WRC, France : Latvala leader à Colmar

Jari-Matti Latvala est entré en leader au parc de regroupement de Colmar, avec 14.8 secondes d’avance sur son équipier Andreas Mikkelsen. Derrière les deux VW/Michelin, Kris Meeke est toujours troisième sur sa Citroën DS3 WRC.

Le soleil inonde la région de Colmar qui accueille la 2^e étape du Rallye de France-Alsace. Comme chaque année, c’est au Parc des Expositions que sont organisés les regroupements et leremote-serviceavant la seconde boucle de spéciales.Vu les conditions, les pilotes Michelin ont une nouvelle fois opté pour 5 H4 (hard), sauf Sébastien Ogier (4H + 1S) pour qui ce rallye est devenu une séance d’essais grandeur nature. « On travaille sur les set-ups pour les prochains rallyes et je vise désormais les 3 points de la Power Stage. »

Ses deux équipiers chez VW/Michelin sont quant à eux bien en course. Après trois meilleurs temps ce matin, Jari-Matti Latvala compte désormais 14s8 d’avance sur Andreas Mikkelsen, qui ne prendra peut-être pas tous les risques pour attaquer son équipier.

Derrière ce duo Volkswagen, Kris Meeke (Citroën) est bien calé à la 3^e place. Il possède toujours une trentaine de seconde d’avance sur Dani Sordo (Hyundai), qui s’est peu à peu détaché de la menace Ostberg/Kubica. L’Espagnol a semble-t-il trouvé des réglages lui convenant mieux.

Parmi les leaders, Mads Ostberg est un des perdants de la matinée. Le Norvégien a non seulement laissé filer Sordo, mais il s’est aussi fait doubler par le Polonais Robert Kubica (Ford), désormais 5^e avec 2s9 d’avance sur Ostberg. Mikko Hirvonen (Ford) est lui aussi dans ce match pour la 4^e place.

Son équipier M-Sport Elfyn Evans (Ford) est 8^e, ex-aequo avec le pilote Hyundai Bryan Bouffier. Après ses déboires d’hier, Thierry Neuville est remonté dans le top-ten.

En WRC-2, le Portugais Bernardo Sousa (Ford) est leader devant le pilote régional Quentin Gilbert (Ford), mais ne compte qu’une petite seconde d’avance ! Sébastien Chardonnet (Citroën) a de nouveau crevé ce matin. Hors-championnat, Kevin Abbring est néanmoins leader des « R5 » au volant de sa Peugeot 208 T16/Michelin. Le Néerlandais compte près d’une minute d’avance sur Sousa.

Enfin, Alastair Fisher (Citroën) est toujours en tête des J-WRC/WRC3 devant Eric Camilli et Martin Koci. Stéphane Lefebvre est 4^e, suffisant pour espérer être couronné demain. Dans le match des R-GT, Romain Dumas a pris l’ascendant sur François Delecour, respectivement 18^e et 20^e du classement général, au milieu des WRC-2.

Posté avec Blogsy

THE RONIN 47: IF BATMAN RODE A BUELL 1125

If you felt cheated when the Buell 1125 went out of production in 2010, you’re in luck. You can now buy a factory-fresh superbike based on the 1125—and it looks like a machine straight out of The Dark Knight.

The Buell 1125 cost $11,695 a few years ago and the Ronin 47 costs $38,000, but you do get a little more for your money with the new version. And because the ‘47’ moniker refers to the number of Ronins being made, you’re unlikely to run into another one on the road.

The project is bankrolled by Colorado-based Magpul Industries, makers of composite high-tech firearms. They know a little bit about explosives, so they’ve turned their attention first to the Rotax engine. It’s renowned for generating a lot of heat: “enough to boil the fuel in the frame,” we’re told.

So there’s now a high-flow, single-core radiator right up front, connected to an overflow tank hidden inside the left fork leg. Alongside are stacked low and high beam headlights.

The other weak points of the 1125 have been addressed with the ruthless precision you’d expect from a gun maker. The Showa forks are gone, replaced by a cast aluminum alloy linkage fork that gives the bike its distinctive, hunched-forward look.

Trail is up by 13 mm over the stock geometry, to sharpen the steering. And at the heart of the linkage fork is a Penske monoshock, which allows fine adjustment for rider weight and road conditions.

The controls are industrial design at its finest. That means custom hydraulic radial master cylinders and adjustable levers for the brake and clutch. The fluid reservoirs sit on top of the cylinders and the levers have quick-adjust knobs for reach and leverage ratio.

The clutch lever housing includes a 4-way switch that controls the displays on the instruments, which have been slotted into a cast aluminum nacelle. The bike starts up via an RFID chip, which activates a receiver under the custom airbox cover. There’s also a trick wiring loom and a specially wound, high-efficiency stator to eliminate any further chance of overheating.

