I don't care for the boxy sharp angles.
Custom Motorcycle Builds
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SIDEWAYS IN STYLE: Triumph TR6 Flat Tracker by Christophe Canitrot
Written by Martin Hodgson
There are millions of people who ride motorcycles around the globe; most on small capacity machines to commute through big cities, others ride for fun, while an even smaller group makes use of them for their weekend sporting activities. But then there are those who are true bikers, they live and breathe their life on two wheels and you know it the moment you meet them. Christophe Canitrot is one such man, hailing from Toulouse, France, there is always at least one bike for riding and another in the works. Now preparing for an assault on the European flat tracks for 2020, he unveils his latest love, a Staracer framed Triumph that’s as dedicated to the sideways lifestyle as the owner himself.
Not only a biker, Christophe ensures others enjoy his passion as much as he does and serves as the race director at the brilliant Wheels & Waves festival outside Biarritz. More than just a static show, the racing gets serious and as the competition hots up each year Christophe knew he needed a better weapon. “After 2 years on my first Flat Track build, a Triumph 500 Daytona with a stock frame, I knew it was time for me to jump to a new level.” But having located a Staracer frame in France, originally built by flat track master Roger Attebury in Kansas, acquiring it became another challenge.
“It was completely new and waiting for somebody to take care of it. After almost 2 years of exchanges with the owner, we finally found a nice deal and since then the project started,” Christophe recalls. So with the dedicated racing chassis in his possession, complete with in-frame oil tank and geometry designed purely for sideways control, the decision on how to fit it out had to be made. At first the idea was to shove the Daytona 500 engine in, but with the frame designed for a 650, it was time to get on the internet.
In the USA Christophe located a 1967 TR6R engine and frame and arranged for Legend Motor in France to take care of the job of importing it back across the Atlantic. After two months the motor had arrived at his door and more parts acquiring was on the cards, “In the meantime, I bought these beautiful Ceriani GP 38 reproduction forks at Atelier Chatokhine and stocked everything in my living room as a decoration for about a year until I got all the different pieces needed to start the project!”
Turning to his trusty mechanic, who he calls “The Doctor”, Christophe handed over the engine to Philippe Fabre, who also takes care of his bikes during the race season. With the 650 engine stripped down it was built back up with a Morgo 750cc big bore kit that comes with new barrels, pistons, and gaskets. Then the doctor stirred in his own batch of special parts, bolting in a lightened crank, a new set of rods for a stronger and lighter bottom end and the top end benefits from a head overhaul with new valves and springs controlled by a 750 cam.
The outside of the engine is just as bitchin as the internals and making sure the spark never falters, the Tri-Spark electronic ignition setup is visible through the clear side cover. Fuelling is Japanese, giving the bike a truly global appeal, with a set of Mikuni carbs fitted out with K&N filters and PreCharger filter wraps to take care of the dust and dirt. The long intake runners were selected for better torque as Christophe had been frustrated by slow starts in the past and the stunning exhaust is the work of Cristoffer Martensson in Barcelona.
But going fast is only part of the battle and wanting the bike to look good Christophe took a trip down memory lane. “I sold a BSA B50 MX a year before that and I was missing the yellow tank so much that EL GUAPO here in Toulouse did this paint job. The seat and the back pad were made by Skinass Custom, also in my hometown,” and the Triumph was beginning to look like a full-blown racer. A custom rear fender catches the worst of the spray and the #71 number boards complete the task.
A new set of lightweight rims has been laced up with stainless spokes and custom hubs get the whole thing rolling. The Ceriani forks slot into the frame with all new bearings and the wide bars with no front brake prove it’s all for purpose. But there is some slowing down capacity and the new rearsets operate a Brembo master cylinder and underslung caliper for the rear. “Since then I’ve only ridden 10km to try it and to adjust some stuff to make sure everything is working well,” Christophe reports. But with the Triumph engine barking out plenty of power and the brilliant Staracer frame suited to his style the man himself knows the task ahead “I’m ready for the European Championship and to try to do better than last year.” Always the biker, desperate for man and machine to go one better!
[Christophe Canitrot | Photography by Max Cassagne ]
Written by Martin Hodgson
There are millions of people who ride motorcycles around the globe; most on small capacity machines to commute through big cities, others ride for fun, while an even smaller group makes use of them for their weekend sporting activities. But then there are those who are true bikers, they live and breathe their life on two wheels and you know it the moment you meet them. Christophe Canitrot is one such man, hailing from Toulouse, France, there is always at least one bike for riding and another in the works. Now preparing for an assault on the European flat tracks for 2020, he unveils his latest love, a Staracer framed Triumph that’s as dedicated to the sideways lifestyle as the owner himself.
Not only a biker, Christophe ensures others enjoy his passion as much as he does and serves as the race director at the brilliant Wheels & Waves festival outside Biarritz. More than just a static show, the racing gets serious and as the competition hots up each year Christophe knew he needed a better weapon. “After 2 years on my first Flat Track build, a Triumph 500 Daytona with a stock frame, I knew it was time for me to jump to a new level.” But having located a Staracer frame in France, originally built by flat track master Roger Attebury in Kansas, acquiring it became another challenge.
“It was completely new and waiting for somebody to take care of it. After almost 2 years of exchanges with the owner, we finally found a nice deal and since then the project started,” Christophe recalls. So with the dedicated racing chassis in his possession, complete with in-frame oil tank and geometry designed purely for sideways control, the decision on how to fit it out had to be made. At first the idea was to shove the Daytona 500 engine in, but with the frame designed for a 650, it was time to get on the internet.
In the USA Christophe located a 1967 TR6R engine and frame and arranged for Legend Motor in France to take care of the job of importing it back across the Atlantic. After two months the motor had arrived at his door and more parts acquiring was on the cards, “In the meantime, I bought these beautiful Ceriani GP 38 reproduction forks at Atelier Chatokhine and stocked everything in my living room as a decoration for about a year until I got all the different pieces needed to start the project!”
Turning to his trusty mechanic, who he calls “The Doctor”, Christophe handed over the engine to Philippe Fabre, who also takes care of his bikes during the race season. With the 650 engine stripped down it was built back up with a Morgo 750cc big bore kit that comes with new barrels, pistons, and gaskets. Then the doctor stirred in his own batch of special parts, bolting in a lightened crank, a new set of rods for a stronger and lighter bottom end and the top end benefits from a head overhaul with new valves and springs controlled by a 750 cam.
The outside of the engine is just as bitchin as the internals and making sure the spark never falters, the Tri-Spark electronic ignition setup is visible through the clear side cover. Fuelling is Japanese, giving the bike a truly global appeal, with a set of Mikuni carbs fitted out with K&N filters and PreCharger filter wraps to take care of the dust and dirt. The long intake runners were selected for better torque as Christophe had been frustrated by slow starts in the past and the stunning exhaust is the work of Cristoffer Martensson in Barcelona.
But going fast is only part of the battle and wanting the bike to look good Christophe took a trip down memory lane. “I sold a BSA B50 MX a year before that and I was missing the yellow tank so much that EL GUAPO here in Toulouse did this paint job. The seat and the back pad were made by Skinass Custom, also in my hometown,” and the Triumph was beginning to look like a full-blown racer. A custom rear fender catches the worst of the spray and the #71 number boards complete the task.
A new set of lightweight rims has been laced up with stainless spokes and custom hubs get the whole thing rolling. The Ceriani forks slot into the frame with all new bearings and the wide bars with no front brake prove it’s all for purpose. But there is some slowing down capacity and the new rearsets operate a Brembo master cylinder and underslung caliper for the rear. “Since then I’ve only ridden 10km to try it and to adjust some stuff to make sure everything is working well,” Christophe reports. But with the Triumph engine barking out plenty of power and the brilliant Staracer frame suited to his style the man himself knows the task ahead “I’m ready for the European Championship and to try to do better than last year.” Always the biker, desperate for man and machine to go one better!
[Christophe Canitrot | Photography by Max Cassagne ]
Westlake Tagand Special: A Guzzi 850 T3 from Deus
You’ve probably heard the word ‘bitsa’ thrown around these parts if you’re a regular here. For the uninitiated, it’s a motorcycle that has ‘bits of everything.’ Bitsas are the mongrel dogs of the custom motorcycle world… and just like mongrels, some of them are hard to look at.
But others are cross-bred in just the right way. This Moto Guzzi 850 T3 has Triumph, Norton, BSA and Dresda Triton bits on it, and it’s a total knockout—thanks to French builder Jeremy Tagand, who spins spanners at Deus ex Machina’s Australian headquarters.
Deus’ client for this bike is a chap called Roger, who already has an enviable collection of customs from the Sydney shop. And then he called them up for another one: he’d picked up a tired 1975 850 T3 from a local Guzzi guru, John at Motociclo.
After ironing out the finer details of direction with Roger, Jeremy tore into the bike and Roger started scouring the web for the parts they needed.
With the Guzzi stripped down to just the frame and motor, the first step was to perfect its stance.
The 18” wheels went off to Ash’s Spoked wheels for refurbishing, with the rear upgraded to a wider unit to accommodate a fatter tire. The hubs and rims were powder-coated black, then laced with new stainless steel spokes, and finally wrapped in classic Metzeler Lasertec tires.
Next, the forks were spruced up with new internals, and their outer tubes shaved down. Jeremy added a Tarozzi fork brace, and polished the hell out of the triples. A set of Matris shocks does duty at the rear, supplied by Terry at Shock Treatment.
With the Guzzi now sitting right, the next task was sorting out its bodywork. A stock 850 T3 is by no means ugly, but neither Roger nor Jeremy were happy to leave it stock. So on went an alloy tank from Stein-Dinse in Germany, complete with polished sections.
The seat is a Dresda Triton unit, which Roger had been storing for the last 30 years. Jeremy modded it to fit the Guzzi’s frame, then altered a pair of aftermarket side covers for the Triumph Thruxton to match the build. (That last part reportedly took some doing.)
If that front nacelle looks familiar, it’s because it’s a period correct Manx Norton part. Once Jeremy had that sitting pretty, he finished off the bodywork with a short front fender, and a polished alternator cover.
This Moto Guzzi isn’t just a show pony though—Jeremy had a good look at the mechanicals too. The motor underwent a full service, the clutch was replaced, and the ignition was upgraded to a contemporary electronic ignition system. Then the carbs were swapped out with 30 mm Dell’Orto units with velocity stacks.
Roger then dropped off another pair of pick-n-mix parts: the mufflers off a BSA Rocket Goldstar. Hi-Tec Mufflers built a two-into-two stainless steel header system to accommodate them.
The T3 was also treated to Tarozzi rear-sets and a set of Ace bars to nail that classic cafe racer riding position. Other bits include an Acewell speedo, Kellermann bar-end turn signals and Atto DF indicators at the back.
With everything in its right place, the bike was stripped one last time, and all the brackets and minor bits sent to PCS for powder coating. The motor and body work went to Dutchy’s Motorcycle Spray Painting—a frequent Deus collaborator who has decided to hang up his spray gun and focus his attention elsewhere, making this his last job for the shop.
Roger wanted a simple, yet sophisticated color for the Guzzi. So he picked ‘Miami Blue’ from the new Porsche 911 catalog, and Dutchy rounded it off with ‘WTS’ emblems in the style of the classic AJS logo. (‘WTS’ stands for Westlake Tagand Special).
The motor was blacked out, with the fins and valve covers polished to a mirror finish for contrast. And as a final touch, the seat was covered in croc leather, by Dave at Badarse Trim Co. Yes, croc.
An Italian classic with vintage Brit style and German sports car colors does sound like a mongrel.
But it’s now the top dog in Roger’s garage—and rightly so.
Deus Customs | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Thomas Walk
Continue reading...
You’ve probably heard the word ‘bitsa’ thrown around these parts if you’re a regular here. For the uninitiated, it’s a motorcycle that has ‘bits of everything.’ Bitsas are the mongrel dogs of the custom motorcycle world… and just like mongrels, some of them are hard to look at.
But others are cross-bred in just the right way. This Moto Guzzi 850 T3 has Triumph, Norton, BSA and Dresda Triton bits on it, and it’s a total knockout—thanks to French builder Jeremy Tagand, who spins spanners at Deus ex Machina’s Australian headquarters.
Deus’ client for this bike is a chap called Roger, who already has an enviable collection of customs from the Sydney shop. And then he called them up for another one: he’d picked up a tired 1975 850 T3 from a local Guzzi guru, John at Motociclo.
After ironing out the finer details of direction with Roger, Jeremy tore into the bike and Roger started scouring the web for the parts they needed.
With the Guzzi stripped down to just the frame and motor, the first step was to perfect its stance.
The 18” wheels went off to Ash’s Spoked wheels for refurbishing, with the rear upgraded to a wider unit to accommodate a fatter tire. The hubs and rims were powder-coated black, then laced with new stainless steel spokes, and finally wrapped in classic Metzeler Lasertec tires.
Next, the forks were spruced up with new internals, and their outer tubes shaved down. Jeremy added a Tarozzi fork brace, and polished the hell out of the triples. A set of Matris shocks does duty at the rear, supplied by Terry at Shock Treatment.
With the Guzzi now sitting right, the next task was sorting out its bodywork. A stock 850 T3 is by no means ugly, but neither Roger nor Jeremy were happy to leave it stock. So on went an alloy tank from Stein-Dinse in Germany, complete with polished sections.
The seat is a Dresda Triton unit, which Roger had been storing for the last 30 years. Jeremy modded it to fit the Guzzi’s frame, then altered a pair of aftermarket side covers for the Triumph Thruxton to match the build. (That last part reportedly took some doing.)
If that front nacelle looks familiar, it’s because it’s a period correct Manx Norton part. Once Jeremy had that sitting pretty, he finished off the bodywork with a short front fender, and a polished alternator cover.
This Moto Guzzi isn’t just a show pony though—Jeremy had a good look at the mechanicals too. The motor underwent a full service, the clutch was replaced, and the ignition was upgraded to a contemporary electronic ignition system. Then the carbs were swapped out with 30 mm Dell’Orto units with velocity stacks.
Roger then dropped off another pair of pick-n-mix parts: the mufflers off a BSA Rocket Goldstar. Hi-Tec Mufflers built a two-into-two stainless steel header system to accommodate them.
The T3 was also treated to Tarozzi rear-sets and a set of Ace bars to nail that classic cafe racer riding position. Other bits include an Acewell speedo, Kellermann bar-end turn signals and Atto DF indicators at the back.
With everything in its right place, the bike was stripped one last time, and all the brackets and minor bits sent to PCS for powder coating. The motor and body work went to Dutchy’s Motorcycle Spray Painting—a frequent Deus collaborator who has decided to hang up his spray gun and focus his attention elsewhere, making this his last job for the shop.
Roger wanted a simple, yet sophisticated color for the Guzzi. So he picked ‘Miami Blue’ from the new Porsche 911 catalog, and Dutchy rounded it off with ‘WTS’ emblems in the style of the classic AJS logo. (‘WTS’ stands for Westlake Tagand Special).
The motor was blacked out, with the fins and valve covers polished to a mirror finish for contrast. And as a final touch, the seat was covered in croc leather, by Dave at Badarse Trim Co. Yes, croc.
An Italian classic with vintage Brit style and German sports car colors does sound like a mongrel.
But it’s now the top dog in Roger’s garage—and rightly so.
Deus Customs | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Thomas Walk
Continue reading...
IN YOUR DREAMS: Kawasaki ‘Nightmare’ Flat Tracker
Written by Martin Hodgson
Telling someone ‘it can’t be done’ has proven to be one of history’s great motivators; Einstein and Edison were considered too dumb by their teachers to amount to anything, billionaire vacuum cleaner mogul Sir James Dyson couldn’t get a single company to look at his designs and Stephen Spielberg was rejected from film school, TWICE! So when Ryan Maloney was told by everyone that building a Grand National Flat Track bike for the street was ridiculous, it only lit a fire inside him to prove the world wrong. Named for the very thing it gives its doubters, this custom framed Kawasaki Flat Tracker is winning trophies, tearing up the streets and causing many a ‘Nightmare’!
During the day Ryan works as an HVAC technician but when work is over for others, the lights go on in his basement and he turns his talent to bike building. “My whole family races flat track it’s definitely in our blood. I’ve been racing since I was young from dirt track to drag racing cars, I’m obsessed with going fast,” he told us. His sons have inherited the gasoline gene with his four year old removing the training wheels to rip it up on a PW50. For his next build, Ryan was kicking around an idea, “about how cool it would be to have a Grand National bike for the street and that started the negativity from everyone saying it would be horrible to ride, it won’t work blah blah blah.”
But rather than back down and definitely not about to take the easy way out by simply building a race replica, Ryan jumped on the phone. The call to J&M Racing Products was for one of their race-winning custom frames that are seen sliding all around the world. Making products to suit the highest level of the sport, J&M provides frames for everything from the modern crop of AMA approved engines, through to units for old school Honda and Triumph singles and twins and the array of modern dirt bike engines. But for his project Ryan selected a centre shock item to accept a twin-cylinder Kawasaki engine.
To set it up for the street the wheelbase is now longer to tame things down just a little by extending the swingarm. All of which is brilliantly controlled by a big dollar Penske shock designed to suit the frame and is fully adjustable. Upfront a custom set of triple clamps are also adjustable and suspend the beautiful set of Ohlins forks, originally intended for a track focussed 2015 Yamaha R1. The right leg is machined to lose its brake mount while the left swings a stunning Beringer 6 piston caliper with rotor to match. This is removable for days in the dirt and the rear 4 piston unit takes over.
The wheels are an impressive set of Performance Machine engineered forged billet alloy items that are designed exclusively for racing and come with quick-change hubs. Ryan selected a black finish for his pair before wrapping them up in Dunlop’s AMA winning DT3 rubber. To make everything come together Anthony Cicero from 16w Fabworks was brought in to make all the CNC parts. These include one-off foot controls with sealed bearings, CNC side plates to cover up the electricals, kickstand, footpegs, rear shock reservoir mount, and shifter and brake arms, all just for this bike. In Ryan’s words, “He’s an absolute genius!”
