ACE CAFE RADIO

    jeudi 12 septembre 2013

    Citroen Cactus and the others Live @ 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show


    Citroen al Salone di Francoforte 2013
    Citroen is at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show to show off its captivating Cactus Concept, which is meant ot be a preview for the upcoming C-line models. The French manufacturer says it is a practical, user-friendly car that aims to offer maximum comfort for all occupants with easy-to-use technology. The first feature that catches the eye iis the presence of those air-bumps on the sides that serve a double purpose: it has impact-absorbing capsules in it and cannot be scratched. Citroen went as far as to describe it as a compact hatch, which is something we would never guess at first sight and not even looking at it in Frankfurt (thanks to the pics taken by our mates from parent-site Autoblog.it).
    The Citroen Cactus concept is equipped with a pretty interesting powertrain which was called ‘Hybrid Air drivetrain’, a full-hybrid, compressed air and hydraulics system is combined with a PureTech engine to deliver exceptional fuel economy, under 3 l/100km. This system requires no additional batteries and is said to be widely affordable thanks to its easy maintenance and servicing. Plus, it doesn’t affect the interior space. the Cactus also comes with LEDs evrywhere, all sorts of electronic trickery, as you would expect in a concept trying to make the headlines in Frankfurt.
    The Cactus surely is the most photagraphed model at the Citroen stall in Germany, but there are several other models on display all around. Among them, definitely worth mentioning is the wicked C-Elysée WTCC, which will be driven by His Majesty Sébastien Loeb and Championship specialist Yvan Muller in the 2014 WTCC series. it comes with several carbon fiber bits and is pushed by a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine producing 380 horsepower and 400 Nm of peak torque.
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    VIA eUROCARBLOG

    Yamaha and Tech3 extend partnership to 2015


    Ahead of this weekend’s Misano GP, Yamaha and Tech3 have renewed their partnership agreement for the 2014 and 2015 MotoGP seasons, and the Tech3 squad owned by Herve Poncharal will continue to field YZR-M1 prototypes for the next two seasons.
    “I’m very happy and proud to announce that Tech 3 is going to be for the next two years again working and supported by the Yamaha Motor Company,” said Poncharal. “It is an honour and a privilege. We have been working with Yamaha since 1999 in the 250 class with Olivier Jacque and Shinya Nakano and in 2000 we won the 250 championship. Next season we switched to the premier class and since then we have enjoyed a great collaboration and a great relationship.”
    “It is not only a technical partnership but we feel truly part of the Yamaha family. Next year is a new adventure having two young riders; Bradley Smith will be entering his second MotoGP season and will be joined by Pol Espargaró so we are very excited. I believe this is going to be a great set-up not only together with Yamaha, but with our sponsors too and that is something we are pretty proud of.”
    A number of important riders have been through Poncharal’s team from Colin Edwards, James Toseland to Ben Spies, and more recently Andrea Dovizioso and for the last three years the highly popular Cal Crutchlow who has brought great satisfaction to the French team manager, with his four podiums and two pole positions so far this 2013 season.
    “I’m really very happy to continue our relationship with Hervé Poncharal and the entire Tech 3 Team,” said Lin Jarvis, managing director of Yamaha Motor Racing. “We have enjoyed a very successful partnership for more than a decade and have shared many memorable moments over the years. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team continues to perform as the top ranking satellite Team in the MotoGP class and their riders are frequently scoring excellent results and providing great excitement for the MotoGP fans.
    FROM tWOWHEELSBLOG

    Luke's GS750 Cafe Racer









    From dawn till dusk


    Screen shot 2013 09 11 at 10.02.26 From dawn till dusk
    Not really sure exactly why they take their surfboards up to the top of the mountains but anyway, some nice bikes and scenery I guess!
    Video mettant en scène les scrambler et tracker BMW fraîchement sortis de l’Atelier 11.
    Ou comment marier avec passion, surf, moto, custom-culture, élégance et évasion.
    Des motos à vivre….
    Plus d’info sur atelier-11.fr

