Foto: GCraft
via Planet Japan Blog
dimanche 27 janvier 2013
The Most Sexiest Motorbikes of All Time
Choosing the top 10 sexiest bikes of all time is a little bit like picking the top 10 movies all time; no matter how wise your choices, someone is going to disagree. Pick the Honda RC30 as the most idealistic bike and some Kawasaki fanatic will take you to task for rating it over the Z1. select the Triumph Bonneville as the seminal British twin and the Norton aficionados will be up in arms.
Rally around pre-war bikes and you’re an old fart; pick a bunch of modern motorcycles and you’re a depthless dilettante. There really is no way to win. So, knowing I am sure to lose or at least to be corrected; here is my top 10 list of sexiest motorcycles of all time.
Honda RC30
Kawasaki Z900A1
Ducati 916SPS
Honda NR750
Ducati Desmosedici
Harley Davidson Duo Glide
Cagiva V589
Yamaha RD350LC
MV Agusta F4CC
from bikeglam
samedi 26 janvier 2013
ALPINE CATERHAM : LE COMITÉ CONSULTATIF EST CONSTITUÉ.
Après l'annonce du retour de la marque Alpine et de la création de la Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham, un Comité Consultatif de cette nouvelle société a été constitué sous l'autorité de Carlos Tavares, Directeur des Opérations de Renault.
La mission de ce Comité sera de conseiller et d'aider la Direction de Renault et de la Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham pour ce qui concerne le positionnement de la nouvelle société et pour suivre l'évolution du prochain modèle de la marque depuis sa conception initiale jusqu'à son lancement.
Les membres de ce Comité ont été soigneusement choisis pour leurs compétences et leurs connaissances, ainsi que pour l'implication dans l'histoire de la marque et dans ses produits. On retrouve dans cette liste quelques noms bien connus :
- Jean-Charles Rédelé (distributeur Renault et fils du fondateur de la marque, Jean Rédelé)
- Jacques Cheinisse (ancien Directeur des Ventes et Directeur Sportif d'Alpine)
- Jean-Pierre Limondin (ex-ingénieur d'Alpine avec la responsabilité de la production sous licence des voitures d'Alpine)
- Alain Serpaggi (ex-pilote de Rallye et pilote d'essai d'Alpine)
- Bernard Darniche (ex-pilote Alpine, ayant contribué au titre Mondial Constructeurs d'Alpine en Rallye en 1973)
- Michèle Mouton (pilote Alpine en Rallye de 1974 à 1977)
- Hervé Charbonneaux (Collectionneur Alpine et pilote en VHC)
- Olivier Lamirault (Concessionnaire Renault à Chartres, très impliqué dans le marketing d'Alpine à sa grande époque, pilote d'Alpine en VHC France,)
- Chris Vissher (Concessionnaire Renault et spécialiste d'Alpine et de Renault Sport à Rotterdam, aux Pays-Bas)
- Tom Mautner (ancien concessionnaire Renault et Alpine et collectionneur au Royaume-Uni)
En plus de Carlos Tavares, des membres de Renault feront également partie de ce Comité Consultatif :
- Philippe Klein (Vice-Président Exécutif, Directeur Plan, Produits et Programmes du Groupe)
- Christian Pouillaude (Directeur de la Marque Renault)
- Bernard Ollivier (Président de la Société des Automobiles Alpine Caterham)
- Jean-Jacques Delaruwière (repérésentant Renault Communications, reponsablle de l'administration du Comité Consultatif).
En principe, le Comité devrait se réunir deux fois par an, la première réunion devant avoir lieu dans quelques semaines.
C'est le début d'une nouvelle aventure. Sait-on jamais, elle ramènera peut-être le nom d'Alpine au Mans....
by Claude Foubert(Endurance-Info.com)
24H DAYTONA, H+1 : GANASSI RACING FAIT SONNER LA CHARGE.
Une heure de course à Daytona pour la 51ème édition du Rolex 24 et déjà pas mal de changements de leaders et sans aucune neutralisation. Les deux BMW-Riley/Ganasso Racing de Scott Pruett et Scott Dixon mènent la danse avec 18 secondes d'avance sur la Ford-Riley/Michael Shank de Michael Valiante et 25 secondes sur la BMW-Riley/Team Sahlen de Dane Cameron. Les deux leaders sont séparés par 8 secondes. Au gré des arrêts, on a vu aux commandes Dixon, Cameron, Dalziel, Hartley et Braun. En GT, la Porsche 911 GT3 Cup/Magnus Racing d'Andy Lally connaît un début de course tranquille, en devançant l'Audi R8 LMS GRAND-AM/Alex Job Racing de Filipe Albuquerque (à 2s) et la Ferrari 458 Italia/Scuderia Corsa d'Alessandro Balzan. 18ème place pour la Porsche/TRG de Romain Dumas.
