“LE CAFFAGE”: DUCATI 848 BY APOGEE MOTORWORKS

There’s a definite formula when it comes to customizing motorcycles. After all, there are only so many ways you can change the look of a bike without resorting to extreme (and expensive) fabrication.

But there are a few builders who throw the rulebook out of the window, freely experimenting with new shapes and styles. In Europe, Fred Krugger and El Solitario spring to mind; in the US, Revival Cycles and Max Hazan frequently push the limits.

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Gustavo Pena of Apogee Motoworks is another one of those pioneers. The LA-based cinematographer builds extraordinary Ducatis that look like nothing else on earth. This is his latest creation, “Le Caffage”—a 2009-spec Ducati 848 worthy of a starring role inTron.

Gustavo set out to design a bike that looks futuristic, but has elements of neo-classic style too. “As if Ducati produced a bike in 2050 paying homage to a bike from 2030,” he says.

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The design elements are very deliberate, dominated by an oversized gas tank with vintage café proportions. Gustavo has also modified the trellis frame to edge it closer to traditional lines, flowing into an minimalist but comfortable saddle.

The twin exhausts—handcrafted in stainless steel—mirror the voluptuous curves of the upper bodywork. But the most attention-grabbing aspect is the headlight, an aggressively lidded design that also houses the speedo and adds an air of menace to the machine.

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“A normal round drum headlight from eBay would just not cut it!” says Gustavo. Guided by the volume and silhouette of the fuel tank, he’s shaped the carbon fiber headlight to accentuate the 848’s predatory stance—”Like that of a lion, a bull, or a shark.”

Gustavo also found inspiration from his Russian girlfriend: her cheekbones suggested the delicate lines and chiseled side profile of the headlight. Eagle-eyed petrolheads will spot that the LED light unit itself is lifted from a BMW i8.

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The 848 engine has been heavily upgraded with NCR parts, including titanium valves, a slipper clutch, and a full set of titanium bolts and fasteners. The pistons are from Ferracci and the titanium connecting rods are from Pankl.

Rather than hide the typical superbike radiator, Gustavo has designed carbon fiber structural intakes with the help of a composite specialist from F1. They neatly blend with the 848’s immense radiator and the imposing gas tank.

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South of the radiator is more carbon fiber, this time a belly pan that shrouds the oil cooler and lower part of the engine.

Then the entire front and rear suspension was disassembled. Every single aluminum part has been polished to a jewel-quality finish, and then sprayed with a 3M sealant to keep it maintenance free.

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Many other parts have been powder coated and then treated to a ceramic coating on top—including the entire trellis frame, the swingarm, rear sets and the forged Marchesini racing wheels. Both wheels are shrouded with custom carbon huggers.

And the name “Le Caffage”? It’s a neologism, a made-up word alluding to the café style, and came out of a conversation between Gustavo and a French friend.

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If your appetite is whetted, you’ll be glad to know that a limited run of Apogee Ducatis has just started. The donor bikes are not only the Ducati 848, but also 1098s and Streetfighters. And each will have its own distinctive characteristics.

To put a true original in your garage, drop Gustavo a line via his website.

Apogee Motorworks | Instagram

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1973 BMW R75/5 ‘Lil Doom’

Words by Martin Hodgson.

This is the story of three friends who get by on wheels, good looks and attitude to burn. They dress the same and they work together but all perform very different functions for their automotive crazed owner Stan. “Von Doom”, Lil Doom” and “The Raft” are a car, bike and trailer combo that’ll leave any motorhead wanting their own and it all started when Stan decided his newly completed 2014 SEMA bound BMW show car needed a little something more, a motorcycle to match and a trailer for the journey. But this is Pipeburn, so let’s start with the little bike that could, a classic BMW called “Lil Doom”!

