Jeep Moab Concept Vehicles Revealed for 2015 Easter Jeep Safari

Agustin JimenezStaff Editor

Last week we gave you a glimpse of two Jeep Concepts that will be heading out to 2015 Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah and of course, this year’s teaser photos stirred the pot in the off-road world and rightfully so since one of the images appeared to depict what can only be described as the gorgeous body lines of a Jeep FSJ Cherokee Chief. Lucky for us, Jeep has now unveiled this year’s stable of seven concept vehicles that will be taking Easter Jeep Safari by storm.

This year’s collection of Easter Jeep Safari concept vehicles were designed with a combination of production and prototype Jeep Performance Parts. While some are more hardcore off-road oriented, all of them are trail worthy vehicles that are sure to attack the slick rock trails with authority.

“Jeep is proud to be taking seven new eye-catching and extremely capable vehicles to the Easter Jeep Safari, where we expect to delight our most loyal enthusiasts,” said Mike Manley, President and CEO – Jeep Brand. “We go to this legendary event each year to showcase our latest Jeep production vehicles, as well as a variety of new ideas in our concept vehicles. In doing so, we receive a tremendous amount of valuable feedback, while interacting with our customers in the Jeep brand’s natural environment. We’re especially looking forward to this year’s Jeep Safari, as Renegade makes its official public debut on Moab’s demanding trails.”
Check out all seven cool Jeep Concept vehicles for the 2015 Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah!

Jeep Chief
This is probably our favorite of this year’s Jeep concept vehicles because, well, we have a soft spot for Jeep FSJ Cherokee Chiefs and not just from bumping our head on them while working underneath them. The Jeep Chief is a tribute to the classic 1970s era fullsize Jeep Cherokee and the graphics package really makes it seem like a trip back in time. It definitely looks like our buddy Robby's 1975 Jeep Cherokee that we featured recently. This Wrangler-based concept vehicle evokes the west coast surfer lifestyle of sun and fun with a nod to nostalgic beach rides.

Custom exterior design cues include a vintage Ocean Blue exterior color scheme with a white, French Bread roof; a custom modified razor grille that the original Wagoneer made famous; halogen headlamps; removable sides for an open-air feel and flexible hauling; chrome front and rear bumpers and classic, 17-inch slotted mag wheels for a true ’70s vibe that is sure to make any off-roader feel nostalgic.

Jeep designers developed the Hawaiian themed interior complete with Jeep-designed “Surfer” pink, blue and white flowered cloth and leather-trimmed seats; vintage-style surf stickers on the center console and door handles; a Rosewood front-passenger grab handle and tiki-style shifter handle; and a Uconnect 8.4-inch touchscreen media center.

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The doors and windshield were chopped two inches and the Jeep Chief sports a selection of Jeep Performance Parts that include a two-inch lift kit with Fox shocks and front and rear Dana 44 axles with lockers, cold air intake and modified Rubicon rock rails. The Chief is powered by the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission to scoot down the trail with ease.

Jeep Staff Car
The Jeep Staff Car was built as a salute to legendary Jeep military service vehicles. The open-air Wrangler 4-door-based concept vehicle highlights rugged functionality with heritage design cues. It looks historic and authentic, but is all new and we dig it for sure. If the CJ-6 was ever put back into production, this is what that workhorse would look like.

The function over form of the original Jeep military service vehicles is evident in the Staff Car. Basic steel wheels, minimalist fender flares, “hungry horse” stretched canvas roof and bench seats all echo the original military Jeep vehicles.

Outside the Jeep Staff Car is a Sandstorm exterior color scheme that is carried throughout the vehicle including the wheels, frame and axles. The Jeep Staff Car has no B-pillar and no doors. Jeep designers incorporated military-style round headlamps, Jeep J8 front and rear bumpers, fender-mounted blackout lamp with guards and a rear-mount spare tire and vintage military gas can. The Jeep Staff Car sits on 16-inch wheels with 35-inch Firestone NDT military tires.

The minimalist interior features low-backed bench seats in the first and second row, an integrated roll cage and a painted steel floor in place of carpet. A built-in cooler draws its inspiration from an old artillery box and accommodates 85 cans.

The Jeep Staff Car is powered by the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine and is mated to a proper six-speed manual transmission. The Staff Car features a Jeep Performance Parts 2-inch lift kit with Fox shocks and front and rear Dana 44 axles.

Jeep Wrangler Africa
The Jeep Africa concept is the ultimate Jeep Wrangler for back-country and overland expeditions and features plenty of room for extra gear as well as auxiliary fuel tanks. We love the painted steel wheels and it almost makes the Jeep Wrangler Africa concept look like a modern day Willys Wagon.

The Jeep Africa Concept is based on the four door Jeep Wrangler and sports Desert Tan exterior paint, a high-clearance steel front bumper with a winch, power step rock rails, power dome vented hood and an extended rear body and high-top roof. The Wrangler Africa is powered by a torquey 2.8-liter diesel engine that is backed by an automatic transmission. This Jeep concept also features fender-mounted auxiliary fuel cans to extend the range of this Jeep for large desert crossings. The Africa also sports 17-inch body color steel wheels with 35-inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires.

The Jeep Wrangler Africa is outfitted with a two-inch lift kit with Fox shocks, sway bar links and front and rear Dana 44 axles from Jeep Performance Parts. The spare tire is underbody-mounted and the cargo area, inner roof and floor are finished in a durable spray-in truck bed coating.

TOP 5 2-STROKE MOTORCYCLES

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

There’s nothing quite like the smell of two-stroke oil. Or the sound of a swarm of two-strokes hurtling down the track at full tilt. Then there’s that power band—a trait that earned some larger-capacity bikes the title of ‘widow maker’.

