The Yamaha is a lovely looking machine
I always did like that Yamaha
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I always did like that Yamaha
Shovelhead à la française: Shiny Hammer’s 1972 FLH
Most custom motorcycle builders are pretty handy in other areas of life and work too. The ability to set up a lathe or tune an engine lends itself to many other areas of craftsmanship. And if you’ve got a knack for aesthetics, you can probably also design (and print) a t-shirt.
But one trend that’s caught us by surprise is the number of furniture designers who can also build very classy bikes. One such Renaissance man is Samuel Aguiar of Shiny Hammer, who created the elegant ’72 FLH shovelhead we’re looking at here.
The Frenchman is in good company: Stefano Venier and George Woodman both major in furniture design, and there are probably others we haven’t come across.
We first spoke with Samuel a year ago, when he dazzled us with his streamlined electric projectile ‘Hope.’ But this time, he’s swung the other way—choosing iconic Milwaukee metal as the base for his latest build.
“The idea was to make a low and narrow chopper with trials-type wheels,” says Samuel. It’s an unorthodox approach, but it looks stunning.
He’s modified the back of the Shovelhead frame to create a slim and straight profile: it’s now about two inches lower and 1.5 inches narrower than when it left the Milwaukee factory in 1972.
“I was looking for a solution to integrate the rear suspension into the frame,” Samuel explains. “I wanted only the engine to ‘pop’ out of the frame, so I ended up using oleo-pneumatic shocks and a one-off geometry.”
The shocks use technology more often found on aircraft landing gear, and are made by Forunales, an oleo specialist based in Toulouse.
Samuel tackled the fuel tanks next. “I had in mind a triangular shape, which would fill the empty space between the engine and the chassis.” After building two mirror-image tanks, the capacity turned out to be 6.5 liters (just over 1.7 US gallons).
“I wanted around eight liters on this Shovelhead, so I came up with the idea to add a another tank under the seat, next to the custom oil tank.” The end result is eight liters for fuel, and four liters (4.2 quarts) left for the oil.
The three fuel tanks are connected by lines that run both under and over the chassis, “to communicate as one, and breathe, to be able to work.”
A long, ribbed black leather seat segues into a stubby rear fender, which finishes off the flowing lines just perfectly. It’s based on the stock FLH fender but considerable shorter, and with an inch trimmed off the width. The taillight sits snugly underneath the upkick, embedded into a one-off stainless steel surround.
Samuel has fitted the Big Twin with an S&S Super E carb, a go-to solution for Shovelhead engine tuners seeking better throttle response and more power. It’s one of the few bolt-on parts on this Harley, aside from the open primary belt drive and KustomTech forward controls.
The air filter is custom, and Harley devotees will also notice that Samuel has split the rocker boxes—a classic but tricky and time-consuming mod on old Shovelheads.
This sinuous, snaking exhaust system is the part that catches the eye the most, though. “The inspiration was to imagine how the smoke would flow if riding the bike without any exhaust pipes,” Samuel says.
“So the pipes ‘swirl’ out of the heads, and become more and more straight as they head towards the rear of the bike.” The material is polished stainless steel.
Samuel then took a breather from the workshop, and started riding the shovel—without paint, and with a regular telescopic fork. “I thought, looking at the bike, that the front wasn’t special enough when compared to the rest of the mods.”
He ended up spending 300 hours of learning and working to create a one-off girder fork. “I wanted it to be narrow, and I especially to integrate the arms inside the fork, and not outside—as it usually is.”
“I went through sketching, measuring, testing with cardboard, 3D modeling, machining and welding. I wanted the geometry to have less trail, with the wheel moving as vertically as possible. I kept the same wheelbase as stock.”
After completing and installing the impossibly elegant forks, Samuel turned to the wheels. After machining up new hubs, he installed a set of hoops from a Husqvarna 125 enduro bike, in F21/R18 sizes. They’re made by Excel, and are a ton lighter than regular FLH rims.
The brake calipers are Nissin, liberated from Honda and Suzuki bikes, and hooked up to a Beringer master cylinder. The headlight is hardly any bigger: rather than go down the classic Bates route, Samuel has built a compact LED unit, and tucked it away between the girders.
After polishing every square millimeter of the wheels, Samuel installed Pirelli MT43 rubber—a trials-pattern tire that also works on hard surfaces and is DOT-approved for road use.
The chunky rubber adds a bit of visual grit to what is otherwise a sleek and immaculately finished Shovelhead. M. Aguiar might go a whole year between bike builds, but they’re sure worth the wait.
Shiny Hammer | Facebook | Instagram
Source...
Most custom motorcycle builders are pretty handy in other areas of life and work too. The ability to set up a lathe or tune an engine lends itself to many other areas of craftsmanship. And if you’ve got a knack for aesthetics, you can probably also design (and print) a t-shirt.
But one trend that’s caught us by surprise is the number of furniture designers who can also build very classy bikes. One such Renaissance man is Samuel Aguiar of Shiny Hammer, who created the elegant ’72 FLH shovelhead we’re looking at here.
The Frenchman is in good company: Stefano Venier and George Woodman both major in furniture design, and there are probably others we haven’t come across.
We first spoke with Samuel a year ago, when he dazzled us with his streamlined electric projectile ‘Hope.’ But this time, he’s swung the other way—choosing iconic Milwaukee metal as the base for his latest build.
“The idea was to make a low and narrow chopper with trials-type wheels,” says Samuel. It’s an unorthodox approach, but it looks stunning.
He’s modified the back of the Shovelhead frame to create a slim and straight profile: it’s now about two inches lower and 1.5 inches narrower than when it left the Milwaukee factory in 1972.
“I was looking for a solution to integrate the rear suspension into the frame,” Samuel explains. “I wanted only the engine to ‘pop’ out of the frame, so I ended up using oleo-pneumatic shocks and a one-off geometry.”
The shocks use technology more often found on aircraft landing gear, and are made by Forunales, an oleo specialist based in Toulouse.
Samuel tackled the fuel tanks next. “I had in mind a triangular shape, which would fill the empty space between the engine and the chassis.” After building two mirror-image tanks, the capacity turned out to be 6.5 liters (just over 1.7 US gallons).
“I wanted around eight liters on this Shovelhead, so I came up with the idea to add a another tank under the seat, next to the custom oil tank.” The end result is eight liters for fuel, and four liters (4.2 quarts) left for the oil.
The three fuel tanks are connected by lines that run both under and over the chassis, “to communicate as one, and breathe, to be able to work.”
A long, ribbed black leather seat segues into a stubby rear fender, which finishes off the flowing lines just perfectly. It’s based on the stock FLH fender but considerable shorter, and with an inch trimmed off the width. The taillight sits snugly underneath the upkick, embedded into a one-off stainless steel surround.
Samuel has fitted the Big Twin with an S&S Super E carb, a go-to solution for Shovelhead engine tuners seeking better throttle response and more power. It’s one of the few bolt-on parts on this Harley, aside from the open primary belt drive and KustomTech forward controls.
The air filter is custom, and Harley devotees will also notice that Samuel has split the rocker boxes—a classic but tricky and time-consuming mod on old Shovelheads.
This sinuous, snaking exhaust system is the part that catches the eye the most, though. “The inspiration was to imagine how the smoke would flow if riding the bike without any exhaust pipes,” Samuel says.
“So the pipes ‘swirl’ out of the heads, and become more and more straight as they head towards the rear of the bike.” The material is polished stainless steel.
Samuel then took a breather from the workshop, and started riding the shovel—without paint, and with a regular telescopic fork. “I thought, looking at the bike, that the front wasn’t special enough when compared to the rest of the mods.”
He ended up spending 300 hours of learning and working to create a one-off girder fork. “I wanted it to be narrow, and I especially to integrate the arms inside the fork, and not outside—as it usually is.”
“I went through sketching, measuring, testing with cardboard, 3D modeling, machining and welding. I wanted the geometry to have less trail, with the wheel moving as vertically as possible. I kept the same wheelbase as stock.”
After completing and installing the impossibly elegant forks, Samuel turned to the wheels. After machining up new hubs, he installed a set of hoops from a Husqvarna 125 enduro bike, in F21/R18 sizes. They’re made by Excel, and are a ton lighter than regular FLH rims.
The brake calipers are Nissin, liberated from Honda and Suzuki bikes, and hooked up to a Beringer master cylinder. The headlight is hardly any bigger: rather than go down the classic Bates route, Samuel has built a compact LED unit, and tucked it away between the girders.
After polishing every square millimeter of the wheels, Samuel installed Pirelli MT43 rubber—a trials-pattern tire that also works on hard surfaces and is DOT-approved for road use.
The chunky rubber adds a bit of visual grit to what is otherwise a sleek and immaculately finished Shovelhead. M. Aguiar might go a whole year between bike builds, but they’re sure worth the wait.
Shiny Hammer | Facebook | Instagram
Source...
Do like the naked rawness of the bike. Very clean and cool looking. Not my type of ride but cool nontheless.
It is nice but I agree not something I would really ride myself.
‘Goes Like Corn Through a Goose’: UCC’s BMW R1200R
The custom scene event calendar has boomed over the last few years. For fans like us, it means more opportunities to bask in the glow of custom moto culture. But for builders, it means extra deadlines, as they scramble to release new work at key shows.
For Ronna Norén of the legendary Swedish shop Unique Custom Cycles, Glemseck 101 is the show. He uses it each year as the perfect excuse to kick out a new custom build.
Although UCC made their name building choppers, Ronna is also skilled at producing exquisite ‘metric’ machines. As the date for this year’s Glemseck 101 approached, he cast his eye over his bike stash and picked out a rather unusual donor: a 2015-spec BMW R1200R.
“I thought building a water-cooled boxer would be a nice challenge,” Ronna tells us.
“We’ve done a bunch of air- and oil-cooled boxers, but this is the first water-cooled one. Plus I have seen these bikes in action: they run like corn through a goose!” Which is not surprising: the R1200R is packing 125 stout German horses and 92 ft.lbs of torque.
I’ve spent time on the R1200R myself, and can confirm that it’s a phenomenal motorcycle to ride. Aesthetically, it’s decent-looking from some angles—but feels disjointed overall.
So Ronna started by stripping off anything that didn’t make it stop or go.
Then he set about building a new tail unit. “I wanted to do a super clean tail,” he says, “with all the necessary functions integrated, but well hidden. All the electronics as well as taillight and blinkers should be virtually invisible.”
Ronna welded up a chromoly subframe, and then hammered out an impossibly clean aluminum tailpiece to sit on top. And he embedded a pair of taillight LEDs into the ends of the frame rails. All of the BMW’s electronic bits are hidden away under the seat now.
Ronna’s work to the front end was a lot more subtle. “The front bodywork is actually quite nice and tightly packaged,” he said, “so I decided to leave it alone.”
‘Leave it alone’ isn’t entirely accurate though. Ronna wanted move the battery (and a lot of modern hardware) from the visible space under the tank, so he built a new fuel cell to sit under the stock tank cover panels, and repackaged everything.
All that was left was to fill in the space connecting the tank to the new tail section. So Ronna fabricated two more aluminum parts to complete the bodywork.
Ronna’s brother Benna—who runs Tolle Engineering—is an equally talented fabricator. He machined a new set of aluminum triple trees, designed to grip a set of Öhlins FGRT227 cartridge forks—a model intended for the R nineT.
“Over the years, we’ve developed a good relationship with the guys at Öhlins,” Ronna tells us. “They set up the fork with the right springs and everything else: their products are second to none.”
Benna’s custom triples also made it possible to tweak the OEM instrument and headlight positioning, tucking everything in tighter.
Ronna also fitted a set of adjustable risers from Rizoma, and a set of S1000XR handlebars. New master cylinders from Magura round out the control package.
Öhlins supplied a new TTX GP rear monoshock, set up specifically for this project, and a steering damper. “I lowered the bike in the front and raised it slightly at the rear,” Ronna explains. “The chassis setup is more aggressive now.”
In an unusual change of pace, Ronna didn’t fabricate his own exhaust system this time. Instead, he matched up a set of Akrapovič pipes to a Spark silencer.
“It’s loud,” he jokes. “I mean it’s really deafening…it sets car alarms off. I think I have to pack in some more wool, or make a new decibel killer to get it into a somewhat digestible range!”
When the time came for paint, Ronna handed the bike over to frequent UCC collaborator Håkan Lindberg. The request was for a clean battleship grey as a primary tone, with bright orange candy on the frame and wheels. Håkan nailed it.
With everything back in the shop, Ronna spent a couple of days reassembling the R1200R. But he didn’t leave it to the last minute: when photographer Jenny Jurnelius got the call to catalog the bike, Glemseck was still two weeks away. That’s what you call planning.
The R1200R itself is a masterstroke. All the ugly bits are gone, the new bits look stunning, and all the right tech upgrades are in place.
“The bike runs really strong, and I’m looking forward to getting it properly out on the road for the next riding season,” Ronna tells us, from the depths of a Stockholm County winter. “Unless I sell it, of course!”
We’re officially calling dibs.
Unique Custom Cycles | Facebook | Instagram | Photos by Jenny Jurnelius
Source...
The custom scene event calendar has boomed over the last few years. For fans like us, it means more opportunities to bask in the glow of custom moto culture. But for builders, it means extra deadlines, as they scramble to release new work at key shows.
For Ronna Norén of the legendary Swedish shop Unique Custom Cycles, Glemseck 101 is the show. He uses it each year as the perfect excuse to kick out a new custom build.
Although UCC made their name building choppers, Ronna is also skilled at producing exquisite ‘metric’ machines. As the date for this year’s Glemseck 101 approached, he cast his eye over his bike stash and picked out a rather unusual donor: a 2015-spec BMW R1200R.
“I thought building a water-cooled boxer would be a nice challenge,” Ronna tells us.
“We’ve done a bunch of air- and oil-cooled boxers, but this is the first water-cooled one. Plus I have seen these bikes in action: they run like corn through a goose!” Which is not surprising: the R1200R is packing 125 stout German horses and 92 ft.lbs of torque.
I’ve spent time on the R1200R myself, and can confirm that it’s a phenomenal motorcycle to ride. Aesthetically, it’s decent-looking from some angles—but feels disjointed overall.
So Ronna started by stripping off anything that didn’t make it stop or go.
Then he set about building a new tail unit. “I wanted to do a super clean tail,” he says, “with all the necessary functions integrated, but well hidden. All the electronics as well as taillight and blinkers should be virtually invisible.”
Ronna welded up a chromoly subframe, and then hammered out an impossibly clean aluminum tailpiece to sit on top. And he embedded a pair of taillight LEDs into the ends of the frame rails. All of the BMW’s electronic bits are hidden away under the seat now.
Ronna’s work to the front end was a lot more subtle. “The front bodywork is actually quite nice and tightly packaged,” he said, “so I decided to leave it alone.”
‘Leave it alone’ isn’t entirely accurate though. Ronna wanted move the battery (and a lot of modern hardware) from the visible space under the tank, so he built a new fuel cell to sit under the stock tank cover panels, and repackaged everything.
All that was left was to fill in the space connecting the tank to the new tail section. So Ronna fabricated two more aluminum parts to complete the bodywork.
Ronna’s brother Benna—who runs Tolle Engineering—is an equally talented fabricator. He machined a new set of aluminum triple trees, designed to grip a set of Öhlins FGRT227 cartridge forks—a model intended for the R nineT.
“Over the years, we’ve developed a good relationship with the guys at Öhlins,” Ronna tells us. “They set up the fork with the right springs and everything else: their products are second to none.”
Benna’s custom triples also made it possible to tweak the OEM instrument and headlight positioning, tucking everything in tighter.
Ronna also fitted a set of adjustable risers from Rizoma, and a set of S1000XR handlebars. New master cylinders from Magura round out the control package.
Öhlins supplied a new TTX GP rear monoshock, set up specifically for this project, and a steering damper. “I lowered the bike in the front and raised it slightly at the rear,” Ronna explains. “The chassis setup is more aggressive now.”
In an unusual change of pace, Ronna didn’t fabricate his own exhaust system this time. Instead, he matched up a set of Akrapovič pipes to a Spark silencer.
“It’s loud,” he jokes. “I mean it’s really deafening…it sets car alarms off. I think I have to pack in some more wool, or make a new decibel killer to get it into a somewhat digestible range!”
When the time came for paint, Ronna handed the bike over to frequent UCC collaborator Håkan Lindberg. The request was for a clean battleship grey as a primary tone, with bright orange candy on the frame and wheels. Håkan nailed it.
With everything back in the shop, Ronna spent a couple of days reassembling the R1200R. But he didn’t leave it to the last minute: when photographer Jenny Jurnelius got the call to catalog the bike, Glemseck was still two weeks away. That’s what you call planning.
The R1200R itself is a masterstroke. All the ugly bits are gone, the new bits look stunning, and all the right tech upgrades are in place.
“The bike runs really strong, and I’m looking forward to getting it properly out on the road for the next riding season,” Ronna tells us, from the depths of a Stockholm County winter. “Unless I sell it, of course!”
We’re officially calling dibs.
Unique Custom Cycles | Facebook | Instagram | Photos by Jenny Jurnelius
Source...
Competition Hot: A vintage-style Harley ironhead
Trends ebb and flow in the custom world. And with them, the fortunes of bike builders. It might be tough at the top, but it’s even harder to stay there over the years.
Japanese builder Hideya Togashi is a man with more staying power than most. He took his first Best Of Show award from Mooneyes in 2006, and he’s collected several more over the years. And if you look closely at his latest Harley ironhead build, it’s easy to see why he is so fêted.
Togashi-san runs Hide Motorcycle (pronounced ‘Hee-day’) and this 1966 XLCH Sportster was one of the stars of the latest Yokohama show.
The refurbished engine is all that remains of the original bike, and it’s in original condition, right down to the Linkert DC-7 carb. The ‘CH’ designation refers to a slightly higher compression-ratio version of the XL engine—legend says that it stood for ‘Competition Hot,’ but we’ll take that with a pinch of salt.
