I’m pleased to feature another cool build of Max and Jérôme, owners of custom motorcycle workshop and café HIDE Brussels. This is their 13th build and just like their other creations, has a rather unusual base bike. It’s based on a ’05 Husqvarna 450 SMR and this raw and radical looking machine is an undefined mix between a tracker and a scrambler if I should label it.

The 450 SMR was introduced as a straight on supermoto back in 2004 and was placed just under the 510. Its liquid-cooled 449cc single cylinder spits out a punch 46hp and 41Nm of torque on a wet weight of only 130kgs. Pure supermoto fun! But Max and Jérôme wanted to make it a bit rawer and they’ve significantly redesigned the bike.

Their goal was to transform the Husky into a real street maniac, so they’ve ditched all the bulky plastics to trim the bike and make it look more compact and aggressive. If you take a look at the bike you wouldn’t say it, but it’s way lower than the original bike. For this stance modification, they’ve used an inverted 45mm Marzocchi front, which is 120mm lower than the original WP suspension. The bulky and plastic-fantastic tank is replaced by a smaller Yamaha XT tank. The beautiful 17″ laced wheels are built around Excel rims and got Dunlop Mutants mounted for optimal grip. As you may expect, the complete electronic system was simplified and a lightweight battery was placed in order to save a little more weight.

The bike also got some performance upgrades.  The engine is equipped with a forged piston with a cylinder treated for its permeability. Valves are exchanged for high-performance units and the crank shaft is reinforced and lightened. All parts are from ProX. The engine breathes with a BMC air intake and is fed by a dyno jet power commander. At the output, they’ve placed a customized LeoVince X3 exhaust. The extensive engine works and rejetting of the carbs resulted in a tempting cocktail.

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This may look like a strange name for a bike that’s actually a Honda FX650. But it’s not the frame or the engine that’s in the center of this build, it’s the mythical gas tank of the Husqvarna back in the 70s and 80s. Since that’s the only Husqvarna part of this machine. The builder, Le Garage Félix (which you may know from this KLR650 Scrambler) made their own version of the Husky; Fusqvarna (with the F from Felix). For a second they were thinking about calling it “Fucksvarna”, but they didn’t want to disrespect the heritage of the brand. And the result is this minimalistic Honda FX650 Scrambler in two basic colors: black and red.

They took a 2001 FX650 and stripped the machine down to its bare essentials to get that desired minimalistic look. They’ve reconditioned the engine but kept it original with only another setup for the air filter and jets. The subframe was chopped off and got a simple hoop. This seat reduced to its simplest expression is adorned with Alcantara coating embellished with checkered stitching. It is placed on a house aluminum hull painted red. To keep the rear as clean as possible, they’ve fabricated a license plate holder which is connected to the rear axle together wit a mini mudguard.

The cockpit also is limited to the essentials powered by MotoGadget elements. The Pirelli MT60 on the all black wheels give the bike a bit more aggression.

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The custom motorcycle scene seems to be really kicking of now. In this Bikes of the Month section we have some real cool machines. Why I usually feature around 4 to 5 bikes in this section, I now had a hard time te decided which ones where in, so I’ve put in 6 machines.

Honda CB750 by Ace Custom Shop

Awesome looking Honda CB750 cafe racer. An impressive piece of work from the heart of Colombia, built by Ace Custom Shop. The bike got some real serious upgrades. The front and rear suspension come from a CB1000RR. The rear end needed a monoshock conversion. It may look like a bit overkil for this machine, but according the guys from Ace it’s absolutely necessary to have some serious suspension on their Colombian roads. They’ve put in all in a “classic-meets-modern” jacket and the result is simply stunning. [read more]

Triumph Street Tracker by Mule

This Triump Street Tracker by Mule Motorcycles is built for a customer in Norway, who’s only able to ride a bike 3 months a year. And if you take a look at it, it’s a pity that this awesome ride has to stand in a garage for 9 months. Inspired by the trackers in the old days of track racing in the 70s and stuffed with more modern day technology than the most factory bikes have these days. [read more]

Ducati 848 “Evo Racer” by NCT

I know that 2017 only just started, but this machine by NCT Motorcycles is already one of my personal favorites. It’s based on the beastly Ducati 848 Evo and NCT gave it a nice classic look and that awesome olive green touch. But to be honest, it’s more a racer than a cafe; the high-end machine with around 140hp is a serious weapon on the track. [read more]

