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    vendredi 12 septembre 2014

    Moto GP : Dovizioso mène les débats sous la pluie de Misano / Dovizioso handles wet conditions best on opening day


    Andrea Dovizioso a été l’auteur du meilleur chrono vendredi au Grand Prix TIM de Saint-Marin et de la Riviera di Rimini, où les deux séances de la journée ont eu lieu sur piste mouillée. L’Italien devance Yonny Hernández et Dani Pedrosa sur classement combiné.
    Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati Team, RSM FP2
    Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) a réalisé le meilleur (1’49.195) d’une seconde séance d’essais disputée sur piste trempée vendredi après-midi à Misano pour s’emparer de la tête du classement combiné, malgré une chute en début de séance. Yonny Hernández (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing) avait été le plus rapide le matin, dans des conditions similaires, et a terminé à la seconde position sur le classement combiné, après avoir été cinquième en FP2.
    Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) complète le Top 3 de la journée et s’étant classé deuxième l’après-midi, à moins de deux dixièmes de seconde de Dovizioso. Son coéquipier Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) et Danilo Petrucci (IodaRacing Project) sont quant à eux quatrième et cinquième.
    Pol Espargaró (Monster Yamaha Tech3), Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP), Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) et Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) figuraient eux aussi dans le Top 10 sur le classement combiné et sont donc provisoirement qualifiés en Q2.
    Pol-Espargaro-Monster-Yamaha-Tech-3-RSM-FP2-577010
    Rossi est tombé ce matin mais ne s’est heureusement pas blessé. Iannone a eu un peu moins de chance et a pris un gros coup à la cheville en tombant ce matin, avant de chuter une seconde fois cet après-midi.
    Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Karel Abraham (Cardion AB), Scott Redding (GO&FUN Honda Gresini), Álvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) et Alex De Angelis (NGM Forward Racing) ont également chuté.
    Cliquez ici pour accéder au classement.
    Andrea-Dovizioso-Ducati-Team-RSM-FP2-577048
    The MotoGP™ FP2 outing saw Andrea Dovizioso top the timesheets at the Gran Premio TIM di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, with Yonny Hernandez and Dani Pedrosa just behind him on combined times.
    Dovizioso (Ducati Team) put in a best time of 1’49.195 in a rain affected FP2 to lead the way despite a crash early in the session. Hernandez (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing) produced a best time of 1’50.310 in the morning to lead FP1 and was second overall, but did not improve in the afternoon practice which he finished fifth.
    Pedrosa was second in FP2 and third best overall with a time of 1’50.356 on the Repsol Honda RC213V. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and Danilo Petrucci (IodaRacing Project) completed the overall top five.
    Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3), Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP), Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) were all in the top ten.
    Rossi was one of several crashers in the morning session but was not hurt in the accident. Iannone was another morning crasher and he took a heavy ankle blow but was able to continue riding after lunch.
    Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing), Iannone, Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Karel Abraham (Cardion AB) all had FP2 falls too. Teammates Scott Redding and Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) and Alex De Angelis (NGM Forward Racing) fell in the final minutes of practice but were fortunately unharmed.

    Day 5 | BMW GS Trophy 2014

    Day 5 of the 2014 International GS Trophy was as action-packed as it gets, with spectacular off-road highlights, extremely testing specials, the surprise of a lifetime for one of the competitors and – in a first for the Trophy – a public reception where guests were invited to come along and see what the Trophy is all about.


    Day 1 - 2014 WRC Rally Australia : Ogier mène un trio de VW / Ogier tops VW one-two-three


