Custom Motorcycle Builds

[DaveM]

Cream of the crop: A Ducati 749 café racer from Estonia

Just like any historic marque, Ducati has had its fair share of divisive motorcycle designs. The Ducati 749 and 999 spring to mind. Penned by the legendary Pierre Terblanche, they were a bold step away from the design language established by the iconic 916.

The sharp fairing and stacked headlight design shared by the 749 and 999 divided opinion. But it ultimately didn’t matter; both eventually proved to be highly capable sportbikes. Even the smaller 749 made a respectable 108 hp in stock trim, with the upgraded S and R models good for 116 hp and 121 hp each.

This custom 2005 Ducati 749S has strayed far from Terblanche’s original design, but it hasn’t sacrificed an iota of that performance. In fact, it actually goes better than before.

Hardcore Ducatisti need not weep; the donor bike was wrecked when the owner, Kaspar Ilves, got his hands on it. Kaspar is based in Estonia, where he builds custom bikes as a hobby under the moniker of Kalapea Garage. This café racer was a personal project, built on-and-off over the course of six years.

Kaspar’s been tinkering on bikes since he was a teen, and used to buy, fix and flip whatever he could get his hands on. For the past decade he’s taken on more serious builds (and commissions), up-skilling along the way. So everything you see on this bike, from the engine work right up to the paint, was done by Kaspar.

“I built it for myself, so there were no restraints,” he tells us. “The roadworthiness was irrelevant, so it was just for fun. I got the donor and had always wanted a Ducati SportClassic, saw some cool Sultans of Sprint drag bikes at the Bike Shed show that I liked, and also had the right parts on the shelf—so that’s how it came about.”

Kaspar dragged the damaged 749S into his garage, and proceeded to bin anything he wasn’t planning on using. The only recognizable 749 parts are the trellis frame, sculpted fuel tank and L-twin engine.

The engine’s hardly stock though. It now sports ported heads, lighter rods, a lightened flywheel, 12-point injectors, a Ducabike slipper clutch, and a programmable ECU with launch control. The exhaust system features custom pie-cut headers, terminating in an aftermarket muffler.

Up front, Kaspar repurposed the 749’s front wheel and twin Brembo brakes. But the upside-down Öhlins forks are from an Aprilia RSV, held in place by a set of CNC-machined yokes.

Keen eyes will notice that the Ducati’s wheelbase is a little longer than usual. Kaspar adapted the single-sided swingarm (and rear wheel) from an MV Agusta Brutale to fit, adding 10 cm to the swingarm length. It’s hooked up to the 749’s OEM Showa shock.

The rear tire’s a curious choice; inspired by sprint racers, Kaspar opted for a Shinko drag tire. Then he added white lettering to draw even more attention to it. “To be honest, it was more for the ‘’ effect than an actual need for it,” he admits.

In his defense, it’s probably the only nonsensical choice on this bike. Kitted with carbon fiber fenders at both ends, it’s a surprisingly practical build for something that’s not road legal.

But it’s the custom bodywork that really shines on this handsome café-slash-dragster. The fairing comes straight from a Ducati PaulSmart 1000 LE, but it’s been massaged to fit the 749. It also features a removable headlight cover, with an LED unit tucked behind it.

A twin radiator setup also hides behind the fairing. Kaspar built a custom bracket that not only holds the fairing, dashboard and radiators, but doubles up as an expansion tank too.

The floating tail section’s another slick detail. Kaspar first created a hand-shaped prototype, then 3D-scanned it and tweaked it digitally. That allowed him to CNC cut the rear’s hidden subframe, and produce a mold to shape the fiberglass tail unit over.

The design complements the stock 749 fuel tank perfectly. Plus it fits so snugly, that it could easily be mistaken for a monocoque body from a distance.

The bike is littered with neat little parts—like the custom battery tray and foot controls. Kaspar went all-out on the controls too, opting for carbon fiber clip-ons, Ducabike race-style switches and a Speedhut GPS-based speedo.

The livery is an intoxicating combination of an off-white base coat and a red frame, with a few subtle variations thrown into the mix. Adding a touch of gold to the wheels was an inspired choice too.

Unsurprisingly, Kaspar’s Ducati has already started racking up accolades. He debuted it at Estonia’s local AMD World Championship affiliate event, where it took home the gold. (It also secured an invite to the main event, which has unfortunately been postponed.)

But despite its popularity, Kaspar says that he’s unsure about the 749’s destiny.

“It’s obviously not a daily commuter, but it can ride. It’s not an actual drag bike, but it has potential. It’s not furniture, but it looks good.”

“So it’s a work in progress to figure out what I will do with it.”

Kalapea Garage Instagram

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[DaveM]

The Class of 1973: 5 Important Bikes Turning 50 in 2023

The early 1970s certainly were a golden era of motorcycling. Who can deny that the Kawasaki Z1 or H2, the original SOHC CB750 and the Ducati 750 Super Sport of the era aren’t icons? But the class of 1973 birthed some amazing motorcycles that have become classics.

From race bikes to dirt bikes, something was in the air in 1973. We were all about to face an oil crisis, the heights of the Cold War, and the headiness of the disco era. But for motorcycles, 1973 was a year that brought us these true classics that are now turning 50.

The BMW R90s

Dear Hans Muth, thank you. Before Muth came along as BMW’s motorcycle designer, BMWs came in two colors: black or (occasionally) white. But in 1973, wow. The BMW R90S showed up and showed us that BMWs could be exciting with two-tone faded paint jobs, sportbike performance, and (gasp!) a bikini fairing.

The R90S backed up that groovy new paint job with a larger engine that was essentially a bored-out R75/5 engine. It made more power, more torque, and more smiles, and the R90S has gone down in history as BMW’s first superbike. Though the 1973 version is beautiful, later versions came in Daytona Orange, a color that Muth created to celebrate the bike’s win at Daytona in 1976. Muth went on to pen the R65 LS, the first R 80 GS, and later the futuristic Suzuki Katana sport bike, but the R90S could be his masterpiece.

Laverda 1000

We don’t hear much about Laverda these days, and that’s a shame. In 1973, Laverda made serious waves with the gorgeous 1000 that could top 135 mph. Laverda threw all of its mechanical wizardry at the three-cylinder 981cc mill, including a very Kawasaki-like double-overhead-cam design, to make a serious Z1 competitor.

Compared to today’s bikes, the 1000 was under-sprung, it had sketchy electronics, and weak brakes. In 1974, however, Laverda updated the bike with better brakes and forks, then the 1000 morphed into the Laverda Jota, the fastest production motorcycle of its era. Laverda showed that gutsy pilots could take a big, heavy, bruiser of a bike to unreal speeds and live to tell the tale. The 1000 was so good, it remained in production until 1988.

Yamaha RD350

I once had an RD350, and I can assure you that all of the good (and some of the bad) of these bikes is all true. There’s nothing like the rush of a two-stroke engine when it hits the power band, the smell of blue smoke, and the quick handling of the RD series bikes. Today, 39 horsepower doesn’t sound like a lot, but in 1973 it was plenty, especially when you factor in the bike’s super light weight of just 350 pounds.

