#literally cost $111 so about $55 each

[thedisablednaturalist]

DISABILITY PRIDE MONTH CAME THROUGH

for my partners and I's anniversary we got a hotel room so we can have alone time without either of our parents breathing down our necks. I used priceline and did the hotel gacha where they tell you the discounted price and give you three hotels with similar amenities and they are in the same area. You only know which hotel you get when you book. The price was crazy low and I was already accepting getting a cheap hotel.

Well we hit the jackpot and got the Marriot one!!! and when we got there the front desk person upgraded our room to the ADA room and it has a gorgeous view and even a balcony!!! I wish we could stay for more than a night. Ig they automatically upgrade you if you're in a wheelchair? Or maybe the regular ADA rooms were already taken. The bathroom is HUGE and has a normal shower/bath and an ADA shower (unfortunately no shower seat???) there's also a pool on the top floor and a whirlpool!! The whirlpool wasn't very hot so it didn't do too much for my joints but there was only one family there and they left after half an hour so we had the whole place to ourselves. It was so high up we could see the blue ridge mountains!! I felt so out of place it's so nice. I've never stayed in such a nice hotel. My family is big so we have to get the cheap chain hotels. We also got to have a nice lunch by a lake and it was really yummy.

Sometimes it seems like life is never gonna get better especially being in constant pain. But being with my partner and being able to enjoy the rewards of our labor is nice. Won't be doing it again for a while though...need to save money!!!

[carleencl]

📍✈️Traveling to Bali: Part 2 - Ubud to Seminyak (Day 3 - 5)

Hey there!

Here’s the second part of my travel blog about Bali, Indonesia. This blog will be consisting of our days 3 - 5 in Bali. As a recap, first Bali blog includes visiting the different temples and experiencing the Bali swing. You may read about our days 1 and 2 in Bali, here.

For days 3 - 5, we tried the different and known food and drinks Indonesia has to offer. We also visited two more temples before heading to Seminyak from Ubud.

DAY 3 NOVEMBER 23, 2018

KOPI DESA

Our day started with a scrumptious breakfast at Kopi Desa once again. As stated on my previous blog, I ordered their Fried Rice with chicken satay that costs IDR 38,000 (PHP 140.6).

PURA GUNUNG KAWI TEMPLE

Our driver recommended this temple that we should visit this one. There was an entrance fee of IDR 15,000(PHP55.5) per person.

If you are not into trekking of walking up and down on flights of stairs, well, I couldn’t recommend this one. This temple has a lot of stairs to climb up and down. It was also very hot and humid when went to the temple, so better bring umbrellas, cap, drinking water, and a fan.

Gunung Kawi Temple consists of ancient shrine collections that were carved on the rocks.

Wearing sarongs were required upon entering the temple. If you forgot or don’t have a sarong with you, you may borrow one at the main entrance without any charge.

I really like the temples in Bali that are always situated with nature. The nature gives the extra calmness and serenity that you would feel upon entering.

I was actually very exhausted after visiting this temple however, the view, scenery and history behind it made it all worth it.

GRAND PUNCAK SARI RESTAURANT

Our driver recommended this place to have our lunch for this day since we would have a beautiful view while eating. Buffet was priced at IDR 100,000(PHP370) per person. There were a lot of food choices from appetizers, main course, and some desserts. In terms of taste, some food choices were delicious and some were okay in taste. Coffee and tea were included in the buffet, however, ordering other drinks than that would have an additional charge.

Here’s our view while having lunch, the view of Mt. Batur.

OKA AGRICULTURE BALI

Oka Agriculture Bali was another recommendation from our driver. He said that we should try the teas and coffees here rather than in Uma Pakel Bali Swing. Visiting this Okay Agriculture is free.

Upon entering, a signage posted in trees letting visitors realize and be reminded to take care of mother nature since we need them to live everyday.

The only part that saddens me in Okay as that they caged the Civet/Luwak as a “display.” Civets should be in the wild, running free.

Oka Agriculture has the different kind of coffee beans displayed. A guide or staff assisted us about Oka Agriculture and told us about its homegrown coffee beans and different teas they serve.

