We open this weekend’s proceedings with an elegant Moto Guzzi 1000 SP café racer from Italy’s North East Custom. Tamarit delivers a tastefully modded Triumph Scrambler, while a CBX-powered Honda RC166 replica crosses Mecum’s auction block. We conclude with a radically remodeled Kawasaki ZRX1200R, inspired by the AMA Superbike racers of the 80s.
Moto Guzzi 1000 SP by North East Custom In stock trim, the Moto Guzzi 1000 SP is a quirky 1980s Italian tourer. But, as custom builders have shown time and time again, it has much potential.
This gleaming Moto Guzzi 1000 SP café racer from North East Custom offers further proof. Based in Northern Italy, and run by brothers Brothers Diego and Riki Coppiello, North East Custom’s tastes are more eclectic than most. They’re happy to build brawny roadsters, rally-inspired adventure bikes, and, in the case of this Guzzi, café racers with oodles of vintage appeal.
Starting with a 1980-model 1000 SP, North East traded the bike’s bodywork for a handmade aluminum fuel tank and tail unit. A leather saddle sits between them, and the subframe has been cut and looped to abbreviate the rear end. The whole arrangement is as elegant as it is clean.
Moving to the running gear, Diego and Riki replaced the Moto Guzzi’s 80s alloy wheels with laced rims on CNC-machined hubs. The Brembo brake calipers come from a Ducati 749 and are fitted on CNC-machined adapters. North East upgraded the OEM forks with Bitubo springs and installed new Bitubo rear shocks.
The 1000 SP’s V-twin motor is fed by carbs from a Moto Guzzi 850T, and exhales via gorgeous Lafranconi exhausts. The cockpit features a custom top yoke with an integrated Motogadget speedo, new clip-ons, Biltwell Inc. grips, classic switchgear, and bar-end mirrors. The ignition has been relocated to the right-hand side of the bike, just below the seat.
Other additions include new rear-set foot controls and a burly CNC-machined transmission brace. A flush-mounted gas cap with a custom ‘key’ finishes things in style.
With gloss black paint playing off against the Moto Guzzi 1000 SP’s myriad polished bits, this is just about as good as vintage Guzzi café racers get. [North East Custom | Images by Filippo Molena]
Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE by Tamarit Motorcycles We’ve seen some wild café racer concepts roll out of the Tamarit Motorcycles workshop in Alicante, Spain, of late. But the outfit is just as happy to build a subdued—and, dare we say, practical—scrambler when the occasion calls for it. Take this neatly tweaked Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE, for example.
Tamarit’s goal on this build was to improve on the already handsome Triumph aesthetically, by making it a little more modern than retro. The brief called for a daily runner that would spend most of its time on asphalt, but still be up for random meanders down gravel roads.
Tamarit’s changes to Triumph’s big-bore scrambler are extremely well-judged, and feature a host of parts from the shop’s own catalog of bolt-on bits. Starting at the front, you’ll find a pair of Tamarit fork guards, with a Tamarit fender mounted higher up. A classic scrambler-style rock guard protects the Triumph’s OEM LED headlight.
If you’ve ridden the Triumph Scrambler 1200, you’ll know that the dimensions of its cockpit are near perfect—so Tamarit left most of the stock stuff alone here. Elsewhere, they fitted their biggest bash plate and a stainless steel chain guard.
The seat and two-into-one exhaust system are also Tamarit catalog parts, but both have been modified to suit this particular build. A custom-made number plate hangs over the side of the exhaust, offering another styling hit and a little more heat protection. The rear is neatly finished off with an enduro-style fender, complete with an integrated LED taillight, and a Tamarit tail tidy that bears a set of Motogadget turn signals to match those at the front.
The Scrambler’s livery is a testament to Tamarit’s sharp eye. It’s a mostly-black affair with alternating matte and gloss finishes. Subtle gold highlights and custom badges complement the hue of the front forks and Öhlins rear shock reservoirs.
