Honda RC51

Back in the late 1990's Honda Racing was tired of getting whipped by a bunch of Ducati riders in World Superbike Racing.  Ducati's V-Twin was pretty much unbeatable as it had a nice broad power delivery band which made it smoother to ride.  Plus twins were allowed to be up to 1000cc displacement while inline fours were allowed up to 750cc.

So what did Honda Racing do?

Honda introduced its own V-Twin powered motorcycle the VTR1000 SPW in 2000. The result was clear right away as Colin Edwards won the championship in the bike's first year of competition.

The street version of the bike for sale to the public was the RC51.

I found one for sale in North Toronto and bought it.  It has quite a few Km's on it but was fairly clean.  I will maybe do some work on it next spring but for right now it's ok.

It's a 2003 Honda RC51 SP2.

It has side mounted radiators which is pretty unique.  The SP2 model also has a better rear swingarm than the SP1.

I think it would be cool to get it to look like Colin Edward's ride from Laguna Seca below:

I'm on the lookout for a second gas tank to repaint.

Medieval Madness

If you Google top 10 pinball machines of all time chances are good that the game Medieval Madness is on the list - probably in the #2 spot if not #1.

It was so good that the remade the game in 2015 and have started reselling it.  But the older originals are still worth more money.

I found this one in a basement in Ohio waiting to be restored.  Picked it up for half of what it is worth plus a playfield and ramps.  A pretty sweet deal.  It needs some work but will be a great addition to the pinball room.

 

ACDC

I have been hunting for an ACDC pinball machine for a bit.
The east coast is fun because there are lots of different towns and places to see.
I finally got my truck here and this weekend decided to drive to Ohio to buy a pinball machine.

A great guy named Erik H. was selling an ACDC Luci.

So we loaded it in the truck and talked pinball for a minute. Then I drove back to Toronto. It was a 14 hour round trip. The drive is a bit boring but I was excited to get the game.

A great addition.

Back to move junk

I was supposed to fly back to Edmonton in May but the company needed me to stay. So I ended up going back in June.
I had to move the rust bomb to my parents farm. That and some of my motorcycle projects. My old coke machine.
So now they are all tucked away.

Then I loaded the truck and trailer to the max and headed to Toronto. The trip took 3-15 hour days. Lots of rain. And the natives had blocked the road into Ontario so there was a bit of a delay.
But overall a painless trip.

 

 

Moving to Toronto - and of course new toys.

So my contract in Vancouver ended. I knew it was coming.
I transported all of my pinball machines and motorcycles back to Edmonton.

The next contract was going to be in Toronto so I rented a house in Mississauga ON and began prepping for the move. I flew up in April and bought a bed, a couch, and a TV.  Then started work using a rental car.  The plan was to fly back to Edmonton in May and take 3 weeks to move.

I rented a van and drove to Quebec to pick up a Simpsons Party Pinball. That was a great adventure. A windowless white panel van with no cruise control and no a/c. The people in Quebec were great but they couldn't believe I was going to day trip it. Lol.

Phantom of the Opera

Again, a very cool theme.  I don't come across these very often but have played it and enjoy the gameplay.  I like the Data East games - similar to the Playboy I have and the Secret Service I had.

I found one just outside of Edmonton so bought it an brought it home. 

I think I overpaid by a couple of hundred as it needs work.  And the backglass is OK but not 100%.

Still we will fix it up and play it.  No worries.  The backglass is super cool because it lights up and you can see the Phantom's grisly face underneath the mask.  Plus the music is very heavy and gothic.

Stargate

Stargate was a cool movie from 1994 I believe...

I found a pinball machine on that theme and played it a bit.  It was pretty cool. 

I vowed if I ever found one for cheaper I would buy it.

And today I found one and added it to the collection.  It's made by Gottlieb in 1994.  There are a few issues - the DMD has 2 dead lines right in the middle and the spaceship doesn't come out of the pyramid.  I haven't played it very much.  It's in the garage warming up.

But I think I can fix it and get it back to 100%..... Stay tuned!  Lol.