The former airplane and boat builder's artistic take on custom motorcycle design
With a background in building airplanes, boats and even custom furniture, Max Hazan has an endless list of references to pull inspiration and ideas from. Through this varied experience Hazan has found motorcycles to be his be all and end all in terms of artistic medium. Using a range of materials, Hazan's custom designs achieve a beautiful balance between mechanical art and functional machine. A stunning example of which is his recently completed 1996 Royal Endfield Bullet 500. Rarely seen outside of India, the Royal Enfield is a rare find in the first place. And this one has been custom built from the ground up—from frame to every single lever and linkage—over a span of two solid months. It's something really special. While each detail is impeccable, nothing demands the attention quite like the solid wood seat. Referencing boat and furniture building techniques, the hardwood seat acts as both a beautiful place to sit as well as a rear fender, embodying the functional sculpture concept. For more insight into Hazan's design inspiration and execution, as well as a closer look at his 1996 Royal Enfield Bullet 500, see Hazan's recent interview with industrial designer Dave Mucci for his motorcycle and design blog Moto-Mucci. Images courtesy of David Hans Cooke and David Browning
A Royal Enfield featured in newspaper's "Shock Issue."
The Royal Enfield motorcycle roaring out of the front page of Britain's Daily Mirror on Feb. 9, 1961 helped plant in the public mind the image of leather clad demons risking their lives — and yours — on the open road.
"Suicide Club! — it devours 130,000 members every year!" the headline shouted.
"The paper focused on the Ace Cafe in particular and featured some of the regular visitors," author Alastair Walker wrote in his book "The Cafe Racer Phenomenon."
In 1964, the British movie "The Leather Boys" followed the Daily Mirror line. Again shot largely at the Ace Cafe on London's North Circular Road, the movie depicted motorcycle racing that started right out of the parking lot.
News coverage of Mods and Rockers chasing one another around British seaside resorts in 1964 connected the dots for a worldwide audience. I saw the Mods and Rockers go at it on the television in my house at the time, and I lived in Los Angeles!
The Suicide Club Royal Enfield still frequents the Ace Cafe. Francois Thomas photographed it there and posted a photo of the bike with the Ace's Mark Wilsmore on Flickr.
Royal Enfield Constellation WUL 798, proudly on display at the Ace Cafe.
Wilsmore identified it to him as the very same motorcycle shown in the newspaper, and it still bears the pedestrian slicer WUL 798, as in the paper. The 700cc twin-cylinder Constellation is rusty now, but easy to imagine in its days of glory.
I photographed the motorcycle at the Ace myself while in London in September to see the new Royal Enfield Continental GT.
Cafe racers old and new, they make a nice pair.
The Suicide Club Constellation with the new Royal Enfield Continental GT.
There are little hidden treasures of automotive culture wherever you look in Japan. Sometimes they’re right in front of your eyes and you don’t even notice them. This Citroën H Van is a good example; I must have probably seen this van three times, if not more, sitting outside either the Liberty Walk shop or the LB Works garage.
With so many crazy widebody exotics and Kato’s kyusha rides sitting around the place, the little van was something my brain just didn’t acknowledge. It happens, trust me. But then, after seeing it sitting in the back of some of my shots, I made a mental note that next time I would be back down in Nagoya, I would at least have to do a little spotlight on it.
You can probably call these H Vans the French version of the VW Kombi; I know it’s a rather loose comparison, but you get what I’m saying. They’re a little bit bigger, were mainly built for commercial use and didn’t even come close to matching the popularity of the rear-engine Vee-Dubs. But it’s precisely this that makes Liberty’s H Van so special: its rarity. You hardly see these things in Europe, let alone in Japan, and this one has been given the Kato touch with a full flat-green coat of paint, air suspension and wire mesh wheels that look like they came off Snoop Dogg’s Coupe de Ville!
The story behind the van is pretty simple: it was once used by a mobile food vendor and once up for sale, Kato-san came across it and bought it straight away seeing the potential in it. Once customized, it was used a few times at Liberty Walk events and meets, as it’s great for carrying stuff around in style. Unfortunately, with all the projects Kato has been up to these last couple of years, the Citroën hauler has been left sitting in front of the LB Works workshop awaiting its much needed overhaul to bring it back up to usable condition.
