samedi 28 février 2015
Hammer Of Gods: The HMS H63 RS700
Let’s kick off with some numbers: 750 horsepower and well over 900 newton metres of torque. These are the sort of figures that’d feel much more at home in a two-seater supercar, but what happens when the family has arrived, and two seats just won’t cut it?
This is what happens. Enter the HMS H63 RS700.
Based in the industrial town of Malterdingen close to the Black Forest in Germany, HMS Tuning is the company behind this mile-munching beast.
The car started life off as a facelifted Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG T-Modell that somehow felt too tame for the guys at HMS Tuning. I had the car parked next to a stock C63 wagon and one of my friends joked about H63 being in that Old Spice commercial: Hello, ladies, loo
The aggressive front bumper and bulging fenders of the H63 are from a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series coupe, and are finished in lightweight carbon fibre.
As a result of borrowing parts either right off OEM cars or adapting from them, the H63 does away with the tackiness found in many aftermarket tuned European cars.
The rear fenders are widened to accommodate the wider rear end, which is Mercedes-Benz E63 Bi-Turbo fare. There are no spacers in use here – the width is all real. The rear bumper is also fabricated from carbon fiber and based off a C63 AMG Coupé Black Series item.
To make it all fit custom diff mounts had to be fabricated, and as a result the entire rear diff sits 15mm closer to the chassis than stock.
To get all the power down – despite being one cocktail of a car – the H63 sits on KW Clubsport coilovers that have been adapted for use in this specific car.
Nice sticker with a carbon fibre pattern on it? I’m afraid not. With the widened front and rear fenders, a set of custom side skirts have also been fabricated in carbon fibre onto which the guys at HMS simply placed a sticker, painted over and peeled the sticker away.
The Raiden Files - Portland to Dakar - A Riding Movie
KEVILS LAVA
Back with a bang with their first bike of 2015 are those perennial boxer specialists from Paignton in Devon, Kevil’s Speed Shop. The specialist team Kev has assembled in that beautiful part of Britain are so complete in their knowledge and accomplished in their skill sets regarding the BMW platform that they can create any machine the discerning customer may desire. Clients are of course the lifeblood of the business but occasionally the workshop team have a little space available in their hectic schedule to build a bike without the opinions and cravings of a client, when they do, the resulting machine inevitably has the queues forming and the telephone clamouring.
“Lava” is one such machine. The intention was to build a very minimal BMW R100/7 1000cc street scrambler to show and sell. With rugged off road pretensions and utilitarian simplicity in mind Kevil’s found themselves leafing through the Land Rover colour swatch book for inspiration. Vesuvius was the hue that caught the eye. The burnt orange tone is a familiar foil for the chunky rubber and no nonsense visuals of the classic Land Rover range and on this Beemer has found itself once again married with the sort of styling that summons dreams of overland wanderlust. A two wheeled Defender.
One of the most striking elements of the build is the sheer space around the engine, Kev explains,
“We opted for a aftermarket top engine cover leaving the bike air box free and fitted some k&n style air filters for the jetted up Mikuni carbs.”
Swapping the tank for a cleverly modified 1970’s Kawasaki KZ400 item also assists in the reveal of the lump. The tank is the only part of the bike to receive a dose of the Land Rover colour, with a contrasting graphite grey stripe for good measure.
The tank flows perfectly into Kevil’s own newly developed scrambler rear subframe, it is topped by a skinny diamond stitched leather seat lending the bike a low, purposeful profile. The frame received a high gloss graphite powder coat along with the spoked wheels, fork bottoms and selected engine parts. Kev opted for the ever popular Conti TKC tyres to adorn the rims and maintain the “all purpose” vehicle theme.
The fabrication department chipped in with a sturdy lower fork brace to stiffen up the front end and the appealing headlight guard which protects the cool halo headlamp from errant branches, stones, wing mirrors and the like. I wonder if that colour swatch was displayed on a bull bar wearing four wheeler? The effect and protection are the same.
A titanium wrapped, two-into-one, high level exhaust system married with twin scrambler silencers provides the audio accompaniment whilst a tiny led tail light and discreet rear indicators fitted into the subframe supports provide the visual alerts for the trailing masses.
“As With all Kevils BMW Builds all the framework is refurbished & powder coated , all the mechanicals including the engine , transmission & differentials are completely rebuilt replacing all bearings & seals ,every single electrical component is upgraded including the wiring loom ,the fuel system is replaced for new & the braking system is over hauled , all this work is carried out by our experienced team of technicians ,providing our customers with a reliable quality product.”
Another beautiful bike, as we have come to always expect and enjoy from Kevil’s Speed Shop. We doubt it will take too long for a customer to realise that the designs of the team are far superior to their own imaginings and for “Lava” to garner a proud new owner, contacts are on the website. Head over to Kevil’s resplendent Bikeshed page to see more of their sumptuous Boxers and pick your favourite – this latest is mine.
via The Bike Shed
THE WRIGHT STUFF: CHURCH OF CHOPPERS FXR
The Brooklyn Invitational is one of the most prestigious motorcycle shows in the States. If you’re a builder and you’re invited to present a bike, you have well and truly Arrived.
It’s not a huge show, so it’s an elite list of builders. Within that elite is Jeff Wright: he’s received the treasured invitation an incredible five times in a row.
Wright runs Church Of Choppers and he’s a man at the very top of his profession. This beautifully balanced FXR is one of the best examples of his work: It was a project that took several years, and was the star of last year’s Invitational.
When launched, the FXR Super Glide was pitched as the Harley that separated the men from the boys, with a rubber-mounted engine and better dynamics than usual. (A certain young Erik Buell was involved on the engineering side.)
For his custom build, Jeff chose a 1990-spec FXR with a factory reconditioned 81 cubic inch Evo engine. He’s boosted power with a Keihin FCR carburetor, a Dyna S electronic ignition, hand-fabricated exhaust piping and a stubby Racefit muffler.
For better control in the twisties, Jeff’s fitted forks from a later-model Dyna, plus piggyback shocks from Mach/Modified. They’re bolted to a custom swingarm, with saucer-sized Beringer rotors helping to haul the bike down to a stop.
The sheet metal is all-new. It gives the bike an elegant and lithe appearance—traits you wouldn’t normally associate with a Milwaukee product. Look closer, and the detailing is equally impressive, with immaculately machined parts, piping and brackets.
It would have been easy to finish off the FXR in subdued, monochrome hues. And I’m betting that’s what most builders would have done.
But Jeff has chosen the brightest of primary colors: red for the tank and front brake rotor, green for the tail unit, and blue for the rear brake mount. The shock springs are a vivid orange, and the clear ignition cover is yellow.
It shouldn’t work, but it does: the motorcycling equivalent of Pop Art. If you’d love to add this FXR in your own art collection—or garage—you’ll be glad to know it’s for sale atNortheast Sportscar in Brooklyn, NY.
Interested? Get in touch via email.
via BIKEexif
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