Custom Motorcycle Builds

[DaveM]

Speed Read, September 5, 2021

This week we’ve got a pair of very different classic Hondas: a CB550 rebuilt in lockdown, and a feisty lil’ NSR50 pocket rocket. Plus a new BMW concept aimed at Gen Z, and a limited production run of custom Ducatis from NCT in Austria. Honestly, we’d take ’em all.

Honda NSR50 at Four Stroke Barn One of the biggest collector scenes in our world focuses on Honda mini bikes: from limited edition Monkeys to miniature miracles like the NSR50. In Europe, the Dutch company Four Stroke Barn is a major player, with dozens of obscure tiddlers on its books—most imported directly from Japan, with all the vital paperwork and approvals.

This NSR50 caught our eye, with 21,000 kilometers on the clock and a sticker price of €2,851 (US$3,400). You don’t often see these models outside of Japan, because they were only produced for a short period in 2004, but they occasionally pop up in race series.

The engine is a revvy water-cooled two-stroke pumping out 7.2 hp, but on a bike weighing around 160 pounds, that’s enough for a little fun. Especially with a six-speed close-ratio ‘box and a top speed of around 60 mph, which was higher than most contemporaries.

Despite not being street legal in the US at the time of sale, word on the street is that it’s possible to get one registered these days, if you know your way around the legislation—and can install lights, turn signals and mirrors.

You probably wouldn’t want to use this machine for a trip down Route 66, but for getting the groceries or popping out to a local café, it’s probably more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

Ducati Evo Racer by NCT Five years ago, one of the most popular bikes on EXIF was a stunning Ducati 848 café racer by the Austrian shop NCT. David Widmann and his crew have now launched a run of 70 limited production models, with 30 using the 848 as a donor bike, 30 using the 1098, and ten using the 1198.

The biggest visual differences compared to the stock Ducatis come from the new bodywork and seat. They not only give the Ducatis a ‘retro racer’ feel, but also knock around 20 kilos (45 pounds) off the weight.

The material is carbon fiber and it’s taken engineer Michael Kölz over a year to develop and productionize, along with a new rear subframe that now hides a compact li-ion battery.

The new suspension is Öhlins all round, with the forks held in custom triple clamps that raise the clip-ons slightly higher than stock for a more comfortable riding position. The lighting is new all-round too, with a powerful LED headlamp up front and bar-end blinkers, and the exhaust has been upgraded to an Akrapovič system.

There are far too many other mods to cover off here, but our report on the original Evo machine gives you a guide.

The color possibilities are almost unlimited, but the standard colors are British Racing Green, Miami Blue, Pure White, Agate Grey or Black.

Pricing starts at €25,848 (US$30,700) for an 848, running up to €48,780 (US$58,000) for a fully-kitted out 170 hp, 155 kg 1198 with an even higher spec. This includes the cost of donor bikes, which are all pristine used models with very low kilometers and no track history. Tempting … [NCT Motorcycles]

Honda CB550 by Mark Colasante It’s hard to find any positives in the coronavirus situation, but if there’s a tiny mercy, it’s that lockdowns have inspired many folks to head to the garage or home workshop and spin the spanners.

One such home builder is Mark Colasante, an Ohio-based CEO who runs an online learning company. Mark has been riding since the age of ten, when his father built him a mini bike with a Briggs & Stratton lawn mower engine—and he’s finally had an incentive to get stuck into his own build project.

In 2013 Mark bought this 1975 CB550 K1, and figured he’d turn it into a cafe racer. His workshop is home to a compressor, blasting cabinets, a CNC machine and a paint/Cerakote booth; it was just a question of finding the time.

To start the build, Mark stripped the bike down and blasted off decades of crud. He rebuilt the engine back to factory spec, and repaired any obvious damage to the frame before getting it powder coated.

The mods are simple, with a focus on a classic rather than aggressive look. None of it is rocket science, but all of it is beautifully done and well chosen, from the simple rear frame loop and curvy seat and tail unit to the CNC-cut gauge mount.

Much of the work is hidden, such as the complete new electrical system—using a m.unit Blue control box, speedo, switchgear and blinkers from Motogadget.

The vapor-blasted engine is finished in Cerakote grey, and compression testing records a smidge under 170 psi. The rebuilt forks are hiding Race Tech springs and emulator valves, and the CB now rides on D.I.D. rims finished off with spokes from Buchanan’s.

Mark’s called his CB550 ‘Project Clean Slate,’ and that’s a great name for it. Proof that you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel—and good things take time. [Mark Colasante instagram | Via]

BMW Motorrad Concept CE 02 BMW has just released an electric concept that could sit underneath the radical CE 04 maxi scooter in its range. BMW describes the concept as ‘neither a classic motorcycle nor a scooter’ and it’s aimed at younger, urban riders who would not normally buy a motorcycle.

The CE 02 has got a predictably sniffy response from some quarters—mostly those occupied by elder members of the motorcycle press—but we love it. Top speed is 90kph, range is around 90 km, and the weight is a user-friendly 120 kg (198 pounds).

BMW also references the idea of a “skateboard on two wheels” and the seat certainly brings that analogy to life. The 15-inch disc wheels are pothole-friendly, and will be appreciated by anyone who has encountered a badly-repaired road at high speed on a Vespa with 11-inch rims.

The styling is just as futuristic as the CE 04 on sale now, which was suprisingly little changed from its own ‘Definition’ concept of a few years earlier. This suggests that BMW may put the CE 02 into production without drifting too far away from the design we’re looking at here.

We suspect this bike could be a hit with Gen Z in the cities of mainland Europe. It’s all over the tech and lifestyle websites for starters, which is rare for a moto concept. The kicker, as always, will be the pricing. Anything substantially more than Vespa money will turn the CE 02 into a toy for the rich. [More]

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[DaveM]

HIGHLY CAFFEINATED: 1974 Honda CB200 Café Racer.

For more than six decades the Honda CB series has been doing it all, from small capacity commuter bikes to mid-sized tourers and badged with a RR, ripping up race tracks and taking home trophies. It’s hard to think of a more diverse range of bikes offered under the one badge, with models featuring single cylinders through to six. But while most of the earliest bikes were all about getting to and...

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[DaveM]

Nip and Tuck: A tweaked Street Scrambler from Bunker

The Triumph Street Scrambler is one of those bikes that does everything well. It’s well designed and well made, with a crackin’ good engine and the ability to handle the occasional trail ride or (slightly) slippery stuff.

But what if you want a little more off-road ability, without losing the charm of the bike, spending a fortune, or going full 500-pound ADV?

One solution is to take what you’ve got and make it even better. And that’s what’s happened with this new build from Istanbul-based Bunker Custom Cycles, called ‘Rascal.’

The commission came from Bunker brand ambassador, keen motorcyclist and friend Efe Eke, who runs a textile company in Turkey. Efe already has a Bunker custom for street riding—this lovely Street Twin—but he wanted a bike that he could take off road.

“Efe lives in Denizli, which is close to the city of Izmir on the Aegean side of Turkey,” says Mert, who runs Bunker with his brother Can. “It has a marvelous landscape: open roads through olive groves, and curves through pine forests.”

With an elevation of around 350 meters above sea level, the Denizli climate is mellow compared to the scorching summer heat of Izmir, making it the perfect place to ride almost all year. “Efe does at least 30,000 km a year, thanks to the location and ten-month long season,” says Mert. “So we built this bike to give him the scrambler ‘flexibility’ which everyone is after nowadays.”

