Custom Motorcycle Builds

[DaveM]

THE NIGHT OWL: Honda CB750 K2 by Meneer Kelderman.

In life, there are our dreams often curtailed by our reality and there is our ambition frequently at the mercy of our talent and bank balance. But the forward progress of time means that these things never stay the same forever. Meet Bas Kelderman, an incredibly gifted graphic designer and illustrator from the Netherlands, with a love of fast cars and motorbikes. But the one that really grabbed...

Source

 

[DaveM]

Nemesis: A Sol Invictus scrambler Built to tackle Tasmania

Factory-made modern classics are everywhere these days, but they’re usually premium motorcycles at the upper end of the engine size scale. If you’re looking for a low budget, small capacity bike with retro style, your options are fewer. Unless you live in Australia.

Down under, you can get a Sol Invictus Nemesis 400 Scrambler for AU$5,999—less than half the price of a Triumph Street Twin. Granted, it’s a far more basic bike: an air-cooled, carbureted single that makes an honest 27 hp and is made by Shineray in China. It’s essentially a copy of the Honda CB400SS … but it’s also a looker, and a great candidate for customization.

Tom Gilroy at Purpose Built Moto recently ended up with a Nemesis 400 on his bench. Like his own Sportster, it would have to tackle varying terrain along the Great Ocean Road and on to Tasmania, for PBM and Electric Bubble’s Wide of the Mark film project.

All the bikes on the trip had to look good, but also be able to suffer some abuse. “The whole idea of this build,” explains Tom, “was to take a sleepy little commuter, give it some teeth and build it unbreakable for a two week off road adventure.”

“It had to be reliable, able to carry a decent load, and be tough enough so that when it was inevitably crashed, you could pick it up, kick it over and go again.”

Once Tom had stripped the bike down, he kicked the project off with a few practical considerations. The 19F/18R wheels were relaced with tougher-than-OEM stainless steel spokes, and the tires were traded for a set of grippy Mitas E-09 enduro items. A set of longer travel Gazi shocks added extra compliance at the rear.

Up front, Tom left the stock forks alone, but fitted a new rolled aluminum fender with adequate tire clearance. It’s mounted on hand-made round-bar braces, styled after those on classic desert sleds.

Higher up, the headlight was swapped out for a 4.5” LED, sitting ‘in’ a custom made aluminum nacelle. It’s all neatly integrated, with the headlight bezel welded in, and an additional spot acting as a high beam.

Tom left the Sol Invictus tank alone, but tweaked the rear of the bike with a unique cut-and-loop job. Instead of using a size-matched tube, he turned some bosses into the frame ends, tapering them down to fit 8 mm stainless steel bars. The rearward loop holds the fender and taillight, while the forward loop acts as a grab rail for dragging the bike out of trouble.

“We used that a lot when we got lost on the ride trip,” quips Tom.

The seat pan was laid down in fiberglass, and covers a near-invisible electrics tray. This hosts a Black Box module, which the lighting system is wired into. A polished Orbit taillight provides lighting out back, and there are tiny LED turn signals all-round (tucked in to survive a few falls).

Comfort was high on the list, so Tom made sure the seat had a decent dose of foam, before sending it to Timeless Autotrim for a vintage grey leather cover. That darker area you see is a neatly pleated Alcantara ‘gripper pad.’

Just as much ergonomic consideration went into the cockpit. Tom added 20 mm risers and mid-rise ProTaper bars, along with PBM’s own design push buttons, and a throttle and grips from Domino.

There’s a phone mount too, and a set of PBM mirrors. “They’ve become extremely popular with garage builders—and a couple of sneaky pros—on all types of builds,” Tom tells us.

Tom wanted to squeeze more power out of the Sol Invictus, so he fitted a Lectron carb with a DNA filter. It made a significant difference, but it was a mission that involved replacing the intake with the boot from a Honda XR600.

The exhaust consists of custom stainless steel headers, snaking through the frame to exit via a single torpedo muffler. The inside of the muffler’s been scalloped to make space for the frame, keeping the whole arrangement slim.

With the bike all buttoned up, it was time for Purpose Built Moto to complete the design with a color scheme. “I’d already chosen the vibrant sky blue in the first few weeks of the project,” says Tom. “Before the wheels were build the hubs were painted. So I was locked into that color.”

“The blue was a bit of a gamble for me—it’s not an overly masculine or tough color, but it works. And if you’re man enough to get over the fact your bike’s baby blue and enjoy it for what it is, that’s the kinda guy we should all aspire to be.”

Tom and the scrambler’s owner, Jake, filmed the entire build as part of a YouTube series. But when it came to the Wide of the Mark film, it would be piloted by Emma McFerran—a freestyle motocross specialist who has also ridden for the Crusty Demons and Nitro Circus.

Before the trip kicked off though, the crew treated the scrambler to a proper shakedown. And it’s just as well they did, because the forks and clutch immediately stood out as weak spots. So the front end was fitted with heavier-duty progressive springs, and the clutch upgraded.

On the trip itself, the bike did the job, albeit with a few niggles and a number of on-the-go repairs. But ultimately, Tom’s chuffed with its performance.

“Being the lightest bike on the ground at 160 kg, and piloted by one of our most experienced riders, the Nemesis proved itself time and time again.”

Purpose Built Moto | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Akin Moto | Wide Of The Mark Facebook

Continue reading...

 

[DaveM]

THE HOLY GRAIL: Norvin by Stile Italiano.

From the fastest Thoroughbred racehorse flashing home to win the cash, to the juicy sweet corn on your kitchen table, man has been mix and matching species for centuries to produce the very best. In the heyday of the cafe racer movement custom bike aficionados were doing the same, crafting hybrid machines to have the baddest bike on the block. While no longer a common practice...

Source

 

[DaveM]

Unkonventionell: Eastern Spirit Garage’s BMW R80

Eastern Spirit Garage is probably Poland’s premier custom workshop. But they focus on quality over quantity, with fewer than a dozen builds over the last seven years.

Shop boss Sylwester has picked up the pace a little recently, though. Three months ago he revealed an amazing XS650 bobber, and he’s now just thrown the wraps off this most unconventional BMW R80.

