A few weeks ago we went to Miami, Florida, to attend Harley-Davidson’s traditional Press Experience, which this year has been dubbed “The Art Of Custom” in order to underline the strong connection between the Milwaukee-based manufacturer and the custom world, something that has always been at the core of the ‘magic’ surronding this legendary brand. There can be no denial in fact that the custom culture as we know it today basically took off in the US in the 50s and 60s thanks to the famous H-D Twins of that era, and from there it spread all over the world. However, this is something we will delve into later on. Base of operations for the whole event is a nice hotel in Miami Beach, where a demo-fleet made of almost every model of the current H-D range silently awaits.

On the first day of the event, the Harley-Davidson staff greeted us in a nice conference room where we were given a short overview of the glorious H-D history, from the humble beginning in a barn in Milwaukee in 1903 till the grandeur of today, proven by the fact that the famous bar-and-shield logo is the only motorcycle-related brand that made it in the highly rated ‘Top 100 Best Global Brands’ chart, published at the beginning of the year by Interbrand, one of the world’s leading brand consultancy. Then we got introduced to the two most important additions to H-D’s 2012 line-up: the wicked Softail Slim, powered by the brand new 1690 cc (103 cubic inches) air cooled twin that is bound to become H-D main engine for the forthcoming years, and the slightly quieter Sportster Seventy-Two (pictured above), equipped with a 1200 cc V-Twin engine with electronic injection.

After a quick briefing concerning the schedule of the event, it is finally time to jump on the bikes and move to what will be the first stop of our ‘Press Experience’, Wynwood Walls, an outdoor mural permanent exhibit within the well-known Wynwood Art District of Miami. The demo-fleet that Harley-Davidson provided for this event was nothing short of ‘impressive’: the aforementioned new models as well as several variants of Sportster, Dyna, Softail, Touring, V-Rod etc etc. Basically all models from the current H-D line up were there, and seeing this whole lot lined up under the sun, with all the chrome bits shining, really was a pretty evocative view. Read the rest of the article and see all the pictures after the jump.

The Art Of Custom: Wynwood Walls

As Europeans, riding in Miami on a Harley is quite an inspiring experience, although you cannot help but feel a little estranged seeing all the locals riding with no helmet on. We could actually smile when running into a long-bearded fellow H-D rider with bare chest, bandana and sun-glasses, but seeing exactly the same thing on a Ducati 848 or a Gixer (and with the girlfriend in a bikini sitting at the back) was actually a little shocking.

Once in Wynwood we parked the bikes in front of an art center where H-D had set a nice exposition focusing on the link between their motorcycles and the world of customization. Introducing us to the nuances of this relationship are some of the most important executives of the company, namely Mark-Hans Richer (Senior Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer for Harley-Davidson) and, especially, the legendary Willie G. Davidson.

For those into H-D things, this charismatic character needs no introduction, but to the benefit of those who aren’t, let’s just say that Willie G. - as he likes to be called - is one of the key figures in H-D history: grandson to William A. Davidson (one of the founders of the company) and son to William H. Davidson (the second president in H-D history), in 1981 he basically saved the brand from bankruptcy, leading a squad of 13 other executives who bought it back from the previous owner and led it to the worldwide success that it still enjoys today. At that time we did not know that Willie G. was about to retire (a decision that was made public a few weeks later), but we will get back to that when we’ll publish the interview we conducted with the man himself.

View Harley-Davidson in Wynwood - Art Of Custom 2012 photo gallery

Right after the meetings with H-D big boys, we got introduced to David “Lebo” Le Batard, a famed local artist who is also responsable for the exposition that emphasizes the bond between Harley Davidson and art. And, by extension, the custom world. Lebo is one of the street artists that 20 years ago was at the forefront of the artistic revolution that turned Wynwood from a dodgy and disreputable neighborhood (as he described it) into the modern, bohemian area full of art centers, studios and museums it is today. Just to put that into the right perspective, graffitism was illegal there two decades ago, while now the local administration encourages it by offering the various buildings of the area to the artists, as ‘empty canvas’.

Lebo also explained the evident relationship linking art and customization, two forms of expression meant to underline the creativity and personality of the individual. One perfect example of this relationship is the collection of customized H-D tanks on display at the center, some of which were decorated by Lebo himself. He spent quite some time introducing us to each and every piece, that you can also admire in our dedicated photo gallery.