The first port of call was the suspension. The Street Scrambler has longer travel than the Street Twin, with 120 mm in the forks, but there’s room for improvement. Bunker installed an Andreani cartridge kit at the front, which has extra oil passages plus rebound, compression and preload adjustments.

Bunker also made spacers to give two centimeters more travel and height at the front. (“We’ve been working with Andreani for some time and we are very happy with it. Totally changes the behavior of the bike.”)

To make the Triumph even more off-road-friendly, the close-fitting factory front fender has been ditched in favor of a hand-made unit with clearance more akin to an enduro bike.

The crossbar on the ‘bars has been protected with a leather cover, and the radiator is protected by Bunker’s own proprietary guard—sitting alongside Triumph accessory engine guards.

At the back, Bunker have selected 349mm Fox shocks, which are available from Triumph. “They’re adjustable and work like a charm,” Mert notes. The sturdy shocks are hooked up to a new frame loop with a slightly shorter seating arrangement than the factory seat-plus-pillion-pad setup. The compact taillight and license plate holder are from Bunker’s own catalog.

The 900cc ‘High Torque’ parallel twin motor is one of the Street Scrambler’s best points, so Bunker have given it a helping hand rather than carrying out major surgery.

“Engine wise, the Street Scrambler hits all the right notes—except at low rpm,” says Mert. “Over the years, we’ve found that a BoosterPlug, a less restricted intake filter and a more open exhaust works really, really well. We used a DNA filter on the intake and a Vance & Hines muffler on the exhaust.” Less noticeable is the tiny K&N crank breather, plus a D.I.D. gold chain.

On the most recent version of this Triumph, the factory updated the brakes to Brembos. To get similar performance on this 2018-model build (without breaking the bank) Bunker have installed wave discs and pads from Galfer. “It makes a substantial difference.”

The tires got an upgrade too, with Continental TKC80s that work well both on- and off-road. (“Quite common but they work.”) And considering Efe’s high mileage, Bunker also added powerful auxiliary Denali front lights. “We’ve used Denalis on our own bikes for some time, begun to use them in customer projects, and are now a dealer. We love them.”

Efe’s scrambler is one of those customs that is going to get a lot of use. He hardly ever uses a car, and has several other bikes. The Street Scrambler is up to 40,000 km on the clock already—which is more mileage than his other bikes combined over the past couple of years.

“If he’s in ‘exploration’ mode, Rascal is his ‘go to’ on the trails,” says Mert. “He says he’s now more comfortable on it, and it works better for both standing up and flipping around. The focus on this project was to make the mods smart: it’s a purposeful and cost effective approach, which is really fun to ride.”

Bunker’s Triumph isn’t going to take home a trophy at the Born Free show, but it’s a textbook, real-world example of mods that take a bike from good to great. We’d happily take it too, and put it in the garage.

Bunker Custom Cycles | Facebook | Instagram | Static images by Onur Aynagoz, action shots by Yiğit Akbıyık

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[DaveM]

SUPERMOTO SCRAMBLER: Triumph 1200 XE by UNIKAT Motorworks.

Once well established and having built a solid reputation, many a brand goes one step too far in their attempt to be too many things to too many people, and quickly come crashing down. In a rapidly changing market place you certainly can’t rest on your laurels, so how do you find the balance without toppling over the edge. Well, two brands that are known for their wide-ranging offerings are...

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[DaveM]

Werk of Art: A stripped-down BMW R100RS from 46works

The phrase ‘renaissance man’ is thrown around too loosely these days, along with ‘legendary’ and ‘iconic.’ But there’s no other way to describe Shiro Nakajima.

The man behind the 46works label is a not just a motorcycle builder. He’s also a trained engineer, a talented woodworker, a furniture maker, and a vintage car restorer. He’s also the entrepreneur who founded the Japanese BMW workshop Ritmo Sereno, and when he gets time, he races classic motorcycles.

Nakaima-san’s beautiful workshop is housed in a traditional wooden building overlooked by the Yatsugatake Mountains on the island of Honshū, and this 1992 R100RS is the latest machine to roll out into the autumn sunlight.

This particular build is a commission. It’s a second-generation R100RS built near the end of the 18-year production run, which still stacks up well as a pretty rapid mile-muncher—even in stock spec.

Shiro’s modifications have turned the big tourer into a more sports-focused machine, ditching the heavy stock bodywork and raising the dynamic abilities. It’s not a million miles away from the approach he uses for the BMWs he races at the Tsukuba and Fuji Speedway circuits.

“It’s designed for show-ready quality and the best riding performance on winding roads,” says Nakajima. In other words, less Reisesport [travel sport] and more Rennsport.

“It’s light, sharp handling and comfortable, with a powerful engine, sophisticated controls, and design details that stand up to close inspection. I test rode it for over 100 km after I finished it—and it was so much fun to ride, I forgot the effort and cost that went into it.”

The effort that went into this restomod was considerable, and given the cachet attached to Nakajimi’s skills in Japan, it probably wasn’t a budget build either.

For starters, the air-cooled boxer engine and gearbox were stripped right down, blasted clean, overhauled, and blueprinted back to factory spec.

The Bing carbs have been replaced by more effective smooth bore flatside Keihin FCR39 units, and Nakajima has crafted a full titanium 2-into-1 exhaust system to match—with a one-off titanium muffler built by a local specialist.

Nakajima reveals that he took the USD Öhlins forks from a Ducati, modified the internals, and clamped them in place with a custom-made steering stem and triples.

The clip-ons come from the Japanese manufacturer Battle Factory, and house classic Kawasaki switchgear on the left, and Honda on the right. The sole instrumentation is a Motogadget motoscope mini LED display, with Motogadget mo.blaze bar-end turn signals handle blinker duties.

A shimmer of gold reveals an Öhlins monoshock at the back, and the 18-inch wheels are Excel, shod with fresh Bridgestone Battlax BT45 tires under raw aluminum fenders.

The rear hub is a one-off, and not only a thing of beauty, but also a measure of Nakajima’s engineering talent—along with the hand-made foot controls.

There’s nothing custom about the brake system though, which is a solid Brembo setup, from the master cylinders to the discs—which are twin at the front, with four-pot calipers.

The showroom R100RS has a long back end, with a double seat and a smidge of bodywork behind. That’s ideal for touring but not for carving corners, so Nakajima-san has reworked the frame to support a solo seat—and a small but elegant tail unit.

Above the new aluminum frame tubing, the restyled tail unit flows into a hand-beaten aluminum tank, with subtle knee indents. It’s simple and more angular than you’d typically find on a classic BMW, but avoids the identikit look of many BMW café racers.

Despite the French Blue hue of the paint, Nakajima cites vintage British sports cars as the main inspiration for this build: “Not a specific car model, but more of an ‘image’,” he says.

There’s a lot to be said for riding (or driving) an old school, bare-bones machine that’s essentially an engine, wheels, and a fuel tank.

But if you add Nakajima’s craft skills to robust German engineering, we reckon you’re more likely to arrive at your destination with this lovely BMW than some older British vehicles…

46Works | Facebook | Instagram

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[DaveM]

ROYAL RACER: Continental GT 650 ‘Lilith’ by XTR Pepo.

As we speak the mechanics of all the teams from the FIM Endurance World Championship are putting the final touches on their race machines before heading to the Paul Ricard circuit. It is there next weekend that they will do battle in the 24-hour race, the Bol d’Or, where man and machine are pushed to the absolute limit. Endurance racing has a rich history and provides vital feedback to...

