Yard Built XV950 'El Ratón Asesino' by Marcus Walz

Legendary German custom bike builder Marcus Walz is back with a stunning take on the Yamaha XV950; ‘El Ratón Asesino’ sets a new standard for detail.

The ride gets a full work over with the stock front-end suspension unit modified and lowered with prototype progressive springs whilst the rear gets fully adjustable Öhlins shocks. Hand-cast magnesium wheels by Marvic are fitted with custom adapters made in house. Custom rear sets change the ride dynamic giving a sportier sitting position.

Modified front and rear brake calipers clamp on to Wave rotors front and rear for stopping power and the bike is finished with a stunning pale blue retro paint job, pin striping, and of course Yamaha speed blocks!

DAKAR day3 : Walkner (KTM) crée la surprise ; Terranova (Mini) prend sa revanche

Débutant ne rime pas forcement avec « lent ». Le pilote KTM Matthias Walkner a en tout cas démontré toute sa vitesse en décrochant sa première victoire sur le Dakar alors qu'en auto, Orlando Terranova goûtait déjà à son deuxième succès en trois jours.

Huitième de sa toute première spéciale sur le Dakar, puis 6e de la spéciale la plus longue du rallye entre Villa Carlos Paz et San Juan, Matthias Walkner était décidé à tracer le chemin le plus court possible vers sa première victoire sur le Dakar. Triple champion du monde MX1-MX3, l'Autrichien se plaçait dans le trio de tête au CP2 avant de passer la surmultipliée pour déposer tous les spécialistes de la discipline et ouvrir son palmarès sur l'épreuve reine des rallyes à l'arrivée à Chilecito. Une performance qui le place directement dans les pilotes à suivre, alors que Marc Coma est, lui, déjà surveillé de près par tous ses adversaires. Après une perte de plus de dix minutes la veille, le vainqueur en titre est revenu dans le coup et ne cède que 40 secondes à Walkner.


Il reprend surtout plus d'une minute à un Joan Barreda qui n'a pas tenté le diable et s'assure d'une solide troisième place pour consolider son leadership au général. Quatrième de l'étape, Toby Price confirme la bonne forme des rookies et devance le dauphin de Barreda au classement provisoire, Paulo Goncalves. Alain Duclos réalise lui une belle fin d'étape pour amener sa Sherco au sixième rang alors que le reste du contingent français est plus à la peine avec notamment les 16e et 21e places des Yamaha de Michael Metge et Olivier Pain. A noter la belle performance de la première féminine Laia Sanz, 17e du jour.

Habitué des places d'honneurs, Lucas Bonetto réalise aujourd'hui sa plus belle étape en quad depuis la quinzième position au départ ce matin. L'Argentin s'impose devant son public grâce à une très belle fin de spéciale alors qu'il accusait trois minutes de retard sur le leader au CP2 Sebastian Halpern qu'il devance finalement de 58 secondes à l'arrivée. A 2'14 du vainqueur, Sonik Rafal profite de la mauvaise journée d'Ignacio Casale pour prendre le large au général.

Parti à la faute en fin de spéciale lundi, Orlando Terranova n'est pas décidé à laisser son coéquipier Nasser Al-Attiyah mener tranquillement le rallye. L'Argentin, qui connait bien les routes de sa région, a pour cela produit son effort dans la deuxième partie de la spéciale après être passé dans des temps similaires à Giniel de Villiers et Al-Attiyah au CP1. Il reprend finalement presque deux minutes au pilote Toyota et plus de quatre minutes au leader du général. Une bataille à laquelle est venu se mêler un Alrajhi Yazeed qui participe à son premier Dakar et occupe désormais une très belle cinquième place au général.

Du côté des Peugeot, Carlos Sainz semble prendre ses marques et monter en puissance avec la quatrième place du jour à quatre minutes du vainqueur, même si l'Espagnol est désormais loin d'être en position idéale pour jouer la gagne à Buenos Aires à presque vingt minutes d'Al-Attiyah au général. Stéphane Peterhansel remonte lui aussi dans le classement même si le Français cède encore près de dix minutes au vainqueur alors que son ancien coéquipier Nani Roma sort la tête de l'eau avec la sixième place de l'étape mardi soir à Chilecito. 3e du général ce matin, Bernhard Ten Brinke a perd 30 minutes et chute au 8e rang.

