A classic Dunstall CB750 up for sale, a wild Honda Monkey minibike from Thailand, and a BMW R80 wearing the iconic M Division colors. Check out the machines that revved our engines this week.
BMW R80 by Ellaspede There’s a simple elegance that permeates many of the builds coming to us from Ellaspede. Their creations always celebrate function, without hiding it behind form. That tradition continues with this latest build, a street tracker conversion of a BMW R80.
‘EB288’ entered the Brisbane, Australia garage with simple instructions: create a useable street tracker, highlight the airhead engine, and celebrate BMW’s M line of Ultimate Driving Machines. The 1986 airhead was promptly stripped of trivial bits and Ellaspede’s own R-series subframe was bolted on, complete with a custom seat and tail.
Next, the Beemer’s tank was swapped for a slimmer unit from a Yamaha RD400. Up front an Ellaspede triple clamp was added, and topped with a set of in-house flat track bars. Obviously the iconic M colors were of primary importance—and the paint execution is exemplary, right down to the striped head covers. [More]
Dunstall CB750 for sale Honda’s CB750 has become ubiquitous with the term ‘cafe racer.’ The sheer number of CBs gracing the interwebs and social media suggests that there are no untouched examples left. And yet, new builds keep turning up.
This battleship grey Dunstall CB750 is currently gracing the showroom floor at Brooklyn, NY’s Northeast Sportscar. The list of upgrades is impressive and the package, although not perfect, captures the raw nostalgia of the Ace Cafe’s original home built patrons. The Dunstall tank features twin chambers to handle both fuel and oil, while the frame has been shortened and de-tabbed.
The front forks were rebuilt before being topped with a shaved triple tree; clip-ons and a steering damper are fitted. The wires were organized in a new custom harness and the airbox removed to show off those Lynx-topped carbs. As for the builders, all we know is that a ‘Honda enthusiast’ spun the spanners here.
Ducati Monster S2R by Bernard Mont You don’t need a trained eye to be lured in by M. Mont’s Ducati Monster. Hell, you don’t even need 20/20 vision to glom that something different and unique is going on.
If you’re familiar with Mont’s work, you’ll know his obsession with the Difazio front end runs deep. He’s already impressed us with his engineering chops on the remarkable TT3 Difazio 900 SS, but his quest for suspended perfection did not end there.
The resulting eye candy may not be quite as sweet as the SS, but its flavor is indubitably addictive. To put that front end through its paces, the S2R’s L-Twin was swapped for a 1,000cc unit with re-profiled cams and an ECU flash. From there, the modifications are less intensive. The subframe was shortened for clean look and the front cowl was transformed to a Ronin-esque race plate. [More]
Honda Monkey by G-Craft Spend more than five minutes perusing the website of Thailand-based G-Craft, and you’ll soon end up in your garage, clearing a tiny corner for one of their funtastic minibikes. To say G-Craft expounds the notion that good things come in small packages would be an understatement. And this Honda Monkey might be their exclamation point.
Working with their own in-house frame and swingarm unit, everything was treated to a Cerakote coating. The high temperature ceramic finish, typically used in firearms and exhaust components, is extremely durable and can be applied in as thin as a 25 micron coat to deliver its high luster finish.
It gives this little Honda Monkey a gorilla in a Saville Row suit aesthetic that any one of us would be happy swing a leg over. At the right angle, the tank looks as if it could double as Lord Vader’s helmet, and while I doubt that the thumper-mill could outrun the dark side, it’d be a blast to try. [More]
Kawasaki KZ440 by GT-Moto There is a lot to love about the class of builds coming out of GT-Moto. The bikes created by Sofi Tsingos are stunning to behold, and the stories behind them rival Hallmark for misted eyes (GT-Moto donates a portion of all profits to cancer research).
Take Loryn Thompson’s KZ440, which had just about given up the ghost. It was barely able to stay running, let alone get out of its own way. After a conversation with Sofi, she let GT-Moto restore her first bike—rather than plunk down an equal amount on something new.
Knowing that Sofi’s attention to detail is rivaled only by her growing skill, it was an easy decision. Christened ‘Little Rat,’ Loryn’s Kawi has been completely rebuilt to an exacting standard. The bone line is impeccably straight and the matched rounds at the rear subframe and wheel indicate a master’s touch. The details only get better from there, so be sure to check them out. [More]