CAFÉ RACER 76: 12/11/13

mercredi 11 décembre 2013

Project 3RM

The 3RM project started out as a friendly challenge between Junior Burrell from Retro Moto and Logan Miller from Rust Revival. Two businesses, four guys in four States, and just one Bike – assembled in just three days…

“I had built the first cafe project 2 years prior and Junior had no problem unloading his big Texas opinion on it. He’s a harsh guy but he is honest and has incredible skills. I deeply respect his thoughts, hard as they are. I met Junior at Barber in 2012 and we’ve kept in touch on somewhat of a brotherly basis ever since. We’re close and we’re honest with each other. I think that’s a big part of why we enjoy each others company so much. This industry is knee high to a headlight in bullshit, so honesty goes a long way with us.”

“The build was innocent enough at first. Junior was going to build a new seat for it and I was going to rebuild the motor. After some typical top end oiling issues, it was only a matter of time before she went. A few dozen text messages and several hours later we had “jokingly” designed a completely new bike and called it the “3RM Project” (Rust Revival Retro Moto). At some point the conversation turned from late night joking into a serious discussion on whether or not we could build a bike several states away and then assemble it at Barber. Keep in mind, Barber is only a weekend event so we would have only 3 full days for assembly. The joke had turned into a challenge and we had accepted. To make matters worse, we decided to make this a build between friends. We wanted to challenge ourselves as builders and see if we could pull it off.”

“It was set. 4 Guys in 4 states would do their part in just a few short months and then meet at Barber to see if it would all fit together. Junior Burrell (Retro Moto) fabricated the tank, seat and exhaust. Logan Miller (Rust Revival) rebuilt the motor from the ground up and took care of the frame. David Kiggins (DEK Performance) built a whole new suspension set-up and front end. Kiley Owen (Kanticoy Designs) would fabricate a new oiling system to flood the top end and eliminate the oiling issues. Kiley also provided the garage where the bike was assembled.”

“When we arrived in Alabama the atmosphere was great. A lot of people were like “where is the bike?” and their jaws hit the floor when I pointed to a pile of boxes sitting next to the lift. I don’t think people were expecting us to literally start with nothing. The crew arrived to Kiley’s garage around 11:00 that night. We unpacked a few things and since we had all driven from Kentucky, Texas, and Pennsylvania, there was no rush to start building a bike.”

“Friday night was a different story. We rolled in from a day at Barber and just got to it. Looking back it was pretty amazing actually. We didn’t get a game plan together or talk it to death. We literally just started building the thing. The Do The Ton family was on hand thanks to Kiley and his wife Denise letting them stay on the property. The garage was buzzing with people. To say that 4 guys built this bike would be a complete lie. The overwhelming support from the DTT community is a major reason this actually happened. At any given time there were probably 10 guys working on the bike. From grinding parts to lacing wheels, fabrication brackets to tightening bolts. It was like having an orchestra with 4 conductors making this big, beautiful sound.”

“At the end of the weekend we had managed to turn boxes of parts into a living breathing machine. Allowing ourselves only one or two hours of sleep a night, we worked ourselves into near exhaustion.The bike was finished and running but more importantly we had achieved what we set out to do months before. We wanted build a very functional and solid bike that would run as good as it looked. None of us were interested in dropping another “art bike” on the floor. It was always about challenging our skills and creativity.”

Written by Logan from Rust Revival.

via The Bike Shed

Video: Sébastien Ogier, Rallye Monte-Carlo testing ; essais Rallye Monte-Carlo - Sébastien Ogier

Watch Sébastien Ogier's tests before the Rallye Monte-Carlo including onboard camera.

Découvrez les essais de Sébastien Ogier en vue du Rallye Monte-Carlo, première épreuve du Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA.

YAMAHA SR500 BY CHAPPELL CUSTOMS

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

It’s hard to believe that this lean, purposeful café racer started out as a beaten up 1978 Yamaha SR500—an ex-AHMRA race bike that was standing in Chris Chappell‘s Los Angeles shop. Despite the fact that it had a pink FZR front wheel, Ninja rear wheel, no side stand and no exhaust, client Andrew Ehlers saw its potential and chose it as the donor for his dream build.

