2015 Yamaha XJR1300- the morder cafe

Intermot just received its first look at the new Yamaha XJR 1300 and XJR 1300 Racer. Both bikes fall into Yamaha’s “Sport Heritage” model line positioned between the likes of the V-Max, XV950, and SR400. Taking a few styling cues from collaboration with amazing bike builders such as Deus Ex Machina, Wrenchmonkees, and Keino, these two new models continue Yamaha’s interest in producing customized “Yard Built” bikes harnessing modern day technology mixed with classic styling.

2015 Yamaha XJR1300

They both keep the old reliable air-cooled 1,251cc 4-cylinder with 98hp but get a new nostalgic take on the styling with a slim tank, reworked single seat, and black 4-2-1 exhaust.  Rear Ohlins suspension and Diamond-Like Carbon inner tubes up front keep handling sorted out.  The XJR 1300 has an upright riding position while the Racer on the other hand goes full-bore with a carbon cowling, carbon front fender, carbon rear seat cover and clip-on bars putting the rider in an advanced riding position.

READ MORE: 2014 Intermot Coverage
Each of the bikes get aluminum side covers which are supposed to harken back to the seventies number plates. I just can’t get over how much they stick out above the other styling and it would probably be the first thing I pulled off, or “customized”, if I had one. But seeing as how this bike won’t be coming to the states any time soon, I wouldn’t have a chance anyway.

READ MORE: 7 Reasons to Attend the Red Bull Straight Rhythm 
At least it gives us an idea of what Yamaha has up its sleeves and just how comfortable they are collaborating with custom bike builders. Many times these customized collaborations get left on the drawing room floor, so it’s nice to see some of the styling make it through to production.

READ MORE: Motorcycle Buyer's Guide 

First read on https://rideapart.com/articles/2015-yamaha-xjr1300

Royal Enfield 350: the bike that time forgot

For most pro builders, personal projects usually draw the short straw—relegated to the back of the shop by a steady stream of client work. Just like the “rusted out junk pile” that Californian Chris Chappell picked up a few years ago. It’s a Royal Enfield Bullet 350, and it did a stint in Chappell Customs‘ front lobby before Chris finally tore into it. But when he did, it was a project free of deadlines, briefs or budgets. “The original plan was to build a radical bobber,” he says. “But with the little 350cc engine, it made more sense to keep it as an upright, fun-to-ride city bike.”


The actual model year of this Enfield is a mystery: the original number plate indicated 1955, but no paperwork was filed prior to 1973. “The VIN numbers on old Enfields really don’t mean much, and there are no good records we can find to verify the year,” says Chris. So, to get the bike on the road, he went with 1973. Given its age and the state it was in, the Enfield 350 needed a full, bare-bones strip down. Which started with a total rebuild of the engine using all-new, original Royal Enfield parts. A completely new top-end sorted out poor compression—”A combo of a bad cylinder and even worse valves,” Chris reports.


Every nut and bolt on the Enfield was replaced, along with a host of other parts—except for the fuel tank, fenders and toolboxes, which Chris opted to keep. He blasted off the old paint and powder coated them in a creamy Oyster white, along with the frame. (“I left a few small dings here and there.”) Once the powder coating was done, green accents were added and the parts clear coated.

The bike is now roughly five or six inches longer than a stock Bullet 350. “We relocated the rear swingarm, from its original position to what used to be the passenger footpeg area. Our friends at Works Performance made us a custom stainless swingarm bolt with tapered aluminum spacers, to fit the funky taper of the rear foot peg holes.” Works also supplied a set of longer, dual-rate aluminum shocks to help the Enfield negotiate urban potholes. The rear fender struts were lengthened to fit the new geometry of the rear end.


