The German scooter specialist SIP Scootershop has built a bonkers custom Vespa to celebrate three decades of business. On the other side of the world, K-Speed has turned the new Triumph Speed 400 into a svelte café racer, while a pro fabricator from down under has built a retina-searing Sportster chopper. We conclude the weekend’s proceedings with news of the 2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S EVO.
Vespa ‘Tribute’ by SIP Scootershop Spend five minutes anywhere in Europe or Asia and you will realize that it’s scooters—not motorcycles—that rule the roost. They are incredibly convenient, cheap to buy, cheap to run, and easy to ride. We have a few scoot-curious members on the Bike EXIF team, so it’s about time we featured another sexy step-through.
This custom Vespa comes from SIP Scootershop, which has been supplying myriad scooter parts to the world for over 30 years. Based in Germany, the team has been hard at work on a 30th birthday present to themselves; the Vespa ‘Tribute.’
When ideas were being thrown around the SIP Scootershop office, co-founders Alex and Ralf originally set about shoehorning a larger engine into a small-frame Vespa. But thanks to the limitless options available to the team, they thought it would be better to just punch out the smaller Vespa Sprint engine from 150 cc to 260 cc. (That’s almost the same capacity as the engine in the larger Vespa GTS 300.)
They went to town on the engine (inside and out), finishing it with titanium fasteners, a custom MIVV exhaust, and a whole load of lightweight bling.
The side panels were designed to open like a classic Vespa and the front fender was handcrafted from aluminum. SIP Mk II aluminum rims were fitted, with a disc brake conversion kit at the rear.
The striking XO headlight is a hugely popular bolt-in part (particularly in Asia) that looks incredible. The front end was upgraded further with a new set of SIP drop bars, SIP performance shock, and a huge four-piston radial brake caliper kit. It’s overkill, but we love it.
The LED indicators and tail light are from KOSO, the latter of which was developed just for SIP Scootershop before being offered to the general population. A custom seat from the Italian firm NISA uses sweeping lines and a slimmer profile for a sporty look. The bike was rewired with a Motogadget unit, running with Motogadget switchgear and Vans x Cult grips.
The brushed steel design is actually a painted effect and was laid down by a friend of the shop, Marcus ‘Pfeili’ Pfeil. The metal-effect paint is finished with blue lettering (SIP’s ‘performance & style’ motif repeated in different languages) and matches the engine and wheels perfectly.
As far as 30th birthday presents go, this is bloody awesome. [SIP Scootershop]
Triumph Speed 400 by K-Speed Triumph’s recent foray into smaller bikes with the Triumph Speed 400 and Scrambler 400 has been a good thing for markets like Thailand. Government taxes on large-capacity motorcycles are so horrendously expensive there that many brands don’t even consider selling their bikes.
Know who else is in Thailand? That’s right—our friends at K-Speed. They’ve just turned their hand to the new Triumph Speed 400, using it as a test bed for parts that will be available for sale.
Putting the ‘speed’ in Speed 400 is a new fairing, which takes inspiration from the Triumph Thruxton 1200 R. Perfectly proportioned and sitting nice and low on custom hardware, the fit is fantastic. The LED headlight, tinted screen, and speed holes are particularly nice touches, while new clip-on bars are mounted nice and low for an aggressive riding stance.
The rear subframe was modified to accept a K-Speed ‘wasp’s tail’ cafe racer-style seat, upholstered in black leather. The front fender is from the Diablo catalog (K-Speed’s in-house line of custom parts), suspended on a custom bracket.
The suspension has been slightly lowered and the dashboard has been relocated down low on the left-hand side of the bike. The ribbed engine covers are new, with the design becoming somewhat of a K-Speed trademark. Final touches include hidden turn signals and taillight, and a shorty exhaust capped with a Diablo muffler.
From a city commuter to a low, lithe café racer finished in Henry Ford’s favorite, it’s absolutely stunning. [Source]
1992 Harley-Davidson XL1200 Sportster by Cody Jermyn Like a lot of us, Cody Jermyn grew up watching shows like Biker Build-Off. The young Australian is a fabricator and panel beater by trade and has been mucking about with bikes for some time. To keep his bike-building muscles well-honed, he recently bought a 1992 Harley-Davidson XL1200 Sportster—and promptly cut it up.
Cody rode the bike home, parked it in his shed, and ten minutes later the whole front end was taken off with a springer front end mocked up in its place. The creative juices were flowing, so he didn’t stop there.
Using a Paughco rigid frame as the foundation of the chopper, Cody got the springer mounted, along with a set of new wheels and vintage-style rubber. A tank design had been floating around in his head for years, so Cody took the chance to bring his idea into the real world.
After the tank was made from scratch, he turned his attention to the custom oil tank, sissy bar, rear fender, and striking custom headlight. The idea was to flow each part of the build into the next, and we think Cody has nailed it.
The engine was left mostly alone, save for new Andrews N2 cams, and a CV carb bejeweled with a velocity stack. As a man of obvious skill, Cody spent some time practicing the art of sand bending to get the exhaust perfectly shaped. The results speak for themselves.
The points cover is from Hypnic Jerk and it runs a Daytona Twin Tec ignition. The belt final drive was converted to a chain for a classic chopper look, and the custom seat pan was sent to Bad Arse Trim Co. for the upholstery.
For a large, bright red chopper, the delicate footpegs are a delight to our eyes. Cody wanted a foot clutch, so he spent over 80 hours making the pegs and linkages from scratch. To finish the engine off, Cody adapted a Hurst gear selector from an HQ Holden to use as a hand shifter—which is about the most Australian thing you can do to a chopper (other than a Vegemite livery).
18 months into the build, Cody scored an invite to the Choppageddon Show in Marrickville, Sydney. He pushed like heck to get everything finished (including the candy apple red paint, which we laid down himself). When it was all said and done, he took home four trophies—including ‘Best in Show.’
At just 26 years old, we reckon Cody is just getting started. Onya, cob! [Source]
2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S EVO Have you ever sat down in your garage, gazed upon your 1,300 cc adventure bike, and wished it had more power? Yeah, us neither. Regardless, KTM has updated their bonkers adventure touring flagship with more capacity, power, tech, and a really long name. Meet the 2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S EVO.
First up is the updated engine. Capacity has been bumped up from 1,300 cc to 1,350 cc, for an output of just over 170 hp at 9,500 rpm and 145 Nm of torque at 8,000 rpm.
The new engine contains KTM’s all-new ‘camshift’ technology. Not to be confused with BMW’s ‘shiftcam’ system, it shifts the inlet cams sideways at higher RPMs. The cams open for longer and have a higher lift, resulting in more top-end power, but with reduced emissions.
The other big ticket item is the new automated manual transmission, exclusive to the KTM 1390 Super Adventure S EVO. You can shift using the foot lever (A.K.A. the traditional way) or via shift paddles on the handlebars. And if you want to relax fully and eat up the miles, you can pop it into fully automatic mode.
Johnny Aubert used the prototype KTM auto transmission at the Red Bull Erzberg Rodeo, so it’s certainly been put through the wringer before hitting the showroom floor.
The enormous 8-inch touchscreen display is extremely impressive and will no doubt fill all your fellow adventure nerd friends with screen envy. One optional extra is the latest version of KTM’s adaptive cruise control, which now includes braking assistance, collision warning, and distance warning.
As you’d expect from the Austrian marque, the 2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S EVO is still about as attractive as a bucket full of smashed crab. But when the throttle is wide open, who cares what it looks like? [KTM | Images by Rudi Schedl]