We tried the different types of teas and coffees they have which were free. However, we didn’t try the luwak coffee since there was an additional charge for it and is also locally available in the Philippines.

Our reaction and thoughts about their coffees and teas will be on my vlog that will be posted at the end of this blog.

Day 3 in Bali was tiring but a fulfilling day. It was a day to be able to appreciate nature more. We were able to see another temple, see Mt. Batur from a far, and tried the different teas and coffees Bali has to offer.

DAY 4 NOVEMBER 24, 2018

SARASWATI TEMPLE (Lotus Garden)

Saraswati Temple is located at the Ubud Center, near Ubud Art Market. This is also known as the Lotus Garden. Unfortunately, the lotus were not in season that time, thus explains the photo above.

This is another water temple and dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Saraswati. She is known as the goddess of learning, literature and art.

There’s a show happening at the temple but we decided not to watch it and spend more time exploring the Ubud Art Market. There was a fee if you’re going to watch the show, but entering the temple is free of charge.

Exactly beside the temple is a Starbucks cafe. So if you’re not sure where the temple is, this Starbucks is easy to locate, hard to miss.

WARUNG BABI GULING

Our driver recommended that we should try Babi Guling while in Ubud. Looking for this humble restaurant via Google Map (yup, we followed Google’s instructions 😅) made us felt as if we were in the Temple Run game. 😂 Google instructed us to turn and walked in small streets and alleys that made us doubt if we should follow it. But nonetheless, Google Map was right and lead us to Warung Babi Guling.

There were a lot of choices that included the Babi Guling. We decided to get their Special that included Rice, Fresh Vegetables, Pork Roll, Fried Meat, and Sausage with Pork Skin. One special meal costs IDR 55, 000 (PHP 203.50). The Babi Guling (pork meat) was like the Lechon here in the Philippines. It actually tastes like one too, plus the crunchy skin! I really do recommend to put also the sweet sauce they have in the table. I so love the sauce that I bought 2 large ones and brought it back to Manila. 😅

I also ordered a watermelon juice since it was very humid that day. A glass costs IDR 17,000 (PHP 62.9).

After eating here, we realized that there was an easier and faster way in going in Warung Babi Guling. 😂 You can see on my vlog about our “Babi Guling adventure.”

UBUD ART MARKET

We walked around Ubud Art Market and found a lot of good deals for bags, accessories, clothes, and more. I wasn’t able to get photos since the art market was a little bit crowded that time.

We also saw some cute dream catchers and a cafe around the art market. There were a lot of cafe we like to try but time was not enough to do so.

Day 4 at Ubud, Bali was just a chill and free time day to explore the Ubud center and the art market.

DAY 5 NOVEMBER 25, 2018

Day 5 of our Bali trip was the day to go to Seminyak from Ubud. But before heading straight to Seminyak, we had to visit Uluwatu Temple and try the famous Bali ribs!

ULUWATU TEMPLE

Uluwatu Temple is a large temple located on the cliff and above sea level. Entrance fee was IDR 30,000 (PHP 111) per person.

It was a beautiful temple and a view to see. I was actually mesmerized at the sea and just have to capture every angle of opportunity I had.

A sarong was required to be worn inside the temple. The sarong will be given at the entrance.

On our Ubud trip, we decided to skip the Ubud Monkey Forest because we were actually scared of monkeys and their tendency to bite visitors. We were not aware that there were monkeys in Uluwatu Temple. That’s why on my vlog below, you would notice or hear we were instructed by our driver to remove our accessories (glasses, bracelets, etc.) for safety precaution since monkeys have the tendency to be attracted to it. Monkeys in Uluwatu Temple, just like in Monkey Forest, are running free but are less in number compared in the forest.

If you’re like us, afraid of monkeys, you can still visit the temple. However, make sure to remove all the accessories (especially shiny ones) like watches, earrings, sunglasses, and more upon entering Uluwatu Temple.

WARUNG IGA BALI

Jo, our driver, brought us here to try the famous ribs! This Warung Iga Bali is located in Uluwatu.

Fried crackers were given as appetizers!

