Custom Motorcycle Builds

[DaveM]

Raising the bar: Vagabund gives the BMW R nineT a lift

We’ve always admired custom motorcycle workshops that keep pushing the boundaries. Austria’s Vagabund Moto have been doing good work since day one, but they’ve never rested on their laurels. The founding duo of Paul Brauchart and Philipp Rabl seems to level up on every build, relentlessly experimenting with new designs, materials and processes.

Their 15th build pushes the envelope to the breaking point. It’s a 2016-model BMW R nineT with hand-formed metalwork, 3D-printed parts, and bodywork that opens via remote control. All because their client asked; “I would like to have the best motorcycle you’ve ever done.”

Vagabund used one of their previous builds as inspiration: ‘The Whale,’ a classic BMW R100R with a monocoque body that also lifted up. “It was about reinterpreting ‘The Whale’ with a new 9T,” explains Paul, “and giving it a more modern or futuristic look, consistent with this new motorcycle.”

“All the bodywork was crazy stupid. We hadn’t planned to do an opening system like ‘The Whale,’ because underneath the fuel tank it’s packed with ugly electrics and tech stuff. Stupid as we are, we finally decided to double the work by doing a full aluminum body with a fuel tank, and additionally doing a second mono body over it.”

Given the level of metalwork needed for this job, Vagabund collaborated with one of the best in the business: the enigmatic craftsman Bernard Naumann, who works under the alias Blechmann. As a nod to Blechmann, they’ve even named the bike after the loose English translation of his handle: ‘Tin Man.’

Blechmann’s work on the nineT is extensive and mind blowing. The first thing that catches your eye is an outer layer of bodywork—a monocoque tank cover and seat unit.

Underneath it is another monocoque part, this time combining the fuel tank with an under-seat storage area. A custom-built remote control triggers a latch, which releases the upper layer, which slides up and back on hydraulic shocks.

There’s a laundry list of custom goodness packed in there, starting with a Motogadget dash that’s visible through an acrylic window in the cover when the whole thing is closed, but lifts up on its own hinge when it’s open. There’s nothing off-the-shelf here: Vagabund designed everything from the aluminum hinges, to the 3D-printed housing for the remote, and everything sits atop a custom subframe.

Extra touches include perforated leather on the seat, and a built-in credit card wallet and Leatherman pouch under it. All the upholstery was outsourced to the local leather specialist WerkDorf.

There’s a remarkable amount of OEM stuff still in play, mainly because the bike has to be street legal in Spain, where it’s headed. So Vagabund have integrated the stock key and fuel pump, moved the air filter into a custom aluminum air box, and packaged the electronics neatly inside the new bodywork.

Blechmann shaped up the remaining bodywork for the nineT too, including the headlight nacelle and the organic-looking front fender. The nacelle wraps around a Koso Thunderbolt LED headlight, while the fender includes integrated automotive LED turn signals. Out back is a custom rear light, featuring an array of LEDs embedded in the tail.

A custom ceramic-coated exhaust system rounds out the list of hand-made parts, complete with the original catalytic converter and a removable baffle. It exits to the lower right of the bike, surrounded by a stainless steel enclosure.

The custom work alone is enough to make your eyes water, but this R nineT is sporting a healthy dose of desirable bolt-on bits too. The wheels are full carbon hoops from Rotobox, wrapped in Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tires. The top triple clamp is a CNC-machined part from Messner Moto, and the clip-ons, foot controls and rear plate holder are from Rizoma.

Vagabund kept the final livery on ‘Tin Man’ dead simple. The outer layer of bodywork was wrapped in a Mercedes ‘Selenite Grey Magno’ by the paint shop Grundmann, but the inner layer was simply clear coated, to emphasize the work done. (The same two-tone effect was carried to the front fender).

Finishing things off are anodized fork tubes, an endless list of black powder-coated parts, and a pair of 3D-printed emblems on the inner fuel tank.

Paul and Philipp were tasked with building their best bike ever, and there’s no question that they rose to the challenge. If this is what Vagabund are already producing on their 15th build, imagine what they’ll be doing on their 30th.

As always, we’ll be watching.

Vagabund Moto | Facebook | Instagram | Blechmann | Instagram | Images by Stefan Leitner

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[DaveM]

BRICK WORKS: BMW K100 by Cytech Motorcycles.

There’s something about BMWs that causes large portions of the motorcycling community to become hopelessly obsessed. For many, they are like heroin to a junkie. Donovan Muller was born to a BMW addict, so there was really no hope of avoiding the affliction. His legendary late father Ray started one of South Africa’s oldest motorcycle establishments, specialising in BMW bikes and adventure tours.

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, 2 May 2021

This week we’ve got a smokin’ hot XSR155 in John Player colors from West Java, Harley’s cool and classy Electra Glide Revival, and a Moto Guzzi eBay bargain. Plus a brief appreciation of Dick ‘Bugsy’ Mann, who passed away last Monday.

Yamaha XSR155 by Glanets MC In the west, the Yamaha Yard Built program has focused on middleweight customs—usually based on twins and triples like the XSR700 and XSR900.

Yamaha Indonesia has its own version of the program though, and focuses on the smaller bikes in the range, such as the XSR155. It’s a compact and perky single based on the MT15 sport naked, and more in line with tastes and budgets in Southeast Asia.

This racy little custom is one of the highlights of the latest round of Indonesian builds. It comes from Purnama Sultan Glanets, who runs a workshop in Bandung, West Java and has tremendous metal-shaping skills.

He’s called his XSR ‘Reborn Cafe Racer’ and completed it in just four months. The fully-faired bodywork is all new, aside from the tank, and the four-piece fairing is vented to keep air flowing to the engine. Clip-on bars accentuate the ‘neo café’ theme.

The new tail unit segues perfectly with the stock tank, and is fully enclosed underneath too. And that paint … unlike the tired old Gulf Oil cliché, the F1 John Player Special livery still has legs. And it looks just superb here. [Via]

Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Revival Has the tide started to turn for Milwaukee? The new Pan America ADV bike is good, and proves that Harley has talented engineers on its payroll. And North American sales are on the rise, zooming up 30% in the first quarter of this year.

A few days ago, Harley dropped another unexpected bomb: the launch of a new limited edition series, called the ‘Icons Collection.’ The program kicks off with the Electra Glide Revival, which harks back the 1969 FLH original—the first Harley to sport a ‘batwing’ fairing.

This news has spread like wildfire across the motorcycle media, with a remarkably positive response. Remarkable because—at first glance—the Electra Glide is more of a paint and accessory job than a car-style ‘continuation classic.’

It’s based on Harley’s current single-spar touring frame, with power coming from the Milwaukee-Eight 114 v-twin. Electronics include Harley’s full suite of ‘RDRS Safety Enhancements’ plus an infotainment system with Apple CarPlay baked in.

Just 1,500 Electra Glide Revivals will be built, all with an authentic Hifi Blue-and-Birch White color scheme and those iconic rigid saddlebags. The fairing is flanked with auxiliary lights, the solo seat has a neat chrome rail and adjustable coil suspension, and chromed rims and whitewall tires complete the old school vibe.

We reckon the Electra Glide Revival looks seriously cool, but more significant is the momentary shift in Harley’s product planning and marketing strategy. The pitch is more Paul Newman than Paulie Teutul, with an appealing Palm Springs mid-century modern vibe. This is not a bagger for burnouts, or dudes with ZZ Top beards and Dickies shorts. It’s class rather than contrived badass.

We’re sold.

