Motorcycle Tuning

If the Fast & Furious franchisee ever made a movie with a scooter trying to run away from the cops or the bad guys, this ANX Sprint Racer could just be their best hope to get away with. Oh! It can also slide under truck trailers for that.

Started life as a puny scooter from the mid-2000s—a Piaggio NRG, now it runs nitrous ( or what we love to call as NOS ), makes five times its original power, and weighs less than the skinnies girlfriend you’ve ever had.

After serving 8 years in the Navy, Derek Kimes was scouting for new challenges. But little did he know that a day would come where he would custom build and custom engineer a motorcycle that would go on to win top honors at the Forged Invitational show at the Jekyll Island.

It wasn’t any other motorcycle, but his own 1982 black Yamaha XJ750 Maxim re-engineered to replicate the 1984 XJ750R (0U28) race bike that participated over in Japan in the 1984 Suzuka 8 Hours, both in terms of design and performance. This modern machine gets retrofitted with fuel injection and ...wait for it… a freakin turbo kit.

It’s aptly called the Yamaha “Turbo Maximus” spooling 200 hp.

The Harley Davidson Roadster is the most sport-oriented version of the Sportster series offering an alternative to more conventional cruiser variants. This newcomer to Harley’s Sportster range may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But it is a better fit for the current market.

Now though, this roadster fell into the hands of some custom cracks and had been prepped up to become the finalist in the annual ‘Battle of the Kings’ contest. And what did they come up with to get there? A (insert a slang here) snow bike with skis belts and a mad looking electric paint job.

You must have seen sophisticated suspension setups on the expensive four-wheeled counterparts with them having quirky adjectives like airmatic, airdrive or air ride. The reason is as simple as the name is.

This high-tech is reserved for four-wheelers for one simple fact: availability of space. To carry a compressor, rubber bellows, and an air-pump, the motorcycle engineers cannot afford to pan sufficient space within the motorcycle frame and chassis.

Yet, the idea of using the compressibility of air as a spring on two-wheelers is as old as 1910. Fast forward to 2017, a chap in Japan has retrofitted a Honda Grom, a monkey bike from the same makers of the Fireblade. Using it as a suspension unit, he also made away with the side and the center stand and showcased his creation to the world.

When factories make machines, they do so with extreme accuracy and precision. With a good amount of tolerance levels, their machines are made to last quite long. And if the supercharged Ninja H2 is what we talking about, it is the most technologically advanced machine to come out of the famed Japanese green outfit that created a new benchmark in the industry both in terms of construction and packaging.

When you take that 207 bhp monster and pump it all the way upto 300, you cannot expect even the best of Japanese engineering from saving your arse. That is exactly what happened to one unlucky Ninja H2 which ended up with an exploded crankcase when the bike was running at a whopping 300 kph in a motorsport event.

Rene van Tuil of Revatu Customs knows how the custom game works. His latest creation, dubbed the Black Pearl, perfectly illustrates how some builders are fine with eschewing performance improvements for the sake of aesthetic omnipresence.

This custom motorcycle is for steampunk fans all over the world. That’s because the Black Pearl - a fitting name, too - is a steam-powered motorcycle that’s not going to satisfy your thirst for speed and power, but it’ll most definitely catch a lot of people’s attention.

As you can see, van Tuil spent a great deal of time working on the Black Pearl to make it look and function like it’s supposed to be. The traditional motorcycle setup is nowhere to be seen. In its place is an overhauled machine that features a well thought-out suspension set-up that accommodates steam chamber that gives the bike its power.

Speaking of power, the Black Pearl really doesn’t offer a whole lot in that department. It’s got a top speed of 5 mph, which means that you can keep up with the bike if you decide to go for a leisurely jog covering that same distance.

But power and speed aren’t the things that make the Black Pearl special. It’s van Tuil’s incredible attention-to-detail and his desire to build something so unique you have no choice but to stare it as it chugs peacefully along the road.

Continue reading to read more about Rene van Tuil’s custom Black Pearl steam-powered motorcycle.

Some people take custom bike building seriously. Then there are those who really take it seriously. Then there are those who just can’t go one day without tinkering on custom-built bikes. Well, there’s a competition for people like this in the form of the London Custom Bike Championships.

Scheduled from February 13 to 15, 2015, the second London Custom Bike Championships will once again be part of the MCN London Motorcycle Show and will feature some of the biggest and most popular bike builders in the world. The list runs long and thorough and features noted builders like Auto Fabrica, Cooper Motorcycles, Lamb Engineering, and Kevils Speedshop. Las year’s winner, Destiny Cycles, will also return to defend its title and face a field of builders that are looking for their own shot at custom bike-building glory.

Just like last year, the winning builder will receive a host of cool prizes, including a cash prize of £12,000 ($18,000) and vouchers for performance parts companies Harrison Billet and Zodiac. Oh, and did I mention that the winner will also become just the second victor of the competition?

