Sunday, 5 February 2023

Special Report: The 30th edition of the Mooneyes show

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report
The custom scene’s calendar is stacked with bike shows the world over—but none of them are quite like the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show. Colloquially known as ‘Mooneyes’ (named for the company that organizes it), it’s a show as unique as the Japanese custom scene itself.

Held in the Pacifico Yokohama exhibition center, Mooneyes has the unique distinction of being a one-day-only event. Which is a little crazy, when you consider the sheer volume of custom motorcycles and hot rods on display, and the sprawling vendor stalls that line each end of the venue. Still, Mooneyes is a must-visit.

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report
Our good friends and talented photography power couple, Marc Holstein and Christine Gabler, are massive fans of the show—and Japanese culture in general. They attended their first Mooneyes in 2019 and had planned to go back the following year. But then the pandemic hit, and global lockdowns left them stranded at home in Germany.

By December of last year, things had mostly returned to normal, and another pilgrimage to Mooneyes was on the cards for Marc and Christine. Since we couldn’t be there ourselves, we hit them up for a report.

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report
“After Japan finally opened its borders again, it was clear that we had to go and finally meet up with friends and relatives, and start working on personal projects again,” says Marc. “We managed to combine everything with a visit to one of the world’s finest custom shows.”

“The Mooneyes show was impressive, to say the least. As usual, it was perfectly organized—and the level of the custom builds was simply jaw-dropping.”

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report
Since this was the show’s 30th anniversary, the custom builders that attended pulled out all the stops. Frequent show visitor, Winston Yeh of Rough Crafts [above], was in attendance again. Although he’s based in Taiwan, he keeps a close eye on the Japanese scene.

“They never copy others, and they don’t care about the world’s trends,” he says. “They all try to develop their own distinctive style, so there’s never a need to compare price or fight each other. If a customer likes your style they’ll come to you, plain and simple.”

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report
“You can see that café racers are not the main focus of the show,” Marc adds. “But there were certainly some nice examples to see.”

“However, the chopper builds were simply outstanding—and for somebody that comes from a totally different motorcycling background, I have to say that I fell in love with some of the builds shown. The level of detail, the paint jobs, the perfection…it’s hard to put into words.”

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report
We’ve already profiled the bike that won the ‘Best Detail Work’ award at this edition of the HRCS; a stunning Harley Dyna by Takuya Aikawa at Sureshot. And tomorrow, we’ll have an exclusive on the ‘Best in Show’ winner; a mind-blowing shovelhead from the Japanese custom scene stalwart, Custom Works Zon [above].

Check back later this month too, when we’ll be featuring the latest build from Cherry’s Company builder, Kaichiroh Kurosu. It’s based on a BMW HP2 Sport—and like everything Kurosu-san touches, it’s out of this world.

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report
We asked Winston and Marc to list their personal favorites from the show. “I was debating between Sureshot’s new bike, Custom Works Zon’s full aluminum bike, and Humongous Custom Cycles’ shovelhead—which is very close to my taste,” Winston tells us.

“A few that I would like to mention would be Custom Works Zon, Hide Motorcycle, and Hammers Cycle with their beautiful knucklehead beach racer. Winston from Rough Crafts also brought his custom Royal Enfield to the show.”

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report
Poring over Marc and Christine’s photos has us jonesing to go back to Mooneyes. The visual overload of highly imaginative vehicles, all crammed into one chaotic day, juxtaposed against Japan’s distinctly polite culture; it’s something to behold.

And then there’s the people themselves. Most of Japan’s top custom builders are simultaneously the most talented and most humble people you’ll ever meet. It’s almost as if they don’t realize quite how much they blow the rest of the world’s minds with the level of creativity and craftsmanship that they produce; to them, it’s business as usual.

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report
All this to say, if you haven’t been to Mooneyes yet, add it to your bucket list right now. You won’t be disappointed.

