Speed Read, January 15, 2023

Performance and utility are the words of the week. We kick off with a 1100 cc Kawasaki endurance racer, followed by a farm-built Honda mashup, a street-legal electric utility bike from Cake, and a Ducati Scrambler turned dreamy café racer from Motocrew.

Kawasaki Zephyr 1100 by 72 HKG Performance This Kawasaki café racer project began just like so many before it, with the simple question of “what else ya got?” Jorge and Antonio, the builders behind the Spanish workshop 72 HKG Performance, had taken a small road trip to pick up a project car, when they found this Kawasaki tucked away in the garage, covered with a blanket of unrealized potential.

The machine that started its life as a Kawasaki Zephyr 1100 was taken to a shop years ago for a full custom transformation—but it never reached a point that the owner was satisfied with. So after purchasing the project car, Jorge and Antonio loaded up both machines and took them home.

Picking up someone else’s custom build is rarely easy, but it often begins the same way: by stripping everything off. So the guys got to work undoing, unbolting, and bringing the Zephyr back to its bare bones.

HKG worked with the bike’s owner, going back and forth before deciding on classic endurance racer style for the build, which meant a full fairing. So once the bike was stripped down, the guys fabricated a custom frame to house the bodywork, which would determine the width and remaining lines of the build. All of the hand-formed aluminum bodywork took over 200 hours to create, but fits the build perfectly.

The fairing is formed around the handlebars, with considerations for cooling, the air intake and the bike’s exhaust system. The stock gas tank was modified for smoother lines, with the filler cap removed and replaced. A custom leather seat was made by Senen Leatherworks and attached to the new endurance-style tailpiece.

The Zephyr’s 1100cc engine was completely rebuilt, and fitted with small pod air filters and a full new exhaust system, capped with a titanium Akrapovič muffler. As expected, the original owner is finally happy with his custom built Kawi. [Via]

Honda Bros 400/Africa Twin by Jonny Kerins If we had a dollar for every amazing shed-built bike that we’ve featured, well…we might be able to buy a bigger shed. This next build comes from Jonny Kerins, a woodworking teacher from Ireland with an obsession for 80s and 90s superbikes.

Although it looks factory, it features a frame and engine combination that Honda never produced themselves. The chassis comes from a Honda NT400 Bros—a 400 cc version of the Hawk, available outside of the US. But the engine is a 742 cc twin, borrowed from a 90s-era Honda Africa twin.

For Jonny, building a Bros 400/Africa Twin hybrid was the result of a long-spanning love for the small Honda platform, and a perfect opportunity at the local moto scrapyard. Years ago, Kerins had owned and restored a Honda Bros 400 for himself, so he was well familiar with the platform, but had always wanted a little more juice for the squeeze. So finding a Bros chassis and an Africa Twin engine got his wheels turning.

With the right amount of finesse, he could harness the additional power of the Twin’s bigger engine in the chassis he had loved so much—and of course, all in the early superbike style that he loves so much. Coincidentally, he picked up the project just as a global pandemic shut the world down, giving him plenty of time to work on it.

The Bros chassis was equipped with a handful of high-performance parts from various machines. Forks from a Yamaha R1, wheels off of a Honda VFR, and bodywork from various Honda models were modified to fit. A custom exhaust, subframe and fairing brackets were all fabricated in-house.

Jonny even painted the bike himself, in the classic Rothman’s Honda livery. Buttoned up, it looks like a classic Honda racer from an alternate universe. [Via]

Cake Åik e-bike CES is one of the largest tech events in the world, often hosting some of the year’s largest announcements. This year we see Cake, manufacturer of electric motorcycles, announce a new addition to its lineup for 2023: a street-legal utility bike with extensive range and no required registration.

The Cake Åik is essentially a step-through eBike equipped with a variety of tools to help stow, tow, or carry loads. Sure, it’s not technically a motorcycle—but it is an interesting take on utilitarian two-wheeled transport.

