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    mardi 18 mars 2014

    Le crash impressionnant de Guerlain Chicherit

    Le gros crash de Guerlain Chicherit
    Guerlain Chicherit (JUAN MABROMATA / AFP)





    Le quadruple champion du monde de freeride, Guerlain Chicherit, a été victime d'un impressionnant accident ce mardi matin, alors qu'il tentait de battre le record du saut le plus long au monde en voiture à Tignes.



    DUCATI 900SS BY EL SOLITARIO


    Ducati 900SS custom: Petardo by El Solitario
    When a Ducati 900SS rolls into a workshop for a big-budget overhaul, it usually leaves a few weeks later looking just like it did when it rolled off the production line in the 90s. But not this one: only the most eagle-eyed Ducatistas would recognize it, with the engine cases being the giveaway.
    The builders at the Galician workshop El Solitario march to the beat of a different drum, and a very seductive beat it is too. ‘Petardo’ means firecracker, and El Sol’s latest custom is an explosive celebration of two-wheeled mechanical complexity.
    Ducati 900SS custom: Petardo by El Solitario
    When pushed to describe Petardo, El Solitario main man David Borras calls it a reaction against the current trend for minimalism. He doesn’t believe in hiding the paraphernalia of a bike, so all the “organs”—like the switches, pumps, regulator and hoses—are on the outside. “We wanted to embrace the veins and arteries that move the body!”
    Ducati 900SS custom: Petardo by El Solitario
    Curiously, it works. The panel of Stack gauges on the tank is mesmerizing in the metal, reminiscent of the interior of a Group B rally car. As well as speed and revs, you get readings for lambda, exhaust gas temperature, volts, and oil pressure. The cabling and hoses snaking around the engine invite you to explore the machine. It’s easy to imagine the forces at work inside.
    Ducati 900SS custom: Petardo by El Solitario
    The effect could have been busy and disjointed, but it’s not. Finished in shades of black and raw metal, Petardo looks like a prop from a Fritz Lang or Christopher Nolan movie.
    Fuel is carried in a 10-liter jerry can at the back, and propelled to the engine via an external pump and dry-break lines. The heavily modified frame is actually from a 600SS, with a blueprinted 900SS motor shoehorned in and hooked up to a sinuous, custom-fabricated stainless steel exhaust system. The bodywork is hand-beaten alloy, contrasting with black chrome and powder coat elsewhere.
    Ducati 900SS custom: Petardo by El Solitario
    At every point in their career, a motorcycle builder creates a masterwork—the machine they will be remembered by. This is El Solitario’s finest hour, and by their own admission, “Excessive in capital letters.”
    Head over to the El Solitario website for more images—all shot by Kristina Fender. Since these studio shots were taken, Petardo has been upgraded with Desmosedici Öhlins forks, a custom Öhlins shock, and a full brake system from ISR.
    Check out the Bike EXIF Google+ page for a stunning image gallery of the bike in its latest incarnation, being ridden in anger.
    Ducati 900SS custom: Petardo by El Solitario
    via BIKEEXIF

    Time for racing -- MotoGP™ 2014 hits Qatar

    The stunning setting of the floodlit Losail International Circuit in the desert of Qatar once again hosts the opening round of the MotoGP™ World Championship as Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa get set for battle against their premier class rivals. 


    Minimalist, functionalist: The influential designs of Dieter Rams


    Being a lifelong fan of the Porsche 911 (not very original, I know), my favourite story about Germany's celebrated industrial designer Dieter Rams concerns the fact that he, too, is a long-standing admirer of Zuffenhausen's rear-engined rockets...
    It might be an urban myth - and I'm sure we'll hear about it if it is - but Rams was supposedly once asked by a journalist why, of all the cars available to him, he chose to drive a 911. With a degree of surprise, but little emotion I expect, he is said to have responded: "Quite simply because it is the most efficient means yet devised of travelling from A to B in the shortest possible time."

    The 10-point ethos

    On reflection, Rams would obviously drive an early 911 because it seems to fit almost perfectly with his famous 10-point design ethos (briefly, a good design should be: innovative, useful, attractive, understandable, unobtrusive, honest, long-lasting, thorough, not 'over designed' and - this is where it goes a bit wrong - environmentally friendly). Well, nine out of 10 isn't bad.
    As well as his choice of cars, something else I've always admired about Rams is the fact that he isn't just a designer who can draw nice shapes. He knows how things work and how to make them, too.

