ACE CAFE RADIO

    dimanche 13 octobre 2013

    Ace Café to Madras Café: A motorcycle voyage to India


    You can never travel too far to find a good cup of coffee – even if it’s an 11,000km trip from London to Chennai, the Indian city which now plays home to motorcycle manufacturer Royal Enfield…

    Video: Royal Enfield

    DREAM RACER sizzle


    Honda Monkey Turbo by OORacing


    This project started with a conversation that has probably happened in numerous bike shops around the world, with the half serious words “we should add a turbo to it”. The UK based OORacing specialize in Honda Monkey bikes and thought it was a good challenge to add a turbo to a Monkey bike. Over the years they have had lots of experience turbo charging multi-cylinder engines but have never tried to do it with a single cylinder engine. “Turbos are great things and like tires, every bike should have at least one” says Adrian from OORacing. So with that same attitude they started what would be called ‘Project Napier’ and went about turbo charging a Monkey bike – which soon turned into something far more extraordinary than they had ever dreamed of. 
    OORacing started on the chassis first which needed to be slightly reworked to accommo­date the top mounted turbo. "This was a fairly simple affair that then enabled us to start working on exhaust and induction pipe layouts, which proved to be one of the biggest challenges in the entire project" says Adrian.
    When you are working with a Monkey there are some real issues, usually in the form of space – there isn't any. "This is all part of the fun you get when working on such a small bike. A large amount of space was already being consumed by wiring for the ECU, fuel pump, lambda sensor, coil, reg/rec etc. So it left us with little room for piping." So the guys built a subframe to house the ECU, battery and fuel pump.
    "Originally the intercooler was side mounted but after some initial runs we quickly real­ised that the amount of heat getting produced by the turbo was not getting cooled fast enough. This led us to mockup a custom intercooler out of a cornflakes packet so we could arrange the pipework and then get a hand built one made by Docking Engineering who did a great job. The intercooler is now mounted on the front of the bike so gets the full force of the air when in motion.
    The next issue came from the oil control to the turbo. After much experimentation and late nights we ended up fitting a needle control valve to control the oil feed into the turbo and a small electronic scavenger pump to remove oil from the turbo."
    After a while the guys finally had the bike ready to run in dry build state. "It came as no sur­prise that it did not run first time" says Adrian. "The main challenge was getting the ECU talking to the other components in the system. Days were spent in front of a computer entering data into an excel spreadsheet in the hope that it would all come good. Without our rolling road it would have been a lost cause, but once we got the bike bump started we were able to read the data from the bike and start figuring out what data needed changing. This meant fine tuning fuelling calibration, ignition advance curves and retard under boost." 
    "Days turned into weeks and with one trial after another with different values we finally had a bike that was ready to run under load and actually see if it would produce boost. We soon discovered the bike actually had too much boost at nearly 15 PSI. Now whilst that sounds exciting, it was way too much for such a small cc engine. Running it with this amount of boost would mean destroying the engine in a very short time frame which was not part of the plan. The best way to control the over boost was to fit an adjustable external waste gate and this allowed us to get the boost running at around 8 PSI which means we have an engine running happily and no detonation in the engine." 
    This project has a spec sheet longer than the actual bike – probably twice as long. The front forks are custom made OORacing CNC 27mm hydraulic kit with over size 200mm floating disc. The wheels are also custom CNC 10” x 3.50” wide with Sava slick tyres. The full exhaust system was made by Lee Mitchell at Steelheart Engineering and the silencer is hand made based on OORacing Carbon TTR1 system. They also made the rear sets with custom made mounting brackets and the Vincent style handle bars.
    This turbo charged Monkey is currently already achieving close to 100mph in test runs and is producing around 25BHP, however OORacing are confident they can get that figure to at least 33BHP – not bad for a bike that only weighs 75kg. The project has taken them a few years to complete, but the guys at OORacing have learnt alot during the process – which will be invaluable to their Monkey loving clientele. The question now is: what will they do next to the humble Honda Monkey?
    Photography by Simon Allan.
    [To see a teaser film about this exceptional pocket rocket hit this link]