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[DaveM]

Tiny Tank: A Yard Built Yamaha XSR155 from Deus Bali

For nine years now, Yamaha’s ‘Yard Built’ program has set the benchmark for manufacturer-sponsored custom projects. We’ve covered it right from the beginning, since the reveal of the Wrenchmonkees’ MonkeeFist XJR1300. There must be some 50 or more builds since, but it wasn’t until the XSR155 was released that Yamaha opened up the program to Asia.

The newest XSR is obviously smaller and more affordable than its bigger brothers, which helps mass-market sales in Asia. Launched at the tail end of 2019, the XSR155 is based on the MT-15—which means it has a rev-happy 155cc liquid-cooled SOHC four-valve engine. The rest of the spec sheet is pretty good—it includes USD forks, a slipper clutch and six-speed ‘box, LED lighting and digital instrumentation.

The frame is Yamaha’s ‘Deltabox’ layout though, which might be great for handling but isn’t so good for ease of modification or visual appeal. But despite that, the Yard Built program has now trickled down to Bali, the Island of the Gods, which is home to Deus’ Indonesian garage—or bengkel, to use the local parlance.

Before handing the XSR155 over to the Deus crew, Yamaha put two stipulations on the build: don’t touch the Delta frame, and don’t touch the engine. The rest, as you can see, was fair game.

“Before we did anything, we checked out the builds that had come before,” says Anthony ‘Ano’ McInerheney, Deus Bali’s design head. “Yard Built has already happened in Jakarta, and we didn’t want to repeat anything.”

This XSR155 has been designed as a ‘go anywhere’ machine, Bali-style. “We wanted our bike to reflect true usage—what we do, day in and day out. So it needed to carry us to the beach for a pre-work surf. Head home after, strip off the racks and go into the office. At nights we might pull on a shirt and head into town for a dinner for two.”

Deus have chosen the name Aka-Tombo, Japanese for ‘Red Dragonfly,’ as a homage to the first bike Yamaha made back in 1955—the YA-1. “We referenced it again when choosing the deep red for the bodywork,” says Ano, “but the similarities stop there. Our build is visually quite big and heavy, and tall too.”

Deus have removed a lot of what comes standard, from the fuel tank cover and fuel cell to the plastic side panels, fenders, and bash plate. The shape of the swingarm was wrong for the big, tough stance too: “We came up with one made from stainless tubing,” says Ano. “It helps reduce the visual weight around the back wheel, and highlights the cantilevered tan leather seat and the hand-made tail. We wanted a bike that looks badass and rides great. Who doesn’t?”

Hand-built metal bodywork is an Indonesian national specialty, and the Bengkel boys Arwin and Koko rose to the occasion. “This build has allowed us to showcase their work—they are the real heroes here.”

Everything is hand forged from stainless or aluminum, with even some plastic in the tail. “Their tools are rudimentary: an English wheel and a big old block of ironwood that they hammer sheet out on,” says Ano. “We’re talking fenders, fork guards, and the bash plate and radiator side covers—which are one big piece.”

The stock speedo was relocated in front of the new tank—designed to accommodate the factory fuel pump and lockable cap—and the bars have been replaced with Japanese Hurricane tracker bars. They’re trimmed down a tad, and furnished with Biltwell grips.

The wheel size has been upped to 18 inches, with VND billet alloy hubs front and back laced up in-house to Sprint XD alloy rims, 3.5 inches wide. The forks are raised 20 mm, with a little more oil added for stiffness.

Deus have also stripped off the anodized finish on the forks to bring them back to the polish, and fitted a slightly softer spring to the rear monoshock.

The effect is to make the bike feel more balanced in the rough stuff, with the help of grippy Pirelli Scorpion Rally tires—which also increase the ride height still further.

“The extra height the 18s gave us meant we could also sling a SuperTrapp Shorty muffler underneath,” says Ano. “It’s a warm, rich sound that is nowhere near offensive.”

The tail also hides a hidden key lock that releases the tan leather seat, giving access to the battery and electronics—another smart little detail.

There was a bit of machine help in the build, with the perforated side panels. After cutting aluminum plates to fit, using cardboard templates, Deus had them CNC drilled for a mesh effect. It keeps the emphasis on the blocky Deltabox frame, which is highlighted further with Deus branding along both sides.

The brutal, mechanical feel of this build is highlighted by the paint, with shades of silver and grey on the hard parts and a Mitsubishi ‘Rally Red’ for the tank, fenders and headlight cowl. Rohin, Deus’ in-house spray guy, also dropped a few coats of high sheen clear across the top of everything.

As part of the deal with Yamaha, Deus get to keep the XSR155 at their Temple of Enthusiasm—but can’t sell it. “It becomes one of our shop bikes now,” says Ano.

It doesn’t sound like he has a problem with that, funnily enough. And neither would we.

Deus Bali | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Didit Prasetyo Adiwibowo

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[DaveM]

TESLA CONCEPT: The ‘SOKUDO’ by Make Haste Corp.

Similar to the impact that the custom bike world’s had on the design of production motorcycles, the makers of today’s track and performance-focused cars have increasingly looked to modern concept artists for inspiration and influence when penning widebodies and aero bits. And two of the most eminent artists currently working in this space are Ash Thorp and Carlos “colorsponge” Pecino.

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, September 12, 2021

We’re launching into this week’s round-up with a radically reworked Moto Guzzi Bellagio, and finishing off with a look at the upcoming Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello. Wedged in between are a garage-built Honda CB450, a rescued Harley-Davidson Sportster 883, and a Royal Enfield 650 from XTR Pepo.

Moto Guzzi Bellagio by Guzzi Motobox Custom shops that specialize in a particular marque have a habit of pulling out all the stops—and Guzzi Motobox in Catalonia is probably one of the best examples. After all, how many workshops could turn the laid back Moto Guzzi Bellagio into a fire breathing cafe racer?

GMB’s work on this Bellagio is a double whammy; they’ve not only dramatically changed its silhouette, but also given it a boost under the hood.

Using cylinders and pistons from specialist outfit Radical Guzzi, GMB took the motor from 935 cc to 1,500 cc, with four valves per cylinder instead of two. The team also converted the bike from fuel injection to a carbureted setup, and ditched the air box for a pair of velocity stacks. The stock exhaust headers were tweaked to run a pair of HP Corse mufflers.

The running gear’s been upgraded too, with the Showa forks from a Kawasaki ZX10R up front, and a custom built Öhlins shock out back.

The wheels are stunning 17” spoked units from Kineo, and the brakes are Brembos, complete with carbon fiber cooling ducts on the front discs. It wasn’t all plug-and-play though: GMB boss Manel Segarra reports that matching up the front forks, wheel and brakes took a lot of fiddling.

Higher up, GMB built a whole new subframe to sharpen up the Bellagio’s lines. The fuel tank and tail section, plus the front fender, are all custom pieces. “A close friend, German Dervidson, made them for us,” explains Manel. “We made the pieces in a special foam, and German replicated them with aluminum.”

The Guzzi also wears new rear sets and foot controls, with clip-ons, Beringer levers and switchgear from Renard Speed Shop up top. Other add-ons include new yokes, a small GMB speedo and an LED headlight. A custom carrier at the back holds the license plate, along with a pair of combo taillight and blinker LEDs. [Guzzi Motobox]

Honda CB450 by Scott Loyet There’s something special about hobby builds, and the blood, sweat and tears that are poured into them. This tastefully stylish Honda CB450 cafe racer is Scott Loyet’s first build—a project that took him four years to complete, because he resolved to only work on it when he “felt like it.” And it’s a pretty remarkable first effort.