It’s not your typical R-series custom, and despite the sleek finish and perfect stance, Sylwester admits that it was a struggle.

“This was by far the hardest project I have ever undertaken,” he tells us. And that wasn’t just down to the huge amount of work involved in the build— Sylwester was beset with personal relationship issues too, which almost derailed the project.

On a brighter note, the R80 was commissioned by a petrolhead car and bike collector from Warsaw called Marcin. But the 1993 donor bike was far from complete: “I got the BMW in boxes—it was missing quite a few parts,” says Sylwester.

“Marcin wanted a cafe racer style bike, and basically gave me a free hand—bearing in mind that he is two meters (6’5”) tall! He also wanted a removable set of fairings, and a spare tail unit to be able to carry a passenger.”

These days, most ‘café’ style BMW airheads are rather chunky and ‘upright,’ retaining the stock tank and playing up the somewhat stocky nature of the original design.

Sylwester has gone for a much sportier look, with sleek bodywork and a long, low tank that completely eschews the design cues of the late 70s original. It meant he had to acquaint himself with traditional coachbuilding and metalworking skills.

“The bike opened up a new adventure for me,” he says. “All the bodywork, including the tank and the fairing, was hand-wheeled from sheets of aluminum.”

All the fairings are removable without any fancy tools, and they’re mounted independently, too—so you can even opt for a half-faired setup. “It’s fast and efficient,” says Sylwester.

The cockpit is all-new, although the handlebars are off the shelf and Sylwester can’t remember where he got them from.

“Hard to say—I bought them a long time ago, and they just fitted!” The bars are kitted out with new grips and switchgear, and discreet LED blinkers. The speedo is a tiny circular Daytona instrument.

The tank not only holds fuel, but also conceals a cargo space underneath. Sylwester has used this to hide the Lithium-ion battery, brake master cylinder, and large sections of the all-new wiring loom.

You don’t often see classic airheads with a flowing, faired style like this, but the fairing still reveals most of the engine—so it’s recognizably a BMW. The 797cc boxer motor has been thoroughly overhauled with fresh gaskets, new bearings, and a new custom-made starter cover.

Sylwester has ditched the stock Bing carbs and fitted aftermarket Mikunis for better breathing, and he’s also crafted a complete custom exhaust with the right-hand pipe snaking under the swingarm to join its twin. The dB killers are hidden in the flared mufflers, which exit to the left of the back wheel.

With all this fine custom handiwork going on, including new rearsets and linkages, it’s almost possible to miss the biggest mechanical change—a set of Suzuki GSX-R1000 forks.

They’re from a 2002 Gixxer, with internals adjusted to account for the slightly higher weight of the R80. Sylwester has retained the bottom fork clamp, but machined a new top clamp to fit the BMW.

He’s taken the front brake calipers from the GSX-R too, but matched them to discs from a 2009 Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade. The original BMW wheels were slightly modified to fit, and refinished with deep gold paint—the only splash of color on the bike aside from the forks.

At the back is an ultra-clean new subframe, connected to the Monolever swingarm with a new YSS shock. Right above is a plush suede seat and a classic humped café racer tail unit, and if you look closely, you’ll notice a tire-hugging rear fender. This cleverly conceals a very discreet LED light strip at its rearmost point.

The subframe also includes mounting points for passenger pegs, and the seat can be swapped out for a two-up setup in minutes.

It’s obvious from our conversations that this build took a lot out of Sylwester. But it was worth it—because it’s not only a story of triumph over adversity, but also a refreshing new take on the well-worn custom airhead genre.

Eastern Spirit Garage | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Mateusz Stankiewicz

Continue reading...

 

[DaveM]

Czech Mate: A Minarelli 50 GP with a curious past

Nothing arouses curiosity quite like a rare racing machine. Bonus points if it’s so vintage and obscure, you need to turn to specialist internet forums to pinpoint its origins. Which is exactly what Cole Mahlowitz, the owner of this beautifully restored 1970s 50 cc Grand Prix racer, had to do.

When Mahlowitz bought the bike, it was listed as a 1975-model ‘Czech’ Minarelli 50 GP—a 50 cc two-stroke racer with a six-speed box, and a claimed output of 16 hp at 14,500 rpm. But when the bike arrived, he had to dig deeper. Because although the motor was undoubtedly a Minarelli unit, it strangely had ‘ČZ’ stamped in several places.

The now-defunct Czech manufacturer ČZ never built a 50 cc GP racer, so Mahlowitz took to the internet to figure it out. Experts on European forums collectively believed the bike to be a pet project from an engineer who was originally part of Jawa’s racing department. And the ‘AMK Pisarky Brno’ stickers suggested that it was likely raced at the Masaryk circuit in Pisarky, a suburb of Brno in the Czech Republic.

It looks like the bike then went into storage for a few years, before being bought by an Italian collector called Marco Gasparini—who specializes in 50 cc race bikes from that era. When Gasparini got it, it was just a frame, three-quarters of an engine, and bodywork emblazoned with the colors of the Czech flag.

He rebuilt it to working order and put it up for sale on his website, which is how Mahlowitz stumbled upon it.

As a lifelong fan of two-strokes, and with a particular fascination with the European 50 cc GP racers of the 60s and 70s, Mahlowitz was a frequent visitor to the site. The Minarelli was just the donor he was looking for, so he snapped it up, and arranged shipping from Italy to Boston, USA.

Just getting the bike Stateside took the better part of eight months, thanks to the red tape around importing a vehicle.

With the bike in his hands, Mahlowitz’s first task was figuring out exactly which direction to take the build in. Given the donor’s foggy past, he had no solid reference for a restoration job—so he scoured enthusiast websites like Danish-run Elsberg Tuning for inspiration. From there, he took notes on everything—from minutiae like period-correct levers to styling cues popular in 1970s Czechoslovakia.

The Minarelli came as a ‘basic runner.’ So it already had some beat-up bodywork, Marzocchi forks and 18” Menani wheels, with a Grimeca disc brake at the front and a ČZ drum brake at the rear. But there were a lot of gaps to fill in—and since this is a very rare racer, replacement parts aren’t exactly on Alibaba.

