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A closer look at the motorcycle El Chapo used to escape prison

Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera, better known by his nickname, El Chapo, stands five-feet, five-inches tall. This defining trait – his nickname, not coincidentally, can be translated as "Shorty" in Spanish – is an important detail in his escape, as the tunnel that stretched a mile underground that led the drug kingpin to safety measures just one inch taller than Guzman's height. Clearly, this was a well-planned and executed escape. The tunnel that was custom-sized to perfectly fit El Chapo started at an abandoned building in the middle of an empty field and ended in a tight shaft that led to the shower stall in Guzman's jail cell. In between those start- and finish-points was an impressively dug-out hole in the Earth, complete with ventilation shafts, wiring for electricity and lights, and rails on the bottom to serve as tracks for a custom-built motorcycle that El Chapo apparently rode to freedom. There are specific traits that could be useful in figuring out what kind of motorcycle we're looking at. All of these facts are well-known to anyone who's been following the story of how the most notorious criminal in Mexico could escape from a maximum-security prison in broad daylight. Especially considering that this event marks the second time since 2001 that Guzman has arranged his own prison break. There's one detail, though, that has caught our attention. A close look at the images released by Mexican authorities shows us a motorcycle that's been heavily modified specifically to work underground. We can't be certain, based on the grainy shots and limited viewing angles of the pictures we have access to, but there are some specific traits that could be useful in figuring out what kind of motorcycle we're looking at. For starters, there's the engine. It's a single-cylinder, air-cooled powerplant, canted slightly forward. The exhaust exits on the right side of the bike, when looking from above, and there's a short chain guard on the opposite side. Granted, that doesn't narrow it down all that much. A look at the shape of the fins on the cylinder and the shape of the head, though, makes us think this may be one of Honda's ubiquitous CG-series of engines. A quick look at the bike's frame shows a single downtube, dual shocks and a steel-tube swingarm. That means it's probably not of particularly recent vintage, but we can't really pinpoint exactly what model it may be.

Former Ferrari world champion and motorcycle ace John Surtees dies

"The main thing is that whatever I've done, I've done from the heart." – John Surtees John Surtees, the motorsports legend who's the only man to win world championships in motorcycle and Formula One competition, died Friday, March 10. He was 83 years old. Surtees' greatest fame in F1 came in 1964 when he won two races and finished second three times to capture the drivers championship and propel Ferrari to the constructors title. Dubbed "il Grande John" by the Scuderia fans, he returned Ferrari to the top of the motorsports world, but he infamously left the team after a falling-out with management in 1966. Surtees also raced in F1 for Honda, Lotus, Cooper, and others. He survived a crash during practice in 1965 while driving a Lola sports car, which broke his pelvis, ruptured his kidneys, and damaged his spine and left leg. He oversaw his own racing operation in the 1970s, and his cars competed in F1, Formula 2 and F5000. Surtees also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1960s and won the 1966 Can-Am title for Lola. One of the few drivers who was equally talented on a motorcycle, Surtees counted seven titles on two wheels, dominating the circuit in the 1950s for Norton and the MV Agusta. In a biography on his website, Surtees said he relished the competition above all else. "The main thing is that whatever I've done, I've done from the heart. I have loved being involved in first building and riding motorcycles and then driving cars – but above all, competing." Surtees was born in England in 1934. His father was a motorcycle racer and his son, Henry, competed in Formula 2. Henry was killed during a crash in 2009 at Brands Hatch in England. John Surtees' death immediately drew reaction from around the motorsports world, including Ferrari, MotoGP, and F1. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video: Motorsports Ferrari Honda john surtees

One man's love of vintage Honda motorcycles spawns new museum

In 1977, David Silver got a Honda SS50 moped - it was the last year of unrestricted mopeds for riders just 16 years of age in the UK. That two-wheeler made him a fan, and starting his Honda parts business in 1986 made him a part of the Honda family. He started collecting, with the idea that he'd eventually open a museum. During a visit to another amateur collector's trove in Pennsylvania, the Brit got the chance to purchase the 125 bikes the American had gathered, and his museum aspirations hit the fast-forward button. He's in the process of building a proper home for the bikes in Suffolk, it should open later this year. There will be everything from the first Cub F engine that people could attach to bicycles in 1952, to two examples of the CB92 Benly Super Sport that showed how fast and how good a 125cc bike could be, to the first Fireblade that dropped in 1992 - our CBR 900RR, to the original Honda Dream. Honda says it could be one of the finest collections outside the company's museum in Japan. You can watch Silver tell his story in the video above, and there's more on what's he'll have in an article in Honda's Dream magazine. News Source: Honda Video, Dream magazine via YouTube Honda Motorcycle Classics Videos honda cub