With the major work out of the way, Chris started poring over the smaller details: a handmade seat, grips and saddle bags in a rich leather with a cream stitch. “Seemed only fitting for a classy look to accent the cream and green color scheme,” he says. “I made the saddle bags myself … that was a first!” The seat mount is a hand-made part too; Chris CNC-routed a Royal Enfield logo into the aluminum, before mounting the seat on 3” springs. The CNC router was also put to work on the bespoke front number plate and fork badge. All the aluminum bits were then meticulously polished, “to bring back the original luster that was buried under years of oxidization and corrosion.”
The Enfield was then re-wired with updated components—including a smaller regulator and rectifier unit, and a new coil. Chris installed new gauges, lights and a set of “M” bars—with adjustable steering stops to prevent them from connecting with the tank.


Despite the extensive mods, the little 350 is still not quite the perfect ride. “The drum brakes are poor, the right-side shift is odd, and you feel like you’re wide open on the throttle most of the time.” “But regardless of its lack of power, you somehow feel like you’ve gone back in time. And it’s just fun as hell to ride around. The long, baffled muffler and the sound of the single cylinder thumping along always makes you smile!”
Chappell Customs website | Facebook

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Orange Crush: Plan B’s Yamaha XV 750

The Benelli Mojave is an endangered species. In the 1960s, it was virtually disposable, and sold by a chain of department stores. But today it’s prized by the motorcycling equivalent of big game hunters.
They’re after one vital component: the Mojave’s immaculately proportioned, café racer-style tank. And the best place to show off that tank is on the frame of a Yamaha Virago.

Virago customs are two-a-penny these days, but this XV 750 is something special. It’s the work of Italian Christian Moretti, who runs Plan B Motorcycles and has an eye for a good line.
For several years, the orange tank hung on the wall in Christian’s living room. And then prospective client Mr. F. dropped in with his Yamaha. “I knew it was the perfect fit,” says Christian. “I have to thank Greg Hageman and Classified Moto for being the first to put the Mojave tank on a Virago, but I wanted to push it further.”

Christian reworked the frame to make the tank sit lower, and built a new tail unit from scratch. The visual flow of the bodywork is now worthy of any factory stylist.
The mechanical side is more than up to scratch, too. The 43mm Showa forks are from a Ducati 916, and installed with custom yokes to ensure the correct rake and trail. The shock is also Showa, but this time from a Yamaha R1. And a reinforced swingarm improves the handling even further.

It may seem strange to retain the drum brake at the back, but it looks good. And up front, a 320mm floating disc with Brembo calipers provides plenty of stopping power. The wheels have been converted to spokes—and dropped an inch in diameter, down to 18” at the front and 15” at the back. A bobbed Triumph Thruxton fender and clip-on bars add to the deportivo flavor.

The sinuous exhaust terminates in a pair of stunning HP Corse Hydroform mufflers. But we reckon the highlight is the orange paint—a Porsche color from 1973.
It looks just perfect on that tank, doesn’t it?
Hat tip to Megadeluxe | Plan B’s Yamaha XT600 | Plan B website | Facebook

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Kommune Forty-Eight Sportster K1

If you were given the opportunity to customise a brand new bike with the support of a major motorcycle manufacturer what would you do? This was exactly what happened to myself and the team at the Kustom Kommune back in April of this year when Harley-Davidson offered our communal workshop a brand new Harley-Davidson Forty Eight Sportster and the freedom to do with it whatever we wanted. What we decided to do was to completely transform the Sportster and turn it into a bike that could be maintained and serviced using the modest facilities at the Kommune workshop. The result is the Kommune 'K1', a Cafe Racer styled, sleek and unique Sportster that showcases the skills of a talented team of "backyard builders".

The build of the K1 was undertaken by a talented group of individuals who donated their time and skills to help make this build a reality. A dream team was formed. It consisted of Robby Ante a skilled welder, Glenn Aitken a Harley-Davidson guru, Matt McLeod an engineer, Karl Stehn a custom painter, Kenny Gohl an automotive electrician, Aaron Sinclair an upholsterer, myself and Jimmy Goode the founders of the Kustom Kommune and a handful of our members. Over 4 months we tore down and rebuilt the Forty-eight using our combined skills and plenty of man hours. With so many people involved opinions sometimes varied and timeframes were hard to stick to with most people working after hours, but looking back now it all came together relatively smoothly.

