LHC xs650 Acid King

Only in our little niche of badass brat-style street-bikes do motorcycle builders consider rust as being a finish worth keeping, and varnishing, but it really looks spot-on in this build by Richard & Lex from Left Hand Cycles in the Netherlands.

Their email to the Bike Shed opened with references to global warming and acid rain, rising sea levels and they call this bike the “Acid King”, and I guess this bike does have a salvaged-from-the-sea look about it.

LHC#1 is built around a 1978 XS 650. The brief was to create a 2013 bike with an industrial look. 2k varnish was used to preserve the rusty tank, but the rest of the rusty vibe is all down to high quality parts and materials, including the brown grips and well crafted seat.

The electrics were re-made by LHC and run a mini 12V accu under the seat. The header pipes were taped with grey heat wrap and the silver-grey trumpet mufflers make a perfect complement. The spoked wheels and frame were powder coated black and shod with Dunlop K70s for a chunky looks.

This build is lovely. It’s really nicely proportioned, with a long, low stance and perfectly angled drop clip-on bars. What we like to call a cafe/brat. When sea levels do rise (a serious concern if you’re from the Netherlands) I know what I’ll be riding.

See more from Lex & Richard at Left Hand Cycles on their site and more from them here on the Bike Shed LHC pages.

confidences

The Winner’s Watch: ‘Lange 1 Time Zone Como Edition’ by A. Lange & Söhne

‘The Winner Takes It All.’ When it comes to the Villa D’Este Concorso d'Eleganza, Swedish pop group ABBA was right on that one, as Best of Show will earn its lucky owner a special ‘Como Edition’ of Lange & Söhne’s desirable Time Zone watch.

The caseback of the watch will be engraved with the crest of the annual Concorso, while on the rotating city ring ‘Berlin’ has been replaced by ‘Como’, the provincial capital of the Lake Como region representing Central European Time.

Related Links Only the winner of Best of Show at Villa D’Este can wear this special ‘Como Edition’ Lange 1. For details of all Lange & Söhne timepieces, visit www.alange-soehne.com.

Text: J. Philip Rathgen (Classic Driver)
Photos: Jan Baedeker

Trial : the win and the leadership for Adam Raga / la victoire et le leadership pour Adam Raga

For his comeback in the USA, the 2013 World Trial championship had an unusual result. Tony Bou (Montesa Michelin) has been defeated twice by Adam Raga (Gas Gas), who is the new leader of the series, one point ahead of Bou.

Pour son retour sur le sol Américain, le championnat du Monde 2013 de trial a offert un scénario surprise puisque Tony Bou (Montesa Michelin) a été dominé à deux reprises par Adam Raga (Gas Gas) qui s’empare du même coup du leadership du Mondial avec un petit point d’avance sur Bou.

On day one the race finally turned in a ‘low scoring event’ and the organizers changed some of the sections for the second day, in order to have more severe challenge. On Saturday Tony Bou was tight with Adam Raga after the first lap, but both were dominated by Jeroni Fajardo (Beta); Bou and Raga reacted in the second lap, and Raga took the lead.

He will record later a well deserved win, followed by Bou, Fajardo and Albert Cabestany (Sherco Michelin). The event was more selective on Sunday, but at the end of the day Raga and Bou were tight in the standings with twenty marks each after a third and decisive lap. Bou lost the win by a single clean, and also lost the leadership of the series by a single point. Fifth and third, Takahisa Fujinami (Montesa Michelin) is third in the standings, three points ahead of Jeroni Fajardo who got a third and fourth position this weekend.

Après une première journée trop facile où les zones n’offraient guère de difficultés à l’Elite mondiale, les organisateurs ont revu leur copie pour la seconde journée qui s’avéra beaucoup plus sélective. Dominé samedi par Jeroni Fajardo (Beta) lors du premier tour et à égalité de points avec Adam Raga, Tony Bou ne pourra finalement prendre le meilleur sur Raga, devançant toutefois Fajardo et Albert Cabestany (Sherco Michelin).

Sur un parcours modifié au niveau de quatre des douze zones, Raga et Bou allaient se livrer un intense duel dimanche, terminant la journée à stricte égalité de points : 24 ! Départagés au nombre de zones franchies ‘à 0’ Raga s’imposait au final devant le champion du Monde, qui perd du même coup pour un petit point le leadership mondial. Cinquième et troisième, Takahisa Fujinami (Montesa Michelin) reste sur le podium provisoire, avec trois petits points d’avance sur Jeroni Fajardo troisième et quatrième ce weekend.

Classements :

Première journée : 1.Raga (ESP, Gas Gas) ; 2.Bou (ESP, Montesa Michelin) ; 3.Fajardo (ESP, Beta) ; 4.Cabestany (ESP, Sherco Michelin) ; 5.Fujinami (JAP, Montesa Michelin) ; etc….

Seconde journée : 1.Raga ; 2.Bou ; 3.Fujinami ; 4.Fajardo ; 5.Cabestany; etc… Championnat : 1.Raga, 70 ; 2.Bou, 69 ; 3.Fujinami, 59 ; 4.Fajardo, 56 ; 5.Cabestany, 49 ; etc….