WHITE COLLAR

So this time last week over 5000 of Bike Shed’s Facebook followers clicked the, I really frickin appreciate that man’s skills button when we posted the White Collar Bike Thruxton. Whether to everyone’s particular aesthetic taste or not was largely irrelevant as even the most vehement of haters had to appreciate the astonishing craftsmanship on display. This bloke isn’t Roland Sands but a normal dude (We’re not saying Roland isn’t normal BTW) with a small design business and passion for bikes. So, in a polar opposite to the CNC billet-fest that was the Thruxton, here is Ram from White Collar Bikes and the Barracuda, wartime aviation style with old school rivets and hand-beaten panels.

Actually, that’s a slight fib, of course there’s a load of high-end machining work mixed in with the rawness.

Ram’s buddy Cefi Duff, AKA Duff Rider, is the founder of Cafe Racer Indonesia and frequent visitor to the White Collar workshop. Cefi was completely fed up with his incontinent 1993 Honda CB 750 Night Hawk that had been customised by a local outfit. Oil leaked out of the bottom and smoke poured out of the back, some of his mates ribbed him for not only riding an fugly bike, but the only 2 stroke CB750 they’d seen. The mechanical embarrassment was deposited at Ram’s place with a brief of “Do what ever you want with it”.

Ram duly posted back the parts that were not required; which was everything bar the engine and badly twisted and bodged frame. Having spent a small fortune already Cefi’s heart sank, deep down into the bottom of the money pit this bike had become. After a few 3D renders though things started to look up and this jet fighter racer build could begin.

3mm aluminium sheet sections were hand cut, formed and riveted together; including the fuel tank, which required a couple of layers to ensure Cefi didn’t end up with another leaking machine. The finish is care of gentle sanding to the sharp edges and the rest left raw and slightly scratched up, before hand painting the jaws onto the tank. To me the result looks somewhere between a Mig 15 fighter and a WW2 Mustang, and I’d happily fly either of those.

After the old fashioned panel beating Ram couldn’t help himself and got back to the CAD station to knock up some drawings for a host of billet parts. The swingarm is one of them, made from thick walled tube with machined mountings. Showa forks from a Ducati are clamped by custom yokes, which in turn have custom clip ons clamped to them and a custom throttle clamped to those and finally custom grips clamped to that. Foot pegs are GSXR and the hydraulic clutch conversion is aftermarket, phew, something us mere mortals can cope with.

Wheels are Kawasaki Z1300, powder coated black and rolling on Bridgestone Battlaxs. Up front radial callipers are by Brembo and a Nissin at the rear. The exhaust is in an in-house effort with a Gattling gun style end baffle and a riveted heat shield. Velocity stacks are of course machined from solid.
The stop light looks like an jet’s afterburner and sums up this build. Serious engineering and stunning craftsmanship but with a fun and creative edge. I’m all for that approach, but wish I had the skill to amalgamate the two with this level of finish.

Keep an eye on what Ram is up to on his Facebook page or just pop back to The Shed as we’re sure to be featuring the next build very soon.

via The Bike Shed

1989 Honda NX650 Dominator Flat Tracker

Written by Martin Hodgson.

When you think of a dual-sport motorcycle, the first things that comes to mind are the Dakar rally bikes and more recently the BMW GS series ridden by actor’s Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman used on their world famous rides around the globe. What doesn’t come to mind is a handcrafted, urban assault style, custom brawler straight out of a small village in Normandy, France. But that is exactly what builder Simon Garcia has created, taking a Honda NX650 Dominator and making it his own.

Having worked for Honda in the past it made sense for Simon to select a bike from their stable from which to fashion his custom creation. Leaving aside the usual selection of CB’s, he sourced himself a 1989 NX650 Dominator with only one small problem, it had been sitting for 13 years after the engine had suffered catastrophic failure. The 650cc single was torn down and rebuilt with no stone left unturned, new crank, new piston, valves, and cylinder head. Just to make sure nothing was left to chance Simon also  rewired the entire bike.

With it now running like it should, Simon’s dislike of plastics and the factory lines took over and anything that would normally be seen on a dual-sport was sent to motorcycle heaven. Looking for a fuel tank, Simon jumped on Ebay and across the Channel in the UK he found a one owner – two large dings included – XT500 aluminium tank.  Putting his metal work skills to the test he first took care of the damage that wouldn’t be hidden by paint and then modified the tank to fit the Honda frame.

