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Intro & Ingredients

Once in a while, you strike gold! The motorcycle I’m writing about today made its first appearance in the wild at the Big Twin Show in Houten, the Netherlands, earlier this month. In our case, we got a bit (a lot) of a head’s up. I have been personally involved since a frame and a few crates of parts were inspected and, after a haggle and a handshake, collected. We have previously posted about a Blast from the Past, and about a Modern Interpretation of the famous concept. While often considered the first cafe racer and the heritage of custom builds, these bikes are now considered unicorns. They often find a home in a living room or a museum, rather than a garage. A few years ago, we were brave enough to call it “one of the most legendary machines out there”. What I am referring to is the ‘Triton’, a Triumph engine in a Norton frame. These bikes were built in the UK between 1950 and 1970, in various attempts to put the fastest engine into the best handling frame.

Here, I would like to present one built in the Netherlands, in 2022. The basic recipe for a classic Triton is relatively simple:

1. Norton (Wideline) Featherbed frame – 1pc.
2. Triumph Pre-Unit 650 twin engine – 1pc.
3. Roadholder fork – 1pc.

Trying to source these main components is one thing, trying to make them fit each other and look good is another… Let’s get into it!

It’s all in the details

Georges Martin, inspired by Egli, built this particular frame and swingarm based on the Norton wideline featherbed measurements. He ingeniously routed an oil line inside the frame for the crankcase breather.

Piet from Land’s End Motorcycles in Hengstdijk, the Netherlands overhauled the 650cc 360° parallel twin engine. He increased the capacity to 750cc, plugged in matching pistons, and topped it off with a T140 head to convert to a pushover exhaust. Furthermore, he installed a belt-driven Bob Newby racing clutch to transfer all 55 horses to the Norton AMC transmission. Yes, that is the same Bob Newby who won several TTs in the 1980’s. All this mounts into the frame with waterjet cut 7075-T6 aluminium brackets. Piet also serviced the Roadholder forks and mated these to the frame. He further modified the frame to also fit the polished aluminium oil tank behind the engine and underneath the seat.

Rolling along

In the front, Haan Wheels in Schijndel laced a Grimeca 4 (!!!) leading shoe hub with stainless steel spokes and a 19″ Morad high shoulder rim. The 18” rear around a weight-reduced conical hub. Both were drum-polished to achieve that top shine finish. Bridgestone Battlax BT45 rubber ensures optimal contact to the road surface.

A touch of modern

Not all on this bike is a collection of old and refurbished parts from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, the UK, and the US.

If you look closely, the vintage Tommaselli Matador levers neighbour modern Motone CNC milled aluminium push button controls. This is one of the hints at what lies underneath the shine. When laying new wiring, one might as well go all the way and replace analog fuses and switches with a digital control unit. In this case, a MotoGadget mo.unit replaces all relays and fuses, and simultaneously simplifies the wiring. The pulse switches control the unit via a low current circuit, allowing for small diameter wires inside the clip-ons. The thicker wiring for 12 volt supply to the power draining components are thus no longer routed via the switches. Yes, I’m looking at you, H4 headlight!

The chrome headlight bucket also houses a digital voltmeter and LED indicator lights for the high beam, oil pressure, and the indicators. Bright as the sun, these tiny LED indicators are another hint at the high-tech core of the motorcycle. We concidered and accepted these modernisations, because the original manufacturer of Triumph and Norton lights, Lucas, is jokingly known as ‘the Prince of Darkness’.

When you are on the bike, you can clearly see the indicator lights and voltmeter when you peak between the original Smith’s tacho and speedo. Bob Carter in the US rebuilt these, since some things are best left to the experts.

Hand built

Behind these beautiful gauges sits la pièce de résistance, a handbuilt aluminium petrol tank. It subtly dips below the spine of the frame, yet perfectly aligns with knees where it narrows to meet the seat. Combined, the curvature of the tank and the seat play a large part in the aesthetic that stops people in their trot. They often utter something along the lines of “I have no idea what it is, but it’s beautiful”. The seat hump houses the lithium ion battery and control unit. Maarten, or Yellow Rider, Zevenaar, famous for converting Yamaha’s into vintage racers and board trackers, made it by hand, since the available humps did not follow this curvature. The broad silver band aligns with the metal strap that secures the tank. Seats are his specialty, and his craftsmanship shows!

