La deuxième et la troisième lignes pour Movistar Yamaha MotoGP / Movistar Yamaha MotoGP duo on second and third rows

Valentino Rossi et Jorge Lorenzo ne seront que sixième et septième sur la grille du Grand Prix Movistar d’Aragón.

Déjà en difficulté vendredi, les pilotes du team Movistar Yamaha MotoGP ont eu du mal à se montrer aussi compétitifs qu’à Misano aujourd’hui au MotorLand Aragón et n’ont pas pu faire mieux que sixième et septième en qualifications.

Dans le cas de Valentino Rossi, le résultat n’est pas catastrophique et peut même être un soulagement puisque l’Italien n’avait que le onzième temps à l’issue des essais libres et avait dû participer à la Q1, dont il a aisément signé le meilleur temps, avant d’entrer en Q2. Rossi a cependant conclu cette ultime séance qualificative à une seconde de la pole position de Marc Márquez et espère profiter du warm-up pour gagner en rythme.

« Ça avait été difficile hier et nous avons aussi souffert d’un manque de grip aujourd’hui, » a expliqué le nonuple Champion du Monde, qui s’était imposé à Misano deux semaines plus tôt. « Il est difficile de pousser la moto à la limite et elle se met à glisser au bout de quelques tours. Nous avons travaillé très dur pour essayer d’améliorer nos réglages. Il semble que nous ayons trouvé quelque chose cet après-midi et je partirai de la deuxième ligne, ce qui n’est pas mal, c’est plutôt bien. Maintenant nous devons essayer de progresser lors du warm-up afin de pouvoir donner le maximum pour la course. Le gros point d’interrogation sera le pneu avant, si nous utilisons lemedium ou le hard. Ils sont similaires et nous devrons attendre de voir comment seront les températures de piste. »

Jorge Lorenzo a fini avec un chrono similaire à celui de son coéquipier, qui l’a devancé de seulement 0.020s, mais devra partir de la troisième ligne. Le Majorquin compte malgré tout se battre pour le podium et obtenir un bon résultat après avoir fini deuxième des quatre dernières courses.

« C’est incroyable de voir comment tout peut changer en seulement deux semaines en changeant simplement de circuit, » a affirmé Lorenzo. « Il est vrai que nous avons encore plus de mal à être compétitifs ici cette année. Je suis très déçu parce que nous avons utilisé deux mauvais pneus arrière aujourd’hui. Ils n’étaient pas bons. L’un été défectueux ce matin et notre second pneu en qualifications n’était pas bon non plus. J’espérais gagner quatre ou cinq dixièmes mais je n’ai pas pu, je n’ai progressé que d’un dixième. Quand vous êtes en difficulté, il n’est pas rare que les problèmes s’accumulent et c’est ce qui s’est passé aujourd’hui. Je pense que notre rythme n’est pas mauvais par rapport à notre position sur la grille et nous pourrons donc nous battre si nous prenons un bon départ et que nous restons patients. Les deux premiers virages seront difficiles mais nous pourrons ensuite revenir petit à petit et nous battre pour le podium. »

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP riders Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo faced a second day of challenging riding in qualifying for Sunday’s Gran Premio Movistar de Aragon race, taking sixth and seventh respectively on the grid.

Having fought hard to find a good pace, Rossi found himself having to compete in Q1. A slow start on a soft front and hard rear tyre initially put the nine-time World Champion into seventh position on his first hot lap. A slow lap followed in the hunt for clear track and then he put the pressure on, shooting to the top of the time sheet with a 1’49.172 second lap. A quick stop followed for the softer rear tyre option then he was back out with just over three minutes remaining and made a big jump, securing the top spot and a place in qualifying two with a 1’48.692.

With just a few minutes rest it was go time again as the second qualifying heat got underway. His first flying lap was a 1’48.614, improving on his time from the first session. The Doctor was unable to beat that until after a tyre change for a second medium rear: he was back in the last minutes and scored an impressive 1’48.226 to knock his teammate out of provisional fourth place. A flurry of hot laps by rivals in the last seconds then dropped him two places to sixth on the grid where he will start tomorrow’s race.

Rossi commented, “It was difficult yesterday and also today as we are suffering from a lack of grip. It’s difficult to ride the bike at the limit as after some laps it starts to slide a lot. We worked very hard with the team to try and improve some different settings. It looks like this afternoon we found some things so I will start from the second row, which is not so bad, it's quite good. Now we have to try to find some small improvement for the warm up and for the race so we can try to do the maximum tomorrow afternoon. The big question mark is the front tyre, we can use medium or hard. They are very similar so we have to see what the track temperature will be.”