Scott picked up the 1973 CB450 around the same time that his friend, Cory, also started working on a 70s-model CB.

“Cory has been my ‘Yoda’ throughout this project,”says Scott, “a man who has been around engines and motors all his life. My dad was a grease monkey, and I always admired the way he could fix anything on our family cars—and frankly, anything around the house, including hair dryers!”

“With no mechanical experience and new time on my hands since my kids had gotten older, I embarked on ripping apart my first bike. As my dad said to me, ‘you learn more from your mistakes’ and I learned A LOT. With parts and assistance from not only Cory, but also Dime City Cycles, Common Motor Collective and lots of YouTube videos, I was able to get over the finish line.”

Scott first stripped the bike down, then sent a bunch of parts off for fresh powder coating. The engine was refreshed with new valves and top end gaskets, and is now hooked up to Mikuni V32 carbs with velocity stacks from Speed Moto. Sparck Moto supplied a new wiring harness, and Scott installed an electronic ignition, new coils and plugs, a rebuilt starter, a Lithium-ion battery and a new regulator and rectifier.

Scott refreshed the front forks, but replaced the rear shocks with a new pair of Progressive units. The brakes were rebuilt, and the wheels re-laced with stainless spokes from Buchanan’s. Up top are new bars with wrapped Trip Machine Co. grips, and new dials. And all the lighting’s been replaced with LED units.

Scott had help along the way. CJ at Pullman Fabrications handled the custom battery box, rear loop and frame reinforcements, and built the new exhaust headers, which are connected to Lossa Engineering mufflers. Aaron at Pleasant Hill Auto Body massaged the fuel tank so that it’d transition with the seat better, Brian Jennings handled paint and Armand’s Auto Upholstery covered the seat.

“This bike was therapy for me,” says Scott, “with endless hours cleaning, shining and building. In the end, it is a tribute to my dad and an heirloom for my son or daughter.” [Images by Shirley DeFrancisci]

Harley-Davidson Sporster 883 by Minority Custom At a glance, this 2000-model Sportster 883 from Indonesia’s Minority Custom doesn’t break any major new ground. But it is very pretty and extremely tidy—impressive, when you consider that it started out as a wreck.

“’Simplicity is beauty’ is what our garage strives to show in our designs,” explains shop boss, Jonathan Evan. “We found this motorbike in a dull and damaged condition. Some parts of the engine were leaking and broken, oil was everywhere, and it had malfunctioning rear brakes and broken pistons.”

Minority rebuilt the Sporty inside and out, making a number of changes along the way. The crew wanted to give it a slight chopper stance—so they stretched the front forks and swapped the front wheel for a 21” hoop. There’s a solid 16” rear wheel at the back, hooked up to a custom-made sprocket.

Next, the OEM fuel tank was cut-and-shut to shrink it, and to make it sit tighter on the Harley’s backbone. Behind it is a custom leather seat, and behind that, a hand-made mini sissy bar that adds a touch of chopper sass, without going overboard.

Up front, tucked under the standard-issue Sportster headlight nacelle, is a smaller-than-stock light mounted on a custom-made bracket; a neat touch that most eyes won’t notice. The handlebars are one-offs too, as are the stainless steel slash-cut exhausts.

Top marks to Minority for the lush color scheme too—the frame’s been done in turquoise, with some green hues mixed in on the bodywork, and a smattering of chrome. The tank bears the shop’s own unique take on the typical Harley eagle motif, and was completely executed by hand. [Minority Custom | Images by Val Willson]

Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 by XTR Pepo A number of custom builders have already shown that Royal Enfield’s new generation Continental GT 650 is ripe for remodeling. But in the hands of the mad scientist Pepo Rosell, it’s really come alive.

This 2019-model Continental GT 650 is sporting a number of signature XTR Pepo touches—not least of all its heavy endurance racing vibe and protruding headlights. They’re mounted just forward of a custom fairing, which in turn sits on custom brackets.

Tucked behind are a CNC-machined top yoke from Riga Billet Parts and XTR Pepo clip-ons. The quick-throttle and right switches are from Domino, the brake master cylinder is a Brembo item, the clutch assembly is from a Suzuki GSX-R, and the levers are CNC-machined XTR Pepo parts. There’s also a new oil temperature gauge, and foot pegs and controls from K-Speed in Taiwan.

The custom fiberglass fuel tank lightly mimics the original design, but has a transparent strip on the side for checking levels, and an aluminum filler cap from ACC Endurance. The solo seat is Pepo’s design too, and the subframe’s been modified to match it.

Pepo replaced the rear shocks with new ones from YSS, swapped the 18” wheels for 17s, and shod them with Continental Road Attack tires. The exhaust headers have been shortened and now exhale through a pair of Turbokit megaphones.

Elsewhere, Pepo’s added LED turn signals, a custom license plate support, and a CNC-machined chain tensioner and sprocket cover from Riga Billet Parts. Artenruta handled the cheeky red livery—the perfect finishing touch for this rapid-looking Royal Enfield. [XTR Pepo | Images by Belen Piqueras]

The new Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello No, you’re not looking at a modern reinterpretation of the iconic Yamaha TDM850. This is the new Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello—a brand new ‘tall rounder’ with a brand new motor, that’ll make it’s official debut at EICMA in November.

Moto Guzzi have revealed nothing more than images and a teaser video [below] that desperately wants to remind you that the marque’s logo has an eagle in it. But there are a few dead giveaways and easy speculations. The engine looks to be all-new, with liquid cooling and an assumed capacity of 1,000 cc, and power is still directed via a shaft drive.

The video also reveals air channels on the fairing that open and close, and a windshield that moves up and down. It’s not clear whether these will operate automatically or not, but we’ve seen the term “active aerodynamics” bandied about, so make of it what you will.

Guzzi specialists Classic Co. either have inside info or are master speculators. They’ve pointed out a large airbox where the tank would go, an under seat fuel tank, and a four-valve-per-cylinder engine layout that can be bumped to 1,300 cc and used in a wide variety of applications. They’ve also cleverly noticed that the air intakes sit above the cylinder heads, and the exhaust ports below, unlike Guzzi’s current V-twins.

Looking at the red and green bikes that Guzzi have shown, it’s also clear that the V100 Mandello will most likely come in two models. Both are sporting Brembo brakes, but the green version [above] also has Öhlins suspension at both ends.

Overall, we’re digging the slightly 80s aesthetic, and it looks like it’d be a fun ride—as long as it delivers enough power in a decent weight class. Color us curious. [Moto Guzzi]

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[DaveM]

DIRTY DUCATI: ‘THE BADASS’ by Kerozin Workshop.

When a workshop starts the process of building a new custom bike for a client there is really just one person to please; the customer is always right! But when you’re building a bike for a show then the pressure really ramps up, as fellow professionals, a large crowd and a panel of judges will be pouring over your bike with a fine-tooth comb. Now add some more stress, the show involves racing and...

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[DaveM]

Off the grid: A pair of Super Cub scramblers from Korea

As Robert Burns once quipped, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and this statement has become exponentially more true of late. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only impacted businesses, but also thrown a wrench in the social lives of most people. Deus ex Machina’s Seoul outpost has found the cure for boredom though, in the form of a pair of tailor made Honda Super Cub scramblers.