6e de la première étape puis 3e de la seconde, Airat Mardeev a poursuivi sa montée en puissance avec une première victoire sur le Dakar 2015 camion qui lui permet de prendre la tête du rallye. Le pilote Kamaz est parvenu à creuser un écart de près de deux minutes sur le deuxième Kamaz d'Andrey Karginov, vainqueur en 2014, et de 4'30 sur le régulier Gerard de Rooy. Au général, Mardeev possède désormais huit minutes d'avance sur ses principaux adversaires.

Being a debutant does not necessarily mean being slow. In any case, KTM Matthias Walkner gave a fine demonstration of speed to pick up his first stage victory on the Dakar, whilst in the car category Orlando Terranova enjoyed his second success in two days.
After finishing eighth on his very first special on the Dakar, then 6th on the longest special of this year's edition between Villa Carlos Paz and San Juan, Matthias Walkner decided to take the quickest route to his first stage victory on the Dakar. The Austrian three times MX1-MX3 world champion was in the leading trio at CP2 before going into overdrive, leaving the discipline's specialists in his wake and writing the first entry on his roll of honour for the King of all rallies at the finish in Chilecito. This performance puts him definitively among the riders to keep an eye on, whilst Marc Coma is being closely watched by all his rivals. After losing more than ten minutes the previous day, the title holder staged a comeback, finishing only 40 seconds behind Walkner.

More importantly, he gained one minute back on Joan Barreda who did not tempt fate and instead made sure of a solid third place to consolidate his leadership in the general standings. Toby Price finished fourth on the stage, to confirm the rookies' good form, ahead of Barreda's nearest rival in the general standings, Paulo Goncalves. Alain Duclos put in a fine performance at the end of the stage to put his Sherco in sixth place, whilst the rest of the French contingent is struggling, with in particular the 16th and 21st places of the Yamahas ridden by Michael Metge and Olivier Pain. Laia Sanz, the leading lady, enjoyed a noteworthy performance, finishing 17th on the day's stage.

A regular occupier of the places of honour, today Lucas Bonetto accomplished his finest stage on a quad, having started in fifteenth position this morning. The Argentinean won in front of his home crowd thanks to a dazzling end to the special, after having trailed Sebastian Halpern at CP2 by three minutes, before beating him by 58 seconds at the finishing line. 2'14 behind the winner, Rafal Sonik took advantage of the mishaps suffered by Ignacio Casale to open up a lead in the general standings.


After crashing at the end of the special on Monday, Orlando Terranova had no intention of leaving his team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah to effortlessly lead the rally. The Argentinean, who has good knowledge of the tracks in his region, produced a sterling effort in the second part of the special after having reached CP1 with a similar time to Giniel de Villiers and Al-Attiyah. In the end, he clawed back almost two minutes on the Toyota driver and more than four minutes on the Qatari general standings leader. This battle was joined by Alrajhi Yazeed who is taking part in his first Dakar and who now occupies a very impressive fifth place in the general standings.

As for the Peugeot team, Carlos Sainz seems to be getting the hang of the new car and improving in performance terms with the day's fourth place, four minutes behind the day's winner, even if the Spaniard is still far from being in an ideal position to battle for victory in Buenos Aires, trailing Al-Attiyah by almost 20 minutes in the general standings. Stéphane Peterhansel is also climbing back up the standings even if the Frenchman did lose almost ten minutes to Terranova today, whilst his former team-mate Nani Roma finally put his mishaps behind him with sixth place this Tuesday evening in Chilecito. Third in the general standings this morning, Bernhard Ten Brinke lost 30 minutes and drops down to 8th place.

6th on the first stage and then 3rd on the second, Airat Mardeev has continued his progression with a first stage victory on the Dakar 2015, enabling him to take the lead in the general standings. The Kamaz driver managed to open up a gap of almost two minutes over a second Kamaz driven by Andrey Karginov, the winner in 2014, and a gap of 4'30 over the ever consistent Gerard de Rooy. In the general standings, Mardeev now boasts a lead of eight minutes over his main rivals.

