Custom Builds From Bikebrewers

[DaveM]

Use your head, wear a Davida

“Testing, one, two, three!”
IN NEARLY THIRTY YEARS the sole remaining British manufacturer of open face motorcycle helmets has carved out a quite niche for itself.
The Wirral (near Liverpool) based manufacturer have always chosen their own path guided by the founder David Fiddaman (a.k.a. ‘Fiddy’). He describes it as “a genuine and relentless pursuit rewarded by a worldwide reputation for the quietest, most comfortable, and well-made open face motorcycle helmets available.”

The success of the company has been helped by the world wide resurrection of the caféracer scene over the last two decades. Among the many aficionados of this style of motorcycling, Davida has created a loyal following of ambassadors of the brand. And yes, once worn, a Davida lid also gets stuck inside your head.

“Always ride in style”
This has been our motto for many years. Looking the part on a vintage or retro styled bike is important. The picture has to be as perfect as possible. Indispensable elements to achieve this are the right bike, fitting garment and a lid to top it all off.

However, style is one thing but safety another.
Adhering by the rule of ‘no pain, no gain’ works well in the gym, but may really hurt when hitting the deck as a result of an unexpected turn of events.

The Davida solution to the problem was simple: “becoming the smallest but probably most certified helmet maker in the world” says David. This is actually a major feat. The big manufacturers spend millions of research funds in designing and testing new head protection.

Being a small outlet in Birkenhead and managing to still hold certifications from: BSI (UK), DOT (USA), ECE (Europe), CN (China and Taiwan) and ACU Gold (for UK racing) indicates that they mean business.

As a proper entrepreneur, Fiddy started his business in his mother’s garage and the first Davida helmet that saw daylight was the replica of the ‘50’s classical helmets. The team decided on learning their trade the hard way, by manufacturing everything in house. Not the easiest way, as there are a lot of elements you have to take into account when building high class helmets.
From finding the best shapes for the outer part to stitching the now signature leather lining. But they got it right and the helmets were soon a hit.

With the growing popularity of the retro styled motorcycle market and an upsurge in popularity of vintage bikes there was soon a demand for jet helmets as another open face alternative to what other manufacturers were pouring out. From day one Davida decided not to go for mass production and low prices. High quality and completely handmade helmets for a decent price was their aim. And with their will they succeeded in creating masterpieces that are among the best helmets a rider could wish for.

Choices, choices, choices
We were offered to test the full face ‘Koura’ helmet which was introduced in 2018. As this was such a major step forward for the British company, Bikebrewers decided to go all out and test the full range.
In spite of the fact that the Davida Classic Helmets are not compliant to current safety standards, they look very cool and are a constituent part of Davida’s history and a regular choice for a day out on the bike.
The jet helmet has been our favourite for years and the Koura was the one we had been looking forward to experiment with. A big enough selection to get us excited.

Classically trained
With 26 different designs the ‘Classic Helmet’ is slightly reminiscent of the Heinz ketchup claim to fame, offering 57 varieties. But that where the comparison stops.

Looking at all those magnificent retro fashioned lay outs, this head protector invites the aficionado to just start collecting the whole series.

We opted for a simple black and white design for this occasion.

Having worn the comfortable jet helmet for many miles we expected the classic version to be quite a lot louder and a lot less pleasant to wear. No such thing!

The lid fits like a glove and the leather sides cover your ears sufficiently to be able to ride longer distances without going deaf for a living. It is important to point out however that while testing all three helmets proper ‘in ear’ protection was worn. But it goes without saying that this is something you need to do anyway if you don’t want to have tinnitus as a permanent visitor in your brain.

Completing the look with ‘Aviator’ goggles was comfortable and looked dandy, but we think an ‘Aviator retro special’ pair would do even more justice to the design of the helmet and move the overall appearance into the ‘hunky dory’ realm.

At jet speed
We can get completely carried away while describing the quality of the ‘Jet Helmet’.
This is a head protector that is the apex of quality. It is simply the best open face helmet money can buy.

In this model there is again a wide selection of colours and designs available. There will certainly be one to suit the look of any retro styled rider. The overall looks and design of the jet helmet are phenomenal and the paint job is of the highest standard. The same goes for the all leather interior. It will give you, your head and your ears the protection your mother says you deserve.

The noise reduction of this helmet is pretty close to that of an full face version of any other manufacturer. But people will still be able to fully enjoy the rider’s grin while enjoying the pleasures the open road has to offer.

There are other brands around that will offer an equally marvelous demeanour, but when it comes to overall character and quality, their only option is to value their position as runner up.

The jet helmet sits comfortably on your head and will allow a rider to cover larger distances on a naked bike, cruising around legal speed limits without having energy drained due to the constant humming and hissing of the wind. We have tested it on a five day road trip leisurely nibling away at 2.500 kilometres of tarmac.

The weight of just under one kilogram (984 grams/2lbs. to be exact) is sufficient to keep your head safe and allowing your splenius capitis and trapezius muscles to keep it in place without giving you a hard time between riding sessions.

Hoorah for the Koura
It was quite the occasion when Davida’s first full faced helmet was presented at EICMA’s 2018 show in Milan. A major step forwards (or sideways If you will) for the renowned manufacturer of open faced helmets.

The Koura is a retro inspired, high performance helmet, clearly identifiable as a Davida. We think the team of designers have done quite the job in delivering a brand new helmet styled in the way that fitting the differentiating characteristics of the UK manufacturer. It comes with an exceptionally low profile and a strikingly bold styling that will be impossible to go unnoticed on the streets or on the track.

The first full face helmet from Davida, Koura is the result of boosting the proficiency of their own in-house technical team with the expertise of Italian MotoGP & F1 racing helmet designers. This crew was already involved in delivering the smallest-profile road-legal open face helmet (the Davida Speedster V3) in 2016.
The Koura is certified to ECER22-05, DOT FMVS 281 & ACU Gold and is available in both road and race versions.

When launching the new model Davida claimed the Koura would “deliver everything you’d demand from a high performance motorcycle helmet together with the level of quality and integrity Davida helmets are known for : compact and close fitting , exceptional ergonomic s, high quality paintwork, supremely luxurious interiors; and unrivalled fit and product longevity . It’s beautiful, yet aggressive.”

And it does.

They have managed to produce the smallest dual standard full face in the world.

Pudding and proof
Passionate press reports and tantalizing news bits are one thing, but Bikebrewers wanted hard evidence.

As with the other models, the range of designs to choose from is wide enough to force the buyer to think twice. Once you think you have made your mind up, you will want to go back to the catalogue and look again. They are all equally alluring. With quite a bit of going back and forth we decided on the ‘Cosmic Flake Silver/Red Flame’ version, fully in line with the overall retro composition of the helmet.

First thing you notice when putting on the helmet is its tight fit. It will take you a bit of getting used to before you will be able to put it on and taking off without tearing your ears off. But once you’ve got the hang of it, you will be happy Davida decided to synthesize a nice tight outer shell.

When riding it becomes immediately clear that a team of racing helmet designers has been involved. It is absolutely lightweight at only 1550 grams. It is a helmet with roots firmly planted on the track. The smart aerodynamics prevent the wind getting too much grip on the helmet.
You can ride in a racing position easily without getting worn out.

The jet helmets are known for their absence of noise. The Koura being a full faced helmet, we expected it to take it a step further. To be honest, the difference is not as big as we anticipated. The comfort is absolutely up to Davida standards and the noise is certainly within limits, but the ventilation slots in front allow the wind to enter the helmet, making the noise level higher than we thought it would.

The upside of the ventilation is that definitely helps the visor from fogging up.

Conclusion
Our love and appreciation of the brand has only grown further.
Davida is a manufacturer that just maps out its own route and has been moving forward in a direction set by the compass of its bold owner. We applaud that.

Each of the helmets we tested deserve their own place on the shelf in the motorcycle shed. It depends on your mood, style of bike and road behavior which one to select to accompany you on a ride out.

Each one will be the personal guard of your health in times of trouble. Invariably all three models will make you look good and have people making positive comments about it. When riding a retro styled or vintage bike, a Davida will put the dots on the i’s.

Remember to ‘always ride in style‘!

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[CarlS]

I don't see a modular helmet in their lineup.

 

[DaveM]

Rare Bird London calling

THIS BIRD LANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CUCKOO’S NEST!
At a time the world population is fighting invisible killers aiming for our lungs, Konrad Kwietniewski decided the time was right to enter the market with face masks that would not only help motorcyclists preserve their health, but look stylish at the same time.

The Rare Bird London egg was hatched out in the winter of 2016-2017. As soon as the online nest was populated with a lively set of stylish masks Bikebrewers started following the London manufacturer. We were immediately smitten by the looks of the motorcycle apparel and decided we wanted to do some extensive testing.

As we are all about riding in style, the preferred method to apply head safety is an open face helmet. It is always hard to find the right way to cover your nose and mask. Choosing between tubes, scarves and bandanas we wold prefer the latter in a silk version. However, the material may be soft an comfortable, but the smoothness will often cause the cover to slide down when riding. Having a knot at the back of your head is not pleasant either.

The London boys and their girl designer Paulina managed to construct a mask that is modelled in such a way it just covers what it needs to cover and will sit on your face exactly the way you want it.

In their search of excellence they created anti-pollution masks that are developed to both look good, and provide a UK Ministry of Defence military-grade air filter.
The user-replaceable filter is a 100% pure activated carbon cloth with sub-micron filtration capability to block out particles down to the 2.5 micron size range. It’s been tested by the UK’s Health Protection Agency and shown to block out PM 2.5, PM 0.3 viruses, bacteria, and gas pollution.

It was already back in the early nineties we spotted pedal bike couriers in London riding around wearing face masks to protect their lungs. Those were mainly made out of neoprene. Those masks also had pollution filters, but did not come close to looking as awesome as the Rare Bird ones do.

