Even if you happen to don’t know Moc Tu’s title, you’ve in all probability seen his work. He’s the lead mechanical engineer on the Vietnamese startup Nuen Moto, and has been instrumental in bringing their electric motorcycle concept to market. When he’s not doing that, he runs his personal {custom} store—constructing outrageous machines like this girder-forked Buell XB9S.
Nicknamed ‘Lisa 22’ after Moc’s daughter, the Buell was constructed to discover varied design and engineering rules. Moc stored the XB9S engine and fuel-bearing body, however every thing else was changed, upgraded, or constructed from scratch. Many of the work was finished by Moc and his two-man crew, however specialist jobs like paint, wiring, and tuning have been outsourced to native workshops—together with Bike EXIF regulars MFix.
Certainly one of Moc’s strongest abilities is CNC machining, so it’s solely pure that his {custom} Buell XB9S would showcase this. He began by designing and machining a bespoke girder-style entrance finish, configured for the bike’s weight and outfitted with a completely adjustable Öhlins shock.
The headlight was sourced from a Yamaha R1 earlier than being modified and repackaged in a CNC-machined housing. Each final element was thought of—from the brake caliper and headlight brackets, to neatly-mounted clips to route the bike’s hoses and cables.
Solid your eyes to the Buell’s cockpit, and also you’ll additionally discover how neatly the riser and dashboard mounts are built-in with the CNC-machined prime yoke. Large tapered handlebars are fitted with Ariette grips, and Motogadget switches, mirrors, and bar-end flip alerts. The digital sprint, keyless ignition, and management unit that the bike’s been rewired round, are additionally Motogadget gadgets.
Additionally current are Spiegler grasp cylinders, with an extra thumb brake mounted on the left-hand aspect. The entrance brake lever controls a pair of huge eight-piston Spiegler calipers, grabbing custom-made discs. The rear brake system makes use of a custom-designed six-pot caliper with twin unbiased hydraulic circuits; one managed by the thumb brake, and the opposite by the standard rear grasp cylinder.
The Buell’s new hoops are gorgeous Marchesini items, lifted from a Ducati Multistrada. The one-sided rear swingarm comes from a Triumph Dash 1050, nevertheless it’s been ‘flipped’ to take a seat on the Buell’s drive aspect. An adjustable Öhlins shock from a Triumph 675R suspends the rear, linked to a custom-made linkage system.
For the reason that XB9S historically carries oil in its swingarm, the brand new design referred to as for a brand new oil reservoir. So Moc designed and machined one—inserting it on the swingarm’s open aspect and protecting it with a clear panel for straightforward degree checks. It mounts on to the bike’s new CNC-machined foot peg association.
All the Buell’s authentic bodywork is gone. The brand new entrance fender and fake tank are handmade aluminum items, whereas the subframe and rear fender are CNC-machined elements. A suede-covered seat sits up prime.
The general design is forward-leaning, with finishes that emphasize the bike’s distinctive chassis. A smorgasbord of blue highlights and a smattering of carbon bits add a contemporary sports activities automobile vibe to the XB9S. Then there’s the exhaust—a burly, asymmetrical titanium system with closely modified Supertrapp mufflers.
Moc explains that this Buell XB9S “embodies a dedication to precision, performance, and aesthetics.” It’s simple to see that philosophy at play right here. Each half seems to be prefer it belongs, working in mechanical concord to create an unapologetic, one-of-a-kind machine.
Photos by Duy Nguyen of Loom Creative | With due to Gia Nguyen
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