Bike EXIF » Production Motorcycles

ZPsport 449 enduro

Chris Hunter — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:30:46 +0000

The small German town of Zschopau is famous for its motorcycling heritage. It was home to DKW and MZ, marques whose luminosity has dimmed in recent decades. But there’s now a chance that Zschopau could return to its motorcycling glory days. This is a prototype from a new company called ZPmoto; it’s a vintage-styled enduro inspired by the 1960 MZ ES 250 Geländesport.

The ZPsport 449 is powered by a Gas Gas single which delivers around 45 hp at 6,200 rpm, feeding through a six-speed ‘box. The bike is light at 130 kg fully-fuelled, and the 860 mm seat height is rider-friendly.

The chassis is tubular steel, with a single downtube branching into twin engine supports. I haven’t heard of the fork brand MUPO before, but the adjustable rear shocks are Öhlins. The rest of the components are top-drawer: the brakes are from Brembo, and the rims from Excel—21” at the front, 18” at the back.

The prototype is finished in the classic DKW colors of black, green and white, but the production machines will be offered in other colors. The bike is essentially hand-made, and when small-scale production starts in October, customers will be able to personalize their bikes to their hearts’ content.

All this comes at a price, however. It’s been set at €22,430, which is around US$28,000. That’s even more than Ducati’s range-topping Panigale 1199 S Tricolore. But the ZPsport 449 seems to be an attractive, capable and exclusive machine. I’m hoping there are enough enduro buyers who value rarity and vintage aesthetics.

Thanks to Lars-Hendrik Schneider for the tip.

1988 BMW K1

Chris Hunter — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:30:10 +0000

When I hit my twenties, the BMW K1 was impossibly glamorous. It was the poster bike for motorcycling. As a casual observer, I didn’t realise it was BMW’s attempt to appeal to younger riders, seduced by Japanese sportsbikes such as the Suzuki GSX-R1100. And I didn’t know that BMW’s engineering and quality control—for once—was deeply flawed. To me, the K1 was the kind of motorcycle Luke Skywalker would ride if he existed in real life: a blend of warp speed power and futuristic styling.

It was a machine straight from the pages of JG Ballard’s Vermillion Sands: glossy, lurid and bizarre, a vehicle for the wealthy and disaffected. (For what little it’s worth, it was also the world’s first production motorcycle with a three-way catalytic converter.) The 987 cc, 100 bhp K1 sold less than 7,000 units between 1988 and 1993, and its dynamics were trumped by machines such as the Honda CBR600F. But it’s still beautiful two decades later. And it broke the mould in the realms of styling and marketing, catching the eye of people who would never have otherwise looked at a motorcycle. I’d still choose one today over any 1990s Japanese or American bike—and not just because it’s the only motorcycle you can ride while wearing a scarlet leather one-piece.

Horex VR6 Roadster

Chris Hunter — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:30:25 +0000

If you’re a regular here, you’ll know that we rarely feature production motorcycles. But this new bike is more interesting than most. It’s the return of the venerable German marque Horex (est. 1920) with a VR6-powered Roadster due to start production in a few weeks’ time. And there are some big names backing this company: finance is coming from the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, while Rolls-Royce, Bosch and VW are providing technological know-how.

The Horex is powered by a new 1218cc triple overhead cam motor. It has a tight 15-degree V-angle to keep it compact, and puts out a hefty 161 hp. (It’s built at the Weber facility in Markdorf, near Lake Constance.) Another innovation is a chain and sprocket lubrication system, which continuously applies a thin film of graphite to the chain.

The styling—which reminds me a little of the Moto Guzzi Griso, surely a bike in the Horex’s sights—is by Peter Naumann, an industrial designer with motorcycle experience who also moonlights as a professor of design at the University of Munich.

Each Horex will be built to order, so there will be no excess stock at dealers. And it’ll be built using the traditional “one man, one bike” principle. The company is putting a big emphasis on quality control, and pitches itself as a two-wheeled counterpart to the established German auto industry.

It all sounds very promising, although we’ll have to reserve judgment until we know the pricing. We’ll also have to see how well the Horex carries its weight. The official specs show a rather portly 250 kg, without revealing whether that’s wet or dry. Either way, the VR6 Roadster is no featherweight sportbike.

