jeudi 9 juillet 2015
Lords of the Atlas - Mexican 1000 Action Cut
Off-Roading in Baja, CA
Join Larry and Chad Ragland, Steve and Bryce Menzies, and Randy and RJ Anderson as they take the ultimate father and son off-road trip exploring the beautiful Baja, Mexico peninsula in Polaris RZRs. Watch this group of friends reconnect with each other while discovering and sharing beautiful remote beaches, mountain roads, desert trails, and remote missions that are only accessible off-road.
"Father's day comes around every year, but the memories we made will last a lifetime!"
"Father's day comes around every year, but the memories we made will last a lifetime!"
PUREBREED MOTORCYCLES CB750
Tuning engines is a double edged sword and away from the racetrack makes no sense at all. More or less any vehicle can be rendered a time sapping money-pit in the quest for improvement. You fight for every extra pony and will the dyno trace to steepen its accent, when simply buying the next engine size up would yield a similar result. But that’s like wearing elasticated triple pleat trousers and velcro shoes, practical but oh so very dull. We are here for a good time, not a long time; so fill you life with flames, pops, bangs and the symphony of costly endeavours rattling away between your legs.
Guillaume of Purebreed Motorcycles featured here a while back with a CB360 he built for his girlfriend Maude. So, he has a hot girlfriend who rides cool bikes, a great workshop and customers happy with his handiwork, a man fulfilled right? Nope, Guillaume decided that he wanted to build the fastest CB750, period.
Before you get excited and expect to read a how-to on squeezing poke from Honda’s venerable four-banger, the formula is a relatively guarded secret. Probably because Guillaume would rather not be reminded how fast this thing can burn a $100 note. The base lump is a SOHC unit from 1976 CB which rolled off the production with around 67hp on tap, Guillaume wanted to crack the ton, and not the MPH version.
Experimentation was the underlying method of extracting more power. The cylinder head has undergone significant porting and polishing, and we’re not talking about a rough stab in the dark with a Dremel here. Rather than re-profile the existing camshaft and new one was cast and machined to spec, running considerable overlap to scavenge the cylinders, increasing not only power but also the length of flames on overrun. Well, not that long as it happens, the flat-slide carbs have been set-up on the dyn0 to ensure efficient combustion and no melting of pistons. With tolerances this tight and a heady compression ratio one can imagine the margin for error is as narrow as the squish band.
The skin of this engineering grenade has been lavished with similar attention, painted and machined barrels and sidecases look factory fresh. A warm golden sheen on the bespoke stainless headers a sign of the well-tuned motor and the stubby muffler has its work cut out to baffle the racing rasp when this thing comes on song. The oil tank is slimline and canted forward, not only centralising weight but freeing-up the rear triangle, a look easier to achieve with the wet sumped CB550.
Of course, all that go is wasted without considerable upgrades to the chassis. Anyone who’s at least pushed a stock one of these around will concur, they are flippin heavy. Lightweight engine internals go someway to reducing heft but binning cast and heavy seventies ironmongery is an easy win, if a potentially expensive one. First to go was the stock front end, replaced by upsidedowners from a GSXR 750 braced by Purebreed’s own machined yokes and stem. And who would shy away from using a Motogadget speedo these days? The simplistic and multifunctional all-in-one Motoscope Classic is housed in within the top yoke. The wiring harness is all-new, through the M-Gadget system and is powered by the now ubiquitous lithium battery, hidden away of course.
The nearly radial brakes are mounted to a hub manufactured by fellow CB modernisers, Cognito Moto. The widest possible Sun aluminium rim was then laced on. Out back the stock caliper, rebuilt of course, stands in as back up should exuberance overwhelm the pair of Tokico four-pots. Piggyback rear shocks are by Fox, Street Performance RC1s.
All that speed is nothing without looks so a handmade café tail and seat unit takes care of the aesthetics, dark blue always looks smart and sophisticated which is something Guillaume’s builds exude.
