Very nice work; but not for me.
Custom Motorcycle Builds
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Custom Bikes Of The Week: 3 November, 2019
The wildest custom Goldwing you’ve ever seen, an incredibly rare Egli-framed Suzuki GT750, a BMW with Nissan Leaf power, and a seriously weird official body kit for the Honda Monkey.
Egli Suzuki GT750 by Extremebikes We love a good detective story, especially if it has a happy ending—like the one involving this Suzuki ‘Water Buffalo.’ The GT750 was known for its scintillating performance, as you’d expect from a two-stroke of this size, but its handling was well off the mark.
This incredibly rare Egli-framed version belongs to racer Boy Meinkehn, and elevates the GT750’s road and track dynamics to a level worthy of its famous engine.
Acting on a tip-off from a friend, Meinkehn acquired what he thought was simply a custom-framed GT750—and then noticed design details and build quirks that suggested it was the work of the legendary Fritz Egli.
Egli himself confirmed that the bike used one of three experimental GT750 frames that he’d built. So Meinkehn sent the GT750 to Extremebikes, a Freiberg shop known for its high performance builds. The GT750 now has uprated suspension, new bodywork and a finely tuned exhaust system. Return Of The Café Racers has the story.
Custom Goldwing by Death Machines Of London It’s a sign of James Hilton’s perfectionism that he’s only just finished this extraordinary 1977 Goldwing after displaying it for the first time at the Bike Shed show last year.
Unhappy with the result at that point, he went back into the workshop and fettled the Honda even more. And it’s been worth the wait, as these amazing Ivo Ivanov shots prove. DMOL has always been about quality over quantity, and ‘Kenzo’ has raised the bar even higher.
The origami-like construction is a mix of 3D scanning, CAD modelling and composite parts, plus hand-beaten aluminum. The influence is clearly Japanese, with design cues coming from samurai body armour, Katana swords and Tsukamaki leather wrapping techniques.
The mighty engine has been returned to as-new condition by Ray Petty Meccanica, the suspension is custom Öhlins all round, and there are insane tiny details such as holographic film on the LED light lenses to create a futuristic plasma glow. Truly next-level stuff. [More]
Electric BMW R75/5 by Night Shift Bikes Customizing motorcycles is a serious business, so it’s good to see a lighthearted approach now and then. It was the eye-popping paint that first drew us to this R75 from New Orleans–based Matt Candler of Night Shift, but there’s some clever engineering going on here too.
Matt specializes in electric conversions, and for his fifth build, he’s slotted ten cells from a Nissan Leaf powerpack into a 1973 R75 chassis. Laced into the rear 18-inch rim and wrapped around the rear axle is a custom, air-cooled DC motor from Enertrac, putting out 13HP/10kW continuous, with bursts to 26HP/20kW.
Mechanical brakes are gone because the Enertrac can provide regenerative braking and one-wrist control.
Cognito Moto provided help with the wheels, a stem to receive the front end from a Suzuki GSX750, a custom LED headlamp, and lots of encouragement. If you made it to the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show this year, you’ll have spotted the bike in part-built form — but right now, it’s in Denver, for the Red Bull-sponsored 5 Pointers Show. [Night Shift Bikes]
CCM Stealth series When BSA’s competition department imploded in 1971, Clews Competition Machines was born. CCM is now a highly-regarded independent British manufacturer with a small stable of very stylish machines.
A couple of years ago the Spitfire range was launched, to widespread approval. After using Suzuki engines for years, CCM switched to a Husqvarna 600cc single, slotted into a hand built tubular steel frame.
The range has now been updated with new ‘Stealth’ variants, and they’re so enticing we just had to include them here. Our favorite is the ‘Stealth Foggy’ shown in these images, with black paint and bronze highlights, chunky Marzocchi forks, and a frame finished in elegant ‘bronze chrome’ powdercoat.
The 19-inch machined wheels are finished in black, with blacked-out hubs too, the four-pot radial twin callipers are from Brembo, and there are touches of ‘titanium grey’ anodizing here and there to provide light relief. The price is £11,995 [US$15,400], which makes this limited edition excellent value. [CCM]
Honda Monkey ‘Baja Africa’ Honda has a reputation for being one of the most conventional motorcycle makers, but we have solid evidence right here that the designers are occasionally allowed to cut loose and upper management occasionally has a few too many single malts on a Friday afternoon.
In the early 90s, Honda made a ‘Baja’ version of the Monkey, with knobby tires, dual headlamps and an enduro-style seat. These bikes are now sought-after in the Japanese market, but still available for around US$4,000.
Then Honda went a step further and created a ‘Monkey Africa’ body kit, centered on a huge tank-and-seat unit that bolted straight onto the regular Monkey Baja.
It’s absolutely bizarre, and there’s a complete bike with kit now for sale at the Belgian dealer TVP classics. If you have 12,500 euros to spare (around US$13,800) and don’t take your motorcycling too seriously, this is the perfect bike for you. [Via]
Continue reading...
The wildest custom Goldwing you’ve ever seen, an incredibly rare Egli-framed Suzuki GT750, a BMW with Nissan Leaf power, and a seriously weird official body kit for the Honda Monkey.
Egli Suzuki GT750 by Extremebikes We love a good detective story, especially if it has a happy ending—like the one involving this Suzuki ‘Water Buffalo.’ The GT750 was known for its scintillating performance, as you’d expect from a two-stroke of this size, but its handling was well off the mark.
This incredibly rare Egli-framed version belongs to racer Boy Meinkehn, and elevates the GT750’s road and track dynamics to a level worthy of its famous engine.
Acting on a tip-off from a friend, Meinkehn acquired what he thought was simply a custom-framed GT750—and then noticed design details and build quirks that suggested it was the work of the legendary Fritz Egli.
Egli himself confirmed that the bike used one of three experimental GT750 frames that he’d built. So Meinkehn sent the GT750 to Extremebikes, a Freiberg shop known for its high performance builds. The GT750 now has uprated suspension, new bodywork and a finely tuned exhaust system. Return Of The Café Racers has the story.
Custom Goldwing by Death Machines Of London It’s a sign of James Hilton’s perfectionism that he’s only just finished this extraordinary 1977 Goldwing after displaying it for the first time at the Bike Shed show last year.
Unhappy with the result at that point, he went back into the workshop and fettled the Honda even more. And it’s been worth the wait, as these amazing Ivo Ivanov shots prove. DMOL has always been about quality over quantity, and ‘Kenzo’ has raised the bar even higher.
The origami-like construction is a mix of 3D scanning, CAD modelling and composite parts, plus hand-beaten aluminum. The influence is clearly Japanese, with design cues coming from samurai body armour, Katana swords and Tsukamaki leather wrapping techniques.
The mighty engine has been returned to as-new condition by Ray Petty Meccanica, the suspension is custom Öhlins all round, and there are insane tiny details such as holographic film on the LED light lenses to create a futuristic plasma glow. Truly next-level stuff. [More]
Electric BMW R75/5 by Night Shift Bikes Customizing motorcycles is a serious business, so it’s good to see a lighthearted approach now and then. It was the eye-popping paint that first drew us to this R75 from New Orleans–based Matt Candler of Night Shift, but there’s some clever engineering going on here too.
Matt specializes in electric conversions, and for his fifth build, he’s slotted ten cells from a Nissan Leaf powerpack into a 1973 R75 chassis. Laced into the rear 18-inch rim and wrapped around the rear axle is a custom, air-cooled DC motor from Enertrac, putting out 13HP/10kW continuous, with bursts to 26HP/20kW.
Mechanical brakes are gone because the Enertrac can provide regenerative braking and one-wrist control.
Cognito Moto provided help with the wheels, a stem to receive the front end from a Suzuki GSX750, a custom LED headlamp, and lots of encouragement. If you made it to the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show this year, you’ll have spotted the bike in part-built form — but right now, it’s in Denver, for the Red Bull-sponsored 5 Pointers Show. [Night Shift Bikes]
CCM Stealth series When BSA’s competition department imploded in 1971, Clews Competition Machines was born. CCM is now a highly-regarded independent British manufacturer with a small stable of very stylish machines.
A couple of years ago the Spitfire range was launched, to widespread approval. After using Suzuki engines for years, CCM switched to a Husqvarna 600cc single, slotted into a hand built tubular steel frame.
The range has now been updated with new ‘Stealth’ variants, and they’re so enticing we just had to include them here. Our favorite is the ‘Stealth Foggy’ shown in these images, with black paint and bronze highlights, chunky Marzocchi forks, and a frame finished in elegant ‘bronze chrome’ powdercoat.
The 19-inch machined wheels are finished in black, with blacked-out hubs too, the four-pot radial twin callipers are from Brembo, and there are touches of ‘titanium grey’ anodizing here and there to provide light relief. The price is £11,995 [US$15,400], which makes this limited edition excellent value. [CCM]
Honda Monkey ‘Baja Africa’ Honda has a reputation for being one of the most conventional motorcycle makers, but we have solid evidence right here that the designers are occasionally allowed to cut loose and upper management occasionally has a few too many single malts on a Friday afternoon.
In the early 90s, Honda made a ‘Baja’ version of the Monkey, with knobby tires, dual headlamps and an enduro-style seat. These bikes are now sought-after in the Japanese market, but still available for around US$4,000.
Then Honda went a step further and created a ‘Monkey Africa’ body kit, centered on a huge tank-and-seat unit that bolted straight onto the regular Monkey Baja.
It’s absolutely bizarre, and there’s a complete bike with kit now for sale at the Belgian dealer TVP classics. If you have 12,500 euros to spare (around US$13,800) and don’t take your motorcycling too seriously, this is the perfect bike for you. [Via]
Continue reading...
El Trasplante: A Yamaha XT 600 with Bultaco bodywork
Lots of people build a bike with the sole purpose of thrashing it. But it’s usually a ‘beater,’ with very little time or money plowed into the project.
This svelte Yamaha XT 600 E was clearly built to get loose, but it’s also a remarkably cohesive and neat custom. Even if that wasn’t the original intention of its owner, Stefan Lantschner.
Stefan is an Italian living in Barcelona, Spain—a videographer who spends his free time wrenching on bikes under the nickname ‘Koolt Creations.’ He’s already built a couple of machines for himself and friends, but this XT 600 project had a very specific purpose.
“After going to Wheels & Waves,” he tells us, “all I wanted to do was build a flat tracker! The plan was to do something quick and cheap—but as soon as I started, the plan changed.”
“It is probably the bike I spent the most time on, and it caused the most headaches. But as soon as you ride it, it pays off!”
Stefan bought the 1992 XT 600 E from a friend who abandoned a plan to customize it. As far as big thumping enduros go, the XT 600 E makes sense: it’s lumpy, but the air-cooled single makes enough power and it’s tough.
Stefan’s lowered the weight from the stock 170 kilos (375 pounds) wet, mostly by throwing all of the original bodywork in the bin. And since he’s set the XT 600 up for off-road use only, he doesn’t need niceties like lights, dials or excess wiring.
The Yamaha now wears the monocoque fiberglass body from an old Bultaco Lobito trials bike. Stefan had to modify the bottom of the tank to fit the Yamaha’s wider frame and integrated oil filler, then he shaped up a new seat with fresh foam, and sent it to XtrimSeats in Barcelona for upholstery.
Rather than slap on a generic, off-the-shelf number board, Stefan had a carbon fiber one made that sits snug, and wraps around the forks. He first made a template out of cardboard, then handed it over to an expert to shape up the final form.
As for the chassis, the subframe was trimmed down to match the length of the Bultaco body kit. Up front, Stefan has installed the beefier 43mm forks and bottom yoke from a 2003 Yamaha YZF-R6 sport bike, pairing them with a CNC-machined top yoke.
The old F21/R17 wheel combo has been ditched in favor of new 19-inch rims with KTM hubs. The front brake is from the R6, with a 320 mm supermoto disc, and the rear brake is the stock single 220 mm XT 600 unit, now matched to a Honda CRF master cylinder and lever.
Magura came to the party big time, and hooked Stefan up with a set of Xline bars and clamps, plus brake and clutch controls. (The Yamaha’s been upgraded to a Magura hydraulic clutch too.)
Other additions include Renthal MX grips, a solitary button to start the bike, and MX Bud racing foot pegs on custom-built brackets.
When it came to the exhaust, Stefan commissioned his friend Christopher Martensson, who built the full system right through to the muffler.
The Koolt XT 600 is now a compact and purposeful custom, and unlike most, loves to shred. Pretty impressive work from a guy who doesn’t even have his own workshop.
“I built the bike in a small garage owned by my friend Alvaro,” Stefan explains. “Big thanks to him, and also to Salva, Nico Niks and Luisangel for their help!”
So what’s next? Apparently the plan is to slap some lights on the Yamaha, get it road legal and tear around the hills of Barcelona.
Sounds like an excelente plan to us.
Koolt Creations | Images by Javi Echevarría Ruiz
Continue reading...
Lots of people build a bike with the sole purpose of thrashing it. But it’s usually a ‘beater,’ with very little time or money plowed into the project.
This svelte Yamaha XT 600 E was clearly built to get loose, but it’s also a remarkably cohesive and neat custom. Even if that wasn’t the original intention of its owner, Stefan Lantschner.
Stefan is an Italian living in Barcelona, Spain—a videographer who spends his free time wrenching on bikes under the nickname ‘Koolt Creations.’ He’s already built a couple of machines for himself and friends, but this XT 600 project had a very specific purpose.
“After going to Wheels & Waves,” he tells us, “all I wanted to do was build a flat tracker! The plan was to do something quick and cheap—but as soon as I started, the plan changed.”
“It is probably the bike I spent the most time on, and it caused the most headaches. But as soon as you ride it, it pays off!”
