mercredi 29 juillet 2015
Moncler Passion for Sport
The most elegant pre-War classics from the Pebble Beach auctions
At Pebble beach, elegant pre-War classics aren’t only shown off on the concours grass – but in the auction halls, too. Here we pick the choicest 1920s and 1930s classics to be offered by RM and Gooding…
THE SPIRIT OF ’71: HAGEMAN’S XL1200C SCRAMBLER
Greg Hageman’s known as the guy that convinced us that Yamaha Viragos can look good. But we’ve never seen a Harley-Davidson custom from the American builder.
Which is strange; the Sportster is arguably a better (and more popular) platform than the Virago. And Greg sure knows his way around them—he’s a qualified, master-level Harley technician.
“I started in ’99,” he tells us, “and took every single tech class the factory offered until 2011. So I was fully aware of the capabilities of what I think is a wonderful ‘jack of all trades’ bike.”
“This is a bike I’ve had in my mind for the past fifteen years, way before the big scrambler trend of the present. I bought my first Sportster in ’99, and thought it was so agile and well handling, that I could see no reason why it couldn’t do some light off-road duty.”
So, after a long run of mostly Yamaha builds, Greg Hageman decided to go back to his roots.
“This is a bike I’ve had in my mind for the past fifteen years, way before the big scrambler trend of the present. I bought my first Sportster in ’99, and thought it was so agile and well handling, that I could see no reason why it couldn’t do some light off-road duty.”
Weight was a major concern for Greg when sourcing a suitable donor, so he was originally after an older, lighter ‘solid mount’ donor. But he eventually settled on a 2006 XL1200C.
“I know the newer ‘rubber mounts’ are heavier,” he explains. “But they are so much smoother in the long run, plus used ones on the market are the same price.”
Most of the fat’s been trimmed off the bodywork: there’s an all-new subframe and seat, and the custom-made fenders are undoubtedly lighter than stock. Greg’s adapted two different sized Harley tanks to fit, that can be swapped out depending on the day’s riding (the smaller one’s pictured here).
Greg’s fitted a sprinkling of tasteful parts to drive the bike’s intentions home. There’s a neat headlight grill and a skid plate, as well as a period correct air filter and a modded, high-ridin’ Vances & Hines exhaust system. Buchanans supplied a set of Sun rims (19F/17R) and heavy duty stainless spokes, laced to the stock Harley hubs. And the final drive’s been converted from belt to chain.
Still, he’s managed to get the Sportster down from the stock weight of 565lb to 485lb wet. And he’s improved its suspension—by fitting a pair of 390mm Hagon Nitro shocks at the rear, and Progressive Suspension fork springs with Burly Brand adjustable preload caps up front.
Most of the fat’s been trimmed off the bodywork: there’s an all-new subframe and seat, and the custom-made fenders are undoubtedly lighter than stock. Greg’s adapted two different sized Harley tanks to fit, that can be swapped out depending on the day’s riding (the smaller one’s pictured here).
The Sporty’s ergonomics have been brought in line with a set of high scrambler bars (capped with Biltwell Inc. Thruster grips), and lowered, serrated foot-pegs. The speedo’s been relocated to the left of the bike, to help de-clutter the cockpit, and all the Sportster’s running lights—except for the headlight—have been ditched. Their replacements are hard to spot: the tail light’s an LED in the frame’s rear hoop, and the turn signals are a pair of Motogadget bar-end LED units.
Greg’s fitted a sprinkling of tasteful parts to drive the bike’s intentions home. There’s a neat headlight grill and a skid plate, as well as a period correct air filter and a modded, high-ridin’ Vances & Hines exhaust system. Buchanans supplied a set of Sun rims (19F/17R) and heavy duty stainless spokes, laced to the stock Harley hubs. And the final drive’s been converted from belt to chain.
Greg says he wanted to keep the bike “as simple and useful as possible—but still elegant.” His color choice echoes this: it’s similar to the original Harley-Davidson ‘birch white,’ but with a little flake on top “for that 70s vibe.”
It’s a good choice, and the overall aesthetic is delightfully throwback. “I based the looks of this bike off the 1971 model,” he says. “It’s got a little Evel Knievel taste to it that I love.”
As for the tires, they’re Continental TKC80s—a selection that some would consider fashionable rather than functional. But Greg’s not that kind of builder.
“If you see me out on the trails, you’ll understand.”
Hageman MC | Facebook | Instagram | Images courtesy of Erick Runyon
THE AUTO FABRICA TYPE 6: REDUCED TO PERFECTION
In Japan, there is a design theory called Kanso (簡素)—meaning simplicity, or the elimination of clutter. And every time I see an Auto Fabrica bike, I’m reminded of that fine principle.