As Stan explains “Luckily, my friend had a 1973 R75/5 that he had toyed with selling. After talking to him about the concept, he knew it would be in good hands.” Having previously worked with gun builder Jay from Lossa Engineering on another build it made perfect sense to use his skills again on the Airhead. This is a frame off build, completely stripped back and disassembled so everything could be done properly. Jay de-tabbed the frame and then built a new sub-frame to hold the custom leather and denim seat. Desperately keen to use his Crafty B Mini Racer fuel cap Stan picked an R100 fuel tank which was dimple dye recess cut into the tank to allow for the cap to have a more flush look. The front and rear fenders are bobbed items pulled from a CB350 and just like the tank the metal work is absolutely flawless.

The Shop in Culver City, California renowned for amazing paint work and their love of BMW’s painted the tins with BMW Mineral White with a dual pinstripe using an Audi charcoal grey and Porsche Irish green. The same charcoal and Irish green treatment was sprayed onto the wheels to complete the look. With paint and body work so good it would be a shame to leave the look of the engine area cluttered, particularly when working with an airhead. So a cast aluminium cover was sourced from BMW2Valve.com that covers the starter and airbox area, leaving a generous amount of negative space and further highlighting that stunning R100 tank.

And that starter and airbox combo, in the quest for a sleeker look and improved performance both were sent to the scrap bin! The airbox is replaced by a set of K&N pod filters inhaling the ambient air while exhale duties are taken care of by a shortened factory exhaust that is dipped in black chrome with heatshield Cobra exhaust wraps. Power is one way to improve performance, weight removal another and the starter motor and standard battery have both been ditched, the bike is now kick start only with a tiny Shorai lithium ion battery fitted in place. Handling wasn’t ignored either, the standard front forks now house Progressive Suspension springs while the rear utilises 412 series rear shocks. Renthal Ultra Low bars take care of steering duties and Stan holds onto a pair of Tommaselli grips.

“Von Doom” is just about the coolest tow vehicle you’re going to find, a 2014 BMW 328IX Sport Wagon. The body’s curves come courtesy of a full BMW M Performance Aero package that was painted, just like the rest of the package, by The Shop in Culver City in the White, Grey and Green colour combo. Just like everything else the Thule Sonic XL Roof box is colour matched and pinstriped and sits on a Thule AeroBlade Edge rack system. Slamming the whole thing to the ground is a AccuAir E-Level Air suspension setup that tucks the 20 inch HRE 501 vintage series wheels wrapped in Toyo tyres well up into the guards. “Von Doom” improves its towing capacity with an MXP quad exhaust system and a Dual software tune and standard brakes on a tow vehicle just won’t do so R1 Concept rotors are clamped by an M Performance big brake kit.

Finally there is the trailer, “The Raft” is a hand built one off single bike trailer sporting custom fenders in the same Mineral White with Charcoal and Irish Green pinstriping. The wheels match the wagon, this time measuring a trailer crazy 18×8.5 inches and again Toyo’s quality Proxes 4 plus hoops grip the road. The final touch is a beauty, having gone to all this trouble to build the perfect combo would you really want to be humping around a bike ramp to take “Lil Doom” off “The Raft” with all of that expensive paint? Of course not, so just press the button in the cabin of “Von Doom” and a second air suspension system lowers the whole thing to the ground for deadly cool looks and easy bike removal.

Every now and then something comes along that changes the game and Stan’s trifecta of custom creations does exactly that. And if you’re anything like me, by the time you’ve read this article and soaked in the fantastic photography you’re planning just how you could possibly top something this cool!

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Who’s been driving the Mercedes C111 concept around London?

It’s a rare museum-grade concept, built in the 1970s as a testbed for Mercedes’ latest technology. So what was it doing on the road in London last week, and who was the lucky driver?

You might remember the hilarious promotional video for Berlin Fashion Week 2015 we featured a few months ago, which gave a starring role to one of the Mercedes-Benz C111 concepts. Well, last week saw the event take place in London – and also saw the same C111 test its real-world credentials in the heart of the Capital. Street-spotter Renato Viani captured the unrepeatable image of the automotive unicorn passing Harrods in Knightsbridge, driven by a mechanic from the Stuttgart museum in which the car normally resides. It will next be seen in public at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, albeit as a static display.

Photo: Renato Viani

You can find hundreds of modern and classic Mercedes for sale in the Classic Driver Market.

