ICON LOW DOWN & SHIFTY XS650

ICON LOW DOWN & SHIFTY XS650

Most moto clothing brands take themselves very seriously. But there’s a thick seam of irreverence running through the DNA of Icon. They don’t play games with their motorcycle apparel, but the bikes they build are eclectic, original and often downright crazy.

“Low Down & Shifty” is based on a 1974 Yamaha XS650, and it’s one of the most extreme XS creations we’ve ever seen. The custom cro-moly frame is wrapped in the bare minimum of hand-formed aluminum bodywork, which also conceals the fuel tank.

The front end is from a Hayabusa. Indeed, virtually all that remains of the original machine is the engine, and even this has been extensively modified. It’s had a capacity boost to 750cc, and runs hot cams and dual Mikuni carbs fed via Pingel petcocks. Spark comes from a Boyer ignition and the pipes have been stolen from a MotoCzysz C1, one of the most technologically advanced motorcycles ever made. (Yes, there’s irony there.)

Icon freely admit that this XS650 has “oblique ergonomics, kidney-rupturing suspension, limited lighting and almost no fuel range.” And if you detect an apocalyptic, devil-may-care vibe to this build, you’re right.

The XS was created for the launch of the second Icon 1000 collection, which is revealed today. The new gear mixes raw, gritty styling with classic lines and the latest protection technology—including D3O armor. Check out the new range of jackets, boots, gloves and more here.

You can also keep in touch with all things Icon via their Limiter blog and Facebook page.

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MOTOR ROCK W650 CUSTOM

MOTOR ROCK W650 CUSTOM

It’s possible to categorize most of the top Japanese custom motorcycle builders. In one corner there’s the Brat Style coterie, which includes Gravel Crew, Heiwa, and Big Moon. In the other corner are the resto-mod specialists such as AC Sanctuary and Ritmo Sereno. And then there’s Motor Rock.

Based in Nagoya, Motor Rock is a little different—despite the inevitable production line of Yamaha SR400 customs. The showroom includes slick cafe racers, Harleys with ape bars, impossibly impractical show bikes, and 1960s-era Triumphs.

There’s a definite retro tinge to many Motor Rock builds though, reflecting the Japanese appreciation of all things vintage. This lovely Kawasaki W650, a recent creation, is a prime example: it takes an already classic-looking motorcycle even further back in time. And without compromising function in the quest for style.

As with all Motor Rock bikes, the craftsmanship is exemplary. The W650 is sprinkled with top-shelf custom parts, many of them proprietary Motor Rock items. That includes the bars, hand controls, exhaust system and air cleaner. Tommaselli provides the throttle assembly and headlight mount; the headlight itself and instruments are from Daytona. The swingarm is custom fabricated in-house.

The tank and fenders are also custom items, but the master cylinder is a Grimeca and the shocks are from Hagon. The tires are classic Avons—a Speedmaster Mark II at the front, and a Safety Mileage Mark II at the back. It’s a combination popular with Japanese shops, just like Firestone Deluxes are chosen by US and European builders.

It’s not a radical build, but it’s easy on the eye and oozes retro style. Would you rather have one of these in your garage, or a plastic-clad 600cc sportbike?

Head over to the Motor Rock website for a gallery of their best builds, and follow their news via theMotor Rock Facebook page.

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1929 HARLEY-DAVIDSON JDH

1929 HARLEY-DAVIDSON JDH

Two years ago Buzz Kanter, Editor-in-Chief of American Iron Magazine, rode his 1915 Harley-Davidson across most of the United States in the first Motorcycle Cannonball endurance ride. And now he’s about to do it again on this very rare 1929 Harley JDH. That’s 3,956 miles (6,366 km) on an 83-year-old bike.

This JDH will be a little quicker than the machine Buzz rode two years go: It’s essentially a detuned factory race engine in a standard JD street chassis. Harley offered the JDH “Two Cam” in very limited quantities, and only during 1928 and 1929. Many believe there are less than 1,500 real JDHs left in the world, and most of them are in museums or private collections.

Buzz purchased his JDH less than a year ago and immediately stripped and rebuilt it from front to back with Dale Walksler of Wheels Through Time museum in Maggie Valley, NC. While basically stock and original, Dale and Buzz wanted to improve any potential design weaknesses. So Dale replaced the thin pushrods with stronger ones he modified from Panhead units, adding a grease filled plastic hose over the bottom of the pushrods to keep everything clean and well lubricated. They also replaced the four muffler exhaust with a smaller and lighter single fishtail pipe. The unusual dual headlight arrangement is unique to 1929 and 1930 Harleys.

