How custom trends influence motorcycle design

Motorcycle historian Paul d’Orléans takes a deep dive into the uneasy but essentially productive relationship between the modern-day custom scene and design teams at the major manufacturers.

In the ancient days of the 1990s, custom motorcycles were incredibly popular, but their baroque excess made them irrelevant to the motorcycle industry. The death of the fat tire custom in 2009 made barely a ripple in the OEM world, but that was the first time, really, that customs were not leading motorcycle design by the nose, and folks forgot the unacknowledged back-and-forth between tinkerers making cool bikes—and the stodgy industry taking notes.

Going backwards in time, trackers, choppers, café racers, bob-jobs, Promenade Percys, and cut-downs had all impacted factory designs, but nobody talked about it until Bike EXIF became a monster. The site’s 2008 launch perfectly coincided with a mounting wave of excitement around a new custom motorcycle scene, and Chris Hunter caught the tiger by the tail. And without intending it, Bike EXIF and the neo-custom scene pulled the motorcycle industry out of its worst doldrums since 1957.

In short, customs saved the (motorcycle) world.

In a 2011 New York Times editorial, “Are Motorcycles Over?” writer Frederick Seidel asked if modern motorcycles are “kind of passé” and recognized that new bikes were no longer sexy or a necessary accessory for cool kids, who preferred their iPhones. OEM bikes had become heavy and complicated and tall, alienating the very folks the industry needed to survive: young people. As a result, the average age of a new rider in the USA went from 30 to 47 between 1990 and 2014, and the financial crisis of 2008 saw motorcycle sales worldwide drop by half.

But a whole new scene was building—out of the spotlight at first—stimulated by the very toxins that were killing the OEM industry: a poor economy, boring bikes, and the iPhone.

Enter the ‘CB’ custom, a shorthand for inexpensive donor bikes that could be made cool with not much effort—or a lot of effort, if you were determined and had skills. Let’s be frank: the average CB custom with a pipe wrap and Firestones did not change the motorcycle industry, but the energy that made them popular did. Young people vote with their feet, and blurring one’s eyes on the broad trends of 2009 revealed what riders really wanted: scramblers, café racers, street trackers, bobbers.

The motorcycle industry had once offered most of these styles as OEM models, like the Honda CL72, BSA Gold Star, and Triumph Hurricane, and bobbers had been around since the 1920s. The motorcycle scene had thrived in the 1970s with independent shops supplying all these styles, from Trackmaster and Rickman to a hundred custom parts suppliers in the pages of Easyriders. What happened 20 years later that nearly killed the OEM industry? Complacency, close-mindedness, and a business culture driven by anxiety.

How did Bike EXIF, as the most popular and visible expression of a global custom scene, directly impact the industry? Ola Stenegärd, chief designer for Indian and formerly for BMW, says, “I was always building my own choppers, which were kind of an embarrassment to management in the early 2000s. [Fellow BMW designer] Roland Stocker and I saw that customs were getting big, with Bike EXIF the first bona fide expression of new customs.”

“We saw what was going on, and built the prototype R nineT in 2005. It took Hendrik von Kuenheim’s support, as head of BMW Motorrad, to show that bike at EICMA in 2008, and we had to fight for years with the Board to get it manufactured; it just didn’t fit their projections. Everything is about the numbers, there’s no room for a sales failure today, and getting the numbers to work in our favor was tough.”

“There were only two comparable bikes: the Triumph Bonneville and the Kawasaki W650, neither of which sold in the numbers we needed: 7,500 units just to break even. But the one statistic I could find in our favor was for tire sales! Strange, old-sized, 18- and 19-inch tire sales were going through the roof, and that was 100 percent because of the new custom scene. We were finally able to push the R nineT to market after eight years, and it sold out two years’ production in just a few months.”

More recently, Zero Motorcycles released an all-electric model, the FXE, which is the spitting image of an ultramodern supermoto that debuted at the One Moto Show in 2019, built by San Francisco-based shop Huge Moto. Zero commissioned Huge to do a custom build on a stock FXS without any intention of putting the resulting bike into production, but when Huge Moto’s creation debuted with such positive feedback, and with Zero’s aged platform needing an overhaul, the stars aligned.