The 1973 RD was a performance machine, the equivalent of today’s R6, and that was no mistake as RD stood for “Race Developed.” It grew into the RD400, and later the RZ350, while the Banshee 350 ATV used essentially the same motor through 2012. For pure motorcycling fun, it’s hard to beat the two-stroke RD for traditional gas-on, choke-on, hit-the-key and kick-it-to-life thrills.

MV Agusta 500 Four

In 1973, street bikes were only part of the fun. There was intense competition on the race track, too. MV Agusta was trying to keep its winning streak alive despite major competition from new Japanese two-stroke bikes like the Yamaha YZR500, that was also new for 1973. Giacomo Agostini made MV Agusta famous for winning consecutive World Championship titles aboard the Tre, or the MV Agusta 500cc Three. But by 1973 it was clear that with a new rider in Phil Read, and more competition, that MV Agusta needed a new bike.

The company worked with its helicopter division to devise a four-cylinder four-stroke engine that seemed to fit Read like a glove. With two races to go in the season, Read had racked up enough points to win the championship on the new 500cc four-cylinder, and he went on to win in 1974, too. It doesn’t hurt, either, that the 500 Four is achingly beautiful to look at with its slab-sided fairing and that it sounds glorious.

Honda CR125

The CR125M was released in 1973 as a 1974 model and it set the dirt bike world alight. It’s hard to understate how important this bike was to an entire generation of people who learned to ride and race (like on the RC125 replica above) on this lightweight dirt bike. Honda as a company shied away from two-stroke engines, and Soichiro Honda famously said his company would never make a two-stroke dirt bike. But the CR125 came along anyway and put smiles on thousands of faces for 34 years.

Some say that the dirt bike boom of the 1970s and 1980s was created by the Honda CR125 because it was cheap ($750 new), reliable, and easy to ride fast. Of course, we’re not forgetting about the CR250M Elsinore that was also released in 1973. While that bike went on to racing success and a long career, too, the CR125M was so popular and so good, Honda produced it with only minor changes up until 2007.

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[Vector]

That RD350 is gorgeous!

 

[DaveM]

BULL’S-EYE: Kawasaki Z750FX by Bull Dock.

Things were looking a little grim in the late ’60s for bikers, with the British industry on its knees and motorcycle culture still with a bad name. But the Japanese came to the rescue with the Honda CB and Kawasaki Z, lighting a fire that has had the superbike category booming for fifty years. But there was a period a decade into that evolution around 1980, where engine development had stalled and...

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, February 12, 2023

Czech hypercar manufacturer, Praga, unveiled their $92,000 limited edition ZS 800 this week. We take a closer look at it, along with a Ducati 749 and Moto Guzzi NTX 750 from Italy, and a Kawasaki Z750FX restomod from Japan.

Praga ZS 800 What’s beautifully engineered, wrapped in luscious blue paint and has carbon fiber in all the right places? If you guessed the Praga Bohema hypercar, you’d be right. But if you guessed the Czech company’s brand new limited edition motorcycle, the Praga ZS 800, you’d also be right.

The ZS 800 is a throwback to the first motorcycle that this boutique manufacturer ever built—the 1928 Praga BD 500. The resemblance is undeniable—but the ZS 800 is clearly a modern machine.

This bobber’s build sheet is enough to make any motorcycle designer weak at the knees. A chromoly girder fork sits up front, equipped with an adjustable Öhlins shock with a titanium spring. There’s no rear suspension—but there is a little Öhlins air shock under the solo seat to take the edge off.

What appears to be the fuel tank is actually just a forged carbon fiber cover. Hiding underneath it is a CNC-machined reservoir that also acts as a structural part of the chromoly frame.

At the heart of the Praga ZS 800 lies one of the most elegant production engines currently on the market: the 773 cc parallel twin from the Kawasaki W800. It inhales through a pair of unique, mesh-covered intakes, and exhales via a full titanium exhaust system. (Many of the individual titanium parts that make up the mufflers were actually 3D printed.)

The ZS 800’s 18” wheels are particularly impressive. They’re made out of forged carbon, with tensioned carbon spokes and gorgeous hydraulic drum brake hubs. It’s a stunning mix of old style and new tech.

It’s loaded with high-end touches too. Swooping fenders bookend it, with a svelte luggage rack on the back fender also playing host to the taillight and rear turn signals.

The tank badges feature gold detailing on a forged carbon background, while the seat sports multiple fabrics, contrast stitching and a laser-cut pattern up top.

There’s more forged carbon in the form of the bike’s organic chain guard, and subtler details like the fender stays. The wheel and swingarm axles are titanium, as is every last fastener. All told, the ZS 800 clocks in at 142 kilos [313 lbs] dry, with a perfect 50:50 weight distribution from front to back.

Tempted? Praga are taking pre-orders now for a limited run of 28 units. A ZS 800 (which takes 300 hours to produce) will set you back €86,000 [around $92,000], excluding tax.

Interested parties, please form an orderly queue. [Praga ZS 800]

Ducati 749 by North East Custom Earlier this week, we showed off a custom Ducati 749 from Estonia. There must be something in the water in Europe, because yet another 749 café racer has just dropped into our laps.

This one comes from brothers Diego and Riccardo ‘Riki’ Coppiello, at North East Custom in Padua, Italy. Diego and Riki are big enduro and adventure riding nuts—but they’ve got a knack for building sweet street-based customs too.

The build started out as a 2005-model Ducati 749, with the aim of building a café racer with a little bit of an 80s endurance racing vibe.

North East redressed the trellis-framed Ducati in a fiber glass fairing, with twin headlights tucked behind yellow-tinted covers. The OEM tank sits just behind, followed by a handmade aluminum tail unit. The rear end’s perched on a new subframe, with a race-style seat up top.

Lower down you’ll find a carbon fiber front fender, carbon fiber belt covers, and a custom-built aluminum belly pan. North East kept the suspension, brakes and wheels mostly stock—but they did add a Bitubo steering damper, a K-bike slipper clutch and a Ducabike clutch basket cover.

The paint job is minimal and timeless; a traditional red and white affair with 80s-style Ducati logos. The frame wears a fresh coat of paint too, with anodizing on the forks and parts of the engine.

It’s a great look for the punchy 749—and the perfect template if you have a 749 or 999 in need of a makeover. We’d wager that North East’s neighbors aren’t fond of that exhaust though. [North East Custom | Images by Filippo Molena]

Moto Guzzi NTX 750 by Matteucci Garage When Marco Matteucci got a commission for a custom Moto Guzzi NTX 750, he found inspiration in his own portfolio. Marco had built a baby blue Moto Guzzi V35 some years ago, and saw potential for adapting that same style to the bigger donor bike—with a few upgrades, naturally.

The early 90s adventure bike was stripped down, before Marco tore into the subframe. It’s been heavily modified in the style of his earlier build, but with one major difference; the V35 had a solo seat, but this one has room for a passenger.

Sitting below the seat is a custom-built mono-shock system, hinging off a repurposed Yamaha R1 shock. The front end’s an aftermarket springer system designated for Harleys. Marco adapted it to the Guzzi with custom spacers and yokes, a custom brake caliper mount, and an LED-equipped Bates-style headlight.

The cockpit features drag bars, outfitted with bar-end mirrors and mini push buttons. Just behind it is a hand-made fuel tank, inspired by the lines of the vintage Laverda 125. A GPS-based speedo is neatly integrated into the tank’s neck area.

