Chappell Customs “Cafe 33″

Chappell Customs is run by brothers Chris – based out of LA in the US, and Rob – based out of Ontario in Canada, where, despite being 3000 miles apart, they somehow conspire to co-build some stunning customs, including this gold and metallic grey 1982 Yahama xs650, which you’ll probably have seen already on sites like BikeEXIF.

The donor xs650 started out as a rolling chassis with odd wheels and pile of parts. Chris kept the engine and frame but pretty much everything else was removed and either rebuilt or binned.

The bike had been rattle-can sprayed so she needed to be stripped right back to the bare metal, and the engine was refurbished with honed cylinders, new rings, seals, gaskets and filters.

The forks were rebuilt with progressive springs, which offer a smooth ride on rough streets but firm up for harder riding – a great option for customs like these, although a little harder to set up.

A new frame loop was welded-on to accommodate the cafe seat, the wiring loom was remade with new lights and turn signals with a light weight lithium-ion battery, while new hand controls link to higher performance brakes for modern stopping power, and a digital speedo takes care of keeping the rider informed whenever unreasonable speed limits appear on the twisties.

You may have spotted that the tank isn’t original, but this was intentional as Chris and Rob wanted the bike to carry more fuel, so they lifted a tank from an xs750. It’s a nice practical touch on a bike made to be ridden as well giving the bike a more muscular appearance than the donor bike.

Other performance upgrades include gas powered rear shocks, aftermarket carbs, an RK chain – in other words, the bike has been completely sorted to make sure it’s a clean and tidy ride that delivers whatever the rider will ask of it.  Job done.

Chris & Rob look righteously pleased with themselves.

 See more from Chappell Customs HERE

via thebikeshed

Sweden : Ogier fastest in qualifying / La « qualif » pour Ogier

 The best time on this morning’s Qualifying Stage was posted by Sébastien Ogier, ahead of Mads Ostberg and Mikko Hirvonen. Latvala (sixth) and Loeb (eight) both lost time at the start. The drivers will choose their start order positions at this evening’s start ceremony in Karlstad. 

 

Sébastien Ogier a signé le meilleur temps de la Qualifying Stage devant Mads Ostberg et Mikko Hirvonen. Latvala (6e) et Loeb (8e) ont eu du mal à s’élancer sur la ligne de départ. Les pilotes choisiront leurs positions sur la route pour vendredi ce soir lors de la cérémonie de départ à Karlstad.

 

 

This time last year, we were at the same stop control, near Rada, at the end of the first ‘Qualifying Stage’ in WRC history. We were joined for the occasion by a sizeable crowd of TV reporters, photographers, FIA officials and other curious onlookers. Twelve months later, ‘qualifying’ has become a routine part of the sport, and there was only Best-of-RallyLive and World Rally Radio’s reporter waiting in the snow for the drivers to arrive this morning…

The best time of 2012 (Jari-Matti Latvala, 1m56.5s) was amply beaten this time round by the Finn’s new team-mate Sébastien Ogier (Volkswagen Polo R WRC/Michelin) who completed the 3.99km test in 1m51.357s.

Like Sébastien Loeb (8^th), Latvala (6^th) had trouble getting away from the start line this morning, leaving Mads Ostberg to claim the second best time (1m52.257s), ahead of Mikko Hirvonen (1m52.921s) who commented that he “could have gone quicker in a few places.”

The fourth and fifth fastest efforts were posted by the last and last-but-one drivers. Driving a Ford Fiesta RS WRC carrying the same number as his age (22), Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand was fourth (1m53.805s), marginally clear of the unflappable Finn Juho Hanninen (1m53.918s).

Despite going very wide through the first left-hander, Thierry Neuville was seventh, between Latvala and Loeb. The top 10 was rounded off by Evgeny Novikov and Dani Sordo who only completed one ‘shakedown’ run after suffering a brake problem with his DS3 WRC. Jarkko Nikara (Mini) went off during the earlier ‘shakedown’ session and didn’t contest the Qualifying Stage.

The drivers will announce their preferred start positions later today at the start ceremony in Karlstad. Those who get to choose first will probably prefer a later running order to avoid having to cut a line through the loose snow which has fallen over the stages in recent days.

Il y a tout juste un an, nous étions déjà là, à Rada, à ce même point stop. Il s’agissait alors de la 1^ère Qualifying Stage de l’histoire du WRC et il y avait foule pour assister à l’événement, TV, photographes, officiels FIA, curieux… Douze mois plus tard, la « Qualif » est devenue une habitude et nous n’étions que deux journalistes à attendre les 1^ers chronos officiels de ce Rallye de Suède 2013 sous les flocons.

Le chrono du vainqueur 2012, Jari-Matti Latvala (1min56s5), a largement été battu cette année par son équipier Sébastien Ogier (Volkswagen Polo R WRC/Michelin) qui a réalisé le meilleur temps en 1min51s357 sur les 3,99 km de la spéciale.

Comme Sébastien Loeb (8^e), Latvala (6^e) a eu du mal à s’extraire de la ligne de départ. Mads Ostberg a signé le 2^e meilleur chrono (1min52s257) devant Mikko Hirvonen (1min52s921) qui « aurait pu aller plus vite à certains endroits ».

Il a fallu attendre et le dernier et le pénultième concurrent pour connaître les 4^e et 5^e chronos du jour. Au volant de la Ford Fiesta RS WRC qui porte le même numéro que son âge, le jeune Pontus Tidemand a signé le 4^e temps (1min53s805) juste devant le placide Finlandais Juho Hanninen (1min53s918).

Malgré une trop grande glissade dans le 1^er gauche, Thierry Neuville a réalisé le 7^e temps entre Latvala et Loeb. Evgeny Novikov et Dani Sordo complètent le top-10 de cette Qualifying Stage. L’Espagnol n’avait effectué qu’un passage d’essais en raison de soucis de freins sur sa DS3 WRC. Jarkko Nikara (Mini), qui avait effectué une sortie de route au Shakedown, n’a pas pris le départ.

En fonctions de leurs résultats dans cette « qualif », les pilotes choisiront leurs positions de départ pour vendredi sur le podium de départ à Karlstad. La préférence ira sans doute à l’arrière du peloton pour ne pas balayer la couche de neige qui recouvre les spéciales

via best-of-rallylive.

Bmw R100 RS 1981 "La Corona 004" by La Corona Motorcycles Motorcycles

Foto: La Corona Motorcycles
via Racing Café

Chevrolet SS to debut on February 16th

Chevrolet’s U.S. vice president of performance vehicles has announced plans to introduce the 2014 SS on February 16th.

Speaking to journalists in Detroit, Jim Campbell said the model would be unveiled ahead of the Sprint Unlimited Race. As Campbell noted, “This is the first time that we’ve done this in decades, where we’re going to introduce a whole new model at a racetrack." While the racing tie-in is interesting, it isn't too surprising as Chevrolet will use an SS-inspired model to compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Chevrolet hasn't revealed much about the model, but previously confirmed it will be rear-wheel drive and feature a V8 engine - possibly the new 6.2-liter EcoTec3 that debuted on the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra. The car will be based on theHolden VF Commodore and is slated to enter limited production later this year.

Note: Chevrolet SS Race Car pictured

Source: Automotive News

via worldcarfans.