URAL Quartermaster motorcycle project

Russian fortitude is at the heart of every URAL motorcycle. The technologies and blueprints that would eventually become the URAL Solo were traded as part of the 1939 non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Battle hardened during WWII, the URAL Solo would serve diligently on the front lines for the soldiers that depended on her.

As widespread as WWII was, it paled in comparison to the Containment Conflicts. Spread across every continent like an undead wildfire, no vestige of humanity was spared. Mobility equaled survival - mobility without stint or limit. With loins girded and back braced for the load, the Quartermaster answered this charge. it was to be a life of hardship and despair, but she had known little else. Her more technological-reliant brethren, fit with impressive componentry and power, struggled to maintain operation through the daily slog of post-humanity. Engineering complexity, once the darling of modern society, had become a mechanical albatross. The need for specialized parts and manufacturing processes had doomed the beautiful machines. Though time hadn't fully reverted back into the dark ages, it had become a very foreboding shade of grey. This was a time of simplicity and ease of use. This was the day when reliability outpaced aesthetic. This was the era of the Quartermaster.

The Quartermaster is a URAL x ICON collaborative project designed to increase the long distance off-road capacity of the URAL Solo. Devoid of the sidecar found on most URALs, the Quartermaster was a single-track beast of burden. Extensive frame modifications, including an oversized backbone, braced headstock, and high clearance subframe, differentiated the Quartermaster from her stable mates, Reinforced swIngarm, long-travel suspension, and knobbed tires provided a surefooted stance when the road ended. The oversized fuel tank, fitted with frisco'd feed lines, made available every ounce of fuel for maximum operational range. Custom skid plate, crash hoops, and high-mount fenders all spoke to her mastery of the unimproved path. Lathered in haze grey from stem to stern, she would survive where on many others had fallen. Ironically, the Containment Conflicts had turned The Quartermaster's workaday looks and antiquated performance specs into the most desirable traits of beauty. Time has a way of evening things out. Check out the video at: RIDEICON.com /Quartermaster

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source: Icon1000

'Fast N' Loud' and 'The Devil's Ride' start new seasons Monday

Weekly dose of reality: The Discovery Channel hits the road tonight with the second-season premieres of its two fast-and-loud reality shows, "Fast N' Loud" and "The Devil's Ride." The motto behind these blood, sweat and gears offerings is "restore the roar." Like that's a problem in the noisy universe known as reality television.

First up at 9 tonight is the second season premiere of the aptly named "Fast 'N Loud." This is the domain of car fanatics Richard Rawlings and Aaron Kaufman. Motor mastermind Richard and mechanical prodigy Aaron scour the junkyards of Texas in search of buried automobile treasures. The plan is to unearth forgotten and neglected vintage cars, then restore them at their Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas, Tex.

This season, the "Fast 'N Loud" duo are searching for one of the rarest of all finds, the Ferrari F-40. The goal is to take one from rust bucket to gold mine.

The next stop is the 10 p.m. season opener for "The Devil's Ride," Discovery's look into the world of motorcycle clubs. This season promises to take viewers to the San Diego front lines of a brewing biker war between the Laffing Devils, once the city's fastest-growing motorcycle club, and the Sinister Mob Syndicate (Sin Mob, for short).

When the engines get revving on the second season, the leadership of the Laffing Devils is in a complete uproar. Founding member Danny Boy is butting heads with Sandman, and Billy hte Kid is missing. To make matters worse, Sin Mob's president is an ousted founding member of the Laffing Devils.
You're thinking subtle and refined? I'm thinking you've got the wrong night on the Discovery Channel.

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Source: Cleveland (Dawidziak, 2/18)

Steampunk Motorcycles Make You Long For The Open Cobblestone Road

Mikhail Smolyanov was commissioned by Richard Monson-Haefel, creator of the character Steampunk Holmes, to create this fine piece of transportation. The finished working motorcycles are now sold by Putsch Racing to Monson-Haefel readers.

The Black Widow is Mikhail Smolyanov's most popular steampunk design (and only one in mass production) but it is far from the only one. On his website, the Russian designer shows off a wide variety of motorcycles, from the futuristic to the future-past.

Designed for St. Petersburg customer, this bizarre contraption would've been run on steam power, as can be seen by the engine on the back.

Smolyanov was inspired by racecars of 20's equipped by airplane's engines for this design.

For more pictures of Steampunk motorcycles click Here.

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Source: Buzz Feed (Dickens, 2/1)