ACE CAFE RADIO

    jeudi 4 juin 2015

    SHAKA GARAGE SILVER CRUISE


    Shaka CBX 1 THUMB
    When the opening salvo of an email is thus: “Hello beautiful people, we are the children of Shaka Garage Bari – Italy” it makes you question if the New Wave movement is taking a deeper turn into the depths of the hippy-dippy ’60s. The beards, open mindedness and community feeling are already present, and there’s definitely value in not taking what we’re doing too seriously.
    But whether this is another dawning of the age of Aquarius or just a beautiful mindset, there’s lessons to be learned. Perhaps we’ll give the prancing atop a hill dressed in tie-dye robes a miss for the time being though.
    Shaka CBX B
    A key difference of course lies in the method of transportation. Rather than sandling away at a set of pedals, our two wheel travel companion is preferable with a planet-ruining IC engine. It’s just better, really. But with CB750 donors getting pricier by the minute, Shaka Garage took on an altogether more difficult transformation when a fully faired 1982 CBX750 was rolled into the workshop by a friend for a commissioned build.
    Shaka CBX D
    It’s one of those bikes that’s easy to miss how much work has gone into it at first glance, but transforming the fully faired CBX into a stripped down Brat took quite some doing. Initially daunted, the bike was completely disassembled in order to understand the form of the main frame and stance of the bike. With the style broadly decided upon, an initial design was sketched up and the guys began the rebuild.
    Shaka CBX E
    Key to the change in identity was swapping out the swoopy ’80s tank for  a more suitably ’70s reservoir. Not a particularly simple swap, the CBX was different enough to require some serious modification to the tank tunnel and completely new mounting points. Left raw and ready, pinstripes were airbrushed by hand to add simple definition to the shape. New side panels were cut and bent from sheet metal, detailed with mesh and the same raw/lacquer finish the tank received.
    Shaka CBX F
    With the acres of rear plastic removed, the subframe needed smartening up. Shortened and detabbed, a rear hoop was bent up by hand before being welded and blended into the original Honda tubing. Topped with a mildly humped seat clad in fluted leather with contrast stitching the effect is simple and honest.
    Shaka CBX G
    To get the riding position as per the client’s wishes Shaka fabricated some new aluminium clipons. mounted above the top yoke, the rider sits with a little forward bias but without too much weight on the wrists. Fairing removed, new instrumentation had to be sourced and the guys were keen to keep the Honda DNA.
    Thus rather than ordering the usual Chinese parts from ebay, they dug through their parts stash and found a period Honda speedo fit for the job. It’s an ideal that was carried throughout the bike: if it couldn’t be made then a part was sourced from another of Soichiro’s finest.
    Shaka CBX H
    With much of the original appendages stripped from the bike, it was already reaping the benefits of lost weight. Refurbed suspension with new oil and springs suited for the client keep the Comstars on the tarmac. Some new grippy pads and braided hoses make the most the original brake setup. Mr Honds’s R&D was well spent and does the job more than adequately for the style of riding requested.
    Shaka CBX Z
    A clean, honest build, it’s a significant transformation that takes the bike’s appearance back a decade or so while reaping the benefits of technological advancement. As Shaka put it “a fine blend of harmonious forms and basic functionality”. 
    Be sure to keep an eye of their Website and Facebook page for the latest builds from the Children of Shaka!
    via The Bike Shed

    GUY MARTIN - Go BIG or Go HOME! Isle of Man TT 2015 - On Bike - 200MPH!


    Photoshoot with Old Delhi Motorcycles

    just another day on set with Bobbee Singh, his machines and a very happy customer.


    Lifestyle - Tamarit Spanish Motorcycles

    Lifestyle - Tamarit Spanish Motorcycles from Tamarit Motorcycles on Vimeo.

