Custom Motorcycle Builds

[DaveM]

Speed Read, January 30, 2022

We’ve got them in all shapes and sizes this week—from a Yamaha SR500 that’s gone electric, to a BMW R nineT built for a surfer. We also take a look at Mr Martini’s latest project, and a pair of vintage flat trackers from the Mecum auction in Las Vegas.

Yamaha SR-E by Deus ex Machina It’s rare for a custom shop to have one of their builds back in for a makeover—and rarer still for the job to include an electric conversion. But that’s the story with this electric-powered Yamaha SR500 custom from Deus ex Machina.

This Yamaha belongs to a long-time friend of Deus, and was the first custom bike to roll out of their original workshop in Camperdown, Sydney. The client recently got in touch with head wrench Jeremy Tagand, and raised the idea of converting it to electric. So Deus stripped out the original motor and got to work.

A call went into the Australian electric motorcycle company, Fonz Moto, to order a custom battery and motor combo that would fit the SR’s small frame. They came back with a 72V 3000W motor, and a 3.3KwH battery. With a new controller in hand too, Deus started piecing the SR back together.

To avoid having to modify the frame too much, Deus used laser cut motor mounts that let them bolt the new bits to the existing engine attachment points. It also made it possible to hook up the new power plant to the original chain drive.

The cockpit was tweaked with a new throttle, and a regenerative braking lever where the clutch lever used to be. The rest of the work focused on cleaning up 15 years of regular use. Deus also fabricated new side covers to hide the controller and wiring, and re-polished the tank.

Once the Fonz team had wired it all up, the bike headed out for its initial shakedown.

Deus report that it’s “lightweight, torque and smooth,” with a top speed of 100 km/h and a 100 km range. It even has a reverse gear now, too.

Drop-in electric conversions are a great way to revive old bikes, and the concept is executed beautifully here. Although we’ll admit: a Yamaha SR500 café racer that doesn’t make a racket is a little weird. [More]

BMW R nineT by VTR Customs We’ve seen surfboard racks on motorcycles before, but we’ve never seen a custom bike design that was inspired by a surfboard. This BMW R nineT was built by the Swiss maestros VTR Customs, and mimics the owner’s favorite board.

It’s a tidy build, with the biggest visual hit coming from the Unit Garage ‘/7’ fuel tank. It’s a bolt-on kit, designed to evoke the tanks of older R-series boxers—and it looks great here.

VTR also tidied up the nineT’s tail end, by detaching the removable subframe and bolting on a custom rear loop. Up top is a one-off seat, with upholstery by regular collaborator, Yves Knobel. Finishing off the rear are discreet Kellermann LED taillight and turn signal combos, and a swingarm-mounted Rizoma plate holder.

The nineT’s boxer motor now breathes in via a pair of K&N filters, fitted with a VTR kit that includes side covers to blank off the area where the airbox used to sit. The exhaust system is a titanium two-into-one arrangement from Unit Garage.

The bike’s kitted with a handful of drool-worthy bits and pieces. 17” Kineo wheels are wrapped in Pirelli MT 60 RS tires, with a VTR Customs fender doing duty out front. This nineT came specc’d from the factory with an adaptive LED headlight, and VTR have added Motogadget mirrors to keep the cockpit tidy.

Then there’s the paint job—a direct copy of the client’s surfboard, right down to the wooden stripe running over the top of the tank. It’s a cracking job by Freuler AG, who also adorned the tank with a pair of ‘Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax’ logos, with ‘Surf 9T’ snuck into the design. Most of the hard parts were powder-coated black, to help the livery pop.

VTR Customs finished the build off with a few quirky nods to the board that inspired it. There’s a DaKine surfboard leash attached on the right, a wax comb on the left, and a scale model of the actual board attached to a removable rack at the back.

Radical. [VTR Customs]

Montesa Cota by Mr Martini Nicola Martini’s known for his aggressive, unconventional custom builds. So by his standards, a classy little café racer like this one feels a bit safe—until you realize that it started out as a trials bike, and it glows in the dark.

You’re looking at a Montesa Cota 247—a 247 cc two-stroke single that made a name for itself back in the day on the European trials circuit. Nicola picked the Cota because, even though he’s being doing this for 25 years, he’s never customized a Montesa. The reason is simple: he prefers road bikes.

The project was done in collaboration with the Italian motorcycle website Moto.it, and eBay—so Nicola went to the latter to source his parts. To make it interesting, he limited himself to just parts from the 1970s. And since he was converting a trials bike to a vintage track racer, he needed some pretty specific bits.

Nicola installed classic Marzocchi shocks to prop up the rear end, and rebuilt and lowered the OEM forks to perfect the stance. The wheels use matching 18” Borrani alloy rims, laced to Laverda SF750 drum brake hubs and wrapped in Metzeler Block-C tires.

Up top is a vintage fuel tank from a Maico motocross bike, matched up to a new fairing and tail section, built just for this project. The seat was topped off with leather by Tommaso di Casaro, while the Montesa’s high-and-wide bars were swapped for Tommaselli clip-ons. Nicola rewired the whole bike too, and tweaked the airbox to eke out more power.

Then there’s the paint job, done by Claudio Tonel at Garage 66. On the surface it looks like a run of the mill café racer scheme—albeit a really neat one. But the engine, wheels and tank graphics have all been done in a special photoluminescent paint, so that they glow in the dark.

It’s just the sort of twist we’d expect from Mr Martini. Bravo! [Via]

Vintage Trackmasters at Mecum Las Vegas Auction house Mecum wrapped up their Las Vegas event yesterday, and our friends at Silodrome caught wind of two stunning vintage flat trackers that we wished we were taking home. One’s a Triumph and the other’s a Yamaha—but they both feature frames from the famed American chassis company, Trackmaster.

The Triumph was built in 1972, and boasts a proper race heritage. Built by Trackmaster founder, Ray Hensley, and his team, it was piloted by Ron Moore to a win (and new record) at the Ascot TT circuit in Gardena, California.

The bike uses a twin-cradle chromoly Trackmaster frame, with a 750 cc Triumph parallel twin motor, tuned by Tony Denius. Inside are a billet crank, titanium connection rods, a Megacycle cam, chromoly push rods, high compression pistons, an Alloytec ignition and an upgraded oil pump.

It’s bundled with some notable memorabilia—including Tony Denius’ stopwatch, a second motor on a display stand, vintage race wrenches, extra wheels and tires and even a hot shoe. [More]

The Yamaha on auction doesn’t boast the same pedigree, but it’s no less impressive. It was built by Gary Davis—an AMA hall of famer, retired pro racer and motorcycle daredevil. He went on to become a Hollywood stunt rider with over 280 movies, 250 TV episodes and 190 commercials to his name.

From what we can gather, this motorcycle was built in recent years to partake in vintage flat track racing. And it’s a beast, powered by Yamaha’s fearsome TZ750 inline-four two-stroke engine. It’s also sporting Mikuni flat-slide carbs, upgraded reed assemblies, and a full set of hand-made exhaust expansion chambers.

