Quartararo en pole pour le Grand Prix de France / Quartararo secures pole for Le Mans Moto3™

Le rookie français a été confirmé en pole suite à l’arrivée de la pluie dès le début de séance de qualifications.

Fabio Quartararo (Estrella Galicia 0,0) sera en pole position pour la seconde course consécutive dimanche au Monster Energy Grand Prix de France après une séance de qualifications qui a été bouleversée par la pluie. 

L’arrivée de la pluie en début de séance a figé le classement et confirmé le rookie français en pole pour sa course nationale. Parti en piste dès l’ouverture de la pit-lane, Quartararo a donc bien fait de ne pas perdre de temps mais a fini par chuter, dans le virage n°1, et a été imité par son coéquipier Jorge Navarro, qui s’est néanmoins qualifié en seconde position.

Francesco Bagnaia (Mapfre Team Mahindra) complètera la première tandis que Jakub Kornfeil (Drive M7 SIC), Romano Fenati (SKY Racing Team VR46) et Jules Danilo (Ongetta-Rivacold) seront en deuxième ligne.

Si Quartararo et Danilo s’en sortent plutôt bien, Alexis Masbou (SaxoPrint-RTG) se retrouve quant à lui en 25e position, derrière Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo), dont le coéquipier Karel Hanika était classé 24e mais partira dernier pour avoir atteint les 7 points de pénalité lors du week-end de Jerez.

Danny Kent, le leader du Championnat du Monde Moto3™, son coéquipier Efrén Vázquez (Leopard Racing), son premier poursuivant au classement général, et Livio Loi (RW Racing GP), dans le Top 3 vendredi, regretteront aussi l’intervention de la pluie et partiront respectivement des 30e, 26e et 21e positions.

The Estrella Galicia 0,0 rider’s 1:44.763 lap was enough to secure him the first position on the grid for this weekend’s Moto3 battle.

Joining Fabio on the front row are Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) & Francesco Bagnaia (Mapfre Mahindra Aspar).

Brit rider Danny Kent, arguably one of the favourites for pole after wining the last 3 consecutive races & setting good pace in free Practice, had issues in the QP that will see him starting from 30th on the grid. Kent said that he left the box late in the session to avoid anybody getting a tow from him & in order to get a clean lap. Unfortunately his box exit coincided with it starting to rain and he was unable to post a competitive time.

Jakub Kornfeil (Drive M7 SIC) will start from fourth, with Romano Fenati (SKY Racing Team VR46) starting in fifth. Jules Danilo (Ongetta-Rivacold), Niccolò Antonelli (Ongetta-Rivacold), Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Isaac Viñales (Husqvarna Factory LaGlisse) & Tatsuki Suzuki (CIP) complete the top 10.

Karel Hanika (Red Bull KTM Ajo) qualified in 24th place, but he will be starting from the pit lane as a penalty for his actions at the Jerez GP.

The Moto3 action continues on May 17 at 08:40 local time with the warm up session, with the race to start at 11:00.

Cliquez ici pour accéder aux résultats.

Race report: López makes history, Muller takes thrilling slipstreamer as WTCC electrifies the Nürburgring Nordschleife

José Maria Lopez est devenu le premier pilote depuis Jacky Ickx et Jochen Mass en 1983, à remporter une course de Championnat du Monde sur le tracé de la Nurburgring Nordschleife.

Lopez est parvenu à conserver sa position au départ devant l’impressionnant Hugo Valente, qui s’élançait de la première ligne lui aussi. Lequel connaitra finalement une sortie de piste dans le 2^e tour.

Sébastien Loeb, dans le rôle du chasseur, décroche la 2^e place sur ce légendaire tracé devant  le quadruple Champion Yvan Muller pour un podium 100% Citroën. Norbert Michelisz prend la 4^e place sur sa Honda.