    HAZAN MOTORWORKS HARLEY IRONHEAD


    Harley-Davidson Ironhead by Hazan Motorworks
    Max Hazan is one of a handful of builders who operate at the intersection of motorcycles and art. It’s a rarefied field: the best-known protagonist is probably Ian Barry of Falcon Motorcycles. But Barry now has some serious competition.
    Brooklyn-based Hazan is a former boat-builder, and this Harley Ironhead is the fourth machine to bear the Hazan Motorworks label. He sailed into motorcycle building literally by accident—a severe motocross mishap stranded him on his living-room couch for three months, staring at a beach cruiser bicycle. When mobility returned, he installed an engine in the beach cruiser. After scaring himself riding it on bicycle tires, he decided to build a ‘proper’ custom motorcycle.
    Harley-Davidson Ironhead by Hazan Motorworks
    “I start with a motor that I find aesthetically pleasing, put it on the table, and build the bike around it,” Max reveals. “The Ironhead has been on my list for a while, and when I also came across some car tires from the 1920s, I got the idea for this bike.”
    With the exception of the wheels and motor, every piece of this Harley was made from scratch—usually machined from junk-metal objects, hand-formed, or cast. “I love to build from scratch, although it entails a lot of menial work and time. It allows me to build without compromising the design: Every piece goes exactly where and how you want it. “
    Harley-Davidson Ironhead by Hazan Motorworks
    Max wanted a bike with clean lines and good proportions. He’s 6’ 2” and the machine needed to feel right if he was riding it. “I didn’t want it to look like a clown-cycle, which is usually the case when the seat is right on the back tire. I have found that my bikes tend to shrink 15% once you take them off the building table …”
    It’s a large bike, with 30″ front and 31″ rear tires. It’s over eight feet long, but surprisingly light. “Despite the motor being the heaviest brick I’ve ever worked with, it all weighs just over 300 lbs.”
    Harley-Davidson Ironhead by Hazan Motorworks
    Why an Ironhead motor? “I always loved the heads on the Harley 1000s. So I bought an ’81 with the idea of running two front heads and dual carbs. I was ready to really get my hands dirty on this one, but after getting into the motor I realized it wasn’t that difficult at all.” Everything was symmetrical—including the studs, oil passages, intake and exhaust cam lobes, and the valve cutouts in the pistons.
    “The only invasive work was to cut off the stock intake and exhaust ports, and reposition them so that carbs and pipes cleared each other.” Max tried a few carbs but the Amals seemed like the right choice for the aesthetic—along with splitting the rocker covers.
    Harley-Davidson Ironhead by Hazan Motorworks
    Regarding performance, Max reports that gains with this setup are negligible—from what he can tell—and estimates power to be 50 to 60hp. “Like most Ironheads, it sounds much faster than it goes. But since I spend three-quarters of the time riding with one hand while shifting gear in the city, that’s not such a bad thing.”
    Max fabricated the elegant frame using 7/8″ and 1″ steel tubing. It also houses the oil, wiring and a few electrical components (the bike is electric start, and has a lithium battery in the fuel tank). He formed the rest of the bike by hand too, by machining pieces from metal that was lying around in his workshop, or found at the local junk stores. (Which explains the frosted shot glass acting as a taillight cover, and the porcelain doorknob-shifter mounted on a linkage cut from truck leaf springs.)
    Harley-Davidson Ironhead by Hazan Motorworks
    “With every bike I try to make a suspension setup that I have never seen before,” says Max, “and this front end is pretty far out there.” It uses dual springs mounted under the fuel tank, and a dampener behind the headlight. There’s around 1.5″ of rear seat spring travel, but Max admits that no one will be riding this bike far. The 1.5-gallon tank holds plenty enough fuel.
    Still, if you have to spend as much time looking at this Ironhead as riding it, that’s no hardship. It’s one of the most elegant customs we’ve ever seen.
    Images by David Hans Cooke. There’s a full gallery on our Google+ page. Visit the Hazan Motorworks website or follow Max’s news via his Facebook page. Moto Mucci has an enlightening interview with Max Hazan.
    Harley-Davidson Ironhead by Hazan Motorworks
    via BIKEEXIF

