Bernard Mont’s Custom-Framed, Hub-Steered BSA Boardtracker…
The Glemseck 101 remains one of the wildest two-wheeled events on the planet, a hotbed of speed and creativity where garage-builders race custom-built sprint bikes down an 1/8-mile stretch of the old Solitude racetrack (Solituderennen) in Leonberg, Germany. Belgian shed-builder Bernard Mont has been a fixture for years at Glemseck and the old Sultans of Sprint series.
A mechanical engineer by trade, Mont got his professional start in the late 80s working in such series as the French Rally Championship, Belgian Procar Touring Championship, and European Formula 3000 Championship. With a background in race car engineering, it isn’t surprising that Bernard’s shed-built creations are wonders of mechanical design and ingenuity.
In 2012, his “Ducati TT3 Difazio” — an imagined collaboration between Ducati designer Fabio Taglioni and hub-center steering innovator Jack Difazio — was showcased on Bike EXIF and won the Garage Contest at World Ducati Week. Later, Bernard built a Ducati Monster S2R drag bike with hub steering dubbed “Nowhere Fast,” which he raced in the Sultans of Sprint series. He followed this with “Nowhere Faster,” a NOS-injected Ducati Multistrada sprint bike boasting a one-off Ducati-style trellis frame and Difazio-style hub steering.
It was this laydown-style Ducati drag bike that inspired the BSA-based project you see here.
“September 2019, back from the Glemseck 101 event where I was competing with my bike ‘Nowhere Faster,’ I started thinking about what could be a nice evolution of this hub steering frame.”
Bernard went to work with AutoCAD to design a one-off frame for the build, but it was a chance meeting with Belgian artist Roland Groteclaes at the Luxembourg Motor Show that solidified his vision for the project.
“Roland managed in a very short time to crystallize on paper all my thoughts in the best artistic way!! From that moment it looked crystal clear that I had to build it.”
You won’t find a trellis-style design here. Rather, the curved oil-in-frame design complements and showcases the gorgeous 650cc BSA A65 twin, colloquially known as the “Power Egg” for its distinctive rounded engine casings.
The wheels consist of 21-inch rims laced to a Ducati rear hub and a homemade Difazio front hub — not surprising for a man who has a healthy obsession with hub-center steering designs. A Polish company custom-made the stainless spokes that hold everything together.
Bernard rebuilt the engine at home, outfitting it with an electronic ignition and Amal carbs. He shaped the seat and tank in foam and sent them to metal-master Bart Geerts (www.laswerkengeertsbart.be) for fabrication in aluminum. Meanwhile, his buddy Tommy from Rockers Meccanica upholstered the seat in suede three separate times to meet Bernard’s exacting vision…fortunately they’re still friends!
Paul’s Workshop of Normandy handled all the powder-coating, while Bernard’s friend and photographer Ioannis Tsouloulis (www.purephotography.be) knocked out the photographs on a cold and beautiful night in December, under a light misty rain.
Bernard says the build took him more than six years to complete. With a full-time engineering job, he can only work on his two-wheeled projects in his free time, and he has three choppers and another sprint bike in various stages of development. He also rebuilt many parts that didn’t come out the way he liked. That demanding attention to detail is evident everywhere you look: from the way the curves of the frame tubing and exhaust pipes echo one other, to the speed-drilled engine casings and frame gussets and hubs, down to the custom stand that bears the project’s name.
That nickname — “De Chaos” — stems from the fact that Bernard started the bike in 2020, smack in the middle of the pandemic.
“That was the main reason for the name ‘De Chaos’ — trying to get something cool and nice out of this mess and chaos…”
Bernard has certainly accomplished that, creating one of the most stunning boardtrack-style machines we’ve ever seen — a bike that places the lovely BSA engine right in the eye of the frame. Few machines would look just as appropriate sitting on a stand in the Guggenheim Museum as in the paddock at Glemseck. Bravo, Bernard. We’re honored and thrilled to showcase this one-off machine and the story behind it.
“De Chaos” BSA Boardtracker: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
I am a shed builder, making bikes on my own and working as mechanical engineer in a chemical company. A long time ago 😊 I worked in race car engineering, in the French Rally Championship, Belgian Procar Touring Championship, European Formula 3000…
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
One-off build, all homemade around a BSA engine.
• Why was this bike built?
Very good question…if I had the answer… 😊
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
An evolution, in boardtracker style, of the frame used on my “Nowhere Faster” sprint bike.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
The frame is of the oil-in-frame type. The wheel rims are 21”, recovered come from a Suzuki DR and a French moped, then laced on a Ducati hub for the rear and a homemade Difazio hub on the front, with stainless spokes custom made by a Polish company.
The handlebar, bought on eBay, comes from a vintage racing bicycle, modified to suit the specific arrangement requested by the hub steering.
The engine has been totally home rebuilt and fitted with a new electronic ignition and a pair of Amal carbs, also bought on eBay.
The seat and the tank were handcrafted according to my foam masters by Bart Geerts (www.laswerkengeertsbart.be) — Bart specializes in vintage cross/trial/flat track parts reconstruction. Paul’s Workshop (www.paulsworkshop.fr) in Normandy applied the powder coating.
My friend Tommy from Rockers Meccanica in the Czech Republic (www.rockersmeccanica.com) made the seat upholstery in suede, unfortunately three times to please me — sorry Tommy…
The nighttime shooting was completed in December 2025 in the cold and under a light rain by photographer and friend Ioannis Tsouloulis (www.purephotography.be).
• Does the bike have a nickname?
“De Chaos.”
• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?
Stock engine, around 55 hp.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
Not yet ridden, scheduled for the spring/summer…
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
Trying to keep a nice and pure shape for the overall lines, with an organic view of the components, especially on the steering ones.
• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
Roland Groteclaes: www.rolandgroteclaes.be
Bart Geerts: www.laswerkengeertsbart.be
Paul’s Workshop: www.paulsworkshop.fr
Tommy from Rockers Meccanica: www.rockersmeccanica.com
Ioannis from Pure photography: www.purephotography.be
Follow the Builder
Instagram: @bernard_mont
I’ve already written it somewhere – when I think it’s impossible to invent something that hasn’t been around before, there’s a guy who will invent it and make it. Thumbs up.
Hey, on every article you write, it would be great to see at least a still shot of the bike being ridden. Please consider – thanks.