Here’s the famous ribs, Iga Babi! It was actually as large as the plate. We didn’t know beforehand that the serving was that big and ordered one for everyone. The ribs was actually good for 2 people and it has a lot of meat. One serving costs around IDR 125,000 (PHP462.50). The ribs was actually very delicious will surely make you full. Price is actually good for that serving.

After having a very delightful lunch, we went straight to Seminyak, Bali. We arrived at our hotel, Casa Kayu Aya, in the late afternoon.

THE BISTROT

There were a lot of good restaurants with good food and aesthetics in Seminyak. And when I say, a lot, literally every corner of Seminyak!

First night at Seminyak was spent at the restaurant called, The Bistrot.

The restaurant has low lighting but good ambience and interiors. It is a good restaurant to have a relaxing dinner.

Price for the food was a little expensive for its serving. We mostly ordered good for family/group. In terms of taste, it was good but I think once is enough to be able to dine and try their food.

The Purèe de Potato (Mashed Potato, Fresh Basil, Spring Onion, Bread Crumbs, Basil & Parsley Butter) is the on the right side that looks like a Matcha ice cream. It costs IDR 60,000 (PHP 222).

Drinks were Ginger Ale that costs IDR 35,000 (PHP 129.50) each.

Tarragon Salmon Over Edamame (Salmon Filet, Grilled Edamame, Citrus Spinach Salad Tarragon Sauce) - IDR 180,000 (PHP 666)

Cauliflower Taboule Salad (Raw Grated Cauliflower, Cherry Tomato, Cucumber, Fresh Garden Mint, Roasted Almond, Fresh Coriander, Citrus Dressing) - IDR 80,000 (PHP 296).

Homemade French Fries - IDR 25,000 (PHP92) The Marinated Chicken (Half Baked Chicken, Chili, Ginger, Kaffir Lime Thyme Rosemary, Olive Oil, Coriander, Yogurt Relish) -  IDR 140,000 (PHP 518).

Our bill for that night was IDR 835,200 (PHP 3090.24) including tax and service charge.

Overall, it was the experience we were after. The price might be a little pricey, but in terms of service, they were good and attentive of our needs.

OH MY CONE

Before we ended the day, we tried one of Bali’s gelato in Oh My Cone.

Oh My Cone was near our hotel, Casa Kayu Aya. This one has been our favorite gelato since we have tasted it. We literally always come back to have more of their gelatos.

The place was quite small but has very good interiors. They also have little instagrammable spots too.

Until today, we randomly message one another just to say we miss Oh My Cone and how yummy their gelatos are. My favorite (and my friends’ favorite too!) is the Whisky Cream gelato! For our 3 nights in Seminyak, we always went to Oh My Cone just to buy their gelato and I always end up ordering Whisky Cream. That’s how good it was!

We were actually even asking if they have a branch here in the Philippines, but unfortunately, they don’t. Their staff were so nice and cheerful that they always remember us whenever we pass by their shop. They also took our picture as remembrance in trying their gelato.

In addition on how good the gelatos are, my friends and I were always kidding around that we would just go randomly to Bali just to order Oh My Cone’s gelatos.

Day 5 was a transfer day to us from Ubud to Seminyak. We were able to try the famous ribs and had our first night at Seminyak, Bali.

Below is a vlog on our adventures for days 3 to 5 in Bali. Feel free to watch it!

Other blog post related to Bali below: 🔗 BALI DAY 1 & 2 BLOG POST 🔗 BALI DAY 6 & 7 BLOG POST

*Conversion of IDR to PHP are rounded and used IDR 1 = PHP 0.0037

*If you’re going to Bali and needs a driver/transportation, I highly recommend our driver during our trip last year. If interested, you can message me through my social media accounts or e-mail me to know his contact number.

[punalavaflow]

Popular lava tube entry north of Kona airport becoming traffic concern

KAILUA-KONA ��� Worth a look?

Sure, but at what cost?

State transportation officials are assessing safety concerns at a popular West Hawaii lava tube — Huehue — that sits just off Queen Kaahumanu Highway in North Kona.

The lava tube, created during the 1801 Huehue flow from Hualalai’s northwest flank, is located about 2 miles north of Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole, and attracts visitors and residents alike curious as to what is within.