It’s all packaged with classic Champion-style bodywork, and a tasteful nickel-plated Trackmaster frame. And it’s finished in a red Speedblock livery, naturally. [More]

Given the choice, which would you pick: the Triumph or the Yamaha?

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[DaveM]

DOMINATOR ON A DIET: Honda NX650 by Earth Motorcycles.

When you live, breathe, and write about bikes you tend to get hit with a myriad of questions about everything from ‘what should I buy’ to ‘why do you waste so much money on parts’. But a good one that often comes up is why don’t Honda make the NX650 Dominator anymore? Sadly, the answer falls to our North American friends, the model did well around the world but was pulled from the US after just...

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[DaveM]

Hooligan Style: Reier’s Ducati Monster flat track racer

Flat track racing covers a whole spectrum of participation levels—from pro leagues to grassroots ‘run what ya brung’ events. And that’s great for the custom scene, because the looser the rules are, the more creative builders can get.

Christian Reier get his kicks on this rowdy Ducati Monster flat tracker. The 2001-model 900 i.e. might seem like an unlikely candidate for flat track racing, but the founder of Salzburg’s Reier Motors is unfazed. “I love to ride flat track and I am a huge Ducati fan,” he states plainly.

His weapon of choice is an intriguing interpretation of the genre that not only looks bonkers, but ticks all the right boxes in terms of stance and ergonomics too. And the way that the overall design complements the Monster’s iconic trellis frame, makes it that much sweeter.

But to convert the Ducati from roadster to flat tracker, Reier Motors first had to fettle its chassis. And that meant cramming a set of 19” race wheels in there.

At the back, the swingarm had to be extended to make room for a bigger wheel. A new rear rim was then laced to a KTM 1190 Adventure hub, and the shock swapped for a new one from HyperPro. Reier also installed a Brembo brake caliper with a floating disc out back, along with a custom brace to keep it stable.

The front wheel uses a Husqvarna TE450 hub, liberated of its brake disc mounting tabs. Reier also shaved the brake mounts off the OEM forks, treated the lowers to a blue titanium nitride coating, and fabricated a pair of aluminum fork guards.

Up top is an all-new cockpit, starting with a new top yoke and back-swept handlebar risers that were milled from aluminum. The bars are ProTaper flat track items, kitted with new grips, a race-spec kill switch and a Brembo hydraulic clutch lever.

“The handlebar mounts are set far back to make the bike more stable on the straights,” explains Christian. “When drifting, the combination of the wide, set-back handlebars makes for a good riding feel.”

Christian fabricated the Monster’s new bodywork himself; a one-piece aluminum affair that bolts down via a few quarter-turn fasteners. The whole arrangement is flat on top, to maximise rider manoeuvrability.

The tail section was actually modeled on that of the Ducati Panigale, adding a little superbike flair to this dirt tracker. The upholstery was done by a local craftsman, and has extra pleating to stop the rider from sliding backwards under acceleration.

Quite a lot of work went on under the hood too. The Monster underwent a full rewire, and everything that wasn’t needed for flat track racing was tossed. The subframe’s new too, and there’s a hidden battery mount underneath the bodywork.

Christian also fabricated new exhaust headers, which run into a pair of Termignoni mufflers. Getting the whole arrangement to sit on the left side turned out to be tricky, and meant that the left foot peg had to be mounted pretty far out. “Thankfully, this doesn’t matter when riding flat track,” says Christian, “since the left foot is only on the peg in the straights.”

Look closer, and you’ll spot safety wire in all the right places, and protective carbon fiber bits on the engine. There’s also a Ducati Performance open clutch cover—but that’s just for show (the original part goes back on for track days).

For a bike that’s designed to be thrashed, this Monster has a surprisingly level of finish—and some tasty color coding. The livery packs a number of subtle details, complemented by the blue finishes on the frame, wheels and seat. A custom heat shield and number boards, and a handful of red anodized fasteners, add the final touches.

We’re giving Reier Motors ten out of ten for imagination and execution. We just wish we could get out to Austria, so that we could watch (and hear) this radical Monster go fast and turn left.

Reier Motors | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Jean-Sebastien Philippe

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[DaveM]

HIGH LIFE: Honda Joker by Espresso Motorcycles.

It can be a serious business joining a motorcycle club, especially one that’s secretive and doesn’t reveal too many details about its activities. You’re new to town, but word has already reached the street that you’re to be respected. So, a delivery is made, and you find yourself in possession of a patched-up leather jacket, and a note with where to meet your new crew, ‘come alone, hands high...

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[DaveM]

Protégé: Two Honda CB550 customs from a young Dutchman

Even if you don’t know Chiel Nipius’ name, you’ve probably seen his work. He was part of the team at Ironwood Custom Motorcycles for a while, but he’s now branched out on his own as Nius Moto. And judging by these two Honda CB550 customs, he has the skills to pay the bills.

Using the knowledge he acquired under the mentorship of Ironwood shop boss, Arjan van den Boom, 23-year-old Chiel juggles custom bike building with other interests. He also has a part-time job as a metal fabricator at an interior design company, and he’s looking into studying product design.

But the end goal is to make Nius Moto a full time gig. And he’s off to a good start, too.

The sand-colored café racer shown here is a 1977-model Honda CB550 commissioned by a friend, while the green street scrambler is a 1978, built as a personal project. Neither of them tread any new ground visually, but both are stellar examples of their respective styles.

Chiel handled all the work on both Hondas himself, save for the paint and powder-coating. On the café racer, that work included a full engine rebuild, with a 605 cc big bore kit, a CB650 camshaft and valves from an RS-spec Renault.

The carbs breathe in through a set of Uni Filter pods, with a carbon fiber plate mounted behind them to keep muck out. The exhaust system consists of a set of four-into-one Delkevic headers and a titanium SC Project muffler. “This thing is quick and loud,” says Chiel.

One of Chiel’s first jobs at Ironwood was electrics, so this Honda’s had a full rewire, executed with clinical precision around a Motogadget mo.unit control box. It’s all stashed in a custom-made tray under the seat, with the battery sitting in a box below the swingarm.

Chiel cut and looped the subframe up top, then tucked an LED taillight in behind the shock mounts, along with a pair of Motogadget turn signals. A hand-shaped steel cowl caps off the end.

Up front you’ll find an LED headlight from KOSO, Motogadget turn signals, a Daytona speedo, and new clip-ons fitted with fresh levers and Motone push buttons. Tarozzi rear sets round out the controls, mounted on custom-made brackets.

Chiel also added a clean Cognito Moto top yoke and a fork brace from Tarozzi. And he changed the front brake to a twin disc setup with new hoses, for better stopping power.

The color on the 1977 Honda’s tank and tail was lifted straight from Porsche’s catalogue, as was the stitching pattern on the brown leather seat. Chiel picked black for the wheels and motor, and the same ‘rat grey’ that Honda used on the old SS50 for the frame. It’s a totally unexpected, but extremely classy, combination.

Both bikes are equipped with Avon Roadrider tires and YSS shocks, but the scrambler sits a bit higher. Like its low-slung counterpart, it’s also been rewired and treated to a dual front brake conversion.