And here he is, the 100 horsepower man. You may think that extracting that many ponies from an engine a half century old in its design would result in an unreliable, jerky beast of a bike but the running-in period proved to be smooth and trouble free. Now loosened up and the internal components familiarised with each other Guillaume has been able to stretch the CB’s legs. A 600km rip through the mountains proved his hard work to be worthwhile, the motor spins freely and pulls really hard, sounding truly fantastic in the process.
Too see some of the other bikes in Guillaume’s stable head to the Pure Breed Fine Motorcycles website, where you can also buy merchandise. Keep an eye on his Facebook page too, as the salt flats of Bonneville are calling.
via The Bike Shed
Baz: “Today I’m just two points off the top spot”
Strong results have seen the goal posts moved for Loris Baz who now aims to be the top Open class rider this season.
Just two points split Loris Baz (Athina Forward Racing) and Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) in the championship standings. The pair currently sit 15th and 16th but are fighting for the honour of top Open bike, it was Aleix Espargaro (Team Suzuki Ecstar) who took this ‘title’ last season. Baz is currently doing a great job, beating many more experienced riders on similar machinery.
Sachsenring is yet another new track for the former WSBK rider, but so far the Frenchmen has shown himself to be a fast learner. The German track has classically suited the Open class bikes as it does not emphasize top end speed, an area Open bikes struggle with.
Loris Baz: "Sachsenring will be the last race before the summer break. At the beginning of the season my goal was to get close to the top riders of the Open class by now, but today I’m just two points off the top spot and I am very satisfied with all the steps forward we made. For me this will be yet another debut riding the Yamaha Forward, I have never been on this track before, but I'm sure I can take advantage of the good work done so far with the team".
Spend a night in a Jaguar (hotel suite)...
The links between luxury living and auto-exotica are long, historic and intriguing. However, Taj 51 Buckingham Gate has stepped things up a gear with its £5,100-a-night Jaguar Suite...
London plays host to the world’s only ‘Jaguar Suite’, designed, inspired, infused and enriched with all things Jaguar. Ian Callum, director of design at Jaguar, helped oversee the transformation of the suite and, together with the Taj team, has managed to pack an enthusiast’s dream into a 2,000sq-ft-plus, ultra-luxury den, a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace. With vintage hub-caps, coffee-table books, custom art, even Jaguar Racing Nespresso flutes filling the suite, there is no mistaking just how unique this accommodation actually is.
Room of passion
Sitting in what had to be one of the world’s only sportscar-themed luxury suites, certainly at this level, I enthusiastically luxuriated in the historic racing memorabilia. I could almost hear the sweet bellow of an XK140 rolling down a country lane with the mandatory splutter of exhaust fumes, and I lamented that if only the suite came with the accompanying Jag in British Racing Green, Dunhill racing gloves and a Fortnum & Mason hamper in the back, it would have been a daydream come true.
In Vegas, this would all be utterly kitsch; however, the Taj pulls it off. With a combination of a top location (and price tag to match), plus a discerning clientele, the suite was tasteful, classy and, most of all, passionate about its theme.
No Jag for the day?
When I asked the manager why the suite didn’t come with a Jaguar for the day, he smiled politely. Then again, the management isn’t exactly averse to luxury motoring. The hotel side of the Taj hosts a classic car tour of London, where guests can amble through the streets of London in some of the Queen’s old motors, followed by an equally indulgent tea.
For a traveller with a penchant for motoring and a love of Jaguar, who requires a long stay in the Capital, this might just be the perfect pit stop.
Text: Zakari Smith
For further information, click here.
You can find hundreds of modern and classic Jaguars for sale in the Classic Driver Market.
