Category: Classic Motorcycles

A Triumph Trident that ran in the 1972 Bol d’Or, a Moto Guzzi Strada dripping with vintage charm, and a chiropractor-approved version of the R nineT Racer from JvB-Moto.

Triumph Trident 750 ‘Koelliker’ Auction previews are a good way of reminding me how much money I could burn through, if only I had it: Aste Bolaffi Auctions of Turin is teasing with a small but elegant collection set to go under the hammer on May 23rd. Of their baker’s dozen, Lot 6 in particular—this Triumph Trident 750—has me wondering what a donor organ can fetch these days.

This bike is one of three Tridents that were race prepped by Italy’s main Triumph importer, Bepi Koelliker, to run in the 1972 Bol d’Or 24-hour motorcycle endurance race.

It has a specially fabricated frame, born from the hands of Stelio Belletti, as well as a Lockheed Racing braking system and a gorgeous set of seven-spoke magnesium mags.

Everything is in stunningly clean shape, from the sculpted, period correct endurance racer bodywork to the twin tanks and the racer’s perch. Which is a surprise, because this bike spent time as a racing test mule as well. Early expectations peg the price at around €30,000 (US$35,000), not including the 15% auction surcharge. I’d wager they’ll get that easy—or maybe €12,500 and a slightly used kidney. [More]

BMW R80 by Elemental Custom Cycles When it comes to builds based on a BMW R80, IWC’s The Mutant sets a seriously high water mark. And while this cafe’d version from Neustadt’s Elemental Custom Cycles isn’t breaking the same barriers, the fit and finish are exemplary and deserving of our attention.

The original 1985 R80 rolled into the shop with barely 7,000 km on the clock. But that didn’t mean the work ahead was easy. The build still demanded a total teardown; the frame needed some detabbing work and the subframe had to go. In its place, the new hooped perch rides high but follows the lines at the base of the tank perfectly.

That treatment gives the new YSS monolever so much negative space, the rear appears almost delicate. Contrast that to the beefy front end and new fat n’ sticky rubber and there’s just enough aggro on display as well.

I’m torn over the custom underslung muffler, but I appreciate the creativity and can’t fault the execution. And it’s the paintwork that truly captures eyes here. The Audi Daytona grey and teal accents are buried, jewel-like under seven coats of clear coat. We’re told the process involved some 40 drafts before final approvals and figure it was worth the effort. [More]

Moto Guzzi Strada 750 by LaBusca Motorcycles The freedom that comes with no client to answer to and no real deadline to fear must be refreshing. The creative shackles are off, and a builder can just do what he or she does best. Jez, the headman from LaBusca Motorcycles of Lancaster, England, recently had that chance with a low mileage Strada 750. And boy, did he deliver.

Black Betty is the near-perfect combination of purity and function in motorcycle design. It has a large, 17-litre teardrop tank to help devour miles. There is a substantial luggage rack out the back, which sits above an equally effective rear fender. And the solo seat has enough padding to make use of that tank’s volume.

But more than that, everything superfluous is gone. The frame has been de-tabbed and everything unsightly has been moved behind those custom side panels.

The overall style is clearly vintage. But don’t think for a minute that this late 80s Moto Guzzi hasn’t been modernized. Motogadet now tackles the electricals, complete with a Motoscope Tiny that’s been mounted within the Triumph Thunderbird headlight bucket, and Sachse now handles the ignition. And while some may lament the chunky rubber, Jez felt it suited Black Beauty just fine: “This is a machine designed for taking your time on, and so the trade-off in grip compared to a more road orientated tire was deemed acceptable.” Sounds reasonable enough to us. [More]

BMW G310R by DKdesign BMW’s entry level G310R may not be built by the hands of Bavarians but it’s widely acclaimed as worthy of its roundel. Of course, the diminutive Beemer is built to a budget and, as such, is a little fugly when bone stock.

Thankfully, creatives like Dakar Chou from Taiwan’s DKdesign Motorparts are around to beautify things. His shop specializes in developing bolt-ons for the G310 as well as the Rnine T, and every now and then churns out a one-off as showcase. With his latest build, and second G310R, Dakar has created a tasty little cafe he’s calling Rogue.

The change to a classically shaped R100 tank does the heavy lifting on this bitsa. Combined with the new headlight and cowl, subframe delete and rubberized seat from a R50 it blends copious amounts of heritage and style into a tiny, attractive package. If BMW was ever thinking of expanding their heritage line down into the 310 family, a treatment like this or Dakar’s earlier scrambler version, would be an automatic win. [More]

BMW R nineT Racer by JvB-moto When Jens Vom Brauck sent us images of his latest crack at BMW’s Rnine T, it was a fraction too late to make it into our last BOTW two weeks ago. But it’s been worth the wait. On the surface, the changes are fairly simple—but this Racer is packing a look we’d reckon most owners would dig.

JvB just happens to be a parts producing specialist, so many of the changes here can be quickly sourced and easily installed. After riding a stock Racer for a spell, Jens was convinced the best way to improve it was to make subtle ergonomic changes, to improve rideability without spoiling its good looks.

To that end there are new bars and a tweaked seat unit to correct the Racer’s contorted riding position. A new LED headlight conversion sits above JvB’s minimalist front fender and the new triples and bars come courtesy of LSL.

Other tweaks include a newly sculpted airbox cover that better fits with the Bavarian’s overall design and of course that beauty of a rear seat, complete with integrated LED’s for tail and braking lights. The transformation is tasty and simple, showcasing an already very attractive bike. Although if it were in my garage, I’d opt away from the wheel covers.