Chiel left this one’s engine mostly stock, except for the CB650 camshaft upgrade. It also uses Delkevic exhaust headers, but with a stainless steel Cone Engineering muffler. And the carbs are hooked up to a custom air box and filter combo, handmade for this bike.

The subframe’s been modified slightly differently on the 1978 CB, with a bench seat up top that can take two in a pinch. Chiel turned to Jowi Paulissen for the upholstery, which includes a neat little Honda logo on the back. “It takes me back to my little Honda moped days,” he says.

Sitting flush against the rear loop is a custom-made taillight housing. There’s a set of LEDs inside, with a plexiglass cover to finish it off. There are also carbon fiber fenders at both ends; Chiel shaped them himself, along with their mounting brackets.

The cockpit’s sporting a set of Renthal bars, with new levers, Motone switches and a Motogadget Motoscope Mini speedo. Final trim includes a Koso headlight and Kellerman Atto LED turn signals at both ends.

Chiel opted for the ‘Urban Green’ hue in BMW’s automobile swatch book on this one, with a metallic gunmetal grey finish on the frame, executed by King Custom Coatingz. White lettering on the tires adds an extra visual hit.

Like the bikes that roll out of Ironwood’s workshop, both of these Hondas look clean enough to eat off—so Chiel’s time there clearly paid off. We’re looking forward to seeing where he goes from here.

Nius Moto Instagram | Images by Kolja Wertheim

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[DaveM]

A slice of nice: A custom Yamaha SR400 from Wedge

Just over a year ago, the last SR400 rolled off the production line in Yamaha’s Iwata factory, marking the end of an astonishing 43-year production run. It was always a steady rather than big seller, with most sales in the domestic market—which is why virtually every Japanese custom shop has built multiple SR400s over the years.

One of those shops is Wedge Motorcycle, run by Takashi Nihira. He’s in the upper echelon of the Japanese custom scene, and famous for his big budget builds. And when he’s not working on commissions from manufacturers such as BMW, his high-end bikes win awards at Japan’s legendary custom shows.

But it’s affordable machines like this 2007-spec SR400 that keep the cash flow going at Nihira’s Tokyo workshop. “This is a shop project bike,” he tells us. “I originally built it for a customer, but the customer was letting go of it. So I bought it back, reconsidered the style, and updated it.”

“The concept is ‘compact’,” he adds. “By using smaller exterior parts and adding ‘volume’ around the tires, it makes the bike seem visually smaller.” The stance is absolutely spot on.

Nihira has given the OHC single cylinder engine plenty of love, even though it’s just 15 years old. He’s overhauled the cylinder head and block, replaced the piston rings and valve stem seals, and installed a new Keihin FCR flat slide carburetor for smoother response and a touch of extra power.

A newly fabricated stainless steel header pipe gets the exhaust gases out of the way, and there’s a stubby SuperTrapp muffler to abate the volume a little.

The chassis received even more attention. After a strip-down and tidy-up, Nihira modified the seat support and cut back the rear section to suit a short solo seat butting up against the top of the fender. The concave upper line and tail-heavy look of the stock SR400 is gone, replaced by a classic Japanese aesthetic.

The refurbished forks have been lowered slightly, and new 280 mm rear shocks installed to keep the handling tight. “At the request of the previous owner, the suspension had been dropped significantly,” says Nihira. “So I’ve raised the ride height a bit to improve the handling. Even so, the length of the rear suspension is still over 50 mm shorter than standard.”

The gorgeous gold 18-inch wheels look like the alloys fitted to SR400s in the late 70s, but they’re modern cast replicas from a company called Y’s Gear. Compared to the factory wheels, the front is lighter by about 1.5 kg, and the rear by 2 kg. The rear hub has been improved for easier maintenance too, and Nihira has installed a Sunstar disc brake at the front.

The traditional sawtooth-style tires are Shinko Super Classic E270s, with modern construction underneath the tread pattern, in 4.00-18F/4.50-18R sizes.

Being a Wedge bike, there’s custom fabrication everywhere. The aluminum tank is the most obvious item: “I made it in the image of the slim and long style used by old Yamaha small displacement sport bikes, such as the Yamaha RD50,” says Nihira. The gas cap, complete with an unusual sliding key cover, is a vintage item of unknown provenance.

Nihira also fabricated new side covers (which now hide most of the bulkier electrical parts), the slimline leather seat pad, and a new rear fender.

The cockpit is super-sano, with new bars and grips, a simple analog speedo, and low profile switchgear. The lighting is equally discreet, with compact head and tail lights and even tinier blinkers.

Unlike most custom builders Nihira-san handles his own paint, but this is no rattle-can job. The bodywork is coated with a subtle blue-grey, leaving the gold cast wheels to draw the eye—and add a bit of an 80s vibe.

It’s not the kind of bike you’d see on a podium at Mooneyes, or the flashiest of customs. But for zooming around the outskirts of Tokyo, it’s just perfect—and will bear close inspection when parked up.

Wedge Motorcycle | Wedge Facebook | Instagram | With thanks to our man in Japan, Tadashi Kono

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[DaveM]

WHITE MAGIC: Triumph Thruxton by Tamarit Motorcycles.

The formula for those wanting a shop-built custom seems to be this, buy a donor bike and then take it to workshop XYZ to have them then work their magic. All well and good, but what if the donor bike you’ve chosen isn’t really suited to the style of bike you’re actually after. And given many workshops have customised literally hundreds of bikes, aren’t they better positioned to pass on their...

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[DaveM]

Cargo Cub: A custom Honda Super Cub 110 from K-Speed

With over 100 million units produced to date, it’s impossible to overstate the Honda Super Cub’s popularity. And it’s been a massive hit over at K-Speed too. The Thai custom shop and parts manufacturer has racked up an impressive 70-plus custom Super Cub builds already, both for local and international customers.

Their latest custom Cub is also one of their cutest. It’s based on a brand new Super Cub 110i, which, if we’re honest, is good looking enough as is. But K-Speed has elevated this one with a bunch of small changes that make a big difference.

Dubbed the ‘Cargo Cub,’ the build takes its inspiration from shop founder Eak’s adorable Nissan S-Cargo. If you don’t know it, it’s a small delivery van that Nissan released in 1989—and yes, its name intentionally sounds like the French word for snail.

Parked up next to each other, the van and scooter make the perfect little cargo fleet.

The changes start with the Honda’s wheels, where K-Speed re-laced the stock drum brake hubs to a new set of shouldered aluminum rims. They still measure 17” at both ends, but they’re now wrapped in chunky sawtooth treads from Vee Rubber.

The front suspension’s been lowered, and the front mudguard’s been replaced by a pair of fork covers, molded from ABS plastic. It’s had a radical effect on the Super Cub’s stance—even if the front tire clearance looks a little suspect.

Higher up, K-Speed completely deconstructed the cluster that holds the scooter’s headlight and controls. Then they fabricated a neat twin headlight setup, to mimic the comically small lights on Eak’s Nissan. The arrangement matches the Cub’s OEM fairings and air vent so well, that it looks almost factory.

