Lys Motorcycles builds a sporty V-twin Yamaha… In 1981, the Yamaha XV1000 TR1 appeared in European showrooms. Though it bore close semblance to the shaft-drive Virago series, the 980cc V-twin TR1 featured a fully enclosed […]
Recent Posts
Speedy Seagull: 100cc Honda Land Speeder
Speedy Siegl’s methanol-fueled, nitrous-injected 100cc land speeder! This past summer, we were fortunate to make the journey across the country to the Bonneville Salt Flats outside Wendover, Utah, for the 2021 Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials. […]
Restomod Roadster: Honda CB750 “Hanashi”
“Hanashi (History) in the present.” –Cafeina Motorcycles The Honda CB750 remains one of the most iconic, influential, and beloved motorcycles in history. Today, it may not seem like such a revolutionary bike, but that’s only […]
The Cool One: 1971 Rickman Metisse 650 Desert Sled
Clinton Hill Classics recreates Steve McQueen’s Metisse desert racer! In the 1950s, brothers Derek and Don Rickman were successful UK motocross riders who decided to turn their passion into a business, building off-road chassis kits […]
Lightweight Bob: Yamaha XS400 Bobber by DOTi
By the mid 1970s, the Big Four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers had already seen the end looming for the two-stroke street bike. Emissions laws, noise regulations, and a new emphasis on fuel economy were ringing the […]
Blue Smoke: Yamaha RD350LC Hybrid
Andy Underhill’s resto-modded RD350, boasting YPVS power… Introduced in 1980, the Yamaha RD350LC was the next evolution in two-stroke street performance. Though it succeeded the larger displacement air-cooled RD400, the LC — aka the “Elsie” […]
La Guapísima: Ducati Pantah 600 Sprint Racer
XTR Pepo x Irons Cafe Racer = one hot Ducati drag racer… At the 1979 Milan Motorcycle Show, Ducati unveiled the Pantah, the first Ducati to eschew the old bevel-gear OHC design in favor of […]
Boxer Bobber: BMW R100C by Zamarelli Moto
Last month, we featured coverage of Glory Daze 2021 — a killer motorcycle show in Pittsburgh that featured over 150 garage-built custom bikes. One of the standouts was a gorgeous blue “Boxer Bobber” from a […]
Yamaha XTZ125 “Retro Scrambler”
Argentina’s LBC Motorcycles builds a 70s-inspired scrambler… The Yamaha XTZ125 is a lightweight dual-purpose bike built to be tough, reliable, and versatile in a range of environments. In factory trim, the 125cc XTZ looks much […]
Island Runner: BMW F650 Funduro
BCKustoms builds a black Bavarian rally raider… Back in 1993, BMW launched the F650 Funduro, a lighter single-cylinder sibling to the mighty R1150GS. The Funduro was BMW’s first single-cylinder motorcycle since the 1960s, jointly designed […]




