The new Royal Enfield HNTR350, aiming to win over a younger audience

With this model, Royal Enfield tries to make motorcycling and commuting by motorcycle accessible and attractive to a younger audience. Think new riders, students, young working professionals, perhaps even as a second, lighter motorcycle. The lines remind of us of the British heritage. It would not look out of place in a line-up with the moderns classics like Triumph.

Riding experience

The little thumper produces 27Nm of torque and 22 BHP of power that are predominantly experienced through the mid-range of revolutions. It is third in line after the very successful Classic and Meteor model (check out our First Ride Review and this Starship custom). It is based on same the 350cc J engine. This single cylinder bike has an entirely different geometry and thus creates a very different riding experience. The reduced rake (25°) and trail (94mm) combined with the 1370mm wheel base make the bike feel light and agile, perfect for city riding. The motorcycles we rode were brand new. Pushing them to their limits, testing peak power at 6100rpm, would have been disrespectful to the technology and torturing the machines. We will save that for another ride… ;)

It easily climbs through the revs and the black dial speedo with white numbers clearly displays increasing velocities. 60km/h to 100km/h in fourth gear is a comfortable acceleration without discomforting vibrations. These do show up at 80km/h in fifth gear, so do not short shift it!

That said, the engine is very forgiving in second and third due to the heavy flywheel. This makes it very suitable for city riding. Unpredictable and abrupt city traffic stops are the responsibility of the 300mm single front and 270mm rear brake rotor. Combined with the dual channel ABS, these do the job.

Room for improvement

Room for improvement can be found in the suspension and in the exhaust. The cobblestone pavement in the historical centre of Dijon and surrounding villages, and the French country lanes did put the suspension to the test. Observations: the linear rear shocks are rather hard, the front suspension is rather soft, a little unbalanced. Though, rear suspension upgrades can be performed rather easily at home. As to the exhaust, for city riding it is, to our taste, too loud and not a pleasant, well-rounded thump one would expect from a little thumper. Plus, I experienced that with a very average EU size 42 I found the heel of my boot touching the exhaust more often than not. A small nuisance, yet I image it to be worse for people with larger feet. Taken both into account, if I would own one of these, I would swap the exhaust for an aftermarket (slip-on) exhaust as soon as they would become available.

Make it your own!

Besides the exhaust and suspension, other work on the bike to do at home would be personalisation of your HNTR. And this is where it becomes even more exciting. We try to provide a platform to inspire motorcycle owners to personalise and customise their motorcycles. Therefore, we are happy to see that RE offers a plethora of accessories. These range from mirrors and indicators to engine guards and tail tidies that are easily bolted on and maintain the warranty. Especially the tail tidy with the ribbed seat will make it look very elegant in our eyes! There are two themes available from the dealers, urban and suburban, that include a selection of the accessories.

The suburban comes with black crash guards, a (although somewhat flimsy) pannier plus rack, touring mirrors, a pillion back rest.

The urban caters more to the (undoubtedly inspired by café racers) roadster image, a fly screen, a level seat, LED indicators, engine guards, and bar end mirrors.

What plays a large role in the outstanding looks of the HNTR350 is the paintjob. It is available in 6 colours, divided into a single colour and two-tone series, called ‘dapper’ and ‘rebel’, respectively. The former includes white, ash, and grey, the latter blue/white, black/white, and red/black. Personally I tip my hat to RE for not making the same mistakes as many other motorcycle (gear) producers when aiming to engage women riders. They offer predominantly white/pink and black/pink colour schemes. These nicely painted petrol tanks hold 13 litres of fuel, good for a couple hundred kilometres with reported consumption of 2.63 L/100km.

In all, I had a great time riding this very fun motorcycle! It is excellent for its intended purpose, so it might just be that the hattrick is not too far off. Of course, we all look forward to seeing what you do with these cool little rippers when it comes to customisation!

(Photos by Florian Meuret and Rodolphe Herpet)

The post Is Royal Enfield going to score a hattrick? First ride with the HNTR350 appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Skyrocketed to top position
After the crowning of the Meteor 350 to MCN “2021 – Retro Bike of Year”, Ironwood Motorcycles, have launched “The Starship Meteor” – a custom version of the affordable urban cruiser.
Earlier this year BikeBrewers had a fun day on this bike when it was introduced. Read about our experience in this post.