It’s a beautiful V-twin, and capable of pushing a Sportster to 115 mph (185 kph), but the real action is elsewhere.
“To be honest, I didn’t have a concrete concept or theme before I made this bike,” says Togashi-san. “As always, I cherish the balance, and maximize the beauty.”
When he exhibits at the Mooneyes Show, Togashi takes a very particular approach. After all, the bike needs to looks good in a custom show environment as well as on the road.
“I’ve combined the ‘show off’ elements that are required for the venue, with street elements that the owner can fully enjoy while riding on a winding road,” Togashi says.
Top echelon Japanese craftsmen spare no effort on their builds, but they step it up a gear further for the big shows. So Togashi made the hardtail frame for this Sportster from scratch, using a single downtube design.
Only the frame number plate is grafted on from the original frame, and the finish looks genuine—despite the nickel-plating that Togashi has added.
Under the skin, the forks and triples and steering head are stock, but have been sleeved and cleaned up for a smooth custom effect.
A wraparound headlight nacelle, hand-beaten from aluminum sheet, adds to the sleekness. It took many attempts to perfect, and Togashi has hidden the headlight itself behind a simple grille.
He’s taken the front wheel up a couple of sizes to 21 inches, but the 18-inch rear is the same as when it left the factory. And the drum brakes, cleaned up and devoid of surrounding paraphernalia like fender struts and shocks, look stunning.
With the stance of the Sportster sorted, Togashi turned to the bodywork. He’s used aluminum for the tank, with a finish good enough to leave as raw polished metal on the top surfaces.
“It’s a good balance with a nickel-plated frame and polished metal,” he says. “We did not dare polish the engine or the wheels: their matt finish adds contrast to the frame and bodywork.”
There’s a custom oil tank, wrapping around the trials-type rear tire. The subtle paint is based on a 1933 Harley design, and like the fuel tank graphics, was applied by local specialist Skop Paint Works. The fender is a heavily modified vintage Harley FX Super Glide item.
There’s a hint of flat track in the vibe, and we’re also seeing a touch of European speedway style. But most of all, it harks back to a simpler age, summed up perfectly by the exhaust system—a pair of unmolested, perfectly bent and nickel-plated pipes, ending in subtly flared mufflers.
Like they say, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Hide Motorcycle | Instagram | Images by (and with thanks to) Tadashi Kono
Source...
Trends ebb and flow in the custom world. And with them, the fortunes of bike builders. It might be tough at the top, but it’s even harder to stay there over the years.
Japanese builder Hideya Togashi is a man with more staying power than most. He took his first Best Of Show award from Mooneyes in 2006, and he’s collected several more over the years. And if you look closely at his latest Harley ironhead build, it’s easy to see why he is so fêted.
Togashi-san runs Hide Motorcycle (pronounced ‘Hee-day’) and this 1966 XLCH Sportster was one of the stars of the latest Yokohama show.
The refurbished engine is all that remains of the original bike, and it’s in original condition, right down to the Linkert DC-7 carb. The ‘CH’ designation refers to a slightly higher compression-ratio version of the XL engine—legend says that it stood for ‘Competition Hot,’ but we’ll take that with a pinch of salt.
It’s a beautiful V-twin, and capable of pushing a Sportster to 115 mph (185 kph), but the real action is elsewhere.
“To be honest, I didn’t have a concrete concept or theme before I made this bike,” says Togashi-san. “As always, I cherish the balance, and maximize the beauty.”
When he exhibits at the Mooneyes Show, Togashi takes a very particular approach. After all, the bike needs to looks good in a custom show environment as well as on the road.
“I’ve combined the ‘show off’ elements that are required for the venue, with street elements that the owner can fully enjoy while riding on a winding road,” Togashi says.
Top echelon Japanese craftsmen spare no effort on their builds, but they step it up a gear further for the big shows. So Togashi made the hardtail frame for this Sportster from scratch, using a single downtube design.
Only the frame number plate is grafted on from the original frame, and the finish looks genuine—despite the nickel-plating that Togashi has added.
Under the skin, the forks and triples and steering head are stock, but have been sleeved and cleaned up for a smooth custom effect.
A wraparound headlight nacelle, hand-beaten from aluminum sheet, adds to the sleekness. It took many attempts to perfect, and Togashi has hidden the headlight itself behind a simple grille.
He’s taken the front wheel up a couple of sizes to 21 inches, but the 18-inch rear is the same as when it left the factory. And the drum brakes, cleaned up and devoid of surrounding paraphernalia like fender struts and shocks, look stunning.
With the stance of the Sportster sorted, Togashi turned to the bodywork. He’s used aluminum for the tank, with a finish good enough to leave as raw polished metal on the top surfaces.
“It’s a good balance with a nickel-plated frame and polished metal,” he says. “We did not dare polish the engine or the wheels: their matt finish adds contrast to the frame and bodywork.”
There’s a custom oil tank, wrapping around the trials-type rear tire. The subtle paint is based on a 1933 Harley design, and like the fuel tank graphics, was applied by local specialist Skop Paint Works. The fender is a heavily modified vintage Harley FX Super Glide item.
There’s a hint of flat track in the vibe, and we’re also seeing a touch of European speedway style. But most of all, it harks back to a simpler age, summed up perfectly by the exhaust system—a pair of unmolested, perfectly bent and nickel-plated pipes, ending in subtly flared mufflers.
Like they say, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Hide Motorcycle | Instagram | Images by (and with thanks to) Tadashi Kono
Source...
Nicky Hayden tribute: Analog’s Honda XR650L flat tracker
Nicky Hayden left a massive hole in the motorcycling world—and in all of our hearts—when he passed away unexpectedly in May last year. In a fitting tribute, the Kentucky Kid was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame earlier this month.
To commemorate the occasion, the Hall of Fame Museum commissioned two tribute bikes from Chicago’s Analog Motorcycles. American Honda donated the motorcycles, including a CBR1000RR to be wrapped in Hayden’s Repsol MotoGP livery. But the direction of the second bike was left entirely up to Analog shop boss Tony Prust (below).
Most people know Nicky Hayden from his time in MotoGP and the Superbike World Championships. But longtime fans will remember that Nicky actually got his start in flat track racing.
“I chose to build a flat track bike,” Tony tells us, “because that’s where Nicky’s roots were. I also wanted to remember his American racing heritage, so I chose the AMA 2002 Championship RC51 livery. The rest was about making all that happen, and not looking forced.”
Before he could execute his vision, Tony had to pick a donor. The AMA wanted the bike to be street legal, so the CRF250L and XR650L ended up on the short list. Then Honda announced the release of the CRF450L—but by then, Tony had already made up his mind.
“The 450 would have been fun,” he says, “but I think the air-cooled XR650 fits the bill pretty well.”
The XR650L is a fantastic choice. It’s a close cousin to the desert-dominating XR650R, makes decent power and doesn’t cost the earth. There’s also a ton of aftermarket parts available for it—unless you’re trying to build a flat tracker.
“I set out to find a fiberglass tank and tail kit,” says Tony. “But because of its oil in frame backbone and frame design, this proved very challenging. So, as I continue to hone my metal shaping skills, I decided to make it all.”
“That was not really in the budget—but since I was a Nicky Hayden fan and the Hall Of Fame is a good cause, we made it work.”
Tony hand-shaped a new fuel tank to fit the Honda, basing it on the shape of the classic Harley-Davidson XR750 tank. Then he fabricated a tail section, complete with number plates and a custom seat pan, which Dane Utech upholstered.
The fenders (yes, there’s a sneaky rear fender too) are also custom, as is the front number board. Everything flows and tucks together perfectly; the top of the front number board wraps around the speedo, and the right rear number board wraps around the exhaust. Analog used Denali optics at both ends, with two discreet headlights, and an LED taillight.
As for the chassis, the subframe was modified to accommodate the new tail piece. Analog installed a custom-built Hyperpro shock at the back, and a KTM 690 Enduro front end, rebuilt to suit the Honda’s specs. The wheels are flat track-appropriate 19” numbers, featuring Sun rims, Buchanan’s spokes and Dunlop DT3 tires.
Tony’s made sure the Honda goes as well as it shows. He removed the engine’s emissions ‘octopus’ (a common XR650L mod), then installed a Keihin FCR41 carb. There’s a custom intake with a K&N filter, and a Magura hydraulic clutch conversion. Analog also modified and ceramic coated the exhaust headers, and installed a Cone Engineering muffler.
There’s a host of smaller upgrades in play too. The team installed Magura handlebars and master cylinders, Oury grips, a Motogadget speedo, mirrors and switches, and their own brand of mini LED turn signals.
The bike was also completely rewired around a Motogadget m.unit, with an EarthX lithium-ion battery. And Analog even went to the trouble of wrapping all the wiring in WireCare sleeving and tubing.
Jason at Artistimo Customs handled the paint, successfully adapting the Kentucky Kid’s 2002 AMA Championship RC51 livery to the shape of the XR650L. Certain parts were powder coated to finish things off; some in-house, and some by J&J Powder Coating.
“We are super honored to be asked to build these bikes for such an amazing racer and human,” says Tony, “and had the pleasure of being at the induction ceremony in early December.”
“The AMA, American Honda and the Hayden Family all were there to unveil the machines on stage and they were all really impressed with how they turned out. It was a highlight of our year here at Analog Motorcycles and a great way to end 2018.”
Analog’s XR650L is an incredibly well-built, street-legal flat tracker. But it’s also a stunning tribute to one of motorcycling’s most beloved racers. We just wish the Kentucky Kid himself could put it through its paces.
Analog Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Studio images by Daniel Peter | In-process image by Grant Schwingle
Analog Motorcycles would like to thank: Dunlop Tires, Magura, Motogadget, Cone Engineering, K&N Filters, Spectro Oils, Buchanan’s Spokes, WireCare, and our own parts Company Analog Motor Goods.
The two bikes will be raffled off to raise funds for the non-profit AMA Hall Of Fame Museum. US residents came purchase tickets here.
Source...
Nicky Hayden left a massive hole in the motorcycling world—and in all of our hearts—when he passed away unexpectedly in May last year. In a fitting tribute, the Kentucky Kid was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame earlier this month.
To commemorate the occasion, the Hall of Fame Museum commissioned two tribute bikes from Chicago’s Analog Motorcycles. American Honda donated the motorcycles, including a CBR1000RR to be wrapped in Hayden’s Repsol MotoGP livery. But the direction of the second bike was left entirely up to Analog shop boss Tony Prust (below).
Most people know Nicky Hayden from his time in MotoGP and the Superbike World Championships. But longtime fans will remember that Nicky actually got his start in flat track racing.
“I chose to build a flat track bike,” Tony tells us, “because that’s where Nicky’s roots were. I also wanted to remember his American racing heritage, so I chose the AMA 2002 Championship RC51 livery. The rest was about making all that happen, and not looking forced.”
Before he could execute his vision, Tony had to pick a donor. The AMA wanted the bike to be street legal, so the CRF250L and XR650L ended up on the short list. Then Honda announced the release of the CRF450L—but by then, Tony had already made up his mind.
“The 450 would have been fun,” he says, “but I think the air-cooled XR650 fits the bill pretty well.”
The XR650L is a fantastic choice. It’s a close cousin to the desert-dominating XR650R, makes decent power and doesn’t cost the earth. There’s also a ton of aftermarket parts available for it—unless you’re trying to build a flat tracker.
“I set out to find a fiberglass tank and tail kit,” says Tony. “But because of its oil in frame backbone and frame design, this proved very challenging. So, as I continue to hone my metal shaping skills, I decided to make it all.”
“That was not really in the budget—but since I was a Nicky Hayden fan and the Hall Of Fame is a good cause, we made it work.”
Tony hand-shaped a new fuel tank to fit the Honda, basing it on the shape of the classic Harley-Davidson XR750 tank. Then he fabricated a tail section, complete with number plates and a custom seat pan, which Dane Utech upholstered.
The fenders (yes, there’s a sneaky rear fender too) are also custom, as is the front number board. Everything flows and tucks together perfectly; the top of the front number board wraps around the speedo, and the right rear number board wraps around the exhaust. Analog used Denali optics at both ends, with two discreet headlights, and an LED taillight.
As for the chassis, the subframe was modified to accommodate the new tail piece. Analog installed a custom-built Hyperpro shock at the back, and a KTM 690 Enduro front end, rebuilt to suit the Honda’s specs. The wheels are flat track-appropriate 19” numbers, featuring Sun rims, Buchanan’s spokes and Dunlop DT3 tires.
Tony’s made sure the Honda goes as well as it shows. He removed the engine’s emissions ‘octopus’ (a common XR650L mod), then installed a Keihin FCR41 carb. There’s a custom intake with a K&N filter, and a Magura hydraulic clutch conversion. Analog also modified and ceramic coated the exhaust headers, and installed a Cone Engineering muffler.
There’s a host of smaller upgrades in play too. The team installed Magura handlebars and master cylinders, Oury grips, a Motogadget speedo, mirrors and switches, and their own brand of mini LED turn signals.
The bike was also completely rewired around a Motogadget m.unit, with an EarthX lithium-ion battery. And Analog even went to the trouble of wrapping all the wiring in WireCare sleeving and tubing.
Jason at Artistimo Customs handled the paint, successfully adapting the Kentucky Kid’s 2002 AMA Championship RC51 livery to the shape of the XR650L. Certain parts were powder coated to finish things off; some in-house, and some by J&J Powder Coating.
“We are super honored to be asked to build these bikes for such an amazing racer and human,” says Tony, “and had the pleasure of being at the induction ceremony in early December.”
“The AMA, American Honda and the Hayden Family all were there to unveil the machines on stage and they were all really impressed with how they turned out. It was a highlight of our year here at Analog Motorcycles and a great way to end 2018.”
Analog’s XR650L is an incredibly well-built, street-legal flat tracker. But it’s also a stunning tribute to one of motorcycling’s most beloved racers. We just wish the Kentucky Kid himself could put it through its paces.
Analog Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Studio images by Daniel Peter | In-process image by Grant Schwingle
Analog Motorcycles would like to thank: Dunlop Tires, Magura, Motogadget, Cone Engineering, K&N Filters, Spectro Oils, Buchanan’s Spokes, WireCare, and our own parts Company Analog Motor Goods.
The two bikes will be raffled off to raise funds for the non-profit AMA Hall Of Fame Museum. US residents came purchase tickets here.
Source...
Revealed: The Top 10 Custom Motorcycles of 2018
What a year it’s been for the custom scene. With so many great bikes crossing our radar, it’s almost impossible to pick out any personal favorites.
So it’s just as well that our annual Bike Of The Year roundup is purely data driven. It’s based on page views, incoming links, and the number of social media shares. As always, it’s also weighted according to how long ago the bike was featured.
A couple of interesting points to note: If we weren’t dealing with customs here, two factory bikes would have made it into this list: the Indian FTR 1200 and the Husqvarna Vitpilen. Interest in these machines, which look as good as many ‘full customs,’ is intense amongst our readers.
The café racer style, so dominant five years ago, has drifted back into the genre soup. Only one CB café racer made it into our list this year. Flippant categorization in general has dwindled away: we’re seeing more and more bikes that can’t be pigeonholed, and the rise of the tasteful restomod.
And that’s fine by us—especially if it means we can say goodbye to ridiculous terms like ‘brat tracker.’ (Or indeed ‘Ducati Scrambler Café Racer.’)
So here are the ten bikes that revved up our servers and social media channels in 2018. Enjoy.
10. Honda CB750 by Caffeine Custom Just as we were thinking the days of the classic CB café racer were over, along comes this low-slung CB750 from Brazil. Caffeine Custom is run by a couple of friends from a shed in the mountains, but the clue is in their backgrounds: one is an automotive designer, and the other is a graphic designer. Between them, they’ve nailed the stance and style and lifted this bike well outside the usually tired genre.
There is nothing radical going on here, but the changes that Bruno Costa and Tiago Zilli have made to the 1979 CB750 are impeccably judged. The bike is lowered, there’s a beefy 18” Comstar wheel at the front, the rear end is nicely chiselled, and the controls have been pared down to the minimum. Anyone thinking of putting a grinder to a CB should examine this machine very closely before flicking the switch.
MORE IMAGES
9. Harley Sportster 48 by Rough Crafts Winston Yeh is the king of consistency. Since the early days of Bike EXIF, he’s been churning out hit after hit—so it’s no surprise to see his return to our Top 10. This time it’s with a Sportster that looks like no other: squared off, blacked out, and with the stance of a sportbike.
With Öhlins suspension, a titanium exhaust, and wheels and bodywork crafted from carbon fiber, this Forty Eight tips the scales at 40 kilos lighter than stock. The geometry is closer to a Buell than a Harley, and the vibe is streetfighter rather than cruiser, but it’s still instantly recognizable as a Rough Crafts build.
MORE IMAGES
8. Harley-Davidson Super 10 by Jackson Burrows We’re not quite sure what’s most amazing about this vintage Harley: the jaw-dropping craftsmanship, or the fact that it’s Mr. Burrows’ first attempt at building a bike. It started life as a tiny 165 cc racing two stroke, and ended up as the proverbial work of art. The motor is slotted into a 1964 Harley-Davidson Scat frame, and there’s a 1948 pressed steel girder fork up front.
It’s probably the most obsessive build that we’ve featured all year, with every milimeter crafted to perfection. Jackson lists Ian Barry, Shinya Kimura and Chicara Nagata as his influences—and if he can keep this up, it won’t be long before his own name belongs in that super league.
MORE IMAGES
7. Yamaha SR500 scrambler by Daniel Peter Chicago-based photographer Daniel Peter loves SR500s: he’s built four so far, in his spare time. At first glance, it’s a relatively straightforward hot rod—with a heavily tuned engine boosted to 540cc. But Daniel’s also added Kawasaki ZX6R forks, Gazi shocks, 17-inch supermoto rims and an aluminum swingarm.