    Les trois Volkswagen Polo R WRC/Michelin de Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala, et Andreas Mikkelsen ont conclu la première journée du Coates Hire Rally Australia 2014 en tête, mais Kris Meeke (Citroën, +4s1) et Mikko Hirvonen (Ford, +7s9) restent en embuscade.
    La 10e manche du Championnat du monde des Rallyes FIA 2014 s’est élancée ce matin dans les forêts australiennes de Nouvelle Galles du Sud, sur des pistes partiellement humides qui ont compliqué les choix de pneumatiques. Si Jari-Matti Latvala, Andreas Mikkelsen, Mikko Hirvonen et Hayden Paddon ont opté pour 5 pneus Michelin LTX Force hard, Thierry Neuville et Chris Atkinson ont penché pour 5 soft, Seb Ogier pour 2 soft et 3 hard et les pilotes Citroën pour 2 soft et 4 hard.
    Ces conditions humides ont profité à Sébastien Ogier dans l’ES1. Premier sur la route, le leader du championnat a réalisé le meilleur chrono. Mais ensuite, sur des pistes s’asséchant, le Français fut davantage handicapé et le Britannique Kris Meeke (Citroën/Michelin) profita de sa 8e position sur la route pour remporter l’ES2 et l’ES3 et prendre la tête.
    A l’issue de la 1ère boucle de spéciales, Meeke devançait Mikkelsen (VW) de 2s4, Mikko Hirvonen (Ford) de 3s3, Seb Ogier (VW) de 8s4, JM Latvala (VW) de 9s et Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) de 9s1. Le Néo-Zélandais Hayden Paddon (VW) menait un second groupe composé de Mads Ostberg (Citroën), Robert Kubica (Ford), Chris Atkinson (Hyundai) et Elfyn Evans (Ford).
    L’après-midi, sur des pistes plus sèches et poussiéreuses, Sébastien Ogier a de nouveau remporté la spéciale de Hyde Creeks (ES4), avant que son équipier Jari-Matti Latvala n’empoche les deux dernières « vraies » ES du jour. Kris Meeke fut le seul à pouvoir rivaliser avec les Volkswagen au cours de cette seconde boucle. Mikko Hirvonen a baissé un peu de rythme et perdu deux places dans l’ES6. Thierry Neuville a tapé quelque chose au départ de l’ES5, cassé une suspension arrière et perdu près de deux minutes.
    Au retour à Coffs Harbour, avant les deux Superspéciales, le top-5 se tenait en 5s6 avec la Citroën DS3 WRC de Meeke chassée par trois VW Polo R WRC (Latvala, Ogier, Mikkelsen) et la Ford Fiesta RS WRC d’Hirvonen. Le second « gruppetto » était toujours emmené par Hayden Paddon devant Mads Ostberg, peu en confiance, et Robert Kubica. Chris Atkinson a perdu plus d’une minute dans l’ES6.
    Comme on pouvait s’y attendre avec des écarts aussi restreints, les deux Superspéciales ont bouleversé le classement général. A chaque passage, les trois pilotes VW ont laissé leurs adversaires à plus de 2 secondes en 1,6 km !
    Sébastien Ogier a conclu cette 1ère journée en tête devant ses équipiers Latvala (+0s4) et Mikkelsen (+3s5). Kris Meeke (Citroën, +4s1) et Mikko Hirvonen (Ford, +7s9) complètent le top-5 provisoire.En WRC-2, le favori Ott Tanak (Ford) a perdu trois minutes (différentiel). Avec les Superspéciales, Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Ford/Michelin) était leader avec 9s4 d’avance sur Nasser Al-Attiyah et 26s1 sur Jari Ketomaa.
    Demain, l’étape comprend 118,88 km chronométrés et 6 spéciales, dont la plus longue du rallye, Nambucca (48,92 km) à parcourir deux fois. Les conditions météo ne s’annoncent pas très bonnes sur la côte est australienne.
    Volkswagen Polo R WRC/Michelin drivers Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen completed Day 1 of the 2014 Coates Hire Rally Australia at the top of the leaderboard. Kris Meeke (Citroën, +4.1s) and Mikko Hirvonen (Ford, +7.9s) aren’t far behind, however.
    Round 10 of the FIA World Rally Championship kicked off this morning with a visit to the forests of New South Wales. The partially damp conditions made tyre choice complex, with Latvala, Mikkelsen, Hirvonen and Hayden Paddon all opting for five hard-compound Michelin LTX Forces, while Thierry Neuville and Chris Atkinson went for four softs, Ogier chose two softs and three hards, and Citroën’s drivers went for two softs and four hards.
    The dampness on SS1 played in favour of Ogier who set the fastest time despite running first on the road. After that, however, conditions started to dry and the Frenchman was increasingly handicapped as Kris Meeke (Citroën/Michelin) took advantage of his running order (eighth) to claim SS2 and SS3.
    After the first competitive loop, Meeke led Mikkelsen (VW) by 2.4s, Hirvonen (Ford) by 3.3s, Ogier (VW) by 8.4s, Latvala (VW) by 9.0s and Neuville (Hyundai) by 9.1s. New Zealander Paddon (VW) headed the chasing pack which comprised Mads Ostberg (Citroën), Robert Kubica (Ford), Atkinson (Hyundai) and Elfyn Evans (Ford).
    The afternoon’s conditions were drier and dustier and Ogier was again fastest on ‘Hyde Creeks’ (SS4) before Latvala won the day’s last two ‘real’ stages. Meeke was the only driver to challenge his Volkswagen rivals on these tests as Hirvonen lost ground after SS6. Neuville dropped almost two minutes with suspension damage sustained at the start of SS5.
    Before the evening’s two super-specials, the top five were covered by just 5.6s, with Meeke chased by VW’s trio and Hirvonen. The second group of drivers was still led by Paddon, ahead of Ostberg – who has been lacking confidence – and Kubica. Atkinson dropped more than a minute on SS6.
    Given the small gaps, the two super-specials changed the leaderboard significantly as the three VW drivers beat their opponents by more than two seconds over a distance of just 1.6km!
    Ogier ended the first leg ahead of team-mates Latvala (+0.4s) and Mikkelsen (+3.5s), and the overnight top five is rounded off by Meeke (Citroën, +4.1s) and Hirvonen (Ford, +7.9s).
    The WRC-2 favourite Ott Tanak (Ford) has dropped three minutes with a differential problem. With the super-specials still to come, the class was topped Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Ford/Michelin), ahead of Nasser Al-Attiyah (9.4s) and Jari Ketomaa (26.1s).
    Saturday’s leg features 118.88km divided into six stages, including two visits to the weekend’s longest test Nambucca (48.92km). The weather conditions are expected to deteriorate.


