Custom motorcycle buildersCustom motorcycle builders

The most unique bikes on earth

Beautiful, isn't it, what some custom motorcycle builders are capable of. You see the most unique creations online and in magazines, built by these artsy motorcycle enthusiasts. Just for you, we 'traveled' around the world to list some of these amazing bikes. Enjoy!

The Velocette of Hazan Motorworks

Unprecedentedly beautiful, this Velocette. The graceful construction has a clear signature and the connoisseur knows immediately that this elegant custom comes from none other than Max Hazan. The 40-year-old American has again delivered a gem with this Velocette, where he once again used a classic engine as power source. You can recognize a Hazan Motorworks engine from that, too, because he places great importance on the heart of the custom. With this project, the Los Angeles-based builder was able to go all out, as the prospective owner left him completely free in the choices to be made. On eBay, he managed to score a Velocette MAC block, but immediately saw the potential to pair it up. And so Hazan searched for a second one, which he finally managed to find in the UK. The result of the beating heart in this bike is stunning. It didn't stop there, however, as the techie obviously went a step further in many other areas, such as the front fork, the thin chrome-molybdenum tubular frame, the V-brake and the narrow tank that also has room for an oil reservoir. Without a doubt, this bike and builder belongs in this list.      

Photos: Shaik Ridzwan

Hazan MotorworksHazan Motorworks
Hazan MotorworksHazan Motorworks
Hazan MotorworksHazan Motorworks
Hazan MotorworksHazan Motorworks
Workshorse SpeedshopWorkshorse Speedshop

The Indian Appaloosa of Workshorse Speedshop

Near Brussels you will find the workshop of Brice Hennebert. This affable Belgian has been fond of motorcycles for years, and although he has not been rebuilding motorcycles for an extremely long time, he has already managed to make a name for himself in the world of custom builders. He owes that in part to this particular 2019 project, in which he converted a standard Indian Scout Bobber into a sprinter. In honor of the legendary motorcycle model's centennial, he got to tinker heavily to transform the Scout into a powerful weapon for the Sultan of Sprint competition. In total, Brice worked over 700 (!) hours on the Appaloosa before he was satisfied and could pull the curtain off the bike. In addition to the fantastic bodywork, you will of course discover lots of racy parts on this Indian. Grippy Beringer 4D brakes, a unique Akrapovic exhaust system and excellent suspension from Swedish Öhlins. And oh yeah, the Belgian also mounted NOS (nitrous oxide system) on the Appaloosa. For a little extra spice, shall we say.

Photos: Indian Motorcycle

Workshorse SpeedshopWorkshorse Speedshop
Workshorse SpeedshopWorkshorse Speedshop
Workshorse SpeedshopWorkshorse Speedshop

The Midas Royal of Rough Crafts

For a long time there was doubt, are we going to show the deviant Indigo Flyer (look it up...) or show a build that shows much more the actual style of Rough Crafts? It became the latter and so here you see the Midas Royal. By the way, the man behind the Rough Crafts company is the Taiwanese Winston Yeh, a builder who has won some important custom-built awards in the past with his creations. So he appears to be a very knowledgeable person and who also, despite his young age, brings the necessary baggage with him. For example, he previously completed an internship with perhaps the most famous custom builder, Roland Sands. Anyway, more important is the fact that he is thus the creator of this wonderful machine. Having already worked with several brands (such as Yamaha and MV Agusta), this time he joined forces with Royal Enfield. Thus, it is also not illogical to see the 650 cc parallel twin of the Continental GT (and Interceptor) as its beating heart. Winston finally combined the classic look of the powerplant with a sleek carbon-fiber fairing, referring to a classic endurance racer. On the color scheme, the Asian builder did not have to think long. The bike was executed with the typical Rough Crafts look. After all, black is Winston Yeh's magic word.

Photos: Alex Olgiati

Rough CraftsRough Crafts
Rough CraftsRough Crafts
Rough CraftsRough Crafts
Rough CraftsRough Crafts
WrenchmonkeesWrenchmonkees

The REVmonkee of Wrenchmonkees

Denmark is not exactly known as a real motorcycle country, but Wrenchmonkees doesn't care about that. They regularly sling a cool custom into the world from the Scandinavian country. Their most brutal creation has to be the REVmonkee, which they unveiled in 2017. In collaboration with Dutch motorcycle clothing brand REV'IT! they built a special nineties superbike, based on... the Kawasaki H2 with supercharger! For months, Per Nielsen and Nicholas Bech, the two main pioneers within Wrenchmonkees, worked on the H2 base and thus created a custom that fit the client's philosophy perfectly. The rugged styling was thus combined with high-tech components. Besides the beautiful engine with its various electronic gadgets, they screwed a lot of high-quality products onto the REVmonkee. Check, for example, the lightweight Dymag CH3 magnesium wheels, refined Hyperpro suspension, strong Beringer brakes and exclusive Dunlop tires. Not surprisingly, this monster is incredibly fast. Indeed, without any effort, the REVmonkee won the 2017 sprint race competition at Glemseck 101, a major custom event in Germany.

Photos: Mark Meisner

WrenchmonkeesWrenchmonkees
WrenchmonkeesWrenchmonkees
WrenchmonkeesWrenchmonkees

The Dominator of Ironwood Custom Motorcycles

Of course, we would also like to add a Dutch touch to this article and we do so through Arjan van den Boom's company called Ironwood Custom Motorcycles. The custom builder from Almere has the necessary popularity on Instagram and naturally shares his cool creations on this online platform. So in 2020, he did the same with The Dominator. Commissioned by BMW Motorrad Netherlands and TW Steel, he went to work on, what else, a BMW R1250GS. This popular allroad was given a serious makeover by Arjan and his team. After months of working on this project, a very futuristic design finally emerged. Refreshing to see a GS from a different angle. This custom shines with many details; such as the carbon wheels, open air filters and a tank that incorporates a watch.

Photos: BMW Motorrad Netherlands

Ironwood Custom MotorcyclesIronwood Custom Motorcycles
Ironwood Custom MotorcyclesIronwood Custom Motorcycles
Ironwood Custom MotorcyclesIronwood Custom Motorcycles
Ironwood Custom MotorcyclesIronwood Custom Motorcycles
Roland Sands DesignRoland Sands Design

The KRV5 Tracker of Roland Sands Design

Someone who should definitely be on the list is Roland Sands. This American has built an impressive empire in the custom world. Not only is he pushing the envelope in customizing motorcycles, but he is even developing his own lines. For example, you can buy accessories and (motorcycle) clothing from RSD. By the way, it was not so easy to choose which custom build we wanted to show here. For a long time we set our eyes on the BMW Concept 90, but in the end we chose the KRV5 Tracker. There are two reasons for this: the extreme design AND the collaboration with the Kenny Roberts' MotoGP project. Although we have to go back quite a few years, 2006 that is, this is still a gem of a design. The Tracker is pretty special and that's not just because Roland Sands built this bike. No, it's mainly in the engine used. Namely, you can see a V5 between the frame tubes, which comes straight from MotoGP. This 200 hp engine became the beating heart of this custom project. Then to finally build this Tracker from it shows balls. Especially when you consider that Sands also did not mount a front brake, as befits a true flattracker. Pure class!

Photos: Roland Sands Design

Roland Sands DesignRoland Sands Design
Roland Sands DesignRoland Sands Design
Roland Sands DesignRoland Sands Design