This week’s version of Velocity Learn kicks off with a stonking supercharged Suzuki GSX-R / GSX 1100 hybrid from Finland, constructed for flat observe racing of all issues. We shift gears to profile a svelte Honda CB750 café racer from an award-winning Japanese workshop, earlier than specializing in a Baja racing-inspired package for the Yamaha Ténéré 700.
Supercharged Suzuki flat observe racer by JL Meccanica
The builder of this unimaginable flat track racer, Janne Leiman, is a person of many abilities. Working out of his workshop, JL Meccanica, in a bit of Finnish city referred to as Mänttä, he can do all types of fabrication—however he makes a speciality of customized race bike body constructing and suspension.
“I’ve made frames and bikes for classic street racing, drag racing, motocross, enduro, and trial, so I assumed possibly now was the time to advertise my enterprise to the native flat observe group,” says Janne. “This bike was made primarily from leftover components from different tasks, with a purpose-built body and swingarm.”
Beginning with a bunch of components and a pile of metal tubing, Janne started working assembling the engine. A Suzuki GSX-R750 crankcase was mated to a GSX 1100EF prime finish with a GSX-R crankshaft. The con rods are customized, and the pistons are from a Kawasaki ZX-10R.
The GSX-R transmission was transformed to a four-speed, and a single Keihin 48 mm carburetor with twin float chambers feeds all 4 cylinders by way of a customized consumption plenum. Why would a single carb want two float chambers? It is as a result of the engine is being force-fed monumental servings of air due to an Eaton M24 supercharger.
Taken from a Volkswagen, the supercharger is pushed from the clutch shaft through a series drive, with the spent gases being spat out by way of a customized stainless-steel exhaust and muffler. The JLM emblem on the left facet of the engine is a very good contact.
With the engine performed, Janne began on the body and suspension. The aforementioned pile of tubing was bent and welded into form across the engine, and a swingarm was made to match. Janne used Indian’s wildly profitable FTR750 flat observe bike because the design and geometry inspiration, and it exhibits superbly.
The entrance suspension is from a Kawasaki ZX-9R, and the rear ZF-Sachs monoshock is a combination of Moto Guzzi and Husqvarna components. Flat trackers are allowed to have entrance brakes in Finland, so Janne discovered the smallest disc he may and mounted it up entrance with a small Brembo caliper.
The rear is answerable for a lot of the braking forces, so a four-piston Brembo was tailored to suit.
The flat observe seat and the entrance quantity plate, which has built-in fork guards, had been comprised of fiberglass, and the metal gas tank was donated from one other customized bike venture. The tank was narrowed and handled to a brand new tunnel, and an Acerbis gas cap was threaded in. The seat cowl (from a moped) was stretched over a plastic seat base, with minimal foam wanted, because it’s a race bike.
Visually, we will’t fault this iteration—it’s so properly executed that you simply’d assume it was put collectively by a manufacturing unit race crew. We’re certain this received’t be the final time we see an unimaginable customized construct like this from JL Meccanica.
Honda CB750 by Motor Pressure
With the champagne stains nonetheless clearly seen on the trophy from their Greatest Café Racer win on the 2025 Yokohama Sizzling Rod Customized Present in Japan, Mikio Yamada and the Motor Pressure crew are again with one other beautiful construct. Beginning with a 1980 Honda CB750, Yamada-san wished to point out off the gorgeous DOHC inline 4 and construct one thing that was quintessentially Honda.
Yamada-san and the Motor Pressure crew began of their Hashima Metropolis HQ, tearing the bike down and strengthening the body to scale back flex. The forks had been rebuilt with springs that sit three inches decrease, after which polished to a mirror shine. The reverse Comstar wheels are from a Honda CBX 1000, chosen for his or her giant vented brake discs.
This additionally meant that the rear drum brake was transformed to disc, with the rear caliper tailored to a CB750 swingarm. Braided brake strains present a extra fashionable really feel, whereas a brief entrance fender sits under a traditional spherical headlight.
A Motogadget Motoscope Tiny speedometer was mounted to a customized prime fork yoke, which was milled from billet aluminum to account for the decrease journey top. Clip-on bars lay the rider low over the tank (which was lifted from a 1978 CB750 Tremendous Sport), with Tarozzi rear-set pegs on customized mounts caring for the foot controls.
The waspish tail unit was comprised of scratch, tailor-made to the bike’s silhouette. The battery was relocated to its personal customized housing below the swingarm, and a pair of fully-adjustable rear shocks was bolted on.
The massive inline 4 was rebuilt, with the instances and rocker cowl polished to inside an inch of their lives. A set of Keihin CR carbs from Bito R&D was fitted, together with recent pod filters. Considered one of our favourite components of the bike is the cut-down quad exhaust—every pipe will get its personal slash lower muffler set at simply the fitting angle, which might give this 750 a mighty howl.
The bike was painted a beautiful shade of darkish metallic inexperienced to complete it off, complemented superbly with gold pin-striping and a darkish gray body. That is traditional café racer model at its absolute best. [Source]
Yamaha Ténéré 700 package by Holy Moly Bikes
Holy Moly made a splash final yr with their Retro package—a bolt-on system that redresses the favored Ténéré 700 journey bike as a giant enduro. Now they’re again with a second possibility, this time drawing affect from the legendary Baja 1000 desert race.
The brand new Holy Moly Baja package not solely has a recent look, however it provides additional performance, too. As earlier than, it doesn’t require any reducing, drilling, or hacking. With some mates and the fitting perspective, you’ll be able to utterly remodel your T7 in a day.
Punching an ungodly variety of lumens straight into the retinas of roadside wildlife and oncoming site visitors, the brand new twin LED headlight setup is constructed for enterprise. A tubular cradle protects the lights, and the entire thing bolts on to the T7’s headstock with a laser-cut bracket—no modifications required.
For off-road and ADV bikes, when the going will get tough, the very last thing you wish to be desirous about is whether or not you missed your flip or not. So Holy Moly has added a devoted spot on prime of the brand new lighting body for a navigation system. It doesn’t matter if you happen to use a smartphone, a pill, a Garmin, or use SP Join or Quad Lock brackets; all of them match.
The brand new lighting and navigation choices be a part of the remainder of the Holy Moly package, which consists of aftermarket and 3D-printed components. The entrance fender is paired with an extension to cowl the again half of the entrance wheel, and a 3D-printed mount relocates the T7’s dashboard to the handlebars.
Similar to the prevailing T7 Retro package, the radiator guard, tiny LED flip indicators, and brackets are additionally provided. R-Tech facet plastics are used, and the package consists of new decals, with each designed by Sérgio Almeida from WKND Customs.
If in case you have a Ténéré 700 and like what you see (or had been sitting on the fence about getting one), the package might be launched in six colour choices—however it’ll be restricted to simply 30 items worldwide. Contemplating how fashionable the Holy Moly Retro package was, the brand new Baja package must be a winner. [Holy Moly Motorcycles]
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