Since its launch at the end of 2020, the Meteor 350 has quickly built up a cult status worldwide and won multiple awards and accolades around the world. Praised for its build quality, retro styling and refined design – and the remarkable price point for a motorcycle that offers so much more than the sum of its parts – it offers a rather remarkable blank canvas to then stamp your own personality on.

Build your own
The in-house Custom Team of Royal Enfield’s English technical centre challenged Ironwood Motorcycles and its creative director and founder Arjan van den Boom to design and build their own ideal Easy Cruiser.

Arjan van den Boom of Ironwood Motorcycles: “The Meteor meets a lot of requirements, and it was our job to spice it up a bit. As a basic package, the Meteor is hard to beat for the budget-concious rider. Ultimately, we wanted this important element of accessibility and entry into the world of motorcycling and customizing motorcycles, which the Meteor offers, retained – but of course add our unique ‘Ironwood creative touch’ to this particular build.

Hitting the streets of Amsterdam
We received a Meteor Fireball Yellow from the team at Royal Enfield and immediately rode it through the streets of Amsterdam as much as possible to get used to the feel and ergonomics of the bike before taking it apart.
Because the seating position is super comfortable and the balance refined, we wanted to preserve as much of the original Meteor DNA as possible. Motorcycles with a smaller displacement engines are too often classified as ‘entry-level engines’, which is really unfortunate. Our goal was to give the Meteor a sprinkle of the Ironwood sauce and an overall more powerful look by upgrading a number of parts, while ensuring that the Meteor’s core identity would remain intact.”

Clear vision
Continuing: “We had a very clear visual identity what we wanted to develop. This was largely inspired by our love for all things Star Wars! We decided to blacken many of the parts so that the fantastic “Meteor Rain” paint from Royal Kustom Works on the tank would really stand out from the rest. The black fork protectors, the black supercross handlebars, custom fenders, the fat thick rubbers from Continental and the piggyback shock absorbers from YSS compliment what we consider to be a very exciting look
The CNC manufactured saddle support, our signature floating bobber saddle, further adds to the true custom look of the motorcycle. The diamond pattern on the saddle is all hand finished by our good friend Marcel Miller of Miller Kustom Upholstery.

The Biltwell grips, Motogadget turn signals in the front and the Kellermann 1000DF taillights, combined with the custom piping that breathes through an Akrapovic muffler, result in a beautiful little Urban Cruiser that exceeds expectation.
Each time you start this air-cooled one cylinder engine, a nice growl comes out of the racing exhaust and you feel like hitting the road.

Mission accomplished!”

Royal Enfield’s view
Adrian Sellers, Head of Royal Enfield’s Custom Programme, reacts: “Ironwood’s creative minds have followed the assignment we gave them more than perfectly and we are very happy with the end result. Importantly, the core identity of the Meteor 350 – a motorcycle we know provides a fantastic basic platform for creative expression – has been retained and embraced.

This project reinforces how important accessibility is for us as a brand, and how much can be achieved with a little imagination. All credit to Arjan and the Ironwood team – this is the first custom build we have done with the Meteor, and it marks an important and exciting milestone for this 350 engine platform”

The Ironwood Custom Meteor 350 will be on display at the EICMA 2021 in Milan at the end of November.

The post ‘Starship Meteor’ – Royal Enfield meteor by Ironwood Customs appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

BikeBrewers scoop ‘maiden ride’
The Tamarit team from Spain have their very own view on custom building. In a relatively short period of time the Alicante based workshop have managed to carve out a very special niche in the world of customization.
Their 81st build is yet again proof of their highly original way of thinking.
And BikeBrewers sat front row this time!

Our Spanish colleague Thierry Tronquit Prats is also responsible for MotoShare in Spain and Portugal. Having been involved with this build right from the start, he was also bestowed the honour to be the very first one in the world to push the ignition button on the result.

In celebration of this occasion he rode all the way from Madrid to the Tamarit workshop in Elche to launch this project and to try the bike. The results can be seen in the video.

Unique collaboration
MotoShare is Europe’s leading platform for motorcycle rentals. Launched in 2016 they initially made it possible for private motorcycle owners to rent out their bikes. More recently the services were expanded to also include rentals via official motorcycle dealerships.
This addition of services and MotoShare’s focus on international expansion has caused the business to explode in 2021. After a soft launch in Spain in 2019, the goal is to grow even more rapidly in 2021 on the entire Iberian peninsula.

