Written by Martin Hodgson

While Santa packed up his sleigh and headed off to fill his stomach with Cookies, Rum and Hay, for Rudolph and the lads, back here at Pipeburn HQ we were locked in a small room trying to pick the best bikes of 2019. It’s no easy task, but thanks to the custom builders right around the world who continue to amaze and our dear readers comments, likes and shares; we managed to narrow down the field. Plenty of worthy contenders just missed out, we created two new categories to help capture the years best, but in the end there can only be one winner and to top the pack it had to be seriously special, Ladies and Gentleman, you’re Pipeburn Bike of the Year…

Written by Martin Hodgson

2019 has been a tough year for those facing wildfires, from Europe to Australia’s East Coast, California to the vast Amazon jungle, the devastation has been immense. But while many of us live in harms way, when it’s time to flee there is another group heading towards the flames. The brave men and women of the world’s fire fighting community are truly owed a debt of gratitude. But what do they do to wind down when it’s all over? For Germany’s Chris Scholtka his life long passion for bikes provides the escape and from his Motocrew workshop in his spare time he’s turn out this ‘Black Villain’ beast from the bones of a 2015 Ducati Scrambler.

The resurgence of flat track racing around the world is no surprise; it’s fast, dangerous, fun and great for spectators to watch. Christine Gabler and Marc Holstein have been over in Japan for the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show but also travelled out to watch the ‘Have Fun Flat Track’ event – which as the name suggests, is a bunch of riders who just want to have fun and go left on inappropriate bikes. We thought we’d let Marc and Christine take us through the event. The wonderful photos and words are theirs:

Waking up super early to catch train all the way out to Kawagoe proved to be quite a challenge in the busy city of Tokyo. We were on our way to the ‘Have Fun Flat Track’ party event which was being held a day after the Yokohama Hot Rod Custom Show. The practice was to be held on Monday but it rained heavily all day. Tuesday looked amazing so me made our way out to the track, riding one and a half hours through Tokyo and another 30 minutes by taxi. We arrived on site at around noon which seemed like a perfect time as the track has just dried off.

Written by Tim Huber.

Existing today primarily as a novelty genre of sorts, sidecars are without a doubt one of, if not the most seldom-seen style of customs. Plenty of well seasoned shops have never ventured into the three-wheeled territory, and it’s not too hard to see why. The shift from a single-track vehicle to a machine of the three-wheeled variety fundamentally alters the performance and riding characteristics, plus the prospect of adding an extra third’s worth of work onto what would otherwise be a completed build is understandably less-than-inviting to a lot of builders. 

Written by Martin Hodgson

From Lennon and McCartney to Ben and Jerry, famous collaborations have brought us amazing music and made life that little sweeter. But while we enjoy the finished product, behind the scenes can be anything from blissful creative charm to all-out chaos. Thankfully when the founder of Ugly Motors Jakub Beker teamed up with a friend for his latest build they clicked from the get go and used their differences to create a masterpiece. From a tank like 2002 BMW K1200RS they’ve carved out a fast flying fighter in tribute to the legendary Mustang P51.

Written by Tim Huber.

Hogan Jeffs has completed other Honda Dax builds in the past, but none like this. The New Zealand-based builder and member of New Zealand’s Quake City Rumblers, had picked up one of the little Honda runners and was planning on lightly modifying it just as he’d done several times prior, though when the wheel of a small car was haphazardly rolled up alongside the Dax, Hogan couldn’t stop the cogs in his head from starting to turn.

Written by Martin Hodgson

We’re not the first to say it, but Erik Buell is a genius and over 100,000 examples of the sports bikes wearing his name have been sold around the world. But that didn’t stop the company from failing, twice, and now turning his attention to electric, it is unlikely his very American twins will ever return. But the company’s demise means prices are low and boy do you get a lot of bang for your buck. More used to seeing European machinery in his native Rotterdam, Sergei Papyan of Ruthless Customz decided it was time to bring a Buell to the city’s streets. So he picked up an XB9R and transformed it into this wicked weekend warrior fit for an urban assault.

Nothing goes better with the image of Harley-Davidsons than hard liquor and tattoos. So when one of Gasoline Motor Co.’s best clients for commissioned bike builds – William Grant and Sons for the famous Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum – they couldn’t wait to get their hands dirty again. The ‘SJ2’ is the second collaboration build between the two companies. After building a Triumph Scrambler to chew up the dirt in 2018, this year’s collaboration holds the legacy of old-school sailors and hula girls in paradise.

Written by Martin Hodgson

The one thing you know about receiving an email from Titan Motorcycle Co. is you have no idea just what kind of custom bike you’ll find inside. The awarding-winning team headed up by Michael Siebenhofer and Thanh Ho Ngo relish in their role of turning up to a show and delivering a bike that nobody was expecting. From their new workshop in Graz, Austria, they now have the space and technology to turn bikes out at an incredible pace, while still maintaining their exacting standards. Their latest email was opened to reveal Titan No. 2 affectionally known as ‘The Shark’, a BMW R that’s ready to take a large chunk out of the competition.