Small bike, big fun…
For many riders, their first experience on a motorcycle is a 50cc dirt bike — a Honda XR50R, Yamaha PW50, Suzuki DR-Z50, or similar. And for many of us, the thrill of riding such a minibike never really fades. Sure, we might look like gorillas riding on such small machines, but in the world of motorcycles, displacement isn’t always the measure of fun.
Enter Yonathan of DMWORK Motorcycle, who grew up in a motorcycle shop, building his first custom in junior high school — a BMX bike with an engine! In 2012, he opened his own workshop, and this project was collaboration with a friend who sells these MXF 50 dirt bikes through his dealership, Solo Motorindo. Inspired his previous project, a custom CRF250 Rally, Yonathan wanted to give the 50cc dirt bike a vintage makeover. In fact, he built both this version and a tracker version at the same time, and the bikes have adjustable subframe that allow the style of the bike to be changed fairly quickly.
Though it was a tight deadline, Yonathan credits his team for helping complete the build on time. Below, we get more details on the build.
Vintage-Style MXF 50: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
My name is Yonathan and I’m the owner of DMWORK Motorcycle. I grew up in a motorcycle repair shop environment, where I learned a lot about motorbikes. I really started building motorbikes when I was in junior high school. At that time, I was working to make a BMX bike with an engine — I was assisted by my father’s mechanic at the time.
In 2012, I opened a custom garage and my first project was a cafe racer. From there, I began to get many custom motorcycle orders until I created DMWORK Motorcycle for my custom garage and dmwork.mc for the products from my workshop.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?
This mini bike is a basic MXF 50cc dirt bike.
• Why was this bike built? (Customer project, company promotion, personal, etc.)
This motorbike is a collaborative project with my friend who’s a dealer of this bike. I tried to make the custom version.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
I was inspired by my previous motorcycle project, a Honda CFRF250 Rally, which I changed into a vintage dirt bike. For the paint scheme, I chose a simple concept in order to heighten the classic look.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
I made a new frame that’s adjustable — making it easier for children of any age and height to ride this motorbike. I also made a separate rear frame so it’s easy to carry and transport. Besides that, I also made a tracker-style — you can replace the rear frame to change the style of the bike!
• Does the bike have a nickname?
I call this one DM(02) because in the future i will make a few more styles.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
When working on this motorbike, I faced the difficulty of building two motorbikes in a very short time frame. I was inspired to make a frame that can be adjusted at the end of deadline, but I was helped by a solid team that was able to finish on time.
Follow the Builder
Instagram @dmwork.motorcycle / @dmwork.mc
Photos by @yonathan.ricky