One of the largest challenges with this build was to find parts that fit. And when you cannot find something, you fabricate it. There is a lot you can bolt on nowadays, almost all manufacturers offer parts to personalise your bike further. Aftermarket suppliers often go as far as offering various types of entire kits to convert your motorcycle. Just sometimes, your hand tools are not sufficient to fabricate the parts needed, and that’s when you call the cavalry.

Maarten also crafted the base plate and adapted the subframe hoop before it went to powder coating. RAL 6005 with a structured finish is a unique combination that is a tad lighter than the famous BRG. British Racing Green. It really makes the bike pop and sets it apart from that traditional black, chrome, red colour scheme. Finally, Maarten fabricated stainless steel actuator and anchor rods for the rear brake and gearbox, as well as the brackets for the Norton Peashooter exhausts.

Big (T)winner

At the show, we’re getting very curious about the sound. And with us, a few other people in the audience looked at the cafe racer category winner at the Big Twin Bike Show with great anticipation and hope. Luckily, after tickling the Amal 930 carbs, a firm kick draws in the air via  DNA filters, the Beck electronic ignition generates a spark, and the parallel twin roars. Just a tad louder than the crowd ;)

Um cassino on-line que oferece acesso a uma variedade de jogos de azar, incluindo caça-níqueis, roleta, pôquer e muito mais emhttps://betandreas.br.com/

Photo credit: Jan Eggink Photography

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    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)

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This isn’t Sebastien’s first rodeo. He has built a stunning Yamaha XS650 before, completely in Jap-style. It was featured in many magazines back in 2020, and for good reason too. There is definitely no lack of imagination when it comes to his old build, but also this more recent creation.

We are a sucker for nose art. Especially those from around World War 2. The first nose art started at the beginning of the 20st century, during World War 1. When fighter planes where being used in close combat. Pilots would paint their planes with menacing texts or imagine instilling fear into their opponents. Nowadays we don’t see nose art anymore in the military, but it is still regarded as art among enthusiasts around the world.

To see nose art being used on a custom motorcycle makes our hearts beat a little bit faster. But there is more to this machine than just the nose art, which has a symbol of the rising sun on the left, and shark mouth on the right, a nod to both east and west. Sebastien has managed to source a racing fairing of Norton Commando and has modified it to fit the Kawasaki seamlessly. The combination of nose art and matt green paint has been done incredible well by Cedric B Ink.

The rear of the KZ650 has been chopped and lowered, using custom shock absorbers. There is something special to these shock absorbers. They are modified for air-ride, which allows the rear of the bike to be raised or lowered at the flick of a switch. At its highest point, the clearance between the exhaust and the ground is a mere 10 centimeters! A neat feature we see in the custom car scene, but not often on a motorcycle.

The rear cowl comes from a Kawasaki Z1000ST and has been modified to fit the KZ650. The custom seat has been made by Dérouillée Sellerie and looks astonishing on this bike. The Delkevic exhaust has been modified to fit this KZ perfectly. Combined with the DNA air filters, this Kawasaki definitely breaths better now.

The front of the Kawasaki has also been lowered to accommodate for the lower stance Sebastien was going for. The fuel tank has been heavily modified, and now incorporates a fuel level indicator on the side, and a pop-up gas-cap. The electrics of the Kawasaki have been replaced with a simplified wiring harness that accommodates for the micro switches. We love the minimalistic look, especially with the large tacho front center. The Kellerman LED lights and indicators further contribute to this look. The levers are now Brembo’s, which are adjustable.

When you look at the pictures closely, you will see that the kick-starter pedal looks custom. That’s because it is, courtesy of T4 Motorcycles. What’s also custom, is the Ruroc 2.0 helmet which Sebastien has made to match the look of the bike. Small detail, but with great results!

Sebastien admits that with the ground clearance, the Kawasaki is more suitable for slow strolls than racing. Still, with the way this KZ650SR has turned out, we wouldn’t be surprised if it commanded anyone to move to right as it appears in your rear-view mirror. And all of this with a budget of no more than €6000,-.