    BMW R26 Ritmo Sereno


    FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP Porsche présente son équipe LMP1 pour 2014


    Porsche LMP1
    Avec deux Porsche LMP1 engagées la saison prochaine en Championnat du Monde d’Endurance, le constructeur allemand compte bien briller dès sa première saison. Lors du « Meet the heroes of Le Mans » qui s’est tenu les 7 et 8 octobre à Hockenheim, Fritz Enzinger, vice-président du programme Porsche LMP1, a présenté son équipe : « Plus que tout, les courses longues restent un travail d’équipe. A l’horizon 2014, les règlements techniques sont très complexes puisqu’il nous faut utiliser la technologie hybride. Lors de la formation de toute l’équipe, nous nous sommes efforcés de réunir des personnes qui sont présentes depuis longtemps chez Porsche mais aussi des spécialistes des courses automobiles internationales. » Alexandre Hitzinger est chargé du développement de la Porsche LMP1 depuis la fin 2011. A 41 ans, cet ingénieur a officié dans le passé chez Cosworth et plus récemment chez Red Bull en Formule 1 en tant que directeur des technologies de pointe. Andreas Seidl est en place au titre de responsable des opérations de courses LMP1 pour la base à Weissach. Le Bavarois arrive de chez BMW Sauber Formule 1 après être passé par la case DTM. Dès le début de l’année, Andreas Seidl sera team principal du programme LMP1.
     Wolfgang Hatz, membre du conseil d’administration, de la recherche et du développement chez Porsche AG, donne l’avancée du programme : « La mise au point de l’auto tout comme la mise en place de l’équipe de course progressent même si nous avons bien conscience d’être toujours confrontés à d’énormes défis. Pour notre première année dans le championnat en 2014, notre objectif à tous est d’être à un niveau comparable à celui de nos principaux adversaires. »
    2014_WEC_PorscheLMP1_1111
    Du côté des pilotes, Romain Dumas, Timo Bernhard, Neel Jani et Mark Webber sont déjà confirmés. Deux nouveaux pilotes vont être testés sous peu, à savoir Marc Lieb et Brendon Hartley. L’Allemand est présent au sein de la maison Porsche depuis une dizaine d’années. En parallèle à son rôle de pilote GT, Marc Lieb est également ingénieur pour le constructeur allemand. Quant à Brendon Hartley, il sort d’une belle saison en European Le Mans Series. Son poste de pilote de développement Mercedes pourrait être un atout crucial. Le Néo-Zélandais roule régulièrement dans le simulateur F1. Une décision finale concernant le recrutement des deux derniers pilotes sera prise à la fin de l’année.
    via Endurance-Info.com

