This week we’ve got a smokin’ hot XSR155 in John Player colors from West Java, Harley’s cool and classy Electra Glide Revival, and a Moto Guzzi eBay bargain. Plus a brief appreciation of Dick ‘Bugsy’ Mann, who passed away last Monday.
Yamaha XSR155 by Glanets MC In the west, the Yamaha Yard Built program has focused on middleweight customs—usually based on twins and triples like the XSR700 and XSR900.
Yamaha Indonesia has its own version of the program though, and focuses on the smaller bikes in the range, such as the XSR155. It’s a compact and perky single based on the MT15 sport naked, and more in line with tastes and budgets in Southeast Asia.
This racy little custom is one of the highlights of the latest round of Indonesian builds. It comes from Purnama Sultan Glanets, who runs a workshop in Bandung, West Java and has tremendous metal-shaping skills.
He’s called his XSR ‘Reborn Cafe Racer’ and completed it in just four months. The fully-faired bodywork is all new, aside from the tank, and the four-piece fairing is vented to keep air flowing to the engine. Clip-on bars accentuate the ‘neo café’ theme.
The new tail unit segues perfectly with the stock tank, and is fully enclosed underneath too. And that paint … unlike the tired old Gulf Oil cliché, the F1 John Player Special livery still has legs. And it looks just superb here. [Via]
Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Revival Has the tide started to turn for Milwaukee? The new Pan America ADV bike is good, and proves that Harley has talented engineers on its payroll. And North American sales are on the rise, zooming up 30% in the first quarter of this year.
A few days ago, Harley dropped another unexpected bomb: the launch of a new limited edition series, called the ‘Icons Collection.’ The program kicks off with the Electra Glide Revival, which harks back the 1969 FLH original—the first Harley to sport a ‘batwing’ fairing.
This news has spread like wildfire across the motorcycle media, with a remarkably positive response. Remarkable because—at first glance—the Electra Glide is more of a paint and accessory job than a car-style ‘continuation classic.’
It’s based on Harley’s current single-spar touring frame, with power coming from the Milwaukee-Eight 114 v-twin. Electronics include Harley’s full suite of ‘RDRS Safety Enhancements’ plus an infotainment system with Apple CarPlay baked in.
Just 1,500 Electra Glide Revivals will be built, all with an authentic Hifi Blue-and-Birch White color scheme and those iconic rigid saddlebags. The fairing is flanked with auxiliary lights, the solo seat has a neat chrome rail and adjustable coil suspension, and chromed rims and whitewall tires complete the old school vibe.
We reckon the Electra Glide Revival looks seriously cool, but more significant is the momentary shift in Harley’s product planning and marketing strategy. The pitch is more Paul Newman than Paulie Teutul, with an appealing Palm Springs mid-century modern vibe. This is not a bagger for burnouts, or dudes with ZZ Top beards and Dickies shorts. It’s class rather than contrived badass.
We’re sold.
Dick Mann (June 13, 1934 – April 26, 2021) One of the greatest American racers of all time passed away last Monday at the age of 86. Dick ‘Bugsy’ Mann won the AMA Grand National champs twice, and was the first racer to achieve the ‘Grand Slam’ in the States—winning events on road racing, TT, short track, half-mile and mile circuits. He was even a dab hand at motocross on board an Ossa, and helped Team USA grab a medal in the 1975 International Six Days Trial
Mann [above right] is mostly associated with Honda though, and famously beat Mike Hailwood to win the 1970 Daytona 200 on board a CB750. It was a win that helped establish the CB’s performance credentials, and that particular CB inspired many custom replicas—including a stunning build from the Australian shop Extreme Creations [below].
Less well known is that Mann was an accomplished bike builder himself. He designed several race frames, an Ossa flat tracker, and built up a business restoring vintage bikes. And even after he ‘retired,’ he still donned his race gear for AHRMA vintage motocross events. The definition of a life well lived.
eBay bargain: 1975 Moto Guzzi café racer The economics of motorcycle values are always intriguing. This terrific Moto Guzzi custom, fettled by the renowned marque specialists Cycle Garden, has just sold for $8,000 on eBay. That’s just a teeny bit more than a new Yamaha MT-07.
Which is the better value? You could argue for both sides, but there’s a lot going for this Guzzi—which has just 29,000 miles on the clock.
The frame is from an 850T, the transmission has been freshly rebuilt, and the motor is a T3 boosted to 955cc with a big bore kit. (It records 180 psi of compression on both cylinders.)
The aftermarket components check out too: a classic Stucchi tank, Tommaselli clip-ons and Tarozzi rearsets, plus Bosch horns.
Cycle Garden reckon this machine will keep up with a stock Le Mans Mk 1, and since they’ve been looking after it for 15 years, they should know. We reckon it’s unlikely to drop in value if it’s looked after, and whoever bought it has made a wise decision. [Via]