Images by, and with special thanks to, Marc Holstein and Christine Gabler

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report

Mooneyes HRCS 2022 show report



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Saturday, 4 February 2023

Interview: Alec Ferguson, the Face of Indian Motorcycles

Alec Ferguson on an Indian Chieftan Motorcycle
For 10 years you’ve seen his face on Indian Motorcycle posters and in commercials. But Alec Ferguson is more than just the pretty face you see on nearly every poster in an Indian dealership; he’s a racer and rider like us who just happens to be living a biker’s dream getting paid to ride.

Since 2013 you’ve seen Ferguson’s face usually obscured by a helmet on Indian motorcycle advertisements. Sometimes he’s on a Scout or a Challenger, sometimes he’s at a café with friends, or sometimes he’s taking a break near a scenic overlook. But in every case, he’s wearing an Indian jacket, and an Indian motorcycle is close by.

But Ferguson is more than just a pretty face.

“I wanted to be a road racer, to do Daytona,” Ferguson said. “I worked for a Honda dealership, and my manager raced locally, and he gave me a shot. That is where I met this guy named Ben Spies (an AMA Superbike Champion). I had a pit pass. We were similar in age and he’s like, ‘I got to go do a practice sesh and keep talking to you.’”

Though the two didn’t connect at the track, they did later in the evening at a sushi restaurant where they talked racing. Spies helped Ferguson connect to other racers and teams. Those initial conversations led to Ferguson moving to Houston, and later Austin, Texas, where he got his shot, but not as a racer. “I was a mechanic on AMA and they would let me ride and I would get track days. I slept in more backs of trucks living the racer’s dream.”

Alec Ferguson getting a makeup touchup before a shoot.
Eventually, he was able to start racing: “I was a complete independent, racing for Roadracer Supply on a Ninja 636.”

But, like many racing careers, Ferguson couldn’t keep the sponsorship money coming in and the grueling week-in-week-out schedule took a toll on him. “We ran out of resources,” he said .Indian Motorcycles couldn’t immediately comment on Ferguson’s role, but the company told BikEXIF his riding ability is one of the many reasons he gets calls for shoots. For example, Ferguson said he rides at 70 miles per hour behind photo trucks and has to pilot unfamiliar $30,000 big bikes like a new Challnenger safely around unfamiliar roads.

But Freguson never thought he’s a model. A stint in the U.S. Air Force brought him to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. When he got out of the military, he started doing what he knew: motorcycle repair.

Then, one day, the shop got a casting call email that a company was looking for models who also ride. “I thought, what in the world is this?” Ferguson said. “I show up, and there’s beautiful people everywhere, and I’m still wearing a Dickies shirt covered in oil.”

As the casting call progressed, they had him try on jackets, pose, and before he could say Yoshimura, he was cast. “This is now my 10th year. That’s how it started,” he said. His first shoot was on a then brand-new Chief near a rural airport.

Alec Ferguson and a friend pose on an Indian motorcycle.
He said the enormity of the job didn’t set in until he was in an airport and saw himself riding an Indian on the cover of “Popular Mechanics” magazine. “That’s when everything changed,” he said. Since then, he’s worked on campaigns for Red Wing Shoes and even Coors Light.

However, he can’t resist going into an Indian dealership to see a poster with his face on it. Sometimes dealers will recognize him, sometimes not.

“I get people all the time, ‘Is this you?’ and it’s a billboard in Korea or Mexico,” he said.

Alec on a new Chieftan motorcycle
Ferguson, whose family is from Jamaica, is one of the few African Americans in the industry.

“I want to applaud Indian. I don’t want to speak for Indian, but they want to show the best. Indian has done a great job of diversification,” Ferguson said. “One time I was in a dealership, and a guy came up to me and said, ‘You’ve been my wallpaper for the last six years (on my computer). When I saw you, I saw myself.’ That was amazing.”