Determined to make the best of a tough weekend, Lorenzo was straight out of the box as Q2 began, attacking the circuit at full speed. His first flying lap was a 1’48.332, the first recorded lap of the session until his rivals completed their first, dropping him to third provisionally. With his second effort he was unable to better the time, taking a 1’48.604 to hold third position. With just over seven minutes remaining he returned for fresh tyres before re-joining the track for a final push. The local hero put the hammer down and delivered a 1’48.246 to take provisional second on the grid until the final attack of the other front runners dropped him first to fourth, then three further places to seventh on the grid at the final flag.

Lorenzo said, "It's unbelievable how in just two weeks everything can change just because of the track. It’s true that this year we have even more difficulties to be competitive here. I’m very disappointed because today we got two wrong tyres for the rear. They were not good. One was defective in the morning and the second tyre in qualifying was also not good. I expected to improve four or five tenths but I couldn’t, improving by just one tenth. When you have more difficulties sometimes you get even more problems as happened today. I think our pace is not that bad compared to our grid position so if we can make a good start and be patient we can fight. The first two corners will be difficult, then little by little we can make some positions and fight for the podium."

Publication by MotoGP.

Moto GP : Márquez en pole pour le Grand Prix Movistar d’Aragón / Sensational Q2 performance puts Marquez on pole

Marc Márquez a battu le record du circuit qu’il avait lui-même signé l’an dernier au MotorLand Aragón pour décrocher sa onzième pole position de la saison 2014, devant son coéquipier Dani Pedrosa et Andrea Iannone.

Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) partira en tête de la grille MotoGP™ pour la quatorzième épreuve de l’année dimanche au MotorLand Aragón, sur le circuit où il avait remporté sa dernière victoire de la saison 2013. Le Champion du Monde en titre et leader du classement général a établi un nouveau record du circuit en 1’47.187, soit plus d’une demi-seconde de mieux que la référence précédente. 

Son coéquipier Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) et Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing), qui était déjà en première ligne deux semaines plus tôt à Misano, sont eux aussi passés sous l’ancien record et s’élanceront des seconde et troisième positions après avoir fini à 0.362s et 0.498s de Márquez.

Relégué à la quatrième position par Iannone, Pol Espargaró (Monster Yamaha Tech3) mènera la deuxième ligne devant Cal Crutchlow (Ducati), auteur d’un excellent dernier tour, et Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). 

Ce dernier avait dû participer à la séance Q1 et en signer le meilleur temps avant de rejoindre la Q2 et de finalement terminer sixième sur la grille, devant son coéquipier Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), septième à 0.020s de l’Italien.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda) et Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati), tombé sur son dernier tour, complèteront la troisième ligne. Premier pilote Open, Aleix Espargaró (NGM Forward Racing) sera dixième sur la grille de départ, devant Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3), qui a chuté, et Héctor Barberá (Avintia Blusens), qui a profité de sa nouvelle Ducati pour se hisser en Q2 pour la première fois de l’année.

De retour de blessure, Nicky Hayden (Drive M7 Aspar) et Mike di Meglio (Avintia Blusens) partiront respectivement des dix-huitième et vingt-troisième positions.

Rendez-vous sur bwin pour découvrir les cotes de vos pilotes préférés et cliquez ici pour empocher votre bonus de bienvenue !

The MotoGP™ Q2 session on Saturday afternoon in Spain resulted in Marc Marquez taking pole at the Gran Premio Movistar de Aragon, with Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Iannone also achieving front row slots.

A new pole position record of 1’47.187 gave Marquez his 11^th pole position of 2014 - and his 20^thMotoGP pole in total - ahead of Sunday’s 800^th premier class Grand Prix.

For full MotoGP Q2 results from Aragon click here.

Marquez led the way by a 0.362s margin having broken the pole record earlier in the session, only for Pedrosa to move into provisional pole position with a 1’47.549s, with Marquez responding on his final lap. Marquez was 0.617s quicker than his own pole record from 2013.

The front row was completed by the consistently impressive Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) who has a new GP14.2 bike this weekend and qualified just under half a second behind Marquez.

Row two will comprise rookie Pol Espargaro (Monster Yamaha Tech3),

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), the Italian having earlier made it through from Q1.

Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) qualified at the head of the third row in seventh place, 1.059s behind the rampant Marquez. Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) and crasher Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) complete the third row.

Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) was unhappy at the end of the session as he was held up by another rider and qualified tenth.

Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) crashed with just three minutes to go, leaving him 11^th on the grid and Dovizioso (Ducati Team) also fell minutes later. Despite advancing through Q1 on his new Ducati, Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) was unable to set a lap time due to front end chatter problems – thus being classified 12^th.

