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 F1-inspired Harley-Davidson Crossbones. 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 Crossbones 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 this bike 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.

Black Douglas makes vintage-style motorcycles with a distinctly English appearance, like the Sterling shown here. It doesn’t have electronically controlled suspension or switchable riding modes, but it’s not short of charm.

It’s the brainchild of Fabio Cardoni, who started Black Douglas two years ago. “I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was 11,” he says, “but for the past five or six years, I simply didn’t enjoy riding any of my bikes. I came to the conclusion that I don’t like production motorcycles any more.”

The styling is certainly captivating, with angular lines straight out of the early twentieth century. “We wanted motorcycles that are beautiful to look at, and able to draw attention. Yes, at the age of 42 I still like it when people look at what I’m riding!” Fabio laughs. “But most of all, the bike had to be fun to ride—without the hassles of vintage motors.”

The Sterling is powered by a four-stroke 230cc single. It’s a replica of a Honda CG engine, built in China by Zongshen under Honda license. “Even though I was very skeptical at the beginning, after testing it thoroughly, I was absolutely astonished by the quality of this unit,” says Fabio. “It is built to Japanese production quality levels: sturdy, low maintenance, reliable, and offers over 85 mpg.” The bike weighs 100 kilos, so there isn’t too much weight to push around. Top speed is around 70 mph (110 kph).

After over a year of testing frames, hubs and engines, Black Douglas got it right with the fourth Sterling prototype—which Fabio still rides to work every day. The bike shown here is the first full production model, which was sold a few days ago. The customer chose all the extras from the Black Douglas catalog right now, so it’s a ‘Deluxe’ version. That means an uprated 230cc engine, a Bosch replica light, a replica klaxon horn, a rack holder, two different types of handlebar, a wood basket, and more.

Black Douglas will have four more machines ready for sale in a month: three base models and a ‘racer’ which will be called the Sterling Brooklands. The price starts at €7,900 (US$10,200) plus taxes. There may even be a race series for the bikes in Italy soon: the Federazione Motociclista Italiana is toying with the idea of organizing a Sterling mini-championship of three events.

And if you fancy building your own vintage-style motorcycle, Black Douglas will soon be launching a DIY kit. It’ll be available with or without an engine, and the first 20 kits will sell for €4,900—around US$6,300. After that will come a sidecar version, with part of the design made of traditional wicker wood.

Tempted? Yearning for the simpler style of a bygone age? Contact the Black Douglas Motorcycle Co. via their website or Facebook page.

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

Over the past five years, the USA has really caught on to the Ruckus—especially in California, New York and Florida. One of the leading lights is a company called Rucksters; based in Arcadia, CA, it supplies a dizzying array of custom parts.

This machine, nicknamed “The LV Project” after the luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton, is a collaboration between Rucksters and the tuner BTX Industries. The stock engine was the first thing to go: it’s been replaced by a 150cc GY6, an engine commonly used in larger scooters.

Breathing is helped by a Mikuni TM28 carburetor, a custom header pipe and a Yoshimura exhaust. With a curb weight of less than 200 lbs, you’re looking at a useful turn of speed. Certainly more than the 40 mph top speed of a stock Ruckus.

The frame and body have been stripped back and refinished in a mix of Du Pont ‘Champagne’ paint and brown anodizing. The rear wheel, in case you’re wondering, is from a golf cart. (And no, I don’t know how it goes around corners.)

As for the rest of the bike … there are too many changes to list here. Head over to Honda Tuning Magazine for the full story and a spec sheet.

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