Rare Bird London have two main product lines – winter masks and summer masks. The winter masks are designed to keep your face and neck warm when the mercury drops and the summer masks are designed to keep you cool while still offering the safety of a pollution filter as you make your way through traffic.
We tested both versions. The dark blue one is the Winter mask and we decided on a very retro chequered design for the Summer.

It takes a little bit of getting used to, but once you’ve got the hang of it, the mask will stay in place when putting on the helmet. They are fashioned to cover your nose and mouth and to stay in place irrespective of the speed at which you will travel or the movements a rider needs to make with his head scanning traffic.
It’s held in place under your helmet with a black adjustable elastic band, it has a slim fit adjustable neck warmer, and it comes with an exchangeable anti-pollution filter.

To each its own
There is an enormous variety of styles to choose from, all of which are far better looking than the average Hannibal Lecter-style anti-pollution mask for sale at most motorcycle gear stores. Those will make people look at you all right, but is it the sort of attention you are looking for?

Having tested both versions for over a twelve month period, we feel confident to state that the editors have all fallen in love with the brand. The masks are just a wonderful addition to the elements you need to ride in style.
However there are few minor issues we need to point out; having tested the masks for such an extended period we obviously had the opportunity to ride in the pouring rain too. When we say ‘pouring’ we mean those really huge ‘cats and dogs’!

Under those circumstances the filter of the Summer edition occasionally had the tendency to clog up when saturated with water, making it very hard to breathe through it. We’ve had a few hairy moments when we had to keep full focus in those weather conditions on the road an traffic, but were distracted by the lack of oxygen entering our brain. The thicker winter mask did not have those problems. After using a water repellent spray we managed to solve the problem.

Using protective spray is to be recommended anyway, as it will keep your mask clean longer. Having washed the chequered version a few times, the black has started to fade a bit.
Another minor thing is the variety of masks available. There are so many styles to choose from and they all look equally good! There a mask to suit every style and it makes us wanting to collect them all!

If you are looking for a perfect Christmas gift, you should definitely check out the Rare Bird London online store. The way the masks are presented is 100% in line with their quality. Using beautiful gift boxes, it may well be the ultimate Christmas experience under your tree.

While you are at it, you might as well add a nice Davida helmet to the list.
Check out our recent post on those handmade British lids.

Photography: Sjoerd Schenk & Roman Betist

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[DaveM]

‘The hairy fella in the shed’

In the Doghouse
On road trips you get to meet people from all walks of life.
Even more if you possess a natural curiosity which makes you want to discover the story behind the front end.
Generating new contacts in the digital world is relatively easy. Staying in touch and building a relationship often becomes little problematic for most, but going out there to spend some serious time with them is a whole different ball game.
If you accept the challenge and make the extra effort, there will be occasions that life treats you to the nicest people you can ever imagine. Occasionally they share their life stories with you that make your emotions run amok.

The Shed
Not long ago Bikebrewers paid a shed visit to Craig Jones, the man behind Dog House Customs.
Time was not an issue that day and all sense of it disappeared once we started our conversation. As there is so much to write about, the piece ended up laying around and finishing proved to be tough. Perhaps writing a book might have been easier and do more justice to the man than this 1.000 word post.

Nevertheless we stayed in touch with Craig over the past twelve months. When some of the editors decided to visit the ‘Motorcycle live’ November show in Birmingham recently, we all agreed a second visit to Craig’s shed was justified.

Second thoughts
After our initial visit Craig had become active on Instagram and his show on YouTube had soared to 30.000+ subscribers. However, he recently went through a difficult period, after the decision to part with the guys with whom he was producing the show. There are only 24 hours in a day and you can just use them once. Having to dedicate a lot of those valuable working hours on filming had a dramatic effect on his – one man band – production. Where it would normally take an average of four weeks to finish a build, it would cost him twice as much time now. Starring in in a You Tube show regrettably proved not to pay any bills.

“It just did not work out properly” the builder informed us via email. “But I will tell you the whole story when you get here.”

Riches to rags
Craig is a trained blacksmith and ran ‘R. Jones & Co.’ together with his father. Sadly enough Craig’s parent succumbed to cancer a few years ago, rendering the protagonist of this story completely devastated.

This terrible event caused Craig’s life to spiral downwards. He literally ended up in the gutter with a grim perspective on the future. He went through some pretty tough times.

In fairy tales often a hero comes to the rescue as by miracle. But also in real life these rarities occur
After losing his wife, his wife, his company, his house and his money his, now girlfriend, Tracy picked him up ‘brushed him off’ and helped him get back on his feet again.

This is how he ended up safely nested in his own little 60 square feet universe in the backyard of his house in Wolvey, Great Britain.

A morning well spent
That’s where we met him and spent the whole morning discussing life’s issues and of course bikes, bikes and bikes over cups and cups of tea.
His new dawn started when he decided to focus on rebuilding an ancient Royal Enfield Bullet 500 just to take his mind of things. While spending serious time on the project and dreaming of building and selling, his friends declared him “officially mad”. “You will never be able to make a living out of building bikes they all said” Craig explains with a smile.
They were all muted when the end result was presented.

Eat this!
A stunning bike with an astounding eye for the most minute details. When presented online Craig’s phone would not stop buzzing. Craig was suddenly a ‘most wanted’ man in the bike building world.

Over the years the Wolvey resident has become somewhat of a specialist on rebuilding old Royal Enfield bikes into magnificent pieces of art. But he has sprinkled his creativity on a BMW, a Triumph and a BSA too.
“So how do you go about putting a project together?” we pried. “
“I like to compare the process to bricklaying, but then without a plan” Craig explains. “I cement the pieces together one by one and love it when the ideas in my head work out and the build starts coming together.”

“Working in this fashion obviously has its downsides too. It has happened more than once that I did not like what I created. I then just chuck it away and start all over again. To avoid situations like that I will often just sit there and look at the bike, creating the perfect picture in my mind.”
“I go into a state of Zen and let the creative energy flow. Once the image in my mind is clear my hands will do the rest and things start to fall into place. Never rush. Doesn’t work for me.”

Do you do commissioned work?
“No, it gives me too much pressure and a disappointed customer lurks around the corner. Just don’t want to deal with that. I build the build that I have in mind and then sell it.”
He continues: “Asking the right price is a bit of an issue too. What you think may be fair, does not necessarily work for the buyer. I have created the best solution to that. When a build is completed I put it on eBay for 99 pence and let interested buyers bid. At the end of the day the person who has the winning bid will always be happy, as this is the price he was willing to pay for his purchase. Works for the buyers and I can feel good about it too.”

We’ll be back!
Having spent even more time with our shed builder all editors wish they’d live closer to Birmingham so regular visits to check out what Craig is up to would be easier. Instead we will have to rely on the good old Internet and patiently wait for episodes of his brand new, self-produced, You Tube show.

There is enough to get excited about as there is another of his magnificent Royal Enfield bobbers in the works closely followed by the finishing touches on the Yamaha 1100 turbo and a Ural!
With all this in mind and the unbelievable craftsmanship of Craig Jones, we can only hope that Royal Enfield finally wake up and commission a factory build of one of their new models.

The world deserves it.

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[DaveM]

BMW Motorrad’s R 18 “Big Boxer”

More throttle!
The most powerful BMW boxer engine of all time with historical roots and full torque.
We love it when a plan comes together. Clearly the heart of this monster is beating fiercely already!

“Motorcycling in its most authentic form: instinct over mind, technology not for its own sake but as a way of creating space for fantasy and powerful emotion rather than sober contemplation and objective calculation.”
This was the message that accompanied the debut of the BMW Motorrad Concept R 18 at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in May 2019 – a striking revival of the BMW Motorrad brand core, namely the boxer engine.

It’s alive!
More than any other present-day BMW motorcycles before it, the Concept R 18 translated the essence of famous BMW Motorrad classics into the modern era, in particular in terms of form, while at the same time providing a glimpse ahead to a volume-production motorcycle that would enrich the BMW Motorrad Heritage world of experience in the near future: the BMW R 18.
The highest-capacity 2-cylinder boxer engine of all time. Yes! We want it!

The heart of the new BMW R 18 is a completely newly developed 2-cylinder boxer engine – the “Big Boxer” – which has played a key role not just in the two BMW Motorrad prototypes – the Concept R 18 and the Concept R 18 /2 – but also in the custom bikes supported by BMW Motorrad, namely “The Departed” by Custom Works ZON and “Birdcage” by Revival Cycles. BMW Motorrad now presents this new, highly distinctive engine in detail.

It’s got the looks AND the performance
Not only in terms of its impressive outward appearance, but also from a technical point of view, the new “Big Boxer” ties in with the traditional boxer engines that were synonymous with motorcycles from Munich and Berlin-Spandau for around 70 years, from the beginning of BMW Motorrad production in 1923 through to the appearance of the air/oil-cooled successor: these were engines with a clear design, created for optimum reliability and ease of maintenance, featuring logically arranged yet powerful technology.

With its OHV valve drive along with a separate engine and transmission housing, the new “Big Boxer” has the same structural features that distinguished the very first BMW Motorrad boxer engine, which at that time had laterally controlled valves. The highest-capacity twin-cylinder boxer engine ever used in motorcycle series production is a 1 802 cc engine, resulting from a 107.1 mm bore and 100 mm stroke.

The engine output is 67 kW (91 hp) at 4 750 rpm.
The maximum torque of 158 Nm is already available at 3 000 rpm! More than 150 Nm is now available from 2 000 to 4 000 rpm. This ensures enormous pulling power and – in conjunction with a generously sized flywheel mass – exemplary running smoothness as well. These are the benefits of this level of performance and torque during riding. The maximum engine speed is 5 750 rpm, while the idling speed is 950 rpm.

Air and oil cooled
The new “Big Boxer” is air/oil cooled, has large ribbed cylinders and cylinder heads and weighs 110.8 kg including gearbox and intake system. It has a vertically split aluminium engine housing.