It’s the finish that sets this punchy little machine apart though. The aluminum Yamaha XT500 fuel tank looks spot-on with a delicious white-and-yellow paint scheme, and the ancillary parts are entirely practical—from the fenders front and rear to the heavy-duty serrated footpegs. This is a custom meant to be ridden hard.
MORE IMAGES
6. 1957 Harley Sportster replica by UFO Garage We fell in love with the concept and execution of this Sportster as soon as we saw it, and we’re glad our readers loved it too. The idea was simple, and supported by Harley-Davidson España: take a late-model Sportster and make it look like a late 50s ironhead.
In practice, it’s a complicated trick to pull off, but Spanish builder Efraón Triana managed it—using replica wheels, fenders and handlebars, and an exhaust system that mimics the lines of the original. A 1957-era tank and seat unit have been subtly modified to fit. An optical illusion of the highest order.
MORE IMAGES
5. Honda Grom by Cole Mishler Engine swaps are a rarity in the motorcycle world. Sure, we often see later-model or higher-capacity motors being installed into a same-marque chassis. But we rarely see high-performance motors squeezed into completely different vehicles, car-style.
That’s the kicker with this incredible Grom electric motorcycle, which is now juiced up by a Zero FX lithium ion powerpack. (It helps that the builder works for Zero and this was a semi-official project.) ‘Grom Reaper’ has almost as much torque as a Sportster 1200 now, plus Öhlins suspension and a 55-tooth rear sprocket to keep things under control. Electrifying stuff.
MORE IMAGES
4. Watkins M001 This Polish-built engineering masterpiece was probably the most radical bike we featured in 2018. It’s the work of an industrial designer from Gdańsk, who prefers to be known as ‘Jack Watkins.’
The powertrain is from a BMW R1150 RT, but almost everything else is built from scratch. The one-off front suspension has around a hundred components, including more than a dozen bearings, but the bodywork is just two sheets of steel, lazer-cut and cleverly bent to fit in place. ‘Genius’ is an over-used word, but applicable in this case.
MORE IMAGES
3. Triumph Thruxton by Rogue Motorcycle The power of social media and the street cred of Hans Bruechle, better known as HandBrake the Artist, blasted this Australian Thruxton into the top ten. This article got a solid ten thousand engagements on Facebook alone.
The builder was Rogue Motorcycle’s Billy Kuyken, who met Bruechle by chance at a moto show. The graphics are eye-catching, and the handling gets an upgrade via Suzuki GSX-R1000 forks, but the real clever stuff is at the back. Billy binned the back half of the frame, installed a skateboard deck on top of a hidden seat pan, and fabricated a monoshock conversion to make it all fit. We love the rear lighting—a converted Stellar skateboard deck with with LED lights instead of wheels.
MORE IMAGES
2. Ural coffee cart by See See It’s ironic that Thor Drake, the lofty proprietor of See See and a leading light of the custom scene in the Pacific Northwest, has only ever built one café racer. But this Ural cT with a hefty 50 kg La Marzocco espresso machine in the sidecar went viral—and global.
See See also installed airbag suspension, a hand sink, a cooler, a coffee grinder, a mains-level electrical system and more. We’re used to seeing these Russian-made contraptions modified out of sight, but this one really takes the biscotti.
MORE IMAGES
1. Honda Cub by K-Speed In 2018, Honda gave the Super Cub a huge raft of updates. It was a significant move, because the Cub is the world’s bestselling (and probably best-loved) two-wheeler.
Thailand is home to a factory that builds the new Cub, so the local Honda distributor decided to give the latest model to K-Speed to rework. It was an inspired move, and K-Speed came up with an equally inspired custom.
K-Speed’s enigmatic owner Eakk set the design direction, and went for a ‘modern retro’ feel. The vertical fairing remains, but the rest of the bike has been stripped back and heavily modified, with new bars and minimal lighting and controls. The blacked-out rims are wrapped with chunky ‘sawtooth’ tires.
Remarkably, K-Speed finished this build in just 30 days. And it got over three times as many page views as any other bike we showed in 2018. Proof that after six decades and more than 100 million production units, the appeal of the humble Cub still endures.
MORE IMAGES
POSTSCRIPT It’s been fascinating to sift through the data while compiling this year’s awards. Many of our personal favorites just missed the cut: we saw bikes from Hookie, Krugger, Auto Fabrica, BAAK, and Smoked Garage get pipped to the post by the tiniest of margins, along with ICON 1000’s Suzuki Bandit.
Most surprising of all: there’s only one BMW in the list, and it looks nothing like a BMW. Has the airhead bubble finally burst?
Finally, there are several people we should thank. Like the builders and photographers who dazzle us daily with their skills. And our generous advertisers, who keep the servers humming smoothly, and the site free for you to read.
We must also say a huge thank you to our readers: you’ve made Bike EXIF the most widely read custom motorcycle site in the world. Let’s catch up again in a few days, when Wes will reveal his Editor’s Choice for 2018 (and data be damned).
Source...
What a year it’s been for the custom scene. With so many great bikes crossing our radar, it’s almost impossible to pick out any personal favorites.
So it’s just as well that our annual Bike Of The Year roundup is purely data driven. It’s based on page views, incoming links, and the number of social media shares. As always, it’s also weighted according to how long ago the bike was featured.
A couple of interesting points to note: If we weren’t dealing with customs here, two factory bikes would have made it into this list: the Indian FTR 1200 and the Husqvarna Vitpilen. Interest in these machines, which look as good as many ‘full customs,’ is intense amongst our readers.
The café racer style, so dominant five years ago, has drifted back into the genre soup. Only one CB café racer made it into our list this year. Flippant categorization in general has dwindled away: we’re seeing more and more bikes that can’t be pigeonholed, and the rise of the tasteful restomod.
And that’s fine by us—especially if it means we can say goodbye to ridiculous terms like ‘brat tracker.’ (Or indeed ‘Ducati Scrambler Café Racer.’)
So here are the ten bikes that revved up our servers and social media channels in 2018. Enjoy.
10. Honda CB750 by Caffeine Custom Just as we were thinking the days of the classic CB café racer were over, along comes this low-slung CB750 from Brazil. Caffeine Custom is run by a couple of friends from a shed in the mountains, but the clue is in their backgrounds: one is an automotive designer, and the other is a graphic designer. Between them, they’ve nailed the stance and style and lifted this bike well outside the usually tired genre.
There is nothing radical going on here, but the changes that Bruno Costa and Tiago Zilli have made to the 1979 CB750 are impeccably judged. The bike is lowered, there’s a beefy 18” Comstar wheel at the front, the rear end is nicely chiselled, and the controls have been pared down to the minimum. Anyone thinking of putting a grinder to a CB should examine this machine very closely before flicking the switch.
MORE IMAGES
9. Harley Sportster 48 by Rough Crafts Winston Yeh is the king of consistency. Since the early days of Bike EXIF, he’s been churning out hit after hit—so it’s no surprise to see his return to our Top 10. This time it’s with a Sportster that looks like no other: squared off, blacked out, and with the stance of a sportbike.
With Öhlins suspension, a titanium exhaust, and wheels and bodywork crafted from carbon fiber, this Forty Eight tips the scales at 40 kilos lighter than stock. The geometry is closer to a Buell than a Harley, and the vibe is streetfighter rather than cruiser, but it’s still instantly recognizable as a Rough Crafts build.
MORE IMAGES
8. Harley-Davidson Super 10 by Jackson Burrows We’re not quite sure what’s most amazing about this vintage Harley: the jaw-dropping craftsmanship, or the fact that it’s Mr. Burrows’ first attempt at building a bike. It started life as a tiny 165 cc racing two stroke, and ended up as the proverbial work of art. The motor is slotted into a 1964 Harley-Davidson Scat frame, and there’s a 1948 pressed steel girder fork up front.
It’s probably the most obsessive build that we’ve featured all year, with every milimeter crafted to perfection. Jackson lists Ian Barry, Shinya Kimura and Chicara Nagata as his influences—and if he can keep this up, it won’t be long before his own name belongs in that super league.
MORE IMAGES
7. Yamaha SR500 scrambler by Daniel Peter Chicago-based photographer Daniel Peter loves SR500s: he’s built four so far, in his spare time. At first glance, it’s a relatively straightforward hot rod—with a heavily tuned engine boosted to 540cc. But Daniel’s also added Kawasaki ZX6R forks, Gazi shocks, 17-inch supermoto rims and an aluminum swingarm.
It’s the finish that sets this punchy little machine apart though. The aluminum Yamaha XT500 fuel tank looks spot-on with a delicious white-and-yellow paint scheme, and the ancillary parts are entirely practical—from the fenders front and rear to the heavy-duty serrated footpegs. This is a custom meant to be ridden hard.
MORE IMAGES
6. 1957 Harley Sportster replica by UFO Garage We fell in love with the concept and execution of this Sportster as soon as we saw it, and we’re glad our readers loved it too. The idea was simple, and supported by Harley-Davidson España: take a late-model Sportster and make it look like a late 50s ironhead.
In practice, it’s a complicated trick to pull off, but Spanish builder Efraón Triana managed it—using replica wheels, fenders and handlebars, and an exhaust system that mimics the lines of the original. A 1957-era tank and seat unit have been subtly modified to fit. An optical illusion of the highest order.
MORE IMAGES
5. Honda Grom by Cole Mishler Engine swaps are a rarity in the motorcycle world. Sure, we often see later-model or higher-capacity motors being installed into a same-marque chassis. But we rarely see high-performance motors squeezed into completely different vehicles, car-style.
That’s the kicker with this incredible Grom electric motorcycle, which is now juiced up by a Zero FX lithium ion powerpack. (It helps that the builder works for Zero and this was a semi-official project.) ‘Grom Reaper’ has almost as much torque as a Sportster 1200 now, plus Öhlins suspension and a 55-tooth rear sprocket to keep things under control. Electrifying stuff.
MORE IMAGES
4. Watkins M001 This Polish-built engineering masterpiece was probably the most radical bike we featured in 2018. It’s the work of an industrial designer from Gdańsk, who prefers to be known as ‘Jack Watkins.’
The powertrain is from a BMW R1150 RT, but almost everything else is built from scratch. The one-off front suspension has around a hundred components, including more than a dozen bearings, but the bodywork is just two sheets of steel, lazer-cut and cleverly bent to fit in place. ‘Genius’ is an over-used word, but applicable in this case.
MORE IMAGES
3. Triumph Thruxton by Rogue Motorcycle The power of social media and the street cred of Hans Bruechle, better known as HandBrake the Artist, blasted this Australian Thruxton into the top ten. This article got a solid ten thousand engagements on Facebook alone.
The builder was Rogue Motorcycle’s Billy Kuyken, who met Bruechle by chance at a moto show. The graphics are eye-catching, and the handling gets an upgrade via Suzuki GSX-R1000 forks, but the real clever stuff is at the back. Billy binned the back half of the frame, installed a skateboard deck on top of a hidden seat pan, and fabricated a monoshock conversion to make it all fit. We love the rear lighting—a converted Stellar skateboard deck with with LED lights instead of wheels.
MORE IMAGES
2. Ural coffee cart by See See It’s ironic that Thor Drake, the lofty proprietor of See See and a leading light of the custom scene in the Pacific Northwest, has only ever built one café racer. But this Ural cT with a hefty 50 kg La Marzocco espresso machine in the sidecar went viral—and global.
See See also installed airbag suspension, a hand sink, a cooler, a coffee grinder, a mains-level electrical system and more. We’re used to seeing these Russian-made contraptions modified out of sight, but this one really takes the biscotti.
MORE IMAGES
1. Honda Cub by K-Speed In 2018, Honda gave the Super Cub a huge raft of updates. It was a significant move, because the Cub is the world’s bestselling (and probably best-loved) two-wheeler.
Thailand is home to a factory that builds the new Cub, so the local Honda distributor decided to give the latest model to K-Speed to rework. It was an inspired move, and K-Speed came up with an equally inspired custom.
K-Speed’s enigmatic owner Eakk set the design direction, and went for a ‘modern retro’ feel. The vertical fairing remains, but the rest of the bike has been stripped back and heavily modified, with new bars and minimal lighting and controls. The blacked-out rims are wrapped with chunky ‘sawtooth’ tires.
Remarkably, K-Speed finished this build in just 30 days. And it got over three times as many page views as any other bike we showed in 2018. Proof that after six decades and more than 100 million production units, the appeal of the humble Cub still endures.
MORE IMAGES
POSTSCRIPT It’s been fascinating to sift through the data while compiling this year’s awards. Many of our personal favorites just missed the cut: we saw bikes from Hookie, Krugger, Auto Fabrica, BAAK, and Smoked Garage get pipped to the post by the tiniest of margins, along with ICON 1000’s Suzuki Bandit.
Most surprising of all: there’s only one BMW in the list, and it looks nothing like a BMW. Has the airhead bubble finally burst?
Finally, there are several people we should thank. Like the builders and photographers who dazzle us daily with their skills. And our generous advertisers, who keep the servers humming smoothly, and the site free for you to read.
We must also say a huge thank you to our readers: you’ve made Bike EXIF the most widely read custom motorcycle site in the world. Let’s catch up again in a few days, when Wes will reveal his Editor’s Choice for 2018 (and data be damned).
Source...
Double Trouble: Hot Chop’s twin-engined Harley drag bike
Squeezing two Harley engines into one chassis is a special form of lunacy, most commonly found in the drag racing scene in the USA.
In the glory days of the mid-70s, Bonnie Truett linked a pair of Sportster motors and nitro-injected them. A decade later, Elmer Trett built an even faster twin-engined bike: the ‘Freight Train,’ which ran the quarter mile in under seven seconds.
Despite the wealth of tuning talent in Japan, no double-engined Harley has been built there—until now. Kentaro Nakano is the man who has broken the drought, by creating the engineering masterpiece we’re looking at here.
Nakano-san operates as Hot Chop Speed Shop in Kyoto, and is held in high regard in local Harley circles.
At the Mooneyes show a few weeks ago, his monstrous drag racer scooped awards from two of Japan’s biggest moto magazines—Hot Bike and Vibes. So we asked Mr. Nakano to organize a shoot for us, and he kindly obliged.
“I started the project in December 2017,” he tells us. “It’s a tribute to the drag racers of the 1970s, using Sportster XLCH engines.”
The front engine is a 1969 vintage ironhead, and the engine behind it is a couple of years older. Both mills were thoroughly rebuilt, with help from Nakano’s friend Kazuhiro Takahashi of Sakai Boring.
Fuel is metered through S&S Super B carbs (which first hit the market in 1975) fitted with one-off intake funnels.
Nakano has also changed the timing of the engines, to create gaps between the exhaust pulses. At idle, ‘Double Trouble’ sounds unmistakably like a Harley, we’re informed—but at high rpm, more like a Japanese multi-cylinder engine.
Connecting plates link the V-twins together, and the output shafts are hooked up to two primary drives: one from a current model Sportster, and another from a modern Big Twin tourer.
The transmission is the weak point on a 1960s Sportster, and with two engines in tandem, sticking with the stock gears would result in tears. So Nakano has installed the four-speed ‘box from a 1980s Big Twin.
With the powertrain sorted, Nakano turned his attention to the frame. It’s an entirely custom-built affair, using steel piping, with forks from an early 70s Ducati 750 Imola up front—slightly shaved for a custom look.
The discreet paint is by GRIMB Krazy Painting, which despite the odd name is the go-to shop for many of the top Japanese custom auto and moto builders.
Nakano has selected aluminum wheels, 18 inches front and back, and both with classic H-type rims. They’re shod with drag slicks from M&H, the company that ‘wrote the book on traction.’
He’s installed a front brake from the Minnesota specialist Airheart—a company familiar with the requirements of drag racing—while the back brake is from the Californian firm Wilwood.
The cockpit is simple: one-off drag bars are clamped into a custom top yoke, with a 1970s Harley tachometer just ahead. The levers are one-offs too, but the grips are off-the-shelf Japanese items.
The aluminum bodywork is minimalist in the extreme: a simple cylindrical fuel tank sitting on the frame top tube, and a cowl behind the seat that doubles up as an oil tank.
Atelier Cherry delivered the hand-sewn leather seat pad, which looks as though it’s been in service since the 70s.
‘Double Trouble’ looks fast even standing still. Nakano is going to take it to the Japanese drag strips in the coming months, and with the help of engine builder Takahashi-san, he’ll be recreating the spirit (and hopefully the quarter mile times) of the famous 70s American bikes.
If the results are good, the next step is to find a sponsor and take the bike to the Bonneville Salt Flats for some extreme speed runs.
But first, there’s one more small job Nakano needs to complete before he starts racing: the addition of a supercharger.
“I already have it in stock,” he says …
Hot Chop Speed Shop | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Satoru Ise of Vibes Magazine
Source...
Squeezing two Harley engines into one chassis is a special form of lunacy, most commonly found in the drag racing scene in the USA.
In the glory days of the mid-70s, Bonnie Truett linked a pair of Sportster motors and nitro-injected them. A decade later, Elmer Trett built an even faster twin-engined bike: the ‘Freight Train,’ which ran the quarter mile in under seven seconds.
Despite the wealth of tuning talent in Japan, no double-engined Harley has been built there—until now. Kentaro Nakano is the man who has broken the drought, by creating the engineering masterpiece we’re looking at here.
Nakano-san operates as Hot Chop Speed Shop in Kyoto, and is held in high regard in local Harley circles.
At the Mooneyes show a few weeks ago, his monstrous drag racer scooped awards from two of Japan’s biggest moto magazines—Hot Bike and Vibes. So we asked Mr. Nakano to organize a shoot for us, and he kindly obliged.
“I started the project in December 2017,” he tells us. “It’s a tribute to the drag racers of the 1970s, using Sportster XLCH engines.”
The front engine is a 1969 vintage ironhead, and the engine behind it is a couple of years older. Both mills were thoroughly rebuilt, with help from Nakano’s friend Kazuhiro Takahashi of Sakai Boring.
