We open this weekend’s proceedings with a neo-retro kit for the Yamaha Ténéré 700, before changing gears and profiling a bulked-up Honda Monkey from Indonesia. The second half of this week’s Speed Read focuses on boutique concept bikes; the all-electric Ichiban, and the turbocharged Langen LS12 Turbo.
Yamaha Ténéré 700 kit by Holy Moly Motorcycles As adventure bikes go, the Yamaha Ténéré 700 isn’t the prettiest—but it’s not the ugliest either. Looks aside, the proper 21-inch front wheel, long-travel suspension, and delightful Yamaha cross-plane twin-cylinder engine will have anyone grinning like a lunatic.
One such beaming beau is Gareth Charlton, a name you might recognize as a London Bike Shed original and Bike EXIF contributor. Gareth keeps a close eye on the custom world—and that eye was recently drawn to a custom Yamaha Ténéré 700 modified by Holy Moly Motorcycles.
Francisco, the big boss at Holy Moly, had recently injected some retro style into his own Ténéré 700 and developed a kit. Gareth was immediately smitten. A few Instagram exchanges later, Francisco and a friend hopped on a plane from Portugal to London with a full Holy Moly Ténéré kit tucked safely in the hold.
The kit consists of a few choice aftermarket parts and some 3D-printed goodies. Starting up front is a high-mount fender, paired with an extension to cover the lower half of the front wheel. A classic Acerbis Elba headlight kit, converted to LED, is clamped onto the front forks, with a 3D-printed mount relocating the factory dashboard to the handlebars.
The radiator guard, tiny LED turn signals, and turn signal brackets are also supplied by Holy Moly. Beyond the kit, Gareth’s T7 sports R-Tech rear and side panels, a tail tidy, and a Camel ADV Rally exhaust.
The crash bars and bash plate are from Outback Motortek and the handguards are from Barkbusters. An OEM Yamaha rally seat replaces the original, and a set of Michelin Anakee Wild tires wrap around the hoops. [Holy Moly Motorcycles]
A Holy Moly decal kit from King Stickers gets this neo-retro dual-sport over the finish line. The Yamaha Ténéré 700 is not only visually lighter now, but physically lighter too, since over 10 kilos [22 pounds] of stuff was removed.
Not bad for an afternoon’s work with a few mates and some hand tools.
Honda Monkey 125 by Treasure Garage Led by Imanuel ‘Nuel’ Prokoso, Indonesia’s Treasure Garage is one of the best custom shops the country has to offer. The Balinese workshop pumps out a steady stream of custom bikes year-round, which owners and onlookers can enjoy forever. For their latest project, the team decided to transform a Honda Monkey into a metaphorical giant.
As with all Treasure Garage builds, the process started with an über-refined 3D render of the bike. From there, the project began in earnest. After tracking down a suitable donor bike, the factory bodywork was shaved off and custom aluminum body parts were made from scratch.
The front fender was modeled off a full-size sportbike and replicated in Monkey Scale. A pair of wheel covers lend a sense of weight at each end of the bike, as does the custom headlight grille.
The black intake covers (under the tank) are artfully designed, and house custom turn signals on their leading edges. The belly pan is another custom item and we love the oversized cooling inlet behind the front wheel.
The subframe was chopped, kicked up, and looped to accept the custom black leather seat, and new side covers were fashioned in the same style as the belly pan. The stunning rear wheel hugger is a standout part; the integrated LED turn signals match those on the intake cover, while the mounting brackets add a touch of elegance.
While the belly pan hides most of the custom exhaust, it can’t muffle the sound of the twin slash-cut tips. But even without a raucous soundtrack to announce its arrival, this Honda Monkey is hard to miss. [Source]
The Langen LS12 Turbo In 2021, Langen Motorcycles released something we hadn’t seen in a few decades—a brand-new, road-going, two-stroke motorcycle. Limited to just 100 units, the Langen Two Stroke is made by hand in the company’s Ashton-in-Makerfield workshop, just outside of Manchester in the UK.
Following on from their bonkers smoker, Langen Motorcycles is back with another concept. Langen aims to bring iconic designs and engineering from the past and mix them with the latest technology, materials, and manufacturing processes. So the next logical step for them is forced induction.
Meet the turbocharged Langen LS12 Turbo. The LS in the name stands for Lightspeed, which is a new four-stroke powerplant from Langen that will soon be going into production. The 1,190 cc V-twin pumps out an already-respectable 185 hp and has been designed with turbo-charging in mind.
90% of the LS12 Lightspeed’s construction is being used for the LS12 Turbo. After the big snail is slapped onto the LS12, power figures will rise to over 300 hp. And yes—this is Langen’s attempt to claim the title of ‘world’s fastest production motorcycle.’
The high-tech twin is encased in a trellis frame and is suspended by a gorgeous swingarm and an Öhlins front end. The twin rear shocks are also from Öhlins, and there is a smattering of top-shelf components at every corner of the bike. The curvaceous bodywork is paired with LED lighting which is contained in milled aluminum housings that look more like jewelry than motorcycle parts.
There is no word on price, but seeing as the Lightspeed starts at over $46,000 (£37,000), expect the LS12 Turbo to eclipse that figure. If any of this sounds appealing, reach out to Langen Motorcycles sooner rather than later—LS12 Lightspeed numbers are limited to just 185 units, and the LS12 Turbo will be even more exclusive. [Source]
Ichiban electric motorcycle concept by Ivan Zhurba What do you get when you task an award-winning industrial designer with a love for 80s anime with designing a motorcycle? The short answer is this—the Ichiban electric motorcycle concept by Ivan Zhurba.
The design is Zhurba’s modern interpretation of the famous red motorcycle ridden by Shotaro Kaneda in the 1980s anime Akira. You might have to squint to see the resemblance, but at least the color, headlight, and wheel covers are familiar.
The Ichiban is a pure EV, so most of the construction is hidden beneath the futuristic bodywork. What we can see is a set of upside-down forks and a solid handlebar with a 1960s Honda Dream vibe. The cantilevered seat and ‘tank’ section seem to be suspended above the large battery box, so we assume the motor is housed somewhere in the black swingarm.
As for figures, the Ichiban promises to deliver. Powered by a 45 kW dual-motor system, it will theoretically propel riders to 100 km/h [62 mph] in just 3.5 seconds. It has a claimed range of around 250 km [155 miles] and will apparently be able to achieve a 70% charge in just 30 minutes.
Standout features include the turbofan wheels, the single rectangular LED projector headlight, and the sneaky front turn signals, integrated into the front section of the bodywork. The designers are also working on delivering a ‘Godzilla’ mode, where maximum torque and power will be channeled through the motors for ten full seconds. Electric motors have gobs of torque, so the bike will have traction control (and ABS) to help riders not spin out.
The Ichiban has been in development for a few years now, so we hope Zhurba can get it over the line and into production. Sure, the design won’t appeal to everyone, but we reckon it’ll find its niche. [Source | Via]