I just find these sort of vehicles to be little glimpses of a bygone area, when vehicles were put together with so much simplicity and curious touches. Like a lot of cars back in the days, the H Van is equipped with suicide doors, which actually make it so easy to swing your body into the driver’s seat.
Check out the door handles. If they were all polished up, they wouldn’t look out of place in a period home and those hinges as are agricultural as they come. It’s these small details that help give these older vehicles character, and there are plenty more to be found in the interior.
The H Van was a little part-borrowing exercise, so most of what you see in there was taken from other Citroën production cars like the Traction Avant – things that included its engine and transmission. The engine sits right in between the passengers and drives the front wheels. The air suspension controls are laid out on the passenger side of the dashboard and lift only the front wheels; the rear just sits plain low.
The rear opens up with a main gate that swings upwards and a pair of little doors below it – perfect for what the van was used for in one of its previous lives! In fact it still has a ventilation opening next to the high-mount French number plate. For the time being, it’s doubled up as a little storage unit, most of the cargo space taken up with a variety of things from old tyres to boxes and spare parts.
The corrugated panels are what really make the H Van instantly recognizable, a then easy and cheap way to make a flat sheet of metal more rigid without added strengthening. It’s probably the last vehicle you would expect to find in Japan, or at Liberty Walk for that matter, but its charm and potential were obviously too much for Kato-san to resist. Let’s hope it’s put back on the road soon; it’s already got the overfenders and the right sort of stance so it can really wear the LB Works name with pride!
To photograph a current record-holder at the Nordschleife is a rare opportunity. Stefan Bogner had two in front of the lens: the new Porsche 918 Spyder and Stefan Bellof’s Porsche 956, for 30 years an unbeaten record-holder at the ‘Green Hell’…
The lap time that Stefan Bellof set in the Porsche 956 on 28 May 1983 is unbeaten to this day.
It’s hard to believe, but the lap time that Stefan Bellof set on 28 May 1983, in the Porsche 956, is unbeaten to this day: 6 minutes and 11.13 seconds. Neither the driver nor the team had expected to achieve this incredible result, in qualifying for the 1,000km race. But the phenomenal Group C racing car with its 630HP six-cylinder turbo boxer engine, and a racing weight of just 850kg, managed the near-impossible – even the average speed of more than 200km/h is still regarded as the fastest ever measured on the Nordschleife. No wonder: the Porsche 956 and its evolution version, the Porsche 962, are arguably the greatest endurance prototypes in history.
Meet the legends
You don’t come across such legends every day – and certainly not at the place of their greatest victory. The Munich-based photographer and creator of ‘Curves’ magazine Stefan Bogner was at the Nürburgring when, shortly before sunset, he came across the Rothmans-liveried 956 in the paddock. An English collector rebuilt the record-breaking car, chassis number 007, for Bellof’s former teammate, Derek Bell, to drive at the Avd Oldtimer Grand Prix in the summer of 2013 – the 30th anniversary of setting the lap record. And now it's back there. Having seen the car in the paddock, Bogner convinced the owner to bring the Porsche back to the track next morning for his photoshoot – with none other than Hans-Joachim Stuck at the wheel.
But Bogner has another ace up his sleeve: the Porsche 918 Spyder. On 4 September 2013, Porsche works driver Marc Lieb recorded a lap time in the hybrid supercar of just under seven minutes – which enabled the 918 to hold the title of ‘fastest production sports car’. The record car in Martini livery is also at the Ring, and joins the 956 on track. The asphalt is wet from the rain, the fog hangs low in the woods, but the sun occasionally breaks through. Bogner is enthusiastic about the unearthly atmosphere of the ‘Green Hell’, hanging out of the camera car to capture the very special moment.
An unforgettable moment
In companionable harmony, the two record-breaking cars – the legend of 1983 and the world-leading sports car of 2013 – peacefully enjoy a joint victory lap on the Ring. But the spectacle is soon over: by 8:30, the Porsche duo is back in the paddock, the fog has lifted and the sun dries the asphalt – free to welcome the next challenger for the Nordschleife lap record.
Stefan Bogner’s new work, ‘Tracks – Nürburgring Nordschleife’, is a veritable bible for the ‘Green Hell’. The book is published by Delius Klasing and includes impressive photographs of the track, detailed elevation profiles and overviews of each section, and a foreword by Hans-Joachim Stuck. More information at www.delius-klasing.de.
