Des conditions très « Monte-Carlesques » ; Perfect Monte Carlo conditions!

Comme les concurrents, nous avons effectué les reconnaissances des étapes 1, 2 et 3 du Rallye Monte-Carlo 2015. Il y avait 15 km de neige dans l’ES10 et nous n’avons pu franchir le Col de Fontbelle dans l’ES12… Ce Monte-Carlo s’annonce magnifique !

Il a neigé la nuit dernière sur Gap et la météo prévoit encore des chutes de neige jusqu’à samedi dans le Sud-Est de la France. Avec des températures positives en matinée, 2 à 4°C, la neige n’a pas tenu en plaine. Mais…

Le départ de l’ES10, Lardier & Valença-Faye, la plus longue spéciale du rallye (51,70 km) était sec. Mais après 10 km, nous avons trouvé les premières traces de neige à la sortie de Barcillonnette. Les 6 km d’ascension jusqu’au Col d’Espréaux, puis les 6 km de descente jusqu’à Châteauneuf d’Oze étaient complètement enneigés. Les 10 km suivants, très rapides jusqu’à Chabestan, étaient constitués de « patches » de neige. En tout, près de 50 % de la spéciale étaient donc enneigés.

Dans Sisteron-Thoard (ES12, 36,85 km), la neige a commencé à Authon, au km 20, et pour gravir le Col de Fontbelle, il fallait absolument être équipé de pneus cloutés car la neige recouvrait une route verglacée. Nous avons dû rebrousser chemin et contourner la spéciale par Sisteron et Château-Arnould pour nous rendre à Entrevaux, départ de l’ES1 programmée jeudi soir, à 20h21.

Cette première spéciale (21,31 km) entre Entrevaux et Rouaine, n’a plus été empruntée depuis 1983 ! Elle démarre sur une route très étroite et sinueuse, entre la falaise et le ravin, avec de grosses pierres au milieu de la chaussée. On se croirait dans les Gorges du Verdon voisines. Puis, après une dizaine de kilomètres, le rythme s’accélère avec des ciels à fond et des enchaînements rapides et bosselés jusqu’au Col de Laval. La dernière descente est sinueuse, sur asphalte lisse et humide, qui pourrait être givré de nuit.

C’est aussi les conditions qui attendent les concurrents dans l’ES2, le célèbre Col du Corobin entre Norante et Digne les Bains (19,68 km), avec un asphalte lisse et humide. Cette spéciale a toujours été difficile avec de nombreux changements de rythme et des freinages appuyés pour des épingles serrées.

Le Rallye Monte-Carlo 2015 débutera donc jeudi par deux spéciales piégeuses à disputer de nuit. Il ne devrait pas y avoir de neige, mais on pourrait s’attendre à du givre et du verglas. Les spéciales de vendredi, au nord de Gap, sont ultra-rapides. Quand nous les avons parcourues, hier, il y avait très peu de neige. Mais, à 1000 mètres d’altitude, elle pourrait tenir. Sébastien Ogier, serait alors très pénalisé. Règlement oblige, le champion du monde en titre doit en effet ouvrir la route jusqu’à dimanche matin. Il devra alors compter sur les concurrents en Rally2 qui feront la trace vendredi et samedi.

Like the competitors, we spent Monday and Tuesday visiting the stages that will feature on the first three days of the 2015 Rallye Monte Carlo. We found 15km of snow on SS10 and we were unable to reach the Col de Fontbelle mountain pass on SS12. This has the makings of being an exceptional Monte Carlo!

It snowed in Gap last night and more of the white stuff is expected to fall over southeast France between now and Saturday. With daytime temperatures of up to 4°C, it soon melted at lower altitudes but the wintry weather couldn’t have been better timed…

The start of this year’s longest stage (SS10, ‘Lardier & Valença-Faye, 51.70km) was dry but the first signs of snow were spotted exiting the village of Barcillonnette. The ensuing 6km climb to the Col d’Espréaux and the 6km descent to Châteauneuf d’Oze were completely snowy. The nest 10 kilometres – a fast section to Chabestan – were covered in patchy snow and only about half the total distance was totally clear.

On ‘Sisteron-Thoard’ (SS12, 36.85km), the snow started after 20km, in Authon, ahead of the climb to Col de Fontbelle. Studded tyres were essential because there was a layer of ice underneath, so we had to perform a U-turn and skip the rest of the test to travel to Entrevaux, the start of Thursday evening’s SS1 (8:21pm local time).

This 21.31km stage (Entrevaux-Rouaine) hasn’t been used by the Monte since 1983! It begins with an extremely narrow, twisty portion along the flank of a mountain, with big stones in the middle of the road. After 10 kilometres or so, the pace picks up with a number of blind flat-out corners and sweeping, albeit bumpy sections up to the Col de Laval. The asphalt of the twisty final descent was damp and slippery, and could well become icy after dark…

Similar conditions await competitors on SS2 (19.68km) which visits the Col du Corobin en route from Norante to Digne-les-Bains. This has always been one of the rally’s most challenging stages with several rhythm changes and some heavy braking for the tight hairpins.

The 2015 Rallye Monte-Carlo will consequently kick off on Thursday evening with two particularly treacherous night-time stages. The likelihood of snow there is low, but there is a high chance of frost and ice.

