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    dimanche 15 mars 2015

    Moto GP ;Dovizioso confirme la domination de Ducati au Qatar / Dovizioso continues Ducati’s dominance in Qatar


    Andrea Dovizioso a signé le meilleur temps de la seconde journée d'essais à Losail.
    Après avoir attendu la baisse des températures en fin d'après-midi pour prendre la piste, les pilotes ont pu travailler sur un revêtement moins sale que la veille et donc rapidement améliorer leurs chronos. 
    Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) a été le premier à frapper en battant le temps de référence qu'avait établi Andrea Iannone (Ducati) samedi soir puis a ensuite dû rivaliser avec l'Italien ainsi que son coéquipier Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati), qui a eu le dernier mot et a terminé la soirée avec un chrono de 1'54.907.
    L'Italien a été le seul pilote à passer sous la barre des 1'55 dimanche soir et n'était qu'à quatre dixièmes de seconde de la pole position de l'an dernier (Márquez - 1'54.507) 
    Ducati a fait tester à ses pilotes une toute nouvelle version des winglets (ailerons latéraux), que la Desmosedici n'avait plus arborés depuis 2010. Après une domination totale la veille, le team italien a cette fois-ci manqué le doublé de justesse puisque Iannone a fini troisième, à 0.197s de son coéquipier et à seulement 0.013s de Márquez.
    Le Champion du Monde en titre avait mené le classement pendant toute la première partie de la journée mais a finalement dû se contenter de la seconde position, à 0.184s de Dovizioso, tandis que son coéquipier Dani Pedrosa terminait à la sixième place.
    Après une difficile première journée d'essais, au cours de laquelle il avait eu du mal à trouver de bonnes sensations sur la piste de Losail, Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) a progressé de trois dixièmes de seconde pour se rapprocher des leaders et prendre la quatrième position. Son coéquipier Valentino Rossi gagnait quant à lui une demi-seconde par rapport à sa performance de la veille et complétait le Top 5, à 0.674s du leader et avec un petit millième de seconde d'avance sur Pedrosa.
    En septième position, Cal Crutchlow (CWM LCR Honda) a conservé son statut de premier pilote satellite malgré une chute en début de journée. Son coéquipier Jack Miller était lui aussi en progrès et prenait la 21e position (+1.851s).
    Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) a de nouveau battu son coéquipier Pol Espargaró mais ne comptait cette fois-ci qu'un centième de seconde d'avance sur l'Espagnol tandis que Karel Abraham (AB Motoracing) complétait le Top 10 derrière les deux Yamaha satellites et était de nouveau en tête de la catégorie Open, à seulement 0.674s de Márquez.
    Yonny Hernández (Pramac Racing) a fini onzième et a pris l'avantage sur son coéquipier Danilo Petrucci, devancé par le Colombien de près d'une seconde.
    Aleix Espargaró et Maverick Viñales (Ecstar Suzuki) se sont respectivement classés 12e et 14e et ont eu du mal à améliorer leurs chronos tandis que Scott Redding (Estrella Galicia 0,0) a fini entre les deux, à 0.896s du temps de référence et avec plus de 50 tours à son compteur. Le Britannique était parmi les rares pilotes à avoir bouclé une simulation de course. 
    Héctor Barberá (Avintia Racing) a fini quinzième, devant Nicky Hayden (Drive M7 Aspar), Mike Di Meglio (Avintia Racing) et Eugene Laverty (Drive M7 Aspar).
    Stefan Bradl (Athinà Forward Racing) a chuté en début de journée et a conclu en 20e position, devant Danilo Petrucci (Pramac Racing) et son coéquipier Loris Baz (+2.029s).
    Sur prototype ART Open, Alex de Angelis (Octo Ioda Racing) finissait entre les RS-GP Factory de Álvaro Bautista (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) et Marco Melandri.
    Les essais continuent lundi à partir de 16h, heure locale. 
    Cliquez ici pour accéder aux résultats.
    Andrea Dovizioso set the fastest time on day 2 of the MotoGP™ test in Qatar with less than 1 second separating the top 14 riders.
    Overcast conditions greeted the teams as they arrived at the 5.4 km circuit in Losail, with most riders preferring to wait until the floodlights came on before heading out on track.