    Road to Le Mans : Corvette Racing


    Aux 24 Heures du Mans 2015, Michelin est partenaire de 20 teams que nous présentons jusqu’au début de la semaine mancelle. Corvette n’a toujours pas franchi le pas du championnat FIA WEC, mais a fait des 24 Heures du Mans une étape annuelle obligatoire.
    Avec 82 victoires (54 doublés), 10 titres Constructeurs/Teams et 9 Pilotes en American Le Mans Series, Corvette Racing est sans doute l’un des teams d’Endurance les plus titrés aux Etats-Unis.
    Pourtant, l’écurie Corvette Racing (née de l’association Chevrolet et Pratt&Miller) n’a été fondée qu’en 1999 et a disputé sa première course d’Endurance aux 24 Heures de Daytona cette même année.
    En réalité, les Chevrolet Corvette écument les circuits du monde entier depuis 59 ans et la première victoire de catégorie aux 12 Heures de Sebring 1956 a lancé une véritable success story.
    La première apparition de véhicules Corvette au Mans remonte à 1960 et l’engagement de trois Corvette C1 par Briggs Cunnigham (victoire de catégorie GT avec Fitch/Grossman). Avec leur cylindrée importante, les Corvette avaient souvent les plus petits numéros de course. Des Corvette C2, C3, C4 ont été régulièrement alignées au Mans par différents teams privés.
    Corvette Racing s’est officiellement engagée aux 24 Heures du Mans en 2000 et la Corvette C5.R est montée sur le podium de la catégorie GTS. Depuis, Corvette Racing revient chaque année dans la Sarthe pour défier les plus prestigieuses marques automobiles. Les Chevrolet Corvette ont remporté 7 fois leur catégorie et signé trois doublés en 15 participations.
    Mais Corvette Racing n’a plus gagné au Mans depuis 2011 et la C7.R, qui a remporté les deux premières courses d’Endurance américaines 2015, aimerait accrocher les 24 Heures du Mans à son palmarès. Le team américain compte deux équipages homogènes et très expérimentés avec un total de 49 départs manceaux pour les 6 pilotes.
    CGUSu47W0AACwTY

    We’ll be counting down the days to the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours by presenting each of Michelin’s 20 partner teams at this year’s race. Although Corvette has yet to take up the FIA WEC gauntlet, Le Mans is an annual must for the American make.
     a record of 82 wins (including 54 one-two finishes), 10 Manufacturers/Teams’ titles and nine Drivers’ crowns in the American Le Mans Series, Corvette is clearly one of the most successful US makes in endurance racing.
    Yet Corvette Racing was only formally founded in 1999 following a merger between Chevrolet and Pratt&Miller. Its first endurance race was that year’s 24 Hours of Daytona.
    Different generations of the Chevrolet Corvette have been raced over a period of 59 years and victory at the 1956 12 Hours of Sebring was the first in its long success story.
    The first appearance of a Corvette at Le Mans was in 1960 when three C1s were entered by Briggs Cunnigham (GT class win with Fitch/Grossman), while a variety of Corvette C2s, C3s and C4s were subsequently entered by privateer teams.
    Corvette Racing’s first attempt at the Le Mans 24 Hours under that name came in 2000 with the Corvette C5.R which secured a GTS podium finish. Since then, the team hasn’t missed an opportunity to take on the industry’s most prestigious makes in La Sarthe. The result is a record of seven class wins for the famous Chevrolet model and three one-twos from 15 participations.
    That said, Corvette Racing hasn’t been successful at Le Mans since 2011 and would dearly love to add the French race to the record of the C7.R which has already won the first two rounds of its home endurance series this year.
    The American squad boasts two evenly-matched and highly experienced driver line-ups with 49 previous starts to the names of the six men.
    Voitures engagées aux 24 Heures du Mans 2015
    Chevrolet Corvette C7.R N°63 – LM GTE Pro : Jan Magnussen / Antonio Garcia / Ryan Briscoe
    Chevrolet Corvette C7.R N°64 – LM GTE Pro : Oliver Gavin / Tommy Milner / Jordan Taylor
    Palmarès aux 24 Heures du Mans
    2000 : 3e et 4e GTS Corvette C5.R (Freon/Pilgrim/Collins) et (Kneifel/Fellows/Bell)
    2001 : 1er GTS Corvette C5.R (Fellows/Pruett/O’Connell)
    2002 : 1er & 2e GTS Corvette C5.R (Fellows/O’Connell/Gavin) et (Pilgrim/Freon/Collins)
    2003 : 2e et 3e GTS Corvette C5.R (Gavin/Collins/Pilgrim) et (Fellows/O’Connell/Freon)
    2004 : 1er et 2e GTS Corvette C5/R (Gavin/Beretta/Magnussen) et (Fellows/Papis/O’Connell)
    2005 : 1er et 2e GT1 Corvette C6.R (Gavin/Beretta/Magnussen) et (Fellows/Papis/O’Connell)
    2006 : 1er GT1 Corvette C6.R (Gavin/Beretta/Magnussen)
    2007 : 2e GT1 Corvette C6.R (O’Connell/Magnussen/Fellows)
    2008 : 2e et 3e GT1 Corvette C6.R (O’Connell/Magnussen/Fellows) et (Gavin/Beretta/Papis)
    2009 : 1er GT1 Corvette C6.R (O’Connell/Magnussen/Garcia)
    2011 : 1er LM GTE Pro Corvette C6.R (Beretta/Milner/Garcia)
    2014 : 2e LM GTE Pro Corvette C7.R (Magnussen/Garcia/Taylor)

