CAFÉ RACER 76

ELLASPEDE EB024 – HONDA XL500

If you’ve followed the Bike Shed for a while you’ll be all to aware of our obsession with flat track inspired builds, and actual race bikes given the chance. The proportions, when well executed, are perfect. Give a child a crayon and ask them to draw a motorcycle and you’ll get two fat tyres, a seat, an engine and some handlebars – all you really need. Unless your child is very young or a bit special, and then you’ll just have a colourful mess to stick to the fridge door.

Another thing we like is decent photography and our chums from Ellaspede downunder in Brisbane give us exactly what we want, crisp pictures for all to enjoy. Added to which they’re fairly handy with a quill too, so here’s Hughan Seary to tell us all about the Ellaspede EB024 – Honda XL500.

“Bought as a basket case in 2009, this XL500 was one of the first bikes scheduled for an Ellaspede build way back when the whole operation was still in the garage based glory days. Before clients were around to commission custom builds, the bikes were self initiated projects built as expression sessions for the industrial designers at Ellaspede’s parent company Heluva Studios.

As history would have it though, two other bike builds EB001 and EB004 beat the XL to project completion and when client requests started rolling in the box-of-bits 500 was relegated to the back bench. Here and there the Honda would sneak into a scribble on a designers sketchpad and a spot on the workshop bench, but as clients builds come first the Ellaspede the XL was continually relegated to being the bridesmaid on the bike build priority list.”

“Given this build started with the designers it was only natural that addressing the overall aesthetic would be the first port of call. The frame had all unnecessary tabs and brackets removed before the rear end was rounded out with some fresh bar work on the frame. The front forks and big 23” wheel found their way to the scrap heap and replaced by an XR250 set up. The stanchions were shortened 100mm, re-sprung and shod with gators to suit the future look. Out the back an XL500 suspension upgrade from Icon keeps the bumps in check. Custom front and rear rims were laced up to the XR and XL hubs, measuring 2.5 x 18” front and 3.5 x 18” rear fitted with Dunlop F11 rubber, 110/90/18 & 130/90/18.”

“A vintage Suzuki 125 tank had the perfect profile, so was given the green light to replace the factory tin. Mounted closer to the headstock than the original, custom steering stops prevent the XR forks massaging the tank. It also means the rider can shift their weight further forward on the diamond stitched seat when on wide open throttle.

Covering the treads on a variety of terrain are a pair of custom front and rear guards. An Ellaspede Ninja Star Licence Plate holder hangs onto the shortened back end. The power plant was treated to a full top and bottom-end rebuild with the parts being blasted and/or painted before being screwed back together. A Mikuni flatslide carb sucks through a K&N pod filter, while a custom twin exhaust with internally baffled turbo taper mufflers eject the used gasses.”

“A full rewire with an under-seat electrics compartment hides the wiring to the Danmoto speedometer, Daytona indicators and LED flex tail light. Up front a flat track inspired number board houses twin spots from an aftermarket enduro headlight, with internal wiring to the micro bar switches controlling the lights and sounds. Biltwell Recoil grips and RHK motocross foot pegs ensure the rider has a strong handle and firm foothold on this 500. An aftermarket master cylinder, braided brake line and rebuilt XR caliper take care of abating excess enthusiasm.”

“A 2 pak paint combo of subtle metallic grey got the nod for the front guard, headlight plate, tank and rear guard. Offset stripes in a smooth black contrast the metallic hues with a splash of red breaking up the greyscale. 6 years and as many design iterations later (as designers do when working on their own projects) and the once humble Honda is finally finished. Ready to make up for lost time, this rig is one of our most rowdy rides and certainly rips on and off the road.”

After all this time and the bike is now for sale, please form an orderly queue.

Images by AJ Moller Photography www.ajphotography.com.au via The Bike Shed

Outlaws – The anarchic Porsche 356s of Emory Motorsports

When Rod Emory and his father started modifying Porsche 356s in the late 1980s, a time when pristine, concours-ready classics were enjoying immense popularity, they were deemed outlaws. More than two decades and some 150 cars later, the term has come to epitomise a burgeoning counter-culture…

“I really build two types of cars: the 'Outlaws', and the cars that I call Emory Specials,” says Rod Emory, founder of Emory Motorsports, the Californian company behind these rakish Porsche 356s.

Two different beasts

An Outlaw, such as the silver car pictured, comprises subtle body accessory and trim additions and several performance upgrades, while an Emory Special, such as the black car (of which one is built every one or two years) boasts more extensive body modifications and a serious performance hike.

Both in cosmetic and performance terms, it’s a case of myriad small details adding up to make a big difference. Just look at the Special’s B-pillars, for example, which have been subtly – and skilfully – twisted backwards to make the car appear more fluid, or the tasteful, rally-inspired leather interiors, or the 550 Spyder-esque vents that provide access to the oil reservoir. The list goes on...