Now with one hell of a rolling chassis underneath him, it was time to bolt in the 2012 Kawasaki 650r engine. The compact parallel twin is a popular unit, not only in flat track but in road and circuit racing too, thanks to motors lightweight, bulletproof reliability and power making potential. To hop things up the twin throttle bodies now breathe through a large air filter, while a custom set of pipes goes their own way before exiting under the seat with twin mufflers. The finishing touch is a one-off alloy radiator to keep the engine cool while Ryan has the throttle pinned to the stop.
To keep weight low Ryan worked with Airtech Streamlining to make a custom carbon fibre tail section with number plates to fit the frame. All of which is topped off with the perfect seat thanks to Saddleman with a brilliant diamond pattern stitched in. The fuel tank is originally intended for an XR750 but has been modified to accept a fuel pump to feed the needs of the modern engine. Then the tedious task of cutting down the wiring loom to the bare basics began. Before a set of LED lights, front and rear were neatly moulded in place to keep the boys in blue happy.
The 315lb weight and race winning technology mean this bike seriously hauls ass, but it also wins trophies on the show circuit and the man who helped make that a possibility is Bert’s Graphix who laid down the eye-catching colour, “I had him paint my friend Jessica on the tank and the name of the bike Nightmare,” Ryan smiles. But those grins don’t end there, “This bike wasn’t built to be babied it was built to be hammered on and abused. Anyone that rides it falls in love and says they need it.” Which is no surprise, as this is a genuine race machine capable of rolling up to compete at an AMA Grand National but just so happens to spend its days destroying the streets instead.
[ Photography by Sam Bendall at Live Moto Foto ]
Written by Martin Hodgson
Telling someone ‘it can’t be done’ has proven to be one of history’s great motivators; Einstein and Edison were considered too dumb by their teachers to amount to anything, billionaire vacuum cleaner mogul Sir James Dyson couldn’t get a single company to look at his designs and Stephen Spielberg was rejected from film school, TWICE! So when Ryan Maloney was told by everyone that building a Grand National Flat Track bike for the street was ridiculous, it only lit a fire inside him to prove the world wrong. Named for the very thing it gives its doubters, this custom framed Kawasaki Flat Tracker is winning trophies, tearing up the streets and causing many a ‘Nightmare’!
During the day Ryan works as an HVAC technician but when work is over for others, the lights go on in his basement and he turns his talent to bike building. “My whole family races flat track it’s definitely in our blood. I’ve been racing since I was young from dirt track to drag racing cars, I’m obsessed with going fast,” he told us. His sons have inherited the gasoline gene with his four year old removing the training wheels to rip it up on a PW50. For his next build, Ryan was kicking around an idea, “about how cool it would be to have a Grand National bike for the street and that started the negativity from everyone saying it would be horrible to ride, it won’t work blah blah blah.”
But rather than back down and definitely not about to take the easy way out by simply building a race replica, Ryan jumped on the phone. The call to J&M Racing Products was for one of their race-winning custom frames that are seen sliding all around the world. Making products to suit the highest level of the sport, J&M provides frames for everything from the modern crop of AMA approved engines, through to units for old school Honda and Triumph singles and twins and the array of modern dirt bike engines. But for his project Ryan selected a centre shock item to accept a twin-cylinder Kawasaki engine.
To set it up for the street the wheelbase is now longer to tame things down just a little by extending the swingarm. All of which is brilliantly controlled by a big dollar Penske shock designed to suit the frame and is fully adjustable. Upfront a custom set of triple clamps are also adjustable and suspend the beautiful set of Ohlins forks, originally intended for a track focussed 2015 Yamaha R1. The right leg is machined to lose its brake mount while the left swings a stunning Beringer 6 piston caliper with rotor to match. This is removable for days in the dirt and the rear 4 piston unit takes over.
The wheels are an impressive set of Performance Machine engineered forged billet alloy items that are designed exclusively for racing and come with quick-change hubs. Ryan selected a black finish for his pair before wrapping them up in Dunlop’s AMA winning DT3 rubber. To make everything come together Anthony Cicero from 16w Fabworks was brought in to make all the CNC parts. These include one-off foot controls with sealed bearings, CNC side plates to cover up the electricals, kickstand, footpegs, rear shock reservoir mount, and shifter and brake arms, all just for this bike. In Ryan’s words, “He’s an absolute genius!”
Now with one hell of a rolling chassis underneath him, it was time to bolt in the 2012 Kawasaki 650r engine. The compact parallel twin is a popular unit, not only in flat track but in road and circuit racing too, thanks to motors lightweight, bulletproof reliability and power making potential. To hop things up the twin throttle bodies now breathe through a large air filter, while a custom set of pipes goes their own way before exiting under the seat with twin mufflers. The finishing touch is a one-off alloy radiator to keep the engine cool while Ryan has the throttle pinned to the stop.
To keep weight low Ryan worked with Airtech Streamlining to make a custom carbon fibre tail section with number plates to fit the frame. All of which is topped off with the perfect seat thanks to Saddleman with a brilliant diamond pattern stitched in. The fuel tank is originally intended for an XR750 but has been modified to accept a fuel pump to feed the needs of the modern engine. Then the tedious task of cutting down the wiring loom to the bare basics began. Before a set of LED lights, front and rear were neatly moulded in place to keep the boys in blue happy.
The 315lb weight and race winning technology mean this bike seriously hauls ass, but it also wins trophies on the show circuit and the man who helped make that a possibility is Bert’s Graphix who laid down the eye-catching colour, “I had him paint my friend Jessica on the tank and the name of the bike Nightmare,” Ryan smiles. But those grins don’t end there, “This bike wasn’t built to be babied it was built to be hammered on and abused. Anyone that rides it falls in love and says they need it.” Which is no surprise, as this is a genuine race machine capable of rolling up to compete at an AMA Grand National but just so happens to spend its days destroying the streets instead.
[ Photography by Sam Bendall at Live Moto Foto ]
The Divisionist: Federal Moto’s first BMW bobber
Some custom shops crank out the same style of build, over and over again. But for Federal Moto that would be terminal. Their crew is young, eager to experiment and wary of stagnation.
So when a local film production company approached Federal to build a custom bike, they picked a genre they hadn’t yet tackled. For their seventeenth project, commissioned by Divisionist Films, the Chicago workshop created their first BMW-powered bobber.
“Eight years ago we started off as a ‘cafe racer’ custom shop,” says founder Michael Muller, “and here we are now moving into the bobber genre. We want to be a diverse shop that isn’t tied to one style of moto … motorcycles are fun, who said you can’t play with all of the kinds?”
Federal started by sitting down with their client, and going through reference material to figure out what would hit the mark.
The resulting concept was a skinny monochrome bobber based on a /7 series BMW boxer. And as luck would have it, Federal had a 1978 BMW R80/7 laying around the shop and looking for a good home.
The R80 needed some love though, so Michael and Federal staffer David Pecaro started by rebuilding the 797 cc motor, five-speed transmission and Bing carbs. The work included new seals and rings, a new electronic ignition, and NGK spark plug boots and cables.
The motor was beautifully finished with a mix of ceramic paint and hand-polished touches. Federal also added custom-made velocity stacks, and custom exhausts with turned tips and a Cerakote finish.
The BMW’s running gear didn’t go neglected either. Federal grabbed the forks and six-piston Tokico calipers from a 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa, and hooked them up to an upper triple tree and steering stem from Cognito Moto.
A new set of 18” rims was laced up with stainless steel spokes from Buchanan’s, using a Cognito Moto hub up front, and they’re wrapped in Dunlop K180 tires. Federal also had the forks anodized black, and the rims powder coated.
Out back, the crew built a minimal subframe, with support for the solo seat and revised shock mounts. A new pair of 15” shocks now holds up the rear end. There are hand-rolled fenders at both ends too, attached to custom-made brackets.
For the fuel tank, Federal sourced a 1977 Husky 125 item—but it was pretty banged up and rusted. They tidied it, fabricated a new tunnel to match the BMW’s frame, and welded in a new cap tunnel and petcock bungs. The gas cap is a custom knurled aluminum part. Chris Paluch designed the subtle fuel tank graphics, which NSD Paintwerks then executed.
Right behind the tiny tank is a scant little bobber seat, upholstered by Dane Utech, a Chicago local, using suede and leather from Relicate Leather. Dane covered the ‘passenger’ pad too and did a stellar job—but you’d need to be brave (and petite) to take a ride on the back of this bobber.
One of Federal’s biggest challenges was the boxer’s stock Bosch ignition coils (they’re big, and usually sit under the tank). So the guys sourced a dual pole Dyna coil, and mounted it under the starter cover. They also rewired the bike around a Motogadget m.unit blue Bluetooth-enabled controller, stashing it away under the tank.
The bulky battery was replaced with an Antigravity Lithium-ion battery, which sits in a custom-made box just in front of the rear wheel. It’s been designed so that its back edge traces the radius of the rear wheel; a neat little touch.
In the cockpit, Federal fitted 7/8” Biltwell ‘Tracker’ bars, and a speedo, push buttons and bar-end turn signals from Motogadget.
It’s also sporting new levers, a set of OEM BMW cables, and Goodridge brake lines. A 5.75” lamp lights the way out front, and a small LED taillight is mounted to the swingarm.
Lean and purposeful, Federal Moto’s first foray into bobbers is a total knockout. If this is what it takes to stave off complacency and boredom, count us in.
Federal Moto | Facebook | Instagram | images by Daniel Peter
Continue reading...
Some custom shops crank out the same style of build, over and over again. But for Federal Moto that would be terminal. Their crew is young, eager to experiment and wary of stagnation.
So when a local film production company approached Federal to build a custom bike, they picked a genre they hadn’t yet tackled. For their seventeenth project, commissioned by Divisionist Films, the Chicago workshop created their first BMW-powered bobber.
“Eight years ago we started off as a ‘cafe racer’ custom shop,” says founder Michael Muller, “and here we are now moving into the bobber genre. We want to be a diverse shop that isn’t tied to one style of moto … motorcycles are fun, who said you can’t play with all of the kinds?”
Federal started by sitting down with their client, and going through reference material to figure out what would hit the mark.
The resulting concept was a skinny monochrome bobber based on a /7 series BMW boxer. And as luck would have it, Federal had a 1978 BMW R80/7 laying around the shop and looking for a good home.
The R80 needed some love though, so Michael and Federal staffer David Pecaro started by rebuilding the 797 cc motor, five-speed transmission and Bing carbs. The work included new seals and rings, a new electronic ignition, and NGK spark plug boots and cables.
The motor was beautifully finished with a mix of ceramic paint and hand-polished touches. Federal also added custom-made velocity stacks, and custom exhausts with turned tips and a Cerakote finish.
The BMW’s running gear didn’t go neglected either. Federal grabbed the forks and six-piston Tokico calipers from a 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa, and hooked them up to an upper triple tree and steering stem from Cognito Moto.
A new set of 18” rims was laced up with stainless steel spokes from Buchanan’s, using a Cognito Moto hub up front, and they’re wrapped in Dunlop K180 tires. Federal also had the forks anodized black, and the rims powder coated.
Out back, the crew built a minimal subframe, with support for the solo seat and revised shock mounts. A new pair of 15” shocks now holds up the rear end. There are hand-rolled fenders at both ends too, attached to custom-made brackets.
For the fuel tank, Federal sourced a 1977 Husky 125 item—but it was pretty banged up and rusted. They tidied it, fabricated a new tunnel to match the BMW’s frame, and welded in a new cap tunnel and petcock bungs. The gas cap is a custom knurled aluminum part. Chris Paluch designed the subtle fuel tank graphics, which NSD Paintwerks then executed.
Right behind the tiny tank is a scant little bobber seat, upholstered by Dane Utech, a Chicago local, using suede and leather from Relicate Leather. Dane covered the ‘passenger’ pad too and did a stellar job—but you’d need to be brave (and petite) to take a ride on the back of this bobber.
One of Federal’s biggest challenges was the boxer’s stock Bosch ignition coils (they’re big, and usually sit under the tank). So the guys sourced a dual pole Dyna coil, and mounted it under the starter cover. They also rewired the bike around a Motogadget m.unit blue Bluetooth-enabled controller, stashing it away under the tank.
The bulky battery was replaced with an Antigravity Lithium-ion battery, which sits in a custom-made box just in front of the rear wheel. It’s been designed so that its back edge traces the radius of the rear wheel; a neat little touch.
In the cockpit, Federal fitted 7/8” Biltwell ‘Tracker’ bars, and a speedo, push buttons and bar-end turn signals from Motogadget.
It’s also sporting new levers, a set of OEM BMW cables, and Goodridge brake lines. A 5.75” lamp lights the way out front, and a small LED taillight is mounted to the swingarm.
Lean and purposeful, Federal Moto’s first foray into bobbers is a total knockout. If this is what it takes to stave off complacency and boredom, count us in.
Federal Moto | Facebook | Instagram | images by Daniel Peter
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BEASTLY BRICK: BMW K100 ‘Silverback Gorilla’ by Two Wheels Empire
Written by Martin Hodgson
We’ve all dreamed about it at some point, handing in our resignation and stepping out into the world on our own to be the one who calls the shots, the boss! Some will make it but most of us, for good or for bad, will remain punching the clock from 9 to 5. From a very young age however, Lithuanian, Matas ‘Matt’ Rinkevičius had two things running through his veins to launch him to success. An entrepreneurial spirit and a deep love of all things motorcycles, so it makes absolute sense his company is called Two Wheels Empire and their latest offering is this beastly BMW K100 known as the Silverback Gorilla.
At just 12 years old Matt was riding scooters and fixing them up before selling them off so he could make his next purchase. By the time he was 16 he had his own eBay store and ever since he’s been involved in the motorcycle industry in a variety of roles, almost always at the same time; as a mechanic, salesman, journalist and racing Supermoto and Motocross. In 2014 he’d risen to be the sales manager of the largest motorcycle dealership in his home country of Lithuania but still, his heart cried out for more.
So after some deep reflection he handed in his notice and set off on a path to building his own motorcycle empire. Now with locations in three countries, the business is a mix of sleek one-off builds, motorcycle merchandise and a range of multimedia solutions for the industry. But success brings compromise too and when a German customer saw Matt’s custom K100 known as Black Mamba, he wanted one exactly the same. Although not thrilled about replicating a path already taken, it was a chance to test their building abilities against Germany’s ultra tough road registration laws.
With the donor BMW at the workshop in Kaunas, it was up onto the lift and time to strip down the 500lb+ flying brick. Such a bulky bike with complex for its time fuel injection, strange engine layout and K series quirkiness is not easy to work on, so getting it down to a bare frame is essential. This allowed Matt to then cut off the subframe and rather than simply add a hoop, the tail is totally transformed with a newly fabbed backside that matches the bikes naturally angular lines. While perched on top is the stunning tail unit and seat combo that can be purchased via the company’s webstore.
To add a sense of lightness to the big girl the centre section is left open, the negative space a result of the removal of the factory air box. Before the big Silverbacks shoulders show off more aggression with the factory tank given subtle changes to bring out its muscular side. On top the factory filler cap is ditched with a new fitment inserted to accept the machined alloy cap for a serious touch of class. To ensure passing Germany’s road test was a breeze, there is a front fender positioned over the tyre with custom drilled mounts, while a number plate holder bolts to the swingarm’s single side.
With the metal work done it was time to get the bike rolling and a beast of the wild can’t have spindly little limbs. So the front forks are thrown away and with new bearings and a steering stem change, a set of modern USD forks from a Suzuki GSXR are bolted into place. The addition provides the sort of braking power that every K bike needs, twin drilled discs that are clamped by Tokico calipers. Very cleverly the factory front wheel is retained, matching the rear item exposed by the swingarm, which is controlled with only the best from Ohlins!
Moving to the engine and Matt has done a great job at making the big four-cylinder engine look like a cohesive part of the entire bike and not a huge lump of ugly metal. All blacked out, the air intake is redesigned with a custom made manifold and pod filter that wraps neatly around the side. To satisfy the road testers the factory exhaust headers remain in place, while a custom box muffler and side exit chrome tip gives the owner the look and the soundtrack they were after. Before bolting the lump back in the wiring loom was torn apart and rebuilt reducing mess and complication.
Here the addition of a full array of Motogadget pieces come to the party with speedo, indicators and control unit adding a serious touch of minimalist style. The headlight design has been well used in the streetfighter world, but it finds its perfect home on the K bike with the angular lines only adding to the muscle. A host of quality custom parts are taken from the shop’s store, like the footpegs, shifter and big dollar Brembo RC19, which all combine with the matte paint to give the brutish Silverback a fearsome presence. With the bike successfully passed for the German streets, Matt and his Two Wheels Empire move on as they add video content creation to their already bulging arsenal, in pursuit of being the King Kong of the custom bike world.
[ Two Wheels Empire | Photography Arnoldas Ivanauskas ]
Written by Martin Hodgson
We’ve all dreamed about it at some point, handing in our resignation and stepping out into the world on our own to be the one who calls the shots, the boss! Some will make it but most of us, for good or for bad, will remain punching the clock from 9 to 5. From a very young age however, Lithuanian, Matas ‘Matt’ Rinkevičius had two things running through his veins to launch him to success. An entrepreneurial spirit and a deep love of all things motorcycles, so it makes absolute sense his company is called Two Wheels Empire and their latest offering is this beastly BMW K100 known as the Silverback Gorilla.
At just 12 years old Matt was riding scooters and fixing them up before selling them off so he could make his next purchase. By the time he was 16 he had his own eBay store and ever since he’s been involved in the motorcycle industry in a variety of roles, almost always at the same time; as a mechanic, salesman, journalist and racing Supermoto and Motocross. In 2014 he’d risen to be the sales manager of the largest motorcycle dealership in his home country of Lithuania but still, his heart cried out for more.
