John Ryland is one of the standout custom bike builders from the past few years. He’s dazzled us with a succession of Honda CBs and Yamaha Viragos, each one bearing that unmistakable Classified Moto style: cool metallic hues and uprated gold forks.
The latest bike to bear the Classified Moto name is a little different, though—a Triumph Daytona 675. “It’s by far the newest (and fastest) bike we’ve given the Classified treatment,” says Ryland. “We built it for a customer in Houston, Texas, who brought it in with mostly cosmetic damage. He decided the local roads were too rough for a full-on sport bike and wanted us to transform the Daytona into a sort of urban assault vehicle.”
The Doomsdaytona was born.
Ryland’s customer referenced an earlier Classified Yamaha XV920, and wanted something with a similar vibe. “He’s a huge fan of the post-apocalyptic aesthetic (as are we) and wanted something that looked battle-ready.”
The result is a muscular-looking hybrid, which Ryland describes as “kind of a sportbike-based scrambler with a G.I. Joe vibe.” It’s got an upright riding position, wide Pro Taper motocross bars with a custom gauge pod, and a serious hooligan attitude.
The tank was the biggest challenge. “I let Photoshop oversimplify the tank design when I was doing the initial rendering, so making it actually happen was tricky. Fabricator Seth Ingham reworked the stock tank to trim it down and get rid of the ‘wings’.”
The size of the fuel pump and height of the airbox drastically reduced fuel capacity, so Classified have added an additional tank under the seat. “Seth fabbed it out of aluminum, and the two tanks are joined via quick disconnect fittings. Pretty trick.”
There’s a custom stainless steel muffler and up-pipe, as well as Classified’s signature nickel-plated body panels. “We decided to not hide all the components because we liked the exposed mechanicals on this one,” says Ryland.
“The regulator-rectifier and the tiny Shorai Lithium ion battery, for instance, are in plain view—but we put a lot of thought into the placement.” The 17” tires are Avon Distanzia up front, Metzeler Karoo 3 out back.
The Daytona is a well-sorted bike straight off the showroom floor, so Ryland has wisely left the engine and suspension alone. “In the back of our heads, we wanted to build something that could actually be a production bike, but with our Classified style. Whether it’s with Triumph or any of the big manufacturers, we want to build bikes that could get a conversation started.”
Matt Crawford, author of Shop Class as Soulcraft, took the Daytona out for a test ride. After hopping off the bike, he said, “Riding it makes you feel like you belong to a different species, to which none of the usual rules apply.”
Classified are planning to build more bikes in this style. If you have room for one in your garage, contact Ryland via the Classified Moto website or Facebook page.
Images by Adam Ewing.