Fuel is metered through S&S Super B carbs (which first hit the market in 1975) fitted with one-off intake funnels.
Nakano has also changed the timing of the engines, to create gaps between the exhaust pulses. At idle, ‘Double Trouble’ sounds unmistakably like a Harley, we’re informed—but at high rpm, more like a Japanese multi-cylinder engine.
Connecting plates link the V-twins together, and the output shafts are hooked up to two primary drives: one from a current model Sportster, and another from a modern Big Twin tourer.
The transmission is the weak point on a 1960s Sportster, and with two engines in tandem, sticking with the stock gears would result in tears. So Nakano has installed the four-speed ‘box from a 1980s Big Twin.
With the powertrain sorted, Nakano turned his attention to the frame. It’s an entirely custom-built affair, using steel piping, with forks from an early 70s Ducati 750 Imola up front—slightly shaved for a custom look.
The discreet paint is by GRIMB Krazy Painting, which despite the odd name is the go-to shop for many of the top Japanese custom auto and moto builders.
Nakano has selected aluminum wheels, 18 inches front and back, and both with classic H-type rims. They’re shod with drag slicks from M&H, the company that ‘wrote the book on traction.’
He’s installed a front brake from the Minnesota specialist Airheart—a company familiar with the requirements of drag racing—while the back brake is from the Californian firm Wilwood.
The cockpit is simple: one-off drag bars are clamped into a custom top yoke, with a 1970s Harley tachometer just ahead. The levers are one-offs too, but the grips are off-the-shelf Japanese items.
The aluminum bodywork is minimalist in the extreme: a simple cylindrical fuel tank sitting on the frame top tube, and a cowl behind the seat that doubles up as an oil tank.
Atelier Cherry delivered the hand-sewn leather seat pad, which looks as though it’s been in service since the 70s.
‘Double Trouble’ looks fast even standing still. Nakano is going to take it to the Japanese drag strips in the coming months, and with the help of engine builder Takahashi-san, he’ll be recreating the spirit (and hopefully the quarter mile times) of the famous 70s American bikes.
If the results are good, the next step is to find a sponsor and take the bike to the Bonneville Salt Flats for some extreme speed runs.
But first, there’s one more small job Nakano needs to complete before he starts racing: the addition of a supercharger.
“I already have it in stock,” he says …
Hot Chop Speed Shop | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Satoru Ise of Vibes Magazine
Source...
Blast from the past: A Suzuki Vallelunga roars again
There’s something magical about big racing two-strokes. And somewhere near the top of that smokin’ hot tree is the Suzuki-SAIAD GT750 S Vallelunga.
The story of the Italian-built Suzuki is a curious tale, and it’s rare to see one of these attractive racers pop up on the internet radar. But the Piedmontese workshop Soiatti Moto Classiche has just found and restored one, and pushed the big zook back into the limelight.
Soiatti Moto Classiche opened its doors in 1978, when SWM factory motocross racer Daniele Soiatti retired from official duties. Today Daniele and his son Alberto (below) restore motorcycles from the 1970s, which often arrive in their Novara workshop in very bad condition.
The Soiattis usually work on Japanese superbikes, but they occasionally open their arms to encompass lesser-known European marques—such as Hercules, Zündapp and SWM.
It’s quality work too, and often showcased at top European concours events—such as the Concorso d’Eleganza at the Villa d’Este.
Not every bike is worthy of the lavish care that the Soiattis habitually deliver, but the Suzuki-SAIAD GT750 S Vallelunga is a very special machine. It’s one of around a hundred built by the Turin-based Suzuki dealer SAIAD in the mid 70s, and sold to privateer racers.
Compared to a stock GT750 two-stroke, light engine work freed up an extra ten horses. The weight drop was much more drastic: down from 245 kilos (540 pounds) to 190 (418 pounds).
The exhaust specialist Figaroli created a lightweight, more efficient exhaust system, and Angelo Menani supplied the featherweight fiberglass bodywork, rear sets and clip-ons. (The 1.9-liter oil tank is actually hidden in the bulky tail unit.)
Top speed was reportedly 225 kph (140 mph) and Suzuki was so impressed by the Vallelunga, it adopted the bike as an ‘official’ model. The Vallelunga appeared in Italian advertising material, presumably to create a halo effect for the stock GT750.
The machine restored by Soiatti Moto Classiche dates from 1974, is #35 in the production run, and was a mess when Daniele and Alberto first got their hands on it. They’ve seen much worse, such as bikes recovered from the sea, but the Suzuki had been sitting in a garage for twenty years.
The first thing Daniele noticed was that the wrong type of water-cooled triple was sitting in the frame; it had been taken from a later version of the GT750. But luckily the owner also had the original Vallelunga engine to hand, so the Soiattis stripped that one down and started the rebuild.
The crankshaft was rebalanced, and all the seals and bearings replaced. The engine cases were then sandblasted, and then coated with a petrol- and heat-resistant clear coat.
The Figaroli mufflers were in very bad shape, with multiple scars and crushed in places. So they’ve been dismantled, pushed back into shape, welded, polished and repainted.
Fortunately the frame was in reasonable condition, aside from surface rust. So it was sanded back to bare metal and repainted in black.
The fiberglass bodywork was extremely tired, as you’d expect on a bike almost half a century old. But rather than ditch and recreate Menani’s work, the Soiattis have meticulously restored it, and given it a fresh coat of authentic Suzuki blue race paint. They’ve also recreated the decals to exactly replicate the peeling originals.
The saddle was beyond repair though, so there’s a new seat pad upholstered in black leather in the same style as the original.
The rest of the machine has simply been fettled, refinished and returned to factory tolerances and specs. It’s all showroom fresh, from the Koni shocks to the aluminum Borrani wheels to the sandblasted, repainted brake calipers.
“The Vallelunga is restored exactly back to the original,” Alberto tells us. “We didn’t think about making changes.”
“Some motorcycles must remain faithful to their origins.”
Amen to that.
Soiatti Moto Classiche Facebook | Daniele Soiatti Instagram | Alberto Soiatti Instagram | Images by Valen Zhou
Source...
There’s something magical about big racing two-strokes. And somewhere near the top of that smokin’ hot tree is the Suzuki-SAIAD GT750 S Vallelunga.
The story of the Italian-built Suzuki is a curious tale, and it’s rare to see one of these attractive racers pop up on the internet radar. But the Piedmontese workshop Soiatti Moto Classiche has just found and restored one, and pushed the big zook back into the limelight.
Soiatti Moto Classiche opened its doors in 1978, when SWM factory motocross racer Daniele Soiatti retired from official duties. Today Daniele and his son Alberto (below) restore motorcycles from the 1970s, which often arrive in their Novara workshop in very bad condition.
The Soiattis usually work on Japanese superbikes, but they occasionally open their arms to encompass lesser-known European marques—such as Hercules, Zündapp and SWM.
It’s quality work too, and often showcased at top European concours events—such as the Concorso d’Eleganza at the Villa d’Este.
Not every bike is worthy of the lavish care that the Soiattis habitually deliver, but the Suzuki-SAIAD GT750 S Vallelunga is a very special machine. It’s one of around a hundred built by the Turin-based Suzuki dealer SAIAD in the mid 70s, and sold to privateer racers.
Compared to a stock GT750 two-stroke, light engine work freed up an extra ten horses. The weight drop was much more drastic: down from 245 kilos (540 pounds) to 190 (418 pounds).
The exhaust specialist Figaroli created a lightweight, more efficient exhaust system, and Angelo Menani supplied the featherweight fiberglass bodywork, rear sets and clip-ons. (The 1.9-liter oil tank is actually hidden in the bulky tail unit.)
Top speed was reportedly 225 kph (140 mph) and Suzuki was so impressed by the Vallelunga, it adopted the bike as an ‘official’ model. The Vallelunga appeared in Italian advertising material, presumably to create a halo effect for the stock GT750.
The machine restored by Soiatti Moto Classiche dates from 1974, is #35 in the production run, and was a mess when Daniele and Alberto first got their hands on it. They’ve seen much worse, such as bikes recovered from the sea, but the Suzuki had been sitting in a garage for twenty years.
The first thing Daniele noticed was that the wrong type of water-cooled triple was sitting in the frame; it had been taken from a later version of the GT750. But luckily the owner also had the original Vallelunga engine to hand, so the Soiattis stripped that one down and started the rebuild.
The crankshaft was rebalanced, and all the seals and bearings replaced. The engine cases were then sandblasted, and then coated with a petrol- and heat-resistant clear coat.
The Figaroli mufflers were in very bad shape, with multiple scars and crushed in places. So they’ve been dismantled, pushed back into shape, welded, polished and repainted.
Fortunately the frame was in reasonable condition, aside from surface rust. So it was sanded back to bare metal and repainted in black.
The fiberglass bodywork was extremely tired, as you’d expect on a bike almost half a century old. But rather than ditch and recreate Menani’s work, the Soiattis have meticulously restored it, and given it a fresh coat of authentic Suzuki blue race paint. They’ve also recreated the decals to exactly replicate the peeling originals.
The saddle was beyond repair though, so there’s a new seat pad upholstered in black leather in the same style as the original.
The rest of the machine has simply been fettled, refinished and returned to factory tolerances and specs. It’s all showroom fresh, from the Koni shocks to the aluminum Borrani wheels to the sandblasted, repainted brake calipers.
“The Vallelunga is restored exactly back to the original,” Alberto tells us. “We didn’t think about making changes.”
“Some motorcycles must remain faithful to their origins.”
Amen to that.
Soiatti Moto Classiche Facebook | Daniele Soiatti Instagram | Alberto Soiatti Instagram | Images by Valen Zhou
Source...
Editor’s Choice: An Alternative Top 10 for 2018
It’s that time of year when we throw the data out the window and pick our personal favorite customs of 2018. Our traditional Bike EXIF Top Ten is based on bikes that melted our servers—but these are the bikes that also melted our hearts.
There are a few ground rules: we only include bikes that we’ve written full features on (sorry, Bikes of the Week alumni). And we don’t feature more than one from a particular builder. We also exclude machines that have already popped up on our data-driven Top Ten; if we didn’t, Daniel Peter’s Yamaha SR500, Jackson Burrows’ Harley-Davidson Super 10 and K-Speed’s Honda Cub would easily have made the cut.
So here—in alphabetical order of builder—is this year’s Editor’s Choice.
Ducati 250 by Analog Motorcycles This petite racer features the most exotic pairing we’ve ever seen: a vintage Ducati 250 motor, in a prototype Moto 3 chassis. The rest of the bike’s a harmonious mix of parts bin and handcrafted bits. And as you can see, the results are absolutely glorious.
There’s one heck of a story behind the project too—from how it was conceived, to a tragedy that set it back by almost a year. (It’s worth clicking on ‘More’ to get the full story.) Analog’s Tony Prust has our utmost respect for forging ahead, and for building one of our favorite cafe racers of 2018. [More]
Ducati Scrambler by deBolex Engineering We’ve seen our share of shoddy craftsmanship masked by great photography. But when deBolex Engineering’s Calum Pryce-Tidd wheeled this stunning Ducati Scrambler onto the Bike EXIF stand at the Wildays festival, my jaw hit the floor. DeBolex well and truly are the real deal.
They masterfully transformed the Ducati Scrambler into a pure café racer, with a full complement of aluminum bodywork. Every last detail is on point; from the removable side panels, to the picture perfect paint and tasteful parts selection. It’s the cafe racer we wish Ducati had built. [More]
Yamaha XJ750 by Derek Kimes Meet ‘Turbo Maximus’—the bike that kicked us in the teeth with its 80s throwback styling and turbocharger. It’s the work of Derek Kimes, and at the time of publishing, it was the first and only bike he’d ever owned. Derek started working in Bryan Fuller’s shop part time while studying engineering, and this brutal superbike was the result.
It’s arguably the most nuts-o bike we’ve featured this year. Among the mods are a XJ900 engine swap, a conversion to fuel injection and a very trick turbo setup. The chassis is well sorted too (keen eyes will spot a mono-shock out back), and that livery is just dreamy. [More]
Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled by Earle Motors Automotive designer Alex Earle is someone worth keeping a close eye on. His Ducati Monster street tracker broke new ground three years ago, and this year he knocked it out the park again. This is ‘The Alaskan’—a Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled designed to excel off-road.
The focus here was on practicality—taller suspension, a lengthened swing arm, and a 21” front wheel with aggressive rubber. Alex also built new fuel tanks, and added luggage carrying capacity, a Kevlar skid plate and a blinding headlight. Then he took it across Alaska for two weeks… [More]
BMW R nineT by Hookie Co. Hookie Co.’s success lies in something that can’t be taught: they have a knack for building bikes that just look right. This sharp R nineT custom epitomizes that quality—it’s cohesive, perfectly proportioned and well constructed.
Hookie built the bike by designing a bolt-on kit, which they now sell. Highlights include a full-length bolt-on subframe, a fuel cell with an interchangeable carbon fiber cover, and a shortened seat, with a neat luggage strap out back. Best of all, anyone with a set of spanners (and enough headroom on their credit card) can replicate Hookie’s magic over a couple of beers on a weekend. [More]
Suzuki Bandit by Icon 1000 The Portland crew are long-time supporters of Bike EXIF—but that’s not why they’re on the list. It’s because this gear company also regularly builds off-the-wall customs. This retro-fabulous Suzuki Bandit presses all our buttons, and it finished just outside the top ten on our stats-driven list.
Dubbed ‘Colonel Butterscotch,’ Icon’s Bandit is sporting suspension and brake upgrades, a Kawasaki ZRX1200 aluminum-alloy swing arm and a sweet asymmetrical exhaust system. The bodywork hints at both 70s endurance racers and 80s superbikes, and is actually a second version— it all had to be rebuilt when the bike was binned during a shakedown test. Lucky for us, those Icon guys are stubborn. [More]
KTM LC8 by Max Hazan We only featured one bike from master builder Maxwell Hazan this year—and it was a far cry from his usual esoteric vibe. This one isn’t a museum-worthy masterpiece: it’s Max’s personal bike, a KTM 950 SM. It’s also sharp, looks like a ton of fun, and is hiding more craftsmanship than you’d think.
There’s hand-formed alloy bodywork throughout, including a new load-bearing fuel tank that also holds the electronics. Max also modified and fitted Marchesini wheels from a CBR1000, and relocated the rear shock mount to tweak the ride height. There’s even a lighting kit that can be fitted, making this the perfect track and street weapon. [More]
Seeley G50 by NYC Norton The allure of classic machinery is hard to beat, and this Seeley G50 is right up there with the best. It’s the work of NYC Norton, who built it specifically for the Custom Revolution exhibition at the Petersen Museum in LA.
NYC Norton pieced it together using a short-stroke replica Matchless Grand Prix motor from Minnovation Racing, and a Seeley MK2 chassis from Roger Titchmarsh. Look beyond the lively blue paint, and you’ll spot a long list of well-crafted details. And while this G50 is currently in race trim, it’ll be converted for road use in the future. [More]
Harley-Davidson Street 750 by Suicide Machine Co. Aaron and Shaun Guardado are two of the most down-to-earth, hard-working dudes you’ll ever meet. They’re racers too, so every bike they build has a strong performance bend. This time around, they took Harley-Davidson’s rather vanilla Street 750, and turned it into a ripping street tracker.
The brothers threw everything at this project. It’s sporting a one-off frame and bodywork, a carbon fiber swing arm, carbon fiber wheels from BST and Öhlins suspension. And it’s one of the sharpest Harley Street customs we’ve ever laid eyes on. [More]
Ducati Superbike by Walt Siegl Mr. Siegl and his ridiculously talented team never fail to impress, but this year they outdid themselves. First, they built a Leggero that very nearly made it onto this list. But then they topped it with a superbike that looks like it was built by a factory race team.
There’s so much here to love: from the custom frame that uses World SBK geometry, to the Bruce Meyers Performance-tuned hybrid motor. (Hop on over to the original article—the engine mods alone will make your head spin). This is no café racer; it’s a purebred race machine that blends classic design with modern tech. More, please.
Honorable mention: BMW R18 by Custom Works Zon Since we highlighted this bike as part of our Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show coverage, it doesn’t technically qualify for this list. But any bike that takes top honors at Mooneyes is worth consideration.
Plus, just look at it. Then consider that all the CW Zon team had to work with was a prototype drivetrain from BMW. The rest they built from scratch, resulting in the sleek—yet brutal—land speed racer you see before you. [More]
The best of the rest Narrowing our favorites down to just ten bikes is a painful (and almost impossible) task. Those that narrowly missed the cut include: Rno’s crazy Honda CBX 1000; Justin Webster’s de-scrambled Triumph Scrambler; Raccia’s classy Kawasaki ‘W1R’; Revival Cycles’ nod to the legendary Majestic; a Ducati flat tracker from Lloyd Brothers, and Smoked Garage’s off-the-wall Royal Enfield Himalayan (below).
Thanks to these builders for wowing us, and for giving us great content to share with our readers. Go ahead and dive into the comments to tell us if your favorites made it onto the list—or what you would have picked instead.
Source...
It’s that time of year when we throw the data out the window and pick our personal favorite customs of 2018. Our traditional Bike EXIF Top Ten is based on bikes that melted our servers—but these are the bikes that also melted our hearts.
There are a few ground rules: we only include bikes that we’ve written full features on (sorry, Bikes of the Week alumni). And we don’t feature more than one from a particular builder. We also exclude machines that have already popped up on our data-driven Top Ten; if we didn’t, Daniel Peter’s Yamaha SR500, Jackson Burrows’ Harley-Davidson Super 10 and K-Speed’s Honda Cub would easily have made the cut.
So here—in alphabetical order of builder—is this year’s Editor’s Choice.
Ducati 250 by Analog Motorcycles This petite racer features the most exotic pairing we’ve ever seen: a vintage Ducati 250 motor, in a prototype Moto 3 chassis. The rest of the bike’s a harmonious mix of parts bin and handcrafted bits. And as you can see, the results are absolutely glorious.