    L'historique du WorldSBK au Portugal / Portugal in WorldSBK history



    Retour sur les débuts du WorldSBK à Portimao.


    Le WorldSBK disputera ses 19e et 20e courses au Portugal ce week-end après avoir eu quatre épreuves à Estoril, en 1988 puis en 1993, et avoir pris la direction de l'Algarve pour la première fois en 2008, date depuis laquelle Portimao est un rendez-vous fixe du calendrier.
    Bien que le Portugal ait déjà accueilli un total de 18 courses, aucun pilote n'a réussi à s'y imposer plus de deux fois. Les doubles vainqueurs sont Troy Bayliss (2008), Max Biaggi (2010), Marco Melandri (2011/Course 2, 2013/Course 1), Eugene Laverty (2012/Course 2, 2013/Course 2) et Tom Sykes (2012/1, 2014/1), qui pourrait passer à trois victoires ce week-end, à moins que son coéquipier Jonathan Rea n'y parvienne en signant un doublé.
    22 pilotes portugais ont participé à au moins une séance d'essais de la catégorie WorldSBK et 14 d'entre eux ont participé à une course. Alex Vieira est celui qui a eu le plus de succès et s'était imposé à l'Osterreichring en 1989 (Course 1), avant de partir de la pole à Hockenheim en 1988.
    Les faits marquants du WorldSBK à Portimao :
    2008 - La première venue du WorldSBK à Portimao fut marquée par la démonstration de Troy Bayliss : l'Australien s'apprêtait à prendre sa retraite et avait démoli ses concurrents en décrochant la pole position avec près de deux secondes et demie d'avance sur Cal Crutchlow puis en survolant ensuite les deux courses. Un jeune Jonathan Rea, qui courait à l'époque en Supersport, faisait ses débuts en WorldSBK et décrochait la troisième position sur la grille ainsi qu'une quatrième place dans la première course.
    2009 - Portimai accueillit l'une des dernières manches les plus passionanntes de l'histoire en 2009, lorsque Noriyuki Haga et Ben Spies jouaient le titre mondial et que le Japonais était arrivé au Portugal avec dix points d'avance sur l'Américain. Spies avait décroché la pole et s'échappa dès le départ de la première course tandis que Haga, dixième sur la grille, remonta jusqu'à la cinquième place mais finit sur une chute dans le septième tour. Dans la seconde course, Spies n'eut qu'à gérer et à finir cinquième tandis que Michel Fabrizio s'imposait devant Haga. Le Japonais avait compté jusqu'à 88 points d'avance en cours de saison et fut battu par Spies au dernier moment.
    2010 - Portimao devint la seconde date du calendrier plutôt que la dernière pour accueillir le championnat au mois de mars. Max Biaggi remporta alors les deux courses en s'imposant devant Leon Haslam.
    2011 - Carlos Checa, qui allait devenir Champion du Monde, s'imposa dans la première course, en battant Sylvain Guintoli à quatre tours de l'arrivée. Marco Melandri signa dans la deuxième course la dernière des 74 victoires de Yamaha en WorldSBK. Eugene Laverty contribua aux festivités qui accompagnaient le départ du constructeur japonais avec une seconde place.
    2012 - Marco Melandri tomba dès le premier tour de la première course et dut être transféré à l'hôpital. Les victoires revinrent à Sykes et à Laverty. Sykes passa devant Melandri au classement général, à 30.5 points de Biaggi, qui allait remporter le titre mondial avec un demi-point d'avance le week-end suivant à Magny-Cours.
    2013 - Melandri remporta la dixième victoire de BMW dans la première course et Eugene Laverty s'imposa dans la deuxième. Tombé dans le virage n°2 dès le tour de chauffe, Sykes, qualifié en pole, dut partir de la pit-lane.
    2014 - Tom Sykes domina la première course avant que Sylvain Guintoli et Marco Melandri, à l'époque coéquipiers chez Aprilia, ne tombent sur piste mouillée alors qu'ils poursuivaient et rattrapaient le leader, Jonathan Rea. Ce dernier s'imposa tandis que Guiloni finit septième et que Melandri ne put repartir.