Perhaps it was because Ehlers himself was just as banged up as the old SR. A collision with a careless SUV driver had landed him in hospital with multiple broken bones, and wrecked his previous bike—a RYCA CS-1 café racer. He recalls: “I really liked the RYCA, it was a light and nimble bike that was fun to ride and had a cool look. I told Chris I liked the single cylinder and how light the bike was, so that was the main reason I chose the SR.”

Everything aside from the frame and engine was ditched, and the build was under way. “Andrew was still on crutches and in an arm cast at this point”, says Chappell, “so time wasn’t really an issue.” An XS650 front end was grafted on, rebuilt with new seals and progressive springs, and powder coated mirror black. The rear end received brand new Works Performance shocks and the bike now rolls on stock SR mag wheels.

Ehlers had never been mad about the RYCA’s fuel tank, and had always wanted a more traditional café racer look. Chappell obliged by painstakingly hand-pounding knee indents into the Yamaha’s stock tank. But the biggest challenge was the seat. “We had a few café seat pans laying around and, honestly, they just didn’t fit the bike the way they should,” Chappell explains.

The solution was to build a vacuum forming machine, make a new mould and create the perfect seat for the bike, wasting a ton of materials in the process. Chappell Customs now use the machine to produce their own line of custom seats, available from their new online store, Tuffside.

The frame was de-tabbed and modified with a new rear loop, while clip-ons and ZX-10 rearsets were fitted to improve the riding position. Both the frame and the wheels were then powder coated ‘Gunmetal Pearl,’ while the exhaust header and reverse cone muffler were coated black. The bodywork was finished off in gloss black, with metallic gunmetal accents.

Chappell also fabricated a neat front sprocket guard, and modified the triple clamp to house the ignition and ‘idiot lights.’ A new wiring harness was installed and the battery eliminated to shave additional weight. At its heart, the SR is still a race bike—with a 540cc piston kit, ported head, race cam and valves, along with a new clutch, carb and intake.

Not surprisingly, Ehlers has nothing but praise for Chappell: “He really is a talented builder. He listened to what I was looking for and made all of it happen”.

Head over to the Chappell Customs website for more images of Rob and Chris’ builds.

via BIKEEXIF

URBAN OUTLAW - THE MOVIE

URBAN OUTLAW is a portrait of Magnus Walker, the rebel Porsche customizer who turned a hobby into an obsession, and an obsession into a successful business. From a workshop in downtown Los Angeles, Magnus obsessively harvests fragments from donor 911s, grafting them onto vintage frames to create one-off automobiles with the spirit of Ferdinand Porsche but an ethos entirely his own

URBAN OUTLAW - THE MOVIE from Tamir Moscovici on Vimeo.

Cyril Despres’ Dakar Machine: Yamaha 450 YZF Rally

Inside the race garage of Yamaha Motor France

By Tim Sturtridge

We go inside Yamaha Motor France to learn about Cyril Despres’ new ride for the 2014 Dakar Rally...

Alexandre Kowalski, Team Manager of Yamaha Motor France, has got big ambitions of the upcoming desert classic in South America. Signing up five-time Dakar champion Cyril Despres is a clear signal that the team are targeting a return to the glory days of Stéphane Peterhansel’s multiple wins with Yamaha. We asked Alexandre about his plans for a second spell of Yamaha dominance at the Dakar…

RedBull.com: What pleased you most about the Yamaha 450 YZF Rally during the previous Dakar?

Alexandre Kowalski: The two things that pleased us most were the bike’s top speed and its reliability. We were the only frontrunners who didn’t have to change an engine during the 2013 Dakar and when you consider that a first engine change costs you a 15-minute penalty and a second 40-minutes that’s a very important bonus. On the 2013 Dakar we saw that the bike had great potential, that it was capable of leading the race and so the logical decision was to continue to refine the model rather than build a completely new machine.

You don’t sign a rider like Cyril Despres, five-time Dakar winner, to come second!

RB: What adjustments have been made to the bike ahead of your next trip to the Dakar?

