Custom bike show The season is in full swing. Austin’s Craft Build Show and Portland’s One Moto Show recently took place Stateside, the Bike Shed Show will be in London at the time we speak, and there’s a Craft Build Show in Los Angeles. Angeles takes place in July. Nestled between them is a brand new fixture on the custom moto calendar; the Moto Craft Exhibition in Toronto, Canada.
With less than two weeks to go, the inaugural Moto Craft Show will take place from June 7 to June 9, at the Queen Elizabeth Building — a 63,000 square foot exhibition space in Toronto. Visitors will have a handpicked selection of around 100 motorcycles to view throughout the weekend, with a 50-50 mix of classic and custom machines. Most notable is that 1/4 of the machines on display are shipped from reputable brands. Haas Motorcycle Museum in Dallas, Texas.
Before his untimely death in 2021, Bobby Haas, who had previously found success as an investor and then a National Geographic photographer, had made a name for himself as more than just a collector of stylish custom motorcycles but also a true patron of the arts. The Haas Museum houses an impressive collection of mind-blowing creations – many of which were directly funded by Bobby.
The lineup of Haas cars coming to the Moto Craft Show includes many famous models from Max HazanCristian Sosa, Jay Donovan, Craig Rodsmith, Origin8or, GT Moto, Chabott Engineering, Mark Atkinson, etc. We’ve picked five stunning styles from the list, as a small taste of what Moto Craft Show has in store. The rest you will have to go there in person.
BMW ‘Alpha’ by Mark Atkinson and Mehmet Doruk Erdem We were deeply saddened to learn of the recent passing of Mark ‘Makr’ Atkinson. He was a talented motorcycle builder and builder who, among other gems, brought us the inimitable ‘Alpha’ and who will be sorely missed.
Born from the design of Turkish designer Mehmet Doruk Erdem, the Alpha is a BMW-based land speed car with an unusual appearance inspired by sharks. Mark saw Mehmet’s renderings online and realized he could make them a reality. Working across continents, the two gentlemen successfully created one of the strangest machines to ever grace these pages.
At the heart of the car is the heavily modified BMW K75 chassis and engine. The fairing uses a combination of basalt and carbon fiber and features side ‘gills’ and the classic BMW front kidney grille. The driver’s area features a slim leather seat, a luxurious leather ‘chest pad’ and an OEM BMW K75 dashboard.
The details are as countless as they are gorgeous — from the way the clamps penetrate the fairing to the prized BMW rings sprinkled across the entire body. The best part is that the body can be opened using a bespoke hinge for quick access to its working parts. [More]
‘The Killer’ by Craig Rodsmith Craig Rodsmith never needed much encouragement to build powerful motorcycles, but he got plenty of it from Bobby Haas nonetheless. The two were close friends and Bobby was responsible for some of Craig’s most beautiful work, always encouraging him to try crazier ideas.
This strange front-wheel drive car is one such project. Inspired by the Germans ‘Killers and murderers’ machine was built in 1935, Bobby believed Craig could build something in a similar way. Craig was hesitant at first but eventually relented—and we’re glad he did.
‘The Killer’ impresses with its shiny, hand-formed bodywork, but the best part is what you can’t see. Propelling the vehicle forward is a three-cylinder radial engine, mounted directly to the front wheels.
Craig started with three 60cc two-stroke engines, then combined their crankcases to form a unified engine. The engine sits on a custom-made 19-inch front wheel with offset spokes. Power is transmitted to the wheel via the spindle, which drives the centrifugal clutch, which rotates the final drive sprocket, transmitting power to the flanged shaft to which the wheel is bolted.
Needless to say, none of the above arrangements are available. Craig did it all himself without using any 3D software or CNC machines. [More]
Origin8or’s Honda CB750 The most colorful bike on this list, this beefy 1974 Honda CB750 is the work of Rob Chappell at Origin8or Custom Cycle Co. And it’s more than a score ahead of the identical CB750s I’ve seen populating the tuning scene for years.
The vibe here is less ‘boy’ and more ’90s muscle bike. Starting with a donor that had been meticulously broken down into packages and boxes, Origin8or rebuilt the bike inside and out, starting with an extensive engine cleaning and rebuild.
Next, Honda received a complete Suzuki GSX-R1000 front end, adorned with a Ducati 748 fender. A Kawasaki Ninja 650 swingarm was installed on the rear of the bike, along with a Ducati 821 shock absorber and 90s GSX-R wheels. .The aluminum fuel tank and fiberglass tail section sit up top, giving the CB a clean and purposeful shape.
The bike also features clip-on handlebars, rear-mounted pegs, digital speedometer and a rugged Hindle four-in-one exhaust system. Finished in striking House of Kolors yellow, with lime green and racing stripes, Origin8or’s CB750 is a heartfelt reminder that this big four was once considered a superbike. [More]
‘Stingray’ by Jay Donovan Bobby Haas is good at sniffing out builders who blur the lines between motorcycling and art – like Canadian prodigy Jay Donovan.
‘Stingray’ is one of Jay’s most ambitious and exciting projects. The idea was to build an electric motorbike that avoided the gadget-like aesthetic that electric motorbikes often have. But he took the idea further by creating a rolling, battery-powered sculpture.
The real genius here is the deliberate consideration of form and function in each piece. The frame is made of bespoke chrome-plated steel, with almost every part curved on three axes. The engine is offset to make space for the battery management system, and the batteries are distributed throughout the car to avoid having a large brick in the middle.
The soft body of the car with many air intakes not only looks beautiful but also helps keep the battery cool. The quirky front suspension was entirely Jay’s design, the front wheels had hidden brakes inside and the rear was stopped by brake discs attached directly to the jack shaft to send power to the rear wheels.
A row of orange cables provides the only color on this otherworldly machine and reminds you that this is, in fact, an electric motorcycle. [More]
Max Hazan’s turbocharged KTM Unsurprisingly, the Moto Craft Show will feature six Max Hazan-built motorcycles from the Haas Museum. Max has been at the top of his game since he first entered the field, constantly finding new and imaginative ways to wow us.
This supercharged KTM has been one of our Hazan Motorworks favorites over the past few years. Inspired by early motorized bicycles, Max was looking to create something “light, cheap and fast”. He bought a KTM 520 enduro bike, removed the engine and got to work.
As we expected, KTM’s Max is full of complex solutions to simple problems. The mill 520 benefits from an Aisin AMR350 turbocharger, which uses a series of custom parts milled from aluminum on an old Bridgeport mill. There’s also a Keihin FCR41 carburetor and the radiator is an oil cooler reused from a Cummins diesel engine, with coolant running through part of the chrome-plated frame.
Max fabricated the front suspension out of chrome rods and fabricated the dual fuel tank and coolant out of aluminum. The ‘clincher’ wheels and tires are inspired by classic bicycles. One notable part is the elegant CNC-machined rear axle; it looks familiar as it’s inspired by the rear axle design on Jay Donovan’s build. [More]