The Corbin speedometer was an era-correct accessory. The windshield is a very rare Hanson Sport Shield that can fold up or down as needed. It was produced briefly in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Buzz added the correct luggage rack and aftermarket saddlebags to hold his backup gas tank, oil, spare parts and tools… just in case.

The 2012 Motorcycle Cannonball departs from Newburgh, NY on Friday September 7 and ends in San Francisco, CA on Sunday, September 23. Buzz has been showcasing the build and prep in recent issues of American Iron Magazine, available in print or in digital.

Keep up on Buzz’s progress across the US on any of his web sites—American Iron Magazine, Classic American Iron or Classic Harley Info. He’s planning to post photos, reports and videos on a daily basis.

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CROWE CUSTOMS BMW R80/7

CROWE CUSTOMS BMW R80/7

Custom motorcycles are often about sacrifice. As looks improve, functionality suffers. And most of the time, it doesn’t matter, especially if a bike is only ridden for short blasts, or down to a local watering hole. But it’s good to see the occasional long-haul machine given the custom treatment—like this 1978 BMW R80/7 from Crowe Customs of Portland, Oregon.

“This BMW has been my daily beater for the last three years,” says James Crowe. “It’s taken me across the country, up and down the west coast, and up to Canada in the dead of winter. But last fall, it was really starting to get beat. I hadn’t built a bike for myself in over five years, so the timing was right to blow it apart.”

Crowe is working with the bicycle builder Jordan Hufnagel on a project called West America, celebrating the idea of two-wheeled exploration: cross country trips involving gravel roads, swimming holes and carrying large loads. So the modifications to this R80/7 have a serious purpose.

The front suspension is from a Suzuki DR650, which was a surprisingly easy fit. (“The DR650 bearing races are the same as the stock BMW ones,” Crowe notes.) To complete the install, a custom brake rotor was machined, along with new fender mounts. And at the back, Progressive Suspension shocks improve the ride.

Crowe relocated the battery under the transmission and made a new subframe to match the curve of the custom rear fender. New Church Moto created the seat and rear rack, which is supplemented by pannier mounts and soft bags from Lemolo Baggage.

There’s some trick engineering going on here too: the under-tank master cylinder is now actuated by a set of CNC-machined perches and levers, hooked up to an integrated throttle unit. Crowe also made the bars, selecting a wide scrambler-style bend, and designed the ceramic-coated exhaust system.

It’s a practical machine, as the image below shows. And believe it or not, there are even mounting points to carry a full-size MTB bike on the back. Head over to our Facebook page to catch a glimpse of that.

Images courtesy of Jon Humphries.

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INDIAN 4 “RENEGADE” CUSTOM

INDIAN 4 “RENEGADE” CUSTOM

By David Edwards—Indian aficionados, especially those of the 100-point concours persuasion, may want to click away from this page quick as you can—or at the very least up your heart meds.

Shown here is either straight-to-hell blasphemy on two wheels or a pretty cool piece, depending upon your sensibilities. It began life as a 1930 Indian 4, Springfield’s first-gen four-cylinder, which had design roots back to Ace and before that Henderson. Today a showroom-stock Indian 4 can bring upwards of $65,000, making it a genuine blue-chip collectible. What we have here is most assuredly not a showroom-stocker.

It was built from a rusty basketcase in the 1990s by New York City carpenter and skilled part-time customizer William “Wild Bill” Eggers. By his own count Wild Bill, now 70 and retired to Connecticut, built hundreds of motorcycles over the years, almost all of them, “custom and just for the fun of it, not for show competition.” Just as well, really. “Yeah, I wasn’t exactly welcomed by the purist crowd,” he says with a laugh.

A chrome-plated frame tends to tweak vintage noses, and let’s not even mention the several—egads!—gold-plated pieces. Then there’s that hand-bent wavy-gravy exhaust, a 4-into-2 x 2 setup. More deductions for the repurposed twin Excelsior headlights and the Schwinn bicycle headlamp turned into a taillight. Less said about the curlique’d fender mounts the better, am I right, judges?

Eggers sold “Renegade” as the bike was fittingly named to an English collector at auction in 1990, where it traded hands for $80,000. And earlier this week, it was sold again, at the Bonhams Quail Lodge auction, for a cool $86,250

Ironically, these days Eggers builds exact, museum-quality replicas of the very first motorcycles, late 1800s wood-framed contraptions by Germany’s Gottlieb Daimler and American Sylvester Roper, the latter steam-powered. Probably still not enough to make amends with the purists, not that Wild Bill gives a hoot…

See which motorcycles have caught David Edwards’ roving eye by following the BikeCraft Magazine Facebook page. Or better still, take out a subscription to the magazine from just $14.99.