Custom motorcycle builder Dave Mucci now works as lead designer at Zero Motorcycles, and when asked if he ever considered building a custom bike that could become a production motorcycle, he says, “It never once crossed my mind. Custom bikes came from people looking for something that didn’t exist in a showroom, so we just went out and built it, and what facilitated a lot of that is all the information you can get online now.”

“Before YouTube and blogs, people thought that since they didn’t know how to do something, they couldn’t do it. But now how-to videos are constantly thrown in front of you, and you get the knowledge you need to build something yourself that didn’t exist in the world before. Now, so many people did that, that it’s driving the industry to change the categorization of its models and go in different directions than it previously would’ve.”

Discussions with designers at other OEMs confirmed identical scenarios: the desire of design staff to experiment and follow trends created by young motorcyclists, stymied by a corporate culture of anxiety. But eventually, the evidence was overwhelming on all sides: the kids wanted cool bikes, and the factories needed kids to survive.

Bike EXIF, as the harbinger and representative of a new scene, very much changed the motorcycle industry, as acknowledged by its designers. The collaboration of OEM factories with small customizing shops like Blitz, Brat Style, and El Solitario only emphasizes the desperate need of factories for new ideas and new energy. And the bikes most clearly impacted by the neo-custom scene—the BMW R nineT, Ducati Scrambler, Triumph Scrambler, et al—tend to be the most popular in their lineups.

The game is far from over, though. We’re watching the electric custom scene grow, with the usual mix of spectacular and humdrum designs coming out of workshops around the globe.

Talented customizers are now recognized as design trendsetters by the OEM industry, and we’re seeing their immediate impact on the entirely new EV industry—not as late-hour saviors, but as the very creators of the future of motorcycling.

Put on your capes, customizers. It’s time to save the world again.

Illustration by Justin Page | Article originally featured in issue 45 of Iron & Air Magazine. See it online here, or subscribe here.

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Little Animal: A Purpose Built Suzuki GN250 scrambler

If you haven’t succumbed to the charms of smaller motorcycles by now, it’s probably because you haven’t ridden one yet. That’s the opinion of Tom Gilroy, founder of Purpose Built Moto in Queensland, Australia. And judging by the work his shop’s done on this cheeky Suzuki GN250 scrambler, you can tell they’re true believers.

“Once you liven up a small bike a bit with a few performance mods, and get a bit of weight off them, you’re hard-pressed to find a bike that’s more fun to ride,” he says. “Anywhere you point this GN250 its going to deliver a smile to your face. All you gotta do is rip back the throttle and enjoy!”

PBM have some history with the humble Suzuki GN250. The first custom GN250 they ever built was also their first customer project, their first scrambler, and the first bike to garner them attention online. This one’s the third GN the shop’s built, and it draws on lessons learned from the first two.

“This time around we were given the base bike and told to go again, but better,” says Tom. “I do love these little bikes, so I was happy to oblige for our rider, Shane. The GN250 was in his family for a long time before we received it, and had been in storage for some time.”

PBM can run the full gamut of custom build styles, from mild to wild. But for this little scrambler, their goal was something clean and functional.

“The idea was to firstly improve on our previous builds, but most of all keep this project painfully simple. Oftentimes with our builds there are a lot of ideas flying around, and we get super excited then start making weird and wonderful custom pieces to style the thing out. This time there was a constant reminder to keep it simple, as a creative exercise if nothing else.”

Nothing could happen until the well worn donor was brought back up to spec. PBM’s in-house mechanic rebuilt the little single with new pistons, rings, valves and springs, and some light porting work on the head. A new Mikuni carb and a DNA air filter were added to the mix too.

For the exhaust, PBM wanted to inject a little motocross style. So they mated an FMF Powercore 4 muffler to the two-into-one headers.

Next up, the crew focused on tweaking the GN250’s running gear. The bike’s stock 16” rear wheel limits off-road tire choices, so they laced up a set of 19F/18R Excel rims with stainless steel spokes. “It gives the GN a real dune buggy vibe and allows us a tone of tire options,” says Tom.

A set of Pirelli Scorpion Rally tires were spooned on, ticking all the boxes for road and dirt use.

