mercredi 31 décembre 2014
THE TOP 10 CUSTOM MOTORCYCLES OF 2014
2014 was the year that customs moved into the mainstream.
Nearly every major motorcycle brand has been working with independent builders: some publicly, and some privately. Yamaha and BMW are visibly throwing their weight behind the scene, while the Italians are working behind closed doors.
Indian has enlisted Roland Sands to rework its Chieftain, and more customs are on the way. Triumph is more polyamorous than ever. Even Suzuki is playing the game—recalling Katana designer Hans Muth to rework its Bandit 1250.
For fans of café racers, trackers and scramblers, it’s been a bumper year. And it’s been a great 12 months for Bike EXIF too: in a matter of days, we’ll pass the 100 million page views mark after just six years of operation.
So here’s our pick of the best bikes of 2014, judged by web traffic figures, social media shares and incoming links. Enjoy.
10. Roland Sands x Indian ‘Track Chief’ There’s something just ‘right’ about the classic board track look. Perhaps it’s the symmetry of the wheels. Or maybe it’s because the engine is always the star, nestled into a skinny frame. Roland Sands created ‘Track Chief’ to showcase Indian’s spectacular Thunder Stroke engine, with a nod to Indian’s fine sporting heritage.
9. ‘Recall’ by Ton-Up Garage This BMW from Portugal just radiates old-school glamour. The story is romantic, too: the bike was reunited with a family that owned it decades ago, and the rebuild banished years of rust and neglect. It’s a ground-up overhaul, with discreet upgrades like new fenders, a custom exhaust and low-rise bars. And possibly the most glorious vintage-style paint job of any bike we’ve seen this year.
8. Mule Triumph Café Roadster Richard Pollock is the king of trackers: he’s built over 100 so far. But every now and then he tries something different, such as this roadster with a café racer vibe. Like all bikes that roll out of the Mule Motorcycles workshop, it’s a high performance machine and not just a pretty face. The forks are from a Yamaha YZF-R1, the six-piston brakes are from Beringer, and the wheels are top-spec Sun alloys. Most riders will view this bike from behind.
7. ‘Urban Cavalry’ by Rough Crafts There’s a sinister, sci-fi look to this Harley-Davidson Dyna. It’s from Taipei-based Winston Yeh, a former Roland Sands protégé making a name for himself with murdered-out Milwaukee metal. ‘Urban Cavalry’ is based on a 2014-spec Dyna Street Bob, but it’s running Kawasaki sportbike forks and a custom alu swing arm. Power gets a boost from S&S ‘Super G’ carburetion and a titanium exhaust worthy of a Formula 1 car.
6. ‘Tramontana’ Triumph Scrambler Imagine if Triumph’s own chassis development gurus decided to build the ultimate off-road Scrambler. That’s exactly what happened here, with five Spanish engineers at a loose end after signing off the Tiger 800XC prototype. ‘Tramontana’ is an essay in mechanical engineering, with revised geometry, massively increased suspension stroke, ultra-light Excel rims, new ergos and a weight loss of 40kg.
5. ‘Voltron’ by ER Motorcycles The Slovenian workshop is one of the fastest-rising stars on the custom scene. Named after a giant robot from an old animated TV series, ‘Voltron’ is a clever, retro-futuristic mash-up of styles and eras. It’s a mishmash of vintage BMW parts, including a 1964 R69S frame, an R80 engine and front end, and a classic ‘Toaster’ tank. In the hands of most builders the result would be an unholy mess, but this one strangely works.
4. Magpul ‘Ronin’ If Batman rode a Buell, it’d look something like this. The Ronin is a limited-production machine costing $38,000—the same price as a Harley CVO Limited tourer. The weak points of the 1125 have been eradicated with the ruthless precision you’d expect from a gun maker: the Rotax engine is now cooled by a high-flow radiator, and the Showa forks have been replaced by an alloy linkage that gives the bike a menacing, hunched-forward look.
3. Senna Tribute by Marcus Walz German builder Walz is a familiar face in the Formula 1 pit lane: he’s customized motorcycles for Seb Vettel, Kimi Räikkönen and David Coulthard. He’s now paid tribute to another well-known F1 rider, the late Ayrton Senna. Never mind that Senna was usually seen on a Ducati: this Moto Guzzi Le Mans Mk I is all about power and style, with an engine punched out to 1040cc and a paint job reflecting Senna’s famous helmet designs.
2. BMW R1200S by Café Racer Dreams Six months ago, CRD’s brutal boxer took out the top honors in our half-year roundup. And it’s still hanging in there, attracting a torrent of web traffic. The mesh exoskeleton and apocalyptic looks must have something to do with it, but there’s some very neat fabrication happening too—like a completely new rear subframe and seat unit, and adjustable Öhlins suspension front and rear.
1. NURBS by Krugger The BMW K1600 has six cylinders, seven computers, multiple drive modes and adaptive headlights. It’s not a bike that anyone in their right mind would want to customize. But for Fred “Krugger” Bertrand, the K1600 was just another challenge. And it delivered the Belgian his second AMD World Championship.
The Art Deco bodywork wouldn’t look out of place in the next Tron movie and the straight-six engine is suspended in a completely new frame. The Duolever front suspension is heavily modified too, with only the original shock remaining.
