The Yamaha XJR1300 was a fire-breathing brute of a machine, a two-wheeled muscle car whose air-cooled engine could be traced back to the 1980s. By the time the 1251cc powerplant found its way into the […]
Tag: Muscle Bikes
Bandit Power: Honda “CB1157F” by Butchered Classics
Dave Solomon of Butchered Classics is our favorite mad Englishman, a shed-builder who’s earned an “evil reputation” for building high-powered Frankenbikes that send purists drooling and raving to the madhouse. In 2019 alone, we featured […]
Aquafresh: Kawasaki KZ1000 Cafe Racer
A big-bore Kawa from Mitsuaki Shinohara… The Kawasaki KZ1000 is one of the baddest air-cooled muscle bikes of the 1970s. Introduced in 1976, the bike won the 1977 and 1978 AMA Superbike Championship, and the […]
Street Sweeper: Kawasaki ZRX1100 by Motor League
A ZRX risen from the Philly streets… The Kawasaki ZRX1100 was a throwback to the muscle bikes of the 1980s, a retro-styled machine that recalled the Eddie Lawson superbikes of yore, sporting a retuned 1052cc […]
Flat-Six Brat: Honda Valkyrie by Basan Metalworks
The Honda Valkyrie, first introduced in 1996, was intended to be the world’s ultimate cruiser, a six-cylinder brute that was bigger, badder, and more powerful than traditional V-twins. Said one Honda VP: “The [flat-six] motor […]
Muscle Scrambler: Yamaha XJR1300
Teleportation awaits… In the early ’90s, Yamaha needed a big-bore muscle bike to compete with the likes of the Honda CB1000 and Suzuki Bandit. Thus the mighty XJR series was born — a ’70s-inspired, big-block […]
“W-Max”: Yamaha V-Max Restomod by Nitro Cycles
This isn’t the gun…it’s the bullet… The Yamaha V-Max is one of the greatest muscle bikes in history. At its introduction in 1984, it was the fastest-accelerating production motorcycle ever made, a 600-pound beast capable […]
Kawasaki KZ1000 Restomod by Nova Motorcycles
Few motorcycles have the long and varied history of the Kawasaki KZ1000. Known as the Z1000 outside North America, the big air-cooled inline four debuted in 1977, and the police model would remain in continuous […]
Honda GL1100 Goldwing by De Angelis Elaborazioni
The Honda Goldwing may not seem like an ideal donor bike for a custom build, but the big Honda boxers are increasingly finding their way into the hands of builders all over the world. The […]
BMW R1100R “Muscle Brat” by Offset Moto
The BMW R1100R was a naked version of the modern Bavarian boxer. While fairing-less design showcased the considerable engineering of the machine — oil coolers, telelever front end, fuel injection — the bike was never […]