And that’s kind of the problem at play.

Sitting on the mauka side of the highway, visitors pull off and park alongside both sides of the road to check the site out, with those stopping on the makai side crossing the highway, creating a seemingly unsafe environment as cars whiz through the 55 mph zone.

“It’s a safety hazard,” said Kona resident David Baldwin. “I’ve had children walking across the highway; people doing U-turns. They just walk across the street like it’s a park, and I just can’t believe it.”

Promotion for the lave tube is easily found online and in travel books, and it’s more than visible from the roadway.

And, in recent months, especially with the closure of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and thus Nahuku or Thurston Lava Tube, the site has become increasingly busier. Depending on the time of day, the number of vehicles at the site can reach several dozen. In some instances, food vendors have been spotted serving visitors at the site.

“It’s getting progressively worse in a rapid period of time,” said resident and commuter Dolena Brand. “In a couple of months, it went from a couple cars to 30-40-50, and just it keeps climbing.”

Seeing the entry alongside Queen Kaahumanu Highway was how Sarah Savet, visiting the island with her three sons from Washington, D.C., came across Huehue lava tube. She came back to the site after inquiring about it at her hotel.

“It’s very cool,” she said while taking photos of her youngsters standing in front of the tube’s opening.

But, she also recognized the dangers associated with the pull-off spot, frequently reminding her children to be careful because they were along a state highway.

“It’s kind of not so safe for the younger kids,” she said before the group headed north on the highway to their next destination.

A dangerous situation

During several 20-minute visits to the site during the past few weeks, there were at least two dozen vehicles — including commercial tour vans and taxis — parked and more than a dozen people who crossed the highway between passing vehicles.

Some pedestrians forced vehicles to slow down, and in one case, a vehicle with a line of cars behind it came to stop to allow a family of five to cross. Those who crossed declined to comment on the record, but some said it wasn’t a problem as there was a large enough break in traffic for them to cross.

Brand said she had a close call herself when a vehicle parked on the mauka side of the highway pulled a U-turn in front of her.

“I had to slam on my brakes at 55 to zero and honked and they just stayed in front of me going crazy slow,” she said. “Didn’t look at all. It would have killed me.”

Resident Patti Kaminski knows the area well, having seen people run across the highway and cars suddenly pull U-turns “like no one else is on the road” to check out the site, among other dangerous moves.

“I’ve seen people literally walking across the highway like they’re in a crosswalk on their phones paying no attention to the traffic. I’ve seen people just stop and cars have had to screech and jet over and stop,” she said. “I’ve seen everything.”

She added, “I would hate for anybody to have their vacation turn into a tragedy.”

Many also take offense to the cairns created by stacking rocks at Huehue, noting the “fad” now seems to be occurring at other sacred spots, like Pololu Valley.

“The rock stacking drives me crazy,” said Kaminski. “To me, it’s so disrespectful.”

State now looking into issue

Though residents have a lot to say about the area, including online in Facebook group posts, the state Department of Transportation said it was unaware of a possible safety issue at the lava tube entry site until contacted in July by West Hawaii Today.

“Our preliminary crash data and complaint logs did not show this area of the highway as a safety concern, but we will coordinate with HPD and investigate your report of illegal U-turns and unsafe stopping and parking in our jurisdiction,” said Shelly Kunishige, a DOT spokeswoman said in response to a detailed list of questions submitted in early July.

She continued, “Should our investigation determine the activities of those stopping and parking along the mauka and makai sides of Queen Kaahumanu at mile marker 91 present a danger to those using the highway, we will consider signage prohibiting those activities in line with Hawaii Revised Statute §291C-111.”

HRS 291C-111 covers noncompliance with stopping, standing, or parking on a highway.

The state did not address any particular questions posed by West Hawaii Today regarding liability, people entering caves/lava tubes and parking along the highway in violation of state law and if there’s ever been talk of creating a safe means for stopping at the site, such as can be found at the scenic lookout at Kiholo Bay.

What could be done?

Simply making it illegal to stop or park isn’t necessarily the solution, according to input from a variety of people who sounded off to the newspaper as well as in online postings.