The Cake Åik is built around a forged 6061 aluminum frame with a mid-mounted motor providing 100 Nm of torque through pedal assist. An automatic and stepless Enviolo Extreme gearbox on the rear wheel promises smooth shifts, to optimize power output and maximize battery life.

Between one and three batteries can be installed, for a maximum claimed range of 360 km [224 miles]. Without a battery, the bike weighs 30 kg [66.1 lbs], with each battery weighing an additional 5.2 kg [11.5 lbs].

For moving large loads, Cake offers a variety of racks, saddlebags, trailers, passenger seat, and more. Cake claims the rear rack can handle a load of up to 60 kg [132 lbs], while the front rack can take up to 20 kg [44 lbs].

If you like the look of the Cake Åik (and have some stuff you need to haul around), it’s available to order now on Cake’s website at a starting price of $6,470.

Ducati Scrambler by Motocrew Ducati’s Scrambler has proven itself to be both versatile and capable as a custom platform. From scrambler to desert sled to café racer, Ducati has done a wonderful job of highlighting what this platform can do—and the custom world has run with it.

The latest Ducati Scrambler to bless our inbox comes from Chris Scholtka at Motocrew. The mission began with the seemingly basic objective of building a customer’s dream bike. The only challenge is that the customer stands nearly two meters tall—and the Scrambler is compact.

To give the bike more of a traditional café racer vibe, a small fairing was mounted directly to the bike’s upper triple tree. The stock gas tank was mounted higher up to line up with the new bolt-on subframe, which also helped with fit by lifting the seat height. The custom rear shock, made by Black T, is 3 cm longer than stock, also contributing to the taller fit and aggressive forward-leaning line of the bike.

Perhaps the most dramatic feature is the custom-fabricated exhaust system, extending from the cylinder heads like lobster scales, and snaking down toward a short Leo Vince muffler. As this bike is designed for daily use, the Scrambler’s frame was cleaned up with small Motogadget turn signals, and a license plate mount bolted on near the bike’s axle.

The final cap on this build is a paint job inspired by Porsche’s Cream White, further contributing to the bike’s classic feel. As for the signature Motocrew chevron motif on the Scrambler’s swappable tank panels, that was done with a vinyl wrap, so that the customer can easily change it in the future if he wants to. [Motocrew | Images by Sascha Nagel]

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Speed Read, January 8, 2023

The first Speed Read of 2023 kicks off with a handful of parallel twins. Unit Garage debuts a custom kit for Yamaha’s successful Ténéré 700 adventure bike, Wedge Motorcycles works their magic on the Royal Enfield Continental GT650, and JSL debuts a sunny yellow Kawasaki W800. Lastly, the story of the 2022 Malle Mile comes to us as the brand’s latest short film, covering the festival of speed in a fun and exciting way.

Yamaha Ténéré 700 kit by Unit Garage Unit Garage is known for their well-engineered custom bike kits. Their kits can transform a stock bike into café racer, scrambler, or vintage-inspired build, with a much smaller budget and shorter timeline than a full one-off custom. It’s a relatively painless way to add extra function and style to a now-huge range of motorcycles.

The latest custom kit from Unit Garage brings classic Ténéré style back to Yamaha’s current mid-sized adventure platform. And what better way to demonstrate this kit, than to build a maximalist Classic Ténéré?

Unit Garage’s Ténéré 700 ‘Classic’ utilizes the brand’s full kit, which comes in Icon Blue, Midnight Black, or unpainted. The kit consists of all the graphics seen here, a high mudguard, classic side panels, plus an LED headlight and the classic cowl that fits around it.

There’s also support for the bike’s original instrumentation, an aluminum radiator guard, MotoGadget front turn signals, and all of the hardware needed to put it together. Replacing the stock parts removes about 4.5 kilos [9.9 lbs] of weight.