While we’d be more than happy with a standard-issue Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE in the garage, we can’t deny that Tamarit’s custom Scrambler is streets ahead. The fact that it’s a regular runner doesn’t hurt either. [More]
Honda CBX1000 by Jim Reger Something very intriguing has just crossed Mecum’s auction block at this year’s Monterey sale. At a glance, this Honda has all the markings of a vintage race bike. But the sheer heft of the triple-stacked mufflers that sit on either side of it betrays its origins.
This is actually a 1979 Honda CBX1000, masterfully disguised as the Honda RC166; the six-cylinder 250 cc race bike that dominated the 1966 Grand Prix championship. Ridden by greats like Mike Hailwood and Jim Redman, it remains one of Honda’s most iconic race bikes. So it’s little wonder that Japanese motorcycle enthusiast Jim Reger decided to pay homage to it with his super-sized race replica.
The RC166 was quick for its time, but the 1,092 cc inline-six of the CBX1000 makes 45 more horses, even if it does weigh almost twice as much. Thankfully, Jim’s CBX has shed some of that weight.
The CBX’s new tank and tail are straight out of the RC166’s playbook, as are the handmade aluminum fairing and period-correct front fender. Jim built a new swingarm to shorten the bike’s wheelbase and trimmed the subframe, bringing the bike’s proportions more in line with the RC166’s. The velocity stacks and blacked-out six-into-six exhausts are bespoke too.
The rest of the bike is a cocktail of repurposed parts. The clocks and windscreen come from a Honda CR750, the rear wheel, brake arm, and gear shifter are off a Honda Super Hawk, and the footpegs are Honda VFR750 items. The front wheel’s twin leading shoe brake drum hub is from a Suzuki GT750, the hidden rear fender is a BSA part, and the shocks are Koni units.
Finished in the RC166’s red and silver, with yellow and green details, Jim Reger’s CBX is a cheeky blend of 60s race style and late-70s brute force. [Source | Additional info]
Kawasaki ZRX1200R by Alpha Moto Freddie Spencer’s Honda CB750 and Eddie Lawson’s Kawasaki KZ1000R epitomized the 1980s AMA Superbike era. These brutal, fire-breathing four-cylinder machines were a far cry from the sleek, high-tech, aero-laden race bikes of today—which is probably why they’re so memorable.
Both of those bikes are celebrated in this custom Kawasaki ZRX1200R from Alpha Moto. The ZRX itself was released in 2001 as a Lawson-inspired modern classic, but this one has strayed from Kawasaki’s original formula. Alpha’s client (who is now one of their business partners) wanted a modern, race-inspired custom—but he also wanted hints of Spencer’s race bike blended into the Lawson-inspired donor bike.
That sounds like a weird brief, but it’s turned out remarkably well. Alpha retained the ZRX1200R’s fuel tank but removed its distinctive bikini fairing. A custom fiberglass tailpiece sits out back, loosely modeled on the classic CB race bike but with more contemporary proportions.
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7R forks sit up front, with twin Öhlins shocks out back. Alpha upgraded the carbs with a row of Keihin FCR39s, and added a stubby exhaust muffler from Vandemon Performance. They also specced the Kawasaki with Sato Racing rear-sets, braided stainless steel brake hoses, PSR levers, and a Domino throttle.
Alpha fabricated a whole bunch of titanium parts too, including the headlight brackets, side stand, exhaust bracket, and front fender. Aluminum was chosen for the bike’s bespoke coolant reservoir, top yoke, and speedo bracket. The speedo itself is from Motogadget, the LED headlight is from Cognito Moto, and the wiring is all-new, using a Motogadget control unit and Antigravity battery.
It’s not just the ZXR’s stance and silhouette that are radically different now. Gone is the traditional Kawasaki green livery, replaced by a sporty titanium grey paint job with red accents. [Source]