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STEEL BENT CUSTOMS: “THE BRUSHED”

STEEL BENT CUSTOMS: “THE BRUSHED”

Good design removes the unnecessary. It’s a principle understood well by Michael Mundy of Steel Bent Customs in Tampa, Florida—as his latest build shows. Called “The Brushed”, it’s a minimalist take on the classic Honda CB750 cafe racer.

Mundy started work by cleaning out the center frame, a signature look of Steel Bent. So the electronics are now mounted under the tank, and the battery on the swing arm. The frame was then painted a low-gloss black, with a matte clear coat to finish. The wheels were given the same treatment before being shod with fresh Dunlop rubber.

“The tank is from a CB750 Super Sport,” Mundy reveals. “We mixed the paint ourselves to a rusty red color, then painted the lower part black and added a silver pin stripe to mimic the angle of the seat.”

The seat is from Lance’s; it sits above custom rearsets from Old School Speed, and a custom 4-into-1 exhaust. The engine has been treated to pod filters, and the carbs re-jetted and tuned to match the new breathing characteristics. “We also fabricated the clip-on bars, eliminated the stock controls, and fitted a mini headlight,” adds Mundy.

Next up for Steel Bent Customs is a 1998 Triumph Adventurer—not the most common platform for a custom machine. We’ll be watching out for that one with interest. Meanwhile, keep tabs on SBC’s news via their Facebook page.

Images © Erick Runyon of Choppershotz. For commissions, bookings and fine art prints contact Erick here.

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SPIRIT OF THE SEVENTIES S7

SPIRIT OF THE SEVENTIES S7

Somewhere, on the glorious roads of rural Scotland, this beautiful Yamaha XS750 custom is carving corners and blasting down the straights, at the command of its new owner. But it was built hundreds of miles away by Spirit of the Seventies, the English workshop that wears its influences on its sleeve.

Tim Rogers and Kevin Taggart have turned out a handful of classic racers so far, but “S7” is their best yet. And that’s not just down to the eye-catching paint effects. The front end has been upgraded with forks from a Yamaha YZF-R6 sportbike, and the brake system is from an R1. Adjustable Hagon shocks keep the rear under control, and extra power comes from a rebuilt engine and a bespoke three-into-one exhaust system from Co-Built.

The rear subframe has been shortened, and fitted with a carbon fiber tail unit with a leather seat pad. There’s an 18” wheel at the front now, and both rims have been powdercoated. Other details include custom rearsets and new lights and indicators.

None of this is rocket science, but a lot of work (and a great eye for aesthetics) has gone into this XS750. And isn’t the paint on that tank just gorgeous?

Images by Tim Rogers.

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CLASSIFIED MOTO KT600

CLASSIFIED MOTO KT600

John Ryland’s Classified Moto is going from strength to strength. The order book is healthy and the machines coming out of his Richmond, VA workshop are increasingly adventurous.

“KT600” is the latest, and named after its donor bike and owner. The starting point was a 1987 Honda XL600R enduro, and it was commissioned by Battlestar Galactica actress (and avid motorcyclist) Katee Sackhoff.

“From the get-go Katee was the perfect customer,” says Ryland. “She gave us 100 percent creative freedom. Her only request was that her feet not be behind her, since she’s used to having them forward on her Harley. So we left the pegs in the stock position.”

No Classified Moto bike would be complete without a front end swap, and this XL600 gets one from a Kawasaki ZX6-R. And for the second time, Ryland and his chief mechanic Greg upgraded the back end too—installing the single-sided swingarm from a 2006 Triumph Sprint.

“We’ve swapped front ends on probably 30 bikes at this point, so that was not a big deal,” says Ryland. “Maxum Machine did the triple tree conversion. But the rear end swaps are a lot more complicated. After much deliberation, Chase Metal’s Alex Heath fabricated a boxed section onto the frame to receive the swingarm. We used modified transmission gears to allow the front sprocket to clear the big 180 rear tire.”

Ryland leaned on Progressive Suspension’s David Zemla for advice on the XL600′s rear geometry. Then Chase Metal CNC’d a beautiful aluminum lower mount for the shock—a Progressive 465 unit, with a remote preload adjuster mounted below the tank. “I’m still no expert, but I learned a ton working with David,” says Ryland.