“I never thought when I was a kid I’d be inspiring people. I’m a road racer, a dirt biker, and I never thought I could influence that many people,” Ferguson said. “When I was a kid, Eddie Lawson was my hero. Now, people can look at me and say, ‘I can do that.’”

Indian | Alec Ferguson Instagram



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Friday, 3 February 2023

Adult Film Director Miles Long Spotlights Superstar Tori Black in Street Cars 101 Magazine

Veteran adult filmmaker Miles Long makes magic with a stunning cover of film star Tori Black posing alongside his award-winning 2004 Forester STI Left Hand Drive Conversion to beautifully highlight Street Cars 101 magazine’s .

The longtime auto aficionado, whose glossy Sedona Red Subaru with matte gold rims took home the trophy for Best Forester at 2019’s Subie Invasion Car Show in Las Vegas, as well as Second Place for Best WRX at 2021’s Las Vegas’ 360 Car Show, was interviewed about his latest custom build in the article, “Insane Subaru Build”, while also interviewing Black in a revealing feature about her own automotive passions.

StreetCars101 Magazine Miles Long
StreetCars101 Magazine Cover – Miles Long & Superstar Tori Black

“I’ve been an enthusiast of fast cars and bikes ever since I was in college, and my goal has always been to continue building unique cars and bikes that reflect my personality as well as the time, love, dedication, and attention to detail that I’m known for”, says Long in the interview, which highlights a detailed photo set of his impressive ride, which he proudly boasts is ‘Hand Built with Love and Not Bought’.”

“Owning my Foz has been an incredible experience, as I knew nothing about Subarus three years ago when I started my build, and it has allowed me to make many friends, learn so much that I’m a subject matter expert on my particular SG platform, and start a wildly successful private Subaru group on Facebook named The Subie Society.”

“It’s also the only Subaru group on Facebook filled with all my model friends who have participated in my enormously successful Forester Friday photo sets. For three years running, I have posted a photo set of my Foz with a different famous model every Friday, and shared it with the entire Subaru community as a way to bring some positivity to our Subarus and our community.”

Long tells the magazine that “I’ve been an enthusiast of fast cars and bikes ever since I was in college, and my goal has always been to continue building unique cars and bikes that reflect my personality as well as the time, love, care, dedication and attention to detail that I’m known for.”

Miles Long Subaru Forester STI MODDED
Miles Long – Subaru STI – MODDED

The heavily modded Forester, which features an STI motor, custom built VF48 turbo; which was ported, polished, and fitted with an oversized custom billet compressor wheel done by So Cal Porting; also has a ported STI intake, a parallel Fuel Rail set up, upgraded injectors, upgraded fuel pressure regulator, and upgraded fuel pump, as well as a six-speed STI manual gearbox and DCCDpro Spider plus controller to handle the massive increase in power, boost and torque. It not only has a broad array of additional well thought out and tasteful performance enhancements, but also has every aspect of its interior and exterior upgraded and modified, including importing impossibly rare JDM components never available in the US in order to create an extremely rare, one of a kind build. The process took Long 3 years to source parts from all over the world, which he had shipped in, so he could complete his build.

Long was extremely thankful that his hard work and build raised eyebrows within the automotive community and led to a number of highly sought after sponsorships for himself and his Forester. He graciously thanks his sponsors Mishimoto, COBB Tuning, Nitrous Express, Kartboy, B-Tech Performance, NASTI Motorsports, Yimisport, Encino Tire, So Cal Auto Dismantlers, Import Image Racing, PurÖl, Vang Comp Systems, Subie Sales, SoCal Porting, DCCDPro, iWire, KNS Brakes, and The Subie Society as they were all instrumental with guidance and the success of his build.


Miles Long is well known as an in-demand performer/filmmaker in the adult industry, with a résumé spanning two decades alongside the biggest stars in the business. In his lengthy career, Long has earned 12 wins, 91 nominations, Four Hall of Fame trophies (from AVN, Urban X, NightMoves and XRCO), and a Lifetime Achievement Award to cement his status as a legendary talent.