AK: The suspension has been improved, there are new fuel tanks front and rear, a new Akrapovic exhaust system, a new front fairing, a modified riding position, a new instrument layout, a new water tank. The list is extensive. With all these elements in place we are coming back with a much more competitive package.

For 2014 our ambition is quite simply to win the race.

RB: You have now welcomed Cyril Despres to your team, what ideas have you been working on with your new rider?

AK: In terms of the bike many of the changes mentioned above have come directly from Cyril’s comments following extensive tests. Cyril has unrivalled experience in rally-raid and his background as a mechanic means he is able to translate his impressions into concrete suggestions. In addition he has brought with him some key members of his previous team such as his mechanic Benji Melot and Chris Evans who has been with him since the start of his career. We have also assigned Mickael Metge as Cyril’s support rider and they have formed an excellent working relationship. You don’t sign a rider like Cyril Despres, five-time Dakar winner, to come second! For 2014 our ambition is quite simply to win the race.

RB: The Yamaha 450 YZF Rally will fly to South America. This gives you slightly longer to develop and test the bike so how are you using this time?

AK: We will be using the extra days to continue to test all the changes we have made to the bike. Getting ready for the Dakar is always a race against time and by choosing to fly the bikes out, rather than put them on the boat, we have gained almost a month of extra of testing time that could well pay dividends come next January.

By choosing to fly the bikes out, rather than put them on the boat, we have gained almost a month of extra of testing time.

RB: Can this current Yamaha team dominate the Dakar like they did when Stéphane Peterhansel was on your bike?

AK: It is difficult to compare the two periods. Now we are on a different continent and the race has evolved considerably. There is also a lot of competition with serious factory efforts from a number of teams who have invested heavily. Everything has become much more professional. That said, with a rider of Cyril’s ability and a bike as fast and reliable as the YZF 450 Rally there’s no reason why we shouldn’t see another run of success for the Yamaha team.

Enduro : Renet avec Husqvarna

Après son titre Mondial en cross, Pierre Alexandre Renet s’est reconverti avec bonheur en enduro. Champion du Monde E2 en 2012 et vice champion cette année, le Normand poursuivra l’an prochain sa carrière sur une Husqvarna Michelin, qu’il vient récemment d’emmener vers sa première victoire.

Champion du Monde par équipe et vice champion du Monde individuel, c’est un bon, bilan de saison pour toi même si tu n’as pu conserver ton titre en E2 ?

C’est sûr qu’un titre par équipe ne remplace pas un titre individuel, mais c’est une très belle récompense et je suis content d’avoir cette année encore gagné les ISDE avec l’équipe de France. Le bilan de l’année reste satisfaisant pour moi avec ce succès aux 6 jours, le titre de champion de France et celui de vice champion du monde. Salvini a fait une belle saison et a décroché le titre E2, maintenant je pense à l’avenir et de ce côté là l’année 2013 s’est bien terminée avec une victoire à la Gotland en Suède pour ma première sortie sur l’Husqvarna.

Après KTM et Husaberg, tu poursuis donc ta carrière en Enduro avec Husqvarna ?

Je viens en effet de signer pour deux ans avec Husqvarna, je suis vraiment super content car je vais continuer à travailler avec les mêmes personnes. Tout le monde sait que Husqvarna représente la continuité de l’aventure Husaberg, je suis donc tout à fait serein pour l’avenir.

Tes premières impressions sur l’Husqvarna 450 dont tu disposeras l’an prochain ?

La moto est très bonne, comme tous les ans à pareille époque il y a un peu de travail de mise au point à faire pour adapter la moto à mon pilotage et mes choix techniques. Les motos sont assez proches des Husaberg, l’usine s’est servie de l’expérience et du travail fait sur l’Husaberg pour développer sur cette Husqvarna. Pour moi la principale différence est la suspension à biellettes à l’arrière ; cela faisait plusieurs années que je n’avais pas roulé avec une suspension de ce type, au début c’est un peu surprenant mais on s’y fait vite et je suis vraiment content et optimiste.

Quel est ton programme 2014 ?

Je repars dans la catégorie E2 en France comme en Mondial, avec la 450. Cela va encore être une grosse saison avec l’arrivée d’Antoine (Meo) dans la catégorie, le passage de Johnny (Aubert) sur la Beta et bien sûr Salvini qui remet son titre en jeu. Il va falloir bosser dur pour être prêt à temps, comme chaque année.

