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• Custom Wolf Turbo Wolf is A Boosted Suzuki Bandit 1200

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 22 May 2013

  

  We love custom street bikes, but there are only so many variations on the theme. Take a classic or late-model standard or sportbike, ditch most or all of the bodywork, tweak or replace the front and rear suspension, and give it a jaunty paint scheme. We appreciate the artistry and the craftsmanship, but where’s the imagination?

  Well, it seems Custom Wolf, a German bike builder, has had a stroke of inspiration. No, it’s not a twist you’ll spot right away. But it is a twist you’ll definitely notice when you give the throttle a twist.

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• Classified Moto Honda CB750F Superstrada Engages in Four-play

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 7 May 2013

  

  The Honda CB750 is widely credited with being the motorcycle for which the term “superbike” was coined. Prior to the model family’s 1969 debut, engines like the CB750’s muscular overhead cam (DOHC starting in 1979), transversely-mounted four-stroke inline-four was strictly the domain of high-priced exotics and racing motorcycles. But because American Honda dealers told Soichiro himself that their customers wanted bigger and badder bikes, the company brought this four-pot powerhouse to market for the highly-competitive starting price of $1,495 ($9,233.71 in 2012 money).

  As a result of all these significant achievements, part of us is inclined to believe cutting up a CB750 is straight-up blasphemous. But the other part of us, upon seeing this highly-customized 1980 CB750F from Classified Moto called “Superstrada,” wants to place a piece of duct tape over the first part’s mouth. Why is that?

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• Spin Cycle Industries Yamaha Virago XV750 Goes from Cruiser to Bruiser

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 2 April 2013

  

  Yamaha introduced the Virago XV750 in 1981 and, almost immediately, it convinced many-a-skeptic that the Japanese company could build a competent American-style V-twin cruiser. Furthermore, it looked the part, with a steeply raked front fork, low seat, and plenty of chrome components. Small wonder, then, that Yamaha built the XV750 for more than a decade-and-a-half.

  And because the XV750 was in production so long, a whole lot of them were made. As a result, not a whole lot of people object when one gets modified. And when it comes to modified XV750s, this one from Bend, Oregon’s Spin Cycle Industries is about as snazzy as they get.

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• Hamann Soltador is a Chopper-Shaped Porsche Tribute

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 14 March 2013

  

  This year’s Geneva Motor Show (which runs through this Sunday in case you’re in the neighborhood) is stacked to the rafters with new tuned and customized cars from Europe’s most popular tuners. It’s almost enough to make a person’s head spin. And all those tuned cars – as well as the numerous stock vehicles – also draw attention away from the vehicles that don’t fit into either of those categories.

  Vehicles like, say, this highly-customized chopper. But it hasn’t been built by Arlen Ness or some other well-known chopper shop; no, it’s a product of Hamann. Yes Hamann, the firm better known for sprucing up four-wheeled conveyances from various and sundry European nameplates like Mercedes-Benz and BMW. So what is it doing fooling with an American-style, American-powered motorcycle?

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• South Garage Kelevra is a Dynamite Ducati Monster

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 11 March 2013

  

  The Ducati Monsters have never been about blending in with the herd. Their naked styling proudly shows off their trellis frames. Ducati’s signature desmodromic-valve V-twins provide an unmistakable soundtrack. And their overall vibe just says, “Don’t mess with us, capisce?”

  Naturally, seeking to alter this vibe can be a dangerous game. Customizers run the risk of turning these stripped-down Ducs into caricatures of their stock selves. Thankfully, the gang at South Garage has not fallen into this trap. Instead, they’ve turned a roughly decade-old Monster S4R into a toned, EICMA award winning retro cool café racer called the Kelevra.

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• Sebastiao Guerra SG-01 Honda FX650 is a Dual-Purpose Done Right

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 21 February 2013

  

  When selecting a starting point for a custom bike, not very many dual-purpose motorcycles get the nod. It’s not that customizers are necessarily against the idea of these two-wheeled SUVs, but getting them to look lower and more athletic than stock is a considerably more involved process than it would be with a superbike or even a tourer. Using them as the basis for a custom café racer simply isn’t worth the trouble.

