The Best Custom Motorcycles In The World, 2/5/15

Your weekly CliffsNotes on the best custom bikes in the known universe...

Yamaha XJ650, aka McQueen's Toy
The fact that this is a home built bike from the Czech Republic is pretty cool, as is the fact that the guys who built it enjoyed doing it so much that they started their own shop. Still, that's not as cool as the fact that it's one big tribute to Steve McQueen. Aside from just looking like something he would've ridden, it's actually painted in Highland Green, not unlike a certain Mustang used in a certain classic movie.

Vibrazioni Art Design's Honda CB750
Virtually everything the VAD guys do centers on old oil drums. In the case of this CB750, that means fabricating almost every piece of body work from barrels bearing names like Penzoil and Valvoline. It almost looks like sponsorship on the side of a race bike, and really, it comes across as the ultimate in two wheeled objets d'art.

Harley 883 American Scrambler
You don't see a lot of Harleys turned into scramblers, which is why this one stands out. Basically, it's a regular Harley 883 that's been infused with a fair amount of Suzuki spirit (note the forks in front) and a ton of fabrication work to get everything from the seat to the exhaust looking less highway-ish.

Emporio Elaborazioni Meccaniche's Guzzi "Soprasso"
The gorgeous bit of machinery you see here started out as one of the largest and bulkiest bikes Moto Guzzi has ever made, but in the hands of some devout Italians, it's become a much more svelte and classically beautiful ride. Some of the parts are about as old-school as you cant get, like the seat, which was actually found in an open marketplace, that just happens to be from a much, much older Guzzi.

Cleveland Cycleworks' Funnycar Homage
The super-short version is that this bike was used to launch the Cleveland Cycleworks brand in Southeast Asia. The longer and cooler version is that it's about as crazy a bike as you're likely to see. Obviously, there's the moveable bodywork that raises up like a drag racing funnycar, but take an even closer look at all the custom work, and you'll see no end to the attention detail.

H/T: BikeEXIF


Aaron Miller is the Rides editor for Supercompressor, and can be found on Twitter. He's glad he avoided any jokes about someone riding McQueen's Toy. Well, until now.