The original plan was to put an XR750 TT style fairing on the bike, but with time working against us the idea was shelved and we instead stuck to an XR inspired colour palette. Karl Stehn at KDS Designs put together a slick paint design using the classic XR black, white and orange and added plenty of flake to really make it pop. We mimicked old school Café Racer techniques by using 2 Cole Foster fuel tanks, chopping one in half to function as the tail end. Since we’d removed the oil tank from the frame we also modified the tail to double as the Sporsters oil tank. Robby and Glenn devised the internal plumbing system before welding it all up to a custom fabricated seat pan. To support the weight of the tail/oil tank Glenn fabricated rear struts that blend with the original lines of the frame. Braided stainless steel lines and race fittings from VPW transport the oil to and from the engine, snaking around the frame and engine.

Roland Sands Designs provided the clip-on bars, clarity line Derby cover and various blacked out engine dress up parts. A set of Chainsikle rear sets put the rider in an appropriately aggressive riding position and the headlight was remounted deep between the forks. We wanted the bike look fast even when it was standing still so we used a Burly fork lowering kit to drop the front end by an inch and added piggy back shocks in the rear to raise it by an inch and level out the frame. We're big fans of the Japanese custom scene where form often outweighs function and since our Forty-eight is more of a city bike than a track bike we fit a set of chunky All State tyres from our friends at Antique Tyres. 

To transform the bike into a Kommune friendly machine we had to remove all of the fancy electrical sensors and thing-a-ma-jigs that we couldn't tune using hand tools and old school mechanical know how. The ABS, alarm system, EFI, factory ignition and accessory wiring systems were all removed. Moto Gadget provided an M-Unit to manage the new electrics along with bar end indicators, mini-switches and a keyless ignition. Matt from Krank Engineering machined new spacers to replace the ABS sensors on each axle and even milled a sweet Kommune emblem points cover. An S&S Super E carb now manages the fuel delivery and because we love old school looks we swapped the belt drive with a chain set up.

Despite all the other trick bits of fabrication and custom work on the K1 it’s the pipes that show exactly what can happen when skilled individuals put their heads together. We spent hours discussing the route we wanted the pipes to take before Glenn Aitken cut each section by hand, measuring the curves and lengths by eye. We then removed, polished and brushed each segment before Robby Ante welded each stainless steel piece together again. Opinions will vary about the pipes and that's exactly what we were going for. They're our crowning achievement and to me they sum up what the K1 and the Kustom Kommune is all about. Experimentation, breaking rules and having a go. After all, when an opportunity like this presents itself why wouldn't you go all out?

KUSTOM KOMMUNE

The Kustom Kommune’s Harley Sportster 48

What could be more fun than having your own well-stocked workshop, with all the tools and space you need to work on your bike? In the company of like-minded folks, who also enjoy throwing the occasional party?
That’s the thinking behind The Kustom Kommune, Australia’s first communal motorcycle workshop. Based in Melbourne, it’s part of a growing global trend towards DIY custom building and general bike maintenance.
To get the word out and attract new members, the Kommune founders decided to build a show quality, street ready shop bike. And the good folks at Harley-Davidson made it possible by donating a 1200cc Sportster 48.

“This wasn’t your ordinary custom motorcycle build,” says Kommune main man Geoff Baldwin, who also runs the Return Of The Café Racers website. “It was more of a ‘proof of concept’ than anything else. Ninety per cent of the build was completed in house.”
The Kommune had two goals in mind for the Sportster: “We wanted it to look amazing, paying homage to Harley-Davidson’s racing past—in particular the XR750TT. And we wanted a bike that could be wholly maintained in the Kommune workshop.”

