Live Show Etam 2014 - L'intégrale

WRENCHMONKEES GOLDWING

We’ve seen very few Goldwings on The Bike Shed, but probably because it’s a big old beast to bring into a custom culture that is all about stripping things back and raw simplicity. It’s also a bike that was never meant to be seen naked, but this didn’t put the Wrench Monkees off having a go at Honda’s giant touring mile-muncher.

“Getting around a Goldwing is both a challenge and a sweet treat. A challenge because it is so massive and bulky, with very little sophistication. A sweet treat because most builders stay away from this ugly dugly of a Jap beast. So there are not many expectations or style guides to be compared to. No ‘Dos & Don’ts’ …We always love when we can move with out limitations.”

“The old Goldwings are steady steamers built for long hold cruising and the feel is quite special. Its just over sized. You think you jump into a big roaring beast, but driving it is smooth and surprisingly gentle.”

“Jakob, the local Copenhagener who ordered the bike originally fell in love with our own garage bike #43 – a scrap bike built from what we had on the shelves (despite its scruffy look this wing has been rebuilt and cared-for all the way inside out). Jakob is quite a huge Fellow and around 1m95 tall, so he needed a bike with some proportions.  The Goldwing is, despite its massive volume, not really a natural match for a tall guy, but we fixed that by stretching the length of the tank and mounting a more stretched out handlebar.”

“The bike was not sketched-up before the building. Jakob gave us a good long time to build it. We love when we get that option. This way a bike can mature and go through a series of experiments. The tank came in late in the process. It was one-off, hand-built in aluminium for a Ducati 900ss private race project we are playing around with after hours for ourselves, but when we got the tank in, it just did it on the old ‘Wing. Along the way it grew into an odd mix of styles we don’t even really know how to give a name.  Can’t get any better then that!”

The frame and swingarm have been left as standard but repainted in dark grey/green metallic paint, and the front forks have been lowered. The wheels were rebuilt with stainless steel spokes on 3,00″ x16″ rims front and rear, powder coated in semi-gloss. The Coker Classic tyres re 5.00×16″. To stop the beast the guys have fitted a Honda CBR1000 front brake master cylinder and steel braided hoses with the standard calipers on EBC discs. The rear setup is standard but aldo upgraded with S/S lines.

The engine and carbs have been fully rebuilt, running K&N filters and cafe-style endcans fitted to the standard headers. An Odessey battery runs the electrics from a new position under the swingarm with new wiring. Along side the one-off custom tank are a one-off seat, aluminum rear fender from the WM catalog and Tarozzi footpegs. The rear lamp, front 6 1/2″ headlight and fairing are also from WM, as are the black WM handlebar wears black Biltwell grips and the rear shocks.

The end result as an intimidating beast, but she looks good. We can only imagine what it looks like with 2 metres of great Dane on board, tearing up the asphalt. Thanks to Andreas and the guys at WM for sharing. See more from theWrenchmonkees on their website, or here on the Bike Shed.

PORSCHE 911 L RALLY

In 1968 Porsche relented to customer demand and produced a limited run of the 911 L with the full 9552 Rally Kit fitted, factory records indicate that 28 were made in total however less than 9 of these original cars are thought to remain.

These factory prepared cars saw significant successes in rally competitions in Europe and around the world, with some of them even making their way into Trans Am and SCCA events in the USA where they were campaigned vigorously against the American sports cars of the era.

The 911 L you see here was recently discovered in storage in Finland, remarkably it’s in original condition throughout and has never seen a restoration or refurbishment – making it highly likely that it’s the most original of the remaining 911 L rally cars.

It was originally delivered to Antti Aarnio-Wihuri, the well-known principal of the AAW Racing Team based in Helsinki. AAW Racing raced the car extensively in the late 1960s and early 1970s, they replaced the original engine with a higher-performing 2.0 litre 911 S engine at some point in the car’s life, most likely to keep it competitive in the fast evolving world of European rally racing.

The current owner has elected to keep the car in “as is” condition, meaning that it still has its original Tangerine 6809 paintwork layered with original sponsorship logos from Shell, Michelin, and Pall Mall. It’s also fitted with its original hood-mounted driving lamps, dash-mounted rally timer, roll cage, racing seats and original its original racing number “35″.

With a 180hp flat-6 coupled to a 5-speed manual transaxle, 4-wheel ventilated disc brakes and 4-wheel independent suspension, this is a vintage 911 that can happily throwdown with many modern sports cars out on the track and probably embarrass them quite handily if driven in anger.

If you’d like to add this car to your collection, you’ll need to attend the Gooding & Co Amelia Island Auction on the 7th of March 2014, its value is difficult to determine due to its rarity and original condition but Gooding is estimating a final hammer price in the $350,000 to $500,000 range.

Click here to read more.

All images copyright and courtesy of Gooding & Company. Photos by Mathieu Heurtault.

via SILODROME

TOP FUEL II BY DP CUSTOMS

DP Customs is one of our favourite American custom motorcycle builders, their no-bullshit approach to engineering and design is uniquely appealing and thankfully they’ve chosen to stay away from the blinged-out-chrome-show-ponies that seem to be produced by almost everyone with a wrench and a goatee.

This is one of their newer bikes, it started life as a classic ’81 Harley Ironhead although almost all that remains from the original bike is the reconditioned 1000cc V-Twin. The beautiful cobalt blue paint work and matte white exhausts give the bike an almost aeronautical feel and I get the impression that this bike would be the perfect summertime coastal highway cruiser.

If you like this bike from DP Customs check out their Naked Café here, their Mele here and their Super Sano Beach Cruiser here.

via SILODROME