  However, no one passed this advice along to Sebastiao Guerra, or if they did, he’s decided against heeding it. The upstart customizer from the Portuguese capital of Lisbon has, against the odds, managed to transform a 1999 Honda FX650 into a stubby naked street beast called the SG-01. So what has Sebastiao done?

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• Classified Moto XV920R 2.0 is Futuristic Retro

  In Motorcycles / By Freddy Chen / 19 February 2013

  

  The story of this bike actually began with a request from the director of experimental film Reciprocity, Sunny Zhao, to John Ryland of soon-to-be Classified Moto. Sunny needed a bike fit for a cold, calculating hitman – who’s only care in the world was his bike. An advertising creative at the time, Mr. Ryland consented and after nearly eight months of part time work, completed the project. A customer then came along, saw the Reciprocity bike and asked John to build him something along the same lines, leading to Classified Moto XV920R version 1.0.

  Two years and many requests later, the Biker’s Cafe in Dubai asked John to build them a replica of the XV920R to ride and show at the cafe. With tight deadlines and a massively shortened delivery schedule, John did the only sensible thing and sent them the original customer’s version 1.0. The customer was ok with it – as long as John built him another one and that is the bike pictured above. Welcome to the Classified Moto XV920R 2.0.

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• Rno Cycles Opal is a Slim, Savage Moto Guzzi V50

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 12 February 2013

  

  We’re of the opinion that there is a lot to love about the small-but-hip Italian motorcycle manufacturer, Moto Guzzi. Most of their bikes blend Old World craftsmanship, charming styling, and strong, longitudinally-mounted V-twin engines into one two-wheeled package. And whether you’re into a cruiser, dual-purpose or café racer bike, the company’s current lineup has something to satisfy you.

  But what if none of Moto Guzzi’s off-the-shelf offerings, be they new or old, tickle your fancy? Specifically, what if you have a 1982 V50 III, but want it to be a bare-bones, stripped down rocket? That’s the situation Dutch motorcycle accessory retailer Goparts found itself in, and to resolve this situation, they contacted local customizer Arno Overweel – proprietor of Rno Cycles – to make their vision for the V50 a reality. And that reality, which has been dubbed the Opal, is a feast for the eyes.

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• Asterisk Custom Cycles Avanzare is a Hotter Harley-Davidson Sportster

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 11 February 2013

  

  Although long and loud cruising-oriented motorcycles bring home most of the bacon for Harley-Davidson, the famous American firm also offers a line of more touring focused bikes as part of its Sportster line. And the Sportsters aren’t exactly a recent addition to the H-D family; the first Hogs to wear the name hit showrooms in 1957. Needless to say, a few of the millions that have been made over the past 56 years have been customized by their owners.

  One of the latest high-profile Sportster-based customs comes out of a somewhat surprising place: Japan, specifically the shop of one Hideki Hoshikawa and his company, Asterisk Custom Cycles. The bike is called the Avanzare (which is Italian for “progress”), and whether you love it or hate it, it certainly has progressed from a stock Sportster.

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• Wrenchmonkees Monkeefist Yamaha XJR1300 is a Bad Black Bruiser

  In Motorcycles / By Tom Anderson / 31 January 2013

  

  Since 1999, Yamaha has been offering motorcyclists in Europe and other places that aren’t North America a large-displacement, retro-styled sport tourer called the XJR1300. The styling looks like a holdover from the late-1970s or early-1980s, but the technology and engineering on board is firmly planted in this century, particularly the 2007-and-later ones with EFI and improved catalytic converters. We honestly don’t see why it (along with its principal rival, the Honda CB1300) wouldn’t sell here.

  In any case, Wrenchmonkees – a custom shop in Copenhagen, Denmark – has built a blacked-out café racer on the bones of an XJR1300. But the impressive part about this customized Yamaha, which has been dubbed the Monkeefist, is that this bike isn’t as customized as you think.

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