HARLEY-DAVIDSON 883 BY TJ MOTO

It isn’t everyday we get an email from a new custom motorcycle builder based in India, despite the fact that the country has a billion-plus residents and an enormous motorcycle culture – most of the more creative Indian customs don’t make it beyond the country’s borders. That said, I think this bike is destined to be an exception.

It was built by Tushar Jaitly, the owner and head builder at TJ Moto based out of Delhi. Tushar just graduated from an automotive design school in Italy, he moved back to Delhi to begin to apply his newly acquired skills to a line of unique, handcrafted motorcycles. This bike, called Nadia, is his first creation. It was completed at the end of September this year and if first impressions are anything to go by, I think this motorcycle might just launch him to the forefront of the Indian custom motorcycle scene.

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Nadia is based on a Harley-Davidson 883, though most of the original bike has been removed and replaced with new components. In fact, Tushar only really carried over the down-tube, engine and engine mounts from the original motorcycle. A new hard-tail frame was fabricated with an interesting top tube that runs over the fuel tank, giving it an almost board-tracker look.

Firestone Deluxe Champion tires were added front and back and the fenders were removed, a new sprung seat was added and a fuel tank was handmade to slot in between the top tube and the engine. Once all the major work was done, Tushar settled on a British racing green paint job and then set it off with leather and brass accents, giving the bike a timeless, almost steampunk feel.

I suspect that we’re going to see a lot more from Tushar over the coming years, in the meantime if you’d like to stay up to date with the new creations from TJ Moto, you can click here to Like their Facebook Page or visit his website here.

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CAFE RACER DREAMS BMW R100RS

By Wesley Reyneke | Rather Be Riding

Sensible isn’t a word you’d normally use to describe a custom motorcycle. But as this BMW R100RS from Cafe Racer Dreams proves, sensible doesn’t have to mean stale. It can also come with a hefty dose of style and desirability.

CRD #49 was commissioned by an existing client of the Madrid workshop. They’d customized an Ossa Copa for him three years ago, and as a result he’d come to trust their judgment. So, the brief for the ’77-model Boxer was simple: keep it looking “factory,” but make it “behave like a modern motorcycle.”

BMW’s classic R100 is sorely lacking in the suspension and braking departments by modern standards—so that’s where CRD’s Pedro García and Efraon Triana focused their efforts. A Ducati GT 1000 front end was grafted on, via custom triple trees fabricated by Efraon. This included not only the GT’s upside-down forks, but its dual disk Brembo brakes as well—linked to an Aprilia RSV Mille master cylinder. The GT also donated its rear shocks, and Pirelli Sport Demon tires were fitted for maximum grip.

After ditching the bodywork CRD fabricated a new subframe, with a well-padded seat, and new fenders. They also made a bespoke brace to mount the front fender to the upside-down forks and a super-neat headlight bracket.

The RS has been completely rewired, with switches and a speedo from Motogadget—the latter mounted in a 7” headlight from CRD’s own online store. Other catalogue items include the tail light, turn signals and grips; along with low-n-wide bars from Renthal and silencers from Supertrapp.

By making tasteful and selective visual changes, Pedro and Efraon have certainly succeeded in maintaining a “factory” feel. What really drives the point home though is the paint—a CRD twist on the classic “Smoke Silver TT” scheme of the earlier R90S, with some patina left on the engine for good measure.

Now that it’s complete, CRD #49 is headed to its new home in Barcelona. With great proportions, stunning looks and improved handling, don’t you wish it was headed to your garage instead?

Images by Enrique Pacheco. Check out earlier builds on the Cafe Racer Dreams website, and follow CRD’s news via their Facebook page.

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