Photo Credits: SKM

Builder details:
Seb Kustom Motorcycles
Instagram
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About the build

What started on a flimsy napkin in 2019 turned out to be a real roller coaster ride: throw in a pandemic, raw material shortages, skyrocketing prices, and weeks quickly turn into months. Only to be topped off with a tight deadline to drive the project home. Yet, they managed to pull it off and revealed their first bike under the new brand at the Bikeshed 2022. 

This futuristic looking machine is the result of unhinged creativity and thinking out of the box. Combining their skills from different backgrounds and with the help of skilled and dedicated friends they transformed the napkin sketches into clay models and finally into 3D printed and CNCed parts. This pioneering work gives us a glimpse into what the future may hold for us when it comes to motorcycle and custom parts. The builders imagine this as their idealistic approach to the future of customising motorcycles, “a teleport to 2084”. 

About the body

The monobody was printed with ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylate), a thermoplastic that is UV, chemical, and weather resistant, as well as high-impact, wear, and temperature proof. Thus, it is an excellent material for outdoor use and exposure to the elements, making it particularly suitable for automotive applications. The body actually consists of two parts, the tail part with the seat, and the top front part. It is mounted using stock mounting points on the R9T frame, however, several stock brackets had to be removed prior to installing the new body. 20 individually 3D printed parts were glued and bolted together to make up the body.

The sharp edges of the body are part of the lines that make this motorcycle look so futuristic. These lines run from the front axle to the tail and from the headlight to the tail. The angle between these lines give the bike a fast look, and several parts are aligned with these lines. 

In the first line are the valve covers, the air box opening, the bottom of the seat, the edge of the body underneath the seat, and the handmade stainless steel exhaust. The valve covers were designed in house by Timo, as was the timing cover, and CNC machined. Both will be available for purchase soon! The exhaust headers run below, yet parallel to this line. The same goes for the handfolded aluminium sumpguard, tying it all together. 

In the second line, the headlights, the custom CNC billet bottom yoke, the purple trellis frame, and the sharp edge and mating surface of the two body parts also align to end in the taillight. Jeroen from Silvermachine Seats upholstered the seat in alcantara and leather. Jacco at Royal Kustom Works did the paint. And Brother Coating performed the powder coating. 

Zooming in

If we take a closer look, we can spot quite a few high end parts, including the carbon fiber fork tubes provided by Cera Carbon housing fully adjustable Matris cartridges, and carbon fiber wheels by Rotobox wrapped in Pirelli Diablos. Continuing, the custom TFX rear shock absorber, Beringer clutch and brake cylinders and levers, and Brembo calipers are also executed in purple to create elegant highlights. Electronically the bike is decked out with Motogadget controls and speedo. 

Less visible is the work that went into designing an airbox to house a DNA inlay filter behind the black, perforated hexagon grill. As is the handmade aluminium shoe box that houses the fuel cell underneath the monobody, and the resin printed headlight brackets holding power LEDs. 

Particularly impressive is the fact that these two set out and succeeded to raise the bar for themselves, and for the field, in terms of combining skills, adopting novel technologies and materials, and turning their self-funded brainchild into a running prototype of the future. If this bike tickles your imagination as much as ours, you’re in luck. The bike is currently for sale, conditions and pricing via CNCPT Moto. Cloud 9 will be displayed at Pure&Crafted 2022. See you there!

Photos by Paul van Mondfrans Lindén

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It’s been a little over one year since we arrived back here in Brasilia, and this is how my arrival has unfolded. While being dragged around shopping with my wife, I meet a fellow rider in the shopping mall. I had on my Royal Enfield t-shirt. A stranger and now friend spoke to me in Portuguese asking if I was a rider. Not that I knew then what he said, as I replied my usual and well-learned Portuguese phrase:”Desculpe, mas eu não falo Portuguese,” yet in a friendly manner, he switched effortlessly and fluently into English (not such a common thing here). 

“Do you ride an Enfield?”, he asked. 

“Not yet, but I will be soon.”, I replied. 

