Custom Motorcycle Builds

[DaveM]

Revealed: The Top 10 Custom Motorcycles of 2021

It’s that time of year again! And once again, it’s been a year we’re glad to see the back of. The pandemic didn’t seem to put a dent in the custom scene, though: for every larger workshop experiencing a slowdown, there seemed to be an amateur builder taking up the tools.

This list is a purely data-driven exposé of the most popular bikes of 2021. It’s calculated via our website stats, with a focus on page views and social engagement—which went through the roof this year.

Healthy global interest in the custom scene sent our Facebook reach rocketing by 89% over 2020, and our Pinterest channel alone delivered over 329 million impressions.

There were some big surprises for us when crunching numbers for this list, and a couple of bikes are very different in style to our usual big hits. Two electric machines made the cut; we average around one EV bike profile a month these days, so interest is obviously rising there.

Enjoy the selection, let us know if you’re surprised too, and happy holidays.

10. CT Newman’s turbo Harley It’s been a good year for Harley-Davidson on Bike EXIF, with no less than three bikes in our annual Top 10. The first is Christian Newman’s scratch-built turbocharged chopper: it’s far from our usual fare, but readers lapped it up.

During the day Newman is a mechanical engineer, and he poured all his skills into this machine. Power comes from a 1939 Flathead motor, but it’s been modified almost beyond recognition.

The most visible mod is the pair of Garrett GT1241 turbos, plumbed in with a multitude of hand-made stainless steel pipes. Newman crafted the single loop hardtail frame and springer front end out of stainless steel too, but called in help from Sosa Metalworks for the bodywork.

The Harley was one of the stars of this year’s Born Free show in California. Given that it was a hit for our readers too, maybe we should feature more builds like this in the future? [More]

9. S&S Death Tracker If anyone knows how to build a high performance V-twin, it’s S&S. The company is at the forefront of the Harley aftermarket scene, and the first port of call for many owners wanting to give their hog a bit more get-up-and-go.

‘Death Tracker’ started as a dilapidated 1996 Sportster 883 lying under a tarp. It’s now powered by a 100ci (1600cc) monster of an engine, the S&S SB100. The nickel-plated frame is hooked up to Öhlins suspension, running the same geometry as Indian’s racing flat track bikes, and there’s an adjustable swingarm to help get the power to the ground.

If you’re in the US, keep an eye out for this stunning machine on the show circuit next year, including Daytona and Sturgis. Otherwise, you’ll have to make do with the mighty fine build story and photoset here.

8. Hazan Velocette Most customs offer quick visual hits, but a handful bear close and sustained inspection. This is one of those bikes you could easily spend an hour poring over if you saw it in the metal—and not surprisingly, it comes from the preternaturally talented Max Hazan.

Virtually every part is custom-made, aside from the pair of restored post-war Velocette MAC motors. The 349 cc air-cooled singles are linked together via an arrangement of belts and pulleys, which also happen to drive an Eaton TVS R410 supercharger.

The level of engineering sophistication is off the scale, from the suspension to intricacies such as the way the crank breathing system feels oil into the custom frame.

“I like to come up with new ideas on each project,” Max told us at the time. “They usually have something unique… but this bike was wild from front to back.” Indeed—and our readers went wild for it too. [More]

7. DAB Concept-E It’s very tricky to design an electric bike with strong performance and good looks, but Simon Dabadie and the crew at DAB Motors have succeeded. The Basque workshop wowed our readers with the ‘Concept-E,’ which is a template for future production runs.

It’s a lightweight urban commuter with a 10kW motor and a 51V Li-ion battery. The riding position resembles supermoto ergonomics for maximum maneuverability around tight city streets, and the components are distinctly high end—coming from brands such as Öhlins, Beringer, Pirelli, Excel and Rizoma.

The level of detailing is worthy of a factory production bike, and the styling is right on the mark for us. We’re hoping this particular custom makes it into full production, and if it does, we reckon it’ll be a hit. [More]

6. Purpose Built Moto Honda CBX1000 It wasn’t a surprise to find this machine in the Top 10: muscle bikes are always popular. And there’s a lot of love for Honda’s late-70s CBX1000 out there: a CBX build made it onto last year’s list too.

Purpose Built Moto did an incredible job of dragging this one into the 21st century. The 1981-spec CBX was torn down and thoroughly overhauled before being upgraded with Suzuki Hayabusa forks, plus an Aprilia RSV4 swingarm to accommodate modern wheels and tires.

The mighty six-pot engine has been treated to a bank of new Keihin FCR carbs and six new mufflers on a shortened exhaust system, and now measures a solid hundred horsepower at the rear wheel on the dyno. A new subframe and tail unit help reduce the weight, which has dropped down to a whisker over 500 pounds. [More]

5. BMW C400X by NMoto Scooters, mopeds and compact retro oddities often do well on Bike EXIF. They’re not the bikes that most of our readers aspire to, but everyone has a soft spot for a pocket rocket.

The C400X is a mid-size scoot with somewhat polarizing styling, like many of its ilk. But the Miami-based company NMoto has developed a stunning body kit that harks back to the golden age of Art Deco.

The carbon fiber bodywork incorporates the traditional BMW ‘kidney grille’ and since it’s so light, top speed is an invigorating 90 mph (144 kph). The lean angle is respectable too at 35 degrees, which should make u-turns on tight city streets a breeze.

Nmoto are planning a run of 100 kits, which are being manufactured by development partner Zillers Garage. And although the looks of the C400X are radically transformed, there’s no impact on functionality. Everything on this high-tech scooter still works as it should.

If you’re in Europe, there’s no problem getting a C400X to use for your build. But if you’re in the US, you’ll need to snap one up on the secondhand market, because BMW only sells the C400GT model now. And judging by the response of readers to our profile of the bike, you won’t be the only person looking. [More]

4. deBolex DB25 I’m sure most folks have a mental list of the bikes they’d buy if they won the lottery. Near the top of my list would be a machine from the English builders Calum Pryce-Tidd and Des Francis, and it looks like I’m not alone.

Most custom builds are flights of fancy—and I don’t mean that in a bad way—but some bikes focus on improving on the original via clever engineering and aesthetic upgrades. That’s the territory that deBolex Engineering occupies, and they nailed it with the DB25.

The name comes from the planned run of 25 limited-production machines, all based on the 147 hp previous generation Ducati Monster 1200. The builds can be tweaked to customer spec, but the core vitals remain the same.

It took 18 months of planning and development to start this run, but that’s simply an indication of the care and skill that deBolex put into their creations. These are not the kind of machines that will pop up on eBay in a couple of years at a bargain basement price.

The donor Ducatis are fitted with over a hundred new components, including carbon fiber bodywork, polymer fuel cells and aluminum subframes. You can spec the suspension according to your wishes (and budget), but goodies like forged aluminum Dymag rims come as standard.

If there was ever a two-wheeled equivalent of a Singer Porsche, this is it. [More]


3. Moto Adonis’ Harley-Davidson Livewire A change of ownership is often the kiss of death for a custom workshop. But the Dutch shop
Moto Adonis hardly skipped a beat when founder Daan Borsje handed the keys over to employees Arthur Renkema and Job Leussink.

The client brief for this LiveWire was to build something futuristic and black, and Arthur and Job delivered spectacularly.

The armadillo-like bodywork was crafted with the help of a local auto restoration shop, and despite pursuing his other business interests, Daan found time to help out with the design.

The new aluminum bodywork is mounted onto a new steel subframe, and the instruments and ancilliaries have been repositioned without losing any functionality.

The incendiary performance of the factory LiveWire is unaffected, which makes this one of the fastest customs we’ve every shown: it’ll hit 100 kph in around three seconds, which is superbike territory.

Some of our commenters were perplexed or downright outraged, but social media fans gave the LiveWire a big tick—with over 25,000 likes on Facebook alone. As Oscar Wilde would say, nothing succeeds like excess. [More]

2. ‘HonDeath’ Unlike most bikes on this list, ‘HonDeath’ is resolutely old school: created by an amateur builder, and cobbled together using parts from unlikely sources.

The starting point was a Honda CL350, but the mild-manner parallel twin has been swapped out for a 100 hp tuned two-stroke engine from a Yamaha Banshee ATV.

Builder Andrew Cecere is a Jaguar Land Rover technician from California, and he knows his way around fabrication as well as engine building—thanks to a previous career as an aircraft mechanic.

