Monday 20th May, 2013

Honda CL400 by Urban Rider

Honda CL400
It’s not often we get to show a custom that has been built with practicality in mind. But this Honda CL400 has been tweaked for London streets, offering easy commuting with a strong dash of style. The man behind the project is Will Starritt of the motorcycle gear shop Urban Rider: “We wanted to create a very narrow bike ideal for filtering. Something light and maneuverable but also able to take a pillion. And with practical lights and tyres.”

The Honda CL400 is easy to come by in England, and it’s a good starting point. It’s a simple design with an air-cooled 387cc single, and cheap to maintain. The stock CL400 has a low dry weight of 140 kg (308 lbs), but Urban Rider has taken this down even further to about 122 kg (270 lbs). To put that into perspective, this road-legal CL400 is less than half the weight of a Harley Sportster 883. Read more »

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| Filed under Custom Motorcycles
Sunday 19th May, 2013

Ducati 750 Super Sport

Ducati 750 Super Sport
There’s nothing like a barn find to get the motorcycling juices flowing, and this Ducati 750 Super Sport is one of the best. The bike was discovered in Belgium in 2009, after sitting in a shed for 15 years. It’s now been resurrected by Harné Heuvelman of the Dutch specialist Back To Classics, and it’s as close to vintage perfection as you can get.

Even better, it’s one of the first 750 Super Sports built in 1976. Production started with frame number 912, and this is 918. Fixed to the frame was a small copper plate with the emblem of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers. “This suggests the bike was delivered to a southern European catholic nation,” says Heuvelman. “Maybe Italy, where it was probably blessed by the local priest.” Read more »

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| Filed under Classic Motorcycles

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1979 Honda CB500 by Anvil

1979 Honda CB500 by Anvil

Anvil Motociclette is the kind of shop that is catching the attention of younger riders in mainland Europe. Their designs are raw and uncompromising, and guaranteed to stop the traffic. This 1979 Honda CB500 custom is typical: It’s low and rakish, stripped to the basics… Read more »

BMW K100 by Robrock

BMW K100 by Robrock

This raw and brutal BMW K100 was built, very aptly, by a master blacksmith and metalworker. Faced with a long German winter, Marc Robrock decided to enliven his evenings and weekends and build himself a bike. “After 25 years of riding bikes, I felt I… Read more »

Vintage style: the Black Douglas

Vintage style: the Black Douglas

Take the A51 autostrada out of Milan, and half an hour later you’ll arrive in the small town of Brugarolo. It’s home to one of Italy’s more unusual bike manufacturers, the Black Douglas Motorcycle Company. Black Douglas makes vintage-style motorcycles with a distinctly English appearance,… Read more »

Honda Ruckus custom

Honda Ruckus custom

I used to think that 1970s CBs were the most heavily customized Hondas. Until I discovered the extraordinary subculture that has grown up around the Honda Ruckus. Yes, it’s a scooter and it’s got a meager 49cc. But it’s a distinctive looking machine, with wide… Read more »

Trackmaster by Atom Bomb

Trackmaster by Atom Bomb

Clay Rathburn is one of those annoying ‘renaissance’ types who seem to be good at whatever they turn their hands to. First was a string of traditional Triumph hardtails—including the irresistible Velvet Underground. Then we had the RVA Overland vintage dirt bike, and a Harley… Read more »