Bike EXIF’s Bikes Of The Week - August 29

Cycle World has been covering custom motorcycles since 1962, and we’ll continue to mix world-class builds into our print and online editorial mix alongside our new motorcycle tests and reviews. But there are so many great custom builds out there that we have partnered with our friends over at Bike EXIF, experts when it comes to all things custom, cafe, and scrambler. They’re going to be regularly sharing some of their favorite bikes with us, complete with brief write ups on the various builds. Enjoy!

Right now, customizers just can’t get enough of classic BMWs. The older R series airheads are easy to work on, and we’re seeing more ‘flying brick’ K series bikes going under the grinder too. But it takes a special kind of madness to tear into a modern-day K: They’re complex machines with unorthodox suspension and multiple electronics.

That didn't deter the Spanish builder Efraón Triana, though. Best known as the head wrench of Café Racer Dreams, he's now set up business as Pan Speed Shop. Triana wanted maximum impact with his debut build, and he's delivered big time.

‘Meka’ looks like it’s come straight from a video game. The stock bodywork is gone, replaced by angular, aggressive panels. Our favorite part of the design is right up front, with Xenon headlights concealed in a custom-made housing. When the electrics are switched on, electro mechanical actuators open a pair of blinds to reveal the bulbs.

K&N filters free up the engine breathing, and there’s a stubby, one-off exhaust.Slim metal fins on the muffler outlets echo another set of bodywork fins further forward.

It’s a brave and inspired build, at once severing Triana’s connection to Café Racer Dreams and establishing his shop as a new force on the European scene.

Read more on the Pan Speed Shop BMW K1200S.

Half a century ago, Moto Guzzi was a technological pioneer. And the jewel in Mandello’s crown was the remarkable 499cc V8 race bike—with twin cams, eight tiny Dell'Orto carbs, and a healthy 78 horsepower at 12,000 rpm.

These days, Moto Guzzi focuses on a laidback retro vibe, and does it very well. But the lads at Numbnut Motorcycles in Amsterdam have long memories, and decided to honor the glory days on the tracks. With a little financial help from local clothing company Vanguard, they've turned a 1400cc Eldorado into the V8 replica you see here.

It’s all about the huge fairing, obviously, and the Eldorado wears it surprisingly well. This version is shorter than the one on the original ‘Otto’ bike, which is probably a good thing when you consider the side winds on wide-open European highways.

Ulfert Janssen of the Swiss company Gannet Design helped with the aesthetics, and he's done a superb job. We can even forgive the vintage-style Firestone tires, because they fit the retro vibe perfectly.

Read more on the Numbnut Moto Guzzi 'V8'.

It’s not easy being a custom builder. The margins are slim, the hours are long, and the competition is intense. And when your pride and joy finally makes it online, it’s likely to get savaged by armchair quarterbacks.

In the midst of their third build, the Sinroja brothers faced an even worse problem—they were kicked out of their premises after neighbors complained about the noise. But despite the hiatus, the Leicester, England workshop managed to deliver this stunning BMW R100R to their client, albeit a little later than planned.

The proportions are on point, with is unusual for an R series because the engine and transmission are canted down towards the rear. It’s an awkward mismatch of lines that catches out most builders. But Rahul and Birju Sinroja have mirrored that angle with a repositioned tank and subframe—and it works perfectly.

They’ve also rebuilt the engine to factory spec, and plumbed in a one-off exhaust system that exits just under the tail unit. To keep the show on the road, there’s a pair of Yamaha R1 forks up front, a Hagon monoshock out back, and high performance EBC brakes.

A very classy build from a new name to watch.

Read more on the Sinroja R3 Racer.