R & d – Tucson unveils its new twin-cylinder prototype – ROADSON occasions

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Tucson unveils new twin-cylinder prototype

R & amp; D - Tucson unveils new twin-cylinder prototype - Occasions ROADSON

The BT 550 Superleggera is the new project of Tucson, the French brand developed with passion and determination by Jean François Robert and his team. With a watchword: the lightness of a motorcycle conditions both pleasure and performance…

For Jean-François Robert, the basic premise of the ultimate motorcycle is simple: lightness and liveliness to go strong in curves, combined with a modest but expressive engine which compensates for its deficit in power or displacement by the featherweight of the whole. and a studied aerodynamics.

This is why from the 90s, this engineer – reconverted speed circuits – got down to the design of a "mono sportsman close to a GP 250": the Tucson Vega 501, intended to participate in an emerging championship in Europe, the SOS (Sound Of Singles), and possibly to be marketed in Japan, a country with a marked attraction for"exotic machines".

Registered with the INPI (National Institute of Industrial Property) in 1994, the Tucson brand (pun between the city of Arizona, in the United States, and Thruxton, the English circuit which gave its name to a famous single-cylinder velocette), engages its prototype weighing only 95 kg in running order (!), with the talented Bertrand Sebileau on the handlebars. Results: from the first race, a victory and a nice second place on the demanding Assen circuit !

However, despite all the potential of the machine and the flattering recognition of the other teams, the project will not find sufficient funding to really take off: after several evolutions – first the Vega 601 with a Husaberg 600 cc engine, then the Vega 636 equipped with a Rotax mono, developing 84 hp for 112 kg all full! -, the brand imagines a concept using a two-cylinder engine, the mono being clearly losing speed and notoriety.

Thus, in 2005, the Veloce with the Suzuki SV 650 engine made its first laps of the wheels and once again marked the spirits with its frame of only 3.7 kg and its total weight of 170 kg (20 less than ‘an SV!): unique prototype, the Tucson Veloce 650 n ° 00 is also being auctioned on Ebay to subsidize the team’s latest project: the BT 550 Superleggera.

"With this new bike, our goal is to demonstrate that the power to weight ratio is not everything and that it is possible to be competitive with a bike that is certainly less powerful, but thin and light."says Tucson.

It is by seeing that today‘s GP 250s run in times close to the GP 500 2-stroke that the idea of ​​developing this 550 Superleggera arises: an ultra light twin in a sharp cycle part, benefiting from all the experience and know-how gained by Jean-françois and his partners.

The stated goal? Engage in the Top Twin category, which takes place on the sidelines of the French Superbike championship, to tickle the references of the category to the displacement yet up to two times higher !

Thus, the team is counting on the performance of the V2 550 Aprilia weighing 34 kg only to beat the times set by the Ducati 1098R or the Buell 1125R, recently tested by Site (read) !

If the bet may seem ambitious, Jean-François Robert supports his point of view by recalling that at Le Mans, for the first round of the championship, the 125 KTM of Jonas Folger (who participates in the MotoGP Academy) achieved pole in 1 ’47 .260, against 1’47.622 for the 1098R (which actually cubs 1198 cc) from Louis Bulle.

For the engineer, the 125’s vastly superior agility, its ability to enter corners faster and pass through the chord point more quickly compensates for the lack of top speed and acceleration, compared to a larger machine. big displacement.

If the reasoning seems perfectly logical, it must however be taken with certain precautions: Jonas’ machine is ultra sharp while the Ducati and other Buells still lack perspective and preparation: thus, the 1098R of the DERT (Ducati Endurance Racing Team) , entered in the Open category during the last 24H of Le Mans Moto, achieved a time of 1’43.500 in the race (read our).

Aware of the challenge to be met, the team has found another ally of choice in this hunt for preconceived ideas, since the BT 550 Superleggera will be fitted with Bridgestone tires, which has agreed to supply the project with its old GP 125 tires. !

"Tires are the other cornerstone of our project", reveals Jean-François Robert:"with narrow tires we can tighten the rider’s feet, which reduces the frontal area and therefore the aerodynamic drag. But that’s not all: lighter, they reduce unsprung mass and the gyroscopic effect. Mounted on narrow and light rims too, they promote handling and improve the acceleration of the motorcycle, as well as its braking.".

In short, one last major asset for this machine designed by Yann Bakonyi, which should make its first turns in the next six months: to be continued, because according to its creators, the explosive Aprilia engine (read) would only have 100 kg. to tow !

Alexandre BARDIN – Photos DR

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