This Lagonda LG6 Rapide is a teal treat that charmed the world’s elite
With only a day to peruse the soon-to-be-auctioned, 48-car Frederiksen collection, we must admit to browsing rather more hurriedly than we’d have liked. But one car we just couldn’t pass by without further attention was the stunning, one-of-six Lagonda LG6 Rapide Drophead of 1939…
“I’ve never actually had the chance to drive the car,” says Henrik Frederiksen, the owner of thestunning collection in which the Lagonda currently resides, recently consigned by Bonhams to be the subject of its own, standalone auction. “That’s the trouble when you have so many cars.” It’s an understandable dilemma, given the quality of the rest of the collection – but one he might want to address before the 26 September sale. Indeed, the LG6 Rapide was not only beautiful, but also highly regarded by the automotive press for its solidity, lavishness and the relative ease with which it could be operated, even when approaching triple-digit speeds.
Links to Le Mans
Beneath the bonnet was a 4.5-litre, six-cylinder Meadows engine, which had already proved its worth with a Le Mans win before being re-mastered by W.O. Bentley, who had defected from his eponymous company after it was incorporated into Rolls-Royce. Among the changes he made were a syncromeshed gearbox and flexible engine mounts, which gave the car a new air of refinement in comparison to its predecessors. Meanwhile, Lagonda’s own coachwork – penned by a young Frank Feeley – had a French side to its character, with graceful wings, a swooping beltline, and curvaceous rear wheel spats. Led by the two talented Englishmen, Lagonda had married the culmination of pre-War British beauty to post-War driveability credentials.
One of six
Ultimately, only six LWB LG6 Rapides were built before the outbreak of war, with none to be built after. In fact, this was the very example shown at the 1940 New York Auto Show by the company’s American importer. Thereafter, it was delivered to its first owner: a successful businessman (and house committee member of the very prestigious New York Yacht Club), who had traded in his P1 Rolls-Royce. He christened his new car ‘The Green Hornet’ after the fictional character – indeed, it regularly buzzed him between his homes in Long Island and Maine, the luxurious Lagonda sailing along 400-odd miles of coastal roads with aplomb.
Teal in, tractor green out
The next owner kept the car for 46 years – alongside a 1936 LG45 Rapide and a 1939 V12 saloon, we might add – before handing over custody to Skip Barber, founder of the eponymous racing team. Barber’s sentiments as an owner echoed those made by the automotive press: “It doesn’t display your minimal sports car cockpit,” he said. “Instead, it has comfortable seats and a spacious and luxurious interior.” However, Barber wasn’t so taken by the original paintwork, which he described as ‘John Deere Green’ due to its similarity to the trademark colour of the tractor manufacturer. Instead, he chose the teal tone it wears resplendently today, a perfect match to the Cognac ‘pigskin’ Connolly leather, tan roof, and dashboard that was crafted from inlaid wood.
Prized beauty
The delightful hue was retained during its sympathetic, ground-up restoration in 2007, after which it was immediately summoned to the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Here, it won two trophies: a second in class prize and, perhaps more importantly, the sole Beaulieu Cup as the most significant English car in the automotive beauty pageant.
As we reluctantly concluded our time with the rare car, we could’t help but marvel over its desirability – it ticks every box as a significant, yet highly usable collector car. What’s more, as one of the last cars produced before the post-War Aston Martin takeover, we wonder whether the model also charmed Sir David Brown into taking the fateful leap of faith?
Photos: © Amy Shore for Classic Driver
The Frederiksen Collection will be auctioned by Bonhams at Lyngsbækgaard Manor, in Mols Bjerge national park, Denmark, on Saturday 26 September 2015.
CMBL CB125 THE HOTDOGGER
125cc motorcycles rock. Remember your earliest experiences of true freedom? Honing about the countryside or city streets aboard the lithe 125 of your formative years? They are the hook that pulled us into a lifetime of two wheeled daftness.