And after a brief chat, we exchanged WhatsApp details – or ZapZap, as it’s known here in Brazil; with a promise to meet up for a ride. It took us nearly a couple of months before we could make good on our promise, since as life often does, the odd spanner got caught in the works, on family, or simply timing does not sync. Finally, when we made a time to meet up, Helder suggested going to his local moto hang-out, Kluster Moto Hub and Community.

Kluster, I was to learn, was set up and run as a loose co-op focusing on skill-sharing. For me, as an ex-pat Kiwi-aka-New Zealander living in Brasilia, Brazil, not yet having met too many moto riders here, this was just what I needed. Helder and Kluster have sure been the remedy to that minor problem. Since I don’t speak a lot of Portuguese yet, a harsh language to learn (but I am slowly adding words and phrases to my vocabulary), I was even more pleasantly surprised to find that many of the regulars at Kluster spoke a little English, or a lot more than I spoke Portuguese. I could not have found myself in better company and language or not; we all converse in fluent “Motorcyclese”.

And this is where I met Zeduardo aka Zed, co-owner of Kluster Moto Hub and Community”, with whom I got around to having a sit-down and a good chat about Kluster and how it all came into being such an excellent place. I found myself welcomed into its friendly and welcoming environment full of moto culture mementos and other memorabilia, all linked to Zed’s previous life as a geologist, travelling and working worldwide. I eventually suggested writing an article for Bike Brewers about Kluster and how it all began. 

Zed, like myself, started hacking around on motorbikes at age thirteen, and it has now grown into a full-on passion. His first bike was a 50cc two stroker, a scooter that he and a friend bought with their combined funds. Zed and his friend soon found that keeping an old motorcycle was not easy, a constant drain on their pockets. So after a short adventure of hiding the moto from their parents at friends places and other hideouts, they had to sell their first venture into motorcycle ownership. All of this was done without the permission of Zeds parents, like a lot of us who started riding at an early age but come hell or high water, we were gonna be motorheads. 

Zed tells me, once he started university, he had a scooter that brought him to and from his classes, all without a licence. His first legal bike was a 125cc Suzuki Bergman scooter and the perfect way to get around the streets of Brasilia. Not long afterwards, he finally got his licence and the beginning of a lifelong addiction to motorcycling. 

Kluster is a great community; a place where people can get together and work on their bikes, a unique opportunity as a place for people to get creative, to be supported and to be taught how to work on their motorcycles, doing simple jobs like learning to do an oil and filter change, adjust a clutch, bleed brakes or change brake pads. 

There’s enough space there for people to get even more adventurous and take on a full-on customization project. Or take on a motor performance upgrade, as I will be doing with the help of my mate Helder in the next few weeks. I will be sure to do a write up for you all once the work is completed.   

The customization scene here in Brazil and before the world wide web gave us all an eye into the world; Brazil had a uniquely tropical style of customization born from the isolation and the years of the dictatorship (a story for another time). But once we had the internet, the Brazilian motorcycle scene opened up with new models and larger displacement engines to play with. And of course, all that inspiration coming out of Europe, the United Kingdom and the US really set the creative juices flowing. 

Motorcycling in Brazil mainly was based around the use by poorer Brazilians as their primary mode of transport and working vehicle, and it still is today. Brazil’s cities and towns are awash with thousands of guys and girls who make their living working from their motorcycles. Small motorcycles are relatively cheap instead of car ownership in Brazil, which is quite expensive. 

Mostly, the customization scene is mainly done by people from more professional occupations, lawyers, doctors, corporate individuals, and the middle class in general. There is still quite a divide between the rich and poor here, but not as much as it once was. Most motorcycle riders here work in delivery or use motorcycles as the primary mode of transportation for the family. And customization is very low on their priority list and way out of their budget. Something we in the West take very much for granted. Life here in Brazil will soon wake most people up to the privileged lives we live as even our poorest people live reasonably well in comparison. 

Kluster has a membership program that, for R$75.00 a month, gives you full access to the tools and the motorcycle lifts to work on your moto, and some focused workshops are offered like learning welding and fabrication or basic motorcycle wiring, or spray painting a tank or the frame and other parts that you might need paint applied on your project. 