The Rotax-designed motor—similar to one used by Aprilia—has been tuned to run cooler than the stock bike, and remapped to suit the Ronin’s free-flow intake and exhaust system.

We’re guessing that power is slightly up on the claimed 146 hp of the original. And with around 50 kg less weight to haul around, the bike should be significantly quicker.

For a high-concept bike, the details are unusually well thought out. The belly-mounted muffler is ceramic-coated to protect it from debris, and a single cast aluminum unit integrates the pegs, the battery box and an adjustable idler pulley. The unit is mounted to the engine and blends in seamlessly.

The rear subframe is CNC-machined and TIG welded, and mated to a cast aluminum tail section and air intake housing. Just ahead of the brake light is the master ECU, and there’s a quick release knob to open everything up.

The technical details are beyond reproach, and the styling is out of this world—literally. Only one question remains: Is the Ronin 47 worth $38,000? That’s twenty large more than Buell’s current range-topper, the EBR 1190RX.

But it’s also the same money you’d pay for the heavyweight Harley CVO Limited tourer.

Your call.

Ronin Motor Works | Magpul Industries on Facebook

via BIKEexif

DUST MC TWIN-STROKER

Dust Motorcycles is the outlet for Steve Bailey and his addiction to BMW customisation. So far this year he has brought us the Gunshot, the one with the Husky tank and the Dales Tracker; both with leanings towards muddier roads. This time a more Tarmac biased build has been commissioned. The photographs show cobble stones so I can only presume proper roads have not made it that far North just yet, surely just a matter of time and a fairer spread of government funding.

Steve was under pressure from the outset as the customer commissioning this build is a decorated military marksman, not only would such a client be used to precision and attention to detail but not someone to take too kindly to unsatisfactory craftsmanship. Lucky then that things started off well in the form of a 1983 R100RT donor, with a piffling 32k miles on the clock and service record as well stamped as the new owner’s rifle range score card. The brief was relatively simple; comfy leather seat, a small tank and proper top speed.

Steve started with the engine, aiming to improve efficiency and ensure the small amount of fuel on board was not squandered. An unleaded conversion to twin spark cylinder heads was the simple answer. Both Motorworks and Motobins offer the service on either new or exchange basis. A 20% improvement in mixture burn rate can be expected which makes a real world difference on a bike of such heft, sporting such a tiny tank. New Airhead rocker covers left bare look smart against freshly painted heads and barrels. The Bing carbs were rebuilt and new cables added. The gearbox was leak free and in good order so treated to fresh oil and left alone.

The frame had the obligatory strip before receiving a good coat of gloss black, along with wheels to match. Heindenau’s ever popular K60s were fitted, which should offer plenty of purchase on those slippery Northern cobbled streets, should a Hovis delivery boy swerve into the BMW’s path.

To ensure new owner Paul is given correct updates on his progress and arrives on time an Acewell speedo was fitted, just above a matt black 7″ headlamp. Bars are US-spec Triumph, modified to accept the original BMW controls.

Steve’s Yamaha RD fuel tank collection was raided once again, and this is the blue one. Should Paul’s missus require whisking to the ball and her gown is a different colour, no problem, just change the tank. Yes, thats right, Paul has three different tanks and selection seats to suit the occasion.

The front mudguard is a shortened stainless item mounted to the stock bracket on original and unmolested forks; well apart from the removal of paint and the horrid orange reflector. Koni shocks keep the rear in check and smooth out those cobbles. Brakes too are standard, refreshed with new seals and fluid.

A fifth generation shoemaker was enlisted to fashion covers for the selection of seats, using the finest leather available to him. Above is the black one, I presume there are various brown tones available to match foot attire. The slim RD side covers have been attached and removed several times until Steve decided that they balance out the bulk of the BMW’s profile.

Simple reverse megaphones improve acoustics and are visually just the right length. Simple LED indicators and a low mounted mirror keep the MOT man happy. Apparently though a law or two might have been flouted as the indicated 107mph top speed was not quite up to Paul’s expectations. A Ducati build might be on the cards.

All in all some simple mods and a tank swap have turned an ungainly eighties snow plough into a taught looking bike, with plenty of shove and enough customisation to turn heads. Nice work Steve, and don’t forget to send us pictures of the Ducati.

Keep an eye on his progress over on Facebook

via the bike shed

Hell on Wheels - Hot August Nights

Hell on Wheels hosts another "Hot August Nights" event, where all sorts of freaks, geeks, scum and villainy make the annual pilgrimage to Perris, CA for some no-holds-barred fun in the dirt. The turnout for the flattrack race this year was awesome, with tons of men and women who really know how to ride! 



I tagged along with the Bixby Moto crew this year, and got to capture some of their antics at the event. Check out their channel for more embarrassment! https://www.youtube.com/user/a2dskins

Special thanks to everyone at Hell on Wheels MC for letting us come out to this killer event. Can't wait till next year! 

www.hellonwheelsmc.com