    MICHELIN : A busy fortnight / Une quinzaine bien chargée


    With major events taking place in Australia, the United States, Japan, Poland, Hungry and France over the next two weekends, the men from Michelin Motorsport face an extremely busy fortnight, with endurance racing on two and four wheels, topflight rallying and circuit racing.
    Australie, Etats-Unis, Japon, Pologne, Hongrie, Le Mans… Les hommes de Michelin Motorsport vont vivre deux semaines et deux week-ends particulièrement intenses en septembre, entre Endurance auto et moto, et Rallye.
    The fortnight actually kicked off on Tuesday at the Frankfurt Motor Show where the new single-seater electric racing car that will star in the inaugural Formula E World Championship (2014/2015) was unveiled in the presence of Michelin Motorsport’s director Pascal Couasnon and FIA president Jean Todt. The Spark-Renault SRT_01E Formula E will race on 18-inch tyres.
    While this presentation was taking place in Germany, Michelin’s rally programmes manager, three technicians and seven fitters were on their way to Australia for round 10 of the 2013 FIA World Rally Championship. Meanwhile, another technician and three fitters were heading to the ninth round of the FIA European Rally Championship in Poland. Some 1,200 gravel tyres (including the new Michelin Latitude Cross S3) have been shipped to Australia, while a further 400 tyres will be available in Poland, not to mention those provided by the brand’s local dealers.
    At the same time, members of Michelin Motorsport’s circuit racing squad will be in Hungary for this weekend’s 3 Hours of the Hungaroring (round four of the European Le Mans Series) and the different races that make up the World Series by Renault, to which Michelin is the exclusive tyre supplier. Then, at the beginning of next week, 11 endurance racing technicians will fly from France to Texas, USA, for the 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas, which is both the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship and round eight of the 2013 American Le Mans Series. At the same time, a number of colleagues will be on their way back from Fuji Speedway, Japan, which is hosting the second round of the Asian Le Mans Series in which Michelin provides the rubber for certain Super GT cars.
    Michelin Motorsport’s headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand, France, will also be emptied during the coming two weeks by world class competitions on two wheels. Four technicians, a development specialist and a chemist will be at Le Mans, France, for motorcycling’s 24 Heures Moto, the third round of the FIM Endurance World Championship. Other two-wheel experts will be in Italy and Spain for rounds of the two countries’ national motorcycle racing championships. Last but not least, the penultimate and final rounds of the SuperMotard World Championship will take place in Palermo, Sicily, and in the south of France.
    At the end of this ultra-busy sequence, everybody will be back in the office for their respective debrief meetings during Week 39!
    Cette quinzaine a débuté hier au salon automobile de Francfort avec la présentation officielle de la nouvelle monoplace électrique, qui roulera en Championnat du monde Formula E 2014, sur le stand de Michelin en présence de Pascal Couasnon (Directeur de Michelin Motorsport) et de Jean Todt (Président de la FIA). La « Spark-Renault SRT_01E Formula E » sera chaussée de pneumatiques en 18 pouces.
    Pendant cette présentation en Allemagne, un manager, trois techniciens et sept monteurs étaient en route pour l’Australie, 10e manche du Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA 2013, alors qu’un technicien et trois monteurs partaient vers la Pologne pour la 9e manche du Championnat d’Europe des Rallyes FIA. 1200 pneus terre (dont le nouveau Latitude Cross S3) ont été acheminés aux antipodes et 400 en Pologne (sans compter ceux apportés par le revendeur local).
    Au même moment, une petite partie de l’effectif Circuit voyageait vers la Hongrie pour les 3 Heures du Hungaroring (4e manche des European Le Mans Series) et le 8e meeting des World Series by Renault 2013 dont Michelin est partenaire exclusif. Onze techniciens Endurance s’envoleront en début de semaine prochaine pour les Etats-Unis, au Texas, pour les 6 Heures d’Austin, 5e manche du Championnat du monde d’Endurance FIA, et la 8e manche des American Le Mans Series, pendant que d’autres se rendront au Japon, sur le Fuji Speedway, pour la 2emanche de l’Asian Le Mans Series où Michelin équipera également des voitures du Super GT.
    Les locaux de Michelin Motorsport vont paraître bien vides cette quinzaine puisque quatre techniciens, un développeur et un chimiste « 2-roues » seront également en déplacement au Mans pour les 24 Heures moto (3e manche du Championnat du monde d’Endurance). Ce même week-end, les hommes de Michelin seront aussi en Italie et en Espagne pour les finales nationales de vitesse. L’avant-dernière manche et la finale du Championnat du monde Supermotard sont programmées successivement à Palerme (Sicile) et dans le sud de la France.
    Rendez-vous semaine 39 pour les débriefings de toutes ces courses…