    Caterham confirme son projet pour la catégorie Moto2™


    Caterham presentation Sepang Circuit
    Lors de la présentation animée par Dato’ Kamarudin Bin Meranun, co-directeur du Groupe Caterham, Caterham a confirmé son arrivée imminente dans le Championnat du Monde ainsi que son intention de développer son propre châssis en partenariat avec Suter sur les deux prochaines années, le premier projet moto de la marque britannique, connue pour ses activités en compétition automobile et notamment en Formule 1.
    « Nous sommes fiers que le Caterham Moto Racing Team ait pris la décision de collaborer avec nous pour son nouveau projet en Moto2™, » a déclaré Eskil Suter, patron de Suter Racing Technology. « Le team aura un soutien total de l’organisation F1 et cela ouvre des possibilités de développement très intéressantes pour les technologies moto. »
    « Créer un lien entre les deux mondes de la F1 et du Moto2™ peut nous offrir des opportunités de développer certains éléments, dont l’aérodynamique, d’une manière différente et de viser de meilleures performances. Cette collaboration apportera quelque chose de plus au sport ainsi qu’à nous en tant que constructeur. »
    Tout aussi ravi d’être engagé dans ce nouveau projet, Josh Herrin, Champion en titre de l’AMA Superbike (Etats-Unis), a déclaré :
    « Je ne pourrais pas être plus excité par cette opportunité. Courir dans le Championnat du Monde a été mon objectif depuis tout petit et ça me semble surréaliste maintenant que je sais que je vais courir ici. Je me suis entraîné très dur et je suis prêt à me battre pour d’excellents résultats dans l’ultra-compétitive catégorie Moto2™. »
    « Je ne pourrai jamais suffisamment remercier mon manager, Bob Moore, pour avoir travaillé aussi dur pour me placer dans le meilleur team pour l’an prochain et je tiens à remercier le Caterham Moto Racing Team pour avoir fait de mon rêve une réalité. »
    Expliquant la décision de Caterham d’étendre son programme sportif à la compétition moto, Dato’ Kamarudin a affirmé : 
    « Je suis ravi de confirmer que notre candidature pour rejoindre la grille Moto2™ a été acceptée et nous sommes fiers de pouvoir l’annoncer ici chez nous à Sepang. A travers d’AirAsia, Tony Fernandes et moi-même nous sommes passionnés pour les courses moto depuis des années et le lancement de notre propre team en Moto2™ était une étape naturelle pour le Groupe Caterham. »
    Josh Herrin
    « Je suis aussi très heureux de confirmer notre premier pilote, Josh Herrin, un pilote talentueux, très enthousiasmant et Champion en titre de l’AMA Superbike. Il partage nos ambitions et notre foi en ce projet qui se développera bien au-delà de 2014. Nous continuerons aussi à soutenir la carrière bourgeonnante de Fahmi (Zulfahmi Khairuddin) en Moto3™, un jeune pilote malaisien dont le potentiel se développe au fil des saisons. »
    « Nous pouvons d’autre part confirmer que nous avons signé un partenariat technique avec Suter Racing Technology pour le châssis. C’était une démarche pragmatique qui nous assure un matériel dont la qualité a été prouvée ainsi qu’un savoir-faire qui nous permettra de monter notre team avec les meilleurs partenaires possibles dès le début. »
    Le deuxième pilote du team Caterham sera annoncé « en temps voulu » tandis que le Suédois Johan Stigefelt, ancien coureur en Grand Prix, a été nommé au poste de team manager.
    via MOTOGP.com

