Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128320
Borile For Mass Production Italy's 52-year-old art restorer Umberto Borile (pronounced Bor-ee lay) is the creator of the B500CR single-cylinder cafe racer bearing his name. It is powered by an air-cooled single-cam four-valve engine based on the 500cc GM speedway motor, which has so far powered the Sultan of Slide, Sweden's Tony Rickardsso n, to no less than fIVe World Speedway titles. Exactly 20 of these handmade street singles have so far been delivered to customers all over the world, from Europe to the USA, Japan to Australia, with those who find themselves on the lengthy wait ing list waiting ever longer for further examples, influenced only by the artisan nature of the product - Borile effectively constructs each handmade example himself in his one-man workshop, resulting in a steep Euro 13,000 [just over $15,600] list price for what is after all a freshly minted mechanical work of art. No two Borile bikes have hitherto quite been the same. But now the Barile marque has been restructured on a more commercial basis, with the formation of a new Moto Borile company, which sees Umberto Borile entering into partnership with a group of investors headed by Francesco Tognon, former owner of Laverda and, more recently, CEO of Bimota. This sees BSOOCR production moved as of April, 2004, to a new factory in central Italy, out side the gates of the Magione race circuit near Perugia, where manufacture of the bikes will be resumed on a proper production line by a dedicated workforce - allowing that lengthy waiting list to be slashed and a notable reduction in price, to Euro 11 ,000 [about $13,2S0] . About 50 examples of the B500CR will be built this year in the new factory, with overall production rising to 100 bikes in 2005, and thence to a ceiling of 250 a year by 2007. At the same time, development of new models will continue in Vo, Italy's picturesque shortest-named town nestiing in the volcanic Colli Euganei hills just south of Padua (Padova), where Umberto Borile is currendy based. In addition to the acclaimed, good-looking 5M5OOMT Supermoto model unveiled at the 200 I Milan Show but not yet put into production owing to lack of capacity - "There's only so much one pair of hands can achieve in a given day!" says the only slightly apologetic maestro - these will also include a Street Scrambler version of the Supermoto powered by the same verticalcylinder sohc Borile 500cc four-stroke motor. This uses only the four-valve cylinder head, conrod assembly and cylinder from the GM speedway engine mounted on a unit-construction bottom end with extractable five-speed gearibox developed for Borile by specialist Italian engine manufacturers Villa. However, it's expected that the Street Scrambler - due to be unveiled at Munich's Intermot show in September - may feature a longer-stroke 650cc version of the existing air-cooled Borile four-valve motor and will be fitted with a geardriven counterbalancer, as well as a Eur02-friendly catalyst exhaust and an electric-start, none of which the Cafe Racer cur rently offers. However, furthe r away on the horizon is an all-new dry-sump 100-percent Borile engine (so, eliminating the GM ingredient), which willalso available in both air-cooled and water-cooled guise, with the added option of EFI or 42mm Mikuni carb, depending on the application . Available in both 648cc and smaller 441cc formats, this has obvious potential for enduro/MX/supermoto use, as well as on the street, with the option of a four-, flVe- or Six-speed gearbox, each with very small oil-bath clutch, according to projected use - thanks to the extractable gearibox, it would even be possible for a customer to alter the number of ratios in the cluster accordingto choice, on a , given day. In its racingapplication. the new engine will use a titanium con rod, valves and balance shaft, and Umberto Borile is planning to offer the engine to other small companies like his, which are presently dependent on supplies from a Japanese manufacturer, with Britain's CCM and Germany's Sachs both prime targets. Borile is one of the few surviving marques from the golden age of Italian artigianale manufacturers, and its commercial viability looks assured with the new corporate structure and factory. More to the point, the increased investment will not only permit Umberto Borile to concentrate on what he's best at , in developing new, improved versions of his existing product, it's also likelyto allow him to explore his long-held ambition of producing a 10000c parallel-twin family of bikes, employing a reworked version of an existing eight-valve dohc engine developed back in the 1980. for Sidecar MX. Briefly... Conrinued from poge T together to make California Speedway a leader in motorsports event entertain- ment ," Millersaid. "Since our opening in 1997. California Speedway has made a major impact on the Southern California sports landscape. We appreciate the fact that our e fforts have been recognized in this manner, and we will continue moving forwar d, staging and acquiring world-class events to the speedway." Glen Helen Raceway announced that the Pri m MX Collecti on will be the title sponsor of the Prequel warm-up MX, May 8-9, the former date of the opening round of the AMANational MX Series. The 12S/25Occ Pro Invitational will begin on Saturday (May 8) at 12:30 p.rn. For more information, call 909/880-3090, or visit www.glenhelen.com Supermoto invades Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, May 1-2, as an added attraction to the Kawasaki AMASuperbike Showdown. The 5TTARS-sanctionedsupermoto, which will immediate ly follow Saturday and Sunday's road race program, will take place on a 1.2-mile, IS-tum course utilizing parts of the road course and a challenging dirt-section, according to STTARS. Novice and Open Expert classes are slated for Saturday, with 250cc and 450cc classes on Sunday. Infineon Raceway has posted a $6000 purse for the 4SOccmain event. Information and pre-entry is available at www.supertt.com. Afan Cathcart A very dear friend to the motocross and freestyle motocross commun ity [annice McAlister lost her battle with cancer on March 21. Born in Spokane, Washington, she married Mike McAlister in 1965. The couple had two sons, Chaun and Bart McAlister. The family moved to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in 1988, and they opened Motion Sports, a motorcycle modification and accessory shop that is still owned and operated by the McAlisterfamily Jannice . built a very strong bond with the racing community. As a moto mom for two sons, she spent many of her weekends helping to produce amateur motocross events with CMC and the NMA.Jannice formed Professional Motocross Promotions in 1989 and promoted races across the nation until 2003, when her health declined . In 1999 Jannice joined forces with the International Freestyle Motocross Association, better known as the IFMA, to handle registration and scoring. Over the next few years Janniee not only became the first person to greet people at the back gate, but she became mom on the road for the FMX athletes and crew. Coworkers and participants describe Jannice as a kind, sweet, caring person who always made them smile and as a teacher in the ir work as well as in life. Any cards or gifts for Jannice's familycan be sent to ; McAlister Family, 1638 Havichur Loop, Post Falls, 10 83854. MOVED: East Coast Choppers to 1299 E. Commercial Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334, effective immediately . CO RRECT IO N: In our coverage of the Rabbit Creek 100 National Hare & Hounds , we incorrectly reported that Brett Saunders was the winner of the I25cc class in a photo caption . KTM rider Chad Martin was the actual winner. Saunders took second . www.cyclenews.com Beth McAnally, wife of 1950s racer John McAnally, and mother of former #70G Lee McAnally and former AMANational number #76 Victor McAnally, died on March 9 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She was 65. She is survived by her mother, Nadine McGuire, husband, John, sons Lee and Victor, daughter, Brenda Harrison (Mike), daughter, Mary, and 12 grandchildren. CYCLE NEWS • APRIL 21 ,2004 9