Restoring a motorcycle to its former glory is a deeply rewarding experience, but sometimes artistic liberties need to be taken. Whether it’s bringing suspension up to the modern era, correcting the OE’s wrongs or just putting your spin on things, restomod motorcycles are the backbone of the custom motorcycle scene—a stepping stone before a full custom build.
So where do we draw the line between a restomod motorcycle and full custom? There’s no clear-cut answer, but we feel that a good restomod invokes the style of the original with some enhancements built in. A nice mix of something old and something new, these motorcycles are better than they were without forgetting where they came from.
Back in the 90s, Yamaha broke from their tradition of building Deltabox-framed sportbikes to create the TRX850. Sporting a trellis frame and the parallel-twin mill from the TDM850, the Yamaha TRX850 was made to entice sportbike riders away from the Ducati 900SS. So its design was an oddball, yet charming, mash-up of East and West—and…
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We’ve cast the net wide this week, with a selection of tasty motorcycles that are worlds apart. Purpose Built Moto kicks us off with a slick Ducati 900SS café racer, then we look at a stunning Kawasaki H1 Mark III restomod from the USA. Our fastest candidates are this week’s 75th anniversary MotoGP bikes, and…
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In the world of classic thumpers, the Yamaha XT500 reigns supreme. It pioneered the concept of four-stroke dual-sport bikes, won the first two Paris Dakar rallies, and garnered legions of fans along the way. It’s hard to meet someone who hasn’t owned an XT500, known someone who’s owned one, or dreamt of owning one. Given…
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The Yamaha TRX850 is one of our favorite motorcycling anomalies. It was built in the mid-90s, when Japanese marques tried to corner the European market by injecting Italian flair into their sportbikes. The TRX850’s trellis frame, tri-spoke wheels, and sculpted fuel tank felt distinctly Ducati—but its parallel twin motor and angular tail section gave away…
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Back in 1969, the Honda CB750 was considered the pinnacle of motorcycle performance. But it’s the way that the CB evolved over…
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It’s unlikely that Miguel Galluzzi knew just how iconic the Ducati Monster would become when he first penned its design in the…
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When Shiro Nakajima isn’t honing his considerable talents in his home workshop at the base of the Yatsugatake Mountains, you’ll find him…
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Is there no end to AC Sanctuary’s brilliance? We profile a Kawasaki ZRX1200R from the masters of Japanese muscle, then pivot to…
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Restomods by their very nature appear simpler than fully customized motorcycles, but they’re usually harder to get right. Customization leaves you free…
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One of the enduring charms of old BMW motorcycles is that they are virtually unkillable. Even if, against all odds, you do…
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Our weekly selection of motorcycle news and customs is bookended by two Royal Enfields; a fully-faired Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 from Malaysia,…
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The Honda CBX 1000 was only in production for four years, but that was enough time for it to leave a lasting…
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