CUSTOM BIKES OF THE WEEK

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A street tracker with a woodgrain finish, a pair of very different Honda CB450s, and a new build from Deus’ Californian wizard Michael ‘Woolie’ Woolaway. Here are the custom bikes that got our motors running over the Christmas break.

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Suzuki GSX400F by Shaka Garage Exchange monocles with someone who has ridden in the back of a Rolls-Royce, and the topic of wood grain will inevitably arise. But wood is not something we motorcyclists are normally impressed with—until now.

Crafted by the skilled hands of Shaka Garage from Bari, Italy, the appropriately named Wood Tracker is artfully adorned with dark veneer accents on its tank and side pods. Against the matte green paint, the look is exquisite. But don’t be fooled, it’s actually airbrushed on.

Thanks to the knobby rubber and upgraded Öhlins suspension, this 80s-era Suzuki GSX400F scrambler should feel right at home amongst real trees. The tailpipes are handmade units and the engine was completely overhauled to ensure raucous, trail-roosting fun. I’m not convinced the side-mounted tach would last long with me behind the Tommaselli bars, but standing on pegs beats backseats every day. [More]

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Honda CB450 by Vagabund Moto You can often identify a builder’s work by a commonality of theme. Down & Out prefers a wide-wheeled look, El Solitario explodes molds, and Auto Fabrica delivers clinically clean aesthetics. Now Vagabund Moto is becoming known for its obsession with detail.

The Graz, Austrian builder’s BMW R100R had us gobsmacked with its intricate and distinct style, and this Honda CB450 is doing much the same. The bare metal finish on the front end, tank, engine casings and exhaust exudes raw aggression. Softened ever so slightly by the subtle sea-foam green paint, saddle brown leather seating and black accents, it’s clear that Vagabund hasn’t lost any focus. The stance is spot on and despite not echoing the same style of perfection from that BMW, this Honda easily captures its ethos.

From the expertly shortened rear sub-frame with its integrated LEDs to the playful use of a 20s-era Colgate & Co shaving tin, this cafe racer has me smitten. [More]

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Honda CB450 by Steel Bent Customs Maybe a cafe racer isn’t quite your cup of Honda CB450 tea? Then maybe this scrambler ready for the single tracks is more appealing. It’s a 1976 model from Florida’s Steel Bent Customs, dubbed Dirty Jersey, and the recipient of Michael Mundy’s expert handiwork.

The frame was sliced and looped to trim the stock excess, and longer-travel, progressive rate rear shocks were added to balance the stance and raise the ride height. A svelte gel battery is hidden under the well-padded, diamond-stitched seat. The finish is classic, austere and damn near spotless. My favorite touch is the cocktail shaker treatment on the unequal length, high-mount exhaust.

Oh, and the fact that the high-gloss clear coat should be easy to wipe clean after a day near the Newark Watershed. [More]

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Yamaha XT600 by Lab Motorcycle For five years Portugal’s Lab Motorcycle have been quietly assembling an impressive collection of custom builds. The latest creation from the Setubal-based shop is a trail-ready Yamaha XT600 that simply oozes the company philosophy—“Just For Fun.”

The rear subframe has been hooped, the battery shrunk, and the tank swapped out for a Honda CG unit. But the XT’s original, enduro-friendly geometry has been well maintained. The suspension has been upgraded to soak up unwelcoming conditions, and the Reagan-era plastics have been binned for recycling. The stock rectangular, halogen headlight has been put back into a K-Car in favor of a more stylish 5¾-inch round unit with a shield.

The Ténéré-style paint job drops a hint—this machine is likely to be a riot on either street or trail. Listening to the thumper blasting through the Arrow exhaust could be the perfect cure to a New Year’s hangover. [More]

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Kawasaki W650 by Deus Customs Given the classic dirt racer look of this latest Deus build, it’s no surprise to find that it hails from the Venice, California workshop. SoCal has embraced the dirt like few other locales in North America, and this Kawasaki—named W-`ühini—is the perfect weapon.

If you’re wondering about the name, the ‘W’ is for the W650 motor and `ühini is the Hawaiian name for grasshopper. The motor has since been overbored to 800cc and slotted into a hand-made chromoly frame. The rake and trail have been set with humps, bumps and dirt in mind—allowing the rider to catch air and slide soles through corners with ease.

