Custom Motorcycle Builds

[DaveM]

Bruiser: A Harley Softail drag bike from Belgium

We’ve followed the wacky Sultans of Sprint race series since day one, impressed by the outrageous purpose-built machines that some of our favorite custom builders have produced for it. But the series is much bigger than what we’ve touched on here. Because for every high profile shop or manufacturer with an entry, there’s a hidden gem waiting to be discovered.

This unapologetic 2000-model Harley-Davidson Softail is one of them. It was customized by Bruno Belva of BG-Garage Custom, for its owner and series competitor, Rudy.

The Belgian Softail actually first ran in the 2019 season in the Sultans of Sprint’s ‘Freak Class’—but this is the first time we’ve laid eyes on it. And it’s the first time we’ve seen Bruno’s work, too, even though he’s been operating for six years already.

Based in Pont-à-Celles, a small town some 50 km south of Brussels, Bruno splits his time between working on bikes and cars and his day job in the pharmaceutical industry. His workshop is decidedly old school, full of manual machining equipment and nary a 3D printer or CNC machine in sight.

Sultans of Sprint is as much about looking good as it is going fast… but bikes do need to be fast. So for this project, Bruno focused on chassis and weight improvements, and eked a little more juice out of the motor.

Up front are the upside-down forks from a Ducati Monster, tuned to match the weight of the Harley. The wheels were scalped from a Ducati Scrambler, measuring 18” in the front and 17” in the back, and weighing far less than the original hoops.

The front wheel was modified to take a second brake disc, and the back wheel needed extensive work to fit the Harley swingarm. They’re pictured here with the Ducati Scrambler’s OEM tire, the Pirelli MT60, but Rudy races the bike with Michelin track tires.

For the brakes, Bruno installed a set of Brembos from a Ducati 996, mounted up on his own custom aluminum adapters.

The motor is stock inside, but features a number of interesting upgrades. Bruno installed twin Dell’Orto carbs with velocity stacks, and built a stunning asymmetrical exhaust system. And he added a shifting system from Kliktronic, so that Rudy can change gears via buttons on the handlebar.

The bodywork on this Softail is all about tucking in to go fast. Bruno reworked the back end of the bike with a hand-made stainless steel tail section, capped off with a spacious seat. Various electronic components have been repackaged in a tidy box underneath it.

The fuel tank is of unknown origin, but is most likely from a vintage 50cc—it still wears its patina, along with a commemorative 500 Francs coin from 1980, embedded in the filler cap.

Up in the cockpit are LSL clip ons, with race-style switches and levers from Braking, and custom-made rearset foot pegs lower down. This Harley dragster has an LED headlight and a pair of discreet taillights too, because Rudy actually runs it on the street sometimes.

Despite the amount of work jammed into the bike, Bruno reports that he didn’t actually have a lot of time to build it. But he met the brief; the Harley impressed on the track, and Rudy’s happy.

“Rudy had really good results with this bike and won a lot of races,” says Bruno, “probably because he has a really good feeling for that kind of sprint. He is a really good racer.”

With last year’s race season canceled by the pandemic, Rudy’s kept the Harley on ice. We’re holding thumbs that the Sultans of Sprint return soon, so that we can see more oddball customs like this tear up the drag strip.

BG-Garage Custom Instagram | Images by (and with thanks to) Sébastien Laurent

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[DaveM]

TURN AND BURN: Kawasaki W800 ‘Maverick’ by Shif Customs.

Seinfeld fans hear about a ‘journey from Milan’ and instantly recall George’s obsession with an erotic movie from his local video store, Rochelle Rochelle. But it’s always been the Tom Cruise, high flying, hard riding flick from the ’80s that always got the owner of this fine machine going. So while this bike is known as Maverick, both journey’s end in the city of Minsk, the home of Shif Custom.

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[DaveM]

Table for two: A Virago for a chef and his wife

Like the Honda CX500, the Yamaha Virago is one of those “sow’s ear” bikes: it’s a challenge to make a silk purse out of it. Plenty of custom builders have taken the bait, and a few have succeeded.

This Virago from Kerkus in Malaysia is an oddball example, but there’s a reason for it. “The owner is a chef and runs a restaurant,” says shop founder Azahar. “He had an accident on this bike a few years back. He came to us wanting to transform it ‘Kerkus-style’—but he also wanted us to design it so that his wife can sit on the back. That’s hard!”

Azahar and his co-founder Raveen have traditionally focused on single seater, café racer builds. But with the pandemic hitting hard in Southeast Asia, they were not in a position to turn down work.

The Virago was Yamaha’s first V-twin chopper-style bike, and originally sported monoshock suspension before switching to conventional dual shocks. This one is a 1995 model, which came with an air-cooled 75-degree V-twin engine—pumping out 61 hp, and a solid 62 ft lb of torque at a leisurely 3,000 rpm.

This particular machine had been parked up for a few years, so Azahar and Raveen serviced the engine and managed to get it running again. The stock air filter was damaged in the accident, so Kerkus took what remained of it and re-fashioned a new cover.

Then they rebuilt the seized brakes, refurbished the suspension, and dropped the forks an inch to level out the stance.

Then it was time to fire up the grinders. The rear frame from the upper shock mounting points is new, with a sharp-edged tail unit doing double duty as a fender and seat support. The original shocks have been replaced with Triumph Bonneville items, slightly longer than standard.

Like the original, the new seat is comfortably padded and stepped—but the cheesy ‘king and queen’ vibe is gone. With plush upholstery and diamond stitching, it’s not a style we often see in the alt.moto scene, but with a rider on board, it looks just fine.

There’s a discreet custom-made battery box right underneath, with the fuel pump alongside. “The pump needed to be relocated, to allow the custom exhaust pipe to flow properly from the engine to the back.”