Nicky Hayden (Drive M7 Aspar) qualified in 18^th place in Q1 as he returns to Grand Prix action this weekend, whilst Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing) had big crash at the end of Q1 and ended up 17^th.

‘12 Triumph Scrambler – See See Motorcycles

Portland’s Thor is an interesting character with an even more interesting name. Not only does he run one of the largest custom bike shows in the world – The One Show – he also builds top notch bikes out of his shop, See See Motorcycles. He recently sent us this bike and included such a comprehensive write-up that we thought we’d run it as is. So we’ll pass you over to Thor to take you through his latest build, this tough looking Triumph Scrambler entitled ‘Gap Tooth.’

Gap Tooth is a strange name for a custom built motorcycle. This is a fact I won’t dispute. Named Gap Tooth because Thor, the God of lightning, had a goat named “Tanngrisnir” which translates loosely to Gap Tooth. Tanngrisnir was his pet goat and when Thor became hungry, he ate ol’ Gap Tooth. After finishing his scrumptious meal, he would simply pile the bones up and poof, Gap Tooth would be resurrected as a live, stinky goat again.

So I found myself building a 2012 900cc Triumph Scrambler, a bike which needs little modification straight from the factory. Not only that but many, many folks have customized this bike into many, many variations – all equally cool and different. The idea was to tear this beast apart and rebuild it just a tad more off-roady, a smidgen more scrambly. In a sense I wanted to chew up and eat a perfectly new Triumph just like the god of thunder and lightning.

The first part of the build was to remove most of the plastic bits: front fender, turn signals, mirrors, headlight, taillight, seatpan, reflectors, side panels, and air box. Pretty standard stuff on most builds.

We wanted to emulate some of the cues from Desert Sleds and Scramblers of the old days. Finding vintage parts that would work on a newer bike was tough. There are a lot of sensors and electrical components that make fitting old tanks nearly impossible. For one the fuel pump that bolts in the gas tank is entirely bigger than most gas tanks themselves. It is possible, and we had talked with others who had converted to an external pump. But what would be made up for with “looks” would be lost with reliability and usability, so we opted to use the stock(ish) tank.It was then modified with a centerline rib to match the old center welded tanks from vintage Triumphs. A small detail that would bring together the choice for front and rear fenders.

A set of brand new ribbed fenders from LowBrow Customs had the correct diameter to the wheels and could be shipped in just a few days. After mocking the bike up a few times I had a realization… the tank pinches in at the center of the bike, throwing off all the lines of the frame motor, and seat. A new tank bung was fabbed in and raised the tank at the rear just over 1.5”.

The basis of a Scrambler is a bike that could be ridden from home to the track, raced and ridden home again at the end of the day. Back in the day racers would pull the headlight, mount a number plate, and off they went. Keeping with this spirit, both headlight and tail light assembly is simple as possible to remove and install. The tail light was handmade by James Crowe of Crowe Customs – the quality is top notch. The headlight bucket was chopped back to give it the old Lucas style flat bowl.

Another cluster simplification was to remove the tach. On modern Triumphs the tack is easily removeable however removing the speedo is a different story. The computer in the odometer will unable the bike when removed. Motogadget sells a computer to jail-break everything, but its spendy. A new set of the vintage bike bend Renthals were chosen for bars and capped with retro ODI Mushroom grips.

Lets talk about the seat for a minute. The stock seat is BIG, massive in fact. its wide, long and flat. It makes sense why its like that if you have ever torn into a Scrambler, there are sensors, wires, batteries, frame, all kinds of stuff under there. We wanted more padding with a smaller footprint on the bike. The seat had to sit on the frame and cover the necessaries.

A lithium-ion battery replaced the stock one opening up a bit more room, but necessatating a ton of wiring and wire removal. Digital Directiv Joe is just the man for the job, He is a true wizard with the electrical components. Building a new seat also meant changing the rear frame. About 9” of the stock frame was lopped off and replaced with a loop giving it the classic scrambler look.

An Arrow exhaust was necessary because it sounds amazing and gives good amount of added power. The rear frame modification warranted some new exhaust brackets, easy. Suspension, the stock suspension is one area that needs a little modification straight from the factory. Some friends over at Progressive Suspension have the fix: external reservoir 970 series shocks!

The wheels are steel, chrome, and clunky from the factory, not only that but the rear is a 16”. Something had to be done, 19” Excel rims were the answer. Given another chance to build the bike, it might be nice to use an 18” on the rear and keep the front at 19”. The overall look of the twin 19”s is great but limits your tire options to any flat track tire, or some obscure retro tires and maybe one or two DOT knobbys and basically any MX tire your heart desires.

