Performance and convenience are the words of the week. We started with a 1100 cc Kawasaki endurance bike, followed by a farm-built Honda combo, a Cake street legal e-bike, and a Ducati Scrambler that was Become a dream cafe racer of Motocrew.
Kawasaki Zephyr 1100 by Performance 72 HKG This Kawasaki cafe racer The project started out like so many before it, with the simple question of “what else do you have?” Jorge and Antonio, the builders behind the 72 HKG Performance workshop in Spain, were making a short trip to pick up a project bike when they found this Kawasaki tucked away in the garage, covered a veil of unrealized potential.
The machine started out as a Kawasaki Zephyr 1100 that had been taken to a shop years ago to be completely customized—but it never reached the point where the owner was satisfied. So, after buying the project car, Jorge and Antonio loaded both machines up and took them home.
Picking up someone else’s custom build is rarely easy, but it usually starts the same way: by discarding everything. So the men had to work to undo, unbolt, and return Zephyr to its bare skeleton.
HKG worked with the owner of the car, thinking back and forth before deciding on a classic endurance racing style for the build, which meant a full shield. So, after the car was dismantled, the builders built a custom frame to accommodate the bodywork, which determines the width and remaining contours of the building. The entire hand-formed aluminum body takes over 200 hours to create, but fits the build perfectly.
The crank plate is formed around the steering wheel, taking into account the vehicle’s cooling, air intake and exhaust system. The original fuel tank has been modified for smoother lines, with the tank cap removed and replaced. The custom leather saddle is built by Senen Leatherworks and attaches to a new durability style tailgate.
The Zephyr’s 1100cc engine has been completely rebuilt, fitted with an all-new pod air filter and exhaust system, wrapped in titanium Akrapovič mufflers. As expected, the original owner is finally happy with his custom built Kawi. [Via]
Honda Bros 400/Africa Twin by Jonny Kerins If we had a dollar for every bike built in the awesome warehouse we recommend, then… we could buy a bigger warehouse. This next build comes from Jonny Kerins, a woodworking teacher from Ireland with an obsession with ’80s and ’90s supercars.
Although it looks like a motorcycle, it has a combination of frame and engine that Honda has never produced itself. Chassis from a Honda NT400 Bros—a 400 cc version of the Hawk, available outside of the US. But the engine is a 742 cc twin, borrowed from the Honda Africa twin engine from the 90s.
For Jonny, building a Bros 400/Africa Twin hybrid was the result of Honda’s enduring love of small platforms and a perfect opportunity at the local motorcycle scrapyard. Years ago, Kerins owned and restored a Honda Bros 400 for his own, so he was very familiar with the platform, but always wanted a little extra juice. So finding a Bros chassis and an Africa Twin engine turned him around.
With the right ingenuity, he was able to harness the extra power of the Twin’s larger engine in a chassis he so loved—and of course, all in the style of his early superbikes. he loves it so much. Coincidentally, he chose the project just as the global pandemic shut down the world, giving him plenty of time to work on it.
The Bros chassis is equipped with a number of high-performance components from a variety of machines. Yamaha R1 forks, Honda VFR wheels and bodywork from various Honda models have been modified to match. The custom exhaust, subframe, and bib holders are all built in-house.
Jonny even painted the car in a classic Rothman’s Honda style himself. When buttoned up, it looks like a classic Honda race car from another universe. [Via]
ik . electric bicycle wheel CES is one of the biggest tech events in the world, often hosting some of the biggest announcements of the year. This year we see Cake, the producer electric motorcycleannounced a new addition to its lineup for 2023: a street-legal multi-use bike with a wide range and no registration required.
The Cake Åik is basically a step-by-step eBike equipped with a variety of tools for stacking, pulling, or carrying. Sure, it’s not Skill a motorcycle—but it’s a fun way to have two-wheeled transportation.
The Cake Åik is built around a 6061 forged aluminum frame with a mid-mounted motor delivering 100 Nm of torque via pedal assist. The automatic and continuously variable Enviolo Extreme transmission on the rear wheels promises smooth shifting, to optimize power output and maximize battery life.
One to three batteries can be installed, for a maximum published range of 360 km [224 miles]. Without batteries, the bike weighs 30 kg [66.1 lbs]with each battery adding 5.2 kg [11.5 lbs].
To move heavy loads, Cake offers a variety of racks, saddlebags, trailers, passenger seats, etc. Cake claims the rear rack can hold loads up to 60 kg. [132 lbs]while the front rack can bear up to 20 kg [44 lbs].
If you like the look of the ik Cake (and have some you need to bring), you can order it now on cake website with prices starting at $6,470.
Ducati Scrambler by Motocrew The Ducati Scrambler has proven itself to be both versatile and capable as a custom platform. From race bikes to desert sleds to cafe racers, Ducati has done a fantastic job of highlighting what the platform can do—and the customization world has followed it.
Latest Ducati Scrambler to bless our inbox from Chris Scholtka at motorcycle. The mission begins with the seemingly basic goal of building a customer’s dream bike. The only challenge was that the client was nearly two meters tall—and the Scrambler was compact.
To give the bike more of a traditional cafe racer feel, a small bib was attached directly to the upper trident of the vehicle. The original fuel tank is mounted higher to accommodate the new bolted subframe, which also helps with the fit by raising the seat height. The custom rear shock, manufactured by Black T, is 3 cm longer than the stock, also contributing to a more fit and stronger forward leaning stance.
Perhaps the most impressive feature is the custom-built exhaust system, which extends from the cylinder head like a lobster scale and winds down to the bottom of a short Leo Vince silencer. Since this bike is designed for everyday use, the Scrambler’s frame has been cleaned with a small Motogadget turn signal light and a plate mount that is bolted near the axle.
The final cap of this version is a paint job inspired by Porsche’s Cream White color, which contributes to the car’s classic feel. As for the signature Motocrew V-pattern on the Scrambler’s replaceable tank plates, it’s wrapped in vinyl so customers can easily change it out in the future if they want. [Motocrew | Images by Sascha Nagel]
