Custom Motorcycle Builds

[DaveM]

Rags to Riches: A custom Honda CX500 street tracker

There’s nothing pretty about the Honda CX500, but it does have its charms. Case in point: the owner of this CX500 picked the bike for its engine’s industrial looks and rev-happy nature. For the rest, he turned to BJ English at Brick House Builds in Missouri.

BJ’s no stranger to the humble Honda V-twin, and has a few CX- and GL-based builds under his belt. “It’s a very versatile bike to build,” he says. “Think of them as Sportsters, in that they aren’t excellent at anything, but decent at everything!”

His casual attitude belies just how much work went into turning the 1981-model CX500 into the spicy street tracker it is now. The project started with a less-than-ideal donor bike, and a brief loaded with expectations. “The customer wanted a very trick high-end custom that was also comfortable and fun to ride,” says BJ.

“When it arrived, the bike was in very sorry shape. It had already been modified but was incomplete, and unfortunately had very poor work done to it. As I went to push the bike into the shop the entire seat and tail literally broke off in my hand… it was that bad.”

One of the biggest upgrades here is the motor, which BJ swapped out for a 1983-model Honda GL650 Silver Wing mill. Since the engine had been pulled from a wrecked bike found at a junkyard, he had no idea what condition it was really in—so it underwent a full rebuild.

The job included some light porting work, along with custom intake manifolds. Some of the internal parts were upgraded “for peace of mind,” and the clutch was rebuilt with new plates and stiffer springs. BJ kept the original CX500 radiator, but added a large Suzuki fan to it.

The carbs are new, and inhale through a pair of pod filters. BJ fabricated the stainless steel two-into-one exhaust headers himself, adding a Competition Werks muffler on the end.

“Getting it dialed in on the dyno resulted in 61 hp at the tire,” he confirms, “which we were very happy with. Riding the bike you notice the torque the most, as it just feel grunty, even from low RPMs where you use the bike the most.”

The CX500’s chassis has had a significant overhaul too. BJ upgraded the front end with the upside-down forks and twin Tokico disc brakes from a Suzuki GSX-R1000. The swap was made using a Cognito Moto kit, which included a new CNC-machined top yoke and wheel hubs.

Gone are the CX500’s unmistakable (read: ugly) Comstar hoops. The new wheels feature 17” Warp 9 rims, and road-focussed Pirelli Diablo Rosso tires.

The CX500’s tail section isn’t falling apart any more either. BJ fabricated a new subframe with a tidy loop at the back, leveling out the stock bike’s wonky silhouette in the process. A subtle kink in the down tubes helps tighten the whole design up.

Lower down, BJ braced the swingarm and welded in reinforced shock mounts to convert the CX500 from a dual- to mono-shock setup. The shock itself is a Ducati 900SS unit.

The bodywork on this street tracker is dead simple, but perfectly proportioned. Up front is the fuel tank from a ‘Deluxe’ model CX500, fitted with a flush-mounted filler cap. BJ tweaked its mounts to level it out too; it now harmonizes nicely with the new subframe, and the hand-made tail cowl.

Lift the seat, and you’ll find a neatly arranged electronics tray, featuring a NWT Cycletronic ‘Morty’ system around which the bike was rewired.

BJ’s client was set on an upright riding position, so this Honda is sporting Renthal 1 1/8” handlebars with a substantial amount of rise. They’re fitted with Domino controls, new levers and switches, and bar-end turn signals. (There’s a set of bar-end mirrors too, but they were removed for these photos.)

A digital dash from Koso sits behind a small cowl, with a vintage-style headlight mounted on hand-made brackets. The bike is littered with subtle one-off parts—including a hidden crankcase breather, an aluminum radiator overflow bottle and a custom shift linkage. Even the bike’s side stand is custom.

We have to award top marks to BJ for the incredibly well-judged livery too. “The customer and I collab very well on colors,” he says. “We knew we wanted a very timeless Honda scheme for this bike, but a bit more subtle in the way of logos and lettering.”

“I drew up a rendition of the Honda wing that ties in the angle of the valve covers, and helps them transition into the tank, both in shape and color. In the back, some simple HRC lettering helps fill the fiberglass cowl.” Slipstream Creations handled the paint work, while Rich Phillips Leather tackled the blue ultrasuede seat cover.

It’s hard enough to make a bone stock Honda CX500 look good. But pulling that off with a bike that’s literally falling apart? That takes serious chops.

10/10.

Brick House Builds | Facebook | Instagram | Images by James Fawcett at Slipstream Creations

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[Vector]

CX500 what a flop for Honda. I rode one, the motor was horrible and the bike was uncomfortable, My knees hit the heads.

 

[Vector]

Venier reimagines the Guzzi Nuovo Falcone for 2020

Classy

 

[DaveM]

Vagabund 350 Safari: The Ultimate KTM kit

In Britain Marmite, the yeast extract spread, is hugely popular. But although millions of jars are sold every year, it’s a very acquired taste. The hashtag of the brand is #LoveItHateIt.

In the motorcycling world, KTM is probably the closest equivalent. The plastics are angular and aggressive, and the brand color is a retina-searing orange. Personally, I love KTM’s style—but I also know plenty of people who don’t.

This KTM from Vagabund Moto must be hard for anyone to resist, though. Led by Paul Brauchart and Philipp Rabl, the Austrian workshop is famed for beautiful aesthetics as well as high-tech manufacturing skills.

The ‘350 Safari’ is a kit based on the 350 EXC—a classic ‘dirt bike with lights’. It’s powered by a four-valve DOHC single, and since it weighs just 236 lbs (107 kg) dry, performance is very sharp.

“We had a client who was interested in something like our Honda NX650,” says Paul. “We got a lot of requests for that bike after publishing. So we thought it would be cool to build something like our Dominator, but easier to handle—in shipping as well as building.”

A project like this KTM is very complex though, and the run of parts is not big enough to deliver economies of scale. “You think of thousand things you would do in a different way with a one-off bike, but it’s still made-to-order and by hand,” says Paul.

“People often hear ‘series motorcycle’ and think it’s mass produced, but this KTM is still a tailor-made custom project. There’s no difference in production cost if we build one or five.”

The quality has always been sky-high with Vagabund’s previous builds, and this one is no different. The bodywork is stealthy and monochromatic, but pieced together with factory-level precision.

“The hardest part was trying to generate a minimalist look,” says Paul. “We’re producing a fully functional off road bike, with all the necessary parts to be street legal in Austria. Dealing with a lot of compromises!”

Vagabund are adept at CAD and 3D printing, and the KTM is a showcase for their skills. “We disassembled the whole bike and started by 3D scanning it,” says Paul. “It was important to keep the original mounting points and give the KTM a new look, without cutting or welding anything on the frame.”

This means that buyers who don’t want to order a complete 350 Safari from Vagabund can ditch the plastics from their own bike and fit the KTM kit, without having major mechanical skills.

The kit does not compromise the functionality of the 350 EXC, either. “We keep the original air filter, and protect the electrics and so on,” says Paul. “You can still go off-roading without any restrictions.”