In addition to his successful cinematic endeavors, Long is also a well-known automotive and motorcycle enthusiast with a stable of sponsored and award-winning show bikes and cars that he has hand-built himself in his spare time, including his Team PPI-sponsored Noble M400 supercar with a monster custom stereo system (which has appeared in numerous music videos), his dual bottle Nitrous Express Drag Chopper (which has appeared in insurance commercials, at Sturgis and booths at CES and SEMA) and his Aprilia race bike which he enjoys riding on Sundays.

To find the current issue of Street Cars 101 with Miles Long and Tori Black, visit the official website.

The post Adult Film Director Miles Long Spotlights Superstar Tori Black in Street Cars 101 Magazine appeared first on Automotorblog: Daily news on cars and motorcycles.



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Thursday, 2 February 2023

Four Banger Blast: Why the New Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR Matters

Kawasaki ZX4RR matters
It’s been a while since any manufacturer offered a mass-produced tiny four-cylinder sport bike. This week Kawasaki finally launched the new highly-anticipated Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR, a 400cc four-cylinder sport bike.

Many of us started riding on little four-cylinder bikes. Many of us will remember, fondly, CB400Fs or 350Fs, or if you were lucky enough, maybe you got to ride a Suzuki GPZ400R or GS500. They weren’t powerful, but they were fun.


One of my first bikes was a 1976 Honda CB550, with a four-into-one exhaust, that sounded like a banshee when I got on the pipe. That bike (I apologize for the old photo) was fun, nimble, and let me grow into a higher-revving motor. That is why the new ZX-4RR matters. Without learning how to tap that horsepower then, I wouldn’t feel comfortable on a racetrack or on a high-powered bike now.

The little Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR will likely inspire a legion of new motorcycle fans to go out and buy it, not because it’s cool (it is) or light (it is), but because they can learn how to handle a bike as the power builds. Four-cylinder bikes build power in a special way, and many times it’s not linear. They feel broken and slow down low, then you get a burst of speed as they come on the pipe.


The little oversquare 400cc in the new Ninja should do that, too. The Ninja has light cast aluminum pistons that allow for quick-climbing revs, which means you’ll have to pay attention to the 11,000 rpm redline. It’s backed up, in KRT Edition trim, with a new Showa SFF-BP upside down fork, and a fully adjustable rear shock, too.

The new Ninja, too, has a quick shifter with an assist and a slipper clutch. That means that a hard shift won’t lock up the rear wheel when you’re crossed up trying to enter a turn hard, which I wish my old Honda had. But it also has several power and riding modes to allow riders of different skills in different weather conditions to handle the power. Unfortunately, we don’t know how much horsepower it makes, but we do know it makes 26.5 lb.-ft (36 Nm) of torque.

Kawasaki | Instagram

Kawasaki Ninja ZX4-RR KRT Edition
In the U.S., the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR KRT Edition will be a nearly $10,000 bike, which puts it into contention with 600cc four-cylinder bikes on price. But, as anyone who’s ever ridden a small four-banger can tell you, it should be lighter and whole lot more fun.

New Kawasaki ZX4-RR front view

 



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Hydrogen Powered: Could Hydrogen Power Your Next Bike?

Hydra hydrogen motorcycle conceptKawasaki Motorcycles made a splash with a hydrogen-powered bike at EICMA last year, and now several custom manufacturers are stepping in to show what a hydrogen-powered motorcycle could look like. There’s a new crop of concept bikes coming forth that shows hydrogen could be the next big thing in motorcycling. Maybe.

Hydrogen-powered cars are gaining momentum. Hydrogen is, after all, one of the most abundant molecules on Earth. And, when you combust it, you get water vapor as a byproduct. Manufacturers are taking notice. Honda, for example, will be selling a version of its most popular SUV, the CR-V, with a hydrogen engine in 2024. But for motorcycles, we may be on the cusp of something new.