The team comprises Zed and his partners André Gusmão, Victor Mayer and Hérique Marque. André is a long time friend of Zed’s, and they have been working on Kluster together from its beginning. And again, a friendship forged from a love of life on two wheels. Victor is the workshop Cafe manager. Hérique aka Eric, is Kluster’s front of house man and the first friendly face you’ll meet on arrival. He speaks English and Portuguese.

 Kluster Moto Hub and Community is more than just a place for motorheads, it’s a home away from home, and it’s all about friends and family. It is also home to a tattooist, Marcelo Munster; you can find him on Instagram @marcelomunster if you are looking for some of that old school cool ink to go with your moto mania passion. 

The pandemic hit Kluster hard, as with many small businesses here and in the world. But thanks to cool heads, good management and a loyal community, it has survived and looks set to thrive as it moves forward with new projects and the steady growth of new members. 

Indeed Kluster has been a lifesaver, a great place to meet up and make new friends; long may Kluster rein as Brasilia’s number one moto hang-out and community. 

So if you’re passing, call in, meet the crew, shoot the shit, grab a coffee and a snack, get ya bike washed while ya kick back on the plush leather sofa and make new friends.

You can make contact via; 

• WhatsApp +55-61-3233-8978
• https://www.klustermoto.com

• NORTE – SOF NORTE QUADRA 05 CONJUNTO C LOTE 13 SOF NORTE – ATRÁS DA LEROY, DF-003 – Zona Industrial Norte, DF, 70634-530

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Regular guests
It may look as if UNIKAT have a subscription on our platform. Nothing of the sort, but the Polish team just keeps on churning out pure art that we simply cannot ingnore.
This time it is a 2001 Moto Guzzi California 1100, which was transformed from a nice bike to a ‘living room worthy’ object of desire.

Take apart and rebuild
The motorcycle has been completely restored and rebuilt, with nothing more than the wheels, the beautiful engine and part of the frame remaining from the original design. According to our Eastern European friends “such a dramatic rebuild requires a massive amount of time and UNIQUE skills”. We second that motion, after all ‘UNIKAT’ is Polish for unique and you have to live up to that promise.

Director’s chair
The owner, Pawel, was very much involved in the project. It is not very often that BikeBrewers get such elaborate insights from the clients themselves. Here’s what he has to say: “My adventure with motorcycles began when my grandfather gave me a light green mini motorbike. It was a life-turning moment for me and something that made me feel special. Already then, I was very much drawn to personalize this small moped, of course everything was done using whatever materials were available to me, so I applied stickers, wraps, painted lettering on the tires, trimmed the fenders.

In the following years the passion developed with more motorcycles, i.e., Simson, Yamaha and Honda the crowning moment of which being when I finally parked a Harley Davidson in my garage.

For a few years I’ve been watching how motorcycles are customized all over the world, and already then, I knew that I would like to build such a motorcycle, but the possibilities and number of available places in Poland were limited. I could not make up my mind, and I wanted this project to be unique, stunning design-wise but also in terms of technical solutions. I wanted it to be professionally executed by a team of professionals.

I once read that there is a place in Wrocław that is quickly gaining recognition because of the projects it puts out of its garage.
When I arrived at their doorstep, I met the team, Grzegorz, Michał and I knew that this is a place full of passion, professionalism — and this is how we’ll build a brilliant project.”

Teamwork
The modifications were done under the watchful eyes of Tomasz (mechanic) and Grzegorz (designer) with the bike’s charismatic owner Paweł in his Director’s Chair.

Grzegorz: “In order to achieve the perfect look and beautiful lines of the café racer, we completely changed the geometry and design of the original frame. This required us to shorten the front suspension and use new rear shocks from Bitubo, for which we made new mounts. To complete the look, two fairings (front and rear) were made from scratch by our mate Tomasz.”

Continuing: “The use of a new accessory fuel tank was also linked to the modification of the frame by making new mounts. Since this Moto Guzzi model features a fuel injection system, we had to use an external pressure regulator and redo the whole fuel system.”
As the team were using a custom pressure regulator as mentioned above, they were able to modify the intake and exhaust system. The factory air-box was ditched in favor of a pair of K&N performance cone fitters. Out went the original exhaust to make room for minimalist slash cut tail pipes, which combined with the Guzzi V-twin, produce a unique sound!

