This time we’re focusing on six companies that we didn’t mention, or didn’t know about, first time round. It’s also worth noting that some of these jackets don’t have an option to add modern protection. So you may want to check out our feature on motorcycle armor. It includes vests like the Icon Stryker and Spidi Defender, which can be worn under these jackets to make them an order of magnitude safer.

Lewis Leathers Monza Britain’s oldest surviving motorcycle clothing company was founded in 1892, so they know a thing or two about leather. Their jackets were the #1 choice of the cafe racer generation in the late 50s and early 60s; you could say they’re the motorcycle gear equivalent of a Featherbed Triton. The £700 Monza was released in 1972 as a departure from the ‘rocker’ style, and sports shoulder and elbow padding, waist straps, an offset front zipper and two front pockets. You also get a suitably vintage-style corduroy-lined collar. Lewis Leathers’ jackets don’t come cheap, but each one is made to order using your own personal measurements. And, we’re told, they last forever. [Buy]

Mister Freedom Mulholland Master This is one of the more handsome waxed-cotton jackets on the market, though it’s as rare as hen’s teeth. Designed by LA brand Mister Freedom and made by Sugar Cane of Japan, each jacket is constructed using 100% cotton “jungle cloth”—a tightly woven cross-grain fabric developed for US Marines stationed in warm climates. The $900 jackets are windproof, water-repellant, breathable and tear resistant, and are fastened with nickeled brass hardware. If you need to cover long distances in warmer latitudes, the Mulholland Master is worth a close look. [Buy]

Vanson Sport Rider MK II Based in Fall River, Massachusetts, Vanson is a company with dedicated fanbase stretching around the globe. Outside the core USA market, Vanson jackets are worn by innumerable Japanese custom Harley enthusiasts—who revere the rash-proof 1.5mm thick competition-weight leather construction. The Mark II is an update to the classic Sport Rider and has a concealed and adjustable waistband. It also accepts Vanson body armor for the elbow, shoulders and spine, and includes a zip-in/zip-out thermal vest. The $619 jacket is a little more understated than most from a style perspective, which will appeal to some riders. Vanson’s race heritage shows in the pre-curved sleeves, and a leather wind flap hides a built-in license pocket. [Buy]

Aero Leather Cafe Racer A tiny but dedicated company based in Scotland, Aero has been producing very limited numbers of classic horsehide jackets for 30 years. And owners that I’ve talked to swear by them. Interestingly, it’s illegal to kill horses for leather in the USA, so all US horsehide has to come from animals that have died of natural causes. Aero jackets are made from certified US hide, which (I think) makes them “cruelty-free”. This could be a big selling point if you’re concerned about such things. The £625 Cafe Racer jacket can be ordered with either brass or nickel zippers, and comes in a two- or four-pocket configuration. Aero jackets can reportedly handle anything you subject them to, including Scottish winters, and like most of the jackets featured here, they look better as they age. If only that were true of all of us… [Buy]

Langlitz Leathers Sidewinder Ross Langlitz started Langlitz Leathers in 1947 when he couldn’t find a jacket with enough protection for speedway racing. Using a Sears jacket as a template, he created a range called “Speedway Togs” and was overwhelmed with demand. Today, the Portland, Oregon company deals direct with US customers and offers six styles of made-to-measure jackets, including the Sidewinder shown here. Based on the slimline Timberline vest, it has a simple straight front zipper and windflap. You also get a dress collar, western-style front and back yokes, shoulder and elbow pads, and side laces. Storage is ample, with a map and two chest pockets, and smaller pockets on the left bicep and right wrist. Every jacket comes with a return-if-not satisfied guarantee, as you’d expect with a jacket costing $1,000 and upwards. In Japan, where Langlitz has a fervent following and 35 dealers, jackets often change hands for $3,000 or more. [Buy]

British Motorcycle Gear (BMG) Montana One of the most highly-rated vintage-style motorcycle jackets we’ve come across in our travels. The leather is a supple 1.2-1.4mm grade ‘A’ semi-aniline cowhide, and the Montana also comes as standard with CE Level 1 Knox shoulder and elbow armour. (CE Level 2 certified back armor costs an additional $39.95.) It’s also fitted with chunky YKK zippers and has pre-curved sleeves with rotated shoulders. With an MSRP of $399 the Montana is the cheapest of the jackets listed here. Because it can be kitted out with full armor, it’s a popular choice in the UK—and in much of the English-speaking motorcycle-riding world too. [Buy]

We’re always interested to hear what you think about these motorcycle gear selections. So please tell us about any manufacturers you think we should include, and if your own favourite jacket isn’t listed here, drop us a line in the comments below. We’ll check it out.—James.