Out back, an LED taillight is integrated into the back of the seat, with the turn signals Frenched into the back of the lower subframe rails. Under the hood, Marco rewired the bike and upgraded the ignition to an electronic one.

The paint scheme mimics that on the build that inspired this one; a pearly blue effect made up of multiple coats of varying shades. Bottega Vasì added a finishing touch with the leatherwork, which includes a touchscreen-compatible smartphone pouch on top of the tank, and a storage bag below the seat.

Sitting somewhere between a scrambler and a bobber, Marco’s custom NTX 750 is nothing if not interesting. [Matteucci Garage]

Kawasaki Z750FX by Bull Dock Few motorcycles are alluring as a classic Japanese big four restomod done right. And few custom shops build them as nice as Bull Dock in Japan. If you need proof, may we present this impossibly classy Kawasaki Z750FX.

The Z750’s big selling point back in the day was its relative low weight. Bull Dock decided to lean into that idea on this project; shaving more weight where they could and upgrading the Kawasaki’s key components.

A typical Bull Dock Z750 build starts with a teardown, and a set of frame tweaks and reinforcements that draws on the team’s experience. Once that was out the way, Bull Dock turned their attention to the bodywork—shedding weight without shedding its OEM style.

The fuel tank is a lightweight aluminum replica of the original, while the side covers, fenders and tail section are all fiberglass and composite parts. A custom alloy swingarm from McCoy and forged aluminum wheels add even more lightness.

Next, Bull Dock installed custom-built Nitron forks up front, held by a set of CNC-machined yokes. Fully adjustable Nitron shocks prop up the rear, while a full Brembo braking setup handles stopping duties. Raised clip-ons provide some rider comfort, while the original dashboard keeps things classic.

The engine’s a total beast too. Bull Dock bumped it to 1,197 cc with high-comp Pistal pistons, balanced the internals and added Yoshimura camshafts. 36 mm carbs from Pop’s Company, and a digital, help to improve the throttle response, while a hydraulic clutch adds a modern touch.

Finishing touches include red engine and carb covers, and a livery that matches the Kawasaki owner’s Lamborghini. A titanium exhaust from Win McCoy ensures that this muscle bike has the bark to match its bite. [Via]

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[DaveM]

FUN MOTO: BMW ‘FMXR 900’ by NCT Motorcycles.

Having spent years talking to custom builders the world over, there is one phone call they almost universally want to receive. A motorcycle manufacturer wanting them to take one of their showroom stallions and turn it into something to create buzz and wow the crowds. But, this dream job also comes with enormous pressure, your client clearly knows a thing or two about building bikes.

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[DaveM]

A New Buell: The Super Cruiser Bucks Buell’s Sportbike Heritage

There’s a new Buell motorcycle on the way. Yes, you read that right: a new Buell. And, unlike any previous Buell, this new bike is a heels-in-the-air, high-bar, cruiser.

The new Buell Super Cruiser was unveiled on Friday with its designer, Roland Sands, in California. The new bike has Buell’s ET-V2 engine, a 1190cc or 72.6 ci, 72-degree V-twin with liquid cooling. Buell says it makes 185 horsepower, with 101.6 lb.-ft (138 Nm) of torque. But, according to Buell CEO, Sands was able to keep the sportbike proportions and 17-inch wheels, so the bike will likely handle similarly to Buell’s current crop of sportbikes, if you lower the bars, that is.

“We wanted to keep the performance of the engine, the rear swingarm, and that’s key to why it handles so well,” Buell CEO Bill Melvin told Bike EXIF. “We also made the decision to keep the front-end race suspension and perimeter brakes and sport bike wheels. We kept that whole package.”

The Super Cruiser keeps many of the components of Buell’s current 1190SX sportbike.

So far, all we’d seen was a few glimpses from Buell’s Instagram of the new bike, where we saw a front wheel, a seat, and a clutch cover. The new bike, though, looks like it makes liberal use of Sands’ aftermarket catalog for the seat, bars, and other bits. The bike has a short club-style fairing, and traditional – and dare we even say it – Harley-like – lines. It does break with tradition with the cool exposed mono-shock under the seat.

Buell sportbikes are known for having fuel in the frame to keep the weight low and to counteract the heavy top end of the tall V-twin engines. The new Super Cruiser, though, has a traditional gas tank. Also, unlike a Harley, it has a radiator mounted up front.

A lot has been written about the history of the Buell company and the new Buell owners. We can’t speculate on the future of the company, but we can say that it’s an all-American venture. This is the third incarnation of Buell, sort of.

The company was started by charismatic racer Erik Buell in the early 1980s, and then Harley-Davidson bought into the company in the 1990s, before divesting about a decade later. Buell later founded Erik Buell Racing, which produced a series of sportbikes with the 1190 motor. Then, in 2021, the company was again re-launched with the Pegasus logo and several new sporty models.

The Buell Hammerhead seems to follow in the tradition of the older Buell sportbikes. Several years after the last Buell or EBK brand, the new Hammerhead uses the same motor but adds a sporty fairing. The company has plans to sell several new models, including a sport tourer and a dirt bike, which you can order, or pre-order, now.

Buell | Instagram

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[Vector]

Seriously ugly bike, and never buy the first model year of anything.

 

[DaveM]

SPECIAL FOR LIFE: Moto Guzzi Bellagio by Dreamer Motorcycles.

For your average rider, their dream motorcycle is a factory-built model by their favourite manufacturer. That is at least until said manufacturer releases a better bike for them to lust after. Then there are the riders who dream of an unobtainable motorcycle. A motorcycle that’s never been built or ever likely will be – unless they build it themselves. Only a handful of such motorcycles see the...

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[DaveM]

Review: The Energica Ego Brings Big Torque in a Fast Package

The flexor carpi radialis muscle is one you never thought you needed for motorcycling. This workhorse of your forearm is what does the pushing and pulling. Riding the new Energica Ego motorcycle, I found I needed it.

You see, this all-electric sportbike has 159 lb-ft (215 Nm) of torque. That’s about twice what a 2022 Yamaha R1 superbike makes. When you grip the throttle and twist, all that torque wreaks havoc on that flexor carpi radialis at any speed as it throws you back in the saddle and you flex your forearms to stay on board. Trust me, it’s fun.

For a few years now we’ve seen the Energica Ego’s doppelganger at MotoE races, the Corsa, and they seem like beautiful moto exotica. I finally had a chance to throw a leg over one during a short trip around Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe is usually sunny and beautiful, and Marc Beyer and Frances Sayre from Four Corners Energica were warm. But this particular Saturday was cold for our short blast around town.

Overall, the Ego has the performance and ergonomics of a Triumph Daytona 675R. It feels about that quick, and the ergonomics aren’t too different, either. Though the Ego makes a liter-bike-like 171 horsepower, it weighs about 573 pounds (260 kg). That’s 205 pounds more than the Daytona. The weight is noticeable around tighter turns, like roundabouts, but it disappears once you’re moving. I found that with a little bit of movement in the saddle, I could dip a knee and the bike would track as you want around bigger sweepers.

