What was the first motorcycle you bought with your own money? A Honda CB100 (below).

What do you think is the most beautiful production motorcycle ever built? That’s a hard one. It’s like asking, “Who is the best boxer of all time?” Depends how old one is. What one is looking for. I would have to say the Imme R100 (below). I have no doubts about the best boxer, Mohammed Ali.

What motorcycle do you despise? Any BMW GS clone. Shame on you, Triumph.

What is your idea of perfect happiness? Many different things. Savoring the perfect tiramisu at Trattoria Wilma after eating the best castrato (mutton) on the planet. Playing pool with my friends. Staring out the window at a perfect Bologna day. Watching the Springboks thrash the British Lions at rugby. Taking the mickey out of everybody, all the time. Finally solving a design problem, unexpectedly, after 25 years. Working on a motorcycle model. Just making stuff. Seeing another designer coming up with really cool, inspirational design work. Discovering a forgotten design idea from 50 or 60 years ago that is revolutionary, even today. And mainly, just doing my own thing, minding my own business … and dreaming of the future.

Electric motorcycles: Yes or No? Yes. I like the concept of an alternative power plant, with the design freedom that the new packaging layout allows. The power delivery is great, and with no engine noise it is like sailing on a fast yacht. Maybe in the future they will become more than traditional motorcycles with a big battery shoehorned in. Maybe some form of hybrid, like the GM Volt, is the future. But I’m sure that battery technology will improve over the next few years. Many people don’t know it, but in Italy there are a few tracks for electric motocross bikes, and in many areas it is fast becoming the only way to ride enduros.

What is your favorite journey? A solo ride from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town on a sunny South African weekday. Travelling the backcountry route past Oudshoorn. Or any ride with my friends Paul and Wolfgang in Northern California.

Which ‘everyday’ modern bikes do you think will become future classics? The equivalent of the Honda CB750 or Moto Guzzi V7 Sport, if you like? The original Monster 900—the Galuzzi one. The BMW GS (above).

Who are your real-life motorcycling heroes? Mike Hailwood. And now Casey Stoner.

Are you optimistic for the future of motorcycling? Yes, I am. Especially if the industry starts producing motorcycles that customers need, and doesn’t just supply the ones journalists have convinced people they want. Where is our industry’s Steve Jobs?

What is your current state of mind? Happy and content. Finally. But impatient to do new things in the future, learn new skills so that I can be more creative and productive. Maybe I will get the opportunity to finally design the bike of my dreams. No limits … hopefully without losing my shirt.

Bike EXIF is the world's #1 source for custom motorcycles, classic motorcycles and cafe racers. Get your 2012 Bike EXIF motorcycle calendar for just $10 direct from the publisher.

Scott wanted a hardtail, cut down to the essential elements that make a bike stop and go. “A modern take on a British classic,” he says. So he bought this bike sight unseen from eBay, assured by the owner that it was a “real rider”. In reality, it was worn out and unsafe.

Scott stripped the bike down and sketched out his vision. Then he went to work to fix the 60 years of bad craftsmanship and chopping that had been inflicted on the frame. Then the mechanicals were overhauled: the gears were dog-eared so the teeth engage easier, the motor was disassembled, inspected, cleaned and re-assembled, and the exhaust was massaged into a better sweep and position.

Scott tried fitting 21” wheels front and rear, but “it just looked like some sort of horrible joke”. So he opted for two XS650 19” front wheels, fabricating components so that the drive gear would work for the rear wheel.

The forks are from a GSX-R1000: Scott wanted a beefy front end to go with the beefy stock frame. That meant lathing some bearing cups, making a left/right steering stop, and fitting a steering stabilizer. The rotors are GSX-R600 at the front and GSX-R750 at the back. Brake lines are custom, with a custom distribution block made to split the lines at the triple trees.