MotoShare have commissioned Tamarit to produce a ‘one of a kind’ MotoShare Triumph. The official launch was held at ‘Irons Caferacer’ in Madrid. The coming months it will be displayed in the major cities around Spain as well as on the Balearic islands.

The best news is that this € 40.000 Triumph build will be available for rent and what’s even better is that this bike will be raffled off at the end of the 2021 riding season on October 31st!

500:1
No, we are not talking about the miles to the gallon here, but on the chances to win this unique piece of art. Only 500 lottery tickets will be sold in this campaign. Just 100 riders will have the opportunity to enjoy the bike for a day and participate in the draw. The remaining 400 participants can only hope that they will be the lucky owner of the Triumph after the draw.

We asked the CEO of MotoShare, Daan van der Wal, about the reasons behind this campaign. He explains: “MotoShare is all about offering memorable motorcycle experiences. Riding a machine like this is probably the epitome of a unique experience! We have already commissioned three builds in previous years offering magnificent riding memories while increasing brand awareness and gain market share in the Benelux. Magnificent bikes were built by Wrench Kings, Ironwood Motorcycles and Moto Adonis.

These bikes were also rented out and raffled off. Tickets sold like hot cakes and the campaigns have really boosted our growth. But this campaign is more elaborate and we are very proud to collaborate with the magicians at Tamarit on this project. We look forward to further expanding in Spain and Portugal in 2021.”

Introducing ‘The Gotham’
As soon as the bike started to take shape, it was clear that ‘the caped one’ would have been proud to ride it. José Antonio of Tamarit says: “We took a 2007 Triumph Bonneville and turned it into this ominous looking machine. It was during a video call that one of the guys from MotoShare mentioned it looked like it was made for Batman. It was ‘The Gotham’ from there on.”

Continuing: “At Tamarit we only work with Triumph as donor vehicles for the bikes we produce. Their reliability is second to none and this particular bike comes from a gentleman that hardly used it since he became the owner back in 2007.”

Inspiration
With the Batcave as the obvious shed for this machine now firmly planted in our heads we pried a bit further to unearth the source of inspiration for the Spanish team. They replied: “The idea was once more to push the boundaries of the Modern Classic bike concept. We wanted to include anything interesting from the Tamarit family book such has the hollow section under the seat, 16″ fat wheels or the Gullwing front fairing. On top of that, a new part was developed from scratch exclusively for this project : the rear fender.

We’re mostly our own source of inspiration, as we always try to keep the same style but without being repetitive. However, anything from 50 years ago may be used as inspiration. There are definitely beautiful things out there.

The guys at MotoShare were great to work with. They basically gave us ‘carte blanche’ to go wild and create our 81st dream bike. And we did!”

Shine versus friction
No build without challenges. You have to have some friction to get a bike to shine like this one does. “So what kept your fabricators awake at night on this project?” BikeBrewers asked.

José responded: “Adapting newly developed parts is always provoking, since handmade parts do not always fit as they should. The biggest challenge is always to make the most beautiful bike possible but being able to ride it comfortably for a bunch of miles. There are awesome and beautiful bikes out there but if it is something you can’t ride to the max, it becomes a ‘soulless’ bike at the end of the day. On top of that the rider’s back and bottom are bound to object going that extra mile!” he grins mischievously.

How it was done
In order to get Batman’s approval the bike had to go through some rigorous changes. The Triumph is heavily modified from top to bottom. Amongst the most significant changes: smaller (16”) but wider wheels, custom triple tee, frame mod, custom front fairing, custom seat, wiring relocation, empty area under the seat, custom rear fender, custom license plate holder.

Parts: The ‘usual’ Motogadget stuff, turning signals and speedometer, HAGON nitro shocks, KN filters topping it off with a magnificent ZARD exhaust.

José continues: “We absolutely love the overall feeling and looks of ‘The Gotham’. It is probably the finest we’ve ever done alongside the Gullwing models.

We are so happy to have Gotham as the bike for the Motoshare – Tamarit collab. It’s genuinely something out of the common that would help greatly both firms interests and aims. As every other classic-styled vehicle, you don’t want to pull a ‘Willy Fogg’ with this bike but it does ride awesome. You definitely can feel the pull while revving the engine. An all-round sports classic bike.”

Expert view
Normally we ask the builder about the handling of his machine. Having been the first one to ever ride ‘The Gotham’ it is BikeBrewer Thierry who has the final word this time: “The magicians from Tamarit have done an amazing job.” he says.