Dick Mann (June 13, 1934 – April 26, 2021) One of the greatest American racers of all time passed away last Monday at the age of 86. Dick ‘Bugsy’ Mann won the AMA Grand National champs twice, and was the first racer to achieve the ‘Grand Slam’ in the States—winning events on road racing, TT, short track, half-mile and mile circuits. He was even a dab hand at motocross on board an Ossa, and helped Team USA grab a medal in the 1975 International Six Days Trial

Mann [above right] is mostly associated with Honda though, and famously beat Mike Hailwood to win the 1970 Daytona 200 on board a CB750. It was a win that helped establish the CB’s performance credentials, and that particular CB inspired many custom replicas—including a stunning build from the Australian shop Extreme Creations [below].

Less well known is that Mann was an accomplished bike builder himself. He designed several race frames, an Ossa flat tracker, and built up a business restoring vintage bikes. And even after he ‘retired,’ he still donned his race gear for AHRMA vintage motocross events. The definition of a life well lived.

eBay bargain: 1975 Moto Guzzi café racer The economics of motorcycle values are always intriguing. This terrific Moto Guzzi custom, fettled by the renowned marque specialists Cycle Garden, has just sold for $8,000 on eBay. That’s just a teeny bit more than a new Yamaha MT-07.

Which is the better value? You could argue for both sides, but there’s a lot going for this Guzzi—which has just 29,000 miles on the clock.

The frame is from an 850T, the transmission has been freshly rebuilt, and the motor is a T3 boosted to 955cc with a big bore kit. (It records 180 psi of compression on both cylinders.)

The aftermarket components check out too: a classic Stucchi tank, Tommaselli clip-ons and Tarozzi rearsets, plus Bosch horns.

Cycle Garden reckon this machine will keep up with a stock Le Mans Mk 1, and since they’ve been looking after it for 15 years, they should know. We reckon it’s unlikely to drop in value if it’s looked after, and whoever bought it has made a wise decision. [Via]

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[DaveM]

Ace Machine: A scratch-built bobber with a KTM 620 motor

It takes a massive amount of imagination to look at a KTM enduro and envision a barebones bobber—and even more skill to make it happen. Luckily Edi Buffon has bucket loads of both.

Based in Sydney, Edi used to be an after-hours builder—until he quit his day job. “I’m now working part time,” he tells us. “Three days for the man, with the remaining four days dedicated to my humble bike building business.”

Working as Machine 1867, Edi’s creations are always ground-up builds that are incredible to look at, and probably a touch sketchy to ride. This particular one was inspired by the 1920s American-made Ace motorcycle. Edi had spotted an Ace in a vintage motorcycle book he was flipping through, and decided to pay homage to its rigid frame and front end, and spring-mounted seat design.

Edi found the donor bike while scouring the local classifieds; a 2000-model KTM 620 LC4 enduro, going for a song at a KTM dealership. “I thought I could do something with that motor, so I bought it,” he says. “I was working on another project at the time so it sat in the corner of my workshop collecting dust till I was ready.”

“I prepped the engine and tried to start it to see if there were any issues I needed to address. To my surprise it started on the third kick. With confidence that the low mileage motor was healthy, I began the tear down.”

Edi pulled out the LC4 single-cylinder motor, then machined up a steering stem and placed it in his frame jig. Next, he started fabricating a rigid steel frame with a 35-degree rake and a 1,500 mm wheelbase—numbers he tells us he likes to work with.

With the main frame welded up, Edi turned his attention to the front end. “It had to be a rigid front end, just like the Ace that first inspired me,” he tells us. “This was a fairly simple process, and once completed looked the part.”

Everything was built around the KTM’s original 21F/18R wheels, which were powder coated black, re-laced with stainless steel spokes, and wrapped in Avon rubber. Since the KTM thumper is capable of 50+ hp, the bike needed some stopping power. So Edi has kept the original Brembo brake system … but only on the front wheel.

Steering is via a custom-built single radius handlebar—a design Edi favors on most of his builds. With no lights or electric starter on the bike, there’s precious little in the cockpit save for a pair of grips and levers.

Edi normally only works with steel, but on this project he wanted to try shaping aluminum too. So he built twin aluminum ‘tanks’ for the KTM, mounting them lower than the frame’s line to expose the backbone, and emphasize the curvature between the wheels.

The left side holds fuel, while the right side houses the bike’s electrical components. “I disguised that by mounting fuel inlets to both tanks, to continue the vintage theme,” he reveals. “Oil would normally be housed in the secondary tank.”

Despite the throwback vibe of the KTM, there was one glaringly modern component to deal with: the radiators. But since the whole premise of the project was to stick a water-cooled engine in a vintage bike, Edi decided to lean into it. So he bought a new pair of aluminum radiators, and mounted them proudly at the front of the bike.

“An aesthetic risk, I thought,” he says. “But sometimes you need to be brave, and I think it works quite well with the theme of the bike.”

The last item on the list was the KTM’s seat. Taking one more cue from the Ace that inspired this build, Edi sourced some springs and started machining up parts. The final setup uses mild steel, stainless steel and brass, plus a hint of chrome—and a touch of aged brown leather from the upholsterer to finish it off.

The frame went off for a layer of black powder coating to highlight all the fabricated metal. With the engine back in and every last fastener torqued and thread-locked, it was time to kick it to life. All it took was a few kicks, and the KTM was soon howling through its baffle-less exhaust.

Surprisingly, Edi rates this as one of his easier builds, because it doesn’t have some of the complex components that his previous bikes do—like hand shifters and heel brakes.

“The reassembly of this bike was the easiest and most pleasurable so far, perhaps due to the simplistic approach,” he quips. “Now it’s time to get busy with an over the top, challenging and frustrating new build!”

Machine 1867 | Instagram | Images by Ana Martini Photography

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[DaveM]

SMOKIN’: BMW R nineT ‘Silk Tracker’ by VTR Customs.

With emissions regulations tightening around the globe and Euro 5 having effectively killed off a host of long-running models, how much longer can air-cooled motorcycles survive? Triumph didn’t wait to be pushed and have ensured their retro range is here for the future, so will the BMW R nineT hang on, only time will tell. But while it does, the highly talented team of custom builders at VTR...

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[DaveM]

Circuit breaker: An Italian electric board tracker build

One of the raddest things about electric motorcycles is their ability to spark imagination. The possibilities are endless when you’re piecing together your own drivetrain and chassis from small, easy-to-package bits. Which is exactly how Giacomo Galbiati at GDesign Custom Motorcycle built this dashing battery-powered board tracker.

Based in Como, Italy, Giacomo has a love for classic machines and style. He decided to look to both the past and future on this build; to build a homage to the “glorious and fantastic board trackers of the early twentieth century,” but with an electric motor.

The ‘Elettracker’ runs with a 2.5 kW pedal-assist motor and two 72 V batteries, for a top speed of 86 km/h and a range of 40 km. It also has all the paint and upholstery trimmings of a high-end cafe racer, and weighs a paltry 49 kilos [108 pounds]. And it looks absolutely stunning.

Giacomo started off with a stock cruiser bicycle frame—then set about modifying it to suit his needs. The steering head had to change, and accommodations had to be made for the motor and crank unit, battery pack and other bits. Giacomo also built in extra bracing and crossbars to get the overall look, feel and geometry right.

Next he installed an off-the-shelf springer front end, and modified it with a custom-built adjustable dampening system that uses cork pads. He added a regular steering damper too, welding tabs onto the frame and forks to hook it up.

The wheels were pieced together from a shopping list of hubs, spokes and 26” rims, laced up by Giacomo himself, and the mechanical disc brakes were liberated from a road bicycle.

But it’s the Elettracker’s motor and battery setup that’s really neat. Giacomo fabricated a pair of faux V-twin cylinders to house the two batteries—starting with sketches, before making mockups and shaping the final parts from steel. They attach to a hand-made bracket at the top, and a set of steel plates further down.