    Some figures regarding the hosting country.


    WorldSBK will run its 19th and 20th races in Portugal this season. In the early years of the World Championship, Estoril hosted four races, in 1988 and 1993, while the brand-new Algarve track took over in 2008 and has become a fixed venue since then.
    Despite hosting 18 races so far, a rider has never won more than twice in Portugal. The two-time winners on the Algarve (which had hosted 14 races in total) are Troy Bayliss (2008), Max Biaggi (2010), Marco Melandri (2011/2, 2013/1), Eugene Laverty (2012/2, 2013/2) and Tom Sykes (2012/1, 2014/1). Sykes is thus in the best position to become the first three-times Algarve winner, but his team-mate Rea can also achieve that in case of a double.
    22 Portuguese riders have entered at least a practice session in the World Superbike class and 14 of them were race starters. Among them, the most successful is Alex Vieira, the only Portuguese able to win a race, at the Osterreichring, 1989/1, and to start from pole - at Hockenheim in 1988.
    Some notable moments at the Algarve track:
    2008 The first weekend at the new track was a Troy Bayliss demonstration: the Australian was on his farewell weekend and shattered the opposition, taking pole by almost 2.5 seconds over Cal Crutchlow and dominating both races. On that weekend, a young Jonathan Rea switched from the World Supersport Championship to World Superbike, impressing the world with a third place on the grid and a fourth position finish in Race 1
    2009 The Algarve hosted one of the most thrilling season finales in history as Noriyuki Haga and Ben Spies had the title on the line, with the Japanese leading the American by ten points. Spies took pole and rocketed away at the start of Race 1 while Haga, only tenth on the grid, had to climb through the field but eventually fell on the seventh lap while running fifth. In Race 2, Spies controlled his rivals to finish a comfortable fifth, while Michel Fabrizio won from Haga: the Japanese had squandered an 88-point advantage during the course of the season and lost the title to Spies
    2010 The Algarve went from being the season finale to the second round, in March, and was a taste of things to come as Biaggi and Haslam fought closely in both races, with the Italian coming home with a double
    2011 World Champion-to-be Carlos Checa got the best of his rivals in Race 1, improving the pace when needed, and taking the lead from Sylvain Guintoli four laps from the end. In Race 2 Marco Melandri gave Yamaha the last of their 74 wins to date. Eugene Laverty completed the ideal farewell race for the Japanese manufacturer by finishing second
    2012 Marco Melandri's championship hopes took a serious knock in Race 1 when he fell on the opening lap and had to be taken to hospital for checks. The wins went to Sykes and Laverty; Tom took over from Melandri for second spot in the championship, 30.5 points from Biaggi who would go on to win the title by only half a point on the following weekend at Magny-Cours
    2013 Melandri gave BMW their tenth win in Race 1 and Eugene Laverty dominated proceedings in Race 2, but drama unfolded on the sighting lap as pole man Sykes fell at Turn 2, thus having to start from the pits
    2014 Tom Sykes dominated Race 1 before, in a wet Race 2 the two Aprilias were hunting down Jonathan Rea, race leader from the opening lap; however, just as Melandri and Guintoli were in sight of the Honda rider, the two Aprilias made contact in the shadow of the VIP tower. Only Guintoli was able to climb back on his bike, to finish seventh, while Melandri was out