And the oddball name ‘NURBS’? It means ‘Non-Uniform Rational B-spline,’ a concept used by engineers to create freeform surfaces in car and ship design.
It’s a tour-de-force of custom bike building, and a worthy winner of our annual Bike Of The Year.
Congratulations, Fred.
We’d also like to say thanks to the photographers who captured these machines for us all to enjoy. And it’s worth mentioning a few builders who very narrowly missed the cut, notably Huge Design, Clutch Customs, Daniel Peter, Speedtractor, UCC and Maria Motorcycles.
Want to see the winners from previous years? You’ll find them here.
Start 2015 on the right note: sign up for the Bike EXIF email to get the latest customs in your inbox as soon as they’re published.
via SILODROME
Our favourite images of 2014
We’ve always been proud of our high-quality visual style here at Classic Driver – but in 2014, we wanted to set the bar even higher. Employing a variety of talented photographers, we’ve spent the last 12 months bringing you the world of classic cars from new and unconventional perspectives...
A Porsche 356 in an industrial atmosphere, photographed by Jan Baedeker. This image is proudly mounted on the wall in our UK office.
Nürburgring record-hunters at dawn: Porsche 956 and 918 Spyder, photographed by Stefan Bogner.
A thunderous start at the 72nd Goodwood Members' Meeting in March 2014, photographed by Tim Brown.
A fire-breathing Gullwing at the Tour Auto in April 2014, photographed by Rémi Dargegen.
There are moments in life when four wheels are simply not enough: Hiking through the wild Engadine with the incredible Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6x6. Photo by Jan Baedeker.
Classic Driver takes the Aston Martin DBS from 'The Persuaders!' for a final drive before it crosses the auction block. Photo by Simon Clay.
A Citroën DS 21 Chapron "Le Dandy" in the garage of Gallery Brummen. Photo by Steve Hall.
Vintage cyclists at the Tweed Run in London in May 2014, photographed by Amy Shore.
The heroes of the 'Ardennes Rollercoaster' at the Spa Classic in May 2014, photographed by Rémi Dargegen.
'Shades of Gatsby' at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in May 2014, photographed by Jan Baedeker.
Albert Spiess' Maserati 450S is 'Best of Show' at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2014. Photograph by Rémi Dargegen.
Rendezvous with a very special Maserati 250S, photographed by Stefan Bogner.
The Heroes of the Hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June 2014, photo by Amy Shore.
A 'selfie' by our photographers Rémi Dargegen and Lucile Pillet during the Anjou Vélo Vintage in July 2014.
The forgotten Ferrari Daytona Shooting Brake, photographed by Amy Shore.
Drivers in a hurry at the start of the Le Mans Classic in July 2014, photo by Rémi Dargegen
Editor-in-Chief Jan Baedeker take a trip around Le Mans in a Martini-Porsche 911 Carrera RSR (right).
Is this Porsche 964 Carrera RS 3.8 really worth a million dollars? Well, it sold not long after our shoot. Photograph by Amy Shore
Bikes, beards and bikinis at the Wheels & Waves Festival 2014, photographed by Hermann Kopf.
Wet race at the AvD-Oldtimer-Grand-Prix in August 2014, photographed by Tim Brown.
Classics in the Pacific fog at the Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance in August 2014. Photographed by Drew Phillips.
New World Record: Bonhams sold this Ferrari 250 GTO for $38 million. Photographed by Drew Phillips.
A nervous spiral through The Corkscrew at the Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2014, photographed by Drew Phillips.
A Ferrari 375 MM is voted 'Best of Show' af the Pebble Beach Concours 2014. Photographed by Tom O'Neal.
Steve Roberts told us why he bought James Bond's 'Casino Royale' Aston Martin DBS. Photographed by Amy Shore.
Which would you choose: Porsche 550 Spyder or 904 Carrera GTS? Photographed in September 2014 by Amy Shore.
'Golden Era' - a Ferrari 250 GT "Tour de France" and an alloy-bodied 275 GTB, photographed by Amy Shore.
Classics on Royal gravel: The Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace in September 2014. Photographed by Jan Baedeker.
The Chantilly Arts & Elegance in September 2014 was a stunning spectacle. Photographed by Rémi Dargegen.
Drivers on standby at the Goodwood Revival in September 2014, photographed by Amy Shore.
Pit-lane beauties at the Goodwood Revival 2014, photographed by Tim Brown.
A biker gang at the Goodwood Revival 2014, photographed by Rémi Dargegen.
'Spa Treatment' for a Ford GT40 at the Spa Six Hours in September 2014. Photographed by Tim Brown.
Hypercar showdown: McLaren P1 meets Porsche 918 Spyder. Photographed by Steve Hall.
Bugatti Type 35 - the legend lives on. Photographed by Peter Aylward.
An exclusive meeting of Porsche 356 Pre-As in October 2014. Photographed by Rémi Dargegen.
A rare Jaguar XK140 with Zagato coachwork. Photographed by Amy Shore.
The last Vulcan Bomber is able to fly. Photographed by Amy Shore.
Fuelling a passion: Visiting Gipi Motor in Brussels. Photographed in November 2014 by Rémi Dargegen.
Find of the century to end the year: A staggering collection of 60 barn-find cars! Photographed by Rémi Dargegen.
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