Stefan bought the 1992 XT 600 E from a friend who abandoned a plan to customize it. As far as big thumping enduros go, the XT 600 E makes sense: it’s lumpy, but the air-cooled single makes enough power and it’s tough.
Stefan’s lowered the weight from the stock 170 kilos (375 pounds) wet, mostly by throwing all of the original bodywork in the bin. And since he’s set the XT 600 up for off-road use only, he doesn’t need niceties like lights, dials or excess wiring.
The Yamaha now wears the monocoque fiberglass body from an old Bultaco Lobito trials bike. Stefan had to modify the bottom of the tank to fit the Yamaha’s wider frame and integrated oil filler, then he shaped up a new seat with fresh foam, and sent it to XtrimSeats in Barcelona for upholstery.
Rather than slap on a generic, off-the-shelf number board, Stefan had a carbon fiber one made that sits snug, and wraps around the forks. He first made a template out of cardboard, then handed it over to an expert to shape up the final form.
As for the chassis, the subframe was trimmed down to match the length of the Bultaco body kit. Up front, Stefan has installed the beefier 43mm forks and bottom yoke from a 2003 Yamaha YZF-R6 sport bike, pairing them with a CNC-machined top yoke.
The old F21/R17 wheel combo has been ditched in favor of new 19-inch rims with KTM hubs. The front brake is from the R6, with a 320 mm supermoto disc, and the rear brake is the stock single 220 mm XT 600 unit, now matched to a Honda CRF master cylinder and lever.
Magura came to the party big time, and hooked Stefan up with a set of Xline bars and clamps, plus brake and clutch controls. (The Yamaha’s been upgraded to a Magura hydraulic clutch too.)
Other additions include Renthal MX grips, a solitary button to start the bike, and MX Bud racing foot pegs on custom-built brackets.
When it came to the exhaust, Stefan commissioned his friend Christopher Martensson, who built the full system right through to the muffler.
The Koolt XT 600 is now a compact and purposeful custom, and unlike most, loves to shred. Pretty impressive work from a guy who doesn’t even have his own workshop.
“I built the bike in a small garage owned by my friend Alvaro,” Stefan explains. “Big thanks to him, and also to Salva, Nico Niks and Luisangel for their help!”
So what’s next? Apparently the plan is to slap some lights on the Yamaha, get it road legal and tear around the hills of Barcelona.
Sounds like an excelente plan to us.
Koolt Creations | Images by Javi Echevarría Ruiz
Continue reading...
Ortolani’s Yamaha TR1 is an ode to turbofan wheels
Olivier Ortolani has a flair for the dramatic. This is a guy who once wrapped a Ducati Panigale 1199 S in hand-shaped polished aluminum bodywork, so there’s no line he won’t cross. Which is exactly why his newest client was happy to let him loose.
The owner of this 1982 Yamaha TR1 didn’t have a donor bike in mind when he first visited the Ortolani Customs workshop in Nice, France. But he liked what he saw, and wanted his own ‘Ortolani.’ So he sourced a TR1, then rode it for six months to make sure there weren’t any gremlins lurking.
Olivier’s client specifically wanted something sporty that’d be a joy on the twisties in his region. So although this TR1 catches the eye with sculpted forms and the ultimate 1980s-style front wheel, there’s some trick engineering going on too.
Once Olivier had stripped the 1,000 cc v-twin down, he began switching out its running gear. The TR1’s handling was never top drawer, so this one has a full complement of Triumph Daytona 675 R bits. That included the Daytona’s adjustable Öhlins suspension, wheels and brakes.
At the back, Olivier took just over an inch out of the swing arm, and modified the shock mounts to realign with the chassis. Up front, he paired the Daytona suspension with a set of custom-made triples from USV Racing. And he installed wet weather tires from Continental.
If you’re trying to figure out what’s going on with the front wheel, it’s been dressed up with a pair of modified discs from a ‘turbofan’ wheel—a design used in racing cars like the Lancia Delta HF and Audi Quattro DTM.
Olivier trimmed the fans to match the Triumph wheel, then CNC-machined special brackets to attach them. It’s a tight fit, with mere millimeters between the discs and the brake calipers.
“The real usefulness of this adaptation is aesthetic,” he admits, “but it works perfectly, accentuating the aggressive and racy side.”
Once the TR1 was built up to a rolling chassis, Olivier turned his attention to the bodywork. Step one was to test the new design with shaping foam—a process that helps Olivier to visualize the final form, and highlight any potential fit issues early on.
With the foam shapes settled, work began on the final aluminum parts. Olivier ditched the airbox, and designed a new system that passes air down through two intakes poking out the top of the tank.
The rear section was built to house all the electric bits, particularly the Motogadget m.unit that the bike has been rewired around. NMB Design handled the seat upholstery, then Olivier finished off the tail with a light that combines a Kellermann LED with a Plexiglas fin.
The front fairing wears an LED headlight, with a yellow hue to match the tiny windshield. Behind the fairing is a set of clip-ons, with Bonamici controls, and a speedo, grips and bar-end turn signals from Motogadget.
Lower down, Olivier upgraded the carbs from the stock Hitachis to a pair of Mikuni units. The stainless steel exhaust system is a one off, terminating in asymmetrically-mounted mufflers, inspired by MotoGP bikes.
Olivier finished the TR1 off with a wild and colorful livery—but there’s more to the visuals than just the paint job. The motor’s been refinished too, and the Öhlins suspension components have shed their signature gold touches. Even hard parts like the brake calipers have been re-colored to match the new palette.
This Ortolani special sure is eccentric, but it’s also a fresh, zingy take on the established Yamaha XV genre of customs. A huge step up from the lumpy original, we’d say.
Ortolani Customs Facebook | Instagram | Photos: Nicolas Licari Photographe
Continue reading...
Olivier Ortolani has a flair for the dramatic. This is a guy who once wrapped a Ducati Panigale 1199 S in hand-shaped polished aluminum bodywork, so there’s no line he won’t cross. Which is exactly why his newest client was happy to let him loose.
The owner of this 1982 Yamaha TR1 didn’t have a donor bike in mind when he first visited the Ortolani Customs workshop in Nice, France. But he liked what he saw, and wanted his own ‘Ortolani.’ So he sourced a TR1, then rode it for six months to make sure there weren’t any gremlins lurking.
Olivier’s client specifically wanted something sporty that’d be a joy on the twisties in his region. So although this TR1 catches the eye with sculpted forms and the ultimate 1980s-style front wheel, there’s some trick engineering going on too.
Once Olivier had stripped the 1,000 cc v-twin down, he began switching out its running gear. The TR1’s handling was never top drawer, so this one has a full complement of Triumph Daytona 675 R bits. That included the Daytona’s adjustable Öhlins suspension, wheels and brakes.
At the back, Olivier took just over an inch out of the swing arm, and modified the shock mounts to realign with the chassis. Up front, he paired the Daytona suspension with a set of custom-made triples from USV Racing. And he installed wet weather tires from Continental.
If you’re trying to figure out what’s going on with the front wheel, it’s been dressed up with a pair of modified discs from a ‘turbofan’ wheel—a design used in racing cars like the Lancia Delta HF and Audi Quattro DTM.
Olivier trimmed the fans to match the Triumph wheel, then CNC-machined special brackets to attach them. It’s a tight fit, with mere millimeters between the discs and the brake calipers.
“The real usefulness of this adaptation is aesthetic,” he admits, “but it works perfectly, accentuating the aggressive and racy side.”
Once the TR1 was built up to a rolling chassis, Olivier turned his attention to the bodywork. Step one was to test the new design with shaping foam—a process that helps Olivier to visualize the final form, and highlight any potential fit issues early on.
With the foam shapes settled, work began on the final aluminum parts. Olivier ditched the airbox, and designed a new system that passes air down through two intakes poking out the top of the tank.
The rear section was built to house all the electric bits, particularly the Motogadget m.unit that the bike has been rewired around. NMB Design handled the seat upholstery, then Olivier finished off the tail with a light that combines a Kellermann LED with a Plexiglas fin.
The front fairing wears an LED headlight, with a yellow hue to match the tiny windshield. Behind the fairing is a set of clip-ons, with Bonamici controls, and a speedo, grips and bar-end turn signals from Motogadget.
Lower down, Olivier upgraded the carbs from the stock Hitachis to a pair of Mikuni units. The stainless steel exhaust system is a one off, terminating in asymmetrically-mounted mufflers, inspired by MotoGP bikes.
Olivier finished the TR1 off with a wild and colorful livery—but there’s more to the visuals than just the paint job. The motor’s been refinished too, and the Öhlins suspension components have shed their signature gold touches. Even hard parts like the brake calipers have been re-colored to match the new palette.
This Ortolani special sure is eccentric, but it’s also a fresh, zingy take on the established Yamaha XV genre of customs. A huge step up from the lumpy original, we’d say.
Ortolani Customs Facebook | Instagram | Photos: Nicolas Licari Photographe
Continue reading...
ROOKie: A street scrambler with an 80s BMX vibe
Any custom shop that builds its own frames gets our immediate respect. Granted, you need a certain degree of mechanical aptitude to strip down and tune up an engine, or install completely new suspension. But fabricating a new frame is a whole different ball game.
This angular and curiously appealing light motorcycle comes from Belgians Yves Noël and Wouter Bollen, who have been running Rook motorcycles since 2013. The guys describe ‘ROOKie’ as a “minimalistic urban scrambler with an eighties BMX influence.”
Rook are based in an old gunpowder factory near Brussels, which is probably worth a story in itself. The name doesn’t just refer to the famously intelligent black bird: it also means ‘smoke’ in Dutch, as in combustion engines, burning rubber and the beguiling odor of two-stroke.
It’s an odd but clever name, and you could probably describe Noël and Bollen in the same way. Bollen is a bird lover, moto freak and aggression expert—supporting social workers in his day job. Noël works for Jaguar Land Rover and loves enduro bikes.
“Our specialty is light motorcycles, and our dream is to design and build a complete motorcycle ourselves,” says Bollen. “The ROOKie is our first prototype.”
Noël and Bollen have designed this bike the old school way, drawing a ton of sketches, and using a tube bender and a frame jig. They also got a present from a good friend: an old but very solid lathe. Then they bought a cheap SYM XS 125 for its wheels and forks. “It was a wreck that we got for 50 euros!” says Bollen.
The engine is a YX 140 cc thumper—a Chinese-made Honda Dax clone that’s popular with pit bike builders. Despite its bargain-basement price, it has fuel injection and a switchable normal/eco mode.
“The greatest advantage of this engine is that we can spoon a variety of Honda clones into our frame,” says Bollen. “From a modest 50cc for a youngster to a 200cc 4-valve Takegawa for adrenalin junkies.” The exhaust header is custom made, and snakes discreetly between the swingarm and the rear wheel.
The custom frame and swingarm are crafted from 25CroMo4 chromoly steel, and Rook made the chain tensioner too. The rear suspension looks like a rigid setup at first glance, but it’s actually a link system with a fully adjustable shock absorber from local maker Moto Tuning Mol, hidden under the tank.
The organic design of the frame contrasts with the rectangular aluminum tank and headlight nacelle, which were made by the local fabrication specialist Streug Metal Shop. The endearingly square tank has three bead-rolled indents to visually ‘break’ its volume and it’s secured with Silentbloc rubber mounts.
The left side is a dummy: it’s home to electric components such as a lithium-ion polymer battery, the CDI and ECU boxes, ignition coil, voltage regulator and more.
“We thought: let’s embrace asymmetry,” says Bollen. “So the cover of the dummy tank is painted in signal white, with a stripe in Volvo Rebel Blue and the ROOKie logo. The rest of the tank, headlight and front fender are painted in solid blue.” The paint is stunning and was done by CQ & S Carrosserir.
There’s a matching white stripe across the back of the seat, which sits on a stainless steel pan. The indents on the tank are mirrored with three narrow rolls in white stitching on the seat itself.
The rectangular headlight unit flows neatly into the triple clamp and two micro LED Indicators are mounted on either side. At the back are more micro LEDS handling blinker, rear light and stoplight duties. The front fender is a modified aftermarket item—as are the rearsets, which were originally designed to fit the Suzuki Bandit.
White grips on the Kitaco handlebars and the white wheels will appeal to the Vans-wearing brigade, and the chunky Vee Rubber tires add to the eighties BMX look.
“The first step is done—we built a motorcycle that’s a wink to our youth: the mighty Honda PA50 Hobbit/Camino!”
As a prototype and test bed, ROOKie is not homologated for road use. But a follow-up is in the works, and that one will be road legal.
We reckon Rook are onto a winner here.
ROOK motorfietsen Facebook | Instagram | Images by De Motograaf
Continue reading...
Any custom shop that builds its own frames gets our immediate respect. Granted, you need a certain degree of mechanical aptitude to strip down and tune up an engine, or install completely new suspension. But fabricating a new frame is a whole different ball game.
This angular and curiously appealing light motorcycle comes from Belgians Yves Noël and Wouter Bollen, who have been running Rook motorcycles since 2013. The guys describe ‘ROOKie’ as a “minimalistic urban scrambler with an eighties BMX influence.”
Rook are based in an old gunpowder factory near Brussels, which is probably worth a story in itself. The name doesn’t just refer to the famously intelligent black bird: it also means ‘smoke’ in Dutch, as in combustion engines, burning rubber and the beguiling odor of two-stroke.
It’s an odd but clever name, and you could probably describe Noël and Bollen in the same way. Bollen is a bird lover, moto freak and aggression expert—supporting social workers in his day job. Noël works for Jaguar Land Rover and loves enduro bikes.
“Our specialty is light motorcycles, and our dream is to design and build a complete motorcycle ourselves,” says Bollen. “The ROOKie is our first prototype.”
Noël and Bollen have designed this bike the old school way, drawing a ton of sketches, and using a tube bender and a frame jig. They also got a present from a good friend: an old but very solid lathe. Then they bought a cheap SYM XS 125 for its wheels and forks. “It was a wreck that we got for 50 euros!” says Bollen.
