The Motor Co. releases their shiniest particular version but—the Harley-Davidson Fats Boy Grey Ghost—whereas a well-established Japanese workshop turns a Honda CB750 Customized into a pointy Racer espresso. Our weekly dose of bike goodness additionally includes a uncommon Voxan Café Racer prototype and a captivating customized Triumph Bonneville T100.
2025 Harley-Davidson Fats Boy Grey Ghost 35 years on from its launch, Harley-Davidson is including a particular Fats Boy to their Icons Bike Assortment. That is the restricted version 2025 Harley-Davidson Fats Boy Grey Ghost (spoiler alert: it’s actually shiny).
Harley didn’t anticipate to maintain making the Fats Boy previous its first iteration in 1990. Nevertheless it’s proved so in style, that it’s been by means of three engine generations, and lives on right this moment within the present Harley Softail lineup.
It’s been so profitable that this shiny gherkin isn’t all that completely different from the Fats Boy Arnold Schwarzenegger rode to fame in Terminator 2. The (largely) strong wheels, twin shotgun exhaust and stepped leather-based seat all stay. Even the yellow particulars on the rocker covers, engine covers and tank console insert pay homage to Willie G’s unique design.
Harley has upgraded the Grey Ghost over the usual mannequin with a solid-mounted Milwaukee-Eight 117 Customized powertrain, newly tuned suspension and selectable trip modes. However extra importantly, this lacquered lance is dripping with chrome.
Utilizing a course of that H-D calls ‘bodily vapor deposition’ (a elaborate title for powder coating), the bodywork and a lot of the surfaces on the Grey Ghost characteristic a mirror end that fares higher over time than conventional chrome plating.
The solar reflecting instantly into your eyes whenever you’re using could be barely problematic, however a minimum of you’ll look cool. Jokes apart, despite the fact that a totally chromed manufacturing unit motorbike is one thing solely Harley can be inclined to make, the end is definitely rising on us. Take this bike anyplace at dawn or sundown, and it’ll look unimaginable. (Supply)
Honda CB750 by A Beard Customized Cycles It could be laborious to inform, however this glossy café racer began life as a 1981 Honda CB750 Customized—Honda’s try at including 80s American cruiser styling to the formidable CB750. Its new lease on life is because of Fumihoko Ueda and his legendary workshop, A Beard Customized Cycles, which has constructed a few of Japan’s greatest customs from their base in Hatsukaichi Metropolis since 1996.
Ueda-san began by stripping the manufacturing unit bodywork away, leaving a naked body. The manufacturing unit 19F/16R rear Comstar wheels stay—as do the air-assisted entrance forks, which have been rebuilt. Fats vintage-style treads elevate the rear just a little, whereas clip-on bars decrease the using place.
The gasoline tank is from a Kawasaki ZRX400, but it surely has been chopped and adjusted a lot that it seems like a bespoke piece. The seat, facet covers, and rear cowl are all scratch-made. The entire bundle creates an aggressive silhouette that ties in with the sharp design of the DOHC engine.
The entrance fairing is from GOODS, but it surely has additionally been modified to swimsuit the bike’s proportions and handled to a customized dashboard. There’s contemporary lighting throughout, with a pair of stacked LED taillights peeking out from the rear cowl and tiny flip indicators that solely eagle-eyed readers will spot.
The rebuilt engine wears polished instances, contrasting in opposition to the darkish blue and black paint job. A black ceramic-coated quad exhaust snakes its approach below the bike, with the mufflers stacked on high of one another to extend cornering clearance. A brace of FCR 37 mm carbs (with pod filters) provides a bit of additional juice and elegance.
The bike was unveiled to an adoring crowd at this 12 months’s JOINTS Customized Bike Present in Port Messe, Nagoya. It’s straightforward to see why it was such successful. (Supply)
1997 Voxan Café Racer Prototype In the event you bear in mind the Suzuki TL1000S and have at all times needed a better-looking, French model, we’ve received a deal with for you. This can be a 1997-model Voxan Café Racer—a 996 cc sportbike produced by the French producer between 2000 and 2009.
The place the Suzuki TL was (like most Suzukis) cobbled collectively like a components bin particular, the Voxan Café Racer was fully made by hand. This explicit instance is particularly uncommon. Not solely does it solely present one kilometer on the clock, however its VIN reads ‘001.’ That’s as a result of it’s the full-sized, absolutely functioning prototype that was launched on the Paris Bike Present just a few years earlier than the bike formally went to market.
The beautiful body was constructed by Charles Laurent, and the engine was provided by Sodemo Moteurs, a French engine-maker and tuner. The liquid-cooled, 72-degree V-twin pumped out a wholesome 100 hp, which was the restrict dictated by French regulation on the time.
This DOHC prototype reportedly incorporates titanium valves, a billet crank, cast pistons, Pankl rods, and a quad fuel-injection system (which the manufacturing unit mannequin by no means received). In addition to the artfully made body and swingarm, the bike is provided with a protracted checklist of components from top-tier producers like Marchesini and Beringer.
The French design group was undoubtedly onto one thing with the Voxan Café Racer. It seems nice for a 28-year-old motorbike, particularly on this burnt orange colour scheme.
The bike is being bought by means of Iconic Bike Auctionsso for those who’re available in the market for a hand-built piece of French motorcycling historical past, now’s your time. And sure, it comes with a floppy disc to tune the ECU (which is peak 90s).
Triumph Bonneville T100 by FCR Authentic The French workshop FCR Authentic has simply unveiled their newest undertaking—a shocking customized Triumph Bonneville T100, designed in collaboration with Brett Eyewear. The bike’s been constructed as a advertising and marketing device for the retro motorsports-inspired eyewear model, however we’d simply as quickly choose it for weekend jaunts alongside the coast.
The T100’s body has been nickel-plated, giving it a distinctly old-school desert racer vibe. A Bates-style headlight with a yellow lens shines by means of a headlight grill, which sits in entrance of a Motogadget speedometer.
The tank is painted a stunning shade of blue that was developed within the FCR colour lab, with brushed knee dents and painted by hand Brett logos. The high-mount chrome steel exhaust and mufflers are customized, whereas the engine covers have been engraved with a sample impressed by designs discovered on Brett eyewear. A customized leather-based seat with an embroidered emblem sits upon a modified subframe.
Customized-built Shock Manufacturing unit 2win shocks are bolted onto the again, with Continental TKC80 tires spooned onto the laced wheels. The wheels are powder-coated mild gold—a delicate modification that makes a big effect. The engine’s merely been upgraded with Okay&N filters and new mapping.
Cross-braced handlebars sport new grips, Motogadget switches, and new mirrors. The entrance and rear fenders are customized, each rolled from aluminum. A skid plate, customized radiator grill, and painted by hand ‘007’ quantity plates tie the whole lot collectively.
It’s not the primary time FCR has collaborated with Brett Eyewear, and it hopefully received’t be the final. (FCR Authentic | Brett Eyewear)
