Pierre Terblanche Articles
News
Pierre Terblanche quits Norton
Just six months after joining the company, Pierre Terblanche has exclusively confirmed to Hell For Leather that he has quit the new Norton. “Norton, with the right finance and management, could do very well,” the designer told us this morning as he packed up his apartment. Acquiring Terblanche — designer of the Ducati Supermono, 999 and many other iconic motorcycles — from mega-manufacture...
10 June 2011
Pierre Terblanche and Dan Van Epps on the new Norton
Despite an ailing economy, nose-diving new bike sales and naysayers insisting it simply cannot be done, looks like the new Norton's comeback is on track. Two recent big-name hires certainly have increased the start-up company's chances of success. First it was announced that American Dan Van Epps was coming onboard as head of Norton's U.S. operations. Van Epps was formerly CEO of Ducati North Amer...
04 February 2011
News
Pierre Terblanche joins Norton
He of the Ducati Supermono, Pierre Terblanche, has signed on with the reborn Norton Motorcycles. To say the move is shocking is a bit of an understatement. Pierre had been working with Miguel Galuzzi on reviving the Moto Guzzi brand and Piaggio is a gigantic company. Norton...well, Norton makes a single bike in three different flavors and has only been around, in its current form, since 2009 and w...
12 January 2011
News
Details: Moto Guzzi V12 strada concept
The Moto Guzzi V12 Strada concept is the third member of the trio that also includes the Moto Guzzi V12 Le Mans and Moto Guzzi V12 X and, like those bikes, these exclusive photos are first time we've seen it in a studio. The roadster-like Strada combines technical features seen on both those bikes, but includes some pretty neat new stuff too. Flyscreen: included in order to mimic the shape of a tr...
22 July 2010
News
Details: Moto Guzzi V12 X concept
Like the Moto Guzzi 12 Le Mans concept, these are the first studio shots every published on the supermoto-like Moto Guzzi V12 X. A lot of the details differ from the Le Mans, here's a rundown. >Oil coolers: there's actually two oil coolers and a rectifier hidden behind the screen. The cutout in that screen feeds cooling air to them. Suspension: all current production spec stuff. Hmm...interest...
22 July 2010
News
Details: Moto Guzzi V12 Le Mans concept
Here's the first studio photos of the Moto Guzzi V12 Le Mans concept ever published. There's an awful lot going on here, so we had Pierre Terblanche talk us through all the details. > Frame: made from rotational moulding nylon polymer, it's more resilient than steel and easier to produce, while weighing in about the same. It's a monocoque design that incorporates the airbox at the rear. Tank...
22 July 2010
News
Detail shots of the Moto Guzzi V12 Le Mans Concept raise more questions than they answer
Photos: Maarten TimmerWe love Pierre Terblanche and Miguel Galluzzi's Moto Guzzi V12 Le Mans concept, but that doesn't mean we understand it. Thanks to these photos, we can now see how the shock works (check it out, it's pretty straight forward), but don't understand why it's located on the swingarm. Surely this arrangement creates more problems than it solves, increasing unsprung weight. Other qu...
13 November 2009
News
Moto Guzzi's V12 Strada concept: just in time for 2012
The third of Terblanche's trinity of V12 concepts unveiled at EICMA, the Moto Guzzi V12 Strada concept is a purist's motard, taking cues from classic enduro design and contemporary MX simplicity while keeping the focus on the mechanical details. Two of our favorite mash-ups of old-made-new are the flat-faced, numberplate-style LED headlamp and the MX fuel cap with breather hose. The real star of t...
10 November 2009
News
Moto Guzzi V12 X concept: a new archetype for naked Guzzis
If you're having a little trouble telling the three Pierre Terblanche/Miguel Galluzzi (the guy responsible for the Monster and RSV4) bikes apart aside from the colors, you're not alone and these live photos don't help. We'll hopefully be able to bring you studio shots soon. Apart from being the white one, the Moto Guzzi V12 X is less of an outright sportsbike than the red Le Mans, but more sportin...
10 November 2009
News
Moto Guzzi V12 LeMans concept, Terblanche returns with a masterpiece
Moto Guzzi is for old fogies. Moto Guzzi have lost their way. Slow, fat and lifeless. Ugly and boring. Terblanche can't design his way out a paper bag. For all of you who have ever said any of the above statements, you can now collectively shut up. Pierre Terblanche's V12 LeMans concept is beautiful. It is easily on par with his other iconic design that shaped over a decade of motorcycle design, t...
10 November 2009