Because the 12 months barrels to a detailed, we’ve crunched the numbers to deliver you, our pricey readers, the a lot anticipated annual Bike EXIF High 10.
We’ve tweaked our method this time round. Our information was pulled from the beginning of December till the tip of November—leaving us extra time to course of it, with out lacking any zingers which may pop up late within the 12 months. We’ve additionally left social media out of it, focusing purely on the ten machines that made our servers work the toughest in 2024.
As soon as once more, the ultimate choice is eclectic, with nobody construct model dominating the charts. Seize your favourite beverage, benefit from the choice, and inform us which bikes made your 2024 hit listing.
10. Royal Enfield Tremendous Meteor 650 by Cherry’s Firm You understand it’s been a great 12 months for the {custom} scene when our High 10 kicks off with a Cherry’s Company machine. When grasp Japanese craftsman Kaichiroh Kurosu was approached by Royal Enfield to customise their not too long ago launched Tremendous Meteor 650, Kurosu-san pulled out all of the stops. Not solely does this mid-sized cruiser now sport a sidecar rig, however the bike itself wears sufficient mods to make it particular by itself.
The mods begin with a scratch-built Earles entrance finish, sprung with KONI shocks. The Tremendous Meteor’s body already had the kind of sloped geometry that suited Kaichiroh’s model, however he made some refined modifications anyway—like modifying the spine and swingarm pivot, to offset the engine and accommodate a wider rear wheel.
New bodywork was formed out of metal, aluminum, and resin, showcasing Cherry’s Firm’s hallmark model. The matching sidecar was made out of scratch too, utilizing fiberglass formed over a home made styrofoam mildew. It includes a leaf-spring suspension system, helped by a standard motorbike shock, and its personal brake.
The traces of the Royal Enfield Tremendous Meteor 650 and its sidecar complement one another completely, significantly with the timeless polished, black, and gold finishes. Full with matching upholstery, this rig seems much less like a {custom} hack, and extra like a forgotten prototype from an alternate previous. [More]
9. Harley-Davidson Sportster by Mule Bikes Richard ‘Mule’ Pollock handled us to a gentle stream of scrumptious Sportster-based flat trackers and road trackers this 12 months. So it was solely inevitable that he would make it onto our listing.
This white-hot 1997 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 was constructed as a thoroughbred Hooligan-class flat observe racer, drawing on Mule’s in depth racing and constructing expertise. Zigging and zagging via the varied Hooligan collection laws, Mule deployed his go-to set of chassis, efficiency, and bodywork mods.
The decrease rear suspension mounting factors have been moved ahead, and related to totally adjustable Ok-Tech shocks. Up entrance, Yamaha R6 forks have been prolonged with cap extensions from J.J. Flairty, and matched to {custom} yokes and an offset steering head bearing equipment. ODI handlebars sit up high, whereas a {custom} Mule foot peg and brake grasp cylinder bracket adorns the right-hand facet of the bike.
Mule bumped the 883 mill as much as 1,200 cc, threw a bunch of hop-up bits at it, and added a extremely modified Cone Engineering exhaust. The remainder of the construct is conventional flat observe fare; a Storz gas tank, a First Klass Glass tailpiece, a Saddlemen seat, and 19” Roland Sands Design flat observe wheels. The straightforward white livery drives the purpose dwelling; this Sportster means enterprise. [More]
8. Harley-Davidson Panhead by Sean Jackson Run by our mates at Biltwell Inc., the Biltwell Individuals’s Champ is an annual grassroots build-off that showcases {custom} builders which may in any other case fly beneath the radar. By its very nature, it produces among the wildest machines on the scene.
This 1948 Harley Panhead, constructed by Sean Jackson, received final 12 months’s Biltwell Individuals’s Champ—after which melted our servers once we profiled it earlier this 12 months. It’s simple to see why. The engine is just about the one unique half left on this Panhead, and even that’s been extensively rebuilt, courtesy of George Banks and Gary Ellis.
It’s now housed in a modular body, which Sean designed in SolidWorks earlier than piecing it collectively from 1/4”-thick laser-cut metal plates. The entrance crossover main hyperlink forks have been fabricated by hand, taking inspiration from the Thirties Harley-Davidson DAH hill climber. Led Sled Customs Invader wheels full the rolling chassis, with twin rear Brembo brakes—one among which acts as a hill maintain.
You’ll discover a pair of handmade break up tanks up high, and lifting the bike’s leather-based saddle reveals the crank deal with for the bike’s distinctive starter. Sean retained the Panhead’s unique kick starter—however he additionally put in a hand-crank starter from a V12 Rolls-Royce Merlin airplane engine, as used within the iconic Supermarine Spitfire. [More]
7. Honda Shadow by Frontwheel Motors Designed within the 80s, the Honda Shadow—referred to as the Steed in Asia—was a Japanese-made cruiser that aped the Harley-Davidson model of the day in a smaller, and cheaper, package deal. However within the fingers of Indonesia’s Frontwheel Motors, this 1990-model Shadow (formally titled the Honda Steed VLX600 within the East) seems like one million bucks.
