Monday 13th February, 2012
One of the more original builders working today is David Borras, a Spanish vintage motorcycle racer who runs El Solitario (“the loner”) MC. He’s got an idiosyncratic style, and his disregard for contemporary fashions has won him a lot of attention. This is Borras’ latest bike: it’s unlikely to be as controversial as his Triumph T120, but it’s just as eye-catching. Called ‘The Gonzo’, it’s a heavily customized 1976 R45 that Borras describes as “terribly underpowered, but indestructible”. Read More »
Sunday 12th February, 2012
It’s getting harder and harder to impress with a CB750 custom. But this machine, stripped back to bare finishes and muted colors, works a treat. ‘The Natural’ is a collaboration between two Portland, Oregon builders with complementary skills: Crowe Customs and The Tarantulas. “Scott of The Tarantulas wanted a clean and simple bike, with a vintage feel and raw finishes,” says James Crowe. “Scott’s built several bikes himself, so he was able to handle the mechanical aspects.” Read More »
Friday 10th February, 2012
Icon Motosports has always been a brand apart—mixing street style with high performance, and customizing bikes to match. The Roach is the latest in the company’s long history of offbeat customs, with post-apocalyptic styling that harks back to the motorcycle gangs in Mad Max.
But it’s a classic case of appearances being deceptive. The motor has been overhauled, fitted with oversized forged pistons and new clearances cases, and the transmission has been rebuilt with back-cut gears for smoother shifting. Gases exit through classic SuperTrapp XR-style pipes. And although it’s essentially a road bike, the Roach can also handle the dirt: the 19” rims are shod with Maxxis DTR-1 dirt track tires, and new shocks and modified forks from Progressive Suspension keep the rubber on the ground. Read More »
Thursday 9th February, 2012
South African-born Pierre Terblanche is one of the most influential motorcycle designers in the world today. He’s most famous for his Ducati designs, such as the exquisite Supermono, the iconic 749 and 999, the retro SportClassic and the ultra-modern Hypermotard. After a brief sojourn in England, Terblanche is now back in Bologna. He’s working on new projects, and also snowed under by the worst European winter of recent memory. In case he didn’t have enough on his mind, we hit him with the traditional ten questions of the Bike EXIF interview.
What was the first motorcycle you bought with your own money? A Honda CB100 (below).
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Tuesday 7th February, 2012
Scott Colosimo runs Cleveland CycleWerks, a company making cool, affordable custom-style bikes that cost as little as $3195. This bike isn’t on a CCW dealer floor though: it’s Scott’s personal ride, a 1954 BSA M21 that he built himself.
Scott wanted a hardtail, cut down to the essential elements that make a bike stop and go. “A modern take on a British classic,” he says. So he bought this bike sight unseen from eBay, assured by the owner that it was a “real rider”. In reality, it was worn out and unsafe. Read More »
Monday 6th February, 2012
Norton is famed for its featherbed frames, which carried the Manx single to spectacular racing victories in the 1950s. But in the 1960s, Norton wanted to establish its Dominator twin as a race machine. The newer bike was outclassed by the Manx, so engineer Doug Hele created a new frame for the “Domiracer” project. This “lowboy” frame was even lighter than the featherbed, and helped the Domiracer tip the scales at 35 lb (16 kg) less than a Manx. But the project died when the Bracebridge Street race shop closed in 1962. Doug Hele left Norton for Triumph, and it was left to tuner Paul Dunstall to continue development. Read More »
Friday 3rd February, 2012
EXCLUSIVE Here’s the most exciting new motorcycle concept we’ve seen in a while—and it doesn’t come from an in-house design studio. It’s the work of two young English designers, Roy Norton and Tom Kasher, in a collaboration with Triumph Motorcycles and Barbour Outdoor Clothing. The base platform is the Triumph Bonneville, heavily restyled and fitted with girder forks. Read More »
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