This demonstrative model sees a handful of other modifications as well, such as a Unit Garage muffler, rear luggage rack, license plate relocator and more. The kit is available now on Unit Garage’s website, so hit them up if you’re looking to get a little old-school cool for your T7.

Royal Enfield Continental GT650 by Wedge Motorcycle Our next non-British Parallel Twin comes from Wedge Motorcycle in Japan. Over the last 13 years, Takashi Nihira has been building motorcycles that look almost perfectly classic. Bikes completed with such cleanliness and attention to detail that they look like they could have rolled out of the manufacturer’s factory.

Such is the case with this latest build from his Tokyo workshop—a classic standard built around a 2020-model Royal Enfield Continental GT650.

Enfield’s GT650 starts its life as a factory cafe racer with attractive lines and a classic silhouette, which Nihira-san sought to expand on. Most of the custom work here was done in a way to highlight the original style, subtly enhancing the aesthetic without alerting the design language established by Royal Enfield. To accomplish this, the lower seam of the gas tank was removed and new mounting points were fabricated, allowing the gas tank to sit lower on the frame with a cleaner bottom line.

The long tail end of the GT650’s subframe was removed and replaced with a smaller, more compact loop. The stock café-style seat was then replaced with a slim solo saddle, fitting the new lines of the tail section. A smaller fender was attached to the rear, fitted with new license plate mount and smaller, tinted taillight and turn signals.

The stock intake was swapped for smaller pod filters, and a custom battery box was fabricated in the center of the chassis. A custom exhaust system was fabricated in-house, in a similar pea-shooter style to stock, but more compact and free flowing.

The original wheel sizes remain—18” both front and rear—but now in a raw, brushed finish that matches the bike’s engine, exhaust, and fork tubes. A set of chunky Shinko 270 Super Classic Cruiser tires balance out the proportion wonderfully. [Via]

Kawasaki W800 by JSL Moto Some bikes are made to climb mountains. Others are made to win races. But still, for many of us, the bike we may find most enjoyable is the one simply built to go out for a cup of coffee. Our next build is just that—a Kawasaki W800 from JSL Moto in Germany that was built for pure, simple enjoyment, classic style, and casual daily use.

Jochen Schmitz-Linkweiler is the founder of LSL motorcycle parts in Germany, and the builder behind the custom shop bearing his initials: JSL Moto. While JSL has built around Triumphs, Yamahas, and other twins, he still defines the W800 as “without a doubt the most characterful parallel twin of our time.”

Modifications to the Kawasaki platform center around perfecting the rider’s ergonomics and enhancing rider comfort—without changing the classic style too much.

A vintage-style swept-back handlebar and LSL mid-mounted foot controls put the rider in an upright and relaxed position. A universal Daytona Velona W speedo tackles instrumentation duties, blending analog style with modern functionality. Custom headlight mounts hold a new 110mm LED headlight, while 18” spoked wheels run at both ends, with a new set of shocks at the rear.

Lastly, the aptly-named ‘Coffee Bob,’ was given its defining paint job in two-tone sunny yellow and café-brown, with subtle red pin striping. As unpretentious café-hopping motorcycles go, this one’s tough to beat.  [JSL Moto]

2022 Malle Mile short film The smell of burning gas, loud music, flinging mud—the Malle Mile Festival got pretty wild this summer. Whether or not you were able to attend, you can now experience The Mile in this short film from Malle. With a rocking soundtrack from festival headliners Public Service Broadcasting, the film covers all the wild activities happening on the stunning grounds of Grimsthorpe Castle.

For those new to the ‘most inappropriate motorcycle’ race in Great Britain, The Malle Mile features over 1,000 motorcycles racing (with no real winner, mind you), bands and DJ’s, brand exhibitions, art, photography, beer tents, wild swimming, trials courses, a 10km off-road scramble and a lot of custom and classic motorcycles kicking up the dust, on and off the track.

