Classic silhouettes are the theme of this week’s Speed Read. From Unikat’s Harley-Davidson’s Sportster 883, to RF-Biketech’s Kawasaki Z1000R and a beautiful Honda CB400 café racer from Never Ending Cycles, we have three different build styles, riffed on by three talented builders. We end off with a new short film from Harley-Davidson, documenting their 2022 King of the Baggers campaign.
Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 by Unikat Motorworks The Sportster 883 has been reimagined in nearly every way you can think of—yet every time we say that, it seems like a new one pops up with details and considerations we haven’t seen before. This build from Unikat Motorworks in Poland takes the popular custom platform, strips it down, and adds unique, functional touches, while keeping the overall aesthetic very classic.
The man behind Unikat Motorworks is one Grzegorz Korczak, also known for his work as a visual artist. As an artist, Grzegorz knows that more is not always more, and a greater visual impact can often be obtained by removing mass and clutter. This is demonstrated beautifully in his latest Sportster build.
The bike’s owner approached Unikat with two goals: he wanted the bike to be comfortable, and he wanted the project to be fun for the builder. After tossing some ideas back and forth, the “city scrambler,” aesthetic was decided upon, and Grzegorz got to work.
Aside from the custom-fabricated tail loop, most of the modifications done to the 883 were conceived, fabricated, and then simply bolted on to the platform. An 18” rear wheel and 19” front pick the chassis up and give the bike a more scrambler-y silhouette. Öhlins shocks add a performance aesthetic, and a nice pop of yellow to go with the light-grey-blue paint.
A shorty rear fender was tucked under the new custom-upholstered seat. Tiny turn indicators were added both front and rear, with a small Bates-style taillight installed. Finally, the license plate was relocated to the left side of the swingarm.
To keep things clean at the handlebars, the speedo was relocated to the left side of the bike’s engine. An etched badge sits on top of the round headlight mount to indicate the bike’s maker—a nice finishing touch that the rider will see every time they’re on the bike. [Via]
Kawasaki Z1000R by RF-Biketech Eddie Lawson is an absolute legend. As a four-time GP World Champion, his reputation for finishing every race and not crashing out earned him the nickname ‘Steady Eddie’—even if the bikes he was riding at the time are sort of absurd by today’s standards.
Superbikes of the 70s and 80s were good at making power, but suspension, tires, and brakes still had a ways to go to catch up. So when a German customer that likes to ride on both road and track brought a 40-year-old machine in to RF-Biketech, it was clear where the builders needed to focus.
The starting platform was a 1981 Z1000 ‘J’ frame, which is the year the engine’s displacement was just under 1,000cc, so that it could still be raced in the Superbike class. Updating the Z1000’s frame was the first task on the list, with no corners cut. The steering head angle was adjusted, and extra material was added throughout the frame to strengthen it and reduce flex.
The rear of the frame was shortened, as there’s no longer a need for a passenger seat. The new plate bracket is easily removable too, to switch from road- to track-mode in minutes.
A lightweight custom aluminum swingarm was made through a combination of CAD design, CNC milling and hand fabrication. This was then paired with a set of fully adjustable shocks to maximize the new swingarm’s effectiveness. HyperPro forks mount to beefy new triple trees, while clip-on handlebars and adjustable rear-set foot controls put the rider in an aggressive and race-ready position.
While the story of the ‘J’ frame and early superbike homologation is very interesting, it doesn’t need to play any role in how this machine functions. So that just-under-1,000 cc engine was replaced with a high-compression 1,170 cc unit out of a GPZ1100.
Fitted with RS36 flat slide carbs, pod filters, and a custom four-into-one exhaust system, the bike now puts out over 130 hp and weighs less than 200 kilos [441 lbs]. [Via]
Honda CB400F by Never Ending Cycles Few platforms exemplify café racer style like a 70s Honda Super Sport. But by building on a platform known for this style, you’re jumping into a pool filled with very talented builders. Luckily the team at Never Ending Cycles was up to the challenge.
The build started with a father wanting to give his sone a graduation present. Looking for a stylish and reliable platform, they chose a 1975 Honda CB400F Super Sport—a bike that was both smooth and quick for its time, but more importantly, a damn fine looking machine with clean lines and a snaking four-into-one exhaust system.
Based in Wisconsin, Never Ending Cycles is known for vintage German and Japanese metal, placing this inline-four comfortably in their wheelhouse. The build was to be a reliable daily rider with enough style and flair to keep things exciting, so a set of inverted forks off of a Suzuki GSX-R were installed, along with its brakes.
Next, an aftermarket café-style tail section from Tuffside was added. The new custom bodywork blends with the classic Honda lines, all painted white and blue. Custom grips match the newly upholstered seat in quilted brown leather.
Finally, the bike was completely rewired with a new battery tucked into the tail section. Rolling on new hoops, equipped with LED lighting and looking clean enough to eat off, it’s the nicest graduation gift we’ve ever laid eyes on. [Via]
Pushing the Limit documentary Bagger racing is arguably one of the most absurd and entertaining things to happen to motorcycling in decades. The bikes are huge, and they have absolutely massive engines with every drop of power squeezed out of them. What’s not to love?
Now Harley-Davidson has released a new film to celebrate the 2022 King of the Baggers racing season. Titled ‘Pushing the Limit,’ the film, which is just over an hour long, focuses on the Wyman brothers, H-D’s factory bagger racers, as they practice, tune, and race these incredible machines.
We hear from the racers, the crew, and from higher-ups at Harley-Davidson, about just what makes this racing so special, and why Americans all over have totally fallen in love with this new take on the sport.
Follow along as they tour the country racing baggers and get excited for the 2023 season, which kicked off this weekend with the first race in Daytona Beach, Florida. The video is totally free to watch on YouTube right now—just hit play below.