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THE BIENVILLE LEGACYOur journey with this controversial superbikeIt was the run up to the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2015 and there was so much going on in the studio that we weren’t sure we would make it to the big event.
In the end Rupert decided to leg it up there at the last minute with one aim in mind…to take the best picture of the weekend with the cheapest camera we had in the studio on a standard entry ticket. Now for those of you who know Rupert, this sort of self-challenging idea is nothing out of the ordinary and the next bit of the story will come as no surprise. For those of you who don’t know Rupert, rest assured that if he says he’s going to do something, he won’t rest until he does! So off goes Rupert, armed with a little Canon 550D, a run of the mill Tamron lens, a tent and a sleeping bag. Cut to several hours later and Rupert’s regaling us with this story of how he saw this mental looking motorbike and went flying up to it accosting the owners with a passionate plea of ‘I just have to photograph this in the cove’. |
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With one picture, he fulfilled his brief and we were fully onboard with Bienville.
Every key moment leading up to this bike actually coming to life has been a string of chance meetings so this encounter was right up Bienville’s street.
The story behind the Bienville Legacy itself is pretty inspirational. Let me take you back a few years… Jim Jacoby met Scott Miller quite by chance, a case of being in the right place at the right time. Both men were going through a complete life re-evaluation following a horrific motorcycling accident (Jim) and the diagnosis and successful treatment of stage four cancer (Scott). They were struck by a common set of values that each had been building on their own and this lead them to form ADMCi (the American Design and Master-Craft initiative). In their own words, ADMCi ‘identify, curate and promote courageous people with remarkable capabilities to build value across industries and audiences’
The story behind the Bienville Legacy itself is pretty inspirational. Let me take you back a few years… Jim Jacoby met Scott Miller quite by chance, a case of being in the right place at the right time. Both men were going through a complete life re-evaluation following a horrific motorcycling accident (Jim) and the diagnosis and successful treatment of stage four cancer (Scott). They were struck by a common set of values that each had been building on their own and this lead them to form ADMCi (the American Design and Master-Craft initiative). In their own words, ADMCi ‘identify, curate and promote courageous people with remarkable capabilities to build value across industries and audiences’
The first project ADMCi funded was the Bienville Legacy. Jim met designer and master craftsman JT Nesbitt, again quite by chance, in a bar in New Orleans. JT had been working on innovative designs for over 10 years and this was his chance to build his dream machine.
Over the next three years JT built three motorcycles that have no fewer than eight new patents filed on them. The leaf spring suspension and independent steering are just two of these innovations. ADMCi are only planning on building 12 motorcycles in all, each one bespoke and perfectly fitted to the rider.
So what’s she made of? Mostly titanium and carbon fibre, with leather and mahogany touches. The engine is a Motus MV4R and she operates with a split tank fuel system. Her top speed is rumoured to be around the 211mph mark and Jim is hoping to try her out along the salt flats sometime soon, going for the land speed record in the no fairing category. Pretty scary if you ask me! Full specs can be found at http://www.bienvillelegacy.com/specifications-1/#specifications
Eighteen months on from our first meeting and we have worked with Jim and Scott to produce imagery worthy of the bike for advertising and art. We spent time in and out of the studio and filmed a promo for them at Abingdon Runway showing the Bienville in all its glory both in and out of the studio.
In our opinion she is both the history and the future of motorcycles as some of her innovations are sure to filter down into the design of other more conventional bikes.
So what’s she made of? Mostly titanium and carbon fibre, with leather and mahogany touches. The engine is a Motus MV4R and she operates with a split tank fuel system. Her top speed is rumoured to be around the 211mph mark and Jim is hoping to try her out along the salt flats sometime soon, going for the land speed record in the no fairing category. Pretty scary if you ask me! Full specs can be found at http://www.bienvillelegacy.com/specifications-1/#specifications
Eighteen months on from our first meeting and we have worked with Jim and Scott to produce imagery worthy of the bike for advertising and art. We spent time in and out of the studio and filmed a promo for them at Abingdon Runway showing the Bienville in all its glory both in and out of the studio.
In our opinion she is both the history and the future of motorcycles as some of her innovations are sure to filter down into the design of other more conventional bikes.