“Under the pandemic circumstances, we’re all locked down and not able to hang out with buddies in the city,” explains shop boss, Nick Lee. “Since this is no longer an option for us, we’ve been going on minimalistic camping trips to the mountains and ocean, so we decided to build a pair of bikes for this exact purpose.”

Deus tapped South Korean custom shop and regular collaborator, Crazy Garage, to customize the two scramblers. Dubbed ‘San’ [green] and ‘Bada’ [blue], the names of the bikes, which started out as 2004 and 2007 Super Cubs respectively, literally translate to ‘mountain’ and ‘ocean.’

Representing the fourth and fifth customs from Deus Korea, they needed to be capable of taking on some light off-roading duties. So both donors were in dire need of upgrades in the powertrain and suspension departments. Both Cubs had their 50 cc motors pulled, and replaced with 108.9 cc singles found in Daelim’s Citi Ace 110 scooters.

The little four-stroke thumpers were also gifted machined Takegawa exhaust manifolds and NGK ignition cables, as well as all-new respiratory bits in the form of relocated carbs with open filters and carbon-look covers. Their new scrambler-style exhausts are equipped with one-off heat shields, and culminate in high-mounted mufflers. Both San and Bada also received new battery delete kits, and hugely simplified wiring setups.

Next, Crazy Garage turned their attention to the budget items that comprised the Cubs’ suspension setups. “The concept was to produce a pair of bike-packing trip machines, which meant it was necessary to secure some additional ground clearance and travel for forest, road, and fire trail riding,” Nick tells us.

The forks of both donors were jettisoned in favor of front-ends plucked from Honda CG125s. They allowed for a relatively painless swap, with the upper portion of the steering stem being a near-perfect fit. Out back, the rear suspension pieces were upgraded to longer Takegawa shocks, with custom extension adapters to get the required ride height.

“The front wheel sizes on San and Bada are different, so the length of the extension adapters are different as well,” Nick explains. “Both are Honda CG Series items wrapped in knobby tires, though San uses an 18″ front wheel and a 17″ in the rear, while Bada uses 17″ spoked hoops fore and aft.”

Further readying the Cubs for off-grid use are a matching set of scrambler bars, fork boots, and revised taillight and indicator arrangements. The grilled, rectangular, yellow-lensed headlights are actually fog lamps borrowed from “heavy equipment vehicles.”

Needing to accommodate gear for weekend camping trips, the bikes have also been outfitted with front and rear luggage racks that were custom-crafted from steel tubing.

With the new battery-less kits, the bulbous side covers that once housed the batteries were smoothed over, using custom aluminum panels that now hide the builds’ ignitions. Directly above, both of the Super Cubs were treated to custom seats that boast the same size and shape, but different upholstery styles. Both seats are also mounted on hinges that allow them to flip up, in order to access the bike’s tank’s fuel cap.

In addition to their wheel sets, the other main difference between San and Bada is their paint. Bada has been cloaked in a deep and glossy royal blue that’s complemented by light blue handgrips and spark plug coils. San, on the other hand, has appropriately been adorned in a forest green livery, that’s contrasted with orange grips and an orange seat pan.

The engines have also been painted black, as have the fork lowers, kickstands, headlight shells, and luggage racks.

Interestingly, San and Bada’s stories have just begun, as the crew plans to continue upgrading and optimizing the Super Cubs for off-road and camping duties. “Both machines will be used for future adventures, and after some testing, we’ll be customizing the bikes to be easier to ride, and more suitable for Korea’s untamed terrain,” says Nick.

In a world where function so often takes a back seat to form, it’s genuinely refreshing to see such a utilitarian set of machines built for such a specific purpose… especially when they look this good.

Deus ex Machina | Crazy Garage

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[DaveM]

Moon Love: Robbie Palmer’s Triumph Daytona 500 bobber

The unquantifiable, often disbelieved phenomenon of “love at first sight” is very real to me. There’s a moment when your eyes pass a signal to your brain to stop your legs, steady your head, and focus on whatever it is that just stirred your soul.

I fell in love with this ’68 Triumph Daytona called Luna the second I saw her, and used any excuse to walk past the bobber during the Bike Shed show in London.

I’d slow down and let my mind wander, imagining where I’d ride Luna, given the chance. The bike is simple and honest, and more alluring because of it. The English builder Robbie Palmer drew inspiration for the project from the uncluttered, purposeful BMX bikes he’s been jumping and stunting since childhood.

At the start, Northampton-based Robbie knew Luna had to be a hardtail, had to have oversized tires, and had to be powered by a Triumph engine. He found a unit-construction Daytona 500 on eBay, languishing in a sorry state at a classic car restoration shop.

It would require a ground-up rebuild, but first Robbie had to construct a shed in his garden to house the project, close enough to a wi-fi connection so he could watch YouTube how-to videos. Having only built one bike before—a Honda Rebel-based bobber—and possessing only the most basic of mechanical skills, he would very much be learning on the job.

“There were lots and lots of mistakes and remakes, but I really enjoyed the journey,” Robbie says. “I think the saying, ‘It’s about the quest, not the grail,’ really applies to custom motorcycle building. I had a few meltdowns when things went wrong for the billionth time, but if you can enjoy the process, then it’s possible to come back and get into it again.”

In the last two months of the build, Robbie’s wife forgot what he looked like, the glow from the garden shed a scant reminder that she was still married.

Robbie learned a lot throughout the build, teaching himself to weld, braze, and fabricate.

The brazed sheet steel oil tank, which started out as a cereal box template, proved most difficult; the feed and return lines are internally plumbed, and the shape fits snugly in the cramped space between the rear fender and downtube. “When I kicked the bike over for the first time and saw oil feeding and returning from the engine in the clear lines, I was so relieved,” he admits.

The bobber doesn’t have a battery, so wiring is minimal; what little there is feeds through the frame tubes. The ‘blood moon’ headlight is a 1950s bicycle lamp fitted with a modern LED bulb behind a brown glass reflector, finished with period-correct, fabric-covered wires.

The moon theme is echoed in the fuel tank moldings, and the luster on the frame is the result of many days of applying good old-fashioned elbow grease. “I polished it with an angle grinder, working from coarse sandpaper all the way down to the fine polishing mops prior to plating,” Robbie says. “I’m not usually a fan of shiny and polished and typically lean toward ratty, flat black, and raw steel builds, but I just started to polish a few parts and got a bit carried away.”

Before polishing the gearshift, brake pedal, and kick-start, Robbie heated the parts and bent them slightly inboard to maintain a svelte, narrow silhouette. Foot pegs are simple steel bar and plate, cross-hatched with an angle grinder. Rather than run a set of stubby, slash-cut exhausts, he grafted on sections of ripple pipe, adding even more character to the build.

It wasn’t just me who felt drawn to Luna. Over three days, scores of friends, builders, and industry bigwigs commented on Robbie’s pride and joy, because the bike just screams, “Come ride me.” Robbie has been doing just that, down the motorway, across the Midlands, and anywhere between.

He loves Luna so much that he’s already started another project, a pre-unit Triumph. “The plan is to ride the crap out of Luna whilst I build the next Triumph. The pre-unit I’m building is very different . . . just because I want to try some new ideas. I’m looking at sand casting alloy parts and hoping to push a few new ideas with aluminum. I’m aiming to build three Triumphs, and I’d like them all to be different. It seems a shame to build a similar bike again.”