Removing the airbox looks clean and lightens the bike up by a couple pounds but man oh man does it create a cluster problem. Building the seat with a small hollow space underneath gives you just enough space to stuff in most of the crucial components. The seat cushion was carefully sculpted then sent over to New Church Moto to have the Chrome Bags HD Ballistic Nylon skin expertly applied, the final touch was the “Triumph” on the back painted by non-other than Ornamental Conifer.

So how about the finished bike? Absolutely love it! Long distance trips no problem, offroad trails and dirt roads? There isn’t a ton of clearance but behaves a lot like a dirt bike – if you can man handle this beast it has amazing power!

In the city, it’s surprisingly nimble and comfortable in traffic, ergonomics are upright and give you good visibility. One downside is the knobby tires are a little squirrely at times, but still a good time.

via PIPEBURN

bricolage

Top three pace for Repsol Honda pair

Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa each made a strong start to the weekend on Friday at the Grand Premio Movistar de Aragon.

Marquez, who rates Aragon as one of his favourite tracks, finished a chilly FP1 in third position, behind Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) and Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing). A time of 1’49.290s had Marquez just 0.295s behind pace setter Iannone on his updated Ducati.

Pedrosa finished further down the order in fifth for the opening session.  FP2 two saw Pedrosa’s time improve by almost a whole second, down to a 1’48.734s. This put the experienced Repsol Honda rider third overall.

Most of FP2 had Marquez comfortably leading by over half a second, however in the final stages Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) took advantage of a soft tyre to go top. Marquez remained second in the session, and overall, with a 1’48.328 set on his ninth lap.

“Our first day here went well and I enjoyed riding in front of the home fans. I felt good on the bike and had a good pace, which is what we were focusing on the most today,” commented Marquez.

He added “The track was quite slippery but I like it like this. However, tomorrow we will try to define which tyres to use and refine the setup, then see if we can get onto the front row for Sunday and have a great race.”

Pedrosa commented, “We tried the soft and hard tyres and it is still difficult to say which is better on the rear, but the intermediate worked well for us on the front. We have to keep putting in laps at this circuit to improve our feeling, because this is a track where the tyres give plenty of grip at the start and then performance drops off, so you need to get used to finding pace with used tyres.”

THE TRAIL OF THE TURTLES: THIRTY-FIVE YEARS OF LEARNING AND MISTAKES

Few people have traveled the world like the Wescott’s. Take a look back, as Gary tells us what they’ve learned over their years on the road.

by Gary WescottPhotography by Gary & Monika Wescott

It was 1969. I had been on the road for maybe five months, traveling through Eastern Europe to Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan, following the infamous “Hashish Trail.” (Yes, I had read Midnight Express.) My mode of transportation from Holland had been thumb, bus, and train, always looking out the window at places I wished I could have stopped to explore.

Now I was sitting in the Pudding Shop in Istanbul, sipping a cup of Turkish coffee, the kind you almost have to chew—and there it was, right across the street in the little plaza: a Land Rover Dormobile. That had to be the answer.

Travel was in my blood. San Diego State was my 13th school, including three in Mexico. After a second trip to Turkey to export sheepskin coats, meerschaum pipes, and Turkish puzzle rings—remember those?—I was more determined than ever to stay on the road of adventure. Then, on another fateful day, walking down Lombard Street in San Francisco, there it was again: a blue 1967 109 Land Rover Station Wagon sitting in a British car showroom. I bought it on the spot.

I called it La Tortuga Azul, The Blue Turtle. Its ancient 6-cylinder, side-exhaust-valve engine came out of a Rover touring saloon in a futile attempt to give the 109 enough poop for American freeways. Nineteen sixty seven was the last year this model was imported. But hey, one Land Rover with a tire on the hood looked like it was going somewhere. Two together looked like an expedition. Was that an elephant I heard?

I started buying maps of South America, even believing that I could drive across the Darien Gap. I had a Land Rover! Never mind that the engine choked on Mexican Pemex Nova. No problem. I stopped at airports and bought five gallons of 130-octane aviation fuel, and mixed that with Nova and a can of Marvel Mystery Oil. I felt like a bartender. I traveled slowly with a house on my back, and I could go anywhere. The analogy fit, and The Turtle Expedition, Unltd. was created.

Along the way, I met Monika on a beach in Baja. Being Swiss, she tolerated my Capricorn perfectionism. She knew how to rough it, and she liked my kitchen, so we got married (short story).

Many changes later—roof racks, a support trailer, auxiliary fuel tanks, an overdrive, and finally a Chevy 250 6-cylinder engine swap (major improvement), I came to realize that despite the aura hovering over Land Rovers, I had been blinded by that tire on the hood. Repair shops for Land Rovers in Mexico were few to non-existent. We won’t talk about brake and clutch master cylinders or axles, okay?

