The electric motorcycle market is absolutely booming and it seems that a new manufacturer is popping up every single day. But, caveat emptor, as many of these new companies disappear as quickly as they arrive, and others fail to get the appropriate approval for their product to ever be registerable for the road in your country. Which is exactly how Noel Muller managed to find the donor for his latest project, selling for an absolute bargain on that lottery of trash and treasure that is Facebook Marketplace. The Black Cycles superstar has always had the uncanny ability to create a silk purse from a sow’s ear, and he’s turned this once unusable EV sportsbike, into a barnstorming street tracker, road ready for eruption.
“A few months ago I was randomly looking through Facebook Marketplace for a possible “shop” build when I came across one of six VAYA Z8 electric motorcycles for sale from a business that was attempting to import them into Australia in large numbers but failed to fully comply with our ADR requirements,” Noel explains. “So they were selling off the remaining bikes at cost price & stating ‘for private off-road use only’, so I bought one knowing that if I changed 50% of the bike from original it can go through an ICV & then registration.” Individually Constructed Vehicles fall under an Australian engineering law, which allows for ‘one-off’ builds to go through a rigirous inspection process and be passed as road legal.
The Z8 that Noel had purchased came new as a fully faired electric sportsbike, with the lines of a Kawasaki Ninja 300 from a few years ago. For whatever reason, the importer was never able to get them approved for the street in Australia, but with quality factory running gear and at half the price, Noel had himself a bargain. Now he could quite literally rip in, pulling off that generically styled fairing, ridding the frame of all of the supporting tabs and brackets, and ditching the big subframe which was used to support the sportsbike styled rear end. So, the first step for Noel was then to fabricate a much shorter subframe, which is neat as can be.
The main body was next on the list of ingredients and Noel has wisely shunned the cheap plastic approach. “I wanted to make the design look like an ‘electric’ bike should look, as in basic, fully enclosed & not try to make it look like an engine. So, I built the full aluminum & dimple died main body which follows the exact frame shape.” Those dimple died holes not only look cool and save weight, but add increased rigidity to the lightweight alloy panels. The aluminium front fender keeps things very neat and the seat and tail section is beautifully crafted, and really captures the essence of a tracker, while completely hiding the supporting subframe.
The tank is actually a cover, there’s no need for fossil fuels here, and with a quick release mechanism it exposes the charge point, cut-off switch and main fuse. Always one to deliver a factory like level of fit and finish, Noel has nailed the front end with a flat track style number plate which holds a Husqvarna headlight. To lay down the stunning paint job, Justin from Popbang Classics was brought in to do an Eddie Van Halen tribute. “The loose reasoning is “Eddie Van Halen” = EVH, EV = electric vehicle & we changed the famous red for blue as it’s the universal colour used to represent electric vehicles worldwide.” And few have electrified the world with their talents like EVH and his ‘Frankenstrat’.
Just like that famous guitar, the functionality of the seat is about keeping things basic and having a very funtional outcome, with neatly cut neoprene giving a race bike vibe. To get the controls spot on, Noel then bent up a set of custom bars, with the risers perfectly intergrated for a super clean look and all of the wiring run internally. The stock switch gear has been retained to maintain full function and post these pictures being taken, a set of custom under bar mirrors have been bolted on. Similarly, the digital gauge that comes with the bike is still present, but moved down and bolted to the frame.
“Now I know absolutely zip about electric bikes & wiring in general so it was a stroke of luck that I met Adam through Instagram who is an electric bike guru & has worked with a large, well-known, electric bike company before & was happy to advise me on upgrades & programming. So these bikes do 120km/h set top speed from the factory at 100amps. So we’ve upped this to a reasonable 150 amps (it can be set to 228 amps) which has improved overall acceleration a lot, as well we’ve increased the initial take off power to a level around fives times quicker than original settings. We could have kept going but for around town this is more than enough & doesn’t drain the battery anymore than original.”
To further aid things, Noel also added some fans to cool the main controller and a remote on/off, so no key is required. The motor itself sits on the rear hub, which can look a little funny, so a set of custom built covers gives the impression of a solid wheel. Then to improve the handling of the bike, Chris at XXX Suspension took care of lowering the front end and a set of gaiters finish off the look. Kellermann micro indicators and a swingarm mounted numberplate holder finish off the brilliant build and Noel explains, “the bike has already gone through the engineering inspection and paperwork, and we now just need to wait for the approval and then get it registered.” So, if you’re after a truly 1 of 1 custom EV creation from one of the world’s top builders, contact Black Cycles via Instagram, as this scintillating Street Tracker is now for sale.
[Black Cycles | Photography by Gold Coast Studios]