« Je me suis senti très à l’aise avec la voiture et je tiens à remercier Citroën de m’avoir permis d’être aussi compétitif, déclare Lopez, qui s’est illustré sur chaque première manche depuis le début de saison. J’ai pris beaucoup de plaisir. J’ai eu l’impression de piloter dans un tunnel à travers les collines. Le circuit est extraordinaire et j’avais à cœur de décrocher cette victoire. J’aimerais être sur le podium de la prochaine course, mais nous devons avant tout  rallier l’arrivée et penser aux points pour le championnat. »

Ma Qing Hua bat Gabriele Tarquini sur le fil pour le gain de la 5^e place. De la frustration également pour son coéquipier Tiago Monteiro, contraint de se retirer à cause d’une crevaison de l’avant gauche dans le 2^e tour.

Medhi Bennani termine 7^e, Stefano D’Aste 8^e, Tom Chilton 9^e et Sabine Schmitz se classe 10^e pour ses débuts en WTCC,. L’Allemande devient ainsi la première femme à inscrire des points dans la discipline. Cette dernière est parvenue à résister à la pression du pilote LADA Jaap van Lagen. Quant à John Filippi, il termine 12^e devant un autre Français, Grégoire Demoustier.

Yvan Muller a offert à Citroën sa 2e victoire du week-end, ce samedi sur le tracé du Nurburgring Nordschleife théâtre de la 8e manche du Championnat du Monde FIA des voitures de Tourisme.

Au terme d’une fil de course très serrée, Muller bat José Maria Lopez de 0,173 secondes, lui-même mis sous pression par Tiago Monteiro.

Le Portugais était parti de la pole mais il ne put résister à Muller dans la longue ligne droite de Dottinger Hole, au premier tour. Monteiro est tout de même resté accroché au Français avant de se faire griller la politesse par Lopez à quelques encablures de l’arrivée. Gabriele Tarquini avait subi le même sort à peine quelques secondes plus tôt.  Ce dernier termine finalement 4^e devant Sébastien Loeb et Medhi Bennani, qui remporte le Trophée Yokohama.

« Je crois que nous avons offert une belle course aux téléspectateurs ! Dans le dernier tour, j’ai fait une petite erreur sur le circuit GP. J’ai donc cherché à garder une petite marge de sécurité jusqu’à la fin. Nous avions choisi des réglages agressifs, avec très peu d’appuis pour avoir la meilleure vitesse de pointe. Il fallait donc composer avec un comportement plus délicat dans les virages. Ce meeting sur le Nürburgring est très positif pour le WTCC dans sa globalité, car il a suscité un engouement médiatique inédit. »

Rob Huff offre à LADA ses premiers points du week-end grâce à sa 7e devant Tom Coronel, Jaap van Lagen – son équipier – et John Filippi qui complète le Top-10 en conservant dans ses rétros Sabine Schmitz. Grégoire Demoustier la talonne, tandis que sur la liste des abandons figure Ma Qing Hua, qui fut victime d’une sortie à haute vitesse dans le dernier tour alors qu’il apparaissait dans les points.  Stefano D’Aste s’arrêta également pour le compte à cause de dégâts provoqués sur sa Chevrolet après un contact avec Schmitz. Quant à Norbert Michelisz, enfin un problème de suspension dans la première boucle mit un terme prématuré à son parcours.

José María López became the first driver since Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass in 1983 to win a world championship race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife after claiming victory in the opening WTCC Race of Germany – and then very nearly made it two wins from two in the second event.

Starting 10^th on the grid for race two, the defending WTCC champion charged through the pack in a dramatic contest to close to within 0.173 seconds of Citroën team-mate Yvan Muller crossing the finishing line following a thrilling slipstream battle for glory.

The FIA World Touring Car Championship was making its first appearance on the 25-kilometre layout, which combines the modern Grand Prix Circuit and the legendary Nordschleife loop. López blasted into the lead at the start of race one and remained out in front on the back of an impressive display as fellow front-row starter Hugo Valente hit trouble, eventually crashing out on lap two.

