Yamaha XVS400 ‘Atlas’ - Bandit9

One of the nicest things about the hungry beast that's Pipeburn.com is that you get to meet new people. We literally make contact with half a dozen new builders every week who all keen to show us their wares. What's more, we end up getting to know them quite well. Here's a builder I have been shooting the poop with on and off for two years now, and even through I've never actually met him, I'm sure that we'd get on like a house on fire. This is his fifth bike to be featured on the site. Around here we know him as ‘Dazza’, but you'll should probably call him by his real name - Daryl Villanueva, head of Beijing's Bandit9 Motorcycle Design.

So much black, some black holes are jealous

“Atlas is an evolution on the Yamaha XVS 400, which is not the most attractive bike to base a new build on,” states Daryl, with an unusual candor. “But for Bandit9, the goal was to inspire other builders by creating a beautifully designed, well-engineered bike from a pretty rocky foundation. Not everyone can afford a Triumph or a Harley and not everyone has access to shops where you can simply buy accessories. However, we believe that these limitations pave way for art and invention.”

“Atlas is actually the third design iteration and it took nearly a year to complete. The first two prototypes were 95% complete before we tore everything apart and started again. My brief was that it should be ‘brutally simple’. I wanted a clean, understated design that looked powerful and very capable. If Nero was designed for Batman, then Atlas is for Bruce Wayne, and if it wasn’t headed in that direction, then we had to start again.”

So the bike was torn down a third time, leaving only the engine untouched. ”The frame was reshaped to extend Atlas’ body length, lower its stance, and also make room for the improvements in the ergonomics. The rear fender was fabricated and welded directly onto the soft tail. A slim leather saddle was designed to blend with the frame and in some angles, to disappear entirely. The beveled tank with the dual gas caps were forged from stainless steel and was shaped to flow with the seat and the tip of the fork. New side panels were designed to make Atlas as slim and as solid as possible,” says Dazza.

”The exhausts were designed to turn heads with their throaty growl.” From all reports, Atlas sounds uncannily like a lion. ”The pipes rumble everything in their wake. The heat wrap was not an aesthetic addition but a functional one to protect the rider’s legs from the hot pipes. Atlas has an upgraded springer fork with a mounted custom-made headlight, and 19-inch firestone tires.” And as a last touch of simplicity, Bandit9 made their own handlebars, which were welded directly to the fork. ”It seems to feel more responsive since the steering system is one solid piece.”

Dazza gives the bike its final shakedown on the backstreets of Beijing

Interestingly, the bike will live in the garage of Hakan Saracoglu, Design Director of Chery Motors, and ex-Porsche Designer responsible for the 918 Spyder, Cayman and GT2. When we asked what drew him to it, he replied, “I love the minimalistic approach, the extremely low riding position, and the way the rider completes the overall form. The bike is pure and raw.” And if the man who designed the GT2 says he likes it enough to buy it, who are we to argue?

via PIPEBURN

Land Rover Discovery Facelift

The engineers at Land Rover have been busy over the last few months creating the long-wheelbase version of the Range Rover and the new Range Rover Sport but they’ve managed to find time and energy enough to have a look at one of the older cars in the British marque’s range. This new look Land Rover Discovery updates then Discovery 4 that’s been on sale since 2009, which wasn’t much more than a facelifted Discovery 3, but the new look refreshes the Discovery.

There’s a new headlight cluster which does away with the LED running lights. At the rear the engine badges have been removed and put onto the doors and the tailgate now says“Discovery” rather than “Discovery 4”. Perhaps Land Rover didn’t want to decide if this is a Discovery 5 or a reworked 4. Dark surrounds on the rear light cluster and newly designed alloys complete the exterior makeover.

Mechanically the 2014 Discovery is very similar to the current car, but the 3.0 litre V-6 turbo now returns 35.3mpg and CO2 emissions are lower at 213g/km. This drops the Disco into a lower tax bracket which means a £195 annual saving on the road fund licence. There’s been no change to the gearbox so the ZF eight-speed paddleshift automatic is the only transmission.

Land Rover Discovery facelift

One of the most striking differences with this model is the replacement of the Land Rover name on the bonnet with the Discovery nameplate, which heralds the beginning of a new sub-brand for Land Rover which will branch out much like the Range Rover brand. The moreefficient and restyled 2014 Land Rover Discovery gets its public debut next week at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.

fromEUROCARBLOG

RACING A WORLD CAR: BAMBOO’S WTCC CHEVY CRUZE

This weekend the World Touring Car Championship will land at Sonoma Raceway for its second ever visit to American soil and I’m happy to say I’ll be there to see it myself for the first time. Like a lot of people from the USA I’m not terribly familiar with intricacies of international level touring car racing, but the more I learn about it, the more excited I’m getting about seeing the WTCC attack the windy, hilly road course at Sonoma.

As one of four series operated by the FIA (the others are Formula 1, World Endurance Championship and World Rally Championship), the WTCC is truly global in every sense of the word. Its 12 events this year are spread across four different continents – ranging from Monza in Italy, to Suzuka in Japan. For 2013 the grid is made up of cars from five different manufacturers, mostly based on four-door production models and powered by 1.6 liter turbocharged motors with two-wheel drive.

One of the cars that will be taking to the track in Sonoma this weekend is the Bamboo Engineering Chevrolet Cruze, driven by James Nash of the UK. Larry Chen had a chance to photograph the car just hours ago, before it set off to compete this weekend in Northern California’s Wine Country.

When you think about it, there really couldn’t be a better car to represent the WTCC than the Chevy Cruze. Although it wears the all-American Chevy bowtie, it’s really hard to find a car today that is more ‘global’ than the Cruze.