Packaged in and around those plates is a Bikee Bike motor and crankset from Mantova in Italy, who collaborated on the project with Giacomo to get him exactly the right spec parts. Further back is a custom storage space for the controller and wiring.

We had assumed that the ‘fuel tank’ higher up hid most of the wiring, but it’s actually just there for show. Behind it is a leather saddle that Giacomo says was one of the most challenging parts of the job. “The leather is much harder than normal leather,” he tells us, “and I wanted the shape exactly like a hundred years ago.”

There’s a ton of detail packed into the cockpit too. Giacomo paired a mountain bike stem with a handmade handlebar, adorned with hand-wrapped leather grips. The reverse levers are from Kustom Tech, and there’s a traditional throttle too (the motor can run with the pedals or even just the throttle).

Keen eyes will spot a smartphone mount too…because the motor’s functions run off an app, connected via Bluetooth. And to keep things super tidy, Giacomo has run all the wiring and cabling inside the bars and frame.

With everything buttoned up, Arianna Crippa at Lake Design laid down the electric blue paint, and the exquisite gold leaf detailing.

Giacomo’s Elettracker build is a shock success—equal parts classy and clever, masterfully balancing the past and the future. Now he just needs to build a few more, so that we can find a velodrome and go racing.

GDesign Custom Motorcycle Instagram | Photos by Mattia Negrini

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[DaveM]

Estoril: A radical Moto Guzzi Le Mans from Portugal

For most custom motorcycle builders, their creations are like their children: it’s impossible to pick a favorite. But sometimes there’s one project that stands out. For Luis Correia and his team at Maria Motorcycles in Portugal, it’s this immaculate Moto Guzzi Le Mans cafe racer.

Luis is proud of how it turned out, as he should be, not least because Maria’s 37th project was a mammoth undertaking. “Unlike everything else we’ve done so far,” he says, “it was a lengthy and complex process, jam-packed with stories and hurdles that we fought to overcome.”

‘Estoril’ started when a French customer got in touch late in 2013, enamored with a Ducati 750 SS that Maria had just built. After some back and forth, it was decided to build a classic cafe racer using a Moto Guzzi as a donor, rather than another Ducati.

“It would be a much more exclusive and different bike,” says Luis. “Our proposal had as its epicenter the Le Mans MK1 model—a motorcycle whose history is associated with classic racing, and which already had plenty of commercial value.”

Maria’s client managed to source a Le Mans MK1 in Belgium that had already been modified somewhat. Luis’ team would have preferred a stock donor to work with—but it had been hard enough to find this one, so they relented. When it arrived at the workshop, it turned out that it was more custom than they originally thought.

“Nothing was original,” says Luis. “In fact, the bike had already taken part in classic tournaments with its previous owner. It had different wheels, tank, rear end, front suspension, engine … everything had been altered or modified, completely defacing the basis of the original Le Mans.”

“The goal of this project was to build a motorcycle inspired by racing, with a classic approach, without visually emphasizing the use of recent or modern parts. For this, and with the base we had, there was only one solution: take all the screws apart, decide what we were going to take advantage of or purchase, and then build what was missing for our design.”

As soon as the bike was on the bench and stripped down, Maria ran into their first problem: the frame number didn’t match the papers. This wouldn’t have been a problem for a track-only bike, but the new owner wanted to ride it on the street, and getting it registered in France would be a nightmare. After an extensive search and with a little luck, the crew found an original frame with French papers.

The next major speed bump was the motor. When the guys peeked inside, they found extensive race mods—including an overbore, and a number of components that had been drilled out in unconventional ways, presumably to save weight. And it wasn’t exactly in top condition, either.

So the motor went off to an expert: Michael Behrendt at HMB Guzzi in Röttenbach, Germany. It took him a few months to finish, but it was worth it.

Everything was sandblasted clean, and a new 92 mm piston kit was installed, bumping the capacity to 1038 cc. Inside are a new camshaft and connecting rods, high performance carbon-coated valves, a new large capacity oil pump, a reinforced timing belt, a timing belt tensioner with a self-regulating system, and a lighter flywheel. The starter motor was upgraded too, and there’s a Bosch electronic ignition system, with a conversion to two spark plugs per head.

Michael also balanced the crankshaft, and changed the clutch to a competition-spec setup. The carbs are a pair of Dell’Ortos, restored by Maria and ultrasonically cleaned. The Guzzi demanded an exhaust to match its engine spec, so the team collaborated with a supplier to design a two-into-one-into-two stainless steel system.

While Michael was fettling the motor, Maria were hard at work on the rest of the bike. Ultimately, all that remains of the donor are the engine casings, the wheel hubs, the front forks and the foot pegs. “The rest was put aside,” says Luis, “either because it wouldn’t fit our vision, or because they were old, rusted parts in need of restoration. Or because they did not belong to the original bike any more.”

The front forks were upgraded with a whole whack of new parts, including tubes and internals. The rear shocks are Wilbers units, sprung to match the bike and owner’s weight.

The previous owner had swapped the MK1’s alloy wheels for a set of spoked items, but they weren’t great. So Maria refurbished the hubs, then laced them to Borrani aluminum rims with new stainless steel spokes.

A rear disc brake upgrade was discussed, but in the end the drum brake that the bike came with suited the overall style better. But with a more powerful motor, Maria couldn’t leave it stock—so they upgraded it with a custom lever system to sharpen its response. The front brake was upgraded with floating discs, a custom-made Brembo kit from Stein-Dinse Guzzi, and a master cylinder from Braking.

Every last detail was agonized over—like the new yokes, which were custom-made to replace the non-stock parts on the donor bike. Since there was nothing that Maria could buy off the shelf, Maria ended up going back to Michael Behrendt for advice. Together they developed a new set of yokes that would perfect the geometry and look similar to the original Moto Guzzi parts, and could also serve as a prototype for future production.

Even the bodywork has a story behind it. The idea was to have a Monza-style fuel tank and a solo seat, but with more fluid lines than classic examples. At this point, Maria’s client told them he’d found a metal shaper in Italy by the name of Eugenio Libanore, who still beats aluminum into shape with a wooden mallet.

“The problem was that Mr. Libanore would only sell something to those who would visit and meet him in person,” says Luis, “and convince him to sell his pieces, while paying for them in cash. Mr. Libanore is still alive and is currently 90 years old. It is worth visiting his workshop just to see his work. He is regarded as a legend for this sort of work.”

The client was passionate enough to go through with it, so he made the trip to purchase a custom-shaped tank and tail. Once the parts reached Maria’s hands, they further tweaked them to fit the frame, and to correct the minor asymmetries inherent in hand-made parts. They also built a custom mounting system, inspired by old fuel tank designs, to dampen vibrations that could affect the tank’s integrity.

The tank was then lined inside and painted, and the tail section was capped off with a simple hit of brown quilted leather.

When it came time to assemble the bike, there was still a host of stuff to tackle. Maria rewired the bike with a Motogadget mo.unit controller, and also added a speedo, switches and grips from the German electronics brand. The bike runs off a gel battery, and all the wiring’s been hidden from sight.

Then it was tuning time. “After many tests, and a trial-and-error approach, we arrived at the balance between power, engine stability, consumption and reliability,” says Luis.

“It’s a 50-year-old motorcycle that, despite the obstacles, has managed to see the light of day. With an engine that looks like an angry monster, eager to accelerate on any track. A motorcycle that gives its rider the pleasure of having a ‘historical’ piece, but still has plenty of fun and adrenaline to offer.”