The engine is a YX 140 cc thumper—a Chinese-made Honda Dax clone that’s popular with pit bike builders. Despite its bargain-basement price, it has fuel injection and a switchable normal/eco mode.
“The greatest advantage of this engine is that we can spoon a variety of Honda clones into our frame,” says Bollen. “From a modest 50cc for a youngster to a 200cc 4-valve Takegawa for adrenalin junkies.” The exhaust header is custom made, and snakes discreetly between the swingarm and the rear wheel.
The custom frame and swingarm are crafted from 25CroMo4 chromoly steel, and Rook made the chain tensioner too. The rear suspension looks like a rigid setup at first glance, but it’s actually a link system with a fully adjustable shock absorber from local maker Moto Tuning Mol, hidden under the tank.
The organic design of the frame contrasts with the rectangular aluminum tank and headlight nacelle, which were made by the local fabrication specialist Streug Metal Shop. The endearingly square tank has three bead-rolled indents to visually ‘break’ its volume and it’s secured with Silentbloc rubber mounts.
The left side is a dummy: it’s home to electric components such as a lithium-ion polymer battery, the CDI and ECU boxes, ignition coil, voltage regulator and more.
“We thought: let’s embrace asymmetry,” says Bollen. “So the cover of the dummy tank is painted in signal white, with a stripe in Volvo Rebel Blue and the ROOKie logo. The rest of the tank, headlight and front fender are painted in solid blue.” The paint is stunning and was done by CQ & S Carrosserir.
There’s a matching white stripe across the back of the seat, which sits on a stainless steel pan. The indents on the tank are mirrored with three narrow rolls in white stitching on the seat itself.
The rectangular headlight unit flows neatly into the triple clamp and two micro LED Indicators are mounted on either side. At the back are more micro LEDS handling blinker, rear light and stoplight duties. The front fender is a modified aftermarket item—as are the rearsets, which were originally designed to fit the Suzuki Bandit.
White grips on the Kitaco handlebars and the white wheels will appeal to the Vans-wearing brigade, and the chunky Vee Rubber tires add to the eighties BMX look.
“The first step is done—we built a motorcycle that’s a wink to our youth: the mighty Honda PA50 Hobbit/Camino!”
As a prototype and test bed, ROOKie is not homologated for road use. But a follow-up is in the works, and that one will be road legal.
We reckon Rook are onto a winner here.
ROOK motorfietsen Facebook | Instagram | Images by De Motograaf
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Not my cup of tea.
I try to not be negative when I see some of these creations, but sometimes it's impossible 
Ditto!
Moose Project: An Enfield street tracker from Bangkok
Royal Enfield’s 650 twins have only been on the market for just over a year. But they’ve become a hit with both buyers and road testers—offering classic style, accessible pricing and just enough performance for a big section of the riding demographic.
Over the past few months, Royal Enfield has been keeping the spotlight on the twins via a steady stream of custom builds from all over the globe.
Right now, they’re focusing on the flat track vibe: a few days after the ‘official’ collaboration with Harris Performance, we have this very sharp-looking effort from Zeus Custom of Thailand.
Mooyong, the owner of Zeus, filled us in on the details. It’s his second project with Royal Enfield, after the ‘Prime’—a classic café racer based on the Interceptor.
‘Prime’ was a relatively conventional reworking of the 650 with clip-ons and Firestones, but ‘Moose’ takes things to a new level with a stripped back and more contemporary street tracker look.
“We took inspiration from the flat track world, and aimed for a stylish bike with elegant curves,” says Mooyong.
The major work is in the back half of this Continental GT, which is completely new. The rear part of the frame sweeps up to meet a waspish tail unit, and the twin shocks are gone—replaced by a YSS monoshock hooked up to a custom swingarm.
The lines are cleverly echoed by the exhaust pipes, which are bent with a millimeter precision worthy of Auto Fabrica and fitted with discreet brass tips. The engine cases are powder coated black to give the pipes extra visual ‘pop.’
To level out the stance, Zeus trimmed the forks by an inch, modified the internals to match, and anodized the tubes in black and gold. The wheels and hubs are powder coated black and now shod with Dunlop flat track rubber.
The bike gets its name from the bars, which curve up like moose horns to provide plenty of leverage for the rider—even though they are clip-ons, rather than one-piece units.
The bars are fitted with grips from Lowbrow, Motogadget m.blaze bar-end LED blinkers, and vintage chromed hand controls.
Sitting right ahead of the bars is a most interesting dual-layer cowl treatment, with concealed lighting between the plates. It’s an unusual styling trick that we haven’t seen before, and would work just as well with a road-legal headlight centered in the cowl.
The tank is essentially the stock Continental tank, and suits the tracker vibe perfectly.
But there are a couple of unusual modifications: a crash bar running the length of the top (there’s a matching mini bar on the tail unit) and a side-mounted gas cap.
We asked Mooyong what his thinking was, and he said: “It’s not a ‘perfect’ design—we needed this bike to unique, We can add gas to around 75% capacity, enough for a relaxing ride (or racing). There is no problem with spillage or overflowing because there is rubber sealing as well, which we have tested.”
The paint is an ultra-classy pearl white and grey, with the saddle finished in a dark chocolate leather.
Right now, ‘Moose’ is destined to be a show bike, but Mooyong’s intention is to make it streetable too. And it wouldn’t take much to make a road-legal version.
With an 865cc S&S Big Bore Kit installed, we could see a market for a production version of this bike—a smaller, zippier version of the Indian FTR 1200, perhaps. Hopefully Royal Enfield’s product planners are thinking along the same lines—or, should we say, the same ovals.
Zeus Custom | Facebook | Instagram
Continue reading...
Royal Enfield’s 650 twins have only been on the market for just over a year. But they’ve become a hit with both buyers and road testers—offering classic style, accessible pricing and just enough performance for a big section of the riding demographic.
Over the past few months, Royal Enfield has been keeping the spotlight on the twins via a steady stream of custom builds from all over the globe.
Right now, they’re focusing on the flat track vibe: a few days after the ‘official’ collaboration with Harris Performance, we have this very sharp-looking effort from Zeus Custom of Thailand.
Mooyong, the owner of Zeus, filled us in on the details. It’s his second project with Royal Enfield, after the ‘Prime’—a classic café racer based on the Interceptor.
‘Prime’ was a relatively conventional reworking of the 650 with clip-ons and Firestones, but ‘Moose’ takes things to a new level with a stripped back and more contemporary street tracker look.
“We took inspiration from the flat track world, and aimed for a stylish bike with elegant curves,” says Mooyong.
The major work is in the back half of this Continental GT, which is completely new. The rear part of the frame sweeps up to meet a waspish tail unit, and the twin shocks are gone—replaced by a YSS monoshock hooked up to a custom swingarm.
The lines are cleverly echoed by the exhaust pipes, which are bent with a millimeter precision worthy of Auto Fabrica and fitted with discreet brass tips. The engine cases are powder coated black to give the pipes extra visual ‘pop.’
To level out the stance, Zeus trimmed the forks by an inch, modified the internals to match, and anodized the tubes in black and gold. The wheels and hubs are powder coated black and now shod with Dunlop flat track rubber.
The bike gets its name from the bars, which curve up like moose horns to provide plenty of leverage for the rider—even though they are clip-ons, rather than one-piece units.
The bars are fitted with grips from Lowbrow, Motogadget m.blaze bar-end LED blinkers, and vintage chromed hand controls.
Sitting right ahead of the bars is a most interesting dual-layer cowl treatment, with concealed lighting between the plates. It’s an unusual styling trick that we haven’t seen before, and would work just as well with a road-legal headlight centered in the cowl.
The tank is essentially the stock Continental tank, and suits the tracker vibe perfectly.
But there are a couple of unusual modifications: a crash bar running the length of the top (there’s a matching mini bar on the tail unit) and a side-mounted gas cap.
We asked Mooyong what his thinking was, and he said: “It’s not a ‘perfect’ design—we needed this bike to unique, We can add gas to around 75% capacity, enough for a relaxing ride (or racing). There is no problem with spillage or overflowing because there is rubber sealing as well, which we have tested.”
The paint is an ultra-classy pearl white and grey, with the saddle finished in a dark chocolate leather.
Right now, ‘Moose’ is destined to be a show bike, but Mooyong’s intention is to make it streetable too. And it wouldn’t take much to make a road-legal version.
With an 865cc S&S Big Bore Kit installed, we could see a market for a production version of this bike—a smaller, zippier version of the Indian FTR 1200, perhaps. Hopefully Royal Enfield’s product planners are thinking along the same lines—or, should we say, the same ovals.
Zeus Custom | Facebook | Instagram
Continue reading...
An Electra Glide built for Austrian mountain passes
If you’re looking for a classic American tourer, a Harley Electra Glide is just the ticket. They were popular with police departments for a good reason: few machines could match their all-day riding comfort.
But if you like to carve the canyons of LA, or European mountain passes, the Electra Glide is likely way down on your list. Which is exactly why Wolfgang Mayerl picked one to customize.
Wolfgang’s a mechanical engineer living in the tiny Austrian town of Ardning, a popular spot for hikers and mountaineers.
For the past three years he’s been wrenching after-hours as Mayerl Motorcycles, but he’s been into bikes as long as he can remember—and was already building mopeds at age ten.
Most of the commissioned custom work he does these days is basic—so he occasionally starts a personal build, just so he can go wild on it.
For his latest passion project, he intentionally went out and bought a 1986 FLHTC 1340 Electra Glide. Why? “Because I don’t know anyone else who has radically rebuilt an Electra Glide,” he tells us.
The transformation sure is radical. Wolgang’s taken this Harley from laidback mile-muncher to aggressive street ripper—with wide tracker-style bars, a hint of cafe racer in the bodywork, and enough power to spin the back wheel at will.
The ‘1340’ motor’s been swapped out for a beefy 113 ci ‘Super Stock’ power plant from S&S Cycle, for a capacity increase of just over 500 cc. It’s hooked up to a six speed box via a Barnett clutch, and runs with a programmable Dyna 2000i ignition.
Wolfgang also installed an S&S Cycle Super G carb, and matched the setup to a hand-built exhaust system.
The Electra Glide frame has been modified too, and heavily reinforced in high-stress areas. It’s bookended by suspension upgrades: a set of beefy upside down forks from a Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa up front, and a pair of Öhlins shocks in the rear.
Wolfgang built a new swing arm as well, then plugged in a set of F19/R18 solid aluminum V-Rod wheels with custom axles and nuts. He’s installed new Dunlop D407 rubber, and changed the final drive to chain—with a custom sprocket and sprocket holder. The brakes are upgraded to newer, four-piston caliper items.
All the bodywork is hand-shaped from 1.3 mm steel sheeting. There’s a sharp, angular fuel tank, and a tail hump that also acts as an oil reservoir. Lower down is a new electrics box, and there’s a custom fender rounding things off at the front.
All the little bits in between were fabricated by Wolfgang too—parts like the chain guard, exhaust hanger and handlebar clamps. The bars are from LSL, the speedo is a Daytona unit, and the switches are all custom.
There’s a little dash around the speedo too, complete with LED warning lights. The rear light’s been sunk into the tail section, and the lighting’s rounded out with small LED turn signals. The whole bike’s been rewired too.
If, like us, you’re wondering what those two cylinders up front are—they’re extended oil coolers. Wolfgang built them especially for this project, and they also serve to add an interesting visual touch to the space that used to house the Electra Glide’s fairing brackets.
Just about everything you see here was handled by Wolfgang in his home workshop, with the exception of paint and upholstery. For those, he called in help from Airvolution Paint and ‘Upholstery Ben.’
It’s an impressive outcome considering the source material, and judging by the suspension and engine upgrades, should be a pretty mental ride too.
Wolfgang tells us he’s working on a big KTM V-twin next… who else is excited?
Mayerl Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Da Guru Photography
Continue reading...
If you’re looking for a classic American tourer, a Harley Electra Glide is just the ticket. They were popular with police departments for a good reason: few machines could match their all-day riding comfort.
But if you like to carve the canyons of LA, or European mountain passes, the Electra Glide is likely way down on your list. Which is exactly why Wolfgang Mayerl picked one to customize.
Wolfgang’s a mechanical engineer living in the tiny Austrian town of Ardning, a popular spot for hikers and mountaineers.
For the past three years he’s been wrenching after-hours as Mayerl Motorcycles, but he’s been into bikes as long as he can remember—and was already building mopeds at age ten.
Most of the commissioned custom work he does these days is basic—so he occasionally starts a personal build, just so he can go wild on it.
For his latest passion project, he intentionally went out and bought a 1986 FLHTC 1340 Electra Glide. Why? “Because I don’t know anyone else who has radically rebuilt an Electra Glide,” he tells us.
The transformation sure is radical. Wolgang’s taken this Harley from laidback mile-muncher to aggressive street ripper—with wide tracker-style bars, a hint of cafe racer in the bodywork, and enough power to spin the back wheel at will.
The ‘1340’ motor’s been swapped out for a beefy 113 ci ‘Super Stock’ power plant from S&S Cycle, for a capacity increase of just over 500 cc. It’s hooked up to a six speed box via a Barnett clutch, and runs with a programmable Dyna 2000i ignition.
Wolfgang also installed an S&S Cycle Super G carb, and matched the setup to a hand-built exhaust system.
The Electra Glide frame has been modified too, and heavily reinforced in high-stress areas. It’s bookended by suspension upgrades: a set of beefy upside down forks from a Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa up front, and a pair of Öhlins shocks in the rear.
Wolfgang built a new swing arm as well, then plugged in a set of F19/R18 solid aluminum V-Rod wheels with custom axles and nuts. He’s installed new Dunlop D407 rubber, and changed the final drive to chain—with a custom sprocket and sprocket holder. The brakes are upgraded to newer, four-piston caliper items.
