There’s a vintage vibe to this week’s selection. Going under the grinder are a Honda CB750, a BMW K75, and an SR400 and XS750 from Yamaha. Plus a Czech-made Cezeta scooter with a hidden secret…
Yamaha SR400 by Omega Racer Having a reliable supply of parts for a custom build is an obvious advantage. But you also need the skills and knowledge to make everything work together.
Markus Pintzinger clearly has the right head and hands for the job. He’s the man behind Omega Racer, a Bangkok-based online shop selling parts for Kawasaki W650s, Triumphs and Yamaha SRs. The ‘Sunmaster 14’ is Markus’ own SR400, and every detail has been sweated over to create a track-focused homage to the racing bikes of the 60s and 70s.
It took Markus 18 months to put Sunmaster 14 together. The aluminum fairing, tank and seat cowl were all custom made, and there’s a diamond-stitched seat from the craftsmen at neighboring shop The Sports Custom. Markus plied his own hands at the detail pieces like the leather tank strap, the brass badges and the laser-etched Plexiglas fender. Handling and horsepower were also given some extra attention, and an external oil cooler was fitted to cope with Bangkok’s dog days.
Honda CB750 by Clockwork Motorcycles Squat, dark and sexy: This is the only way to describe ‘Phantom,’ the latest CB750 to roll out of Clockwork Motorcycles’ Montreal, Quebec workshop. The lines, coloring and proportions on Samuel Guertin’s newest creation exemplify his minimalist approach—but we hear it took maximum effort to get to this level.
The bike arrived with an engine DOA, a tank riddled with holes, and years of ‘patina’ on every nut and bolt. So the engine was completely rebuilt, including new pistons, rings and an exhaustive machining of the valve seats.
Fully stripped, the frame was modified and de-burred before joining the shortened forks and wheels for a trip to the powdercoater. The OE Honda fuel tank was also brought back to factory quality, but almost everything else has been swapped out, modified or binned. Progressive Suspension shocks were installed in the rear with new springs fitted up front, while a new battery box was crafted and all of the wiring has been fed through a Motogadget m-Unit to keep things clean and functional.
Cezeta 506 Electric Scooter I’ll be the first to admit that electric bikes will never be my thing. And scooters seem to park themselves in that same section of my brain. And yet, as soon as the Cezeta 506 sizzled my retinas, I started to giggle with delight.
It’s impossible not to be smitten with the post-modern monocoque design on this soon-to-be released homage to Cezeta’s past. Unlike the 501 and 502 from the days of Elvis, the Czech-made 506 won’t suffer the handling woes of having a fuel tank perched over its front wheel. It’ll be powered by a three-phase brushless electric motor mounted in the rear hub that will help this silent puddle-cutter hit highway speeds.
Range is expected to be around 150 kilometers, but will vary should you opt to crank performance to 11 7 with an included Cezeta app. The 506 will feature an onboard charger to allow quick and easy top ups, and begins shipping in fall to tree-hugging mods and Po-Mo nerds like me. [More]
BMW K75 ‘Kappa’ by Chris King The BMW K-Series is no stranger to the cafe racer treatment. I’m still drooling over Philipp Wulk and Mathias Pittner’s two K100s, because they raised the bar for ‘flying brick’ customs. But this new build from automotive designer Chris King may have nudged that bar a touch higher.
Working with a three-cylinder K75, Chris’ bike started with a rough sketch that quickly came to life with a gorgeous custom trellis frame. Then the tank was modeled using foam and clay, creating a unique and lustworthy ‘split’ design. The horizontal, back-link style rear suspension is a one-off unit that looks like it would ride on the firm side, so the padding on the humped cafe seat is probably welcome. The entire build took Chris approximately one year to complete. [More]
Yamaha XS750 by Al Baljeu As soon as the paint dries on the ‘46’ adorning the number plates of any custom Yamaha, a light goes on at Bike EXIF HQ. Eyes squint to see whether the anointed bike has the go to back up its show.
This latest tribute to The Doctor comes to us from Al Baljeu of Sarnia, Ontario, who used a Photoshop concept and CAD rendering to keep a keen eye on his Yamaha’s dimensions and proportions during the build. The stock Yammie tank was lengthened 3½ inches and a new subframe was crafted to give the XS750 an aggressive stance. To up the handling ante, the front end now features the forks and calipers from a Honda VFR750, and an R6 was tapped for the rear binders. Al hand-sewed the seat with his vintage Singer machine and molded all of the fiberglass bits himself. In fact, all the fabrication was carried out in Al’s two-car garage, and we figure he’s done a bang up job.
Oh, and as to whether this cafe can race…90 pounds were shed during the build, and that triple sings a touch louder, thanks to a 3-into-1 header and velocity stacks. [More]