The look Scott was going for was “contradiction”. (The BSA’s 600cc single is not renowned for its power.) “The big brake look is meant to give the bike a modern feel, while making you do a double-take to see what kind of bike sits behind the massive rotors. Let’s just say it only takes one finger to stop this bike!”

The mid-controls are modified versions of CCW’s production forward controls, and the taillight is a modified CCW LED item. The only real “new” component is an Elswick Cycles oil can; the rear fender and headlight were spare parts that Scott had lying around the shop.

“This bike was built to ride,” says Scott. “It’s raw, it has dings, it’s been dumped and ridden hard.” All the fabricated parts were left raw, with the exception of the paint on the wheels.

However, there’s none of that attitude on the production bikes Cleveland CycleWerks sells throughout North America (and Europe and Japan). Even if a raw, grungy BSA is not to your taste, take a look at the CCW range, and the Misfit in particular—229cc of stylish, retro-inspired fun. It’s the kind of bike to get new riders enthused about motorcycling, and that anyone can use to zip around town.

Bike EXIF is the world's #1 source for custom motorcycles, classic motorcycles and cafe racers. Get your 2012 Bike EXIF motorcycle calendar for just $10 direct from the publisher.

This beautiful machine, photographed by Benoit Guerry in France, has just been profiled on the (highly recommended) Southsiders site. It’s a Triton-style hybrid, built in the 1970s from recovered parts and spares—including a Lowboy frame, shortened Norton Roadholder forks, a Seeley front brake, and a Triumph five-speed transmission. The engine is a rare 1957 pre-unit T100/RS with a splayed-port Delta head.

All up, this vintage beauty weighs just 300 lb (135 kg), which explains how a similar bike was able to lap the Isle of Man TT circuit at over 100 mph in 1961. Head over to the Southsiders for more eye candy of the highest pedigree.

With thanks to Vincent Prat.

Bike EXIF is the world's #1 source for custom motorcycles, classic motorcycles and cafe racers. Get your 2012 Bike EXIF motorcycle calendar for just $10 direct from the publisher.

The idea for the Speed Twin started when Norton and Kasher were in their final term at university. They started sketching ideas for “a bike taking retro themes in a modern direction”. After landing a placement with motorcycle design studio Xenophya, the pair contacted Triumph. Product Manager Simon Warburton liked what he heard, and agreed to get involved. He wrote a brief requesting a modern re-interpretation of a classic theme: “A bike based around our 865cc air-cooled parallel twin, styled to appeal to younger riders.” Warburton wanted to see “the bike the Bonneville might have evolved into, in an alternative universe”.

After visits to the Ace Cafe London and the National Motorcycle Museum, Norton and Kasher set to work, taking inspiration from cafe racers, bobbers and Triumph bikes of old. They agreed a design direction with Triumph, and a ‘digital tape’ was created: Photoshop images of the proposal in side projection, which allows the design to be evaluated against the vehicle package and check constraints such as seat height, tank volumes and ergonomics. According to Norton and Kasher, “Triumph provided huge amounts of support and guidance through the design stage,” ensuring there would be no engineering, manufacturing or homologation issues.

The motorcycle in the images we’re looking at was created using a mixture of model board, foam and Automotive Styling Clay—a wax-like substance that can be shaped by tools to create the tank, seat unit and swing arm. “A design can become a three-dimensional object quickly. The nature of the material means it can be molded and sculpted very easily to refine and perfect the design.”

The frame of a production Bonneville—supplied by Triumph—was heavily modified. Chopped and refabricated, it’s the basis for a strong and contemporary look. The contrast comes from the front, where girder forks pay homage to the bikes of the past. Barbour cloth is used on the seat fabric and grips, adding durability and style to the finish of the Twin, and the filler cap and instruments were also redesigned.

Once the basics of the model were in place, the bike was transferred from the Northumbria University studios to Xenophya Design. The prototype was refined and painted, transforming it from a blend of clay, foam and metal into a full-scale model. Firestone tires, inverted levers and Thruxton brakes were added to round out the build.