    CMBL’s Beach Hopper


    JE Beach Hopper THUMB
    If your passions revolve around biking and surfing, there really is only one way to combine both lifestyles, and that’s to get the spanners out to combine surfwax with chainlube, just as John Eldrige has done with his CMBL build down in Newquay in Cornwall, in the UK. …Besides, why should the Californians and Australians have all the fun?
    JE Beach Hopper 2
    “I’ve been deeply rooted in the UK surf scene for most of my life, opting over the last 10 – 15 years for the more stylised classic side of surfing based around single fins, twin-fins and heavier longboards. It is this aspect of surfing that led me to Indonesia in search of perfect waves and and it was in Bali where I stumbled upon Deus Ex Machina and caught the motorcycle bug. I had always wanted to get my motorcycle license and once I had laid eyes on this interesting and different style of motorcycle customisation that was it… I had to do it right away. I quickly passed my test and got straight onto a ’78 SR500. This was 3 years ago now and since then I have immersed myself in the current trend in motorcycle customisation, albeit mostly from in front of a computer screen. More recently I had started sensing a building of interest in motorcycles through parts of the UK surf scene and perhaps a little prematurely feel the need for a UK based surf and motorcycle brand and this is what I hope to achieve with CMBL (symbol) in the future. Initially CMBL was simply an outlet for a few surfboards which I had been shaping for friends, more recently it has merged with my interest in motorcycles. I currently have one personal project in an SR500 and two commissions for builds this winter and am looking forward to anything else that may come my way.”
    JE Beach Hopper 3
    “The donor motorcycle for this build was a very sad looking 1978 CB100N . It was actually acquired as a pair, it’s twin went of with a friend to be worked on separately while I decided that this could be a good base for my debut build. It basically needed a complete rebuild, something nice and simple to really get my teeth into. For one, I thought it would be a good idea to start with a low cost bike just in case I discovered along the way that customising motorcycles wasn’t for me ( as it turns out I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it) but also, with future hopes to be building custom motorcycles for the uk surf/motorcycle scene I figured a sub -125cc motorcycle would be a lot more accessible to those not wanting to gain their full motorcycle license and just wanting a local beach hopper. So I set forth to build a fresh motorcycle from the ugly duckling with a limited budget in mind.”
    JE Beach Hopper 4
    “I decluttered the frame, looped it at the rear, added a new tank and seat fittings and went about replacing all bearings, bushings and washers. I replaced the forks with new old stock from a similar motorcycle and overhauled the clutch , brakes and had a mechanic friend take care of the piston and valves. I started scrubbing the engine casings trying to get rid of most of the grime but 35 years of no love made this a little tricky. My original idea was to spray the casings to give them a fresh look but I actually started to like the look of the beaten up old casings and decided to leave them as is. I think in the future, and with larger budgets in hand I would like to have the casings looking a little neater but at the same time I feel that it is what it is, an old motorcycle and in some ways the engine left as it is pays testament to this.”
    JE Beach Hopper 5
    “I sourced a replacement rim and spokes for the rear wheel and an entire wheel for the front as I wanted to get rid of the cabled disc brake and replace it with a neater looking drum. I heat-wrapped the original downpipe, mostly for cosmetic reasons to cover the older pipe and had fitted a shorty megaphone muffler, this really made a difference to the overall tone and you wouldn’t think it’d be a little 100cc coming round the corner. I also went about trying to find new old stock or replacement nuts bolts and fixings where I could.”
    JE Beach Hopper 6
    “I fashioned a new seat pan out of aluminium and had the seat professionally built to my spec with gel pads for extra comfort. I wanted some nice low and narrow handlebars which closely resembled the original bars and found a similar Renthal bar, it was a little wide for my liking so I shortened it slightly and stuck some simple gum grips on along with some simple but nice looking levers and a mini speedo, some run of the mill kind of stuff really. My idea with the build was to really simplify everything on the bike while still keeping a certain style and keeping the costs relatively low. One of my favourite parts of the motorcycle is probably the mini switch, I had seen these on a  few custom motorcycles and loved the look and simplicity to wanted to include in the build and i think it looks great and falls into line nicely with the simplicity of the bike.”
    JE Beach Hopper 7 NEW
    “Another favourite aspect of the bike is the hand painted CMBL (symbol) logo on the tank. It really ties the bike off nicely and fits in very well with the whole ethos of the build. I stripped all of the wiring, started again from scratch and added a custom battery box. I looked into a 12 volt conversion for this motorcycle but wanting to keep the costs down I stuck with the original 6 volt. I did however manage to increase the light output of the headlight by fitting a dual relay.”
    JE Beach Hopper 8
    “I had the board racks welded up by a friend and they truly are a custom fit for this motorcycle, attaching neatly at the front and rear and can be quickly removed by removing a couple of bolts. This first build, along with the board racks, has been a bit of a learning experience for me, but never the less I really feel it turned out well and it has given me a lot of confidence for future builds.”
    JE Beach Hopper 9
    “I’d like to say thanks to a few people who helped me along the way: Pete at BikeTech, James for the welding, Sheila at signs of good taste and Will for pointing me in the right direction. Also thanks to Deus Ex Machina, Wrenchmonkees, Iron and Resin and many, many more for the inspiration.”
    JE Beach Hopper THUMB NEW
    It’s an inspiring story of passion and the kind of get-off-your-arse-and-just-do-it attitude that is all to rare these days, but luckily not here in The Bike Shed.
    John and his wife are also opening a cafe the end of the year, at St Breock, near Wadebridge in Cornwall. “It’s  in a great location for what we are hoping to represent in the way of surf, art and motorcycle culture. It fronts on to the Atlantic Highway, a great motorcycle ride and is not too far from various decent surf spots. There is scope in the future to have a motorcycle workshop based up on the same site as the cafe which is slowly being developed into a really cool place to visit.” If you like the sound of what John’s up to (we certainly do) then keep an eye on www.strongadolfos.com for the cafe and www.cmbl.co.uk for the motorcycles and surfboards.
    via The Bike Shed