Being a community funded space, facilities such as dynos and diagnostic computer hardware aren’t on hand. So the Sportster was pulled back to basics by removing the more complicated components and electrical systems—anything that couldn’t be worked on using basic tools and old-school know-how.
A team of Kommune members was quickly assembled. And of course, A Budget. “We spent it mostly on materials and parts,” says Geoff. “Time was generously donated.” The team included a welder, a Harley guru, an engineer, a painter, an electrician and an upholsterer—plus Geoff himself and Kommune co-founder Jimmy Goode.

An XR-inspired color palette was sketched out, and Karl Stehn came up with a slick paint design using the classic XR black, white and orange—plus plenty of flake to really make it pop. Traditional café racer tricks came into play, with two Cole Foster tanks being installed—with one chopped in half to function as the tail. The tail also doubles up as the oil tank now, with plumbing routed around a custom seat pan and new support struts welded on at the back of the frame.
The forward controls were swapped out for rear sets, and RSD clip-ons were slipped onto the fork stanchions. The headlight is OEM Harley-Davidson, but mounted as close to the forks as possible.

Out of the factory, the Sportster 48 comes with ABS brakes, an alarm system, EFI and many “fancy sensors and thing-a-ma-jigs.” Since these require more than a basic set of tools for maintenance, they all had to go—saving some substantial weight in the process.
“Matt from Krank Engineering machined spacers to replace the ABS sensors on each axle, and we removed the entire wiring loom,” says Geoff. “An S&S Super E carb replaces the EFI system, and was tuned by ear when the bike was first fired up.” A simplified wiring loom is plugged into an aftermarket ignition system, with a Motogadget m-Unit controlling all the electrical circuits.

The Kommune team opted for chain drive rather than the standard belt—they love the old-school look—and blanked out the rear wheel using a set of raw alloy Moon Discs. Another old-school touch is the diamond-stitched leather saddle.
But the design element that generates the most interest is the full stainless steel exhaust system. The brainchild of Jimmy Goode and Harley specialist Glenn Aitken, it was built entirely in-house using a set of 180 bends and straight lengths.

“Despite all the other trick bits of fabrication and custom work, it’s the pipes that show exactly what can happen when skilled individuals work together,” says Geoff. “Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re our crowning achievement—and to me, they sum up what the Kustom Kommune is all about.”
Now that the build is out of the way, the Kommune is lining up training courses, a parts store and storage facilities to keep the business ticking over. It’s a great blueprint for grassroots motorcycling—and one we’d love to see in more cities worldwide.
The Kustom Kommune | Harley-Davidson Australia | Jason Lau Photography

Modification list
EFI to S&S Super E Carb Conversion
Belt to Chain drive conversion
Removal of ABS systems
Complete Motogadget electronics setup
Entire factory loom removed
2x Modified Cole Foster fuel tank
Aftermarket hand controls
Custom fabricated seat that acts as oil tank
Custom made black leather seat by Weird-o-pholstry
Custom made exhaust by Robbie Ante and Glen Aitken at Kustom Kommune
2″ Lowered front end
330mm Piggy Back Shocks
Mooneyes moon disk rear wheel
CNC’d Rear Sets
Modified rear frame
Custom made bars, spacers, points cover by Krank Engineering
All State Deluxe tyres from Antique Tyres
Roland Sands Design engine dress up kit
Paint by KDS Designs

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Andreas' Bol d'Or

1979 CB900F by Andreas Goldemann - Ulm, Germany

Our German reader Andreas Goldemann is a well estabilished medical intuitive, international expert in mental, consciousness and corporate health training and specialist in after surgery reconstruction. Quite an important professional, indeed, with very few time to dedicate to his passion for arts and to spend doing things with his hands. In his youth, Andreas worked as a mechanic for a Lamborghini restore shop and, when he left to USA, where he built his professional career, he had been riding a Laverda 3C for sixteen years… Experiences that he finally used again to build his very own new custom bike. 

