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.
Eastern Spirit Garage have mastered the art of building cafe racers. They nailed the formula when they broke onto the scene seven years ago—and have produced consistently good results since. But the Polish shop likes to break the mold once in a while, by deviating from their hallmark genre. Because, as shop boss Sylwester puts…
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We’re constantly amazed by the skills of some after-hours builders: folks who have full-time jobs, but spend their evenings and weekends crafting bikes to the level you’d expect at a pro workshop. One of the most talented part-time builders is Edi Buffon, an engineer who lives in Sydney, Australia. We loved his Kawasaki KZ250 from…
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There’s a whole category of touring bikes that are short on sex appeal but long on character. One such machine is the Triumph Trophy 1200, which is like a two-wheeled version of the Mercedes W123 ‘Beirut Taxi’: it’s simple, reliable and well engineered, and can clock up an improbable mileage if looked after. This heavily…
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Some custom shops crank out the same style of build, over and over again. But for Federal Moto that would be terminal. Their crew is young, eager to experiment and wary of stagnation. So when a local film production company approached Federal to build a custom bike, they picked a genre they hadn’t yet tackled.…
Read more »The past few years have seen a big change in the way a lot of custom motorcycles are created. Technology is everywhere,…
Read more »The best thing about the Japanese custom scene is that it defies all conventions. Stroll around the annual Mooneyes show for example,…
Read more »When Indian delivered a new Scout Bobber to young Dutch designer Luuc Muis, there was a catch: he had just 20 weeks…
Read more »Building a custom motorcycle isn’t exactly a walk in the park. But turning customization into a viable full-time business is even harder.…
Read more »We’re huge fans of the Japanese custom scene. But it’s not just the motorcycles that captivate us: we’re also conscious of how…
Read more »Some of you may have caught a glimpse of Oil In The Blood at a handful of moto shows earlier this year:…
Read more »What does the guy that has everything buy himself for his birthday? For one enthusiast, the answer is something he’s wanted since…
Read more »Technology moves at a relentless place—and the motorcycle industry can’t escape it. Just the other day I was riding an electric motorcycle…
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