Café racer in true style
As befits a true flesh-and-blood café racer, clip-on handlebars were mounted. These new handlebars, along with the changed frame geometry forced the Polish outfit to relocate the rider’s footpegs. As the original ones were completely unusable, a decision was made to use a set from a sports bike with a racing pedigree.

All switches on the handlebars were replaced to go for a clean and minimalistic design. Buttons and turn signals in the handlebars are from Motogadget. A new Motoscope Tiny speedometer, a LED headlamp concealed in the fairing, and a full LED rear lamp dictated creating nearly a full new wiring harness, powered by a battery that currently sits under the swingarm in a box which was custom made for this purpose.

The engine, including the transmission, did not require a complete overhaul and tuning. A proper paint job to make it shine was enough.
Wheels are from the legendary Borrani company, completed with thicker stainless-steel spokes. With such magnificent objects you obviously need a new set of tires .

Most of the parts have been polished or mirror-finished, including the wheels, front and rear suspension, valve covers, exhaust system, handlebars, triple clamps and swingarm, as well as a number of other small components. All bolts were re-galvanized or were replaced with new ones.

The bodywork, front and rear fairing were perfectly painted by Marcin, creating a coherent whole with polished and chrome-plated elements.
The entire project was finished off with a warm touch of leather elements, such as the upholstery on the seat, the construction of which was made by us from scratch, and hand-wrapped handles.

The owners perspective
Being heavily involved with the project the BikeBrewers team was interested to hear his reaction to the end result.
Pawel: “We talked a lot about the technical possibilities, aspects of working with older motorcycles, what should be included in such a project and where it needs to be included to make it unique in every way possible.
We agreed that we want to choose a motorcycle that would be an excellent base and the potential to be unique, and here it is — the Moto Guzzi California 1100.

Was it worth it? For all intents and purposes, the design was great, but it was the execution that knocked me off my feet. Perfection and pure design in every element. The motorcycle impresses with its light, simple, yet detailed design, as well as with the technical solutions.

If we can call anyone artists in the custom scene it is undoubtedly the crew of Unikat Motorworks. I am incredibly happy with the end result and the roads in Poland have just gotten a bit more beautiful with this Moto Guzzi gracing them with its presence.”

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The Flying Brick
We’ve been noticing a strong trend in the past year or so, a revival if you will, of café racers that are built around BMW K-series motorcycles, a.k.a. the flying brick There is a reason for that. They can be sourced cheaply to begin with, since they were sold by the bundles from 1982 till 1996 (K75 and K100). They also have a reputation of being bulletproof. And to be honest, they weren’t really good-looking bikes to begin with, so a little make-over can improve the aesthetic appeal. We have to say that it isn’t the easiest bike to turn into a smashing café racer, still there are quite a few builders out there that manage to amaze us.

Classic meets Modern
This 1985 BMW K100RT turned Café Racer is a fine specimen of what is possible with the right vision and skills. This bike was rebuilt from the ground up, which meant that no bolt was left unturned. The frame was chopped and coated with a fresh layer of paint. On the newly built subframe sits a custom leather seat with a classic café racer hump. Marcel created a see-through frame by getting rid of any excess wiring and moving the battery lower into the frame. Kellerman Bullet indicators also serve a tail- and brake-lights, they fit the bike nicely. A custom license plate bracket was also made to keep the BMW road-legal.

Technology
Moving to the front and we spot a Motogadget speedo (Motoscope Pro). However, when we look more closely, we see that Motogadget has provided a lot more than just the speedo such as the front indicators, handlebar grips, switches, and even the controller for all the electrics (m.unit blue). It goes without saying that all the wiring is new too. At the front we have a large round LED headlight with a matt black finish. The bar-end mirrors are a nice touch and add some flair to this BMW.

Subtle
The engine stayed mostly stock with the exception of a rebuild and some fresh paint. The exhaust got chopped and fitted with a small lightweight free-flow unit. The headers received thermal wrapping for the café racer looks. What’s interesting is to see that the footrests have been moved slightly forward to expose the beautiful rear wheel which is suspended in a single swingarm. The modified geometry makes the riding more comfortable too.