Continuing: “It took us over half a year to get everything together on this project. Not that there were many complications on the build, but putting all the pieces together on this cool marketing exercise was not easy. Especially the insurance bit.

With that all behind us, it was such a joy to have the honour to ride this dream on wheels! It handles perfectly and the mechanics have added an nice extra punch to this carburettor version. Riding ‘The Gotham’ makes you fantasize about being Batman in hot pursuit of the villains.
Pure unadulterated fun!

Interested in winning this bike? Check out: MotoShare-Tamarit

Builder details:
Builder
email: info@tamaritmotorcycles.com
Instagram
Facebook
phone: +34 966363832

other credits:
Rider: Thierry Tronquit Prats
Photographer: Gonzalo (Enigma) Martín
apparel: Sa1nt

The post ‘The Gotham’ by Tamarit & MotoShare appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

“Shoe, the whole shoe and nothing but the shoe”

We don’t want to spam our fans with too many “independent” product reviews, there are enough of them out there already.

We get many requests from manufacturers, but we are very picky. We simply don’t like to write a positive review on products we don’t really like, products that don’t work or stuff that simply sucks and lie about it. Of cours,e we like to receive free products, but hey: if we want something, we simply buy it. Remember that BikeBrewers is all about hobby and passion!

So when Jennifer of MotoBailey Shoe Co. reached out, we were a bit hesitant. Until Jennifer Bailey sent us the boots that was.

The Bailey Bunch

In preparation for this article, I spoke to Jennifer and Blake to get a bit of background on them and their company. All very well to start producing motorcycle gear, but how about their ‘street cred’? No doubts there. Oh yes, they are riders too! Blake started off on a Suzuki GSR 813 with a big bore kit, yosh cams. It was dropped and stretched 6”.

He can currently be spotted riding a flat track inspired 2007 Yamaha YZ 450F with a R1 front end fitted into a custom subframe. Good enough we say.

However, Jennifer has a bike which is more according to our taste. A Lovely 1974 Honda CB550. Right girl! You’ve got it!

Ambitious couple

Currently, the company employs a staff of six. But if this couple has their way that won’t be for long. Blake dreams of giving Rev’it! a run for their money. His vision? “Buying that company and moving it to the States!”. Nothing wrong with a bit of ambition.

He adds: “it might sound cheesy, but this really is a big deal for us. We really are trying to only provide what people actually want, so when we have customers buy our products, we consider them part of our motofamily and we take all feedback and recommendations in consideration when designing our future lines.”

No! Not another boring review!

There are quite some reviews on the boots on their website, but in all honesty we found them a bit boring and were basically all written along the same lines. At Bikebrewers we try to do things differently. And that is exactly what we decided to do.

But before we went ahead with our plans, we wanted to make sure that Blake and Jennifer Bailey share our wicked sense of humor. When we explained to them what we had in mind, Jennifer retorted that her husband has a military background and that they are Texans. He had tested the boots by shooting at them with a revolver. Good enough for us.

Actually, we could have already guessed from the answer Blake gave us to the question at what age he had started riding bikes and why. His reply? “I started riding illegally at the age of 18. Why? Compensation for a small penis and stubby thumbs!”

Say no more. We are on the same page brother!

Right, important features of the boots according to the manufacturer:

1. They look great
2. They have important safety features

When we asked Blake Bailey the reason why he decided producing boots in the first place he answered: “I wanted to ride every day and I couldn’t find a boot that allowed me to do it.” Good enough reason to start producing yourself.

We like that.

“Testing, testing one, two three!”

• Fashionable?

But to make sure that this claim actually holds in real life bike, Bikebrewers let our editor Ron Betist a.k.a. ‘Dandy Rider’ to check them out and put them to his rigorous ‘fashion test’. The results of this can be viewed in this clip:

• Safe?

Now then, about the safety claims;

All very nice to advertise your boots with “World’s 1st Patented Kevlar Moto Boots”. Kevlar huh?! So that means that they are ultra-strong? Ok. Well, let’s check that out!

And there is really only one man for the job; Arjan van den Boom of Ironwood Custom Motorcycles, a.k.a. as ‘Sturdy Builder’.

He really went to town on these boots as can be enjoyed in this video:

The ‘looks department’

Although the videos are intended to underline the fashionability and safety claims, we think it is only than fair to also share our thoughts on these boots with you in this article.