Triumph is pleased with the result of the project. “The bike looks great,” says product manager Warburton. “Some elements may have an influence on some of our future projects.” And Norton (right, bottom) and Kasher (left) now have an insight into how production motorcycles are designed, at the highest level in the industry. They’ve landed full-time jobs at Xenophya, which means their work is likely to hit the streets in the future, in the form of production motorcycles. Judging by the aesthetics of the Triumph Speed Twin, that’s good news indeed.

SALE: We have a few copies of the Bike EXIF custom motorcycle calendar left, and you can now grab one direct from the publisher for just $10 plus shipping. And with thirteen bikes taking you right up to January 2013, you’re not missing out. Get your copy here.

Bike EXIF is the world's #1 source for custom motorcycles, classic motorcycles and cafe racers. Get your 2012 Bike EXIF motorcycle calendar for just $10 direct from the publisher.

To improve the stance, the CB750 has been lowered just over an inch at the front. Adding to the retro vibe are a Suzuki trials bike headlight, a low profile leather seat, a leather tank strap and powdercoated wheels wrapped in Firestone tires. Everything was done in-house at MotoHangar—mostly by lead fabricator Matt Osburn—apart from the paint on the tank, a slick job from Royal Essex Custom Airbrushing in New Jersey.

MotoHangar is no stranger to these pages: its Suzuki GT550 custom was our first featured bike of 2012. And judging by this follow-up, we’ll be hearing more about the Washington shop over the coming year.

Images by Pat Jones/The Softbox Studio.

Bike EXIF is the world's #1 source for custom motorcycles, classic motorcycles and cafe racers. Get your 2012 Bike EXIF motorcycle calendar for just $10 direct from the publisher.

Which is how the Husqvonda came to be. Now running his own shop, Boyko Racing in Costa Mesa, Ted was the natural choice when a customer wanted a heart transplant for his 2008 Husqvarna SMR450 supermoto bike. Tired of motor problems with lightweight four-stroke—later traced to a faulty radiator—he had purchased a used 1986 Honda CR500 two-stroke engine online and wanted Boyko to make it fit.

Eyeball estimation told Boyko the CR motor would fit, but first the tired old ring-ding needed a total rebuild. A couple of passes with the boring bar had the cylinder walls cleaned up and while longtime collaborator L.A. Sleeve put together a CARE package for the CR (everything from piston to clutch pack to gaskets) Boyko did his thing on the transfer ports. He and pal Randy Blevins then hand-built the expansion chamber; just snipping and shaping the metal pieces took over eight hours before the welder was even fired up! Buttoned back together and now at about 520cc, the CR puts 80-85 horsepower to the rear wheel.

Getting the motor happily situated in the Husky frame was a little more involved than Boyko originally thought. “Truth is, it was an engineering nightmare,” he says. Big problem was the CR exhaust port, which inconveniently lined up directly with the frame’s front downtube. Out came the Sawzall and with the help of ace metalcrafter Tom Rightmyer a new forked twin-tube piece was fashioned that cleared the port. Of course, then the radiators didn’t fit so the stock rads had to be cut and reworked, including altering the spigots to suit the CR’s layout.

About this time, another customer saw the incomplete Husqvonda at the shop and had to have it. A deal was done, but now the project got a little more complicated. The new owner wanted the bike to be fully street-legal. No difficulties with paperwork, the Husky already had a title and registration. What it didn’t have was an engine with an electrical system that could power lights, turn signals and a horn. More SoCal specialists to the rescue: ProCom fabbed a custom lighting coil for the CR that pumps out the required 30-40 watts, while another shop genned up a small 12-volt nicad battery pack that tucks behind the front numberplate. A Baja Designs kit provided blinkers and a taillight, and Boyko capped the street-legalities with a Lynx multi-function electronic speedometer that tells everything but the rider’s heart rate. Nothing here for even the most fastidious DMV inspector to find fault with.

