Pavel Malanik no custom motorcycles—he builds them from scratch. We kick things off this week with his latest creation, a vintage bike with a hand-crafted JAP 4.4-litre V8. We also present a Suzuki GSX-R1000 and a Honda XR600R from Italy, and a limited edition Mickey Mouse Vespa Primavera.
Pavel Malanik’s 4.4-liter JAP V8 motorcycle John A. Prestwich & Co (or JAP, as it’s more commonly known) started manufacturing motorcycle engines in the early 20th Century. You’ve probably seen a few of them around—most notably. was at HRD (who later became Vincent), Brough Superior and Triumph Motorcycles. JAP has a rich racing heritage, but also built aircraft engines during the Second World War, which is where the story of this great creation begins.
This is a completely hand-built JAP V8 motorcycle. Its creator is Pavel Malanik, a tool builder from Czechoslovakia who has been working with motorcycles for almost half a century. Being a skilled mechanic meant that Pavel could make just about anything out of metal.
He combines his extremely skilled crafting and machine building with a love of motorcycles—and the results speak for themselves.
Along with motorcycles, Pavel had an early interest in flying machines. The engine inside this motorcycle is a hand-crafted reproduction of JAP’s 4.4-liter V8 jet engine. No, it wasn’t a typo—Pavel built this engine himself after making a trip from his home in Czechoslovakia to the Science Museum in London.
The museum houses a surviving example of a JAP V8 engine, so Pavel was able to measure and photograph the engine’s inner workings before diving in and building his own. Did the museum really allow him to take apart a piece of British aeronautical and engineering history? Well, no – but they don’t have to.
Some of the industrious and forward-thinking people at the museum actually decided that their JAP V8 would better serve the public if they cut off part of it. Not only did this make for a much more interesting exhibit, but it also meant that Pavel could get in there and study the engine’s internals.
The next challenge that Pavel had to overcome was that the JAP V8 engine had never really been fitted to a motorcycle. Sure, it was in airplanes and even a few cars, but it was never intended to be a two-wheeler. This means that Pavel also has to create everything else, not just the engine.
A tubular steel frame supports the long engine and transmission, with the final transmission by double chain. The lubrication system is also handmade, along with the fuel and oil tanks. Finished in gray paint with a properly periodic nickel finish, we love everything about this. The result is a stunning and well-crafted engineering marvel. [Via]
Suzuki GSX-R1000 by Francis Von Tuto Since returning from Australia to his hometown of Florence, Italy, Francis Von Tuto has never wasted time getting stuck in another custom build. This naked Suzuki GSX-R1000 is the first project he’s completed since moving to the new workshop, and it looks great.
Like his previous creations, Francis started with a modern bike and worked on a series of modifications and visual upgrades. A 2004 GSX-R was selected, which arrived at his shop in fairly original condition. Okay, it had a slight bump—but that makes it easier to remove the factory shields, since the damage is purely cosmetic.
With only 20,000 km [12,427 miles] on the odometer and being the last Gixxer with 170hp and no traction control, the old Zook still has a lot of life left.
“The good thing about building a special bike based on a modern sport bike is that you don’t have to rebuild the engine,” says Francis. “You’ve got plenty of horses and incredible handling without swapping out the front end or wider rims, better suspension or brakes. All you need is braids and a good set of tires.”
However, in typical Von Tuto style, Francis did not stop there; instead, he decided to build an infrastructure cafe racer. To do this, he built a new front end using 4.65-inch LED headlights, custom brackets, and a fiberglass bike shield that looks a lot like Norton Manx. He then retooled the original dashboard, along with a new set of clamp-style handlebars to give it a very sporty look and feel.
The fuel tank is still original, but with a custom paint job inspired by the Mercedes AMG, it looks a lot better. The GSX-R1000 is designed to be a sportbike, so the overalls often hide some pipes and the heat sink is quite unattractive. Francis has made some custom radiator covers that not only cover these things up but look great.
The subframe was originally made from square section aluminum but Francis decided to replace it with a tubular unit, covered by a custom fiberglass tail. We love the details of the old Kawasaki Z-series ducktail included in the rear end—and Francis modeled it too, so expect to see this ducktail again on versions. in his future. The saddle is upholstered by BF Tappezzarie, Von Tuto’s trimmer of choice.