On ne te verra pas au départ de l’Enduropale du Touquet, aux côtés de Meo notamment ?

Cette course me tente beaucoup, et j’en ai parlé avec l’usine Husqvarna. Pour l’instant ils préfèrent se concentrer sur les programmes mondiaux en cross et en enduro, mais à moyen terme cela les intéresserait de participer à cette grande classique ; ce n’est donc que partie remise !

Four drivers for Hyundai in 2014 / Quatre pilotes Hyundai en 2014

After the earlier announcements of Thierry Neuville and Juho Hänninen, Hyundai Motorsport has added Dani Sordo and Chris Atkinson to the official ‘Hyundai Shell World Rally Team’ line-up for 2014. Sordo has been entered for the Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Après avoir officialisé Thierry Neuville et Juho Hänninen, Hyundai Motorsport vient d’ajouter l’Espagnol Dani Sordo et l’Australien Chris Atkinson parmi les pilotes officiels du Hyundai Shell World Rally Team pour 2014. Dani sera au départ du Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Hyundai Motorsport announced its official driver line-up and revealed the livery of its i20 WRCs at a press conference today at its headquarters in Alzenau, Germany. The cars will feature the colours of Shell and Michelin.

After confirming Thierry Neuville as its team leader at the beginning of November, Hyundai Motorsport has chosen to share its second car among three drivers, namely Finn Juho Hänninen, Australian Chris Atkinson and Spain’s Dani Sordo.

Dani Sordo, 30, who picked up his first world class win earlier this year in Germany, had already been in talks with the Korean make for a role in 2013 and finally joins the team after a season at Citroën. His 2014 programme will begin with the Monte Carlo where he finished in the top three last January. His co-driver will be fellow Spaniard Marc Marti.

Juho Hänninen, who has completed more than 3,500km testing the i20 WRC, will kick off his year in Sweden. The 32-year old was the first test driver to be recruited by Hyundai after the announcement of its return to the sport, and he has made a big contribution to the development of the gravel- and asphalt-spec i20 WRC since May. He has only contested seven world championship rounds in a World Rally Car, however, and his best result to date was sixth this year in Sweden.

With 75 WRC starts to his name, Chris Atkinson, 34, is the most experienced member of Hyundai’s 2014 squad. He drove for Subaru from 2005 to 2008 and claimed six podium finishes. He was sixth in Mexico earlier this year but hasn’t competed since. His co-driver will be Stéphane Prévot.

Hier, Hyundai Motorsport a organisé une grande conférence de presse à son HQ d’Alzenau (Allemagne) pour présenter officiellement l’i20 WRC qui portera les couleurs du pétrolier Shell et de Michelin.

Après avoir confirmé Thierry Neuville comme pilote n°1 au début du mois de novembre, Hyundai Motorsport a choisi de faire « tourner » la seconde voiture entre le Finlandais Juho Hänninen, l’Australien Chris Atkinson et l’Espagnol Dani Sordo.

Dani Sordo (30 ans), qui a remporté sa première victoire mondiale cette saison en Allemagne pour son 107^e rallye WRC, était déjà en contact avec la marque coréenne pour la saison 2013. Il rejoindra finalement Hyundai après une nouvelle année passée chez Citroën. Son programme 2014 débutera par le Rallye Monte-Carlo où il avait fini sur le podium en janvier dernier. Dani retrouvera à ses côtés son compatriote Marc Marti.

Juho Hänninen, qui a parcouru plus de 3500 km d’essais au volant de l’i20 WRC, débutera quant à lui au Rallye de Suède sur la seconde voiture officielle. Le Finlandais (32 ans) fut le premier pilote d’essais nommé par Hyundai après l’annonce de son retour en Mondial, et a largement contribué au développement de l’i20 WRC sur terre et asphalte depuis le mois de mai. Juho avait terminé 6^e au Rallye de Suède 2013, son meilleur résultat en WRC où il ne compte que sept départs sur une World Rally Car.