To compensate for the bigger wheels, PBM installed a pair of longer-than-stock YSS shocks out back. That change threw the rear drum brake out of alignment—so mods had to be made to ensure it still functions safely.

The front suspension was stiffened up, and refurbished with a heavier grade oil. Finishing off the front end are a handmade front fender and bracket, that are basically stubbier versions of the factory design.

Higher up are an LED headlight and turn signals, and a digital Daytona dash, all from PBM’s own stock. The lights have actually been mounted on the OEM headlight mounts, but the dash sits on a handmade bracket.

The yokes have been cleaned up, and wear a set of ProTaper handlebars, PBM switches and reconditioned brake and clutch levers. The switches (and other electronics) run through PBM’s own ‘Moto Black Box’—a wiring ‘brain’ that’s tucked away under the seat. And the underslung mirrors are new parts that the team has just designed and added to their online store.

For the bodywork, Tom and co. opted to keep the stock tank, because it was in such great shape. So they simply tweaked its mounting brackets to line it up with their new tail section design.

The rear end of the bike is dead simple: a classic kicked up rear loop with a slim and short seat, covered in black leather. It’s flanked by LED turn signals that also act as taillights, and capped off with a small license plate bracket. Combined with the remounted tank, the vibe is simple—but effective.

The only major request that PBM’s client had, was the color scheme. “His family is from Papua New Guinea,” Tom tells us, “so he wanted to use the flag’s colors used to style the GN250 out—which almost mimicked the factory paint colors anyway. Again, reminding myself to keep it simple, we used a black base and a two-stripe design in gold and red.”

The livery is as tasteful as the rest of the build. There’s nothing amplified here—instead, Tom and his team have distilled this little animal down to its essence.

The real question is: what will PBM do on the next GN250 build? Tom’s not sure… but he’s hoping another one rolls through the door soon, so that he can find out.

Purpose Built Moto | Facebook | Instagram

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Vintage Volts: Turning a Velocette into a hybrid

We all know about hybrid cars, with petrol engines and electric motors sharing powertrain duties. And Kawasaki is promising hybrid motorcycles in its showrooms by 2025.

But the Japanese giant has been beaten to the punch by a couple of blokes in London, and an ancient Velocette that’s almost a century old. Because Rex Martin and Adam Kay of Untitled Motorcycles have created one of the most intriguing customs we’ve ever seen—with a modern 400W hub motor working alongside an elderly two-stroke single.

Rex bought the 1931 Velocette 250 GTP last year. The bike belonged to one of his customers, and Rex knew it well. So when the customer relocated to the USA, Rex parked the Velocette alongside the two-stroke Scott already in his garage.

After riding the bike throughout summer, trouble struck: the big end gave up. Suspecting oil starvation, Rex sent the broken motor to Alpha Bearings, who stripped it and found that it had a non-standard big end.

While contemplating the repair of the Velocette, Rex came up with an unorthodox but very practical idea. And it wouldn’t involve any cutting, grinding, or terminal damage to the GTP.

At Untitled, Adam Kay was electrifying a Honda Cub, fitting an electric motor into the rear hub. Rex realized that they could also add an electric motor to the Velocette—as an independent power source.

Adam gathered together the components they needed: a hub motor and associated wheel, a 72V 30Ah battery, a voltage controller and a new twist grip. (The throttle for the electric motor is on the left side of the ‘bars and therefore needs to be rolled forward to accelerate, which must be a little disorientating.)

Four days later the new system was fitted, including the fiddly part of integrating the rear brake drum and sprocket with the new hub. At 18 inches in diameter the new wheel was a size down on the original, but the lowered gearing worked fine on urban streets.

The battery is where the leather toolbox formerly lived, and is visible on the left side of the bike. Underneath the saddle are the voltage controller and transformer.

There was a hiccup in early testing, but Rex is familiar with the system now. The Velocette does not have a magneto, and relies on a 6V battery to start the engine.

One day, Rex started his trip under electric power, and switched to the petrol engine when the big battery ran out—only to find that the 6V battery was flat. It won’t happen again, we presume.

Rex now uses his hybrid motorcycle for commuting, and it’s surprisingly well suited to the task. The handling is nimble, the sprung seat is low and comfortable, and the range on electric power is a serviceable 30 miles or so.

