Dama - Davide Biondi Kawasaki W650

DAvide Bondi is an Italian artist based in Abbruzo. He loves motorcycles. And had time and passion and motivation to spend 2 years to build his dreams motorcycle.
The donor is a Kawasaki W650 and the work started in 2012. In his own atelier he striped to the bones and rebuild it from scratch .
The result was fabulous .

Please see the pictures here.

For any other Davide Bondi other work follow him http://davidebiondi.tumblr.com/

968 Triumph Daytona 500 by Origin8or

Some builders have a distinct style you see in all their bikes, Rob Chappell of Origin8or is not one them, he can take the same two bikes and deliver totally different builds, the one constant however is always quality. Just six weeks ago we featured another Triumph Bobber build by Chappell, a springer wearing, orange flake painted Bonnie that screamed look at me. But this 1968 Triumph Daytona 500 is an example of how less can be more and custom cool can still stay true to classic style.

Like any high end restoration and rebuild of a vintage vehicle, either car or motorcycle, this is a full frame off build with absolutely every part removed and stripped down. To give the classic bobber look Rob fitted the frame up with a The Factory Metal Works 4 inch stretched and 2inch drop hard tail. The frame, suspension components, pedals and the various bits and pieces that keep them all together were sent off to be sandblasted before being treated to some silver powder coat for a durable and clean finish. One of the few matching features to the previous Triumph bobber build is the timeless rear fender, narrow and shortened to display as much rubber as possible.

The front suspension is stock, all be it renewed to function just as well as it did when it rolled off the factory floor. New fork tubes, new fork legs and 10wt oil were just some of the items that went into the full rebuild of the front end. Once completed the forks were also treated to the same colour as the frame, plus minimal use of raw polished metal to further accentuate the silver paint scheme. The brakes remain the stock 8 inch leading shoes at the front with polished hubs and a single 7 inch out the back. The hubs are laced with new spokes and the tires were something new for Rob, the ever popular Firestones. “I had to see what all the fuss was about and it suited the era of the bike.”

The engine fitted to Triumph’s Daytona is a special little beast, designed to take on the Japanese at the Daytona International Speedway. When Triumph won the 1966 Daytona 200 race with American Buddy Elmore aboard the Daytona name found its home on the Triumph the next year and a race winning average speed of nearly 100mph tells you this little thing can get up and go! The 490cc parallel twin engine featured new heads and twin AMAL Carbs for more top end power, both of which have been rebuilt by Rob. In fact the whole drivetrain has been rebuilt, not a bad decision when it was discovered the previous owner had used what looked like axle grease as their lube of choice for the transmission. Rob was nearly finished piecing together the rebuilt lump when he discovered the “full gasket kit” he’d bought didn’t include a head gasket, more than a minor issue. But a few emails and a two hour trip to a vintage bike show at a flea market, turned up just the right item and the rebuild was completed.

An engine this good deserves an exhaust to match and on a bobber the pipes become part of the look. With straight right side pipes on the last build Rob ran the twin pipes on the left side on the Daytona that are bent down and kinked slightly out to clear the oil tank. What makes Chappell such a great builder is his eye for detail, not only are the pipes ceramic coated to avoid pipe burn and an adverse effect on the oil temp the downward bend of the pipes exactly match the lines of the hard tailed frame. The oil tank itself is a TFMW item that has been painted silver, which next to the velocity stacked carbs and polished cases gives the engine an old school minimalist look that I personally could look at and appreciate for hours… imagine how good it sounds!

The “pristine” tank that came with the bike turned out to be a total nightmare, sandblasting revealed a wreck, dings and dints had been filled and one lump of bondo measured four inches deep. For a builder of Chappell’s quality there are no cutting corners, so an expensive session on eBay had a much better condition unit on its way. Factory badges and a lightly sparkled silver paint with black stripping over both the tank and fender are understated but enough of a detail to give passers-by a hint that this is no factory restoration.