So after some deep reflection he handed in his notice and set off on a path to building his own motorcycle empire. Now with locations in three countries, the business is a mix of sleek one-off builds, motorcycle merchandise and a range of multimedia solutions for the industry. But success brings compromise too and when a German customer saw Matt’s custom K100 known as Black Mamba, he wanted one exactly the same. Although not thrilled about replicating a path already taken, it was a chance to test their building abilities against Germany’s ultra tough road registration laws.
With the donor BMW at the workshop in Kaunas, it was up onto the lift and time to strip down the 500lb+ flying brick. Such a bulky bike with complex for its time fuel injection, strange engine layout and K series quirkiness is not easy to work on, so getting it down to a bare frame is essential. This allowed Matt to then cut off the subframe and rather than simply add a hoop, the tail is totally transformed with a newly fabbed backside that matches the bikes naturally angular lines. While perched on top is the stunning tail unit and seat combo that can be purchased via the company’s webstore.
To add a sense of lightness to the big girl the centre section is left open, the negative space a result of the removal of the factory air box. Before the big Silverbacks shoulders show off more aggression with the factory tank given subtle changes to bring out its muscular side. On top the factory filler cap is ditched with a new fitment inserted to accept the machined alloy cap for a serious touch of class. To ensure passing Germany’s road test was a breeze, there is a front fender positioned over the tyre with custom drilled mounts, while a number plate holder bolts to the swingarm’s single side.
With the metal work done it was time to get the bike rolling and a beast of the wild can’t have spindly little limbs. So the front forks are thrown away and with new bearings and a steering stem change, a set of modern USD forks from a Suzuki GSXR are bolted into place. The addition provides the sort of braking power that every K bike needs, twin drilled discs that are clamped by Tokico calipers. Very cleverly the factory front wheel is retained, matching the rear item exposed by the swingarm, which is controlled with only the best from Ohlins!
Moving to the engine and Matt has done a great job at making the big four-cylinder engine look like a cohesive part of the entire bike and not a huge lump of ugly metal. All blacked out, the air intake is redesigned with a custom made manifold and pod filter that wraps neatly around the side. To satisfy the road testers the factory exhaust headers remain in place, while a custom box muffler and side exit chrome tip gives the owner the look and the soundtrack they were after. Before bolting the lump back in the wiring loom was torn apart and rebuilt reducing mess and complication.
Here the addition of a full array of Motogadget pieces come to the party with speedo, indicators and control unit adding a serious touch of minimalist style. The headlight design has been well used in the streetfighter world, but it finds its perfect home on the K bike with the angular lines only adding to the muscle. A host of quality custom parts are taken from the shop’s store, like the footpegs, shifter and big dollar Brembo RC19, which all combine with the matte paint to give the brutish Silverback a fearsome presence. With the bike successfully passed for the German streets, Matt and his Two Wheels Empire move on as they add video content creation to their already bulging arsenal, in pursuit of being the King Kong of the custom bike world.
[ Two Wheels Empire | Photography Arnoldas Ivanauskas ]
Handmade Tale: Building an RD 200 custom from scratch
In the mid 70s, the Yamaha RD 200 delivered more fun than a small capacity motorcycle had any right to. A compact two-stroke, it could cruise easily on the highway and, given a long enough straight, creep past 80 mph (130 kph).
The heyday of little two-strokes is long over—in the road going sense, at least. But memories take longer to fade, and Portuguese builders Pedro and Filipe Costa have dug deep into their past to create this stunning custom RD 200.
“A taste for motorcycles since childhood led us to build this machine from scratch,” says Pedro. “I’m the mechanic and my brother Filipe is the welder at our C.Custom Garage workshop, and our idea was to build an unpainted motorcycle.”
Pedro and Filipe like to use a multitude of metals for their bikes, including aluminum, bronze, copper, tin and stainless steel. And that confidence shows in every crease and weld on this Yamaha.
The base bike was a 1973 RD 200, making it one of the earliest in the Yamaha series. In their workshop in the bustling town of Vila Nova de Famalicão, Pedro and Filipe immediately removed and dismantled the engine, and stripped the rest of the Yamaha down to its component parts.
The brothers are members of that small and exclusive club of builders who can create a motorcycle from the ground up: virtually the only stock parts left on the finished bike are the motor, the wheel hubs and the (excellent) drum brakes.
Rather than refinish the existing frame, C.Custom have built a completely new one with elegant proportions and neat TIG welds, and finished it off in chrome. The swingarm was made in the workshop too, and also finished in chrome.
Sitting atop the new frame is a sleek one-piece tank and seat unit, crafted from aluminum and polished to a sheen that matches the frame. There’s a small battery hidden underneath, and the upholstery for the seat pad is vintage leather.
The 195cc air-cooled parallel twin was stripped down, refurbished, and then polished up too. It’s now running an electronic ignition system, rather than the original coil and points setup.
Performance gets an extra boost with much larger expansion chambers in the 2-into-2 stainless steel exhaust pipework. A pair of stubby canister-style mufflers keeps noise down … a little.
Eagle eyes will spot the shock underneath the engine. This is a Honda Shadow VT600 monoshock, hooked up to the rear wheel with a discreet system of connecting rods.
The original RD 200 front suspension was somewhat basic, so Pedro and Filipe have installed forks from the Portuguese brand Tabor. That company is best known for its bicycle saddles today, but in the 70s and 80s, focused on aftermarket motorcycle suspension.
The stunning wheels are 18-inch Borranis, shod with Shinko’s ‘Super Classic 270’ tires—a modern replica of classic sawtooth designs.
The headlight is the real old deal though, being a vintage Marchal. It’s hooked up to an all-new modern wiring loom, which is a distinctly minimalist affair—there are no buttons or dials on the stainless steel bars. Just custom-made levers, and even a custom-made throttle.
The foot controls have been CNC-machined, and before the Yamaha was reassembled, all parts were given a refinish or clear-coat. Even the screws were restored.
The attention to detail (and skill level) is simply amazing, but best of all, the aesthetics are just as good. There’s not a line out of place.
Most builders are great at getting the looks just right, but farm out the mechanical stuff. Or good at the mechanicals but never quite nail the style.
Kudos to Pedro and Filipe on giving us the best of both worlds.
C.Custom Garage Facebook | Instagram
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In the mid 70s, the Yamaha RD 200 delivered more fun than a small capacity motorcycle had any right to. A compact two-stroke, it could cruise easily on the highway and, given a long enough straight, creep past 80 mph (130 kph).
The heyday of little two-strokes is long over—in the road going sense, at least. But memories take longer to fade, and Portuguese builders Pedro and Filipe Costa have dug deep into their past to create this stunning custom RD 200.
“A taste for motorcycles since childhood led us to build this machine from scratch,” says Pedro. “I’m the mechanic and my brother Filipe is the welder at our C.Custom Garage workshop, and our idea was to build an unpainted motorcycle.”
Pedro and Filipe like to use a multitude of metals for their bikes, including aluminum, bronze, copper, tin and stainless steel. And that confidence shows in every crease and weld on this Yamaha.
The base bike was a 1973 RD 200, making it one of the earliest in the Yamaha series. In their workshop in the bustling town of Vila Nova de Famalicão, Pedro and Filipe immediately removed and dismantled the engine, and stripped the rest of the Yamaha down to its component parts.
The brothers are members of that small and exclusive club of builders who can create a motorcycle from the ground up: virtually the only stock parts left on the finished bike are the motor, the wheel hubs and the (excellent) drum brakes.
Rather than refinish the existing frame, C.Custom have built a completely new one with elegant proportions and neat TIG welds, and finished it off in chrome. The swingarm was made in the workshop too, and also finished in chrome.
Sitting atop the new frame is a sleek one-piece tank and seat unit, crafted from aluminum and polished to a sheen that matches the frame. There’s a small battery hidden underneath, and the upholstery for the seat pad is vintage leather.
The 195cc air-cooled parallel twin was stripped down, refurbished, and then polished up too. It’s now running an electronic ignition system, rather than the original coil and points setup.
Performance gets an extra boost with much larger expansion chambers in the 2-into-2 stainless steel exhaust pipework. A pair of stubby canister-style mufflers keeps noise down … a little.
Eagle eyes will spot the shock underneath the engine. This is a Honda Shadow VT600 monoshock, hooked up to the rear wheel with a discreet system of connecting rods.
The original RD 200 front suspension was somewhat basic, so Pedro and Filipe have installed forks from the Portuguese brand Tabor. That company is best known for its bicycle saddles today, but in the 70s and 80s, focused on aftermarket motorcycle suspension.
The stunning wheels are 18-inch Borranis, shod with Shinko’s ‘Super Classic 270’ tires—a modern replica of classic sawtooth designs.
The headlight is the real old deal though, being a vintage Marchal. It’s hooked up to an all-new modern wiring loom, which is a distinctly minimalist affair—there are no buttons or dials on the stainless steel bars. Just custom-made levers, and even a custom-made throttle.
The foot controls have been CNC-machined, and before the Yamaha was reassembled, all parts were given a refinish or clear-coat. Even the screws were restored.
The attention to detail (and skill level) is simply amazing, but best of all, the aesthetics are just as good. There’s not a line out of place.
Most builders are great at getting the looks just right, but farm out the mechanical stuff. Or good at the mechanicals but never quite nail the style.
Kudos to Pedro and Filipe on giving us the best of both worlds.
C.Custom Garage Facebook | Instagram
Continue reading...
AGAINST THE GRAIN: The Harrison Award – George Woodman Laverda
Written by Gerald Harrison – The Harrison Collection & Award
Where we choose to call home says a lot about us, hence the warehouse that Sébastien Valliergues calls his own speaks volumes about the man and his passion for wood. Known by the Instagram handle @georgewoodman64, Seb even looks slightly like a fine tree that you might see maturing on a Spanish hillside, maybe an olive tree, his skin has a certain wooden texture and tone to it, but his panache and skill for sculpting the material is anything but wooden. The warehouse is like nothing I have seen before; there is a central courtyard which is home to a few old bikes sitting on wooden plinths of course, and on each side of this space Seb has built his house, inside this cavernous building.
The place feels not totally dissimilar to the fake ghost towns in western films, tumbleweed mysteriously blowing down the street, but this is more than a simple façade, this is home even if it does have more than a hint of film-set vibe to it, maybe his ten years working in cinematography has made an impression on his subconscious. As you walk in, on the right hand side there is a two storey accommodation unit which stretches to the ceiling high above and on the left, the kitchen sits above the workshop, within which Seb feels most at home to create his current masterpiece. Everything is made from wood. Connecting the two buildings are a series of walkways and steps for the in-house cat who teeters perilously high, like a tightrope walker, above the unforgiving floor. To the rear there’s an office and more living quarters and yet more space for quirky old bikes.
The Harrison Award submission by George Woodman (Seb)
The first time I came here was to deliver the 1976 Laverda 500 that was to be Seb’s next project following his triumphant submission for The Harrison Awards 2019. A brief interlude to explain the Awards for the uninitiated; the Awards are a scheme I dreamt up in 2018 when I recognised that a forlorn Ducati M900 sitting in a corner of my garage would be a dream donor for an up and coming custom builder. I didn’t know how to go about finding someone to work on it as I wanted to find someone new, someone the world hadn’t yet heard of, so, with the help of Gareth Roberts, friend and director of Oil In The Blood, I created a sort of talent contest for bike builders, with the aim being to boost the lucky winners to custom bike stardom.
The recently completed ‘Wildcard’ Ducati M900
In 2018 an M900 and a 748 went to builders in the US and another M900 went to a young blade in Rome, the end product “Wildcard” was released at MBE in Verona which, as a side note, was displayed at the Pipeburn stand. Having said all that Seb, being the winning contestant in the second year of the Awards, certainly isn’t looking for more commission work as he finds it so hard to separate himself from his work, I questioned his motivation to take the commission on and without wanting to flatter me, I think he likes my collection! It’s only the truly worthy that can count themselves lucky enough to be the custodian of a Woodman one off creation, I shall be one of the few, I probably feel more lucky than he.
Seb working out the riding position
Originally from Paris, Seb used to build exquisite and highly detailed handmade pieces of furniture, kitchens and libraries; sorting the wheat from the chaff by immediately bringing up his exorbitant cost, he whittled himself a nice niche in the high end market. Moving to surf spot, Guéthary, he started building Alaia surfboards, but it wasn’t long before his attention was turned to his 50cc Malaguti which needed what the French call a “relooking”, for whatever reason the little Italian bike never received its makeover but the seed had been sown. A born customiser, when he was just a young sapling, Sébastien personalised his trainers and bmx bikes, so a motorcycle was a natural progression for the man, despite not even having his license!
In his own words, seeing Swiss compadres Young Gun Speed Shop complete a stunning build based on an old AJS gave Seb the push he needed to finally go and build his own bike. The result was nothing short of spectacular; “Smoking Black Fish” based on a pre war Belgian 350 thumper made by FN, it can now call The Haas Museum home, quite the accolade for a first build.
The beautiful ‘Smoking Black Fish’
The workshop is devoid of your usual woodworking tools, yes there are countless clamps but really it’s more like an artist’s studio, with plenty of workspace and no mechanics tools, Seb prefers to think of himself as a craftsman than anything else and outsources any metal work to local friends. There’s a small booth which is used just for the dusty process of wood sculpting for which he uses a lethal looking device; a guardless angle grinder fitted with gnarly looking teeth, the sort of thing you might see in a James Bond interrogation scene, the object is then endlessly sanded to perfection. 3D shapes are created by gluing multiple layers in various shapes to create the desired shape, like a rather complicated jigsaw puzzle. Originally from Germany, the wood that Seb uses on all his builds is beech, a hard, durable wood which is normally left natural in colour and simply clear coated but, like a surfboard, can be covered with an epoxy resin to promote longevity and allow the owner to use the bike in the rain, although that would be a barely imaginable travesty!
The Laverda is currently disassembled and Seb would like to keep the build details under wraps for the moment but he is happy to show the drawing that is blu-tacked to the wall next to the frame of the bike, which is the same image that won him this commission. So, after all that introduction, I can’t really tell you very much at all about this work in progress. The end result and part two of this article will be released in June at Wheels & Waves, if you’re there you’ll see me tentatively taking on Punks Peak on the completed Laverda. Until then, we can imagine the wood man, working in his workshop in Biarritz, sculpting a future icon.
[ The Harrison Collection | George Woodman Garage ]
Written by Gerald Harrison – The Harrison Collection & Award
Where we choose to call home says a lot about us, hence the warehouse that Sébastien Valliergues calls his own speaks volumes about the man and his passion for wood. Known by the Instagram handle @georgewoodman64, Seb even looks slightly like a fine tree that you might see maturing on a Spanish hillside, maybe an olive tree, his skin has a certain wooden texture and tone to it, but his panache and skill for sculpting the material is anything but wooden. The warehouse is like nothing I have seen before; there is a central courtyard which is home to a few old bikes sitting on wooden plinths of course, and on each side of this space Seb has built his house, inside this cavernous building.
The place feels not totally dissimilar to the fake ghost towns in western films, tumbleweed mysteriously blowing down the street, but this is more than a simple façade, this is home even if it does have more than a hint of film-set vibe to it, maybe his ten years working in cinematography has made an impression on his subconscious. As you walk in, on the right hand side there is a two storey accommodation unit which stretches to the ceiling high above and on the left, the kitchen sits above the workshop, within which Seb feels most at home to create his current masterpiece. Everything is made from wood. Connecting the two buildings are a series of walkways and steps for the in-house cat who teeters perilously high, like a tightrope walker, above the unforgiving floor. To the rear there’s an office and more living quarters and yet more space for quirky old bikes.
The Harrison Award submission by George Woodman (Seb)
The first time I came here was to deliver the 1976 Laverda 500 that was to be Seb’s next project following his triumphant submission for The Harrison Awards 2019. A brief interlude to explain the Awards for the uninitiated; the Awards are a scheme I dreamt up in 2018 when I recognised that a forlorn Ducati M900 sitting in a corner of my garage would be a dream donor for an up and coming custom builder. I didn’t know how to go about finding someone to work on it as I wanted to find someone new, someone the world hadn’t yet heard of, so, with the help of Gareth Roberts, friend and director of Oil In The Blood, I created a sort of talent contest for bike builders, with the aim being to boost the lucky winners to custom bike stardom.
The recently completed ‘Wildcard’ Ducati M900
In 2018 an M900 and a 748 went to builders in the US and another M900 went to a young blade in Rome, the end product “Wildcard” was released at MBE in Verona which, as a side note, was displayed at the Pipeburn stand. Having said all that Seb, being the winning contestant in the second year of the Awards, certainly isn’t looking for more commission work as he finds it so hard to separate himself from his work, I questioned his motivation to take the commission on and without wanting to flatter me, I think he likes my collection! It’s only the truly worthy that can count themselves lucky enough to be the custodian of a Woodman one off creation, I shall be one of the few, I probably feel more lucky than he.
Seb working out the riding position
Originally from Paris, Seb used to build exquisite and highly detailed handmade pieces of furniture, kitchens and libraries; sorting the wheat from the chaff by immediately bringing up his exorbitant cost, he whittled himself a nice niche in the high end market. Moving to surf spot, Guéthary, he started building Alaia surfboards, but it wasn’t long before his attention was turned to his 50cc Malaguti which needed what the French call a “relooking”, for whatever reason the little Italian bike never received its makeover but the seed had been sown. A born customiser, when he was just a young sapling, Sébastien personalised his trainers and bmx bikes, so a motorcycle was a natural progression for the man, despite not even having his license!
In his own words, seeing Swiss compadres Young Gun Speed Shop complete a stunning build based on an old AJS gave Seb the push he needed to finally go and build his own bike. The result was nothing short of spectacular; “Smoking Black Fish” based on a pre war Belgian 350 thumper made by FN, it can now call The Haas Museum home, quite the accolade for a first build.