Luckily, Mahlowitz is an R&D engineer at a firm that specializes in the 3D printing of metal components, giving him the unique opportunity to quickly prototype different functional and aesthetic parts. He could geek out and get really technical on things.

One of those things was the drive nut that connects the crankshaft to the rotary valve; it’s a special long hexagonal nut, with a keyway that opens and closes the inlet port. By 3D printing and sintering several nuts with slight keyway variations, Mahlowitz could more accurately tune the engine. This same method was applied to a number of smaller parts—juxtaposed against parts that he opted to fabricate by hand, in a bid to develop his metalworking skills.

One of the most difficult challenges was modifying the rotary valve housing to accommodate a 28 mm Dell’Orto carb. (The bike had come with a 22 mm carb, but research had shown that a 28 mm setup was more typical of the 1970s GP bikes.) Mahlowitz had to redesign the entire intake assembly, while maintaining very tight tolerances—something that took countless hours of CAD work to pull off.

He also upgraded the original points ignition to a CDI from a KTM 50, and installed a short stroke crankshaft. The motor’s still hooked up to the original six-speed, close ratio transmission it was originally built with.

Not content with the non-period exhaust pipe that was already on the bike, Mahlowitz decided to build a custom unit with a properly tuned chamber and header. Designing, cutting, rolling, and welding together small conical cross sections of steel, and getting them to fit neatly inside the fairing and underneath the frame, was incredibly tedious. And because this was his first legitimate welding job, he went through three exhausts before he created something he was happy with.

For the bodywork, Mahlowitz roped in Eric Silverio at Krazy Kustoms. Silverio had his work cut out for him—he had to patch and repair the fiberglass, and then reinforce it to make it more robust. He then resprayed the frame and fairing, using the exact paint scheme that the bike had arrived in. Why? Because when Gasparini sold the bike, he made Mahlowitz promise not to change the livery.

Finishing touches include a few period-correct decals—like replicas of the original AMK Pisarky Brno stickers on the fairing. The Minarelli’s also sporting neat details like a Motoplat tacho that runs from 4,000 to 16,000 rpm.

A year after he started the project, Mahlowitz finally fired it up… and quickly realized that an extremely narrow power band made this temperamental race machine a handful. But he was happy anyway, because he’d ticked a major item off his list: ownership of a vintage Grand Prix motorcycle that represents the ultimate in small-capacity two-stroke performance.

Reproduced with permission from Iron & Air magazine. Subscribe here. | Images by Joshua Elzey.

Continue reading...

 

[DaveM]

Custom Bikes Of The Week: 7 June, 2020

A crisp Honda V30 Magna tracker, a swooping Norton/Vincent hybrid, a Ducati Hailwood replica up for auction, and a very sharp Ducati ST4S cafe racer. We’d happily put any of these into our garage.

Norvin by Stile Italiano We’ve all seen plenty of lust-worthy Tritons; Triumph motors stuffed into Norton frames. The crew at Stile Italiano has built six, plus four ‘Hartons.’ But now they’ve really gone overboard, with this stunning Norvin.

You’re looking at a Norton featherbed frame, equipped with one of the most desirable engines ever made—a Vincent.

The crew started by sourcing an original ‘wideline’ featherbed frame. They obviously had to mod it to hold the Vincent motor, but they also cut out the bottom and rebuilt it, so that the motor (and center of gravity) would sit lower. The engine itself is the 998 cc mill from the Vincent Rapide, but it’s been bored out to 1,140 cc, and upgraded with forged pistons and a twin spark conversion.

The bodywork is all hand-formed, as are the snaking exhaust headers, which terminate in a pair of Virex mufflers. Modern touches like Öhlins forks are offset against retro parts like the exquisite drum brakes. With a classy black paint job and gold highlights, it’s nothing short of exquisite. [More]

Honda V30 Magna by MotoRelic Ever heard of the V30 Magna? It was a 498 cc V-four cruiser that Honda released in the 80s, with ‘custom’ styling typical of the era. Not surprisingly, you don’t see many custom examples—so when Sean Skinner at MotoRelic in Virginia got his hands on one, he had nothing to reference for inspiration.

That didn’t stop him from building a sharp street tracker that’s miles ahead of the source material. Sean’s V30 is also something of a parts bin special, with an Interceptor swing arm, CBR600F2 forks and wheels, and a Suzuki T500 fuel tank.

Swapping out the tank was no walk in the park: the Magna has two fuel tanks, with a massive air box in between them. So Sean had to rip everything out and fabricate a new custom air box to house a K&N filter. Getting the wheels and swing arm to fit required a fair amount of machine work, and the forks are attached via the triples from a Nighthawk.

The bike also features a custom subframe and tailpiece, complete with tracker-style number boards. Counterbalance Cycles handled the upholstery, while Knights Kustoms did the paint, pulling inspiration from classic Honda color schemes. Other upgrades include LED lighting, a custom headlight nacelle and fender, and twin two-into-one exhaust systems built with parts from Cone Engineering.

The parts list is exhaustive, the custom work even more so, and the stance and livery are flawless. Sean wonders if the V30 Magna could be the new CX500, and he might just be onto something. [More]

Ducati Mike Hailwood Replica Mike Hailwood is undeniably a legend of the sport, but one of his most remarkable victories came 11 years after he first retired. In 1978 he went back to work, and won the Isle of Man TT at the age of 38.

‘Mike the Bike’ entered the race as a privateer, piloting a Ducati 900 SuperSport. A year later, Ducati cashed in on the fame, and released the limited edition Ducati 900 MHR (Mike Hailwood replica), producing just 7,000 examples.

The MHR was closer to a stock 900SS than the highly custom version Hailwood raced, but its bodywork and livery did a good job of mimicking the style. It also featured a few upgrades: Dell’Orto carbs with velocity stacks, and better performing Conti mufflers. Later models featured an electric start and hydraulic clutch, and eventually a more reliable 973 cc motor.