There’s one heck of a story behind the project too—from how it was conceived, to a tragedy that set it back by almost a year. (It’s worth clicking on ‘More’ to get the full story.) Analog’s Tony Prust has our utmost respect for forging ahead, and for building one of our favorite cafe racers of 2018. [More]
Ducati Scrambler by deBolex Engineering We’ve seen our share of shoddy craftsmanship masked by great photography. But when deBolex Engineering’s Calum Pryce-Tidd wheeled this stunning Ducati Scrambler onto the Bike EXIF stand at the Wildays festival, my jaw hit the floor. DeBolex well and truly are the real deal.
They masterfully transformed the Ducati Scrambler into a pure café racer, with a full complement of aluminum bodywork. Every last detail is on point; from the removable side panels, to the picture perfect paint and tasteful parts selection. It’s the cafe racer we wish Ducati had built. [More]
Yamaha XJ750 by Derek Kimes Meet ‘Turbo Maximus’—the bike that kicked us in the teeth with its 80s throwback styling and turbocharger. It’s the work of Derek Kimes, and at the time of publishing, it was the first and only bike he’d ever owned. Derek started working in Bryan Fuller’s shop part time while studying engineering, and this brutal superbike was the result.
It’s arguably the most nuts-o bike we’ve featured this year. Among the mods are a XJ900 engine swap, a conversion to fuel injection and a very trick turbo setup. The chassis is well sorted too (keen eyes will spot a mono-shock out back), and that livery is just dreamy. [More]
Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled by Earle Motors Automotive designer Alex Earle is someone worth keeping a close eye on. His Ducati Monster street tracker broke new ground three years ago, and this year he knocked it out the park again. This is ‘The Alaskan’—a Ducati Scrambler Desert Sled designed to excel off-road.
The focus here was on practicality—taller suspension, a lengthened swing arm, and a 21” front wheel with aggressive rubber. Alex also built new fuel tanks, and added luggage carrying capacity, a Kevlar skid plate and a blinding headlight. Then he took it across Alaska for two weeks… [More]
BMW R nineT by Hookie Co. Hookie Co.’s success lies in something that can’t be taught: they have a knack for building bikes that just look right. This sharp R nineT custom epitomizes that quality—it’s cohesive, perfectly proportioned and well constructed.
Hookie built the bike by designing a bolt-on kit, which they now sell. Highlights include a full-length bolt-on subframe, a fuel cell with an interchangeable carbon fiber cover, and a shortened seat, with a neat luggage strap out back. Best of all, anyone with a set of spanners (and enough headroom on their credit card) can replicate Hookie’s magic over a couple of beers on a weekend. [More]
Suzuki Bandit by Icon 1000 The Portland crew are long-time supporters of Bike EXIF—but that’s not why they’re on the list. It’s because this gear company also regularly builds off-the-wall customs. This retro-fabulous Suzuki Bandit presses all our buttons, and it finished just outside the top ten on our stats-driven list.
Dubbed ‘Colonel Butterscotch,’ Icon’s Bandit is sporting suspension and brake upgrades, a Kawasaki ZRX1200 aluminum-alloy swing arm and a sweet asymmetrical exhaust system. The bodywork hints at both 70s endurance racers and 80s superbikes, and is actually a second version— it all had to be rebuilt when the bike was binned during a shakedown test. Lucky for us, those Icon guys are stubborn. [More]
KTM LC8 by Max Hazan We only featured one bike from master builder Maxwell Hazan this year—and it was a far cry from his usual esoteric vibe. This one isn’t a museum-worthy masterpiece: it’s Max’s personal bike, a KTM 950 SM. It’s also sharp, looks like a ton of fun, and is hiding more craftsmanship than you’d think.
There’s hand-formed alloy bodywork throughout, including a new load-bearing fuel tank that also holds the electronics. Max also modified and fitted Marchesini wheels from a CBR1000, and relocated the rear shock mount to tweak the ride height. There’s even a lighting kit that can be fitted, making this the perfect track and street weapon. [More]
Seeley G50 by NYC Norton The allure of classic machinery is hard to beat, and this Seeley G50 is right up there with the best. It’s the work of NYC Norton, who built it specifically for the Custom Revolution exhibition at the Petersen Museum in LA.
NYC Norton pieced it together using a short-stroke replica Matchless Grand Prix motor from Minnovation Racing, and a Seeley MK2 chassis from Roger Titchmarsh. Look beyond the lively blue paint, and you’ll spot a long list of well-crafted details. And while this G50 is currently in race trim, it’ll be converted for road use in the future. [More]
Harley-Davidson Street 750 by Suicide Machine Co. Aaron and Shaun Guardado are two of the most down-to-earth, hard-working dudes you’ll ever meet. They’re racers too, so every bike they build has a strong performance bend. This time around, they took Harley-Davidson’s rather vanilla Street 750, and turned it into a ripping street tracker.
The brothers threw everything at this project. It’s sporting a one-off frame and bodywork, a carbon fiber swing arm, carbon fiber wheels from BST and Öhlins suspension. And it’s one of the sharpest Harley Street customs we’ve ever laid eyes on. [More]
Ducati Superbike by Walt Siegl Mr. Siegl and his ridiculously talented team never fail to impress, but this year they outdid themselves. First, they built a Leggero that very nearly made it onto this list. But then they topped it with a superbike that looks like it was built by a factory race team.
There’s so much here to love: from the custom frame that uses World SBK geometry, to the Bruce Meyers Performance-tuned hybrid motor. (Hop on over to the original article—the engine mods alone will make your head spin). This is no café racer; it’s a purebred race machine that blends classic design with modern tech. More, please.
Honorable mention: BMW R18 by Custom Works Zon Since we highlighted this bike as part of our Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show coverage, it doesn’t technically qualify for this list. But any bike that takes top honors at Mooneyes is worth consideration.
Plus, just look at it. Then consider that all the CW Zon team had to work with was a prototype drivetrain from BMW. The rest they built from scratch, resulting in the sleek—yet brutal—land speed racer you see before you. [More]
The best of the rest Narrowing our favorites down to just ten bikes is a painful (and almost impossible) task. Those that narrowly missed the cut include: Rno’s crazy Honda CBX 1000; Justin Webster’s de-scrambled Triumph Scrambler; Raccia’s classy Kawasaki ‘W1R’; Revival Cycles’ nod to the legendary Majestic; a Ducati flat tracker from Lloyd Brothers, and Smoked Garage’s off-the-wall Royal Enfield Himalayan (below).
Thanks to these builders for wowing us, and for giving us great content to share with our readers. Go ahead and dive into the comments to tell us if your favorites made it onto the list—or what you would have picked instead.
Source...
Turning the CB250 RS into a vintage-style Honda trail bike
We love seeing ugly ducklings turned into graceful swans. After all, anyone can make a Ducati SportClassic look good—but a cheap 1980s commuter bike is a completely different ball game.
This ice-cool little scrambler started life as a Honda CB250 RS, a plasticky but well-made runabout that was popular in the UK and Europe. You can still find them on the secondhand market, and they’re a bargain at about US$1,500.
That makes the air-cooled single perfect for a low-cost, big-value custom job—and Mokka Cycles have taken the bait.
Mokka is the nom de plume of Árpi Bozi, a young programmer from Hungary. For the past five years, he’s sought refuge from the digital world by building beautifully finished customs.
“It’s a cheap but quite ugly bike,” says Árpi. “So the idea was to turn it into a vintage-looking trail bike.”
A CB250RS only weighs around 148 kg wet (326 pounds), and the suspension and brakes are excellent. So it’s nimble enough for trails and green lanes.
The cosmetic surgery has been drastic, though. Árpi started by binning all the plastics, and then positioning a 1970s-era Suzuki TS185 gas tank on the frame. It’s been tunneled to make it fit neatly.
Then Árpi replaced the entire rear frame with new tubing, and topped it off with a plush black leather seat with plenty enough room to move around on.
The engine is a ripe 37 years old, so Árpi has rebuilt it back to factory specs using genuine Honda parts. (It’s essentially the same engine as found in the XL250.) The twin exhaust outlets are now hooked up to a new stainless steel exhaust system with beautifully curved headers that remind us of Auto Fabrica’s work.
The pipes are terminated with a simple reverse cone muffler and at the intake end, there’s a K&N filter to free up the breathing even more.
The suspension and brakes have been rebuilt too, with new seals, caliper pistons, pads, and braided brake hose. The brake master cylinder is from a Honda CB600 Hornet, and the shocks are brand new British-made Hagons.
Árpi has made the fenders from scratch using aluminum cut and shaped to size, and fitted using custom stainless steel brackets. (“Every project is partly about losing weight,” he says, “so there are lots of aluminum parts.”) There’s also a custom chain guard to keep things even cleaner.
The cockpit is equally meticulous, with neatly routed cables and simple custom switchgear designed in-house, attached to LSL flat track style bars.
The grips and throttle pull are from Accossato, and the clutch lever is a Domino part. “It’s used on many Moto Guzzis,” says Árpi. “I’ve used it for some time on my builds because it has a built-in choke lever that’s really comfortable to use.”
The speedo is a simple Daytona Velona unit, and the headlight is a classic Bates reproduction. Árpi’s even added a custom-made stoplight, with a cast and polished aluminum shell housing an LED bulb.
A lithium battery provides the juice and the little Honda has been completely rewired for reliability.
With a fresh set of Heidenau K60 tires installed, the CB250 RS was ready for delivery to its new owner in Denmark, some 1,300 kilometers north of Mokka’s Budapest workshop.
What a perfect Christmas present.
Mokka Cycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Peter Mosoni Photography
Source...
We love seeing ugly ducklings turned into graceful swans. After all, anyone can make a Ducati SportClassic look good—but a cheap 1980s commuter bike is a completely different ball game.
This ice-cool little scrambler started life as a Honda CB250 RS, a plasticky but well-made runabout that was popular in the UK and Europe. You can still find them on the secondhand market, and they’re a bargain at about US$1,500.
That makes the air-cooled single perfect for a low-cost, big-value custom job—and Mokka Cycles have taken the bait.
Mokka is the nom de plume of Árpi Bozi, a young programmer from Hungary. For the past five years, he’s sought refuge from the digital world by building beautifully finished customs.
“It’s a cheap but quite ugly bike,” says Árpi. “So the idea was to turn it into a vintage-looking trail bike.”
A CB250RS only weighs around 148 kg wet (326 pounds), and the suspension and brakes are excellent. So it’s nimble enough for trails and green lanes.
The cosmetic surgery has been drastic, though. Árpi started by binning all the plastics, and then positioning a 1970s-era Suzuki TS185 gas tank on the frame. It’s been tunneled to make it fit neatly.
Then Árpi replaced the entire rear frame with new tubing, and topped it off with a plush black leather seat with plenty enough room to move around on.
The engine is a ripe 37 years old, so Árpi has rebuilt it back to factory specs using genuine Honda parts. (It’s essentially the same engine as found in the XL250.) The twin exhaust outlets are now hooked up to a new stainless steel exhaust system with beautifully curved headers that remind us of Auto Fabrica’s work.
The pipes are terminated with a simple reverse cone muffler and at the intake end, there’s a K&N filter to free up the breathing even more.
The suspension and brakes have been rebuilt too, with new seals, caliper pistons, pads, and braided brake hose. The brake master cylinder is from a Honda CB600 Hornet, and the shocks are brand new British-made Hagons.
Árpi has made the fenders from scratch using aluminum cut and shaped to size, and fitted using custom stainless steel brackets. (“Every project is partly about losing weight,” he says, “so there are lots of aluminum parts.”) There’s also a custom chain guard to keep things even cleaner.
The cockpit is equally meticulous, with neatly routed cables and simple custom switchgear designed in-house, attached to LSL flat track style bars.
The grips and throttle pull are from Accossato, and the clutch lever is a Domino part. “It’s used on many Moto Guzzis,” says Árpi. “I’ve used it for some time on my builds because it has a built-in choke lever that’s really comfortable to use.”
The speedo is a simple Daytona Velona unit, and the headlight is a classic Bates reproduction. Árpi’s even added a custom-made stoplight, with a cast and polished aluminum shell housing an LED bulb.
A lithium battery provides the juice and the little Honda has been completely rewired for reliability.
With a fresh set of Heidenau K60 tires installed, the CB250 RS was ready for delivery to its new owner in Denmark, some 1,300 kilometers north of Mokka’s Budapest workshop.
What a perfect Christmas present.
Mokka Cycles | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Peter Mosoni Photography
Source...
Dakar style: A Yamaha Super Ténéré restomod from Italy
This Sunday, the Dakar Rally kicks off again. If you suffer from rally fever but don’t have the stones to actually race through Peruvian deserts, let this Yamaha Super Ténéré be your medicine.
First produced in 1989, the twin cylinder XTZ 750 Super Ténéré was the big brother of the XTZ 660 Ténéré. Both bikes were named after a notoriously difficult, sandstorm-prone section of the Sahara desert, which featured on the Paris-Dakar route in the 1980s.
This 1992-model XTZ has been reworked by North East Custom, a shop in Padua run by brothers Diego and Riccardo Coppiello. They’re not twins, but it’s impossible to tell the two bearded Italians apart—and they both like anything with knobbly tires.
So although they don’t exclusively focus on off-roaders, they have a real affinity for the genre. (Their stunning Yamaha XT500 restomod was a showstopper at our Wildays stand last year.)
Here, they took everything good about their customer’s Super Ténéré, and amplified it. “The idea was to bring to life the ‘desert spirit’,” explains Diego, “while adding a fresh touch, to make it more modern and slender.”
The most obvious change is up front. North East have binned the Yamaha’s original fairing in favor of something more svelte, and more akin to modern rally bike designs. The new unit was hand-built using fiberglass, and designed to incorporate the original instruments and headlights, with a new acrylic glass cover to protect the beams.
Even though it doesn’t look like it, the Super Ténéré’s practical 26-liter fuel tank is still in play. And Diego and Riccardo designed their new fairing to attach via OEM mounting points, so that they could attach it to any XTZ 750 without any hacking.
All the bodywork further back is custom. North East built new side covers, and a sharp new rear fender. Then they matched it up to a custom saddle—shaped like a modern enduro bike seat and covered in vinyl.
It’s a super-neat arrangement, capped off at the end by a slim LED taillight, and a license plate bracket that also carries a pair of LED turn signals.
Take a look at the space between the side panels and rear fender, and you’ll spot a pair of red plates. Remove those, and you’ll find an array of mounting points that the brothers have welded to the frame, designed to carry a variety of luggage accessories. Clever stuff.
As for the rest of the Super Ténéré, North East have upgraded all the right bits—and left alone the bits that work.
There’s a new Bitubo shock out back, with Bitubo springs giving the front end a boost. The wheels are stock, but wrapped in new Continental TKC80 rubber. And the brakes have been treated to new discs, and a Brembo master cylinder up front.
The motor is stock, but North East put it through some routine maintenance. They also upgraded the air filter to one from K&N, and re-jetted the carbs with a Dynojet kit. The exhaust is a mash-up of Arrow headers and a modified Virex silencer.
North East have taken care of the smaller details too. A pair of spotlights is mounted low down for maximum nighttime visibility, and there’s a single mirror that can fold away when you venture off-road. And since the bike’s not meant for professional rally racing, there’s a Givi phone case and mount where you’d normally find a road book.
As for the livery, Diego and Riccardo shunned the Super Ténéré’s original 90s vibe for a contemporary mix of gloss white and matte black. Custom ‘Super Ténéré’ decals and sponsor logos add a hint of red—and a little extra race flair.
We’re not sure we’d survive even one grueling day of the Dakar. But for regular dual-sport riding with a little retro rally flavor, this Super Ténéré is just the ticket.
North East Custom | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Filippo Molena
Source...
This Sunday, the Dakar Rally kicks off again. If you suffer from rally fever but don’t have the stones to actually race through Peruvian deserts, let this Yamaha Super Ténéré be your medicine.
First produced in 1989, the twin cylinder XTZ 750 Super Ténéré was the big brother of the XTZ 660 Ténéré. Both bikes were named after a notoriously difficult, sandstorm-prone section of the Sahara desert, which featured on the Paris-Dakar route in the 1980s.
This 1992-model XTZ has been reworked by North East Custom, a shop in Padua run by brothers Diego and Riccardo Coppiello. They’re not twins, but it’s impossible to tell the two bearded Italians apart—and they both like anything with knobbly tires.
So although they don’t exclusively focus on off-roaders, they have a real affinity for the genre. (Their stunning Yamaha XT500 restomod was a showstopper at our Wildays stand last year.)
Here, they took everything good about their customer’s Super Ténéré, and amplified it. “The idea was to bring to life the ‘desert spirit’,” explains Diego, “while adding a fresh touch, to make it more modern and slender.”
The most obvious change is up front. North East have binned the Yamaha’s original fairing in favor of something more svelte, and more akin to modern rally bike designs. The new unit was hand-built using fiberglass, and designed to incorporate the original instruments and headlights, with a new acrylic glass cover to protect the beams.
Even though it doesn’t look like it, the Super Ténéré’s practical 26-liter fuel tank is still in play. And Diego and Riccardo designed their new fairing to attach via OEM mounting points, so that they could attach it to any XTZ 750 without any hacking.
All the bodywork further back is custom. North East built new side covers, and a sharp new rear fender. Then they matched it up to a custom saddle—shaped like a modern enduro bike seat and covered in vinyl.
It’s a super-neat arrangement, capped off at the end by a slim LED taillight, and a license plate bracket that also carries a pair of LED turn signals.
Take a look at the space between the side panels and rear fender, and you’ll spot a pair of red plates. Remove those, and you’ll find an array of mounting points that the brothers have welded to the frame, designed to carry a variety of luggage accessories. Clever stuff.
As for the rest of the Super Ténéré, North East have upgraded all the right bits—and left alone the bits that work.
