We toil on daily basis right here at Bike EXIF to deliver you the very best customized bikes worldwide, and our internet stats give us an inside take a look at what actually resonates with our readers. It’s with a sly smirk that I’ll reveal a secret; it’s not the quickest or most outlandish bikes that recurrently dominate our airwaves, it’s bikes that toe the road between ground-up customized creations and genuinely usable bikes.
The large hitters from August are not any totally different, and whether or not it’s scramblers, café racers or basic motocrossers that journey your set off, you’ll discover loads by way of kind and performance on our August spotlight reel.
#5: Triumph Scrambler by Frontwheel Motors
Some customized tasks purpose to reinvent a bike from the bottom up, however this Triumph Scrambler construct from Indonesia reveals the facility of delicate restraint. Commissioned by a neighborhood DJ with a style for classics, the temporary was clear: protect the Scrambler’s inherent attraction whereas dialing within the stance, suspension and ending particulars. The result’s a machine that channels Triumph’s off-road heritage with out getting misplaced in pointless theatrics.
Reasonably than litter the construct with pointless aptitude, Frontwheel went for delicate but significant tweaks. The stance bought sorted with new wheels—19-inch up entrance, 18-inch on the rear, wrapped in Shinko E805 journey rubber—whereas Öhlins FG 621 43 mm forks introduced trendy damping courtesy of customized yokes and gaiters. Out again, the subframe bought trimmed with a recent rear loop and Öhlins Blackline piggy-back shocks changed the squishy stockers—elevating each top and dealing with credibility.
Particulars make the desert sled come alive: handmade braces cradle the aluminum trials-style fenders, a tucked LED taillight from Kuryakyn retains strains slick and the inventory gas tank stays untouched—however is now paired with a bespoke Bates-style seat with up to date stitching. Left aspect panels achieve an built-in quantity oval, whereas a neat aluminum sump guard and streamlined sprocket and chain guards honor kind and performance.
The red-and-white paint with gold pinstripe retains issues minimal and fashionable, whereas uncooked aluminum components let the mechanical artistry take up the visible area. Tank badges are straight from the Nineteen Fifties, and a twin-shotgun stainless exhaust with aluminum shields provides the bike voice and polish. The consequence? A scrambler sled that wears its restraint like armor—excellent vision-board materials for anybody dreaming of their very own construct. [More]
#4: BMW R12 nineT by WalzWerk
Nobody does BMW customs fairly like Germany’s WalzWerk. Cranking out as many as 100 customized bikes per 12 months (80 of that are usually airheads), Marcus Walz has constructed effectively over 1,000 customized bikes. Now, he is turned his consideration to the brand new R 12 nineT.
WalzWerk didn’t simply re-style the BMW; they re-engineered it. They spec’d the donor bike with laced tubeless wheels—ditching the inventory alloys—and swapped the cumbersome twin clocks for a tucked-in digital sprint. With these housekeeping particulars sorted, they centered on stance: the forks had been lowered, fitted with progressive springs, and handled to a black anodized end, whereas the rear bought a ride-height-adjustable Touratech Black-T shock.
WalzWerk additionally fabricated a brand new stepped subframe that bolts in prefer it got here from BMW. Two variations can be found—one which respects the inventory airbox, and one other that waves it goodbye, full with matching seat choices. The construct includes a perforated leather-based saddle with grommets, harking back to an OG Ford GT, and don’t miss the Porsche-grey tank, adorned with Chikos pinstriping and monochrome roundels to maintain issues elegant and understated.
Up entrance, WalzWerk reshaped an off-the-shelf BMW fairing and added customized Wunderkind clip-ons and slim LED indicators. For a closing contact, they put in a prototype Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde exhaust with an inside baffle for nuanced noise management. Wrapped in Metzeler Racetec tires and obtainable by annual pre-orders restricted to 12 builds, this R 12 café racer is as useful as it’s formidable. [More]
#3: Kawasaki W800 by 2LOUD Customized
In an period the place bikes come bristling with screens and electronics, the Kawasaki W800 stands aside—a contemporary machine that feels splendidly analog. Respiration life into that basic vibe, Taiwan’s 2LOUD Custom took on the W800 with a mission: amplify its British-era attraction whereas preserving the experience’s easy-going spirit. And sure, the result’s as sleek as it’s grounded.
Ma ‘Max’ Yicheng, the craftsman behind 2LOUD, stripped the bike all the way down to its body and went to work. He de-tabbed, smoothed welds, and drilled gussets in signature fashion, and in addition looped and trimmed the subframe earlier than refinishing the lot in an understated silver. Fork lowers and brake calipers had been polished to echo the shiny rims, with Dunlop K70 tires maintaining the inventory 19-inch entrance and 18-inch rear setup—excellent for a road tracker.
