BMW Inline Six Motorcycle Concept

The EICMA Milan Bike Show debuts a number of motorcycle models, most often from the European marques. Most of the time the bikes have been spied and rumored well before the official debut, but BMW pulled off a surprise with its Concept 6 – a six-cylinder design which the Bavarian firm hints may soon power a touring motorcycle.
The Straight Six powering the Concept, says BMW, “follows the well-known Straight Four in the K1300 model series.” Not all the details are in but it’s identified as a 1.6 liter displacement via a “slightly oversquare bore:stroke ratio with relatively long stroke and very small gaps between cylinders.” Like the K-Series, the Concept 6’s cylinders are tilted forward by 55 degrees.

The Inline Six engine centers the design of the Concept 6, surrounded by a “light-alloy bridge frame” that looks to be of the twin-spar aluminium variety.  BMW’s Duolever and Paralever suspension units are present and it is highlighted by their trademark shaft-drive, beefy six-piston front calipers and 17-inch stylish hoops shod with Pirelli's latest Diablo Supercorsa sticky rubber. The Six theme carries over to the exhaust, which features a six-chamber system, three outlets on each side.
As for its future? BMW says this in its PR announcement: “The new BMW straight-six will further expand the K-Series in the foreseeable future. The first model to be introduced will be an innovative and luxurious BMW touring machine. Reflecting the tradition of the BMW K-Series, this will of course be a genuine top-of-the-line product.” 

source by motorcycle-usa

Paul Yaffe-Built 2006 Yellow Road Glide
Alan Powell pushes for perfection. He is a gentleman of distinct means and style, not appearing to settle for anything less than precisely what he wants. He is a self-made entrepreneur, a former Army Ranger, music, entertainment and sports marketing man and corporate branding mogul. In his spare time, when he’s not buying and selling companies, he likes to ride big, heavy, crazy cool customs.



“It’s just who I am,” said Powell, whose own identity is unmistakable. The 42-year-old Chairman and CEO of AP & Associates, a strategic planning and multi-cultural marketing company, looks like he should be a starting defensive end in the NFL. He went to school for sports administration but somehow took a detour that led to whiz kid stardom and an unexpected career. 

Powell is not an easy man to say no to. So when Powell wanted a groundbreaking, street-ripping bagger with all the trimmings imaginable—and some unimaginable—for a sophisticated super-tourer, he challenged the king of the Bagger Nation, master-builder Paul Yaffe, to make one.

“I had a vision to do something different,” said Powell, “just like most things I’ve done in my life, so designing a unique motorcycle came naturally. I laid out what I wanted Yaffe to do, and carefully considered his input. I’d say it was a team effort.

“I chose Yaffe because I like his work and respect his reputation, and like me, he is a trendsetter and innovator, so I figured he would get it, and he did. I can’t say enough about his craftsmanship and attention to detail. I’m very happy with Zonker.” “Screamin’ Yellow Zonker” is the 2006 Road Glide’s full given name.

The bike is a multimedia machine, an eye-popping expression of style and custom-fit function. It features a monstrous 600-watt stereo system with a sound so sharp and powerful it could blow out the windows of passing cars, which might inspire the proper
motorcycle reverence and keep any living thing within a 100-yard parameter from getting disrespectful. Powell happily demonstrated the system’s awesomeness, cranking up a CD, pounding out sound waves that could bend the fabric of time and space. I liked it, even if my ears and eyeballs were bleeding. “Is that all you got?” I screamed at Powell, whose resume must also include lip reader. “No, I have more, check this out…”

A DVD screen raised silently out of the dash, already playing an action movie. I was waiting for the standard issue James Bond rocket launcher to slide out of a hidden panel in the gas tank. “Nah, we thought about it, but that would probably be illegal,” I could imagine Powell saying. “Well, maybe not in Arizona.” I checked the tank. 
I suppose an LED TV and dance club quality stereo is not surprising for a guy who earned his chops in the entertainment industry, developing the likes of Korn and Limp Bizkit. Powell was a precocious biker, carving up Kentucky back-roads with a Hayabusa at the age of 14. Is that legal anywhere?

He moved on to spreading mischief on a Kawasaki KZ1000, then into the Harley realm. Powell also owns a strikingly similar Street Glide, which seemed a little redundant. “Yeah, man, the Street Glide. It’s cool, I like to have a spare for my buddies,” he laughed, which set me to thinking what good buds we could make.