There’s a new Bitubo shock out back, with Bitubo springs giving the front end a boost. The wheels are stock, but wrapped in new Continental TKC80 rubber. And the brakes have been treated to new discs, and a Brembo master cylinder up front.
The motor is stock, but North East put it through some routine maintenance. They also upgraded the air filter to one from K&N, and re-jetted the carbs with a Dynojet kit. The exhaust is a mash-up of Arrow headers and a modified Virex silencer.
North East have taken care of the smaller details too. A pair of spotlights is mounted low down for maximum nighttime visibility, and there’s a single mirror that can fold away when you venture off-road. And since the bike’s not meant for professional rally racing, there’s a Givi phone case and mount where you’d normally find a road book.
As for the livery, Diego and Riccardo shunned the Super Ténéré’s original 90s vibe for a contemporary mix of gloss white and matte black. Custom ‘Super Ténéré’ decals and sponsor logos add a hint of red—and a little extra race flair.
We’re not sure we’d survive even one grueling day of the Dakar. But for regular dual-sport riding with a little retro rally flavor, this Super Ténéré is just the ticket.
North East Custom | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Filippo Molena
Source...
Little Ripper! K-Speed’s Honda Monkey cafe racer
K-Speed is one of the greatest success stories of the modern custom scene. Like a hit factory from the golden era of pop, the Thai company churns out hit after hit.
We’ve seen what they can do with BMWs, Triumphs and Honda Cubs—and now it’s the turn of the funky little Honda Monkey 125, launched less than a year ago.
With eleven branches spread throughout Thailand, K-Speed is a major industry player in its local market. But even more incredibly, they built over 40 customs last year—releasing a bike every 6.3 working days.
Despite this, there are no formulas or corner cutting, and no subtle variations on a signature style. Each build is started with fresh eyes, and is invariably a knockout.
‘Monkey Racer’ is based on the new Honda Monkey, which comes with a 125cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine, a four-speed ‘box, and 12-inch wheels. Plus styling that harks back to the Z50A released in the late 1960s.
The short wheelbase gives the stock Monkey 125 a somewhat cartoonish look, but K-Speed have managed to add a dash of sophistication and a classic cafe racer vibe.
There’s obviously a lot of careful thinking going on here—probably because K-Speed founder Eak is a big fan of the platform. He has a couple of the original 50cc Z-series Monkeys in his personal garage, and started riding them as a child.
The biggest change is a switch to 14-inch wheels. They’re aftermarket rims originally designed for the Grom, modified to fit, and with solid covers to make them stand out even more.
The tank, surprisingly, is the stock 5.6L item—but chromed to accentuate the distinctive trapezoidal shape. Right behind is a completely redesigned seat, upholstered with black leather, finished with subtle stitching, and much shallower than the original.
That slim and stubby new subframe is now supported via short YSS shock absorbers. At the front, the forks have been clipped by three inches to match.
The bulky plastic airbox is gone, replaced by a neat velocity stack. And the hefty, high-riding standard exhaust system has also been ditched, in favor of a slender pipe terminating in a low-set SuperTrapp-style muffler.
Black high-temperature paint helps the shiny new breathing equipment stand out, and there’s a drilled clutch cover to match.
The cockpit is much cleaner too. The bars and risers are gone, the top yoke is blacked out, and clip-ons lower the riding position to a café racer crouch.
The circular speedo and switchgear are much simpler than the originals, and the stock LED headlight—which jars a little against the classic vibe of the Monkey—has been swapped out for a black bucket with a slim grille.
Despite their track record with Cub conversions and the fame it has brought them outside Thailand, K-Speed rarely work on smaller bikes. They’re willing to make an exception for the Monkey though, describing it as a ‘special’ case.
They also mentioned that they have another new Monkey 125 in the garage, as yet unmolested. Who’s looking forward to seeing what they do with that one?
K-Speed website | Instagram | Images by Hipmotography
Source...
K-Speed is one of the greatest success stories of the modern custom scene. Like a hit factory from the golden era of pop, the Thai company churns out hit after hit.
We’ve seen what they can do with BMWs, Triumphs and Honda Cubs—and now it’s the turn of the funky little Honda Monkey 125, launched less than a year ago.
With eleven branches spread throughout Thailand, K-Speed is a major industry player in its local market. But even more incredibly, they built over 40 customs last year—releasing a bike every 6.3 working days.
Despite this, there are no formulas or corner cutting, and no subtle variations on a signature style. Each build is started with fresh eyes, and is invariably a knockout.
‘Monkey Racer’ is based on the new Honda Monkey, which comes with a 125cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine, a four-speed ‘box, and 12-inch wheels. Plus styling that harks back to the Z50A released in the late 1960s.
The short wheelbase gives the stock Monkey 125 a somewhat cartoonish look, but K-Speed have managed to add a dash of sophistication and a classic cafe racer vibe.
There’s obviously a lot of careful thinking going on here—probably because K-Speed founder Eak is a big fan of the platform. He has a couple of the original 50cc Z-series Monkeys in his personal garage, and started riding them as a child.
The biggest change is a switch to 14-inch wheels. They’re aftermarket rims originally designed for the Grom, modified to fit, and with solid covers to make them stand out even more.
The tank, surprisingly, is the stock 5.6L item—but chromed to accentuate the distinctive trapezoidal shape. Right behind is a completely redesigned seat, upholstered with black leather, finished with subtle stitching, and much shallower than the original.
That slim and stubby new subframe is now supported via short YSS shock absorbers. At the front, the forks have been clipped by three inches to match.
The bulky plastic airbox is gone, replaced by a neat velocity stack. And the hefty, high-riding standard exhaust system has also been ditched, in favor of a slender pipe terminating in a low-set SuperTrapp-style muffler.
Black high-temperature paint helps the shiny new breathing equipment stand out, and there’s a drilled clutch cover to match.
The cockpit is much cleaner too. The bars and risers are gone, the top yoke is blacked out, and clip-ons lower the riding position to a café racer crouch.
The circular speedo and switchgear are much simpler than the originals, and the stock LED headlight—which jars a little against the classic vibe of the Monkey—has been swapped out for a black bucket with a slim grille.
Despite their track record with Cub conversions and the fame it has brought them outside Thailand, K-Speed rarely work on smaller bikes. They’re willing to make an exception for the Monkey though, describing it as a ‘special’ case.
They also mentioned that they have another new Monkey 125 in the garage, as yet unmolested. Who’s looking forward to seeing what they do with that one?
K-Speed website | Instagram | Images by Hipmotography
Source...
Custom Bikes Of The Week: 6 January, 2019
Since this is our first weekly round up of the year, we’re taking liberties. A couple of the bikes below popped up last month, and a couple more have just landed in our inbox.
The list includes everything from a Ducati 750SS dressed as a MH900e, to a BMW R nineT built up with kit parts. We’ve also got a retro-styled Yamaha XJR1300, a rare Moto Martin M16 and a little Honda Z50R filled with attitude.
Let’s get 2019 started then…
Ducati 750SS by Unik Edition The Ducati MH900e is one of the most iconic motorcycles Ducati ever built. But they only ever built 2 000 units—so if you want one, you better have the bank balance to back up your dream.
This MHe-looking Duc is actually a 1994 750SS, built for a customer by Portugal’s Unik Edition. The brief was to reimagine the MH900E as a contemporary motorcycle, but on a budget. Or, as the client put it: “If Mr. Pierre Terblanche designed the Ducati 900 MHe today, what would it look like?”
Unik started with a 750SS, then added the wheels and swing arm from a newer Monster S4R. Then they matched up a MHe fairing and tail kit to the stock 750SS tank (which was reportedly quite a mission).
We love the combo of red paint and a gold frame and wheels, but this replica-slash-café racer is also sporting a number of neat details. The back end of the tail’s been louvered with the tail light embedded, and the dash in particular is really neatly arranged. It might not be an actual MH900e, but it’s still damn charming. [More]
Martin M16 1135 EFE Suzuki If you’re looking for vintage machinery that’s truly collectable, Legend Motors is a good place to start. They’re based in a beautiful shop in Lille, France, and they’re the place to go for rare and special classics.
Don’t take our word for it; this gorgeous specimen has just popped up in their inventory. It’s an early 80s Moto Martin M16, and it could be yours for a cool €16,800 (about $19,150).
Moto Martin is a boutique French frame manufacturer, founded by Georges Martin way back in 1970. Martin’s work was originally based on the frame designs of Fritz Egli, with a focus on rigidity and weight saving. This particular model—the M16—uses a perimeter frame design, and is equipped with a Suzuki GSX 1135 EFE motor.
Details are sparse, but we’re smitten with what looks like either a nickel-plated or polished frame, and that retro-fabulous paint scheme. There’s no doubt: this Moto Martin is going to make some collector extremely happy. [More]
BMW R nineT Parts from JvB-Moto Jens vom Brauck built a BMW R nineT a while back that knocked our socks off. I was lucky enough to not only see, but also ride it—and it eventually landed on our Top 10 for 2017.
Even though Jens swore that the bike was a one-off, he did hint that some of the parts would make it into production. And now they have, via JvB-Moto’s parts partner, Kedo.
This red R nineT’s carrying a selection of the new parts. Up front is a headlight in the usual JvB style (it’s available in three versions), with an optional bracket that holds a Motogadget dash. Out back, you’ll find a sharp new race-inspired tail piece, with a slim LED light embedded in the back.
Jens has also installed the JvB air intake, license plate holder, LED turn signals, front fender, sump guard, and a few other bits and pieces. It’s a minor rework of the R nineT but it’s majorly cool—and since everything bolts on, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to build. [More]
Yamaha XJR1300 by Venezia Moto This XJR belongs to Federico Agnoletto—the man behind the incredibly well attended Verona Motor Bike Expo. The Expo includes scores of custom bikes, so Federico decided it was time to build a custom of his own, that would be worthy of display.
Enlisting the help of Italian Yamaha dealer and workshop, Venezia Moto, he created this beautiful throwback iteration of the Yamaha XJR1300. Venezia Moto was a logical choice; they took top honors a few years ago at the show, in a build-off organized by Yamaha themselves.
Federico picked the burly XJR as a donor, and then settled on a design direction. Inspiration came from Giacomo Agostini’s World Championship-winning Yamaha OW23 YZR500. That meant a full array of race-style bodywork, built from scratch to resemble Ago’s YZR, but fit the much bigger XJR.
Bolt-ons include some Rizoma bits, and a titanium exhaust from SC Project. But it’s that period-correct livery—and those gold Marvic wheels—that push it over the edge for us. [More]
Honda Z50R by Droog Moto Little bikes are big fun, right? A lot of people think so, and that philosophy’s been creeping steadily into the custom scene over the last year. Here’s a contender from Droog Moto in Arizona.
It’s a Honda Z50R, and it was built up to resemble the shop’s twelfth build: a Kawasaki Ninja 650R with a post-apocalyptic vibe. A customer had bought the Ninja, and wanted something for his son to match it, so that they could “terrorize the neighborhood” together. (Parent of the year perhaps?)
Droog set about fabricating similar mods to the Ninja’s for the little Honda. On went a front number board with a stubby fender, and a set of MX bars. The rear end was reworked with a new seat, but the stock fuel tank was left alone.
Droog also refurbished the motor, upgraded the shocks, and fitted chunky rubber and solid wheel covers, bringing the style in line with Dad’s bike. Needless to say, the little ripper was beyond stoked when the ‘Mini Brawler’ was delivered. [More]
Source...
Since this is our first weekly round up of the year, we’re taking liberties. A couple of the bikes below popped up last month, and a couple more have just landed in our inbox.
The list includes everything from a Ducati 750SS dressed as a MH900e, to a BMW R nineT built up with kit parts. We’ve also got a retro-styled Yamaha XJR1300, a rare Moto Martin M16 and a little Honda Z50R filled with attitude.
Let’s get 2019 started then…
Ducati 750SS by Unik Edition The Ducati MH900e is one of the most iconic motorcycles Ducati ever built. But they only ever built 2 000 units—so if you want one, you better have the bank balance to back up your dream.
This MHe-looking Duc is actually a 1994 750SS, built for a customer by Portugal’s Unik Edition. The brief was to reimagine the MH900E as a contemporary motorcycle, but on a budget. Or, as the client put it: “If Mr. Pierre Terblanche designed the Ducati 900 MHe today, what would it look like?”
Unik started with a 750SS, then added the wheels and swing arm from a newer Monster S4R. Then they matched up a MHe fairing and tail kit to the stock 750SS tank (which was reportedly quite a mission).
We love the combo of red paint and a gold frame and wheels, but this replica-slash-café racer is also sporting a number of neat details. The back end of the tail’s been louvered with the tail light embedded, and the dash in particular is really neatly arranged. It might not be an actual MH900e, but it’s still damn charming. [More]
Martin M16 1135 EFE Suzuki If you’re looking for vintage machinery that’s truly collectable, Legend Motors is a good place to start. They’re based in a beautiful shop in Lille, France, and they’re the place to go for rare and special classics.
Don’t take our word for it; this gorgeous specimen has just popped up in their inventory. It’s an early 80s Moto Martin M16, and it could be yours for a cool €16,800 (about $19,150).
Moto Martin is a boutique French frame manufacturer, founded by Georges Martin way back in 1970. Martin’s work was originally based on the frame designs of Fritz Egli, with a focus on rigidity and weight saving. This particular model—the M16—uses a perimeter frame design, and is equipped with a Suzuki GSX 1135 EFE motor.
Details are sparse, but we’re smitten with what looks like either a nickel-plated or polished frame, and that retro-fabulous paint scheme. There’s no doubt: this Moto Martin is going to make some collector extremely happy. [More]
BMW R nineT Parts from JvB-Moto Jens vom Brauck built a BMW R nineT a while back that knocked our socks off. I was lucky enough to not only see, but also ride it—and it eventually landed on our Top 10 for 2017.
Even though Jens swore that the bike was a one-off, he did hint that some of the parts would make it into production. And now they have, via JvB-Moto’s parts partner, Kedo.
This red R nineT’s carrying a selection of the new parts. Up front is a headlight in the usual JvB style (it’s available in three versions), with an optional bracket that holds a Motogadget dash. Out back, you’ll find a sharp new race-inspired tail piece, with a slim LED light embedded in the back.
Jens has also installed the JvB air intake, license plate holder, LED turn signals, front fender, sump guard, and a few other bits and pieces. It’s a minor rework of the R nineT but it’s majorly cool—and since everything bolts on, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to build. [More]
Yamaha XJR1300 by Venezia Moto This XJR belongs to Federico Agnoletto—the man behind the incredibly well attended Verona Motor Bike Expo. The Expo includes scores of custom bikes, so Federico decided it was time to build a custom of his own, that would be worthy of display.
Enlisting the help of Italian Yamaha dealer and workshop, Venezia Moto, he created this beautiful throwback iteration of the Yamaha XJR1300. Venezia Moto was a logical choice; they took top honors a few years ago at the show, in a build-off organized by Yamaha themselves.
Federico picked the burly XJR as a donor, and then settled on a design direction. Inspiration came from Giacomo Agostini’s World Championship-winning Yamaha OW23 YZR500. That meant a full array of race-style bodywork, built from scratch to resemble Ago’s YZR, but fit the much bigger XJR.
Bolt-ons include some Rizoma bits, and a titanium exhaust from SC Project. But it’s that period-correct livery—and those gold Marvic wheels—that push it over the edge for us. [More]
Honda Z50R by Droog Moto Little bikes are big fun, right? A lot of people think so, and that philosophy’s been creeping steadily into the custom scene over the last year. Here’s a contender from Droog Moto in Arizona.
It’s a Honda Z50R, and it was built up to resemble the shop’s twelfth build: a Kawasaki Ninja 650R with a post-apocalyptic vibe. A customer had bought the Ninja, and wanted something for his son to match it, so that they could “terrorize the neighborhood” together. (Parent of the year perhaps?)
Droog set about fabricating similar mods to the Ninja’s for the little Honda. On went a front number board with a stubby fender, and a set of MX bars. The rear end was reworked with a new seat, but the stock fuel tank was left alone.
Droog also refurbished the motor, upgraded the shocks, and fitted chunky rubber and solid wheel covers, bringing the style in line with Dad’s bike. Needless to say, the little ripper was beyond stoked when the ‘Mini Brawler’ was delivered. [More]
Source...
Street tracker gold: building a road-legal Harley XR750
The biggest cliché in motorcycle journalism is the ‘listicle’ of the best-looking bikes ever made.
If we ever run out of ideas and succumb at EXIF, you can guarantee that the Harley-Davidson XR750 flat tracker will be in our list. And we’d lament that it was never street legal.
So this streetable XR750 from Brad Peterson is right up our, er, street. And it’s no replica or lookalike, either.
Power comes from a genuine factory race motor, used briefly in 2007 by National #80 Rich King, which probably delivers around 100 horsepower.
“The motors are sold without a title,” Brad tells us, “but they do have serial numbers. My motor was confirmed as a Rich King motor via the H-D race department records.”
Brad is a machinist by trade, and hails from the port city of Bellingham in Washington State, near the Canadian border. He’s been riding since childhood, and his grandfather—a motorcycle dealership principal—helped build the town dirt track.
Which might explain why the spec sheet for this XR750 is pure street tracker gold. The motor is fed by twin Sudco Mikuni TM 38 flat slides, breathing through Darcy racing intakes. Bill Werner Racing supplied the exhaust and SuperTrapp mufflers, and also the wet clutch.
The powerplant is squeezed into a C&J frame, which has been oiled (rather than painted) to prevent rust. The forks are modified CBR600 items, with nitrided tubes and the caliper mounting lugs machined off the right fork lower. They’re hooked up with A&A variable offset triple clamps and matched to a Penske rear shock.
