samedi 21 mars 2015
‘89 BMW R100RT – Emporio Elaborazioni Meccaniche
Written by Marlon Slack.
Rome-based custom house Emporio Elaborazioni Meccaniche have taken a 1989 BMW R100RT land ship and have stripped, welded and ground their way towards a light streetfighter-cum-tracker that is destined to carve up Roman traffic. Under instruction from a customer to build a bike that blended tradition and futurism this small Italian company say they received aesthetic inspiration from Tron and Daft Punk to realize their customer’s wishes – and I certainly think he was able to ‘Get Lucky’ with this mean looking motorcycle.
It’s a little simplistic to look at a successfully denuded bike like this R100RT and miss the amount of hard work required to get it looking so clean. EEM started by swapping out the standard tank for an earlier R75 model and the rear subframe was removed and replaced with a bespoke unit that was, unusually for bikes featured onPipeburn, taller and more aggressively angled, with the idea of pitching the rider higher and more forward as well as offering better visual balance to the large fuel tank.
Suspension-wise, the front forks were replaced by a USD pair from a Yamaha and a Takasago rim was removed from a Suzuki motocross bike and made to fit and some lathe work was required to fabricate an adapter to mate the 320mm disc to the hub. The rear too, got a bit of attention when the stock rim was swapped out for a wider BMW GS hoop and no small amount of work was needed to battle the problems this raised – the lathe came in handy again and spokes had to be swapped out so it could clear the swingarm. A fresh Öhlins shock keeps the rear end firmly planted on the ground.
On the engine front this RT remains stock, except for the 2 into 1 exhaust system which was made in house and mounted to an Arrow slip-on that has cheekily been rebranded with the EEM logo. The hardest part EEM found was trying to sort a small, discrete battery powerful enough to get those big Bavarian pistons moving. After some trial and error they managed to find a small lithium battery that they could hide in an alloy box they mounted just next to the starter motor.
My personal favourite touch is the number board that acts as a shield for the headlight. Mounted behind a dark black polycarbonate shield the power of the LED lamp means it can still throw a decent beam of light, but is hidden neatly behind the plastic. I certainly think that it works a lot better than the usual ‘action-man-sized-headlight-fitted-in-the-middle-of-a-number board’ routine that most tracker builders end up running with. The guys at EEM are understandably proud of this work-around, dubbing the bike Lucifero – from the Latin ‘who brings the light’. Neat.
Controls are standard for the BMW but are now mounted to a set of enduro bars on top of aluminium risers. And the footpegs? EEM thought that the bike lacked a little bit of the ‘reuse as much as possible’ philosophy of previous builds so they beefed up the stock peg using some old chain. A large, back-lit electronic speedo sits below the bars, keeping the lines at the top of the motorcycle clean.
BMW customs are a staple of the custom bike scene these days and while many we see appearing around the world look a little samey, EEM have drawn upon some unusual stylistic inspiration from Daft Punk andTron to build something that looks distinctly different and is certainly harder, better, faster and stronger than the stock R100RT. It looks to be a fair bit lighter than the standard bike, a lot more interesting and above all, I think it’d make a meal out of the chaotic Roman traffic. It’s got just the right splash of gold and a nice combination of flat grey and gloss black to tie it all together. I might just go look at the photos one more time.
via PIPEBURN
WSSP ; Sofuoglu prend la pole Supersport en Thaïlande / Former champ Sofuoglu secures Thai WSS Pole Position
Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) sera en tête de la grille pour la seconde manche du Championnat du Monde Supersport 2015 dimanche au Chang International Circuit. Arrivé en Thaïlande quelques jours après la naissance de son premier enfant, le triple Champion du Monde s’est assuré sa première pole position de la saison grâce à un chrono de 1’37.345 et partira devant le leader du classement général, Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), battu par le Turc de deux dixièmes de seconde.
Derrière les pilotes Kawasaki et MV Agusta, Kyle Smith (Pata Honda WSS Team) a placé un troisième constructeur en première ligne en s’installant en troisième position, malgré une chute en qualifications.
Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) est lui aussi tombé en passant sur des vibreurs encore humides des pluies de la matinée mais mènera la deuxième ligne devant Lucas Mahias et PJ Jacobsen du team Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres.
Le favori local Ratthapark Wilairot (CORE Motorsport Thailand) s’élancera pour sa part de la septième position, aux côtés de Roberto Rolfo (Lorini Honda) et de Gino Rea (CIA Insurance Landlords Honda), qui est actuellement troisième du classement général.