    Supercar Showdown!

    Supercar Showdown! Shift S3ctor Airstrip Attack 4 from Jeffrey Hart on Vimeo.

    Chasing The Mexican 1000 In A 1972 Volkswagen Bug - Road Trippin’


    It just didn’t seem right to take my air-conditioned, fuel-injected Toyota 4Runner to the General Tire NORRA Mexican 1000. Truth be told my ’98 4Runner is only a few years away from qualifying as “vintage” by NORRA standards, but it just didn’t have the right feel for this race. So instead I took a Bug to chase the race. A ’72 Volkswagen Beetle.
    Just to make it clear, I am not an air-cooled guy. I don’t know the difference between a fastback and a hunchback, or enjoy messing with points ignitions and packing CVs with grease. My good friend Brian Errea had been bugging me (pun intended?) about building a Bug for years though, and the Mexican 1000 seemed like a good excuse to finally do it. The deal was that I would foot the bill, Brian would build the car, and then we would go to the Mexican 1000 together. When Brian and his wife Gretchen brought a baby girl into the world just a month before the race, it was clear that Brian would not be attending. The writing had been on the wall for a while, but fortunately my friend J was interested and had the time/money/inclination to make the trip with me. And he was a Volkswagen guy to boot.
    What other surprises lay in store for us as we drove a completely untested car 2,600 miles?
    Getting There Is Half the Fun?
    Before we could cross the border and eat tacos with Bruce Meyers, we needed a car. Brian Errea lives in South Dakota, where he spent months transforming a clapped-out shell into a beautifully restored car. The plan was to build a Class 11-inspired Bug with Fox remote reservoir shocks and General all-terrain tires, but with a full interior and a big engine instead of a ’cage and a high-strung 1,600cc motor that requires race fuel. Brian hit the mark perfectly, with a car that is a sleeper on the outside, looks brand new on the inside, and hides a 160 hp torque monster under the decklid. Unfortunately the car had zero miles on it when we took possession of it, only four days before leaving for Baja. We headed over to Samco Fabrication, who was fresh off a win in the 6100 class at the BITD Silver State 300, to convince them to prep the car for us. And they did, with two guys working full time on the Bug 10 hours a day for the three days before we left for Mexico.