The engine is a relative of the RD350 mill, but Andrew has uprated it with a ‘stroker’ crank and bigger cylinders, and treated it to CPI Racing drag pipes.

The frame took some modification before accepting the new motor, and the tank is from an older CB350 Super Sport, but the drum brakes are stock. It should make for an interesting ride, and it got Google (and our readers) interested too. [More]

1. Zillers R18 The annual list tends to feature a lot of ‘extreme’ builds, and this year was no exception. Although technical and craft skills tend to get overlooked, builders who push the visual envelope are rewarded. Fortunately this R18 from Moscow-based Zillers Garage scores highly on both points.

Zillers has history with wild BMW builds: their slammed R nineT made it onto the cover of the 2021 Bike EXIF calendar, and was the third most popular bike on the site last year.

Like that bike, this R18 was commissioned by BMW Motorrad Russia and sports air suspension. but it was even more popular. Our Facebook post featuring the bike reached over 680,000 people alone, and was shared over 2,000 times. As the news spread far and wide, the flow of traffic turned into a torrent, and lifted the R18 to the #1 spot.

That’s got to be good for Zillers’ sales of the R18 kit, which are handled by Nmoto. The cost is around $45,000—but who can put a price on owning the popular custom bike in the world?

EDITOR’S NOTE It’s always an enjoyable exercise collating the bikes for the annual Top Ten, until it comes to those that just missed the cut. The lower end of the list was bunched up very tightly this year, and the machines that missed by a whisker included the Sabotage Yamaha DT175, the Kingston BMW R18, Rajputana’s KTM Duke and a personal favorite, the LiveWire by by JvB-moto.

Finally, we’d like to offer thanks to the builders and photographers who inspire us with their work, and to the advertisers who keep the servers ticking over. We’ll touch base again in a few days, when editor Wes will reveal his personal choices for 2021 (and never mind the data).

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[Vector]

That CBX would be a fun ride!

 

[DaveM]

30 DAYS OF MOTO NESS FROM GA MOVIES.

It’s that time of year again, when we get to down tools, set the out-of-office reply on our work email, and finally get a chance to put up our feet. So, you grab a drink, get yourself comfy on the couch, and then hit endless buttons on your TV remote trying to find something worth watching amongst the endless offerings in today’s digital world. It can all be a bit of a nightmare...

Source

 

[DaveM]

Lil’ Sucker: A Small Land Speeder With A Big Personality

On his first visit to the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2013, Tim Klostermann couldn’t believe the variety of motorcycles he saw, from vintage streamliners to garage-built Hayabusas. The Flats inspired him, and after a few days of roaming around the pits and seeing all types of bikes and the whole gamut of skill levels, Tim decided to build a race bike of his own, despite never having raced or built a bike before.

Tim saw a woman racing a restored Honda C110 and it led him to consider the bike’s successor, the Honda S65 that debuted in the mid-1960s. “I didn’t feel the need to go 200 mph, and an S65 looked pretty simple,” he says. “I felt it was perfect for my first build.”

Back home in Northern California, he sourced two donor bikes and put together a build plan. Tim knew how to weld, but when it came to fabricating other parts for his bike, he would have to learn how to use his newly purchased lathe and mill drill; YouTube tutorials proved invaluable.

The S65 would race in the altered-frame class, which requires at least two modified features. Being a straight-line bike, the Honda wouldn’t need a full-size fuel tank, so Tim made a smaller tank out of a chunk of exhaust pipe and tacked it to the top-left corner of the frame.

For his second modification, he replaced the stock 63cc Honda engine with a 150cc Daytona Anima engine. “It has four valves, where the standard Honda engine has two, and its clutch assembly runs independently from the crankshaft,” he explains. “The timing and rev limiter are easily adjusted through the CDI module, and most importantly, the Daytona has a claimed 21 horsepower compared to the Honda’s 6.2 horsepower.”

The build became more complicated after Tim thumbed through the AMA rule book and realized no one had claimed a land speed record in the “altered-frame, blown gas engine” class.

“The fact that there was no record established for that class… I considered it a challenge to fabricate and install a turbocharger on the bike and go out with a record before moving on to other projects,” he says.

Tim happened to have a turbo for a diesel tractor kicking around, and over the next few months, he figured out how to install the small-displacement turbo, replace its cartridges, fabricate a functional exhaust, fabricate carb adapters, fix oil flow problems, re-jet, re-time, disassemble, and reassemble—again and again. Through much patience and determination, Tim finally had Lil’ Sucker ready for the salt.

To claim a Bonneville record, all Tim had to do was ride Lil’ Sucker down the flats and come back. He did just that, posting an average speed of 62 mph. A new speed record was set, and Tim’s first-ever build was a clear success.

“I was a bit on the fence about going for an open record at first,” he admits. “Maybe in some respect, it felt a bit like cheating. But going through the complicated process of figuring out how to make the turbo work, I felt that I earned it in the end. And besides, now there is an established record for someone else to go out there and beat.”

‘Lil’ Sucker’ is an inspiration and demonstration for aspiring builders—proof that you don’t need a huge budget or years of experience to make a statement and break records.

“The bike is kind of a paradox,” Tim reflects. “It’s really just a diminutive bike initially made for someone to ride to high school back in the 60s that’s masquerading as a turbocharged land speed bike. It’s like a chihuahua: a tiny dog with a bad attitude.”

Words by Michael Hilton | Images by Scott G. Toepfer | Article originally featured in Iron & Air Magazine. Subscribe here.

Year/Make/Model: 1967 Honda S65 | Fabrication: Tim Klostermann | Assembly: Tim Klostermann | Build Time: One year | Engine: 150cc Daytona Anima | Exhaust: One-off | Air Filter: velocity stack | Transmission: Four-speed, unit construction | Frame: Stock | Forks: Honda S90 triple trees w/Honda XR75 fork tubes | Shocks: Stock | Front/Rear Tires: Michelin Gazelle (2.75” x 17”) | Fuel Tanks: Fabricated from exhaust pipe | Handlebars: Clip-ons | Hand controls: Cheap | Handgrips: Lowbrow Customs | Headlight: none | Taillight: none | Seat: One-off | Electrical: minimal | Graphics: Lil’ Sucker lettering by DP Line Art

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[DaveM]

Playful Engineering: A Ducati bobber from Machine 1867

We’d love to take a peek inside Edi Buffon’s mind. The Sydney-based custom builder specializes in bobbers that deliberately eschew practicality in favor of playful engineering. And each one is more interesting than the last.

This Ducati-powered hardtail is the latest bike to roll out of Edi’s Machine 1867 workshop. And true to form, it takes a few passes to notice all the obsessive little details.

“The goal was to reveal the potential of a Ducati engine in a traditional style rigid frame,” says Edi. “My last KTM bobber build was, by my definition, a conservative project. I decided to do what I love best, and make something over the top and impractical.”

Edi started with a good condition 618 cc L-twin motor from an early 2000s Ducati Monster 620. Then he set it up on his workbench, and started visualizing the project.

“The 15-inch rear wheel is from a Triumph America and was initially for my personal Bonneville T100 project, but when I sat it up on the bench and stood back, it looked awesome,” he says. “I also have an old, drum-braked 21-inch motocross wheel that I use for mock ups—but that looked the part too, so I used it for the build. ”

“With a wheelbase of 1,500 mm set, I went for a rake of 38 degrees and started bending some tube. I know what works—now that I have built a few of these—so the frame was built easily and quickly. Then came all the details and adding the functionality.”

“Easily” is a relative term for Edi, because this bobber’s chromoly frame is far from ordinary. It’s an intricate design, with the motor suspended in the middle and the rear end taking on a flowing form. The front suspension is custom too, using a leaf spring design that Edi’s grown fond of.

“It took some effort to get it dialed in, by adding, removing and shortening the leaf to get it to work,” he tells us. “The Ducati engine is deceptively heavy.”

The front wheel drum brake is now gone, and Edi has repurposed a Triumph disc brake caliper and master cylinder at the rear. All the brackets and linkages are handmade bits, and, if you look closely, you’ll notice that the foot pegs are welded directly to the frame.

There’s no shifter nub on the opposite side, because Edi’s set this one up with a right-side hand shifter, “just to add to the impracticality.” There’s a hydraulic clutch where you’d expect to find it—on the left side of the custom direct-mount handlebars. The cockpit is super sano, with nothing more than the clutch, a pair of aluminum grips and a single cable throttle.