PJ Jacobsen et Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) étaient les seuls autres pilotes à chuter. Aucun des pilotes tombés ne s’est blessé.
Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) will start the second round of the World Supersport championship, the first ever to be held in Thailand from Pole Position after an all-action 45 minute qualifying session. The Turk who recently became a father for the first time was in fine form from the start and with the humidity rising, the former champion moved to the top of the standings thanks to a 1.37.345s lap time. He was able to cling on thanks to several of his rivals falling on their potential Pole Position setting times in the closing minutes.
Championship leader Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) will join Sofuoglu on the front row along with Kyle Smith (Pata Honda WSS Team) who despite being one of the fallers was able to cling on to 3rd.
Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) also fell spectacularly after touching the kerbing at which was still wet from this morning’s rain shower. The Italian will be joined on the second row for tomorrow’s 17 lap race by the Kawasaki Intermoto Ponyexpres pairing of Lucas Mahias and PJ Jacobsen who secured 5th and 6th positions on the grid respectively.
Local rider and fan favourite Ratthapark Wilairot (CORE Motorsport Thailand) was cheered loudly by the packed grandstand into 7th on the grid where he will start alongside Italian Roberto Rolfo (Lorini Honda) who is openly relishing the extreme conditions. Gino Rea (CIA Insurance Landlords Honda), currently 3rd in the World Championship standings will start 9th.
PJ Jacobsen and Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) wer the only other riders to fall. Both of them along with Smith and Zanetti were unhurt.
Rea décroche la Tissot-Superpole à Buriram / Rea Takes Tissot-Superpole in Thailand
Après une troisième séance d’essais libres qui avait eu lieu sous la pluie samedi matin au Chang International Circuit, les pilotes ont à nouveau pu travailler sur piste sèche en FP4 grâce aux températures très élevées du climat local et ainsi préparer au mieux la séance de Tissot-Superpole, qui s’est aussi déroulée sur le sec.
Suite à une Superpole 1 dominée par Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing Team) et Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda World Superbike Team), Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) a été le premier à s’élancer en piste en Superpole 2 pour établir un premier temps de référence sur pneu de course, qui faisait de lui le premier pilote à passer sous les 1’34 à Buriram. Le Britannique, qui avait pris la pole en Australie le mois dernier, a ensuite attendu les derniers instants pour passer sur pneu de qualification et a alors tourné en 1’33.382 pour battre Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team - Red Devils) de 0.011s et ainsi s’emparer d’une seconde Tissot-Superpole consécutive.
Battu d’un rien, Haslam, qui mène conjointement le classement général avec Rea, se maintient cependant sur une première ligne occupée, comme en Australie, par trois Britanniques puisque la troisième position est revenue à Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki), classé à 0.356s de la pole.
Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), quasiment une demi-seconde derrière son coéquipier, Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team - Devils) et Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati Superbike Team) se sont quant à eux qualifiés en deuxième ligne.
L’ancien Champion du Monde Troy Corser, qui continue de remplacer Davide Giugliano chez Ducati, a réussi à décrocher la septième position, à 0.952s de la pole et devant les deux pilotes du Pata Honda World Superbike Team, Michael van der Mark, en progrès après son passage en Superpole 1, et le Champion du Monde en titre Sylvain Guintoli.
À l’instar de van der Mark, Mercado a lui aussi su profiter de sa qualification en Superpole 2 pour gagner plusieurs places et finir dixième, devant David Salom (Team Pedercini) et Matteo Baiocco (Althea Racing).
Les Français Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team), qui a manqué la Superpole 2 à cause d’une petite erreur sur son dernier tour en SP1, Randy de Puniet (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) et Christophe Ponsson (Grillini SBK Team) partiront respectivement des 13e, 16e et 19e positions.
As the morning rain made way for hotter more humid weather, the track condition for the first ever Tissot-Superpole qualifying sessions was almost perfect with the track completely dry and the ambient temperature once again well into the 30’s.
The first ever Pole Position in the history of the eni FIM Superbike Championship in Thailand went to Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) who came out on top of an exciting final 15 minute shoot-out that decided the grid for tomorrow’s two 20 lap races. Today’s result marks the 6th Pole Position of his career.
In Superpole 1, Leandro Mercado (Barni Racing) and Michael van der Mark (Pata Honda WSBK Team) were split by 0.211s, the pair claiming the first 2 positions in the session and progressing to join the already seeded top ten riders for the final qualifying session to determine the top 12 riders on the grid.
Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia) was on course to make it through but made a small mistake in the final corner on his final lap. He will start both races tomorrow from 13th just ahead of Nico Terol (Althea Racing) and Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) who will join him on the 5th row.
Superpole 2 was once again all action from start to finish with riders able to manage two flying laps on the softer Pirelli tyre without any issue. This provided some nervous moments for the teams but pure excitement for the packed grandstand along both straights, as it was not clear when the ultimate top time would occur.
Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) was the first to throw down the gauntlet with the fastest lap of the weekend, the first ever sub 1.34s lap of the Chang International circuit. Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) almost bettered it with his first flying lap before a mistake on his next lap ruined any chance he had at that point of the session.
Troy Bayliss (Aruba Ducati SBK) had sparks flying from his boots as he muscled his way into contention, the multiple former champion putting himself 3rd with 4 minutes to go.
With everyone now on the softer option tyre the timing screens were illuminated as each rider set about overhauling Rea who was still clinging on at the top of the standings.
As the chequered flag was waved signalling the end of qualifying it was joint championship leaders Rea and Haslam that came out on top, the pair separated by 0.011s. The Kawasaki rider notching up his 2nd consecutive Pole Position after taking top spot in Australia.
Alongside the front two Alex Lowes (Voltcom Crescent Suzuki) completes the front row with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) and Chaz Davies (Aruba Ducati SBK) making up row 2 ahead of Bayliss, van der Mark, and Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Honda WSBK Team).
Today’s grid sees the top 7 covered by less than one second with 5 manufacturers represented in the top 8 places on the grid.
Race 1 tomorrow is scheduled to start at 1300 local time.
FAHIM’S BULLET
Confidence is a funny old thing. Just when you need it, to steady a hand drilling out a sheared head stud, or hold a line between gravel and horse muck on a sweeping corner, it can completely desert you. So you’ve got to give yourself the best chance of success; it can make sense to start small. Swapping out bolt on parts, polishing covers, perhaps switching up lights, before going headlong into an engine rebuild or tank swap.
It’s perhaps why we end up seeing so many half finished projects on certain auction sites, where the confidence and appetite for building a bike can sadly sometimes outweigh time and talent. Still it’s better to try than not at all, but to succeed is the dream. Yet to succeed takes confidence; damn vicious circles. So there comes a point when you just have to jump…
As it was for twenty four year old Fahim Rehman, hailing from Calicut, a small town in northern Kerala, India. Having graduated from collage with a degree in electrical engineering it was the desire to make his bike his own that got him started. But sensibly he learnt to walk before he started to run. Replacing easy parts, like the seat and handlebars on his Enfield Bullet 350, he gradually became confident enough to build a whole bike.
And more importantly, it was during that period that he found his real passion. The countless hours spent in the garage never felt boring; Fahim would work late in to the night, and start working right when he woke up. With passion, came confidence.
So with courage flowing and the family business usefully being industrial steel fabrication, Fahim was able to assemble himself a a selection of tools to take the next step with his dream. A few additional purchases and a thorough clean up of the store room behind his house soon created the perfect make-shift garage and Lone Wolf Motorcycles was born.
This time last year, the first bike rolled out the garage: a Brat-Tracker styled Bajaj pulsar 180.
With a similar second build completed, when it came to the third, a different style was calling. A fan of classic British bobbers, a Royal Enfield was the clear way to go. Fate was obviously smiling that day as Fahim got a call from a close friend asking for just such a bike. The only condition was a two months deadline. No time for baby steps now…
A used 2004 Thunderbird 350cc was found for a decent price and hauled back to the garage. With an eye for clean, simple bikes, it was completely stripped down and parts were filtered one by one according to usefulness. Only the absolutely necessary would stay. To get the desired stance, the swing-arm was lengthened by about 3 inches and wheels were rebuilt to have a 19″ rim up front and a chunkier 18″ at the rear. The bike now sits, ‘just-so’.
The tank was taken from a standard Royal Enfield Bullet, but was nipped and tucked for a sleeker feel. Mounting points were also changed so it sat on the spine frame in a more pleasing manner. Mated up to the custom leather seat, adorned with the Royal Enfield logo, there is classic simplicity at play here.
Footpegs were relocated and a set of wider, lower bars substituted, making for a comforatble yet purposeful riding position. The headlight was brought from the local market and customised to accommodate the ignition key and function switches, leaving the bars clean.
