lundi 16 décembre 2013
Ton Up’s Zephyrus
The Kawasaki Zephyr of the early 90′s was a bike 20 years ahead of its time. Well, technically it was a bike 20 years behind the times, as it was built to evoke the spirit of the Kawasaki superbikes of the 70′s. But it was pretty much the first stab by one of the big four manufacturers at going ‘retro’. Of course, back then no one was interested in looking back, it was all about upside down forks, lurid paint schemes and the relentless pursuit of speed over everything else. Consequently the Zephyr was never a huge seller. Saying that, if it looked half as cool as this one then it might have been a different story.
The idea for the Zephyrus was formed on the 2013 Distinguished Gentlemans Ride at Oporto in late September. A customer came to Ton Up Garage‘s shop and asked them to build a proper café racer, and comfort wasn’t an issue – a bike builder’s dream brief.
The bike is a 1993 Zephyr 750 (they came in 750 & 550 engine guises). The engine remains pretty standard, with just new air filters and some re-jetting work to make sure she runs properly with the new exhaust set up. There’s nothing lacking about a Japanese four cylinder 750 from any era, so why mess with it?
All the work on this build has gone into the aesthetics. The original rear section of the bike has been discarded and built again from scratch. The rear cowl was designed with a shape that compliments the rest of the bike beautifully, and a new leather single seat was built to match (the original Zephyr seat was butt comfy, but butt ugly). The rear section of the sub-frame was teased upwards slightly to tuck a small tail light in, and new side panels were made to cover the electrics and the battery. A teeny, tiny mudguard makes a half-hearted attempt to stop the spray, but looks great, so who cares.
It goes without saying that the big change over the original Zephyr is to the riding position. The production bike was very much a sit up and beg affair, so in order to get that head down, bum up look, Ton Up removed the footpegs and fitted some clean looking rear sets and LSL clip-ons. LSL also provided the Clubman headlight and supports. At the same time, the front suspension was shortened and firmed up for a sportier ride. The wheels were replaced with a neat black spoke set up, and new wet race tyres were fitted to improve the handling. They also happen to look pretty damn good too.
The guys went for this simple, understated, stealth-like paint scheme that suits the bike so well, and its actually nice to see a black bike for a change. Apparently she’s called Zephyrus as its the name of the Greek god of the west wind, and ‘you won’t see it coming when it passes you!’
Pictures were taken by photographer Joel Bessa, and you can see a short film by thesearefilms.com on Vimeo.
Take note Zawasaki, you did a decent job with your last retro, the W650, so why not raid the parts bin and re-launch the Zephyr? But if you do, just make sure you involve the Ton Up boys in the design stage this time.
Posted by Ian@TheBikeShed
RED BULL CHOOSES LAND ROVER
Land Rover will support the Red Bull Desert Wings team on the 2014 Dakar rally, providing five back-up vehicles for 3000-mile event.
Among the support vehicles, a Range Rover Sport Supercharged will follow the actual Dakar route, ferrying a team of photographers. The other four vehicles, including a Defender 130 Hi-Cap, Discovery and the all-new Range Rover will follow the support route.
The Land Rover-supported Race2Recovery team of injured soldiers will also get to use the Red Bull Bivouac, as they return to Dakar in 2014 and aim to get all three of its vehicles to the finish.
The Dakar rally will cover just under miles of some of the toughest terrain in the world, starting on January 5 in Rosario, Argentina and finishing in Valparaiso, Chile on January 18. See www.dakar.com
Mark Cameron, Jaguar Land Rover Global Brand Experience Director said: ‘The Red Bull Desert Wings team sought a vehicle partner with all-terrain expertise to reliably support the various entrants in the toughest race in the world. I am delighted that they have come to us. The all-new Range Rover Sport will provide a combination of superior off-road capability, and sure-footedness which will put the photographers in good stead to capture the best moments of the race.’
We’re hoping this is the start of an association that could one day see a factory-backed assault on the Dakar. A Red Bull liveried Range Rover Sport-based buggy would look the business, wouldn’t it?
Cafe Racer & Rockers
FREDDIE SPENCER EXPLAINS MOTORCYCLE RACING
This fantastic retro documentary about motorcycle racing is presented by “Fast” Freddie Spencer, it was filmed and released in 1985 so the era of 500cc 2-stoke super bikes was well and truly in full swing.
The documentary is a teaching film of sorts and takes you through everything from engine design, to brake design, to cornering fundamentals and even race strategy.
The full length film is about 30 minutes long and I can’t recommend it highly enough, after watching it all I wanted to do was go motorcycle racing in the mid-80s.
via SILODROME
Josh Cachia Australia Segment
Josh Cachia has his own little slice of paradise on the beach in South Australia where he has more fun than anyone else on a bike. Join Cachia as he gives a tour of his humble dwellings and the terrain that has molded his unique and incredibly enjoyable to watch riding style. - See more at: http://derestricted.com/documentaries/moto-5-the-movie-josh-cachia-australia-segment-bonus-edition#sthash.CoviFzLq.dpuf
dimanche 15 décembre 2013
2013 RADICAL DUCATI PRODUCCIÓN
2013 RADICAL DUCATI PRODUCCIÓN
SILVER SHOTGUN
RAD 02 MALABESTIA
F3
PYRENE
ENDURANCE
INTERCEPTOR
RAD 02 MATADOR RACER : http://radducati.blogspot.com.es/2013/12/matador-racer-2013.html
DUCATI by Gwon Osang
One Car to Do It All
More often than not, classic car owners deliberate whether to use their cars as daily drivers or keep them as garage queens. Why can't one car be everything? Black Beauty, Jack Olsen's Porsche 911 RSR, gets the royal treatment in The 12-Gauge Garage, but it also proudly wears rubber on the street and the track.