    Heritage of carpentry

    He is said to have become interested in design as a result of watching his carpenter grandfather and initially followed him into the profession as an apprentice, before completing his studies at art school and taking a job with Frankfurt architect Otto Apel.
    Within a couple of years, however, Rams had been recruited by Braun which, at the time, specialised in audio equipment and slide projectors - and had recently launched the electric shavers for which it became especially famous.

    Braun and beyond

    By 1961, Rams was Braun's chief designer and the firm's products had became instantly recognisable due to their uncluttered, almost austere appearance, user-friendly controls and robust engineering. Indeed, I recently saw someone using one of the company's distinctive, orange-coloured KSM2 coffee grinders which is still going strong more than 30 years after it was originally purchased.
    The fact that it is still in service will come as no surprise to Rams, who has always regarded obsolescence as a crime. Sadly, today's throw-away society would have us believe that such sensible thinking is completely out of date. 
    But didn't they once say that about the 911, too?
    To find out more about Dieter Rams and his work for Braun, we highly recommend the book 'Less and More - The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams' published by Gestalten Verlag. 

    ‘66 Little Honda P25 – Chicara Nagata


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    Think of the wildest inspiration you possibly can for a custom bike build. Go on – anything at all. Anything. An aircraft? Done. Hot rods? Done to death. Animals? Architecture? iPhones? Done, done and done. So what happens when you get Chicara Nagata, one of the world’s greatest custom bike builders, and give him an open brief to design a security camera? This happens. And no, we can’t quite believe it either…
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    Here’s the man himself, Nagata-San. “Last year, there came to me a request from a security equipment manufacturer to create a surveillance camera for them. The president of the company wanted a security equipment such that has never been seen in the past and everything was for me to decide – from idea generation, designing, to working model manufacturing.”
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    “The deadline had been set on the 3rd of March, prior to ‘Security Show’, which is Japan’s largest exhibition of security and safety equipment which took place this year at Tokyo Big Site from the 4th of March.”
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    “As soon as I accepted the request, I tried to come up with any novel idea for a security camera, but in vain. My own image about ordinary security camera kept me from having bold and free imagination. Security cameras are usually installed in the ceiling or the walls and they are unrecognized by passengers.”
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    “How about a security camera which can’t be ignored? I then tried to imagine the shape of a mounting bracket for the body of a camera. What kind of object; shape, color, the way to be installed do I really want?”
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    “What nobody creates but me is the one which has tires and an engine! I would like it for real riding! The motorcycle security camera came into the world this way. I was very thrilled with this idea and the excitement made me create it original as a security camera and unique as a motorcycle.”
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    “This work is suitable to be installed in museums, entry hall of a building, hotel lobby and stores, etc. Of course, this can run swiftly in town!”
    via PIPEBURN

    Porsche 356: Minimalist appreciation


    Is there life beyond the 911? Forget, for a second, the obvious classic Porsche and consider its glorious lightweight predecessor, the 356. We ask the experts for advice on the joys and potential pitfalls of owning an example of the first production Porsche…
    With more than 75,000 built over a 17-year production window, it's vital to choose the right model of 356 if you're to reap the full rewards of this agile little sports car - and make a sound investment, rather than being financially stung. Our experts explain:

    Early desirability

    “The most desirable models are the early cars: the Pre-As, the As, the Bs, and in particular the Speedsters and those with Carrera 4-cam engines,” says John Hawkins of UK-based dealerSpecialist Cars of Malton, a company held in high regard for its Porsche expertise. “Well-preserved, unrestored examples still wearing their original paint are also increasingly sought-after,” adds Bernhard Kerkloh of Düsseldorf-based specialist Movendi. Prices range from just below €50,000 up to, in some cases, well beyond €500,000 – but regardless of the model, the condition of the bodywork and chassis should be the prime concern.

    The importance of a good example

    The usual buying requirement of finding a good, rust- and accident-free example is magnified in the case of the 356. While its monocoque construction has its advantages – one of them being the featherweight mass for which the 356 is celebrated – it also conceals breeding grounds for all-consuming rust. “Restoration costs are currently much higher than the value of a 356 coupé,” explains Peter Iverson of his eponymous company that has long specialised in the model. “The important thing is to find one from a reputable dealer that’s been well restored, otherwise you could end up with snowballing costs,” adds John Hawkins. 