The bodywork material is Polyamid 12, a hard nylon polymer with good tensile strength and abrasion resistance.

Vagabund have used this to 3D print everything from the fuel tank cover to the air filter housing, plus smaller items such as the licence plate holder and the radiator surround—which cleverly includes daytime running lights.

There are two versions of the 3D printed rear end, which slots into a beautifully finished custom-made subframe with a discreet electrical box hidden underneath.

On top is a long and slim seat with immaculate Alcantara upholstery, complete with branded tab—just like you’d find on a factory-built machine. Alongside is a GKA auxiliary fuel pack on a custom metal rack; this supplements the main 12-liter tank, which is a KTM motocross unit rather than the factory-fitted 350 EXC one.

At the business end, the chunky 48mm WP forks have been hard anodized, and the stock fender has been replaced with a Husqvarna TC85 unit painted black. Right above is a compact rack that houses miniscule Kellermann LED turn signals.

The rack is also flanked by a pair of headlights—Highsider’s powerful Satellite LED units. It’s a very compact setup, since the lenses are a mere 44mm in diameter.

To seal the deal, Vagabund have developed a set of engine and swingarm covers, and they also add a dark ceramic coating to the exhaust muffler. But the Maxxis dirt tires shown in these images are an option; if you wish, more road-biased rubber can be fitted.

“It depends on the final use,” says Paul. “We really recommend it as a city bike.” Vagabund can also supply an Austrian TÜV certificate to confirm roadworthiness, and can adapt the paint and finishes to a customer’s tastes.

We’d take the KTM just as it’s shown in these images. But with a set of tires that can handle tight city streets, as well as hard pack trails—something like Continental TKC70s.

Then we’re looking at the ultimate commuter weapon.

Vagabund Moto | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Stefan Leitner

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[DaveM]

Behind the scenes: Designing the Batman motorcycle

There’s a sense of self-sufficiency that’s deeply ingrained in the Batman mythos. Bruce Wayne has no superpowers—just his intellect, combat skills and gadgets. That, and a Batcave full of fantastical vehicles.

The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson, offers a darker and grittier take on the caped crusader than we’ve seen before. The production design is incredible; Gotham feels suitably grim, and the Batmobile is one of the best to ever grace the big screen. Mr. Reeves clearly likes motorcycles too, because this movie has three of ’em.

Batman has the Batcycle, Bruce Wayne cruises around on a beat-up café racer [above] when he wants to remain incognito, and Catwoman exclusively travels on two wheels. Her ride is a BMW R nineT that sources tell us was customized by Kaichiroh Kurosu at Cherry’s Company. But the other two, and the Batmobile, were designed by Ash Thorp.

Ash Thorp is a multi-discipline digital artist with a wild imagination. He’s know for the CGI ‘kit-bashing’ automobile customizations that he creates as one half of Make.Haste.Corp., and he’s one of Ken Block’s collaborative vehicle design partners.

He also worked on various designs for the 2017 film Ghost in the Shell, which inadvertently set him up for this job. Hollywood’s top filmmakers all run in the same circles—so when The Batman’s production designer, James Chinlund, asked Ghost in the Shell’s director, Rupert Sanders, if he knew anyone who could design the new Batmobile, Ash’s name came up.

“James and I had a great first call in which he told me he was working on The Batman as the production designer,” he tells us. “We hit it off and had a great creative alignment from the start”

Ash’s first job was to design the Batmobile. “When I visited James at the Warner Brothers lot, he had showed me a couple of key inspirations. He told me briefly: ‘Okay, this is a real world Batman. He builds it himself. It’s got to have culture of Americana muscle car, raw, real, and you have to viscerally feel it.’”

It took about two months for Ash to nail down the preliminary Batmobile design. Heavily influenced by American muscle cars, and with a giant turbine poking out the back, it’s equal parts DIY and bonkers. And its first appearance in the film is truly a goosebumps moment.

With that out of the way, it was onto the motorcycle designs—a subject matter Ash is a little less familiar with. “To be completely honest, I love motorcycles,” he says. “I love the look of them. But I have a problem with speed—therefore, my wife will never let me have a motorcycle.”

Ash was familiar with the custom scene though, and a big fan of Radical Ducati specifically. From his perspective, customizers like Radical were doing with physical bikes what he’d been doing with cars digitally for years; taking them apart, mixing and matching parts and putting them back together. So he bought a bunch of stock 3D files of motorcycles, and got to work designing the Batcycle.

“I treated the process as if I was really him and really doing it,” he explains. “And I was like, ‘okay, well, I’ll take that piece from that, I’ll take that from there, and I’ll take this from there. Okay, I’m missing these things—I’ll just build and fabricate that. I’ll put that there. Okay, these wheels would go there. It’s getting closer. Does this feel like something that people would be afraid of? Does it look fast? Does it look scary? Okay, cool. Let’s keep adding to it.’”

“I kept approaching it as if I was a crime fighter living my best false life as Bruce Wayne. Even with the car, I think I treated it the same.”

Influenced by the Ducati Monster, Ash sculpted his creation around an exposed trellis frame. He pulled the front cowl and forks from a Ducati (he can’t remember exactly which model), then created his own brakes and wheels. The tank, seat and tail were all modeled from scratch.

For the engine, Ash decided that since this was a movie, he could break the rules a little. (After all, a Batcycle deserves at least some fantasy elements.) So he decided to exaggerate the motor and wheelbase.

The engine is actually two BMW boxer motors, deconstructed and stacked on top of each other. Pulling inspiration from the Suzuki Hayabusa, Ash stretched the swingarm and added a gargantuan tire at the back. He explains that he wanted the bike to look like it was built for high speed pursuits, but admits that it might not be the most maneuverable machine.

“You can see my lack of motorcycle knowledge in the overall design of things. Like the swingarm in the rear, it doesn’t make sense geometry-wise. And I’m sure I’ll get ripped a new one by super bike nerds which is totally fine. I deserve it—I’m just an art guy.”

Once Batman’s bike was signed off, it was time to move onto Bruce Wayne’s two-wheeled whip. There are parts of the movie where he moves around the city out of ‘uniform,’ but undercover, and for that he chooses two wheels.

Ash pitched the idea of a low-key, beat-up café racer, that still looked like it would be fast enough to catch bad guys. “And also, it was the DNA of what he would build if he were to build the next version of it, which is the Batcycle,” he adds.

With a trellis frame and an L-twin engine, there’s more than just a little Ducati Monster DNA in Ash’s ‘Drifter’ bike design. And looking at the renders, it’s clear that Ash is master of nailing photo-realistic textures in the digital space.

Once the renders were done, Ash handed them to the production team and took his hands off the wheel. In the end, the Drifter bike was built using what seems to be a mid-sized four-cylinder Honda CB. The general vibe remained, but the actual bike in the movie has more of a real world feel to it.

The Batcycle translated more accurately to the screen, which couldn’t have been an easy task. Rumor has it that the production team sculpted it on top of an electric motorcycle, leaving them free to execute the fantasy elements without making them work in a practical sense. (It’s a common Hollywood practice.)