Jack built an enviable shop out of a suburban, two-car garage and worked on it until its engineering, design, and function matched that of the Black Beauty, a Porsche through and through.
Bentley Continental GT3 - development
'77 BMW R60/7 - ER Motorcycles
Here's the second bike from a guy who's reputation is growing faster than a wave of nausea at a Nickelback concert. Arguable one of Eastern Europe's top shops after only his second build, we're genuinely excited about what this guy has up his oily, rolled sleeves. This BMW follows his blinding '83 R80 job from a few months back; this time he's turned his eye to a rather nice R60/7 from '77. His name is Blaž Šuštaršič. He has 5 diacritics in his name. His shop is called ER Motorcycles. This is ‘Macchiato’.
“I have been a motorcycle enthusiast since childhood,” says Blaž. “Although I was impressed with the sounds of the engine and the speeds it can reach, I have always been more interested in the way a motorcycle was designed and built, giving my full attention to little details that make a motorcycle special and unique. A work of art you might say.”
“Growing up, a passion for innovative design and creating something from scratch led me to become a graphic designer. Working full-time in advertising and drawing design sketches of motorcycles as a hobby were my life for 6 years. But my heart and soul were more and more into motorcycles. Despite the economic crisis in 2009, I reached for a business opportunity that opened up for me. I quit my job and started chasing my childhood dreams. I gathered a team and opened a shop. ER motorcycles was born.”
“The name ER, or Espresso Racer Motorcycles, stands for our passion for 1960’s cafe racers. Thus, old café racers are usually the ones that are being redesigned and given a new look and feel. We always try to make sure our bikes have four key characteristics - a story, some innovation, a unique design and total attention to detail.
“So now for this bike. It's a ‘77 BMW R60/7 that we have called ‘Macchiatto’. It's a build for us, and wasn'tcommissioned. It took us about 2 months of really hard work to complete. The carb is a stock Bing unit, and the air filter is stock too. The exhaust is custom and the silencers are HP Course units.”
“We modified the rear loop on the original frame and swapped out the original forks with a set from a R100 RT. The front wheel and rear wheels are from the same bike, with Continental TKC80 rubber; 100/90x19 at the front and 4.50x18” at the back. Other bits we took from the R100 include the dual front discs and the controls.”
“The tank is from a R50/5 and we did all the paint and graphics in house. The seat and seat pan are both handmade; this is one of our signature features. We pride ourselves on our upholstery. The 'bars are Renthal items and the grips are from Ariete. We completely rewired the bike, too.”
“And to top it off, we splashed out on a Motogadget ‘Tiny’ dial. They make beautiful stuff. We hope you love the bike as much as we do. Stay tuned for our next build soon.”
Photography buy Jernej Konjajev via PIPEBURN
CM400 by RETRO MOTO
The Honda CM was a 395cc parallel twin bike was produced from 1979-1981, a precursor of the Honda Rebel. This one has been entirely rebuilt by Junior Burrell of Retro Moto, Fort Worth - Texas.
Inazumized photos by Dale Martin and via RCR
HARLEY SPORTSTER BY HEADCASE KUSTOM
Right now, the Harley Sportster is challenging for position on the café racer scene. (Before purists complain, I’m using the term ‘café racer’ very loosely—meaning the opposite of cruiser custom style.)
This sleek and agressive build comes from Casey Johnson, who runs Headcase Kustom Art in Southern California. It’s a 1995 XL, with a hybrid motor running 1200 cylinders and 883 heads. The commission came from the Us Versus Them clothing brand, but it’s no display bike—the shakedown test was the 600-mile El Diablo Run into Mexico.
Casey is best known for his 70s-style vintage artwork and custom helmets, but it looks like he’s got a good eye for motorcycles too. The biggest changes to the Sportster’s looks come from the stretched, narrowed and shortened tank, built with the help of Fabworx. There’s hand-brushed aluminum everywhere, and the fork legs have been shaved for an even smoother look.
The new stance comes from Progressive Suspension, courtesy of 412 Series Shocks and a fork lowering kit. Casey extended the swingarm three inches, and also converted the drivetrain to chain. The Sportster’s engine gets a power boost from an S&S Super E carb and Spitfire air cleaner.
Hand-fabricated parts include the tail section—with a neat in-built LED—and the exhaust, which now terminates with a VW Stinger can. The headlight is from Wargasser Speed Shop and there’s a smattering of sportbike gear throughout, such as GSX-R pegs and Yamaha clutch and Ducati brake components.
Given Casey’s main line of work, you’d expect the paint to be good—and it is. He’s used House of Kolor Silver Mini Flake over Orion Silver, and then finished the mag wheels in black with a subtle red pinstripe, the only splash of primary color on the whole bike.
A great example of how ‘less is more’ transforms the mainstay of the Harley range.
Images courtesy of Sean Delshadi of Progressive Suspension. The Headcase blog ishere.
via BIKEEXIF
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