XSR900 'Monkeebeast' by Wrenchmonkees

Custom motorcycle builders the Wrenchmonkees are not only at the heart of the custom scene, they are also at the heart of Yamaha's Yard Built activities. From their Copenhagen workshop the Danish duo have been responsible for a string of stunning builds from the Sport Heritage range, including the XSR400, XJR1300 and now, the XSR900. 

Delivered in their trademark black, the Yard Built XSR900 'Monkeebeast' ups the game and breaks from tradition. This is no run-of-the-mill cafe racer or brat style machine but a brutal brawler, an urban warrior built to tackle any terrain. "The Wrenchmonkees are one of the most influential builders in the custom scene," commented Yamaha Motor Europe Marketing Coordinator, Cristian Barelli. "We have worked with them since we began the Yard Built project and have collaborated on some really ground breaking machines. 

This latest build is brilliant; it shows clearly that their design is constantly moving forward and evolving, ahead of the game! I'm really happy that they have shown that with some clever modifications, but no cutting or welding to the frame, you can transform the XSR900 into something completely different." Taking the XSR900 from a street machine to an all-terrain beast comes courtesy of Borrani 17" spoke wheels with black rims, 9mm stainless spokes and black hubs. The Borrani wheels get wrapped in some serious rubber, Continental TKC tyres. The rear-end gets beefed up with a K-Tech shock, Gilles Tooling chain adjusters and a TRW rear brake disc and steel braided brake lines. 

The rider position is dealt with by adding a Wrenchmonkees one-off seat, Gilles Tooling rearsets modified with enduro footrests, a Magura handlebar and Biltwell Renegade grips. Braking at the front gets an upgrade with a Nissin radial front brakemaster and steel braided brake lines. Motogadget pushbuttons clean up the contact point and an MT-03 style headlight and LED rearlight shine out. A growling SC Project exhaust caps a modified MT-09 system and Wrenchmonkees one-off aluminium rear fender, front fender and engine guard complete the custom look. Powdercoated fenders, engine guard and tank covers wrap up the design, leaving the Monkeebeast ready to roll. Selected parts designed for the Monkeebeast will soon be available directly from the Wrenchmonkees for those XSR900 owners who want to make a different statement with their machine. 

Ehinger Kraftrad Speedster

Inspired by skinny grass track racers and a tribute to the racing bikes of the 1920s to 1940s, the Speedster is the second part of Uwe Ehinger’s speedbike trilogly that began with the Ehinger Kraftrad Snowracer.

The Speedster features a traditional 45° engine that looks like a Harley-Davidson Knucklehead at first, but is quite different upon closer inspection. Uwe Ehinger designed the Knucklehead cylinder heads with CAD software to fit the 1937 four-cam bottom end of a side valve Harley Davidson U. Other technical gems are the ohv-heads which feature an open valve train and the rockers which are machined out of a solid block of aluminum.
The extremely narrow 1“ primary belt transmits the power to the dry clutch of the Harley-Davidson four-speed transmission. The reward is a unique V-twin engine with 1200 ccm. The concepts for all other details were first designed on CAD and then built with the support of several great co-operation partners.

To achieve an appearance that is reminiscent of the grass track racers of the twenties to forties that were incredibly narrow, the tail section of the Speedster was narrowed and the rigid frame was modified from the original two tubes to a single downtube. The Springer fork was also narrowed, the dogbones are designed by Ehinger Kraftrad and the top clamp is machined out of a single block.

The oil tank, which appears to be missing, is integrated into the glittering banana seat and part of the frame serves as additional gas tank as the capacity of the main tank is rather small. The racing number plates feature the engine‘s original year of construction and the 22“ rear tire is equipped with a psychadelic wheel cover.
Bending the category a bit, the Ehinger Kraftrad Speedster was awarded “Best Flathead” at Born-Free 7 where Uwe Ehinger was the first ever invited builder from Germany.
Photos by Dirk Weyer (http://www.dirkweyer.com)

Yamaha OW1300 - 40 Years Ago by Motor Bike Expo

An innate passion for motorcycles and staying up to date on everything within the world of "two wheels” has resulted in the desire to bring an ambitious customization project to life: a special symbol of our work and how we interpret the concept of custom motorcycles.
The base selected was the Yamaha XJR 1300, considered one of the most adaptable and aesthetically suited for this project.

This decision was influenced by the historical relationship between Motor Bike Expo and Yamaha Motor Italia, present in Verona since the first edition.
It was decided that the implementation of this build would be entrusted to Venezia Moto; both a workshop as well as an official Yamaha dealer, Venezia Moto won the Yamaha Garage Challenge with their bike, Xv 950 Mid Night Club, on the MBE stage in 2015.
The carefully fostered ten-year relationship between Yamaha Italy and the famous Venetian dealer, aided by their physical (and philosophical) proximity, has facilitated the growth of natural synergy between them. This faithful partnership was intended to be emphasized through the creation of this bike.