Most shops have a bike that’s been kicking around since the beginnings of time, and that’s the story with this Yamaha. “It’s one of four XS650s we rescued from a farm in the depths of rural Cornwall,” says shop owner Bujar Muharremi. “A lucky find that effectively kickstarted our company.”
“We strived to achieve a bike which was executed perfectly and epitomizes what we see as a ‘real’ custom motorcycle—simplicity in form, complexity in detail.”
This time, the objective was to push the physical limits with panel beating. “We spent a lot of time trying to balance clean graphics with highly complex and organic surfacing, to achieve a clean yet interesting design.”
The forks look especially sleek: they’ve been overhauled and fitted with stainless steel covers that conceal the bottom yoke and add a touch of Art Deco style.
“Inspired by some other great builds, we took time to design a single carb conversion. We continued the line of the exhausts all the way through to the filter,” says Bujar.
The engine has been fully rebuilt with 0.5-oversize pistons. It looks just as good on the outside as in, with a textured paint finish for the top and raw metal lower down.
The exhaust pipes are handmade in stainless steel, and bent into perfect curves. They look like unmuffled pipes, but have custom baffles hidden inside.
The rear wheel is built on the standard hub, but it’s now laced to an 18-inch alloy rim with stainless spokes. Up front is a beautiful Laverda SF750 twin leading shoe hub laced to a 19-inch alloy rim, with a custom brake switch located on the TLS arms.
We’ve only the skimmed the surface of this build, because it’s often the ‘simple’-looking bikes that involve the most work. (As Mark Twain famously said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”)
The machines that roll out of the English workshop are reduced to the bare minimum, but beautifully finished. And this extraordinary build, called simply Type 6, is Auto Fabrica’s best work yet.
Most shops have a bike that’s been kicking around since the beginnings of time, and that’s the story with this Yamaha. “It’s one of four XS650s we rescued from a farm in the depths of rural Cornwall,” says shop owner Bujar Muharremi. “A lucky find that effectively kickstarted our company.”
We’ve come to expect stellar levels of craft and finish from Auto Fabrica, but the Type 6 adds impeccable industrial design to the mix.
“We strived to achieve a bike which was executed perfectly and epitomizes what we see as a ‘real’ custom motorcycle—simplicity in form, complexity in detail.”
Bujar and his crew spend a huge amount of time on preliminary design before they pick up the grinders. Starting with hand sketching and moving on to Photoshop renderings, they create the bike in the virtual world before turning the vision into metal.
This time, the objective was to push the physical limits with panel beating. “We spent a lot of time trying to balance clean graphics with highly complex and organic surfacing, to achieve a clean yet interesting design.”
Much of that cleanliness comes from the tank and seat base, a single elegant unit formed from 2.5-millimeter aluminum. The XS650 frame has been modified by lowering the headstock two inches and moving it back slightly, creating the strong top line that flows from the headlight to the rear cowl.
The forks look especially sleek: they’ve been overhauled and fitted with stainless steel covers that conceal the bottom yoke and add a touch of Art Deco style.
The engine of the XS650 was pretty handsome straight from the factory, but it’s been elevated to a whole new level here.
“Inspired by some other great builds, we took time to design a single carb conversion. We continued the line of the exhausts all the way through to the filter,” says Bujar.
“You can trick the eye by placing the single inlet on the opposite side to the exhaust outlet positions, to create an asymmetric balance.” It might be a trick, but it works well.
The engine has been fully rebuilt with 0.5-oversize pistons. It looks just as good on the outside as in, with a textured paint finish for the top and raw metal lower down.
Auto Fabrica love the matte finish that aqua blasting gives to bare metal, so the engine casings and aluminum parts all went into the blast cabinet.
The exhaust pipes are handmade in stainless steel, and bent into perfect curves. They look like unmuffled pipes, but have custom baffles hidden inside.
“We could have kept them straight through and raw, but with the refinement of the bike as a whole, we needed a more refined exhaust note—as well as the correct back pressure.”
The rear wheel is built on the standard hub, but it’s now laced to an 18-inch alloy rim with stainless spokes. Up front is a beautiful Laverda SF750 twin leading shoe hub laced to a 19-inch alloy rim, with a custom brake switch located on the TLS arms.
The bodywork is almost impossibly sleek, so it’d be a shame to have clunky bars up front. To maintain the theme, Auto Fabrica fitted slim clip-ons and then created a custom wrap that forms a smooth loop. It’s a neat solution that matches the inverted stainless steel brake and clutch levers.
We’ve only the skimmed the surface of this build, because it’s often the ‘simple’-looking bikes that involve the most work. (As Mark Twain famously said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”)
The Type 6 is for sale. If you’d like to examine it at your leisure in your own garage, contact Auto Fabrica via their website.
Auto Fabrica | Facebook | Instagram | Images: Julien Brightwell, Bujar Muharremi
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