Just behind it is a pair of aluminum tanks. Only the left side holds fuel; the right side houses the bike’s electronics. The only other piece of bodywork is a tight rear fender.

The seat’s another interesting arrangement. Edi fabricated the seat pan and did the upholstery himself, and mounted it on a totally over-engineered spring system that even includes a pair of brass tension adjusters.

One of the Ducati’s standout features is its intake system. “I wanted to use a Weber carb for the aesthetic,” says Edi, “and decided on a downdraught type. I made the intake headers from mild steel and had them ceramic coated in black to blend in with the engine.”

It’s a stunning addition, complete with details like a copper fuel line and a small brass pulley to direct the throttle cable. Edi admits that the system isn’t perfect, and plans to add a fuel pump too at some point. The engine’s also dressed with a beautiful trellis-style guard belt guard, and a pair of short, obnoxiously loud exhausts.

As with all of his builds, Edi did everything here with his own hands, outsourcing only powder coating work. The finishes are simply black and metal, with the frame sanded down and then coated with clear Penetrol.

Both elegant and complex, Edi’s Ducati is another top build from a dude who’s clearly having the time of his life. We can’t wait to see what wild contraption he dreams up next.

Machine 1867 | Instagram | Images by Ana Martini Photography

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[DaveM]

Editor’s Choice: An alternative top 10 for 2021

Our annual review of the most popular custom motorcycles is based purely on statistics, and is almost always polarizing. To balance it out, I have the formidable task of picking my ten personal favorite customs of the year, data be damned.

It’s never easy, but 2021 was a year where the cream truly rose to the top. And so my short list was shorter than it’s been in the past, with a number of standout builds grabbing the top spots almost immediately. It’s an eclectic selection, and the bikes that made the cut have very little in common, other than the fact that they all wowed us.

To level the playing field, I’ve automatically eliminated any bikes that already popped up in our main Top 10. With that out of the way, here are my ten favorite custom motorcycles of 2021, listed alphabetically by builder name.

Feel free to let me know if you think I got it right… or wrong.

10 til’ 12 BMW R100 The challenges of 2021 did nothing to slow down the slew of me-too boxer customs hitting the scene. So this supercharged BMW R100 from F1 works designer Ben Norton felt like a fresh spring breeze.

Operating as 10 til’ 12 (because that’s when he works on his bikes), Ben left no stone unturned on this 1992-model R100RT. The engine work alone could fill volumes; a 1,070 cc Siebenrock kit, an Eaton M24 supercharger, custom engine covers and a custom-made alternator are just a few of the highlights. Oh, and there’s a methanol injection system with a DIY ignition and control computer.

Ben fabricated two separate aluminum fuel cells to hold the petrol and methanol, then hid them under carbon fiber covers that resemble the original R100 tank. Behind that is an Alcantara seat, with custom exhaust headers directing a TYGA muffler to just underneath it.

Chassis upgrades include the forks from a BMW S1000RR, a heavily modified R nineT final drive assembly and a Ducati Panigale shock. Everything is top-shelf—from the Brembo brakes, to the Motogadget electronics and LED lighting. Oh, and did we mention that this was only Ben’s second ever custom job? [More]

Engineered to Slide BMW R nineT Nigel Petrie at Engineered to Slide keeps a pretty low profile outside of his native Australia, but we’re familiar with his work—and his engineering prowess. So when we caught wind that he was working on a BMW R nineT, our anticipation was sky high. And Nigel didn’t disappoint.

Starting with an R nineT Racer, Nigel stripped it down to just its motor, drivetrain and rear brake. Then he started mocking up his vision: a low-slung chopper with a custom chromoly frame and girder-style front end.

The 22F/18R wheels are custom, recalling the snowflake units that graced classic BMW boxers for so many years. The motor now runs with custom-made Smart Carb carbs, and a Morris Magneto unit. And the intakes and exhausts are handcrafted titanium pieces.

Finished off with a modified Lowbrow Customs tank and fender, it’s an astounding machine that subtly blends old and new. And it would have stolen the spotlight at the Born Free this year, if not for some dastardly travel restrictions. [More]

Hazan Buell S1 Max Hazan’s twin-engined Velocette landed on our traditional top 10 list this year, but that wasn’t the only machine he blessed us with. His personal bike—a turbocharged Buell S1—blew us away too.

Max bought the bike two decades ago, rode it for a few years, experimented on it a couple of times, and then let it sit while he established himself as one of the scene’s top builders. With a lot more experience under his belt, he brought the Buell back to life with a ground-up rebuild during the COVID shutdown.

The work includes a capacity boost to 1,350 cc, a handful of internal engine mods, a racing clutch and a Mikuni HSR42 carb. It’s fed by a pressurized fuel system, with a Garrett dual ball bearing GT25R turbo in the mix too. There’s 200 hp at the crank, and 175 at the back wheel.

The central part of the frame is stock, but Max converted the engine mounts from rubber to rigid and rebuilt the rest. There’s also handcrafted aluminum bodywork, a swingarm from another Buell, CBR1000RR forks and 16F/17R Marchesini wheels. It might not be the museum-worthy style of build we’re used to seeing from Max—but it’s still a total masterpiece. [More]

Icon Harley-Davidson Dyna When our friends at Icon Motosports in Portland take a break from producing motorcycle gear to build a custom bike, the results are always wild. We’re still crushing on ‘Homemade Sin’—a bonkers Dyna with a 124 ci S&S Cycle motor and Honda bodywork.

It’s as off-the-wall as you can get, mostly thanks to its unlikely combination of parts. The fuel tank’s from a Honda CB900F Supersport, while the fork shrouds and headlight come from a 1969 Honda Dream. The tail was 3D printed and reinforced with fiberglass, and is loosely based on the original CB900F unit.

Up front are Ducati Monster forks, held by a rare set of wide yokes made by Ducati in the early 2000s. Out back is a Roaring Toyz swingarm, hooked up to Nitron shocks, and the bike rolls on vintage 16” wheels.

Icon describe the bike as “obscenely wide and built for glory.” To back that up, they headed to the rundown Middle Georgia Raceway, and put it on track with a 355 ci V8-powered Chevrolet Monte Carlo stock car. And they filmed it, of course. [More]

Kingston Custom BMW R18 Many R18 customs hit the airwaves this year, but most of them were mildly modded. Kingston Custom’s Dirk Oehlerking was one of only a handful of builders that dared to push the envelope with BMW’s big boxer. And his art deco take on the R18 absolutely floored us.

The build was commissioned by BMW themselves, and followed a style that Dirk had cultivated with previous classic boxer builds.

The silhouette is flawless—starting with the generous front fairing, and ending with the finned rear wheel enclosure. Dirk built the parts by first carving foam molds, then shaping everything in fiberglass.

The front grill was made from scratch, taking inspiration from the iconic BMW 328. Higher up is a deeply recessed headlight, and a custom-made windshield.

The R18 also features custom handlebars and exhausts, and a seat from BMW’s own aftermarket range. It’s finished in the quintessential BMW black-with-white-stripes livery, with vintage roundels. And even though it looks like a showpiece, it’s totally rideable. [More]

The Galaxy by Kiyo’s Garage After building land speed bikes with one, and then two Honda CB750 motors, Mitsuhiro ‘Kiyo’ Kiyonaga decided to up the ante. With funding from the late Bobby Haas, he combined three bored-out CB750 mills to build ‘The Galaxy’—a 12-cylinder, 2,508 cc dream machine.

Each engine is a 1978 CB750 unit with an F2 large port head and a set of Keihin FCR carbs. But getting them all to work together was no walk in the park.

The carbs are linked via a rod-and-heim joint system so that they’re synced. Kiyo also had to split the transmissions of the first two engines, and completely redesign the oil circulation system. Then there’s the custom primary—a system of pulleys and adjusters that borders on rocket science.

Everything’s housed in a three-piece chassis that combines tubular sections with large mounting plates. The integrated aluminum bodywork was all shaped by hand; no CAD or CNC processes here. Gen Katsuragawa at Love Ear Art handled the playful paint job.

The Galaxy can be found on display at the Haas Moto Museum, but Kiyo has one more goal to complete: he wants to race it at Bonneville. [More]

Moto Mucci KTM 300 XC-W Dave Mucci has a knack for dreaming up fresh angles and lines, which exist way out in the left field without being awkward. This lightweight KTM enduro pays testament to that.