The Yamaha XJR embodies the spirit of Motor Bike Expo: a “container” of multiple styles, genres, and trends – such as Custom, Cafè Racer, Racing, and Heritage – that all coexist harmoniously within a single medium. Also, the implementation of the shapes, lines, and livery revived from the past, as opposed to installing cutting-edge technology, is a symbol of the past, present, and future of the Yamaha brand.
This is all combined with the 40th anniversary of Giacomo Agostini’s World Champion Title win on the legendary Yamaha OW23 - YZR500 in 1975, hence the name, “OW1300 - 40 Years Ago”. The shape and features reminiscent of the past are reimagined here in a modernized fashion, using materials and high-quality accessories both from the international aftermarket and of genuine Italian craftsmanship.
The Special was premiered to the world at Motor Bike Expo 2016.
Big thanks to:
- SC-Project
- Marvic Wheels
- Metzeler

La passione innata per le motociclette ed il quotidiano aggiornamento su ciò che succede attorno al mondo delle “due ruote”, in funzione all’organizzazione e alla promozione della manifestazione Motor Bike Expo, ha scaturito il desiderio di realizzare un ambizioso progetto di customizzazione.
Una special simbolo del nostro lavoro, dei nostri studi e di come interpretiamo il concetto di moto personalizzata.

La scelta sulla base da cui partire è stata dettata dai rapporti storici tra lo show scaligero e la filiale italiana di Yamaha Motor Europe, presente a Verona in forma ufficiale fin dalla prima edizione. La base è quella della Yamaha XJR 1300, ritenuta una delle più duttili ed esteticamente idonee al progetto.
Si è deciso di affidare la realizzazione a Venezia Moto, officina, nonché concessionario ufficiale Yamaha, vincitrice con la Xv 950 Mid Night Club del primo premio al concorso Yamaha Garage Challenge, consegnato proprio sul palco di MBE 2015.

Il rapporto decennale con Yamaha Italia e la stretta vicinanza geografica (e di idee) con il noto concessionario veneziano, hanno facilitato l’instaurarsi di naturali sinergie.
Proprio questa fedele partnership vuole essere sottolineata attraverso la realizzazione della moto, non solo negli intenti, ma soprattutto in elementi che leganole realtà coinvolte nella customizzazione.
La moto interpreta lo spirito portante di Motor Bike Expo, come “contenitore” di più stili, generi e tendenze che coesistono armoniosamente in un unico mezzo: Custom, Cafe Racer, Racing, Heritage… Inoltre, ripescando forme e livree dal passato, in contrapposizione all’istallazione di tecnologie all’avanguardia; è metafora di un’analisi del passato, del presente e del futuro del marchio
Yamaha.

Collante di tutto ciò è il 40° anniversario della celebrazione del Titolo di Campione del Mondo di Giacomo Agostini con la leggendaria Yamaha OW23 YZR500 del 1975. Da qui il nome “OW1300 - 40 years Ago” (Agostini appunto). Le forme richiamano quelle del passato, riviste in chiave attuale, con materiali e accessori di alta qualità che si mixano tra aftermarket internazionale e artigianato italiano.
La Special è stata presentata in anteprima mondiale a Motor Bike Expo 2016.

Photo by Mattia Negrini 

MOTORFEST 2016

1-2-3 Luglio 2016: l’ottava edizione del MOTORFEST RACALMUTO.
MOTORFEST 2016 andrà in scena all’Autodromo “Valle dei Templi” di Racalmuto e tra le tante novità di quest’anno l’evento aprirà i battenti già dal Venerdi pomeriggio, offrendo agli appassionati delle 2 ruote uno straordinario week end ad alto tasso adrenalinico.

La manifestazione siciliana è ormai diventata un appuntamento irrinunciabile per gli appassionati del mondo motociclistico.
Durante tutto il week end si potranno ammirare le novità del settore, toccare con mano esemplari unici e scoprire le special presentate in una passerella dedicata al mondo del custom e delle café racer e scrambler

Tanta carne al fuoco per gli appassionati del custom. Anche per il 2016 il BIKE SHOW, aperto a professionisti e privati, sarà curato della rivista LOWRIDE, mensile nazionale dedicato al mondo del Custom.
Visto il grande successo dell’anno scorso, riconfermato il “CAFE-SCRAMBLER_Blog contest”, concorso dedicato agli amanti dei mezzi manubri e dei tasselli sotto l’egidia di Vintage Biker Sicily ed altri noti blogger che si aggiungeranno alla giuria del contest.

Ampio spazio sarà dedicato all’area spettacoli: FreeStyle Motocross, Stunt Show, Musica dal vivo, Dj Set e l’animazione delle Paddock Girls non vi daranno il tempo di annoiarvi !

KEEP IN TOUCH

Segreteria Organizzativa:
Info@autodromovalledeitemp li.com cell: 3287292008 - 3287292004 - fax 0922949462
Autodromo Valle dei Templi di Racalmuto.

C.da Mezzarati Km (28+500 della SS 640 AG-CL), 92020 Racalmuto.

CAFÉ NOIR

Pepo Rosell non mi delude mai, riesce sempre a dare e a trovare l'anima sportiva in ogni moto, anche in una piccola Mash 250 , perchè lui ha quella visone racing delle moto e questa sua filosofia la porta avanti con convinzione ed efficacia da anni.

‘TECHNICAL SCHEDULE 

CAFÉ NOIR 2016

Donnor bike : MASH 250 Café Racer
XTR frame modification
Front Bracket XTR
XTR aluminium race footrest
Frentubo rear brake line
XTR power air filter
Exhaust system and megaphone SuperMario by XTR
XTR fiber glass fuel tank Honda 500 GP type
XTR glass fiber fairing OSSA GP type
Modified XTR Windscreen
XTR glass fiber solo seat Aermachi ala d’oro type
XTR upholstery
Modified Mash front mudguard
XTR licence plate and rear light bracket
Continental Supermotard tyres
Montesa rear light
H7 XTR H7 front light
LIPO battery
Painting : Pintumoto

Pictures : Cesar Godoy’