Unlike the classic air-cooled 2-valve boxer engines made by BMW Motorrad, however, the “Big Boxer” crankshaft, forged from quenched and tempered steel, has an additional main bearing at the centre, which was necessary due to the enormous cylinder volume in order to prevent undesirable bending vibrations of the crankshaft.
Like the crankshaft, the two connecting rods with I-shaft are mounted on plain bearings and are likewise forged from quenched and tempered steel. They accommodate cast aluminium pistons with two compression rings and an oil wiper ring. The running surface of the light metal cylinders is coated with NiCaSil.
Lubricating and cooling oil is supplied by a wet sump lubrication system with a two-stage oil pump via sleeve-type chain driven by the crankshaft.

History repeated
When developing the valve drive for the “Big Boxer”, BMW Motorrad engineers were inspired by a very special engine design in the history of BMW Motorrad – in keeping with the Heritage concept: the 2-cylinder boxer engine of the R 5/R 51 (1936 – 1941) and R 51/2 (1950 – 1951), the latter having been the first BMW motorcycle with a boxer engine after the Second World War.

In contrast to other OHV designs by BMW Motorrad, this engine – highly valued by connoisseurs – has two camshafts driven by the crankshaft via a sleeve-type chain.
As in the historical role model, the two camshafts are also positioned to the left and right above the crankshaft in the “Big Boxer”.

The advantage of this “twin camshaft boxer” is the shorter pushrods. This also makes for reduced moving masses, minimised deflections and lower linear expansions. A generally stiffer valve drive with improved control precision and higher speed stability is the consequence of this more elaborate construction.

Shaft it!
As in all BMW motorcycles with boxer engines, torque is transmitted from the gearbox to the rear wheel in the R 18 via a propeller-shaft or universal-shaft drive with universal joint, shaft and rear-axle drive with bevel and ring gear. The propeller shaft and universal joint are examples of fascinating classic motorcycle technology since they are nickel-plated and open, as was commonly the case in BMW Motorrad models up to and including model year 1955. A so-called tripoid joint is applied on the gearbox side for the purpose of length compensation.

Technical specifications – BMW R 18 “Big Boxer”.
Engine
Big Boxer engine
Capacity
1802cc
Bore/stroke
107/100 mm
Output
67/91kW/hp
at engine speed
4,750 rpm
Torque
158Nm
at engine speed
3,000rpm
Type
Air/oil-cooled 2-cylinder boxer engine
Compression
9.6:1,
Fuel
Premium unleaded 95-98 RON
Valve control
OHV
Valves per cylinder
4
Ø intake/outlet
41.2/35.0 mm
Ø throttle valve
48 mm
Engine control
BMS-O
Emission control
Closed-loop three-way catalytic converter, exhaust standard EU-5

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[DaveM]

Mediterranean Blue BMW R80 by La Motocicletta

WHEN AN ITALIAN DESIGNER starts redesigning motorcycles you better pay attention.
We traveled South to the mid sized (50K inhabitants) town of Pordenone (North East Italy) to interview the protagonist of this post. There we met him at the workshop of his own company ‘La Motocicletta’.

While admiring his bike we had the opportunity to hear him out about his latest project. Massimo Zancai has a master’s degree in design at has been working on bikes for quite some years.

He mostly builds bikes in commission and often has to adhere to the tastes and budgets of his clients. With this 1983 BMW R80 he did not have to conform to the wishes of others and followed his creative instinct. As he describes it: “I had the pleasure of creating something that would give me satisfaction and show our potential to the fullest.

“I therefore decided, for reasons of image, that our online presence will only represent these superior specials made on our own initiative, showing people that exploring the full potential for beauty is more important than showing the dozens of low-end or not very inspirational bikes that populate our workshop year round.” The Italian adds.

The reason he gives for choosing this particular brand and model is that “BMW has a great potential to be a mix of a harmony shapes as a start, for this reason I have chosen an R80 ST model and I bought it in Germany (Monaco) just because it has only one owner and very low mileage, it sounds good to be a good donor bike.”

Tell us Massimo, what was your idea or vision with this build?
The builder explains: “My greatest passion is to give new life to commercial motorcycles, upsetting their essence to make them unique, playing between proportions and harmony of shapes, so I often find myself exploring new ideas that are able to merge the boundaries between art and mechanics mainly following the “GOLDEN RATIO” rules.”

OK we get that, but which well did you tap into for your inspiration?
“I worked for several years as designer (self-employed) at Aprilia and Moto Guzzi, working especially for carbon fiber pieces on the newest concepts bike to display at shows, my last works included Aprilia RS-660 and Moto Guzzi MGX-21. It gives to me the right inspiration to create something that was only in my mind as a “special harmony shapes thing.”

Working for great brands there are often larger budgets to work with. Were there any financial constraints when setting out on your own project?
“I do admit that in this project I have not actually cared too much about any expense” he smiles secretively, “But I prefer to avoid to tell how much it was, because I have special suppliers worldwide so the expenses would be different compared to the standard Italian production.” Massimo diplomatically continues.

Putting the money issue aside then, what were the creative challenges en route to the grande finale of this build?
“The tank was tailored on the frame in order to obtain a harmonious effect, without external brackets that would have eliminated the bikes elegance. I was looking for a shape that fully integrated the rest of the mould. This way I managed to position the speedometer in a unique position. Above it all, the whole electrical system is neatly tucked away. Now this was a real challenge, but it created an very clean look.” He proudly smiles while tenderly stroking his brainchild.

The Bikebrewers team particularly like the vibrant blue colour of the tank. This was created by spraying over a dozen transparent layers, polished between each paint job to obtain an extremely smooth surface without steps between the colours.

Going back to finances again, what modifications are made, what parts were used and did it require outside help?
“All the entire non-original components have been designed and built inside my workshop, from footrests to steering plates, from pins to brackets etc. everything is done using CNC technology.

Every single element (from the front headlight to the rear suspension and from the foot rests to the tank’s cap) was calculated in its position with the mathematical rule of the “golden ratio” to have a perfect harmony on the whole.

If you compare it to a stock bike you will notice that maybe a few millimetres but the positions do not coincide at any component.
On the front end I mounted an “ultra-lowered” upside down fork to maintain a very low overall set-up (otherwise with a standard fork the bike would have been a scrambler) and the brakes have a double disc ø320 on a spoke rim with radial calipers.

The original engine (R80) was completely overhauled and reassembled using R100 components.”

So what makes you really happy looking at your ‘chef-d’oeuvre’?
“The tailored tiny tank. And the liveliness of the details on it. It immediately draws your attention to it.

It was an enjoyable trip to Italy and we like what La Motocicletta have done with the BMW. One minor detail we are not big fans of is the licence plate holder. Although it looks nice and clean, using a simple straight line, we find it a bit dull. It is an inevitable requirement, but we’ve seen more appealing solutions.

But who really cares? When you are riding you are looking at the road ahead!

List of modifications
• Showa font fork upside-down ultra-lowered
• CNC footrest and pedals
• CNC steering plates
• YSS rear suspension
• Biltwell seat
• Tank

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[DaveM]

Game Over Cycles three wheeled eccentricity

WE COULD NOT AGREE MORE with the jury that decided to bestow this bike the honour of winning the ‘Craziest Bike’ Award.

To be brutally honest Yamaha’s Niken has been far from being a favourite amongst our team of editors. It does not happen very often that we all are in full agreement, but ever since this machine was introduced in 2018 we just steered as far away as possible from it.

However Karma has its own way, via which the Yamaha entered our premises using the Eastern route.
Polish manufacturer of custom motorcycles Game Over Cycles (GOC) in cooperation with Yamaha Motor Poland proudly unveiled what they can rightfully consider a unique vehicle.

Unique & different
Created from the revolutionary Niken tricycle, Game Over Cycles built a unique custom bike, which is world’s first fully customized Niken.
It was presented to the rest of the world in the German town of Bad Salzuflen during the ‘Custom-bike show 2019’ which the organization claims to be the largest trade fair for modified motorcycles in the world’*. It was the jury at this even who were responsible for giving it the “Craziest Bike” award.

Multi wheelie
The Niken debuted on the global market in 2018 and is based on a unique Leaning Multi Wheel (LMW) technology developed by the Japanese company. Except for two front leaning wheels the extraordinary construction of the motorcycle consists of four steering heads and dual-tube upside-down forks.

Game Over Cycles is a company known for modifications carried out on predominantly American motorcycle brands, but this time the Rzeszów based company decided to work on the Japanese model.
Having seen the machine we were so intrigued we needed to find out what was going on in the head of Stanisław Myszkowski, GOC’s main man, and what prompted him to go for this bike.

His response: “Niken to many people is revolutionary, to others a controversial bike. This is exactly how people also tend to react to our custom bikes. That’s why I got interested in it right from the beginning. In terms of technology there is nothing that requires changing in this machine. The Japanese technical solutions at the highest level provide Niken’s great driving abilities, but from the first moment I saw it in real life, I felt we could modify its appearance and give the machine a little different character.”
GOC are indeed known for audacious designs and the crew are not afraid to wander in to territories that other designers dare not enter. At Bikebrewers we usually encourage that kind of attitude.

Sharpening the knives
Shaping their vision they decided to change the whole body. All plastic elements have been replaced by aluminum, thanks to which the vehicle’s shapes have become more sharp, even aggressive, without losing its aerodynamic properties.

“Bearing in mind Niken’s speed, one can say, that after our treatment this motorcycle cuts through the air almost like a samurai sword “- Myszkowski explains, grinning from ear to ear.
He continues: “During the work on the motorcycle a special challenge was the combination of machine functional mechanisms with its appearance. While creating different aesthetics of the vehicle, the designers had to build and adjust all new body parts in such way, that in every position of the motorcycle, both when turning and leaning on both sides, no elements would collide with one another. Niken’s front suspension moves in many dimensions, so proper balance between the new visual elements and the original driving solutions was the most challenging part of motorcycle’s modification.”