But most of the Ego’s riding experience hinges on two things: the bike’s automatic nature and its sound. The sound you hear from Energica bikes isn’t the motor. That’s silent. Instead, you’re hearing the straight-cut gears meshing, just like a Formula E car, and as you go faster it gets louder and higher pitched. It’s an intoxicating sound that reminds you you’re riding something different. It has a tach in the TFT display that shows you how fast the engine is spinning, but the bike is essentially direct drive and there’s a very direct correlation between your hand and your speed.

Speaking of that motor, that torque is the reason this bike feels as quick as it is. It’s intoxicating to let off the throttle, err, potentiometer, and goose it just to feel the power tug at your flexor carpi radialis. It’s also quick because there’s no shifting of the one-speed transmission; you’re always in the right gear.

But unlike some bikes where the ride modes don’t really change much, on the Energica you can feel the difference between the Eco, Urban, Rain and Sport modes. During a short blast on the more upright Esse Esse 9, a similar bike with upright bars, in Urban mode it wanted to lift the front leaving every spotlight or slow turn. You can also turn the traction control off, but with that much power, I don’t recommend it.

The Ego has a maximum speed of 150 mph, and while we didn’t get a chance to go that fast, the fun of the Energica Ego isn’t its top-speed ability, but the instant surge of useable around-town power. You find yourself slowing down just to punch it and feel the surge of all that torque.

Compared to a Livewire, the Ego feels quicker and sharper. And, to my eyes at least, it looks a lot better.

With electric motorcycles, the first question many ask is about range. The Energica Ego has a range of about 260 miles (420Km) in mixed-use according to Energica, or about 121 miles (200km) on the highway where you don’t use regenerative braking. The way we rode, however, the charge did drop quite a bit. You can extend the range with the four regenerative maps. When you take a hand off the throttle, it brakes and sends some power back to the battery.

Sure it can go 150 mph. Sure it looks beautiful. But is the Ego a $26,000 experience? It could be, if you have access to a DC fast charger. I only had a chance to ride the Ego for a short blast around a scenic town with some lovely people. But, if Energica asked me to take one for an extended trip, I certainly wouldn’t turn it down. But, I’ll exercise my flexor carpi radialis first.

Energica | Instagram | Four Corners Energica

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[DaveM]

Interview: Buell CEO Bill Melvin

Buell Motorcycles made a splash over the weekend with the launch of the new Super Cruiser bike. Based on the company’s 1190X sportbike, the new bike is Roland Sands’ take on a Buell cruiser. The new bike is part of a product offensive from Buell that includes the 1190x and Hammerhead sportbikes, as well as the upcoming Baja dirt bike and a new sport touring bike.

Buell CEO Bill Melvin and an investment group purchased the company out of bankruptcy and he’s now looking forward to steady product growth. The history of Buell is certainly fascinating, but Melvin and his investment group have high hopes that they can resurrect Buell and build a successful all-American motorcycle company. So what does Melvin say about the future of Buell?

Why Roland Sands? I met Roland in 2004 at the V-Twin show (V-Twin Expo) and we’ve been involved in the industry. I saw Roland again at the re-launch of Buell. I reached out to him and said, ‘Hey, what do you think about making a kick-ass cruiser, something hot.’ It took about a year and a half.

What was Roland’s design brief? I said, ‘Keep the performance of the engine and the rear swingarm.’ That’s key to why it handles so well. We made the decision to keep the front-end race suspension and perimeter brakes and sportbike wheels. We kept that whole package.

Did you turn Roland loose, or did Buell work closely with him? It was collaborative. They had two ideas. They came back with ideas, and they both were similar. We wanted to use the performance components. What handles better than that set up? That’s what we did. We’re going to keep having immaculate conceptions. This was a collaborative effort. They were unbelievable.

Will Roland do Buell’s next bike, too? Right now we’re riding this wave. It’s all hands on deck getting this ready for the crowd. We’re going to Daytona. But, we have more, a sport bike, a naked, the Baja. The next one to come off the production line is going to be the SuperTouring; Q3 is what we’re aiming for.

You’ve set up an interesting business model with a a lot of small volume bikes instead of one flagship. We want diversification of the product lineup. American performance motorcycles, that is what Buell is, and what does that look like? Baja, the SuperTouring, the 1190. The volumes will go up. Our leadership teams were built to build our company with talented leaders and team in the factory.

You didn’t face any supply chain issues? Not much. We’re working through it well. But we are also going slow. As that continues to grow, we are set up to do volume. We have had a ton of support from the (Michigan) business community. They all want to help and give us ideas and make connections.

Where do you want Buell to be by the end of 2023? Let’s go with 2025. By the end of 2023, the supply chain should be moving really smooth. We want many service centers and premium service centers for people to touch and see the current Buells. Behind the scenes, we’re kicking butt on getting the Super Cruiser out and getting it done. We are not going to rush that bike. We can’t rush it. It is kick ass and needs to come out kick ass out of the factory, and when that is coming out hot and dialed in, we’ll start more.

So, 2025? There’s that bike, and there’s other bikes as well. That’s all I can say. We will have a lot of exciting new things.

Buell | Instagram

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[DaveM]

Helios: A lucent Triumph Thruxton café racer from Tamarit

The air-cooled Triumph Thruxton remains a solid base for a custom motorcycle. Thanks to the enormous numbers they sold in—and the internet—parts are plentiful, spares are easy to come by and tuning information is vast. So it’s little wonder that some shops specialize in customizing them.

This café racer started its life as a bone stock, carburetted Thruxton, but then the team at Tamarit Motorcycles got their hands on it. Well-versed in air-cooled Triumphs (they’re up to 120 now), the Spanish outfit treated it to hand-made componentry, stunning paint and a dash of Greek mythology, and dubbed it ‘Helios.’

Starting with the handmade bodywork, a monocoque tank and tail unit was developed exclusively for the project. It features a nifty hydraulically-assisted hinging mechanism, providing easy access to all parts of the bike without the need for disassembly. It’s not only practical, but also looks swish AF.

The seat is stitched in cream leather which runs up onto the tank, adding a subtle touch to the silhouette of the bike.

The custom front fairing incorporates twin round headlights, cleverly recessed to give the bike just the right amount of endurance racer vibes. The headlight area was painted cream to match the seat; yet another extremely classy touch.

These air-cooled Bonneville engines are stronger than they look, and hide a bit of pep. With a few choice modifications, owners can really wake them up—which is exactly what Tamarit has done. They treated the engine to a full rebuild, then tweaked the Keihin carbs to run with K&N pod filters.

It would be remiss of Tamarit to bolt an aftermarket exhaust onto a custom of this caliber, so they crafted one from scratch. Dual stainless steel headers snake their way along the engine to exit under the rear cowl. Complete with custom shields, and mufflers featuring MotoGP-style hexagonal mesh at the outlets, the system is a work of art.

See those fins on the frame’s front down tubes? Those are actually Tamarit’s own integrated oil cooler—and it’s the coolest cooler system we’ve seen on a Triumph.

A custom fender sits up front, mounted on a brass-plated support. Custom fork yokes are mounted above it, machined from aluminum with space for a tiny digital Motogadget speedo. The clip-on bars are Tamarit’s own design, and are equipped with Kustom Tech levers, and Motogadget buttons, bar-end turn signals and mirrors.

The bike’s been rewired around a Motogadget control box, tucked under the tank, and switches on via a keyless ignition. The battery and all the other electrical components have been shrunk down and hidden under the rear of the monocoque body. Peek around the back of the tail bump, and you’ll spot an integrated LED taillight and turn signals.

