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The world's most exciting custom motorcycles and cafe racers.

Shop Visit: Cape Town, South Africa
1/31/2015 11:01:36 AM

I’ve lived in Cape Town for about twenty years now. It’s considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world—with mountains, beaches and wineries all within easy reach.

If you’re a motorcyclist, there’s an endless supply of meandering roads in every direction: the Cederberg mountains and the popular Route 62 are less than a day away.

In the CBD itself, you’ll find some of South Africa’s best coffee and food joints. So I’ve rounded up four motorcycle establishments that are within a stone’s throw of each other.

They’re places you should visit if you find yourself in the fairest Cape and in need of a moto-fix, a good coffee or a friendly chat. And they’re all places that I frequent and feel at home at. So if you run into a bearded lad with a Kawasaki W650 at any of them, say hi.

Donford Motorrad Cape Town and Tribe Coffee Roasting Situated squarely on Cape Town’s prominent Buitengracht street, Donford Motorrad is a world-first for BMW: a concept store built entirely around their new "Make Life a Ride" motto.

The showroom itself is massive—but there’s more on offer than just new BMW motorcycles and accessories. The shop is packed with classic and custom Beemers—including head honcho Leon Potgieter’s own Dover White BMW R nineT bobber.

Local custom shop FD Classic Worx put it together for him, and already have a few more new models on their bench. And Roland Sands’ Concept 90 and Blitz Motorcycles’ custom BMW R nineT have also done time on the floor—thanks to BMW Motorrad head office’s support.

Donford have also launched their own ‘Donford Motorwear’ apparel collection. It’s on display in a cosy corner of the shop that includes couches, photos, books, a R90 S and a Stoye sidecar rig.

Sharing the premises with the motorcycles is a fully-equipped Tribe Coffee Roasting café. Tribe’s Jake Easton explains how Donford were looking for an espresso machine, and Tribe were looking to open a new location in the area—kicking off an unexpected collaboration. Jake himself is a total motorcycle nut too, so it was a good match.

Tribe were given a ton of breathing room when it came to kitting out their space, yet wanted to maintain a strong connection to BMW and motorcycling in general. The main coffee table rests on two unused boxer engines, the down lights are made from various gearbox bits and the silver lines along the counter are meant to invoke those on the classic boxer engine covers.

Their espresso, freshly squeezed juices and menu make them a popular breakfast and lunch stop for motorcyclists and regular folk alike. And their iced coffees are just ridiculous.

Donford Motorrad Cape Town & Tribe Coffee Roasting, 112 Buitengracht Street, Cape Town | Donford Motorrad on Facebook | Tribe 112 on Facebook | Tribe 112 on Instagram | Photos by Devin Paisley

Los Muertos Motorcycles At the foot of Signal Hill lies the historic Bo-Kaap area. That’s where you’ll find Los Muertos Motorcycles—tucked away in an old, re-purposed auto workshop.

The shop itself combines an espresso bar and a retail space, with rustic furniture and fittings and classic auto-inspired décor. In addition to coffee, Los Muertos serves up nosh from Jason Bakery and Baguette Sandwiches.

As dry goods go, they stock a mix of their own apparel and items from Biltwell, Stylmartin, Dusty Rebels and the Bombshells, Dickies and Edwin. Separating the merchandise from the sit-down area is a row of motorcycles: complete custom builds alongside donor bikes waiting for customers.

Los Muertos’ bikes have a vibe that’s as raw and authentic as their shop: part classic South Africa, part punk rock. It’s an aesthetic that carries through to their own merchandise, making it popular among visitors. These visitors range from riders looking for gear, to coffee lovers that have never swung a leg over a bike.

Owner Craig Wessels opened the doors in January 2013, combining his love for motorcycles, design and art. Steve Pitt handles operations—he and Craig have known each other since school days, and are equally passionate about motorcycles.

Their most (in)famous build to date is "Swart Gevaar"—a Honda XL500 that featured on the 2015 Bike EXIF calendar. Steve can often be seen on "Who Dares Wins": a low and mean Yamaha SR500-based café-racer. (That is, if you can keep up with him.)