“It’s a huge leap going from a digital design,” says Ash. “My goal with my renders is to make them look and feel as real as possible, but it’s not a production-ready execution really, because you have to do everything to scale, and you have to pass everything over to draftspeople and a production team, and people that take the design and then translate it to a reality, which is a whole other thing.”

“It’s always tough to let go of your design but James, Matt and the team of amazing talent just did such an incredible job on the entire production.”

“Sitting in a theater and watching it, I was overwhelmed. I thought ‘wow, I’m finally a part of something that I very much connect with on a tonal and taste spectrum through and through.’”

Ash Thorp | Instagram | With thanks to Adam Fitzgerald / Iron & Air

Film credits
Director: Matt Reeves
Production designer: James Chinlund
Batmobile/Batcycle designer: Ash ThorpDesign and production team: Ben Last, Patrick Dunn Baker, Daniel Frank, Haisu Wang, Joe Hiura, Dominic Tuohy

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[DaveM]

GREEN WITH XV: Yamaha XV750 from Jerem Motorcycles.

The end game came fast for the Chopper scene, with many of the builders who’d become household names going broke overnight. Suddenly those six-figure builds were practically being given away on sites like eBay and Auto Trader. But in the background had emerged an ever-growing presence of the more discerning custom creator and their impact on the zeitgeist has been simply overwhelming.

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, April 10, 2022

There’s a lot to drool over this week. How about a classic ‘streamliner’ sidecar rig based on a modern Triumph? Or a road-legal Honda CB500 racer? Or a retro kit for the Honda CB400 Super Four?

If that’s all a little too pricey for you, check out the latest motorcycle exhibition coming up at the Petersen Automotive Museum—which includes one of our all-time favorite customs, the Zero XP by Untitled Motorcycles.

Alliance II sidecar by BAAK Motocyclettes We’ve always had a bit of a thing for sidecar outfits, from practical Urals with two-wheel-drive to elegant vintage contraptions. This new release from BAAK’s workshop in Lyons has a foot in both camps: it channels the style of yesteryear but also includes a whopping 70 liters of trunk space.

The sidecar was built with the help of the top French specialist Précision Side-cars. It’s based on their Gran’Large model and is paired with a Triumph T120 that’s been beautifully customized to match. The sidecar features a third shock carefully dialed in for maximum comfort, and the third wheel is also braked.

The craftsmen at BAAK carefully hand-brushed the aluminum skin, and polished stripes were added to compliment the ‘streamliner’ aesthetics. Simple yet elegant leather upholstery wraps the entire passenger compartment, with classic linear stitching to keep the theme going. And there’s an Alpaga tonneau cover to protect the innards when there’s no passenger.

The T120 has been fitted with custom aluminum bodywork with a satin finish. The cockpit has been cleaned up and a repro Bates headlight (with integrated speedo) sits ahead of the bars.

The whole vibe is just perfect, and unlike many custom builds, incredibly practical. It sure beats doing a run to the shops with a backpack tugging at your shoulders. [More]

Honda CB400 Super Four retro kit Doremi is a well-known workshop in Japan, but flies under the radar in the west. Occasionally they are asked to collaborate with manufacturers, as happened with Kawasaki’s Z900RS project, but they also build bikes and sell a huge array of parts.

The Kurashiki-based workshop has just released a kit for the Honda CB400SF, which is a popular bike in SE Asia—and was sold in Australia until around five years ago. The SF is not a bad looker in factory form, but the kit elevates it to a new level by assimilating the style of the 1980s CBX400.

The kit includes a new steel fuel tank, with provision for relocating the pump. There’s also a new seat/tail unit that apes the CBX remarkably well, despite the current bike having a twin-shock rather than monoshock setup. Even the stitching on the seat mirrors that of the CBX.

Other parts include the distinctive four-into-one exhaust system, complete with the crossover pipe that put the ‘X’ into CBX, and a slimline muffler.

The kit was revealed at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show a couple of weeks ago, and Doremi are still finishing off the production details. The good news is that it’ll be priced under ¥300,000, which is around $2,400. That sounds like a bargain to us. [Via]

‘Electric Revolutionaries’ at the Petersen Automotive Museum There’s a new exhibition coming up at the famed Los Angeles museum. Opening on April 14, ‘Electric Revolutionaries’ showcases 25 of the most interesting electric motorcycles ever built.

They’ve been selected by Paul d’Orleans of the Motor/Cycle Arts Foundation. Highlights include KillaJoule [above], the home-built land speed racer that Eva Hakansson took to 240.7 mph. Built by Hakansson and her husband at home—and with a limited budget—it’s the fastest sidecar streamliner ever, regardless of engine type.

Making its worldwide public debut will be the ‘The One’ by Curtiss Motors [above], designed by JT Nesbitt. Visitors will also be able to inspect Walt Siegl’s ultra-minimalist ‘RONTU’ that uses carbon fiber, aluminum and a lack of body panels to keep weight down to a mere 100 lbs.

Hugo Eccles’ avant-garde and award-winning ‘Zero XP’ [below] will be familiar to readers of this site. It’s a radical reinterpretation of the production Zero SR/F, and one of the most striking electric bikes we’ve seen.

“It is incredible how far electric motorcycles have come in the short time from our first exhibit in 2019,” says Petersen Executive Director Terry L. Karges. “The detail, level of craftsmanship and unorthodox thinking behind these electric motorcycles make them must-sees.” [Petersen Automotive Museum]

1970 Honda CB500 Racer There aren’t many successful race bikes that you can legally ride on the road, but this is one of them. It was built in the late 70s by racer Brian Brownrigg, and won several British championships before being registered for the road in 1997.

Brownrigg converted the rear suspension to monoshock, and had the CB500 engine tuned. The inline four is ported and balanced, and also sports 20mm Amal Mk II carburettors, a Yoshimura YH-2-1 race cam, uprated pistons, a re-bore out to 56mm and a Kibblewhite valve spring kit to stop the whole shebang from blowing up.

New brakes keep the machine roadworthy, and for a storied race bike, it’s in pretty good cosmetic condition too.

If your idea of a good weekend is blasting a genuine retro racer around country lanes, then you’ll be happy to know that the CB500 is for sale. It’s being offered by Collecting Cars and is based in East Sussex, England.

Bidding is sitting at a very reasonable £2,500 as I write this, but you’ll need to be quick. The auction is literally about to finish. [Via | Auction page]

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[DaveM]

The ‘Go Fast’: A bored-out Honda CB550 by Federal Moto

Building your own custom motorcycle is an incredibly rewarding experience… until it isn’t anymore. The owner of this 1976 Honda CB550F can relate. After taking a crack at rebuilding it himself, he threw in the towel and decided to hand it over to a pro shop, rather than let it become another abandoned shed build.

Since the owner’s based in Chicago, Federal Moto got the call. “When we picked up the bike it was a mess,” says shop boss, Mike Muller. “Rusty, tired and well ridden for decades. He wanted the full Federal treatment, wheel to wheel, giving us complete creative freedom with colors and design.”