Sébastien Loeb kept up his chase of López in the battle for WTCC title success with second place at the iconic Eifel mountain venue, while four-time champion Muller made it an all-Citroën podium, as Norbert Michelisz took fourth for Honda and the Yokohama Drivers’ Trophy spoils.

Tiago Monteiro led away from pole in the reverse grid second race but was unable to fend off Muller on the two-kilometre-long Döttinger Hohe straight on lap one. Monteiro remained latched to Muller only for López to drag ahead on the final lap, having slipstreamed Gabriele Tarquini for third seconds earlier. The dramatic action was broadcast live on television around the world and thrilled the thousands of fans watching trackside.

Elsewhere, local ace Sabine Schmitz became the first female to score a WTCC point when she finished 10^th in race one on her maiden appearance in the series after she resisted intense pressure from LADA driver Jaap van Lagen, who had gone fastest in Free Practice 1 on Friday to underline an impressive return to the championship following a five-year absence.

RACE ONE ROUND-UP: LÓPEZ WINS FOR ARGENTINA 35 YEARS ON FROM REUTEMANNJosé María López made the most of his 10^th WTCC pole position to win race one, 45 years after fellow Argentine Carlos Reutemann claimed victory in the 1970 German Grand Prix on the Nürburgring Nordschleife and 58 years since the great Juan Manuel Fangio won his last Formula One race at the historic track. The Citroën driver’s victory means he has now won the opening race of each WTCC weekend this season and extends his championship lead to 50 points as a result. Hugo Valente had been expected to challenge López after qualifying second in his Campos Racing Chevrolet but a slow getaway allowed the fast-starting Norbert Michelisz to draw alongside. Contact between them dropped Valente further back and left Michelisz’s Honda with damaged steering. Valente then clashed with Ma Qing Hua at turn one before a brush with Tom Chilton as the pack charged onto the Nordschleife loop caused further delay. Ma Qing Hua took fifth from Gabriele Tarquini on the final lap with Mehdi Bennani, Stefano D’Aste, Chilton and Sabine Schmitz completing the top 10. John Filippi took 12^th behind Jaap van Lagen with Grégoire Demoustier 13^th. Tiago Monteiro retired with a front-left puncture, the legacy of earlier contact. Tom Coronel and Rob Huff both dropped out with accident damage.

RACE TWO ROUND-UP: MULLER GOES AGGRESSIVE TO TRIUMPH IN GERMANYYvan Muller put his race two success down to an “aggressive” set-up that gave his Citroën C-Elysée just enough pace to come out on top of a thrilling three-lap contest. By reducing the amount of drag on his car, Muller was able to go faster on the long straight but ultimately struggled for grip in the closing stages of the race as his French machine became less precise through some of the corners. López narrowly avoided collecting the spinning Ma Qing Hua on the final lap to close up to and pass Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro in successive slipstream overtakes for second place with Monteiro finishing third ahead of Honda team-mate Tarquini. Sébastien Loeb was a frustrated fifth after he was baulked at the first corner with Mehdi Bennani sixth ahead of Rob Huff, Tom Coronel, Jaap van Lagen and John Filippi. Sabine Schmitz – carrying the colours of the FIA Women in Motorsport initiative – was 11^thand Grégoire Demoustier 12^th. Tom Chilton failed to start race two with an engine glitch, while damage sustained in race one to Hugo Valente’s Chevrolet could not be repaired in time for the youngster to take the second start. Stefano D’Aste and Norbert Michelisz retired following contact in separate incidents.

YOKOHAMA DRIVERS’ TROPHY: BENNANI BACK INTO CONTENTION WITH VICTORYVictory for Mehdi Bennani in race two has put the Moroccan back into title contention following a troubled run in Hungary earlier this month. The Sébastien Loeb Racing driver is now three points behind Zengő Motorsport’s Norbert Michelisz. Tom Chilton’s non-start in the second race means he drops to third in the table. Grégoire Demoustier, John Filippi and Sabine Schmitz scored points in each race but Stefano D’Aste, Tom Coronel and Hugo Valente all posted non-finishes.