    Military Aspirations: Volklinger S14


    When does style start to hinder functionality? Everyone probably has a different answer to this – we all have varying ways of looking at cars and of course that’s a very good thing. Satomi-san, the builder… scratch that… the creator of the Volklinger S14 probably has a totally different outlook on stuff compared to me and you. However, like most things that are born out of passion, it has been a step by step process that has lead his Silvia to look like something out of a war movie.
    Volklinger-S14-29
    Satomi truly let his imagination run wild, bringing together a few of his hobbies: cars, drifting and plastic military models…
    Volklinger-S14-14
    … and spicing it all up with tons of curious details. It almost looks like the car was put together in a post-apocalyptic world, where devastation led to people scavenging for whatever was left from a previous civilization. It could well be the perfect car for a remake of Mad Max – where the protagonist is into drifting!
    Volklinger-S14-15
    I can already hear the negativity: it’s undrivable, it sits too low, it has stupid camber, it has metal in place of side glass, you can’t see out of the windscreen cover. Strangely enough, there’s a very good chance that Satomi didn’t really build this car for outright practicality. While some may assume it’s just a way to raise the middle finger to society or to make a point, the truth couldn’t actually be more humble – he just wanted to do it for a bit of fun, for himself, to see just how far he could take the whole military theme.
    Volklinger-S14-01
    And while doing so he never sacrificed the car’s true purpose, and that was to be his weekend drift car.
    Volklinger-S14-05
    So with temporary plates in hand, Satomi was able to meet me right outside Ikkyu Temple…
    Volklinger-S14-03
    … in the outskirts of Kyoto, a rather fitting background given the sheer contrast of the subject at hand. A passing hoard of elementary school kids instantly swarmed around the S14 to get a closer look and ask what it was.
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    You may have spotted that the base aero kit that Satomi chose for the conversion is TRA Kyoto’s 6666 Customs wide body kit, setting the feel for the rest of the mods that were planned.
    Volklinger-S14-17
    There’s so much to see as you walk around the car. Like the iron bars that are used to armour cement – here cut, bent and tacked on to one of the front fenders. The other fender as you’ve already seen has been covered in American license plates, bent and welded in place as a sort of armour.
    Volklinger-S14-27C
    The car runs Trust adjustable coilovers that have allowed the car to sit as low as possible on the custom painted set of Mickey Thompson Classic II rims, fitted in the same 10Jx16″ size all round and running Pinso rubber, a Japanese drifter’s top choice for remarkably affordable tires to smoke. Some trick suspension arms up front are there to give the wheels plenty of negative camber, the either you understand it or hate it onikyan – or demon camber.
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    Satomi carries a few accessories in his trunk, props that he uses when displaying the car at track events or at shows, items that on top of the cut bomb shell…
    Volklinger-S14-16
    … include a slammed jack of his own design!
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    The engine room has been finished off in what can only be described as a Stealth Bomber look, each and every single component, pipe, hose, cable…
    Volklinger-S14-10
    … and even filter sprayed in flat black. Underneath all that hides a slightly massaged engine, set up for a bit of extra power for those especially challenging and potentially fast tracks. The SR20 head cover has been removed and a set of Tomei 256-deg cams dropped in, a good match to the Trust TD06 turbo that is low-mounted on a GReddy exhaust manifold. Custom piping connects everything up and thanks to a well programmed Apex Power FC, Nissan’s four-banger is able to churn out a healthy 400hp. So there goes the ‘all show and no go’ comments out the window.
    Volklinger-S14-19
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    What really cracked me up is that Satomi carries a few cans of flat black in his trunk, just so that every once in a while he can freshen up areas of the engine bay that may have started to look a little dull. He just sprays it everywhere!
    Volklinger-S14-24
    One of the main reasons the car is unable to be registered for street use is due to the simple fact that the side glass has been replaced with something not quite so transparent: metal sheets. The door’s glass has been swapped out for appropriately curved and cut diamond-pattern sheets that go up and down just as smoothly, actuated by the electric motors.
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    Covers on the side match the removable tank-like armour plate that Satomi made for the windscreen…
    Volklinger-S14-23
    … with a louvered cover at the back.
    Volklinger-S14-06
    Satomi has done everything himself on the Volklinger S14, things that include the flat green paint and the extensive air brushing needed to give the exterior a look resembling a rusted out battle tank, with rust and dirt lines running down from the exposed rivets.
    Volklinger-S14-22
    Ducktail? On an S-chassis? Yes please!
    Volklinger-S14-18
    Another example of how extensive the detailing stretches is the assortment of model missiles and bombs, glued in place to the side of the car!
    Volklinger-S14-07
    Remove the rear bumper and both the exposed chassis below and the inside of the bumper have been painted…
    Volklinger-S14-08
    … much like the underside of the trunk lid, a slightly more eighties take on the whole camo thing.
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    To finish it all off, a custom center exit exhaust system, capped off like some bike mufflers to make a raspier and ultimately louder sound.
    Volklinger-S14-02
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    One of the latest modifications at the time of the shoot was the extended hood which wraps down over the headlights for quite the evil look when those main beams are flicked on.
    Volklinger-S14-11
    The cockpit, which may be the darkest interior of any car in history period when the side glass is up and the windscreen is covered, sports yet more unique decorations. Usual additions that you would expect to find in a drift car are there like the second or third hand Recaro bucket, equally well-used racing harness and of course a chunky and deeply cupped steering wheel…
    Volklinger-S14-12
    … mounted on… four bosses! We assume Satomi favours a more WRC-style seating/driving position then!
    Volklinger-S14-13
    The nine yellow auxiliary gauges and main instrument cluster are there to make it all look like a tank’s command post, a cool addition against the colorful dashboard. Those notes that you see are reproduction German wartime currency bills that Satomi managed to find on Yahoo Auctions.
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    Satomi knows very well his car might be hard to digest to some, but at the same time he really doesn’t care. He set out to achieve something different, letting his imagination take decisions and has managed to make his car look like some sort of full-sized scale war machine, one built for drift rather than killing people.