Still, I’m not complaining. After nine years on the road, throughout Mexico and parts of Central America, the Turtle I served us well. Even the two-fuse electrical system seldom failed. We had learned the basics of what was required for an overland travel vehicle: a comfortable bed, a place to prepare healthy meals, safe water, security, and room to pack the tools, repair parts, and toys for the destination. Absolute reliability of your vehicle came later.

La Tortuga Azul had a sink, a comfortable couch that converted to a bed in seconds, a fully equipped kitchen that slid off the custom rack and hooked on the side, a solar shower, a shovel and a folding toilet seat, and tons of storage for skis, backpacking gear, a canoe, fishing and diving equipment, and more. We lived outside. Chairs, table, ice chest, speakers, everything came outside. We could stop anywhere and set up a comfortable camp in minutes. People we’d meet on the beach would laugh at how well prepared we were. “Wow. You brought chairs?”

Espagne,Rallye Festival Trasmiera

Spa 6h .

par Fabrice Bergenhuizen

Si l’édition 2014 des Spa Six Hours, bien que disputée dans des conditions pour le moins variables, a généré un spectacle d’anthologie, les 11 courses annexes à l’affiche ne furent pas en reste.

Parmi celles-ci, l’épreuve réservée aux Masters Touring Cars a valu son pesant d’or. Programmée le dimanche en début d’après-midi et ce sur une piste rendue piégeuse par la pluie, elle fut marquée par l’envol plutôt viril de la Ford Escort MK1 RS2000 de Daniel et Sean Brown, laquelle faisait l’intérieur au pied du raidillon à la détentrice de la pole position, en l’occurrence la bestiale Vauxhall Firenza de Ward-Bronson.

En dépit d’une attaque de tous les instants Daniel et Sean Brown ne parvenaient toutefois pas à conserver le leadership et devaient, au bout d’une heure de course riche en figure de style, abdiquer face à une autre Ford, à savoir la Capri 3.0 de l’excellent Stephen Dance.

Le podium était complété par la Porsche 911 RSR de Mark Bates, laquelle devançait la sublissime Jaguar XJ12 de Paul Pochciol et Jeremy Welch et la monstrueuse Vauxhall Firenza de Ward-Bronson.

Datant de 1959, la superbe Aston Martin DB4 Lightweight de Nicholas King et Tony Worthington décrochait une splendide 6^e position, précédant de peu l’…Aston Martin DB4 de Matt Le Breton et Jamie Campbell-Walter, pourtant pénalisée de 20 secondes pour avoir effectué son Pit Stop en dehors de la fenêtre de ravitaillement.

De son côté, Roger Wills jouait les équilibristes afin de hisser son imposante Mercury Comet Cyclone au 11^e rang, devançant de peu l’Austin Healey 3000 du Français Emmanuel Toulisse, victorieuse en classe GT devant la voiture sœur d’Eric Perou et Bernard Bucher.

Quant à Laurent Majou, il imposait son Austin Mini Cooper S en classe THD tout en se classant excellent 19^e du général.

Précisons que Stephen Dance et sa Ford Capri s’étaient déjà illustrés au préalable en se classant 2^e de la course du British Sports – GT & Saloon Challenge et ce avec 5 petits dixièmes de seconde de retard sur la RAM Cobra de Lim-James. La 3^e marche du podium revenant à l’…Aston Martin de Le Breton-Campbell Walter devant la Ford Escort MK1 de Brown-Brown, lesquelles, à l’instar de la Capri de Dance, étaient inscrites dans les deux séries.

Pour conclure avec les courses réservées aux voitures de tourisme, saluons l’insolente domination de l’Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint d’Alex Furiani en U2TC.

Le classement est ici

URBAN RIDER’S R80

Urban Rider on the New Kings Road in London is a den of motorcycle treasures; gloves, lids and leathers adorn the showroom in a manner befitting of its lofty address. They also cater for the commuter scooter crowd, but if you spend a few minutes chatting with proprietors Will or Andrew you soon realise that it is the geared machines that get their hearts pumping. Not content with merely supplying you with the best gear, the guys branched out and now design and build the bikes to ferry their fine wares about town.

One of their early CL400 Street Scramblers (based on the rare Japanese import) stole hearts at the very first BSMC event back in May 2013. The Urban Rider team have continued to build and refine their signature little Hondas whilst adding a Bonneville model to their repertoire. Now they present this lovely Boxer scrambler, a bike they assure us is but a one off, built by resident mechanic Len to sate his “soft spot” for the marque.

