Matchless Model X Reloaded.

-Matchless-

via 8negro

Personal Style Extended: The Ratbant

For most people, cars are simply a tool – but for people like us, they’re an extension of who we are. A petrol-drinking representation of our own personal taste and style. Never has this been more evident than in Sid Crowfoot’s two-stroke-powered Trabant, which we spotted at the recent Players Show in the UK. It wasn’t immaculate by any means, nor could it be considered even remotely fast, but it had a presence and a personality that was just asking to be captured on camera.

Sid has been around the UK scene for years now, having built a string of air-cooled VWs along with years spent competing in the BDC (British Drift Championship) before becoming an official judge over the last couple of seasons. Although he’s been through many high-powered drift cars in his time, Sid has always had a thing for the weird, the quirky and the forgotten. So when he found a 1987 (that’s not a typo by the way…) VEB Sachsenring Trabant 601 Kombi for sale online six months ago, Sid decided he liked the East German car’s personality enough to save it from certain death.

The ‘Trabbi’ was purchased off someone who had tried to save it after finding it rotting away in a garden, but who did not have the patience to finish the job. This was good news for Sid, as it meant that some crucial rust repairs had already been carried out on the car’s monocoque frame. The body panels, while sporting a fairly serious patina, were in pretty good shape thanks to it being made from Duroplast, also known as recycled plastic.

For those that might not have taken too much interest in extremely budget, inefficient and questionably-styled relics from the Soviet era (we’re not blaming you), the Trabant was first manufactured in USSR-controlled East Germany back in 1957 and remained largely uncharged until the swift boot of reality kicked not long after the fall of the Berlin Wall. During those years, if you lived anywhere near East Germany and you were lucky enough to own a car, it was probably a Trabant.

During the ’90s, selling one of these smokey 600kg machines could fetch you around one German mark, so Trabants were often abandoned, like this one, in back gardens or empty fields. These days though, there is a small market for the car, and they are no longer throwaway items.

Sid had no intention of restoring his Trabant, he simply wanted to make it a nice-driving, solid car on the inside and a weathered, story-telling trooper that would suit his personality and sense of style on the outside. Unfortunately, the car was still a Trabant, and as the words ‘nice-driving’ and ‘reliable’ aren’t too often used when talking about these cars, work would need to be done.

When it was first pulled off the trailer, the engine barely ran. The carburettor needed to be completely rebuilt, but more importantly, the previous owner had tried to move the fuel tank to the rear of the car and use a fuel pump to get the gas to the carb, which did not go down well. In factory form, the Trabant doesn’t use a fuel pump, but instead uses gravity to feed gas (and of course a little oil, which Sid needs to add each time he fills up) into the tiny 600cc two-stroke motor. This means that the tank needs to sit above the motor, so Sid made some repairs and moved it back to its factory position.

Our favourite thing about this car has got to be the way it sounds – a raspy, ‘ring-ding-ding’ two-stroke noise that you might normally associate with John Connor being chased by a T1000 in a big rig. Sid’s Trabant is a little louder than most thanks to a stainless exhaust system that exits through the front guard. There’s not too much you can do about those stains down the side of the car either, this engine is built to smoke!

Low & Slow

Once the car was back up and running like it should, Sid moved on to getting it looking just right for his tastes, and that meant going low. Trabants use a transverse leaf spring front and rear with shocks mounted on top, so the factory leafs were swapped for heavily-modified replacements, which drop the car well over four inches, while the shocks were changed out for much shorter eight-inch longer replacements.

The factory wheels, originally 13×4 inches, have been doubled in width, and now measure 13×7 in the front and 13×8 in the rear.

Inside the car, Sid has added a few touches here and there to make things a little more interesting…

Like the door trims fashioned from hessian sacks, an old school sport steering wheel, and the front bench seat – which was originally the rear seat from a Citroën C2.

With its roof rack, its heavily-weathered body and its custom touches, the Trabant is sitting pretty close to how Sid wants it. He says it attracts plenty of attention where ever it goes, especially from people who originally hail from Eastern Europe – usually with a story to tell about how their parents or uncle owned one.

