NORTON COMMANDO MK III

It’s hard to improve on the Norton Commando. But Bill Becker, creator of the lovely Aermacchi Sprintwe featured a little while ago, has taken the iconic British motorcycle to a new level.

Bill bought the Commando on eBay as a project bike with a rebuilt motor and powder coated frame. Everything else was in a state of disassembly and arrived in three boxes. “That was OK with me,” says Bill. “My intent was to build a cafe racer based on a 1970s superbike platform, but with contemporary improvements—with a ‘naked’ look fashioned after period-racers.” The details were to be practical and serviceable, with paint kept to a minimum.

Bill laced Excel alloy rims to the Commando’s original polished hubs, adding stainless steel spokes and Avon Super Venom tires. The front brake system is by Norvil, with a reconstructed master cylinder and smaller diameter piston. The rear brake is an original Norton, with the rotor vented and lightened. Rearsets are old 60s items rebuilt to accommodate custom brake and shifting arrangements.

A belt replaces the triple chain as a primary drive, and the original primary cover has been heavily ventilated to keep the drive cool. “I also modified the gearbox cradle to provide for belt tensioning,” says Bill. “While the gearbox was out, I rebuilt it. The secondary drive is a 520, O-ring chain, to allow for a larger rear tire.” The Commando’s fuel delivery is now through new Amal 932 concentrics.

“I hit on the right look for the gas tank on the third try … I modified a Norton seat pan and cover, and had a red leather panel stitched into it.” Bill then installed an alloy oil tank under the Commando’s seat, vented to relieve crankcase pressure. Small Supertrapp mufflers give an exhaust note that Bill describes as “distinctive and mellow”.

Except for the alternator, the Commando’s electric system was scrapped and replaced with new components—a Boyer solid state ignition, a Dyna coil, a Tympanium rectifier, a new wiring harness and halogen headlamp, a British-style tail light and small carbon fiber turn signals. Bill designed and constructed a custom dashboard to hold the rebuilt Smith gauges, and completed the ensemble with LED indicator lamps. Clamp-on low bars complete the race-bike feel, and Bill designed custom graphics based on the contemporary Norton fonts.

The project was three years in the making and Bill’s still adding the final finishing touches. I’d say it’s close to perfection already—wouldn’t you?

All images © Roman Torres/Pixelcraft, used with permission. Once again, thanks to Marc Grossman for the tip.

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BMW R80 “DARK LAW”

In Europe, the spotlight on new wave custom builders tends to fall in France, Spain and Italy. But Portugal is coming through the ranks quickly. We’ve already featured the Triumph Thruxton built by Maria Motorcycles of Lisbon, and now we have this classy BMW R80 from Ton-Up Garage of Matosinhos.

“We want to bring back the spirit of motorcycles from a few years ago,” says Ton-Up’s Pedro Oliveira, “and the design that made that era so special.” And this R80, one of Ton-Up’s first projects, fits the bill. It started life as a Spanish police bike from the 1980s—hence the name “Dark Law”.

The bike was in good condition and the engine was strong, but the machine was saddled with the big fairings and panniers favored by Spanish law enforcement. After stripping the bike back to its core, Ton-Up cleaned up the frame with fresh paint and shortened it at the back to accommodate the custom single seat unit, upholstered in brown and dark silver leather. The R80 was then lowered a little, and fitted with a single rear shock from a modern superbike. Next on the list was a set of new foot controls and a full custom exhaust, upswept at the back to give the normally staid R80 the sportiest look possible.

“This isn’t a show bike,” says Oliveira. “It goes and handles well, the sound is very good, and it’s fun to ride on a daily basis.” A great start from a new name on the scene, and hopefully the first of many more sharp-looking customs from Portugal.

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MOTO MORINI SETTEBELLO

In Italian, “Settebello” is idiom for “seven of diamonds”. And this little 175cc Moto Morini is a real diamond, packing a surprising punch from its four-stroke single motor. This was during happier days for Moto Morini, when it enjoyed huge competition success after WWII.

Built for privateer racers as well as fast road riders, the Settebello could keep up with most of the 250s of the day. Engine output peaked at 16.5 hp—at a heady 8,500rpm— but with only around 100 kilos to propel, the bike could hit a remarkable 88 mph (141 kph). Trading on the glamour of Morini’s even smaller 125cc factory racer, and ridden by Agostini in the early 60s, the Settebello was a sales hit for the Bologna company.

Sadly, those sales had well and truly dried up by the time Morini went into liquidation in 2009. But the company is now back in business, and apparently building motorcycles again. Check out their current offerings here.

Images courtesy of Guerry & Prat.

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Zenvo ST1 2010

         The Zenvo has just released the first official images and final details for the ST1, a brand new supercar from a brand new manufacturer that will join the ranks of the automotive world's elite should it make its production date of early next year. It looks to compete with the likes of Pagani, Koenigsegg, SSC and Bugatti for the fastest and meanest cars in the world. 

