Written by Tim Huber.

Artists and builders tend to be extremely critical of their own work. With the benefit of hindsight, it can be hard not to go back and ponder all the things you would have done differently were you given a chance to turn back the clock and take a second crack at an earlier completed work. But after Italy’s Ludwig Motorcycles had one of its 2017 builds suffer a crash, the shop was given the opportunity to turn all those would-haves and should-haves into reality.

Written by Martin Hodgson

A modern sportbike is an amazing thing; 200+hp, ultra-advanced electronics and top of the line suspension and brakes. But apart from the packaging they’re almost all the same and lack so much of the character and charm of their older brethren. So to perfectly meld the best of both, who better to create the ultimate superbike than legendary New Hampshire based builder, Mr Walt Siegl! A race only version of his company’s WSM SBK model, it was commissioned by one very lucky man’s girlfriend, as the Christmas present, we’d all love to have.

Written by Martin Hodgson

On the edge of a crystal clear lake, with its stunning historic buildings and sweeping views of the Alps, Thun, Switzerland is a popular place to visit. “Scooter bikes can be rented for the trip back down to the valley if you’re feeling adventurous,” enthuses the local tourism website. Boring! Instead, be like Sam Luginbühl and bring the hills alive with the sound of a rip snorting two-stroke! The proprietor of his own all-round metal fabrication and Hot Rod business, Sam Customs, he’s spent the past five years in his downtime piecing together this killer KTM GS250 with looks that are as good as it goes.

Written by Martin Hodgson

For just over a decade, beginning in the early ’80s, the Cagiva brand was the king and dominant force in Italian motorcycling. Winning world championships, Dakar Rally’s and buying out Ducati, Husqvarna, MV Agusta and Moto Morini; but all that is over! What we do have as the company’s legacy is the beloved brands it managed to save and a hand full of models from that glorious period worthy of celebration. Based on the beautiful Ducati Pantah, the Cagiva Alazzurra is one such bike and with a band of merry men, Sydney’s Ash Kollmorgen has taken this 1986 model and made an exquisite custom cafe racer.

There’s no denying the world of video content is becoming a bigger part of our daily lives. It’s something we want to start featuring more of and even create our own Pipeburn video content. To start off, we thought we’d support Purpose Built Moto’s new build series. Over to Tom from Purpose Built to tell us what he’ll be doing in the new series. Or just grab a beverage and hit play…

I’m currently mid-build on two Adventure projects and we’re going to be walking you through, in a series of step-by-step YouTube videos. Starting off with a 2006 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200C. This bike, and a Nemesis 400 to come will be used on new film project we’re working on with some of Australia’s most exciting motorcycle personalities. For now though I’m focussing my energy on prepping this Harley to go to hell and back.

This Sportster is a personal project, I want to test new ideas, build out concepts I’ve had in my head for a while and really experiment with just how you turn a 1200cc highway-puppy into a dirt-fighting-dog. The key to this build is stripping weight, improving handling and allowing the bike to put its torquey motor to good use off-road. Turning a Sportster into an adventure-ready off-road scrambler will be a challenge, but that’s exactly why I chose it.

Written by Tim Huber.

There’s something almost sacrilegious about placing an exorbitant and exotic motorcycle under the grinder for customization. Not only is it practically guaranteed to destroy an exclusive model’s resale value, but it also removes one of the few existing examples from circulation. Often produced in minute numbers, these machines are hand-built works of rolling art and engineering that are extremely calculated in their design. 

So to “undo” an elite and seldom-seen model like an Ecosse Heretic Titanium Edition is a major gamble, to say the least, but if anyone has the competence to cut up the exotic American and come out on the other side with a winning hand, it’s Roland Sands and his crew at Southern California’s Roland Sands Design.

Written by Tim Huber.

Produced from 1998 to 2001, Triumph’s Legend TT is basically a more affordable, less flashy version of the Thunderbird 900. The running gear and amenities are pretty unremarkable, but it features the Hinckley firm’s famous three-banger and a decent enough frame. So with a few performance parts and a cosmetic redesign, Nicola Martini of Italy’s Mr. Martini fame, reasoned it’d make for a solid base for his next project bike. So a 2001 Legend TT donor was sourced, and the build — dubbed “Bob” — got underway.

Written by Martin Hodgson

In a world filled with celebrities with no discernible talent and the scourge that is the social media influencer, there comes our favourite antidote. The incredible craftspeople and visionaries that from their humble locales ply their trade without ever seeking fame or fortune. It is in the back streets of any Japanese city that you’ll find many of these fine folk working their magic. And from the beautiful temple filled port city of Onomichi we meet another master, Yusaku Sato. Who presents to us his latest build, a stunning Shovelhead Scrambler from his house of handmade machines, Sato Marine Cycle.

Written by Martin Hodgson.

There is a fear amongst some about handing over large amounts of money for a custom motorcycle and with more manufacturers offering factory-tuned machines complete with a warranty, that decision can be even harder. But to prove you can have the best of both worlds, Germany’s Kaspeed Custom Motorcycles have crafted a limited run special, developed and tested for over a year on their in-house prototype. Based on late ’90s Honda CB750s and available in both Racer and Heritage specification, the first two bikes from the company’s SevenFifty range are here. With only 10 available you’ll have to be quick, as bikes #1 and #2 are already in their owner’s hands and boy are they pleased.

Written by Martin Hodgson

It’s frowned upon these days as we all get a little wiser, but the old saying ‘happy wife, happy life’ could well be put to the test as Francesco was supposed to build this bike into a road-going cafe racer for his one true love! But somewhere along the way this 1990 Honda CD250U became a track bike for the man himself, with a more race orientated name, MotoLeggera, meaning Lightweight Motorcycle. Rescued from a Hippie on a Horse Farm the Honda commuter has undergone an epic transformation at Francis Von Tuto Moto Works and now tears up the tarmac at Australia’s Lakeside International Raceway.