Although the bike EXIF dedicated to art on two wheels, our automotive tastes are diverse. Our publisher has an enviable car collection, our workshop editor, Dean, is a classic snowmobile enthusiast and I’ve loved the Morgan Super 3 ever since I test drove it at the show. Malle Miles. So today we’re going to bend the rules and bring you a gorgeous three-wheeler that’s actually only 30% motorcycle.
Dubbed ‘MAC 2’, this is the second handmade three-wheeler from Indonesian engineer and vintage bike enthusiast, Cosmas Lili Sudrajat. Cosmas loves Morgan’s V-twin-powered three-wheelers, but they are expensive and difficult to buy in Indonesia. Luckily, he knows his way around the factory.
However, the MAC 2 front-mounted V-twin engine is not a motorcycle engine. That is the Mazda B600 – a small Japanese-made scooter that was very successful in Indonesia in the 1960s. Cosmas said: “Mazda’s 600 cc air-cooled V-twin engine is the size Perfect size for a three-wheeled vehicle.
After the Mazda B600 was stripped down to just the chassis and engine, Cosmas cut off the rear half of the frame and installed a reused Honda swingarm. 18-inch motorcycle wheels are repurposed for duty at the front, modified with MAC-branded cast aluminum hubcaps.
Cosmas mounts two 18-inch DID rims at the rear, joining their axles together to form a single rear wheel. The idea was to create a wider contact patch with a classic motorcycle look. The sprocket is on one side of the combination shaft, with the brake disc on the opposite side.
Power is transmitted from the Mazda’s driveshaft, through a custom transmission and to the rear wheel via a chain drive.
The internal components are hidden beneath the tricycle’s hand-shaped steel body. Cosmas built a fuel tank that sits in front of the passenger and two gull-wing doors in the back that reveal the car’s double trunk. The rear of the car is designed to show off just enough of the rear wheel.
Inside the bucket-like cockpit, you’ll find a pair of sophisticated leather seats and a wooden dashboard outfitted with an array of aftermarket car and bike dials. The kit even includes a cigarette lighter, USB charging port, and an external tube fuel gauge. Cosmas kept the Mazda steering wheel but treated it with cast aluminum lock nuts for easy removal.
Mazda’s V-twin is a handy little car that’s unlikely to win any beauty contest. So Cosmas disguised it with a handmade oil tank that simulated a pair of motorcycle cylinders. The cast aluminum ‘head’ and faux pushrods are a throwback to the classic JAP engine.
MAC 2 is decorated with a series of elegant details. The stacked headlights and turn signals create a neat focal point, as do the chrome rearview mirrors. On the hood you’ll find a classic hood handle and a neat custom gas cap.
Cosmas chose timeless finishes for this build; Silver paint with brown upholstery and just the right amount of chrome. Hand-crafted exhaust pipes add the final touch, running along each side of the MAC 2 before finishing with a flared cap at the tip.
Technically, the MAC 2 may not be a motorcycle but it is no less attractive. Now if someone can send Cosmas an incredible factory S&S Cycle V-twin, maybe we can convince him to build a MAC 3.
Cosmas Lili Sudrajat | Image by Batara Surya