         The Zenvo ST1's engine was offered 7.0 liter V8 that is rumored to be based on a GM crate motor. The big-displacement V8 is both turbocharged and supercharged, giving the ST1 a power output of 1,104 bhp and 1,055 ft-lb. of torque, with an electronically limited 233 mph top speed, the ST1 won't be breaking any production land speed records, though. 

         The exterior design of Zenvo ST1 works from nearly every angle, and apes notable features from everything from the Lamborghini Gallardo to the Nissan GT-R, to the Porsche Carerra GT, and its big gaping front air vents draw the eye over the tight, taught bodywork. Though obvious Lamborghini comparisons are made when speaking of the front end, the ST1 has softer body corners leading along the main body line toward the rear.

Specification

            * Type of engine: V8

            * Displacement (cm3): 7000

            * Fuel type: Unleaded 98 RON

            * Transmission: 6-speed manual and oil cooler. Hydraulic limit slip diff.

            * Top speed (km/h): 375 (electronically controlled)

            * Acceleration 0–100 km/h (s): 3,0

            * Weight (kg): 1376

                                                                                    

Toyota Avalon 2011

        Despite these difficulties to recall the recent car giant, Toyota continues to develop plans to introduce new vehicles, which debuts new 2011 Avalon sedan at the Chicago Auto Show 2011 exhibition. Avalon began to form on the market for the first time in 1994 and 2011 to the latest version was the 4th generation of the sedan is very popular. but the style of the Avalon 2011 seems like an evolution than a revolution in design. The car is enhanced with ga-steering cooler and new headlights. 

        Inside, the new version of Avalon interior is upgraded with an emphasis placed on technology. The standard equipment in cars include Bluetooth wireless voice and streaming audio, XM satellite waves, connect your iPod and MP3 players. One option for customers is the amalgams including 12 speaker JBL sound power 660W and navigation system DVD drive. 

          The Toyota 2011 Avalon was offered by 3.5L V6 engine, it has the power to 268 horsepower to the front axle and transmission through a 6-speed automatic transmission. Version 2011 is considered as the car models are low emission and ultra-efficient vehicles on the road 20/29 mpg city/highway. The safety devices in the system of Avalon Star Safety System includes stability control, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist and traction control TRAC. The new Avalon is expected to Toyota dealerships this spring with two levels is the base version and advanced version than the Limited.

Specification

            * Type of engine: DOHC 24-Valve V6 with Dual

            * Horse power : 268 hp @ 6200 rpm

            * Transmission: 6-speed Electronically Controlled automatic

            * Price (est): $ 34,000

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2010 Buick LaCrosse review

         The new LaCrosse builds on the success of Enclave as the next step in Buick’s renaissance and great attention to detail, craftsmanship and advanced technology. It offers unique features such as all-wheel drive and a new, efficient four-cylinder engine that will attract new customers to Buick. The 2010 LaCrosse was developed within GM’s worldwide network of design and engineering centers, reflecting Buick’s growing popularity around the globe – particularly in Asia.

         It offers a contemporary vision of a luxury sedan that looks at home on the streets of Santa Monica or Shanghai, with heritage cues that recall the brand’s legacy as a design leader. With three models - CX, CXL and CXS: • CX-equipped at the start of production with a new 3.0L direct injection V-6, premium cloth seats and 17-inch wheels. The 3.0L engine generates 255 horsepower (190 kW) and 217 lb.-ft. of torque (294 Nm) and has a six-speed automatic transmission. CXL-also equipped with the new 3.0L direct injection V-6. CXS is equipped with a 3.6L direct injection V-6.

          The LaCrosse’s interior continues the flowing, detailed aesthetic of the exterior, with elements such as ice-blue ambient lighting throughout the cabin - from the center console, instrument panel and door panels. Buick’s signature QuietTuning, an engineering process to reduce, block and absorb interior noise, provides a distraction-free passenger environment.

          * Price (est): $34,000

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Three Two Choppers Rufino 2

Hollywood’s Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel, are famous for out-of-left-field comedic movies like Raising Arizona, Bad Santa, and the iconic movie many of us never tire of watching, The Big Lebowski as well as darker movies like No Country for Old Men, Blood Simple, and Fargo just to name a few. They not only put their own twist on any genre, but you can tell it’s one of their movies even if you didn’t see the credits. Their style somehow comes through no matter how different and unique each movie is.

Fort Worth’s Cohen brothers, Jimmie Lee and JC, are not only the comedic equals of Ethan and Joel as far as I’m concerned after many hilarious conversations with them, but serious as hell about their chosen profession. They build a mean motorcycle at their shop called Three Two Choppers, each one different from the last, that also has a style you know is theirs even if you didn’t know it was theirs. That one-ups the Hollywood pair as I doubt they even ride a motorcycle, never mind build one. Jimmie Lee and JC are serious as nuts about what they do and act like one too whenever they get on a roll, which is often. They’re a couple of talented and very nice guys (sorry to say such sweet things about you two, but you are really nice guys) that deserve all the recognition they can get.

