Customs built in the ‘bobber’ or hardtail style. On the typical bobber motorcycle, excess bodywork has been stripped away, and the fenders are usually removed or shortened.
All unnecessary hardware has been removed to cut weight—including the mufflers in many cases—and a single seat is usually fitted. Old-school handlebars are often installed too, with the wiring run inside for a clean look, along with classic ‘Bates’ style lighting.
For owners of bobber motorcycles, these custom bikes are the purest form of motorcycling.
Harley is the brand most commonly associated with the bobber style, but we’re also seeing many Triumph and Indian motorcycles—especially since those two brands have factory bobbers in their range.
The two custom motorcycles that headline this week’s edition of Speed Read couldn’t be more different. One is a Harley Pan America with wild scrambler styling, the other is a classic Triumph TR6R Tiger bobber. The second half of our round-up covers new mid-sized releases from European OEMs; the BMW F 900 R and F…
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Some custom motorcycle builders are drawn to the simplicity of vintage machines, while others favor the performance and reliability of modern motorcycles. The 2005-model Harley Softail Deuce sits somewhere in the middle. Officially named the Harley-Davidson Softail FXSTD, the mid-naughties Deuce featured Harley’s new (at the time) Twin Cam V-twin engine and disc brakes, but…
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Following Indian Motorcycle’s total overhaul of the Scout range earlier this year, America’s first motorcycle company has just announced the return of the Indian Scout Sixty to its stable. Indian’s beginner-friendly cruiser has been out of circulation for four years, but it’s finally back. And, like the Scout, it returns with a new engine and…
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Have you noticed how photographers often favor the right-hand side of a motorcycle? Sometimes it’s because the bike’s side stand has it leaning over to the left, making it awkward to capture a good angle. Other times, it’s because the right-hand side is simply more visually appealing than the left. That’s not the case with…
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Known for his classy café racers, Dustin Kott threw the rule book away to build a Triumph Daytona bobber for Born Free.…
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Motocrew leads the charge this week, with a custom Triumph Bobber inspired by their client’s hopped-up Porsche 911. We also throw the…
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Enrico ‘Ricky’ de Haas founded Wannabe-Choppers at just 15, brimming with imagination and unaffected by the conventions that often accompany adulthood. 20…
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Back in the late 80s, Japanese manufacturers started dabbling with cruiser-style motorcycles in a bid to corner the US market. The result…
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Strip it back to the bare essentials, and make it lighter, faster and cooler. It’s a recipe for success that dates back…
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In Jeremy Tagand’s early days as the resident wrench at Deus ex Machina Australia, the Kawasaki W650 was his bread and butter.…
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Takuya Aikawa is on a roll. There hasn’t been a running of the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show in the last few…
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The Triumph Bobber is one of our favorite modern classics—but it could do with having some of its fat trimmed. Sam Wheeler…
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