Wheelie Wednesday Mud Life

Wheelie Wednesday Mud Life

A new feature that can be found here at www.MudLifeMagazine.com is Wheelie Wednesday! This weekly pictorial will be updated on occasion with some of the craziest and most intense wheelies we see at these jam-packed off-road events around the country. So click through and try to find your rig in the gallery below. Feel free to leave some comments on which rig you think is pulling off the best wheelie of the group!

Ford F150 RaptorTRAX

WRENCHMONKEES LAVERDA 750

If there’s one company that symbolizes the style of the new wave custom scene, it’s theWrenchmonkees. Their motorcycles are raw, simple and pure—the legendary Danish design aesthetic applied to two wheels, and roughed up a little.

An early 70s Laverda given the Wrenchmonkees treatment sounds like a marriage made in heaven. And the boys from Copenhagen have certainly delivered the goods with this fabulous 1972 750 SF1, built for Estonian musician (and Laverda enthusiast) Leslie Laasner.

Laasner sounds like a dream client, giving Per and Nicholas and co. ample time and leeway to create their magic. After all, the Laverda is over four decades old, and required a complete strip-down and rebuild before the Wrenchmonkees could apply their signature style.

“There are often surprises when you strip down an old bike,” says Per Nielsen. “We’ve always loved the aesthetics and beauty of the Laverda engine, but the frame surprised us too.” Over nearly two years, the project took shape.

The unusually reliable (for a 1970s Italian) engine was left in stock condition, but given a complete overhaul and treated to a new electronic ignition system using Dynatek and DMC components.

The major work is in the suspension, with the rear frame and swingarm heavily modified to take a Yamaha YZF-R6 monoshock setup. The stock front forks have been lowered 30mm and fitted with Wirth progressive springs for improved roadholding.

The Wrenchmonkees decided to retain the beautiful drum brakes, but restored them—and laced the stock hubs with stainless spokes to new 18” aluminum rims coated in semi-gloss black. The tires are now Bridgestone BT45.

The most obvious visual changes are the hand-made tank, a one-off created from aluminum, plus the seat unit and front fender. The stainless steel 2-into-1 exhaust system is also a one-off, hooked up to a Spark muffler.

Other treats include clip-ons and grips from Milanese specialist Motocicli Veloci, and Tarozzi aluminum pegs. The Wrenchmonkees have also fitted their own 4.5” headlight up front, with a Motogadget Tiny instrument just behind. There’s a custom aluminum battery box, and just to be on the safe side, a complete electrical rewire.

I didn’t think it’d be possible to improve on a stock 1970s Laverda, but after seeing this machine, I think I’ll take the Danish version.

Check out the Wrenchmonkees’ amazing catalog of builds on their website. And head over to our Google+ page for a high-res image gallery of this bike.

via BIKEEXIF

Graeme Hunt Ltd: Hunting for treasures

Tucked away in an idyllic mews in West London, the showroom of Graeme Hunt Ltd. plays home to not only a diverse selection of hand-picked classics, but also a friendly, welcoming atmosphere with a traditional British demeanour…

"I only sell cars that I would be happy to own myself"

Despite its positioning within the heart of a quiet mews in affluent Kensington, Graeme Hunt’s business premises is in fact one of the largest classic car showrooms in the Capital. With three sides of the showroom windowed, the varied array of its vehicular residents is apparent even before crossing the stone-cold stare of Patch the dog and meeting a much more welcoming Mr Hunt – turned out just as well as his showroom, a tweed jacket, a pair of corduroys and a wide smile his adopted uniform.

Finding the finest

“We have quite a simple rule by which to source our cars,” Graeme tells Classic Driver. “I only sell those that I would be happy to own myself, if they fail to sell as expected.” Clearly just as much a classic car enthusiast as a dealer, he admits that he doesn’t even own a modern car for use as a daily driver. “I’ll take home one of the cars each night, on a rotational basis – not only because I like them, but also to make sure each one is on the button and ready to go.” What’s more, the majority of the 30-odd found in the company’s stock portfolio are owned, rather than consigned.

Taking a wander round the cozy showroom illustrates the diversity of Graeme’s tastes. There’s clearly a propensity towards Bentleys and other Brits (two immaculately restored R-Type Continentals sit side-by-side), but a few quirky treasures are always present – a lime green Citroën Méhari for example, or an outwardly understated Fiat 130 Coupé with the most outrageous orange interior. The stocklist currently stretches from £15,000 to £775,000 – “I wouldn’t want someone to think they couldn’t leave here with a well-sorted motor car for less than £20,000.”

Good coffee, great cars

Graeme says that the relaxed atmosphere and prime location (one also enjoyed by Chris Evans and Carlos Monteverde during our visit) is one of the main attractions of his business, along with the reputation for cars of exceptional quality – whether fully restored or completely original. “Many of our clients will pop by for a chat and a coffee, and leave in something they’ve taken a shine to during their visit. However, the more unusual cars seem to open us up to a new market each time we get a fresh one in; even if the customer doesn't end up buying that particular car, they’ll come back in future because they like the way we do things.”

Photos: Joe Breeze / Jan Baedeker

Graeme Hunt's full stocklist can be found in the Classic Driver Market.