This 1985 MHR’s just popped up on the auction website Mecum. With only 11,713 miles on the meter it appears to be in tip-top shape, and was bought by its current owner from a Ducati dealer. It’s a stunning slice of history, and, as we’ve said before, one of few bikes we wouldn’t dare customize.

It’s going on the block in mid July, with no current estimate … so start saving. [Via]

Ducati ST4S by Moto Motivo Johann Keyser is a South African living in the US and he’s turned his custom motorcycle hobby into a career, under the banner of Moto Motivo. Some time ago, he built a Ducati ST2 for a client; the owner of this 2005 ST4S spotted that build, and asked Johann to build something similar.

To turn the sports tourer into a cafe racer, Johann started by ditching all of its bodywork. In its place he fitted a Ducati 999 tank, followed by a custom tailpiece that integrates neatly with the rear edge of the tank. The subframe was shortened and narrowed to match.

The ST4S also wears Monster gauges, clip-ons, an aftermarket Harley V-Rod headlight, and a saddle and rear-sets from Japan. The bike came with Öhlins suspension, so Johann turned his attention elsewhere. He installed a set of Monster S4RS wheels with Continental Road Attack 2 tires, wedging the single-sided S4RS swing arm into the frame at the same time.

On the performance side, this ST4S benefits from a set of K&N filters, and a custom-built ceramic coated exhaust system, capped with a yellow carbon fiber Akrapovič can. Johann remapped the ECU too. As for the bright yellow design—that’s a hat tip to the first cafe racer he built as a teenager, and the Alfa Romeos he used to race. [More]

Continue reading...

 

[CarlS]

Most definitely not for ,me!

 

[DaveM]

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS: 1982 Yamaha XT550 ‘La Lupa’ by Francis Von Tuto.

Would you commission a custom build to someone who hadn’t finished their first bike yet? When Francesco Tutino’s good friend and renowned chef Rino found a basket case XT550, he wanted his friend to turn it into something special. Rino is no newcomer to bikes, with a collection of motorcycles ranging from old thumpers to a Ducati Multistrada 1200. His dream was always to have a Yamaha XT550 that...

Source

 

[DaveM]

SULTANS OF STEEL: Harley-Davidson Sportster by Kromworks.

The bespoke motorcycle was essentially how the two-wheeled terrors we love so much first came to life more than a hundred years ago. One or two men often in tiny little engineering shops making machines of their own or for a customer with deep pockets. While some would use their own engine, most would rely on outfits like J.A.P to provide the power plant and build everything else on their own.

Source

 

[DaveM]

French Bob: A dose of vintage flair for the Triumph Bobber

The success of the Triumph Bobber has not gone unnoticed by the more savvy custom shops. It’s the fastest-selling motorcycle in the history of the British brand, but unfortunately it’s tricky to customize—because Triumph largely ‘got it right’ at the design stage.

The French outfit BAAK has just finished this 2020-spec Bonneville Bobber 1200, and it looks superb. But there’s a bigger story than just the bike. The Lyon-based workshop will open new premises in the USA next year, and this Bobber is also a platform for their rapidly expanding parts catalog.

BAAK’s Triumph cleverly takes aspects of the factory design and amps them up further, adding a vintage vibe along the way.

Their goal was to make the Triumph Bobber feel ‘more authentic,’ while adding a little of their own DNA. “Triumph did a good job,” says shop boss Julien Demauge-Bost. “The chassis and engine are great. We simply had to find the right balance to make it more ‘punchy’ and different from the one you can find at your dealership.”

The build was an in-house project, with no client brief, and became a test bed for a new a range of BAAK parts. “But then a customer saw the motorcycle while it was still being built, and fell in love with the style,” says Julien. “He decided to purchase it. It was delivered to him last Saturday.”

BAAK are onto a good thing here, because a second customer also fell in love with the project. He’s ordered a similar build, which will be ready in a few weeks.

Unlike most donor bikes, tweaking a Bobber doesn’t require cutting and welding on a new rear frame—because there isn’t one. This immediately removes a major headache and allows concentration to be focused elsewhere—and in this case, that meant the front end.

BAAK selected an aftermarket springer fork—more commonly fitted to Harleys—and designed and machined a triple trees kit to make it it. They’ve also machined up a new steering column and front wheel axle, plus sundry brake parts that allowed them to keep most of the Bobber brake system.

“That was one of the biggest parts of the job,” says Julien. “And it was very tricky too: we kept the original brake caliper, and redesigned all the parts around it to make things work safely.”

The rear shock has been upgraded to a custom unit, co-designed and manufactured by Shock Factory in France. “Shock Factory is a French brand founded by a former EMC Shocks employee,” says Julien. “We’ve been working with them for years, we believe their products have the best price/quality ratio on the market. A great look, and super-easy to adjust.”

A big visual jolt comes from the disc wheels—or ‘Moon’ wheels, as Julien calls them. BAAK commissioned them from an American manufacturer, in F19/R16 sizes. They’re fitted with Avon Safety Mileage MKII tires.

Triumph’s 1200 cc parallel twin is renowned for its grunt, and is tuned exceptionally well. So BAAK have left the mechanicals alone, replaced the airbox system with free-flowing filters, and installed new stainless steel headers and aluminum mufflers. “The customer can decide whether he keeps the original catalytic converter, or goes for an ‘X-pipe’ and removes the cat.”

No injection mapping was required and the renowned grunt of the Bobber engine remains intact. “The injection auto-adjusts,” says Julien. “The setup is even compatible with the X-pipe system.”

Power now hits the back wheel via a low-maintenance belt drive system developed by the Italian company Free Spirits. Installation is relatively simple, aside from having to reposition a bracket.

The wiring was a lot trickier, though—because removing the bulky stock airbox also revealed a lot of the stock loom. So BAAK built a leather cover to hide everything away neatly.

There’s a new speedo (set into a Bates headlight) and switchgear, which required some creative thinking. “We co-designed a plug-n-play electronic box and wiring harness with one of our manufacturing partners,” says Julien.”We can now offer a plug-n-play speedometer solution for all the latest Triumph models.”

“The electronics are really tricky on this motorcycle: it took us months to achieve a functional solution.”