Now, custom designers are getting in on the potential of hydrogen. Anton Brousseau, one of the three designers behind the Hydra hydrogen concept bike, told BikeEXIF: “Electricity might not be right for motorbikes. What else do you have? Hydrogen is closer to combustion, and it’s closer to that feel.”

Hydra hydrogen motorcycle front view
Brousseau, with Andon Guzhov and Andre Taylforth (who have design experience with Ford and Mercedes-Benz) designed the Hydra as a futuristic hydrogen-powered café racer, he said. “It has a café racer feel. That was the inspiration. It’s just such a simple and clean idea and it was inspired by custom motorbikes.”

Anton Brousseau | Instagram

Hydra hydrogen motorcycle cockpit

The Hydra concept uses a more traditional, if you can call it that, fuel cell technology. In a fuel cell, hydrogen is passed through a membrane made of rare-earth metals. That creates a charge that can then power an electric motor. While the output is electric, the input is chemical. “In an EV, all you have is this big box and there’s no heart to it. It misses that mechanical character that keeps it alive,” Brousseau said.

Kawasaki Hydrogen Concept
The trick to getting hydrogen into a combustion engine, however, is direct injection. Kawasaki has mastered powerful direct injection with its H2 line bikes, which have powerful superchargers built in that pump highly compressed fuel and air into the cylinders. Hydrogen needs more air than gasoline, and this system could be modified for hydrogen. Kawasaki is planning a new line of EV bikes that will come out by 2025.

Others are now seeing potential in hydrogen fuel cell tech, too. Segway, the folks who make the standup self-balancing scooters, have shown a new hydrogen-electric powered motorcycle concept, too. Called the APEX H2, Segway’s first concept motorcycle makes big promises, including a top speed of 150 kph, or 93 mph, with 60 kw, or 80 hp, of power.

Segway's hydrogen powered APEX H2 motorcycle
The specifics of where you get hydrogen, the dangers of riding with a highly-pressurized tank between your legs, and other logistical issues still have to get figured out. But it’s in use. Since hydrogen simply emits water vaper when its used, many forklifts that are used indoors, like in warehouses, are now hydrogen powered.

But with this much attention on hydrogen and its potential especially in the automotive world, it’s possible that we could throw a leg over a hydrogen production bike in the next few years.



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Wednesday, 1 February 2023

8 Cool Retro Cafe Bikes That Won’t Break the Bank

A vintage Kawasaki and a new Z650 RS in green.

CUSTOM CAFÉ BIKES get our blood pumping. But we get it: not all of us have the time and energy to devote to a full café racer build. Luckily, manufacturers are here to oblige with off-the-shelf café and vintage-inspired bikes that have the looks of old bikes, yet they have modern amenities like ABS and traction control.

These eight cool bikes are great for those who are learning to ride, or for those of us who don’t need 120 horsepower to have a good time. Importantly, they all have good retro looks that even the guys at the Ace Café would likely give a nod to.

Yamaha XSR700 in black and gold.

The Yamaha XSR700, especially in black-and-gold, looks like a modern interpretation of a John Player Special Lotus. Yamaha took its fun 689cc two-cylinder MT-07 and then gave it a vintage suit. Sure, we would love more Kenny Roberts style graphics, but the XSR700 blends modern touches like a liquid-cooled parallel twin engine with a counterbalancer to smooth it out.

It has an LED headlight, a long flat seat, and one giant round taillight that sets it apart from the MT-07. The XSR700 weighs just 410 pounds, or 185 kilos, making it a lightweight willing companion in the mountain twisties and in narrow parking lots.

A rider and his green Kawasaki Z650rs beginner cafe racer.

