Photo Noel Feeney
#GPZBurnout #GPZ1100 #TonerLeathers #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
Origami Panigale
So, today the Kawasaki H2 was unveiled at the Intermot show in Cologne. This should come as a surprise to no-one because Kawasaki have been releasing a series of teasers for the last couple of weeks. I watched the first few but found them a bit frustrating and not very interesting and so I didn't bother with the rest of them.
(I have a very short attention span and if I go to the trouble of clicking on something, you better reward me pretty quickly! Whatchagonnado!? It's the way god made me...)
Anyhow, despite the teasers I was looking forward to seeing the thing.
Well, the thing everyone should be getting all excited about is the alleged 300hp motor. But the thing everyone is actually getting exciting about, is the fucking winglets!
So what is it? Well its a litre super-bike with a supercharger putting out 300hp. That's a lot. Currently, state of the art super-bikes are nudging 200hp so that extra 100hp is quite a leap. There are already turbocharged Hayabusas putting out more power than this, but typically they're lowered and stretched to promote stability whereas the H2 looks like a regular sport-bike (quite a lot like a Panigale, in fact!). So presumably, the winglets are there to produce down-force to stop the thing from looping at high speed.
But they don't look very plausible. And by the time you get to go into your local dealership and buy a H2, I don't think it'll be making 300hp, so maybe you won't need them...
Every now and then a motorcycle comes along and changes the game. In the late sixties, Honda reinvented the motorcycle with the four cylinder overhead cam CB750 and the in 1973 Kawasaki changed the world with the DOHC 900cc Z1. And pretty much every four cylinder motorcycle produced ever since owes the Z1 a debt of gratitude.
In the mid '80s, Kawasaki pulled another trick with the liquid cooled, 150mph GPZ900.
In my memory, the game-changer that stands out is the Honda Fireblade. Prior to the Fireblade, top class sport-bikes were big fat powerful things with the emphasis on power and maximum speed (FZR1000s, GSXR1100 etc). The Fireblade turned all that on its head. Yes it was powerful (130hp used to be powerful) but the emphasis was on light weight and handling and all your modern-day sports-bikes owe the '92 Fireblade a debt.
The Buell XB series came out in 2003 and was ignored by pretty much everyone ('cept me, I bought one). But then a couple of years later, sports bikes started to grow underslung exhausts and tiny wheelbases. And they'd probably be sporting rim mounted brakes discs if it wasn't for patent restrictions. Just sayin'...
And then there are bikes that cause a whole load of fuss upon their release but don't really make much of an impact. There are probably a couple of these every year, but the best example I can think of is the six cylinder Honda CBX1000. Did it change the game? No, not so much. Six cylinder engines just never really caught on. It was (and still is) a spectacular thing, but its a bit of a dinosaur from an evolutionary standpoint.
So the new H2? Is it the new Fireblade? Or is it the new CBX?
I dunno...
It's much easier to be disparaging of new things than to look at them without prejudice. I remember when the first Hayabusa came out in 1999 with its controversial bodywork - I thought it was repulsive. I also remember that the first time I saw one, I made a point of overtaking it on my CX, in the rain, on the Darndale roundabout just so I could show the Hayabusa pilot my disparaging look.
So I can clearly remember having very strong negative feelings about it, but I can't remember why. Because now, I think the first Hayabusa is a thing of great beauty and one day, I'll probably buy one.
So the Kawasaki H2? Only time will tell...
#OrigamiPanigale #KawasakiH2 #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
(I have a very short attention span and if I go to the trouble of clicking on something, you better reward me pretty quickly! Whatchagonnado!? It's the way god made me...)
Anyhow, despite the teasers I was looking forward to seeing the thing.
Well, the thing everyone should be getting all excited about is the alleged 300hp motor. But the thing everyone is actually getting exciting about, is the fucking winglets!
So what is it? Well its a litre super-bike with a supercharger putting out 300hp. That's a lot. Currently, state of the art super-bikes are nudging 200hp so that extra 100hp is quite a leap. There are already turbocharged Hayabusas putting out more power than this, but typically they're lowered and stretched to promote stability whereas the H2 looks like a regular sport-bike (quite a lot like a Panigale, in fact!). So presumably, the winglets are there to produce down-force to stop the thing from looping at high speed.
But they don't look very plausible. And by the time you get to go into your local dealership and buy a H2, I don't think it'll be making 300hp, so maybe you won't need them...