Husqvarna 501 Tracker by LOON

Ice cool Husqvarna 501 Tracker built bij LOON Cycleworks. When I saw this machine the first time, I knew that it had something special. Same goes for our readers because this machine melted down the internet. It got liked, shared and reposted many, many times and even was featured in the bikes of the week section of BikeEXIF. With 2 sets of wheels you have that good old supermoto at your disposal, and when you go off the road, just put on the dirt wheels and play around [read more]

Yamaha TRX850 Cafe Racer by Seb Hipperson

Based on the Yamaha TRX850, also called “poor mens Ducati” since it was meant as a direct competitor of the Ducati 900SS. A base bike that we don’t see that often. Unlike the 900SS, the TRX was not a big sales hit, but amongst motorcycle lovers the bike is called one of the “best kept secrets” and a “forgotten gem”. Bespoke furniture maker Seb Hipperson from Londen had that same love for the TRX and decided to build his own TRX850 Cafe Racer [read more]

Honda CB400 Cafe Racer by RetroRides

No matter how many times I see a Honda CB cafe racer, if it’s executed the right way, it never gets bored. But yes, a lot of them look the same… But this beauty takes it to another level. It’s one of the best CB’s I’ve seen in a long time. And it was clear that others thought the same: it got so many likes and shares that this already could be a candidate for the best custom of 2017 (but maybe I’m riding to fast right now…) [read more]

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Right at a moment where I started thinking that Husqvarna seemed to be a little underexposed, I’ve found another cool custom Husky to feature here (don’t forget to check this one and this one).  This bike right here is based on the incredible Husqvarna Nuda 900R. In my opinion, a pretty underestimated machine considering the sales numbers. The bike is full of high-end parts and is powered by a modified 2 cylinder engine of the strong BMW F800. A 100% “build for fun machine” with a low weight, around 103hp and an incredible amount of torque (100Nm). The original concept is a mix between a sports bike and a supermoto, the latter as the dominant factor. If you’ve ridden one, you know what I mean. It’s pretty spectacular.

This machine is built by TripleSpeed from Germany and they’ve kept the most of the original concept in place, but radicalized it. Owners of TripleSpeed,  Michael “Obi” Obringer and Jens Hebisch (an ex-carpenter and an ex-banker!) stuffed the with the best parts in the industry: the handlebar and mirrors are from Rizoma, the dash and electronics are from MotoGadget, brake and clutch pumps are from Magura and the exhaust comes from Remus. To give some more “kick” a Dynojet PowerCommander is used.

The suspension is custom made by Zupin, the importer of Mupo Suspension systems. To underline the multi-purpose of this bike, the Roadtec 01 all-terrain tires from Metzeler are used. The whole packed in a hundred percent dark TripleSpeed style and rounded off with noble matt carbon and a lot of heart blood.

They compare the result as a prescription drug and called it “Parox”. I think I’ll head over to my doctor…

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Snow and motorcycles are not a great combination but with the right material you can have a lot of fun in the snow on 2 wheels. Last week LOON proved that with their ice cool Husqvarna 501 Tracker. And if you live in an area where you can expect several months of snow, you have to be a bit creative if you want to ride your bike in winters too. Johan & Johan from 6/5/4/ Motors in Stockholm ditched up an old concept from Husqvarna. Back in 1968 the Swedish defense bought 1000 Husqvarna 256 (or MC256) motorcycles with an option to add ski’s.

They’ve found this old Husqvarna 256 and decided to restore it to its original concept with a modern tracker flavor. The original Husqvarna 256 was equipped with a 256cc two-stroke engine pushing out 15hp combined with a four-speed gearbox. Since the bike could be equipped with ski’s, shifting was integrated in the lever. The ski’s would automatically sprang up if they were not pushed down. Its successor, the MC258 got an automatic gearbox. Unfortunately, the 1000 bikes for the army were the only ones produced, so the bike was pretty expensive to maintain due to the lack of affordable spare parts. From the 258, 3000 machines were manufactured.

Johan & Johan stayed pretty close the the original concept, but gave it their own twist.

The original Husqvarna 256:

Husqvarna 256 Gallery

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Riding off road really is fun to do and if you’re not that worried about cold and snow, you can have a lot of fun in winters too! Just grab an enduro our MX machine and throw yourself around. Try it! It’s cool (and not only because of the low temperatures). But you can also add some more style and build a machine yourself, just like this cool Husqvarna 501 Tracker by LOON Cycleworks called “BS501”.

It’s based on a Husqvarna FE501 which is pretty light (111kg dry) and has a real punchy 510cc single cylinder to get you going on places where’s nobody’s coming.