He needn’t worry. There will only ever be one Luna.

Robbie Palmer Instagram / Images Drew Deas | See Robbie Palmer’s 1954 Triumph ‘Dune’ entry in the Biltwell People’s Champ show | Article originally featured in Iron & Air Magazine. Subscribe here.

Build time: 12 months | Engine: 500cc Triumph OHV parallel-twin | Transmission: Rebuilt 4-speed | Exhaust: Shotgun-style ripple pipe | Carburetor: Amal concentric | Air filter: Aluminum velocity stack | Frame: Original front loop with Factory Metal Works rear hardtail | Forks: Triumph unit forks, lowered 2’’ with Factory Metal Works fork shrouds | Tires: Firestone ANS 19″ x 4.00″ (front) / 18″ x 4.50″ (rear) | Fuel tank: Peanut-style tank with custom moldings and central, Triumph-inspired rib | Oil tank: Fabricated from sheet steel with a Mooneyes oil cap | Handlebars: Triumph T140 | Hand controls: BSA levers and stock Triumph throttle | Hand grips: Lowbrow Cole Foster – Black | Headlight: 1950s King of the Road bicycle headlight, modified and restored and fitted with a modern high-power LED bulb | Taillight: After Hours Choppers – Tiny Tit taillight | Seat: Custom slim seat, made with a £3.00 charity shop leather skirt | Electrical: Boyer Bransden and custom internal wiring | Chrome: Hand-polished, over 150 hours spent.

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[DaveM]

LIMITED EDITION: BMW R100 ‘Survivor’ by Lord Drake Kustoms.

If there is a discernible trend in the custom scene at the moment, it’s not any particular style of bike taking off or a major model in favour, but the shift of large workshops towards developing their own limited production run machines. The success of this approach has been undeniable but it often results in more conservative builds to capture the eye of more than one client. Well...

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[DaveM]

Backtrack: A replica XR750 tracker from Gasoline

There are a handful of classics out there that look amazingly ‘right.’ In that category, we’d put machines like the Norton Manx, the Moto Guzzi Le Mans, and the early Honda CB750s and Kawasaki Zeds.

In the V-twin world the Harley-Davidson XR750 fits into that category. But it didn’t just look good: it was also one of the most successful race bikes of all time. The XR750 won an incredible 29 AMA Grand National Championships, and garnered even more fame as the weapon of choice for Evel Knievel.

It would be borderline criminal to hack up an original XR750, but in Australia there’s a guy who can channel the riotous world of 1970s flat track on the street. He’s the lucky owner of this custom Sportster called ‘GAS XR’—a clever XR750 replica from Australia’s Gasoline Motor Co.

What appears to be a mint-condition historic machine is actually the past reimagined with technical precision. “This was built for a customer who wanted to honor the XR750’s glorious history, but make it beyond functional for road use,” says Gasoline’s Jason Leppa.

The Gasoline team, with Sean Taylor helping Jason, have used the engine and half a chassis from a modern 883 Sportster. And despite the retro racer looks of this Harley, it’s road legal—with additions like LED headlights, mini indicators, a custom EFI system package, plus the stock niceties such as ABS brakes.

The front is sporting Ceriani-style triple trees and forks, overhauled with a Monotube cartridge kit, and a matching riser clamp housing a compact Motogadget speedo.

The wide stainless steel handlebars were shaped and polished by metal specialist Kansai Giant, who played a big part in the fabrication of this machine.

Squeezed onto the minimal handlebar setup is a Prism Supply Co. single cable throttle, plus a front brake reservoir and polished aluminum hand controls from Kustom Tech. As well as the speedo, Motogadget supplied the warning lights, grips and push-button switches—which were stripped and polished to match the chrome.

The 883 engine thankfully received a little attention too. A Vance & Hines Fuelpak optimizes the fueling, with increased airflow from an S&S filter and a set of custom bent slash cut pipes, a replica shape from the 1970s.

And since trackers don’t have belt drives, power now hits the back wheel via a chain conversion kit secured with an HHB sprocket locker.

The little fuel tank was made by Phil Little, a Minnesota-based fiberglass specialist with a big reputation in the industry. “The tank is so little, an external fuel pump needed to be custom-mounted, along with a fuel pressure regulator and Proflow fittings,” says Jason.

“But the most challenging components of the build were the subframe and rear shocks,” he adds. “The original subframe was modified to work with the new tail piece, and a set of 15” YSS shocks.”

A fresh coat of powder coat hides evidence of the mod. But Jason’s favorite feature is the intricately handmade oil tank—an exact replica of the 70s original.

The AMA’s flat tracker standards call for a set of 19-inch wheels, so Gasoline have laced up a set of 4-inch wide custom aluminum rims using stainless spokes and nipples—with the original ABS bearing custom fitted. To maintain the vintage appeal, they’ve opted for Firestone rubber.

The new electrics called for some hidden tech, though. “We created a front-to-back wiring harness with a push button control module, utilizing the OEM body control module and ECU,” says Jason. “The ABS, keyless and immobilizer systems were kept in place.”

The control module is also connected to dual-function rear blinkers and ‘Atto Dark’ front blinkers from Kellermann, and a LED light bar under the race plate. The traditional front plate als hides vital electrical components, in a 3D-printed housing box.

Converting a 50-year-old XR750 for street use can be done, but it would test the patience of even the most accomplished builder. And probably incur the wrath of a bank manager too. So Gasoline’s approach is an intriguing halfway house, marrying the style and stance of the original with modern usability. “The premium components make it a joy to ride,” says Jason. “It feels completely modern, with impeccable fine detailing.”

Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he? But we believe him, and would love one of these in the garage.

Gasoline | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Adrian Veale

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[DaveM]

SLOVAKIA WITH A K: BMW K100RS by Cafe4Racer.

I used to love walking through scrap yards picking through old rusted wrecks, trying to find that one needed part in amongst acres of metal. But truth be told, you often ended up going home with a bunch of junk you didn’t need and without the one thing you were truly after. Well, the internet has changed all of that and made the world our parts finder, and despite being on the other side of the...

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[DaveM]

Singles Party: Two vintage Ducati restomods from Union

I’ll admit, my knowledge of vintage Ducatis is rudimentary at best—so I always feel a little out of my depth when talking to Mike Watanabe. He and Luke Ransom run Union Motorcycle Classics out of a barn in Idaho, where they specialize in charming classics and restomods. And their knowledge runs deep.

Mike put that know-how to good use on his latest two projects: a pair of vintage Ducati singles with two very different vibes. The faired one is a 1971 450 Desmo, and the other is a 1965 250 single—but those designations are only loosely defined, because both were pieced together from parts of varying origins.

“I built both these bikes for myself,” Mike tells us. “The shop is planning an invite-only Italian Singles tour next year, and we’re hoping to get some of our old builds back in town for that event. Maybe we’ll call it the Ida-lian Giro.”

The 250’s a bike that Mike’s had for a while, and was originally pieced together from spare parts that were pulled off the shelf for another project. “The pile of parts left over from that resto was in the shop,” says Mike, “and I recognized that all the patina looked really balanced. I took that pile and assembled it into a running old survivor looking thing.”

Mike ran the 250 like that for a few years, then decided it deserved more attention. He took a wabi-sabi approach on the build—a Japanese design philosophy that finds beauty in imperfection. Anything that was already well worn was left alone, and even the new paint was aged to match.

