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olivereliott · 7 years ago

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Custom Bikes Of The Week: 10 December, 2017

Got wood? Yamaha’s latest Yard Built custom has plenty of it, and looks amazing. We’ve also got a super-tough Honda CBX1000 streetfighter, a Mobylette cafe racer (yes, really) and a Harley-Davidson Softail Springer with a salt flat drag bike vibe. Enjoy.

Honda CBX1000 by Tony’s Toy Custom Motorcycles The man behind TTCM is the former Italian and international race champion Tony Calasso. Not surprisingly, there’s a definite performance focus to the builds that rollout of the Milan shop.

But when a 1982-spec Pro-Link CBX1000 found its way onto Tony’s bench, he laid off the engine work. That stonking-six Honda mill was never lacking for power, so Tony turned his attention to making the rest of the bike live up to its potential. This CBX now rides on the front-end from a late-model Benelli, complete with twin radial-mount Brembos. And out back, the swingarm has been swapped out for a modern unit, too. (To my eyes it looks like one from a 2012 Honda CBR1000RR, but don’t quote me on that.)

The tank and frame may be original units, but the seat and tail are all-new and snag some serious style points. If it were headed to my garage, I’d probably spec out a symmetrical approach to the exhaust, but it’s not. And I’m in no position to argue with a champion racer. [More]

Yamaha XSR700 Yard Built by George Woodman We’re seeing more builders using wood these days. And when it’s applied tastefully, it can soften a rugged look in just the right way. George Woodman is one of the pioneers of this trend, and his new Yard Built XSR700 has us pining for more.

Dad jokes aside, the Biarritz-based Frenchman has truly elevated his game on this latest build. Combining elements from Yamaha’s musical and motorized arms, the wooden elements on ‘Hanko’ are inspired by the Revstar range of electric guitars. The entire rear end has been carved from a solid block, and Macassar Ebony has been shaped to form the front fairing, radiator and chain covers.

To change things up a bit, Woodman turned to DuPont’s Corian material—most commonly found on kitchen benchtops—to form the tank cover, fender and belly-pan.

This XSR’s tweaks are more than just an aesthetic sprucing up though. Öhlins suspenders now reside both front and rear, and super sticky Pirelli tires have been spooned on. The airbox is long gone, replaced with a set of K&Ns, and the exhaust is a free-flowing Ixrace Z8 underbelly unit. [More]

Mobylette by XTR Pepo If you grew up in France in the seventies this latest XTR Pepo project will undoubtedly strike a chord. It pays homage to les factuers—the French postal workers who made their deliveries riding yellow Mobylette mopeds. Called ‘PTT,’ this is Pepo’s ‘GP’ version.

To match the endurance racer looks that Rossell is famed for, the Mobylette SP90 motor has been boosted to five times its original oomph. A 70cc overbore kit was fitted, along with a balanced and lightened crankshaft. Then expert hands tuned the Amal carb to crank out ten horses at every crack of the Domino quick-throttle. Of course, with such a high-speed machine, a racer’s tuck is a must. So Pepo swapped the bars for clip-ons, and a bikini fairing was bolted up.

Some of the parts are poached from other mopeds: a Motobécane Cady supplied the forks, wheels and swingarm. But the tank is an SP90 original, lightly customised. This little Mobylette is not going to give your Panigale a run for its money, but it’s probably just as much fun. [More]

Benelli BN600R by White Collar Bikes Indonesia’s White Collar Bikes have dazzled us in the past with their electrifying craftsmanship and attention to detail. Ram Ram Januar and his tiny crew in Bandung have now turned their attention to a 2014 Benelli 600, and the results are exemplary.

With the engine and frame left virtually untouched, Ram focused his attentions to crafting one of the smoothest monocoques we’ve ever seen. He took his time, refining the design via a clay model over the course of a month, and then hand-forming the aluminum. Another two months of manipulating the malleable metal would take place before it was finally welded and fitted on the Benelli. With no paint to hide any mistakes, the raw finish was a ballsy choice—but it’s paid off.

To match the Benelli’s new bodywork, Ram also stripped the paint off just about everything else. The swingarm is now cleaner than a surgeon’s scalpel, and the once red Brembo binders are now bare metal too. To finish the transformation, Ram fitted a custom set of slash-cut WCB cans that expertly mirror the rear cowl profile. [More]

Harley-Davidson Softail Springer by EMD Workers EMD Workers is a new name for us, but it looks like we’ll be hearing more about the workshop from Hossegor, France. Co-founders Baptiste and Edouard have taken a brief break from their parts manufacturing business to build this sleek aluminum-clad Softail—part café racer and part salt flat racer.

It’s a showcase for EMD’s fabrication skills, and les gars have those skills by the bucket load. There’s a complete new frame, for starters, with a GSX-R swingarm grafted on and hooked up to the stock Softail rear suspension links. The forks are a modified set from a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7R, with a new 6-piston caliper and Triumph disc.

The 1340 engine has been upgraded to match, with an S&S carb, a Revtek hot cam, a punchy new ignition system and a snaking custom exhaust. Power hits the back wheel via a three-inch drag-style open belt primary from Ultima.

The fairing of ‘Expresso’ was crafted over hours spent at the English wheel, but the tank and seat unit are fashioned from steel. And the result is fabulous. It’s one of those bikes that looks fast even when standing still—even though it’s probably capable of reducing the Metzeler Marathon rubber to a hot, molten mess. [More]

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nikfix · 7 years ago

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Rocking With The Dawn’s Francis Reyes and Rommel “Sancho” Sanchez

I've seen and heard many Filipino bands, but no other band (in my opinion at least) in the country stood as strong as The Dawn. This band celebrates 32 years of making and playing music. I had the pleasure of watching them perform live at the Philippine Digital Convention 2017, where I handled tech booth duties. I am honored to feature the band’s guitar players, Francis Reyes and Rommel "Sancho" Sanchez.