Du côté des faits de course, la Corvette DP/8 Star Motorsports de Stéphane Sarrazin a perdu tout contact pour la victoire suite à un changement de boîte de vitesses dans la première demi-heure. La BMW-Riley/Highway to Help de Ian James a connu pour sa part un souci moteur, alors que la Ford-Riley/Michael Shank de AJ Allmendinger a été ralentie pour un souci de suspension. Quant à la seconde BMW-Riley/Team Sahlen, elle s'est offert un hors piste sans grande conséquence. En GT, Nick Tandy (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup/Konrad Orbit n'a pas pu profiter longtemps de sa pole, le Britannique sortant de la piste. Le promu pilote officiel Porsche a toutefois pu ramener sa monture, bien abîmé sur le côté droit. Tandy a pu repartir mais une crevaison l'a ralenti dans la foulée. L'Audi R8/APR Motorsport est elle aussi allée faire un tour derrière le muret tout comme la Ferrari/AIM pour des soucis électriques. La Mazda6 #00 de Joël Miller a bien failli être la cause de la première neutralisation après un problème moteur en piste, mais l'Américain a pu repartir. La catégorie GX est dominée par la Porsche Cayman/Napleton.
Les pénalités ont été multiples pour des excès de vitesse dans la voie des stands, notamment les BMW M3/Turner #94, Corvette DP/GAINSCO, Audi/APR #51, Porsche/TRG #68, Mazda6/Racer Edges.
by Laurent Mercier(Endurance-Info)
Ken Block tests for Sno*Drift 2013
EXTEMPORAE SUZUKI DR650
One of the fastest-growing custom workshops in Italy is Extemporae, based in the Varese region that’s also home to MV Agusta and Husqvarna. The company’s first two builds, a Yamaha TT600 and a XT550, were published in the influential Italian magazine Riders in 2011—and from that point on, there was no looking back.
This is Extemporae’s latest, a 1994 Suzuki DR650. The DR650 is one of those ‘sleeper’ bikes just begging for customization: Like the Honda Dominator, it’s an unsophisticated but effective all-rounder, and lends itself well to a diet and makeover.
For this machine, Extemporae took inspiration from a car: the lightweight, stripped-down Caterham Seven. Hence the Caterham/Lotus-spec green paint and the emphasis on ‘adding lightness’.
Up front, the chassis has been modified to take a 1970s Yamaha 400 tank, and at the back it’s been slimmed down to give a lower line and accommodate a hand-made seat unit.
The bars are from an anonymous 70s dirt track racer, refinished in black. The front fork has been rebuilt and shortened and custom fenders fitted front and rear. The overhauled engine is now hooked up to a cone-type air filter and Extemporae fabricated not only the exhaust system, but also the oil radiator.
“This bike is simple, light, funny and cool,” say Extemporae’s founders, Alex and Paolo. I’ll second that, and hopefully we’ll see more DR650 customs in the future. Keep an eye on Extemporae’s Facebook page to see what they come up with next.
from BIKEEXIF
The Genius of Colin Chapman: "Simplify, then add lightness”
His nickname might have been ‘Chunky’ (only ever behind his back, mind…) but there was nothing overweight about Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman’s Lotus racing cars.
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The Londoner is probably best known for what many consider to be the world’s first ever stressed monocoque racing car, the Lotus 25. The simplicity of the classic, cigar-shaped racing car is staggering and the principle (now in carbonfibre, rather than aluminium) is still used today.
Chapman’s mid-engined single-seaters (after fellow British garagiste John Cooper had led the way) transformed Grand Prix racing at the turn of the decade from the 50s to the 60s. Teams such as Rob Walker Racing and UDT Laystall could now buy ready-made racing cars and engines ‘off the shelf’.
And these production racing cars were fast enough to win F1 races (of which many were non-Championship, it has to be said). Fast – but fragile. Big accidents suffered by Stirling Moss, Alan Stacey and Mike Taylor showed the other side of Chapman’s ‘as-long-as-it-crosses-the-line’ philosophy.
The immediate predecessors to the Type 25 were tubular framed, with heavily braced joints and separate bodywork attached by Dzus fasteners and pins. Gradually, as aluminium sheet was used more and more to reinforce the chassis, and pinning the bodywork to the chassis was found to enhance its stiffness yet further, Chapman came to the conclusion that an entire chassis/body structure in aluminium sheet would allow the tubular chassis and most of the bodywork to be done away with altogether.
