A Vincent Black Shadow built from scratch, a CB650 built for just $1,250, a shed-built Moto Guzzi Le Mans, and an amazing timelapse video of a sandcast CB750 build.
The $1,250 Honda CB650 Bob Ranew of Redeemed Cycles decided to see if he could build a killer custom for next to no money. “I’m amazed at the money some people invest in custom bikes,” he says. “It’s all good, but there’s also a world where you can create something cool on a limited budget.”
Bob picked up a beat-up CB650 for $300 and started by grafting on a couple of critical CB750 bits. He replaced the tank with an $80 eBAY find, and the forks came from Craigslist for the princely sum of $10. After taking the tank back to raw metal and rebuilding the forks, Bob installed a taller pair of rear shocks that were kicking around his shop.
The wheels are sandblasted originals, Scotch-Brited for a brushed effect, and Bob scoured the chromework to get a matching finish. He built the seat unit himself, using an $18 scrap of leather, and then spent a little more cash on new Shinko 705 tires, a set of Renthal bars, and some budget mini gauges and grips.
Of course, few of us have Bob’s workshop skills—but it’s still a mighty impressive achievement. [More]
A ‘new’ Vincent Black Shadow It’s hard to believe that Vincent was only in operation for 27 years. The English company had a remarkable impact on the motorcycling world, and six decades after the Hertfordshire factory closed, its reputation is still intact.
The Black Shadow is at the heart of that reputation, which was embellished by its starring role in Hunter S. Thompson’s book Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas. That reputation (and scarcity) means that prices are out of the reach of regular buyers, but that didn’t stop Australian Simon Leake from building a ‘new’ one.
Simon was entranced by the Vincents in a neighbor’s shed when he was a young lad, and his passion for the brand stayed with him into adulthood. After a brief dalliance with a Black Shadow that proved to have starting issues, he decided to build his own.
With the help of local Vincent guru Terry Prince and then John Mossey Classics in the UK, Simon has achieved his dream. The engine is a modernized version of the iconic V-twin, bumped up to 1,200cc, and cradled in a billet alloy oil-in-frame chassis. MotorRetro in Sydney handled the bodywork and the black and silver paint scheme is by Dutchy’s Motorcycle Paintwork. Return Of The Café Racers has the story.
Moto Guzzi Le Mans by Paul Buxton The annual Bike Shed show kicks off this coming weekend in London, and shed builder Paul Buxton will be there for the third year running. Paul runs an estate agency in Poole, but he spends his down time restoring and customizing his favorite motorcycle: the Moto Guzzi Le Mans.
This is his third Le Mans custom, and it’s based on 1976-model donor. It’s also clean enough to eat off. There’s not a fastener, gasket or seal that hasn’t been replaced, and the motor itself looks factory fresh.
There are hints of the original Le Mans in the new aluminum fairing and tail, but overall this Guzzi cuts a much cleaner line. And since Paul’s wife, Debbie, has started tagging along on his rides, the leather seat’s been extended onto the tail hump.
Under the hood is a new wiring loom running off a Motogadget M-unit, and Paul’s upgraded the suspension with YSS shocks. Everything—from the mustard paint job to the classic reverse cone silencers—has been executed with supreme taste and restraint. [More]
Super Soco Ducati Corse electric scooter One of the strangest rumors to emerge over the past few weeks concerned a three-way between Ducati and an Aussie and a Chinese company. Now it turns out that Ducati has signed a two-year licensing deal with the Australian scooter brand Vmoto, which sells Chinese-made Super Soco electric scooters.
They’re premium two-wheelers that are fairly well known in Asia but unheard of outside—until now, of course.
It means we’re soon going to be seeing a Ducati Corse-branded electric scooter, not only whizzing down the MotoGP pitlanes, but also in showrooms. There’s no word on which countries are getting the ‘Super Soco CUx Ducati Corse’, but pricing has been set high at 2,990 euros—about US$3,340.
The Super Soco sports a recently developed Bosch motor and a range of 150 km (90 miles). It charges overnight via a plug-in socket, and has a trick LED headlight that gives 75 m (240 feet) of illumination. One for the hardcore urban Ducatista … maybe. [Via]
1969 Honda CB750 Sandcast Restoration Timelapse The iconic CB750 needs no introduction here. And neither does The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, the swanky Concours d’Elegance held in California every year.
The 2019 event was held a few weeks ago, and the ‘Best In Show’ winner was this amazing sandcast CB750 built by Sam Roberts of Ujeni Motors.
Sam bought his 1969 CB750 from the original owner, who parked it in his barn in 1990. “Amazingly, he had not swapped any parts on the entire bike; every ultra-rare part from the round oil filter cover to the “28” carb caps were still on the bike,” Sam says.
Unfortunately corrosion had taken hold, so it was time for a full restoration. And luckily for us, Sam decided to film it. Fast forward to 1:07 for the good stuff. [Via]