Maria Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Manuel Portugal

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[DaveM]

Zig when others zag: Nik’s custom BMW R80

There’s a definite formula for BMW airhead customs. A few years ago, European workshops like Café Racer Dreams in Madrid figured out the recipe, and refined it over multiple builds.

But very occasionally the airhead formula is ditched. And this time it’s another Spanish workshop: Niks Motorcycles of Barcelona. This eye-catching R80 is called ‘Nightmare’ and discards the iconic BMW tank. Instead, the visual focus is on the engine, and the machine has an unusually light and airy design.

There are four members in the Niks team, including founder Nicos Marquès and Xavi, the owner of this BMW. The quartet got together in 2005 to build customs for their own enjoyment, and after refining their day-job skills in industrial design, mechanics and metalworking, went public in 2015.

Since Xavi is the owner of this R80, budget constraints did not apply—and there was complete creative freedom. According to Xavi, the crew concentrated on “the aesthetic lines of the motorcycle, and making the engine shine—the essential character of this project.”

It’s a striking look, and one that got our attention straight away. It’s obviously not a bike for long-distance touring, but it’s muy elegante.

“One of the main ideas was to keep the BMW very narrow from the top view, and give it a clean line from the side,” Xavi says. “That way, when you’re riding the bike, you get the feeling that you are ‘riding on the engine’.”

The boxer motor has received a ton of attention. After a complete rebuild, with new crankshaft bearings, rods and rockers, Niks upgraded it to 1000cc using new cylinders and high compression pistons.

Each cylinder head has also been refurbished, with intake ports polished, and machined to fit a second spark plug for better combustion. To make the twin-spark setup work, a pair of double Silent Hektiks has replaced the stock coils. And the alternator and ignition system duties are now handled by a Silent Hektik LiMa 410—a three-phase 410W alternator and digital ignition kit.

Juice comes from a Skyrich lithium battery, which hides under the (completely rebuilt) gearbox.

The strangest part of the engine setup is the carburetion: The standard Bing carbs have been replaced by a twin Weber carb from a car. “That wasn’t easy to tune up, but thanks to the help from Voodoo Garage—who have done this before—the process was smoother than it could have been,” says Xavi.

We can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to get the Weber working, but it looks good with the air intakes under the seat and adds to the minimalist vibe.

The long and curvaceous intake manifolds look like an extension of the exhaust, and the piping at both intake and exhaust ends is beautifully fabricated. It’s the work of Barcelona local Christoffer Mårtensson.

It’s the tank that eyes will be drawn to first, though. “We managed to find an old Honda tank that fits perfectly with the width of the BMW crankcase—very small and narrow,” says Xavi.

The tank was modified to fit the frame, and the front section of the tank ‘tunnel’ was boxed off to house the electronics—including a Motogadget m.unit control box. The gas cap has been replaced by a classic Monza type, and there’s a fuel level tube on the left side of the tank.

The top and back sections of the frame are new. “The original subframe bolts on the frame, but it’s now a one-piece,” says Xavi, “with the exception of the back loop, which can be removed via four hidden screws. A new TFX Suspension shock is bolted into a new mount and is longer than stock, to raise the ‘floating’ top line. And there’s a simple but classy new seat, again built by Christoffer Mårtensson.

The front suspension gets an upgrade too, with beefier forks (and yokes) from a BMW R100R. They’ve been shortened to improve the stance of the bike, with progressive springs inside and new fork caps with a useful preload adjustment. The R100R brake calipers have come along for the ride too, hooked up to a Brembo master cylinder with a round integrated reservoir: “Like the ones on old Ducatis—it gives you more feeling.”

“We were looking for a comfortable riding position, so we went for LSL’s 22mm ‘Comfort’ black bar,” says Xavi. “And since we love Motogadget components, we chose their bar end indicators, machined aluminum grips, mini switches and a Motogadget Tiny speedo that is on top of the steering nut.” The cables are now routed through the bars for a clean look.

Motogadget ended up sponsoring this project, and also provided a pair of their revolutionary ‘glassless’ mirrors with polished aluminum lenses to complete the front end.

All that was left to fit was a tiny but powerful headlight, bolted onto a custom bracket fabricated by Stefan from Kooltcreations, plus new steel fenders. Then the R80 went off for paint, with a classic all-black scheme applied by local Barcelona whizzkid Edgar at TJA Creates.

We’ll always have time for the classic custom airhead look, but it’s also time we had a change. Top marks to Niks for trying out something new—and pulling it off in style.

Niks Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Samuel Bleda and Jandro de la Puente

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[DaveM]

LONE WOLF: ‘K-Drag’ by Mike’s Garage

Go Takamine is universally credited with being the godfather of the Brat Style motorcycle, opening his first shop in Tokyo in 1998 before ultimately expanding with a Long Beach location in 2013. With wide bars and an overall spartan and stripped-down nature, this genre of build lends itself particularly well to daily riding duties. So, when Taiwanese outfit, Mike’s Garage recently had a client...

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[DaveM]

The Contender: Triumph Limoges’ Speed Twin flat tracker

Triumph France is about to throw the wraps off a new custom build-off contest for dealers, and we’ve got a sneak peek at one of the entries. Built by Triumph Limoges, it’s a flat tracker based on the 1,200 cc Speed Twin. And it’s set the bar extremely high.

Remarkably, shop boss Nicolas Ginouves is new to the brand; Triumph Limoges has only been operating for four months. But he’s got almost two decades of bike dealership experience, and has tasted build-off victory before. And his workshop manager Denis used to be the technician on a championship-winning endurance racing team.

The shop picked the Triumph Speed Twin because they had to (it’s in the rules), but decided to turn it into a flat tracker because they wanted to. Flat track racing is enjoying exponential growth in Europe right now, and the Triumph Limoges crew are fans.

“For decades we have been admiring the pictures and videos coming from the other side of the Atlantic,” says Nicolas. “Of riders, wheel to wheel, chasing each other on dirt ovals, and without a front brake. The motorcycle race par excellence, the absolute holy grail of riding, the show in its purest state… the flat track!”

Inspiration hit hard at the end of last year, when the team attended a race day at the Marmande grass track near Bordeaux. Their eyes were drawn to a yellow 1967-model Triumph TR6 flat tracker, belonging to racer and enthusiast Cristophe Canitrot. When Triumph France asked them shortly after to take part in the build-off, they immediately knew they wanted to build a modern homage to Cristophe’s bike.

Nicolas and co. wanted a bike pretty enough to win the competition, but rowdy enough for hooligan racing. With 96 hp and 112 Nm on tap, and a desire for maximum reliability, they decided to leave the motor alone. But there was a lot of other work to be done.

The shop started by ditching all of the Speed Twin’s street legal bits and its front brake. Then they hit a roadblock: the bike can’t run without its speedo plugged in. They also wanted to swap out the fuel tank, which meant faffing with the OEM fuel pump—so Denis figured out a ingenious Tetris move to kill two birds with one stone.

Fuel now sits in an aluminum reservoir under the seat, with the pump attached to a specially designed mounting plate. It took 48 hours to design the fuel cell alone, with Denis building cardboard mockups before working on the final part. The air box had to go, so there’s now a 3D-printed support that holds the air filter.

Up top is a vintage repro flat track tank that was ordered online, before having its belly lopped off to turn it into a glorified cover. It hides—you guessed it—the original speedo, remounted on custom brackets. The OEM key ignition is in there too, accessible via the ‘gas cap.’

Just behind the faux tank is an off-the-shelf flat track tailpiece, with a set of handmade aluminum number boards riveted to it. Other bodywork includes a set of hand-made radiator guards, and a bash plate straight out of the Triumph aftermarket catalog.

