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 track racers appeared: street bikes modified to race on dirt or clay ovals. Past icons include the Harley-Davidson XR-750, but others include flat trackers from BSA, Norton and Triumph. This style is still popular today, with interest spurred by an intense rivalry between Harley-Davidson and Indian.
Flat track motorcycles (or dirt trackers, as they are sometimes known) do not have front brakes, but the slimmed-down style has been copied by builders of ‘street tracker’ customs.
Ever since Harley-Davidson went quiet on the future of the seemingly ill-fated Bronx streetfighter, we’ve been waiting for The Motor Co. to build something truly spicy with their 150-horsepower Revolution Max engine. The new Sportster S is a step in the right direction, but it’s held back by confused styling, a hefty visual weight, and…
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The Honda Motocompo is back, electric, and cuter than ever. In other news, Deus Milan has just built a Ron Wood Rotax framer, the Classic GP Assen yielded an immaculate Cagiva C588, and our friends at Purpose Built Moto have turned the Harley Fat Bob into an adventure bike.
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Toshiyuki ‘Cheetah’ Osawa has had a busy year. Hot on the heels of a collaboration with Indian Motorcycle and Sideburn Magazine that debuted at the Bike Shed Show, he already had another deadline looming; Born Free 14. Osawa-san was on the prestigious invited builders list for the fourth time, and wanted to bring a bike…
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By Chris Kelland’s admission, he and his partner Elijah Reese will “build bikes for anyone that wants to throw bundles of cash at us.” But that doesn’t mean they’re not at least a little discerning. When a client asked them to turn their father’s 1974 Honda CB750 into a café racer, they said “no.” “Cafés…
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As soon as a particular motorcycle becomes popular among customizers, it becomes harder and harder to find clean examples of it. The…
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Using a commuter bike as a platform for customization is hardly a new idea. But we’re still impressed whenever a custom builder…
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Most guys can’t think beyond a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers as a gift for their significant other. But…
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If you’ve ever fantasized about building a Harley-Davidson Sportster flat tracker, there’s a good chance that you’ve pinned a couple of Richard…
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Any custom workshop that’s been operating for a decent length of time is sure to have a multitude of leftover parts lying…
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Alex Winkler wears many hats. By day he’s an industrial mechanic—but by night, he puts those skills to work in his home…
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If you fancy yourself a romantic, consider this: have you ever built a custom motorcycle for your significant other? Uwe Kostrewa has,…
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We’re shaking things up this week, by dropping our weekly round-up on a Saturday. Feast your eyes on a mean XJR1300 from…
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