Speed bike is the very definition of purpose-built. They are one-wheeled, brakeless machines of uncanny proportions, designed to do one thing—go around dirt roads at physics-defying angles. However, like all racing motorcycles, they have evolved over the years.
Early racers simply modified existing ‘regular’ bikes to perform as well as they could. It wasn’t until the late 1950s that legends like Alf Hagon started building highway-specific chassis. And today’s racing bikes are definitely not what they were back then.
This particular example is a 1970s Godden GR500, built by Grzegorz Korczak and his team at Unikat Motorworks in Poland. Back in 1969, Don Godden won the world long distance championship on a Hagon frame bike with a JAP engine. By the ’70s, he had founded Godden Engineering — first building his own frames, then, eventually, engines and complete bikes.
The Godden GR500 is a complete package, featuring a 493.8 cc single cylinder engine, enough for 64 horses. It was built in an era when the engines were mounted vertically in the frame — unlike on today’s machines, where the engines were tilted forward. [There’s a great Godden GR500 history lesson here.]
Ideas for this fix The project was born on a tennis court, everywhere. Grzegorz met his client, Zbyszek, at a tennis tournament, where the two immediately started talking about bikes (and got so excited that the other players fell silent).
Zbyszek actually manages a speed team — and his wife, Betty Rose, is so passionate about the sport that she has a speed tattoo on her arm. Grzegorz said: “As Betty Rose’s birthday approached, we embarked on an unprecedented joint project.
After a bit of searching, Unikat found the GR500; “a hit classic,” as Grzegorz put it. The idea is to restore it, but also add some unique details. After all, Unikat’s motto is “one in one”.
The GR500’s engine is strong inside but dirty on the outside. So the first job is to clean things up. Unikat has glassblown the engine and carburetor, and polished all the aluminum components, including the engine mounting plates. The main drive unit is exposed and a hand-crafted velocity stack sits under the seat.
Next, Unikat repainted the frame, rear triangle, and front fork with a new coat of powder. An impressive number of original parts are still being used but they have been restored to better condition than new. Looking closely, you’ll spot the Godden badge stamped on the steering wheel’s wrist and the Godden logo engraved on the oil cap (the GR500 carries its oil in the top tube of the frame).
Unikat tore the wheels apart, polished the hubs and rims, then reattached them with stainless steel spokes and knobs. Tires, tubes, chains, sprockets are all new. Speed racing enthusiasts will also note that the rear wheel housings commonly worn by racing bikes of this era are no longer available.
The fuel tank and fenders are also original parts. Unikat removes the paint from the fiberglass fenders, then carefully smoothes out the inconsistencies before repainting them.
The fuel tank is a bit old but for the Unikat, that only adds to the car’s charm. So they just cleaned it and re-coated it to keep its personal history intact. Milled fuel cap engraved with Unikat’s logo creates a neat feature.
At the front, the steering wheel is clamped by a new lift bar, equipped with a Magura clutch lever and hand-wrapped leather grips. Further back, Unikat has restored the leather seats and placed it on top of new mounting plates. Exhaust pipes are custom, fabricated from stainless steel.
This GR500 also uses new cables and hoses, and every final nut and bolt is glass-blown and new galvanized.
Finished in white with red accents and decorated with the owner’s name and date of birth, this GR500 restomod looks as if it were parked across a dirt road. We couldn’t think of a better birthday present.
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