The wheels are flat track-specific 19” numbers, with Excel rims and Dunlop DT3 tires. (Squeezing a 19” wheel into the swingarm reportedly took some wizardry, but it’s worked.) Triumph Limoges left the suspension alone for now, because they want to race the bike first before figuring out what they want to fettle.

As with most flat track builds, the control area is all business. The crew installed a set of burly 28 mm race bars and risers from ProTaper, along with an adjustable clutch lever and Domino grips. The only switches are the kill switch and starter cluster, and a tethered cutout to comply with race regulations.

A stunning two-into-one exhaust system from Zard rounds out the parts list—and enhances the Speed Twin’s already pleasing soundtrack.

Settling on a livery was easy: the tank wears a simple coat of yellow, with a red Triumph logo, just like Cristoph’s TR6. Carrosserie du Lac and L’atelier de la Pub both worked on the tank, and Vintage Racing Spirit supplied the vinyls for the number boards.

Stoked on their creation, Triumph Limoges sent photos of the bike over to Cristophe, who gave his stamp of approval. “Now we just have to wait for the verdict of the Speed Twin Project contest,” says Nicolas, “but we’re waiting even more for the opening of the French Flat Track championship to go and titillate the other competitors.”

Triumph Limoges Facebook | Instagram | Images by Florimond Furst-Herold

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, 16 May 2021

We’re racking up the air miles this week, with a stunning new build from the top Japanese workshop Hidemo, a new chapter in the saga of the Easy Rider bikes, and a crisp BMW K100 from South Africa. Plus a trio of sweet limited editions from the European brand Husqvarna.

Custom Triumph Bobber by Hidemo We’ve been keeping an eye on Hideya ‘Hide’ Togashi for a decade now, ever since we spotted a Hidemo shovelhead build on display at the Mooneyes show in Japan.

Many builders have fallen by the wayside over the past ten years, but Hide Motorcycle is still going strong: if anything, the workshop’s reputation is even more burnished than before.

This new Triumph is called ‘Lake Placid Blue’ and it’s Hidemo’s entry into the Custom World Japan show—an event organized by Kengo Kimura of Heiwa MC and limited to just 12 of the very best bikes from local builders.

Despite being a café racer, Togashi has used a 2017 Triumph Bobber as the base. He’s hand-crafted new Dunstall-style bodywork, including an aluminum fairing, tank and seat unit—plus a custom subframe to support the back end.

The fairing is vented to keep the engine cool, and incorporates muffler exits at the rear—an unusual approach that keeps the styling super-clean. New 18-inch Excel rims help shift the stance from bobber to café racer.

The riding position goes from laidback to sporty, with the stock hand controls now mounted onto clipon bars, and Tarozzi rearsets installed further back. The monoshock gives the rear end a modern-day ‘floating’ effect, where you’d normally expect to see a pair of shocks, but that merely adds another twist to this intriguing build. [Via]

Up for auction (again): The Captain America motorcycle Every few years, there’s a buzz of interest around the ‘Captain America’ motorcycles used in the 1969 film Easy Rider. Cliff Vaughs and Ben Hardy built four custom Harley-Davidsons for the film: two Captain Americas and two ‘Billy’ bikes.

In 2014, one of the Captain America bikes was sold at auction, reportedly for $1.6m. This was supposedly the bike that was partially destroyed in the film’s crash sequence, and later rebuilt by actor Dan Haggerty for a collector. Peter Fonda apparently disputed this, according to a British financial advice website, despite being named as one of the original builders by Haggerty.

Haggerty later reportedly retracted his statements concerning the authenticity of that bike, and died five years ago. Now the ‘other’ Captain America bike has just come up for sale at Cord & Kruse … and it comes with a ‘Letter of Authencity’ [sic] from Haggerty.

We have a feeling that this one is going to run and run—unlike the bike itself, which is listed as ‘Non Operable.’

BMW K100 by Cytech South African Donovan Muller comes from a BMW family: his father ran a workshop specializing in BMWs, and Donovan has been spannering on the marque all his working life.

When he occasionally builds a custom, the experience shows. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sympathetic restomod like this R69S and Steib sidecar, or a full-blown rework such as the 1990 K100RT shown here.

Cytech knew the K100 before buying and converting it, having carried out the maintenance for the previous owner. “He had intentions of converting it into a café racer, removed the original fairing and luggage system, and installed an aftermarket headlight and indicators,” Donovan tells us.

When the owner decided to sell the K100, Donovan stepped in quickly. The bike was stripped down, refurbished and upgraded with goodies like Luftmeister Performance cams, a new exhaust system from the European specialist Cafe4Racer, progressive fork springs and BMW R1100GS wheels.

Fabrication work includes a striking billet-style subframe, new top yokes and machined footrests. The stock tank required no reshaping though; it’s balanced out by a belly pan from BMW’s own catalog and a modified Puig front fairing.

The paint is Audi’s famous Nardo Grey, with a blue metallic flake undercoat to give a hint of iridescence in the right light. Contrast comes from the candy blue metallic on the frame and the Telefix fork brace.

We’re usually a bit ‘on the fence’ with most K series customs, but this is one we’ve love to jump on and ride. [Cytech | Images by Black Rock Studio]

Husqvarna x Replay limited editions Limited editions don’t come much more exclusive than this. Husqvarna has created three ‘specials’ with a run of just 30 bikes, and they look rather good. It’s a partnership with the Italian denim brand Replay, which sponsors the Husqvarna Moto3 race team.

The bikes are all 701s, and covetable even in standard form: a Supermoto, an Enduro LR, and a Vitpilen. The Vitpilen café racer looks cute [above], but it’s the high-riding machines that have the strongest visual punch. The stark factory graphics are gone, replaced by intricate motifs, denim textures and fabric on the seats.

It’s the last thing you’d expect to see on a Supermoto or Enduro, but strangely enough, it works. The colors are subdued, but anyone who knows the Husky range will do a double take when they see one of these machines.

All three models are kitted out with upgrades from Husqvarna’s accessory catalogs, and offer a counterpoint to the Swedish brand’s traditionally utilitarian style. But there’s a major catch: you can’t buy one, because the bikes will “soon be handed out to selected celebrities.”

Hopefully those celebrities will be of the sporting type, and give the Replay editions a jolly good thrashing.

But we’re also told that there will soon be another run of Husqvarnas to mark the collaboration with Replay, appearing in Europe and Japan. Hopefully these will be available for regular fans of the marque, this writer included. [More]

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[DaveM]

THUMPING TRACKER: Honda Ascot FT500 by Ludwig Motorcycles.

When it comes to the Honda Ascot FT500 it is largely a case of the right motorcycle at absolutely the wrong time. A cheap single-cylinder bike, with a simple steel frame, that is infinitely customisable and named after a famous dirt track in California. Today it could easily fill the void for those who don’t have Indian FTR 1200 kind of money. But, in 1982 when it was released, the bike was a...

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[DaveM]

Bring the Heat: Motocrew’s Ducati 848 Evo cafe racer

When a new custom builder hits the scene, there’s no way of knowing if they’re a one hit wonder, or if they’ll be consistently good. And that’s especially true when bikes are just their hobby. But full-time firefighter and part-time wrench Chris Scholtka came out the gate swinging—and has been hitting home runs ever since.

Based in Cottbus, southeast of Berlin, Chris operates as a one-man-band under the moniker Motocrew. He’s quickly established a signature style: neo-retro cafe racers with a strong performance angle. And it’s a style that this 2013-model Ducati 848 Evo wears well.

Chris picked the donor bike up from a guy who was using it as a track bike, so it was in less than pristine condition. This was a personal build—his last few projects have been for friends, including a Kawasaki Z550 for his girlfriend. And since he sold his Kawasaki GPZ900R, he hasn’t been able to join her on rides.