The icing on the cake is the custom stainless exhaust, fabricated by Chase Metal’s Seth Ingham. “It’s a work of art and sounds amazing,” says Ryland. “Seth is a perfectionist and I tend to ‘eyeball’ a lot of things when I’m working on a bike, so I’m sure it wasn’t fun for him to line things up. He asked me at one point, ‘Do you want me to line the tip up with the center of the tire or the center of the taillight?’ I told him to split the difference…”

Just to increase the pressure, the omnipresent cameras of Cafe Racer TV were recording the ups and downs. You’ll be able to watch the build during season four in early 2013—but in the meantime, head over to the Classified Moto website for more details.

And Katee? She was floored by the bike, and it fits her just right. Of course, there’s no kickstart on Katee’s Harley, so she had to learn—on camera—how to do it. “All I can say is she’s a trooper,” Ryland laughs. “It didn’t come easy but she did it.”

Images by Adam Ewing.

TECH SPECS 1987 Honda XL600R enduro motor and frame, heavily modified | 2005 Kawasaki ZX6-R forks and wheel | CM triple tree conversion, billet upper clamp, All-Balls bearing upgrade | 2006 Triumph Sprint ST 1050 single-sided swingarm | Progressive Suspension 465 shock, custom billet lower mount | Fully custom stainless pipes, collector and muffler built by Seth Ingham | Tires: Metzeler ME880 120/70-17 (front), Dunlop D616 180/55-17 (rear) | Brakes: Galfer stainless lines front and rear with stock Triumph and Kawasaki calipers and rotors. Relocated rear master cylinder | Seat: Custom made in-house and upholstered by Roy Baird | Tank: 1970s Honda CB350, two-tone nickel plated | Carbs jetted for pods and new exhaust | Misc: Acewell digital gauge, Oury grips, custom LED taillight, dual headlights, Driven aluminum rear sprocket with DID Gold X-ring chain.

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TRIUMPH SCRAMBLER BY JVB-MOTO

TRIUMPH SCRAMBLER BY JVB-MOTO

If you were taken with the Triumph Tridays “Rumbler”—and it was one of the most popular bikes we’ve shown so far this year—then this is the bike for you.

Cologne-based JvB-moto has remodeled the Rumbler for small-scale production, priced it at 15,000 euros (around $18,500) and called it “Dirty Deeds”. And they’ve done good.

“Rumbler was built using a lot of special parts,” says JvB-moto founder Jens vom Brauck, “such as the forks and brakes. Reproducing that bike would be quite expensive. So Dirty Deeds is a basic version of the Rumbler with standard front suspension.”

The customer can choose the colors, exhaust, tires, and rear suspension. Custom parts include the headlight, fenders, seat, LSL handlebars and a two-into-one exhaust system from either Zard or Arrow. The wiring has been simplified, the wheels are powder coated, and the engine covers are sandblasted.

It’s taken the already attractive Scrambler to a new level, and dropped a fair bit of weight in the process. Tempted?

PS: Today’s your last chance to win a free subscription to BikeCraft Magazine, the USA’s leading custom motorcycle publication. Head over to the BikeCraft Facebook page to enter.

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THUNDERBIKE “PAINTTLESS”

THUNDERBIKE “PAINTTLESS”

It’s AMD World Championship time. The annual freak show held at the Sturgis motorcycle rally reveals the best and worst of the traditional custom world, including many sphincter-tightening lapses of taste.

There are signs of sanity amongst the Big Hair and leather vests though. And this year’s winner, fromThunderbike, is a definite step in the right direction.

Thunderbike is one of Germany’s most prolific builders, and has a Teutonic obsession with craftsmanship. The winning bike is called “PainTTless”—yes, it loses something in the translation—and it’s a tribute to inter-War salt flat racers. Built around a 1984 Harley Ironhead motor, it’s a diminutive machine running Amal Monoblock carburetion and Bosch ignition.

The transmission and primary are from a much older WLA, but everything else—from the frame to the bodywork—was created in-house. That even includes the 19” wheels, shod with Avon and Heidenau rubber.

And the name? “Two reasons,” says Thunderbike’s Martin Mix. “There’s less paint: the ‘difficult’ parts of the bike are 100% clean. It’s high gloss nickel with many, many layers of copper. And the ‘TT’ is anhomage to the old Tourist Trophy bikes at the Isle of Man. On our last two World Championship bikes, we wanted to hide as much as possible. This time we showed every single detail of the bike.”

The tactic has paid off, and the boys from Hamminkeln are nursing world-class hangovers as we speak. Check out their website for previous builds, and follow their Facebook page for the latest Thunderbike news.

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