A best mate of mine who somehow escaped the two wheeled bug in his teenage years has finally succumbed to my peer pressure and the lure of the wind in his perfectly quiffed locks. The CBT is passed and every other day another stunningly modified 125 from ebayland falls into my inbox accompanied by a fresh congregation of exclamation marks. They are all wonderful – there is something about the smaller capacity machines that inspires a sense of fun and creativity – it’s only a 125, do with it what you will as long as you enjoy it. I know that this little beauty from CMBL is going to really float his boat…
CMBL are based in the wild lands of Cornwall where they combine their passions for surfing and riding. This slice of joy was founded by John Eldridge. With the typical wanderlust that those craggy Cornish coasts and vibrant vistas inspire John found himself travelling the world in search of the perfect wave. Indonesia inevitably crossed his path and of course that temple of temptation, Deus Ex machina. John was hooked. By the time his feet had brought him back to old Kernow CMBL was a fully developed dream that he set about making real.
Our first featured CMBL bike was the charming Beach Hopper that pitched up at our second event back in Shoreditch Studios, but we first met The Hotdogger at the third event when it rolled out of the CMBL van along with their stunning Zed Cat.
“The Hotdogger is our second motorcycle in the Beach Hopper series. Our Beach Hoppers are small capacity sub 125cc motorcycles that can be whipped out the garage (or off the back of a camper van), loaded with a board & beach necessities and throttled down to the beach for a quick surf or a full day trip exploring the local coast.”
They sourced a Honda CB125T as the donor motorcycle and soon had it stripped down so they could redesign the overall look, but first up they wanted to improve the little twins most glaring flaw.
“Anyone who has ridden a cable disc brake on a motorcycle knows that the braking power is close to none existent so we went about modifying the front hub to accommodate a hydraulic disc brake with plenty more breaking power.”
While they were at it they re-laced some freshly polished hubs with stainless spokes and fitted Heidenau rubber to the rims. A new rear frame loop, leather seat, micro switchgear, mini speedo, classic scrambler bars, gum grips, aluminium battery box and of course the detachable board racks were also thrown into the mix.
“We had a few different tank options from various classic motorcycles but eventually settled on the Fantic Caballero tank. It’s general proportions were perfect but also had the added bonus of the fixing mounts for a tank rack. The owner of this motorcycle is a big Stevie Gee fan (and of course we are too!) and so we put the two in touch and left them to their own devices to discuss ideas for the artwork. We had no doubt in our mind that the artwork would in a way marry the owner to the motorcycle and lift the motorcycle to epic proportions. Stevie did us more than proud and we are over the moon to have been able to work together on the Hotdogger.”
The tank is a great fit for the CB and that natty little rack is the perfect size to strap a sandwich to from the CMBL sister cafe Strong Adolfos – check out the food on that website! I am already planning a trip…. The proportions are so tidy that a single colour paint scheme would have sat elegantly enough but remember this is a 125, sod elegance we want character and fun, which are delivered by the beach bucket load with the stunning work of Stevie Gee. See more of Stevie’s jocular work on Sideburn’s The Slacker. The relevance of the graphics to the owner is unknown but we are pretty sure he must be a hell of a good laugh.
“When it came to the exhausts and as we were mocking the motorcycle up we just couldn’t draw our eyes away from the lines of the original pieces. The more we thought about it the more we decided they should remain. As far as we are concerned they just compliment the motorcycle in such a way that we couldn’t live without them.”
John and the guys at CMBL certainly get the fun side of 125cc bike building but then fun is a quality that infects their entire catalogue of work.
“When we are not surfing we are riding motorcycles. When we are not riding motorcycles we are shaping surfboards and building motorcycles.”
They are certainly living life right. Check out their website or Instagram and try to get away without dreaming of ordering a stunning new board or indeed one of those awesome Zed Cat concepts, that leopard spot number sure is tempting…
via The Bike Shed
Bradl déclare forfait pour son Grand Prix national / Bradl to miss home Grand Prix
Blessé au poignet droit suite à sa chute à Assen, Stefan Bradl est contraint à déclarer forfait pour l’épreuve du Sachsenring.
Stefan Bradl avait entamé son programme de rééducation tout de suite après s’être fait opérer par le Dr Stefan Krischak lundi dernier en Allemagne afin d’éventuellement pouvoir reprendre la piste ce week-end pour le Grand Prix GoPro d’Allemagne.