The beautiful ‘Smoking Black Fish’
The workshop is devoid of your usual woodworking tools, yes there are countless clamps but really it’s more like an artist’s studio, with plenty of workspace and no mechanics tools, Seb prefers to think of himself as a craftsman than anything else and outsources any metal work to local friends. There’s a small booth which is used just for the dusty process of wood sculpting for which he uses a lethal looking device; a guardless angle grinder fitted with gnarly looking teeth, the sort of thing you might see in a James Bond interrogation scene, the object is then endlessly sanded to perfection. 3D shapes are created by gluing multiple layers in various shapes to create the desired shape, like a rather complicated jigsaw puzzle. Originally from Germany, the wood that Seb uses on all his builds is beech, a hard, durable wood which is normally left natural in colour and simply clear coated but, like a surfboard, can be covered with an epoxy resin to promote longevity and allow the owner to use the bike in the rain, although that would be a barely imaginable travesty!
The Laverda is currently disassembled and Seb would like to keep the build details under wraps for the moment but he is happy to show the drawing that is blu-tacked to the wall next to the frame of the bike, which is the same image that won him this commission. So, after all that introduction, I can’t really tell you very much at all about this work in progress. The end result and part two of this article will be released in June at Wheels & Waves, if you’re there you’ll see me tentatively taking on Punks Peak on the completed Laverda. Until then, we can imagine the wood man, working in his workshop in Biarritz, sculpting a future icon.
[ The Harrison Collection | George Woodman Garage ]
Ice Pick: A 1973 Penton ready for the snow
Mention of a themed custom motorcycle conjures visions of bad reality TV choppers, and sends us into convulsions. But this scrambler is a theme bike with a big difference: It’s so tastefully executed, we didn’t realize there was a theme. Until builder Chris Tope revealed the story behind it.
Chris was asked by motorcycle photographer Michael Lichter to build a bike for his ‘What’s the Skinny’ exhibition at the Sturgis rally. Chris already had a suitable and very skinny donor to hand—a beat-up 1973 Penton Mudlark outside of Dallas, Texas. He’d been eyeing it for years, and now it was finally time to pull the trigger.
Chris had a very specific style in mind too, dubbing his project the ‘Ice Pick.’ “I had previously built a surfboard bike, a café racer, and a desert sled bike,” he explains, “so I decided to build a bike that was meant for the cold. It’s the first of my builds designed to be ridden on ice.”
“Every aspect and design of the Ice Pick was to make you feel her cold appearance—from the iridescent paint, to the studded tires, to the super sharp rear cowl made to look like an ice pick.”
Never heard of the Penton Mudlark? We don’t blame you—it’s an extremely rare motorcycle. Bike-curious has a great story about its development, but basically it was a 190 pound trials bike with a 123 cc Sachs motor.
Only Penton didn’t actually manufacture them—that was outsourced to a British firm, Wassell. The bike was ultimately a sales flop, and finding parts for it today is near impossible. But somehow, Chris made it work.
“For majority of the parts,” he explains, “I found a couple of good sources around the country that had stock. For the parts I used from the bike itself, it took elbow grease and long hours to get them salvageable. And the parts I couldn’t manage to get ahold of, I fabricated myself.”
The motor went over to Jerry Birky over at KTM in Ohio for a full resto job, complete with a ported head and a new ignition. It’s hooked up to a Bing carb with a modified K&N cone filter, and finished off with a completely custom exhaust system from Gary Braun at Retrodyne.
The Mudlark is pretty ‘skinny’ out the crate, but Chris wanted to narrow its profile even more. So he ditched the dual shock setup, and fabricated his own mono-shock system. It includes a custom-made swing-arm, with a 1.75” extension and gussets for strength, and is connected to the shock from a Buell Blast.
Chris then restored and installed a set of 32 mm Ceriani forks up front. He kept the stock 21F/18R wheels, but polished them up, and re-laced them with stainless steel spokes from Buchanan’s. A set of studded VEE Rubber tires makes the Ice Pick’s intentions clear.
Chris did extensive work to the rest of the frame before everything went off to Atlantic Coast Plating for a full chrome treatment.
Up top you’ll find the Mudlark’s OEM fuel tank, followed by a hand-made aluminum tail section, tapered off to drive the ‘Ice Pick’ concept home. The seat itself is covered in white vinyl, done with a diamond-stitch by Dane Utech.
Kacey Elkins at Krossover Customs handled the bodywork paint, laying down an iridescent blue that resembles ice. On paper it sounds cheesy, but in reality it’s a stunning effect that hits the mark. The gas cap got the same treatment, along with an emblem that combines two ice picks with a Union Jack, as a nod to Wassell.
There’s more custom work going on with the rider controls too. Chris designed a set of handlebars, then got Josh at Crybaby Cycles to fabricate them. They’re hooked up to KustomTech controls, and a set of custom grips that are made to look frozen.
They took some doing to create: Chris started with a pair of CNC grip sleeves from Mark Atkinson, then used a blue ice epoxy resin, finishing the bar ends off with inlaid moonstone gems. Even the footpegs are custom, and also feature a pair of gems.
There’s one more custom touch in the steering stem: a ‘hobo coin,’ a signature on all of Chris’ builds. “On this build it’s a hand-engraved 1943 Liberty half dollar,” he says, “portraying a motorcycle ice racer on a frozen mountain lake.”
Chris’ custom Mudlark nails both the ‘skinny’ and ‘ice’ themes without feeling one bit gaudy or overdone. But perhaps the most impressive part, is that he did everything in the 10 x 12 foot toy hauler section of his 44 foot travel trailer. You see, Chris has a full-time job that sends him to a new part of the US each year—his custom work, done as Utopeia Moto Company, is just an after-hours thing.
Not too shabby for a hobbyist working out of a trailer, right?
Utopeia Moto Company Instagram | Images by Chris Tope
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Mention of a themed custom motorcycle conjures visions of bad reality TV choppers, and sends us into convulsions. But this scrambler is a theme bike with a big difference: It’s so tastefully executed, we didn’t realize there was a theme. Until builder Chris Tope revealed the story behind it.
Chris was asked by motorcycle photographer Michael Lichter to build a bike for his ‘What’s the Skinny’ exhibition at the Sturgis rally. Chris already had a suitable and very skinny donor to hand—a beat-up 1973 Penton Mudlark outside of Dallas, Texas. He’d been eyeing it for years, and now it was finally time to pull the trigger.
Chris had a very specific style in mind too, dubbing his project the ‘Ice Pick.’ “I had previously built a surfboard bike, a café racer, and a desert sled bike,” he explains, “so I decided to build a bike that was meant for the cold. It’s the first of my builds designed to be ridden on ice.”
“Every aspect and design of the Ice Pick was to make you feel her cold appearance—from the iridescent paint, to the studded tires, to the super sharp rear cowl made to look like an ice pick.”
Never heard of the Penton Mudlark? We don’t blame you—it’s an extremely rare motorcycle. Bike-curious has a great story about its development, but basically it was a 190 pound trials bike with a 123 cc Sachs motor.
Only Penton didn’t actually manufacture them—that was outsourced to a British firm, Wassell. The bike was ultimately a sales flop, and finding parts for it today is near impossible. But somehow, Chris made it work.
“For majority of the parts,” he explains, “I found a couple of good sources around the country that had stock. For the parts I used from the bike itself, it took elbow grease and long hours to get them salvageable. And the parts I couldn’t manage to get ahold of, I fabricated myself.”
The motor went over to Jerry Birky over at KTM in Ohio for a full resto job, complete with a ported head and a new ignition. It’s hooked up to a Bing carb with a modified K&N cone filter, and finished off with a completely custom exhaust system from Gary Braun at Retrodyne.
The Mudlark is pretty ‘skinny’ out the crate, but Chris wanted to narrow its profile even more. So he ditched the dual shock setup, and fabricated his own mono-shock system. It includes a custom-made swing-arm, with a 1.75” extension and gussets for strength, and is connected to the shock from a Buell Blast.
Chris then restored and installed a set of 32 mm Ceriani forks up front. He kept the stock 21F/18R wheels, but polished them up, and re-laced them with stainless steel spokes from Buchanan’s. A set of studded VEE Rubber tires makes the Ice Pick’s intentions clear.
Chris did extensive work to the rest of the frame before everything went off to Atlantic Coast Plating for a full chrome treatment.
Up top you’ll find the Mudlark’s OEM fuel tank, followed by a hand-made aluminum tail section, tapered off to drive the ‘Ice Pick’ concept home. The seat itself is covered in white vinyl, done with a diamond-stitch by Dane Utech.
Kacey Elkins at Krossover Customs handled the bodywork paint, laying down an iridescent blue that resembles ice. On paper it sounds cheesy, but in reality it’s a stunning effect that hits the mark. The gas cap got the same treatment, along with an emblem that combines two ice picks with a Union Jack, as a nod to Wassell.
There’s more custom work going on with the rider controls too. Chris designed a set of handlebars, then got Josh at Crybaby Cycles to fabricate them. They’re hooked up to KustomTech controls, and a set of custom grips that are made to look frozen.
They took some doing to create: Chris started with a pair of CNC grip sleeves from Mark Atkinson, then used a blue ice epoxy resin, finishing the bar ends off with inlaid moonstone gems. Even the footpegs are custom, and also feature a pair of gems.
There’s one more custom touch in the steering stem: a ‘hobo coin,’ a signature on all of Chris’ builds. “On this build it’s a hand-engraved 1943 Liberty half dollar,” he says, “portraying a motorcycle ice racer on a frozen mountain lake.”
Chris’ custom Mudlark nails both the ‘skinny’ and ‘ice’ themes without feeling one bit gaudy or overdone. But perhaps the most impressive part, is that he did everything in the 10 x 12 foot toy hauler section of his 44 foot travel trailer. You see, Chris has a full-time job that sends him to a new part of the US each year—his custom work, done as Utopeia Moto Company, is just an after-hours thing.
Not too shabby for a hobbyist working out of a trailer, right?
Utopeia Moto Company Instagram | Images by Chris Tope
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CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’: Yamaha TW125 by ND Motociclette
Written by Martin Hodgson
If you hang around a custom bike shop long enough to sit through a morning tea break or after hours for a beer, then you’ll hear all sorts of crazy ideas get thrown around. Most are mere fantasies about things nobody within a stone’s throw has the budget to pull off, but every now and then a little slice of genius or something that would be a hoot enters the conversation. A regular customer of Italy’s Nico Dragoni Motociclette was in the workshop when the topic of his little beach basher, a Yamaha TW125, came up. The idea was to turn it into a tribute to the Californian custom culture, and the light-hearted banter turned into one hell of a cool little build.
If you’ve never seen a TW before then you’re probably wondering what the hell someone would use one for, but when it comes to riding on the beach few bikes come close. Sure, as many serious motorcycle journalists bemoaned upon its release ‘it’s totally impractical for commuting’ but all they proved there was that they’d totally missed the point. The goofy big tyre, low powered engine and cheap build quality is what makes it such a carefree and fun thing to throw around the sand.
So after a few summers of doing just that and with his particular TW needing some maintenance, the ND Motociclette customer came around with an idea. “At the end of the past summer he was thinking of getting a new look to this Yamaha TW. We took inspiration from the southern California Kustom Kulture and from the chopper world as well. We didn’t want to upset the original concept of the bike, because it’s very suitable to drive up the coastline and also have enough room for two,” explains Giada, who along with Nico runs the show.
With the theme they’d chosen, reducing the plastic on the bike to as close to absolute zero as possible was a must, and there is plenty of it. So to get things going the highly talented metal workers decided their first task would be to hand form a pair of front and rear fenders. Hand shaped from aluminium the front is hung moto style from the bottom of the triple clamps, while the rear extends out from under the seat to catch some of that sand spray and provide the perfect spot for a number plate.
With the tyre clearance sorted the bike could be pulled down for the rest of the modifications to take place. And with more plastic removal on their minds, the side covers came off and more hand-shaped aluminium is used to replace them. “The tank, after being equipped with a new cap, has been painted in this fully 60’s style metal flake with the mirror polished stripes that link with the aluminium side panels,” Giada tells us. But to get the most out of the aluminium meant hours of labourious polishing.
This wasn’t just done to the bodywork however, with the gorgeous old school headlight and tail unit disassembled so they too could be buffed within an inch of their lives. The cheap chroming on the TW forks is known to pit easily and then chew out the seals, not what you want in the sand! So after some new plating, the entire front end including the triple trees, risers and new flat track bars were given the compound and wheel polishing treatment. Before a set of flake filled paint matching grips were slid onto the bars.
With the bike now looking far better than any TW should, the boys turned their attention to the mechanical side of things. The stock exhaust is a little rotter, but the frame hugging lines make a lot of sense and have been replicated in the new chrome-plated system. The fun side to the bike is never lost with the word HOT shaped from metal and placed over the pipe, before finishing the system out with a cocktail shaker muffler. Then it was a case of some black paint, file finished fins and a good tune-up.
Functionality is well taken care of too, with the hubs and brakes all getting a rebuild and new levers and master cylinder joined by a set of custom pegs for the controls. To save weight the wiring system has been heavily cut back, mini indicators added, the key now hidden and the horrible big instrument cluster thrown away. To complete the build the seat was given a stunning makeover, marine-grade leather in blue is stitched up in a wave pattern with plenty of room for two on the tiny terror. Now with the European summer approaching, Nico Dragoni Motociclette have ensured their client’s next trip south to his beach home in Puglia will be one to remember and it’s hard to imagine those who share the sands with him will ever forget this TW125 that got the tea break special!
[ ND Motociclette | Instagram ]
Written by Martin Hodgson
If you hang around a custom bike shop long enough to sit through a morning tea break or after hours for a beer, then you’ll hear all sorts of crazy ideas get thrown around. Most are mere fantasies about things nobody within a stone’s throw has the budget to pull off, but every now and then a little slice of genius or something that would be a hoot enters the conversation. A regular customer of Italy’s Nico Dragoni Motociclette was in the workshop when the topic of his little beach basher, a Yamaha TW125, came up. The idea was to turn it into a tribute to the Californian custom culture, and the light-hearted banter turned into one hell of a cool little build.
If you’ve never seen a TW before then you’re probably wondering what the hell someone would use one for, but when it comes to riding on the beach few bikes come close. Sure, as many serious motorcycle journalists bemoaned upon its release ‘it’s totally impractical for commuting’ but all they proved there was that they’d totally missed the point. The goofy big tyre, low powered engine and cheap build quality is what makes it such a carefree and fun thing to throw around the sand.
So after a few summers of doing just that and with his particular TW needing some maintenance, the ND Motociclette customer came around with an idea. “At the end of the past summer he was thinking of getting a new look to this Yamaha TW. We took inspiration from the southern California Kustom Kulture and from the chopper world as well. We didn’t want to upset the original concept of the bike, because it’s very suitable to drive up the coastline and also have enough room for two,” explains Giada, who along with Nico runs the show.
With the theme they’d chosen, reducing the plastic on the bike to as close to absolute zero as possible was a must, and there is plenty of it. So to get things going the highly talented metal workers decided their first task would be to hand form a pair of front and rear fenders. Hand shaped from aluminium the front is hung moto style from the bottom of the triple clamps, while the rear extends out from under the seat to catch some of that sand spray and provide the perfect spot for a number plate.
With the tyre clearance sorted the bike could be pulled down for the rest of the modifications to take place. And with more plastic removal on their minds, the side covers came off and more hand-shaped aluminium is used to replace them. “The tank, after being equipped with a new cap, has been painted in this fully 60’s style metal flake with the mirror polished stripes that link with the aluminium side panels,” Giada tells us. But to get the most out of the aluminium meant hours of labourious polishing.
This wasn’t just done to the bodywork however, with the gorgeous old school headlight and tail unit disassembled so they too could be buffed within an inch of their lives. The cheap chroming on the TW forks is known to pit easily and then chew out the seals, not what you want in the sand! So after some new plating, the entire front end including the triple trees, risers and new flat track bars were given the compound and wheel polishing treatment. Before a set of flake filled paint matching grips were slid onto the bars.
With the bike now looking far better than any TW should, the boys turned their attention to the mechanical side of things. The stock exhaust is a little rotter, but the frame hugging lines make a lot of sense and have been replicated in the new chrome-plated system. The fun side to the bike is never lost with the word HOT shaped from metal and placed over the pipe, before finishing the system out with a cocktail shaker muffler. Then it was a case of some black paint, file finished fins and a good tune-up.
Functionality is well taken care of too, with the hubs and brakes all getting a rebuild and new levers and master cylinder joined by a set of custom pegs for the controls. To save weight the wiring system has been heavily cut back, mini indicators added, the key now hidden and the horrible big instrument cluster thrown away. To complete the build the seat was given a stunning makeover, marine-grade leather in blue is stitched up in a wave pattern with plenty of room for two on the tiny terror. Now with the European summer approaching, Nico Dragoni Motociclette have ensured their client’s next trip south to his beach home in Puglia will be one to remember and it’s hard to imagine those who share the sands with him will ever forget this TW125 that got the tea break special!
[ ND Motociclette | Instagram ]
Basket Case Boxer: A BMW R90S converted into an enduro
Customizing an older bike is always a risk. There’s the custom work to do, but there’s also the arduous task of fixing all the parts that have inevitably worn down or rusted out over time. And there’s no telling how extensive that restoration work will be, until you get your hands dirty.
This 1976 BMW R90S was in a seriously bad way when Ralf Eggl got his hands on it: its previous owner parked it in his shed 12 years ago when it stopped running, and didn’t touch it ever again. To make matters worse, water had even gotten into the engine—and the pistons were rusted firm in the cylinders.
Ralf runs his one-man-show, Woidwerk, out of his workshop in Viechtach, a small town nestled in Bavaria’s forests. He grew up around motorcycles, qualified as a master mechanic, and for the past few years has been kicking out 10 to 15 projects a year—most of them BMWs.