    The dust on the racing line that had affected riders yesterday seemed to not be such an issue today thanks to all of the on-track activity, and it didn't take long for Marc Marquez to lay down a marker early on in proceedings by setting a time faster than anyone had managed on day one.
    Marquez traded fastest laps with the Ducati’s of Andrea Iannone and Andrea Dovizioso throughout the day, but it was the GP15 of Dovizioso that eventually claimed the top spot with a 1’54.907 as the evening wore on.
    Not only was this the quickest time of the test so far, but it was 0.2s faster than Casey Stoner’s circuit record set in 2008, and he was the only rider to break the 1’55 mark.
    The Ducati Team had brought a new exhaust for its riders to test and we also saw the reappearance of“winglets” on the Desmosedici for the first time since 2010. The Italian manufacturer just missed out on another 1-2, with Iannone finishing in third just 0.197s back from his teammate and only 0.013s behind the 2nd placed Marquez.
    The reigning MotoGP™ Champion led the timesheets for most of the day on his Repsol Honda but had to settle for second place, 0.184s behind Dovizioso, with his teammate Dani Pedrosa in 6th on the other factory Repsol Honda. Marquez had been searching for his ideal race setup while Pedrosa evaluated a new set of front forks on his RC213V.
    After a difficult first day of testing, where both riders complained of not getting a “good feeling” around the Losail circuit, Movistar Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo improved his time from day one by 3 tenths and finished in fourth place. His teammate Valentino Rossi set his quickest lap late on in the evening, improving by almost half a second from yesterday, and finishing in 5th (+0.674) just one-thousandth of a second faster than the Honda of Pedrosa.
    Cal Crutchlow was once again the leading satellite rider and managed another impressive showing on his CWM LCR Honda as he ended the day in 7th (+0.717s), setting his best time late on, despite an earlier crash. His teammate, class-rookie Jack Miller managed to improve today by almost half a second to finish in 21st place (+1.851).
    In 8th place, just 0.024s behind his compatriot Crutchlow, was Bradley Smith on his Monster Tech 3 Yamaha. The British rider tried out a different swingarm as he once again outperformed his teammate Pol Espargaro in 9th, even if it was by just one-hundredth of a second.
    Karel Abraham improved his best time from day one by almost a second to once again be the leading Open class rider, setting a 1’55.765, good enough for 10th place and just 0.674s behind Marquez.
    Yonny Hernandez finished in 11th on the Pramac Ducati, almost a second quicker than his teammate Danilo Petrucci, as he continues to regain his confidence following his recovery from a shoulder injury.
    The Team Suzuki Ecstar GSX-RR’s of Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales were 12th and 14th respectively, with both riders struggling to improve on their times from day one as they continued work on the setup of their ECU.
    Scott Redding on the Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS Racing Honda again finished within a second of the leader in 13th place (+0.896s) as he was one of the busiest guys out on track completing over 50 laps. He was also one of the only riders to complete a full race simulation as he managed a 16-lap stint late on in the day.
    The Avintia Racing Ducati of Hector Barbera was in 15th place, with Nicky Hayden on the Open class Drive M7 Aspar RC213V-RS in sixteenth. The American’s teammate Eugene Laverty was a further 0.238s back in 18th ahead with the Avintia Racing Ducati of Mike De Meglio between them.
    Stefan Bradl crashed early on, but was unhurt as he ended the day in 20th ahead of the Pramac Ducati of Danilo Petrucci and his Athina Forward Racing teammate Loris Baz in 23rd (+2.029s).
    Octo Ioda Racing’s Alex De Angelis on the open class ART bike separated the two factory Aprilia Racing Team Gresini RS-GP’s of Alvaro Bautista (24th) and Marco Melandri (26th) respectively at the bottom of the timesheet’s.
    Testing resumes Monday at 16:00 local time, click here for the full results.

