If you’re still sad about Harley never bringing the Bronx streetfighter to market, California’s Whiplash Speed Company has a custom Harley-Davidson Pan America that might just scratch your itch. Next, we feature a battle-ready Honda Dominator, a Yamaha Scorpio SX225 from Bali, and a 1972 Kawasaki H2-R with a racing pedigree.
Harley-Davidson Pan America by Whiplash Speed Company Whiplash founder Carlos Pena got into the parts and accessories game by taking a grinder and welder to his Dyna Street Bob. Now specializing in slick custom parts for all kinds of Harley-Davidsons, the Southern Californian company has just built what Harley themselves couldn’t—a custom Pan America resembling the H-D Bronx concept from some years ago.
When the Bronx concept was unveiled in 2019, we (and many others) thought it was a step in the right direction for the Bar and Shield. Its compact, modern street bike design was on track to attract younger buyers (something that H-D desperately needed). But a new corporate strategy saw Harley suddenly diverge from the Bronx, much to literally everyone’s dismay.
We’re not sure if the Bronx was the inspiration behind Whiplash’s Pan America build, but it certainly fills that gap. Starting with a 2021-model Pan Am, the crew threw out most of the stock bits and pieces.
A pair of Dymag 17” wheels with Dunlop Q5 tires set the decidedly street-biased stance. A carbon front fender was installed, along with a pair of Brembo brakes (with the ABS deleted). The stock suspension was re-valved to better suit street riding.
The front section is kept clean with a racing number plate, also made from carbon fiber. The stock electrics are still integrated into the ECU, with the bike’s OEM TFT dash sitting in a new housing, above a new steering damper and ProTaper bars.
The tank shroud and custom tail section are carbon fiber too, with a custom Whiplash seat nestled snugly betwixt the two. The waspish tail, slick tire, and Akrapovič muffler highlight how long the Pan America swingarm is, but we are seriously digging the proportions. A brake light from the Whiplash catalog is ingeniously integrated into the back of the left-hand side panel.
With sharp lines that ooze racing style, Whiplash’s Pan America is right up there with our favorite Harley builds. [Whiplash Speed Company]
Honda Dominator by Matteucci Garage The Honda Dominator is a go-anywhere, do-anything kind of bike. While it might not set the world on fire with blistering specs, it’s all but guaranteed to get you where you need to go. This is exactly why Marco from Matteucci Garage picked up this 1989 Honda Dominator—and then turned it into what he’s nicknamed the Honda ‘Raptor.’
“The Honda Raptor was born as an idea for an economical motorcycle for carefree enduro riding,” says Marco. “Evidently, something went wrong and we got carried away. The idea was to get a good base, throw decent suspension on, and go have fun.”
A Honda CRF front end was bolted on, with a new 320 mm brake disc, a new caliper, and a Brembo master cylinder. A dirt bike-style front fender was added too, along with the CRF’s lower fork guards.
A KOSO LED headlight on a custom bracket lights up the night, helped by a pair of fork-mounted spotlights. New bars on custom risers are adorned with Motogadget switchgear, heated grips, and Circuit brush guards. A new windscreen hides the Quadlock phone mount and the Motogadget Motoscope mini speedometer, which is embedded into the handlebar clamp.
Marco replaced the stock fuel tank with an aftermarket 23-liter [6.1-gallon] Acerbis unit, perfect for long days in the saddle. The custom side panels, which resemble the shape of a velociraptor, give the bike its name.
The stock seat was trimmed at the rear and covered in custom vinyl to match the new paint scheme and the Mosko Moto saddlebags. The Moskos are protected from the exhaust with custom aluminum heat shields, integrated into the rear rack.
A Keihin FCR41 carb was slotted in to put a bit more pep in the Dominator’s step. The factory airbox was left in place for maximum useability and reliability but the bike does exhale a little easier through a new exhaust system. The entire bike was rewired from scratch and there isn’t a thing on the Raptor that hasn’t had a fresh coat of paint.
We love purposeful adventure builds, and the only thing we’d add to Marco’s Dominator is a few layers of mud. [Matteucci Garage]
Yamaha Scorpio SSX225 by Deus Bali The scramblers and street trackers built by Deus ex Machina’s Canggu, Bali-based team generally see their fair share of use. But the Yamaha Scorpio SX225 pictured here has a more colorful history than most.
It was originally built seven years ago for a member of the Deus Bali crew and used extensively to get to and from work, easily nipping through the packed Southeast Asia streets. That is until it was stolen.
“In the last days of November 2022, a swaggering, nimble-fingered Englishman brazenly rode it out of the backyard compound at Deus (but that’s a whole other story),” reads Deus’ blog. “Suffice it to say, the pommy pilferer was apprehended within twenty-four hours and ended up behind bars, but the bike was also locked up.”
The police kept the bike as evidence for four months, so when the team finally got it back, it was in a sorry state. A spare build slot opened at the shop last year, so the tired Scorpio was wheeled onto a workbench for a new lease on life.
The bike was stripped down, with the engine (which was already bored out) receiving new rings, a rebuilt carb, new seals, and fresh paint. A new, lowered subframe was fabricated and bolted on with a new leather seat, and a three-in-one lighting setup was integrated into the rear loop. The front and rear fenders were made by hand from aluminum.
Hurricane handlebars and gum grips were imported from Japan, and the exhaust was changed from a high-exit scrambler pipe to a low-slung street exhaust. Mini LED turn signals hang off the front and rear of the bike, with the LED headlight mounted on custom brackets. The polished rims and chunky Shinko tires were still in good condition, but the team decided to replace the brakes and stainless steel brake lines.
A new surfboard rack (which might be a legal requirement in Bali) was fabricated, along with new tank badges. The reversed logos were the happy outcome of a manufacturing error—but we think they look perfect. Deus Bali’s in-house painter took care of the British Racing Green, expertly laid over the fenders and tank.
This Scorpio has certainly had its ups and downs, but the silver lining here is that it looks better than ever. [More]
For sale: 1972 Kawasaki H2-R In the early 1970s, the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) set a 750cc limit for racing bikes. This led to the rise of Formula 750—a thrilling series that eventually gained world championship status.
The bike you see here is a 1972 Kawasaki H2-R, specifically built for the racing series. Formula 750 bikes had to use engines taken from production bikes, so at its heart is an air-cooled, two-stroke, three-cylinder lump from an H2 Mach IV road bike. Paired with a custom frame taken from the Kawasaki H1-R Grand Prix bike, it seemed like a recipe for success.
Despite its prowess, Kawasaki struggled to clinch a Daytona win with the H2-R—or its successor, the liquid-cooled KR750. However, the H2-R prototype, notably improved for high-speed handling by a custom frame made by Randy Hall, showed promise by winning at the Talladega 200 and the Ontario 200 (ridden by Yvon Duhamel and Part Smart, respectively).
This bike is believed to be one of six H2-Rs built in 1972 and features one of the last wide-port engines used by Kawasaki. Its current owner purchased the bike in November 2004, with the previous owner having bought the bike from Randy Hall himself. The bike went through a sympathetic restoration, including a full engine rebuild.
The bike retains its original magnesium hubs and engine covers and even has original paint on the tail and fuel tank. The tank also wears several signatures from notable people from the bike’s past, including Kenny Roberts and Giacomo Agostini. It’s been kept in a temperature-controlled environment as part of the current owner’s collection and comes with an extensive history file.
The H2-R is being offered for sale at Bonhams, with an eye-watering price guide of $148,000 to $198,000. Being such an important piece of Kawasaki’s racing history we’re sure the new owner will be proud—regardless of how much lighter their wallet is after the sale.
