Custom Motorcycle Builds

[DaveM]

Speed Read, November 21, 2021

We’re going adventure riding this week, with a mini-review of the new Husqvarna Norden 901, and a look at MV Agusta’s upcoming Lucky Explorer Project. Also in the mix: a pair of Honda CT125s from K-Speed, and a pair of whacky customs based on Honda’s Navi mini bike.

Honda CT125 customs by K-Speed This Thailand shop has built its fair share of jaw-dropping scooter-based customs, but this latest pair takes the genre to a new level. Dubbed ‘Road Runner’ and ‘Rough Runner,’ these two Honda CT125s don’t even look like scooters at a glance.

Known as the Trail125 in the US, and the ‘Hunter Cub’ in some markets, this Super Cub-derived scoot is a throwback to the classic Honda Postie. But K-Speed has gone in an entirely different direction here.

The biggest visual change is that each CT125 now wears its own unique ‘fuel tank.’ It’s really just a hollow cover that fits over the scooter’s step-through area and adds zero functionality—but we’re smitten with how it looks.

Both bikes feature handy utility racks under their tank covers too.

Road Runner [above] has been styled like a chopper, with custom T-bars that wear only a pair of grips, a single brake lever and micro switches. The speedo’s been relocated to the side of the bike, and the headlight’s been swapped for a smaller LED unit, with the old headlight ears trimmed off.

K-Speed also supersized the Honda’s wheels. And they installed a stretched swingarm, so that the rear wheel would fit, along with longer aftermarket shocks. Up top is a seat from the shop’s own Diablo range of parts, and a custom rear fender and luggage rack.

Rough Runner takes the form of a pint-sized scrambler, with a set of wide Renthal bars up front. K-Speed cleaned up the cockpit on this one too, and installed a bigger LED headlight. A custom-made high fender finishes off the front end.

The scrambler also has an extended swingarm and new rear shocks, but the wheels are stock, and wrapped in off-road rubber. And while it also has a Diablo seat and luggage rack, they’re styled differently here.

Both bikes also feature blacked-out motors, and a sprinkling of Diablo dress-up parts—like the ribbed engine covers. The exhaust systems are custom too, and the scrambler benefits from a pair of crash bars grafted onto its frame rails.

It’s a fresh and unique take on the humble Honda CT125, and we’re seeing potential for a whole host of variations on this theme. More, please. [Via]

A designer’s impression of the 2022 Husqvarna Norden 901 Gorm Taube is not only a designer at Volvo, but also an all-round aesthete, a hella good photographer, a gear junkie and a keen adventure motorcyclist.

He’s also tight with Husqvarna in Sweden. So when Husky launched their brand new KTM 890-derived Norden 901 adventure bike to the press, on the stunning Portuguese island of São Miguel, Gorm was there. We couldn’t help but pick his brain, for a few quick impressions of a bike that we’ve been very curious about.

Hey Gorm, as a designer, what’s your impression of the Norden 901? The Norden 901 is one of those rare bikes that lives up to the hype for me, from concept to production model. I had my reservations when I saw the first official images being released, as it looked heavier and boxier than I remembered it. But once I was standing in front of it those thoughts were gone; it looks damn impressive.

It has the same design cues as the Svart- and Vitpilen, and plays in that retro world with its big round headlight and tapered tail section.

I feel the same about this bike that I do about the Svartpilen: it’s really well designed, and not a bike that needs a lot of changes to shine. The few things I would change right away are a high front fender, a different set of mirrors, and a cleaned-up plate holder area. But that’s more or less it, and I think that says a lot.

How does it feel, ergonomically? The seat might be the comfiest seat I’ve ever tried! The height options of the seat also really made it easy to find a comfortable position—and for me, with short legs, I felt right at home in the lower position.

The controls are pretty straightforward, and my only remarks would be around the screen interaction and layout. I might be a bit more nerdy about these things as it’s what I do for a living. I’m still on the fence about these larger and larger screens that are coming into the bike world.

The windscreen is not adjustable, which is a little bit of a let down, as the wind on the highway hits me straight in the face. Husky’s solutions are either to add a little screen deflector, or a much larger screen. Not the most aesthetically pleasing solutions.

What’s it like to ride, on the road? The engine is very smooth and pulls through the revs without delay. I get the feeling that all new bikes are more or less easy to ride, and this one is no exception. It feels planted, and with all the electronics that comes with it, even on wet, moss-covered roads it felt really stable and calm.

The mechanical grip on it is crazy good.

What’s it like to ride, off-road? I’m no Lyndon Poskitt, nor do I possess the off-road ability that his pinkie probably does. But the Norden inspires confidence, and the suspension is soft and plush. Even the rougher stuff feels smooth, and the power of the engine really makes it a fun machine.

The ‘Explorer’ riding mode and the quick adjustment of rear wheel slip really worked well, and made it simple to dial in my preferred feel. But it’s for sure more of a travel or adventure bike than a rally bike. [Images by Gorm Taube and Husqvarna | Husqvarna Norden 901]

MV Agusta Lucky Explorer Project Husqvarna aren’t the only ones playing in the retro adventure bike space—MV Agusta have just started teasing their ‘Lucky Explorer Project.’ Leaning on the legacy of the Lucky Strike-sponsored Cagiva Elefant Dakar rally bike (Cagiva used to own MV Agusta), the brand has said it will reveal two new adventure motorcycles at EICMA this week.

Details are thin, but Moto.it has some spy shots that offer a few clues—like a 21” front wheel that should please the off-road elite. Several outlets have also reported that MV Agusta CEO, Timur Sardarov, has teased a new 950 cc triple-cylinder motor… so we’re assuming that that’s what will power it.

The Dakar imagery that the Italian marque is pushing hard in their teaser campaign also suggests at least some off-road capability, and, hopefully, throwback styling. As long as MV Agusta call it the ‘Elefant’ and throw a massive ‘Lucky Explorer’ logo on the side, we’re happy… even if it isn’t technically a Cagiva. [Lucky Explorer Project]

Honda Navi customs by MNNTHBX and Steady Garage Honda USA has just confirmed that the Navi will be sold in the US. The 109 cc mini-moto sits somewhere between the Ruckus and the Grom, is priced from a mere $1,807, and is downright adorable.

It’s also fun to customize, as is evident by a pair of Navis that Honda USA had modified for their launch event by two small-bike specialists.

The first bike comes from Kevin Estep and Greg Hatcher at MNNTHBX in Tennessee. The guys immediately saw the Navi as the perfect trackside pit bike, and opted for a sporty look. “We were really inspired by the bike’s utility, and how we could take that and make it cool,” says Kevin.

MNNTHBX wrapped the bodywork in HRC-esque red, white and blue graphics, and treated it to a new seat. Up front are a set of Renthal motocross handlebars with Domino grips, with tiny LED turn signals all round, and a ‘tail tidy’ at the back.

Lower down is a redesigned intake with a pod filter, and a carbon Yoshimura slip-on. The crew also fitted the biggest 10” tire they could to the rear wheel, to balance it out with the 12” front hoop. But the best upgrade on this Navi, hands down, is its sound system—complete with a control panel on top of the bike.

“The Navi already comes with a storage compartment, so we thought about how we could repurpose that,” says Kevin. “We figured if you’re in the paddock, you always want some tunes, so we built a billet enclosure to go in that same space and integrated a Kicker sound system. It sounds really good!”

The other custom Navi comes from California’s Steady Garage, run by Kevin Dunn, Jimmy Chen, Bhwe Suh and Duy Nguyen. “The style we went with is similar to what we call ‘street Grom’—low stance and a wide front wheel,” says Mr Dunn.

Steady’s take on the Navi is as outrageous as we’ve come to expect from them. Wrapped in a manga-like livery, it’s also sporting a custom rear shock from Gears Racing, and a smaller and wider rear wheel. The custom exhaust comes from Vance & Hines, and has twin outlets poking out the side.

Steady installed a helmet bubble visor over the headlight, then added raised clip-ons with Biltwell Inc. grips. They also reworked the rear end with a sharp tapered effect. The seat consists of a carbon fiber shell based on the OEM shape, with individual pads up top.

The crew kept the Navi’s storage box, but trimmed it down, and made a molle panel that can replace it in a jiffy. Zany touches are everywhere—from the solid wheels and custom belly pan, to the LED strips that light up the pin striping.

Both shops plan to offer some of the parts they created for sale, and you can even buy a Vance & Hines exhaust for your Navi.

Our friends at Icon Motosports got in on the action too—by creating their own Navi graphics kit that customers will actually be able to get their hands on. They they put together (and filmed) a raucous mini bike ride to show it off.

Does it get any better than this? [Honda Navi]

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[DaveM]

Flight of Fancy: The Adventurists’ flying monkey bike

Millions of articles have been written debating the ultimate adventure bike. And not a single one of them matters. Because the team of maniacs who run The Adventurists have designed what is possibly the ultimate off-road machine: a monkey bike that literally flies.