There’s no speedo but Rex suspects that his hybrid tops out at around 50 mph (80 kph). Acceleration in electric mode is very brisk, he reports: it’s also quiet, and almost drowned out by rattling from the suspension and spring seat.

The whole project is completely off the wall, but conversely, amazingly practical. That’s not a combination we often see—but it’s one we’d love to see more often.

Untitled Motorcycles | Facebook | Instagram | Adam Kay Instagram | Images by Gary Margerum

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Dunaali: A Royal Enfield dustbin fairing racer from India

We all have a friend whose motorcycle is lathered with carbon fiber parts—and although they’ll claim otherwise, we know that it’s more for vanity than performance. But this Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 and its carbon fiber dustin fairing tick both of those boxes. That’s because India’s Greasehouse Customs wanted to build an Enfield that would look great and be quick.

Based in Bangalore, Greasehouse is a division of IndiMotard—a multi-faceted company that offers parts, service, tuning, custom work, motorcycle tours and even rider training. They got the brief for this build directly from Royal Enfield, with a mandate to build a “fast, fun drag motorcycle.”

“Royal Enfields have always been special motorcycles in the heart of every Indian biking enthusiast,” Greasehouse’s Achinth Tripathi explains. “The 650 twins from Royal Enfield were a revelation in the Indian motorcycling market, so we thought we’d give it the Greasehouse treatment.”

“The objective of this build was to create the fastest Royal Enfield 650 drag motorcycle in India, using minimal imported parts. In other words, make it in India.”

Greasehouse started off by tearing the Continental GT down to its nuts and bolts, and weighing every part to find out where they could shave weight off. With a clear battle plan in mind, they put the bodywork on the back burner to focus on the engine first.

A stock Royal Enfield 650 makes around 47 hp at the crank, but this one’s sending 62.2 hp to the back wheel—and it’s been tuned to optimize power delivery at low revs. To get it there, Greasehouse installed high compression pistons from S&S Cycle, ported and flowed the heads, and added bigger injectors. Tuning was done via Race Dynamics’ Piggyback ECU and FuelX Autotune systems.

The motor now breathes in via a pair of velocity stacks, and out though a custom-made two-into-one exhaust. Since this Enfield doesn’t need to be street legal, the wiring’s been stripped down to the bare essentials, and hooked up to a Lithium-ion battery. There’s also a Rekluse clutch and a quick-shifter; essential equipment on the drag strip.

Greasehouse kept the suspension mods to a minimum. The forks were lowered and stiffened, and the twin rear shocks were swapped out for a pair of preload-adjustable YSS units.

The wheels were upgraded too, mostly to save weight. The front wheel features a lighter hub and an aluminum hoop, while the rear features an Excel rim laced to the OEM hub. Both ends are wrapped in Michelin race slicks, and there’s a lighter brake rotor up front.

A lot of weight was saved by swapping out stock parts with custom-made aluminum replacements. Those include the subframe, an adjustable CNC-machined swingarm, and new yokes with adjustable rake. The parts look great too, with subtle branding machined into the front of the top yoke.

As you can tell, there’s no original bodywork left on the Enfield either. Greasehouse wrapped it in a handmade carbon fiber dustbin fairing, that they admit was as much about the look as functionality. “We had two major inspirations,” says Achinth, “The ‘Fastest Indian’ by Burt Munro and the ‘Sprintbeemer‘ by LuckyCat Garage.”

The carbon fiber tank cover, tail and side covers are one-offs too. Fuel is stored in a hidden aluminum fuel cell; it holds less than a gallon, but that’s all it needs to set times.

Tucked behind the dustin fairing are the stock Royal Enfield clocks, along with CNC-machined clip-ons, new grips, an UMA Racing quick-throttle and an RCB brake master cylinder. The rear-sets are custom too, and the bike’s kitted with a full complement of titanium and stainless steel fasteners.

Greasehouse have dubbed their creation ‘Dunaali,’ which means double-barreled shotgun. It certainly looks appropriately brutal, finished with a gloss coat over the raw carbon fiber, and a simple checkered flag strip to make its intentions clear. And it’s a lot lighter than stock too, clocking in at 170 kilos [375 lbs].