© Bike EXIF 2013. The world authority on custom motorcycles, brought to you by Icon 1000.

This Suzuki ST400 Tempter is one of Speedtractor’s first builds, and it’s a beauty, in a chunky kind of way. The client wanted a street scrambler that he could hit the dirt with on the way home: believe it or not, Tokyo has some “in-the-know” dirt tracks along the beds of the rivers that run through the urban sprawl. And that’s where this machine, called the T61 Catalina Special, gets to play dirty. The tracks are “run” by locals, but the police generally turn a blind eye.

The Suzuki 400cc single motor—best known for its presence in the Savage bikes in the West—puts out plenty enough grunt, so motor upgrades were kept very modest. Speedtractor retained the airbox due to wet riding conditions, but opened it up a bit. The filter has been replaced with a free flowing K&N element, and the carb jetted up to make use of the custom pipe’s fondness for expelling hot gases with haste, despite internal baffling.

The front shocks were overhauled and internal spacers modified to give the maximum travel possible. The oversize front tire is to help compensate for the lack of front suspension travel, and the rear twin-shock suspension is now dual rate long travel. Frame-wise, all the metalwork behind the rear shock mounts was removed and a simple looped sub-frame fabricated. It gives the bike a clean visual line, parallel to the exhaust, from front of the tank through the short seat to the stop light.

The bars are now in the low-rise tracker style, and get the rider’s elbows up and out, ready to muscle the bike through the next corner—and as it’s no featherweight, muscle is the operative word. Up front, a vintage headlight shell has been mated with a mini-speedo. It’s all-analog, but with integrated warning lights. And since the photoshoot, the owner has agreed to having a removable front fender fitted …

According to Speedtractor’s Matt Roberts, the Suzuki’s now bearing a few scars: it’s had “a little lie-down for a rest occasionally.” The owner rides it with enthusiasm, and is no stranger to mud. And every now and then, he takes it back to the shop for a little tweaking and improvement.

I think it’s pretty much perfect as it is. To see more, head over to the Speedtractor website.

© Bike EXIF 2013. The world authority on custom motorcycles, brought to you by Icon 1000.

Introducing Wes Garcia, a new contributor to Bike EXIF. Wes is the chief editor of Megadeluxe, an online magazine covering the world of speed, sport and design.

The latest build from Charlie Stockwell of London-based Warr’s Customs is this Harley-Davidson Cross Bones built at the behest of a former Formula 1 champion. It’s decked in the trademark red-and-white livery of the McLaren F1 team that became famous during the era of Ayrton Senna. With a handmade F1-inspired exhaust system, and a one-off brake system from the Japanese company Akebono, this bike is strikingly different from the designs Stockwell has created in the past.

Taking inventory of Charlie’s past work, it’s amazing to me how each build is so different, and creative from bike-to-bike. But as Charlie explains, “It’s not all about the visual of the bike. The performance and handling characteristics are just as important. Every bike I design and build must handle, perform and ride as well as any original Harley. I don’t like the idea of a customer having a bike that looks great but is horrible to ride.”

According to Charlie, this Cross Bones needed the performance and the handling to match its extreme look. After all, racing was the backbone of Harley-Davidson for over a century—bringing hard-core enthusiasts together on and off the track.

Charlie turned to the Warr’s Racing Team (which works closely with the official Racing Team in Milwaukee) to put together an engine capable of fueling adrenalin and delivering high-performance. The result is a tuned Screamin’ Eagle 120ci Twin Cam motor producing 156 bhp and 140 ft/lb of torque. Although it has brute power, it’s been carefully tuned to be ‘rideable’ at the lower rpm range as well as high.