Friday’s stages north of Gap are very fast, too. There was very little snow when we drove them on Monday. However, at altitudes in excess of 1,000 metres, there could well be more by the end of the week. That would put the local star Sébastien Ogier, who will be first on the road, at a disadvantage. Indeed, the world champion could well find himself at the front of the field until Sunday unless Rally2 returnees end up running ahead of him to help clear some of the fresh snow…

History of the GS - Part Three

1970's G/S Prototypes

Throughout the 1970's BMW continued to be very successful in the dirt, which lead to the development of new off road designs.

At the time, small single-cylinder two-stroke Honda and Yamaha bikes were creating an Enduro craze in the USA, but BMW envisioned a new machine, with a four stroke engine and a suspension that was capable of riding over long distances without strain and so the idea of the large, comfortable endurance bike was born.

In 1978 the Italian company Laverda developed a prototype for BMW It was known as the GS 800.

The same year, BMW's test department built a prototype for cross-country moto-sport events. It was created without formal BMW approval and featured a single sided swing arm known as a monolever.

The following year a team of six BMW factory riders competed in several major off-road events. They were riding a GS 800 prototype with better suspension, a lighter frame and an 800cc motor assembled from various BMW parts.

The next year BMW sent two factory teams to the major races and won several titles with the GS 800.

With these victories fresh in mind, the GS 800 prototype set the stage for the introduction of a production model the following year.

On January 1st, 1979, a new management team at BMW was presented with the prototype as the basis for a new production model.

It combined components from the R80 road model with newly developed elements. A lighter rear end and larger front wheel formed the basis of its off road credentials, but the most outstanding innovation was a single swing arm on the rear wheel. The concept was approved and the development of the G/S went into high gear.

Initial tests of the new G/S were performed in Ecuador in January 1980. During the trip, the motorcycles and riders had to prove themselves in extreme climatic conditions. By that fall, just 21 months after the initial approval of the concept, BMW's first production enduro was ready to be released to the public.

Stay tuned for the fourth installment in our 'History of the GS' video series!

FORKS The Book by Allan Karl

FORKS The Book by Allan Karl from Allan Karl on Vimeo.

STEEL BENT TRIUMPH ADVENTURER

Well blow me down with a feather if it isn’t another T300 Triumph. After preaching the potential of the heavyweight Hinckley but not a week ago with Macco Motor’s Hustler, a bit of sibling rivalry has suddenly appeared. With the Legend having got all the attention, it’s now the turn of the Adventurer; this time put together by new wave veterans Steel Bent Customs. Led by Michael Mundy, the breadth of bikes they turn their hand to is vast, all put together with the same focus of clean lines and attention to detail.

The bike ended up being a sister-build to Black Betty (bam-ba-lam), that we featured all the way back in August 2012. Having seen it on social media, the client contacted Michael to commission a similar ride with a dose more Café and a little less Brat. Hailing from Oklahoma (where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain) the bike would be shuttled out to the Sooner State once completed so a rugged donor was essential. Despite the rarity, a ’96 Triumph Adventurer was found just down the road from SBC in Tampa Bay; though presumably not in Tampa Bay, and provided the ideal base to build on.

Expunging all evidence of it’s relaxed roots, the bike now sits with a classically aggressive stance. Reworking the rear suspension linkage raised the back of the bike, to allow the rider to grapple with the new clubman bars in a more manageable manner. After a thorough examination and full service the mechanicals were given the A-O.K. and required no further fettling; though the engine received a set of freshly chromed covers, adding some classic shine to the shades of black. The requisite radiator side covers also got prettied up allowing the cooling system to shine rather than distract from the classic aesthetic.

Making the tall Triumph look lithe is no small achievement and SBC’s complete reworking of the seating arrangement makes all the difference. With the substantial sub-frame gone, the electrics were whisked away, tucked up between the seat frame rails, while a small-but-mighty battery now sits on the aluminium swingarm. Simple clean lighting is the order of the day, an LED enhanced unit shines a light on the black top ahead. Tucked further back between the stanchions than the original, it adds to the poise of the machine.

A key request from the client was the contrasting gloss black tank and glacier white wheels. The tonal pairing, put together by Craig Paints Bikes & Pro-Fab Powder Coat really makes the bike look light on it’s feet, despite carrying a heavyweight punch. A seat from their friend’s across the Bay, the classic Dime City item crowns the new sub-frame and is starkly different to the bulkier two-up original. It allows for a really neat setup. the cats-eye light peering out from underneath. Small mesh ’59’ side covers graciously nod back to bikes inspirational roots, without slapping you in the face with nostalgia.

To make the most of the torquey triple the powder-white rims wear a set of Avon Roadriders. These tyres are a great compromise, offering substantial performance with a tread pattern that isn’t jarringly modern. A 120 up front and a 150 out back balance plenty of rubber without dominating that slender rear end. The engine itself breathes in through pod filters, replacing the convoluted airbox assembly; the carbs having been rejetted to suit. Like Rodgers and Hammerstein at full pelt, the 885cc engine now bellows out through a 3:1 Cone Engineering across the prairie.

Collected by the delighted owner, she’s back in Oklahoma, sharing garage space with a Zero Engineering bobber; that sounds like a rather nice two-bike combination to me.

As usual, make sure you’re following Steel Bent on Facebook for all their latest endeavors, or get in contact via their site if you fancy something to stick in your own garage.

via The Bike Shed