New BMW cafe racers from Diamond Atelier, a brutal Kawasaki Z1-R from AC Sanctuary, and the very rapid Tamburini ‘T12 Massimo’ track bike. It’s hard to pick a winner this week.
Diamond Atelier Mark II Series Tom Konecny and the crew at Berlin-based Diamond Atelier have cracked the code of ‘making it’ in the custom world. The workshop is only three years old, but has nailed the essential mix of eye-catching builds, great photography and smart marketing.
They’re now wisely moving into limited-edition production runs, rather than reinventing the wheel with every bike. The first run will be ten bikes based on pre-1995 BMW airhead 2-valve engines, called the Mark II Series. Buyers can choose 800cc or 1,000cc engines and three levels of customization, with prices starting at €20,990 ($24,000). Form an orderly queue, and no pushing please.
Kawasaki Z1-R by AC Sanctuary Every now and then we like to remind ourselves what a true performance build is, so we hop over to the AC Santuary website. It’s mostly in Japanese, but then again, no-one used to buy Playboy for the words.
This new Z1-R resto-mod is bike porn of the highest order, starting with a strip-down to every last nut and cylinder head bolt. The frame is reinforced, the suspension is from Öhlins’ top shelf, the 17-inch wheels are from OZ Racing, and the brake system is a mélange of the best parts from the Brembo, Nissin and Sunstar catalogs.
The blueprinted and balanced motor has all-new internals, a phalanx of Mikuni carbs, and a full titanium Nitro Racing exhaust system. Guaranteed to put hairs on your chest. [More]
Bultaco Mercurio by XTR Pepo The Mercurio 125 is almost a footnote in motorcycling history: It was just another one of the many nondescript small bikes that zipped around the streets of Europe in the 1960s.
This Bultaco is something special though, as you would expect from Pepo Rosell. For starters, the motor is now a Pursang 250 unit, bored out to 370cc and fitted with a substantial Keihin 39mm carb. The very serious-looking exhaust is from a Bultaco TSS 250 race bike.
There’s a Suzuki GSX-R600 clutch to handle the sudden burst of power, and a modified Yamaha SR500 swingarm to keep the back wheel planted. The front end is from a Cagiva Mito 125 EVO sportbike, grafted on to the heavily modified frame. The tank is basically all that’s left of the original Mercurio, and we’re betting the riding experience will be very different too … [More]
Tamburini ‘T12 Massimo’ It’s now just over two years since Massimo Tamburini passed away. The creator of the Ducati 916 and MV Agusta F4 has left big shoes to fill, but he’s also left us a parting gift.
His final project has just been released, a track-focused superbike with an SBK-Spec BMW S 1000 RR power unit. The frame is small-diameter trellis tubing, the bodywork is aerospace-grade carbon fiber, and the styling is right on point.
The T12 weighs just 340 pounds—155 kilos—and the prototype is ready to go into production, overseen by Massimo’s son Andrea. Cycle World has the story.
Honda CB750 by Redeemed Cycles Bob Ranew is the classic case of a guy who’s turned his passion into a business. He knows a good build when he sees one: He was one of Classified Moto’s first clients, commissioning several bikes from John Ryland.
These days Bob builds his own bikes as a hobby under the Redeemed Cycles banner, and this 1975 CB750 caught our eye. It’s more of a resto-mod than a radical custom, but it’s also a beautifully judged build—with just the right stance and a select number of upgrades. The cost? A very reasonable $800 for Bob’s time, plus the parts list. Bargain. [More]