Blake Bailey was right in his claim that the shoes can be worn daily and look good under many different circumstances. We have been testing them throughout the summer while wearing jeans and other casual pants, but they are a pretty cool choice when wearing a suit too.

It gives a little edge to your appearance walking into a room dressed up donning these boots. It used to be hip to wear a suit and sneakers, we say it is better to replace those with boots.

Looking sharp is one thing, but comfort is another. Moto Baliley are scoring sufficient points in that field too. They need some breaking in, but after that they can be worn easily all day.

One thing to bear in mind though is the sizing. Before ordering your pair online, it may be good to  measure your feet. I normally have a size 11, but these were just a tad too small for me. No, worries here, as they come in half sizes to. For me 11,5 did the trick.

Made it home safe

The claim to ‘safety fame’ can be awarded we think. Arjan took the boots apart, which was no easy task. While dissecting the boots it became clear that Moto Bailey have added quite some tech stuff to keep their clients safe.

Neatly tucked away behind the fancy chequered inner lining and some fine cushioning is a full layer of Kevlar going all the way around the heel from side to side, covering the entire back section of the shoe. Even the lip of the shoe (the part covering the instep of your feet) has this cushioning and kevlar protection.

The front section features heavy protection too. From the nose up to the sides we find heavy woven Kevlar protection too.

A little summary for those who want to buy MotoBailey boots:

Things we like:

• Beautiful design
• Feel and look like normal boots
• High-quality materials
• Reasonable pricing
• Same number of color options like the Model T Ford…
• Reinforcement for shifter on top of shoe left and right.

• • Very Feng Shui and fit for classic British bikes too.

Things we don’t like:

• …same number of color options like the Model T Ford
• Not that big of a deal but the shoes run a little small
• Leather laces are not ideal, but easy to replace with more practical ones

The post MotoBailey Boot Review: Are They As Tough As They Say? appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Art in progress

This very well known Dutch Master of Customizing has waved his magic wand over this bike and turned it into a pure piece of art. BikeBrewers were offered the opportunity to tame this wild stallion and after seeing pictures of it online, we did not have to think twice before accepting the invitation. 

Amsterdam Classic Riders

As this is a classic bike in the true sense of the word, I invited some friends from the ‘Amsterdam Classic Riders’ community (part of the worldwide New York Classic Riders) to come along for the day.

The four of us met in Arjan’s extremely cool workshop where he showed us his work in progress and shed some light on his future plans. Amazing how quickly his international star just keeps rising. He has clients from all over the world sending in their orders for bikes to be built. His order book runs well into 2019!

Ironwood Workout

Before setting out for a full day of riding, Arjan warned me the bike was sort of ‘Spartan’. “you are going to feel very tired when you get back” he said.  I just laughed at him and explained that being the ‘21^st Century Peter Pan’ my physical condition is way better than that of many 30-year-olds and t and I had already been to the gym at 07.30 that morning to prove that.

Well, he was right.

The set up is very rigid and the riding position is perfect for taking cool pictures. But man, after an hour of riding your buttocks and back are fighting for your attention! This is a bike for real men indeed.

The design is phenomenal, but riding this beast takes special skills. Fortunately, I grew up in the early seventies and rode bikes as of a very early age. So I was kind of used to riding the Spartan way. But that was many modern suspensions ago.

Keeping is cool on a hot an sunny day

Don’t get me wrong, riding the Honda is pure bliss and the minor physical issues have grinned away. If you are looking for attention, this bike is also to be recommended. Its loud & shiny appearance are definite head turners.

In spite of it being 35 years old, the Honda runs smoothly. The clutch was not the best part, unfortunately, but Ironwood will already have replaced this by the time this piece is published.

Very cool is the ‘Motogadget’ display. This hi-tech piece of work goes very well with the classic caféracer look of the bike. It has a touch of seventies space-age feeling to it, perhaps that’s what does the trick.

The Kehin carbs look the part. I particularly like the sticker which reads: ‘motorcycle race-use only’. Yeah!

The stainless steel exhaust system not only looks great, but the duo of two-in-one pipes are the music of sound. The typical hoarse Honda F4 sound with a little bit of extra amplification. Nice!

Words versus pictures

You can try to catch the joy of riding this bike in words, but it is hard to describe. Some bikes you just have to experience and this is one of them.

Would I ride it to work every day? Hell no! Would I park it in my living room in spite of my wife’s reaction and ride it on special occasions? Hell yes!