    The Meyers Manx Club came to the Mexican 1000 to cheer on Bruce Meyers and travel down the peninsula, similar to what we were doing. We stayed with them at the Horsepower Ranch prior to the race and crossed paths with the club all the way to Cabo.
    The car fired long enough to load on the trailer so we could tow it to Horsepower Ranch in Ensenada. We arrived on Friday night to find the part in full swing, with a gaggle of Meyers Manx dune buggies, endless carne asada tacos, and the Tecate flowing. We got a chance to rub elbows with Bruce Meyers; the trip was off to a great start! The next day we took the Bug to contingency and met even more of our heroes, listening to stories and crawling over vintage race cars. On the way back to the Horsepower Ranch we stopped at Pemex for fuel. We had stuffed a jerrycan under the hood and could not get it open as a result. “What other surprises lay in store for us as we drove a completely untested car 2,600 miles?” we silently wondered.
    Not wanting to push our luck, we stuck to pavement on Day 1, catching the race cars on the road sections and spectating and the beginning and end of the two special stages where the course met the tarmac. Other than some leaks, the little Volkswagen performed admirably. It had no shortage of power and was a big hit with the Baja locals.
    Wee! The power-to-weight ratio and rear weight bias of the Bug made it a lot of fun to slide around in the dirt. Maybe I am a Bug guy after all I just didn’t realize it …
    Then Disaster Struck
    From Bay of L.A. we were going to go to Mission San Francisco Borja at the recommendation of Ned Bacon and Curt LeDuc. “You can make it in a car, no problem,” they both assured us. Heading down the empty dirt road we had second thoughts though. We are in an untested car. We are not with the race anymore. Is this a good idea? We thought better of it and returned to pavement to follow the route used by the chase trucks.

    Then disaster struck. As I decelerated we heard a loud, violent noise from the rear of the car. “Uh … must have been a bump in the road,” we lied to ourselves. On the next corner though it was clear that something was wrong. We pulled over on the shoulder and pulled a rear tire off the car to assess the damage. One caliper bolt was missing, and the other three were finger-tight. Fortunately there was no collateral damage, so we just had to wait patiently for a chase truck to pass with the parts we needed. As our patience waned we considered pinching off the brake line, or removing the caliper and tying it out of the way. Both seemed to create more problems than they would solve though. Eventually Team Pajaro Loco came by with their Baja Bug on a trailer. They let us steal a bellhousing bolt that was the right size and thread pitch, and we used the nut to make the threads the proper length for our caliper bracket. The fix is still on the car as I write this. Disaster averted.
    Disaster struck on Day 2. The brake caliper bolts were only finger-tight and one of them managed to find its way free. Fortunately, Tom Bird and the Pajaro Loco chase team stopped to help and had the bolt that would work to get us back on the road.
    We were up and running again, although our confidence in the car had been shaken and we had to drive well into the night to make it to Loreto. This meant that the most beautiful part of the drive, along the Sea of Cortez and Bahia de Concepcion, was made in the dark. Our only consolation was the Baja Designs light bar, which allowed us to travel at speeds that would never have been possible with the dim factory bulbs. At one point we blasted past a pit at the end of a special stage with the light bar shining and the air-cooled engine at full song. It made driving through the night all worth it.
    Directions From Curt LeDuc
    Although we had chickened out on our trip to a mission the previous day, we had another opportunity in Loreto. And this time the road was paved, and followed the race course. “If you leave an hour before the cars,” Curt LeDuc advised, “you can get to San Javier and shoot photos of all of the cars coming up the course through the canyon.” Sounds great! Except we didn’t get up in time to go to the mission an hour before the cars left the starting line. Instead, we were on the live course in the middle of the race. We had gone native.

