Category - Bobber

BAVARIAN BEAST: The New BMW R18

Five years is a long time to wait for anything; foreplay is important but too long and you run the risk of your partner getting so bored they pack up and go home. But BMW knows the game well, teasing the public at first with the R5 Hommage and then dropping...

EDGE OF YOUR SEAT: Yamaha XV920 Virago by 485 Designs

Written by Tim Huber. Over the last few years Yamaha’s venerable Virago has become an increasingly popular platform for customization, trumped by the likes of the CX500, CB750, and Dominator. And while it’s difficult to pin-down the first shop to treat...

GOOD WORK AIN’T CHEAP: Harley-Davidson Iron 883 by Gasoline Motor Co.

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...

LIMITED EDITION: CCM Spitfire Stealth Series

Written by Tim Huber. When CCM introduced the first Spitfire model in 2016, the handmade singles took the world by storm, generating an enormous amount of hype and punching well above the boutique manufacturer’s weight. After the first batch sold out in a...

BACK IN BLACK: 2012 Kawasaki W800 by Mike Andrews

The last time we caught up with Kiwi Mike Andrews he'd finished building his epic Honda Muscle Racer and after its Pipeburn feature he was looking forward to clocking up the miles before retiring the bike to his living room. But life has a way of turning the...

HIGH CALIBRE: BMW R100 ‘VULCAN’ by Ironwood Custom Motorcycles

Written by Tim Huber. Each year, motorcycle manufacturers are faced with the challenge of building on, and improving the outgoing model year; finding ways to bolster performance; shave off weight; and ultimately outdo their previous offering; before starting...

VINTAGE VIBES: 2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster ‘Taranis’

It's not hard to imagine going to the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show in Austin and coming away inspired to build a custom bike of your own. But while most would be drawn to the endless number of incredible bikes crafted by the world's best builders, it was inside...

HOUNDS OF HELL: BMW R80R ‘Cerberus’ by Haseth Motorcycles

Written by Tim Huber. Some projects are just meant to be. We can resist all we want, but fate has a funny way of dictating our ultimate outcomes in what we do. Marc from Haseth Motorcycles in Amsterdam recently experienced this first hand. When shopping...

BAVARIAN BLUE: BMW R80 by La Motocicletta

Written by Tim Huber. Literally Italian for “motorbike”, La Motocicletta is a small shop in Italy that approaches custom building from a different vantage point than most. Massimo, La Motocicletta founder and head honcho, previously spent his days working...

2019 Custom Built Show, Bogotá, Colombia

. I was in Colombia for twelve hours when a man yelled at me and shoved a pistol in my face. I panicked, reverted to German and cried ‘Nich schiessen!’ before he laughed, lowered the gun and ran out of the shopping centre. Security guards in Bogotá...