I ECONOMY AND BUSINESS Andres Uibomäe
“Kuri Kuldnokk“
Rebirth of the Renard The name Renard has been associated with two-wheelers since the end of WWI, when the company made 98cm3 mopeds. Unfortunately, the factory was bombed in 1944, putting an end to the Renard name. The name stayed buried until 2008, when a group of radical thinking entrepreneurs decided to resurrect the name Renard and put a new spin on the art of making a motorcycle. Contrary to the normal behaviour of an Estonian, the gentlemen behind Renard Motorcycles dreamt big and were able to achieve their goals. The finished Renard motorcycles are some of the coolest looking and technically advanced machines that have ever come out of the old Soviet republic, or from the cold north for that matter. Renard motorcycles have special characteristics: carbon/kevlar monocoque main-frames, and hollow load-bearing unibodies that sport airbox and rubberized fuel cells, from which the engines and all major components are hung. Do not overlook the girder front end and the wheels, because both are also made from carbon fibre. The heart and soul of these awesome machines is also full of character and flamboyance, which you might expect from an Italian motor. In my opinion, Moto Guzzi’s air-cooled Quattrovalvole V-twin is a very suitable motor for such a masterpiece of engineering. Actually the only thing that can disturb Renard Motorcycles’ plans to take the world by storm is the price of these exclusive bikes. With a hefty price tag of 49,000 €, the clientele for such bikes is not massive, which does not mean that there will be no Renards riding around the world. This autumn Renards will appear in the biggest motorcycle fairs in Europe.
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LIFE IN ESTONIA I 2014 SUMMER
Renard Motorcycles’ production is currently limited, but the driving force behind Renard Motorcycles, Andres Uibomäe, is a visionary and an extraordinary fabricator who also thinks fast on his feet, so he has decided to offer the motorcycle public his creations at more affordable prices. From a single vision, the Renard Speed Shop was born. Andres has gathered around him some of the very best fabricators and mechanics in Estonia, and together they are on a mission to make the most stylish cafe racers, scramblers and customs the world has ever seen. The basis for these creations are barn-finds that scavenged from the cold storages of southern Europe.
The Honda CB500T known as “Kuri Kuldnokk“ For this article, we decided to choose two bikes that show the craftsmanship of the Renard Speed Shop and its master fabricators. We live in a time when trends are born in one place in the world and the next day they can be all the rave in another part of the world. Of course, trends can fade as fast as they spread, so being versatile is one of the biggest strengths an individual or a company can have. The two bikes featured in this article lie on the opposite ends of the motorcycle design world but, being created by the same company, they are the best examples to showcase the Renard Speed Shop´s craftsmanship and versatility.