Tamarit has also fitted one of their stunning mono shock conversions to the Thruxton, with a drilled subframe welded on just above it. Combined with a 6” swingarm stretch and a Hagon shock, the whole arrangement suits this style of café racer well.

Classic sawtooth treads from Victory are wrapped around the Thruxton’s stock 18F/17R hoops. The rear wheel also features a lenticular cover with gold trim, custom-made for the project.

The mythological Greek sun god, Helios, not only inspired this Triumph’s name, but its color scheme too. The Tamarit team were so particular about the color, that they painted the bike several times before landing on this beautiful burnt metallic orange.

Not to be outshone by the bodywork, the entire frame and swingarm were chrome plated and polished to a mirror finish. Resplendent with gold Tamarit badges, we bet this lucent Thruxton would look incredible against a setting sun.

Tamarit has once again combined classic café racer style with modern technology, making Helios one of their best builds to date. From the bodywork, to the engine and exhaust, there are countless details to pore over.

Helios will fit right in at its new home in Miami.

Tamarit Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram

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[sikatri]

Helios: A lucent Triumph Thruxton café racer from Tamarit

The air-cooled Triumph Thruxton remains a solid base for a custom motorcycle. Thanks to the enormous numbers they sold in—and the internet—parts are plentiful, spares are easy to come by and tuning information is vast. So it’s little wonder that some shops specialize in customizing them.

This café racer started its life as a bone stock, carburetted Thruxton, but then the team at Tamarit Motorcycles got their hands on it. Well-versed in air-cooled Triumphs (they’re up to 120 now), the Spanish outfit treated it to hand-made componentry, stunning paint and a dash of Greek mythology, and dubbed it ‘Helios.’

Starting with the handmade bodywork, a monocoque tank and tail unit was developed exclusively for the project. It features a nifty hydraulically-assisted hinging mechanism, providing easy access to all parts of the bike without the need for disassembly. It’s not only practical, but also looks swish AF.

The seat is stitched in cream leather which runs up onto the tank, adding a subtle touch to the silhouette of the bike.

The custom front fairing incorporates twin round headlights, cleverly recessed to give the bike just the right amount of endurance racer vibes. The headlight area was painted cream to match the seat; yet another extremely classy touch.

These air-cooled Bonneville engines are stronger than they look, and hide a bit of pep. With a few choice modifications, owners can really wake them up—which is exactly what Tamarit has done. They treated the engine to a full rebuild, then tweaked the Keihin carbs to run with K&N pod filters.

It would be remiss of Tamarit to bolt an aftermarket exhaust onto a custom of this caliber, so they crafted one from scratch. Dual stainless steel headers snake their way along the engine to exit under the rear cowl. Complete with custom shields, and mufflers featuring MotoGP-style hexagonal mesh at the outlets, the system is a work of art.

See those fins on the frame’s front down tubes? Those are actually Tamarit’s own integrated oil cooler—and it’s the coolest cooler system we’ve seen on a Triumph.

A custom fender sits up front, mounted on a brass-plated support. Custom fork yokes are mounted above it, machined from aluminum with space for a tiny digital Motogadget speedo. The clip-on bars are Tamarit’s own design, and are equipped with Kustom Tech levers, and Motogadget buttons, bar-end turn signals and mirrors.

The bike’s been rewired around a Motogadget control box, tucked under the tank, and switches on via a keyless ignition. The battery and all the other electrical components have been shrunk down and hidden under the rear of the monocoque body. Peek around the back of the tail bump, and you’ll spot an integrated LED taillight and turn signals.

Tamarit has also fitted one of their stunning mono shock conversions to the Thruxton, with a drilled subframe welded on just above it. Combined with a 6” swingarm stretch and a Hagon shock, the whole arrangement suits this style of café racer well.

Classic sawtooth treads from Victory are wrapped around the Thruxton’s stock 18F/17R hoops. The rear wheel also features a lenticular cover with gold trim, custom-made for the project.

The mythological Greek sun god, Helios, not only inspired this Triumph’s name, but its color scheme too. The Tamarit team were so particular about the color, that they painted the bike several times before landing on this beautiful burnt metallic orange.

Not to be outshone by the bodywork, the entire frame and swingarm were chrome plated and polished to a mirror finish. Resplendent with gold Tamarit badges, we bet this lucent Thruxton would look incredible against a setting sun.

Tamarit has once again combined classic café racer style with modern technology, making Helios one of their best builds to date. From the bodywork, to the engine and exhaust, there are countless details to pore over.

Helios will fit right in at its new home in Miami.

Tamarit Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram

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There’s things I love about this and things I don’t! Still overall love to see it!

To me the side view has something a bit off.

 

[DaveM]

Less is More: 7 Great Bobber Motorcycles for 2023

Bobbers are pure motorcycling. They’re what happens when you take everything you can off a bike and strip it to its basics. They’re one-person machines made for experiencing motorcycling in as pure a form as you can without any extras. These seven 2023 bobbers prove that less can be more.

What makes a bobber? Traditional bobbers are called bobbers because it’s short for “bar hopper” or because you “bobbed” the fenders, depending on whom you ask. Bobbers are what you get when you take off the windshield, fenders and passenger seat, take off all the unnecessary lighting and mirrors, bags, and anything else that could slow you down. When you’re riding a bobber, it’s just you, the bike, and the wind.

Curtiss The 1

Curtiss’ The 1 is certainly an interesting all-electric art-piece bobber. The 1 has an 82kW (110 horsepower) motor that makes 200 Nm (147.5 lb.-ft) of torque. But the Curtiss isn’t about numbers, it’s about beauty and engineering. The electric tube motor is liquid cooled, for example, and it drives the rear wheel by a carbon fiber belt.

The company is named for aviation and motorcycle pioneer Glenn Curtiss, and its billet aluminum chassis certainly looks airplane inspired. But, unlike planes, The 1 is fully adjustable right down the wheelbase, the rake, the trail and the ergonomics. If you want a quicker-steering bike or a long-haul cruiser, it’s no problem.

After a couple of years of teasing us, Curtiss recently opened the order books. The company is prepping the bikes for delivery in late 2023. But, be prepared to pay for this marvel. The Curtiss 1 starts at $120,000, or $150,000 if you choose to commission your own custom Curtiss.

2023 Triumph Bonneville

When most of us think of bobbers, we think of something that looks like the 2023 Triumph Bonneville Bobber. It’s basic, it’s stripped down, and it’s low with a single seat. The Bonneville Bobber though gets its grunt from the Bonnie’s T120 motor, which means you get a1200cc 79 horsepower and 77.4 lb.-ft (104 Nm), a pair of chromed exhaust pipes, wire wheels, and that’s about it.

The Bonneville Bobber for many is the essence of a bobbed-tail bike, with a simple fender, no rear seat, and no place to stash your phone or gear. It’s a pure stripped down bike for solo riding.

Indian Chief Bobber

Some will say the big Chief Bobber is not a bobber because, well, it has a fender. But, this is a solo machine, one that strips all of the touring gear off and reduces the Chief to its basics. The blacked-out Dark Horse version has mini-ape bars, forward controls, and black fork and shock covers. The Chief gets a big motor, too, a 1818 cc (111 ci) air-cooled mill that makes a whopping 108 lb.-ft (146 Nm) of torque. Speaking of that big motor, it’s air cooled, one of a dying breed of V-twin bikes that don’t need an oil cooler.

