Yamaha returned to Biarritz this summer to participate in the annual Wheels & Waves motorcycle and surf event for the second time. Bringing a host of new Yard Built motorcycles, including an XV950 Side Car from Deus Ex Machina and an XJR1300 from Numbnut Motorcycles. Yamaha also used the occasion to launch the Faster Sons concept with legendary Japanese custom bike builder Shinya Kimura.
mercredi 24 juin 2015
Born Free 5
A look into the Born-Free 5 Vintage Chopper and Classic Cycle Show with Kristine Louise of Classic Car Culture. In a few short years the Born-Free motorcycle show has become somewhat of a phenomenon in the classic motorcycle world. Watch this for some insight into what's been called the Woodstock of Choppers or the Sturgis for the next generation. Please visit bornfreeshow.com for details on past and future shows.
One last summer with the Land Rover Defender
It was more than just a fling with the Land Rover Defender, but sadly it’s time to say farewell. Well, not before one last summer…
This summer photo series comes from our friends at Cool & Vintage in Portugal, once again reminding us that there’s no better beach companion than a soft-top Land Rover Defender. The young lady behind the wheel seems melancholic, perhaps because of the Defender’s imminent demise? There’s no reason to mope, though – there are dozens of classic Defenders for sale in the Classic Driver Market…
REBELLION OF THE MACHINES: A TRUE HONDA CB750 CAF
Has the term ‘café racer’ been abused beyond recognition? A growing number of experienced bike builders think so, including Madrid-based Rebellion Of The Machines.
“Rebellion is a reaction to the ‘new’ café racer scene,” says founder Adolfo Calles. “We’re fed up with the ‘artisan’ word being used to hide badly finished bikes—and absurd stuff like knobby tires on 130 horsepower machines. ”
“So this machine is a true performance bike. A real café racer must handle and brake better than the original and weigh less—and look like it’s doing 200 mph when standing still!”
It’s fighting talk, but Rebellion has the experience to back it up. Adolfo owns Spain’s oldest custom shop, Bonneville Motorworks, and he works with two brothers at the top of the motorcycle game: Raúl and Jose Pérez, mechanical engineers who also contract to Bultaco and race motorcycles worldwide.
Rebellion’s mission is to build bikes where everything has been reworked, to improve aesthetics or performance—and preferably both. “We’re focused on quality,” says Adolfo, “and we offer the bikes fully homologated and with a lifetime warranty.”
It’s a brave step, but Adolfo has confidence in his work and he’s been building for a long time. “We are that sure of our job. It sounds arrogant, but it’s not meant to be. We think that every builder should be proud of their handiwork.”
The tank is a native Honda CB item, but a modified 1984-spec model. The tail unit is from a Yamaha TZ, sitting on a reworked subframe and hiding the battery and much of the electrics. Directly below is a Yamaha R6 swingarm; Rebellion modified the rear end to take a monoshock.
The CB750 had done just 50,000 kilometers, so the engine was in excellent condition. Still, Rebellion opened it up just to check, and changed the bearings, seals and gaskets. A new clutch was fitted too, just to be on the safe side.
Other small parts have been carefully chosen, such as an LED taillight, a hidden Motogadget instrument, and road-legal titanium mufflers.
We’d say they’ve succeeded. Rebellion’s CB750 weighs just 198 kg with a full tank of gas, around 25 kilos lighter than stock. And we’re told that it “handles like a dream and brakes incredibly well.”
The CB750 shown here is a 1994 model that has been owned since new by Rebellion’s client. Adolfo and the Pérez brothers were given carte blanche to do whatever they wanted, and their first decision was to fit the front end from a Yamaha R6—plus Brembo upgrades to the brake system.
The tank is a native Honda CB item, but a modified 1984-spec model. The tail unit is from a Yamaha TZ, sitting on a reworked subframe and hiding the battery and much of the electrics. Directly below is a Yamaha R6 swingarm; Rebellion modified the rear end to take a monoshock.
The geometry of the bike is stock, down to the last millimeter. “We are not better than 25 Japanese engineers at Honda working for a year,” Adolfo concedes.
The CB750 had done just 50,000 kilometers, so the engine was in excellent condition. Still, Rebellion opened it up just to check, and changed the bearings, seals and gaskets. A new clutch was fitted too, just to be on the safe side.