The bobber seat is from the Chappell brothers company Tuffside, black with white diamond stitch and old school spring struts. There are no ape hangers here; a build of this quality doesn’t need anything over the top to the catch attention so Biltwell risers hold some flat track bars with Biltwell kung-fu grips and polished stock controls. Rob always gives his bike a full rewire for flawless operation and a small headlight and side mounted tail light do their job without interfering in the ultra-clean classic lines.

With the Triumph Daytona 500 finished it’s no surprise to see Rob sit aboard with a proud, broad smile. Many builders choose a bike and then throw a whole catalogue of parts at it, but Origin8or Cycles and Rob Chappell can make a crazy custom or like this build pay tribute to a classic in a subtle way that screams the sort of understated craftsmanship that makes him one of the best builders around.


First published on pipeburn.com/

Skuddesign Black Betty

We don’t feature much Milwaukee Muscle on the Bike Shed, but having just fired up a Buell engined Cafè Tracker I’m reminded of the appeal; that engine note takes some beating. Nicolas Barthelemy of Skud Design is no stranger to making things sound right, whilst maintaining effortless cool. Last year he brought us a stunning Kawasaki W650 Scrambler. Ok, so the woodland setting for the photo shoot played a part but that bike just made you want to go and tear up some dirt.
Leaving Europe behind for the wide expanses of Canada, Nicolas fancied himself a laid back cruiser for the long straight roads of his new home in Montreal, so bought a 2013 Sportster XL Forty Eight upon which he would cast his graphic designing eye before breaking out the tool kit to create Black Betty.

Bratstyle was to be the design palette of choice, with a good dose of Bobber in the mix. In fact, I must praise one of two things; either Google Translate for rehashing foreign so succinctly, or Nicolas for crafting such a wonderful sentence in his second language. “I thus prepared the silhouette of the motorcycle by mixing the aesthetic codes with products resulting from all other horizons in the inspirations BRATSTYLE”.

The rear fender is from an ’84 Softail Heritage, painted black. The kick-up giving over even more stage to the Firestone Deluxe Champions. 5.00 x 16 if you must know.

Indicators are hidden down low, on the swing arm near the pivot point. Neat and out of the way, and painted black they nearly disappear. Progreesive Suspension 412 series 11.5″ shocks keep the back looking squat, improve the ride and go someway towards comfort.

The cow horn bars are by Zombie Performance, with internal cable and wire routing. I’m not usually a fan of this narrow type of bar but with the chunky, oh-so comfortable Harley levers and neat uncluttered setup this works, visually.

The rear light is from a 1928 Ford truck, updated with fresh paint and wiring. Keeping with Stateside heritage the tank has been painted with a 1936 Ford burgundy, which for me looks the business, especially with the chromed trim from a 1947 Renault. A simple Tuck ‘n’ Roll seat is spot on.

The mirror is by Lowbrow Customs, foot pegs by Speed Merchant and air the filter housing is from Harley tuning stalwarts S&S. Again raiding the vintage parts bin, the headlight is an Electroline from 1954.

Canadian legislation is pretty tough on the custom scene so Nicolas hasn’t gone overboard with this build, which has worked in his favour as this is one Harley that fits in The Bike Shed just nicely.
Keep an eye out for Nicolas’ future work on Facebook, with all that spare land aboot the place he’s surely going to build another scrambler.'
First appeared in http://thebikeshed.cc

1934 Moto Guzzi V

It must be said that today we take a lot for granted. Go back 80 years and things would be very different. No mobile phones, no internet, and riding a motorcycle was an adventure in itself. This was the era that Triumph deemed automatic engine lubrication to be superfluous, that the riders of their machines could be trusted to manually work the oil pump as the bike needed it. Could you imagine doing that today on your UJM or custom? This was also the era that a small motorcycle firm named Moto Guzzi came to prominence. From their initial launch in 1921 of the ‘Normale’ model, the Guzzi brand thrived and made a name for itself by showing the passion Italians are so well known for. Today’s feature bike comes from the fledgling days of Moto Guzzi, just over a decade after the initial model launch, this V model bike was born. And 80 years on it looks just as good as ever.

