Style is subjective, so it is with a touch of trepidation that I compile my Editor’s Selection Prime 10 annually. In any case, my job is to pick the world’s greatest {custom} bikes week after week—so distilling an already discerning catalog to simply 10 machines is a burdensome activity.
It begins with a ‘brief’ listing of about 20-30 bikes, which is slowly whittled right down to a extra manageable measurement. I then eradicate any bikes that made it into our stats-based Prime 10, within the curiosity of equity, and make a ultimate choice.
The bikes that made it onto this yr’s listing present a various vary of kinds and skillsets, however every is unforgettable in its personal manner. And in contrast to our statistics-based Prime 10, this listing is not ranked—bikes are listed alphabetically by the builder’s or workshop’s identify.
Harley Shovelhead by Asterisk Customized Works
What does it take to win the coveted ‘Finest in Present’ award on the prestigious Mooneyes present? It’s a must to pull out all of the stops—like Hideki Hoshikawa at Asterisk Customized Works did with this jaw-dropping 1978 Harley-Davidson Shovelhead.
Hoshikawa-san began with the Shovelhead’s body. The dual down tubes have been hacked off and changed by a sublime single down tube, the steering neck was closely modified, and a inflexible rear triangle was welded in. Leaf spring forks from W&W Cycles went onto the entrance, with a 22” entrance and 19” rear wheel finishing the rolling chassis.
A 74 ci Shovelhead engine from S&S Cycle powers the construct, packed in tightly between the break up gas tanks and complicated exhaust headers. Hideki’s consideration to element borders on obsessive. A home made dashboard connects the tanks, that are completed with stainless-steel ribs and flanked by an ornate hand shifter.
There’s not a hair misplaced. From the deep blue livery to the quite a few brass particulars, Asterisk’s Shovelhead is a masterclass in constructing an award-winning machine. [More]
Buell Blast by Cheetah
Toshiyuki ‘Cheetah’ Osawa is famend for constructing radical flat trackers that break the mould. Who else could be loopy sufficient to construct a flat tracker out of probably the most infamous Buell ever produced—the ill-fated Blast?
Cheetah’s Buell Blast is unrecognizable. Its single-cylinder mill was repackaged in a hand-crafted body, with conventional molding strategies used to include the gas tank and facet strips. The subframe and swingarm have been produced from chromoly tubing, completed off with bronze-brazed welds.
Extra handmade steel components have been handled to a swirled end so as to add distinction, whereas the highest was trimmed with a perforated leather-based seat. Cheetah additionally added WP Suspension components, 19” Solar hoops, and Hosier flat observe tires. The engine was fitted with a wide-open Dell’Orto carb and a {custom} exhaust header with an Ixil muffler.
The Blast’s playful finishes are one other Cheetah hallmark. Black, silver, gold, and purple highlights all harmonize to create a spicy flat tracker that is as enjoyable to take a look at as it’s to journey. [More]
Vespa PX by David Buderus
What do the 1991 Mazda 787B race automobile and the 1982 Vespa PX80 E scooter have in widespread? Completely nothing. However that did not cease David Buderus from customizing the latter with inspiration from the previous.
The most important connection is the Vespa’s orange-and-green argyle livery, pulled straight from the 787B. Nevertheless it solely tells a part of the story. David is a passionate Vespista, so he noticed to an array of different efficiency mods and beauty adjustments.
It took David 4 years to construct his ‘Vespa 787B.’ Look previous the brilliant exterior, and you may spot a Lambretta entrance finish, reduce physique panels, and a 200 cc Vespa Cosa engine that is been bumped to 221 cc with a Malossi equipment. There’s additionally a 35 mm Keihin carb, a Tassinari Vforce 4 reed valve block, and a Vape ignition from SIP Scootershop.
Past the duplicate graphics, the Vespa additionally sports activities a custom-made rear wheel that mimics the 787B’s Volk Racing Tremendous Superb Magazine, with an aero disc up entrance that additionally copies the Mazda’s setup. Loaded with intelligent particulars, David’s Vespa is a tour de drive. [More]
Yamaha XSR900 by HAXCH Moto
The retro sporbike craze reached fever pitch this yr, pioneered by artisans like Marc Bell. Working as HAXCH Moto, the Brit has risen by the ranks along with his penchant for late-80s and early-90s kinds, his abilities in a workshop, and his eye for a vivid livery.