More to come…
We absolutely love the color of this bike. The deep dark blue color is so classy and fitting to this bike, we find it hard to imagine how this café racer would look like in any other color. Combined with some really tasty details, such as the custom BMW logo that can be found all over the bike, it truly is a sexy café racer. This build by BCD has the right mix between modern and classic, and it sets an example on how simplicity is often the best way to go. We can’t wait to see what the future will bring, but we are 100% convinced that it will be amazing again.

Photo credits: Nikolas Stergiadis

Builder details:
Blackout Custom Design
Website
Instagram
Facebook

The post BMW K100RT Cafe Racer by Blackout Custom Design appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Back in 2020, BikeBrewers were invited to join the first edition of the Café Racer Fest in Kyustendil, Bulgaria. Unfortunately COVID had paralyzed the world and travel restrictions caused us to miss out on that event.

We followed the happening on social media while the enthusiasm of participants, visitors and bike builders vibrated through our screens. We knew we missed out on something special! We made a promise there and then, that we would do everything to make it to the 2021 edition. As we are always true to our word, there was no reason not to make the trip this time.

To team members Ron and Adnane it felt nearly as good as going on a road trip even though two flights, three cars but no bikes were involved in getting from Amsterdam to Kyustendil.

Arriving close to midnight, the organizer of the Café Racer Fest and spiritual father of the event, Ivan Mushev of Bull Moto Custom, had kindly arranged transportation from Sofia airport to the ski resort up in the mountains about half an hour up from town up a dark and twisty country road with al sort of wildlife crossing our headlights.

Early start
In order to make the most of the day breakfast was served early and we took off to the centre of town. The empty square would soon be the stage of an extraordinary event, attracting an sizable crowd of both participants and spectators. On the plaza of this nearly 40.000 inhabitant’s rich city, volunteers were busy setting the stage for things to come.

The Café Racer Fest harbours not only custom bikes but also offers a stage for vintage motorcycles and cars from all makes and years. There was quite a collection of incredibly beautiful Pre-Perestroika MZ’s, Jawa’s and Ural sidecars. Truly as if time stood still.

Talking about time, it is funny what the years do with your sense of beauty. Bikes that were considered hideous in the 60’s and 70’s Western Europeans are now considered attractive by the same crowd. Thanks to younger demographics, discovering the fun in riding, Eastern Bloc classic icons such as the 60’s MZ have now grown from being more hideous than the word itself to ultra-cool! We bet there will be quite some young urban riders who would not mind to be spotted on one of those former ‘monstrosities’, were it not that in most large European cities, those two-strokes will never be seen spewing their distinguishable blue exhaust plumes again.

Ride out
Prior to the start of the event, a number of bikers and bike builders met at the local gas station for a ride out to the venue. Little over 150 bikers, nearly of which were modified in one way or another, joined in this brotherly gathering. The atmosphere was incredible; there is something quite special about seeing cafe racers being used for they were built.

Choices, choices
There were three contemporary categories; Modern Classics, Scrambler & Brat, and Café Racers. BikeBrewers were given the task of selecting the Top 3 in the “Café Racer” category. We were given about twenty projects to choose from and had about an hour to finalize our task.

As we always do when judging bikes, we put together a matrix awarding points on a scale of 1-10 for elements such as the ‘Wow!’ factor, originality, quality of work & amp; paint, and craftsmanship and set out separately to do our first independent judging.

You’d expect this to be easy and give clear comparable results. No such thing! We had quite a hefty discussion and with the clock ticking away it required a final walk around to re-evaluate our choices. At the ‘strike of twelve’ we managed to come up with a Top 3 we could both fully subscribe to.

And the winner is…
A 1994 Yamaha XV1100 had scored high points on both our lists and was chosen ‘Best of show’ in this year’s Café Racer category. Its owner, Borislav Alexsov, has put quite a lot of hours in building this machine and is rightfully proud of the result. 2nd place went to Vencislav Angelov with his stunning 1984 Honda CBX 750, and 3rd place went to Kaloian Ivanchev Chekelev with his very cool BMW R75 which saw daylight in 1982.

All top 3 finalists were showered with gifts from local sponsors. To top it off BikeBrewers’ came bearing gifts from our partners Felix Auto Moto and SA1NT! adding a helmet and a sought after twill trucker cap to the basket of each of the category winners!