The rest of the day is dedicated to the pictures, and we have to say that H-D and Wynwood Walls surely makes for a perfect match (as you can see in the shots). Then it is time for a quick visit to downtown Miami for more pictures, but there is not much time to linger on that as the following day we are supposed to go to Key West, the most southern island of the Florida Keys and home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States. Program says departure is scheduled at 6:30 am, so we better get some rest.

View the full 2012 Art of Custom speakers photo gallery
View the full Harely-Davidson - Wynwood fuel tanks photo gallery

From Miami Beach to Key West

Miami Beach looks and sounds pretty quiet on early mornings: just a handful of bathers and a couple of panda cars can be spotted on the white sand of its gorgeous beach while something like thirty dedicated bikers are heading toward an impressive row of glossy and untarnished Harley-Davidson motorcycles, once again lined up under the hot Florida sun. As previously pointed out, the destination of our trip is Key West, the last island of the Florida Keys that is roughly 270 km away from Miami (about 168 miles) and can be reached through the Overseas Highway, the lower parts of the U.S. Route 1 that connects all of the islands making up the Florida Keys and then goes up for 3,800 km (2,360 miles) reaching the Canadian border.

Getting out of Miami early in the morning - and with little traffic - gives us the chance to better appreciate the beauty of this city, which offers tall skyscrapers (usually white), palms, and an unbelievable sea that couldn’t get any more blue than that. Getting around Miami in order to reach its south side also allowed us to take a look at the American life away from the big city lights, while we could not help but notice how many of the vehicles we met on our way are basically either rare or pretty unknown in Europe. The first refuelling stop happened in Key Biscayne: in Florida petrol is priced at about 3.50-3.60 $ per gallon, which is approximately 0.75 € per litre, and hearing an American member of the H-D staff complaining about the recent rises (”which have crippled the local economy”) just brings a smile on our faces.

As its name suggests, the Overseas Highway is actually a long motorway suspended over the sea that every now and then bumps into the occasional little island with its own little town. We got split in two groups - to make the whole thing easier to handle and less of a hassle for the other motorists - and told to follow a powerful Harley-Davidson Touring Electra Glide Classic ridden by a member of the H-D crew, who will make sure that nobody will speed up. Another two members of the crew close the group, ready to help whoever will lose ground or get lost.

Riding with the sea on both sides it’s a pretty unusual experience, but the fact that the Overseas Highway is basically a neverending straight (as well as the strict speed limits) did not allow us to really test the various models that we rode. On the other hand though, this is exactly the kind of habitat for which these machines were designed in the first place: just the fact that our road-trip was so long helped us to better understand some of H-D key features: comfort is always there, thanks to a riding position that is absolutely ergonomic and not tiring, the saddle feels great and the bike (any of them) is as reactive as this kind of conditions require.

Last but not least, there’s also that H-D magic, that is made of pride, history and that trademark sound that comes out of its iconic V-Twins: more than once we got greeted on the streets by the bypassers, and at almost every traffic light we could see somebody picking up his mobile or camera to take a pic of our noisy parade, not to mention all the other Harley-Davidson riders we met on our way to Key West, who never failed to show us some sign of approval. What’s really interesting about this is that Harley-Davidson riders really are a motley bunch: we saw long haired, tattoed machos and hot blondes, old bald fatties and fine, athletic youngsters, the demographics of the H-D enthusiasts are so variegated that it would be pointless to associate this brand to a certain limited category of people. And this fact alone says a lot about how much Harley-Davidson is entrenched in the American culture.

Key West is a cheerful and quiet holiday resort that is just perfect to get some rest after a four-hour long ride (not consecutive, of course). Surrounded by a jaw-dropping sea and dotted with plenty of palm-trees, with amazing white beaches and a warm weather throughout the whole year, we can now understand what spurred Ernest Hemingway to make it his home place for so many years. After lunch, a visit to the famous Key West Buoy (that marks the most southern place in the US) is simply mandatory: thinking that from there Cuba is just 90 miles away is kind of odd, but we have no time to think too much about that as we would like to make it back to Miami by the sunset.

View the full Harley-Davidson in Key West - Art Of Custom 2012 photo gallery
View the full H-D on the way to Key West - Art Of Custom 2012

By the time we got there to sun was already gone, but that wasn’t too bad as driving by night in a very illuminated Miami turned out to be one of the highlights of the day. After so much straight you just cannot help but feel a little bored, but the slightly twisty motorways around Miami made for a nice change of pace. Once we recognized the surroundings and figured out how to make it back to the hotel, the time to leave the Electra Glide behind had finally come: it was time to try some proper acceleration, some chicane, something similar to a leanig angle and so forth. Not much perhaps, but enough to get our much desevred happy ending.