Len came across the R80 on ebay, it was the common story of a half finished project in need of a new owner with the drive and skill to fulfil the machines ambitions. He had owned many of the Bavarian twins over the years and runs a modern GS among his current fleet. This build was about getting the desire to customise a Beemer out of his system as oppose to launching Urban Rider into the highly competitive pro built BMW market.

“Everyone at the store pitched in with ideas but Len’s vision for the bike was clean, smooth lines and understated style.” To this end Len set about the bike with his angle grinder, the frame was de-tabbed and sent for powder coated along with the wheels, forks and swing arm. The engine was rebuilt with new valves guides and piston rings, the bores were then honed before it was all put back together using new stainless fasteners throughout. A full rewire keeps things simple and efficient.

The hand formed alloy seat unit was one of the few plus points of the previous owners efforts and along with the tank it received a lustrous,  classic colour combination before being dispatched to Viking Vinyl for a recover. “The paint scheme harks back to the old school BMW era and is meant to look as if were done by BMW themselves”.

The striking race style pipes are a stand out feature, bringing the classic styling bang up to date, “The silencers are GP race bike replicas which where chosen primarily because they look and sound great and we hadn’t seen it done before, the rear sets are generic aftermarket units that we modified to work with our set up.”

Other features include new piggy back shocks, Renthal bars, a Koso digital speedometer, and Biltwell grips

The bike rides on Continental TKC 80s and reportedly handles splendidly, “We have used them on other builds such as the modern Bonneville. They grip very well for an off-road biased tyre. Many BMW GS riders use them on all roads.” As their shop name suggests the team specialise in equipping riders for the no nonsense city environment and that ethos carries through to this highly functional bike that clearly also has the legs to carry you out of town for a sunny photo shoot.

The bike was a fun side project for Len and the team between turning around their CL400 Scramblers at the rate of at least one every six weeks, the last off the line was even fitted with a custom removable ski rack for an Alps dwelling customer. The BMW is now for sale and ready to go from their London Headquarters. We look forward to seeing more of these fun Urban Rider side project bikes as well as more of their staple machines on their Bike Shed page.

HUSQVARNA 510 BY VELOMACCHI

Kevin Murray is a petrolhead with a very interesting day job: he runs a company designing high performance gear for clients like The North Face, Nike, Mammut and Navy SEAL teams.

He’s now set up shop with his own brand, Velomacchi, producing “Everyday Carry for the serious motorcyclist.” In the works are backpacks, tool rolls, iPad and iPhone storage and messenger bags. The vibe is ‘privateer racer’—functional and good value.

It’s a very technical process, so Kevin gets his respite via the more analog pursuit of crafting vintage dirt bikes. Like this stunning flat tracker, based on a 1986 Husqvarna 510 pulled from a hedge in eastern Oregon.

“The air-cooled 510 was one of the last models built by Swedish hands,” says Kevin. “It was a legendary 4-stroke thumper with a 2-stroke style bottom end. It pulled like a semi and cut like a chainsaw, and was a great fit for our circuits in the Northwest.”

The Husky had two serious weaknesses though: a Motoplat electrical system and a temperamental Dell’Orto 40mm carburetor. So Kevin and his crew replaced the electrical system with a German-designed MZB ignition, and installed a new Mikuni 38mm flatslide carb for a snappier throttle response.

The exhaust system is a traditional low-slung flat track design, with stainless 2-into-2 cone silencers. It’s low slung on the right to avoid exhaust burns on the thigh when turning left, and also to save it from damage in a lowside crash.

The suspension was upgraded too, with a Kawasaki ZRX1200R front end boosted with Race Tech Gold Valve internals. Bringing up the rear is a Fox twin-clicker shock from a ZX9, hooked up to an adjustable spacer system so that the suspension can be fine-tuned. (“We machined three different-length spacers so the shock height could be quickly adjusted to fit the track.”)

The wheels went off to Buchanans, who supplied a new 19” wheel set with heavy-duty stainless steel spokes suitable for flat track racing. Meanwhile, the #2 stainless steel handlebars were hand bent by Ray Carroll, to get the perfect length and height to control the bike. “Ray is a legend in the Northwest,” says Kevin. “He maintains the Castle Rock clay track, builds custom frames and is still racing at 81 years old!”

An added dose of style comes from the new bodywork. “We really loved the lightweight simplicity of Husky’s 1970s desert racers. So we kept the frame, engine and swing arm from the 510 and tossed the heavy plastic fairing, tank and seat. We replaced it with a brand new tank from a 1979 Husqvarna 390 OR, and a custom seat from New Church upholstery.” The seat is not fashionably slim, but it sure looks comfy.

