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    dimanche 30 mars 2014

    KUSTOM KOMMUNE GB400


    KK GB400 1
    We have a few regular builders from Oz but not nearly enough, so this metalflake GB400 brat was very welcome in the Bike Shed inbox. The bike was initially built by Raider Motrsport and then finished up by Jimmy G from Kustom Kommune, who are a DIY communal moto workshop and are also co-owners of Oil Stained Brain, which runs an event that helped inspire the vibe of the BSMC events here in London.
    KK GB400 2
    The donor bike is an imported 1988 Honda GB4oo with an extensively customised frame made to accommodate a modified XS650 tank.
    KK GB400 3
    The engine has been completely rebuilt with porting and re-ground cams. The  rear sets were also custom made to be adjustable for different riding positions which are complemented by clip-ons for a proper cafe style racing crouch.
    KK GB400 4
    The triple clamps are also customised and have all the warning lights and the starter button built-in. Also up front, is an aftermarket speedo. The wheels have been re-spoked and laced to backed out rims which wear Coker Diamond tyres. Down at the back the bike has new shocks with a custom fender and a new aftermarket taillight from Sparto behind the one-off single seat.
    KK GB400 5
    The engine was painted black before the fins were then polished back to the metal, and to help take advantage of the new cam profile and porting the engine runs a Mikuni TM36 Flatslide carb and a custom under frame exhaust. In fact the engine was originally set up to take a turbo, ahich Jimmy says may one day get fitted… The electrics are also minimised and run a Lithium Ion 4-cell battery which helps the bike run but still demands her to be kick-started into life.
    KK GB400 6
    Of course, what really stands out on the build is the retro 60′s chopper style metalflake paint which was by Thom Armstrong from Rusty Kustoms. Jimmy normally builds raw bikes, but this time around he wanted a bit of bling on this one. Job done!
    KK GB400 7
    So, how does the bike ride? “Its very revvy, quick off the line and will sit on 140kmph no probs!” Next up Jimmy and Richie are building a 48 Sportser for Harley Davidson Australia through the Kustom Kommune. We look forward to seeing it. See more from Kustom Kommune on Facebook and Instagram.
    KK GB400 8
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    Stunning vintage sidecars


    Vintage sidecar10 absolutely epic photos taken at a vintage sidecar event.
    To be honest we’re unsure as to where these photos came from, who took them or what the event was about – but what we can tell you is that this short collection of images captured our complete attention, particularly the first two snaps. Our apologies for the lack of information this time ’round – we hope you enjoy these photos as much as we do, and if you can shed some light on the story behind them be sure to contact us via Facebook.
    SONY DSC
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    1982 MIRAGE M12 PROTOTYPE


    Mirage M12 Car 3
    The 1982 Mirage M12 Group C Sports Prototype is a car that was at the very centre of one of the most controversial disqualifications in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Just 20 minutes before the race was due to start and the entire field were making final preparations to their cars the stewards opted to disqualify the Mirage M12 from the race due to the location of an oil cooler.
    The father and son driver team of Mario Andretti and son Michael Andretti were absolutely furious and the decision remains controversial to this day, with many blaming organisational politics and possibly even corruption as the cause.
    The car itself showed exceptional promise as both a Group C and IMSA GTP competitor and its heritage as a Mirage almost guaranteed a certain amount of success – automobiles built by Mirage didn’t fail to finish outside of the top 10 at Le Mans between 1974 and 1978, including a win and a total of 4 podium places.
    The stunning design of the Mirage M12 was the work of designer John Horsman, it utilised an advanced (for the era) aluminium honeycomb monocoque chassis, a Cosworth 3.9 litre DFL engine and an aerodynamics-first design that employed a covered rear wheel, recessed radiator inlets and one of the biggest diffusers you’ll see this side of theMcLaren P1.
    Interestingly, vehicles built by Mirage were the first to ever wear the now iconic Gulf livery, they were also the first to claim race wins wearing Gulf colours and the last to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the orange and blue. The Mirage M12 you see pictured here is due to be auctioned in Monaco on the 10th of May 2014 with RM Auctions, if you’d like to buy it and then arrange to have it delivered to Le Mans, you can click here.
    Mirage M12 Car 11 740x492 1982 Mirage M12 Prototype
    Mirage M12 Car 740x492 1982 Mirage M12 Prototype
    Mirage M12 Car 8 740x492 1982 Mirage M12 Prototype
    Mirage M12 Car 7 740x492 1982 Mirage M12 Prototype
    Mirage M12 Car 6 740x1112 1982 Mirage M12 Prototype
    Mirage M12 Car 10 740x1142 1982 Mirage M12 Prototype
    Mirage M12 Car 5 740x492 1982 Mirage M12 Prototype
    Mirage M12 Car 4 740x492 1982 Mirage M12 Prototype
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    Mirage M12 Car 9 740x381 1982 Mirage M12 Prototype
    Photo Credits: Aaron Summerfield ©2014 Courtesy of RM Auctions
    via SILODROME
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    THE CLASSIC INDIAN COLLECTION


    indian collection 1
    We’ve been covering the Indian Motorcycle company quite often over the past few months, the recent resurgence under Polaris ownership is the most promising return to form that the company has had since the original company went out of business in 1953.
    Their new model line is made up of 3 bikes but the list of models produced throughout the 20th century is expansive, in this eBay Collection we tried to ensure that we covered bikes from Indian’s early days as well as their newer offerings – so that there’ll be something here for every fan of the marque and every budget from under $10,000 to over $100,000.
    indian collection 2 740x551 The Classic Indian Collection
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    20 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT LANDROVER


    BY AARON MILLER
    Chances are you know that Land Rovers got their start as the British version of the Jeep, and that they were owned by BMW for a while, but did you know the first Land Rover had the steering wheel in the middle, or that tank treads used to be a factory option? We dove into their past, and found 20 things you probably didn't know about Land Rover.