The exhaust has been designed to look like straight pipes, but thankfully there are hidden baffles inside to keep noise levels down.

The tank is from a Yamaha RXS, a compact two-stroke that was sold at the same time as the XV100 and is popular in Malaysia. Kerkus have topped it off with a custom aluminum cap and used the petcock from a more modern Yamaha DragStar cruiser.

There’s a distinctly avant-garde touch at the front end, with a fairing minus its windshield. “The bike needed it to hide the long, long forks,” says Azahar. The fairing is made from fiberglass and Azahar fabricated custom brackets to get the fit just right.

The bars have gone from high to low, with adjustable clipons so that the owner can change the angle to suit his wrists. Kerkus have dressed them with Rizoma grips and bar end mirrors, plus brake and clutch levers from a local Malaysian brand.

In Malaysia, the XV1100 was delivered with alloy wheels, rather than the spoked wheels used in many other markets. It suits the look of this machine, and there’s new Bridgestone rubber all round—a Battle Wing at the front, and an Exedra Max at the back.

Kerkus finish most of their customs in black and silver, and the signature color works well here—especially on the engine, where the raw metal has been treated to a classy satin black finish, and on the wheels.

It’s not your typical Virago custom and hardly a conventional cafe racer style, but we reckon this Yammie is going to get some serious mileage. Very tasty work indeed.

Kerkus Motorworks | Facebook | Instagram

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[DaveM]

FATHER & SON RESTO: 1965 BSA Trail Bronc by LC Fabrications.

We all know one of those guys who has the coolest collection of motorcycles in his garage. You know him – he’s been hoarding bikes and parts for decades. And if you don’t know someone like that, then chances are you’ve at least heard stories of these local legends. Jeremy, from LC Fabrications in Virginia, is friends with such a man, named Bobby, who has been collecting bikes for years...

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, 21 February 2021

This week we’ve got a stripped-back Indian FTR 1200 from France, thoughts on the return of Buell, and a details of tweaked Honda Gold Wing from Italy. And we take a look at BAAK’s new custom workshop in Los Angeles.

Indian FTR 1200 by Sur Les Chapeaux De Roues The SLCDR workshop is in the middle of nowhere—the tiny village of Tréméven in Brittany, France. But shop founder Manuel Jouan has a sense of style (and the skills) to rival any of his cosmopolitan competitors.

This FTR 1200 is his latest build, and it’s a little deceptive. “Substantial work has been done on this bike, even if it’s not apparent at first glance,” he says.

The rear of the frame has been completely rebuilt, and Manuel has built a new aluminum fuel tank to fit around it. The tank is under the saddle, and now runs almost the entire length of the frame.

Removing the stock air box has freed up space to increase the tank capacity, which is now five liters more than the 13 liters of the original. The new saddle is upholstered in leather, and Manuel has hand-formed a compact aluminum tail unit to cover the new frame tubing.

To showcase the 1,203cc V-twin, he’s also repositioned the oil cooler, and snuck a tiny lithium battery into a box under the swingarm. And the huge stock muffler is gone: there’s new pipework terminated with a more compact SC Project muffler.

The stock headlight surround is gone too, with the lens now housed within a conventional bucket, and the indicators have been swapped out for small Kellerman units.

The fake aluminum ‘tank’ cover is new, and now holds the instruments as well as a pop-up cap. The paint is sober but elegant, with a mix of gray and metallic black.

“The ‘working directive’ on this bike was to purify as much as possible, while keeping the functionality,” says Manuel. “All the plastic parts and covers have therefore been removed or remanufactured, with better materials.”

It’s a classy and restrained update for a bike that already looks good straight out the box. We reckon it’ll be perfect for blasting around the picturesque coastal roads of Brittany. [More | Images by Charles Séguy]

The Return of Buell (kind of) The saga of the Great American Sportbike continues. Buell is a name that just won’t go away, and liquidation specialist Bill Melvin has just resuscitated it again.

Melvin was the man Harley-Davidson turned to when it shut down the brand in 2009. And when Erik Buell hit trouble with his reborn Erik Buell Racing company in 2016, Melvin was the man who stepped in once again.

These days, Erik devotes his efforts to the electric moto company Fuell, but Melvin has fired up the Buell factory in Grand Rapids, and launched four ‘new’ models.

Two of them—the 1190RX Hammerhead sportbike above and the streetfighter-ish 1190SX, below—seem to be minor developments of previous Buell models. All use the familiar 1190cc Rotax V-twin, which pumps out an impressive 185 hp.

Then there’s the niche 1190 HCR racing dirt bike, which won last year’s AMA National Championship.

The fourth model announced is an adventure bike called ‘1190 Super Touring,’ [header image and below] and is due to go on sale in 2023. It’s more of an old school bike than most giant ADVs—no doubt because rider aids are expensive to develop. But it could give potential buyers of the H-D Pan America (launching tomorrow) pause for thought.

There’s no doubting CEO Bill Melvin’s enthusiasm for the brand. And his pockets are undoubtedly deep, despite the new Buell website being hosted on the bargain basement Wix platform—which costs a mere handful of bucks a month. But on the other hand, the ‘new’ range looks like a rehash. And as they say, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.”

Melvin says that ten models will be on sale by 2024, using four different engine platforms. If the company is going to thrive, we suspect it’ll be these unknown models that will need to sustain it. [Buell Motorcycles]

Honda GL 1200 Aspencade by North East Custom Many custom shops split their time between full-on builds and light refreshes, which are faster to turn around and keep the cash flow going. And Italy’s North East Custom is no exception.