I assure you we’re not kidding. But to understand why the Bristol-based crew of degenerates have combined a monkey bike with a parasail engine and wing, you first need to know what they’re all about.

The Adventurists are a loose collection of evil geniuses plotting madcap journeys around the world. With an increasing number of events being run since their establishment 2003, they now dub themselves “generators of odyssey and chaos.” And they’re quite serious.

Their adventures have idiots launch clapped-out cars across Mongolian steppes, smash out thousands of miles on rickshaws and throw tiny bikes down remote mountains. And it’s that ‘Monkey Run’ which has led to the development of the Venturo flying monkey bike.

“Since what seems like forever, we’ve been organizing these large-scale adventures where we set the stage for chaos,” chief adventurer Tom Morgan says. “Things like the Kraken Cup where we sail rubbish, ancient fishing boats in the Indian Ocean, or the Icarus Cup, which is the longest paramotor race in the world”.

But the Monkey Run remains one of their most successful events. And it sounds like a blast.

“We pit tiny monkey bikes against some of the toughest terrain on the planet in Peru, Morocco, Mongolia, Romania and more,” Tom says. “And I suspect we’ve broken and stuck back together more monkey bikes than anyone on earth. After all that I really wanted to make the ultimate adventure monkey”.

The limited-run Venturo has been developed to be as reliable and robust as possible, all while being able to withstand anything 180 lbs of deranged meat can throw at it. The prototype’s based on a heavily modified Skyteam Monkey chassis, with a 50 cc Loncin engine. The team is testing a few motors for production though, and will offer the Venturo in 50 cc and 125 cc variants.

But most importantly the new ride has to be simple. “In our experience of breaking down in the middle of nowhere, less is definitely more when all you have to fix your bike is a rock and yesterday’s sandwich,” Tom says.

So the Venturo has had its entire electrical system reworked, with the electric start removed and a lighter Lithium-ion battery mounted. A new 4.5 liter [1.2 gallon] tank is fitted, and it uses a standard carburetor, as God intended.

It runs beefed-up suspension on the front and rear with a scratch-built yoke designed to house the instruments. The handlebars are the same tried and test high rise units that The Adventurists fit to all of their monkey bikes, and wear Renthal MX grips and micro switches. There’s an 6.5” LED headlight out front.

A stainless upswept exhaust squeezes a few more fractions-of-a-horsepower out of the 50cc engine, as well as offering a little more clearance and drop-ability.

But the rear rack is where things get really interesting. It’s been designed to carry “all sorts of luggage and useless ,” and houses drop-proof indicators. But it also has a fitting for a two-stroke paramotor—for the brave souls who really want to up the stakes on their next adventure.

And they will have to be brave… or stupid. “I wouldn’t call it safe yet,” Tom admits. “But after we’ve tested out a few more iterations of the additional flying package we’ll make it available for anyone with a death wish”.

The setup includes foot pegs for the front wheel to steer the monkey during takeoff, and an extra brace that connects the paramotor to the chassis. And it should come as quite the consolation that the fabrication work is going to be completed by the very sensible team at Gilo Industries, an engineering company in Dorset.

But if you’re interested in buying a Venturo don’t think that you can just lay down your hard-earned cash, shake some hands, pose for a photo and ride away. That would be far too easy for The Adventurists. “We wanted to ensure they really will be used for adventure,” Tom says.

“So we decided not to send them to people who buy them. Instead we’re going to put them somewhere really inconvenient and make people go and pick them up. Like a little mini adventure before you even start”.

As time rolls on they intend to run mission-specific models for different terrain. So in a few years you’ll be able to get a monkey set up for tackling the deserts of northern Africa, or the mud of the Amazon. Neat, huh?

In the meantime you’ll also have to keep your eyes peeled for an electric model being developed. “We’re imaginatively calling it ‘The Electric’,” says Tom. “We’re hopefully heading off to some never-before crossed parts of Bhutan to test it out this year. It’s also quite ridiculous.”

“In fact we’ll never make anything sensible”.

So, dear reader, you can keep your massive boxer-engined BMW. You can hang onto your electric-aid-riddled KTM. The adventure bike in the truest sense of the word is about to hit the market.

The Adventurists | Facebook | Instagram | The Venturo | Images by Sarah Farnsworth (land) and Brandon Cox (sky)

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[DaveM]

Freshman Triumph: ASH’s Thruxton-based street tracker

Some established custom shops are so consistent, you immediately know that anything they build is going to be good. But the scene is rife with newcomers too. And we love it when a new shop hits it out the park on their first try.

The three guys behind ASH Motorcycles have a wealth of experience between them, but they’ve only been operating as a unit since last year. This Triumph Thruxton-based street tracker is their debut, and it’s an absolute showstopper.

Based in Dorset, England, the team is made up of Tim Abbey, Jez Speed and Chris Hill. (Add the first letters of their surnames together, et voila.)

Tim was a professional touring musician based in London—until the pandemic wrecked his industry. So he spent time working with his friends at the UK shops Untitled Motorcycles and Bolt London, sparking a desire to build his own custom motorcycles. Chris is a retired aircraft engineer, with a workshop at the Old Yarn Mills in Sherborne that’s stacked with equipment.

Jez is into restorations, is friends with Tim, and has a workshop next to Chris’. All three love motorcycles—so once Jez had made the intro, things started snowballing.

Their first meeting resulted in Tim learning how to TIG weld, and pretty soon he was being schooled in machining and fabrication. So he offered up his clean Triumph Thruxton 900 as the donor for ASH Motorcycles’ first build.

“It’s a well-known, done-to-death motorbike on the custom scene,” says Tim. “The challenge to make something interesting out of the Thruxton began with inspiration from flat track racing; the style, ergonomics and stance informed the initial concept to make a street going bike with attitude.”

The guys started up front, where they manually machined new yokes to hold a set of Yamaha R6 forks. “Perhaps the most time consuming part of the build,” says Tim. “Starting with two blocks of billet aluminum—and no CNC machine in sight!”

The top clamp includes an extension to mount a Harley Sportster headlight, and risers that hold a set of tracker handlebars from BAAK in France. A tiny Motogadget speedo sits on a custom-made, bar-mounted clamp.

A pair of Öhlins shocks handles suspension duties out back. The Thruxton now rolls on 19” Excel rims, laced to Talon hubs and wrapped in Maxxis flat track rubber. The front brake’s been swapped out for one of the R6 units—but the right brake mount and fender brackets have been saved for potential future upgrades.

Next, the crew moved onto building a new fuel tank. They took inspiration from the iconic Trackmaster tanks of old to get the flat track vibe just right—but also made sure the tank would hold enough fuel for everyday use. A wooden buck was made to shape it over, with local English wheel guru Richard Marsh lending a hand.

It’s a tidy piece of work, garnished with a bead running down the middle, and a classic Monza gas cap.

Ace Fiberglass helped ASH create a bespoke tail section for the build. The subframe’s been modified to match it, and it’s capped off with a pad from the US seat specialists Saddlemen. The taillight’s tucked in behind it, and there’s a stealthy inner fender lower down.

There’s also an electrics box down there, and an external fuel pump; a necessity on this build, since the OEM unit wouldn’t fit inside the new tank. ASH used Earl’s Performance lines and fittings, and installed a Twin Power air box eliminator kit (with a new fuel map) to make room for everything.

Smaller details include neat little rear turn signal brackets to hold a pair of Motogadget LEDs, and finned heel and sprocket guards. The frame’s lower rails have been removed too—turning the motor into a stressed member, and giving the Triumph a more aggressive vibe.

The two-into-one exhaust is a TIG-welded stainless steel affair, and reportedly sounds “loud and throaty.”

James King laid down the paintwork on this project—a timeless combination of bare aluminum and deep graphite paint, with candy red pin striping. And to avoid an all-black look on the mechanical bits, ASH opted for a dark grey Cerakote finish on the engine cases. Adorned with throwback Triumph logos, it’s the perfect livery for this textbook street tracker.

ASH Motorcycles have just one problem now: with the standard already set so high, they’ll need to really deliver on their sophomore release.

ASH Motorcycles on Instagram

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[DaveM]

Suspended restoration: Retrospeed’s immaculate FN M13

There’s not much that still surprises us these days, but you can’t beat a crazy suspension setup. And they don’t come much stranger than the bizarre cantilever arrangement used on Fabrique Nationale motorcycles.

Variously known as a ‘wheelbarrow’ or (more respectfully) a ‘trailing link girder fork,’ there’s never been anything else quite like it, before or since. And thanks to this amazing restoration by Retrospeed of Wisconsin, we can get a closer look.

FN deserves a higher profile outside of the Low Countries of Europe. It’s one of the most storied names in motorcycling and like BSA and Royal Enfield, the Belgian company has a background in small arms. Today, it’s one of the biggest firearms makers in the world, but sadly, it stopped making motorcycles in the mid 60s.

