When compared to the classic car market, the classic bike scene lags behind; both in terms of the way prices have increased in the past few years, and in its media profile. Whereas perfect condition in the bike market is extremely important, the hype surrounding classic cars means that even examples in terrible condition can fetch sky-high prices.
Demand for both bespoke, limited-production cars and custom-built café racers has soared in recent years. Exploiting these trends, Jakus has brought together two of England’s most iconic brands in order to create a stunning custom café racer.
“The plan was simple. I thought it would be an interesting assignment to see what a relative novice like myself could do to Yamaha’s XV950 with some bolt-on, third-party parts and a little imagination,” says Steve Hunt, journalist at British motorcycle publication MCN. “That was the plan. But then things got a little out of hand…”
The move into unfamiliar waters stemmed from a conversation with the eventual owner, who insisted the bike should lean heavily towards functionality. “I wanted to recreate the feel of a 1960s Ferrari,” says Deus Ex founder Woolie. “When you opened up the hood, all you found was a motor, coils, distributor and a battery.
Our collective eye has been caught by Clutch’s creations before, when founder Willie Knoll went to work on a Triumph Bonneville T100. This time around, his company went for a café racer appearance, albeit with some details that make the concept its own.
… it's all about using real craftsmanship to create a truly great motorcycle – just as it was for the pioneers of two-wheeled machines more than 80 years ago. We had the chance to visit the Black Douglas workshop and ask Fabio Cardoni, the founder, a few questions.
No doubt inspired by the success of not only its own pair of concepts, but also another pared-back nod to the past – the revived Ducati Scrambler – Husqvarna has cited 2017 as the expected year of arrival for the ‘productionised’ pair of 401 concepts. Going by the names ‘Vit Pilen’ and ‘Svart Pilen’ (White Arrow and Black Arrow respectively), the bikes are inspired by the Silver Pilen of the 1950s.
We’ve looked at the motor-racing-inspired bikes of Arizona-based DP Customs before – but the latest build by the family-owned company is certainly worthy of closer inspection. Inspired by the black-and-gold John Player Special scheme worn by Mario Andretti’s Lotus 79, the Harley-Davidson Sportster-based creation goes by the name of ‘The Player’.