Bike EXIF

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Bike EXIF

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

BMW K1600 GTL Custom Project
3/19/2015 8:00:54 PM

At the Osaka Motorcycle Show, BMW Japan has just thrown the wraps off two extreme customs based on the K1600 GTL. That's the range-topping luxury tourer, a road-going spaceship powered by a 1649cc inline six—and probably packed with more electronics than any other motorcycle on the market today.

Just two builders were chosen for these transformations, and both are legends in the Japanese custom world: Keiji Kawakita of Hot Dock Custom Cycles, and Kenji Nagai of Ken's Factory.

The results are very different to the four machines we revealed a few months ago for the R nineT Project. They're not 'new wave' or café-style customs: this is free-form building from two of the most radical and skilled craftsmen in the East.

Let's take a closer look.

HOT DOCK 'JUGGERNAUT' The K1600 GTL is an imposing machine in its own right. Weighing 767 lbs (348 kg) fully fueled and almost 2.5 meters long, it's a bike for experienced riders.

Kawakita-san has amped up the visual bulk, with completely new aluminum bodywork from nose to tail. Powertrain mods are restricted to a new airbox and custom-fabricated muffler: the engine already provides a wall of torque, and enough power to propel the K1600 to 200kph.

The exoskeleton effect gives a militaristic, almost steampunk vibe—helped by aluminum pipes following the contours of the new body panels and matt grey paint.

The engine cases have been refinished with an aging effect, which is carried through to the switchgear mounted onto custom bars.

Brass gauges on either side of the tank carry the name Herschel—a nod to the German-born astronomer who discovered Uranus in 1781 and joined the court of King George III.

We imagine it's the kind of machine that would star in the upcoming movie Mad Max: Fury Road.

KEN'S FACTORY SPECIAL Kenji Nagai has opted for drastic surgery on his K1600 GTL, creating a low-slung dragbike stripped to the essentials.

The entire rear end of the frame is gone, and the front has been stretched and raked. There's a custom-made billet girder fork up front, plus a one-off 23-inch aluminum alloy wheel hooked up to a custom 11.5-inch rotor.

Out back is a solid disc 20-inch wheel, suspended with a stretched swingarm and spectacularly illuminated by a LED brake light. It's shod with 220-section Avon Cobra rubber.

The bodywork is the bare minimum: raw, curvaceous aluminum forms that throw the emphasis onto the massive frame spars and the equally hefty engine. Even the seat is aluminum—but this is not a bike for long distance touring.

It's one of the most inspired styling exercises we've seen for years.

BMW Motorrad Japan | Facebook | Hot Dock Custom Cycles | Ken’s Factory

 

Red Alert: Down & Out's Triumph Bonneville SE
3/19/2015 12:01:17 PM

Down & Out probably isn't the most auspicious name for a business. But Shaun Walker sleeps easy at night: business at his Sheffield, England workshop is booming.

For the past 15 years, Shaun has been building very tidy, sharp-looking customs. He works mostly on older BMWs these days, but also professes a liking for the modern Triumph Bonneville. "It was time to build something that was going to be good around the streets," he says, "so the 'Street Bob' was born."

It's a 2013-model Triumph Bonneville SE, which came straight from the factory with a bold red frame. "The red frame wasn't my first choice," Shaun admits. "And the standard mag wheels…not so good, either. But the bike had only 900 miles on the clock, and was like new—so the deal was sealed."

The first job was to remove as many standard parts as possible, to lose weight without compromising function. The first change was the wheels, with the stock mags making way for a Triumph Thruxton pair. They've been rebuilt with new stainless steel spokes, and treated to satin black powdercoat on the rims and hubs.

A further hint of the performance focus comes from the tires: sport touring rubber in the shape of the highly-rated Michelin Pilot Road 3.

To sharpen up the handling even more, Shaun has upgraded the suspension with Thruxton forks and YSS shocks. New bars and risers from LSL move the controls closer to the rider, and the German specialist has also provided a chain guard, sprocket cover and ignition relocation switch—plus new levers and footpegs.

High-end Teutonic design also features in the cockpit, which has been cleaned up with the help of a Motogadget speedo. (A hidden m-Unit tidies up the electrics elsewhere.)

The fenders, side panels and headlight surround are carbon fiber—not a material you'd normally associate with the retro Bonneville. But they all play their part in reducing the avoirdupois. The stock tank has been repainted in satin red and black, and there's a new, one-off seat upholstered in black leather.

It's the exhaust system that gives the biggest visual fillip, though. Made by Zard, the high pipes had a damaged muffler when Shaun picked them up. So he kept the headers and fabricated a new slimline end can. It looks amazing, and we're betting it sounds amazing too.

At this rate, the only way for Down & Out is up.

Down & Out Café Racers website | Facebook | Instagram | Images by Simon Krajnyak

 

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