The American Worldwide Bike Expo won’t be the primary place you’d anticipate finding us, because the occasion has a complete lot extra to do with what’s on supplier flooring than the customized scene. That’s not the entire story although, as a result of in addition to rubbing elbows with trade companions and components producers, we additionally had a number of manufacturing unit idea bikes and customs to search out.
See, the massive OEs are nicely conscious that changed bikes carry massive consideration, and partnerships with respected builders are one of the vital efficient methods to drum up pleasure for his or her present choices. And when you have got the backing of company bucks, massive issues are doable.
The AIMExpo isn’t open to the general public, simply trade members and press, so we flashed our credentials and acquired to climbing across the Las Vegas Conference Heart. Wading by way of the seas of inventory bikes and fewer impressed types of energy sports activities tools, these are the 5 customized bikes from the 2025 AIMExpo that commanded our consideration.
Seiemmezzo SCR 650 Scrambler by Moto Morini Manufacturing facility scramblers are a number of the most fulfilling bikes to customise and Moto Morini needed to show you don’t want to interrupt the financial institution to get massive outcomes. Morini’s After-Gross sales Supervisor Cody Spakes’ purpose was to point out Expo-goers a brutish new facet of Seiemmezzo SCR 650, and the result’s an actual getaway machine.
Spakes began by trimming away on the SCR’s road-compliance bits, just like the inventory license plate bracket, passenger pegs and fenders. Whereas it appears to be like like a a lot racier piece, many of the inventory tail part stays and nonetheless accommodates the unique scrambler seat.
Spakes then dug into the components bin at Moto Morini for a 17-inch rear wheel from the X-Cape ADV and wrapped each wires with beefy Kenda Massive Block tires. Crash bars and a monster skid plate up the SCR’s off-road cred and Spakes laughingly reviews that the rad guard and headlight grille are cheap bits straight off the net.
Quite the opposite, the polished stainless-steel exhaust system was neither low-cost nor simple to create. Spakes began with uncooked tubing and pie cuts and fabricated the 2-into-1 system by hand to match the SCR’s curves. Simply the quantity of racy bling, we’re positive it emits an aggressive tone from Moto Morini’s 649 cc parallel twin.
Ending touches on the SCR embrace motocross-style bars and an city camo wrap that would go for cast carbon fiber from a distance. On the thorough utilization of orange on the bike, Spakes replies, “Orange can be utilized by any motorbike model.” We hear you loud and clear.
Hooligan Collection Harley-Davidson Pan America From the old-school Battle of the Twins to the trendy King of the Baggers collection, there’s simply one thing we Individuals can’t resist about an unlikely V-twin hero. Constructing off the general public curiosity and innovation bred by the KOTB collection, the Mission Super Hooligan National Championship has spawned some equally spectacular V-twin racers. Take this track-prepped Pan America as an illustration.
The Tremendous Hooligan collection began as a collaborative effort between MotoAmerica and (arguably) the king of V-twin efficiency—Roland Sands. Guidelines stipulate that the frames are inventory, avenue bodywork is shed and engines are restricted to 125 hp to maintain issues at an affordable stage.
Prepping the Pan America for the monitor begins with a critical food plan to get the 569-pound bike all the way down to the minimal allowable weight of 420 kilos. As you’d anticipate, that features a liberal utility of carbon fiber, together with the entire tail part, entrance fender and different bits. The bars stay above the highest clamp per the principles, however customized rear-set pegs and controls (together with Dunlop race rubber) carry the Pan Am’s lean angle to a stage HD by no means imagined.
The Harley’s wheelbase would must be shortened to make it deal with, and a number of that magic occurs within the swingarm. It appears to be like a complete lot just like the inventory piece with the entrance third axed off, however the particulars doubtless embrace some critical arithmetic. A customized 2-into-1 stainless exhaust sheds extra kilos off the Pan Am’s rear and makes essentially the most of its 150 hp output.
Whereas the bike wasn’t accompanied within the sales space, it appears to be like to be the mount of Saddlemen/Harley-Davidson rider Cory West—a frontrunner within the 2024 season.
Royal Enfield 850 Rally by Demise Spray Customized When will Royal Enfield make the bounce into the big displacement ADV scene? It’s a query that’s been on our thoughts for years, as each Himalayan fashions displace lower than 500 cc. So think about the shock of seeing this f-ing superior retro Dakar rally machine on the AIMExpo, powered by an 850 cc air-cooled twin. So what’s the news?