The production Cruze rides on a platform that was engineered by a global team in places like South Korea and Germany, and the car is manufactured in the United States, Australia, Korea, Russia, Brazil and several other countries around the world. While some might see the Chevy logo and instantly picture it as an American automobile, I myself have a hard time selecting any single country of origin for it.

To make things even more diverse, Bamboo Engineering itself is as British as it gets, with a race shop located right on the grounds at Silverstone. The team was founded in 2009 and competes in both the WTCC and in the GP3 open-wheel series.

The team’s touring car experience began in 2009 with an entry in the British Touring Car Championship before switching over to the increasingly popular WTCC in 2010. The 2010 campaign with the Chevrolet Lacetti brought home victories in three events, which was very impressive for such a young outfit.

In 2011 Bamboo switched over to the Cruze which quickly proved itself as an extremely competitive touring car at the hands of RML Group, which up until last season developed and campaigned cars for the Chevrolet Works Team. Even with less experience than some of its competitors, Bamboo Engineering has risen to become one of the WTCC’s more formidable teams.

James Nash, the pilot of this particular car, has experience in several different racing disciplines, coming up like many drivers through the world of karting before moving on to Formula Fords, GT machines, and of course touring cars. In addition to that, James has also served as a stunt driver for a number of music video productions. So far this season he’s already brought home a pair of victories for Bamboo Engineering.

When you look at the Bamboo Engineering Cruze from a distance, it has the feel you’d expect for an FIA-level touring car. You notice things like flared out fenders with big sticky tires and body modifications to of course aid in aerodynamics.

But like all the cars that compete in the WTCC, it’s still immediately recognizable as a Chevy Cruze. The close resemblance between these racing machines and the production variants found in showrooms across the world are a big part of what makes the WTCC so interesting, and something that I’ve long admired about touring car racing in general.

As is often the case with top-level race teams we weren’t allowed to photograph the car’s engine bay, but sitting under the hood of Cruze, just like all of the cars in the WTCC is a 1.6 liter turbocharged four cylinder engine. The engine is equipped with direct injection, a trick intake plenum that covers internal trumpets and sports a compression ratio of 11:1.

The result is 310 horsepower, which is an impressive figure for a 1600 cc engine – but WTCC has never been about monster power figures or brutal acceleration. Instead, the focus is on tight competition and drivers being able to extract every bit of each car’s potential.

The engine is mated to a six-speed sequential transmission with mechanical linkage, which is again something you’ll find in common with every car on the WTCC grid.

Seeing as the WTCC is an FIA-sanctioned series, safety is of the utmost importance and you’ll notice that from the moment you peek inside the Cruze’s cockpit. Along with all the necessary safety items the car is equipped with a finite element analysis-optimised roll cage.

As you can see, the multi-function steering wheel has already been outfitted with a Sonoma course map for James to study as he gets ready for the weekend’s races.

The aerodynamic modifications to the car’s body are heavily regulated by the FIA as well, with the goal being to provide as even a playing field as possible. Of course as well-designed as these aero parts are, there’s no guarantee they won’t take a beating as the WTCC engages in its signature wheel-to-wheel action.

Sitting beneath the Cruze’s moderately widened fenders are a set of 17″x9 aluminum racing wheels with Yokohama racing rubber. The setup delivers fantastic grip, but as you see when you watch the WTCC in action, you’ll still see plenty of sideways cornering and other antics as these guys fight it out on the track.

And given the equally balanced field in WTCC, many races are won or lost in the braking zones – and to help in that department the Cruze is running six-pot AP Racing brakes up front with four-pots in the rear.

As I sit here and think about the Bamboo Engineering Cruze and the action that’s about to unfold at Sonoma this weekend, I can’t help but be amazed. As an American, it seems like just yesterday the only compact sedans you’d find wearing a  Chevy badge on were Cavaliers, Berettas and other cars with engineering that didn’t want to leave the 1980s. They would get you to work and back, but not much else.

Today things couldn’t be different as we have globally designed machines, that are built, sold and most importantly raced at circuits across the world. It’s something you can’t help but feel excited about.

And if you live in Northern California and would like to see the Bamboo Engineering Cruze run against its WTCC rivals this weekend, there’s still time. You can find all of the information about the race weekend and purchase tickets to the event right here.

See you at the track.

Words by Mike Garrett
Instagram: speedhunters_mike
mike@speedhunters.com

Photos by Larry ChenInstagram: larry_chen_fotolarry@speedhunters.com

Bamboo Engineering WTCC Chevrolet Cruze

Numbers
310hp

Engine
1.6 liter turbocharged four-cylinder, direct fuel injection system, internal intake trumpets within plenum, 11:1 compression

Driveline
Six-speed sequential transmission with mechanical linkage

Suspension/Brakes
MacPherson strut front, trailing twist axle rear, AP Racing 4-pot front brakes, 2-pot rear brakes

Wheels/Tires
17x9J aluminum racing wheels, Yokohama competition tires

Exterior
Composite body panels with aerodynamic modifications as defined by FIA rules

Interior
FEA-optimized roll cage, FIA safety equipment

Whisky Throttle

For once, Inazuma Cafe will not feature a cafe racer, nor will it show a scrambler or a bobber... But this is the kind of works we like. Lorenzo Rapparini, who has already been guest of the Inazuma Garage, this time built his "saltafossi" (literally "jump the holes") using a Honda Africa Twin as donor bike and, starting from scratch, he entirely reinvented its bodywork, chassis and character.

 

via inazumacafe