We would like to thank the whole Harley-Davidson staff of the 2012 Art of Custom.

Paolo “Tex” Tesio is an Italian car designer who got started with his career in 1995 and has always shown a taste for high performance motorbikes. Today we are going to talk about his Ms4R concept, a project that rose from the ashes of a previous 2004 concept code-named S2-Braida that entered a Ducati design competition a few years back. When Mr. Tesio replaced hid old Ducati Monster (still with carburettors) with a ‘03 S4R, he felt that something has to be done in order to update the old model, that became irreparably ‘old’ as soon as the new one came out.

First off, it had to lose weight and become more ‘compact’, more streamlined and more aggressive too, as it also had to live up to its menacing name. So enter the QD ex-Box exhaust system, a small underbelly end-can which freed the tail of the model from its standard and bulky mufflers and gave it a decidedly more modern outlook. The obsolete head lamp of the original model had to go as well in favour of one lifted from the Ducati MH 900, smaller and more modern, which got embedded closer to the body in between the forks. The instrumentation cluster moves closer to the yoke, while the handlebars got replaced as well.

However, the real icing on the cake here is that pair of fork covers: designed to not interfere with the actual work of the front suspension, these original covers (sporting the glorious Ducati logo of the 80s) provide the model with an extra oomph that surely set the MS4R apart from most Monster’s renditions out there. We think that this model is actually quite fascinating, and Tex says that if the response will be good enough, he might actually put this kit into production. To find out more about this designer and his work, check his facebook page out.

View the full Ducati Monster MS4R by Paolo Tesio photo gallery

While in Monza, World Superbike stars Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team) and Michel Fabrizio (BMW Motorrad Italia GoldBet SBK Team) attended the launch of the BMW F800R with the brand new Nero Zaffiro Metallizzato paint-job (which is Metalized Sapphir Black in Italian), and we got to admit that the “all black” dress makes the F800R even more aggressive-looking, emphasizing both its lines and bare mechanical bits.

This exclusive color scheme will be made available for the Italian curstomers only, with no extra charge. The F800R is a well-balanced naked bike which is easy and fun to ride in urban traffic as well as on motorways, and comes with a 798 cc flat twin engine with electronic fuel injection delivering 87 hp and an impressive 86 Nm (63 ft-lb) of peak torque at 6,000 rpm, with a smooth delivery and good fuel consumption figures. Its comfortable and light chassis (the bike boasts a dry weight of just 177 kg) makes the bike agile enough to be easily ridden even by the less experienced riders.

Other highlights of this model include standard ABS, TPC Tyre Pressure Control, 320 mm Brembo double disk brake at the front, heated grips, white turn indicators, a flat instrumentation screen (featuring digital clock, total and 2 trip odometers, cruising range indicator and service interval indicator) as well as new sports windshield in body colour.

View the full BMW F800R 2012 Nero Zaffiro Metallizzato photo gallery

Italian designer Oberdan Bezzi has become a sort of a regalur feature in our blog, and here is his latest creation: the Bimota SB9 Metallo, a graphic concept that its own maker acknowledges would be quite unusual even for the usually bold Italian manufacturer. According to the concept, the Metallo would be powered by a Suzuki twin engine with displacement enlarged up to 670 cc, while chassis and suspension would use top notch material and components within an overall neat and classic structure.

“The best thing about this concept bike - said Mr.Bezzi himself - would be its bodywork, that should be entirely made of hand wrought aluminum. That would make it a proper and expensive jewel, which would not go for over-the top performance or technology but is rather focused on high quality craftmanship and premium finishing“. Click on the image above to see it in high-resolution. To find out more about Mr.Bezzi’s work, you can check out his official blog (in Italian).

Ritmo Sereno is a pretty well known name in the Japanese custom scene, and its latest output is this fantastic rendition of the Moto Guzzi Ambassador. This bike is actually a follow-up to another special Guzzi racer they had put out a couple of years ago, but this new one is definitely more racer-looking than its predecessor, having lost basically all of its frills. And it does look the part.

The most dramatic change affected the rear section, which has been completely re-designed in order to make it as light as possible. The original sub-frame and mudguard are gone, replaced by an AMP Design frame with a saddle courtesy of Razzle-Dazzle. The tank was lifted from a Guzzi bike and then cut to make it sleeker.