“The basic idea,” Chris tells us, “was to bring the bike back into good shape, and make it look like a cafe racer with a lil’ touch of a modern, clean style.”

Step one was to perform a comprehensive service on the track-worn Ducati. Then Chris liberated it of its fairings and subframe, and started massaging it into shape.

Taking cues from one of his previous bikes, he welded up a stainless steel subframe with the sides extending all the way to the trellised section of the frame in front. Then he shaped up a seat pan, and had a friend upholster it with Alcantara. The arrangement flanks the stock tank nicely; echoing its lines, but with enough mechanical dissonance to give it an aggressive vibe.

Further forward is a pair of air intakes to tie the design together. Chris fabricated them from steel, then built a chunky belly pan lower down to conceal the electronics that were originally hiding behind the fairing. The OEM front fender’s still in play, but it’s been refinished in black.

The 848 has all the bits to keep it street legal, but Chris worked hard to keep them subtle. There’s a round LED headlight up front, along with a pair of tiny LED turn signals. Further back are the stock clip-ons and controls, with a pair of Hookie Co.’s translucent ‘Frozen’ grips over Motocrew graphics.

The rear signals are LEDs that double up as taillights. They’re mounted to a custom-made license plate bracket, constructed from bent tubes and CNC-machined bits. And the way the whole part wraps around the Ducati’s single-sided rear wheel is uber-clean.

Chris is particularly proud of the exhaust—a two-into-one stainless steel system with 78 pie-cut sections. The muffler is one of the original two units that’s been cut and shut to shorten it, and remounted under the new seat. There’s a layer of heat-resistant aluminum tape under the tail, to keep things from getting too toasty.

The Ducati’s new paint code came from a unique source; it’s the matte silver you’ll find on the mirrors of certain Audi ‘S’ models. Everything up top wears it, while the lower half of the bike is predominantly black, accentuating this modern cafe racer’s poised stance.

As for performance mods… there aren’t any. The 848 Evo already makes 140 hp out the box, and has Showa forks, an Öhlins shock, Brembo brakes, and relatively light wheels.

Chris is planning to add a quick-shifter soon, but ultimately this is a budget build, since he’s also smack bang in the middle of building a new house.

The good news? The house will have a 45 square meter workshop in it with two bike lifts. And that means there’s a lot more Motocrew goodness to come.

Motocrew Instagram | Images by kylefx

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[DaveM]

IL DUCA: Ducati 900SS by GDesign.

Modern renaissance man Giacomo Galbiati never surprises us when he sends us new images of his latest stunning motorcycle; creating beautiful bikes is just what he does. But what knocked us over this time around is that the proud Italian from Como has for the first time turned his attention to a Ducati, in fact, it’s his first bike from his home country full stop. That just meant the first Bologna...

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[DaveM]

Win a custom Sportster from a dream team of builders

Charity motorcycle giveaways are a dime a dozen, but this one is a cut above the rest. If you live in the US, it’s your chance to win a current model Sportster reworked by four top American builders: J Shia from Madhouse Motors, Cristian Sosa, Jay Donovan and Joe Mielke.

Funds from the project are going to a seriously good cause: Waves for Water. Started by professional surfer Jon Rose in 2009, it’s a global charity that helps provide clean water in disadvantaged communities worldwide. So far, 155 programs have been set up in 48 countries, improving the quality of life for an incredible 3.75m people.

The idea for the bike build came from David Chang [above], who runs the popular CROIG Instagram account. In 2019 he visited Thailand to check out the moto culture—and distribute life saving water filters supplied by Waves for Water.

A return visit was planned for last year, but that was before COVID-19 hit. So David reached out to builders across the country, and suggested a plan: let’s customize a motorcycle, and use the proceeds of the sale to help Waves for Water.

Convening at Cristian Sosa’s shop in Las Vegas, the team tore into a fresh 2021 Sportster, donated by Harley-Davidson. “The bike is a brand new Forty-Eight that had five miles when we got it,” says David.

“It went straight from the dealership to Sosa’s shop, and was taken apart almost right away—so the builders could see what they were working with.”

As part of the deal, Harley also provided the crew with accessory parts including rearsets, clip-ons, a projector headlight, and Screamin’ Eagle shocks. Plus a digital combination speedo, bar end mirrors and grips.

Lowbrow Customs supplied a custom gas cap, Kuryakyn sent through tiny Kellerman Atto turn signals, and a local upholsterer fashioned up a custom leather and suede seat.

With the component boxes ticked off, the four builders spent a week hammering out new metalwork: a hand crafted aluminum monocoque body, chin spoiler, and front fairing.

Enrolling four builders to work on one bike must be like herding cats, but these guys have top-notch skills. J Shia [above] is known for using unconventional parts and out-of-the-box thinking for assembly. Jay Donovan [below] is tireless in his pursuit of the perfect curve, and can seemingly form shapes out of thin air.

Joe Mielke is old school, technically competent and hugely experienced: he’s been building bikes since before some of the other builders knew how to ride. And Cristian Sosa can turn any machine into a piece of functional art—always finding an unexpected curve or line that ends up defining a bike.

The images here show the Sportster in part-finished form. Shot by Brandon LaJoie on a dry lakebed, the bike looks intriguing even in this raw state. When the cosmetics are finished and a new exhaust installed, it’ll look even better.

If you’re on the west coast of the USA, you’ll soon be able to see the Waves for Water Sportster in the metal. “The bike will be getting refined over the next few weeks to make sure it’s reliable for the winner,” says David.

“We’ll be giving it a shakedown test in June when we plan to take the bike up the west coast, stopping at different cities to show the bike off in person—since shows are still few and far in between.”

Fancy putting this beauty in your garage? Head over to the Croig.co website to enter the giveaway via donation to Waves for Water. Even if you don’t get lucky, your dollars will be going to a fantastic cause.

Enter here | Waves For Water | Harley-Davidson | Images by Brandon LaJoie

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[DaveM]

SHIFTING GEARS: BMW R nineT by Parr Motorcycles.

The self-help gurus of today love to talk about stepping outside of your ‘comfort zone’, but for all of us who ride motorcycles, we know that you’re never 100% in control. Stepping out can be just a twist of the throttle away or more than likely the result of poor driving by our fellow road users. So as much as Spencer Parr has been in the groove with his bike building career, his life journey...

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[DaveM]

Happy Ending: Unik Edition refreshes a forgotten CB750

Anyone who’s been doing a job long enough has probably made a few rookie mistakes. For Tiago Gonçalves and Luis Gonçalves at Unik Edition, it was buying this 1978 Honda CB750 in the Portuguese shop’s early days, with their first bit of profit.

“It was bought without first being seen and evaluated,” Tiago admits, “which turned out to be a bad decision. Between legalizing it, repairing the engine and improving it, a lot of time passed. We saw the bike go from one corner of the workshop to another, and donating parts to other Hondas.”

“We would occasionally show the bike to potential customers, but no one believed enough in this bike. Deep down we believed that this bike was meant to have a happy ending… we just didn’t know when.”

The CB’s fortunes turned when new clients, Ivan and Bárbara, visited Unik Edition’s workshop. They’re big fans of the shop’s work and of the Honda brand, and fancied the romantic notion of ‘saving’ the forlorn donor. And other than a few basic guidelines, they were happy to let the crew build it the way they wanted.

Thanks to work done over the years, the CB750’s motor was running just fine when the project kicked off. But the bike itself was less than complete; it was missing its foot pegs and a few other bits, and was standing on flat tires.

Tiago and Luis set to work, transforming the beat-up shop bike into this remarkably elegant cafe racer, appropriately dubbed ‘Imperatrix’ [Empress].

