If 2021 felt like deja vu, then you’re not alone, it seems the world just can’t catch a break from this god-awful global pandemic. But there is always a silver lining in even the most trying times, and this year it came from both the increased comradery within the custom scene and the bikes being built having a very practical bent. Yes, a number of the big shows returned, allowing long lost friends to catch up and admire new machinery, but the best machines of the year are almost exclusively motorcycles to be ridden and enjoyed, rather than purely sitting stagnant and on display. With great thanks to you all for joining us again on this beautiful ride, Ladies and Gentleman, your Pipeburn Bikes of the Year…
Factory Fantastic – With classic motorcycles beloved across the racing and custom scene, Suzuki has continued to make available a line of OEM products for their old bikes, and to promote their Vintage Parts program they have Team Classic Suzuki. With its bold ’80s lines looking as good as they did forty years ago, all sitting atop a modern WSBK frame, with 200bhp on tap and all the goodies you could ask for; it is no wonder that this Killer Katana took home our Best Bike by a Manufacturer award.
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Shed-Built Supreme – At the opposite end of the spectrum, nothing quite blows the wind up our skirts like a sensational bike, built in a back shed. And the pure insanity of a Honda Cub powered by a DT250MX two-stroke screamer, and sporting a bike brake package, fat rear tyre and looks to die for, had us feeling good in all the right places. The comments section was full of praise, the internet went into meltdown and it’s easy to see why Britain’s Brian Ricketts is our Shed-Built champion.
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10. Triumph Speedmaster by Kott Motorcycles. He’s built bikes for some of Hollywood’s leading stars, but they’re not the only big shots to notice the incredible work of California’s Dustin Kott. Having built a reversed head engine, Triumph’s special projects team, needed a builder who could craft them a bike to fit it into. And as he always does, Dustin knocked it out of the park, giving the funky parallel-twin a gorgeous cafe racer to call its home.
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9. BMW R100RT ‘Halier’ by Earth Moto. The BMW R series remains the bike du jour in the custom scene and few have built one better than the Slovakian outfit, Earth Motorcycles with their ‘Halier’, an early ‘90s R touring model that’s stripped down and transformed into a minimalistic neo-retro homage to BMW’s two-wheeled offerings of old. One of the cleanest bikes of the year, and the full fenders and road tyres kept everyone happy.
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8. Honda CX500 by Tossa R. It’s been a staple of the custom bike scene for over a decade, and Bulgarian builders Tossa R have reminded us why. Sure the plastic maggot is uninspiring in stock trim, but that quirky engine just can’t be killed and using their vast racing experience they not only made this CX look good, they’ve tricked it out with big brakes, Ohlins suspension and a host of custom parts to create a CX500 with superbike qualities.
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7. BMW R1250 R by Renard Speed Shop. One of the many reasons we love Estonia’s Andres Uibomäe is for his absolute commitment to the motorcycle industry. And having resurrected a once forgotten brand in Renard Motorcycles, he’s never taken his eye off also creating incredible one-off creations. So tasked with making the very good, but very boring BMW R1250 R stand out from the crowd, he once again went all out and delivered this futuristic full-bodied beauty that stole a hell of a lot of hearts with its bold design.
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6. BMW R100RS by Wedge Motorcycle. The comments said it all with this BMW R100 build, notified of a new post, the loyal Pipeburn faithful fretted it was to be “Just another airhead”. But they were as thrilled with the bike as we were when they laid eyes on Takashi Nihira’s handy work. In the long tradition of single man operations in the backstreets of Japan, Wedge Motorcycle delivered a master class in quality, craftsmanship and execution on this brilliant scrambler and it’s no wonder Nihira-san takes home the trophies at the Yokohama Hot Rod Show.
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5. Moto Guzzi Le Mans ‘KM33’ by Kaffeemaschine. “Siri, show me the perfect traditional Italian, Moto Guzzi cafe racer,” if it’s not build number 33 from Axel Budde of Hamburg’s Kaffeemaschine, then the lady in the telephone has made a serious mistake. Having dedicated his life to perfecting the art of the custom Guzzi, Axel delivered his very best with this remarkable blue beast that is as stunning to look at, as it is incredible to ride. The fit and finish is perfect, and the torque from the fully built V-Twin, brutal.
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4. ‘ICARUS’ Bullet 500 by Kromworks. A Royal Enfield 500 single is as simple as motorcycling gets, one piston, two wheels and you’re ready for any adventure. But nobody told that to Indonesia’s Andika Pratama, simple is not in his vocabulary, as the head honcho of Kromworks wowed us once more with his flawless fabrication skills. A custom frame with internal rear shock, a trick girder front fork and a stainless steel monocoque body that gives you the sweats just thinking about the work required to pull it all off.
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3. Buell café racer by Officine Uragani. The workshop is in Switzerland, but proud Italian Raffaele Gallo remains true to his heritage and can find absolute beauty in almost anything. The man behind Officine Uragani found a Buell model in the M2 that nobody really cares for, and turned it into a stunning cafe racer with brute Harley horsepower. The bodywork is out of this world, with countless hours spent perfecting the lines, the beauty is there for all to see and earns Raffaele this year’s Bronze medal.
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2. ‘La Guapísima’ by XTR Pepo. If our scene had rockstars, then Pepo Rosell would be at the top of the pops and ready to be inducted into the hall of fame. No pandemic can slow down his prolific talent, and having won the world over with endless race replica machines, this Ducati drag bike is now ready to take all before it in next years Sultans of Sprint. A fire breathing engine, wicked looks that are already a fan favourite and brilliant engineering, top tens is just how this Spaniard rolls!
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1. Moto Guzzi 850 T3 by MCNC. But there can only be one winner, and if one bike summed up the best of 2021 and helped us ignore all the worries, it was Frenchman Nicolas Baux’s Moto Guzzi 850. It had been years since we’d heard from the man behind Motocyclette Certifiée Non Conforme, and now we know what he was up to. Designing, crafting and creating one of the best-engineered custom motorcycles we’ve ever seen. From CAD and carbon fibre, to plain alloy and a planishing hammer, techniques old and new were employed to deliver this masterpiece for the ages. Read the article, pour over the pictures and rejoice in this clinic on how to do custom cool.
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Thank you to all our readers, friends across social media, and those who keep the comments section a fun place to hang out. Stay safe and have a great New Year. Big thanks to our sponsors who keep the rubber on the road: REV’IT! jumped on board as our main sponsor this year and have been the perfect partner. Also big thanks to Motogadget, Cognito Moto and SKRAM who have been with us through thick and thin, and we thank you for riding pillion.
And finally, as we farewell 2021, we raise our glasses, tip our caps and burn some rubber, for the Patron saint of the custom bike scene, Mr Bobby Haas. The hugely successful financier, photographer, and benefactor passed away this year aged 74, but his legacy will live on in his Motorcycle Museum in Dallas, Texas and the countless people for whom he made their dreams a reality. Vale.