“His only request was ‘make it fast as f-k.’ So here’s what we came up with: the ‘Go Fast’.”

Federal has spent the last while staffing up and moving to a bigger space. So they now offer a bunch of new engine-related services on top of their usual custom work. The CB was in good hands.

For starters, Federal’s head technician, Chris Goerg, went to town on the tired motor. It’s been fully rebuilt and blueprinted, with a 592cc piston kit from Dynoman Performance. APE Race Cranks lightened and balanced the crankshaft, while Webcam Racing supplied a new camshaft.

Chris also installed KPMI valves, springs and guides, then angled the valves. Other upgrades include a Dyna ignition, a Barnett clutch kit and Keihin CR carbs. The exhaust system is a thing of beauty; stainless steel headers mated to a throaty Cone Engineering muffler.

Speed is useless without control, so Federal upgraded the chassis too. The front end wears the forks and twin Tokico brakes from a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, with a pair of Öhlins Blackline shocks mounted out back.

The Honda rolls on 18” Excel rims, laced to Cognito Moto hubs with stainless steel spokes. They’re wrapped in Metzeler’s Roadtec 01 sport touring tires. Federal also installed a Brembo brake at the back, custom sprockets from Sprocket Specialists, and a chain tensioner from Monster Craftsman that uses a skateboard wheel for a roller.

Mike has a knack for working unconventional design touches into his builds. Here, he kept the CB550F’s OEM tank to retain some of its original DNA, but fabricated a tail section that rides the line between organic and geometric. It might eschew typical café racer aesthetics—but it looks great here.

The flowy effect extends to the custom subframe, which features the subtlest of kinks to tie everything together. Peek between the down tubes, and you’ll spot a splash guard that keeps muck out of the velocity stacks.

The back end of the tail’s filled in by a 3D printed taillight and turn signals combo, deigned and built by in-house engineer Desmond Diogiovanni. Regular collaborator Dane Utech at Plz be Seated treated the seat to an equally interesting cover.

Other custom bits include the front fender and brackets, and the stainless steel exhaust hanger. Even the kick start lever is modified, tucking it in low and tight.

Up top is a CNC-machined yoke from Cognito Moto, with a Motogadget speedo and LED warning lights sunk into it. Federal installed clip-on bars, then kitted them out with Motogadget switches, grips, and bar-end mirrors and turn signals. An LED headlight lights the way.

Federal also re-wired the bike with a Motogadget control box and keyless ignition. The important electronic bits are stashed under the tail section, along with a Lithium-ion battery from AntiGravity. Cognito Moto rear sets finish off the parts list.

Parked, the CB550F looks poised to strike, with a compact and sharp silhouette. But it’s also wearing one of the freshest liveries we’ve seen in a while; top marks to Jason van der Woude at NSD Paintwerks.

A black Cerakote finish on the engine, and period-correct Honda logos on the tank, add the perfect finishing touches.

The real question is: did Federal nail the brief? Does this CB550F go as fast as it looks? Mike says “yes.”

“Let me tell you, its pretty awesome to feel a vintage Honda break loose in second gear!”

Federal Moto | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Grant Schwingle

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[DaveM]

SLOVAKIAN STEALTH: BMW R80 by Earth Motorcycles.

Read the comments section on any custom car or motorcycle website, and you’ll see just how true the saying ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ really is. Some of the hate is exactly that, negative comments for the sake of it, without appreciating the skill to craft what lays before their eyes. But, there are very real and genuine differences in taste and this can be the make-or-break issue...

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[DaveM]

Chimera: A wild Ducati from Balamutti’s mad scientist

Most customs are driven by aesthetics. A handful are defined by engineering, and this very strange Ducati from St. Petersburg is one of them.

It comes from Vitaliy Selyukov of the Balamutti workshop, and he’s a dab hand at pushing the engineering envelope. He’s the man who built a three-wheeled Hypermotard ice racer, and he’s stayed true to form with his latest creation.

Balamutti is actually a family operation, because Vitaliy works with his wife Sanita and daughter Angelina. But there’s nothing homely about this 900SS-powered build, which he’s called ‘Chimera.’

The project took the team almost four years to complete, with a lot of that time occupied by the front end—which uses a swingarm with hub-center steering.

The obvious parallel is the Bimota Tesi, which has a similar front end. But this one is slightly different.

“I was able to bypass Bimota’s patents,” says Vitaliy mischievously. “The person who designed this suspension was the inventor Count Shilovsky.” (Historians may know Shilovsky as the man who revealed the ‘Gyrocar’ in 1914—a two-wheeled oddity stabilized by a gyroscope.)

“Of course, the Bimota Tesi was an inspiration,” Vitaliy admits. “But I’ve reduced the spherical joints and levers in the steering. As a result, I have one less lever and two fewer loops.”

To reduce unsprung weight without compromising strength, Vitaliy has used high-quality structural alloy steel wherever possible—which was not easy to find in billet form.

The rest of the bike is heavily modified too, albeit more conventionally, using a smorgasbord of parts from several other Ducatis—including the Hypermotard, Monster S2R, 916 and 1098.

The engine is a Desmo L-twin 900SS unit, rebuilt and repainted, and now fitted with a slipper clutch.

Gases exhale via a custom stainless steel exhaust system, welded by Sanita and finished with a colorful coating of titanium nitride—an extremely hard ceramic material.

The custom rear swingarm wraps around a 7.5-inch wide back wheel, which Vitaliy made himself, with 48 spokes. Set off to the side is an unusual LED brake light, with shards of plastic set into a metal surround.

The shock and modified linkage are from a Hypermotard, but the floating brake rotor is an aftermarket fitment from Arashi, with twin Brembo calipers for maximum stopping power. It’s a virtual mirror image of the system used on the front wheel.

The tank is one of the few relatively conventional elements on this machine. “I really liked the original SS900 tank,” says Vitaliy. “Therefore we decided to keep the shape, but make it smaller.”

Leonid from the local fabrication specialist Driveinworkshop helped with this, welding up the aluminum. At the same time, Vitaliy stripped away the original Ducati dashboard and rewired it into a small Koso display set into the tank.

“It didn’t have an oil pressure lamp, so I 3D-printed one where the starter button goes.” He also manufactured a mirror, with polished stainless steel as the reflective element rather than glass.

The vivid paint was handled by Anton at Octopus Art Aerografia. Apparently the trickiest part was not the multitude of small components and colors, but getting an aluminum-style finish on the front swingarm.

Vitaliy admits that he’s a bit of a ‘mad scientist’, but that’s fine with us. Bikes as extreme as this might not be for everyone, but they add a lot of color to the custom world—and prove that engineering can be fun, too.

Balamutti | Instagram | Images by Alexey Satirskiy

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[DaveM]

MODERN CLASSIC: Ducati GT1000 by Moto Mucci.