    We made it! Close quarters when covering 400-plus miles a day for a week straight, but we were not complaining. At least not when this photo was taken early in the trip …
    J would look in the rearview mirror as I darted up the road, shouting “truck coming up fast!” as I looked for any place wide enough to get our Bug out of the way. When we found safety we would stop for a while and watch the competitors come by. They were racing through a working construction site complete with heavy equipment. In a narrow canyon. It was like something out of Death Race 2000, and it was glorious.
    After reaching Mission San Javier we had a choice to make. We could either continue down the race course to Santo Domingo or back track to Loreto and take the pavement. Backtracking meant either waiting until the course was clear or going backward on a live course, neither of which sounded like a good option. Instead we soldiered on, 30 miles down the course at 10 mph, cringing every time a rock crashed into the skidplate under the engine.
    Once reaching pavement we rejoiced, upping the speed as we headed for La Paz. They were doing road work in Santo Domingo, paving the road we were on. “I wonder how abrupt the transition is where the paving ends…” I wondered aloud just as I launched the Bug off a 6-inch-tall, square-edged transition at 60 mph. So much for babying the car!
    Originally our intention was to follow much of the course to shoot photos of the race and get the full Mexican 1000 experience. That experience did not include walking back to our tow rig in Ensenada though, so we tempered our time on course with a lot of pavement driving on Mex 1.
    View Slideshow
    Now We Have To Get Home
    The speedometer cable broke somewhere outside of La Paz, but that was the only mechanical issue we had after tightening the caliper bolts. Unless you count the morning ritual of adding brake fluid and engine oil, which we do not count. We were in the groove, clicking off the miles as we bench raced about how to build J’s Meyers Tow’d for the Mexican 1000. We made it to San Jose del Cabo to watch the winners cross the finish line and had plenty of time to get cleaned up before the South Point Driver’s Awards ceremony. Which, by the way, was amazing. Hanging out with Bruce Meyers and Larry Roeseler. Free margaritas. Fireworks. This is what we came for!

    After the race was over and the hangover wore off from the awards ceremony, it was time to put the ocean in the rearview mirror and begin the long journey north.
    After the hang over wore off from the award ceremony we counted up how much money we had left and started working our way north. “You race south and then eat your way north,” Curt LeDuc advised. The plan was to take two days back to the Horsepower Ranch in Ensenada, then cross the border on the third morning and continue home to Reno. We took our time, stopping at tourist traps in Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos, and we worked our way north. We stopped for the night to camp under a full moon on the beach south of Mulege. The ocean water was cool and inviting after another sweltering day in the car with the windows down and the revs up. Overdrive was high off the list of priorities when we got home.
    Mama Espinoza’s is a fixture of Baja racing, and you cannot pass through El Rosario without stopping. Unfortunately the famous lobster burrito was not in season, but we were lucky enough to dine with Bruce Meyers and the Manx Club.
    Taking Curt’s advice, we stopped at Rice and Beans in San Ignacio and Mama Espinoza’s in El Rosario on our way back to the Horsepower Ranch. We also explored the French architecture of Santa Rosalia’s charming downtown. And by “French architecture,” I mean tacos. Before we knew what had happened, the Bug was back on the trailer and we were in line to cross the border back to Los Estados Unidos. As Baja shrank in the rearview mirror our cell phones blew up with frantic coworkers and emergencies real and imagined. Even with the sunburn and the bug bites and empty wallets, we were already planning our next trip to Baja. It will take some planning; this one will be hard to top.
    On the way home we slept in thatched huts just south of Mulege along the Bahia de Concepcion. The full moon was spectacular but the semitrucks using their Jake brakes on Mex 1 all through the night was not. Nor were the bites from the sand fleas.
    Top 10 Features On Our Bug
    1. Big Engine: Power comes from a 2180cc mill that Brian Errea built. It makes as much power out of each cylinder as the original engine made overall! The dual Weber IDF carbs brought a smile to our face every time we mashed the throttle to pass a semitruck on Mex 1.