    It is more than an idea...

    It is more than an idea... from The Real Intellectuals on Vimeo.

    Ballistic BJ Baldwin Unleashed

    Buckle up, settle in and see firsthand how “Ballistic” BJ Baldwin earned the nickname.
    In true outlaw fashion, he runs it as fast as he can through the rugged desert terrain leaving a giant trail of dust to prove it.
    And at the end of the day, this off-road desert racing champion credits his success to his father, his son and his crew – all of whom he’s proud to call family.



    SUPER GT ; Essais d’Okayama : Nissan (GT500) et Mercedes (GT300) gardent la main

    Nissan1
    par Claude Foubert
    La deuxième journée des essais officiels d’avant-saison du SUPER GT s’est terminée comme la veille, avec les meilleurs chronos pour Nissan en GT500 et pour Mercedes en GT300.
    Cependant, en GT500, ce n’est pas la Nissan GT-R n°24 du Kondo Racing (Lucas Ordoñez/Daiki Sasaki) qui a été la plus rapide, mais la Nissan GT-R n°1 du team NISMO –en Michelin-, aux mains des champions en titre Tsugio Matsuda et Ronnie Quintarelli, la Mercedes SLS GT3 n°11 GAINER TANAX n°11 de Bjorn Wirdheim et Katsuyuki Hiranaka ayant pour sa part confirmé sa première place de samedi.
    Toutefois, en GT500, au cumul des deux journées, c’est bien la Nissan n°24 qui a réussi le meilleur chrono en 1’19’’341, chaussée en Yokohama.
    Pour cette journée de dimanche, la météo était meilleure que samedi matin, même si la température était encore fraîche. Par contre, la piste était totalement sèche. Deux séances d’essais étaient au menu, avec deux heures de piste le matin et deux heures l’après-midi (précédée de 15 minutes de simulations de départ).
    GT500
    Première séance
    La première séance était stoppée rapidement, la Lexus RC F n°19 du Team Bandoh (Juichi Wakisaka/Yuhi Sekiguchi), en Yokohama, étant arrêtée sur le circuit. A la reprise, c’était la Nissan Impul n°12 de Yasuda/De Oliveira, très en vue samedi, qui partait à la faute et allait dans le bac à graviers, Hironobu Yasuda étant indemne, mais les essais de la Nissan n°12 s’arrêtaient là.
    Les écarts dans cette session étaient très serrés, Honda, Lexus et Nissan occupant tour à tour le haut de l’affiche, mais au terme de la séance, c’est la Nissan n°1 de Ronnie Quintarelli/Tsugio Matsuda qui était devant en 1’20’’270. La Nissan précédait un trio de Lexus RC F, avec tout d’abord la Leux Tom’s n°36 de Daisuke Ito/James Rossiter, à 11 centièmes seulement de la Nissan, puis la Lexus Eneos Team Le Mans n°6 (Kazuya Oshima/Yuji Kunimoto) et la Lexus Zent Cerumo n°38 (Yuji Tachikawa/Hiraki Ishiura). La première Honda, la NSX Concept-GT Drago Modulo de Oliver Turvey/Takashi Kogure était cinquième, à moins de quatre dixièmes de seconde de la Nissan n°1.
    Lexus36
    Deuxième séance
    Les Lexus attaquaient d’entrée, avec quatre RC F en pointe : la n°19, la n°6, la n°38 comme le matin, mais également la seconde RC F du Team Tom’s, la n°37 de Andrea Caldarelli/Ryo Hirakawa.
    Les chronos tombaient régulièrement, mais restaient légèrement en-dessous de celui de la Nissan n°1 le matin. En fin de compte, c’est la Lexus n°19 de Wakisaka/Sekiguchi qui était la plus rapide dans cette session en 1’20’’312, le troisième meilleur chrono du jour. La Lexus précédait d’un dixième de seconde la RC F Tom’s n°36 de Ito/Rossiter et la Nissan Mola n°46 de Satoshi Motoyama/Masataka Yanagida –en Michelin-qui avait réussi à s’intercaler entre les Lexus RC F.
    Lexus19
    La Nissan était suivie de trois autres Lexus (#6, #37 et #38), les RC F ayant été en verve dans cette deuxième séance. La première Honda, la n°17 du Keihin Real Racing (Koudai Tsukakoshi/Hideki Mitoh) ne pointait qu’en septième position, à huit dixièmes de seconde de la Lexus n°19.
    GT300
    La journée de dimanche a été dominée comme la veille par le team GAINER TANAX et par sa Mercedes SLS GT3 n°11 –équipée par Dunlop- qui s’annonce comme une des favorites pour le titre 2015 de la catégorie.
    Première séance
    Avec cette Mercedes, Katsuyuki Hiranaka et Bjorn Wirdheim ont été les plus vite, en 1’27’’381, mais ils ont eu une rude concurrence avec l’Audi R8 LMS n°21 du Audi team Hitotsuyama (Richard Lyons/Tomonobu Fujii/Stéphane Ortelli) qui n’était devancée que d’un dixième de seconde, le troisième rang allant à la BMW Z4 GT3 Studie BMW (Seiji Ara/Jörg Müller), le quatrième à la Lamborghini Gallardo JLOC n°88 (Manobu Orido/Kazuki Hiramine) et le cinquième à la débutante, la Lexus RC F GT3 n°60 LM Corsa (Akira Iida/Hiroki Yoshimoto).
    Mercedes11a
    Deuxième séance
    Si la Mercedes n°11 conservait encore le meilleur temps, avec un chrono de 1’27’’404, voisin de celui du matin, la menace était venue cette fois de la Ferrari 458 GT3 n°77 du Direction Racing, qui terminait la séance à seulement huit centièmes de la Mercedes.
    La Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 NDDP n°3 complétait le trio de tête, devant la Toyota 86 MC « Mother Chassis’’ n°25 (Takeshi Tsuchiya/Takamitsu Matsui) du Team Tsuchiya et la Lamborghini JLOC n°88.
    Les chronos de la première séance sont ici
    Ceux de la seconde séance
     