The brakes needed to be special for this build. In Charlie’s mind, who better than Akebono, the guys who are the current supplier and sponsor of the McLaren F1 team? Akebono worked closely with Charlie throughout the design, development and testing. Three titanium monobloc calipers, brake discs, clutch and brake master cylinders were made especially just for this project. According to Charlie, it’s a first of its kind and unheard of in this industry.

Since suspension defines the riding experience, the choice was easy for Charlie: it had to be Öhlins USA. He worked closely with Öhlins Racing to build a pair of World Super Bike specification race forks capable of working well with the extra weight that a Harley carries—especially when compared with a more nimble 175kg race machine. They were fitted to a huge pair of Honor Moto triple trees. He also fitted Öhlins springs inside the rear shock absorbers to give it good balance and feel all round.

Charlie is known for taking full control on the look, but on the Cross Bones he worked closely with the customer on the styling. Fabrication of the bodywork was handled by Charlie and his trusted ally and friend Russell Brown. These two are the brains behind all that comes out of Warr’s King’s Road customs. The gas tank was thanks to Pete Pearson. The supple leather used on the small solo saddle was sourced from McLaren; it’s the same as currently used on McLarens MP4 road car.

According to Charlie, the bike has to be seen to be fully appreciated. I don’t doubt that, but it looks brilliant from here.

Follow Warr’s Customs on Facebook and via the Warr’s website. Photography by Marianne Logica.

Specification

2011 Harley-Davidson Crossbones
Engine Screamin’ Eagle 120R
Öhlins FGR200 Front Forks
Öhlins Rear Springs
Triple Trees: Honor Moto
Brakes & Master Cylinders: Akebono for Warr’s
Wheels: Performance Machine
Design: Charlie Stockwell
Fabrication: Charlie Stockwell & Russell Brown (Warr’s Customs)
Exhaust: Warr’s Customs
Nickel plating: London Chroming
Custom Paint: Image Design Custom

© Bike EXIF 2013. The world authority on custom motorcycles, brought to you by Icon 1000.

The Honda CL400 is easy to come by in England, and it’s a good starting point. It’s a simple design with an air-cooled 387cc single, and cheap to maintain. The stock CL400 has a low dry weight of 140 kg (308 lbs), but Urban Rider has taken this down even further to about 122 kg (270 lbs). To put that into perspective, this road-legal CL400 is less than half the weight of a Harley Sportster 883.

Urban Rider did this by replacing the stock exhaust with a Co-Built stainless steel flat-track style system, stripping out the airbox, and shortening the frame. The new exhaust also reduces the width of the bike, making it even better for city commuting, and it has a power to weight ratio better than many mid-capacity nakeds.

It sounds like a job tailor-made for the Yamaha SR400, but the Honda is much lighter. And because it’s a late 90s design, it boasts more modern running gear. It has automatic decompression so it’s easy to start, and a front disc brake as standard.

Other Urban Rider mods include a Motogadget speedo, Ikon shocks, LED indicators, Renthal bars, and a custom seat and paintjob. Steve Hallam of the Motorcycle Wiring Co. revised the electrics.

“It’s a halfway house between old bikes and more expensive modern retro bikes,” says Starritt. He’s accepting commissions from £4,500 (US$6,800) and upwards, depending on how far people want to go.

Looks like the perfect street bike for commuting and fun—and one that you can leave in a parking bay without fear of expensive damage. If your appetite is whetted, contact Urban Rider via their website.

With thanks to photographer Gary Margerum.

© Bike EXIF 2013. The world authority on custom motorcycles, brought to you by Icon 1000.

Even better, it’s one of the first 750 Super Sports built in 1976. Production started with frame number 912, and this is 918. Fixed to the frame was a small copper plate with the emblem of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers. “This suggests the bike was delivered to a southern European catholic nation,” says Heuvelman. “Maybe Italy, where it was probably blessed by the local priest.”