This Moto Mucci project started with a 2014 KTM 300 XC-W Six Days edition and a fairly straightforward brief. But things escalated. With a little influence from Husqvarna’s ‘Pilen designs, Dave penned a sharp neo-retro street tracker with clean finishes.

Dave built all the aluminum bodywork himself, after taking classes with metalwork guru Cristian Sosa. “I probably built every panel on the bike five or six times before I was satisfied with the quality and fitment,” he admits. The subframe combines bent tubing with water-jet cut gussets.

Rolling on 19” Roland Sands flat track wheels, the KTM’s finished with a mix of high end aftermarket parts and neat custom touches—like the unusual upholstery from New Church Moto. The clear satin coat over the metal work, with subtle gold accents, is about as tasteful as it gets. [More]

MRS Oficina Kawasaki W800 We’ve seen many Kawasaki W-series scramblers over the years, but they seldom push the genre to this extreme. MRS Oficina gave the W800 some actual off-road capability—and left off the street legal bits to drive the point home.

You’ll find a set of Kawasaki KX450F forks up front, with a pair of Öhlins rear shocks connected to an aluminum swingarm. The wheels are a 21F/18R set with Talon hubs, Excel rims and proper knobbies. And the Renthal bars, grippy foot pegs and burly bash plate mean business too.

MRS Oficina nailed the bodywork as well. The tank’s been shortened and narrowed, and the fuel pump now lives in an auxiliary fuel cell under the stubby seat. Trials-style fenders and high stainless steel pipes round out the package.

The Kawasaki’s livery is just as good as the rest of the mods: a luscious green and blue job, inspired by the 1980s KX500. [More]

Stoker Motorcycles Suzuki SV650 Old SV650s are loved for being fun, reliable and cheap—but not for being attractive. Antti Eloheimo of Stoker Motorcycles in Helsinki changed all that, with this radical remodeling of a 2000-model SV.

He’s turned the poor man’s Monster into a well-judged street tracker, with a minimal vibe and a perfectly balanced stance. Up top is a single fiberglass tank and tail unit, capped off with a racing foam seat. The stock fuel tank’s hiding underneath, but it’s been cut and shut to shrink it.

Antti also lowered the bike a touch, rebuilt the subframe and added a custom aluminum belly pan. There’s a host of 3D printed parts too, plus new bars and relocated foot pegs to tweak the riding position. Off-the-shelf parts include a pair of Titanium mufflers, Motogadget goodies, and Michelin Supermoto tires.

This SV650 not only looks damn sharp, but looks like it’d be a blast to ride too. As we said when we first featured it: more SV650 customs like this one, please. [More]

Vagabund BMW R nineT Austrian wunderkinds Vagabund Moto get better with every project, but their progression on this R nineT was stratospheric. Probably because their client asked them to deliver the best custom they’d ever built.

Collaborating with Bernard ‘Blechmann‘ Naumann (who did all the aluminum fabrication), the guys designed two layers of bodywork for the BMW.

The top layer creates the form and carries the seat, while the bottom layer holds fuel and other bits. Push a button on a remote, and the top section moves up and back, carried on hydraulic shocks.

There’s an astounding amount of custom work to absorb. There’s a Motogadget dash mounted to the bottom section that’s visible via a window up top, along with a leather pouch for a Leatherman multi tool. The entire system is custom—from the subframe, to the aluminum hinges and the 3D printed remote casing.

Vagabund also added carbon fiber wheels from Rotobox and a handful of Rizoma parts. The LED taillight and aggressive-looking exhaust muffler are particularly nice touches on top. But we especially dig the subtle Mercedes grey paint job—because this nineT doesn’t need a loud livery to get noticed. [More]

EDITOR’S NOTE As usual, there was a handful of builds that narrowly missed the top 10—but deserve an honorable mention for their craftsmanship. Those are Walt Siegl’s slick electric concept [above], Robbie Palmer’s Born Free Triumph chopper, CW Zon’s twin carb Knucklehead, and Wedge’s XV750 flat track replica. And then there was Rough Crafts’ BMW R18 [bottom], which was one of the best R18 customs we saw this year.

Bikes on my list that had already made our first Top 10 included Christian Newman’s turbo’ed chopper, Purpose Built Moto’s burly Honda CBX1000, Nmoto’s art deco BMW C400X and the ultra-slick deBolex dB25.

To echo Chris’ sentiments, a massive thank you to the builders and photographers that keep these pages beautiful, our advertisers, and you, our faithful readers. Happy New Year, and see you again in a few days.

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, January 2, 2022

The only way this year could be worse than the last, is if a planet-ending comet spiraled towards the earth or if ska music made a comeback. But we’ve got high hopes for 2022 as we wake up, bleary-eyed and heads spinning from our New Year’s Eve celebrations.

So we’ve assembled some tasty custom motorcycles to take the edge off your hangovers and herald in what is sure to be a kick-ass year. There’s a killer BMW K100 cafe racer, a Honda Rebel scrambler, a nimble Yamaha RX from India, a revived Honda CB550 and a gorgeous Honda S90.

BMW K100 by Remastered Cycle You’ve heard the story before. This BMW K100RS was bought by a guy who had had some grand plans for a custom build. But then life got in the way, so the old Beemer sat around collecting dust for five years, before the owner bit the bullet and wheeled it down to Remastered Cycle in Brescia, Italy.

“On this motorcycle we worked to make everything as light and minimal as possible,” says Remastered’s Luca Morelli. “We wanted an elegant but sharp bike, able to excite its rider when the pace rises on tour.” And with the 1999-model K100 now looking fast when standing still, it’s safe to say Remastered Cycle nailed the brief.

An enormous amount of work is required to turn a heavyweight autobahn bomber into an aggressive café racer. Up front is the upside-down assembly from a Ducati 749, paired to the frame with new triple clamps. The front rim is a Machesini M10RR magnesium number, that runs a Brembo master cylinder, twin waved discs and braided hoses.

Motogadget instruments sit above custom-made handlebars, CNC-machined from 7075 aluminum by Italian machine shop Pachera. BSK alloy rear-sets keep weight down, and help the rider adopt the classic racing crouch.

But most of the construction work is in the rear—much like a period house renovation or a Kardashian. The electrics have been carefully Tetris-ed away under the rear seat hump, which also houses an integrated LED brake and indicator unit.

The subframe was removed too, and a new assembly fabricated in-house. Note the attention to detail: like the rest of the frame work, all the welds were smoothed out and painted over. There’s not a visible bead in sight.

Rounding out this stellar build is a gorgeously intricate exhaust system made by Scalvini racing, a leather saddle crafted by Gambirazio upholstery, and a beautiful marine blue paint inspired by the Mercedes AMG G-series wagon.

We’ve seen more than a few café racers built out of BMW’s iconic sports tourer, but rarely are they as stripped-back and as clean as this. [Remastered Cycle | Images by Simone Benedetti]

Honda Rebel 500 by Hakuba Motor We’re staying in Europe, but with a huge shift in style and weight, with Hakuba Motor’s tidy little Rebel 500 scrambler. It’s the result of a build-off competition run by Honda Iberia, where dealers all had to tackle the same model.

Hakuba Motor went into the affair quietly confident, having trounced the competition in 2019 with a Freddie Spencer-influenced CB1000R. This year they had the option of a Honda Rebel 500 or its new bigger brother, the Rebel 1100. They opted for the smaller of the two, which would better suit the plan the team had for the bike.

“We focused on its classic looks and heritage,” Hakuba’s Lorenzo Vidal says, “but we decided to throw it back a little, adding a scrambler-y look and feel to the build. The idea was to chase the 1960s ‘client bike’ vibe—that’s what we call old modified off-road Triumphs out here. Something that you’d race on Sunday and put back together to ride to work on Monday.”

As an entry-level motorcycle, the Rebel 500 is cleverly designed for new riders to duck waddle their way through intersections. But such a low and accessible ride isn’t conducive to an off-road machine. So the rear shocks were replaced by Progressive Suspension 412 units, fattening up the back end of the bike and lifting the tail.

This was matched at the front by Bates Baja handlebars running Biltwell Inc. grips. It’s a neat little trick that manages to visually even out both ends, without resorting to the cost and complexity of a fork swap.

The team saw a high-mounted exhaust muffler as a necessity, and came across a set of Akrapovič mufflers designed for the Honda Monkey. “The rest, as they say, is history,” says Lorenzo. “Well, not really—because it took six hours of welding and fitting to get them to look right.”

