Thursday 21st January, 2010
The ‘White Mars’ is legendary within German motorcycling circles. It even featured on a Deutsche Bundespost stamp in 1983. So what’s so special about this motorcycle? Although it first appeared in 1920, the styling still looks radical today. And at the time, the 986 cc sidevalve flat twin engine—built by Maybach—was considered enormous. The two-speed Mars MA21 was also available in red and green, but it’s the stark, minimal white option that has become intrinsically associated with this bike. It’s just so different from the usual motorcycles produced between the wars. Mars was based in Nürnberg, Germany, and built motorcycles on-and-off between 1903 and 1958. Small machines such as the ‘Stella’ kept the factory humming after WW2—but it’s the Claus Franzenburger-designed heavyweight that’s revered today. Head over to Design Boom for more images.
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Wednesday 20th January, 2010
This bike is three decades old, but I’m willing to bet that there are few modern machines that could keep up with it. Suzuki launched the GSX1100E right at the end of the 70s, pitching it as a heavyweight musclebike for the touring market. And yes, it had muscle aplenty: with an output of around 100 bhp, it was one of the quickest production bikes you could buy. This pristine example is owned by reader Federico from Italy, who has restored and customised his 1980 model as a tribute to Hideo “Pops” Yoshimura. This particular GSX has considerably more power than the original: Federico has rebuilt the motor using Wiseco 1135cc pistons, WebCam cams and Ape valve springs. It’s breathing through 33mm Keihin carbs, with a Dyna ignition and coils providing the spark. An aftermarket oil radiator keeps temperatures down, and a Barnett clutch transmits the power to the back wheel. (Which is from a 1989 Suzuki GSX-R—as are the forks, front wheel and front brakes.) The frame is braced and lightened, and Pirelli Diablo SC2 tires help keep the shiny side up. A sweet machine, and one to steer clear of at the traffic light Grand Prix.
Sony DSC-T90 | 1/80s | f/3.5 | ISO 80 | Focal length 6.18mm
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Tuesday 19th January, 2010
Triumph’s post-War T5 Speed Twin is a rarity these days, so I’m assuming (and hoping) that the 1947 donor vehicle for this custom was a wreck. It’s by Fukuoka-based Snug, one of Japan’s lesser-known custom builders, and everything has been heavily reworked. The original 498 cc parallel twin OHV four-stroke has been replaced by Triumph’s later 650 motor, presumably from the Tiger T110. The cam has been upgraded to a hotter Megacycle item, and the carburetor is now an Amal 930. So Snug’s machine will have considerably more poke than the stock 27 bhp T5. The detailing is lovely, and the black, gold and red color scheme looks both original and appropriate. But will those vintage drum brakes have enough power to stop this bike?
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Monday 18th January, 2010
My folks live in England, and—like most people in Western Europe—they’ve spent the past few weeks buried under snow and ice in the most vicious winter for decades. Which led me to thinking about all the motorcycles locked up in garages and sheds, waiting for the roads to clear and tires to find grip. So when I happened across this extraordinary machine from TGS in Germany, I had to feature it. The bike was built by TGS’ owner Tobias Guckel for Sepp Schmidt, hence the name ‘Seppster’. And those huge Avon Cobra tires each have 120 spikes for maximum purchase on ice … Of course, it’s not an entirely practical bike, unlike the hugely popular ice speedway racers of Europe, but it’s a very interesting alternative to the usual ‘Hot Wheels’ style choppers. Power comes from a turbocharged S&S 93-ci motor, but virtually every other part of this machine was built in-house by TGS, from the radical single-sided front fork to the rigid frame and wheels. This bike came third at the 2008 World Championship of Bike Building; like Hot Dock’s StG Nautilus, it was overshadowed by Roger Goldammer’s paradigm-shifting ‘Goldmember’. In any other year, Ice Racer would have grabbed the spotlight, and rightly so.
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Sunday 17th January, 2010
Computer renderings of concept bikes are two-a-penny these days, but this one deserves more attention than most. Metalback comes from a leading automotive designer called Jordan Meadows, and it’s an attempt to marry the ethos of the traditional café racer with contemporary green credentials. “The concept is powered by a v4 engine running on bio diesel,” says Meadows. “Its frame and skin are crafted from recycled aluminum. This has the advantage of saving weight to enhance performance, while reclaiming pre-used material. In the manufacturing process, the alloy is treated to patina and age naturally without expensive and harmful paint applications. The net effect is a raw natural surface which suits the classic cafe racer, and recalls the romance and power of vintage WW2 fighter planes.” It’s an interesting approach and Meadows has the history to back it up: until last year he was Design Manager at Mazda’s North American Design Center, and his CV includes stints Volkwagen, Chrysler/Jeep and Ford. The big question is whether a mainstream motorcycle manufacturer would be prepared to go down this road—and is the public prepared to buy into it? [Image © Jordan Meadows Design.]