All the bodywork is hand-shaped from 1.3 mm steel sheeting. There’s a sharp, angular fuel tank, and a tail hump that also acts as an oil reservoir. Lower down is a new electrics box, and there’s a custom fender rounding things off at the front.
All the little bits in between were fabricated by Wolfgang too—parts like the chain guard, exhaust hanger and handlebar clamps. The bars are from LSL, the speedo is a Daytona unit, and the switches are all custom.
There’s a little dash around the speedo too, complete with LED warning lights. The rear light’s been sunk into the tail section, and the lighting’s rounded out with small LED turn signals. The whole bike’s been rewired too.
If, like us, you’re wondering what those two cylinders up front are—they’re extended oil coolers. Wolfgang built them especially for this project, and they also serve to add an interesting visual touch to the space that used to house the Electra Glide’s fairing brackets.
Just about everything you see here was handled by Wolfgang in his home workshop, with the exception of paint and upholstery. For those, he called in help from Airvolution Paint and ‘Upholstery Ben.’
It’s an impressive outcome considering the source material, and judging by the suspension and engine upgrades, should be a pretty mental ride too.
Wolfgang tells us he’s working on a big KTM V-twin next… who else is excited?
Mayerl Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Da Guru Photography
Continue reading...
Revival of the machine: Herzbube’s Indian Scout 101
BMW’s annual Pure&Crafted show is a goldmine for seekers of unusual motorcycles, and not just those manufactured in Berlin. At this year’s shindig in Amsterdam, one of the most intriguing machines we spotted was this 1928 Indian 101 Scout, resurrected from the dead by Bernhard Elflein of Herzbube.
Bernhard has finally managed to arrange a photo-shoot for the Scout, and he’s filled us in on its unusual backstory.
He’s owned the Scout engine for 14 years. It has an interesting history: in the days before the German reunification, the engine was used in East Germany to power a tractor, and the rest of the bike was discarded.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a professor of philosophy bought the engine to save it from the crusher. He took it home, but it fell onto the leg of his child—and his partner told him to get rid of it.
So Bernhard bought the engine from the professor, and decided to use his blacksmithing skills to recreate the frame.
It takes a special kind of builder to persevere with a case like this, and Bernhard is that man—a true ascetic who eschews meat, alcohol, drugs and consumerism, and instead ploughs all his energies into the construction of motorcycles.
But recreating a Scout 101 around an old engine was a massive undertaking, and a distraction from his day job at the time. Bernhard wisely decided to source an original frame, tank and front end.
“I applied for a job as a engine overhaul guy, and rebuilt the engine in that workshop by using a WLA crankshaft—a standard 1940s tuning trick,” says Bernhard.
“The engine now has shaved pistons from a car, 750cc cylinders and heads, and a lot of non-standard parts—like 1960s Ironhead hubs, a modified EMW (Eisenacher Motorenwerk) handlebar, and a homemade seat.”
Somewhere along the line, the Indian got a fresh coat of paint and the seat from a Scout 741. Most of the work was completed seven years ago. Bernhard had a client for the bike and spent the deposit on parts, but his client then lost his job and was unable to complete the purchase.
So the Scout ended up hanging on the wall of Roadrunners, a fashionable, shabby chic rock ‘n’ roll club in Berlin.
“Four years later, I could return to my client the money that he paid,” Bernhard says. “He was an actor, and never got back onto his feet—once you are out, you are out. But the Scout was mine again, and it’s never left me.”
Needing an incentive to get the Scout up and running once more, Bernhard eyed a spot in a famous German hill climb race—the Auerberg Klassik in Bernbeuren, a seven-hour drive south of Berlin.
He finished prepping the Scout the night before, and test-started the engine. “It started well and sounded good—the Dell’Orto carb worked well. But I could not test ride it in the night.” He put the Scout on the trailer, went to bed to catch a couple of hours sleep, and then started the drive to Bernbeuren.
“As soon as I arrived, I started the engine again. Then I found out that the clutch didn’t work.”
After some frantic mechanical tweaks, Bernhard managed to shift the bike into gear with a push downhill, and made the technical inspection with just 20 minutes to spare.
With no clutch, Bernhard didn’t win the race, but he still enjoyed the ride. The Scout was finally back on the road, and two weeks later, it was one of the stars of the show at Pure&Crafted.
That’s nine decades and 5,500 kilometers after it rolled out of the Indian factory in Springfield, Massachusetts. One hell of a journey.
Herzbube Motorcycles | Instagram | Images by Sebastian Skiba
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BMW’s annual Pure&Crafted show is a goldmine for seekers of unusual motorcycles, and not just those manufactured in Berlin. At this year’s shindig in Amsterdam, one of the most intriguing machines we spotted was this 1928 Indian 101 Scout, resurrected from the dead by Bernhard Elflein of Herzbube.
Bernhard has finally managed to arrange a photo-shoot for the Scout, and he’s filled us in on its unusual backstory.
He’s owned the Scout engine for 14 years. It has an interesting history: in the days before the German reunification, the engine was used in East Germany to power a tractor, and the rest of the bike was discarded.
After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a professor of philosophy bought the engine to save it from the crusher. He took it home, but it fell onto the leg of his child—and his partner told him to get rid of it.
So Bernhard bought the engine from the professor, and decided to use his blacksmithing skills to recreate the frame.
It takes a special kind of builder to persevere with a case like this, and Bernhard is that man—a true ascetic who eschews meat, alcohol, drugs and consumerism, and instead ploughs all his energies into the construction of motorcycles.
But recreating a Scout 101 around an old engine was a massive undertaking, and a distraction from his day job at the time. Bernhard wisely decided to source an original frame, tank and front end.
“I applied for a job as a engine overhaul guy, and rebuilt the engine in that workshop by using a WLA crankshaft—a standard 1940s tuning trick,” says Bernhard.
“The engine now has shaved pistons from a car, 750cc cylinders and heads, and a lot of non-standard parts—like 1960s Ironhead hubs, a modified EMW (Eisenacher Motorenwerk) handlebar, and a homemade seat.”
Somewhere along the line, the Indian got a fresh coat of paint and the seat from a Scout 741. Most of the work was completed seven years ago. Bernhard had a client for the bike and spent the deposit on parts, but his client then lost his job and was unable to complete the purchase.
So the Scout ended up hanging on the wall of Roadrunners, a fashionable, shabby chic rock ‘n’ roll club in Berlin.
“Four years later, I could return to my client the money that he paid,” Bernhard says. “He was an actor, and never got back onto his feet—once you are out, you are out. But the Scout was mine again, and it’s never left me.”
Needing an incentive to get the Scout up and running once more, Bernhard eyed a spot in a famous German hill climb race—the Auerberg Klassik in Bernbeuren, a seven-hour drive south of Berlin.
He finished prepping the Scout the night before, and test-started the engine. “It started well and sounded good—the Dell’Orto carb worked well. But I could not test ride it in the night.” He put the Scout on the trailer, went to bed to catch a couple of hours sleep, and then started the drive to Bernbeuren.
“As soon as I arrived, I started the engine again. Then I found out that the clutch didn’t work.”
After some frantic mechanical tweaks, Bernhard managed to shift the bike into gear with a push downhill, and made the technical inspection with just 20 minutes to spare.
With no clutch, Bernhard didn’t win the race, but he still enjoyed the ride. The Scout was finally back on the road, and two weeks later, it was one of the stars of the show at Pure&Crafted.
That’s nine decades and 5,500 kilometers after it rolled out of the Indian factory in Springfield, Massachusetts. One hell of a journey.
Herzbube Motorcycles | Instagram | Images by Sebastian Skiba
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46Works turns the first-gen Multistrada into a looker
The incomparable Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show went down this past weekend, and as usual the brightest stars of the Japanese custom scene pulled out all the stops. We weren’t there in person this time, but thanks to social media we’ve already earmarked our favorite builds from the show. Here’s the first: a genre-defying Ducati Multistrada from 46Works.
46Works is the current project of Shiro Nakajima, the original founder of the Japanese powerhouse Ritmo Sereno. He now lives a quieter life at the base of the Yatsugatake Mountain range, in a gorgeous wooden building that also contains his home workshop.
Nakajima-san spends a lot of his weekends either on the track, or on a multitude of nearby B-roads, on two wheels and four. So he has a thing for building machines that are actually good runners.
That ethos is on full display in this 2005 Ducati Multistrada 1000 DS. The older Multistrada’s a bit of a sleeper, offering pretty decent performance, albeit at the expense of gawky looks. Shiro traded the donor from one of his customers, and had something very special in mind for it.
“I traveled to the USA about 25 years ago with a red Ducati 750GT,” he tells us. “It was a very memorable motorcycle, but now the ‘roundcase’ Ducati is very expensive.”
“So I decided to make a modern version of the 750GT with the 2005 Multistrada. The concept is not a cafe racer, scrambler or cruiser—it is a simple and classic ‘road sport’ with no fairing.”
The visual changes to the Ducati’s overall silhouette are obvious, but one of Shiro’s first tasks was to tweak its stance. “I chose narrow 18” tires,” he says, “for light handling on the winding roads.”
To achieve this, a set of of Excel rims was laced up to a Yamaha hub in front, and a Kawasaki hub at the rear. The new setup was never going to be compatible with the Multistrada’s unique swing arm and inboard rear brake, so Shiro fabricated his own swingarm.
He also built a new brake setup, grafting on a Honda rotor and custom-made parts to work with the OEM Brembo brake. He’s made a sprocket spacer too, so that the sprocket will still line up with the narrower-than-stock rear wheel.
As for the suspension, there was no need to upgrade the Multistrada’s stock Öhlins parts. Shiro simply re-sprung the 43 mm USD forks to suit his needs, and refinished them in black.
And then there’s the in-your-face stuff; all the Pierre Terblanche-designed bodywork is gone, replaced by a far more compact arrangement of parts. That unmistakable trellis frame is still in play up front, but out back there’s a completely custom subframe with a classic kick in the tail.
Shiro fabricated a new fuel tank and seat pan out of aluminum, then called in RazzleDazzle to stitch up a new saddle. Stupid Crown handled the spectacular tank paint.
There’s a lot to appreciate here; the way the tank’s form perfectly tucks into the frame, that pin stripe flowing into the line of the seat, and those classic Ducati logos.
Shiro also built new side panels, and small air funnels to replace those on the Multistrada’s old fairing. And he added fenders at both ends.
The cockpit’s adorned with a set of chromed high-rise bars, clutch and brake controls from Frando, and a Motogadget speedo and bar-end turn signals. There’s a small Bates-style headlight up front, sitting on custom brackets, and tail light from Chaft out back.
For the exhaust, Shiro bent up a set of titanium two-into-one headers—resorting to cutting and welding only in the tighter spots. The muffler’s actually from a BMW, and hangs off a hand-made hangar. Little one-off parts are sprinkled all over this build—like the neat custom foot controls.
There’s a lot to love here. Shiro’s tightened up the ergonomics for more aggressive riding, given the Multistrada a wholly unique and utterly retro look, and probably shaved a few pounds off it too.
And in the process, he hasn’t sacrificed an ounce of rideablity. Because, as he puts it, “All customs are for fun riding on the winding road, and for the pleasure of owning.”
Amen to that.
46Works | Facebook | Instagram
Continue reading...
The incomparable Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show went down this past weekend, and as usual the brightest stars of the Japanese custom scene pulled out all the stops. We weren’t there in person this time, but thanks to social media we’ve already earmarked our favorite builds from the show. Here’s the first: a genre-defying Ducati Multistrada from 46Works.
46Works is the current project of Shiro Nakajima, the original founder of the Japanese powerhouse Ritmo Sereno. He now lives a quieter life at the base of the Yatsugatake Mountain range, in a gorgeous wooden building that also contains his home workshop.
Nakajima-san spends a lot of his weekends either on the track, or on a multitude of nearby B-roads, on two wheels and four. So he has a thing for building machines that are actually good runners.
That ethos is on full display in this 2005 Ducati Multistrada 1000 DS. The older Multistrada’s a bit of a sleeper, offering pretty decent performance, albeit at the expense of gawky looks. Shiro traded the donor from one of his customers, and had something very special in mind for it.
“I traveled to the USA about 25 years ago with a red Ducati 750GT,” he tells us. “It was a very memorable motorcycle, but now the ‘roundcase’ Ducati is very expensive.”
“So I decided to make a modern version of the 750GT with the 2005 Multistrada. The concept is not a cafe racer, scrambler or cruiser—it is a simple and classic ‘road sport’ with no fairing.”
The visual changes to the Ducati’s overall silhouette are obvious, but one of Shiro’s first tasks was to tweak its stance. “I chose narrow 18” tires,” he says, “for light handling on the winding roads.”
To achieve this, a set of of Excel rims was laced up to a Yamaha hub in front, and a Kawasaki hub at the rear. The new setup was never going to be compatible with the Multistrada’s unique swing arm and inboard rear brake, so Shiro fabricated his own swingarm.
He also built a new brake setup, grafting on a Honda rotor and custom-made parts to work with the OEM Brembo brake. He’s made a sprocket spacer too, so that the sprocket will still line up with the narrower-than-stock rear wheel.
As for the suspension, there was no need to upgrade the Multistrada’s stock Öhlins parts. Shiro simply re-sprung the 43 mm USD forks to suit his needs, and refinished them in black.
And then there’s the in-your-face stuff; all the Pierre Terblanche-designed bodywork is gone, replaced by a far more compact arrangement of parts. That unmistakable trellis frame is still in play up front, but out back there’s a completely custom subframe with a classic kick in the tail.
Shiro fabricated a new fuel tank and seat pan out of aluminum, then called in RazzleDazzle to stitch up a new saddle. Stupid Crown handled the spectacular tank paint.