Bringing the whole build together is a neat retro-inspired Honda livery, done in-house by the workshop’s painter. “As you can see with the photos the bike was redesigned to lighten things up, show a fun side of the Rebel and, above all, give it that bit of character we thought was missing,” Lorenzo says. [Hakuba Motor | Images by Manuel Ruiz]

Yamaha RX-135 by Bolar Customs On the other side of the world we have Shashwath Bolar—an automotive designer based in Pune, India. His gorgeous little Yamaha RX-135 street tracker has been built with more love and care than any bike we’ve seen in a long time.

It’s barely known in the West, but Yamaha’s Indian-built two-stroke RX is a cult bike throughout South Pacific. For years, the line of raucous little two strokes dominated local sales, and developed a cult following who raced the bike however they could. People loved them, modified them, tuned them and lusted after them.

“I’ve always wanted to pay homage to this mechanical beauty,” says Shashwath, “and after years of poring through Bike EXIF, Instagram and international auto shows, I knew I wanted to build a mix of a café racer and a tracker.”

Shashwath converted one of his bedrooms in his apartment into a workshop, before pushing in his 20-year-old Yamaha and pulling it apart. Once the bare bones of the bike were exposed he started planning the build in Photoshop, adding layers over the naked frame.

Shashwath used some clever techniques to ensure custom-made parts would fit and look the part. With the side panels, he’d create several prototype designs in 2D, print them out onto foam boards, cut them out and fit them to see what worked. When the final design was realized, he had them laser-cut from aluminum by a local steel workshop.

Shashwath also hacksawed off the rear frame rails and engaged a local welder, Irfan, to affix a brace between the two sides. He then tried out a bunch of different shapes for the rear loop by using a solid plastic tube, made malleable over a naked flame. Grounddesigns fabricated the final steel part, and helped out on a few other bits—like the brackets used to mount the side covers.

The standard fuel tank was stripped back and sanded with differing levels of emery paper. The top was given a rougher, brushed finish while the sides were sanded and polished to a high sheen. A layer of clear lacquer keeps the metalwork sealed from the elements.

Finishing touches include a custom headlight nacelle, a stubby seat and an inspired mix of finishes. Most of the hard parts wear black coats of various sheens and depths, with fluo-yellow highlights drawing your eye around the bike. It’s a clever blend of textures, shades and colors that manage to complement one another perfectly. [Bolar Customs | Images by Vijayendra Jadhavrao]

Honda CB550 by Eastern Spirit Garage Polish custom shop Eastern Spirit Garage has come a long way in the nine years they’ve been operating. So they couldn’t pass up an opportunity to take on their first build, all over again. And we literally mean their first build.

Nearly a decade ago they turned their hands to a 1977 Honda CB550 to hone their chops. It was an admirable effort, and is a great representation of what set hearts aflutter at the time. But it couldn’t hold a candle to what Sylwester and his team can do these days.

“The Honda was sold to a client who, with a heavy heart, had to resell it,” says Sylwester. “I saw it as an opportunity to give her some love, now that I’m a little wiser and a whole lot more experienced.”

He didn’t want to stray too far from the initial design though. The bike was stripped back to the bare frame, the powder-coat removed and all the welds and brackets reinforced. Some mountings were changed too—chiefly at the front, where the headlight was brought in closer to give the bike a more compact feel.

The front suspension was completely rebuilt and now runs into new, beefed-up triple clamps, while the rear was fitted with new shocks. Eastern Spirit also installed a longer muffler, and completely redid the livery. The CB now sports an understated black color scheme with gold and matte black pin striping, more in line with current tastes.

It’s a fascinating look at shifting trends and the up-skilling of a burgeoning custom bike workshop—but it’s also a testament to how eternally good-looking a bare-bones café racer can be. I’ve got a feeling that Sylwester hasn’t finished with the CB550 just yet though, because, as he says, “perfectionism can be a nuisance.” [Eastern Spirit Garage | Images by Mateusz Stankiewicz]

Honda S90 by Catskill Mountain Customs A career firefighter in Upstate New York, Nick Cologero spends his spare time in his home workshop where he runs Catskill Mountain Customs. It’s a lean operation, but it turns out consistently exceptional work showing off Nick’s incredible metal fabrication skills.

His most recent customer stumbled across Catskill’s website, got in touch and told him the story of his little Honda S90. It was in pretty rough condition and had last been run all the way back in 1984. But it meant a lot to the client, as it belonged to his late father.

“He told me about how the two of them would ride it when he was a kid,” Nick explains. “And I was asked to restore and customize this little bike from his childhood. He wanted a café racer that he could take up around the block for ice cream.”

Nick pulled the bike down to the frame and running gear and stepped back to take a look. “I quickly realized my biggest design challenge would be working with the funky curves of the stamped steel frame. I always aim to make my bodywork look as if it really belongs on the bike, and a standard flat-bottomed café-style tank and seat would not look like they belonged.”

Hand-crafting new bodywork from aluminum, Nick designed the tank so that, from the side, the bottom edge matched the angle of the front of the frame. Out back, the plan was for the lines of the rear frame section to continue into the upswept tail. The design manages to look both distinctive and stock at the same time—the biggest compliment you can give a metal fabricator.

Nick tore down the engine, media-blasted the components and painted the engine casings. It was reassembled with new top end parts, including a new piston, rings, valves, timing chain and a performance camshaft. The carburetor also got cleaned up, and Nick fabricated a straight exhaust header pipe and fitted a reverse megaphone muffler.

Nick also re-laced the original hubs to larger rims, rebuilt the front forks and installed new rear shocks. And he painted the bodywork himself, built a new wiring harness and stitched the seat. He’s like a one-man band of motorcycle customizing—but without being excruciatingly naff.

He’s also quick to add that the budget was tight on this build so he did more in-house himself than he normally would. Just think: if this little S90 is what he Nick can produce on a limited budget, imagine what he does when he really goes to town? [Catskill Mountain Customs]

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[DaveM]

Double Back: Hageman revisits the Yamaha XJ900 Seca

The big Seca is one of those bikes that should have been a hit, but missed the mark with buyers. After just a year on the market in the US, Yamaha withdrew it from the showrooms—despite a slew of positive reviews.

Intense competition from other Japanese makers, the arrival of the FJ1100 and consumer distrust of shaft drive were the primary causes of the Seca’s downfall, but the big XJ is now regarded as an under-appreciated classic.

Motorcycle collector Mike Martens is a fan of the XJ900, and in 2015 he tapped top builder Greg Hageman to transform his Seca into a café racer.

“I’m back with that beauty again, as Greg has just reworked the bike,” says Mike. “The inspiration for the refresh was a carbon fiber fairing left over from a busted project.”

If you’re a long-time reader of EXIF, you’ll know Greg. He’s been a regular on our pages for ten years now, going back to his days at Doc’s Chops—and this Yammie proves that he’s lost none of his skills.

“We did catch some eBay luck along the way,” Mike says. “The Seca originally had a small fairing mounted to the bars. Yamaha later offered a ‘high speed’ fixed fairing, and I found a new-in-box version online.”

Greg took the bracketry from the Yamaha kit, and adapted it to suit Greg’s carbon fiber Powerbronze fairing. “And BOOM! The look of the bike was completely changed,” says Mike.

There was nothing wrong with the handling of the Seca, but this one gets a boost via new forks—lifted from a late 80s FZR1000 sportbike, and outfitted with RaceTech springs and emulators.

The Seca also wears two 320mm Brembo discs up front, and a pair of piggyback shocks from Works Performance are bolted up to the short custom subframe.

The wheels are custom laced 17-inch polished aluminum rims from Buchanan’s at both ends, shod with Pirelli Phantom rubber—which hides modern tire tech underneath a ‘classic’ tread pattern. Discreet custom huggers cut down on road spray.

The CV carbs are gone, in favor of Mikuni flat slides and K&N filters. “This made a tremendous difference to the character of the engine, adding more violence to the top-third of the rev range,” says Mike.

A pair of SuperTrapp open-cap mufflers terminate the stock head and mid pipes, and we’re betting that output is somewhat higher than the original 97 hp.

Greg has added a compact ‘ducktail’ cowl to match the new fairing, with a pair of bright LEDs hiding behind black mesh. The seat is a classic tuck-and-roll job in marine vinyl, handled by TuffSide.

Greg also paid attention to the electrics, installing a new CDI and aftermarket coils to bring the ignition system into the 21st century.