Knowing the look he wanted and with a self-confessed “overactive imagination” Simon was adamant the rear end was not to his liking. Wanting the classic look he set about design and building a rear sub-frame that looked the part and would hold a more traditional looking twin shock rear. But that imagination had to be satisfied, so no less than 11 different rear frames were fabricated and removed before Simon was completely happy with his handiwork.

To match the new rear end, the front forks have been modified to lower the overall ride height and improve the handling. While Excel rims greatly reduce the unsprung weight and wrapped in Dunlop K180’s sourced from the USA ensure the NX is glued to the road. Renthal bars now control the Dunlop rubber, with new switch blocks and a small single headlight fitted to light the way home.  Simon custom made the stainless steel exhaust system from scratch and topped it off with a first class Akrapovic pipe that once called a Hornet 600 home.

Now requiring somewhere to sit Simon reworked the custom pan and even utilised the original seat foam, cutting, sanding and shaping till he had achieved the desired look. The genuine cow hide leather sewn over the foam by a professional saddler remains the only work not carried out on the bike by Simon himself. To finish the look before final assembly took place the frame was coated in anthracite grey satin and the tank given the three colour Honda RC30 treatment.

Simon now calls Sydney, Australia home and the bike was finished just 3 hours before he left France while the photos were taken the night he boarded a flight to start his new life Down Under. Now firmly entrenched in the Australian way of life, Simon is determined to build more bikes that reflect his new laid back outlook on life, but never forgetting the elegant vintage spirit that first inspired him. It’s fair to say his exceptional custom Honda NX650 is a testament to both old and new – Oh oui, c’est parfait!

[Photography by Frédéric Rombaut]

via PIPEBURN

OLD DELHI MOTORCYCLES

© Manav Parhawk 2013

SuperMoto : la course au titre se poursuit en Estonie / the title chase continues in Estonia

Le championnat du monde SuperMoto FIM a rendez-vous ce week-end en Estonie sur les bords du Golf de Finlande pour l’avant-dernière épreuve de la saison.

C’est à Tabasalu, à 20 kilomètres de la capitale estonienne Tallinn, que se déroulera la sixième et avant-dernière épreuve du championnat du monde SuperMoto.

Leader du classement général avec 225 points en totalisant cinq victoires en 10 courses, Mauno Hermunen (SHR - TM – Michelin) tentera de conserver son avance avant d’aborder la dernière épreuve dans trois semaines en Italie.

Mais avec seulement quatre points de retard, Thomas Chareyre Chareyre (TM Racing Factory – Michelin), victorieux à quatre reprises cette saison, visera la victoire sur les deux manches pour reprendre les commandes du championnat et s’assurer d’un troisième titre de champion du monde dans trois semaines.

La bataille pour la troisième place s’annonce toute aussi passionnante entre Ivan Lazzarini (L30 Racing – Honda), auteur de sa première victoire lors de la précédente manche en Italie, et Adrien Chareyre (Aprilia Fast Wheels – Michelin). Seulement 10 points séparent les deux pilotes.

A noter la participation de deux pilotes locaux, Prants et Patrick Pals (TM), qui évolueront à domicile.

The FIM SuperMoto World Championship travels to Estonia and the Gulf of Finland coast for this year’s penultimate round.

Round six of the seven-round series will be based in Tabasalu, 20km from the country’s capital Tallinn.

Mauno Hermunen (225 points) tops the provisional standings with a score of five wins from 10 and the SHR-TM-Michelin rider will be out to comfort his lead ahead of the finale in three weeks’ time in Italy.

With four victories and 221 points to his name, Thomas Chareyre (TM Racing Factory-Michelin) will also be keen to win the weekend’s two heats to recover the championship lead and boost his chances of a third world title.

The battle for this season’s bronze medal is just as close, since only 10 points split Ivan Lazzarini (L30 Racing-Honda), who claimed his first win at the previous round in Italy, and Adrien Chareyre (Aprilia Fast Wheels-Michelin).

This weekend will also see locals Prants and Patrick Pals (TM) contest their home event.

24 Heures Moto : Renaud Lavillenie de retour en piste / Renaud Lavillenie on field AND track!

Renaud Lavillenie a mis de côté perche et pointes pour participer mardi et mercredi aux essais préparatoires des 24 Heures Moto, finale du championnat du monde d’Endurance (EWC) les 20 et 21 septembre prochains.

Entre deux meetings, Renaud Lavillenie s’est accordé une petite parenthèse de deux jours pour assouvir sa passion pour la moto et se préparer pour sa deuxième participation aux 24 Heures Moto.

