The German custom powerhouse WalzWerk has just marked its 35th birthday in the best way it knows—with a handsome BMW boxer bobber. A Frenchman in Morocco takes on the world with a Honda XL 125S, an Indonesian custom shop builds a Honda Trail replica out of a Suzuki, and a Japanese privateer builds a sharp Yamaha SRX600 café racer.
BMW R80RT by WalzWerk Marcus Walz is unstoppable. His shop, WalzWerk, built their 1,000th custom motorcycle just over two years ago, and they’ve just hit another significant milestone—their 35th birthday.
To celebrate, the German outfit has designed a new limited edition BMW boxer bobber, based on their made-to-order Schizzo custom series. But you’d better act fast if you want one, because almost all of the 35 units they’re building are already spoken for.
The 35th anniversary WalzWerk prototype shown here uses a 1988 BMW R80RT as its base. Aesthetically, it treads familiar ground, combining the stock BMW fuel tank with a stubby single-tube subframe and a bobbed saddle. But WalzWerk’s secret sauce has always been the myriad high-spec details that they load their bikes with.
Beyond the subframe chop, this BMW’s frame features a judicious de-tab job and a fresh coat of black. The forks have been shortened, rebuilt with new internals, and treated to new WalzWerk tubes. The fork lowers now host WalzWerk’s proprietary four-piston brake calipers, while an adjustable Touratech shock does duty out back.
Under the hood, the old boxer motor’s been bumped up to 1,000 cc and now transfers power through the transmission from a 1977 R100, adding vintage style with its original kickstart lever. Highlights include an upgraded cam, an electronic ignition, and Dell’Orto carbs on billet aluminum intakes. The twin stainless steel exhausts are from Italy’s SC-Project.
Up top, you’ll find WalzWerk handlebars fitted with Biltwell Inc. grips, Motogadget switches, and billet levers. The turn signals and speedo are from Motogadget too, while an LED headlight and side-mounted PIAA spotlight illuminate the road ahead.
For the color, Marcus picked an ice-blue hue from Ferrari’s 1960s catalog. It’s complemented by a bright yellow stripe over the tank, and red valve covers; another nod to Ferrari. The build weighs a svelte 167 kilos [368 lbs] with 80 hp on tap—so it has the go to match the show. [Source | Images via WalzWerk]
1980 Honda XL 125S by Small CC Savage This plucky Honda XL 125S is the two-wheeled embodiment of the famous Mark Twain quote, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” It belongs to Frenchman Greg Gilson—an ex-BMX and mountain bike racer who now coaches. And even though the bike is older than he is, Greg has fielded it in multiple international rallies.
His love affair with the pint-sized Honda started while he was coaching a motocross team. One of their riders suffered a life-changing injury, and Greg started rethinking his priorities. The 1980 Honda XL 125S had been languishing in his garage—so he dragged it out, modified it, and started riding it.
Just two months later, Greg found himself on the starting line of the Rally of Morocco aboard the XLS. It was his first time riding in the Sahara’s sprawling dunes, but he persevered. By the final stage, he was sitting in 8th position in his category—until a crash saw him pushing his bike over the finish line with a broken collarbone, scapula, and ribs.
Another highlight in the Honda’s story is when Greg piloted it in the Qatar Baja International rally. Pitted against far more powerful 450 cc machines, he placed 15th in the rally prologue—but ended the rally in 80th position, thanks to navigational problems.
The real kicker is that Greg’s XLS is, by his account, mostly stock. He’s bumped the motor up to 175 cc, upgraded the suspension, and rebuilt the wheels with Excel rims—but the Honda still sports drum brakes. Other highlights include handmade footpegs, new handlebars, and a custom exhaust.
Greg’s enjoying his Honda XL 125S so much, that he now runs tours in Morocco with a fleet of five more of them. Working under the moniker of Small CC Savage, he continues to prove that small scramblers equal big fun. [Source]
Suzuki Satria FU150 Trail Concept by Brilliant Custom Motorcycles First released in the late-60s, the Honda CT90 was such an iconic bike, that Big Red brought it back in recent years in the form of the Honda Trail 125. But what if the beloved Trail 125 was made by Suzuki and not Honda? That question has just been answered by the Indonesian workshop Brilliant Custom Motorcycles.
BCM’s cross-brand concept uses a 2013-model Suzuki Satria F150 as its base. Common in Indonesia, the 147.3 cc underbone is worlds apart from the Honda Trail, looks-wise. It’s a lot quicker too, with twice the Honda’s horsepower on tap.
BCM tore the Satria down to its bones and binned its sporty bodywork. They then redressed it in handmade metal bits that ape the Honda’s styling to great effect.
They also swapped the wheels for laced hoops, and fitted inverted forks, high fenders, and an LED headlight. The high-mounted exhaust is a dead ringer for the can found on the Honda Trail, while a bash plate and luggage racks add practicality.
The whole conversion took BCM around two months, and they’ve created several examples since then. [Source]
Yamaha SRX600 by Nagai Wataru The Yamaha SRX600 isn’t considered one of the Japanese marque’s success stories—but it’s worth a look. Yamaha’s plan was to cram a punchy single-cylinder motor, derived from the XT600, into a sporty street bike. The resulting machine was awkward-looking, but fun to ride.
Outgunned by the competition at the time, the SRX’s days were numbered. But if you can get your hands on one these days, it’s a killer donor bike for a zesty café racer.
This Yamaha SRX600 belongs to a Japanese rider, Nagai Wataru, who saw its potential. His SRX café racer wears a smorgasbord of custom touches that ramp up its simple brutality while adding a touch of elegance.
The bike wears a pair of JB-Power magnesium race wheels, with a custom swingarm and a Nitron shock doing duty out back, and modified TZR250 forks up front. The tail section and front fender are from WM in Japan, while the exhaust is an Over Racing unit. They’re matched to the OEM tank, with a timeless blue livery tying the bodywork together.
Performance upgrades include a Keihin FCR carb, a modern ignition, and a Setrab oil cooler. Look closer, and you’ll spot a new chain guard, slatted side covers from WM, a custom top yoke, and Rizoma mirrors. From the Daytona dash and Robby Moto Engineering clip-ons to the new head- and taillights, there’s not an inch on this SRX that hasn’t been finessed in some way. [Source]