Powell doesn’t sit still for long. His phone is continually ringing with calls from China, Thailand, and across the country. He is engaging and conversational, not what you’d expect from a CEO on a mission, carrying on international business while chatting with a reporter and talking bikes. Mostly, Powell likes to relax by riding his bike to motorcycle events, whether it’s the local bike night or Sturgis.

He won’t relax for long. Powell continues to enlist C-Suite executives as ideas and opportunities surface. At press time, he was set to launch his next venture, BrandBreakers.com, which will focus on taking local individual and corporate brands global. Want to be famous? He later plans to own a motorcycle dealership.

Stay tuned, and crank it up.
Name of bike: Screamin’ Yellow Zonker
Owner: Alan Powell
Year/Make: 2006
Fabrication: Bagger Nation
Assembly: Paul Yaffe Crew
Build time: Three months
Engine: Twin Cam
Carb: EFI
Pipes: Bagger Nation/SuperTrapp
Air Cleaner: DM
Transmission: H-D
Primary: H-D
Clutch: H-D
Frame: H-D
Rake: + 14 degrees
Stretch: 1”
Forks: HD/Bagger Nation
Fork length (+ or -): stock
Triple Trees: Bagger Nation 7-degrees
Additional rake in trees: 7-degrees
Rear Suspension: H-D
Rear Shocks: H-D
Front wheel: Bagger Nation DeVille 23”
Rear wheel: Bagger Nation DeVille 18”
Front Tire (size and make): Avon 23”
Rear Tire (size and make): Avon 160 x 18
Front Brake: H-D
Rear Brake: H-D
Fuel Tank: Bagger Nation
Oil Tank: H-D
Fenders: Bagger Nation
Handlebars: Monkey Bars (Bagger Nation)
Risers: H-D
Hand Controls: H-D
Grips: Performance Machine
Foot Controls: Bagger Nation
Pegs: Covington
Headlight: H-D
Taillight: Custom LED’s
Painter: Hector Martinez
Color: Yellow
Graphics: Striping
Powdercoating: Desert Powder
Polishing: Concours
Molding: Gary Crisp
Electrical: Lee Woffenden
Seat: Guy Thieman 

The 2011 CTS-V Coupe begins production in the summer of 2010 as Photos

Cadillac is already displaying a 2011 model, the CTS-V coupe. The equation is: V goodness, mixed with killer features, all stirred in the the coupe bodystyle that was revealed last month at the LA Auto Show.
The CTS-V coupe will debut at the Detroit Auto Show next week, and we’re quite sure Cadillac has high expectations for this speed and luxury sedan. The two-door version looks damn sexy from where I’m standing, and the first thing to mention is: Germans, be warned, you got serious competition on your hands from Cadillac. The one-inch wider track at the rear axle is the biggest difference from the original CTS-V body, as well as lower marginal mass.
Under the hood, the CTS-V coupe from Cadillac is powered by a SA V8 engine, supercharged of course for your pumping delight at 556-horsepower. The choice of a manual or automatic six-speed gearbox is yours. All in all a good looking car with fabulous specs, a cool add-on to get would be the Recaro seats and deluxe sports-gearbox. Enjoy the pictures and more details in due time.


 source by mibz

2010 Cadillac CTS Coupe – Rival For 3 Series Coupe Or Audi A5?

It seems that the Cadillac CTS sedan’s success made the guys from General Motors hope again, despite the fact that were bankrupt recently, they want to launch an attack to the German competition via the new 2011 Cadillac CTS.
The road version of the Cadillac CTS Coupe concept is expected to make it’s debut at 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show’s floor, in December. Inspired by the lines of the highly-appreciated Cadillac Converj Concept, shown at Detroit 2009, the new model is a 2+2 seats coupe, which has plans to vie with the cream of the crop of the premium coupes Audi A5 Coupe, BMW 3 Series Coupe, Mercedes E Class Coupe or Infinity G37 Coupe.