    1977 Honda CB550 ‘Aldo’ by Lossa Engineering



    HONDA_CB550_LOSSA6
    When it comes to Honda CB café racers there’s not a lot of people that have built as many as Jay Lossa and his team at Lossa Engineering in Long Beach California. Jay has lost count of the number of CB’s he has brought back to life since starting his shop back in 2007. He usually starts his builds with “rusty hunks of junk” that cost no more than $500. It doesn’t usually matter what condition they are in because he replaces every nut and bolt anyway. This time around he started with a decent donor CB550 that he picked up for $1300 – which makes it the most expensive donor he has ever bought.
    HONDA_CB550_LOSSA1
    When you own a motorbike shop you tend to have a lot of spare parts lying around the garage, so Jay decided to build a bike with some of these spares. The Firestones were a cancelled order from a customer who changed his mind, so Jay incorporated them into the project. “I built this as an old school looking show bike, not a cornering carving machine” he jokes. “So I feel the tires are ok for that job”. The CB550 frame, wheel’s and all the parts were already powder coated black and the motor was rebuilt and blacked out.
    CB550_lossa_engine
    All the tabs were removed, frame hooped, battery relocated under the cowl, bike has been wired with a modern regulator/rectifier, dry cell battery, electronic ignition, Dyna mini coils and NGK wires. Jay also added an Acewell digital gauge and a Lossa mini key set up and starter button.  It also has a H4 headlight and a Lossa LED tail light.
    HONDA_CB550_LOSSA3
    Tom McWeeney from Kustoms Inc had been wanting to paint one of Lossa’s bikes for a while, so Jay thought he would be perfect for this 70’s styled show bike. Tom did all the paintwork with House of Kolor paint. He started with a Orion Silver base and then did a candy apple red over with lines graphics and lace work. He finished it off with some silver leafing and hand pinstriping.  Tom even striped the part under the seat where the upholstery would have covered it up. “So not wanting to hide any of his artwork, I decided to expose the center of the seat,” said Jay. “I did all the bodywork myself and decided not to do knee dents and keep the tank straight and smooth as glass to show off all the artwork.”
    HONDA_CB550_LOSSA7
    The motor received a big bore kit and is now a 608cc, cases were split, all new gaskets, seals, Barnett clutch and a valve job with all new valves were used. “The bike also has a Mega-cycle cam and huge Keihin CR racing carburetors so we can burn off those Firestone tire’s I love so much!” he says.  One of Lossa Engineering’s Yoshi style replica 4 into 1 exhausts were used with one of their reverse cone mufflers and the whole set up was ceramic coated.
    HONDA_CB550_LOSSA8
    A chrome set of Lossa clubman styled bars were used to give it that classic café look, along with Biltwell grips, Tarrozzi fork brace and rearsets. Joker tappet cover, stem nut, axle adjusters and brake stay were used to dress up the standard stock pieces.  The brake caliper has been “polished to perfection” and the stock rotor CNC drilled. Every nut and bolt on the CB has been re-plated with chrome or zinc plating.  Jay finished off the build with some reservoir shocks, gold o-ring chain and Magura master cylinder.
    HONDA_CB550_LOSSA9
    This 1977 CB550 has been given the name ‘Aldo’ and has been completely rebuilt and is now better than new. Jay has fallen in love with this bike but knows he needs to let it go and move on to the next project. “I have too much stuff and can’t possibly ride all of my bikes, so if someone wants to arm wrestle me into selling this bike to them, I will” he says. So if you want a CB550 café racer in show bike condition, contact Jay for that arm wrestle – you’ll win because he does have nerve damage in his arms.
    [Photos by Buckhorn studio]
    HONDA_CB550_LOSSA4
    via PIPEBURN