That’s a lot of pressure put on these builders, which should give all of them enough motivation to put their best foot forward as they prepare their custom-built bikes for the competition.

No pressure, right?

Click past the jump to read more about the London Custom Bike Championships.

BMW R nineT is one of the newest motorcycles built by the German manufacturer and the guys from Urban Motor are the first tuners who had the occasion to modify it.

Their creation is called the Track Grinder and shows what potential for customization has the new BMW R nineT.

Like the stock model the Track Grinder is powered by the air- and oil-cooled version of BMW’s 1170cc boxer engine which delivers a claimed 110 horsepower and 88 pound-feet of torque. The unit didn’t receive any modifications but almost everything else has been completely modified.

One of the most obvious upgrades is the new design of the fuel tank which is complemented by the fresh alloy tail and the new custom seat wrapped in black leather.

The Track Grinder has also received a new Mottogadget Motoscope Pro digital LED dash which looks far better than the stock unit.

Up front you get a circular number holder with a small 50 headlight “hidden” underneath it. Other modifications include a Supertrapp exhaust system, Tarozzi pegs and blacked-out wheels paired with Golden Tyre dual-sport rubbers.

Hit the jump for more photos.

“She was an accident waiting to happen. 600 pounds of American coke fired iron, riding on weather-checked English rubber. Cracking femurs or rupturing internal organs were her specialties, and she had done so on more than one occasion. The Iron Lung, a 1991 Harley Sportster roadracer, was a vision of what never was, in response to a question that was never asked.” – This is how Icon presents its new creation, the epic Iron Lung.

This new mechanical beast was born from Icon’s desire to create a truly special motorcycle that has the look of the legendary Harley-Davidson endurance and circuit racers from the 1970s, but is mixed with modern technologies and contemporary lines.

Like you’ve probably guessed, the Iron lung is based on a standard 1991 Harley Davidson Sportster. Luckily, Icon doesn’t play when it comes to modifying motorcycles, so they’ve started their work by boosting the engine’s power. Therefore, the Sportster’s 883cc unit was upgraded using a big bore kit up to no less than 1200cc. The increased capacity was combined with a Supertrapp exhaust system so the end result should be fairly impressive.

For enhanced performances, the Iron Lung’s front end had to receive some attention to. So, apart from the custom front fairing built in house, the guys from Icon have also decided to make the entire front lower and wider. They’ve also added a new sub frame, progressive 970 shocks, fresh forks (borrowed from a Harley Davidson Wide Glide) and custom triple clamps.

If you like those tasty wheels you should know that they come from a V-Rrod, while the custom seat was created by New Church Moto and the paint job is signed by the Garage 31 team.

All in one, the bike’s design and specs are fairly catchy and if you want to see it in action hit the jump for the official video released by Icon.

The Ducati 1199 is one of the fastest motorcycles from the tracks. Its power and agility can’t be rivaled by many models in its class and for many riders it represents the ultimate sports machine.

But it seems like the guys from MotoCorsa weren’t satisfy with the racy character of the stock Ducati 1199 and decided to give it a touch of…dirt.

Their take on the Ducati 1199 Panigale bears the name Terracorsa and is basically an off-road super sport motorcycle equipped with rugged tires and covered with a desert-inspired paint scheme.

The idea behind this project started when Bossman Arun Sharma from MotoCorsa and Ducati North America’s Quentin Wilson were preparing for their trip to Eastern Oregon and they decided to let their creativity go crazy to make the trip more interesting.

You have all the rights to believe that a job like this is pure blasphemy, but at least the motorcycle used by MotoCorsa was already wracked, so we won’t judge them too harsh.

If the performances of your Honda CBR1000RR are no longer keeping your adrenaline levels go crazy, than you should take into consideration a small power upgrade.

Two Brothers Racing is making your job easier with their new Power Plus kit that was especially developed for the 2012 Honda CBR1000RR.

The kit promises to improve the motorcycle’s output with up to 8 hp and 11 ft.lbs of torque. For the power upgrade we have to give credit to the Black Series Slip-on exhaust which is available with aluminum, titanium or high-temp carbon fiber canisters.

The kit also contains a P1X Power Tip, a igh-performance repack kit, an aluminium anodized red bolt kit and the Juice Box Pro fuel management system. Other items included in the kit are a TBR Red Shield t-shirt, decal stickers and a black side cover.

It is also worthy of being mentioned that the TBR Power Plus Kit is intended for closed-course competition use only, so in some state you may not be able to use on the public roads.

The kit is offered with a promotional price rated at $842.

Hit the jump for the video and more photos.

The Kawasaki ZX-14R is by no means a boring bike, but the guys from Icon wanted to make it even cooler.