The engine’s helped along with a few off-the-shelf bits, like an oversized air filter unit and a chromed four-into-one exhaust. Unik also installed a Dynojet kit to get the carbs to play nice with the new parts, and rewired the entire bike around Motogadget components.

All of the CB750’s running gear is new too—starting with the forks and dual front brake discs from a Yamaha XJR1300. Unik installed the forks using the XJR’s bottom yoke, and a custom-made top yoke. It’s a sano design with no riser mounts, and a flush-mounted Motogadget speedo and warning light array.

Out back is a new set of YSS shocks. The wheels are fresh too, built up using restored hubs, new spokes and DID rims. Vintage treads from Shinko round out the package.

The CB750’s bodywork is a mix of old and new. Unik kept the OEM fuel tank, but shaped up a new seat—complete with a gel insert and genuine leather upholstery. It sits atop a custom subframe, bookended by a boxy little rear fender that ends in a subtle ducktail.

That particular feature actually comes off the original bike: it’s a piece of the original mudguard that used to run behind the back wheel, cleaned up and repurposed.

The license plate now sits on a swingarm-mounted bracket, and there’s a stubby fender up front, mounted on a set of hand-made struts.

Just below the seat is an oil tank borrowed from an old Harley-Davidson. Unik welded in extra tabs to mount it, and even went to the trouble of finding a dipstick with a thermometer that measures in Celsius rather than Fahrenheit.

The rest of the parts list includes high-rise Tarozzi clip-ons, Motogadget grips, Rebel Moto switches, a new throttle and levers, and rear-set foot controls. There’s a classic bottom-mounted headlight out front, with integrated LEDs on the bar-end mirrors for turn signals.

A pair of Highsider LEDs do turn signal and taillight duty at the rear, sitting on custom brackets that attach to the shock mounts.

Wrapped in a deep red paint job, with an off-white frame and period-correct graphics, this CB750 looks as chic as it does regal. Redemption, at last.

Unik Edition | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Manuel Portugal | Rider: Maria Duarte

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[DaveM]

Flying solo: Foundry’s Guzzi 1100 Sport street tracker

Building custom motorcycles is a changing profession these days. The lathe in the corner is oft replaced by a CAD workstation wired up to a 3D printer. The simple website has probably become a full-blown store selling custom parts, not just tees and caps printed up by a mate. And one of the partners in the operation is more likely to be a marketer than a mechanic.

But there’s still a place for the guy who works by himself, on an industrial estate in a small town. As long as he’s got skills—and Tom Simpson has them in abundance.

“Foundry is indeed a solo gig,” he tells us. “Just me here six days a week, trying to build the best bikes I can.”

‘Foundry’ is an apt name for his shop in West Sussex, England: Tom was a blacksmith before moving into bike building full time, around eight years ago. Which means he’s one of those increasingly rare folk who are supremely comfortable with casting and shaping raw metal.

This Moto Guzzi street tracker was commissioned after a client wanted to buy a V65 tracker Tom had just completed. But that bike had just been sold, so Tom had a dig around the back of his storeroom, and hauled out the remains of a ‘very scruffy’ 1996 1100 Sport—the last and fastest of the carbureted Guzzis.

“I purchased it years ago for its fuel tank, intending to turn it into a café racer for my own use,” Tom reveals. “Best laid plans and all that!”

After many coffees and sketches, Tom and his client agreed on a design direction and start date. “I won’t say how much longer than planned the build actually took,” he says wryly, “but there isn’t a single part on the bike that hasn’t been serviced, modified, fabricated, cast, painted or polished. The customer has been very patient!”

The starting point was a lightly modified Kawasaki H1 fuel tank with a Monza style fuel cap: clean and simple, and relatively easy to fit. Tom then removed the carbureted 90 hp pushrod V-twin and sent it to local specialist Nik at Moto Euro for stripping down.

Nik supplied a ‘dummy’ engine so Tom could work on the rest of the bike before he installed the finished engine. “I blasted the original engine and had it Cerakote painted at FreshLayers,” says Tom. “It then went back to Nik, who rebuilt it along with the gearbox and drive box.”

To get the higher-riding track stance, Tom installed Biltwell bars and lengthened the forks, modifying the stock yokes accordingly. There’s a custom-built One.Zero shock absorber from Quantum Racing Suspension and the original Marchesini alloy wheels have been restored and shod with Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR tires. The refurbished Brembo brakes are now plumbed into custom runs of HEL Performance Carbolook lines, both front and rear.

Tom’s rebuilt the rear frame, but this is no simple rear loop job—there’s a beautifully cast rear section with LEDs for lighting underneath, and a flushed-in seat upholstered by Trim Deluxe of Littlehampton on top.

The under-seat section doubles up as the exhaust muffler and exit, and is crafted from cast and fabricated aluminum plus stainless steel. “All of my casting is done with recycled material, and most of the parts I cast for this bike were originally small block Guzzi engine cases,” says Tom. “The exhaust exits through the vertical louvers and the red ‘lenses’ are recycled Honda taillights.” Ingenious.

The rear section will keep most of the spray off the rider, but there is no front fender on this bike. “That was a conscious design choice between us and the customer,” says Tom. “But the fork lugs have been left on—should we ever decide to add one. In the meantime, there is a fork brace which was not in place when the photography happened.”

When the engine returned from its rebuild, Tom treated it to a custom set of valve covers and installed the re-jetted Dell’Orto PHM40 carbs onto modified intake manifolds.

“The carbs sit slightly further back than standard, to allow adequate clearance for the exhaust. I made the manifolds using the lathe, mill, TIG welding and hand filing.”

Tom has also cast new air cleaner assemblies (with K&N filter elements) and built new stainless steel exhaust pipework complete with baffles, Lambda ports, cast side covers and Thermo-Tec heat shielding.

The electrical system is upgraded throughout, with a digital ignition system from Elektronik Sachse, Dyna coils and Taylor leads. A Magneti Marelli lithium battery is hiding under the transmission in a custom aluminum battery box.

A Bluetooth-enabled Motogadget mo.unit control box made the rewire easy, and there’s a matching mo.lock remote ignition unit. The discreet bar end indicators are from Kellermann, the switchgear is from Motone, and there’s an MMB digital speedo cradled in a custom cup. Right ahead is a retro-style 5¾ headlight in a cast aluminum housing.

Tom handles virtually everything in house normally, but he entrusted the paint for the Guzzi to Stuart Jago of S Jago Designs. “The custom Midnight Blue color is often mistaken for being black but when the light hits, the deep metallic, inky blue really shines,” says Tom. FreshLayers then ceramic coated the bodywork to keep it pristine.

So what’s it like to ride? The 1100 Sport is renowned for being one of those ‘ugly’ bikes that perform well, so it’s not surprising that Tom reckons it’s ‘great fun.’

“It sounds exciting but isn’t too loud,” he reports. “It’s surprisingly nimble after removing a significant amount of the chunky original body and frame. And no, it’s not at all like sitting on a toaster! The design allows for a significant amount of airflow over the engine and exhaust, as well as distance (and insulation) where the pipes exit.”

It’s a bike we’d love to try out, and amazing work from a traditional solo operator. If you’re in the south of England, pop along and pay Tom a visit—not least because he now has an espresso machine in the shop, in a small concession to changing times.

Foundry Motorcycle | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Gary Margerum

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, 23 May 2021

Our round-up for the week includes a well-used Moto Martin-framed endurance racer, and two BMWs; an R nineT and an R18. But first, we take a closer look at the electric-powered Curtiss One.

A look at the Curtiss One When a new, boutique manufacturer pops its head up, there’s always fear that their left field creations are just vaporware. But Curtiss Motorcycles reports that their electric motorcycle, the One, is now actually entering production. And it’s an intriguing machine.