Dubbed ‘Wildfire,’ the bike outcomes from a three-year collaboration with David Gwyther of Death Spray Custom, whose eye-popping liveries have been made well-known in Ken Block’s Gymkhana collection, partnerships with Bell helmets and extra. Gwyther took inspiration from the Nineties Paris-Dakar Rally machines he grew up watching and envisioned a equally succesful machine based mostly on trendy working gear.
Wildfire runs an 850 cc model of Royal’s 650 used within the Bear and INT fashions. Massive bore kits are broadly out there for these engines, bringing output up from 47 hp to 75 hp (if you happen to go for the 865 cc displacement). What we will see of the chassis appears to be like to be derived from 650 INT, however the suspension has been upgraded in a giant approach with a Showa USD fork and a Harris Efficiency swingarm.
For all its mechanical savviness, it’s inconceivable to miss the retro rally bodywork. It was a whole customized job from tip to tail, which completely captures the vibe of Dakar within the ’90s, however was additionally executed in a trail-side serviceable method. The colorway is sort of as cool now as it will have been again within the day, and even makes use of era-correct sponsorship decals.
For now, Royal Enfield isn’t touting Wildfire as something greater than a customized idea however admits {that a} bigger displacement ADV is their most incessantly requested providing. So it’s a minimum of on their radar, and when it does materialize, let’s hope it’s a minimum of half this rad.
Russell Hacker’s 2010 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Turn 14 Distribution is probably not a family title, however if you happen to’re any bit invested within the motorbike, automotive or 4×4 scene, odds are they again a bunch of your favourite manufacturers. Past that, they again their staff as nicely, boasting that 90% of their employees are lovers within the industries they help. That makes issues simpler once you want a few bikes to fill your sales space on the AIMExpo, and Flip 14 Gross sales Specialist Russell Hacker stepped as much as the plate with this 2010 Harley Heritage Traditional.
Hacker’s Twin Cam is loaded with custom HD styling cues and made fairly a press release on the present ground, however the lengthy checklist of go-fast goodies reveals he has greater than show in thoughts. The Softail was torn all the way down to the naked chassis, which was shaved and boxed for all of the wiring to be run internally. The rear was dropped 2” with components from Progressive Suspension and the HD springer runs a Burly fork reducing package. Efficiency Machine equipped the high-impact Heathen wheels, sized 21” entrance and 18” rear, they usually’re shod in Dunlop Elite 3 Tires.
With the handmade gasoline tank, headlight and oil bag dealing with cosmetics, the Softail depends on a set of hop-up components (predominantly from the businesses Flip 14 represents) to ensure the chew matches its bark. New pistons had been sourced from CP, together with a chain-drive camshaft package from S&S. Efficiency Machine equipped the speed stack consumption and a Vance & Hines FP3 gasoline tuner retains the gasoline flowing.
As tricked out of a Softail as you’ll discover, particulars just like the customized paint, brass oil traces and strong brass grips are misplaced in the entire, to not point out the customized suede saddle with oil-valved seat shocks. Hacker reviews that the bike is superior to experience, and we couldn’t think about a extra becoming piece for Flip 14’s sales space.
Royal Enfield 650 by Sosa Metalworks Royal Enfield in all probability has among the finest customized builder packages within the biz proper now, as the most recent fashions frequently get labored over by a number of the finest names within the trade and proven worldwide. For a contemporary mill, Royal’s 650 has a great deal of traditional appeal, however nonetheless, I’m positive nobody might have predicted how far Christian Sosa would take it.
Sosa’s title turned synonymous with high-end metallic fab greater than a decade in the past throughout his time as lead fabricator on the Discovery Channel’s Counting Vehicles collection. He opened Sosa Metalworks in 2012, specializing in classic automobiles and bikes, nevertheless it’s imaginative traditional bikes like this Enfield that outline his type.
If anybody was on the lookout for spares, the cast-offs from Sosa’s construct would have been a one-stop store, because the engine and induction system appears to be like to be the one OE tools remaining. Used within the INT and Bear 650 fashions, the air/oil-cooled parallel twin produces 47 hp inventory, and Sosa has confirmed simply how rideable the bike is on display a number of occasions.
It’s simpler to checklist the items of Sosa’s bike that aren’t hand fabricated than those which can be, because the body sections, gasoline tank and girder entrance finish had been all TIG welded and metallic completed—with the extent of expertise that went into each bit on full show.
The bike rides on a pair of 21 wheels with Firestone tires with a single BYBRE disc brake within the rear for practicality. Manufactured in India for Brembo, the caliper and disc look to be the inventory setup off the entrance of the 650 INT. How handy.
AIMExpo | Images by Tom Gosselin
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