The front fairing and lights have been replaced by a number plate which also makes for the protection of the digital instrumentation, while two cone-shaped black mufflers have appeared at the sides of the rear wheel. Its captivating paint-job has been applied by specialist Crown Stupid (yeah, you read that right). All the companies that contributed to this outstanding machine have also ’signed’ its tail, adding up to the exclusivity of this bike. Excellent job.

via | BikeExif

The Harley-Davidson XLCR 1000 Cafe Racer was conceived in 1977 by Willie G. Davidson, but it did not turn out to be that popular with the public: H-D enthusiast thought it was too sporty, while those into sportsbikes thought it was too… ‘Harley’. The model was equipped with a Ironhead 100o engine made of cast-iron mated to a 4-speed gearbox and delivering 62 hp, which surely wasn’t much in the comparison with the 4-cylinder Japanese bikes of that time.

As it often happens, the bike that once was considered a ugly duckling has now become a much sought-after collectable, and since it was produced for just two years in about 3,000 units, there aren’t many around: a used one might cost more than 15,000 €, while one in mint condition - and all the original bits - could even reach the 30,000€ mark. The unmistakable lines of the original Harley-Davidson XLCR 1000 Cafe Racer struck a chord with many H-D enthusiasts around the world, and this is the reason why French company Jewel Racer has released a kit that can turn a modern XR1200 into a quite loyal rendition (at least aesthetically) of its historic ancestor. Actually, looking closely, it is not difficult to spot quite a few differences between the two bikes, but the feeling and the vintage vibe of the old model are definitely there.

All the parts that make this kit can be bought singularly or as a whole package, at 1,345 €: front fairing and fuel tank cover are priced at 334€ each, saddle plus rear subframe and fairing at 714€ and handlebars at 55€, all of which are finished in black. Not included in the kit are the anodized black Sebring exhaust and the EMC suspension, which would be used for the conversion of the first XR1200, which had a chromed muffler, whereas the XR1200X already comes with a blackened end-can and the more performing Showa shocks. Almost needless to say, the kit is reversible and requires no piercing or modification of any part of the standard motorcycle.

View the full Harley-Davidson XLCR 1000 Cafe Racer by Jewel Racer photo gallery

Tresoldi - a popular Honda dealership near Milan, Italy - has released a couple of interesting limited edition of the Integra, the recent scooter from the Japanese manufacturer: the Army Edition and the Carbon Look.

The Honda Integra Army Edition uses a military green livery, black rims and exhaust as well as a few mild modification that make for a menacing and captivating look. The Honda Integra Carbon Look instead comes with gold painted wheels, Akrapovic end-can, diamond-shaped wing mirrors, sporty number plate holder and a lower windscreen. Check them both out in the videoclip above.

Unlike its bigger sisters - with larger displacement - the Honda CB 400 Four has never been a proper racer: always considered as the heir of 1972′ CB 350 F, this bike was introduced in 1975 to complete a line-up that included the more performing and captivating CB 750 Four (introduced in 1969) and CB 500 Four (introduced in 1971). Then there was the successor of the CB 350 (with no ‘F’), the CB400T, introduced in 1978, and that was by far the less performing bike of the lot. However, its 43 hp engine was also quite reliable, to the point it got used for many other models in the following years: it is not hard to find a perfectly working one around even these days.

A while ago the nice guys from Tampa-based Steel Bent Customs has found a CB400T, and surely they just knew what to do with it: they added the rear section of a CB650 as well as the front section of the CB550, two 4-cylider bikes. Then they did what was required to turn it into a proper cafe racer: they added ‘racing’ handlebars, an in-house built saddle and a typical 70s tail which conceals the electric system and wiring. Last but not least, they gave it a nice 2-into1 exhaust system courtesy of SBC.

The resulting motorcycle is the Honda CB400 cafe racer by Steel Bent Customs that we can admire in these pics, a really nice and sexy bike that boosts a very clean and simple design. This model is just the latest output from Steel Bent Customs, a company that clearly seems to have a taste for Honda’s mid-size bikes of the past. If you want to know more about their creations, check out their official website by clicking here.

View the full Honda CB400 cafe racer by Steel Bent Customs photo gallery

Our buddies from parent site motoblog.it warned us about this pretty interesting concept design created by Italian designer studio Sefsdesign that conceptualizes a cafe racer based on the recent, astonishing Ducati 1199 Panigale. Aptly called 1199 Panigale Racing Cafe Artwork, this interesting concept was apparently created on the wake of Audi’s Ducati buyout. “I was somewhat disappointed with that operation - said the maker of this graphic concept - so I decided to make an artwork picturing a cafe racer on a 1199 chassis.” Click on the image above to see it in high resolution. We love it.