"In October 2013 – Andreas says – I wanted to build a bike again and after much research, what kind of style, how much power, what year and so on I chose a Honda Bol d’Or from 1979 as the right basis for the build. It has a beautiful engine, a large enough frame and it’s seat - done right is low enough to seat comfortably for my size. A picture was building up in my mind - thankfully I left it open enough to give the process enough space to show me where the build should go"...

"A Suzuki GS 850 tank was found, widened and altered to fit the frame and leave enough space for the electrical system that was removed from the triangle and build below the gas tank. The fender is build out of sheet metal, some car leather a friend still held as a left over at his repair shop was taken for the upholstery of the seat. For the triangle in the frame I first formed a fitting box in a similar close fitting shape, but it didn’t harmonize with the design of the tank and fender - a round shape came up in my mind and I build a tornister with bayonet caps, large enough to hold same tools, a lock chain and some other stuff you take with you on a ride. Every bearing, o-ring seal, shaft seal and gasket was replaced with parts of industrial standard to make sure they last longer than normal spare parts. The original air filters where replaced with racing ones, which took me 2 days tuning the jets and needles in the carburetors. I think I opened them at least 20 times honing the jets, driving for a while, checking the spark plugs for the right residue to show, to finally know that a longer ride wont kill my engine, burning a hole into one of my pistons". 

"All brake calipers where remodeled to new condition. The brake line changed to steeples steel covered ones to better the pressure. I decided for the old Magni wheels that fit the idea of the build much better than wire spokes even the wires are small they only fit 110 / 19 in front and a 130 / 18 in the rear. The swing arm is an old special piece with taper roller bearing designed to make the bike more stable, fitted with fully restored Koni shock absorbers. The fork got new progressive springs. The tacho and speedo got a new handmade housing and newly designed old fashion face plates. I created some new brackets and fittings for the exhaust, lights and many more little things. My first idea was to let it be a sheet metal bike in black and grey with the numbers that suit it today, but my brother brought up that we are to old for a nasty look and asked me to do some color and I decided for a pastel blue , creme white and black traditional racing signs which I am extremely grateful for as many people love top see the bike, women as men alike. About 400 hours of building were needed to finish the project". 

"In the end a bike was born that I believe fits my character and my idea of riding a machine in the old style and the more I ride it the more I love it. As of today, some month after the build, my mind starts to stir again and the next project is taking shape, is already ahead - I will keep you posted". And we are all waiting to be “motivated” by you Andreas! Well, at least, if we ever need some more motivation for riding (and I’m not so sure). Thanks for sharing 

First appeared in http://inazumacafe.blogspot.it/

Andreas Goldemann

Ducati Monster SR2 Cafe Racer

Ducati Monster SR2 Cafe Racer
Ducati Cafe Racer based on Ducati Monster SR2 built by mechanical engineer John Grainge. Custom Cafe racer seat by Radical Ducati,  sub-frame was rebuilt, Custom fuel tank mounting and rear set was machined by john. Fuel tank was borroed from Ducati 749 and customized, Ohlins front suspension and disc brakes from Ducati 848, Ohlins rear suspension from Ducati 999, Ducati Hypermotard 1100S Marchesini magnesium wheels, Harley-Davidson V-Rod headlamp, Custom Exhaust system, custom Paint job by Alan Stanley, electrical Redesigned. Ducati Monster SR2 Cafe Racer is unique and is an assemble of best parts from all Ducati motorcycles.

first appeared in http://www.way2speed.com

Roland Sands x Indian: “Track Chief”

The Indian Chieftain is a big motorcycle, designed to soak up the miles on the smooth highways of ‘Murica. The star of the show is the new Thunder Stroke engine, a mighty 111 cubic inch (1811cc) monster pumping out 119 ft-lbs of torque.
It’s a remarkably good-looking motor, and it caught the eye of Roland Sands, the man who can do no wrong when it comes to creating genre-bending customs. Sands has now tapped into Indian’s rich motorsport heritage, and slotted the Thunder Stroke into a vintage-style, boardtracker-inspired build: the Indian Track Chief.