The other ancillaries are hooked up to a Bluetooth-enabled Motogadget m.unit, including a classic Acewell CA-085 tachometer, Yamaha MT-07 switchgear, and a Bikemaster headlight with integrated turn signals.

The first version of this build was finished in predominately white paint, but Mike decided it was time to switch things up. “We changed to yellow, so I would no longer have two white bikes!” he reveals. “Because I still have the white XV920 you put in the Bike EXIF calendar about ten years ago.”

Shot by Moe Colors in Tampa, the paint is perfect for the bike and its era. And thank goodness for guys like Greg and Mike, who are happy to revisit and rebuild customs, rather than consigning them to an uncertain fate on eBay or Craigslist.

Hageman MC | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Don Gawf

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[DaveM]

TRUE MONSTER: Ducati M900 by Moto Adonis.

The Christmas trees have been taken down, the decorations packed away, and sadly for many the well-earned holiday break of 2021 is over. But, that means it’s a new year and we are here to fill 2022 with all of the best custom bikes from around the world. So, to start the year right we checked in with our long time friends at Moto Adonis to see what they’ve been cooking up for the holidays.

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[DaveM]

Turning Ten: OWM’s first modern Harley-Davidson custom

Julian von Oheimb has been customizing Harley-Davidsons for ten years as One Way Machine, and is a regular fixture on the podium at AMD World Championships. But the German builder has a proclivity for older machines, and has never worked on a donor newer than 15 years old. Until now, that is.

One Way Machine’s 10th anniversary build is based on a zero mile 2020-model Harley-Davidson Street Bob, powered by a 107 ci Milwaukee Eight motor. But even though it’s a modern Harley, Julian still managed to add his signature style to it.

This was a new experience for both him and his customer. Based in Transylvania, the bike’s new owner already had three One Way Machine builds in his garage—but they were all older bikes. “He had a desire for a new vehicle with Milwaukee Eight power,” says Julian.

After a little back and forth, the client settled on the Street Bob as a base, and signed off on the concept Julian was pitching. He had one specific request though: he wanted it painted in a vibrant color. And that’s not One Way Machine’s vibe.

Skeptical at first, Julian scoured the web for vintage color schemes. He and his client settled on a deep green; colorful enough to satisfy the client and subtle enough to satisfy Julian.

With a clear plan ahead, Julian stripped the bike down and began working his magic. Julian’s specialty is making clunky Harleys look tight and cohesive, and this Street Bob is no different. But the biggest visual hit here is the 19” wheel set.

Julian sourced a pair of Harley Rocker C front wheels online, then set about grafting them to the newer bike. The front end didn’t cause too many headaches, but the rear was far from a straight swap, since there wasn’t enough space for the 19” hoop. To avoid the look of a stretched swingarm, Julian simply lengthened the axle mounts to create more space.

Since he was working with a front wheel at the back, there was also nowhere to mount a sprocket to—so a whole new hub had to be fabricated. The Street Bob now runs with a chain instead of a belt, using a custom-made sprocket. And the stock brakes have been upgraded with Zodiac discs.

Julian also lowered the front forks, and installed a new rear shock from Müller Motorcycles. Together with the new wheels, it’s given the Harley a squat, purposeful stance.

Up top is the fuel tank from a vintage East German AWO motorcycle, modified to fit the modern Harley. It’s dressed with a Kustom Tech gas cap, with a 10th anniversary motif engraved by Carsten Estermann. Custom OWM badges add a hint of branding without screaming for attention.

Just behind it is a saddle in One Way Machine’s signature style, with upholstery from Spirit Leather. There’s a custom blank-off plate beneath it to protect the wiring, with a pair of struts that look like classic seat springs from afar.

The rear fender originally came from Chop-It, but Julian modded it extensively. It’s mounted on a pair of one-off braces, with a side-mounted license plate bracket doing duty on the left. The stock oil tank is still in play and the forks are sleeved, but that’s it for the bodywork otherwise.

The rest of the build is a well-planned recipe of bolt-on bits. The air filter and forward foot controls are from Thunderbike, and the finned engine covers are from EMD.

The mufflers are from MCJ in Italy, and include flaps to dampen the sound when you don’t want to upset Johnny Law. (A lever on the left side of the engine opens and closes them.)

Julian also installed a hydraulic clutch, and fabricated a new set of handlebars for the bike. The turn signals are Kellermann units, and the levers and switchgear are from Rebuffini; a plug and play system for Harley’s CAN bus. Julian kept the Street Bob’s tiny handlebar-mounted speedo, but repacked it in an aftermarket housing from Rough Crafts.

BK-Lack GmbH executed the classy paint job, with striping by Chikos Pinstriping. Like everything else on this build it’s tasteful, subtle and extremely effective. Julian might have gone outside his comfort zone this time around, but it certainly didn’t hamper him.

One Way Machine | Instagram | Images by Clave Rodriguez

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[Vector]

SweeeeeeeT

 

[DaveM]

Going Strong: JuanVerde’s Honda XR650L street tracker

Some motorcycles are a flash in the proverbial pan, abandoned after a couple of years on the market. Others linger in showrooms for years, until stocks are depleted or the tooling costs are paid for.

Then you get the bikes that sell steadily, year after year. The Ural has been produced since 1942, with minor updates every few years. The Royal Enfield Bullet entered production in 1948. Then you get the Japanese workhorses, like the Kawasaki KLR650 (b. 1987) and the Honda XR650L, which has been rolling off the assembly line since 1992.

This businesslike street tracker shows the enduring appeal of the XR, and comes from Texas-based ‘JuanVerde’ (identity withheld by request). The builder may be pseudonymous, but his talent cannot be hidden—he’s already built several sharp-looking customs, and this XR650L is his second crack at the model.

“I did a similar build a couple of years ago, pre-Covid, that made the rounds,” he tells us. “This is kinda the 2.0 version—a bit more refined.”

“I build in my spare time out of my garage and shop in my back yard in Denton. Got my start restoring several early CB750s over the last 15 to 20 years, but now I seem to lean more towards customizing things into my style.”

We’re digging the style here, which is minimal and functional. The bulletproof air-cooled single has been treated to a top-end refresh, plus the famous ‘Dave’s Mods’ popular with XR650L owners. (Which is essentially fitting new main and pilot jets in the carb, and drilling the slide.)

The smog pump has been deleted, and a stainless FMF PowerBomb header fitted to boost mid- to top-end output. This is matched to a ‘BigMouth’ muffler from Cone Engineering, which has a concave internal reverse cone section.

“In between are some pie cuts for the bends that my buddy Carlos Sanchez welded up,” says JuanVerde. “I still don’t have a TIG—just a MIG welder.”

To cope with the extra power and modernize the handling, the forks are now 47mm Showas taken off a CRF, and lowered by six inches.

“I machined grooves in the damper that allow three different height settings,” says JuanVerde. A new steering stem bridges the CRF triples and XR650L frame, and a lowering link drops the rear suspension a couple of inches.

To help the XR with its new life on the streets, JuanVerde has dropped the size of the front wheel from 21 inches to 18—to match the stock size at the back.

The new rims are three-inch section, with stainless spokes, and are fitted with DOT legal Dunlop K180 rubber.

On the fabrication side, the back of the frame has been rebuilt with a new design and larger diameter tubing, which also hides LED lighting. The low-profile tank is from a Honda FT500 Ascot, subtly modified to fit the top of the XR frame, but JuanVerde made the tail section himself.

“I used three pieces laser cut from my drawings, then hammered them over plywood and welded and finished them. It’s welded to the tank too, so the tank and rear section are one piece—held in place by two hidden fasteners.” It’s a slick and professional job, topped off with a seat custom-made by Extreme Upholstery in Denton.

After fabricating an electronics/battery tray—and laser cutting new number plates with rolled edges—JuanVerde turned his attention to the electrics.

A TrailTech Vapor display supplies data for the rider, and a Baja Designs Squadron LED delivers several thousand lumens of lighting up ahead. But there’s one aspect of this build that JuanVerde would prefer to forget.

“I did the paint using my trusty E-Z Up [pop-up shelter] as a booth. Not sure I’ll ever do that again,” he says ruefully. “The motor, swing arm, triples and fork lowers are Cerakote—I really dig their finishes.”

We really dig the whole bike. Despite being a quarter of a century old, it looks perfect for ripping up the streets around Dallas. And if you like the sound of this, don’t forget you can still buy the XR650L in 2022. Complete with an old-school CV carb, just waiting for one of ‘Dave’s Mods.’