If you haven’t been following the news, Curtiss is owned by Matt Chambers (the guy who used to run Confederate), and their lead designer is JT Nesbitt (the guy behind the Wraith, the G2 and incredible Magnolia Special car). The company’s aiming for the same high-end, eclectic vibe as Confederate, but with a twist: they’ve gone electric.

Curtiss cites a number of reasons for the move, but there’s one that really clicks with us. They say that with less moving parts, no noise or vibration, and no gears to change, electric motorcycles free up the rider’s headspace to focus more on the ride. (It’s true too, as we learnt when we rode the Harley-Davidson LiveWire.)

The One is loaded with some pretty impressive and out-there engineering. There’s no clear distinction between bodywork and chassis, with multiple billet aluminum structural components and panels all bolting together to form the central form. Housed inside is a Yasa Axial Flux drivetrain, along with a unique battery system that immerses the cells in a non-conductive coolant.

The suspension uses a sort of modern, multi-link girder system up front, and a swingarm that moves on a pivot attached directly to the driveshaft mount. Look closely, and you’ll notice that both the front and rear suspension ‘arms’ are identical. The system includes adjustable geometry, and Curtiss have paid particular attention to ergonomics too, with a fairly neutral rider triangle.

There’s also a focus on creating what Curtiss calls an “analog electric experience,” because other than the obvious tech within the motor, there’s little in the way of rider aids or electronic gadgetry. Claimed numbers are 120 hp at peak with a steady output of 87 hp, and 147 lb-ft peak torque, with a steady output of 120 lb-ft. It weighs in at a remarkable 425 lbs, but Curtiss haven’t quoted any range or charging time figures yet.

If you want the One in your garage, you’ll need to reserve a build slot. Curtiss are building 90 units of the entry-level model, with a $1,000 non-refundable deposit and a starting price of $90,000, to be delivered in mid-2022.

There’s a top of the line model too, limited to 15 units, all hand-assembled by JT Nesbitt in his New Orleans studio. Featuring higher-end materials and a wide range of personalization, it’ll cost you $115,000, with a $30,000 non-refundable deposit, with delivery scheduled for late-2021. [Curtiss Motorcycles]

BMW R nineT by Parr Motorcycles If you need proof that all BMW R nineT variants are pretty much the same bike under the hood, Spencer at Parr Motorcycles in Indiana has it. His customer came in with the cafe racer-style R nineT Racer, and left with this handsome street scrambler.

Spencer’s more comfortable working on single-cylinder dual-sport bikes than big street bikes, but he’s been a fan of the R nineT for a while, so he decided to take it on. His mandate was to build a scrambler with a nickel-plated frame, keep the OEM tank and airbox, and match the color to the blue of his client’s helmet.

Spencer unbolted the nineT’s removable subframe, then built a new one to support a custom-made tail section. He designed it so that the bodywork with sit on top of the frame—leaving it exposed to show off the nickel plating. It’s finished off with vinyl and Alcantara upholstery, and an LED taillight embedded in the back.

Up front, Spencer swapped the Racer’s clip-ons for a set of ProTaper bars. The client specifically wanted a small headlight, so he shaped up a vintage enduro-style nacelle to help tuck away the stock dials. Then he installed a set of Rizoma blinkers up front, with Motogadget items at the back.

The wheels were swapped for 19F/17R spoked units using Excel rims, and the suspension was upgraded with Wilbers components. The exhaust took a little creative thinking though—the client lives in California, so it had to be CARB compliant. Spencer built a two-into-one system with a catalytic converter inside, then added a Competition Werkes muffler.

As requested, the bike was then painted baby blue, with black and silver accents. Finishing it off is just the subtlest hint of gold striping, to match the handlebars and wheels. [Parr Motorcycles]

Warp Speed Classic Racing’s Moto Martin race bike Some time ago, we mentioned that Kris Reniers fielded a Moto Martin-framed bike in the classic European endurance racing championship. Now we’ve got a glimpse at the bike that Kris and his friend Christophe Heyligen have been racing for the past several years. And it’s a stunner.

Christophe tells us that the pair had the zany idea to start endurance racing about ten years ago. They scraped enough money together for a Honda CB900 Bol d’Or, and eventually sought out a coveted Moto Martin frame. “First, we were sold a scandalous piece of space frame that we returned and exchanged for a less sought-after Poutre tubular frame,” Christophe tells us.

The guys put the bike straight onto the bench; Christophe worked on the bodywork, while Kris tackled the rest. A year later, an 1100 Honda block went in—something that George Martin himself advised against when the guys invited him to visit their pits at Spa Francorchamps, and commissioned him to make a fuel tank for the bike.

“Never was there anything torn or broken on the frame,” says Christophe, “even while we saw this happen with other teams.”

The bike has more stories to tell than we could cram in here. It’s raced at Spa Francorchamps, Assen, the Nürburgring, Circuit Paul Ricard and more. And it’s gone up against greats like Guy Martin, John McGuinness and Stéphane Mertens. At some point Kris broke his foot badly in a race and stepped back; the team went through two replacement riders, each adding more tweaks to the bike.

As it stands, the bike features Suzuki GSX-R750 wheels, Brembo brakes, modern Kawasaki fork internals, custom CNC-machined yokes, Ikon shocks, and a beefed up 1,123 cc motor. The bodywork comes from all over, contrasted with a few off-the-shelf parts, like a Motogadget speedo and a Racing tacho.

Kris and Christophe have moved onto racing different bikes now, so the Moto Martin’s being retired and converted for street use.

“We learned all about classic endurance on this bike,” says Cristophe. “We raced, laughed and cried on this bike, we crashed and burned this bike, and now, for hopefully the last time, Kris and I have cleaned and revamped it.” [Warp Speed Classic Racing]

BMW R18 by Boxer Evasion BMW say that the R18 was designed with customization in mind. And given the rate at which R18 customs have been coming out of the woodwork, they weren’t kidding. This suave R18 bobber is yet more proof that a few well-judged tweaks are all it takes to unleash the German-made cruiser’s potential.

This one’s the work of Boxer Evasion—a BMW dealer in Lille run by three brothers who clearly have a head for customization. They’ve slimmed the R18 down with a tight and short rear fender, and a svelte bobber seat that’s sitting on springs. The OEM fuel tank’s still in play, but the front fenders gone; the remaining bodywork wears a modish teal paint job.

The cockpit’s sporting a set of wide beach bars with all of the wiring (and hoses) rerouted to inside them. The wiring harness is still original, so as not to mess with the bike’s electronics, but the speedo’s been relocated to the side of the bike. And the battery’s been swapped for a lighter lithium-ion unit, housed in a custom box mounted behind the transmission.

Subtler details include Beringer brake and clutch controls, and Kellermann LED taillights mounted inside the rear fender arch. Lower down is a pair of custom-made slash-cut stainless steel exhausts, complete with removable dB killers. And just above those are custom intakes to replace the stock airbox.

Finished off with a wider rear tire and a side-mounted license plate bracket, Boxer Evasion’s bobber is a worthy addition to the ever-growing list of R18 customs. [Boxer Evasion | Images by Gaëtan Lamarque]

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[DaveM]

FRENCH FIGHTER: Yamaha XV1000 by Jerem Motorcycles.

The Street Fighter style of motorcycle carved out an era in the custom motorcycle scene when it was the top dog. Endless workshops built them, magazines were named after them and Ducati released a bike just for the segment. But you hardly see a slab side Suzuki with twin headlights and a crazy up-kicked tail anymore. That, however, does not mean the scene is dead, it like many of its participants...

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