The standard air filters were replaced with free-flowing pod filters. “The engine struggles with small filters—they do not work,” says Adolfo. “So we made an intake that feeds two carburetors from each filter.
Other small parts have been carefully chosen, such as an LED taillight, a hidden Motogadget instrument, and road-legal titanium mufflers.
There are parts from the 1970s to the 21st century sprinkled throughout the build. “It’s a cocktail that we think blends harmoniously, but avoids solutions that everybody uses, like yellow headlights and so on…We want to make our bikes look ‘factory’ from not only the parts, but also the quality of the work.”
We’d say they’ve succeeded. Rebellion’s CB750 weighs just 198 kg with a full tank of gas, around 25 kilos lighter than stock. And we’re told that it “handles like a dream and brakes incredibly well.”
If you like Rebellion’s approach, you’ll be glad to know that another four Hondas are in the pipeline, with similar parts and bodywork but different detailing and paint. The cost is €15,000—about US$17,000—including the warranty.
At a time when many custom builds are costing well over $20,000 and focusing on the ‘show’ rather than the ‘go,’ that sounds like excellent value for money.
Rebellion Of The Machines website (coming soon) | Facebook page | Images by Luis De Las Alas
via BIKEexif
The Triple Nickel is More Than a Motorcycle
“I just knew I wanted to ride,” says Stacie B. London. “I had a picture of the bike that I wanted in my head…and it was coincidence and luck that I managed to find it.”
London isn’t your typical vintage motorcycle racer, and her steed, a Honda CB160, is not a typical vintage motorcycle. Sold for just one year, the tiny, jewel-like Japanese bike isn’t the easiest to find parts for…but that matters little to London.
“Going to that first race is when I realized I needed to race. There was nothing more clear to me that I needed to experience what it felt like to do that,” London says. “I didn’t really know what that meant, that I’d been in the shop every night for hours…and on weekends…”
With a Master’s in Industrial Design and, until a few years ago, little interest in motorcycles, London’s introduction and approach to racing have since encouraged many more to don leathers and live life on two wheels.
London maintains Triple Nickel herself, with the help of a mentor, Ralph Hudson.
Through many obstacles—including a broken collarbone and finding parts for such a rare motorcycle—London’s first season of vintage riding has been both challenging and thrilling.
“What I get out of it is this incredibly rich experience… In some ways, I got swooped up into this process that I wasn’t expecting,” London says. “Now it’s about discipline, focus, staying calm, adapting…”
“It kinda went from girls posing on bikes, and being pinups…now the pinups are riding.”
London isn’t your typical vintage motorcycle racer, and her steed, a Honda CB160, is not a typical vintage motorcycle. Sold for just one year, the tiny, jewel-like Japanese bike isn’t the easiest to find parts for…but that matters little to London.
“Going to that first race is when I realized I needed to race. There was nothing more clear to me that I needed to experience what it felt like to do that,” London says. “I didn’t really know what that meant, that I’d been in the shop every night for hours…and on weekends…”
With a Master’s in Industrial Design and, until a few years ago, little interest in motorcycles, London’s introduction and approach to racing have since encouraged many more to don leathers and live life on two wheels.
London maintains Triple Nickel herself, with the help of a mentor, Ralph Hudson.
Through many obstacles—including a broken collarbone and finding parts for such a rare motorcycle—London’s first season of vintage riding has been both challenging and thrilling.
“What I get out of it is this incredibly rich experience… In some ways, I got swooped up into this process that I wasn’t expecting,” London says. “Now it’s about discipline, focus, staying calm, adapting…”
“It kinda went from girls posing on bikes, and being pinups…now the pinups are riding.”
Rain starts play at the International Bugatti Rally
Held in a different country every year and (brilliantly) organised by the Club Bugatti France, the International Bugatti Meeting took place last week in Provence, in the South of France…
It’s rare to have more than a trio of vintage Bugattis at a classic car meeting, so try to imagine 95 together for an entire week. At the International Bugatti Meeting last week, 17 different models were represented, driven by teams from 16 different countries.
Come rain or shine
There’s a common preconception about vintage Bugatti owners: that they perhaps prefer to admire their cars on freshly mown lawns, rather than actually drive them. But that’s nonsense. The participants of this rally are real gentleman drivers, waking up and hitting the road as early as possible, aiming primarily to enjoy driving their cars at a spirited pace.
