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Custom Bikes Of The Week: 20 August, 2017

The best cafe racers, scramblers and bobbers of the week
Dustin Kott returns with the bike he said he’d never build. Plus a sleek Harley Super Hooligan racer, and a Benelli restomod from a pair of Barcelona dental surgeons. It’s a toothsome selection this week.

Benelli Tornado restomod by Elegant Apparatus
Benelli Tornado by Elegant Apparatus When the topics of dentists and motorcycles intertwine, it inevitably involves something to do with weekends, fringed-leather fetishists and beastly baggers. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. Take Barcelonian brothers Facundo and Guillermo Falcó: they are dental surgeons, and the men behind Elegant Apparatus and this jaw dropping Benelli Tornado restomod.

At first glance, it would appear that los hermanos Falcó simply buffed and restored an old classic. But closer inspection reveals a bevy of purposeful tweaks that set this particular apparatus apart. The seat and subframe are all new units, and the pillion pegs are fully removable, positioned a few notches higher to make room for a homemade, upswept exhaust. Up front the clip-ons are also a homebrew kit, and have had a set of switchgear internally fitted. Just below those controls sits a hand-rolled fender that matches its rearward counterpart.

An interesting tidbit about this build: when the donor was found, it was missing its front end. Which is not a big deal, in itself—except Guillermo just happened to be sitting on one from a scrap purchase some thirty years prior. Well, that just makes us smile. [More]

BMW R100/7 cafe racer by Dustin Kott
BMW R100/7 by Dustin Kott Exquisite Honda CB builds and Dustin Kott go together like moonshine and Mason jars. Aside from the sexy Triumph he built for Deadpool, nearly all of his projects have been Big Red based. So we had to check twice when we read that his hands were responsible for this tasty slash-7 airhead.

The finished product meets the Kott standard of excellence, but that’s not why our doubts arose. It’s because Dustin once said he’d never attempt an airhead. Our friends at Iron and Air have the story behind his change of heart (and it’s a great read) but we’re gonna focus on the bike itself.

First things first: the proportions here are perfect. With the touring plastics in the rubbish pile, the swap to a chunkier XJR1300 tank is an inspired choice. It lends visual heft up top, and creates a much sexier silhouette—which tapers divinely into the tail. A new GSX-R front end was fitted up to modernize handling, and the twin-disc Tokico brakes made the journey too. Dustin machined the rearsets himself, and figures he shaved 35 pounds off of the Beemer by redoing the electrics alone. [Kott Motorcycles]

Yamaha XT 600 restomod by Nicolò Pego
Yamaha XT 600 by Nicolò Pego If the recent waves of scrambler and tracker style builds are prophetic, then ‘Bandit Run’ from 25-year old Nicolò Pego may be our next Genesis.

Based on a Yamaha 1997 XT 600, Nicolò turned to the enduros of the 70s for his inspiration—and specifically the XT 500 Cross.

He’s whittled down its modern successor to the barest of essentials. Devoid of clutter after a stripdown, Nicolò reshaped the XT 600 subframe to tidy up the bike’s overall shape. Helping slim things down was the move to a YZ125 tank which, coupled with a TIG-welded exhaust system by Nicolò’s uncle, creates an incredibly thin profile. An integrated LED lighting strip sits just above the front-end number board, and an almost imperceptible line of red diodes has been fitted in the rear.

It’s a simple and subtle affair and, finished in a lovely soft yellow, exudes a solid seventies vibe. Nicely done, Nicolò. [More]

Harley Street tracker by Standard Motorcycle Co.
Harley Street tracker by Standard Motorcycle Co. Based in Orlando, Florida, Standard Motorcycle Co. is a collective community that offers up shop space, tools and advice for local DIYers. It’s been known to crank out an impressive custom, too. The latest creation is a flat tracker built by SMC founder Jason Paul Michaels, and it has us hankering for some slideways action.

This Harley was built for the Super Hooligan race series, and the base for the build is a fresh 2017 Street 750. In keeping with the rules governing hooliganism at the oval, you won’t find any front brakes, and most of the frame remains stock. Outside of that though, Mr. Michaels has flexed his creative chops.

Aiming to make it look (and perform) like a factory Skunk Works project, Jason breathed his OCD magic just about everywhere. The tank is now a modified unit swiped from a Sportster, and the front end features a mix of Yamaha R6 forks and custom GPS Racing triples to hold them in place. Many of the other parts come from SMC’s 750 Cheater range, which was designed specifically for flat track conversions. The subframe/swingarm combo, foot controls, brakes, exhaust and intake all come from that line. RSD wheels carry the Dunlop rubber, and the seat is a bespoke piece from Newchurch Moto. [More]

Yamaha Scorpio by Purpose Built Moto
Yamaha Scorpio by Purpose Built Moto Frustration with ‘off the rack’ parts spurred Australian Tom Gilroy to develop his 3D modeling and CNC chops. He wanted his bikes to stand out from the crowds of bolt-on builds, so he went to work. Purpose Built Moto is the result and Tom has developed quite a catalog of his own.

On top of that, he’s turned out this lithe little number, a Yamaha Scorpio 225, that took him about five months to build. Aside from paint and the diamond-stitching on that deep blue leather seat, everything on this Scorpio has been hand fettled by Tom.