Heading back to familiar ground, Fahim completely rewired the bike. A new 12v circuit removed the need for a battery. With kick start only, all the power for the lighting now comes directly from the alternator, which freed up space in the chassis. A container beneath the seat now offers useful storage for gloves, glasses and other accouterments.
Mudgards were bobbed and held in place with new stays, close to the tyres they show form and function can be happy bedfellows. To leave the rear end sleek, the stock tail light and number plate were relocated to a side mounted position.
Fahim painted the bike himself and made a cracking job of it. Limiting the number of colours to just two, the matt silver and gloss black stripes belie the humble origins. A subtle Lone Wolf logo resides on the back of the tank, Fahim happy for the bike to do the talking. The frame and other cycle parts were given a matt black finish while the engine was simply polished for a classic contrast.
The apparent simplicity of the build has been made possible by only a lot of hard work. The stunning photos, taken by Fahim’s brother Farhan more than do the bike justice. Also take a gander at this beautifuly made companion video which is sure to give you the confidence to back in the garage, make that jump and do what you love.
via The Bike Shed
‘03 Harley Sportster – Macco Motors
Nature has a way of telling us perpetually inquisitive humans when enough is enough. When our touchy little fingers and our peepy little eyes should just back the hell off. It’s called a sting. Whether it’s delivered via fangs, spikes or spines, you know it’s gonna hurt you. Maybe more. And for those who aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer, it’s often accompanied by a visual cue, a flash of colour, to let you know that things are probably going to get ouchy should you choose to continue. But when the creature is the latest build fromMacco Motors and it looks this good, to hell with the pain.
After a quick hit of antivenom, Jose & Tito from Spain’s Macco Motors took the time to run us through their latest build. “Here you have our new bike, an ‘03 Harley Davidson 883 Sportster Anniversary Edition that we have just finished customising. We call it ‘the Sting’.
When the boys first laid eyes on the bike it was a real mess; the Hog’s latest owner told them it had essentially been totally neglected for five long years. Add to that some amateurish, chopper-styles changes including a comically long springer front and we’re sure you’ll agree that the boys had a HD basket case on their hands. “It was rude, rusty and dusty. But it was also our first Harley Davidson commission, so we were excited, too.”
“First of all, we cleaned the engine and brought it back to life. Next we sourced a pair of original forks and remounted them, which was an unbelievable improvement. Then we began to think about the overall design. To be true to our principles, we wanted to build something useful and smart. It’s what we try to do with all our bikes. Luckily, we had the permission of the owner to create a ‘Macco’ bike; something that we were free to make amazing without too much intervention from the owner.”
The next big mod was to remove the standard (and huge) Sportster tank and replace it with an adapted, smaller 8 litre unit. “We worked on it to get the raw look you see here, and then we choose the glossy black and vivid yellow colour for the ‘sting’. Next cam Biltwell drag bars, a Bultaco 4″ 1/2 headlight with a protective grille and new digital speedometer.”
The lads then chopped the rear frame to add the lovely, rather wasp-like new fiberglass tail section. And over it, a new rhombus-patterned seat was attached that matches with the black Biltwell Thruster 1″ grips.
“We attached some aluminium bullet indicators and a lowered rear progressive suspension set-up with bearing housings to adjust the shock length. Then a new air filter and two Avon Safety Mileage MKIIs; 5.00/16s on the rear and 4.00/19s on the front. Finally, we added some short and very fruity gringo exhausts and we were done. We hope your readers like it!”
[Sergio Ibarra from Semimate]
via PIPEBURN
The Renault 5 Turbo that packs supercar punch
Instantly recognisable as THE small car of the 1980s packing near-supercar punch, the formidable Renault 5 Gordini Turbo (the proper, mid-engined homologation special, mind you, not the conventional front-engined, front-wheel-drive equivalent) is a hot favourite in the Classic Driver office…
Built in small numbers for Group 4 and Group B rallying, the Renault 5’s modest little 1.4-litre engine was boosted to a staggering 160bhp (and that’s in road-going form) to power this miniature hot-shot. Just as importantly, the engine was taken out from under the bonnet and, once the rear seats had been removed, plonked behind the driver and front passenger. It was, of course, rear-wheel drive and claimed 0-60mph in under seven seconds, with a top speed of something around 125mph. What fun.
The prototype Turbo actually appeared as early as 1978, at the Paris Salon of that year, and from 1980 onwards it proved itself highly effective as a competitive rally car, with victories that included the 1981 Monte Carlo Rally and 1982 Tour de Corse.