    From Malibu to Saint Tropez - the best buggies for the beach


    Simon de Burton longs for the days when we could drive on the beach without being apprehended by the long arm of the law. Here he sums up his best of beach transport, on the sand and… in the air. No, seriously.

    Remember when... ?

    There are many things you can't do in our modern, progressive world that you used to be allowed to do, 40 or 50 years ago. And a lot of them involve cars - like, for instance, driving on the beach. I've only ever done that once (legally) and it was in Australia.
    But back in the day, one gets the impression that there were almost as many cars built for beach life as there were boats built for the sea. It was a trend kicked off by the Californian engineer and artist Bruce Meyers who, in 1964, produced the original 'Meyers Manx' beach buggy by bolting a glassfibre tub to the shortened chassis of a VW Beetle.

    McQueen and the Manx

    With fat tyres and the weight of the engine over the back wheels, the Manx positively surfed the sand and spawned a whole genre of similar machines  - including, of course, the legendary 'Queen Manx' that took to the air with Steve McQueen at the wheel (and Faye Dunaway be-scarfed in the passenger seat) in one of the more memorable scenes from The Thomas Crown Affair.
    But while McQueen's buggy packed a 200-horsepower, flat-six Chevrolet Corvair engine, the cars in which Europe's riviera set tended to head for the dunes were small and built more for style than speed.

    A Jolly good fellow

    Take, for example, the shamelessly comical 'Jolly' which was a conversion of the Fiat 500, 600 and Multipla, carried out  - at considerable expense - by coachbuilder Ghia. Sold around the world, these miniscule cars with sand- and sea-repellent wicker seats, easy access, cut-down sides and absurd, fringe-laden 'Surrey' tops proved hugely popular with yacht owners (including Aristotle Onassis) for haring around ports and between beach and villa.

    The darling of the jet set

    Likewise the Mini Moke, with its doorless body, canopy roof and nippy Mini mechanicals, rose from its original position of failed military vehicle ('not fit for purpose', said the Army procurement board) to become the default wheels for jet-setters all the way from the Caribbean to the Cote d'Azur - not least, as our shot of Brigitte Bardot and canine friends demonstrates, because the Moke was a practical load-lugger as well as being 'très bon' fun. 

    French kicks 'sur la plage'

    Indeed, the French have proved rather good at making beach cars themselves, notably in the form of Renault's '4'-based Rodeo and the Citroën Mehari, a Moke-like creation based on a 2CV platform which had a tendency to take off when a high wind caught its canopy - but didn't, unfortunately, fly nearly so stylishly as the Queen Manx.
    Photos: Getty Images / Rex Features /  Citroën  / Artcurial, Bonhams, Gooding, RM Sotheby's

    Is John Cooper's last car the ultimate Mini Cooper?


    A rather special (and not to mention fast) Mini Cooper is now available in the Classic Driver Market. According to the vendor, this 1998 Mini Cooper S is the last car tuned by John Cooper ‘himself’…
     

    Motor racing know-how

    The late John Cooper, legendary Mini specialist and co-founder of British racing car manufacturer Cooper Car Company, first modified a Mini in 1961. His high-performance variants of the highly popular Mini later became world-famous following starring roles in the 1969 film, The Italian Job.The sale of this particular Mini Cooper S by Paris-based My Mini Revolution marks an exciting opportunity to acquire the last car owned by the legendary designer and tuner – featuring many unique performance parts. The car's odometer shows just 1,980 miles and, supposedly, more than £25,000 has been spent on the engine alone!
    Photos: My Mini Revolution
    View the entire range of classic Minis for sale in the Classic Driver Market.