There’s a lot to appreciate here; the way the tank’s form perfectly tucks into the frame, that pin stripe flowing into the line of the seat, and those classic Ducati logos.
Shiro also built new side panels, and small air funnels to replace those on the Multistrada’s old fairing. And he added fenders at both ends.
The cockpit’s adorned with a set of chromed high-rise bars, clutch and brake controls from Frando, and a Motogadget speedo and bar-end turn signals. There’s a small Bates-style headlight up front, sitting on custom brackets, and tail light from Chaft out back.
For the exhaust, Shiro bent up a set of titanium two-into-one headers—resorting to cutting and welding only in the tighter spots. The muffler’s actually from a BMW, and hangs off a hand-made hangar. Little one-off parts are sprinkled all over this build—like the neat custom foot controls.
There’s a lot to love here. Shiro’s tightened up the ergonomics for more aggressive riding, given the Multistrada a wholly unique and utterly retro look, and probably shaved a few pounds off it too.
And in the process, he hasn’t sacrificed an ounce of rideablity. Because, as he puts it, “All customs are for fun riding on the winding road, and for the pleasure of owning.”
Amen to that.
46Works | Facebook | Instagram
Continue reading...
The ‘neo board tracker’ that stole the show in Jakarta
After reporting on the custom scene for over ten years, it takes a lot to stop us dead in our tracks. But this incredible Harley custom from Smoked Garage is one of the most radical builds we’ve seen in the past decade.
It was commissioned by the organizers of the huge Suryanation Motorland event in Jakarta, one of the biggest custom shows in the East. The brief was simple: blow the collective socks off the thousands of visitors.
The Smoked Garage guys are no strangers to these pages: their custom Royal Enfield Himalayan was a massive hit a year ago. The company has two bases: one in Brisbane, Australia, and one just west of Denpasar city in Bali.
The Bali outpost is where founder Nicko Eigert built this bike, calling in help from his 15-strong team of crack fabricators and mechanics.
“We had a phone call from Suryanation asking if we wanted to build an ‘iconic motorcycle’,” says Nicko. “We had to show what we thought such a bike should look like in 2019, so we designed a ‘neo board tracker’—and they agreed to the concept.”
The show was just three months away, but Nicko had enough manpower to get the job done.
The chosen donor was a Harley-Davidson Softail. But not much is left of this all-American bike—essentially just the ‘Evolution’ 1340 cc engine, which pumps out a solid 76 pound-feet of torque in stock form.
Now fed by a ramjet-style air filter, it’s slotted into a completely custom frame bent out of chromoly steel tubing, with the top tube running above the two-piece, one-off aluminum tank.
The curved frame cradle looks suitably futuristic, as does the hardtail setup. The wheels run on ingenious hollow hubs, which have allowed Smoked to get an unusual ‘Tron bike’ look.
A compact, hand-made 2-into-1 exhaust system snakes around the engine, within the perimeter of the frame, as if not to attract attention.
The wheels are lit by an LED system; with more time, it would be possible to program these to show what speed the bike is moving at, or change according to its cornering angle.
Everything on ‘Spirit’ is custom-made, down to the 26-inch wheel rims shod with Shinko 777 cruiser rubber. The discs, attached to the hubs, are around 20 inches in diameter, with two at the front and one at the back. The front calipers are custom made.
The enclosed front suspension is a simple girder setup, with a part-hidden Fox monoshock for damping. Since the bike is a hardtail, Nicko’s team added a linkage-based suspension system to the one-off seat—which works perfectly with the retro-futuristic vibe.
The clip-ons are one offs, and fitted with Brembo controls and hardware. The grips are Smoked Garage’s own proprietary items, and the foot controls were specially made for the bike.
The Indonesian custom industry is famed for its skills, but this is something else entirely. And believe it or not, it’s rideable too.
“It’s actually quite comfortable, considering the length of the bike and the weight,” says Nicko wryly. “It does love to go in a straight line…”
Smoked Garage | Facebook | Instagram
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After reporting on the custom scene for over ten years, it takes a lot to stop us dead in our tracks. But this incredible Harley custom from Smoked Garage is one of the most radical builds we’ve seen in the past decade.
It was commissioned by the organizers of the huge Suryanation Motorland event in Jakarta, one of the biggest custom shows in the East. The brief was simple: blow the collective socks off the thousands of visitors.
The Smoked Garage guys are no strangers to these pages: their custom Royal Enfield Himalayan was a massive hit a year ago. The company has two bases: one in Brisbane, Australia, and one just west of Denpasar city in Bali.
The Bali outpost is where founder Nicko Eigert built this bike, calling in help from his 15-strong team of crack fabricators and mechanics.
“We had a phone call from Suryanation asking if we wanted to build an ‘iconic motorcycle’,” says Nicko. “We had to show what we thought such a bike should look like in 2019, so we designed a ‘neo board tracker’—and they agreed to the concept.”
The show was just three months away, but Nicko had enough manpower to get the job done.
The chosen donor was a Harley-Davidson Softail. But not much is left of this all-American bike—essentially just the ‘Evolution’ 1340 cc engine, which pumps out a solid 76 pound-feet of torque in stock form.
Now fed by a ramjet-style air filter, it’s slotted into a completely custom frame bent out of chromoly steel tubing, with the top tube running above the two-piece, one-off aluminum tank.
The curved frame cradle looks suitably futuristic, as does the hardtail setup. The wheels run on ingenious hollow hubs, which have allowed Smoked to get an unusual ‘Tron bike’ look.
A compact, hand-made 2-into-1 exhaust system snakes around the engine, within the perimeter of the frame, as if not to attract attention.
The wheels are lit by an LED system; with more time, it would be possible to program these to show what speed the bike is moving at, or change according to its cornering angle.
Everything on ‘Spirit’ is custom-made, down to the 26-inch wheel rims shod with Shinko 777 cruiser rubber. The discs, attached to the hubs, are around 20 inches in diameter, with two at the front and one at the back. The front calipers are custom made.
The enclosed front suspension is a simple girder setup, with a part-hidden Fox monoshock for damping. Since the bike is a hardtail, Nicko’s team added a linkage-based suspension system to the one-off seat—which works perfectly with the retro-futuristic vibe.
The clip-ons are one offs, and fitted with Brembo controls and hardware. The grips are Smoked Garage’s own proprietary items, and the foot controls were specially made for the bike.
The Indonesian custom industry is famed for its skills, but this is something else entirely. And believe it or not, it’s rideable too.
“It’s actually quite comfortable, considering the length of the bike and the weight,” says Nicko wryly. “It does love to go in a straight line…”
Smoked Garage | Facebook | Instagram
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Road Tested: Gear from Icon 1000, REV’IT! and Saint
I’ve got a thing for stealthy, murdered-out gear. So this week, I’m profiling some low-profile pieces: the Brigand jacket from ICON 1000, the Arch gloves from REV’IT! and a new version of the popular Saint Unbreakable Stretch jeans.
Let’s take a closer look.
ICON 1000 Brigand jacket The Brigand jacket follows ICON 1000’s tried and true formula of gear that is a little bit retro, a little bit casual and a little bit tactical—while still being unapologetically ride-focused.
Icon have absolutely nailed its bomber jacket design, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it’s become an instant staple in my gear closet on looks alone. It’s well made too, and loaded with little touches that add to its style, comfort and practicality.
The main chassis consists of a black denim cordura that has a fantastic hand to it, and doesn’t weigh a ton. The cuffs and lower edge feature knitted bits to hit that bomber jacket vibe, and there’s a slight drop tail at the rear for extra coverage.
The collar locks down with a small flap and a two-position press stud setup, with a loop for folding it back and tucking it if you prefer that. (It’s also lined with a softer fabric inside.) You also get a chunky YKK zipper up front, two hand-warmer pockets with zippers, a Napoleon pocket inside and two chest pockets with magnetic closures.
But the Brigand doesn’t just look good—it’s also well sorted on the protection front. Cordura has long been a popular choice for abrasion resistance, and Icon have also included D30 armor at the elbows, shoulders and back. D30’s biggest selling point is how flexible is—and it’s incorporated it into the Brigand so well that it’s slim enough to work well off the bike, too.
The overall cut is Icon’s ‘Sport’ fit, which they say is ‘loose without being baggy,’ and includes a slight pre-curve in the arms. It hits the mark for my bigger frame, leaving me just enough room to layer up if I need to. With accordion panels at the shoulder blades, there’s plenty of mobility while riding. I would have liked it if the drop tail went a smidge lower though—of if Icon had included a way to hook it to your belt.
There’s an extra little feature on the sleeves: elasticated thumb loops, to keep the sleeves locked in place at all times. They’re stitched in deep enough so that you can easily slip shorter gloves under the cuffs (and longer gloves over), but they can be hit and miss. They didn’t quite gel with some of my mid-length gloves, but in those cases I simply tucked them away.
The inside of the jacket’s lined with a flannel-like fabric, giving it a snug, cooler-weather feel. Icon have included a very unique ventilation system though. You can flip up the chest pocket flaps and tuck them into hidden stash pockets, to reveal lazer-cut perforations across the tops of the pockets. It’s a clever concept, but in reality it doesn’t push that much air through—and it’s too fussy to operate with a single gloved hand while riding.
As an added bonus, you also get a removable rain liner. It packs small into its own dedicated pouch, and zips into the main jacket in less than 90 seconds. And it doesn’t add much bulk, so it’s handy as an extra wind-blocking layer too.
There is one caveat though: since it’s an internal rain layer, it’s designed to keep just you dry, while the jacket’s outer gets water logged. And anything in the pockets is going to get damp too. It hasn’t rained since I got the Brigand, so I haven’t tested it in wet weather, but I’d probably rely on it more as an emergency measure than my go-to for truly foul weather.
But for mild to chilly days, the Brigand’s a champ. And it’s subtle enough that I don’t feel the need to ditch it the second I get off the bike either.
Price: c. GBP 275 / USD 301.50 | Buy
REV’IT! Arch glove REV’IT!’s stylish urban range balances subtlety and protection well, and the Arch glove is a noteworthy addition to the line-up. Designed for warmer weather, it’s a short(ish) cuff glove that combines drum dyed goatskin and 3D air mesh panels, with a low key aesthetic that’ll pair well with just about anything.
Despite the minimal vibe, the Arch is well put together…and serious about protection, too. REV’IT! have included a full size, hard shell knuckle protector, and small temper foam pads in the palm. (I had to Google ‘temper foam’; it’s a type of memory foam that offers good impact resistance.) There’s also some of the company’s proprietary PWR Shield abrasion resistance fabric at key spots on the palm.
The cuff is a wide neoprene affair, with a low profile hook and loop closure at the back, and a discreet rubber REV’IT! logo up top. It’s really tight while you pull (or jiggle) the glove on, but once your hand’s in and it’s cinched down, it’s both snug and flexible. It’s also nice that the softer side of the hook and loop fabric is on the cuff side—so you don’t need to worry about grabbing the rough side when you pull the Arch on.
On the hand, the Arch glove is quite comfortable, even if it is a bit snug. It does run a size smaller than most gloves—so check the size chart carefully when you buy, and consider sizing up if you’re on the cusp. It’s also really tight around the knuckle protector area at first—but I’ve managed to break it in nicely after just a few rides, and suspect it’ll get even more comfortable with time.
Airflow is decent too, for a glove with this level of protection (and leather). And little touches like the flex panels on the knuckles are nice. My only criticism is the fingertips: they’re too long, and they’re not touchscreen compatible. But if you’re not fussed about using your phone in between rides, the Arch’s blend of style, comfort and protection is tough to top.
Price: USD 79.99 | Buy
Saint Unbreakable Stretch jeans I can be pretty slack about gearing up properly—and riding pants have traditionally been the item I skip the most. I don’t like the bulk of cordura or Kevlar-reinforced denim, and I’m not mad about adding armor into the mix too.
And yes: I’m fully aware that lower body impact protection is a big deal, and that I’m compromising. But within that compromise, I like to opt for pants that look good, feel good, and offer as much abrasion resistance as possible. So I’ve been sticking with Saint’s denim for the longest time.
Their latest offering—the Unbreakable Stretch—is their best pair of jeans yet. This is the second iteration of the Australian brand’s ‘Stretch’ denims (I reviewed the originals two years ago), and features subtle changes that have made a tangible difference.
Saint use a special denim in their jeans that’s woven with the ultra-strong material Dyneema, and also has a little Elastane mixed in. So there’s only one layer of denim, with no extra abrasion resistant panels stitched in. They’ve used less Dyneema in the mix than before, but thanks to how the fabrics are woven, the final result is just as tough. On its own, the fabric has an AA Rating for impact abrasion resistance, according to the Darmstadt prEN 17092-1:2017 standard.
I’ve worn my Saint stretchies religiously for the past two years, and to the touch there’s not much between the old and new denim. Except that on the bike—where the jeans’ inherent stretch properties help mobility while riding—the new ones are just that much more flexible. Saint have also perfected the overall fit and cut, and these are now on par with (if not more comfortable than) my go-to Levis 511s. The denim itself’s a little heavier than my Levis, but it’s still lightweight as riding pants go.
They also come in black now (which I’m stoked about) as well as two different blue finishes, depending on what cut you pick—slim or straight. The slims taper towards the ankles, while the straights don’t, and both have a low rise fit. They fit true to size too, so you can just pick your normal jeans size).
They only come in one length though (about 33/34 long), but that’s another improvement; the previous model was way too long. The downside is if you flip them over, the Dyneema-enriched denim has a white finish.
The overall styling is very typical for jeans, with a zippered fly and a neat little Saint ‘wing’ embroidered on the back pocket. That casual style, coupled with their overall comfort, have made them an instant staple on and off the bike. And judging by how well my older Saints have faded over time, I’m looking forward to seeing what these look like two years from now.
