We’re going from the sublime to the ridiculous this week, kicking off with a stunning Triton from Italy. We’ve also got a new XR1 from Bottpower, a $60,000 electric bike from the company formerly known as Confederate, and a long-lost Vyrus … all 50cc of it.
Bott XR1 ‘White Carbon’ We’ve been enamored with the Spanish outfit Bottpower since their early days. The company designs and manufactures kits to radically transform Buell motorcycles. So it’s always exciting to see their parts being put to good use.
Bottpower built this ‘Bott’ to order, using a Buell Ulysses and their XR1 kit. The kit includes a new frame backbone, which the carbon fiber body parts attach to. This particular XR1 build features a few customer-specific considerations too.
For starters, Bottpower trimmed the tail section number boards down, then finished the pieces in a mix of carbon fiber and white. There’s a set of Buell 1125 forks up front, and an Öhlins TTX shock out back. The OEM wheels and brakes are still in play.
Bottpower also installed a Torque Hammer silencer, a Motogadget dash, and Rizoma turn signals. The triple clamp’s a Bottpower kit part, and the handlebars are from Easton. It’s a cracking reworking of the awkward ‘adventure’ Buell, and we sure hope the new owner plans to ride it in anger. [More]
Triton by Stile Italiano Who doesn’t love a good Triton? And this Triton from Stile Italiano is more than just good—it’s fantastico.
The configuration is a quintessential Triton match-up: a 1960s Triumph T120 pre-unit motor, wedged in a 1964 slimline Norton featherbed frame with custom alloy brackets. The engine’s running a single Mikuni TM flat slide carb, sitting on a custom-built two-into-one inlet. The Italian specialists Virex whipped up the classy twin exhausts.
All of the bodywork is custom, shaped by hand from aluminum. And all of it—from the fairing, through the tank to the tail—has been welded together to form a monocoque unit. The welds have been smoothed to invisibility, and everything’s wrapped in a stylish black, white and gold livery.
Finishes are top shelf. The saddle’s suede, and has a recessed Monza cap that opens into the oil reservoir. There’s a Smith’s tacho, and Tomaselli, Domino and Amal parts all over the cockpit. The rear shocks are from Falcon, and the front drum brake is a replica Ceriani magnesium drum. We’ll be losing sleep over this one for quite some time.
The Curtiss Zeus Electric Motorcycle Remember Confederate Motorcycles? They’re now called Curtiss Motorcycles. And remember the weird V-Twins they used to make? They now make weird electric motorcycles; this is their first prototype, the Zeus.
Love or hate the design, you can’t deny that it’s progressive. Both the prototype and production-ready versions feature a machined aluminum monocoque structure, wrapped in carbon fiber. There’s a girder type front suspension system, and a cantilever mono shock setup out back, with adjustability at both ends.
Curtiss are keeping hush on the battery and motor specs, but they’ve teased some figures. They’re claiming an output of 140 kW (equivalent to 190 hp), and 145 ft lbs of torque, with a 0-6 mph time of 2.1 seconds and a range of 280 miles. If the final specs match those, the Zeus will be one of the fastest electric motorcycles on the market.
It’ll also be one of the most expensive. The Zeus is coming in both Cafe Racer (above) and Bobber (top) designations, both costing $60,000 with a $6,000 deposit. Production is slated to begin next year, but if you’re antsy, Curtiss’ order books are already open. And if you just want a closer look, the Zeus is currently on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum, as part of their Electric Revolution exhibit, curated by Paul d’Orléans. [More]
Moto Guzzi Le Mans by Side Rock Cycles Hardcore Guzzisti probably don’t like the idea of classic Guzzis being chopped into café racers, but we’re not shedding any tears over this 1986 Le Mans 1000. That’s partly because the 1986 Le Mans wasn’t particularly pretty, and partly because this example from Side Rock Cycles in the UK, is.
Side Rock got the bike in a non-running, ‘needs TLC’ state. Their customer had bought it with the alloy tank, seat, mudguard and some Motogadget bits already installed, but nothing worked properly. The motor and transmission were solid though—it was the wiring that was causing all the headaches. So Side Rock ripped it all out and started over.
A new under-seat tray now holds the wiring components, along with a small gel battery. Side Rock also fitted LED lighting, and a machine top triple clamp with a recessed Motogadget speedo. Other upgrades include Maxton suspension, Tommaselli clip-ons and Tarozzi rear-sets.
‘Aquila Nera’ (Italian for ‘Black Eagle’) also got a new black and silver paint job, and a fresh powder coat on the frame. Most of the frame’s now silver—except the lower rails, which are black to blend with the motor. Their customer saw the revamped Le Mans for the first time at the MCN Ally Pally London show…and loved it. [More]
Vyrus 50 C32T Vyrus’ motorcycles are rare, exclusive and pricey. But they’re also engineering marvels; made-to-order hub-centered-steered machines, usually powered by big Ducati V-Twins. But did you know Vyrus also made a 50 cc minimoto? Us neither.
Abhi over at the Bike-urious website came across the mini-Vyrus just the other day, when someone emailed him trying to sell one. So he immediately reached out to Vyrus to confirm that it was legit—and apparently it is.
Vyrus reportedly originally designed the 50 C32T for the Italian minimoto championship. The 50 in the name refers to the capacity, ‘C3’ means ‘cc’ and ‘2T’ denotes that it’s a two stroke. Just like its big brothers, the 50 C32T features a hub-centere-steered design, but it only makes 13 horsepower.
Vyrus released the 50 C32T in 2005, and only ever made eight. There’s no word on what the MSRP was back then, but it was apparently more than anyone really wanted to pay for a 50 cc minimoto. So it’s for sale now, in Portland, Oregon, for $9,750 (or nearest offer).
Tempted to buy it as a workshop display piece? [More]