Come rain come shine
Bulgarians have been spoiled with loads of sunshine over the past couple of months. Unfortunately, rain was predicted during the hours of the event. The start of the award ceremony for the café racer category was launched with a clap of thunder followed by a slight drizzle. That made us feel like home instantly.

Luckily the audience was not scared away that easily, and there was quite a cheer from the several hundred people on the square. According to the organizers, the total attendance during this year’s edition the audience grew with 20% to around 2.500 visitors who meandered amongst all the beauty displayed on the town square this morning.

The next edition
Writing this post just before the party organized by the Cafe Racer Club Bulgaria, we are already spoiled by the kindness of the Bulgarians we met on the way, especially by the members of the café racer community.

As much as we love attending established events in Western European countries, we are always on the lookout for new, exciting and more grass roots experiences. This scene is way bigger and vibrant than you would ever dare to imagine. Everyone we met was proud of the results of their labour and insights are shared freely among this close-knit society.

We will be back for sure and hope the organizers can look forward to an even bigger crowd in 2022. Being the only international visitors this year, we share our experience with the knowledge that this is likely to be the last time we enjoyed this exclusivity.

Given the fact that there is a very lively local scene and magnificent twisty country roads and awesome virgin off road tracks to be travelled freely, it is likely many adventurous bikers from the West will be heading East next year.

Photos by:
Georgi Georgiev Photography
Kalina Kalcheva
BikeBrewers

The post REPORT: Café Racer Fest 2021 by Café Racer Club Bulgaria appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Build nr. 3

An unusual suspect
Well, Ivan Mushev, owner and driving force behind Bull Moto Custom is back, with his 3rd build so far. Again, with a Honda Hornet 600. And why not? Honda has been a house-hold name for café racer builders for decades. They are reliable, affordable, easy to work on, and they offer a ton of bang for bucks. The Hornet is quite special, too. The 600cc Hornet engines pack a respectable 100+ horsepower which are thunderously available around 12.000 rpm. Most of us are probably familiar with this popular bike, which can be ridden in comfort at lower speeds. However, when revving over 7.000 rpm we enter the comfort zone of this particular bike. The same engine can be found in the CBR600RR

VFR swingarm
When we take a closer look at this bike, we can see that a lot of work has been put into this build. It is not often we see a Hornet sporting a VFR single-sided swing arm. An incredibly complex and tedious job to get done right. Inspired by Ducati, Ivan made work out of this task. Many have tried, but only a few actually succeed. We have to admit that it takes the Honda to the next level!

Exposed rear
The factory subframe was made redundant and a newly built, minimalistic unit was built, exposing that beautiful VFR rear wheel. It also allowed for a custom built under seat exhaust. The end-can or muffler is a box shaped, and looks the part. The seat pan is also custom made, and has integrated brake-lights and turn signals. A brilliant way to keep the Hornet road-legal whilst looking incredible! The alcantara seat cover just looks perfect, specially made by MG Design.

Custom made
When we move to the mid-section of the bike, we can see that the original airbox has been removed, and a custom-made box now houses the electrical parts of the Honda, giving it a clean and industrial look. The air filters have been replaced by a single, open-flow, unit. A bit further, and we can also see that the radiator overflow has been replaced with stainless steel containers.

Stoppie time?
Moving to the front we can see a Kawasaki ZX9R front suspension, complete with ZX9R front wheel and brakes, giving the Hornet some serious braking power. The naked bike handlebar has been swapped out for a set of clip-ons, giving the rider more control. Above the clip-ons we spot a mini KOSO speedo, giving the rider nothing more than the most essential information, while keeping the front clean. The headlight is an off-the-shelve unit from LSL, finished off with a custom-made headlight grill.

There are a few fiberglass parts that have been made to fit the bike, such as the belly pan, the headlight cover and radiator covers. What make this entire build stand out it that beautiful, deep, lush, Misano red pearl color.

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Photo Credit:Vladislav Chanev
Model: Aleksandrina Boqnova

Builder details:

Facebook (builder)
Instagram
Email: bullmoto@abv.bg

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