The cockpit’s been reworked with a traditional bar and riser setup, complete with a blank-off plate to keep the cabling tidy. Also present are new grips, micro switches, and an aftermarket speedo mounted aft of the bars.

There’s more nipping and tucking at the back, where K-Speed trimmed off the bulk of the Honda’s rear fender. In its place are a steel rear fender and a custom-made luggage rack. The crew also ditched the bulky chain guard, and propped the rear up on a new set of shocks.

The box on the back looks like a repurposed crate, but it was actually pieced together from scratch. It’s a charming addition—and it bolts on and off in a jiffy, too.

The rest of the build is sprinkled with parts from K-Speed’s own ‘Diablo’ range of bolt-on parts. The seat, exhaust and taillight were all plucked from the shelf, along with the discreet LED turn signals. (They’re mounted to the fork guards up front, and off the shock mounts at the back.)

K-Speed opted not to swap out the side covers for Diablo items, because they wanted to retain some of the Super Cub’s signature style. So they simple added a few mesh-lined holes as a final touch.

Wrapped in a matching grey and white livery, K-Speed’s Super Cub is about as close to a two-wheeled version of the Nissan S-Cargo as you can get. Sure, it might not have as much packing space—but we’d pick it over the van any day.

K-Speed | Instagram | Images by Hipmotography

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[DaveM]

PIPEWRAPPED #004

Welcome to another edition of Pipewrapped, this week we checkout the latest trend in Japanese bike culture, see if Benelli can finally deliver a winner with their new 800 Trail and visit the garden shed of a man who can literally build any bike you can dream of! Slaying the Socials He’s the man with an endless enthusiasm for building bikes and riding them with the same crazy love of life.

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, February 6, 2022

It’s all about mixing modern components and classic style this week. We’ve got a Triumph Bonneville from Spain, a BMW K1100 from France and a BMW R65 from the UK. Then we wrap things up with a Kawasaki Z650 draped in carbon fiber.

Triumph Bonneville T100 by Tamarit Motorcycles Spanish outfit Tamarit has built a whopping number of custom Triumphs, and they show no signs of slowing down. Their 97th build is a peculiar one—but in a good way.

The shop started with an older carb-fed Bonneville T100, then stripped it back in some areas and beefed it up in others. The result is a slick modern classic that’s sort of a café racer, but also sort of a bobber. And we love it.

Dubbed ‘Aileen,’ this Bonnie’s low-slung stance can be attributed to its stretched swingarm and chunky tires. It now rolls on 5.00×16” wheels at both ends, with a spoked hoop up front and a solid wheel at the back. The subframe’s been trimmed right down, with a new set of shocks propping up the rear.

Tamarit needed to fit wider triples to make room for the broader front wheel—but that’s not the only change up front. There’s a new adaptive cornering LED headlight, with new risers and chunky drag bars further back. The cockpit also features new grips, levers, switches and mirrors.

The speedo’s a tiny digital unit from Motogadget, but it’s not where you’d expect to find it. Tamarit fabricated a strip to run over the top of the tank, and sunk the speedo into the front of it. It’s accompanied by a tidy knurled gas cap.

Out back is a café racer-style seat, with a custom-made taillight housing poking out from under it. Other mods include an exhaust system from Tamarit’s own catalog, a stubby front fender, and a swingarm-mounted license plate bracket.

Tamarit actually had free rein on the design of the bike, so they picked a color they’d wanted to work with for a while: titanium. It’s a classy choice for this rowdy Triumph, along with the various polished, chrome and brass touches. [More]

BMW K1100 by Jerem Motorcycles We admire custom builders that have the guts to take on a K-series BMW. Old ‘flying bricks’ don’t have nearly the same amount of grace and poise as their boxer-driven stablemates—so they’re hard to get right.

This 90s-model BMW K1100 from Jeremie Duchampt at Jerem Motorcycles in France hits the mark sweetly. Built for a friend, it’s sporting bespoke bodywork, some tasty chassis upgrades and a BMW M Performance-inspired livery. Think of it as a classic café racer with a slight modern sportbike vibe.

Jeremie’s built the K to go as good as it looks. Up front are the forks, front wheels and twin Tokico brakes from a Suzuki TL1000S. The rear wheel’s a BMW K1200GT unit, the rear shock’s from YSS and the tires are Pirelli Super Corsas.

Up top, Jeremie tweaked an aftermarket fairing to flow seamlessly with the K’s OEM fuel tank. The tail section is custom, and includes integrated taillight. The subframe below it has been altered too, with a pair of LED turn signals capping off the frame rails.

The motor’s been treated to an airbox removal and a new four-into-one exhaust system. There’s also a new oil cooler, and a full rewire with a keyless ignition from Five Aces. Jeremie also modified the choke, and moved the side stand to the right to dodge the oil ‘creep’ that can happen on K-series bikes.

There are also new clip-ons and rear sets, and the cockpit’s packing a digital speedo from Five Aces, along with fuel and water temperature gauges. A yellow headlight and a CNC-machined gas cap add some classic style, while details like the Alcantara seat and blue wheels feel contemporary.

The full list of mods is extensive, so we’d highly recommend hitting the link below. Jeremie left no stone unturned, even going so far as to rearrange the fuses, so that their colors match BMW’s M Performance logo. It’s a little obsessive—but we’re into it. [More]

BMW R65 by Curiosity Moto Because old boxers are so popular, it’s quite possible that there are no more new ways to customize them. But as long as custom builders like Curiosity Moto turn them out as clean as this, we don’t mind.

Based in London, Curiosity Moto was founded by Mark Phillips. They don’t just do custom work though—general BMW maintenance and servicing is part of their portfolio too. So when their client booked this BMW R65 in, it went through a full strip down and inspection before any custom work started.

The brief called for a combination of modern components and a vintage aesthetic, so there’s nothing wild going on here, visually. The larger fuel tank comes from a BMW R80RT, while the seat and subframe are custom jobs. This one’s a rider too, so there are fenders at both ends.

Under the hood you’ll find a custom wiring loom, with a Lithium-ion battery mounted where the BMW’s airbox used to live. The motor now inhales through a pair of pod filters, and out through a pair of stainless steel silencers. Other brand new parts include the Hagon rear shocks, front brake discs, and almost everything in the cockpit.

But it’s the finishes that really shine here. The frame was soda-blasted, then finished in silver along with the wheels. The tank wears a glossy coat of black paint, with a delightfully retro BMW motif sprawled over the top.

If it tickles your fancy, get ready to smash that piggy bank—because it’s going on auction with Silverstone Auctions this coming week, here. [More]

Kawasaki Z650 by D/MO How much carbon fiber is enough? For UK-based Jack Donaldson, the answer is “more.”

Operating after hours as Donaldson Motors (abbreviated to D/MO), Jack kicked his latest project off with a 1978 Kawasaki Z650. Over the course of a year, he gave it everything from an engine swap to a full complement of carbon fiber bodywork. And he did almost all the work himself, outsourcing only the powder-coating on the frame and wheels.

The carbon pieces include obvious parts like the tail section, headlight nacelle and fuel tank ‘skins.’ But the list also covers the front fender, rear splash guard, chain guard, number plate bracket, battery box, and even the torque bars for the rear brake.

