A stunningly beautiful custom MV Agusta F3 from Switzerland, a fire-breathing KTM Super Duke R built for the Erzberg Rodeo, a vintage-inspired Yamaha YZF450FX from Deus, and an Italian prototype with a two-liter engine … placed upside down.
KTM Super Duke R by Jiří Heiník The 177-horsepower KTM is one of the most rapid yet usable motorcycles you can buy. In the hands of an accomplished rider, it can embarrass liter-class sportbikes around a racetrack.
Czech Jiří Heiník is an accomplished rider and a veteran of Pikes Peak, but his latest project has little in common with smooth asphalt. He’s taken the mighty Super Duke R and, with the help of the garage RaceTool KTM and ace builder Jan Žuži of JZ Handmade, he’s turned it into a dirt weapon.
Jiří’s ‘1290 Super Enduro R’is built to tackle the legendary Erzberg Rodeo, one of the toughest off-road events of all time. He’s grafted on 1290 Super Adventure forks and larger Kineo rims, and stripped off as many road accessories as possible to save weight.
The straight-through exhaust system is an obvious change, and matched to a tuned engine that now measures around 162 rear wheel hp. The complex front bodywork of the stock SDR has made way for an enduro-style number board with a single LED light, and there’s a proper dirt-spec high beak too.
What’s Czech for ‘big balls’? [More]
MV Agusta F3 675 ‘La Rouge’ Jonathan Natario runs Tricana, a Swiss MV Agusta dealership with a useful sideline in classy customs. ‘La Rouge’ is his latest, built because one of his clients wanted a ‘neo retro’ style bike.
Jonathan picked an F3 675, but the scope of the job expanded rapidly. “In the beginning, it was supposed to be a much simpler bike,” he tells us, “with a typical cafe racer headlight at the front, and a different rear. But I proposed to Samuel, the owner, that we could do a little bit more…”
“The front is inspired by the Ducati MH900 Evo, but is much slimmer, and I’ve integrated an LED headlight from the Turismo Veloce.” Jonathan has also removed the ‘ram air’ ducts and grafted on the windshield from an F4. Behind is a color TFT I2M Chrome Lite instrument panel.
For a cleaner line, Jonathan cut away part of the fuel tank, and completely rebuilt the rear bodywork—which now has the taillight assembly from a 2016 Brutale 800. The bellypan is a modified fiberglass race part, the wheels are Kineo rims from a Dragster RR, and the brakes now use Brembo M4 Calipers from an F3 800. The exhaust is a ‘HydroTre’ from HP Corse and the F3 has been remapped to suit.
“When I finished all the bodywork, I took a picture and sent it to Nuno from Capêlos Garage. He made some beautiful renderings, and after I chose one I took all the parts to Marty Designs for paint,” says Jonathan.
You could say it’s a parts bin special, but to our eyes, it looks a million dollars. [Tricana Motorcycles]
Kawasaki ER6N by AMS Garage The endlessly inventive Bali custom scene has just thrown up another killer build. Hot on the heels of Smoked Garage’s ‘Spirit’ we have this custom ER6N from Ajus Mulyawarman of AMS Garage.
Called ‘Bully,’ it was revealed at the Kustomfest show in Jogjakarta back in October, and sports completely new bodywork—a refreshing change from the angular plastics of the stock bike.
The hand-beaten aluminum looks incredible, with a mix of brushed and polished finishes, and it’s been left raw—with not a speck of paint to hide any imperfections.
The Kawasaki’s healthy 72 hp output gets a little nudge upwards thanks to a free-flowing exhaust system, but the real work is on the dynamics. Ajus and his crew have installed a set of forks from a ZX10R. In the rear, they’ve shoehorned in the swingarm from a Ducati Panigale, attaching it with an Öhlins monoshock.
There’s a serious sporting intent to this machine: the wheels are from a Panigale too, and are shod with sticky Metzeler slicks. If this is what it means to be a modern day café racer, we’re all for it. [More]
Nembo 32 Type 3 In the often-homogenous world of motorcycle design, it’s refreshing to see someone turn things upside down. Daniele Sabatini of Rome-based Nembo Motociclette has done that literally, by creating a roadster with a two-liter three-cylinder engine that has the crankcase at the top and the cylinders at the bottom.
Sabatini has already built two 1800cc prototypes and right now is completing a third with the bigger engine, hence the ‘Type 3’ moniker. His reasoning behind the unusual configuration is that a higher center of gravity helps handling, the motorcycle can be more compact, and the carbon fiber swingarm can be up to 700mm (27.5 inches) long—which aids traction.
The Nembo 32 Type 3 weighs around 160 kilos (352 pounds) and the “Super 32 Rovescio” engine pumps out up to 200 hp, which ensures a brisk ride.
These images are renders, but Sabatini is hoping that crowdfunding will finance the cost of small-scale production. Is the world ready for such a bike? We’re not sure, but we applaud this Italian designer for thinking outside the box. [Via]
Yamaha YZF450FX by Deus This is Michael ‘Woolie’ Woolaway’s latest creation: ‘Blu Ruvido,’ built for the Deus Swank Rally and based on Yamaha’s latest cross-country weapon. Without compromising performance, Woolie has given the 450 more of a classic vibe and endearingly simple lines.
“I wanted to make it look more like a vintage YZ,” Woolie says. “Which ended up being a big challenge, because the old bikes had small tanks and a single backbone frame. The airbox is where the tank used, to be and the fuel tank is under the seat.”
The ‘tank’ is a custom piece, based on an old Yamaha YZ motocross design; the real fuel cell is hidden under the seat. There’s a completely redesigned subframe to suit the desert racer-inspired seat and rear fender, and the stock forks were lowered three inches by Race Tech.
More modern touches are a Scotts steering stabilizer and a Rekluse slipper clutch, placing performance firmly in the 21st century.
Intrigued? The bike is for sale. [More]
