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 […]
Tag: California
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 […]
Never Underestimate an RD: Yamaha RD350 Restomod
“Don’t let anyone work on your bike who wasn’t born before it was made.” That’s the motto of Charlie Medeiros of ForPlay Racing — a garage-based repair and restoration shop in Los Gatos, California, specializing […]
Bavarian Beast: BMW R100GS Restomod
“The best combination of old airhead reliability, modern electrics, and suspension.” There are builders who are always jumping from one two-wheeled platform to another, never seeming to modify the same type of bike twice. Then […]