Après plus de six mois sans roulage, la première journée a été un peu difficile pour le triple champion d’Europe de saut à la perche. « J’ai dû reprendre mes repères, ne pas m’enflammer et rouler sous la pluie pour une reprise ce n’était pas le top. La seconde journée fut nettement meilleure car j’ai tout de suite retrouvé sensiblement mes chronos et le rythme que j’avais en début de course l’an dernier. Globalement, ces essais se sont bien passés. »

Sa saison de perche n’étant pas encore close, Renaud s’est gardé une grosse marge pour ne pas partir à la faute. Il s’est concentré sur la prise de repères au niveau du tracé, de la moto, des réglages et des pneumatiques.

Renaud sera de nouveau associé à Stéphane Mézard et David Dumain au sein de l’équipe AZ Motos-April. « Nous avons pu valider les pneus  pluie avec la configuration de la moto, ce qui est une bonne chose au cas où la pluie s’inviterait. Sur le sec, notre moto est plutôt bien réglée et relativement facile à rouler. Nous avons juste travaillé à peine sur certains ajustements pour avoir une moto maniable. »

Comme en 2013, l’équipe s’est fixée comme premier objectif de franchir la ligne d’arrivée et en fonction des conditions de course tenter d’accrocher un Top 20. L’an dernier, le team s’était classé 25^ème.

Renaud est impatient de replonger dans le grand bain des 24 Heures Moto mais il doit, auparavant, enchaîner trois meetings de saut à la perche (Décanation à Angers samedi 30 août, finale de la Diamond League à Bruxelles le 5 septembre et la Coupe Continentale les 13 et 14 septembre à Marrakech). Ensuite, direction Le Mans !

Pole-vaulter Renaud Lavillenie traded his shorts and running spikes for a crash helmet and leathers when he attended the pre-Le Mans test on Tuesday and Wednesday ahead of the final round of the 2014 Endurance World Championship (September 20-21).

Renaud Lavillenie took time off between two athletics meetings to indulge his passion for motorcycle racing and prepare his second attempt at the 24 Heures Moto at Le Mans earlier this week.

After lay-off of more than six months, the three-time European pole-vaulting champion found the first day of testing quite taxing. “I had to take my time and find my marks, especially as it was raining, so it wasn’t ideal. The second day was far better and I got quite close to the times I posted early on during last year’s race. The test went well overall.”

Renaud’s pole-vaulting season is not yet over so he dialled in a safety margin to make sure he didn’t make any mistakes. Instead, he focused on year familiarising himself with the track again, as well as with his bike, set-up and tyres.

The Frenchman will team up once more with Stéphane Mézard and David Dumain at AZ Motos-April. “We signed off the set-up on wet weather tyres which is obviously good if it rains. If it doesn’t, our bike is pretty competitive and easy to ride in the dry. We simply made a few adjustments to make it a bit more nimble.”

As in 2013, the team chiefly wants to reach the end and, if the conditions permit, finish in the top 20. Last year, we were 25^th.

Renaud is now looking forward to the race but, before returning to Le Mans, he has three athletics meetings to come: in Angers, France (Saturday, August 30), Brussels (Diamond League final, September 5) and Marrakech, Morocco (Continental Cup, September 13-14)!

Mobilgaz

MotoGP ; Márquez retrouve les sommets à Silverstone / Marquez on top again in Friday practice

Marc Márquez a survolé les essais libres de vendredi au Grand Prix Hertz de Grande-Bretagne et fini avec plus d’une demi-seconde d’avance sur Stefan Bradl et Andrea Dovizioso.

Après avoir été battu pour la première fois de l’année au GP de République Tchèque, Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) était de retour en première position vendredi à Silverstone pour les deux premières séances d’essais du Grand Prix Hertz de Grande-Bretagne, qu’il a largement dominées. 

Le Champion du Monde en titre comptait plus d’une demi-seconde d’avance sur ses poursuivants à l’issue de chacune des deux séances d’essais et n’a donc laissé aucun doute planer quant à sa détermination à renouer avec la victoire.

Stefan Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) a conclu en seconde position, à 0.509s du leader, tandis que Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) s’est emparé de la troisième place au dernier moment, en battant de 0,059s le Britannique Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3), seul autre pilote à moins d’une seconde de Márquez et seul pilote sur YZR-M1 Factory dans le Top 10.