    The path to excellence

    Some buyers might be put off by the complex differences in model year and bodystyle (the result of evolutionary development by a young manufacturer); not to mention the challenge of finding a solid example. But the rewards are clear: our experts all agree that the 356 has a unique dynamic repertoire, decent investment potential and a genuinely individual character. No wonder the 356's success on both road and track helped Porsche become one of the most celebrated marques in the industry.
    Photos: Jan Baedeker
    Numerous Porsche 356s can be found for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

    1971 Norton Commando LR Fastback Special



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    Written by Martin Hodgson
    The Norton Commando with its Isle of Man heritage and five times Motor Cycle News “Machine of the Year” award is special enough, but this particular 1971 Fastback Special has a tale that starts with the man who rescued Norton from its British grave. Across the Atlantic Kenny Dreer was the man behind Portland based Vintage Rebuilds who salvaged the Norton name in the 1990’s and commenced work on reviving the brand to its former glory under the Norton America banner.
    George Kraus from GEK Restorations tells how his dream of building the ultimate Commando that is now pictured before you first came to mind. “It was an all-night drive back from the San Jose BSA Clubman Show, about 1993 or ’94 with Kenny Dreer. The sleep deprived drive developed a drug-like effect on us two vintage crazed individuals and in our hyperactive minds, we designed the perfect “Manx Commando”. To get his hands on a Commando, George designed Kenny’s original Vintage Rebuilds and Restorations brochure in exchange for a core bike and all the parts and services at cost price.
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    To get the most out of the legendary Norton, George set about working in his small home workshop performing all the upgrades that Dreer had designed over the years. From the three bolt swing arm to the 30mm belt-drive and the handmade wiring harness with aircraft connectors and complete solid state electronics only the very best was added to the ’71. Custom designed and handmade rear-sets were added along with an external oil filter, machine turned and polished stainless steel hardware and machined vents in the drums.
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    For the Cafe Manx look ‘Roadholder’ Front Forks with full covers from the late Atlas models were installed and the wheels are Aront aluminum rims laced with Buchanan stainless steel spokes. The seat is an aftermarket design originally intended for use on a Triumph, it was split down the middle and widen to suit the Commando frame then re-molded to add the mounting hardware. So good was the result the design was used on a number of Dreer’s restorations at Vintage Rebuilds.
    The tank was discovered at Fair Spares America and turned out to be an old Interpol unit complete with battery and radio trough. As it was just like the Long Range tank George desired he had a new top section designed and welded in to restore the flowing lines to non-police spec. While many may believe the paint is a factory Norton colour it is actually a Chrysler hue spotted at the Portland Auto Show complete with graphics and pinstriping by Mitch Kim. Hand-made aluminum front fender stays and license plate frame complete the clean look.
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    From its very early days in Birmingham to the Dreer years in America, Norton has been known for quality design and workmanship. That ethos is continued not only with the immaculate presentation that this Commando displays but affirmed by more than 23,000 miles of trouble free riding George has had at the controls since the restoration was completed.
    via PIPEBURN

    VINTAGE PATENT APPLICATION POSTERS


    blueprints
    There’s something genuinely magical about patent applications, it’s stunning when you think that the overwhelming majority of world-altering inventions were first proposed in this way – little more than a sketch with notations.
    This collection of blueprint patent applications is the work of the Oliver Gal collective, each is taken from the original patent application and printed on long-lasting 100lb gloss cover paper.
    porsche blueprints 740x1081 Vintage Patent Application Posters
    zeppelin blueprints 740x1081 Vintage Patent Application Posters
    bicycle blueprints 740x1081 Vintage Patent Application Posters
    wright flyer blueprints 740x1081 Vintage Patent Application Posters
    handgun blueprints 740x1081 Vintage Patent Application Posters
    delorean blueprints 740x1081 Vintage Patent Application Posters
    camera blueprints 740x1081 Vintage Patent Application Posters
    harley blueprints 740x1081 Vintage Patent Application Posters
    surfboard blueprints 740x1081 Vintage Patent Application Posters
    spacesuit blueprints 740x1081 Vintage Patent Application Postersairplane blueprints 740x1081 Vintage Patent Application Posters