Los Muertos Motorcycles, 42 Dorp Street, Bo-Kaap | Facebook | Instagram

The House of Machines With its paved walkways, Cape Town’s Shortmarket Street has a distinct European vibe to it. At number 84 you’ll find The House of Machines: equal parts café, cocktail bar, apparel store and live music venue.

It’s a place where you can grab an espresso and a bite to eat while watching the world pass by, or a shot of old fashioned bourbon while listening to one of Cape Town’s top musical acts. As a result, it attracts a broad clientale.

The location is almost 250 years old. A massive bar counter dominates the space, and at the back goods from Biltwell, Iron & Resin, 100% Barstow and the shop’s own THoM brand adorn the shelves. They also stock great “dude gifts” from the likes of Izola, Baxter of California and local company Bonafide Beards.

Right at the back, behind a glass pane, is the small La Macchina Speed Shop workshop. It serves as a strip down, planning and assembly area—while the hard graft is handled in collaboration with select custom shops the world over. Currently, La Macchina has a couple of projects on the go with Chris Richardson at California-based LA Speed Shop.

The gentlemen behind The House of Machines are Drew Madacsi, Paul van der Spuy, Brad Armitage and Andy Lund. They’ve combined their experience in fields ranging from the corporate world to men’s clothing, beer, coffee, motorcycles and photography to craft the sort of establishment that they’d like to spend time at.

Brad’s personal ride is a Honda CB400 street tracker, built by Cape Town’s Stoos Customs. Drew’s is a brutal Harley tracker, put together by the late Larry Pierce of Garage Company in Alabama.

“We were extremely honoured to have worked with the genius that is Larry Pierce,” says Brad. “Now the bike stands front and centre of the store as testament to our focus on quality, and as a tribute to a fallen brother.”

The House of Machines, 84 Shortmarket Street, Cape Town | Facebook | Instagram

The Woodstock Man Cave Taking inspiration from Australia’s Kustom Kommune and Rising Sun workshops, Devin Paisley and Simon Rice opened the Woodstock Man Cave halfway through 2014. As the name implies, you’ll find it in Woodstock—a stone’s throw from the popular Woodstock Exchange, and in a historically rough area that’s on the up.

It's a communal warehouse offering workshop and parking space to members who live in the city and don’t have space to wrench on their bikes. It’s also a place to "generally do man stuff", as Devin puts it.

"The custom bike scene down here at the tip of Africa is growing rapidly," he says. "We want to bring the community together, share ideas, stoke the fire and help each other out."

You enter through a massive garage door. The main floor is divided between workshop bays and a parking area, with an espresso bar and plenty of space in between for hanging out with your mates.

The WMC also host bike film nights, and recently held their first Garage Built Bike Show. And they’re not done yet: they’ve just begun stocking Max-Inc parts, and are planning to convert part of their premises into a more retail-orientated space. Also on the cards are regular group rides, and workshops on the basics of motorcycle maintenance.

Saturday mornings are the busiest, with guys pulling in to kill time over coffee, hot dogs and bike washes. Visitors range from young to old, across multiple motorcycling disciplines. "We don’t want to exclude anyone," says Devin, "we just want to ride, wrench and have a good time."

Their slogan sums it up best: "Blood, sweat and beers!"

The Woodstock Man Cave, 7 Barron Street, Woodstock | Facebook | Instagram

 

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The world's most exciting custom motorcycles and cafe racers.

Feelin' Funny with Cleveland CycleWerks
1/30/2015 11:01:01 AM

The 1970s was the golden era of gasoline. And the fumes were strongest on the drag strip, where Funny Cars ruled supreme.

Names like “Jungle Jim" Liberman and Don "The Snake" Prudhomme are the stuff of legend. And word of those legends has travelled to unlikely places—such as the back streets of Yogyakarta, the Indonesian city famous for its temples and Javanese culture. Which is where this remarkable bike was built.

The story of 'Flying Rooster' starts with Scott Colosimo of Cleveland CycleWerks. From his Ohio base, Scott designs and sells low-cost, stylish bikes with a strong custom or retro vibe.

