Motorcycles evoke a sense of rebellion and bad-assery, something film and television (and marketing) has been aware of for decades. Want to immediately demonstrate a character is tough and independent? Throw ’em on a bike and voilà. Today’s best known example of this is AMC’s the Walking Dead’s Daryl Dixon and his custom post-(zombie)-apocalyptic ’90’s CB750 Nighthawk. This famous two-wheeler …
Born Free 8 Best in Show – 1942 Harley-Davidson UL Chopper
Post Sale Update: After 26 bids on eBay, this custom Harley sold for $21,100. Built by Jeff Leighton, this Harley won Best in Show at Born Free 8 – beating out an insane dual-CB750 engine’d build (sorry, link isn’t in English but the pictures are universal). Unfortunately, it looks like his shop was broken into during an international trip, and …
Pre-Unit Bobber – 1957 Triumph Tiger Custom
Post Sale Update: After 13 bids on eBay, this custom Tiger sold for $13,056. Built for The Horse magazine’s Amateur Chop Off, this build started as a one-owner Tiger T1100. It’s won a couple of awards and it got the builder an invite to Fuel Cleveland as well. It’s not perfect as the clutch needs to be adjusted and the …
Allen Millyard Build – 1975 Honda “SS250”
I’ve featured the amazing custom builds of Allen Millyard before but until today I haven’t been able to share one of his builds that was actually for sale. Today is a good day – at least for those of you in the UK. Meet the Honda “SS250”, named because it’s a 1975 Honda SS50 frame with the 250cc motor from …
Cosmetic Custom: 1982 Honda FT500
Single-cylinder machines make for solid flat track builds. The power on these examples are surprisingly well suited for dirt ovals, especially for a road bike engine. Despite this being a 35-year-old machine, it was just recently rebuilt and has been kept pretty immaculate in the roughly 275 miles put on it since the build was completed. With so many ultra …
1 of 1 – 1996 Ducati “649R” SuperTwin Racer
This Ducati 649 SuperTwin is the only example like it in the world, and it was created specially to compete in Mini/Super-Twin 650 class competition. This super short stroke engine has a 90mm bore that makes 85hp and red lines at 13,000 rpm. This machine is built around a 1996 Ducati model, so I assume a 748SP or SPS. This …
Pick One – Storz Street Tracker Harleys
Storz Performance make some awesome parts and conversion kits. Both of the two Storz examples have been fitted with their XR1200 conversion kit which not only looks pretty snazzy but also cranks up the Harleys performance while shaving off a total of 83lbs. Highlights of the kit include an aluminum tank, fiberglass tail-section, side-covers and rear-fender, a wider rear-tire, actual …
1965 Honda CL72 Scrambler w/ Belly Tank Trailer
Post Sale Update: This unique combination sold for $6,600. The fine folks at Bring a Trailer (appropriately named in this case) have got one of the coolest bike/trailer packages I’ve seen in a while. A ’63 Honda Scrambler (’63 VIN but titled as a ’65) that was given a refresh 50 miles ago. It looks clean and normally it’d be …
“Rsix” – 2015 BMW RnineT Custom
The RnineT is one of the most commonly modified motorcycles being made today, it’s literally referred to as BMW’s “blank canvas”. The modular German standard was engineered to be easily customized with features such as a subframe that can be removed by anyone with two-minutes and a socket-wrench. Countless professional and amateur backyard builders have cafe’d out the various RnineT …
Naked Two-Stroker – Honda NSR250R Custom
I’ve featured a handful of bikes for sale at the Garage Company before, but this offering is the coolest little runner I’ve ever seen the LA based shop carry. Two stroke-machines possess an array of distinctive qualities: their sound, smell, performance and abrupt power delivery which requires damn good throttle control. Before the ’02 MotoGP switch, two-stroke machines were the …
Ural Destroyer – 2014 Yamaha Bolt w/ Ural Hack
People don’t buy side cars the way they used to. As a result, manufacturers aren’t inclined to allocate resources to better develop these passenger-friendly scoots, no new sidecar advances are made and sales remain low. It’s a vicious cycle. Ural is one of the only factory options when buying a bike with a sidecar today, the only problem is, to …
Scrambler Build in Scotland – 2001 Kawasaki W650
With the vast majority of today’s retro-inspired so-called “Scramblers” not being particularly competent off-road machines, one builder in the U.K. opted to instead buy a modern-retro standard and turn it into a bulletproof bonafide off-roader. The results are an awesome machine reminiscent of when Scramblers were actually made to scramble complete with a high-mounted exhaust and many of the other …
Drag Race Tribute – 1962 Triumph Pre-Unit Custom
While photos of this one-off ’62 Triumph custom more or less speak for themselves, the story behind this build is a rather interesting one. After going to school to receive his fine art degree, Karl Ardo – the person who built this Triumph- spent a number of years turning out hot rods of the four wheeled variety before changing his …
Funky Custom BSA D7 175 – The Navigator
This heavily modified BSA appropriately entitled “The Navigator” is one of the coolest one-off machines I’ve ever seen. The thing is just dripping with character and it possesses a wildly unique aesthetic with what appears to be an excellent fit and finish. While this example is undeniably pretty out there, it’s been masterfully executed and whether or not you like …
1974 Moto Guzzi 850T/T3 Cafe Racer
Moe from Cycle Garden is selling off a customer’s bike that they have maintained for 15 years. It’s a hybrid of a 850T frame and a 850T3 motor, and the package has a few minor modifications. It was a daily rider so it has a couple of dents in the tank, but it also hopefully means that this has been …