The 1” pullback bars (and custom clamps) are from the BAAK catalog, and are finished with custom aluminum controls and Biltwell grips. “We also deleted the electronic throttle, relocated the system underneath the gas tank, and developed a cable system,” says Julien.

“So we can keep the ‘Ride-By-Wire’ electronic throttle functional, while running a cable throttle inside the handlebars for a cleaner look. These are the kind of details we enjoy spending time on—it really makes a difference.”

Other slick details include compact LED blinkers, a tire-hugging custom rear fender, a luxurious new leather cover for the seat, and a discreet under-bar rear view mirror. Even the license plate holder is neatly integrated into the build.

It’s a supremely well-sorted build, and BAAK’s customer is very satisfied. “Despite the fork and wheels, it remains easy to ride—very stable and agile,” says Julien. “Our customer took it for a test-ride it last Sunday, mostly in the rain, and described it as a very ‘secure’ machine.”

The good news is that a kit is on the way, so Bobber owners will be able to replicate this style. And BAAK will soon be accepting pre-orders from American customers who want a fully built up bike when the store opens next year.

Would you be tempted by the full kit, or are there a few individual parts you’re eyeballing?

BAAK Motocyclettes | Facebook | Instagram

Continue reading...

 

[DaveM]

CONCOURSE CONDITION: BMW R68 by Revival Cycles.

The year is 1951: the war is over, people have more money to spend on cars and motorcycles, and manufacturers are pushing out more powerful and luxurious models accordingly. The BMW R68 was unveiled at the 1951 German International Motorcycle Show in Frankfurt, proclaiming to be the first 100mph motorcycle – although Mr. Phillip Vincent may have had something to say about that!

Source

 

[DaveM]

Little Wonder: Another knockout Honda Cub from 2LOUD

They say you should never do business with friends. Yet the custom scene is full of builders whose friends who have become clients—and vice versa. And if star builder Ma ‘Max’ Yicheng at 2LOUD Custom happened to be your friend, wouldn’t you be tempted to commission something?

Max and his partner Lu Yongyu have kicked out a solid stream of commercial hits already, but their most recent two builds were done for their nearest and dearest. This bodacious Honda Cub was built for a close friend (it’s his second 2LOUD custom), and at the same time, 2LOUD built a Cub chopper for Max’s girlfriend [below left].

Both scoots turned out great, and what’s more, this Cub’s owner had zero creative input into the project. So we’d say the social circle is still intact.

The scooter started out as an early model 80 cc Cub, but it now has a little more pep in its step. That’s because the Taiwanese shop ripped out the motor, and crammed in a 190 cc Zongshen mill.

It took some frame mods to fit it, and the guys also welded in a new intake manifold—matched up to a Keihin CVK30 carb running a pod filter.

The exhaust is a custom-built stainless steel affair. “It’s not noisy while idling,” says Max, “but gives great performance.”

2LOUD did more to the frame than just mod it for the engine, though. They’ve ‘hardtailed’ it too, and added some reinforcing members up top. The changes were designed digitally first, before Max and Lu put the frame into a jig to execute their ideas.

Up front, you’ll find the forks from a SYM Wolf—a 250 cc commuter bike that’s popular in Taiwan. 2LOUD shortened and polished them, then laced up a pair of 18F/17R aluminum rims, with stainless steel spokes and a SYM front hub.

The front brake was upgraded with a caliper, master cylinder and whopping 300 mm disc, sourced from local brand Frando.

It’s higher up where things get really interesting. The fork’s been converted to a single crown design, with a custom made lower clamp. The top section features a custom arrangement that uses a mountain bike stem to hold the handlebars.

2LOUD fabricated the bars from scratch, and, if you look closely, you’ll see that they actually run all the way down into an integrated front luggage rack. It’s not meant for heavy lifting: the owner loves to barbecue, and the rack is purely for running to the grocery store for supplies.

Up in the cockpit you’ll find Fando controls and reservoirs on both sides of the bars, since 2LOUD upgraded the clutch to a hydraulic system. It’s a neat setup too, with the clutch hose running inside the frame.

The crew made some alterations to the Cub’s main bodywork too. It’s been reshaped a bit, and a fuel filler neck grafted in, so that you don’t need to lift the seat to refuel any more. The battery now sits behind a polished aluminum side cover, and the ignition key’s embedded on the opposite side.

The seat’s covered in two different leathers, and held down via a pair of hand-made stainless steel mounts.

2LOUD picked a color similar to Audi’s Nardo Grey to coat the bike in, right down to the hubs. It’s a cheeky color choice, given the high performance vehicles it normally graces. The irony’s not lost on the Cub’s owner either—the other 2LOUD machine he owns is a far burlier Honda CB1100 cafe racer.

He clearly gets that it’s nice to go slow once in a while … especially if you’re doing so in style.

And Max and Lu can’t seem to put a foot wrong, even when it comes to the little ‘uns. Maybe it’s time to join a scooter gang?

2LOUD Facebook | Instagram | Images by Double Photography

Continue reading...

 

[DaveM]

RAJASTHAN TO ROME: Royal Enfield 500 Bullet by GDesign Custom Motorcycle.

In 2020 the media with which an artist can choose to work with is almost endless; from ceramics to computer generation, paint to pixels, the options are as varied as the art itself. But where some prefer a canvas that can be hung on a wall, others wish to bring their creative expression to life in a truly useable form. Enter 54 year old Giacomo Galbiati of GDesign Custom Motorcycle in Como, Italy.

Source

 

[DaveM]

Fast Family: A WR400 from a father-and-son team

At its heart, motorcycling is a solitary pursuit. But it also brings people together, sharing their enthusiasm and skills when the hand is not on the throttle.

We love stories about kindred souls working together, especially when they involve families—because too often, family anecdotes dwell on parents being unhappy with their offspring heading out on two wheels.

That doesn’t apply to the German father-and-son team Michael and Allen Posenauer, who are based in Offenbach and run AMP Motorcycles. They’ve just finished this very cool Yamaha WR400 F Enduro conversion, and their enthusiasm is infectious.

