KAWASAKI CAFE RACER BY AC SANCTUARY

The economics of the custom business in Japan are very different to what we usually see in the west. Most of the top builders have a loose formula that they’ve constantly refined over the years, using a small number of high-quality parts suppliers. It means they’re not reinventing the wheel with every build; they know what works and what doesn’t.

AC Sanctuary is one of the best-known examples of this approach. The company has built dozens of Kawasaki café racers—“resto-mods,” if you like—and now has several stores scattered around the country. It’s verging on small-scale production, like a boutique supercar manufacturer.

This is one of the latest builds in Sanctuary’s ‘RCM’ (Real Complete Machine) series, based on a Z1. But although RCM-283 is instantly recognizable as a vintage Zed, it’s dynamically a huge leap forward.

The frame has been completely stripped back and braced for maximum strength before refinishing. The engine has been blueprinted and balanced, and fitted with Mikuni TMR36 carburetion and a heavy-duty police-spec clutch. To cope with the extra power output, a 9-inch Earl’s cooler has been fitted.

The bought-in parts are top-shelf quality. Nitro Racing has supplied the exhaust system (with titanium muffler), a hydraulic clutch kit, plus a new seat and bodywork. Other parts come from Sculpture, a brand not so well known outside Japan. They’ve helped to tighten up the handling with custom triple trees and a new swingarm, complete with a hook for a paddock stand.

When it comes to the handling, the names are more familiar. The suspension is Öhlins all round and the wheels are 17” OZ Racing Piegas, originally designed for the ZXR1200. (They’re 3.5” wide at the front and 5.5” at the back and shod with Pirelli Diablo tires.) The brakes are a mix of Nissin, Sunstar and Brembo components.

Sanctuary’s real skill is not just in picking the parts that work, but making them look part of a coherent whole. And unlike most café racers, this one looks like it could have rolled off the Kawasaki production line. The finish is top-notch and the paint is subtle.

That’s why well-heeled enthusiasts are buying Sanctuary bikes as fast as the company can make them. Considering they cost around $40,000, that’s no mean feat. If you had the funds, would you put one in your garage?

Browse our coverage of previous AC Sanctuary builds here.

via BIKEEXIF

Snapshot, 1967: Cooling down with Claudia Cardinale

“Carlo wants everything he sees,” according to the trailer for the 1967 movie ‘Don’t Make Waves’, and what Carlo (aka Tony Curtis) sees is – largely – Italian beauty Claudia Cardinale...

Oh, and Sharon Tate, of course, who plays a skydiver by the name of Malibu: she’s the one who gives Carlo artificial respiration when he’s knocked unconscious by a surfboard. Well, this is Southern California of the 1960s, after all, so what do you expect? Judging by the silver screen, it was all one big beach party. In his autobiography, Tony Curtis claimed that the film’s plot was “utterly ridiculous” but surely that’s the whole point? Welcome to a non-stop feast of sea, sun, sand and sex – but not necessarily in that order.

John Player Special Mini

(Source: unit5915) via sakeracers

Jorge Lorenzo is contemplating his plans for 2015 and beyond, with his current Movistar Yamaha MotoGP contract set to expire at the end of the season. The Mallorcan would like to stay put, but admits that he will consider all options.

Lorenzo has ridden for Yamaha since stepping up to the MotoGP™ premier class in 2008 as a double 250 World Champion. Although this year may have started off on a low note with a crash in Qatar, the MotoGP™ title winner of 2010 and 2012 is remaining upbeat about 2014 while keeping one eye firmly on the future.

"We have started talking and have had the first meeting," Lorenzo told motogp.com at Circuit of the Americas on Thursday. "The more ideal thing would be to stay with Yamaha and not change to another factory. Obviously, we are here to try to win and the bike is very important.

"I have always had a very good bike, because I have finished either first or second for the last five seasons which means that the bike was working very, very well. If the bike can improve a little bit more, and Yamaha can offer to Valentino (Rossi) and myself a better bike, it would be much easier to sign up again for another two years."

While expressing his loyalty to the team with which he is now in his seventh premier class campaign, Lorenzo does not deny the fact that other choices will be available:

"I think every rider, if they receive offers, check out those offers – you would be mad not to check them out. But, obviously, if things are good with your factory and they treat you well – as Yamaha always has with me – and the bike is competitive, the most logical thing is to sign up again.

"Let’s see what happens. The top three or four strongest riders always receive offers from all of the factories, so I guess the same thing will happen again this time."

Lorenzo’s team decision for 2015 is likely to prove pivotal in the rider market, as team-mate Valentino Rossi as well as Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa will all reach the end of their current deals as this year draws to an end.