JuanVerde Instagram | Images by Scott Brown

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[DaveM]

BUDGET BEAUTY: 1974 Honda CB550 by Mateusz Kubak.

I remember the early days like they were yesterday, if yesterday I had no grey hairs, more sleep and not a care in the world. But when the cafe racer revival began, big dollar bike builds just weren’t a part of the scene. So it is with a refreshing feeling that we introduce this machine that was built to an incredible standard on a very tight budget. It should come as no surprise that its creator...

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[Vector]

That would be so much fun to ride in the twists.

 

[DaveM]

Light Tripper: The Yamaha SR400 as a 1970s chopper

The custom scene has changed a lot over the past decade, but the venerable chopper still has an enduring appeal. And when someone manages to capture that classic 70s vibe as well as Fo Huang has done with this chopped Yamaha SR400, it’s impossible not to smile.

Fo’s based in Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan, where he creates furniture and custom motorcycles as NamiXII Design. Dubbed ‘Light Tripper,’ his Yamaha is a charming homage to the choppers of the 1970s—from its stance to its many thoughtful details. It also took home the ‘Best in Show’ award at the 12th annual Ride Free show in Taiwan recently.

The 1985-spec Yamaha SR400 might seem like a weird choice as a donor for a chopper, but Fo’s managed to pull it off. He started by hacking off a huge chunk of the SR’s frame, then grafting on a rigid rear section. The main frame backbone that holds the oil is still intact.

Fo kept the SR’s OEM forks and drum brake wheel hubs, but laced on new rims. It now rolls on a 21F/18R combo, with a Duro tire up front and a Shinko at the back. There’s also a custom-made brace to stiffen the front forks—and to mount the tiniest fender we’ve ever seen.

For the fuel tank, Fo acquired a used Sportster unit—then modified the heck out of it. It features a custom bung for the fuel petcock and a tidy little knurled gas cap, and there’s an oil temperature gauge installed just in front of it.

Lower down is a handmade ‘oil tank.’ But since the SR’s oil sits in its frame, this is actually where the electrical components are stashed. The ignition’s been relocated to the frame gusset just beneath it.

Up top is a custom king and queen seat. Fo shaped the pan using fiberglass, added foam, and had a local furniture upholsterer cover it in leather. Behind it, a custom sissy bar wraps around the generous rear fender.

Sitting ‘inside’ the sissy bar is a quaint piece of bodywork that ties everything together, visually. It also hosts the taillight, and a license plate bracket.

The headlight’s particularly interesting—it started out as just the lens from a 1950s Chevrolet light. A new housing was prototyped using 3D printing, then a mold was made so that the final part could be hand-cast in aluminum. It also features LED internals, which can change from white to yellow depending on riding conditions.

Behind it is a set of handcrafted bars, fitted with new grips, simple controls and integrated micro switches to keep things tidy.

Light Tripper’s casual demeanor belies just how much work went into it. There’s a whole bunch of neat little touches, like the custom forward foot controls. Look closely, and you’ll notice that they feature the same drilled aesthetic as the fork brace.

There’s also a nifty little cable guide for the front brake, and brackets to hold a set of low-mounted turn signals. Fo fabricated most of the bits himself, outsourcing jobs like laser cutting and CNC machining.

He had help with the paintwork too, with a friend laying down a groovy asymmetrical design. With flames on one side and snake scales on the other, it’s about as retro-fabulous as they come. Oh, and that bit behind the seat’s been painted differently on each side too, so that the left and right views are each cohesive.

Light Tripper’s buttoned up with a host of silver and polished finishes, and a hand-made (and appropriately long) exhaust.

Fo’s build makes a strong case for funky, compact choppers—particularly ones built with Japanese singles. As throwbacks go, this is as good as it gets.

NamiXII Design Instagram | Images by Papupa Photography

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[DaveM]

PIPEWRAPPED: What a year this week has been.

Welcome to Pipewrapped, no, not the heat proof material you all know and hate that gets clamped to the odd exhaust pipe. But our wrap up of cool customs killing it on social media in the last seven days. As well as the latest new bikes on the showroom floor and whether they’ll be a hit in our scene, the best and most exciting action from the world’s race tracks and some kick ass videos to sink...

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, January 9, 2022

We’re kicking off this weekend’s Speed Read with a cute Honda Monkey from Deus Korea. We’ve also rounded up a gnarly Suzuki Bandit 1200, a tidy BMW R80, and a restored Kawasaki A7 Avenger that’s going on auction soon.

Honda Monkey by Deus ex Machine / Crazy Garage In South Korea, the Seoul outpost of Deus has been collaborating with Crazy Garage since they first opened their doors, and it’s yielded some pretty rad bikes. This time around, they’ve also partnered with Honda Korea—to deliver a custom based on the new Monkey 125. And as you’d expect, it looks like barrels of fun.

Remarkably, most of the transformation was done with bolt-on parts—which just goes to show how extensive the Monkey aftermarket is. The build sheet starts with a set of ProTaper bars and grips, with a headlight guard, hand guards and foot pegs from SP Takegawa.

There’s also a nifty steering stem from Outex, and a bash plate and heel guards from Zeta. Crazy Garage installed a high fender up front, and modified a tail cowl from Cat’s Factory at the back.

The engine breathes in via a Uni filter, using a conversion kit from Kitaco. Keen eyes will spot a pair of Öhlins shocks out back too. And this Monkey cheekily rolls on Dunlop K180 flat track tires (we didn’t know they made them that small either).

A custom exhaust system wraps things up, along with a stunning HRC-inspired livery. Dubbed ‘Donkey,’ this Honda is another great example of a pint-sized custom done right. [Deus ex Machina | Crazy Garage]

Suzuki Bandit 1200 by Deep Creek Cycleworks Ever owned a bike you simply couldn’t part with? The owner of this Suzuki Bandit 1200 bought it new in 1996, and put over 55,000 miles on it before buying a newer BMW. The Bandit was parked for five years—until a friend, Kris Reniers at Deep Creek Cycleworks in Belgium, tried to buy it.

“He said ‘no way, I’m not selling it to you’,” Kris remembers. “’Instead of you buying it from me, tell me what you would do with it.’ A week later I gave him a sketch of my point of view of a Suzuki Bandit, and what I would chop and rebuild.”

“He said ‘that’s great Kris, now go and build the Bandit I am not going to sell to you. Build it so it can be great again, and I will sell my BMW’.”

Kris and the owner race 90s Suzuki GSX-Rs together in classic endurance events, so they speak each other’s language. The brief here called for upgraded suspension and wiring, mounts for luggage, and the ability to retrofit the stock exhaust for long trips. And the bike needed the chops to handle the odd track day, too.

Kris sprung into action, installing a 2005 GSX-R1000 front end, complete with the forks, wheel and brakes. A Wilbers shock went in out back, lowered slightly to perfect the bike’s geometry. Then Kris added some braces to the frame to improve chassis stiffness, for better handling on track.

There’s also a new bolt-on subframe carrying a custom-made seat. The fuel tank’s stock, but it’s been tweaked to interface nicely with the seat. The frame’s dressed with a set of custom blank-off plates to neaten things up.

Other upgrades include an EBC race clutch, Mikuni flatslide carbs, LSL clip-ons and levers, LED lighting and ValterMoto rear-sets. Kris rewired everything around a full set of Motogadget components—including a keyless ignition and digital dash. And the Bandit even has heated grips for long, cold rides.

Kris wrapped the build up just two weeks before the deadline—the owner’s 2,100 mile road trip to Slovenia and back. “He loved every minute of it,” says Kris. [Deep Creek Cycleworks]

BMW R80RT by Motobrix Not all custom bikes are created equal. In fact, this 1986 BMW R80RT had been ‘modified’ so badly by the time Brian Kates got his hands on it, that it was downright dangerous.

Brian operates as Motobrix out of Toronto, Canada, and has a background in mechanical engineering. So naturally, the R80 was reworked from top to bottom. Brian did almost all the work himself, outsourcing only paint and upholstery.

There’s nothing groundbreaking about the R80’s overall aesthetic, as custom boxers go. But it’s hella tidy with a host of well-considered mods.

Brian started by tearing down and rebuilding the motor, finishing it off with a vapor blast and a fresh coat of black. The stock carbs run with foam filters from Uni Filter, and a full complement of new cables. Better Boxer supplied a new cover to replace the stock airbox.