In a social media driven world of likes and follows, retweets and shares, it is often the big egos with the flashy personalities that stand out the most. But then there are those who truly let their work do the talking and it’s their talent and ability that ensures they’re a mainstay of their chosen industry. In the world of custom bikes, few fit that mould quite like Industrial Designer and...

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[DaveM]

Silver Ant: Hookie Co.’s Cake Ösa electric drag racer

Cake’s electrical motorcycles look exactly like you’d expect high-end products from Swedish designers to look: slick, utilitarian and minimalist. So who better to customize one than Germany’s Hookie Co.?

The Dresden-based custom house is known for their sharp eye and fresh style—and they’re familiar with Cake’s drivetrains. Their otherworldly Tardigrade moon rover concept is Cake-powered, and they’ve produced a bolt-on kit for Cake’s Ösa electric utility bike. Now they’ve taken the second concept further, with an Ösa-based drag racer.

The idea of a silent drag race might sound weird, but that’s exactly what’s happening this September. The massive Glemseck 101 festival is finally back after a long pandemic-induced hiatus—and it now includes an electrics-only race. Hookie Co. will be lining up on this sharp little whip, dubbed the ‘Silver Ant.’

Hookie Co. picked the up-specced Ösa+ model for their build. Cake pitch it as being equivalent to a 125 cc petrol-powered scoot, with a 10 kW motor and a top speed of 90 km/h [56 mph]. But this one’s a little quicker.

Hookie have ripped into the controller software to eke out as much power as possible. They’re still tuning it, but they know what their goal is; 160 km/h [100 mph].

It’s not just about top speed though. The acceleration curve on this Ösa+ is way different from stock, and the engine braking’s been adjusted to the point that the bike only needs one brake. It’s a whole new world of performance tuning.

Out the box, the Ösa+ is made for commuting and hauling cargo, with ergonomics to match. Hookie needed to tweak its stance for the drag strip, so they swapped out the forks for a lowered set from the Ösa Lite. They kept the OEM swingarm, shock and 14” wheels, but added a set of Michelin City Grip 2 tires.

The rest of the frame is bone stock—which was a key aspect of this project. Hookie Co. are well-versed in the science of building plug-and-play kits, and the Ösa+ is made to be modular. So other than a fresh coat of wrinkle black on the swingarm and the main frame’s backbone, nothing’s been fettled on the chassis itself.

Hookie simply unbolted the stock trimmings, and slapped on an alternate version of their ‘Ant‘ body kit. The one-piece aluminum cover bolts onto the bike’s existing mounting points, with a little more coverage than Hookie’s original Ant design. There’s no seat on this one either—just some grip tape to keep the rider from sliding off the back.

The Cake’s digital dash has been moved from its traditional perch, to on top of the body kit, just behind the bars. A cut-out on the left side of the main panel offers access to the charge port.

The riding position is as dedicated as you’d expect for a bike that’s designed for straight line sprints. Clip-ons are mounted ultra-low up front, fitted with Hookie’s own translucent ‘Frozen’ grips.

The controls are about as basic as they come. The right side features the starter switch and throttle, and the left features a Magura hydraulic clutch control that’s been repurposed to operate the front (and only) brake. The foot pegs and their perches are custom, and sit as far back as possible.

Hookie built their own head- and taillights too, each with a grid of small LEDs. Both lights are governed by a Arduino controller, allowing Hookie to customize the ‘display’ at each end.

And if you’re wondering what the antenna at the back is for, it’s a wireless receiver. Hookie are developing a system that offers remote access to the engine and battery software, but they’re still figuring out some range and reliability issues.

Visually, Hookie’s Silver Ant is a knockout. It’s compact and pixel perfect, with the sort of bold graphics that we’ve come to expect from this crew. But it also looks like it’d be wild to ride—especially when they manage to hit the numbers they’re aiming for.

We can’t wait to see what other electric oddities will line up at the Glemseck 101.

Hookie Co. | Facebook | Instagram

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[DaveM]

All Blue: An SP1000 to celebrate Moto Guzzi’s centenary

There aren’t many motorcycle manufacturers that have been around for a hundred years. Especially if you ignore brand revivals, or buy-outs from foreign companies.

Last year, Moto Guzzi celebrated a century of continuous motorcycle production. It was a surprisingly low-key affair, but at least one custom workshop has decided to mark the event—Gas & Oil Bespoke Motorcycles of the Czech Republic.

The Prague workshop is over 500 miles north-east of the Moto Guzzi factory in Mandello del Lario, but this SP1000-based machine is Italian at its core. Called ‘All Blue,’ it throws the spotlight onto the 90-degree V-twin engine that the marque is famous for.

“All Blue is our idea of what a ‘100th anniversary Moto Guzzi’ should look like,” says shop founder Matěj Sysel. “We got the commission from a customer who is a huge fan of Moto Guzzi.”

Gas & Oil kicked off the proceedings by stripping down the 948cc engine. It’s an old school, air-cooled mill with just two valves per cylinder—but it delivers a decent 62 lb-ft of torque just past 5,000 rpm, and once it’s off idle, is smooth and powerful.

After refurbishing and reassembling the motor, Matěj and his crew repainted the cases and installed a pair of beautiful new Dell’Orto PHF carburetors with accelerator pumps.

The engine is now squeezed into a restored and refinished frame from a California—a machine renowned for good handling, despite its touring background.

The back of the frame has been neatly truncated to suit a classic café ‘hump,’ but Gas & Oil have retained and restored the original California forks.

The hump behind the immaculate tuck-and-roll leather seat is a classic Yamaha component, but not easily identifiable. It’s part of an SR gas tank, with a circular brake light inset at the back.

New YSS shocks keep the handling tight, and are flanked by megaphone-style mufflers from the Czech maker Sharon. They’re plugged into custom stainless steel exhaust manifolds, which run underneath Tarozzi footpegs.

The 18-inch alloy wheels have been treated to the same finish as the engine, and are shod with Bridgestone Battlax BT46 rubber—a modern production tire with a vintage-style tread pattern.

The Brembo brakes are completely refurbished, with new rotors included. “On top of that, we used a Cerakote coating for the calipers,” says Matěj. “It’s very resistant to high temperatures, and also to the chemical effects of brake fluid.”

The slightly heavy-set style of the original SP1000 has been lightened with some inspired fabrication. The tank is low and squared-off, and started life as a Yamaha RD unit; it’s now dominated by a quick-action race fuel intake on top.

The lustrous blue paint—a nod to the Italian sporting colors—extends to the custom-made bars, which have been fitted with classic toggle switches in 3D-printed housings.

Right ahead is a compact analog MST Speedster gauge from Motogadget. The German outfit also supplied the mo.blaze bar-end turn signals, which are probably the most advanced items on this otherwise ultra-classic build.

‘All Blue’ gets a big tick from us because it encapsulates everything that is great about classic Guzzis—with the striking V-twin as a centerpiece. The custom scene may be embracing sophisticated tech at a rate of knots … but builds like this prove there’s still a place for old-school cool.

Gas & Oil Bespoke Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Jiri Simecek

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[DaveM]

EV OR GAS? RGNT Classic vs BSA Gold Star.

