High-tech polymer and composite firearms accessory company Magpul Industries rocked the motorcycling world when they launched their motorcycle manufacturing division, Ronin Motorworks. ‘The 47’ was the companies first and the only model released. Inspired by the Japanese legend of the 47 Ronin Samurai the bikes were limited to a mere 47 pieces which were released in colour schemed batches. Beneath the unique body and chassis of the Ronin 47 was Buell 1125 frame and Rotax motor. Magpul secured the donor bikes back in 2009 after Harley Davidson laid the brand to rest. As you can imagine with such radical looks, thoroughbred breeding and extremely limited numbers they sold out fast.
Uncrate Magpul RoninWhen Magpul unveiled the Ronin Motorworks 47 the crew at men’s gear & lifestyle blog Uncrate knew they had to get involved. Uncrate contacted Magpul owners Mike Mayberry and Richard Fitzpatrick to discuss a special collaboration between the two brands. Using numbers 46 and 40 of the Silver & Black edition of the bikes, Uncrate and Magpul developed 2 unique bikes based on Uncrate’s stygian style guide.
The 2 special edition Uncrate Ronin wore an all-black motif. Each bikes airbox, front and rear shock springs, fork linkages and subframe were all finished in satin black. Vintage-styled black rear sets replaced billet options and the tail light lenses were swapped for tinted alternatives. The Ronin muffler tips also received a coating of black cerakote and the headers were wrapped in a black exhaust wrap. The finishing touch was a pair of black leather saddles, one for each bike, upholstered by Texan leatherworker Clint Wilkinson.
Uncrate Magpul RoninAside from the visual differences, the Uncrate Ronin ran identical specification to their 45 brethren. Powered by a 1124.9cc Rotax Helicon V-twin, power output was a generous 146bhp. Tipping the scales at 425 lbs (193 kg) they were 40 pounds lighter than their Buell 1125 donors and top speed was recorded as 160 mph (260 kph). Magpul also added a series of their own specially designed parts to make the bikes unique and improve upon some of the Buells shortcomings. These include the Ronin’s unique front-mounted radiator which tackles the high-temp issues that plagued the Buell 1125. The traditional USD forks were also swapped out with an entirely new, linkage fork setup and they added asymmetrically mounted twin stacked headlights. Other components unique to the Ronin design were bespoke hydraulic master cylinders and adjustable controls, an RFID ignition, a high-efficiency stator and a top of the range Motogadget Chronoclassic speedo.
For those who missed out on purchasing any of the Ronin Motorworks 47 the chance of finding one for sale is highly unlikely. The chance of owning one of the 2 Uncrate bikes, therefore, would be near impossible, but right now, that’s not the case. Uncrate has already sold one of their special edition Ronin 47, but the second is currently available to purchase in the Uncrate Supply store. Ronin Motorworks originally sold the bikes for between $38,000 – $50,000 USD. Priced at $46,000 USD this extremely exclusive collector’s item would be a worthy investment.
