Foto: shifcustom.com
via Racing Café
mardi 18 juin 2013
Valentino Rossi to help young Italian riders when he retires
from Twowheelsblog
You’ve probably already seen videos from Valentino Rossi’s Biscia ranch, where he occasionally invites young Italian riders from the Moto3 and CIV championships to train and have fun on his personal track.
Apparently watching and riding with these teenagers has prompted the former nine time World Champion to try to help fledgling riders, and also help increase the number of Italian youngsters that want to race motorcycles.
According to Moto.it, Rossi is already making plans for when he retires - in a few years - and he and his friends have decided that VR46, Rossi’s merchandising company, will follow and help train several young Italian riders, giving them the opportunity to race in several lower feeder classes, with the hope that one day that some can make it to the big leagues of GP racing.
Rossi’s ranch will be used as a base and the youngsters will be schooled by Valentino and receive advice and tips from an athletic trainer and from all of Rossi’s staff.
It seems that Rossi and the FMI (Italian Motorcycle Federation) have already reached an agreement on the project, with only a few details to be ironed out.
BMW R100 RS: Personality transplant for Paris-Dakar
When the R100 RS was launched in the late 70s, it was intended as a point-to-point rocket. However, several had their personalities transformed, and were turned into ‘indestructible’, go-anywhere machines which became legendary in the Paris-Dakar rally.
As a result, when German rally motorcycle specialist HPN modified several brand-new RSs for entry to the then-young continent-crossing rally, the bikes underwent a stark transformation. Gone were the characterful but unnecessary (in this application) fairings; in came the required rally-spec technology such as a reinforced sump, a lengthened driveshaft swing-arm, and specially-made dampers.
The HPN BMWs became legendary, with many entered in the early Dakar rallies. The example seen here was one of those which took part in the 1980 and 1981 events. It is currently up for sale in the UK.
| Related Links This Paris-Dakar BMW R100 RS can be found in the Classic Driver Marketplace |
Text: Joe Breeze (Classic Driver)
Photos: Unit 56
Honda CB360 – 'Doris'
Written by Ian Lee.
Simple and aggressive. This was the build brief for today's feature bike, a bare bones scrambler Honda CB360. Built by Brandon Nelson, who up until two years ago had no real interest in motorbikes, let alone custom ones, but this is definitely a kick ass start to his bike building portfolio. Starting with a non runner CB he picked up off the internet, Brandon has created his first frame off rebuild – and we think he has created a truly unique little stripped back and minimalist mono motorbike.
After picking up a couple of inoperative Honda
motorbikes off Craigslist, one CB360 & one CL360, Brandon decided
the CB would be the better base for the build, even though it was "in
terrible shape". Without a full theme in his mind, Brandon set a couple
of concepts he wanted built into the bike. These included mono shock
suspension, custom exhaust, full electrical overhaul, and a healthy set
of tyres. According to Brandon, this would be a "challenging and
interesting twist on the CB360 platform". And interesting it turned out
to be.
An eBay purchase in the form of an RD350LC led Brandon to rethink his suspension arrangement. Although an RD style suspension setup would work on the Honda, the mono shock couldn't fit in the frame, and clear the Mikuni carbs at the same time. This caused a change in the shock mount configuration which makes the bike rather unique. Brandon admits the term "nutcracker" has been thrown around alot in relation to the shock mounting, but defends his engineering by saying the ride is rather comfortable, and demasculation not an issue at all.
In the engine department, little has been left untouched. The engine has been bead blasted, hi temp paint applied and the covers polished. The original camshaft and journals were looking a bit worn, so a 'less beat up' top end was sourced, the valves lapped and new piston rings fitted. The scrambler type exhaust headers come courtesy from a CL360, feeding into a Brandon special 2 into 1 header, exiting through a 12" stainless reverse cone muffler.
The gas tank on the CB, one of the few items with any presence on the bike, has been chemically stripped and polished by hand. The aesthetics of the gaunt frame of the bike is helped by the short flat track seat, perched atop 1" pipe bent by South Bay Customs, one of the few fabrication jobs not carried out by Brandon. Not one component of the original electrical system remains, with a Chris Kenny custom harness in its place. Perched atop the flat tracker style bars sits an instrument cluster, housing a voltmeter. This is something Brandon wanted as the bike is only running a four cell Ballistic battery, and he wants to keep an eye on the power level. As for the compass, that is a bit more low tech but handy incase Brandon gets lost on the trails.