So if anyone’s equipped to tackle a basket case boxer, it’s him.
Ralf started by taking the bike apart, and painstakingly restoring it from the inside out. Some original parts were hard to track down—like a replacement set of OEM cylinders. And other parts were updated, like the new electronic ignition and alternator.
The aim was to get the R90S running like neu, but not necessarily looking like new. Ralf wanted to maintain a bit of a period feel, so he didn’t polish the motor up too much.
If you look closely, you’ll notice that most of the BMW’s original frame is still intact too—including its elongated subframe.
But when it came to the overall style of the bike, there was no hint of keeping things original. “The aim was to build a classic, light enduro,” Ralf tells us—a far cry from the R90’s classic sport bike origins.
Ralf’s customer pitched in by sourcing a new fuel tank for the build. He’s from Switzerland, and managed to find a new old stock Condor A350 tank. (The Condor A350 was built in the 70s for use by Swiss armed forces.)
Ralf adapted the Condor tank to fit the Beemer, then matched it up to a vintage enduro-style solo seat. The fenders are hand-made, with a double bead added to the top of the rear to match the twin lines on top of the fuel tank.
Up front, he fabricated a fork cover designed to sit behind the headlight, attaching it with leather straps. All the metal parts on the bike were left bare, and then clear coated for protection.
Ralf was dead set on using as many BMW and classic parts as possible. So he installed a set of BMW R80G/S handlebars and mirrors, chunky Hella bar-end turn signals, and a classic Lucas taillight.
But he was equally passionate about modernizing a few bits, “because it’s not a show bike, but one for riding,” he says. So the front forks were upgraded with progressive springs, and the rear shocks replaced by a pair of YSS units.
The wheels are the stock items—restored, and fitted with Continental TKC80 rubber.
The bike was rewired too, with a Lithium iron phosphate battery tucked into a handmade battery box beneath the swing arm. The bike’s switchgear is original, but the speedo is a small Motogadget mst vintage unit, custom-mounted just in front of the tank.
The brakes are mostly stock and restored, but the front’s been converted from the original cable-actuated master cylinder under the tank, to a more modern bar-mounted setup, complete with stainless lines. Ralf also fabricated the high riding exhaust headers, terminating them in a pair of silencers from Hattech.
Short of the leatherwork and the clear coat on the bodywork, Ralph tackled everything in his workshop, by himself. He did a stellar job too, nailing every vintage cue, with just enough modernity to make sure this boxer runs strong.
It’s just a pity he’s shipped it off to Switzerland—because it’d be right at home on a fire trail in the Bavarian woods.
Woidwerk | Facebook | Instagram
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Customizing an older bike is always a risk. There’s the custom work to do, but there’s also the arduous task of fixing all the parts that have inevitably worn down or rusted out over time. And there’s no telling how extensive that restoration work will be, until you get your hands dirty.
This 1976 BMW R90S was in a seriously bad way when Ralf Eggl got his hands on it: its previous owner parked it in his shed 12 years ago when it stopped running, and didn’t touch it ever again. To make matters worse, water had even gotten into the engine—and the pistons were rusted firm in the cylinders.
Ralf runs his one-man-show, Woidwerk, out of his workshop in Viechtach, a small town nestled in Bavaria’s forests. He grew up around motorcycles, qualified as a master mechanic, and for the past few years has been kicking out 10 to 15 projects a year—most of them BMWs.
So if anyone’s equipped to tackle a basket case boxer, it’s him.
Ralf started by taking the bike apart, and painstakingly restoring it from the inside out. Some original parts were hard to track down—like a replacement set of OEM cylinders. And other parts were updated, like the new electronic ignition and alternator.
The aim was to get the R90S running like neu, but not necessarily looking like new. Ralf wanted to maintain a bit of a period feel, so he didn’t polish the motor up too much.
If you look closely, you’ll notice that most of the BMW’s original frame is still intact too—including its elongated subframe.
But when it came to the overall style of the bike, there was no hint of keeping things original. “The aim was to build a classic, light enduro,” Ralf tells us—a far cry from the R90’s classic sport bike origins.
Ralf’s customer pitched in by sourcing a new fuel tank for the build. He’s from Switzerland, and managed to find a new old stock Condor A350 tank. (The Condor A350 was built in the 70s for use by Swiss armed forces.)
Ralf adapted the Condor tank to fit the Beemer, then matched it up to a vintage enduro-style solo seat. The fenders are hand-made, with a double bead added to the top of the rear to match the twin lines on top of the fuel tank.
Up front, he fabricated a fork cover designed to sit behind the headlight, attaching it with leather straps. All the metal parts on the bike were left bare, and then clear coated for protection.
Ralf was dead set on using as many BMW and classic parts as possible. So he installed a set of BMW R80G/S handlebars and mirrors, chunky Hella bar-end turn signals, and a classic Lucas taillight.
But he was equally passionate about modernizing a few bits, “because it’s not a show bike, but one for riding,” he says. So the front forks were upgraded with progressive springs, and the rear shocks replaced by a pair of YSS units.
The wheels are the stock items—restored, and fitted with Continental TKC80 rubber.
The bike was rewired too, with a Lithium iron phosphate battery tucked into a handmade battery box beneath the swing arm. The bike’s switchgear is original, but the speedo is a small Motogadget mst vintage unit, custom-mounted just in front of the tank.
The brakes are mostly stock and restored, but the front’s been converted from the original cable-actuated master cylinder under the tank, to a more modern bar-mounted setup, complete with stainless lines. Ralf also fabricated the high riding exhaust headers, terminating them in a pair of silencers from Hattech.
Short of the leatherwork and the clear coat on the bodywork, Ralph tackled everything in his workshop, by himself. He did a stellar job too, nailing every vintage cue, with just enough modernity to make sure this boxer runs strong.
It’s just a pity he’s shipped it off to Switzerland—because it’d be right at home on a fire trail in the Bavarian woods.
Woidwerk | Facebook | Instagram
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STREET APPEAL: Suzuki DR650 Street Tracker by Seven Motorcycles
Just after midday on the 22nd of February, the streets of Christchurch New Zealand started shaking violently. This wasn’t the first time they had experience an earthquake – the city is built on a seismic fault line. Not only did the quake kill 185 people but it also left the roads in a terrible way. So when Christchurch local, Chris Penniall from Seven Motorcycles was looking for a new project, he opted for a street tracker style bike that would be able to handle the odd pothole in style. Last year, when he noticed a really cheap Suzuki DR650 come up for sale he thought it would be the perfect post-earthquake donor bike.
It turned out there was a reason the DR650 was cheap – it was in terrible condition and had been butchered to an inch of its life. “Someone had cut the back of the subframe off behind the seat and stripped the tank to bare metal and painted the wheels black,” Chris tells us. “It was like they were trying to build a post-apocalyptic Classified Moto style bike but with about 5% of the finesse. It didn’t bother me as those bits were all going to get binned or modified anyway.”
For the first time, Chris started the build by drawing a design in CAD. “It really helped to visualise the proportions first time,” he tells us. “Then the tail section, front number plate, licence plate mount, seat pan and electrical tray were laser cut in aluminium from the drawings. Every bracket or mount I could, I also had laser cut to keep the accuracy up and the time spent fabricating down.”
Like many builds, the biggest job Chris encountered while building the DR was the wiring. “Almost every wire needed to be shortened or lengthened or re-purposed. Fitting everything in the electrical tray under the seat was like trying to pack 10 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag” he recalls. The bike is now running an Antigravity lithium ion battery and the key ignition is no more, replaced with a hidden RFID sensor under the tank.
A small Trail Tech Endurance II takes care of speed indication, mounted on a laser cut bracket along with small LEDs for full beam, neutral and indicators. Also tucked in behind the front number plate is a box where all the up front electricity happens. Everything that wasn’t a necessary factory plug has been converted to Deutsch style connectors. The headlight mount and plug has been designed to be removed in a minute “in case you wanted to enter race mode – which is also offset to the side to allow space for a race number. “I was going to put numbers and decals on the bike but once it was all together it looked so clean I decided not to.”
In the engine department the bike is running a Unifilter foam pod filter and a TM40 flat slide pumper carb. “One of my favourite parts of the build is the exhaust. That is where working on a big single is a pleasure compared to multi cylinders with the ever decreasing degrees of freedom as you try and merge several pipes together.
As for the suspension, Chris left them basically stock except for performing the factory lowering option of 40mm. That in combination with the motard wheels lowered the bike to a point he was happy with. For the shoes on the motard wheels, Chris choose some sensible Bridgestone T31s for decent longevity.
To finish the bike off, Chris wanted a subtle urban assault vehicle vibe. Therefore the frame and swingarm was powdercoated in satin black and the engine in black wrinkle paint. The beautiful slender Honda CG125 tank and other bodywork was painted in Destroyer Grey – used on Chargers and Challengers.
In the end, the build took Chris almost a year to complete, while juggling a full time job as a Chemical Engineer and a wife and two kids. Even though the roads across Christchurch have mostly been repaired, this DR650 tracker can now be found tearing up the streets and turning many heads along the way.
[ Seven Motorcycles ]
Just after midday on the 22nd of February, the streets of Christchurch New Zealand started shaking violently. This wasn’t the first time they had experience an earthquake – the city is built on a seismic fault line. Not only did the quake kill 185 people but it also left the roads in a terrible way. So when Christchurch local, Chris Penniall from Seven Motorcycles was looking for a new project, he opted for a street tracker style bike that would be able to handle the odd pothole in style. Last year, when he noticed a really cheap Suzuki DR650 come up for sale he thought it would be the perfect post-earthquake donor bike.
It turned out there was a reason the DR650 was cheap – it was in terrible condition and had been butchered to an inch of its life. “Someone had cut the back of the subframe off behind the seat and stripped the tank to bare metal and painted the wheels black,” Chris tells us. “It was like they were trying to build a post-apocalyptic Classified Moto style bike but with about 5% of the finesse. It didn’t bother me as those bits were all going to get binned or modified anyway.”
For the first time, Chris started the build by drawing a design in CAD. “It really helped to visualise the proportions first time,” he tells us. “Then the tail section, front number plate, licence plate mount, seat pan and electrical tray were laser cut in aluminium from the drawings. Every bracket or mount I could, I also had laser cut to keep the accuracy up and the time spent fabricating down.”
Like many builds, the biggest job Chris encountered while building the DR was the wiring. “Almost every wire needed to be shortened or lengthened or re-purposed. Fitting everything in the electrical tray under the seat was like trying to pack 10 pounds of crap in a 5 pound bag” he recalls. The bike is now running an Antigravity lithium ion battery and the key ignition is no more, replaced with a hidden RFID sensor under the tank.
A small Trail Tech Endurance II takes care of speed indication, mounted on a laser cut bracket along with small LEDs for full beam, neutral and indicators. Also tucked in behind the front number plate is a box where all the up front electricity happens. Everything that wasn’t a necessary factory plug has been converted to Deutsch style connectors. The headlight mount and plug has been designed to be removed in a minute “in case you wanted to enter race mode – which is also offset to the side to allow space for a race number. “I was going to put numbers and decals on the bike but once it was all together it looked so clean I decided not to.”
In the engine department the bike is running a Unifilter foam pod filter and a TM40 flat slide pumper carb. “One of my favourite parts of the build is the exhaust. That is where working on a big single is a pleasure compared to multi cylinders with the ever decreasing degrees of freedom as you try and merge several pipes together.
As for the suspension, Chris left them basically stock except for performing the factory lowering option of 40mm. That in combination with the motard wheels lowered the bike to a point he was happy with. For the shoes on the motard wheels, Chris choose some sensible Bridgestone T31s for decent longevity.
To finish the bike off, Chris wanted a subtle urban assault vehicle vibe. Therefore the frame and swingarm was powdercoated in satin black and the engine in black wrinkle paint. The beautiful slender Honda CG125 tank and other bodywork was painted in Destroyer Grey – used on Chargers and Challengers.
In the end, the build took Chris almost a year to complete, while juggling a full time job as a Chemical Engineer and a wife and two kids. Even though the roads across Christchurch have mostly been repaired, this DR650 tracker can now be found tearing up the streets and turning many heads along the way.
[ Seven Motorcycles ]
Custom Bikes Of The Week: 8 March, 2020
A beastly CB750 from Belgium, a vintage Ducati worth over half a million dollars, a Honda Dominator with geometric bodywork, and an Enfield GT650 from Tasmania.
1965 Ducati 125 cc four-cylinder Grand Prix racer This glorious vintage machine is the only one of its kind in existence, and it’s about to go under the hammer at Bonhams with an estimate of between £400,000 and £600,000. It was originally developed to race in the 125 GP class, but by the time it was finally complete, it was already outdated.
Fabio Taglioni, who’d been hired by Ducati in 1954 to oversee its racing and development programs, designed the 125 cc four. He’s the guy that designed the iconic 100 Gran Sport, and pioneered Ducati’s ‘desmodromic’ valve actuation system.
Development on the bike started somewhere in the late 50s or early 60s, but Ducati’s financial woes (and subsequent withdrawal from racing) pushed development back. So when it was finally released, it was no longer cutting edge. It was tested, but never raced.
The prototype mysteriously ended up behind the Iron Curtain, in pieces. But somehow, famed motorcycle engineer and designer, Giancarlo Morbidelli, managed to track down the motor and frame—in two separate countries. Mr Morbidelli and his team reunited the motor and frame, and then painstakingly pieced the rest of the bike together using period correct parts and a custom-built fuel tank.
The bike now runs again, but spends its time on display, and rightly so. This is as special a slice of motorcycling history as you’ll find. And it could be yours—provided you have extremely deep pockets. [Via]
Never Say Die, McFly Most custom motorcycles are built for customers, or get sold soon after they’re complete. But some are too good to get rid of. We first featured this Honda CB750 cafe racer bitsa in a Bikes of the Week almost three years ago… but owner Antoine Hotermans is still holding onto it.
Based in Belgium, Antoine works under the nom de plume of McFly Custom. And since first building the CB, he’s only really made one major change: he’s taken the front fairing from a Yamaha FZ750, and added it to the Honda by way of custom-made brackets.
So why are we running it again? Firstly, because it’s one of our favorite CB750s, ever. Antoine somehow managed to build a bike that looks scrappy, but also looks like it means business. He’s used a CBR900RR front end and wheels, cams from a CBX750, and an exhaust system that blends custom headers from Workhorse Speedshop with a Yoshi muffler.
Secondly, because that one small change has elevated the whole bike. Partnered up with the Yamaha SR250 seat and the Cessna (yes, the plane) gas cap, the fairing finishes off the overall silhouette perfectly. Now, Antoine’s CB750 looks more like a well-loved factory effort from the 90s than a custom bike. Here’s hoping he never sells it. [McFly Custom]
Honda NX650 Dominator by Matteucci Garage Italian builder Marco Matteucci has quite an imagination. Just the other day we featured a sharp BMW K75 cafe racer he’d built, with a color scheme that was right out of the left field. Now we’re taking a closer look at this: a Honda Dominator that’s over-the-top geometric.
It sounds nuts, but it sort of works… right? The idea came to Marco while he was mocking up the Dominator’s design on his computer. He laid down some guidelines, and then though to himself, “what if they were not guidelines, but the actual shape?”
Building geometric shapes meant a change in fabrication methods. Marco ‘built’ the bodywork out of cardboard first, then laser cut all the flat pieces from 3 mm thick aluminum sheeting, before welding everything together. Every last bit of the bodywork was built like this—from the headlight nacelle, all the way back to the compact panniers.
In the meantime, Marco’s mechanic, Muzi Meccanica, installed a set of Marzocchi upside-down forks, and a Beringer brake system. He tore into the motor too, upgrading it with a Wiseco high-comp piston.
The paint looks almost gold, but it’s actually a matte sand-colored finish. It’s a nod to the Moroccan desert, and the bike’s nickname: ‘Dakhla,’ which is a city in the Western Sahara. [Matteucci Garage]
Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 by Tasmanian Motorcycle Warehouse Royal Enfield have been making a point of getting their new 650 cc twins customized over the last while. Their latest initiative was the ‘Busted Knuckles Build-Off’—a dealer build off which ran late last year in Australia. Tasmanian Motorcycle Warehouse decided to step up to the plate, and proceeded to knock their entry right out the park.
TMW’s build team wanted to give the Continental GT “modern cafe racer/sports bike style, with sleek minimalist lines,” while still keeping it usable as a daily runner. And that’s exactly what we love about it.
Up top, you’ll find a 1980s Kawasaki fuel tank, matched up to a custom-made tail section that houses all the electronic bits. The front fairing is off a Harley-Davidson Night Rod, and features a custom LED headlight. TMW also fitted clip-ons and rear sets, to nail the aggressive cafe racer ergonomics.
But this Enfield is more than just a dress-up job. It’s also sporting the upside down forks and 17” front wheel from an undisclosed donor. And the rear’s been converted from twin shocks to a mono-shock setup, with a 17” rear wheel too. TMW also ditched the airbox and built a stunning two-into-two exhaust system.
As for the final livery, the crew decided to keep it simple: black, with a hint of flake. Tasty. [More]
Continue reading...
A beastly CB750 from Belgium, a vintage Ducati worth over half a million dollars, a Honda Dominator with geometric bodywork, and an Enfield GT650 from Tasmania.
1965 Ducati 125 cc four-cylinder Grand Prix racer This glorious vintage machine is the only one of its kind in existence, and it’s about to go under the hammer at Bonhams with an estimate of between £400,000 and £600,000. It was originally developed to race in the 125 GP class, but by the time it was finally complete, it was already outdated.
Fabio Taglioni, who’d been hired by Ducati in 1954 to oversee its racing and development programs, designed the 125 cc four. He’s the guy that designed the iconic 100 Gran Sport, and pioneered Ducati’s ‘desmodromic’ valve actuation system.