The bars are Vortex’s ‘J Murph’ bend, which are a little higher than most flat track bends. Brad’s also installed a Brembo front master cylinder and Magura clutch assembly, but there’s no speedo or tacho to reveal how fast he’s going…
Stopping, however, is no problem; there’s a front brake on this tracker. The calipers are Brembo, but Lyndall supplied the iron brake rotors—320mm at the front and 10.5” at the rear. The front caliper hanger is custom machined and there’s an A&A racing rear hanger, with quick-change rotor and sprocket carriers. The rear master cylinder is Grimeca.
The forged wheels are from Performance Machine, and the real deal—super-light 19” rims designed for the dirt track.
The bodywork is full carbon fiber, with a Corbin seat, and reputedly factory-issue. The raw carbon looks good, so Brad has left it unpainted, like most of the rest of the bike.
Discreet LED lighting front and back helps make this XR750 street legal. It’s a bare bones, total-loss electrical system, but it works. “I can easily run a dozen tanks of fuel on the battery life,” says Brad.
Keeping that battery hooked up to a charger is a small price to pay for being able to ride this tracker on the street. “It’s titled and legitimately street legal,” Brad says. “Which is not an easy thing to accomplish in my state. It may be pushing some details into gray areas…”
The XR750 is not one of those volatile converted race bikes, even though it needs to be bump started and can wheelie at will.
“I use BBRP (Brian Billings Racing Products) to keep this XR running strong,” says Brad. “He’s done a lot of tuning to make it a reliable street bike: it runs flawlessly, and it’s not crabby or temperamental.”
“It starts and runs every time, and has been ridden off the street and onto a dirt track. And then ridden home.”
Brad’s home also includes vintage Harleys dating back to 1921, an Indian Four, and models from Aprilia, BMW, Honda, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha.
But we’re betting that this XR750 is the most fun of the lot.
Images by John Meloy
Source...
The biggest cliché in motorcycle journalism is the ‘listicle’ of the best-looking bikes ever made.
If we ever run out of ideas and succumb at EXIF, you can guarantee that the Harley-Davidson XR750 flat tracker will be in our list. And we’d lament that it was never street legal.
So this streetable XR750 from Brad Peterson is right up our, er, street. And it’s no replica or lookalike, either.
Power comes from a genuine factory race motor, used briefly in 2007 by National #80 Rich King, which probably delivers around 100 horsepower.
“The motors are sold without a title,” Brad tells us, “but they do have serial numbers. My motor was confirmed as a Rich King motor via the H-D race department records.”
Brad is a machinist by trade, and hails from the port city of Bellingham in Washington State, near the Canadian border. He’s been riding since childhood, and his grandfather—a motorcycle dealership principal—helped build the town dirt track.
Which might explain why the spec sheet for this XR750 is pure street tracker gold. The motor is fed by twin Sudco Mikuni TM 38 flat slides, breathing through Darcy racing intakes. Bill Werner Racing supplied the exhaust and SuperTrapp mufflers, and also the wet clutch.
The powerplant is squeezed into a C&J frame, which has been oiled (rather than painted) to prevent rust. The forks are modified CBR600 items, with nitrided tubes and the caliper mounting lugs machined off the right fork lower. They’re hooked up with A&A variable offset triple clamps and matched to a Penske rear shock.
The bars are Vortex’s ‘J Murph’ bend, which are a little higher than most flat track bends. Brad’s also installed a Brembo front master cylinder and Magura clutch assembly, but there’s no speedo or tacho to reveal how fast he’s going…
Stopping, however, is no problem; there’s a front brake on this tracker. The calipers are Brembo, but Lyndall supplied the iron brake rotors—320mm at the front and 10.5” at the rear. The front caliper hanger is custom machined and there’s an A&A racing rear hanger, with quick-change rotor and sprocket carriers. The rear master cylinder is Grimeca.
The forged wheels are from Performance Machine, and the real deal—super-light 19” rims designed for the dirt track.
The bodywork is full carbon fiber, with a Corbin seat, and reputedly factory-issue. The raw carbon looks good, so Brad has left it unpainted, like most of the rest of the bike.
Discreet LED lighting front and back helps make this XR750 street legal. It’s a bare bones, total-loss electrical system, but it works. “I can easily run a dozen tanks of fuel on the battery life,” says Brad.
Keeping that battery hooked up to a charger is a small price to pay for being able to ride this tracker on the street. “It’s titled and legitimately street legal,” Brad says. “Which is not an easy thing to accomplish in my state. It may be pushing some details into gray areas…”
The XR750 is not one of those volatile converted race bikes, even though it needs to be bump started and can wheelie at will.
“I use BBRP (Brian Billings Racing Products) to keep this XR running strong,” says Brad. “He’s done a lot of tuning to make it a reliable street bike: it runs flawlessly, and it’s not crabby or temperamental.”
“It starts and runs every time, and has been ridden off the street and onto a dirt track. And then ridden home.”
Brad’s home also includes vintage Harleys dating back to 1921, an Indian Four, and models from Aprilia, BMW, Honda, Suzuki, Triumph and Yamaha.
But we’re betting that this XR750 is the most fun of the lot.
Images by John Meloy
Source...
Setting the bar: UFO Garage’s BMW R100R cafe racer
We’re always on the hunt for custom motorcycles that push boundaries. So if you’re going to tread familiar territory, you better do an exceptional job of it.
This right here is a classic BMW cafe racer—a genre that’s quite frankly been done to death. But unlike ninety percent of the airhead cafés we see, this R100R from Spain is perfectly balanced, amazingly well finished, and devoid of clichés.
It’s the work of Efraón Triana at UFO Garage, a builder with exceptional taste. He turned a modern Harley Sportster into a 1950s homage a while back, landing himself in our 2018 Top 10.
The goal here, he tells us, was to build a “real luxury café racer,” with an emphasis on elegance. “With a low and fluid line from front to back,” he adds. “I like the ‘monochromatic’ aesthetic. Thin, long and narrow—with a ‘fast motorcycle’ look.”
Efraón started out with a 1990 BMW R 100 R—complete with BMW’s Paralever swing arm and spoked wheels. He left the motor and drivetrain mostly stock, but treated the engine to a new coat of a textured black paint typically used on Harleys.
The engine now breathes in via a pair of pod filters, and the airbox has been replaced by a custom-made cover. The new twin exhaust system is from GR Exhausts—built according to Efraón’s design.
Moving to the chassis, Efraón swapped out the BMW’s forks for a set of upside-downs from a Suzuki GSX-R.
To fit them, he took all the necessary measurements, then sent them off to have a new set of triples machined up. He also modded the GSX-R’s front brakes to run on the R 100 R wheel, and created a new front fender.
Out back is a new custom-made Hagon shock. It’s a little shorter than stock, but the upper shock mount is in a different place now—so it’s actually lifted the rear slightly, for a sharper stance.
That shock mount forms part of a new steel subframe, made from scratch. Old boxers have bolt-on subframes, but Efraón decided to graft his new design directly to the main frame. And he didn’t just weld it—instead, he used a brazing technique he picked up on a trip to the States.
It’s a neat effect, and we love the drilled gussets—and the passenger peg mounts. It’s topped off with a new seat, covered in Alcantara, with a hidden document pouch underneath. The bottom’s closed off with a metal panel, keeping things orderly.
The taillight sits lower down, in the form of a pair of dual-purpose LED turn signals, mounted to a custom-built license plate bracket.
Efraón’s kept the entire wiring package extremely neat—rewiring everything off a Motogadget control box, and relocating the OEM battery further down.
A ton of consideration went into the cockpit too. Efraón wanted to retain some of the airhead’s DNA, so he fitted the headlight from an R80. Then he installed twin Daytona gauges, creating new bezels for them, joined by a plate that also holds the idiot lights. (The whole layout is a nod to the original BMW dash).
Also present are new clip-ons, Biltwell Inc. grips and bar-end mirrors. The master cylinder’s a Brembo part, and the switches and front turn signals are by Motogadget. We’re even spotting new foot pegs and controls, and an upgraded side stand.
There’s hardly a hair out of place, but what really caught us by surprise was just how much thought went into the paint. At a glance, it looks like a run of the mill monochrome job—but there’s a lot going on.
Efraón mixed gloss and matte textures, and used both grey and black to create the desired effect. The wheels were stripped and refinished too, and the frame and rear shock spring were even treated to a new coat.
More importantly, this BMW wears sensible tires—and there’s not an inch of pipe wrap in sight. Should this be how all modern cafe racers are built?
UFO Garage | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Rafa Dieguez Fotografía
Source...
We’re always on the hunt for custom motorcycles that push boundaries. So if you’re going to tread familiar territory, you better do an exceptional job of it.
This right here is a classic BMW cafe racer—a genre that’s quite frankly been done to death. But unlike ninety percent of the airhead cafés we see, this R100R from Spain is perfectly balanced, amazingly well finished, and devoid of clichés.
It’s the work of Efraón Triana at UFO Garage, a builder with exceptional taste. He turned a modern Harley Sportster into a 1950s homage a while back, landing himself in our 2018 Top 10.
The goal here, he tells us, was to build a “real luxury café racer,” with an emphasis on elegance. “With a low and fluid line from front to back,” he adds. “I like the ‘monochromatic’ aesthetic. Thin, long and narrow—with a ‘fast motorcycle’ look.”
Efraón started out with a 1990 BMW R 100 R—complete with BMW’s Paralever swing arm and spoked wheels. He left the motor and drivetrain mostly stock, but treated the engine to a new coat of a textured black paint typically used on Harleys.
The engine now breathes in via a pair of pod filters, and the airbox has been replaced by a custom-made cover. The new twin exhaust system is from GR Exhausts—built according to Efraón’s design.
Moving to the chassis, Efraón swapped out the BMW’s forks for a set of upside-downs from a Suzuki GSX-R.
To fit them, he took all the necessary measurements, then sent them off to have a new set of triples machined up. He also modded the GSX-R’s front brakes to run on the R 100 R wheel, and created a new front fender.
Out back is a new custom-made Hagon shock. It’s a little shorter than stock, but the upper shock mount is in a different place now—so it’s actually lifted the rear slightly, for a sharper stance.
That shock mount forms part of a new steel subframe, made from scratch. Old boxers have bolt-on subframes, but Efraón decided to graft his new design directly to the main frame. And he didn’t just weld it—instead, he used a brazing technique he picked up on a trip to the States.
It’s a neat effect, and we love the drilled gussets—and the passenger peg mounts. It’s topped off with a new seat, covered in Alcantara, with a hidden document pouch underneath. The bottom’s closed off with a metal panel, keeping things orderly.
The taillight sits lower down, in the form of a pair of dual-purpose LED turn signals, mounted to a custom-built license plate bracket.
Efraón’s kept the entire wiring package extremely neat—rewiring everything off a Motogadget control box, and relocating the OEM battery further down.
A ton of consideration went into the cockpit too. Efraón wanted to retain some of the airhead’s DNA, so he fitted the headlight from an R80. Then he installed twin Daytona gauges, creating new bezels for them, joined by a plate that also holds the idiot lights. (The whole layout is a nod to the original BMW dash).
Also present are new clip-ons, Biltwell Inc. grips and bar-end mirrors. The master cylinder’s a Brembo part, and the switches and front turn signals are by Motogadget. We’re even spotting new foot pegs and controls, and an upgraded side stand.
There’s hardly a hair out of place, but what really caught us by surprise was just how much thought went into the paint. At a glance, it looks like a run of the mill monochrome job—but there’s a lot going on.
Efraón mixed gloss and matte textures, and used both grey and black to create the desired effect. The wheels were stripped and refinished too, and the frame and rear shock spring were even treated to a new coat.
More importantly, this BMW wears sensible tires—and there’s not an inch of pipe wrap in sight. Should this be how all modern cafe racers are built?
UFO Garage | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Rafa Dieguez Fotografía
Source...
Kalahari: A custom Africa Twin from Maria Motorcycles
The Honda XRV750 Africa Twin is almost thirty years old, and fast approaching legend status. So most Honda fanatics will probably baulk at the thought of customizing one.
Luis Correia and his crew at Maria Motorcycles weren’t keen to cut into their client’s 1992 Africa Twin either. But it wasn’t just down to reverence for the adventure sports icon.
“We accepted reluctantly,” Luis explains, “because a bike like this is not a walk in the park to make. There are lots of limitations when dealing with liquid-cooled bikes: we usually have a lot of parts to hide and to get off the bike.”
Plus, the recently acquired Africa Twin was in a pretty terrible condition. So the Portuguese crew stripped it down without too much remorse, and set about transforming it. “The idea was to make an old Dakar dirt bike,” says Luis.
But first, the Maria team had to bring the V-twin motor back up to scratch. So they cracked it open, checked it thoroughly, and replaced everything that wasn’t in good condition. They stripped off the ageing engine paint too—and left it as a mix of raw and polished finishes.
“With this touch,” says Luis, “the engine looks like it’s from a classic bike from the 70s.”
Maria also refurbished the 43mm front forks, and stiffened and lowered them. The Pro-Link rear suspension was upgraded with a new shock. Then the wheels were rebuilt with stainless steel spokes and nipples, and a new 19” front rim installed—two sizes down from the 21” stocker.
Just about all the Africa Twin’s bodywork is gone now, save for its fuel tank. Maria kept it, but modified it extensively—removing the original fairing mounts, and reshaping it.
Behind the tank is a custom-built seat, covered in brown leather. It’s sitting on an equally custom new subframe, with an aluminum electronics tray sitting underneath.
Maria also built a pair of aluminum fenders, and a set of crash bars—to protect the tank and motor when things get awkward in the dirt.
Despite the robust aesthetic, there’s some really neat packaging going on. The rear fender tucks up perfectly against the battery box, and there’s an additional fender lower down to keep things properly clean. (The passenger footrests have even been re-mounted on one-off removable brackets.)
The taillight is tucked away underneath the upper fender, and there are discreet LED turn signals all round. The license plate’s mounted on a hand-made bracket behind the wheel, and features its own plate light, to keep the law at bay.
Maria also tweaked the wiring, installed a Lithium-ion battery, and fitted a new ignition under the seat. The airbox is gone, and the Honda now breathes through a pair of pod filters.
At their client’s request, they also built a set of stainless steel exhaust headers to the exact same design as the OEM numbers, flowing into a Danmoto muffler.
In the cockpit, Maria have installed new handlebars from Renthal, along with new switches, grips and mirrors. There’s also a new headlight and speedo.
Every last inch of the Africa Twin’s been cleaned up, replaced or refreshed. There are new radiator hoses, brake discs and Hel brake lines. And any part that needed it was either powder coated, or zinc plated.
It’s now wrapped in a typically tasteful color scheme; something we’ve come to expect from Maria. This once-hefty dual-sport is now a stripped back scrambler—an oversized, street-ready enduro of sorts. What’s more, it’s also in a much better state than it was…
“The bike runs perfect,” says Luis, “like it was when new!”
“It starts always and doesn’t have any problems of any kind—proving that this was always a bike with lots of reliability. It’s fun to drive, even off road, and the stiffer suspension and smaller wheel at the front make it even better for city driving.”
Maria have called the Africa Twin ‘Kalahari,’ as a tribute to one of the continent’s driest deserts.
Which is exactly where we’d love to take it, given half a chance.
Maria Motorcycles website | Facebook | Instagram
Source...
The Honda XRV750 Africa Twin is almost thirty years old, and fast approaching legend status. So most Honda fanatics will probably baulk at the thought of customizing one.
Luis Correia and his crew at Maria Motorcycles weren’t keen to cut into their client’s 1992 Africa Twin either. But it wasn’t just down to reverence for the adventure sports icon.
“We accepted reluctantly,” Luis explains, “because a bike like this is not a walk in the park to make. There are lots of limitations when dealing with liquid-cooled bikes: we usually have a lot of parts to hide and to get off the bike.”
Plus, the recently acquired Africa Twin was in a pretty terrible condition. So the Portuguese crew stripped it down without too much remorse, and set about transforming it. “The idea was to make an old Dakar dirt bike,” says Luis.
But first, the Maria team had to bring the V-twin motor back up to scratch. So they cracked it open, checked it thoroughly, and replaced everything that wasn’t in good condition. They stripped off the ageing engine paint too—and left it as a mix of raw and polished finishes.
“With this touch,” says Luis, “the engine looks like it’s from a classic bike from the 70s.”
Maria also refurbished the 43mm front forks, and stiffened and lowered them. The Pro-Link rear suspension was upgraded with a new shock. Then the wheels were rebuilt with stainless steel spokes and nipples, and a new 19” front rim installed—two sizes down from the 21” stocker.
Just about all the Africa Twin’s bodywork is gone now, save for its fuel tank. Maria kept it, but modified it extensively—removing the original fairing mounts, and reshaping it.
Behind the tank is a custom-built seat, covered in brown leather. It’s sitting on an equally custom new subframe, with an aluminum electronics tray sitting underneath.
Maria also built a pair of aluminum fenders, and a set of crash bars—to protect the tank and motor when things get awkward in the dirt.
Despite the robust aesthetic, there’s some really neat packaging going on. The rear fender tucks up perfectly against the battery box, and there’s an additional fender lower down to keep things properly clean. (The passenger footrests have even been re-mounted on one-off removable brackets.)
The taillight is tucked away underneath the upper fender, and there are discreet LED turn signals all round. The license plate’s mounted on a hand-made bracket behind the wheel, and features its own plate light, to keep the law at bay.
Maria also tweaked the wiring, installed a Lithium-ion battery, and fitted a new ignition under the seat. The airbox is gone, and the Honda now breathes through a pair of pod filters.
At their client’s request, they also built a set of stainless steel exhaust headers to the exact same design as the OEM numbers, flowing into a Danmoto muffler.
In the cockpit, Maria have installed new handlebars from Renthal, along with new switches, grips and mirrors. There’s also a new headlight and speedo.
Every last inch of the Africa Twin’s been cleaned up, replaced or refreshed. There are new radiator hoses, brake discs and Hel brake lines. And any part that needed it was either powder coated, or zinc plated.
