Bike EXIF » Concept Motorcycles

T120 Bonneville by Analog

Chris Hunter — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:30:21 +0000

It’s always interesting to see the bikes that well-known builders create for themselves. This Triumph T120 Bonneville is the personal ride of Tony Prust; it’s a more ‘traditional’ look than many Analog motorcycles, with a side order of steampunk too.

“El Matador” was a labor of love for Prust for two years. It’s an elegant bike, finished in clear-coated raw metal with brass highlights. The frame came from a 1968 Triumph, and is now fitted with a bolt-on hardtail from Dave Byrd. The 650 motor is a 1972 spec, and was rebuilt by Ed Zender of the Triumph specialists Morrie’s Place. It’s now powdercoated in wrinkle black.

Maund velocity stacks feed the engine, and the pipes are from Lowbrow Customs. The belt drive primary comes from Bob Newby Racing; the open cover was designed by Prust and Zander.

Up front, Prust has fitted the forks from a late 60s BSA. They’re hooked up to a twin leading shoe hub laced to 19″ rim, while the conical hub at the back is laced to a 16” Harley-Davidson rim. The tires are grippy dual-sport Kenda K761s, contrasting with the traditional nature of the rest of the build.

Prust gave the T120 a full rewire, and installed a Joe Hunt Magneto. (A neat touch is the vintage-style cloth wrapping on the wiring.) Hand-made parts include the front and rear lights and the solid brass rear fender, which was fabricated by 7 Metal West. The oil plumbing is solid brass too, along with the tank badges and handgrips. The immaculate clear coat (with gold leaf and pinstriping) was applied by Brando Custom Paint.

It’s a little bit gothic and a little bit steampunk, and a showcase for Prust’s old-school fabrication skills. One of the classiest T120s we’ve seen for a long time.

Check out our Archives for previous Analog builds, and the Analog Facebook page for news. Images by bikerpros.com.

Indian Motorcycle ‘Spirit of Munro’

Chris Hunter — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:30:34 +0000

Indian is back. America’s oldest motorcycle company, founded in 1901, has revealed a show-stopping streamliner to showcase a brand new engine—the 1811cc Thunder Stroke 111. The motor will find its way into the 2014 Indian road bikes, the first to be released under the stewardship of parent company Polaris Industries.

The ‘Spirit of Munro’ is a custom-built, all-metal homage to the racers and mechanics who created Indian’s performance heritage. Best of all, it shows that someone in Spirit Lake, Iowa, understands what makes the Indian brand tick. (I’d say it’s the most promising news for the 112-year-old marque since Burt Munro swung a leg over his 1920 Indian Scout and set a world record at Bonneville in 1967.)

The ‘Spirit of Munro’ is a runner, not a display bike. It was built with the help of Jeb Scolman of Jeb’s Metal and Speed in Long Beach, California. The hand-formed aluminum bodywork was fabricated using a mix of aircraft-inspired techniques and traditional custom motorcycle metalworking. Underneath is a bespoke chassis designed to handle high-speed runs. The gearing is tall and chain-driven, and the pre-production Thunder Stroke 111 engine is hooked up to custom intake and exhaust systems designed to extract maximum power.

Of course, any motorcycle manufacturer can build a custom to promote its showroom bikes. But the ‘Spirit of Munro’ is an unexpected show of creativity and style. It’s a clever mix of heritage and modern technology that will hopefully be encapsulated in the production bikes. And the Thunder Stroke 111 engine doesn’t look too bad either.

Head over to the Indian Motorcycle website for company news and follow Indian Motorcycle on Facebook here.

Triumph Bonneville Speed Twin

Chris Hunter — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:30:15 +0000

EXCLUSIVE Here’s the most exciting new motorcycle concept we’ve seen in a while—and it doesn’t come from an in-house design studio. It’s the work of two young English designers, Roy Norton and Tom Kasher, in a collaboration with Triumph Motorcycles and Barbour Outdoor Clothing. The base platform is the Triumph Bonneville, heavily restyled and fitted with girder forks.