The fuel tank is made of 1.5 mm thick sheet metal and especially manufactured to house the original fuel pump. The seat consists of an aluminum panel with a leather cover. The seat also covers up the electrics and is held by a powder coated sub-frame. The sub-frame itself consists of 18mm steel pipe and the 1.5 mm thick rear fender attaches straight to it. The rear brake light is attached just below the fender. An Acrapovic titanium slip-on rounds off the rear of the bike. In order to lower the front end, the WP suspension was shortened 50 mm. Thereby obtaining a lower point of gravity to enhance the on road performance. To illuminate your ride in the dark, we attached a bright LED front light with an especially designed lamp housing. The scrambler version of the LOON BS 501 comes with 2.15X18” wheels and Heindenau tires.

You think a scrambler is too boring? Or are you in to have some fun at a trackday? No problem, just swap the wheels, to a set of tubeless Alpina supermoto (3,5×16,5″ / 5×17″) wheels, along with a Magura radial brake cylinder with a 4 piston brake caliper.

The guys from LOON created a bolt-on kit which is available for your Husqvarna 501 or KTM. So if you’re bored of your stock Husqvarna or even KTM, you should take a look at this kit.

Follow LOON Cycleworks:

Website |Facebook | Instagram

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Oh yes! It’s official! Husqvarna confirmed the production models of the 401 Vitpilen and 401 Svartpilen concepts. Bikes that really melted down the internet earlier when Husqvarna revealed the concepts at the EICMA 2015.

Owner KTM didn’t gave an exact introduction date yet, but it confirmed that Husqvarna will debut the two models in 2017. No in depth details, but this is wat KTM AG stated in their investor report:

For 2017 the next step will be realized with the arrival of the first two VITPILEN production models.

A strong commitment to continuing the long tradition of progressive thinking and pioneering actions will be reflected as much in the creation of leading motorcycles, as it will in outstanding ways of identifying, satisfying and engaging with the rapidly- expanding customer base.

Pioneering will continue in every area of the Husqvarna Motorcycles brand. As a first step, the upcoming segment-redefining VITPILEN and SVARTPILEN production models will set Husqvarna Motorcycles on a blazing trajectory to become Europe’s third-largest motorcycle producer – with the aim of doing so by 2020.

Here are some pictures of the 401 Vitpilen concept:

And his “raw” brother, the 401 Swartpilen concept:

And a spy shot of the 401 Vitpilen in action:

The confirmation of the 401 Vitpilen sets the door wide open to it’s bigger brother, the already legendary Husqvarna 701 Vitpilen. And that is, very good news!

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November 2015 we got surprised by an amazing conceptbike of Husqvarna; the 701 Vitpilen. An incredibly cool, out of the box design, as a result of the successful launch of the smaller 401 Vitpilen.

The 701 Vitpilen recently won the IF Design Award 2016. An award that recognizes (overall) outstanding design achievements all over the world. Great news for Husqvarna and great news for riders, because with this award the road to production is getting more and more real.

Time for some real pics instead of the photoshop ones I’ve posted earlier:

The post Husqvarna 701 Vitpilen – Awarded & more pics appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

UPDATE 4/8/2016: The Husqvarna 701 Vitpilen got a great response from all over the world and the bike also won the IF Design Award 2016. Some real life pictures at the BIMS 2016 took the bike a step further to production. Today Husqvarna released some more pictures of their 701 Vitpilen which gives the bike an even more “production worthy” look:

Husqvarna is working hard to get back in the street bike segment like they where in the early 50′ with the legendary Husqvarna Silverpilen. This new Husqvarna 701 Vitpilen concept underlines that ambition.

Husqvarna 401 Vitpilen

The 701 Vitpilen concept is a direct result of the succes from the worldwide awarded 401 Vitpilen. So they mixed up the design of the 401 with the powertrain from the 701 Supermoto and Enduro.

The result is a astonishing concept bike which is revealed at the EICMA. The bike is a direct offense to all retro styled bikes which we see a lot these days, looking at the ultra modern styling.

Since KTM is the owner of Husqvarna, it’s safe to assume that the 701 is actually based on the KTM 690 Duke, just as the 401 is based on the 390 Duke.

Details are stunning: a hardcore monoshock in the rear, open air filter, high tech LED headlight and an aggressive looking exhaust. The black engine with bronze covers and the high visibility yellow line gives a slick and fast look.

The 701 Vitpilen is full of high end materials and it purely created to give an authentic and exhilarating driving experience. The raw 690cc single cylinder engine provides a kick 73hp and will have lot’s of torque in low RPM-areas.

Combined with a weight that’s probably below 170kg, this bike can cause some serious damage to your driving license.

True, it’s still a concept bike, but hopefully we can expect a production model next year.

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