Every now and then a motorcycle comes along and changes the game. In the late sixties, Honda reinvented the motorcycle with the four cylinder overhead cam CB750 and the in 1973 Kawasaki changed the world with the DOHC 900cc Z1. And pretty much every four cylinder motorcycle produced ever since owes the Z1 a debt of gratitude.
In the mid '80s, Kawasaki pulled another trick with the liquid cooled, 150mph GPZ900.
In my memory, the game-changer that stands out is the Honda Fireblade. Prior to the Fireblade, top class sport-bikes were big fat powerful things with the emphasis on power and maximum speed (FZR1000s, GSXR1100 etc). The Fireblade turned all that on its head. Yes it was powerful (130hp used to be powerful) but the emphasis was on light weight and handling and all your modern-day sports-bikes owe the '92 Fireblade a debt.
The Buell XB series came out in 2003 and was ignored by pretty much everyone ('cept me, I bought one). But then a couple of years later, sports bikes started to grow underslung exhausts and tiny wheelbases. And they'd probably be sporting rim mounted brakes discs if it wasn't for patent restrictions. Just sayin'...
And then there are bikes that cause a whole load of fuss upon their release but don't really make much of an impact. There are probably a couple of these every year, but the best example I can think of is the six cylinder Honda CBX1000. Did it change the game? No, not so much. Six cylinder engines just never really caught on. It was (and still is) a spectacular thing, but its a bit of a dinosaur from an evolutionary standpoint.
So the new H2? Is it the new Fireblade? Or is it the new CBX?
I dunno...
It's much easier to be disparaging of new things than to look at them without prejudice. I remember when the first Hayabusa came out in 1999 with its controversial bodywork - I thought it was repulsive. I also remember that the first time I saw one, I made a point of overtaking it on my CX, in the rain, on the Darndale roundabout just so I could show the Hayabusa pilot my disparaging look.
So I can clearly remember having very strong negative feelings about it, but I can't remember why. Because now, I think the first Hayabusa is a thing of great beauty and one day, I'll probably buy one.
So the Kawasaki H2? Only time will tell...
#OrigamiPanigale #KawasakiH2 #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Monday, 29 September 2014
Church of Choppers FLH
Image by Jeff Wright
#ChurchOfChoppers #CHVRCH #FTWCO #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Asuka Langley Soryu
Image Unknown
#AsukaLangleySoryu #NeonGenesisEvangelion #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Sunday, 28 September 2014
Neon Genesis Evangelion
I want to live in Japan...
#NeonGenesisEvangelion #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
#NeonGenesisEvangelion #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Saturday, 27 September 2014
Friday, 26 September 2014
Thursday, 25 September 2014
Shiseido Yamaha FZR 750/OW74
1985 Suzuka 8 Hour Endurance Racer. This thing is beautiful...
http://www.mercenary.ie/2014/09/mecha.html
#ShiseidoYamaha #YamahaFZR #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
http://www.mercenary.ie/2014/09/mecha.html
#ShiseidoYamaha #YamahaFZR #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Desmo Design
Radical Ducati closed it's doors a while back, leaving open the possibility that they may be back to produce a bike from time to time.
This is a concept from Desmo Design in a Radical Ducati stylee. I don't think it's actually a Radical Ducati.
It's nice though...
#RadicalDucati #DesmoDesign #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
This is a concept from Desmo Design in a Radical Ducati stylee. I don't think it's actually a Radical Ducati.
It's nice though...
#RadicalDucati #DesmoDesign #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Slammed 848
Here at MERCENARY we revile all forms of snobbery. We like to promote inclusiveness and to show love to and cherish all the weird, fucked up, ugly Ducatis that no-one else likes.
Except the Sport Classic. The Sport Classic can fuck off!
#SlammedDucati #StretchedDucati #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Except the Sport Classic. The Sport Classic can fuck off!
#SlammedDucati #StretchedDucati #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
M.A.D KUUSAA Caddy
Y'know, if you really want to impress MERCENARY, do a burnout in the back of the Caddy while doing a burnout in the Caddy!!
#MadKUUSAA #VWCaddy #Burnout #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
#MadKUUSAA #VWCaddy #Burnout #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Infamous Team
If this doesn't make you want to buy a Team Infamous hoodie, I don't know what will...
Get yours here - http://theinfamousteam.com/pl/sklep-online/
#TeamInfamous #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Get yours here - http://theinfamousteam.com/pl/sklep-online/
#TeamInfamous #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Ed Turner Motorcycles
This bike has featured on MERCENARY before. It's now been modified slightly with a hand-made aluminium tank.
#EdTurnerMotorcycles #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
#EdTurnerMotorcycles #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Ducati Sidecar
"Mmmmokay..."
#DucatiSidecar #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
Monday, 22 September 2014
Leopard Style
Did the girl and her leopards just wander into the frame as the photographer took the shot? I mean, she looks a little bit surprised...
Or maybe the photographer just can't stand BMWs either...
#LeopardStyle #BMWHp2 #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
Sunday, 21 September 2014
Triumph Hurricane
I love this!
It's a beautiful layout with vibrant colours, but it makes absolutely no sense!
Go modern, Go Triumph - Fair enough. Despite it's pushrod engine the three-cylinder Hurricane looked pretty futuristic. With its speed-stripes and multitude of exhaust pipes it looked like it was designed by Hanna Barbera (Scooby Do, Whacky Races etc.) but in fact it was designed by Craig Vetter who is probably better known for the Windjammer fairing and various fuel-efficient streamliners.
It was way ahead of its time in terms of styling and it's hard to believe that such a conservative company (Triumph of Merriden) could produce something so positively psychedelic!*
So, on the one hand we have Go Modern, Go Triumph and a crazy acid trip of a motorcycle and it all makes a certain amount of sense if you're going after a young, West Coast, American market.
But then in the foreground, entirely upstaging the bike, we have a diamond encrusted posh tottie armed with a riding crop and a fucking jaguar! The girl is lovely and she seems happy enough - I imagine David Niven is off to one side, reassuringly holding her fur coat and a glass of cognac. But the jaguar looks a bit unsure of himself - he's thinking, why the fuck am I here? I usually do car commercials!
As a designer myself, I can imagine how that happened. The graphic design company got the brief from the dealerships who wanted to tap into the youth market. The designers thought this was a great idea, got off their tits on acid by way of research and came up with something that looked like a Jimi Hendrix poster, all paisley and psychedelic typography.
This didn't fly with the mobsters from the dealerships though. They wanted it Frank-Sinatrafied, y'know, a bit more Vegas! Hence the showgirl, the diamonds and the jaguar. Then in a vain attempt to pull it all together, the copywriter came up with "For Wild-life enthusiasts everywhere."
It's rubbish!
But that doesn't matter! It's wonderful!
The past is a foreign country... it's nice to go there on holiday.
Illustration - Murray Robertson
*In fact it was the American dealerships that demanded the Hurricane, it wasn't really a Merriden initiative.
#Triumph #TriumphHurricane #CraigVetter #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
It's a beautiful layout with vibrant colours, but it makes absolutely no sense!
Go modern, Go Triumph - Fair enough. Despite it's pushrod engine the three-cylinder Hurricane looked pretty futuristic. With its speed-stripes and multitude of exhaust pipes it looked like it was designed by Hanna Barbera (Scooby Do, Whacky Races etc.) but in fact it was designed by Craig Vetter who is probably better known for the Windjammer fairing and various fuel-efficient streamliners.
It was way ahead of its time in terms of styling and it's hard to believe that such a conservative company (Triumph of Merriden) could produce something so positively psychedelic!*
So, on the one hand we have Go Modern, Go Triumph and a crazy acid trip of a motorcycle and it all makes a certain amount of sense if you're going after a young, West Coast, American market.
But then in the foreground, entirely upstaging the bike, we have a diamond encrusted posh tottie armed with a riding crop and a fucking jaguar! The girl is lovely and she seems happy enough - I imagine David Niven is off to one side, reassuringly holding her fur coat and a glass of cognac. But the jaguar looks a bit unsure of himself - he's thinking, why the fuck am I here? I usually do car commercials!
As a designer myself, I can imagine how that happened. The graphic design company got the brief from the dealerships who wanted to tap into the youth market. The designers thought this was a great idea, got off their tits on acid by way of research and came up with something that looked like a Jimi Hendrix poster, all paisley and psychedelic typography.
This didn't fly with the mobsters from the dealerships though. They wanted it Frank-Sinatrafied, y'know, a bit more Vegas! Hence the showgirl, the diamonds and the jaguar. Then in a vain attempt to pull it all together, the copywriter came up with "For Wild-life enthusiasts everywhere."
It's rubbish!
But that doesn't matter! It's wonderful!
The past is a foreign country... it's nice to go there on holiday.
Illustration - Murray Robertson
*In fact it was the American dealerships that demanded the Hurricane, it wasn't really a Merriden initiative.
#Triumph #TriumphHurricane #CraigVetter #Mercenary #MercenaryGarage
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