This Model 13 from 1947 is the kind of restoration you’d expect to see from a grizzled old veteran with a huge Monarch lathe in the corner of the garage. But it’s actually the work of a very talented 27-year-old from Wisconsin: Donovon LeVan.

In Retrospeed’s Ozaukee County workshop, Donovan focuses on European and Japanese motorcycles. He handles everything from basic servicing to concours-level restorations, and for someone so young, he’s remarkably good at his job.

That’s probably because he’s already been riding for well over a decade. “I got my first bike at 15—a 1975 Yamaha XS650,” he reveals. “I moved to Milwaukee to pursue architecture as a career, but dropped out of school because I thought that working on vintage motorcycles sounded way more fun.”

Donovon landed a job at a small shop specializing in concours restoration, and he was obviously a very quick learner. “They taught me everything I know, which I am very thankful for—considering they don’t teach things like points or carburation in motorcycle programs anymore.”

This FN is Donovon’s fifth full restoration at Retrospeed, and took around 18 months to complete. The commission came from a museum fascinated by the unique characteristics of the bike.

“That’s the ‘Neiman’ rubber band rear suspension, and the ‘pulled wheel’ or ‘wheelbarrow fork’ front suspension,” says Donovon. “The FN actually had success in off road races, due to the amount of suspension travel compared to girder forks!”

Despite being in dilapidated condition when it arrived at the Retrospeed workshop, the FN now runs and rides just as it did when it left the showroom floor over 70 years ago.

“The project was hyper-difficult,” Donovon admits. “It was extremely difficult to find documentation, and parts are not available. Even the paint scheme required heavy research and overseas connections—since photos are in black and white, and there are next to no good original examples to pull from.”

Retrospeed repaired the dented bodywork, remanufactured worn parts, restored the rear rubber band suspension, and machined up new bushings and bearings.

“The hard part was determining what had been changed by human hands in the last 74 years,” says Donovon. “I was all over the internet for weeks with no luck. Finally, a referral led me to Jacques Maertens in Brussels. He has been collecting anything FN since the 90s, and sent me thousands of pages of documentation.”

It was the breakthrough that Donovon needed. Aside from being able to get the suspension back to the optimum working order, he could spot the modifications made to the M13 and revert it back to showroom spec. “The bike was blown apart and the restoration started.”

Retrospeed created new steering head bearings and front end bushings, and machined up screws, nuts and bolts from scratch. The clutch and brake levers were brazed and straightened. A new horn switch was built up, and the fenders were drilled apart, repaired, and riveted back together.

“We were even able to source grips and footpeg rubbers, thanks to Jacques. And we found a bare steel reproduction exhaust, plus rubber for the rear suspension and horn.” New kneepads for the tank were recreated using the original mold that was used in the factory, and Retrospeed were also able to find a headlight bezel and headlight switch—because they were used on Vincent motorcycles too.

“This being said, the parts we had to source did not come easy,” Donovon notes. “It was about seven months before we were able to get our hands on them—due not only to Covid, but also to confusion with the postal service. We are in the city of Belgium in Wisconsin, not the country of Belgium where the parts were coming from!”

Despite these issues, Donovon’s perseverance has led to one of the most authentic FNs in existence. Even the color is spot on.

“Jacques was able to find a very worn M13 tank, and when he removed the old kneepads it exposed a beautifully preserved blue. He also told us that the striping was gold or yellow, whereas you mostly see people striping these in white.”

The hardware is now cadmium plated, and the engine cases have been tumble polished for a ‘freshly cast aluminum’ look. The 448 cc side-valve engine and dynamo were restored in house, and Donovon discovered that steel exhaust valves from a ‘98 Corvette matched the FN specs. They dropped right in, with slight modification.

“I’ve restored four Japanese motorcycles here at Retrospeed, but this was a very different process,” he concludes. “It took a lot more time behind a computer, doing research and translating. Nothing seemed to be straightforward.”

Is this the most accurately restored M13 out there today? Almost certainly. Even better, it’s solid evidence of a younger generation of restorers coming through—with the skills to keep magnificent machines like these in perfect running order.

Retrospeed | Instagram | Images by Grant Schwingle

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[DaveM]

Alchemy: A Husqvarna 701 Enduro wrapped in carbon

What’s your idea of the perfect adventure motorcycle? For some, it’s a liter-plus globetrotter loaded with tech. For others, it’s a monkey bike that can also fly. But for Gareth Hadden, it’s this carbon-clad Husqvarna 701 Enduro called ‘Alchemy.’

An English ex-pat living in Cape Town, South Africa, Gareth earns his keep as an event and production designer in the entertainment industry. So he’s good at two things: finding skilled people to work with, and obsessing over the tiniest of details. Which is precisely why his rally-inspired Husky turned out so good.

Ironically, Gareth didn’t originally set out to create an adventure bike. His original plan was to build a streetfighter around a stonking Suzuki GSX1400 power plant. But then he bought a BMW R1200GS Adventure, got into adventure riding, and changed tack.

Looking for something less heavy and more nimble, Gareth noticed a Husqvarna 701 Enduro built and owned by Mark Johnston of Johnston Moto. So Gareth bought a brand new 701 and roped Mark into the project.

“My role was vision, sourcing, budget and coffee,” says Gareth. “Mark was amazing—he definitely had input, and all the actual hard work was him. He understood my vision and my design criteria: clean, simple and minimal.”

Mark’s 701 was sporting bodywork from Omega Fibre—a company in Johannesburg specializing in composite fiber rally kits for enduro bikes. Omega uses a mix of carbon fiber, Kevlar and fiberglass to produce their kits, but Gareth had one special request. Since brightly colored race liveries aren’t to his taste, he wanted the whole thing done in a matte raw carbon fiber finish.

“Thomas Eich at Omega Fibre is amazing,” says Gareth. “He’s made only one other kit in raw form, and it took a lot of persuading to build another one—but I managed. It was the best kit for me, and the fact it was local was a winner.”

The kit includes two seven-liter tanks up front, with a fuel pump linking them to the stock 13.5-liter tank under the seat. That’s a whopping total capacity of 27.5 liters [7.3 gallons]. It’s all plumbed in ith upgraded hoses and fuel filters, and topped off with a set of billet aluminum gas caps from Vanasche Motorsports.

The Omega kit also comes with a carbon fiber navigation tower and windscreen. But since Gareth isn’t planning on entering any rallies, he’s kitted out his cockpit for road use. At the bottom is a Trail Tech Voyager Pro GPS-enabled dash, with a row of custom warning lights above it, and an Apple iPad higher up.

The iPad’s mounted in a special bracket, machined by a friend, Roland Peelen. It runs a navigation app, Spotify for music (linked to in-helmet Bluetooth comms), and a clock app from Gareth’s favorite watch company, Panerai.

The control area features a set of Renthal bars on BRP risers, with Cycra hand guards in all-black trim, and ASV controls. The starter button’s been laser engraved with Gareth’s personal logo and is surrounded by an LED ring. The CNC-machined switches, which were imported from Russia, are lit with color-coded LEDs.

Further back is a custom seat from another local company, Nithrone, featuring the same logo as the starter button. Behind it is a custom luggage rack, with an upgraded LED tail light poking out the back. But it’s underneath the seat that things get really interesting.

There you’ll find a Twin Air dual layer foam filter, a Bluetooth-enabled controller from Motogadget, a Dynojet Power Commander ECU and the bike’s core electric bits, packaged together like mechanical Tetris. There’s an Antigravity Lithium-ion battery in the mix too, and the whole wiring loom was scratch-built by Mark.

Mechanical upgrades include an Akrapovič exhaust, a Rottweiler intake system, and an upgraded clutch from Oberon. There’s also a WP Suspension cone valve kit in the forks, along with a Scott’s steering damper to keep things civilized. The bike rolls on a custom wheel set from Talon Engineering with Excel rims, and the brakes have been beefed up too.

The full parts list is too exhaustive to print in full. Noteworthy additions include a new front fender and fork protectors from Cycra, a Hammerhead gear shift lever, and a case saver, rear brake guard, brake pedal and foot pegs from Vanasche. Tiny Motogadget turn signals round out the package.

Gareth’s 701 is the motorcycle many of us dream of owning: a machine that’s truly bespoke, with every minute detail tweaked to perfection. And for someone, that dream might just come true—because Gareth is putting it up for sale. Tempted?

Gareth Hadden Instagram | The Alchemy Build Instagram | Images by Wes Reyneke

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[DaveM]

Speed Read EICMA Edition, November 28, 2021

The landmark moto show EICMA has returned for 2021, and there’s a palpable if cautious sense of relief in the industry. New bikes are relatively thin on the ground in Milan this year, because the no-shows include the American marques, BMW and Ducati. But there’s good stuff coming out, especially from the European manufacturers. Here, we’ve picked out four bikes that got our motors running.

Royal Enfield SG650 Concept EICMA was short on concepts this year, but Royal Enfield revealed a clue to its future design direction with the SG650. According to the brand, this machine takes the company’s ‘classic design sensibilities’ and tweaks them to show what the Royal Enfields of the future could look like.