New for 2023, the Chief gets a new slipper clutch with a larger friction zone. You also get the Ride Command system that lets you connect your phone to your bike and a Bluetooth helmet system.

2023 Scout Bobber

The 2023 Indian Scout Bobber, like its bigger brother the Chief, strips the Scout of all of the stuff you don’t need. Instead, you get chopped fenders, a lower bar, a custom looking side-mount license plate holder, and that’s about it. The Scout Bobber comes with Indian’s 1133 water-cooled V-twin that makes 93 horsepower (73 kW), with two giant Gatling gun exhausts exiting on the right.

The Scout is smaller and nimbler than the Chief, and for many, that handling is a huge bonus. We wouldn’t recommend the Scout Bobber for a long-distance tour, but then none of these bikes are really designed for long-haul rides.

2023 Duacti xDiavel

When you say Ducati, most of us don’t think “bobber.” But, there’s no reason the xDiavel isn’t one. It is a stripped-down solo-seat bike with no real creature comforts or provisions for touring. It’s just faster than most other bobbers, thanks to its 1,262 twin-cylinder Testastretta engine that makes 160 horsepower (119 kW).

We like the Dark version, in all black, that seems to get at the essence of the bike. In all black, it just screams “I’m going alone.” The xDiavel also handles more like a sport bike than any upright bobber has any business doing, but the traction control and different ride modes will help you keep the shiny side up.

2023 Maeving RM1

The Maeving RM1 is a different take on a bobber. This British, hipster-styled, all-electric bike is designed for city dwellers looking to have some fun on their daily commute. Its top speed is just 45 miles per hour, and it has a limited range. But, it has a steel frame and brushed-aluminum body work that give it a real sense of quality.

The Maeving is clever, though. It comes with one or two batteries that slip into a storage spot under the “tank.” You can pull a battery and slip it into a charger that plugs into the wall. For those of us who don’t have access to a street charger this is genius, and it lets apartment dwellers charge overnight.

2023 Harley-Davidson Street Bob

The Street Bob is the classic Harley bobber. It has all you need on a bike, and not much more. With its bobbed fenders, high mini-ape bars, and bobbed fenders, it looks like a mild custom right off the showroom floor. The new 114ci (1,868 cc) Milwaukee-Eight engine stays true to Harley tradition with pushrod-operated overhead-valves, but it also makes it the most powerful Street that Harley has ever made.

Harley also makes the Fat Bob and the Sportster S, which many will also say are Bobbers. The Fat Bob has the new Softail frame and a Milwaukee-Eight 114 mill as well. To our eyes, however, the Street Bob with its solo seat option, traditional shocks up front (the Fat Bob and Sportster have inverted forks) and classic lines makes us want to hop on and head off into the distance.

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[DaveM]

MAKING A RUCKUS: Honda Zoomer by Ellaspede.

When a bloke tells you ‘good things come in small packages’, you start to wonder if they’re just trying to convince themselves. But if said Gentleman is aboard a Honda Ruckus, then he is 110% on the money. Known as the Zoomer in Japan, designation NPS50, the Ruckus was also released in North America as part of Honda’s model lineup for 2003. Why the rest of the world didn’t get them at the same...

Source

 

[DaveM]

A Brabus Bike: What Happens when Brabus Gets Ahold of a KTM 1290?

Brabus makes some of the most sought-after custom Porsches, Mercedes-Benzes and Rolls-Royces in rich guy land. But what happens when the carbon fiber geniuses at the German tuner turn their heads to a motorcycle?

Well, you get the new Brabus 1300 R Edition 23, which is Brabus’ take on a luxury motorcycle. Because this is Brabus, the 1300 takes the KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo and swaps out the plastic panels for carbon fiber weave, even more angular body panels, and adds luxury touches like a heated seat and machined metal levers.

The KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo platform is certainly one we’d like to try some hooligan stuff on. It’s a naked hyperbike with low weight, an immediate throttle response, and the looks of an anime gunfighter.

It’s also not a cheap bike. Out of the box, it comes in at more than $20,000 (€18,000), but it comes with some pretty trick options like a semi-active suspension. That suspension, designed by KTM subsidiary WP, adapts the bike to both the rider and the road surface and also includes a programmable anti-dive feature. Then, there’s that hooligan motor that is a 1320c CC LC8 V-twin that makes 180 horsepower (132 kW) and 103 lb.-ft (140 Nm) of torque.

Brabus lightened the 1290 a bit, dropping its weight from 466-pounds (211 kg) to 427 (194) with carbon goodies. With that much power, the KTM has a better power-to-weight ratio than even the mighty Ducati Panigale.

And then there’s what Brabus added. The new Brabus gets Brabus’ Monoblock Z wheels, carbon body panels, carbon front fender and carbon belly pan, as well as a host of machined metal goodies, like the triple clamp, levers, caps, and footpegs. The company also added a split exhaust at the back.

Brabus redesigned the intake, too, deleting the intake in the split headlight and moving it to the side above a rider’s knee, like a Yamaha VMAX. The big intake certainly looks like it’ll give a ram-air effect. It now has a large round headlight.

Then, since it’s Brabus, it has the Brabus Signature Stripes just like the Brabus-modified Mercedes G-Wagons you see trolling shopping centers in Beverly Hills. The solo seat also got a remake in carbon, and it’s heated, of course, because it’s Brabus.

This is the second time Brabus has launched a 1300 R. But if you want one, act fast. Brabus is only making 290 for the world. But forget KTM orange, it only comes in Superblack or Stealth Gray color schemes. For all the Brabus upgrades, though, you’ll shell out €42,500 Euro ($45,400), with a €2,500 down payment.

Brabus | Instagram

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[DaveM]

Meet Chiller: An electric BMX with Raleigh Chopper styling

If you think that electric bikes aren’t ‘real’ motorcycles, avert your eyes now. But if you love vintage BMX bikes, and believe that electric drivetrains create interesting ways to introduce newcomers to motorcycling, read on.

On the surface, ‘Chiller’ is a simple pedal-assist e-bike with throwback styling—but there’s more to this story. It’s the work of ChillFab, a side project of the custom workshop Butcher Garage, and it’s just one in a planned range of electric- and petrol-powered bikes. It follows the two Chiller prototypes that the team built a couple of years ago, with a few key changes.

The first iteration of the electric Chiller used an electric hub motor, with bicycle pedals that served only as footrests, and wasn’t street legal. But this one uses a true pedal-assist system—which means it’s classified as a bicycle in most countries, and doesn’t require a license to operate.

“This was a response to the great demand for a road legal vehicle,” explains ChillFab founder, Arseniy Chekar. “Many people wanted to have a bike for everyday travel in addition to our ‘not for road use’ petrol and electric versions. The idea of this model was to create a super cool luxury city cruiser, and give our customers a choice between a pedelec, an electric scooter and a petrol monster.”

If you’re seeing shades of the iconic Raleigh Chopper in Chiller’s frame design, that’s by design. ChillFab actually reached out to the design firm that originally penned the Chopper, Ogle Noor, for their input. “Priceless comments from the head of the design department, Herman Tandberg, helped to create a unique vehicle with an old-fashioned design and hi-end components from the present,” says Arseniy.