Staghead Moto is a collaboration between John Christenson and Nick Huber to document the craft and scene of fine vintage motorcycles. We seek to promote the lifestyle around vintage motorcycles through art, blogging, riding and modifying vintage bikes. In 2013 Staghead Moto founded and sponsored the traveling art expo 'Oil&Ink Motorbike Print Expo' with pop up galleries in NYC, Minneapolis, Los Angeles and at the Moto GP in Austin Texas. Into the Great Wide Open from Staghead Moto on Vimeo.
Harley-Davidson is synonymous with heavyweight V-twins and burly Hells Angels, while few are aware of the successful road-racing outfit the company ran in the Seventies. This 1974 RR350 is a stunning example from the lesser-known back-catalogue of the legendary American firm…
Around 25 RR350s were built over a three-year period (1974, '5 and '6) at the firm’s Varese factory in Italy, acquired following the full takeover of Aermacchi, the ailing Italian aircraft/motorcycle manufacturer. They were built for one thing and one thing only: road racing, incorporating what were then high-tech features, such as double-disc front brakes and a six-speed transmission.
On top of the world
In this case, the old adage of ‘if it looks quick, it probably is’ couldn’t have been truer – the RR350 won Harley-Davidson the 1976 350cc Grand Prix World Championship. Walter Villa, the unassuming yet ruthless Italian, won four races that season to seal the title, while also contesting (and winning) the 250cc formula series aboard a similar, if less powerful, Harley. Despite this particular bike’s lack of precise competition history, it’s in fantastic condition, having benefitted from a restoration some years back.
These stunning photos were captured by US-based photographer Nick Keating, whose father incidentally owned and sold the RR350 pictured, among several other classics sold through his business, the Keating Wheel Company. The next time you see a lumbering Harley-Davidson, spare a thought for the dainty Italian thoroughbreds that once ruled the world.
UAE hopes in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge next month will again be pinned on Yahya Al Helei, who is seeded tenth and will be looking to add to his impressive list of finishes in the event.
Al Helei’s son, Mansour, drives one of 12 Nissan Patrols entered, as do fellow Emiratis Nabil Al Shamsi, Nooh Buhamid, Matar Al Mansoori and Ali Al Kitbi, Lebanon’s Emil Khneisser, and Saudi’s Ibrahim Al Muhana.
Fresh from his success in the inaugural UAE Desert Championship which saw him clinch the overall cars and buggies class, Emirati Ahmad Al Fahim competes in a Powertec Storm buggy built in Dubai.
Spain’s Nani Roma will defend his drivers’ title as fellow-countryman Marc Coma chases a record eighth bikes victory in the event.
This year’s two Dakar Rally winners are in a line-up of 108 competitors from 32 countries announced today by the rally organisers, the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE.
With the 24th edition of the Desert Challenge also forming the opening round of this year’s FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship for bikes, Coma tops the list of 61 seeded riders from 22 countries.
Among his biggest rivals will be new KTM team-mate Sam Sunderland, the talented young Dubai-based rider.
Sunderland was on course for a superb Desert Challenge victory last year before a time penalty collected for a basic technical infringement dropped him to third.
“We’re very happy with the size and quality of entries, and we have all the ingredients of a classic event,” said ATCUAE President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the FIA Vice President.
“Whether it’s their first Desert Challenge or they’ve been here many times before, all competitors face a big test. It doesn’t matter how many times you do this event, you have to prepare thoroughly and have maximum concentration from start to finish.”
Taking place under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge begins with a super special spectator stage on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, on 5 April.
The legendary BMW boxer engine, rugged dirt tyres, high wide bars and a roll full of tools, just in case. Everything you could need to fulfil a compulsive wanderlust. Hit the road and let the ride unwind an adventure.
This BMW R80 RT was built in its Bavarian homeland by hobby mechanic Christian, it requited a long standing dream of his to craft this very machine. It was his first build, and the finished article is just reward for his long lonely winter spent working in the basement of his home.
Christian found the donor bike via an internet classified ad, after parting with a reasonable 1700 Euros he set to work transferring his ideas onto the metal. The bike he had purchased was a 1987 model, (type 247 for you boxer geeks) that delivers 50 bhp from its 785 cc capacity.
