A few years back now, it was Kustomfest in Indonesia, which proved to be the show that would finally open the world’s eyes to just how many crazy customs come out of the archipelago nation. Now it’s Taiwan’s turn, as the recent Speed and Crafts custom bike show demonstrated that this is a country filled with brilliant builders, and a public keen to get amongst it. One of the standout workshops was, without a doubt, SMF Custom Bikes, headed by a trio of craftsmen who make this game look easy. They rolled in a host of incredible creations into the pavilion and it was no surprise to see that they walked away with one hell of a haul of trophies. But it was this little Hartford VR150 that stole our hearts, a once ultra-cheap and cheerful commuter, it now packs serious flat track credentials.
It was a big showing for Vince, Sam, and Temu from SMF at their country’s top show, and among the incredible machines they had on display was their Pikes Peak meets Flat Track inspired HD Sportster, which took home the top trophy in the Modified Harley category. They also had on hand a beautiful BMW R80 cafe racer which was filled with insane custom touches and finished the event with a top five in show award. But it’s not the first time the boys have taken the show scene by storm, having previously teamed up with the world-famous Mooneyes to produce a 190cc powdered BMX that was used to race in the dirt.
And taking that eclectic mix even further, one of their previous Flat Track builds was based on a small motorcycle offering from Kymco; a largely unknown manufacturer from Taiwan that started out producing parts for Honda. Which allows us to come full circle to the Hartford VR150 used as the basis for this build, another Taiwanese company that has been around for some time now and clearly has a relationship with Honda too. So, you know reliability is going to be spot on, parts are cheap and donor bikes can be had for around a thousand bucks. This VR150 started life as a sort of small capacity dual sport, think mini Honda Dominator.
And it was that Dual Sport/MX vibe that had the guys thinking it would make perfect sense to build up as a Flat Track racer, and join their other custom creations at the Speed and Crafts show. To get started, all of the cheap plastic bodywork was pulled off and thrown away, and the guys stripped the bike back until what they had left was a bare engine sitting in the frame. No amount of work could improve the stock tank, so the team reached out to WM in Japan, who are renowned for making brilliant parts for singles, and they sent over one of their all-aluminium, hand welded tracker fuel tanks.
But, of course, it wouldn’t fit over the backbone, so the guys fired up the grinder and their welding gear and quickly had the frame modified and a new set of forward mounts fabricated. Then, to ensure the bottom lines of the tank ran parallel to the ground, they made a new rear mount, which sports a set of custom rubbers to prevent any cracking. The subframe too had to go under the knife, shortened and customised, with a new set of mounting points welded into the ends of the tube. This allowed for a very ’60s British style tail end to be built up, with a high-riding rear fender sitting on a set of custom struts.
To get the bike rolling, the SMF team stuck with the stock hubs, and then built up a new set of wheels with lightweight rims measuring 19 inches at the front and an 18-inch for the rear, laced up with stainless spokes. To prove just how serious they are about running on the track, a fresh pair of Dunlop K180s was ordered, a street-legal race tyre. The front brake is gone, but the rear end is completely rebuilt with a new sprocket on one side and an upgraded twin piston caliper and slotted disc on the other. The suspension follows a similar tale, with rebuilt factory forks slotting through beefy triple clamps and a custom rear shock.
Powering the sideways party is the trusty little 150cc single that has Hartford written on the side covers, but is very clearly a Honda style single. A bigger Mikuni carb takes care of the fuelling and helps to add a few extra ponies, with a pod-style filter aimed out of the frame to gulp in some fresh air. The exhaust is absolutely stunning, the single header becomes two matching pipes near the down tube, and then runs to the rear with a set of straight cuts to finish it off and a pair of internal baffles to keep the soundtrack pleasant. A quick action throttle on the MX-style bars gives the rider full control, and some grippy pegs finish out the controls.
But it’s the bodywork that really steals the show on this baby beast, and helps to give the Hartford a big bike look. All of the number boards are hand formed in-house, with the front a relatively simple style. The sideboards are a real mix; the left is used as a heat shield for the exhausts and is neatly bent around the pipes, while the right side is mounted further back, out of the rider’s way. A set of fork covers are all business, and joining them in black is the simple leather seat and P-pad with white stitching. It might not be as showy as their other offerings, but the machine SMF calls the ‘Silent Samurai’ is ready to carve its way through the competition, and do it in small bike style.
[ SMF Custom Bikes ]