Despite the relatively orthodox if pleasant styling, this is probably a pretty significant design—since RE is now the world’s biggest maker of ‘middleweight’ bikes. It also suggests that RE is going after the bobber market, since this is the second bobber-style concept after the KX 838 shown a couple of years ago.

Design boss Mark Wells says the goal was to build a “neo-retro interpretation that pushes the boundaries of what a Royal Enfield motorcycle could look like, but at its core, still celebrating that iconic Royal Enfield DNA.”

To our eyes, the SG650 looks good, right down to the fat tires, low stance and bare aluminum overlaid with pixelated graphics. The tank has been CNC billet machined from a solid block of alloy, and so have the wheel rims—which have integrated ABS, custom calipers and dual discs.

Aluminum is also used for the combined top yoke and headlight nacelle setup, and the wide bars are dressed with aluminum switch cubes. The other elements have a more conventional retro style, with twin rear shocks and a black leather ‘floating’ solo seat. The 650 Twin engine appears to be the familiar production item.

If the SG650 went into production, it’d be a stylish but lower-cost alternative to the Triumph Bonneville Bobber. We reckon there’s a market for it.

The MV Agusta Lucky Explorers MV Agusta’s stand was popular, and not just for showing the stunning Magni Italia. After last week’s tease, we also got to see MV’s two new ADV bikes (and engines). The ‘5.5’ [above] uses a 554cc twin with 47.6 hp, developed with the help of the Chinese company Qianjiang, which owns Benelli.

The ‘9.5’ model [below] uses a 931cc triple with 123 hp, loosely based on MV’s existing 800cc unit.

Visually, both bikes hark back to the Dakar Rally racers of three decades ago, notably the Cagiva Elefant. The styling is sharp and modern, with smart graphics and no superfluous ‘beaks.’

The machines on the MV Agusta stand at EICMA are prototypes, but close to production spec. MV has not announced pricing, but word is that they will be formally released next year.

Despite the nomenclature and looks, the 5.5 is not merely a scaled-down version of the 9.5. The dry weight for both bikes is listed at 220 kg (484 pounds), which is passable for the larger bike but a little on the hefty side for the smaller bike. This lends credence to the idea that the 5.5 is a cousin of the Benelli TRK502, a popular rival in Europe to the Honda CB500X.

The specs suggest a measure of offroad ability for both bikes though, with hefty sump guards, hand guards and disc covers. The wheelsets are F19/R17 for the 5.5 and F21/R18 for the 9.5.

It’s further proof that the ADV market is running red hot at the moment. Next year, it’ll be intriguing to see how the 9.5 stacks up against the Husqvarna Norden 901 and the Ducati DesertX. [Lucky Explorer Project]

Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello Back in September, Moto Guzzi gave us a glimpse of the new V100 Mandello sport tourer. The venerable Italian marque has now officially launched the bike, and it comes with quite a few surprises.

Most notable is the appearance of ‘adaptive aerodynamics’—the kind of innovation you’d expect to see on a high-end sportbike. Flanking the headlights on the fairing are air deflectors, which adjust according to speed and riding mode. Apparently they can reduce wind buffeting by up to 22% for the rider.

The new 1,042cc DOHC V-twin is water-cooled, has a ‘compact block’ design with four valves per cylinder, and is rated at 115 hp. Torque peaks at 77 pound-feet and 90% of that is available at a leisurely 3,500 rpm.

Buyers will get three switchable engine maps, four riding modes, four levels of traction control, and even three levels of engine braking. The electronics package also includes cruise control and cornering ABS and the rider aids are tied together with a six-axis IMU.

There will also be an up-spec version that adds semi-active Öhlins suspension, a quickshifter, heated grips and a Bluetooth connection to your smartphone.

It’s all very high-tech for a ‘traditional’ manufacturer like Moto Guzzi, and should interest fans of comfortable, long-legged sports tourers. The secondhand market for older tourers is healthy in most countries; hopefully the V100 will inspire other factories to deliver more modern options. [Moto Guzzi V100 Mandello]

The Bimota KB4 Another long-delayed production bike has just broken cover, and it’s a doozy—the gorgeous 142 hp Bimota KB4, powered by a 1043cc inline four donated by parent company Kawasaki.

First shown as a prototype a couple of years ago, the KB4 is now ready to enter production and uses the engine from the Ninja 1000SX.

Despite the size of the engine, the KB4 is unusually compact. The wheelbase is just 54.7 inches, the same as a Suzuki GSX-R750. And with a claimed curb weight of 428 pounds [194 kg], it’s only a fraction heavier than said Gixxer.

The frame is a mix of classic thin steel tubes in a trellis layout, plus billet machined aluminum. To keep the length down, the radiator is under the seat, and fan-assisted.

The suspension is state-of-the-art, with 43mm Öhlins FG Road & Track forks and an Öhlins TTX36 shock hooked up to a billet aluminum swingarm. The forged 17-inch wheels appear to be magnesium—there’s no official confirmation—and the Brembo brakes include a classic twin 320mm front disc setup.

We’re even more excited by the news of an ‘RC’ version. That stands for ‘Race Café’ apparently, which is odd because the mainstream faired version has more of a trad café vibe and the RC looks more like a ‘super naked.’ Maybe Bimota is harking back to the stripped-down HB1 of the early 70s with this one.

There’s no word on pricing yet. But with carbon fiber bodywork on the spec list, painting by hand and a promise of the ‘latest electronics,’ you can bet the KB4 won’t be cheap. We just have a feeling it’ll be worth every cent. [Bimota]

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[DaveM]

Gloves Off: Federal Moto customizes the BMW R75/6

Most customers approach a bike builder with a firm idea of what they want, armed with fat binders of photos and sketches acting as inspiration. But the most interesting builds come from people like the owner of this old Beemer—who wheeled it into Federal Moto’s workshop and said “have at it.”

And that’s quite the compliment, given the owner of the 1974-model BMW R75/6 was pretty damn attached to it. It was recently inherited from his late father, who punted the vintage boxer twin around his home town of Hannibal, Missouri for decades.

“The customer knew he wanted to customize it and keep his dad’s legacy alive,” Federal’s Mike Muller says. “While searching for a shop that could do the work, he stumbled across us and reached out”.

No doubt the decision was kicked along by Federal Moto’s reputation as a go-to builder in the Chicago area. So the owner made the five hour drive up to their West Loop workshop for a chat.

“We had a few beers and the deal was done,” Mike says. “And to help with the price he actually owns a tattoo shop in Hannibal called Two Fathoms tattoo. So to offset some costs, we traded work!”

And as for the design of the BMW itself? “He wanted the bike to be a total surprise. No direction was given on what he wanted the final bike to look like.” Mike and the team were elated. “Our dream had come true: finally a client that doesn’t want black on black on black.”

Although a relief, it’s clear why so many customers are reluctant to deviate from Federal Moto’s textbook style. While their portfolio takes in all years and marques, it’s their near-patented super clean 70s and 80s revamps that really get our hearts racing. But they wanted to do something really special for the R/75.

“The customer’s tattoos include a lot of line work and patterns and colors,” Mike says. “So I knew splashes of color and some geometric patterns would be rad.”

Federal Moto crafted a trellis subframe to match the strong angles that dominate much of Two Fathoms’ designs. At the back end, the swingarm was converted to a single-shock setup, with a Showa unit keeping the rear under control.

It’s some great fabrication and design, that shows the team really pays attention to their clients.

There’s Showa suspension at the front too, with the R75/6 sporting a pair of freshly-rebuilt and bronze anodized Kawasaki ZX6-R forks. They’re held in place by Cognito Moto’s gorgeous stem conversion kit, replete with billet triple trees and a new front wheel hub.

The wheels have been powder coated and fitted with stainless steel spokes. And stopping power has been bolstered with new discs and brake lines, and a Brembo master cylinder.

The high-end component fit-out continues with a Cognito Moto gauge bracket and risers. The mirrors, bar end turn signals, grips, mini-gauge and idiot lights all come via the teutonic gods of all things sleek and electrical: Motogadget.

The rest of the electronics weren’t spared either, with the wiring harness being rebuilt, and then run through a Motogadget mo.unit. A new stator, starter motor, Lithium-ion battery and digital ignition system ensure the R75/6 loses none of its reputation for turn-key reliability.

Mechanically, the BMW was also due for some attention. The top end was rebuilt, as well as the final drive and the carbs, which now suck air through aluminum velocity stacks with brass screens. The engine and headers were Cerakoted, and the cooling fins hand polished back to bare alloy.

Hand-rolled fenders, and an integrated LED taillight and turn signal combo, round out the lines of Federal Moto’s eighteenth complete build. The colors were laid down by NSD Paintwerks, while the suede seat was stitched together by the virtuosic Dane Utech, of the hilariously well-named PlzBSeated.