For the starters, they’ve redesigned the motorcycle’s fairing to make it slide easier through the air. For this job they’ve collaborated with Hotbodies which did a pretty nice job with the body lines. As far as colors are concerned, the motorcycle is dominated by Kawasaki’s iconic green paint which is combined with a few white and blue accents forming a race-inspired style.

Apart from the racy livery, the Kawasaki ZX-14R has also received a Leo Vince exhaust which rewards you with a mighty roar and improved engine performances.

Needles to say that the custom Kawasaki ZX-14R is packed with a long list of custom parts and accessories. Among them you’ll find Galfer petal rotors, green Performance Machine wheels, K&N filters and a Roaring Toyz extended swingarm. Moreover, Icon’s Kawasaki ZX-14R has received a custom seat made by Saddlemen and PIAA lights.

It is also worthy of being mentioned that the ride quality is kept in check by Ohlis suspensions and the stock OEM controls were ditched in favor of PSR units.

Hit the jump for more pictures!

Local Motors is a relatively new company specialized on automotive design and technology and its purpose is to create unique and innovative vehicles. A while ago, the company amazed the automotive media with its capableRally Fighter, a sporty off road vehicle powered by a 6.2-liter V-8 that goes head to head with models like the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor.

Luckily the company didn’t stop there and its newest project is a custom motorcycle named the Racer.

The new custom bike has a pretty interesting story. To start this project Local Motors organized the Custom Motorcycle Design Challenge with Justin and Jarrod Del Prado of Arizona-based DP Custom Cycles.

The challenge was to invite a wide range of designers to come up with their version of a customized 2000-2003 Harley Davidson Sportster.

More than 2,400 files were submitted for evaluation and the winner was the DP Racer designed by Andre Costa of Portugal.

Hit the jump for the rest of the story

BMW’s motorcycles are certainly fast, but San Diego BMW Motorcycles wanted to see exactly how high they can raise the bar. Therefore, helped by Shane Kinderis, owner of Alpine Performance in Australia, they’ve tweaked the motorcycle’s water-cooled, 4-stroke in-line, four-cylinder-engine to make it crank out 220 hp (the stock unit delivers a maximum output of 193 hp). Besides the pumped up engine, the motorcycle has also received a new fairing for improved aerodynamics created by Mike Verdugo of Catalyst Composites in Escondido, CA.

After all the modifications were finished, the motorcycle was left on the hands of Erin Hunter and Andy Sills of Hunter Sills Racing, two high speed riders with a huge experience in Landspeed Racing competitions.

The modified BMW S 1000 RR was unleashed on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah and has managed to hit a maximum speed of 224,190 miles per hour on Friday, August 16 2013, thus becoming the fastest motorcycle in BMW’s history.

Hit the jump for the official press release.

The guys from HUSZ have decided to modify the Suzuki Savage and the end result is quite impressive. Their take on the motorcycle looks significantly more aggressive than the stock model and we especially like how HUSZ managed to change the motorcycle’s appearance without losing its Suzuki spirit.

The guys from HUSZ have ditched a lot of unnecessary parts to put more accent on the bikes 650cc engine. The motorcycle has also received a smaller fuel tank built and other important custom parts include the Biltwell handles, a new seat, a unique rear disc wheel and RYCA filters and jets.

The original rear fender was entirely removed in favor of a fresh one that further enhances the aggressive look of the motorcycle. The front fender is also gone and the front round headlight was replaced by a rectangular unit.

But the best part of this custom bike is by far its low price tag which is rated at only €3,500 ($4,6470).

Hit the jump for more pictures of the Suzuki Savage Bobber Extreme by HUSZ.

The Yamaha Virago didn’t manage to impress many riders with its dull look, but this doesn’t mean that the bike doesn’t have a lot of potential if it meets the right tuner.

Therefore, after receiving a touch of magic from Classified Moto, the stock Yamaha Virago gained a totally fresh appearance and a more aggressive character.

The guys from Classified Moto don’t play when it comes to modifying bikes, so they went on and completely modified the motorcycle from the ground up.

The most important modifications include the aggressive rear end conversion and the Classified’s signature front-end swap.

It is also worthy of being mentioned that Virago’s DNA has received influences from some of its sportiest siblings. Therefore, the fork was borrowed from a 2009 Yamaha YZF R6-R (with a modified triple tree and upgraded bearings) while the rear suspension came from a 2008 YZF R6-S. Moreover, the front wheel was “stolen” from an R6-R while the rear one came from an R6-S.

There is also a Triumph Daytona adjustable shock, so in terms of on road performances the custom Yamaha XV920R has all it needs to deal great with anything you throw at it.

Other modifications include the chopped rear section of the subframe, a custom solo seat, a conical high-flow air filter and custom exhaust lines and silencers. The bike’s vital stats are now displayed on a single-piece multi-function digital gauge.

Hit the jump for more pictures.