Remarkably, all Frontwheel needed to do to prep the Honda Shadow’s body for the bobbed style they have been after, was trim off its fender struts. Taking visible cues from the 1949 Indian Mannequin 249 Scout, they fabricated new bodywork for it—together with a peanut tank, louvered facet covers, and a ducktailed rear fender. A tidy solo seat was added to the combo too.
The Shadow now rolls on 16” wheels with five-inch-wide Shinko tires, whereas handmade fork shrouds add some visible bulk to the entrance finish. Frontwheel additionally rebuilt the drained outdated Honda motor, and made a chic two-into-two exhaust system.
Ending touches embody 1” bars mounted on conventional ‘dogbone’ risers, minimal controls, an appropriately tiny headlight, and a {custom} spray job that ideas its hat to the traditional Honda ‘wing’ brand. It’s seldom that we come throughout a {custom} cruiser that’s this clear—particularly one which makes use of such a humble donor. [More]
6. Triumph Scrambler 400 X and Pace 400 by Ok-Pace The blokes at K-Speed are masters of turning small-capacity bikes into feisty customs, and so they seldom miss. Shortly after Triumph’s new pint-sized Scrambler 400 X and Pace 400 hit the scene, the Thai outfit took one among every and labored their magic.
These bikes look fairly good in inventory trim, so Ok-Pace targeted on making considered tweaks that might have a big effect. The Triumph Scrambler 400 X [above left] received a brand new subframe, an abbreviated seat, and a slim rear fender. The OEM gas tank wears a {custom} strap throughout the highest, an LED headlight inside a custom-built cage, and a handful of cockpit upgrades.
Each bikes put on ribbed engine covers, excessive entrance fenders, and brackets to relocate their speedos. Ok-Pace’s Triumph Pace 400 [above left] differs from their Scrambler 400 X in that its headlight is greater (and cageless), its seat is longer, and its coloration scheme is completely different. It additionally employs a low-slung exhaust, in contrast to the high-mounted system on the Scrambler.
Even greater than their {custom} operation is Ok-Pace’s ever-expanding vary of bolt-on elements. So lots of the objects that they added to those single-cylinder Triumph scramblers made their means on-line very quickly—excellent for weekend warriors who wish to restyle their very own Triumph 400s. [More]
5. Honda Monkey by Ok-Pace How typically does a {custom} store land in our High 10 twice in a single 12 months? Not typically. However given how prolific Ok-Pace is, we’re not stunned.
This sidecar-equipped Honda Monkey narrowly beat Ok-Pace’s {custom} Triumph 400s, breaking into our high 5 customs with oodles of appeal. The transient was an odd one; Ok-Pace wished a {custom} Honda Monkey within the store’s signature model, that he would then ship to a 3rd occasion to suit a sidecar too. As soon as that was accomplished, the bike had to return to Ok-Pace to deliver the sidecar in keeping with the minibike, aesthetically.
Ok-Pace was initially too busy to take the mission on, however their consumer stored calling—and the store’s founder, Eak, relented. With a earlier Ok-Pace Monkey appearing as a template, the crew started becoming elements from their burgeoning Diabolus catalog to the bike—beginning with upside-down forks and a stretched swingarm.
The Monkey additionally acquired a brand new subframe and seat, mini-ape bars, wheel covers, and knobbly tires. Transferring to the sidecar, Ok-speed handled it to matching upholstery and outfitted the wheel with the identical cowl and tire. A gloss black paint job provides a contact of timeless model to this irresistible runabout. [More]
4. 5-cylinder Puch by Uwe Oltmann This outrageous multi-engined moped has the doubtful distinction of being the one motorbike on this listing that’s unrideable. It’s not that it doesn’t run; it does with all 5 cylinders firing enthusiastically. However when you get it going, it’s far too noisy and scorching to be usable.
It’s the work of Uwe Oltmann—a German toolmaker whose hobbies embody constructing classic automobile engines and messing with mopeds. This mission began as a 1976 Puch Maxi S moped, to which Uwe promptly added 4 extra Puch engines. Every engine has been bored out to 70 cc, with a central shaft linking the underside three engines, and two belt drives connecting the fourth and fifth.
It’s not simply the Puch’s five-engine design that’s particular. This moped additionally includes a prototype swingarm and a set of race-spec WP Suspension, each from Ralf Waldmann’s 1993 Aprilia RS 125 R Grand Prix racer. The entrance wheel makes use of a closely modified moped rim, the rear wheel is a magnesium merchandise from PVM, and bits just like the headlight and subframe are one-offs.
