Calum is our kind of builder. Young, passionate, self-taught, and making a name for himself by producing competent, quality, desireable – and affordable – customs bikes, out of his own place, and now with his own custom motorcycle brand. Inspired by a popular British compliment, we are proud to present – de Bolex. And this is one of the first bikes to carry Calum’s cheeky brand name on the tank; Sammy’s CB750. …He clearly has balls.
The concept simple; to transform a 1981 Honda Cb750 into a fun, usable, brat-style motorcycle with a finish that would get better with age. Nothing too pretty, the wearing of leather and the rust through the lacquer on the bare metal tank are what this bike is all about.
Sammy, the new owner, is a professional photographer living in London, preferring the freedom of a bike to the hustle of the underground. He wanted something with character that could worm through traffic and that doesn’t need a weekend spent polishing. Although if he’s like most of us, he’ll polish it anyway.
The bike is the MKII, the usual brat style seat but with a slight kick at the back. “Although not an extreme custom, still rocking the original suspension and wheels, we gave extra attention where we could. For example, the rear light recessed into the tube like its always been there, custom brackets hook up the 7” headlight and the ignition barrel relocated under the tank.”
“Up the front we’ve given some Renthal ultra low bars, leather-wrapped grips and we turned-up some neat bar ends. Digital Speedos supplied us with the perfect speedo, small, satin black, and didn’t break the bank. The top end of the engine received an overhaul, replacing timing chains, re shimming the head and while the barrels and head were off they went through a cleaning treatment which brings the aluminium back like new.”
“A clothing company, whose leather is usually used for making shoes, supplied the leather for the seat; this gave the bike that rustic feel we were after. A custom exhaust system wrapped in titanium wrap provides the crack of the Honda 4, All this with a pair of Dunlop duel terrain rubber boots…”
We’re really keen to support new, young, up-and-coming British builders, so while Calum ticks all the boxes, the box we care about most is that he’s built a really cool custom motorcycle that any of us would be proud to ride, and we assume the client, Sammy, is chuffed to bits. Does the bike deserve to wear a tank badge that proclaims it to be The Bollocks? Of course it does. … Great work Calum. Show us what you build next, and we’ll share it with everyone on The Bike Shed.
See more of De Bolex on their posh new Website.