Up prime, Max put in a smaller W650 tank, and for the reason that 650 is carbureted, Max relocated the W800’s gas pump right into a customized under-seat housing, hidden by clear handmade aspect covers. He smoothed out knee pads and brackets, added chrome steel aspect strips and completed all of it with an ornamental gas cap from AFS. A solo seat with textured upholstery, light aluminum fenders held by stainless stays, and bolt-on components from 2LOUD’s personal catalog add old-school attraction with out overstatement.
The cockpit is a examine in considerate simplicity: stainless 2LOUD bars, micro-switches, a Kustom Tech brake lever, and recent grips. The sprint is Motogadget—analog tach with digital velocity—tucked neatly on a customized mount. A refined black paint job and handmade stainless exhaust—with sharply outlined headers fading into cocktail mufflers—spherical issues out. As whispers of the W800’s demise go quiet, 2LOUD’s construct is a well timed reminder that typically, probably the most elegant builds say probably the most with the least. [More]
#2: Honda-Powered Customized MX by Frontwheel Motors
A tasteful nod to motocross’s previous by no means feels compelled—simply ask Frontwheel Motors, the Indonesian outfit that turned a jumble of donor components into an enthralling classic MX throwback. The construct is a quiet homage to a golden period when off-road bikes had been street bikes doing a job, and workshops like Rickman paved the way in which for bespoke competitors steeds. The result’s a motorcycle you’d need to experience to the woods, not simply gawk at.
The place to begin is a humble 150 cc Honda MegaPro engine, which Frontwheel chosen to show the flexibility of this humble air-cooled single. That engine sits in a Yamaha Scorpio body, shortened up with a customized rear loop, twin-shock conversion, and reworked steering neck. Frontwheel grabbed components from a Kawasaki KLX—forks, brakes, hubs, swingarm—and laced them onto Excel rims wrapped in Shinko tires.
Slap on a period-correct tank, hand-formed fenders, quantity boards, and a three-quarter seat, and also you get a motorcycle that rides the road between a basic scrambler and a restoration with function. The bodywork and graphics nod to Rickman’s Metisse legend—inexperienced paint, silver highlights, chrome, and wonderful gold pinstriping that tie the entire package deal along with an under-the-radar magnificence.
Ending touches embrace minimalist brass MG-style lighting, a Keihin carb for throttle fine-tuning, and a glowing stainless exhaust. It’s clear: this isn’t a flashy showroom star—it’s constructed to be purist enjoyable, off-road or on, and Frontwheel plans a tiny manufacturing run of 5 items. If that’s not homage, I don’t know what’s. [More]
#1: Yamaha XJ650 by José Montes
They are saying good issues come to those that wait—and José Montes’s customized Yamaha XJ650 is proof optimistic. A pc engineer by day and a storage apprentice by evening, José spent 4 years coaxing magnificence from a rusty 1984 XJ650 in his Salamanca residence. By no means an expert mechanic, he approached the construct with ardour, endurance, and meticulous consideration—proper down to each nut, bolt, spring, and gasket.
The place others noticed an eyesore, José noticed potential. He stripped away all of the dated bodywork and gave the body new function, topped with a classic Kawasaki KZ gas tank mounted on customized brackets. Painted in Yamaha FJR1300-inspired livery and branded with crisp Yamaha badges, the repurposed tanks may simply go for Yamaha’s personal.
The subframe obtained the identical loving therapy—handmade, slimming, and topped with a slim purple leather-based seat. As a substitute of a cumbersome rear fender, José added a chic aluminum cowl that stretches the tail’s line and conceals a Highsider taillight, LED flip indicators, and a sensible license plate bracket. Down low, a customized electronics tray homes a Motogadget mind and wiring that runs cleanly by the body and bars.
Up entrance, a tasteful Motogadget setup blends analog and digital cues; the Motogadget RFID ignition takes the place of a key, and tidy switchgear cleans up the cockpit. Suspension upgrades—longer shocks and fork tweaks—improve experience high quality, whereas Bridgestone Battlax rubber grips the street with out drama. The stainless Marving exhaust rounds issues out with a refined growl after José modified it to satisfy Spain’s road necessities.
It’s a motorcycle born of weekends and coronary heart, not flash—and precisely why José launched Kernel Motor Firm: to point out the world what a decided first-time builder can actually do. [More]
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