Now that the bike is fully sorted, Velomacchi’s focus is back onto the gear. And very interesting it looks too, providing a challenge to the likes of Kreiga and Ogio. Funding for the project has just launched on Kickstarter, and investors are piling in already.

Check it out here.

Images by Gregor Halenda.

Mad Max

Dakar : La Peugeot 2008 DKR/Michelin en tests - Peugeot 2008 DKR/Michelin test

A tout juste 100 jours de la cérémonie de départ du Rallye Dakar 2015, les trois équipages Peugeot-Total sont en essais sur les pistes du domaine de Château Lastours. Le copilote de Cyril Despres est lui aussi un ancien motard, Gilles Picard.

Après plusieurs séances de déverminage organisées depuis mi-juin en Ile de France (Freneuse, Montlhéry) et au Creusot, l’équipe Peugeot-Total a effectué cette semaine une importante séance de développement dans le Sud de la France, sur les pistes cassantes du domaine de Château Lastours. Les trois équipages se sont succédé au volant de la Peugeot 2008 DKR/Michelin.

Carlos Sainz et Stéphane Peterhansel seront accompagnés de leurs navigateurs Lucas Cruz et de Jean-Paul Cottret. De son côté, Cyril Despres a choisi Gilles Picard pour l’épauler dans cette nouvelle aventure sur 4-roues. A 59 ans, Gilles est un des plus expérimentés de la discipline Tout-Terrain et du Dakar (près de 30 participations). Ancien motard comme Cyril, Gilles Picard a débuté comme copilote il y a 20 ans chez Citroën Sport. Auriol, Vatanen, Fontenay, Schlesser, Shinozuka, Masuoka et Luc Alphand, Gilles a accompagné de grands noms du Tout-Terrain et remporté deux Dakar (1998 et 2006).

Les premiers tours de roue de la Peugeot 2008 DKR ont eu lieu en juin dernier. Les ingénieurs de Peugeot Sport sont partis d’une feuille blanche pour concevoir ce prototype 2-roues motrices à moteur V6 diesel 3200 cm³ bi-turbo. De son côté, Michelin Motorsport a développé de nouveaux pneumatiques (37/12.5x17) capables de transmettre au sol les 340 chevaux et les 600 Nm de couple et de résister aux pistes les plus défoncées. Le débattement des suspensions (440 mm) et les pneus de grand diamètre permettent d’absorber les irrégularités du terrain à haute vitesse.

C’est peut-être ce qui a le plus surpris Stéphane Peterhansel (9 victoires au Dakar), habitué au pilotage des 4-roues motrices depuis ses débuts en catégorie Autos. Carlos Sainz avait quant à lui déjà pu s’adapter au pilotage d’un Buggy 2-roues motrices lors du dernier Dakar. Quant à Cyril Despres, il a encore tout à découvrir et s’est dit émerveillé par la Peugeot 2008 DKR.

Il reste exactement 100 jours avant le podium de départ du Rallye Dakar 2015 à Buenos Aires (Argentine), le 3 janvier prochain. Les concurrents de Peugeot-Total fourbissent eux aussi leurs armes. L’Espagnol Nani Roma a récemment remporté le Rally Desafio Inca au Pérou au volant de la Mini ALL4 Racing/Michelin. Egalement sur Mini, le Polonais Krzysztof Holowczyc a gagné la Baja Poland fin août et Nasser Al-Attiyah a célébré ses débuts au volant de la Toyota Hilux/Michelin par une victoire sur la Hungarian Baja mi-août.

Au mois d’octobre, le Rally Oilybia du Maroc (3-9 octobre) et la Baja Portalègre 500 (30 octobre) seront les deux dernières occasions d’effectuer des séances d’entraînement grandeur nature avant le Rallye Dakar. Au Maroc, le Team X-Raid a prévu d’aligner six Mini All4 Racing et on attend également le Sud-Africain Giniel de Villiers sur Toyota.

 

With exactly 100 days to go before the 2015 Dakar’s start ceremony, all three Peugeot-Total crews have been testing at Château Lastours in the south of France. 

Following a number of shakedown tests last June at different locations in France, Peugeot-Total spent a week putting the Peugeot 2008 DKR/Michelin through its paces over the rough terrain of Château Lastours in the south of the country where all three drivers drove the car.

While Carlos Sainz and Stéphane Peterhansel will compete with their usual co-drivers (Lucas Cruz and Jean-Paul Cottret respectively), former biker Cyril Despres has chosen Gilles Picard to ride alongside him.

