Chappell Customs “Cafe 33″

Chappell Customs is run by brothers Chris – based out of LA in the US, and Rob – based out of Ontario in Canada, where, despite being 3000 miles apart, they somehow conspire to co-build some stunning customs, including this gold and metallic grey 1982 Yahama xs650, which you’ll probably have seen already on sites like BikeEXIF.

The donor xs650 started out as a rolling chassis with odd wheels and pile of parts. Chris kept the engine and frame but pretty much everything else was removed and either rebuilt or binned.

The bike had been rattle-can sprayed so she needed to be stripped right back to the bare metal, and the engine was refurbished with honed cylinders, new rings, seals, gaskets and filters.

The forks were rebuilt with progressive springs, which offer a smooth ride on rough streets but firm up for harder riding – a great option for customs like these, although a little harder to set up.

A new frame loop was welded-on to accommodate the cafe seat, the wiring loom was remade with new lights and turn signals with a light weight lithium-ion battery, while new hand controls link to higher performance brakes for modern stopping power, and a digital speedo takes care of keeping the rider informed whenever unreasonable speed limits appear on the twisties.

You may have spotted that the tank isn’t original, but this was intentional as Chris and Rob wanted the bike to carry more fuel, so they lifted a tank from an xs750. It’s a nice practical touch on a bike made to be ridden as well giving the bike a more muscular appearance than the donor bike.

Other performance upgrades include gas powered rear shocks, aftermarket carbs, an RK chain – in other words, the bike has been completely sorted to make sure it’s a clean and tidy ride that delivers whatever the rider will ask of it.  Job done.

Chris & Rob look righteously pleased with themselves.

 See more from Chappell Customs HERE

1984 Yamaha SR400 - Zoku Motorcycles

By guest writer Ian Lee.
Here at Pipeburn we have a soft spot for thumpers. The thud-thud-thud of a single cylinder is music to the ears… and when wrapped in a custom motorcycle, it is even better. Based in Sydney, Australia, Zoku Motorcycles are also fond of single cylinder power – especially in the form of the legendary Yamaha SR. These bikes make for an easy starting point for custom builds, easy for any novice to try it, as the boys from Zoku found out when commencing the build. But it was worth it in the end, as they have produced a great build, with that thumping sound to boot. 

The feature bike had already been customised before it rolled into the Zoku workshop, the finish best being described as ‘wonky'. Getting to work, the rear end was taken to with a angle grinder and a short fender fitted, flanked by mini indicators. Ditching a double seat setup, the single seat was fitted and the battery box/air box removed from the frame. The original SR fuel tank was retained, although mucho thought was put into it’s look. The tank was taken back to bare metal, masked, powder coated and then sanded by hand to achieve a nice balance between the bare metal and the powder.

Chancing upon a set of Daytona shocks in a box of old parts, they were put to use on the tail end of the bike. The handle bars have been replaced by clip ons, hand wrapped in leather to match the seat. The front end has been lowered slightly, and is now packing Brembo braking power. Firestones are the tire of choice on this build, 4 inch wide at the front, slightly wider at the rear at 4.5 inches. A set of black rims, laced with stainless spokes round out the rolling stock nicely.

The engine has gained a coat of black engine enamel during the process, the exhaust ceramic coated and the header shortened. White heat wrap was added to the header to finish off the look the owner was after. 

Zoku has taken a ‘wonky’ SR400 and put their special touches on it, creating a bike that looks as good as it sounds. It’s low slung stance, fat rubber and awesome finish on the tank all work together to produce a bobber style look. On the other hand, the clip-ons, pipewrap and removal of the airbox/battery from the frame all give it a sort of café racer aesthetic. But ultimately Zuku made the right choice in bike, because on top of all the customisation the icing on the cake would have to be the distinctive note of the single cylinder. Thud-thud-thud. 


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2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible spotted

Chevrolet has released the first two official images with the car.

This is the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible as posted on Carfanatic's Instagram account.

At the beginning of last month Chevroletteased the convertible version of the Stingray, ahead of an official unveiling programmed for March 5 in Geneva. Now, we take a look at the open top Corvette while it's being rolled down a ramp.

Too bad for the car cover as we don't get to see the car's details, but so far it looks good. We'll just have to wait a couple of days until it will be revealed. The first car will be auctioned in April at Barrett-Jackson, with the money going to the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Power is likely to come from the same 6.2-liter V8 engine with about 450 hp (336 kW) and 609 Nm (450 lb-ft) of torque. It should be slightly slower than the coupe which can do 0-62 mph in less than four seconds.

Source: Carfanatics (Instagram) via WORLDCARFANS

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