Development on the bike started somewhere in the late 50s or early 60s, but Ducati’s financial woes (and subsequent withdrawal from racing) pushed development back. So when it was finally released, it was no longer cutting edge. It was tested, but never raced.
The prototype mysteriously ended up behind the Iron Curtain, in pieces. But somehow, famed motorcycle engineer and designer, Giancarlo Morbidelli, managed to track down the motor and frame—in two separate countries. Mr Morbidelli and his team reunited the motor and frame, and then painstakingly pieced the rest of the bike together using period correct parts and a custom-built fuel tank.
The bike now runs again, but spends its time on display, and rightly so. This is as special a slice of motorcycling history as you’ll find. And it could be yours—provided you have extremely deep pockets. [Via]
Never Say Die, McFly Most custom motorcycles are built for customers, or get sold soon after they’re complete. But some are too good to get rid of. We first featured this Honda CB750 cafe racer bitsa in a Bikes of the Week almost three years ago… but owner Antoine Hotermans is still holding onto it.
Based in Belgium, Antoine works under the nom de plume of McFly Custom. And since first building the CB, he’s only really made one major change: he’s taken the front fairing from a Yamaha FZ750, and added it to the Honda by way of custom-made brackets.
So why are we running it again? Firstly, because it’s one of our favorite CB750s, ever. Antoine somehow managed to build a bike that looks scrappy, but also looks like it means business. He’s used a CBR900RR front end and wheels, cams from a CBX750, and an exhaust system that blends custom headers from Workhorse Speedshop with a Yoshi muffler.
Secondly, because that one small change has elevated the whole bike. Partnered up with the Yamaha SR250 seat and the Cessna (yes, the plane) gas cap, the fairing finishes off the overall silhouette perfectly. Now, Antoine’s CB750 looks more like a well-loved factory effort from the 90s than a custom bike. Here’s hoping he never sells it. [McFly Custom]
Honda NX650 Dominator by Matteucci Garage Italian builder Marco Matteucci has quite an imagination. Just the other day we featured a sharp BMW K75 cafe racer he’d built, with a color scheme that was right out of the left field. Now we’re taking a closer look at this: a Honda Dominator that’s over-the-top geometric.
It sounds nuts, but it sort of works… right? The idea came to Marco while he was mocking up the Dominator’s design on his computer. He laid down some guidelines, and then though to himself, “what if they were not guidelines, but the actual shape?”
Building geometric shapes meant a change in fabrication methods. Marco ‘built’ the bodywork out of cardboard first, then laser cut all the flat pieces from 3 mm thick aluminum sheeting, before welding everything together. Every last bit of the bodywork was built like this—from the headlight nacelle, all the way back to the compact panniers.
In the meantime, Marco’s mechanic, Muzi Meccanica, installed a set of Marzocchi upside-down forks, and a Beringer brake system. He tore into the motor too, upgrading it with a Wiseco high-comp piston.
The paint looks almost gold, but it’s actually a matte sand-colored finish. It’s a nod to the Moroccan desert, and the bike’s nickname: ‘Dakhla,’ which is a city in the Western Sahara. [Matteucci Garage]
Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 by Tasmanian Motorcycle Warehouse Royal Enfield have been making a point of getting their new 650 cc twins customized over the last while. Their latest initiative was the ‘Busted Knuckles Build-Off’—a dealer build off which ran late last year in Australia. Tasmanian Motorcycle Warehouse decided to step up to the plate, and proceeded to knock their entry right out the park.
TMW’s build team wanted to give the Continental GT “modern cafe racer/sports bike style, with sleek minimalist lines,” while still keeping it usable as a daily runner. And that’s exactly what we love about it.
Up top, you’ll find a 1980s Kawasaki fuel tank, matched up to a custom-made tail section that houses all the electronic bits. The front fairing is off a Harley-Davidson Night Rod, and features a custom LED headlight. TMW also fitted clip-ons and rear sets, to nail the aggressive cafe racer ergonomics.
But this Enfield is more than just a dress-up job. It’s also sporting the upside down forks and 17” front wheel from an undisclosed donor. And the rear’s been converted from twin shocks to a mono-shock setup, with a 17” rear wheel too. TMW also ditched the airbox and built a stunning two-into-two exhaust system.
As for the final livery, the crew decided to keep it simple: black, with a hint of flake. Tasty. [More]
Continue reading...
INTO THE WILD: BMW R100GS by Woidwerk
Written by Martin Hodgson
To say that the BMW R series range of motorcycles has become a huge hit in the custom scene is the mother of all understatements. Even the conservative big Bavarian caught on, releasing the R nineT five years ago and has the bruising R18 on the way. But aside from a cult following, the rest of the world has only ever appreciated the R series without falling totally in love. Not so in Germany, for the best part of 100 years the flat twins have been the number one machine. And to prove their passion runs deep, a customer approached Woidwerk for not one but two custom R bikes. This is the tale of the R100GS that emerged, no longer a big tourer but a sleek scrambler with plenty of custom style!
Woidwerk is run by master mechanic Ralf Eggl in the beautiful little town of Viechtach, that sits on the banks of the Regen river with the stunning Bavarian forests serving as his playground. This is a place where you can mount a strong case for owning just about any motorcycle in the BMW range. But the sheer versatility of the BMW Rs not only makes them the obvious choice but also means they act as almost the sole focus of Ralf’s business. He builds them to the highest standard in just about any style you can imagine and sells a range of his own custom parts that are of the highest quality.
So it’s little wonder that a man with a pair of Rs should walk through Ralf’s door, “He wanted to have built a travel-ready scrambler from his GS. After a couple of interviews, he said that he still has an R80RT and whether we couldn’t build it as a café racer twin. Of course I was happy and built the two bikes for him,” he smiles. But with the R80 missing the tank, it was the GS that was first on the chopping block. With the donor being a 1992 model and nearly 30 years old, it was decided that it would be taken back to a bare frame to do the build the right way.
Ralf simply doesn’t cut corners and after preparing the frame to his meticulously high standards, the rear subframe was removed. In its place goes a Woidwerk item that is built in house and can be purchased from the companies website as a bolt-on modification. Every aspect of the part exceeds OEM standards and in both design and execution, it’s a work of art! The revised rear end meant there was no longer a place for the huge plastic rear fender, so in its place Ralf has bolted a hand-rolled item that extends rearward to catch the spray, as well as down to the swingarm for full coverage.
Upfront the fender is just big enough to do the job and high mounted moto style and all the changes so far given a coat of black. To give the bike an instant cosmetic transformation the barnyard sized GS tank has been ditched in favour of a unit from a R80RT Monolever that gives the true traditional R look. The tank has been taken back to bare metal, fitted with a Monza filler cap before a friend of the owner took on the job of laying down the traditional BMW colours in a well-worn appearance. Wanting to add a touch of class, Ralf turned to Leatherworks who stitched up the sumptuous two-up seat and saddlebag.
But they also went a step further, creating a neat leather pouch that holds the lifepo battery under the seat and a set of one-off leather fork covers. Then bringing a little of the forest into the build, another natural material was used, this time walnut wood was engraved with ‘Boxer’ for the lower fork legs. Before it was back to the practical and the front suspension was pulled apart and rebuilt using quality Wilbers internals. The German company also made a custom rear shock, while back at Woidwerk a big 320mm brake disc with Spiegler 4 piston caliper was adapted to fit the front.
With the engine out, the thumping 980cc flat twin was given a freshen up and the short block bolted back together with a new top cover that incorporates an ignition key relocation. The twin bing carbs have been rebuilt and now make a rorty sound, sucking in copious amounts of air through the custom grilled out velocity stacks. While the full exhaust system was custom made by the good folks at Hattech, with the hand built muffler suspended from a mount that is neatly integrated into the Woidwerks subframe. With none of the factory bodywork left to hide the wiring, Ralf settled on building an all new loom.
Completely hidden away, it controls the small Bates style headlight, classic tail unit, Motogadget speedo and the companies array of indicators. The front items sit at the end of the new bars that feature NOS switchblocks and diamond pattern Biltwell grips to match the leatherwork. To finish out the build the wheels have been re-laced with stainless spokes, before being wrapped up in the ever popular Conti TKC80 tyres. The finished product is brilliantly built in Ralf’s always understated vibe and almost looks too good to ride. I did say almost, as those gaps in the trees are begging to be explored at full speed as the glorious BMW twin echos with excitement, deep into the Bavarian forests.
[ Woidwerk | Instagram ]
Written by Martin Hodgson
To say that the BMW R series range of motorcycles has become a huge hit in the custom scene is the mother of all understatements. Even the conservative big Bavarian caught on, releasing the R nineT five years ago and has the bruising R18 on the way. But aside from a cult following, the rest of the world has only ever appreciated the R series without falling totally in love. Not so in Germany, for the best part of 100 years the flat twins have been the number one machine. And to prove their passion runs deep, a customer approached Woidwerk for not one but two custom R bikes. This is the tale of the R100GS that emerged, no longer a big tourer but a sleek scrambler with plenty of custom style!
Woidwerk is run by master mechanic Ralf Eggl in the beautiful little town of Viechtach, that sits on the banks of the Regen river with the stunning Bavarian forests serving as his playground. This is a place where you can mount a strong case for owning just about any motorcycle in the BMW range. But the sheer versatility of the BMW Rs not only makes them the obvious choice but also means they act as almost the sole focus of Ralf’s business. He builds them to the highest standard in just about any style you can imagine and sells a range of his own custom parts that are of the highest quality.
So it’s little wonder that a man with a pair of Rs should walk through Ralf’s door, “He wanted to have built a travel-ready scrambler from his GS. After a couple of interviews, he said that he still has an R80RT and whether we couldn’t build it as a café racer twin. Of course I was happy and built the two bikes for him,” he smiles. But with the R80 missing the tank, it was the GS that was first on the chopping block. With the donor being a 1992 model and nearly 30 years old, it was decided that it would be taken back to a bare frame to do the build the right way.
Ralf simply doesn’t cut corners and after preparing the frame to his meticulously high standards, the rear subframe was removed. In its place goes a Woidwerk item that is built in house and can be purchased from the companies website as a bolt-on modification. Every aspect of the part exceeds OEM standards and in both design and execution, it’s a work of art! The revised rear end meant there was no longer a place for the huge plastic rear fender, so in its place Ralf has bolted a hand-rolled item that extends rearward to catch the spray, as well as down to the swingarm for full coverage.
Upfront the fender is just big enough to do the job and high mounted moto style and all the changes so far given a coat of black. To give the bike an instant cosmetic transformation the barnyard sized GS tank has been ditched in favour of a unit from a R80RT Monolever that gives the true traditional R look. The tank has been taken back to bare metal, fitted with a Monza filler cap before a friend of the owner took on the job of laying down the traditional BMW colours in a well-worn appearance. Wanting to add a touch of class, Ralf turned to Leatherworks who stitched up the sumptuous two-up seat and saddlebag.
But they also went a step further, creating a neat leather pouch that holds the lifepo battery under the seat and a set of one-off leather fork covers. Then bringing a little of the forest into the build, another natural material was used, this time walnut wood was engraved with ‘Boxer’ for the lower fork legs. Before it was back to the practical and the front suspension was pulled apart and rebuilt using quality Wilbers internals. The German company also made a custom rear shock, while back at Woidwerk a big 320mm brake disc with Spiegler 4 piston caliper was adapted to fit the front.
With the engine out, the thumping 980cc flat twin was given a freshen up and the short block bolted back together with a new top cover that incorporates an ignition key relocation. The twin bing carbs have been rebuilt and now make a rorty sound, sucking in copious amounts of air through the custom grilled out velocity stacks. While the full exhaust system was custom made by the good folks at Hattech, with the hand built muffler suspended from a mount that is neatly integrated into the Woidwerks subframe. With none of the factory bodywork left to hide the wiring, Ralf settled on building an all new loom.
Completely hidden away, it controls the small Bates style headlight, classic tail unit, Motogadget speedo and the companies array of indicators. The front items sit at the end of the new bars that feature NOS switchblocks and diamond pattern Biltwell grips to match the leatherwork. To finish out the build the wheels have been re-laced with stainless spokes, before being wrapped up in the ever popular Conti TKC80 tyres. The finished product is brilliantly built in Ralf’s always understated vibe and almost looks too good to ride. I did say almost, as those gaps in the trees are begging to be explored at full speed as the glorious BMW twin echos with excitement, deep into the Bavarian forests.
[ Woidwerk | Instagram ]
Nothing is Too Hard: A Triumph Trophy bobber from Spain
There’s a whole category of touring bikes that are short on sex appeal but long on character. One such machine is the Triumph Trophy 1200, which is like a two-wheeled version of the Mercedes W123 ‘Beirut Taxi’: it’s simple, reliable and well engineered, and can clock up an improbable mileage if looked after.
This heavily modified Trophy comes from TooHard Motor Co., a Spanish garage based just outside Madrid. For the past five years, shop owners Jose and Bea have been restoring and customizing older bikes, with the occasional foray into newer machinery—like this R nineT that we featured last year.
This Trophy 1200 is one of TooHard’s most radical transformations, and aligns more closely with Triumph’s current Bobber than the old sports tourer.
It’s a 1998 model, which puts it in the middle of the long 1991-2004 production run. And at more than two decades old, this particular example was ready for a refresh.
The plasticky, jelly mold bodywork is all gone. Jose and Bea have adapted a modern Bonneville Bobber tank and solo seat to fit the frame, removing the rear subframe to allow the seat to ‘float’ behind the restored and repainted main frame.
The Trophy engine is silky smooth and with around 108 lazy horses on tap, allows the bike to cruise at up to 125 mph (200 kph) all day. So TooHard have simply freed up the breathing a little with K&N Filters and a stubby one-off exhaust system from the Spanish company GR.
The heavy lifting is in the suspension. The front end is now from a Triumph Thruxton 1200R, with fully adjustable Showa ‘big piston’ USD forks and a 17-inch wheel with 140-section rubber. A Rizoma front fender helps protect the radiator.
TooHard have also carried over the Thruxton’s brake setup, with twin 310mm discs and Brembo four-piston radial monobloc calipers.
At the back, there’s a Nissin two-piston rear caliper matched to a Brembo 220mm rear disc, hooked up to a 17-inch Thruxton rim. The tires are American-made Dunlop American Elites, front and back.
It can’t have been an easy mod, but TooHard have upgraded the rear suspension to a Daytona 675 swingarm, which is damped by a top-shelf Öhlins TTX36 monoshock.
The front brake and clutch master cylinders are now Brembo RCS units for even better control, and everything is plumbed in with new hoses.
A T120 headlight now leads the way, plumbed into a Motogadget m.unit control box. An Antigravity battery supplies juice to a Chronoclassic speedo, a keyless ignition system and tiny m.pin turn signals.
The bars are an LSL 22mm fitment, plugged with Rizoma bar-end counterweights and fitted with an IMR throttle and Motogadget grips.
The kit is all good stuff, and well chosen too. But the most interesting thing here is that TooHard have effectively recreated the current Triumph Bobber, using a donor bike that has a similar sized engine but considerably more power—the current Bobber puts out around 77 hp, almost a third less than the mid-90s Trophy 1200.
Given that a decent Trophy 1200 can now be had for very little money—around $3,000 in the US—it all starts to make sense, even when you add on the cost of the upgraded parts.
Perfect if you love the Bobber style, but fancy a bit more grunt …
TooHard Motor Co. | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Miki Poveda
Continue reading...
There’s a whole category of touring bikes that are short on sex appeal but long on character. One such machine is the Triumph Trophy 1200, which is like a two-wheeled version of the Mercedes W123 ‘Beirut Taxi’: it’s simple, reliable and well engineered, and can clock up an improbable mileage if looked after.
This heavily modified Trophy comes from TooHard Motor Co., a Spanish garage based just outside Madrid. For the past five years, shop owners Jose and Bea have been restoring and customizing older bikes, with the occasional foray into newer machinery—like this R nineT that we featured last year.
This Trophy 1200 is one of TooHard’s most radical transformations, and aligns more closely with Triumph’s current Bobber than the old sports tourer.
It’s a 1998 model, which puts it in the middle of the long 1991-2004 production run. And at more than two decades old, this particular example was ready for a refresh.
The plasticky, jelly mold bodywork is all gone. Jose and Bea have adapted a modern Bonneville Bobber tank and solo seat to fit the frame, removing the rear subframe to allow the seat to ‘float’ behind the restored and repainted main frame.
The Trophy engine is silky smooth and with around 108 lazy horses on tap, allows the bike to cruise at up to 125 mph (200 kph) all day. So TooHard have simply freed up the breathing a little with K&N Filters and a stubby one-off exhaust system from the Spanish company GR.
The heavy lifting is in the suspension. The front end is now from a Triumph Thruxton 1200R, with fully adjustable Showa ‘big piston’ USD forks and a 17-inch wheel with 140-section rubber. A Rizoma front fender helps protect the radiator.
TooHard have also carried over the Thruxton’s brake setup, with twin 310mm discs and Brembo four-piston radial monobloc calipers.
At the back, there’s a Nissin two-piston rear caliper matched to a Brembo 220mm rear disc, hooked up to a 17-inch Thruxton rim. The tires are American-made Dunlop American Elites, front and back.
It can’t have been an easy mod, but TooHard have upgraded the rear suspension to a Daytona 675 swingarm, which is damped by a top-shelf Öhlins TTX36 monoshock.
The front brake and clutch master cylinders are now Brembo RCS units for even better control, and everything is plumbed in with new hoses.
A T120 headlight now leads the way, plumbed into a Motogadget m.unit control box. An Antigravity battery supplies juice to a Chronoclassic speedo, a keyless ignition system and tiny m.pin turn signals.
The bars are an LSL 22mm fitment, plugged with Rizoma bar-end counterweights and fitted with an IMR throttle and Motogadget grips.
