Custom Bikes Of The Week: 16 October, 2016

The best custom motorcycles and cafe racers of the week
A Suzuki DRZ with a yesteryear flat track vibe, this year’s AMD Championship winner revealed, and BMW’s vision of motorcycling in 100 years from now. We’re time travelling this week.

Buell XB cafe racer by Greaser Garage
Buell XB by Greaser Garage Greaser Garage is tiny shop with large potential. With a graphic designer at the ready and an in-house upholsterer, Giorgio Pelligrino and his Genoa-based crew are translating customer dreams into real-life rolling art.

The latest is this Buell XB-based interpretation of a classic British racer. With just over a year on the bench, nearly every inch has been massaged for performance and style. The engine was fully re-built by an outsourced expert in Brescia, and the front suspension was swapped for adjustable Showa units from a Kawasaki ZX-10R, plus traditional radial mount Tokico brakes.

A chain-drive conversion was needed, so the swingarm went under the torch. A set of spoked Alpina wheels were also fitted. The rear suspension is a one-off handmade unit from FG Gubellini and an equally custom oil recovery unit was fashioned. Most impressive though, is the custom aluminum bodywork adorning this ‘Beastly Buell.’ The front fairing has a certain Rough Crafts vibe to it—and that’s not a bad thing at all.

Custom Suzuki DRZ400E by Ellaspede
Suzuki DRZ400E by Ellaspede Earlier this week, we were treated to Jeff Lamb’s diligence on his MZ Scorpion build. Jeff had originally wanted Ellaspede to tackle the build, but instead took things on (mostly) himself. Well, that left the boys from Brisbane with some time on their hands.

‘EB588’ was the result, a 2009 Suzuki DRZ400E chosen solely because it fitted the Yoshimura 1-into-2 exhaust it now sports. This is Ellaspede’s vision of motorcycling’s future melded with 70s flat-track attitude. Excel 19-inch hoops shod with Mitas rubber are stationed at both ends, and the overall height has been trimmed by about 10 centimeters. A vintage Suzuki tank was sourced from eBay.

The CNC machine was then fired up to transform ABS, polycarbonate and aluminum into the rear cowl, head and taillights and front fork brace. There’s a custom loom to hide the spaghetti, and the electronics—along with a smaller battery—are hidden beneath the custom seat.

Despite its beauty, EB588 wasn’t built to be a garage queen: This DRZ is dirt-bound, with a trip to Ellaspede’s Dust Hustle on the cards. [More]

AMD Championship winner 2016: Suicide Customs Harley Ironhead
Suicide Customs Harley Ironhead When I first saw Fred ‘Krugger’ Bertrand’s entry to the AMD World Championships on these pages, I kind of assumed he would complete the hat trick. Of course, that was before I (and the judges) laid eyes on this Ironhead Harley from Japan’s Suicide Customs.

It takes nothing away from Krugger’s phenomenal efforts, but the ‘Rumble Racer’ may be the embodiment of clean design. The stretched hardtail frame has been plated to match every shimmering inch of bodywork and componentry. The slash-cut exhaust contours the bike almost imperceptibly, and the finned tanks and covers give the bike its air of speed when standing still.

From what I’ve read, firing up the old Sportster gave builder Koh Niwa some fits: The bike had been dry-crated for shipment to the show from Japan, and it wasn’t too keen on breathing European air. With some expert tinkering, Niwa-san coaxed the Ironhead to life: The Rumble Racer completed its requisite run, before notching the win and scoring Koh an impressive finger trinket. [More]

Custom Honda CX500 by Pasquale Motors
Honda CX500 by Pasquale Motors We’ve featured the work of Esteban and Gustavo Pasquale of Bogata, Colombia before—under their original moniker, Garaje57. But the familial builders are now working under the Pasquale Motors banner, and this CX500 is the second build to carry that new badge.

Dubbed ‘Vader,’ this is the first cafe racer build los hermanos have tackled, and the process was a bit of a love-hate affair. The plastic maggot had been through the ringer previously, thanks to a botched chopper treatment. An aggressive, 60s-era look was planned and the boys began the arduous task of whipping its stance back into shape.

New triple clamps were machined out of aerospace aluminum and a suitable subframe was fashioned. The rear shocks had a new mount to call home and after some shortening, the front end fell into line. A larger diameter headlight was chosen to match the proportions of the bike’s new stance, and the stock tank was pounded out a touch as well. We’re told that the custom under-mount exhaust was fashioned with a Star Wars fighter ship in mind, and that the Pasquales’ father constructed those trick rearsets.

We’ve also had a sneak peek at what’s on the Pasquale Motors bench currently and it’s shaping up quite nicely—so watch this space for more. [More]

BMW Motorrad Vision Next 100
BMW Motorrad Vision Next 100 The Bavarians have been busy lately. They’ve just added two more options to their R NineT Heritage line, and there’s a rumor we’ll see something equally pleasing at EICMA. Which is all well and good for buyers in today’s market, but the Motorrad isn’t content to solely focus on the now. They also have a vision for the future. And we dig it.

To celebrate their Centennial, BMW have just pulled the silk from their two-wheeled Vision Next 100 concept. With a clear lineage linking back to the iconic R32, this neo-retro roadster uses technology to enhance form as well as functionality.

The black triangular ‘frame’ is flexible and contorts itself to translate rider inputs to the road. This does away with traditional items like triple trees—and the adaptive tires might have the Öhlins team looking into pneumatics. Other wizardry involves a gyroscopic stabilizer that will keep this Beemer shiny side up at all times and a wireless link to a visor that relays info to the rider—including upcoming hazards that you may miss.


At launch, Edgar Heinrich, head of design at BMW Motorrad, said: “The motorcycle provides my escape from everyday life. From the moment I climb on board, I experience nothing but absolute freedom—The Great Escape.” He’s right, and we’re happy to hear that won’t be changing any time soon. [More]

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