Running 26 horsepower and 38ft/lb torque, Sid’s Trabant is about as far from a rocketship as you can get, but that doesn’t matter to him. “It takes about 21 seconds to reach 60mph, and it has low torque so even gradual hills slow it down – but it somehow doesn’t matter,” he says. “It’s so charming ‘brapping’ along smoking from the exhaust and popping on over-run. I smile every time it fires up and I find myself grinning ear-to-ear when driving it.”

Thought the Trabant might not be able to pull the skin off custard, it’s like the plucky little runt of the litter; the one you know has its flaws and issues, but you love it anyway – not despite those problems, but because of them.

While this car is an extension of Sid’s personality, he isn’t entirely faithful, and is also currently building a Mazda RX-8 drift car to attack the BDC once again with his team mates atTeamS1. This means he probably won’t be having too much spare time to spend on his beloved Trabant over winter, but no matter what anyone else says, it doesn’t need it – this little runt is perfect just the way it is.

Peter Kelly

THE DEUS EUROPEAN TOURIST TOUR.

The Eau Rouge is quite the frequent flyer, travelling from her home in Milan to Tokyo for the launch of the Residence of Impermanence to good old Sydney town for another launch, the press release of the new Yamaha XJR1300, thanks to Yamaha Europe. The Eau Rouge and two other spanking new XJRs sat in the House of Simple Pleasures for a week being admired by hundreds of Yamaha fans so we thought it only appropriate to give the Euros a tour of Sydney, city to surf style.

Special Thanks to Shun Miyazawa from Yamaha Europe for coming for a ride with us. God Speed!

2015 Yamaha XJR1300 Review

A little while back I received an invitation from Yamaha to the XJR1300 European press launch. Naturally, I was thrilled to be part of it and sent back a RSVP with the requested passport information saying I would love to be involved in the European launch. So my mind wanders off, picturing where we would be riding the XJR? Maybe we would be taken on the legendary German autobahn where pesky speed limits have been slain? Or perhaps we’ll disappear down the picturesque Amalfi coast with the Mediterranean breeze flowing in my locks? Or could we be taken up one of the most famous and photographed roads in Italy, the Stelvio Pass, with its endless hairpin turns? Then reality hit when I finally read the details of the invitation. The launch was actually going to be held in Sydney, Australia! What? That’s where I live. So after the initial disappointment, I realised being a native could actually come in handy while doing the press ride, like being comfortable riding on the left hand side of the road… but more on that later.

The press launch started at the House of Simple Pleasures – AKA Deus Sydney – where we were given a brief history on the XJR by Shun Miyazawa, the product development guru from Yamaha. Over the past few years the XJR has been given to many well known custom bike builders through the Yard Built program. First, there was the Wrenchmonkees who kicked it off with their stripped back version – which Shun tells me over a beer that this is still one of his favourite builds. So much so that they have based the latest model on its clean horizontal lines. Unfortunately the bike doesn’t look much like the Wrenchmonkees rendition but it has been designed to be customized. And I don’t mean just by pro builders. No, Yamaha wants owners to be able to personalize the bike themselves with a catalogue of quality bolt on parts that have been designed with builders like Deus, Keino, Roland Sands and El Solitario. After the presentation was finished and seeing all the great XJR pro builds I was eager to ride it the following morning.

The morning came around fast and we were split up into different riding groups. I was in the ‘Italian’ group – all the journalists were from Italy or nearby countries like Sicily and Portugal, except for me. Outside the hotel there were over 20 XJRs lined up for journalists. It’s probably a good time to mention that the XJR comes in two different models: the standard and the Racer edition. As the name suggests the Racer is a ‘café racer’ inspired version, with carbon nose fairing, a carbon café racer seat and clip-on bars. The riding position is much lower than the standard version, and after sitting on it I felt like I may have been a touch too short for the set up (I’m 5’9″) to be able to comfortably ride all day on it. Luckily, I was given the standard model for the journey. It has higher bars and a comfortable riding position that is similar to my daily ride – a Triumph Bonneville.

We were introduced to our German guide, which was a little concerning, because obviously he was used to riding on the other side of the road. But then I was told he had been here for three weeks practicing the route he was taking us on. So we all jumped on our bikes and hit the road. We were 5 minutes into our ride when my concerns came back into play, with our German guide taking the whole group onto the wrong side of the road turning left at an intersection into oncoming traffic. It was like lambs being led to slaughter. Luckily there was very little traffic and he remembered right away that we were all on the wrong side of the road. After a few apologies by our red faced German guide, we got back on the road – this time on the right side.