Jännerrallye (ERC): Kajetanowicz claims Euro opener

Round one of the 2015 FIA European Rally Championship was won by Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Ford Fiesta R5). The Pole completed Austria’s Internationale Jännerrallye more than seven minutes clear of second-placed Frenchman Robert Consani (Peugeot 207 S2000). The fight-back of Alexey Lukyanik (Ford Fiesta R5) was rewarded with third place.

Ford driver Kajetan Kajetanowicz led from flag to flag and won all but one stage of the 2015 Internationale Jännerrallye to win the opening round of the 2015 European Rally Championship.

The LOTOS driver overcame a wide range of wintry conditions, including blizzards, to dominate the two-day event in Upper Austria and take the first prize by the incredible margin of more than seven minutes! The achievement earned him a cash prize of €7,000.

The Pole’s mission was assisted by early trouble for the Peugeot Rally Academy’s Craig Breen (208 T16) who exited the event on the very first stage yesterday (Monday). However, the Irishman made use of the Rally2 ruling to re-join today and salvage some potentially valuable bonus points for his Leg 2 performance.

A carefully-paced run from Frenchman Robert Consani bagged second place, while the biggest fight of the rally opposed the Czech Republic’s Jaromir Tarabus (Skoda Fabia S2000) and Belarus driver Alexey Lukyanuk (Fiesta R5). The latter lost a big chunk of time after suffering an overheating issue on SS1, yet he bounced back from 23^rd overall to clinch the bronze medal by a margin of 20.7s thanks to a score of 15 second-fastest times over the remainder of the event. The two men were split by just 8.5s – in Tarabus’ favour – ahead of the final test…

Martin Fischerlehner (5^th, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX) ended up as the best-placed Austrian runner at the chequered flag.

Making one of his rare ERC outings this season, the reigning Junior champ Stéphane Lefebvre (Citroën DS3 R5) had been on course for fifth spot when he was side-lined by a mechanical problem.

ERC2 honours went to Czech driver Vojtech Stajf (Subaru Impreza WRX STI), more than two minutes clear of his closest chaser, while the ERC3 order was topped by Pole Slawomir Ogryzek (Peugeot 208 R2) by a margin of more than four minutes.

Next round: Rally Liepaja, Latvia (February 6-8).

The Biggest Crashes from the 2014 Malaysian Cub Prix

One of the highlights for me this year was getting to travel to Malaysia, for the Malaysian Grand Prix. A tremendously diverse country, Malaysians come together for many things, but one of the biggest is motorcycle racing.

The Malaysian economy hasn’t quite caught up with the country’s appetite though, so large-displacement machines are more of a rarity than a norm on the city streets.

Instead, you will see Malaysians riding these small-displacement bike that no matter the manufacturer, looks suspciously like the iconic Honda Cub.

Naturally the racing desire conquers all, and these “cubs” are raced, en masse, on Malaysian “race courses” — some of which are more professionally put together than others.

The speeds might not be MotoGP-level, but the riders are going 10/10ths, and the crashes are just as intense. For your cringing pleasure, here are the biggest crashes from the 2014 Malaysian Cub Prix, after the jump.

Source: Malaysian Cub Prix via Motor Pasion Moto

BMW Nine-T by Motosketches

BMW Nine-T " CLUBRACER"


BMW Nine-T "DANDY"


BMW Nine-T "RED"


BMW Nine-T " MOTORSPORT"


BMW Nine-T "COUNTRYMAN"


BMW Nine-T "BLACK SOUL"


BMW Nine-T "BIANCANEVE"

BRAD’S CM400

As 2015 finally stretches, farts and rolls out of bed, it means different things to each of us. Some, perhaps, had an incredible 2014 and are willing a Groundhog year to happen. Others are quite relieved to watch the calendar tick over and embrace the new dawn. Life can happily give you a swift kick to the plums when you least expect it; for some it comes back for a second punt when you’re fetal on the floor. Brad, owner of Cafe Creations & Customs based in Largo, Florida, is certainly looking to this new year as a chance to focus on the future and capitalise on the solid foundations he’s worked tirelessly to lay down.

Having built bikes under the “Cafe Creations & Customs” banner for a while now, the New Year brings with it a new name: “Brad Bilt Vintage Motorcycles”. The natural next step, having made a name for himself in Florida; it’s not uncommon to see a dozen of his bikes at a local meet. So 2015 brings plans afoot for global domination, Brad refining his builds, and challenging himself on each aspect of every bike.

