December custom roundup: Scrambler, chopper... puppy?

Kickstarting this final edition of the custom roundup for 2023 is a tastefully modified Bonneville from Bolt Motor Co. in Spain. After that, you'll find a utilitarian Knucklehead chopper by MB Cycles in Germany. And to wrap things up we have a burly little Dax from the K-Speed crew in Thailand.

BOLT Motor Co. 1972 Bonneville T140

The donor for this project was by no means in great condition, but it held a special place in its owner's heart. The 1972 Bonneville T140 belonged to his grandfather and he wanted it running again in his honor. So, he entrusted the task to the Spanish workshop Bolt Motor Co. (Instagram).

The T140 arrived at Bolt HQ in Valencia in a pair of old orange transportation boxes. For this project, the client requested that the result still have a classic look and feel. But rather than simply restoring the bike, he gave Adrián Campos and the Bolt team enough creative freedom to produce something unique.

The project began with the painstaking task of sourcing all the missing components and everything required to create the look the client was after. Once they had everything, the bike was mocked up for a sign-off. With the client content, the bike was torn down again so the real work could begin.

During the rebuild, the Bolt team rejuvenated the Bonneville's entire front end by rebuilding the wheel, brakes, and fork. And antiquated parts like the headlight, handlebar, mirrors, grips, and tires have been swapped out with modern aftermarket components. At the center of the bike sits the original fuel tank, but it now wears new emblems and has been finished with a fresh lick of paint. Both fenders are aftermarket stainless steel replacements and the turn signals and brake light are vintage-look aftermarket components.

Sitting beneath the tank is the T140's extensively restored 51-year-old engine. The comprehensive rebuild required many hard-to-get parts, which Bolt sourced during the project. There's also a refurbished electrical system and rebuilt brakes to ensure the finished bike will be reliable for years to come. In keeping with this project's desert sled styling, Bolt put together a high-mount exhaust. The new system uses a set of two-into-one headers with a heat shield to prevent leg burns. A Supertrapp muffler hanging on a custom-made bracket completes the look.

The Triumph's seat is an original part, as well, although it has been reupholstered by Tapizados Llop. To complete the new look, a set of race-style side covers has been added and white-and-orange paintwork applied, which is a hat tip to the boxes the bike arrived in.

Despite a portfolio of extensive custom builds, Bolt has shown impressive restraint with this T140. Timeless, clean, and cool as McQueen, this is a motorcycle any two-wheel enthusiast would happily call their own.

MB Cycles Knucklehead chopper

It sounds ridiculous saying it, but this may very well be the most practical chopper I've ever seen. In most cases, show-quality choppers like this lack a lot of the components that make motorcycles pleasant to ride daily, like front brakes. But with this project, MB Cycles (Instagram) in Heidelberg, Germany has bucked that trend to create a chopper that surpasses expectations.

MB Cycles frontman Martin Becker is a multi-award-winning custom builder with a mechanical engineering background. Martin's clients don't come to him looking for repairs or servicing. Instead, he offers one-of-a-kind custom-built motorcycles, and his clients can be found throughout Europe and the United States. This particular project was completed for a regular customer who already has seven MB Cycles builds parked in his garage and clearly knows quality when he sees it.

This project didn't start with a donor motorcycle. Instead, Martin built this chopper using special parts he sourced and a handful of handmade components. To start things off, he purchased an unused 2008 West Coast Choppers CFL 4UP frame, which came complete with a matching oil tank and title. He then strengthened the neck of the frame by adding a cobweb gusset and fitted it with a modified Sportster fork sitting in Pro One Narrow Glide triple trees. The 18/21-inch wheels are made up of TTS rims laced to custom hubs using stainless spokes and they're wrapped in purposeful Avon Cobra Chrome rubber.

Taking pride of place within the frame is a 93-cubic-inch S&S Knucklehead that's hooked up to a Baker six-speed transmission. On the right side of the engine, Martin has installed his own custom-made two-into-one exhaust. On the left, you'll find a Performance Machine open primary and a discrete oil cooler to keep engine temperatures in check. For effortless shifts, Martin's also added a hydraulic clutch.

The rest of the bike's aesthetic components include a high-mount Famous Fabricator Reaper Frisco fuel tank and a custom-made rear fender. The mid controls, grips, and seat pan are all by Fork Co. Ltd. while the front end grill comes courtesy of Checkmate. To house the battery, Martin built a box that fits under the transmission using the same cobweb motif he added to the frame. The Snake handlebar is an MB Cycles specialty and wears concealed switches, knurled grips, Beringer levers and fluid reservoirs, and an internal throttle. Beneath the bar, you'll also spy a tiny Motogadget Motoscope Mini digital gauge, which looks right at home on this neo-retro chopper.

The practical aspect of this build is a combination of the brand-new engine, the suspension, and a very unique brake system. To complement the Sporty fork, Martin added a Hyper Pro Fork Stabilizer which keeps any front-end wobbles at bay. As for the brakes, he's retrofitted premium Beringer calipers and discs from, of all places, an airplane. This, Martin admits, was the most challenging part of the build, but it has resulted in a great handling machine.

I'm sure some will be quick to point out that the lack of rear suspension on this bike negates any practicality. While I agree there are many motorcycles I'd choose to ride across a country before this one, if I had to do it on a chopper, this beauty would be my first pick.

K-Speed "Puppy Racer" Honda Dax

Thailand's venerable K-Speed workshop (Instagram) has a talent for transforming something stock into something special. Under the direction of company founder Tanadit Sarawek, aka Eak, the K-Speed team has developed a style that borrows heavily from café racer trends and they apply it to all manner of modern motorcycles. This blacked-out little beast is the perfect example of such an approach.

For Eak's latest project, he wanted to demonstrate what a customer could achieve using parts from K-Speed's Diablo range. The donor for the project was Honda's reincarnation of everybody's favorite pit bike, the Dax. Now sporting a modern 125 cc powerplant, 31 mm fork, and chunky 12-inch tires, the new Dax effortlessly outperforms the original. Despite the modern running gear, Honda has managed to keep its look as true to the original design as possible. The Dax has always been known as a fun motorcycle, but Eak wanted to give this one a bit more attitude.

Starting with a 2023 Honda Dax 125, K-Speed has used Diablo parts to lower both the front and rear suspension. They've also installed a café racer-style clip-on handlebar and dropped in a new headlight. Discreet LED turn signals replace the rather oversized stock units and the original speedometer has been relocated to the side of the frame using a ready-made bracket. To keep things looking low and lean, the new handlebar wears Diablo grips, tiny switch blocks, and bar-end mirrors.

To finish this bike's more aggressive riding stance, K-Speed has installed a set of rearset footpegs. Wheel discs help to visually fatten the tiny bike up a bit while the removal of the rear fender and fitment of a new tail light help to further tighten its already pocket-sized proportions.

Unfortunately not everything on this custom Dax can be replicated using parts straight out of K-Speed's online catalog. To do that, you'll also need to grab yourself a set of IRC SCT-005R tires and get an upholsterer to recover the original seat pan to match. K-Speed also lengthened the Dax's footprint slightly by extending the swingarm, which would require the work of a welder unless you're a dab hand at that kind of thing.

The exhaust seen here isn't one you can buy from K-Speed's range of Dax parts, but they do offer a few alternatives. And who can ignore the bike's sinister paint scheme? Covered almost entirely in satin black from head to toe, this little Dax looks about as mean as a bad-tempered chihuahua, but that doesn't make me want it any less.