RACE WINNER QUOTES (view the full transcript at media.fiawtcc.com)José María López (race one winner): “I felt very good, the car was great and thanks to Citroën for the opportunity to be this competitive. I felt very confident and I really enjoyed the race. It was like driving in a tunnel through the hills. This circuit is amazing, I really wanted this victory.”

Yvan Muller (race two winner): “It wasn’t just the final lap of this race that I enjoyed but every lap. I was focused on my start and we went very aggressive with the downforce. It was very low, bad for sector four but fast in the straight and the strategy worked. It was nice to finish like this.”

RACE RESULTSAll results are available to download at http://media.fiawtcc.com/race-of-germany/

RACE FACTSRace one pole position (presented by DHL): José María López (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
Race one Yokohama Performer: José María López (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)
Race two pole position (presented by DHL): Tiago Monteiro (Honda Civic WTCC)
Race two Yokohama Performer: José María López (Citroën C-Elysée WTCC)

CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONSProvisional standings are available to download at http://media.fiawtcc.com/race-of-germany/

NEXT RACERosneft WTCC Race of Russia, Moscow Raceway, 5-7 June. More information: http://moscowraceway.ru/en

Les 24 Heures du Nürburgring à suivre en live streaming

Le live streaming des 24 Heures du Nürburgring est à suivre live

Márquez en pole au Mans pour la quatrième année d’affilée / Marquez takes pole, Lorenzo bides his time…

Le Champion du Monde en titre a brillé en qualifications pour remporter sa troisième pole position de la saison 2015.

Sixième des essais libres de samedi matin au Monster Energy Grand Prix de France, Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) a quelque peu surpris par l’excellence de sa performance en qualifications et a décroché sa quatrième pole position consécutive sur le circuit du Mans en tournant une demi-seconde plus vite que ses adversaires.

Le Champion du Monde en titre a signé la pole 2015 en 1’32.246 et n’était vraiment pas loin du record (1’32.042) dont il avait lui-même été l’auteur l’an dernier. 

Constamment aux avant-postes depuis son arrivée au circuit Bugatti, Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) s’est confirmé comme l’un des favoris au podium au fil des séances mais n’a par contre pas pu lutter contre Márquez en qualifications et a fini en seconde position, à 0.503s de l’Espagnol.

Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) a de son côté pris une troisième place qu’il estimait décevante après un dernier tour raté. Le Majorquin est selon les feuilles de temps le pilote qui dispose du meilleur rythme de course pour la cinquième manche de la saison, ce que Márquez a lui-même reconnu en conférence de presse. 

Derrière le trio de tête, Cal Crutchlow (CWM LCR Honda), Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) et Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3), auteur du meilleur temps la veille, se sont assurés un départ en deuxième ligne. 

Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) demeure de son côté toujours aussi fâché avec les qualifications et a fini en septième position. Le leader du classement général n’a jamais été en première ligne cette année et a remporté ses deux victoires au Qatar et en Argentine en partant de la huitième position.

Il partagera la troisième ligne avec Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda), qui semble se sentir de mieux en mieux physiquement, et Danilo Petrucci (Pramac Racing). L’Italien avait dû passer par la séance Q1, dont il avait été le plus rapide, et a ensuite devancé Aleix Espargaró (Team Suzuki Ecstar), Yonny Hernández (Pramac Racing) et Pol Espargaró (Monster Yamaha Tech3) en Q2 pour prendre la neuvième position.

Seizième, Stefan Bradl (Athinà Forward Racing) sera la première pilote Open sur la grille de départ et partira juste devant Mike Di Meglio (Avintia Racing) tandis que Loris Baz (Athinà Forward Racing) s’élancera de la 22e position.

The final qualifying session leaves the Honda rider first, but Lorenzo demonstrated a consistent pace that could prove useful on race day...

