Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

5 custom motorcycles that will make you sweat: February 2014

Andrew Couts
By

Honda baby blue feature
A half-foot of snow blankets the world outside my window, with another half-foot plummeting from the sky. Gentlemen, it is officially the dead of winter. What better time to launch The Manual’s new monthly celebration of fantasy-inducing custom motorcycles? Kicking off this month’s collection are some finely crafted street machines that can make a man weak in the knees, from a stripped-down vintage Honda CB750 to a blazing Ducati 999S captured from the wilds of the track. Just be warned: exposure to bikes this cool could make you drop everything and head for warmer ground.

scrambler-motorcycle-2

Yamaha SR500: “KRAD XX1”

Don’t let the relatively small, 500cc displacement of the Yamaha SR500 fool you – this thing is a beast. Packing a single-cylinder “thumper” motor, this 1980 scrambler-style looker is the first custom bike build from Germany-based Scramblers Motorcycles. Everything that could be removed has been, with some custom frame work, a K&N air filter and engine breaker, and hand-selected turn signals and custom seat added for good measure. If you want nothing but you, the bike, and the road, the KRAD XX1 could be the ideal machine.

Related Videos

See more at BikeEXIF.

Harley-Davidson-Indian-740x1110

Harley-Davidson XL 883: “Nadia”

American-made Harley-Davidsons have fallen out of favor with custom bike builders in the US, replaced instead with vintage Japanese and British bikes. But India-based custom bike studio TJ Moto proves we’ve been missing out by overlooking ol’ HD. TJ Moto’s first build, named “Nadia,” is built from a stock Harley-Davidson XL 883, and features a unique custom frame, mono-shock seat, hand-crafted brass tank caps, and a leather-strapped gas tank that gives a dose old-school ruggedness to this modern brute.

See more at Pipe Burn.

DSC_0064

Honda CB750: “Baby Blue”

Crafted by bike builder Brady Young and custom bike shop Seaweed & Gravel, this ’73 Honda CB750 cafe racer, dubbed “Baby Blue,” features inverted forks, modern disk brakes, custom heat-wrapped exhaust, and an airy, naked frame that gives it the clean lines these vintage bikes are meant to have. With a bike this pretty, you’ll have a hard time beating back the gawking crowds.

See more at Seaweed & Gravel.

Ducati 999VX

Ducati 999S Testastretta: “999VX”

Speed, pure and simple. That is the essence of the “999VX” custom from New York builder Stefano Venier. Based on the Ducati 999S Testastretta, this powerhouse was converted from a track racer to a street destroyer capable of pumping out 150 horsepower thanks to some key high-end upgrades, which include an STM clutch, Discacciati levers, and more. This stallion is so mean, you might be afraid to ride it.

See more at Venier Customs.

bc-dirt-bike-web-9212

Triumph Scrambler 900: “The Dirt Bike”

Like an apparition straight from the set of Steve McQueen’s The Great Escape, this 2012 Triumph Scrambler 900 build comes from British Customs, and just might be my favorite bike on the list. Fitted with flat track wheels and Continental TCXII 80 tires, a low-slung 2-into-1 exhaust, and some secret performance upgrades, this modern-turned-vintage build lives up to its name: “The Dirt Bike.”

See more at British Customs.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
3 Vintage Cars Formerly Owned by British Rock Legends are Up for Auction
Paul McCartney 1967 Lamborghini 400GT 4

We can't shred guitar or drink until four in the morning, and don't even suggest wearing skin-tight leather pants. The closest we mere mortals can come to being rock stars is driving a cool cars.

On Sunday, March 18, Bonhams will auction off three star-studded cars that were all formerly owned by a British rock legend, including members from The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and “Rod the Mod” himself.

Read more
The Porsche Design Group Made a Bluetooth Speaker — from the Exhaust of a 911 GT3
Porsche 911 Speaker, Porsche Design 911 Speakers

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche once famously said "If you analyze the function of an object, its form often becomes obvious." For more than 40 years, the Porsche Design Group has taken this philosophy as gospel, working alongside the legendary automaker and producing car-related accessories for Porsche enthusiasts. Recently, the studio announced a new addition to its catalog: The Porsche 911 Speaker, a Bluetooth-enabled speaker framed within the exhaust port of a Porsche 911 GT3.

The speaker, bathed in a glossy black finish and adorned with the Porsche wordmark on its crown, features the GT3's iconic dual exhaust ports housed within a rounded, trapezoidal chassis. The speaker looks identical to the exhaust on the car itself -- except instead of a growling H-6 engine, you'll hear your music of choice, blasting out with clarity and power.

Read more
The Jetson Adventure Electric Bike: Pedal Power
electric bike, Jetson Adventure Electric Bike

I recently got the opportunity to spend a few days with a Jetson Adventure Electric Bike, and let me tell you this: I briefly considered perpetrating some sort of convoluted scheme wherein I would not have to return the bike to the good people of Jetson who lent it to me. Once you have ridden a power-assisted bicycle, a regular bike seems like a cupcake with no frosting.* But I've always avoided fraud when possible, so instead I simply rode the hell out of this thing while I could.

First a few words on the Jetson brand: this brand new company is dedicated to providing "the most extensive line of personal mobility products for all ages that are environmentally-friendly, convenient and affordable." I know that, because it says so on their website. The company will be offering electric bikes, scooters, hover boards, trikes, skateboards, and more. And you read that right, I said "will be" because at the time of this writing, Jetson's store has not even officially launched yet.

Read more