The year might be slowly coming to an end, but there is never a pause in the fast and furious world of the custom motorcycle scene. This week we take a look at a Melbourne motorcycle community’s efforts to overcome Covid and they’re also offering you a chance to win one hell of a custom bike. Then we take a look at two ends of the power spectrum, with an electric Ténéré tribute and one devilish diesel fuelled monster.

With those Covid-19 lockdowns hitting Melbourne hard, Kustom Kommune, the country’s original DIY communal motorcycle workshop had to come up with inventive ways to survive; and as always it was a huge team effort. OG member Toddy saw a chance to make a big contribution by gifting his nearly finished ’82 Virago XV750 project to the community.

The idea was for everyone to chip in and finish it off and then use the bike to gain some much-needed fundraising dollars. When I saw the bike in May this year, one modification that was complete was the full GSXR front-end conversion, donated by Andy from his sadly destroyed racebike.

With amazing support from ThirdGear.com.au who supplied the Benelli style tank from their endless inventory of parts and the always incredible Savvas Upholstery who came to the party with one of their stunning seats, things were really looking up. KK founder Jimmy G is always up to something and has developed ‘Revolt’, an amazing electronic control solution for DIY builders and a programmable touch screen dash too, both of which now find a home as part of the XV build.

The paint is stunning, the double-stacked subframe and wild exhaust make it stand out from the crowd and this bike could be yours! Head over to Kustom Kommune and buy a half-priced membership for your chance to win this stunning KK custom.

From petrol power to electric charge comes the SUPER73 RX600, which pays fitting tribute to the 1986 Yamaha Ténéré XT600 and the Yamaha ‘Desert Monster’ Frankenstein which was born from Jean-Claude Olivier’s obsession with conquering the Dakar Rally. For those not in the know, SUPER73 is a lifestyle brand that creates electric bikes full of features, that are fun to ride and look amazing straight out of the box.

But for EICMA 2022, speciality bike coordinator, Daniel Lescot went all out on this build with the three Yamaha RAL colours, TFX suspension to provide dune-bashing comfort, while a vintage roadbook reader ensures you stay on track and it’s all topped off with a one-off hand-painted helmet made by Hedon.

Then from a clean electric current to a big dirty Deutz diesel, this custom by Gerhard Wingen has the kind of torque capable of pulling a locomotive. With a love for simple technology, Gerhard lusted after the big stationary diesel engine, originally designed to power generators and other large machines. There is no electricity involved here, you hand crank the engine and the self-igniting process is helped to spin with two enormous flywheels.

To support the 185kg lump, Gerhard had to make his own custom frame, the gearbox is a stepless V-belt automatic for the smoothest possible ride and the steampunk chopper gets truly insane mileage, with just 1.5litres of diesel required for an hour of time in the saddle.

Finally, any wrap-up of recent events wouldn’t be complete without paying homage to the incredible year Ducati has had on the race track. In the premier two-wheeled category, Francesco “Pecco” Bagnaia took home the world championship, the Bologna factory won the constructors title and five of the top ten riders for the year piloted the drop-dead gorgeous Desmos.

Over in WSBK and it was the little Spanish master Alvaro Bautista who combined his tiny frame, Panigale power and excellent racecraft to win his maiden title for the Italian firm. There they won the constructors title too and it will require a herculean effort from the other manufacturers to change the outcome in 2023.