Since 1968, the Martini Racing livery has been synonymous with championship-winning race cars. So it was only a matter of time before the iconic colors appeared on a motorcycle. The Ducati 1098 was a good choice: it’s a supermodel clotheshorse for high-impact paint schemes, as the exquisite Gulf-Ducati showed. This 1098S was built by Nor-Cal Ducati dealer Hattar Motorsports, receiving a full race prep (Motorcycle USA did a track test) before being repainted in the Martini Racing colors. Check the terrific Martini Racing website for more vintage racing goodness of the four-wheeled kind—including the 1975 Porsche Carrera RS and the Lancia 037 Berlinetta rally car.
This amazing BMW was reportedly built by a fellow named Rodney Aguiar, who has worked for Roland Sands. It’s a BMW R80 given the bobber treatment, and the detailing is exquisite—from the blacked-out boxer engine and mechanicals to the way the coil of the monoshock matches that signature BMW yellow paintwork on the tank. It’s strange, but it all hangs together somehow: it reminds us of the work of Deus in Sydney. Information about this bike is scant, but if you know more, drop us a line in the comments. [Via Bubble Visor, with thanks to Mitch Alison.]
Münch is one of the rarest names in motorcycling, with less than 250 bikes ever made. It was the 1960s brainchild of German engineer Friedl Münch; believing that bigger was better, he fitted his bikes with 1.0 and then 1.2 liter NSU car engines. Everything about the ‘mammoth’ was excessive, from its performance (225 km/h) to its weight (340 kg). A 1969 Münch 1200 TTS with custom paint by Von Dutch sold for $46,000 a few years ago, and last October, another Mammut sold for $57,240 at the MidAmerica auction. A resurgence of the Münch name in 2003 with a turbocharged US$80,000 ‘Mammut 2000‘ was unfortunately short-lived. A shame, because these extraordinary machines had character by the bucketload. The bike above is owned by Perry Bushong, and there are more pictures on Flickr.
Everybody knows Honda’s long-running CB series of motorcycles—and their potential for being turned into cafe racers. But one of the lesser-known variants is the CB450S, which was made in the second half of the 1980s. Details are sketchy: it was apparently built in South America, and sold in Germany and Canada. But that’s all I’ve been able to find out. The engine is an air-cooled twin pushing out a respectable 45 bhp, mated to a six-speed ‘box. (Apparently a ‘reduced effect’ model with only 27 bhp was also made, presumably for learner riders.) If anyone knows more about these bikes, please drop us a line in the comments. They’re chunky and well-balanced in a very 80s way: fit a solo seat and junk that rear fender, and you’ve got a rather good-looking bike.
Magni is one of those motorcycling names, like Egli, that hovers on the periphery of stardom. Egli is inseparable from Vincent, but Magni is associated with MV Agusta, Honda and Moto Guzzi. Some of the earliest Magnis, though, had BMW power. The MB1 shown above uses a heavily modified airhead taken from a BMW R80, bored out to a liter. Franz Eieresser has owned this bike since new: he ordered it in 1987, and supplied the engine to MV Agusta importer Hansen/Schneider of Baden-Baden. Franz restored his bike a year ago and describes it as ‘a fun factory’. Although the top speed is only around 200 km/h, he says it’s a lot of fun getting there. [See also the stunning 1977 MV Agusta Magni 860.]
Norton has revealed a few more details of the long-awaited Commando 961, and an image from a shoot held four months ago. Production is now scheduled for the end of September 2009, and Norton will be making only 200 of this model. (Yes, SE means ‘Special Edition’.) As MCN reported ten days ago, the price is set at £15,995 ($26,500) and a deposit of 10% is required to secure a bike. So it looks like the vision of American Kenny Dreer is nearing fruition—although his Norton 952 is now the 961, and we’re left with the niggling feeling that this new bike is a missed opportunity on the design front. It’s not retro and it’s not innovative, so it’s relying on the name. Given the price, is that illustrious badge enough to guarantee success—when you can buy a heart-stoppingly beautiful retro replica from the likes of Colorado Norton Works?
Canon EOS 1D Mk III | 1/125s | f/10.0 | ISO 400 | Focal length 105 mm
This is not a real MV Agusta 750S: it’s an all-metal, 1:5 scale model. The brakes, suspension, and carburetor linkage are working recreations of the real thing. It’s from a small outfit called Fine Art Models—based in Royal Oak, Michigan—which sells its pieces to collectors all over the world, and to museums such as the Smithsonian. FAM makes big claims for its 750S: “With over 300 man-hours to hand build each model, it is currently considered the finest motorcycle model ever produced.” Just three hundred of these models will be made, at a cost of $3,500 each. FAM recreates two other motorcycles—a 1963 Impalia 175 cc Sport Montesa and a 1911 Peugeot Cycle—plus trains, planes and automobiles. [See also the equally amazing 1:5 creations of Spanish artist Pere Tarragó.]
A good photographer can give even the most humble motorcycle a touch of glamour. And Joshua Hoffman’s use of ringflash has made us look at the Honda C70 in a new light. The C70 was a grown-up version of the Honda Super Cub, with a little more power and a dizzying top speed of 50 mph (80 km/h). The original C70 appeared in 1970, and ten years later, we were treated to the subtly upgraded Passport—available in Angel Blue and Parakeet Yellow. [See more Hoffman images on Flickr.]
Canon EOS 5D Mk II | 1/160s | f/9.0 | ISO 100 | Focal length 52mm | EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Frenchman Ludovic Lazareth has a factory in Annecy-le-Vieux, near the Swiss border, and turns out an extraordinary variety of vehicles. These include cars as well as motorcycles, and eye-popping quad bikes and snowmobiles. Lazareth’s extreme style makes him popular with action movie-makers, and his bikes have featured in blockbusters such as Babylon A.D. The 1000 FZR Compressor is based on Yamaha’s FZR1000—the ‘Bike of the Decade’ from 1989, and one of the iconic Japanese superbikes of the early 90s. Apart from the the extensive chassis modifications and radical new styling, Lazareth bolts a supercharger from a Mini Cooper S on to the 4-cylinder engine. If you’re in the market, this machine will set you back a cool €40,000 ($56,000). And even if you’re not ready to buy, the Lazareth website is well worth a visit.