Nicknamed ‘Hannibal,’ the completed build is a perfect mix of performance, reliability, and genre-defying looks that have really allowed the team at Federal Moto to flex their design muscles.

Mike couldn’t wait to see the owner’s reaction. “When it finally came together, our Spidey senses were tingling,” he laughs. “When we drove down to deliver it to him, he immediately hopped on and disappeared down the winding Mississippi roads, and probably hasn’t stopped since.”

Federal Moto | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Don Hudson

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[DaveM]

Silver Bullet: A Shiny Yamaha XS650 by Purpose Built Moto

Like many shops, Purpose Built Moto does a lot to put food on the table. On top of their regular custom bike builds they also fabricate exhausts, do wiring work and produce bolt-on parts. But when the right client and budget come along, the Australian crew loves to pull out the stops.

Purpose Built Moto calls these projects their ‘Signature Series,’ using each one as an opportunity to push their own boundaries. This delightful Yamaha XS650 café racer is their latest Signature Series project. It’s a masterful combo of classic looks and modern performance, with a sprinkling of top-tier parts for good measure.

The 1973-model XS650 has some history too. It had been raced in the 70s and owned by the client’s grandfather, who regaled his grandkids with tales of how he thrashed people all over the streets of Melbourne on it. It changed hands a few times over the years—but PBM’s client thankfully managed to track it down.

He wheeled the Yamaha into PBM’s Gold Coast workshop with a loose brief. “He wanted an object of beauty that would create a desire to ride,” explains shop boss, Tom Gilroy. “When this motorcycle wouldn’t be on display, it would be ridden on the road and taken to the odd track day.”

Most of PBM’s Signature Series builds have had a modern edge to them, but Tom relished the opportunity to build something with a vintage bend.

“I worked at creating a timeless piece that would feel at home for any rider, young or old,” he explains. “Something that people across a family’s generations could be enamored with.”

The build started with the suspension and wheels. The XS650 hadn’t seen a track in quite some time—but it still wore the classic Marzocchi piggyback shocks it had raced with back in the day. So PBM stripped, blasted, cleaned, rebuilt and tweaked those to perform a little more like modern units.

There’s more vintage goodness up front, with a pair of 38 mm Ceriani forks, held by custom triple clamps. The wheels were stripped, and rebuilt with 18” Borrani rims. PBM kept the original rear drum brake, but swapped the front hub for a four leading shoe Robinson drum brake.

And that’s where things got interesting. “In the past, I’ve been left underwhelmed by the performance of cable operated drum brakes,” says Tom. “To address this, I wanted to build a hydraulic drum setup, but keep the traditional look of the Robinson drum.”

Through some trick fabrication work, Tom made a pair of guard plates that bolt to the Ceriani forks’ disc brake caliper mounts. Then he hid the hydraulic actuators for his custom hybrid system behind them.

Next, PBM turned their attention to the motor. The XS650 was treated to a full rebuild with a 700 cc Hoos Racing kit, a ported head, upgraded cams, and nickel plating on the outside. It also now has a hydraulic clutch, thanks to a conversion that uses a Ducati GT1000 slave cylinder.

The motor inhales via a pair of Mikuni VM34 carbs and a custom two-into-one intake. PBM fabricated the actual intake manifold, while the father and son team of Dino and Marios Nikolaidis at DNA Filters in Greece built a custom pod filter for it. Dynomite Moto tuned the system, and the XS650 now makes 52 hp at the wheel.

The intake’s complemented by a custom two-into-one-into-two stainless steel exhaust system, topped off with a pair of PBM’s own torpedo mufflers. “All polished to perfection,” says Tom, “before getting a clean and heat cycle, to ensure a nice straw gold color.”

The wiring was redone too, complete with updated ignition and charging systems, a Lithium-ion battery and PBM’s own ‘Black Box’ controller.

As for the bodywork, Tom opted to keep things simple and elegant. The stock tank fit the bill, and already had a flip-up filler cap fitted, so that stayed. Behind it is a classic handmade café racer tail section.

Tom wanted to avoid the typical rear tail loop, so the subframe was shortened and braced internally instead, with hidden tabs to mount the tailpiece.

The rest of the frame was de-tabbed and cleaned up, before being nickel plated. Keen eyes will also spot some cut-outs around the swingarm pivot point.

The bikini fairing that’s mounted up front is a custom piece too. It houses a 4.5” light from PBM’s own store, with three tiny LED running lights trailing off underneath it. Behind it is a set of stacked Daytona Velona gauges.

Other changes in the cockpit include clip-on handlebars, a Domino throttle, ISR master cylinders, wrapped grips and PBM micro switches. Lower down are mid-set foot pegs on custom brackets, with handmade cables and linkages. There’s also a removable license plate holder out back.

With so many polished and nickel plated surfaces, Tom wanted the paint to complement, rather than dominate, the build. Working with Nathan from Livin’ Loco, PBM settled on a silver base, with a teal blue riff on Yamaha’s traditional speed blocks.

“This XS650 café racer really stirred something up inside me during the build process,” says Tom. “I feel like we’ve walked new ground as a custom shop here, and I’m really keen to explore this side of things more.”

It’s stirring something up inside us as well, Tom.

Purpose Built Moto | Facebook | Instagram

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[DaveM]

Inch Perfect: Close up with AC Sanctuary’s A16 demo bike

If there’s any proof that motorcycling is a universal language, it’s the global fame of AC Sanctuary. Set up in the mid 90s by mechanic Hiroyuki Nakamura, the Japanese workshop rose out of obscurity to become a high water mark for fast and desirable retro racers.

That’s despite Nakamura-san and his crew speaking no English. The company website is mostly monolingual too, and until three years ago, AC had no overseas representation of any kind.

The Asphalt Cowboys opened a small office in Gardena, California, to ease the passage of parts and bikes into the States. And then they shipped over the bike shown here—for potential clients to test ride, presumably before wiring a few million yen to Japan to commission a replica.

This bike is based on the classic Kawasaki ‘Zed,’ the platform that AC built its name on. It’s one of a new series called A16, with a production run of 30 bikes planned, and it’s now back in Tokyo.

Eight A16s have been built in Japan already. The machine shown here is #4 in the sequence, and it’s part test mule, part demo bike.

Like most of AC’s Kawasaki builds, this A16 is dripping with high-end parts. The recipe is familiar: a custom frame, albeit loosely based on the Kawasaki original, plus Öhlins suspension. The wheels are supplied by OZ Racing, the brake calipers are Brembo, the discs are Sunstar, and the exhaust system comes from Nitro Racing.

The A16 platform incorporates multiple new refinements, and many of them are subtle but effective amendments to the frame geometry. “The standard Sanctuary Z-type frame is not a chassis suitable for the properties of modern, high-spec radial tires,” Nakamura explains.

The big deal is that the A16 frames are specifically designed for 17-inch wheels and high-performance rubber. That means repositioned steering necks, better-optimized rigidity, and redesigned swing arm pivots. The swing arm itself is a classic double-sided unit, and has been given extra width and bracing.

Multiple new parts have been designed in CAD, and are then machined out of SS400 steel ingots. Even the engine mounts have been redesigned, since racing experience has shown that the mounts can have a surprising impact on handling. The top nut on the steering stem is a modern Ducati item, chosen for its tight manufacturing tolerances, and the bars are a new, slightly upswept design.

Nakamura describes the changes as a ‘transformation,’ and says that the handling of the A16 series is ‘practical.’ “It’s not just for racing,” he says. “It’s something that you can fully experience even at legal speeds. It feels ‘easy to ride’ even when touring or in the city.”

That easy-going nature is helped by smooth power from a heavily modified KZ1000 engine—an inline four that the AC Sanctuary mechanics are very familiar with.

AC have traditionally replaced the stock carbs with sportier setups—such as 38mm Yoshimura Mikunis—but in this instance they’ve switched over to fuel injection.

Kawasaki’s own attempt at injecting the big air-cooled engine in 1980 didn’t go too well, but you can guarantee Nakamura’s crew will have done a good job. They didn’t have much choice in the matter: under Japanese law, this machine is technically a 2016 bike, and therefore has to meet the emissions regulations for that year. It’s a problem that AC will increasingly face, so they’ve tackled it head-on.

Not many shops would be inclined to develop an EFI system that works with an older engine, but AC have been hot-rodding these motors for over two decades now—and there’s nothing old school about their approach. At a recent shakedown test at the short track Tomin ‘mini circuit,’ the EFI programming on this A16 was repeatedly finessed after feedback from test riders.

On an A16, the metal parts of the engine are also in better condition than when they left the factory. Once a motor is sourced, it is stripped down, blueprinted, and refinished. Everything that is worn is replaced, with goodies including oversized valves and Vossner pistons. All the fasteners are new and uprated, and so is the entire clutch assembly.

The frame modifications meant new bodywork. The GRP tank sits over a new design of fuel cell, and the seat unit is a one-piece assembly that lifts up at the turn of a key.