As a biker with a mind for the future in the 1960s, you’d probably have been dreaming in your vivid imagination about bikes that were far more technologically advanced by the year 2022, than what has actually become a reality. In fact, it’s almost a case of back to the future, as retro styling and the parallel twin both play a huge role in the current two-wheeled marketplace. But as it sits today...

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, April 17, 2022

Harley-Davidson expands their new Sportster line with the 975cc Nightster. Plus we profile a BMW R18 from Canada, a Ducati SportClassic from San Francisco and a KTM 300 EXC from Australia. But first, a look at what Indonesia’s Krom Works has been up to.

Norton Commando concept by Krom Works Andika Pratama at Krom Works has made a name for himself through his impressive metalworking skills. But today we’re looking at something purely digital from the Indonesian custom builder—namely, the renderings for his next project.

It’s an ambitious one, no doubt. Andi was sent a 1970 Norton Commando engine from the UK, with a mandate to build something “radical.” We’d say he’s on the right track.

These designs show the Norton mill wedged into a completely scratch-built frame, where the bodywork is indistinguishable from the chassis. The suspension is particularly intriguing, with single-sided swingarms doing duty at both ends, and a complicated braking system.

“Not easy, but it should work,” says Andi, “because for me this bike has to be very unique.”

The level of detail packed into these renderings also show that Andi’s put a lot of thought into the build, before putting hammer to metal. Every box appears to be ticked, right down to interesting treatments for the lights, and a slew of brass details.

Andi has already started tacking the initial framework together out of stainless steel, but there’s still a ways to go. He’s hoping to wrap it up by October-ish—and we’re counting the days. [Krom Works]

Ducati SportClassic by DNA Motor Labs The SportClassic is, and will always be, one of Ducati’s most beautiful creations. But would you customize it? Rodrigo Cedeño of DNA Motor Labs in San Francisco says “yes.”

This is already the third custom SportClassic that Rodrigo’s built, and it makes a strong case. The idea here was to evolve the original design rather than reinvent it, and throw a bunch of upgrades into the mix. “Keeping a classic look but getting the modern-day R&D perks,” as Rodrigo puts it.

To eke more performance out of the 992cc V-twin, DNA Motor Labs started with high-flow velocity stacks and a custom two-into-two exhaust system from Zard. They also installed an upgraded fuel pump, a vented slipper clutch and a custom twin oil cooler setup. And they remapped the bike, naturally.

The SportClassic was specced well enough from the factory, but the crew upgraded the brakes and added a steering damper anyway. The tires are Michelin Power 5s.

Aesthetically, DNA Motor Labs’ SportClassic only really strays from the original recipe in one significant way: its paint. This one’s been dressed in a Volvo blue, with subtle gold leaf details. It’s a color Ducati’s never used, but the SportClassic wears it well.

Other touches include a custom build front fender, LED lighting and a smattering of Rizoma bits. Rodrigo also sprinkled on a bunch of anodized parts, along with color-matched wires and hoses. An open dry clutch basket and perspex ‘windows’ on the cam belt covers add a final touch.

We’d be happy enough with a bone stock SportClassic in the garage, but DNA Motor Labs’ rendition is just that little bit more special. [More]

KTM 300 EXC by Black Cycles Light, agile and focussed, the KTM 300 EXC is a top pick for enduro riders. But Noel Muller of Black Cycles in Australia thinks it has more potential than that. When he was commissioned to customize a 2013 EXC by Zach Hegde at the Australian auto mag, Retromotive, he decided to turn it into a street-ready flat tracker.

Zach gave Noel full creative control on the project, so Noel pulled out all the stops. And what’s more, he didn’t send his client any sneak peeks along the way—saving it all for the big reveal.

Inspired by KTM’s signature angular design style, Noel decided to shape a full set of aluminum body parts for the bike. The fuel tank, tail piece, headlight assembly, radiator covers, fork protectors and license plate mount are all custom pieces.

The KTM now rolls on custom-built 19” KKE alloy wheels, wrapped in Dunlop treads. The suspension was lowered at both ends, and the front forks reinforced with a stainless steel brace.

Noel also installed a Lectron carb, along with an upgraded stainless steel expansion chamber. Pop Bang Classics rewired the bike, while Carman’s Auto Trimmers covered the seat in an MX-style gripper fabric.

As for the paint, that was all Noel. The base is a gunmetal grey, with a silver honeycomb pattern laid over it. Orange highlights and clear-coated alloy parts add some contrast.

So does this gnarly street tracker ride as good as it looks? “This is a hoot to ride,” confirms Zach. “Being a modern KTM with a Lectron carb, it has not lost any of its bitter angry charm of getting into the rev range late in the squeeze—and she is a simple gentle start, and a very easy jump-on-and-ride-away kind of bike.”

Oh, it’s for sale too, if you’re tempted. [More]

BMW R18 by Jay Donovan BMW Motorrad Canada recently rounded up three Canadian custom builders to each customize a BMW R18. Unsurprisingly, Jay Donovan was one of them.

Jay’s a master of transforming metal sheets into organic, flowing forms—and that skill is on full display here. His take on the R18 leaves much of the stock bike intact under the hood, mostly because the brief included keeping the bike road legal. But the bodywork and exhaust have been radically reimagined.

Dubbed ‘Future Café,’ Jay’s R18 features a compact and heavily scalloped fuel tank, and a tightly packed tail piece. Both parts were shaped in aluminum, and finished off with contrasting polished and black treatments. The BMW also wears bobbed fenders at both ends.

But the big drawcard here is the exhaust. In a bold move, Jay redirected it upwards to run below the new bodywork. It’ll probably burn someone’s leg eventually, but it looks incredible, with the angle of the exhaust ends matching that of the tail section.

The other builders that BMW Canada picked were Konquer Motorcycles and Augment Motorworks. The trio was picked because they all have very different build styles—and it’s a good mix, because each custom R18 looks way different from the others. [BMW Motorrad Canada | Jay Donovan]

Harley-Davidson Nightster When Harley released the Sportster S, it signaled a big leap forward for the marque—but it also left us wanting for a more traditional ‘new’ Sportster. Could the new Nightster be the answer?

Unveiled this week, the Nightster is the second in Harley-Davidson’s line of next generation Sportsters. It eschews the Sportster S’s ultra-modern styling for a look that’s straight out of the classic Sportster play book. It’s also cheaper (at a base price of $13,499 versus the Sportster S’s $15,499), less powerful, and more custom-friendly.

The Nightster gets Harley’s new Revolution Max 975T engine—the little brother to the 1250T mill in the Sportster S. The 975cc liquid-cooled 60-degree V-twin makes 90 hp at 7,500 rpm and 95 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. That’s 31 hp and 32.5 Nm less than the Sportster S, but roughly 30 hp more, and only 4 Nm less, than the outgoing 1200cc Sportster models.