The monocoque was born.
Further innovative designs included the 1967-70 Lotus 49 (Hill winning a World Championship in 1968) with its Cosworth V8 bolted directly to the monocoque, the ‘wedge’ Lotus 72 (Rindt, the first and only posthumous World Champion in 1970), the first mid-engined car to win at Indianapolis (Clark, 1965 in a Type 38), the ground effect Lotus 78 and 79 (another F1 Championship, this time for Mario Andretti in 1978). There were also the 4wd gas turbine Indy cars.
In addition, Chapman introduced big money sponsorship to the sport. Not only did the cars look like ‘cigar tubes’, they were painted like them, too.
He died of a heart attack in December 1982 at the age of 54. The glory years of Team Lotus were over. In any case, the technical rules were now becoming so tight that the age of true innovation was ending.
Lightness, simplicity and radical thinking – these were the bywords of Chapman’s designs - and if they did make it to the finishing line, it was usually to a podium finish, Chapman throwing his hat into the air in celebration, another victory chalked up to innovation.
| Related Links Lotuses in the Classic Driver Marketplace Racing cars in the Classic Driver Marketplace |
Text: Steve Wakefield(ClassicDriver)
Photos: Schlegelmilch Photography
Video: YouTube
10 Best Freestyle Class Motorcycles at World Championship of Custom Bike Building
There are many viewers, whom interested in custom-built motorcycles. Probably they know about the event by the name of “the World Championship of Custom Bike Building” which is held every year by American Motorcycle Dealer magazine in Sturgis, South Dakota. This championship is divided into three classes: Freestyle, Modified Harley-Davidson, and Production Manufacturer. Here we are sharing with you 10 best 10 best Freestyle Class custom bikes in this year’s championship.
Freestyle Class 1st Place, World Champion, Thunderbike (Germany)
This Thunderbike took place in first position from Germany. This type of class with their custom motorcycle called “PainTTless”. The German builders modified 1000cc Harley Davdison Ironhead sportster engine, and used hand-built custom swingarm frame.
Freestyle 2nd place, LC Fabrications (USA)
Jeremy Cupp of LC Fabrications based in Crawford, Virginia. This “OLD BLACK” bike with a 1976 Harley-Davidson Ironhead Sportster engine and custom-built frame won the second place.
Freestyle 3rd place, Abnormal Cycles (Italy)
Sam Reali and his Abnormal Cycles from Italy won the third category. This wonderful custom motorcycle “Speed-Demon” was made of 74 cubic inch Harley-Davidson JD engine from 1919 and on a 1930 VL frame.
Freestyle 4th place, Kreater Custom Motorcycles (Canada)
Freestyle 5th place, Claes Wärefors (Sweden)
Freestyle 6th place, KW Customs (USA)
Freestyle 7th place, Moore Customs (USA)
Freestyle 8th place, Kreater Custom Motorcycles (Canada)
Freestyle 9th place, RK Concepts (USA)
Freestyle 10th place, Hoosier Daddy Choppers (USA)
from bikeglamCarlsson SLK 340 race car announced
Carlsson has released the first details about their SLK 340, ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show.
Created for the Meisel Motorsport team, the SLK 340 is a bespoke race car which was specifically designed to compete in international hill climb events. It has an aggressive carbon fiber body with front splitter, a rear wing and a massive diffuser. There's also an adjustable KW competition suspension, high-performance brakes and 18-inch BBS racing wheels with AVON tires.
Interior pictures were not released, but Carlsson says the cabin has Fibreworks racing seats and a roll cage that meets "all relevant international requirements."
Power is provided by a 3.4-liter V8 engine that develops 610 HP (449 kW) and 430 Nm (317 lb-ft) of torque. It is connected to a Hewland transmission which will likely enable the 780 kg (1,719 lbs) racer to be an absolute rocket.
Source: Carlsson
LUCRA LC470
In the past few years there has been a revival of lightweight sports cars, the classic british concept. Here we have another of these cars but instead of have a light 2.0 litre engine, it has an all American 7.0 litre GM LS7 V8 with an Aluminium fuel injected 427 ci, 630 bhp! The LC470 is light, stiff, powerful, fast and perfectly balanced convertible sports racing car, very reminiscent of 1950′s race cars like the Jaguar D-Type, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR and the Maserati 300S. I really like the looks and idea of the LC470 and imagine I’m not alone.
Images: Lucra
from .moto-verso.co.uk
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