We were there to curate the finest custom motorcycles from the UK and Europe in ‘The Art of Machine’ exhibition, hosted in the big tent at the heart of the festival. But, here’s the kicker… in this exclusive invite-only exhibition, if you’re invited to show your work, you’re also expected to race in ’The Art of Sprint’ on the Saturday night.

It’s a head-to-head drag race on the royal entrance of the castle. No trailer queens here, just custom bikes that were built to inspire and built to go fast!

The bikes raced are always a highlight, ranging from full custom race machines to pristine classics pulled from private collections. Some of our favorites included the first Triumph Bonneville ever made, SN:001, raced by Dimitri Coste, and Bad Winners’ nitrous-powered Royal Enfield drag bike.

Tickets have recently gone on sale for the festival this summer and at the time of writing, there are still a few race spots left. See you in the dust or on the dance floor! [The Malle Mile]

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Cool as ice: A GSX-R750 Slingshot from the Netherlands

A boxed aluminum frame, round headlights, three-spoke wheels and and bold graphics; nothing epitomizes the dawn of the 90s like the 1990 Suzuki GSX-R750. The 115 hp Slingshot was the first GSX-R with upside down forks, and the last one to put its twin lights on full display. It demands attention, even today—so if you’re going to customize one, you’d better make it unmissable.

That’s Michel Szozda’s theory, at least. He customizes motorcycles as Cool Kid Customs, working out of a space that he shares with other creative friends in Haarlem, near Amsterdam. His style is anything but conventional, and his bikes are typically wrapped in eye-popping liveries.

This project ended up in the Cool Kid workshop almost by accident. Michel’s client had booked in his Yamaha Ténéré for a makeover, and had picked up the GSX-R to act as a daily runner while the Yamaha was being worked on. But once Michel saw the Suzuki, he suggested that it’d be a better option for a custom build.

The client agreed, and the ‘Rad Racer’ project was underway. But Michel had more work ahead of him than he’d expected. “The Suzuki looked clean when he came to drop the bike off,” he tells us, “but on further inspection, it had damage on almost every part.”

Some of the bodywork was beyond repair—so Michel ordered a full race replica body kit with a solo seat. But there’s no way it was going to go on without at least some modification. For starters, the front fairing only wears the upper sections, with the belly pan removed to expose some of the GSX-R’s working bits.

The headlights were in a bad state too, and looked dated. So Michel fitted a modern LED headlight on one side, and a 3D-printed cover on the other.

More work had to be done out back. Once Michel had the aftermarket tail section mounted up, he decided that it was too long for the look he was after. So he cut it down to size, leaving him with a gaping hole to contend with.

“I decided to use molding clay to design the backside,” he tells us. “Then I made a mold of that, and copied it in chopped carbon fiber.”

Chopped carbon fiber consists of small fragments of carbon fiber, rather than sheets of it, accounting for the unique texture. The new parts include a boxed piece to close up the back, and a vented insert up top. Michel built an X-shaped LED taillight to finish things off; a concept he’s been wanting to try out for a while.

“After the tail was done we needed more carbon parts to match it,” he tells us. “So we made a custom carbon windscreen, and made a copy of an 90s Yoshimura oil cooler vent that I had laying around.”

The GSX-R’s wheels, brakes and forks were still usable, but the rear shock was leaking. It was swapped out for a newer GSX-R part, which left little room for the old, chunky battery. Michel built a new battery tray under the seat, moved all the electronics there and installed a small Lithium-ion battery.

Staying below the line, Michel also removed the Suzuki’s airbox. Its Mikuni ‘slingshot’ carbs now inhale via a set of K&N filters, and they’ve been tuned with fresh jets, springs and needles.

Moving to the cockpit, Michel tossed the OEM speedometer in the bin (it had a broken needle). A digital KOSO unit sits in its place, mounted to a custom-made carbon fiber dashboard. The original clip-ons and switches are matched to new fish scale-style grips, while the stock mirrors have been swapped for slim CNC-machined items.