The A16 is at the cutting edge of custom tech, but Nakamura-san draws the line at things like LED lighting. The blinkers are chunky, and the brake light is enormous by modern standards. But everything feels ‘right.’

This A16 might be back in Tokyo after its brief sojorn in California, but AC’s local office can still take your order. You’ll probably find yourself resorting to Google Translate rather a lot, but it’ll be worth it.

AC Sanctuary Japan | Facebook | RCM USA

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[DaveM]

Vintage Fresh: Slipstream’s Honda CL350 scrambler

Honda motorcycles have a reputation for being unkillable, but whoever used to own this Honda CL350 sure gave it their best shot. By the time it ended up at Slipstream Creations, it had a missing muffler, a massive dent in the fuel tank and a Tupperware container for a taillight housing. But true to form, the 49-year-old engine still ran.

Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Slipstream Creations used to be a one-man band run by James Fawcett. His son’s recently joined the team, and the two take on anything from full bike builds to parts fabrication, paint and powder coating. They also make furniture, tackle metal fabrication jobs, and are currently building a custom overland trailer.

When it comes to motorcycles, James has a thing for older small-capacity Hondas. So this CL350 project was right up his alley. “The 1972 Honda CL350 is the iconic 70s scrambler that gave thousands of riders a taste of fun and freedom in a versatile, reliable package,” he says.

“With a variety of restomod and custom scrambler ideas on the table, we knew the CL would be a great platform to build on. Working collaboratively with the customer, we started down the road together with a vague idea of where we were headed—and the final product began to reveal itself organically as we progressed.”

Slipstream started by ditching the CL’s stamped steel subframe, and replacing it with a more elegant chromoly unit. Since the customer plans to ride solo, the guys opted for a shorter rear end, and shaved off the OEM passenger peg mounts too. New tank brackets and shock mounts helped to even out the CL’s lines, for a sharper silhouette.

There’s a new seat up top, with a custom battery tray tucked away underneath. Out back is an integrated LED strip to handle both taillight and turn signal duties. A custom rear fender keeps muck at bay.

Slipstream also installed a new pair of aftermarket shocks, then swapped the front end for the forks and disc brake from a Honda CB360. It was a relatively simple swap, with some cleanup work around the yokes to suit the new speedo and headlight mounts.

Lower down are a set of 18” rims, wrapped in dual-sport rubber.

Remarkably, this CL350 still wears its original fuel tank. “It required a lot of massaging to straighten some massive dents,” says James.

It still has its OEM headlight bucket too, now fitted with an LED light with integrated turn signals. It also hosts a small array of LED idiot lights up top, which complement the ultra-slim Trail Tech Vapor dash. New handlebars and grips complete the cockpit.

Given the healthy condition of the motor, it needed nothing more than a thorough service, with new gaskets and seals, to keep it ticking for another half century. “Our goal was never to turn this bike into a speed demon,” says James. “From a rider’s perspective, we still wanted the same fun and approachable experience that the CL350 had back in its day.”

The air box was ditched for a pair of pod filters, and the stock headers were capped off with a pair of off-the-shelf mufflers. Then the whole system was treated to a black Cerakote finish.

Then it was onto the CL350’s new livery. A coat of light grey on the frame, and gold on the rims, formed the basis for the rest of the color scheme. James is a stickler for details—so the stripes on the tank run parallel to the frame’s down tube, and are echoed in the stitching pattern on the seat.

Virtually everything else on the bike was finished in black, leaving this old Honda looking box fresh. And every last detail you see here was executed in-house, by Team Fawcett.

We have a soft spot for the Honda CL350 and would take a stock one home in a heartbeat. But Slipstream Creations make a strong case for tweaking the iconic scrambler.

Equal parts modern and classic, this tidy little restomod is about as good as it gets… especially when you consider how far it’s come.

Slipstream Creations | Instagram

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, December 5, 2021

What would the legendary Bratstyle builder, Go Takamine, do with an Indian Chief? We’ve got the answer, along with a custom 255 cc scrambler from Taiwan, a Zero SR/F with hand-shaped bodywork and a BMW R18 from South Africa. Plus the incredible story of Tye Smith and his ‘Dreamboat’ Harley Panhead.

Indian Chief by Go Takamine If you want to customize a V-twin, we can’t think of anyone better qualified than Go Takamine. The Okinawa-born, US-based flat track racer singlehandedly kicked off the ‘Bratstyle’ look that’s been copied the world over.

So it’s no surprise that his take on Indian’s new Chief is a masterclass in style and proportion, that pushes its looks back to the golden years of Indian motorcycles.

The rear suspension has been made rigid, via a set of struts that replace the original shocks. The fuel tank’s been narrowed and lowered, with the Indian’s touchscreen gauge now tucked away on the left hand side. The front’s been trimmed with a new headlight, brass risers and new bars.

At the back is a new leather seat on springs, along with a repurposed 1937 Ford fender, adorned with a 1940s Indian fender tip. There’s also a tiny custom sissy bar, and a classic Bratstyle taillight.

Brass accents, a simple twin exhaust system and an understated livery help emphasize the heritage angle of the standard bike, while staying firmly away from the brown-tassel-jacket vibe that cruisers can give off.

Go’s Indian Chief reminds us that he is still the king of classy, distinctive V-twin builds. And we’re not alone, with the Chief being snatched up by British actor Nicholas Hoult. The man’s got taste. [Indian Motorcycles]

‘Murphy’ by I.P.M. Custom Motorcycles are everywhere in Taiwan, with over 14 million motorcycles for a population of 23 million people. The place is absolutely teeming with them. And despite some restrictive local modification laws, custom shops like Rough Crafts and Onehandmade still manage to produce great builds.

We’ve just caught wind of another Taipei-based workshop: I.P.M. Custom, who’ve put out incredible work with this striking little urban runabout. Nicknamed ‘Murphy,’ it’s based around a simple air-cooled 255 cc single-cylinder motor.

Virtually nothing on this street scrambler is standard… and we mean nothing.

The single shock swingarm is custom-CNC machined, as well as the angled subframe. The sharp fuel tank has been built from scratch, along with the flat single seat. Hidden underneath it all is a distinctive hexagonal exhaust, sitting right underneath the lower frame rails.

Rounding out the insane amount of work is a completely custom-made lighting array at both ends, with all the wiring, design and assembly done from scratch. The square lighting display, combined with the harsh angles of the tank and seat, creates a truly distinctive, world-class custom ride.

“We hope that we can make the world see that Taiwan is a powerful country for customizing motorcycles,” the team at I.P.M Custom say. Color us convinced. [I.P.M. Custom]

Zero SR/F by CC Racing Garage While Rome’s CC Racing Garage has long had a penchant for V-twins, the team has now turned their considerable metal-working skills to the electric engine, with a bolt-on, hand-formed kit for Zero’s flagship streetfighter. That’s right—all the work you see here is the result of hours of hard work on an English wheel.

“The main theme of the project was to create something that makes it a one-of-a-kind vehicle,” CC Racing Garage’s Marco Gaziani says. “Something that at first glance doesn’t look like an electric motorcycle, but almost confuses it with a traditional one.”

Marco and his team also viewed the project as a way to pick apart an electric bike and understand the potential a non-ICE power plant opens up, all while making every part plug-and-play. And the reason why they opted for the Zero SR/F was simple.

“I consider them the leaders in the construction of the electric bike world, like with Tesla and cars,” Marco says. “And the Zero SR/F is a very fast vehicle, with a lower weight compared to other electric motorcycles of equal performance.”

The work focused on making the design as elegant and sporty as possible, while still utilizing the existing storage space that an electric bike offers. All the modifications are completely reversible in the space of three hours.

CC Racing Garage also continued their relationship with aftermarket parts suppliers Rizoma, who helped provide a number of their high-end parts to finish off the build. Fellow countrymen Frentubo provided new brake hoses.

The result of the incredible metalwork is a bike that’s so neatly done it looks stock—and that’s no mean feat. Marco’s also putting feelers out to see if he should mass produce this as a kit. Tempted? [CC Racing Garage]

BMW R18 by Stoos Customs Based in Cape Town, South Africa, Stoos Customs normally specializes in stripped-back, rugged Harley builds. But this time around they’ve given the BMW R18 one hell of a makeover.

The project started as a simple visit to swap over some grips, but the owner became so excited by the potential of the made-in-Berlin Bomber that it ended up as a complete custom build. And the Stoos team was just as excited to tackle the brand new donor bike.

The work involved a new BST carbon wheel at the front, carbon fiber wheel covers at the back and Arlen Ness jagged brake rotors, all giving the bike a much modern, aggressive feel. Matching the wheels are a gorgeous set of one-off Stoos Customs carbon fiber head covers.

Even more bespoke parts come in the way of a unique two-into-two low profile exhaust and muffler system, with the flat black end cans an enormous change from the standard bulky fishtail units.