“We’re doing this as a hobby—as our ‘father/son’ thing,” says Allen.

“Nothing professional, just for fun. We’ve got a workshop in an old office building, and we work on our bikes after hours or on the weekends. It is great to spend time together with my dad.”

The WR400 was launched in the late 1990s, and was replaced after just two years. That’s despite rave reviews, with magazine road testers lauding it as ‘bike of the year’ and even ‘Bike of the Century.’

That makes it the ideal candidate for a flat track conversion. At around 270 pounds fully fueled, and with plenty of tractable, low-end power, the WR should be a strong contender on the dirt.

“It’s our first ‘real’ flat tracker build,” says Allen. “We’ve already built a tracker based on a Honda FT500, but that was for the street.”

Michael and Allen got bitten by the flat track bug last year, when they crossed the border to visit Lelystad—a 300-meter Dutch track with a fine, soft red gravel surface, similar to loamy ‘cushion’ tracks in the US, such as Lima.

Their friend Uwe of Hombrese Bikes located a 1999 WR400, and suddenly AMP was in business. They stripped off all unnecessary components, including those that made the Yamaha road legal, and all the plastic bodywork.

The KYB forks were shortened a tad to level out the stance—and with almost twelve inches of travel, there was plenty of room for adjustment. Moose Racing rims—19 inches front and back—were laced to the stock hubs.

The rubber is Mitas’ H-18 flat track pattern (which incidentally, is also available in a road legal version).

The stock WR400 has a lot of overhang over the back wheel, so AMP have trimmed the rear frame—and got the visual proportions spot on in the process.

The new bodywork is simple, angular and functional, and crafted out of 2mm aluminum. “It’s built freehand,” says Allen, “using bits of cardboard as templates. It’s super fast to dismantle. The front and side plates are also self made, using aluminum.”

The seat pad is equally simple, and covered in a synthetic leather by local saddler Klaus T.

Peaky, unmanageable power is more of a hindrance than an asset in flat track, so AMP have left the WR400’s liquid cooled single cylinder motor alone. They’ve built a new stainless steel exhaust system though, terminated with a home-built muffler. And there’s a new radiator from the German aftermarket specialist Motea, as an insurance policy.

The cockpit follows the ‘less is more’ principle, with virtually naked LSL bars hosting a ProTaper clutch lever and Vans grips (“because they are cool”). And the stripy, monochrome paint is a bare minimum job too.

“The paint job was done by us,” says Allen. You can tell his priorities were elsewhere. “It’s not A+, but it’s good enough for track use.” Mechanically, just about everything else was replaced with new OEM parts, or restored to original condition.

This weekend, Michael and Allen will be returning to Lelystad, and running the WR400 in anger for the first time. Viel Glück, guys!

AMP Motorcycles Instagram | Images by (and with thanks to) Marc Holstein and Christine Gabler

Continue reading...

 

[DaveM]

Custom Bikes Of The Week: 14 June, 2020

A pair of Yamaha TZ racers that have never even been started up, a most unusual 1980s MZ two-stroke, a beastly Honda CBX1000, and a Royal Enfield Bullet 500 gets the steampunk treatment.

MZ ETZ 250 by Kraftrad Noeda Some bikes lend themselves to being turned into cafe racers. According to Martin at Kraftrad Noeda in Germany, a dusty old 1980s MZ two-stroke is not one of them. After being coerced into buying this 1985-model MZ ETZ 250, Martin simply stuck it in the corner of his shop, reluctant to actually work on it.

When he did start tinkering, he and his team quickly realized what they were in for. The stance was all wrong, and the ETZ has an unusual top clamp—so Kraftrad Noeda had to fabricate a new set of triples. Then they extended the swingarm, to increase the MZ’s short wheelbase to something more reasonable.

The new arrangement called for a set of shocks with an uncommon length, so a set of YSS units were milled to fit. But the swingarm’s new angle was causing the chain to rub against the frame, so Martin and his team had to design their own roller guide.

The rest of the work was equally extensive. The motor was rebuilt and taken up to 300 cc, and an exhaust system was built using parts from a KTM 300 and an aftermarket muffler. A Yamaha XS500 tank was reshaped and fitted to the bike, along with a custom-made tail unit. Even though it’s intentionally scrappy-looking, this little MZ should be surprisingly fun to ride. [More]

A pair of untouched Yamaha TZs Our good buddy Tim Huber just stumbled upon a pair of two-stroke auction lots that have our mouths watering: a 1978 Yamaha TZ350 (above) and a 1980 Yamaha TZ500. Both are being sold by the original owner (we’re guessing it’s the same person, since both bikes are in Toyko), and, most miraculously, neither motor has ever been started.

Both of these bikes are thoroughbred two-stroke race bikes. The TZ350 broke cover in 1973 in spectacular fashion, with Finnish racer Jarno Saarinen taking first at the Daytona 200. By 1978, the water-cooled TZ350 was sporting dual piston brakes, and a mono-shock rear suspension arrangement.

The TZ500 was Yamaha’s first commercially-sold road racer, and arguably one of their most iconic models. That’s thanks in no small part to Mr Kenny Roberts, even if the TZ500 was more of a replica than a direct copy of his race bike. Packed with what at the time was considered modern technology, the TZ’s unmistakable silhouette is what really sets it apart. Look at it long enough, and you start to pick out shapes that would come to define sportbike design in the 80s.

If you’re feeling rich, the TZ350 is expected to fetch between ¥1,000,000 and ¥2,000,000 (that’s about $9,315 to $18,630 in US currency), and the TZ500 between ¥5,500,000 and ¥7,500,000 ($51,231 to $69,861). Both bikes will ship with a wooden box of unused spare parts, and the TZ500 even comes with a set of Goodyear slicks.

Honda CBX1000 by Cafe Racer Sspirit One hundred horsepower isn’t mind-blowing by today’s standards, but back in the early 80s it was a big deal—and part of the allure of Honda’s whopping six-cylinder CBX1000. But despite that, the CBX wasn’t a major sales hit, so Honda redesigned it as a sports tourer.

