After a weekend that saw two successful motorcycle projects and one failure (sorry Dan) it's back to work. Here's a bit of Cafe Racer eye candy to help us all through our Monday. Have a great week!
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Bandit9 Magnus sneak peek
We've just received these images from Bandit9 of their next custom motorcycle build. Daryl of Bandit9 tells us that this next bike will reinvent the Chang Yiang motorcycle used as a base. With a statement like that we're really excited to see the outcome of this custom build.
There's something about these first two shots that reminds us of a Fifties Sci-fi creature!
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| IT CAME FROM THE DEEP! |
Low Brow Customs Bonneville Speed Week 2011
"Faster, faster, faster,until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death"
Earlier this year the Lowbrow Customs crew made their way to Bonneville salt flats for the 2011 Speedweek. Riding their two speed trial vintage Triumphs, Tyler and Kyle managed to set multiple records during the 7 day event and are already talking about what they want to achieve at the 2012 event. Unlike last year the guys were much more prepared and have been sharing some great photos from out on the salt and they are also in the process of finalising a short film about the event. Filmed and edited by John Glover the full film will be available soon and we'll be sure to post it when it's available. For now you will have to settle with the trailer and some photos of those stunning, record breaking Triumphs.
Vintage motorcycle photography
Todd McLellan is a Canadian still and motion photographer whose work includes this outstanding series of restored and customised vintage motorcycles. The series which includes a Cafe Racer styled Honda and a featherbed framed AJS can be seen in it's entirety on his portfolio website.
Triumph Speed Triple Cafe Racer
The Triumph Speed Triple rocked the motorcycling world when it came in to production in 1994. Powered by Triumph's triple series of engines and sporting hydraulic front forks, mono shock rear suspension and disc brakes front and rear, it was a true wolf in sheep's clothing. It's stripped down, naked styling and Superbike performance influenced a new generation of custom builders and pioneered the Street Fighter movement. So to see one stripped down even further and labeled as a Cafe Racer is somewhat out of the ordinary.
Moreno Bravo Clásicas videos
I spotted one of these videos from Moreno Bravo Clásicas on Ottonero today and enjoyed it so much I thought I'd share a few of them. I love how raw they are even though they have been shot in HD. A mix of hand held, tripod and bumpy onboard footage, backed with great music and full of awesome classic motorcycle goodness.
Grab yourself a beer, load them all up and enjoy the show.
Montesa Impala Sport
Sanglas 400
1970 Laverda 750 SFC El Jarama
Last but not least a look in to their Barcelona based workshop...
Cooper Smithing Co TX500 Jailbird
Most custom motorcycles rolling out of workshops tend to be polished to perfection or feature paint jobs more expensive than your entire build budget. Every now and then though a builder pushes all that glam to aside so they can focus on the most important task, building a better bike. Joe Cooper from Cooper Smithing Co. has done exactly that with his 1974 Yamaha TX500 "Jailbird".
Readers rides: Moto Guzzi Le Manns 1000
Dime City Cycles Honda Four Hundred
To follow up on todays Bikeexif article about the Lowside Syndicate and Dime City Cycles "Four Hundred", I thought I'd share these images from Choppershotz. Erik Runyon's (Choppershotz) photos of the Four Hundred showcase the impressive amount of detail that DCC has put in to the bikes paintwork and over all finish.
I'm a huge fan of hand rendered lettering and I love the style used on this bike. It gives the Four Hundred a real Hot Rod/Rockabilly feel. It's an amalgamation of two styles from different parts of the globe and different sub cultures that I've started to notice at many different events and is definitely one that I hope continues to evolve.