Thankfully he can count Michael Mundy of Steelbent Customs and the Dime City Cycles crew as good friends: owner Jason Paul Michaels (and Jason’s ‘boss’ Leticia Cline) crashed at Brad’s for a while. I imagine there were a few interesting late night talks round the kitchen table in that household!

When a customer walked in wanting his 1980 Honda CM400T given some cafe treatment, Brad knew he had a challenge on his hands. Although a clean example, the swoopy subframe of the CM takes work to apply attitude. Undeterred, Brad spent time planning how to tackle it and then out came the tools.

About halfway through the build, on a regular visit to the workshop, the owner spotted Brad’s freshly finished  Honda CB750 SOHC sitting in the corner. Sporting a full aluminum fairing, the customer decided it must be his, so a deal was done. Brad found himself with a half finished CM400, a pocketful of money and a bunch of ideas.

Deciding to not lop off the pressed steel rear frame, the decision was made to make the bike flow with it’s original metalwork retained. After a trimming of the rear end and a general clean up of inapposite tabs, the frame was sent to Profab Customs for powdercoat.

The engine was peachy keen, having covered just 12,000 miles, so Brad knew better than to disturb the reliable mill. Instead, a thorough clean, finished in contrasting black cases with polished covers. A drilled sprocket cover adds some old school charm. The carbs were completely rebuilt and rejetted to suit the Unifilters and less restrictive exhaust. For reliability the bike runs stock electronic ignition; put that feeler gauge away.

The entire chassis has been revised and tweaked: original 18/16 inch Comstar wheels were immediately binned. The bike now sits on a 19 inch front from a Honda CB550 and an 18 inch unit from a Honda CB350 out back. This alone transforms the stance. Both rims are wrapped in Avon Road Rider tires, not too wide so as to slow steering and perfect for the twisties.

Front suspension has been lowered 2 inches and the yokes are carried in All Balls tapered bearings. A Tarozzi fork brace stiffens things up to improve feel while the modified front fender just about squeezes underneath. Rear shocks add two extra inches out back, working with the bigger wheels to level the whole shebang. Front brakes now use an adjustable radial master cylinder and Brad’s handiwork with a pillar drill has transformed the front disc.

The tank originally featured the delightful fuel filler hatch Honda inflicted upon all bikes in the ’80s. To rectify this, Brad seamlessly welded in the top strip of a Sportster tank: it’s profile a surprisingly close match. Calling on Roc City for one of their solo cafe seats, Brad trimmed it to better follow the line of the stamped steel subframe. Cut into the back, a recess allows the rear light and licence plate to be secreted away.

Moe Colors were then charged with laying down the deep green paint, overlayed with the black paneling and white pinstripe. It’s a classic yet modern looking scheme, perfectly suiting the timeless build.

Foot controls were moved rearwards and upwards with new hangers. A shortened, modified brake lever and gear shifter keep actions crisp and precise. Coupled with a set of Clubman bars, the riding position is classic cafe. Tucked in tight, this little twin will give you a hard-charging buzz just sitting on it.

The loom is predominately standard. Simple and neat enough to not warrant a rebuild, you’d be pressed to spot an obtrusive wire on the whole bike. A full size Gel battery now resides under the seat hump along with all of the relocated electronics.

A quick call to Jason and parcels soon started arriving from Dime City. A European style 7″ headlight here, reverse cone mufflers there, a cats-eye rear light thrown in for good measure. All the missing components that tie a bike together. Those upswept end cans clamp the standard header pipes, a surprisingly flamboyant sweep, they arc back along the bike, dressed up in their black wrap.

It all works to transform the bike from cruiser to cafe. Turning a forgotten ’80s Honda with a cracking engine into something that make full use of that sweet little twin. Completed, it was time for a bonding session, so Brad packed and headed up to Barber.

The CM handled the 1200 mile round trip without a stutter. Pulling hard through the rev range all the way, Brad says she’s a sweet little handler now. As with most builders, he’d love to keep hold of her, but that’s not a great business model. Hop over to the classifieds for your chance to bag it. 