Though Marc’s traditional fare is older bikes, he made waves earlier this yr with this sharp Yamaha XSR900. Nicknaming it the ‘XZR900 Thunderbolt,’ Marc pulled inspiration from a few of the Japanese marque’s best hits.
“There are particulars from the YZF750, TZR250, FZR400, and YZR500 in there,” he instructed us, “however as a complete, it isn’t a reproduction of any of them. I attempted to seize the design language of 90s Yamahas—in order that it looks like a Yamaha, however is an unique design. That’s an excellent tough factor to do.”
The work was intensive, beginning with all-new handmade aluminum bodywork, and ending with a paint scheme that would have been plucked straight from a 90s Yamaha catalog. Completed with an array of upgraded components and color-coded particulars, the XZR900 haunts my goals. [More]
Honda Dax 125 by JZO Crafts and Kunimoto Hidetoshi
When you want proof that Taiwan’s {custom} scene is on the up, look no additional than the annual Pace and Crafts present. Run by Winston Yeh of Tough Crafts fame, it has shortly turn out to be the premium showcase for the nation’s rising stars. It is also the place this groundbreaking {custom} Honda Dax made its debut.
The construct was a collaboration between JZO Crafts and Kunimoto Hidetoshi, the founding father of the mini-moto components firm Nemoto. The concept was to construct a pint-sized road tracker with large engineering ideas.
Huge ticket objects embody air suspension from RacingBros, a CNC-machined swingarm from Over racing, and 12” disc wheels with Brembo brake calipers and Triforce ceramic discs. The Dax’s signature fuselage was retained, however closely modified. A titanium exhaust system now runs by it, alongside a custom-made aluminum gas tank. Each are accessible through the hinged flat track-style seat unit.
Wrapped in gray and blue hues with daring Honda Wing graphics, JZO and Kunimoto’s low-slung Dax nabbed a well-deserved podium end at Pace and Crafts. [More]
Yamaha RD350 by MotoRelic
To name Sean Skinner’s tastes eclectic could be an understatement. He runs MotoRelic as a one-man present out of a small house storage, the place he builds every thing from idiosyncratic contraptions to good-looking restomods.
This tidy 1973 Yamaha RD350 exhibits each facet of Sean’s character. It got here to him from a shopper as a rusted basket case, however all Sean wanted was the body and engine. Whereas the two-stroke specialist Ed Toomey was busy rebuilding the motor, Sean set the body up on his workbench and received busy.
On went Suzuki GSX-R750 forks, Cognito Moto yokes, and 19” wheels with Cognito hubs and Excel rims. The rear finish was upgraded with a Trac Dynamics swingarm and HyperPro shocks.
For the bodywork, Sean matched a narrowed Honda Ascot gas tank to a custom-made headlight nacelle and tailpiece, together with a thin oil tank that doubles as an internal rear fender. Full with contemporary wiring, a Jim Lomas exhaust system, and a hanging blue paint job, this RD350 is one in all MotoRelic’s greatest builds but. [More]
Royal Enfield Tremendous Meteor 650 by Function Constructed Moto
Based mostly on the Gold Coast, Australia, Function Constructed Moto is among the busiest {custom} workshops round. So it is a miracle that they discover time to create ground-up customs like this no-holds-barred Royal Enfield bobber.
Based mostly on the Royal Enfield Tremendous Meteor 650, PBM’s Nineteen Forties-inspired machine gives numerous parts to admire from each angle. It rolls on 23F/19R clincher rims, with a one-off girder fork on the entrance and a {custom} mono-shock setup out again. With a Nitron shock positioned completely in line, the silhouette is near that of a hardtail.
The fork is connected to bespoke yokes, with direct-mount handlebars up prime. The bars put on minimal controls; gear adjustments occur through a jockey shifter with an built-in clutch lever. PBM even added a kink to the shifter shaft, in order that they might tuck it in nearer to the engine.
The Tremendous Meteor was dressed with elegant, handmade aluminum bodywork, with well-judged black, polished, and leather-based particulars to complete it off. PBM did not intend for it to be a mere present bike both—as soon as it was buttoned up, store boss Tom Gilroy took it out for a customary take a look at journey. [More]
Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 by STG Tracker
Marcelo Obarrio and Germán Karp at STG Tracker additionally delivered a Royal Enfield bobber this yr, however theirs had a really totally different vibe. The donor bike was an Interceptor 650 (known as the INT650 within the States), and the purpose was to construct a zesty bobber with as a lot {custom} stuff on it as potential.