Evolution vs. modification

“I try to take the standard car and evolve the design, but not make it so noticeable that it’s modified,” comments Emory. “You know it’s different, but nothing really stands out.” The plain sexy hand-cut louvres on the engine cover are a good case in point, protruding inwards, rather than out, so as not to spoil the flow.

In addition, thanks to the inter-changeability of Porsche parts from model to model (something to which Emory attributes his love of the marque), a client can essentially cherry-pick the best performance parts from their favourite Porsches, in order to create the ‘perfect’ 356.

Porsche’s party piece

“The reason I love Porsche is because, although I’m working on 1950/60s cars, the company has evolved over time, rather than starting fresh with each model, meaning I can integrate modern parts into my cars.”

Gone are the archaic swing axles and four-speed gearboxes, replaced by 911 components, for example. And it’s a similar story with the engines, where the possibilities are countless. He even mentions a 356 ‘Carrera 4’ project (using a 996 Turbo’s front differential) that’s currently in the works, which we can’t wait to see.

And to drive?

So how do they drive? “Well they don’t handle like short-wheelbase 911s, because they don’t have the weight balance issues,” he says. “They are very balanced and driveable, and significantly different from a standard 356. I would liken the driving experience to a very well set-up 1972/3 911.”

Emory didn’t grow up with a box of Lego, rather a box of Porsche parts, thanks to his father who owned a Porsche parts business. Very much inspired by his grandfather (one of the first people to properly modify vehicle bodies in the 1940s), he and his father began to customise their 356s.

Outlawed no more

“In the late 1980s, my father and I were adding fog-lights and hood-straps or lowering the suspension, and this was at a time when it was considered sacrilegious to ‘cut up’ a Porsche. We thought about it differently and weren’t afraid to change things, and our friends who would come by the shop used to call us outlaws,” hence the term was born.

Needless to say, it stuck. A special badge, featuring the eagle from a German five-mark coin, was designed by a friend and has graced every ‘Outlaw’ since. But Emory’s legacy has stretched further than that. Now more and more modified 356s are being referred to as Outlaws around the world, and the company has actually gifted the hallowed badge to others’ cars, which have been built in the same vein.

Ultimately...

Ultimately, these cars are built to be driven and enjoyed, as they were originally intended, not paraded on the concours lawn or hibernating in a garage. “I feel my Emory Specials are like an evolution of the 356, if Porsche had continued to build them,” says Emory. “I’m taking the base model, just as they did, and tastefully modifying it to enhance the styling and the performance, and that’s going to bring you more enjoyment. These cars are a combination of everything that I love about Porsche.” Hear, hear…

Photos by Drew Phillips

The Breitling that costs more than the Bentley...

Bentley could have opted for a trendy Apple Watch with an integrated app for the dash clock in its new Bentayga, but no – in typical fashion (and in line with the lavishness of the rest of the car), it will use a Breitling ‘Mulliner Tourbillon’, boasting a nifty party trick…

Time is money

The self-winding, 28,800bph tourbillon clock is housed in an 18k gold case, and sits in a specially designed mount atop the dash of the Bentayga. We know what you’re thinking – how can a stationary watch self-wind? Well, an illuminated button just below the clock operates an electronic motor, which spins the whole timepiece three times, thus winding the mechanism. Backlighting ensures that even at night, that tourbillon still twinkles in its cage... and it promises 50 hours of power reserve.

As an optional extra, we can't deny that the ‘Mulliner Tourbillon’ is a little on the pricey side – it will cost around 150,000 euros, remarkably more than the base model of the Bentayga itself. And no, we’re not winding you up...

Photos: Bentley

Porsche’s Mission E previews a long-range, utopian future

Porsche’s hybridised return to Le Mans has borne its first road-going fruit, in the form of the Mission E concept. With all-wheel drive and a fully electric drivetrain, the sleek saloon not only previews Porsche’s long-term future – but also the design direction for the next Panamera...

Late-summer harvest

Using technology harvested from Porsche’s 919 Hybrid endurance racer, the sleek saloon appears to prioritise range over straight-line speed – at least when compared to its nearest rival, the Tesla P90D. Marginally slower than the Tesla off the line (3.5 seconds 0-62mph, compared to the Tesla’s 2.8 seconds), the Porsche claims a theoretical 310 miles (Tesla: 253 miles), and can be replenished to travel around 250 miles or so in just 15 minutes, thanks to a new 800V charging system. By comparison, Tesla’s 480V system takes 30 minutes to provide 170 miles of range.

Mission accomplished...?

The Mission E is motivated by two 'Permanently Excited Synchronous' motors – similar in design to those used in the 919 – and makes use of regenerative braking technology. Its equivalent of 600HP is sent to all four wheels using a torque vectoring system, and the car also has the four-wheel steering set-up that debuted recently on the Porsche 911. As you might expect, the technology is just as advanced inside, using eye-tracking to virtually position the instruments in the driver’s line of sight. Secondary commands can be issued with mere gestures.

Taut and low-slung, let’s hope the Mission E lends its styling to the third-generation Panamera…

Photos: Porsche