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Marruecos 2015: Fesh Fesh !

ACCIAIO E MOTORI IS A HIDDEN GEM AMONG CLASSIC CAR EVENTS

by Jacopo Villa -Photos by Federico Bajetti

Acciaio e Motori (“Steel and Motors”) is a sports car reunion held on the hills above Salò in the province of Brescia, famous for the concentration of foundries and industries active in the metal sector. To celebrate two great passions of Brescia—steel and cars—once every year since 2009 a group of enthusiasts gather for two days of pure road racing on public streets.

Starting from the Salò harbor, all the cars made their way to Odolo, located in the heart of Val Sabbia. The event consists a series of rally stages, hillclimbs, and a town track. The event is different from most, however: there was no competitive racing at all, and no prizes for specific classes of cars. Those who participate to Acciaio e Motori just want to drive and have fun without worrying about any race strategies or regulations: it's always good to see Lancia 037s racing next to Opel Asconas, Ford Escort Cosworths, various BMWs and, of course, Porsche 911s

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After the various rally stages, the cars converged on the town of Odolo, where the organization set up the road circuit. The track had something reminiscent of the Cerda and Collesano of the Targa Florio, where the cars went past local bars with people sitting there enjoying their afternoon rest.

There's more value to an event where you can relax, sipping a cold drink while three (!) Lancia 037s pass at full throttle just feet away from you! For writers and fans alike, it's much easier to take notes and pictures while sitting comfortably and enjoying wonderful food… There were a few disappointments, though: the event was well-advertised, but there weren't too many “big name” classics. Aside from the ones I mentioned above—and a startlingly cool NSU 1100 TTS—there weren't too many exotics.

Still, events like this are best enjoyed in the context of the atmosphere and the passion that brings people together. Acciaio e Motori is a typical Italian sports car reunion, where the excitement and the will to spend a nice week in good company encourages enthusiasts take out their cars for a few stints of proper racing. 

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MV Augusta Scrambler – Viba Motor

Written by Martin Hodgson.

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s two big trends currently taking the custom bike scene by storm: the re-emergence of the scrambler and limited-run customs by well respected workshops. Ducati and Triumph both offer off-the-shelf scramblers that do the style great justice, but simply don’t offer a great deal of performance. Icon Sheene and NCR, along with many others, offer limited-run machines that are truly remarkable, but you’ll need to sell your mother-in-law to afford one. Now French company Viba Motor has entered the fray with an incredible one-off scrambler that has performance to burn and a mother-in-law friendly price to boot.

Yann Bakonyi is a designer by trade with his own successful company, but his love of motorcycles and in particular the Italian marque MV Augusta led him to create his new business venture,Viba Motor. The idea was to start with a modern MV, design the bike in-house and have the work carried out in conjunction with a small team of the very best French craftsman. The result is Viba’s ‘Lara 800’ – an MV Augusta-based scrambler that ticks all the boxes and that will be a limited run production bike of just 23 exclusive machines.

This is no base-model machine with dirt bike tyres but a new Brutale 800 – a bike that offers fantastic performance straight out of the box with the most agile of handling and all the best components and electronics the 21st century has to offer. With the design complete, a foam lab model was created to make sure all the ideas and inspiration would work together. And boy, do they ever.

This is no subtle scrambler, either. Lara hits you in the face with radical body work that starts with a hand-made, one-piece Aluminium fuel tank finished in a matte clear to leave the best of the metalwork on display. The seat is everything on a scrambler, and making it work just so required the fabrication of an all-new rear frame that supports an aluminium seat that is covered in expensive memory foam. It was then stitched and finished in a high-grade blue leather but, like many aspects of Lara’s build,  customers will be able to stipulate the exact finish they desire.

Thankfully, the bodywork that was once MV plastic has been ditched and replaced with minimal carbon fibre items that include both the front and (cleverly mounted) rear fender. There is nothing wrong with MV paint, but for scrambler-like durability, the frame and the triple trees have been powder coated in black.