    2. Baja Designs Light Bar: Twisted Customs typically builds high-end rock buggies, but they did us a favor and built the trick light bar mounts for our Baja Designs OnX Arc Series light bar. It was definitely the most popular feature on the car.
    3. General Grabber AT2s on vintage Baja Edition rims: Brian Errea found a set of genuine Baja Edition Volkswagen rims that our friend Sam Cothrun said look like steel Method Race Wheels. We shod them with 215/75R15 General Grabber AT2s and never had a single problem.
    4. Fox Shocks: We got Fox Class 11 shocks that bolt in to the stock mounts and use a 2-inch shock body but big 2.5-inch reservoirs. The shocks soaked up the bumps with ease, even when the car got airborne.
    5. MasterCraft Safety Seats: If you are going to spend 2,600 miles in a Bug you want to do it in comfortable seats, and these MasterCraft Classics fit the bill. We ordered the optional map pockets for the rear of seats that had enough room for not only maps but our water bladders and stickers as well.
    6. Autographed Glovebox Door- The plaque on the door is a factory reproduction that Brian Errea found on TheSamba.com. Bruce Meyers, Bob Gordon, Walker Evans, and Bud Feldkamp added the finishing touches at the Mexican 1000.
    7. Custom Paint: This is a bit of an inside joke. I own a rockcrawling pickup with Forest Service paint dubbed the “Junior Mint” so Shad and Shane Dalquist painted the Bug to match, earning it the name “Spare Mint.”
    8. Wing Windows: Why don’t they make these anymore? We didn’t have air conditioning, but with the wing windows properly positioned we never felt like we needed it.
    9. Wood Steering Wheel: The walnut Grant steering wheel is a classy touch in the completely restored interior. The shifter knob is wood as well and we intend to add a wood knob to the cutting brake handle and wood window rollers to complete the look.
    10. Names on the Side: Nothing makes you feel like a race car driver like putting your name and blood type on the side of your car!
    Five Things We Would Change For Next Time: More time on the car beforehand! Tachometer
    Overdrive
    Lowrance GPS
    Hard-mounted race radio

    Five Things We Are Glad We Brought:
    Pesos (6,000 each, and we used them all)
    Stickers (to hand out to kids and soldiers)
    Camera (to capture the memories)
    CamelBak (to stay hydrated without having to stop)
    Straw hat (to cover our pasty skin)

    Five Things We Did Not Need:
    Jet Boil stove (ate tacos for every meal)
    Socks (wore sandals every day)
    Pants (wore shorts every day)
    Cutting brake (never got stuck)
    Stereo (couldn’t hear it anyway)


    From: http://www.fourwheeler.com/features/1410-chasing-the-mexican-1000-in-a-1972-volkswagen-bug-road-trippin/#ixzz3Cx5P6u6v
    Follow us: @fwmag on Twitter | fourwheelermag on Facebook

    ROUGH CRAFTS’ HARLEY DYNA “URBAN CAVALRY”


    Custom Harley-Davidson Dyna built by Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts.
    Is there any remaining doubt that Rough Crafts is one of the world’s top custom Harley builders? On the evidence of this new Dyna, I don’t think so.
    ‘Urban Cavalry’ is not your typical Harley build. For starters, it’s an official commission—a gift to the custom scene from the folks at Harley-Davidson Taiwan. Even better, they gave Rough Crafts’ Winston Yeh the freedom to pursue his own direction, and he chose performance.
    Custom Harley-Davidson Dyna built by Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts.
    ‘Performance’ and ‘Harley-Davidson’ are words not usually found in the same sentence. But this machine, based on a 2014-spec Dyna Street Bob, shows what’s possible. “The Dyna platform has a good balance between engine power and bike size,” says Yeh. “Out of all the current Harley model families, it’s also got the best potential for good handling.”
    Custom Harley-Davidson Dyna built by Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts.
    To ramp up the dynamics, Yeh has fitted a complete new front end, with upside-down Kawasaki sportbike forks supplied by Satya Kraus. “Satya has been a great friend for several years now,” says Yeh. “And I’ve always loved his Dynamoto Front End kit with Öhlins forks. We’ve fitted a shorter custom version of that kit to improve the stance, and blacked-out Öhlins shocks at the back.” Yeh also installed an aluminum swingarm from Roaring Toyz and a BDL open belt drive, both of which reduce weight even further.
    The brake system is equally high end. The dark metal composite rotors were custom-made by the US firm Lyndall Racing Brakes, and they’re hooked up to six-piston calipers from exotic Swedish brand ISR. Brake fade will never be an issue.
    Custom Harley-Davidson Dyna built by Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts.
    The stock Dyna has a surfeit of torque, so the powertrain upgrades are restricted to the engine breathing. The 103 ci (1689 cc) motor gets a boost from S&S ‘Super G’ carburetion—plus a quite extraordinary exhaust system. It’s from Dog House Racing, Taiwan’s premium titanium exhaust fabricator.
    “I’ve known Dog House for years and always wanted to work with him,” says Yeh. “It’s just that our blacked-out, vintage-style bikes haven’t been a good fit for the ‘titanium rainbow’ effect he creates. But now, for this performance-driven bike, it was the perfect time to make a full titanium system. So we sat down together, and came up with a design similar to Rough Crafts’ classic ‘Bomber’ 2-into-1 pipe.”
    Custom Harley-Davidson Dyna built by Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts.
    Despite the new-found focus on tearing up the asphalt, the Dyna is the best example yet of the stunning Rough Crafts ‘look’. With a narrow custom tank and a superbike-inspired tail unit, there’s a distinct air of vintage sci-fi. It’s the kind of machine you could imagine racing through the streets in Blade Runner.
    The finish is almost entirely monochrome, with black anodized hard parts offset by semi-gloss grey paint from Air Runner. Even the Arlen Ness Beveled Wheels, 18” at the front and 17” at the back, have been completely blacked out. The only glimpses of color are the titanium exhaust pipework, the fork tubes, and tiny brass highlights on the pushrod collars made by 2 Abnormal Sides.
    Custom Harley-Davidson Dyna built by Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts.
    I wouldn’t call myself a Harley guy, but I’d be happy to have this bike in my garage. Correction: I would gladly sell a close family member to put this bike in my garage.
    Top marks to Rough Crafts for another out-of-this-world build.
    Visit Rough Crafts on Facebook | Instagram | Harley-Davidson Taiwan | Images by Bobby Ho
    Custom Harley-Davidson Dyna built by Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts.
    via BIKEexif