The tank and tail are both hand-shaped aluminum, bead-blasted in some areas and brushed in others. Then fourteen (yes, fourteen) coats of yellow and blue candy paint were applied. The contrasting surfaces create a unique shimmer depending on lighting and positioning. [More]

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CUSTOM BIKES OF THE WEEK

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A bullet-ridden BMW from Sicily, a stunning Honda cafe racer from GT-Moto, and Ducati Scrambler tweaked an an Italian eyewear company. These are the bikes that got our motors running this week.

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BMW R100 by Svako Motorcycles Apocalyptic and unorthodox: Those are the first two words that come to mind when I see ‘Sbang,’ a BMW from Sicily-based Svako. This is especially true when you compare Sbang to the last BMW we saw from Svako, a gentlemanly Paris Dakar replica.

Some may turn up their noses to the aesthetics of a bullet-riddled tank, but not me. Touches like that—and yes, they are real bullet holes—and the Heidenau K67 tires show that this is a bike built to be ridden hard. But that doesn’t mean it lacks finer detail. All of the wiring is hidden within the pock-marked tank, ahead of the fuel cap, which was fashioned on a lathe from an old flywheel.

If Mad Max-meets-the-Mafia is your cup of Chianti, Sbang is your bike. [Facebook]

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Triumph T100 from Down & Out Cafe Racers Shaun and Carl from Down & Out Cafe Racers have an obsession with stance. The signature wide-tired style of the Yorkshire, England shop is aggressive and brash—a little like the lads themselves. So it’s no surprise that when Shaun put together a bike of his own, he worked his fingers to the bone to shoehorn in the 180-series rubber.

Fastec Racing was tapped to machine the unique triple clamps to accommodate that beefy front wheel. Rake was decreased by 0.75 degrees, and CBR1000RR forks slotted in. Then the fenders were hand-rolled on an English Wheel to help block any mud slung from the Continental TKC80s. The T100’s electrics were ditched to make way for a Motogadget unit, and D&O’s own micro LED signals were installed up front. It creates a sparse and incredibly clean cockpit on a Bonnie I’d love to get dirty. [More]

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GT-Moto’s Honda CB450 There is little doubt that Sofi Tsingos is one of America’s most talented builders working today. We were still drooling over the BMW R75/5 she and her father created when this CB450 popped up.

This is officially GT-Moto’s first customer build. The little Honda is essentially a ground-up restoration, and hands have found their way into every nook, cranny and crevice in the quest for perfection. The engine has been balanced, blueprinted and overbored to 485cc. The front suspension is now an external-spring type set-up. And at the back, the tail and signal lights have been seamlessly integrated—by hand no less—to lie imperceptibly within the rear fender. Similar treatment was applied to the top clamp. This package is, in a word, flawless. [More]

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Palatina Dreambikes T15 With the rebirth of Triumph’s Bonneville lineup, the British marque’s ‘modern classics’ have returned to liquid cooling. Prior to the Bonneville’s resurrection in 2001, Hinckley’s Thunderbird and Legend TT models were powered by a liquid-cooled, 885cc triple. This bespoke cafe racer, the T15 from Germany’s Palatina Dreambikes, is a stunningly detailed build that honors those Bonnie-less years.

The particulars of this build are gorgeous. From the iconic and emblematic headlight shroud to the Keihin flat-side carbs to the exhaust’s playful final exit, there’s little that doesn’t impress. The subframe is a one off carbon fiber unit, the single-sided swingarm is of Italian descent, and all componentry is top shelf. Staring at it makes us wonder: had the parallel twin not replaced Triumph’s triple, could this have become our new Thruxton R? [More]

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Ducati Scrambler limited edition The Ducati Scrambler is a runaway success. It has power and agility at the right price—making it a no-brainer for riders seeking simplicity and fun. In the looks department though, not everyone has been on board. So the eyewear company Italia Independent has partnered with Ducati to tweak the visuals just a little. And the result is a knockout. Even better, this build isn’t a one-off: just over a thousand units will be made.

Revealed at the Art Basel show in Miami, there’s a hint of cafe racer style in this subtle execution. The blacked-out engine features brushed aluminum fins. The frame and wheels are coated in a gorgeous copper hue. And the tank and shortened fenders are matte black. Other touches like the bar end mirrors and snubbed nose fairing finish off the look. [More]

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CUSTOM BIKES OF THE WEEK

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A street tracker Harley Dyna, a supercharged Nimbus from Denmark, and a stunning Triumph Bonneville tribute to Eddie Mulder. These are the bikes that revved our engines this week.