By day, Jack works in R&D in the composite industry—hence his affinity for the material, and his ability to shape it. Put together, the new kit gives the classic Kawasaki a burly scrambler-cum-tracker vibe.

Going deeper, Jack replaced the Kawasaki’s engine with the mill from a 1984 GPz 750 (which is good for 20 more horses in stock form). He also built a four-into-two stainless steel exhaust system, complete with baffle valves to control noise levels. A lever mounted near the rider’s knee opens or closes the valves.

Jack’s seen to the minutiae too. The bike’s been rewired with a whole smorgasbord of Motogadget goodies, accessible via a hidden latch that pops the seat off. There’s also a full array of taillights sunk into the back of the bodywork, built using 3D-printed housings and lenses.

Jack also installed new bars and controls, fresh knobby tires and a set of YSS shocks. A Cerakote treatment on the engine complements the rest of the Kawasaki’s moody finishes, earning it the nickname ‘Blackout.’ [Donaldson Motors | Instagram]

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[DaveM]

Red Zed: AC Sanctuary’s 152 hp Z1000 racer

Anyone who has raced motorcycles or spun spanners in a pit lane will know that track bikes are a work in progress. They’re mobile test beds, because shaving seconds off lap times is the only way to stay ahead of the competition.

The mechanics at the Japanese workshop AC Sanctuary know this. For the past three years, they haven’t just been building muscle bikes for the road—they’ve also been tuning and modifying this incredible Kawasaki racer.

The core of the bike is a Z1000 engine, which delivered 85 horsepower at the crank when it left the factory in 1977. It now measures 152 hp at the rear wheel on the dyno. That makes this the fastest air-cooled bike on the Japanese classic racing scene, and it also holds the lap record for its class at the Tsukuba Circuit.

According to AC Sanctuary founder Hiroyuki Nakamura, the Z1000 will race for the last time in 2022. “We didn’t enter any races in 2021, due to the spread of the virus. But we are planning to race in November this year, in the T.O.T. [Taste of Tsukuba] event.”

The Z1000 will line up in the Super Monster Evolution class, which is the fastest class for air-cooled engines. “The race is run with the Hercules class, the fastest water-cooled class—because we’re trying to beat those high-powered machines as well,” says Nakamura. “After that race, the challenge will come to an end.”

Most of the Z1000’s recent development has centered on the DOHC two-valve four-cylinder engine, which uses a carefully ported GPz1100 cylinder head modified to take ZX-10R injectors.

Nakamura-san has fitted .460 cams from Web Cam, acting on thin-stemmed valves matched to uprated APE springs. He’s also slightly increased the compression ratio, and designed an adapter in CAD/CAM to allow the ZX-10R throttle bodies to be used.

A virtually straight-through muffler is another new addition. Even smaller than the previous carbon fiber unit, it’s hooked up to the (thankfully unchanged) pie-cut headers.

Extra power always comes at a cost though, and in this case passing the 150 hp mark caused lubrication problems: the higher internal pressure in the engine was increasing the amount of oil collecting in the catch tank. So Nakamura designed a new tank that releases more blow-by gases and equalizes crankcase pressure better.

The chassis required much less work, and the specs are the same as when we briefly covered the bike a couple of years ago. Corner grip is certainly not an issue: Nakamura has just redesigned the clutch cover, which was getting ground down to the bolts.

The frame is AC Sanctuary’s own design, rather than a modified Z1000 original—which would flex too much. The back wheel is secured with a Sculpture aluminum swingarm, and the 17-inch wheels are magnesium alloy units from the Italian specialists OZ Racing. The tires of choice are Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa slicks, in a soft SC1 compound.

There’s Öhlins suspension at both ends—with a pair of conventional piggyback shocks supporting the rear, rather than a contemporary-style monoshock. Brembo brakes clamp onto Sunstar rotors.

The aluminum bodywork is completely custom. “The tank and seat are reminiscent of the Kawasaki Z from the 1970s,” says Nakamura. “Since the A16 has a twin spar frame, the tank was formed with a two-piece structure—with a shroud at the bottom, for a Z1-R look.”

Above the oil cooler and behind the compact front fairing is a carbon fiber dashboard housing three instruments: a ZiiX Time Attacker digital lap timer, a Yoshimura Pro-Gress digital display for oil and water temperatures and voltage, and an analog tachometer than runs up to 10,000 rpm.

The Z1000 is now almost ready for the circuit, but Nakamura is still hoping to eke out a little more power.

“It is not easy to add even three horsepower, going from 152 to 155,” he says ruefully. “But I feel that there’s a potential spec that can achieve over 155, if the fuel adjustment map and ignition timing are refined.”

In nine months, the AC16R will have its final outing. And given AC Sanctuary’s legendary reputation for technical prowess, we’d be surprised if it didn’t take home the trophy.

The bigger question is: what will Nakamura and his crew build next? We can’t wait to see.

AC Sanctuary Japan | Facebook | RCM USA

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[DaveM]

ONE TRACK MIND: BMW K100 by Incerum Customs.


The first edition of The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkein was 310 pages long, and if you’ve read the work you understand that the story required every single one of those words. Hemingway on the other hand, more than adept at long-form, also managed a story in just six words. Some tales are just easy to tell and the chronicles of this K100 are one of them. The lads from Croatia’s Incerum Customs are simply...

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[DaveM]

Hat Trick: HB-Custom refines the Honda Dominator recipe

Creating a knockout recipe takes a lot of trial and error. But once you nail it, everyone wants a taste—which is why Holger Breuer at HB-Custom keeps cooking up juicy Honda Dominator customs like this one.

Holger’s first go at the revered Honda NX650 Dominator was a stripped-down scrambler that was commissioned by a client. Next, he took his favorite ideas from the first build, refined them, and built a second Dominator as a showpiece. It was a hit, and he’s now getting more requests for builds in that style.

HB-Custom is based in the maritime town of Husum in Germany, but this order came from a client much further south, in Switzerland. Enamored with the style of the two previous Dominators, he was happy for Holger to source a donor and run with it.

Holger found a 1994-model NX650 that ticked all the right boxes, and hauled it into his workshop.

As an added bonus, it was already fitted with 17” wheels—something that he would have changed anyway to suit the scrambler-slash-supermoto vibe he does so well. So he simply added a set of Continental TKC80 tires, for the right balance of dirt and asphalt grip.

Later model Dominators came stock with Brembo brakes, so there was no need to upgrade those either. On the suspension side, Holger rebuilt the stock forks, and installed a fresh YSS shock at the back.

The engine needed love though, so Holger tore into it with a complete rebuild. It now has fresh piston rings, valves, a new timing chain and bearings, and a rebuilt clutch. The Honda was also treated to a full rewire, along with a Lithium-ion battery and a new digital ignition.

Holger upgraded the carb to a Mikuni TM40, equipped with a K&N filter. The new exhaust system follows the same style as his previous Dominator—it’s a modern twin-pipe system, pieced together from heavily tweaked Honda CRF250 and XR600 parts.