So when it came to launch the CCW brand in Southeast Asia, Scott chose Yogyakarta's popular Kustomfest show. He gave bikes to ten of Indonesia's best builders, and flew out Roland Sands to help with the judging.

Flying Rooster took third place, but for us it’s the standout from the competition entries. It's a genre-busting, radical effort from local builder Rizqi Pratama of Lemb Inc, based on CCW's 250cc Heist model.

"The builders were all given the same budget with a tight one-month timeframe," says Scott. "And every bike had to be ridden to Kustomfest to be eligible for judging."

"Rizqi is an artist and craftsman. Out of necessity, he 'does it all.' He's one of those guys that can draw, design, weld, shape foam, lay fiberglass, pull molds, paint, stripe and dry brush."

For his benchmark, Rizqi chose American drag cars. 'Flying Rooster' even has a wacky name to match: the hinged bodywork looks like a rooster in flight, with a long neck and wings folded down behind the engine. When the quick-release fiberglass body is propped up, all the mechanical components are accessible.

There's so much custom work on the bike, it's hard to know where to start.

The entire motor was torn down, repainted, polished and detailed to match the theme of the bike. The secondary air injection is now housed inside a hand-hammered enclosure and the carburetor has been totally reworked, to eke out every bit of performance from the air-cooled single.

A new rear-wheel-and-drum-brake combo adds to the retro feel, along with the turned and knurled pegs of the custom rearsets. Even the kickstand and gear shift linkages are hand fabricated, and the drive gearing has been changed from stock.

Rizqi has narrowed the front end, and installed new triple trees. The forks are custom too, and everything from the headlight shroud to the hubs has been chromed.

The angular exhaust system is hand-bent, and the inside has been painted to match the bodywork color.

The star of the show is the extraordinary glasswork, though. Rizqi added hard foam to the stock Heist and hand-shaped it before laying a fiberglass mold on top. The seat hides a new gas tank, lifted from a scooter.

The entire unit is structural and designed to take the rider’s weight, with aluminum bracing and fire-resistant heat shielding underneath. It's like a slammed Triumph X75 Hurricane with the volume turned up to 11.

Flying Rooster probably won't run a quarter mile in five seconds. But in the creativity stakes, it’s miles ahead of most customs. We have a funny feeling we’ll be hearing more about Mr Pratama in the months to come.

Cleveland CycleWerks website | Facebook page | Rizqi Pratama on Instagram

 

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Moto Guzzi V11 by Emporio Elaborazioni Meccaniche
1/29/2015 5:24:33 AM

Words by Martin Hodgson.

Moto Guzzi is one of Continental Europe's classic brands and even more so when you think of Café Racers, making it one of the perfect manufacturers to choose when deciding what bike to base a custom build. But then you go and pick one of their heaviest bikes, all covered in plastic, weighing a gargantuan 500lbs and with an enormously long wheelbase. It seems you like a challenge, one that the boys of Emporio Elaborazioni Meccaniche in Rome were more than up for!

The Moto Guzzi V11 is an unusual creature, from the visual appearance you would assume it was meant to be a canyon carving light weight, but the specifications reveal the enormous weight, ergonomics and freight train like V-twin to be more of a highway roadster. But the EEM team of Dopz, Schizzo and Massimé saw the potential and as Dopz explains "We believed on what was under those plastics and under those heavy lines to bring out the classic style of a Guzzi bike; to make it a real Guzzi-racer."

There was a very deliberate plan in the build, strip as much of the unnecessary weight out of the bike while making the most of the mechanical components, even celebrating their mass. With this in mind EEM started at the rear of the bike showing off the unique elements of the shaft drive. A new rear subframe was fabricated to allow for negative space to enhance the mechanicals while the muffler was made particularly small for the bike so as not to impede the machine like vista. The seat is an old hand made Guzzi racer unit the boys found at a local market, with plenty of work to get it just right without taking away any of its character and maintaining a view to the rear shock.