“It’s an interesting attraction, a lava tube is obviously a very special attraction but unless they build a turn out or fix the road someway it’s going to be really dangerous,” said Baldwin, who noted one of the first things that must be fixed is the drop-off in the pavement.

Kaminski, like others, agreed a safe pull-off lane would be a plausible solution, but a parking lot should not be added, like the overlook at Kiholo. An easy answer could simply be informing visitors upon arrival that, yes, this site is here, but it can be dangerous, she said.

“It is a big problem you want the people to come here for a vacation to be safe and not have their vacation ruined,” she said. “I think awareness is the biggest thing.”

Legislators representing the district in which the lava tube entry falls said their offices had not been contacted regarding a possible safety situation near Huehue.

However, House Rep. Nicole Lowen (D-North Kona); Sen. Lorraine Inouye (D-Hilo, Hamakua, Kohala, Waimea, Waikoloa, Kona) and Hawaii County Councilwoman Karen Eoff (North Kona) each expressed their concerns and said they were eager to look into the issue.

“It’s definitely time to start having a conversation about this and what we should do about it going forward,” Lowen said.

Said Eoff, “We need to be proactive before an accident happens because public safety is our No. 1 concern.”

Email Chelsea Jensen at cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.

The post Popular lava tube entry north of Kona airport becoming traffic concern appeared first on Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/2Cewq6t

[robertkstone]

2018 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S Track Drive: Hammer ‘n Tongs

When it comes to super-swift, continent-carving executive transporters, the E 63 S is currently Daimler AG’s best foot forward. Sure, you can spend more and get more space and power in an S 63 or S 65, but the E will outrun them both—at the dragstrip and around the Nürburgring. And if you’re thinking the same engine will be hotter in the smaller C 63 S, sorry. Cramming it into that tight spot costs it 100 horses, 111 lb-ft, and 4Matic traction. The forthcoming AMG GT 63 S 4-Door will offer 27 more horsepower and 37 additional lb-ft, but with less headroom. So for now the burning question is: AMG E 63 S sedan or wagon?

To answer objectively, we strapped on our test gear and ventured to Corvette land—Bowling Green, Kentucky—to flog sedans and wagons mercilessly for an entire morning. The 3.15-mile Grand Course at the National Corvette Museum’s NCM Motorsports Park features a technically challenging collection of 23 turns, many with interesting elevation changes.

Let’s start out with a review of the basics: The mechanically identical cars employ AMG’s M177 4.0-liter hot-V twin-turbo V-8 with a 603-hp, 627-lb-ft state of tune. Torque flows through AMG’s Speedshift MCT nine-speed automatic to the latest Performance 4Matic+ all-wheel drive system, which can vary the front torque split between 0 and 50 percent. It even has a drift mode.

Our dragstrip results indicate car-to-car variation that caught our sedan’s engine on a lazy day, though our wagon’s was fully caffeinated: 0 to 60 mph took 3.2 seconds in the former, 3.0 in the latter. In the quarter mile, the wagon nipped the sedan by a tenth: 11.2 seconds at 125.1 mph to the sedan’s 11.3 at 124.2. (By comparison, the outgoing 5.5-liter twin-turbo E 63 sedan ran to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and through the quarter mile in 11.6 seconds at 121.8 mph, with the wagon a tick behind.) The new wagon’s rear weight bias might have helped it outbrake the sedan in 105 feet versus 116 from 60 mph. The sedan’s 108-pound weight advantage no doubt helped it outcorner the wagon on the skidpad—0.99 g to 0.96 g—and on our figure-eight course, with 23.6 seconds at 0.88 g average versus 24.1 seconds at 0.84 g.

A fresh fleet of three sedans and two wagons await us at NCM. I start off in the sedan doing lead-follow laps behind brand ambassador and IMSA GT champ Tommy Kendall driving an AMG GT R. We are again emphatically discouraged from engaging Race mode and its RWD-only drift setting. However, we discover that the variable torque distribution and the electronic variable locking diff mean that even in Sport+ mode, the tail can be teased out with relative ease and safety. It’s been 14 months since my early track drive of BMW’s M5, but this car triggers all the same track-attack pleasure centers, despite weighing about 300 pounds more (roughly a half pound per horsepower). Both cars feature stupendous brakes for managing corner entry and adroit all-wheel torque distribution to handle the exits, leaning on myriad electronic aids devised to convincingly trick mere mortals into believing they can drive like their racing idols.