What’s in a name?
GOC’s custom Niken refers to the country of its origin not only by the name, but also by the presence of Japanese language on the construction. The Game Over Cycles crew incorporated onto the vehicle Japanese characters denoting the name of Niken model, as well as a thought written in Japanese and taken from the Yamaha brand philosophy, which means “Courage to set higher goals without fear of failure” (失敗を恐れず、もう一段高い目標に取り組む).

Whatever the jury in Germany may have said or thought about the bike, Bikebrewers applaud the Polish team for their absolute craftsmanship and the gutsy move to make this bike look the way it does. There is no doubt about the improvement, but for us there is way too much that meets the eye and adding it to the collection in our sheds is a thought that may make us wake up sweating in the middle of the night.

*According to the organizers, this year’s event was visited by 32,000 people, over 300 exhibitors took part and over 1,000 custom motorcycles were presented. Every year the finale of the event is one of the most prestigious custom bike competitions in the world.

Modifications
• All aluminum parts are handmade.
• Work on modifying the motorcycle consumed 1,400 man-hours
• Elements modified by GOC:
– steering wheel cover & brake fluid container housing
– brake and clutch levers
– mirrors
– speedometer cover
– front fenders
– rear fender with the rear section of the motorcycle
– Akrapovic exhaust element
– frame holding the seat
– seat base
– fuel tank
– air filters
– cooler and its cover
– battery box
– engine and suspension covers
– front lamp covers with lens sleeves
• Elements without lacquer and polished to the bare aluminum:
– all wheels
– rear fender handle
– rear swingarm
– whole front suspension
– footrest holders
– engine covers
– whole frame
• Leather seat: WB Line

About the builders

Website
Game Over Cycles (GOC) is a Polish custom motorcycles manufacturer formed in 2012. The Rzeszów based company is known for its original creations. Machines created by Game Over Cycles have won awards at some of the world’s biggest custom bike competitions. The company has already won 22 awards, including 15 international ones, of which as many as eight trophies were received at the European Bike Week (EBW), the largest motorcycle festival in Europe. The company also won awards in the birthland of the customization, so the US. In 2017 The Recidivist received first place trophy in the “Most Unusual” category at the Rats Hole Custom Bike Show – the most prestigious custom bike competition in the world organized every year at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally – the world’s largest motorcycle rally (South Dakota, USA, 490 000 participants in 2019). Since September 2018 the company has been running GOC Yamaha Rzeszów – the only official dealership and authorized Yamaha service center in south-east Poland.

The post Game Over Cycles three wheeled eccentricity appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

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[StevenMaxey]

Really this is great topic about Custom Builds for bike-wires. I have found & ordered here for custom cover.

 

[DaveM]

Love Leather from Manilla

IF YOU ARE A KID IN THE PHILIPPINES fantasizing about superheroes and playing with Batman and Captain America toy bikes, what do you do when you grow up?
Exactly, you build yourself a dream on wheels.
That is precisely what 28-year old Kila Adame set out to do and we believe he has succeeded.

Student builder
For nearly a decade the university student has been following developments in the custom scene. Early 2019 he was finally lured into the shed and set out on his fist building expedition.
He was inspired by a post of a bike with a V-twin engine and fell in love instantly. According to Kila Yamaha Viragos are not easy to come by in his country, but he managed to find the right donor vehicle for his plans, a 1983 Yamaha Virago.

The Virago is a reliable bike, but even when the cruiser models were in fashion we found this one of the more boring models. Every time a builder sets out to improve on what originally came out of the factory, we start smiling.

Inspiration
He toyed around with several ideas for a while and wanted to do something completely different. Being a fan of Medieval stuff and scaly leather (used for protection in these days) he decided this was going to be the basic idea to build from.

Fast forward a couple of centuries and you find yourself in the steam age. Combine the scaly leather and the elegant way in which those heavy steam engines were built et voilà! You find yourself in the realm of Steam Punk.

If you want to find a proper way to describe the fruit of our Manilla friend’s mind, a Steam Punk caféracer is the closest you will get. There is a lot that meets the eye and you can spend quite some time admiring all the little details which were added to the build.

Besides the V-twin our builder was smitten by the monoshock of this bike. He states: “It gives a nice clean look to the rear end of the bike.” As the Yamaha was assembled in the early eighties, time and miles have had their impact on the condition of the motorcycle. There was some work to be don on the engine, but after replacing necessary parts he got it to run smooth as sushi again.

Working under the Medieval influence angle Kila choose to ‘leatherize’ the Japanese bike in such fashion any passing Samoerai would be drooling all over it. His view: “My idea is to made a Virago somewhat purely leatherized motorcycle, from leather seat up to leather tank armour, I wanted to showcase how leather and motorcycle perfectly combine in a café racer.”

The law student managed to work on a $ 3.850 budget which includes the bike and all material. Quite a feat we can state.
Most of the work was carried out by himself, but for some tasks he needed to call in external help. Fitting the ‘big fatty tires’ as he describes them, proved to be a challenge. But the cavalry came to the rescue and installed a set Triumph mags accommodating the rubber Kila wanted.

Working with leather is a specialist’s job too. His friends at Iron & Hide Custom were a great help when it came to creating the Steam Punk vibe. They cut and worked the leather to fit the Mojave styled gas tank, which goes very well with the overall design.

The bike is Kila’s pride and joy and he cruises around Manilla with a permanent grin on his face for sure. Widening the grin even further is the way the overall leather design came out and the Steam Punk pipes. He is sure everyone will agree to that.
We find the bike refreshing in its uniqueness. It may not be up to everyone’s taste, but it looks very cool and it is definitely one of a kind, ensuring the rider will be easy to spot amongst the 1.7 million inhabitants of the Philippines capital.

In terms of riding the builder claims: “It rides cool not too comfortable like bobbers nor very aching like sports bikes. Since it is a virago, surely, you will feel that “cruise” you are looking for.”

If you make it to Manilla and you see our friend cruising around, make sure to share a picture with us.

Photo credits: Kila Adame
Instagram
Website

Donor bike:
• 1983 Yamaha Virago 750

List of modifications
• Fabricated aluminium plate for swing arm
• Shifter conversion
• Fabricated pipes
• Front tire conversion
• Change of tank
• Change of seat

The post Love Leather from Manilla appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

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[CarlS]

Interesting looking rat bike.

 

[DaveM]

Monster vs Alien by Raw Bike factory

Apophis99942
IN 2004 A ‘NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID measuring a respectable 370 metres in diameter caused great concern among astronomers and other scientists, as it looked to be on course to hit our planet with an impact equal to 870 megatons (65.500 times the Hiroshima atom bomb)!
Even though the chances were only 2.7%, this flying brick was taken very seriously.
Hitting a ‘4’ out of 10 in terms endangering to our planet, it did became the highest scoring heavenly body listed on the Torino scale.

Fortunately it was a near-miss and we have until April 2032 to relax, before it is again scheduled to come our way fast and hard (..)

Fast forward to 2020
Slightly less than 200 kilometres up North from Turin, the city after which the scale was named in 1995, lives Luca Lamperti, affectionatly know as ‘Grezzo’ (‘raw’ in Italian).
He was born late seventies and has always been fantasizing and dreaming about aliens ever since he was a young boy staring out the window of his attic bedroom at night.
He studied at the Technical Mechanical Institute and is an artist with iron-working skills who loves customizing.

Earth calling Grezzo!
“So Luca, what inspired you to set course on building this piece of art?” we open the conversation.
“I dreamt it.” He dryly responds. It is very menacing and has rapaciousness written all over its metal body.”

Beating and shaping metal
Grezzo based the project on a 2006 Ducati Monster 695.
As you can see in the picture below it was a very regular bike until our friend acquired it and dragged it into his laboratory to perform some major heavy metal science experiments on it.
The artist burned litres of midnight oil for five months in his man cave, cutting, beating and shaping the animal until he was finally satisfied with what met his inventive eye.

When the master’s creation saw daylight, the slightly tame Monster had transformed into a eerie Beast from outer space.
Its roots sprouting light years away from our tiny blue planet.
Feasting your eyes on this incredible piece of art you can spend hours looking at all those exquisite details and wondering how it would feel to spur this horse and ride it into the sunset on some lonely planet.
 

No riding!
Yes, the engine does run adding even more apocalyptic energy to its appearance, but unfortunately this bike is not made for riding.
It is clear when you observe the tires and the metal rims encasing it.

Even if it would ride, can you imagine what would happen performing an emergency stop forcing your body to slide forwards?
On the bright side, we always moan about our wives and girlfriends objecting to us wanting to park our bikes in the living room.
Their argument is that a bike should either be left in the shed or ridden on the road.
Well, with this baby we will definitely be the victorious party in the court of matrimony.

The Technique
This bike is built entirely by hand beating and shaping every single piece of sheet metal for the monocoque that forms the tank, saddle and tail section.
It consists of just one large piece of aluminium with hand-engraved parts.

Trying to decipher the extra-terrestrial symbols will only lead you to a black hole in the Galaxy, as the symbols spring from the fantasy of Lorenzo Dox Dossena
a well know Italian custom artist, who used a special patented technique ‘PNP’ (Paint No Paint’) for this project.
As you can probably gather from the name, no paint was used, but applying the symbols was a mechanical process directly to the metal.

The Monster’s cerebrum is the brainchild of yet another Italian specialist.
Stefano Galbiati has created a computer which is designed to turn on the bike’s engine by typing in a special code on the touchscreen.

Mechanical parts such as the transmission and the double front fork are designed by Grezzo.
The artist/builder does not make life easy for himself as he decided to weld over 120 (!) tube segments together forming the exhaust system.

The eye catching wheels are completed with steel bands and nails. Again, nothing comes easy on this project as 1.920 screws were used to fulfill Luca’s dream.
The only place for the Apophis99942 is in a prime position in a living room or a very special place in a museum for many to enjoy.

Famous last words
Bikebrewers: “Grezzo, what do you like doing most?”
Luca ‘Grezzo’ Lamperti: ‘Shaping strange shapes.’

We rest our case and just enjoy the view.