Colors: Black, Indigo (straight), bleached blue (slim) | Price: c.GBP 288 / USD 387.83 | Buy
Images by Devin Paisley
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I’ve got a thing for stealthy, murdered-out gear. So this week, I’m profiling some low-profile pieces: the Brigand jacket from ICON 1000, the Arch gloves from REV’IT! and a new version of the popular Saint Unbreakable Stretch jeans.
Let’s take a closer look.
ICON 1000 Brigand jacket The Brigand jacket follows ICON 1000’s tried and true formula of gear that is a little bit retro, a little bit casual and a little bit tactical—while still being unapologetically ride-focused.
Icon have absolutely nailed its bomber jacket design, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it’s become an instant staple in my gear closet on looks alone. It’s well made too, and loaded with little touches that add to its style, comfort and practicality.
The main chassis consists of a black denim cordura that has a fantastic hand to it, and doesn’t weigh a ton. The cuffs and lower edge feature knitted bits to hit that bomber jacket vibe, and there’s a slight drop tail at the rear for extra coverage.
The collar locks down with a small flap and a two-position press stud setup, with a loop for folding it back and tucking it if you prefer that. (It’s also lined with a softer fabric inside.) You also get a chunky YKK zipper up front, two hand-warmer pockets with zippers, a Napoleon pocket inside and two chest pockets with magnetic closures.
But the Brigand doesn’t just look good—it’s also well sorted on the protection front. Cordura has long been a popular choice for abrasion resistance, and Icon have also included D30 armor at the elbows, shoulders and back. D30’s biggest selling point is how flexible is—and it’s incorporated it into the Brigand so well that it’s slim enough to work well off the bike, too.
The overall cut is Icon’s ‘Sport’ fit, which they say is ‘loose without being baggy,’ and includes a slight pre-curve in the arms. It hits the mark for my bigger frame, leaving me just enough room to layer up if I need to. With accordion panels at the shoulder blades, there’s plenty of mobility while riding. I would have liked it if the drop tail went a smidge lower though—of if Icon had included a way to hook it to your belt.
There’s an extra little feature on the sleeves: elasticated thumb loops, to keep the sleeves locked in place at all times. They’re stitched in deep enough so that you can easily slip shorter gloves under the cuffs (and longer gloves over), but they can be hit and miss. They didn’t quite gel with some of my mid-length gloves, but in those cases I simply tucked them away.
The inside of the jacket’s lined with a flannel-like fabric, giving it a snug, cooler-weather feel. Icon have included a very unique ventilation system though. You can flip up the chest pocket flaps and tuck them into hidden stash pockets, to reveal lazer-cut perforations across the tops of the pockets. It’s a clever concept, but in reality it doesn’t push that much air through—and it’s too fussy to operate with a single gloved hand while riding.
As an added bonus, you also get a removable rain liner. It packs small into its own dedicated pouch, and zips into the main jacket in less than 90 seconds. And it doesn’t add much bulk, so it’s handy as an extra wind-blocking layer too.
There is one caveat though: since it’s an internal rain layer, it’s designed to keep just you dry, while the jacket’s outer gets water logged. And anything in the pockets is going to get damp too. It hasn’t rained since I got the Brigand, so I haven’t tested it in wet weather, but I’d probably rely on it more as an emergency measure than my go-to for truly foul weather.
But for mild to chilly days, the Brigand’s a champ. And it’s subtle enough that I don’t feel the need to ditch it the second I get off the bike either.
Price: c. GBP 275 / USD 301.50 | Buy
REV’IT! Arch glove REV’IT!’s stylish urban range balances subtlety and protection well, and the Arch glove is a noteworthy addition to the line-up. Designed for warmer weather, it’s a short(ish) cuff glove that combines drum dyed goatskin and 3D air mesh panels, with a low key aesthetic that’ll pair well with just about anything.
Despite the minimal vibe, the Arch is well put together…and serious about protection, too. REV’IT! have included a full size, hard shell knuckle protector, and small temper foam pads in the palm. (I had to Google ‘temper foam’; it’s a type of memory foam that offers good impact resistance.) There’s also some of the company’s proprietary PWR Shield abrasion resistance fabric at key spots on the palm.
The cuff is a wide neoprene affair, with a low profile hook and loop closure at the back, and a discreet rubber REV’IT! logo up top. It’s really tight while you pull (or jiggle) the glove on, but once your hand’s in and it’s cinched down, it’s both snug and flexible. It’s also nice that the softer side of the hook and loop fabric is on the cuff side—so you don’t need to worry about grabbing the rough side when you pull the Arch on.
On the hand, the Arch glove is quite comfortable, even if it is a bit snug. It does run a size smaller than most gloves—so check the size chart carefully when you buy, and consider sizing up if you’re on the cusp. It’s also really tight around the knuckle protector area at first—but I’ve managed to break it in nicely after just a few rides, and suspect it’ll get even more comfortable with time.
Airflow is decent too, for a glove with this level of protection (and leather). And little touches like the flex panels on the knuckles are nice. My only criticism is the fingertips: they’re too long, and they’re not touchscreen compatible. But if you’re not fussed about using your phone in between rides, the Arch’s blend of style, comfort and protection is tough to top.
Price: USD 79.99 | Buy
Saint Unbreakable Stretch jeans I can be pretty slack about gearing up properly—and riding pants have traditionally been the item I skip the most. I don’t like the bulk of cordura or Kevlar-reinforced denim, and I’m not mad about adding armor into the mix too.
And yes: I’m fully aware that lower body impact protection is a big deal, and that I’m compromising. But within that compromise, I like to opt for pants that look good, feel good, and offer as much abrasion resistance as possible. So I’ve been sticking with Saint’s denim for the longest time.
Their latest offering—the Unbreakable Stretch—is their best pair of jeans yet. This is the second iteration of the Australian brand’s ‘Stretch’ denims (I reviewed the originals two years ago), and features subtle changes that have made a tangible difference.
Saint use a special denim in their jeans that’s woven with the ultra-strong material Dyneema, and also has a little Elastane mixed in. So there’s only one layer of denim, with no extra abrasion resistant panels stitched in. They’ve used less Dyneema in the mix than before, but thanks to how the fabrics are woven, the final result is just as tough. On its own, the fabric has an AA Rating for impact abrasion resistance, according to the Darmstadt prEN 17092-1:2017 standard.
I’ve worn my Saint stretchies religiously for the past two years, and to the touch there’s not much between the old and new denim. Except that on the bike—where the jeans’ inherent stretch properties help mobility while riding—the new ones are just that much more flexible. Saint have also perfected the overall fit and cut, and these are now on par with (if not more comfortable than) my go-to Levis 511s. The denim itself’s a little heavier than my Levis, but it’s still lightweight as riding pants go.
They also come in black now (which I’m stoked about) as well as two different blue finishes, depending on what cut you pick—slim or straight. The slims taper towards the ankles, while the straights don’t, and both have a low rise fit. They fit true to size too, so you can just pick your normal jeans size).
They only come in one length though (about 33/34 long), but that’s another improvement; the previous model was way too long. The downside is if you flip them over, the Dyneema-enriched denim has a white finish.
The overall styling is very typical for jeans, with a zippered fly and a neat little Saint ‘wing’ embroidered on the back pocket. That casual style, coupled with their overall comfort, have made them an instant staple on and off the bike. And judging by how well my older Saints have faded over time, I’m looking forward to seeing what these look like two years from now.
Colors: Black, Indigo (straight), bleached blue (slim) | Price: c.GBP 288 / USD 387.83 | Buy
Images by Devin Paisley
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Custom Bikes Of The Week: 3 November, 2019
A stunningly beautiful custom MV Agusta F3 from Switzerland, a fire-breathing KTM Super Duke R built for the Erzberg Rodeo, a vintage-inspired Yamaha YZF450FX from Deus, and an Italian prototype with a two-liter engine … placed upside down.
KTM Super Duke R by Jiří Heiník The 177-horsepower KTM is one of the most rapid yet usable motorcycles you can buy. In the hands of an accomplished rider, it can embarrass liter-class sportbikes around a racetrack.
Czech Jiří Heiník is an accomplished rider and a veteran of Pikes Peak, but his latest project has little in common with smooth asphalt. He’s taken the mighty Super Duke R and, with the help of the garage RaceTool KTM and ace builder Jan Žuži of JZ Handmade, he’s turned it into a dirt weapon.
Jiří’s ‘1290 Super Enduro R’is built to tackle the legendary Erzberg Rodeo, one of the toughest off-road events of all time. He’s grafted on 1290 Super Adventure forks and larger Kineo rims, and stripped off as many road accessories as possible to save weight.
The straight-through exhaust system is an obvious change, and matched to a tuned engine that now measures around 162 rear wheel hp. The complex front bodywork of the stock SDR has made way for an enduro-style number board with a single LED light, and there’s a proper dirt-spec high beak too.
What’s Czech for ‘big balls’? [More]
MV Agusta F3 675 ‘La Rouge’ Jonathan Natario runs Tricana, a Swiss MV Agusta dealership with a useful sideline in classy customs. ‘La Rouge’ is his latest, built because one of his clients wanted a ‘neo retro’ style bike.
Jonathan picked an F3 675, but the scope of the job expanded rapidly. “In the beginning, it was supposed to be a much simpler bike,” he tells us, “with a typical cafe racer headlight at the front, and a different rear. But I proposed to Samuel, the owner, that we could do a little bit more…”
“The front is inspired by the Ducati MH900 Evo, but is much slimmer, and I’ve integrated an LED headlight from the Turismo Veloce.” Jonathan has also removed the ‘ram air’ ducts and grafted on the windshield from an F4. Behind is a color TFT I2M Chrome Lite instrument panel.
For a cleaner line, Jonathan cut away part of the fuel tank, and completely rebuilt the rear bodywork—which now has the taillight assembly from a 2016 Brutale 800. The bellypan is a modified fiberglass race part, the wheels are Kineo rims from a Dragster RR, and the brakes now use Brembo M4 Calipers from an F3 800. The exhaust is a ‘HydroTre’ from HP Corse and the F3 has been remapped to suit.
“When I finished all the bodywork, I took a picture and sent it to Nuno from Capêlos Garage. He made some beautiful renderings, and after I chose one I took all the parts to Marty Designs for paint,” says Jonathan.
You could say it’s a parts bin special, but to our eyes, it looks a million dollars. [Tricana Motorcycles]
Kawasaki ER6N by AMS Garage The endlessly inventive Bali custom scene has just thrown up another killer build. Hot on the heels of Smoked Garage’s ‘Spirit’ we have this custom ER6N from Ajus Mulyawarman of AMS Garage.
Called ‘Bully,’ it was revealed at the Kustomfest show in Jogjakarta back in October, and sports completely new bodywork—a refreshing change from the angular plastics of the stock bike.
The hand-beaten aluminum looks incredible, with a mix of brushed and polished finishes, and it’s been left raw—with not a speck of paint to hide any imperfections.
The Kawasaki’s healthy 72 hp output gets a little nudge upwards thanks to a free-flowing exhaust system, but the real work is on the dynamics. Ajus and his crew have installed a set of forks from a ZX10R. In the rear, they’ve shoehorned in the swingarm from a Ducati Panigale, attaching it with an Öhlins monoshock.
There’s a serious sporting intent to this machine: the wheels are from a Panigale too, and are shod with sticky Metzeler slicks. If this is what it means to be a modern day café racer, we’re all for it. [More]
Nembo 32 Type 3 In the often-homogenous world of motorcycle design, it’s refreshing to see someone turn things upside down. Daniele Sabatini of Rome-based Nembo Motociclette has done that literally, by creating a roadster with a two-liter three-cylinder engine that has the crankcase at the top and the cylinders at the bottom.
Sabatini has already built two 1800cc prototypes and right now is completing a third with the bigger engine, hence the ‘Type 3’ moniker. His reasoning behind the unusual configuration is that a higher center of gravity helps handling, the motorcycle can be more compact, and the carbon fiber swingarm can be up to 700mm (27.5 inches) long—which aids traction.
The Nembo 32 Type 3 weighs around 160 kilos (352 pounds) and the “Super 32 Rovescio” engine pumps out up to 200 hp, which ensures a brisk ride.
These images are renders, but Sabatini is hoping that crowdfunding will finance the cost of small-scale production. Is the world ready for such a bike? We’re not sure, but we applaud this Italian designer for thinking outside the box. [Via]
Yamaha YZF450FX by Deus This is Michael ‘Woolie’ Woolaway’s latest creation: ‘Blu Ruvido,’ built for the Deus Swank Rally and based on Yamaha’s latest cross-country weapon. Without compromising performance, Woolie has given the 450 more of a classic vibe and endearingly simple lines.
“I wanted to make it look more like a vintage YZ,” Woolie says. “Which ended up being a big challenge, because the old bikes had small tanks and a single backbone frame. The airbox is where the tank used, to be and the fuel tank is under the seat.”
The ‘tank’ is a custom piece, based on an old Yamaha YZ motocross design; the real fuel cell is hidden under the seat. There’s a completely redesigned subframe to suit the desert racer-inspired seat and rear fender, and the stock forks were lowered three inches by Race Tech.
More modern touches are a Scotts steering stabilizer and a Rekluse slipper clutch, placing performance firmly in the 21st century.
Intrigued? The bike is for sale. [More]
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A stunningly beautiful custom MV Agusta F3 from Switzerland, a fire-breathing KTM Super Duke R built for the Erzberg Rodeo, a vintage-inspired Yamaha YZF450FX from Deus, and an Italian prototype with a two-liter engine … placed upside down.
KTM Super Duke R by Jiří Heiník The 177-horsepower KTM is one of the most rapid yet usable motorcycles you can buy. In the hands of an accomplished rider, it can embarrass liter-class sportbikes around a racetrack.