The first job on the 250 was finding the right ‘jelly mold’ fuel tank to base the design around. “Luke found a misfit tank off an Argentinian two-stroke,” says Mike. “I added receivers for Ducati emblem fasteners, re-shaped the emblems to fit, welded a Ducati filler neck to accept an old Ducati cap, and fabbed up the front and rear mounting tabs.”

Next, Mike shaped a ‘jelly mold’ tail to complement the tank, while Interior Revolutions handled the seat upholstery. The front fender and rear splashguard were shaped using a mold that Union has used on previous 250 builds.

The front wheel uses a Montesa hub, a custom axle and spacers, and an ‘unknown survivor’ rim. The rear rim is a Borrani, and the tires are from Heidenau. The suspension is stock but the wiring is new—Luke re-did it top to bottom, and installed an electronic ignition.

Mike built clip-ons out of old Harley-Davidson spring handlebars, and added Union’s own sandcast rear-sets. The exhaust was welded up from rusty parts, the front brake stop’s been fashioned from a leftover piece of aluminum, and the center stand’s a repurposed Ducati 160 item. The reproduction tachometer is the one gleaming part on the build—but it’s hooked up to a salvaged tacho drive.

The 250 doesn’t have its original motor either. “I traded the first motor for Desmo parts,” says Mike. “The new motor is a bit of a mystery. I bought it from a friend of the shop—he believes it was built by an old desert racer from the 70s.”

“Clearly somebody hot-rodded the heck out of the thing. It has a dual plug head and, judging from the compression and starting difficulties, my guess is that it’s bored to 350 cc and has a performance cam. The bike is virtually impossible to start with a kickstarter. The compression release must be used in conjunction with bump starting.”

“Luke is going to rebuild it this winter and make it little more usable for the street. Bump and run is fun… just not all the time”

The 450 Desmo, on the other hand, is a far more polished build, and more in line with what we’re used to seeing from Union. Mike dates it as a ‘71 because of the motor—but the actual model year of the frame is unknown.

“I traded a box of junky 250 parts for the frame in 2006,” he tells us. “I had a 450 non-Desmo that I sold in the late 90s and immediately missed it. So I started the process of gathering parts for this one at that time.”

“I kind of wanted to build a no-compromise street legal race bike. It’s probably overkill for the street, but having said that, you can’t have too much braking power in modern traffic.”

Mike got the motor in a trade too, by painting a set of signs for a British bike shop in Boise some 20 years ago. Luke rebuilt the motor and a custom wiring harness with an electronic ignition, as per Union’s standard operating procedure. He also had to work some magic to get the Dell’Orto PHF carb to work well.

The parts list includes Ceriani road race forks and yokes, a Ceriani replica 4LS front brake, Morad rims and a double leading shoe rear brake. Custom bits include the upper brake arms for the front brake, the front axle, and the rear brake stay.

Mike also designed the fairing, tank and tail himself, then sent plugs to Glass From The Past to make the final fiberglass pieces.

“I designed the paint scheme first, and built the fairing to match it,” he says. “The upper part of the fairing is based on a Vic Camp Ducati part, and the tank and seat mimic Ducati factory parts, with different proportions to make it all work together.”

The paint was a team effort: Mike prepped the parts, Luke laid down the base, Mike did the stripes, and Luke clear-coated it.

Lurking underneath the exquisite bodywork is a plethora of custom touches. Mike tweaked the frame in places, and fabricated all the fairing mounts, the instrument and headlight brackets, the steering stops, and a new center stand. He also built the exhaust system, a custom intake manifold, and a crankcase breather tank.

Finishing touches include Magura clip-ons and levers, and a Scitsu tachometer. The rear-sets and fenders are Union parts.

Although they’re two very different builds, both Ducatis bear witness to just how well Mike and Luke have mastered their craft. Mike’s planning to ride the Desmo on their upcoming tour, but will probably loan the 250 out. Time to visit Idaho?

Union Motorcycle Classics | Facebook | Instagram

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[DaveM]

SLED HEAD: 1959 Triumph TR6 ‘Desert Sled’ by Paul Hartman.

It’s hard to mention the words ‘Desert Sled’ and not think of the glory days of Triumphs in the 50s and 60s: the era of legendary riders like “King of the Desert” Bud Ekins, bringing home trophies from around the world on his TR6. Ekins was not only a professional dirt and desert racer, but he also had a Triumph dealership in Hollywood selling bikes to the likes of Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood.

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, September 19, 2021

Triumph’s new Speed Triple 1200 RR got the internet fizzing this week, so we’ve added our thoughts. We’ve also stumbled across a cute SYM Wolf custom from Taiwan, a gorgeous Colorado Norton Works Commando on eBay, and a Tonka-tough electric utility bike that’s just gone on sale in the US.

Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RR Hinckley has just whipped the covers off a new Speed Triple variant, due to go on sale at the end of this year. Pricing will start at $20,950 in the USA, which is $2,450 more than the RS ‘super naked’—and a mere $50 less than the MV Agusta Superveloce 800.

Why mention the Superveloce? Because there’s a lot of online chatter about how much the front end of the 1200 RR resembles the much-lauded and very pretty Italian supermodel. Both machines have a single round headlight, which is unusual for a modern-day sportbike, and the shape of the fairing is vaguely similar.

They’re also both triples and if you run the figures, despite the MV having 147 hp compared to the Triumph’s whopping 180 hp, the power-to-weight ratios are close.

We don’t think this is as big a deal as some folks are making out, though. After all, many conventional sportbikes look similar from a distance, and many big ADV bikes have ‘beaks.’

Once you’re in the saddle, the biggest changes between the RS and RR will be the suspension and the ergos. Notably, the RR gets the ‘S-EC 2.0 OBTi’ suspension launched by Öhlins a couple of years ago (and similar to that used on the Yamaha R1M). The forks are electronically controlled, can adjust the damping on the fly, and give the Triumph a one-up over MV.

The RR’s ergos are much sportier than the RS too, with clip-on rather than flat bars. They’re more than five inches lower.

Although the publicity material shows the 1200 RR at a race circuit, in reality the Daytona 765 Moto2 is the Triumph for trackday junkies. We reckon the 1200 RR has the makings of a very good fast road bike, and Triumph is probably onto a winner here. [More]

SYM Wolf 125 by Twentytwo Custom and Tough Tracker We don’t see many in the West, but SYM produces over half a million motorcycles a year. The company isn’t one of those Honda knock-off operations, either—one of its subsidiaries builds cars for Hyundai.

The Wolf is the mainstay of the Taiwanese motorcycle range, and this elegant little Japanese-style custom is collaboration between two local workshops—Twentytwo Custom and Tough Tracker. It was built for Taipei lifestyle store Persist Motorcycles and the donor bike was a tired 2002 model, with a carburetor.

Aside from the engine and front end, the rest of this Wolf has been reconstructed or redesigned by the two custom shops. There’s a new subframe at the back, a plush seat big enough for two, numbered side plates and a simple new swingarm.

The forks have been rebuilt and shortened, and custom-specc’d, locally made MJR shocks fitted to level out the stance. New aluminum wheel rims (F19/R18) with stainless spokes add a timeless vibe, along with Duro tires and custom rolled fenders.

Twentytwo’s own handlebars clean up the front end, with a Daytona speedo offset to the left side via a triple tree bracket. A lightweight exhaust system with peashooter muffler completes the ultra-classic look, along with lustrous Cement Grey paint—one of the coolest colors we’ve seen on a custom lately.