 *HR Giger is best know as the creator of the creatures in ‘Alien’

Watch the video on the Bikebrewers YouTube channel

Builder’s details:
• Name: Luca Lamperti (Grezzo)
• Location: Lecco / Italy
• Education/background: Technical mechanical institute
• Day job: Artist ,customizer and iron-worker
• E-mail: [email protected]
• Website (under construction)
• Facebook:
• Instagram

Building details:
• Donor bike: 2006 Ducati Monster 695
• Building process: five months

AMD 2018 World Championship competitor *
• Location: Olginate (LC)
• Country: Italy
• Bike Name: Apophis 99942
• Year/Model: Ducati Monster 695 2006
• Engine Make/Size: Ducati 695
• Drive train: Original with 80-tooth crown
• Frame Make/Type: Original Ducati modified
• Front End: Original
• Rake: Original
• Stretch: Original
• Swingarm: Original
• Wheels Front: 17″ with nailing
• Wheels Rear: 17″ with nailing
• Tires Front: Pirelli Diablo 120/60/17
• Tires Rear: Pirelli Diablo 160/60/17
• Brakes Front: Brembo 300mm
• Brakes Rear: Brembo 250mm
• Painter: Dox Art Factory P.n.P. Technique

Additional Info
o Body made entirely by hand in sheet iron
o touchscreen dashboard created especially for the bike with code for engine ignition, double front fork
o airbox on the front wheel with stainless steel tubes for air inlet
o rear crown with 80 teeth
o footrests made to hand
o graphics made without paint with an alien font created by Grezzo and rust for aging
o nailing on wheels with 1920 screws and bands in steel
o handmade exhaust system consisting of 120 segments of pipe and hand-welded

*source: AMD World Championship

The post Monster vs Alien by Raw Bike factory appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

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[CarlS]

Certainty not for me!

 

[DaveM]

IronWood’s BMW 1250GS Dominating time

‘IT TAKES THREE TO TANGO’, that’s what BMW Motorrad and TW Steel must have had in mind when they started discussing this project with Arjan van der Boom of Ironwood Custom Motorcycles.

BMW Motorrad anticipated they would have cause to celebrate at the end of the year. No, this had nothing to do with New Year’s eve, but when the books closed the last day of 2019, the Dutch outlet could confirm their #1 position as market leader for the 10th consecutive year.

This feat is unique in the world. No other BMW company across the globe has managed to do this in the 100-year history of BMW Motorrad.

This calls for a celebration
Tom Crooijmans , head of BMW Motorrad Group The Netherlands, proudly acknowledges it is “thanks to his strong dealership network and the immense popularity of the R 1250GS model, we have succeeded to secure pole position for ten consecutive years.”

Still, no matter how iconic the brand or how varied the range of bikes on offer, it will always boil down to creating a loyal league of followers, hard work and creating a positive experience every time a rider climbs on board a BMW. And that’s exactly what these Bavarian machines accomplish.

When interviewing Tom to get his perspective on the project he acknowledges that “commissioning such a special build required proper advance planning. This meant decisions had to be made halfway through 2019, not knowing for sure if we were going to safeguard our position as market leader. However, our start in the first two months and the strong results in Q4 boosted our conviction we would not have to resort to Plan B.” he laughs.

Another ‘Dutchy’
Hard work, creating masterpieces and out of the box marketing campaigns is exactly what has led project partner TW Steel to become a successful player in the ‘cut-throat’ world of time pieces.

Auke Possel, senior marketing manager at TW Steel explains: “eight custom builds ago we decided to create the ‘Son of Time’ story. It brings together the worlds of horology and motorcycles to shake up the establishment with maximum impact. Colliding in craftsmanship and style, the two work side by side to create unique custom motorcycles and matching custom timepieces.

The custom bikes are built by artisans who share our passion for unflinching design aesthetics and big time attitude. Each bike has the Son of Time DNA running through it and a bold timepiece inspired by the original Son of Time design.

I get many calls from custom builders who want to produce the next TW Steel project. Invariably they will bring a lot of craftsmanship and creative ideas. However, what we are looking for is a strong story. All of our campaigns have been built around a storyline.”

Birth of a project
Auke and Tom already knew each other from an earlier TW Steel build which was prominently featured at the BMW stand during a 2019 motor show.

When they started discussing a possible cooperation during the Summer of 2019, not a lot of debate was required to agree on shape of the collaboration nor was it hard to agree they wanted to commission Arjan van der Boom to build the bike.

The BMW celebration was a great opportunity to show the strength of all three Dutch based companies and Arjan was given ‘carte blanche’ to go crazy.

And he did..

Extensive surgery
As a large part of BMW Motorrad’s success was due to the popularity to the popularity of the 1250GS it was clear that this was the platform to be used to the Ironwood quest.

A brand new bike GS was stripped naked and the Ironwood team set sail to undiscovered territories.
Compared to the classic BMW builds Ironwood is known for, the GS is a very complicated bike filled to the brim with modern technology.

“Turning a big all road bike into an aggressive streetfighter was quite the challenge” Arjan admits. “I really wanted to take a completely different approach to this project and all three of us had the same vision on the end result.”

Dominator
“BMW Motorrad’s domination of the Dutch market inspired us to come up with the name ‘Dominator’. The expression of the bike really and to do justice to its name. I think we managed to achieve this” he says beaming with pride.

“We were sort of surprised not to have both BMW and TW Steel breathing down our necks during the building process. Usually clients stay very involved. This is fine as we want to ensure they are happy with the end result. Contrary to expectations, Tom and Auke expressed a firm belief in our vision after seeing our drawings and patiently waited for the build to take shape.”

Craftsmanship
Talking about drawing; there are builders who use advanced technology to design a bike on their computer screens. At Ironwood, much of the work is still pure craftsmanship. Working from sketches followed by shaping and bending steel into pure works of art. A major task for Ironwood’s main man Chiel and Iron Master Marcel van der Stelt of The Custom Factory.

Challenges
Turning a 1250GS into a low profiled racer requires extreme measures. Switching to clip-ons instead of handlebars meant producing a custom CNC milled top yoke.

On paper Arjan had designed a gas tank with a transparent lower half. However, the bulky fuel pump was prohibitive of carrying out this scheme. They had to resort to a ‘regular’ tank, but its perplexing design makes it hard to typify this element as regular.

A lot of other challenges were conquered on the fly. Matching all jig saw pieces to become this magnificent ‘epreuve d’artiste’ was no mean feat. Even more so with the added time pressure of getting the bike ready in time for a launch at the biggest Dutch bike show early 2020.

Born to dominate
With its strict lines and intriguing square design the ‘Dominator’ will surely not be everybody’s favourite. “All three parties involved wanted to create something that people talk about, or maybe even have a discussion on” Arjan explains. “I wanted Ironwood Motorcycles to step our of our (relatively speaking) comfort zone and build something exceptional.”

The bike will be on display at a variety of international events throughout the year. The final TW Steel design will be launched soon, as BMW brand regulations were slightly stricter than anticipated by the watchmakers designers and required some modifications to meet Bavarian standards.

The 1250GS’ clock is ticking away the hours cheerfully and the alarm is set for a roaring riding debut at the ‘Sultans of Sprint’ during the Glemseck 101 event in September.

Modifications:

• Frame re-coated from white into anthracite
• Custom bodywork
• Custom gas tank
• Custom seat upholstery by Silvermachine, same on dash and grips
• Custom rear sub frame
• Custom segmented stainless-steel exhaust pipes (no muffler)
• Custom segmented stainless-steel inlet pipes
• Integrated TW Steel watch in bike middle console
• Custom rear set brackets
• Custom CNC milled top yoke/clamp
• Clip-ons instead of a handlebar
• Custom shock absorbers front and rear by TFX suspension
• Custom made carbon front fork by CeraCarbon
• HC3 brake pump & clutch pump by Magura
• BMW RnineT rear sets
• BMW RnineT air filters with custom engraving by DNA
• BMW Option 719 CNC milled aluminum valve and engine covers
• BMW R1250R Brembo brake calipers with additional orange linings
• BMW front led from S1000XR
• BMW S1000rr rear light 2018
• Relocated ignition lock and TFT screen
• Racetec RR Rain tires by Metzeler in 120/70R17 front and 190/60R17 rear
• Forged 17-inch carbon wheels by Rotobox, model Bullet. R1250RS specs onto the GS

Shout out to:
Team Ironwood: Sam, Chiel, Tim, Rik, Paul, Eric.
Bodywork by Marcel van der Stelt (The Custom Factory)
Paintjob by Jacco Reniers (Royal Kustom Works)
Upholstery by Jeroen Bouwmeester (Silvermachine)

Special thanks:
Metzeler
Rotobox
DNA
TFX Suspension CeraCarbon
Magura
Motoport Almere Menno Jongma
King Custom Coatingz

Instagram tags
Bike/Builder: Arjan van der Boom
Workshop: Ironwood Motorcycles
Photographer: Paul van Mondfrans Lindén
BMW Motorrad Netherlands
TW Steel
Son of Time

The post IronWood’s BMW 1250GS Dominating time appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

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[DaveM]

Bull Moto Customs #2 – CB 750F

Second comings
We reported on Ivan Mushev’s first build back in September of last year.
Clearly the success of the Honda Hornet ‘Sekekama’, inspired him to dig deeper into the well of inspiration fed by the Banska river which flows through his hometown of Kyustendil in the far west of Bulgaria.

The German owner of Ivan’s first production proved to be very happy with his purchase, as he came back with a follow up order. Again the donor vehicle is a Honda.
This time a 1981 Nighthawk had its wings trimmed by the builder and his team. The bike was brought to Ivan by his friends from KKK Bikes in nearby Sofia.

Sporty look
The parameters set for this build were a modern look with slight classic motifs. But overall it had to have a “sporty look” Ivan explains.
He continues: “The number two figure on the tank clearly refers to this bike being our second project. The ‘GT’ was added to further underline the sport heritage.
We are big fans of the GT2 sports cars and their specific line / edges in the middle. The figure 2 itself reflects that source of inspiration. We also combined the tires with this one – the Pirelli GT2.”