How did the band evolve ever since you guys got in the band and did your musical influences change along the way?

Francis: I think every guitar player who has been with the band—from Teddy Diaz to Atsushi Matsuura to myself to Kenneth Ilagan to Sancho, and some of the duo guitar times— changes the sound of the band, but it always manages to sound like the band. When I first joined in ‘89, I was heavily into Living Colour and injected a bit of that. Living Colour has hard rock and funk in equal footing, plus jazz, prog, pop, and every other element that can inject into their music, and The Dawn has always been like that as well. I mean, listen to the first The Dawn album and there’s a lot of things going on, even if the image and overall tone was supposedly “new wave.” I got into other things when the band went on hiatus and when we reconvened in late-99, I was into Drum ’n Bass and Trip-Hop in general— and JB was into house music— and injected a wee bit of that.

Sancho: I guess it was natural for me, growing up in Olongapo City where there were a lot of good bands, and I would see them play live during the then annual Mardi Gras festivities. My father also had a collection of vinyl LPs and then cassettes so inherited it assimilated his love for music.

Francis: Sancho and I still haven’t really explored what we can do together, but the possibilities manifest whenever we jam or rehearse. Exciting times!

I try to keep an open ear with what’s current in music and if I like whatever it is, it does influence me to an extent and I bring it back to the band. The Dawn is like a lab and playground for me… well for all of us really.

The other stuff may inspire or motivate you sometimes, but the spark, that desire to express something should only come from you.

What got you guys into music? And into guitar playing in particular?

Francis: Queen was the first band that I absolutely fanboyed over; still do actually. However, Brian May didn’t inspire me to pick up the guitar. His stuff was beyond guitar—I mean he simulated horn sections and string sections with that Red Special of his— and therefore way beyond my teenage aspirations. Then I heard Ritchie Blackmore’s wild reckless intro to “Speed King,” and THAT got me hooked.

It’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve attempted to learn some Brian May licks. His tone has always been a reference point though, and The Edge too.

Sancho: As part of an extra-curricular activity in grade school, I joined the rondalla and a chose the guitar as my instrument, having seen my father play kundiman on the guitar. It was love at first strum.

Let's talk guitars. What do you guys usually bring live aside from the ones here?

Francis: The Tokai Les Paul Custom-type is the only one I use live. At home, I have another Tokai, a Strat-style and I used to bring it too but I snapped off the vibrato arm. I love Stratocasters, and I love using the vibrato so it’s at home until I can get the vibrato block replaced. I also have an MIJ 57/62 Reissue Fender Strat and sometimes I bring it as a backup and a beautiful Tele Thinline from Vinci Montaner of Parokya Ni Edgar. It’s on a long-term loan, and only because he’s a friend and a wonderfully generous person.

Sancho: My main axe is a yellow Yamaha Revstar. I have a Japan-made Barclay guitar as a backup in case I break a string mid-set.

I gotta say, your rigs are really cool. Tell us more about how they work, which ones you can never do a gig without, and how you use everything during the sets.

Francis: My pedalboard is basically three different distortions plus three delays. I used to have a multi-effects unit which has its own set of advantages but I like combining different pedals to get, hopefully, unique sounds or tones. I also have a Budda Wah and a Digitech Whammy Pedal.

I have a little Zoom Multistomp for ambient delays and synth-like washes, a Line 6 DL-4 for basic additional delays and looping, and the Tech 21 Fly Rig’s Delay section for an “always on, tweak on-the-fly” delay. The Fly Rig’s Amp sim is always on; I set it flat so whether through an amp or straight to the board, I get a consistent signal. I also have a Tech 21 Liverpool which is my go-to distortion/overdrive; I can’t live without it! I also have a Z Vex Fuzz Factory to get Hendrix-y octave-up sounds when cascaded with either the Fly Rig’s Plexi distortion or the Liverpool.

Sancho: I have a simple rig. I have a Morley Bad Horsie 2 Wah Pedal going into a TC Electronic Polytune and the Xotic RC Booster, then to a Boss Overdrive, then into a Tech21 FlyRig which I use for its amp simulation, as a secondary drive, and for its nifty analog delay section. That goes into a TC Electronic Nova System for various modulation and pitch effects, then into a Boss DD-20 Giga Delay. I won't survive a gig without the Giga Delay.

What amps do you use at home?

Francis: A 3-Watt Blackstar Fly. It’s the best micro-amp, ever! Big tones on that. I have a little Hotone Ravo Multi-effects Unit if I want to explore textural ideas, plus a Pedal Pimps Nitro distortion made by Jay Padua. Pedal Pimps pedals are Philippine-made, and they rock!

Sancho: I use Blackstar amps at home.

What do your kids listen to?

Francis: My kids are into my songs and riffs and I hope they listen to each other and make sense together! LOL!

Sancho: No kids, only two cats and they listen to whatever I listen to.

What is your advice to people who want to play their music out there and do their thing, as well as aspiring guitar players?

Sancho: If you don't love what you're doing, don't do it. You're out there to entertain and please the crowd but you should also be having fun doing it. If you're not happy with or don't believe in the music you're playing, your bandmates and the audience will feel it.

Francis: Love it for the music, and don’t let the other stuff —fame, vices, female fans etc. LOL— get in the way. The other stuff may inspire or motivate you sometimes, but the spark, that desire to express something should only come from you.

Learn how the industry works. And it will not always be a pleasant experience.

Keep your ears open.

Pray: for clarity of mind, spirit, and gratitude.

And learning is forever… there will always be a challenge: technical, theoretical, tonsorial… LOL!