If you’re on this site, chances are you’ve heard of carbon fiber before…but have you ever heard of carbon-titanium? Unless you follow the latest in automotive news, I highly doubt it. That’s why we’re here to tell you about it!
Carbon-titanium will be utilized in Pagani’s upcoming supercar, the Zonda Cinque. Cinque stands for “five”, which is how many of the cars will be produced. If you’re starting to get excited, and happen to have a spare $1.5 million, you still can’t have one of these as Pagani states they are all pre-sold.
The Cinque is essentially a road-legal version of the Zonda R…which is only for the track. It has some pretty impressive specs, like a V12 AMG motor that outputs 678 horsepower and 575 lb. ft. of torque. The car weighs in at only 2,668 pounds without fluids, which allows for a 0-60 in 3.4 seconds and a top speed around 217mph.
Inside you’ll find a race-inspired cockput with a ton of raw carbon fiber….including Toora carbon fiber seats and a carbon fiber steering wheel. Part of the reason the car is so lightweight is because Pagani went so far as to develop a new composite material by the name of carbon-titanium. There’s not much info out there yet as far as the benefits, but we do know that the Cinque weighs 40 lbs less than the Zonda F.
[Source: Car Domain]
If you want to convert a large part of the rear of your 04-06 R1 bike to carbon fiber, look no further than the Carbon Fiber Works carbon fiber tire hugger with chain guard:
The part is made in the USA from strong, durable, light weight carbon fiber. It’s one piece that covers the section over the rear tire, as well as the chain.
If you’re going for the carbon fiber accents on your sports bike, a carbon fiber tank pad/protector is a must. Thankfully Ride Engineering makes just that:
The Ride Engineering carbon fiber tank protector is not just look alike CF, it’s made from real 2×2 weave. It fits most motorcycle tanks, and features a grey Ride Engineering logo on the top of it. I think I’m actually going to order one of these for Honda CBR600 F4i.
There is actually one review of this product from a customer on Motosport who gave it 5 stars:
“excellent tank protector. looks real good on the tank, it gives the bike a custom look to it..“
Alpinestars is one of my favorite brands out there, and they make great products for automotive and motorcycle enthusiasts. One of the great products they make are motorcycle gloves, and they have quite a variety of them…including ones that feature carbon fiber knuckle protection and other CF pieces. I’ll be going through the collection below:
Alpinestars Vega Drystar Gloves
MSRP: $99.99
- Leather and neoprene construction for all-weather riding
- Waterproof, breathable Drystar® membrane
- Thinsulate insulation
- Carbon fiber knuckle guards
- Dual wrist closures for a comfortable, secure fit
Buy These on eBay
See the official Alpinestars page
Alpinestars 3/4 Gloves
MSRP: $69.95
- Blending the best of a sports glove and a short glove, the 3/4 glove offers a high degree of comfort and ventilation
- Leather and synthetic suede construction
- Carbon Fiber knuckle protection
- Synthetic suede palm construction with reinforcements
- Wrist strap closure for a secure fit
- Perforated leather panels for added ventilation
Buy These on eBay
See the official Alpinestars page
Alpinestars Maze Gloves
MSRP: $69.95
- Full-grain leather construction.
- Compression molded body with EVA foam padding throughout top and thumb.
- Carbon fiber knuckle and finger protection, Velcro® closure, silicone compression molded finger protection.
Buy These on eBay
Buy These at Motosport
See the official Alpinestars page
Alpinestars Stella GP Plus Gloves
MSRP: $159.95
- Women-specific fit.
- Full grain leather construction.
- Carbon knuckle system provides excellent abrasion resistance and impact protection.
- Patented 3rd and 4th finger-bridge protects against finger roll and separation during impacts.
- Internal Schoeller Keprotec® palm and wrist flap reinforcements.
- Internal Kevlar® lining.
- External seams on the fingers.
- Dual wrist closures.
- Anatomically designed palm for superior grip and feel.
Buy These on eBay
Buy These at Motosport
See the official Alpinestars page
Alpinestars GP Plus Gloves
MSRP: $159.95
- Full-grain leather construction.
- Leather with Synthetic suede palm reinforcements for improved grip and protection.
- Carbon fiber knuckle protection.
- Rubber pad inserts to protect palm from abrasion.
- Velcro® cuff closure with TPR logo on upper wrist.
Buy These on eBay
Buy These at Motosport
See the official Alpinestars page
Alpinestars SP-1 Gloves
MSRP: $99.95
- Dual carbon protection on back of knuckles
- Kevlar and leather over fingers
- Kevlar ling
- Dual wrist closures
- Reinforced palm padding
- Kevlar on palm
- Flexible lateral wrist protection
- Kevlar and leather over back of hand and fingers
- Molded leather finger protection.
Buy These on eBay
See the official Alpinestars page
Alpinestars SPS Gloves
MSRP: $69.95
- Full-grain leather construction with carbon fiber protectors on the back of the hand.
- Palm protected with a second layer of leather and Kevlar®.
- Fingers have a second layer of fullgrain leather protection.
- Short cuff length with hook & loop closure.
Buy These on eBay
Buy These at Motosport
See the official Alpinestars page
When you’re customizing your bike, it’s the little things that can add up to make a big difference. One of the small modifications you can do are aftermarket bar ends that will help protect your bike. Made by Lockhart Phillips, these bar ends are made from anodized aluminum, but feature a carbon fiber inlay to give it a more exotic look.