    via ENDURANCE-INFO.com

    IS YOUR OVERLANDER OVERBUILT?


    by Christophe Noel
    It would be safe to say overlanding in America, at least under that specific designation, is still in its relative infancy. It wasn’t until recently that many off-road enthusiasts began to convert their 4WD trucks from weekend play things into platforms for extended travel. You can count me amongst the many who took inspiration from the impressively built trucks traversing the Outback of Australia or pushing through the tall grass of the Serengeti. Shortly after acquiring my Land Rover, I quickly raided my personal coffers to buy every possible widget I could bolt to it. Had my funds not been limited by my more level headed spouse, I cringe to think how it might have turned out.
    Over the last few years we have witnessed a subtle change in how overlanders prepare their vehicles. Not all that long ago it was a foregone conclusion that any respectable overland rig would receive a pair of steel bumpers, a winch, snorkel, roof rack, RTT, fridge, water tank, a second battery, elaborate navigation system, long-reach communications, lockers, compressors, drawer systems, solar panels, slide-out stoves, and why not include some seat covers, right? It’s a wonder there is room left for occupants, or money remaining to fill the tank.

    4runner 173

    A new project for Expedition Portal, this Disco II came to us having been tragically overbuilt. It is now undergoing extensive therapy.

    While interviewing one particular overlander about the build-out of his Land Cruiser, he alluded to the near $35,000 he had bolted to his $20,000 truck. It was a staggering display of accessories from around the world. He then sheepishly admitted he may have gone a tad overboard. He began to lament the decreased fuel efficiency, the tenuous reliability, and compromised handling on and off the pavement. He then made a tension easing quip by saying his truck was a rolling Craigslist showroom as he slowly removed accessories one by one.
    It’s an easy thing to do, to overbuild a truck. It often starts with a lift and five fresh tires, and before you know it, you’re plumbing your cargo area with a hot water system or wiring in your third layer of radio comms. Avoiding this conundrum is easy enough and can be summed up with one simple concept: Buy only what you need. Have more restraint than Caligula on a bender.

    4runner 177

    Although the JK has more after market support than any other platform in NA, it does incredibly well bone stock. That sure saves more money for actual travel.

    There are perhaps other contributing factors influencing the trend towards less comprehensive builds. Many of the newer vehicles on the market do not have a great deal of aftermarket support. Few options exists for trucks like the new 4Runner, or Land Rover LR4. Those items that are available are often priced out of reach of many practical overlanders. I would contend that there’s also just a growing movement towards the simplicity of a clean, thoughtful build. I would’t go so far as to say gone are the days of the hulking build, but it is becoming less common.
    There will always be occasions where the full-tilt build is warranted, and there will always be those who simply like the process of creating their own elaborate overland masterpiece. It is a fun pursuit to research, purchase, install, and then put to use all of the after market gizmos available to us. We just have to ask ourselves to what end?

    4runner 178
    The Front Runner Land Cruiser could be considered overbuilt for the needs of most overlanders, but given its use in remote Africa, it is perfectly assembled. Being realistic about the truck’s actual usage will guide the build process.

    4runner 179
    The Expedition Portal 4Runner is a good example of a clean, restrained, and practical build. 

    4runner 175
    Building for the terrain you most commonly travel, and factoring in how you like to travel, is the best way to plot out the necessary mods to achieve those ends. 

    © Tony Knight 2012 WWW.TONYKNGIHT.COM.AU
    Planning to cross all of Australia for the summer? That might be a good time to go all-in on your build.

    4ème édition du BMW Motorrad GS TROPHY France.