The mill was given a thorough overhaul by Fa. Langwieder in Neukirchen to ensure Christians graft would grace a thoroughly solid machine and that the intriguingly mounted tool roll would be more for its visual impact than its contents. The engine was then glass beed blasted to an as new finish, the rocker covers and front engine section powder coated in gloss black for contrast.
The colour scheme barely garnered a second thought from Christian, “Matte black and brown leather was the only choice for this bike. it should be angry.” Angry yes, yet undeniably classy. That giant blackboard of a tank eagerly awaits some temporary chalk scrawled directions to dictate the course of a ride.
High bars with topple unfriendly bar end indicators and reassuring mirrors are kept clean and simple with the Motogadget speedometer classically mounted in the headlight binnacle. The un-fussy matte black powder coating extends to all of the running gear including the perpetually lovely snowflake wheels. A new stainless steel exhaust system was fitted, with chrome silencers completing the colour and texture palette.
So far so Scrambler, but the seat and tail section diversify the look, seemingly more destined for a cafe style build. But the unit works elegantly with the unobtrusive rear frame which was reduced to the bare minimum required for structural rigidity. The brown leather upholstery adds a drawing room plushness to the build and compliments the aforementioned tool storage.
If you must, you could tag it as a Scramble Cafe, or if like us categorising and pigeon holes bore you, you could simply declare it for what it is; A great looking motorcycle.
Great work Christian. Enjoy the ride. For more details check out Christians page
The objective of this film is to illustrate the atmosphere & conditions surrounding El Solitario's creative ground, our inspirational provenance. Like our native Galicia, what we forge in our workshop is wild, rugged, thrilling, often beautiful, some times creepy... but always uncompromising. El Solitario, started life in 2010 and is very much a reverberation of its founders, friends, lifestyles and influences. This is exactly what we have tried to reveal in this picture by capturing on film, a day in the life of El Solitario; the workshop; the nature & paths around it; our technique, the permeating rain; and the deep understanding and application of the laws of causality and sustainability.
El Solitario motorcycles are not intended to seek for beauty, content or practicality, as these are attributes that dominate today's spectrum and therefore do not interest us. Our machines are mere autobiographical exercises that depict an instant capture of the vital journey in which we are immersed in, as we strive to reveal the essence of the motorized two wheeled artifact. We seek for those attributes that make a bike stand out in contemporary society's imaginary & not on the open roads. Those qualities, in the old days, easily identifiable in every motorcycle, have today been lost and it is for their recovery & exaltation that we work for. But what are we talking about here? Simple: The traits of speed, traction, power, character, personality, respect, fear, danger… Embracing these attributes, we quest to create an impact on the observer and this does not necessary mean to please their eyes with easy indulgent proposals. We know a lot more now than when we started this long journey and our motorcycles are getting closer to our ideal. At first we followed the rules as we didn't know better, but slowly these wild side became present and more & more dominant in our agenda, only limited by the necessity of our art to be rideable, and rideable hard. We do not produce show bikes as we despise that genre, understanding that it is a shame to spend countless hours constructing, a supposedly liberating instrument like a motorcycle is, for the sole purpose of looking at it. Enjoy the conception of Impostor and beware of your dreams as they might become true!@# El Solitario would like to special thank: BMW Motorrad for their bravery & support providing us with the freedom to express ourselves around their fabulous BMW R9T Pepe Caruso for the amazing art on Impostor's tank and the titles on this film (facebook.com/TraineeHandmade) Apenino (Marco Maril) for the great original soundtrack and sound map of our workshop (apenino.net) Our beautiful animals that protect us & in some cases give their lives to create more life Those journalists and narrow minds that thought we had sold our souls when we joined forces with BMW
For a workshop you’ve probably never heard of, Halls Custom Vintage is pretty famous. Jake and Rob Hall are the go-to guys for British bike enthusiasts in the States, and they usually have five machines up on their lifts at any one time.
Most of these bikes will be restoration jobs, or build-ups for vintage motorsport. But the Halls also build the occasional custom in their North Carolina shop, like this immaculate old school bobber. It’s a 1970 Triumph TR6 assembled using parts mostly from the 1960s and 70s, with only the electrics giving the game away.
