Motorcycle specifications AvintonCollector RACE 2015 Riding the AC Cobra

There was a time when the French motorcycle industry accumulated a number of benchmarks in both high-end and popular machines. Some names still ring out in the past. Motobécane, Terrot, Motoconfort, Monet-Goyon, Perreaux, Gauthier... And so many others. Today, this history has faded, and the brands trying to awaken the phoenix are tasting more flames than wings.
Salvation will come from exception, beauty, taste and excellence. This is the gamble of Avinton, a small southern brand with ambitions as much artisanal as they are luxurious (formerly known as Wakan). Underneath this name, tinged with English perfume, lies a predominantly Hegaxon production; with the exception of the engine and a few peripherals, but we'll get to that in due course.
Avinton doesn't make motorcycles. Avinton creates envy, envy for aesthetes. The taste of barely grilled meat, without sauce or salt, served on a slate plank; metal that grabs your eyes right to the tip of your tongue; a burst of lava that freezes your hand. A chimera? No, an Avinton, forged in the crucible of raw sensations, with a most charismatic inspiration: the AC Cobra.

Minimalist, almost savage, arched over its engine and armored with beautiful parts, the Avinton Race is as much at home in a collection as it is in the palpitations of a tortuous road. It seems demanding, asserts itself uncompromisingly, and fascinates the enthusiast with its achievement. Right from the start, the engine hits you in the retina. It seems to have exploded into the frame to make you feel at home. A big twin, as the clientele of this kind of machine likes to call it. Old-fashioned, air-cooled, with generously finned cylinder heads, and almost raw metal, free from the pollution of various hoses and aerospace technology.
It comes from America, from the famous manufacturer S&S. Its 1647 cm3 still smell of the acrid smells of Wisconsin foundries. There's no Ride-By-Wire, fuel injection or electronic trivia here, just big 41 mm carburetors and belching watts of phenomenal torque. Forget the pretensions of a Twin Cam - the S&S block is in a different league: it develops no less than 120 hp at 5,750 rpm. Enough to slap you in the face on acceleration. Especially since the maximum torque value is enough to turn your spine. At 3,000 rpm, the curve is stretched to the limit by the 17.1 mkg available to the engine. Wow!!!
Avinton doesn't just anchor this engine in the steel beam frame (which doubles as an oil tank). The brand also demands a few special features. For example, the 5-speed gearbox is of the pull-out type, the crankcases and certain parts are created by Avinton, and above the false tank, there's an unusual and hypnotic delicacy. A butterfly air intake system, like on the compressors of certain American muscle cars. A unique signature! Fierce... Superb.
Details aren't everything. There are also references to titillate lovers of the past and winks to the past: as on the AC Cobra of the '60s, the gearbox gears are made at Andrews; the beam frame measures 3 inches in diameter, like the tubes of the like the tubes of the famous car's chassis; the headlight is 2/3 scale; the bodywork is crossed with "Shelby" stripes... To be enjoyed :-).

In the heart of the Gard region, in the small town of Sommières, the Avinton workshops passionately assemble the top-of-the-range components that make these machines so much more than motorcycles. With Avinton's elite prices, it's out of the question to find the level of quality of a Japanese or Italian motorcycle (already very well made). Here, it's the French-touch, the glamour, the champagne, the haute-couture. The trappings of an Avinton are merely high-ranking peripherals. Beringer brakes, with a 6-piston caliper on a 335 mm track... or two, it's up to the customer. Aluminum parts carved from the mass, or petrified in carbon, a Ceriani 46 mm inverted fork, Marchesini wheels... Every element seems sculpted for her. But that's just for starters! In fact, the Avinton Race is a lady you'd take to a jeweller's shop; the latter being the finishing choice for perfecting and personalizing your beauty. The spirit and equipment change according to the package you choose: Original - Vintage - Deluxe - Grand Sport - Super Snake - Cult. The higher you go in the trim levels, the more refined the attention, the more noble the materials, the more your individuality is taken into account. Demonstration: in the Grand Sport series, the suspension is adjusted to the rider's weight, the Beringer brakes are a quadruple disc with 12 pistons, and so on... On the Super Snake, alcantara seat stitching matches the body color, which itself is available in a choice of 16 million colors. For the most discerning, the Cult finish allows you to indulge your wildest fantasies: modification of the body shape, carbon, leather, gold or diamond-set trim, or the addition of a compressor. The only limit is the imagination of the future owner, and the generosity of his bank account. For the moment, the top of the range Cult finish reaches 78200 euros. But I've told you: come up with your own project, and this price can soar as high as your desires.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos