Tag Archives: Custom motorcycle

Gorgeous LEGO hot-rod motorcycle features a brick-based V2 engine with moving pistons

Posted on by

Looking about as good as something to come out of a branded LEG Technic set, this black beauty holds the honor of being a purely homegrown, fan-made creation using parts from both LEGO and Technic sets. Although this custom motorcycle doesn’t have a name yet, it’s definitely got a spectacular aesthetic and personality, especially with its stripped-down, bobber-inspired style.

Designer: Pale4

This custom skeletal hot rod comes from the mind of LEGO master builder Pale4, created as a part of the LEGO Ideas forum. As eye-catching as it looks, it’s open for further customizations, like shortening the front fork or making the bike bulkier or more embellished. “I’ve always been a fan of custom motorcycles. Since customizing motorcycles is hugely popular I thought designing one which could be customized by builder after building would be a great set for fans of Lego and Lego Technic”, Pale4 said.

To Pale4’s credit, the bike has a level of detail that I haven’t seen in most Technic kits too. It’s got disc brakes with brake lines connecting all the way to the handlebars, a detailed dashboard, fuel tank, V2 engine, gearbox, and even a functional kickstand to have the bike parked. The black aesthetic definitely feels like a choice that works, and if Pale4 could make the headlamp and taillight work, this would be an absolute winner of a fan-made MOC.

The Custom Motorcycle is at a staggering 1:5 scale, making it pretty big even by LEGO Technic standards. That “makes it a showstopper when displayed”, says Pale4, who’s currently gathered 1683 votes from the LEGO community at the time of writing this article. If they reach the coveted spot of 10,000 votes, the LEGO Ideas team will turn the fan-made MOC into a box-set that anyone can buy and build. Click here to cast your vote!

The post Gorgeous LEGO hot-rod motorcycle features a brick-based V2 engine with moving pistons first appeared on Yanko Design.

This 3-wheeled BMW R100 custom build takes inspiration from pre-war racecars

Posted on by

Designed by Cumpert Contraptions, this custom BMW build is just that – an oddball contraption that captivates the eye with its retropunk demeanor. Resting on three wheels instead of the usual two, this quirky beauty once used to be a 1992-model BMW R100R Mystic, which Tim Cumpert got his hands on for his mad-scientist project. He sawed the front off, replacing it with a chassis taken from an ATV, and built out his vision using that as his framework. “The three-wheeler was inspired by pre-war racing cars, which I am a big fan of,” he told Bike EXIF. “When I started this project back in 2012, Morgan had just released their new 3 Wheeler. But the main drive for this project, was that I wanted to try my hand at sheet aluminum fabrication.”

Designer: Tim Cumpert

Cumpert’s fascination with aluminum fabrication really defines his project’s overall aesthetic. The pre-war energy is strong with the exposed sheeting and visible rivets all along the side of the vehicle. Cumpert started off with sketches, which he then made a 3D CAD file of and CNC-machined to a 1:3 scale. This helped him iron out any kinks and build the large wooden blocks that he would then use to hammer out his aluminum sheet on.

As one could imagine, simply gluing an ATV to a motorcycle isn’t quite an elegant or functional solution. However, both the frames were luckily the same width, which made it pretty easy to line them up. Most of the ATV’s front end is still intact, including its steering linkage, suspension arms and shocks. The hybrid bike (although not your conventional hybrid) uses the ATV brakes on the front and the BMW brakes on the rear too.

The bike’s 3-wheel format isn’t the first thing you notice about the bike, though… it’s the unique low-hung frame. It somewhat resembles the BMW Alpha by Mehmet Doruk Erdem with its crouching appearance and front-heavy torso. The boxer motor sits a little more towards the front than usual, but is complemented perfectly by the two wheels ahead of it that really help distribute the mass in an elegant way. In order to really drive home the vintage racecar aesthetic, the 3-wheeler also uses a repurposed Kawasaki Versys windscreen on the front, and sticks to a relatively nude paint job, with just a flash of red near the seat.

“This is my first sheet metal project,” says Tim Cumpert, “so I designed the shape of the three-wheeler to be mainly simple forms. Most of the body was made using a roller, while the front grill and side pods were hammered over MDF bucks, with a bit of English wheeling to smooth things up. The most tricky part was the rear section, which is made from around six parts.”