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Saturday 16th January, 2010
One of the few Japanese custom shops with an English-language translation website is Hide Motorcycle, also known as Hidemo. Since 2001, Hide has specialised in Harley custom motorcycles, and its latest venture is a range of Sportster conversions. (So new, in fact, that the product page is one of the few that have not yet been translated.) The machine above is Hide’s ‘Traditional Style’ bike, with new wheels, bodywork and engine ancillaries—plus that stunning restyled muffler. It’s a showcase for Hide’s mission to build bikes that are “rare, warm, natural and interesting”, reflecting old-style racing culture. Like most Japanese builders, there are a lot of ‘peanut’ tanks and ape bars in the Hide catalogue. But there are also a lot of customs that’ll have very strong appeal to western eyes, and many Hide bikes have won awards in the top Japanese and Western custom motorcycle shows. If you ever find yourself in Japan, factor in a visit to Hide’s factory in Kawasaki—it’s within easy reach of both Tokyo and Yokohama. [See more images of the Hide custom Sportster in the album on the Bike EXIF Facebook page.]
Canon EOS Rebel XSi/450D | 1/250s | f/5.6 | ISO 100 | Focal length 55mm
Wednesday 13th January, 2010
There’s something impossibly British about the color scheme of this lovely 1974 Norton Commando 850. I’m guessing it’s a Mark 2A model with the 828 cc engine—still an air-cooled twin like the iconic 750 models, but a little more relaxed in its power delivery. Today, the Mark 2A is one of the most desirable Nortons for collectors, and this one was spotted by Vermont-based photographer Matt Kiedaisch. The bike was on show at the Shelburne Museum, as part of the “Full Throttle” motorcycle exhibition. It was supplied by local specialist Jack Manning of The Classic Bike Experience, “a bunch of guys who like to work on old British bikes (and yes, occasionally some other stuff)”. Their website is pleasantly ramshackle but curiously engaging, with some lovely old British iron up for sale. [Thanks to Matt Kiedaisch.]
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II | 1/125s | f/2.8 | ISO 1600 | Focal length 70mm
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Tuesday 12th January, 2010
This exquisite little machine, the color of a delicate Italian caffelatte, caught my attention on the website of Australian motorcycle photographer Phil Aynsley. The picture was taken in a small village near Bassano del Grappa in northern Italy, and the bike appears to be a 1953 Laverda 75 Sport. That means it was built just five years after Francesco Laverda decided to create a lightweight motorcycle for his own use. By 1952, Laverda had created a factory team of four racing bikes to enter into the Milano-Taranta road race—and when all four bikes finished the race, the Laverda name was established in the motorcycling world. The 75 Sport, with a new tubular steel frame, then dominated the 1953 Motogiro d’Italia. And the rest, of course, is history. [There's more on the history of this bike in Mick Walker's Italian Racing Motorcycles and Ian Falloon's Laverda Twins and Triples Bible PDF.]
Canon EOS 5D | 1/100 sec | f/8.0 | ISO 200 | Lens TS-E90mm f/2.8
Monday 11th January, 2010
In 1979, the Honda CBX Super Sport was the fastest production motorcycle in the world. And it still looks sharp today. This brutal-looking machine is owned by Javier Cragnolini, an Audi Technical Instructor from Florida, who rescued the bike from a drag racer. “The bike had 3000-something miles, most of them at the strip. I installed a Jet kit from Tim’s CBX, and ended up modifying it a lot because of the cams on the engine; it still idles very rough, but she’s a sweet ride.” Javier bolted on the front and rear end from a 2005 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10, and built a new exhaust system himself. Then he topped it all off with a custom wiring harness, a pair of fog lights from a parts store, and a modified Ducati Monster seat. “Having worked as a mechanic for German cars since I can remember, I always deal with a very complicated product,” says Javier. “This made me keep the bike extremely simple when I was building it.” A good move by the sound of it, and a terrific result.
Sony DSC-W55 | 1/8s | f/2.8 | ISO 200 | Focal length 6.3mm
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