Ironwood has again managed to produce a fine piece of art. If you are not already following this rugged looking builder you should reconsider. He is one of the dominating factors in the international custom scene.

Did we have fun? Absolutely! Just take a look at the pictures, they say more than a 1.000 words.

Pictures by Sjoerd Schenk & Jonathan Rattray Clark

The post Shop Visit: Ironwood appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

As proud “Dutchmen” it’s always cool to publish a cool story and pictures of a bike that comes from our home ground. And with an ever-growing custom motorcycle scene, the established workshops keep on delivering top-notch work. Regular readers already know that we have some really great pro builders here like Ironwood, Wrench Kings, Wimoto and of course Moto Adonis. All these builders have been featured all over the interwebs with their creations and most of the times we get a heads up first when a bike is finished (thanks for that guys!). Today we have the honor to feature the latest build from Daan Borsje, owner of Moto Adonis; a real “gentleman’s cafe racer” based on a BMW R100R.

The project started as a long-desired wish from one of Daan’s customers to have a real one-off gentlemen’s machine that was stuffed with high-end parts to combine the idea of a classic ride with modern day technology (and comfort). The heart of this customer lied with the Bavarian boxer bikes so R100R was an easy pick. He also was a sucker for laced wheels, which made the search for this bike a bit more difficult; not many R100R’s where sold with these wheels.

To upgrade the bike’s handling, they’ve ditched the original front fork and replaced it with a Suzuki S-RAD USD fork. The fork was refurbished and adonized in black so everything works and looks brand new. For the triple tree, they’ve asked Roel Scheffers of Scheffers Engineering. Daan: “Roel is a good guy who is, of course, Dutch and lives in the bush bush of Norway, and he made us a beautiful plate with an integrated Moto Gadget Tiny Speedo in it”. The original 2 piston brake caliper was replaced by a newer 3 piston model by Tokico. The rear shock was custom made by USS Suspension, also adonized black.

To get the desired line, the massive original gas tank was put on sale and they’ve sourced the gas tank of a Honda CM400 and made it fit the bike with and welded on a Monza gas cap. The subframe was modified to fit the custom-made seat which is upholstered by master upholsterer and fellow Dutchie Marcel Miller from Miller Kustom Upholstery. For the exhausts, they’ve used their alter ego MAD-exhausts to deliver a beautiful hand-made, stainless steel 2-in-1 exhaust with the muffler right in the center under the seat.

The engine was taken apart and got a refurbishment to ensure reliability since this is no show bike. All the wiring has been replaced and they’ve added a MotoGadget M-unit to make sure it all works for a decade. The front blinkers are also from MotoGadget and in the rear, they’ve used a Rizoma unit with blinkers and the rear light integrated.

To give a little wink to the BMW heritage, the color scheme and paint job a directly inspired by the R90S series. All and all, another exquisite machine from Dutch ground to be a little bit proud of. Well done Daan and we hope the new owner will enjoy it!

The post BMW R100R by Moto Adonis appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Starting from a 1984 BMW R80, they completely rebuild this machine in a mix between past, present and future. Most appealing part of this machine probably is the gas tank and seat combo, which are in one single piece. The sharp, edgy lines come together on the classic frame pretty cool, with the same solutions of grooves, Yamaha engineers used in the new XJR1300. Other striking featured are the beautiful 17″ wheels with custom lacing, the classic BMW air-cooled front brake, and the Honda CBR900 fork.

Full story of this awesome project can be found on Pipeburn.

The post BMW R80 Custom by Nozem Amsterdam appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Oh, and we didn’t number them from 1 to 21, this was totally impossible for us and kept us arguing. And next to that: we didn’t want to place one custom bike above the other. So if you don’t mind: find the best one for yourself!

BMW R168 by Kacerwagen

[more info]

BMW “Alpha” by Mark Atkinson and Mehmet Doruk Erdem.

