Archive for the ‘Streetfighter Features’ Category
Ian McElroy’s Custom 1987 Honda CBR 1000F Streetfighter
March 23rd, 2010
A good number of riders and builders would take one look at the CBR1000F Hurricane and shake their head. Too ugly, not enough to work with. But Ian McElroy looked at his CBR and could see what needed to be done. Two years, many hours of fabrication, and a lot of aluminum later, he has built a bike he’s proud to call his own.
Inspiration comes in many forms–one being the (then) new KTM RC8 prototype. A healthy dose of stealth fighter-like angles and light weight aluminum really gives this bike a visual effect that another builder with a similar focus might not be able to duplicate. Ian has really put the devil into the details. One of the first things that stands out first and foremost, after my eyes drift over all that beautiful polished aluminum, is the tail light. The first thing I ask is: “Wow, how long did it take to make that!!”
Ian McElroy’s Kickboxer Subaru Powered Concept Motorcycle
March 23rd, 2010
For most motorcycle enthusiasts, one-off designed bikes can be a hit or miss. Some are flashy and unrealistic, some are buried in chrome and electronics—but sometimes you come across a one-off bike that stirs emotion and a primal urge, provoking an adrenaline rush. Ian McElroy’s “KickBoxer” is just that; it makes you wonder “what if”?
Ian brought a concept to the table and it was an instant internet hit. Hours upon hours of research, developing/finding parts that fit so as to be machined later, out of aluminum, for the final product. The idea was to create something that indeed COULD be built! Over a year of hard work and dedication brought us the first 3D renders—and they were quickly posted everywhere you can find motorcycle news on the internet.
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.
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
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.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.)
Posted in Streetfighter Features | 
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.
Jaybuilt’s Lightweight Kawasaki
August 15th, 2009
Jay Abington had never heard of a fighter before he built this bike and subsequently found Customfighters. com. We’re very glad he did, as he’s shown us something very different. Jay is a down-to-earth, unpretentious guy. In speaking with him, it became clear that this build was done for his own pure enjoyment, and nothing else. He wasn’t out to impress anyone or prove anything, he simply wanted to build something he could be proud of — something he had made with his own two hands. Building and creating is Jay’s life. To say that he is a gearhead would be an understatement. Putting things together is something he says has been part of him since he was a kid, and he expects it always will be. Jay just cannot stop; he has to constantly be working on something — to the extent that he literally built the wooden bed he sleeps on, AND the hand tools to carve it with! “Idle hands do evil things, so we’ve got no time for that,” he said.When he was 10, Jay began to work on tractors and equipment, learning from his father-figure neighbor. By the time he was in high school, he was working for an auto parts store, building engines and doing machine work. Back when working auto parts meant really knowing the stuff, not just reading the parts fiche. His love for tuning led him to work at a high-performance BMW motorcycle shop in the Bay area of California, making parts and building winning race bikes. The eight years spent there, he says, taught him more than he’d ever learned in terms of performance tuning. Years later, he moved on to hot rod engines and sprint cars. He’s spent time alongside people like New Zealand’s John Britten, but he has no “holier-than-thou” aura about him. More recently, Jay has done heavy equipment repair (ask him about his customized work-truck), which he is stepping away from a bit while working for a local business owner — building race cars in one of the nicest home facilities I’ve ever seen, including a personal dyno! Suffice to say, just about everything Jay does revolves around motors and/or having fun.
German Chocolate – Bad Bikes’ 97 Suzuki Bandit
August 15th, 2009
We recently spoke with Gonzo of Bad-Bikes.de in Germany about his recent build, called Hot Chocolate. Because of his dislike for flash Gonzo went with an industrial color of brown with no shine to it. This single bike will disprove many people’s opnions that there could never be a good looking brown bike! He wanted to build something nobody else would. Props to you Gonzo for accomplishing such a feat! He normally builds the newer bikes, k2+ GSXRs are his favorite, but decided to go with something a tad older but still popular – this ’97 Bandit. This 43 year old bike builder and company owner from Germany has been doing this for years now and has built over 300 custom bikes in his day. He turns out at least one new fighter body work set per year.The custom bug bit Gonzo back when he was still riding pedal bikes. He moved onto cars, and eventually motorcycles, working on his own and friends bikes. He eventually decided to turn it from a hobby into a business building custom bikes and creating awesome body work! Gonzo loves the streetfighter scene, he says the fighters represent freedom and fun on the streets.