The motor is a big jump forward from the older Sportster, with dual overhead camshafts, variable valve timing and switchable rider modes. But that tech comes at a price; the right side of the engine looks almost futuristic, and the left is packed with covers and plumbing. It’s the sort of stuff that’s near impossible to hide, but it might bug fans of the original Sportster.

Aesthetically, the Nightster nails the classic Sportster silhouette—but there’s some trickery involved here, too. The fuel tank is actually just a steel cover for the airbox, while the actual reservoir is tucked away under the seat. H-D says the design allows for a bigger airbox, and helps to lower the bike’s center of gravity for better handling.

We’re on the fence about the new layout, but thankfully the faux tank isn’t plastic; that would have been too much to bear. Plus the relatively traditional layout of the seat, rear fender and struts have us convinced that there’s room for customization here. Trimmings include a round analog/digital combination speedo, and an LED headlight tucked into a classic Harley-style nacelle.

Sure, the riding position looks about as awkward as you’d expect from a stock Sportster, but with any luck that’ll be easy enough to tweak. Harley-Davidson’s already stocked their catalog with bolt-on bits for the new Sporty, and customizers like Charlie Stockwell, The Speed Merchant and Hidemo have already worked their magic on it.

The real question is whether the new Sportster will become as popular as its 65-year-old predecessor. Only time will tell. [Harley-Davidson Nightster]

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[DaveM]

KITTED-OUT: Yamaha XSR900 kit from Bottpower.

There are many incredibly talented designers at Yamaha’s Iwata factory but sitting with a big smile at his desk is the man who first conceived the MT series of motorcycles. You have to go back to 1999 when the first concept appeared before a street-legal version was finally seen at INTERMOT in 2004 taking home a big trophy. Since then, it has been one great model after another...

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[DaveM]

Nutella Racer: AMP’s tasty Kawasaki Z400 street tracker

When the German father-and-son team of Michael and Allen Posenauer launched AMP Motorcycles, it was a way for the two to bond after hours. But although it started out as a hobby, word soon spread—and AMP took on a few commissioned builds.

Paying clients are great, but they also go hand in hand with pesky things like briefs, expectations and deadlines. After a while, the Posenauers were itching to just build something for themselves again, devoid of any external pressure. This crisp Kawasaki Z400 street tracker is the result.

In-house projects are often an excuse to go wild, but that wasn’t the case here. The 1979-model Z400 belongs to Allen, who wanted something stripped-down and light for running around the city on. The simple aesthetic belies the amount of work that went into it though, because there isn’t an inch of this Kawasaki that’s gone untouched.

The job involved tearing off as many parts as the guys could get away with, while restoring the rest and sprinkling on a tasteful mix of mods and upgrades. “Our aim was to only have the essentials on the bike,” explains Allen.

Reliability was a factor too, so the duo treated the engine to an extensive service, complete with new gaskets and seals. It looks good as new now, with a fresh coat of dark grey and polished covers. The carbs were ultrasonically cleaned, serviced, and hooked up to pod filters.

AMP also rewired the bike, swapping the battery for the tiniest possible Lithium-ion unit. It’s stashed away just in front of the swingarm pivot, and it’s barely powerful enough to start the bike—so Allen kicks it to life instead.

Moving to the chassis, Allen and Michael rebuilt and lowered the front forks, then fabricated a pair of aluminum fork covers to bulk up the front-end. New YSS shocks do duty out back.

Allen wanted to keep the stock spoked wheels, but they’ve been stripped, powder-coated black and rebuilt with stainless steel spokes. Avon’s Safety Mileage A MkII tires were picked for their chunkiness and classic treads. AMP also serviced and repainted the brakes, fitted new pads and shoes, and upgraded the front brake line.

Next, the guys cut, looped and de-tabbed the frame. And since Allen rides solo, they shaved off the passenger mounts too. There’s a tiny Highsider LED taillight embedded in the rear loop, and a slim Alcantara seat up top.

And no, there aren’t any fenders—but since this is Allen’s bike, he was happy to sacrifice a little practicality for style.

Step closer, and you’ll spot an extensive list of mods in the cockpit. AMP fitted wide LSL riser bars on new aluminum risers, and equipped them with a new throttle and levers. The speedo and bar-end turn signals are from Motogadget, the mirror comes from Highsider, and the micro-switches are Racetronics parts.

If you’re looking for the ignition, you’ll find it behind the forks, embedded in one of the frame gussets. A petite off-the-shelf headlight finishes off the front end, with a custom-made license plate bracket mounted off the swingarm at the back.

The Kawasaki Z400 still wears its original tank—partly because it was in great nick, and partly because the family was enamored with its unique color. “The bike is nicknamed ‘Nutella Racer,’” says Allen. “My mother named it when we bought the stock donor bike with this tank color.”

Even the lining was still intact, so AMP simply cleaned up the outside, and worked some magic on the OEM tank badges. First they painted them entirely black, then they polished the letter outlines to create contrast.

Other finishing touches include a hand-made two-into-one exhaust system with an Ixil muffler, and a stunning white glitter effect on the frame. It’s an inspired choice that complements the factory Kawasaki paint job beautifully.

Sure, this barebones Z might not tick every rider’s boxes, but there’s no denying how tidy it is. Besides, this is Allen’s bike—and he’s stoked on it.

“It’s exactly what I wanted,” he says. “A perfect café racer for the city. Super light, super agile, and super good-looking.”

AMP Motorcycles | Instagram | Images by (and with thanks to) Marc Holstein and Christine Gabler

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[DaveM]

MONSTER MAGIC: Ducati S2R by VooDoo Garage.

Starting a custom motorcycle workshop that can truly provide a long-term income for its employee/s is a dream of many and yet a reality of only a few. The make or break point for those who become the industry’s success stories is often the moment of moving from the home garage into a purpose-built facility. Now it’s a full-time gig, with overheads like rent, power, machinery, insurance...

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[DaveM]

How to build an Indian Challenger race bagger, with RSD

Unless your internet’s been down for the past year, you probably know about the phenomenon that is bagger racing. MotoAmerica’s King of the Baggers is a six-race series for big race-prepped American V-twins, complete with fairings and panniers. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s produced some gnarly racing—and some pretty wild machines.

Roland Sands Design are trackside regulars. They’re fielding two Indian Challengers this season, piloted by Frankie Garcia (#14) and Bobby Fong (#50). We’re taking a closer look at Bobby’s bike today, which was built in collaboration with the V-twin performance tuning specialists at S&S Cycle.

In stock trim, the Indian Challenger’s 108 ci power plant makes 122 hp and 175 Nm of torque… but this bike is far from stock. It’s running a 112 ci engine with a host of go-fast goodies, including a Maxx ECU that’s been used to race-tune the bike. RSD are hush on the numbers, but we’re guessing they’re sizable.

The engine breathes in via a custom intake, and out via a one-off two-into-one exhaust system that’s been designed for maximum cornering clearance. Both are from S&S Cycle, along with the wiring harness and primary cover. The spec sheet lists K&N air and oil filters, an Endurance Adler slipper clutch and a Translogic quick-shifter.