Pumping out 18hp at 4300rpm, the horizontal single cylinder OHC motor can push the bike to a dizzying (for it’s day) 120kmh. Although the model V bike was produced from 1934-40, the engine evolved over the years, culminating in the racing engine found in the ‘Dondolino’ sports model of the 1950s. The engine technology is definitely agricultural, but aesthetically pleasing. External valve springs, a decompression lever and open face ‘bacon slicer’ flywheel make up componentry that in it’s day was the norm, but have all been relegated to motorcycle Valhalla.

Today’s bike is in the ownership of photographer Marc Schneider, a motorcycle fan who inherited the V after his father passed on. Marc’s father picked up the big red bike along with a Super Alsace as part of a package deal in 1981, and with little history known about this V model. The Moto Guzzi V was parked in a garage for over three decades and on inheriting it Marc adjusted the timing, fiddled with the carbs and the bike started with no issues.

By Marc’s own admittance, the bike is far from perfect, but he wouldn’t change it. As such, a breakdown on the way to the studio for the photoshoot, left the Moto Guzzi not running and a kilometre away from the studio. Such is the fun of owning a vintage motorcycle.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. According to Marc: “Fiddling with the friction dampers and the ignition timing is fun. And the sound the old thumper makes a joy. That’s why I’m happy to ride a bike that has lived for 80 years – and I’m looking forward to the next 80 years.”



First appeared in pipeburn.com
Written by Ian Lee.

Custom Yamaha DragStar 650 | Wild Boar

Custom Yamaha DragStar 650  | Wild Boar | Mad Crow Garage
Joaquin approached Mad Crow Garage to customize his Yamaha 650 Dragstar, there was little idea on how to go about this custom build. For starters, the Custom Yamaha DragStar 650 had to have the widest rear tyres. numerous parts were sourced from Harley-Davidson, the Short rear fender and the springer suspension was installed followed by Kuriakin air filter and exhaust pipes and incredible custom triple-coated paint job.

First appeared in way2speed.com

1938 DKW NZ350 | Custom bobber

1938 DKW NZ350 | Custom bobber
Custom 1938 DKW NZ350 bobber The current bobber based on 1938 DKW NZ350 has been designed by Vasily Arhipov, aeronautics engineer. Vasily decided not just to restore the 1938 DKW NZ350, but to create radically cool bobber with the help of his friend, using the engine from Yamaha Diversion. Wheels and brakes were borrowed from a Yamaha YZF-R6. The original German DKW NZ350 frame has been rebuilt to install Yamaha’s engine. The DKW NZ350 fuel tank was also modified in order to free the space for oil tank. Rear fender, seat and license plate were fabricated from carbon fiber. The entire electricals and battery has been hidden in a bag under the seat of this Custom 1938 DKW NZ350 bobber.

Read more: http://www.way2speed.com/#ixzz2yHataGVY
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Herencia Custom Garage – Triumph Bobber

This is the latest build from German Karp and Federico Lozada of the Argentina based HCG (Herencia Custom Garage) For this project the guys wanted to build a bike with the ‘essence and spirit’ of a 50’s bobber, but with the all important modern reliability. Starting with a Triumph Thruxton as the donor bike, German and Federico cut the frame in half and fabricated a new rigid back-end, ensuring that the length & geometry of the original bike remained the same.

An old Triumph gas tank was fettled to fit the modern Hinckley frame, something that gives this Bobber a more 50’s look than the stock item. The solo seat was fitted with adjustable air bags and compressor that should soften the ride, which goes a long way to make this bobber more kidney friendly.

To keep the handlebars clutter free, HCG fitted an internal throttle with welded-on brake and clutch levers. The front cables brake lever operates a discreetly hidden reservoir which in-turn operates the front hydraulic brake. The start and turn switch has also received the minimalist treatment giving the bars the desired effect.

The Thruxton wiring loom is stock, but has been hidden away in the fake oil box which is located under the seat. Below that is the battery box containing a lithium battery. The battery box also doubles up as the mount for the stock rectifier and On/Off ignition switch. Front and rear lights are generic Japanese items with the rear being mounted on the chaincover.

First appeared in bonnefication.com