After riding for a while, the first thing I noticed about the XJR is that it’s so incredibly smooth between gears. The inline-four 1251cc engine has loads of power and is apparently Yamaha’s biggest air-cooled inline-four on the market. We seemed to be unlucky on the roads, being caught behind trucks, learner cars and even a tractor. But the XJR’s 98hp and 80 lb-ft of torque made it extremely easy to pull out and over-take in small spaces. No matter what gear I was in, there was power to get past anything – even the odd Italian journo.

The second thing I noticed was the sound – the lack of it, that is. For a classic looking bike with a four-into-one exhaust it is relatively quiet. The Racer version did have a deeper note, due to the Akrapovic exhaust, which I’m told is an optional extra at an additional charge. Of course, it is easy to change that bark and would probably be one of my first mods – after replacing that ugly rear plastic fender – which I’m sure was designed to appease legal requirements.

As we were travelling down the winding country roads, I was thinking about the weight of the bike. It weighs 240kg, which is almost 20kg heavier than the BMW R nineT,  although, to be honest, it didn’t really feel that heavy when riding at speed. Sure, it didn’t feel like a nimble light-weight bike, but it didn’t feel as heavy as a Harley Sportster 883, which weighs about the same but has a very different stance. The only time the XJR feels weighty is when being manoeuvred into a tight parking spot, but you’d have that problem with any large capacity bike.

One of the biggest cosmetic changes on this model is the tank – they’ve shaved 6 and a half litres off the original beefy 21 litre tank. They have made it considerably thinner, mainly on the sides, and it now holds 14.5 litres of fuel. Shun tells us they wanted it thinner so that you can see the engine sticking out on each side, which visually makes the bike look more agile. When riding the bike, the scooped out smaller tank now accommodates your knees a lot better, which makes you feel nice and tucked in when going into corners. Surprisingly, the tank is actually made out of plastic by Accerbis – who are an Italian off road tank specialist. The vintage blue and white livery makes the tank one of the best updates on this new model.

When it comes to the suspension, the XJR has a pretty good set up, with adjustable piggy back Ohlins twin-shocks on the back that made for a comfortable ride on some of the dodgier roads. Mine were set on the harder end of the spectrum and there was plenty of dampening on all the different roads we encountered. On the front it has standard right side up telescopic forks.

The braking was tested when we were travelling a little too fast through some country roads and I spotted a police car travelling the other way. I instinctively hit the front brake a little too fast and hard and it slowed the bike down immediately – my fellow Italian riders didn’t even flinch, oblivious to the fact that it was an Australian cop car. The brakes on the front are dual discs with a single disc on the back.

The Yamaha XJR1300 Racer model with icarbon fairing, clip-ons and carbon seat.

With such a large lump, it is a more thirsty beast. After we were halfway through our 280km I looked down at the gauges and I had already used half a tank. Which brings me to the gauges. They are simple in design and they have kept the digital component to a minimum, but the size of them is just way too big and bulky. But having said that, I haven’t seen a single classic styled modern bike on the market that has stock gauges which I’ve liked, since they are usually either too big or too ‘plasticky’. They do look much better on the Racer version though, because they are nicely hidden behind the fairing.

Then, before we knew it, we were at the end of our 280km ride and were back in the heart of  Sydney, fighting peak hour traffic in the rain on the way back to the hotel. Our group happened to be running 2 hours behind the rest – mainly due to the Italians and their love of being photographed.

The bike is a blast to ride. It is a real mile eater and although I didn’t get to ride it on the German autobahn, I did get to push it hard along some great Sydney roads. This Japanese muscle bike clearly comes into its own when there’s an open road in front of it. After I reluctantly handed the XJR keys back and said my goodbyes, I jumped back on my trusty Bonnie and after turning that throttle, I started to wish I was back on the XJR… riding along the Amalfi Coast.

[The price for the XJR1300 is € 10,499. In Australia, it will probably be priced around the $15,000 mark but there is no release date yet.]

