The worlds of Method 1 and bikes don’t usually cross paths, however after they do, it normally will get folks speaking. On this case, it’s Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who’s behind the story. The 27-year-old from Monaco has made a reputation for himself as one of the decided drivers on the grid.
Since his debut with Sauber in 2018 and his large transfer to Ferrari in 2019, Leclerc has been a constant fan favourite due to his aggressive racing model and his skill to squeeze each ounce of efficiency out of his automotive.
Like many F1 drivers, Leclerc’s ardour for velocity isn’t restricted to 4 wheels. Lewis Hamilton has been noticed driving customized MV Agustas. Fernando Alonso is not any stranger to two-wheeled machines both. Even legends like Michael Schumacher have been recognized to hop on bikes throughout their downtime. It’s not shocking—racing drivers usually gravitate towards bikes for a similar cause the remainder of us do: freedom, simplicity, and uncooked connection to the highway.
Photograph by: Accumulating Vehicles
That brings us to the bike itself: a Husqvarna Vitpilen 701. On paper, it’s an uncommon alternative for an F1 star. You’d count on somebody in Leclerc’s sneakers to swing a leg over a liter-class superbike with 200 horsepower—maybe a late-model Ducati Panigale V4—not a stripped-back single-cylinder bare making a puny 85 horsepower. However that’s a part of the attraction. The Vitpilen is mild, agile, and extra about really feel than outright numbers. It’s a reminder that velocity isn’t nearly straight-line figures. It’s about soul and character.
In fact, this isn’t a inventory Vitpilen. Leclerc’s bike was reworked by French customized store Bad Winners into what they name the “Apex 2.0.” Your complete physique was rebuilt in carbon fiber, from the tank to the tail part, and paired with Dymag carbon wheels. Weight dropped from 346 kilos to simply 287 kilos, giving it the sort of power-to-weight ratio that makes backroad blasts addictive. Below the pores and skin, upgrades embody an SC Mission exhaust, Energy Commander V gasoline tuner, and a freer-breathing Ok&N filter.
Photograph by: Accumulating Vehicles
Photograph by: Accumulating Vehicles
Photograph by: Accumulating Vehicles
The cockpit will get a TFT sprint, Renthal clip-ons, and a customized leather-based seat, tying the construct collectively in a means that feels high-end however nonetheless minimalist. Even the small print mirror Leclerc’s F1 background, the place shaving grams and chasing effectivity is second nature.
This explicit bike is notable for an additional cause: it’s the primary Apex 2.0 that Unhealthy Winners ever constructed, and it was commissioned particularly for Leclerc. That sort of provenance provides it an edge within the collectible world. Not too long ago refreshed with new carbon elements and serviced earlier this 12 months, it seems nearly as good because it did when it left the Paris workshop in 2020.
And in case you’re questioning what one thing like that is price, the reply got here only in the near past. The bike was offered by way of non-public sale on the public sale website Accumulating Vehicles for round 17,000 euros (about $18,300). It’s a reminder that maintaining a tally of bike auctions can repay. Distinctive machines like this don’t simply seem in your newsfeed so that you can ogle at and examine; they might ultimately find yourself parked in your individual storage, supplied you’ve bought pockets deep sufficient to swallow the price.
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