Write-off to Head-turner: Clive Coombe’s 1978 CB550F2… The Honda CB550F was part of Honda’s Super Sport range, featuring a lighter four-into-one exhaust, flatter handlebars, and a different fuel tank than the K model. Though the […]
Tag: Brats
Ascot Reborn: Honda FT500 by AMP Motorcycles
Father/son workshop AMP Motorcycles rebuilds an 80s thumper… In 1982, Honda introduced the FT500 Ascot, a single-cylinder four-stroke named after the storied Ascot flat track (RIP) just outside Los Angeles: “Located between the posh Hollywood […]
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 […]
Bavarian Blackout: BMW R80 by Burn Up Company
BUC It: Burn Up Company’s burly BMW, built for sidecar adventures… In the mid-1980s, BMW replaced the twin-shock rear suspension on their airhead models with a monolever (single-shock) system, whose asymmetric design was meant to […]
Full Metal Brat: Suzuki GS850 by Basan Metalworks
The Suzuki GS850, introduced in 1979, sported a bored-out two-valve GS750 engine mated to a shaft drive, offering 77 horsepower and a top speed of 119 mph — a heavyweight brute designed for the touring […]
For Sale: Yamaha TX650 Brat by Kuna Customs
The bike we know as the Yamaha XS650 actually started life as the 1970 XS-1. For the 1973-74 model years, it was re-badged as the TX650 to match the TX500 and TX750. When these bikes […]
Yamaha XS650 Brat Tracker from Kuna Customs
The Yamaha XS650 (1970-1983) is one of our favorite vintage Japanese motorcycles, styled after the British twins of the 1960s. The engine/gearbox had unit construction and a horizontally-split crankcase, making it one of the most […]
Kawasaki KZ400 “MoneyPenny” by WKND Customs
Built for a female air force officer… The original Kawasaki KZ400 twin, introduced during the oil crisis in 1974, was billed as a middleweight commuter, featured in magazine advertisements alongside a VW Beetle with the […]
BMW R100 “ØD1” by ØNIX Design
A one-owner airhead, rebuilt and handed-down from father to sons… The BMW R100 is a storied classic of the motorcycling world. The last of the airheads, the 980cc Bavarian boxer remains popular among riders, restorers, […]
Cult of Personality: Honda GL1000 Custom
Not your granddaddy’s Goldwing! The original Honda GL1000 Goldwing debuted in 1974 with a 999cc liquid-cooled flat-four and a number of interesting design features, including a contra-rotating generator to counteract the engine’s torque, a below-seat […]