As mentioned, Francis didn’t need to do any engine work but the car came to him with an all-titanium exhaust. The muffler was dented and scratched, so he removed it, trimmed off the end of the exhaust and adjusted an Arrow muffler to fit.
A lot of naked sports car conversions are a change and a miss, but we think Francis Von Tuto has hit another hit. [Francis von Tuto | Images by Rafael Montañes Ruiz]
Honda XR600R by GPgarage Moto If you love ancient Baja and desert racers from the olden days, you may already know GPgarage Moto—the motorcycle division of Italy’s GPgarage. This incredible Honda XR600R race car is the latest to be built from their workshop in Castelnuovo del Garda, near Verona, Italy. It’s big, red and we like what they did with it.
GPgarage’s Matteo Gualandi is no stranger to Honda’s venerable XR, having built numerous Baja clones in the past. However, for this build, he wanted to build something new for himself. Something that looks to the future, but respects the past.
Matteo said: “After many different copies, finally with no history left, I created a copy to my liking. “Inspired by the Baja races, it’s the result of a day spent sifting through an archive of 90s American race photos for inspiration.”
Building on the countless technological improvements people have made to the old XRs over the years, Matteo was able to channel performance into this large recorder. The engine was scrapped and rebuilt with a large capacity 628 cc HRC kit. Running a Keihin FCR41 flat-slide carburetor, an oil cooler mounted on the front fork and a lighter flywheel, this Big Red has more of an exhaust.
The custom exhaust is a work of art with twin pipes (one for each exhaust valve, as Honda’s large singles do) wriggling through the frame. Finished off with a pair of 25-year-old Vance & Hines mufflers, it looks more like something you’d find on a two-stroke car. Matteo assures us that the timing regulator does indeed increase airflow compared to the original.
An obvious Clarke tank was fitted, along with reworked front and rear suspension. Solid HRC-style 270mm front brake discs with stainless steel braids provide better performance and handling.
All are made of new Acerbis plastic and a sturdy cover on the original seat base. Coupled with the red frame, black swingarm, wheels and engine, the GPgarage XR looks like a completely modern recreation. Moose Racing handlebars, Acerbis shields and some custom-made box guards.
Since it’s considered a race car, all the lights have been removed (except the taillights) with a bunch of custom CNC parts all over the car. The final touch is the stickers, which add to the ’90s feel. If we can start a big boy, we’ll get over it. [GPgarage]
Mickey mouse x Vespa x Disney version Bike EXIF employees are no strangers to the world of Vespa—they were the commuter choice of both Chris Hunter and Wes Reyneke. We also have the authority that rudimentary crafts‘ Winston Yeh commutes on a Vespa (black, of course).
Today, we are pleased to share that Vespa has partnered with an equally iconic brand to produce a limited edition scooter. It was another collaboration that no one asked for, but we’re glad it happened. This is Vespa’s Disney Mickey Mouse Edition, built to celebrate Disney’s 100th anniversary.
Few motorcycles are as iconic as Vespa and few cartoon characters as iconic as Disney’s Mickey Mouse, so what better way to celebrate kawaii culture than by combining the two? Vespa Primavera 50 cc and Primavera 150 cc are the models that will receive Disney’s attention.
Running the limited edition is purely a style exercise, but that’s not a bad thing. The front fenders are painted in bold yellow, which stands out above the black and red front section. The red interior panel, black seats (signatured by inlaid Mickey Mouse) and black rear panel create an iconic Disney feel.
There are also subtle outline designs added to the front and rear panels. We’d love to see some wrap-around Disney-themed hand warmers just for the memes. Then again, the mirrors that shipped were already looking like Mickey Mouse ears.
Both models will be available in the US in August 2023. The 50 cc will sell for $4,699 and the 150 cc (we’ll pick it up) will cost $6,049.
Piaggo’s Michele Colaninno calls it “a tribute to creativity, imagination, lightness and joy—the very values that have always anchored Vespa.” But the real question is, does Mickey Mouse even ride motorbike?
According to three different Disney short films, one of which you can check out below, he definitely has. [Vespa]