The 1983 pictured car, however, is a road car (left-hand drive). It was clearly much-loved by the third of its four owners from new, as he kept the car for a full 26 years, from 1986 to 2012. The car is a ‘Turbo 1’, and hence has the aluminium doors, roof and tailgate not found on the more widely available, all-steel Turbo 2. We’re told it had a full mechanical overhaul in 2014, with the engine upgraded to 210bhp, but still retains its original interior, seats and wheels. It will be offered for sale by Bonhams, at the Goodwood 73rd Members’ Meeting on 21 March 2015, at an estimated price of £55,000 to 65,000.
Photos: Bonhams
This article is part of the series 'Cars we Love', in which we bring you our favourite classics and modern classics, every Saturday morning.
The bespoke Minis that outshone even the most colourful Rolls-Royces
The personalisation of cheap mainstream cars might be all the rage these days, but it’s far from being a new phenomenon...
Back in 1963, after decades of converting Rolls-Royce and Bentley saloons to wood-panelled ‘Countryman’ specification, West London coachbuilding firm Harold Radford identified a gap in the market for stylish and (relatively) affordable ‘second cars’. Over the next eight years, Radford applied its high-class car craftsmanship to the most classless car of all – the Mini. Its Mini de Ville turned Issigonis’s humble runabout into a mini-limousine, with deep-pile carpets, leather seats and a walnut dash featuring more gauges than many light aircraft. Externally, it was marked out by recessed grille spotlights and special bumpers.
Punching above its weight
The 1963 price of the top-spec Grande Luxe version was £1080, a huge uplift on the £695 Mini Cooper S on which it was based, but the market was ready for it. The Times’ motoring correspondent reported that the Mini de Ville test car attracted more attention than a Ferrari Berlinetta. Celebrity owners flocked to buy them for their significant others. In 1965, Peter Sellersbought a Mini de Ville GT (by then with a side-opening rear door) for his wife Britt Ekland. Paul McCartney had one, and fellow Beatle George Harrison owned LGF 695D, a black Radford that was subsequently painted in psychedelic hues for the film Magical Mystery Tour. Eric Clapton owned it for a time before it found its way back into Harrison’s ownership.
By 1970, the de Ville had bulbous wheelarches and ‘piggyback’ Facel Vega twin headlights, and new examples cost more than a Rolls-Royce Shadow, and only £250 less than a Lamborghini Miura. The stream of buyers began to dry up, and 1970 turned out to be the last year of Radford production, but it wasn’t the end of the ‘super luxe’ Minis of that era. Radford’s success had inspired ex-Hooper employees Bill Wood and Les Pickett to set up their own operation in the coachbuilding hotbed of West London. It’s thought that actress Hayley Mills placed the first order for Wood & Pickett’s Margrave conversion, which also had recessed spots along with the uber-chic W&P trademark nudge bar and banks of gauges and rocker switches on the dash. Beatles drummer Ringo Starr had one specially modified to accommodate his drum kit, though this unique function was probably more about PR than reality. W&P also offered its version of the Clubman 1275GT.
Chop chop, little legend
One modded Mini that almost literally flew under the radar was the Minisprint. Produced in the mid-60s by sometime Mini racer Neville Trickett, it looked like a normal Mini from a distance, albeit a cleanly deseamed one. But there was one big difference: height. It sat three inches lower than standard, the bodyshell chopped at both screen pillars and floor. On a Mini, three inches was a lot. The result was a great-looking and surprisingly effective car. Stirling Moss bought one; Rob Walker Garages bought fifty. In the end, around 85 Minisprints were made.
In 1989, Dunstable-based ERA revived the concept of the special Mini by building the fastest ever Mini to be sold through official dealerships – the ERA Mini Turbo. A Mk 4 Mini City with a bodykit by Dennis Adams (ex-Marcos), Connolly hide seats and a 94HP turbocharged MG Metro 1300 engine, this was a well-thought-out conversion with comprehensive suspension and braking modifications to keep things tidy at the claimed top speed of 115mph. More than 400 were built in the two-year production run.
Where are all these specialists now? Wood & Pickett still exists, and still builds ‘new’ Minis from donor vehicles in Leatherhead, Surrey, starting at £11,500 plus VAT. Radford was relaunched in 2005 by three ex-W&P craftsmen: four bespoke versions of the BMW-era MINI are currently on offer. And rumour has it that Neville Trickett is still offering Minisprint shell conversions from his castle in France.
Photos: Getty / Rex
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