The 2019 Handbuilt Motorcycle Show
Words by Justin Benson | Photography by Speedy Donahue
Sometimes we revive old motorcycles, and sometimes they revive us. Every April for the last 6 years, Revival Cycles plays host to a moto gathering that quite literally brings one back to life. Scorn from long winters of blizzards, cars not starting, and frozen nether-regions, it’s the exact type of event to put fuel in our tanks, and melt the icicles off our dipstick. Let me tell you – this year’s show was no exception.
SPECIAL K – 1985 BMW K100
When you reside within the custom motorcycle world and new people wish to join the fray, they always have one of two questions. What bike should I buy as my first steed or which bike should I choose for my first build. The answer is to both is really the same; cheap, light, basic and reliable. Lucky for all of us David Ewen ignored the advice I would have offered and chose to take up the challenge by building a killer custom for his first ever ride! From the barely breathing remains of a huge 1985 BMW K100 comes his street scrambler, that goes by the name ‘Revive’.
SUPERCHARGED SR400 – Oily Rag Customs
Words by Scott Hopkin | Photography by Ian Davidson
The dust has settled for another year on the third Machine Show based in Braidwood, NSW, Australia. The show features a Bike Build competition every year, where dedicated motorcycle builders build unique pre-1989 bikes specifically for the show. This year they had 36 entries of all different styles and marques – from choppers to café racers and everything in between. One of the stand-out builds was this Supercharged SR400 tracker by Keeley Pritchard. As soon as we saw the 1986 SR400, we knew a lot of blood, sweat and tears had gone into the bike, but didn’t realise how young the builder was. Keeley is a 22-year-old motorbike mechanic from Sydney’s Northern Beaches who works for a garage called Surfside Motorcycles. In the lead up to the show, when everyone had gone home and his boss had turned off the lights, he turned them back on and worked well into the night bringing his creation to life.
DOUBLE ESPRESSO – Ducati Monster S2R
Written by Martin Hodgson | Photography by Keith Treder
When it comes to motorcycles, it turns out that if you ask for ‘just what the doctor ordered’ then the answer is a tricked out Ducati. To discover this, we didn’t just turn to any old medicine man, but Dr Chris Stout who was named one of the World Economic Forum’s 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow. They’re serious credentials and he’s a busy man, so to build his perfect weekend weapon to deliver that two-wheeled therapy he assembled a talented crew. Together they’ve brewed up a potent café racer from the unique Ducati Monster S2R: they call it the ‘Double Espresso’!
Revival Cycles ‘Birdcage BMW’
Words by Justin Benson.
Revival Cycles’ latest build; “The Birdcage”, at first glance – looks to be the work of a madman. Showcasing BMW’s newest prototype boxer engine, the frame is entirely comprised of titanium (a first for the Revival team), made up of 150 separate pieces, taking a full 2 weeks, day and night, to finish welding. Almost every piece on the bike was fabricated in house, with great attention paid to design, function, and most importantly – weight. The asymmetrical frame of “The Birdcage” weighs in at a mere 25 pounds, and thanks to the beautiful marriage of hexagonal carbon fiber suspension and CNC-machine aluminum parts, it’s light as a feather. The only hint of color on the bike comes in the form of the frame and titanium exhaust system, which were anodized, adding a subtle peacock purple and green shade to the metal.
SIDEWAYS SPORTY – 2017 Harley-Davidson Sportster by MC Parts
The Harley-Davidson XR750 is probably the most beautiful bike Harley has ever made. Which is ironic, because it was designed to get dirty, and getting sideways is what it did so well in AMA flat track races –actually it went on to become the most successful model in AMA history. So when a customer came into the H-D specialist shop called MC Parts in Denmark and wanted them to build a modern street-legal Harley-Davidson that pays homage to the XR750, they couldn’t wait to get their hands dirty.
DOM’ PERIGNON – Honda NX650 Dominator by Forge
This is a story older than time. A common predicament many of us have been in. You buy a donor bike with all the right intentions to build one of the coolest motorcycles the world has ever seen. But the days pass by and then the months pass by until reality hits and you know you aren’t ever going to finish this build. Whether it’s a lack of time or a lack of ability, the bike sits in the garage waiting for some love and attention. This is exactly what happened when a customer approached French garage Forge to build them a Dominator. The 1989 NX650 had been sitting in pieces for a year and the owner knew he wasn’t going to get it done, so he called Forge.
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. Plan B’s ‘Flyin’ ’57’ Bianchi Moonshine Racer
As closely related as they are, the custom worlds of two and four wheels rarely meet. But that wasn’t always the case, with the original Hot Rodders and Cutdown bikes of all kinds, sharing a common philosophy of shoving the biggest engine into the smallest frame possible…
BOXER REBELLION. Matt Hart’s Classic BMW R65 Scrambler
Matt Hart’s a photographer – and a damn good one at that. Trawling through his drool-worthy Instagram shows his passion for racing old Porsches and other, lesser marques. But when he was young he lived and breathed bikes, belting around on a little 80cc Yamaha. And lately the moto bug has bitten again…
BALLS & CHAIN. 485 Design’s Tough Yamaha XV920 Cafe
We wear our hearts on our sleeves when it comes to Yamaha’s good ol’ Virago Vee. We bloody well love ‘em. But boy, we’ve seen a heap of them. So needless to say that it takes something a little special for us to notice them. Enter Denver’s 485 Designs and their rather unique chain-driven XV920…