The Brutale is already a lightweight monster, with a factory 125hp and just 167kg to its name, but a good designer can always improve things. Along with the carbon parts, further weight savings were achieved by crafting the foot controls, risers and radiator guard from high-grade aluminium. The bulky MV headlight and surround is gone, and in its place you’ll find a scrambler-friendly cover made from Delrin plastic.

Adding a little more pep to the MV triple is a custom, 3-into-1 powdercoated exhaust that is finished off with a more appropriately positioned Zard muffler. The grill of the air-filter has been 3D printed in a copolyester based carbon fibre composite, while Viba also upgraded the electrics, fitted LED lights all-round and powered the whole thing with a light weight lithium-ion battery.

Not content with leaving handling to the already impressive MV stock offerings, the rear shock is now a purpose-built Elka item while the front forks sport an internal spring change to match the greater bumps a scrambler will invariably face. A Beringer front radial caliper further enhances the already impressive factory Brembo stopping power for those hard charging off-road sessions.

The wheels are stunning, radial-spoked Borrani items which give the look of a scrambler wire wheel but in an exclusive style. Then comes the all-important tyres; 120/17 and 180/17 trail bike items. They’re currently D616’s, but the plan is to replace them with new Avon TrailRiders when they become available for the ultimate in modern scrambler rubber.

The finished product is simply spectacular; it has all the items you would expect from a scrambler. A flat leather seat, minimal weight, a high-mount muffler and tyres to get the job done on and off road. But what makes Lara 800 so special is that it’s not just those items offered up as bolt ons. This is an exclusive, limited run production bike, designed and built by the best craftsman with the power to shred cobblestones and the handling to tackle the dirt, too. For 23 lucky customers, they will own a piece of Motorcycle history – one of the baddest and most ‘Brutale’ scramblers ever built. The only question left is will you be one of the lucky few?

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MAGIONE: KRUGGER REMIXES THE DUCATI SCRAMBLER

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As the Wheels & Waves festival winds down, stunning new custom builds are still being unveiled in Biarritz. The latest is this Ducati Scrambler called ‘Magione,’ from Belgium’s Fred ‘Krugger‘ Bertrand.

Krugger has two AMD World Championship titles to his name, and he’s known for building cleaner-than-factory bikes. He backs up his craftsmanship with amazing attention to detail: this Scrambler is loaded with touches that all but a keen eye would miss.

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When Ducati handed over the keys, they were happy for Krugger to interpret the design however he saw fit. So he opted to retain the Scrambler’s core vibe—but crank it up to eleven.

This meant keeping the original teardrop tank—enhancing rather than replacing it. So he unscrewed the tank’s side panels, cut off the mounting brackets, and smoothed everything off. He’s also tweaked the Scrambler’s stance by dropping the front fork a hair under two inches.

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Further back is a handmade steel tail unit—mounted on a custom subframe. Both the subframe and the tailpiece have cutaways that house the stock Ducati Scrambler LED taillight—which has been inverted. Krugger then shaped a new seat and sent it off to Italian specialists Wild Hog to wrap in black leather.

Ducatisti will notice that the prominent swingarm has disappeared. In its place is an exquisite, tubular steel number. The exhaust system is custom too—crafted from various Ducati headers.

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It’s been designed to flow through a gap in the swingarm, and terminates in a handcrafted silencer that we secretly wish is in the Ducati Scrambler accessory catalogue.

Krugger’s performed a number of other nip-and-tucks. The oil cooler’s been relocated, the speedo’s now on the left hand side, and the turn signals have been ditched in favor of a pair of bar ends. The handlebars and off-road foot pegs are Scrambler aftermarket items; the latter are rubber-mounted via custom-made brackets.

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The airbox has been swapped for K&N filters, which involved moving the O2 sensor. Much of the wiring has been concealed—especially up front, where everything’s now running inside the handlebars. Look closely, and you’ll even spot stainless steel safety wire on various bits and pieces throughout the bike.

Rounding everything off is a jaw-dropping satin grey paint job, with hand-painted yellow stripes.

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Amazingly, Krugger wrapped the whole project up in just two months. Some guys have just too much talent.

Krugger Motorcycles | Images by Thierry Dricot.

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