Czech Jiří Heiník is an accomplished rider and a veteran of Pikes Peak, but his latest project has little in common with smooth asphalt. He’s taken the mighty Super Duke R and, with the help of the garage RaceTool KTM and ace builder Jan Žuži of JZ Handmade, he’s turned it into a dirt weapon.
Jiří’s ‘1290 Super Enduro R’is built to tackle the legendary Erzberg Rodeo, one of the toughest off-road events of all time. He’s grafted on 1290 Super Adventure forks and larger Kineo rims, and stripped off as many road accessories as possible to save weight.
The straight-through exhaust system is an obvious change, and matched to a tuned engine that now measures around 162 rear wheel hp. The complex front bodywork of the stock SDR has made way for an enduro-style number board with a single LED light, and there’s a proper dirt-spec high beak too.
What’s Czech for ‘big balls’? [More]
MV Agusta F3 675 ‘La Rouge’ Jonathan Natario runs Tricana, a Swiss MV Agusta dealership with a useful sideline in classy customs. ‘La Rouge’ is his latest, built because one of his clients wanted a ‘neo retro’ style bike.
Jonathan picked an F3 675, but the scope of the job expanded rapidly. “In the beginning, it was supposed to be a much simpler bike,” he tells us, “with a typical cafe racer headlight at the front, and a different rear. But I proposed to Samuel, the owner, that we could do a little bit more…”
“The front is inspired by the Ducati MH900 Evo, but is much slimmer, and I’ve integrated an LED headlight from the Turismo Veloce.” Jonathan has also removed the ‘ram air’ ducts and grafted on the windshield from an F4. Behind is a color TFT I2M Chrome Lite instrument panel.
For a cleaner line, Jonathan cut away part of the fuel tank, and completely rebuilt the rear bodywork—which now has the taillight assembly from a 2016 Brutale 800. The bellypan is a modified fiberglass race part, the wheels are Kineo rims from a Dragster RR, and the brakes now use Brembo M4 Calipers from an F3 800. The exhaust is a ‘HydroTre’ from HP Corse and the F3 has been remapped to suit.
“When I finished all the bodywork, I took a picture and sent it to Nuno from Capêlos Garage. He made some beautiful renderings, and after I chose one I took all the parts to Marty Designs for paint,” says Jonathan.
You could say it’s a parts bin special, but to our eyes, it looks a million dollars. [Tricana Motorcycles]
Kawasaki ER6N by AMS Garage The endlessly inventive Bali custom scene has just thrown up another killer build. Hot on the heels of Smoked Garage’s ‘Spirit’ we have this custom ER6N from Ajus Mulyawarman of AMS Garage.
Called ‘Bully,’ it was revealed at the Kustomfest show in Jogjakarta back in October, and sports completely new bodywork—a refreshing change from the angular plastics of the stock bike.
The hand-beaten aluminum looks incredible, with a mix of brushed and polished finishes, and it’s been left raw—with not a speck of paint to hide any imperfections.
The Kawasaki’s healthy 72 hp output gets a little nudge upwards thanks to a free-flowing exhaust system, but the real work is on the dynamics. Ajus and his crew have installed a set of forks from a ZX10R. In the rear, they’ve shoehorned in the swingarm from a Ducati Panigale, attaching it with an Öhlins monoshock.
There’s a serious sporting intent to this machine: the wheels are from a Panigale too, and are shod with sticky Metzeler slicks. If this is what it means to be a modern day café racer, we’re all for it. [More]
Nembo 32 Type 3 In the often-homogenous world of motorcycle design, it’s refreshing to see someone turn things upside down. Daniele Sabatini of Rome-based Nembo Motociclette has done that literally, by creating a roadster with a two-liter three-cylinder engine that has the crankcase at the top and the cylinders at the bottom.
Sabatini has already built two 1800cc prototypes and right now is completing a third with the bigger engine, hence the ‘Type 3’ moniker. His reasoning behind the unusual configuration is that a higher center of gravity helps handling, the motorcycle can be more compact, and the carbon fiber swingarm can be up to 700mm (27.5 inches) long—which aids traction.
The Nembo 32 Type 3 weighs around 160 kilos (352 pounds) and the “Super 32 Rovescio” engine pumps out up to 200 hp, which ensures a brisk ride.
These images are renders, but Sabatini is hoping that crowdfunding will finance the cost of small-scale production. Is the world ready for such a bike? We’re not sure, but we applaud this Italian designer for thinking outside the box. [Via]
Yamaha YZF450FX by Deus This is Michael ‘Woolie’ Woolaway’s latest creation: ‘Blu Ruvido,’ built for the Deus Swank Rally and based on Yamaha’s latest cross-country weapon. Without compromising performance, Woolie has given the 450 more of a classic vibe and endearingly simple lines.
“I wanted to make it look more like a vintage YZ,” Woolie says. “Which ended up being a big challenge, because the old bikes had small tanks and a single backbone frame. The airbox is where the tank used, to be and the fuel tank is under the seat.”
The ‘tank’ is a custom piece, based on an old Yamaha YZ motocross design; the real fuel cell is hidden under the seat. There’s a completely redesigned subframe to suit the desert racer-inspired seat and rear fender, and the stock forks were lowered three inches by Race Tech.
More modern touches are a Scotts steering stabilizer and a Rekluse slipper clutch, placing performance firmly in the 21st century.
Intrigued? The bike is for sale. [More]
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Bull Face: An R nineT Pure from Heiwa Motorcycle in Japan
The best thing about the Japanese custom scene is that it defies all conventions. Stroll around the annual Mooneyes show for example, and sure, you’ll see plenty of choppers—but you’ll also see another realm of genre-bending machinery.
So while the rest of us argue about the differences between café racers and street trackers, Japan’s top builders continue to operate miles outside the box.
Just look at this glorious R nineT Pure from Hiroshima’s Heiwa Motorcycle—our second highlight from this year’s Mooneyes. It’s sort of a bobber, but it also has hints of classic American and British motorcycles.
And with a plethora of interesting hand-made details, it’s one of the most interesting R nineTs we’ve seen in a while.
Heiwa main man Kengo Kimura calls his creation ‘Bull Face,’ and tells us it’s based on a 2017 R nineT Pure. As for whether he was aiming for any specific style, the always-eclectic Kimura-san simply replies: “A retro and stylish bike.”
“A style not found anywhere.”
Bull Face has a pretty unique stance; it’s slammed, but it rolls on big wheels. To achieve this, Kengo shortened the OEM conventional 43 mm telescopic forks by a couple of inches, and fitted a shorter-than-stock Progressive rear shock.
The wheels are 19F/18R aluminum rims from Excel, laced to the R nineT hubs. The brakes are stock, and the tubed tires are vintage-style Avon Speedmaster MKIIs.
There’s some sweet frame work happening higher up. The R nineT’s frame is modular, so Kengo removed the bits he didn’t need, and fabricated new sections. By replacing the main rails that bolt on near the front of the bike, he was able to create a straight fly line to mount the bodywork on.
There’s a kicked-up loop at the back, complete with tabs to hold the rear turn signals, and a classy hand-made rail that doubles as an exhaust mount. Finishing off the tail are a custom rear fender and a Heiwa original taillight.
The new fuel tank arrangement is really neat too. Kengo fabricated an aluminum fuel cell that would tuck nicely into the frame rails, then built a classically-shaped cover to go over it. That ornate tank filler cap you see is more of a lid, which reveals the actual filler underneath.
Just behind it is an equally stunning seat. It’s sporting a twin-finish cover with contrast stitching, masterfully executed by Flavor Leather Work.
Kengo’s hand-made bodywork continues with a set of custom side covers, and a new front fender. The airbox is gone too, replace by a set of one-off velocity stacks. Look closely, and you’ll notice that he even machined his own valve covers for the boxer motor.
The detailing is impeccable, with contrast finishes and tidy Heiwa logos.
Up front, you’ll find a vintage headlight and a custom housing for the stock speedo, that takes it from something to hide to a feature.
The handlebars are custom, and mount directly to the BMW’s riser mounts. There’s a new throttle and vintage grips too, and the brake and clutch reservoirs have even been stripped of their original black finishes.
Peek under the hood, and you’ll spot a custom-made oil cooler, and a brake hose junction that’s mounted to the frame, rather than the forks.
We were convinced that this setup would cause issues, but Kengo assures us it doesn’t. In fact, he prefers it over the stock arrangement.
There’s some neat asymmetry built into this BMW’s design too. Lower down on the right, there’s a large aluminum spoiler that looks like it was sand cast. Kengo actually hand-fabricated it, welding on each fin individually. (It also hosts the electrics.)
On the left, the space is dominated by a high-riding twin exhaust system. It’s made from stainless steel, which was then nickel plated to give it this unique finish.
Everything else—right down to the frame—has been painted in a creamy chocolate brown hue. N2AUTO handled the paint job, finishing it off with subtle silver leaf striping and Heiwa logos, complemented by those one-off valve covers.
Bull Face is another home run from Heiwa, proof that you can’t pigeonhole Japanese builders, and yet another reason that Mooneyes is the show to attend.
Heiwa MC | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Kazuo Matsumoto
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The best thing about the Japanese custom scene is that it defies all conventions. Stroll around the annual Mooneyes show for example, and sure, you’ll see plenty of choppers—but you’ll also see another realm of genre-bending machinery.
So while the rest of us argue about the differences between café racers and street trackers, Japan’s top builders continue to operate miles outside the box.
Just look at this glorious R nineT Pure from Hiroshima’s Heiwa Motorcycle—our second highlight from this year’s Mooneyes. It’s sort of a bobber, but it also has hints of classic American and British motorcycles.
And with a plethora of interesting hand-made details, it’s one of the most interesting R nineTs we’ve seen in a while.
Heiwa main man Kengo Kimura calls his creation ‘Bull Face,’ and tells us it’s based on a 2017 R nineT Pure. As for whether he was aiming for any specific style, the always-eclectic Kimura-san simply replies: “A retro and stylish bike.”
“A style not found anywhere.”
Bull Face has a pretty unique stance; it’s slammed, but it rolls on big wheels. To achieve this, Kengo shortened the OEM conventional 43 mm telescopic forks by a couple of inches, and fitted a shorter-than-stock Progressive rear shock.
The wheels are 19F/18R aluminum rims from Excel, laced to the R nineT hubs. The brakes are stock, and the tubed tires are vintage-style Avon Speedmaster MKIIs.
There’s some sweet frame work happening higher up. The R nineT’s frame is modular, so Kengo removed the bits he didn’t need, and fabricated new sections. By replacing the main rails that bolt on near the front of the bike, he was able to create a straight fly line to mount the bodywork on.
There’s a kicked-up loop at the back, complete with tabs to hold the rear turn signals, and a classy hand-made rail that doubles as an exhaust mount. Finishing off the tail are a custom rear fender and a Heiwa original taillight.
The new fuel tank arrangement is really neat too. Kengo fabricated an aluminum fuel cell that would tuck nicely into the frame rails, then built a classically-shaped cover to go over it. That ornate tank filler cap you see is more of a lid, which reveals the actual filler underneath.
Just behind it is an equally stunning seat. It’s sporting a twin-finish cover with contrast stitching, masterfully executed by Flavor Leather Work.
Kengo’s hand-made bodywork continues with a set of custom side covers, and a new front fender. The airbox is gone too, replace by a set of one-off velocity stacks. Look closely, and you’ll notice that he even machined his own valve covers for the boxer motor.
The detailing is impeccable, with contrast finishes and tidy Heiwa logos.
Up front, you’ll find a vintage headlight and a custom housing for the stock speedo, that takes it from something to hide to a feature.
The handlebars are custom, and mount directly to the BMW’s riser mounts. There’s a new throttle and vintage grips too, and the brake and clutch reservoirs have even been stripped of their original black finishes.
Peek under the hood, and you’ll spot a custom-made oil cooler, and a brake hose junction that’s mounted to the frame, rather than the forks.
We were convinced that this setup would cause issues, but Kengo assures us it doesn’t. In fact, he prefers it over the stock arrangement.
There’s some neat asymmetry built into this BMW’s design too. Lower down on the right, there’s a large aluminum spoiler that looks like it was sand cast. Kengo actually hand-fabricated it, welding on each fin individually. (It also hosts the electrics.)
On the left, the space is dominated by a high-riding twin exhaust system. It’s made from stainless steel, which was then nickel plated to give it this unique finish.
Everything else—right down to the frame—has been painted in a creamy chocolate brown hue. N2AUTO handled the paint job, finishing it off with subtle silver leaf striping and Heiwa logos, complemented by those one-off valve covers.
Bull Face is another home run from Heiwa, proof that you can’t pigeonhole Japanese builders, and yet another reason that Mooneyes is the show to attend.
Heiwa MC | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Kazuo Matsumoto
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Nice workmanship.
Flying start: An MT-07 supermoto from Queensland
We love customs that have that ‘well sorted’ look—where you get the impression that everything is in the right place, it all works well, and it’ll be a hoot to ride.
These bikes are usually the work of pro workshops, racers, or folks who have a garage packed to the rafters with specialist tools. But this striking Yamaha MT-07, to our surprise, comes from one-man band Andrew Stagg.
Andrew lives in subtropical Queensland, in the northeast of Australia. He’s a metal fabricator by trade, and toying with the idea of setting up his own custom shop.
As a donor bike, the MT-07 needs no introduction here. Previously known as the FZ-07 in the States, it’s won a shedload of ‘best bike’ awards, it’s Yamaha’s bestseller in Europe, and it has a legion of fans amongst beginner and experienced riders alike.
If there’s a weak point, it’s the MT-07’s looks—and Andrew has corrected that aspect superbly.