Three Two Choppers has recently graced the cover of Barnett’s Magazine (Issue #76) with a bike that showcases their style in a totally different way than our current feature bike Rufino 2, but both wear their mechanicals as art that screams, “Show us your bits.” Well thought out, highly finished, but with a delicate rough-hewn look that becomes the very definition of a motorcycle as hard core, but pleasing mechanical art. If the Cohen brothers had artificial hearts, they’d wear them on the outside of their torsos with every bit of plumbing artfully arranged and they’d laughingly bicker over who did a better job.

Rufino 2 is a cool hot rod of a bike built for long-time Three Two customer, Miguel Salinas. “It’s everything about a chopper that you like. It’s got a good sound, it’s easy to ride, and turns and lays over like a café bike,” said JC. The Dirty South Choppers frame built to Three Two dimensions features a sportbike-like 25-degrees of rake through the Jeri’s Springer front end creating a shorter wheelbase than a raked-out chop. “With a shorter wheelbase, you get agility built into the bike. It’s very nimble,” said JC. ”The difference between this bike and a Harley is that Harleys tend to feel a bit heavy and this bike doesn’t, it feels like you’re on a mo-ped.”

The 80” S&S Shovelhead powering Rufino 2 is very un-mo-ped-like, though, and was specifically built with kick-only starting in mind. Low-compression and reasonable cubes

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Chris Pleva’s Terracotta Tourer

Every bike has a back story about how it came into an owner’s possession. Many are purchased after years of wishing and hoping and saving while others are just bought on a split-second whim. It’s somewhat unusual when the owner is not the one who instigates a purchase, often it’s some form of peer pressure that leads to two-wheel ownership. But with Chris Pleva’s feature bike, it his lovely wife Donna who is responsible for Chris’ eventual custom Ultra Classic. “After having to sell a bike to pay silly legal expenses, one day my wife came up to me and said, ‘I found a bike on craigslist. It has only 500 miles on it.’ Seems a guy and his wife had bought a couple of bikes and they never rode them,” said Chris. “I said, ‘Let’s go look at it’ and when she saw the decked-out Ultra Classic, she immediately said, ‘I’d really like to have that backseat’ and I knew right then we had found the bike.

The short part of this story is that Chris and Donna both loved the bike and rode the pants off it for a while, but like all things Harley, you can’t leave stock alone. Two big things that were an important aspect of this build before the build began was that Chris was adamant about not losing or ruining anything that made a bagger useful and comfortable and he hates to clean and polish his bike preferring not to waste riding time for cleaning time. “I like low maintenance. I’m not a big shiny kind of guy and that’s why I did away with the chrome. I like to ride, but I don’t necessarily like to clean it a lot so that’s the reason I chose the colors, the powder coating, and the blacking out. I can wipe down that whole bike with a rag and never put a cleaner on it and it looks pristine.”

For such a low mileage bike, Chris took this build where you’d never have expected it to go. Instead of immediately bolting on stuff until his change quota was filled, he stripped it down to the bare frame and had it powder coated black to make it a perfect base to start. “I thought about raking the bike out, but I didn’t want to lose and comfort or have handling problems. If it just sat in my garage like a lot of customs, that’d be a different story, but I gotta take my rides,” said Chris.

The Twin Cam 96 stayed stock other than a couple of ancillary pieces like a set of Vance & Hines True Dual Fishtails and a Spike air cleaner for a little bit of sight and sound. “More power will just give me problems, I just like to go out and putt and cruise and have a good time. Any more than stock is just trouble and tickets for me,” said Chris laughing.

Frame done. Engine done. Now for the fun cosmetic part. “I researched everything and I mean everything before I started making any changes,” said Chris. “I chose a 21” Hogpro Black Magic wheel for the front, I like the machined look of it and it’s really, really sharp looking.” A fat 120/70 Avon Venom kept the same road feel as the stocker. Out back, he stayed with the stock H-D wheel for a few good reasons. “I looked at some other stuff and it looked sharp but I wanted it to any control, steering, or comfort, I wanted it to ride the way it originally rode,” he said. “Hey, I put the money in the front wheel [laughs], but I couldn’t see doing it in the back where you can’t even see it.” With the theme of useful custom in mind, Chris left the all the stock H-D brakes right where they were born.

His research lead him to Bad Dad when it came time for tin work and after all his purchases there, I would suspect he’s on Bad Dad’s Christmas card list. From fender to fender to stretched tank to saddllebag extensions, Chris let it rip and he’s glad he did. “I like their stuff better than anybody else’s. I talked with them I don’t know how many times as far as ‘let’s do this or let’s do that, how do I do this or that.’ They were great to work with, like talking to a buddy,” said Chris. “Other companies tell you ‘We have this or we have that’ and that’s the extent of what you get. Hell, Bad Dad held our hands through this and I can’t thank them enough.”

When it came to paint, Chris turned to Matt Lejeune of Outlaw Customs for the custom mix of silver and brown gold with airbrushed tribal graphics. “It’s a matte finish, everybody does gloss, I was trying to give it an Old School type of look. Remember I don’t want to polish,” said Chris laughing. “It’s not a show bike, well, it is a show bike, but I ride this bike and I wanted it to be very functional and I ended up with exactly the bike I wanted.”

View the photo gallery containing 59 photos.

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