STG began by rebuilding 80 % of the body, propping the rear up on shorter shocks, and including cutouts to the OEM swingarm. In addition they fabricated a teardrop gas tank, with a second reservoir below the seat internet hosting the inventory gas pump. The stainless-steel handlebars, fiberglass facet covers, and ribbed rear fender have been all produced in-house.
Different modifications embody a pair of aluminum oil radiators that connect to the body’s down tubes, BMB pod filters, and a twin exhaust system. STG kitted the cockpit with ODI x Cult Vans grips, {custom} switchblocks, and a Motogadget speedo.
Subtlety went out the window when it got here time for Marcelo and Germán to select a livery. They tasked their painter, Alejandro Minissale, with overlaying all the bodywork and the body in a vivid gradient impressed by the Californian sundown. [More]
BMW R100GS by WalzWerk
Marcus Walz’s firm, WalzWerk, is extra of a boutique producer than a {custom} bike workshop. Their Schizzo collection of basic BMW boxer café racers has confirmed widespread, so this yr, they determined to use the identical philosophy to the venerable BMW R100GS.
WalzWerk calls this new mannequin the X-Plorer, and, like all of their BMW builds, it is as delicate as it’s well-equipped. The subframe is extra compact than the inventory bike’s, the seat is a two-piece association that may accommodate a baggage rack, and the fenders are Acerbis objects manufactured particularly for WalzWerk.
The R100GS retains its 26-liter gas tank and beneficiant entrance fairing, however nearly every thing else on it’s proprietary. The suspension makes use of tailored Touratech elements, the rear wheel is wider than inventory, and the entrance wheel has gained an additional brake disc. Behind the fairing sits a {custom} sprint, full with a Daytona speedo and a Quad Lock cellphone mount.
Beneath the hood, the X-Plorer options an extensively rebuilt engine that now produces 70 hp. Completed in conventional BMW colours and out there to order with myriad choices, the WalzWerk X-Plorer is excessive on my want listing. [More]
Ducati Scrambler 1100 by Wedge Bike
Overpriced, underpowered, and poorly named, the Ducati Scrambler 1100 wasn’t remotely as widespread as its smaller stablemate, the Scrambler 800. So it is little surprise that Ducati dropped it from their line-up earlier this yr.
It is an actual pity, although. Regardless of its shortcomings, the Scrambler 1100 remains to be a handsome bike with a trellis body, a Monster 1100-derived engine, and ending equipment from Öhlins and Brembo (in the event you get it in ‘Sport Professional’ trim).
This practice Ducati Scrambler 1100 from Wedge Bike gives a glimpse at what might have been. Enamored with its body, Wedge founder Takashi Nihira got down to make it the centerpiece of his design. He designed a brand new gas tank and a pair of facet covers that, when mixed, make it seem as if the tank is squeezed into the trellis body. A café racer-style tail bump adorns the rear, perched atop a modified subframe with an asymmetrical structure that makes room for the Ducati’s offset rear shock.
Lush teal paint provides to the Ducati’s stylish aesthetic, whereas carbon fiber wheels from Rotobox and a low-slung cockpit recommend sporty intentions. Captured in vivid element by one in all 2025’s prime photographers, Hiromitsu Yasui, Wedge’s café racer is the perfect use of a Ducati Scrambler 1100 but. [More]
Honorable Mentions
There are all the time top-shelf builds that miss the reduce by a hair’s breadth. This yr’s runners-up are Ģirts Ozoliņš’s KTM RC8 streetfighter [above], Philip Ludwig’s kinetic BMW R 1300 R, Tough Crafts’ Ducati Monster [below], and Change Stance Driving’s Ducati 900 MHR restomod.
Surprisingly, just one bike landed on each our major Prime 10 and this listing: Regular Storage’s chart-topping Honda Dax 125.
A private phrase of thanks goes out to everybody who retains the wheels rolling at Bike EXIF: {custom} builders, photographers, our employees, and also you, our devoted readers. Pleased New 12 months, and see you once more in a couple of days.
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