Sur gommes tendres, Yonny Hernández (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing), Scott Redding (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) et Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) se sont classés de la cinquième à la septième places, devant Álvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) et Áleix Espargaró (NGM Forward Racing). 

Onzième à 1.374s de Márquez, Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), vainqueur de l’épreuve devant son compatriote l’an dernier, cherchera à rattraper son retard samedi, à l’instar de Pol Espargaró (Monster Yamaha Tech3) et de Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP), qui a fini à 1.826s du meilleur temps. 

Cal Crutchlow (Ducati) était lui aussi en difficulté et a pris la quatorzième place, devant Alex de Angelis (NGM Forward Racing). 

Cliquez ici pour accéder aux résultats.

As the premier class riders enjoyed their second Friday practice session at the Hertz British Grand Prix, Marc Marquez was the top man, followed by Stefan Bradl and Andrea Dovizioso.

Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) was fastest in the morning session too with a 2’03.208 to lead by 0.661s and he improved in the afternoon to 2’02.126, again leading the practice by more than half a second. The World Champion has a point to prove this weekend at Silverstone having not won at Brno, his first race of the year which has not resulted in victory.

Bradl (LCR Honda MotoGP) showed his FP2 pace with a 2’02.635, whilst Dovizioso (Ducati Team) put in a late best time for third – lapping 0.885s behind Marquez.

Local rider Bradley Smith (Monster Yamaha Tech3) looked good in fourth and Yonny Hernandez (Energy T.I. Pramac Racing) impressed by making it into the top five. Likewise Scott Redding (GO&FUN Honda Gresini) was well up the timesheet in sixth place, striving to please the crowd at his home GP.

Italian Andrea Iannone (Pramac Racing) and Spanish trio Alvaro Bautista (GO&FUN Honda Gresini), Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) and Aleix Espargaro (NGM Forward Racing) rounded out the top ten.

Jorge Lorenzo (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) and Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) will aim to improve on Saturday after lapping 11^th and 13^th respectively, whilst Cal Crutchlow (Ducati Team) was down in 14^th. Lorenzo (+1.374s) and Rossi (+1.826s) were well off the pace of Marquez.

Leon Camier (Drive M7 Aspar) had a crash with five minutes to go in FP2 and ended up 17^thoverall.

For full MotoGP Friday times from Silverstone click here.

Le premier champion n’est plus…/ RIP: rallying’s first world champion

Le Suédois Björn Waldegard, premier Champion du monde des Rallyes FIA en 1979, est décédé à l’âge de 71 ans des suites d’une longue maladie.

Depuis son retrait du WRC en 1992, Björn était le « chasse-neige » officiel du Rallye de Suède. Cette année encore, il était au volant d’une VW ouvreuse, faisant la trace pour les pilotes WRC, des minots qui auraient pu être ses petits-enfants…

Aussi surprenant que cela puisse paraître, Björn Waldegard n’a pas construit son palmarès mondial uniquement dans la neige suédoise. Depuis 1973, il n’a d’ailleurs disputé que six Rallye de Suède et s’y est imposé deux fois. Non, c’est sur les pistes africaines – Safari Rally, Côte d’Ivoire – que le colosse suédois s’exprimait le mieux, au volant de Ford Escort, Mercedes-Benz et autres Toyota Celica…

Né à Rö, sur les rives du Golfe de Botnie, en 1943, Björn Waldegard a débuté en rallye en 1962 sur une Volkswagen 1200 avant de décrocher le titre national en 1967. Ses deux succès consécutifs au Rallye Monte-Carlo (1969, 1970) au volant d’une Porsche 911 S lui ont ouvert les portes d’une carrière mondiale riche de 95 épreuves, 16 victoires et d’un titre conquis en 1979, année de création du championnat Pilotes. A ce jour, il est le plus vieux pilote vainqueur d’un Rallye WRC (Safari Rally 1990 à 46 ans).

Björn Waldegard fut pilote officiel Fiat, Lancia, Ford et surtout Toyota pour lequel il a disputé 41 rallyes. Sa carrière s’est terminée au Safari Rally 1992 sur une Lancia Delta de l’équipe Martini Racing. Depuis, Björn brillait régulièrement sur les rallyes historiques, au volant de Porsche, Mercedes-Benz 500 SL ou encore Ferrari 308 GTB, des voitures « d’homme » ! Malgré sa maladie, il avait participé au Goodwood Festival of Speed en juin dernier.

Sweden’s Björn Waldegard, winner of the first ever FIA WRC Drivers’ crown in 1979, has passed away at the age of 71.