A lot has been made of the Kawasaki Z900RS and its retro looks with modern handling. Well, the Z650RS is what happens when Kawasaki decides to scale back the hairiness of the 900. Kawasaki took the successful Z650 and de-modernized its styling to create the RS. That means you get Kawi’s smooth (if not particularly powerful) 650cc four-cylinder, a retro tank, lower bars, and a proper round headlight.

Like the Yamaha, it has some nice modern touches, too. In this case, you get a slipper clutch to keep the rear wheel from locking up on downshifts and ABS. Though it has modern suspension, only the rear is adjustable, and that for preload only. To the casual eye, however, this bike looks right out of Kawasaki’s 1978 catalogue.

A yellow Ducati Scrambler icon beginner cafe racer.

The least expensive Ducati is also one of the coolest. For 2023 the Scrambler in Icon trim brings killer 1970s scrambler/café styling with a long seat and low bars, yet adds Ducati’s quick revving wheelie-inducing (don’t ask) 803cc twin.

It’s a little bit more expensive than others on this list and will likely take a bit more maintenance long term with its fancy Desmodromic valves. But for an unintimidating entry into high-performance motorcycling, it’s hard to beat the Icon. Behind that old-school tech, you get ABS, different riding modes, traction control, and LED lighting.

The Triumph Street Twin was renamed the Speed Twin for 2023.

Of course we have to include the Triumph Speed Twin 900 on this list of beginner cafe racers Last year it was called the Street Twin, but with some new graphics to update it to look more like its bigger 1200cc brother, it got a name update for 2023. When most of us think Triumph, we think Bonneville. But we think the Speed Twin captures the Bonnie’s retro café styling just as well, but in a less-expensive and friendlier-to-ride package.

For 2023, the Speed Twin gets the water-cooled 900cc Bonneville twin engine that makes adequate power for most types of riding. Don’t expect to keep up with a Daytona, but with 64 horsepower on tap it has plenty of oomph under its long, stepped, narrow seat and classic tank.

A black-and-white Royal Enfield Interceptor

Few brands have as much old-school cred as Royal Enfield. Today, the company is working hard to overcome the reputation of the old Bullet 500 and is instead producing bikes with modern electronics and classic good looks. We love the Continental trim version which comes with a café seat and low bars off the showroom floor.

The 650 looks the part of a 70’s racer, and they ride the part, too, with power delivery and a sound that makes you feel like you’re riding something made during the Nixon era. But unlike a vintage bike, the Enfield will start every time thanks to well-sorted modern fuel injection. The 650 Enfield also makes a good platform for custom builds.

Moto Guzzi V7 Stone entry-level cafe racer

Mandello del Laro, Italy’s Moto Guzzi has always made some good looking motorcycles. Though they’ve been updated through the years, the company hasn’t strayed from its transverse 90-degree V-twin layout. Today’s V7 range, the smallest in the lineup, comes with a new 853cc engine that gives it much more oomph than the old 744cc mill that was discontinued after 2020.

While other companies proudly tout their new round headlights and classic styling, Guzzi never strayed from that style. It’s hard to call the V7 a retro bike, in some ways, because it’s really a continuation model that with the right paint could be mistaken for an early 1980s 850 T3. But, like the others, it has ABS, traction control, and bright LED lights.

Honda Monkey bike is a barrel of them to ride.

If you want to put a smile on everyone’s face at the café, show up on Honda’s new Monkey Bike. Looking every bit like a 1970s minibike, which includes its 12-inch tires and 125cc engine, this bike is small and fun. But it weighs just 231 pounds, or 104 kilos, so there’s not a lot of weight for that air-cooled single to push around.

To build the Monkey, Honda simply took a Grom and fitted a retro-looking seat, tank, and headlight. Though it looks comically small, the Monkey is a real bike that has fuel injection, ABS on both hydraulic disk brakes, and a five-speed transmission. And, it’s more fun than a barrel of you-know-whats to ride around town, while also providing a good platform for a cafe racer customization.