It was an inspection of another kind that put the finished bike to the ultimate test. Boyko arranged for a test session at Grange Motor Circuit, a 14-turn, .8-mile kart track in the Mojave Desert. Doing the riding would be two-time AMA motocross champ Micky Dymond. Now 46, Dymond these days is a stunt coordinator and pyrotechnics expert for motorized halftime shows, but he’s still indecently fast on two wheels. As recently as 2005 he was national champion in the AMA’s Unlimited Supermoto class and that same year won the Pikes Peak hillclimb in record time.

Despite thermometer readings in the low 40s, Dymond soon had the street-legal Husqvonda at near-race speeds, artfully skidding through corners. Before he left, Dymond and Boyko were seen discussing firmer suspension, softer tires—and warmer temperatures—for the next test day.

Read more about the Husqvonda and other specials in the premier issue of BikeCraft magazine, in production now for newsstand sale in early spring. “Former Cycle World art director Elaine Anderson is doing the layouts, so it’s looking great,” says Editor-in-Chief David Edwards. “Plus we’ve got an all-star list of contributors, including some guy named Chris Hunter who puts out the Bike EXIF website. You may have heard of him…”

Bike EXIF is the world's #1 source for custom motorcycles, classic motorcycles and cafe racers. Get your 2012 Bike EXIF motorcycle calendar for just $10 direct from the publisher.

The latest motorcycle to roll out of Deus Ex Machina’s workshop tackles the problem head on. Nicknamed “The Mouse Trap”, it’s based on a 2008 Yamaha Scorpio—a sprightly commuter bike with good handling and terrible looks.

Deus tore the Scorpio down to its core components and cleaned up and de-lugged the chassis. They welded on a new subframe, and then powdercoated the whole lot, along with the swingarm and forks. The engine and transmission were painted satin black, and a custom battery box fabricated—along with new front and rear fenders. The tank is a custom item too, set well back from the Japanese Nitroheads seat. The usual Scorpio alloy wheels have been ditched in favor of laced rims.

The stock Scorpio weighs just 139 kg (306 lbs), and this one, stripped of its bodywork, will be lighter still. The motor likes to rev, so its internals have been left alone—but it’s been treated to a K&N pod filter and a custom exhaust system. A single header pipe branches out into twin Laser reverse cone mufflers.

For a rider wanting to cut through the city traffic with an off-kilter style—and with no hangups over engine size—the Mouse Trap is the perfect bike. Head over to Deus’ Australian website for more images and inspiration.

Bike EXIF is the world's #1 source for custom motorcycles, classic motorcycles and cafe racers. Get your 2012 Bike EXIF motorcycle calendar for just $10 direct from the publisher.

Bike EXIF is the world's #1 source for custom motorcycles, classic motorcycles and cafe racers. Get your 2012 Bike EXIF motorcycle calendar for just $10 direct from the publisher.

The modified 1989 XT600 frame has been hooked up to a FZR600 fork and a Hagon shock. The air-cooled motor has been rebuilt with polished and ported heads, and now exhales through a Wolfman pipe and a Spark GP megaphone muffler. The wheels are 18”, shod with Pirelli Scorpion tires, and matched to a completely new brake system that includes Ducati S4RS components. The fuel tank is from a 1970 Ducati 250 and the seat is from a Bultaco Pursang. The fenders are hand-made: aluminum at the front, carbon at the back. Rizoma bars sit behind a headlight from a Puch 50cc mini-bike.

“Dirt Rad” won’t be as fast as the bikes that Radical Ducati usually builds. But it’ll probably be just as much fun—a simple, light and speedy machine for city streets and occasional gravel road excursions. Perfecto!

Bike EXIF is the world's #1 source for custom motorcycles, classic motorcycles and cafe racers. Get your 2012 Bike EXIF motorcycle calendar for just $10 direct from the publisher.