The DCC Four Hundred is based on a 1975 Honda CB400F and has been featured in season 2 of Cafe Racer TV which is now airing in the States. The Four Hundred underwent testing with AMA Superbike rider, Erik Bostrom in an episode of the series and here's what he day to say about the bike:
"I’m fairly certain this has to be one of the coolest motors ever built. The extra beans from the Yosh kit installed by the Dime City crew no doubt accentuated this sensation. But that’s exactly what this bike is to ride, a sensation. As if a 2-stroke and 4-stroke were morphed together, the high revving little engine screams to life as the tach approaches red-line. Keeping her in the power range keeps you on your toes but not so much so that your fighting to stay "on the pipe". The tune that follows is transcending, as if your twisting through the Isle and Mike the Bike is racing right beside you. The infamous pitch of the inline Honda generates an image in your mind and a grin on your face. You can’t not fall in love with this bike."
If you haven't already seen the Bikeexif article here's a run down on the Four Hundreds specs:
- 1975 CB 400 Four Super Sport
- Vintage Ducati Replica Race Fuel Tank & Fairing
- Dime City Original Wasp Rear Seat Section
- Dime City Original Lower Cowl Section
- Modified Frame (Chromoly Backbone, Braces and DCC Rearsteel Loop)
- Modified Swingarm (Chromoly Sections and Bracing)
- BlackBox Yoshi 466 Piston Kit
- Kibbellwhite Valve Train
- Custom MAC/DCC Exhaust System
- Progressive Suspension Front & Rear
- Excel Shouldered Aluminum Rims w/ Metzler Rubber
- Combination CB400F, CB450 & CB750 Front End w/ YZF Dual Discs
- Loadedgun Rear Sets & DCC Linkage Kit
- Keihin CR Race Carburetors
- Tommaselli Clip-ons
- Acewell gauge Unit
The team at DCC have done an amazing job of customising this CB and I'm sure most of our readers would be happy to see this beauty parked in their driveway. Five stars from us for this outstanding build.
To see more of Erik's photography be sure to head over to the Choppershotz website. Featured model is the current Miss Dime City Cycles, Arianna Leigh.
Bushido Honda CB500 Cafe Racer
A few months back I posted a video from Two Guys Garage showing the progress of their Honda CB500 Cafe Racer. The video gave us a sneak peek of the Honda and the process of tuning its carbs.Well it looks like the Honda CB500 Cafe Racer is now completed and has been christened "Bushido".
In keeping with it's Japanese name and origin, the Bushido's bodywork and leather seat have been engraved and embossed with Japanese themed artwork. It's verging on being over the top but there's something about all the detail that's had me coming back and staring at these photos for the last few days. The finish has a real vintage silver work look to it...come to think of it my Grandma has a set of engraved silver cutlery that would look right at home next to the Bushido. It's certainly going to raise a few eyebrows and I can't even begin to imagine the amount of time that went in to doing it. I wouldn't be surprised if it took as long to do as the building the rest bike!
If you can manage to look past the intricate engraving you'll notice the CB has had some pretty impressive work done on it. The bike now sits on a single rear shock mounted under the seat, a fully customised swing arm and frame, custom tail and saddle and who could forget those beautiful CR carbs mounted on each cylinder. Hopefully soon we will be blessed with more video of the completed bike in action.
Is this a Cafe Racer you could love or one you'd rather not be seen riding?
2011 Barber Vintage Festival Cafe Racers
The 2011 Barber vintage festival has been and gone and was by all accounts a huge success. The Cafe Racer crew put on a great show and plenty of riders and builders showed up to enjoy the day. Next year promises to be even bigger and better but until you will have to just enjoy these shots from the day.
Matt and his Machines
If you're ever driving through the New South Wales countryside enjoying the serenity and you're passed by a roaring beast chances are it's Matt Machine on his Guzzi Cafe Racer.
Chang Jiang motorcycle by Bandit9
The Chang Jiang 750 was China's derivative of the Soviet IMZ M-72 which was a spin off of BMW's 1938 R71. The CJ750 was typically produced with a sidecar and was used by the Chinese military in the late 50s/early 60s. It's 4 stroke, air cooled, opposed flat twin delivered power to the rear wheel via a shaft drive like the setup still seen on many BMW motorcycles.