Uwe’s creation is one thing to behold—particularly when he fires it up. The beginning sequence consists of spinning the rear wheel to get the primary engine going, then releasing every subsequent engine’s fly clutch with a wrench. The 350 cc Puch makes 127.5 decibels at full tilt, and the one strategy to cease it’s to drag all 5 spark plugs. [More]
3. BMW R nineT by Smoked Storage Indonesia’s Smoked Storage had a really particular transient for this brooding BMW R nineT; “Make one thing Batman would experience.” They delivered in spades—skyrocketing onto this 12 months’s podium within the course of.
Smoked Garage didn’t wish to compromise on the BMW’s usability, so that they left the working gear alone and targeted on beauty modifications—beginning with a home made carbon fiber gas tank and tail sections. Customized aluminum fairings adorn the underside half of the bike, making a silhouette that’s half racer, half brawler.
An enlarged fairing sits up entrance, overlaying a brand new LED headlight. Smoked additionally fitted clip-on bars, a handful of Motogadget parts, and a completely adjustable rear shock. Finer particulars embody tiny LED taillights, a side-stand extension, and a side-mounted license plate holder.
In true Darkish Knight model, virtually each half is completed in black—together with the {custom} twin exhaust mufflers, and the BMW tank roundels. Purposeful and imply, however nonetheless completely rideable (the slick tires are only for present), this gothic café racer ticks all of its proprietor’s containers. [More]
2. Customized mini-bike by MotoRelic Oddball engineering at all times will get our servers buzzing—and it doesn’t get way more oddball than an outsized mini-bike with a Yamaha snowmobile engine. Constructed by Sean Skinner at MotoRelic, it’s a throwback to the mini-bikes that he grew up driving.
This eccentric machine is a far cry from the 5 hp machines that Sean lower his tooth on although. He began with a 1982 Yamaha SRV 540—a two-stroke, pull-start snowmobile that makes 60 hp. As soon as the motor was yanked out of the sled, and the remainder of it bought to recoup among the finances, the mission was underway.
The engine underwent an in depth rebuild, and its CVT transmission was swapped for a wild {custom} setup, involving a Belt Drives Ltd. belt drive pulley, a {custom} adaptor, and a modified five-speed Harley transmission. It’s all housed in a scratch-built chromoly body, with a Yamaha RD350 steering neck and Honda ATC200 three-wheeler forks sitting up entrance.
16” Henry Abe wheels are fitted with Pirelli MT60RS tires, whereas a Honda CB750F Tremendous Sport brake on the again provides the one smidgen of stopping energy. Nearly the whole lot else is {custom}—together with the aluminum gas tank, the seat, and the gnarly pull-start deal with. The entire thing is, in Sean’s personal phrases, “obnoxious on so many ranges.” [More]
1. Harley-Davidson Pan America by Powerbrick Tim Somers and the group at Powerbrick burst onto the scene simply over two years in the past, rapidly making a reputation for themselves with a slew of razor-sharp BMW Ok-series customs. So that they caught us off guard earlier this 12 months after they utilized their signature aesthetic to a completely completely different motorbike; the Harley-Davidson Pan America.
The Pan America could be an journey bike at coronary heart, nevertheless it’s proving to be successful amongst {custom} builders. Powerbrick’s tackle it’s as radical as it’s slick—combining intelligent {custom} elements with among the Pan America’s distinguishing OEM options. Tim calls it “the streetfighter that Harley by no means launched.”
Powerbrick began by trimming the higher part of the Pan America’s distinctive ‘shark nostril’ fairing—a course of that necessitated relocating the bike’s TFT dashboard. Subsequent, the massive plastic strip that runs over the inventory gas tank was ditched, and the bits of the tank that hid beneath it have been cleaned up. The rear finish was handled to a extra excessive makeover, with a brand new subframe and 3D printed physique panels, courtesy of Nius Moto.
The main points on this dynamic Harley might fill volumes; from the RC Racing radiator to the laced wheels, LSL handlebars, LED lighting, Noco battery, CTEK battery administration system, and Venhill brake hoses. The exhaust system makes use of {custom} headers from Nius Moto with a Powerbrick muffler, and the paint job is a play on Aston Martin’s ‘Spirit Silver.’ The entire thing seems so good, it has us questioning if The Motor Co. is taking notes. [More]
EDITOR’S NOTE The draw back of crunching the numbers every year is that we find yourself with a handful of worthy bikes that narrowly miss the lower. Solace Motorbike’s 1994 Sportster café racer [above], Satomari’s intricate Shovelhead, Macco Motor’s Harley XR1200, and Auto Fabrica’s neo-retro Honda Africa Twin [below] deserve an honorable point out.
Our everlasting gratitude goes out to the {custom} motorbike builders who maintain our pages full, the photographers who seize their work in vivid element, our group of writers, our writer, and the advertisers who maintain our lights on. Joyful holidays, and you’ll want to verify again in simply earlier than the brand new 12 months, once we current our private favorites from 2024—information be damned.
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