Sportsters
Lucky for us motorcyclists, we were ahead of the curve with the best of both tanning worlds. We get all the sun we want while riding our fabulous two-wheeled tanning machines and we don’t have to just lie there until the burn or boredom takes over. Hit the gas and go and come back looking fabulous, now that’s a tan to die for. The Buell-powered tanning machine featured here belongs to Marco Rivolta who actually lives, rides, and tans on the sunny streets of the French Riviera town that Bain de Soleil made famous, Saint Tropez. Well that’s at least the way it looks as the smiling picture I found online of the upscale clothing boutique owner and his lovely girlfriend posing with one of his motorcycles (Marco also has a 93” Shovel hardtail and a Panhead Softail) shows them both to have a fabulous French tan.
Making this San Tropez tan possible is Aldo Querio Gianetto of AQG Motociclette in Colleretto Castelnuovo, Italy, who has had more feature bikes in Barnett’s Magazine than any other builder, American or otherwise. His body of work is not just huge, but so highly diversified that you can’t peg him as a “type” of builder. Marco’s feature bike, Hot Wheels IV, exemplifies this in a nutshell as it’s the fourth in a series of Mattel’s Hot Wheels-inspired bikes that look nothing like the last, not better or worse, just different. The one thing they have in common is that they are all made to not only ride, but made to really perform too.
If you’re looking to build a high-performance custom with great handling characteristics, building around a 1203cc Buell engine gives you a heads up to begin with. Light weight, compact dimensions, and about a hundred horses at the crank (stock) are an instant combination of potential fun in the sun no matter what the weather or location. Aldo basically left well-enough alone as he just cleaned things up with a Crane HI-4 ignition, bolted on an S&S Super E carb, and fabbed up a set of dual straight back pipes that just do what they’re supposed to do, get rid of spent gasses as quickly as possible.
Shoving the mill into a 30-degree-rake Paughco rigid frame ensures Marco can squirt around any beach traffic easily. A 4”- cutdown Sportster fork keeps things lively and sano while making sure the cast Sporty wheels front and rear go where he wants them to go. Performance Machine calipers and floating rotors rein it all in easily when things get out of hand. Out of hand? How do I know that? Well, the only thing Aldo told me about the bike was what his favorite aspect of the bike was, “Rideability and power in acceleration drift.” In other words, being able to hang on and stay upright under heavy power with the rear tire breaking loose. Somewhat different expectations than how easily a show queen is to load and unload off a trailer.
The impact of Aldo’s paint scheme and component finish isn’t an in-your-face blast of high-intensity color like you might expect on a straightforward street-oriented design, but a muted overall look where you appreciate the bike as a whole. Normally I’m not a fan of cylinders and heads powdercoated in colors as they usually end up being too jarring, but here the splash of red powdercoating adds a strong bit of visual relief without overwhelming the rest of the scheme. Sorta like the “color splash” effect that movie makers use when they colorize an important piece of a black and white screenshot with a dash of color. Tying in the new gray engine powdercoating coating to the Titanium Matte with silver leaf graphics paintjob keeps this baby tight and together. If this were a Motor Company prototype, I’d say it was production ready.
For what appears to be a simple “Yeah, that’s what I would have done too” design at first glance is the key to Hot Wheels IV’s visual success. Any builder will tell you how simple is the hardest thing to do. There’s no hiding, when a tank’s mounted a half-inch off, for instance, and Aldo hit every nail on the head. The Sporty-style tank, rear fender, AQG motocross bars, mid-mounts, MOON oil tank, and everything else blends together in an approachable, street-usable package that begs to be ridden hard yet still great to look at when parked whether it’s on the sun-kissed French Riviera or the mean streets of Detroit.
Up Close: Avon Speedmaster
We’ve reached a point in vehicular history where celebrating a century of being a bonafide manufacturer or supplier to the industry has become not only possible, but something to crow about. Avon Tyres (yes tyres is the official and correct English spelling) based in Melksham, England, had its caw-caw time back in 2004 so it hits the coveted century mark with room to spare. With all that history of rubber behind it, it’s no wonder that some of its one-time leading edge designs are now one of the more popular choices for builders wanting an Old School look.
Yeah, the Avon Speedmaster Mk II has a vintage look, but it’s as modern as an old design can get with a speed rating of 113mph and built from what Avon says is modern “cling rubber with positive steering and excellent lateral stability” along with “very good braking and handling characteristics, particularly wet.” Oh and one last thing, Avon also says that the Speedmaster assures you of not only long tread life, but even wear too. This bias-ply, tube-type tire is available in 17”, 19”, 20” (?), and 21” sizes with a very thoughtful ribbed tread pattern for your riding pleasure. The Speedmaster front tire is so classic that it’s available in blackwall only with no whitewalls or raised white letters to mar the outer surface.
While you’re at it, match up the ribbed front with Avon’s rear tire recommendation, the Safety Mileage Mk II which a in V-twin friendly 5.00×16 sizing features a beefy and blockier tread pattern that will never be confused with a recent design. And, if you’re an only-buy-American type, just remember that Avon is wholly owned by Findlay, Ohio’s Cooper Tire & Rubber Company.
More info at www.avonmoto.com.
Builder: AQG Motociclette
Where you live influences what you ride or build. Growing up and riding motorcycles in New England made me appreciate good handling, good braking bikes as a necessary evil. For instance, until the first time I experienced the long, straight roads of the Midwest or Florida, I had no understanding how anyone could really enjoy riding a raked-out, long-fork chopper. As the real estate people say, it’s location, location, location.
Aldo Queiro Gianett’s AQG Motociclette’s location in the northwestern municipality of Colleretto Castelnuovo, Italy, definitely influences what he designs and builds. Situated in the foothills of the legendary Alps, the constantly twisting and turning roads through the mountains of central Europe beg to be used, abused, and enjoyed at every opportunity. To anybody who’s ever experienced riding over the roads that might have been the original footpaths of Hannibal’s little fun adventure in Italy while taking in breathtaking mountain vistas is something that will influence their style of two-wheel transpo. Good handling, good braking, good power, and ease of using it all becomes very important when you’re situated at the base of the Alps and those are all attributes that you can also appreciate wherever you ride. Aldo hasn’t forgotten that riding is what it’s all about even when it comes to customizing.
Besides using great running gear, any AQG custom has beautiful pieces of work throughout the bike that showcase Aldo’s appreciation of Italian style. Take the left-side coil/engine mount on Hot Wheels IV has an honesty of functional design in its own alloy beauty while the stoplight lens seems to have a message intended especially for me. Italian style and grace with a touch of Italian attitude have been a hallmark of every AQG bike we’ve ever featured in Barnett’s Magazine.
Visit www.aqg.com and enjoy the view.
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