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Dream Big: A BMW R18 café racer by XTR Pepo and 911 MX

Custom BMW R18 by XTR Pepo and 911 MX
Here’s a custom motorcycle matchup we never expected: the wily custom bike builder, XTR Pepo, and the monstrous BMW R18. But the results are in, and they are jaw dropping.

We have 911 MX Factory to thank for this. They’re a new outfit out of Madrid, Spain, with a mission to design and build one-off customs—regardless of how outrageous the brief is. 911 MX Factory’s founder, Diego Mena, takes inspiration from Ferdinand Porsche’s famous saying; “I couldn’t find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself.”

Custom BMW R18 by XTR Pepo and 911 MX
There’s a context for that mantra. Diego worked for Porsche Spain for over a decade, and now plans to bring that same sense of exclusivity to the custom motorcycle scene. So he’s partnered up with top builders, like Pepo Rosell of XTR Pepo, to bring these dream machines to life.

For 911 MX Factory and XTR Pepo’s first collaboration, they radically transformed the BMW R18 to display it at the Motor Bike Expo in Verona. The event was held last weekend, and, unsurprisingly, the R18 was picked as the best custom bike of the show.

Custom BMW R18 by XTR Pepo and 911 MX
Like every bike that Pepo touches, the R18 looks fast standing still, with a livery that defies subtlety. In fact, the donor bike is hardly recognizable at all. But what’s truly impressive, is that Pepo, Diego and their team managed to pull this off in just three months.

As you’d imagine, there was a lot of tweaking to be done to convert the Beemer from cruiser to endurance-style café racer. Getting the stance right meant hacking off most of the rear part of the frame, and fabricating a svelte new subframe to sit up top. The crew also added a pair of frame struts for extra strength, running along either side of the engine.

Custom BMW R18 by XTR Pepo and 911 MX
Re-valved BMW R nineT forks do duty up front, while a custom-made YSS shock takes care of the rear ride height. The front wheel’s been lifted from a BMW F800R, and is fitted by way of a custom axle. Brembo front brakes are matched to the R18’s stock Nissin rear caliper, with upgraded stainless steel brake hoses installed at both ends.

Custom BMW R18 by XTR Pepo and 911 MX
There’s a lot going on between the wheels too. The engine’s shed its airbox cover, and now breathes via DNA pod filters. The front end of the engine block’s had some visual tweaking too, and an upgraded oil cooler sits lower down.

The exhaust is particularly intoxicating. It’s a hand-built two-into-one affair that runs around the motor and pokes out on the right hand side. A custom muffler from Spark caps it off, along with a neat carbon fiber heat shield.

Custom BMW R18 by XTR Pepo and 911 MX
The ‘Polizei’ graphic on the green fuel tank is an obvious nod to German police-issue BMWs… but the tank itself comes from an unlikely source. It’s off a modern Moto Guzzi V7, tweaked to match the R18’s frame and fitted with an endurance-style filler cap. An inspired choice by Diego and Pepo.

As for the fairing and chunky tail piece, those were hand-shaped out of fiberglass. The front fender’s a modified BMW F800R part, and the small rear fender is a carbon fiber item.

Custom BMW R18 by XTR Pepo and 911 MX
Behind the fairing you’ll find a custom bracket that also houses the OEM speedo. Clever little clutch and brake reservoir mounts double up as blank-off plates for the original riser mounts, while clip-ons replace the R18’s original handlebars. Rear-set foot pegs round out the controls, along with a bespoke gear shift linkage system.

Complementing the green tank are splashes of red and yellow, creating an effect that’s a little German, a little Italian, a little Spanish and wholly awesome.

Custom BMW R18 by XTR Pepo and 911 MX
911 MX Factory and XTR Pepo’s creation is not only our new favorite R18 custom, but it’s a fitting testament to the new shop’s motto; “If your dream motorcycle does not exist, we’ll make it happen.”

911 MX Factory | XTR Pepo

Custom BMW R18 by XTR Pepo and 911 MX



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