The electrics have been re-routed and, all of the lighting and switchgear are Purpose Built products. The top clamp was machined in-house and features an integrated Motoscope Mini from Motogadget; other Purpose Built touches are found capping the exhaust, which has even been fitted with an anti-reverb chamber. The little thumper puts out a little extra grunt as well, thanks to the flat-sided carb that Tom mounted.

The finished product looks the business and I’ve added a few of Tom’s items to my digital cart already. [More]

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BikeExif Blitz Motorcycles Custom Motorcycles Ducati Monster Honda CB550 Honda CX500 Kott Motorcycles Other Motorcycle Blogs

Custom Bikes Of The Week

The best custom motorcycles and cafe racers of the week
A fire-breathing BMW R1200 R cafe racer, a Honda CB from Hollywood favorite Dustin Kott, and a Ducati Monster ‘Diesel’ special edition given a further layer of custom magic. Meet the bikes that buttered our toast this week.

Dustin Kott's Honda CB550 cafe racer, the 'Falcon 550.'

Honda CB550 by Kott Motorcycles A few weeks ago, the internet went agog over a video of Ryan Reynolds waxing poetic about his Kott Triumph. As gorgeous as Deadpool’s ride is, we’d seen it before and wanted something new. Thankfully, Kott Motorcycles isn’t keen on disappointment.

The idea behind Falcon 550 happened when a 1964 Ford Falcon, finished in a period correct baby blue, rolled by Dustin Kott. With the color scheme sorted from the start, Kott’s team went to work tearing down, overhauling and rebuilding. A CB750 Super Sport fuel cell was modified and fitted to the Honda’s arrow-straight spine, and a custom seat sits on top of the battery and redesigned charging system. Custom rearsets allow an aggressive angle for the exhaust.

The overall package is an exercise in simplicity. [More]

BMW R1200R cafe racer by VTR.
BMW R1200R cafe racer by VTR Customs It’s hard to believe that anyone would prefer not to work on a BMW R nineT. But VTR Customs, the styling department of a Swiss BMW dealership, figured they had a better base bike up their sleeve.

With 125 horizontally opposed horses at the ready, the BMW R1200R Roadster is a ferocious ride—and one that VTR’s team figured was just begging for a makeover. They were right. Featuring levels of aggression not usually associated with the Swiss, ‘Goodwood 12’ looks ballistic standing still. That’s helped by the in-house brushed and raw finishes on the cowl, tank, tail and exhaust—as well as those deep-dish Kineo wheels. The wide shoulders and hunkered-down headstock don’t hurt either.

The British Racing Green paint was chosen in homage to the race-winning ‘blower Bentleys’ of the 1930s, which VTR hope to emulate in trouncing the competition at this year’s Glemseck sprints. [VTR Customs]

Ducati Monster Diesel custom by Hong Seungpyo.
Ducati Monster Diesel custom by Hong Seungpyo The Ducati Monster has always had something over me: The iconic Italian standard has always nailed the essence of motorcycling’s absolute form. You’d almost expect that custom builds stemming from the Italian naked would rival Honda CBs and yet, they don’t. Those that do pop up, however, are worth a second look.

Take this Diesel Cafe Racer, from Korea’s Hong Seungpyo. It’s based on a 2013 Ducati Monster Diesel, a factory special Monster with added oomph and lighter components. The man behind ‘HSP.69’ began by replacing the Diesel’s front cowl with a custom bikini fairing, to deliver a heftier stance without sacrificing rider comfort.

Rizoma and Motogadget accessories clean up the front end, and an Öhlins monoshock keeps the rear end planted. New Pirelli MT60RS shoes were slipped on: the perfect rubber for a futuristic take on a Ducati cafe racer. [More]

Honda CX500 cafe racer by Wena Customs.
Honda CX500 cafe racer by Wena Customs Honda’s CX500 is quickly becoming the darling of the custom world. Its transverse mounted V-Twin is a focal point, adding character and attitude. And that’s why Poland’s Wena Customs used one as a base for this tidy little cafe racer, Twister.

Wena’s team knew that hand made touches would truly set their build off—so they plied their craft to just about everything. The polished top yoke on is a work of pure art. The swingarm was modded to accommodate the monoshock set up, before meeting a custom tail that seamlessly melds into the fuel cell. The frame and wheels were both sandblasted and the engine soda blasted before everything was treated to paint and a lustrous polish. Most impressive is the intricate routing of the two-into-one exhaust that finishes with a slick grafting at the rearmost point of the bike.

It’s fine work, and took home top honors at the 2016 Polish Championship of Custom Motorcycles. [Wena Customs]

Custom BMW R75 by Blitz Motorcycles of Paris.
Custom BMW R75 by Blitz Motorcycles We often applaud a custom creation that comes together in no time at all. But we scrutinize those that have lingered in the shop. Expectations hit new highs, and every nit of a build is picked.

Blitz Motorcycles of Paris have a reputation for building polarizing rides. So when we heard they’d been working on this BMW R75/5 for almost two years, we didn’t know what to expect. But after laying eyes on it, we’ve got to say, it was worth the wait. Commissioned by a British architect, the design hinged on a technology that just didn’t exist—so Hugo and Fred sat in wait. The offending part was a Lithium-Ion battery powerful enough to get the boxer engine fighting, but small enough to hide under the tank. Go ahead, take a second look—we can barely make it out either.

Everything else on ‘Sroul,’ which means Black Magic in Arabic, has been rebuilt—including the engine itself—and upgraded for its new life in Olde Blighty. [More]