              La 4ème édition du BMW Motorrad GS TROPHY France se déroulera en même temps que le Touratech Travel Event du 7 au 9 mai 2015 au Parc des Expositions d'Orange.

              Fort de son succès depuis 2011, cet événement unique et incontournable s'adresse à tous les pilotes de BMW GS. Quelle que soit son expérience, il est possible de participer, et toutes les GS sont éligibles depuis 1980 !

              Une vingtaine d'épreuves diverses et variées attend les concurrents au guidon de leur GS : épreuves de navigation et d'agilité, épreuves par équipe, connaissances techniques, épreuves sportives, etc... et bien sûr du pilotage hors piste !
              Aucune épreuve n'est obligatoire, les épreuves de pilotage tout terrain ne sont pas chronométrées et chacun peut ainsi vivre ce GS TROPHY à son rythme et se dépasser dans les épreuves qui lui conviennent le mieux. Le comptage des points pour les épreuves de pilotage tient compte du modèle de BMW GS engagé par le concurrent selon un barème qui sera remis avec le détail des épreuves sur place.

              Après deux jours d'épreuves, les dix meilleurs au classement général participeront à une finale qui permettra de les départager.

              En 2015, les trois premiers du classement général remporteront leur qualification pour représenter la France au GS TROPHY International 2016. D'autre part, un classement GS Classic sera réservé aux GS motorisées par le boxer 2 soupapes, mais également aux prototypes et autres "scramblers" à moteur boxer 2 soupapes. Enfin, un classement féminin récompensera aussi les meilleures participantes de cette édition.

              C'est donc une occasion unique de gagner sa place au sein de l'équipe de France pour le BMW Motorrad GS TROPHY International 2016 qui départagera les seize équipes internationales engagées.
    Les français ont souvent toujours brillé en terminant sur le podium en 2012 et en 2014 : un beau challenge pour cette nouvelle équipe.
              150 participants au maximum pourront ainsi prendre le départ de ce 4ème BMW Motorrad GS TROPHY France, pour une participation de 299 € incluant : l'inscription, le road book, le dossier de participation, le dossard et les repas de jeudi soir à samedi soir (petit déjeuner, panier repas et diner), un espace réservé dans le bivouac à proximité (sanitaires et douches disponibles pour les concurrents).
    Pour récompenser les participants les plus courageux, le bivouac sur le site (matériel à prévoir par le participant) donnera lieu à un bonus de points !

              Inscriptions au BMW Motorrad GS TROPHY France avant le 27 mars 2015 sur le sitehttp://www.bmw-motorrad.fr/gs-trophy pour vivre trois jours de dépaysement, de partage et d'aventure.

              Certaines épreuves seront ouvertes au public : n'hésitez pas à venir sur place pour encourager tous les participants !
    Crédits infos et médias : BMW

    HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET 750 BY TJ MOTO


    Harley-Davidson-Street-750
    The Harley-Davidson Street 500 and 750 are broadly considered to be the two most important new models in recent memory from the 102 year old motorcycle manufacturer. The two mid-size bikes are largely targeted at the developing world, with a special interest in India – a nation that almost certainly has more motorcyclists than any other.
    Although 500cc and 750cc motorcycles are considered medium capacity in much of the western world, the developing world considers them large – with the 750 being a giant relative to the sea of 50cc-125cc scooters and Honda Cubs that occupy the roads of most south and south east asian cities.
    Harley has chosen to build the Street 500 and 750 models for American consumption in the USA, with the rest of production being tasked to a sparkling new facility in India. Off-shoring production of motorcycles that are destined for off-shore consumption has allowed the bean counters to bring the pricing on the models down the roughly half of what the cheapest Harley would have previously cost – opening the marque up to millions of new potential customers.
    The Street 750 you see pictured above and below here is the first to be customised by an Indian workshop.
    It’s been thoroughly reworked by Tushar Jaitly and his team into a sort of post-modern Scrambler – possibly the ideal motorcycle for the chaotic backstreets of an Indian metropolis.
    Work on the bike started with a new fuel tank, it needed to be hand-fabricated to fit and it’s been paired with a matching seat. That small luggage rack behind the seat was built to fit, giving the rider the option to throw a weekend bag on the tail – or a briefcase for use on weekdays.
    The twin exhausts were made specifically for this bike and mapped to the engine using the Screamin’ Eagle Super Tuner, the front end has been swapped out with a set of upside down forks from a KTM and the rear springs have been replaced with an adjustable pair. Overall, the height of the bike has been increased by 3.5 inches – making it well-suited to use on the less than ideal roads of India.
    If you’d like to see more from TJ Moto you can click here to visit their Facebook page or here to visit their Instagram page.
    Harley-Davidson-Street-750 7
    Harley-Davidson-Street-750 5Harley-Davidson-Street-750 4
    Harley-Davidson-Street-750 3
    Harley-Davidson-Street-750 2
    Harley-Davidson-Street-750 1
    Harley-Davidson-Street-750 8
    via SILODROME

