Biascagne Cicli: Italian for advanced

Two guys, a garage and the dream of the perfect bike: at Biascagne Cicli in Treviso, Italy, old and new components are combined to produce highly creative custom racing bikes...

The pictures illustrate how the bicycle-makers of Biascagne Cicli give new life to old bikes, found rusting in dusty basements. The craftsmen carefully transform these elderly warhorses into modern gentlemen's bikes of distinctive elegance - usually reduced to their bare essentials before being rebuilt, but each one retaining its individual character. Our favourite? We'd pick the vintage model named 'Oliva', with its dark green frame and cognac leather saddle: simple, timeless, nonchalant. When will spring be here? 

Find more details at biascagne-cicli.it.

ROLAND SANDS DESIGN CUSTOM HARLEY-DAVIDSON FXLR

By Blake Conner  Photographer :  Brian Blades

from cycleworld

Most of us won’t ever be able to afford a big-name custom makeover for our ride. Which is exactly why BellHelmets and Roland Sands Design collaborated to create the Bell Star Treatment contest. Thousands of people submitted entries, all explaining why they should be the one who gets their own personal motorcycle transformed into a stunning custom by Sands and crew. Icing on the cake: a one-off painted Bell Star Carbon helmet to match the motorcycle.

Cutting to the chase, Ron Mercurio, a former Navy SEAL and current small-business owner, was chosen as the winner. He inherited a 1987 Harley-Davidson FXLR from his father, who had passed away from a brain tumor in 2012. But Mercurio, a life-long rider who has owned various bikes over the years (Kawasaki ZX-7R,Ducati 916, an H-D Heritage Special, and a Springer Softail), wasn’t a big fan of the bike’s style or stance, even though the FXLR did bring back fond memories of riding on the back with his dad as a 15-year-old.

By random chance, Mercurio noticed the link on Bell Helmet’s website (bellhelmets.com/powersports) and entered the contest. He was going through a personal rough patch, dealing not only with the passing of his father but also one of his best friends, who was killed in the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012. When the phone rang just days later, he was speechless. He had won the Bell Star Treatment, exactly the type of uplifting news he needed.

Cycle World was on hand at Roland Sands Design (rolandsands.com) the day the FXLR was delivered to the shop. Mercurio, Sands, and RSD’s Project Manager, Cameron Brewer, hammered out a few details to point the build in the right direction. At first, it appeared the build would be a purely cosmetic makeover, but, as partners in the industry got wind of the project, they quickly jumped on board to make sure the bike was transformed into something truly special.

The finished product now packs a black powdercoated Bennett’s Performance-built engine (bennettsperformanceinc.com) with 0.030-inch-over Wiseco pistons breathing through an S&S carb with RSD velocity stack and exhaling into a custom RSD 2-into-1 exhaust. Power is delivered to the 18 x 4.25-inch RSD Diesel (Black Ops) rear wheel via a Baker (bakerdrivetrain.com) direct-drive five-speed transmission and a Rivera Primo Pro Clutch (riveraprimoinc.com).

What little remains of the original bike includes the frame, which was de-tabbed, stripped, and powercoated texture black and the stock Narrow Glide fork that received a Progressive Suspension (progressivesuspension.com) spring kit. Progressive’s 440 Series shocks are fitted out back. Brakes include a Performance Machine (performancemachine.com) six-piston differential-bore caliper chomping down on a 13-inch RSD Diesel disc mounted to a 21 x 2.15-inch matching wheel up front. A PM sprocket-brake setup is used out back for final drive with a D.I.D Gold X-ring 530 chain.

Once committed to the transformation, the RSD guys left no nut or bolt unturned. The King Sporty fuel tank’s tunnel was modified for fit, while a one-off rear fender was formed on the English wheel. Chris Wood at Airtrix sprayed the matte black, red, and silver paint scheme that features gray, black, and hand-turned silver leaf scallops on the tank. The front end, controls, switches, engine, and transmission covers tap deeply into the RSD and PM catalogs, while a Dakota Digital (dakotadigital.com) speedometer eventually replaced the stock unit pictured here.

When Mercurio first laid eyes on the finished project, he was blown away. Sands interpreted his tastes perfectly, and Mercurio thoroughly enjoyed working with the master in refining the final build. Mercurio says he loves the attention the bike gets, especially when the seasoned Harley faithful recognize it as an FXLR and not as a custom Sportster. He rides the bike on a daily basis and says he’s most impressed with how well sorted it is, how it performs like a brand-new motorcycle, and how it looks like no other FXLR ever seen. As for us, we’re most impressed with how our industry stepped up to help a soldier in need.