Compared to the Cadillac CTS sedan, the coupe is 2 inches shorter and 2 inches lower, adopting an imposing design – the Cadillac officials say that, despite it is derived from the sedan, the coupe only has few elements borrowed from it (the gauges, the central console, headlights and the front grill).
In US, Cadillac CTS Coupe will be available with the direct injection 3.6-liter V6 304 HP engine, coupled to a 6 speed manual gearbox. Optionally, you can choose for the Driver Shift Control automatic transmission (with controls on the steering wheel for the sequential mode) and for all-wheel drive.
The next engine is set to drop later and it will equip the top version of the CTS-V Coupe: a 6.2-liter V8 and 556 HP (the same on the Cadillac CTS-V). In conclusion, the Americans “think big.” 
source by mibz

2010 Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept At Detroit 2010 – Caddy Limo Video
Cadillac’s brilliance seems to lie in this new sedan, yet presented only as a concept: XTS Platinum will replace the models with a very modest success, STS / DTS.
The new Cadillac XTS Platinum concept, had its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in 2010, and it is meant to be a futuristic personal office on wheels, combining the luxury with the latest in-car connectivity technology.
The style is sober, but modern, continuing the angular style of the successful model Cadillac CTS in an elegant note. The individuality of XTS Platinum enhanced by the extension of the chrome grille, where the Cadillac logo has a lead role.




Lamp units, both in front and back, remain vertical, giving the impression that the car is wider and more spacious than it really is – an effect of the Cadillac brand-specific style called “Art & Science.” Even though we talk about of high-end of the Cadillac range, the car will be first sold in 2012, XTS is a limo placed somewhere between BMW 5 Series and 7 Series, GM abandoning the opulent ideas.

Still, the “opulence” is found at high-tech interior, which breathes the air of luxury and comfort, being furnished with leather and wood. The overall design is simple and sober, but in doesn’t lacks the cutting-edge technologies such, as OLED technology displays (Organic Light-Emitting Diode
The designers have minimized the number of buttons and commands, and when the car’s engine is stopped, the black-backgrounded displays are of – so it gives a very sober look for the interior, called “Dead Front”, which gives the car a special morgue, reminiscent of Cadillac limousines of long forgotten times.
As propulsion, the Cadillac XTS Platinum will receive a plug-in hybrid system (PHEV – plug-in hybrid electric propulsion), the batteries of the electric motor can be recharged from an external power source. The associated heat engine is a direct-injection V6 that produces 350 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque.
The 2012 XTX Platinum has a MRC suspension (Magnetic Ride Control), borrowed from the Corvette – controlled dampers using magneto-rheological technology, rapidly responding to the driving conditions. The all-wheel drive system is not missing, and it works in a combination with a sophisticated stability and traction control system, StabiliTrak.
In conclusion, the 2012 Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept is not a jaw-braking car, but it manages to give the American brand them modern and luxury look. The production model will certainly have better prices than the European competition, but will be vigorously competed  by the Asian models.
 source by mibz

Obama denied the hybrid presidential limo he wanted!
President Barack Obama declared (there were initially only some rumours about such a plan from the White House) today that he originally wanted his presidential limo to boast a hybrid drivetrain, sustaining the more efficient and less environmental hazardous approach to personal transport that the American Convergent wants.
So what happened to prevent this from happening? The men in black.  The Secret Service said that the  hybrid engine couldn’t produce the kind of power necessary to scoot the massive Cadillac away from danger in an emergency situation. That’s saying something, considering the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid boasts a V8 with enough power to have a 7,700-pound towing capacity.


Most probably, the Secret Service did not make public all reasons for the denial of a hybrid powertrain presidential limo for the Obama administration. Hybrid systems may be more easily interfered with electronically, and are yet to have resisted the test of time in secured, armoured or simply important vehicles.
Obama’s pining for a hybrid limo came to light during a speech about the government’s recent purchase of 5,000 of hybrid cars and trucks for federal use. No word on whether or not the executive branch got the General Motors employee discount.
There are no figures available on the actual mileage of the limousine, nor of the reduction a hybrid model would have one. Surely, in direct consequence the difference wouldn’t have been important compared to other presidential costs, but the example it would have stood as is something else.
source by abc new