The Sea Cliff Bridge south of Sydney. Who needs the Almafi Coast?

via PIPEBURN

HERBIE: ONE OF THE SPECIAL ONES

Photography by Domi Hocher and Zainab Hocher   In September 2009, Domi Hocher and his then-girlfriend, Zainab, took off on what can only be described as the trip of a lifetime. Since setting out from their hometown of Vienna, Austria,  six years ago, this couple has crossed 115 international borders, covered 118,000 miles  while visiting 80 countries (including all 48 "lower" states in the United States),  and set foot on six of the globe's seven continents. All of which would be adventurous enough  on its own, but Domi and Zainab get extra credit for their choice of transportation:  a pair of Herbie-replica 1963 Volkswagen Beetles.

bibliothèque...........

RIDE: World Elements || Jonny Walker Movie Feature

Jonny Walker est l’un des trente invités du film “RIDE: World Elements” réalisé par les Australiens deFour Oh Four et consacré aux pilotes d’enduro, motocross, supercross, freestyle à travers le monde (Pierre-Alexandre Renet, Alex Salvini, Daniel Milner…).

Le film intégral est disponible à la vente en DVD ou téléchargement sur www.ridethefilm.com

WRC, Mexique : Du soleil, du soleil… Mexican sunshine

Après un long épisode hivernal qui a débuté en novembre 2014 avec les tests du Wales Rally GB, le WRC va enfin retrouver des températures estivales sous le soleil du Mexique. Qui va profiter d’un Sébastien Ogier contraint de balayer les pistes jusqu’à dimanche matin pour s’imposer à Leon ?

C’est peut-être ce week-end, sur les pistes du Rallye du Mexique, que les effets du nouveau règlement (le leader du championnat ouvre la route jusqu’au dimanche matin) seront le plus pénalisant pour Sébastien Ogier. « En théorie, je n’ai aucune chance au Mexique », explique le vainqueur des Rallye Monte-Carlo et de Suède.

En théorie… Mais le double vainqueur mexicain ne sera peut-être pas très loin de la tête dimanche matin, au départ de la plus longue spéciale du rallye (56 km). A voir… Qui va alors profiter du lourd boulet que vont traîner les trois ouvreurs, Sébastien Ogier (VW), Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) et Andreas Mikkelsen (VW), sur 319 km de pistes polluées par la gravette, la « sablette » et les pierres mobiles ?

Jari-Matti Latvala (VW) s’élancera en 4^e position, devant Mads Ostberg (Citroën) et les deux pilotes officiels M-Sport Elfyn Evans et Ott Tanak (Ford). Kris Meeke (9^e, Citroën) roulera derrière Paddon (Hyundai) et devant le revenant Dani Sordo (Hyundai) rétabli à temps pour gravir les côtes mexicaines après deux côtes cassées. A suivre aussi Robert Kubica (Ford) qui aura une position très favorable.

Avec seulement trois semaines cette année entre le Rallye de Suède et le Rallye du Mexique, les teams étaient en tests la semaine dernière en Espagne pour préparer l’épreuve nord-américaine. Les essais ont porté sur les set-up châssis/suspensions/pneus, mais aussi sur les moteurs pour adapter les cartographies aux hautes altitudes mexicaines. Les Hyundai i20 WRC disposeront d’une évolution moteur au Mexique pour compenser la perte de puissance. Le paddle-shift est attendu pour l’Argentine.

Les nouvelles Polo R WRC ont également roulé en Espagne, de même que la nouvelle Ford Fiesta RS WRC qui devrait débuter au Rallye du Portugal. Seule l’équipe Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi n’a pas effectué d’essais pré-Mexique.

Le Rallye du Mexique 2015, dont le parcours est des plus classiques, a réuni un plateau de 35 engagés. Mais ils ne seront que 34 maximum au départ, après le forfait d’Henning Solberg, dont 14 WRC. Outre les pilotes officiels et habituels du WRC (Prokop, Bertelli, Kubica), le Mexicain Benito Guerra disputera de nouveau son rallye national sur une Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

En WRC-2, on note le retour du champion sortant Nasser Al-Attiyah (Fiesta RRC) copiloté par Mathieu Baumel, et celui d’un autre Qatarien, Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (Fiesta RRC), vainqueur WRC-2 de la manche mexicaine en 2013. Vainqueur de la catégorie l’an passé, l’Ukrainien Yurii Protasov est de retour en WRC-2 sur une Fiesta RRC, alors que le lauréat WRC-2 en Suède, Jari Ketomaa, est attendu sur une Fiesta R5. A suivre aussi le Péruvien Nicolas Fuchs (Fiesta R5) et le Français Stéphane Lefebvre qui découvrira ce rallye où ont brillé ses compatriotes Seb Loeb (6 victoires d’affilées) et Seb Ogier (2 victoires, 1^er Junior en 2008).

