The history of AGV helmets at Valenza

Have you ever wondered what helmet manufacturer’s AGV name actually stands for? It’s the acronym for Amisano Gino Valenza.

Gino Amisano was the founder of AGV helmets and he started his company just after the Second World War in 1946, in the town of Valenza in the Piedmont region in Italy.

Amisano died three years ago and the city of Valenza will be holding a special exhibition in collaboration with his heirs and Dainese, (who bought the company in 2007) to pay tribute to the man who started making helmets in basement, to later become one the most important helmet manufacturers in the world and his lids would protect the heads of legendary riders like Giacomo Agostini, Kenny Roberts and Valentino Rossi.

AGV started with just one employee producing bicycle helmets and seats for Vespas and Lambrettas, but in 1947 began making handmade motorcycle helmets from leather and cowhide and manufacturering just five a week, but his business began to slowly take off with the production of the first fiberglass lid in 1954, and Amisano would become known as the ‘King of Helmet Makers’.

AGV’s story will be told through a series of vintage photographs along with the helmets belonging to the dozens of champions who donned this extraordinary brand, and will be on dispay at the Valentino Palace in Valenza from December 16 to January 13, 2013.

The inauguration will be held at the Social Theatre of Valencia, with a meeting entitled “I remember when Gino …” with stories, anecdotes from people who knew and worked with “Ginetto”, who was also funded Dr. Claudio Costa’s first Clinica Mobile, but he also owned a vineyard and was President of the Alessandria Football Club.

with Twowheelsblog

MULE YAMAHA XS STREET TRACKER

By David Edwards—So this is what happens when two old surf dudes get together. Richard Pollock, our favorite street-tracker builder, was a semi-pro surfer in his youth. Motocross was a way to pass time when the waves were flat, which led to a gig as a bike shop mechanic, which led to a 30-year career as an aerospace fabricator, which then led back to motorcycles, specifically Mule Motorcycles. To date, about 140 machines, almost all street-trackers, have left the refitted suburban San Diego two-car garage that serves as Mule’s build facility.

This British Racing Green Yamaha XS650 is one of his latest, commissioned by another surfer, Fred Snyder, a northern Californian whose favorite spot for shooting curls is Moss Landing north of Monterey. Discreet MLAV lettering, for “Moss Landing Assault Vehicle,” just below the Mule logo on the Storz aluminum gas tank is an in-joke between Pollock and Snyder.

About the only items that remain from the original XS are the engine castings and the footpegs. Everything else had been replaced, rebuilt or thoroughly massaged, starting with the motor, which gets a big-bore 750 kit, hotter cam, large valves, porting and an electronic ignition from Powerdynamo in Czechoslovakia. The smaller sparking system allowed Pollock to trim the alternator bulge on the primary cover and weld on a flatter aluminum piece for more of a race bike look.

All buttoned up, the rebuilt twin was slotted into a new chromoly-steel frame built to Pollock’s specs. The design does away with the bottom frame cradles. Wheels at both ends are Morris-lookalike 18-inchers originally fitted to 1970s Kawasakis. Mule acquires these inexpensively on eBay, then sends them to Kosman Specialties to be widened so modern rubber – Bridgestone BT45s in this case – can be used.

Pollock’s uncanny ability to mix-n-match parts is evident on the front end, where his own billet triple-clamps house 45mm conventional forks taken from a Honda CBR900RR. Nissin calipers from the 900RR remain, putting the bite on rotors that consist on custom carriers and trimmed, thinned XS650 discs, the latter drilled with a series of holes to resemble TZ750 roadracing items. A new Triumph Bonneville headlight bucket, tiny Acewell multi-function instrument pod, Woods Racing stainless-steel handlebars and Brembo front master cylinder complete the fork assembly.

The tailsection is a Mule part, traditionally flat-track in shape but crafted out of carbon-fiber. Snyder, over the moon about all other aspects of the MLAV, has requested that the seat’s skimpy slab of foam padding be doubled in thickness. Hey, even old surfers can appreciate a little more comfort…

with bikeexif.com

The Raiden Files, Stage 1: Urban Center

A headlong leap into the mission at hand- Stage 1 sees us conquer towering stairs, slick blacktop, and a variety of urban obstructions as a gateway into the wilderness that awaits us. 

To outfit yourself for urban escapades, visithttp://www.rideicon.com/patrol/

To ride among us at ICON Motosports, join us athttp://www.facebook.com/iconmotosports

Volkswagen Polo R WRC

Volkswagen Motorsport visera les podiums en 2013 pour les débuts de la Polo R WRC. Le constructeur allemand se réserve une saison avant de se battre aux avant-postes.

La Polo R WRC est dévoilée aujourd'hui à Monaco pour la saison 2013 qui débutera dès le mois prochain au Monte-Carlo. En plus de Sébastien Ogier et Jari-Matti Latvala, Andreas Mikkelsen a été confirmé comme troisième pilote de l'équipe à partir du Rallye du Portugal. Pour les débuts de la voiture au sommet de la discipline, le constructeur de Wolfsburg aura des objectifs modestes avant de se concentrer sur des luttes plus intenses. 

« Après deux années de développement, l'équipe entière est prête à démarrer la saison », assure Jost Capito, le directeur sportif de Volkswagen. « L'homologation de la voiture se fera la semaine prochaine. Les deux voitures qui disputeront le Monte-Carlo sont en train d'être assemblées et elle rouleront avant Noël. Le WRC est assez nouveau pour nous. Nous aurons beaucoup à apprendre et nous voulons nous battre pour des podiums en 2013. Nous pourrions alors viser les victoires en 2014. »

Si Sébastien Ogier a découvert l'équipe en disputant la saison 2012 avec une Skoda Fabia S2000 engagée par le constructeur allemand, Jari-Matti Latvala a dû faire son choix en fin d'année suite au retrait de Ford. Cependant, le Finlandais est confiant en son avenir. « De ce que j'ai vu, tout le monde est très motivé. Nous avons beaucoup d'ingénieurs qui récoltent des données. Nous essayons d'être créatifs à chaque séance d'essais et tous les ingénieurs et les mécaniciens écoutent ce que les pilotes ont à dire. Je suis très positif quant à l'avenir. »

Cliquez sur ce lien pour accéder à la galerie photos de la Volkswagen Polo R WRC.

Découvrez le compte-rendu complet de la présentation de la Volkswagen Polo R WRC réalisé par les envoyés spéciaux dans le prochain numéro d'AUTOhebdo, disponible dès mardi en version numérique pour iPad, PC et Mac, et dès mercredi en kiosques.

BY Jacques-Armand Dupuis(AUTOHEBDO)