The wiring’s all-new too, built around a control box from NWT Cycletronic. There’s an upgraded regulator/rectifier from Rick’s Motorsport Electrics, and a keyless ignition from Motogadget. A Shorai Lithium-ion battery sits in a custom-made box under the transmission.

Up front are the forks, wheels and brakes from a BMW K100, with the forks shortened internally by 3”. A YSS shock takes care of things out back.

Higher up are a custom subframe and a new seat, covered by Uneek Upholstery. Black Widow Custom Paint handled the deep black paint job on the R80’s stock fuel tank. The cockpit also features a Messner Moto throttle, a Motogadget speedo and LED bar end turn signals.

Finishing touches include an LED headlight sitting in a signature Motobrix ring mount, and a custom kickstand and pivot. Brian also adapted the choke lever from a /5 airhead, by welding a custom mount to the new airbox cover. And he built the elaborate pie-cut exhaust system.

Tidy, no? [Motobrix | Photos by Gary Davidson]

Kawasaki A7 Avenger Here’s a neat little collectors item: a 1969 Kawasaki A7 Avenger that’s being auctioned by Mecum in Las Vegas later this month.

Kawasaki’s motorcycle business started in 1963 when they bought over the Meguro Manufacturing Co., so their early bikes were simply rebranded Meguro models. The A7 Avenger was one of Kawasaki’s first ‘new’ motorcycles, and was produced between 1967 and 1971.

It featured a 350 cc two-stroke parallel twin engine, with dual rotary valves and oil injection. The motor put out 42 hp, with a reported top speed of around 100 mph.

The model being auctioned off is an ‘A7SS’ model—a scrambler variant of the A7 with high twin pipes and braced handlebars. At the time, it would have gone head to head with bikes like the Honda CL350, although the Kawasaki made more power. This one’s been in its current owner’s hands since 2005, and has been treated to a period-correct restoration… tempted? [Via]

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[DaveM]

HIROSHIMA HARLEY: Shovelhead by Satomari Motorcycle.

Harley-Davidson motorcycles have been in Japan for more than a century and as much as the Milwaukee company has tried over the years, their rules have never been followed. It’s an interesting relationship between country and company, large sums of money has changed hands, factories built and yet a tension lingered for decades. That history, however, has also resulted in some of the coolest Hogs we’...

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[DaveM]

Back to basics: Satomari’s 1982 Harley Shovelhead

When it comes to vintage Harleys, we prefer a ‘less is more’ vibe. Bikes that are loaded with billet and bling, or sporting airbrushed illustrations on the tank, are just too much for us.

This elegant Shovelhead from Japan is the kind of custom V-twin we love. Stripped back to the mere essentials, it comes from Yusaku Sato of Hiroshima—a builder whose work we’ve featured before, in the days when his shop was known as Sato Marine.

Sato-san and his crew are renowned in Japan for their Shovelhead builds. But this ’82 bike has a more understated vibe than the tracker-influenced ’68 we featured four years ago.

The 1982 date on the engine was the starting point for this build, because that was the year Sato’s client was born. Otherwise, the brief was wide open. “The production side was left to us,” says Sato.

The 80ci V-twin is virtually the only stock part on this machine: the rest is an eclectic selection of parts, married to fine Japanese craftsmanship. The intake system is one such example: hiding behind the custom-fabricated air filter is an S&S Super E carb to extract the best from the reconditioned (and beautifully refinished) motor.

The glorious exhaust system is a one-off from start to finish, with sinuous big-bore headers leading to a pair of unusual rounded-rectangle muffler exits. We’re banking on this one being pretty loud …

Then it was on to the even harder work—making the frame. “I wanted to get a straight line from the neck,” says Sato-san. The neck itself is fabricated, to mimic cast-type necks, and is hooked up to modified triples and delicately-fabricated bars.

The triples were originally 39mm—presumably from Narrow Glide forks—but are now holding 41mm fork tubes. “It’s narrow but macho, and it goes great with the 23-inch wheel,” says Sato. (The oversize wheel is also sporting a hub machined up in-house.)

There’s no brake on the front wheel, but Sato has opted for an unusual setup on the 17-inch Dyna rear wheel. He’s used two Performance Machine calipers: one hooked up to the conventional foot control, and the other to the front brake lever.

It won’t be as good as a traditional dual brake setup, but it’ll be an improvement over most customs just running one brake at the back. (It also helps that the tires at both ends are modern Avon Cobra Chromes, rather than vintage rubber.)

The unusual swingarm is a one-off, and a style we haven’t seen before. Sato wanted an “edgy feel,” he says. All the controls and pegs are one-offs too, fabricated and welded up in the shop.

The compact fuel and oil tanks, and the snug-fitting rear fender, have been hand-hammered out of 1.6mm steel plate. “It took a long time,” Sato says wryly.

He’s embedded the speedo and ignition barrel in the tank, and used sections from an old Dyna tank as the starting point. The aluminum box alongside the oil tank (under the seat) is removable and contains most of the electrics.

At the huge Mooneyes festival in Yokohama, held last month for the first time in two years, Sato’s Shovel was one of the stars of the show. Which goes to prove that sometimes, what you leave out is more important than what you put in.

Satomari Motorcycle | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Kazuo Matsumoto

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[DaveM]

Crown Jewel: This Thruxton is Tamarit’s 100th custom

Turning motorcycle customization into a sustainable business is tough, but it’s not impossible. Spain’s Tamarit Motorcycles is proof—they’ve racked up an impressive portfolio of Triumph builds in myriad styles, along with a hearty catalog of bolt-on parts. And they’ve just built their 100th custom.

We’ve kept a constant eye on the Alicante workshop over the years, and this Triumph Thruxton café racer is one of their most extensive transformations yet. Dubbed ‘Jade,’ it boasts a handful of the shop’s parts, a number of intriguing one-off details, and whole lot of style.

Opting to build their 100th bike to their own preferences instead of waiting for a client to commission it, Tamarit kicked things off with a pre-2008 carbureted Triumph Thruxton 900. The crew dropped the motor out, and refreshed it with upgrades to the valves and crankshaft. They also swapped the oil cooler for a system that’s integrated into the front part of the frame.

The Thruxton inhales through a pair of pod filters, and breathes out via a two-into-one exhaust from Zard. It’s dressed with an elegant custom heat shield, and capped off with a mesh cover at the end.

A ton of engineering went into the back half of the Triumph. Tamarit extended the swingarm, then shaved off the twin shock mounts and fabricated a braced mono-shock system. A Hagon unit connects it to a new upper shock mount.

The upper mount sits between two subframe plates that are welded to the frame to hold the seat pan. It’s a neat design that repeats the drilled motif on the subframe brace. A Beringer brake set rounds out the chassis upgrades.

Tamarit have more than a few dress-up parts in their catalog, but the bodywork on this Thruxton was all made from scratch—save for its OEM fuel tank. To create the new fairing and belly pan, the team first sculpted them from clay. They then made a pre-mold, then a final mold, before shaping the parts out of fiberglass.

The fairing even features a custom windshield and ‘bubble,’ and hosts the headlight from a newer Thruxton R. A bespoke bracket system holds everything in place.

The belly pan is an asymmetrical affair, with a bulge on each side that wraps tight around the motor, echoing its shape. A triangular Tamarit logo on the right hand side mimics the OEM Triumph branding; a clever touch. It’s a slick design, and something that Tamarit might be willing to offer to clients as a special order item.

Out front is a small fiberglass fender, held by an aluminum brace. Up top you’ll find a custom leather seat, with a pair of leather tank knee pads that show off the same stitching pattern.

The cockpit features a riser-less top yoke with a Motogadget speedo embedded in it, one-off clip-ons and KustomTech levers. Smaller details include new foot pegs, drilled heel plates and a host of brass fasteners. Tamarit also rewired the bike, and relocated the battery to a new box under the swingarm.

Since this is their 100th build, Tamarit went all out on the finishes. The green paint job is as subtle as it is sublime, punctuated by custom badges with gold and brass touches. Metal parts like the subframe, swingarm and valve covers were all treated to chrome plating.

Kudos to Tamarit for making it to 100 builds, and for doing it with a café racer that exemplifies good taste. And if you’d like to make it yours, they’ll be auctioning it off with the French auction house, Artcurial, early next month.

Go on, treat yourself.

Tamarit Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram

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