We have launched the This week, the web features a selection of delicious bikes that are a world apart. Purpose Built Moto kicks us off with a sleek Ducati 900SS coffee corridorNext up, we look at a stunning restored Kawasaki H1 Mark III from the US. Our fastest contenders are this week's 75th Anniversary MotoGP bikes, and the slowest is a 1965 BMW R60/2 with a very unusual sidecar.
Ducati 900SS by Purpose Built Moto Our friends in Purpose built motorcycle On the Gold Coast, Australia, many custom bikes have been built from scratch, but they are not opposed to taking on smaller jobs as well. The owner of this Ducati 900SS Café Racer brought the bike with a solid set of modifications as a base, but needed Tom Gilroy and his team to get it to the finish line.
Although the Ducati looks like a modified 900SS, it is technically a replica. Since it arrived at the shop with most of the cosmetic and engine work done, Tom isn't entirely sure what the donor bike was, but the numbers indicate it could have been an early Darmah.
The shop that had worked on it previously had already installed a carbon fiber body kit, a bright red frame, rebuilt 18” wheels, and a completely rebuilt engine. PBM was tasked with adding a custom exhaust and front fender, finishing off the lighting, and rewiring the bike from head to toe. While they were at it, they tweaked a couple of things to fine-tune the overall package.
Tom isn't sure exactly what's going on inside the engine, but he can confirm that it's powered by Mikuni carburetors and a new ignition system. From there, PBM fabricated a pair of two-by-two headers that follow the engine's crankcases before terminating in a pair of stainless steel mufflers. (The barely visible muffler brackets are particularly stylish.)
Wiring is a dark art (and a chore), but it's central to PBM's business. The Ducati 900SS received a full wiring harness, with the shop's own “Black Box” unit serving as the heart of the new system. Everything has been carefully tucked away; the horn, ignition and coils are under the fuel tank, and the Black Box is located under the seat hump.
As for the bodywork, PBM modified the subframe and rear unit for a more compact fit, before finishing off the rear loop with a custom rear bracket setup. PBM LED combination taillights and turn signal lights flank the license plate bracket.
At the opposite end of the bike, the team took a carbon fiber front fender designed for a Harley, trimmed it down, and fitted it to custom-made fairing mounts. Higher up, they repurposed an old headlight bucket to build an all-in-one housing for a PBM LED headlight and the speedometer, then wrapped it in carbon fiber. The headlight, front turn signals, and the sleek buttons adorning the Tarozzi clip-on handlebars are all PBM pieces.
Tom and his team may not have started this project, but they finished it in style. And as anyone who has built a custom motorcycle will tell you, the last steps of a project are often the hardest. [Source | Via]
Kawasaki H1 Mach III restored by Atlanta Motorcycle Works The Kawasaki H1 Mach III needs no introduction. A true beast on two wheels, this 500cc, three-cylinder, two-stroke engine was a hit, despite its unstable handling. More than half a century later, it is a true icon.
This impeccable 1971 Kawasaki H1 Mach III restomod from Atlanta Motorcycle Works in the US is notable for several reasons. It arrived at the shop in boxes, an unfinished project undertaken by its client's late father. By the time AMW was done with it, it had been improved in every way imaginable.
To assemble the H1, the engine was rebuilt with custom-bored aluminum heads, bored cylinders, new Wossner pistons, and a rebuilt and balanced crankshaft. AMW also added a bank of Mikuni VM34 carburetors and a Higgspeed three-into-three exhaust system. The electrical system was also revised, with a new wiring harness built around a NWT Cycletronic hub.
Next, AMW focused on bringing the notoriously nervous H1’s handling up to modern standards. The bike’s new forks and dual front brakes are sourced from a mid-90s Suzuki GSX-R, while 17” Excel wheels are wrapped in new Bridgestone road-touring tyres. A steering stabiliser provides reassurance, with a reinforced swingarm doing its job at the rear.
Other new additions include new grips, bar-end mirrors and a Koso speedometer. A coat of pearl blue paint ties the whole thing together, with factory graphics included. Atlanta Motorcycle Works didn’t just rebuild this legendary two-stroke, they elevated it. [Source]
Classic MotoGP liveries at Silverstone Today's MotoGP race at Silverstone, UK, marked the 75th anniversary of Grand Prix motorcycle racing. To mark the occasion, all MotoGP premier class teams have decorated their bikes with special, unique designs, paying homage to the bikes and riders of yesteryear.
The Ducati factory team's 75th anniversary livery was a simple red and white scheme with a brighter red than their current livery; a nod to the 2003 Marlboro-sponsored Ducati of Loris Capirossi and Troy Bayliss.
Yamaha presented its bike in the white and red design that adorned its racing bikes during the 1960s and 1970s, while the VR46 team took inspiration from Valentino Rossi's iconic “sun and moon” design. Aprilia [above] opted for a deep black paint job with minimal graphics – a nod to Max Biaggi’s title-winning 250cc Aprilia RSV 250 from 1994, 1995 and 1996.
However, a handful of bikes on the day stood out above the rest, such as the KTM RC16. [above]While the RC16’s special edition livery wasn’t a direct replica, it was loosely based on the KTM LC4 on which KTM’s current Vice President of Road Racing Technology, Wolfgang Felber, won the German “Sound of Singles” championship in 1989. Regardless of its origins, the stark colours and crisp, eye-catching graphics are a level above KTM’s usual RC16 livery.
The most beautiful bikes on the grid were, without a doubt, the Ducati Gresini. [above] Ridden by the Marquez brothers, in a touching tribute to Gresini's late founder Fausto Gresini, the bikes sported the minimalist “il Tricolore” design, like the Garelli bike he rode to 125cc titles in 1985 and 1987. Simple, yet iconic.
The Primi Pramac Ducati GP24 also stood out [below] which Jorge Martín placed on the second step of the podium, while regaining his lead in the 2024 championship standings.
Decked out in red and black graphics, it paid tribute to legendary Spanish rider Ángel Nieto, specifically the Garelli he rode to win the 1983 125cc championship. (Angel was also the uncle of current Primi Pramac Racing sporting director Fonsi Nieto.)
The temporary redesign was a breath of fresh air, and Pecco Bagnaia even joked after the race that he preferred the current livery to the usual design of his Ducati GP24. But we wonder why MotoGP bikes can't always look this good. [Source]
For sale: BMW R60/2 from 1965 with Steib transport sidecar BMW boxers and Steib from the 60s sidecars They go together like peas and carrots, but have you ever seen an old BMW with a Steib delivery sidecar? Us neither.
At first, we thought we were looking at the world's most elegant custom hearse, but it turns out that the famous German sidecar manufacturer actually built a sidecar designed to transport things, not people.
It was officially named the “LT200 Transport Sidecar” and was built on the same basis as the company's LS200 passenger sidecar.
It measures 146 cm [57.5”] length, 40 cm [15.7”] wide and 50 cm [19.7”] At depth, the LT200 could carry up to 120 kilos. [265 lbs] of goods. This is covered in black walnut and has a lockable lid.
Of course, the motorcycle it's connected to is nothing to sneeze at either. BMW R60/2 It had all the advantages of its time: a 30 hp engine, Earles forks and a cardan shaft drive. This one still has matching Denfeld seats and is equipped with BMW saddlebags, a larger “sports” tank with tool compartment, Albert mirrors and original Hella turn signals at the ends of the handlebars.
If this sounds like your wholesale tea order, Iconic motorcycles Currently, this vintage rarity, found in California, is selling for just $19,260. This only leaves one question: what would you carry in it?