The Suzuki was also treated to braided stainless steel brake hoses, and new Pirelli Angel GT tires. For the exhaust, Michel coated the stock four-into-one headers black, then fabricated a stainless steel link pipe. The silencer is of undetermined origin; “I don’t know the brand, but it looked cool—so I slapped it on there.”

Michel needs little encouragement to wrap a sportbike in bold graphics—but this lively paint scheme was actually request by his client. “He only had one small, 300 x 300 pixel picture of a pattern that he liked,” he tells us. “After googling the whole day, I couldn’t find a better quality version of it. So I fired up Adobe Illustrator and made it myself.”

It takes moxie to wrap a custom motorcycle in pink and yellow, but this design is about as 1990 as it gets. Michel did it himself too—from the matte black base, to the geometric shapes and patterns.

Outrageous and unapologetic, Cool Kid Customs’ Slingshot looks just like a sportbike from the same era as Vanilla Ice and parachute pants should; radical.

Cool Kid Customs | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Duy Vu Dinh

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How to Choose The Best Car for You

There might be some big difference between the car you are dreaming of and the one that is most practical for your needs. Often dream cars are either big and flashy or little sports numbers. But what is most practical is a reliable brand with 4-6 seats, a good-sized trunk, and reasonable gas mileage. 

So, how do you choose the right car for your needs? 

What do You Need from Your Car?

When looking for a car, most people will start at the highest end of the budget and start to daydream about driving that snazzy ride down open highways, listening to their favorite music without a care in the world. And while that might be possible one day, most people need something practical, safe for families, offering a couple of mod-cons. 

But what do you need? Perhaps parking sensors cause backing up isn’t your strong suit or the right ISOfix points. Do you have pets that will be traveling with you? If so, an estate with a large square flat trunk and plenty of space might be better. 

Consider what times of the year you are most busy. Is it all year round? Or are you busy in the summer but a home bird in the winter? These things will impact everything because some cars are easier to drive in the summer. Always use Goodyear tires, though, regardless of your type of car. 

Comfort 

More modern makes and models of cars will come fitted with BlueTooth, AC, seat warmers, adjustable seating, and blindspot monitoring. While you might pay a little more for these, often, the improvement they make to your driving life much easier. 

Cost

While the idea of a brand-new car can be great, the financial implications might not be. For many people, buying a brand-new car will mean they need to get finance and pay a set monthly payment. You will need to make sure that you figure out these payments for the next few years. 

Buying an older car might seem like a bargain, but sometimes the cheaper upfront payment can mean you will be paying a lot of cash out on repairs in the future. Factor in the price of gas, insurance, depreciation, and maintenance. 

Test drive

Before you sign on the dotted line or hand over any cash, you must take the car for at least one test drive. Even brand-new cars need to have a test drive because while they look fantastic, you might decide that it doesn’t feel like you thought it might. 

Older cars might look in great condition, but once you get behind the wheel and start driving, you might notice a judder or some play on the steering wheel. 

Even when it feels like love at first sight, you need to make sure that you drive the car – and if you aren’t an experienced driver, get someone to come along with you and give you a second opinion. 

Budget 

Budget is typically one of the most limiting factors when buying large items, especially cars. If you have the ability to offer someone cash for the car, it puts you in a position where you can negotiate to get a better price. Auto loans are typically the best option for most people. You can choose between taking out a loan via the dealership you choose or separately. 

Make sure you do the maths on all possible financing options to know which is most beneficial for you. 

Distance 

How far you drive and how often should be one of the deciding factors. Some car makes and models are designed for long-distance driving or those who don’t just drive on the road. 

Choosing a car can be overwhelming if you haven’t done it often, or you are torn between the things that matter. Size, comfort, and budget are often the most important factors – so write yours down and use that to guide you. 

The post How to Choose The Best Car for You  appeared first on Automotorblog: Daily news on cars and motorcycles.