The kit is all good stuff, and well chosen too. But the most interesting thing here is that TooHard have effectively recreated the current Triumph Bobber, using a donor bike that has a similar sized engine but considerably more power—the current Bobber puts out around 77 hp, almost a third less than the mid-90s Trophy 1200.
Given that a decent Trophy 1200 can now be had for very little money—around $3,000 in the US—it all starts to make sense, even when you add on the cost of the upgraded parts.
Perfect if you love the Bobber style, but fancy a bit more grunt …
TooHard Motor Co. | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Miki Poveda
Continue reading...
GET LOST. GET FOUND : Lost Moto’s Short Film
There are thousands of metaphors that can be derived from a motorcycle journey. Ted Simmons found there is no limit to adventure. Che Gavera found political motivation. Robert Persig found philosophical insight. Lost Motos has found a new approach to mental health. The void of men’s mental health has existed for many years. Lost Motos is beginning the journey to break down the stigma of opening up about men’s mental health.
The journey began in 2018 when three friends dared to change the topic of their discussion. Sentiments shifted away from the bikes they were riding towards the troubles they were having. A spark was born from engine fumes and campfires. Over two years the group of men has grown to establish an online forum to capture the safety that comes from long motorcycle rides and campfire
conversations. Members span the globe so that any time of day a problem, a solution, or an experience can be shared.
The focus isn’t about having a problem it’s about being a part of the solution. Anyone can get lost on their own journey. Lost Motos is riding the wave of positive action to find a way out. The motorcycle is a tool for adventure; mates are the components of mental maintenance. The stories told in this video are unique yet the sentiments are common; no one wants any mate to think the easiest option is to take their own life.
You can find more about Lost Motos here.
Credits:
Video Production: Paste Studios
Cinematography: Alex Botton
Sound Design / Music Score: Brendon John Warner
There are thousands of metaphors that can be derived from a motorcycle journey. Ted Simmons found there is no limit to adventure. Che Gavera found political motivation. Robert Persig found philosophical insight. Lost Motos has found a new approach to mental health. The void of men’s mental health has existed for many years. Lost Motos is beginning the journey to break down the stigma of opening up about men’s mental health.
The journey began in 2018 when three friends dared to change the topic of their discussion. Sentiments shifted away from the bikes they were riding towards the troubles they were having. A spark was born from engine fumes and campfires. Over two years the group of men has grown to establish an online forum to capture the safety that comes from long motorcycle rides and campfire
conversations. Members span the globe so that any time of day a problem, a solution, or an experience can be shared.
The focus isn’t about having a problem it’s about being a part of the solution. Anyone can get lost on their own journey. Lost Motos is riding the wave of positive action to find a way out. The motorcycle is a tool for adventure; mates are the components of mental maintenance. The stories told in this video are unique yet the sentiments are common; no one wants any mate to think the easiest option is to take their own life.
You can find more about Lost Motos here.
Credits:
Video Production: Paste Studios
Cinematography: Alex Botton
Sound Design / Music Score: Brendon John Warner
Sound decision: A music producer’s CB750 cafe racer
Some custom motorcycle builders grow up riding and wrenching, and that early start is obvious in their work. On the flip side, 25-year-old Nick Hooper’s been fiddling with bikes for less than three years now—but you wouldn’t think it, looking at this perfectly proportioned Honda CB750.
Nick lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where he works as a music producer and session guitarist. A friend got him onto his first bike, a Honda CB350, just a few years ago. He jumped in with both feet, teaching himself to maintain the little Honda via YouTube videos and online forums.
After a few months of daily riding, Nick needed something more capable and reliable—so he bought a Ducati Panigale 899.
“It was a blast to ride,” he says, “but I quickly missed the character that the old Honda had. In the back of my mind I wanted to get back on a retro machine that didn’t perform perfectly all the time.”
“So one fateful day, I was talking to a client that I was editing and mixing a few songs for. He was telling me about his old CB750, which he had been struggling to get running after a crash in the rain.”
“He said he was considering selling the bike, so I offered instead to accept the bike as payment for the work I was doing for him.”
They reached an agreement, and Nick soon had the 1975 Honda CB750 home and ready to diagnose. “Originally my intention was to just rebuild the engine,” he tells us, “and make a few aesthetic changes to make it look like the cool cafe racers I saw online.”
“But as I began to tear the bike down and draw up plans I quickly realized the potential the bike had, and the project really came to life.”
The motor already had 50,000 miles on it, so Nick treated it to a top end rebuild and honed the cylinders. He rebuilt the carbs too, then re-jetted them to run well with the UNI air filters. The exhaust is a four-into-one system from MAC Performance, capped off with a stubby silencer.
“Oddly enough, one of the features on the bike that gets the most compliments is the low profile muffler,” Nick says, “which is actually an off the shelf part from my local auto parts store, and only cost about $13!”
Nick tore into the wiring too, ditching the stock harness since it had been tampered with over the years. The new system runs off a Motogadget m.unit and an Antigravity lithium-ion battery, all stashed discreetly in custom-made trays and under the seat hump.
Nick went all-out when it came to the Honda’s running gear, swapping the front-end for a set of Suzuki GSX-R forks, held by billet aluminum triples from Cognito Moto. The rear shocks are now an inch longer than stock, giving the CB a more aggressive stance.
The GSX-R lent its front brakes too; a significant upgrade over the OEM Honda setup. They’re hooked up to an adjustable lever via braided steel lines.
Nick kept the stock drum brake out back, but added his own twist. “The issue with the stock rear brake linkage is that the foot pedal would move with the swing-arm,” he explains, “which leads to uneven brake pressure depending on the contours of the road. So instead I fashioned a clutch cable, and mounted it to pull on the drum, instead of the solid linkage.”
For the wheels, Nick installed a set of wider-than-stock 17” hoops, wrapping them in grippy Dunlop Sportmax tires. “After taking my Ducati to a couple of track days, I quickly realized the importance of high quality, sticky rubber with a large contact patch,” he says. A set of custom sprocket spacers had to be made up to accommodate the 160-wide rear wheel.
On the aesthetic side, Nick’s goal was to build something eye-catching, but also clean and timeless. Part of that meant ditching things that weren’t necessary, hiding as much as possible, and cleaning up the frame.
Nick kept the stock CB750 fuel tank, matching it up to a custom tail piece from Tuffside, complete with a contrast-stitched diamond pattern. The frame was cut-n-shut to match, and a Cognito Moto oil tank installed lower down.
Nick wasn’t keen on the height of the steering stem relative to the gas tank, and he wanted to keep things visually aligned front-to-back. So he mounted up a set of adjustable clip-ons—but flipped their brackets around to position them lower. Together with a 7” headlight from Motodemic and a set of handmade ears, it helped even out the Honda’s lines.
The cockpit was finished off with a speedo, switches and bar-end turn signals from Motogadget. Nick installed a Motogadget keyless ignition too, with the contact sensor mounted under the seat. A set of Cognito Moto rear-sets round out the controls.
As most builders do, Nick then agonized over a livery. He’d spotted a few ‘Nardo Grey’ Audis during a trip in Germany, so he eventually opted for that, to give the bike a modern feel. It’s offset with hints of red, to match the Ducati that’s also parked in his garage.
The overall effect is slick, well balanced and a brilliant first effort.
“Being my first mechanical project ever,” says Nick, “I certainly struggled and messed up many steps along the way. But overall, it’s been very rewarding—especially riding around town and watching people react to a one-of-a-kind machine.”
Nick Hooper Instagram | Images by Ben Brinker
Continue reading...
Some custom motorcycle builders grow up riding and wrenching, and that early start is obvious in their work. On the flip side, 25-year-old Nick Hooper’s been fiddling with bikes for less than three years now—but you wouldn’t think it, looking at this perfectly proportioned Honda CB750.
Nick lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where he works as a music producer and session guitarist. A friend got him onto his first bike, a Honda CB350, just a few years ago. He jumped in with both feet, teaching himself to maintain the little Honda via YouTube videos and online forums.
After a few months of daily riding, Nick needed something more capable and reliable—so he bought a Ducati Panigale 899.
“It was a blast to ride,” he says, “but I quickly missed the character that the old Honda had. In the back of my mind I wanted to get back on a retro machine that didn’t perform perfectly all the time.”
“So one fateful day, I was talking to a client that I was editing and mixing a few songs for. He was telling me about his old CB750, which he had been struggling to get running after a crash in the rain.”
“He said he was considering selling the bike, so I offered instead to accept the bike as payment for the work I was doing for him.”
They reached an agreement, and Nick soon had the 1975 Honda CB750 home and ready to diagnose. “Originally my intention was to just rebuild the engine,” he tells us, “and make a few aesthetic changes to make it look like the cool cafe racers I saw online.”
“But as I began to tear the bike down and draw up plans I quickly realized the potential the bike had, and the project really came to life.”
The motor already had 50,000 miles on it, so Nick treated it to a top end rebuild and honed the cylinders. He rebuilt the carbs too, then re-jetted them to run well with the UNI air filters. The exhaust is a four-into-one system from MAC Performance, capped off with a stubby silencer.
“Oddly enough, one of the features on the bike that gets the most compliments is the low profile muffler,” Nick says, “which is actually an off the shelf part from my local auto parts store, and only cost about $13!”
Nick tore into the wiring too, ditching the stock harness since it had been tampered with over the years. The new system runs off a Motogadget m.unit and an Antigravity lithium-ion battery, all stashed discreetly in custom-made trays and under the seat hump.
Nick went all-out when it came to the Honda’s running gear, swapping the front-end for a set of Suzuki GSX-R forks, held by billet aluminum triples from Cognito Moto. The rear shocks are now an inch longer than stock, giving the CB a more aggressive stance.
The GSX-R lent its front brakes too; a significant upgrade over the OEM Honda setup. They’re hooked up to an adjustable lever via braided steel lines.
Nick kept the stock drum brake out back, but added his own twist. “The issue with the stock rear brake linkage is that the foot pedal would move with the swing-arm,” he explains, “which leads to uneven brake pressure depending on the contours of the road. So instead I fashioned a clutch cable, and mounted it to pull on the drum, instead of the solid linkage.”
For the wheels, Nick installed a set of wider-than-stock 17” hoops, wrapping them in grippy Dunlop Sportmax tires. “After taking my Ducati to a couple of track days, I quickly realized the importance of high quality, sticky rubber with a large contact patch,” he says. A set of custom sprocket spacers had to be made up to accommodate the 160-wide rear wheel.
On the aesthetic side, Nick’s goal was to build something eye-catching, but also clean and timeless. Part of that meant ditching things that weren’t necessary, hiding as much as possible, and cleaning up the frame.
Nick kept the stock CB750 fuel tank, matching it up to a custom tail piece from Tuffside, complete with a contrast-stitched diamond pattern. The frame was cut-n-shut to match, and a Cognito Moto oil tank installed lower down.
Nick wasn’t keen on the height of the steering stem relative to the gas tank, and he wanted to keep things visually aligned front-to-back. So he mounted up a set of adjustable clip-ons—but flipped their brackets around to position them lower. Together with a 7” headlight from Motodemic and a set of handmade ears, it helped even out the Honda’s lines.
The cockpit was finished off with a speedo, switches and bar-end turn signals from Motogadget. Nick installed a Motogadget keyless ignition too, with the contact sensor mounted under the seat. A set of Cognito Moto rear-sets round out the controls.
As most builders do, Nick then agonized over a livery. He’d spotted a few ‘Nardo Grey’ Audis during a trip in Germany, so he eventually opted for that, to give the bike a modern feel. It’s offset with hints of red, to match the Ducati that’s also parked in his garage.
The overall effect is slick, well balanced and a brilliant first effort.
“Being my first mechanical project ever,” says Nick, “I certainly struggled and messed up many steps along the way. But overall, it’s been very rewarding—especially riding around town and watching people react to a one-of-a-kind machine.”
Nick Hooper Instagram | Images by Ben Brinker
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ICE BREAKER: Balamutti Yondu Three Wheeled Ice Racer
Written by Martin Hodgson
The spirit of rebellion runs deep in the motorcycle world; from the earliest days of racing on the boards, to the post war biker gangs, Easy Rider counter-culture and lads doing the ton around the Ace Cafe. But with popularity comes those who would push conformity, believing there is only one way to skin a cat and trying to police those who seek to be free. But Balamutti’s Vitaliy Selyukov cannot be tamed, his spirit unrestrained by convention he dreamt up one of the craziest contraptions you could imagine and now he’s brought it to life to race the Baikal Mile. It’s three wheels of supercharged Ducati power with just a handful of spikes to keep it upright on the Russian ice.
“The idea of building this bike came about in 2016, and grew for several months on paper, in the form of concept sketches that I knew I wanted to transform in the future. It’s hard to say how the idea of such a motorcycle came to mind, perhaps I was inspired by Anakin Skywalker’s Z-74 Speeder,” Vitaliy ponders. But not only did he have plans for one of the craziest machines we’ve ever seen here at Pipeburn, he also planned to race it on the ice at the enormous Lake Baikal, in conditions that can see temperatures drop to as low as -25C.
But such a bike doesn’t come about overnight! Based in the far west of the country in the beautiful city of St Petersburg, Vitaliy was as far from a complete bike as he was from the icy lake, some 4500km away on the other side of Russia. The project is very loosely based on a Ducati Hypermotard, a sensible selection for a man who builds and services all makes and models of Italian motorcycle machinery at his workshop. The donor gave up its engine and trellis frame, but just about everything else is fabricated by the man himself, including the insane two-wheeled front end.
No normal suspension setup could be adapted, it’s almost as if a Bimota Tesi mutated inside a nuclear reactor and emerged with an extra appendage. “With this kind of suspension structure, the development of the steering caused difficulties. For almost a year, I could not find a solution. Variants with cables and hydraulics were tested and rejected.” But finally, he had a plan that he believed would work and a pair of front tubular swingarms were fabricated that are suspended with a pair of Sachs shocks.
However the components to make it turn required a mix of spherical roller bearing equipped hubs and the clever use of twin steering dampers to make things more progressive, and rose jointed actuating rods. A third damper is bolted to the lower headstock and a pivot arm takes its input from the Star Wars-esque inverted handlebars. The rear end is also a single sided swingarm, but of the much more conventional type, coming from Ducati and also controlled by a Sachs shock. While Brembo brakes with wave rotors are also adapted to fit, ensuring the stopping power at least is a sure thing.
As crazy as the rolling chassis is, Vitaliy’s plan was to race the bike in a straight line and the engine couldn’t be left stock. The 1100cc Ducati L-Twin makes a thumping 103nm of torque, but the 2 valve engine doesn’t crack the 100hp mark. Scratching his head the mad scientist had a solution and knew forced induction was the way forward, supercharged baby! But remember that whole convention thing, nah, not here. Vitaliy took a Garrett GT35 turbo front housing rated for around 700hp, cut off the turbine and converted it into a crank driven centrifugal supercharger system, with his own belt and pulley setup.
A custom pipe then routes the air into the 45mm throttle bodies, while the post explosion gases leave the engine in a hurry thanks to a pair of single pipes per cylinder that exit out of GP style mufflers. A huge blow-off valve prevents the compressor wheel from stalling on gear changes and a host of wiring modifications and tuning was required to make the engine run crisply. But with the race style rearsets, twist grip throttle and lever combo, controls are, dare we say it, traditional. Of course the looks are anything but and the custom alloy tank gets an incredible paint job that flows rearward to find itself replicated on the back wheel.
All three of which wear a moon disc, the fronts in the retro chrome finish and with the addition of spikes to the tyres the fitting of three aluminium fenders is as much for safety as anything else. The single seat gives the bike named Yondu a futuristic bobber feel and fitting of that style, the instruments are kept simple with a Ducati digital dash feeding back the vitals. “Contrary to any common sense, the first Yondu test drives were conducted on the ice of Lake Baikal with frost below -10C, and not on warm asphalt, as was originally intended.” Did we mention he’s a brave lad too, or as Vitaliy says a mix of ‘dementia and courage’. And as he thunders down the ice, throttle pinned for the full mile, we can only hope he’s inspired others to kick convention to the curb!
[ BALAMUTTI | Photos by Denis Minchenkon ]
Written by Martin Hodgson
The spirit of rebellion runs deep in the motorcycle world; from the earliest days of racing on the boards, to the post war biker gangs, Easy Rider counter-culture and lads doing the ton around the Ace Cafe. But with popularity comes those who would push conformity, believing there is only one way to skin a cat and trying to police those who seek to be free. But Balamutti’s Vitaliy Selyukov cannot be tamed, his spirit unrestrained by convention he dreamt up one of the craziest contraptions you could imagine and now he’s brought it to life to race the Baikal Mile. It’s three wheels of supercharged Ducati power with just a handful of spikes to keep it upright on the Russian ice.
“The idea of building this bike came about in 2016, and grew for several months on paper, in the form of concept sketches that I knew I wanted to transform in the future. It’s hard to say how the idea of such a motorcycle came to mind, perhaps I was inspired by Anakin Skywalker’s Z-74 Speeder,” Vitaliy ponders. But not only did he have plans for one of the craziest machines we’ve ever seen here at Pipeburn, he also planned to race it on the ice at the enormous Lake Baikal, in conditions that can see temperatures drop to as low as -25C.
But such a bike doesn’t come about overnight! Based in the far west of the country in the beautiful city of St Petersburg, Vitaliy was as far from a complete bike as he was from the icy lake, some 4500km away on the other side of Russia. The project is very loosely based on a Ducati Hypermotard, a sensible selection for a man who builds and services all makes and models of Italian motorcycle machinery at his workshop. The donor gave up its engine and trellis frame, but just about everything else is fabricated by the man himself, including the insane two-wheeled front end.
No normal suspension setup could be adapted, it’s almost as if a Bimota Tesi mutated inside a nuclear reactor and emerged with an extra appendage. “With this kind of suspension structure, the development of the steering caused difficulties. For almost a year, I could not find a solution. Variants with cables and hydraulics were tested and rejected.” But finally, he had a plan that he believed would work and a pair of front tubular swingarms were fabricated that are suspended with a pair of Sachs shocks.