If you’ve ever ridden a bagger in anger, you’ll know that they’re weirdly fun in corners—until things start scraping. So a lot of work’s gone into improving not only the Challenger’s road-holding abilities, but its ride height and cornering clearance too.

That includes clever mods like machining down the front sections of the Indian’s aluminum frame, and installing raised S&S rear-sets. There’s also a smaller Lithium-ion battery, mounted in an S&S battery box that sits higher and tighter.

As you’d expect, the suspension is all-new. Up front are the Sachs forks from an Indian FTR1200, kitted with a GP Suspension cartridge kit. They’re gripped by a set of S&S triple clamps that have an adjustable offset.

There’s an Öhlins TTX race shock out back, connected to an RSD adjustable ride height linkage rod. Surprisingly, the swingarm is stock—if you don’t count the race stand mounts that have been welded on.

The 17” race wheels are aluminum RSD parts, based on a design that the shop originally used on their Victory-powered Pikes Peak race bike seven years ago. They’re wrapped in Dunlop tires; a KR448 slick (front) and a KR451 (rear).

For the brakes, RSD threw a mixed bag of Brembo parts at the #40 bagger, hooking everything up with Spiegler hoses. The front setup uses Brembo’s M4 Monobloc calipers, the floating discs from a Ducati Panigale and a 19RCS Corsa Corta master cylinder. The rear uses a P34 caliper on an S&S Cycle mount, a Serie Oro floating disc, a Beringer master cylinder and a Racetorx thumb brake.

Bagger race rules state that bikes need fairings and cases—but they don’t need to be factory fitted. RSD kept the Challenger’s fairing though, but remounted it on improved stays from S&S Cycle. It wears a Klock Werks windscreen, and faux headlight decals.

Mounted behind the fairing is an Aim MXm dash, complete with data logging software. S&S bars and risers get the controls to where they need to be, and are fitted with Renthal grips and Driven Racing lever guards.

The fuel tank’s mostly stock, but it’s been trimmed to accommodate the chunky intake. RSD also deleted the fuel cap’s locking mechanism, to enable faster refueling.

Further back is a complete Saddlemen seat and tail unit, floating over a fiberglass rear fender from Airtech Streamlining. Airtech supplied the fiberglass panniers too; they’re considerably svelter than the factory cases. The front fender’s from an FTR1200, and the engine sliders and aluminum belly pan are from S&S.

There are probably a host of other mods that RSD aren’t telling us about, but one thing’s certain: whether you like baggers or not, this race bike is completely bonkers. We’re loving the black and gold livery too—and the John Player-inspired RSD logos.

It’s also considerably lighter than it used to be. A stock Indian Challenger clocks in at 796 lbs dry, but this one weighs just 621 lbs—a pound above the King of the Baggers’ minimum weight limit.

If you’re wondering how Bobby and his #50 Challenger have fared so far, he’s currently sitting fourth in the championship after two rounds with a podium finish to his name. Not bad for a flat track guy that had never raced a bagger before this season.

And if you still don’t know what bagger racing is, hit ‘play’ on the highlight reels below and thank us later.

Roland Sands Design | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Joe Hitzelberger (static) and Jason Reasin (race)

Roland Sands Design would like to thank their sponsors: MotoAmerica, Indian Motorcycle, Mission Foods, Motul, Dunlop, S&S Cycle, Sacramento Mile, GEICO, Saddlemen, SDI Racing and Bell Helmets.

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[DaveM]

Resurrection: Bill Becker’s FB Mondial restomod

If you live outside Italy, you may not have heard of FB Mondial. But the marque is familiar to Europeans of a certain age, because it dominated the Grand Prix scene in the 1950s—and collected multiple world championships in the 125 and 250 classes.

It’s over ten years since we last featured a Mondial, so this exquisite restomod from Bill Becker of BeckerBuilt is a welcome arrival. Bill is a retired architect based in Philadelphia, and his builds are characterized by thoughtful, methodical craftsmanship.

Bill’s latest project builds upon the stock features of the well-designed little Mondial, and adds just enough customization to make it a classic beauty. It started life as a 175cc Sprint model from 1960, with red and gold paint, and evolved into a cafe racer—inspired by the racing models produced by the Mondial founders, the Boselli brothers.

“The previous owner of the Mondial was an ex-racer and accumulator of motorcycles,” Bill tells us. “In a moment of sanity that we collectors occasionally experience, he sensed that it was time to ‘thin the herd’—he would never be able to complete all the projects that he had acquired over the years. I seized the opportunity.”

For Bill, the prospect of working on such a rare bike was compelling. “I had only read about Mondial motorcycles, and never seen an actual model. This bike, in stock form, was a very attractive example of the cafe racer design so desirable in the 1960s.”

The chassis appeared to be complete. All the beautifully detailed little parts unique to this make seemed to be present—just not in the right place.

“The engine was totally disassembled, with parts in boxes and coffee cans,” says Bill. “But who doesn’t love a good puzzle?” Fortunately, he found a parts manual for this model online—but unfortunately, he couldn’t find a service manual to match. “This is when confidence in one’s ability and experience is essential,” he notes wryly.

After examining all the parts and cross-referencing with the manual, Bill discovered that certain critical parts were missing. “The clutch basket, plates and springs were missing. Piston rings were broken, and the carburetor casting was riddled with zinc-rot.”

Even worse, the transmission main shaft was cracked and had been repaired by welding. Not acceptable.

Sourcing vintage parts was not easy. The Mondial factory operated by the fratelli Boselli was a boutique manufacturer producing only small numbers of motorcycles in limited years of production.

“In the U.S. I was only able to find generic items like tires, seals and bearings,” says Bill, “and a used Dell’Orto carburetor.” Sourcing parts in Italy proved difficult as well, but Bill managed to track down a new clutch. And he discovered that other motorcycle manufacturers—such as Aprilia in this instance—shared suppliers and standard parts.

The solution for the defective mainshaft was to purchase a complete, used motor on Italian eBay. A friendly motorcycle dealer in Italy agreed to drive for four hours to pick up the motor, then strip the mainshaft and send it to the States, in exchange for the rest of the motor.

As Bill worked on the Mondial, he found more deficiencies: a rusted and seized swing arm, a crumbling speedometer body, and a missing seat pan and cushion. The battery box was rusted out, and a finned exhaust header clamp was cracked. The only solution was to fabricate new parts in his shop.

“Every undertaking of this nature requires planning, and clarity in the design approach,” Bill says. “I was not interested in a full-on restoration project, but rather one that took advantage of good original features with light modifications—where there were opportunities for improvement.”

The changes are in the spirit of the 1960s. Bill’s chosen a classy blue-and-silver paint scheme to emulate the Mondial race bikes of the period, rather than the red-and-copper original.

He’s also installed beautiful alloy rims laced with stainless steel spokes, to replace the rusty chrome and steel originals. The tin covers on the front forks are gone; polished aluminum tubes and rubber bellows look much better.

“The final work had to be the best of FB Mondial, and the best of BeckerBuilt,” says Bill.

We’d agree on both counts.

Images by Roman Torres.

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