It’s now wrapped in a typically tasteful color scheme; something we’ve come to expect from Maria. This once-hefty dual-sport is now a stripped back scrambler—an oversized, street-ready enduro of sorts. What’s more, it’s also in a much better state than it was…
“The bike runs perfect,” says Luis, “like it was when new!”
“It starts always and doesn’t have any problems of any kind—proving that this was always a bike with lots of reliability. It’s fun to drive, even off road, and the stiffer suspension and smaller wheel at the front make it even better for city driving.”
Maria have called the Africa Twin ‘Kalahari,’ as a tribute to one of the continent’s driest deserts.
Which is exactly where we’d love to take it, given half a chance.
Maria Motorcycles website | Facebook | Instagram
Source...
Custom Bikes Of The Week: 13 January, 2019
Ever heard of the Suzuki XF650 Freewind before? Neither had we, but we love this custom scrambler from the Netherlands. We’ve also got a Buell M2 Cyclone that actually looks attractive, and a Honda CR750 racer priced at a quarter of a million dollars—and worth every cent.
Buell M2 Cyclone by Officine Urgani Even the most ardent Buell fanboy would have to admit that the M2 Cyclone is an ugly bike, even by Buell’s admittedly variable standards. The M2 wasn’t a bad bike though, and with 91 hp on tap from its 1200cc Harley V-twin, it had a fair turn of speed.
That makes the Cyclone the ideal platform for a café racer job, and Raffaele Gallo of Officine Urgani has delivered, big time. In his workshop in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, he modified around 80% of the frame, and then installed completely new aluminum bodywork.
The tank design is especially inspired, with a glass insert for monitoring the fuel level. And that deliciously curved front fairing, fashioned from four separate pieces, also hides the oil tank. All the wiring and mounting points on this Buell are now hidden, and no bolts are visible to break up the smooth surfaces.
It’s not all about the looks, though— the front suspension has been upgraded to Marzocchi, the swingarm has been modified to accommodate a wide 240/40 rear wheel, and there’s a completely new Brembo brake system. [More]
Suzuki Scrambler by Martin Schuurmans Schuurmans is a product designer based in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, with a background in furniture design. He’s also just built a sharp-looking scrambler that doesn’t compromise practicality too much in the name of aesthetics.
It’s based on the 2001 Suzuki XF650 Freewind, an ‘all-rounder’ that probably had the BMW F650 in its sights.
After overhauling the engine, Martin fabricated a new subframe, seat, fenders and battery box, and modified a Honda CB350 tank to fit. He’s also added new stainless steel exhaust headers, a SuperTrapp muffler, and a custom oil cooling system. The paint job is inspired by classic Suzuki dirt bikes from the 80s—with the yellow matching the color of Dutch license plates.
Tight looks, great stance and very neat detailing—let’s hope Martin keeps building. [More]
Harley-Davidson electric concept bike Milwaukee appears to be going all-out on the electric front at the moment, and not just with the LiveWire: at the huge CES tech show in Las Vegas last week, it showed a pair of electric concept bikes.
They’re hard to categorize, but the one shown here resembles a beefed-up mountain bike, while the other is closer in form to a motorized scooter.
Information about the concepts is practically non-existent, but the bigger one looks especially interesting. According to our PR contact at Harley, Joe Gustafson, it’s designed to “make off-road experiences accessible” and it’s aimed at people who don’t yet have a motorcycle license. The battery is removable and can be carried back to an apartment or office space to charge using a 120V charging dock.
Joe’s at pains to point out that “the lightweight electric concept bikes are just that—concepts.” Still, it’s another sign that Harley is focusing on the future, and not just regurgitating its past. Which can only be a good thing, right?
Honda CR750 Factory Racer Mecum’s upcoming auction in Las Vegas on Jan 22-26 includes some mouthwatering machinery. For us, this incredibly rare Honda is the pick of the crop.
The estimate is a jaw dropping $200,000-250,000, but that simply reflects the impeccable provenance of this racing motorcycle. It was delivered from the Honda race shop in Japan to its Swedish importer Autohansa in 1971, but due to a broken connecting rod, hardly ever raced.
Every component on the well-documented bike is original, aside from the seat— which was stolen at a race meet and has since been replaced by an accurate replica.
The CR750 was not available for privateers to buy, which only increases the value of this model. If you have deep pockets and you’re fascinated by the story of the 1970 Daytona 200, won by Dick Mann on another CR750, prepare to place your bid … [Via]
Honda CB750 Four by Thracian Custom Bikes Our pockets aren’t deep enough to shell out for the CR750 but we love 1970s Hondas, so this classic café racer from the Bulgarian shop Thracian would suit us just fine.
We haven’t come across builders Miroslav Vulkov and Plamen Nikolov before, but we’re going to be keeping an eye on them. They spent 600 man-hours revamping this 1983 CB750 Four after importing it from Germany, and it shows.
The wheelbase is extended, the frame is shortened and the forks are slammed. Some 25 kilos have been trimmed from the weight, with every component stripped down and renewed, right down to every last nut and bolt.
There’s a new seat, exhaust system, wiring loom, and lighting all round—and new electronics courtesy of Motogadget. The tank, which usually looks like a poor cousin of the 1970s CB750s, has suddenly become a perfect fit. These guys obviously have the ‘eye.’ [More]
Source...
Ever heard of the Suzuki XF650 Freewind before? Neither had we, but we love this custom scrambler from the Netherlands. We’ve also got a Buell M2 Cyclone that actually looks attractive, and a Honda CR750 racer priced at a quarter of a million dollars—and worth every cent.
Buell M2 Cyclone by Officine Urgani Even the most ardent Buell fanboy would have to admit that the M2 Cyclone is an ugly bike, even by Buell’s admittedly variable standards. The M2 wasn’t a bad bike though, and with 91 hp on tap from its 1200cc Harley V-twin, it had a fair turn of speed.
That makes the Cyclone the ideal platform for a café racer job, and Raffaele Gallo of Officine Urgani has delivered, big time. In his workshop in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, he modified around 80% of the frame, and then installed completely new aluminum bodywork.
The tank design is especially inspired, with a glass insert for monitoring the fuel level. And that deliciously curved front fairing, fashioned from four separate pieces, also hides the oil tank. All the wiring and mounting points on this Buell are now hidden, and no bolts are visible to break up the smooth surfaces.
It’s not all about the looks, though— the front suspension has been upgraded to Marzocchi, the swingarm has been modified to accommodate a wide 240/40 rear wheel, and there’s a completely new Brembo brake system. [More]
Suzuki Scrambler by Martin Schuurmans Schuurmans is a product designer based in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, with a background in furniture design. He’s also just built a sharp-looking scrambler that doesn’t compromise practicality too much in the name of aesthetics.
It’s based on the 2001 Suzuki XF650 Freewind, an ‘all-rounder’ that probably had the BMW F650 in its sights.
After overhauling the engine, Martin fabricated a new subframe, seat, fenders and battery box, and modified a Honda CB350 tank to fit. He’s also added new stainless steel exhaust headers, a SuperTrapp muffler, and a custom oil cooling system. The paint job is inspired by classic Suzuki dirt bikes from the 80s—with the yellow matching the color of Dutch license plates.
Tight looks, great stance and very neat detailing—let’s hope Martin keeps building. [More]
Harley-Davidson electric concept bike Milwaukee appears to be going all-out on the electric front at the moment, and not just with the LiveWire: at the huge CES tech show in Las Vegas last week, it showed a pair of electric concept bikes.
They’re hard to categorize, but the one shown here resembles a beefed-up mountain bike, while the other is closer in form to a motorized scooter.
Information about the concepts is practically non-existent, but the bigger one looks especially interesting. According to our PR contact at Harley, Joe Gustafson, it’s designed to “make off-road experiences accessible” and it’s aimed at people who don’t yet have a motorcycle license. The battery is removable and can be carried back to an apartment or office space to charge using a 120V charging dock.
Joe’s at pains to point out that “the lightweight electric concept bikes are just that—concepts.” Still, it’s another sign that Harley is focusing on the future, and not just regurgitating its past. Which can only be a good thing, right?
Honda CR750 Factory Racer Mecum’s upcoming auction in Las Vegas on Jan 22-26 includes some mouthwatering machinery. For us, this incredibly rare Honda is the pick of the crop.
The estimate is a jaw dropping $200,000-250,000, but that simply reflects the impeccable provenance of this racing motorcycle. It was delivered from the Honda race shop in Japan to its Swedish importer Autohansa in 1971, but due to a broken connecting rod, hardly ever raced.
Every component on the well-documented bike is original, aside from the seat— which was stolen at a race meet and has since been replaced by an accurate replica.
The CR750 was not available for privateers to buy, which only increases the value of this model. If you have deep pockets and you’re fascinated by the story of the 1970 Daytona 200, won by Dick Mann on another CR750, prepare to place your bid … [Via]
Honda CB750 Four by Thracian Custom Bikes Our pockets aren’t deep enough to shell out for the CR750 but we love 1970s Hondas, so this classic café racer from the Bulgarian shop Thracian would suit us just fine.
We haven’t come across builders Miroslav Vulkov and Plamen Nikolov before, but we’re going to be keeping an eye on them. They spent 600 man-hours revamping this 1983 CB750 Four after importing it from Germany, and it shows.
The wheelbase is extended, the frame is shortened and the forks are slammed. Some 25 kilos have been trimmed from the weight, with every component stripped down and renewed, right down to every last nut and bolt.
There’s a new seat, exhaust system, wiring loom, and lighting all round—and new electronics courtesy of Motogadget. The tank, which usually looks like a poor cousin of the 1970s CB750s, has suddenly become a perfect fit. These guys obviously have the ‘eye.’ [More]
Source...
A Bosozoku-inspired mini bike from Malaysia
When the Malaysian outfit FNG Works landed an entry in a local custom bike build-off, lead builder Irwann Cheng had a decision to make. Would he play it safe, or would he throw common sense to the wind, and go all-out? Looking at this bizarre little machine, it’s clear which way he went.
The competition was the ‘Superb Mod Challenge,’ organized by Modenas and MotoNation. Never heard of Modenas? It’s a Malaysian bike brand, and they supplied their V15 model as a donor.
The V15 is essentially a re-badged Bajaj V15—a 149 cc single-cylinder commuter bike imbued with (a tiny bit of) classic style.
Only three workshops were selected to compete. FNG Works made the cut after being interviewed by Modenas, but Irwann didn’t think they’d even get that far. So when Modenas asked what style of bike he’d build, he simply answered “café racer.”
“It was a hard question,” Irwann tells us, “because I hadn’t seen what was behind the plastics, or the frame itself. And because I just submitted my application for luck, and never thought I would qualify, I was not ready for that question!”
FNG Works got the nod—but the comp wasn’t without pressure. Contestants weren’t allowed to cut the bike’s frame, and the finished product had to be street legal.
Each team was given RM10,000 ($2,450) to work with. Irwann had just 26 days to deliver, and if he missed the deadline, he’d have to refund the money.
With the bike in the FNG workshop, stripped down to the frame, Irwann’s brain started ticking over. Then he found out that his opponents were doing a café racer and a scrambler—and notions of playing it safe went out the window.
“I have this image of a bike that I’ve always wanted to build, but never did,” says Irwann, “because no clients have given me the freedom to do 100 percent what I want.
“And if it’s my own bike, I usually don’t have the money to build it. As a small time builder, building bikes for clients earns me money to eat, but building my own bikes costs me money.”
“I had it in my mind that I was never going to win, because my competitors are great builders. So this was my only chance of building what I’ve always wanted to build.”
Irwann describes his Modenas as a mix of a Honda Dax, BMX and chopper bicycle, with a bit of ‘urban lifestyle’ and Japanese bōsōzoku style chucked in.
With some digital sketching—in basic MS Paint, not Photoshop or CAD—Irwann tweaked his vision to match the frame of the V15. He knew he couldn’t cut the frame, but no-one said he couldn’t weld on it.
So he added some rods across the back—creating a luggage rack and visually shortening the bike.
The rear end’s finished off with a taillight that doubles up as a stopper for the luggage rack. And since the rules included concessions for cleaning up the frame, Irwann lopped off a few unsightly brackets too.
For the bodywork, Irwann wanted to build a new monocoque structure from scratch, even though he’d never built a fuel tank of this size. The learning curve was steep—and there was a real fear that the project would run over deadline—but he pulled it off.
The design combines a small fuel tank with a seat pan and side covers, and uses the stock fuel cap and petcock.
The seat’s a clear hat tip to the fascinating bōsōzoku scene, and to vintage chopper bicycles. But our favorite feature’s hiding behind the sissy bar: a neat mounting rack for a Penny board.
Irwann repainted the stock 18F/16R wheels to match the bike’s fresh new color scheme, and fitted chunkier rubber.
Moving to the front, Irwann built a headlight mount in the style of the front pannier racks you find on touring bicycles. The handlebars are Peregrine BMX numbers, fitted with Biltwell Inc. grips and bar-end mirrors, and a small fairing up top holds the speedo.
“As for the engine and exhaust, it remained stock, because engine and exhaust modifications are actually illegal in Malaysia,” explains Irwann. “You could even get fined for changing your carburetor. I couldn’t afford to take the risk of being disqualified.”
He did repaint the motor black, and switch the bolts out for chromed stainless steel items. The exhaust was painted black too, and the heat shield white.
As for that striking red paint—and the FNG Works logo—Irwann’s open about their origins. “For the color scheme, I was inspired by the Supreme brand,” he confesses.
“All along this build, from the start to finish, I was daydreaming that if I was the designer at Modenas, it would be targeted at hip, young urban people.”
We’re not entirely sure we’re in the target market, but we love it. It’s cheeky, fresh and looks like buckets of fun.
The ‘Superb Mod Challenge’ head judge was Neil Blaber of AMD World Championship fame, and clearly agreed. FNG Works not only made the deadline, but walked away with top honors, too.
FNG Works Facebook | Instagram
Source...
When the Malaysian outfit FNG Works landed an entry in a local custom bike build-off, lead builder Irwann Cheng had a decision to make. Would he play it safe, or would he throw common sense to the wind, and go all-out? Looking at this bizarre little machine, it’s clear which way he went.
The competition was the ‘Superb Mod Challenge,’ organized by Modenas and MotoNation. Never heard of Modenas? It’s a Malaysian bike brand, and they supplied their V15 model as a donor.
The V15 is essentially a re-badged Bajaj V15—a 149 cc single-cylinder commuter bike imbued with (a tiny bit of) classic style.
Only three workshops were selected to compete. FNG Works made the cut after being interviewed by Modenas, but Irwann didn’t think they’d even get that far. So when Modenas asked what style of bike he’d build, he simply answered “café racer.”
“It was a hard question,” Irwann tells us, “because I hadn’t seen what was behind the plastics, or the frame itself. And because I just submitted my application for luck, and never thought I would qualify, I was not ready for that question!”
FNG Works got the nod—but the comp wasn’t without pressure. Contestants weren’t allowed to cut the bike’s frame, and the finished product had to be street legal.
Each team was given RM10,000 ($2,450) to work with. Irwann had just 26 days to deliver, and if he missed the deadline, he’d have to refund the money.
With the bike in the FNG workshop, stripped down to the frame, Irwann’s brain started ticking over. Then he found out that his opponents were doing a café racer and a scrambler—and notions of playing it safe went out the window.
“I have this image of a bike that I’ve always wanted to build, but never did,” says Irwann, “because no clients have given me the freedom to do 100 percent what I want.
“And if it’s my own bike, I usually don’t have the money to build it. As a small time builder, building bikes for clients earns me money to eat, but building my own bikes costs me money.”
“I had it in my mind that I was never going to win, because my competitors are great builders. So this was my only chance of building what I’ve always wanted to build.”
Irwann describes his Modenas as a mix of a Honda Dax, BMX and chopper bicycle, with a bit of ‘urban lifestyle’ and Japanese bōsōzoku style chucked in.
With some digital sketching—in basic MS Paint, not Photoshop or CAD—Irwann tweaked his vision to match the frame of the V15. He knew he couldn’t cut the frame, but no-one said he couldn’t weld on it.
So he added some rods across the back—creating a luggage rack and visually shortening the bike.
The rear end’s finished off with a taillight that doubles up as a stopper for the luggage rack. And since the rules included concessions for cleaning up the frame, Irwann lopped off a few unsightly brackets too.
For the bodywork, Irwann wanted to build a new monocoque structure from scratch, even though he’d never built a fuel tank of this size. The learning curve was steep—and there was a real fear that the project would run over deadline—but he pulled it off.
The design combines a small fuel tank with a seat pan and side covers, and uses the stock fuel cap and petcock.
The seat’s a clear hat tip to the fascinating bōsōzoku scene, and to vintage chopper bicycles. But our favorite feature’s hiding behind the sissy bar: a neat mounting rack for a Penny board.
Irwann repainted the stock 18F/16R wheels to match the bike’s fresh new color scheme, and fitted chunkier rubber.
Moving to the front, Irwann built a headlight mount in the style of the front pannier racks you find on touring bicycles. The handlebars are Peregrine BMX numbers, fitted with Biltwell Inc. grips and bar-end mirrors, and a small fairing up top holds the speedo.
“As for the engine and exhaust, it remained stock, because engine and exhaust modifications are actually illegal in Malaysia,” explains Irwann. “You could even get fined for changing your carburetor. I couldn’t afford to take the risk of being disqualified.”
He did repaint the motor black, and switch the bolts out for chromed stainless steel items. The exhaust was painted black too, and the heat shield white.
As for that striking red paint—and the FNG Works logo—Irwann’s open about their origins. “For the color scheme, I was inspired by the Supreme brand,” he confesses.
“All along this build, from the start to finish, I was daydreaming that if I was the designer at Modenas, it would be targeted at hip, young urban people.”
We’re not entirely sure we’re in the target market, but we love it. It’s cheeky, fresh and looks like buckets of fun.
The ‘Superb Mod Challenge’ head judge was Neil Blaber of AMD World Championship fame, and clearly agreed. FNG Works not only made the deadline, but walked away with top honors, too.
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