The final qualifying session of the Monster Energy Grand Prix sees Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) back in pole position for the third time this season. He was over half a second quicker than Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), with Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) left to take third place on the front row in Sunday's race.

The pole position changed hands several times during the final round, but Marquez dropped his time to 1'32.246 to take his third pole position of the season. The World Champion clearly sees Lorenzo as a threat though: "In qualifying we used the best setup that we had found. We were lucky that the track was in good condition which allowed me to ride normally. I am happy with pole position and tomorrow a tough race awaits us, because Jorge especially has a very good pace. We will try to be as close to him as we can!"

Lorenzo seems to agree, believing he can do better: "The conditions were difficult on the track, you have to be careful with slicks and stay confident. We were lucky on the last lap to have 99% of the track dry and I pushed quite a bit. It was a pity that I didn‘t ride any good laps and was slower than I was in FP3. I made a mistake in sector three and lost probably half a second, but I was lucky not to go outside of the track and ride a very good sector four, which put me on the first row.”

Dovizioso was satisfied with a front row start, but also believes he has more pace to extract: “The front row is fine and it is also very important because in MotoGP it’s always essential to start as far up the grid as possible. I could probably have been a bit closer to Marquez and try and go for pole, but in any case I set a good lap time”.

The second row will be headed by Cal Crutchlow (CWM-LCR Honda). The Brit has remained among the fastest in the weekend's practice sessions. His position also places him as the best satellite rider, ahead of countryman Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), who was sixth after leading FP2 on Friday.

Between Crutchlow and Smith, Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) managed a creditable fifth. As we have seen in Free Practice, the rider is recovering after dislocating his shoulder during testing in Mugello.

Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) will start seventh in the attempt to defend his lead in the championship standings. His main rivals, Marquez and Lorenzo, will start the race way ahead on the front row, so his chances will lie in choosing the right tyre and an aggressive initial push to avoid losing the front runners.

Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) continues his comeback after undergoing surgery to solve the problems in his right forearm. Tomorrow he starts from a respectable 8th on the grid and he appears happy with his pace: "This first qualifying session back has not gone badly. We could have gone a little faster but in the end I didn't quite manage it. The positive news is that today I am feeling a little better physically than yesterday and that's a good thing!”

The MotoGP action continues on May 17 at 09:40 local time with the warm up session. The race will commence at 14:00.

Cliquez ici pour accéder aux résultats.

Throttle Roll 2015

Words Pete Cagnacci | Photos by MyMediaSydney

The growing juggernaut that is Throttle Roll was on again for it’s 3^rd year, along with it’s sacred mantra; amalgamate Sydney’s colourful bike community and showcase it’s unique builds. Music, food and booze are of course essentials in this holy event.

The day starts early, with 300+ riders meeting up at Harry’s café De Wheels. Coffee was being poured down throats as everyone poured over each other’s bikes. The excitement for the day was high and it was time for the ride. The crew headed off south to the Royal National Park, with more riders joining on the way. Soon the group swelled to 500+ bikes. There was now a mass of exhaust and a thunderous roar heading down the Sea Cliff Bridge. It’s always a tough task keeping together such a large number of bikes, often peeling off into several groups, but there’s a ride leader, markers, tail gunners and support vehicles. The battalion of bikes all gathered at Bald Hill car park, soaking up the sun before making the pilgrimage back up to Enmore for the main event. Park up, drink up, and party.

There was a bike of every flavour lining the streets; necks were sore from the abundance of machines rolling in, it seemed endless. Walking into the event was the crowning glory however, with 3 levels of 50 amazing bikes from about every style and manufacturer lining the walls. Throttle Roll in its uniqueness manages to provide something for all, without trying to impress anyone. From the oldest, greyest bikers to young families and others that don’t even ride found themselves drawn in to see what the fuss was about. With such amazing food being cooked, a steady supply of beer, and band upon band playing what really is “live” music, it’s impossible to not be drawn in to this celebration of custom.