In the mid 80s, the top of the range Gold Wing was the Aspencade. Despite weighing well over 700 pounds, it had a top speed of around 150 mph, air suspension, an on-board sound system … and plastic bodywork that looks somewhat questionable today.

So NE Custom set out to ‘taper and streamline’ the iconic tourer. They’ve fitted a Honda CB900 Bol d’Or fairing, which maintains the retro vibe and protection, but looks much better.

The giant saddlebags have been swapped out for ex-Police Moto Guzzi units, there’s a new seat with a much tidier look, and the fuel cap has been moved to the top of the slightly reshaped tank. Ancillary headlights are mounted to crash bars, bringing the lighting up to 21st century wattage levels.

The Aspencade is still supremely practical, and still perfectly capable of a cross-continental dash without breaking sweat. Proof that sometimes less is more when it comes to customizing older bikes. [More | Images by Filippo Molena]

BAAK opens shop in Los Angeles Good news for Californian fans of Euro custom style: the leading French workshop BAAK has just opened an outpost in L.A., to supplement its headquarters in Lyon.

“When we were just operating out of Lyon, we were limited to only shipping custom parts to the US,” says new local boss Laura Favier. “Now we are able to design and handcraft bikes to be delivered to every state in America.”

“Anyone looking for a reliable shop to build a dream bike should look no further. We transform brand-new Triumph ‘Modern Classics, BMW R nineTs, the Moto Guzzi V7 and V9, and Royal Enfields.”

The custom Triumph Bobber shown here is already in the US, and a terrific example of BAAK’s slick style. If you’re within driving range of L.A., pay them a visit at 108 East Prospect Avenue, Burbank. Drop Laura a line beforehand via email. [BAAK USA]

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[DaveM]

FAST & FRENCH: Honda VT750S by Steel Bike Concept.

There’s a vast spectrum of motorcycle customization, from stock bikes with a few aftermarket bolt-on bits to entirely bespoke creations where pretty much everything save for the powertrain and running gear has been custom-built from the ground up. And though projects at the latter end of this spectrum are markedly more costly and time-consuming, they have the ability to yield far more...

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[DaveM]

Play Mystic for Me: A BMW R80R scrambler from Warsaw

BMW Motorrad has a few quirky gems in the back catalog—like the early-90s R80R Mystic. As one of the last two-valve boxers before the four-valve ‘1100’ took over, the Mystic bundled some of BMW’s newer tech into a ‘factory custom’ aesthetic that didn’t quite gel.

Released as both R80 and R100 versions (depending on your country), the Mystic was sort of a road-going version of the adventure travel R100GS. It borrowed the GS’s tank, seat and burly Paralever swingarm, and it came with 18F/17R tubeless spoked wheels. But it had some retro touches too—like BMW’s older ‘peanut’ valve covers, and a chromed headlight bucket and clocks.

So while it’s a bit of an oddball in standard trim, it has great bones for custom work. And that’s exactly why 86 Gear Motorcycles in Warsaw, Poland, picked it for this project.

“The customer wanted a reliable, classic BMW two-valve airhead engine, with the best possible technical solutions on it, like spoked wheels and a Paralever rear suspension,” says the shop’s media spokesperson, Aleksander Ilcewicz. “The choice was limited to either the GS range or the Mystic model.”

Led by founder Christian Boosen, 86 Gear sourced a 1994 R80R Mystic, and got down to proving just how much potential the bike has. Between the retrofitted 80s fuel tank and a host of subtle upgrades, this scrambler is not only handsome, but a true sleeper too.

For starters, it’s not an R80 any more. 86 Gear tore into the motor and upgraded it with a 1070 cc kit from Siebenrock, an asymmetrical camshaft, polished ports and valves, and reconditioned heads. The carbs breathe through a pair of K&N filters, with off-the-shelf Spark mufflers matched to custom headers.

The bike was rewired too, using a Motogadget mo.unit Blue, hidden under the tank. There’s also an updated regulator, and the starter motor was refurbished. 86 Gear opted for a chunky gel battery, because their client wanted the big boxer to fire up every time—even if it’s been standing.

With the Mystic now punching out around 85 hp, 86 Gear decided to refresh the OEM Brembo front brakes—adding new discs, and KustomTech brake and clutch controls.

86 Gear’s client wanted the bike to sit higher, so they installed a longer YSS shock out back. The stock right-side-up forks keep things period correct, but they’ve been rebuilt and upgraded internally, with a new set of progressive springs.

The stock wheels fit the brief perfectly, so they were simply redone in black, and wrapped in Dunlop Trailmax 58 tires.

This 90s boxer also has a deceptive resto-mod vibe to it, thanks to a clever tank swap. 86 Gear installed a pre-90s unit, modifying its tunnel to not only fit the frame, but also to leave space for the electronic components. It wears shiny new BMW roundels, and a Monza-style filler cap.

The subframe and seat are actually aftermarket units, but they didn’t quite fit the Mystic out of the box, so the team had to employ some heavy tweaking. Everything now fits perfectly, with integrated rear LED lighting from Highsider, and a seat release system that uses the bike’s main key. The license plate sits on a custom-made side-mounted bracket, attached to the swingarm.

Up front you’ll find an LED headlight, new triples from Sport-Evolution, and adjustable raised clip-ons from ABM. The bar-end mirrors are from Highsider, the speedo and switches are Motogadget parts, and the cockpit wiring runs inside the bars.

The final paint scheme is striking and minimal—a simple gloss-on-matte black affair, as per the client’s request. But the overall finishing work on this project was complex. The frame, swingarm and engine were all coated in black, all the alloy bits were polished, and smaller metal parts that are prone to corrosion were either chromed or zinc plate.

Most of the work was done in-house, with a little help from Adrian Figura at Scrambler74 (welding), and Lukasz Okrasko (paint).

