Vive La V-Twins!
VIVE LA V-TWINS!
FRANCE IS GETTING TRÈS serious about its V-Twins. We already knew about the Voxan Roadster (Roundup, October, 1997), a 1000cc banana-yellow streetfighter; now comes the company's next two efforts, the Cafe Racer and the Scrambler.
Like the Roadster, both are powered by a modern 996cc, fuel-injected, liquid-
cooled Vee motor working four valves per cylinder via double-overhead cams. Bore and stroke are 98 x 66mm.
All three models in the Voxan range employ their engines as fully stressed members of a common-design chassis, drawn up and produced by noted GP engineer Alain Chevallier. The frame consists of a pair of large-diameter steel tubes that run in parallel over the top of the engine, connect ing two aluminum castings that make up the steering head and the swingarm pivot/rearmotor mount. The top tubes pull double duty-their front por tions serve as airboxes; their rear halves as oil reservoirs for the dry-sump engine. The frame's modular de sign means that by changing the steering head's dimensions, Voxan can easily alter chassis geometry-for example, the Cafe Racer has a 24.5-de gree rake and 56.5-inch wheelbase, whereas the Road ster goes 25.5/56.9.
WP suspension is used front and rear on all three Voxans, the shock mounted Buell-style beneath the engine. Brakes are either Brembo (Roadster, Scrambler) or French Beringer (Cafe Racer). Plans call for the Roadster to be in production by March, the Cafe Racer by May and the Scrambler sometime in 1999. Also in the works are a pair of 1240cc cruisers. Voxan, brainchild of wealthy indus trialist Jacques
Gardette, has intentions of com ing to America, too, but not be fore the year 2000.
Alan Cathcart