The bike’s more of an exploration of possibilities rather than being something that’s essentially road-legal. Cumpert mentions that driving it takes getting used to, especially the handling, considering its 3-wheeled format. “It will lift a wheel on cornering, so you need to move your weight towards the inside wheel when turning”, he says. “I have a list of handling mods to try now. I think the seat needs lowering and handle bars rising a bit to make it easier to move around and see where you’re going, plus I’d like to try an anti-roll bar on the front.”

Images via Bike EXIF

The post This 3-wheeled BMW R100 custom build takes inspiration from pre-war racecars first appeared on Yanko Design.

Stunning BMW R nineT custom with a curved aluminum body looks like something out of an alternate reality

Posted on by

Designed to look like the kind of motorcycle Robocop could ride, this custom BMR R nineT comes with a bespoke hand-crafted curved metal fairing.

This majestic curvilinear beauty is courtesy of Wayne Buys, better known by his internet moniker FabMan Creations. Wayne, who works out of his home and garage in South Africa, designed this piece for a client who commissioned the project and even supplied him with an R nineT to work with. The final build, which he refers to as ‘Storm’ takes inspiration from the aerodynamic forms seen on aircrafts. While the Storm can’t fly like its inspiration, it evokes a feeling of weightlessness in whoever rides it, thanks to its form that slices through the air the way an airplane would. The custom R nineT even sports two massive air scoops on its base that keep the motorcycle’s boxer engine cool and breezy.

Designer: Wayne Buys (FabMan Creations)

Wayne’s build has an undeniable organic appeal, akin to something from the mind of iconic designer Luigi Colani. There isn’t a single straight line on this bike and that’s honestly refreshing after the Cybertruck copycats we’ve been seeing for the past 3 years. It’s worth noting that the bike’s aluminum fairing was built entirely by hand, but more importantly, it was built freeform, without any prior sketching, modeling, or template-building. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Wayne’s metal-forming skills are also entirely self-taught.

Designing and building the bike was an eight-month-long endeavor from start to finish. The client provided Wayne with a low-mileage R nineT, and for the most part, the entire motorcycle uses pretty much all the original stock parts on the inside, although Wayne had to make a few customizations and rearrangements to bring his design to life.

In keeping with the Storm’s aeronautical theme, Wayne built the entire bike out of aluminum sheeting, with multiple parts coming together and screwing on to look like panels on an airplane. The various body panels interlock with one another, connected via small Allen head fasteners that resemble the rivets you’d find on aircraft. A silver coat of paint gives the Storm its raw appeal, looking like an aircraft sans the aerospace paint.

The custom R nineT has a rather interesting front and side profile, and chances are you’d never guess that there’s a BMW underneath that Iron Giant-esque aluminum fairing. The bike’s front boasts a dome-ish cover that is only punctuated by a single headlight located at the center, almost like a plane’s nose. In keeping with the airplane-inspired enclosed design, Wayne also covered both the front and rear wheels, and also modified the exhaust to make it less prominent. The exhaust now sits right below the boxer engine, with three holes to eliminate hot air instead of having it trapped inside the aluminum body. That scooped air intake on the back? Well, Wayne added that (along with an inner fan) to keep the repositioned oil cooler at a lower temperature.

The Storm also boasts of a unique dashboard, with buttons to control specific functions of the bike, and a central speedometer, looking a lot like something you’d see in a vintage cockpit. There’s also a stealthy seven-segment display hidden under the mesh panels below the dashboard. The Storm also boasts of a keyless ignition, with a remote-controlled start.

While it seems like Wayne has a talent for building custom motorcycles (make no mistake, he definitely does), his original training is as a millwright (designing/building/maintaining grain mills). After spending 15 years in Canada, Wayne moved back to his homeland in South Africa, but found himself without a job. It was around that time that he took to custom bike-building, carrying his prior skills in welding, machining, fabrication, and electrical and mechanical work to his new hobby. The one skill Wayne found himself without was shaping aluminum sheets – something he picked up with relentless practice, hammering the panels out on a tree stump and then finishing them by hand.

Wayne now is the founder and sole proprietor of FabMan Creations, with an upgraded garage and workshop that he uses to build custom bikes and fabricate parts like fuel tanks, fenders, and exhaust systems.

The post Stunning BMW R nineT custom with a curved aluminum body looks like something out of an alternate reality first appeared on Yanko Design.

The BMW R1250 R gets a bespoke makeover, transforming the motorcycle into a chunky, futuristic urban roadster!

Posted on by

Renard Speed Shop gave BMW’s R1250 R roadster a city glow-up, with a custom-made, handcrafted aluminum body and chassis to carry the iconic twin-cylinder boxer engine from BMW, known for its control and speed.

BMW’s twin-cylinder boxer engines are known for dynamic control and power. Over the years, many bespoke motorcycle designers have taken to interpreting one-off chassis to match the boxer engine’s force, delivering some top-notch street racers and cruisers alike. Giving some personality to the punchy engine, Renard Speed Shop, a motorcycle design shop based in Estonia, recently constructed their own luxury city cruiser for the BMW R1250 R, calling it ‘Reimagined.’

The R1250 R motorcycle from BMW comes equipped with twin-cylinder boxer engines and keeps a spunky roadster profile with a more industrial edge. Renard Speed Shop built Reimagined to appear like R1250 R’s more mature, suave older cousin who just graduated from college and moved to Manhattan. Described by Renard as a “luxurious city cruiser,” Reimagined is handmade from aluminum with a front grille and triple tree CNC-milled from a solid aluminum block. Most of the bike’s engine is concealed in a round, optic-white aluminum frame that leaves room for some parts of the bike to poke out and bring out the details. Showcasing the motorcycle’s centerpiece, the heads of BMW’s twin-cylinder boxer engine burst from the bike’s core and provide some weight to its frame.

The Reimagined bike’s front suspension covers and lattice were 3D-printed so they could later be “detailed to perfection,” as Renard puts it. Outfitted with a bobber-style floating seat, making precision turns and revving up the engine to pick up some speed will be as smooth as ever, considering the boxer engine’s maximum torque of 105 lb-ft. While most of the motorcycle’s frame was handcrafted by designers at Renard Speed Shop, the wheels are custom-built from JoNich Wheels, a bespoke wheels supplier based in Italy. Additionally, the Akrapovich titanium mufflers come from Ducati Panigale Superleggera, Ducati’s 2015 sportbike.

Designer: Renard Speed Shop x BMW

Renard Speed Shop paid close attention to the details, equipping the bike with K&N air filters concealed by winglet-styled canards.

Renard Speed Shop fitted the Reimagined bike with a TFT display screen for easy access to bodywork maintenance information.

Gleaning silver studs give the bike an air of mystery. 

Integrated taillights and safety features near the handlebars ensure a smooth ride. 

This custom BMW R nineT has 3D printed bodywork that opens with a remote control. Watch the video!

Posted on by




Austria-based Vagabund Moto is one custom motorcycle shop that keeps pushing the envelope of design, materials, and processes. Their 15th build based around the BMW R nineT justifies the fact, as founders, Paul Brauchart and Philipp Rabl spray their creative magic over the two-wheeler for a facelift that’s so desirable for a speed junkie. The amount of metalwork is owed to craftsman Bernard Naumann!

The client asked the team to make this the best ever two-wheeler they’ve ever worked on and the final result is called “Tin Man.” It has an extensive shell of bodywork highlighted by the monocoque tank cover and the seating configuration. It also has an underlying monocoque part that doubles as the under-seat storage. This is the most exciting bit of the bike is the 3D printed remote control that opens up the upper layer moving on hydraulic shocks. When open, the Motogadget dash is visible through the acrylic window in the cover.

All the electronics are packed inside the bodywork to make the aesthetics clean and sleek. Other design details include the headlight nacelle wrapped around the Koso Thunderbolt LED headlights, the organic-looking front fender having automotive LED turn signals, and the rear lights having an array of LED lights in the tail. The full-carbon wheels are made by Rotobox embedded in Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tires and the outer layer of bodywork is encapsulated with Mercedes ‘Selenite Grey Magno’ by the paint shop Grundmann. They really did deliver the best custom bike!