The idea for the Speed Twin started when Norton and Kasher were in their final term at university. They started sketching ideas for “a bike taking retro themes in a modern direction”. After landing a placement with motorcycle design studio Xenophya, the pair contacted Triumph. Product Manager Simon Warburton liked what he heard, and agreed to get involved. He wrote a brief requesting a modern re-interpretation of a classic theme: “A bike based around our 865cc air-cooled parallel twin, styled to appeal to younger riders.” Warburton wanted to see “the bike the Bonneville might have evolved into, in an alternative universe”.

After visits to the Ace Cafe London and the National Motorcycle Museum, Norton and Kasher set to work, taking inspiration from cafe racers, bobbers and Triumph bikes of old. They agreed a design direction with Triumph, and a ‘digital tape’ was created: Photoshop images of the proposal in side projection, which allows the design to be evaluated against the vehicle package and check constraints such as seat height, tank volumes and ergonomics. According to Norton and Kasher, “Triumph provided huge amounts of support and guidance through the design stage,” ensuring there would be no engineering, manufacturing or homologation issues.

The motorcycle in the images we’re looking at was created using a mixture of model board, foam and Automotive Styling Clay—a wax-like substance that can be shaped by tools to create the tank, seat unit and swing arm. “A design can become a three-dimensional object quickly. The nature of the material means it can be molded and sculpted very easily to refine and perfect the design.”

The frame of a production Bonneville—supplied by Triumph—was heavily modified. Chopped and refabricated, it’s the basis for a strong and contemporary look. The contrast comes from the front, where girder forks pay homage to the bikes of the past. Barbour cloth is used on the seat fabric and grips, adding durability and style to the finish of the Twin, and the filler cap and instruments were also redesigned.

Once the basics of the model were in place, the bike was transferred from the Northumbria University studios to Xenophya Design. The prototype was refined and painted, transforming it from a blend of clay, foam and metal into a full-scale model. Firestone tires, inverted levers and Thruxton brakes were added to round out the build.

Triumph is pleased with the result of the project. “The bike looks great,” says product manager Warburton. “Some elements may have an influence on some of our future projects.” And Norton (right, bottom) and Kasher (left) now have an insight into how production motorcycles are designed, at the highest level in the industry. They’ve landed full-time jobs at Xenophya, which means their work is likely to hit the streets in the future, in the form of production motorcycles. Judging by the aesthetics of the Triumph Speed Twin, that’s good news indeed.

Mikhail Smolyanov concepts

Chris Hunter — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:30:45 +0000

Motorcycle concepts are a dime a dozen. But these renderings, from Moscow designer Mikhail Smolyanov, show an extraordinary level of style and imagination. The “GL1-m” above was commissioned by an established Russian vehicle fabricator called Alexander Bushuev, who plans to turn the machine into metal. There’s very little information on the fluoro green C-Org Trike below, but the steampunk-style design (bottom) was apparently inspired by 1920s racing cars fitted with aircraft engines.

The next AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building is some eight months away, in August 2012. Enough time for one of the freestyle entrants to take some inspiration?

To see more of Mikhail Smolyanov’s work, head over to his Solifague Design website.

Husqvarna MOAB scrambler

Chris Hunter — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:30:17 +0000

Of all the motorcycles revealed at the EICMA show in Milan, this is the one that got my heart beating fastest. It’s the Husqvarna Concept MOAB, and it’s billed as a “modern re-interpretation of the scrambler”. If the colors look familiar, it’s because they replicate the paintwork of Steve McQueen’s 1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross. According to the blurb given to the press, “The red tank, the spacious seat, the yellow side panel number holders, the simple stripped-down frame … these all form the essence of the new incarnation of the Husqvarna spirit.” And that’s fine by me.