Fifty-nine year old Picard is one of the discipline’s most experienced campaigners (almost 30 Dakar participations). An ex-biker himself, he began co-driving at Citroën Sport 20 years ago and has navigated the likes of Auriol (Hubert), Vatanen, Fontenay, Schlesser, Shinozuka, Masuoka and Alphand, earning Dakar victories in 1998 and 2006.

The new two-wheel drive Peugeot 2008 DKR was designed from the ground up by Peugeot Sport engineers and is powered by a 3.2-litre bi-turbo diesel V6 engine. It ran for the first time last June and Michelin Motorsport has developed new, large diameter tyres (37/12.5x17) to handle its 340 horsepower and peak torque of 600Nm and also soak up the knocks sustained on some of the world’s toughest high-speed trails, helped by suspension travel of 440mm.

This is probably what has most surprised nine-time Dakar winner Peterhansel who has been more accustomed to all-wheel drive cars since his switch to four wheels. Sainz, however, contested this year’s Dakar in a two-wheel buggy, while newcomer Despres says he is amazed by the performance of the Peugeot 2008 DKR.

With exactly 100 days remaining until cars roll off the ramp in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on January 3, 2015, Peugeot-Total’s opponents are also busy preparing for the ‘big one’. Spaniard Nani Roma recently took part in Peru’s Rally Desafio Inca in a Mini ALL4 Racing/Michelin and Poland’s Krzysztof Holowczyc won August’s Baja Poland in a similar machine. Meanwhile, Nasser Al-Attiyah celebrated his first outing in the Toyota Hilux/Michelin with victory on mid-August’s Hungarian Baja.

There are two big cross-country events to come in October (the Rally Oilybia du Maroc on October 3-9, and the Baja Portalègre 500 on October 30) for the teams to fine-tune their efforts. Team X-Raid plans to run six Mini All4 Racings in Morocco, for example, while South African Giniel de Villiers is expected to represent Toyota.

Triumph Scrambler by Re-Cycles Bikes Rewheeled AB

For a Scrambler, this is one of the most beautiful bike I’ve ever seen. Please allow me to introduce! This is Rewheeled #5, the donor bike is 2006 Triumph Scrambler. A masterpiece from Sweden, salute to what has been done by Adreas as the owner of Re-Cycles Bikes Rewheeled AB – Handcrafted motorcycles.

Custom motorcycle is an art, it takes time and totality! And I think Andreas has been able to do that “Patience”. As a result, what you see is now! The fork legs, triple clamps, bar risers, throttle and fuel tank were acid dipped to removed paint and anodising before being lightly sanded and polished. You will feel like invited back to the 60s era.

You will feel jealous, including me. Some time ago Andreas told me, that this bike has been taken for the tour to enjoy the summer beauty of Österlen – south of Sweden. Österlen is the southeastern part of the Swedish province of Scania. To my knowledge, Österlen IS The most famous place for beautiful nature, small towns, apple orchards, farmland and is a popular tourist attraction.

How beautiful this bike? you can judge for yourself, from both angles shown above (from the front and rear). Looks challenging, how much you desire to climb? When she was alive, you would imagine, how hard she’s going to roar?

Try to look closer to the tank and headlight. For the tank, it is very clear! an identity of the builder. When most builders pinning the identity of the manufacturer, not the case with Andreas: it would be to feel proud of himself “Rewheeled”. One thing that is interesting from the headlight is the rectifier was moved from its original position under the 4 1/2 inch headlight to the frame above the oilcooler and the ignitionlock to the right side under the fuel tank.

Some of the jewelry that had been pinned is a straight bars are by German outfit, Fehling but cut down about 25 mm on each side. Efficiency, is a good reason for those of you who don’t want to be too complicated, it’s suitable for you who want to look Germanic.

As a connoisseur of a megaphone exhaust, I have to admit: I’m fall in love with what is attached to this Triumph Scrambler! a Custombuilt Exhaust, a shiny straight pipe. I am interested to install it, you might as well. If you are a beginner as a custom motorcycle builder, maybe you should try to create a Custombuilt Exhaust. A very interesting challenge, right?

Now we walk to the back sides, Small indicators set into the rear ends of frametubes are only 18 mm in diameter but still e-approved. Rear and brakelight is an LED unit grafted into the rear of the seat. Talk about where you will be sitting on this bike, this is a custombuilt! new seatbase was made ​​in fiberglass padded with 20 mm neoprene and topped with brown leather. I think you will be comfortable because the design is quite wide.

The last part is the tires, what tires to use? This is the Heidenau K60 Scout tires. Some of the most striking touch is Gastank depainted and clearcoated also don’t forget to the aluminum fenders with a very classic design. Some additional information is the subframe was cut about 30 cm and a new aluminum box fabricated for the Li-Ion battery and electrics.