Written by Martin Hodgson

Two of our favourite surprises of 2018 was the release of the Royal Enfield Twins and the emergence of South East Asia as a hotbed of custom bike craftsmanship. So it comes as no surprise to us here at Pipeburn HQ that the two have been combined to produce this stunning creation. With the 2019 Bangkok International Motor Show fast approaching, Royal Enfield approached Thailand’s Zeus Customs to build them a crowd pleaser on an insanely tight deadline. Head honcho Mooyong answered the call and delivered this stunning 2018 RE Interceptor 650 to award winning success!

Written by Ian Lee.

The big single. The thumper. No matter how you refer to it, the large displacement single cylinder motor has been putting smiles on motorcyclists’ faces since the dawn of motorcycledom. The simplicity of the mechanics, the ease of working with one and (of course) the noise they make all add to the benefits of using a thumper bike in a custom build. Toma Customs, based in Brussels, has shown the quality of build that is possible when the right workshop has the right cycle on the bench. Utilising the Honda FMX650, Thomas Jeukens and the Toma’s crew have taken the plastic-wrapped Super Motard and released the urban tracker hidden inside.

Riding motorcycles makes me grin from ear to ear. I’m sitting here recovering from a motorcycle accident I had a few days ago. After a few broken bones and a few days in hospital, a lot of people have asked if I will ride a motorcycle again. “Of course,” I reply, without even thinking about it. Because riding motorbikes make me happy. And the size of the bike doesn’t matter either. Today’s bike is a little bit different to what we usually feature, but I know one thing: this little Suzuki FR50 puts a big smile on the face of engineer and bike builder Mike Dodd every time he rides it.

Indian Motorcycles – Racing Forward
They say your true character comes out after you go through the toughest time of your life. This inspiring video of Brad ‘The Bullet’ Baker shows just how strong and determined this flat track legend is. Brad’s world was turned upside down after a “stupid little crash” at the X-Games last year. The film shows how he is moving forward after the accident with the help of his friends, supporters and sponsors. His experience and never-give-up attitude has become an invaluable asset to the Indian Motorcycle team. So much respect for this young man who was at the top of his game and is now learning to do everything from scratch again.

Written by Martin Hodgson

Over recent decades Ducati has sat near the top of the Superbike pack, with the new Panigale V4R now the absolute benchmark and undefeated in WSBK competition. But when the company introduced the Sebring 350 in 1965 it was the biggest bike in their line up and often raced against multi cylinder machines with twice the capacity. So to pay tribute to the little bike that could, Stephen Brisken has taken a beat up ’65 and beautifully transformed it into a machine that is a perfect mix of cafe and racer.

Written by Martin Hodgson

The old saying ‘Think globally, act locally’ often has us in the custom motorcycle scene looking around the globe for inspiration for our own bikes. But this week I’ve learnt about a builder much closer to home, another bike nut who calls rural Australia home. Mark Lloyd Riddell has plied his trade around the world and now settled in Albury, combines his incredible skill base to produce the most amazing of machines. MLR Custom Coachbuilder’s bring us their latest work, a Hot Rod Harley called the Larry bike, it’s a craftsmanship connoisseur’s wet dream!

Inspiration can come at any time. But when you’re thinking of building a Super Hooligan flat tracker, there’s probably no better place to be than at a Hooligan race. Last October, flat track racing-obsessed rider Paul Hartman was watching the RSD Super Hooligans Moto Beach Classic from the side lines, dreaming up his next build. “I had just wrecked my Harley race bike the weekend before at a hill climb event,” says Paul. “I knew I would be building a new bike over the winter, but wasn’t quite sure what direction yet.” So Paul sat back and soaked himself in the day of racing, looking at all the bikes, and by the end of the day he had planned his whole next project in his head.

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.

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.