But if you’re worried that this build is all for show, rest assured—it’s not. Greasehouse have already competed with it, snagging third place at the Vroom drag race in Bangalore, with racer Lani Zena Fernandez behind the bars. Not too shabby for a first outing.

IndiMotard | Facebook | Instagram

Greasehouse Customs would like to thank S&S Cycle, Nigel Lopes, Arun Kumar, Arif , Anand Dharmaraj, Prashant Kumar, Team IndiMotard, Lani Zena F and Race Dynamics.

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Speed Read, April 17, 2022

Harley-Davidson expands their new Sportster line with the 975cc Nightster. Plus we profile a BMW R18 from Canada, a Ducati SportClassic from San Francisco and a KTM 300 EXC from Australia. But first, a look at what Indonesia’s Krom Works has been up to.

Norton Commando concept by Krom Works Andika Pratama at Krom Works has made a name for himself through his impressive metalworking skills. But today we’re looking at something purely digital from the Indonesian custom builder—namely, the renderings for his next project.

It’s an ambitious one, no doubt. Andi was sent a 1970 Norton Commando engine from the UK, with a mandate to build something “radical.” We’d say he’s on the right track.

These designs show the Norton mill wedged into a completely scratch-built frame, where the bodywork is indistinguishable from the chassis. The suspension is particularly intriguing, with single-sided swingarms doing duty at both ends, and a complicated braking system.

“Not easy, but it should work,” says Andi, “because for me this bike has to be very unique.”

The level of detail packed into these renderings also show that Andi’s put a lot of thought into the build, before putting hammer to metal. Every box appears to be ticked, right down to interesting treatments for the lights, and a slew of brass details.

Andi has already started tacking the initial framework together out of stainless steel, but there’s still a ways to go. He’s hoping to wrap it up by October-ish—and we’re counting the days. [Krom Works]

Ducati SportClassic by DNA Motor Labs The SportClassic is, and will always be, one of Ducati’s most beautiful creations. But would you customize it? Rodrigo Cedeño of DNA Motor Labs in San Francisco says “yes.”

This is already the third custom SportClassic that Rodrigo’s built, and it makes a strong case. The idea here was to evolve the original design rather than reinvent it, and throw a bunch of upgrades into the mix. “Keeping a classic look but getting the modern-day R&D perks,” as Rodrigo puts it.

To eke more performance out of the 992cc V-twin, DNA Motor Labs started with high-flow velocity stacks and a custom two-into-two exhaust system from Zard. They also installed an upgraded fuel pump, a vented slipper clutch and a custom twin oil cooler setup. And they remapped the bike, naturally.

The SportClassic was specced well enough from the factory, but the crew upgraded the brakes and added a steering damper anyway. The tires are Michelin Power 5s.

Aesthetically, DNA Motor Labs’ SportClassic only really strays from the original recipe in one significant way: its paint. This one’s been dressed in a Volvo blue, with subtle gold leaf details. It’s a color Ducati’s never used, but the SportClassic wears it well.

Other touches include a custom build front fender, LED lighting and a smattering of Rizoma bits. Rodrigo also sprinkled on a bunch of anodized parts, along with color-matched wires and hoses. An open dry clutch basket and perspex ‘windows’ on the cam belt covers add a final touch.

We’d be happy enough with a bone stock SportClassic in the garage, but DNA Motor Labs’ rendition is just that little bit more special. [More]

KTM 300 EXC by Black Cycles Light, agile and focussed, the KTM 300 EXC is a top pick for enduro riders. But Noel Muller of Black Cycles in Australia thinks it has more potential than that. When he was commissioned to customize a 2013 EXC by Zach Hegde at the Australian auto mag, Retromotive, he decided to turn it into a street-ready flat tracker.

Zach gave Noel full creative control on the project, so Noel pulled out all the stops. And what’s more, he didn’t send his client any sneak peeks along the way—saving it all for the big reveal.

Inspired by KTM’s signature angular design style, Noel decided to shape a full set of aluminum body parts for the bike. The fuel tank, tail piece, headlight assembly, radiator covers, fork protectors and license plate mount are all custom pieces.

The KTM now rolls on custom-built 19” KKE alloy wheels, wrapped in Dunlop treads. The suspension was lowered at both ends, and the front forks reinforced with a stainless steel brace.