With a few build ideas, and no set image of what the finished bike would look like, Brandon has been able to be flexible over the course of the build. His wish for a mono shock suspension came true, albeit through thinking outside the box in relation to engineering. A desire for both a custom exhaust and electrical system allowed the builder to neaten up the look of the bike, while adding to functionality.
Finally, the bike rolls on Kenda K761 rubber, fulfilling the need for a healthy set of tires. Brandon's ideas have all come together to allow him to have a bike that is aggressive enough to ride the trails on Sunday, then commute on the same bike to work on Monday – we just hope he is extremely careful while riding this nutcracker shock setup.
from PIPEBURN
Big Boys, Big Ships: The legend of the Greek tycoons
Who has the largest fleet, the longest yacht, the most beautiful women, the ultimate private island? The rivalries of the Greek shipping set once held the world in thrall, each vying to beat the others in the worlds of money, ships and women. Who were these tycoons of the sea?
Stavros G. Livanos: Father of the Bride
“I have no money, only ships,” said the father figure of the Greek shipping dynasties, a self-made man born into a sailing family and known for his work-roughened hands – as well as his (later) vast wealth. You might assume he’d have been proud of his sons-in-law, Aristotle Onassis and Stavros Niarchos, but he was not. He thought of them as bragging playboys. Their respective marriages to his daughters, Athina and Eugenia, did not last long.
Aristotle Onassis: The World is Not Enough
His love interests famously included an affair with Maria Callas and a second marriage to Jackie O. (the first reportedly ended when Athina Livanos walked in on Aristotle in the arms of the opera-singer, aboard the yacht named after his daughter). Perhaps this should have brought him a life of pleasure – if it hadn’t been for his brother-in-law, Stavros Niarchos. When ‘Ari’ built a large tanker, his rival trumped it with a larger one. Niarchos’s giant yacht ‘Creole’ spurred Onassis to fight back, with the superyacht ‘Christina’ (the one named after his daughter). Their rivalry was fierce, unbrotherly, and the stuff of soap operas.
Stavros Niarchos: Artificer
How to fight back, when arch-rival (and one-time brother-in-law) Aristotle Onassis first charms his way into bed with the greatest living opera diva, and then marries the most famous widow in the world? On the oceans and among the on-shore jet-set, Ari always seemed to be one step ahead. Then the eternal number two discovered a new focus for his ambitions: the arts. He acquired the collection of the great Hollywood gangster Edward G. Robinson, and bought further works that included Rubens, Goya, Van Gogh, Matisse and Picasso. In this area at least, Ari couldn’t touch him.
John Spyridon Latsis: The Silent Partner
He was the great unknown in the golden era of the Greek shipping magnates. He, too, came from a humble background and made his fortune with ships – and he bought banks. Latsis shied away from publicity and was deeply involved in charitable works but, when it came to the crunch, his parties had a guest list that could rival Onassis and Niarchos. Among the guests on his yacht were Prince Charles – with both Diana with Camilla – as well as George Bush and Marlon Brando. Latsis’ love life appeared less turbulent than those of his contemporaries, but the planned marriage between Paris, his grandson, and Paris Hilton, granddaughter of hotel tycoon Conrad Hilton, never went ahead. Perhaps they couldn’t decide where to go on honeymoon?
Text: J. Philip Rathgen (Classic Driver)
Photos: Getty Images
Calculating Route: Our five top continent crossings
If you have even a passing interest in cars, you probably have an epic cross-continental road trip sitting somewhere near the top of your bucket list. Here are our top five suggested routes, along with the perfect cars in which to take on the specific challenges of each one.
Pan-American Highway
Spanning a mind-boggling 30,000-odd miles, the Pan-American Highway crosses 18 countries of North, Central and South America. As the miles disappear beneath your wheels, you’ll encounter diverse climates, cultures and ecological systems – so you'll need to plan properly. Timing is crucial: some sections can only be tackled in the dry season, and you’ll want to time your stopover in Monterey to coincide with the inimitable Pebble Beach extravaganza.