Designer: Vagabund Moto

Modified Yamaha XS 650 concept ditches the Cafe Racer’s classic appeal for a modern, punkish design

Posted on by

If your first reaction was “That looks nothing like a Yamaha cafe racer”, believe me, you’re not alone. Alex Casabo’s reinterpretation of the classic mid-size Yamaha XS 650 motorcycle is far from conventional. Bordering into an edgy, almost KTM territory, Casabo’s Concept 13 R looks less like the seasoned, mature, classic Yamaha cafe racer and more like its aggressive late-teenage son… and I personally can’t get enough of it!

The Concept 13 R’s f***boi vibe is deliberate and difficult to ignore. Look past its edgy, armor-like design and you’ll notice that tramp-stamp on its tires that reads “Love You, Fvck You”, sending mixed signals that make you even more curious about the bike. The modified concept ditches Yamaha’s iconic fuel-tank design for a low-poly fairing that is complemented by the unusual windshield plate on the front within which sits the bike’s tiny, yet powerful projector headlight. The Concept 13 R has two additional headlights too, in the form of LED strips mounted on the front spring forks. The taillight sits on the back of the seat, with the same thin LED-strip design.

Designer Alex Casabo uses panel-work to bring the bike’s design to life, resulting in edgy forms with little volume. Even the seat itself has little mass, and is just about an inch thick. The seat, however, sits on rather visible shock absorbers, providing some cushioning as you drive down on bumpy terrain. The nude, zinc-coated galvanized steel finish on the fuel tank further reinforces the bike’s raw attitude, making it look unusual, to say the least.

What makes the Concept 13 R so interesting is that it isn’t like the other mass-produced bikes from Yamaha’s factory. It has its own complex, wolf-like personality that helps it stand out against the sheep. Perhaps the only Yamaha symbol can be seen on the bike’s clutch cover. That itself gets undercut by the smiling emoji beside it and the blue-burnt steel exhausts.

The bike’s tire treats have smileys and X’s on them too, almost like tattoos on a bike-loving gear-head. If, however, the Concept 13 R’s bad-boy attitude is a little too much for you, Alex Casabo’s even made a slightly more mature and respectable-looking white and black variant… although if you personally ask me, where’s the fun in that??

Designer: Alex Casabo

This sleek Royal Enfield GT 650’s custom design has a badass futuristic vibe to it!

Posted on by




Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 basks in the laurels of being on the lightest and fastest motorcycle powered by the 650cc engine. While it carries a classic masculine charm, the motorcycle just got better, courtesy of Bandit9, the acclaimed custom motorcycle shop based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This being the latest collaboration between Royal Enfield and Bandit9 as they came together before too, for some stunning creations – the result this time around is “Jaeger”. A hand-crafted custom kit for the motorcycle virtually transforms it from a classic ride to one that has landed straight from an action movie scene – an alien movie to be subtle!

This year is the tenth anniversary of the custom motorcycle shop, and the captain aboard the ship, Daryl Villanueva choose Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 as the canvas to mark this special occasion for passionate motorheads. The ultra-limited edition bolt-on kit for the motorcycle handcrafted from surgical-grade stainless steel comprises half-fairing, and the neo-retro tank flowing low into the front tail cowl. The same steel is used to craft the monobloc mirrors, switchgear, and levers to lend a very unibody kind of feel to the machine. The whole character of the motorcycle is transformed with the bespoke swing-arm extension, custom build flowing one-into-one exhaust having slash-cut pipes, clip-on handlebars with alloy grips, and a brand new set of sawtooth-tread tires.

Other than these major changes, the motorcycle also gets custom LED lighting on the front and back, an all-weather suede seat, and a unique speedometer. While the visual modifications make the bike look dramatic to be modest, the custom shop also managed to shave-off 35lbs of the Continental 650 GT’s weight in the process. If you thought getting your hands on this one would be easy, it’ll be limited to only nine special edition units. Jaeger motorcycle will come as a Jaeger kit a la carte or completed finished motorcycle.

Designer: Bandit9

Click Here to Buy Now: $28,000

A Novel Invention: The Electric Harley-Davidson Motorcycle

Posted on by

Finally, creativity has met with tradition. Harley-Davidson has started its Project LiveWire. The electric motorcycle is going to undergo road-testing pretty soon. The project plans to get a feel for...

Harley-Davidson’s Project LiveWire Showcases Electric Motorcycle

Posted on by

The sleek, futuristic design of Harley-Davidson's Project LiveWire resembles something Max from Dark Angel would ride with the slashes of bright red against the matte black and chrome. As the company...