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ClayMoto Suzuki SV650 The SV650 has long been regarded as one of the best bikes for new riders—and enthusiasts on a budget. Its torquey v-twin is almost bulletproof, and what it lacks in style, it makes up for with comfort and performance.

Munich-based Nick Graveley runs ClayMoto, a design house specializing in clay model mock-ups for BMW Motorrad, Honda, Norton and Triumph—plus the big three German automakers. He’d long wanted to take on a personal project, and the SV650 fits his riding needs like a deerskin glove.

‘Fun under a ton’ was the theme behind the build, although the sculpted bodywork makes it look like it’s doing 200mph at a standstill. There are few words that can do justice to Nick’s deft handiwork: the multi-faceted surface of the tank and details on the split tail and headlight are phenomenal. Seeing this makes me wish I’d never sold my SV1000. [More]

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Kraus Motor Co. Harley ‘Dynamite’ Satya Kraus is a builder focused on high-end engineering, crafting the in-house components that bear his name. But occasionally he’ll use his Santa Rosa, California workshop to build a mean test bed.

Based on a 2001 Harley-Davidson Dyna, Satya and his team started this build by shedding the Harley’s Midwestern weight and pushing it in a street tracker direction. The twin-cam big twin features larger chambers and a week’s worth of headwork to deliver 8,000 rpm of thunder between shifts.

To quell any Milwaukee slop, Kraus has installed a USD Öhlins fork, hooked up with their proprietary bolt-on Dynamoto front end kit. The rear is suspended by Öhlins as well, to keep the machined swingarm and carbon fiber wheel well planted. Aesthetically the bike looks like the screamer it is: The stance, saddle and tail absolutely nail it. [More]

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DuongDoan’s Design Suzuki GN250 Just three weeks ago, DuongDoan’s Designsnagged our attention with their rough and tumble Suzuki GN250 scrambler. Now the Hanoi-based shop is wowing us with their elegant side: this GN125 cafe.

From the methodically knurled grips, pegs and shifter to the expertly tapered mini-Manx style tank, this Suzuki is an absolute stunner. Riding on Firestone rubber, the bike tempers the delicacy with a decidedly fat-tired vibe. The loop on the modified subframe matches the profile of the humped (and comfy looking) seat; then form meets function with a chopped rear fender that furthers the hump’s silhouette.

The red and white paint, brown leather and raw steel finish is classic—although we’d probably lose the ‘cafe racer’ tank badge and opt for ceramic coating over pipewrap on the swooped header. [More]

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Odin’s Fury: Nimbus Bonneville racer Piloting a piece of handmade, functional, engineered art along a bed of salt, in search of speed, will never cease to captivate. Aside from the landscape, the pursuit itself may be the essence of motorcycling: It’s pure and simple.

Few creations sum this up as veraciously as Odin’s Fury. Built to run in the home built, 750cc class at Bonneville, Lars Neilsen of Gonzo Engineering wanted to see what a 22hp Nimbus could really do. To help the Copenhagen-built four-banger top its original 75 mph speed cap, Lars has strapped a Subaru supercharger on board and shed every ounce of redundant weight.

The frame is bespoke, the forks came from a Sportster, the wheels from a Goldwing and the tank was once atop a moped. If it runs as solid as it looks and sounds, Lars should be in for a treat. [Facebook]

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Eddie Mulder Tribute by British Customs I daydream about taking a turn behind the bars of every build in this series from British Customs. It seems only natural to imagine how well they would perform, if given the chance. With this new street tracker from the Gardena, California company, I don’t need to dream: I can tell you exactly how it rides.

Built as a part of their Legends Series, this 2007 Triumph Bonneville was built to honor Eddie Mulder and his Pikes Peak winning ‘Triumphant.’ The tank and tail are carbon fiber units, the stock geometry has been modified, a tracker wheel kit installed and the engine has been breathed on to uncover additional ponies. Riding through the winding roads of Big Sur and the dirt tracks of the Old Coast Road, I can tell you this tracker definitely goes.

It’s easily lighter, faster and more flickable than any stock Bonnie and the upgraded suspension works absolute wonders. Now I just need to convince Eddie to let me borrow his ride, again. [More]

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