Proof that an everyday donor bike, simple style and moderate budget can still look a million dollars. [Persist Motorcycles]

Norton 850 Commando by Colorado Norton Works Everyone who owns an older Norton knows about (or eventually hears of) Matt Rambow’s Colorado Norton Works. He’s one of the go-to guys in the USA for Commando owners, and specializes in jaw-dropping restomods that retain the charm of the original but hide dozens of smart upgrades.

CNW builds don’t often come up for sale on the open market, but a 1973 Commando 850 has popped up on eBay, in an auction that closes in a few hours.

CNW completed a full restoration on this machine in 2002, including an engine rebuild, but the bike returned to the shop recently for a further round of mods including Keihin FCR35 flatslide carbs—“as close as fuel injection as you can get with carbs.”

Other goodies include a new primary belt drive, hydraulic clutch, and a Tri-Spark electronic ignition module and three-phase alternator/regulator. There’s also a crankcase breather assembly from NYC Norton, which frees up horsepower and reduces oil leaks.

According to the eBay listing, the condition is show-quality. “The current owner (50 years of building and tuning flat trackers, drag bikes and national show winners) has gone over every nut, bolt and washer of the bike.”

If you love older Nortons but not the endless maintenance and fiddling that usually goes with them, this one is probably a good buy. The current bid is just $15,000 at the time of writing, but you’ll have to be quick. [Via]

The Volcon Grunt is shipping Last year we reported on Volcon’s prototype Grunt electric utility bike, which is kinda like a Rokon Trail-Breaker without the fumes. After hearing nothing for a while, we suspected that Volcon had hit difficulties—but no, the Grunt is now on sale. The production line is in a factory near Austin, Texas, and the bike is reportedly being delivered to customers.

In less good news, the specs have been downgraded slightly, but for farm and off-road use, they’re still acceptable. Top speed is 40 mph (64 kph), and range is between 32 and 75 miles.

Charge time is 2.5 hours and the entire bike is IP67 rated—which means it’s impervious to dirt and dust, and can handle full immersion in a meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

Given the volume of rain we’ve had lately in the north island of New Zealand, where I’m writing this from, that weather resistance is a useful attribute. The chunky 26-inch tires would also be handy in the mud on the EXIF farm.

Pricing is $7,995, which is Triumph Trident 660 money. On the other hand, it’s nearly $500 less than the cheapest Rokon, which is a 63 year-old design. We know what we’d choose. [Via]

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[DaveM]

GOOSENECK GASSER: Suzuki Thunder 125 by Batakastem Workshop.

The massive capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta, is home to more than ten million people and according to the minister of transport, only 18% of them use public transport. That’s because in the sprawling metropolis they are bike crazy and with over fifteen million motorcycles registered for the road, two-wheels keep the city moving. So, it should come as no surprise that amongst these are some...

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[DaveM]

So Fresh, So Clean: A custom BMW R90S from Injustice

Classic BMW boxers are so prolific as custom donors, that most builds these days are very formulaic. But there are dozens of swing-and-miss examples out there, that prove that it still takes a sharp eye and a measure of good taste to get them right.

This 1974 BMW R90S scrambler from Injustice Customs in Sweden doesn’t tread any new ground visually—but it’s extremely sharp and impossibly clean. It’s also sporting a refreshed motor and a thoroughly modern parts spec, with upgraded suspension, wheels, brakes and electronics. So it’s far more capable and reliable than most 47-year-old bikes.

Injustice’s Anton Knutsson runs the shop as a one man army, and has a penchant for building bikes that are crisp and minimalist. This BMW came from a customer in Norway, who’d been riding it in stock form for years, but had dreamt about owning a custom bike. And it wasn’t too beat up either, despite its age.

“After discussing this build with the owner, we agreed on aiming for something like what Singer does with old Porsche 911s,” Anton tells us. “We wanted to keep much of the traditional lines that are iconic on the Airhead, but add a lot of modern technology and performance.”

With the R90 well-maintained and the motor in pretty good shape, there was no need for a full rebuild. But Anton worked through it anyway, and replaced anything that wasn’t absolutely tip-top. The updates included a Silent Hektik ignition, and a handful of parts from the BMW experts Siebenrock, including an extended sump for long-distance riding.

He then installed a pair of Dell’Orto PHM carbs with personalized DNA filters, and a new cover where the airbox used to be. The exhaust headers are custom stainless steel units, but the end cans are really special; they’re SC Project parts, identical to the ones on the limited edition 2019 MV Agusta F4 Claudio. Anton procured them via a top secret contact.

“The mufflers on this bike are the exact same ones, modified to fit this 47-year-old airhead,” he says. “The F4 Claudio was just produced in a hundred units, which means there are just 101 pairs of these on the planet.”

The electrical system was also overhauled, with a Motogadget mo.unit blue controller, a custom wiring harness and a Lithium-ion battery.

Anton turned his attention to the BMW’s running gear too. “The owner lives in Oslo,” he tells us, “so he’s only about an hour away from the most breathtaking motorcycle roads on the planet. With this in mind, it was important that the bike didn’t just look nice, it also handled well.”

The BMW now rides on brand new Öhlins suspension, with a set of FGRT forks up front, and STX46 shocks out back. The forks are actually designed for the BMW R nineT and came with a set of triple clamps—but Anton adapted them to fit the classic boxer.

For the wheels, he laced up a pair of 18” Sun rims to Cognito Moto hubs, with stainless steel spokes and Heidenau K60 treads. The front brake setup is an off-the-shelf Brembo arrangement, with twin Brembo M4 monoblock calipers and 320 mm disks. The rear wheel was upgraded from a drum to a disc brake, with a Brembo caliper and master cylinder borrowed from a Honda CBR1000RR.

Up top, Anton kept the OEM BMW fuel tank to retain a measure of the bike’s original DNA, but binned the bolt-on subframe. “I don’t have any skills in fancy CAD programs,” he says, “so the subframe was designed, bent and welded in my friend’s chopper shop, here outside Gothenburg. I really love working like that—to see the shapes slowly growing in front of me.”

Anton shaped a fiber glass seat pan too, then sent it to Johnny Sadelmager in Copenhagen for foam and upholstery. The front fender’s a Rizoma part designed for the R nineT, but it only took minor tweaking and a custom bracket to make it fit the old airhead.

Just above it is a new LED headlight, and behind that, a pair of trimmed Renthal Twinwall handlebars with all the wiring running inside. There’s also a Domino throttle, a new clutch lever, a Brembo brake master cylinder, switches, grips, and turn signals from Motogadget, and new foot pegs round out the spec. (Not pictured is a detachable license plate bracket that also hosts the taillights.)

Image Design Custom in the UK handled the luscious green paint job on the tank, but the rest of the parts were either painted, powder coated or Cerakoted in black. Every last nut and bolt was also either refurbished or replaced, leaving no stone unturned.

“I didn’t wanted this to just to be another repeat on the popular airhead scene,” says Anton. “It’s important for me that our following will recognize an ‘Injustice’ bike. I normally focus on newer bikes, so to transfer my style onto a nearly-50-year-old motorcycle took some thinking before I was a hundred percent satisfied.”

We’d say Anton’s accomplished his mission. This scrambler looks hella fresh for a bike that’s almost half a decade old, and we’d happily park it in our garage—when we’re not out riding it, of course.

Injustice Customs | Instagram | Images by Gorm Taube

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