I jump directly into a wagon, and two things become immediately clear: Its weightier caboose further eases the task of cornering with a few degrees of chassis rotation, and that glass-lined echo chamber in back is a million times more effective than any electro-“symposer” at mildly amplifying and enhancing the engine’s already glorious exhaust note. The propensity to wag its tail is key, because folks, when the autonomodrones have forced every vehicle like this onto pricey car’ntry clubs, we driving enthusiasts will tell our grandkids that the greatest joy in driving was the controlled drift.

This wagon delivers that exquisite joy more abundantly than the sedan. In fact, when heading down into the Sinkhole (an off-camber, diving right-hander), my co-driver gets the wagon loose enough to send Fräulein Säfety Nänny into full OMG-We’re-Gonna-Crash mode—tightened seatbelts, passenger-seat slide-back, and her latest trick: Pre-Safe Sound. This momentary blast of pink noise (imagine loud radio static) triggers the stapedius muscles in the ear to contract to protect the inner ear from the high acoustic pressures of a wreck with airbag deployment. Our bags do not deploy.

During my sessions riding shotgun, I play with AMG’s latest track-mapping and lap-timing app, which can store lap times and segment times, displaying them in the right instrument cluster gauge and/or the central display screen. It also keeps track of whether you’re running quicker or slower on various sections of the track by highlighting the elapsed time in a bright red or green box that your peripheral vision can pick up. This is great for experimenting with different lines through the trickiest corners.

Toward the end of eight sessions of five laps each on a 97-degree track, Kendall senses we’ve learned the line. So he turns up the wick, letting us really rip around the big course, even as our Pilot Sport 4S tires begin self-reporting temperatures topping 200 degrees on the tire monitoring screen. Now I’m even oversteering on the cool-down lap, and I’ve cemented the wagon as my choice between the two variants. If you need further convincing, consider exclusivity. Mercedes sells some 3,000 E-Class Wagons per year, about 10 percent of which get the AMG treatment. That’s approaching the number of GTC4Lusso wagons Ferrari sends here. (That should also help put the AMG wagon’s $107,945 price into perspective.)

Wagon or SUV?

Obviously, the sheeple that comprise the majority of the car-buying public will provide an overwhelming answer to that question: SUV. In fact, Mercedes offers two versions of the AMG GLE 63 S: normal SUV and quirky-looking cargo-compromised Coupe. But you, the car cognoscenti, should know that there’s an even better reason why the wagon should be the superfast cargo-schlepper of choice this year: The GLE doesn’t get a refresh until 2020, and between now and then the SUV variants soldier on with the now superseded 5.5-liter twin-turbo M157 V-8. Bigger is not better, meaning the utes must make do with 26 fewer horses and 50 fewer lb-ft of twist. Check out the test results comparing an AMG GLE 63 S Coupe with our wagon. Big difference! Yes, there’s a bit more passenger and cargo space in the GLE SUV than in the wagon, but let’s face it: If you’re popping for the 63 engine, you want max on-road performance, and the wagon runs rings around those taller, even heavier utes.

2018 Mercedes-AMG Haulers E 63 S Wagon GLE 63 S Coupe 4Matic BASE PRICE $107,945 $112,855 PRICE AS TESTED $140,820 $114,340 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINE 4.0L/603-hp/627-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8 5.5L/577-hp/561-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8 TRANSMISSION 9-speed automatic 7-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,689 lb (54/46%) 5,359 lb (54/46%) WHEELBASE 115.7 in 114.8 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 197.1 x 75.1 x 58.0 in 192.6 x 78.9 x 67.7 in 0-60 MPH 3.0 sec 3.9 sec QUARTER MILE 11.2 sec @ 125.1 mph 12.5 sec @ 110.5 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 105 ft 112 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.96 g (avg) 0.93 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 24.1 sec @ 0.84 g (avg) 25.2 sec @ 0.77 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 16/22/18 mpg 14/18/15 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 211/153 kW-hrs/100 miles 241/187 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.06 lb/mile 1.25 lb/mile