You organise a classic car rally in Provence in June for many reasons: the roads, the views, the variety of scenic landscapes and, of course, the weather. Perhaps inevitably, it rained, nay hailed on one particular day. But spirits weren’t dampened (excuse the pun) as the rally arrived in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie for dinner. In fact, many owners said they were pleased to have experienced it, having never driven their cars in such bad weather before. Conditions thankfully improved, albeit only a little, for the rest of the week, with a mix of sunshine, rain and storms, though this was all part of the fun.
The ideal setting
During the briefing, the teams and drivers were told that their cars had been chosen from almost double the number of applicants for the rally, because they were the ‘craziest’ examples. And the range of cars present proved this. While the majority were Grand Prix models, there were several 'Brescias', two striking Type 54 and 59s, and some more luxurious Type 46s, 49s and, perhaps most desirably, 57s.
The route chosen by the Club Bugatti France was fantastic – between traversing mountains and lazing along the coast, from the Gorges du Verdon to the creeks of Cassis, every day brought its ‘pinch me’ moments. The highlight was arguably getting lost in the clouds after tackling the hillclimb up Mont Ventoux. It seemed that the locals enjoyed our presence, too, lining the roads and waving enthusiastically. Provence is certainly the perfect place to enjoy your Bugatti…
A fitting tribute
After a week on the road, you certainly feel like part of a small family, the family of Bugatti drivers who are here to get as much time behind the wheels of their wonderful cars as they possibly can. They’re proud, too, of the brand and its history, celebrating each meal with a toast, “Vive la Marque”. One thing is certain: Ettore Bugatti would be extremely proud. He once famously said, “My cars are made to be driven,” and so they are many decades later. Next year’s rally will take place in Switzerland, and we’ll do everything in our power to be there once again. Vive la Marque!
Photos: Rémi Dargegen for Classic Driver
You can find both modern and classic Bugattis for sale in the Classic Driver Market.
Variety is the spice of Auctionata’s Classic Cars sales in Berlin
At Auctionata’s two ‘Classic Cars’ auctions, taking place on 26 June in Berlin, a diverse assortment of old and newer classics will cross the block. We’ve selected our favourites…
Rocket science
Honours for ‘star lot’ must go to the Brabham BT23-5, the car in which the young Austrian Jochen Rindt won nine races in 1967, establishing himself as the king of Formula 2. Believed to be one of three remaining BT23s, it’s estimated to fetch between 360,000 and 500,000 euros. TheMercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 (est. 80,000-100,000 euros) of ex-NASA chief and the head of development on the Saturn V, Wernher von Braun, is also very cool, and you’d certainly never tire of reminding your friends of the car’s rocket scientist credentials.
Transformers
Elsewhere, there are numerous rally-bred machines – most notably the Lancia Stratos (est. 360,000-450,000 euros). Delivered as a Stradale, it was subsequently faithfully converted into a Group 4 machine – so faithfully, in fact, that it’s been recognised by the Registro Storico Lancia. Though not 'authentic' as such, the later Martini-liveried Delta HF Integrale is estimated at a reasonable 60,000-80,000 euros. There’s also an Ur-Quattro masquerading as a works car with all the necessary modifications (40,000-60,000 euros).
Big Bulli
The very rare 1952 VW Type 21a is one of the oldest surviving Bullis in the world, and its 200,000-240,000-euro estimate reflects that. Completely different but equally intriguing is the low-mileage (13,500 miles) DeLorean DMC-12. Gifted new by John DeLorean to his then-model/actress wife Christina, the car (70,000-100,000 euros) is accompanied by the original sales contract, as well as extensive maintenance records.
City smoker
Enthusiasts of more modern classics will be happy with the selection on offer – take the BMW 635CSi estimated at 32,000-40,000 euros, for example. Though leggier and a little less tidy, theAlpina B7 Turbo – estimated at 70,000-90,000 euros – is even cooler.
Oh, and a final mention for the charming green 1977 Peugeot 504. It might have 190,000km on the clock, but thanks to a recent respray and clearly well-looked-after (mustard!) interior and mechanicals, it’s an attractive proposition at 8,000-12,000 euros. The perfect city smoker? Hopefully not in both senses...
Photos: Auctionata
Auctionata's two Classic Cars sales will take place on 26 June 2015 at the Autodepot Berlin. You can find the full catalogues listed in the Classic Driver Market.
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