Month: October 2017

When Triumph’s own chassis engineers decide to customize a Tiger 800 XC, you know it’ll be something special. We’ve also got a Honda Hornet with an extreme makeover from XTR Pepo, and a wild custom Ducati concept that blends the best of the Panigale and the Scrambler.

Honda Hornet by XTR Pepo I get the feeling that Pepo Rosell doesn’t sleep. Or if he does, he gets by on micro-naps that the rest of us call blinking. How else would you explain the constant barrage of high quality builds rolling out of his XTR shop?

This latest creation, the Sake Racer, began life as a potent yet pedestrian looking 2001 Honda Hornet. In typical XTR fashion, the potency has been augmented and the vanilla looks are now a thing of the past. The 599 cc inline mill has been balanced and blueprinted, and the intakes have been completely reworked and the carbs re-jetted to match. It was also sandblasted, along with the frame, footrests and swingarm, to deliver a factory fresh appearance.

A Ducati Monster surrendered its front end and an R nineT gave up its fender for Pepo to tweak and mount. A CB550 fuel tank had to be fettled a bit to fit—but looks the part and accentuates Rosell’s work in the rear. [More]

Triumph Tiger 800 XC Tramontana A few weekends back, my cousin and I took our Triumph Tigers to the trail to give them a mudbath and to refine our off-road techniques. And while the Tiger is a surprisingly capable machine right out of the box, we both agree that we want to trade up to this machine.

The Tramontana is a purpose built, hardcore off-road iteration that comes from the skilled hands of Triumph’s chassis developers, the brothers David and Felipe Lopez. Built to tackle the Panáfrica Rally, the Tiger Tramontana is based on the same Tiger 800 XCx sitting in my driveway—but features a bevy of upgrades to help the brothers survive a week of punishment.

The suspension at both ends has been reworked to deliver longer travel, and the Tiger’s subframe has been strengthened and shortened. Body panels have been minimized and a beefier guard now surrounds the entire underbelly to ensure the sump isn’t destroyed in the wilds. Other changes include a revised windshield to keep rally nav systems protected, and a set of lighter headlights. [More]

BMW R100S by Meister Engineering To say that Antoine Meister and Mathieu Dimier have a knack for old Beemers is an understatement. And this time, the airhead wasn’t being worked over for a client but for Antoine himself—so you know it had to be special.

Working with a ‘77 R100S, the Swiss masters did more than breathe new life into the Beemer: they gave it a new soul. The engine has been completely stripped and rebuilt with a Siebenrock cylinder kit, complete with lighter pistons floating in new, blacked-out, Nikasil-coated jugs. A performance cam and lightened flywheel help the revs climb quicker, and a new electronic ignition system, complete with a twin-spark set-up, ensures that fuel from the new Dell’Orto carbs is spent wisely.

The new bodywork, designed by Antoine, not only helps this cafe racer slip through the air but also looks damn fine, too. [More]

Honda XLV750R by L’établi Garage At 21 years old, Quentin Lambert of France’s L’établi Garage is off to an impressive start. He’s already tackled a bobber, a brat and a cafe racer build—all tastefully done. Now he’s decided to try his hand at a street tracker project, and it may be his best yet.

The donor here is Honda XLV750R, an early 80s dual sport that would go on to become the much-vaunted Africa Twin. Which is why there’s a slight enduro vibe going on with the stance here. Quentin and a young apprentice worked from sketches before breaking out the spanners to ensure a measured approach. LSL flat-track bars sit aft of a Motogadget Mini speedo and give full command over the matching 17-inch rims. The rear subframe has been hooped to better match the lines on the handmade saddle, and the new custom exhaust was pieced together to match its profile. The 45-degree, V-Twin was rid of its original red paint and given a rebuild in the process.

The standout item here, though, is the aluminum tank—which is actually a set of handmade panels. The fuel now resides in the frame, in a portion sectioned off from the internal oil reservoir. [More]

Ducati concept by Alexey Afanasyev It’s not often we highlight a design concept around here. We like our bikes to occupy more physical space, and make noise. But every now and then one pops up that piques our interest, like this Scrambler/Panigale mashup named Naughty Quadro.

Alexey Afanasyev is the renderer behind this creation and after going over his digital dream, we can see that the level of detail is staggeringly impressive—there’s even ‘dirt’ on the parts.

The concept is based on the idea of putting the Superquadro engine from the Panigale into a bike that resembles something from the Scrambler Ducati family. The digitally re-worked chassis is also based on the Panigale but the single-sided swingarm is ‘from’ a Ducati Monster S2R 1000. I’m digging the Kineo wheels and ideas behind the custom subframe and saddle, but have my doubts as to whether the artistic work on the tank and body panels would make it onto a rolling, commissioned build. Regardless, the idea of a 200+ hp Scrambler has me all kinds of excited and deathly scared all at the same time. [More]