Avec 40% du parcours total chronométrés, le Rallye du Mexique est toujours le plus compact de la saison. Il est en revanche quasi identique à celui de 2014, avec pour seule modification le retour de la Superspéciale asphalte de Leon (1,37 km). Le départ sera toujours donné au son desmariachisà Guanajuato jeudi soir, immédiatement suivi par une Superspéciale souterraine dans l’ancienne cité minière, puis par une autre Superspéciale sur l’autodrome. Les journées de vendredi, samedi et dimanche comptent chacune une longue spéciale à parcourir (El Chocolate, 44,13 km, Otates, 42,90 km et Guanajuatito (55,82 km). 

After the long winter period, WRC regulars will find a little sunshine at last in Mexico this week. Who will benefit from the fact that VW’s Sébastien Ogier will be on ‘road sweeping’ duty until Sunday morning?

It’s perhaps this week, in Mexico, that Ogier will suffer the most from the new ruling that the championship leader must run first on the road for all but the final day. “On paper, I haven’t got a chance in Mexico,” predicts the Monte Carlo and Sweden winner.

That said, the two-time Rally Mexico winner perhaps won’t be too far back come Sunday morning and the start of the event’s longest stage (56km). Time will tell…

But who is most likely to benefit from the handicap that front-runners Ogier (VW), Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) and Andreas Mikkelsen (VW) face over 319km of dirt tracks which tend to be coated by a layer of gravel, sand, or loose stones?

Jari-Matti Latvala (VW) will be fourth on the road, ahead of Mads Ostberg (Citroën) and M-Sport’s Elfyn Evans and Ott Tanak (Ford). Kris Meeke (9^th, Citroën) will be behind Hayden Paddon (Hyundai) but in front of Dani Sordo (Hyundai) who has recovered from his rib injury. Robert Kubica (Ford) has a favourable start order, too.

Most teams used the short time available since Rally Sweden to test for Mexico in Spain. Their work focused on the set-up of their respective chassis/suspension/tyre packages, as well as on engine mapping in readiness for this week’s high altitudes. The Hyundai i20 WRCs will have an evolution engine to compensate for the power loss, while paddle-shift transmission is expected in time for Argentina.

The new Polo R WRC also ran in Spain, as did the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC which will probably make its debut in Portugal. Only Citroën-Total Abu Dhabi didn’t do any pre-Mexico testing.

The 2015 Rally Mexico has attracted a 35-strong entry, including 15 World Rally Cars, but Henning Solberg has since withdrawn. The list includes Mexican Benito Guerra in a Ford.

The WRC2 entry sees the return of the 2014 champ Nasser Al-Attiyah (Fiesta RRC) and fellow Qatari Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (Fiesta RRC), the class’s winner in Mexico in 2013. Last year’s WRC2 victor Yurii Protasov from Ukraine will have a Fiesta RRC, while Rally Sweden’s WRC2 winner Jari Ketomaa will be in a Fiesta R5.

Other top names include Peru’s Nicolas Fuchs (Fiesta R5) and Frenchman Stéphane Lefebvre who will be making his debut on the event that has been so successful for his compatriots Loeb (six consecutive wins) and Ogier (two wins, 2008 Junior winner).

Stages account for some 40 percent of the total distance, which makes Rally Mexico the most compact round of the year. The 2015 route is practically identical to last year, the only change being the return of an asphalt super-special in Leon (1.37km).

Once again, Thursday evening’s start will be held in Guanajuato, followed by the traditional super-special through the former mining community’s tunnels, followed by another spectator stage at the nearby autodrome.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday will each feature one long stage: El Chocolate (44.13km) / Otates (42.90km) / Guanajuatito (55.82km). 