Since his retirement from the world championship in 1992, Björn has been the resident driver of the official ‘zero’ car for Rally Sweden and this year again he could be seen in a VW, serving as snow plough for competitors, some of whom were young enough to have been his grandchildren.

The Swede’s world class record wasn’t restricted to his home event. After the championship’s creation in 1973, he actually only contested the Swedish Rally six times, winning twice. It was in Africa, on events like the Safari Rally and the Côte d’Ivoire, that the gentle giant felt especially in his element, in cars as different as the Ford Escort, Mercedes and Toyota Celica…

Born in Rö, on the shore of the Bothnian Gulf, in 1943, Björn Waldegard made his competitive debut in 1962 driving a Volkswagen 1200. In 1967, he clinched the Swedish title, and Monte Carlo victories in 1969 and 1970 in a Porsche 911 S paved the way for a world championship career that included 95 starts, 16 wins and the inaugural Drivers’ title in 1979. He remains the oldest driver to have won a WRC rally: the 1990 Safari Rally, at the age of 46.

He drove for the Fiat, Lancia and Ford works teams, and also contested 41 rallies in the employment of Toyota. His last outing was the 1992 Safari in a Martini Racing Lancia Delta. Since then, he has been successful on the Historic scene, in Porsches, Mercedes 500 SLs and even a Ferrari 308 GTB… real men’s’ cars! In spite of his illness, he took part in last June’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Desafío Inca: German facturer battle - X-Raid Mini All4 vs SAM Mercedes CC.

The second edition of the DESAFIO INCA RALLY, third and last leg of the 2014 Dakar Series, will be a who's who of elite rally raids, with the leading specialists in each category going head-to-head in the Ica region from September 11 to 14.

Chief among them, the big winner of the 2014 Dakar, Spain's Nani Roma, driving his X-raid Mini All4 Racing. As he gears up for his title defence as the champion of the biggest marathonrally, exactly ten years after winning the rally on a motorcycle, the Catalan has chosen to test his Mini on the roughly 930 km long Desafío Inca.

The Mini driver will be on the hunt for another Dakar Series triumph to go with the Desafío Ruta 40 he won in 2013, when he also took part to prepare for the Dakar.

It will be a battle between German rallyraid manufacturers: Roma´s X-raid Mini (manufactured near Frankfurt) will come up against the stiff opposition of rivals such as Chile's "Team Tamarugal" and their sparkling-new German SAM Mercedes CC (manufatured near Leipzig), which have already proved their reliability and potential for several seasons with Germany's Matthias Kahle at the wheel.

More than enough to light up the car race, which will also see the rally raid debut of Peruvian motor sports star Nicolás Fuchs. The 31-year-old driver from Lima, who took the production category WRC 2 World Championship in 2013, has already shown his ability to adapt and spring a surprise or two, or even become the kingmaker of the category.

The quad race should also go down to the wire, with defending champion and 2014 Dakar winner Ignacio Casale as the man to beat. He's back at a race which, in his own words, gave him the confidence he needed to finish on the top step of the podium in Valparaíso last January. The Chilean rider has no doubt set his sights on a repeat win.

Some of his great rivals, all of them Dakar stage winners, will be out to thwart him, including Uruguay's Sergio Lafuente, Argentina's Sebastián Halpern, Chile's Víctor Manuel Gallegos and the other crowd favourite, Peru's Ignacio Flores. Another home boy, Alexis Hernández, will also strive to please his fans.

Eduardo "Tato" Heinrich and Felipe Ríos will fly the Peruvian colours in what is yet another star-studded field, including "official" riders like Olivier Pain and Javier Pizzolito.

The Frenchman and the Argentinean, ready to test themselves and fine-tune their preparations for the Dakar, are clear favourites to win the last leg of the 2014 Dakar Series, which will also decide whether Chile's Pablo Quintanilla or France's David Casteu takes home the 2014 Dakar Series overall title.

The stellar cast in all categories could still pick up a few other big names and last-minute surprises before registration closes at midnight on September 1. 
via http://www.marathonrally.com

Defender Challenge: Rd 5 of the series by Bowler takes place this weekend.

Motorsport fans will see six teams compete for top honours, as the inaugural "Defender Challenge by Bowler" rally series will form an integral part of the Woodpecker Stages event in the United Kingdom for the first time.

Teams will be based at Ludlow Racecourse, where scrutineering will take place as well as the official start and finish of the race and awards presentations activity. The all gravel rally course will test the teams and their Bowler-prepared Land Rover Defender 90 vehicles across 43 stage miles and some of the best forest stages in the country.