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    1. Land Rovers have been around 30 years longer than their company has.
    Land Rovers have been built since 1948, when they became the second oldest four wheel drive vehicles in automotive history after Jeeps. Back then, they were made by Rover, but Land Rover as a company wasn’t founded until 1978, as part of a really odd period of British mismanagement of the auto industry.
    2. The first Land Rover had the steering wheel in the middle.
    It was modeled after WWII-era Jeeps, because the designer had used one on his farm in Wales. To keep things simple and more tractor-like, the designer just put the steering wheel in the middle. In doing so he also dodged the pesky nuisance of building two different versions of the car for left and right hand drive markets.
    3. They sponsored the ultimate college joyride.
    LR used to provide trucks for students from Oxford and Cambridge to drive across continentsto places like Singapore and the Sahara, “for the sake of learning.” Does your school give credit for epic road trips? We didn’t think so.

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    4. The father of Land Rover's larger offspring, the Range Rover, was a jet engine-designing badass.
    After WWII, Charles S. King worked with Rolls Royce, and helped them develop their first jet engines. To this day RR makes some of the best jet engines in the world.
    5. By the way, those jet engines? Charlie built a car around one and set the first turbine powered world land speed record.
    Imagine the conversation, "Hey Charlie, what should we do with all these spare jet engines designed for airplanes?" Charlie: "I'm gonna bolt one to a car and ride across the desert on top of it."
    6. You could order a Land Rover with tank treads in the fifties from the Rover factory, because f*ck you that’s why.
    The Series II Cuthbertson was invented by a Scotsman who figured out that treads would enable the SUV to trek across the Highlands without sinking into the spongy ground. Legend has it that originally this was a stunt meant to embarrass the English, who weren’t clever enough to come up with the idea on their own. However, eventually this became a factory option.

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    7. They also invented the Monster Truck 30 years before anyone else.
    In the 1950s, the British Forestry Commission demanded that someone create a road going vehicle that could tackle even the deepest mud puddles. Land Rover happily obliged, bolting on four tractor tires and some beefy axles from a Studebaker to a Series IIA, thereby giving birth to the first monster truck.
    8. Oh, and they made the most grueling off-road challenge in the world their bitch for two decades.
    Land Rover dominated the Camel Trophy, which included treks across places like Siberia, the Amazon, Tierra del Fuego, and the Australian Outback, with vehicles that were mostly stock. Except for uhhh epic inflatable boat functionality.
    9. The first Range Rover was designed in the 1950s, even though Range Rovers didn’t exist until the 1970s.
    It was called the Road Rover, and was based on a car platform, about five decades ahead of today’s crossover SUVs.

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    10. Land Rover hated paying taxes, and went to great lengths to make sure their buyers didn’t have to either.
    The Defender 110 could technically fit up to 12 people, qualifying as a “bus” by the taxman’s standards. This qualification allowed them to be exempt from the brutal tax system on passenger vehicles. Extra bonus: you get to use bus lanes and skip out on all that pesky London traffic.
    11. They made floating SUVs, because of course.
    You’ve gotta really trust your floatation device if you’re gonna float your SUV down a river.
    12. Their military vehicles make Hummers look like toy cars.
    The 101 Forward Vehicle was originally built to tow howitzer cannons, and it’s basically Britain’s answer to the Unimog. It was called the Forward Vehicle because the driver sat forward of the front wheels. Crumple zones were clearly not a chief concern here. Getting into the driver's cabin is a bit of a challenge however, so they had to build a step into the wheel.

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    13. The Range Rover was built exactly as the first prototype was designed. That literally never happens in the car industry.
    Somehow, when they put together the 1966 prototype that ultimately led to production, the lines never changed.

    14. And that design was good enough to get the Range Rover displayed in the Louvre.
    Like, the actual Louvre with all the art, because it was considered a masterpiece of industrial design.
    15. The first 25 pre-production Range Rovers were actually called Velars.
    This was only done to confuse the general public so they wouldn’t speculate about Range Rover.
    16. The second Range Rover ever produced had six wheels, obviously.
    It was converted to an airport fire truck, and is still in use today.

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    17. Range Rover won the first ever Dakar Rally, the legendary race from Paris to Dakar, Senegal.
    It was an all French team, and they kind of ran away with it.

    18. Range Rover wasn’t always part of the same company.
    When BMW bought the Rover group in 1994, they split Land Rover from Rover, then sold Land Rover to Ford in 2000. They remained different companies until Ford bought Range Rover in 2006. Now they’re both part of Jaguar Land Rover, which is owned by Tata motors, maker of the world’s cheapest car.

    19. Unsurprisingly, Charlie King hated that Range Rovers became luxury vehicles.
    He went on record as saying they had become “an acceptable alternative to Mercedes or BMW for the pompous, self-important driver”.
    20. By the year 2139, Land Rover will be the only vehicle manufacturer left.
    They’ll only make the 101 Forward Vehicle, and they’ll be used as cabs. At least, that’s what they said in Judge Dredd. They made a few of these for the movie, by the way, and several of them are still driven around on the streets of Britain by some very strange, very awesome people.


    Aaron Miller is the Rides editor for Supercompressor. He would totally drive a Judge Dredd101FV on the street if he owned one, and you can follow him on Twitter.
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