Voxan is back with an electric land speed bike designed to hit 330 km/h. Plus a wild Buell M2 Cyclone from France, and details of a collaboration between two storied British marques: Aston Martin and Brough Superior.
Buell M2 by Taverne Motorcycles It’s impressive enough that this fierce cafe racer is based on the clunky Buell M2 Cyclone. But it’s even cooler that the guys who built it started with just a motor. Florian and Christophe at Taverne Motorcycles in France started with just the 1200 Sportster motor from an M2, then sourced an M2 frame, and proceeded to kit it with a wide array of parts.
There’s a set of Triumph 955i forks up front, mounted up via modified yokes. The rear’s sporting a Buell X1 swing-arm, hooked up to a Shock Factory shock on custom mount points. And the wheels are 17” Aprilia RSV4 units, wrapped in Conti Sport Attack 2 tires, and stopped by a full Beringer brake system.
Taverne modified parts of the M2 frame, and then built an aluminum monocoque tank and tail unit to sit on top. There’s a faux oil tank under the seat, that holds the battery and some electrical bits, while the actual oil tank sits in the custom-made belly pan. The front fender and headlight cowl are custom too, and USV Racing came to the party with machined parts like the clip-ons, grips, rear-sets and a few smaller bits.
To squeeze a little more performance from the Harley motor, Taverne added a Mikuni HSR carb, high-flow intake and a custom exhaust. So it’s not only better looking now, but punchier and lighter too. The Buell’s finished off with a striking gold livery, and engraved engine casings, courtesy of Sparrow Kustom Tattoo. [More]
Voxan Wattman Boutique French manufacturer Voxan first released the electric-powered Wattman in 2013, designed by Sacha Lakic—the man behind Blacktrack Motors. Now they’ve unveiled a new Wattman, purpose-built to attempt a land speed record attempt.
According to Wikipedia, Sacha penned this version of the Wattman too, with Voxan’s engineering team in Monaco squeezing max performance out of it. It was supposed to have had its record attempt already, but that’s now been pushed to July 2021. That’s when it’ll run at the Salar de Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia, piloted by none other than Max Biaggi.
There’s some interesting engineering hiding behind the Wattman’s streamliner bodywork. It features a double-wishbone front suspension system, and forgoes a front brake for the sake of aerodynamics and stability. There’s no parachute either, so Max will be relying entirely on a rear brake and enough runoff to slow down.
The Wattman’s motor puts out a bananas 317 kW (or 425 hp), with a 15.9 kW battery, good enough for a few minutes needed for a run. The battery alone weighs 140 kg—almost half the bike’s 300 kg overall weight. Despite the heat generated, the Wattman has no radiator, using a reservoir filled with dry ice to draw heat away from the motor and batteries instead.
It’s an intriguing machine, with an ambitious task: to hit a top speed of 330 km/h, and beat the previous record of 327 km/h. [Voxan Motors]
Yamaha MT-01 by Kalapea Garage Combining a 1670 cc V-twin motor with a sport bike chassis, the zany MT-01 is one of the raddest muscle bikes to ever hit the streets. This one’s been given a visual fine tune by Kaspar at Kalapea Garage in Estonia, and it’s all the better for it.
The Yamaha’s engine and main frame is stock, but Kaspar built a new subframe to hold a modified Ducati Diavel seat unit. Up front, he fitted the headlight nacelle from a Harley Sportster, with an LED light sitting inside. The original clocks are hiding behind it.
The fuel tank is mostly original, but the side pods have been replaced by a pair of hand-made fiber glass air scoops. And there’s some new carbon fiber trim on the tank, front fender, and where the new seat meets the OEM bodywork. The cockpit features Renthal risers and bars, and a set of Highsider mirrors.
Most of Kaspar’s man hours went into fabricating the stainless steel exhaust system, which terminates in a pair of SC Project cans. “It sounds like an old fighter jet on a flyby,” says Kaspar. The final finishes include a chic satin green paint job, with black on the frame and bronze on the rims.
Aston Martin and Brough Superior AMB 001 The AMB 001 represents a collaboration between two extremely British marques, but most of us probably can’t afford it. To prove that the other-worldy AMB 001 isn’t vaporware, Aston and Brough Superior have just released a glimpse of the first prototype putting in track time at Pau-Arnos in France.
Showing the bike on track is a big deal for the two companies, mainly because the limited edition AMB 001 is being sold as a track-only bike. And it’s big on performance too, with an intercooled, turbocharged 997 cc V-twin, which makes a claimed 180 hp. The motor is load-bearing too, and hangs off a CNC-machined backbone.
Everything about the AMB 001 blends performance and luxury, which is what makes it so appealing. The wheels are forged aluminum, the bodywork is all carbon fiber, and the leather seat looks as swish as anything you’d find in a luxury car.
There’s heaps of titanium too, and classy details like the Aston Martin wing badges, which are lazer-cut from paper thin metal, then applied under layers of clear coat.
But punting the track-only aspect of the AMB 001 does feel like a weird flex, considering it’s also being marketed as ‘automotive art for the motorbike connoisseur.’ We’re hoping that at least some of the 100 AMB 001s that are being made actually end up on the track, and not on display.