Many people walking by often enquired what was happening on this packed out street, and were always surprised when their answer of “how much is this event?” was to be met with “it’s free!” The set up, and on the day maintenance of such a huge celebration cannot be done without all the people that make the custom scene so full of life. People were helping in droves throughout the week, united by the same passion. This shows throughout the weekend as it becomes clear this event is treated with the same passion, creativity and hard work that conceived all of these bikes.

It wouldn’t be a free custom bike event, without giving away a free custom bike. The legends at Sol Invictus donated a Mercury Café Racer, custom built by The Rising Sun Workshop to be given away to one lucky attendee. This luck fell on the young shoulders of D’Arcy Rankine, who (naturally) was pretty bloody chuffed at such an impressive prize.

Other players have made invaluable contributions in the custom community, including Levi’s, Shannons, Ducati, Yamaha, MCA, Victory, Moto Guzzi, Sol Invictus, My Media Sydney and Deus. Throttle Roll has become such an event that many of the bikes are purpose built for it. Any excuse to start translating ideas to paper, then to steel and finally the road is evident in the builders that make this event possible. Once the event is over, many will get started on their next creation.

via PIPEBURN

California cruising, Vintage Electric style

California-based eco-bike manufacturer Vintage Electric has launched a new sister machine to its popular E-Tracker model, named the Cruz. And while the E-Tracker drew inspiration from board track racers, the new bike is a true ‘California cruiser’ with Art Deco design cues…

Bespoke for the boardwalk

Performance of the Cruz is the same as that of the E-Tracker, meaning a 36mph top speed (in ‘race mode’), a 30-mile range and a 2-hour recharge time. The new model – of which only 50 examples will be made – brings together many high-quality components, with the aim of ending the ‘throw-away mentality’ of today. These include low-friction tyres woven with Kevlar to protect against punctures, and a seat and handlebar grips outsourced to British leather specialist Brooks. Shimano disc brakes provide stopping power and are part of an energy recuperation system, while the Phil Wood front hub promises ride quality as smooth as the aesthetics of the bike itself. Notable design highlights include a tank inlay made from alder wood, and a coherently styled aluminium battery box. The Cruz is available in three colours and starts at $4,995, with custom colours, pedal assist, an LED tail-light and a bespoke leather bag available at extra cost.

Photos: Vintage Electric

For further information, see the Vintage Electric website.

Eric Clapton's Rolex makes more than a million

There are basically three wristwatches that every collector would like to own: the Patek Philippe of Duke Ellington, the Rolex of the last Emperor of Vietnam and the Rolex Daytona ‘Oyster Albino’ of Eric Clapton. Last weekend, one proud enthusiast paid 1.2 million euros for the latter…

Phillips auction house is back in the watch world with a bang. Now under the direction of living watch auction legend Aurel Bacs, it immediately announced two sales: the Rolex Day-Date anniversary sale on the 9 May 2015 and the large watch auction on 10 May. A total of 22.5 million euros were traded in total. Even though the top lot of the auctions, a historic Patek Philippe chronograph which was sold for an incredible 4.5 million euros including premium, the Rolex Daytona owned by Eric Clapton also achieved a remarkable record.

The guitarist is not only known for his penchant for fast sports cars from Maranello, but also for his very select watch collection. The Rolex Daytona Cosmograph with the nickname ‘Albino’ is one of the rarest watches he's owned. Referred to as the Daytona REF. 6263, its entirely white dial also carries the strange nickname. Currently, only four of these variants are known to exist. Eric ‘slow hand’ Clapton is always very cautious in the selection of his watches and pays great attention to originality. For this reason, his Daytona has not only the right 727-caliber, but also the right trigger, used in 1971 for the Cosmograph. Clapton is one of those collectors who repeatedly rotates his collection to finance new acquisitions. As a result, you can never be sure which watch (or which Ferrari) will make it into the collection of the music star in the future.

Photo: Phillips auctions

More results of the Phillips watch auction in Geneva can be found at phillips.com.

