BikeCraft Magazine Issue No. 1 Has Hit the Newstands

So-Cal Triumph Featured in BikeCraft

 BikeCraft magazine is here at last... bobbers, cafe racers, streettrackers, oh my. I just bought a copy of issue numero uno, Summer 2012, and I love it already... great photography, excellent writing, and lots of bikes... in this issue alone, more than a dozen innovative and novel customs from across a wide spectrum of brands. 

Dave Edwards, editor-in-chief of Cycle World  for many years, is at the helm of this new quarterly from Mark Barnett, publisher of the now-defunct Barnett's Magazine (which I really liked and bought on a regular basis). The design and layout of the mag reminds me very much of Cycle World.

The Triumph streettracker pictured here was one of the very cool featured bikes. It was designed and built by the legendary designers and craftsmen at So-Cal Speed Shop for Champions Moto, the first in a limited production run of ten bikes.

Harleyton 45 Featured in BikeCraft

At the other end of the spectrum, there was a great piece about Englishman Nick Roskelley's Harleyton 45 Cafe Racer, a Harley 45ci flathead in a Norton frame. 

I've been eagerly awaiting the debut after seeing the preview of BikeCraft at the back of the now-defunct  Barnett's Magazine final issue. It's better than I hoped for. Check it out at your favorite newstand now, or get setup with a subscription online for $14.99 per year (four issues) at their website.


Update: Actually the Champions Moto Triumph will be a limited production run of twenty bikes, not ten... my mistake

         

Shaw Speed & Custom's Sportsters

Shaw Sportster XLST3 Scrambler

Shaw Speed & Custom in the UK built this awesome Sportster scrambler. For you Sportster fans, they've got quite a line-up of Sporty-based customs.

Check out their Big Twin customs, too.

Tip of the hat to the folks at BIKEEXIF.






         

Another Cyclone Boardtracker Replica

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After our post about the Cyclone boardtracker replica a few days ago, I went looking for more info about the original Cyclone. Courtesy of the folks at BIKEEXIF website, I found this great post about another builder's take on a Cyclone replica.

Graphics designer and vintage motorcycle enthusiast Frederick Fortune was, in his words, "awestruck" when he stood in front of one of the last eight remaining Cyclones at a motorcycle exhibit in Las Vegas back in 2005. The originals were valued at a half million or more back then. His wife said, "Forget it," so, Mr. Fortune decided if he couldn't have an original, he'd craft a replica.

A reworked 1964 Ironhead Sportster was the starting point. A Carolina Customs Sportster frame came next, followed by another key piece, the Donnie Smith girder. A pair of 21" Excel shoulderless, alloy rims were chosen for that characteristic skinny bicycle tire look, front and back. A custom antique-style saddle by Larry Heilman of Texas was put on order.

The headlight is a very cool touch... it's a repurposed spotlight from a 1915 vintage firetruck. Also fitted was a vintage Linkerts carb.

Frederick put in a lot of careful thought to the smallest details... read his own history of the bike planning and build there at BIKEEXIF (which is one of our favorite motorcycle blogs, by the way).  And the pricetag? Only $12,000...

ACE SPEEDgrande by 8negro
Design tshirt designs at zazzle.com.

Darwin Motorcycles Brass Balls Bobbers

Brass Balls w. Indian Powerplus 100 Motor

Like Sucker Punch Sallys, Darwin Motors is another innovate, small custom cycle outfit that's made an international reputation designing and selling high-quality retro-styled bobbers based on Harley-Davidson style 45degree v-twin mills. Last year they branched out into another style theme and won the 2011 AMD championship with their RLX cafe racer based on the new S&S 56degree X-Wedge v-twin motor.

They've got a great Old Skool design sense. Visit their site if you love bobbers.

"Big Ned" Monster V-Twin Total Custom Bike

Mark Walker & Big Ned

Saw this ground-up custom in one of the classic motorcycle mags on the rack at our local supermarket this morning. Phenomenal, mind-boggling. Designed and built from scratch by Australian mechanical genius, Mark Walker. It's called Big Ned. You can see a lot more of Big Ned at the website of Australian blogger "Computech," who's a friend of Mark Walker.

From what I can tell, virtually every bit of this monster was designed, built, and assembled by Walker, especially the engine. This is unlike anything I've ever seen.

How is another entry Computech that includes some early pictures chronicling the birth of Big Ned.