This week’s selection of custom bikes is all about the finishes. We have a Yamaha WR155 scrambler with a classic ‘speed block’ livery, a Honda CRF450 with art by a four-year-old, and a Hero Honda Hunk café racer with a livery inspired by single malt whiskey. Pier City Cycles brings it home, delivering a BMW R nineT with a paint job you could drown in.
Yamaha WR155 by Katros Garage With the enduring popularity of scramblers and trackers, it’s a wonder we haven’t seen more manufacturers building modern classics based on dirt bikes from their pasts. That may have been on the minds of the crew at Katros Garage when they created this stunning custom Yamaha WR155 scrambler.
The little Yamaha is an Indonesian favorite, but Katros was keen to get away from the modern, angular, plastic bodywork, in favor of something a little more classy.
Built for a customer who works for the lubricant company Ipone, the bike was inspired by the original Fantic Caballero 125 and the Yamaha XT500 Dakar bikes. It was made to be ridden too, with the customer requesting a scrambler that can commute and play with equal enthusiasm.
The WR155’s tubular steel frame has been draped in custom bodywork, all made in-house at Katros Garage. The classic-style tank, radiator covers, and side panels suit the bike perfectly, as do the custom seat and new fenders.
Amazingly, the frame has not been altered in any way. We don’t think the customer would ever want to go back to the stock bodywork, but it’s nice for them to have the option. All the lights are new, with LEDs brightly lighting the way.
The bike wears dual-purpose tires, wrapped around new rims that allow for chunkier rubber and suit the tracker style. The rear suspension and linkage were upgraded to suit the customer, and the handlebars were repositioned for improved ergonomics and control.
The wonderful blue paint—augmented with classic Yamaha ‘speed blocks’ and Ipone graphics—is the cherry on the top. Finally, a GP7 Seca exhaust system ensures that the beautiful tracker turns heads wherever it goes.
Katros Garage is proud as punch of this build, and so they should be. [Katros Garage]
Honda CRF450 by Giorgio De Angelis While nothing is better than hitting the road and eating up miles and scenery, it’s hard to be away from your family for extended periods. So when Giorgio De Angelis signed up for La Ruta del Nabab 2024, he thought he’d take a little bit of home with him on the journey.
La Ruta del Nabab is a nine-day, 930-plus-mile tour of the Moroccan desert—so a more off-road-oriented bike is an appropriate choice for traversing endless dunes. Giorgio chose his 2018 Honda CRF450RX, but since the rally (and its riders) has a classic style, he needed to make some choice visual and performance modifications.
As a tribute to his family at home, the CRF wears a vibrant hand-painted livery. This is courtesy of Giorgio’s four-year-old daughter, who added her art directly onto the fresh white plastics. The fenders are vintage steel items, and the headlight is from a Honda XR500. A gold headlight guard protects it from errant rocks.
Vintage enduro-style bars were installed, with gold-painted hand guards to match the headlight and front fender mount. Extended distances between fuel stops are common in the desert, so Giorgio fitted a 12-liter [3.2-gallon] Acerbis fuel tank and a new leather-covered saddle.
Xtrig Rocs valves were installed in the factory suspension to keep things plush, with Rebel tires and mousse tubes from Technomousse Italia letting Giorgio run low tire pressures through the sand. A GPR Italia racing exhaust gives the bike its bark, contrasting nicely against the playful livery.
Giorgio departs Rome for La Ruta del Nabab in May, and we wish him all the best on his one-of-a-kind rally machine. Not only will he make the desert more colorful, but he’s also making this week’s Speed Read a bit more animated. [Giorgio De Angelis Instagram | Images by Giovanni De Angelis]
Hero Honda Hunk by Time Cycles Based in the rural outskirts of Mhow in Madhya Pradesh, India, Time Cycles is run by husband and wife duo Shashank and Evangeline. With a garage and café under one roof, the couple combines their love of motorcycling with food.
This skinny café racer was built for Joy Isyas, a professional footballer, who wanted a stylish bike for navigating India’s bustling streets. A tired, but reliable, Hero Honda Hunk was chosen for its lightness and ergonomics. A product of the era when Hero and Honda were in cahoots, the Hunk is a simple commuter that uses the same 149.2 cc single-cylinder mill as the Honda Unicorn.
It’s rather generic-looking in stock guise, but Time Cycles has seen to that. Most of the factory bodywork was quickly discarded, and the stance was tweaked by lowering the front of the bike by 60 mm and raising the rear by 25 mm. Joy’s requests included athletic and lightweight bodywork, minimal switchgear, and a purposeful cockpit.
All of the bodywork was custom-made by Time Cycles’ fabricator friend, Anis. Using a donor fuel tank and polystyrene blocks, Shashank mocked up a seat for Anis to produce in metal. Anis then blended the tank and seat, forming a monocoque construction.
The seat was trimmed in brown leather and features a cork detail to hide a mounting screw that keeps the bodywork in place. The crew also welded a rear loop onto the subframe, to act as a grab handle when moving the bike around. A round LED light sits out back.
The engine was also rebuilt and cleaned up, and the bike was rewired. The custom, free-flowing exhaust and K&N air filter work well with a tuned carburetor. An interesting detail is the old-school glass fuel filter, which must look pretty cool with fluid flowing through it.
A single speedometer is nestled between the front forks, which wear new clip-on handlebars wrapped in Trip Machine leather grips. The footpegs are from a Royal Enfield Thunderbird, and the rear brake and shift levers are both custom.
While enjoying a single malt whiskey one night with some friends, Shashank had an epiphany. The bike, which was taking some time to complete, was slowly coming together—just like a good whiskey. The seat has been etched with ‘Single Malt’ lettering, and the delicious metallic bronze pinstripe and detailing are reminiscent of the expensive drop. [Time Cycles Instagram | Images by Nirmesh Singh Chauhan]
BMW R nineT by Pier City Cycles Based on the south coast of England, the boys at Pier City Cycles specialize in BMW R nineT customs. Rory and Stu have been tinkering with the platform for years, and stock some of the coolest parts that R nineT owners can find. Building on these years of experience, the made-to-order Midnight Series is Pier City’s expression of the ultimate R NineT.
PCC has upgraded almost every area of the R nineT. Their own front fender is fitted to the blacked-out front end, with a PCC headlight cowl wrapped around a KOSO LED headlight further up. Rizoma handlebars wear a KOSO digital speedo and Motogadget mirrors.
The engine has been upgraded with a PCC air box removal kit, DNA filters, and a PCC air intake scoop. For the exhaust, owners can choose between a low box-style exhaust from G&G, or Unit Garage headers with a more traditional Akrapovič muffler (as pictured here). The cylinder head covers have been refinished, and the bike comes with an RS2E electronics package, complete with a quick-shifter.
The bespoke seat is trimmed in black leather here but is also available with Alcantara details. A PCC three-in-one taillight is fitted, together with Gilles Tooling rear sets and a Wilbers rear shock. The tail is kept tidy with a swingarm-mounted numberplate bracket.
No custom bike is complete without a stunning paint job, and the Midnight Series is no exception. PCC has teamed up with Valkyrie Paintworks, offering the R nineT in any color you like, with a special ‘Midnight’ finish.
If you’ve got a third-generation R nineT and want it imbued with extra style, Pier City Custom has you covered for the tidy sum of £12,599.16 [about $15,876]. They can source a suitable donor for you too, bringing the price to £25,199.16 [about $31,753.46]. [Pier City Cycles]
