GASOLINE TOMAHAWK II

In a world full of anodyne, mass produced products, the influx of one off, bespoke motorcycles can only be hailed as a glorious thing. Bin the cookie cutters and scrap the production lines, hand made and custom designed are the new order. But…. it is a big old world. If you have made a glorious motorcycle that resides on one continent and a customer halfway around the world wants the same machine, built by the same hands, then let them jolly well have it. Here we have the Gasoline Tomahawk II, it has a near identical twin prowling the streets down under, but this sibling, now residing in France, is well worth a second look.

The SR 400/500 is such a stalwart of the custom scene that Bikeexif ran a feature exhibiting their chosen top 5 of the breed, the original Gasoline Tomahawk made the cut alongside builds from the likes of Deus. But it was the original Tomahawk, from the Gasoline workshop in Darlinghurst, Sydney, that captured the imagination of one French enthusiast and so Jason Gasoline agreed to build him the Tomahawk mark II.

Over to Jason, “The build process started with stripping the clutter which included chopping off the rear tail supports and removing brackets & unnecessary mounts to leave just the seat base structure.”. “The simple addition of clip-on handle bars, extended rear suspension, trials tyres and a thumped up and heat wrapped side pipe is only the start of the custom build”.

At the rear a tail hump was formed from recycled steel and a vintage tail light recessed above the number plate. In a former life the stainless steel that forms the custom electrical box beneath the seat was a towel dispenser, it now houses the inevitable mess of wires and a battery.  That look of bare steel was a key feature of the original build, and one that the Gasoline team adores, “Who doesn’t love bare metal? Pioneering the raw look of scuffed metal coated with a clear gloss finish gives the impression of a 3D paint job when reflected in the sun.”

A few of the subtle differences between the first Tomahawk and this second incarnation include that battery box, the black headlight, the exhaust, the tank badge, the speedometer, air filter and the round rear light. The frontal aspect is tighter and the placement of the Rizoma reservoir echoes that of a tiny tacho.

The Gasoline workshop has been around since 1994 but Jason’s passion for two wheels comes from heady earlier days, dominating Sydney streets aboard a 1973 GT 750cc Ducati Roundcase back in 1989. The team has grown and can now offer a myriad of services alongside bespoke builds such as this. Strong relationships with local salvage and wrecking yards means their machines develop a resurrected quality “re-invigorating a piece of scrap means more than saving a buck – each piece has history and legacy to be revived and re-invented.”. They turned around this little bike in just three intense weeks.

“Unlike many concept builds, and over-the-top motorcycle projects, Tomahawk II is designed to be user-friendly, ridden and enjoyed everyday. The daily experience goes hand in hand with the aesthetic design.”

You can conjure your own theory as to what the extra lever on the left bar does, I like to think it drops a James Bond style oil slick to thwart any would be pursuers, or alternatively alerts the new owner’s local drinking establishment of his imminent arrival.

Jason reports that the lads at Gasoline are right in the middle of putting together one of their best creations yet. We cant wait to see what they turn out. Keep up to date with the workshop at their website.

Photography credits go to Josh Clapp and Nik Wals.

via The Bike Shed

BMW MONOLEVER CAFE RACER BY BARN LUCK

Barn Luck is a relatively new custom motorcycle garage that specialises in finding old motorcycles in sheds, garages, barns and sheds – then rebuilding them into higher-performing motorcycles than they were when they originally left the factory.

The idea of taking motorcycles that most would consider dead and giving them a second chance at life is an undertaking that I consider close to godliness, so it’s good to see garages like Barn Luck choosing to specialise in reviving classic motorcycles they discover rather than just scrolling through their local Craigslist classifieds and looking for a bargain.

The BMW Monolever Cafe Racer you see here has been rebuilt with a focus on performance – the stock fairing was discarded, followed into the trash heap by the original instrument cluster, seat, wheels, rear shock absorber, exhaust and lights. It was rebuilt with a new adjustable rear shock, a lowered front fork, 18” forged aluminium wheels, new lights on all 4 corners, a custom seat and rear cowl, new clip on handlebars, a Motogadget speedo and a pair of new velocity stacks atop Bing carburettors.

The completed Monolever is now capable of lapping the Jennings motorcycle-only circuit in the high 1:30s (in the right hands), if you’d like to enquire after the bike or see more builds from Barn Luck you can click here to visit their website.

via SILODROME

John Surtees Day – Brands Hatch 1981

John Surtees retired from competitive racing in 1972. Nine years later his unbelievable two and four-wheeled motorsport career was celebrated in spectacular fashion as part of a two-day event at Brands Hatch.

This awesome video was shot on the 24th and 25th of May 1981. The venue was Brands Hatch, and the occasion was the celebration of the amazing career of John Surtees. The two-day festival saw Surtees reunited with friends in the form of racing bikes, cars and people.

MORE: Legends – John Surtees

The seven-time Motorcycle World Champion actually placed third at Brands Hatch in 1964 whilst driving for Ferrari, the same year in which he would win the Formula One World Championship.

MORE: The best of John Surtees (Gallery)

Greats from both two and four wheels were there, including Giacomo Agostini, Phil Read, Roy Salvadori, Barry Sheene and Frank Williams. We hope you enjoy this video, reflecting on the ‘car’ portion of the festivities.

tribute Bugatti

Supercar company Bugatti and luxury watchmakers Parmigiani Fleurier unveil the gorgeous (and hideously expensiv Bugatie) Mythe to celebrate their ten-year partnership

Across their ten-year partnership, luxury hypercar manufacturers Bugatti and respected horologists Parmigiani Fleurier have strived to create something more than just a simple ‘tribute’ watch with an embossed logo, snappily coloured case and an outrageous price tag. They have, in their own words, attempted to make ‘cars reborn in watch form’. PR spin at its finest certainly, but there is something to this horribly clichéd statement.

Take the Type 370 for instance, Bugatti’s first collaborative effort with the Swiss watchmakers launched in 2004. Inspiration came from the Veyron’s massive quad-turbocharged W16 engine, the only viewable element underneath the sportscar’s bodywork. This same principle was applied to the watch, the dynamometric works fully visible behind the sapphire glass cover. But there was more. Inspiration also came from racing drivers of the 1930s: mounting the watch laterally on the side – rather than the front of the watch – meant the owner could look at the time without taking his hands off the wheel: the Type 370 was, in essence, a ‘driver’s watch’. Customers with the necessary bulging wallets lapped the design up, so it’s no surprise that the tenth anniversary limited editions time pieces have followed the same model.

Alongside the Victoire and the Révélation, the Bugatti Mythe (pictured) is probably the most notable since its distinctive design is inspired by front grille of the legendary Type 57, while the case itself is meant to be reminiscent of a classicBugatti engine hood. There’s also a link between the ‘industrial’ anthracite grey case and ‘artisan’ burnished gold surfaces, but frankly we read the description four times and still have no idea what that means.

Of course, anniversary editions from Bugatti rarely come cheap, and the Mythe is no exception, since it costs $430,000. In 2010, that kind of cash would have got you Michael Jordan’s McLaren-Mercedes SLR 722…