100 Pounds Lighter: Backdated 1150GS from Blunk’s Garage… Introduced in 1999, the BMW R1150GS quickly began to accumulate awards and recognition. Cycle World named it “Best Sport Touring Bike” of 2000, and Ewan McGregor and […]
Tag: California
Ultra Lightweight 500: TT-Powered Yamaha XT500 Street Tracker
From Eric Dean Design: Yamaha XT500 Meets Suzuki TL1000R… The street-legal Yamaha XT500 and its off-road sibling, the TT500, quickly made a name for themselves in the late 1970s. Not only did they win […]
’49 Big Bear Scrambler: Triumph TR5 Trophy
A Spring-Frame, Square-Barrel TR5 Trophy from Ton Up Classics… In the 1950s, Triumph dealer Bill Martin designed a spring frame for desert racing in Southern California. Production began in 1952, while Triumph wouldn’t offer […]
City Sled: ’71 Triumph TR6R Tiger “Black Bike”
From Freeland Motorcycles: “The clean cut brother of a desert sled”… The Triumph TR6R “Tiger 650” was the single-carb version of the mighty Bonneville twin — a bike that had become synonymous with power […]
Knievel: Honda CB360 Scrambler
If You Build it, They Will Come: “Knievel” from Freeland Motorcycles… The Honda CJ360T appeared in 1976 as a stripped-down bare-bones version of the CB/CL360 twins. It had a five-speed transmission instead of six, no […]
Keep the Dream: Suzuki Katana GS1000S
100,000 miles on a GS1000S Katana: “She’s family, that makes her priceless…” In 1982, a 1000cc version of the Suzuki Katana 1100 was introduced to qualify for AMA Superbike racing. The bore was sleeved […]
The Evil Twin: 1200 Sportster Street Tracker
Bill Brosius shares a Harley street tracker build with his father… Bill Brosius grew up on the back of his father’s Harley-Davidson, as father and son followed the flat track races all around California and […]
Savage DNA: Suzuki LS650 Street Tracker
Grand Cru Customs builds a Savage 650 street tracker… Introduced in 1986, the Suzuki Savage 650 — aka the LS650 and later the Boulevard S40 — would remain in production for 33 years. The 650cc […]
“Silbergrau” CB: 1972 Honda CB500 Café Racer
Alchemy Motorcycles builds a show-stopping silver-grey CB… The Honda CB500 Four made quite the splash when it debuted at the London Racing and Sporting Motorcycle Show in early 1972. Described as “one of the “show […]
Rare Alchemy: 1974 Honda CB750K Café Racer
“Chalk” — a minimalist CB750 from Alchemy Motorcycles… Back in 2018, we featured the ’77 CB550K “Grey Ghost” from Michel Valle of San Diego’s Alchemy Motorcycles — one of the most elegant, most memorable CB […]