2018 Mercedes-AMG E63 S Sedan Wagon BASE PRICE $105,395 $107,945 PRICE AS TESTED $145,160 $140,820 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE 4.0L/603-hp/627-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8 4.0L/603-hp/627-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8 TRANSMISSION 9-speed automatic 9-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,581 lb (55/45%) 4,689 lb (54/46%) WHEELBASE 115.7 in 115.7 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 196.4 x 75.1 x 56.6 in 197.1 x 75.1 x 58.0 in 0-60 MPH 3.2 sec 3.0 sec QUARTER MILE 11.3 sec @ 124.2 mph 11.2 sec @ 125.1 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 116 ft 105 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.99 g (avg) 0.96 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 23.6 sec @ 0.88 g (avg) 24.1 sec @ 0.84 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 15/22/18 mpg 16/22/18 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 225/153 kW-hrs/100 miles 211/153 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.11 lb/mile 1.06 lb/mile

2016 Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S Coupe 4Matic BASE PRICE $110,225 PRICE AS TESTED $0 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINE 5.5L/577-hp/561-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 32-valve V-8 TRANSMISSION 7-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 5,359 lb (54/46%) WHEELBASE 114.8 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 192.6 x 78.9 x 67.7 in 0-60 MPH 3.9 sec QUARTER MILE 12.5 sec @ 110.5 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 112 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.93 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 25.2 sec @ 0.77 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 14/18/15 mpg ENERGY CONS., CITY/HWY 241/187 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.25 lb/mile

IFTTT

[olivereliott]

Blown Away: Supercharged KTM by Hazan Motorworks

The custom motorcycle world is moving fast. It’s a world of Photoshop renders, digital sketches, computer aided design and 3D printers. Which is good to see, but also makes us a little sad at times. Motorcycling is a visceral, mechanical experience, and injection molded plastics don’t quite have the charm of bodywork turned on an English wheel.

Fortunately, there are still a few guys who know how to operate a lathe and build a frame by hand. And Max Hazan is in the top echelon—because he adds artistic vision and historical appreciation to create an intoxicating mix.

Max is quite clear that this latest build isn’t designed for cross-country trips. “It’s just something that has two wheels and was fun to make,” he says. “There was no intention of making something practical.”

The idea for the KTM has been kicking around in Max’s head since he made his first bike in his dad’s workshop, while recuperating from an off-road accident.

“I made that bike for nothing, with virtually no metalworking tools. It had a Honda GX engine that cost $89 from eBay, plus some bicycle parts. The bike went way faster than I expected, and I knew that the next bike I built would have to be out of motorcycle parts.”

“So the idea here was to make something like the first motorized bicycle: light, cheap and fast,” says Max. “The KTM RFS [Racing Four Stroke] engine is perfect. It has the cleanest shape of the modern 450-type motors, it’s easy to work on, and it’s relatively bulletproof.”

A quick hunt on Craigslist turned up a clean KTM 520 with a full Öhlins setup. Max hauled out the engine, and put the other trick bits aside for his own SMR track bike.

To prevent things from getting too straightforward, he then plumbed in an AMR350 supercharger. It’s an obscure Roots-type blower made by Aisin, and similar to the tiny superchargers fitted to small, Japanese-market subcompacts. Still, the performance boost is nothing to be sniffed at: it displaces 300cc of induction air per revolution.

To hook up the blower, Max has machined a blower-drive/stator cover with a sealed drive shaft, and an aluminum blower ‘snout’—all from blocks of 6061 aluminum, turned by hand the traditional way on a Bridgeport mill. “After 30 hours of turning knobs, they were done.”

The bike is way more powerful than expected. “I ran the blower gearing at 1:1 to start, and found it perfect at about 7 to 8 psi. I actually left the engine compression stock: I just run the bike on 110 octane race fuel, and back off the ignition timing a few degrees at the crank trigger.”