Bandit9 owner Daryl, acquired this CJ750 to use as a base for his first "guinea pig" project bike. The customised CJ750 titled "Loki" was a test of Daryl's ability to piece together a custom bike in Beijing where he now resides. With the restrictions of language and a network of resources we think he's done a pretty solid job.
Aesthetically Daryl wanted to retain some of the bikes raw looks so the frame retains its original paint, the bodywork however was given a full overhaul. The fenders were chopped and remounted to fit closer to the radius of the tyres. The fenders, headlight and handlebars were all finished in a low sheen black while the tank was treated to a deep forest green.
Loki is an impressive introduction for Bandit9 to the custom motorcycle building world and the choice of bike is certainly going to raise a few eyebrows. As Daryl's chinese improves and his contacts grow we can expect to see more great custom motorcycles rolling out of the Bandit9 workshop. Daryl's next bike the Bandit2 is already in production and you can catch glimpses of it on the Bandit9 blog.
Readers rides October 2011 part 2
We are pleased to showcase another set of readers rides for the month of October. Amazing garage built Cafe Racers from around the globe sent in by the latest generation of backyard builders.
RSD Road to 200
Roland Sands pushes a turbo charged Victory V-Twin to it's limits in an attempt to brake the 200 mile per hour mark (320km). On their final pass the bike blew a piston 400m from the timing gates. The bike still reached 185mph which makes this the worlds fastest Victory, unfortunately their 200mph goal will have to wait. The bike has been retired to the RSD workshop where the team will work on repairs to get the get the bike ready for their next 200mph attempt.
It's certainly no Cafe Racer but it got us excited! Good luck to the RSD team. We're looking forward to a positive result.
Iron & Resin Look Book
Could there be a better lifestyle combination than riding motorcycles and surfing waves? Iron & Resin are a California based company living that dream. Iron & Resins custom clothing range reflects their lifestyle with bold designs emblazoned across them in silk screened ink. Wearable salutes to motorcycling icons and surfing gods. Check out the slick video below for their current "Look Book" then if you live the life or lust after it, head over to their online store to grab some new duds.
Wrenchmonkees Kawasaki W650 Mistress
Here's number 22 to roll out of the Wrenchmonkees workshop and she's a beauty. The Mistress is based around one of my favorite parallel twins, the Kawasaki W650 and although it's not a Cafe Racer it looks like loads of fun. This W is ready for off road action with knobbly tires, MX style bars, MX style pegs and upgraded suspension. I'm particularly fond of the flat metallic paint and lighting bolt graphics, simple and full of style like everything the WM guys put together.
Chopped Rod and Customs 2011
I was totally disappointed that I missed the Chopped Rod and Custom festival last year so this year was a must. We didn't make it for the whole three days but spent the whole day Sunday enjoying the action.
1978 Honda CB550K Cafe Racer
Twenty years is a long time for a motorcycle to go unused. Oil dries up, rubber cracks, polish fades and paint flakes. But when the right person stumbles across it with the right amount of vision and skill it's former glory can be returned and in some cases exceeded with some smart customisation. This is exactly the case with the Honda CB550K you see here. Owner Brad has sent it in via our submit your cafe racer page and we had to put it up on the site. Read on to enjoy Brads recount of how this Cafe Racer came to be.
Cafe Racer TV season 1 on DVD
The DVD includes all 13 episodes from the Cafe Racer TV debut season. Watch as some of the world's finest custom builders piece together show quality Cafe Racers out of barn find bikes, learn about Cafe Racers rich history and British roots and join the team out on the road for some knee down action as the bikes are put to the test. Special guests and Cafe Racer fans Billy Joel and Jason Lee also join the team to share some of their own stories and let us take a peek at the beast lurking in their own garages.
Dime City Cycles
Loaded Gun Customs
Lossa Engineering
Santiago Choppers
Garage Company Customs
At $21.95USD for the two disc set it's a bargain. Mines already in the mail, I've got a full weekend in front of the TV planned for when it arrives. Go To Dime City Cycles website now to order your own copy.
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