One of the biggest visual differences comes from a rework of the controls and gauges. All the cables and wires are now run through Stoos Customs bars with integrated risers, while the gauge now sits in the tank, completely transforming the appearance of the bike.

The new leather seat was hand stitched by local craftsmen Dead Crow, and there’s a sneaky mounting system for a pillion pad.

Motogadget mirrors and turn signals, and a host of in-house Stoos Customs parts, also adorn the R18, helping make the enormous boxer twin look more slim, lithe and aggressive than it has any right to be.

Oh, and it’s also got those new grips. [Stoos Customs | Images by Leon Bosman]

Prism Supply Co. presents the ‘Dreamboat’ While Prism Supply Company’s forte is sturdy, old-school bike parts, the team takes pride in highlighting stories from the history of motorcycling. And none are more eye-opening than the tale behind this vintage 1952 Harley-Davidson Panhead.

The ‘Dreamboat’ tells the story of Tye Smith and The Mohawk Delegation, an all-black motorcycle club that bucked cultural norms of the 1950s. An era when a person of color couldn’t even walk into a dealership to buy a new bike.

The Panhead itself is a startling time-capsule runner, with every modification, adornment, scratch and scar still proudly on display.

While all vintage motorcycles have a story to tell, few are as relevant or important as the tale behind this gorgeous vintage Harley. You should read about it here.

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[DaveM]

Super trick: Cardsharper’s BMW K1100LT scrambler

Back in the 90s, if you wanted a big touring motorcycle, the BMW K1100LT was probably on your shortlist. It was the first Beemer to displace more than a liter, with a fuel-injected engine and low-maintenance shaft drive.

Compared to the behemoths from Harley and Honda, the K1100 was a technological tour de force. And despite weighing around 580 pounds dry, it was agreeably spritely on the road.

A lot of the weight of the K1100LT came from the bodywork—which included a huge fairing, panniers and a top box. Drop that lot, and you’ve got the makings of a much more nimble bike. First gear wheelies become even more of a breeze.

So we reckon this fresh-looking K (with a hint of Dakar in the graphics) will be a blast to ride. It’s the work of Jacek Mulak, who runs Cardsharper in Lublin, Poland, and the paint finish grabbed us right away.

If the name Cardsharper sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because we featured Jacek’s lovely CB550 café racer a couple of years ago. But this time, Jacek resisted the temptation to join the café crowd.

“Our client likes to ride on country tracks,” says Jacek, “and he wanted to be able to put on (small) panniers. There are quite a lot of cafe racers using the ‘K’ base, so we decided to make a scrambler.”

“Also, the frame is modified so that if you want a cafe racer, you can remove everything,” Jacek adds. “It’s easy to change the style of this bike.”

The scrambler transformation works surprisingly well. Granted, you wouldn’t want to go through ankle-deep mud on this K1100, but it should tackle hardpack well—and the proper fenders mean you won’t get covered in too much mud.

The brightly colored crashbars and new rear frame dominate the aesthetics and fit well with the tank—which often integrates poorly on K-series customs.

“The small original crash bars from the K1100 were used as a base,” Jacek says. “I welded the rest to them.” The same steel tube was used for the back of the revised frame: “It was designed to fit the line of the tank, and has two mounting brackets which hold the luggage racks.”

The rear luggage frames can be removed, but Jacek and his client have decided to leave them on. “We think that they add charm to the motorcycle. The idea is that you can remove them when needed—and even replace the top rack with a cafe racer seat pan.”

The rack behind the new seat is strong enough to support a passenger seat pad later on, if desired. And the electrics are neatly tucked away in a box under the seat.

The rear fender is new, selected from a stack of spare parts Jacek had in his workshop. “I just fitted few of them, chose this one, and reshaped it to fit my needs—and the taillight,” he says. “The front fender is the original ABS plastic one from this bike, but cut and fitted higher. The back piece is steel.”

The wheelset is off-road friendly too: taken from a BMW R1150GS and refurbished with new spokes, it’s a classic F19/R17 setup. The GS donated its rear brake too, but the front dual disc arrangement is refurbished K1100. Everything is plumbed together with new lines.

The long, low-slung muffler of the stock K1100LT would be a liability over bumpy ground, so Jacek has fitted new piping and an aftermarket muffler that terminates at license-plate level. “The sound is low key,” he says. “Even when riding fast, it’s not excessively loud.”

The entire front fairing was made from scratch, with a mini-frame hiding behind custom sheet metal. The bars and headlight are aftermarket and were an easy mod, unlike the electrics. Since this is a BMW, even something as simple as swapping out the speedo became complicated.

The new instrument is a discreet Koso TNT-04 ‘multifunction meter’ that shows not only RPM, but also speed, fuel level and more. To get it to work, Jacek had to wire in a BEP3.0 ‘conversion box’ from Maru Labs—but the effort was worth it for a clean and functional cockpit. A Motogadget keyless ignition system cleans things up still further.

Sometimes it’s the icing that makes the cake, though, and the multicolored icing on this Kuchen is terrific. There’s more than a hint of the Moto Guzzi V85TT in there, with the red tubing and yellow highlights, and that’s no bad thing. (“I swear that’s random,” Jacek laughs.)

There’s nothing else random about this build though. It’s just a well planned, smartly executed custom that should provide years of fun—and is probably a million miles away from what the BMW designers envisaged three decades ago.

Cardsharper Customs Facebook | Instagram | Images by Marcin Tarkowski

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[DaveM]

Raijin: A Royal Enfield Classic 500 bobber from West Java

With Royal Enfield’s newer 650 twins hogging the spotlight lately, the company quietly discontinued their Bullet 500 and Classic 500 models last year. And that’s a huge shame. The venerable 499 cc singles have never been known for their performance—but they lured riders in with their simplicity, affordability and vintage looks.

As it turns out, the Classic 500 is also a pretty good starting point for a pared-down custom bobber. This one comes from FrontWheel Motors—a workshop in Bogor, just south of Jakarta in Indonesia’s West Java province. And despite its understated appearance, it’s sporting some pretty smart mods.

“A colleague came to me with a Classic 500, and gave me full authority over the changes made to the bike,” says shop boss, Chandra. “I was beyond excited to embrace that challenge and opportunity. The question that crossed my mind was: what kind of changes will make this bike an outstanding piece of engineering art?”

FrontWheel took inspiration from Japanese custom culture; “the always simple, yet always captivating look.” So they named the project ‘Raijin,’ after the Japanese god of thunder.

The most important task on the checklist was altering the Royal Enfield’s stance, to make it longer and lower. FrontWheel achieved this by altering the bike’s steering angle, and extending the swingarm. Then they added a set of custom yokes, to push the OEM forks wider and make room for chunkier wheels.

With that sorted, the team could ditch the stock 19F/18R hoops for a pair of 16” items, wrapped in 5” wide Coker tires.

The Classic 500’s bodywork had a major overhaul too. FrontWheel massaged a pair of deep knee indents into the fuel tank, then added a Monza-style gas cap. Behind it is a slim, sprung bobber seat, followed by a stunning custom ducktail fender to finish off the tail end.

There’s some more trickery going on lower down. The crew repurposed the Royal Enfield’s onboard toolbox as a cover for a new air filter housing, linked up via a custom intake. And they swapped the elongated stock muffler for something neater, with a bark to live up to this build’s name.

FrontWheel also installed a smaller headlight up front, and made a custom mount for a Motogadget speedo. Also present are new handlebars and grips, a new throttle, an upgraded brake fluid reservoir, and micro switches. And the ignition’s been relocated to the left of the bike, just below the tank.

The turn signals are particularly stealthy—they’re tiny LED units, mounted underneath the levers.

Lighting at the back is handled by tiny LED turn signals attached to the shock mounts, and a side-mounted taillight. FrontWheel also treated the Enfield to a custom skid plate, and new foot pegs.

Raijin’s finishes are deliberately monochromatic. Silver paint on the tank and rear fender is complemented by a host of black parts, giving this compact bobber an unassuming vibe.

Royal Enfield might not be making the Classic 500 any more, but secondhand examples will be kicking around for years to come still. So there’s plenty of time to snatch one up, and build a tidy little café hopper like this.

FrontWheel Motors Instagram

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[DaveM]

HIGH ALTITUDE: Buell café racer by Officine Uragani.

Harley and the Davidson’s is one of the most successful partnerships in the history of the automotive industry, but it turns out while two’s company, three’s a crowd. Time and again, the Buell name has been owned and associated with the Milwaukee outfit, but it’s a relationship that never seems to work out. Which is a shame, because some of the best motorcycles to come out of the US in recent...

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[DaveM]

SHARP DESIGN: RCM-500 Suzuki Katana by AC Sanctuary.

In the past, we’ve labeled them the ‘Resto-Gods’ and it is hard to argue against the fact that when it comes to Resto-Mod motorcycles, AC Sanctuary is simply the best in the business. So, when they assign a special serial number for a bike before the build commences, you know the finished product is going to be something seriously special. Based on the bike that shocked the world when it was...

