We all know Hagon for their shocks, often fitted to custom motorcycles that equip this. But the story of company founder Alf Hagon goes much further. Before launching the successful suspension brand, he competed in speed and grasstrack races – and built some pretty sweet bikes.
Most notably, he is credited with creating the first aluminum monocoque motorcycle frame. Built for British motorcycle legend Vic Eastwood in 1977, the Hagon Yamaha equipped with Yamaha TT500 engine, 540 cc capacity. Only a handful of these frames have ever been built… and you’re looking at one of them.
It is owned by our friend Dirk Oehlerking, better known as Kingston Custom. Or at least, it to be owned by Dirk, as he had just sold it to a customer after 38 years of ownership. That’s right – he bought this Hagon Yamaha in 1984.
“Bicycles were very popular at the time,” he says, “and very rare – this was the only one in Germany. I bought it for around €8,000. For comparison, a KTM, Maico or Husqvarna at the time was around €2,500, and Japanese manufacturers cost much less. “
“The bike has come a long way in its time, and I won motor races with it in the ’80s. It outlasted all the other bikes I’ve had. throughout my career — and I’ve had many. I’ve been racing motocross and enduro for over 30 years, so I’ve owned about 38 motocross and enduro bikes. ”
“I haven’t let her out of my sight since that time. It was displayed in my Yamaha shop back then like a sculpture, and was locked with a safety chain. When I quit the shop in 2010 to build custom bikes, I hid it.”
Dirk’s Hagon Yamaha originally came with Maico forks and wheels, and a Yamaha HL500 engine, but it has evolved over the years. Much of the work happened last year, when he did a full refresh from start to finish — starting with rebuilding the engine.
Yamaha’s single has a capacity of 535 cc, comes with an SR500 clutch cover and a Mikuni carburetor. The stainless steel exhaust system is custom, built to Dirk specifications by Hattech in Germany. Power output is now 40 hp – not bad for a bike that weighs only 106 kg [234 lbs] wet.
Dirk also made some changes to Yamaha’s running gear. It still has Maico forks, but the rear shock was replaced for a set of YSS piggyback models a few years ago. The rims were taken from Excel, and fitted to the original Maico hub at the front and a Honda hub at the rear.
This particular Yamaha Hagon has the rare distinction of being street legal. Dirk made the necessary changes in 1995 – a colossal task, due to Germany’s strict TÜV regulations. Thus, this motorcycle has headlights, taillights, turn signals at the end of the line and space to mount number plates.
Up front is the new Fehling handlebars, LSL grips and classic basic switches. An available speedo and a single mirror keep the car ready for the road.
The bike also received new bodywork during last year’s overhaul, in the form of classic plastic motorcycle fenders, new headlights and a new bumper. The tank is original, because, if you haven’t noticed, it’s part of a monolithic chassis. So the bike needs to be completely demolished before it can be repainted.
It’s now dressed in a bright yellow coat with period-appropriate tank graphics. But as great as the paint looks, it’s almost overshadowed by the gleaming aluminum frame — still with the Hagon stamp on it.
Despite Dirk’s love for the bike and his time owning it, he eventually parted ways with it last year. “One day, a client called me and asked for advice,” he told us. “He wants to buy a vintage enduro.”
“He is thinking about Maico, KTM, Husqvarna, Bultaco and associates. I advised him not to ride these bikes and asked him what was really important to him. He wanted a really special vintage enduro, something he could bring to Wheels and Waves in Biarritz. ”
“I said I would go back to him. Then suddenly I had a brilliant idea: Hidden Hagon would just be one thing! ”
“I called my client and recommended it to him. He didn’t even know what it looked like, he just bought it blindly. Because he was so passionate about this bike, he knew he had to have it.”
We’re just a little bit jealous. How about you?
Kingston Custom | Facebook | Instagram | Pictures of, and thanks, Marc Holstein