Naturally, all the original Dominator bodywork’s been binned. In its place is the fuel tank from a Yamaha XT500, modified to fit the Honda’s frame.

Holger rebuilt the subframe out back, then fabricated a set of side panels to flank it. The custom seat is ever so slightly longer and thicker than some scrambler perches we’ve seen, and there are extra foot pegs to take a passenger in a pinch. High-mounted fenders cap things off at both ends.

Up top you’ll find a full complement of Magura goodies, including the risers, handlebars, throttle, and brake and clutch controls. Holger also installed a tiny digital speedo and LED warning light strip from Motogadget, neatly mounted between the risers. There’s LED lighting all-round; a Koso headlight attached to custom brackets, turn signals on the forks, and a pair of LED taillights mounted to the license plate holder.

The paint job was a last minute decision, inspired by a car that Holger’s painter had just done in the same blue.

From the stance to the finishes, HB-Custom’s third Dominator build is dripping with style. There are clear ties to its predecessors, but here, it feels like Holger’s picked the best of each to perfect his signature take on this die hard Honda scrambler.

So will he build more of these? Almost certainly, especially since he can now piece them together with his eyes closed.

HB-Custom | Instagram | Images by Emayat Wahab

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[DaveM]

FUTURE-FOCUSED: Triumph TE-1 Electric Motorcycle Prototype.

It looks like a beefed-up Speed Triple, but it is in fact phase three of Triumph’s TE-1 electric project and it could well be the biggest leap forward in e-motorcycles to date. Tesla is booming, hybrids are just the norm now and other manufacturers are producing some brilliant products in the four-wheel space. But it has all been very stop-start for those of us waiting for a DC two-wheeled wonder.

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[DaveM]

Nocturnal Unicorn: A Harley Fat Boy, Rough Crafts style

We often laud Winston Yeh for his ability to apply his signature Rough Crafts style to just about any type of motorcycle. And he’s just flexed that muscle again, by simultaneously building two very different bikes for a pair of friends.

The first commission was for this 2020-model Harley-Davidson Softail Fat Boy, and the second order came the very next day. “The Harley guy came first and placed the order,” Winston tells us. “That same night he had dinner with his friend and told him about it. The friend got excited and came in the next day, saying he wanted something cool too.”

Both projects wrapped up around the same time, but since the Harley was the first in, Winston’s chosen to unveil it first. It’s a stunner too; Winston cut his teeth on Harleys, and this one’s a mash up of some of his best ideas.

“Fat tire Harleys that mix retro lines with modern finishes are always something that people love from us,” he tells us. “As we showed the customer some of our previous builds, like the more retro-themed ‘Crowned Stallion,’ and some of the more modern ones with billet wheels and top-spec brakes and suspension, the conversation quickly turned to ‘how cool would it be if we combined these polarized styles?’”

The first step was to fine tune the Fat Boy’s stance with a new set of wheels. Winston picked a 5.00×16” Roland Sands Design wheel for the front, with a solid 7.00×15” HD Wheels number at the back. They’re wrapped in Metzeler ME888 and Avon AM21 rubber, respectively.

The brief called for upgraded suspension, so Winston reverted to his go-to brand: Öhlins. There’s a set of chunky FRGT301 forks up front, split wider by a set of custom-machined yokes. An Öhlins HD503 shock takes care of the back end.

There’s some trickery going on with the brakes too. Opting for the classic look of a single-sided front brake, the Rough Crafts team designed a special mounting system to hold two calipers on the left side. The actual braking system uses Beringer calipers and Roland Sands rotors.

The bodywork is dead simple, but inspired. The fuel tank looks custom, but it’s actually the original unit, trimmed down. There’s a modified Kodlin fender at the back that includes an integrated cover for the electronics that normally hide under the seat.

The saddle was one part that Winston wanted to make decidedly vintage—so he had his upholsterer re-cover a bobber-style solo seat from Biltwell Inc.

Tweaking the OEM tank also meant losing the instrument cluster that usually sits on top of it. Replacing it is the stock digital speedo from a Street Bob, mounted dead center on the bars. The riser clamp that it’s housed in was plucked straight from Rough Crafts’ online shop.

The cockpit also features Rough Crafts handlebars, Rough Crafts x Arlen Ness grips, and Rebuffini controls and switches. The headlight’s sporting Rough Crafts’ often-copied grill design, and there are Koso LEDs fore and aft, handling turn signal and taillight duties.

The rest of the build is sprinkled with the usual Rough Crafts fare.

The mid-mounted foot controls are a Performance Machine system, but the actual footpegs, along with the engine’s cam and valve covers, are Rough Crafts x Arlen Ness parts. There’s a Rebuffini hydraulic clutch slave cylinder in play too, while the air cleaner and gas cap are both in-house parts.

Winston added one more modern touch with the Harley’s custom exhaust. “We designed a two-into-one-into-two system that’s drag-bike influenced,” he explains, “but still blends into the clean retro look from a distance.”

The final finishes on this build are typically Rough Crafts; a lot of black, with pops of gold and swathes of carbon fiber trim. As always, the build’s crowned with a set of custom tank badges and pushrod collars.

Ultimately, Rough Crafts nailed the brief here. Dubbed ‘Nocturnal Unicorn,’ this is a fat tire Harley that manages to dodge all the tired cliches normally associated with the genre.

But what about the owner’s friend? As it turns out, he’s not a big fan of Harleys, so Winston steered him towards a Ducati Monster instead. And if you check back in tomorrow, we’ll tell you all about it.

Rough Crafts | Facebook | Instagram | Photos by JL Photography

Credits: 2 Abnormal Sides (push rod collars and tank badges), Line&Circle Custom Paint (paint), Simon Fiber Craft (fiber glass and carbon fiber shaping), MS Pro (fabrication), CT-Garage (final assembly).

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[DaveM]

Apex Assault: A Ducati Monster, Rough Crafts style

Word of mouth is a powerful thing. You might not trust what you read on social media or see on TV, but you probably do trust the judgment of your friends. And that’s how this Ducati came to be.

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll remember Wes’ report yesterday on the new Harley Fat Boy from Rough Crafts. The client who commissioned that Harley told his mate about Rough Crafts, and within a day, Winston Yeh had another entry on the job sheet.

This particular client is not a fan of Milwaukee machinery though, so Winston turned his eye to Borgo Panigale. “I’ve always been a big fan of the Ducati Monster,” he tells us. “Especially when they came out with the 1200/821 platform. The minimal, dual-section tubular frame makes it very easy to modify.”

“Even though there’s the more powerful Streetfighter V4 in the Ducati line up, the simplicity of the L-twin engine still provides a much better platform for any custom build,” he adds.

The client wanted a build that was “high spec and performance driven,” and Winston managed to locate one of the last brand-new 2020 Monster 1200S models in Taiwan—the predecessor to the new Monster 937.

With 147 hp on tap, plus multiple acronyms in the electronics department, the Monster S already had the performance that Winston’s client desired. So the initial focus was on the aesthetics.