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
Paris-Dakar
Despite its relative youth, ‘The Dakar’ has become one of the most widely recognised automotive endurance events – though not always for the right reasons. In some parts, the political climate is just as intense as the ecological one, but beyond the dangers are some life-defining moments waiting to be experienced. We recommend loosely following the route at your own leisurely pace to enjoy the full palette of European and North African sights.
Lamborghini LM 002 'Rally Dakar'
Peking to Paris
"What needs to be proved today is that as long as a man has a car, he can do anything and go anywhere. Is there anyone who will undertake to travel this summer from Peking to Paris by automobile?" - Le Matin, 31 January 1907. We’d agree, and although that statement was made 106 years ago, at the dawn of the motor car, there’s no denying that deciding to embark on a more than 9,000-mile journey across some of the world’s wildest regions is not for the faint-hearted. Today, a modern 4x4 would be the most obvious choice, but a re-enactment of the original 1907 race is held on an infrequent basis as a regularity event, with crews choosing from a variety of interesting cars, including this Aston Martin DB5.
Aston Martin DB5
East Coast to West Coast
It’s on everyone’s dream list of things to do before they die: crossing the USA from coast to coast. The choice of car is not critical, but one thing’s for sure, it’s got to be home-grown. The adventures will follow you, whatever the wheels. And we like this Buick Station Wagon, just the thing for collecting souvenirs along the way. Cactus samples, Stetsons, moonshine whiskey and rare blues records, all can be accommodated in the big Buick’s boot as it glides from New York to LA.
Buick Special Estate Station Wagon
Arctic Crossing
The Arizona desert? For wimps. Mongolia and Kazakhstan? Please… a Sunday School outing. Real guys and gals only go to the South Pole, and the Moon-Regan Transantarctic Expedition will begin its journey at Union Glacier and then make for the South Pole. And don’t come all “but I don’t have winter tyres” on us, the Winston Wong Bio-Inspired Ice Vehicle is propeller-powered, with a tricycle skis, and can run at a maximum speed of 84mph.
Moon Regan
Text: Joe Breeze / Steve Wakefield (Classic Driver)
Photos: Getty / Classic Driver dealers
Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary in Rome: here are the best bikes
from Twowheelsblog
The “Rome 110th Anniversary Event“, the European celebrations for the 110th birthday ofHarley-Davidson, took place this last weekend in Rome, and no doubt it’s been a success, with various initiatives such as parades, concerts, blessings, meetings with the big guys of the H-D management and so forth. The dense and highly organized schedule arranged by the organization left very little breathing space to the H-D hordes of fans who came from every corner of the world to invade the Italian Capital and celebrate in style their beloved ’supplier of freedom’, a feeling that most riders out there - even those who aren’t self-professed fans of the American brand - can easily relate to.
The only constant element in all of that was of course the presence of the real stars of this massive party, the Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which haunted the Eternal City for four days and cold be seen shining basically everywhere in town. There were however two of ‘hot spots’, the so-called ‘Harley-Davidson Villages’ set up at the the Foro Italico (where all the Olympic facilities of the Italian Capital are, meaning the stadium, pools, tennis courts and the likes) and the other one at the Porto of Ostia, on the Roman seaside, where the members of the various HOG Chapters (Harley Owners Group, the largest association of motorcycles owners in the world) flocked together to keep the party going. However, ‘regular’ motorcycle enthusiasts and the usual ‘curious’ crowd did now want to miss this huge party either.
There were tens of thousands of Harleys in Rome - and, as it always happens in H-D gatherings, it was almost impossible to find two alike - and walking throughout the Harley Villages, our mates from twin site Motoblog.it got the chance to take a few pictures of the best ones: some of them were awarded for their ‘artistic value’ at the local Custom Bike Show, some others were simply sighted in the parking lots and surrounding areas, but given the high number of Harleys around, we are sure there were many other of equal value that we could not ‘catch’ in our photo gallery. What is your favorite?
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