[more info]

Honda Rebel 300 by Zeus Custom

[more info]

BMW K100 by Retrorides

[more info]

Ducati 848 Evo Racer by NCT

[more info]

Moto Guzzi “Dustbin” by Craigh Rodsmith

[more info]

Yamaha XSR700 by Ironwood

[more info]

Yamaha XV920 by Ugly Motors

[more info]

Ducati 900SS by Deep Creek

[more info]

Yamaha TR1 by Moto Adonis

[more info]

Honda CR500 by C’s Garage

[more info]

“Fusqvarna” FX650 by Le Garage Felix

[more info]

Honda CB750 by Ace Custom Shop

[more info]

Moto Guzzi 950 by Stile Italiano

[more info]

Honda CBX1000 by Michael Kopec

[more info]

Yamaha XSR700 by Motomax Metz

[more info]

Honda CB750 by Wrench Kings

[more info]

Yamaha DT125 Scrambler by Ranger Korat

[more info]

Honda GL500 Silverwing by Motoism

[more info]

Yamaha WR400 by Meccanica Serrao d’Aquino

[more info]

Kawasaki Ninja 250 by Mr. Ride

[more info]

The post 21 Best Custom Motorcycles of 2017 appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

It was a commissioned build for a lady with style, Karin van Kuijk, and she was looking for a real “old school cafe racer”. Since she wanted a real old school bike and no modern classic, the BMW R-series seemed a logical choice. While the R-series are known for their incredibly reliable engines, the bike also got a complete overhaul to ensure that Karin can enjoy their ride to the fullest. Since the new owner was not able to get both feet on the ground on the original R100RT, they’ve customized the frame to get a lowered seating position. This resulted in a unique frame setup with a straight line from the back to the front, something we don’t see that often on BMW R-series. On the original bike, the subframe is substantially higher than the bottom of the gas tanks on these machines but the original lumpy banana-seats cover this up. The custom made mudguard and cool half-fairing fits flawless in the design and the professional paint job (2k) and striping accentuates this perfect setup.

To get the desired old school cafe racer look, some details were needed. So they’ve teamed up with Silver Machine to create some really nice leather details. The bike got a beautiful (and comfortable!) diamond stitched leather with a vintage/used look. The “frame triangle” got a set of leather bags of the same leather, just as the beautifully wrapped grips.

They’ve ditched the original wiring loom and fabricated a completely new one built around the Motogadget M-unit Blue, the latest electronic control unit from Germany. The bike got a set of M-blaze bar-end indicators and Motone buttons on a set of Tarozzi clip ons and a custom triple tree for a clean look in the dash. The ignition lock is removed towards the airbox. Other parts used on this machine are: 7″ Rhino headlight, Acewell 2853 digital speedo, Domino throttle, Brembo PS-16 brake and clutch levers, Melvin steel brake lines, HighsiderBullit taillight and rear indicators, Highsider mirrors (mounted on the original crash bars), M8 licence plate light, Monza gas cap, and Dunlop K70 rubber. To make sure that other road users here Karin coming, they’ve fitted a set of Megaton mufflers.

If you see this bike for real, you might think that’s 100% original and that it came right from the factory like this… Great job by Wrench Kings and I’m sure Karin has the ride of their life on this Bavarian Beauty.

More info:

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Photo’s by Bas Duijs.

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The XSR700 is not only a cool machine of its own, Yamaha targeted the XSR-series for buyers who’d like to add their own style to the machine. For this, Yamaha offers a (very) wide range of custom parts and customization kits. Thu punchy parallel twin makes this bike not only cool but adds a big fun factor to the machine. So when Arjan got the call from TW Steel and Yamaha, he was thrilled. He only got one simple direction: “get your inspiration from our limited edition timepiece, the Chronos’ Joyride”. A unique watch in the “Son of Time” line with a strong tie to (custom) motorcycles, incorporating key elements such as the clean lines, the pistons, and the fuel cap, the watch breathes boldness, while maintaining a stylish, clean look.

The result worked out very well: it’s not only a unique motorcycle, it’s also a healthy mix between simple and aggressive. The most striking element of the bike are the red Kineo wheels combined with the “Grigio Telesto 0098” paint job, which was originally designed for the Lamborghini Aventador. But next to that, the bike also got some serious upgrades: in front, Arjan used a MT-10 USD fork with complete brake setup. Together with a new Öhlins rear shock (with a red spring!), the handling and braking are now one superbike level.

A craftsman as Arjan is, he created some unique parts of this bike in his workshop like the side panels, front fender, radiator brackets and headlight brackets. The gas tank is one of those custom elements that stands out by not standing out and is perfectly aligned with the seat. The upholstery comes from Marcel Miller of Miller Kustom Upholstery, THE MAN in Holland when it comes to leathers.

The finishing touch is the custom exhaust with an SC Project carbon muffler, which makes this machine scream like a…. hmmm, how can we describe this… Well: it’s aggressive!

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