The engine is the proven Rotax/BMW 650 unit, which helps to keep the bike compact and the seat height low. Wheels are 17” front and rear, and fitted with Pirelli MT60RS dual-sport tires. The ‘bars are high and wide, and the long seat will make the riding position even more comfortable. Hi-tech touches come from the instrument panel and the LED lights in the front number holder and at the back. Husqvarna hasn’t said whether or not it’ll put this bike into production. But the response at EICMA was enthusiastic—in contrast to the mixed response the newly productionized Nuda 900R has been getting. My gut feeling is that the Varese-based company has judged the market well this time, and we’re due for a resurgence of interest in scrambler-type motorcycles. After all, it’s a bike you can ride into the city during the week, and down the firetrails on Sunday. If it went on sale for less than $10,000, I’d pony up the cash. Would you?

Head over to our Google+ and Facebook pages for more images.

Renard Grand Tourer

Chris Hunter — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 17:30:34 +0000

In 1938, Estonian entrepreneur J. Laan founded a motorized bicycle manufacturer in the capital city of Tallinn, and called it Renard Cycles. Renard is French for ‘fox’, and a fox’s head formed the original Renard logo. But in March 1944, the factory was hit by a bomb and was completely destroyed. The emerging Estonian motorcycle industry became nothing more than a memory. Then three years ago, a group of Estonian entrepreneurs, designers and racing engineers joined forces to revive the Renard brand. Last April, the first ‘modern’ prototype was unveiled at the Hanover Technology Fair—the Renard Grand Tourer. It’s due to go into production this year.

According to the PR, the Renard GT’s carbon-fiber frame weighs only 11 kilograms (24.25 lbs). It’s reinforced with Kevlar and stiffer than a regular pipe frame, ensuring very precise steering. This ‘unibody’ integrates the frame, petrol tank and air box into a single load-bearing structure, helping to give the Renard its distinctive appearance.

The air-cooled engine comes from Moto Guzzi; it’s the 1151cc, 8-valve, fuel-injected V-twin found in bikes such as the Stelvio. Pumping out around 125hp, it’ll take the GT to a top speed of 230 km/h. And yes, there are some parallels here with Confederate. If this machine actually makes it into dealers’ showrooms, I know which one I’d prefer. What about you?

Specs
Engine type: V2 90° Moto Guzzi Quattrovalvole
Displacement: 1151cc
Wheelbase: 1450 mm
Trail: 97 mm
Caster angle: 23°
Dry weight: 190 kg
Peak horsepower: 125 hp (90kW) at 8000 RPM
Peak torque: 120 Nm at 6000 RPM
Top speed: 230 km/h

Ural Solo T concept

Chris Hunter — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:30:17 +0000

EXCLUSIVE The Ural sT is one of the great bargains of modern motorcycling: a tough, capable machine that can handle both city streets and dirt tracks. In the USA, you can ride a ‘Solo’ out of the showroom for just $6,999, and know that it’ll still be running 20 years down the track. Despite the price, the 750cc sT has 41mm Marzocchi forks and Brembo brakes. It also has a pleasingly no-nonsense look, as befits a design developed from the iconic BMW R71—complete with retro ‘tractor’ seat. But motorcycle designer Luca Bar has shown how easy it is to customize this machine. He’s created two concepts exclusively for Bike EXIF: a flat-seated ‘bobber’ (the blue and red bikes shown here) and a ‘clubman’ (in olive green and white). The changes are minimal, but the look of the sT has been completely transformed. It’s amazing the difference a shorter front fender, repositioned indicators and new headlights can make. The rubber pads on the tank have also gone, replaced by bold logos. And a bobbed rear fender and new seats have given the bikes a visual flavor closer to downtown Tokyo than mountainous central Russia. None of these mods would compromise the bulletproof toughness of the Ural sT, and they’re not particularly expensive either: the total bill would probably match the sticker price of a showroom-stock Triumph Bonneville. It’s interesting how the economics of the custom motorcycle scene work… [See the full range of Ural motorcycles, including sidecars, here.]

PS: If you like your two-wheelers unpowered as well as powered, take our sister site Cycle EXIF for a test ride.