Autre pilote d’essais Hyundai cette année, Chris Atkinson est le plus expérimenté des quatre avec 75 départs en WRC. L’Australien (34 ans) a piloté pour l’équipe officielle Subaru en WRC de 2005 à 2008 et signé six podiums. Chris Atkinson a fini 6^e du Rallye du Mexique 2013 et n’a plus roulé en course depuis. Il sera accompagné par Stéphane Prévot.

Laid Bare: The Cutworm Specialties Alloy Dually

Cutworm Specialties’ owner Jeb Greenstone likes to make things from scratch. When he had a hard time finding a body for the Model A he wanted to build, he decided he would try to make one instead. It turned out, made a splash, and now you’re looking at the fifth hand-crafted vehicle that his shop has created; and their best work to date.

Originally stumbling across the hand-made aluminum pickup on Instagram, we made contact, then found out it would be at the SEMA show thanks to the UPS Ride Your Hauler To SEMA contest. What a stroke of luck! After walking around it a few times in Vegas and really taking in the details, it was obvious we’d picked a winner (pun fully intended).

Smash-cut to our own Bryn Musselwhite highway surfing in the bed of a truck, howling with laughter as he made these rolling shots. Such is the life of a Speedhunter.

Bryn shot the dually literally the moment it rolled out of the SEMA show. When else would you find an one-off, aluminum hot rod driving down the street next to a Nissan GTR?

As cool as it was to see the dually roll, this was how we first observed it…

… positively laid out. I’m a sucker for almost anything that’s this low, so Jeb had my full attention at this point.

It wasn’t just the road-hugging stance though, it was also the fact that this little pickup seemed to be built entirely from scratch. I didn’t know that was Jeb’s thing until later. Apparently this is the first body that he’s built from aluminum, and he really prefers it over steel now.

Thousands of rivets and miles of welding rod were consumed to hold this thing together and Cutworm’s style is to leave it all exposed. It lends a utilitarian feel, and it also puts Cutworm Specialties’ craftsmanship on full display. There’s no hiding anything if you’re going to build this way.

Jeb doesn’t seem to be bothered by that, as the entire truck is uncoated. This is ‘truth in materials’ at its finest.

Of course if everything is going to be the same shade of brushed aluminum you have to find a way to make the surfaces visually interesting without the crutch of color or graphics.

To this end, every panel has been embellished in one way or another; whether it’s rivets, beadrolls or punched out holes. Check out the pleated upholstery cues on the seats and door panels, right where stitched leather would typically reside.

Modern buttons and gauges are mounted in the dash and a toggle-protected push button fires the engine.

It all looks pretty cool lit up at night.

The alloy dually is certainly inspired by the Model A, with a grille designed after a ’33-’34 Ford.

The bed also follows classic lines but was fabricated in Cutworm’s own way, using tube for bed rails in place of the factory rolled sheetmetal.

Being a dually the guys took the liberty of adding running lights to the roof.

The most obvious part of the dually influence is the wheel and tire combo.

Massive compared to the little aluminum body, 19.5″ steel wheels wear commercial-style tires.

Jeb even machined his own lugnuts, which are a bit more dangerous than the ones you would find on a standard 18-wheeler.

The dually wheelset came from a motorhome, along with a Dana 70HD rear axle. The cantilevered rear air suspension was obviously built from scratch too.

The entire front axle had to be fabricated since you can’t exactly order one this wide from the Speedway catalog. Cutworm reused the spindles from the donor motorhome and bolted up Ford Superduty brakes.

The axle is located by monster radius arms and suspended by torsion bars. I had to double check with Jeb that the front suspension is in fact static, and apparently the wheelbase is so stretched that all he has to do is air up the back and drive away.

You might have been expecting a Powerstroke diesel to make an appearance, but Cutworm kept it hot rod-style with a gasoline big block Ford. The 460ci mill came from a ’77 Lincoln Continental and was warmed over before being polished up.

Of course Jeb had to build some headers from scratch too.

You think it’s loud inside?

A hand-made gas tank is mounted in the back of the bed, with a copper fuel line that matches the copper hardlines for the rear airbags. Considering Cutworm Specialties’ location in rural North Carolina, I wonder if there might be a bit of moonshine influence here too.