“The customer showed me some classic custom cafe racers, but he wanted something super-modern and racy,” Winston recalls. “Looking for inspiration, the Pikes Peak machines built by BottPower and Deus Ex Machina caught my eyes: huge air ducts, naked, and all business. Brutal machines.”

To give the classic cafe silhouette a modern twist, Winston played with the front and rear proportions, adding a CNC’d billet rear subframe and seat pads from local specialist Chirui Leather Custom.

There’s also a completely new and rather angular tank, with knee inserts and badging by 2 Abnormal Sides, plus big air ducts to help cool the notoriously hot Ducati rear cylinder.

With a flat-track inspired ‘number plate’ fairing at the front and a compact tail section, the Monster now has an extremely racy vibe. But the riding position has been tweaked to make it a little more user-friendly. “I designed a top tree with the clip-on bars integrated and raised up,” says Winston. “So it’s not too tough if the owner wants to ride it daily to the local café.”

Winston has also fitted Motogadget grips and relocated the instrument to the top of the tree, behind the new Koso headlight. and everything fits together as neatly as a factory design.

The internals of the magnificent Testastretta engine are unmolested, but there’s a very obvious new exhaust system. Custom full titanium headers (built by MS Pro) feed into an SC Project S1GP muffler.

“The high rise tail pipe might look scary, but it’s tucked in close to the engine,” says Winston. “Initially I wanted something that looks super clean and sharp, but the rear pipe would be very short if it went directly from the rear cylinder to the tail.”

Ducati’s own Hypermotard 950 inspires the design. “At the bottom is a D-shaped link pipe,” Winston reveals. “It makes the stock electric box look like an exhaust cat box.” It’s a neat if unconventional solution, with slinky new foot controls from Sato Racing bracketed by the headers.

Power hits the back wheel via an STM dry slipper clutch, an RK Takasago RXW chain, a titanium sprocket flange from CNC Racing and a carbon fiber sprocket from CeraCarbon Racing.

The stock suspension on the Monster S is pretty high-end, but Winston has taken it to the next level. The forks are race-spec Öhlins FGR300, blacked out with CeraCarbon Racing outer tubes, and hooked up with the help of a CNC Racing bottom tree.

The brakes are Beringer all round, with four pistons at the front and two at the back, plumbed in with Accossato quick-disconnect hoses. The shock is the stock Öhlins, but blacked out and upgraded with a hydraulic preload adjuster from Andreani. All this goodness rolls on ultra light 17-inch BST Blackstone TEK wheels, shod with Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP V3 slicks.

As befits a performance-focused build, Winston and his assembly partner CH Moto have finished off the Monster with a multitude of small carbon and titanium parts, mostly to increase protection and lower weight. That includes carbon for parts like the radiator trim and rear fender, plus titanium wheel nuts and GP-style brake ducting.

The final finish was applied by Line&Circle Custom Paint and, of course, it’s stark monochrome—with a medley of different shades and levels of glossiness.

It couldn’t be anything other than a Rough Crafts bike, but it’s also one of the fastest A-to-B weapons to ever leave the Taipei studio. The overall effect is slightly HR Giger, but in a good way—this is mechanical Brutalism at its finest.

Rough Crafts | Facebook | Instagram | Photos by JL Photography

Winston would like to thank Öhlins, Beringer, BST, Pirelli, CNC Racing, SC Project, STM, CeraCarbon Racing, RK Takasago, Accossato and Sato Racing for their support.

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[DaveM]

FRENCH FLOW: Ducati Multistrada by Jerem Motorcycles.

They are two of the greatest motorcycle designers the world has known, master Massimo Tamburini and student Pierre Terblanche, responsible for some of the most iconic bikes of all time. While working at Cagiva, then owners of Ducati, the apprentice was tasked with creating a dual-sport motorcycle for the brands. Ever since then the Multistrada has been a staple of the big Italian’s line-up and...

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, February 13, 2022

This week we’ve got a limited edition machine from the German car tuner Brabus, a delightful R nineT cafe racer from Switzerland, and a box-fresh Yamaha TZ500 from the north of England. Plus news of Triumph’s TE-1 electric sportbike.

The Brabus 1300R Most motorcyclists also have a car in the garage, but collaborations between makers of two- and four-wheeled vehicles are surprisingly rare.

That alone makes this machine newsworthy. It’s based on the wild KTM 1290 Super Duke R EVO, the 180 hp Austrian hyper-naked, and just 154 units will be made—half in red, and half in black.

Car fans will know Brabus (est. 1977) as the German tuning firm that builds heavily customized Mercedes, and also restores older Benzes. If you live in a large city, that insane-looking G-Class SUV you once spotted was probably converted by Brabus.

Money is not really a concern for most Brabus customers, which might explain why the price for the 1300R is an eye-watering €51,466 [$58,400]. That’s almost $40,000 more than the stock EVO, so what do you get—aside from exclusivity?

The drivetrain is unchanged, but you get Brabus-branded forged wheels, a different twin-muffler setup, and tweaked bodywork with carbon fiber elements. The biggest differences are new air ducts, a new belly pan, and a round headlight (that might have been lifted from the Husqvarna parts bin).

The WP semi-active suspension is a slightly higher spec too, with variable damping that adjusts itself on the fly. And there are CNC-machined triple clamps, brake and clutch levers and footpegs. Finally, in a move that’s probably more in sync with the typical Brabus customer, the seat is heated.

Understated is not a word usually associated with Brabus cars, but to our eyes the 1300R actually looks better than the stock KTM. And although it’s a helluva lot of money to pay for a moderately modified hyper-naked, we’d be very happy to put one in the EXIF garage. [Order]

BMW R nineT by Meister Engineering You can usually spot the influences when examining a custom build, but the backstory to this BMW is more obscure than most. A few years ago, Geneva-based Antoine Meister built a 1977 R100S café racer—and he’s literally replicated the design on this 2014-spec R nineT.

It was experiment to see if timeless design can be transferred to a different platform, and it worked. Another objective was to get 100% reliability; even though classic airheads are pretty simple and robust, they can’t compete with a modern boxer.

The R nineT is Antoine’s personal ride, and after road tripping around Switzerland, he got back from vacation and couldn’t resist the urge to strip it down.

He then photographed the R100S and laid the images over matching shots of the R nineT to figure out the proportions and placements. With millimeter precision, Antoine designed a new rear subframe to support the bodywork and straighten the visual top line, and then he chrome-plated the entire frame.

The new bodywork was constructed in-house using composite fiber, and finished in a glossy black to contrast with the framework.

The next step was to improve the R nineT’s already good handling dynamics, so Antoine installed new Öhlins Blackline forks and a matching monoshock, which hooks up to the stock (but chrome-plated) swingarm. Lightweight new rims are shod with Pirelli Supercorsa rubber.

The engine has been treated to DNA filters and a Mass exhaust system, and the ECU has been reflashed to take advantage of this. Rear wheel horsepower is now 115, an increase of around 15%.

The R nineT was finished off with a smattering of Roland Sands hard parts, plus LED lighting all round. We reckon it’s the perfect mix of old and new—with the reassurance of knowing that it’ll start on the button every time. [Via]

Zero-mile Yamaha TZ500 The website Collecting Cars has a reputation for big-dollar sales, but this particular auction mysteriously failed to sell.

