You’d be hard pressed to guess that this bike started life as a 1987 Honda Hurricane, known less evocatively as the CBR 1000F. This amazing machine took Ian McElroy two years to build, and if you spot a little of the KTM RC8 in there, you’re right—the Austrian superbike was one of the inspirations for McElroy’s stealth-fighter angles and curves. The fenders are hand-crafted from aluminum, and a new subframe reshaped the back end. The bodywork is formed from sheets of aluminum meticulously welded together, and the original gauges have been replaced by a Veypor setup that can also record G-force, 0-60, quarter mile time and lap time as well as speed and RPM. With 130 bhp on tap, the DOHC, 998cc, 16 valve four is not short of go—but K&N filters and a custom-made, less restrictive exhaust system have given the motor an extra kick. And there’s nothing stealth about the sound: McElroy’s Honda reportedly sounds like a drag bike at the strip. For the full story, check out Benjamin Bowen’s write-up on Custom Fighters. [Thanks to Josh Goodwin for the tip, Ian McElroy, who took the first three images shown, and Peter Lombardi, who took the final seven.]
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14 Comments
Wild and wonderful. That’s a hell of a custom job. That tank is especially beautiful. Lots of tiny little details, too.
I’ve been following this amazing work of craftsmanship for a couple years and am stoked to see it on here. And great photos by Peter as always!
Talk about welding skills. That tank pic looks like a CAD/CAM rendering the lines are so good.
Looks fabulous – except from the front; specifically, the first picture. The droopy semi-fairing, those wierd little silver pieces on the upper fork tubes, the blocky rearview mirrors – really does not fit well with the exceptional styling found on the rest of the bike. Maybe he did the front last, and rushed it?
Whups – I meant the second picture
Love it…it looks a bit like mission one…but still i really like it..
http://www.bikeexif.com/mission-one
Awesome. Something different!
I could not believe the quality of the custom work! It was definitely fun to shoot.
Thanks Josh!
-peter
These very modern street racers are generally not my kind but I must say that is one is quite bestial and well done. Some features like the “sliced” fenders and the inner part of the exhausts are really creative.
The second photo set is also damn good!
Th
WOW! It looks like something that KTM should’ve come up with in a year or two’s time. You got to raise your hat to the sculptor of this beautiful machine. I would love to have something similar lurking in my garage. There will be endless excuses to just nip out quickly……heheheheh
Ride safe folks!
Steven
this is one sweet bike. amazing what we can do when we get a vision for something.
awesome.
Oh yeah . Now yer talkin. Apart from the slap in the gob at the fore end , she’s a beauty .
Thanks Thierry! You have some damn good photo’s on your site as well, especially love the wide angle shot of the guy on the silver tanked bike from above.
-peter
I’m not usually a fan of Street Fighters with alot of sharp lines but this one I like. I would spend the entire ride worried about wrecking it though. Good Job.