Noel also installed a Lectron carb, along with an upgraded stainless steel expansion chamber. Pop Bang Classics rewired the bike, while Carman’s Auto Trimmers covered the seat in an MX-style gripper fabric.

As for the paint, that was all Noel. The base is a gunmetal grey, with a silver honeycomb pattern laid over it. Orange highlights and clear-coated alloy parts add some contrast.

So does this gnarly street tracker ride as good as it looks? “This is a hoot to ride,” confirms Zach. “Being a modern KTM with a Lectron carb, it has not lost any of its bitter angry charm of getting into the rev range late in the squeeze—and she is a simple gentle start, and a very easy jump-on-and-ride-away kind of bike.”

Oh, it’s for sale too, if you’re tempted. [More]

BMW R18 by Jay Donovan BMW Motorrad Canada recently rounded up three Canadian custom builders to each customize a BMW R18. Unsurprisingly, Jay Donovan was one of them.

Jay’s a master of transforming metal sheets into organic, flowing forms—and that skill is on full display here. His take on the R18 leaves much of the stock bike intact under the hood, mostly because the brief included keeping the bike road legal. But the bodywork and exhaust have been radically reimagined.

Dubbed ‘Future Café,’ Jay’s R18 features a compact and heavily scalloped fuel tank, and a tightly packed tail piece. Both parts were shaped in aluminum, and finished off with contrasting polished and black treatments. The BMW also wears bobbed fenders at both ends.

But the big drawcard here is the exhaust. In a bold move, Jay redirected it upwards to run below the new bodywork. It’ll probably burn someone’s leg eventually, but it looks incredible, with the angle of the exhaust ends matching that of the tail section.

The other builders that BMW Canada picked were Konquer Motorcycles and Augment Motorworks. The trio was picked because they all have very different build styles—and it’s a good mix, because each custom R18 looks way different from the others. [BMW Motorrad Canada | Jay Donovan]

Harley-Davidson Nightster When Harley released the Sportster S, it signaled a big leap forward for the marque—but it also left us wanting for a more traditional ‘new’ Sportster. Could the new Nightster be the answer?

Unveiled this week, the Nightster is the second in Harley-Davidson’s line of next generation Sportsters. It eschews the Sportster S’s ultra-modern styling for a look that’s straight out of the classic Sportster play book. It’s also cheaper (at a base price of $13,499 versus the Sportster S’s $15,499), less powerful, and more custom-friendly.

The Nightster gets Harley’s new Revolution Max 975T engine—the little brother to the 1250T mill in the Sportster S. The 975cc liquid-cooled 60-degree V-twin makes 90 hp at 7,500 rpm and 95 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm. That’s 31 hp and 32.5 Nm less than the Sportster S, but roughly 30 hp more, and only 4 Nm less, than the outgoing 1200cc Sportster models.

The motor is a big jump forward from the older Sportster, with dual overhead camshafts, variable valve timing and switchable rider modes. But that tech comes at a price; the right side of the engine looks almost futuristic, and the left is packed with covers and plumbing. It’s the sort of stuff that’s near impossible to hide, but it might bug fans of the original Sportster.

Aesthetically, the Nightster nails the classic Sportster silhouette—but there’s some trickery involved here, too. The fuel tank is actually just a steel cover for the airbox, while the actual reservoir is tucked away under the seat. H-D says the design allows for a bigger airbox, and helps to lower the bike’s center of gravity for better handling.

We’re on the fence about the new layout, but thankfully the faux tank isn’t plastic; that would have been too much to bear. Plus the relatively traditional layout of the seat, rear fender and struts have us convinced that there’s room for customization here. Trimmings include a round analog/digital combination speedo, and an LED headlight tucked into a classic Harley-style nacelle.

Sure, the riding position looks about as awkward as you’d expect from a stock Sportster, but with any luck that’ll be easy enough to tweak. Harley-Davidson’s already stocked their catalog with bolt-on bits for the new Sporty, and customizers like Charlie Stockwell, The Speed Merchant and Hidemo have already worked their magic on it.

The real question is whether the new Sportster will become as popular as its 65-year-old predecessor. Only time will tell. [Harley-Davidson Nightster]

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