We’re guessing the only reason could be a high reserve price, because the machine in question is stunning: an unused 1982 TZ500 GP racer in as-new condition.

The specs for Yamaha’s famed pocket rocket speak for themselves: despite a capacity of only 500 cc, the two-stroke inline four pumps out a walloping 115 hp.

The TZ500 was based on the legendary YZR500, as raced by Kenny Roberts and his contemporaries. The TZ up for sale is a ‘J’ model, with cosmetic changes compared to earlier versions, and a slightly different engine spec.

This bike has spent its life in dry-store collections, so it’s basically ready-to-race once the rubber seals have been checked and replaced. The only reported faults are a pair of very small bodywork cracks near the seat and rear fairing.

Although the auction has closed, it looks like the vendor is open to offers. The bike is currently in the Sheffield area, in the north of England, and well-endowed buyers should hit the ‘Still Interested?’ button on the sales page. [Via]

Triumph TE-1 Electric Prototype Seven months after Harley-Davidson delivered the LiveWire to showrooms, there are further signs of life in the electric space. Husqvarna is set to launch its E-Pilen later this year, and Triumph has just revealed this TE-1 electric sportbike concept.

The first thing that struck us was the styling: it looks great. Perhaps a little ‘busy,’ but also fresh and modern, and clearly related to the current sporting Triple models. No doubt there will be some detail changes before we see a production bike, but the bones are good.

The project is a collaboration with several other British companies. Williams Advanced Engineering is looking after the battery side of things, and an outfit called Integral Powertrain is developing the motor and inverter. The University of Warwick is providing simulation data to ensure the bike performs as expected when it hits the road.

Triumph has not supplied many specifications for this belt-driven machine, except to say that the continuous power maximum is 90 kW (120 hp) and the peak is up to 130 kW (177 hp). The motor itself weighs around ten kilos, and the inverter can handle an impressive 500kW.

The next stage is six months of physical testing, on rolling roads and race tracks. If that all works out, productionization is presumably the next step. Triumph sounds pretty confident about the TE-1 and the project has government funding too, so we’re banking on it hitting showrooms in 2023. If the price is right, this one could bypass the early adopters and convert the naysayers. [Via]

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[DaveM]

ROYAL RIGID: Enfield 650 Bobber by Rajputana Customs.

When you combine the oldest motorcycle brand still in production and the oldest form of true customisation, it seems good things just always happen. A bobbed Royal Enfield might be the most cost-effective custom you can come up with, whether you’re looking to build a donor old or new. But, if you want that bike to really stand out from the crowd and truly be something spectacular, you need to find...

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[DaveM]

AMA Style: Workhorse’s superbike-inspired Indian FTR 1200

We love Brice Hennebert’s approach to building custom motorcycles. He’s passionate about retro race bikes, and injects that sense of performance and brutalism into all of his builds. We saw it on his bonkers land speeder, Appaloosa, and he’s just pulled the same trick with this Indian FTR 1200.

The man behind Belgium’s Workhorse Speed Shop has dubbed this one the ‘FTR AMA,’ and it’s no secret why. There’s more than just a little classic superbike influence here, from the upright riding position to the chunky bodywork. And it’s loaded with special little details too.

“The brief was pretty open: something colorful and as sharp as a war tank,” Brice tells us. “The only restriction was that the paint be inspired by the Martini Racing livery.”

“After some research and brainstorming, I based the look around AMA SBK racers from the 80s and the rally cars from the same era. The main influences were the Lancia Delta HF, mixed with Bol d’Or 750s and some muscle bike DNA.”

Brice actually had another FTR 1200 build going on at the same time as this one, commissioned by the owner’s brother. He went in a totally different direction with it though—both aesthetically and in terms of his design process. That bike was conceived using clay shaping techniques, while the FTR AMA was an exercise in digital mastery.

“I used direct CAD design based on a 3D scan of the FTR chassis,” Brice explains. “Then, all the body parts were 3D printed and reinforced with carbon fibre.”

Those new body parts include the number board-style headlight surround, chunky fuel tank and blocky tail section. But they only tell a part of the story. Hiding underneath and between them are a bunch of custom parts that pull the whole thing together.

For starters, the fuel tank is just a cover. Mounted beneath it is an aluminum fuel cell, with a secondary reservoir tucked under the seat to bring the total capacity up to the FTR’s original 14 liters. An endurance-style gas cap sits up top.

There’s another nod to endurance racers out back, where Brice has embedded the Indian’s battery in the tail hump for quick access. The brushed leather upholstery on the scooped race seat is courtesy of Workhorse’s go-to guy, Jeroen at Silver Machine in Ermelo, The Netherlands. Finishing off the tail is a big square taillight, scalped from an old bike and retrofitted with LED internals.

To push the 80s AMA vibe even further, Brice converted the rear end from a single to twin shock setup. The arrangement includes a pair of Öhlins shocks, connecting the modified subframe to a custom-built swingarm that also takes inspiration from the era. It’s 40 mm longer than before too, and is fitted with a 3D printed chain slider.

Brice had some help in this department, with Vinco Racing in The Netherlands handling all the machining on the project. That freed Brice up to focus on other areas of the build.

Working from Brice’s CAD drawings, Vinco not only fabricated the fuel tanks and swingarm components, but also made a new set of chassis plates and various mounting brackets for the bike. And they machined a set of yokes that mimic those on classic Honda Bol d’Or models, designed to hold the FTR’s 43 mm Öhlins forks.

Vinco also built the frame-mounted bracket that holds the front number board, a PIAA race light and a Setrab oil cooler. Tucked behind the number board is the original Indian dash—kept so as not to lose any of the bike’s stock functionality. There’s a tiny Motogadget speedo mounted just above it, because Brice deleted the bike’s ABS, which also feeds the speed to the OEM speedo.

Other changes to the cockpit include a set of ProTaper handlebars, Beringer levers and Motogadget bar-end turn signals.

Another big visual hit comes from the FTR’s new wheels, which were custom made by JoNich Wheels in Italy, and loosely based off one of their existing designs. “The design makes me think of the turbo fan wheels used on the racing Lancia,” says Brice. “So that was a perfect choice for me.”

The wheels caused some clearance issues with the stock brakes, so Brice called in another favor. Beringer came to the party with their 4D braking system, complete with custom colors to suit the overall design.

Rounding out the spec sheet is a custom pie-cut stainless steel exhaust system, running into a pair of S&S Cycle mufflers. Under the hood you’ll find a pair of DNA filters, mounted on 3D printed intakes.

Considering the brief, and the influences Brice drew on, the Indian’s new livery also hits the mark spectacularly. Axecent in Japan penned the design, which Brice’s friend, Fabian, then laid down. Martini-inspired paint jobs can so easily go wrong, but this one’s a winner.

Brice describes the FTR AMA as “aggressive, massive and a real pleasure to ride.” We call it retro muscle bike perfection.

Workhorse Speed Shop | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Antoine Hotermans | With thanks to Indian Motorcycles Europe

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