ChillFab welded the the frame up out of aluminum tubing, then smoothed off the welds for a seamless finish. Bits like the head tube and motor mount ‘case’ are cast alloy parts. And in case you’re wondering, the design can be adapted to run with a petrol motor and a belt drive.

For this model’s drivetrain, ChillFab went for a complete Bosch setup. Bosch is a major player in the e-bike world, supplying industry stalwarts like Trek, Cannondale, KTM and Scott.

Chiller uses the company’s ‘Performance Line’ pedal-assist motor, with a maximum possible torque output of 85 Nm. It’s matched to a 500 Wh ‘PowerPack’ battery, and Bosch’s ‘SmartphoneGrip’ mounting system, which turns the rider’s smartphone into a full-feature dash. These modern parts are integrated into the bike’s retro design so well, that nothing feels tacked-on.

The rest of the parts spec is standard bicycle fare. The cranks and chainring are from Race Face, while the BMX pedals are from Odyssey. Gearing is by way of an eight-speed Shimano Alfine internally geared hub, with hydraulic Shimano disc brakes slowing down the 26F/24R wheels.

Up in the cockpit, a Colt Bikes headset sits between the rigid front forks and the custom, cruiser-style bars. Controls are limited to the brake levers, a single gear shifter and a small controller for the Bosch system.

Chiller also scores high on finishes. The frame wears a shimmering flake paint job, with genuine leather covering the custom-made saddle. We’re digging the ‘Chiller’ logos on the head tube, and on the kicked-up ‘pan’ behind the seat.

It’s a handsome machine, and one we’d easily pick as a short-range hopper. But if you absolutely must burn fossil fuels, perhaps ChillFab’s next project will tickle your fancy.

The crew has already begun work on the next Chiller model, featuring an ICE engine, a springer front end and, believe it or not, fenders. When they’re done, they’ll be able to offer Chiller with pedal-assist, full electric or full petrol power, with various custom options (like the springer forks).

We’ll take one of each, please.

ChillFab | Butcher Garage | Images by Alexander Dymov

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[DaveM]

Big Dreams: A custom Yamaha TW200 from Taiwan

What motorcycle did you dream of owning when you were young? For Mike Chen, it was the mighty Yamaha TW200—and who could blame him? Loved by multiple generations of fans, the TW200 is the coolest farm bike on the planet.

Mike’s dream stayed out of reach for a while though. He came close when he was eighteen—sort of. Unable to afford an imported TW200 (Mike lives in Taiwan), he bought a locally-made Kymco KTR, and modified it to look as similar to the Tee-Dub as possible.

Today, Mike runs the custom shop Mike’s Garage, based in Taipei, where he focuses on sub-400 cc customs. He’s finally got his hands on a Yamaha TW200, which he’s customized to great effect as his personal street tracker.

Mike found the 1987-model donor bike in a scrapyard, in exactly the sort of condition you’d expect. “Not only was the frame twisted and broken, but the piston was stuck, the wheels were rusted and the wiring harness was incomplete,” says Mike’s good friend, Barry Lim.

“Mike still insisted on bringing it home, no matter how high the cost was, because it was kind of meaningful to him to own a bike with the same year of manufacture as his birth year.”

The bike was so mangled, that Mike almost couldn’t get started on it. Between the TW’s inherent asymmetrical frame design, and some welding ‘fixes’ done by the previous owner, he couldn’t even find the center line of the frame to straighten it. So he scrapped it, and imported a used frame from Japan to replace it.

From there, the frame mods were minor; Mike simply rebuilt the subframe to refine the bike’s silhouette, and to accommodate a shorter seat. The front forks were refurbished and stiffened, while the rear shock was swapped out for a shortened Benelli Leoncino 250 unit. The mods have shaved a few inches off the seat height too.

Mike’s Garage actually specializes in wheel building, so naturally the TW200 rolls on fresh hoops. Mike kept the stock 18F/14R sizes, fitting a Kenda motocross tire up front and a Duro ATV tire out back.

The engine was fully rebuilt inside and out, and now looks clean enough to eat off. Mike installed a Yoshimura MJN26 carb, and a new exhaust header and muffler. All the wiring gremlins were taken care of too.

The TW’s new fuel tank looks like it was scalped from a vintage motocross bike, but it’s actually a custom part. Mike built it, and the rear fender, out of fiberglass. And if you’re wondering where the fender’s unique shape came from, it was inspired by the aftermarket parts that Mike saw in Japanese magazines when he was young.

A custom saddle from Hoffman Bygone sits up top, with custom side covers finishing off the bodywork.

A set of flat track-style handlebars sit up top, adorned with translucent cherry red grips and a single vintage switch block. The speedo is a standard aftermarket part, but it’s been mounted low down on the left side of the bike, to leave the cockpit as sparse as possible. A custom drilled bracket holds the headlight—and plays host to a single warning light.

The ignition and start button are both integrated into the Yamaha’s lefthand side cover. Off-the-shelf turn signals do duty at both ends, with a basic round taillight integrated neatly into the rear fender, just above where the license plate usually sits.

We’d never think of putting hot rod flames on a TW200—but Mike has, and it looks spectacular. A couple of smaller red details, like the cloth spark plug lead, show just how much thought has gone into this charmingly quirky custom.

“The TW was my dream bike since I was young,” Mike tells us. “At 18, the first time I saw it, I said ‘I will own you one day and turn you into the style I like.’”

Mike’s Garage Instagram | With special thanks to Barry Lim

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[DaveM]

Green Meanies: Where Did Kawasaki Racing Green Come From?

The Daytona 200 is one of my favorite races of the year. This year I was perusing some historic photos of the race when I came across one from 1969. It’s a faded photo from Kawasaki showing five race bikes and riders trimmed in green and white. Of course they’re Kawasaki racers, they’re in green.

Seeing that green brought back memories of my dad taking me to school in the 1980s on the back of his green KZ440, and my own old Ninja 500. It’s the same color as many of the new Kawasakis you’ll find on a showroom floor, whether those are dirt bikes, Jet Skis, or even electric bicycles. But that 1969 photo shows the first time that Kawasakis were painted in their now-famous color.

But where did the Kawasaki Racing Green color come from? In 1969 Kawasaki was looking to make a splash at the most important race on the American calendar. At the Daytona 200 racers used the high banks of iconic NASCAR superspeedway, and riders fought hard on the dangerous circuit. That 1969 race was also on TV in color and Kawasaki wanted to stand out. And, those bikes did.

Kawasaki shocked the paddock with a bevy of 250cc A1RA and 350cc A7RA factory racers painted in green and white. Racers are a superstitious lot and green had always been a jinxed color. But the team of talented riders including Ken Araoka, Art Bauman, KMC employee Walt Fulton III, Dick Hammer and Cal Rayborn, threw out old superstitions and also wore green-and-white one-piece suits.

According to Kawasaki, the 1969 KMC National Sales Manager Don Graves and National Marketing Manager Paul Collins, worked with Akashi designer Chris Kurishima and famous Los Angeles painter Rollin “Molly” Sanders to come up with the color. Sanders was famous as Paint by Molly for doing wild paint jobs on choppers in Southern California. But Molly decided to repurpose an AMC Javelin green color for the racers. Essentially, it was a marketing stunt to make the bikes stand out.

