Several types of motorcycles can be called ‘trackers.’ The original is the board tracker, named after the machines that raced on board tracks in the USA in the 1910s and 1920s.
In the 1930s, as the board tracks faded away, flat trackers appeared: street bikes modified to race on dirt or clay ovals. Past icons include the Harley-Davidson XR-750, but others include machines from BSA, Norton and Triumph. This style is still popular today, with interest spurred by an intense rivalry between Harley-Davidson and Indian.
Flat trackers (or dirt trackers, as they are sometimes known) do not have front brakes, but the slimmed-down style is popular with builders of street customs. These can be based on virtually any middleweight motorcycle, but your typical ‘street tracker’ has 18- or 19-wheels, a slim and elongated fuel tank, a short and kicked up tail unit, and sometimes a high-mount exhaust.
Harley-Davidson owned the internet yesterday. Unless you live under a solid aggregate of minerals, you’ll know that the Motor Co. teased its upcoming model range—including the productionized Livewire, a streetfighter, and an adventure tourer called the ‘Pan America.’ But did you notice there was no mention of the Sportster? Could this finally be the end…
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Like many of you, we’re total suckers for racing machines—especially flat trackers. And although we’re captivated by American iron like the Indian FTR750, it’s nice to see the odd exotic European take to the oval. Enter Lloyd Brothers Motorsports, who have a thing for fielding Ducati-powered flat trackers. Back in 2010, they were the first…
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You could argue that the modern custom scene owes its success to Universal Japanese Motorcycles. They’re affordable, reliable and easy to pull apart—making them the perfect blank canvas for builders. Not all UJMs get equal time in the limelight, though. And according to Ventus Garage of Kraków, Poland, there’s one that deserves a lot more…
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If you live in the UK and you want a fast street tracker or a well-sorted flat track racer, you call Steve Hillary of Redmax Speed Shop. He’s got a reputation that most builders would kill for—and he builds a mean café racer too. Steve is an old-school bike nut who spends more time working…
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The Ducati Scrambler is an obvious fit for ‘casual’ flat track racing. Ducati even made a ‘Flat Track Pro’ limited edition in…
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If you like weaving through city traffic during the week, and then blasting through the twisties on your days off, the Street…
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Curating a publication like Bike EXIF is a daunting task. Selecting the right motorcycles to feature is more art than science: it’s…
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Triumph’s range of modern classics now stands at twelve models strong. That’s good news if you want all the style of Britain’s…
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It’s not easy to build a good-looking custom bike. The classifieds are littered with abandoned projects—and even the top pro builders sometimes…
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A Ducati Monster tracker ready for the Superhooligans, a monstrous Indian Chief-powered cafe from Germany, a gorgeous Honda built for Steve Caballero…
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There are some builders who seem to have the Midas touch: everything they create turns to gold. Aaron and Shaun Guardado are…
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Work on motorcycles long enough, and you’ll amass two things: a pile of leftover parts, and the wisdom to know which of…
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