Malgré tous ses efforts, le pilote du team Athinà Forward Racing n’aura pas suffisamment récupéré d’ici l’ouverture du Grand Prix pour espérer participer à sa course nationale et doit donc déclarer forfait.
Il sera remplacé par Claudio Corti, qui avait déjà couru avec Forward en Moto2 en 2010 puis en MotoGP en 2013, lorsqu’il courait sur FTR-Kawasaki aux côtés de Colin Edwards.
Stefan Bradl :
« C’est vraiment dommage de manquer mon Grand Prix à domicile mais les médecins m’ont conseillé de ne pas forcer la récupération afin de ne pas risquer quoi que ce soit pour le reste de la saison. Ma main me fait encore mal et je vais essayer de profiter au maximum des quatre semaines dont je dispose avant la course d’Indianapolis. Je serai présent au Sachsenring avec le team pour respecter mes engagements envers les médias, les sponsors et les fans qui m’ont vraiment soutenu durant la semaine qui a suivi mon opération. »
« C’est vraiment dommage de manquer mon Grand Prix à domicile mais les médecins m’ont conseillé de ne pas forcer la récupération afin de ne pas risquer quoi que ce soit pour le reste de la saison. Ma main me fait encore mal et je vais essayer de profiter au maximum des quatre semaines dont je dispose avant la course d’Indianapolis. Je serai présent au Sachsenring avec le team pour respecter mes engagements envers les médias, les sponsors et les fans qui m’ont vraiment soutenu durant la semaine qui a suivi mon opération. »
Claudio Corti :
« Je suis vraiment très heureux de pouvoir revenir en MotoGP. Merci à Giovanni et à toute l’équipe pour cette opportunité. J’espère que Stefan sera de retour dès que possible. Je vais essayer de récompenser la confiance du team et de faire de mon mieux en piste. Piloter cette moto va être une nouvelle expérience mais je suis prêt et j’espère obtenir un bon résultat. »
« Je suis vraiment très heureux de pouvoir revenir en MotoGP. Merci à Giovanni et à toute l’équipe pour cette opportunité. J’espère que Stefan sera de retour dès que possible. Je vais essayer de récompenser la confiance du team et de faire de mon mieux en piste. Piloter cette moto va être une nouvelle expérience mais je suis prêt et j’espère obtenir un bon résultat. »
After breaking his scaphoid last time out in Assen, Stefan Bradl will miss his home Grand Prix to focus on recovery.
Following his crash in the Grand Prix of Assen, where he fractured his right scaphoid, Stefan Bradl will not take part to the race at Sachsenring this weekend.
The German rider immediately started rehabilitation after surgery last Monday, in which Dr. Stefan Krischak fixed the broken bone. He was motivated to ride his Yamaha Forward for his home race but despite all efforts and treatments, the pain still persists today and doctors have therefore recommended him not to return to the track too early and rest for a full recovery in view of the second half of the season.
Claudio Corti will substitute him for the German GP, he has been already with Forward in 2010 in Moto2™ riding a Suter bike and in 2013 in MotoGP™ with Colin Edwards riding a FTR-Kawasaki. The 28 year old from Como will be on track on Friday for FP1. Corti's best MotoGP™ result was 12th in the Catalan GP back in 2013, having also claimed a podium in France during the 2012 Moto2™ season.
Stefan Bradl: "It's really a shame to be forced to miss my home Grand Prix, but doctors have advised me not to rush the recovery in order not to jeopardize the rest of the season. My hand is still sore and I will try to take full advantage of the four weeks stop before the race at Indianapolis. I will be at Sachsenring with the team to meet my commitments with the media, the sponsors and all my fans who have been really close to me during the week after I had surgery".
Claudio Corti: "I can’t hide that I'm really happy to be back riding a MotoGP bike. Many thanks to Giovanni and all the team for this opportunity and I hope Stefan will be back as soon as possible. I will try to repay the trust by working hard and doing my best on the track. Riding this bike will be a new experience but I feel ready and I hope to collect a good result".
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