It worked. The bikes were easily identifiable and though the color wasn’t intended to stick around, it immediately became iconic. The green was solidified as Kawasaki’s race color when the H2R “Green Meanie,” a 748cc two-stroke three-cylinder bike debuted. Gary Nixon won the AMA Road Racing Championship on that bike in 1973. In the 1970s, green racing Z1s were hard to beat. And, from 1978 to 1982 Kawasaki Racing Green was almost always on the podium in GP250 and GP350 racing.

Though the bikes didn’t win Daytona in 1969, Kawasaki decided to lean into the unconventional color. Not long after the Daytona 200, Kawasaki debuted the color on the 1969 F21M “Greenstreak,” a 238cc scrambler.

Molly Sanders, however, didn’t stop at Kawasaki green. He also created Kenny Roberts’ iconic black-and-yellow strobe paint for his Yamaha race bikes, the Buick Grand National logo with the swirling turbo in the 6, as well as racing colorways for Toyota.

Green paint, though, does have a dangerous history and superstitious racers and artists avoided it. For centuries, green paint was made with arsenic and it would literally burn itself into a painter’s canvas. The dye was so deadly that some historians even think green wallpaper could have killed Napoleon Bonaparte. For racers, especially stock car drivers, it was considered back luck. Strangely, though, green may be a bit safer on a motorcycle: It’s the first color a person’s optical sensors read.

This year’s MotoAmerica Daytona 200 is scheduled for March 11, and you can be sure there will be some green machines mixing it up at the front of the pack.

Kawasaki Racing History | Instagram

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[DaveM]

Speed Read, February 19, 2023

For some people, it’s about building the fastest machine possible. For others, it’s all about style. For virtually every bike we feature here, it’s a combination lying somewhere in the middle.

This week’s Speed Read features three wildly different motorcycles, all walking different lines between style and speed. We’ve got a stretched out Honda Ruckus from Australia, a Suzuki café racer from Portugal, an absolute weapon of a vintage-styled Baja desert racer from Italy, and lastly, a new documentary focusing on that lovely thing at the center of it all—speed.

Honda Ruckus by Ellaspede Not all scooters are created equal. The Honda Ruckus continues to prove this with every incredible custom built on the platform; the tubular steel frame just begs for alteration.

Ellaspede, based in Queensland, Australia, is not known for its Ruckus customs—far from it. If you look at the massive list of custom builds on the brand’s website, you won’t see a single scooter. Apparently this one is special.

The stock Honda engine was replaced with a GY6 unit that was stroked out to 171 cc, good for a claimed top speed of 100 km/h [62 mph]. That new engine was fitted with pod filters and an upswept carbon Yoshimura exhaust.

12-inch billet engine mounts give the bike its stretch. Additional billet components mount the slammed rear suspension system, with a set of lowered forks and clip-ons fitted up front to match.

A 12” front wheel and 13” rear are wrapped in Michelin Power Pure tires. Brembo calipers grab 220 mm discs at both ends, working through CNC’d master cylinders and teflon-coated lines. Because when you need to redo all the stock-length cables anyway, why not go to the nines?

A full aftermarket wiring loom was installed, and a new Koso gauge system was hooked up, giving all of the necessary information with an added dose of tech and style. The rest of the lighting suite was minimized with Koso and Motogadget parts, as well as a new LED headlight and a custom-built license plate mount.

Slammed and stretched, Ellaspede’s custom Ruckus is a reminder not to sleep on this plucky scooter. Who else is itching to take it for a spin? [Via]

Suzuki GSX750 by Rusty Wrench Motorcycles Rusty Wrench is a motorcycle mecca tucked away in Loulé, Portugal. In the middle of an area known for its temperate weather and wonderful motorcycling roads, Rusty Wrench serves up hot coffee, the latest moto gear and accessories, fresh haircuts and tattoos, and yes, beautiful custom motorcycles—like this 1987 Suzuki GSX750.

The donor bike was just that—a donor. It was in rough shape. So rough, that Francisco and Vera Correia, the team behind Rusty Wrench, named the build ‘Fenix,’ as a completely new and refreshed bird would rise out of these ashes.

All of the original GSX’s original bodywork had to be replaced. A new fuel tank was taken from a Honda CB750, a composite tail section was mounted to a custom subframe, and a vintage re-popped fairing was fitted to the bike with custom-made mounts.

The forks and front brakes came from a Yamaha R1, and the whole swingarm, rear shock, and rear braking system were taken from a Honda CB600. A set of spoked aftermarket wheels complete the running gear, adding more of a classic touch.

Despite the shape of the rest of the original bike, the engine was surprisingly sound. After a little clean up, pod filters, and a freer-flowing four-into-to-one exhaust system, were fitted. The entire wiring system was redone with the help of a Motogadget mo-unit, with LED lighting all-round.

Now the bike balances the added performance and reliability of added modern components, with killer retro style. [Via]

Honda XR600R by GPgarage Moto In 1991, Honda developed a four-stroke single to beat out the smokers that had been winning the Baja 1000. The factory-built race bike was called ‘The Monster,’ or, more formally, the XR667. As you’d expect from a bike that has the extend of Honda’s resources thrown at it, the XR667 had all of the trick stuff.

The cooling fins on the head were extended, and an oil quick-fill from an RC30 endurance racer was equipped. It had a new oil cooler, a higher-wattage power output, a large aluminum gas tank, and a removable subframe with a built-in airbox and little door for the filter to be swapped. Big forks, high performance brakes—this thing was absolutely kitted.

But this bike is not that bike. Instead, it’s a carefully crafted replica, based on a 1991 Honda XR600R.

It’s the work of Matteo Gualandi of Italy’s GPgarage Moto. He’s been building custom replica desert race bikes for years. For him, the Monster 667 is the “Sacro Graal [Holy Grail], the most complicated Baja replica.”

To get as close to the original as possible, a custom one-off fairing had to be made. Next, an aluminum gas tank, oil cooler, custom exhaust system went on. Out back, a custom-made detachable subframe, aluminum airbox, and new aluminum swingarm were fitted.

A 660 cc kit was installed too, with a big-fin head to match the OG Monster. Even the blue aluminum details were anodized or ordered in to match.

This new bike won’t be raced or pushed to the limits that the original factory racer was, but it will live on and be honored all the same—bringing joy and sweet memories to Matteo every time he sees it or is able to share his vision. [Via]

Rapid Motion Through Space: An Incomplete History of Speed Lastly, we have a new film about a lot more than motorcycles—but also motorcycles. Produced by The Cosmic Shambles Network, and titled ‘Rapid Motion Through Space: An Incomplete History of Speed,’ the documentary focuses on MotoGP, interviewing world champion racers, journalists, and team members.

The second half of the doc focuses on something completely different: how riders and their haste can help deliver medical samples and supplies through Africa faster than virtually any other land-based travel. Riders For Life and Two Wheels for Life provide life-saving services in these areas.

I won’t give away any details, but the film provides new and interesting ways to think about speed, motorcycles, and the ways we all use these two-wheeled mechanisms. It’s currently free to view—just hit play below. [Via | Image source: MotoGP.com]

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