Dubbed ‘The 71st Gear’ (it’s how 86 Gear number their builds), this handsome scrambler is a testament to just how good the Mystic can look—and just how sharp 86 Gear’s eye is.

86 Gear Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Bartek Zaranek Photography

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[DaveM]

BMW IN HIS BLOOD: 1985 K100RS by K Bike Cafe.

Maybe there is something in the water, a hidden venom or a secret spider, because for certain people a brand gets into their blood and there’s no letting go. Be it two wheels or four, for Ron Dey from Arkansas he’s totally obsessed with the best of Bavarian, anything BMW. Having spent his early years in the car side of their catalogue, by the time he was finally drawn to motorcycles the K series...

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[DaveM]

Snake charmer: Renard’s wild ‘Anaconda’ Honda XBR500

Estonia is one of the smallest countries in Europe, with a population of just 1.3 million people—about the same as the city of Dallas. But it’s home to one of Europe’s top custom houses, Renard Speed Shop.

Shop boss Andres Uibomäe is an eclectic at heart, chasing quality and style rather than a signature ‘look.’ And his brilliant Honda XBR500 looks like nothing else we’ve seen: a mashup of trad custom paint, modern components and quirky styling flourishes.

Even the name is unusual. Andres has called his latest creation Anaconda, a rhyme inspired by Rhonda The Honda—the name adventurer Steph Jeavons gave to the bike she used for her seven-continent, global circumnavigation.

Renard bikes get a great reception on these pages, and that has spurred Andres to be brave. “Good feedback on Bike EXIF has prompted us to create something totally different this time,” he says.

“Something colorful, something playful and original. This build is a composite of 70s American paint schemes, 80s Japanese engineering … and 2020s Corona lockdown.”

As a donor bike, though, the XBR500 was not Honda’s finest hour. It deserved far more success than it got, and was powered by a punchy 44hp four-valve single. But it went head-to-head with the much less sophisticated Yamaha SR500—and lost.

“This is an XBR from 1988,” says Andres. “A good bike to ride but not that popular. Its motor uses the same base as the Dominator, but the capacity has been reduced from 650 to 500.”

The dry-sump engine was in good condition and the XBR frame has good bones, so Renard have mostly kept them original. “But everything else is either changed or modified.”

The engine is now fed by a Mikuni TM40 flat slide carb, with a custom air filter holder fashioned out of 80 mm steel tube. The oil tank underneath is a repurposed fire extinguisher, of all things.

Gases exit via a custom exhaust system, complete with heat shield, with a SuperTrapp muffler cheekily adorned with a Yoshimura sticker.

There’s a new swingarm to replace the ugly box section original, crafted from tubing that more closely matches the frame. The rear fender is a modified and widened front fender from a 1960s Jawa 50cc bike, and the shocks are Marzocchis from an SWM.

The back wheel is original, but the front one comes from an early-model Honda Gold Wing. Renard have lowered the forks a little, and there’s a new six-piston Beringer brake setup to replace the weedy stock two-piston arrangement.

Behind the vintage car fog light are aftermarket bars, dressed with brown rubber ‘Vintage’ grips from the Spanish maker Puig.

The switchgear is Renard’s own proprietary design, flanked by Beringer levers, and a Motogadget Motoscope Tiny speedo in the middle. Tiny LED turn signals from Kellermann are neatly attached to the back of the fork stanchions.

The tank is the centerpiece, but its origins are a bit of a mystery. “It’s from an old Cagiva,” Andres reveals. “I don’t know exactly which model.” The amazing paint and graphics were done with the help of Jarmo Nuutre of One Eyed Morse Kustoms.

Renard made the seat using natural leather, then painted it with an airbrush, and oiled it with products designed for Red Wing boots—“to get a vintage look and feel.” Another example of Renard’s attention to detail is the ignition key, designed to look like a guitar input plug.

It’s all absolutely mad and very entertaining too. If you’re as charmed by Anaconda as we are, hit up Andres via the Renard website—the bike is for sale.

Renard Speed Shop | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Kalle Veesaar

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[DaveM]

10 YEARS ON: The F1 Tracker by Marcus Carlsson.

When Marcus “MotoDesign” Carlsson released his F1 Tracker in 2011, it’s fair to say that it caused something of a stir! Some people revelled in the unique style and skill, while others (perhaps the majority) aghast at the sight of such an over-the-top air scoop, spurned the build. I find these aesthetic eccentricities endearing and haven’t looked back since adding it to my collection in 2015.

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[DaveM]

Box Fresh: A zero mile Honda CB750 Cafe Racer

For custom motorcycle builders that skew towards older bikes, nothing satisfies quite like finding a clean, low-mileage donor. But finding a motor with literally zero miles on it? That’s the Holy Grail.

This purposeful cafe racer was built from two components: a beat-up 1992 Honda CB750, and a separate CB750 engine that had never been fired up. It’s the work of Holger Breuer, who builds bikes part time as HB-Custom from his workshop in the German maritime town, Husum.

The commission came from a customer who already had one HB-Custom creation in his garage, and wanted a second. He also supplied the donor bike and extra Honda motor—which has a remarkable story behind it. “The engine was originally in a brand new bike,” explains Holger, “which was damaged heavily during transport from Japan to Europe.”

“The frame was ready for the scrap metal heap, but the engine did not take any damage. Since then, it never ran… until two weeks ago.”

Popping a brand new engine into the chassis meant Holger could focus on the rest of the bike—but it also removed the temptation to crack the cases open. Instead, Ingo Wrubel from Old School Superbikes was called in to eke out as much power as possible.