You might have missed out on his Rolex, but you can still buy Eric Clapton's Dino 206GT in the Classic Driver Market.

1976 HONDA CB750 FOUR F1 CAFE RACER PROJECT

by Imam Sadikin (http://otomotif.org)

Not much that I can give to you. Just publish a custom motorcycle and there are no targets, at least once a week. At this time, it would be a great honor for me! It’s absolutely perfect and this is very special. Because, this bike is already sent by someone who led a large forum that I highly respect.

The owner of this bike is René Tollkühn. He is the admin of the largest cafe racer forum in Germany. When most people build a motorcycle to win the trophy in a custom show. Not the case with René, he build a beautiful bike is not only to be a window-dressing. He did it solely through his own effort and then to be ridden by himself.

What inspired you to start building the bike? I love the classic racing bikes from Honda, but I wanted to pursue my own ideas. True to the motto “Less is more”, a phrase from the Robert Browning poem “Andrea del Sarto, also called ‘The Faultless Painter’” published in 1855.

Where did it come from? I bought the bike from an older man. It was at the time no longer in their original condition. The plan is “Minimalism” and had a clean cockpit. The concept: only black color (frames, tires, rubber parts), bare metal and brown leather. That would make it look perfect.

What did you do to the bike? The firts process, rear frame section has been cut to obtain the desired length, then proceed with painting. As already mentioned above the concept is only black color, the previous frame color is green. And then, do the same with Rico Pardeyke, start ordering aluminum tank, seat, side covers, fenders and chain guard to Friedhelm Lammers. I let him to do the job because he’s the best.

Then the wheels, get a used bike is a job that requires extra time, and even can be said to build from scratch is complicated. What I do in this section is renewed spokes and polish it. Not only that, some small aluminum parts were polished. For an example, as you can see on the clutch cover of the engine.

For the braking part, which is not yet visible in the photo. Major changes were made on the rear brake. René said he had installed a product from Classic Tube, it’s StopFlex® stainless steel braided hoses and according to some opinions it will increase of braking performance by doing away with the soft spongy brake pedal.

On the front brakes have done some adjustments. For the rear brake if you pay attention to this part, the rotor has been drilled. Why did you do that? I think it was quite successful to get the right settings were adjusted to StopFlex to get the best braking performance.

For this CB750 Four F1, the chassis has been optimized, and eccentric bearing has been repaired. For the swingarm, it using KONI shock absorbers for Honda Bol d’Or. For the front forks, it using progressive fork springs that designed for touring motorcycles that need the adjustability for varying load capacities.

I do the installation for an instrument that will make the cockpit had a classic look. It is a Motogadget Chrono Classic Instrument. Top yoke ordered from Dime City Cycles. The outside part of cockpit made shiny, this is the perfect touch combined with clip-on handlebars. You know, it’s a Cafe Racer.

Some changes also have been made on the electrical part. It is an attempt to return it into normal “engine can run as is”. The main thing, LiFePO4 battery has been installed. Engine has been revised and the displacement has increased to 836cc using Wiseco piston kit.

Some of the standard features that can be found here, but it’s still interesting. Use of Mikuni flat slide carburetor TMR-fitted with K&N air filter and the usual things that are still popular is the use of polished open line 4-into-1 exhaust system. This makes the bike more sparkle and make you feel good-looking when you ride this bike.

The final result for ’76 Honda CB750 Four F1 Cafe Racer Project, this bike has been stripped-down 36 kg originate mainly from the upper part of the machine and thus the entire focus has shifted noticeably down. It rides really great. It is very handy and the conclusion is I’m very happy after rebuild this bike.

Why I decided for a CB750 Four? Primarily because the motor characteristic, the appearance and frame geometry. She also has the incomparable sound of the classic Honda racing machines of the 60s and 70s lasting impression and infected. It is raw, pure and genuine. I love it and want to enjoy it.

If you have any questions about this bike. Please add René Tollkühn as your friend and chat with him.