VOL. 51 ISSUE 3 JANUARY 21, 2014
decoupled, while also centralizing the mass of the resistance
force of the spring itself, which is
not on either end of the motorcycle anymore - it's in the middle."
Nesbitt is especially proud of
the fact that with a single 1 3/16inch hex wrench in the USA he
can adjust the trail, rear ride
height (and thus effective head
angle), chain tension, headlight
angle and seat angle. How's that
for accessibility?
Three identical 280mm brake
discs gripped by radially mounted ISR four-piston calipers sit at
the opposite extremities of three
of the four blades, and there's a
small steering damper mounted
at the front of the bike. BST carbon wheels made by Blackstone
Tech are employed, and indeed
the South African company
manufactured all the carbon fiber components in the Bienville
Legacy, including the leaf spring.
"I want to rave about [BST
owner] Gary Turner," says
J.T.Nesbitt. "He made all the
carbon fiber components exactly as I had designed them to be
– and I know this wasn't simple.
(Left) The Legacy is most
definitely different.
(Right) The bike uses carbon-fiber
suspension arms – two at the
front and two at the rear – that
replace the standard fork and
swingarm.
He's a genius."
There are two interconnected
fuel tanks with a total capacity of
four gallons - one mounted at the
rear of the engine with another
positioned low down that contains the high pressure fuel pump
that delivers gas to the Magneti
Marelli EFI. And it's accessed
easily from beneath.
Wooden handlebar grips are
an unusual touch, as is the circular white-faced dash instrument
integrated with the dual-function
halogen headlamp, which shows
road speed, engine speed, water
temp and oil pressure - as well as
a mechanical mileage counter.
How quaint…
Target minimum weight for the
street-legal Bienville Legacy V4
is 400 pounds in supercharged
guise (a normally-aspirated configuration will also be available),
and the prototype bike's initial
P63
destination will be the Bonneville
Salt Flats. That's where Jim Jacoby will ride it in August in an attempt to set a series of new AMA
Land Speed Records. So when
will it be finished?
"We sell no wine until its time,"
says Nesbitt. "It'll take as long as
needed, but will be finished in
time for Bonneville 2014. Design
work is 90 percent complete,
and fabrication 60 percent complete – the only major thing missing is the seat cover that has to
be custom tailored to Jim Jacoby
– he has to come for a fitting. But
it's finished when it's finished –
and when it's finished, we intend
it should be perfect."
The Legacy project is a fine example of one of America's leading motorcycle master craftsmen
at work – but the Art of Rebellion
which Nesbitt previously practiced during his time at Confederate, has been replaced by Bienville Studios' Craft of Innovation
– a similar ethos, but with a different result. And twice as many
cylinders…
CN