With a Mikuni RS 34 mm carb kit and twin K&N filters, plus clever tuning, the CB750 now records a hefty 78 PS at the rear wheel.

The burly exhaust system is a four-into-one system from Cobra, but Holger modified the mid section to run it higher and tighter.

Moving to the chassis, Holger swapped the fork internals for Wilbers parts, and installed a new pair of Öhlins shocks out back. The wheels and brakes are stock, but they’ve been upgraded with a new set of Brembo wave discs.

For the bodywork, Holger meshed together the Honda’s OEM fuel tank with a couple of clever add-ons. The front fairing is actually off a BMW R nineT Racer; Holger used its mounting bracket too, but tweaked it to attach it to the Honda’s steering neck.

The LED headlight inside the fairing is a JVB-Moto unit.

The Honda’s owner wanted a cafe racer, but he also wanted the ability to ride two-up. So Holger built a two-person seat, with a hand-made aluminum tail bump that can easily be removed. The license plate sits further down, on a swing-arm mounted bracket that also holds a pair of taillight and turn signal combo LEDs.

Holger’s take on the CB750 doesn’t maintain a classic straight bone line, but that’s intentional, and it plays into the aesthetics of the original fuel tank, too. So the subframe’s completely new, and deliberately kinked. “It was important for me to have this small step up,” he explains, “because just having a straight subframe looks too boring.”

Most of the cockpit is new too, with a set of Motogadget parts that include the digital speedo, grips, switches and bar-end turn signals. The clip-ons are from Gilles Tooling, the throttle’s a Domino part, and there are LSL foot controls further down.

Holger also installed hydraulic brake and clutch controls from Magura, along with a Magura Hymec hydraulic clutch conversion.

HB-Custom builds are known for being classy and tastefully judged, and this CB750’s livery drives that point home beautifully, with a grey paint code from Mercedes’ AMG catalog. The branding’s neat too, with a set of Honda ‘wings’ on the tank, and the company’s corporate logo on the tail.

And if you look closely, you’ll also notice that the gold controls up front match the shock reservoirs out back.

Thanks to the global pandemic, Holger’s client had to exercise massive amounts of faith, since lockdown restrictions prevented him from visiting the workshop during the build. In fact, he couldn’t even pick it up when it was done—a professional bike delivery service had to handle that.

Now that it’s in his hands though, we bet he’s amped to start racking up some miles—decades after the engine left the factory.

H-B Custom | Instagram | Images by Emayat Wahab

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[DaveM]

AESTHETIC ADVENTURE: KTM 790 ‘Urban Assault’ by Roland Sands Design.

There is no doubt that KTM makes a hell of a motorcycle and their almost instant success in MotoGP is proof positive of the Austrian company’s engineering prowess. But the styling of their bikes is a love or hate affair and unless your favourite colour is orange then their paint schemes won’t do much for you either. Enter Roland Sands, a man who has built more custom bikes than most people have...

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[DaveM]

Sportiv: A more muscular BMW R18 from FCR Original

Few new bike launches have been as controversial as the BMW R18. Seeing a German contender in the cruiser market has perplexed many people, and some of the styling touches—such as the fishtail mufflers—have furrowed a few brows.

But as multiple road tests have since pointed out, the R18 is a cracking good example of the genre. And custom builders have been quick to whip out the grinders and reconfigure the biggest ever boxer.

The latest workshop to tackle the R18 is FCR Original, led by Sébastien Guillemot. With the help of the Parisian BMW dealer Bärenstark, he got a brand new R18 delivered to his workshop—a four-hour ride south, in the small rural town of Chauvigny.

Sébastien and his crew have gone for a sporty vibe, dialing down the classic elegance of BMW’s ‘First Edition’ styling and amping up the muscle factor—a German FXDR, if you like. They’re calling this machine the ‘Sport Edition,’ and planning is already underway for a short run of customs in this style.

It’s an unusual approach for FCR, who usually go for a classy, nickel-plated vintage style. But BMW have already nailed that angle with the stock bike.

The biggest change to the character of the bike is the new exhaust pipework, which is virtually straight through. Sébastien describes the sound as “raucous and powerful,” and we believe him.

It’s matched to a new intake system, “to replace the original plastic parts that are too big,” says Sébastien. “Our design office redrew the intake pipes in 3D and printed them, before creating the final parts in aluminum using CNC. We also made a new support for the original intake itself. The air filters are now K&N.”

With all the noise and emissions constraints removed, we reckon this R18 will be putting out considerably more grunt than the standard 91 hp.

The big boxer looks even more impressive than usual too: everything has been repainted in black. It meant dismantling the entire engine, but the effort was worth it.

The enormous valve covers are now carbon fiber. “We designed these in 3D and then printed molds for the carbon.” There’s a new ‘Sport Edition’ engine plate too, just to ram the point home.

On the dynamic front, the biggest change is the wheel size. The stock bike runs F19/R16, and FCR have switched this to F18/R17 to balance things out. “We wanted to keep the bike easy to ride, and didn’t want to put a big tire on the back—which would make the bike feel ‘heavier’ to ride,” says Sébastien.

The wheels are painted in a gloss black, and were assembled and finished in the FCR workshop. The R18 normally runs Bridgestone Battlecruise or Michelin Commander rubber, but FCR have fitted sportier Michelin Road 5 GT tires.

The stubby exhaust is the biggest—and most needed, according to some—visual hit here, but other tweaks include close-fitting aluminum fenders and new bars, which are narrower and have less pullback than the stock bars.

FCR have refitted the standard (and perfectly fine) controls, but changed the brake and clutch master cylinders to Beringer items. The compact turn signals are FCR’s proprietary items, installed on custom brackets, and at the back they double as brake lights.