When Spanish shop Cafe Racer Sspirit got their hands on an 81 CBX, they had a clear goal: “Build a powerful and interesting and ‘beastly’ CBX with interesting components.” So they stripped off the fairings, and reworked the 80s sports tourer as a purposeful retro muscle bike. But the changes had to go deeper than just bodywork, so the crew also decided to swap out the Honda’s running gear.

On went a full complement of Triumph Speed Triple 1050 parts, including the forks, wheels, brakes, swingarm and rear shock. If that sounds like a simple plug-and-play job, it wasn’t—it reportedly took a fair amount of finessing to get everything to work. They also added a six-into-one exhaust system from GR Exhaust, and set of Pirelli Supercorsa tires.

Up top, Sspirit shortened and installed the tail cowl from an older CBX, along with a custom seat. Other parts include clip-ons, Tarozzi rear-sets, a Motogadget speedo and turn signals, and an LED headlight. With improved handling, a killer soundtrack and punch-in-the-face looks, this CBX ticks all our boxes. [More]

Royal Enfield Bullet 500 by GDesign The venerable Royal Enfield Bullet is one of the most rudimentary bikes you can still buy today. Italian builder Giacomo Galbiati at GDesign knows this all too well; the simple single-cylinder engine is the reason he picked it for this project.

Giacomo likes to build unusual machines, and so the Royal Enfield combines a board track style with almost steampunk-esque elements. It’s laden with handcrafted pieces—like a split fuel tank that holds the electronics in one half and fuel in the other. It’s adorned with hand-made aluminum wings and a winged gas cap, and the speedo and amp meter are embedded up top.

The front forks are aftermarket units from India specific to the Bullet, but they turned out to be poorly made and rickety. So Giacomo pulled them apart to weld, strengthen and rebuild them. The wheels are off-the-shelf numbers from the UK.

There’s a ton of detailing work on this board tracker—from the subtle split in the repurposed Kawasaki rear fender, to the etching on the velocity stack.

The cockpit’s kitted with swept-back bars, leather-wrapped grips and reverse levers, and the sprung solo saddle’s sporting a stunning contrast stitch. Whether the black and gold combination hits the right notes for you or not, there’s no denying Giacomo poured everything into this build. [More]

Continue reading...

 

[DaveM]

THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION: A pair of Yamaha XV920’s by Moose Motodesign.

Perfection is not so much something we achieve but a dream that we chase. For the automotive designer that pursuit means creating in the customer a deep desire, an emotional aesthetic, that grabs you and draws you in. For Tom Moose of Poland’s Moose Motodesign it has become an obsession and one that centres around the Yamaha XV920. Having previously created a pair of incredible custom cafe racers...

Source

 

[DaveM]

SONG OF SOSA – A Sosa Metalworks Story.

Cristian Sosa of Sosa Metalworks has been working with metal since he was 16 years old, starting his career in hot rod shops and later launching his own custom motorcycle shop with his brother Roberto. This beautifully shot video of Cristian building his latest creation in his hometown of Las Vegas gives us a glimpse into his world. Royal Enfield approached Sosa to build something special using...

Source

 

[DaveM]

Race prep: Secrets of the Fasthouse Ducati Desert Sleds

Today’s ‘modern classic’ scramblers are more show than go. Stylistically, they hark back to the golden years of Californian desert racing—but you wouldn’t want to actually race one across the desert.

There are only a couple of motorcycles that buck this trend, and the Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled is one of them. Even though it’s not a full-blown enduro machine, it’s surprisingly good off-road. So much so, that most reviewers refer to it as “the Scrambler Ducati should have built in the first place.”

To find out just how much abuse it can handle, Ducati North America teamed up with the off-road apparel brand Fasthouse, to race a pair of Desert Sleds in the Mint 400 earlier this year. First held in 1968, the Mint 400 is America’s oldest desert race, taking place in the Nevada desert around Las Vegas.

This year saw the debut of the Hooligan Open class, for 750 cc (and up) production twins to duke it out over two 80-mile laps. That’s the class Ducati and Fasthouse entered, with Jordan Graham (#47) and Ricky Diaz (#51) piloting the two Desert Sleds.

“Ducati North America felt the Desert Sled needed to display its Southern California roots,” explains marketing director, Phil Read Jr, “by actually racing in the desert to show its full capability in the dirt.”

“The Mint 400 has a great history, being North America’s oldest and toughest off-road race. The entire event is far more than just a traditional off-road race—there’s a great celebration around it in Las Vegas. It still has that romanticism built around the old desert racing legends.”

Prepping the bikes for the Mint 400 was the responsibility of the Pikes Peak-winning Spider Grips team. So how did they take these Ducati Scramblers from ‘surprisingly good’ to ‘desert proof?’ With some racing know-how, and a bunch of well-judged upgrades…

One of the most essential changes was a switch from the Scrambler’s 19F/17R wheel combo to a more dirt-worthy 21F/18R setup. Excel rims were laced up the stock Ducati hubs, then wrapped in Pirelli Scorpion rubber, and filled with off-road racing mousse.

Spider Grips needed to extend each bike’s swing arm to fit the bigger rear wheel, so they turned to LA-Based Earle Motors. Alex Earle has designed a set of plug-and-play swing arm extenders for the Scrambler—the same ones he used on his ‘Alaskan‘ build.

Naturally, the suspension got some attention too. Race Tech upgraded the front forks with new tunable internals, and the team fitted custom rear shocks from Fox. Not only does the overall setup perform better, but there’s slightly more stroke to play with now.

Next, the brakes were upgraded with Galfer rotors, and the sprockets with Supersprox parts. And a Scotts Performance steering damper was added to each Sled, for a little more control over the rough stuff.

The Desert Sled has decent ergonomics out-the-box, but these bikes lift the rider experience to a much higher level. The team installed Faast Company’s Flexx handlebars, mounted on extended risers. They’re unusual-looking bars; designed to absorb vibration by way of a system of pivots and elastomers.

Faast Co. also supplied grippy foot pegs—adorned with each rider’s name—and hand guards. The grips are from Spider Grips’ own catalog, and the shifters were upgraded with Hammerhead Designs units.