Jake could completely rebuild a British motorcycle while still in 9th grade, and the build sheet is instant proof that the Halls know their stuff. The 650cc motor has been blueprinted for high performance and reliability, with new .040 pistons, bearings, a resurfaced cylinder head and a three-angle valve grind job. The carb is an Amal 932 currently jetted for an altitude of 2,200 feet. The exhaust system comes from another company renowned for its skill and craftsmanship, Factory Metal Works, and was nickel-plated locally.
After blasting the front loop of the frame and mating it to a bolt-on hardtail, the whole shebang was powder coated and fitted with a genuine Wassell tank, painted by Glenn Mann in the style of a 1950s T100 flat tracker. Up ahead are solid 7/8 bars hooked up to a TR6c upper triple clamp, with tapered bearings keeping the steering smooth.
The stock 19” front wheel is fitted with Dunlop K70 rubber, and out back is a 16” shod with a vintage Carlisle tire. There’s no battery, thanks to a Boyer Power Box and a Pazon ignition system, but the bike starts first kick when warm. And who wouldn’t want to fire this old school bobber up on a sunny Saturday morning?
For more about Jake and Rob Hall, check out this fascinating profile in Capital at Playmagazine.
The all-new 2015 Subaru WRX STI is “Uncovered. Unleashed. Unleaded.” in its starring role in ‘The Ride of Her Life’.
DoubleURXXX Productions Presents The Ride of Her Life Official Trailer (2014) starring Bucky Lasek, Michael Wiles, Kayslee Collins, Jenette Goldstein, Eddie Rice, Jr. and a Subaru WRX STI.
The following preview has been approved for all audiences by crankandpiston.com
When you’ve been building custom Vespa’s for most of your life and you decide you want to build something with a bit more power, then a 1953 Triumph 500 hardtail is a pretty good place to start. Built by Marcus Offergeld and Martien Delfgaauw of the relatively new Berham Customs based in Berlin and Hamburg. “I’ve always ridden, raced, tuned and customized Vespa’s” says Martien. “It’s not what you work on, but rather how. Because for a great result you need to be driven by the joy of doing, rather than wishing to finish.”
After happening upon an “ugly looking and pretty run down” 80s chopper with raked front forks, the boys from Berham could see potential not in the bike itself, but certain aspects of it. Most importantly, the Triumph 500cc pre-unit powerplant had the 1957 Triumph race kit with the splayed port aluminium cylinder head kit. A good base for a build, the bike was given the Berham treatment.
The bike was parked up in the workshop and the garish 80s custom job undone. The forks, wheels, tank and seat were removed and put to the side. To replace the long rake front fork setup, a set of Vincent style girder forks were fitted to the front end, and the front drum cover given the Swiss cheese treatment.
To keep with the low flowing lines of the bike in it’s new guise, a frame hugging exhaust system was manufactured and a seat built in house by Berham to keep the riding position low. An American Bonneville tank has been used – the US spec tank being narrower than the Euro spec for the same model. The rare primary cover for the motor didn’t escape customisation either, as the Berham crew “aren’t that much into keeping things in original condition.”
From an overdone custom chopper to a tasteful bobber, Berham Customs were able to see past the garish mods and see the potential underneath. With only a few motorcycle builds under their belt, this small German workshop have created one clean and understated hardtail Triumph. Since finishing this project Martien has already received many requests from potential customers who want him to build them a bike – which is always a good sign.
With a background in building airplanes, boats and even custom furniture, Max Hazan has an endless list of references to pull inspiration and ideas from. Through this varied experience Hazan has found motorcycles to be his be all and end all in terms of artistic medium. Using a range of materials, Hazan's custom designs achieve a beautiful balance between mechanical art and functional machine. A stunning example of which is his recently completed 1996 Royal Endfield Bullet 500. 
Rarely seen outside of India, the Royal Enfield is a rare find in the first place. And this one has been custom built from the ground up—from frame to every single lever and linkage—over a span of two solid months. It's something really special. While each detail is impeccable, nothing demands the attention quite like the solid wood seat. Referencing boat and furniture building techniques, the hardwood seat acts as both a beautiful place to sit as well as a rear fender, embodying the functional sculpture concept.
For more insight into Hazan's design inspiration and execution, as well as a closer look at his 1996 Royal Enfield Bullet 500, see Hazan's recent interview with industrial designer Dave Mucci for his motorcycle and design blog Moto-Mucci. 