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[DaveM]

El Camino: Roland Sands’ modern vintage Indian Chief

Vintage motorcycles are charming, but they can be a real pain to live with. So what do you do if you want all the allure of a 1940s Indian Chief—but you also want to spend more time riding than wrenching? You call Roland Sands Design.

Their latest build combines a 2014 Indian Chief Classic engine with a salvaged 1946 Indian Chief frame, topped off with period correct parts and pre-aged finishes. Dubbed ‘El Camino,’ it was commissioned by a regular client who gave RSD the green light to do whatever they wanted to.

“We like to push ourselves to do new things and stay out of our comfort zone,” says the shop’s project manager, Cameron Brewer.

“We’ve built quite a few different frame-up custom Thunder Stroke Indians, but we wanted to do something totally different on this one. We have never built the same bike twice and have no frame fixtures here. Every custom frame we build is a one-off setup on our frame table.”

“We have always wanted to build a bike the old way and pay homage to the original Chief, with cast frame joints and brazing instead of welding. What better way than starting with an actual 1946 Chief frame?”

Armed with that wild idea, RSD sourced a crashed 1946 frame from the local vintage Indian specialists, Kiwi Indian. They got a bunch of 1946 Indian reproduction parts there too, including the split fuel tanks and caps, saddle, handlebars, grips, headlight, floorboards and foot controls.

RSD’s fabricator, Aaron Boss, took the OEM neck and as many of the stock castings as possible, then made new joints to accommodate the modern engine. These were distressed by hammering them, then brazed to new tubes, to make everything blend visually with the older parts of the frame. But to get the brazing right, Aaron first needed to know exactly what metal he was working with.

“We had the castings analyzed at a local metallurgy lab before starting,” Cameron explains. “Also, thanks to Nate from Harlot Cycles for his time on the phone, to discuss materials and processes to execute this properly.”

RSD sourced an original 1946 Indian Chief girder front end too, then rebuilt it with parts from Kiwi Indian. There’s a custom-made chromoly swingarm out back, connected to a Ducati Panigale shock from Penske Racing Shocks.

The Indian’s wheel and brake set is thoroughly modern. It rolls on 19” Roland Sands Racing Traction flat track wheels with TT race hubs, wrapped in Dunlop DT3 rubber.

There are Performance Machine brake calipers at both ends, with floating discs from Galfer and new lines from Spiegler. The front brake’s mounted to a handmade bracket that’s welded to the forks. A remote front master cylinder from Exile cycles keeps the cockpit looking retro, with a reproduction Wagner Lockheed-type part doing duty at the rear.

The motor’s had some upgrades too. RSD installed an Altmann Micro Machines Haan P3 ignition system, a mini dual fire ignition coil and a Lithium-ion battery. The front sprocket’s a one-off, and was made by modifying the stock belt pulley.

The intake system features a hand-made manifold, a Mikuni HSR45 carb and a modified reproduction Linkert ‘bird deflector’ carb cover. RSD also fabricated new exhaust headers, and capped them off with a pair of Cone Engineering mufflers.

Smaller details include a single-cable Biltwell Inc. throttle, a custom RSD gear shift lever, and a Lowbrow Customs fender to finish off the rear end.

As for the antique look, that request came from the client. “We have built him other bikes that are super shiny and highly finished, but he wanted this one to look really old and barn find-ish,” explains Cameron.

To achieve that effect, Aaron treated the parts with a combination of primer, vinegar, salt, hydrogen peroxide and black paint. He then left them to age for a while, before rinsing them thoroughly to neutralize the chemicals. A final coat of linseed oil was applied to seal the parts up, and make sure they didn’t age further.

Manufactured patina can be a contentious issue. But we love the idea of a bobber that looks tired, but goes and stops like a modern machine.

It’s the type of bike that someone will spot in the street, and ask “what year is that?”

Roland Sands Design | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Joe Hitzelberger

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[DaveM]

GREEN & CLEAN: Honda CB750 ‘RC42’ by BGM Cafe Racers.

The original Honda CB750 was quite simply groundbreaking, a Japanese sportbike that created a formula that still dominates the category to this day. So after thirty years of development, you’d have thought the ’90s examples would have been incredible, they weren’t! A good solid bike, comfortable and unintrusive to the eye, but they’re just downright boring. Enter BGM Cafe Racers who had a customer...

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[DaveM]

GO SHOW: 2022 Indian Chief by Go Takamine.

The Indian Motorcycle company might be one of the world’s oldest, and certainly was a dominant player in the early decades, but it’s easy to forget their 50 plus years of struggle. So, when industry giant Polaris took over the brand hopes were high of a return to the glory days. Wisely they started slow and built a solid base, before energising the entire industry with the rip-roaring FTR.

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[DaveM]

Golden Age: An Art Deco BMW from NMoto

There’s a problem with big leaps forward in tech and styling: for every person who loves something futuristic, there’s someone else who hates it. You only have to look at the market for electric motorcycles to see this.

Cutting-edge scooters like the BMW C400 X are similarly afflicted. The styling is straight out of a Transformers movie, and you can buy a new Triumph Trident 660 for less money. But the C400 does make it easy to store shopping or a helmet, and some folks find scooters more comfortable to ride.

A year ago, the Russian company NMoto caused a stir with its C400-based ‘Golden Age’ concept. The machine is finally in production, and despite the high tech underpinnings, the styling has taken a big leap backwards—in a good way.

According to NMoto’s Vlad Klepach, Golden Age harks back to “the halcyon days of pre-war motoring—when transportation was equal parts speed, style and skill.” The design channels the famous Henderson special built in 1936 by Art Deco enthusiast O. Ray Courtney.

“The main challenge was our desire to make this custom available to everyone,” says Vlad. “That is why we chose the BMW C 400 X as the base model—the most affordable scooter of the German brand.”

To keep weight down, the stunning bodywork is rigid carbon fiber composite, rather than molded from plastic. The kit was developed and produced with the help of another Russian shop, Zillers Motorcycles—the AMD World Championship holders, and builders of the incredible ‘slammed’ BMW R nineT.

This lightweight body, with its iconic ‘kidney’ grille, helps Golden Age reach a top speed of around 90 mph (144 kph). That’s a fraction more than the C400X, and pretty good for a 350cc, 34 bhp engine.

The body is built up from seven pieces, and attached to mounts with the same torx screws that BMW themselves use. And despite its deliciously curvaceous nature, the Golden Age can handle corners with aplomb. “The maximum lean angle is 35 degrees,” says Vlad, which is about a degree more than the new Harley Sportster S.

Other mods include new front and rear subframes, new turn signal housings, and an exhaust system relocation kit. The muffler is heat-shielded, and a new pipe reroutes exhaust gas to a small grille in the lower part of the rear fairing.

All the good stuff from the factory is still there though—including the ABS, automatic stability control, the Bluetooth dashboard with a 6.5-inch display, and capacious storage under the seat. The seat can be heated, and has a convenient central locking system for the storage area that’s shared with the main ignition.

NMoto have a lot of experience with kits, and are planning 100 units of Golden Age. It’s available as a completed bike, or as a fit-yourself kit manufactured in the Zillers factory. Options will include custom upholstery, air suspension, a chrome luggage rack and even LED underbody lighting.

Kits can also be supplied with rear-view mirrors, headlight and turn signals certified for different markets—including the US and Europe.

The cost is $9,990, with unpainted carbon. There are several permutations that buyers can choose from; the bike in these images has an early R nineT headlight and Harley turn signals, but the LED headlight from the 2021 R nineT or R18 also fits via an adapter.

For a little more cash, NMoto can supply single or two-tone paint, and even build up a complete motorcycle.

NMoto has offices in both Russia and the USA, and if you’re in Europe, there’s no issue getting a C400X—either new or secondhand. But BMW dropped the X model from the US lineup when the development of Golden Age was already in full swing. The only C400 you can now get in the States is the GT model.

“There are a lot of differences between those models and the kit will not fit the GT,” says Vlad. “Some of our US clients already bought the last remaining C400Xs. We also have some, but for all others, we’ll suggest buying a used model with low miles for the project.”

Despite the wild looks, Golden Age would work just fine as a daily driver. We’re told that several kits have already been sold via pre-order, and the company is now planning deliveries for early 2022.

We suspect the looks of this machine will be just as polarizing as the scooter it’s based on. But, hey—variety is the spice of life. If you’re the kind of person who loves Art Deco style and doesn’t mind chatting to complete strangers when you park up, Golden Age is the perfect set of wheels for you.

NMoto | Facebook | Instagram

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[DaveM]

MAMA TRIED MOTORCYCLE SHOW 2021.

What do you call a motorcycle show that is more a party with some incredible custom bikes in attendance as patrons? Mama Tried. Held in the spectacular venue that is The Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee, the invitational event brings the cold winter of the Northern Midwest to life, in a way only a proper shindig can. Builders, bikers, fans, and riders pack the ballroom floor to talk motorcycles...

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