All of the Desert Sled’s bodywork remained, but the seats were recovered. And the mirrors, license plate holder and all lights (except the tail light) were all ditched.

There’s a number board on the front of each bike now, sitting on fork-mounted clamps (rather than held on with cable ties). Peek just above it, and you’ll notice that the stock dial has been remounted on a sturdier custom-made bracket. And since renegade rocks are an integral part of desert racing, BJ Manufacturing fabricated a pair of burly skid plates.

A few parts came out of Ducati’s own aftermarket catalogue—like the full Termignoni exhaust systems, and the oil cooler protectors. Each bike was tuned with Ducati Performance mapping too.

To make sure both Sleds looked even better than stock, Airtrix Designs whipped up a race livery that riffs off Fasthouse’s brand identity, with some Ducati red in the mix. Gaffer tape was laid down around the edge of each tank’s bolt-on side panels, under the paint, to stop the riders’ pants from getting snagged.

So how did the bikes fare? Pretty good: Graham won the Hooligan Open class by a remarkable 45 minutes, and Diaz would have finished second, had he not smashed his gear shifter in the rock fields on the second lap.

It’s a testament to the Desert Sled’s capability, and the Spider Grips team’s savvy to know just what to tweak to make it truly rowdy. With any luck ‘hooligan’ desert racing is here to stay, and more OEMs will step up to the plate.

Scrambler Ducati | Facebook | Instagram | Fasthouse | Spider Grips | Mint 400 | Images by John Ryan Hebert and Max Mandell

Continue reading...

 

[DaveM]

STRIPPED-DOWN SUPERBIKE: Ducati 1199 Superleggera by Roland Sands Design.

When Ducati first released the 1199 Superleggera in 2014, it was unlike anything else that had ever come before it. Based on the Italian manufacturer’s already impressive Panigale R, the Superleggera featured a magnesium monocoque frame (and wheels), carbon subframe, and a further massaged, higher-revving, 200hp version of the homologation special’s decidedly-potent 1,198cc L-Twin — all cloaked in...

Source

 

[DaveM]

Maxxed Out: Yamaha TMAX 500 by Unikat Motorworks

Folks who ride motorcycles today often started out on scooters, especially in Europe. But Maciej Bielawski of Poland did it the other way round. “I’ve been riding motorbikes since I was a child, starting in the 80s,” he tells us. “But then I switched to scooters. Why? Because they’re easy, especially in the city where I live.”

We can see his point. Some modern maxi-scooters offer motorcycle levels of performance, but with tons of extra convenience—especially for touring or city commuting.

Maciej usually trades his bikes in after one season, but he did not want to part with his 2009 TMAX XP500—even though he acknowledges that it was ‘past its best’ in terms of visual style. “There are several quality ‘maxi scooters’ you can get, but the best of them is the Yamaha,” he says. “It’s like a smart connection between a scooter and a sporty motorbike.”

The XP500 is fast for a scooter, easily topping 100 mph, and handles exceptionally well despite its size. A contemporary road test compared it to a Yamaha R6 on twisty roads (and the monoblock four-piston front brakes are indeed derived from the R6).

To breathe new life into his favorite steed, Maciej got in touch with Grzegorz ‘Greg’ Korczak. Greg is a cinematographer and Oscar-nominated special effects director, but he’s also been running Unikat Motorworks since 2013. His company now has over 200 builds to its name, with four craftsmen turning Greg’s ‘virtual’ creations into reality.

“Maciej wanted his TMAX to look ‘mean’ with a matte black finish,” says Greg. “We have customized two Vespas already, so I knew it would be a very difficult process. It’s more like car reconstruction than motorcycle building, due to the huge and complicated frames and loads of bodywork.”

Greg started researching the TMAX, with little success—this is not a machine that is often customized. “I made calculations in Excel and budgeted for three-to-four months of work,” he recalls. “We shook hands but, business-wise, it was my mistake—the project took more than five months!”

Good things take time, as they say, and we reckon this TMAX is definitely a good thing. The stock bike is a porker at around 221 kilos (489 pounds) wet, so Unikat focused on taking off around 30 kilos of excess weight.

They’ve also added extra horsepower, treating the 499cc parallel-twin engine a free-flowing Malossi air filter and exhaust system.

The heavier work is on the frame. After binning the swathes of plastic, Unikat modified the back end of the aluminum frame to give a shorter side profile, and installed see-through mesh side panels.

“The difficulty was fitting the new fuel tank and cooling system inside a much, much smaller subframe,” says Greg. It took many more hours of work than planned, but Greg decided to stick to the agreed budget and swallow the cost.

The plush new seat follows the curved contours of the new rear tubing, but after getting everything to fit, Greg went through two separate leather treatments before he was happy with the third. The grips are in matching leather too.

Wind protection comes from a modified BMW C400 fairing, with metal ‘wings’ on either side, a new Highsider headlight and discreet LED strips to match those hidden under the mesh at the rear.

There’s a Motogadget Motoscope Mini speedo behind the fairing, and a Motogadget m.lock remote ignition system connected up to the modified wiring loom.

The finishing is a mix of powdercoating and anodizing, with many parts sandblasted back to bare metal and recoated for a factory-fresh look. “During the design process, we both agreed that there’s more to design than just black,” says Greg. “The paint is a satin, semi-gloss charcoal color, and the brown leather seat is a perfect warm contrast. All that’s left from the original TMAX are the gold wheels.”

Black and gold always looks good, and the cherry on the top of this cake is the machined gold-colored fuel cap flushed into the seat unit.

The TMAX is not our usual fare, but we reckon this one will be a riot to ride, and is the perfect custom for a European city commuter. “It’s really fast and sporty in terms of handling,” says Greg. “And it’s truly ‘one of one.’ I believe it’s the most exclusive scooter ever built.”

Maxi scooters have always had something of an image problem, but if manufacturers took a few cues from this build, maybe the market would expand. And as congestion rises in cities and local authorities clamp down on car access, that can only be A Good Thing.

UNIKAT Motorworks | Facebook | Instagram

Continue reading...