There are two different versions, ones with a rubber mount, and ones without. They are pretty cheap, priced at $12.99 for the pair at the time of this writing. I think I paid something like that for an OEM replacement on one side for my bike.
In the past I’ve covered carbon fiber license plate frames, but they’ve been for a car. Since this month is carbon fiber motorcycle parts month, we’ll start off with a simple carbon fiber license plate frame for a motorcycle.
The frame is made by a company by the name of Carbon Fiber Works, they do a bunch of different carbon fiber parts for bikes…many of which we’ll be covering this month. It is constructed of strong, high gloss carbon fiber for durability and style.
I recommend purchasing it from MotoSport.com, it’s a great store online for bike parts. I’ve personally bought some stuff from my CBR600 F4i from them, and had a great experience. They even offer free Fedex 2-day shipping if you spend over $100, so make sure to check out the entire catalogue in case there is anything else you need.
Related Links
- Carbon Fiber Motorcycle License Plate Frame On MotoSport.com
- MotoSport.com
- Carbon Fiber Works
- Carbon Fiber Gear Carbon Fiber Store | Motorcycle Parts & Accessories Category
At Carbon Fiber Gear, we love it when we find vehicles that are completely carbon fiber, and show it…like the Koenigsegg CCX/CCXR. BMW recently unveiled their new S 1000 RR race bike, which sports quite a bit of carbon fiber body…enough to make it worthy of a post here.
The S 1000 RR features a 1000cc inline-four transversely mounted between the frame rails and an upside-down front fork. With all of the carbon fiber, the bike shouldn’t weigh very much compared to other bikes in its class. BMW has said that they will be making production versions of the bike. For now enjoy a couple more pictures:
Nissan is finally bringing their flagship GT-R to the US in 2009. The GT-R is the ultimate Nissan sports car, able to compete (and beat!) a 911 Porsche Turbo on the track for half the price.
Nissan has put together the GT-R Collection, which are a bunch of products that feature a GT-R logo and of course some carbon fiber goodness. The only problem is that it will be hard to get your hands on any of this unless you’re in Japan…and even then, it won’t be cheap at all. Expect to pay top dollar:
Briefcase: Around $1,000 USD
Wallet: Around $300-$350 USD
Coin Case: Around $150 USD
Business Card Case: Around $150 USD
Notebook: Around $330 USD
Keychain: Around $100 USD
Organizer: Around $230 USD
Keychain: Around $100 USD
Keychain: Around $80 USD
Keychain: Around $80 USD
Keychain: Around $80 USD
Driving Gloves: Around $200 USD
[Source: GTRBlog | Nissan Japan Press Release]
Are you a true car and carbon fiber enthusiast? Got a spare $2 million laying around? Then it may be time for you to be one of 14 owners of the Koenigsegg CCX Editions or one of 6 CCXR Editions.
The CCX Edition is a twin-supercharged V8 with 888hp, while the CCXR Edition is an ethanol-burning engine pumping out 1,018hp. 0-60 performance for both cars are 2.9 seconds and can go over 250mph. The cars are available in either black or bare carbon fiber…I figured you guys would be most interested in the bare carbon fiber:
To see more high-resolution pictures, check out this page.
A popular maker of motorcycle helmets, HJC, offers a version of their street, off-road, and open face/cruiser helmets in stylish carbon fiber. When I was motorcycle helmet shopping, I ended up buying a Shoei helmet, but I was so close to plunking down the cash for the AC-12 street helmet. If you have one of the below, please post a comment at the bottom of the post and let us know what you think. Take a look at HJC’s three offerings:
- Carbon Fiber Composite Weave Shell: Extremely lightweight. Superior fit and comfort using advanced CAD technology.
- AccuSight Anti-fog Faceshield: Optically superior 3D design provides 95% UV protection and an anti-scratch coating.
- RapidFire Shield Replacement System: Quick, secure, tool-less removal and installation.
- 2-stage Shield Closure Mechanism: Compresses shield into the eye port gasket providing an extremely secure seal.
- 3rd-Generation ACS Advanced Channeling Ventilation System: Full front to back airflow flushes heat and humidity up and out.
- AquaTrans Moisture-wicking Interior: Comfortable, removable and washable.
- SNELL/DOT Approved
- SIZES: XS-XXL
- Carbon Fiber Composite Weave Shell: Extremely lightweight. Superior fit and comfort using advanced CAD technology.
- 3rd-Generation ACS Advanced Channeling Ventilation System: Full front to back airflow flushes heat and humidity up and out.
- AquaTrans Moisture-wicking Interior: Comfortable, removable and washable.
- Large Eye Port and Maximum Range Adjustable Visor: For maximum visibility and superior goggle fit.
- SNELL/DOT Approved
- SIZES: XS-XXL
- Carbon Fiber Composite Weave Shell: Extremely lightweight. Superior fit and comfort using advanced CAD technology.
- ACS Advanced Channeling Ventilation System: Full front to back airflow flushes heat and humidity up and out.
- SilverCool Interior: Moisture-wicking and odor-free interior with advanced silver anti-bacterial fabric. Comfortable, removable and washable.
- Sleek, Aerodynamic Visor Design: Optional shield replaces visor.
- SNELL/DOT Approved
- SIZES: XS-XXL
