Page 8 - 100% Biker (January 2020)

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NEWS
N
E
S
W
LENOVO DUCATI 5
Over the last few years, Chinese
manufacturer Lenovo has established itself
as a leading name in laptops and desktop
computers, rivalling the likes of HP and
Sony. Now it has produced a laptop which
is aimed at motorcyclists and, in particular,
for those with a specific love of the
products built by a certain Bologna factory.
For the last two years, Lenovo has
been the main technology partner for the
Ducati MotoGP team and to celebrate
that collaboration it has launched the
Lenovo Ducati 5, a limited edition laptop
of which just 12,000 will be produced.
Lenovo says that the design of the
laptop has been inspired by the Ducati
Panigale with the honeycomb ventilation
mesh based on Ducati Monster exhausts.
The standard start-up chime has been
replaced by the sound of a MotoGP bike
and it’s supplied in a Ducati-branded
gift box with a Ducati laptop sleeve with
a stitching pattern that matches the
detailing on Ducati seats.
The machine itself is a solid, mid-range
laptop with a 14-inch HD display, 8GB
of RAM, WiFI 6, a 1TB SSD, and multiple
USB-C ports. The price will start from a
relatively modest £775 and the Lenovo
Ducati 5 will only be sold in Europe.
ROCKIN’ WITH ROCKERBOX
Congratulations to Rockerbox MCC who,
after a very successful charity rock night at
the end of December, were able to present
a cheque for £2000 to the Teenage Cancer
Trust, a charity very close to the hearts of the
Rockerbox folk. They would also like to thank
everyone who was involved in raising such a
fantastic sum of money. Well done, everyone.
8 | 100% Biker | issue 256 | www.100-biker.com
BLACKTRACK BACK ON TRACK
Some time ago we brought you the Blacktrack BT-01, a limited edition custom Honda
CX500 designed and built by Luxemburg-based designer, Sasha Lakic. It was a very
smart take on the so-called ‘plastic maggot’, but with a price tag that started at
around £30,000, a little rich for our blood. But apparently the limited edition run sold
out so there are folk out there who are not quite as parsimonious as our good selves.
Now Sasha has built the next two models Milwaukee- Eight along, incidentally, with
in his custom range. The first is inspired by the rest of the bike. He says: “The Fat Bob
the Norton Manx, using a modern Triumph is the most exciting Harley Series to ride.
Thruxton R as a donor motorcycle. Now, The wheelbase is certainly a bit long, but
this was a clever move on the back of the geometry is well thought out, and
Blacktrack Motors, the name under which allows you to roll turns faster than any
Sasha operates, because the bike as other Harley so far.” That may be so, but it
standard has as much performance as you is still an interesting choice for something
need and the handling to keep up with that he terms a ‘café racer’.
that performance. That left Blacktrack free In this case, only the frame and engine
to concentrate on the cosmetics; metal survived from the original Fat Bob. The
craftsman Ludo Gaag designed a tank that running gear has been upgraded with
echoes the lines of the original but which Öhlins suspension, Dymag forged aluminium
has been resized to fit in with the scale wheels, and Beringer brakes. Blacktrack
of the Thruxton and then hand-shaped it also installed a performance air filter and a
in aluminium. A new exhaust system was custom-built stainless steel exhaust system,
designed, while custom side covers, yokes with a new fuel mapping to match. The
and clip-on handlebars and a new seat bike also features a number of bespoke
unit were added. Then they rather spoiled aluminium and composite parts, designed
the effect by calling it the Thruxman. We for both style and to reduce weight.
can see where they’re coming from, but (Blacktrack says that the overall weight of
‘Thruxman’ is not an attractive name. the bike has been reduced by 105lbs.)
The second model goes by the more Just four of the Truxman will be built
prosaic name of simply ‘BT-03’. In this and only five models of the BT-03 Harley.
case, Sasha decided to build a Harley-
And before you ask, we don’t know the
Davidson café racer, inspired he says, by prices. This time, Blacktrack Motors has
the XLCR. However, where you might chosen to make it ‘price on application’,
assume the obvious choice of powerplant probably because of all the people like
to be a Sportster motor, he chose the us who squeaked ‘How much?!’ when it
new Harley Softail Fat Bob 114 cubic inch released the cost of the CX500!