Thanks go to Eric Runyan for the studio shots, showing the bike to it’s fullest.

via Thz bike Shed

Slide into the New Year with the Porsche 918 Spyder

Though the snowy Flüela Pass and the Porsche 918 Spyder might at first glance appear completely mismatched, photographer Stefan Bogner’s rendezvous suggests otherwise…

New Year’s Eve – it’s always overrated, right? But for our Munich-based photographer Stefan Bogner, the New Year can’t come soon enough, for there’s been a project in the pipeline that he’s itching to share. The experimental photographic book beautifully documents Porsche’s flagship supercar, the 918 Spyder, on a criss-cross journey across Europe. Locations include the Weissach test facility, the Nürburgring, the almost infinite straights of Nardo, and the pretty Flüela Pass. It might have been the first production sports car to lap the Nordschleife in fewer than seven minutes, but how will it cope on this unfamiliar, snowy terrain? 

A unique opportunity at -19 degrees

“We were returning to Weissach from Nardo with the test car when we encountered a snow-covered Engadine,” recalls Bogner. “At -19 degrees, we removed the two roof panels from the car and spontaneously rented a helicopter, for we knew an opportunity like this would not come again. Safe in the knowledge that few owners would even drive their 918s in the winter, let alone bring them to a snowy Alpine pass, it just had to be done.”

Andreas Henke from Porsche Marketing, the man behind the wheel in these stunning photos, recalls the rather sideways experience with pleasure. “Even on snow, you’re able to stay in perfect control thanks to the 918’s electric all-wheel-drive system,” he says. “The only thing you must watch is the carbon front splitter. You can achieve serious slip with the slightest touch of throttle, but even at silly angles the car can always be caught with the front axle. Throttle response is unlike any other sports car.” 

An unconventional project

The project will be published on 15 January 2015 – a trilogy including a sumptuous picture book, a story book with the history and development of the 918 Spyder, and a ‘fact book’ with all the relevant data, facts and figures about the hybrid hypercar. As well as Bogner and Henke, Porsche press officer Hans-Gerd Bode and Edwin Baaske from Delius Klasing Verlag were involved in the project that promises to be as passionate and unconventional as the 918 Spyder itself.

Bogner’s dramatic photography of the car in unusual locations is complemented by trusted author Jürgen Pander’s text, which contains insights from behind the closed doors of the Weissach Porsche Development centre, and from personalities such as engineers Gernot Dölner and Frank-Steffen Walliser, design chief Michael Mauer, and rally legend/dynamics expert Walter Röhrl.

The book trilogy ‘Porsche 918 Spyder’ will be released on 15 January. Published by Delius Klasing Verlag, it will cost €98 and, unlike the real Porsche 918 Spyder, has not yet sold out. More information can be found at delius-klasing.de.

JERIKAN 10 CB400N

If you live above the 35th Parallel North, the above picture is probably making you pretty confused. That blue thing in the top half of the picture looks pleasant and perhaps sparks distant memories of warmth and happiness. But it all seems so long ago… Between the salt, ice, rain and potholes, riding at this time of year can be about as much fun as receiving a Gunson Eezibleed enema.

Now scan your eyes down. Low and behold there’s a splendid motorcycle to sling a leg over and ride that twisting French Riviera road on. That’s what life is about, eh?

Jérémy and Mark, proprietors of Nice based JeriKan motorcycles are the lucky pair who get to experience the above combination on a daily basis. Two of their R-Series builds have featured previously on the site; bikes with impressive and original detailing. This, build number ten, comes as JeriKan close out their successful third year of business. Built for good friend Fabien, who runs BlogMoto.fr, it was finished in October after a 3 month build. Now thoroughly run it, it’s here for your delectation and perusal.

Pushed into the workshop in a number of boxes containing a small note saying ‘Gearbox shot’, the CB400N was of 1980 vintage. This red flag was enough for Jerikan to do some exploratory surgery. Once up on the bench, it quickly turned into a complete engine overhaul, top to bottom: new crankshaft, bearings, chains, seals, the list goes on. JeriKan called on the services of Marc Montigiani and Philippe Carzo to ensure the engine was box fresh.

The carbs also received the same treatment, ready to breath in the fresh Riviera air. Although the engine has been gone through piece by piece, the guys decided not to paint it. Given a thorough clean, it’s shiny but still bears the evidence of it’s first 34 years.