On getting the Ducati into the workshop, Heuvelman discovered that the engine timing was awry. “A good reason why it’d failed to start for all those years.” The bike was in original but bad condition. So the Dutch workshop dismantled it down to the last nut and bolt, and set to work on the engine and transmission. The gearbox was in a bad way, and was replaced. The motor was treated to new first-oversize pistons, new valves, and a fresh set of seals, gaskets and bearings.

Heuvelman’s goal was to return this 750 Super Sport to original showroom condition—to make it look like a New Old Stock bike. “We took a lot of care, down to the finest details. All the nuts and bolts have been restored and re-used. The crankcase has been sandblasted at low pressure, so it resembles an original unused crankcase. And we found and used original decals over the clear coat for the bodywork.”

This particular machine was sold with a “sport-pack” offered for the 1976/77 model year: a Conti exhaust, 40mm Dell’Ortos, and minus any indicators. It’s full of top-shelf original componentry: Borrani 4777 rims, ‘shaved’ early Brembo callipers, and Smiths instruments. The dashboard, switches and Marzocchi forks are all original. Even minor items like the KLG spark plug caps and Alpina spokes are true to type.

There are some discreet upgrades, however. The Ducati is now fitted with Australian-made Ikon shocks, although the original Marzocchi shocks have been refurbished and retained. The bike had a non-standard Lucas ignition system fitted when it was found, and Heuvelman has replaced it with a modern electronic system for improved performance.

Head over to the Back To Classics website for a photo gallery of the restoration. For more wonderful images of the finished bike, check out the website of photographer Ernst Klip.

© Bike EXIF 2013. The world authority on custom motorcycles, brought to you by Icon 1000.

Anvil is run by San Marco Filios and Alessandro Phonz Fontanesi, both in their early 30s and living in Milan. They’ve both been passionate riders since childhood, starting on motocross bikes. Today they focus on road bikes, and as you’d expect from a workshop based in Italy’s design capital, their creations have a strong dash of style.

On this Honda CB500, the forks have been lowered to drastically alter the stance of the bike, with firmer springs fitted to compensate for the shortened suspension travel. Low-slung Tommaselli bars add to the racy look, sitting ahead of a Laverda tank painted with the name of the bike—“Nk-a”. The aluminum seat unit is custom-fabricated, and upholstered with leather.

The fine Honda CB500 motor has been left alone, but painted black for a factory-fresh look. It’s now hooked up to free-flow filters and a striking white exhaust system from Marving. The tires are Avon Safety Mileage Mk II, a classic pattern recast using modern rubber compounds.

Anvil’s approach is unlikely to find favor with purists. But on the other hand, they’re a big part of the new wave custom scene in Italy and Europe. Head over to the Anvil Motociclette website to see more customized Honda CBs—and a very tasty Moto Guzzi SP 1000 and Suzuki GSX750E.

© Bike EXIF 2013. The world authority on custom motorcycles, brought to you by Icon 1000.

Robrock started to look for a ‘nice’ bike but soon switched direction. “Why take a nice bike and rebuild it? Why not take an ugly one? So I chose the ugliest bike I know: The BMW K100.”

Marc found a 1984 model and stripped it down, removing everything that was not necessary and cleaning what was left. But not too much—he was keen to retain the patina of three decades.

After weeks of grinding, cutting and welding, the BMW K100 took shape. Everything was done with an eye to TÜV approval: no sharp or open-ended parts, small aluminum fenders were added, and the original exhaust pipe retained.

Marc added a new aluminum subframe to support a custom-made seat unit, and mounted the Bosch ignition and tiny gel battery underneath. The rims, forks and a multitude of smaller pieces were sandblasted and powdercoated black. Then the bars were replaced with an aftermarket item, again resized to fit.

Marc calls the machine the BMW K-fé, and it took him five weeks to complete. TÜV certification took longer—six weeks. But the BMW is road-legal.

Now that Marc has all the paperwork sorted, he has just one job left to do—replace the exhaust system.

Images courtesy of Thomas Riese. Marc is at Robrock.de [German language only].

© Bike EXIF 2013. The world authority on custom motorcycles, brought to you by Icon 1000.