Speed Read, 20 June 2021
Our weekly search has uncovered a Suzuki GSX 1200 dressed as a Honda, a Triumph Speed Triple cafe racer from France, and an impossibly low mileage MV Agusta 750 S. We also look at Super73’s newest e-bike, and a gnarly video from Icon Motorsports.
Team Yellow Corn Honki We’re not sure how a bright yellow four-cylinder Suzuki masquerading as a Honda slips under the radar. But this beastly superbike was built three years ago, and it’s the first time we’ve laid eyes on it. Dubbed the ‘Honki,’ this gloriously ridiculous machine was built by the Japanese apparel and parts brand,
Yellow Corn.
There’s not a lot of information on it out there, but from what we can gather it’s based on a
Suzuki GSX 1200 Inazuma, likely a late 90s model. It’s been bored to 1,277 cc with JE pistons, and features a Yoshimura camshaft and Mikuni TMR 41 mm carbs. There’s also a pair of Earl’s Performance oil coolers.
The bodywork is either repro or original Honda CB-F stuff, giving the Honki its unique appearance (and name).
Yellow Corn built the swing arm and exhaust, and probably a bunch of other bits too. The forks are by Showa, the rear shocks are from Togashi Engineering, and the brakes are Brembo units, hooked up to a pair of stunning forged wheels.
The result is a ferocious ode to the classic superbike, and a bike we’d love to see ridden in anger on a race track. It’s also a stark reminder that yellow can be an excellent color for a motorcycle—when done right. [
Source]
Triumph Speed Triple cafe racer Triumph already has a factory cafe racer in its stable; the twin cylinder Thruxton. But what if there was a triple cylinder version too? If there was, it might look a bit like this neatly cafe’d
Speed Triple from France.
The bike belongs to 29-year-old enthusiast
Tim, who had been using it as a daily runner when he decided to give it an overhaul. Enamored with classic bikes and
cafe racers, Tim figured he could mate old school looks with his 2015-model Speed Triple’s modern performance.
After countless 3D renders and late night Photoshop sessions, Tim finally had a clear direction in mind.
The big hit here is the fairing—a Ducati Paul Smart unit that Tim trimmed, shaped and manipulated with fiberglass to fit the Speed Triple. It wears a Koso LED headlight, with a new set of AMB clip-ons installed just behind it, fitted with Rizoma grips and Kellermann bar-end turn signals.
Tim also made a new passenger seat cover to match the fairing’s lines, and added a belly pan.
Other upgrades include an Öhlins TTX shock from a 2020-model Speed Triple RS, and a set of Bonamici rearsets. Tim had to modify the rearsets to work around the low-slung Arrow exhaust system on his bike, because they’re designed to work with the Speed Triple’s OEM high-mounted system.
Finished by the paint shop Holy Death, in a white, black and red livery straight out of Triumph’s playbook, Tim’s Speed Triple does indeed look factory. And it’s pretty racy for a cafe racer too—Tim’s already put it through its paces on track, and is loving it. [Action photography by Nicolas Poteau /
Merou Photographie]
1973 MV Agusta 750 S There are few motorcycles that can boast the same desirability as an original
MV Agusta 750 Sport. It’s undeniably beautiful, and impossibly rare—only 583 were made. It also represents an era in MV Agusta’s history when the marque was still dominant in racing.
So it’s little wonder that an original 750 S ain’t cheap. This one’s about to go to
auction at Bonhams, and is expected to fetch $84,750 to $113,000—dented fuel tank and all. On the up side, it only has 11,968 miles on the dial, despite being almost five decades old.
The story goes that the bike spent a chunk of its life in the private collection of the late John Foulston—a gentleman racer who owned the Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Snetterton, and Cadwell Park racing circuits in the UK. It had just 2,000 miles on its odometer when it was sold from his estate to its current owner, who then proceeded to rack up the remaining miles.
The dent in the tank comes from a small mishap on the way back from a roadworthiness testing center in 2019. The owner hit a slippery patch and managed to stay upright—but the bike brushed a wall in the process. Since the paint on the 750 is still original, he left the dent in to avoid a respray.
If you’re feeling rich, you could always buy it and decide yourself whether to spray it or not. The deal also includes a bevy of ownership and expired registration documents, invoices, and the original tool kit, which is still mounted under the seat. Tempted? [
Via]
Super73 ZX We’re big fans of Super73’s
e-bikes, and think of them as the Monkey bikes of the electric mobility world. Their bikes are cute and accessible, and cover a wide price bracket too—from the $1,395 Z1 to the $3,495 RX.
Now they’ve added a new model: an upgrade of the Z1 called the ZX. At $1,995 it’s not painfully more expensive than its sibling, but it’s been upgraded in almost every way, making it a good fit for riders that feel like the entry-level Z1 doesn’t quite cut it.
Super 73 have kept the Z1’s general design, but given the ZX a lightweight aluminum frame, a bigger and more comfortable seat, and revised ergonomics. It has a bigger battery too, four riding modes that cover pedal-assist and throttle options, and room for a passenger, at a push.
The specs represent a big-enough jump over the smaller Z1 to make sense.
The ZX has a 615 watt-hour battery, with a motor that makes 750 watt nominal and 1,350 watt peak power. Its range is between 25 and 35 miles, and it weighs 62.6 lbs with a 325 lbs rider weight limit. (For comparison, the Z1 has a 418 watt-hour battery, a 500 watt motor and a 15-25 mile range, with a 250 lbs rider weight limit.)
The Super73 ZX rolls on fat 20” wheels, with mechanical disc brakes and no suspension (although optional front suspension is on its way). Colors on offer include ‘moon rock’ and ‘storm gray,’ and lights and turn signals are optional, if you need to make it street legal. [
Super73]
Icon Drift & Destroy Our friends at Icon Motosports in Portland have a habit of producing wild video edits to promote their riding gear. ‘Drift & Destroy’ is one of their gnarliest yet, and was filmed by a remote crew in Cape Town, South Africa, smack bang in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the stars of the show is the company’s new
Icon 1000 Synthhawk jacket. Styled as a stealthy casual hoody, the Synthhawk uses Ax Laredo for its chassis; a synthetic fabric that resembles leather, and is said to offer decent abrasion resistance without the weight penalty.
It’s cut using Icon’s sport fit, which has pre-curved arms, and is relaxed without being baggy. The branding is minimal, the hood can be stowed, and there’s a full set of D30 protectors. Extra ventilation is available via zippered vents on the chest and back, and a clever mesh panel that hides ‘inside’ the main zipper. And the shell offers light water resistance too.
Alongside the Synthhawk in the video are Icon’s
Airflite Mips Jewel helmet (a different color treatment to the Airflite Stealth helmet
we reviewed), and their
Hooligan riding shoe.
Enjoy, and don’t try this at home. [
Icon 1000 | Images by
Roy Potterill]
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