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.
Motocrew leads the charge this week, with a custom Triumph Bobber inspired by their client’s hopped-up Porsche 911. We also throw the spotlight on a Suzuki DRZ400 supermoto, the new Kawasaki W230 modern classic, and a fully original Yamaha BW350 that just sold for a cheeky amount of money.
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Enrico ‘Ricky’ de Haas founded Wannabe-Choppers at just 15, brimming with imagination and unaffected by the conventions that often accompany adulthood. 20 years later, he’s still breaking the mold. Based in Hüttenberg, just north of Frankfurt in Germany, Wannabe’s latest build is a 172 cc two-stroke land speed motorcycle with a curb weight of just…
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Back in the late 80s, Japanese manufacturers started dabbling with cruiser-style motorcycles in a bid to corner the US market. The result was a generation of cruisers that combined Japanese engineering and reliability with American style—like the charming Honda Shadow. Known as the Honda Steed in Asia, the Shadow came in various sizes over the…
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Strip it back to the bare essentials, and make it lighter, faster and cooler. It’s a recipe for success that dates back nearly as far as the motorcycle itself, and it’s no surprise that bobber motorcycles are one of the longest-standing forms of custom bikes. Accepted theories date the inception of the bobber back as…
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In Jeremy Tagand’s early days as the resident wrench at Deus ex Machina Australia, the Kawasaki W650 was his bread and butter.…
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Takuya Aikawa is on a roll. There hasn’t been a running of the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show in the last few…
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The Triumph Bobber is one of our favorite modern classics—but it could do with having some of its fat trimmed. Sam Wheeler…
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One of the enduring charms of old BMW motorcycles is that they are virtually unkillable. Even if, against all odds, you do…
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Royal Enfield’s modern 650 platform has proven its versatility time and time again on these pages. So when Royal Enfield unveiled the…
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K-Speed is quite possibly the world’s most prolific custom motorcycle workshop. The Thai outfit builds bikes at a blistering rate—and while they…
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Tourists flock to Indonesia for its beaches, volcanoes, and temples. But our interest in the Southeast Asian archipelagic state is more mechanical…
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CCM Motorcycles epitomizes the symbiosis between motorcycle manufacturers and the custom scene. The boutique British brand’s offerings are all based on the…
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