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Oriental Uppercut: A gnarly Honda CB1100 by Rough Crafts

Remember the Honda CB1100 TR Concept? Revealed in 2016 at EICMA, it was conceived by Honda Europe designer, Valerio Aiello, as an aggressive, flat track-inspired take on the Honda CB1100 modern classic. Not only did it never make it into production, but Honda eventually stopped producing the CB1100 altogether, just last year.

The spirit of the TR Concept lives on in this gnarly Honda CB1100 RS custom from Rough Crafts in Taiwan. When Rough Crafts’ Winston Yeh was commissioned to customize the CB, his thoughts immediately turned to Valerio Aiello’s design.

“If you ask me which is my favorite custom CB1100 in the world,” he says, “my answer will always be the one that wasn’t actually built by any custom builder; the CB1100 TR Concept. The flat track-style bodyworks, plus the super aggressive performance components, make for such an appealing package.”

“So I decided that that’s the direction I want to go with it—but with a bit more Rough Crafts flavor. The rest was about finding the right components, and the right balance between ‘race’ and ‘custom’.”

If you’re not familiar with Rough Crafts (you must be new here), Winston’s style is dark and menacing, with deeply scalloped bodywork and a very selective color palette. Working with a collective of local craftsmen and regular collaborators, he started by wrapping the CB1100 in fresh bodywork. The look is quintessential ‘Rough Crafts,’ with just enough of a hint of the TR Concept’s vibe present.

But the real magic here, is how compact this CB1100 looks. The 540 lbs big four is anything but svelte, but Winston’s fettled its proportions with a slim tail section, and wide rubber at both ends. It’s still a big machine, but it’s tightly packaged.

MS Pro was responsible for the custom tank, tail and side covers, all of which were hand formed out of aluminum. Gold pin-striping traces the CB’s new silhouette—from the dipped wings that flank the fuel tank, to the elegant ducktail that caps off the tail. The design is cohesive too, with a short fender up front, and the rear section doubling up as an inner fender.

The parts wear forged carbon veneers, hand-laid by Simon Fiber Craft. Rover Works Custom Paint handled the rest of the paint job, including the gold leaf work on the striping and the tank logos. Diamond stitching on the seat’s synthetic leather upholstery adds an extra stylistic touch.

Winston worked with another Bike EXIF regular, 2LOUD Custom, on the assembly of the bike—which included throwing a smorgasbord of high-end parts at it. You’ll find blacked-out Öhlins suspension at both ends, with a set of custom-machined yokes holding the forks in place. The setup is slightly lower than stock too.

The Honda rolls on a pair of luscious 17” carbon fiber wheels from BST, wrapped in grippy Pirelli Supercorsa tires. A pair of Beringer Aerotec brake calipers adds extra stopping power to the front end. A blacked-out RK Takasago chain and KCT rear sprocket add an extra hit of color-coding.

The Honda’s OEM handlebars were also redone in black—but they’re the only stock part left in the cockpit. The team installed Rough Crafts risers, Beringer brake and clutch controls, and a speedo, switches, grips and bar-end turn signals from Motogadget. A signature Rough Crafts headlight does duty up front, with three-in-one Koso LEDs acting as taillights and rear turn signals.

Other add-ons include a set of Sprint filters, Over Racing foot controls and a Rough Crafts gas cap. Then there’s the exhaust—a burly four-into-one system, built to spec by the Italian specialist, SC-Project. It looks like it’d be deafening, but Winston actually specced it with a dB killer so that the bike would be city-friendly.

Winston reports that the CB1100, now nicknamed ‘Oriental Uppercut,’ is easygoing out on the road, even with its 160-wide front tire. It helps that the mods have shaved an estimated 44 lbs off its curb weight.

Rough Crafts’ portfolio has far more Harley-Davidsons in it than anything else. But this Honda is proof, once again, that Winston can take just about any make and model of motorcycle, and douse it in gallons of Rough Crafts style.

Rough Crafts | Facebook | Instagram | Photos by JL Photography

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