Ducati’s, Guzzi’s and flat fours. Bikes that stand out among bikes specifically built to stand out
The obvious choice for a custom build is a vintage Japanese or a Harley. But after everything that could’ve been done to these machines can be found on the Internet as a finished project, you have to go lateral, even though it’s not going to be easy.
The choice you make will also provide your build with even more uniqueness than the customizing process itself. Let’s take a look at some builds that are based on really rare or quirky stock bikes.
Red Max Speed Shop Ducati Monster 900
A Ducati is already an odd choice for a project, but even more so the Monster. Take a look at a Ducati Monster and the first thing that stands out is the trellis frame. But on the Monster, unlike the Super Sport, the frame has a V-Shape that makes it almost impossible to give it a more classic, flat line. The guys at Red Max Speed Shop beautifully tackled this issue and created a superb café racer out of a Monster 900.
Moto Guzzi Nevada Scrambler by Officine Rosso Puro
It looks like Moto Guzzi’s famous design skills weren’t really applied to the Nevada 750, arguably the ugliest bike they ever made (I say this with love, I own one). A very V-Shaped bike at first look, once you take the tank and fairings off, you disover it’s based on the very flat, classic Tonti frame. Some of the few that actually decided to look past that were the people at Officine Rosso Puro who created several scramblers based on the Nevada, a bike that they deem very reliable, simple and often overlooked.
Hageman Motorcycles’ Yamaha Virago 750 Café Racer
Make a list of bikes you’d like to base a café racer on and I guarantee you the Virago, in any version, won’t even make it into the conversation. So speaking about odd choices, Hageman Motorcycles decided no challenge is big enough and they completely reshaped a very basic, out dated cruiser into a café racer that looks pretty mean and classy.
Honda GL1000 Nordiq by ER Motorcycles
A big, heavy, touring bike that’s basically got the equivalent of two BMW boxer engines and a ton of fairings. Could you turn it into anything? Yes, of course, but as the guys from ER Motorcycles beautifully demonstrate, you can’t turn it into something it’s not without making it look ridiculous. What I love about this motorcycle is that, although it’s been updated for the new millennia in terms of aesthetics, it still keeps its original purpose intact with the addition of big bags.
Kawasaki Zephyr by Bagus! Motorcycles
The Zephyr line was one of the first attempts to create a retro motorcycle with updated performance. It’s not a very common choice for a build because what’s there to do with a bike that already looks cool? What Bagus! Motorcycles did on this Zephyr 1100: Take the stock bike, keep the lines but update it to look like it’s on steroids. Very fit for the largest capacity Zephyr out there.
In a world where customizing motorcycles has become so popular, I actually love to see things this refreshing, not in terms of the actual build, but also the base. It shows creativity and it will definitely stand out, even when it’s parked or ridden along bikes built specifically to stand out.