The fuel mix is now fed through a single Keihin FCR41 carb—“With monster jets, the bike drinks fuel”—and the engine now makes around 85 hp at the crank. “It runs like a stock motor, but it’s just a little trickier to start. And it leaves you deaf after riding it!”

The radiators are oil coolers from a Cummins diesel, believe it or not, and coolant runs through part of the frame. (A separate part of the frame is used as a catch can for the engine breather.)

As you might expect, there’s no ABS, no CAN bus, and no ride-by-wire. So the electronics are very minimal, mounted under the engine next to a tiny 4-cell lithium battery. It’s good for about 30 seconds of cranking with no decompression.

The frame looks minimal, but Max reckons it’s the strongest one yet to roll out of the Hazan Motorworks shop. It’s all 1/8-inch wall, 1.25-inch chromoly tubing, with the neck milled from a solid block.

The forks and front suspension are equally unique, carved or machined from solid 2-inch chromoly bar stock. Although some of the parts are heavy, the finished bike clocks in at a mere 245 pounds wet—around 111 kilos.

Much of the effort on this build went into the unusual rear hub setup. “That was about a third of the cost of the whole project,” Max reveals. “It was an idea that I had, but required sending the design to a CNC shop.”

The hub uses an asymmetrical lacing pattern—radial 10-spoke on one side, crossed 20-spoke on the drive side), and does not have any hub flanges. The spokes lace through the sprocket itself—which is ½-inch 700 series aluminum.

The rear brake is another first. “I was initially going to run a rotor off the drive sprocket, which has been done many times before,” says Max. “But then ran into clearance issues with the supercharger drive. So I decided to run a shaft to the rotor, driven by another sprocket.”

When the first images of the KTM appeared on the net, some folks got all hot and bothered by the brake setup. “They were saying it wouldn’t work, it wouldn’t stop, the wheel would flex, and the chain would skip,” says Max.

“All understandable concerns while it was being designed, but it’s now been ridden and tested. It works just fine, and it doesn’t fade when hot.”

Bodywork? There’s very little of it, but it’s gorgeous. The slim tank is hand-fashioned from 6061 aluminum, and at the front (on the left side) is a separate coolant reservoir.

The finish is ‘Black Nickel,’ a first for Max. “It’s polished and plated in the traditional way, then chemically tinted, then clear coated. It looks amazing but it has to be treated like paint—it’s much more delicate than regular nickel plating.”

The wheels and ‘clincher’ tires are an age-old combination that Max is familiar with. Each rim has a flange that interlocks with the bead of the tire, in a system and size that owners of the Ford Model T and its contemporaries will recognize.

“I wouldn’t trust them to drag your knee,” says Max, “but I’ve never had an issue with those tires—as long as they are in decent shape, and fully inflated. They offer a hard ride when running at the required 55 to 60 psi. I have tried to run 30 psi and they just slide on the rim. Definitely not the most ‘performance’ tire out there.”

So what’s it like to ride? “Amazing and terrifying at the same time. There’s a foot clutch and a tank shift, and it’ll lift the front wheel in the first four gears. It’ll also take your shoelaces and pants if you don’t pay attention.”

“The KTM is not street legal,” says Max. “It is what it is—something I wanted to make for sake of making something. It goes and stops and puts a smile on my face.”

We must thank motorcycle enthusiast Robert (Bobby) Haas for making this build possible. He commissioned it for the Haas Motorcycle Gallery in Dallas—which displays vintage bikes dating back to the start of the twentieth century, and more modern customs such as Craig Rodsmith’s turbocharged Moto Guzzi.

“Robert is also the man that kept the doors open at Hazan Motorworks when I was literally one day away from going back to a full time job three years ago,” says Max.

So what’s next? “I’m currently working on another Royal Enfield ‘Musket’,” Max reveals. “I also have a 1938 JAP 500 on deck. After the commissioned bikes are done, I’ll do a personal build—a KTM 950 supermoto that I’ve been dreaming up for a little while.”

“Aircraft engines and a twin-turbo rotary will also have to happen at some point…”

Hazan Motorworks | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Shaik Ridzwan