There’s so much detail on this bike, it’s hard to know where to start. “The inspiration came from a drag bike rendering that Sylvain from Holographic Hammer sent to me,” says Sands. “I ended up tweaking it into a boardtracker, adding the single sided element and all the detailing. But we retained the spirit of the tank shape, girder fork and frame.”
That single-side rigid frame is a masterpiece, hugging the engine just-so. It’s hand-fabricated from 4130 chromoly steel, finished in black by Olympic Powdercoating.

The frame is a perfect match for the black Paughco Leaf Spring Fork assembly, a fascinating contraption designed for customizers who want a vintage look with high-quality, modern construction. Tucked down low on the left side of the fork, near the axle, is a Fox DHX mountain bike shock—a component popular with riders on the World Cup downhill series.

“It controls the motion of the front end, and works really well,” reports Sands’ project manager Cameron Brewer. “The compression and rebound dampening of the shock is a perfect match to the rate of the leaf spring.”
Sands: “Considering it was a rigid with a leaf fork, I had nightmares about how it was going to handle. Function wise, it couldn’t have turned out better. I rode the Track Chief all over Sturgis and in the twisties, and was really happy with it.”
Sitting above the frame is a hand-fabricated titanium tank; hidden below the frame is an aluminum belly pan. The internals of the Indian Chieftain engine are stock, but there’s a Roland Sands Design Blunt air cleaner, a high-flow, low-profile fitment that doesn’t get in the way of your leg.
The titanium pipes of the custom 2-into-2 exhaust system follow the lines of the V-twin snugly, and terminate in RSD Slant mufflers. “For this bike, reliability was a top concern,” says Roland Sands. “So we retained stockish elements so it would start every time. The wiring loom was a big problem, but we had some underground help from Indian to strip it down to the essentials.”

There’s a see-through RSD Clarity cam cover and a matching outer primary cover too—revealing a custom clutch pressure plate from Barnett. “We told Barnett we were making a one-off primary cover and wanted some high-end billet clutch internals to show off. These are not production parts for either of us, but may be down the road,” says Brewer.

Track Chief sports a serious turn of speed on the road: it’s considerably lighter than the 827 lb. Chieftain that donated its engine. “We haven’t weighed the bike,” says Brewer. “But two of us did pick the Indian up by the wheels—if that’s any gauge of the actual weight, we’d guess it’s in the 400-500 lb. range.” Sands himself adds: “The pile of removed parts is massive!”

The handlebars are welded to the upper triple: allowing Sands to make very narrow bars, and eliminating the use of risers. (“They are basically clip-ons—without relying on a pinch bolt.”) RSD Traction Grips with a custom bronze anodized finish add to the vintage look.
As we all know, wheels are critical to the boardtracker look. And here we’ve got 21” x 3.5” lightweight RSD Del Mar rims—with the same bronze finish as the grips. They’re shod with Dunlop Elite 3 tires, which are conveniently available in a 120/70-21 size for custom builds. Stopping power comes from Performance Machine calipers and Brembo cylinders, and the rear sprocket and drive unit come from Gregg’s Customs.

Paint is low-key: a classic Indian red and black combo, applied by Hot Dog Pinstriping, with gold leaf for the oversized logo on the raw metal tank.
It’s not the kind of machine that will find its way back into Indian’s catalog any time soon. But the burgeoning cool factor of America’s oldest motorcycle brand just stepped up a notch—or three.
Roland Sands Design | Indian Motorcycle
Image below courtesy of Barry Hathaway.

The story appeared first in http://www.bikeexif.com/