Cortina GT "Rock Star"

FOR THE RIDE men - Jimmy Cornett & the Deadmen

In May 2014 Mastermind Uli Brée and his Triworx Crew and a couple of famous customizers went to Sardinia to produce two stunning music clip for Jimmy Cornett & the Deadmen's single "for the ride" - enjoy it!

COOL KID CUSTOMS GS750

Time to take things back to basics. It can reach a point where saturation takes hold, and you begin to question the specific location of certain parts, the right way to do something or even the damned designation of what a bike may be. This is all well and good but you can get so close to the minutiae that it’s easy to forget the bigger picture: Take a step back, and enjoy what’s been achieved. As the sun begins to peak through the cloud, I’m less inclined to worry about the frustrations in my workshop and am ready to have some fun; cue Cool Kid Customs who seem to have that down-pat.

Hailing from Amsterdam, the laid back vibe can be felt all through their bikes. Previous builds have shown playful use of colour and a fantastic disregard for towing the party line. This 1977 Suzuki GS750 was bought from two gentlemen that lived in the local neighborhood and at first glance it seemed a little past it’s expiry date. White clouds of smoke puffed from the rusty exhaust and dodgy duct-taped wiring rang the alarm bells. An average buyer wouldn’t look twice at it. But Michel from CKC thought his give this old work-horse another chance in life, so took it home.

After stripping the bike down, the onerous cleanup started. Out came the grinder and off came brackets and tabs. The looped slightly kicked for mudguard clearance. Simple, clean and off to the coaters, this time for some basic black powder. A new battery box sits in the rear triangle while the ignition now resides under the seat, cleaning up the top yoke. An entirely new, simplified loom replaces the bodged original, so those nasty electrical gremlins should be long gone.

The stance has been tweaked by lowering the front forks by an inch or so, and now riding on a set of classic Avon tyres, the bike is perfect for cruising about town.

Thanks to the ominous white smoke, the engine was taken apart for inspection. It became apparent that the valve stem were letting oil past, but along with a through relapping of valves and a new set of piston rings there’s plenty of life left in the 4 cylinder lump. The rusty old 4-into-2 exhaust made it’s way over to the dumpster and a 4-into-1 system was fabricated from an old exhaust manifold and a Megaton muffler. Points were replaced and the engine was cleaned and painted before working it’s way back into the cradle.

The original, bulky GS750 tank was swapped out for a smaller GS550 tank. Rather than the usual neon splashed of colour, the palette was kept dark. A rose pastern inspired by the lace effects as seen on old-school American low-riders covers the brown tank while liberal use of black powder keeps things clean and simple elsewhere.

The seat received some diamond stitching and matching grips tie it all together. Smoked blinkers, a drilled tail light and a black and yellow glass headlight are all classy and subdued. A different look from the usual Cool Kid style but pulled off with panache.

Freshly made up, the old dame once again is back to her best; she really doesn’t look too shabby for a 38 year old junkyard dog; the essence of what we’re all here for. Taking a dowdy UJM that’s out of mind and out of sight and giving it some care and attention. As Michel says: “I hope the bike is happy again”. I’m certain it is.

There are plenty of build pictures over on the CKC Facebook page so go check them out. Oh, and if the bike tickles your fancy, it happens to be for sale.

via the bike shed

This Porsche 914-6 Is Forgotten Only by Those Who Don't Know

After expressing an interest in racing, saying it "looked like fun," Mr. Jack Griffin found himself strapped to a race car contesting the 12 Hours of Sebring. Sure it was his first time sitting in a proper race car, but he had four days of training in a Nissan 280ZX at Bondurant a week or so earlier. In spite of his ample experience he found himself crunched against one of Sebring's concrete barriers only fifteen laps into his stint.

Fortunately, he's had better luck with this 1970 Porsche 914-6 that he has now owned for thirty-eight years. Even though he'd been looking for a 911 (and has since owned several), he has completely fall for its light, quick manner and very predictable, solid handling. And while he doesn't consider the Porsche beautiful, Jack does think it looks "interesting" and loves the rarity. It may not be as popular as the 911, but this 914-6 ensures that the model, far from forgotten, will grow in prestige.

Drive Tastefully®

http://Petrolicious.com