Two gorgeous, turned aluminium venturis were fitted to steady the inward flow: the carbs were consequently tickled to get the machine running right. With the original headers now looking a little lost and weedy, a new system was bent up in raw stainless. The unfortunately shaped rear end was substantially reworked, looping out the sub-frame with a small kick and relocating the top shock mounts from their original, awkward position. Waistline and exhaust now trace parallelly along the length of the bike.

The swoopy-yet-boxy original tank was swapped out for a curvier 1973 CB450 item. That isn’t a groovy wood effect paint scheme you see on the tank either, it’s genuine teak veneer. Chosen for it’s hard wearing nature and beautiful caramel colour, it has been expertly blended into the gloss black paint by Jerikan’s go-to paint thrower, Ortolani. Featuring on the tank, headlight bracket and along the rear mudguard, it’s a stunning touch.

That rear guard also has the strip LED rear lighting nestled beneath it. Virtually undetectable when switched off, once lit, it peers with enough ferocity to satiate any interested Gendarmerie

One of the features you notice first with how the bike sits are those high and wide bars. Resting on aluminium risers, the 1″ units make threading wires through a whole lot easier. A key aspect of the look, all electrics on the bike have been tucked away out of sight, under the seat or in the headlight. At the electrical heart of the bike, beats a Motogadget M-Unit. Discrete and efficient it’s the go-to system for a simple electrical installation, with plenty of scope for additional future functionality. While inverted levers were planned, they were eventually sidestepped for spartan traditional items and LED bar end indicators.

The tuck and roll seat flows linearly along the rear of the bike, bar the little kick up at the front where is meets the tank. Made by NMB Design, it’s a lovely detail and a great solution to tank/seat interaction, which can sometimes appear abrupt with the Brat style. The stitched JK logo on the rear is the only embellishment, complimentary stitching picked purposely to let the veneer enhanced paint do the talking.

Far more than any previous builds, Jérémy & Mark pushed the finishes and detailing of the bike. Minimal use of cable ties, electrics hidden, and any that is visible is carefully wrapped in thermo retractable sleeving. It all adds up.

With the main body of the bike beefed up and carrying some nice curves, the rounded profile of the be-zig-zagged Firestones bulk up the lower half of the bike. Wheels were exchanged for an alternative set from Honda, now 16″ at the rear for that coastal cruiser vibe. No need for pin sharp handling when those views are all around you. Shrouds were fabricated for the fork uppers, adding substantial visual heft to the bike without too many physical kilos.

The rest of the bike has been completely renovated, paint and polish create a classic contrast. Originally, not a base the guys were enthralled to work on, thanks to that subframe, they soon came around to it’s charms; and it shows. The bike has a simple and distinguished feel, something Jerikan strive for in every build.

The final words go to Jérémy:

“Number Ten in all it’s glory shows off perfectly our standing point, to create motorcycles of quality with elegance, class and character whilst keeping a certain temperance and dignity, which is the essence of JeriKan Motorcycles

We wanted to create a unique machine. We wanted for this bike to be a pleasure to ride and possess; in the end we did exactly that !”

See more from Jérémy & Mark on Facebook or here on the Bike Shed.

The jealousy inducing photos were taken by Nicolas Licari &  Pierre Turtaut

via The Bike Shed

Snapshot, 1961: Give us a smile, Brigitte!

While today’s ‘celebrities’ assume the role of photographer with their smartphone selfies (Kim Kardashian’s assistant supposedly reminds her thrice a day to take one), that duty in bygone days was assumed by a professional with a heavy Rolleiflex...

However, this lack of first-person control meant they were often caught off-guard in the tabloids, with a mouthful of food, a bad hair day – or like Ms Bardot above, a moody scowl. Taken during her winter holidays in 1961, she appears bored with being the centre of attention. It’s no wonder: in the 1960s, she was the most photographed woman in the world, and could probably still hear shutters snapping in her sleep. Had Twitter existed back then, BB’s status update would probably have read simply “#BBB”: Bored Beyond Belief.

Photo by Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images

Michigan's Upper Peninsula

American Expedition Vehicles travels North to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Locations include Mackinac City, Tahquamenon Falls, Whitefish Point, Munising, and Escanaba.

Hellas Rally Raid 2015

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