Heading into Round 5, father and son team Rob and Jonny Harford lead the Championship by just one point from Edd Cobley, who recorded his third victory of the season in the previous round at the Welsh Hill Rally.

"With just three stages to go, it’s exciting to be in contention for the Championship. It’s been a fantastic debut series for the Defender Challenge and with a great sense of camaraderie between all the drivers; we’re looking forward to another race weekend," Cobley said.

"Weather conditions made the previous round in Wales incredibly tough, but the Defender handled everything that was thrown its way and we were delighted to top the podium. I’m expecting another tough test at the Woodpecker Stages, but come rain or shine we will be ready to race and looking to top the podium again."

Well known from the Dakar, the "Race2Recovery" Team also head to Shropshire in good spirits as they push for a fourth consecutive podium finish. The team is comprised of a number of people with disabilities and received backing from long-term partner Land Rover to enable them to compete in the series.

Race2Recovery team member Ben Gott said: "We are continuing to grow as a team and are learning a lot from taking part in our first race series. It’s great to see co-driver Stephanie Boddez gaining more experience and confidence with every round. We’re looking forward to the challenge of securing another podium finish in Ludlow, and the final stages of the Defender Challenge."

2014 is the inaugural year of the Defender Challenge by Bowler race series, which features seven rounds, held across the UK. The series has been created to offer competitors a clear pathway to progress to further international rally raid competition such as the Africa Race and Dakar Rally.

Drew Bowler, Managing Director of Bowler Motorsport will make his rally debut when competing in this weekend’s stage. "With just three rounds to go, the Defender Challenge by Bowler series is really hotting up. The first four rounds have provided some great rallying and we looking forward to seeing six teams tackle the testing all-gravel course in Ludlow," he said.

People wishing to find out more information about the Defender Challenge by Bowler should visit BOWLER MOTORSPORT.
via www.marathonrally.com

‘78 Honda CX500 – Patrick Sauter

Despite what the movies or books may have you believe about tortured artists, the one real killer of great creative ideas is more often than not the disease of over thinking. Forget writer’s block, drugs or a clichéd battle with sanity; we’d wager that getting caught up in the details to the point where you disappear up your own exhaust pipe is more often than not the cause of art that never sees daylight. And the cure is clear. You should always create without the constrains of self-imposed perfection and intricate planning. Just let things go where they take you. That’s what Germany’s Patrick Sauter did. And the result? It’s a bike worthy of Kerouac himself.

As it took Pat nearly a year to build his first bike, this time he wanted to build something in just four weeks and all without reinventing any wheels, rebuilding and engines or cutting any frames. And naturally it would have to be legal on German streets.

“Then I saw this ’78 Honda CX 500 with nearly 100,000 kilometres on the clock for 600 Euros on the internet. Undoubtedly this bike isn’t everyone’s first choice for a unique custom, but I knew that this poor man’s V2-Guzzi had the potential to be an outstanding machine and  could, if done right, blow everyone’s mind. With the exception of a minor oil leak, the bike was more or less in good condition and seemed like a good choice to start a build.”

Pat started by stripping off the fairing and removing all the ‘needless’ parts. His aim was to create nothing more than an honest hot rod bike; something you sit around on on a Sunday evening shooting the shit and burning some rubber with your mates. “As I’m just about to finish my studying, there isn’t that much spare money to put the finest parts on it but fortunately for this bike, I didn’t really have to. I sealed up the oil leak, bought a pair of Avon tires and painted the wheels and forks dark grey. I mounted a new headlight, a simple speedometer and a pair of stubby handlebars.”

The fuel tank was finished with a grinding disk and sealed with clear varnish. The K&N airfilters were a donation from a colleague, for which Pat had to spin up some plastic adapters for. The base of the seat is an old skate deck on top of which he put a rolled up Persian carpet. “I ‘borrowed’ it from my Grandma,” he notes. It’s held in place by a leather belt. Fussy details? Who needs ‘em.

Ready for anything – as long as it’s Persian and has loose pants

“All in all, it’s a bad-ass bike that everybody stares and smiles at. You don’t have to contemplate whether the sitting position is comfy or if the rims are dirty. It just is. I didn’t want to acknowledge a specific genre like café racer or bobber with it. I just wanted a bike with loud pipes where you get on, start the engine and smile. It’s motorcycling in its original form.”

Another Sunday ride ruined by Buster’s lack of opposable thumbs

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