    ALESSIA’S SKINNY BOBBER


    Dagger Cycles Allesia 1
    The upstart punks at Dagger Cycles are at it again, taking the Hinckley Bonnie and making bare bones music with it. This time Sid has brought along Nancy…
    “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, so Marilyn sang. True or not, blinking rocks are in good company on a girl’s wish list, along with Italian dresses, those not-so-cheap French shoes with the red soles and heels, violently price bags and other nefarious stuff. But I don’t think anybody has ever named “british bobbers” in such a list; but please don’t tell it to Alessia, a girl from Turin.”
    Cool as…
    Dagger Cycles Allesia 2
    Alessia Fontano approached Roberto at Dagger Cycles to fulfill the item at the top of her list, a custom bike. A big fan of old school Californian Bobbers based on old pre-unit and later unit Triumphs, she knew what she wanted. However, as many of us know, the practicalities of using a classic daily, with kickstart-skinned shins and oil dashed trousers, can sometimes not live up to the dream. Also, with donor bikes becoming tricky to find in Italy and city road surfaces little better than the pockmarked rubble we have in the UK, a different approach was required.
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    A venerable 865cc Hinckley Bonneville was sourced, to be transformed into the ‘Skinny Bobber’. A late carbed model, to keep it old school, the plan was to avoid cutting the main frame. Instead the bike has been slimmed through the use of new custom parts, modified original ones and a lot of slimming black powder coat. A key to the bobbed look was replacing the chunky original seat with the in house solo seat, everything Alessia needs to ride and nothing more. Lighting is taken care of by the original bike headlight at the front but an old tractor trailer light at the rear; perfectly representing the build process.
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    But this had to be a practical build, a daily ride. So the bike needed sensible rubber, in this case a Dunlop F24 up front and a Metzler Lazertec out back. And these tyres needed to be shrouded by mudguards. It’s really not a great look to turn up to a meet with a badger stripe and a faceful of grit; a real consideration for Alessia as the weather is decidedly un-Italian in her part of the country. Vintage rubber grips, mini indicators and speedo and a shallow rise bar all strip the Bonnie back to a more basic look. The Dagger Cycles gold carb tops give just the smallest hint of bling.
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    Progressive rear shocks lift the rear of the bike while the standard forks up front have been dropped through the yokes and given some gaiters to complement the classic style. Wheels have been completely rebuilt receiving powdercoated rims and hubs with contrasting stainless spokes. Black dominates the body of the bike, making the Cherry Red tank really pop. The soundtrack from the Megaton exhausts add the necessary aural excitement and have been blacked; this Bonnie rides low and dark.
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    Keep your eye on Roberto and The Bike Shed’s Dagger Cycles Page, or their Facebook page.
    via The Bike Shed