My gut feeling is that the brand is doing everything right. And with a supercharged version of the VR6 motor already in the works, Horex will be able to satisfy power freaks as well as riders looking for an accomplished all-rounder. What do you think?

Zaeta 530 DT

Chris Hunter — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:30:35 +0000

One of the most exciting limited production bikes is the Zaeta 530 DT from Italy. So far, it’s been confined to the dirt track—but it will soon be available in road-legal scrambler and café racer configurations. Powered by a DOHC single built by TM, the Zaeta is nimble and fast, weighing around 115kg (250lbs).

These images show the latest incarnation of the bike. It has a new aluminum frame—three kilos lighter than the previous tube design—and improved rear suspension geometry.

To get the bike productionized and road legal, Zaeta founders Paolo Chiaia and Marco Belli have joined forces with builder Mr Martini, engineering specialist In-Motion and the Milan motorcycle dealer Officine Mermaid.

The quality of construction is obvious from these new images, and if Zaeta can translate the bike’s track pedigree into road-going manners, they should be on to a winner. Fingers crossed.

Studio images by Paolo Carlini.

Confederate Hellcat X132

Chris Hunter — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:30:05 +0000

Confederate has never been shy of making big claims. This is the Alabama company’s latest model, and it comes with a mission statement: “With the X132 Hellcat, we set out to build the toughest motorcycle ever made”. Confederate makes a big play of the Hellcat’s drag racing influence, citing a three-inch diameter steel backbone frame and a “patented drag race powertrain” incorporating a “vertical stack transmission” tied to the swingarm pivot. Owned by former lawyer H. Matthew Chambers, Confederate’s marketing is as heavy-duty as the bike, and champions “the American Way”. Hellcat components include Marzocchi forks, Pirelli Supercorsa tires, a Beringer/Brembo brake system and Motogadget instrumentation. The 132 ci (2163 cc) V-twin motor, developed with the help of S&S, puts out 132 bhp—which might not sound like much given the capacity, but the Hellcat is relatively light at 500 lbs (226 kg). The cost is $45,000. A reasonable price, do you think?

Ural M70

Chris Hunter — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:30:30 +0000

Most motorcycle manufacturers strive for progress. And in doing so, progressively remove the connection between the rider and the machine. One hand gives with more power, while the other hand takes away—with electronics to control that power. But Ural motorcycles have always chosen the tried and trusted route. The original BMW-based design is now decades old, albeit carefully updated with modern components. (That includes Marzocchi forks, Sachs shocks and Brembo brakes.) This month is Ural’s 70th anniversary, so the company is celebrating—not with a giant leap forward, but with a giant step back. And it’s exactly the right thing to do.

The new M70 is a tribute to its most famous forebear, the iconic M72 military motorcycle. Almost 10,000 M72s were built in the same Irbit factory as today’s Ural motorcycles, and in 1942, fleets of them were despatched to the WWII front lines. Like those machines, today’s M70 is available only in olive drab. It also comes with a spare wheel, a canvas tonneau cover, a wooden floor mat, a shovel and—wait for it—a machine gun mount. If you’re feeling nostalgic already, you’ll be glad to know that the M70 costs a very reasonable $14,200 (DP-28 Light Machine Gun not included). And it’ll give you decades of service, long after your plastic fantastic sportbike has been consigned to the wrecker’s yard or Craigslist.

PS: Bike EXIF now has an official Google+ page. If you’re one of those early adopter types, you’ll find us here.

Derringer Cycles

Chris Hunter — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:30:19 +0000

Derringer Cycles has come a long way since we last featured the company two years ago. The Los Angeles outfit now has a mouthwatering array of custom-built machines on its website. It’s a throwback to the aesthetics of 1920s boardtrack racers, right down to the copper rivets, Brooks leather saddles and even, if you so wish, white tires. Derringer pitches its hybrids as ‘the next generation motorbike’—a claim that some electric moto makers might disagree with. (We’re told that ‘The ultra-clean four-cycle powerplant meets stringent CARB tier 3 emissions standards’—but as far as I can see, the Derringer cannot be sold in Europe, because it’s only certified to the obsolete 1996 EURO 2 mark.) The engine is a 49cc OHV 4-stroke that offers an impressive 180 mpg; the transmission has a centrifugal clutch and freewheel, so the pedals can remain stationary while the engine is doing the hard work. No two Derringers are the same, and they’re absolutely guaranteed to stop the traffic. Would you put one in your garage?