A Triumph Street Twin with Jaguar D-Type paint, a Tiger Cub with a Sammy Miller frame, and a French XS650 tracker with a Kenny Roberts vibe. The old is new again this week.
Triumph Tiger Cub by Heroes Motorcycles Browse through the back catalog of Los Angeles-based Heroes Motorcycles, and you’ll quickly notice that they are laser focused on the little things. Specializing in the restoration of the most relevant of retro-rides, their skills run deep and their commitment to craftsmanship goes deeper.
Part custom, mostly restoration, this Triumph Tiger Cub recently caught our eye. Riding on a rare Sammy Miller frame, this 200cc Cub has been given the full white glove treatment. Everything about the bike has been put on a bench, cleaned, re-plated, rebuilt or replaced. The numbers are matching and although the lads from Heroes say this Cub is race ready, my guess is the new owner has it on display—positioned a few feet from his Eames chair, single malt in hand, where he can admire it for eternity. [More]
Triumph Street Twin by deBolex Engineering DeBolex pride themselves on the unique qualities of their one-off builds and their latest, a take on Triumph’s Street Twin, is simply exquisite.
Built for a rugby star (on the rise and determined to appear even cooler in the world’s eyes), this Street Twin is more an exercise in restraint than all-out frippery. To that end, most of the internals and the ECU tuning remain untouched. What the bike does get, though, are small touches that take it to the next level.
Keihan silencers were fitted to deliver some rumble, and Hagon was tapped to sort out the suspension. Up front, the Street Twin receives a cafe conversion thanks to a new milled-aluminum yoke from Fastec Engineering; the aesthetic is echoed in the rear with a hand-formed seat and tail unit that maintains Triumph’s keyed quick release for battery/fuse access.
We don’t need an excuse to stare at the shot of the bike next to the D-Type, but it warrants mentioning that the two do share a paint code. [More]
‘Alcatraz 521’ by North Coast Custom This year’s AMD World Championships showcased an absolute bounty of builder talent. We’ve already featured the winner on these pages, and the runner-up wasn’t too shabby either. And now we’ve skipped a few podium spots to show you what fifth place looks like too.
‘Alcatraz 521’ comes from Francesco Bella of Italy’s North Coast Custom. It’s named after San Francisco’s island prison because Francesco was born on the same day that famed escapee Frank Morris first checked in.
At this point I’d normally tell you what the build began life as, and what parts were poached from where. But in this case that story doesn’t exist to tell: Alcatraz is entirely bespoke. Everything, including the reverse mounted, 521cc thumper of an engine, was machined by Francesco and his team. The only off-the-shelf parts are the tires, some wiring, the piston, a carburetor and a spark plug.
This is why Francesco decided to maintain the natural finishes of the machined steel and highlight them with hand carved wood for the tail, tank and headlight. The details and engineering are laid bare for all to see. A gutsy move that we think paid off. [North Coast Custom]
Condor A350 by BevelTech This exquisite piece of machinery comes from Australia’s Tony Hannagan, who runs BevelTech Engineering. Originally a Swiss military bike with a Ducati engine, very little remains stock on this Condor.
The engine was rebuilt completely, with a port job, increased compression and a high-flow carb. This upped the Duc’s punch to around 29hp at the wheel (compared to 15 or so in stock form). From there, Tony’s mission—whether he admits it or not—was to create the prettiest rolling chassis the world may ever know.
The frame is completely bespoke, and houses fuel in its enlarged top tube. The motor is hung from a minimalist perch and, were it not for the obvious discomfort, I dare say many of us would happily swing a leg over the bike sans bodywork.
Of course, the bodywork does exist—and it’s expertly crafted as well. With only 216 pounds to move around, this is one Condor that will most certainly fly. [More]
Yamaha XS650 by Le Garage de Félix It’s impossible to speak about flat track racing and the customs it inspires without a wink and a nod to Kenny Roberts. Before he showed the world how to corner at the track, King Kenny was flinging mud at Harleys as he tore by them in the early 70s on his Yamaha XS650.
The wink and nod this time around comes from France, in the form of a flat tracker build from Antoine Florio’s Le Garage de Félix. Antoine wanted to pay authentic homage, but also needed a bike that could slither through a city as quickly as it slid around in the dirt. So you’ll notice niceties such as the integrated lighting in the number board, the frenched LED taillight, and a front floating disc.
The rear subframe was re-engineered and a new set of shocks was mounted to deliver a less relaxed stance. The lower cradle of the frame was eliminated, shedding unwanted weight and making the motor a stressed member, too. A new front end was fitted and Motogadet provided the signaling, a speedo/tach unit and the minimalist switchgear.
While King Kenny would have asked for some yellow and black on his bike, we’re digging the subdued seventies vibe Antoine is throwing down. If you’re interested, the bike is for sale. [More]