabled Motogadget m.unit to control the electronics.

The nitrous system is activated by a little switch under the fuel tank. It senses the last third of the throttle travel, and starts to add fuel from an additional pump under the tank and NOX directly into the intake sockets.

“We modified the original intake sockets and installed the nitrous/fuel nozzles,” says Lion Ott. “The system can add up to 100% more performance, but for use on German roads we have to limit it to 10% more than the original performance.”

“For racing, that can be changed easily by changing the nozzles in the intake sockets.”

Upgraded suspension keeps the show on the road, with modified fork internals and new Öhlins shocks out back—custom-fitted to level out the stance of the bike. Motoism have also installed a new Brembo brake system, with double discs at the front, and the tires are Continental Classic Attack radials.

Setting the tone for the build is a most original headlight nacelle, made from—you guessed it—carbon fiber. The lamp itself is LED, and in the housing is a Motogadget digital tachometer and a warning light to reveal when the nitrous is kicking in.

The overall aesthetic is sleek and modern, but with just enough of a hint towards the CB750’s heritage. And with a substantial weight drop and a handy horsepower boost, ‘Starrider’ will easily keep up with the cut and thrust of Munich city traffic.

We have a feeling that Soichiro Honda would approve.

Motoism | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Leopold Fiala

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Hello Engine shows how to build a Triumph Desert Sled

The motorcycle industry is replete with modern replicas of classic machines. These days, you can buy bikes that mimic the style of vintage motos—but with hidden electronics and catalytic converters, and no oil leaks.

Period-correct old timers are becoming rarer by the day. So we need guys like Hayden Roberts: craftsmen who live and breathe classic motorcycles. He’s a British transplant living in Santa Paula, California, where he repairs and restores old British iron under the Hello Engine banner.

His latest project is a showstopper. Built for the Born Free show, it’s a Triumph desert sled that’s dripping with patina and could have been built in 1965—except that it’s not technically an original model.

Hayden gives us the skinny: “I’d been collecting parts over the years and wanted to build the desert bike I’d always hoped to find stashed in a shed someplace. The idea was that every piece had to be original, no reproductions, and was there to serve a purpose: a race ready desert bike, no filler.”

“Maybe I got a little too deep into it, down to the logo on the bolt heads having to be era correct. But I wanted it to look like it was built 54 years ago—when in reality I finished it last Sunday!”

Hayden’s Triumph is a ‘bitsa’ like no other: a textbook example of how to build a desert sled. The frame’s a 1964 TR6 unit—but it’s not stock. Hayden braced it at the steering head, strengthened it, and raked it out an additional three degrees for stability. The seat loop was bent up too, and the rear section de-tabbed.

At Iron Cobras Fabrication, Even Scott added a chromoly brace to the swingarm to strengthen it further. The rear shocks are longer-than-stock Girlings, with the stiffest resistance Hayden could find (identifiable by the green stripes on the springs).

“The front forks are heavily modified,” Hayden tells us, “as the original equipment was basically a pogo stick.” This setup uses 1950s Triumph fork sliders with modded internals. Hayden added a shuttle valve, lengthened the dampening rods, added new bushings, and replaced the springs with heavy-duty progressive items.

The result is more travel and better cushioning over rough terrain. A fork brace was fitted too, to mitigate flex in lieu of a front fender.

For wheels, Hayden started with a late 50s to early 60s BSA Goldstar front, chosen because those were lighter than the Triumph offerings from that era. The rear is a mid-60s Triumph wheel, paired with a Webco overlay sprocket. The front tire is an impossibly rare 19×4” Avon Trials Supreme, and the rear is an 18” Avon Gripster from the same era.

Hayden tells us that the engine work alone could fill an encyclopedia. According to the VIN, the motor’s a 1965 650 cc TR6—“but as you can see, it’s a motor Triumph never made.”

The back half of the timing cover was slashed off, and the rear of a pre-unit 1950s motor welded in. “This enables you to run a Lucas competition magneto instead of the stock alternator set up,” Hayden explains.

“Magnetos get a bad rep but a well serviced mag will last 50-plus years. If they were good enough for fighter planes, they’re good enough for an old dirt bike.”

To get the conversion to work, he had to add the magneto gear into the interlocking gear sequence in the timing case. Apparently, there’s no room for error: “Too far apart and the teeth on the gears won’t mesh; too close and they won’t turn.”

This setup also features a Bonneville crank with a light flywheel, a Johnson mild race cam, and a small valve cylinder head from a 1963 TR6. It’s been converted to a ‘breather’ configuration—meaning that the motor vents via the crankcase into the primary (something Triumph themselves would start doing in the 70s).

Hayden had a set of N.O.S. Webco valves and springs, so he added those too, along with a set of forged 10:1 pistons. “The motor turned out really rev happy and is a ton of fun all through the range,” he says.

Even the ‘Q’ style air filter has a story. “Info on these is as scarce as the filters themselves,” says Hayden. “I’ve been told they were made in either New Mexico or the SF valley by a guy named Bobby Jay. I’ve never seen an advertisement for one, and you just don’t see them come up for sale often.”

“These use a metal gauze and a replaceable piece of filter material. It replaces the stock left side cover and battery tray and tucks in out of the way. For me it’s the best looking of the air filters, like it belongs there.”

The twin exhausts are early 60s Bud Ekins pipes. Hayden wanted a system that exited on the left, so he could show off the magneto conversion on the timing side.

Then there’s the impressive finishing kit. The seat is an original Bates race seat, hard-mounted to the frame for extra strength. Since it’s not hinged any more, Hayden had to modify the oil tank with a side filler.

The controls consist of Stelling and Hellings bars, and 1960s Camco grips with a leather ‘donut’ on the throttle side to prevent blisters. Hayden ran all the cables through lengths of braided fuel line—“an old desert trick that protects them from getting kinked if you drop the bike, or catch it in the giggle weeds.”

Hayden’s dubbed his sled the ‘Desert Fox,’ a nickname given to racers like Bud Ekins and Larry Berquist back in the day. It’s portrayed by a hand-painted fox graphic on the fuel tank—a riff on the old leaping tiger logo of the 50s.

As for the rest of the tank, that’s an original too. It’s from a 1965 TR6, and still wears its Burnished Gold over white paint, and Robin Egg Blue pinstriping. (The decal on the oil tank is straight out of the 1963 Big Hare run).

The patina and shed-built vibe conceal just how technically awesome this Triumph is. Back in the day, it would have been cutting edge. But right now, it’s a lovingly constructed reminder of the golden era of desert racing.

Long live the Desert Fox!

Hello Engine | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Jesse Carmody

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