bikerMetric

some asian builders are blowing me away

This motorcycle comes via Free Biker magazine. It’s a nice Japanese Taiwanese blog that seems to be the online presence of a custom bike magazine.

Sadly, like many blogs, they simply throw up some killer photos and write nothing about them. The best I could do was use Google Translate to discover “AFS” (stamed on the side of the gearbox) What’s AFS? The builder? I’ve had no luck finding any info about a builder called AFS.

Here are some pics:

I totally dig the entire design of this bike. The rivet look is great, even if the seat is a rump ruiner. The raw “finish” is pretty popular these days but I like it. Tall and skinny wheels are cool. The BMX-style handlebars are a nice touch and because of them, the rear tread ought to be knobby like the front. The frame is really slick and the way the fishtail of the exhaust tucks under it is clean. Does it have rear brakes?

I think it’s got a bit of a steampunk edge. A speedway bike is a great foundation for a steampunk design largely due to the dates in which these bikes were built and raced in relation to the times the steampunk movement uses as it’s historical influence.

Speedway race bikes were incredibly modern in their day. They were also very dangerous. Where did that go? The danger part. Why do kids wear elbow pads and helmets just to ride a bicycle now? Anyway, I digress.

I do not know what kind of motor it is. If you know, please comment. It’s obviously a single and I guess it’s maybe 250 cc but probably 125. That seems to be what’s happening in Japan right now. They’re building a lot of kickass bikes with tiny thumpers. Like the Suzuki 125 here.

EDIT 04.07.10:

Excellent! We received a comment today from somebody who knew about this bike. The blog I found it on was Japanese, but the bike builder is in Taiwan. The motor is a 125cc SYM Wolf, a Taiwanese motorcycle brand. Click this translated link to see them turn a Yamaha FZR v-twin sportbike into a killer military-style cruiser.

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