Today’s special bike has been created by German specialist Lars Justinger of Brauchi’s Bikes, and is based on a Kawasaki W650. According to its maker, this bike is neither a ‘cafe racer’ nor a ‘brat’, it is a “JagdBobber”, meaning a bike that uses the style and structure of a cafe racer but with clip-ons and fat, bobber-like wheels. What Mr.Justinger had in mind was to create a bike that looked like a crossbred between a Harley WL and a classic Norton/Triumph model, and to make his vision come true he opted for a Kawasaki W650, which he transformed in the motorcycle we can admire in these pictures.

The rear section has been made out of a Yamaha XS650SE fuel tank, while the actual tank of the ‘JagdBobber’ comes from a XS750. Mr.Justinger wanted its creature to look vintage, to have that sort of ‘used look’ that he thought was the most fitting for his baby, so he went for a rattlecan paint job and a pretty original Red Baron color scheme, which also includes a pair of Maltese crosses on the tail.

Talking about the rear section again, we really liked the LED strip that makes for the bike’s tail light. Nice touch indeed. Red handles, low wing mirrors and the number plate holder placed on the side complete the outstanding look of this masterpiece. To find out more about Mr.Justinger’s work, check out the pretty interesting Brauchi’s Bikes blog.

via | Pipeburn

The motorcycle featured in these pictures is a special bike based on a 2011 Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight 1200, and is the brainchild of Mr.Winston Yeh, the creative mastermind behind Tapei-based studio Rough Crafts. The sophisticated Taiwanese design house is specialized in custom motorcycles, but its work can be appreciated in other fields as well, like furniture, graphics and street art.

However, when it comes to custom bikes, these guys just know how to create proper ‘motorcycle art’, and this awesome Sportster Bomb Runner is yet another shining example of their craftsmanship. The model is supposed to be a ’sequel’ to Rough Crafts’s own ‘Iron Guerrilla’, a successful ‘all-black’ special bike they made in 2010 out of a 2009 H-D Sportster Iron 883. As in its predecessor’s case, the ‘Bomb Runner’ is not a disruption of the design of the bike it is based upon, it is more like a menacing and dark fine-tuning of an already brilliant bike.

The tail has been lifted up a little bit thanks to a couple of longer shock-absorbers, that also make room for its original 2-into-1 exhaust system on the right side. The standard tank, front mudguard, yoke and engine casing have been replaced with beautiful new parts made by Rough Crafts itself, all of which coated in a contrasting, classy matt/shiny black paint job. The rims have been supplied by Roland Sands Design (with the mandatory Black Ops finishing) while brakes come from Performance Machine. More details about this model can be found at the official Rough Crafts website.

View the full The Bomb Runner by Rough Crafts photo gallery

The BMW R100 RS is a nice tourer that the Bavarian manufacturer produced between 1976 and 1984. It was powered by the 70 hp variant of the reliable 980 cc air-cooled boxer engine that was equipping many models of the German maker of that period, and it almost goes without saying that any good customizer could easily turn this tourer in any sort of bike he could think of. Mr. Karles Vives from Fuel Bespoke Motorcycles knows that only too well: the Barcelona-based specialist wanted to make a proper ‘tracker’ out of it, and we think he got that just right as the bike he has come up with is a proper stunner.

This is actually the second time that Mr.Vives put his hands on a BMW R100 RS: the first time he did that he created the Fuel R100 ‘Scram’, a nice scrambler that surely looked the part, but this time around the man really outdid himself with the amazing Fuel R100 “Tracker”: he got rid of all the useless bits to make it as light as possible and added a few elements that are typical of the ‘tracker’ style, and the result is simply astounding. The rear section have been completely re-designed as the frame got shortened and fitted with new parts specifically made for this model by English specialist VonZeti Cafe Racers Seats. The tank was lifted from a BMW R90/6 and modified to make it even slimmer, while large handlebars from Tommaselli and a round-shaped head-light complete the look of the model, which also boasts fretworked plates on the sides.

As for the engine, the original unit did not undergo any revolutionaty change: two K&N filters were added before the 40mm Bing carburettors, while the original exhaust system has been been modified to make it shorter and fitted with two cone-shaped mufflers that look pretty loose, in a good way. The suspension has been refined while the original rims now wear Dunlop K70 Vintage tyres. The electric system is placed in the battery compartment, where a more compact gel accumulator leaves enough room for the whole wiring. A masterpiece in its own right.

via | Fuel Bespoke Motorcycles