Reduced weight meant a more sporty front end could be utilised and when it Rome… well how could you possibly go past the beauty and performance of a Ducati 998 set of forks, Showa internals and Ducati stopping power, bellísimo! The one problem with such a Ducati setup is the fairly large fluid reservoirs that would normally be hidden behind fairings. But EEM don't just build, they fabricate and with genius innovation they incorporated both the brake and clutch fluid reservoirs into the top triple tree and devised a system to ensure enough fluid was held so the bike could be ridden hard, "it's a bike not a steady piece of art!"

At this point you're probably scratching your head about the tank and just where it comes from, I know I was. Knowing it clearly wasn't the original, as hard as I tried I just couldn't think which fellow Italian had lent its metal. That's because this tank not only comes from the Suzuki factory in the land of the rising sun it has been heavily modified to slim it down and improve the sideline profiles. But there was a problem, unlike the Guzzi item there was no internal fuel pump, not a big issue for the skilled men at EEM who fabricated an external system you'll probably never see. The same treatment was given to the normally complex Guzzi oil system, whereas many builders simply block lines off or add filters, EEM instead improved the systems performance while reducing its bulk.

Then there are the details that really set this build apart, the stunning 1950's Falcone Sport headlight that retains its worn feel but perfectly houses a digital dash. The exhaust that while new looks like it could have been salvaged from a much earlier time, the same worn metal look featuring on the valve covers, tank cap and the re-work subframe. All of which works in harmony with the 1970's V7 Special white paint that gives this modern steed even more of a classic touch. While just to prove there is almost nothing they can't do EEM made a set of 90's Fiat turn signals look perfectly minimalistic and are the final touch in making the Guzzi road legal.

And if the whole build wasn't magnificently Italian enough the Guzzi carries the name ‘Il Sorpasso’, from the 1962 cult classic film about two very different strangers sharing a road trip from Rome to Tuscany. It's almost the perfect metaphor for EEM's V11 build, a plain original bike, an outlandish idea and the collaboration to form something special; all result in a machine perfect for that dream Italian countryside ride.

[Photos by: F. Porrozzi]

 

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Très cool: Dinamax's custom Yamaha TW125
1/29/2015 11:01:19 AM

Yamaha’s diminutive TW125 has become something of a cult classic in the world of custom motorcycles. It’s easy to see why: this humble farm bike exudes an honest charm that’s hard to ignore.

Dimitri Chaussinand certainly gets it. Despite owning a perfectly good Triumph Speed Triple, Dimitri (AKA Dinamax) decided to buy and customize a TW125. Simply because it’s cool.

“The Speed Triple is for the sensation of speed,” explains the architectural draughtsman, who lives in Lyon in France’s central Rhône-Alpes region. "But the TW125 is for going into to town to buy bread—in style!”

In style, yes—and on a budget too. The 2001-model donor was picked up for a mere $1,000, and Dimitri put it together it in the parking garage of his apartment building. “The space really isn’t great for work,” he says. “The lighting is rotten and there’s no electricity, but it’s funky.”

His goal was simple: to build a no-nonsense street scrambler. “I wanted to do something neo-retro: with a classic fuel tank and a Japanese-style extended swingarm.”

A Yamaha DTMX tank fit the bill perfectly, so Dimitri sourced one and sent it off to Aeroskoal for paint. He also had the wheels and forks blacked-out for a stealthier vibe.

Out back Dimitri, bolted on a longer swingarm ordered from a Japanese supplier. He then trimmed the frame and fitted a custom-made leather seat.

Underneath the seat, the airbox was dumped for a K&N filter and the battery relocated to a new box. The exhaust was shortened, and now terminates in a mini muffler. It pokes out just below a nifty little splash guard that Dimitri fitted.

He enlisted some help from Lyon-based specialists along the way. Mondial Moto overhauled the engine, cleaned out the carbs and sorted out the wiring, while PBSC helped out on welding work.

The lights, turn signals and speedo were all ordered from Japan. And that gorgeous little tool roll hanging off the side of the bike is from the Wrenchmonkees x Sandqvist collection.

Dimitri’s TW is as quirky and loveable as they come. There are not many bikes we’d choose over a Speed Triple, but for a quick dash to the shops, this little TW125 is just parfait.

Dimitri on Instagram | And of course, Bike EXIF on Instagram

 

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