The project was a commission build forcing the team to stay within the restrictions of budget. All in all the task was achieved at a level just below the € 9.000 mark.
Ivan was invited to display the Honda at the May 2020 Bike Shed show in London, but with the current Corona crisis hitting the world it unfortunately looks unlikely the event will take place on that date.

Inhouse production
Most of the work was done inhouse by Ivan and his two team mates Svetoslav Kostadinov and Vasil Pinev. For specialist tasks such as upholstering the seats Ivan is supported by the craftsmen of CrazyCust and MG Design.

Turning the Nighthawk into this head turning caféracer meant a considerable amount of changes needed to be made to satisfy Ivan’s thirst for style. The forks in the front were replaced by a set coming from a 2009 Yamaha FZ1 with a new set of edged discs, the swingarm was once attached to a Honda VFR 750, whereas the riders kidneys are now kept in place by a Honda Hornet shock absorber.

Challenges
With the nice clean and open look of the middle and rear section of the bike, a new position for the battery had to be found.
When you don’t want to make things easy on yourself you just take a Honda CB 750F gas tank and get it fitted with a false bottom. No, not for smuggling purposes but a new position to house the battery.

The tank was dissected, cut up and heavily modified to fit in line with the new tail end of the Honda. It came out of the operation room looking years younger but still reminiscent of those beautiful 60’s and 70’s racing shapes.

Extra! Extra! Seat all about it!
Talking about taking design seriously; the tail end was cut no less than three times before the Bulgarians were finally satisfied with the way it came out. And it sure did!
To offer the owner of the Honda a luxurious position, the rider has a choice between two seats. There is a black and red alcantara version produced by MG Design, while CrazyCust were commissioned to produce a black leather version suited for slightly more comfortable cruising.

According to Ivan it is very easy to switch between seats dependent on the mood of the rider.

Engine check
The Honda engine was given a solid overhaul before it was remounted in the repainted gloss black frame. With a date of birth in the early eighties it was in need of some serious upgrading of inner parts and the outside was painted black to match the overall design.

Added for improved breathing and to up the performance, a set of filters in tasteful black and red were added.
Inhaling is one thing, but without exhaling nothing much happens.
The team opted for a 4 in one system, but mounted double silencers. The combination of the filters and the exhaust system gives the typical warm, sporty and aggressive Honda four cylinder sound.

Finishing touches
Whatever the build, it is the colour which is a dominating factor in the overall look of a bike. This time the team decided to experiment with a matte finish mixed with some Mobihel green pear mixed into it and double golden stripes running over the tank an rear cowl.

Last but certainly not least we note the aforementioned back end of the Honda. This piece of art was fully created in house and took hours and hours of shaping and fitting to finally make it to the newly installed subframe, which is also custom made by Ivan’s team.

Like Ivan himself the owner of the Honda is also very keen on quality.
Proof of this are the Sato racing rear sets, the Vortex clip-ons, some exquisite Rizoma accessories and a headlight by Wrangler.

We are not so sure we like the headlight covers and the absence of a decent front fender, but these are very minor points which hardly affect the total score of points the Bulgarians have amassed in this second coming.

The Bikebrewers team has visited Bulgaria before.
Next time we will surely include a visit to the Kyustendil based crew and hopefully get some miles on their #3 build!

Modifications:
-complete engine overhaul
-new subframe – (custom made)
-rear cowl – (custom made)
-swingarm – Honda VFR 750
-monoshock – Honda Hornet
-Front forks – 2009 Yamaha FZ1
-dashboard – (custom made)
-Clip-ons – Vortex
-Rear sets – Sato Racing
-4:1 exhaust + 2 silencers (custom made)
-alcantara seat – MG Design
-Leather seat – CrazyCust
-Special paint – Mobihel finish by Borislav Angelov

Special thanks:
-paint – Mobicolor Ltd.
-helmets – Mymoto Bulgaria
-Tires – Margelinfo

Contact details Bull Moto Custom:
Email: [email protected]
Facebook
Instagram
Youtube

Original donor vehicle (1981 Honda Nighthawk)

The post Bull Moto Customs #2 – CB 750F appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

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[DaveM]

Enlightened heavyweight – The 2020 Indian FTR Carbon

“Gentlemen, please synchronize your watches
Exactly at 5PM CET the video was released and press were fully informed about further enhancements on this already very desirable bike.
As a result of our 2019 road test the BikeBrewers team was smitten by the awesome power of the FTR 1200. A true ‘torque master’.

Our desire to add an Indian to our personal collections inched up a few knots with the images depicting the carbonized edition.
We fully agree with the statement of the President of Indian Motorcycles, Mike Dougherty, who says: “For the discerning rider, the FTR Carbon offers a collectable motorcycle with the highest level of finish and raises the bar for American motorcycles once again.”

Fully loaded
Adding to a host of premium features and riding technologies, the 2020 FTR Carbon is enriched high quality carbon fibre bodywork including a passenger seat cowl, ‘FTR Carbon’ branded centre console plate and an Akrapovič low-mount exhaust in black.
It is the Exhaust which also makes the BikeBrewers team very happy. In our post last year we made it clear that replacing the exhaust would be one of the first mods we would apply when adding this bike to our stable.

The FTR Carbon comes fully-loaded with cruise control, dual disc Brembo ABS brakes, traction control, full LED lighting for better visibility, and a 4.3” LED touchscreen dashboard featuring a USB fast-charge port and Bluetooth compatibility for charging and controlling mobile devices.

And the list goes on

STYLING
Enhancing the desirability of the highly innovative model and adding to a host of premium features and riding
technologies, the 2020 FTR Carbon is enriched with:
• ‘FTR Carbon’ branded centre console plate
• Carbon fibre tank/airbox covers
• Carbon fibre headlight nacelle
• Akrapovič low-mount exhaust in black
• Carbon fibre front fender
• Carbon fibre passenger seat cowl

EXHAUST
The FTR Carbon features a 2-1-2 design with brushed stainless-steel construction and a low-mount
Akrapovič® silencer in black that enhances the styling and delivers a uniquely American V-Twin sound.

PREMIUM FEATURES
The FTR Carbon comes fully-loaded with cruise control, dual disc Brembo ABS brakes, traction control, full LED lighting for better visibility, and a 4.3” LED touchscreen dashboard featuring a USB fast-charge port and Bluetooth compatibility for charging and controlling mobile devices.

SUSPENSION
The front suspension of the FTR Carbon is comprised of 43mm upside down cartridge forks with 150mm of travel and fully adjustable preload, compression and rebound. The front suspension has a hollow axle to minimise weight, with a 26.3° rake and 130mm of trail. For the rear, the FTR Carbon utilises a swingarm design with a tubular steel construction and a side mounted monoshock with an aluminium piggy-back reservoir that is fully adjustable for preload, compression and rebound with 150mm of wheel travel to ensure maximum grip and compliance.

The swingarm pivot attaches to the engine’s crankcase in order to keep the wheelbase more compact, while a hollow rear axle helps reduce weight.

BRAKES
The FTR Carbon features dual radially mounted 320mm disc front brakes that are mounted directly to the wheel to decrease weight.
Brembo® Monobloc M4.32 4-piston front calipers ensure exceptional control and stopping power.
A single, 260mm semi-floating disc with a Brembo® P34 2-piston caliper provides stopping power for the rear.
ABS is standard.

DRIVELINE
The model features a power-assist slipper clutch inspired by the race clutch used on the FTR 750 race bike.
The design reduces rear-wheel slip during deceleration for more control and creates a light clutch lever pull.
The 6-speed sliding mesh transmission ensures easy, crisp gear changes. The gear primary drive creates a smooth power delivery and requires minimal maintenance while the chain final drive more effectively transfers power to the rear wheel.

With all this in mind we are once again looking forward to the Summer and hope to test this baby on European tarmac soon!

The post Enlightened heavyweight – The 2020 Indian FTR Carbon appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

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[DaveM]

Amateur Champion – Ducati 1098S Streetfighter

Bisous from Béziers
BEFORE THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN early 2020, a French mechanic from Béziers approached us and demurely asked if BikeBrewers were interested in publishing a post on the first bike he had built.
“Show us the pictures.” We replied.

And he did.
Our team has a weak spot for Italian design, but treated with French kisses and submerged in the famous ‘Gulf’ colour scheme this machine looks truly awesome. Nothing to be modest about. We gladly award our friend Jérémie Duchampt full bragging rights.
The Languedoc based wrencher has a decent track record when it comes to customizing cars, but he felt he needed to challenge himself and stepped out of the four-wheeled comfort zone.

Strip it!
He took a 2010 Ducati 1098S and stripped it bare. He had seen several caféracers based on the Ducati Superbikes. But he could not find a transformation into a streetfigther with a caféracer DNA. Acting like a true mechanic, the bike was completely taken apart and all worn parts were replaced, using only new material. That included the engine, which was also given a full overhaul.

Golden Ratio
Inspired by the lack of such a design the builder wanted to present “a bike with perfect lines” he quotes. “all the way from the soft circular shape of the front wheel to the straight back side of the Ducati. I wanted everything to match perfectly according to the Golden Ratio.”

To achieve the desired end result, a significant amount of craftsmanship went into redesigning and manufacturing a fitting rear end. The Frenchman created his own subframe and pan to accommodate the seat. New positions had to be found for the mounts of the exhaust system.

Headaches
But also the front required additional creativity. Working with clip-ons, replacing the headlight unit, repositioning the horn and other front end parts occasionally gave our friend some headaches. But he always seeing the light ahead he persevered in this quest for beauty.

Add love
No costs were spared to sprinkle French love over the Italian. Both front springs were replaced with Delcamp Energie components, ensuring an even smoother ride. The brake fluid reservoirs were replaced, as was the original exhaust. This had to make way for a Yoshimura silencer, adding more retro spice. Shaving off weight wherever possible meant replacing the original battery with a lighter lithium version.