On the factory R18 the seat is a deep v-shape, filling the gap above the hardtail-style rear frame tubes. FCR have opened things up with a more compact bobber-style seat that moves the rider closer to the bars and reduces the visual bulk.

“It’s a custom-made kit which will be available on our website in the coming weeks,” says Sébastien. “The aluminum saddle support is adjustable, with three positions to suit the size of the rider. The upholstery is Alcantara.”

After meticulously taking apart and painting all the hard parts black—right down to the driveshaft and brake calipers—the FCR crew turned their attention to the bodywork. They’ve settled on a simple and traditional BMW Pur Metal silver.

We’re digging the style and suspect it’s also pre-empted a future sporty version from BMW. If you’re an R18 early adopter, keep an eye on the FCR website as the components become available. There’s a ‘bobber’ version listed there, too …

FCR Original | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Mitch Canon

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, 28 February 2021

If you’re a fan of Japanese inline fours, this is your week. We’ve lined up Kawasaki GPz1100 and Kawasaki KZ1000 restomods, and a Honda CB750 cafe racer. Then we go in the opposite direction, with a look at Harley-Davidson’s new Pan America adventure tourer.

Kawasaki GPz1100 by dB Customs The 80s was a fantastic era for superbike development. Bikes were simultaneously shedding the UJM styling of the 70s, and getting faster—and the GPz1100 epitomizes that, making it ripe for the restomod treatment.

This wild GPz comes from Darren Begg at dB Customs in Canada, who has a thing for throwing performance upgrades at 80s bangers. This project was no different, and features everything from an engine rebuild to new suspension components.

Inside the motor you’ll find a set of 1,170 cc forged Wiseco pistons with upgraded cams. The carbs are 35 mm Keihin FCRs from JB-Power, and the exhaust is a hand-bent four-into-one titanium unit. The clutch has been converted to a hydraulic system, with Spiegler clutch and brake lines throughout.

Moving to the running gear, Darren modified a Suzuki GSX-R600 swingarm to work with the Kawasaki, then installed Öhlins suspension components at both ends. The wheels are forged aluminum items from OZ Racing, and the brakes are from Brembo.

The bodywork and graphics are still period correct, with Sketch’s Ink responsible for the paint and Cerakote work, and not a single vinyl decal in sight.

From the billet aluminum rear-set brackets to the subtle tweaks to the cockpit, almost every inch of this retro-fabulous Kawasaki’s been tweaked to perfection [Via]

Kawasaki KZ1000 by AC Sanctuary With all respect to Darren’s work, AC Sanctuary wrote the book on Japanese superbike restomods. They recently buttoned up this late 70s Kawasaki KZ1000 Mk II, and it’s an absolute show stopper.

We’ve done our best to scalp information from AC Sanctuary’s Japanese website, but our favorite part is where they praise their client’s taste, because he opted for a complete overhaul rather than a ‘bolt-on’ custom. So as you’d imagine, the work here was extensive—starting with an engine rebuild and capacity bump.

AC Sanctuary also rebuilt the crank shaft, changed the cams, and installed a high performance oil pump. The engine breathes in through a set of Yoshimura Keihin carbs with velocity stacks, and out via a hand-bent four-into-one titanium exhaust system from Nitro Racing.

Just like the dB Customs Kawa, this KZ’s sporting Öhlins suspension, OZ Racing wheels and Brembo brakes, along with a custom aluminum swingarm and a carbon fiber rear hugger.

Fans of old school superbikes will appreciate that AC Sanctuary have kept the KZ’s signature ducktail rear end in play, but the seat unit itself is actually a modern (and improved) replica part. Twin clocks and a big ol’ round headlight drive home the retro feel, and the bike’s finished off with a sublime black livery, with double pin stripes and textured inlays. [More]

Seeley Honda CB750 by René Tollkühn Herr Tollkühn probably knows more about historic cafe racers than most people—he’s the founder of the German website Cafe Racer Forum, which boasts 20,000 registered users. Building and amassing road and track motorcycles is his hobby of choice, and judging by this well-judged Seeley-framed cafe racer, he’s no hack.

“This bike is one of only 302 Seeley Hondas based on the CB750 Four from 1977,” says René. “Before retiring into historic racing, Colin Seeley built a series of frames for the Honda CB750 SOHC/4. Unlike its English competitors Dresda, Spondon, Rickman and Harris, the Seeley frame was designed in such a way that it could accept most of the other CB750 components along with the engine, which simplified the conversion process.”

René originally picked up this particular example in a shoddy state from a seller in Austria. Then he spent four years rebuilding it into a road-going cafe racer that would suit his taste, while also converting a second Seeley CB for track use.

All that remains of the donor bike now is its stunning nickel-plated double-loop Reynolds 531 chromoly frame, and the Honda engine block, wheel hubs and switchgear. But even those have been optimized and tuned, with a set of flat-slide carbs and a Schüle manifold system to boost performance.

The fairing and tail section are both custom aluminum pieces, along with the new oil tank. The front end’s from a 1988 Yamaha Fazer, the wheels rims are high-shoulder aluminum items on the OEM Honda hubs, and the tires are Continental Road Attack 2s. From the new foot and hand controls, to the smattering of Motogadget bits and the impeccable finishes, this customized classic is as tidy as it is unique. [More]

Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 It’s become fashionable to second guess everything The Motor Co. does these days, but the reveal of their first adventure bike this week included a few pleasant surprises. That’s because the new Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 actually stacks up pretty well against the competition, on paper.

Get past the Pan America’s polarizing looks (I love it, Chris doesn’t), and you’ll find a purpose-built adventure tourer with a 150 hp and 127 Nm motor, and a wet weight of 534 lbs. With a starting price of $17,319 for the base model, it’s a hair cheaper than a base model BMW R1250GS—but with comparable numbers.

