POWERSPORTS © R.
POWERSPORTS © R. Steinert and F. Weisse From racing tuner to performance customizer: Dietmar Franzen of Koblenz, surrounded by his unique Boxer custom bikes. SPORT-EVOLUTION FROM RACING TO CUSTOMIZING The nature of the work has changed, but the collaboration remains: for over ten years, a close partnership has brought Sport-Evolution and MOTOREX together. Extravagant, slim and powered by an unconventional three-cylinder engine – the Triumph Daytona 675 had the motorcycling world in an uproar in 2005. But racing fans were kept waiting as few team owners dared to set the British newcomer against the established Japanese competition. Arne Tode of Germany, #41 captured the IDM Supersport title in 2008 for the G-LAB-Racing by MOTOREX team. THE GOLDEN UNICORN OF SUPERSPORT 600 Among the bold few was Dietmar Franzen, mastermind of tuning shop Sport-Evolution in Koblenz. His ambitious goal for the 2007 season: capture the Supersport title in the International German Championship (IDM). Franzen had rapidly assembled a hard-hitting team. Already in its debut year, G-LAB Racing by MOTOREX was doing more than just drawing attention with four wins. But the season had turned into a brutal battle of engineering. Achieving adequate horsepower proved impossible without boosting engine speed, in turn cranking up the wear on the 675-cc triple engine. The Triumph Daytona’s crankshaft has just one oil outlet. With insufficient oil flow, at maximum RPM the lubricant film was simply slipping away – at the dead centers the engine was running dry! 14
Homage to the customizing scene: MOTOREX Evotec in the visually appealing retro Classic Line containers, and a creative fork design. sport-evolution.de “The engines were breaking down faster than we could repair them,” Franzen remembers. “They would only last 150 to 250 kilometers. We’d usually wear out three engines in a single weekend.” Given the strict rules, there was just one hope, and that was in the motor oil. Fortunately MOTOREX was on the team as lubricant partner. “This was a completely new experience,” says Franzen. “With MOTOREX we now had our own research and development department. Ronald Kabella, Director of Powersports, promised me at the time that they’d figure it out. And they managed it.” The experts in the lab developed an oil with extreme adhesion characteristics and very high pressure and shear stability, providing adequate lubrication even at the highest RPMs. The results were impressive: engines could now last up to 1800 kilometers, ten times longer than before. CUSTOMIZING WITH KNOW-HOW Since that time Dietmar Franzen has retired from racing. Today he works on aging BMW Boxers, customizing them for performance. “By working on these classics I’ve rediscovered motorcycling,” he says. “These conversions let me express my creativity while applying my technical knowledge at the same time. Because, much as I love design and lifestyle, my motorcycles have to run perfectly!” And that they do. In collaboration with MOTOREX, for example, Franzen has developed his own high-tech fork cartridge, which he offers in combination with various loading sleeves and MOTOREX fork oils in three viscosities, for comfortable touring up to competitive riding. To make sure the air-cooled twovalve Boxers always keep a cool head, Sport-Evolution uses MOTOREX Evotec SAE 20W/50 from the Classic Line, while MOTOREX Moto Line clean and care products ensure a perfect finish for these beauties. APPEARING TOGETHER AT INTERMOT This year’s INTERMOT in Cologne will see a proper celebration of the long-running, fruitful exchange between the racing engineer from Koblenz and MOTOREX and its German subsidiary SAV-MOTOREX GmbH, with a spectacular SE custom bike in a special MOTOREX design. One thing is sure: the motorcycle won’t just look fantastic, it will also be technically flawless – of course. • Skilled workers: In the SPORT-EVOLUTION workshop, unique custom bikes are created on the basis of classic BMWs. MOTOREX MAGAZINE 113 I SEPTEMBER 2018 15
