Customs built in the ‘bobber’ or hardtail style. On the typical bobber motorcycle, excess bodywork has been stripped away, and the fenders are usually removed or shortened.
All unnecessary hardware has been removed to cut weight—including the mufflers in many cases—and a single seat is usually fitted. Old-school handlebars are often installed too, with the wiring run inside for a clean look, along with classic ‘Bates’ style lighting.
For owners of bobber motorcycles, these custom bikes are the purest form of motorcycling.
Harley is the brand most commonly associated with the bobber style, but we’re also seeing many Triumph and Indian motorcycles—especially since those two brands have factory bobbers in their range.
We’d love to take a peek inside Edi Buffon’s mind. The Sydney-based custom builder specializes in bobbers that deliberately eschew practicality in favor of playful engineering. And each one is more interesting than the last. This Ducati-powered hardtail is the latest bike to roll out of Edi’s Machine 1867 workshop. And true to form, it…
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Vintage motorcycles are charming, but they can be a real pain to live with. So what do you do if you want all the allure of a 1940s Indian Chief—but you also want to spend more time riding than wrenching? You call Roland Sands Design. Their latest build combines a 2014 Indian Chief Classic engine…
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With Royal Enfield’s newer 650 twins hogging the spotlight lately, the company quietly discontinued their Bullet 500 and Classic 500 models last year. And that’s a huge shame. The venerable 499 cc singles have never been known for their performance—but they lured riders in with their simplicity, affordability and vintage looks. As it turns out,…
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This week’s bikes come in all shapes and sizes. We’ve got a Ducati Scrambler Cafe Racer from Poland, a Suzuki Thunder 125 chopper from Indonesia, and a custom mini-bike from a small Hungarian village. Plus we take a look at BMW Motorrad’s fourth Pure&Crafted show.
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Read more »K-Speed are well versed in the art of customizing pint-sized Hondas. We’ve seen them turn a Monkey into a cafe racer, and…
Read more »The Kawasaki W650 has been customized in myriad ways, but we seldom see it as a pure engine donor for another project.…
Read more »Hardtail choppers with fat rear tires aren’t typically our vibe, but we’re suckers for anything Martin Becker builds. He’s a Meister of…
Read more »Our round-up for the week includes a well-used Moto Martin-framed endurance racer, and two BMWs; an R nineT and an R18. But…
Read more »This week’s custom motorcycles come in all shapes and sizes—from a pint-sized flat tracker, to a stylish BMW R18. Plus we take…
Read more »It takes a massive amount of imagination to look at a KTM enduro and envision a barebones bobber—and even more skill to…
Read more »The Japanese custom scene sets rather than follows trends. Japan’s top builders each have a unique and instantly recognizable style, and the…
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