Archive for the ‘Streetfighter Features’ Category
FOH Cafe
February 12th, 2010
Roman Levin of FOH Cycle Fab has to be the hardest-working builder on the North American fighter scene. Roman has consecutively turned out one after the other of the baddest fighters in North America over the past year. His love for the bikes he builds, attention to detail, and distinct style push him to the top of the industry, one bike at a time. This stunning cafe took almost two years to complete, as it took back-burner to the DL fighter, my 929 #1, and various other projects.
Clearly, any cafe purists would scoff at us for calling this bike as such, with all the modern bits on it. But it has all the iconic stylings of a cafe, stripped to bare essentials with its small humpback tail, low bars, and single round headlight. What purists may refer to as essentials, would not be nearly satisfactory for today’s fighters. The TL’s powerful twin motor, updated Kawi front suspension, Triumph rear arm and oversized rim, loud snorting exhaust, striking mixture of paint and carbon fiber bodywork bring the classic styling to a high performance machine. Read the rest of this entry »
FOH Cycle Fab StreetKilla 1992 Suzuki GSXR
January 9th, 2010
1992 Suzuki GSXR
Mikuni RS flat slide carb
99 GSXR 750 wheels
99 GSXR brake rotors and calipers
Yosh RS3 exhaust shortened with custom flange
One off carbon fiber tail section
KXF headlight modified and reproduced in carbon fiber
05 GSXR 1000 tail light fit in tail
Modified stock rear sets
Read the rest of this entry »
French V Max 1540
January 9th, 2010
In the realm of Cult bikes, a small handful that carry a truly dedicated following spring to mind.
The era of disco gave us polyester and the CB750.
The early 80’s ushered in the age of excess and the muscle bike genre, which turned out such glorious machines as the CBX, GS1000 Katana, and the KZ1000.
Then, in 1985, Yamaha dropped a bomb on the motorcycle world that has generated one of the largest cult followings to date … the V MAX.
Honda CBR 929 #1
January 9th, 2010
We all feel the need to put our own personality and performance into our builds. Even though they become ours eventually, many of us are drawn to a particular model that favors our distinct tastes. Our editor-in-chief has a twisted fetish for Honda’s CBR929RR—to a point that he decided to name himself after it, and has owned 3 929RR’s to date. And like so many projects, good intentions and planning often get sidelined by life and responsibilities. This particular build had a lot of ups and downs and unforeseen curve balls thrown at it over the years. I teased him regularly that it had made a groove in the garage floor from sitting so long.929 #1 had a bit of a hard life before it got to the point where it is now. After looping a wheelie during the Summer Nationals in Worcester, MA, in 2006, it was put in the garage to await its first rebuild. The next summer, it was put back together for a short two days that revealed a very unnerving problem. The previous summer’s incident had cracked the lower steering bearing race. This small oversight turned its ugly head while out for the season’s first ride. Thankfully, the problem was recognized before any bodily or further mechanical harm could be inflicted. Once again, the bike was stripped and shelved until a new frame could be sourced.Read the rest of this entry »
Modern Day Cafe Racer Triumph Daytona
August 15th, 2009
During the golden age of motorcycling, the Brits made a stand with a breed of motorcycle that would become an icon of speed and beauty: the Cafe Racer. Young men with a desire for speed, and the willingness to exploit every possible drop of power, started stripping and tuning their English road bikes, racing at very high speeds from coffee shop to coffee shop across the English countryside. They were fueled by pop music and leaded petrol, spawning a culture that would pass the test of time and influence the future of motorcycle design.
The racer lives on.
Today, the cafe racer maintains a deep-rooted, passionate following, encompassing, in style and attitude, the soul of those early British Marquees and the leather-clad hooligans who earned the name “Rocker.” (A term rooted in Britain’s 1960s’ counter-culturists, the Rockers.) Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: cafe racer, daytona, print archive, triumph | 
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3 Musketeers – Ducati / Cagiva Motards
August 15th, 2009
One for all and all for one!
Who doesn’t know this motto from Alexandre Dumas’ famous The Three Musketeers? Each of them is cut from the same cloth: unorthodox and quarrelsome, but nevertheless unique – with the shared goal of fighting crime.
What? A literary history lesson in a fighter mag? No way!
But the three “musketeers” in this article bear more than a passing resemblance to Dumas’ trio. They ride design-linked bikes, ride together most often, think together as they work – partners, in this case, with the shared goal of fightering – on their “Hyperfants.”
I found the Hyperfants close to my home in the Netherlands. They were created by an old acquaintance, who lives just a couple of miles away. So it’s true what they say: you don’t have to look far to find something beautiful; you only have to look past the tip of your nose. Read the rest of this entry »