About Audi RS6 Avant we can say that is something like a family Lambo. But, the tuner Reifen Koch thought that almost 600 HP is not enough for a family…
Audi RS6 Avant stock model has a huge 5.2-liter V10, borrowed from the Audi R8 V10. The thing is that the wagon has even more horsepower that the supersort coupe: 580 HP compared to the R8’s 525 HP.
In addition, the Audi RS6 Avant is even more powerful than the Mercedes E 63 AMG T-Modell, and is currently the most powerful stock wagon in the world.
“So what?” said Reifen Koch, who, like another German tuner, MTM, wanted to get more from the the RS6 Avant. We mean about 700 HP – or about 120 additional horsepower.And torque was affected too, raising from 479 lb-ft to 583 lb-ft.
The interesting fact is that this upgrade do not require major interventions in the technical side of the car. The recalibration of the Engine Control Unit, the adopting of a sport air filter and the replacement of the exhaust system were enough.
Therefore, the performances are also at another level: if the maximum speed for a stock Audi RS6 Avant is limited to 155 mph, the model tuned by Reifen Koch gets far up to 205 mph (true, with almost 10 mph less than the same car tuned by MTM). The acceleration times are not specified, however, we wonder how many tens of seconds it dropped compared to the 4.6 seconds claimed by the stock model?
As for the looks of the car, the tuner considered that is not the case to alter the car’s sober line with an aesthetic kit. Though, it is available a set of wheels of not less than 22″, coming from Schmidt, wearing performance tires, sized 265/30 R 22.
 source by mibz

Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera The Lightest Lamborghini
The fastest Gallardo, Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4  Superleggera is officially presented to us  a night before the official disclosure.
LP570-4 Gallardo Superleggera takes very seriously the reputation that it bears and is the lightest road model that Lamborghini is offering at this time. Dropping 154 pounds  Superleggera LP570-4 weighs just 2954 lbs. The diet’s key factor was the use of carbon fiber at exterior and interior elements. The table is arranged under the 43/57 ratio being a prerequisite  of sportiness.


In addition, all the name reveals that it has 10 extra horsepower, 5.2-liter V10 engine developing 570 horsepower. Thus the  mass / power ratio is spectacular, being about 5 lbs per pound. Power is delivered to 30% on the front axle and 70% at the rear. It’s obvious that the performances are high,  Gallardo Superleggera can reach 62 mph in just 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph. The new generation is not only faster but also more efficient, say the Italians,  because it reduced consumption and emissions by 20% compared to previous Gallardo Superleggera.  The average consumption of the new Superleggera is 13.5 liters per 62 miles.
In terms of design, everything was done following the specific aerodynamic directives, but also contributed to the appearances. So the new Gallardo gets a very aggressive bumper and would provide more natural air flow . Aerodynamics is improved  in the rear to, by the prominent rear diffuser and the pronounced solid fin  (but not  standard,  only as optional).
The interior is a kind of  carbon fiber paradise, the center console, door panels and seats  being built of this noble material. Contrary to expectations interior isn’t austere and customers still have air conditioning, electric windows and  Alcantara leather, ie all “‘extra” facilities you need to enjoy a Lamborghini Gallardo.
source by mibz

Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera LP 570-4 Presented At Geneva 2010

Lamborghini introduced a lighter and more powerful version of its Gallardo at Geneva 2010, which develops 570 HP and 398 lb-ft of torque while having a weight of 3,109 lbs.
The Italians form Lamborghini have lowered the weight of the Gallardo LP-560-4 version. The model is the successor of the Gallardo Superleggera launched in 2007 and top end of the Gallardo range. Just like the the first Superleggera version, the new 570-4 is 154 pounds lighter than the standard Gallardo, in this case, LP 560-4. The total weight of the new Gallardo Superleggera is now 3,109 lbs.
Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera 570-4 is equipped with a 5.2-liter V10 engine that develops 570 HP, 40 hp more than the version that it is based on. The acceleration from 0 to 60 mph is done in just 3.4 seconds while top speed is of 202 mph. Acceleration from 0 to 125 mph is stops the watch over just 13.6 seconds. Compared with the previous model, the new 570-4 Superleggera is 20.5% more efficient and more environmentally friendly, thanks to direct injection system called Iniezione Diretta Stratificata.


The new model of the Sant’Agata automaker is equipped with a permanent four-wheel drive system mated with a six-speed e-gear transmission. The power is put on the road by the four Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires fitted to a set of forged aluminum wheels for 19 inch.
source by mibz