A quick rundown of the Pan America’s spec sheet shows a three-piece chassis that uses the motor as a stressed member, an aluminum swingarm, and 19F/17R alloy wheels. (Spoked tubeless wheels are available as a factory option.) There’s full adjustable Showa suspension at both ends with 190 mm of travel, and Brembo brakes, too.

The Pan America also gets a TFT display, plus a full host of electronic rider aids. Multiple rider modes come standard, some of which can be customized.

The Pan America 1250 Special [above] is an upgraded model that costs a stack more ($19,999), but includes a host of extras. The most notable is an electronically controlled semi-active suspension system, that adjusts the damping on the fly according to the road surface. And there’s an optional ‘Adaptive Ride Height’ system too, that lowers the bike at standstill to make it easier to get your feet down.

But the real story here, is that the new chassis and motor are a huge departure from what H-D have done up until now.

The liquid-cooled 1,250 cc ‘Revolution Max’ V-twin [above] makes more horsepower than you’d expect from a Harley, and peak torque hits much higher than usual (at 9,500 rpm). And it features a downdraught intake system too, with a traditional airbox up top instead of the side-mounted intakes we’re used to seeing on Harleys.

H-D previously teased that this new platform would be used for multiple future models in varying capacities, and that’s what has us excited.

It doesn’t sound like we’ll be getting the 950 cc Bronx streetfighter any time soon, but Harley’s Pan America reveal video teased a first look at the upcoming 1250 Custom [screenshots above]. Not only does it look good, but given that Harley have now built a thoroughly modern chassis and motor, it’s sure to be a goer too.

In the meantime, we’re looking forward to riding the Pan America—so that we can find out if it’s as capable in the real world as it looks. [Harley-Davidson Pan America]

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[DaveM]

LETHAL IN LONDON: Husqvarna 701 by ASE Custom Motorcycles.

When your morning commute takes place on the crowded and chaotic streets of London, you want a bike that handles with scalpel-like precision. The only problem is the sort of bikes capable of such feats are usually Supermotos with no practicality and a common visual appearance whether you buy a KTM or a Ducati. So when a client approached Andy Steward to give his Husqvarna 701 a custom makeover and...

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[DaveM]

NEO-RETRO NINJA: ‘Time Machine’ by Katros Garage X RC Motogarage.

With their bevy of sensors and yards of wiring, pretty much any newer, tech-laden motorcycle is going to pose quite a challenge when put up on the bench for customization, though modern race-replica sportbikes are almost certainly the least custom-friendly genre out there. In addition to the slew of awkward ancillary bits, supersport and superbike models also possess immensely calculated chassis...

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[DaveM]

Triple Trouble: Krautmotors’ Kawasaki H1 flat tracker

The mythical Kawasaki H1 Mach III needs little introduction. The triple-cylinder 500 cc two-stroke made a splash when it hit the market in 1969, with an unforgiving power band earning it the infamous ‘widowmaker’ nickname. There are faster bikes out there these days, but a classic H1 is still a good candidate for a rapid restomod or cafe racer build—if you can get your hands on one.

But here’s something you don’t see every day: an H1-based flat tracker, pieced together almost entirely from leftover parts. Dubbed the ‘Räng Däng Däng Sweet Bum Bäng,’ this scrappy wonder was lovingly built by Rolf Reick—the man behind the Krautmotors name.

Based in the university town of Heidelberg in Germany, Rolf’s an industrial designer, and heads up a design school in the neighboring town of Mannheim. He’s also been building and racing bikes for the longest time, so he’s amassed a workshop full of parts.

Most of Rolf’s race bikes have been designed to compete in the European Sultans of Sprint series, and the StarrWars spring races at the Glemseck 101 festival. But he’s been itching to build a flat tracker for a while. So he pieced this one together from bits and pieces from previous builds, dating way back…

“I started Kawasaki rebuilds in the 90s,” he tells us, “and bought up a lot of parts when they were cheap.”

At the heart of the beast is a 60 hp H1 motor that Rolf previously used for sprint racing. He dropped it in as-is, but tasked two-stroke guru Ralf Gille with rebuilding the clutch and ignition, and rewiring the bike. Ralf has been building Rolf’s race engines for years, and is also his source for vintage Kawasaki two-stroke parts.

The motor wasn’t cracked open for two reasons: it already runs fine, and Ralf doesn’t plan to leave it in the frame for too long. Herr Gille is already working on a 750 cc mill that’ll make 100+ horsepower.

Current upgrades include a set of K&N filters, and an old, beat-up exhaust system. “I welded that one together myself from old motocross exhausts in the 90s,” says Ralf. “You can tell by the horrible seams.”

The chassis is yet another repurposed part. It’s a 1969 H1 frame that Rolf customized back in the day to run with a Yamaha mono-shock swingarm, and even got TÜV certification for. There’s a shock hiding away under the seat, but in the past, this particular frame has also been used in a rigid format for sprint racing.

At the front, Ralf has an original H1 wheel set up to run brakeless, and there’s a 19” high shoulder rim laced to a drum hub at the back. The tires are a Bates Baja (front) and a Dunlop K180 (rear).

The bodywork is all pick-‘n’-mix, but fits together beautifully. The fuel tank’s from a vintage Kawasaki enduro; Rolf tweaked it to fit, then welded in a bung for a Pingel Power-Flo fuel tap. He handled the paint himself too—a classic Kawasaki white-and-green affair with a cheeky Krautmotors logo.

The aluminum tail section’s a classic flat track part that Rolf picked up on eBay in the USA years ago. He built a separate subframe to fit it to the Kawasaki, made a new seat pan, and had his upholsterer cover it in suede.