Add more expensive stuff
“Whilst at it why not also get substitutes for the rims, clutch cover, rear seat etc. etc.” Jérémie must have said to himself. The list is long and a lot of expensive carbon parts were added to lay down a decent black backdrop for the added blue and orange colours.

In our conversation about this build, the Béziers spanner was sparkling with satisfaction on what had materialized in his laboratory. “it cost me about 160 hours to harvest this beauty. I consider this to be pretty decent for a first time and it tastes like more.” He grins.

Adding: “the bike is for sale to create financial space for my next project. At the price of € 18.000 I will happily hand the bike over to a new owner.
This is a one of a kind in the best possible condition. Anyone who feels lonely coming out of lock-down should try a ride on this Ducati. It will turn so many heads, you will not be riding solo for long.

By the way the lady in the picture is not included in the price!” He laughs.

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[DaveM]

Lady in Red – a ’77 Moto Guzzi undressed

Legal alien in Denmark
Jesper Højer Larsen came to us via the ‘Classic Riders Network’. A valued member of the ‘Århus’ community we spotted him and his vintage Guzzi a little while ago during the 2019 ‘Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride’.
We started talking and found out that the bike has an intriguing biography worth reporting on.

History
Once upon a time this bike was (obviously) born in the Moto Guzzi factory in Mandello Italy. It was immediately drafted to serve in a local police force somewhere in this country in the Mediterranean.

After the policeman who rode it for his daily work retired, he bought the machine off the force. A few years later his beloved Guzzi took over the Alps and made it to Germany, where it settled with a fan who used it for touring purposes in the summer. One of his trips landed him near the Arctic Circle in Norway.

That’s where our Great Dane came into the picture. While riding back to Germany the two met by accident and Jesper showed interest in buying the Moto Guzzi. Reluctantly the German said goodbye to the Italian and handed it over to our Danish friend.

Jesper had to promise to take good care of the bike and send pictures of the end result after the build. According to the builder the previous owner is happy with what he saw and gave the Guzzi his blessing in a new configuration as a warm blooded café racer.

Shed built
We love it when guys have an idea in their head and head off to the shed to materialize their vision. Working with a Lilliputian budget there were interesting restrictions to what could be done and over which period of time.

Jesper explains: “ Budget? Did not really have one. I don´t have a lot of money to put into a build, so I took my time and saved up for the big stuff, paint, powder coat and the seat. I also traded favours with people.” Now that’s what we call long term commitment and love for the build!

Vision
“So what did you have in mind to start with?” we asked him.
“I always wanted to build a café racer. The idea that you only put things on a bike, to make it go faster and handle better appealed to me. The rest of the stuff that comes with a factory bike is often irrelevant. I always loved the v-twin and I wanted a base bike that not everybody was using for these builds. I also love vintage bikes. So I choose a Moto Guzzi 850 T3 from 1977” he beams.

Changes
With the Italian safely tucked away in his garage in Them, central Denmark, Jesper took the long winter evenings to draw up his game plan, lit the torch and set to work on the puzzle.

He knew exactly what transformations were required to turn the ’77 baby into his dreamchild. He set course to make a “long, low and bad ass bike. With muted colours, decals and other nice little details”. The end result was meant to pay tribute to the early café racer style.

Inspiration
The Dane’s fantasy was sparked by looking online at old pictures taken during the heydays of the ‘Ace Café’ in London. The rest came from his own imagination. He had a sufficient storage of ideas in his head which prompted a steady flow of great and leas great ideas to flow to his hands.

Some landed on the Guzzi, while others had an inglorious ending on the hard concrete of his barn.

What happens in the shed…
It was in his own private mancave where Jesper was upping his grinding skills. Once he made the first cut, there was no turning back.

Most of the work was done by himself, while friends chipped in here and there to solve issues he himself did not have the answer to. Valuable lessons were learned. One of the being that cutting stainless steel can be a real bitch if you do not have the right disc for your angled grinder.

Modifications
The Moto Guzzi was lowered no less than 40 millimetres in order to give it a longer an lower look. Jesper: “I really love those long straight lines in the bike and I think that the lower stance really highlight that particular feature.”

Famous last words
Jesper says: “It´s an ongoing project, that keeps me smiling. My motto is Build, Ride, Repeat and ‘The Lady in Red’ gives me plenty of opportunity for that” (editor’s note: the builder talking about his bike her, not his wife).

“I love the engine! The v-twin delivers the power smooth and manageable and combined with the precise handling, it´s an absolute joy to ride. With only 70.000 original kilometres on the odometer, I am so looking forward to spending many years in her presence!”

Modifications
– Tarozzi racing foot pegs
– Tommaselli handlebars
– Tommaselli throttle
– Laframnconi exhausts
– custom seat (self built)
– Racing rear suspension
– custom decals

The rest Jesper left pretty much stock.

Original bike

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[DaveM]

Helium Dreams: Suzuki GSX-R 750 by Synaps Cycles

Building your dream
A 69-YEAR OLD MECHANIC still having dreams about bikes and building them.
This time we travel all the way to Boise, the capital of Idaho to talk to Bill Layer and check out his mirage turned reality.

Bill modestly invited us to publish something about his latest build, not being sure if we would like what he had produced. It only took the editorial team one glance at the lovely pictures he had sent us to wonder why he would be in doubt of our reaction.

We not often respond in capitals but this was a wholehearted ‘YES’ on our part. And we are sure many of our readers will feel the same way to.

Expert at work
This bike and everything he has done to make it to what it is now is just a brilliant proof of lifelong craftsmanship in its purest form.
Our new best friend is a retired mechanical Engineer specializing in machine design. After 40 years of honing his skills Bill decided it was time to do a ‘ground up’ build.

Now that he is professionally retired he is building motorcycle parts under the name of Synapse Cycles. His parts are used on the street, track and on the Bonneville Salts. Now that’s what we call ‘active retirement’.

When asking him what made him decide to take this step, he amazes us by replying: “After a track day towards the end of 2018 where I was wrestling a 1000cc supernaked around I realized I’m not getting any younger and I needed something easier to ride, I also realized I’ve never done a ground up build and I was running out of time to build my dream bike. So after over year of work here it is.”

After catching our breath for a second we said: “Hang on for a second there, you are talking 2018, that means you were racing a 1000cc bike around the track at the age of 67?”

“Yes I was” he dryly retorts. “Racing is a wonderful way to get the adrenalin going and it feeds me a stream of new ideas I want to try out. “

Feeding the hungry
“so why did you decide to use this particular 2013 Suzuki?”
“I’ve had a couple of earlier generation GSX-R 750’s in the past and know they have amazing potential, don’t really need electronic traction controls and parts are plentiful. Used sport bikes these days can be picked up cheap, this one was purchased from a starving college student at an amazing deal hahahaha!”

“With this machine I wanted to create a motorcycle that would be easy to ride on the track, but also be fully street legal and have a very special look. Classic cafe racers have been an inspiration but I wanted to add performance and more function.

My first thought was to build something to honour the endurance racers of the 70-80’s (I owned a Laverda SF back in those days and always wanted an SFC) but I wanted to have a bike I could use on the street that wouldn’t torture my old body; my next thought was a Café Racer. I’ve always liked the original concept of Café Racers where performance and function are the main goals, so I decided that would be the tone but using a current sport bike as the base for maximum performance. Looks were to be very minimalist with nothing that wasn’t needed but keeping classic Café striped down style with a modern bent. I decided handling would be the main goal so eliminating weight was the first consideration in every decision along with improving all parts relating to the suspension.”

What inspired you the most?
“I admire the custom builder work being done these days which is beautiful but am mystified why people are using bikes with underperforming engines with drive shafts as a base for a Café bike. I think they have lost the original vision of the Café Bike. I feel my inspiration is the same as the original “Ton Up” riders, make it fast and light! So, I decided to build a real race bike for the streets, something they would appreciate and is timeless.”

Ground up
As mentioned Bill’s ‘magnum opus’ was to be a build from scratch. Jig sawing the original into a super polished dream bike was his intention. The entire design and all the work was done by himself, with the exception of the paint job (‘Still Night Peal’ paint) by James Coorengel and the machining which was done by other friends.

Technical challenges
“The biggest challenges were how to make everything properly proportioned, mount the headlight/fairing and how to make the tail section look good since I liked the basic stripped lines of the base bike but not the tail section.

The other big challenge was making the very modified wire harness work with the ECM, many removed sensors/actuators, Woolich harness and the Motogaget Mo.Unit Blue controller (took a couple of test fits with lots of debugging).”

The list is endless
The amount of modified on the Suzuki is about the longest we have ever seen .
Parts designed include:
• upper triple clamp
• headlight supports
• fairing supports
• instruments mount
• fan mount,
• front brake reservoir support
• radiator supports
• front blinker mounts
• regulator support,
• tail tidy and rear underhung brake caliper mount with captured axle adjustment blocks (for easy wheel changes)
• Riser clip-ons were installed for comfort (we see the point considering his age)
• a custom clutch cable was purchased and the remaining controls were installed.
• “Really a lot of manual labour went into cleaning up the lower triple clamp for black paint and replacing the steering damper with a racing unit for function plus cleaning up the front end looks.” Bill explains.

Continuing the long list: “The stock tail was removed and a light weight race subframe was installed with a 2017+ GSX-R 1000 race tail which was modified to make it one piece and to fit the subframe.”
• Added to the subframe a custom enclosure was made that houses the electronics and ignition switch
• The radiator was removed then powder coated leaving the fins uncoated for better cooling and radiator guard installed to black everything out
• Engine performance changes were done to improve airflow by using a full race titanium exhaust. Bill toyed with the idea of manufacturing his own exhaust system but decided Yoshimura knows more than he does about making HP.
• race air filter and the ECM which uses a Woolich flash with quick shifter.