“This is a 2017 MT-07,” he tells us. “I didn’t have anywhere to build it, so I went to Black Cycles in Coopers Plains, Brisbane. It’s just around the corner from my home, and I asked the owner Noel if I could build my bike there. He gave me a stand and left me to it.”
Andrew started by stripping the Yamaha down to the frame and discarding the plastic bodywork. “Once there, I decided to cut off the rear subframe and fabricate an aluminum seat pan—to get the right angle, and to work out exactly where the seat would sit.”
The new aluminum subframe also holds the new fuel cell, allowing Andrew to get a flatter line across the top of the bike. It instantaneously fixes the main problem with the MT-07’s looks—the ‘humped’ aspect of the conventional tank.
The filler cap is now at the back of the new seat, and Andrew estimates that the tank holds about nine liters (2.4 gallons).
With the top of the bike exposed, Andrew then crafted the top line. Using aluminum sheet, he fabricated the tail unit, new side panels, the ‘fake’ tank, radiator shrouds, and the front number board and fender. The result is terrific, with a sleek supermoto vibe.
“No fancy tools, by the way,” he notes. “Just a welder, bandsaw and a bench with G-clamps for a folder. Everything is hand built and hand formed.”
All the wiring is now under the fake tank, and Andrew built an aluminum battery box that fits between the front of the fuel tank and the main frame. “There’s just enough room from an eight-cell lithium Antigravity battery.”
Andrew also had to make a smaller ABS mount, moving it a little lower and forward—so the new bodywork fits properly without needing to be cut, or bulged out.
Up front is a Rizoma handlebar, which is home to uprated brake and clutch levers from Gilles Tooling (plus new brake lines). The turn signals are from Motogadget and the high- and low-beam lights are from Highsider.
Andrew also fabricated a new speedo mount, to pull the instruments backwards and lower down, and fitted a set of Kuryakyn micro 3-in-1 lights onto a new number plate bracket, to keep the rear clean.
The occasionally spongy ride of the stock MT-07 is tightened up by a custom rear shock built by Gazi Suspension, which is 20mm longer than the stock unit.
To give the 689 cc parallel twin a little more pep, Andrew’s also installed a set of K&N filters, and a low-level, de-catted exhaust system from Black Widow that weighs just 4.3 kilos (less than ten pounds).
The angular bodywork is an excellent foil for Yamaha’s classic ‘speed block’ paint scheme, which was applied by Noel from Black Cycles.
“The only things I haven’t done yet are re-spring the forks, and flash the engine ECU to suit the new setup,” says Andrew. “I’ve run out of money!”
The good news is that the MT-07 is for sale. We’re hoping a buyer will supply the dollars for Andrew to apply the finishing touches—and also convince him to start up his own shop. Because we’re seeing a lot of promise here.
Enquiries via Black Cycles | Images by Alexander Mena
Continue reading...
We love customs that have that ‘well sorted’ look—where you get the impression that everything is in the right place, it all works well, and it’ll be a hoot to ride.
These bikes are usually the work of pro workshops, racers, or folks who have a garage packed to the rafters with specialist tools. But this striking Yamaha MT-07, to our surprise, comes from one-man band Andrew Stagg.
Andrew lives in subtropical Queensland, in the northeast of Australia. He’s a metal fabricator by trade, and toying with the idea of setting up his own custom shop.
As a donor bike, the MT-07 needs no introduction here. Previously known as the FZ-07 in the States, it’s won a shedload of ‘best bike’ awards, it’s Yamaha’s bestseller in Europe, and it has a legion of fans amongst beginner and experienced riders alike.
If there’s a weak point, it’s the MT-07’s looks—and Andrew has corrected that aspect superbly.
“This is a 2017 MT-07,” he tells us. “I didn’t have anywhere to build it, so I went to Black Cycles in Coopers Plains, Brisbane. It’s just around the corner from my home, and I asked the owner Noel if I could build my bike there. He gave me a stand and left me to it.”
Andrew started by stripping the Yamaha down to the frame and discarding the plastic bodywork. “Once there, I decided to cut off the rear subframe and fabricate an aluminum seat pan—to get the right angle, and to work out exactly where the seat would sit.”
The new aluminum subframe also holds the new fuel cell, allowing Andrew to get a flatter line across the top of the bike. It instantaneously fixes the main problem with the MT-07’s looks—the ‘humped’ aspect of the conventional tank.
The filler cap is now at the back of the new seat, and Andrew estimates that the tank holds about nine liters (2.4 gallons).
With the top of the bike exposed, Andrew then crafted the top line. Using aluminum sheet, he fabricated the tail unit, new side panels, the ‘fake’ tank, radiator shrouds, and the front number board and fender. The result is terrific, with a sleek supermoto vibe.
“No fancy tools, by the way,” he notes. “Just a welder, bandsaw and a bench with G-clamps for a folder. Everything is hand built and hand formed.”
All the wiring is now under the fake tank, and Andrew built an aluminum battery box that fits between the front of the fuel tank and the main frame. “There’s just enough room from an eight-cell lithium Antigravity battery.”
Andrew also had to make a smaller ABS mount, moving it a little lower and forward—so the new bodywork fits properly without needing to be cut, or bulged out.
Up front is a Rizoma handlebar, which is home to uprated brake and clutch levers from Gilles Tooling (plus new brake lines). The turn signals are from Motogadget and the high- and low-beam lights are from Highsider.
Andrew also fabricated a new speedo mount, to pull the instruments backwards and lower down, and fitted a set of Kuryakyn micro 3-in-1 lights onto a new number plate bracket, to keep the rear clean.
The occasionally spongy ride of the stock MT-07 is tightened up by a custom rear shock built by Gazi Suspension, which is 20mm longer than the stock unit.
To give the 689 cc parallel twin a little more pep, Andrew’s also installed a set of K&N filters, and a low-level, de-catted exhaust system from Black Widow that weighs just 4.3 kilos (less than ten pounds).
The angular bodywork is an excellent foil for Yamaha’s classic ‘speed block’ paint scheme, which was applied by Noel from Black Cycles.
“The only things I haven’t done yet are re-spring the forks, and flash the engine ECU to suit the new setup,” says Andrew. “I’ve run out of money!”
The good news is that the MT-07 is for sale. We’re hoping a buyer will supply the dollars for Andrew to apply the finishing touches—and also convince him to start up his own shop. Because we’re seeing a lot of promise here.
Enquiries via Black Cycles | Images by Alexander Mena
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Baltic Brawler: A BMW K1100 from Vilnius Moto House
We don’t see much custom work from the Baltic state of Lithuania. But judging by what we have seen, we suspect that the Lithuanian scene is underground rather than small. Case in point: this brutal BMW K1100 cafe racer.
It’s the work of Vilnius Moto House, who are based in, you guessed it, Vilnius—the beautiful old capital city, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (That’s also where this sharp Honda Dominator scrambler is from.)
Vilnius Moto House (VMH) have been operating under that name for the past six years, but their experience customizing bikes stretches back to 1999. And their clients come not only from Lithuania, but also further afield.
The story of this transformation, dubbed ‘Project #01,’ started with a simple phone call. “I have a motorcycle,” the client said, “and I want you to remodel it for me—a 1989 BMW K1100. Can we meet?”
A few days later, the customer and his K were in VMH’s shop. “We discussed everything he wanted,” VMH boss Darius Krasauskas tells us, “and reviewed various already made projects—not just ours. We came up with an agreement.”
“In a few days, we drew a sketch of what the finished BMW should look like: angry, but exceptional.”
Step one was to dismantle everything, a process that VMH say is “very fast and without scruples.” Then they tackled the biggest task: modifying the K-series frame to even out its erratic lines.
They refined the back end with a sharp, all-new subframe. Then they grafted in the rear shock from a Yamaha R6, modifying the shock mounts in the process. Some tweaking and lowering happened up front too.
The final change to the K1100’s stance came in the form of a pair of 19” Harley-Davidson V-Rod front wheels. VMH picked them because their client specifically wanted solid wheels on his bike.
They took some fettling to fit—particularly the rear, which was widened and adapted to match the BMW’s single-sided swing arm.
The tires are vintage Shinko 270 Super Classic whitewalls, and the brakes are the stock K units (with fresh discs and upgraded lines). But just as VMH had sorted the rolling chassis, the project stalled. They’re hush on the particulars, but six months later fresh inspiration hit and the BMW went back onto the bench.
Now VMH’s attention turned to the fuel tank. After some unsuccessful attempts to modify the OEM tank to suit their ideas, the team figured they needed to start over. So they poked around their warehouse and dug out a Kawasaki KZ550 unit.
With a little cutting and narrowing, the KZ tank turned out to be the perfect match. But there was more fabrication ahead—notably a new, one-into-four stainless steel intake manifold, running off a single filter.
It’s designed to snake across to the opposite side of the bike, and there’s a correspondingly serpentine exhaust system that runs under the motor.
Lighting turned out to be point of contention.
After much deliberation, it was decided to install two long LEDs alongside the radiator, with a hand-made nacelle filling the space up front.
Not actually wanting to install turn signals (“they’re not beautiful, and the signal can also be displayed by hand”), but needing to keep the bike street legal, VMH installed the most discreet Kellermann LEDs they could get.
The cockpit was finished off with a digital speedo and new clip-ons, grips and switches. A set of hand-made foot pegs finished off the controls.
And then the project stalled for a second time…until VMH got wind of the upcoming Custombike Show in Bad Salzuflen, Germany, which attracts over 30,000 visitors every December. With three weeks to go, they sprung into action to finalize the K-series and enter it into the show.
There was a fair whack of work ahead still: there was no seat, the rear wheel needed a bit more work, wiring had to be done, and the bike was unpainted (and still partially disassembled). But they managed to button it up just in time, and with an interesting livery too.
It’s a spin on BMW’s traditional tricolor motorsports scheme, but executed in monochrome and with a hand-painted feel. Together with a little contrast stitching on the seat, it’s a subtle but effective approach.
VMH entered the bike into the show and took top honors in the Roadster category.
We’re not surprised—and we’ll be keeping a closer eye on VMH to catch the next build as it rolls out their shop.
Vilnius Moto House Facebook | Images by Mantas Repecka
Continue reading...
We don’t see much custom work from the Baltic state of Lithuania. But judging by what we have seen, we suspect that the Lithuanian scene is underground rather than small. Case in point: this brutal BMW K1100 cafe racer.
It’s the work of Vilnius Moto House, who are based in, you guessed it, Vilnius—the beautiful old capital city, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (That’s also where this sharp Honda Dominator scrambler is from.)
Vilnius Moto House (VMH) have been operating under that name for the past six years, but their experience customizing bikes stretches back to 1999. And their clients come not only from Lithuania, but also further afield.
The story of this transformation, dubbed ‘Project #01,’ started with a simple phone call. “I have a motorcycle,” the client said, “and I want you to remodel it for me—a 1989 BMW K1100. Can we meet?”
A few days later, the customer and his K were in VMH’s shop. “We discussed everything he wanted,” VMH boss Darius Krasauskas tells us, “and reviewed various already made projects—not just ours. We came up with an agreement.”
“In a few days, we drew a sketch of what the finished BMW should look like: angry, but exceptional.”
Step one was to dismantle everything, a process that VMH say is “very fast and without scruples.” Then they tackled the biggest task: modifying the K-series frame to even out its erratic lines.
They refined the back end with a sharp, all-new subframe. Then they grafted in the rear shock from a Yamaha R6, modifying the shock mounts in the process. Some tweaking and lowering happened up front too.
The final change to the K1100’s stance came in the form of a pair of 19” Harley-Davidson V-Rod front wheels. VMH picked them because their client specifically wanted solid wheels on his bike.
They took some fettling to fit—particularly the rear, which was widened and adapted to match the BMW’s single-sided swing arm.
The tires are vintage Shinko 270 Super Classic whitewalls, and the brakes are the stock K units (with fresh discs and upgraded lines). But just as VMH had sorted the rolling chassis, the project stalled. They’re hush on the particulars, but six months later fresh inspiration hit and the BMW went back onto the bench.
Now VMH’s attention turned to the fuel tank. After some unsuccessful attempts to modify the OEM tank to suit their ideas, the team figured they needed to start over. So they poked around their warehouse and dug out a Kawasaki KZ550 unit.
With a little cutting and narrowing, the KZ tank turned out to be the perfect match. But there was more fabrication ahead—notably a new, one-into-four stainless steel intake manifold, running off a single filter.
It’s designed to snake across to the opposite side of the bike, and there’s a correspondingly serpentine exhaust system that runs under the motor.
Lighting turned out to be point of contention.
After much deliberation, it was decided to install two long LEDs alongside the radiator, with a hand-made nacelle filling the space up front.
Not actually wanting to install turn signals (“they’re not beautiful, and the signal can also be displayed by hand”), but needing to keep the bike street legal, VMH installed the most discreet Kellermann LEDs they could get.
The cockpit was finished off with a digital speedo and new clip-ons, grips and switches. A set of hand-made foot pegs finished off the controls.
And then the project stalled for a second time…until VMH got wind of the upcoming Custombike Show in Bad Salzuflen, Germany, which attracts over 30,000 visitors every December. With three weeks to go, they sprung into action to finalize the K-series and enter it into the show.
There was a fair whack of work ahead still: there was no seat, the rear wheel needed a bit more work, wiring had to be done, and the bike was unpainted (and still partially disassembled). But they managed to button it up just in time, and with an interesting livery too.
It’s a spin on BMW’s traditional tricolor motorsports scheme, but executed in monochrome and with a hand-painted feel. Together with a little contrast stitching on the seat, it’s a subtle but effective approach.
VMH entered the bike into the show and took top honors in the Roadster category.
We’re not surprised—and we’ll be keeping a closer eye on VMH to catch the next build as it rolls out their shop.
Vilnius Moto House Facebook | Images by Mantas Repecka
Continue reading...
Nice work; but it does not appeal to me.
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