samedi 1 août 2015
The Johammer J1 e-bike is a modern-day Imperial speeder
It seems a new e-bike comes to market every week at the moment, but few are as futuristic (or Austrian) as the Johammer J1, capable of 125 miles on a single charge…
e-Hammer time
Is this the end of ‘range anxiety’, at least in two-wheeled form? Quite possibly – and the designers sure want to shout about it, given the J1’s appearance, which resembles an Imperial speeder crossed with a stalk-eyed fly. Beneath the curious mono-body, a stack of batteries is mounted low in the frame, sending power to the 11kW motor mounted within the hub of the rear wheel. This can propel the J1 to a top speed of 74mph, and can be monitored, along with other information, via one of the two high-resolution screens integrated into the rear-view mirrors.
Photos: Johammer
For further details, visit www.johammer.com.
You can find many (more orthodox) motorcycles for sale in the Classic Driver Market.
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
Deus ex Machina just made the sidecar sexy...
Custom motorcycles have come a long way since a handful of hardcore enthusiasts decided to scrap the basic rules of customising. Now the creativity of bike builders is flourishing: take a look at the latest creation straight from the Italian workshops of Australian customiser Deus ex Machina...
The Deus Yard Built XV950 ‘D-Side’ is a stunning piece of machinery combining custom bike and sidecar – the first of its kind built by the Milanese arm of the popular bike customisers. “When we saw the bike for the first time, we realised that the frame of the XV allowed us to do some modifications without any cutting to the frame,” says Emanuele Vicinanza from Deus ex Machina. “This is probably the first time that we did a bike this way. Instead of cutting, we added some parts. We've made a rear frame and changed the position of the saddle.” But Deus didn't stop there. The custom builders also added the aluminium front, aluminium fuel tank, custom aluminium air-intake and cone filter, the rear fenders and a 6-piston Deus/Discacciati brake system.
A boat-load of inspiration
The inspiration for this custom-built work of art stemmed from vintage boats – hence the boat shape of the sidecar unit and the wooden deck at the rear (for that extra pair of biker gloves and sunglasses). The stripped-back style – showcasing the XV's V-twin engine – and surf rack between sidecar and bike are reminiscent of the Deus SR500 ‘Drover’s Dog’. Once again, Deus has taken a cool bike and added yet another layer of cool… just when everyone thought it impossible.
Text: Frank Diebel
Thanks for the good work; yours, Nelson A. Rockefeller
A masterclass in motivating employees: in the spring of 1959, New York Governor and future US Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller gave his adviser Roswell B. Perkins a gold Patek Philippe.
A generous Governor
The businessman, politician and philanthropist Nelson A. Rockefeller was one of the defining figures of American post-War history: he supported Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower, served as Vice President under Gerald Ford – and for 14 years was Governor of the State of New York. And it seems that Rockefeller was not only a politician with staying power, but also a very generous boss: shortly after he had taken up his new post in the spring of 1959, he gave his adviser Roswell B. Perkins an 18-carat gold wristwatch by Patek Philippe as a thank you for his support.
On the back of the chronograph (reference 1463), Rockefeller had this somewhat cryptic dedication engraved: “R. B. P, Jan. 1 – Mar. 25, 1959, N.A.R.” The wristwatch made headlines in December 2014, when auction house Antiquorum offered the timepiece at a New York sale with an estimate of 150,000-200,000 US dollars. However, the Rockefeller Patek failed to acquire a new owner.
Photos: Getty Images / Antiquorum
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