Foto: Picasa (Don)
samedi 4 mai 2013
vendredi 3 mai 2013
Assessing The DR
Whenever a bike rolls out the
Temple’s back yard Bengkel, it undergoes a series of test rides to fine
tune, calibrate and ensure that it is indeed ready for the variety of
road conditions that Bali…and by ‘road’ I mean a light dusting of tarmac
with intervals of loose limestone, deceptively deep puddles and my
favorite, unnecessary patches of gravel.
Usually said test rides are carried out in and around the Temple’s surrounding area…but with this DR650 build we decided to really put it through its paces, with its virgin mission consisting of a blast to neighboring island, Lombok.
Equipped with a tank mounted camera, the
shiny new steed joined a few of the boys for an 8 hour ferry ride and a
weekend wave hunt. The best of both worlds became apparent on the
getaway, with the bikes classic aesthetics making it look timeless in
its desert surroundings, but also with its functionality suing
through…the bike’s mono shock took everything in its stride and showed
no sign of hitting its limit.
This is the second DR650
that has emerged from the Temple’s courtyard, and we have just heard
news that Deus Australia is in the process of putting one together in
their respective Bengkel…can’t wait to see what their take looks like.
Keep an eye out for both our version on the roads of Bali and our Aussie counterparts version hitting the inter webs soon!
from blog DEUS Bali
HONDA S90 CAFE RACER BY DEUS EX MACHINA
The Honda S90 is one of those bikes that doesn’t get the cafe racer treatment nearly often enough. The ultra lightweight motorcycle was manufactured by Honda between 1964 and 1969, it was fitted with a 4-stoke, air-cooled single cylinder engine capable of 8hp and capable of just over 60mph (with a light rider).
The S90 (or Sport 90) weighs in at 86 kilos (190lbs) but seems lighter somehow, it can be picked up without straining and this makes it rather easy to park in tight spaces. A friend of mine in Hanoi had one for years that he called “Piglet”, the first time I had a go on it I underestimated the capability of the little beast and so managed to accelerate with such force that the front tire lifted 8 inches off the ground, propelling me into Vietnamese traffic with absolutely no directional control at all.
After I’d changed into new trousers I spent the day bumbling around town on Piglet, I came to the conclusion that the little Honda S90 is one of the most fun urban motorcycles ever created.
This cafe racer version was created by Deus Ex Machina, they’ve added custom built polished clip on handle bars, a converted ignition from point to CDI, a custom Japanese exhaust, a Daytona speedometer, a Polaris taillight and a Suzuki GT front headlight. The engine and carburettor has been rebuilt meaning it should now be just about capable of circumnavigating the Earth before needing any mechanical attention.
If you’ve been looking for the perfect urban cafe racer for a city like Melbourne, New York or London, this might just be your horse. Click here to visit in in the Deus Ex Machina showroom.
Hypercar Showdown: LaFerrari vs. McLaren P1
Chris Hrabalek believes that while Geneva’s ‘Best of Show’ was on the McLaren stand, the real long-term investment sleeper was hiding a few show stands away: but read on, because it’s NOT what you’re expecting.
A recent article in the Financial Times placed ‘classic cars’ as the second-best-performing investment over the past decade (395% growth); only outperformed by gold (434%), albeit taking into account prime real estate in Hong Kong (221%), Sao Paolo (211%), Paris (117%), London (103%) and New York (72%).
It is therefore legitimate to conclude that the majority of potential supercar buyers are not only concerned by lap-times, but also whether their forthcoming acquisitions are yet another shrewd investment, keeping in mind the fact that Ferrari Enzo values have more or less doubled over the past decade.
Hence, putting aside styling, performance and cost – one of which is subjective and one of which is relative – let’s consider the following question: why did Ferrari’s F40 become so much more valuable than Porsche’s 959, even though the latter was produced in much smaller numbers?
The answer lies in the ‘supply and demand’ curve, one heavily influenced by factors such as ‘perceived value’, ‘long-term relevance’ and ‘historic significance’. These indicators are also relevant in many other high-end luxury markets, such as watches, jewellery, wine and art, some of which have attracted collectors for far longer than the automobile has existed.
One thing is certain, however: the new LaFerrari attracted the biggest crowd for any product at any motor show in the past decade. Bar none. And to call the new car simply ‘LaFerrari’ is as confident as Volkswagen’s ‘Das Auto’ slogan. In terms of emotion and emotional styling, the Ferrari has already won.
Yet I am not convinced.
Recently, the industry has developed a bias towards ecological thinking, irrelevant as this might actually be for a product limited to around 500 units, each doing an average of around 1000 miles a year. Yet the words ‘efficiency’, ‘reduction’ and ‘sustainability’ are found repeatedly in hypercar marketing literature.
What I am trying to get at is whether this new wave of eco-hypercars – and by that I mean the overweight battery-laden hypercars of late – are comparable to the quartz watch trend of the late 70s that nearly destroyed the Swiss high-end watch industry.
Some might see the Bugatti Veyron as a ‘dinosaur’ compared with the latest crop of hypercars, but maybe it should instead be viewed as the last mechanical tourbillon timepiece: perhaps not as accurate as a watch of the digital age – and one that needs to be wound on a daily basis – but one that will not date. Rather, it can be gifted to future generations who will still marvel at its brilliance.
With technology progressing by the second, will the dated battery packs and electric engines on a LaFerrari, P1 or 918 feel as desirable in 10 years’ time as would, say, the gift to our children of a first-generation iPod today? Could these New Age hypercars be the Junghans radio-controlled or Databank watches that seemed ultra-cool in the 80s, but are nowhere near a watch collector’s vault in 2013?
If I had to make a choice between the three hypercars, I would opt for LaFerrari. Except, maybe, if Porsche could build me a 918 sans battery junk and associated weight clutter, but with a fixed roof. However, the ‘Best of Show’ was on the McLaren stand… it was orange… and it goes by the name of F1LM.
Then again, if I were to spend my hard-earned on a new car that I consider a dead-cert long-term investment, I would take myself a few show stands down the alley to the manufacturer of the last automotive tourbillon. Yup, my money would be on the Bugatti Veyron.
Text: Chris Hrabalek(ClassicDriver)
Photos: Classic Driver / Manufacturers
jeudi 2 mai 2013
Two-Wheel Drive Harley-Davidson XS
Perhaps one of the rarest Harley's in existence is the model XS. Only three of this prototype military motorcycle were constructed in 1942 and of those, only one is known to remain. That single example resides in the Harley-Davidson Archives and was found in original condition with all the standard military gear still attached.
So what is an XS?
Basically, it is a sidecar rig purposely designed for use in the North African campaign during WWII. The motorcycle portion uses another prototype named the Experimental Army (XA). The XA was more or less a copy of the German BMW R71. It featured an enclosed shaft drive and side-valve flat-twin engine making it better suited for the harsh desert conditions in Africa. The XS goes one step further by adding a rear axle that uses the rear wheel to power the sidecar wheel, making a two-wheel drive system. This is the only time that Harley ever produced such a drive system. Unfortunately for Harley, neither the XA or XS ever made it to production. With the introduction of the Jeep and the end of the North African campaign, the US Army no longer needed either model.
from Riding Vintage
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