    MOTOKOUTURE BLOKBEEST


    MK Nine T 1
    To break the mould. In our current custom scene, filled to the brim with as much diversity and daring as clichéd and classic, it is a tough ask to create something unrepeatable using techniques very rarely considered, let alone utilised. For Motokouture that was the self imposed challenge, to create something that even they themselves could not replicate, so they stepped outside of their comfort zone and embraced the process of sand casting.
    “The result is a nearly completely handcrafted motorcycle that is never to be copied, because we broke the mould after the casting. End of story.”
    MK Nine T 2
    The story began when Steven Decaluwe of Motokouture was approached by BMW Belux (the BMW importer for Luxembourg and Belgium) to cast his creative stylings onto a box fresh Nine-T. It just so happened that Steven had a client craving just such a machine waiting in the wings and so he set about making the project happen post haste. The customer thankfully had the good sense and faith to leave every aspect of the build in Motokoutures able hands and minds, so when the standard bike rolled into the workshop in November of last year, Steven could set to work with that most invigorating of incentives - Carte Blanche.
    MK Nine T 3
    “The base of the project was the one piece sand cast alloy tank and seat unit. This was going to be it! The rest was left undecided, apart from the fact it would have ancient looks and would be a racer. The body was made in clay shape first, the technique used in designing motorcycles and cars. After that, I had to have a mouldable piece, so I made a negative in plaster. It was nothing but a massive negative, because we needed a tank to put fuel in, so again, I made a very thin positive, that could be moulded in sand. The casting itself was done in a factory, but the moulding of the sand casting was my job… a real horror!!!”
    MK Nine T 7
    At the factory the alloy was melted at very high temperature before being let loose into the mould, testing the integrity of Steven’s handiwork. Because of the scale of the piece, the risk of disaster and losing all of the work was high, but thankfully attention to detail carried the day and the piece survived. Throughout the process Steven was posting teaser shots on his Facebook page and as complex as the process proved, the sense of anticipation he must have had when cracking the finished lump from its case must have been tremendous. After a full week of grinding, correcting and polishing he came to this final result.
    MK Nine T 5
    A new bottom was welded into the tank to hold the fuel pump and the piece was then ready to grace the Beemer. After the toil of the one piece creation it must have been tempting to leave it at that, no seat to break the lines just a sprinkle of the bare essentials and stand back and admire. But Steven is not one to take the easy route, for him the unit was nothing but a good start. To complete the bike it needed alloy fairings, so he set to on his english wheel.
    MK Nine T 6
    “Enginewise, I put in a lot of HP2 stuff and reprogrammed the CDI to make the open exhaust and K&N’s work. After the necessary finetuning, I came to a great result… 142 Bhp and 122 Nm out of the air cooled 4 valve boxer, with no sacrifices made to the service life of the engine.” 
    The exhaust was of course hand made to follow the route Steven saw fit and then wrapped in stealthy grey to blend with the black lump. The bike then received completely new wiring, modified and simplified switchgear, home made footpegs, tiny super-led taillights, and Stack instrumentation in a leather wrapped cluster. Comfort dictated the need for a seat so Steven crafted a black leather number with strand work stitching – although it must have been tempting to leave the one-piece fully visible.
    MK Nine T 4
    A unique detail of the build is the turn coordinator from a Cessna aircraft that gauges the pitch of the bike. “Why??? because the client claims deep lean angles, and we want to be sure his claims are true!” I must never fit one of these to a motorcycle, I would struggle to take my eyes off it…
    MK Nine T 8
    To break the mould Motokouture got pragmatic, they made a mould to break. The results are stunning but appreciating the process that created them is what makes the jaw drop with this Nine-T. Doubtless both the owner and Belux BMW were blown away with the results of their carte blanche trust in Motokouture. For us, this is one machine that we cannot wait to see in the metal at our Bike Shed Paris, see you there.
    via The Bike Shed

    Pompiste ...