Since this is a track bike, there’s very little going on in the cockpit, short of new LSL bars, vintage-style grips and a single cable throttle. Number boards at the front and sides carry the number ‘2 1/2’—because the bike is a triple, but Rolf isn’t considering it complete until the new engine’s in.

There’s a very peculiar mod hiding behind the front board: a catheter bag, set up to run as an oil tank. “I didn’t know where to put the oil,” says Rolf. “On my last project I used a bicycle bottle, but it was too big. Unfortunately, my stepfather has to use such a thing—so I came up with the idea.”

Now that the H1’s complete, Rolf’s patiently waiting for Europe’s lockdown to lift, so that racing can resume. Until then, he’s squeezing in as much test riding as he can… while he prepares to shove that 100 hp screamer in there.

Krautmotors | Facebook | Instagram | Images by (and with thanks to) Marc Holstein and Christine Gabler

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[DaveM]

FLYING DUTCHMAN: Suzuki GSX400F Cafe Racer.

In the early ’80s the big bad Suzuki Katana shook up the motorcycle world with its aggressive German design and dynamite Japanese performance. While many of those GSX1100 models live on today in everything from original trim to full racer in the hands of Team Classic Suzuki, only a few remember its siblings. One of the babies of the bunch was the GSX400 and when young Dutchman Willem Heeringa...

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[DaveM]

Mutant Redux: A new version of Ironwood’s famous BMW

Arjan van den Boom is one of Europe’s most successful customizers. The founder of Ironwood Motorcycles has well over 50 builds to his name now: proof that his business skills are as good as his eye for style.

This sharp-edged K100 is the latest BMW to roll out of the doors of his workshop in Almere—the Netherlands’ newest city, built on reclaimed land. And it looks like a million Euros.

A big part of Ironwood’s success comes from the company’s hyper-graphic style—usually combined with a stubby seat and aggressive nose-down stance. It’s a controversial look but we like it, and few do it as well as Arjan’s crew.

The story of this 1987-spec K100 started in late 2019, just before social distancing added a whole new layer of complexity to the business of building customs.

“About eighteen months ago, we were contacted via Instagram—which is where 90% of our orders come from,” says Arjan. “The commission came from Germany, and we started tinkering on an unloved ‘flying brick’ that our customer brought to us.”

“We knew this would be something special, even before the actual tear down. Our German customer was inspired by our R80 Mutant, and wanted a similar look and feel but on a K100 base.”

“Our goal was to create the same ‘boldness’ with this oilhead as we did years ago on the R-series. The same stance, lines and finish.”

With the 90hp inline four sport tourer up on the bench, Ironwood started by de-tabbing the frame and removing everything deemed to be redundant. Then they removed the forks and triples, and installed the complete front end (with Öhlins USD forks) from a Ducati Panigale. It’s slotted in using custom CNC-machined aluminum triples, which have an integrated Motogadget speedo.

The whole front end is a cornucopia of quality parts: A Koso Thunderbolt LED headlight (“My favorite aftermarket bolt-on headlight”), stainless steel brake lines, Motogadget grips, plus 320mm discs, calipers, and cylinders from Brembo.

Ironwood have stripped the 987 cc DOHC engine down to the crank and replaced most of the innards with OEM parts. “It’s new outside and in,” says Arjan. “We did the same for the gearbox and shaft drive.”

Ancillary parts were dispatched to Paul Fill of Kustom Moto in the UK, who overhauled the starter motor, alternator, coils, and throttle body. When everything went back on, Ironwood added a DNA filter to increase airflow to the engine.

The electronics proved a little trickier to get right. “We handmade a new wiring loom in-house,” says Arjan. “Then our magician mechanic Tim spent several hours connecting the Motogadget m.unit blue, using a BEP 3.0 instrument conversion box.”

The engine management is upgraded too. This particular motor is blessed with bigger injectors, a remapped SC Delta ECU from BSK Speedworks, and a race-spec radiator. An Akrapovič muffler was liberated from a Honda CBR600RR, plumbed into segmented piping (“from old schoolfriend Mervin”) and a manifold from Fabio Senesi of SeSfactory.

Right above the muffler, and sitting perfectly parallel, is new framework supporting that signature stubby seat. The black leather upholstery is way beyond OEM quality, and was handled by Jeroen Bouwmeester of Silver Machine.

A new Wilbers shock keeps the back end planted, with the help of sticky Continental tires. (The stock wheels have been refurbished and powder coated black.) Final tweaks included custom rear sets and a new gas cap from Timothy at CNCPT|MOTO.

It’s hard to go wrong with black and gold on a motorcycle—or racing car, for that matter. But the finish on this K100 is one of Ironwood’s best.

It was applied by Jacco from Royal Kustom Works, who not only handled the tank, but also the air intake and engine covers. “His impeccable skills highlight every build we deliver,” says Arjan.

One of the secrets of success is to surround yourself with good people, and Arjan obviously knows it. But there’s more to the Ironwood story than that: very few builders can maintain quality and a prodigious output. On the basis of this K100, we suspect there are a few more chapters in the Ironwood story still to be told.

Ironwood Custom Motorcycles | Facebook | Arjan van den Boom Instagram | Images by Paul van Mondfrans Lindén

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[DaveM]

FIRST RIDE ON THE FIRST EDITION BMW R18.

The wait for the production BMW R18 has been stretched out longer than the bike’s double loop steel tube frame. Back in 2018 they teased us with a custom build from Custom Works Zon at Mooneyes in Japan. Then, in 2019, they revealed the Revival Cycles ‘Birdcage’ at the Handbuilt Show – remember motorcycle shows? Then later that year the official prototype was launched at the Concorso d’Eleganza on...

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