Five of the Greatest Rally On-Board Clips You’ll See Today

Rallying, aside from being clearly the most awesome form of motorsport, has one particularly major issue. As a spectator, you usually see the total sum of not very much from your viewing point. With long, technical stages that are generally spread across huge areas, it’s usually not possible to watch all of the action in person – unless you’re viewing from a helicopter. Thankfully, someone realised this many, many years ago and started putting cameras into the cars so we can relive some of the greatest moments in motorsport that pretty much no one saw happen. In no particular order…

“Oh, dear God.”

Ari Vatanen, Manx Rally, Opel Manta 400. It’s probably the most famous on-board rally footage which also happens to include the famous line from Terry Harryman as Vatanen manages to squeeze the Manta through a particularly narrow gateway, immediately after clipping a wall. It’s butthole-clenching stuff. No matter how many times I watch it, I still expect it to end in disaster.

Röhrl Versus the Human Sea

I think if there was ever a video that depicted the insanity that was Group B, this is it. Although it’s benefitted (or suffered) from an editor’s hand, there’s no doubting what you see as Röhrl pilots his quattro S2 through a sea of people. Breathtaking.

Flat out followed Immediately by Brake Failure

It’s easily every driver’s worst nightmare. Approaching a square right at 120mph, Fisher somehow manages to guide his out of control Manta through spectators and cars parked in the run-off area. This is the sort of natural talent that very few are born with.

Over Jump

I’ll make no apologies for another Irish video in here. It may only be 14 seconds long, but it has hours of replay value. Flat, over jump, pull another gear. Ain’t care.

If in Doubt, Flat Out

Finally, I leave you with this. No gimmicks, no accidents, no cheesy music. Just six minutes of one of the greatest talents rallying has ever seen. Count those upshifts and watch in complete and utter admiration as McRae casually catches an armful of opposite lock at the top of fifth gear. On gravel. In the wet.

These are just five of my favourites, ones which I come back to time and time again. What are yours?

Paddy McGrath

Big business: Five of our favourite LWBs

When there's not enough space in a standard saloon, the answer is simple. Stretch it. By lengthening the wheelbase of the S-Class and its contemporaries, car-makers can release enough room to allow for real luxury in the interior...

In the early 1990s, many of the 'luxury' marques offered long-wheelbase versions of their flagship saloons to seduce the men of big business (as well as big businessmen) into the rear seats of their cars. The LWB models ranged from chauffeur-centric limousines, to large, long cars that were spectacularly good to drive. We pick five of our favourites.

Mercedes-Benz S 600 Pullman: Big business

From the  very first glance, it's obvious that Mercedes meant the S 600 Pullman to be a chauffer-driven limousine. With an overall length of 6.21 metres, it's hardly something that entices you to leap into the driving seat, but the four-door giants from Stuttgart were the ultimate in spacious on-road luxury for businessmen, politicians or royalty. Just 428 LWB versions of the 600 were built between 1963 and 1981, all of them highly individualised, with bullet-proof glass just one of the options. 

BMW L7: Long series

At BMW, the 'L7' was the name given to a rare, long-wheelbase, European limousine, available as either a 4.4-litre V8 or a 5.4-litre V12. Although still an ideal car for chauffeur-driven executives, it also beckoned to driving enthusiasts, offering pleasure behind the wheel as well as in the back seats. Of course it did: it's a BMW.

Audi V8 LWB: Failed despite its size

Convinced of the competitiveness of its own product, Audi tried a lengthened version of the V8. As it happened, the space for rear passengers in the standard Audi V8 was so modest that a long-wheelbase version was almost essential if one were to go on holiday four-up. But apparently only a few V8 drivers had the desire to do so - or perhaps they simply found the LWB V8 too expensive. Today, the long-wheelbase version is so rare that any examples on sale tend to be rapidly snapped up.

Bentley Brooklands LWB: Business as usual

The situation at Bentley was rather different from that at Audi. Even in 'short wheelbase' form, as introduced to the market in 1993, the Bentley Brooklands was 5.27m long and roomily spacious in the rear. An LWB version of the car, at 5.38m in overall length, gave even more opulent dimensions - that arguably weren't necessary. 

Porsche 911 LWB: Business unusual

Extending the wheelbase of a car has a dramatic effect on the dynamics, which is perhaps why Porsche decided against a mass production of an extended 911 and left it to Dr. William Dick, a Porsche dealer in Texas, to build this four-door 911 as a Christmas present for his wife in 1967.  It probably didn't drive all that well (compared with a standard 911, that is), but on the long, straight roads around Texas, perhaps that didn't matter too much.

Photos: Audi, Bentley, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche

Saloons of all lengths, from Audi to Rolls-Royce, can be found in the Classic Driver Market.