Whatever the reason, there’s a certain romanticism associated with two-stroke engines. They’ve powered some of the most legendary motorcycles of all time, dominating track and off-road racing. I’ll never forget the time my dad took me to Kyalami in ’92 to watch the likes of Wayne Rainey, Kevin Schwantz and Mick Doohan duke it out. (John Kocinski ended up winning that race.)

Sadly, modern emissions laws have seen a drastic decline in the use of two-strokes. There are ways to make them compliant but, as Kevin Cameron explains in this piece forCycle World, few manufacturers are willing to invest in the R&D required. So most two-stroke engines are now found in scooters and dirt bikes.

So it was time we asked the question: is a vintage two-stroke a good choice for a custom build? After scouring the archives, the answer is a resounding yes. We decided to exclude restored and replica race-bikes, and focus instead on rare and exotic machines, and here are our top five picks.

Let us know in the comments if they inspire you to take up smoking.

Kawasaki H1 by Valtoron Kawasaki’s 498cc, triple-cylinder H1 was one of the first two-strokes to earn the ‘widow maker’ title. This one, a ’74 model dubbed La Bomba, was built by Spanish foundry Valtoron. The H1 was powerful enough in stock form, but it’s been boosted further with Wiseco high compression pistons, and reworked ports and expansion chamber—the result is 70 horses at the rear wheel.

Valtoron also braced and reinforced the H1’s notoriously wobbly frame, dropped the front end and upgraded the rear shocks to Koni items, connected to a Kawasaki GPz550 swingarm. All the bodywork was cast from recycled aluminum, finished with some bronze bits and a leather saddle. The headlight’s particularly quirky—it’s a Zundapp unit, ‘floating’ in a custom bracket. [More about this bike]

Photo by Kristina Fender.

SWM 320TL Trials Lorenzo Buratti wanted a bike for his 17-year-old daughter to learn to ride on that could double-up as a bike for ambling through the woods. So he refurbished this old SWM 320TL—an Italian-made motorcycle powered by a reliable 280cc Rotax engine. Buratti kept things simple – mounting the tank from an old Motobecane enduro bike and electing not to paint the engine or frame. (“I like the idea of a bike that carries signs of the times.”)

He polished the forks and painted the exhaust though, and trimmed and fitted a Kawasaki Z900 rear fender. The air filter’s protected by a tomato can, and most of the bike’s other parts were found at various swap meets. It’s a bike that didn’t cost Buratti much, or take him too long to build, but hits the mark with an effortless vintage charm. [More about this bike]

Suzuki GT550 “Honduki” by MotoHangar This ’75 GT550-powered custom fromMotoHangar in Virginia is mental—and downright desirable. It’s a bit of a parts-bin special, but in the best way possible. The subframe is custom, the tail unit is from a Kawasaki GPZ and the expansion chambers are from a Kawasaki H1. There’s also a Honda headlight, a Suzuki SV650 swingarm and GSX-R forks and wheels. Naturally the air-cooled triple’s been bored out as well—to .50 over. Completed entirely in-house, including the paint and graphics, it’s straight out of the left field—but should make for an explosive ride. [More about this bike]

Ossa Copa ‘Grand Prix’ by CRD Café Racer Dreams keep popping up in our Top 5s. It’s understandable though—the Spanish garage has a cohesive and pared-back style that’s hard to ignore. This classically-styled 1979 Ossa Copa 250 proves just how versatile they are. The Copa is a lightweight single known for it’s unusually low mixture ratio—3.5% as opposed to Ossa’s usual 5%.

CRD rebuilt the motor, fitting a Mikuni 38 carb and a hand-made exhaust system. They also strengthened the frame, upgraded the forks and replaced the stock five-spoke wheels with 18” aluminum items. A race replica tank’s been fitted, paired with a Yamaha tail piece and custom seat, and finished in an eye-catching green and white scheme. [More about this bike]

Photo by Kristina Fender.

Yamaha RD350 by Analog A round-up of custom two-strokes wouldn’t be complete without a Yamaha RD350. This 1973-model was bought as an incomplete café-racer project, which sat around for a few years before its owner took it to Tony Prust of Analog Motorcycles to finish the work.

The biggest change Prust made was cutting the neck tube off so that he could graft on a Ducati S2R front end. For the wheels, he laced the original RD rear rim to the front hub, choosing a Yamaha TZ250 GP rim and hub at the rear, and replaced the stock rear drum brake with a disc.

Brembo rotors and calipers have been fitted all round—both linked to the right foot lever. The bars are super-clean, thanks to an internal throttle system and the lack of a front brake lever. A hydraulic clutch has been installed too, and the engine’s been treated to DG expansion chambers and Uni pod filters. The frame has been de-tabbed, and a custom leather and Alcantara seat fitted.

Kiel Sawusch of Crown Auto Body was responsible for the paint—a slick black and white scheme that reinforces just how clean and tight this build is. [More about this bike]

Photo by Timothy Prust.

via BIKEexif

Mustang Meltdown

Vaughn Gittin Jr. reveals the all-new livery of his prototype competition 2015 Monster Energy Nitto Tire Ford Mustang RTR.

Giovanni Burlando’s Vision

The story of hills race told by Giovanni Burlando: 75 years old and about 850 contests raced with some of the best racers in the world such as Agostini and Pasolini. And then his workshop and his motorbikes: Ducati 250, Benelli 250, Aletta 125 and Motobi 250, each of them fixed by himself alone. Riding on the Doria-Creto path he tells about prizes, contests and his overwhelming passion for motorbikes.

Giovanni Burlando’s Vision from ugo roffi on Vimeo.