However the components to make it turn required a mix of spherical roller bearing equipped hubs and the clever use of twin steering dampers to make things more progressive, and rose jointed actuating rods. A third damper is bolted to the lower headstock and a pivot arm takes its input from the Star Wars-esque inverted handlebars. The rear end is also a single sided swingarm, but of the much more conventional type, coming from Ducati and also controlled by a Sachs shock. While Brembo brakes with wave rotors are also adapted to fit, ensuring the stopping power at least is a sure thing.
As crazy as the rolling chassis is, Vitaliy’s plan was to race the bike in a straight line and the engine couldn’t be left stock. The 1100cc Ducati L-Twin makes a thumping 103nm of torque, but the 2 valve engine doesn’t crack the 100hp mark. Scratching his head the mad scientist had a solution and knew forced induction was the way forward, supercharged baby! But remember that whole convention thing, nah, not here. Vitaliy took a Garrett GT35 turbo front housing rated for around 700hp, cut off the turbine and converted it into a crank driven centrifugal supercharger system, with his own belt and pulley setup.
A custom pipe then routes the air into the 45mm throttle bodies, while the post explosion gases leave the engine in a hurry thanks to a pair of single pipes per cylinder that exit out of GP style mufflers. A huge blow-off valve prevents the compressor wheel from stalling on gear changes and a host of wiring modifications and tuning was required to make the engine run crisply. But with the race style rearsets, twist grip throttle and lever combo, controls are, dare we say it, traditional. Of course the looks are anything but and the custom alloy tank gets an incredible paint job that flows rearward to find itself replicated on the back wheel.
All three of which wear a moon disc, the fronts in the retro chrome finish and with the addition of spikes to the tyres the fitting of three aluminium fenders is as much for safety as anything else. The single seat gives the bike named Yondu a futuristic bobber feel and fitting of that style, the instruments are kept simple with a Ducati digital dash feeding back the vitals. “Contrary to any common sense, the first Yondu test drives were conducted on the ice of Lake Baikal with frost below -10C, and not on warm asphalt, as was originally intended.” Did we mention he’s a brave lad too, or as Vitaliy says a mix of ‘dementia and courage’. And as he thunders down the ice, throttle pinned for the full mile, we can only hope he’s inspired others to kick convention to the curb!
[ BALAMUTTI | Photos by Denis Minchenkon ]
Mechanical Art: Edi Buffon’s Gilera Extra Rossa 175
We’re constantly amazed by the skills of some after-hours builders: folks who have full-time jobs, but spend their evenings and weekends crafting bikes to the level you’d expect at a pro workshop.
One of the most talented part-time builders is Edi Buffon, an engineer who lives in Sydney, Australia. We loved his Kawasaki KZ250 from a year ago, but he’s excelled even more with this magnificent Gilera bobber.
Edi has been riding and modifying motorcycles for 20 years, but it wasn’t until about four years ago that bike building became a serious hobby. “The goal is to turn it into my main source of income,” he says, “but I’m still working on that dream.”
There aren’t many Gileras in Australia—or indeed outside Italy. When this machine was built in 1957, Gilera was riding high on its racing reputation, with multiple World Championship trophies on display at the factory. Its road bikes were pricey compared to many others, and were based on an overhead-valve single—originally 125cc and gradually enlarged to 175cc.
“I was looking for a new project and came across a 1957 Rossa Extra 175 on eBay,” Edi tells us. “One look at the motor and I had to make the purchase!” The seller lived close to Edi, and turned out to have two motors, the wheels and other bits for a really good price.
Edi works solo out of a small shared workshop space. He had no design preconceptions when the tiny Italian arrived on his doorstep, but he does love the style of rigid frames. And he knew he could assemble one functioning motor out of the two from eBay.
The first job was to source a compatible carburettor from Barcelona, and an electronic ignition from Germany. “The cost for those was more than the two motors and wheels of the original purchase!”
Edi stripped the 19-inch wheels down and sent them away for powder coating in gold. Once relaced, a pair of 4.00-19 Mitas E-05 classic trail tires went on.
Then he sat the (unfinished) motor and wheels on his bench, measured out a wheelbase that would work, and started building a motorcycle. He made a steering stem, clamped it in his frame jig, and set the rake at 28 degrees.
The frame pipework followed next, fashioned out of cold rolled mild steel. “I liked the way the original frame and motor combination looked, so I fabricated similar motor mounts,” says Edi. “As the framework progressed it started to look like a vintage hill climber, so I let the build follow its own direction.”
Edi’s gone for a springer front-end setup. “I like vintage/classic style suspension, for the aesthetics, and I like to mix in brass—so all the wheel spacers are brass. The hardest part of the front-end was dialling in the rate. Once I got that right, it was obvious that a damper was needed. So I made a vintage friction type from some stainless and, it works a treat.”
The bars and top and bottom yokes are made from mild steel too, including the top locking nut—which Edi made by cutting and grinding round stock into a hex.
Once the frame was complete and he had a roller, he began work on the tank and fender, this time using 1.2mm mild steel. The tank is simple and a far cry from the bulbous 1950s style original. Both tank and fender are powder coated in a black textured finish, and the seat is sprung with a simple pivot design—then chromed and upholstered.
Edi decided on a foot clutch/hand shift for the Gilera. “A simple process—I made some foot pegs for the clutch and brake, then hand bent some steel for the linkage and shifter to follow the lines of the frame,” he says.
For the back brake, Edi’s built a jackshaft setup running off the primary drive—which he acknowledges is “for aesthetics, and not for function/stopping efficiency. I kept it simple and used cable actuation to match the clutch.”
The exhaust is literally made from scraps that Edi had lying around, but you’d be hard pressed to tell. After several hours of linishing to remove all visible welds, it was powder coated in ceramic black and looks pristine.
Less obvious parts resulted from hours of machining—including the axles, spacers, linkages and even the handgrips. Most of these parts have been chromed, but the frame has a polished ceramic powder coat.
The motor is a combination of the two engines Edi received, with the kickstarter removed: “To start it, you need a roller or a steep hill!”
The effort would be worth it. Edi’s Gilera is a magnificent example of mechanical art, despite being built with limited time and resources. How does he do it?
“I bend some tube and see what happens,” he says.
Machine 1867 | Images by Ana Martini photography
Continue reading...
We’re constantly amazed by the skills of some after-hours builders: folks who have full-time jobs, but spend their evenings and weekends crafting bikes to the level you’d expect at a pro workshop.
One of the most talented part-time builders is Edi Buffon, an engineer who lives in Sydney, Australia. We loved his Kawasaki KZ250 from a year ago, but he’s excelled even more with this magnificent Gilera bobber.
Edi has been riding and modifying motorcycles for 20 years, but it wasn’t until about four years ago that bike building became a serious hobby. “The goal is to turn it into my main source of income,” he says, “but I’m still working on that dream.”
There aren’t many Gileras in Australia—or indeed outside Italy. When this machine was built in 1957, Gilera was riding high on its racing reputation, with multiple World Championship trophies on display at the factory. Its road bikes were pricey compared to many others, and were based on an overhead-valve single—originally 125cc and gradually enlarged to 175cc.
“I was looking for a new project and came across a 1957 Rossa Extra 175 on eBay,” Edi tells us. “One look at the motor and I had to make the purchase!” The seller lived close to Edi, and turned out to have two motors, the wheels and other bits for a really good price.
Edi works solo out of a small shared workshop space. He had no design preconceptions when the tiny Italian arrived on his doorstep, but he does love the style of rigid frames. And he knew he could assemble one functioning motor out of the two from eBay.
The first job was to source a compatible carburettor from Barcelona, and an electronic ignition from Germany. “The cost for those was more than the two motors and wheels of the original purchase!”
Edi stripped the 19-inch wheels down and sent them away for powder coating in gold. Once relaced, a pair of 4.00-19 Mitas E-05 classic trail tires went on.
Then he sat the (unfinished) motor and wheels on his bench, measured out a wheelbase that would work, and started building a motorcycle. He made a steering stem, clamped it in his frame jig, and set the rake at 28 degrees.
The frame pipework followed next, fashioned out of cold rolled mild steel. “I liked the way the original frame and motor combination looked, so I fabricated similar motor mounts,” says Edi. “As the framework progressed it started to look like a vintage hill climber, so I let the build follow its own direction.”
Edi’s gone for a springer front-end setup. “I like vintage/classic style suspension, for the aesthetics, and I like to mix in brass—so all the wheel spacers are brass. The hardest part of the front-end was dialling in the rate. Once I got that right, it was obvious that a damper was needed. So I made a vintage friction type from some stainless and, it works a treat.”
The bars and top and bottom yokes are made from mild steel too, including the top locking nut—which Edi made by cutting and grinding round stock into a hex.
Once the frame was complete and he had a roller, he began work on the tank and fender, this time using 1.2mm mild steel. The tank is simple and a far cry from the bulbous 1950s style original. Both tank and fender are powder coated in a black textured finish, and the seat is sprung with a simple pivot design—then chromed and upholstered.
Edi decided on a foot clutch/hand shift for the Gilera. “A simple process—I made some foot pegs for the clutch and brake, then hand bent some steel for the linkage and shifter to follow the lines of the frame,” he says.
For the back brake, Edi’s built a jackshaft setup running off the primary drive—which he acknowledges is “for aesthetics, and not for function/stopping efficiency. I kept it simple and used cable actuation to match the clutch.”
The exhaust is literally made from scraps that Edi had lying around, but you’d be hard pressed to tell. After several hours of linishing to remove all visible welds, it was powder coated in ceramic black and looks pristine.
Less obvious parts resulted from hours of machining—including the axles, spacers, linkages and even the handgrips. Most of these parts have been chromed, but the frame has a polished ceramic powder coat.
The motor is a combination of the two engines Edi received, with the kickstarter removed: “To start it, you need a roller or a steep hill!”
The effort would be worth it. Edi’s Gilera is a magnificent example of mechanical art, despite being built with limited time and resources. How does he do it?
“I bend some tube and see what happens,” he says.
Machine 1867 | Images by Ana Martini photography
Continue reading...
WHEELS & WINGS: Honda CB550F ‘Nickel Racer’ by Kick Start Garage
Written by Martin Hodgson
When Tom Cruise rode a Kawasaki Gpz900R in the hit movie Top Gun, the mix of a flyboy on a motorbike just made perfect sense. Since WWII, pilots have been some of the biggest buyers of motorbikes, with up to 85% of those at the controls in the air believed to have a bike license. So it is little wonder that the two often inspire one another, and when Craig Marleau of Kick Start Garage in Northern California got a commission for just such a build he immediately knew the direction to take. From the bones of a 1976 Honda CB550f he’s built up a beautiful cafe racer with all the right inspiration from a ’50s fighter plane.
Craig is no stranger to bringing great ideas into reality, with his BMW and Bultaco ‘Taco Truck’ a major hit in 2016. The vintage motorcycle ace knows his way around a Honda too, with his CB160 ‘Penny Racer’ providing plenty of influence for this latest build, as he sought to create a cafe racer for his client that ticked every box in their wish list. This not only included vintage aircraft inspiration but also had to be useable and reliable, as well as having the ability to ride two-up. So after some initial consultation, they agreed the 550f was the way to go.
After some hunting the right donor bike came up and it wasn’t just a random choice for Craig to go with the middleweight Honda four. When it was released most reviewers believed it to be Honda’s best bike since the introduction of the CB750, with just the right balance of performance and handling to match the impressive reliability. So with the super sport for its day 550 stripped-down, Craig got to work on the chassis, removing any tabs that wouldn’t be of use, cutting off the back of the frame and smoothing things out.
The rear benefits from a new hoop with a Lake Moto tail light in the rear grafted in. Then the frame was shot with powder coat in gloss black with clear powder over top for extra deep gloss black that really makes the bodywork to follow pop! The fuel tank is the first to go on, the vintage C76 Super Hawk piece giving the bike a more vintage look and transporting it into the ’50s. Then following the path of the ‘Penny Racer’ the knee grips are wrapped in leather, with custom alloy side panels to match and the rest of the tank finished in KSG silver paint.
The seat too is made in house and is upholstered in matching leather in a beautifully executed diamond pattern stitch. But to allow his client to ride with a passenger as requested while still giving the cafe racer look, the rear cowl that Craig made is not only slightly smaller than usual but is easily removable, providing flawless form and function. Moving to the front of the bike and no visual feature pops like the Omega Racer front fairing, instantly transforming the commuter machine into a fighter-esque appearance.
To get the bike into rolling form the wheels and hubs were removed and stripped down before being rebuilt with new alloy rims laced up with stainless spokes. For tyres Craig picked the Shinko 712, which gives the client the look they were after while also providing excellent grip in all kinds of conditions. To keep them pinned to the road, the front forks are totally rebuilt and given a new set of springs. While a rebuilt brake assembly clamps the all new drilled front rotor for improved stopping power and the rear is sorted thanks to progressively sprung rear shocks.
Of course a bike can look a million dollars but not be much use stranded by the side of the road, so to ensure his client wouldn’t have such problems, the Honda four banger has been given a full rebuild. Bolted to this is an all KSG custom exhaust, that is wrapped up for heat protection and finishes out in a slick single muffler. The overhauled carbies now take their air through a stunning set of velocity stacks (that can of course be covered with slip-on filters) and the engine given one hell of a paint and polish.
Speaking of which, it is impossible to imagine the number of hours Craig spent rubbing on just about every surface of the Honda, giving the polished areas an incredible finish! To complete the build an all new wiring harness leaves zero exposed and only enhances the ultra-clean finish. The rest of the electrics are a mix of parts from Moto Gadget and a Rick’s Electric voltage regulator so that a tiny lithium-ion battery can be used. Parked up next to a Beech 45/T-34 Mentor it’s clear that Kick Start Garage has once again delivered on the brief and their client’s only task is to look at their two-up co-pilot and say that famous line, “I feel the need – the need for speed.”
[ Kick Start Garage | Instagram ]
Written by Martin Hodgson
When Tom Cruise rode a Kawasaki Gpz900R in the hit movie Top Gun, the mix of a flyboy on a motorbike just made perfect sense. Since WWII, pilots have been some of the biggest buyers of motorbikes, with up to 85% of those at the controls in the air believed to have a bike license. So it is little wonder that the two often inspire one another, and when Craig Marleau of Kick Start Garage in Northern California got a commission for just such a build he immediately knew the direction to take. From the bones of a 1976 Honda CB550f he’s built up a beautiful cafe racer with all the right inspiration from a ’50s fighter plane.
Craig is no stranger to bringing great ideas into reality, with his BMW and Bultaco ‘Taco Truck’ a major hit in 2016. The vintage motorcycle ace knows his way around a Honda too, with his CB160 ‘Penny Racer’ providing plenty of influence for this latest build, as he sought to create a cafe racer for his client that ticked every box in their wish list. This not only included vintage aircraft inspiration but also had to be useable and reliable, as well as having the ability to ride two-up. So after some initial consultation, they agreed the 550f was the way to go.
After some hunting the right donor bike came up and it wasn’t just a random choice for Craig to go with the middleweight Honda four. When it was released most reviewers believed it to be Honda’s best bike since the introduction of the CB750, with just the right balance of performance and handling to match the impressive reliability. So with the super sport for its day 550 stripped-down, Craig got to work on the chassis, removing any tabs that wouldn’t be of use, cutting off the back of the frame and smoothing things out.
The rear benefits from a new hoop with a Lake Moto tail light in the rear grafted in. Then the frame was shot with powder coat in gloss black with clear powder over top for extra deep gloss black that really makes the bodywork to follow pop! The fuel tank is the first to go on, the vintage C76 Super Hawk piece giving the bike a more vintage look and transporting it into the ’50s. Then following the path of the ‘Penny Racer’ the knee grips are wrapped in leather, with custom alloy side panels to match and the rest of the tank finished in KSG silver paint.
The seat too is made in house and is upholstered in matching leather in a beautifully executed diamond pattern stitch. But to allow his client to ride with a passenger as requested while still giving the cafe racer look, the rear cowl that Craig made is not only slightly smaller than usual but is easily removable, providing flawless form and function. Moving to the front of the bike and no visual feature pops like the Omega Racer front fairing, instantly transforming the commuter machine into a fighter-esque appearance.
To get the bike into rolling form the wheels and hubs were removed and stripped down before being rebuilt with new alloy rims laced up with stainless spokes. For tyres Craig picked the Shinko 712, which gives the client the look they were after while also providing excellent grip in all kinds of conditions. To keep them pinned to the road, the front forks are totally rebuilt and given a new set of springs. While a rebuilt brake assembly clamps the all new drilled front rotor for improved stopping power and the rear is sorted thanks to progressively sprung rear shocks.
Of course a bike can look a million dollars but not be much use stranded by the side of the road, so to ensure his client wouldn’t have such problems, the Honda four banger has been given a full rebuild. Bolted to this is an all KSG custom exhaust, that is wrapped up for heat protection and finishes out in a slick single muffler. The overhauled carbies now take their air through a stunning set of velocity stacks (that can of course be covered with slip-on filters) and the engine given one hell of a paint and polish.
Speaking of which, it is impossible to imagine the number of hours Craig spent rubbing on just about every surface of the Honda, giving the polished areas an incredible finish! To complete the build an all new wiring harness leaves zero exposed and only enhances the ultra-clean finish. The rest of the electrics are a mix of parts from Moto Gadget and a Rick’s Electric voltage regulator so that a tiny lithium-ion battery can be used. Parked up next to a Beech 45/T-34 Mentor it’s clear that Kick Start Garage has once again delivered on the brief and their client’s only task is to look at their two-up co-pilot and say that famous line, “I feel the need – the need for speed.”
[ Kick Start Garage | Instagram ]
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