Take a look at this 1977 Kawasaki KZ400 in the small photo and at the veritable café racer above only to find that there are little similarities, enough to have you say we’re talking about two different bikes. But it is precisely the ease of transforming an old Japanese bike into a café racer what impresses us the most about this project.
Billetproof Customs bought the bike for $300. The reliable engine still ran good, so it was worth stripping everything off of it in order to see what can be done from a fresh start. Said and done. They started with the frame, which was seriously modified and then they built the wheels and brought in lowered front shocks and custom shortened rear shocks. The old Kawi was now 2 inches lower and got itself a much more aggressive stance also thanks to the shortened clubman bars.
The bodywork was next. A refurbished 1979 Suzuki GT 500 fuel tank found its place on top of the frame together with the one-piece seat and rear tail section, which were custom made out of fiberglass by the builder. The reconditioned engine was now ready to go back on and it was fed through a single carb instead of its original dual ones. Also, it now features custom made and wrapped exhaust pipes and so they obtained a retro look instead of the classy one that chrome would have given the bike.
After adding a disc front brake and custom drilling the rear drum as well as hiding the battery under the tail section, the bike was ready for painting. Like all the above mentioned, this was done by the manufacturer and olive drab was the color of choice. Other nice details worth mentioning are the headlight, bar end mirrors and speedo, taillight as well as the custom stitched seat in between. Hit the jump for a multitude of photos.
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Nobody would want to see an “Altered Rat” unless it’s the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R special owned by Brian Johnson, who is a big fan of the rat bike style. The bike was done in the Altered Chrome Garage using the company’s own parts and it is the only one of its kind that we’ve seen so far.
We have to admit that this is truly an original idea and, in the end, what’s not to like about a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
This thing is like a rolling advert for junkyards, but don’t be fooled in thinking it’s a piece of crap. Imagine seeing this thing pass next to you doing 150mph.
Take a look at this gorgeous Ducati Streetfighter S! It was modified by performance parts distributor Motovation Accessories using mostly Rizoma parts and accessories found in their 2010 catalog. The bike showcases the quality products from rear sets to engine covers and features a custom paintjob applied by Southern Metal Customs in Austin, Texas.
Although this is not a radical project, we happen to like it a lot for looking a hell lot more aggressive than the stock Streetfighter S and much more expensive as well. Hit the jump to see the whole list of parts thrown at it.
Photo credit: Will Gibson
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There are plenty of ways to customize a motorcycle, but we’ve never heard or seen cartoon characters decorating the bodywork of a motorcycle before. Well, there’s a first time for everything and this one comes form the 2010 Moehaku event in the Sankaku Complex.
The auto and moto show there saw plenty of manga motorcycles, as they are being called after receiving the anime characters and we’ve come to find these actually make Japanese bikes look more authentic.
Also, kids love the two-wheeled beasts with their favorite Japanese cartoon characters on them, but we all know what their fathers love and it all sits underneath the shiny paint and picturesque decals. More pictures after the jump.
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Take a look at this picture and start being jealous on the rich and famous who know how to spend their money! It shows Brad Pitt, who is a big fan of custom motorcycles, test riding his latest hand-built chopper from Roland Sands Design.
The hardtail, one-off creation looks light and nimble, definitely the kind of ride a Hollywood celebrity would cruise the LA streets on.
Wearing a full-face helmet and sun glasses, Pitt shows he isn’t out for showing off, but definitely enjoying his new exquisite motorcycle without the paparazzi spotting him. Maybe next time he’ll manage to lose them.
The 2010 Victory Jackpot is all about delivering the ultimate custom riding experience by relying on the consecrated 106-cubic-inch Freedom V-Twin engine and on a host of unique features such as the 250mm rear tire, a color-matched frame, billet wheels and a chrome front end just to mention a few. Also for 2010, Cory Ness got his hands dirty and came up with the Victory Cory Ness Jackpot limited edition motorcycle. Watch for the Ness custom-designed paint and diamond-cut cylinder heads in order to identify this absolutely beautiful creation in Victory’s lineup.
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Being a Polaris brand in full growth, Victory needs to revise their models as thorough and as often as possible in order to maintain their ascendant trend, but the thing is that their models are pretty good already and so we often end up talking about some new color schemes and that’s pretty much it. But this is not the case because Victory’s modern American muscle bike, the Hammer, is in for redefining its class. With three models available (the Hammer, Hammer S and Hammer 8-Ball) and 97 horsepower, 113 foot-pounds of torque, no bad boy will want to stay away from any of these models for too long.
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Spanish fashion designer Custo Dalmau has adapted the colorful look of his signature t-shirts on this Harley-Davidson Night Road Special modified by Spanish bike builder Ferry Clot. Their combined goal was to achieve a dragster-like stance and a funky paintjob on top for what they call the “Animals in the Wild” project.
The unique bike will be auctioned for charity by Harley-Davidson Spain and the money obtained will be directed to the San Juan de Dios Foundation in Barcelona, who works on aid and development in the African country of Sierra Leone.
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Although Victory doesn’t have a classic cruiser in their lineup as a result of their sustained efforts of building modern bikes from all points of view and despite the fact that the Kingpin is sold as a custom, we dare saying that this is their closest thing to a classic cruiser. A modern classic motorcycle, if you will, the Victory Kingpin addresses to the fans of seamless lines and a big V-Twin engine, while the Kingpin 8-Ball stands out as a blacked-out version, but in fact there’s plenty more to it than just that.
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We don’t know if people are gonna ride this bike around the bright Vegas streets or not, but we do know they’ll be accommodated in a much comfier riding position as a result of Victory’s efforts to make it a little more forgiving on the back and legs and so allow riders to take it down the open road more often. In fact, three Vegas models are available: the simple model, the 8-Ball and a Limited Edition claimed to be their baddest motorcycle yet.
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