One year later
“Did we miss anything Bill?” we enquire.
“With everything I did I’m sure I forgot some things that were changed or modified for the project, but these are the major ones. There’re still a few things to do and I’m still waiting on a kickstand I designed (like [paintings, bike projects are never complete). At some point I would also like to build a full carbon fiber one-piece tail section to lose a few more pounds and possibly overbore the motor to 815cc for more HP.

The project took just over a year to complete to this point.”

“Are you happy with the way it came out?”
“Absolutely” the Boisean answers. “Seeing my dream in reality and knowing that it is my work gives me great satisfaction. I’ve named it Helium for obvious reasons. I loved doing this project (OK there was some swearing) and wish I would have done it sooner.

My advice to all those young and talented builders: Don’t wait start your project now you won’t regret it. This also project proved to me that most people in the machine trades love projects like this and will do everything they can to help out so don’t be afraid to tell them about your project/vision and beg for a little help.”

And last but not least: how does it ride?
“The completed project street legal weight is under 360 pounds ready to ride with 130 rear wheel HP so it should be big fun! Unfortunately, the day I went to register the bike our DMV closed due to COVID-19 so no ride report, real bummer. I can’t wait to ride it!”
After talking to Bill we did manage to convince him taking the bike out especially for us to give us all a taste of what it is like to ride on the Helium03.
Check out the video.

List of parts used:
• Öhlin’s 30mm fork cartridges with extensions and TTX GP rear shock
• Yoshimura R77 full race titanium exhaust and case sliders
• BMC race air filter
• Woolich ECM flash with quick shifter
• Rotobox Boost carbon fiber 17-inch wheels
• Dunlop Q4 tires 120/70 front 180/60 rear
• Galfer rotors
• Vesrah RJL front brake pads
• Beringer 2D1 rear brake caliper and pads
• Spiegler custom brake lines
• Stahlbus brake bleeder valves
• Koso Thunderbolt LED headlight
• Rizoma headlight fairing
• Woodcraft riser clip-ons and lifting spools
• Attack Performance rearsets
• Motogadget Mo.Unit Blue controller, switches and mirrors
• Apex Racing start/kill switch
• Brembo RSC19 master cylinder
• Motion Pro quick turn throttle, grips and custom clutch cable
• Toby steering damper
• Carbon 2 Race fender and rear hugger
• Febur race rear subframe
• Hotbodies 2017+ GSX-R 1000 race tail
• Custom Dynamics LED tail/brake light bar with integrated turn signals and front blinkers
• Speedcell Superbike battery
• Vortex fuel cap
• EP radiator guard and muffler hanger
• CRG Roll-A-Click folding adjustable clutch lever
• EK 3D 520 chain
• Superlite sprockets
• 12 O’Clock Labs speedo corrector
• Stomp Grip tank pads
• Pro Bolt fasteners (lots of them)

Bike in its original state

Photo credits: Bart Cepek photography

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[DaveM]

Sharing a Moto Adonis Harley Sportster

Torn between 200 lovers
Daan Borsje from the south of the Netherlands is a well-known figure on the custom scene. He has been professionally customizing bikes for quite some time under his brand name ‘Moto Adonis’.
His reputation led the marketing staff of MotoShare (a peer to peer rental platform) to invite our builder to produce a special bike for them.

Ride it like you rented it
Rental disruptor MotoShare have a reputation for coming up with innovative ideas. They launched their bike sharing vision in 2016 and have since grown into the largest European rental platform, also adding dealer rental to their portfolio.
For three consecutive years they commissioned a build, renting it out for a maximum of 200 days and giving it way as a prize to one of the lucky riders who bought a rental ticket.

Quite a unique way of playing in the lottery we think. A chance of 1:200 to win the prize and have a fun day of riding included in the excitement.

We know of no lottery in the world that offers such a chance.

The two previous builds by Wrench Kings and Ironwood Motorcycles created quite a stir in the market and resulted in substantial publicity. MotoShare is expanding rapidly into other European territories and will use the same method to generate attention to their proposition.

Sportster gone wild
Daan decided to start off by giving the V-twin a good overhaul and some extra ‘oumph!’. A 1200 cc kit was mounted and to improve exhaling he and his team choose to incorporate pipes from their sub-label Mad-Exhausts.
We have written about these exhausts before. They sound great, look even better and increase performance.

Cooperation
To stay within the € 13 K budget, Moto Adonis set up a partnership with Choppershop.com. They delivered many of the parts that transformed the 1997 Sportster into a modern bobber handling and stopping as good as a modern bike.

Looking at the front the front wheel is quite wide on the hub, ‘making it quite a challenge to fit’ Daan explains. The front wheel is held in place by an USD fork which started its life on a Suzuki GSXR1000.
Stopping power is sponsored by the wave discs by Moto-Master. According to Moto Adonis the first time ever a set like this to be used on a Harley.

Calling card
As the Moto Adonis team have a reputation to uphold and the bike was going to be ridden by no less than 200 different riders, Daan wanted only the best for the second life of the Harley. He is used to working only with the best specialists when it comes to outsourcing work.

Regular partners Mopak supplied the gas tank and the beautiful work on the seat was provided by leather magician Marcel Miller of Miller seats. A Motogadget relay makes the new led blinkers smile. To get riders home safe at night a whole new set of front and rear lights was installed. To top it all off, the frame was coated to make it shine like a new born baby.

Having partners to take some of the work off your hands is nice, but there was plenty left for Daan to come home at night greasy handed.
All work on the engine was done in-house, as was designing and constructing a new rear end. A lot of old fashioned hard manual labour, but with a rewarding result to the builder and the future winner of this bike.

Happy clapper
Daan Borsje has a sunny character to begin with, but working on this project in close cooperation with his friends from MotoShare and Choppershop.com was ‘stimulating to all senses’ he says. He loved taking on the challenge of building a bike that would be used as marketing instrument, enabling a lot of different riders to experience his craft as a builder.

“It was a lovely project to work on” he continues. “I get my inspiration from the beauty of the world around me and it makes me very happy to see all those smiling faces when riders come pick up the bike for a day legal joyriding.
Especially since one of them will be the proud owner of this ‘Mad Harley’ one day very soon.”

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[DaveM]

Firing on all six – Honda CBX Spanish style

That’s the Sspirit!
With the lock down regulations released it is time again to let out the bulls.
Our friends from San Sebastián in Northern Spain have not been idling in their workshop over the past few months.

Right on time
Just before the virus spread a customer entered their garage and saw a 1981 Honda CBX pro link safely hidden beneath a cover. This was a project the Cafe Racer Sspirit crew wanted to keep for themselves and build something special to their own liking.

However when the client saw the bike it sparked his interest and he sprinted over to the bank to withdraw money just before the lock-down started. When he was let into the secret plans for this project, he was easily convinced to purchase this icon of the eighties and invest in the modification
This offered the Spanish crew a perfect opportunity to move forward with the plan to, as they describe it, “build a powerful and interesting and ‘beastly’ CBX with interesting components.” Sounds like a raging bull about to be let loose in the arena.

What next?
To both builders and customer is was clear the bike has a lot of great stuff built in from the factory that was worth keeping. So choices were made to go for a limited modification. Replacing ‘just’ the forks, the swing-arm, the brakes and the exhaust system. All elements that were probably considered fine in the last two decades of the 20th century, but not up to modern day caféracer standards. Especially if you aim to create a high performer.

Bargain?
Not exactly. Considering the limited amount of modifications on the CBX the budget spent was quite substantial. Even with the purchase of the donor bike included the total level of the investment rose to a hefty € 18.000.

Although you can buy a very decent modern bike for that kind of money, chances it will make people’s head turn when the spot these wheels are substantially slimmer than when this beast full of authentic character roars past.

So yes, we would happily face the wife’s wrath and convince her that this is a solid investment.

Confronting the bull
Grabbing this beast by the horns did not automatically mean it was going to give in without a proper fight. Challenging the builders to a stand down whenever it could the Honda decided to give them a good kick with the hind legs when it got the opportunity.

The Cafe Racer Sspirit team had to struggle to get the swing arm and rear shock to fit in decently. Or rather “tricky” as they prefer to word it.

We get the same feeling when they mention is was ‘interesting’ to get the water printed carbon to fit on the machine. In our garage handbook this is equivalent to a lot of cursing and swearing. However the end result always makes up for the sweat which is spilled and you end up looking at it with a beer and going “ yeah! We nailed it!”

Help from outside
The exhaust system was outsourced to GR Exhaust systems. We are glad they did that, as the six pipes are tastefully mounted, ending up in a muffler with a size that is in balance with the rest of the bike. There is the discernible Honda CBX sound politely announcing the incoming projectile. Check out the video to get a little taster of this

Whilst on the subject; the parts which were replaced came from:
• a Triumph 1050 Speed Triple
– front end
– wheels
– brakes
– rear shock
– swing-arm
• original headlight had to make way for a modern LED version
• Rizoma grips
• Motogadget speedometer and blinkers
• Highsider mirrors
• Tarozzi footrests
• Pirelli Supercorsa tires

Last, but in this case literally not least, the cowl was replaced by a 1st generation CBX 1000 version. A nice little touch underlining the age in which the bike was born.

In addition a lot of stuff was custom made by the San Sebastian team. We note:
• A custom seat
• Handmade license plate holder
• All mounts for electrical parts such as headlight and blinkers
• The mounts for the front fender

Big smiles
“So what makes you particularly proud looking back at this production?” we ask the main man Hugo López Urteaga. “Well”, he replies after a moment of silence, “believe it or not. It is the phenomenally designed six cylinder engine that really makes my heart skip a beat. We just upgraded an already well designed ‘80’s bike to modern day standards. But it really can hold its own very well.”

“It goes without saying that we made a very conscious decision to mount the Triumph Speed Triple parts to the Honda. We really were aiming for a big improvement in the way the CBX would handle.

The owner and we as a team are elated about the way the Honda now handles in all conditions. Riding at relatively low speed in urban conditions or crossing the red line on the highway, you feel relaxed and confident about this thoroughbred bull’s behaviour.

Builders details:
– website
– Instagram
– Facebook

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