Inline Performance Magazine

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Inline Performance Magazine

Posted: 30 May 2011 10:00 PM PDT

Hey guys, Graham here with an update for our XT 600 project.

I'll start this one with a confession—I'm not from the Bay Area. As a result, it's not unheard of for me to get completely lost, especially once I'm off the beaten path. Of course, most of the Bay's best motorcycling roads are off the beaten path, so this my lack of navigational ability was limiting my ability to go out and find great rides.

Enduros like our trusty old Yamaha are ideal for covering distance in the back-country, so the XT was the logical choice to equip with GPS navigation.

Mounting the GPS unit was easy, thanks to the RAM mounting system that we used. Basically a series of mounted rubber balls and clamping arms, the RAM system allows for quick adjustment of the angle and location of the GPS unit, making it easy to adapt for riders of different heights. It's also easy to simply unclamp the unit and take it off the bike—both for security, and to keep the unit out of the weather.

We chose to mount the GPS on handlebars to the right of center, which allows for easy viewing while riding without obscuring too much of the instruments, but the unit could just as easily have been mounted high in the center of the bars for a Dakar-style setup. The RAM mounts easily connect to the handlebars using a stainless steel u-bolt.

We used an older Garmin GPS unit, which still works great but is seriously lacking in the battery life department. So in order for our new setup to be functional, we had to wire in a 12 volt, cigarette lighter-style plug to power everything. We connected the plug directly to the battery, so it works even when the bike isn't running. The plug, available for under ten bucks at any auto parts store, was easily mounted on the left side of the frame, out of the way of the rider's legs.

With the whole system mounted up and operational, I took the bike on a 4-hour ride along roads I'd never ridden before. Everything worked excellently, not only did the Garmin keep me pointed in the right direction (and show me the way home), it can also be used to show upcoming bends in the road so that tight hairpin turn won't come as a nasty surprise. A word of caution though—it's easy to spend too much time looking down that the GPS, instead of looking down the road like you should be.

In the case of our XT, adding GPS is probably the best upgrade we've made yet, simply because it adds so much practicality to the motorcycle—and with gas prices as high as they are, more everday usability out of a motorcycle is always welcome.

Stay tuned for more updates, and be sure to order your copy of the 2011 print edition of Inline Performance Magazine HERE at the pre-order price for a limited time.

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Subaru Impreza, The Design Concept

Posted: 31 May 2011 03:00 PM PDT

Subaru Impreza made its debut on the New York auto show. This new generation Subaru Impreza is a Japanese models continue to shift the positioning of the sport to comfort: the focus of its development is given high quality sedan, convenience and improved interior space. The design of this Sedan Impreza is virtually inspired by [...]

Kia Rio Sedan Variant

Posted: 31 May 2011 02:57 PM PDT

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VLN: Historic win for Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid

Posted: 29 May 2011 05:53 AM PDT

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid, Porsche Team Manthey

Refuel less, drive longer: That’s the recipe for success of the further developed 911 GT3 R Hybrid: At the wheel of the Version 2.0 race car, Porsche works drivers Richard Lietz (Austria), Marco Holzer (Germany) and Patrick Long (USA) clinched the first victory for the innovative race car from Weissach at round four of the Nürburgring Long Distance Championship. While almost all other direct opponents had to pit three times to refuel, the Hybrid-911 made only two stops and with this yielded the first victory for a Hybrid-Porsche. Well known for its efficiency, Manthey Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 RSR with Porsche factory drivers Marc Lieb (Germany), Romain Dumas (France) as well as Manthey pilot Lucas Luhr (Switzerland) also managed with two pit stops and made Porsche’s double victory perfect.

The second race outing of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid in the 2011 Long Distance Championship marked the successful conclusion to intensive preparations for the Nürburgring 24 hour race on 25/26 June. “We’re very pleased with the technical level of the vehicle and the reliability of the hybrid system,” says Hartmut Kristen, Head of Motorsport at Porsche. “Compared to our rivals, we saved one pit stop and with less external energy input our lap times were just as quick. This is what we mean by Porsche Intelligent Performance. I’m particularly thrilled that Manthey Racing’s 911 GT3 RSR also underlined the famed efficiency of the Porsche 911 models and clinched second place.”

VLN Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nurburgring winners

Priority in the further development of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid was clearly on increasing efficiency. For this, the weight of the vehicle, including the hybrid components, was reduced from 1,350 to 1,300 kilograms. The weight of the hybrid components was reduced by 20 percent through targeted optimization. The general hybrid layout was adopted from the 2010 model.

The output of both electric motors in the portal axle increased from 60 to 75 kilowatts each. For seconds at a time, pilots now have about 200 hp more at their disposal, which equals ca. 23 kW (32 hp) of additional conventional power per Nordschleife lap. Depending on the programming, this electrical power is automatically activated through use of the throttle pedal. Moreover, hybrid pilots can manually call up this extra power, for instance when overtaking. With the portal axle driving the front wheels, the four-litre, now 465 hp six-cylinder boxer engine, which drives the rear axle, was reduced in power and optimized with respect to fuel consumption.

“Our Hybrid-911 ran like clockwork,” says Marco Holzer. “Aside from the reliable technology and low fuel consumption, the key to success today was that we all drive at similarly high speeds and we didn’t make any mistakes,” adds teammate Richard Lietz.

VLN Nurburgring

The yellow and green Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR also drove a faultless race. Trailing by just seven seconds, Marc Lieb, Romain Dumas and Lucas Luhr claimed second place. “That race was almost perfect. Unfortunately our 911 GT3 R, which I shared with Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas, was shunted rather roughly from the track by a competitor,” says double-starter Marc Lieb.